The Appeal of Home :: Essays Papers

The Appeal of Home In the Greek camp at the end of the Iliad, we see Achilleus arrive at the conclusion that is the theme of the entire poem—that to be mortal is to suffer. However, Homer leaves unanswered the logical question regarding this conclusion: If to live is to suffer, then why live at all? This then becomes the central question of the Odyssey, in which we are given an entirely different kind of character who rejects two distinct possibilities—an immortal relationship and a utopian community—for his own â€Å"wife and his homecoming† (I, 13). The question we are then compelled to ask is, what could Penelope and his Ithakan household possibly offer that is worth more than utopia and immortality? To illustrate what Odysseus could’ve had, Homer shows us a contrast for each aspect of Odysseus’s longing—a couple and a community. Through these contrasts, we are shown just why these options don’t measure up for Odysseus. The immortal couple is embodied in the marriage of Helen and Menelaos, who have been promised the equivalent of eternal bliss in the Elysian Fields. While Menelaos had his homecoming delayed, he never had to resist temptation along the way. The Trojan War and the journey back are nostalgic stories for him, to be recounted for guests as a means of recapturing the past glory of fighting. And Helen, unlike Penelope, certainly has never been one to spurn attractive men and remain loyal to her husband, or to anything at all for that matter. She could not even choose a side in a war fought ostensibly for her sake (IV, 250-284). It is meaningful that, rather than have to deal with the guests’ weeping, she slips something in their drinks to prevent their show of emotion (IV, 219-227). Helen avoids connection with men while her husband wants only to connect with the past. Once guaranteed immortality, there is no pressing need for either of them to attempt the extraordinarily difficult task of truly understanding one another because there is always time for that later. This is the marriage that Odysseus could’ve had had he stayed with Kalypso, but he understands its emptiness and refuses it, instead choosing a woman whom he knows has spent the interceding years resisting men whom Helen would’ve jumped right into bed with. But Odysseus returns for more than just the single meaningful relationship between himself and Penelope.

Riordan Manufacturing Strategic Plan Essay

Strategic managers have responsibility to both the employees and stakeholders of the organization. Engaging in strategic management decisions should include ethics and social responsibilities. The expectation of such responsibilities from stakeholders is to fulfill legal and ethical economic decisions. Satisfying the purpose of the strategic planning process for Riordan Manufacturing, the management team has taken into consideration the economic, legal, ethical and discretionary responsibilities. According to Wheelen and Hunger (2010), the ethical and discretionary responsibilities are also known as social responsibilities. Ethical responsibilities require decision-makers to follow expected behaviors of society and the community. Riordan may take substantial risk by upsetting customers by failing to meet existing ethical values. Understanding the existing ethical values and standards of Riordan, the management team will assist senior leaders in planning and committing to social respo nsibilities. Why a Strategic Plan? A strategic management plan will focus Riordan’s objectives, goals, and efforts on long-term performance and sustainability. Managing short-term goals and successes is relatively uncomplicated and easily attainable, yet longevity is much more difficult to accomplish. Strategic management lays the framework for lasting success. Corporations can no longer sustain profitable business activities by simply maintaining a business as usual or status quo strategy. As the world and economic markets continue to evolve, companies must also transform to accommodate an ever-changing environment. During such transformations, managers should be careful to implement change that is consistent with the company’s core mission and objectives. Strategic planning assists in effectively accomplishing these changes and provides business owners and managers the opportunity to induce innovative thinking to preserve competitive advantages. Riordan, like other companies, needs a strategic plan. The plastic injection molding company uses modern design capabilities to provide innovative plastic products to national and international customers. Riordan advertises that â€Å"attention to detail, extreme precision and enthusiastic quality controls are the hallmarks of  Riordan Manufacturing† (Apollo Group, Inc., 2004, Internet). By setting such high standards in a lucrative and competitive industry, it is imperative to Riordan’s success that they implement a strategic plan to manage long-term profitability and sustained growth. Ethical and Social Responsibility To understand the role that ethical and social responsibility considerations occupy in the development of Riordan’s strategic organizational planning, one must first recognize what these concepts mean. According to Merriam-Webster (2011), ethics is â€Å"the discipline dealing with what is good and bad and with moral duty and obligation† (para. 1). Outside of this general definition that ethics are standards for morality, researchers and philosophers have actively sought for many years for a comprehensive and all-encompassing explanation of what is and is not ethical. Many factors contribute to the meaning of ethics and corresponding behaviors, including but not limited to culture, religion, societal influences and pressures, and various stages of moral development. Though social responsibility works hand in hand with ethics, it does possess unique implications. Wheelen and Hunger (2010) describe that â€Å"the concept of social responsibility proposes that a private c orporation has responsibilities to society that extend beyond making a profit† (p. 72). This notion exists because the decisions and actions of a business or organization often are far reaching and affect many others beyond the boarders of the company’s facilities and operations. Management has a responsibility to balance that which is good for the business and for the surrounding communities and affected parties while formulating strategic plans. Experts in the fields of corporate ethics and social responsibility argue that profitability is not the only duty to be satisfied by a business. For example, William J. Byron believes that â€Å"profits are merely a means to an end, not an end in itself,† and Archie Carroll suggests that corporations â€Å"have four responsibilities: economic, legal, ethical, and discretionary† (Wheelen & Hunger, 2010, p. 72-73). Riordan is much more likely to experience success and provide greater returns to stakeholders if a well-rounded business approach is adopted, as opposed to a strictly profit-oriented method. An ex tensive internal and external environmental scan will help Riordan determine what ethical and social concerns to incorporate in the company’s strategic plan. For  instance, considering present concerns with environmental pollution, including the over-use of plastics and the toxic air pollution created by manufacturing facilities, Riordan should take a proactive stance in environmental sustainability efforts. Riordan operates in a changing world, and if the company chooses not to pay attention to and participate in the vigorous worldwide environmental conservation activities, they may find themselves out of business and in financial ruin. The ethical and socially responsible role of Riordan affects customers, employees, stakeholders, local and international communities, and future generations. If these parties are not satisfied with the company’s efforts and actions, Riordan may be at risk for potential failure. Competitive Advantages and Strategies Riordan presently utilizes an industry standard Six Sigma competitive strategy, along with their customization of innovative products and sale of quality items to a select market of specialized buyers. The manufacturer also takes advantage of high-volume production methods to generate elevated profits. They provide plastic products, including bottles, fans, heart valves, medical stents, and custom parts, to customers in bulk amounts at affordable prices to sustain the company’s revenue stream. Riordan also has a revolving product line, which creates value and sustainability because the products are recycled. These competitive advantages helped Riordan become an industry leader, yet the integration of a differentiation strategy and a lower cost strategy will work to enhance organizational growth. Riordan can improve innovation and sustainability of business operations in the United States and in the global market by implementing a blend of differentiation and lower cost busines s strategies. This arrangement is ideal for Riordan because it caters to the purpose of the manufacturing business, which is to provide valuable products at reasonable costs. Wheelen and Hunger (2010) explain that â€Å"differentiation strategy is the ability of a company to provide unique and superior value to the buyer in terms of product quality, special features, or after-sale service† and â€Å"lower cost strategy is the ability of a company or a business unit to design, produce, and market a comparable product more efficiently than its competitors† (p. 185). The combination of these two exceedingly effective competitive strategies allows Riordan to introduce innovative and distinct plastic products to the  marketplace, creating greater value to customers, in a more efficient and cost-effective manner than competitors. To further guarantee organizational longevity, Riordan should continue to use existing quality improvement processes such as Six Sigma and Total Quality Management, which focus on cost reduction, quality improvement, customer satisfaction, performance improvement, and continual renewal. Measurement Guidelines Using a combination of differentiation and lower cost strategies in the Riordan strategic planning process will help the organization maximize profits through two avenues. The first way the company will adjust the organizational strategy is by using differentiation to sell specialty products to organizations that are willing to pay higher prices for specialty orders. New innovation will increase the sales of the organization. Riordan will use a return on investment (ROI) measurement as a guideline to verify the effectiveness of the innovation strategy. The ROI measurement will look at the profitability of each specialty order and determine if the products are creating enough revenue for the organization. If the products are not meeting a set revenue target goal, then the organization will increase the customers’ cost. The second way Riordan will stabilize the organization’s growth and maximize profits is by using a lower cost strategy. The organization will maintain the existing customer base by selling common plastic products at lower rates. The primary plastic products in this category are beverage bottles, food containers, and common automobile parts. The organization will use a balanced scorecard approach to verify strategic effectiveness of the lower cost strategy. The balanced scorecard will focus on four main strategic goals to determine effectiveness. The first goal is customer satisfaction. Satisfying the customer’s needs will keep profits growing. The second goal is financial stability and profitability. Financial stability will show stakeholders the company is strong and dependable. This encourages more business from other organizations in the future. The third goal in the balanced scorecard approach is internal perspective. Management will look at successes and failures within the organization and determine corrective actions to improve the organization. The fourth step is innovation and learning within the organization. Managers will look at areas that are not meeting the strategic  goals and determine improvements to the strategic plan. The management team will also evaluate ways to improve value of products and ways to cut cost of production. By using the ROI and balanced scorecard guidelines, Riordan’s managers can effectively evaluate the effectiveness of the organizational strategy. This will allow managers to determine if the strategies are successful in their current form or if adjustments are needed to improve production or profitability standards. Internal Dynamics For Riordan to implement the new business strategies, the internal dynamics of the organization must change. These changes will affect the culture and structural leadership of the company. Riordan’s current management structure is a matrix structure using the old method management. This means that longevity in the organization is a stipulation for management placement. Each level of manager is put in a position and the job is made to fit the candidate. The company will keep the current matrix structure in place with one major difference. In the new internal dynamics of the company, the requirements of the job determine the eligibility of candidates. New job placement processes will cause the cultural environment to change within the organization. Employees, whom may be waiting for older workers to leave the company, will find it easier to move into new positions without the wait. The most qualified candidate will be eligible for the positions, instead of employees relying on l ongevity. This type of organizational movement will promote innovation through education by placing fresh candidates in leadership positions. This will also help the company avoid downturns in innovation and growth. Organizational managers must determine if the new business strategy will fit the current culture. If the strategy does not fit, managers must decide how to implement the strategy by making changes in the structure. According to Wheelen and Hunger (2010), the management team can try one of four methods to adjust the culture. â€Å"The strategy makers can take a chance and ignore the culture, manage around the culture by changing the plan, change the culture to fit the plan, or change the strategy to fit the culture† (Wheelen and Hunger, 2010, p. 256). The new organizational business strategy must have the support of the stakeholders to which the changes will affect because a failure to plan and adjust the business strategy effectively could result in failure of the implementa tion process. Business Continuity Business continuity are the activities performed by an organization to ensure that the business functions will be available when needed by customers, suppliers, regulators, and others of Riordan that must have access to those particular functions. Business continuity is performed by members of the company such as management, employees, and its stakeholders. The business functions and continuity at Riordan consist of project management, system backups, change controls, and the help desk. These functions help Riordan maintain service, consistency, and recoverability within the organization. Riordan influences business continuity by supporting items in their mission statement. The influences are geared by Six Sigma and R&D, which is the industry leader in identification of industry trends. Riordan’s business is also influenced by ISO 9000 standards that define the company’s attitude and abilities. Long-term customer relationships and team oriented working environments are significant businesses influences of this company. With a continual focus on achievement and maintaining profitability to ensure sustained growth, financial and human capital availability are identified as ongoing strategic goals and objectives. Assessment and Feedback Controls Riordan provides its employees with well informed and properly supported information that focuses on the long-term viability of the company. The assessment and feedback controls that should be acknowledged in determining the direction for Riordan in the proposed strategic plan are as follows. The assessments will ensure that Riordan examines employee motivation and empowerment, manufacturing and marketing areas, and the structure of performance reviews. Once these areas are assessed, then the feedback process will begin. The management feedback process consists of making sure employees are still being recognized as team players as Riordan is changing the strategy of the company. Providing employees coaching sessions to identify problem areas, implementation of career development opportunities, and instituting a pay rewards system for good performance that supports the company’s vision will provide direct feedback to the company. At Riordan, product quality and quantity is a major focus. Establishing an evaluation, control, and assessment process will provide timely feedback to leadership  in anticipation of results or areas of concern. Areas of assessment include employee and customer satisfaction, environmental presence, and environmental scanning for external locations of the manufacturing facilities. Instituting assessment and feedback to determine the profitability and feasibility of the company is established through the strategic process. Management will determine and specify what measurements are necessary, establish standards of performance through specific implementations, measure performance by predetermined controls, and compare desired performance within a tolerance range. Should the performance fall outside of the predetermined tolerance range, leadership will have the ability to take immediate corrective action. Companies may experience fluctuation or desired standards not being achieved. Thi s provides the company with an opportunity to take corrective action and re-evaluate the strategic plan. Should Riordan’s strategic plan fluctuate or not achieve predetermined goals as according to plan, management would consider altering the specific strategy. Some of the changes to be considered are based on the feedback, but may include the competitive strategies, measurement guidelines, and internal dynamics. These areas provide opportunities for improvement but could also reflect similarities to the original plan with minor adjustments and still provide successful outcomes. Alterations of the strategic plan would be evaluation of: Competitive Strategies – In the area of competitive strategies, we will limit the high-volume production methods and not add any new innovation. Measurement Guidelines – In the area of measurement guidelines, we will eliminate the differentiation to sell specialty products to organizations for a higher price which leads to return on investment. Riordan will focus on maintaining the product line that already exists. Internal Dynamics – In the area of internal dynamics, Riordan could not go forward with the new changes to the company culture and job placement process. Only a few minor adjustments are needed for this particular area. Job placement should be considered upon experience and the company culture should remain the same. If Riordan fails to make these corrections prior to implementation of the new strategic plan, the company could be at risk of losing market share, not having the ability of expanding globally, jeopardizing the relationship with stakeholders, and lose of profitability. Conclusion Companies are respected and rated by their ethical and social responsibilities to the stakeholders and employees. These responsibilities are as important as the ROI. The purpose of business is to make a return on investment, and this factor is used to evaluate the performance of management and offers a market comparison to similar firms and industries. Key performance measures are essential for achieving the desired strategic outcome. A comprehensive plan that includes environmental scanning, strategy formulation, strategy implementation, and evaluation and control processes will provide assurance of a well-developed strategic approach to business strategies and growth initiatives. References Apollo Group, Inc. (2004). Virtual Organization: Riordan Manufacturing. Retrieved from Apollo Group, Inc., Simulation, MGT498 – Strategic Management website. Merriam-Webster, Incorporated (2011). Ethic. Retrieved from http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ethics. Wheelen, T. L., & Hunger, J. D. (2010). Concepts in strategic management and business policy: Achieving sustainability (12th ed.). Prentice Hall.

Outline Of A Persuasive Outline Essay - 1190 Words

Persuasive Outline Generic Topic: Continuation of Gratuity Specific Purpose: To persuade my audience to support the continuation of tipping (in restaurants). Introduction I. Many times my family has gone out to restaurants, having nice experiences. Other visits not so much. One outing in particular, my family and I ate out at an upscale French restaurant in Virginia. The food was good. However, my dad left a small tip for the level of service provided by our snobby waitress. Leaving the restaurant, we heard a â€Å"Sir! Excuse me, Sir.† Our waitress hurried across the parking lot in effort to catch up with us. She asked, â€Å"Did I do something wrong?† In which dad replied, â€Å"No, you didn’t do anything wrong, why?† She hastily replied, â€Å"The tip. The tip,† upset with the amount left. II. As a recent employee in the restaurant industry, first as a hostess and later as a waitress, I have had the opportunity to experience the system of tipping not just from a customer’s point of view. III. The majority of the population dines out at restaurants at one time or another facing the art of tipping at some point in their life, unless they prefer fast food. IV. The elimination of tipping would create chaos within the service industry for both customers and servers V. Today I will discuss the initial purposes of tipping and the customer’s point of view as well as the view of the servers on how the no tip policy would impact the service industry. Transition Statement: What definesShow MoreRelatedPersuasive Outline1168 Words   |  5 PagesRosma Elisa amp; Qaisara Afiqah Persuasive Outline Topic: Walking For Health Life Audience: General Purpose: To persuade Specific Purpose: To persuade my audience to start walking in order to improve health. 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The Revolution Of The Banking System In China Finance Essay - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 16 Words: 4899 Downloads: 6 Date added: 2017/06/26 Category Finance Essay Type Narrative essay Did you like this example? Introduction When discussing the impact of Basel ÃÆ' ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒâ€šÃ‚ ¡ on banking risk management in China, the liberalization process and considerable reform of banking industry in China will significantly interpret the establishment of modern banking industry and the environment of risk management in banking industry in the past thirty years. Furthermore, this section will indicate particularly significant problems which banks face during the implementation of risk management. This section will introduce the history of liberalization process of banking industry in China and the overall picture of banking risk management in China. 3.1 The Reform of Banking Industry in China As Open Door policy implemented in 1978, the banking sector has experienced the series of specific reforms and other important corresponding deregulation and regulation processes. Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "The Revolution Of The Banking System In China Finance Essay" essay for you Create order Early Stage Prior to the economic reforms in 1979, Chinas banking system, as a product of centrally planned economy, was not modern; the role of banks was only for collecting revenue from state-owned enterprises and allocating investment through budgetary grants (Huang 1992). Mainly, the large-amount of funds states-owned enterprises (SOEs) required were supplied by the Ministry of Finance; the Peoples Bank of China, established in 1948, issued cash simply for the reason of providing extra credits needed by the SOEs to cover labour cost and purchases of working capital. Also, the PBC was responsible for the execution, supervision and accounting of the country. The crucial institutional changed was brought by the former leader Deng Xiaoping who transformed China from a command to a socialist market economy, With parallel to the economic reconstruction, the government introduced the two-tier banking system in February 1979. The monopolistic position of PBC ended after the setup of four stated -owned commercial banks. The Agricultural Bank of China was formed to take over PBCs rural banking business of a network of 60 000 credit cooperatives. The Bank of China focused foreign currency transactions; the China Construction Bank focused on the construction industry; the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China focused on commercial lending and borrowing. The PBC become entirely a central bank in 1994, of which all the commercial banking activities were transferred the forth SOB, the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (International Monetary Fund, 1996). After that, the Peoples Bank of China no longer dealing with deposit and loan business and only functioned for planning of monetary policy and for supervising the financial system. But it was acknowledged that PBC was not an independent regulatory body, which was under the State Council, and it implied that setting monetary policy was subject to the approval of the Council (Sayuri Shirai 2001). In addition, the problems o f PBC were authorized to allocate loans under the aggregate credit ceiling, while this autonomy left a room for the collusion between branch officers and the local governments who wished for more money. Under the reform, those state-owned banks, on top of commercial business, furnished policy loans to those SOEs, which were not for the purpose of profit making. That was, even it was known that a state-owned enterprise suffered from massive losses, and the loss would be continued, the specialized banks still had the obligation to supplied them loans. Providing loans to money-losing SOEs was the main reason why the non-performing loans grew so fast in the 1990s as these policy loans nearly constituted one third of total loans. China International Trust and Investment Corporation (CITIC), as well as other international trust and investment companies, was found in the 1980s, which functioned as a channel of raising funds from foreign sources. At the same time, there were local tru st and investment companies planted by the four SOBs as affiliates to expand another form of business, and by the local governments that required a higher return of deposits and that needed to finance priority projects. Also, it was acknowledged that other banks started such as China Investment Bank and CITIC Industrial Bank. On top of that, there were very distinctive non-bank institutions, rural and urban credit cooperatives, which were unique to the command economy (S). The rural credit cooperatives (RCCs) were small financial institutions jointly owned by farmers through equity stock to receive deposits and grant loans to the rural areas. Similar to RCCs, the urban credit cooperative (URRs) provided saving and lending services in medium- and large-size cities. Despite the fact that these cooperatives were controlled by the government, they were able to enjoy a certain degree of autonomy. Reforms since 1990 The major reconstructions of Chinas banking sector were in the aspects of privatization of banks, financial liberalization, strengthening of accounting and regulation and the management of non-performing loans. Separating from policy-lending to commercial activities Owing to the issues of policy-lending that pushed up banks bad debt, the Peoples Bank of China implemented a major reform in 1994, whose focus was on the separation between commercial business and policy-lending (International Monetary Fund 1996). Nearly all the policy loans from the four SOBs were transferred to the three newly-instituted policy-lending banks, Agriculture Development Bank of China, Export-Import Bank of China and China Development Bank. It was intended that the state-owned banks were transformed into commercial banks with acceptable capital adequacy ratio and better management. As the Commercial Banking Law was promulgated in 1995, the commercial banks were subject to more vigorous regulations on working capitals and human resources. For instance, the minimum registered capital of state-owned commercial banks and share-type commercial banks was set at RMB 1 billion. Senior managers were required to possess, at least, a university degree in finance and 8 years of e xperiences in the financial sector. This was, in addition, the first time for China to introduce macro-economic control. As the deficiency of PBC in controlling credit allocation and in monitoring non-bank institutions induced funds shifted from banks to unregulated sectors, bubbles in real estate and stock markets were formed. As a result, the tightening policy was executed to reduce the decline in banks deposits on one hand, and to solve the liquidity squeeze on the other hand. Yet, the installation of policy-lending banks did not solve the question that the big four still extended credit to many non-profitable state-owned companies. It was true that some of those SOEs with very unacceptable performance became more difficult for extra funding since the state banks gradually turned into more prudent and were more flexible in choosing their clients. Policy-lending, for all that, existed in the state-owned banks, which in principle, only dealt with commercial activities (Cao 20 00). Though it was not very explicit, central government continued to intervene, even until now, the allocation of funding in the four main banks to those loss-making SOEs. The role of private financial institution was very restrained. Furthermore, there, as mentioned before, were interferences of the local governments on the branches of state-owned banks. The corruption in lending activities was, at least to some extent, controlled by the rule that headquarters of SOEs had the exclusive right to appoint bank managers of provincial branches. It was no longer the case that the selection process required the agreement to both local governments and those headquarters. The influence of local government on commercial loans, consequently, was refined (Sayuri Shirai 2001). It was noted that there were share-type commercial banks which started very different to the prevailing banking system. These banks possessed not only the policy-oriented nature as they required to follow governmen t policies, but also conformed to market principles of a well-defined equity structure. The banks, established by local governments for supplied capital resources for the Special Economic Zones (SEZs), were aimed at breaking the monopolist position of the four state-owned banks. The banks with new structure enjoyed a close relationship with local government, at the same time, were independent in the sense that they were able to conduct business according to proper legal procedures and coping with the needs of economic development. Examples included Guangdong Development Bank, Shanghai Pudong Development Bank and Shenzhen Development Bank. On the other hand, it was acknowledged that in 1986, the PBC authorized the establishment of the Huitong Cooperative Bank of Chengdu, which was the first private banking institution. In 1996 first public traded private bank, the China Minshen Banking Corporation was created. But it was the fact that the presence of private bank in China was very ne gligible (S). Interest rate deregulation Interest rates were always closely related to the banking system. To privatize the banking system implied that it was necessary to liberalize interest rate markets. Banks in the late 1980s were permitted to change lending rates within a certain margin below and above the administrated rate. Next, the central bank launched a set of lending rate ceilings and fools: a ceiling at 20% of the basic rate, and a floor at 10% on commercial banks; a ceiling at 30%, and a floor at 10% on urban credit cooperatives; a ceiling at 60%, and a floor at 10% on rural credit cooperatives. Although PBC lessened this flexibility in 1996, the liberalization process went on the ceiling was set at 20% for loans to small and medium enterprises, and at 50% for UCCs in 1998, and the ceiling for lending to state-owned enterprises was further increased to 30% (S). Afterwards, the rates of lending and saving were allowed to adjust within a range of the benchmark rate provided by the government. In January 20 04, PBC broadened the floating range of financial institutions lending rates (the Peoples Bank of China 2004). The upper limit of commercial banks and urban credit cooperatives lending rates increased to 1.7 times the benchmark lending rate, with that of rural credit cooperatives was raised to 2 times the benchmark rate. The lower limit of financial institutions lending rates was kept unchanged to 0.9 times the benchmark rate. And it was noted that this flexibility in lending rates applies to all types of financial institution, regardless of their ownerships or sizes. Another major reform was the liberalization of interest rates on foreign currency loans and on the foreign currency deposits of $3 million or more. The rates on deposits of less than $3 million were set by the China Association of Banks. Besides, the interbank markets were emerged into a computer-based national market in January 1996, (Sayuri Shirai 2001), for which PBC fixed a reference rate. Six months later, the market became more elastic as the ceiling on interbank rates was eliminated. In 1997, an interbank market which, for the most part, handled repo arrangements was instituted. This secondary bond markets, as a tool of open market operation, helped the government implement monetary policies. Notwithstanding the fact that interest rates in China became more flexible, the rates were served as monetary tools and on the whole, determined by the Peoples Bank of China. Management of non-performing loans The Chinese leaders began to address the issue of bad loan in 1994 by constructing the three policy banks. Nevertheless, it was not sufficient that this problem continued to grow, a series of reforms emphasizing recapitalization and management of NPLs were adopted. In 1998, the government, by issuing of bonds, injected RMB 270 billion into the 4 state-owned banks (Mo 1999). In 1999, International Finance Corporation (IFC) completed an equity investment in the Bank of Shanghai, as well as contributed US$ 27 billion in the Nanjing City Commercial Bank in 2001. In addition, the IFC assisted those small and medium-sized non-state banks that conducted business in the western part of China. Apart from recapitalization, PBC also arranged a debt-equity swap of RMB 5 billion for saving the nearly bankrupt Everbright Trust and Investment Company (ETIC), which could not repay its maturity debt. At the same time, this swap protected the companys largest creditors including a state oil firm and 2 SOBs. Another way of Chinese government used for reconstructing the Chinese banks was the declaring closure and bankruptcy insolvent financial institutions. During the period of 1997-1998, PBC closed the very financial problematic Hainan Development Bank, as well as 3 trust and investment companies. Also, the Guangdong International Trust and Investment Company applied to the court for bankruptcy in 1999. The financial restructuring covered the merging of 2000 urban credit cooperatives into 88 city commercial banks from 1995 to 1998. This schedule consisted of re-evaluation of assets and capitals, write-off of a proportion of bad debts and introduction of new shareholders. The transformation of troublesome UCCs to regional banks indicated that local governments intended to lessen, or at least conseal the issue of bad loans in the cooperatives and transferred some of responsibility to the central government. In the year of 1995 and 1997, Hainan Development Bank acquired a nu mber of trust and investment companies and UCCs, while in 2001, PBC approved the merger of 1658 rural credit cooperatives into 81 joint stock rural commercial banks in Zhangjiagang, Changshu, Jiangyin, and Jiangsu Provinces (Sayuri Shirai 2001). The very critical reform in NPL management was the establishment of the four asset management companies (AMCs) in 1999, each of which received RMB 10 billion by the Ministry of Finance to recover the four state-owned banks bad loans: Cinda worked with China Construction Bank; Great Wall worked with Agricultural Bank of China; Oriental worked with the Bank of China; Huarong worked with the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China. The AMCs were independent corporate persons owned by the state and were under the supervision of PBC. The job of these temporary financial institutions was to purchase, manage and dispose of NPLs during 10-year life span. In addition to restructuring, they also had to be deal with the reconstruction of state-owned enterprises. Financing by issuing bonds of RMB 850 billion and by borrowing RMB 550 billion from PBC, the four companies, by 2000, had picked up NPLs of RMB 1.4 trillion, which accounted for almost 20% of combined outstanding loans (Lin 2000). It was noted that although these companies were permitted to apply various methods financial channels to dispose assets like conversion, transfer and sale, debt repackaging, corporate re-organization and securitization, majority of the non-performing assets were re-organized using conversion of debt to equity (Wu 2000). By 2000, the total valued of recovered asset was only RMB 101.3 billion, where the recovery rate was only 33.6%. The total cash recovered was RMB 63.15 billion with a recovery rate 22.9%. It seemed that the AMCs were not very effective in managing those bad loans, which largely related to prevailing banking structure of China with poor accounting system. As a result, the quality of asset was in doubt. On the other hand, mor al hazard problem existed because many SOEs refused to repay debts and just waited for debt-to-equity conversion (Huang 2000). Strengthening of accounting, regulation and supervision After 1990, a considerable number of non-bank institution entered to the banking market in China because regulations controlling the firms scope of business were not clear. For the reason of better administration, the government introduced the China Security Regulatory Commission (CSRS) and the China Insurance Regulatory Commission (CIRC) in 1998. The former functioned to supervise the security market; the latter functioned to supervise the insurance market. The peoples bank of China no longer took their responsibility. For the purpose to extend the independence of PBC, the supervisory capacity of its provincial branches was transferred to 9 trans-provincial branches in 1998, while a financial supervisory system of responsibility was created to define the responsibilities of head offices and branches in 1999. Furthermore, China implemented an international accepted five-tier classification of loans in 1998, as well as the Administrative Rules for Financial Statistics in 2002 as so to enhance the accounting system (Hong 2001). Aiming at tackling the problem of money laundering and corruption, Rules for Anti-money Laundering by Financial Institutions were exercised in 2003. It was acknowledged that those rules were not got into practice even though there were leas governing. On the other hand, there was vital structural modification-the China Banking Regulatory Commission was instituted, which took over the responsibility of the PBC to supervise the banking system. Followed the formation of the CBRC, a series of regulations were executed for strengthening the soundness of the banking sector in China. The Structure of Chinas Banking Industry State CouncilFigure 3.1.1 Structure of the Chinese Banking Industry China Banking Regulatory Commission (CBRC) Peoples Bank of China (PBOC) (Central Bank) Over 27 000 credit unions 144 commercial banks 3 state policy banks Over 180 Foreign banks 127 city commercial banks 12 nationwide or regional shareholding commercial banks 5 state commercial banks Over 250 branches Over 200 representative offices About 190 000 branches Source: Structure of the Chinese Banking Industry in Multinational Banking in China Theory and Practice (Meng, 2009). 3.2 The Overall Picture of Banking Risk Management in China In this sector, I will first briefly introduce the history and transition of the Chinese banking system, together with problems associated to different stages like lending bias. Then I will discuss the studies in the recent Chinese banking reforms, which aimed at limiting the size of non-performing loans. After that I will go to a research studying the banking system with Chinas accession to the WTO. Over the last 20 years, Chinas banking system, in parallel to the economy, has underwent a series of reforms that aimed at reconstructing the centrally-planned mono-bank system to an open and private one. But most of state-owned banks (SOBs) suffered from the legacy of policy lending, and burdened by a large stock of non-performing loans (NPLs). Zhou and Zhu (1987) researched the Chinese banking structure at the early stage of banking reform and pointed out some observations: 1) The lack of comprehensive macroeconomic regulations caused the loan agent improbable to implement a so und loan or investment structure. 2) The local governments frequently intervened the business of local branches of the Peoples Bank of China (PBC), branches of investment banks and those of commercial banks. 3) The central government was often involved in the monetary policies of PBC. 4) The inflexible interest regime could not reflect the real cost of capital. From the above findings, it was shown that the problems has existed for a long period of time and were rooted in the long-standing structure of the banking system. The study of Wei and Wang (1997) also confirmed that there was a lending bias of state-owned banks. According to data from 370 cities in 1986, 1989, 1990 and 1991, their empirical results showed that systematic lending bias in favour of state-owned enterprises existed in the Chinese SOBs, revealing that the cities with a higher SOE share of output more likely came up with a faster loan growth. Because of this bias, the effectiveness of restructuring the SOEs and that of developing the private sector diminished. The implication in policy was that the reform of banking sector should be undertaken in conjunction with the reform of state-owned enterprises. As the restricting of banking sector continued, Lardy (1998), using the economic and banking data of China from 1978-1998, indicated that the performance of the Chinese financial sector during this period was very unsatisfactory: both of the capital adequacy and profitability were very low in Chinese banks, while the growing non-performing loans deteriorated the asset quality. He argued that the recapitalization program of the domestic banks carried out by the Chinese government in August 1998 were far short of the actual amount of money needed to solve the trouble of bad loans. Given that recapitalizing the large financial institutions was necessary but not sufficient, he suggested that a sizeable increase in the competition among banks was required to push up the working efficiency. For rising competition, the Peoples Bank had to allow the stronger domestic financial institution to setup, and allow foreign banks to expend their domestic currency business. The regulations on the geographic and other constraints on those banks could be related. Another method of intensify competition was to create genuinely private banks which were subject to an appropriate minimum capital standard. On the other hand, Lardy argued that reconfiguration of the SOBs that slammed up offices networks and staffing, and improvement in the tax system were essential to make the banking system more effective. From above, it was argued that one of the complications of banks in China related to their sizes. Wei and Wang (2000), on top of that, looked into how the scale of the Chinese banks affected the operating efficiency. They collected simple data from 12 local banks, which included the 4 main SOBs and new commercial banks. Applying the Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA), they carried out an investigation on technical efficiency, pure technical efficiency, scale efficiency and returns to scale. The result indicated that only 5 banks possessed technical efficiency; the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China was the only one of the big four state-owned banks could be regard as technical efficient. The other four banks, the Bank of Communication, CITIC Industrial Bank, China Everbright Bank and China Minsheng Bank, were all new commercial banks. The study also pointed out that the technical inefficiency of Chinese Banks probably linked with pure technical inefficiency, especially for the four SOBs. Among the new commercial banks, technical inefficiency was more likely related to scale inefficiency. Apart from this, they found that, besides the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China, the returns to scale dropped quickly in three of the state-owned banks. So it was suggested that, for each level of technology, those banks suffered from the scale of production as the y were too large. For the new commercial banks that were regarded as technically inefficient, return to scale was raised rapidly. It showed that, given the level of technology in use, they benefited from the scale of production. As a result, this study revealed that it was crucial for the 4 SOBs to resize and new commercial banks had the advantage in efficiency. To uncover a suitable structure of banks, Wang (2000) worked out research on the deposit expense rate, loan expense rate, asset expense rate and return on assets of local banks in 1995. He classified the banks with deposits over RMB 200 billion as large-scaled, those with deposits between RMB 10-200 billion as medium-scaled, and those with deposits under RMB 10 billion as small-scaled and noted that the return on assets of those commercial banks experienced a U-shaped trend. Return on assets of medium-scaled banks was nearly 3 times of that of large-scaled, where the result was similar compared to that of small-scaled ban ks. The efficiency of scale was the highest among the banks with medium scale. Apart from that, it was argued that the operating cost rate, which measured cost efficiency, dropped quickly when the size of deposit increased. The loan expense rate of bank with medium scale was 0.36% less than that of small-scaled banks; the loan expense of banks with large scale was 0.523% less than of medium-scaled banks. The loan expense rate of large-scaled banks was 67.14% of that of small-scaled banks. By comparing the above ratios, it was suggested that those with medium scale were the most efficient. Sayuri Shirai (2001) examined the reforms and the performance of banks in China. The research, which based on the panel data from 1994 to 2000 of Chinese money banks complied by the Fitch Bankscope, regressed profitability, income proportional to asset and cost of production against a number of characteristics of domestic banks like types of banks, reserve requirement and investment in governmen t bonds, size of bank deposit, scope of business and location. The empirical results were: 1) the banking sector was dominated by the disproportionately large state-owned banks. 2) Commercial banks were more profitable, cost-efficient, capitalized and less leveraged than SOBs, which implied that commercial banks were sound in structure. 3) The performance of commercial banks deteriorated, though some of them performed better than those of SOBs. It probably related the spillover effect of their entry on the business of state-own banks. 4) The decrease in profitability of commercial banks was likely due to the increment in their liquidity holdings beyond the legally required reserves. 5) Broadening the scope of business of banking was vital, particularly to news banks which would benefit from higher earning. 6) The performance of policy-lending banks was as unsatisfactory as that of SOBs. On the other hand, Park and Sehrt (2001) argued that the financial sector reforms during the 1 990s did not enhance the competitiveness of the Chinese banks. Using Chinese provincial data from 1991 to 1997, they tested whether financial reforms in the mid-1990s increased efficient intermediation by different financial institutions, and found that those banks, in which savings could not be correctly distributed to profit-making investors, were inefficient as financial intermediate. Policy lending by state banks did not drop; lending by financial institutions did not respond to economic fundamentals. Dealing with the troublesome bad loans of Banks in China, Bonina and Huang (2001) compared the experiences of the Resolution Trust Corporation in the United States and bank restructuring in the Central European transition economies to the four asset management companies (AMCs) introduced by the Chinese government. They stated that the financial fragility manifested of domestic banks was caused by the high proportions of non-performing loans and low capital-adequacy ratio. The in stallation of asset management companies would not be prosperous in cutting the existing NPLs, nor in blocking the formation of new bad loans. They proposed that the relationship between the parent banks and AMCs was required to change so that the problematic deposits from state-owned enterprise would transferred along with their non-performing loans from parent banks to AMCs. The government has to develop those asset management companies into financial institutions competing with the four stated-owned banks. In addition, it was suggested that the Chinese capital markets were allowed to open for potential buyers from private corporations and foreign strategic investors. Lardy (2002) analyzed the impact of Chinas accession to the WTO on Chinese banking system. From the data of banks up to 2002 and the WTO entry commitments of China, the more competition would hasten the development of domestic banks in terms of efficiency, but the losing market share from local to foreign banks wa s a concern. However, he argued that there was a restriction that the domestic currency liabilities of foreign banks could not be exceed 50 percent of their foreign currency liability. Even foreign banks could build up the deposit of domestic currency by extending the share of total foreign currency loans, the diminishing in the absolute amount of dollar lending by foreign banks in 2000 implied that the increase in the domestic currency deposit was constrained. In addition, the lower growth rate of foreign currency loans compared to that of RMB in 2000, on top of that, proposed that foreign financial institutions would face the same barrier. As long as this regulation existed, the foreign banks would not be able to absorb a large amount of RMB deposits in the first few year after China entered the World Trade Organization; the lost of local banks market share was limited. In long run, the health of Chinese bank system depended on the performance of state-owned enterprises and the re structuring of Chinas Banks. Domestic banks, particularly the state-owned banks, had to be injured if most of the SOEs, with which foreign exports would directly compete after protections removed, ran into a trouble. Based on the above review, it can be concluded that because of the non-performing loans and the non-profitable state-owned banks, Chinese banking system is problematic. As China became a member of the WTO in 2002, there will be additional challenges such as the lost of market share in the RMB deposits business to foreign financial institutions. There above review mainly concerned with the fact until 2003. Nevertheless, there were crucial structural changes in the Banking system during 2003-2004, such as the establishment of the China Banking Regulatory Commission. How the banking system performed with respect to this reconstruction? Also, the Peoples Bank of China implemented the very critical policy of financial macro control in the first half of 2004. Why did th is policy executed? Was it related to the banks in China? At the same time, as China entered the World Trade Organization after 2 years, that was, some of the impacts of the WTO accession emerged. Current Supervision Framework and Methods in China Financial supervision in China is conducted according to the laws and regulations in force. With the enactment of the Law on Securities at the end of 1998, the three major supervision authorities, namely, the Peoples Bank of China (the PBC), the Insurance Regulatory Commission of China and the Securities Regulatory Commission of China, now supervise the three types of financial institutions and their business activities based on the Law of The Peoples Bank of China, the Law of Commercial Banks, the Law of Insurance and the Law on Securities respectively. The financial institutions adhere strictly to the principle of segregation of financial business. Banks in China cannot engage in trust, insurance or securities business, nor can the y invest in trust or investment companies; while the securities and insurance institutions cannot be involved in banking and trust business. As to the supervision of commercial banks in China, both the supervision system and the framework are designed strictly in line with the requirements of the Basle Accord. In the past, the financial system in China was established in line with the administrative structure, as was the PBC system. Therefore, there was segregation in the supervision of financial institutions, which meant that supervisory bodies supervised the commercial financial institutions at the same administrative level while being ignorant of the overall situation of a commercial bank confronted with risk. In consideration of the existing financial risk in China, especially the changes in the international financial environment and the lessons from the South-East Asian financial crises, the method of financial supervision in China is now changing towards risk evaluation of the legal person of a commercial bank and the resupervision of the management structure inside every financial institution. Based on the Basel Core Principles, the supervisory measures have been enhanced in some aspects, such as the design of some indicator systems and the monitoring of the risk situation of financial institutions, especially non-performing assets and the risk faced by medium- and small-sized financial institutions. In addition, procedures for the exit of problem financial institutions were introduced in China in 1998. Viewed from the market angle, this is an issue which

The Cotton Mill Was Extremely Hot Today - 1518 Words

The cotton mill was extremely hot today. Westley had been forced to work at this mill at the age of 5 and continues today. Westley was skinny and short with chestnut brown hair that covered his face. He had a short nose and eyes as brown as the River Thames. His boney face was dotted with freckles. He almost couldn’t believe that he had been working here for 10 long years. How had he lasted being the way he is? The conditions were horrible and he was treated like garbage but he could never leave. He would be stuck here in London his entire life. All he ever wanted to do was move to America and become a land owner but that would never happen. Everyday all he did was clean the cotton out of machines. His only hope in life was his friends,†¦show more content†¦Richard hadn’t said anything the entire time but he was more of a silent type and Westley knew that but he would like to talk with Rich some more. However, there was still a friendship there and as long as i t continued, Westley would never feel alone. ... Two months had passed and it had still been the same routine. Westley was just hoping that he could make it through the day when there was an earsplitting noise coming from the other end of the mill. He rushed to check. One of the machines had exploded and cotton was flying everywhere. The manager was running around frantically like a fox chasing after a rabbit and everyone else either stood horrified or ran out of the mill. One thought came to Westley’s mind: his friends! He didn’t know where they were or what had happened. All he knew is that both Thomas and Richard worked on machines. He started to run around frantically. â€Å"Thomas! Richard!† He shouted running through the mill. Then he saw it. Lying there on the floor was Thomas. Richard was on his knee pressing on Thomas’ chest. He inched forward terrified. Thomas was blue and he lay there stiffer than a log. Westley had just come up to Thomas when the manager, who almost no one knew anything about including his name, pushed him out of the way. The manager stared hitting Thomas’ chest until a look of sudden realization fell upon his face. â€Å"Breathed in too much cotton†¦ dead.† said the manager. â€Å"There has

Reflaction On Business Management

Question: Discuss about the Reflaction On Business Management Process. Answer: Introduction The subject of designing, implementing and developing processes has a significant impact on the minds of students who are business oriented. The knowledge and experience gained from learning events and experiences of such elements enable one to logically combine various business activities with the aim of delivering something of value to the organizations they have established. Individual critical reflection of the subject can enhance self-assessment and henceforth develop proper professional skills and values in the future (Bart, 2011). Management of processes revolves around various initiatives such as; supply chain management, operations improvement, cost reduction, business integration and automation and establishing new venture opportunities (Brocke and Rosemann, 2010). Implementation of the designed processes enables firms to cope up with changes in technology, market conditions, competition and other internal and external business environments that may either positively or negatively impact the performance. Process improvements lead to the elimination of inappropriate activities that increase the risk of losing value. Reflection on designing, implementing and improving process subject When I heard about the subject of business process designing, implementing and developing at the first time, all I could do was to wonder what it entailed. I never thought that it could be helpful towards the achievement of my career goals and objectives. All I knew was that effective process design leads to improved efficiency and greater productivity, and it should not be discussed in the lecture rooms, but it is appropriate in organization set ups. But I did not know that it is important since it is a way of enhancing my profession. As a college student, I thought that we were to learn simple business production processes that are apparently known to everyone. I thought the semester could be boring since all we could learn was the production of goods and services. Surprisingly, that was not the case because after skimming through the course outline, there were so many inspiring and motivating discussions on how to design, implement and improve a process (Wynn, et al. 2009, p.74-92). I started imagining how they could relate to this subject. I still formulated personal interpretations until the time the lecturer started analyzing and explaining what the topic entailed. Over the semester we read different articles and chapters relating to business processes in our lecture rooms. Although I was familiar with some basic terms that were introduced by the instructor, some concepts remained new and difficult to comprehend. At first, the subject was too boring due to the broad definitions of various concepts. With time we started practical application of the defined concepts through different learning events, workshops and group discussions. Apparently, I came to realize that the subject was interesting as some of my colleagues who understood the concept of the business process could elaborate the various terms in a simplified way. As a result, all members had deep insights into the true meaning of efficient management of activities in an organization (Jacoby, 2010). Honestly, I had never thought that a manager needs to develop measures and strategies that enhance the various operations of a firm. All I knew was that he just commands other employees to carry out the activities without his/her participation. Perhaps, that was blatant lies. As we held different discussions and learning events, I came to realize that for the success of an organization, managers need to combine an appropriate sequence of activities to enhance the performance of work (Johnson, 2010). Hence, I benefited a lot from the new things I learned and also refreshed my memory on the concepts and ideas that I already had knowledge about it. The instructor played a crucial role in shaping my time management skills by ensuring that any activity assigned is completed in time. We could be given tiresome assignments which we should complete within a particular period. This kind of challenge gave me an opportunity to develop time schedules that govern each task and duty I undertook (O Hare McGuiness, 2009, p.123-131). The instructor aimed at ensuring that all the students could develop efficient business processes and ensure their effective time management for better performance of the organization they could be employed. I also realized my strengths and weaknesses throughout the lesson plans. As I progressed through the course highlights and attending the lectures of the subject, I learned more about the significance of process management. I never thought that there is the need for the instructor to give us detailed explanations of the importance of managing operations. But with time I came to realize that it was crucial. This experiences enhanced my awareness concerning business owners appropriate decision making and applying different entrepreneurial skills such as innovation to ensure that they design, implement and improve the business processes to ensure adaptability to the unstable conditions such as changing marketing conditions and technological advancements (Harmon, 2007). Besides, I learned that business process management leads to reduced costs about execution of activities and higher revenues. There is also the proper establishment of redefined programs that reduce the extensive labor needed and techniques of monitoring. Also, something of value that I realize d concerning managing process is that it allows business owners to document procedures that ensure compliance with the government laws. They can set internal control measures that lead to the safeguarding of the assets by the employees. I never enjoyed attending discussions and activities regarding the subject at the start of the semester due to my perception that we were to learn complicated things that could not add any value to my academic life. However, with the assistance of the instructor and the colleagues, I came to realize that they were important and never missed even a single activity or discussion. We shared different opinions and ideas concerning the subject which totally influenced my views on what entail business process design, implementation, and improvement (Brocke, et al. 2010). I previously knew that the subject would only focus on the production process, but that came to be false. The involvement in the discussion significantly helped me to understand that this topic meant the proper collection of the linked tasks with the aim of accomplishing the organizational goals. Assuming that I have been hired to be a manager of an organization, I shall utilize all the knowledge and skills learned from the subject of designing, implementing and improving the process in different ways. First, I will ensure that the procedures regarding planning, production, and marketing of sales are adequately established and implemented. As a result, there will be increased performance due to coordination of all the activities involved. Secondly, I will explain to the supervisors the importance of commitment and tasks accomplishment in all the management processes, which include; procurement and acquisitions, hiring, onboarding of new employees and promotion (La Rosa, et al. 2012). The expected performance standards for each process should be accomplished according to the policies laid down by the organization. I can also ensure that there is a routine analysis of the business processes used so that my firm gains the potential benefits associated with proper process design. As there is intense competition in different industries, I can use my knowledge and skills learned from the subject to facilitate careful observation, monitoring, and control of business activities (Weske, 2007). However, the subject does not provide a detailed evaluation on how to ensure that all the processes implemented can be incorporated to the junior employees. It will be an arduous duty to achieve if I do not get any other extra knowledge and experience before becoming a manager. In addition, the subject helped in realizing various strengths that I possess but I could not identify them before. In my life, I never thought that I could be a good leader. As we used group thinking on various occasions, my friends and I came to recognize that I have leadership skills (B?l?nescu, 2011). I used to communicate my ideas to the group in an organized way and also accommodated all the views of other group members. Although we were involved in different activities and discussions, I expected that we attend workshops that could enhance my knowledge regarding emerging trends and social issues that have an impact on business processes. Conclusion In conclusion, reflection on the subject of designing, implementing and improving business process has enhanced my professional development. I am sure that after getting a deeper insight into all the experiences I am in a position to effectively manage processes in various business environments. The subject has helped me to compare what I expected and what I learned from the topic. Although self-knowledge description is difficult, I can get the actual meaning of the whole subject and how I could apply it in my lifetime. I trust that such individual assessment gives me an opportunity to be a producer and not just a consumer of knowledge given shared to us by the instructor. The different learning events, group discussions, and experiences foster growth in career development. References B?l?nescu, V. (2011). The evolution in Business Process Theory: Modern Approaches in Organizational Management and Economy: Bucharest. Brocke, J., and Rosemann, M. (2010). Handbook on Business Process Management: Strategic alignment, People and culture, (electronic version). Bart, M. (2011). Critical reflection adds depth and breadth to student learning. Faculty Focus. Retrieved from https:///www.facultyfocus.com/articles/instructionaldesign/criticalreflection-adds-depth-and-breadth-to-student-learning/ Wynn, M., Verbeek, van der Aalst, H., Hofstede, M., and Edmond, D. (2009). Business Process Verification: Finally a Reality! Business Process Management Journal, 15(1):7492. La Rosa, M., Dumas, M., Uba, R., and Dijkman, M. (2012). Business Process Model Merging: An Approach to Business Process Consolidation. ACM Transactions on Software Engineering and Methodology. Islam, S. M. (2015). What are the Importance and Benefits of Critical Thinking Skills? Retrieved from https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/what-importance-benefits-critical-thinking-skills-islam Jacoby, B. (2010). How can I promote deep learning through critical reflection? Magna Publications. Retrieved from https://www.magnapubs.com/mentorcommons/?video=25772a92#.UjnHBazD-70. Weske, M. (2007). Business Process Management: Concepts, Languages, Architectures. Springer- Verlag, Berlin. Johnson, A. (2010). The benefits of critical reflection and critical thinking. Retrieved from https://www.examiner.com/article/the-benefits-of-critical-reflection-and-critical-thinking Brocke, J., Rosemann, M., and Springer-Verlag, H. (2010). Handbook on Business Process Management. Introduction, Methods, and Information Systems, red. Harmon, P. (2007). Business Process Change. A guide for Business Managers and BPM and Six Sigma Professionals, Morgan Kaufmann Publishers. K2OHare, L., McGuiness, C. (2009). Measuring critical thinking, intelligence, and academic performance in psychology undergraduates. The Irish Journal

The Essay by Essay free essay sample

The fact of the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary is related in Luke 1:26-38. The Evangelist tells us that in the sixth month after the conception of St. John the Baptist by Elizabeth, the angel Gabriel was sent from God to the Virgin Mary, at Nazareth, a small town in the mountains of Galilee. Mary was of the house of David, and was espoused (i. e. married) to Joseph, of the same royal family. She had, however, not yet entered the household of her spouse, but was still in her mothers house, working, perhaps, over her dowry. (Bardenhewer, Maria Verk. , 69). And the angel having taken the figure and the form of man, came into the house and said to her: Hail, full of grace (to whom is given grace, favoured one), the Lord is with thee. Mary having heard the greeting words did not speak; she was troubled in spirit, since she knew not the angel, nor the cause of his coming, nor the meaning of the salutation. We will write a custom essay sample on The Essay by Essay or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page And the angel continued and said: Fear not, Mary, for thou hast found grace with God. Behold thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and shalt bring forth a son; and thou shalt call his name Jesus. He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of David his father; and he shall reign in the house of Jacob forever. And of his kingdom there shall be no end. The Virgin understood that there was question of the coming Redeemer. But, why should she be elected from amongst women for the splendid dignity of being the mother of the Messiah, having vowed her virginity to God? (St. Augustine). Therefore, not doubting the word of Godlike Zachary, but filled with fear and astonishment, she said: How shall this be done, because I know not man? The angel to remove Marys anxiety and to assure her that her virginity would be spared, answered: The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee and the power of the Most High shall overshadow thee. And therefore also the Holy which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God. In token of the truth of his word he made known to her the conception of St. John, the miraculous pregnancy of her relative now old and sterile: And behold, thy cousin Elizabeth; she also has conceived a son in her old age, and this is the sixth month with her that is called barren: because no word shall be impossible with God. Mary may not yet have fully understood the meaning of the heavenly message and how the maternity might be reconciled with her vow of virginity, but clinging to the first words of the angel and trusting to the Omnipotence of God she said: Behold the handmaid of the Lord, be it done to me according to thy word. Since 1889 Holzmann and many Protestant writers have tried to show that the verses Luke 1:34-35, containing the message of conception through the Holy Ghost are interpolated. Usener derives the origin of the myth from the heathen hero worship; but Harnack tries to prove that it is of Judaic origin (Isaiah 7:14, Behold a Virgin shall conceive, etc. ). Bardenhewer, however, has fully established the authenticity of the text (p. 13). St. Luke may have taken his knowledge of the event from an older account, written in Aramaic or Hebrew. The words: Blessed art thou among women (v. 28), are spurious and taken from verse 42, the account of the Visitation. Cardinal Cajetan wanted to understand the words: because I know not man, not of the future, but only of the past: up to this hour I do not know man. This manifest error, which contradicts the words of the text, has been universally rejected by all Catholic authors. The opinion that Joseph at the time of the Annunciation was an aged widower and Mary twelve or fifteen years of age, is founded only upon apocryphal documents. The local tradition of Nazareth pretends that the angel met Mary and greeted her at the fountain, and when she fled from him in fear, he followed her into the house and there continued his message. (Buhl, Geogr. v. Palaest. , 1896. ) The year and day of the Annunciation cannot be determined as long as new material does not throw more light on the subject. The present date of the feast (25 March) depends upon the date of the older feast of Christmas. The Annunciation is the beginning of Jesus in His human nature. Through His mother He is a member of the human race. If the virginity of Mary before, during, and after the conception of her Divine Son was always considered part of the deposit of faith, this was done only on account of the historical facts and testimonials. The Incarnation of the Son of God did not in itself necessitate this exception from the laws of nature. Only reasons of expediency are given for it, chiefly, the end of the Incarnation. About to found a new generation of the children of God, The Redeemer does not arrive in the way of earthly generations: the power of the Holy Spirit enters the chaste womb of the Virgin, forming the humanity of Christ. Many holy fathers (Sts. Jerome, Cyril, Ephrem, Augustine) say that the consent of Mary was essential to the redemption. It was the will of God, St. Thomas says (Summa III:30), that the redemption of mankind should depend upon the consent of the Virgin Mary. This does not mean that God in His plans was bound by the will of a creature, and that man would not have been redeemed, if Mary had not consented. It only means that the consent of Mary was foreseen from all eternity, and therefore was received as essential into the design of God