Why You Must Try Self-Publishing

Have you been plodding the path of traditional publishing? Trying to find an agent or publisher to look at your work, with no success? Is your ego bruised and beaten from the constant rejection? Well, if you’ve had it up to here with the battering from conventional publishing companies, read on for a solution to your woes. Really, why do we persist in pursuing something so painful when the option of self-publishing is now so readily available? Gone are the days of the misunderstood author who can’t catch a break. Today, a writer can take on the responsibility and control of their publishing destiny, independent of agents, publishers and poor royalties. Excited? Then, let’s explore why an author would want to do that, and how. Creative Control When you choose to self-publish, you and your resources are responsible for the input of all creative content. This means you’ll be involved in every step of the production process with complete authority to create what you like, when you like. You’ll be making decisions about: writing proofreading editing formatting artwork, illustrations, and book covers budgets release dates marketing and promotions With traditional publishing, the author is usually only involved in the first two points, writing and proofreading. As an independently published author, you have full control over all aspects of getting your book to market. That doesn’t mean you have to do everything yourself, of course. One of the common themes of the successful indie author is the recommendation to hire professionals to handle some of the aesthetics. Formatting, artwork and book covers can all be successfully contracted out to industry experts if you don’t have the inclination or skills to do the work yourself. The point is to have a polished product that meets a high standard of professionalism – you want your book to look its best. Business Control As an indie author you retain all rights to your work and control the destiny of your business. Copyright, reprinting and distribution remain within the scope of your business domain. And as the business owner, you’ll have full authority over the following: Imprinting. You’ll need to establish a business identity if you plan on selling any of your books, as you then become a retailer. Price point. What price will you determine for your work? This article from Jane Litte at dearauthor.com has some interesting insights and observations on digital pricing. Budgets. Determine your budgets for any contracting services as well as marketing and promotions, because initially they’ll be coming out of your pocket. Until your sales with decent royalties fill the coffers again, that is. Publishing platform. You get to choose which of the self-publishing platforms will best serve your needs. You get paid monthly. Any distribution outlets that carry your books, such as Amazon, Barnes Nobel, Borders etc., will pay out on royalties on a monthly basis. Faster Publication A common complaint about old-fashioned publishing is the length of time it takes from signing a contract, to when the book arrives in the stores. An eighteen to twenty four months time frame is not uncommon. And that’s after the time it took to find an agent and a publisher. If your material is of a time sensitive nature, such as technology, medicine, science or current events, that’s simply too long. With self-publishing, you can have your published book ready for purchase within days or weeks you determine the pace. You Pocket the Profits Traditional publishers pay anywhere from between 6 – 25% royalties. As a self- published author, you keep 100% of the profits if you sell direct. Outlets such as Amazon pay up to 70% royalties on sales (if priced in their golden mean of between $2.99 and $9.99, royalties drop to 35% above or below those prices). If you want an idea of what royalties will come your way at each price point, check out the Amazon Royalties Estimator in the sidebar of Joe Konrath’s blog. It’s great for dreaming big. Steps to Self-Publishing If you’ve made the bold decision to go down the self-publishing route, congratulations! You’re in for quite a trip! And the following partial list taken from A Newbie’s Guide to Self Publishing by J.A. Konrath will help you on your way. Set your goal. First establish why you’re publishing to decide how to publish. This step will determine which self-publishing model to choose from; print-on-demand, vanity, subsidy, etc. Determine your price point. Do some research for pricing in your genre to decide where in Smashword’s sweet spot price range, your book will best be suited. Format your book. Do it yourself or hire someone. But if you plan on selling your book, do remember that appearances count. That first impression is important, so give your book a professional look and show that you mean business. Design your book cover. Lots of fun in this creative step, but again, maintain a high standard of professionalism at all stages. Write your product description. Pack your description with pertinent info and similar in style to that of others in your genre. Publish and publicize. Upload your digital version to the platform of your choice, and use social media to announce your release dates. Sure, there are more initial costs to self-publishing a book than with an established publishing house, and you do have all the responsibilities. It takes a lot of time, effort and energy to publish independently, but so does any solo entrepreneurial effort. It’s a business, and if you treat it as such you’ll enjoy the profits that come with running a successful business. And while self-publishing may not appeal to all writers, isn’t it great to know that the option exists if you do want to take control of your own publication empire?

Village by the Sea Essays

Village by the Sea Essays Village by the Sea Essay Village by the Sea Essay their hut the only hut in the village were you can hardly see any smoke to be curling up from under the cocking pot. Nevertheless, he was thinking of something bigger. He is having a dream in mind which is to change the course of his life, he is having this stamina to work all day long in order to survive. On hearing about the construction of a new factory, Hari became hopeful that this could bring him luck. He dreamt of working in this factory although he doesnt have the skill to join it. However, he insisted on working saying A job, a factory, many jobs, many factories, jobs factories. All what he was thinking of is Could he work in a factory and earn money. Hari suffers from poverty, misery and need. There was nothing to eat with the chapattis but a pinch of salt and few green chilies Lila had picked from a bush near her hut. He couldnt afford to buy his sisters sweets as he has no money. This feeling towards his reckless father is quite obvious May be a poisonous snake will bite him, then he would die he said it with hope, as he believes that his father is absolutely responsible for this kind of life he and his sisters are living in, He doesnt look after us,Hari said spitting out the end of a very sharp chapatti, we look after ourselves, dont we? He wishes to leave the village one day, he regards it as a prison that ties him, he never hides his feeling towards his village or his life saying When he thought of all his troubles, his drunken father, Mr. De Silvas insult, the lake of work and money. Hari wished he too could soar up into the sky and disappear instead of being tied to the earth here. Hari dreamt of escaping from Thul. He has tried every possible opportunity there, he worked as a farmer, fisherman, coconut collector, and much more, he even served Mr. De Silva for few pennies. That sense of despair which overwhelmed Hari, never allowed him to feel the blessings that he has, this feeling which he started to realize after going to Bombay. Hari regarded Bombay as a land of dreams. He thought that his dreams could be attained there. When he was talking to the watchman, he was enthralled by this city, city of lights and gleams. He wanted to run away thinking that he may change his fortune there. Hari thought of Bombay as an outlet, everything he wishes for could be accomplished He would have to go to Bombay. Bombay was a great city, a rich city, a city crowded with people who had jobs, earned money and made fortunes.He had to get there somehow.How? . Bombay to him was a shun from his desolation Debt, debt, debt, father always in debts because of toddy. He would get away, He would go to Rewas, to Bombay, and never come back to this sad house, his frightened sisters, his ill mother He could leave them and run, run as far away as he could go. Nevertheless, when he reached Bombay, all these aspirations were shattered, Hari was devastated to discover that the streets of Bombay are not paved with gold as he had anticipated. He comes to know that Bombay is not a white castle made of sand, or salt, blinding against the hot blue sky. On closer inspection, he now sees it as a dirty, smelly and noisy as if the traffic in the world had met on the streets of Bombay hooting and screeching and grinding and roaring past. Hari has to walk slowly and carefully down to pavement to avoid all the filth that was scattered on it, it is in piles Haris experience in Bombay made him realize how he ungratefully undermined his village and his family. He now comes to know how valuable theyre. He acknowledged that although he works and earns money that could provide him a worthy living, yet he now becomes confident that he cannot stay in this place for good. His nostalgia for his home and his village gave him the power to work harder in order to ensure a better living for his family. Moreover, he is now confident that he would go someday to Thul. Hari finds himself struggling more in Bombay He would had fallen ill from lack of sleep if he hadnt one night got up and gone to sit on the pavement because it was a degree cooler..than the eating house.He was disappointed to find that he is living among the orphans in Mr. Jagus restaurant and feels now blessed that he is having a family who as he said one was a drunkard and the other an invalid-and a home , a proper home not just a place on a railway platform. However, the hardships that faced Hari in Bombay never thwarted him, on the contrary it strengthened and encouraged him to be better as well as showed his persistent nature as a man. His journey to Bombay was indispensable , it has revealed so many facts for him ,among which is the importance of having a family not just a close family bu t a bigger family presented in Thul itself, the only place which he felt could embrace him and endure him. Haris feeling of belonging never flourished except in Bombay, he realized that he cant live neither without his sisters and father and mother ,nor without the villagers or the nature who were true companions to him He thought of the sails one saw along the horizon, lights of the boats by night He thought of the crows picking up the crabsand gulls swooping along.the herons standing stock still on a stone .How he longed for them all. Its this place that he belongs to not the city as he discovered that he doesnt want to be a city boy. Hari now is a mature boy, a capable one, a boy who can change circumstances around him in order to live. He knows now that he cant soar up into the sky because we are here on earth ,we cant leave it. We must live here somewhere. He is now able to cope with his new life and find himself a way out of poverty and starvation , he is as Mr. Sayyid Ali has described him You are going to give up your traditional way of living and learn a new way to suit the new environment that the factory will create at Thul so as to survive. Yes, you will survive. This is true, Hari has learned how to survive and the credit is given to this journey and the people whom he met Mr. Panwallah and Jagu who taught him how to be practical and ambitious as well as confident. Finally, Anita Desai managed to create a fabulous picture of a devastated boy who has succeeded due to his strong will and determination to conquer the toughest possible situations and to get not only one but two jobs and many friends.

International HRM Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

International HRM - Essay Example This paper discusses that earlier the definition of HRM was only limited to hiring and firing of employees. The HRM process of the company only focused on the increasing the productivity of the company by recruiting good employees. After the development of the trade unions the company started focusing more on improving its relationship with the organizational members. Then employee relationship was included in the definition of HRM. In the late 70s the companies started conducting training, implementing appraisal system, organizing welfare activities etc. All of these HRM processes helped the companies to increase their productivity and satisfaction level of their employees. In 1980 communication process was added to the definition of HRM. In this essay various concepts of International HRM have been discussed. There are many factors which influence IHRM process of a company. For these factors various complexities arises in IHRM which are highlighted in this case. The traditional concept of IHRM has many limitations for which modern theories of IHRM are used in the companies. The role of Globalization in IHRM is also discussed in this essay.  The focus of HRM definitions changed with the changing business environment. This is because earlier the companies were only concerned to increase their productivity but gradually they started realizing the value of employees.  So they incorporated many new things in the definition of HRM for satisfying the employees and retaining them for long time.

Assessment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 8

Assessment - Essay Example guidance and management of the school principal whose participation influences the level of school efficiency through aligning individual teacher instructions with student achievement. My participation in instructional collaboration would be to intensify my relationship with colleagues, offer my opinion towards a student-centered school, gain proficiency in curriculum goals, raise my expectations and that of other teachers, become part of an aggressive and engaged community of teacher-learners, and reinforces the entire school program. I would hesitate to collaborate to avoid over-dependence on my colleagues, and to gain more confidence my decisions. I would also not collaborate to pursue issues geared towards personal goals that conflict with student-centered learning. In my opinion, successful collaboration must improve my reflective abilities and promote individual professional growth. Additionally, partners have to demonstrate strong self-esteem and motivation, sense of security hence a common goal, shared studying and peer observation, open and rich professional dialogues, instructional variety in teaching, elevated risk taking, planning and preparation, and improved of levels self-confidence. Through increased participation in of teachers curriculum delivery, collaboration makes it possible to evaluate the outcomes of both the teachers and the students. Yes, I have previously participated in instructional collaboration. I engaged in consultation collaboration for a topic I did not know how to deliver effectively. The experience made me to realize that not all teachers feel secure when engaging in collaboration and they would turn you away claiming they are busy. However, most teachers are willing to assist newly employed colleagues in effort to promote consistent student learning. I felt incompetent and did not want to jeopardize the learning of my students. I would look for a partner who is trustworthy and who seeks equitable distribution of

Hrm Pqhrm Essay Example for Free

Hrm Pqhrm Essay Link is a leading pharmaceutical company which has the head office in Colombo and also there are 7 branches all over the island. Over 200 workers are employed and Mr. Ravi Fernando is the training manager who has over 10 years experience in this field. He handles all the product training and also for training ,the company is known to spend heavily. These training included overseas training amp; other out sourced training programs. However , when new CEO Mr. Dylan Perera Joined the company Ravi Fernando had to justify this big amount of training cost and he was asked to provide a detailed report. He tried his best but he was failed in the same. CEO Dylan Perera wasnt satisfies as Mr. Ravi was not able to prove worthiness of his training programs at all. He has no any written records or at least the members couldnt explain what therere gained from the training. It was totally failure. Anyway Dylan is prompted to the forthcoming training schedule for 2009. My role as a consultant would be to identify * The key issues in the case that could have caused this situation * What has Ravi missed in his role as training manager and how that has led to the current problem * Suggestions and strategies which could be implemented In my report from here on it can be found recommendations and suggestions which can be implemented. 1) The key issues in the case that could have caused this situation Care-Link is a leading pharmaceutical company and Mr. Ravi Fernando is the training Manager of Care-Link. Ravi has done a great job in training and development of the company but it failed. The training outcome was not up to expectations. That is the biggest question. Issues in the case that could have caused this situation is as follows, * Spend a lot of money In this case Mr. Ravi spend a lot of money on training programs without onsidering whether those trainings are useful for the employees and effective for the success of the organization or not. Even though some aspects might not be measurable, there are measurable ways to determine if the money was spent wisely. Organizations have traditionally treated training as a cost and expense. When training has a sufficient payback, it can be viewed as an investment, not an expense. We have to identify the training need well and then to design the training program because it’s a huge waste if we spend a lot on unnecessary training programs. Before spending time and money, its better to follow a systematic process to first determine if training is a potential solution – and if it is, then we should develop a training program. Company should spend money on training wisely and that means making sure that there is a real need, that there are training objectives in place and that the learners will actually use what they have learned, immediately, back on the job. Then, your investment in training can actually pay huge dividends. That’s why in this case CEO Dylan Perera prompted to request a total plan for training initiatives before he approves any money for training during the year. * Objectives (training goals) set by the trainer, rather than the trainees Training objectives should set by both trainers and trainees up to their expectations. Here in this case Mr. Ravi decides on his own who are to send outsourced training and who are handling by himself. Effective trainers should be good communicators. He should have discuss with the employees before he sets the training objectives. Care Link’s practice was just to be nominated by the training division for training program actual need of the training should come up in the employees end due to gain a new knowledge or to fill a gap of required competence. Here the employees don’t have any opportunity to rise up with their own requirement of trainings. If the employees too have that opportunity it would be much easy to training division to build up training calendar and the budget on that to fulfill the real requirement of the raining. * A failure to identify the specific needs of employees and for employees to own their own development needs. Training is not the panacea to what ails every worker or every company. It is incorrect to assume that the problems facing every organization can be cured by â€Å"providing training. † In fact, only continuous learning, not training alone, can have an impact upon workforce productivity, but for a company to be successful in its learning interventions, it must know what it wishes to accomplish, give the proposed intervention time, energy and resources it needs to succeed, and ensure that there is a strategy into which the intervention will fit. Finally, there must be reinforcement, performance monitoring and evaluation. An identified training need pinpoints an area where change is required. Learning objectives specify what a person will be able to do differently as a result of training. The clearer the picture of what you want to achieve in a training session, the easier it becomes to plan the means and the greater the prospect of achieving success. Ineffective training adopts a scattergun approach, rather than pinpointing the target. Effective training designs are characterized by objectives which state clearly what the trained person will be able to do when back in the workplace. No accurate method to evaluate the training program In this case there was no specific method to evaluate the training program. When CEO asked the training manager Ravi, to justify the high training expenditure during the year and show more accurate proof other than a verbal explanation, he was failed to prove it because he never know an accurate method to evaluate the training program. Because companies have made large d ollar investments in training and education and view training as a strategy to be successful, they expect the outcomes or benefits related to training to be measurable. Therefore * To identify the program’s strengths and weaknesses. * To assess whether content, organization, and administration of the program contribute to learning and the use of training content on the job. * To identify which trainees benefited most or least from the program To gather data to assist in marketing training programs. * To determine the financial benefits and costs of the programs. * To compare the costs and benefits of training versus non-training investments. * To compare the costs and benefits of different training programs to choose the best program. Training programs should be evaluated. (see Attachment 01 for Evaluation Process) * Little or no support is given from upper management. The essence of a training need, then, is a gap between what exists and what is needed in order to meet or exceed the customer’s demands. One of the best payoffs from needs analysis is management involvement in training. Managers must play an active role in the diagnostic process and have a sense of ownership of the training event which results. When training is conducted at arm’s length from management, little can change. * No record on expenditure. There should be a record on overall expenditure of the training programmes. It should refer to the overall administration of the program. Cost could be classified in two areas, fixed cost like Trainer’s salary and accommodation cost and the variable costs like Training Material, venue and the necessary arrangements at the venue, food or snacks, transport and installation of training r equipments even though the variable cost is hard to measure it’s a must to measure the cost for the training to maintain the balance of the expenditure. Here the training Manager has failed to justify the high expenditure during the year 2008. That is due to the poor cost managing and not budget the training needs for the year ahead. Training budged which is setting in the beginning of the year should be accurate and well defined. 2) What has Ravi missed in his role as training manager and how that has led to the current problem Training managers have the primary responsibility of working with line managers to identify and meet personnel training needs. The training manager should establish training and entry-level requirements for key training positions and implement programs to select and develop training personnel. The training organization should exhibit a strong desire to meet the training needs of the line organization in both its approach to day-to-day activities and its long-term strategic planning. The training organization should help line managers, supervisors, and personnel recognize that training strengthens personnel and facility performance. A training managers supporting responsibilities may include the following, * Maintain training programs current. * Monitor instructor performance to verify training is conducted as outlined in approved training materials and in a manner that motivates personnel to learn. Verify that the training staff has obtained and is maintaining their technical and instructional knowledge and skills. * Develop training programs according to approved methodology. * Track training commitments to outside organizations such as the state and federal regulators, and assist line management in meeting these commitments. * Develop training program and trainee status reports for line managers, and assist line managers in identifying and resolving human performance issues. * Track current industry training issues. * Solicit line managers involvement when training commitments or needs are not being fulfilled. Work to establish mutual trust and cooperation between the training organization and all facility personnel. * Develop improved methods to meet training and facility objectives and goals as required. * Develop training policies that establish guidelines for all training functions. * Assist line management in identifying potential training needs based on facility and industry operating experiences. * Initiate and help prepare long-range objectives for the training organization that are consistent with corporate, facility, and training policies, and develop a system for verifying implementation of the actions needed to meet the objectives. Training managers should verify that employees participate in training and that training meets the employees needs. Here in this case there was no proper policy of training and development it’s the training managers duty to suggest a training policy for the organization. Mr. Ravi should have discuss with the top management about to make a good policy of training on behalf of the employees who needed the training. Training policies and procedures should support the accomplishment of the training mission, goals, and objectives by providing general guidance and detailed directions. Policies typically describe the conditions that guide the decision making process (i. e. , thoroughness, prudence, openness, and responsiveness). Procedures describe how specific tasks will be accomplished. And also The training manager of Care-Link Had no confidence with his training programs. When the CEO Dylan Perera was not satisfied with just verbal remarks and pushed Ravi to show more accurate proof on what he says, this was pressurizing Ravi to an extent that he was even thinking of leaving the company. This is because of his lack of confidence. Effective Training Manager should have good Confidence on what they train. Managing a training department offers a variety of roles that uncovers natural abilities and potential, while offering specific areas for development. Mr. Ravi Fernando as a experienced person in the pharmaceutical field , might be assuming him as a excellent facilitator of Training programs ,that why he himself handled all the products trainings but he should have understand as per the changing marketing requirement everything has to be changed by and by to meet up the market requirement. Should have seek opportunities to advance somewhere, and develop the strategic plan in accordance to that and then it should be linked the Training plan. Training Manger should be open minded to improve his skills or knowledge in areas which is related to the business and to the training requirement. Training Manger should be Responsible, reliable and accountable, ethical and able to instil a clear sense of purpose in others, Here in the Care Link people doesn’t get a chance to request trainings to fill their competency gaps, and the accountability wasn’t there as the case study views that Mr. Ravi himself failed to explain on what he has done in last year. If Mr. Ravi’s Character has heighted as a Problem solver, dealing with practical, people and problems, they would meet up best results than this. And of cause excellent consultancy skills should be there in his character as a training manager but case study not view any of the situation he has conducted due to understanding the internal customer requirements.. 3) Suggestions and strategies which could be implemented Care-Link company faced a lot of problems due to Ravis misconduct in his training programs. To make training and development more effective within your organization. Following suggestions and approaches will make companys employee training more effective and transferable; their application will result in measurable differences to organizations bottom line performance. * Make sure the need is a training and development opportunity. Do thorough needs and skills analysis to determine the real need for employee training and development. Make sure the opportunity you are pursuing or the problem you are solving is a training issue. Create a context for the employee training and development. Provide information for the employee about why the new skills, skill enhancement, or information is necessary. Make certain the employee understands the link between the training and his job. You can enhance the impact of the training even further if the employee sees the link between the training and his ability to contribute to the accomplishment of the organizations business plan and goals. Its also important to provide rewards and recognition as a result of successful completion and application of the training. Provide training and development that is really relevant to the skill you want the employee to attain or the information he needs to expand his work horizons. You may need to design an employee training session internally if nothing from training providers exactly meets your needs. Or, seek out providers who are willing to customize their offerings to match your specific needs. It is ineffective to ask an employee to attend a training session on general communication when his immediate need is to learn how to provide feedback in a way that minimizes defensive behavior. The employee will regard the training session as mostly a waste of time or too basic; his complaints will invalidate potential learning. * Favor employee training and development that has measurable objectives and specified outcomes that will transfer back to the job. Design or obtain employee training that has clearly stated objectives with measurable outcomes. Ascertain that the content leads the employee to attaining the skill or information promised in the objectives. With this information in hand, the employee knows exactly what he can expect from the training session and is less likely to be disappointed. He will also have ways to apply the training to the accomplishment of real workplace objectives. * Provide information for the employee about exactly what the training session will involve, prior to the training. Explain what is expected of the employee at the training session. This will help reduce the persons normal anxiety about trying something new. If she knows what to expect, she can focus on the learning and training transfer rather than her potential discomfort with the unknown. * Make clear to the employee that the  training is his/her responsibility and he/she needs to take the employee training seriously. She/he is expected to apply herself/himself to the employee training and development process before, during, and after the session. This includes completing pre-training assignments, actively participating in the session, and applying new ideas and skills upon returning to work. * Make sure that internal or external training providers supply pre-training assignments. Reading or thought-provoking exercises in advance of the session promote thoughtful consideration of the training content. Exercises or self-assessments, provided and scored in advance of the session, save precious training time for interaction and new information. These ideas will engage the employee in thinking about the subject of the session prior to the training day. This supplies important paybacks in terms of his interest, commitment, and involvement. As the Care link in a serious situation in having a proper Training and development policy, better to have climate survey among the employees of the company, which will provide all the information on the expectations and thoughts of the employees, then as per the requirement of internal and external customers the training division can buildup training policy. Policy statements and procedures should be developed on topics such as the following, * Analyzing tasks, designing and developing training materials, implementing and evaluating the effectiveness of training activities. * Identifying personnel qualification and training needs according to position descriptions, job assignments, previous education, training, and experience * Assessing the level of expertise of subcontract personnel and temporary employees performing work at the facility. * Pursuing job-related education activities. * Handling of individuals whose performance is marginal or unsatisfactory during training (i. . , remedial training) * Describing training department and line organization responsibilities for the training and qualification of facility employees. * Incorporating into training lessons learned from facility and industry operating experiences. * Conducting consistent training and evaluation in the classroom, laboratory, simulator, and on-the-job training. * Co mmunicating between training and line managers (e. g. , curriculum committees, peer review groups) * Maintaining training records of personnel training and performance. * Controlling and administering tests to maintain evaluation integrity. Training and qualifying instructors. * Scheduling of training activities and determining makeup requirements. * Maintaining control of training equipment. * Exceptions. * Facility evaluation criteria. * Vendor short courses or use of vendors for training. Training procedures should describe the types of training and training programs to be conducted, training program prerequisites, and the training audience. The procedures should clearly indicate the training needed for each job position and the sequence in which it is to be completed. The procedures also may reflect the facilitys division of labor policies, position descriptions, and work assignment practices. CONCLUTION It is incorrect to assume that the problems facing every organization can be cured by â€Å"providing training. † In fact, only continuous learning, not training alone, can have an impact upon workforce productivity, but for a company to be successful in its learning interventions, it must know what it wishes to accomplish, give the proposed intervention time, energy and resources it needs to succeed, and ensure that there is a strategy into which the intervention will fit. Finally, there must be reinforcement, performance monitoring and evaluation. Company should spend money on training wisely and that means making sure that there is a real need, that there are training objectives in place and that the learners will actually use what they have learned, immediately, back on the job. Then, your investment in training can actually pay huge dividends. Effective training and development helps employees to reach their full potential whilst providing the organization with the skills and capabilities it needs for the long term.

Freud :: Essays Papers

Freud The theories of Sigmund Freud were advanced and are very influential to modern society. This Austrian physician and neurologist is commonly considered as having one of the greatest creative minds of recent times. Throughout his entire childhood Freud had been planning a career in law. Not long before he entered the University of Vienna in 1873 Freud decided to become a medical student. In school he met a boy that was much older than him. Looking up to him and respecting his thoughts, Freud developed a wish to study law as this older student did, and interact in social activities. Also at this time Freud was interested in the theories of Charles Darwin. He heard Goethe's beautiful essay on nature read aloud and that made him decide to become a medical student.2 He was drawn to a study of science and he wanted to solve problems facing the scientists of his day.3 His intention was not to be a conventional doctor but pressed by his "greed for knowledge," he studied philosophical-scientific questions.4 One of the scientists he studied he studied with was a French psychiatrist named Jean Martin Charcot who was the director of a mental hospital. Freud was impressed a great deal while he was with Charcot. He took a lot of interest in his latest investigations upon hysteria. Charcot's demonstrations provoked in many people a sense of astonishment and skepticism.5 Charcot's influence channeled Freud's interest toward psychopathology. He was Freud's model and had an insatiable willingness to see and listen.

Cost Leadership Essay

Any organization in order to survive in a highly competitive market should be able to achieve sustainable growth and profitability. Companies that have managed to reduce costs and understand the cost technology can obtain sustainable advantage as a cost leader. In order for any company to become a cost leader is important that the cost technology is understood and the five constituent steps are implemented and followed by the management. The five steps towards obtaining a cost leader advantage are: (1) Distinguish between economies of scale, size and scope, (2) Increase average productivity of labour, (3) Normalize wage structure, (4) Control more of the production costs, (5) Demarcate between excess and reserve capacity. Implementing those steps can take several years (even decades) e.g Canon. A company has achieved economies of scale when the average cost (AC) declines as output increases meaning that the marginal cost of the last unit produced must be less than the average cost. In cases that capacity is constrain then AC cost curves are U shaped and cost reduces up to the Minimum efficient scale (MES). This is indicated in FIGURE 1. On the other hand when capacity does not prove to be constrain and each facility operates efficient then average costs curves can be L shaped. Even beyond MES average costs will not raise. FIGURE 2. So it is essential that companies build up their capacity, expand their plants or build new ones. A company has achieved economies of scope when savings are achieved as it increases the variety of products so the total cost of a company producing both products x and y is less than two companies producing products x and y or : TC(Qx,Qy) < TC(Qx,0) + TC(0,Qy). Is essential for a company to keep variable costs constant and at the same time try to achieve economies of scope. Keeping costs constant and having economies of scope can lead a company of becoming the cost leader. Steps 2,3,and 4 as mentioned above is very important for any company that wishes to reduce costs. Step 2 is focusing in increasing average productivity of the labour e.g. by keeping in the company the most productive personnel while encouraging the least productive to leave the company, while step 3 is focusing in wage normalization e.g. fixed monthly salaries and bonus payments only related to increasing productivity. Average variable costs (AVC) has an inverse relation to average productivity (AVC=w/APL) where w is the wage proxy. By increasing productivity and normalizing wages (w=1) a company will eventually reduce average variable costs. Step 4 is among the most important in order a company to become a cost leader. This step is focusing in controlling and reducing production costs. Reducing production costs is a complicated function and many parameters should be taken under consideration form the management of any company. Among others, management should consider the complete supply chain process, the degree of vertical integration and define their vertical boundaries, decide what products and services will produce in house or subcontract to a supplier, find ways to reduce transactional costs, hedge positions on raw materials, establish long term relations and long term contracts with suppliers. Contracts with sub-suppliers supplies should be written in detail and be as accurate as possible including clauses for as many as possible eventualities may occur. Also establishing strategic alliances and join ventures can reduce transaction cost and eventually production costs. Reducing production costs is also related on running the plants as efficient as possible. Reduce inventories to minimum, optimize production lines, improve or even ‘automate’ communications between departments, suppliers and distributors, automating production lines, and reduce fixed costs. Actually reduction of production costs can be done in every step of the production from purchasing raw materials to final shipment of goods. Detail analysis and planning of all production steps will provide management with the right information and solutions on how production can be optimized and costs can be reduced. Finally in step 5 companies can have the production determine the demand. In this step size is not a constraint, companies have already reserve capacity and operate at the MES point or even on the right side of the MES.. (FIGURE 3) By having reserve capacity and being able to have production determine the demand companies can influence the demand curve of their products towards being inelastic. Any company that has managed to become the cost leader in its industry will have the ability and should be prepared to allow production determine the demand and have reserve capacity. This will prevent lagging sales and reduce carrying inventory to minimum. Over the last years more and more companies are focusing on costs, how those can be controlled and what measures should be taken in order costs to be reduced. Being able to reduce costs and in combination with economies in scale (neo classical model) and economies of scope (game theory) a company can become the cost leader in its industry. It is very important that a company can be the cost leaser in a game and in many cases companies camouflage this advantage so it is not revealed to competitors. Being a cost leader a company can obtain sustainable advantage, will have the capacity to ‘play the game’ longer and be able to determine the demand curves of their products.