Gasoline Essay Research Paper Why are we free essay sample

Fuel Essay, Research Paper For what reason would we say we are paying such a great amount for gasolene? In the event that you safe house? T saw you should non drive, however at that spot has been an intense expansion in gas fiscal qualities in the past twelvemonth and a half. It appeared to be professional writing services comparable just the other twenty-four hours when I was at the corner store and I said? Would i be able to secure 20 dollars on siphon 3 please? ? furthermore, that would vouch a full shielded battle vehicle of gas. In any case, those were old fashioned yearss when gasolene was a low, low, low fiscal worth of.99 pennies per gallon. 20 dollars has my gage making for the midway evaluation on the gas meter. These days it takes double that cash to secure a full shielded battle vehicle. We will compose a custom article test on Fuel Essay Research Paper Why are we or then again any comparative point explicitly for you Don't WasteYour Time Recruit WRITER Just 13.90/page Any individual who drives a SUV has it the most noticeably awful everything being equal. SUV? s have some the biggest protected battle vehicles and get the most noticeably awful milage. The last clasp I went to the siphon it cost me 40 dollars to make full up my defensively covered battle vehicle. That separates to about $ 2 a gallon. That? s me giving an entire twenty-four hours? s worth of work toward make fulling up my gas reinforced battle vehicle. Who is to blame for this? The significant culprits behind all these lifting financial qualities are the Big Oil organizations. They concluded non to deliver their standard gasolene stock records because of the significant expenses of unpleasant oil before Memorial Day of 2000. The expense of harsh oil is $ 34 for each barrel. Which leaves the Midwest fuel advertise incredibly helpless against give break especially since flexibly in the Midwest is relies to a great extent upon grapevines. In twist, three significant Large Oil grapevine breaks unleash commotion available as a result of the inadequacy of gasolene stock records. With the inadequacy of gracefully, welcomed on by conclusions by the Big Oil organizations, gas fiscal qualities soar in the Midwest. Presently, the Big Oil organizations accumulate record overall gain outskirts as a result of their ain gracefully confusion. The Big Oil organizations accuse ethanol ( a fuel produced using maize to chop down spreads from the cars ) , to conceal their total compensation. Presently, guess who is left with paying the financial incentive at the siphon? ? ? I was perusing the paper and I perused? California gas financial qualities fall? what's more, it frantic me chuckle. What did it tumble to? The mean financial incentive in Sacramento is $ 1.92 and falling a whole.2 pennies from a month prior. Only a twelvemonth prior you could hold purchased that equivalent gallon for $ 1.46. The area standard is presently at a $ 1.85 with Lake Tahoe at the highest priority on the rundown at $ 2.10 per gallon and Salinas at the underside at $ 1.86 At the point when the fiscal qualities are $ 1.20 or beneath I would name that a harvest time but.2 pennies is only a tactless act. At the present time there is just one consistent answer for the activity and that is by using ethanol-mixed fuel. Ethanol is created through a disturbance and distillment technique that transforms the sugars in the maize into intoxicant. Ethanol uses around 7 for each centum of the U.S. maize collect yearly. It extraordinarily decreases tailpipe spreads, assists with keeping up the rural financial framework, and straight uproots imported oil. The fiscal estimation of ethyl liquor is less expensive than leadless gasolene. Since the financial estimation of oil is grinding away? s most elevated while the financial estimation of maize for the use of ethyl liquor is grinding away? s least. A bushel of maize, which resembles 2.5 or 3 gallons, is equivalent to 1 gallon of gas. Since the 1970? s automobiles can start up to 10 for every centum ethyl liquor. In the Midwest they utilize 10 for every centum ethyl liquor and the rest of gas. Ethanol is perfect burning and decreases poisonous spre ads by 22 for each centum and nursery causation gases by 40 for every centum. It is sustainable in light of the fact that we develop more maize each twelvemonth that can be accustomed to deliver more ethyl liquor. Gas can neer be duplicated in light of the fact that it originates from oil. It is made in the U.S. from maize in the U.S. so we wear? Ts need to cover with the importation of oils that essentially originate from the Middle East. It is an extraordinary exchange for is as customers and helps the husbandmans and the monetary framework, and causes us rescue cash by equilibrating the exchange with the Middle East. It improves motor open introduction by expanding the octane in the gas and cleans and forestalls motor sedimentations. It even goes about as liquid catalyst for your fuel line. The Big Oil organizations recognize what they are making and it was a savvy move by them. Everybody in the U.S. drives a vehicle and to drive you need gas. You need gas, without it you can? t push. There is no other that you can set inside your defensively covered battle vehicle to do it run so you need to pay the voyaging rate. Since the gas money related qualities have gone up at that spot has been no change in the whole of gas that is being purchased in certainty there are a larger number of individuals buying gas now than prior. Things being what they are, the reason would an advertiser privation to bring down the money related estimation of their product if individuals will pay for it no undertaking what the ticket says? The fiscal estimations of gas may slide however neer? fall. ? The Big Oil organizations will go on what they are making for each piece long as we pay the fiscal worth. On the off chance that you wear? Ts like the gas financial qualities you better stock up on pl aces and get down strolling on the grounds that they aren? T voyaging wherever however up. 317

Strategies of Knowledge Acquisition

Techniques of Knowledge Acquisition Author(s): Deanna Kuhn, Merce Garcia-Mila, Anat Zohar, Christopher Andersen, Sheldon H. White, David Klahr, Sharon M. Carver Source: Monographs of the Society for Research in Child Development, Vol. 60, No. 4, Strategies of Knowledge Acquisition (1995), pp. i+iii+v-vi+1-157 Published by: Blackwell Publishing in the interest of the Society for Research in Child Development Stable URL: http://www. jstor. organization/stable/1166059 . Gotten to: 16/09/2011 13:38 Your utilization of the JSTOR document demonstrates your acknowledgment of the Terms and Conditions of Use, accessible at . ttp://www. jstor. organization/page/data/about/strategies/terms. jsp JSTOR is a not-revenue driven assistance that helps researchers, analysts, and understudies find, use, and expand upon a wide scope of substance in a confided in advanced chronicle. We use data innovation and apparatuses to build efficiency and encourage new types of grant. For more data about JSTOR, it would be ideal if you contact [emailâ protected] organization. Blackwell Publishing and Society for Research in Child Development are teaming up with JSTOR to digitize, save and stretch out access to Monographs of the Society for Research in Child Development. ttp://www. jstor. organization OF MONOGRAPHS THE IN FOR SOCIETY RESEARCH CHILD DEVELOPMENT Serial No. 245, Vol. 60, No. 4, 1995 OF STRATEGIES KNOWLEDGE ACQUISITION Deanna Kuhn Merce Garcia-Mila Anat Zohar Andersen Christopher BY WITH COMMENTARY SheldonH. White David Klahr and Sharon M. Carver BY AND A REPLY THEAUTHORS MONOGRAPHSTHE OF SOCIETY RESEARCH FOR INCHILD DEVELOPMENT SerialNo. 245, Vol. 60, No. 4, 1995 CONTENTS ABSTRACT v I. Presentation 1 II. Strategy 24 III. Information IN ACQUISITION ADULTS 33 IV. Information IN ACQUISITION CHILDREN 42 V. Methodologies STRATEGY AND CHANGE ADULTS 50 IN VI.STRATEGIES STRATEGY AND CHANGE CHILDREN 64 IN VII. THE PROCESS CHANGE OF 75 VIII. Ends 98 REFERENCES121 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS 128 COMME NTARY TOWARD EVOLUTIONARY AN EPISTEMOLOGY OF SCIENTIFIC REASONING SheldonH. White 129 SCIENTIFIC THINKING ABOUT SCIENTIFIC THINKING David Klahr and Sharon M. Carver 137 REPLY SCIENTIFIC AND KNOWLEDGE THINKING ACQUISITION Deanna Kuhn 152 CONTRIBUTORS 158 STATEMENT OF EDITORIAL POLICY 160 ABSTRACT KUHN, DEANNA; GARCIA-MILA,MERCE; ZOHAR, ANAT; and ANDERSEN, CHRISTOPHER. WithCommentary Strategiesof KnowledgeAcquisition. nd H. KLAHR SHARON CARVER; and SHELDON WHITE by DAVID M. by KUHN. what's more, a Reply by DEANNA theSociety Research in Monographs of for Child 1995, 60(4, SerialNo. 245). Advancement, In this Monograph, is knowledgeacquisition examinedas a processinthe coordinationof existing theorieswith new proof. Despite the fact that volving analysts studyingconceptualchange have describedchildren'sevolving theorieswithinnumerousdomains,relatively little attentionhas been given to the systems meansof whichtheoriesare shaped and revisedand by knowledgeis therebyacquired.Centralto the presentworkis the claimthat strategiesof information acquisitionmay fluctuate significantlyacross (just as inside) individualsand can be conceptualizedwithin a formative structure. To studythese strategiesand their development,we utilize a microgenetic strategy. Our application the technique allowsextendedobservation the of securing knowledgewithina domain,of the strategiesused to gain this knowledge,and of the changein these procedures overtime.The strategy likewise permits qualitativeanalysisof individualsand quantitativeanalysisof gatherings to be utilized in corresponding manners. Information securing processeswereexaminedat twoage levels. Junior college grown-ups and preadolescentsparticipatedin two 30-45-min individualsessionseach week over a 10-weekperiod. Subjectsworked on problemsinvolvinga wide scope of contentfrom both physicaland social areas. An exchange configuration was arranged inside this microgeneticframework,for the purposeof assessinggeneralityof techniques with the presentation of new content.Subjectsof the two ages showedprogressacrossthe 10 weeksin the degree of strategiesused just as similitude the structure that this progresstook. in levelsthatdid not varygreatly,childrenshowed Despiteinitialperformance V less vital improvement than grown-ups and second rate information securing. Key advancement was kept up by the two gatherings when new issue content was presented halfway through the meetings. The outcomes consequently show huge sweeping statement of systems and procedure change across content, just as populations.A further sign of simplification was the rise of new methodologies at about a similar time in the social and physical areas, despite the fact that exhibition in the social space generally speaking falled behind that in the physical space. At the individual level, blended utilization of legitimate and invalid techniques was the standard. This finding in a grown-up populace proposes that this fluctuation is a progressively bro ad attribute of human execution, as opposed to one of a kind to conditions of formative transition.Another wide ramifications of this inconstancy is that solitary event evaluation may give a, best case scenario fragmented, and regularly deceptive, portrayal of a person's methodology. Still another ramifications is that in any event part of changeability in execution across content dwells in the subject, instead of only in the assignment. That unrivaled techniques present in a person's repertory are not generally applied features the way that more is associated with skillful execution than the capacity to execute successful strategies.Metastrategic capability the capacity to ponder and oversee key information and metacognitive fitness the capacity to think about the substance of one's information are stressed as basic parts of subjective turn of events. These abilities decide the systems that are really utilized, among those conceivably accessible, and subsequently the adequacy of a person's exhibition. At last, the nearness of various systems and numerous types of capability incredibly confuses the depiction of formative change. As opposed to a nidimensional progress from a to b, the change procedure must be conceptualized regarding various parts following individual (in spite of the fact that not free) ways. VI I. Presentation Knowledge procurement is a procedure major to endurance that starts early and proceeds for the duration of the life expectancy. What do we are aware of the procedure? Research inside the most recent decade has clarified that since the beginning information is sorted out into hypotheses that are explained and changed after some time and that fill in as vehicles for understanding the world.In different words, information obtaining to a huge degree happens through a procedure of hypothesis development and amendment. Among specialists embracing an information or hypothesis based way to deal with intellectual turn of events, the emphasis has been on portraying the substance of these advancing speculations in a wide scope of areas, and we presently know a decent arrangement about the logically increasingly expounded information that offspring of different ages are probably going to have inside various substance spaces (Gelman and Wellman, in press; Wellman and Gelman, 1992).In complexity, generally little consideration has been given to the procedure of information securing itself, that is, the components by methods for which hypotheses are framed and modified and information is consequently procured. It is this theme is the focal point of the current work. Inside the information based methodology, the suspicion that has been in any event verifiable, and is incidentally voiced unequivocally (Brewer and Samarapungavan, 1991; Carey, 1985a, 1986), is that these instruments stay pretty much consistent across development.The present work lays on a differentiating guarantee that methodologies of information procurement shift essentially across (just as inside) people and can be conceptualized in formative terms. Information AS ACQUISITION THEORY-EVIDENCE COORDINATION The general type of information and information securing concentrated here is that of the connection between one classification of occasion and another. Most regularly, such relations are translated causally (Cheng and Nisbett, 1993), with a precursor classification of occasion deciphered as impacting a result IKUHNETAL. class (e. g. , ingestion of food and a kid's real development). Supporting this type of information is an increasingly fundamental one having to do with how occasions or articles fit together into classes (e. g. , nourishments, nonfoods, and lasting versus impermanent substantial changes). In spite of the fact that the last isn't analyzed here, the two types of information include hypotheses as arranging gadgets (Barrett, Abdi, Murphy, and Gallagher, 1993; Keil, 1991; Medin, 1989; Wisniewski and Medin, 1994).Children's and grown-ups' speculations about causal relations experience update as new proof is experienced. Consequently, information obtaining methodologies include the assessment of proof and inductive causal deduction. Late speculations of inductive causal surmising in grown-ups (Cheng and Novick, 1990, 1992) are reliable with prior records (Alloy and Tabachnik, 1984; Holland, Holyoak, Nisbett, and Thagard, 1986) in ascribing noticeable jobs both to earlier desire (or hypothesis) and to proof of covariation (of the significant components) in cultivating deductions of causality.It is hard to clarify basic idea arrangement (Keil, 1991) yet even fundamental molding wonders in creatures without summoning a develop that includes desire (Holyoak, Koh, and Nisbett, 1989). An origination of inductive derivation as including a coordination of hypothesis and proof (Kuhn, 1989) diverges from prior ways to deal with the improvement of inductive deduction systems for instance, the Piagetian research on for mal activities wherein such procedures were viewed as to a great extent area autonomous and along these lines similarly appropriate to any substance independent of earlier information or expectation.In experimental investigations of grown-ups' multivariable inductive causal surmising, subjects commonly are furnished with a lot of different occurrences in which at least one potential causes does or doesn't happen and a

Case Study One Solved Ethics Essay Example for Free

Contextual investigation One Solved Ethics Essay Uprightness Your child, Mark, has been working â€Å"night and day† on a significant agreement for his organization in the course of recent months. To prove his company’s suitability, Mark needed to unveil certain private corporate data to Jimâ€the imminent client. He gave out the private data during the end period of the contractâ€only after it had been unmistakably suggested the agreement would be his. Shockingly, the agreement didn't appear. Jim found a superior arrangement. Imprint is truly irritated with Jim’s absence of business morals. He is likewise a little stressed over keeping his activity. He presently accepts that a significant number of the announcements made all through the agreement conversations and exchanges were bogus and purposely deceptive. Question Alright father/mother, your child Mark needs some exhortation. Think of him a one-page letter. By what means would it be a good idea for him to have dealt with this circumstance and what would it be a good idea for him to do now? Carry your response to week 2. Dear child I feel generally excellent that you are looking for help of your folks .Being a mother I feel that you should attempt to keep your expert life a superior one and not to uncover any data about the organization and the arrangements to any of the clients as the data and the things of business are exceptionally delicate and may cause an incredible damage if the individual you are imparting to isn't steadfast. As indicated by me you ought to have perused the strategies and the agreement before marking any of the report and you should attempt to maintain a strategic distance from such a slip-up again throughout everyday life. As to this I should state you should attempt to counsel a legal advisor or any lawâ suit on the off chance that you discover any issue with the Jim. Furthermore, in the event that you feel that Jim isn't progressing nicely and isn't remaining on the agreement made then you should attempt to abstain from uncovering cryptic data to any of the individual and should peruse the approaches and make an appropriate agreement with possibly trust commendable individual and in the event that you have an inclination that you are cheated or any sort of misfortune has happened then you should sue or document an argument against that individual. In any case, the morals and the last things that rings a bell is the ethic of trustworthiness and an unwavering quality. You should attempt to keep away from such errors in future with the goal that your difficult work will get productive and you will end up being an effective business character.

Comparative Study on Singapore vs Indian Higher Education System Essay

Conceptual: In the realm of globalization pretty much every nation on the planet needs their training framework to be the best, so their understudies can get the vital abilities and information instructed by the schools/colleges that addresses the difficulties of the 21st century. The current article investigates how Singapore and Indian method of advanced education framework works; in what direction both the nations contrast and how they are driving in the field of advanced education and it additionally feature the diverse pathway that prompts the student’s movement from their nursery to doctorate certificate. 1. 0 Indian training framework: The University Education Report had define objectives for improvement of advanced education in the nation. While articulating these objectives Radakrishnan Commission on University Education, 1948-49 put it in following words: â€Å"The generally significant and dire change required in instruction is to change it, to attempt to relate it to the life, needs and yearnings of the individuals and in this manner make it the incredible instrument of social, financial and social change essential for the acknowledgment of the national objectives. For this reason, training ought to be grown to build efficiency, accomplish social and national incorporation, quicken the procedure of modernization and develop social, good and profound qualities. † India’s advanced education framework is the third biggest on the planet, after China and the United States. The fundamental administering body at the tertiary level is the University Grants Commission (India) is a legal association built up by an Act of Parliament in1956 for the coordination, assurance and upkeep of measures of college instruction. Aside from giving awards to qualified colleges and schools, the Commission additionally prompts the Central and State Governments on the measures, which are essential for the improvement of advanced education. Focal Government is liable for significant strategy identifying with advanced education in the nation. It gives awards to University Grants Commission (UGC) and sets up focal colleges in the nation. The Central Government is additionally liable for affirmation of Education Institutions as ‘Deemed to be University’ on the suggestion of the UGC. Accreditation for higher learning is directed by 12 independent organizations built up by the University Grants Commission. Toward the finish of the third year of XI Plan (2009-10), the quantity of Universities has gone up to 493 (42 Central, 130 Deemed and 316 State Universities and 5 Institution built up under Special State Legislature Acts) and the quantity of Colleges to 31,324, in this way enrolling an expansion of 36% in the number Universities and 48% on account of Colleges in contrast with the figures toward the finish of X Plan (31. 03. 2007). During the scholastic year 2009-10, there had been 146. 25 lakhs (temporary) understudies took a crack at different courses at all levels in colleges/schools and different organizations of advanced education when contrasted with 136. 42 lakhs in the earlier year, enlisting an expansion of 7. 2 percent. Out of 146. 25 lakhs, 60. 80 lakh had been ladies understudies, establishing 41. 6 percent. The similar pattern of absolute understudies enrolment and enrolment of ladies understudies, among states during 2009-10 had been expanded. The enrolment of ladies understudies, as far as supreme numbers, had been the most elevated in the territory of Uttar Pradesh (8. 4 lakhs), trailed by Maharashtra (7. 8 lakhs), Andhra Pradesh (6.1 lakhs), Tamil Nadu (5. 2 lakhs) and so on. As far as rates, Goa represented the most noteworthy level of 59%, trailed by Kerala (57%), Punjab and Meghalaya (51%) and so on showing the strength of young lady understudies over young men in these states and A&N Islands (52%), Chandigarh (51%), Puducherry (half) among the Union Territories. (Yearly Report, University Grant Commission (UGC, 20092010)). The enrolment position in the scholarly year 2009-10 uncovers that greater part of understudies in the advanced education framework had been selected for an assortment of courses at the under-graduate level. The understudies at this level establish temporarily 86. 55 percent of the complete number of understudies in schools and colleges set up. The level of understudies enlisted for Master’s level courses had been 11. 49 percent while an exceptionally little extent I. e. 0. 89 percent of the all out number of understudies had been selected for examine. Likewise, just 1. 15 percent of the complete number of understudies had been taken on recognition/authentication courses. As respects the appropriation of student’s enrolment among colleges and partnered universities, the biggest number of understudies in the advanced education framework had been taken on subsidiary schools. Around 90. 24 percent of all the under-graduate understudies and 70. 83 percent of all the post-graduate understudies had been taken a crack at the partnered schools, while the remaining had been in the colleges and their constituent universities. (Yearly Report, University Grant Commission (UGC, 2009-2010)). 115 IRACST-International Journal of Research in Management and Technology (IJRMT), ISSN: 2249-9563 Vol. 2, No. 1, 2012 There has in certainty been impressive improvement in the advanced education situation of India in both quantitative and subjective terms. In specialized training, the IITs, and in the board, the IIMs have just denoted their names among the top higher instructive establishments of the world. In addition the Jawaharlal University and Delhi University are likewise viewed as great higher instructive foundations for doing postgraduates courses and research in science, humanities and sociologies. Subsequently, understudies from different pieces of the world are coming today for advanced education in India. Aside from these advanced education establishments there are a few private organizations in India that offer different expert courses in India. As per the Department of advanced education, administration of India, there are complete enrolment of understudies (146. 25 lakhs), 42. 01% understudies had been in the workforce of Arts, trailed by 19. 30% in Science and 17. 83% in Commerce/Management. In this way, 79. 14% of the all out enrolment had been in the three resources of Arts, Sciences and Commerce/Management while the staying 20. 86% had been in the expert resources showing the most noteworthy rate in Engineering. /Technology (10. 33%), trailed by Medical courses (3. 48%), and so forth. In the scholastic year 2009-2010, the absolute number of educators in colleges and schools had been 6. 99 lakhs when contrasted with 5. 89 lakhs educators in the earlier year. Out of 6. 99 lakhs educators, 86% instructors had been in Colleges and the staying 14% in University Departments/University Colleges (Annual Report, University Grant Commission (UGC, 2009-2010)). bookkeeping, instructing, medication, law, farming, veterinary, polytechnic and others. 1. 2 The Current Scene: India is today one of the quickest creating nations of the world with the yearly development rate going above 9%. So as to support that pace of development, there is have to build the quantity of foundations and furthermore the nature of advanced education in India. Along these lines the Prime Minister of India has reported the foundation of 8 IITs, seven Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs) and five Indian Institutes of Science, Education and Research (IISERs) and 30 Central Universities in his discourse to the country on the 60th Independence Day. The cost for instruction during the eleventh Five Year Plan, which runs from the current financial to 2012-13, speaks to a four-overlap increment over the past arrangement and stands at Rs 2500 billion. 1. 3 Advantages of Indian advanced education: With India developing as a worldwide center point for business R&D (India Today International, 3 Oct 2009), R&D inside the extent of Higher Education has increased more prominent significance. Presently, the nation is quick rising as a significant community for front line innovative work (R&D) ventures for worldwide multinationals, for example, Microsoft and Motorola just as Indian firms. An ever increasing number of organizations in businesses running from IT and media communications through pharmaceuticals and biotech are setting up aspiring R&D ventures, to a limited extent to serve the Indian market, yet additionally with the end goal of conveying new ages of items quicker to the worldwide market. It has been expressed that 150 universal firms have set up R&D focuses in India and in 2004 US licenses office allowed more than 1000 licenses to Indian units of US organizations. India has created probably the biggest arrangement of Higher Education on the planet with more than 493 colleges and 6500 professional universities taking into account around 10 million understudies. India gives a major market and playing field for private activities at both the national and universal levels. It is wealthy in HR, as far as amount just as quality. Measurements from the Indian evaluation agency appears, over 35% of our populace is beneath the age of 20. By 2020, it is normal that 325 million individuals in India will arrive at working age, which will be the biggest on the planet. This will come when the remainder of the created world will be confronted with a maturing populace were as India with its bourgeoning white collar class individuals who are eager to put resources into quality advanced education will be an advantage for India’s development in training. No big surprise that outside colleges from the US, Canada, UK, Australia, New Zealand, and Singapore are competing for understudies from India. India, as well, is attempting to pull in understudies from neighboring nations. It is likewise ready to take into account the necessities of the Indian Diaspora. Numerous non-inhabitant Indians are presently sending their wards to India for proficient training in the fields of medication, designing, and business the executives. For them, advanced education in India is both financially savvy and socially rich. 1. 1 Pathway of learning in Indian training framework: The Indian Education System is included six phases: n

Test-Score Submission COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY - SIPA Admissions Blog

Test-Score Submission COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY - SIPA Admissions Blog We have been getting many questions recently about test score submission and I want to emphasize an important point: SIPA does not require official test reports (GRE / GMAT / TOEFL / IELTS) for admission consideration.   We accept self reported scores on the application for admission consideration. Thus applicants need not worry about SIPA receiving official test reports by the admission deadline.   Applicants simply need to enter the scores achieved on the application site.   These scores can be entered up to the deadline, even after submitting Part 2 of the admission application. So for example, lets say you submit Part 2 of your application on December 15th after having taken the GRE one time.   If you take the GRE again on December 28th and ETS provides you with your scores within a few days, you log back into your application and report your scores up until January 5th.   We do not need the official score report by January 5th. SIPA will require official test scores only if an applicant is admitted and pays an enrollment deposit.   The enrollment deposit is due by May 1st and official test reports will need to be submitted to our office in June.   Details will follow once admission offers have been made. We still encourage applicants to list the appropriate SIPA code when taking these exams, but you need not worry about the official test reports reaching our office by January 5th.   Also note that we do not average test scores, so you can take test multiple times and we will always take the highest scores achieved.   See below for the appropriate SIPA test codes: GRE Code: 2161 (do not list a department code) GMAT for MIA: QF8-64-56 GMAT for MPA: QF8-64-99 TOEFL:   2161

Test-Score Submission COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY - SIPA Admissions Blog

Test-Score Submission COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY - SIPA Admissions Blog We have been getting many questions recently about test score submission and I want to emphasize an important point: SIPA does not require official test reports (GRE / GMAT / TOEFL / IELTS) for admission consideration.   We accept self reported scores on the application for admission consideration. Thus applicants need not worry about SIPA receiving official test reports by the admission deadline.   Applicants simply need to enter the scores achieved on the application site.   These scores can be entered up to the deadline, even after submitting Part 2 of the admission application. So for example, lets say you submit Part 2 of your application on December 15th after having taken the GRE one time.   If you take the GRE again on December 28th and ETS provides you with your scores within a few days, you log back into your application and report your scores up until January 5th.   We do not need the official score report by January 5th. SIPA will require official test scores only if an applicant is admitted and pays an enrollment deposit.   The enrollment deposit is due by May 1st and official test reports will need to be submitted to our office in June.   Details will follow once admission offers have been made. We still encourage applicants to list the appropriate SIPA code when taking these exams, but you need not worry about the official test reports reaching our office by January 5th.   Also note that we do not average test scores, so you can take test multiple times and we will always take the highest scores achieved.   See below for the appropriate SIPA test codes: GRE Code: 2161 (do not list a department code) GMAT for MIA: QF8-64-56 GMAT for MPA: QF8-64-99 TOEFL:   2161

Are You Ready to Take the GRE [How to Evaluate Your Readiness]

The whole point of GRE prep is, of course, to be ready for GRE test day. But how do you know when you’re ready? How do you know when you’ve had enough prep? Many people who take the GRE before they’re truly ready have the wrong answer to â€Å"Have I done enough prep?† But have no fear. I’m here to walk you through GRE readiness, and how to measure it. GRE Readiness In Terms of Your Target Score Some graduate programs set an exact minimum score you need to meet in order to be eligible for admission. This can seem pretty simple. Once you’re consistently getting to that target score in practice, you’re ready for test day, right? Well.†¦ maybe. With grad school, figuring out which score will really get you accepted is not quite that simple. Graduate programs are much more competitive than undergrad degrees. Getting the minimum required GRE score prevents you from being disqualified outright. However, in the most competitive graduate schools, the average GRE score of the applicants is what really matters. If you’re in the bottom half of GRE scores in a given application period, you’re much more likely to be turned away, even if you meet or exceed the minimum score requirements. And of course, averages keep changing from year to year. So even when a school does publish the average GRE scores of accepted applicants, you have to set your own target score carefully. GRE Target Scores in Terms of GRE Percentiles Fortunately, there are ways to find the score that will probably get you accepted into the schools you apply to. Before you think of your ideal score as a specific number, think of the score in terms of GRE percentiles. GRE percentiles are numbers that indicate what percent of students got a lower score than a given score. For example, if a score is in the 95th percentile, that means that 95% of all GRE test-takers got a score lower than that score. Percentiles for all of the people who take the GRE don’t fluctuate nearly as much as term-to-term average GRE scores at individual schools. So these percentiles are a much more reliable measure of what GRE score makes you truly ready to take the test and get accepted into your dream school. As a general rule of thumb, you can match GRE percentiles to school rankings. Review the education rankings from US News and World Report. If a program is in the top 10% of all programs of its kind (top 10% of all ranked MFAs in Creative Writing, top 10% of all MS Engineering programs, etc†¦), then aim for the 90th percentile or higher in terms of GRE score. (Somewhat below the 90th percentile might also be acceptable if the rest of your application is very strong.) So look at the US News and World Report graduate school rankings and compare them to ETS’s most recent data on GRE score percentiles. Then start doing the most authentic practice tests you can. To ensure that your tests resemble the real exam, use official GRE prep materials from ETS. Also try to take the exam under conditions that are similar to those in the testing center—keep your practice tests within test center limits for time, breaks, note-taking, etc. Reach your target percentile consistently on realistic practice exams, and you’ll know that you’re ready for test day. hbspt.cta.load(58291, '02d66581-2fb6-4177-ba0c-8380c7d85463', {}); David is a test prep expert at Magoosh. He has a Bachelor of Social Work from the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire and a Masters in Teaching English to Speakers of other Languages from the University of Wisconsin-River Falls. He has been teaching K-12, University, and adult education classes since 2007 and has worked with students from every continent. Related Resources: †¢Ã‚  Planning on Taking the GRE? How Much it Can Run You? †¢Ã‚  Where to Find Good GRE Practice Questions †¢Ã‚  5 Tips for Improving Your AWA Essay on the GRE

WGU-community health task 4 - 1400 Words

Community Health of Chesterfield County-Virginia Western Governors University Population/Economic Assessment Chesterfield County, Virginia has a population of about 328,000 as of January 1, 2014 with 752 people per square mile. There was a 3.6% increase in the population from April 1, 2010 to July 1, 2013. 65.4% of the population is white non-Hispanic, 21.6% are black non-Hispanic, 7.2% are Hispanic, 3.2% are Asian and 2.1% are two or more races. In 2012 there were 3657 births and 1654 deaths in Chesterfield County. They are rated as being safer than 50% of the cities in the US with 41 violent and 1049 crimes against property (Crime rates for Chesterfield, VA, n.d.). The average household income for all races in†¦show more content†¦Due to the large bodies of water in the county, there is a high risk for drowning. Water quality pollutants in the county come from fertilizers, bacteria from animal feces, sediment from land that are being cleared and stream channel erosion. When the rain falls into farms, parking lots, construction sites, and lawns the water collects pollutants and they get carried to the stream and then eventually end up in the Chesapeake Bay. In 2010 10 out of 15 streams sampled were rated far to poor, E-Coli, dissolved oxygen, fecal coliform, Chlorophyll-A and Polychlorinated Biphenyls were noted in the samples (2013 Natural Resource Indicator Report, 2014). C R Battery Company Inc. and the Defense General Supply Center DLA were found on the national priority list for the most hazardous waste sites identified by the Environment Protection Agency because it is a risk to human and/or the environment (Virginia Superfun d Sites, 2013). A safety hazard for the built community was also assessed in Chesterfield County. Local building codes do effectively address safety issues. There are statewide building safety codes that are enforced by the county for residential construction. Lead exposure could be a hazard in the community due pipes in older homes. Residences are advised to run water for 30 seconds to 2 minutes to cut down on leadShow MoreRelatedHgt1 Community Health Nursing Practicum Wgu Western Governors University816 Words   |  4 PagesHGT1 Community Health Nursing Practicum WGU Western Governors University http://www.homeworkminutes.com/question/view/52795/HGT1-Community-Health-Nursing-Practicum-WGU-Western-Governors-University DESCRIPTION Introduction: The following are directions to write the narrative description of your field project. It should be written in APA (6th edition) format, appropriately noting in-text citations, references, etc. You may attach as appendices any charts, tables, or other materialsRead MoreCommunity Health Essay4549 Words   |  19 PagesCommunity Health C229 1 ! ! ! ! ! ! CKA Task 1 Sharon Wiggins Western Governors University ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! Community Health C229 ! ! Date Spent ! ! 6/19/15 ! 6/19/15 ! 6/19/15 ! 6/29-7/2 ! 7/11/15 1200-1700 ! 8/30/15 1100-1600 ! 9/4/15 1100-1200 ! ! 9/9-10/15 0800-1700 0800-1200 ! ! Fieldwork Study Activity Location and Contact Time Windshield Survey Dakota County, Minnesota 10 CulturalRead MoreEssay on ORGANIZATION AND LEADER ANALYSIS4707 Words   |  19 Pagesï » ¿ Organization and Leader Analysis Task One Velesia A. Peart Western Governors University March 5, 2015 Table of Content Abstract †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.3 Organization overview†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦...4-5 The Objectives†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦..5-6 Leadership Practice†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦....6-8 Leadership effect on culture†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦..8-9 SWOT analysis †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦..9-13 Leadership Evaluation †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦...14-17 Best Practices†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Read MoreCommunity Health And Population Focused Nursing Practicum Jean Sherrill Wgu Essay6366 Words   |  26 Pages2%, Asians was 0.2%, Hawaiian Pacific natives was 0.1% and Hispanic/Latino was 2.1% Top of Form Community Health and Population-Focused Nursing Practicum Jean Sherrill WGU Description of Community Cape Girardeau County is in the southeastern part of Missouri. The county has 3 cities, 7 villages, and 9 unincorporated areas. The county has 578.54 square miles (Cape Girardeau County Public Health Center, 2015). The county? S population is 78,043 and the average household income is $39,560.00. The

How a Penny Can Make Wine Smell and Taste Better

Before you throw out that bottle of funky-smelling wine, try a simple chemistry life hack to fix it. Its super easy and all you need is a penny! How to Fix Smelly Wine With a Penny First, find a penny. Clean it up by rinsing it off and polishing off any grime.Pour yourself a glass of wine.Drop in the clean penny and swirl it around in the glass.Remove the penny. You dont want to accidentally swallow it!Now, inhale the improved aroma and drink the wine.Drink more wine. Youre so clever, youve earned it. How the Penny Trick Works Wine can smell stinky because it contains sulfur compounds called thiols. A burnt rubber odor comes from a thiol called ethyl mercaptan. Eau de rotten eggs comes from hydrogen sulfide. If your wine smells like someone put out a match in it, thats from a thiol named methyl mercaptan. The thiols are in the wine as a natural consequence of  grape fermentation. During fermentation, the sugars from the fruit juice undergo reduction, which involves the loss of oxygen. In stale, old wine or some cheap wine, the process kicks into overdrive, resulting in so much thiol the wine becomes unpalatable. Heres where the penny comes to the rescue. While pennies are mostly zinc, the outer shell contains copper. The copper reacts with thiols to produce copper sulfide, which is odorless. Since the senses of smell and taste are connected, removing the stench dramatically improves both the aroma and perceived flavor of the wine. Save Your Wine With Silver Looking for a classier way to fix your wine? You can get the same deodorizing effect by stirring your wine with a silver spoon. If you dont have a silver spoon, try a sterling silver ring. Just remember to remove it before imbibing.

Definition And Methods Of Negotiation - 1682 Words

At the onset of this semester s course I would not have considered what I did day in and day out to be negotiation. I would have called it working together, or something similar, and had no reason to interpret it beyond conversation. Now that I am beginning to define and understand negotiation I am able to apply the definition and methodologies to my daily interactions. I have always been comfortable understanding what I want, and having an idea of how to get there, but I now find myself trying to understand the other side of the coin. How can I get from point A to point B, and what conversations and trade offs will I be making? What strategies are they using against me, and what weaknesses do I have in my negotiation tactics? This†¦show more content†¦The Big 5 shows that I am relatively open to new experiences, and also that I enjoy the company of others. The Big 5 also shows that I am agreeable, and that I am a low scorer in Neuroticism, and that I am able to remain calm in tense situations (Potter, n.d.). I believe with the tendencies reflected in my personality test, the case could be made that I am willing to create social experiences that can be tense while maintaining the ability to be agreeable. Within my current career, I am involved in a somewhat constant state of negotiation. I am the lead for the Information Technology Project Operations group at a Small / Medium sized business. This means that it is my responsibility to ensure that projects have the equipment and tools they need to be successful. To some this would appear that I work on the bottom rung: at the behest of everyone within the company to ensure that their needs are met. The way I view it, everyone works for me as I provide spinning wheels the engineers use to turn a profit. An operational support team has an interesting place within an organization. As a crucial part and extremely involved portion of the organization, we work within the shadows, and tend to only be noticed when someone needs our attention. This leads the team to hold extremely little managerial authority within the hierarchy of the

Lorraine Hansberrys A Raisin In The Sun - Society and...

Society and Family in A Raisin in the Sun We can learn a great deal by observing a given moment in history. The politics, fashion, and religion of a given society reveal the inner workings of the individuals that combine to make the society functional. While every society is different and unique, there are universal themes that apply to every society; the need to eat and sleep as well as the concept of family exist in all societies. In Lorraine Hansberrys A Raisin in the Sun, we are witness to the common drama that occurs within a family set in a specific historical period. Much of the political action that occurred during the time described within this play is specific to the era which it portrays. In†¦show more content†¦Dorothy Dandridge, who only three years later became the black Goddess of Hollywood through her role in Carmen Jones, was still struggling to overcome racial stereotypes (A E ). The Korean war was in its second year, 70% of all American troops were in active duty, (Archer) and the armed forces still had segregated troops (Carlisle). In all, it was a turbulent time, and it put in motion ideas and beliefs that sparked the civil rights movement of the sixties. In the first act of the play, the characters display a wide variety of emotional tensions. We can see from the dialogue between Ruth and her husband Walter that their relationship has undergone a period of stressful transformation. Even in the opening narration, the author describes Ruths face as showing ...disappointment...that life has been little that she expected...(Hansberry 1382). The entire family lives together in a two bedroom apartment, the furniture described as well worn, and the common living area, which houses the kitchen as well, is wear(y)...[with]all pretenses but living itself having long since vanished from the very atmosphere of this room(Hansberry 1382). The picture we see of the living arrangements and conditions of this family give us a hint not only of their economic standing, but of their emotional states asShow MoreRelatedA Raisin Review673 Words   |  3 PagesA Raisin Review Kenneth Hawthorne English/125 3/15/2016 University of Phoenix A Raisin Review â€Å"What happens to a dream deferred? Does it dry up like a raisin in the sun? Or faster like a sore and then run? Does it stink like rotten meat? Or crust and sugar over like a syrupy sweet? Maybe it sags like a heavy load. Or does it explode†. (Langston Hughes, Harlem) The author Lorraine Hansberry was born May 19, 1930 in Chicago, Illinois. Lorraine Hansberrys writing style is autobiographicalRead MoreSummary Of Lorraine Hansberry 1486 Words   |  6 PagesLorraine Hansberry, born May 19, 1930, made a very prominent contribution to society in her short lived life. She was born to a middle class family as the youngest of four children. Her father was a successful real estate broker who also founded one of the first Negro banks in Chicago (Adams 247). Lorraine’s mother was a schoolteacher named Nannie Perry who later became a ward committeewoman. In 1938, Lorraine’s father took a stand against the real estate covenants in Chicago due to the fact thatRead MoreThe Great Playwright s Life Story2415 Words   |  10 PagesBefore the relatively short life of Lorraine Hansberry tragically ended, the African-American playwright distinguished herself in American theatre and literature as she creatively and unknowingly challenged the views of African-American life, among other inescapable issues of the nation and the world, on the theatrical stage. The great playwright’s life story began on May 19, 1930. Although born during a time of hardship introduced by the Great Depression, Hansberry grew up rather comfortably inRead MoreRacial Identity in A Raisin in the Sun: Who Am I?1102 Words   |  5 Pagesproviding a perverted rational for justifying segregation (Pilgrim â€Å"Mammy†; â€Å"Tom†). So when Lorraine Hansberry’s play, A Raisin in the Sun (1959), confronted the issue of segregation through th e lens of an African American family living in Chicago’s Southside, the Caucasian audience’s widespread acceptance of a family who was â€Å"just like any other† (Nemiroff 9) appears ironic. Contrary to public perception, Raisin sought to convey â€Å"the essence of black people’s striving and the will to defeat segregationRead More Racism and the American Dream in Hansberry’s A Raisin in the Sun1340 Words   |  6 PagesA Raisin in the Sun is written by a famous African- American play write, Lorraine Hansberry, in 1959. It was a first play written by a black woman and directed by a black man, Lloyd Richards, on Broadway in New York. The story of A Raisin in the Sun is based on Lorraine Hansberry’s own early life experiences, from which she and her whole family had to suffer, in Chicago. Hansberry’s father, Carol Hansberry, also fought a legal battle against a racial restrictive covenant that attempted to stop African-Read MoreEssa y on Who Am I?: Racial Identity in A Raisin in the Sun1596 Words   |  7 Pagesa perverted rationale for justifying segregation (Pilgrim â€Å"Mammy†; â€Å"Tom†). So when Lorraine Hansberry’s play, A Raisin in the Sun (1959), confronted the issue of segregation through the lens of an African American family living in Chicago’s Southside, Caucasian audiences’ widespread acceptance of the Youngers, a family who was â€Å"just like any other,† appears ironic (Nemiroff 9). Contrary to public perception, Raisin sought to convey â€Å"the essence of black people’s striving and the will to defeat segregationRead MoreAnalysis Of A Raisin In The Sun By Lorraine Hansberry1158 Words   |  5 Pages Welcome to Windham High School’s very own theater production of the incredible play A Raisin in the Sun, written by Lorraine Hansberry. To further understand the play please read the text below about the background of Hansberry’s life, living conditions in the era that the play took place, and reviews written about the play. Lorraine Hansberry was a playwright and a writer. She was born in Chicago May 19, 1930 in Chicago, and she grew up in the Woodlawn neighborhood in the South side of ChicagoRead MoreRacial Segregation, By Lorraine Hansberry1248 Words   |  5 Pagesmake the dreams seem worthwhile,† once stated by Lorraine Hansberry. Racial segregation has been a huge topic in our society. Believe it or not, just a few decades ago African American people did not have the basic equality rights that white citizens were given. Something as simple as having a dream to become an author seemed out of reach; even impossible some might have said. Living in this kind of a world was unfortunately a reality for Lorraine Hansberry. Growing up she lived in a world of racialRead MoreLorraine Hansberry s Life As A Whole1461 Words   |  6 Pagesâ€Å"I was born black and female.† These two words black and female identified Lorraine Hansberry’s life as a whole. Hansberry was born on May 19, 1930 in Chicago. She was the third youngest out of seven siblings. Her parents contributed a large amount of money to NAACP and the Urban League, because of this Hansberry was never comfortable with her rich girl status, so instead she identified herself as â€Å"poor†. She was admired by the children who were so often independent and matured which she imitatedRead More Fighting Charges of Assimilation in Hansberrys A Raisin in the Sun and The Cosby Show1410 Words   |  6 PagesFighting Charges of Assimilation in Hansberrys A Raisin in the Sun and The Cosby Show The critical reception of The Cosby Show, an enormously popular television sitcom in the 1980s, roughly paralleled that of A Raisin in the Sun, Lorraine Hansberrys highly acclaimed play of the 1950s. Both the television series and the play helped change the way Blacks are portrayed in the entertainment media. But despite being initially greeted with critical praise, both subsequently fell under heavy

Achievement or Enjoyment The Debate Between Casablanca...

The debate over Casablanca and Citizen Kane has been a classic argument between film critics and historians alike because both of these pieces contain great cinematographic value, and are timeless pictures that have managed to captivate audiences well beyond their era. However, the real question at hand is which film is the greatest? Which film transformed the future of American film making? It is these questions that I as many others have, will attempt to answer in the following essay as I explain why I believe Citizen Kane has achieved the status of greatest film ever made. The film Citizen Kane opens with the camera panning across Kane’s deserted estate in Florida called Xanadu. The imagery has a dark, ominous feel as we’re slowly†¦show more content†¦``The final touch was his contact lenses that dimmed Welles`eyes.`` Each of the flashbacks are instigated by reporter Thompson as he meets with different people who were close to Kane to uncover the story of rose bud. As Welles explains: They tell five different stories, each biased, so the truth about Kane, like the truth about any man, can only be calculated by the sum of everything that has been said about him. One such flashback begins when the reporter Thompson enters a large room in Thatchers building and begins reading about Kane. This is cues the flashback which can be considered one of the most poignant in the film. It’s one of many scenes that exhibits Citizen Kane’s most significant contribution to cinematography, as cinematographer Greg Toland’s deep focus technique of filming and use of unique lighting. We are taken to Kane’s Cabin in Colorado, and we see Kane playing as a child in the snow. The camera then tracks back to see his mother looking at him through the window and further back to show the entirety of the room with Kane still playing just outside the window. It is this scene in which Kane’s mother signs over her son to Thatcher, and Kane attempts to hit him with his sled which bears the image of a rosebud. This scene is highly important to the rest of the film as it ties in much of the story of Kane’s life Many other innovations of technique came

Journal The American Planning Association -Myassignmenthelp.Com

Question: Discuss About The Journal The American Planning Association? Answer: Introduction The research proposal is developed to focus on the various ways by which risks are allocated during the management of public private partnership projects within the Australian construction industry. The research is undertaken to find ways by which risks will be allocated and managed in the PPP projects during the management of construction activities between the public and private parties involved within the construction industry of Australia (Hwang, Zhao and Gay 2013). Research background The background of the research illustrates the impact of issues on the public private partnership projects and handles those with ease and effectiveness. The public private partnership is an effective procurement strategy that has influenced the construction activities within the Australian construction industry and due to this, certain risks are emerging as well including the differentiating attributes of the projects and high costs involved to resolve those issues properly. By allocating the risks in PPP projects, it has also become easy to obtain knowledge and information and create opportunities for managing the risks with ease. Inadequate information and data are also other risks that have been allocated while managing the public private partnership projects within the construction industry of Australia (Cheung, Chan and Kajewski 2012). Though the public private partnership involves a contractual agreement between the public agency and private sector entity with skills, knowledg e and assets being shared along with the facilities and services, various issues have arisen that are needed to be allocated properly for successful project functioning. Research rationale The rationale of the research demonstrates the research problems faced while managing the public private partnerships and few of these risks are higher cost of development, bidding and management of construction sites, high cost attached to debt, politically and socially challenging projects, strict rules and regulations by law and Government. There could also be complexities associated with the risk allocation during the public private partnership projects when the documents and parties were not anticipated during the contractual agreements (Osei-Kyei and Chan 2015). Gaps in knowledge and opportunities could arise due to lack of authenticated articles and documents that would be needed for extracting the best quality data and information properly. These problems should be overcome by developing new private sector technologies and enabling innovation all throughout for delivering better public services and improving the operational effectiveness too. Research aim The aim of the research is to determine the ways by which risks are allocated for the public private partnership projects within the Australian construction industry. Research objectives To conduct a critical study relating to the present situation of considering the public private partnership within the construction industry in Australia To evaluate the most relevant public private partnership procurement strategies and case studies within the Australian construction industry To conduct surveys and obtain data and information from the people about the allocation of risks in PPP within the Australia construction industry To collect relevant data and information and find out how risks are allocated between the public and private parties to manage the PPP projects within the construction industry, Australia To conduct analysis of the information and data and develop a suitable framework for allocating the risks in PPP between both public and private parties Research questions How can the critical study of the literature provide an overview of the entire situation related to the allocation of risks for the PPPs in Australian construction industry? What are the most effective public private partnership procurement strategies managed within the construction industry of Australia? How could the surveys, data and information collected could help in allocating the risks in PPP for the construction industry? How could be the analysis of data and information help in the management of a suitable framework to allocate risks in PP for both the public and private parties? Research Hypothesis H0: The allocation of risks in public private partnership projects cannot create any positive impact on the operational efficiency and promote innovation H1: Risk allocation in PPPs within the construction industry of Australia could help in implementing new technologies and deliver best quality pubic services along with betterment of operational effectiveness. Literature review The public private partnerships are important aspects considered while managing procurement of infrastructure development projects within the construction industry of Australia. PPPs deliver greater value for money projects and it has been driven with the involvement of Government of Australia too. Due to the public private partnership procurement strategy, the risk allocation of resources in public private partnership projects is minimsed. Due to the emergence of various issues and problems, the conventional delivery model has been replaced with public private partnership model, which allows the public organisation to transfer the risks and allocate those to the private party, thereby reducing the costs incurred during the construction management largely (Chou and Pramudawardhani 2015). However, the allocation of risks could be challenging and even might cost a lot of money along with issues related to transfer of risks. Other than the lowering down of costs incurred during the cons truction project management, the tax payers have also gained value for money, due to which, the risks related to the project have also been reduced. While allocating the risks, it is important not only to reduce the impact but also to manage the risks properly by assigning those between both the Government and private sectors. Allocation of risks in PPPs is quite straightforward, because of which, the party that can be able to manage the risks are handed over the risks through allocation. Between the two parties, the concerned party must be able to identify the risk in quick time, understand its likelihood as well as reduce the impact by managing the risks allocation with ease and effectiveness. The party that is responsible for managing the risks also must bear the financial costs, keep costs lower and finally deliver the greatest value for money (Porwal and Hewage 2013). There are multiple public private partnership projects undertaken in the past few years, though few of those have been successful due to the allocation of risks in an appropriate way. To manage the risks, proper approaches should be followed and this could be t he distribution of risks and allocate those to respective authorities. When multiple risks arise, few of those could be allocated to the Government while the remaining risks should be allocated to the private sector. While undertaking the public private partnership projects, investigations should be done for allocating the risks accurately between the private and public sectors and ensure that a potential gap in knowledge could be understood. By managing public private partnerships in the construction industry, it has also become easy for transferring skills and knowledge and even export the competencies through bidding procedures. This is how the long-term value of money could be derived, furthermore should assist in managing the project with ease and efficiency through risk allocation (Ismail 2013). According to various authors, it was also found that the external factors like legal, political, social and economic factors contributed to the allocation of risks between the private and public parties and ensured successful undertaking and implementation of the project. With new issues arising, new scopes and opportunities were also created, which helped in managing the public private partnership projects with much ease and effectiveness. Though there are certain benefits, there are few disadvantages associated with the management of public private partnership projects too including the increased costs of development, bidding and business functioning. This can further create issues during the allocation of risks in PPPs during the project management within the construction industry of Australia. As during the management of construction project, both public and private parties are involved to form contracts and agreements, so there can be emergence of contractual issues too (Cruz and Marques 2013). The allocation of risks is one of the major aspects of the contract negotiations where two parties are involved, both private and public. One of the parties must focus on reducing the chances of risks and maximize the value for money. The risks are allocat ed through negotiations and drafting of contractual provisions. Nearly every provision of a commercial contract could be used for allocating the risks, few of the major tools that might be used for the purpose of risk allocation had been indemnification, payment terms and conditions, warranties of products and services, contractual remedies and limitations of liabilities (Liu and Wilkinson 2014) Research plan Main activities/ stages Month January Month Feb Month April Month July Month October Month December Selecting the topic of PPPs Framing layout of the research conducting a critical study of the literature Formation of the research Plan Selection of the Appropriate Research Techniques Conducting surveys to collect data Analysis Interpretation of Data related to the construction industrys PPPs Conclusion of the Study Formation of Rough Draft Submission of Final Work Systems of inquiry The various systems required for inquiring about the project management could be the induction, deduction and abduction. The inductive system can allow for making observations and understand he occurrence and impacts of risk allocation, furthermore determine the actual pattern to achieve the goals and objectives (svoll 2014). A tentative hypothesis will be developed to create justification of theory and ensure successful project management within the construction industry. The research methods of construction also can include the deduction system for inquiring about the risk allocation in PPPs through development of theories and hypothesis, furthermore make observations and confirm the actual results or outcomes (Siemiatycki and Farooqi 2012). The abduction system could allow for understanding the proposition of value, develop an insight and propositions, and furthermore obtain critical insight of the best-fit approaches. From the research, hypothesis was developed and observations w ere made based on the literature review section and so the deduction system was the most suitable. By choosing these systems of enquiry, it can be easy to understand the benefits of public private partnership procurement strategies and how risks will be allocated within the construction industry. It will also help in analyzing the collected data and information and furthermore ensure that the risks are allocated in such a manner to prevent any issues related to the public private partnerships in construction industry in the future. Approaches to empirical work The empirical work results could be obtained by obtaining knowledge gained through various experiments and observations made. The knowledge and information gained from various observations and experiments could be the empirical work. The knowledge could be obtained based on the express and tacit knowledge (Hartmann et al. 2012). Experience is one the approaches to empirical work, which focuses on understanding the various concepts of risk allocation and its impact in public private partnerships within the construction industry. Here express knowledge will be beneficial because various documents and articles can be searched to analyse the impact of risk allocation on the PPPs within the construction industry (Liu et al. 2014). The results obtained from empirical study should depend upon the things known by the researcher after studying the literature review section. Research design The designing of research should allow for finding out the accurate answers or solutions for the various problems or questions that might arise during the research conduction. The empirical design could help in understanding the kind of data and information to be collected, ways of collecting those and evaluating the appropriateness of those. The designs should though be created based on the approaches chosen including the positivistic and phenomenological approaches during the various stages of the project management. The phenomenological approach could be to develop new ideas and concepts by considering the induction approach to gain an in-depth analysis whereas the positivism should allow to identify the issues and decrease the chances of issues for the formulation of effective strategies (Zou et al. 2014). The positivistic approach to deduction could be considered as effective because of the testing hypothesis and enhanced scopes for formulation of strategies. Empirical design The approaches for managing the empirical design are case study analysis, providing survey questionnaires, observing the behaviors of participants and conducting experiments at laboratories. Among all these, the case study analysis and large scale surveys should be done by distributing survey questionnaires because there could be considered as most effective. It could create better scopes for remaining positivistic in approaches and interpret the data and information obtained through large scale surveys accurately (Neuman 2013). Sampling methods The probability and non-probability sampling methods are effective for selecting the right samples and obtain relevant data and information all throughout. The probability sampling method could be used to select random samples from a huge population and obtain their responses in the form of data whereas the non-probability sampling method could be done by using both purposive and convenient sampling methods. The purposive sampling could be used to gather quantitative data whereas the convenient sampling method should allow for fixing the most suitable time for the managers of the organizations within the construction industry and obtain their responses (Taylor, Bogdan and DeVault 2015). Sample size As the entire Australian construction industry was chosen here, so the sampling size should be chosen as 100 employees 40 managers of the different construction management businesses. Data collection The data collected must include both primary and secondary data. The quantitative data could be collected through random sampling process and by providing survey questionnaires to the respondents to obtain their responses and feedbacks. The qualitative data should be collected by interviewing the managers of the construction businesses, which comprise the primary data. The qualitative approaches should be descriptive though, which could provide a comprehensive view of the research subject and develop theories based on the data collected (Flick 2015). The secondary data should be collected by searching relevant articles, documents and websites to obtain the best quality information and conduct the research successfully. Data analysis The analysis of data will be done by using SPSS tool and representing those on graphical formats for understanding those with ease and effectiveness. Values and ethics The values and ethics will be maintained by managing confidentiality of information and maintaining privacy of the respondents of the research. The research materials could be used for academic purposes only and not for any commercial purposes. Most of the data and information obtained during the research should be destroyed for making sure that those do not fall in wrong hands (Yanow and Schwartz-Shea 2015). The research plan for 11 weeks research project should be created to focus on the various tasks and time duration allotted to those for the proper completion. The research plan and timeline should consist of various activities including the selection of research topic in the first week. The research topic was selected as risk allocation in public private partnership projects within the construction industry of Australia. The collection of data might be a daunting task because of measuring the accuracy and authenticated results that could be obtained based on the primary and secondary data collected. By collecting relevant data and information, a research layout should be formed, which could take nearly 3 months (Flach and Hadjiantonis 2013). Based on the various research data and information collected, it could be understood that it would be important for conducting a critical study of the literature review and create assumptions for understanding the empirical study and research des igns Methodology for 1 year thesis Task Name Duration Start Finish Thesis Plan 11.88 wks Tue 1/23/18 Mon 4/16/18 Development of proposal 4 wks Tue 1/23/18 Mon 2/19/18 finding appropriate literature on the field of research-1 20 hrs Tue 1/23/18 Thu 1/25/18 identify a particular literature to find the gap-1 20 hrs Thu 1/25/18 Mon 1/29/18 framing research question/Aims/rationale and objectives-1 20 hrs Tue 1/30/18 Thu 2/1/18 Preparing the outline proposal draft and acquiring feedback from the supervisor-2 20 hrs Thu 2/1/18 Mon 2/5/18 develop research proposal -2 20 hrs Tue 2/6/18 Thu 2/8/18 submit research proposal- 2 20 hrs Thu 2/8/18 Mon 2/12/18 review feedback and complete the research proposal by refining it-3 20 hrs Tue 2/13/18 Thu 2/15/18 prepare final research question-3 20 hrs Thu 2/15/18 Mon 2/19/18 Literature review 2 wks Tue 2/20/18 Mon 3/5/18 conduct extensive literature review on risk allocation in construction industry-4 20 hrs Tue 2/20/18 Thu 2/22/18 conduct extensive literature review on Public Private Partnership -5 20 hrs Thu 2/22/18 Mon 2/26/18 Conduct extensive review to identify the methods of distribution risk allocation between public and private parties-8 20 hrs Tue 2/27/18 Thu 3/1/18 developing in depth understanding of the topic-6 20 hrs Thu 3/1/18 Mon 3/5/18 Secondary data analysis 2.38 wks Tue 3/6/18 Wed 3/21/18 Data analysis to identify the risk allocation techniques in construction industry-7 25 hrs Tue 3/6/18 Fri 3/9/18 Data analysis to identify the methods of distribution risk allocation between publci and private parties-8 35 hrs Fri 3/9/18 Thu 3/15/18 Data analysis to develop a framework for better allocation of risk in PPP in construction industry-9 35 hrs Thu 3/15/18 Wed 3/21/18 Thesis submission 3.5 wks Wed 3/21/18 Mon 4/16/18 Prepare first draft of thesis-10 40 hrs Wed 3/21/18 Wed 3/28/18 Submit draft and get feedback-10 20 hrs Wed 3/28/18 Mon 4/2/18 prepare thesis-11 60 hrs Mon 4/2/18 Wed 4/11/18 submit thesis 20 hrs Wed 4/11/18 Mon 4/16/18 The practitioners or individuals involved with the management of public private partnership during the construction project management at Australia must know about the occurrence of risk allocation along with its probable impacts created. The private sector does not create much impact on the change in laws, rules and regulations and in such cases, the public agency or party might incur the most amount of risks associated with the management of projects within the construction industry of Australia (svoll 2014). The allocation of risks should be possible through gaining ultimate control over the costs of operations and furthermore provide better incentives to the private parties. The Government of Australia is responsible for managing the risk allocation occurrence while the private party manages the impacts. Based on this literature, it could be understood that for conducting the research based on the public private partnerships within the construction industry, a proper research pla n was needed to be developed. The research timeline showed above should not only assist in determining the time frame for each of the tasks but also could allow for maintaining a proper structure and flow of information and data all throughout the research conduction (Gregor, Mller and Seidel 2013). For conducting the empirical study, the express knowledge should be useful because the researcher could use the approaches, knowledge and information that could be known to him and on the basis of his experiences. For the research design, the positivistic approach to deduction should be considered as the most effective. To manage the empirical design and ensure successful accomplishment of research goals and objectives, the case studies should be analysed along with large scale surveys done with the use of survey questionnaires distributed to the respondents involved in the research. For the collection of data, both qualitative and quantitative data were needed to be considered. The qualitative data would be collected through social construction, which could help in focusing on the languages used while the descriptive approach could provide an in-depth view of the research subject based on the materials that were researched (Creswell and Poth 2017). Hypothesis shall be developed, whi ch can strengthen the efficiency of developing project scopes and enhance the efficiency of the research conduction. References svoll, H., 2014. Abduction, deduction and induction: can these concepts be used for an understanding of methodological processes in interpretative case studies?.International Journal of Qualitative Studies in Education,27(3), pp.289-307. Cheung, E., Chan, A.P. and Kajewski, S., 2012. Factors contributing to successful public private partnership projects: Comparing Hong Kong with Australia and the United Kingdom.Journal of Facilities Management,10(1), pp.45-58. Chou, J.S. and Pramudawardhani, D., 2015. Cross-country comparisons of key drivers, critical success factors and risk allocation for public-private partnership projects.International Journal of Project Management,33(5), pp.1136-1150. Creswell, J.W. and Poth, C.N., 2017.Qualitative inquiry and research design: Choosing among five approaches. Sage publications. Cruz, C.O. and Marques, R.C., 2013. Flexible contracts to cope with uncertainty in publicprivate partnerships.International Journal of Project Management,31(3), pp.473-483. Flach, P.A. and Hadjiantonis, A. eds., 2013.Abduction and Induction: Essays on their relation and integration(Vol. 18). Springer Science Business Media. Flick, U., 2015.Introducing research methodology: A beginner's guide to doing a research project. Sage. Gregor, S., Mller, O. and Seidel, S., 2013. Reflection, Abstraction And Theorizing In Design And Development Research. InECIS(Vol. 13, p. 74). Hartmann, T., Van Meerveld, H., Vossebeld, N. and Adriaanse, A., 2012. Aligning building information model tools and construction management methods.Automation in construction,22, pp.605-613. Hwang, B.G., Zhao, X. and Gay, M.J.S., 2013. Public private partnership projects in Singapore: Factors, critical risks and preferred risk allocation from the perspective of contractors.International Journal of Project Management,31(3), pp.424-433. Ismail, S., 2013. Critical success factors of public private partnership (PPP) implementation in Malaysia.Asia-Pacific Journal of Business Administration,5(1), pp.6-19. Liu, J., Love, P.E., Smith, J., Regan, M. and Davis, P.R., 2014. Life cycle critical success factors for public-private partnership infrastructure projects.Journal of Management in Engineering,31(5), p.04014073. Liu, T. and Wilkinson, S., 2014. Large-scale public venue development and the application of PublicPrivate Partnerships (PPPs).International Journal of Project Management,32(1), pp.88-100. Neuman, W.L., 2013.Social research methods: Qualitative and quantitative approaches. Pearson education. Osei-Kyei, R. and Chan, A.P., 2015. Review of studies on the Critical Success Factors for PublicPrivate Partnership (PPP) projects from 1990 to 2013.International Journal of Project Management,33(6), pp.1335-1346. Porwal, A. and Hewage, K.N., 2013. Building Information Modeling (BIM) partnering framework for public construction projects.Automation in Construction,31, pp.204-214. Siemiatycki, M. and Farooqi, N., 2012. Value for money and risk in publicprivate partnerships: Evaluating the evidence.Journal of the American Planning Association,78(3), pp.286-299. Taylor, S.J., Bogdan, R. and DeVault, M., 2015.Introduction to qualitative research methods: A guidebook and resource. John Wiley Sons. Yanow, D. and Schwartz-Shea, P., 2015.Interpretation and method: Empirical research methods and the interpretive turn. Zou, W., Kumaraswamy, M., Chung, J. and Wong, J., 2014. Identifying the critical success factors for relationship management in PPP projects.International Journal of Project Management,32(2), pp.265-274.

Conflicts in Family Owned Businesse free essay sample

Conflict of course can be a dangerous attribute for an organisation if not handled properly. Conflict might be present in both competing situations and also in collaborative situations. The presence in a competing situation is well understood by virtue of inconsistent goals, but in collaboration also conflict might occur, mostly because the method of approach to reach the goal might be different for different stakeholders. Thus we cannot expect to isolate conflict from our daily life scenarios. 1. Types and Causes of Conflict We believe that a conflict generally arises when one party perceives that the other party has negatively affected, or is about to negatively affect the interests or something else that the first party cares about. The causes of a conflict can be multi dimensional. They range from religious to regional biases, interpersonal issues, social issues, economic or environmental reasons and even emotional causes. The conflict is defined based on what is the reason behin d its presence. Some conflict types are Intrapersonal conflict, interpersonal conflict, intra-societal conflicts, inter-societal conflicts, military conflict etc. Conflict can also be grouped on the basis of the effect it has on the group as a whole. These types are Functional conflict: Conflict that supports the goals of the group and improves performance. Dysfunctional conflict: Conflict that hinders the performance of the group. Task conflict: Conflict that arises over controls and goals of the work. Relationship conflict: Conflict based on interpersonal relationships. Process conflict: Conflict that arises on the basis of how work should get done. A conflict process has five stages †¢Potential opposition or incompatibility This is when the opportunity or conditions for arising a conflict are created †¢Cognition and personalization This is the stage when the potential of conflict gets actualized. †¢Intentions The intentions intervene between people’s emotion and perception and their overt behaviour. They are basically nothing more than decisions to act in a certain way. †¢Behaviour This is the stage when intentions and the presence of conflict becomes clear and statements are usually made by the parties involved. †¢Outcome This is the result of all the four stages above. It might be a positive (functional) one or a negative one (dysfunctional). 1. 3 Family Business A family business is a company, owned, controlled and operated by members of one or several families. Many public companies today were originally family owned businesses. Though the top positions of such enterprises are allotted to the members of the family, they have many non family members as employees. Family participation in a business can strengthen the business because family members are very loyal and dedicated to the family enterprise. However managing a family business, and particularly succession planning, can present some unique problems. Often family interests conflict with business interests, for example hiring a family member who is less competent than a non-family member or keeping an underperforming family member in a position when their performance is hurting the company. Psychologists are often consulted to help families successfully manage issues that affect both the family and the business. Indian business is mostly a family managed enterprise. Among the most respected business houses are the Birlas, Tatas, Ambanis, Bajaj’s etc. These business houses are well known across the country and internationally as well, and they have been in the limelight for some conflicts that have risen due to the family conflicts. Thus the importance of conflicts in family businesses is of major concern to the Indian managers who at some point might be involved with a family owned business house. In the following study we attempt to undermine the nuances of this delicate topic of conflicts in family run business enterprises, and its effects on them. 2 Literature Review An operational definition of a family firm can be given based on a family’s involvement in the business: ownership, management, and trans-generational succession. Family involvement alone is not sufficient to define a family firm; the family involvement must result in certain behaviours that render some distinctiveness to the family firm. Thus a family firm can be defined as â€Å"a business governed and/or managed with the intention to shape and pursue the vision of the business held by a dominant coalition controlled by members of the same family or a small number of families in a manner that is potentially sustainable across generations of the family or families. † This definition clearly distinguishes family ownership from family management and/or governance. Therefore, a family having a controlling ownership in a firm may choose not to be involved in operational management, but through its ownership and governance, may exercise influence on the management in strategic decisions such as management succession, shaping of long-term vision, values, and so forth. Such firms are considered to be family firms. This in turn leads to two primary categories of FOBs—family-owned and family-managed businesses and family-owned and governed but professionally managed businesses—thus separating ownership from management. Family-owned firms are one of the foundations of the world’s business community. Their creation, growth and longevity are critical to the success of the global economy. Although facing many of the same day to-day management issues as publicly-owned companies, they must also manage many issues specific to their status. Family firms form the basic building block for businesses throughout the world. The economic and social importance of family enterprises has now become more widely recognised. Internationally they are the dominant form of business organisation. One measure of their dominance is the proportion of family enterprises to registered companies; this is estimated to range from 75% in the UK to more than 95% in India, Latin America and the Far and Middle East. The manner in which family firms are governed (the way in which they are directed and controlled) is therefore crucial to the contribution which they can make to their national economies as well as to their owners. Some of the positive factors that position family firms distinctively are efficacy of family teams, positive customer perception of family ownership, willingness of family members to sacrifice for the firm, trust among family members, and the family’s commitment to integrity and reputation. Planning for succession is believed to be one of the most challenging tasks faced by family business managers. Only about 30% of the family businesses make the transition to the second generation and only 10% to the third generation, the remaining sold or liquidated. Family firms include all enterprises that are owned, managed or significantly influenced by a family or families. This is the case when the family has the final say in whoever is responsible for managing it. In the same way, it makes sense to treat family firms as an international business form, on the basis that they face similar opportunities and problems and that those similarities outweigh the national and cultural differences between them. 2. 1 The Distinctiveness of Family Firms It is essential at the outset to recognise that the governance of a family firm is in many ways more complex than the governance of a firm with no family involvement. Family relationships have to be managed in addition to business relationships. 2. 1. 1 Strengths – Visions and Values It is the ‘kith-and-kin involvement’ in family firms which marks them out from other types of business organisation and is a potential source of strength. It is the family commitment to building up a profitable enterprise that gives the family firm its competitive edge. When the enterprise starts, the family has a single goal to which all its members can subscribe. Since the family both owns and manages the firm, decision-making is straightforward, because the interests of the owners and the managers do not have to be considered separately. For the same reason, the firm can be run with minimum overheads drawing on the family’s own resources. It is natural for the authority of the founder to be accepted at the outset and, provided the founder is competent, the firm has every chance of flourishing. Long-term Perspective Family firms do not only offer opportunities for commercial success, essential though that is for their survival. They usually see the family interest as a continuing one and so they tend to take the long-term view in coming to decisions. It is the best guarantee to those who work in them that the future will not be mortgaged for the present. It is this sense of building a business for future generations which underlies the policies of successful family firms. Building for the future leads to a concern for the firm’s reputation and to a regard for the interests of employees and the community. If a firm sees itself as retaining its home base and remaining in business over the years, it is sensible for it to take trouble over its relationships with employees, suppliers, customers and neighbours, because it expects these relationships to be continuing ones. Thus family firms have, on the whole, good reputations as employers and have often pioneered advances in conditions of employment. A Clear Identity in a Faceless World Family firms also have a clear identity in an increasingly faceless world. Family firms are built on a human scale and the people who work in them know for whom they are working. It is not, therefore, surprising that family firms generally win the loyalty of entire families of employees and that there is often a continuing family tradition of working in them. 2. 2 Conflicts and their Possible sources in a Family Firm 2. 2. 1. Risks – Family Tensions Family firms have much to offer to the community, but they can also face particular problems that may strain the relationships between members of the family and so affect the firm’s ability to compete in the market-place. ) Blurring Work and Family The problems arise from two sources. The first is the reverse side of the coin of family commitment. Commitment derives from the family seeing the business and their family life as one, as a unity. There is no separation between family relationships and business relationships and no relief from the one in the other. Those who work for someone else can le ave business frustrations behind them when they return home, or seek refuge from home problems in the office. If the family is the firm, its members are denied that safety-valve. One potential area of difficulty, therefore, is that personal relationships are important in a family firm and those involved cannot stand back and look at business issues separately from family issues. b) Growth over Time Other sources of difficulty are the growth of the firm and the passage of time. The founders of firms and their immediate family may well be able to manage their relationships successfully, because the business hierarchy will probably match that of the family. This straightforward pattern of relationships may not hold when it becomes a question of bringing in the second generation of what by then will be an extended family. The continued existence of a firm as a family firm depends on maintaining relationships within a widening family circle. c) Sharing Power Equally important, if a family firm is growing it will have to draw in managers from outside the family. This will require management of the relationships between family and non-family members of the firm. The sharing of power, which the acceptance of non-family managers requires, is one of the hardest issues for family firms to come to terms with. 2. 2. 2. Growth – Patterns and Consequences Family firms come in all shapes and sizes and experience every kind of success and failure. Those which never make the grade or expire with their founders will not reach the stage of forming a board and appointing directors. There will also be those which deliberately decide not to grow in order to retain their original pattern of organisation. The focus is on the issues faced by those family firms which need to formalise their structures in order to grow, but which aim to do so in ways which will both retain the family commitment and promote the business success of the firm. ) The Owner/Manager Evolution The relationships between the members of a family who depend on the family firm for employment, for income, or for both, are put to the test as time passes and the firm grows. One change which growth brings is that ownership is spread more widely among the family and the proportion of non-family to family managers increases. As a result there is no longer such a close identity betwe en the family and the business. Family members still involved in managing the firm have more room to breathe and more outsiders with whom to discuss the firm’s affairs. Growth also leads to tensions within the family, because the interests of members of the family will tend to diverge: this is particularly so between those members of the family actively involved in the management of the business and the rest. Those managing the firm may well feel that they are keeping the remainder of the family in the state to which they have become accustomed. They see themselves as doing the work and carrying the responsibility, while their relations enjoy the results and are free to criticise their efforts into the bargain. Equally, the members of the family who are owners but not managers may consider on their side that their interests as shareholders are being subordinated to the interests of those managing the firm. One of the most difficult transitions for a family firm is the move from the owner/manager stage to the stage when ownership is to a greater or lesser extent separate from management. For shareholders that are not managers this requires an acceptance of the owner’s role which may not come easily. Owners have their say in the election of directors but once those directors are elected, hether or not they are from the family, they have to be left to run the firm. It is often hard for family shareholders to accept that they have no say in the day-to-day management of what they still regard as ‘their’ firm. In effect, the relationships within a family firm change through time from being essentially family relationships to becoming essentially business relationships. If the only business enterprise which the family knows is its own, it is hard for its members to judge what an arms length business relationship means, let alone know when it has become necessary to establish such a relationship. As a firm grows, what was once a single family management group splits into three: – Family owners – Family owner/managers and – Non-family managers To complicate matters still further, some of the owner/managers may see themselves as having responsibilities of a trustee kind for their shareholding relations, in addition to their direct responsibilities as owners and as managers. Managing these new relationships depends on all of those involved being clear about their own roles and responsibilities and those of everyone else. 2. 2. 3. Organisational Imperatives There are three organisational requirements which need to be addressed if family firms are to manage successfully the consequences of growth. They need to be able to recruit and retain the very best people for the business, they need to be able to develop a culture of trust and transparency, and they need to define logical and efficient organisational structures a) Recruitment and Promotion The family firm’s policy on recruitment and promotion is crucial to its continued success. For a firm with no family links, there should be no difference of view between the shareholders and the managers on management succession. Both groups want the best people for senior posts. The family firm will have the same primary aim, but it may, in addition, have such secondary aims as maintaining a family interest in the management of the firm and holding a balance between different branches of the family. A particularly critical issue for a family firm is how to ensure that capable non-family managers are both recruited and retained. There are two general points which are relevant to recruitment and training in family firms. The first is that family firms tend to value hands-on experience more than formal training. Members of the family are often well-trained in a practical sense, being brought up in a business atmosphere and working their way through all the activities undertaken by the family firm. But the very thoroughness of the practical grounding which the family members have received may make them sceptical of the capabilities of those who have not shared that experience and of the benefits to be derived from education and training of a less specialised kind. The second point is that the recruitment and training needs of managers are ongoing, but recruitment from the family will be by generations, until there is a reasonable family spread to choose from. This may lead to the appointment of family managers and directors at a much younger age than would have occurred in a non-family firm. It is, however, difficult to combine a promotional pattern for non-family managers based on increases in responsibility every three to five years with a cycle for family managers based on the twenty-five year gap between generations. One of the strengths of the family firm is that its strategic planning horizon is measured in generations, but the same time horizon does not fit easily into the planning of management careers. b) Family Appointments The future of a family firm depends on its ability to pick and promote the right members of the family and, equally, to provide attractive opportunities to managers from outside the family. The problem with family appointments is quite straightforward: it is more difficult for the family to agree on their assessment of insiders (in the sense of members of the family) than of outsiders. It requires the family to come to terms with a business hierarchy which may be quite different from the family hierarchy. The first will be based, in a sense narrowly, on business competence, while the other takes account of seniority and all manner of other attributes. A consequence of the family overlay is that the insiders find it difficult to separate their knowledge of their relations as members of the family from their experience of them as managers. c) Assessment The problem of assessing the abilities of family entrants is compounded when it involves an older generation judging a younger one. To some extent, the younger generation will be judged by their parentage, a test which could not be applied to outside recruits. In addition, all the usual tensions between the generations can be expected to surface – modern methods versus accepted practice, qualifications against experience, new ventures as opposed to sticking to the core business, and so on. It is never easy to promote juniors over their seniors, and this is especially so within a family. Making the most of what two different generations of a family have to offer to a business is an issue that is peculiar to the family firm. In practice, there are two distinct policies that apply when bringing family members into a family firm. – Selective Some firms take the view that they will only recruit those members of the family whom they regard as likely to reach senior positions. – Open Door Others will take on any recruits from the family who are prepared to work hard, provided that they accept they will have to find their own level with no guarantee of promotion. Either way, there are advantages in encouraging prospective family entrants to qualify themselves for executive posts, before joining the firm, both through study and through experience in other businesses. d) Bringing in Outsiders The family firm, however, needs not only to make the right family appointments but to attract non-family managers of the required calibre as well. The objective of the family firm, as it grows, is to ensure equal opportunities for all, family and non-family alike. To establish this objective, family firms may well demand more of their family entrants than they do of outsiders. Unless the family interest in the management of a firm can be maintained, it ceases to be a family firm. But family firms need to succeed commercially as well as to maintain the family connection. To do so, they will have to recruit from outside the family. The introduction of capable non-family managers into the organisation is an essential step in the development of a family business. e) Perceptions of Fairness For both family and non-family members, it is essential that rewards, whether financial or non-financial, are distributed fairly and transparently and accounted for in a clear and precise way. f) Financial Returns For members of the family, there is the question of how they are to be rewarded for their contribution to the business. When a firm is still run by the original family group, the income of the firm is the income of the family. There is no call to separate return on capital from pay for work done. Family members will receive whatever reward the founder regards as appropriate and payment may be in kind, as well as in cash. Once there are members of the family who have a share in the ownership of the firm but are not involved in its management, it becomes essential to differentiate clearly between – Return from ownership and Reward for management Unless this is done, relationships within the family will come under strain. The family owners are likely to be concerned that the family managers are taking too much out of the business, while the family managers may well feel that their contribution is being under-rewarded. Even if the members of the family directly involved understand and accept the split between pay and dividends, their spouses may be less convinced. As the family circle expands, the links between the centre and the circumference become weaker and the fairness of the way in which the financial returns from the firm are divided becomes more likely to be called into question. g) Other Benefits When the family and the firm are one, it is not essential to cost out and control whatever benefits the family receives in kind, such as discounts on purchases, access to transport, use of the firm’s facilities, and so on. Such benefits can, however, become major matters of contention, when some members of the family have access to them and others do not. At the heart of the management of relationships in a family firm lies the concept of fairness. Divisions and ructions within the family can be caused only too easily through suspicion that some family members are benefiting at the expense of others, or that the contribution which some are making to the firm is not being properly recognised. The problem is to separate family judgements from business judgements and to be seen to be so doing. This is where independent, outside counsel is invaluable. h) Formalising Structure If family firms are to manage their growth successfully, they have to adapt their structure to cope with it. At the outset, major decisions are probably arrived at by the family as a unit, taking their lead from the founder. Tasks are allocated as they arise. When the firm becomes larger, a more formal pattern of organisation is required if there is not to be confusion, overlap and the danger of matters requiring attention falling through cracks in the structure. Defining Roles It becomes particularly important to define jobs and the responsibilities which go with them more clearly when non-family managers are appointed. Referring back also to the previous section, unless jobs are reasonably defined there will be no objective basis for determining how they should be rewarded. It is not, however, simply a question of being clear about who does what, although that is the essential first step. It is equally important to divide responsibilities on a logical basis from the point of view of the business. The absence of a clear organisational structure and of a board that can stand back from the day-to-day management of the firm and think about strategy is likely to cause problems within the family. Family owners, who are not involved in the running of the firm, are in a position to view the business from the outside, in a fairly detached way. They may question whether the firm is being run as efficiently as it would be if it were organised more formally. Or whether the fundamental issues concerning its future are being properly addressed by the directors – such issues as whether the firm should diversify, merge, seek alliances or even put itself up for sale. An effective board, in the sense of a board which concentrates on policy rather than on management and a logical management structure are necessary conditions for retaining broad family loyalty in a growing family firm and for the continued success of the firm itself. Once a family firm has grown beyond the point where there is a close identity between the members of the family managing it and those who share in its ownership, there is every merit in providing a clear and accepted structural division between the governance of the firm and the deliberations of the family. ) Family Councils – Promoting Dialogue It makes sense to encourage all the family members with an interest in the firm to arrange to meet at regular intervals to discuss family and business issues. Such gatherings may start by being informal, but there are advantages both to the family and to the firm in moving to some kind of properly constituted family council or assembly. This involves deciding who is entit led to membership – for example, should members by marriage who may not own shares be included? – and it is also useful to elect someone who can speak for the family, probably the assembly’s chairman. Arguably, family shareholders can be treated like any other shareholders with the opportunity to ask questions and express their views at an annual meeting. This, however, weakens the link between the family and the firm, which is what distinguishes the family enterprise from other forms of business and should be a source of its strength. It also fails to make the most of the advantages which a family forum has to offer. A family forum provides a recognised means of communication between the family and the firm. Family members can debate issues between themselves and express agreed views through their chairman. In return, family executives can explain the firm’s plans, policies and progress at forum meetings. This enables members of the family not in the business to understand the thinking of the executives and it is an opportunity to gain their support for the firm’s strategy. At the same time, the existence of a family forum makes it clear that the forum is the accepted link between the family and the firm, rather than approaches by individual family members. If whoever speaks for the forum is not involved in the management of the firm, the separation between responsibility for the affairs of the family and those of the firm is complete. ) Decision-Making Power The essential point is that there should be no doubt where the power to make decisions lies. It is solely with the executives in charge of running the business. The wider family can, however, through its own forum, provide sound counsel which will assist the executives in their task. This relationship depends on the e xecutives keeping the family informed (within the limits of confidentiality) and being prepared to listen to their views, as well as on the family taking its advisory role conscientiously. k) The Value of a Board Family firms once they have grown beyond the point where the founder or a family partnership can effectively manage the firm by establishing a board of directors. This is a means of progressing from an organisation based on family relationships to one that is based primarily on business relationships. The structure of a family firm in its formative years is likely to be informal and to owe more to past history than to present needs. Once the firm has moved beyond the stage where authority is vested in the founders, it becomes necessary to clarify responsibilities and the process for taking decisions. It is no longer enough to allocate duties to whoever is thought to have the time to take them on. l) Clear Lines of Authority The formation of a board provides the basis not only for a logical organisational structure, but also for establishing clear lines of authority and responsibility. This starts with the board, because the board has to determine which decisions are reserved to it. The board then determines how the powers which it delegates to executives shall be exercised. Introducing order into a firm’s structure should not be seen as an attempt to impose bureaucratic rules, thereby weakening informal family arrangements which had worked well in the past and stifling creativity. A decision-making structure which is accepted and understood by everyone in the firm will avoid confusion, lobbying and the wasting of time. m) Stability and Continuity A board also offers a means of safeguarding the stability and continuity of the firm. An organisation based on informal family relationships is at risk from unexpected rows or losses in the family. A board is better placed to deal with such shocks to the system and to adapt to inevitable changes in the business environment than a more hierarchical structure. It can provide for continuity by bringing members of the next generation into the board’s council at an appropriate stage and by setting down the firm’s beliefs and policies for their guidance. An important advantage of having a working board in a family firm is that issues of difficulty because of their family implications are more likely to be dealt with, rather than put off, as they may well be in a looser form of organisation. Examples of such issues are the retirement of senior family executives, especially the head of the firm, succession within the family, the appointment of non-family members to the board and whether to become a publicly-quoted company. These are incidentally all issues where the counsel of experienced non-family outside directors could prove invaluable – a matter which deserves a section to itself. Two final points to make regarding the value of boards to family firms relate to strategy and to chairmanship Strategy Family executives in charge of growing businesses are likely to be fully occupied dealing with the day-to-day management of the firm. It is difficult for them to find the time and the opportunity to consider the longer-term future of the enterprise and to plan for it. One of a board’s key tasks, however, is to determine the firm’s aims and objectives and how they are to be achieved. Boards can only address these strategic issues adequately provided they appreciate that this is their primary role rather than that of managing the business day-to-day. Boards need to concentrate on those tasks which they alone can perform, such as setting the firm’s strategy and charting its future course. This requires a clear line to be drawn between direction, which is the job of the board, and management which is the job of the executives. Unless that distinction is clear and understood throughout the firm, there will be confusion over where the power of decision lies and over who is accountable for decisions. Equally, unless a board focuses on its strategic function, it will tend to go by default. The Chairman’s Role The way a board works depends not only on determining its role, but also on its chairman. The chairman is responsible for the agenda and for the conduct of board meetings. Chairmen are also responsible for ensuring that directors have the information which they need in order to arrive at considered decisions. It is up to chairmen to ensure that all directors are able to express their views since they all carry equal legal responsibilities for the conduct of the business. It is also for chairmen to initiate some form of assessment by board members of the effectiveness of their boards. The decision by the boards on whom to appoint as their chairmen is therefore significant in any company, but particularly so in a family firm where chairman like qualities must take precedence over seniority. Succession Family business succession can be defined as the passing of the leadership baton from the founder-owner or incumbent-owner to a successor, who will either be a family member or a non-family member, that is, a professional manager. The succession-planning process, therefore, includes all the actions, events, and organizational mechanisms by which leadership of the firm, and sometimes ownership, too, is transferred. Succession Performance The parameters that are used to evaluate succession are the subsequent performance of the firm after succession, the ultimate viability or survival of the family firm, and the satisfaction of the various stakeholders with the succession process. The average annual growth in revenues (a measure of post-succession business performance) and the post-succession survival or perpetuation of the family business for evaluating succession performance can be used for analysis. With many family business groups in India, management succession comes across as one of the critical dilemmas faced by the incumbent family managers. Although ownership succession is viewed as primarily a wealth management issue within the family, management succession poses the critical choice between another family member and a non-family professional manager. In many cases, the genesis of the problem is the non-availability of family members who are adequately trained in management or too many family members of a large family chasing a few key management positions available in the group. With dramatic increase in competitive intensity in recent times, the need for well-trained and experienced professional managers assumes critical importance. The stress should be on the importance of a rigorous selection process of the successor and strict adherence to meritocracy, including external evaluation, coaching, and experience for family members to achieve management positions. However, it is quite obvious that this process can be no substitute for the external market of competence. It is preposterous for any family to presume that it will continue to produce the best management competencies within the family or that it can match the external market in competence. Moreover, in today’s highly competitive world, the competencies needed to successfully lead and manage businesses are dynamic. If a true meritocracy were to be followed, as many family businesses profess to do, then it is only inevitable in the long run that the management of the business is professionalized and management separated from ownership. Also, hiring professional managers for the top job lends flexibility to correct any mistakes quickly (which can otherwise have an adverse impact on the business), which is not easy if family members are chosen for the position. 3. Case Studies . 1 The Bajaj Family Feud The Bajaj family has been among the most respected business houses in the country. They have had a strong presence in the two wheeler segment and their share in the motorcycle market of India has been steadily growing. It has been ranked at 1946 in the Forbes 2000 list for global players for the year 2005. It is currently headed by the chairman Mr. Rahul Bajaj, who is worth over US $1. 5 billion. The company was formed by Jamnalal Bajaj in the year 1945 and has had a steady growth. But the company has recently come into the limelight for all the wrong reasons. The effect of differences in the family had an effect on the business also. We will take a look at how the conflict process evolved and try to understand the different stages that we can associate with the previously given definitions. The undercurrents of the feud were visible to the market from the year 2002, when there were implications on the Bajaj family trying to oust Shishir Bajaj, a sibling of Rahul Bajaj, from his share in the Bajaj Sevashram and Jamnalal Son Pvt Ltd. The issue had much media hype and there was an agreement signed by the two parties about how it needs to be resolved. If we go by the definition of the Conflict that we have given, the two parties here are the two brothers, Rahul and Shishir and their representatives. The potential opposition stage could be traced back to the time when these two entered into the family business. Now the conflict became clear when the case first received media attention in 2002. The steps were taken at that time to reach a solution and an agreement was reached by the year 2003 between the two parties. But the scope of the conflict was beyond this span as recently, in the year 2007 itself, we have seen another issue on the same topic coming out again. This could mean that either the reason of the conflict is beyond the economic share between the two parties, or the solution reached earlier was not good enough. Assuming that the problem was with the solution reached, as analyzing any other cause will be beyond the scope of this text, we can safely assume that at the stage when the agreement was reached the intentions of the involved parties were clear. Thus we have effectively reached the third stage of the conflict process. Now in the initial stage the point of agreement was reached, which meant that the intention was of collaboration. This also is in conformance with the fact that as a family business, the involved parties would definitely have the same goal of making the family business more profitable. If this conflict hinders the groups performance overall, it will be a dysfunctional conflict, whereas an increase in the performance level would mean that it is a functional conflict. the issue in question here, which is the allocation of ownership of certain units to the concerned persons, is debatable in the sense that we cannot really conclude who would be a better choice as it would give rise to a hindsight bias. Now after the agreement was reached, another reason gave rise to the conflict to come back to haunt the groups. This was because the steps in the agreement were not completely followed and this caused certain unrest between the parties again. Rahul Bajaj issued a notice inducting his cousin and son as additional directors in the holdings of the companies under disputed ownership with his brother Shishir. This again was seen as a threat to oust Shishir from the board of these companies and wrest control of Bajaj Hindusthan and Bajaj Consumer Care from him. This behavioral stage was preemptive in a sense that the parties have had a tryst with a conflict based on the same premise. Various allegations by representatives of the two parties defending and scorning the moves were made at this stage. While Shishir’s representatives believe that the move was to promote Rahul’s own family interests, his representatives believe that there was no other intention except the common good of the entire company. The conflict was back to square one after this stage when both the parties hardened their stand on the settlement and ownership issues. Legally though since Rahul Bajaj owned a higher stake in the companies, he was the rightful owner and had the authority to make such a move. Now this shows that the conflict was actually a dysfunctional one, since legally there was not much of an issue with the chairman taking a decision to induct new directors. But it was the family connection and the legal heirs law that comes into action since the company no longer is just a company, but more like a property owned by the family in which the members all have a share. Though both Shishir and Rahul have an equal stake in the concerned companies, the conflict has risen due to family connections. The outcome of this conflict was that the company owners ended up washing dirty linen in public. The family name and legacy was subject to petty comments and attracted a lot of media flak. There was a fluctuation in the market perception of the share values also. In the whole this conflict was a source of negative influence over the company. This conflict would probably not have shaped in such a way if the two directors were not family members. The appointment of new directors consequently would not have again been family based and thus their competencies would be subject to a fair trial among all the current directors at that time. This would in turn help the company choose the best set of directors. Also if we consider the factor of agency cost here, since the family should be interested in minimizing the effect of agency cost to their business, they should be in constant communication with the shareholders. But this controversy acted as a negative effect adding weight to the agency cost due to a sort of miscommunication about the company ethics. Thus we can conclude that the family angle added to this situation helped in worsening the conflict into a dysfunctional one. There was no positive result to either of the parties, and the common goal of the company was hindered. On the other hand if there was no family angle involved, the conflict would have in all probability been a functional one. 3. 2 The Birla Family Feud The Birla family is one of the foremost business houses in India. Their businesses vary from petrochemicals and textiles to automobiles and Infocomm. The founder of the Birla Group was Baldeo Das Birla, a member of the successful Marwari community from the westerly state of Rajasthan. He moved to Calcutta to set up the family business during the late nineteenth century, and with it established close ties to the freedom movement of the time. The Birlas are known for their work and support of the nation during the freedom struggle, and the family was close friends of Mahatma Gandhi. Even today, the Birla name is considered synonymous with wealth, dignity and power in India. Recently the Aditya Birla group owned Hindalco, announced a buyout of the US based aluminum sheet maker, Novelis Inc in an all cash deal worth US $6 billion. Very recently however there was a conflict that was received with a lot of flak in the media circles. The main issue of contention was that of ownership again. The main problem came into the public scrutiny when Priyamvada Birla made her chartered accountant, R S Lodha, as the beneficiary of all her property. Ever since, inheritance has been a major point of concern in the Birla family. The issue was portrayed in the public as a case of bad understanding within the Birla family which would mean a split in the company and a probable turnover of the Birla legacy and code of conduct. Such public concerns usually translate into negative pulls to the company in concern. This raised questions in the public about the ability since the general feeling developed was that the legal successors were not considered worthy enough by the predecessor herself. The conflict rose when the will of Late Priyamvada Birla was read out to the family members by her CA, Mr. R S Lodha. The will stated that all the property under her name will be transferred to the auditor, M r. Lodha and not to any of the Birla family members. This sudden unexpected turn of events led to the Birla’s filing suit against Mr Lodha of forgery. Internal conflicts among the family members were highlighted and the family dispute was one of the most controversial issues which affected the company in adverse ways in terms of public image. After the issue with Mr. Lodha was addressed, the youngest Birla heir demanded his share by filing a public suit. This was followed by the two sisters of M P Birla (Priyamvada Birla’s husband) family also moving to court. The controversy showed up the Birla Empire to be a myth, with the Birla family spread far and wide, with a multitude of groups within, each with its own chiefs and their progeny. The disorganized manner of the way in which the legal issue was handled by the Birla family was a big indicator and it affected the image of the Birla’s who were considered a strong and close knit group once upon a time. 3. 3 Murugappa Group The Murugappa group is a $1. billion conglomerate based in Chennai, consisting of businesses ranging from fertilizers, finance, bioproducts etc. it consists of 29 companies and employs over 20000 people. They have had a strong revenue growth rate of 13% per annum from 1999 until 2004 and a net earnings growth rate of about 15% till the same time. The group came into existence in 1900 when Dewan Bahadur A M Murugappa Chettiar established a money lendin g business in Burma (now Myanmar). The group had moved into India in the 1930’s before the Japanese invasion of Burma in World War 2. The group survived many vicissitudes and grew steadily and is now into its fifth generation. They received the annual award for Distinguished Family Business in the year 2001, by Lausanne, for its continued value addition, change management and social contribution. It attributes its success to the fact that they have constantly strived to refine strategies to separate family from the direct management of the family firms. It is one of the first Indian firms to have begun the process of transformation from a family owned and family managed to a family owned and professionally managed firm. The group originally had a CEO from the family who took care of the activities till about 1990’s. After the 1990’s the group formed the Murugappa Corporate Board (MCB) with family members at the leadership positions at that time. During the liberalization phase of India in the 90’s the need for professional managers from outside the family was called for and by 1999 the process of separating ownership from operations was completed. The group at this stage had professionally competent outsiders acting as CEO’s of the seven groups within the conglomerate. This was a very wise move as the separation enabled the family members to handle the more complex situations that arose in the market. The ability to transition from the phase of being the CEO to supporting the CEO was very important and was very elegantly handled by the group. The potential for a cause of conflict was very high at this stage, but instead the common goal of the company and the group as a whole was given utmost importance and this enabled the group to move ahead without conflicting views and attain a high growth percentage as mentioned above. Future opportunities of conflicts were also handled at this stage itself by a very systematic approach. The family members in MCB had 3 major tasks in their role. The first was to handle a strategic arm of the group across all the verticals within, a mentoring role to the CEO of an arm the member has not led before, and a mentoring role to one or more of the younger members of the family. There were clear cut criteria established as to how a member will be eligible to enter the MCB. This way meritocracy was the rule of the day rather than the legal heir route. As the business group moves from family managed to family governed, the formalization of family’s business approach is being discussed and finalized. A family constitution was developed that would articulate the family’s roles, responsibilities and relationships. This clear cut approach to succession rules in a family owned business has worked wonders for the group which has managed to pose a profit over the period since it moved from a family managed to a family governed model. This shows that a possible conflict can actually be converted into a positive outcome for the group and work to their advantage. 3. DABUR Group The Dabur Group, based in New Delhi, is one of India’s oldest family business groups that manufactures and sells a range of personal-care, healthcare, and food products. The group primarily operates through its flagship company Dabur India Limited and its subsidiaries,which had consolidated revenues of about US$ 350 million for the year ending Mar ch 2004. Over the last three years, the consolidated revenues of the group grew at a compounded rate of about 12% per annum, which was twice the average growth rate of the industry, while the net earnings of the group rose at an astounding 30% per annum. The Dabur Group was established by Dr. S. K. Burman in 1884 in Kolkata, India to manufacture and sell traditional nature-based, Indian medicines called Ayurveda. Over the years, Dabur launched a variety of nature-based, Ayurvedic personal-care and health-care products ranging from hair-care and oral-care to healthcare and food products. The group’s experience of about 120 years in Ayurveda has resulted in a strong herbal and natural positioning of its product range. Dabur has evolved from a family owned and managed group until 1997 to a family owned and professionally managed group now. Similar to the Murugappa group, this group also planned to move from the family owned to family managed model. The process adopted was that of hiring a consulting firm which suggested them the steps to hand over to a professional set of people the role of executives in the group. Once the group realised that it was not a practical approach to accommodate the interests of each family member for an executive position, the transition began. In 1998 the reins were first handed over to a non family CEO, Mr. Ninu Khanna and now are taken over by Mr. Sunil Duggal who has been with the company since 1995. He was inducted into the board in the year 2000 and in 2002 he was designated as the CEO of the company. Simultaneously DABUR restructured the corporate board, inducting more independent directors and constituting more audit board committees, remuneration, shareholder grievances etc. They developed various whistleblower policies and ethical practices to reduce the family dominance in roles and have had a good degree of success in such programs. A C Burman, from the fourth generation relinquished his chairmanship in favour of his brother to set an example and avoiding possible conflicts in turn like we saw in the case of BAJAJ. The group created a family council which acts as a channel of communication between the family and the managers and provides long term direction to the group. This formulation was a key development that helped in tackling challenges of professionalization, separating the family interests from the business interests and giving the required space for the family, while the management represents the interests of the family without and daily interactions. The roles of the management team, board of directors and the family council were formalized in 2002. Some assets were liquefied and personal entrepreneurship within the family encouraged on a merit basis which eased any folds of conflict within the family. This also helped in easing the tendency of the family members to seek positions of authority within the group. The DABUR group’s policy of considering the Family as a trusteeship with twin aims of perpetuation of family values and sustained growth of business has worked to the advantage of the company and has helped in easing out the presence of any conflict situations within the family to affect the growth of the business interest. 4. Conclusion From the few cases discussed above we can conclude that Conflict situations are prominent and entangled in a family owned business. With loads of legal issues of ownership, succession and morality coming into question, it is more often than not that decisions taken by the family leaders are plagued with controversy. A family owned business is still the most successful and most prevalent form of business in our country. Thus it is very important that we understand when the conflicts arising can be channelized into functional ones rather than having a dysfunctional one hampering the growth of the company. As future managers it is imperative to understand the nuances of such conflicts that arise and be aware of certain plans and methods adopted by various business houses to eradicate or solve a conflict. Removing a conflict from the very bud is desirable, but it is more desirable to not let a conflict get seeded and remove it even before it is produced. As seen in the case of Dabur and Murugappa group, their approach of succession has stowed away any possible conflicts that could have plagued the company with controversy. Such an approach before hand would have helped the Bajaj and Birla group to have avoided their conflicts and being chided by the general public. Conflict management in a family run business is not an easy job, and it requires a perfect blend of all the competing behaviors adopted at the right time to see the company through the conflict situation. A properly handled conflict can do wonders for the company, like recently we saw in the case of RELIANCE group, the split and de-merger helped the company to have a better defined delegation and helped boost the market capitalization and performance. Thus it is important that a conflict is nurtured properly and handled in the most precarious manner. One false step here can lead to a disastrous situation. A few steps that the family businesses can keep in mind to avoid conflict and ensure smooth operations for the betterment of the company are †¢Clarity of role: The role to be played out by the family members, the management team, the council of directors should be all clearly defined so that there is no overlap between ownership and management activities and interests. This will go a long way in reducing ownership related issues among the family members. An effective Board: A family business can be assured of continuing success provided it is headed by a sound and logical board. The board should be a proper blend of people from outside and inside who can amalgamate the experience and knowledge, and the family members strengths can be complemented by those from outside. †¢A logical organization structure: The structure o f the firm should be clear and aligned to the purpose of the firm. The chain of command should be clear and well defined so that no issues of infringement of control take place.