Psle in Singapore Debate Essay

In this commentary, I chose my artefact as a newspaper article on PSLE stress because of many reasons. 1) I had always harbored a strong interest on what everyone is saying about this hot topic and it seemed very interesting, stating just one problem that Singapore currently face. 2) Other than that, it is a topic that is easy to research, unlike some historic things which are little-mentioned (e.g. the banana note, the merdeka talks,etc) 3) Last but not least,it is a topic that is widely discussed on and more sources can be found My view on the issue of PSLE Singaporeans have long since been debating whether to remove PSLE. I personally do not think that PSLE should be removed. On the issue of abolishing PSLE, my concern is if we do not have the PSLE, when it comes to the entrance to secondary schools, how do you decide who goes to which school? I sometimes wish we were a bit like Hogwarts in Harry Potter, where you have the sorting hat that decides which house you go to. But in reality, we do not have a sorting hat and how do we decide who goes to which school? If you did not do it according to grades and scores, how would you do it? Another way would be to do it geographically, where you go into the secondary school nearest to your home, but if you did that, everybody will be fighting to be in the primary school near the secondary school you want to be in. PSLE assess how much you have learnt over the six years in primary school and then allocates you to a secondary school according to your abilities and/or choice. If you remove it, you might as well say to remove all exams. On abolishing PSLE, let’s presume we do away with it, then how do we decide who goes to which school? If which school you are going is decided on ‘does the Principal know your father or your mother?’ then it’s not a very meritocratic system nor is it acceptable. It is totally, I think, against Singapore’s system. If it is to be decided by the distance and you live very near a very good school, can you imagine the pressure to enter a primary school that is near the secondary school you want to go to. If a sudent had done very badly, but he or she stays very near a good secondary school, he would get in, but a person who did better and stays lets say 10km away would not be able to enter if according to that policy. Imagine how disapp ointed he or she will feel. One question, is that fair? No doubt many people would say it is not.There is a whole range of scenarios that will come up if Singapore removes PSLE as the sorting exam. The question is how will Singapore deal with it? The real angst about PSLE is the pressure, and the real reason why you have the pressure is that parents perceive that certain schools will give the advantage of getting into university. So, the answer would maybe be to try to make sure that across the board, every school is a good school and that society should change their mindset that a child needs to get into a good school in order to get into university ( which acoording to a survey, is a goalfor many paents. One of the goals of the Singapore government would be ( I think)to make sure that no matter which school students go to, you have a chance to get into a university and even if you do not get into a university, the other options are also pathways to success. I hope that under this system, each person can be the best he or she can be, whether or not that person has a university degree. Why is PSLE bad? 1)Poor education system However, just because I do not think PSLE should be removed doesn’t mean that I totally think it should remain the same. I think, PSLE should not have such a big effect on what type of school a secondary student goes to. In PSLE, the focus tends to be on the aggregate score, which reports each student’s overall performance in comparison with the entire cohort. It’s called a T-score, or transformed score. It’s derived through a certain computation and basically provides a ranking of the entire cohort.* The T-score itself doesn’t actually tell the student how well he has performed in each subject or across all the subjects. In affect, it is a queue number. Thus, I think, to put the stress off the students’ shoulder a little. PSLE should form only about 35% of the final grades. This system also has its benefits as the students will not be so focused on the final examination. They might slack for five years and only start to really work when they are in primary 6. I have the same opinion on all the other major exams too. Also, more weight should be placed on continual assessments, conducted on every semester. Everything is more manageable when it is broken into small parts. This will reduce stress amongst students, and allow individual topics to get the attention deserved. Right now, PSLE encourages parents and students to â€Å"spot† possible exam questions, and prepare for those to the exclusion of all else. If every year’s mark have a large part in the final grade, the students will be more encouraged to work hard and it will be more competitive, resulting in better and smarter young Singaporeans, allowing the country to prosper more. This can happen if we followed the education system that I mentioned other than using other means like, tuition, etc†¦ 2)Encourages poor methods of studying Also, PSLE studying and actual learning have had a bad divorce. The methods common to passing PSLE are: †¢ Ask how, not why. †¢ Don’t experiment or try to be original. Follow what’s worked before, and just copy. †¢ Learn only exam topics. Treat everything else as unimportant. †¢ Memorize model answers, as if they’re cheat codes for a video game. Teachers who try to stray from the path are hammered down. There’s no room for exploration, discourse, or general knowledge. It’s not that students are unaware of this. They know these are bad teaching methods. But the importance of PSLE results overshadows their awareness. When an exam threatens to determine most of a child’s future, fear drives the curriculum (this has happened to me before) On the topic of tuition Ideally, the aim of the education system is that you should be able to pass your exams without tuition. That said, many parents still think that it is necessary for children to have tuition in order for them to do better; not in all the schools but certainly in a percentage of them. My view is that it should not be the case that because you cannot afford tuition you should not be able to pass your exam, which is why MOE has introduced the Learning Support Programmes in schools, mentioned by Minister of education minister Heng at the last Committee Of Supply Debate. The schools are putting a lot more resources to help students who have difficulty with subjects to help them level up. People generally think that Singapore has a good education system and that we are not deprived of a good education. But I do get the sense that many people think that the learning field is not level. The running track (describing the field in which where Singaporeans learn) is the same for everybody. It is just that those from the less affluent backgrounds are coming on with the plain sneakers and the one from the better affluent ones are coming with the branded sneakers which give you more comfort and support. The idea is that, if the playing field is not equal because there are some students who come from families with better resources, then for those students who do not come from families with better resources, at least you help them to level up so that they get a chance to do well. How can Singaporeans adopt a less stressful approach to the PSLE? I like to make a distinction between status and stature. Status is about our relative importance or merit in comparison to other people, who might or might not be better than yourself; assessment sometimes will tell us about academic status. In contrast, stature is inherent, not comparative. It’s about doing the best that you can, and recognising your intrinsic potential. Assessment should also help us develop our stature, and not our status. I know from my own experience how a drop of status badly affects my confidence. I hope this for every teacher and parent: To think and work hard about raising the stature of your children, and not just try to raise their status. Conclusion My conclusion for this is that the PSLE should not be scrapped but should be changed to a better and less stressful exam. So, the format should be changed to one more like the O levels. In the O levels, how well you do within a grade does not matter, just as long you get that particular grade. Once you score an A1, you will not be disadvantaged when compared to a student who has scored A1 with a higher score. I think this should be the model system for the PSLE. Thus , I end my commentary and hope (emphasis) you have enjoyed reading it.

Antony and Cleopatra Essay

Throughout ‘Antony and Cleopatra’s’ long theatrical history, many generations have perceived the represented conflict between eastern and western values in the light of their own concerns, often concluding that one sphere is innately more ‘moral’ than its converse. This is heightened by Shakespeare’s ambiguity in his portrayal of the characters of Caesar and Cleopatra, who embody ‘West’ and ‘East’ respectively. Many of Shakespeare’s contemporaries saw striking parallels between Caesar and the new King James, who had expressed a wish to become a new, English Augustus. Audiences, therefore, could infer that through the author’s portrayal of Caesar as a cold force, lacking empathy and humanity but proffering peace and unity, Shakespeare was alluding to James as representative of a new Western value system that he could not fully endorse. Audiences may have understood the idea that with the heralding of a new era, a key element – which the ‘east’ in the play represents – had been repressed from the British consciousness. Some would have associated this with the death of Queen Elizabeth, a popular, enigmatic ruler who, in retrospect seemed to embody the last of a ‘Golden Age,’ where mystery and splendour existed alongside reason and politics. Often, priggish Victorian audiences found the play rather challenging to their notion of the innate supremacy of British civilisation and Western values. By the 19th century, Britain had metamorphosed into a dominant world power similar to that controlled by Caesar, and many features, such as a rampant imperialism, a strive for power, and a tendency to frequently moralise, were in common with that of the Rome presented by Shakespeare. Their Western perspective, and the absence of any moral conclusion by Shakespeare, led many Victorians to adopt the Roman viewpoint – ultimately empathise with Caesar and condemn the protagonists’ love as innately immoral. Many Victorians were repelled by an East that was practically the antithesis of their society – the frank portrayal of sexuality, the fraternisation of royals with commoners, and the overall decadence of the Alexandrian court were condemned, and although audiences were still fascinated by Cleopatra, she was cast as the villain of the piece, who; ‘The triple pillar of the world transformed  Into a strumpet’s fool.’  The 20th century saw a diverse range of responses towards the antithesis, many corresponding with the perspectives from which theatrical productions approached the problem. There is still sometimes the tendency to moralise the concepts of Rome and Egypt, arguing one must be ‘good’ and the other automatically ‘bad,’ and many productions focus on either the political (Roman) or the emotional (Egyptian) aspects of the play. Since the tragedy of September 11th, the media have largely exaggerated the notion of an inherent conflict between the ‘Christian West’ and the ‘Islamic East,’ and this adds a new dimension to the play for current viewers.  The antithesis between Rome and Egypt tears them apart, but also inextricably entangles them. As without light, there would be no darkness, where ‘East’ does not exist, the concept of ‘West’ is nullified. Both are essential components of complete humanity, and Caesar’s apparent victory over Egypt is notable only for its superficiality – the ‘East’ can never be expunged, and will always be a key element of human consciousness. However, through their deaths, Antony and Cleopatra transcend these converse forces, and in reconciling ‘East’ and ‘West’ to reach the ultimate potential of their humanity are propelled into the realms of mythology. The conclusion is one merging tragedy and supreme divinity, where the lovers are seemingly destroyed by the world yet truly conquer it, exalted into immortality and splendour as the magnificent lovers that the tumultuous, paradoxical mortal world could never allow them to be. Bibliography Antony and Cleopatra – William Shakespeare  Antony and Cleopatra: A Shakespearean adjustment -John F Danby  Macmillan Master Guides: Antony and Cleopatra – Martin Wine

Babson College Acceptance Rate, SAT/ACT Scores

Babson College is a private business school with an acceptance rate of 24%. Located near  Wellesley College  in the Boston suburb of Wellesley, Massachusetts, Babsons curriculum emphasizes leadership and entrepreneurship skills. All Babson students study business and work towards a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration. The college has been nationally recognized for its innovative approach to business education. Considering applying to this highly selective school? Here are the Babson College admissions statistics you should know. Acceptance Rate During the 2017-18 admissions cycle, Babson College had an acceptance rate of 24%. This means that for every 100 students who applied, 24 students were admitted, making Babsons admissions process highly competitive. Admissions Statistics (2017-18) Number of Applicants 6,383 Percent Admitted 24% Percent Admitted Who Enrolled (Yield) 35% SAT Scores and Requirements Babson College requires that all applicants submit either SAT or ACT scores. During the 2017-18 admissions cycle, 69% of admitted students submitted SAT scores. SAT Range (Admitted Students) Section 25th Percentile 75th Percentile ERW 620 690 Math 650 760 ERW=Evidence-Based Reading and Writing This admissions data tells us that most of Babsons admitted students fall within the top 20% nationally on the SAT. For the evidence-based reading and writing section, 50% of students admitted to Babson scored between 620 and 690, while 25% scored below 620 and 25% scored above 690. On the math section, 50% of admitted students scored between 650 and 760, while 25% scored below 650 and 25% scored above 760. Applicants with a composite SAT score of 1450 or higher will have particularly competitive chances at Babson. Requirements Babson does not require the SAT writing section or SAT Subject tests. Note that Babson participates in the scorechoice program, which means that the admissions office will consider your highest score from each individual section across all SAT test dates. ACT Scores and Requirements Babson College requires that all applicants submit either SAT or ACT scores. During the 2017-18 admissions cycle, 41% of admitted students submitted ACT scores. ACT Range (Admitted Students) Section 25th Percentile 75th Percentile English 28 34 Math 27 33 Composite 28 32 This admissions data tells us that most of Babsons admitted students fall within the top 11% nationally on the ACT. The middle 50% of students admitted to Babson received a composite ACT score between 28 and 32, while 25% scored above 32 and 25% scored below 28. Requirements Babson College does not require the ACT writing section. Unlike many schools, Babson superscores ACT results; your highest subscores from multiple ACT sittings will be considered. GPA Babson College does not provide data about admitted students high school GPAs. Self-Reported GPA/SAT/ACT Graph Babson College Applicants Self-Reported GPA/SAT/ACT Graph. Data courtesy of Cappex. The admissions data in the graph is self-reported by applicants to Babson College. GPAs are unweighted. Find out how you compare to accepted students, see the real-time graph, and calculate your chances of getting in  with a free Cappex account. Admissions Chances Babson College has a highly competitive admissions pool with a low acceptance rate and high average SAT/ACT scores. However, Babson has a holistic admissions process involving factors beyond your grades and test scores. A strong application essay, writing supplement, and glowing letters of recommendation can strengthen your application, as can participation in meaningful extracurricular activities and a rigorous course schedule. You can further strengthen your application by participating in an optional interview. Students with particularly compelling stories or achievements can still receive serious consideration even if their test scores are outside of Babsons average range. In the graph above, the blue and green dots represent accepted students. You can see that most successful applicants had high school grades in the B / A- range or higher. Admitted students tended to have combined SAT scores of 1250 or higher (ERWM), and ACT composite scores of 26 or better. Strong math scores are particularly important at Babson. If You Like Babson College, You May Also Like These Schools Villanova UniversityUniversity of ConnecticutFordham UniversityNortheastern UniversityGeorgetown UniversityBoston CollegeUniversity of PennsylvaniaNew York UniversityBentley UniversityDrexel University All admissions data has been sourced from the National Center for Education Statistics and Babson College Undergraduate Admissions Office.

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Essay on Booker T. Washington - 629 Words

Booker T. Washington 1856-1915, Educator Booker Taliaferro Washington was the foremost black educator of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. He also had a major influence on southern race relations and was the dominant figure in black public affairs from 1895 until his death in 1915. Born a slave on a small farm in the Virginia backcountry, he moved with his family after emancipation to work in the salt furnaces and coal mines of West Virginia. After a secondary education at Hampton Institute, he taught an upgraded school and experimented briefly with the study of law and the ministry, but a teaching position at Hampton decided his future career. In 1881 he founded Tuskegee Normal and Industrial Institute on the Hampton model in†¦show more content†¦Washington cultivated local white approval and secured a small state appropriation, but it was northern donations that made Tuskegee Institute by 1900 the best-supported black educational institution in the country. The Atlanta Compromise Address, delivered before the Cotton States Exposition in 1895, enlarged Washingtons influence into the arena of race relations and black leadership. Washington offered black acquiescence in disfranchisement and social segregation if whites would encourage black progress in economic and educational opportunity. Hailed as a sage by whites of both sections, Washington further consolidated his influence by his widely read autobiography Up From Slavery *menu.html* (1901), the founding of the National Negro Business League in 1900, his celebrated dinner at the White House in 1901, and control of patronage politics as chief black advisor to Presidents Theodore Roosevelt and William Howard Taft. Washington kept his white following by conservative policies and moderate utterances, but he faced growing black and white liberal opposition in the Niagara Movement (1905-9) and the NAACP (1909-), groups demanding civil rights and encouraging protest in response to white aggressions such as lynchings, disfranchisement,Show MoreRelatedBooker T. Washington Essay1249 Words   |  5 Pagesposition that one has reached in life as by the obstacles which he has overcome† –Booker T. Washing. Booker Taliaferro Washington was born in Hale’s Ford, Virginia on April 5th, 1856 to Jane Burroughs and an unknown White man. Washington was married three times. His first wife was Fannie N. Smith from Malden, West Virginia. Booker and Fannie were married in the summer of 1882 and had one child together named Portia M. Washington. Fannie died two years later in May 1884. The second wife was Olivia A. DavidsonRead MoreBiography of Booker T. Washington1869 Words   |  7 PagesBooker T. Washington is a famous African American educator, author, civil rights activist, and philanthropist who is from Virginia (Wells). He is the man that promoted African American to rise above their status of trying to be equal with Caucasians by promoting education and economic self-determination. Washington’s life serves as an example of his philosophy or belief due to his experience of knowing where African Americans started after the Civil War, where they were headed, and resulted in changingRead More Booker T Washington Essay1260 Words   |  6 Pages Booker T.Washington: Fighter for the Black Man Booker T. Washington was a man beyond words. His perseverance and will to work were well known throughout the United States. He rose from slavery, delivering speech after speech expressing his views on how to uplift Americas view of the Negro. He felt that knowledge was power, not just knowledge of quot;booksquot;, but knowledge of agricultural and industrial trades. He felt that the Negro would rise to be an equal in American society throughRead MoreEssay on Booker T. Washington1133 Words   |  5 Pages Booker T. Washington amp;#8220;Up From Slavery; inspired readers across the nation. People of this time had realized that they could no longer expect support from the federal government, in their struggle for dignity and opportunity in the south, so many blacks concluded that self-reliance, self-help, and racial solidarity were their last best hopes. So, people saw Booker T. Washington as their champion and adopted his autobiography, up from slavery. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;In FranklinRead MoreBooker T. Washington Essay493 Words   |  2 PagesBooker T. Washington Booker T. Washington was born on April 5, 1865. He was born into slavery at the James Burrough’s family plantation in Virginia. Nothing is known about Booker T. Washington’s father beyond the fact that he was a white man. After the Civil War Booker T. Washington worked in a salt furnace and attended school 3 months out of the year. At the age of 17, he was accepted into Hampton Institute in Virginia. When Booker T. Washington graduated from the institute, he thenRead More Booker T Washington Essay693 Words   |  3 Pages Booker T Washington was one of the best advocates in his time. Growing up in slavery and out coming the horrifying struggles of the 1870’s was a great effort. Born in the era were black people were like flies he found a determination to succeed and discovered many powers in life. Washington childhood was one of privation, poverty, slavery, and backbreaking work. Born in 1856, he was from birth the property of James Burroughs of Virginia. He didn’t know his father but his mother Jane raised himRead MoreEssay on Booker T. Washington508 Words   |  3 PagesHis name was Booker Taliaferro Washington. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;Booker T. Washington was born into slavery on James Burroughamp;#8217;s Virginia Plantation in 1856. When he was 9 he was gathered with the other slaves and was told he could go freely due to the Emancipation Proclamation. After he was freed, his mother and him moved to West Virginia where he worked in the coalmines. Then, he decided that he needed to go to college. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;Booker T. Washington enrolled atRead MoreEssay on Booker T. Washington2149 Words   |  9 PagesBooker T. Washington Booker Taliaferro Washington was the foremost black educators of the 19th and 20th centuries. He also had a major influence on southern race relations and was a dominant figure in black affairs from 1895 until his death in 1915. Booker T. Washington was born into slavery in 1858. As a slave Booker did not have a last name and chose Washington, his stepfathers name. After the Civil War Booker, his brother, and his mother moved to Malden, West Virginia were they wentRead MoreBooker Du Bois And Booker T. Washington715 Words   |  3 Pagesproved to be the worse decision that black America could ever make. The writing Of Booker T. Washington and Others highlighted the views W. E. B. Du Bois and Booker T. Washington had for Black America. Both men had the interest of blacks at heart but yet their positions were on opposite ends of the spectrum. Both men were highly educated, Mr. Du Bois being the first Black to earn a Ph.D. at Harvard and Mr. Washington being the first leader of the Tuskegee Institute. Both men wanted blacks to succeedRead MoreBooker T. Washington ( 1856-1915 )1856 Words   |  8 PagesBooker T. Washington (1856-1915) was a standout amongst the most persuasive (and questionable) African Americans ever. Brought up the child of a slave mother, Washington was self-propelled and focused on his own training from a youthful age. The tumultuous time in America s history amid which he lived managed him new opportunities that originated from Abraham Lincoln s Emancipation Proclamation of 1863 and the inevitable achievement of the North in the Civil War. He took the first c hance to go

Risk Management Model for Outsourcing-Free-Samples for Students

Question: Discuss about the Advantage and disadvantage of outsourcing Business Functions. Answer: Introduction Business process outsourcing can be defined as contracting out few business processes or functions to the third party (Mohr, Sengupta and Slater 2009). These functions or processes can be outsourced to a company or an individual. The company to which function or process is outsourced is known as the vendor company or outsourcing partner. Businesses usually go for outsourcing to focus on their core processes and functions in which they have expertise. Outsourcing helps the business to contract out less relevant processes or functions to some other individual or organisation; this gives competitive advantage to the frim. Outsourcing can be permanent or temporary depending upon the need and contractual obligations. Few common aspects that businesses outsourcing include marketing research, human resource, legal affairs, customer call centres, manufacturing, information technology, payroll processing, and facility management (Schniederjans 2015). Outsourcing can be of many types such as m anufacturing outsourcing, professional service outsourcing, process specific outsourcing, offshore outsourcing and operational outsourcing service. Outsourcing has various implications on both the companies the one who outsources and one who does the work. The various potential positive and negative implications of the company shape up the outsourcing decisions of the firm. This report analyses various advantages and disadvantages of outsourcing business functions. Objective of the project: The study was undertaken with the following key objectives- The meaning of outsourcing The project report aims to identify and clearly understand the concept of business process outsourcing. Various advantages of outsourcing business functions The main goal of the study is clearly identify all the potential advantages that firm can gain if it outsources its functions or processes. Various drawbacks of outsourcing business functions The study also aims to identify various drawbacks associated with the outsourcing of business processes and functions. Role played by benefits and risks in taking the outsourcing decision The report also aims to identify how potential benefits and drawbacks shape up the outsourcing decision of the firm. Scope of the project: Globalisation is on rise in recent decades. To be successful in globalised environment the companies are trying to apply outsourcing in their operations, functions and processes. Thus outsourcing is the topic of growing importance and recent debate. The topic has wide implications on social, conceptual, economical and moral aspects. Outsourcing is wide topic for research. The scope of this paper is confined to the advantages and disadvantages of the research. The report takes into consideration various positive and negative implications that outsourcing business function decision can have of the firm. These report analyses the works of various authors. Various books, journals and articles will be taken into consideration for the report. In this report firstly concept of outsourcing then the advantages and disadvantages associated with the outsourcing of various business functions will be studied. The report also analyses the role of benefits and drawbacks on outsourcing decision of t he firm. The scope of the study comprises on insights to the topic of advantages and disadvantages of outsourcing business functions. The research has a wide scope because topic directly or indirectly touches the social, political, legal, comical, technical and environmental forces. The research has been designed in such a way to achieve all the predefined objectives. The limitations to the research include lack of aces to the data of company and geographical location. Location constraints are because it was not feasible to take face to face interviews everywhere. There was lack of access because most of the companies keep their information private and confidential. Also the research will take into consideration secondary data therefore there are probabilities of errors. All the information available about this topic will be heavily weighed and considered before framing a judgement or professional opinion. Literature Review: Outsourcing business processes and functions have emerged as a recent trend. This topic has been in the continuous debate from years. Different authors have different opinions about outsourcing. The outsourcing has various advantages but its potential risks and drawbacks cannot be overlooked. Lot of arguments have been given by various authors for and against outsourcing. Various advantages are listed in table 1 of appendix. One of the major advantages of outsourcing business function is cost saving. Outsourcing enables a company to get the same kind of job done at lower prices due to difference in the economic environment of various countries. For example he labour cost in Asian countries is much lower than other countries. Thus contracting out some functions to Asian countries could give the firms cost benefit. Operating cost can be reduced by well-designed and well managed outsourcing (Bryce and Useem 1998). It has been evident from various researches that outsourcing easily trans fers the responsibility of less relevant business functions to third party. This helps the business to achieve specialisation. It allows the firm to focus on core business areas and their expertise (Qulin and Duhamel 2003).Outsourcing also increases business efficiency and reducing capital expenditures. The capital expenditures on doing the function or process self is saved by outsourcing. Also it increases the efficiency because the vendor firm is specialised in the function that is outsourced. Contracting out the work to third party enables the firm to have on- time processes without incurring capital expenditures (Razzaque and Sheng 1998). Outsourcing also offers the benefit of better quality because the vendor firms have specialisation in particular area. The thirst for quality is one of the basic reasons why firms go for outsourcing. When companies go for offshore outsourcing, it offers the benefits of availability of some resources that are not available in the home country. M ost of the companies ensure that despite savings the quality should not suffer. Companies outsource to gain innovation and improve product quality (Corbett 2004). Staffing flexibility can also be gained by outsourcing. It helps the companies having seasonal staffing requirements. Temporary services can be used to meet the peak season demands. Event sector firms need is the best example of such firms. They need huge workforce during a particular event. Outsourcing allows the company to bring in additional resources whenever required and release them whenever done (Gupta and Zhender 1994). Outsourcing of human resource function provides access to better skills and talents. Companies do not need to spend time and resources for recruiting and training the workforce in the organisation. Other organisations who are specialised and have skilled pool of talent can do this task better. Thus outsourcing of human resources function to a specialised organisation provides business access to skil led and talented resources without much effort (Greer, Youngblood, and Gray, 1999). Outsourcing business functions saves on infrastructure and technology. Some functions and processes require vast infrastructural setup and technological setup, outsourcing these functions shifts the responsibility to outsourcing partner. Outsourcing eliminates the need for infrastructural development and the process or function is performed by outsourcing partner (Grover, Cheon and Teng 1996). Time zone advantage is another major advantage of offshore business process outsourcing. It allows the companies to have round the clock business operations. Example call centres situated at different locations provides services to customers of different companies at different times. It is one the most important advantage for todays global business (Kikuchi and Van Long 2010). Another major advantage of outsourcing business functions is risk reduction. Outsourcing various major functions such as human resource and knowledge based services reduces the risk to a considerable extent (Quinn 1999). These were the arguments were in the favour of business process outsourcing, there are various authors who contradict these advantages and present the various disadvantages of outsourcing business functions. Table 2 of appendix has list of potential drawbacks. One of the major disadvantages associated with outsourcing is loss of control. The firm loses the control over the function or process that was outsourced. For example if firm outsources its human resource function it will have a less control over the type of workforce that it wants to possess. The firm only has contractual control over the outsourcing partner. The management and control of that function shifts to the outsourcing partner (Antonucci, Lordi and Tucker 1998). Some authors also argue that outsourcing business functions does not actually save cost, outsourcing various business activities involves various hidden activities. Also this reduces capital expenditure but imposes various other costs, which are to be paid at frequent intervals. Anything that is not covered in contract involves additional cost (Lonsdale 1999). Major issue with outsourcing business functions is threat to security and confidentiality. If the compan y transfers any confidential information such as payroll records, medical records, product formula or any other important information, the security of the company and its people is compromised. If the private information of the company is made public by the outsourcing partner it can have various negative implications on the business (Raiborn, Butler and Massoud 2009). It is being argued by various authors that outsourcing business functions improves the quality but this is not possible in every case. The arguments against business function outsourcing state that outsourcing negatively impacts the quality. The contract only determines price and quantity, to earn higher profits outsourcing partner compromises the quality. In addition to quality hazards business also loses the ability to respond quickly to the changing environment. If a function or process is outsourced the changes cannot be implemented directly the changes that are to be adopted are transferred from the firm to outso urcing partner and implementing those changes requires changes in the contract and various other legal constraints (Blumberg 1998). Outsourcing of business functions can also lead to conflict of interest among the company and its outsourcing partner. It is not always possible that interest of business and its outsourcing partner are same, they may have different interest. The difference in interests of both the firms can lead to conflict among them, which is a negative implication (Avery 2000). Domberger (1998) and Hendry (1995) identified various other disadvantages of outsourcing business functions these include transaction cost, opportunistic behaviour and reduced learning and innovation (Mol and Kotabe 2011). Reduction in learning and innovation makes firm dependent on other firms. It indirectly reduces businesses firms ability to grow further. A drawback may also arise if the company has made a wrong choice while selecting the outsourcing partner or the contract is poor. If the company made poor selection of the vendor company it will ultimately hamper the process or function that is outsourced. Also the contract should always include all the terms and conditions poorly formulated business contract may lead business into trouble (Lee and Kim 1999). The available literature on outsourcing highlights that outsourcing of business functions or processes have various advantages and drawbacks. The outsourcing decision of the firm depends on potential risk and benefits associated with a particular decision. These advantages and disadvantages differ according to organisation, situation and market. Conclusion From the above study it can be concluded that outsourcing business process provides competitive edge to the businesses. It offers various advantages such as low cost, better quality, focus on core business areas, efficiency, staffing flexibility and well trained and skilled resources. Some of these advantages turn disadvantage in certain situations. For example outsourcing parent may compromise quality and the capital expenditure remain slow but the firm outsourcing may impose various time to time expenditure on the firm. Various other disadvantages of the firm include threat to security and confidentiality of information, contradicting interest of the outsourcing firm, wrong choice of the Vendor Company, poorly framed contract, low learning power, increased dependency and business loses its ability to quickly respond to changes in the business environment. There are various advantages but it depends on business weather it will gain benefits or has to face drawbacks. Every firm shoul d have a profound knowledge of advantages and disadvantages that can affect the company. The outsourcing decision of the firm and choice of the vendor should largely be depended on the possible outcomes. The company should always analyse the drawbacks and find out measures that how those drawbacks can be turned into the potential advantage. Overall the report clearly highlights the advantages and disadvantages of business functions outsourcing. References Abdur Razzaque, M. and Chen Sheng, C., 1998. Outsourcing of logistics functions: a literature survey. International Journal of Physical Distribution Logistics Management, 28(2), pp.89-107. Antonucci, Y.L., Lordi, F.C. and Tucker III, J.J., 1998. The pros and cons of IT outsourcing. Journal of Accountancy, 185(6), p.26. Avery, G., 2000. Outsourcing public health laboratory services: A blueprint for determining whether to privatize and how. Public Administration Review, 60(4), pp.330-337. Blumberg, D.F., 1998. Strategic assessment of outsourcing and downsizing in the service market. Managing Service Quality: An International Journal, 8(1), pp.5-18. Bryce, D.J. and Useem, M., 1998. The impact of corporate outsourcing on company value. European Management Journal, 16(6), pp.635-643. Corbett, M.F., 2004. The outsourcing revolution. Why it makes sense and how to do it right, A Dearborn trade Publishing: Chicago. Greer, C.R., Youngblood, S.A. and Gray, D.A., 1999. Human resource management outsourcing: The make or buy decision. The Academy of Management Executive, 13(3), pp.85-96. Grover, V., Cheon, M.J. and Teng, J.T., 1996. The effect of service quality and partnership on the outsourcing of information systems functions. Journal of Management Information Systems, 12(4), pp.89-116. Gupta, M. and Zhender, D., 1994. Outsourcing and its impact on operations strategy. Production and Inventory Management Journal, 35(3), p.70. Kikuchi, T. and Van Long, N., 2010. A simple model of service offshoring with time zone differences. The North American Journal of Economics and Finance, 21(3), pp.217-227. Lee, J.N. and Kim, Y.G., 1999. Effect of partnership quality on IS outsourcing success: conceptual framework and empirical validation. Journal of Management information systems, 15(4), pp.29-61. Lonsdale, C., 1999. Effectively managing vertical supply relationships: a risk management model for outsourcing. Supply chain management: An international journal, 4(4), pp.176-183. Mohr, J.J., Sengupta, S. and Slater, S.F., 2009. Marketing of high-technology products and innovations. Pearson Prentice Hall. Mol, M.J. and Kotabe, M., 2011. Overcoming inertia: drivers of the outsourcing process. Long Range Planning, 44(3), pp.160-178. Qulin, B. and Duhamel, F., 2003. Bringing together strategic outsourcing and corporate strategy:: Outsourcing motives and risks. European management journal, 21(5), pp.647-661. Quinn, J.B., 1999. Strategic outsourcing: leveraging knowledge capabilities. Sloan management review, 40(4), p.9. Raiborn, C.A., Butler, J.B. and Massoud, M.F., 2009. Outsourcing support functions: Identifying and managing the good, the bad, and the ugly. Business Horizons, 52(4), pp.347-356. Schniederjans, M.J., Schniederjans, A.M. and Schniederjans, D.G., 2015. Outsourcing and insourcing in an international context. Routledge.

Rothschilds Essay Example

Rothschilds Paper The Vienna branch of the Rothschild banking consortium was established by Salomon Rothschild in 1815, after the end of the Napoleonic Wars. His brother Carl established the Naples branch only a few years after him. The biggest struggle that the Rothschilds faced during these early years was acceptance. Anti-Semitism kept them out of the elite social circles, necessary realms of connection making, and thus hindered business. This was especially felt in Vienna and Naples. Salomon wasnt even able to buy a home in Vienna until 1842, as there were laws forbidding Jews from owning property within the Imperial capital. Through his wealth alone was he able to receive an exemption from this rule. He and his brother Carl in Naples were hesitant to purchase much real estate, though, for fear of the anti-Semitic backlash which it might incur, since real estate was seen as a sign of aristocracy. The Rothschilds frequently found themselves left off of the guest lists of influential balls. They countered this by throwing their own balls, which, by their extravagance alone, eventually attracted the clientele they were after. It wasnt until the late 1830s that senior government officials such as Metternich and Gentz would dine with Salomon. Once they established themselves, however, they became less cautious in hiding their blithe disregard for social rank. We will write a custom essay sample on Rothschilds specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Rothschilds specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Rothschilds specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer They detested such events, but held them for their business worth only.Salomon was especially known for his disapproval and extravagance.He was also known to eat too much, drink too much, to be rude, to surround himself with sycophants, and for having a lecherous passion for very young girls.He felt he was uneducated, an opinion of him held at the time by many other social and political elites, and thus he tried to refrain from social events as much as possible. The familys social efforts, trying as they were, did pay off though.