MNCs in China: Recruitment and Selection Practices

MNCs in China: Recruitment and Selection Practices Research Proposal: The Study of Recruitment and Selection Practices of MNCs in China As an increasing number of organizations enter the global business arena, the number and extent of business representatives crossing international borders has surged dramatically (Graf, 2004). It is, thus, imperative for multinational corporations (MNCs) to attract, select, develop and retain employees who can live and work effectively outside of their own national borders (Caligiuri, 2000). Simultaneously, accompanied by the increase of local employees, these MNCs have begun to recruit qualified members from local labour market in their host-countries. In China, owing to these MNCs competitive salary and good work condition, the recruitment often attracts many peoples attention. However, Chinas historical development, political structure and culture, international relations influence its economy and foreign trade. Also, Chinas special infrastructure and energy structure, legal framework pose a challenge to business. Therefore, some standardized recruitment and selection methods dev eloped in home country have to be modified according to Chinese situation. In that case, the study of recruitment and selection practices of MNCs in China, actually, illustrates how to develop IHRM practices under conditions of high cultural and institutional distance between partners. LITERATURE REVIEW Nowadays, a number of studies have examined the degree to which subsidiary HRM practices resemble those of host country organizations, an indication of transfer of practices from the MNC parent company to overseas units (e.g. Lu Bjorkman, 1997; Wang, 2002; Dana, 2005). These body researches have identified a range of host country, MNC home country, MNC, and subsidiary factors associated with the pattern of HRM in overseas units. However, these literatures speak more to describe the continuity and change between home- host-country in strategic level and analyze the different patterns of HRM in foreign subsidiaries than to concentrate on one area of HRM practices in a specific and systematic way and the means of transfer. Additionally, the limited empirical work that has been carried out on the processes of HRM transfer has typically adopted an MNC control and coordination perspective to describe and explain how HRM is diffused across borders, often revealing the use of multiple mech anisms both direct and unobtrusive in nature (Myloni Mirza, 2004). In depth case studies, on the other hand, have typically focused on a broader range of mechanisms or HRM practices, but have typically concentrated only on cultural or power relations explanations behind their usage (e.g. Martin and Beaumont, 1999; Ferner et al, 2005). In light of the above discussion, my study will focus on recruitment and selection practices of MNCs in China through which detailed practices are transferred to foreign subsidiaries. The goals of this research are 1) to describe these recruitment and selection practices how to manipulate in their Chinas subsidiaries in a specific and systematic way, especially concentrate on their recruitment and selection methods in practical, 2), to analyze the means and influences of transfer these recruitment and selection practices to Chinas HRM and 3) to find out why there are systematic differences found in the use of integration mechanisms for different recruitment selection practices. As Gary (2006) said that there was basically no enterprise-level human resource management in China between 1949 and the 1990s. Until now, in terms of selection and recruitment process, Chinese enterprises do not have systematic policies as complicated as those of MNCs. When MNCs import the selection and recruitment process from their parent company, actually, they also introduce the advanced selection and recruitment concept to China. However, they have to pursue recruitment rules in line with the local legislations. Therefore, studies on the manipulation and transfer of recruitment and selection practices in MNCs will come to further recognise the pertinence of the individual HRM practices and the HR function. Furthermore, it is significant and practical to study the MNCs recruitment methods in China, which can help us to have a further understanding to the IHRM and the development of the HRM in China. This study seeks to fill the gap by evaluating the MNCs recruitment and selectio n practices in China and provide a new perspective to Chinese local enterprises in how to introduce these practices and manipulate them. From it we can know in what aspects the MNCs recruitment and selection practices are more rational and scientific than Chinese local enterprises. RESEARCH QUESTIONS The purpose of the paper is to determine and empirically examine the multinational corporations how to manipulate recruitment and selection practices in China. For the purpose of this paper I present followed questions in order to exhibit a panorama of MNCs recruitment and selection status quo in China. The first question is Who do they want? Large multinational corporations, along with domestic Chinese companies, are finding that acquiring talented employees is more than ever, one of their greatest challenges in China. Strangely, China has long been known as a largest source of labor. Why these MNCs still feel the shortage of employees? What kind of people do these MNCs want? Do they have some common characteristics? Do they have some different requests when they recruit people in China and from their parent country? Therefore, the first step is to define the job and the person firstly, namely, how to determine a job vacancy in these MNCs? How many steps to determine it? All of these relevant questions will be addressed in this part. It will portray an explicit scene to readers about the preliminary phase demand of MNCs recruitment in China. The second question is How do they attract the people they want? As Iles and Salaman (1995) said, the actual channels or vehicles used to attract candidatesseem to influence whether the right kind of applicants are encouraged to apply, and to persist in their application. Organisaitons can choose from a wide variety of methods, including the use of informal personal contacts, formal personal contacts, notice boards, advertising, and external assistance. Which methods are the most popular and useful? How to choose the methods? Is it relevant to the level of the vacancy and its importance within the organization? The third question is How do they identify them? The stages described above constitute recruitment, and are primarily concerned with generating a sufficient pool of applicants. The focus now shifts to selection, and the net stages concentrate on assessing the suitability of candidates. There is no denying saying that various selection techniques are available, and a selection procedure will frequently involve the use of more than one. The most popular techniques will be outlined in my paper, and their validity, effectiveness and cost also will be discussed in Chinas context. Are they still useful? Are they need to be modified when introduce them to China? The last question is How do they know they have got it right? The final stage of the recruitment and selection process concerns measurement of its success, both qualitatively and quantitatively. ACAS guidelines suggest that any recruitment and selection system should be based on three fundamental principles: effectiveness, efficiency and fairness (ACAS, 1983). Furthermore, we should not forget that ethical issues arise concerning the treatment of people during recruitment and selection which always make the recruitment and selection be more complexity. Therefore, what methods could have been used to monitor the effectiveness of the recruitment campaign? And what could be done to integrate national and regional recruitment? RESEARCH DESIGN Research Approach To avoid analysis paralysis, it is important that the business analyst not delve into too much detail too early in a project. It is more important to understand the forest than worrying about each and every tree. Of key importance is not to fall into the black hole of technical detail and exception (Yin, 2003). Yet, as discussed by Whetten (1989), two different approaches may be taken, or combined. In the first, the researcher works within an explicit theoretical framework. Therefore, a theoretical framework becomes a researchers first cut at making some explicit theoretical statements (Miles Huberman, 1994). This approach is known as deduction. In the second, the researcher tries not to be constrained by prior theory and instead sees the development of relevant theory, propositions, and concepts as a purpose of the project. This approach is generally known as induction. However, it is often the case that much research starts with testing a given theory or literature bust also seeks to generate new insights into these topics possibly by investigating this in different contexts and therefore, this research is iterative in its approach to theory. It adopts a flexible approach by seeking to use the literature but extend this to different research settings to generate new insights in order to modify, adapt or qualify the existing theory on the field of study. In that case, in this research both approaches will be combined since the main intent is to study a relatively un-researched topic -from the practical manipulating perspective to study the MNCs recruitment and selection practices in the background of China, within the bounds of an already well-established research program (theory of recruitment and selection practices in MNC). Hence, I choose not to ignore previous work in the field. I intend to develop a conceptual model built on over ten years of research that is a conceptual advance on the literature. The model of the participation context within which MNCs in China operated is comprised of at least four sets of issues. These issues will be then used to develop the initial coding scheme for the qualitative analysis of data. However, given that this study is aimed at theory building, not theory testing, the theoretical framework and conceptual model will be used solely as a guide. It help make sense of what occurred in the field, e nsured that important issues will not be overlooked, provided a set of provisional constructs to be investigated, and guided my interpretation and focus. Subsequent analysis iterations can then delve into the exception situations and details. This use of the theory accords with Klein Myers (2001) recommendation that the empirical research needs to be guided by (or at least informed by) one or more social theories. Research Inquiry After this initial review of the research questions and research approach, the research inquiry most appropriate to the problem would be descriptive and exploratory. Descriptive research, also known as statistical research, describes data and characteristics about the population or phenomenon being studied. Descriptive research answers the questions who, what, where, when and how (Kotler et al., 2006). The object of descriptive research is to portray an accurate profile of persons, events and situations. Exactly, the first step of my research is to establish an explicit profile of these MNCs how to manipulate the recruitment and selection practices in China. Exploratory research, which also will be used in my dissertation is a type of research conducted because a problem has not been clearly defined (Kerlinger, 1986). Exploratory research helps determine the best research design, data collection method and selection of subjects. Given its fundamental nature, exploratory research ofte n concludes that a perceived problem does not actually exist. The results of exploratory research are not usually useful for decision-making by themselves, but they can provide significant insight into a given situation (Kotler et al., 2006). In my dissertation, I will focus on through clearing about the MNCs manipulation practices on recruitment and selection in China exploring new insight to this topic. When framing descriptive questions in research we must clarify our unit of analysis. It is the major entity that is being analyzed in the study. It is the what or whom that is being studied (Earl, 2005). The unit of analysis in my dissertation is group, the MNCs subsidiaries in China. Research Design Exploratory research often relies on secondary research such as reviewing available literature and/or data, or qualitative approaches such as informal discussions with consumers, employees, management or competitors, and more formal approaches through in-depth interviews, focus groups, projective methods, case studies or pilot studies (Kotler et al., 2006). And the descriptive research describes characteristics of a population on phenomenon and tries to understand the nature of the problem. Therefore, the secondary research and survey are the main research design. Secondary data, which is historical data mainly include previously collected, census of population and literature survey. And the survey design is most frequently associated with deductive strategy because it is often based on testing a theory. As Saunders et al (2007) note that surveys allow for the collection of a large amount of data from a sizable population. The survey data also allows a lot of control over the data an d makes generalizations by using sampling procedures rather than surveying the entire population. The type of survey is cross-sectional studies (also known as cross-sectional analysis), which form a class of research methods that involve observation of some subset of a population of items all at the same time, in which, groups can be compared at different sections with respect of independent variables (William, 2006). Research Site The type of organization that I would study is the subsidiary of MNC in China, especially the top 500 companies. Compared to other companies, these top 500 companies always have a good reputation at their mature, systematic and advanced management techniques. These companies almost spread all over the economic sector in China and produce important influences to Chinese economy and society. Furthermore, owing to these top 500 MNCs more competitive salary and good work condition, their recruitment often attracts many peoples attention. Most of these companies are concentrated on Chinese big cities, such as Shanghai and Beijing. The theoretical sampling is the sampling way I will choose. The goal of theoretical sampling is not the same as with the probabilistic sampling; the researchers goal is not the representative capture of all possible variations, but to gain a deeper understanding of analysed cases and facilitate the development of analytic frame  and concepts  used in their r esearch (Charles, 1994). RESEARCH METHODS There are mainly two research methods would be used in my dissertation. The first is the review of current relevant articles focusing on recruitment and selection practices in MNCs. It will help me to build the main theory framework of the dissertation. This method is often the most feasible one, particularly for students or others with restricted time and resources, and can legitimately be used provided its limitations are clearly understood and stated. Furthermore, it also has the bigger and more representative sample in related field. I will screen papers by recruitment and selection and by numerous variants of keywords, focusing specifically on China, MNC, assessment center, and work sampling etc.. Source papers will be chose just from refereed research studies, surveys and empirical reports conducted by companies official website, local offices of international HR consulting firms, and articles from professional journals and news sources. The second research method is the survey, which is the most important source of supplementary material to the dissertation. That is, based on the theory framework, the results of survey can be a supplement to these theories and provide practices examples to them. These surveys covered five areas, including the recruitment and selection process, the recruitment methods, the selection methods, the recruitment and selection principles, and other archival documents will also be collected. Furthermore, it also can provide some new insight to the dissertation through the open-ended interviews. Here, personal interviews, telephone surveys, mail surveys, and computer direct interviews will be conducted. In-depth survey, based on semi-structured questionnaires and open-ended interviews with general managers, HR directors, and employees in HR Department will be carried out over a period of two months. Now, there are a lot of chat groups on the internet through QQ (the most popular chat softwar e in China) and MSN. Once you join these HR professional chat groups, you can know hundreds of people who are engaged in the work related HR and get the contact way of them, most of time is email address. Through these chat groups I have known a lot of people who are working in different subsidiaries of MNCs in China. Some of them are employee in HR department, but some of them even are the HR directors in these company. Furthermore, some of my pre-classmates and friends are working in MNCs, they also can help me to finish the surveys. Therefore, I intend to distribute approx 400 questionnaires through email and at least 20 interviews through face-to-face, computer, or telephone to achieveà ¯Ã‚ ¼Ã…’ from June through August of 2008 in Beijing and Shanghai. Compared to the telephone interview, face-to-face interview, and computer direct interview, email surveys are both very economical and very fast. It allows the respondent to answer at their leisure, rather than at the often inconvenient moment they are contacted for a phone or personal interview. For this reason, they are not considered as intrusive as other kinds of interviews. However, many people dislike unsolicited email even more than unsolicited regular mail. (Selwyn and Robson,1998). Furthermore, in order to get more detail data, face-to-face interview is necessary. Longer interviews are sometimes tolerated. Particularly with in-home interviews that have been arranged in advance. People may be willing to talk longer face-to-face than to someone on the phone. Considered some inconvenient factors, telephone interview and computer direct interview also can be a supplementary method. METHODOLOGICAL CONSIDERTATIONS The empirical paradigm holds assumptions based on the supposition that an external world of objects exist, that the assumptions can be measured independently of one another, that these objects are lawfully interrelated, and that the relationships are mediated by a real force in objects that is called causation (Cook, 1983). In order to determine causal relationships in a test environment, generalizability is of utmost importance (Runkel and McGrath, 1972). Yet if I wish to generalize my findings, scope and variance must be emphasized generalizability. One solution to this problem is to perform a greater number of observations, which has a dual effect: first, it increases the sample population, which heightens generalizability; second, precision can be reasonably maintained because the random errors between observations will average out. However, no matter how carefully these three forms of generalizability are applied, there is no absolute guarantee that the results obtained in a stu dy will occur in every situation outside the study (Firestone, 1993). Reliability refers to the degree of consistency with which instances are assigned to the same category by different observers or by the same observer on different occasions. As mentioned in above, through studying MNCs recruitment and selection practices in China, I hope it could be a good reference to Chinese local enterprise when they introduce and use these recruitment and selection methods. Therefore, I should consider more related environmental and social factors in a big background. Furthermore, in order to enhance the reliability of study, all of the respondents I will choose are those who are working in subsidiaries of MNCs in China. Generally, in qualitative research measurement validity is considered to be high because the researcher is close to the research setting and is responsible for data collection. Therefore, in qualitative research validity always relates to whether there is a good match between researchers observations and the theoretical ideas they develop (Bryman, 2001) On the one hand, I choose to use the literature review to build the basic framework of the dissertation, which can make sure I can get the most reliable, extensive and completed data. On the other hand, questionnaires and interviews can help me to get new insight and practical examples to this topic. Furthermore, there are a lot of conventional approaches to enhance the validity of qualitative data. Generally, theoretical sampling which I intend to use in this dissertation can be viewed as a technique of data triangulation: using independent pieces of information to get a better fix on something that is only partially known or underst ood (Charles, 1994). Also, the Refutability Principle which I will obey stresses that we must avoid the temptation to jump easily into conclusions just because there is some evidence that seems to lead in an interesting direction. Instead, we must subject the evidence to every possible test. Compared to other practices, recruitment and selection are always assumed to have high compatibility between countries because they are characterized by the technical ingredients attached to various positions (cf. Anderson, 1992; Watson, 1994). However, owing to directly utilizing some commonly-applied western theoretical frameworks and instruments, findings may not fully detect the cultural nuances in the Chinese employees; the narrowly geographically-concentrated sampling and access may prevent generalization of findings to the broad Chinese context. Obviously, with the limitation of the data, additional research is needed to develop the topic further, which until now has been largely black-boxed. References Anderson, G. (1992) Selection. In Towers, B. (ed.) Handbook of Human Resource Management. Oxford: Blackwell, pp. 167-85. Bryman, A. (2001), Social Research Methods, Oxford: Oxford University Press, pp. 271. Caligiuri, P. M., (2000), Selecting Expatriates for personality Characteristics: A Moderating Effect of Personality on the Relationship Between Host National Contact and Cross-Cultural Adjustment, Management International Review, Vol. 40, No. 1, pp. 61-80. Charles C. Ragin (1994), Constructing Social Research: The Unity and Diversity of Method, Pine Forge Press. Cook, T.(1983). Quasi-experimentation: Its ontology, epistemology, and methodology. In G. Morgan (Eds.), Beyond method: strategies for social research , Beverly Hills, CA: Sage, pp.78. Dana B. Minbaeva (2005), HRM practices and MNC knowledge transfer, Department of International Economics and Management, Copenhagen Business School, Copenhagen, Denmark, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, Vol. 34 No. 1, pp. 125-144. URL: www.emeraldinsight.com/0048-3486.htm. Earl Babbie (2005), The Practice of Social Research, 10th edition, Wadsworth, Thomson Learning Inc., Ferner, A., Almond, P., Colling, T. (2005), Institutional theory and the cross-national transfer of employment policy: the case of workforce diversity in US multinationals, Journal of International Business Studies, Vol. 36 No.3, pp.304-21. Firestone WA. (1993) Alternative arguments for generalizing from data as applied to qualitative research. Educational Researcher 22:pp.16-23. Gary Dessler (2006), Expanding into China? What Foreign Employers should know About Human Resource Management in China Today? Graf, A., (2004), Screening and training inter-cultural competencies: evaluating the impact of national culture on inter-cultural competencies, International Journal of Human Resource Management, Vol. 41, No. 1, pp. 31-44. Iles, P., Salaman, G. (1995), Recruitment selection and assessment, in Storey, J. (Eds), Human Resource Management: A Critical Text, Routledge, London.,. Kerlinger, F.N., (1986), Foundations of behavioral research, Holt, Rinehart Winston, New York. Klein, H., Myers, M., (2001), A Classification Scheme for Interpretive Research in Information Systems, chapter 9 from Trauth (2001), 218-239. Kotler, P, Adam, S, Brown, L Armstrong, G (2006), Principles of Marketing , 3rd edn, Prentice Hall, Frenchs Forest, NSW Russell K. Schutt, Investigating the Social World, 5th ed, Pine Forge Press Lu, Yuan and Bjorkman, Ingmar (1997) HRM practices in China-Western joint ventures: MNC standardization versus localization, The International Journal of Human Resource Management, 8: pp. 614 628. Martin, G. and Beaumont, P. (1999) Co-ordination and Control of Human Resource Management in Multinational Firms: the Case of CASHCO, International Journal of Human Resource Management, 10, 1: 21-42. Miles, M., Huberman, A., (1994), Qualitative Data Analysis: An Expanded Sourcebook, Sage, Thousand Oaks.. Myloni, B Mirza H.R. (2004), Host country specific factors and the transfer of Human Resource Management practices in Multinational Companies, International Journal of Manpower, vol. 25 (6), pp. 518-534. Runkel. P and McGrath.J, Research on human behavior: A systematic guide to method, Holt, Rinehart Winston, New York (1972). Saunders, M, Thornhill. A, Lewis. P (2007) Research Methods for Business Students (Fourth Edition), Prentice Hall, pp. 138. Selwyn, N. and Robson, K. (1998) Using E-Mail As A Research Tool, Social Research Update, issue 21. Wang, Cindy (2002), Human Resource Management in Transition: A study of MNEs in China, Manchester Metropolitan University Business School Working Paper Series, October. Watson, T. (1994) Recruitment and Selection. In Sisson, K. (ed.) Personnel Management. Oxford: Blackwell, pp. 185-252. Whetten, D., (1989), What Contributes a Theoretical Contribution?, Academy of Management Review, Vol 14, No 4, pp 490-495. William M. K. Trochim (2006), Research Methods Knowledge Base, Web Center for Social Research Methods. URL: http://www.socialresearchmethods.net/kb/timedim.php Yin, R., (2003) Case Study Research: Design and Methods, 3rd Ed, Sage, Beverly Hills, California

Environmental Apocalypse :: Environment Consumerism Population Essays

Environmental Apocalypse The environment is in a terrible condition and although an environmental apocalypse is not imminent we are definitely headed down that road. Some of the reasons for our Earth’s trouble are overpopulation, consumerism, and overconsumption. The earth’s population is ever increasing; it is only a matter of time before there are not enough resources to support life on the planet and the population begins to die off due to lack of food, water, and other resources. With our current population increase rates the population will double within the next century. â€Å"Indeed, the world population did double in thirty-seven years from 1950 to 1987.'; (Ehrlich, 1990) The problem with overpopulation is that even if we all reduce our impact on the environment, when the population doubles, so will the total impact on the earth will be doubled. Consumerism is another thing that is threatening our planet. Everyone who wants to be anyone â€Å"must have'; whatever is cool at the time. This usually means the biggest, meanest, least efficient car or the fanciest toys, generally leading to wasteful packaging and harmful chemicals or other bad stuff. â€Å"In short, Impact = Population * Affluence * Technology.'; (Ehrlich, 1990) The problem is that everyone cares too much about societies image of them that they don’t think about the results of their actions. We also have a problem with the consumption of our resources. Many of the resources that we rely like fossil fuels, forests, and water are non-renewable. We are rapidly depleting these and have nothing to use when they are gone. Our society will have a lot of trouble turning around their habits until we are desperately low on them and it will be too late. It will be difficult to develop alternative technologies because of a lack of government funding, and the people who have the money (oil companies) do not want their income taken away by a different resource.

Kerala from Sangam to Dutch Period

Introduction. ?Kerala has a unique Geographical position. ?Kerala has a rich culture and is the meeting point of many types of ideologies, Ideas and religious views. ?Travelers, merchants and rulers visited kerala and influenced its History. ?Story Behind the birth Of Kerala. ?Parasurama the 6th Incarnation of Lord Vishnuthrew an axe far into the sea and commanded the sea to retreat. ?The land that emerged from the waters became Kerala. ?From where does the term kerala come from ? ?Sanskrit scholars derive the name from â€Å"Kera or coconut†,which is a staple product of kerala. Others say it is derived from the Tamil word â€Å"Charal† meaning Mountain slope. ?Arab and Persian writers and early Malayalam and medieval Tamil Literature say that the word kerala means the land of hills and mountains. Traditional sources. ?Early history of kerala is based on traditions. The two major sources are : ? Archaeological Sources. ?Archaeological survey and excavations were started in Kerala by Ward and Conor in 1819. ? there are 3 relics of the Historical period found in the various parts of Kerala. They are : 1. monuments 2. coins 3. inscription. ?Monuments. 1.Stone images of Buddha, reflect the culture of kerala during the Buddhist era. 2. Religious monuments : Temples , Churches, Mosques and Synagogues. 3. Palaces – famous Padmanabhapuram palace in Kanyakumari district and Dutch palace in Fort Cochin. 4. Forts and historical sites. ?Coins. ? Many foreign and indigenous coins have been found in kerala. †¢ Rast is the oldest of them. †¢Roman coins are the oldest Foreign coins. †¢Rulers of Travancore and Cochin Had their own independent coinage. †¢Dutch copper coins and British Indian Coins give valuable information to historians. ?Inscriptions . Throw light on the political,Cultural, and social life of the People of Kerala. 2. Give insight into working conditions of local assemblies, how temples were managed, Relationship between the landlord and tenant and functioning Of educational institutions. 3. Some inscriptions testify the liberal policy of religious tolerationfollowed by the ancient rulers of Kerala. ?Sangam Age(1-500 A. D. ) ? Sangam Literature was composed, In which the Works of poets and writers threw light upon cultural, economic, political, Social and other aspects of the kingdoms of the South. Through these works we get to know what happened during the first 500 years of Christian Era : I. there was monarchy and patrilineal system of succession, II. Women were well educated and had a good position in society, III. Monogamy was the norm, widow remarriage was permitted, Child marriage was not there. ?No division of society into high and low castes,there was no untouchability, ? Rice was the staple food, people had no restrictions regarding beef eating and other non-veg items. Rice-wine was a popular drink. ?It was rare to find Brahmins though some were there as Aryan Brahmins in the royal court. Agriculture was a major occupation and due to trade with countries like Rome, they flourished as a prosperous set of people. Post Sangam Period (500-800 A. D. ) ?Main rulers of this period were Cheraman Perumal and Kulasekara Alwar. ?The former became a Vaishnavite Poet and the latter accepted Islam and went to Mecca. ?Adi Shankara (788-820 A. D. ) lived and propogated the Advaida philosophy during this period. ?After the creation of Kerala it was believed that Parasurama planted sixty-four joint Brahmin Families and gave them rules which would govern them. The Brahmins invited rulers called â€Å"Perumals â€Å" to rule them and each ruler was appointed for a period of 12 years to rule over them. The Kollam Epoch (800-1200A. D) ?Politically Kerala was under the Cholas and Pandyas. †¢A temple was constructed at almost every town and village in Kerala †¢ the Quilon calendar was introduced during this time in 25 July 825 A. D. ? Festivals like onam and vishu came to be cel ebrated. ? The 9th century A. D. saw Malayalam growing as a distinct language. ? Educational institutions like â€Å"Salai† came into existance. ? This period also saw the grow of trade and commerce. There was trade between China and Kerala. ?Tenant system was prevalent whereby the feudal lords enjoyed life at the cost of the poor tenants. ?Sales and tax on vehicles fetched a revenue for the state. ?Ravi Varma Epoch (1200-1500 A. D) ? During this period the land relations showed certain important features : ? Increase of intermediaries as temporary holders of land. ?Increased measures to expand cultivable land and enhance income from land. ?The emergence of cash money in obtaining land rights. ?Traditional landowners held the right of ownership of land. ?Pledging of land of debt on interest. Agriculture was the main occupation. ?There were other occupations like ritual-cum-medicine men, astrologers, washer men and so on. ?There was growth of trade and trading centres; ?Trade was at 3 levels : ?Transport system was essential for trade and in this context there were many boats, ships; even bridges over waterways was essential. ?Portugese Rule In Kerala. ?Political authority was fragmented by the time the Portuguese came to kerala. ?In 1498, Vasco-do-Gamma reached Kappad near Kozhikode. ?Portugese, was the first to achieve a stronghold in Kerala ?A number of battles were fought between the provincial rulers and the Portugese. In 1524 Gamma was appointed the Portugese viceroy of Kerala. ?Apart from commerce, they were also interested in imparting their faith to the people. ?Many people were forced to convert. ?In 1550’s , St. Francis Xavier converted many fisher folk and other socially backward sections along the coastal regions of southern Kerala. ?The chiefs in the state (except the Muslims to whom the Portuguese were hostile) did not resist the conversion as long as they had freedom to do trade and commercial activities and the economic fabric of society was not disturbed. The Portuguese used their own tactics of divide and rule policy for fulfilling their commercial interests in the state. ?New towns had risen and old towns decayed. eg. Calicut, Cochin, Chaliyam gained importance while Quilon and Cranganore languished. ?Crops like cashewnuts, tobacco, custard apple, guava, pineapple and papaya were introduced. ?Gunpowder increased the importance of artillery. This brought unemployment among the Nairs who were well trained in swords and shields. †¢They established seminaries and colleges in Cochin, Angamali and Cranganore. For gtting Christian priests. †¢St.Francis Xavier translated Catechism into Malayalam. †¢Fearing ?The Dutch in Kerala. ?Dutch East India Company was established in the year 1592. ?In 1604 they came to the Malabar coast. ?There was rivalry btw Cochin and Kozhikode during that time and they took advantage of this situation. ?However like the Portuguese their involvement in the local politics w as minimal. ?However they had conflicts btw Marthanda Varma of Thiruvithankur and Samuthiri of Kozhikode. ?The Dutch had the main power over the Trade activities. ?Pepper and spices were exported by merchants only after the consent of the Dutch people. They constructed forts and factories here like the Portuguese. ?They sold Indonesian spices and sugar to those ships which were going to Cochin. It turned out to be a success. ?But this didn’t last for long as it declined from 1783 and was completely stopped by 1793 due to poor demand. ?Conclusion ?The History of kerala is very essential part of the heritage of the state and country as well. ?If we study History well then we would know about the real background in which our state developed through the years. ?We can also see the contrasting practices that were in vogue during the ancient and medieval and the present kerala society.

Content Management Systems essays

Content Management Systems essays A content management system (CMS) is a term used to describe a system that manages Web site content. The CMS is well known for its ability to provide templates that allow a content author to manage the creation, modification and removal of Web site content without the need to know Hypertext Markup Language (HTML). Thus, the organization is less dependent on specialized Web developer skills for Web site development and maintenance. However, the are numerous lesser known benefits such as data integration, design consistency, personalization, content syndication, automation of review, approval and publishing, and indexing, search, and retrieval that make CMS's an attractive value proposition for most Because a CMS separates the management of content from design, a Web page can more easily include content from multiple sources such as databases and files. The format management feature allows electronic and scanned paper documents to be formatted into HTML or Portable Document Format for use on the Web site. And, Web developers can more readily leverage templates and design elements to ensure consistency throughout the Web site. This also means that maintenance is less complicated because developers only need to modify templates instead of individual Web pages. Most CMS's allow different levels of access permissions to be set for separate areas of a Web site, facilitating work by areas of responsibility. Web sites are growing more complex in their needs for personalization and content syndication. More and more, companies wanted to customize Web sites to appeal to different audiences, particularly in sites for electronic commerce. In conjunction with a customer relationship management system that understands the site visitor's preferences and behavior, CMS's help to manage the personalized content that they can access. Web sites are no longer operated in a vacu...

Free Essays on Feed the Starving

Feed the Starving On the issue of world hunger the two essays â€Å"Why not use food as food?† and â€Å"The Island of Plenty† present opposing arguments. In â€Å"Why not use food as food?†, George Will argues that because there is such a surplus of food in America, we should use the extra food to aid other starving countries. Johnson C. Montgomery, author of â€Å"The Island of Plenty†, argues the opposite by saying that sharing our food with other nations would only cause a depletion of our resources and the weakening of our country as a whole. Of the two essays, Will’s essay is more persuasive to the reader because though Montgomery’s arguments are more passionate, Will’s objectivity in evaluating the issue is more convincing. Will uses the three different methods of appeal, emotional, ethical, and logical, in his essay. He first uses these when he writes about a dormant limestone mine in Missouri where â€Å"the government stores so much surplus cheese, butter, and powdered milk that a visitor would be hard pressed to walk past it all in one day.† He then goes on to tell the reader about the 20 million people in African countries who will die of starvation if they do not receive food of some kind. From this standpoint, the Americans’ sharing of extra food seems both logical and ethical. After this, Will appeals to the reader’s emotions and sympathy when he describes a picture of a â€Å"child sucking from the withered breast of a woman who could be nineteen years old." On the other hand Montgomery writes, â€Å"If we try to save the starving millions today we will simply destroy what is left of our Eden.† This is an example of an either-or fallacy; a statement that contains flawed logic. He implies that if the United States helps starving people now, eventually the depletion of our nation's resources will occur. He then argues that, by helping other countries, the United States has only increased the amount of st... Free Essays on Feed the Starving Free Essays on Feed the Starving Feed the Starving On the issue of world hunger the two essays â€Å"Why not use food as food?† and â€Å"The Island of Plenty† present opposing arguments. In â€Å"Why not use food as food?†, George Will argues that because there is such a surplus of food in America, we should use the extra food to aid other starving countries. Johnson C. Montgomery, author of â€Å"The Island of Plenty†, argues the opposite by saying that sharing our food with other nations would only cause a depletion of our resources and the weakening of our country as a whole. Of the two essays, Will’s essay is more persuasive to the reader because though Montgomery’s arguments are more passionate, Will’s objectivity in evaluating the issue is more convincing. Will uses the three different methods of appeal, emotional, ethical, and logical, in his essay. He first uses these when he writes about a dormant limestone mine in Missouri where â€Å"the government stores so much surplus cheese, butter, and powdered milk that a visitor would be hard pressed to walk past it all in one day.† He then goes on to tell the reader about the 20 million people in African countries who will die of starvation if they do not receive food of some kind. From this standpoint, the Americans’ sharing of extra food seems both logical and ethical. After this, Will appeals to the reader’s emotions and sympathy when he describes a picture of a â€Å"child sucking from the withered breast of a woman who could be nineteen years old." On the other hand Montgomery writes, â€Å"If we try to save the starving millions today we will simply destroy what is left of our Eden.† This is an example of an either-or fallacy; a statement that contains flawed logic. He implies that if the United States helps starving people now, eventually the depletion of our nation's resources will occur. He then argues that, by helping other countries, the United States has only increased the amount of st...

Assess the claim that video games have had a negative effect on Essay

Assess the claim that video games have had a negative effect on society - Essay Example Conversely, the negative effects of playing video games include the violent behaviour that they might teach the gamers as well as increasing the player’s perception of danger and risk in the real world. Furthermore, playing video games increases the player’s level of control, by influencing the adoption of violent behaviour. Watching video games is likely to affect the conception of teenagers, making them view the society as a gaming environment. The negative influences of Video games in society The first negative influence of video games is that they augment tendencies towards crime development and violent behaviour among young viewers. Different studies have been done in this area, and many of them have established a correlation between the two aspects. One of the studies done in the area showed that some negative patterns associated with video games were likely to trigger adverse behaviours such as shooting at school or within the community (Kutner and Olson 2008). A mong the widely accepted controversy about the effect of video games was that of Exidy’s game of 1976, under the title Death Race (Bensely and Van Eenwyk 2001). In the game, players would direct cars that would run over gremlins with the game becoming a major concern that consequently led to its withdrawal from stores after its sale was disallowed (Bensely and Van Eenwyk 2001). ... Video games are likely to affect the society negatively since they are a channel through which sexual themes are communicated to its viewers, and many times among the young generation. These themes, communicated through the video games, cultivate the development of sexual behaviours depicted through the games, which is much influential among teenagers. One major example of a video game that communicated sexual themes is the hot coffee mod and grand theft auto where the player stimulates sexual inclined actions among the girlfriends of the main character. Later in 2005, due to the extreme effects of the video game on its players particularly teenagers, the ESRB (Entertainment Software Rating Board) changed the game’s rating to the ‘adults’ only category.’ Furthermore, the game’s sale was restricted from sale at many stores. Many adults felt that the game promoted the adoption of sexual behaviour among its players, and the effect would be worse among t eenagers since they were less knowledgeable than adult players (Meli 2011). The negative effect of video games in communicating sexual themes was also demonstrated through the effect of Rapelay, which revolved around the theme of rape. Many viewers and public views agreed unanimously that the game could promote the development of raping behaviours among young and adult players. The sentiments triggered worldwide campaigns in opposition of the game, which led to its banishment (Meli 2011). Games are used as a platform for the negative portrayal of gender stereotypes and roles. Through many video games, the roles of males are portrayed as those of muscled, hard bodied people, while the females are

Electronic Banking Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Electronic Banking - Case Study Example According to New Dawn Magazine (1995, pg. 1), "Money - in the traditional sense no longer exists. It died two decades ago when Richard Nixon forever abolished the gold standard. Since then, money as we once knew it has been replaced by an unstable new global medium of exchange that is called 'megabyte money'... megabyte money is a threat not only to our country's long-term growth and prosperity, but to the individual as well." The public now has quite a few electronic money counterparts available at their disposal. The United States Bureau of Engraving and Printing still prints greenbacks in sheets of 32. "In fiscal 2007, the government will print about 9.1 billion individual bills. But 95 percent is to replace worn currency, not to expand the supply. THE BUCK STARTS HERE, say signs on some printing presses. In reality, today's buck usually begins (and ends) as a mere data entry" (Samuelson, 2007, pg. 1). * U.S. currency (dollar bills of all amounts) totaled $784 billion in 2006, but probably half or more is held outside the United States by foreigners who prize dollars--especially $100 bills--as a store of value. That suggests that less than $400 billion in currency supports a $13 trillion economy. In 1970, the economy's relative need for cash was almost twice as high. * In 2005, Americans held 1.7 billion credit and debit cards (about seven for everyone over 15), says The Nilson Report, an industry newsletter, and in the past decade, debit-card use has soared. In 1996, checks and cash represented almost 80 percent of consumer payments, estimates Nilson; they're now less than half. (The latest firm figures for 2005 show all paper payments at 50.3 percent of the total, with cash at 20.7 percent; by 2010, Nilson expects electronic payments to exceed 70 percent of the total.) * From a peak of almost 50 billion in 1995, the number of checks written in the United States fell to 36.6 billion in 2003, while the number of electronic payments rose from 15 billion to 44 billion, estimates the Federal Reserve. (The Fed survey doesn't directly measure cash use.) Companies are even marketing products to kids that are supposed to help get them used to the cashless society that supposedly lies ahead. For instance, Mastercard came out with a credit card made just for children. One of the biggest dangers of this card is that it can allow children to go into debt by purchasing and consuming large amounts of products without using cash. "Supporters regard the cards, which are issued by Bluecorner, as the natural step in an increasingly cashless society. They argue that the prepayment cards will familiarise children with plastic without spending too much. The cards are designed to get children used to the fact that cash is obsolete and their money, and the amount they are allowed to spend is controlled by someone else who also profits from their spending" (Watson, 2006, pg. 1). The Role of Information Systems According to New Dawn Magazine (1995, pg. 1), "Certainly there are jumps in technology that have facilitated this. For instance, a product that we market at Norwest is a debit card. It is a Visa Card (credit) but it's a debit card, so the money comes out of your checking account. This year [1994] across the country, Visa's volume (the number of times that the Visa Card is used) is up massively. Check