Measuring Quality of Life Based on Geography

Perhaps the most important aspect of living that we sometimes take for granted is the quality of life that we receive by living and working where we do. For instance, the ability for you to peruse these words through the use of a computer is something that might be censored in some Middle Eastern countries and China. Even our capability to walk safely down a street is something that some countries (and even some cities in the United States) may lack. Identifying areas with the highest quality of life offers an important view of cities and ​countries while providing information for those hoping to relocate. Measuring  Quality of Life By Geography One way of looking at a places quality of life is by the amount of output it produces each year. This is especially handy in the case of a country considering many countries have varying degrees of production, differing resources, and distinctive conflicts and problems within them. The major way of measuring a countrys output per year is by looking at the countrys gross domestic product, or GDP. The GDP is the amount of goods and services produced within a country annually and is typically a good indication of the amount of money flowing in and out of the country. When we divide a countrys total GDP by its total population, we get GDP per capita which reflects what each individual of that country takes home (on average) per year. The idea is that the more money we have the better off we are. Top 5 Countries with the Largest GDPs The following are the top five countries with the largest GDPs in 2010 according to the World Bank: 1) United States: $14,582,400,000,0002) China: $5,878,629,000,0003) Japan: $5,497,813,000,0004) Germany: $3,309,669,000,0005) France: $2,560,002,000,000 Countries with Highest-Ranked GDP Per Capita The five highest-ranked countries in terms of GDP per capita in 2010 according to the World Bank: 1) Monaco: $186,1752) Liechtenstein: $134,3923) Luxembourg: $108,7474) Norway: $84,8805) Switzerland: $67,236 It seems that small developed countries are ranked the highest in terms of per capita income. This is a good indicator to see what the average salary is of a country but can be a bit misleading since these small countries are also some of the richest and, therefore, must be the most well off. Since this indicator can be a bit distorted due to the population size, there exist other factors which further inform quality of life. Human Poverty Index Another metric for looking at how well-off a countrys people are is to take into consideration the Human Poverty Index (HPI) of the country. The HPI for developing countries represents quality of life by formulating the probability of not surviving to age 40, the adult literacy rate, and the average amount of the countrys population who have little to no access to clean drinking water. While the outlook for this metric is seemingly dismal, it does provide important clues as to what countries are better off. There is a second HPI that is used mostly for those countries that are considered developed. The United States, Sweden, and Japan are good examples. The aspects that are formulated for this HPI are the probability of not surviving to age 60, the number of adults lacking functional literacy skills, the percentage of ​the  population with income below the poverty line, and the rate of unemployment lasting longer than 12 months. Other Measures and Indicators of Quality of Life A well-known survey that attracts a lot of international attention is the Mercer Quality of Living Survey. The annual list places New York City with a baseline score of 100 to act as the median for all other cities to compare with. The rankings consider many different aspects from cleanliness and safety to culture and infrastructure. The list is a very valuable resource for ambitious companies looking to set up an office internationally, and also for employers to decide on how much to pay at certain offices. Recently, Mercer began to factor in environmental friendliness into their equation for cities with the highest qualities of life as a means of better qualifying what makes a great city. There exist a few unusual indicators for measuring quality of life as well. For example, the king of Bhutan in the 1970s (Jigme Singye Wangchuck) decided to overhaul the Bhutanese economy by having each member of the country strive for happiness as opposed to money. He felt that GDP was rarely a good indicator of happiness as the indicator fails to take into account environmental and ecological improvements and their effects, yet includes defense expenditures that rarely benefit a countrys happiness. He developed an indicator called Gross National Happiness (GNH), which is somewhat difficult to measure. For instance, while GDP is an easy tally of goods and services sold within a country, GNH doesnt have much for quantitative measures. However, scholars have tried their best to make some sort of quantitative measurement and have found a countrys GNH to be a function of the well-being of a human in economic, environmental, political, social, workplace, physical, and mental terms. These terms, when aggregated and analyzed, can define how happy a nation is. There are also a number of other ways to quantify ones quality of life. A second alternative is the genuine progress indicator (GPI) which is similar to GDP but instead looks to see if a countrys growth has actually made people better off in that nation. For instance, if the financial costs of crimes, environmental degradation, and natural resource losses are higher than the financial gains made through production, then the countrys growth is uneconomic. One statistician who has created a way to analyze trends in data and growth is the Swedish academic Hans Rosling. His creation, Gapminder Foundation, has compiled plenty of useful data for the public to access, and even a visualizer, which allows for a user to look at trends over time. It is a great tool for anyone interested in growth or health statistics.

The Rituals Of Rituals And Rituals - 2269 Words

Rituals are often just thought of as something that religious groups do, but that is not the case. It is true that many religions have certain rituals that they perform, yet it is also true that an individual can have certain daily rituals of their own. Some examples of daily rituals are doing chores, going to school, doing homework, and even making dinner each night. My daily rituals aren’t as advanced as making dinner, even though I do make it every now and then, but I still have a few. Daily rituals play key roles in people’s lives, and really say a lot about someone’s personality. As I have already stated, I have many daily rituals just like everyone else. The most consistent daily ritual that I have is probably asking my two little sisters if they need help with any homework. My little sisters, Alexa and Carrie, are participating in extracurricular activities for the first time as freshmen in high school. This is one reason that I want to help them. Another reason I want to help them is they don’t go to just any high school; they go to iSTEM Early College High School. I notice how much homework they have and I can’t imagine how hard it is for them. I know how hard it was for me when I participated in baseball my freshman year, and track my sophomore and junior year, but I think they have it a bit harder. It seems that only the intelligent people in society are challenged. Advanced students get all of the homework while those in the basic classes are the ones who needShow MoreRelatedIndian Wedding Rituals And Traditional Rituals1895 Words   |  8 Pagesborrowed, something blue†¦Ã¢â‚¬  A wedding is a ceremony of marriage that is celebrated across cultures. It is one of the only rituals that many of the world’s cultures have in common. However, each culture has their own unique traditions when dealing with marriage. 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Spirit free essay sample

Jewel has finally come out with a follow up to her platinum album, Pieces of You. Jewel Kilcher is known for her soothing sounds and intricate harmonies. And in the new album, Spirit, Jewel gives us exactly what we expected. Her hit single, Hands, went to the top of the charts even before the album was released. Many of the songs on Spirit are beautiful love songs that easily relax a person and change their mood from stressed to mellow. In Jewels first album, Pieces of You, she explored her spirituality in songs like Who Will Save Your Soul, and even some controversial issues in songs such as Little Sister. In the new album, Spirit, the songs are mostly, if not all, love songs. Even though the constant theme of love can be tiresome, Jewel maintains her original goal of making quality music. Spirit ends up with a lot of different sounds and melodies that could entrance you for a full hour, or put you to sleep. We will write a custom essay sample on Spirit or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Jewel succeeds in bringing out an album that is different from many recent ones. It is definitely not in-your-face rock music. What it does do is represent folk-based songs that express her feelings about love and spirituality. In order to get away from the hustle and bustle of everyday life, Jewels new album Spirit might be a worthy purchase. But Im sure your teachers wouldnt approve if you listen to this before you do your homework, because these songs will put you in a coma if youre not careful.

Critical Decisions for ERP Integration

Question: Discuss about the Critical Decisions for ERP Integration. Answer: Introduction. The most competitive advantage of a business largely depends on its possibility to benefit from innovation activities. Understanding a number of the internal and external factors that affect a business and its management is necessary to decide the innovation strategy that will eventually yield income for the organization. Business is an organization where an exchange of goods and services takes place for money or one another (Trkman, 2010). Business decision making is not just a one-time experiment; it is a continuous process that must be solved in harmony with the organization strategy. Critical organizational issues are usually accompanied by lots of business processes, business structure, and strategy. A critical business issue can be defined as a problem or opportunity which is critical to the general success of an organization. This paper aims at examining some of the critical issues that are related to business and management context, and to gain clarity of the contextual facto rs that affect an organizational business decision making. Organizational behaviors Organizational behaviors define both the supervisory relationships, the structure of a business and workflow within the organization. The behaviors of an employee at work are different from their behaviors in a social setting or at home. There are certain factors that can motivate an employee or contribute to disengagement. These includes; culture, motivation, decision-making and change management (Ajmal, Martel Kokale, 2010). When a new employee enters an organization, their behaviour will be determined by the organizational culture. People tend to fit in the environment around them since they are social beings. If an organizations culture encourages its employees to speak up without fear, then new employees will embrace this as well. While if an organizations culture encourages the shoot the messenger trend, then it is clear that the employees will keep their opinions to themselves. Employees are mostly motivated when they can spot a clear distinction between the efforts that they put and the rewards they receive when they work hard. A salary should not be the only reason for an employee top show up at work (Klibi, Martel Guitoni, 2010). Rewards must be available and should fair and equitable to ensure that the employees of the organization are inspired to work hard. Human beings make business decisions, whether at the organizational or individual levels. The organizations' behaviour greatly informs the peoples decision making process. Businesses with excellent and good communication mechanisms make it easier for staff to make effective choices because well acquainted with the concepts of the business in question. All businesses should respond to dynamic markets, critical requirements and client demands if they must succeed. Businesses and companies can manage change effectively if they understand the organizational behaviour (Klibi, Martel Guitoni, 2010). The need for change in an organization should be openly discussed; employees should be involved and given a chance to participate fully. Business managers should also adapt to the changes. Environmental sources Both internal and external environmental factors influence business. The internal factors includes those factors which exist within the organizations' premises. They affect the different operations that take place in the business. The internal factors include; a value system, mission and objectives, financial factors and internal relationship (Russo Perrini, 2010). A value system is the culture and norms of a given organization; this is the regulatory system or framework of the business. Every employee and managers are required to act within the limits of this framework. The missions and objectives guide an organization's different priorities, policies, and philosophies. Financial factors which come in forms of policies, financial status and capital structures also affects the performance and strategies of the business. Internal relationships refer to the support that the executive management is given by all the stakeholders of the business. Outside factors affecting a business can be further divided into micro and macro environment factors. The microenvironment factors include suppliers, competitors and marketing intermediaries. Suppliers are the people who have the responsibility of supplying the necessary inputs to an organization. The organizations management should keep a close look on the market come up with necessary strategies and policies that will enable them to face the competition they face from other organizations (Malhotra Temponi, 2010). Marketing intermediaries help the organization in promoting, selling as well as distributing business goods and services to customers. This makes marketing intermediaries the only vital link between the business owners and consumers. These macro environment factors include economic, social, political and technological factors. Economic factors that affect business are the economic conditions together with policies that contribute to the economic environment together. An example includes rate, inflation, and impeding trade practices. The social factors are the general society, together with the priorities s well as preferences which include educational background, peoples purchasing power, and consumption patterns (Zikmund, Babin, Carr Griffin, 2013). The political factors are linked to business public affairs management and their impact on the organization. In order to maintain political stability in trade, it is important to maintain political stability. Recent technology helps improve the market attractiveness of a product hence making the commodity attractive to the end consumer. It is, therefore, important that a business keeps pace with the dynamic technologies to survive in the long run. Risk confronting the organization Organizations face all types of risks, some of these risks sometimes causes serious loss of profits others even leading to bankruptcy. Business is likely to face the following types of risks; strategic risks, risk of operation, risk of compliance, risks related to finances and reputational risks. Strategic risks are when the business strategy becomes less effective forcing the company to struggle to achieve its goals (George, McGahan Prabhu, 2012). Strategic risk can be caused by technological changes, a strong new competitor, shifts in the customer demand, cost of raw material spikes, and any other large scale change. Compliance risks involve a business ability to comply with all the required laws and regulations that apply to business. New laws are implemented all the time. Hence there is always a risk that an organization is likely to face more regulations in the near future. When the business expands, they may find the need to comply with new rules that did not exist when the bu siness was started. Operational risk involves an unexpected failure in an organizations day to day operations. This could be a technical failure or could be caused by the employees, management or the processes of the company. Am operational risk could also be caused sometimes by events outside an organizations' control, for example, a power cut, natural disaster, technical problems, etc. Financial risk refers to the finances flowing in and out of the organization, and the possible fact that a sudden financial loss could occur. Financial risk increases when a business engages in debts, especially if some of these debts are short term that is due in the near future (Sarkis, Zhu Lai, 2011). In any business, reputation is everything. If a reputation of a business is damaged, an immediate loss is realized as most customers attracted to organizations with good reputations. Reputational risks come off major lawsuits, embarrassing product recall or negative publicity about an organizations' staff or business i tself. Governance and legal requirement Many legislations affect businesses by providing legal definitions, establishing operational and finance related codes that should be followed by business firms. These legal requirements come in forms of regulatory, labour, tax and reporting legislations. The laws and regulations have a direct impact on how business firms operate within particular business environments. These forms of regulations are formulated and implemented as codes and environmental rules and regulations. Labour laws refers to regulations that look into the manner in which employees are treated in an organization. These includes regulations such as minimum pay, protection of workers, and payment garnishment rules. Tax laws that a business should consider are following the principles of accounting. However, many are viewed as significant notable deviations, such as the schedules regulating depreciations that the government allows (Taricchi, Toneli Cagnazzo, 2010). Finally, the laws and regulations of tax regulate s the manner in which organizations present their financial reports Organizational functions consist of a marketing department, Human Resources departments, and information technology departments. The organizational functions break the companys works into different groups, forcing the individual's group to accomplish their tasks or the whole organization suffers. Businesses can have different ways of dividing responsibilities and duties throughout the company (Doz, 2011). When each department completes their assigned task successfully, then everything runs smoothly. In a case where either an employee or a manager, fails to accomplish their task or delays to do so, there is a risk of not being able to deliver, hence pissing off customers and stakeholders, this will automatically result in the business realizing losses. Positive work and business practice In business, it makes much sense when employees are satisfied with their work as well as workplace conditions. This includes balancing the needs and capacity of the organization to that of the employees. There are certain areas that an organization needs to consider to enable a positive work in the business entity (Al-Debei Avison, 2010). These includes getting the basic conditions right, being a good communicator, having a positive management approach among others. Organizations who fail to set up good business practice may end up not running smoothly. Business owners should practice the art of engaging in meaningful dialogues, showing appreciation where necessary, listening to both customer and employees ideas and trusting team members as well. References Ajmal, M., Helo, P., Kekle, T. (2010). Critical factors for knowledge management in project business.Journal of knowledge management,14(1), 156-168. Al-Debei, M. M., Avison, D. (2010). Developing a unified framework of the business model concept.European Journal of Information Systems,19(3), 359-376. Doz, Y. (2011). Qualitative research for international business.Journal of International Business Studies,42(5), 582-590. George, G., McGahan, A. M., Prabhu, J. (2012). Innovation for inclusive growth: Towards a theoretical framework and a research agenda.Journal of management studies,49(4), 661- 683. Klibi, W., Martel, A., Guitouni, A. (2010). 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