How has IT affected Society? Essay

The term information technology (IT) refers to anything related to computing technology, such as networking, hardware, software, the Internet, or the people that work with these technologies. IT evolved in the 1970’s and has become a part of our everyday lives. †¢Globalization: The creation of one interdependent system helps us to share information and end linguistic barriers across the continents. The technology has not only made communication cheaper, but also possible much quicker and round the clock. The wonders of text messages, email and auto-response, backed by computer security applications, has opened up scope for direct communication. †¢Creation of New Jobs: Things that were once done manually or by hand have now become easier and faster due to the advent of a computing technology. A whole new field of opportunities for skilled persons has opened up such as web designers, computer programmers, system analyst etc. †¢Cost effective: Information technology has helped to computerize the business process to make them extremely cost effective money making machines. This in turn increases productivity which ultimately gives rise to profits that means better pay and less strenuous working conditions. †¢Privacy: Though information technology may have made communication quicker, easier and more convenient, it has also bought along privacy issues. From cell phone signal interceptions to email hacking, people are now worried about their once private information becoming public knowledge. †¢Dominant culture: While information technology may have made the world a global village, it has also contributed to one culture dominating another weaker one †¢Loss of personal touch: emails and instant messaging have replaced the old tradition of handwriting letters. †¢Theft of personal information †¢Pornography †¢Unemployment †¢Lac of job security IT use in Mexico has changed since the implementation of NAFTA. Specifically, it appears that the indirect effects of NAFTA have increased investment and foreign firm activity in Mexico, which has ultimately increased IT use. However, the uniform proliferation of IT throughout Mexico, especially among domestic firms and within the more rural areas, appears to be weak. NAFTA, though helpful, could have been more effective in stimulating IT adoption if it were aided by further government interventions and if more focus was directed at building up a more conducive IT infrastructure. Cuba is the Caribbean’s largest and least commercialized island and one of the world’s last bastions of communism. The island’s relative political isolation has prevented it from being overrun by tourists, and locals are sincerely friendly to those who do visit. Cuba’s international telecommunication infrastructure is in better condition and better able to meet current and future demand than their internal infrastructure, although that is also improving. Demand for telecommunication is rising in spite of the economic effects of the loss of Eastern Europe and the embargo. Key industries which generate hard currency (tourism and biotechnology) require communication, and their requirements are being slowly funded. And article covering the effect of technology on the society of Nigeria While students may hunger and yearn for computers they do not have the earning power to buy PC â€Å"While students may hunger and yearn for computers they do not have the earning power – so while the demand will be catalyzed by students it will be actualized by willing parents, wards, guardians, mentors and other well meaning Nigerians who are willing to invest as little as N3, 500 a month in the future of the country†, Omobola Johnson, Minister of Communication Technology says summing up the launch of the Student PC Ownership Programme to equip Nigerian students with computers. Cost effectiveness on Businesses Quicker Communication Theft of personal information The Information Technology Society deals with all aspects of information technology in industry, administration, teaching, research and science. Its primary aim is to promote the scientific and technical development of information technology and its practical application. The ongoing computing and communications revolution has numerous economic and social impacts on modern society and requires serious social science investigation in order to manage its risks and dangers. Each technology has its users and developers. They determine the importance and influence of technology on the consumer. To determine and group the users and developers of the information technology, special properties have to be taken into account.

Socrates: Guilty or Not

Socrates is one of the founders of Western philosophy. The dialogues, written by many of his students, such as Plato, represent a unique way of questioning how we should live our lives, and who do we aspire to become. He was a very intelligent man who was very concerned about ethics, being a good Athenian, and doing what is just. In Plato’s Apology the reader experiences all of Socrates characteristics as if they where sitting right there with all the other five hundred men representing the jury. Socrates is trying to persuade the jury by defending himself against accusations made by fellow Athenian, Meletus. He accuses Socrates of corrupting the youth and of not believing in the gods the city of Athens believes in (Apology, 24 b-c).Socrates, not being familiar with courts, attempts at defending himself stating that is most likely to engage in a defense not using the language of lawyers, but in the way he is used to speak to the public. Even though Socrates was found guilty in the court of law, hence being sentenced to death, he still persuaded one of the jury men that was not present that day in to believing he was not guilty. I believe that Socrates defended himself more than well against his accusations, and the lack of evidence presented by his accusers gives more than enough reason that he was indeed not guilty. But there are two things I do not agree with Socrates: One being that he says he is not a wise man, and the other being that if someone does wrong to another person unwillingly, is a good enough reason for the wrongdoer to not have repercussions for his acts.It is Important to see that during the entire defense Socrates is attacking his accusers, mainly Meletus and he shows this right away when he goes through the first accusation of supposedly corrupting the youth. He says that most of the kids that follow him around are kids of very rich parents who just enjoy hearing people being questioned. Socrates states that every time his accusers ar e asked what he does and what is he teaching that corrupts the young, they have no answer for the question, and that most of the men are just angry because he questioned them on their supposed more than human wisdom (Apology, 23c-d).The great Socrates was known for going to every man who said was wise and ridiculing them in front of other spectators, in which he made a lot of enemies. It is very important to state that Socrates has been accused before; actually he has been receiving accusations since he was very young. Socrates says that he has two types of accusers: the earlier ones, and the recent ones, which he says listened to what the older accusers said about him making it easier to create a disliking for him. For me this is a very important point, because it is just another reason to believe that the accusations made are just repressed anger and disliking for a man who does not believe in committing any wrongdoing.Socrates continues his defense attacking Meletus and asking hi m who is allowed to improve and educate the youth, and he answers that everyone including the jurymen, the audience, the members of the council, the assembly, all Athenians except for Socrates himself (Apology, 24e-25a). This leads him to conclude that Meletus, using an analogy of horses and horse breeders, does not really care about the youth, because he believes that only one man in Athens can corrupt the youth while he goes on thinking that every other Athenian is educating and improving them (Apology, 25b-c). Socrates once again questions Meletus evidence.In another excerpt of the Apology, Socrates says how can so many people enjoy being around him and listening him questioning others. He then invites all of the supposedly men he has corrupted to stand up as witnesses, but he only finds all of the people that love him and follow him in the audience (Apology, 33c-34b). As you go through the first defense it just keeps on demonstrating the lack of evidence by the part of the accus ers, who could not even bring a single person to the stand that has been corrupted. This leads us to Socrates second part of the defense. In the affidavit it says that Socrates is charged for not believing in the cities gods, but when Meletus is questioned he says: â€Å"This is what I mean, that you do not believe in gods at all† (Apology, 26c).This completely changes is early accusation, and it certainly makes it clear that he is contradicting himself. Socrates continues to question Meletus about believing in spirits. Meletus answers a question that made by Socrates, in which he asked, â€Å"Do we not believe spirits to be either gods or the children of gods†, Meletus answers â€Å"Of course†(Apology, 27c-d). This leads me to my second point; does Socrates really believe in any supernatural being? I believe that he actually does.One small observation I made was that he mentions the god Zeus more than once during the trial (Apology, 17c, 25c, 35d). But more imp ortantly he talks about A* god who has put him in earth to do the work he does, to be a philosopher, to question what others do not dare. He states that they are treating a gift from god unjustly (Apology 30e-31b). He really persuaded me when he talked about a â€Å"divine or spiritual sign† that speaks to him when he needs to be turned away from something (Apology, 31d).Some jurymen would say he is just talking about this to get away with not being sentenced to death, but I say to those people why would a man who clearly says he does not fear death will lie in the court of law, which he has respected his entire life, because that is how he was brought up. But even if I agree with Socrates defense, there are two things I do not agree with. The first is that he says he is not a wise man, which I find to be completely absurd. In a sense I see it as his way for people taking him for a humble man.Early in the trial he expresses how he visited all the men who said they were wise, but he never says he questioned who said they were not wise. For Socrates being wise is someone who has knowledge and the more arrogant you are about knowing something the less of a wise man you are. To make my point Socrates never thinks of himself as a wise man, so by using his own explanation of a wise person makes him a wise man if not the wisest in Athens. (Santi remember that he believed that you truly do not understand anything until you understand yourself and your own beliefs. Socrates at least knows this truth about himself.)The second argument I do not agree with Socrates that if someone does something wrong unwillingly is exempt from being accused or even punished from his acts. I do believe in doing what is just, and I do believe Socrates was prosecuted unjustly. But just because you do wrong unwillingly does not give the state to let you go freely. Take this for example you are in a bar and you are carrying a weapon with you, for precaution measures. The gun accidental ly goes of and you injure a person. This would go under unwillingly causing harm to another person, but it does not mean that you should not receive any punishment for acting carelessly while carrying a fire weapon. I arrived at the conclusion that Socrates was never to be punished in any sort of way.The main reason is because the accusations were vague and were not backed up by any type of evidence. These accusers were blinded by a hatred that was born when they were young and  continued to build up when they see the man named Socrates walking through the streets of Athens questioning everything. The city of Athens and the people who lived there were taught everything they know and believe, and those things were never to be questioned because that is what they were taught. Then came Socrates, a wise man, and questioned everything, but I do not believe he ever intended, and surely did not, to corrupt the youth. I strongly believe that he was helping every single human being he spo ke to.Socrates was teaching the people of Athens to question things, to be curious and question everything, and that is the basis of philosophy: to question. One could say that Socrates prophecy was fulfilled his conviction will be shameful for Athens because there will be others to take his place. By reading the Apology I felt a one more jurymen, and I definitely found this man to not be guilty on any of the charges.

Balance Sheet and Inventory

Chapter 4 Discussion Questions |4-1. |What are the basic benefits and purposes of developing pro forma statements and a cash budget? | | | | | |The pro-forma financial statements and cash budget enable the firm to determine its future level of asset needs and the| | |associated financing that will be required. Furthermore, one can track actual events against the projections. Bankers | | |and other lenders also use these financial statements as a guide in credit decisions. | | | | |4-2. |Explain how the collections and purchases schedules are related to the borrowing needs of the corporation. | | | | | |The collections and purchase schedules measure the speed at which receivables are collected and purchases are paid. To | | |the extent collections do not cover purchasing costs and other financial requirements, the firm must look to borrowing | | |to cover the deficit. | | | | |4-3. |With inflation, what are the implications of using LIFO and FIFO inventory methods? How do they affect the cost of | | |goods sold? | | | | |LIFO inventory valuation assumes the latest purchased inventory becomes part of the cost of goods sold, while the FIFO | | |method assigns inventory items that were purchased first to the cost of goods sold. In an inflationary environment, the| | |LIFO method will result in a higher cost of goods sold figure and one that more accurately matches the sales dollars | | |recorded at urrent dollars. | | | | |4-4. |Explain the relationship between inventory turnover and purchasing needs. | | | | | |The more rapid the turnover of inventory, the greater the need for purchase and replacement. Rapidly turning inventory | | |makes for somewhat greater ease in foreseeing future requirement s and reduces the cost of carrying inventory. | | | |4-5. |Rapid corporate growth in sales and profits can cause financing problems. Elaborate on this statement. | | | | | |Rapid growth in sales and profits is often associated with rapid growth in asset commitment. A $100,000 increase in | | |sales may cause a $50,000 increase in assets, with perhaps only $10,000 of the new financing coming from profits. It | | |is very seldom that incremental profits from sales expansion can meet new financing needs. | | | |4-6. |Discuss the advantage and disadvantage of level production schedules in firms with cyclical sales. | | | | | |Level production in a cyclical industry has the advantage of allowing for the maintenance of a stable work force and | | |reducing inefficiencies caused by shutting down production during slow periods and accelerating work during crash | | |production periods. A major drawback is that a large stock of inventory may be accumulated during the slow sales | | |period. This inventory may be expensive to finance, with an associated danger of obsolescence. | | | | |4-7. |What conditions would help make a percent-of-sales forecast almost as accurate as pro forma financial statements and | | |cash budgets? | | | | | |The percent-of-sales forecast is only as good as the functional relationship of assets and liabilities to sales. To | | |the extent that past relationships accurately depict the future, the percent-of-sales method will give values that | | |reasonably represent the values derived through the pro-forma statements and the cash budget. | Chapter 4 Problems 1. Eli Lilly is very excited because sales for his nursery and plant company are expected to double from $600,000 to $1,200,000 next year. Eli notes that net assets (Assets — Liabilities) will remain at 50 percent of sales. His firm will enjoy an 8 percent return on total sales. He will start the year with $120,000 in the bank and is bragging about the Jaguar and luxury townhouse he will buy. Does his optimistic outlook for his cash position appear to be correct? Compute his likely cash balance or deficit for the end of the year. Start with beginning cash and subtract the asset buildup (equal to 50 percent of the sales increase) and add in profit. 1 Solution: Eli Lilly Beginning cash$120,000 – Asset buildup(300,000)(1/2 ? $600,000) Profit 96,000(8% ? $1,200,000) Ending cash($84,000)Deficit No, he will actually end up with a negative cash balance. 2. In problem 1 if there had been no increase in sales and all other facts were the same, what would Eli’s ending cash balance be? What lesson do the examples in problems 1 and 2 illustrate? 4-2. Solution: Eli Lilly (continued) Beginning cash$120,000 No asset buildup—– Profit 48,000(8% ? $600,000) Ending cash$168,000 The lesson to be learned is that increased sales can increase the financing requirements and reduce cash even for a profitable firm. 3. Gibson Manufacturing Corp. expects to sell the following number of units of steel cables at the prices indicated under three different scenarios in the economy. The probability of each outcome is indicated. What is the expected value of the total sales projection? OutcomeProbabilityUnitsPrice A0. 20100$20 B0. 5018025 C0. 3021030 4-3. Solution: Gibson Manufacturing Corporation |(1) |(2) |(3) |(4) |(5) |(6) | | | | | | |Expected | | | | | |Total |Value | Outcome |Probability |Units |Price |Value |(2 ? 5) | |A |. 20 |100 |$20 |2,000 |400 | |B |. 50 |180 |$25 |4,500 |2,250 | |C |. 0 |210 |$30 |6,300 |1,8900 | | | |Total expected value |$4,540 | 4. The Alliance Corp. expects to sell the following number of units of copper cables at the prices indicated, under three different scenarios in the economy. The probability of each outcome is indicated. What is the expected value of the total sales projection? OutcomeProbabilityUnitsPrice A0. 30200$15 B0. 5032030 C0. 2041040 4-4. Solution: Alliance Corporation |(1) |(2) |(3) |(4) |(5) |(6) | | | | | | |Expected | | | | | |Total |Value | |Outcome |Probability |Units |Price |Value |(2 ? ) | |A |. 30 |200 |$15 |$3,000 | 900 | |B |. 50 |320 |$30 |9,600 | 4,800 | |C |. 20 |410 |$40 |16,400 | 3,280 | | | |Total expected value |$8,980 | . ER Medical Supplies had sales of 2,000 units at $160 per unit last year. The marketing manager projects a 25 percent increase in unit volume this year with a 10 percent price increase. Returned merchandise will represent 5 percent of total sales. What is your net dollar sales projection for this year? 4-5. Solution: ER Medical Supplies | |Unit volume 2,000 ? 1. 25 |2,500 | | |Price $160 ? . 10 |$176 | | |Total Sales |$440,000 | | |Returns (6%) |22,000 | | |Net Sales |$418,000 | 6. Cyber Security Systems had sales of 3,000 units at $50 per unit last year. The marketing manager projects a 20 percent increase in unit volume sales this year with a 10 percent price increase. Returned merchandise will represent 6 percent of total sales. What is your net dollar sales projection for this year? 4-6. Solution: Cyber Security Systems |Unit volume 3,000 ? 1. 20 |3,600 | |Price $50 ? 1. 10 |? 55 | |Total Sales |$198,000 | |Returns (6%) |11,880 | |Net Sales |$186,120 | 7. Sales for Ross Pro’s Sports Equipment are expected to be 4,800 units for the coming month. The company likes to maintain 10 percent of unit sales for each month in ending inventory. Beginning inventory is 300 units. How many units should the firm produce for the coming month? 4-7. Solution: Ross Pro’s Sports Equipment |+ |Projected sales |4,800 |units | |+ |Desired ending inventory |480 |(10% ? ,800) | |– |Beginning inventory | 300 | | | |Units to be produced |4,980 | | | | | 8. Digitex, Inc. , had sales of 6,000 units in March. A 50 percent increase is expected in April. The company will maintain 5 percent of expected unit sales for April in ending inventory. Beginning inventory for April was 200 units. How many units should the company produce in April? 4-8. Solution: Digitex, Inc. |+ |Projected sales |9,000 |units (6,000 ? 1. 5) | |+ |Desired ending inventory |450 |units (5% ? ,000) | |– |Beginning inventory | 200 |units | | |Units to be produced |9,250 |units | 9. Hoover Electronics has beginning inventory of 22,000 units, will sell 60,000 units for the coming month, and desires to reduce ending inventory to 30 percent of beginning inventory. How many units should Hoover produce? 4-9. Solution: Hoover Electronics + |Projected sales |60,000 |units | |+ |Desired ending inventory |6,600 |(30% ? 22,000) | |– |Beginning inventory | 22,000 |units | | |Units to be produced |44,600 |units | 0. On December 31 of last year, Barton Air Filters had in inventory 600 units of its product, which costs $2 8 per unit to produce. During January, the company produced 1,200 units at a cost of $32 per unit. Assuming Barton Air Filters sold 1,500 units in January, what was the cost of goods sold (assume FIFO inventory accounting)? 4-10. Solution: Barton Air Filters |Cost of goods sold on 1,500 units | | | | | | | |Old inventory: | | | | Quantity (Units) |600 | | | Cost per unit |$ 28 | | | Total |$ 16,800 | | | | | | |New inventory: | | | | Quantity (Units) |900 | | | Cost per unit |$ 32 | | | Total |$28,800 | | |Total Cost of Goods Sold |$45,600 | 11. On December 31 of last year, Wolfson Corporation had in inventory 400 units of its product, which cost $21 per unit to produce. During January, the company produced 800 units at a cost of $24 per unit. Assuming that Wolfson Corporation sold 700 units in January, what was the cost of goods sold (assume FIFO inventory accounting)? 4-11. Solution: Wolfson Corporation |Cost of goods sold on 700 units | | | | |Old inventory: | | | Quantit y (Units) |400 | | Cost per unit |$ 21 | | Total |$ 8,400 | | | | |New inventory: | | | Quantity (Units) |300 | | Cost per unit |$ 24 | | Total |$ 7,200 | |Total Cost of Goods Sold |$15,600 | 12. At the end of January, Lemon Auto Parts had an inventory of 825 units, which cost $12 per unit to produce. During February the company produced 750 units at a cost of $16 per unit. If the firm sold 1,050 units in February, what was its cost of goods sold? a. Assume LIFO inventory accounting. b. Assume FIFO inventory accounting. 4-12. Solution: Lemon Auto Parts a. LIFO Accounting |Cost of goods sold on 1,050 units | | |New inventory: | | | Quantity (Units) |750 | | Cost per unit $ 16 | | Total |$12,000 | |Old inventory: | | | Quantity (Units) |300 | | Cost per unit |$ 12 | | Total |$ 3,600 | |Total Cost of Goods Sold |$15,600 | b. FIFO Accounting Cost of goods sold on 1,050 units | | |Old inventory: | | | Quantity (Units) |825 | | Cost per unit |$ 12 | | Total |$ 9,900 | |New inventory: | | | Quantity (Units) |225 | | Cost per unit |$ 16 | | Total |$ 3,600 | |Total Cost of Goods Sold |$15,600 | 13. Convex Mechanical Supplies produces a product with the following costs as of July 1, 2009: Material$ 6 Labor4 Overhead 2 $12 Beginning inventory at these costs on July 1 was 5,000 units. From July 1 to December 1, Convex produced 15,000 units. These units had a material cost of $10 per unit. The costs for labor and overhead were the same. Convex uses FIFO inventory accounting. Assuming that Convex sold 17,000 units during the last six months of the year at $20 each, what would gross profit be? What is the value of ending inventory? 4-13. Solution: Convex Mechanical Supplies |Sales (17,000 @ $20) | | |$340,000 | | |Cost of goods sold: | | | | | |Old inventory: | | | | | | Quantity (units) |5,000 | | | | | Cost per unit |$ 12 | | | | |Total | |$ 60,000 | | | |New inventory: | | | | | | Quantity (units) |12,000 | | | | | Cost per unit |$ 16 | | | | |Total | |$192,000 | | |Total cost of goods | | | | | |sold | | |$252,000 | | |Gross profit | | |$ 88,000 | | | | | | | | |Value of ending | | | | | |inventory: | | | | | |Beginning inventory | | | | | |(5,000 ( $ 12) | |$ 60,000 | | | |+ Total production | | | | | |(15,000 ( $16) | |$240,000 | | | |Total inventory | | | | | |available for sale | |$300,000 | | | |– Cost of good sold | |$252,000 | | | |Ending inventory | |$ 48,000 | | | |or | | | | | |3,000 units ( $16 = $48,000 | 14. Assume in problem 13 that Convex used LIFO accounting instead of FIFO. What would gross profit be? What is the value of ending inventory? 4-14. Solution: Convex Mechanical Supplies (Continued) |Sales (17,000 @ $20) | | |$340,000 | | |Cost of goods sold: | | | | | |New inventory: | | | | | | Quantity (units) |15,000 | | | | | Cost per unit †¦.. |$ 16 | | | | |Total †¦.. |$240,000 | | | |Old inventory: | | | | | | Quantity (units) †¦.. |2,000 | | | | | Cost per unit †¦.. |$ 12 | | | | |Total †¦.. | |$ 24,000 | | | |Total cost of goods | | | | | |sold †¦.. | | |$264,000 | | |Gross profit †¦.. | |$ 76,000 | | | | | | | | |Value of ending | | | | | |inventory: | | | | | |Be ginning inventory | | | | | |(5,000 ( $12) †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ |$ 60,000 | | |+ |Total production | | | | | |(15,000 ( $16) †¦.. | |$240,000 | | | |Total inventory | | | | | |available for sale †¦.. | |$300,000 | | |– |Cost of good sold †¦.. | |$264,000 | | | |Ending inventory †¦.. |$ 36,000 | | | |OR | | | | | |3,000 units ( $12 = $36,000 | 15. Jerrico Wallboard Co. had a beginning inventory of 7,000 units on January 1, 2008. The costs associated with the inventory were: Material$9. 00 unit Labor5. 00 unit Overhead4. 10 unit During 2004, Jerrico produced 28,500 units with the following costs: Material$11. 50 unit Labor4. 80 unit Overhead5. 20 unit Sales for the year were 31,500 units at $29. 60 each. Jerrico uses LIFO accounting. What was the gross profit? What was the value of ending inventory? 4-15. Solution: Jerrico Wallboard Co. | |Sales (31,500 @ $29. 0) | | |$932,400 | | |Cost of goods sold: | | | | | |New inventory: | | | | | | Quantity (units) |28,500 | | | | | Cost per unit |$ 22. 50 | | | | |Total | |$641,250 | | | |Old inventory: | | | | | | Quantity (units) |3,000 | | | | | Cost per unit |$ 18. 0 | | | | |Total | |$ 54,300 | | | |Total cost of goods | | | | | |sold | | |$695,550 | | |Gross profit | | |$236,850 | | | | | | | | |Value of ending inventory: | | | | | |Beginning inventory | | | | | |(7,000 ( $18. 10) | |$126,700 | | | |+ Total production | |$641,250 | | | |(28,500 ( $22. 50) | | | | |Total inventory | | | | | |available for sale | |$767,950 | | | |– Cost of good sold | |$695,550 | | | |Ending inventory | |$ 72,400 | | | |OR | | | | | |4,000 units ( $18. 10 = $72,400 | 16. J. Lo’s Clothiers has forecast credit sales for the fourth quarter of the year as: September (actual)$70,000 Fourth Quarter October$60,000 November55,000 December80,000 Experience has shown that 30 percent of sales are collected in the month of sale, 60 percent in the following month, and 10 percent are never collected. Prepare a schedule of cash receipts for J. Lo’s Clothiers covering the fourth quarter (October through December). 4-16. Solution: J. Lo’s Clothiers | |September |October |November |December | |Credit sales |$70,000 |$60,000 |$55,000 $80,000 | |30% Collected in month of sales | | | | | | | |18,000 |16,500 |24,000 | |60% Collected in month after | | | | | |sales | |42,000 |36,000 |33,000 | |Total cash receipts | | | | | | | |$60,000 |$52,500 |$57,000 | 17. Victoria’s Apparel has forecast credit sales for the fourth quarter of the year as: September (actual)$50,000 Fourth Quarter October$40,000 November35,000 December60,000 Experience has shown that 20 percent of sales are collected in the month of sale, 70 percent in the following month, and 10 percent are never collected. Prepare a schedule of cash receipts for Victoria’s Apparel covering the fourth quarter (October through December). 4-17. Solution: Victoria’s Apparel | |September |October |November |December | |Credit sales |$50,000 |$40,000 |$35,000 $60,000 | |20% Collected in month of sales| | | | | | | |8,000 |7,000 |12,000 | |70% Collected in month after | | | | | |sales | |35,000 |28,000 |24,500 | |Total cash receipts | | | | | | | |$43,000 |$35,000 |$36,500 | 18. Pirate Video Company has made the following sales projections for the next six months. All sales are credit sales. March$24,000June$28,000 April30,000July35,000 May18,000August38,000 Sales in Janu ary and February were $27,000 and $26,000, respectively. Experience has shown that of total sales, 10 percent are uncollectible, 30 percent are collected in the month of sale, 40 percent are collected in the following month, and 20 percent are collected two months after sale. Prepare a monthly cash receipts schedule for the firm for March through August. Of the sales expected to be made during the six months from March through August, how much will still be uncollected at the end of August? How much of this is expected to be collected later? 4-18. Solution: Pirate Video Company Cash Receipts Schedule | |January |February |March |April | Forecasted unit sales |4,000 |10,000 |8,000 |6,000 | |+Desired ending inventory |15,000 |12,000 |9,000 | | |–Beginning inventory |6,000 |15,000 |12,000 | | |Units to be produced |13,000 |7,000 |5,000 | | |Cash Payments | | |Feb |March |April |May | |Units produced |8,000 |13,000 |7,000 |5,000 | |Materials ($7/unit) month after production | | | | | | | |$56,000 |$91,000 |$49,000 | |Labor ($3/unit) mon th of production | | | | | | | |39,000 |21,000 |15,000 | |Fixed overhead | |10,000 |10,000 |10,000 | |Dividends | | | |14,000 | |Total Cash Payments | |$105,000 |$122,000 |$88,000 | 21. Dina’s Lamp Company has forecast its sales in units as follows: |January |1,000 | |February |800 | |March |900 | |April |1,400 | |May |1,550 | |June |1,800 | |July |1,400 | Dina’s always keeps an ending inventory equal to 120 percent of the next month’s expected sales. The ending inventory for December (January’s beginning inventory) is 1,200 units, which is consistent with this policy. Materials cost $14 per unit and are paid for in the month after purchase. Labor cost is $7  per unit and is paid in the month the cost is incurred. Overhead costs are $8,000 per month. Interest of $10,000 is scheduled to be paid in March, and employee bonuses of $15,500 will be paid in June. Prepare a monthly production schedule and a monthly summary of cash payments for January through June. Dina produced 800 units in December. 4-21. Solution: Dina's Lamp Company Production Schedule | |Jan. |Feb. March |April |May |June |July | |Forecasted unit sales |1,000 | |900 |1,400 |1,550 |1,800 |1,400 | |+ Desired ending inventory |960 |1,080 |1,680 |1,860 |2,160 |1,680 | | |– Beginning inventory |1,200 | 960 |1,080 |1,680 | 1,860 | 2,160 | | |= Units to be produced |760 |920 |1,500 |1,580 |1,850 |1,320 | | |Summary of Cash Payments | | |Dec. |Jan. |Feb. |M arch |April |May |June | |Units roduced |800 |760 |920 |1,500 |1,580 |1,850 |1,320 | |Material cost ($14/unit) month after purchase | | | | | | | | | | |$11,200 |$10,640 |$12,880 |$21,000 |$22,120 |$25,900 | |Labor cost ($5/unit) month incurred | | | | | | | | | | |5,320 |6,440 |10,500 |11,060 |12,950 |$9,240 | |Overhead cost | |8,000 |8,000 |8,000 |8,000 |8,000 |8,000 | |Interest | | | |10,000 | | | | |Employee bonuses | | | | | | |15,500 | |Total Cash Payments | |$24,520 |$25,080 |$41,380 |$40,060 |$43,070 |$58,640 | 22. Graham Potato Company has projected sales of $6,000 in September, $10,000 in October, $16,000 in November, and $12,000 in December. Of the company’s sales, 20 percent are paid for by cash and 80 percent are sold on credit. Experience, shows that 40 percent of accounts receivable are paid in the month after the sale, while the remaining 60 percent are paid two months after. Determine collections for November and December. Also assume Graham’s cash payments for November and December are $13,000 and $6,000, respectively. The beginning cash balance in November is $5,000, which is the desired minimum balance. Prepare a cash budget with borrowing needed or repayments for November and December. (You will need to prepare a cash receipts schedule first. ) 4-22. Solution: Graham Potato Company Cash Receipts Schedule |September |October |November |December | |Sales |$6,000 |$10,000 |$16,000 |$12,000 | |Credit sales (80%) |4,800 |8,000 |12,800 |9,600 | |Cash sales (20%) |1,200 |2,000 |3,200 |2,400 | |Collections in month after| | | | | |sales (40%) | | |3,200 |5,120 | |Collections two months | | | | | |after sa les (60%) | | |2,880 |4,800 | |Total cash receipts | | | | | | | | |$9,280 |$12,320 | Graham Potato Company (Continued) Cash Budget | |November |December | |Cash receipts |$ 9,280 |$12,320 | |Cash payments |13,000 |6,000 | |Net Cash Flow |(3,720) |6,320 |Beginning Cash Balance |5,000 |5,000 | |Cumulative Cash Balance |1,280 |11,320 | |Monthly Loan or (Repayment) |3,720 |(3,720) | |Cumulative Loan Balance |3,720 |-0- | |Ending Cash Balance |$ 5,000 |$ 7,600 | 23. Juan’s Taco Company has restaurants in five college towns. Juan wants to expand into Austin and College Station and needs a bank loan to do this. Mr. Bryan, the banker, will finance construction if Juan can present an acceptable three-month financial plan for January through March. Following are actual and forecasted sales figures: Actual |Forecast |Additional | | | |Information | |November |$120,000 |January |$190,000 |April forecast |$230,000 | |December |140,000 |February | 210,000 | | | | | |March | 230,000 | | | Of Juan’s sales, 30 percent are for cash and the remaining 70 percent are on credit. Of  credit sales, 40 percent are paid in the month after sale and 60 percent are paid in the second month after the sale. Materials cost 20 percent of sales and are paid for in cash. Labor expense is 50 percent of sales and is also paid in the month of sales. Selling and administrative expense is 5 percent of sales and is also paid in the month of sales. Overhead expense is $12,000 in cash per month; depreciation expense is $25,000 per month. Taxes of $20,000 and dividends of $16,000 will be paid in March. 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(Continued) Juan’s Taco Company Cash Payments Schedule | |January |February |March | |Payments for Material Purchases (20% of current month’s sales) |$ 38,000 |$ 42,000 |$46,000 | |Labor Expense (50% of sales) |95,000 |105,000 |115,000 | |Selling and Admin. Exp. 5% of sales) |9,500 |10,500 |11,500 | |Overhead |12,000 |12,000 |12,000 | |Taxes | | |20,000 | |Dividends | | |16,000 | |Total Cash Payments* |$154,500 |$169,500 |$220,500 | *The $25,000 of depreciation is excluded because it is not a cash expense. 4-23. (Continued) Juan’s Taco Company Cash Budget | |January |February |March | |Total Cash Receipts $146,600 |$175,000 |$207,600 | |Total Cash Payments | 154,500 | 169,500 | 220,500 | |Net Cash Flow |(7,900) |5,500 |(12,900) | |Beginning Cash Balance |70,000 |65,000 |67,600 | |Cumulative Cash Balance |62,100 |70,500 |54,700 | |Monthly Loan or (repayment) |2,900 |(2,900) |10,300 | |Cumulative Loan Balance |2,900 |-0- |10,300 | |Ending Cash Balance |$ 65,000 |$ 67,600 |$ 65,000 | 24. Hickman Avionics’s actual sales and purchases for April and May are shown here along with forecasted sales and purchases for June through September. |Sales |Purchases | |April (actual) |$410,000 |$220,000 | |May (actual) |400,000 |210,000 | |June (forecast) |380,000 |200,000 | |July (forecast) |360,000 |250,000 | |August (forecast) |390,000 |300,000 | |September (forecast) |420,000 |220,000 | The company makes 10 percent of its sales for cash and 90 percent on credit. Of the credit sales, 20 percent are collected in the month after the sale and 80 percent are collected two months later. Hickman pays for 40 percent of its purchases in the month after purchase and 60 percent two months after. Labor expense equals 10 percent of the current month’s sales. Overhead expense equals $15,000 per month. Interest payments of $40,000 are due in June and September. A cash dividend of $20,000 is scheduled to be paid in June. Tax payments of $35,000 are due in June a nd September. 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Solution: Hickman Avionics Cash Receipts Schedule | |April |May |June |July |Aug. |Sept. |Sales |$410,000 |$400,000 |$380,000 |$360,000 |$390,000 |$420,000 | |Credit Sales (90%) |369,000 |360,000 |342,00 |324,000 |351,000 |378,000 | |Cash Sales (10%) |41,000 |40,000 |38,000 |36,000 |39,000 |42,000 | |Collections (month after sale) 20% | | | | | | | | |73,800 |72,000 |68,400 |64,800 |70,200 | |Collections (second month after sale) 80% | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |295,200 |288,000 |273,600 |259,2 00 | |Total Cash Receipts | | |$405,200 |$392,400 |$377,400 |$371,400 | 4-24. (Continued) Hickman Avionics Cash Payments Schedule | |April |May |June |July |Aug. |Sept. |Purchases |$220,000 |$210,000 |$200,000 |$250,000 |$300,000 |$220,000 | |Payments (month after purchase—40%) | | | | | | | | | |88,000 |84,000 |80,000 |100,000 |120,000 | |Payments (second month after purchase—60%) | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |132,000 |126,000 |120,000 |150,000 |Labor Expense | | | | | | | |(10% of sales) | | |38,000 |36,000 |39,000 |42,000 | |Overhead | | |15,000 |15,000 |15,000 |15,000 | |Interest Payments | | |40,000 | | |40,000 | |Cash Dividend | | |20,000 | | | | |Taxes | | |35,000 | | |35,000 | |Capital Outlay | | | | | |300,000 | |Total Cash Payments | | |$364,000 |$257,000 |$274,000 |$702,000 | 4-24. (Continued) Hickman Avionics Cash Budget | |June |July |August |September | |Cash Receipts |$405,200 |$392,400 |$377,400 |$371,400 | |Cash Payments |364,000 |257,000 274,0 00 |702,000 | |Net Cash Flow |41,200 |135,400 |103,400 |(330,600) | |Beginning Cash Balance |20,000 |50,000 |50,000 |50,000 | |Cumulative Cash Balance |61,200 |185,400 |153,400 |(280,600) | |Monthly Borrowing or (Repayment) |– |– |– |*80,600 | |Cumulative Loan Balance |– |– |– |80,600 | |Marketable Securities Purchased |11,200 |135,400 |103,400 |– | | (Sold) | |– |– |250,000 | |Cumulative Marketable Securities |11,200 |146,600 |250,000 |– | |Ending Cash Balance |50,000 |50,000 |50,000 |50,000 | *Cumulative Marketable Sec. (Aug)$250,000 Cumulative Cash Balance (Sept)–280,600 Required (ending) Cash Balance 50,000 Monthly Borrowing–$80,600 25. Carter Paint Company has plants in nine midwestern states. Sales for last year were $100 million, and the balance sheet at year-end is similar in percentage of sales to that of previous years (and this will continue in the future). All assets (including fixed assets) and current liabilities will vary directly with sales. BALANCE SHEET (in $ millions) AssetsLiabilities and Stockholders’ Equity Cash$ 5Accounts payable$15 Accounts receivable15Accrued wages6 Inventory30Accrued taxes4 Current assets50 Current liabilities25 Fixed assets 40Notes payable30 Common stock15 Retained earnings 20 Total liabilities and Total assets$90 stockholders’ equity$90 Carter Paint has an aftertax profit margin of 5 percent and a dividend payout ratio of 30  percent. If sales grow by 10 percent next year, determine how many dollars of new funds are needed to finance the expansion. (Assume Carter Paint is already using assets at full capacity and that plant must be added. ) 4-25. Solution: Carter Paint Company [pic] [pic] [pic] [pic] [pic][pic] [pic] 26. 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Balance Sheet End of Year (in $ millions) AssetsLiabilities and Stockholders’ Equity Cash$ 10Accounts payable$ 15 Accounts receivable15Accrued expenses5 Inventory50Other payables40 Plant and equipment 75Common stock30 Retained earnings 60 Total liabilities and Total assets$150 stockholders’ equity$150 Cambridge’s marketing staff tells the president that in this coming year there will be a large increase in the demand for tweed sport coats and various shoes. A sales increase of 15 percent is forecast for the Prep Shop. All balance sheet items are expected to maintain the same percent-of-sales relationships as last year*, except for common stock and retained earnings. No change is scheduled in the number of common stock shares outstanding, and retained earnings will change as dictated by the profits and dividend policy of the firm. (Remember the net profit margin is 12 percent. ) a. Will external financing be required for the Prep Shop during the coming year? b. 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Coexisting Disorders Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Coexisting Disorders - Essay Example According to the Drug Enforcement Administration, methamphetamine is classified as a Schedule II drug, which implies that the drug can be obtained only through a medical prescription and has high probability of abuse and addiction. It is chemically similar to its parent compound, amphetamine, but its effects are more conspicuous. It is prescribed medically under the name of Desoxyn for the treatment of severe Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD), Narcolepsy and extreme cases of obesity. Methamphetamine, primarily affects the brain, stimulating an increase in the secretion of the neurotransmitter, dopamine. This neurotransmitter acts as a chemical messenger and is responsible for the experience of pleasure and stimulation of motor activities. It also alters the level of serotonin, another neurotransmitter. Both these properties make this drug potentially dangerous. It can alter moods, cause depression, lead to violent tendencies and suicidal thoughts. It is also the root cause of other psychotic ailments like hallucinations, paranoia and delusional behavior. Medical studies have also shown that chronic use of methamphetamine can lead to damaging changes in the structure of the brain, mostly affecting the areas responsible for emotion and memory (Thompson et al). Besides the nervous system, the drug can also have detrimental implications on the basic metabolisms of the body. It increases the heart rate, elevates blood pressure, increases the rate of respiration and a lso causes hyperthermia. Long term can use can cause extreme weight loss, insomnia and severe dental problems. The drug is also known to possess aphrodisiac qualities, and thus, it leads to impulsive sexual behavior. The hazardous drug can be snorted, swallowed, inhaled, dissolved in water, injected, but the most common method of administration is oral intake. Fatal diseases like Hepatitis B and C, and HIV/AIDS can also be transmitted through the use of infected needles and syringes, commonly used to inject the drug. Similar to many other abused drugs, methamphetamine users get an adrenaline rush coupled with an extreme sense of pleasure. It stimulates the senses, increases concentration and also leads to sexually charged behavior. According to the National Institute On Drug Abuse, methamphetamine abuse continues to be a massive problem in the United States of America, and is reportedly spreading to Mexico and also to the Midwest. According to a survey conducted by the National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH), approximately 10.4 million people over the age of 12 have tried methamphetamine at least once. Use of methamphetamine in abusive quantities is known to cause depression and mental anxiety. A recent study conducted by The Methamphetamine Treatment Project evaluated the psychological condition within a group of 1016 people, all methamphetamine users. A staggering 60% of the women and 50% of the men exhibited strong symptoms of depression. Close to 28% women and 13% men attempted or persistently thought about suicide. Their mental conditions had deteriorated to such extremes that 26& had to be admitted in the psychiatry wing while 32% were administered medications. (Zweben et al.) Biologically, depression is defined as a psychological disorder, which is characterized by persistent sadness, withdrawal from daily and social activities, and inability to feel pleased and happy. It is normal for every

Putting Members First Essay Example for Free

Putting Members First Essay At Nationwide we want to work with people who share our values. In 200 300 words what do Nationwide’s values mean to you? And how do you exhibit these when you work with others? Nationwide’s values are clear and concise, arranged in a 5 letter acronym, PRIDE. Each letter holds impact, and the values are very clear to what Nationwide believes in. Firstly, they believe in putting members first. This reflects that it is the customers who take priority. I believe that this should be the forefront of any organisation in that there should be a good quality service in place solely based on satisfying the customer. I would regard the customer in every decision I make/input in teams. Rewarding memberships is also important to Nationwide’s culture. There has to be an incentive in place to make members feel they are seeking benefits by choosing Nationwide. I would ensure that this is done by being hardworking, and helping others achieve their targets, so the members will receive their reward. Members of Nationwide also have to have trust in the work that they do. I believe in working with integrity and exert professionalism so that the members know that their information is safe, and that they feel they are priority so they can trust that they are receiving the best reward. This links into the next value at Nationwide of doing the right thing. I understand that it is important to own up to mistakes and try to amend these rather than trying to cover them up. Pride in the company should always be ahead of my own pride. Excelling at service is what gives Nationwide its prestigious place as the largest building society in the world. I would ensure that I keep up to Nationwide’s high standards.

Analysis of Performance Appraisal System

Analysis of Performance Appraisal System ABSTRACT This article examines the Performance Appraisal System of Opsonin Pharma Ltd. It discusses one previous format of performance appraisal and the current performance appraisal. Author has tried to find out whether performance appraisal system of the company motivates the employees to achieve the company goal. Researcher has conducted the survey in the head office people of the company to get the idea of management people. The study uses primary and secondary data to do the analysis of the research where it has searched academic literature for the theories of performance appraisal, performance management, motivation and human resource management. Result has come out through the survey that current performance appraisal system has shown positive impression but still it needs some improvement such as proper practice and introduction of performance management. Chapter 1. Introduction Survival of the fittest once advocated by famous biologist Charles Darwin in his ‘Origin of Species (1859) transcended the boundary of biological world. Now this principle has become true in areas where competition determines ultimate fate. In the realm of organization, this principle operates in the name of productivity, profitability, efficiency, effectiveness and so on. Organization theorists during classical period emphasized on structural and technological perfection for survival and growth. Such mechanistic ideas of competitiveness started fading since 1930s onwards. The rise of behavioural and industrial humanism made way to ‘human capital to be considered central in the study of competitiveness. The measurement unit of contribution of human capital is termed as ‘Performance. Performance Appraisal (PA) as a technique of measuring competitiveness of organizations or institutions is not a modern phenomena. It has started from Han Dynasty in 206 BC-220 AD where they used to use merit exam for selection and promotion (Wren, 1994). But most probably PA system started in the industry from Robert Owens textile mills of the 1800s, where he used silent monitor system with the block of woods with different colours that he put in the work station of each employee. Everyone could see the performance with each other (Wren, 1994). This gave rise to an annual assessment which was recorded in a â€Å"book of character†. The assessments were subjective, which is one of the main criticisms still leveled at performance appraisal today. In the early part of the twentieth century Owens ideas were superseded by those of ‘scientific management, devised by F.W. Taylor and popularly associated with Henry Ford. This emphasised the use of quantitative methods to measure work performance (e.g., a fair days work and differential piece rate system), and led to the development of ‘work study techniques in the inter-war period. Though today, private sector has been credited as the perfectionist of performance management techniques, the modern psychometric approach to performance appraisal has been brought by the public sector (Torrington, Weightmen and John, 1989, p.66). Due to its monopolistic and legalistic nature, public sector performance appraisal practices could not reach that standard as reached by the private sector, which took appraisal as a response to market competition. The study is based on Opsonin Pharma Limited, a leading pharmaceutical company in Bangladesh. It was incorporated as a private company in 1976. It manufactures, and markets generic medicines for both human and animal use. Its value-added products improve the quality of life of both the people and animals in Bangladesh as well as abroad and help them enjoy longer, healthier, and more productive lives. Opsonin is known for long as a provider of regular and life saving medicines at affordable price. It has long been established and recognized as one of the most leading, progressive and modern pharmaceutical company in the country with the assurance of manufacturing quality products as the company is committed to contribute much to develop national health sector. 1.1 PURPOSE OF STUDY: Purpose of the study is to identify whether the management people who are working in the head office are convinced or not with performance appraisal system of the company. 1.2 AIM AND OBJECTIVES: 1.2.1 AIM: Aim for this research is to gather knowledge about performance appraisal system in Opsonin Pharma Ltd. and to get clear idea about performance appraisal system through literature review. 1.2.2 OBJECTIVES: To provide recommendation to Opsonin Pharma Ltd how they can improve their performance appraisal system. To examine how performance appraisal system works. To analyse how Opsonin Pharma motivate the employees through performance appraisal system. To make an overview of Opsonin Pharma Limited. To make an overview of Performance Appraisal System of Opsonin Pharma Limited. To determine the interrelation between Performance Appraisal System and other Human Resource aspects. To measure the level of employee development. To determine the impact of Performance Appraisal System for motivating the employees of Opsonin Pharma Limited. 1.3 RESEARCH QUESTIONS: How effective is the performance appraisal system in Opsonin Pharma Ltd.? Do the management people think that current performance appraisal system works properly in the company? Does performance appraisal system motivate the employees at Opsonin Pharma Ltd.? Chapter 2. LITERATURE REVIEW The Performance Appraisal (PA) system is essential for maintaining high standard of human resource of any organization, both private and public sector. Performance appraisal is a part of working link that emphasizes for both bosses and subordinates their managerial responsibilities (Williams, 1972, p.8). A good performance appraisal should introduce in the company to know employees abilities and efforts to match organizational expectations. A good PA system can measure employees activities with reasonable accuracy and it can provide feedback to employees on their performance, and make a chance to employees to develop their weaknesses. There is a chance to make wrong personnel decisions which lead to affect organizations capacity without good performance appraisal systems. But ineffective appraisal system can bring many problems including frustration for good performers which will encourage them to leave the company, causing the organization to incur high recruitment costs (Chou, 2005 , p.42). This concern is addressed by ensuring that employees understand how their work contributes to the achievement of organizational goals, by ensuring that employees have the skills to make that contribution and, above all, by developing a climate of open discussion in which performance, achievements, and difficulties can be approached openly and supportively. A sound PA system, therefore, measures performance of employees not only to make some backwardly-linked like recruitment validity, motivation, morale, etc. and forwardly-linked like career growth, reward and sanction, employee development personnel decisions etc., but to integrate between organizational goals and personal goals of employees (Hyde, 1982, p.295). It is a really hard task for reflecting employee performance through performance appraisal system. Performance appraisal systems are not general idea that can be followed by all companies without any modification because it depends on employee and organizational characteristics and qualities (Henderson, 1984, p.54). At first glance performance appraisal appears as though it should be something relatively straightforward. Torrington, Weightman and Johns (1989, p.814) offer a working definition of appraisal as: â€Å"The process of judging a persons performance and reporting that judgment.† Alan Fowler has given very good definition about the objective of performance appraisal system. He suggested that: â€Å"Staff work best when they know what they have to do, how well they have to do it, and how well they are thought to have done, so they need to talk to their managers at least once a year about this, and their managers need to take their staffs view into account when setting work goals and deciding who needs what training.† (Fisher, 1995, p.12) Traditional performance appraisal is more of a control mechanism used to make the most of an employee. How an employee is contributing toward achievement of organizational goal is the main concern here? Based on contribution ratio of the employees, the management makes some personnel decisions such as promotion, salary increase, sanction, and training needs. This uni-dimensional concept goes more with the philosophy of personnel management. 2.1 Formal versus Informal Performance Appraisal: Formal performance appraisals usually occur at specified time periods once, twice or thrice a year. Formal performance appraisals are required by the organization or institution for the purpose of employee assessment. Informal performance appraisals can take place whenever the supervisor or manager feels communication is needed. 2.2 Purpose, Objectives Benefits of Performance Appraisal: 2.2.1 Purpose: The purpose of performance appraisal is to devlop the organizations performance throughout the improved performance of employees. 2.2.2 Objectives: Organization uses performance appraisal system to execute some objectives. The main objectives in using performance appraisal in an organization are as follows: Motivating and allocating rewards for employees Review past performance to rectifying the mistakes from management and employees (Fisher, 1995, p.11) Proper utilization of company resources. Identifying areas where training and improvement are required. Coaching and developing employees so that they can perform better to achieve the company goal. Identifying the area where developments programs need to be introduced. Giving employees feedback about their work so that they can be inspired. Improve communication between managers and subordinates. Identifying the base for pay, promotion etc.. (Yeates, 1990, p.36) 2.2.3 Benefits: The benefits of a successful appraisal system can be concluded as follows: For the organization: Improved performance all the time in the organization due to: Achieve organizations objectives and values it needs proper communication; Increase sense of group work and reliability; Establish better relationship between managers and staff; Managers have got the scope and power to use their leadership skills to motivate and improve their subordinates. Improve outline of the tasks completed by employees. Classification of thoughts for improvement. Prospect and long-term view of the company can be developed. Training and development requirements appeared more clearly. A culture of continuous progress and success can be formed and maintained. People who have got potential can be classified for career development plans to provide for future staff requirements. The message is passed to everyone that employees are valued properly. (Fisher, 1995, pp.15-16). For the appraiser: Performance appraisal is a chance to develop an overview of individual jobs and organizations. Classification of ideas for development. Improved job satisfaction. Increased sense of individual value. There is an opportunity for appraiser to associate team and individual objectives to fulfil departmental and organizational objectives. There is an opportunity to explain expectations of the contribution the manager expects from team and individuals. The opportunity to set up the targets. There is a chance to make productive relationship with subordinates based on common interest and understanding. (Fisher, 1995, p.16) For the appraisee : Boost them up to increase motivation. Enlarged their career through job satisfaction They realize that they are valued. When they will get feedback after performance appraisal then they get a clear idea of what is expected from them and what they have to do to meet expectations. Supervisors discuss with them to improve their lacking areas. They are offered for training and development for their improvement. When managers are creating scope for developing their subordinates career then it is ultimately developing relationship between them. (Fisher, 1995, pp.16-17) 2.3 What should be appraised? Managers should consider four things when they are going to do the performance appraisal. Inputs Appraisers will see how job holders have implemented their knowledge and skills to perform their job effectively. Process Job holders outcome will indicate the implementation of knowledge and skills for their activities. These are sometimes called to as competences. These illustrate the performance required of people to complete their job effectively. This kind of performance can make a difference between highly effective and less effective performers in a given role such as personal drive, analytical power, team management and leadership and ability to communicate. Outputs Measurable or observable results of the performer will be expressed by jobholders. Outcomes- Result will show the ultimate impact of the jobholders and their teams or departments and their overall activities to achieve the objectives of the organizations. (Fisher, 1995, p.25) 2.4 When appraisals should take place: Formal performance appraisal are usually held annually but some of the fast moving companies prefer to do it twice a year or even more frequently, it could be quarterly. Those who are working in projects under a consultancy firm, their performance evaluation could happen after each assignment but there would still be an overall review at the end of the year. Some of the organizations conduct progress meetings at specific time to review progress towards achiev ­ing objectives, work plans or projects. Some of them are doing two or three times a year, the main purpose of which is to review and update objectives. (Fisher, 1995, p.27) There are some reasons behind failure of appraisals. Reasons are as follows: Employees dont know about the time frame and what exactly they need to do in terms of good performance; Others fail because of problems with the measures used to actually appraise the performance; An easygoing supervisor might rate as high, for instance, subordinates who are actually substandard Other problems, like arguing and poor communication, undermine the interview feedback session. Storey and Sisson (1993) have suggested that performance appraisal system actually have three steps: objective setting, feedback, and evaluation. The first step of an appraisal system is to give the guidance to the employee on how to apply their efforts for the benefit of the organization. The second step is to ensure employees work toward the achievement of their objectives through a process of positive communication with their supervisor. The final step involves the supervisor making an appraisal of the employees performance over the entire assessment cycle. (Brown Benson, 2005, p.101) 2.5 Popular Appraisal Methods: Managers usually conduct the appraisal using a predetermined and formal method one or more of the followings: 2.5.1 Graphic rating scale (GRS): The Graphic Rating Scale is the simplest and most popular technique for appraising performance. GRS measures personality traits and performance along with a point continuum scale or anchored scale. It lists traits such as quality and reliability and a range of performance values from unsatisfactory to outstanding for each trait. The manager or supervisor rates each subordinate by circling or checking the score that best describes his or her performance for each trait. In the end of marking manager or supervisor do the totals of the assigned values for the traits. (Dessler, 1999, p.156) The rater is given wide freedom in choosing a point, which is a threat to reliability and workability. 2.5.2 Alternation Ranking Method: Positioning employees from best to worst on a trait or traits is another appraisal option. Since it is usually easier to distinguish between the worst and best employees, an alternation ranking method is most popular. First, list all subordinates to be rated, and then cross out the names of any not known well enough to rank. Then, indicate the employee who is the highest on the characteristic being measured and also the one who is the lowest. Then choose the next highest and the next lowest, alternating between highest and lowest until all employees have been ranked. (Dessler, 1999, p.158) 2.5.3 Paired Comparison Method: The paired comparison method helps make the ranking method more precise. For every trait such as quantity of work, quality of work, and so on will be considered for appraisal for instant, top performer of quantity of work and top performer of quality of work will be pared. (Dessler, 1999, PP. 158-159) 2.5.4 Forced Choice Method (FCM): FCM intends to mitigate reliability problem of GRS by making scaling unknown to the rater. Here, the rater is served with some statements about a particular trait or performance factor. The rater is to choose a statement that best describes the employee. The rating is done by someone else. This is unworkable in larger organization. Both the rater and the ratee feel uncomfortable with FCM (Anderson, 1993, p.24) 2.5.5 Forced Distribution Method (FDM): The forced distribution method is similar to grading on a curve. With this method, manager places predetermined percentages of ratees into performance categories. FDM is a GRS or BARS scaling with a population distribution requirement. Usually it requires a normal distribution i.e. the lowest and the highest grade contain 10% of population each. The remaining 80% is distributed among others with highest distribution reserved for the mid-grade. FDM intends to minimize overrating. Yet it carries high probability of inequality in case of heterogeneous population. (Dessler, 1999, p.159) 2.5.6 Critical Incident Method: With this method, the supervisor keeps a log of positive and negative example (critical incidents) of a subordinates work-related behaviour. Every six months or so, supervisor and subordinate meet to discuss the latters performance, using the incidents as examples. There are several advantages of this method of which are as follows: It provides actual examples of good and poor performance the supervisor can use to explain the persons rating. It ensures that the manager or supervisor thinks about the subordinates appraisal all during the year. The rating does not just reflect the employees most recent performance. The list hopefully provides examples of what specifically the subordinate can do to eliminate any deficiencies. However, without some numerical rating, this method is not too useful for comparing employees or making salary decisions. (Baird, Beatty Schneier, 1982, pp.45-46) 2.5.7 Behaviorally Anchored Rating Scale (BARS): A behaviourally anchored rating scale combines the benefits of narratives, critical incidents, and quantified scales, by anchoring a rating scale with specific examples of behavioural activities for good or bad performance. Its supporters say it gives more equitable appraisal than do the other tools we discussed. Although BARS scales still present performance on a continuum; they provide specific behavioral anchors to help clarify the meaning of the performance dimensions and help calibrate the raters definitions of what constitutes good and poor performance. Some supporters of behaviorally focused scales also claimed that they would remove unnecessary subjectivity (Latham Wexley, 1977). BARS is judged from a set of scales- one scale describes each job dimension, or broad types of duties, responsibilities, or activities of a job. Placed on a scale are a set of statements clarifying of worker behaviour on the particular job dimension. (Baird, Beatty Schneier, 1982, p.61). Rating dimension would vary according to the nature of the job- between six and nine seems quite common. For example one British study identified seven: Supervision of operators, scheduling and planning, technical troubleshooting, handling men, communications, administrative problems of wiring wire and dealing with other departments. BARC system has got substantial advantage it has some draw back as well such as time consuming and expensive. Some of them have identified ten dimension of performance. They are interpersonal relationships, organizing and planning, reactions to problems, reliability, communicating, adaptability, growth, productivity, quality of work and teaching. (Fletcher Williams, 1985, pp. 42-44) 2.5.8 Computerised and web-based performance appraisal: Many people who have got the charged for performance appraisal for their subordinates may not be able to do so particularly newly appointed supervisors. As they will take over new responsibilities so they may not be efficient in expressing themselves in writing about employee performance. Eventhough some of them have got the strength to do perfectly but still they may need some format for developing effective, useful employee performance appraisals. Computer software programs are making the performance appraisal system easier from many aspects such as writing a difficult employee performance appraisal. Management software that is commonly called MBA-ware, offers expert guidance in management issues that would cover from creating a business plan to writing employee policy manuals (Sprout, 1995). Some managers are looking for a develop technology to solve the problems that they are facing during performance appraisal. Current computer software programs allow the managers to make performance appraisal documents that are in complete format, professional in appearance, and easy to use in the performance appraisal system. Additionally, this software programs provide classification of job performances that will be counted for appraising and offer various pre-written descriptions of behaviors for each criteria. There are three leading programs for employee evaluation software that are Review Writer 1.0, Performance Now! 2.03, and Employee Appraiser 2.0 (Stewart, 1994; Robinson, 1994). There are some similar software programs in the market but it do not do the evaluation process that way the other three software work (D.W. Pratt, personal communication, July 24, 1996). These three leading software programs work step-by-step to evaluate employees performance. Managers input the employees information into the system, mark the job description and/or categories to be used, choose the correct written evaluations, and print it. (Spinks, Wells Meche, 1999, p.94) 2.5.9 Mixed Standard Scales: These scales are made to make the evaluation system reliable through confirming each individual rates, each scales rate and each rater rates and to minimize halo and leniency errors (Blanz Ghiselli, 1972). The idea of mixed standard scale has come from the logic of forced choice method. Halo and leniency errors could reduce if ratings are not made on a scale where statements come in an obvious order of merit hierarchy. Practical findings provide support to these hypotheses (Saal Landy, 1977). This scale is choosing three items for each performance dimension which are good, average and poor. 2.5.10 Management By Objectives (MBO) More than half of the organizations regularly used performance appraisals in the beginning of 1950s, compared with only 15 per cent immediately after World War II (Spriegel, 1962). They had ordinary, numerical system which was trait rating system. This system focuses on past actions to appraise people on the basis of a previously established set of dimensions (DeVries et al., 1981). Lots of employees who were being apprised by the manager were not happy due to the way of performance measuring system. Trait rating system did not develop the employees performance rather than there was clear indication for being sacked for low performers (Van Riper, 1958). It is mentionable that this rating system gave chance to managers to play the role of judge instead of employee development for achieving both the employees and the organizations goals (McGregor, 1957). Out come of the performance appraisal system was conflicting with present roles of managers and the achievement of organizational goa l thats why new thought was introduced after World War II to update performance appraisal systems (DeVries et al., 1981). Due to the limitations of performance appraisal systems in the 1950s which led to the development of new systems based on management by objectives (MBO) In theory, at least, Management by Objectives provided a clear and unambiguous framework for specifying and measuring employee performance. Labovitz and Baird have given some ideas about MBO that is: â€Å"MBO approach to managing people is a process of continually structuring expectations through mutual goal setting with subordinates, establishing action plans and target dates, reaching objectives and providing feedback. This is a way of managing subordinates that permits them to meet their personal needs for responsibility, freedom of action and recognition. At the same time the MBO approach provides a supervisor with an element of control, and change his or her role from police officer to colleague or coach.† (Baird, Beatty Schneier, 1982, pp.51-52). MBO is introduced in the management for improving performance, reducing role vagueness and redirecting effort to important organizational target. MBO system could be fit and work with any types of organization for planning process, a control technique and a form of individual performance appraisal. (Baird, Beatty Schneier, 1982, p.57). MBO has many positive sides but it has some limitations that we need to consider. The main issue that a company should consider first to implement MBO is the high level of management commitment and time frame to reorient the thinking of employees (Patten, 1977). Communication is the key to get a good out come and to prevent the complexity of the system from primary excitement that will lead into confusion and disillusionment, bring the result to an end with disinterest and failure. The purpose for the new system needs to be clearly recognized also, because while MBO is a useful tool for performance planning and feedback, it is not easily used for administrative decisions (DeVries et al., 1981). A high standard of job assessment and implication skills are needed to determine which performance dimensions to measure and the goal achievement standards to use. Primarily, the goals and objectives which are set likely to be easily quantified, easily achieved and not necessarily central to the job (Murphy Cleveland, 1995). Levinson (1970) found out an inclination for objective-setting measures such as sales dollars or number of units produced result in a lack of attention for less calculative aspects of job performance such as customer service and quality work. As a result this method will be ineffective if objectives are activity focused instead of output centered. There is also an inclination for managers to overlook the factors which are out of employees control, but which frequently affect goal fulfillment, leaving the employee responsible for goal completion inspite of external influences (Goodale, 1977). Managerial jobs are frequently measured in terms of unit, rather than i ndividual, an objective, which requires that individuals be held accountable for outcomes requiring interdependent employee efforts (Levinson, 1970; Schneier Beatty, 1978). These are some common errors associated with MBO (Kleber, 1972), but they help to illustrate the complexity of this performance appraisal method. Longenecker (1989) points to the common assumption that appraisals are often ‘political in nature, that their mechanisms for justifying decisions which have already been taken and disregard individual merit. This is particularly the case when performance related pay (PRP) is involved. As a student of International Human Resource Management, researcher wants to discuss about international perspective of performance appraisal system. Hofstede (1980) found that national culture is a factor to vary on value dimension between managers and employees. One of the value dimensions is individualism against collectivism. Individualism is such a thing where people show their action according to their individual preferences whereas collectivism is such a thing where people behaving as a member of a group. We can see the individualistic culture in western part and collective culture in eastern part of the world. (Taormina Gao, 2009, p.103) The inception of Human Resource Management (HRM) made the Human Capital as the most important strategic resource of an organization and thereby linked it with strategic vision, mission, values, and other processes of organization. Performance Management (PM) thus replaced traditional PA under HRM philosophy. Here, both the organization and employees are of equal concern. Performance management is seen by Armstrong and Baron (1998, p.37) as: â€Å"a means of aligning organizational and individual objectives to achieve organizational effectiveness.† Mohrman and Mohrman define PM as: â€Å"The practices through which work is defined and reviewed; through which capabilities are developed and through which rewards are distributed in an organization. Performance management may involve goal setting, employee selection and placement, compensation, performance appraisal, training and development and career management† (Mohrman and Mohrman, 1995, p.2). From above two definitions we can draw following generic features of PM: It integrates between individual and organizational goals and thereby creates a sense of belongingness in the employees; It views performance as a function of organizational environment i.e. culture, climate, flow of resource, critical external environmental factors, etc; It contributes towards a climate of open discussion between management and workers about all organizational aspects. It enables employees to identify their weaknesses as well as strengths and motivates them for superior performance. 2.6 Motivation and Performance Management: Motivation has multiplier effect on performance. A sound and legitimate appraisal system is a precondition of having a highly motivated workforce. Conversely, a flawed system might demotivate and demoralize the employees in a way that appraisal becomes a ritual and sometimes counterproductive. Milkovich Wigdor (1991, p.34) identify two essential functions of PM linking to motivation: a) it provides the basis for individuals to form beliefs about causal connections between their performance and pay; b) it indicates degree of association between individuals effort and performance. 2.7 Selection of

Literature Review on Online Gaming

Literature Review on Online Gaming The purpose of this study is to map out and see the relationship between MMORPG game player personalities and style based on player type theory and game players’ thinking preferences in order to increase sales, opportunity to improve in game development and apply thinking preference to offer personalize in-game product or promotion by using framework of Player type theory and Whole brain thinking preference model relationship. This chapter provides a review of overall concept and theory among different researches from different authors which are discussed with different topics as follow: Online game MMORPG game Player type theory Whole Brain thinking preference model Brief history of PC/online games play important roles. Computer games’ influence is growing continuingly as research shows that the age of children playing games continue to be younger and internet usage among children becomes more popular. Moreover, the internet access has become widespread since 1990s, which impacted people’s working, socializing and behaviors (Dindar Akbulut, 2014). The Internet become an important media role in information age especially for children and youth who are a group that influences by internet use (Makesrithongkum, 2009). The internet also has a great impact on marketing concepts especially in the game sectors in terms of alerting relationship marketing activities with customers (Maklan Klaus, 2011). Online games become interactive because they allow game players around the world to interact with each other in one single platform. Eventually, online games began to becoming the important factor of our social culture (Nuangjumnonga Mitomo, 2012) and (Williams et al., 2008). Online games also bring people together to form society which players interact with each other in virtual world that are always on. These worlds, called â€Å"massively multiplayer online games† or MMOs (Steinkuehler Williams, 2006). As the computers and online games market grew rapidly many people especially teenager spend great amounts of time playing online games (Boyle, Connolly, Hainey, 2011; Gonzà ¡lez-Gonzà ¡lez, Toledo-Delgado, Collazos-Ordoà ±ez, Gonzà ¡lez-Sà ¡nchez, 2014). Challenges for marketing industry in measurement of online game players’ interaction with a game become critical since it is an important key for company sustainability (Tony, Richard, Paul, 2009). Moreover, there is a few knowledge about how customer experiences on online game that would be from their consumption which might be interpreted into customer value perception (Iyanna, Bosangit, Mohd-Any, 2012). Brief history of Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Games (MMORPGs) play important roles. The history of MMORPG was born in 1970s and was started as a â€Å"Multi User Dungeons (MUDs)† on the Advanced Research Projects Agency Network (ARPANET) back in the mid-1970s and currently this industry is continue to grow rapidly (Daniel Daniel, 2012, chap. 41; Hou et al., 2011; Lo Wen, 2010; Rezaei Ghodsi, 2014). MMORPGs are form of MUD games that offer a persistent 3D virtual world to support thousands of players to playing together on the Internet or PCs (Lo Wen, 2010). â€Å"In an MMORPG, the world exists before the user logs on, and continues to exist when the user logs off† (Yee, 2006). In the year of 2003, â€Å"Ragnarok Online†, on of MMORPG licensed from Gravity Corporation, South Korea. It was localized into Thai language to serve Thai gamers. â€Å"This game was an immense success, with the highest peak Concurrent Users of over 110,600† (ASIASOFT CORPORATION PUBLIC COMPANY LIMITED, 2013). Massively multiplayer online role-playing games (MMORPGs) provide game players many game-play options. It allow players to connect and interact with other players in open-world virtual landscapes filled with a variety of possible activities. It able players to be able to create and control their own avatars to play with others either as allies or competitors in 3D graphical video environments (Steinkuehler Williams, 2006). These games attract lots amount of players of all ages, nationalities, and occupations, and average playing time for these games is usually in excess of 20 h per week (Griffiths, Davies, Chappell, 2004; Williams et al., 2008; Yee, 2006a). The popularity of massively multiplayer online role-playing games (MMORPGs) makes it very important to investigate how they impact on gamers’ lives (Zhong, 2011). Furthermore, it is even more important to understand how to design a successful MMORPG that can satisfy the target game players (Ang, Zaphiris, Mahmood, 2007; Lo Wen, 2010; Zhong, 2011) and retain them (Hou, Chern, Chen, Chen, 2011). In terms of game business, one of the leading game company in Thailand with the offering of 17 MMORPGs game (only count the ones offer in Thailand), Asiasoft Corporation Public Company Limited (the â€Å"Company† or â€Å"AS†) has generate their revenue by offering (1) Air Time sale in which players have to pay base on their hours of playing MMORPG games (2) Item sale in which players able to play MMORPG games free of charge but company will sell in-game items such as equipment, accessories or some other items that make that player become better in somehow than other player who does not purchase in-game items. In-game items sometime come with marketing campaign by offering on sales price in order to attract player to purchase them. Currently, revenue model of online game has shift from Air Time sale to Item sale. The reason behind is that there are more chance for game player to be attracted because they can play MMORPG game for free which also increase the chance to se ll in-game items later on (ASIASOFT CORPORATION PUBLIC COMPANY LIMITED, 2013). MMORPGs brought a significant role in online game player interactions within game industries. MMORPG users experience more complicate gaming behavior compared to other virtual games players so this issue leads to further research in the MMORPGs industry (Stetina, Kothgassner, Lehenbauer, and Kryspin-Exner (2011); Rezaei Ghodsi, 2014). In software industry, software developer which provide consumers with personalized product based on individual preference have been shown to be better choices (Murray Hà ¤ubl, 2009). There are multidimensional influences of motivational factors those were relatively neglected in previous related studies including research of (Nuangjumnonga Mitomo, 2012) which has done the research that seek for the correlation that exists between character roles in games and leadership in everyday life. The research is about roles in the game and leadership styles are linked and how they influence each other using (Multiplayer online battle arena) MOBA game genre and three styles of leadership which develop from IBM’s research project. The researchers also conduct a survey regarding gameplay behaviors and leadership behaviors distributed in Thailand to identify the game roles which taken by the game players and also to identify their leadership styles. The result shows correlations between relationship of game and leadership style. Some of research mention about gaming environment have tremendous impact and players are motivated to engage them (Ryan, Rigby, Przybylski, 2006). There are theories of motivations that have been applied to game and motivate player. Yee (2007) has presented studies focus on (Massively Multiplayer Online) MMO games that involve with players interact in virtual environment (in game) through online game character. In his research, he identified different factor analysis including overarching, non-exclusive, motives. These factors were derived from Bartle’s type theory. Another theory has been address which is called Self-determination. In its early development, researcher focus on motivation based on the inherent satisfactions derived from action (Ryan Deci, 2000a). Base on Self-determination theory, intrinsic motivation is the core type of motivation underlying play and sport (Frederick Ryan, 1993, 1995; Ryan, Rigby, Przybylski, 2006), and it is a type of motivation related to computer game participation in which people typically play these games because they are intrinsically satisfying (Malone Lepper, 1987; Ryan, Rigby, Przybylski, 2006) or, as Bartle (2004) state that players are seeking â€Å"fun†. Player type theory One of the major concern about MMORPGs study is to identify the motivations of game players to engage in gaming environments. Bartle’s (1996) player taxonomy was among the first studies to describe player motivations in virtual worlds. Bartle’s (1996) player type theory was stated that there are four main reasons why people continue playing Multi-User Dungeon (MUDs: ancestors of MMORPGs) which are to achieve in the game, imposition others, explore through the game, and socialize with other players. This theory first start off with taxonomy of game players of MUDs or Multi-User Dungeon which is the multiplayer online game that allow many players to join at the same time. According to Bartle’s player type theory, there are four things that people typically enjoyed personally about MUDs were: Achievement within the game context – Players set goals or mission by themselves and try to achieve them. In MMORPG game, they would be the ones that try to gain point and gaining level as their main goal. They will explore only to seek for new items or treasure. Socializing is needed when they wants to know about how to improving their points in the game and gain knowledge to apply to be better player in the game. They will be killing others only to eliminate rivals or get rid of people who get in the way or gaining some point which awarded from killing other players. Achievers are focusing on master the game. They analyze which way they would accomplish the game and achieve them base on their action. They focus on acting (role play in the game, mission and goal) and world (game environment that makes them accomplish something in the game). Exploration of the game – Players try to know as much as possible about the virtual world in terms of mapping. They usually go in the wild and out-of the way places. They seek for interesting places and features in the game. Scoring point is only necessary when it allows player to be able to access to other new places. They focus on interacting with the world. They are proud from knowing about the game more than other players. Socializing with others – Players use the role-playing game to interact with other players. They interest in people over than context of the game itself. Scoring point is only necessary when it allows player to be able to gain access to some communication which available only for the one who meet the target. Exploration is only necessary for players when they only want to know what others are talking about. Killing is only for revenge upon someone who has cause pain to a friend. Imposition upon others – Players use tools provided by the game to offend other players. They usually find weapons and apply it to another player in the game. Knowledge about the game does not needed but only need when it can apply to the person. They are proud of their reputation and fighting skills. Figure 5: Player type theory graph Whole brain thinking model In the past, there are numbers of researches that have tried to identify thinking style of people. There are some theories and research which able to identify different thinking style which will be apply in this research. Whole brain thinking preference model was develop in the year of 1996. This instrument is based on belief that parts of the brain (left and right hemisphere, cerebral and limbic brain) form a grid that divide into quadrants resulting in different brain dominance of each person (Orcik, Vrgovic, Tekic, 2013). Triune Brain theory Triune Brain theory was invented by Paul McLean in 1968. The theory itself separate human brain into three layers which works differently for each part (McLean, 1990). It consists of the reptilian brain (core brain), the limbic system (mid layer), and the cerebral system (outer layer) (McLean, 1990à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¬) which is described as follows: The Reptilian brain functional to controls every basic function of our living. It maintains patterns and habits of human body and controls primitive behavior, sensation, and survival. Environment does minimal effects to this part of brain. The Limbic system is considered to be primary centers of emotion thinking, form and sequence which play a key role in memory transformation and retrieval (Andrew, 2001). McLean acknowledges that the senses we feel about the rationality of our thoughts has its roots in this system of emotional intelligence (McLean, 1990). The Cerebral system (Neocortex) is a part that does all planning, analysis, synthesis, reasoning thinking, problem solving and decision-making which consider to be the most complex part. It provide logical and formal operational thinking possible and allows us to plan for the future. It is kept all gained knowledge and allows us to reuse that knowledge in the future. Left Brain/Right Brain theory Theory of Left Brain/Right Brain was discovered in 1970 by Roger Sperry. The experiments revealed that the left and right hemispheres of the brain were actually functioning independently from each other. Right side of the brain function as recognizing faces, expressing emotions, musical ability, intuition, creativity, humor and metaphor. However, left side of the brain is able to function as analytical, language, logic, critical thinking, numbers, time sequencing and reasoning. Whole Brain thinking preference model Whole Brain Thinking is the ability for individuals to act outside of their own preferred Thinking Preference (Brian, 2011). Each individual has their own dominance thinking preference therefore, tools to measure is needed. Ned Herrmann cluster human brain into four different parts by combining between the theory of Triune Brain (McLean, 1990) and Left Brain and Right Brain theory (Roger, 1985; Springer and Deutch, 1985). Ned Hermann developed the Whole brain model that can be measured each person and categorize them into one of the four quadrants by using Herrmann Brain Dominance Instrument as a tool. The result shows degree of dominance of a person in four thinking structures of human brain. The Whole Brain model divided human brain into a grid that contains four equal quadrants, and labeled by using first four letters of alphabet to indicate A as an upper left quadrant, B as a lower left quadrant, C as a lower right quadrant, and D as an upper right quadrant. The letters A and D represent the cerebral system, and the letters B and C represent the limbic system (Herrmann, 1996; Brian, 2011) as shown in the figure below and describe later on. Figure 6: Whole Brain Model Quadrant A refers to Analyzer who deals with logical, analytical, fact based, and quantitative. Analyzer tends to think logically, analyze facts and process numbers. Persons who rely in this quadrant will perform logic thinking to do problem solving and have realistic thinking (Rittippant, Ruyaporn, Hongpaisanvivat, Limrahaphan, Kasemweerakul, 2013). Quadrant B refers to Organizer who deals with organization, sequential thinking, planning and detail. Organizer tends to make everything goes smoothly and perfectly based on their plans. Persons who rely in this quadrant also like to get things done on time. They are detail oriented and does not use emotion to make a decision and tend to avoid risks and do everything conservatively (Rittippant, Ruyaporn, Hongpaisanvivat, Limrahaphan, Kasemweerakul, 2013). Quadrant C refers to Personalizer who deals with kinesthetic, emotional, feelings based and interpersonal skills. Personalizer tends to be people-oriented and tender. Persons who rely in this quadrant always care others’ feeling and looks to other people’s values. They will be a friendly, trusting and empathetic person (Rittippant, Ruyaporn, Hongpaisanvivat, Limrahaphan, Kasemweerakul, 2013). Quadrant D refers to Visualizer who deals with intuitive thinking, integration, synthesizing, and a holistic approach. Visualizer tends to be able to see the big picture and try to solve problem based on their instinct. Persons who rely in this quadrant are visionary and imaginative. They like changing, challenging and risk taking; dislikes any forms of rules and regulations (Rittippant, Ruyaporn, Hongpaisanvivat, Limrahaphan, Kasemweerakul, 2013). Each of human being has different brain dominance. Moreover, most people tend to have at least one dominant or preferred quadrant based on whole brain model. There are no better or worse among each of dominance quadrants. Eventually, each of the dominance quadrants will express Thinking Preference in that person. These will lead to different game playing style in MMROPG genre. Herrmann Brain Dominance Instrument (HBDI) Herrmann Brain Dominance Instrument (HBDI) is a tool to measuring the degree of preference between each of the four individual thinking structures (quadrants) and each of the four-paired structures (modes). HBDI is the only assessment based on the metaphor of how our brain actually works. It is only used to determine thinking styles and preference rather than the psychology of personality or behavior. The Whole Brain model divided human brain into four equal quadrants, and labeled by using first four letters of alphabet including A as an upper left quadrant, B as a lower left quadrant, C as a lower right quadrant, and D as an upper right quadrant. The letters A and D represent the cerebral system, and the letters B and C represent the limbic system (Herrmann, 1995; Brian, 2011).  © 2014 Tanarat Hongpaisanvivat All Rights Reserved