How is Gender, Class, Race and Ethnicity Signicant in America Today Essay

How is Gender, Class, Race and Ethnicity Signicant in America Today - Essay Example It is therefore important that the society is able to plan for its operations taking into consideration the abilities of its members. According to Wade (96), these are aspects of identity but all in all they create a distinction between individuals. There is the positive and progressive way of consideration of these factors of distinction and there is the negative and retrogressive consideration. This is purely a matter of perception it is that of a person either seeing a half full glass or the half empty glass. This paper therefore seeks to find out the relevance of these major distinctions in America today. Introduction Identity is the first strength that a human being has. One can not determine what identity he is given by nature. We have no ability to choose the social class in which we are born. We have no power to predetermine the race, the gender and the ethnicity. Nature predetermines this to achieve its own balance. The balance is achieved because of all the factors that are given come with abilities that are pertinent to the growth and development of the surrounding of the given entity. To understand the importance of this factors of identity it important to check the inner details of each one of them. In social planning it is important that a government that has been mandated by the people to protect the minority. Among the distinguishing factors come the factors that define identity. The actual number of the people under a given stratification gives the government an insight on what provisions to make (Karim pg1). Gender According to Gurian (10) the fact is a community is stratified in two categories; it is either one is male or female. The art of people of the two genders working together is based on core strength and not science or intellectual ability. Nature has predetermined that the two genders complement each other in a natural way and therefore such are there abilities. In the issues of leadership men have been known to be decisive and this has been highly complimented by women who take their time to analyze and consult. This is the fall back fact of democracy in the world. There are societal issues that affect only the a specific gender therefore for the government to be able to make relevant legislations and provisions it is important that the issue at hand is uplifted and therefore observed in a positive light. Is this is undertaken then it is clear that all the relevant structures to address those specific issues effectively. Traditionally the issue of gender has been a competition platform of the two sexes. But with the modern times and the female gender having made significant advances it has come to be appreciated that the two need each other for the betterment of the society. This however has not been fully achieved as there is still need for affirmative action in favor of the female gender. It is still normal to see the female discriminated against as a result of their gender. This has been so despite the fact that the world has come to accept that the intellectual ability of an individual is not based on gender (Glenn pg 4). The mandate of the government is then to decrease the stereotype minds set and give the same opportunities for the two genders to have fair competition for the resources that can be available to the society. The significance therefore lies in the planning and implementation of all the aspects that are important to achieve the parity

The Fly by Katherine Mansfield and Disabled by Wilfred Owen Essay Example for Free

The Fly by Katherine Mansfield and Disabled by Wilfred Owen Essay Exploring the connections between memory and trauma in â€Å"The Fly† by Katherine Mansfield and â€Å"Disabled† by Wilfred Owen In these works â€Å"The Fly† by Katherine Mansfield and â€Å"Disabled† by Wilfred Owen both reflect on the relations with memory and trauma from the First World War. Mansfield shows her connection through a father who lost his son at war and struggles with reminiscing his son’s death. Mansfield shows how the character starving for attention on the looks of his office to forget the painful damage the war has caused him. Owen writes his story from a soldier’s point of view that was in war and is now disabled from the war. The former soldier was unaware of what war actually was and only signed up because of the attention he got from others. Mansfield shows the terrifying memories of war coming from a family member’s mental point of view: â€Å"He did not draw old Woodifield’s attention to the photograph over the table of a grave-looking boy in uniform† (425), the photograph above the table is of the boss’s son. Mansfield writes; â€Å"‘My son’ groaned the boss. But no tears came yet† (page 427), she shows the boss is struggling with memories of the death of his son. Owen presents his speaker as one who was in the war and faces trauma physically: â€Å"He sat in a wheeled chair†¦.Legless, sewn short at elbow† (line 1-3), the former soldier lost his limbs at war. He loses the feeling of being with a woman: â€Å"Now he will never feel again how slim girls’ waists are,† (11,12) he lost his sense of caressing a woman again. Mansfield shows her character in hunger for the attention of others, she writes: â€Å"‘I’ve had it done up lately, he explained, as he explained for the past-how many?-weeks† (425) the boss craves the attention of others noticing his office and the fine details. When the boss repeats the phrase: â€Å"‘Look sharp’† (429), it shows that the character has high expectations for the people around him and for his son’s return home from the war. Owens shows the speaker engaging the attention of others by signing up for war not knowing the possible outcomes: †Å"He thought he’d better join. He wonders why†¦.Aye, that was it, to please the giddy jilts [unpredictable women]† (24-27), he signs up only to get the attention from others especially women. Owen writes: â€Å"Some cheered him home, but not as crowds cheer Goal† (37) the attention the speaker had got when he first signed up was not the attention he had gotten anymore. Both characters are now left with permanent damage from the war, Mansfield shows that the character is more mentally damaged from the war with loss of his son: â€Å"Six years ago, six years†¦. How quickly time passed!† (428), the war has robbed his son from him. When the boss is tormenting the fly with his ink: â€Å"The last blot fell on the soaked blotting-paper, and the draggled fly lay in it and did not stir† (429), he is reminded the constant struggle in remembering the death of his son. The speaker in Owens poem is not only left with constant memories of the war but also left with physical damage too: â€Å"There was an artist silly for his face, For it was younger than his youth, last year. Now he is old; his back will never brace; He’s lost his color very far from here† (14-17) the war stole his baby face looks and replaced him with a face that was trampled by war. In these works the writers have different views of the war. Mansfield’s story is presented from family members view and how the war affected his mental view. He is struggling with himself in remembrance of his son’s death so he craves the attention of others but is still reminded what the war has robbed him of. Owen’s writes his story more in first person; his character was ignorant about war and signed up to get the attention of others. The speaker is now left with mental and physical damage from the war. Each works provide insight on how cruel war is by the views the writers present them in. Works Cited Mansfield, Katherine. â€Å"The fly.† Introduction to Literature 5th Ed. Eds, Findlay et. al. Toronto: Nelson 2004. 425-429. Owen, Wilfred. â€Å"Disabled.† Introduction to Literature 5th Ed. Eds, Findlay et. al. Toronto: Nelson 2004. 247-248.

Starbucks Corporation :: essays research papers

Starbucks Corporation CASE ANALYSIS FOR STARBUCKS CORPORATION I. Case Profile/ Company History Three Seattle entrepreneurs started the Starbucks Corporation in 1971. Their prime product was the selling of whole bean coffee in one Seattle store. By 1982, this business had grown tremendously into five stores selling the coffee beans, a roasting facility, and a wholesale business for local restaurants. Howard Schultz, a marketer, was recruited to be the manager of retail and marketing. He brought new ideas to the owners, but was turned down. Schultz in turn opened his own coffee bar in 1986 based on Italian coffee cafes, selling brewed Starbucks coffee. By 1987, Schultz had expanded to three coffee bars and bought Starbucks from the original owners for $4 million. He changed the name of his coffee bars from Il Giornale to Starbucks. His intention for the company was to grow slowly with a very solid foundation. He wanted to create a top-notch management by wooing top executives from other well-known corporations. For the first two years, Starbucks losses doubled as overhead and op erating expenses increased with Starbucks’ expansion. Schultz stood his ground and did not sacrifice long term integrity and values for short-term profit. By 1991, Starbucks’ sales increased by 84% and the company was out of debt. Starbucks grew to 26 stores by 1988. By 1996 it grew to 870 stores with plans to open 2000 stores by the year 2000. II. Situational Analysis Strategic Analysis Business Level-Strategy: The business strategy of Starbucks’ is identical to the corporate level strategy since the company is a single business company, focusing on only coffee-related products and retail stores. Corporate Level-Strategy: Starbucks corporate strategy has been to establish itself as the premier purveyor of the finest coffee in the world, while maintaining their uncompromised principles as the grow. The firm principles of the company are seen with its maintenance of a great and proven work environment for every staff member in its retail stores. It upholds diversity and promises the highest standards for its products. The company satisfies customers and gives back to the community and the environment. Also, Starbucks persists to be profitable and it is. They live by a strict, slow growth policy completely dominating a market before setting its sights further abroad. This strategy has gained them the advantage of being one of the fastest growing companies in the country. Structure and Control Systems: Starbucks believes that their employees are one of their important assets in that their only sustainable advantage is the quality of their workforce.

Ap Psychology Intelligence

Intelligence In my high school your intelligence level is based on your ability to master material in difficult courses, which is quite different to people the same age in the Amazon rain forest. Their intelligence level is based on their knowledge of the medicinal properties of local plants. In both of these very different locations intelligence is the ability to learn from experience, solve problems, and use knowledge to adapt to new situations. General intelligence is also known as the g factor. To be labeled as intelligent would correlate with a high g factor.There are also the theories of multiple intelligences, which include Gardner's eight intelligences and Sternberg's three intelligences. Gardner's eight intelligences include abilities in linguistics, logical-mathematics, music, spatial awareness, body-kin esthetics, interpersonal relations, interpersonal relations, and nature. Gardner views intelligence as multiple abilities that come in different packages. For example, in t he cases of people with Savant Syndrome who often score low on intelligence testing, yet have one area of intense brilliance, such as the Rain Man.Sternberg's three intelligences include Analytical(academic problem-solving), Creative intelligence, and Practical intelligence. Analytical intelligence is assessed by intelligence testing, with question having only one correct answer. Creative intelligence is shown by how people react to new situations and create new ideas. Practical intelligence is needed for every day problem-solving, with problems having many possible answers. Creativity is the ability to produce ideas that are both novel and valuable. Exceptionally high scores on intelligence tests support the presence of high creativity.Sternberg identified five components of creativity, which include; Expertise(well developed knowledge base), Imaginative thinking skills, A venturesome personality, Intrinsic motivation, and a creative environment. To boost your creativity it is best to develop your expertise by finding something that you are passionate about and become an expert on it. Next, you need to allow time for incubation, which means, give your mind plenty of time and rest to make connections with the wealth of knowledge you have exposed yourself to. Then, you need to set aside time to let your mind roam freely.That means television, computers, and video games are off the table. Instead, go for a walk, jog, or meditate. Lastly and most importantly, experience other cultures and ways of thinking. Travel to many different countries and soak up the culture through common activities and quality time spent with native peoples. Emotional intelligence has four main components, which include, perceiving emotions(to recognize them in faces, music, and stories), understanding emotions(to predict them and how they change and blend), managing emotions(to know how to express them in varied situations), and using emotions to enable adaptive or creative thinking.Thos e who are emotionally intelligent are often more successful in careers, marriage, and parenting situations, as compared to academically smart people. It is believed that there is a strong correlation between brain size and intelligence. For example, Lord Byron's brain was approximately two pounds heavier than the normal three pound brain. In another case Albert Einstein's brain was studied and was found to be 15% larger in the parietal lobe's lower region, which is the area for mathematical and spatial processing. How fitting!Another strong correlation lies between neural processing speed and intelligence. This correlation is the result of one of two possibilities. Perhaps people who process more quickly accumulate more information, or processing speed and intelligence share an underlying genetic influence. How is intelligence determined, and then given a numerical value? Tests are made by psychologists, but what makes the tests themselves credible? The whole idea of testing intelli gence came about around the same time that France made it mandatory for children to attend school.To know what children needed special schooling, a test to determine mental age was created by Binet. Mental age is the chronological age that most typically corresponds to a given level of performance, typically associated with a certain chronological age. For example, an average seven year old would have a mental age of seven, but if a seven year old is above average he/she may have a mental age of eight or above. The test created to determine mental age is referred to today as the Stanford-Binet, it is the American revision of the original intelligence test.Using the mental age a person's intelligence quotient(I. Q. ) can be determined. I. Q. Is the ratio of mental age to chronological age all multiplied by 100. There are two main types of modern tests to test mental abilities, and they are achievement tests and aptitude tests. Achievement tests are designed to assess what a person ha s learned. Examples of achievement tests include course exams, intelligence tests, and driver's license exams. Aptitude tests are designed to predict a person's future performance; aptitude is the capacity to learn.Examples of aptitude tests are the S. A. T. and the A. C. T. What are the principles of intelligence test construction? To understand this we first need to understand standardization and the normal curve. Standardization is defining meaningful scores by comparison with the performance of a pretested group. The normal curve is the symmetrical bell-shaped curve that describes the distribution of many physical and psychological attributes. Most scores fall near the average, and fewer and fewer scores lie near the extremes. Next, we need to understand reliability and validity.It is very important to have reliability in standardized testing. Reliability is the extent to which a test gives consistent results, as assessed by the consistency of scores on two halves of the test, o r on retesting. High reliability does not promise a test's validity. Validity is the extent to which a test measures or predicts what it is supposed to. What are dynamics of human intelligence? They are about the stability over the life span of a person, and about the extremes of intelligence. As you age your intelligence can either increase or decrease, as it is all in your power.Intelligence in correlation with aging comes in three stages: Phase I: Cross-Sectional Evidence for intellectual decline, Phase II: Longitudinal Evidence for Intellectual Stability, and Phase III: It all Depends. Phase I concludes that the decline of mental ability with age is part of the general aging process of the organism as a whole. Phase II concluded that until late in life, intelligence remained stable, sometimes even increasing. For example, John Rock developed the birth control pill at age 70, and Frank Lloyd Wright designed N. Y. C. ‘s Guggenheim Museum at age 89!Phase III concluded a perso n's crystallized intelligence increases until you die, but a person's fluid intelligence decreases beginning shortly after the twenties and very rapidly after age 85. The correlation between intelligence and age all comes down to phase III†¦ it really does all depend! In conclusion, there are many factors when determining the levels of intelligence of human beings. Some of them are creativity, emotional intelligence, testing methods, age, and many more. Whether you are an American high school student, or a teenager in the Amazon rainforest determining intelligence is very much the same.

Gerard Manley Hopkins Essay

The Windhover, by Gerard Manley Hopkins is a poem about the essence of natural things. This poem describes the relationship of human beings to the natural world as the poet is addressing God through the bird. It is praising him for all the marvellous things He has created and that humans can enjoy. The poem consists in three verses. In the first verse, the poet describes the power of the bird as it is portrayed as the master of heavens. This verse captures the movement of the bird in the sky. It starts with â€Å"I caught this morning mornings minion† that gives the feeling that the bird is a servant of the sky and it is the morning because it is a good time for hunting. Hopkins puts words together like â€Å"dapple dawn-drawn† to portray multi-images as here where the bird is drawn in the sky. Also, the alliteration here produces the effect of the bird’s movement in the air and the intensity of the poem’s feeling. The author writes that the bird is â€Å"striding high there† and this produces the image that the bird is taking huge steps in the air. The bird also â€Å"rung upon the rein of a wimpling wing† showing his power and control with â€Å"ecstasy†. The bird has control over the wind. The rhythm in this verse is very slow, yet steady. This verse consists in very long sentences that convey the effect that the bird is circling the air; with long movements it also reflects the poets feelings. This verse gives as the feeling that he poet has searched very well the words to describe his feelings but at the same time describing the bird. He searches for words that sound as they are written for example â€Å"sweeps smooth†. The second verse consists only of three lines explaining how the bird spots its pray and here, the beauty of the bird is more accentuated when the author uses â€Å"Brute beauty† to describe how beautiful the bird is, even when it is hunting. The word â€Å"brute† has an impact on the readers because this word means violent, wild, but here, the author uses it to emphasize that the beauty is a different kind of beauty; that it is a magnificent beauty, so marvellous and magnificent that there is no better word to describe it than brute. The poem reaches to the climax when the bird spots the pray and the author writes â€Å"here buckle! † as if warning us for action. To be prepared. From now on, the rhythm is more steady with lots of comas and faster than the first verse. This gives us the effect that the bird is now descending towards its pray. At the end of this verse, the author addresses to God as â€Å"Oh my chevalier! † and this is to thank Him for creating such marvellous things as the bird, full of â€Å"Brute beauty† so that humans can enjoy, even though it is only by watching them. When the author addresses to God, the rhythm changes. This matches the ecstasy of the bird in his own physical mastery of the sky. The last verse consists also in three lines, and here, the relationship of human beings to the natural world is also portrayed. This verse is more as a pronouncement. Here the author stops speaking about the bird and makes us realise how God’s beauty of creation is in everything, even in things where there is no apparent beauty. This is achieved also when Hopkins starts talking about how the â€Å"shi er pli d† makes even ploughing beautiful and how â€Å"blue-bleak embers† are also beautiful. In conclusion, I think that Hopkins decides to first start talking about the Windhover and about its â€Å"Brute beauty† to then compare it to the beauty found in every thing of creation. He relates human being to the beauty of nature because the beauty found in nature comes from human’s sacrifice. The words on Hopkins poem impact me because they make me realise how lucky we are to be part of creation and enjoy the beauty there is from Christ’s sacrifice.

Slave Religion essays

Slave Religion essays When it comes to religion most people feel they have a belief in God or a higher power. This belief helps sustain them in times of mental and emotional turmoil and many times physical pain. The slaves of North America brought with them a belief in their sacred beings, in which they didnt distinguish the living from the dead. Their belief that in death the body just slips from the physical state to a spiritual one was widely believed in and can still be seen in such places as Jamaica and Trinidad, and in United States but to a lesser degree in the form of Voodoo. A religion that incorporates Because they were very expressive in their supplications to God in their practice of their religious beliefs, their prayer sessions were stifled by the slave holders for fear of slave revolts. Because of the censorship, they generally had to wait until late at night after the head count when they could slip away to a designated location (generally a predetermined slave house) or theyd steal a way into the woods for fear of being heard by their masters. When really concerned about their masters not learning of their prayer meeting (particularly their mid week meetings) to mute their voices they would turn pots upside down in the middle of the floor or the round area in the thickets that they had created for their prayer sessions. Some would even resort to putting pots over their heads because they were overcome with emotions and it was forbidden to worship without the masters approval. The African slaves brought with them the practice of laying of their hands on each other as they sang and prayed as a sign of physical support, understanding, and healing of the spirit. Their beliefs helped them survive the physical, mental, and emotional degradation of being humans in bondage. In the US during the first one hundred and fifty years the slaves were able to practice their religion almost unobs ...

Ghostwriting A Lesser Known Career Path that Pays Big

Ghostwriting A Lesser Known Career Path that Pays Big Graduating with an engineering degree, I had no clue I would end up being a freelance writer. I chose to be one, as it best suited my life during the recession period back in 2009. Like many other writers who get stuck with low paying content mills like Elance (now Upwork), I started my career earning peanuts. That changed when I did research for a blog post in 2013 about how much ghostwriters earn. That research taught me that I was highly undercharging at $1 per page. The first eBook I ever ghostwrote for a client was over 50 pages long and paid only $50. And that included Elance’s and PayPal’s fees, too! Today, in 2018, I charge as much as $1-$2 per word. I charge more for creative work or fiction than for nonfiction. If the work requires extensive research, the rate runs higher. This means ghostwriting a 10k words novella would easily earn me $10,000. Now, imagine what a full-length novel of 60,000 to 100,000 pays. Ghostwriting is a lucrative niche that many writers don’t know much about. Why Ghostwrite? The truth is: I have tried self-publishing. This requires time to market and sell your books. Ghostwriting is a lot easier, less stressful, involves less marketing, and pays well. When I started my career as a freelance writer, I was trying to raise a family while still being a ‘good’ housewife. I needed, at this point in my life, to work from home. Ghostwriting seemed to fit my lifestyle perfectly. How I Land Ghostwriting Gigs Ghostwriting just fell into my lap, but logically it is a small leap from freelance writing. I was writing blogs and articles when one of my repeat clients asked if I’d be interested in ghostwriting ebooks. I ultimately wrote a large number of them for the same client. He was kind enough to spread the word to his peers which landed more work. As the owner of a writing business now, I acquire most of my work through my Facebook page. It’s not that my clients are too lazy or inept to write their own work. They are just too busy with careers or family to create the work they wish to market, which is the norm in today’s world. Networking helps me too. When I meet someone new and introduce myself as a ghostwriter, people are keen to share brilliant ideas or stories for their books and have me jot them down for them. So many people have a story, but not the skill nor time to bring them to fruition. Is Ghostwriting for You? If you are attached to your writing, probably ghostwriting isn’t a good fit for you. However, if you enjoy playing with others’ ideas and molding them into your own words, it might just be your niche. Does Ghostwriting Pay Better than Traditional writing?   It sure does, but you don’t get rich overnight. There are some freelance ghostwriters claiming six figures a year. They do earn that amount, but they didn’t right away. Build upon your portfolio and reputation first. Initially, ghostwriting will pay your bills; your ghostwriting money. I enjoyed my first holiday to the south of France and then in the States in 2015 and 2016 respectively. In 2017, my family went to Spain and Pakistan. For 2018, I’ve planned a special surprise as we will be celebrating our 10th wedding anniversary in December. All thanks to ghostwriting, I am enjoying a life that many just dream of. Brief

Scholarship Essay Format

Scholarship Essay Format Scholarship Essay Format Scholarship Essay Format Writing Secrets One thing about a good college education is that you have to pay through your nose for it. This is why scholarship essays are a very good option if you are running short of funds and need to apply for a scholarship. There are millions of dollars that are paid out every year to students who have written brilliant scholarship essays to back up the excellence of their past academic as well as extra curricular achievements. Now you can be one of them. A good scholarship essay needs to be written in the right scholarship essay formatalong with a workable scholarship strategy to get you the scholarship that you so badly need and are dreaming of. Scholarship Strategy Do your homework to find out all the scholarship options that are open to you Ensure that you strictly follow all the directions that have been given on the scholarship essay format Apply for as many scholarships as you can-that way while most get rejected there is a chance that at least one scholarship essay from amongst a couple turns out a winner. Lastly an important part of your scholarship strategy is to always ensure that you have edited and proof-checked your essay after getting constructive feedback from your professor or teachers. Remember that you dont want to lose out on a good opportunity due to a careless spelling error or grammatical mistake Scholarship Essay Format Ideas Stick to the word limit: if you have been asked to write 200 words or less on- why you like the specific course that you are applying for then you definitely do not want to drag it on to two pages,(as this will only get you in to the bad books of the scholarship committee.) Read sample essays of winning scholarship essays: this will give you a good idea of the kind of scholarship essay format that works and what does not. Use standard format: if no directions are specified. A standard scholarship essay formatconsists of three to five paragraphs. Start with an interesting introductory paragraph that spells out your thesis statement, follow this with supporting paragraphs that elaborate on a point each and conclude your essay in the final paragraph. This is an ideal standard scholarship essay formatto follow:http://.com/blog/scholarship-application-essay-writing Related posts: Narrative Essay Expository Essay Argumentative Essay Persuasive Research Paper Argumentative Research Paper Topics

The Service Factors of the Sunderland International Hotel Essay

The Service Factors of the Sunderland International Hotel - Essay Example This paper illustrates that the poor service quality of the Sunderland International hotel has resulted in the fact that the customers of the Sunderland International hotel have started providing negative feedback about the Sunderland International hotel on the facebook page of the Sunderland International hotel and on trip advisor. The company has not put great emphasis on the service of the Sunderland International hotel and this has resulted in the company earning negative reviews. Throughout the course of this report, the focus is on to try and resolve this problem. The report progresses through the steps of first defining the different concepts of service marketing and service quality, then the report tries to focus on the problems of service that the Sunderland International hotel currently faces and the steps that can be undertaken to solve the problems relating to the service. In the analysis of the problems relating to the service, it is found that the main problem lies with the fact that the employees of the Sunderland International hotels are not motivated enough to provide adequate service to the guests of the Sunderland International hotel. It is also found that the Sunderland International hotel lacks proper communication with the customers of the Sunderland International hotel and does not know what the customers actually want. The solution to the problem lies in the improvement of the human resource practices and improving connectivity with the customers. Service quality management is considered as an important aspect of the hospitality industry. The service quality management is engaged in improving the quality of the services that are provided to the customers. It deals with minimizing the gap that exists between the service expected and service perceived by the customer. The importance of the service quality management can be ascertained from the fact that it improves the productivity and profitability of the industry. The main aim or the obj ective of improving the service quality management in the hospitality industry is to retain its customer by satisfying its customers or clients.

City of God Analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

City of God Analysis - Essay Example From the beginning to the end of the film, the characters are trapped in their own destinies, only with the difference that it is not determined by God but by the corrupt and insensitive rulers of their country. It is reminded by each frame of the film that there is not even a speck of dignity in the life the slum dwellers live as they lack education as well as social and economic provisions to attain it. By raising the question, â€Å"when is a movie great?†, Thomson (year) has stressed the power of realism and the mundane in movies (p.39). He (Thomson, year) has stricken a cord with the real element of success of a film by establishing that a really great film need not have so-called 'serious' content but only need to have the ability to touch the heart and emotions of the viewers. In the film, City of God, also, it is the silly incident of a chicken running away from being butchered and being chased by gangsters that stands as one among the most impressive scenes. The film through its depiction of life and crime in the urban slums, has proven enough that there is no meaning in violence. This can be seen as the great role realism plays in making the art of film a social vehicle, as Thomson (year) said- â€Å"the idea of wanting to be there and believing the screened world was real or fit to be shared imaginatively† (p.38). In the case of this particular film, this observation can be re-worded as the idea of not wanting to be there and also sharing the anguish to make a difference in the world as members of the society. From the opening scene itself, the film has made clear that the events were happening in an urban slum. This is realized through showing the tin roofs and dirty walls of the dwellings as well as the chaotic and raw interactions of the people. The presence of forest is always there in the backyard of the slum, reminding the greenery that once might have supported the livelihood of the slum dwellers. After the motel shoot out, when two gangster youth hide inside the forest, one of them is seen expressing his wish to leave the life of the gangster. There are also many other similar incidents in the film. Thus the image of slum evolves into a political statement that questions the status quo involved. Another aspect of the use of images of slum and its physical settings in this Brazilian film is the identification that an individual in a developing world would feel with the life in this film. When the youth gang, the triad, was looting the motel, a woman inside the motel could be heard asking them why they were not studying, and she was reminding them that they were still kids. The next moment, youngest kid of the gang, Li'l Dice, has shot the people inside the motel, including the woman, giving a shocker to the viewers. This is the kind of violence and crime depicted in the film. It can be seen in this film that frustration caused by poverty and lack of opportunities was the leading emotion of the kids who beco me gangsters. This is why Li'l Dice is depicted killing the same person who was handing him over a gun for the first time. The theme of the film, in this sense is very close to reality of Latin American urban slums that comprises of â€Å"poverty that stunts the lives of children who labor long hours each day, who work as prostitutes, or who fall victim

Self-esteem (Literature Review) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 1

Self-esteem (Literature Review) - Essay Example d concept which has developed over time and it depicts the quality of an individual because of which he can cope up with the strenuous tasks that come in his/her way. The concept evolved because of many things which lay in the very core of self leadership but the ground substance for self leadership has been the raw material known as self esteem (Parker et al. 2005). A person with a higher self esteem is able to realize his/her concept of life and act accordingly and thus he can tackle different situations of life and act as a self leader (Alavi & Askaripur 2003; Neck 2006). This literature review would further revolve around the concept of self esteem in relation to self leadership and would provide a critique on it. Moreover it would also make recommendations for the future research on the concept along with the implications for contemporary human resource practice. Self-esteem is a broad topic which is closely related to the framework given by the Social Cognitive theory. It can be described as an individuals feeling and assurance of his own self. In other words it can be known to be the self worth of an individual. Social Cognitive Theory helps to figure out the factors which lead to the variations in self-esteem. The concept that the social cognitive theory lays about one’s own thinking and perspective about his surroundings is widely acclaimed. This thinking and perspective about the surroundings which one goes through majorly affects the thoughts and personality one has. Similarly this also leads to develop the feeling of self-esteem accordingly. Self efficacy forms an important part of the understanding of different individuals in this world. It helps one to recognize his strengths and weaknesses accordingly. A well-known psychotherapist Nathaniel Branden provides a somehow complete definition of self-esteem as â€Å"Self-esteem is the disposition to experience oneself as being competent to cope with the basic challenges of life and of being worthy of

Negative And Positive Impacts of Globalization On Developing And Essay

Negative And Positive Impacts of Globalization On Developing And Developed Countries - Essay Example This is because while the countries participate in international trade and allows for importation and exportation of commodities across their borders, the value of flow in the opposite directions is different. The countries export lowly valued products such as agricultural outputs at low costs to developed countries while they import highly valued finished industrial products at high costs. Globalization therefore induces a negative balance of trade on the developing countries, a factor that is reflected on the countries’ economic status (Simpson, 2007). Such has been the case in the Sub Saharan nations and their cities such as Lagos that rely on exportation of cheap commodities with limited bargaining power. Developing countries have also suffered from increased unemployment rates because o globalization with countries such as Nigeria and Kenya loosing as high as 30 percent opportunities to retrenchment (Oduwaye, 2006). The countries’ narrow market base for their expor ts identifies another negative effect of globalized trade. While most of the countries specialize in perishable agricultural commodities, their markets are narrowed to few countries, a factor that identifies high risks of market volatility. Economic instability in case of breached link between two economies therefore leads to loss in the value of commodities that cannot be stored for a long time. Such loses may also occur due to temporary diplomatic challenges and communication barriers. Declining trend in productivity of the countries’ exports has also worsened their trade deficits (Simpson, 2007). Developing countries have also failed to reap the full benefits of globalization especially with respect to capital transfer across territories. While... This paper stresses that developed countries have derived significant benefits from globalization, especially with respect to globalized trade. Specialization in fields of production has for example led to economic advantages towards higher revenues and living standards. Specialization for example allows for efficiencies and innovation towards cost effectiveness and development of diversified products for a wider market towards higher gross income. Globalization also avails cheap commodities in the developed countries to ensure affordability. Similarly, allowance for transfer of physical property, as has been the case in the United States’ industries has facilitated efficiencies in production processes. Mobility of intellectual property into developed countries also facilitates â€Å"technological developments and innovation† that can be applied for economic advantages. Most export industries also offer higher wage rate to their employees and this improves peopleâ€℠¢s economic and social status. Another benefit of globalization on developed countries is the freedom of movement of capital that allows their investors to explore countries whose interest rates are relatively lower than domestic rates. This report makes a conclusion that globalization has largely interlinked different part of the world through economic, social, and political integration. This is associated with a level of interdependence and identifies many impacts, negative and positive, on both developed and developing countries.

Business strategy Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Business strategy - Case Study Example The perception of exclusivity that is in line with being a tenant of the garage also denotes the high demand for it. In terms of financial returns, given the amount to be used to compute individual unit net common area charge, as stated in Exhibit 4 with a figure of 42,780, the individual unit common area charge amounts to 388.91 (if spread among the 110 spaces), or 32.71 in a month. If the rental price continues to be at 100 per car per month, then the business must be producing profits. Then this is a good investment. Thus, Eliot Conviser should buy the garage. The decision to convert the garage into a garage condominium depends on the preferences of the market, that is, the preferences of the tenants and other prospective tenants. If the market needs a parking space, and they want to own it, then the garage condominium concept is possible. If the market does not want it, what happened with the previous owners failed venture will only repeat in Eliot Convisers. For Eliot Conviser to make a good decision, he must survey the market again as regards the feasibility of the idea. If the markets preference changes, say if parking space within the area has been scarcer than ever before, and ownership would definitely be a great substitute to renting the space, then the project can pursue. With the sentiment of the market to back up the idea of ownership of parking space, then the garage condominium concept would prove to be successful. However, as there is no evidence to any of these as stated in the case, it cannot be assumed that market sentiments and preferences have already changed to support the idea of garage condominium. With this, Eliot Convisers decision should be not to go ahead with the garage condominium. He, however has another option in order to make the business profitable. If he cannot sell the condominiums because the market

Article Abstarct 04 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Article Abstarct 04 - Essay Example The authors also had interview with actual stakeholders of the baseball games to come up with their findings. The team concluded that the nearer two teams are, the lesser the turnout is of both teams when compared to two teams whose locations are farther apart. They also discovered that, when a new team shifts into the region of an already existing team, then there is a further initial drop in turnout for the current team. The biggest contribution of the paper was to advise baseball teams of where they should set their grounds if they want people to attend their games. The fans are the main driving force of a team, and they authors did well to show the teams how they could attract them. They gave numerical evidence, which is always 99.9%, for the teams to consider. However, the authors went wrong advising teams not to set up shop in area where other teams are settled. This might bring rivalry because the already-settled team would not want to experience a drop in its fan base. They forgot to advise these teams just how far they should set up their grounds in order to attract people. They should have gone to the actual fans to ask them just how far they are willing to travel in order to attend their favorite team’s match. At least this would give the teams a rough idea of where they should set up their

Business strategy Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Business strategy - Case Study Example The perception of exclusivity that is in line with being a tenant of the garage also denotes the high demand for it. In terms of financial returns, given the amount to be used to compute individual unit net common area charge, as stated in Exhibit 4 with a figure of 42,780, the individual unit common area charge amounts to 388.91 (if spread among the 110 spaces), or 32.71 in a month. If the rental price continues to be at 100 per car per month, then the business must be producing profits. Then this is a good investment. Thus, Eliot Conviser should buy the garage. The decision to convert the garage into a garage condominium depends on the preferences of the market, that is, the preferences of the tenants and other prospective tenants. If the market needs a parking space, and they want to own it, then the garage condominium concept is possible. If the market does not want it, what happened with the previous owners failed venture will only repeat in Eliot Convisers. For Eliot Conviser to make a good decision, he must survey the market again as regards the feasibility of the idea. If the markets preference changes, say if parking space within the area has been scarcer than ever before, and ownership would definitely be a great substitute to renting the space, then the project can pursue. With the sentiment of the market to back up the idea of ownership of parking space, then the garage condominium concept would prove to be successful. However, as there is no evidence to any of these as stated in the case, it cannot be assumed that market sentiments and preferences have already changed to support the idea of garage condominium. With this, Eliot Convisers decision should be not to go ahead with the garage condominium. He, however has another option in order to make the business profitable. If he cannot sell the condominiums because the market

Is the U.S. in a position to lecture the rest of the world about moral Research Paper

Is the U.S. in a position to lecture the rest of the world about moral behavior - Research Paper Example 5. The U.S., being the most influential country in the world, has the unique ability to persuade other nations to reconsider immoral behaviors. Con: No the U.S. not in a position to lecture the rest of the world about moral behavior because†¦ 1. The U.S. has a long history of discrimination against non-whites, a circumstance still evident today. 2. The U.S. sends its military to fight political wars that cause hundreds of thousand of deaths worldwide. 3. The U.S. rarely acts to prevent or intervene in genocides such as Darfur, Rwanda, Cambodia and now Syria. 4. Americans weigh more, per capita, than the citizens of any other nation while thousands worldwide die of starvation every day. 5. Many countries and all of Europe think the U.S. stance on capital punishment is immoral and transfers that sentiment to its government and people. President Ronald Reagan is often quoted referring to America as a â€Å"shining city on a hill.† It is the world’s most prosperous nat ion with the greatest military in history founded on the democratic principles of freedom and justice for all. Millions of immigrants have poured into the country with promise of a life free from the shackles of oppressors in their home countries. America is the â€Å"melting pot† of the world, a grand experiment that has been the foremost example for many governments and societies that also wanted to recreate the â€Å"American Dream† for themselves. What better nation to teach the rest of the world about moral behavior? Some, in fact many millions may answer nearly any country besides America due to its own human rights and foreign interventions record. American’s are the most prosperous people in the world and are also the most charitable, a measure of their collective morality. The American people give more to charity both on a per capita basis and as a percentage of GNP (gross national product) than any other society in the world. Its richest citizens donat e the most by dollar amount and its poorest citizens give the biggest share of their income. (Eaves, 2008). America is also well-known for giving generously and quickly to help people of other country’s in the aftermath of disasters such as the earthquake in Haiti, the nuclear meltdown in Japan and the tsunami in Southeast Asia just to name three of many. Unfortunately for millions more in other nations, America is also known to ignore instances of genocide. The world remembers how U.S. bomber planes targeted arms factories next to Auschwitz but not the concentration camp’s crematoria or gas chambers nor did the U.S. intervene during the murderous rampages of Cambodia during the 1970’s or Rwanda during the 1990’s. The intervention in the Balkans â€Å"ethnic cleansing† horror was about a year late while the U.S. waited for a consensus from other nations before acting. Just last year Secretary of State Hillary Clinton commended Syria’s brutal dictator Bashar Assad calling him a â€Å"reformer.† (Medoff, Thane Rosenbaum, 2012) The U.S. has condemned but not acted upon the oppression of women around the world. Women are treated worse than slaves in several countries. America, however, is a moral example for the world with regards to women’s rights. Women aged 40 and younger have always enjoyed reproductive rights and equality, more or less, in the workplace. (Hossain, 2012). America does not have the high moral ground when it comes to minority suppression though. From the

Controversial Television Program Essay Example for Free

Controversial Television Program Essay My topic is Controversial Television Program; I believe that I can’t exclusively pertain to only one source. Why? Having a specific source restricts the information available for my topic that will hinder the comparisons of the advantages and disadvantages of certain controversial programs. A controversial television program doesn’t necessarily mean it has a â€Å"negative† impact to the audience, rather than a good conventional discussion for audience to tackle a particular issue that has a significant effect to the society or to an individual. It does not constraints ones idea, rather it asks us to become open minded and embrace various issues to talk about and open our minds and do something about it. This controversial television program varies from time to time. Decades ago, people are more conservative and restrict television programs that only cater to their taste, to their way of living. But now, people opt to have taste of these things that enhance their minds and argue things. I have chosen 3 various resources for my paper, and these three resources are great combinations to help me enable present a better research paper. These resources are in the same form of media as to my topic, and would surely cover all my questions and be able to expound a good argument to my audience.

The Employee Reaction Toward Organizational Change Commerce Essay

The Employee Reaction Toward Organizational Change Commerce Essay A force drive change is always exists since the Industrial Revolution changed the nature of work. Whether to improve efficiency or create better working environment and productivity has been the base in many organizations. Managers and consultants are continually looking for ways to improve it. Employee dissatisfaction and conflict have also become important farces that push the need for change. At the same time, societal and political forces, such as the fall of communism, increased competition, privatization, and deregulation have an important role. The response of employees to change is hard to be predicted as well, as many factors may have an effect on this. The research investigates the effect of organizational culture to the perception of employee for organizational changes; where organizational culture is characterized by Hofstede cultural dimensions. One of the biggest obstacles to the success of any planned change is employee resistance. Resistance affects a change program. People generally resist change because of its negative consequences. Every person reacts to change differently. The leader of the organization needs to identify the different responses of the employees and be able to deal with their issues and concerns. The most important response that the leader must be prepared for is resistance. Employees may perceive change as endangering their livelihoods and their workplace social arrangements, or their status in the organization. Others know that their specialized skills will be rendered less valuable after a major change. The research tries to find the relation between organizational culture where employees used to work, and the organizational changes. Hofstede dimensions is used to characterized the organizational culture to and relate kind of organizational culture with employees attitude to change. Research Objectives The research has objective of finding the relation between organizational culture and response to organizational change; the research, will determine which one of Hofstede cultural dimensions has larger weight affecting the employees reaction for change, as well as how organizational culture can affect response to change. Research Hypotheses The Research is based on two hypotheses; each of them is related together. First, considers the organizational culture and its characterization with Hofstede cultural dimensions; while the second relates organizational culture with organizational change. The two hypotheses are: H1: Organizational culture is characterized Hofstede cultural dimensions. H2: employees response to change is related with organizational culture. Conceptual Framework Many models and theories have been developed trying to look at organizational change; each is looking the process from different point of view. The modern models for organizational change are:(Kezar, 2001),(Cameron , Green, 2004) Evolutionary Teleological Life Cycle Dialectical Social Cognition Cultural Bullock and Batten, planned change; Kotter, eight steps; Beckhard and Harris, change formula; Nadler and Tushman, congruence model; William Bridges, managing the transition; Carnall, change management model; Senge, systemic model; Stacey and Shaw, complex responsive processes; Some of these approaches are discussed later; while the research is based on relating these approaches, with Hofstede cultural dimensions:(Harris, Moran , Moran, Judith, 2004) 1. Power distance 2. Uncertainty avoidance 3. Individualism 4. Masculinity Research has the roadmap as illustrated in Figure 1 . Organizational culture Organizational Change Process Hofstede cultural dimensions Characterization of organizational culture Drivers of organizational change Employee reaction Figure 1 Research road map The above figure illustrates how research theoretical framework is constructed, based on this and beginning with the concept of organizational change, forces behind organizational change is searched , its types, and theories explaining organizational changes, as well as employees response to that change. On the other hand, Hofstede cultural dimensions are studies to formulate the hypothesis linking these two concepts together. A survey is then investigates the validity of these hypothesis, in the same time if valid it will results in weight of each dimension on the response of change. Research structure The research is constructed from five chapters; first chapter introduces a research problem statement; research objectives and conceptual framework; the second chapter introduces a literature review about the organizational change, Hofstede cultural dimensions, and employees response to change, the operational definitions are stated with the most suitable form research point of view. Chapter three discussed the research methodology, method, and sampling; data collection plan and data analysis is stated as well. Findings of the research are presented in chapter four, as well as the analysis of the data. Finally, chapter five is the conclusion ad recommendations. Chapter 2 Literature Review Introduction In this chapter, a review of literature is introduced; the review includes references of books and scientific publications in recent years. As well, definitions of keywords are introduced, based on operational definitions of terms used in the research. What is Organizational change? Organizational change can be defined as the difference in form, quality, or state over time in an organizational entity.(de Ven, Andrew, 2004) where Culture is defined as a set of meanings and values shared by a group of people.(Alvesson, 2002), so relating the organizational change to organizational culture we can define organizational culture as a specific collection of values and norms that are shared by people and groups in an organization and that control the way they interact with each other and with stakeholders outside the organization. ; the research will define the point under consideration of resistance to change as a Negative emotional, cognitive, and intentional responses to change (de Ven, Andrew, 2004) where magnitude of change is the magnitude of change represents a continuum ranging from fine-tuning changes, such as employee training, to radical organizational changes, such as reengineering and mergers. Changes (Pasmore, Woodman, 2007). Organizational change models Modeling the process of change is an important issue; this modeling can facilitate the process of monitoring change, assessing the results (for both Macro and micro levels); models also can explain the reason behind changes happen, its driving forces, and its consequences. The following sections discusses the early theories addressed the organizational change, followed by discussing the modern theories. Categories of Theories and Models of Organizational Change Evolutionary model The model assumes that the change process is dependent on circumstances, situational variables, and the environment faced by each organization. Social systems as diversified, interdependent, complex systems evolve over time naturally. However, evolution is deterministic, and people have only a minor impact on the nature and direction of the change process. The model focus on the inability of organizations to plan for and respond to change, and their tendency to manage change as it occurs. The emphasis is on a slow process, rather than discrete events or activities. Change happens because the environment demands change for survival. The assumptions in these theories range from managers having no ability to influence adaptability to managers having significant ability to be proactive, anticipating changes in the environment. As seen ; The theory ignores important environmental variables, and ignores the complexity of organizational life (Kezar, 2001) by focusing on a few factors within the external and internal environment, such as resources and size of organization. Environmental disturbance and constraints are overemphasized. Teleological model The model assumes that organizations are purposeful and adaptive. Change occurs because leaders, change agents, and others see the necessity of change. The process for change is rational and linear, as in evolutionary models, but individual managers are much more instrumental to the process. Internal organizational features or decisions, rather than the external environment, motivate change. Key aspects of the change process include planning, assessment, incentives and rewards, stakeholder analysis and engagement, leadership, scanning, strategy, restructuring, and reengineering. At the center of the process is the leader, who aligns goals, sets expectations, models, communicates, engages, and rewards. Strategic choices and human creativity are highlighted. Goal formation, implementation, evaluation, and modification based on experience are an ongoing process. New additions to the repertoire of management tools include collaborative culture definition, large group engagement processes, and individual in-depth interventions. The outcome of the change process is similar to that in evolutionary models: new structures or organizing principles.(Kezar, 2001) Based on above , it can be concluded that , the model analyzes the change process strategy as based on technological terms like reengineering, planning, assessment, restructuring; which is more realistic than other psychological terms like motivation. It also assumes that the process of change is controllable by managers and stockholders. The emphasis on the role of people and individual attitudes to the change process was introduced, especially in research on resistance to change. The ability to, at times, forecast or identifies the need for change was an important contribution, helping organizations to survive and prosper in what otherwise would have been difficult times. The main criticisms relate to the overly rational and linear process of change described within the model. Researchers of second-order change demonstrate a chaotic process and find management models to be lacking needed information on the importance of culture and social cognition.(Kezar, 2001) Dialectical model The model assumes that organizations pass through long periods of evolutionary change and short periods of revolutionary change, when there is an impasse between the two perspectives. An organizations polar opposite belief systems eventually clash resulting in radical change. Conflict is seen as an inherent attribute of human interaction. The outcome of change is a modified organizational ideology or identity. Predominant change processes are bargaining, consciousness-raising, persuasion, influence and power, and social movements. Leaders are the key within any social movement and are a central part of these models .collective action is usually the primary focus. Progress and rationality are not necessarily part of this theory of change; dialectical conflict does not necessarily produce a better organization.(Kezar, 2001) It is seen that, this model provided explanation for regressive change and highlighted irrationality.(Kezar, 2001) The model does not take the effect of the environment upon the change processes. Cultural model Most models of change describe organizations as rational places with norms and rules. The major contribution of cultural models to the change literatures their emphasis on irrationality (also emphasized in dialectical models), the spirit, or unconscious, and the fluidity and complexity of organizations. The model assumes that change occurs naturally as a response to alterations in the human environment; cultures are always changing. Cultural and dialectical models often overlap with the image of social movements as an analogy for cultural and political change. The change process tends to be long-term and slow. Change within an organization entails alteration of values, beliefs, myths, and rituals. There is an emphasis on the symbolic nature of organizations, rather than the structural, human, or cognitive aspects emphasized within earlier theories. History and traditions are important to understand, as they represent the collection of change processes over time.(Kezar, 2001) Change can be planned or unplanned, can be regressive or progressive, and can contain intended or unintended outcomes and actions. Change tends to be nonlinear, irrational, non-predictable, ongoing, and dynamic. Some cultural models focus on the leaders ability to translate the change to individuals throughout the organizations through the use of symbolic actions, language as the key to creating change. If there is an external motivator, it tends to be legitimacy, which is the primary motivator within the cultural model, rather than profit or productivity, which exemplify the teleological and environmental models. It is obvious that the model simplifies the culture as it can be easily handled or understood; but this actually not the case; other complex models to handle culture effect on change is introduces but not easy to apply. Organizational change theories and models (Cameron , Green, 2004) Lewin, three-step model: organism, machine Kurt Lewin developed his ideas about organizational change from the perspective of the organism metaphor. His model of organizational change is well known and much quoted by managers. Lewin is responsible for introducing force field analysis, which examines the driving and resisting forces in any change situation. The underlying principle is that driving forces must outweigh resisting forces in any situation if change is to happen. it assumes that ; if the desire of a manager is to speed up the executive reporting process, then either the driving forces need to be augmented or the resisting forces decreased; or even better, both of these must happen. Lewin proposed that organizational changes have three steps. The first step involves unfreezing the current state of interactions. This means defining the current state, surfacing the driving, resisting forces, and picturing a desired end-state. The second step is about moving to a new state through participation and involvement. The third step focuses on refreezing and stabilizing the new state of affairs by setting policy, rewarding success, and establishing new standards. Figure 2 Lewins three-step model Source: Lewin (1951) Lewins model is good, and can be considered as a fundamental base for further study or theory The model is seen as plan of actions, which can be used to make the change, rather than a model of change Model. It also ignores the assumption of the organism metaphor that groups of people will change only if there is a felt need to do so. (Mills, Dye and Mills, 2009) The change process can then turn into an un-well studied plan that does not tackle resistance and fails to harness the energy of the key players. The effect of culture also is ignored in this model. Bullock and Batten, planned change: machine Bullock and Battens (1985) phases of planned change draw on the disciplines of project management; there are many similar steps to changing your organization models. This particular approach implies the use of the machine metaphor of organizations. The model assumes that change can be defined and moved towards in a planned way. A project management approach simplifies the change process by isolating one part of the organizational machinery in order to make necessary changes, for example developing leadership skills in middle management, or reorganizing the sales team to give more engine power to key sales accounts. this approach implies that the organizational change is a technical problem that can be solved with a definable technical solution. The approach also simplify the process of change , but it can not handle complex situation for organizational change , i.e. when organization has complex situation of changing where change drivers and forces are unknown Kotter, eight-steps: machine, political, organism Kotters (1995) proposed eight steps to make change in organization; his model is derived from analysis of his consulting practice with 100 different organizations going through change. His research highlighted eight key lessons, and he converted these into a useful eight-step model. The eight steps are: Establish a sense of urgency, felt-need for change. Form a powerful guiding group. Assembling a powerful group of people who can work well together. Create a vision. Building a vision to guide the change effort together with strategies for achieving this. Communicate the vision. Kotter emphasizes the need to communicate at least 10 times the amount you expect to have to communicate. The vision and accompanying strategies and new behaviors need to be communicated in a variety of different ways. Empower others to act on the vision. This step includes getting rid of obstacles to change such as unhelpful structures or systems. Allow people to experiment. Plan for and create short-term wins. Look for and advertise short-term visible improvements. Plan these in and reward people publicly for improvements. Consolidate improvements and produce still more change. Promote and reward those able to promote and work towards the vision. Energize the process of change with new projects, resources. Institutionalize new approaches. Ensure that everyone understands that the new behaviors lead to corporate success. This eight-step model gives more defined and detailed procedure for change process; the steps are clear and well defined; but it may take more time to implement and, maybe, it would be difficult to follow strictly. The approach did not refer to the situation of inability of achieving one-step; and how it can be handled. Beckhard and Harris, change formula: organism Beckhard and Harris (1987) developed a formula of change that defines some parameters to take into consideration Figure 3. Figure 3 Source: (Cameron , Green, 2004) Factors A, B, and D must outweigh the perceived costs X for the change to occur. If any person or group whose commitment needed is not sufficiently dissatisfied with the present state of affairs A, eager to achieve the proposed end state B and convinced of the feasibility of the change D, then the cost X of changing is too high, and that person will resist the change. Resistance is normal and to be expected in any change effort. Resistance to change takes many forms; change managers need to analyze the type of resistance in order to work with it, reduce it, and secure the need for commitment from the resistant party. The formula is sometimes written (A x B x D) > X. This adds something useful to the original formula. The multiplication implies that if any one factor is zero or near zero, the product will also be zero or near zero and the resistance to change will not be overcome. This means that if the vision is not clear, or dissatisfaction with the current state is not felt, or the plan is obscure, the likelihood of change is severely reduced. These factors (A, B, D) do not compensate for each other if one is low. All factors need to have weight. This formula is simple but in the same time useful. It illustrates the factors affecting change process; if each party in the process applies in this formula, it will help determining the weak points, and help enhance the performance in each phase of change. On the other hand; the formula gives each factor the same weight, and did not correlate any of these factors together; which may be in accurate. Stacey and Shaw, complex responsive processes There is yet another school of thought represented by people such as Ralph Stacey (2001) and Patricia Shaw (2002). These writers use the metaphor of flux and transformation to view organizations. The implications of this mode of thinking for those interested in managing and enabling change are significant: Change, or a new order of things, will emerge naturally from clean communication, conflict, and tension (not too much). As a manager, you are not outside of the system, controlling it, or planning to alter it, you are part of the whole environment. In Patricia Shaws book Changing Conversations in Organizations, rather than address the traditional questions of How do we manage change? she addresses the question, How do we participate in the ways things change over time? This writing deals bravely with the paradox that our interaction, no matter how considered or passionate, is always evolving in ways that we cannot control or predict in the longer term, no matter how sophisticated our planning tools. As a first look, the model seems to be passive one; it discards the ability of making change goes as we want; also, it assumes that change is an ongoing process by itself, we have no control upon it; all we have to do is to watch and participate in it with a limited role. This can be translated to practical as follow: Managers have to decide what business the organization is in, and stretch peoples thinking on how to adapt to this. Ensure that there is a high level of connectivity between different parts of the organization, encouraging feedback, optimizing information flow, enabling learning. Focus peoples attention on important differences between current and desired performance, between different styles of work and between past and present outcomes. Characterization of organizational culture On the other hand Hofstede cultural dimensions will be used to characterize the organizational culture and can be defined as psychological dimensions, or value constructs, which can be used to describe a specific culture (Harris, Moran , Moran, Judith, 2004). where Hofstede has defined 4 dimensions to define culture ,first is the Power distance is The extent to which a society accepts that power in institutions and organizations is distributed unequally.(Harris, Moran , Moran, Judith, 2004), second dimension is uncertainty avoidance, is the extent to which a society feels threatened by uncertain or ambiguous situations. (Harris, Moran , Moran, Judith, 2004), third dimension is Individualism, which is loosely knit social framework in a society in which people are supposed to take care of themselves and of their immediate families only.(Harris, Moran , Moran, Judith, 2004); and Collectivism, which is the opposite, occurs when there is a tight social framework in which people distinguis h between in-groups and out-groups; they expect their in-group (relatives, clan, organizations) to look after them, and in exchange for that owe absolute loyalty to it .finally; masculinity is The extent to which the dominant values in society are assertiveness, money, and material things, not caring for others, quality of life, and people. (Harris, Moran , Moran, Judith, 2004) Hofstede cultural dimensions The pioneering work on cultural measurement could be credited to Hofstede (1980). In the earlier stage, Hofstede identified four dimensions of culture and highlights the most important culture differences in a multinational organization. The four dimensions are individualism versus collectivism, power distance, uncertainty avoidance and masculinity and femininity. These four dimensions were initially detected through the comparison of the value among the employees and managers working in 53 national subsidiaries of the IBM Corporation. Dr. Geert Hofstede, believes that culture counts and has identified four dimensions of national culture:(Harris, Moran , Moran, Judith, 2004) 1. Power distance: indicates the extent to which a society accepts that power in institutions and organizations is distributed unequally. 2. Uncertainty avoidance: indicates the extent to which a society feels threatened by uncertain or ambiguous situations. 3. Individualism: refers to a loosely knit social framework in a society in which people are supposed to take care of themselves and of their immediate families only. Collectivism, the opposite, occurs when there is a tight social framework in which people distinguish between in-groups and out-groups; they expect their in-group (relatives, clan, organizations) to look after them, and in exchange for that owe absolute loyalty to it. 4. Masculinity: with its opposite pole, femininity, expresses the extent to which the dominant values in society are assertiveness, money and material things, not caring for others, quality of life, and people. Criticism of Hofstedes cultural dimensions Hofstedes work on culture is the most widely cited in most of studies. His observations and analysis provide scholars with a highly valuable insight into the dynamics of cross-cultural relationships. However, his work does not escape criticism. In this section, most of criticized points will be listed and discussed.(Jones , 2007) Relevancy Many researchers allude a survey is not an appropriate instrument for accurately determining and measuring cultural disparity. This is especially apparent when the variable being measured is a value which culturally sensitive and subjective. Hofstede addresses this criticism saying that surveys are one method, but not the only method that was used. During the time of its delivery, there was very little work on culture, and at this time many businesses were just entering the international arena and were experiencing difficulties; they were crying out for credible advice. Hofstedes work met and exceeded this demand for guidance. This actually is very convincing for researcher to base their research on Hofstedes work. Cultural Homogeneity This criticism is perhaps the most popular. Hofstedes study assumes the domestic population is a homogenous whole. However, most nations are groups of ethnic units. Analysis is therefore constrained by the character of the individual being assessed; the outcomes have a possibility of arbitrariness. On the other hand, Hofstede tends to ignore the importance of community, and the variations of the community influences. This critic is somewhat true; but if we will speak about the majority of groups within one culture; as well as the probability of being the individual have the common features of his culture, I do believe that is worth to pursue Hofstedes work. National Divisions Nations are not the proper units of analysis, as cultures are not necessarily bounded by borders. Recent research (Jones , 2007) has found that culture is in fact fragmented across group and national lines. Hofstede points out however that national identity is the only means we have of identifying and measuring cultural differences. This is true, as we can agree that national identity is not the only mean to measure cultural differences; but it is one of them, hence the model still valid , may be less accurate but reliable. One Company Approach A study fixated on only one company cannot possibly provide information on the entire cultural system of a country. Hofstede said he was not making an absolute measure, he was merely gauging differences between cultures, and this style of cross-sectional analysis was appropriate. However, this international organization is worldwide spread, and is considered as a typical example of cultural diversity, so it worth to be considered. Out-dated Some researchers have claimed that the study is too old to be of any modern value, particularly with todays rapidly changing global environments, internationalization, and convergence. Hofstede countered saying that the cross-cultural outcomes were based on centuries of indoctrination, recent replications (Jones , 2007), (Nakata, 2009) have supported the fact that culture will not change overnight. Conclusion about Hofstedes cultural dimensions It is obvious that more research is needed to evaluate culture in terms of contemporary standards. However, Hofstedes work has controversy surroundings; the work is still quite high, as it remains the most valuable work on culture. Based on the theoretical and practical value of Hofstedes work, research hypothesis refers to its effect on employs reaction toward organizational changes; and this will be investigated. Resistance to change Resistance to change has been an important area of inquiry. In fact, the importance placed on this issue might lead one to believe that resistance is inevitable when change is being implemented. Newer research (Mills, Dye and Mills, 2009) indicates that this is not always so. On the contrary, some people embrace change and become bored and uninterested if change is not imminent. Some researchers (Wei , 2003) argue that the younger generations of workers are more used to a constant rate of change, are more adept at change, and actually expect to be moving forward constantly. Despite this, resistance to change can and does occur just not all the time by everybody. Given that, resistance to change can be a very real problem for those leading change. Patrick Connor and Linda Lake argue that; (Mills, Dye and Mills, 2009) people tend to resist change or alterations of the status quo. This resistance is broader than simple opposition to a particular change; more widespread than a particular groups or individuals refusal to accept a specific change. There is simply the wish in most people to maintain the consistency and comfort that the status quo holds. This generalized resistance to change stems from a variety of sources. Although their theory of resistance is one of the many that seem to indicate all people will resist change all of the time, their framework is still quite helpful. It creates a framework for understanding why resistance may be happening, when it happens. Employees response to change There are three general forms of responses to system changes: (de Ven, Andrew, 2004) Negative feedback loops. These system responses attempt to attenuate or eliminate the impact of the change on the system. Positive feedback loops. These system responses magnify the impact of the change on the system. This can be in the form of switching (before, during, or after the event) to alternative structures or functions, increased disorder beyond what is directly produced by the change event itself and, if the increased disorder is extreme enough, either creative innovation or collapse. No response. The system may give no apparent response to a given event: This may occur because either the group failed to note the event, or assumed it would not alter the groups fitness landscape, or, Some feature of the groups history, its self-regulatory processes, and/or its routines prevented or impeded response. Alternatively, an apparent no response may be an artifact of the observation process.

A Method To Memory :: essays research papers

A Method to Memory The other night I was sitting at home in my room watching the Rockets game, and my phone begins to ring. I answer "Hello", and I hear this frantic voice that I recognize as my friend Mandy's. Mandy is a nervous wreck, she has a big bio-chem test in the morning and can't seem to remember a thing. I ask her what kind of information she has, and she tells me she has notes and her book. Now being the nice guy I am, and having just completed learning about memory in my Intro to Psych class, I turned off the T.V. and told her I'd help her learn to memorize things. The first thing I told her about was a method called rehearsal. I explained that rehearsal involved repeating the information time after time to keep it from fading from her short term memory, or STM. She was a bit confused so I simplified it for her. I reminded her of the other night when she was looking for the number to Pizza Hut in the phone book, and when she found it she started repeating over and over until she got to the phone and could dial it. She was astounded that she was doing this all along and didn't even know it. I then explained another short term memory method known as chunking. She cringed and thought I was talking about the keg party the other night, but I explained that chunking involves taking a large number or word and breaking it down into smaller pieces that could be remembered easier. I also told her that she could chunk together the first letters of a phrase to make it more accessible to her memory retrieval system. I gave her the example of the New York Stock Exchange, or N.Y.S.E. That helped her a lot, but she was concerned whether or not she would remember it all for the final, so I told her the more rehearsing she did, the deeper she would commit the information to memory.

Advantages of Rainwater Harvesting in a Modern World

Professor Renville English I 14 September 2012 The Advantages of Rainwater Harvesting in a Modern World Picture yourself on a hot summer day†¦is water involved? Does your damp skin feel the cooling effect of a light breeze? Maybe you’re thirsty and sipping on a glass of lemonade, ice cubes bobbing at the surface. Perhaps you are at the beach, listening to the waves crash onto the shore, or you’re in your backyard hearing the sprinklers on the lawn. Yes, water is involved. Water, in all of its forms, is one of the most essential substances on Earth and provides the opportunity for life.We, as a society, take water for granted. Every day, if you want water, all you have to do is walk to the nearest sink and turn it on. There is no thought as to where that water comes from, or the fact that it may not be there forever. Our everyday consumption behaviors such as showering and clothes washing can have a significant impact on the environment. Imagine a future where water is scarce and restricted. How would you survive? All over the world regions with sustainable ground water balance are shrinking every day.This can be due to depletion because of overdraft, salinization from inadequate drainage or pollution from agricultural and industrial activity. In Yemen alone, ground water extraction is expected to exceed recharge by 400 percent. Aquifers in Mexico are declining at an average rate of 1. 79 to 3. 3 meters per year (Shah, Molden, Sakthivadivel and Seckler, 2000). At such an alarming rate of recession, it is important to find another alternative source of water to help recoup some of the ground water supply.For this reason I do believe that rainwater harvesting is a viable option to substitute ground water extraction in some regions and to help replenish ground water. About 70% of the Earth is covered with water, and 96. 5% of that is part of the oceans. Only a small portion of the Earth’s water is fresh water. 1. 7% is below ground and 1. 8% is above ground in ice caps, glaciers and permanent snow, with only . 06% usable above ground in lakes, rivers and swamps (Shah, Molden, Sakthivadivel and Seckler 2000). Rainwater harvesting can be used in many ways.Rainwater can be used as water for livestock, irrigation for crops, to water plants around your house, to replace water for showering, flushing your toilet, for your dishwasher or for laundry, and with the right treatment, it can be used for drinking water. There are many advantages to rainwater harvesting. After the initial cost for equipment, rainwater harvesting is essentially free. It eliminates the need for intricate and expensive dispensing systems. It can replace groundwater supplies where the groundwater is unacceptable or unavailable or it can increase finite ground water supplies.Rainwater has a nearly neutral pH and is not hard, so it eliminates the need for adding salts for softening the water and it is also sodium free. Plants thrive in rainwater (as seen when it rains). One of the most interesting aspects of rainwater harvesting is learning about the methods of capture, storage and use. The idea of rainwater harvesting is to intercept precipitation before it gets dirty. Contamination can still take place in the air, on the collection surface or in the storage facility itself. For that reason it may be more desirable to treat the water or restrict it to non-potable use (non-potable meaning not for consumption).Boiling is resource intensive and there is the danger of accidental scalding. Chemical disinfection requires some management, but it is well understood and compatible with water storage (Thomas 1998). However, possibly the best way to treat rainwater is via a filtration system. When assessing the health risks of drinking rainwater, consider the path taken by the raindrop through a watershed into a reservoir, through water treatment and distribution systems to you, the consumer. Water absorbs contaminants and minerals on its wa y to the reservoir.While in the reservoir, the water can come into contact with all kinds of materials: oil, animal wastes, chemical, pharmaceutical and industrial pollution and trash. It is the water treatment plant’s job to remove contaminants and kill pathogens, however when chlorine is used, it degrades into byproducts that may pose health risks. The raindrop harvested on site will travel down a roof by way of a gutter to a storage tank. Before it is used for drinking, it is treated by a simple process with filtration equipment that occupies about nine cubic feet of space (Krishna 2005).Rainwater harvesting can also reduce the volume of storm water lessening the impact on erosion and decreasing the load on storm sewers. This would help to keep pollutants, such as pesticides and fertilizers, out of rivers and ground water (Krishna 2005). The summer of 2012 was harsh. Several regions suffered. Almost 61% of the country was in drought according to Brian Fuchs in an interview with USA Today posted on their website July 17, 2012. Rain was few and far between, however a lot of rainwater was wasted. Having water shipped in can be very expensive, and so many farmers cannot afford the added cost.Harvesting rainwater for irrigation is already utilized in some regions of the world such as India where the bulk of their rainfall happens in about 100 hours of heavy downpour with little time to replenish the ground water supply (Keller, Sakthivadivel and Seckler 2000). If more farmers would utilize rainwater harvesting during the times that it does rain, and build up a back up supply, then when rain is scarce, more of their crops could be irrigated, helping to offset some of the devastation. Next year, in 2013, the prices of gas as well as groceries are expected to rise immensely because of the scarcity of crops in 2012.It is no surprise that rainwater harvesting is utilized more in poorer countries where it is generally more difficult to get clean water; however, in the long term clean water scarcity is expected to intensify globally, even in richer countries (Thomas 1998). Systems can be as simple as a rain barrel for garden irrigation at the end of a downspout or the can be as complex as a potable (for consumption) system. It makes sense, then, that for showers and flushing the toilet, rainwater could be used to offset using water from other sources that are shrinking annually.Only three key elements are needed for this: a collection surface, such as a roof, guttering and a storage tank large enough to moderate fluctuations in usage and rainfall (Thomas 1998). It is the third element that poses the greatest cost burden, however it may be worth it to try to help alleviate groundwater usage and eventual depletion. From a financial perspective, a system for potable use cannot compete with water supplied from a municipality; however, it is cost-competitive with the installation of a well in rural settings (Krishna 2005). An estimated 100,000 residential rainwater harvesting systems are in use in he United States (Krishna 2005). More are being installed by gardeners and homeowners seeking a sustainable, high-quality water source. Rainwater harvesting is recognized as an important water conserving measure. I am not proposing that anyone completely rely on rainwater for their household consumption. It would be very hard to rely solely on a rainwater supply. However to try to supplement some every day water usage such as shower water, toilet water or even water for laundry would greatly benefit the water supply and, in the end, the planet. Works Cited Krishna, Dr.Hari J. â€Å"Texas Manual on Rainwater Harvesting. † Texas Water Development Board (2005). Print. Pandey, Deep Narayan, Anil K. Gupta, and David M. Anderson â€Å"Rainwater Harvesting As an Adaptation to Climate Change. † Current Science, Vol 85 (2003). PDF file. Shah, Tushaar, David Molden, R. Sakthivadivel and David Seckler. â€Å"The Global Groun dwater Situation: Overview of Opportunities and Challenges. † International Water Management Institute (2000). Print. Thomas, Terry. â€Å"Domestic Water Supply Using Rainwater Harvesting. † Diss. University of Warwick (1998). Print.

Rbs Abn Merger

The Acquisition of ABM AMNRO by RBS Introduction Mergers & Acquisition have become very popular throughout the world in the recent times. This has become popular due to globalization, liberalization, technological developments & intensely competitive business environment. Mergers and acquisition are a big part of corporate finance world. This process is extensively used for restructuring the business organization. In India, the concept of mergers and acquisition was initiated by the government bodies. The Indian economic reform since 1991 has opened up a whole lot of challenges both in the domestic and international spheres. The increased competition in the global market has prompted the Indian companies to go for mergers and acquisitions as an important strategic choice. The trends of mergers and acquisitions in India have changed over the years. The immediate effects of the mergers and acquisitions have also been diverse across the various sectors of the Indian economy. Acquisition Acquisition in general sense is acquiring the ownership in the property. In the context of business combinations, an acquisition is the purchase by one company of a controlling interest in the share capital of another existing company. An acquisition may be affected by (a) agreement with the persons holding majority interest in the company management like members of the board or major shareholders commanding majority of voting power; (b) purchase of shares in open market; (c) to make takeover offer to the general body of shareholders; (d) purchase of new shares by private treaty; (e) acquisition of share capital or one company may be either all or any one of the following form of considerations viz. eans of cash, issuance of loan capital, or insurance of share capital. History On October 10,2007 Royal Bank of Scotland led consortium with RBs, Fortis of Belgium and banco Santander central Hispano SA of Spain created history by acquiring Dutch banking gaintABN AMBRO for US$ 100 billion. The consortium paid US$ 51. 55 per share of ABM AMBRO, about 13% more a s compared to the rival Barclays offer. This was one of the largest acquisition in the history of global banking industry . The consortium agreed to pay 93% of amount through cash and remaining 7% through RBS shares. Due to the 2008 financial crisis, the Dutch government nationalised the divisions owned by Fortis, while the UK government is now in effective control over the divisions allocated to RBS due to its financial bail-out of the Scottish bank. The process of integrating some of ABN AMRO's divisions into the new owners, and divesting others, continues. Since 6 February 2010 the bank has been split into one organisation owned by the Dutch government called ABN AMRO Bank N. V. and another owned by The Royal Bank of Scotland Group renamed The Royal Bank of Scotland N. V. On this date the Dutch owned businesses legally demerged from those owned by RBS. The Dutch government own the ABN AMRO brand for use with the parts of the bank they purchased while other companies within the Group will be renamed or closed down. Objective To study the acquisition of ABN AMBRO by RBS form various perspectives. We will try to answer the following questions:- What would a SWOT analysis reveal? What were the various synergies? Was the acquisition strategy sound? Events after acquisition? Various parameters of the deal. Effect of recession on the deal. Major challenges faced by the firm. On 19 January, 2009 RBS issued a statement in which it admitted that acquiring ABN AMBRO was a mistake. It also issued in the statement that ? 10 billion that it had spent on ABN ABMRO was worth nothing by then. Also RBS incurred a loss of ? 24. 1 billion on a total income of ? 26. 9 billion. So in this report we will try to study and analyse the after-effects of acquisition. Various other similar factors are attempted to be studies. Data & Research Methodology Data will be mainly sourced from secondary sources. However the management of certain firms under view will be interviewed through structured questionnaires. The data will be analysed using financial tools to access the effectiveness of the deal. An attempt will be made to evaluate the efficiency of the merged firm with the help of selected financial ratios. Analysis and expected results Through the medium of this report an attempt will be made to analyse the financial benefits of the acquisition. In addition to strategic benefits, the acquisition would deliver significant financial benefits to the shareholders. Through major cost savings and improved profitability of business lines, substantial earnings improvements for shareholders will be realised. The expectations from the deal were to strengthen all three consortium banks in their respective markets and open up new segment to accelerate their growth. The analysis includes:- Impact of mergers & acquisition on employees and working conditions Looking at the financing of the acquisition and studying the possible financing options. Major challenges of the merger and the opportunities. RBS’s current expansion plans Sensitivity analysis Synergy analysis Accounting and financing structure Risk assessment and cost of capital Leveraged buy-out Estimating merger gains and cost Of course, it is easy to criticize another firm’s management but not so easy to improve it. Some of the self-appointed scourges of poor management turn out to be less competent than those they replace. Here is how Warren Buffet, the chairman of Berkshire Hathaway summarizes the matter Many managers were apparently over-exposed in impressionable childhood years to the story in which the imprisoned, handsome prince is released from the toad’s body by a kiss from the beautiful princess. Consequently, they are certain that the managerial kiss will do wonders for the profitability of the target company. Such optimism is essential.

Veterans

Also, currently not enough care is given to veterans. Veterans have devoted their lives to this country and have made many sacrifices. There are approximately 21. illion veterans In the U. S. as of 2012. Of those veterans over 32,000 soldiers were wounded in Iraq. Also 4,787 U. S. troops died in Iraq serving their country. This service is not as appreciated as you would think, and I believe more effort should be put into taking care for all our veterans. The New Affordable Care Act makes it very difficult for veterans to receive reliable medical benefits and some even do more for our country. Many veterans still contribute to the nation's work force, even after returning home from war. Over half of the veterans In the U. S. are still able to work after returning rom war.Many veterans suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and are not given the proper attention and care to get back on their feet and find a job. 1 OF2 stu01es snow tnat 4 cases 0T PISD were present arter tne Vletnam war, ana 1 million lifetime cases as a result of the same war. A third of the veterans in the U. S. are out of a Job due to the symptoms of PTSD. The VA needs to take it upon themselves to help veterans cope with life after the war, so that they can get their life back on track. After returning home from war veterans find it very difficult to get a Job and provide or themselves.Especially the individuals who were wounded, while defending their country. A majority of these people are wounded mentally as well as physically, and they cannot provide for themselves anymore. Many people believe that veterans are more of a pain than anything else. Since their tax dollars are being used to fund programs like the VA. These organizations are making it very difficult for veterans to receive any health benefits. The new rule is that veterans must be active duty for 24 continuous months in order to be eligible for any kind of medical coverage.Veterans hat have put their lives on the line to defend their country should not have to worry about how they are going to provide for themselves. It is my firm belief that the VA should extend their support for all veterans for everything they have done for our country. This service should be provided to veterans forever. Veterans have done more than enough to deserve this care, and they can still contribute to the labor force. Finally, not enough care is given to our veterans. Between 130,000 and 200,000 veterans are homeless in America. This represents between one fourth and one fifth of all of the homeless people in the country.