Chinese vs American Culture

Sarah Gonzalez Chinese Culture VS American Culture It doesn’t matter what kind of ethnicity you are, or how you were brought up. Everyone is deeply rooted in their own culture. â€Å"Culture† has a different meaning to everyone. Comparing American culture to Chinese culture we will find many different meanings to the word â€Å"culture†. For example, we Americans are always looking for something bigger and better for our future, and the Chinese are content with a small reserved lifestyle with no intentions of changing it for something bigger.A culture is a way of life of a group of people-the behaviors, beliefs, values, and symbols that they accept, generally without thinking about them, and are passed along by communication and imitation from one generation to the next. Growing up in America we are taught to never settle for less, that we can do anything that we set our minds too, and when we grow up we can be anyone we want to be. After all we are the â€Å"ho me of the brave and the land of the free†, right? The Chinese are more set on if you are a girl you are too be the homemaker, and the men are too make the money doing physical labor.The story â€Å"I Answer to Elaine† concluded it all perfectly to me. â€Å"She continued to sign Father’s name. I threatened legal action: â€Å"That’s forgery! It’s not your name†. [Example from I Answer to Elaine] This shows that the Chinese believe that the men are dominate, head of the household, the only say so. In the American home mom and dad have a shared liability for the children and both set of parents go out into the work force. â€Å"A deep frustration set in. I was sickened by her statement’s implication for my future.I hated helplessness, believing it unique to her alone† [Example from I Answer to Elaine]. I feel like Elaine is frustrated with her mom because she knows because of her gender her mom doesn’t expect mush out of h er other than to be a care giver. This has to be confusing to Elaine when she sees all over her American friends dreaming about their big futures and what they will do. Elaine should be able to grow bigger than just a housewife. Believe it or not, but American and Chinese culture do have something’s in common. They see eye-to-eye on some aspects.Like providing for their children â€Å"Parents work together for the well-being of their children† [Example from Article]. It is true that parents do the best they can to work towards a better financial life for their kids. That’s why many Chinese parents come over to the states, so that they can provide a better life, and a better education. They would also go to great lengths for their children no matter what the cause â€Å"Parents will risk their life for their children† [Example from Article]. Any parent would risk their life for their children no matter what ethnicity, or cultural aspect!There is no bond li ke a parent and their child. Chinese and American culture has a lot more differences than similarities. To the Chinese reputation of the individual is very important. If an action will humiliate someone or ruin a reputation, it is avoided. When shame occurs, the person sacrifices their job or whatever it is that will heal the shame. In America, reputations come and go overnight and in the end usually does not matter. â€Å"Go to an American home in exurbia, and almost the first thing you do is drift towards the picture window† [Example from American space, Chinese Place].It is true that we American’s always want something more than what we have in front of us. We are always looking forward to the big picture of our future. â€Å"Consider the traditional Chinese home. Blank walls enclose it† [Example from American Space, Chinese Place]. The Chinese are very content with what they have, and have no intensions of a â€Å"bigger picture†. They keep what they have close to them. All in all, I think we can see the difference and the similarities between the two cultures. The Chinese are set on their morals.One is to respect all others, the men is the runner of the household, and keep your opinion to yourself. Americans don’t always follow the rules. When we don’t agree with something we are going to speak out about it, and give them out opinion. In the households sometimes there is a man of the house, and sometimes it’s a single mother running the house. I think the Chinese have a better wrap around the meaning of â€Å"culture† they stick to what they believe, and it stays that way for years. Rather than American’s missing the meaning of â€Å"culture† and worrying about what the future has to hold for them.

Business issues and the context of HR Essay

The organisation is the background within which the HR function works. Understanding the deep nature of the organisation has to be the main goal for HRM as the nature of the organisation has a huge impact on how people are managed in the business. The organisation is defined as the planned coordination of the activities of a number of people for the achievement of some common, explicit purpose or goal, through division of labour and function, and through a hierarchy of authority and responsibility (Schein, 1980). Historically, there have been many definitions of organisations, depending on whether they focus on: †¢Their size: SMEs, Large and Public Sector. (Curran and Stanworth, 1988); †¢Their prime beneficiaries: members, shareholders, users, the public. (Blau and Scott ,1962 – Maltby, 2003); †¢The degree to which they are mechanistic (highly structured organisation with centralised policies, rigid hierarchical ranks, a strong emphasis on administration and clear boundaries between departments) or organic (a flattened structure, colleague, rather than command and control relationships as the predominant mode, short lived and flexible administrative systems and mobile departmental boundaries (Burns and Stalker ,1966); †¢Their structure meant as the relationships between employees at vertical and horizontal level (tall or flat/lean, hierarchical, matrix, flexible, virtual) (Leatherbarrow et al., 2010). Thinking about a mixed economy such as UK, organisations can be classified in: †¢Public organizations, generally providing essential services such as health, education, social services, policing. They are responsible to central government and those who run them are accountable to the public (Taylor and Wilkinson, 2012). The nature of their funding (taxpayers) requires them to prove their responsibility with the public money. Their HR department tend to be large and able to provide HR specialist support in different areas. Because of the accountability to the public, HR tend also to be bureaucratic and inflexible. †¢Private organizations are those owned  by private individuals/families/stakeholders (Taylor and Wilkinson, 2012). These are industrial and commercial companies that respond to the demands of the market and exist to make a profit for their shareholders. In the private sector, HR tend to be a small department with more room for innovative strategies. †¢Third sector organizations are understood to be non government and non profit. Non distribution of profits to shareholders is a defining feature, as is a degree of volunteerism. They tend to fill in the gaps in areas of state and market deficiencies, and are nowadays growing in global significance (Crampton et al, 2001). They are typically a mix of government funding, gifts, grants and earned income. Examples of third sector activities are found in international aid, culture, recreation, social services, education, religion and health. Staff is frequently very mission-focused and gains a lot of job satisfaction by just being committed to the cause. Large organisations in the third sector are likely to have specific HR departments while smaller organisations are unlikely to have specific HR departments and HR functions may be ‘tagged’ on to the role of managers or staff more generally (Venter and Sung, 2009) The nature of organisations and the style used to manage the people in it are strictly related, as the management style highly depends on the particular business. However, as seen for the definition of organisation, the definition of management and its classification have long been debated. At the beginning of 19th century the most important of the classical Management theories was the scientific approach or Taylorism which involved breaking down the components of manual tasks in manufacturing environments, timing each movement so that there could be a scientifically proven â€Å"best† way to perform each task. Employees could be trained to be ‘first class’ within their job by their managers. In the 60’s, there was a new approach focused on the â€Å"human factor†. In â€Å"The Human Side of Enterprise† by McGregor, he distinguished between: †¢Theory X, that adopts the authoritarian view that people normally abhor working and must be forced to work with punishment for failing to meet the objective. These people actually prefer to be directed and lack ambition. †¢Theory Y,  adopts the participative management style, which operates on the idea that people are inherently motivated to work if they find the job fulfilling The System Theories focused attention on organizations as ‘systems’ and on the complexity and interdependence of relationships of their inter-related sub-systems. This approach attempted to synthesize the classical approaches (organizations without people) with the later human relations approaches that focused on the psychological and social aspects (‘people without organizations). The Contingency theory, developed in 1950s, argues that there is no ‘one best way’ to structure an organization and we face different possibilities when determining how it should be structured and how it should be managed. Successful organizations adopt structures that are an appropriate response to a number of variables, or contingencies (Enoch, 2006). Practically speaking, management is the act of getting people together to accomplish desired goals and objectives using available resources efficiently and effectively. There are several different resource types within management, such as: Human, Financial, Technological and Natural resources. HRM BACKGROUND AND ROLE OF HR HR is part of the overall management of an organization, but again, providing a conclusive definition of contemporary HRM is quite challenging. â€Å"There is no generally agreed framework for understanding and analysing the HR function; there are only competing models. In practice, the HR function within organisations is infinitely flexible, organisationally contingent over time and driven principally by the external contexts of the age; and these often change within short periods of time†. (Farnham, 2010, pg 4). During the years, we assisted to an evolution from what have been traditionally labelled as ‘personnel management’ to a distinctive HRM. The HRM was characterised by a different philosophy and approach to the management of ‘people at work’ (Storey, 1989) and was putting an emphasis on  performance, workers’ commitment, and rewards, based on individual or team contribution. Figure 1: From Personnel Management to HRM: a Summary (Farnham, 2010, pg. 7) The two main developments in the HRM have been the continued delegation of some HR activities to line managers and the outsourcing of large areas of the traditional personnel management. These changes have had particular consequences in the HRM and HR roles, increasing the need of highly specialised HR, technical experts who act as consultants either internally or externally. On the other side, these developments required more investment in training for Line Managers (also coaching) in order for them to be able to face HR issues and communicate with HR specialists. Changes in HRM have led to change in the structure of HR especially in large organisations in both private and public sector. It has been noticed that many organisations adopted the Ulrich’ ‘s ‘Multi-legged model’ (Ulrich, 1997) of HR structures in which HR functions become more focused on outcomes, rather than processes, more specialised and divided in Strategic partners, Expert, Champion for employees and Agent of continuous transformation. (details in appendix 1) This model has been reviewed by Ulrich in the ‘Three – legged model’ with HR divided in: †¢HR business partners (or strategic partners) – senior or key HR professionals working closely with business leaders or line managers, usually embedded in the business unit, influencing and steering strategy and strategy implementation; †¢Centres of excellence –small teams of HR experts with specialist knowledge of leading-edge HR solutions. The role of centres of excellence is to deliver competitive business advantages through HR innovations in areas such as reward, learning, engagement and talent management. †¢Shared services – a single, often relatively large unit, which handles all the routine ‘transactional’ services across the business such as recruitment administration, payroll, absence monitoring and advice on simpler employee relations issues. The responsibility of shared services is to provide low-cost, effective HR administration. (Ulrich and Brockbank, 2005) Behind the division in the HR roles, experts recognise organisations’ request for an HR more involved in the business and able to contribute to the business strategy with a tangible and cost effective results. In the CIPD’s 2001 ‘Next Generation HR: Insight driven’, it is explained that where the ‘Three-legged stool model’ is used, HR’s sphere of influence can be narrowed and there may be less opportunity for teams and individuals to be insight-led. The report highlights that while the main HR role is to maintain people and performance strengths, HR needs to be more integrated to the business. HR needs to speak the business language and need to have a full knowledge of it (of both internal and external factors) only in this way HR will be able to deliver deep organisational insight. Basically, HR needs to understand and fully use the ‘business savvies’: †¢understanding the business model at depth †¢generating insight from data and evidence †¢connecting with curiosity, purpose and impact †¢leading with integrity, consideration and challenge Finally, the report highlights that while the ‘Three-legged stool model’ is more appropriate for larger organisations, the ‘Business savvies’ it is appropriate for all sizes and shapes of organisation. (CIPD, 2001) BUSINESS STRATEGY AND HR STRATEGY (details in appendix 6) DATA SOURCES If the HR objective is to be integrated into the Business, it is then crucial for HR having a clear data sources, a strong competence in interpreting the information and presenting them to the business. HR can find data from internal and external sources. Examples of Internal sources in COMPANY NAME are: Employees (listening and talking to them), Focus Group, Climate Surveys, Employees Data Base, KPIs, Budget, Performance and Leadership Management System, Payroll data. Example of external sources are:  Customers’ reports, Customers’ surveys, Recruitment agency reports, CIPD Magazine, Employment law updates, Industry Magazines, Census Information, EHS Magazine. KPIs Once an organization has analysed its mission, identified all its stakeholders, and defined its goals, it needs a way to measure progress toward those goals: KPIs are those measurements. Key Performance Indicators KPIs, also known as Key Success Indicators (KSI), help an organization define and measure progress toward organizational goals. (Reh, 2005) The role and use of KPIs is crucial in COMPANY NAME. Here, every month a meeting is held during which every department presents its KPIs and discusses any progressions or need to improve them. Also HR has its own KPIs which are related to: hours worked, overtime hours (to be kept at 20% maximum level) and sick days (in order to monitor long sick periods). (details in appendix 6) Performance & Leadership Management (PLM) In addition to the KPIs, COMPANY NAME has adopted a specific system in order to measure, develop, evaluate and reward people’s performance: the Performance & Leadership Management system. This system is a management process that aims to establish a transparent and a bi-lateral communication with the employees to define together how they can contribute to the organization results, if they are working effectively towards achieving the agreed objectives and finally providing them with adequate support to improve and develop. The PLM process consists in 5 main phases: 1.Objectives Setting 2. Half Year Review 3.Self – Assessment 4.Evaluation and Calibration 5.Feedback phases. The PLM cycle is annual and at the end of it, the company may decide to assign a PLM Bonus to employees. Finally, the PLM is also uses to identify Talents, employees with high level of P&L skills, able and willing to accept positions of growing responsibility. This assures continuity to the business and a draw up succession plans for all key positions (details in appendix 7) SWOT and STEEPLE In addition to KPIs and the performance measurement, HR can also collect data and plan for its strategy by using two particular technics: The SWOT analysis and the Steeple Analysis. The SWOT analysis, developed by Ansoff in 1987, it is a data capture exercise which focuses on organisations Strengths, Weakness, Opportunities and Threats (for an example of SWOT analysis in COMPANY UK, see appendix 8). The STEEPLE analysis is like an audit of the external environment which is focused on the external factors than can influence the organization and affect its long-term survival. If the organization has a full understanding of the environment and all its factors, it has the possibility to take advantage from potential opportunities and minimize possible risks. Below an example of STEEPLE analysis in COMPANY NAME realised in June 2013 during a Focus Group meeting: †¢SOCIOLOGICAL: Changes in culture, Cultural Barriers, Language barriers, Lack of educated people, Lack of technical skilled people, Immigration; †¢TECHNOLOGICAL: New Payroll System, SAP System, Skype, Conference call System, Computer Software, Blackberries, Outlook; Company Intranet; †¢ECONOMIC: Financial Crisis, Recession, Globalisation, Prices, Employment rate, Unemployment Rate, Banking Crisis; †¢ENVIRONMENTAL: Carbon footprints, Sustainability Report, Sustainability Plan; †¢POLITICAL: Government changes, Pension Reform, Sector regulation, EU regulations; Local regulations; †¢LEGAL: Employment law, European Law, European Court of Justice, Local authority; †¢ETHICAL: Local Community Interest, Stakeholders Interests, Anti-corruption Law, Equal opportunities, Human rights, Promoting employees welfare, Well working environment. HOW HR CAN RESPOND TO EXTERNAL PRESSURE? As shown in the STEEPLE analysis, the Lack of technical skilled people, it was perceived as a big external risk for the business. The role of HR in facing this problem was crucial and requested lots of curiosity, research and resourcefulness. The HR department had to concentrate on a short term need, which basically was focused on finding candidates with the right skill-set for the (many) uncovered positions, but they also had to think about a long term plan able to strengthen the presence and knowledge of COMPANY NAME in the Midlands area. After some research, the HR department found out that, the lack of high qualified people in the Midland, it was due to the fact that the particular skills required were either absent in the area or the few people who have them had already a job. Therefore, HR had to concentrate on different ways to recruit candidates. They then started to: †¢Using social network to advert company positions (in order to reach people in all over the world); †¢Using Skype for first and second interview stage; †¢Increasing the use of relocation and sponsorship for candidates coming from other countries; †¢Advertising all the uncovered position internally first, this in order to give to all employees the possibility to apply personally or to propose someone they knew (Word of mouth) The long term plan to create more visibility and awareness about COMPANY NAME and its business in the Midlands was achieved by: †¢Taking part in Colleges and Universities open days – this in order to attract the future generation of engineers; †¢Use of a work experience program – open to students from technical colleges who can spend one month in one of COMPANY ’s departments; †¢Selection and sponsorship of four graduates to be sent to the COMPANY Business School in Detroit or Shanghai for three months. It is important to highlight that some of the above initiatives, in  particular the ones in recruitment, made COMPANY save money. In 2012, COMPANY spent in recruitment (using agencies)  £30,000; in 2013, the cost for recruitment (using social network and word of mouth) dropped to  £22,000 with a saving of almost the 30% in budget resource. Recently, HR had to deal with another issue coming from the external context: The Pension Reform in UK. HR was particularly involved in designing an effective communication plan in order to spread to the UK team information about the changes. The communication plan was quite a delicate step as it was not only about the legal changes but also about the COMPANY UK’ s decision to change the pension provider (moving from Legal & General to Scottish Widows) and the contributions level (starting from January 2014). The first thing HR did, it was to select two champions among the most senior and influencing employees, trained them on the reform and invite them to share the news with the team. This approach was useful to create a good feeling about the reform and all the changes related to it. Then, during the sixty day consultation period, HR organized workshops during which, financial expert from Capita, presented and explained the reform and its consequences and gave personalized advice to the employees. Finally, HR provided employees with brochure, leaflets and posters. It is important to highlight that, behind the COMPANY’s decision to change Pension provider and level of contributions (well above the minimum required by law) there was the HR idea not to use the Pension Scheme as a compensation and benefit tool anymore, but to consider it and use it as a powerful tool to retain current employees and to recruit more of them by increasing the appeal toward COMPANY UK. Finally, as a consequence of the introduction of the new scheme, in less than one month, the number of enrolled employees has almost doubled, increasing from 34 (enrolled in L&G) to 60 (in SW) on a total of 72 COMPANY UK employees. This was a great result for both the business and HR.

Where You Keep the Secret

secret. something that can not be known by everyone, except the people who create the secret. secrets can be for the good and in the same time it can have a negative effect that long in one's life. based on the articles, the secret can be done by anyone who wishes to not let certain people know. example of the often secret didembunyikadalam this article also clearly tell whether the examples of the most popular places for some individuals who want to conceal something and what is the impact on individuals keeping it secret. etween the place of choice to hide something is in the books, any part of the house, letters from old flames are one of the usual items That people hide and do not miss keep secret computer use, by storing all files in the folder suites locked. in addition, the effect if concealing something will have an impact on a relationship. this is because the secret kept will not keep long, because sooner or later be discovered. important for every hubngan for secrecy are n ot mutually each other. f there is any weakness in the pair, it should be shared. according to Frank Warren, he stated that there is an edge if the spouse is concealing something it could create saspen elements while giving hope and be romantic partners. I agree with the ideas presented in the article. this is because each argument written about secrets definition, what is secret and concealed the impact if a relationship. in life is a lot to be withheld from a person unknown. it turns out to be good to ourselves or to someone who may be confidential or otherwise. es, I also strongly agree that sometimes the secret to be the cause of why a relationship falling apart. secret will lead to goodness if we know what our true intentions concealing something. I actually keep things in novels. for example money or old pictures. for my options proposed by the author shows that it is very creative. my suggestion, not all secrets can be kept at a place other than keep it in the heart. it's saf er than dismantled by certain parties.

Maus by Spiegelman Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Maus by Spiegelman - Essay Example In Spiegelman’s novel, Vladek is an attractive and resourceful young man living in Poland. He is a successful businessman married to the rich and talented Anja. According to Wood, Vladek and Anja had a brief courtship and were married in 1937, on Valentines Day (82) and had a son named Richieu. With the help of Anja’s father, Vladek is successful in his business pursuits until the German invasion of Poland changes the fate of Vladek and his family. As a reservist, Vladek is determined to fight for Poland against the German intrusion, albeit it is against his father’s wishes. As an inexperienced soldier, Vladek is captured in 1939 and taken to a Prisoners Of War (POW) camp together with other fighters. Spiegelman writes that the Germans claimed that the Jews are responsible for the wars in the camp (33). It is for this reason that they are separated from otherS and made to do more work. I think this is just an act of religious persecution, considering there were o ther people fighting for Poland and not just the Jews. When an opportunity comes up for any volunteers to replace German workers, Vladek takes up the chance. Through hard work and perseverance, Vladek is released to reunite with his family. Vladek is living with his in-laws in an extended family; nevertheless, life is no longer the same. Weine states that soon after, in 1943, Poland is divided into two sections and Jews are taken to Auschwitz and killed (29). Seeing the gravity of the situation, Vladek and Anja give Richieu to Anja’s sister so that she stay with him and her children at Zawierci. However, fearing that she and the children will be taken to Auschwitz, Anja’s sister kills herself and the children, including Richieu. One could understand that everyone in Poland was worried about their future and safety of their loved ones. However, the decision by Anja’s sister to kill herself and the children is not a solution for me. She could have at least waited and maybe she and the children could have survived the war. Vladek and Anja are hiding in a ghetto waiting for the situation to calm down. According to Spiegelman, one of Vladek’s and Anja’s friends escapes to Hungary and writes them a letter telling them that Hungary is safe (125). Together, Vladek and Anja are on their way to safety in Hungary but are both captured and taken to Auschwitz where they are separated. Weine writes that at Auschwitz, Vladek works very hard as a tinsmith, a shoemaker, and a â€Å"black worker† earning enough to feed himself (27). As the war comes to an end, Vladek is set free and he goes back to his home place in Sosnowiec, where he reunites with Anja who had been released earlier. It is a happy and miraculous reunion for Vladek and Anja, considering that everyone they knew had been killed in the war. To me, it sounds sort of fictional for the two to be the only ones to survive the war in their family. In the novel, it is apparent th at Vladek and Spiegelman do not have a good relationship. According to Wood, Spiegelman feels guilty of living a better life than his parents (79). The relationship between Vladek and Spiegelman has deteriorated since Anja took her own life. Anja committed suicide after the war, primarily because she had lost Richieu. Spiegelman is furious with his father for burning Anja’s dairies about the war, after her suicide. In my opinion, Vladek is not to blame for burning the diaries; maybe he just needed closure and did not want anything that reminded him of how Anja had given up on them. At the time

Pupil Annaual Progress Report Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Pupil Annaual Progress Report - Essay Example Recent assessment has shown that she has moved one levelr up and has secured level P3(ii) in communication and exploring and ordering the world (science and maths) of the level underpinning the National Curriculum. The prediction for the next year is that she will achieved level P4 in communication as she has already showning the ability which underpins this assessment level. Aaishah has increased her attention to regularly used objects in familiar activities. Within the year’s progress, As the year has progressed, Aaishah has developed an increasing awareness thatbecome increasingly more aware that her activities have expected steps and that she needs to keepbe active within them. She has become more consistent in using objects in the ways in which they are intended forto be used. Aaishah has become more consistent in carrying out independent actions within familiar activities such as reaching out for the morning parachute, holding the register, looking at a drum, putting items back in the finish box, and looking at the washing up bowl when getting ready to put her cup away. She has shown that she knows what the next steps in several of her activities are. Aaishah has continued to respond more positively to clear firm instructions from adults when taking part in less motivational activities. She has continued to become more responsive to clear fa cial expressions indicating praise or â€Å"stop†/†no† from familiar adults. Also, she and has developed an ability to can give a cheeky smile when she has tryingied to avoid something or deviated from thea routine. Recentlyisentlly, Aaishah has becomebecame consistent in carrying out independent actions within familiar activities, such as reaching out for the morning parachute, tapping a drum, putting items back in the finish box when adults indicate it is time to finish. In addition, Sshe

Reading reflection 9 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Reading reflection 9 - Essay Example On most occasions, people sentenced to death normally use this term as a ground of defense. Proving their innocence through this ground of defense is an efficient and effective manner of receiving their freedom. Reflecting further on this notion of wrongful convictions, I came to realize that the best and most efficient method of exonerating these people is through the use of DNA evidence. My interest in the reading made me to research on a case that involved a person who was wrongfully convicted, and thereafter released. I settled on Joe D Ambrosio, who was released on March 2010. Ambrosio was convicted in 1989 for the murder of Klann, but during his trial, prosecutors failed to produce evidence that was exonerating him, despite such evidence being in their possession (Free and Ruesink, 2012). Ambrosio was released by judge Synerberg for wrongful conviction. From this case, I learnt that prosecutors and law enforcement officers can make an individual to suffer imprisonment from crimes they did not commit, especially if such individuals are not efficient in their work. This article introduces us to the element of racialism in the administration of justice in United States of America. For instance, the article denotes that the Governor of Illinois, George Ryan, conceded that the death penalty system in United States of America was full of error because it discriminated upon the person who deserved to die and who deserved to live, by analyzing the color of their skin. Because of this, he decided to forgive the death row convicts in his state. Reflecting on this, I denote that though it was wise of him to carry out such kind of an action, it could have been good if he enacted policies and laws that would abolish death penalty in the State. This is because he was in the position of power. In my own opinion, the best way to reduce inequitable administration of justice in regard to the death penalty, it is important for states all over America to abolish the

Fully discuss the multiple pieces of legislation that led to heated Essay

Fully discuss the multiple pieces of legislation that led to heated arguments in Congress that would ultimately lead to the Civil War - Essay Example Moreover, the southern slave masters established that such a characteristic restraint of the current slavery would magnanimously breach the principle of state rights. Abraham Lincoln emerged the winner in the 1860 presidential elections, devoid of ten of the southern areas voting. His characteristic triumph prompted the seven slave areas to pronounce secessions, resulting into the formation of the coalition states even before Lincoln took up a post. Autonomists in the north rebuffed from recognizing these secessions (Yazawa 19). Additionally, the USA government in Washington refuted the recognition of the possession of forts of the allies, though they lay squarely in the region of the confederacy states. As emphasized by numerous contemporary historians, the characteristic disunions were principally the key cause of the war. However, they argue that among those key causes were additional aspects of states’ rights and economics. Notably, the northern populace was augmenting more hastily than the southern, making it extremely difficult for the south to influence the national government. At the time of the 1860 elections, the intensively agricultural southern states had fewer electoral centres, enabling Lincoln to win the presidential voting without the participation of the southerners (Goldfield, et al. 39). The southerners had much to worry regarding the hasty growth of the manufacturing and populace in the case of the northerners. With the aim of sustaining unity in the USA, the chief politicians had constantly moderated characteristic antagonism to slavery, resulting in massive compromises, for example the Missouri compromise of 1820 (Yazawa 11). As the compromise yielded an aversion of an instant political crisis, it did not completely resolve the issue of slave power. Being a fraction of the compromises of 1820, the fugitive slave edict that required the people from the north to aid the southerners in the reclamation of the fugitive slaves

Pepsi Entry into india A lesson In globilization Case Study

Pepsi Entry into india A lesson In globilization - Case Study Example Haunting challenges in the political, public, economic and social front where there in store aplenty for Pepsi, but the paramount task was to appease the politicians, i.e., the government first, which would automatically reduce the burden in all other front to a great extent. Peter Druker had long back said about the future globe that reciprocity will be the central principle of international economic integration. Thus Pepsi knew that for it to enter India, it has to reciprocate by some deeds that would facilitate the The promises that Pepsi made to deliver if it were allowed access to Indian Market was aplenty. A few noteworthy ones are focussing on food and agro processing generating job opportunities for the people of Punjab, boosting the image of Indian products in foreign markets, etc. Given all these promises, If a question is asked whether the company materialized all that, the answer would be no. It did make an attempt to bring about a green revolution in the state of Punjab; there was a drastic increase in the production of tomatoes, farmers were given free farming equipments and agro based research centres were opened in Karnataka and Punjab. Corporate Social Responsibility is an often heard word now, but the colossal part that it plays is corroborated by Pepsi's entry into India. It was only through its social perks that it got access to the Indian Market.The cat was out of the bag in 1991, around two years after Pepsi's entry into India that it was conspicuous that Pepsi failed in mos t of its obligations. This was a double whammy for the same George Fernandez who blasted the Rajiv Gandhi run Government at the parliament. His accusations where that, pepsi was indulging in under invoicing and by consecutively preparing bogus receipts and hiding transactions to a great extent. That is a different case in itself. A foreign company should be polycentric- meaning, it should consider that each and every host country where they set there shop has got a different set of culture and habits and especially problems with which they wouldn't be in a position to appreciate any endeavour by a foreign company. Thus Pepsi was aware of it and Knew that winning public opinion is the only solution for there entry and especially the farmers of Punjab.There motto was "performance with purpose" which did sell well among the people of India and the politicians. Under this tagline, apart from engaging the farmers' pepsi did quiet a number of social activities like replenishing waste water, waste to wealth initiative, collaboration with farmers through contract farming etc. This only tells that for a multinational company to explore a new customer base, it has to deal with ordinary people of the host country first who may not be their customers in the first place. But still their good will is always necessary for the company to survive.

Apache Metals, Inc. Case Study Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Apache Metals, Inc. Case Study - Essay Example The fact that project managers can come from anywhere within the company is causing the problems experience in the company. Not everyone can act as a project manager because the work is technical and it requires special skills for a company to achieve excellence (Heerkens, 2007). The assigned project leaders in this company take care of too many projects at the same time, which causes inconveniences for the firm. It is not possible for a project leader to deal with as many as ten orders because each order requires considerable amount of time to be accomplished effectively. The company at one time appointed trainees to oversee the running of the operations leading to poor results. Financiers analyze projects and their management to determine the need to offer funding for the company. Therefore, it is important that directors of Apache Metals concentrate on project management to receive the funding. Literature and research review Apache Metals seems has been failing on its project mana gement and it is only after failing miserably that the company began to take keen interest on project management. Project management involves planning, organizing, and managing resources in the most effective and efficient manner to achieve stated goals for the company (Lock, 2007). A company’s board of directors is involved in determining the best people that can execute the project and appointing the project managers. Successful project managers should ensure that they manage resources, time, scope, and the finance of the project efficiently (Lock, 2007). These elements are essential in ensuring the company gets funds other projects and renewed contracts because of good management of the above elements. The scope of the project involves the objectives of the project and the budget in terms of money and time for achieving the stated objectives (Rosen, 2004). Not every person in the company can be a project leader because of the skills required in the job. A project manager s hould have the right people and communication skills in order to achieve the stated goals effectively. The board of directors should scrutinize the existing personnel thoroughly in order to recruit the required people in the project management team (Rosen, 2004). A project is often a short endeavor and thus mistakes are unacceptable because they can ruin the image of the rest of the company. Project managers have a vision and their aim is to share the vision with other members executing the project. The company can improve the effectiveness of these project leaders through providing formal training for them and their members. In addition to training project managers, they also need to be at the center of the organization’s concern. Project managers have a greater task of defining the project and executing it and hence they require support from the entire organization to accomplish their goals (Rosen, 2004). Project managers need to have expertise and experience in the field a nd thus, junior trainees cannot work effectively as project leaders. Project managers need team building and problem solving skills in order to execute the project effectively. Thus, to achieve funding for other projects, directors should ensure they have a working project team in place. Analysis The board of directors of the company is responsible for electing the senior

Describe the laws of thermodynamics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Describe the laws of thermodynamics - Essay Example To understand energy better, there has been that study called thermodynamics that seeks to study and understand the various forms of energy. First, energy has been defined as the capability of perform some duty, the ability to bring change. Therefore, in order to understand the thermodynamics, there have been laws established. These laws try to explain how heat also called Thermo travels through other forms hence the term thermodynamics. As such thermodynamics connotes the different character of heat (Bub, 2001, p. 570). Under the first law, Zeroth Law, we are made to understand that if three bodies are at equilibrium, then they would have the same character. For instance, three bodies under similar conditions would have same temperatures in a matter of time. The second law, First Law is understood in the context that some form of energy may be at rest and would be changed if some other force is applied to it. Then we have the Second Law, which seems so difficult to comprehend. It behaves differently under different circumstances (Bub, 2001, p. 572). Lastly, we have the Third Law, which states that there are some things that are totally hard to change for instance cooling something to a particular degree. It is definite that there would be some factors to affect the targeted temperature basing on the already mentioned laws. From the above, it is now important to state the different types of energy. These include fossil fuels, solar energy, nuclear energy, wind power, hydropower, and bio-fuel. All these types have their good and bad sides. With fossil fuels, it is easy to establish the plants and extract. They provide efficient and cost effective energy, and they can be located anywhere. Fossils are also easy to find and cheap to extract. However, they are so much of pollutants that they threaten the environment. Harmful gasses emerge from minerals causing the destruction of the atmospheric layers. Further, by getting them from the earth,

Indigenous peoples in Australia Essay Example for Free

Indigenous peoples in Australia Essay Indigenous Peoples of Australia is categorized into two groups namely, the Aboriginal People and the Torres Strait Islanders (Sharp). Aboriginal peoples are said to be the group of IP’s, who became the first settlers in mainland Australia. The Torres Strait Islanders are the ones who are originally the inhabitants of the region between Australia and New Guinea. Indigenous Australians include a very diverse communities and societies across the whole Australia. Studies and researches show that there is an approximately 200 languages that are native to the Indigenous Australians and 20 of these languages are still being spoken up to now in Australia (Sharp). The majority of the Indigenous Australians resides in the south east near the Murray River. Indigenous Peoples in South Africa The African region has been termed as home for the majority of indigenous peoples (Clark). North and South Africa are comprised of indigenous communities which are also divided into several subgroups. Though hunting, gathering and pastoral means are the most basic means used by the indigenous peoples in Africa, some indigenous communities have already learned the agricultural system. As mentioned, the diverse indigenous communities in both North and South Africa are grouped not on the basis of their chronological subsistence but on the basis of their common characteristics in terms of cultural inclinations and lifestyle. Mining Operations in Australia and South Africa South Africa and Australia rank second and third respectively as the world’s top producers of gold (Indigenous Community Organisations and Miners, 2007). While gold is the second outstanding export product of Australia, it is the biggest export product of South Africa. It is undeniable that mining in both Australia and South Africa helps the two in advancing and maintaining good economic standings. However, other issues like human rights violations have been reportedly committed because of the mining operations in South Africa and Australia. On the other hand, South Africa and Australia have different cases in terms of the developments regarding the alleviation of human rights violations through mining operations. In Australia, the government devises a strategic approach which aims to reconcile the mining companies and the indigenous peoples (The Mining Ombudsman, 2007). As part of the Corporate Social Responsibility of the mining companies, they are obligated by the law to come up with humanitarian programs that which are directed towards the promotion of the welfare of the indigenous peoples in Australia. Mining companies conducted seminars, conferences and workshops that which enables the indigenous peoples know how mining projects operate and how could they help the indigenous peoples improve their everyday living. Through these programs and projects, the rights of the Indigenous Australians are being upheld in such a way that they are set towards progress and development together with the mining corporations. However, in the case of the mining operations in South Africa, there is a lack of consideration given to the indigenous peoples. The mining companies in South Africa have been reportedly accused of exploiting the natural resources within the habitats of the indigenous peoples in South Africa (Communities take shine off, 2006). Environmental degradation, displacement of the indigenous peoples from their residences, and health hazards brought about by the mining operations are among the issues raised by the indigenous communities (Communities take shine off, 2006). Their rights as people are being neglected in such way that the mining activities cause harm on their part. Many forests are deforested and the wild life is severely threatened. It is to be noted that most of the indigenous peoples in South Africa live on uplands as well as near forests. The destruction of these forests signals the destruction of their homes too. Thus, in order to safeguard their rights for these natural resources (as their homes and source of food and others), protection and preservation of the environment should also be considered by the government as well as the mining corporations. In addition, there is also a treat to the health of the indigenous peoples caused by the toxic and other wastes products that are being secreted during mining activities (Communities take shine off, 2006). Water contamination and lead poisoning are some of the health hazards that are caused by mining. Lastly, cultural degradation is also said to occur in indigenous communities because mining devastates certain sites which are sacred and ceremonial for the indigenous peoples. Conclusion Though, mining serves the economic growth of Australia and South Africa, it does not change the fact that it brings certain disadvantages towards the people particularly on the indigenous peoples. The main difference between the impact of the mining operations on the indigenous communities in Australia and South Africa is that in Australia the government and the mining companies are aware of the fact that they should consider the well-being of the indigenous peoples whereas in South Africa the government and the mining corporations lacks awareness and cooperation to resolve the conflict between the indigenous peoples and the mining operations. Works Cited Maybury-Lewis, David. Indigenous Peoples, Ethnic Groups, and the State. Second ed. Allyn and Bacon, 2001. Sharp, Anne. Indigenous Peoples of the World – Australia. First ed. Lucent Books, 2002. Clark, Domini. South Africa the People. Crabtree Publishing Company, 1999. â€Å"The Mining Ombudsman. † 2007. Oxfam Australia. 09 November 2007 http://www. oxfam. org. au/campaigns/mining/ombudsman/. â€Å"Indigenous Community Organisations and Miners: Partnering Sustainable Regional Development. † 14 February 2007. The Australian National University. 09 November 2007 http://www. anu. edu. au/caepr/mining. php. â€Å"Communities take shine off platinum players in South Africas Bushveld. † 19 May 2006. Mines and Communities. 09 November 2007 http://www. minesandcommunities. org/Action/press1099. htm.

Investment Management Essay Example for Free

Investment Management Essay Both hedge funds and mutual funds are â€Å"pooled† instruments, but there are more differences than similarities between them. Three kinds of differences are going to introduce in the following part which are strategy, risk and reward. Strategy: The hedge funds managers have fewer limits to deal with, they can sell short, use derivatives and use leverage, and otherwise, they can also change the strategy significantly if they think it is appropriate. The mutual fund managers cannot be as flexible as hedge fund managers. In case they changes the strategy of the fund, the may be accused of â€Å"style drift†. Risk: As hedge funds are managed much more aggressive than the mutual fund, they can take speculative positions in derivative securities and have the ability to short sell stocks. This will obviously increase the leverage and the risk of the fund. Mutual funds are the opposite of the hedge funds, taking highly leveraged positions is not allowed and managers should take solid strategy to make the funds safe. Reward: Hedge funds take an aggressive strategy which has high risks to seek absolute returns (it means they want to produce positive return no matter what the market performance is). Mutual funds are managed relative to an index benchmark which means their return is steady because they are judged on their variance from that benchmark. 3. Arbitrage opportunity 3. 1 According to the case study, during the IPO of Ubid, there is only 20% equity offer to public, and remaining 80% will distribute to CC’s shareholders after 6 months. The arbitrage opportunity is appear because if we own CC’s share that we will receive Ubid’s share after six months. In that reason, we should form a portfolio which combines long position of CC and short position of Ubid. In Dec 9, there was 10,238,703 CC’s share outstanding and 9,146,883 Ubid’s share outstanding. However the 80% of Ubid’s share will distributed to CC’s shareholders after 6 month of IPO. In that reason, we can assume that 80% of Ubid’s share is subjected to CC’s share. (10,238,703? 80%)/9,146,883=0. 715 If we have long position on 1 share of CC, we should take 0. 715 short position of Ubid’s share. 3. 2 Based on the output in section 3. 1, the arbitrage opportunity has arise when we have 1 long position on CC’s share and 0. 15 short position on Ubid’s share. Therefore we need short sell the Ubid’s share and buy CC’s share. Assume that we buy 1 share of CC and short sell 0. 715 share of Ubid. After 6 months later. In addition, after 6 months, the 80% Ubid’s share will distribute to CC’s shareholders, therefore, after 6 months we have 1 share of CC will receive 0. 715 share of Ubid. Subject to 1 s hare of CC, we have 0. 715 share short position of Ubid. In that reason we will have a portfolio that combine 1 long position of CC and 0. 715 short position of Ubid. The total payoff of portfolio is sum of payoff in both position is: Price of CC after six month price of CC + 0. 715? price of Ubid. As we mention before, our return is the total payoff of portfolio. According to the equation of payoff of portfolio, even the price of CC is drop to Zero, we also will generate positive return which is price difference between Ubid and CC, and this is our minimum return Price difference of Ubid and CC is 0. 715? 35. 6875-22. 75=2. 767 and the initial margin is 50% for long and short position, therefore the capital required is 50%? 2. 75+50%? 35. 6875=29. 22. The minimum rate of return is 4. Risks in arbitrage The arbitrage means that investors find temporary risk-free profit from misprice at inefficient market. Therefore, arbitrageurs will face risk lower than other investors. However, some of risks can limit arbitrageur to seek risk free profit. Firstly, arbitrageurs need to bear the fundamental risk. Although arbitrageurs can eliminate unsystematic ( firm-specific) risk by portfolio diversification, they cannot mitigate systematic risk which arises from market contracture. This lead to some of bad news or policies can cause negative effects on fundament value and arbitrageurs’ profits. Thus, the fundamental risk can limit arbitrageurs to invest in inefficient market. Secondly, noise trader risk will limit arbitrage. High percentages of noise traders who make irrational investment of decision in market will lead price and risk level to be different with expected level for arbitrageurs, and cause misprice to be reduced. Thus the profit of arbitrage will be limit by noise trader risk. Finally, arbitrageurs will also face high implement cost. Implement cost includes commission, bid-ask spread, price impact, short sell cost and identification cost. High cost will cause arbitrageur loss interest on seeking misprice in inefficient market.

What Might We Mean By Firm Performance

What Might We Mean By Firm Performance The firm performance is a complex term which may include different shadows of meaning as long as it relates to organizational performance, functioning of the firm and outcomes of its operations. Normally, the firm performance implies the organizational performance, including manufacturing of products and services, functioning of different units of the firm, performance of its employees and outcomes of their work in total. At the same time, the firm performance can be viewed in a broader context as a part of the business development of the firm. What is meant here is the fact that the business development mirrors the firms performance and allows to assess the extent to which the organizational performance is effective. At this point, it is important to place emphasis on the fact that the firms performance is basically measured in terms of efficiency of the firms operations. In fact, the more effective the firms operations are completed the more positive the organizational performance is and, on the contrary, the low efficiency of firms operations and employees performance means the poor firms performance. In this respect, employees performance comprises an integral part of the firms performance because, in the contemporary business environment human resources, comprise an important marketing asset of any organization. Therefore, the efficiency of employees performance affects consistently the firms performance. Furthermore, it is important to take into consideration that the firms performance is an important indicator for investors and stakeholders. What is meant here is the fact that the firms performance indicates whether the company is worth investing or not. For instance, investors are ready to invest money in firms with the positive marketing performance, whereas poor marketing performance indicates at problems firms have in their business development. As a result, investors avoid investing money in companies with poor performance because they are uncertain in the return on investments and because of high risks accompanying such investments. What is competitive advantage, in OPERATIONAL and CONCRETE terms? The competitive advantage of a company is one of the most important factors that define the competitive position of the company in the market. In fact, the competitive position of a company means the marketing position and performance of the company compared to its major rivals. In this regard, it is necessary to pay a particular attention to the return on investments rate of the company because the higher is the return on investments and lower risks associated with investments and business development of the company, the better is the marketing position of the company. In fact, the company with the high return on investment can count for the steady improvement of its marketing and competitive position because it can take advantage of its business development and growth which occur due to the high return on investments. In addition, the competitive advantage should be unique, relevant and sustainable. At the same time, it is important to distinguish competitive position in operational and concrete terms. In this regard, the competitive advantage in operational terms implies the advantage of the company in terms of its business development, introduction of innovations, use of management strategies, organization of production process and other operations conducted by the company. The competitive advantage of the company in operational terms is defined by its ability to take a better position compared to its rival due to a better organization of the production process and other operations conducted by the company compared to its rivals. As for the competitive advantage in concrete terms, it is important to place emphasis on the fact that the competitive advantage in concrete terms implies the advantage of the company in terms of the assets value of the company, costs of its facilities, fixed costs, and other fixed values of the company, along with the products and services provided by the company to its customers. In other words, the competitive advantage in concrete terms implies the advantage the company gains in quantity of products, revenues and other items which can be measured and assessed accurately. Finally, on analyzing the competitive advantage concept, it is worth mentioning the fact that companies have to maintain their competitive advantage. In other words competitive advantage should be sustainable to insure that the company keeps progressing. Otherwise, if the company fails to maintain its competitive advantage, it is doomed to failure because it cannot afford the competition for rivals will keep progressing and outpace the company that has stopped in its development. Question 3: Assess the merits of the VRIO framework when determining a firms competitive advantage? The VRIO framework allows to obtain the basic information on the competitive advantage of a firm. To put it more precisely, the VRIO framework focuses on four key items defining the competitive position of a firm, including value, rarity, imitability, and organization. The value of the company is very important for determining its competitive position. In terms of the VRIO framework, the value implies the ability of a firm to neutralize external threats and hold a better marketing and competitive position compared to its rivals. In such a way, increasing the value, a firm can improve its competitive position and take the lead in the industry. The rarity implies the control over resource in hands a few and the firm should attempt to limit the access of the rivals to the resources. Alternatively, the company may attempt to establish control over resources and, thus, get a consistent competitive advantage over its rivals, especially if they cannot get access to resources. Furthermore, imitability involves the protection of the uniqueness of products and services provided by the company to its customers and the ability of the company to protect its products and services from imitations from the part of its rivals. In this regard, the protection of intellectual property rights, the development of new, original and unique products is crucial because it provides the company with an excellent opportunity to take advantage and hold the dominant competitive position in the market. The uniqueness of products or services is crucial for the competitive position of the company. Finally, the organization is another important factor that determines the competitive position of the company and its competitive advantage. In this respect, it is worth mentioning the fact that the effective organization allows the company to optimize the production process and company-customer relationships. As a result, companies with a better organization has a competitive advantage of its rivals because its performance is better compared to its rivals due to the better organization of work and more efficient work of employees within the company.

Women in Post-Revolutionary Russia: The Opportunities and Obstacles :: Russian Russia History

Women in Post-Revolutionary Russia: The Opportunities and Obstacles The last Tsar of Russia abdicated the throne in February of 1917. With the fall of the old regime, many old gender barriers fell, as well. The period after the Bolsheviks rose to power was a time of many changes for all Russians, but none were more affected than the women of the time. Lenin, the leader of the Bolshevik party (later called the Communists) was greatly disturbed by the domestic enslavement of Soviet women, and almost immediately granted political equality for females throughout the nation. With this newfound freedom, women were presented with many new opportunities in all aspects of life, and many challenges, as well. Lenin reformed many civil and penal codes to the advantage of women. Almost overnight all learning institutions opened their doors to both sexes, which suddenly gave women the opportunity to strive for professional careers and higher paying jobs. Women were given equal standing in marriage, and it became possible for them to get divorced, to have abortions , and to sue for child support. Women could own property. Within the Communist party, women rose to leadership positions. In theory, there was complete equality between the sexes. However, even with the advantages of the Communist leadership, there were some pitfalls, as well. While the increased leniency of divorce laws was obviously an advantage to many unhappy wives, some men made use of the new freedom also. Some women were left to raise their children alone, and without the salary of their husbands, found it almost impossible. Although these women now had complete economic independence under the laws of Lenin, in practice all was not as simple. With several young children to watch over during the day, it was difficult for any mother to be able to engage in any work outside of family life. The realities of these women were shown clearly in Alexandra Kollontai's novel Love of Worker Bees. based on life in post-revolutionary Russia. When Mr. Feodoseev abandons his wife for another woman, she is horrified at the thought of trying to get a job while raising three school-aged children. However, in Kollontai's novel, she is seen as petty and jealous by certain m embers of the party, instead of a woman with great financial difficulties. Perhaps this shows a certain blindness that many communist leaders had to the realities of women's everyday lives and circumstances.

Essay --

Even though genetically modified organisms were created to grow more food there are negative aspects to these types of crops that are harmful to humans and animals. Therefore GMO’s should be studied more because there are positive impacts but harmful side effects. Genetically modified organisms is an organism whose genetic material has been changed using genetic engineering techniques. Organisms that have been genetically modified include microorganisms such as bacteria and yeast, insects, plants, fish, and mammals. GMO’s are the source of genetically modified foods, and are also widely used in scientific research and to produce goods other than food. Some negative impacts of GMO’s are the rise in autoimmune diseases, toxic effects, allergy risks, financial impacts, and cross pollination or contamination. The rise in autoimmune diseases, infertility, and chronic diseases may be associated with the introduction of genetically modified foods. The American academy of environmental medicine, consider the role of genetically modified foods in the nations health crisis, and advise their patients to avoid all genetically modified foods whenever possible. Genetically modified foods also share certain toxic effects on the liver, pancreas, kidneys, and reproductive system that may cause cancer in these organs. The widespread use of recombinant hormones-a genetically modified substance- in the agriculture industry is associated in IGF-1, a growth hormone that, in excess can lead to cancer. GMO foods have many allergy risks to people. Genetic modification often mixes or adds proteins that aren’t native to the original plant or animal, causing new allergic reactions in the body. Modifying plants genetically forms viruses, bacteria, and othe... ... indoors and the gardener controls the season. It is also a great way to spend wholesome, quality time with your family. In conclusion, there are many alternatives rather than using GMO. There may be many positive impacts of genetically modified foods but there are way more negative, harmful side effects and consequences when creating, eating, or using gmo foods. Gmo’s do not only affect the health of the human population but it also affects nature around us. Nature has it’s own natural cycle and genetically modified organisms diserupt the natural cycle. Killing one harmless species of insects may seem insignificant but it disrupts the food chain and animals or species that rely on them will die off and so will the rest up the food chain. Scientists should study more on the GMO’s so the negatives turn into positives so it doesn’t affect people as much or at all.

Christopher Columbus Essay example -- History

Christopher Columbus is credited as the audacious voyager who challenged modern thinking and found the land now known as the Americas. Columbus not only discovered new lands, but also opened trade with natives and brought substantial wealth and glory to the major European powers. In addition, his ventures not only enabled the spread of the gospel to pagan peoples, but also set the stage for the emergence of the United States of America. Without Christopher Columbus the United States would not have been a separate state for over 500 years or more or not at all. However, despite all that Columbus did, people still fail to recognize the tribulations he undertook before he set off in his first ship. The public is unable to comprehend, despite years of education, the internal struggles and the ridicule Columbus was forced to endure for just believing in what he thought was correct (Philips 13). His courage in the face of this ridicule is what makes Columbus a national hero in that age as well as now. Christopher Columbus’ acts of perseverance, his moral courage, and his adventurous spirit continue to inspire the people of today. Through this intercourse, Christopher Columbus’ work has not ended, for it is everlasting as it persists to imbue the people of today with the ability to succeed in the face of an unknown future. Christopher Columbus’ perseverance and persistence have long been a trait of the philosophy of modern thinking. Columbus displayed high acts of persistence as he rode the waves of uncertainty to the land of success. When Columbus sought audience with King of Portugal in 1485, he was humiliatingly denied funding for his proposed idea to sail west to get to India. If Columbus had given up at this first sign of failure... ...make our decisions accordingly. Works Cited 123Holiday. "Christopher Columbus Biography." Columbus Day. Microsoft Encarta, 2 May 2003. Web. 27 Nov. 2010 http://columbusday.123holiday.net/christopher_columbus.html. Cohen, J.M. (1969) The Four Voyages of Christopher Columbus: Being His Own Log- Book, Letters and Dispatches with Connecting Narrative Drawn from the Life of the Admiral by His Son Hernando Colon and Others. London UK: Penguin Classics. Davidson, Miles H. (1997) Columbus Then and Now: A Life Reexamined, Norman and London, University of Oklahoma Press. Khurana, Simran. "Quotations: Hope." Quotes Quotations. 2001. Web. 27 Nov. 2010. . Phillips, W. D. and C. R. Phillips (1992) The Worlds of Christopher Columbus. Cambridge UK: Cambridge University Press.

Do Gender Role Stereotypes exist in children(TM)s fairy tale stories?

I am currently working on a piece of sociological coursework which requires me to explore the relationship between children's fairy tale stories and gendered roles. From birth biological differences exist between males and females. Sociologists refer to this as sex differences. As we grow older these differences between males and females involve more than biology; they are gendered. Gendered roles are learned. They guide us to behave and perform in ways which fulfill our gender role stereotype. This is achieved via the process of socialisation. When talking in relation to the nature vs. nurture debate, sociologists believe that our gender roles are nurtured by our parents, societal expectations and media influences. The main aim of my coursework is to find out if gender role stereotypes exist in children's fairy tale stories. I aim to do this by looking at the ways in which fairytale images transform into guided behaviours. My additional aims in which I will investigate include: * Being able to find out what massages fairytale stories send to youngsters from a sociological point of view. I have decided to investigate gender role socialisation because I am extremely interested in the role played by society in the development of this. Furthermore, I would like to find out what makes these stereotypes so common and how fairy tale stories portray gender roles in relation to the images it presents to young children. Sociological research also concerns the roots of gender role within society. Therefore, it would make sense to see how these sociologists have expressed their views on this specific topic. For example, Teya Cherland is a sociologist who researched the topic of gender role stereotyping in fairytale stories and, she made it clear that the insecurities evolving around many young children is growing as they watch and read more and more fairytales. Sociologists believe that we aren't born to be boys and girls; we learn our gender roles as we grow older. This is a very sentimental point because in my coursework I want to explore gender role stereotyping from a Nature vs. Nurture perspective. My Secondary Sources I have decided to focus on some secondary sources in order to find out what other sociologists think about my chosen topic. The following sources will help me to gather some crucial information to help me meet my overall aim which is to find out if gender role stereotypes exist in children's fairytale stories. I also want to understand this topic from a sociological point of view and therefore, I will also be using these sources to find out if what I have discovered pairs up to other sociologist's discoveries. My first results came from an article called Ecclectical. The article was written by a sociologist called Teya Cherland and was publicised in April 2006. In it, Teya explained that young boys and girls hide themselves away from reality because fairytales make them feel insecure of the true beauty that exists within them. Other than this, she outlined that boys and girls find it hard to distinguish reality from the so-called â€Å"dream world† that they visualise from watching T.V. She said, â€Å"Children's literature plays a key role in shaping a child's perception of those around her/him and the world they live in.† She then carried on saying â€Å"it is vital to understand how they view real life† This made it clear, her belief was that fairytale stories deliver wrong messages to young kids and make them feel a certain way which can build on their insecurities. This links in with my aim because in my coursework I want to involve some sociological processes and this article brings up the issue of the Nature vs. Nurture debate and helps me to find a way how to link young children's influences into my query. My second source came from an article titled â€Å"Sex Roles†. This particular article was written by Angela M. Gooden and was publicised In July 2001. In the article it was outlined that children's books are served as a socializing tool that passed to the next generation. To explain, in her article she said the following, â€Å"Children's books have the potential of altering perceptions and possibly helping to change lives† This relates back to my investigation because the article explains the fact that children are influenced by societies teachings and, one of my smaller aims are to be able to find out if children are influenced by the images they see and the things they hear when watching fairytales. My third and last source came from a text called Gender identities. This text was written by a sociologist named Ruth and the year of its publication was 2006(April 21st) Ruth investigated on different sociologists own thoughts about gender role and found out that according to the 1990s, boys and girls are directed to different subjects from an early age. She found that from some people stick to the idea that, Teachers pay more attention to boys than girl in the classroom and that the term â€Å"girl power† Ignores continuing structures of inequality. Much of her information supported the idea that the way in which boys and girls are brought up affects they way they feel about â€Å"gender role stereotyping† when their older. The following quote was mentioned in the article. â€Å"Murdock (1949) and Parsons (1955), who were functionalists, both thought that women and men had inbuilt differences that made women more suitable to be carers and men to be breadwinners.† This links in with my investigation because in order to find out whether gender role stereotypes exist in children's fairytale stories, I need to understand the true meaning of the term â€Å"gender role† and how society portrays it which is provided for me in this source. Overall, all of my chosen sources have enhanced my understanding on my chosen ton topic. I am now able to use this information to help me to answer and evaluate my essay title.

Distripute Innovation

A disruptive innovation is an innovation that helps create a new market and value network, and eventually goes on to disrupt an existing market and value network (over a few years or decades), displacing an earlier technology. The term is used in business and technology literature to describe innovations that improve a product or service in ways that the market does not expect, typically first by designing for a different set of consumers in the new market and later by lowering prices in the existing market.In contrast to disruptive innovation, a sustaining innovation does not create new markets or value networks but rather only evolves existing ones with better value, allowing the firms within to compete against each other's sustaining improvements. Sustaining innovations may be either â€Å"discontinuous†[1] (i. e. â€Å"transformational† or â€Å"revolutionary†) or â€Å"continuous† (i. e. â€Å"evolutionary†). The term â€Å"disruptive technolo gy† has been widely used as a synonym of â€Å"disruptive innovation†, but the latter is now preferred, because market disruption has been found to be a function usually not of technology itself but rather of its changing application.Sustaining innovations are typically innovations in technology, whereas disruptive innovations change entire markets. For example, the automobile was a revolutionary technological innovation, but it was not a disruptive innovation, because early automobiles were expensive luxury items that did not disrupt the market for horse-drawn vehicles. The market for transportation essentially remained intact until the debut of the lower priced Ford Model T in 1908. [2] The mass-produced automobile was a disruptive innovation, because it changed the transportation market. The automobile, by itself, was not.The current theoretical understanding of disruptive innovation is different from what might be expected by default, an idea that Clayton M. Christe nsen called the â€Å"technology mudslide hypothesis†. This is the simplistic idea that an established firm fails because it doesn't â€Å"keep up technologically† with other firms. In this hypothesis, firms are like climbers scrambling upward on crumbling footing, where it takes constant upward-climbing effort just to stay still, and any break from the effort (such as complacency born of profitability) causes a rapid downhill slide.Christensen and colleagues have shown that this simplistic hypothesis is wrong; it doesn't model reality. What they have shown is that good firms are usually aware of the innovations, but their business environment does not allow them to pursue them when they first arise, because they are not profitable enough at first and because their development can take scarce resources away from that of sustaining innovations (which are needed to compete against current competition). In Christensen's terms, a firm's existing value networks place insuff icient value on the disruptive innovation to allow its pursuit by that firm.Meanwhile, start-up firms inhabit different value networks, at least until the day that their disruptive innovation is able to invade the older value network. At that time, the established firm in that network can at best only fend off the market share attack with a me-too entry, for which survival (not thriving) is the only reward. [3] The work of Christensen and others during the 2000s has addressed the question of what firms can do to avoid oblivion brought on by technological disruption.

Barriers to identifying and Treating Older Adults with Substance abuse Problems

Substance abuse among older adults is a serious social problem. Detection of this problem, according to specialists, is hampered by barriers . This is all the more serious considering the fact that substance abuse is a serious problem among older adults but is seldom addressed because of the barriers. The need to identify and break down the barriers is important because it is important to identify and cure substance abuse patients from older adult age group bracket.This is to consider the implications of such condition to older adults – impairment of senses and mental capabilities; the health danger of mixing alcohol and other substance with medication older adults take; the threat of malnutrition considering the inability of the body to take in food; and lastly, the consideration on overall physiological effects of substance to the aging body which deteriorates because of old age and the everyday wear and tear. This is an important consideration why it is important to identif y the barriers that hinder or hamper the identification and cure of older adults suffering from substance abuse.II. Discussion Many research endeavors and researchers have already ascertained the fact that substance abuse is a problem among older adults who are addicted to different substances like alcohol as well as prescription drugs and illegal drugs. Studies are already available regarding the number of older adults in the society who are suffering from this problem . The complex way of life and how way of life differs from one place to another depending on and based from customs, tradition, cultural characteristics, etc. , has strongly affected many important aspects of life.Many professionals believe that this consideration plays an important role in the condition of the society being unable to identify older adults with substance abuse because of perceived barriers. It is important to know what these barriers are, discuss and analyze them to be able to understand these barrie rs and if possible provide solutions so that these barriers are removed and the health of the people with substance abuse problems be allowed to improve through intervention. What exactly are these barriers that hinder the identification and treatment of older adults with substance abuse problems?A. Psychological barriers Psychological barriers are present in this condition. Older adults tend to have psychological issues leading to their cases of substance abuse, as well as psychological issues when it comes to coming out and seeking help for their problem. Often, they have preconceived notions about how the society will treat them if they openly discuss their problems with substance abuse especially considering the stigma that substance abuse and the society places on the individual. Because of that, they are not overly enthused in seeking help.â€Å"Compared to younger adults, older adults are less likely to seek out and use mental health or substance abuse services . † For example, they might have the tendency to feel that professionals may look at their case as hopeless and useless to cure since they are already old and have only few years to live that intervention would have little effect. Others think that admitting substance abuse at this stage is something that is shameful. There are many other preconceived notions that deter individuals to come forward.More importantly, it is hard for those suffering from substance abuse to admit that they are addicted and for them to accept cure. This is a significant barrier. This is deterrent enough for these people to hide in the shadows. When they do, professionals, who try to seek them out, finds it more and more difficult to do so. Because of this, psychological consideration becomes a significant barrier in identifying and treating older adults with substance abuse problems. This psychological and social condition results to two things which strongly affect the efforts to identify and treat older adults with substance abuse problems.First is the lack of cooperative instincts or tendencies on the part of the individual or his or her close family and friends because of the feared repercussions. Second is the absence of the voluntary action to come forward and instead undertake efforts to further shield this addiction from being detected by professionals. Analysts are already conscious of this problem and barrier and are already suggesting ways to counter this, like the identification of ideal and useful approaches to this. Barriers are identified and later on removed and resolved to help the older adults.â€Å"In addressing alcohol problems or prescription medication misuse in later life, the use of nonjudgmental, motivational approaches can be a key to successfully engaging these patients in-care . † B. Target population Another barrier is the focus on target population. Often, adults, especially older adults, are perceived as individuals who are already capable, in control and are not as prone to substance abuse compared to younger adults who are in the early or middle part of their career, or even underage individuals who are more vulnerable to the temptations of substance abuse.This creates a misguided focus. Professionals and the society often look at a particular demographic alone and often ignores the older adult group in this kind of problem. This focus on traditional target demographics limits. Even blinds, professionals from exploring older adult groups, and the medical community should reevaluate paradigms, break traditional notions and stereotypes and consider the fact that every age group that is capable of accessing and ingesting substance that could lead to abuse can be an ideal target for substance abuse patients.In many research studies as well as in popular culture and mass media, often, the individuals portrayed as suffering from substance abuse are young to middle age adults. Efforts to study and identify substance abuse are often fo cused on selected groups and often not including older adults. C. Screening and social indicators Social indicators also mislead professionals into believing older adults are sober and are not explored for cases of substance abuse. According to professionals, social indicators like substance abuse symptoms seen at work, in the neighborhood, on the road, etc are often not common with older adults.This means older adults aren't the target of complaints for poor performance at work because of substance use and abuse; families and friends seldom complain about older adults in the household suffering from substance abuse, etc. â€Å"Older adult drinkers tend to have fewer social indicators of abuse . † Of course, this is not to mention that there are fewer indicators among this group of people considering how they are grossly outnumbered by the youth and the young adult and how figures involving older adults are overlooked.Those from younger age groups are bigger and appear more s erious, more chronic and more important, which is an incorrect perspective. What also hinders professionals from identifying and treating older adults with substance abuse is the screening process. Professionals believe that the social condition often makes older adults as individuals who are not commonly screened for any physiological or psychological signs of addiction. â€Å"It is second barrier that elders are not routinely screened for alcohol abuse by medical and mental health providers .† There are many reasons as to why this is the case. For example, it is convenient to explore the possibility that screening is often focused on younger individuals who are more vulnerable to substance abuse than older adults, creating a practice wherein older adults are often not subjected to screening. III. Conclusion Substance abuse is a serious problem. This is a kind of problem that is not limited only to young individuals but to adults and the older adults as well, including the e lderly.Evidently, there remains many significant barriers that make it difficult for professionals to identify cases of substance abuse among older adults and enforce medical as well as psychological intervention on the matter. These barriers are not easily broken down. It needs to be identified first and it is often deeply entrenched and deeply buried in the socio cultural practice and way of life of the people. Such barrier becomes formidable and hinders the entry of substance abuse recovery and rehabilitation assistance from professionals.In the end, what is important is not the mere identification of the presence of a barrier or certain barriers. More importantly, it is important to know how these barriers can be broken so that older adults with substance abuse problems are identified and provided with medical attention, care and intervention they needed to get over this kind of mental and physical health problem. On a positive light, it is indeed good to know that somehow, prof essionals are showing new ways and methods to identify substance abuse among older adults , which is significant in fighting off the barriers and allowing identification and intervention to take place.To identify the barriers and more importantly to address them by acting upon it to remove such barriers, it is important that change takes place: change in the perspective and outlook of the medical professionals; change in the perspective and outlook of health care individuals and entities; and most importantly, change in perspective and outlook of the people and the society in general so that identification is easier and the intervention administered faster and more efficiently. References Doweiko, H. E. (2006). Concepts of chemical dependency.California: Cengage. Edelman, C. L. and Mandle, C. L. (2005). Health Promotion Throughout the Life Span. Pennsylvania: Elsevier Health Sciences. Hales, R. E. and Yudofsky, S. C. (2004). Essentials of clinical psychiatry. Virginia: American Psyc hiatric Publication. Maddux, J. E. and Winstead, B. A. (2007). Psychopathology: Foundations for a Contemporary Understanding. New Jersey: CRC Press. Ries, R. K. , Miller, S. , Fiellin, D. A. and Saitz, R. (2009). Principles of Addiction Medicine. Pennsylvania: Wolters Kluwer Health.

Fingerprint and Crime Scene

Which technique is the best choice when blood is found at a crime scene? In the genetics laboratory (under â€Å"resources† at the bottom of the window), who is one individual that contributed to modern genetic analysis? What did this person contribute? The genetics laboratory is the best choice when blood is found at a crime scene. Alec Jefferys contributed to modern genetics analysis by inventing what is now an essential technique called a polymerase chain reaction. How are computers used in fingerprint analysis? They are used to identify minutiae which may be loops, dots, forks, islands and so forth.Comparison points must be perfectly matched for two fingerprints to be considered identical Who is a pioneer in fingerprint analysis? Describe a famous case that this person was involved in. Edward Foster testified as a fingerprint expert in a case called caution fresh paint in 1911. Fingerprints in the wet paint next to a murder victim were the only clue, he used those prints t o demonstrate to the court that the prints of one man was a match and he was convicted for the crime What is the role of the forensic chemist in crime scene investigation? They analyze all chemical, organic and inorganic aspects of a sample.They separate the components and identify them using a variety of tests and devices. Who helped pioneer forensic chemistry? Describe one of her famous cases. France McGill was one of the pioneers that helped forensic chemistry, when he examined the stomach of an elderly couple who had died she found a large quantity of strychnine which is a powerful poison that was along with bran. The murder weapon was soon identified they were eating bran muffins baked by their granddaughter that was intended for her father. She was charged with murder and then acquainted In the ballistics laboratory, what is the water tank used for?Describe the analysis. To determine whether a bullet found at the crime scene actually came from the suspect’s weapon. It m ust be compared with another bullet from the same gun. Ballistics experts fire it into a special water tank that slows and stops the bullet so that they can collect it in tact Who helped pioneer ballistics analysis? What did he contribute? Wilfrid Derome the Laboratoire de recherches medico-legales de Montreal, the first forensic laboratory in North America and only the third in the world Why is measuring and diagramming the scene important?It is important because it helps to note specific locations of objects, clues, and the body. The photo and this sketch will later be used to draw an accurate plan of the site on the computer What materials or tools would a crime scene technician use? Something to take a photograph, polilight, measurements and diagrams, revealing prints, and something to take samples From the activity and the information it had, what aspect of an investigation do you think you’d most like to work in?For example, would you prefer one of the laboratories? Wha t appeals to you about this particular aspect of the investigation? I would like to work in the ballistics laboratory, it appeals to me because I would play one of the most important roles I think and that is to identify the weapon used in the crime scene. I will get to compare marks on bullets, cartridges, blades, and other kinds of weapons left at the crime scene.

A repudiatory breach of contract

A repudiatory breach of contract Disclaimer: This work has been submitted by a student. This is not an example of the work produced by our Law Essay Writing Service . You can view samples of our professional work here . A repudiatory breach of contract Usually if the employee resigns, the contract terminates and the employee will have no claim against the employer for wrongful dismissal. However, employee’s resignation may result in wrongful dismissal claim if the resignation is a result of the employer’s repudiatory breach of the contract. Under section 95(1)(c) of the Employment Rights Act 1996 the employee is entitled to resign, without giving notice, and can make a claim of wrongful dismissal for the losses he suffered as a result of the early termination of the contract. In order for a claim to succeed, the employee must show that the employer breached either an express or implied contractual term. Furthermore, the employee needs to show that his resignation is a response to the breach, and that such breach was adequately serious to justify the resignation. The employee will also need to show that he had not confirmed the contract following the breach by returning to work. When d etermining the seriousness of the breach, the courts and tribunals will consider the express and implied contractual terms that were breached. The implied duty of trust and confidence is considered an important duty owed to employees by their employers. This duty states that the employer owes duty of support in the event that an employee is subjected by other employees to any form of abuse. It requires an employer to investigate the complaint and to take appropriate action. This was considered in Bracebridge Engineering Ltd v Darby [1990] IRLR 3 where it was held that by failing to provide adequate support and follow appropriate grievance procedure, the employer had breached the implied duty of trust and confidence. In Western Excavating (ECC) Ltd v Sharp [1978] QB 761, the Court of Appeal attempted to define unreasonable conduct and found that the employer must act sensibly in the treatment of his employees. If the employer behaves or conducts his affairs so unreasonably that the e mployee cannot be expected to work in such environment any longer, the employee is justified in leaving. This definition of unreasonable conduct was criticised by Lord Denning, who stated that a certain degree of a particular behaviour may be considered to be in line with the employer’s business. The interpretation is nowadays very wide, however the principle set out in Western Excavating case remains a valid principle in establishing unreasonable conduct. To breach the term of trust and confidence, employer must have been acting in a way that is likely to destroy or seriously damage trust and confidence which must exist between the employer and employee. In Morrow v Safeway Stores plc [2002] IRLR 9, the employee was publicly reprimanded and generally had a bad working relationship with the manager of the store. The Employment Tribunal held that although the public reprimand was a breach of the implied term of trust and confidence, it was not serious enough to entitle the emp loyee to resign and claim unfair dismissal. The Employment Appeal Tribunal overturned this decision and emphasised that the breach of implied term of trust and confidence, if committed, is a fundamental breach stemming from the contract itself, and as such will entitle the employee to resign.

Charges against 'sexting' teenagers highlight legal gaps by Alexandra Essay

Charges against 'sexting' teenagers highlight legal gaps by Alexandra Marks - Essay Example While the government is doing its best to protect young people from exploitation in ways it believes are most appropriate, some strongly hold the contrary view that teenagers of today would grow up fine, the same way those before them did, without the need of arbitrary laws that often stereotype and brand them as something they are not or, worse, turn them into something that society abhors-criminals. The article, moreover, elucidates that many of today's minors are being punished to suffer a penalty for something that some members of society do not even essentially consider as sin. According to them, there are certain things whose magnitude demands for formal social controls (in the form of laws controlling such behavior), yet there are things that are best dealt with within the family, as they have always been dealt with in the past few years. This issue connects with every facet of social structure by triggering differing opinions on the gravity of the matter as an issue of right and wrong, legal and illegal. Indeed, what is legal does not necessarily mean to be also moral, and vice versa. It is to be noted that every social strata, group, organization, and institution has its own perception of good or bad that, as expected and is but natural, would often come at variance with that of other units of society as explained by its differing social orientations. It is to be remembered that each of these units have influenced in one way or the other the shaping of these teenagers, as well as the shaping of laws and society's general sentiment on the issues. What the Issue Says about Our Society This issue tells us that society is a complex web of differing individuals that shape it and, in turn, are likewise shaped by it. The complexity of how society works is founded on the interplay of several aspects, such as power, values and norms, and shared or differing views of life in general. Societal values and norms, for example, determine what ways of doing things are acceptable to society and is often the main basis upon which laws are founded, though some concepts pertaining to power and influence cannot be discredited as well. Indeed, some are more powerful and influential than others; thus, they are more able to impose their perceived values and norms upon the entire society. Also, there is often, always a variation in what people may perceive as a shared view among everyone in a society. While most people agree that teenagers need moral guidance or protection, some prefer stringent measures, while others believe that such things are best resolved within the confines of the home and should only be discussed between parents and children. For in society's effort to save these children, it could instead lead it further astray, which takes a herculean effort to reverse. The Relationship between the People Involved and the Larger Society or Community While the people involved may not feel strongly that this issue is of a matter public concern, still there are some who believe that they exercise a moral responsibility to society as a whole. The latter feel that it is their bounden duty to protect the morals of society. It, however, should be noted that while a teenager may only look at the issue of sexting from his or her viewpoint, our