The Strengths and Weakness of the Airborne Express

In a highly competitive industry the structure of a firm is very important to its success. Today firms are moving away from the centralized structure of the past, and adopting a more decentralized structure (Management Challenges in the 21st Century p 315). The air express industry is no exception. FedEx, the leader in the air express industry since the late eighties, is also leading U.P.S. in the race to become decentralized. Airborne Express is not even in the race. In order to compete in today†s changing environment, Airborne Express needs to move away from its old fashioned centralized structure and form a more decentralized structure. The old fashioned structure is not the only variable that makes Airborne the follower in the air express industry. The Internet and information systems are transforming the air express market into an electronic commerce market, and Airborne needs to transform it†s operations to meet this growing market. This report describes the strengths and weakness of the organizational structure of Airborne Express. Furthermore, it also gives recommendations for future changes in Airborne Express. The first section of this report addresses how the organization of the firm evolved, and what changes are taking place structurally in its industry. The second section discusses labor issues in the air express industry and how they affect Airborne Express. The third section addresses the growing electronic commerce market and how it†s affecting the industry and Airborne Express. During the eighties many air express companies were formed and many were destroyed. However, three companies came out of this highly competitive period on top. They were FedEx, U.P.S. and Airborne Express. Airborne survived this highly competitive period by adapting to the external forces affecting the industry. One of the external forces affecting Airborne was the size of the competition. U.P.S. and FedEx were just swallowing up competitors. So Airborne decided the best way to compete was to be the low-cost provider of air express service. Robert Cline, CEO of Airborne explains their strategy â€Å"When you are up against UPS and Federal Express, those guys are so big and so well capitalized that you have to have a tool to fight with them. It wasn†t going to be size; it wasn†t going to be how well-known we were. So, we decided to be the low-cost operator.†(Washington CEO P 33). However, to become the low cost operator Airborne had to make many structural changes. One of those structural changes was that Airborne centralized its organization as much as possible. After all, why pay middle management high salaries when upper management can make all the decisions. Furthermore, what CEO would trust middle management to make decisions during the unstable period of the company†s history? Another major change Airborne underwent in the eighties, was to differentiate its service. Unlike its two major competitors, FedEx and UPS, Airborne changed its strategy to concentrate on providing services for large corporations (Airborne Express†s 10-K form p5). This strategic change not only gave Airborne product differentiation and market specialization, but also benefited by taking away the need for advertising. Therefore, it could save the $35 to $40 million it was spending a year on advertising, and use it to help become the low-cost operator (Washington CEO p 36). Airborne made important structural and strategic changes in the eighties, which contributed to its success. However, in the nineties, Airborne is reluctant to change with the environment. As mentioned earlier, many firms are moving towards a more decentralized structure. Airborne seems to be using the same structure that got it through the eighties. Consequently, its decision making is still coming from top management, and no responsibility is being delegated to lower management. FedEx however, has experienced growing success by using a decentralized structure. â€Å"Delegation, as demonstrated by FedEx, can lead to a more empowered work force and resulting heightened productivity and quality, reduced costs, more innovation, improved customer service, and greater commitment from employees† (Management Challenges in the 21st Century p 285). Airborne†s centralized structure is also one the reasons its been experiencing labor problems. The last few years have plagued the air express industry with labor problems that have kept CEO†s of major companies like UPS, FedEx, and Airborne Express on their toes (The New York Times Nov 1998). Since the UPS strike of 1997, air express companies are fighting to keep good relations with their workers. The Teamsters† strike with UPS over part-time and full-time help taught small business not to rely on one express company. UPS is not the only company having labor problems. With the use of lengthy negotiations and hefty salary promises FedEx has settled a labor dispute with its pilots, and are entering the year 2000 without labor problems (Institute for Technology and Enterprise P 12). Airborne Express, however, is experiencing major labor disputes with its pilots. Although under contract, Airborne pilots are not happy with management. A representative for Airborne claims â€Å"Airborne management has failed to implement key provisions in the contract†. This failure plus the firing of an Airborne pilot has the pilots angry (Traffic World P 1). Since the pilots are under contract, they can not strike, but they can stop flying volunteer overtime, which makes up 15 percent of Airborne†s flights. In November of 1998 the pilots voted to stop flying overtime (Traffic World P 3). Airborne needs to smooth over relations with its pilots soon, because the contract expires May of 2001. Therefore, unless Airborne settles this dispute, it will be facing an imminent strike. Another labor issue affecting Airborne is the Teamsters Union. Airborne signed a five-year contract with the Teamsters Union in 1998. There are three major provisions in this contract (Associated Press online p 2). 1. Provides improved working conditions for Airborne employees. 2. A Bonus for employees the first year, followed by a yearly wage increase for the last four years of the contract. 3. At least 50 percent of the current part-time work force will be changed to full-time by 1999, with the remaining 50 percent offered full-time positions by 2000. The last provision is could have consequences for Airborne Express. Using part-time help is a way for express companies to cut expenses by not having to pay full-time benefits. How will Airborne be able to keep up its strategy of being the low-cost operator if they lose the efficiency of a part-time workforce? Airborne Express needs to operate as efficiently as possible if they want to have the capital to compete in the growing electronic commerce market. Today the air express industry is faced with a technology that will force express companies to change organizational structure and basic operations. This technology is electronic commerce, or better known as the Internet. Presently, Internet sales make up 15 percent of the retail market, and are expected to make up 55 percent of the market by 2005 (Institute for Technology and Enterprise p 1). In order to compete in this growing market, many retail companies are changing their operations and selling products over the Internet. Because of this, there is a need for air express companies that can cater to the needs of online retailers. Express companies need to supply services such as just-in-time inventory or virtual inventory. In order to best describe the importance of this new market to Airborne Express†s future, I†m going to address the way FedEx is changing their structure to compete in this new market. One way FedEx is dealing with this new market is by providing just-in-time inventory services for companies. FedEx provides this service by connecting to an online retailer†s web site, and when a sale is achieved over the Internet, the order is placed directly with FedEx. Once FedEx receives the order, it picks up the product from the supplier and delivers it to the customer. This all takes place without the online retailer touching the product (Institute for Technology and Enterprise p 4). FedEx supplies this service for a percentage of the online retailer†s sales. There are three air express companies competing for control of this electronic market and Airborne is not one of them. The three companies are FedEx, UPS, and DHL. If the express industry is affected as much as predicted, Airborne could lose its ranking as third in the express industry to DHL. Airborne Express might be gambling on the hope that there will be companies who will fight this move to electronic commerce, and will give Airborne enough old fashioned express business for them to succeed. This is a major gamble. â€Å"Concepts like just-in-time manufacturing and mass customization were no longer just theory; a number of firms had carved out distinct niches in the market place by focusing on developing these capabilities in manufacturing and production. Tight supply chain integration was no longer perceived as a competitive advantage. It was being seen as a competitive imperative† (The Economic Benefits of Air Transport, 1997 p 23). Airborne needs to connect to the electronic commerce market before it loses the opportunity. In conclusion, Airborne made some wise changes to its structure in the eighties. These changes differentiated Airborne from its competitors, and allowed it to be the low-cost operator. However, in the last few years with Airborne†s failure to change with the environment and with labor disputes in its near future, the future for Airborne Express looks bleak. Unless Airborne wants to go back to transporting flowers it needs to rethink its strategy.

Preliminary PDHPE Assignment Essay

1) Recount the story of the individual in relation to how the adversity they faced as affected their health status. The individual who I decided to research is now well known for her job hosting the Biggest Loser, Hayley Lewis. At 15 years old Hayley Lewis had won 5 Gold medals at the 1990 Commonwealth Games. She weighed 58kg and never thought anything about her weight at the time as she was fit, healthy and muscular. A magazine came out saying that she was â€Å"a fit 15 year old but a bit heavy legged. † From then on she started to get bigger and bigger. A year later her weight had crept up to 65kg and by the 1992 Barcelona Olympics she weighed 73kg. Hayley was told by her coach to lose weight and the more and more she was told, the more she turned to food for comfort. By being told she was â€Å"heavy legged† from the media and being told to lose weight the more this impacted on her physically, mentally, socially and spiritually. By being overweight this cut short Hayley’s swimming career as she was embarrassed, suffered anxiety and hated being publicly scrutinised. Hayley Lewis also hated getting out of bed because she knew she had to put on her â€Å"togs†. She said that she was racing with girls 20kg lighter and you can’t hide anything when you’re in swimmers. She also said that she used to focus on her weight every time she jumped up on to the starting block instead of focusing on her race. By being judged because of her physical appearance made her quit her swimming career because she felt that she didn’t fit in anywhere. This affected both her mental and spiritual health. Because Hayley Lewis had a negative physical health status this impacted on her emotional health as all the dimensions of health are interdependent on one another and when one area of health is going downhill this can impact on all the other aspects of an individuals’ health status. Hayley Lewis had a low self-esteem and didn’t believe in herself. This was because she was bullied about her physical appearance and the media made her feel shameful about her weight. She didn’t enjoy the success of being a swimmer either because of the shame and guilt she felt about herself and her personal body image. Another factor that could have made an impact on Hayley’s health status is the death of her younger sister as this could have made her turn to food for comfort. Hayley Lewis had to face a 20 year weight battle from when she was 15 until she was 35 when she had her second child. During her pregnancy Hayley gained another 25kg. When she got a phone call from Jenny Craig to become an ambassador she finally realised how overweight she was and decided to do something about it. She lost 4kg in the first week and was finally getting back on track and gaining these precious years of her life back. Hayley Lewis is now the current host of the Biggest Loser and says she can relate to the contestants so well as she knows exactly what they have been through and what they are going through. She hopes to inspire them and become as good a role model as she can so they get to love themselves the way she does about herself now. Hayley Lewis has faced major adversity in her life and it has affected her health status physically, mentally, socially and spiritually. She has finally pulled through and is at a great point in her life, has overcome her weight battles and has made herself proud for where her body has gotten her today. a) Evaluate how the dimensions of health have interacted to construct the health status of the individual. Hayley Lewis’ physical, mental, social and spiritual health have interacted to construct Hayley’s current health status as all these dimensions are interdependent upon one another. If one aspect of health is positive then this will most likely have an impact on all the other aspects of an individual’s health. Hayley’s physical health when she was younger was fairly poor. When Jenny Craig came into the picture this made Hayley become aware and realise just how poor her physical health was. Because of this sudden realisation, this has constructed Hayley Lewis’ current health status in many ways because she finally did something about her poor health. She started to lose weight and the motivation of the Jenny Craig program helped her pull through. She was given meal and exercise plans but as a retired swimmer she was used to having the pre-organised eating and training schedule. She had overcome her previous body image demons and she realised that she had a new focus in life because of becoming a parent. She had to step up and become the best role model she could be for her children. She threw out all the old photos she had of herself as an overweight teenager and returned to the pool in 2000 with a renewed confidence. She still has â€Å"good days and bad days, like everyone† but has learnt to love, admire, appreciate and nurture her body with respect as you only get one. Her previous physical health has now constructed Hayley’s current health status as she is now a size 8-10, lost 20kg and has maintained her weight by eating nutritiously, planning her meals and exercising often. Hayley now has a positive physical health status and hopes to inspire others, such as the biggest loser contestants, with her own personal inspiring story. Hayley Lewis’ emotional health has had a major impact on the construction of her current health status. Mentally, Hayley never used to believe in herself and had a very low self-esteem and body image. Now that she has become aware of her poor health status and has lost 20kg she now has a positive headspace and a positive outlook on life. She has a renewed confidence but still has â€Å"bad days† like everyone. By relating to the current biggest loser contestants this has made her feel proud to where her body and mind has gotten her today and wants to help them out so they can feel how she feels about herself now. Hayley’s new and improved positive emotional health has had a major impact on all the other aspects of her health and has created an overall positive health and wellbeing for herself as the dimensions of health are all interdependent upon one another. When Hayley Lewis was younger her social health suffered because she was overweight physically and didn’t look positive on life because of her poor emotional health. She was bullied, compared to others and was always being judged, if not by the media, by her coach and family & friends. She now has a very positive social health as she is now married to a very understanding and cooperative husband and has 2 children. Her confidence is now booming compared to when she was fighting her 20 year weight battle. Her confidence has allowed her to improve her relationships with family and friends and now she can also relate to the biggest loser contestants because they have become her friends. She is very inspirational towards these contestants and has also become very close to them and helping them renew their lives and start fresh. Spiritually, Hayley now feels a sense of belonging and worth compared to the adversity she faced because she has fought and finally won her weight battles. She is now fit and healthy, can relate to and feels apart of the biggest loser family and also has a special family of her own. She now has a very positive headspace and this has impacted on and changed her life in many ways. Hayley’s life changing experience of winning her 20 year weight battled has occurred because she finally became aware of how poor her health was. The 4 dimensions of health, physical, mental, social and spiritual, have all worked together with each other and have constructed Hayley Lewis’ current health status in a very positive way. Because she started losing weight she noticed that all her emotional, social and spiritual aspects of health have benefited her overall health. This is because all these dimensions are interdependent upon each other and construct the overall health status of an individual. b) Evaluate how the relative and dynamic nature of health has impacted upon the health status of the individual. Due to her own personal experiences Hayley Lewis would now rate her health as being optimal. She has battled with her weight for 20 years and has finally overcome that. As well as being at her goal weight by eating healthy, exercising and creating meal plans for herself she has to take into account how the relative and dynamic nature of health has impacted upon her own personal health status. Relative and dynamic nature of health refers to how health can vary from time to time and fluctuate all over the place. Illnesses, accidents, personal experiences, environmental factors or an individuals’ socioeconomic status can have an impact on an individual’s level of health at any point during their lives. These continual changes in a person’s health mean that health is dynamic. Judging where a person is along the health continuum at any point of time is highly subjective as people all over the world have different perceptions about what is optimal or â€Å"normal† health. By overcoming her 20 year weight battle, Hayley Lewis now has a better knowledge of what good health is. She perceives herself in a more positive way and the result of this is that the public and people all around her are perceiving her in a more positive way also. By believing in yourself can affect how others see you and believe that you have potential whereas if you don’t believe in yourself then others will think the same. This is one of the reasons that Hayley Lewis’ confidence has risen over time because now that her self-esteem has risen she realised that people were starting to perceive her, and her health, in different and a more positive way. By being the host of the biggest loser and becoming friends with the contestants has affected Hayley Lewis’ health status. She is now socioeconomically advantaged as she has a permanent job with a high income. This will impact her health status because it can affect her choices such as buying more, but nutritious food, and she now has more money to spend on fitness and recreational resources such as gyms and swimming pools. This can impact Hayley’s health physically, mentally, socially and spiritually as she now feels a sense of control and value over her life.

Feminism in Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice Essay

A feminist perspective began to exist during the time when women were not given much right to be heard. With the determination to fight for their right to be heard, women used literature as their means of exposing their true feelings and desire to be equal among men (â€Å"Feminist Perspective on Eighteenth Century Literature†, n. d. ). Jane Austen is one of the many female authors during their time that showed her feministic point of view especially in her work Pride and Prejudice. Feminism in Austen’s Pride and Prejudice showed how women at early times were repressed by the expectation of society and how women fought for their right to be respected and treated the same as their male counterparts. Austen’s feminism influence was shown in her work Pride and Prejudice by making the characters themselves stand up for women (â€Å"Pride and Prejudice — notes on education, marriage, status of women, etc. †, n. d. ). In the movie version of the novel, the dialogue between Lady Catherine and Elizabeth revealed how Elizabeth stood up for herself and her right to be respected. This is shown in Elizabeth’s line: â€Å"I will not and I certainly never shall. You have insulted me in every possible way, and can now have nothing further to say† (â€Å"Memorable Quotes from Pride and Prejudice†, 2005). Here, Austen made Elizabeth’s character stand up for her right to be respected as a person. This is what most feminists discuss, i. e. , the right of women to fight and demand respect from other people, and Austen showed that in Elizabeth’s character. Austen also revealed a sense of feministic view in her work by showing how limited options are for women (â€Å"Pride and Prejudice — notes on education, marriage, status of women, etc. â€Å", n. d. ). Austen did not only reveal this issue by using other female characters in the story. In the movie version of the novel, this issue could be clearly seen through the character of Charlotte Lucas, Elizabeth’s best friend as revealed in one of her lines: â€Å"Oh hush! Not all of us can afford to be romantic. I’ve been offered a comfortable home and protection. There’s a lot to be thankful for† (â€Å"Memorable Quotes from Pride and Prejudice†, 2005). In this line, Charlotte clearly suggests that not all women can afford to follow what their heart truly desires, meaning women at that time could not afford to choose because of what society expects from them. This could also be seen in Charlotte’s line: â€Å"I’m twenty – seven years old, I’ve no money and no prospects. I’m already a burden to my parents and I’m frightened. So don’t you dare judge me Lizzie. Don’t you dare! † (â€Å"Memorable Quotes from Pride and Prejudice†, 2005). This line clearly states how Austen made Charlotte’s character show how hard it is for women having limited options. Austen showed through Charlotte’s character how women at that time were repressed because of how society’s expectation amongst women affected them. Aside from exposing the issue about women’s rights to be equal among men, Austen also revealed in her work how women are independent individuals that can make their own decisions. In the movie adaptation of the novel, Austen made use of the character of Elizabeth to show how a woman could go against the norms on decision making. This is revealed in her lines: â€Å"Mr. Collins, I cannot accept you. Only the deepest love will persuade me into matrimony. † This line from the movie adaptation reveals how Elizabeth rejects the marriage proposal of Mr. Collins, a clergy man newly ordained by Lady Catherine. Austen revealed in the character of Elizabeth how she believes that women should be able to make decisions on their own. Feminists not only discuss issues about how women are viewed during the previous times but also how women fought to be treated equal and to have the same opportunities as the men in society. Discussing the different issues and rights of women to be heard in a society dominated by male shows the influence of feminism in Jane Austen’s work Pride and Prejudice. References Feminist Perspective on Eighteenth Century Literature (n. d. ) 123helpme. Retrieved from http://www. 123helpme. com/preview. asp? id=34762 Memorable Quotes from Pride and Prejudice (2005). Retrieved from http://www. imdb. com/title/tt0414387/quotes Pride and Prejudice — notes on education, marriage, status of women, etc. (n. d. ) The Republic of Pemberly. Retrieved from http://www. pemberley. com/janeinfo/pptopic2. html

The international banking market Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3250 words

The international banking market - Essay Example International banking activity continued to expand , propelled by banks' substantial purchases of securities and the return of Japanese banks to the international banking market. The cross-border claims of banks in the reporting area increased by $110 billion .select few, most notably Mexico and Turkey. Another notable development in the first half of the year was a sharp increase in deposit flows from developing countries to international banks, arising from an improvement in the external position of oil-exporting countries.. Interbank activity slowed , as was to be expected following the extraordinary surge in lending to banks in the developed countries in the first quarter. To some extent, banks in the reporting area unwound the large interbank positions that they had built up during the first quarter, with funds moving from banking centres in the euro area to London and then being passed on to Tokyo, Zurich, the Bahamas and the Cayman Islands. Despite flows from banks in the United Kingdom to their branches in the Caribbean, reporting banks' claims vis--vis banks in offshore centres continued to decline in the second quarter. ... According to the consolidated banking statistics, Japanese and UK banks were responsible for most of the increase in reporting banks' claims on US banks Deposits by developing countries soar The ongoing contraction of bank credit to developing countries reflects in part weak demand for external financing. Despite strong growth in many countries, this year developing countries are expected to post their largest current account surplus in two decades. The strengthening external position of oil-exporting countries is responsible for most of the improvement. As well as limiting external financing needs, this improvement contributed to a large increase in developing countries' deposits with foreign banks. Flows to US non-banks surpass those to euro area borrowers Purchases of securities also accounted for most of the $57 billion rise in claims on non-bank borrowers in the second quarter. More recent data on syndicated credits show a surge in lending to telecom firms, suggesting that direct lending to non-banks in Europe may have also recovered. Banks in the reporting area continued to purchase substantial amounts of securities issued by non-bank borrowers in Europe. Nevertheless, international bank flows to non-banks in the euro area more than halved to $20 billion, Banks resident in the United Kingdom and the euro area, which had provided massive sums to non-bank borrowers in Banks' cross-border claims on non-banks in the United States have increased since late 1999. Renewed lending by Japanese banks was funded in part through the international interbank market. Taking into account changes in both assets and liabilities, reporting banks moved upwards of $59 billion into banks in Japan in the second quarter, the largest increase in years. Further

The Hurt Locker Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

The Hurt Locker - Essay Example Nonetheless, the three created a brotherlike connection along their tour in Iraq. Respect, trust, and courage were their core values in succeeding with their work. In the course of their tour, the three had already detonated a bomb, which was implanted within a public area. They had also succeeded with their encounter against snipers in an open desert. Also, along the way, James had been familiar with an Iraqi boy named Beckham, who sells pirated DVDs. In an encounter, James thought that the boy was killed and was implanted with bombs. However, he was wrong, and in the next morning, he sees Beckham selling him DVDs. In the last days of their tour, the team encounters an Iraqi man who is locked with bombs around his body. However, their will to help the man was not enough to remove all the locks, and the man dies with the explosion. After their tour, James went home to his family and attended sessions to relieve him from the stress he had from work. However, James realized that he may love his family, but he cannot function well around them. This leads him to decide to go back in Iraq and have another year of tour of duty (Berra 9). The Characters There are three main characters in the movie with differing degree of nature; nonetheless, when put together they create an exciting combat film such as The Hurt Locker. Staff Sergeant William James is played by Jeremy Renner, who is an adrenaline junkie in terms of facing his job facing and detonating bombs in the streets of Iraq. Aside from this, he also has a keen understanding on the bombers. The character of James is considered as a hero in a sense that he compulsively does his job; nonetheless, he does it with precision and artistry that he engulfs himself with the life-threatening situation. The next character is Sergeant J. T. Sanborn, who is portrayed by Anthony Mackie. Sanborn is considered as James’ eyes around while he tries to detonate the bombs. He always follows the rules and has a realistic view on situations. Lastly, their team is completed by Specialist Owen Eldridge, portrayed by Brian Geraghty, who portrays the weak link, yet he always tries to find the good side of danger (Ebert 253-255; Scott). Screenplay Writer: Mark Boal The screenplay of the movie was written by Mark Boal. He is a journalist who had been a correspondent for the Playboy, The Village Voice, and the Rolling Stone. Due to his passion for his work, he decided to record the lives of the U.S. Army unit, which is the Explosive Ordinance Disposal (EOD) team, whom he considers as the people who has one of the most dangerous jobs. In 2004, the EOD in Iraq were to detonate bombs on the streets. Boal decided to take part and record the lives of these people, along with putting his life on the line, which allowed him to realize his realistic themes on death, war, courage, and life. During this time, Boal was able to survive his flight in Iraq against the Improvised Explosive Devices and the ambushes together wit h the EOD. As Boal returned from his flight, he wrote about his experience in Iraq in 2004 in an article published in Playboy with a title of â€Å"Death and Dishonor.† This article was his basis for the screenplay of the movie The Hurt Locker, which was released in 2009 (â€Å"Mark Boal - Biography†; Bigelow). The Director: Kathryn Bigelow The director of The Hurt Locker is Kathryn Bigelow, who is a critically acclaimed Hollywood

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European Union - Essay Example integrate EU law.6 Vertical direct effect occurs when EU law has direct effect between private parties and a member state of the EU.7 The direct effect of Directives is a necessary part of the EU legal regime as EU law is administered through the Commission, the European Court of Justice (ECJ) and national Courts. For the most part, â€Å"indirect administration† of European law is the primary mode of enforcement via national courts and â€Å"national authorities†.8 The Applicable Law Direct Effect The doctrine of direct effect was established by the ECJ in Van Gend en Loos v Nederlandse Administratie der Belastingen, in which it was held that the Treaty Establishing the European Community created legal rights that individuals could enforce through national courts within the European Community.9 Directives would have direct effect if they were clear and precise, unconditional and conferred a right upon the individual seeking to enforce it.10 The doctrine has since been developed by the ECJ as a means of enforcing EU law consistently through the EU.11 For example in Van Duyn, the ECJ held that once the Van Gend requirements are met and even if a Directive was conditional, it could still have direct effect against member states, regardless of whether or not the Directive was implemented.12 The main objective was to ensure that the intended outcome of the Directive was accomplished. In Van Duyn, the Directive’s outcome was the elimination of discrimination and in cases of this nature, the intended outcome would be important. This was because, the intended outcome would be compromised if individuals could not enforce it in the national courts.13 With regard to the fictional Directive, although not implemented by the UK, has direct vertical effect against the government based on the rulings in Van Gend and Van Duyn. The UK may only escape liability for the unimplemented Directive if the Directive itself is unclear and conditional. However, the D irective appears to be quite clear on its intention, the member state’s obligations and it is not conditional on the occurrence of an event. The only condition, is that the obligations arise when temperatures fall below 1 degree Celsius. Assuming that the temperatures were below 1 degrees Celsius at the time of the accidents in December 2012, the UK’s obligations to ensure road safety on primary roads and motorways arise. The accidents occurred on the A5 and the M6 and as such fall within the Directive obligations as primary roads and motorways. The Directive clearly sought to prevent the kinds of accidents that occurred. The Directive instructed member states to ensure that primary motorways and roads are kept clear of snow and ice once temperatures drop below 1 degree Celsius. Both accidents occurred on major motorways when temperatures presumably dropped below 1

Effect of Recession on International trade of UK Essay

Effect of Recession on International trade of UK - Essay Example ession has been characterized with variables such as unemployment, jobs creation and availability, the incomes of the affected population as well as aspects of housing and demography. This paper even so narrows its scope to take the gross domestic product to represent the aforementioned variables. Recession can be argued by this paper to affect the social life in terms of increase in crime, This, loosely speaking, can be said to result from the cases of lack of jobs, unemployment, and the effect of recession on higher education or education in general. Due to the recent cases of recession, there have been reports of sharp increases in unemployment rates, evident in between the years, 2008 and 2009 (Trading Economics, 2014). This happened concurrently with drastic declines in employment rates in a given span of years. The number of available jobs fell and this impacted negatively on production. This paper notes that, during the recession period, most of the lively hoods in the UK were negatively impacted. This is what prompted the analysis. As much as there exists domestic negative impacts, this paper seeks to find out if the same impact has a relationship with the international trade. This paper developed a model, Y = -73460693 -0.596*balance of trade, to relate and predict the effects of the recession on international trade. The daily activities in the world derived from quantitative techniques. Practical phenomena and decisions need to be addressed more accurately and effectively. Practically the everyday numerous decisions that must be made are assisted by analyzing datasets quantitatively. The importance of this statistical technique is the fact that unlike in the academia, the real business world is rich in information to base on in making critical decisions correctly. The development of statistics and more specifically quantitative analysis methods is majorly due to the inability to identify the characteristics of interest in most instances of business

Research Appraisal Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Appraisal - Research Paper Example Results from the research showed that complicated grief was predisposed by the following factors; female gender ,confidence interval, spouse relationship, parents–children relationship, lack of religious, unavailable family support, and history of mood co-morbidity. The authors have put enough work on previous literature concerning the research. Cotrrell and McKenzie (40) says people often neglect literature review and its importance of review and most times. As a matter of fact, they blame literature review for delay in starting the research. Literature review helps justify the importance of the research while at the same time put the research in historical perspective. This research has not indicated a clear hypothesis for the whole study. Nonetheless, the researchers have developed one null hypothesis stating that there is no significant relationship between variables. The other hypothesis states that female gender might be of increased risks for complicated grief compared with male. The authors have clearly established a relevant theoretical framework for the study. The authors argue that the death of cancer patients leaves their caregivers with complicated grief. The authors explain that this is caused by moments and times shared by the two parties. The authors develop a theoretical time it takes for an individual to grief the loss of a loved one. The study works with an average period of 8.9 months. This concept helps the study develop a time line for different activities. The authors have used an experimental approach in the study. The study has set out orderly procedures trying to verify or establish the validity of the hypothesis. Experiment is a better approach when establishing insight on cause-and-effect by demonstrating the consequences of manipulation of a particular factor. Nevertheless, this journal has its uniqueness in that it is one of the few nursing journals that do not have a clear hypothesis. Thus, researchers have

The Position of Japanese Women Employees In Post-bubble Era Essay

The Position of Japanese Women Employees In Post-bubble Era - Essay Example The author of the essay "The position of Japanese women employees in the post bubble era" assumes that globalization and bubble phase led to more integration of Japanese economy with the world economy facilitating higher growth rate in education, health and infrastructure industries. Women also have higher prospects to utilize this conducive environment for better representation in employment. However, their traditional factors slowed down the growth rate as Japanese society gives higher emphasis to marriage system and women have to devote much time for their family which led to higher proportion of resignations to jobs during marriage and child birth time. The basic challenges to prospects of women employment in Japan include child care issue, lack of encouragement to enter top management, higher proportion if unorganized sector and lack of strict implementation of equal employment laws. The representation of women at top management level is quite unsatisfactory and some strong meas ures have to be taken to enhance this. Moreover, the child care leave has to be provided to women employees for a long duration and it should be delinked to the employment and promotional prospects. Similarly, the education level of women in Japan have to be improved for making them well represented at senior management level. Lastly, some of the employment laws for women have to be strictly implemented for their better representation in employment and they should look in to the problems of women in part time jobs and unorganized sector.

BUS599 - Integrative Project, Mod 1 SLP Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

BUS599 - Integrative Project, Mod 1 SLP - Essay Example None of the products aims at dominating the tablet market according to the confidence level the VP has in the company’s product. The only problem with the tablet company is a proper strategy on segmentation of the market focusing on profitability and life cycle of the products. Product X5 As X5 is marketed to be a tablet that is meant for customers who are conscious of price, it denotes the company’s median product line. The product line is in performance and price terms. X5 tablets are priced 285 dollars with a rated performance of 1.02 beginning in 2012. Taking default development investment and research, the values maintain their level of steadiness. Product X5 2012 2013 2014 2015 Price $285 $285 $285 $285 performance 1.02 1.02 1.02 1.02 The table above shows how Joe performed. In its early product cycle, the performance of X5 is favorable against competition. Its sales steadily grow through 2012, although as the phase of maturity develops during the year 2013, sales fluctuate drastically, (Marketing Teacher, 2000). If there are no price cut benefits to fuel further demand, X5 will rapidly change into the advanced phases of its life cycle. X5 2012 2013 2014 2015 Sales 1,647,592 2,145,622 1,853,177 963,776 Revenue 469,563,809 611,502,211 528,155,442 274,676,048 Variable cost 469,563,809 321,843,269 277,976,548 144,566,341 Total cost 330,058,847 404,763,269 360,896,548 227,486,341 Profit 139,504,962 206,738,942 167,258,894 47,189,707 Product X6 The X6 makes Tablet development company the highest in the technology line focused on customers that look for a tablet that performs well and that ready to pay an amount for it. X6 tablets are priced 430 dollars with a rated performance of 1.02 beginning in 2012. In the absence of enough R and D to maintain its edge of competitive technology, the performance rating deteriorates every subsequent year. Product X6 2012 2013 2014 2015 Price $430 $430 $430 $430 performance 1.02 1.02 1.02 1.02 The X6 benefit fro m strong sales inflowing 2012, the central of the introduction phase. The growth, nevertheless, tables into 2013, after which it fluctuates sharply via 2014. With X6 performance falling off to 1, the competitive advantage quickly degrades. It does not clearly receive the R and D investment which is required to give service to its targeted consumer. The table below shows the original promise of introduction phase of X6 that do not survive its transformation against competition. X6 2012 2013 2014 2015 Sales 1,288,999 2,134,931 2,364,061 1,118,142 Revenue 554,269,513 918,020,206 480,801,048 Variable cost 354,474,689 587,105,945 650,116,782 307,489,042 Total cost 400,134,689 632,765,945 695,776,782 353,149,042 Profit 154,134,825 285,254,260 320,769,459 127,652,006 X7 product The X7 stands for Tablets Development Company’s product contribution for the summative market. It does not either focus on price point or performance advantage. This tablet is of a mature product market where consumers look for a value established on a steadiness between price and required performance. Being in the category that is emerging, X7 starts 2012 at 190 dollars with a performance level of 0.97. The combination shows the product immaturity relative to the strategy that it fits in. The investment of R&D in X7 product increases the rate of performance throughout the considered time horizon, although never to a level needed to match its competition. Product X7 2012 2013 2014 20

Financial Forecasting CheckPoint Essay Example for Free

Financial Forecasting CheckPoint Essay The reason type of companies such as brand new companies, family-owned companies, and long-standing companies would need a financial forecast is to develop projected financial statements; a series of pro forma. The information developed by a series of pro forma provide a sort of estimate on inventory, payables, receivables as well as what would be required for profit and borrowing. A projected financial statement provides a kind of advantage in any of the companies listed above as it gives the firm an insight on operations. A pro forma would help guide companies in deciding how to best operate and succeed. When starting a brand new company a financial forecast is essential. A financial forecast would help a brand new company decide on how much inventory would be needed, cost of start up and production, and how much capital is needed. Obtaining a financial forecast would also help guide a brand new company on how much profit the company can make, whether a bank loan would be needed to start up and how many individuals can be hired. Family-owned companies need financial forecast just as much as a brand new company. A family-owned company would need a financial forecast for obtaining information from the simplest of things like how much inventory is in stock, profit sharing, expected expenses and profit for the future. A family-owned company would need a financial forecast to also make good decisions on continuing a successful business, which department needs revamped or tweaked. It is essential for a family-owned company to obtain a financial forecast to also estimate whether sales income would be enough to cover expenses and whether cutbacks need to be made.

Victor Frankl and Existentialism Essay Example for Free

Victor Frankl and Existentialism Essay Viktor Frankl, psychiatrist and concentration camp survivor, is the man credited with â€Å"translating existential philosophy to practical reality† (Kottler and Brown, 2000). Frankl was born in Vienna, Austria, in 1905. He studied neurology and psychiatry at the University of Vienna, and in 1940 became director of the Neurological Department of the Rothschild Hospital in Vienna. Before the outbreak of World War II, Frankl had the chance to go to America. He decided to stay in Vienna instead because of something his father had recovered from a synagogue recently destroyed by the Nazisa block of marble bearing the first letters of the Commandment â€Å"Honor thy father and mother that thy days may be long upon the land. † Frankl and his family were sent to Auschwitz in 1942. Frankl was the only one to survive (Scully, 1995). It was in Auschwitz that Frankl began to put together his existentialist ideas. He noticed that those prisoners who created personal meaning from this hellish experience were the ones most likely to survive. Frankl himself came to realize that â€Å"suffering is an ineradicable part of life, even as fate and death. Without suffering and death human life cannot be complete† (Frankl, 1946). In 1946 he published Man’s Search for Meaning, a book titled From Concentration Camp to Existentialism in its German editions. Frankl’s goal for the book is simple: â€Å"I had wanted simply to convey to the reader by way of concrete example that life holds potential meaning under any conditions, even the most miserable ones. And I thought that if the point were demonstrated in a situation as extreme as that in a concentration camp, my book might gain a hearing. I therefore felt responsible for writing down what I had gone through, for I thought it might be helpful to people who are prone to despair† (Frankl, 1946). Frankl continued to work with existentialist theory throughout his life, developing a psychotherapy known as logotherapy. He also continued to write, publishing another 31 books. Frankl died in 1997. Frankl’s ideas regarding logotherapy grew out of the philosophy of existentialism. This philosophy has its beginnings in the writings of Soren Kierkegaard and Martin Heidegger. Existentialist philosophy is difficult to explain, but â€Å"Basically the existentialist assumes that existence precedes essence, that the significant fact is that we and things in general exist, but that these things have no meaning except as we through acting upon them can create meaning† (Holman, 1972). Logotherapy, considered the Third Viennese School of Psychotherapy, â€Å"regards the search for meaning as the primary human motivation. . . . A human being is not a mere puppet of biological, hereditary and environmental forces, but is always free to take a stand toward inner conditions and outer circumstances† (Viktor Frankl Institute). Logotherapy leads patients to discover meaning in their lives in one of three ways: â€Å"(1) by creating a work or doing a deed; (2) by experiencing something or encountering someone; and (3) by the attitude we take toward unavoidable suffering† (Frankl, 1946). â€Å"Logotherapy amounts in nearly all situations to the advice, ‘Get to work. ’ Other psychologies begin by asking, ‘What do I want from life? Why am I unhappy? ’ Logotherapy asks, ‘What does life at this moment demand of me? ’† (Scully, 1995). There are definite difficulties with logotherapy. It is highly intellectual, and therefore not appropriate for those of low intelligence (Kottler and Barton, 2000). It requires a great deal of intellectual energy, even from those with very high IQ’s. It also disregards possible biochemical connections associated with some forms of mental illness. But despite the criticisms, I find existential theory and logotherapy useful as guides for an attitude toward life. I first became interested in existentialism through literature. Then last fall, I read James F. T. Bugental’s Search for Existential Identity and became interested in how something I had studied as literary theory could be used as a method to treat patients. Researching for this paper has led me to the works of Viktor Frankl. Existentialism and logotherapy are two areas I will continue to explore. References Frankl, Viktor. (1946). Man’s Search for Meaning. New York: Washington Square Press. Holman, C. Hugh. (1972). A Handbook to Literature. New York: Odyssey Press. Kottler, Jeffery A. , Brown, Robert W. (2000). Introduction to Therapeutic Counseling. Stamford, CT: Brooks/Cole, Thomson Learning. Scully, Matthew. Viktor Frankl at ninety: an interview. First Things, 52, 39-43. Victor Frankl Institute. http://logotherapy. univie. ac. at/.

Causes And Effects Of Child Abuse

Causes And Effects Of Child Abuse Child abuse remains a significant problem around the world. The reasons for child abuse are diverse and tend to be different from a situation to another. It is found that children of different disabilities such as hearing, learning and visual impairment are at higher risk of being abused especially from their care givers. Another cause is Low socio-economic status and high social stress which lead some people to abuse drug and alcohol. Hence the severity of alcoholism and drug abuse increase the tendency to abuse others increases as well. Also it is clear that children of young ages are more likely to be abused by females than elder children who are abused more by males. Moreover, the abusing childhood experience can be a cause for an adult to abuse children, especially if this adult suffered rejection, maltreatment and violence in his or her childhood. The end effects of child abuse can be shown as physical effect which range from minor injuries to severe brain damage and even death. Another effect is the psychological manifestation where the child may have low self esteem and depression. Furthermore, the social effects associated with undesirable behaviors such as criminal behaviors and alcoholism. Causes and Effects of Child Abuse Child abuse is a major public health crisis. It affects children of all ages, colors, social classes and ethnic groups. The latest statistics estimate that more than 900,000 children are victims of child maltreatment. Abuse occurs at all ages but is most common in younger children. Child abuse may manifest as skin injuries, skeletal trauma, head injury, or many other forms. (Tenney-Soeiro Wilson, 2004). In fact, there are several causes for child abuse like in children with variety of disabilities or behavioral problems who can increase parental stress to the instant that causes child abuse. Moreover, low socio-economic status and high social stress are strongly linked with abuse. Also a personal history of abuse and rejection may lead a person to abuse others. In addition, there are also certain and important effects of child abuse and neglect on the physical, psychological, and behavioral development of children. Thus, these consequences affect the victims themselves and society they live in. Causes of Child Abuse To begin with, there are several causes that lead to child abuse and neglect. First of all, children with physical disabilities, learning disabilities, visual and hearing impairments, low birth weights, and physical health problems are at slightly increased risk of being physically abused. Also prematurely born and chronically ill children are at same risk level. In other words, children who for one reason or other place stress on psychologically vulnerable parents are most at higher risk of abuse. Children with disabling conditions can increase stress on parents because such children are difficult to manage specially among inexperienced parents. Children that show significant cognitive impairments, or those that barely communicate, or who are limited in mobility due to disability can be considered as chronic stressor for child care providers (Howe, 2005). Low socio-economic status and high social stress also play a role for physical abuse of children. Here the children usually descend from parents with typically poor educational achievements. Many social conditions raises the risk for child abuse and these conditions include poor housing condition , unemployment ,large family size , illness and the presence of new baby in the family .Physical abusers of very young children are more likely to be female, while abusers of older children are predominantly, though not exclusively, male. However, there is a tendency to overestimate maternal abuse and underestimate paternal or male abuse (Corby,2000). Whatever the age of the child is, most of child death occurs as a result of male violent behavior. Parents with depression and a personality disorder, and drug or alcohol abusers, are at higher risk of harming their children physically. In fact the more severe the alcoholism, the more likely violence is to occur. Parents who are alcohol abusers or with mental problems are typically subjected their children to prolonged physical abuse and neglect. Last but not least, it is perhaps not surprising to learn that the childhoods of many physically abusive parents turn out to have been cruel and loveless. Children that are killed or murdered are more likely to be killed by their mother if she suffered from some sort of maternal rejection or neglect during her childhoods. Parents who extremely suffered from family arguments , witnessed home violent behavior, physical maltreatment, absence of warmth, cruel punishment, and parental mental health problems were at higher risk of being aggressive and intrusive with their own children. Mothers who were physically abused in childhood are more likely to react to helplessness and need with hostility, while sexually abused mothers appear more likely to react to their children by withdrawing. And Crittenden, reviewing 35 years of research in the field of physical abuse, concluded that parents at the dangerous extremes of otherwise common child-rearing practices are those who live in the most dangerous circumstances and have themselves experienced the most danger in the past (Crittenden, 1998). It can be concluded that all physically abused children become physically abusive parents themselves, the majority of physically abusive parents were themselves physically abused and felt neglected during their childhoods. Abused parents that do not abuse their children are more likely to had support from their partner, had a positive relationship with an adult (for example, a teacher or a relative) during childhood, or received some form of therapy during adolescence. The majority of abusive mothers report being severely beaten in childhood by their own mother, while about half say their father attacked them. Moreover, children who witness violence between their care providers are more likely to become violent and difficult to manage. Such behavior simply adds to the mothers stress and tendency to deal with her children intemperately. In addition, if abused children become parents at a relatively young age, their ability to remain available and responsive under the stresses and strains of looking after their own children is limited. For example, physically abusive mothers were exposed to more stressors and less emotional support in the previous year compared with mothers who had not physically abused their children. A review of theoretical approaches shows that an abusive parents own abusive childhood is believed to be a more important factor for predicting child physical abuse than aggressive models outside the parents personal network (Coohey Braun, 1997). From the same review we can conclude which history of violence experience is best to predict if the mother is more likely to abuse her children or not. Its found that assaults by three types of well-known network members (her own mother, a previous partner, and current partner) increased the chance that a mother would physically abuse her children. Being abus ed by ones own mother dominated the effects of all other predictors. The second most important probability effect was a current abusive partner (Coohey Braun, 1997). Effects of Child Abuse As a result of the above causes, there are certain effects that might result from child abuse. Research now shows that the physical, psychological, and behavioral consequences of child abuse and neglect impact not just the child and family, but the community as a whole (Iannelli, 2007).To start with, the physical effects range from minor injuries to severe brain damage and even death. Physical abuse in infants and children can lead to brain dysfunction and sometimes to death. Most death victims of abuse and neglect are under age 5. In 1991, an estimated 1,383 children died from abuse or neglect; 64 percent of these deaths were attributed to abuse and 36 percent to neglect (McCurdy Daro, 1992). A child does not need to be knocked on the head to get brain injuries. Its has been indicated that infants who are shaken vigorously by the extremities or shoulders may sustain intracranial and intraocular bleeding with no sign of external head trauma. Thus early neglectful and physically abus ive practices have destructive consequences for their small sufferers. Physically abused children have been found to have more mild neurologic signs, serious physical injuries, and skin markings and scars than their non-abused peers (Kolko, Moser, Weldy, 1990). Not only is that but for most abused children fractures common. Multiple fractures and fractures in different stages of healing are also findings that may indicate abuse and emphasize the need for obtaining full skeletal surveys on children under 2 years of age when abuse is suspected (Hyden Gallagher, 1992). In addition, burns account for approximately 10% of all child abuse and have a mortality rate of 30% (McLoughlin Crawford, 1985).For most abused children burns are common and well marked especially on the dorsal aspect of the hand buttocks and perineum. Children who have been sexually maltreated, and some who have been physically neglected, have shown discriminating sexuality and signs of genital manipulation. For the most part, serious biological effect of child and adolescent sexual abuse is the risk of sexually transmitted diseases, including HIV and syphilis. Furthermore, abused children show higher levels of depression, hopelessness, and lower self-esteem especially in physically and sexually abused children. The longer period of physical abuse the greater emotional difficulties are found in those children. Also anxiety symptoms such as fearfulness, phobias, insomnia and nightmares may manifest in such cases. These symptoms may prolong and produces serious mental health consequences such as Difficulty establishing and maintaining relationships, eating disorders and suicidal attempts. What is more is that physical violence and unsociable behaviors are among the most consistently recognized childhood outcomes of physical child abuse. Sufferers of child abuse and neglect are at higher risk for criminal behavior and running away. Considerably less is known about connections between childhood abuse and other problem behaviors, such as teenage pregnancy, alcohol use and drug abuse, self-destructive behavior, and suicide. Many children who suffer from the psychological effects of child abuse often become child abusers themselves or can become perpetrators of violent crimes. Many inmates in our jails and prisons have been victims of child abuse (Dunning, 2004) .Alcohol and drug use are both illegal for teenagers, creating a natural confusing of alcohol or substance use with criminal behavior. For example, alcoholics often attempt other destructive behaviors, including suicide attempts (Schuckit, 1993). Diagnoses of alcoholism are complicated by the presence of antisocial personality disorder, which in turn, may include components of criminal behavior and sexual promiscuity. To sum up, there are multiple causes that lead to child abuse and neglect. In addition, it appears that there are dangerous effects that results from child abuse. Therefore, a number of primary and secondary strategies can be taken to prevent the several types of abuse and child abuse consequences. The primary strategies include parents training on parenting skills and dealing with disabled children, children education on self defense and report of any type of abuse. The secondary efforts should concentrate on investigation of child abuse reports by child protection agencies, clinical treatment of physical and psychological injuries, family counseling, self-help services, the provision of goods and services such as relief care, legal action against the abuser, and removal of the child or the offender from the home.

Character in The Cherry Orchard :: Anton Chekhov Cherry Orchard Essays

The Cherry Orchard by Anton Chekhov is a dramatic play set at a cherry orchard in Russia. Some of the characters that help set the dramatic setting of the play are Lyuboff, Lopahin, and Pishtchik. These characters find life difficult because they fail to understand each other and because they passively submit to their environmental situations without making an effort to rise above them. Lyuboff is the owner of the cherry orchard, and has lived there her whole life. The estate has been handed down through the generations, and Lyuboff has been left to take care of it. Since Lyuboff has grown up wealthy, she has not learned to manage her money wisely. She wastefully spends and hands out money: "I haven’t any money, my dove†¦oh, very well†¦give it to him, Leonid." She does not know how to work in order to regain the money she has spent. She finds herself going into debt and not being able to pay the mortgage. These problems grow so severe that she is forced to sell the orchard. Lopahin offers to help Lyuboff and her family to get them out of debt. He suggests several ideas such as tearing down buildings and the house, and renting homes on the land that the cherry orchard now grows. He cares not about the sentimental value the orchard holds, but the money that could be made selling it. When told the personal value of the orchard, Lopahin replies: "The only remarkable thing about this cherry orchard is that it’s very big." He also says: "There’s a crop of cherries once every two years†¦that’s hard to get rid of†¦nobody buys them." Though this does not make Lopahin a greedy or uncaring person, one might think this is quite awkward. Pishtchik on the other hand is only out for himself. He too was once wealthy, but had problems spending his money. He begs for money instead of working or earning it, creating even larger debts. When he asks Lyuboff for 240 roubles to pay for his mortgage, she agrees, but is turned away by Gayeff. Pishtchik then relies on luck and a lottery ticket his wife gave him. Throughout the story, he refers to gimmicks in order to make money: "Well—a horse is a fine animal—You can sell a horse." He also talks about counterfeiting money in order to repay his debts. It is not until the end of the story when his luck pays off by finding a large sum of money, which he is able to pay all his debts.

James Joyces Araby - An Analysis of Araby :: Joyce Dubliners Araby Essays

An Analysis of Joyce's Araby "Araby" is a short complex story by Joyce that I believe is a reflection of his own life as a boy growing up in Dublin. Joyce uses the voice of a young boy as a narrator; however the narrator seems much more mature then the boy in the story. The story focuses on escape and fantasy; about darkness, despair, and enlightenment: and I believe it is a retrospective of Joyce's look back at life and the constant struggle between ideals and reality. I believe Araby employs many themes; the two most apparent to me are escape and fantasy though I see signs of religion and a boy's first love. Araby is an attempt by the boy to escape the bleak darkness of North Richmond Street. Joyce orchestrates an attempt to escape the "short days of winter", "where night falls early" and streetlights are but "feeble lanterns" failing miserably to light the somberness of the "dark muddy lanes"(Joyce 38). Metaphorically, Joyce calls the street blind, a dead end; much like Dublin itself in the mid 1890s when Joyce lived on North Richmond Street as a young boy. A recurrent theme of darkness weaves itself through the story; the boy hides in shadows from his uncle or to coyly catch a glimpse of his friend Mangan's sister who obliviously is his first love. Araby is about escaping into the world of fantasy. The narrator is infatuated with his friend's sister; he hides in the shadows, peering secluded from a distance trying to spy her "brown figure"(Joyce 38). She is the light in his fantasy, someone who will lift him out of darkness. I see many parallels to my life as a boy growing up in the inner city of Jersey City. We looked for escape also, a trip uptown to Lincoln Park, or take a train ride to New York City where we would gaze at the beauties on 7th Ave. The boy sees the bazaar at Araby as an opportunity to win her over, as a way to light the candle in her eyes. However, the boy is more awkward then shy, his adolescence is an impediment to his quest and he lost for words to speak. I vividly recall those times in my young life, driven by desires and struggling with the lack of experience to get through the moment. He fantasizes about her, how bringing her a gift from the bazaar will capture her heart.

Knowles Separate Peace Essays: Maturity in A Separate Peace

Maturity in A Separate Peace   In A Separate Peace, by John Knowles, the focus spotlight is quickly turned upon Gene Forrester and his maturity through the novel. He expresses his ideas about the many subjects through the book through his position as the novel's narrator. Also, as the book progresses, so does Gene's maturity.   Ã‚  Ã‚   The first chapter of A Separate Peace establishes the character Gene Forrester, who in actuality is a portrayal of John Knowles himself, according to a recent interview. In this establishment of the main character, Gene sets his place as a grown up and fully matured man, looking back on an incident when he was only sixteen years old. He vividly describes Devon High School as he currently saw, and as he remembered from the days of his past. The description provided in this chapter proves to the reader that in the events following this soliloquy, a young character will emerge, and will grow into the man they just read about.   Ã‚  Ã‚   In Chapter Two and Three, Gene develops a close bond with his roommate Finny. However, Gene, develops a sheer envy for Finny, and acknowledges it as the truth. He is extremely envious of the methods in which Finny uses to escape his unconventional actions and his popularity. He doctors himself in self-assurance, by repeatedly telling himself over and over again that having a best friend like Finny is a compliment and should be looked at as an achievement. However, this excuse is transparent of Gene's maturity at this point, portraying a very young, foolish, and selfish young man. It later leads to inner conflict within Gene. During this chapter, Finny and Gene brainstorm and create the Super Suicide Society of the Summer Se... ...orced him to grow up; it has forced him to realize his boyish selfishness and stupidity behind some of his actions. In the last two chapters, Gene depicts to the reader the thought process in which his mind goes through. Especially in Chapter Twelve, where the book draws to the climax of Gene finding meaning to the environment surrounding him.   Ã‚  Ã‚   A great deal of growing and heartfelt thoughts was brought forth by having Gene as the narrator. The reader was allowed to see inside the mind of another human, and see the thought process that went through the young man's head. The realization that the mind controls the mental growth is very strong throughout the whole book, considering the very immature outlook Gene took upon Finny and the events involving Finny, which evolve into carefully thought out remorse that grows into much needed maturity.

2.5 Food Safety Work File

2. 5 Food Safety Work File Directions: Complete the food safety interactive quiz. Use the information from the interactive quiz to complete the following responses regarding food safety practices. For each of the following food safety practices, share at least 2 statements from the interactive quiz. Be sure to put these statements in your own words and explain why they are helpful in preventing food borne illness. An example would be: When dining from a buffet, make sure hot food is hot and cold food is cold.Food that is 40 – 140 degrees Fahrenheit has already begun to grow bacteria and pathogens.Clean (16 points):Keeping your hands clean keep you from getting ill.Keeping your surfaces clean after cooking or letting an animal sit on it.Separate (16 points):When cross contamination happens it spreads bacteria from one item to a food item which will make you sick.Never put cooked food on the same item a raw food was on without washing it.Cook (16 points):Using a food thermometer is the only way you can te ll for sure if a food has reached the temperature that kills the bacteria.Cook thawed food to a minimum internal temperature to kill the bacteria.Chill (16 points):When cooked food is left out for too long it can grow bacteria that can make you sick.Freezig foods to 0 degrees inactivates bacteria’s. In your own kitchen, explain 2 food safety practices you feel your family can improve and 2 food safety practices you feel your family does well.(16 points) I feel we can improve cooking food to the correct temperature, and cleaning our hands after touching raw foods. I feel that we keep cooked foods away from raw foods, and cleaning surfaces after having raw foods on it. In what ways do your school and community practice or promote food safety to contribute to your personal health? (20 points) Our community promotes food safety by having health inspectors come to restraunts and making sure they don’t have any health violations.

Meeting the Challenge of Sexual Harassment

Meeting the Challenge of Sexual Harassment At an office of Goldman, Sachs and Company in Boston, some male employees allegedly pasted photos of bare-breasted women on company newsletters, next to biographies of new female employees (suggesting that the photos were pictures of the new staff members). Copies of the newsletters were circulated around the office. Sexist literature such as â€Å"The Smart Man’s Creed or Why Beer Is Better Than Women† (â€Å"After you’ve had a beer, the bottle is still worth a dime†) was allegedly also distributed. Kristine Utley, a former Goldman sales associate, has made these allegations in a suit charging that the environment at Goldman, Sachs constitutes sexual harassment. Fired for refusing a transfer to a New York office, she is suing to gain reinstatement and damages and to eliminate the harassment. Joanne Barbetta has filed a similar suit seeking damages for harassment caused by an environment that she asserted â€Å"was poisoning my system. † Ms. Barbetta reports that during her tenure as a clerk at Chemlawn, male employees circulated pornographic magazines and pinup posters. She viewed a slide presentation that included suggestive pictures (e. g. , a nude woman) put there, according to management, â€Å"to keep the guys awake. † After these experiences and continual breast-grabbing by a male employee, Ms. Barbetta quit. Marie Regab, formerly an 18-year employee of Air France, has filed similar charges concerning the Washington office where she worked as a salesperson. She alleges that several characteristics of the office environment combined to create harassment, including propositions by one of her bosses, circulation of Playboy and Penthouse magazines in the office, and open discussion of sexual activity by male employees. â€Å"It was sickening and an insult to women in the office,† she claims. Ms. Regab was fired; she is suing to gain reinstatement, for $1. 5 million in damages, and to eliminate the harassment in the office. These three situations are examples of a growing number of suits being filed by women who charge that a sexist environment in the workplace constitutes sexual harassment and that their employers are therefore liable. Plaintiff actions in this area have been fueled by the Supreme Court’s ruling that sexist behavior that creates an â€Å"intimidating, hostile, or offensive working environment† is sexual harassment and violates Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act. The Court’s ruling has spurred an increasing number of companies to act to revent sexual harassment in the workplace and to deal with if effectively when the problem occurs. Other factors have also triggered company action. Employers are realizing that the costs of harassment can be high in terms of lowered productivity, absenteeism, and turnover. One study of female employees in the federal government concluded that the government loses about $200 million each year to the effects od sexual harassment. Costs can also be high if an employee sues. Even if the plaintiff opts for an out- of-court settlement, the costs of these settlements are often in six figures, and it’s the company that pays. Companies are also realizing that sexual harassment is a very real issue in today’s workplace; from 20 to over 50 percent of working women have experienced sexual harassment (and so have at least 15 percent of male employees). Thus, companies are tackling the issue; the more effective strategies developed so far contain four primary features: Training programs the educate employees concerning the meaning of sexual harassment and the behaviors that constitute a hostile and harassment workplace: Training is especially important simply because men and women often differ in their perception of what constitutes harassment. Most training is in the form of seminars and workshops, often with films and videos. Philip Morris USA conducts a mandatory training program for its field managers that include viewing a video called â€Å"Shades of Gray†. General Motors conducts an awareness seminar for employees and offers this benchmark for judging the appropriateness of office conduct: â€Å"would you be embarrassed to see your remarks or behavior in the newspaper or described to your own family? † Du Pont has developed one of the most comprehensive antiharassment programs in business (begun in 1981). Recently, the corporation added a $500,000 course on personal safety, rape, and harassment prevention primarily for its female employees (many of whom are moving into traditionally male jobs at Du Pont such as agricultural products sales). The course offers no-nonsense advice on how to handle a harasser. For example, if a male customer fondles a women’s knee, Du Pont advises that she â€Å"firmly remove his hand . . . and then say, ‘Let’s pretend this didn’t happen. â€Å"If she receives a verbal proposition, Du Pont advises that she say, â€Å"No, I wouldn’t want our business relationship to be jeopardized in any way. About 1,600 employees have completed the course. Like General Motors, Du Pont offers its employees a guideline for evaluating their behavior. Said a Du Pont spokesman, â€Å"We tell people, it’s harassment when something starts bothering somebody. † Some other companies provide advice concerning how to handle harassmen t. One popular piece of advice: Document the incident as soon as possible by describing on paper what happened in full detail and talking to someone informally about the incident. A relatively mild case of harassment can be handled by taking to the harasser, explaining what he or she did , how it made you feel, and telling the harasser to stop. In a more serious situation, communicating these points via a certified letter sent to the harasser, with the victim keeping a copy, is often recommended (and reportedly proves to be quite effective). An internal complaint procedure: Ideally, the procedure provides for fast action and confidentiality and ensures that the employee can report the problem to a manager who is not involved in the harassment. Some companies encourage employees to report a problem to their immediate supervisor but also designate an individual (often a woman) in the HR department as someone employees can speak with in cases where the immediate supervisor is involved in the problem. To ensure speedy action, some companies require that an investigation begin within 24 hours after the harassment complaint has been reported. Ideally, the procedure also stipulates how investigations will be conducted. Speedy, corrective action that solves the problem: If the investigation supports the employee’s claims, corrective action is quickly taken. Such action can range from simply talking to the harasser to discharge, depending on the severity of the offense. One federal agency requires offending employees to publicly apologize to the individuals they’ve harassed. Staffing changes also sometimes occur. Our New York bank faced a problem of a highly talented male executive who generated much profit for the bank-and also several costly EEOC complaints from his secretaries. The bank solved the problem by assigning the executive an all-male secretarial staff. Corrective action is particularly important because it communicates to both victims and potential offenders that harassment will not be tolerated. A written and communicated antiharassment policy. The written policy is documented and distributed to all employees. The policy contains a definition of harassment, the company’s position prohibition harassment, the grievance procedure, and penalties. While a growing number of companies are implementing antiharassment policies, the courts have yet to establish consistent record concerning the issue of â€Å"hostile environment† as illegal harassment. For example, a federal district court in Michigan dismissed a claim by Vivienne Rabidue that sexual posters and obscene language in her office at Osceola Refining Co. constituted illegal sexual harassment. However, Joanne Barbetta has won the first round of her court battle with Chemlawn. The judge hearing her complaint rejected Chemlawn’s motion to dismiss the suit; he has ordered Ms. Barbetta’s case to trial. Chemlawn is expected to present a vigorous defense, asserting that the men involved in the newsletter incident have been disciplined and that the situations Ms. Barbetta cites fall far short of creating a hostile, harassing environment because they occurred â€Å"over the course of two years. † Questions Assumes that you are an HR executive for a company that manufactures and sells agricultural products (for example, fertilizers and grain feeds). The company’s workforce of 1,200 employees is 70 percent male and 30 percent female. Drawing from this case and the chapter content, develop an antiharassment policy and program. What are the major challenges you see in implementing the program? Many experts assert that reported cases of sexual harassment represent only a small percentage of the total number of incidents that actually occur in the workplace. If their assertion is true, why do so many cases go unreported? How would your HRM policy on harassment address this situation? As research indicates, people differ widely in their perceptions of sexual harassment. What is a harmless remark to one individual can be an annoying, even infuriating insult to another. In your view, what separates harmless conduct from harassing behavior? In the same vein, when does a sexist environment become a hostile, harassing one?

Native Americans in the United States and Short Story Essay

Nacirema The â€Å"Body Ritual among the Nacirema† is a short story about a native American tribe. It wasn’t until more research on my part that I realized that this tribe did not exist. In fact it is a folk tale told in Miner’s own words. In true form Miner gives hint to this short story the Nacirema culture to that of the our culture today. Nacirema is in fact spelled â€Å"American†(Culture). The Nacirema has a hero named â€Å"Notgnihsaw† spelled â€Å"Washington† backwards. There are many similarities to this story as our American culture. Out of similarities Washington is our hero. He was the first President of the United States. Legend has it that Washington â€Å"threw a silver dollar across the Potomac River†, much like the Nacirema threw their native beads across their Pa-To-Mac River. Another story has Washington chopping down a cherry tree. But did Washington actually chop the tree down? â€Å"For he could not tell a lie†. As Americans we have rituals and cultural identities Every household has its â€Å"shrine† much like the Nacirema. Not all shrines are made alike. Is the â€Å"shrine† our homes, our churches, or our bathrooms? Shrines come in all walks of life. Miner gives the perception that the working class go to work and make money. If you have very little money your home is small much like a tent. The more money you make the bigger your home is which is made of brick and mortar. He discuses a specific â€Å"charm box† built into the wall (medicine cabinet). Within this box is collection of magical potions (medicine) where all members of the tribe have faith that he/she cannot live without. â€Å"The most powerful of these are the medicine men, whose assistance must be rewarded with substantial gifts. However, the medicine men do not provide the curative potions for their clients, but decide what the ingredients should be and then write them down in an ancient and secret language. This writing is understood only by the medicine men and by the herbalists who, for another gift, provide the required charm. †(Miner) This indicates folks going to the doctor that write the prescriptions to filled by the pharmacy. Miner talks about how members bow theirs heads in front of the box much like that of washing our hands. The Catholics have a similar ritual of dipping of the fingers in the â€Å"holy water† and doing the sign of the cross(Holy water) or kneeling before entering the pew(Religion:Manners in). The Nacirema have a morbid fascination with their mouths. If it â€Å"weren’t for the rituals of the mouth, they believed their teeth would fall out, their gums bleed. † If these things would have happened they believed their lovers would disown them. † â€Å"The daily body ritual performed by everyone includes a mouth-rite. †(Miner) This is much like the flossing or brushing of our teeth. The floss or bristles on our tooth brush we use is similar to the â€Å"hogs hairs. † The â€Å"magical powders† is that of the tooth paste we brush our teeth with. Miner maintains that the Americans right of passage in ways to throw off the readers. Themes as visiting the doctor, surgical operations, and sex are talked about. I initially didn’t take this story serious in reading it. After thorough research to get a better understanding of the writing I got a eye opening. This story reminds me much of a recent short story â€Å"A Modest Proposal†. Both has similarities of rituals and tales of people. I come from a family of rituals with last names that carry on from family to family or given the middle name of your mother first name. We are all meeting the needs of our own tribes whether it be the Americans, Nacirema or Vietnamese into how each is stereotyped.

Cultural Component

Valduron Cleare English 119 18th October, 2011 Cultural Component The components of culture are: the attitudes, beliefs, customs, traditions, art, clothing, food, language and achievements of society that are passed on to each generation. With that explanation I’ve realized that culture is in almost every aspect of our lives. I experienced at least four of these components during my recent trips to Arawak key. Firstly, as a tradition for most Bahamian birthday celebrations, the main goal is to eat more than you regularly do, and we did just that. Our party consisted of my Father and mother, my two older brothers and me.After all of the congratulations on seeing another year on this earth were done, we set out to our destination. Usually we just order pizza and call it a day but we wanted to make this day special. Our place of choice was the great Arawak Key, or as I like to call it, food central. As we arrived there was rake n’ scrape music playing and people dancing. I t was also obvious that we weren’t the only ones with that idea. Hungry faces as far as the eye can see, but no one was as hungry as me. I searched all around for an empty restaurant to seat me family of five.It felt like it was hopeless because every restaurant we looked in, a full house of hungry faces looked back at us. We finally found a diamond in the rough with a slightly empty restaurant. This restaurant had a cozy feel to it. It had basic light brown paint and Bahamian art strung up on the walls. These paintings were probably purchase from schools which made me wish I did better in art. As we ordered our food another component of culture came to me. The menu was stacked with Bahamian dishes, from the almighty conch snack to the luxurious lobster and shrimp snacks.I ordered two different meals for myself only and when I was finished, I still wasn’t full. Secondly, I went to an event known as Fam Fest. This is a free gospel concert held annually on Arawak key. Th is brings up another cultural component which is beliefs. The majority of the Bahamas is of the Christian denomination. This was seen excellently with the numbers of people that showed up. Although it could have been due only to the fact that it was free, because something that is free and a Bahamian is never far apart. Getting back to topic, with a gathering of Bahamians there has to be food.The entire right sight of the venue was covered by vendors set upped to sell their dishes. Hundreds of people gathered to praise the lord and satisfy their stomachs, not a bad combination. Arawak key is a Bahamian culture haven. From the food, the music, and the dancing, it all is truly a culture filled place. Also the clothes worn by employees to accentuate their restaurant’s Bahamian qualities are brilliant. Firstly, the food is pure Bahamian influenced. The sound of conch salad being prepared fills the air and the smell of fried foods just flow through your nostrils.Furthermore, the r ake n’ scrape music played by live bands or speakers just set the mood and make for the perfect Bahamian experience. Also, the dancing, although mostly done by drunken men and women, still gives a nice feel to the place. In conclusion, it is clear to say that the components of culture, or just culture itself is evident almost everywhere you go. Arawak Key is a perfect place to go if you want a true culture experience. Although some of the components are seen more than others, each of them plays a vital role in the complete culture of the Bahamas.

A Study On Child Abuse English Language Essay

A Study On Child Abuse English Language Essay The issue of child abuse is an increasing concern worldwide. Whether the country is developed or poor, child abuse still exists in every region in some form. The common forms of child abuse include physical, emotional, and sexual abuse. The definition of child abuse, according to Professor Vincent Iannelli, is â€Å"harm to, or neglect of, a child by another person, whether adult or child† (Iannelli 1). Even though this common definition is applicable in most cases of child abuse all over the world, there are some forms of child abuse that exist in a specific region which are different from those found in another area. Sexual and physical child abuse both exist in countries like Pakistan and America, however the type of emotional abuse seen in Pakistan is very different from the type seen in America. While factors such as tumultuous economic and political conditions, child labor, and kidnapping scar Pakistani children emotionally, beatings, rape, molestation, and neglect due to recurrent stress are the common forms of abuse in America. Child abuse in Pakistan over the years has grown because it reflects upon the weak economic and political state of the country. Poverty and austere living conditions are some of the factors that account for this existence of child abuse. The fact that poverty encompasses nearly 60 percent of the nation leads to events which result in abuses. Most of Pakistan’s population lives in squalid slums where the children are forced to help in the survival of their families (Galpin, 1). However, dire measures are taken for this survival. Typically one sees children on the streets begging with arms mutilated and scars across their face. The common theory goes that these children have had a harsh life; rather its just that these children have been purposely abused to gain them pity so that they can be given money. This desperate need for survival also leads to child labor. The problem with this is that this means a child will have to work in various environments, which are usually dilapidated. Thus the child is exposed to numerous threats and he/ she becomes a victim of abuse. In America, however, this type of abusive mentality does not commonly exist. The abuse existing in America is mostly due to stressful lives or frustration. â€Å"Almost half of Americans say that they are increasingly stressed about their ability to provide for their family’s basic needs† (â€Å"APA† 2). Unlike Pakistan, the solution to this type of financial stress, however, is not child labor. Child abuse is a major concern these days and a lot is being done in America to prevent this. In Pakistan, however, a poor political administration causes child abuse to be more likely. Statistically, there are more reported cases of child abuse in the Unites states than Pakistan. In the year 2007, 3.2 million child abuse cases were reported in America (â€Å"Childhelp† 1). In Pakistan, there were nearly 1,600 r eported cases of child abuse in the year 2007 (Khan, 1). However, the difference in the size and population of the United States and Pakistan, along with the fact that nearly 80% of child abuse cases in Pakistan are unreported, shows that a statistical comparison of the two countries cannot be accurate (Khan, 1). Pakistan’s statistics show that there is a lack of consideration being given to child abuse by the political administration in Pakistan. Laws against child abuse, in fact, exist, but there is not a strong, central government to enforce these laws. Thus, the perpetrators of these crimes are encouraged. In comparison, there are strict laws in America that are enforced strongly to prevent child abuse.

Matlab Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 1

Matlab - Assignment Example This was confirmed through comparing the result with that of the plot. 5. The area of the land above the planned road was obtained using integration method (trapezoid method) to find the total area under the curve and subtracting the total area of the area of land under the planned road. This was achieved through the matlab trapz () On using the d =diff(sign(y-s)) function where s was the equation for the best fit and y was for the terrain curve the non zero points were obtained.-2 and 2 were the non zero points which corresponded to respective x points.those x points are as shown below It was noted that those points corresponded with the x points where the two curves intersected.These points were displayed in pairs(first one showing the x point for the start of the region and second one showing the end point for the region)e.g Next the program requests the user to enter the number of regions in the graph. In our case they were 7.This was made in order to allow the user more control over the area calculation and reduce errors. The program calculates the area of the region under the curve subtracts the region under the best fit then sums it up. It then asks for the second points. Calculates the area then adds it to the total. At the end of the last region it multiplies the area with 10(road width and gives the total volume Thread Subject: How to find position of specific vector value. (n.d.). How to find position of specific vector value. Retrieved May 8, 2014, from

Main Character Analysis - The Yellow Wallpaper Essay

Main Character Analysis - The Yellow Wallpaper - Essay Example THE CENTRAL CHARACTER OF THE STORY REPRESENTS AN ‘OUTSIDER’ WHO DOES NOT WANT TO CONFORM TO THE TRADITIONAL NORMS AND HENCE FREES HER SOUL FROM THE PRETENSE OF THE CONVENTIONAL WIFE WHO ABIDES BY HER HUSBAND’S DECISIONS WITHOUT INDIVIDUAL JUDGMENT. Women have attempted to get rid of the conventional definitions of their roles and the ideology forced upon them, thus seeking for a redefinition of Womanhood. Charlotte Perkins Gilman illustrated the struggle of the female character of the story to overcome the patriarchal constraints in order to be able to cultivate her writing talents. Here she talks about the dominating care of her husband as she says, â€Å"He is very careful and loving, and hardly lets me stir without special direction†¦ There comes John, and I must put this away, --he hates to have me write a word. We have been here two weeks, and I haven't felt like writing before, since that first day. I am sitting by the window now, up in this atrocious nursery, and there is nothing to hinder my writing as much as I please, save lack of strength† (Gilman, 1891, 2) Gilman also points out the lack of cooperation from the female counterparts which have helped the male reinforce their dominance. She has mentioned the case of the sister of the woman’s husband in this regard. ... From the fact that John would not encourage her writing let alone appreciate them, she gradually suffered from low-self esteem. The following lines express her feelings, â€Å"But these nervous troubles are dreadfully depressing. John does not know how much I really suffer. He knows there is no REASON to suffer, and that satisfies him.† (Gilman, 1891, 3) The work represents the Cult of Womanhood, which ties up the women folk to the ambience of the home and family. Here the woman has been confined to the defined parameters that have been set by men. Constant domination negatively affects her creativity, as she has to put in the extra effort in order to overcome the mental set back and arouse the self-encouragement within her. The character Gilman creates in her story is an inspiration to all the women who have confined themselves within the shackles of dominance. She depicts the challenges thrown towards patriarchal ideologies and how women could move beyond the conventional ba rrier of ideology imposed upon them. She cites a reflection of this situation as she describes the changes in the wallpaper, saying, â€Å"There are things in that paper that nobody knows but me, or ever will. Behind that outside pattern the dim shapes get clearer every day. It is always the same shape, only very numerous.† (Gilman, 1891, 6) she wonders whether all women would be able to walk out of these artificial misleading designs created deftly by men – â€Å"I wonder if they all come out of that wall-paper as I did?† (Gilman, 1891, 12) The central character of the story ‘The Yellow Wallpaper’ therefore represents the ‘outsider’ to the set norms of the society

Discussion #5 Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Discussion #5 - Assignment Example That system renders African nations vulnerable to financial crises in case of a drop in the international market prices. The overreliance on exportation of cash crops confines the African nation’s agricultural sector into subsistence farming, a situation contributing to hunger and starvation in Africa. Hunger and starvation is a major challenge facing most African countries, as food remains a primary and essential need for human survival. The huge population growth in African nations has led to overpopulation leading to high instances of unemployment and dependency ratio in Africa. The high population growth rate in African nations unbalances the available resources leading to food insecurity that is a major challenge in Africa (Ali 15). African colonizers targeted and concentrated on the major cities and trading centers ignoring the villages and interior regions. As a result, imbalance in infrastructural, technological and social development exists between the cities and the rural set ups. With the rapid population growth rate unbalancing the available job opportunities in the rural areas, individuals move to the town centers in search of job opportunities (Ali 13). The migration leads to over population in the urban set up that is a major challenge. In addition, the migration also leads to culture clash and lowers the standards of living in the urban set ups. In effect, it lowers the gross domestic income and productivity of that particular nation. Lack of the employment opportunity in the urban areas eventually results in increased crime rates (Ali 15). These are the challenges confining most of the African nations. Lack of technological knowledge in most African nation’s rural set ups derail embracing of the new and modern western cultures and trends. The long-term effect of this is a complication of interaction between the cultural backward rural dwellers and the town dwellers. Such contrasts lead

Organizational Culture Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Organizational Culture - Assignment Example Center of discussion in this paper is organizational culture as a â€Å"set of shared beliefs and experiences that essentially defines the identity of an organization and ultimately guides its behavior†. Today, most organizations are reconsidering and reconstructing their organizational culture for it is perceived as one of the important determinants of success in terms of influencing individual behavior. Furthermore, the culture’s role in the organization is indispensable because it is a lifetime result of weaknesses, strengths, failures, and experiences of people. In fact, it is frequently cited in the different versions of cultural studies that if an organization is planning to implement a change process, it must first understand its organizational culture because failure to do so will make the process unsuccessful. This idea was seconded by the study of Kotter and Heskett when they presented that organizational culture is one of the barriers in implementing a succes sful organizational change effort because culture or experiences are learnt over many years. In addition, a company’s invention or development of systems or procedures will too often fail because â€Å"cultures do not support the newly learned concepts, values, or assumptions†. â€Å"Generally, culture studies are conducted at different levels of analyses (for instance, organizational versus societal) using different methodological approaches (conceptual, quantitative, and qualitative) and a variety of associated constructs†.... Moreover, the positive relationship between culture and performance is supported by several research studies (Peters & Waterman, 1982; Denison, 1996; Marcoulides & Heck, 1993). Culture is also considered as a strong competitive advantage; thus, beliefs, values, attitudes, and behaviors of people in an organization are highly regarded (Alvesson & Sveningsson, 2008, p.3). For example, if business practices are not aligned with the corporate culture, profits will fall, wider range of facilities will not be fully utilized, and there will be no unity and cooperation in the organization. Theories and Conceptual Models in Defining the Style of Management Organizations are expected to be proactive with their actions or strategies and update them based on current market trends. However, changing an organizational culture is a complicated process because of the concept’s nature wherein â€Å"the stronger the culture, the more resistant it is to any form of change† (Kaliprasad, 20 06, p.29; Thompson & Luthans, 1990). Therefore, the organization’s greatest challenge is to create a strong and powerful culture, which is at the same time susceptible to environmental disturbances (Schein, 1992). Thus, several culture theories and models are proposed to have a good or in-depth understanding of the increasing perception that organizational culture and success/effectiveness have a positive linkage. These associated models and cultures are also created to determine the different aspects of culture in different analyses, approaches, forms, and dimensions, particularly in organizational behaviors. Edgar Schein’s Model of Organizational Culture and Leadership (1980s). Having a powerful and flexible organizational culture is considered