MAJOR PROJECT Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

MAJOR PROJECT - Essay Example ult, millions of visitors globally are invading the nation to view its unique natural environments and promote the spectacular views available in Asia. In addition, China has also identified and defined an agency or China National Tourism Administration or CNTA to take charge of promoting tourism both nationally and internationally and this has been effective in promoting tourism awareness locally and internationally. Like the world, China is has taken up ecotourism which encourages travelers to walk calmly or give back to the communities and environments that they visit. In China, 2009 became the ecotourism year as designated by CNTA, where travelers were encouraged to exercise green travelling and experience eco-evolution. Although the aspect of ecotourism has remained amongst Chinese people and the world for long, CNTA is actively engaged in promoting eco-tourism in China as a free arrangement of tourism, environmental preservation and bridging cultural understanding. Consequently , tourists are not just visitors but also people who actively fight to preserve the setting (Ruan). In China, regardless of the favorable conditions required for ecotourism like plenty of biodiversity and beauty, the extent of success in ecotourism development is limited but the future is brighter in the presence of CNTA agency in promoting ecotourism it attracts visitors to Asia with the aim of leaving positive impact. In this case travelers are not just involved in looking through the window of a tour bus but getting muddy under your finger nails thereby experiencing a place by involving in the issues in that place. In order to explore eco-tourism in China, the discussion in this paper focuses on one ecotourism site named Wenhai Ecolodge as one of the eco-tourism venues in the Southwestern region of China. The rationale for studying Wenhai Ecolodge is the fact that it is the first of Chinese â€Å"Green Resorts†(Fodors Travel n.p). It is located near Lake Wenhai and this contributes

Organization Design And Technology Of Sony Corporation Essay Example for Free

Organization Design And Technology Of Sony Corporation Essay Due to the fast-paced growth of Sony Corporation in the international market, it gave way for the misalignment of its market and internal expansion leading to the deterioration of its rate of technological development or the quality of its product lines, and the decline of the efficiency of its workforce as the number of responsibilities and tasks suddenly increased triggered by the market expansion of the said company. With the aid of ICT Supplier Self-Assessment Questionnaire and balance scorecard, Sony Corporation has been able to improve the quality of its product and workforce efficiency. By expanding the workforce of Sony, it can solve the deterioration of its rate of technological advancement and inefficiency on workforce on a long term basis. Between adding new position to the organization structure of Sony and hiring more workers to expand the workforce of the said company, adding new position to Sony Corporation is the one that fits to solve the above mentioned problems of Sony considering the cost of its implementation and effectiveness. Introduction With the growing competition in the international market, it is a must for Sony Corporation to secure competitive advantage in terms of internal stability and technological development. Most consumers nowadays provides more premium on the most advanced products in the market, and this is the primary reason why Sony Corporation allot significant amount of resources to research and development to maintain the pace of their technological development. Furthermore, Sony has designed its organization structure in such a way that it could easily respond to various new market challenges. But the forces of market competition and globalization blocks the technological advantages of Sony as well as destabilized the internal stability through attacking their organization design as various departments and key person of the said company shoulders broader responsibilities as the company continues to expand in the international market. Sony’s competitors, Panasonic, Toshiba, Apple, Microsoft, and Dell are just few of the many electronics companies also operating in the international market with fast-paced technological development (Isuppli. om 2006: 1). Due to this scenario, Sony’s products appears to be less technologically advanced compared to its competitors leading to a sudden down turn on their sales and profit internationally as their customers shift to their competitors (Eetimes. com 2008: 1). Furthermore, during the peak of Sony’s international operation, various departments and top level managers was bombarded with more tasks and responsibilities in order to support their market expansion which presently lead to the deterioration of their performances. Distribution of task and responsibilities is weak and most of the organization design of Sony is already obsolete considering the present condition of competition and globalization in the international market. In this regard, this paper aims to discuss how the forces of competition and globalization weaken the organization design and technological advantage of Sony as well as the potential alternatives that Sony must undertake in order to solve the said weaknesses. At the end of this paper, expect for a recommendation that would best solve the problems of Sony concerning its organization design and technology. Classification of Organization Structure Sony Corporation has been using divisional type of organizational design as illustrated by their organizational chart, see appendix (. During the early years of Sony’s operation in the market, the divisional type of organization design enables them to easily implement strategies and decisions to problems that need immediate solution. Since Sony was only on its development stage, they were able to fully utilize the optimal gains that can be derived from using divisional organization structure. The fast relay of information, decision making and implementation of strategies through the use of divisional organization design provided Sony with tremendous amount of gains in the international market as they start successfully penetrating their target market and out-performed their competitors in the market, making them one of the successful multinational companies around the globe (Goliath. ecnext. com 2007: 1). Furthermore, the divisional organization design enables Sony to specialize its â€Å"groups† since thereby improving the quality of their products in the market (Market Wire 2005: 1). Like for instance, the Sony Ericson Mobile Communications Group concentrate only to develop and produce mobile communication products in the market. The head of Ericson Mobile Communications Group is directly below the CEO of Sony, and so with their other groups (Sony. net 2008: 1). The direct relationship between the head of Sony’s groups and its CEO provides ease on decision making and distribution of information as well as strategies on brand development. But this organizational structure starts to provide instabilities to Sony Corporation as it continues to grow as electronics industry superpower in the international market. As the company grew in the international market, responsibilities of each head of various groups also increased up to the point wherein they start performing inefficiently as their time being spent on every vital aspect of their operation become lesser and lesser. In this regard, the present status of divisional organization design to Sony becomes ineffective and only provides instabilities as the executives of the company starts to perform inefficiently on their respective fields. But divisional organization design fits Sony than any other organization structure available in the business management realm. Since Sony have a diversity of products in the market, and each group specializes into the production of their own product lines, then, divisional structure already fits Sony. The only problem lies on the fact that every executive of Sony starts gaining more responsibilities in his/her assigned group. In other words, the international expansion of Sony in the recent years was not accompanied by expansion of internal responsibilities of various executives of the said company, thereby leading to a down turn on their overall performance. In order for Sony to restore the stability of its internal affairs, it does not have to change its organization design; rather, Sony management can make improvements on their divisional structure by adding new positions or by appointing executive assistants to key positions on various groups of the said company. This strategy will provide enough room for the key personnel of Sony to manage their responsibilities well and delegate those less priority tasks to their assistance or new positions in the group. In other words, this strategy will give way for the internal expansion of Sony while maintaining their original organization design that was already proven to be effective and fit to the business structure of Sony Corporation. Choosing organization structure other than divisional design would provide great risk since Sony operates on various groups with different product lines to produce into the market. Furthermore, each group has less influence on one another and almost operates independently from other group while their headquarters and CEO serves as the link between them. In this regard, it is vital for Sony Corporation to implement the said internal expansion of their groups in order for them to re-establish their competitive advantage in the international market in terms of internal stability and workforce efficiency especially during these times wherein the forces of tight market competition and globalization calls for the acquisition of more potential sources of competitive advantages to keep the pace of Sony’s growth internationally. Key Determinant and Influences on Organizational Structure One of the main strategies of Sony in expanding its share on the international market would be the diversification of its product line from electronics to B2B business solutions, which later on enables the company to tap various resources. Since each product line of Sony needs different production processes compared to others, Sony decided to use divisional organizational structure in order to easily manage the entire company without compromising the quality of their product lines. For instance, Sony Financial Holdings Group provides business solution services to the market and needs different operational processes compared to Sony Entertainment Business Group that provides television, digital cameras, and video cameras in the market. Each of these groups requires different set of operational style, set of skills and equipments, and set of strategies, thereby providing enough room to these groups to operate independently from one another would enhance their productivity and efficiency as they specialize into their production process. This is the main reason why Sony chose to use divisional organization design in order to provide enough room for each product line to be developed separately by workers specialized on producing it from other product line. In this regard, the strategy of Sony to diversify its product line gave way for the use of divisional organization structure. Furthermore, another factor that serves to be the key determinant of Sony Corporation’s organization structure would be its growth rate. Sony Corporation has roughly 4 percent sales growth rate internationally as of this month which is relatively higher compared to its rival companies like Panasonic with -2. 78 percent sales growth rate (Reuters. com 2008: 1). During the initial stage of Sony’s growth in the international market, as their product become more diverse leading to a fast-paced growth, Sony chose to use divisional organization structure to allow the company to cope up with the said growth rate since divisional organization structure provides enough room for Sony to further develop their diverse product line through specialization. At present, the root of organization stability of Sony roots on the fact that they were not able to accompanied their market growth and expansion with internal expansion causing for the divisional organization structure to work inefficiently. Once the internal growth rate of Sony already aligned itself to its market growth, then, that is the only time wherein Sony can fully utilize the potential gains of using divisional organization structure. In this regard, it is therefore vital for Sony to keep track its market growth and internal growth if whether these two still align each other since these affects the performance of their organization structure. The strategy and growth of Sony is interrelated to one another and this is the main reason why these two factors greatly affect its organization structure. The strategy of Sony to diversify its product line provided them with enough opportunity to increase their market share in the international market. The said product line expansion and increase of market share enable Sony to easily penetrate its target market and outperformed its competitors. Furthermore, as Sony continues to successfully penetrate its target market and outperformed its competitors, it starts to gain impressive growth in the market due to higher sales and profit. But the said market growth of Sony was not accompanied by internal expansion which presently leads to tremendous losses as key personnel of its groups starts performing inefficiently and ineffectiveness of their organization structure. Furthermore, as these key personnel of Sony perform inefficiently, the research and development of their products starts to drop, giving enough room for its competitors to step up in the electronics and business solutions industry and provide financial losses to the company (Forbes. com 2008: 1). Therefore, at this point in time, it is vital for Sony to address these instabilities on its workforce in order to restore their competitiveness in the international market with respect to their market strategies and technological advancement. Organizational Effectiveness One way in which Sony Corporation evaluates performance would be through the use of Information and Communications Technology Supplier Self-Assessment Questionnaire which aims to determine if whether their suppliers uphold the Electronic Industry Code of Conduct. Since suppliers have a direct impact on the overall performance of Sony in terms of product quality, along with other electronics companies around the globe such as HP, IBM, and Microsoft, Sony Corporation created the Electronic Industry Code of Conduct which encompasses the ICT Supplier Self-Assessment Questionnaire. Through the ICT Supplier Self-Assessment Questionnaire, Sony can monitor the product quality of their suppliers. By securing the performance of their suppliers, Sony Corporation has been able to maintain its integrity of producing high quality products in the market. There were cases wherein Sony Corporation was sued for releasing substandard products in the market. Like what happened recently when a couple sued Sony when the battery of a Sony laptop exploded causing injuries to the complainants. Due to this, Sony had to pull out all of the batteries that were being suspected as substandard and replaced with a new one in order to prevent having more accidents. In this regard, through the ICT Supplier Self Assessment Questionnaire, Sony Corporation can stop the above mentioned accident caused to substandard products that they release in the market which mostly came from their suppliers. Dell, the maker of the said substandard battery of Sony laptop, is now making collaboration with Sony in pulling out those substandard laptop batteries in the market. Another way by which Sony evaluates their performance is through the use of balance scorecard. Balance score card help every organization in the market to determine if whether their smaller scale operational activities are still aligned with their larger scale activities. As for the case of Sony Corporation, it uses balance scorecard in determining the alignment operational processes of its groups, e. g. Sony Ericson Mobile Communications, Game Business Group, Entertainment Business Group, and Sony Financial Holdings Group, to the vision and strategy of the entire organization. For instance, the balance scorecard is being used by Sony Corporation in determining if whether the processes used in producing Sony Ericsson in the market are still aligned with the Corporate Social Responsibility of the entire company. Through this, Sony Corporation can keep their various groups intact to the vision and strategies of their â€Å"parent† company – Sony Corporation. Just recently, Sony Ericsson phone was awarded as the most â€Å"Eco-Friendly† phone in the market and the said award is being attributed to the continues success of Sony Corporation to uphold its Corporate Social Responsibility on minimizing the wastes being emitted in producing the said product (Sayer 2008: 1). Considering the said success of Sony Ericsson phone in the market, there is a great possibility that it can earn positive balance scorecard by upholding the CSR of Sony Corporation, which can eventually serve as the basis for further development of Sony Ericsson phone in the market (Ericsson. co. jp 2005: 9). Therefore, balance scorecard provides enough room for Sony Corporation to determine the alignment of their product lines to their vision and strategy especially when it concerns the integrity of their brand name. At this point, the performance evaluation tools of Sony Corporation, ICT Supplier Self Assessment Questionnaire and Balance Scorecard, has been able to solve its problem regarding maintaining the quality of their products in the market by securing the compliance of their suppliers and aligning the production processes of their product lines into their Corporate Social Responsibilities. Therefore, ICT Supplier Self Assessment Questionnaire and Balance Scorecard fit to the vision and strategies of Sony Corporation based from their successful solution regarding the low quality level of Sony’s products in the market. This issue on quality level and on how the above identified evaluation tools of Sony Corporation solved it will be thoroughly discussed in the next part of the paper. Critical Analysis of Current Problems Actually, the main problem of Sony Corporation would be the misalignment of its market and internal expansion that eventually lead to various â€Å"branch-problems† like low performance rate from the workforce of the company as well as the deterioration of the quality level of their product lines in the market. The fast-paced growth of Sony in the past years, while leaving their internal condition to remain untouched, provided inefficiencies on the part of their workforce as the responsibility of one another can no longer be performed as efficient as before, and low product quality as the said inefficiencies on their workforce started to reflect on the quality level of their product lines. This is the main reason why Sony Corporation suffers from return on investment and profit on its operation as their customers shift to the side of their competitors since the latter already have relatively technologically advanced product lines in the market compared to Sony Corporation. In order to provide a long term solution to this problem of Sony Corporation, it is a must for the management of the said company to expand their workforce either by adding new positions to reinforce the key positions in the company or hire more workers to delegate the tasks optimally among their workforce. But at present, Sony Corporation is applying short term solutions to these problems through the use of evaluation tools as discussed on the previous part of this paper. First, the ICT Supplier Self Assessment Questionnaire provided solution on securing the quality of their supplier’s products which later on be used on the production process of Sony. With the ICT Supplier Self Assessment Questionnaire, Sony can monitor if whether the supplies of their suppliers are substandard or complies with the Electronic Industry Code of Conduct which sets up the standards for electronic products in the market (Greenwald 2005: 2). Sony Corporation can now minimize the incidence of product malfunction or substandard components of their product lines just like what happened to the batteries of Sony’s laptop that exploded due to overheating. ICT Supplier Self Assessment Questionnaire will improve the quality of Sony’s product line even up to a small degree since it only solves their problem on the side of their supplier and not the root of the problem which still lies on the internal stability of their workforce. With the rise of ICT Supplier Self Assessment Questionnaire and Electronic Industry Code of Conduct, cases of substandard electronic products in the market will be minimized leading for Sony to improve the quality level of its products (United Nations Environment Program 2005: 1). In this regard, through the use of ICT Supplier Self Assessment Questionnaire, Sony Corporation manages to improve the quality of their product lines even up to a small degree. On the other hand, the balance scorecard of Sony Corporation provides enough room for the said company to improve the quality of their workforce’s performance since the company can determine if whether a group or department already performs outside the boundaries of their vision and corporate strategies. There are times wherein the misalignment of Sony Corporation’s products to their vision and corporate strategies roots on the inefficient performance of workforce of a given department or group, and balance scorecard can determine if whether a given group of Sony Corporation performs inefficiently based from the evaluation of the products being produced by that given group. Through this, Sony Corporation can easily determine which group among its companies needs to undergo workforce expansion to solve the said inefficiency of their workers. In this regard, the balance scorecard provides two services to Sony Corporation, evaluation of their product’s performance in the market and its alignment to the vision and corporate strategies of the company, and on which group of the company needs workforce expansion in order to improve the quality of their product lines just like what happened to Sony Ericsson phone in the market (Esato. com 2007: 1). Solutions In order for Sony Corporation to have long term solution to their problem regarding the misalignment of their market and internal expansion as the consequence of their fast-paced growth, it is advisable for them to expand their workforce either by adding new positions into their organization structure to optimally delegate the tasks among the workers of the company; or, the management could hire more workers that will handle the additional responsibilities provided by the market expansion of the company. Furthermore, through adding new position to the organization structure to various business groups of Sony Corporation, e. g. executive assistants will give their key executives to delegate some of the less important tasks and responsibilities to their assistants so they can concentrate to more responsibilities. The divisional organization structure of Sony Corporation will still be used in the organization design of Sony under the said strategy considering that it is the only organization design that fits to the business nature of Sony Corporation as discussed on the previous part of this paper. On the other hand, with regards to hiring more workers that will be responsible on shouldering the additional tasks provided by the market expansion of Sony Corporation, this will provide Sony with enough room to improve the efficiency of their workforce as every person on their workforce can now perform their responsibilities to their optimal level since tasks are now well distributed on their workforce. At the end of the day, these strategies will improve the quality of Sony’s workforce and so with the quality of their products. The only problem with hiring of additional workers would be the fact that it is costly to hire more workers for the company considering that Sony is presently suffering from low profitability in the market compared to adding new position to the organization structure of Sony Corporation. Recommendation Both of the above mentioned strategies provides same improvement on lifting the efficiency of Sony Corporation’s workforce and boosting its product quality level, but in terms of costs on the part of the company, adding new positions to the organization structure of Sony is relatively cheaper than hiring more workers. In this regard, alongside with the performance evaluation tools of Sony Corporation, it is a must for their management to add new positions into the divisional organization structure of the company to provide long term solution on their low quality product in terms of technology and improving the efficiency of their workforce considering the extent of their market expansion in the global market. Conclusion With the misalignment of market and internal expansion of Sony Corporation due to its fast-paced growth in the international market, it provided various problems into the said company. Technological advancement of Sony’s products drops while the efficiency of its workforce decline due to the significant increase on tasks and responsibilities on the workplace caused by the fast-paced growth of Sony in the recent years. Through adding new positions on the organization structure of Sony, it can already improve the efficiency of its workforce and so with the rate of its product line’s technological advancement in the market.

Chancellor Of Germany Compared To Britains Prime Minister Politics Essay

Chancellor Of Germany Compared To Britains Prime Minister Politics Essay The Chancellor of Germany The federal government consists of the chancellor and his or her cabinet ministers. As explained above, the Basic Law invests the chancellor with central executive authority. For that reason, some observers refer to the German political system as a chancellor democracy. The chancellors authority emanates from the provisions of the Basic Law and from his or her status as leader of the party or coalition of parties holding a majority of seats in the Bundestag. Every four years, after national elections and the seating of the newly elected Bundestag members, the federal president nominates a chancellor candidate to that parliamentary body; the chancellor is elected by majority vote in the Bundestag. The Basic Law limits parliaments control over the chancellor and the cabinet. Unlike most parliamentary legislatures, the Bundestag cannot remove the chancellor simply with a vote of no-confidence. In the Weimar Republic, this procedure was abused by parties of both political extremes in order to oppose chancellors and undermine the democratic process. As a consequence, the Basic Law allows only for a constructive vote of no-confidence. That is, the Bundestag can remove a chancellor only when it simultaneously agrees on a successor. This legislative mechanism ensures both an orderly transfer of power and an initial parliamentary majority in support of the new chancellor. The constructive no-confidence vote makes it harder to remove a chancellor because opponents of the chancellor not only must disagree with his or her governing but also must agree on a replacement. As of 1995, the Bundestag had tried to pass a constructive no-confidence vote twice, but had succeeded only once. In 1972 the opposition parties tried to replace Chancellor Willy Brandt of the SPD with the CDU party leader because of profound disagreements over the governments policies toward Eastern Europe. The motion fell one vote shy of the necessary majority. In late 1982, the CDU convinced the FDP to leave its coalition with the SPD over differences on economic policy and to form a new government with the CDU and the CSU. The constructive no-confidence vote resulted in the replacement of Chancellor Helmut Schmidt with Helmut Kohl, the CDU party leader. Observers agree that the constructive no-confidence vote has increased political stability in Germany. The chancellor also may make use of a second type of no-confidence vote to garner legislative support in the Bundestag. The chancellor can append a simple no-confidence provision to any government legislative proposal. If the Bundestag rejects the proposal, the chancellor may request that the president dissolve parliament and call new elections. Although not commonly used, this procedure enables the chancellor to gauge support in the Bundestag for the government and to increase pressure on the Bundestag to vote in favor of legislation that the government considers as critical. Furthermore, governments have employed this simple no-confidence motion as a means of bringing about early Bundestag elections. For example, after Kohl became chancellor through the constructive no-confidence vote in August 1982, his government purposely set out to lose a simple no-confidence provision in order to bring about new elections and give voters a chance to validate the new government through a democr atic election. Article 65 of the Basic Law sets forth three principles that define how the executive branch functions. First, the chancellor principle makes the chancellor responsible for all government policies. Any formal policy guidelines issued by the chancellor are legally binding directives that cabinet ministers must implement. Cabinet ministers are expected to introduce specific policies at the ministerial level that reflect the chancellors broader guidelines. Second, the principle of ministerial autonomy entrusts each minister with the freedom to supervise departmental operations and prepare legislative proposals without cabinet interference so long as the ministers policies are consistent with the chancellors larger guidelines. Third, the cabinet principle calls for disagreements between federal ministers over jurisdictional or budgetary matters to be settled by the cabinet. The chancellor determines the composition of the cabinet. The federal president formally appoints and dismisses cabinet ministers, at the recommendation of the chancellor; no Bundestag approval is needed. According to the Basic Law, the chancellor may set the number of cabinet ministers and dictate their specific duties. Chancellor Ludwig Erhard had the largest cabinet, with twenty-two ministers, in the mid-1960s. Kohl presided over seventeen ministers at the start of his fourth term in 1994. The power of the smaller coalition partners, the FDP and the CSU, was evident from the distribution of cabinet posts in Kohls government in 1995. The FDP held three ministriesthe Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Justice, and Ministry for Economics. CSU members led four ministriesthe Ministry of Finance, Ministry for Health, Ministry for Post and Telecommunications, and Ministry for Economic Cooperation. The staff of a cabinet minister is managed by at least two state secretaries, both of whom are career civil servants responsible for the ministrys administration, and a parliamentary state secretary, who is generally a member of the Bundestag and represents the ministry there and in other political forums. Typically, state secretaries remain in the ministry beyond the tenure of any one government, in contrast to the parliamentary state secretary, who is a political appointee and is viewed as a junior member of the government whose term ends with the ministers. Under these top officials, the ministries are organized functionally in accordance with each ones specific responsibilities. Career civil servants constitute virtually the entire staff of the ministries. The British Prime Minister The power of the British Prime Minister can be institutional, political, and personal, which means depending on his or her personality. The institutional powers derive from his or her duties; so the prime minister: Is the Head of Government Is the Chairman of the cabinet Chooses Cabinet ministers Nominates other governments members (ministers that dont belong to the Cabinet) Can reshuffle ministers Has the power of dismissal for both Cabinet and government ministers Is the one responsible for his nation in its domestic and international affairs Has patronage to elect people in several public, judicial, and ecclesiastic offices Is the head of the Civil Service Can dismiss the parliament and call for political elections. For how it concern political powers, a Prime Minister is chosen by his or her party and so he or she is also the leader of the majority party within the Parliament. This means that no one can become Prime Minister without a given party support and without a relatively long parliamentary career. Therefore, the strength of the Prime Minister depends on how high it is his control over his party. The strongest he is as the party leader, the more authoritative he is being the Prime minister and vice versa. In reality, prime ministers do not exercise power in the same way: some of them may be decisive and innovators while others may prefer a more conciliating approach. The flexibility of the British parliamentary system allows strong premierships to merge and govern. According to Almond, a Prime Minister is chosen by his or her party for an indefinite term and is thus vulnerable to losing office if its confidence wanes (168). The British prime minister can be forced to resign because of health or political reasons, and just in the second after war this happened seven times: in 1955 Winston Churchill resigned for Anthony Eden; in 1957 Anthony Eden resigned for Macmillan; in 1963 Alec Douglas-Home replaced Macmillan; in 1976 Callaghan replaced Wilson; in 1990 Major took the place of Margaret Thatcher; in 2007 Tony Blair resigned for Gordon Brown whose place was took in 2010 by David Cameron. Therefore, the Prime Minister isnt a priori guaranteed to be stable while in charge. His stability depends on his capacity to maintain control over the parliamentary majority and over the Cabinet, but its just a political capability, not a position acquired by his office or by an electoral legitimacy (like for example in Italy). In fact, the Prime Minister is not chosen by the electorate but by his or her party. Conservative and Labor party have different rules to revoke their Prime Minister: the conservative party needs the 15% of signatures of the parliamentary group to propose a no-confident vote while the labor needs the 20% plus other rigid protections.

Governmental Family Policy Essay -- Women Feminist Papers

Governmental Family Policy The modern working woman is struggling to balance work and family. The Second Wave of feminism has pushed her into the workforce, promising its ideals of equality in wages and in the home. However, many women find themselves in a world that devalues their work in home and in the workplace. Our society has not yet caught up to the Third Wave of feminism, which attempts to break down the traditional gender roles our constructions of work and family are based on. Many are hoping that government intervention through work policies that reflect the demands of an egalitarian family will be able to propel men and women out of the "stalled revolution". One must now address the question why the United States government is not following the lead of other industrialized nations if they are so supportive of "family values" and "moral values." Until there is a public outcry that can no longer be ignored, which is fast-approaching, the government can continue playing with words in order to avoid accountability. The problem exists with how these policies are categorized. The common term applied to such policies is "social benefits." This language alludes to the "social welfare state"-an ideal a liberal democracy like America does not strive to uphold. The American attitude for such concerns is usually along the lines of "you have your rights, now work it out for yourself." However, it is crucial to break down the relation between these family-friendly policies and the word "benefits." Progressive policies do not predominantly "benefit" working mothers. Without such policies, women cannot pursue their right to earn a living in the same way a man could. Earning a living is not a "benefit," equal opportunity fo... ...ing Job For Kids." 21 Jan. 2003 http://lexis-nexis.com Coltrane, Scott. Family Man. New York: Oxford UP. (1996). Contemporary Women's Issues. March 2003. Vol. 52, No.2. http://lexis-nexis.com De Pasquale, Lisa. "The PC Workplace." The Washington Times. 27 April 2003. http://lexis-nexis.com English, Holly. "Workplace Issues; When employers deal with 'gender issues,' they need to include men." Legal Times. 10 Nov. 2003. http://lexis-nexis.com Fuss, Diana.. "Inside/Out." Critical Encounters: Reference and Responsibility in Deconstructive Writing. New Brunswick: Rutgers University Press, 1995. 233-240. Hochschild, Arlie. The Second Shift. New York: Rutledge Publishing, Inc. (1995). Gerson, Kathleen and Jacobs, Jerry A. Changing the Structure and Culture of Work. Journal of Women's History. September 2003. Vol. 15, No.3. http://lexis-nexis.com

Child Mental Health Factors Essay

The child mental health factors are comprised of: sensory integration, emotional regulation, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), Oppositional Disorder (ODD) and Autism (Michigan Non Profit Association, 2002, p. 6). The children who have been diagnosed as sensitive or under-reactive to all of its five senses are perceived to be easily distracted and are displaying other challenging behaviors such as impulsiveness and problem of proper transition in between certain events (Nelson, 1999 as cited from Michigan Non Profit Association, 2002, p. 6). Other children are unable to regulate their emotions as such they are more prone to emotional outbursts whenever they are frustrated or is angry with someone (Murphy, Eisenberg and Fabes, 1999, as cited from Michigan Non Profit Association, 2002, p. 6). On the other hand, Attention Deficit Disorder (ADHD) is perceived to be more often present in male children rather than their female counterparts. However, the prevalence of ADHD is hard to recognize because of the usual connotation that children are naturally difficult to deal with most specially during their early stages of development. As such, there is a need to seek the help of psychiatrists and psychologists in order to properly address such a concern (Barreda-Hanson and Kilham, 1997 as cited from Michigan Non Profit Association, 2002, p. 6). The Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD) is often times found in children who manifest high rates of problematic behaviors. Albeit, it should be noted that since difficult behaviors in juxtaposition with hyperactivity are hard to recognize due to its close resemblance to ADHD (Speltz, McClellan and DeKleyen, 1999 as cited from Michigan Non Profit Association, 2002, p. 6). Children with Autism have difficulties communicating with other people. In other cases, some of them could be virtually unaware of other people surrounding them. Autism usually appears during the age of three and has an incidence of 1 every 500 children (National, 1998 as cited from Michigan Non Profit Association, 2002, p. 6).

Life in the Past and Life Now-Comparison.

Life in the past and life now-comparison. Over the last century, there have been many significant changes in the way we live. Obviously, it is hard to compare the life of the ancient people and the life of the people of the twenty first century because so many changes have occurred. However, even the changes that have taken place over the last ten years are amazing. To start with, people were not able to travel such long distances in such short period of time. The planes were not that popular then because they used to be a very expensive means of transport.Nowadays, we have become very mobile. We have fast and comfortable cars and more and more people also travel by plane. Moreover, in the past people had to work much harder as they did not have tools which made their work easier. Today, most of the difficult and dangerous work is done by computers and other machines. In the past the conditions of living were not as comfortable as they are now. There were not bathrooms and running wa ter in many houses, besides many people could not afford household appliances like fridge, TV set or vacuum cleaner because they used to be luxurious goods.Another difference between living now and in the past is the fact that nowadays the access to education is much easier. In the past, there were fewer schools and the quality of the education they provided was much poorer. Besides, nowadays it is much easier to find the educational materials that you need thanks to the Internet. Another difference is that in the past there were not that many sources of entertainment. Therefore people used to spend more time with their friends.All things considering, it is an obvious conclusion that life has changed significantly in the last couple of years. It is definitely much easier now however, it is not easy to decide whether it is also better. The scientific achievements and technological progress are amazing. We still create new inventions which simplify our lives. On the other hand, howeve r, life now is much faster and busier than it used to be in the past. Moreover, it has also become more dangerous. The standard of living has definitely improved but it can be discussed whether the quality of our lives is also better. Life in the Past and Life Now-Comparison. Life in the past and life now-comparison. Over the last century, there have been many significant changes in the way we live. Obviously, it is hard to compare the life of the ancient people and the life of the people of the twenty first century because so many changes have occurred. However, even the changes that have taken place over the last ten years are amazing. To start with, people were not able to travel such long distances in such short period of time. The planes were not that popular then because they used to be a very expensive means of transport.Nowadays, we have become very mobile. We have fast and comfortable cars and more and more people also travel by plane. Moreover, in the past people had to work much harder as they did not have tools which made their work easier. Today, most of the difficult and dangerous work is done by computers and other machines. In the past the conditions of living were not as comfortable as they are now. There were not bathrooms and running wa ter in many houses, besides many people could not afford household appliances like fridge, TV set or vacuum cleaner because they used to be luxurious goods.Another difference between living now and in the past is the fact that nowadays the access to education is much easier. In the past, there were fewer schools and the quality of the education they provided was much poorer. Besides, nowadays it is much easier to find the educational materials that you need thanks to the Internet. Another difference is that in the past there were not that many sources of entertainment. Therefore people used to spend more time with their friends.All things considering, it is an obvious conclusion that life has changed significantly in the last couple of years. It is definitely much easier now however, it is not easy to decide whether it is also better. The scientific achievements and technological progress are amazing. We still create new inventions which simplify our lives. On the other hand, howeve r, life now is much faster and busier than it used to be in the past. Moreover, it has also become more dangerous. The standard of living has definitely improved but it can be discussed whether the quality of our lives is also better.

Major General Romeyn B. Ayres in the Civil War

Major General Romeyn B. Ayres in the Civil War Romeyn Ayres - Early Life Career: Born at East Creek, NY on December 20, 1825, Romeyn Beck Ayres was the son of a doctor.  Educated locally, he obtained an extensive knowledge of Latin from his father who insisted that he study the language relentlessly.  Seeking a military career, Ayres received an appointment to West Point in 1843.  Arriving at the academy, his classmates included  Ambrose Burnside, Henry Heth, John Gibbon, and Ambrose P. Hill.  Despite his grounding in Latin and previous education, Ayres proved an average student at West Point and graduated ranked 22nd of 38 in the Class of 1847.  Made a brevet second lieutenant, he was assigned to the 4th US Artillery.   As the United States was engaged in the Mexican-American War, Ayres joined his unit in Mexico later that year.  Traveling south, Ayres spent the majority of his time in Mexico serving in garrison duty at Puebla and Mexico City.  Returning north after the conflict ended, he moved through a variety of peacetime posts on the frontier before reporting to Fort Monroe for duty at the artillery school in 1859.  Developing a reputation as social and considerate individual, Ayres remained at Fort Monroe into 1861.  With the Confederate attack on Fort Sumter and start of the Civil War that April, he received a promotion to captain and assumed command of a battery in the 5th US Artillery. Romeyn Ayres - Artilleryman: Attached to Brigadier General Daniel Tylers division, Ayres battery took part in the Battle of Blackburns Ford on July 18.  Three days later, his men were present at the First Battle of Bull Run but were initially held in reserve.  As the Union position collapsed, Ayres gunners distinguished themselves in covering the armys retreat.  On October 3, he received an assignment to serve as chief of artillery for Brigadier General William F. Smiths division.  In this role, Ayres traveled south in the spring to take part in Major General George B. McClellans Peninsula Campaign.  Moving up the Peninsula, he participated in the Siege of Yorktown and advance on Richmond.  In late June, as General Robert Lee moved to the offensive, Ayres continued to provide reliable service in resisting Confederate assaults during the Seven Days Battles. That September, Ayres moved north with the Army of the Potomac during the Maryland Campaign.  Arriving at the Battle of Antietam on September 17 as part of VI Corps, he saw little action and remained largely in reserve.  Later that fall, Ayres received a promotion to brigadier general on November 29 and assumed command of all VI Corps artillery.  At the Battle of Fredericksburg the following month, he directed his guns from positions on Stafford Heights as the armys assaults moved forward.  A short time later, Ayres suffered an injury when his horse fell.  While on sick leave, he resolved to leave the artillery as infantry officers received promotions at a faster rate.   Romeyn Ayres - Changing Branches: Asking for a transfer to the infantry, Ayres request was granted and on April 21, 1863 he received command of the 1st Brigade in Major General George Sykes division of V Corps.  Known as the Regular Division, Sykes force was largely composed of regular US Army troops rather than state volunteers.  Ayres took his new command into action on May 1 at the Battle of Chancellorsville.  Initially driving the enemy back, Sykes division was halted by Confederate counterattacks and orders from army command Major General Joseph Hooker.  For the remainder of the battle, it was only lightly engaged.  The following month, the army underwent a rapid reorganization as Hooker was relieved and replaced by V Corps commander Major General George G. Meade.  As part of this, Sykes ascended to corps command while Ayres assumed leadership of the Regular Division. Moving north in pursuit of Lee, Ayres division arrived at the Battle of Gettysburg around midday on July 2.  After a brief rest near Powers Hill, his men were ordered south to reinforce the Union left against an attack by Lieutenant General James Longstreet.  During this time, Sykes detached Brigadier General Stephen H. Weeds brigade to support the defense of Little Round Top while Ayres received a directive to assist Brigadier General John C. Caldwells division near the Wheatfield.  Advancing across the field, Ayres moved into line near Caldwell.  A short time later, the collapse of the Union position in the Peach Orchard to the north compelled Ayres and Caldwells men to fall back as their flank was threatened.  Conducting a fighting retreat, the Regular Division took heavy losses as it move back across the field. Romeyn Ayres - Overland Campaign Later War: Despite having to fall back, Ayres leadership was praised by Sykes following the battle.  After traveling to New York City to aid in suppressing draft riots there later in the month, he led his division during the inconclusive Bristoe and Mine Run Campaigns that fall.  In the spring of 1864 when the Army of the Potomac was reorganized following Lieutenant General Ulysses S. Grants arrival, the number of corps and divisions was reduced.  As a result, Ayres found himself reduced to leading a brigade largely composed of regulars in Brigadier General Charles Griffins V Corps division.  As Grants Overland Campaign began in May, Ayres men were heavily engaged at the Wilderness and saw action at Spotsylvania Court House and Cold Harbor.  Ã‚   On June 6, Ayres received command of V Corps Second Division as the army began making preparations to shift south across the James River.  Leading his men, he took part in the attacks on Petersburg later that month and the resulting siege.  In recognition of Ayres service during the fighting in May-June, he received a brevet promotion to major general on August 1.  As the siege progressed, Ayres played a central role in the Battle of Globe Tavern in late August and operated with V Corps against the Weldon Railroad.  The following spring, his men contributed to the key victory at Five Forks on April 1 which helped force Lee to abandon Petersburg.  In subsequent days, Ayres led his division during the Appomattox Campaign which resulted in Lees surrender on April 9. Romeyn Ayres - Later Life: In the months after the end of the war, Ayres directed a division in the Provisional Corps before assuming command of the District of the Shenandoah Valley.  Departing this post in April 1866, he was mustered out of the volunteer service and reverted to his regular US Army rank of lieutenant colonel.  Over the next decade, Ayres performed garrison duty at various posts through the South before aiding in suppressing railroad strikes in 1877.  Promoted to colonel and made commander of the 2nd US Artillery in 1879, he later was posted at Fort Hamilton, NY.  Ayres died December 4, 1888 at Fort Hamilton and was buried at Arlington National Cemetery.  Ã‚   Selected Sources Gettysburg: Romeyn AyresArlington Cemetery: Romeyn AyresFind a Grave - Romeyn Ayres

Appealing to Tradition Fallacy

Appealing to Tradition Fallacy Fallacy Name: Appeal to AgeAlternative Names:argumentum ad antiquitatemAppeal to TraditionAppeal to CustomAppeal to Common PracticeCategory: Appeals to Emotion and Desire Explanation of the Appeal to Age Fallacy The Appeal to Age fallacy goes in the opposite direction from the Appeal to Novelty fallacy by arguing that when something is old, then this somehow enhances the value or truth of the proposition in question. The Latin for Appeal to Age is argumentum ad antiquitatem, and the most common form is: 1. It is old or long-used, so it must better than this new-fangled stuff. People have a strong tendency towards conservatism; that is to say, people have a tendency to preserve practices and habits which seem to work rather than replace them with new ideas. Sometimes this may be due to laziness, and sometimes it may simply be a matter of efficiency. In general, though, its probably a product of evolutionary success because habits which allowed for survival in the past wont be abandoned too quickly or easily in the present. Sticking with something that works isnt a problem; insisting on a certain way of doing things simply because its traditional or old is a problem and, in a logical argument, it is a fallacy. Examples of the Appeal to Age Fallacy One common use of an Appeal to Age fallacy is when trying to justify something which cant be defended on actual merits, like, for example, discrimination or bigotry: 2. Its standard practice to pay men more than women so well continue adhering to the same standards this company has always followed.3. Dog fighting is a sport thats been around for hundreds if not thousands of years. Our ancestors enjoyed it and it has become part of our heritage.4. My mother always put sage in the turkey stuffing so I do it too. While its true that the practices in question have been around for a long time, no reason for continuing these practices are given; instead, its simply assumed that old, traditional practices should be continued. There isnt even any attempt to explain and defend why these practices existed in the first place, and thats important because it might reveal that the circumstances which originally produced these practices have changed enough to warrant dropping those practices. There are quite a few people out there who are under the mistaken impression that the age of an item, and that alone, is indicative of its value and usefulness. Such an attitude is not entirely without warrant. Just as it is true that a new product can provide new benefits, it is also true that something older may have value because it has worked for a long time. It isnt true that we can assume, without further question, that an old object or practice is valuable simply because it is old. Perhaps it has been used a lot because no one has ever known or tried any better. Perhaps new and better replacements are absent because people have accepted a fallacious Appeal to Age. If there are sound, valid arguments in defense of some traditional practice, then they should be offered, and it should be demonstrated that it is, in fact, superior to newer alternatives. Appeal to Age and Religion Its also easy to find fallacious appeals to age in the context of religion. Indeed, it would probably be hard to find a religion which doesnt use the fallacy at least some of the time because its rare to find a religion which doesnt rely heavily on tradition as part of how it enforces various doctrines. Pope Paul VI wrote in 1976 in Response to the Letter of His Grace the Most Reverend Dr. F.D. Coggan, Archbishop of Canterbury, concerning the Ordination of Women to the Priesthood: 5. [The Catholic Church] holds that it is not admissible to ordain women to the priesthood for very fundamental reasons. These reasons include: the example recorded in the Sacred Scriptures of Christ choosing his Apostles only from among men; the constant practice of the Church, which has imitated Christ in choosing only men; and her living teaching authority which has consistently held that the exclusion of women from the priesthood is in accordance with Gods plan for his Church. Three arguments are offered by Pope Paul VI in defense of keeping women out of the priesthood. The first appeals to the Bible and isnt an Appeal to Age fallacy. The second and third are so explicit as fallacies that they could be cited in textbooks: we should keep doing this because its how the church has constantly done it and because what church authority has consistently decreed. Put more formally, his argument is: Premise 1: The constant practice of the Church has been to choose only men as priests.Premise 2: The teaching authority of the Church has consistently held that women should be excluded from the priesthood.Conclusion: Therefore, it is not admissible to ordain women to the priesthood. The argument may not use the words age or tradition, but the use of constant practice and consistently create the same fallacy.

Audit planning Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Audit planning - Essay Example Audit Planning always required smooth and successful transition schedule and it must be carefully analysed.We will complete this audit in several simple stages; buy using these stages our aim will be to better monitor the audit process and provide recommendations for its improvement. Our key steps will be: 1. Establishing priority areas: Here we will identify the critical business processes that need to be audited, such as; bad debts, issue of pre paid expenses and payments owes by other businesses, and expenses that are occurred due to cancelling the balance of invoices not received in previous years. Here we will collect all the data required for audit and the costs involved doing this audit in such areas. Here our objective is to find how we can better control the costs and minimize the debts. 2. Monitoring and Continuous Audit Rules Here we will consider all the accounting and internal rules adapted by the company and how these rules applied to each area and are company following these rules and making sure none of them are being violated. Like which ISA is applied to the auditing area. 3. Configuring Audit Parameters Here auditor will consider several parameters like the cost benefits of error detection and these parameters can be audit and management follow-up activities, etc. Here auditors can perform stratification of audited data and divide them into sub-groups; this will allow them to monitor the activity far better. 4. Following Up Follow up is another parameter but its more focused it will allow us to look into errors and risks more deeply and will set the alarms and the data which is purely educational where no other source present than it will benefit the auditor to establish grounds and there is no source available for evaluation. 5. Communicating Results Now, it is time to discuss the results and outcomes with the concern persons or person. Make sure you present your data in easy to understand and friendly manner, support it with pictures and ch arts. Like in our scenario we will present the data to senior auditor and help them in the whole process. Requirement: Determine both areas of risk and areas of control (justify and explain. Identify weakness and potential risks) In modern world risks and weaknesses study is very essential for businesses and in almost every area of business. (Weiss, 2010) The one of the major weakness is that company has not owned any place they are working at a place which is taken from council and they are on lease. This can be a great threat as well if council asked them to release the place on short notice. Company’s expenses are very high and increased significantly as compare to last year. One other weakness is that company balance is very high and company work on credit and their bad debts are very high. Many receivables are cancelled too. The one of the major issues are that health department fines are also high. One of the major threats is that council can cancel the lease since high amounts of lease are not paid and due, health department fines are very high and mat be one reason council can cancel their permit. Requirement: Apply analytical procedures in order to compare accounts with most significant variations between periods (justify and explain why you consider having potential inherent risk) Analytical technique is always needed when auditor is measuring significant variations (Rittenberg, Johnstone and Gramling, 2009). In the year 2009 the balance for current assets were 6,819,248.36 where this were reduced to 6,135,435.45 almost the variance of -683,812.91 or almost decreased to -10.03. The assets decreased almost 10% which is very risky for the4 production and output of the company may affect, if it will continue in future too. In current assets similarly the raw material’s balance as compare to last year reduced and most affected area was receivables which is most risky because it will directly affect the liquidity and

The Rise of Christianity Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

The Rise of Christianity - Essay Example Consequently, major rivalry occurred and still occurs due to division of various groups within the Christian religion. First century marked the beginning of Christianity mainly practiced by Jews. Christianity then spread to other areas of east and west. In Africa, Christianity spread due to missionary work and culminated to substitution of various African cultures and beliefs. During the transition age majority of Europe was under Christianity. Those who believe in Jesus are said to have internal peace and inheritor of another immortal life. Jesus performed various miracles before death and documentation exists in the bible. Additionally, following the commandments guarantees one access to eternal life (King James Bible Web). Consequently, reflection in the history of Christianity plays significant role in understanding development and growth of Christianity. This paper seeks to describe the rise of Christianity. Firstly, several stages and events characterize the rise of Christianit y. The most important thing that happened for the rise of Christianity to take place was the fall of Roman Empire (Caesars) that had established authoritarian regime in ancient period. Secondly, Jews played a central and important in the meaning of early Christianity. Thirdly, the coming of Christ for humankind was also significant followed by results of various teaching of the time. These teachings have the same effects to today’s society. Ancient Rome was characterized by authoritative rule of Caesar Augustus (Nardo 42-51). At the same time, transformations were taking place in Judea province. Additionally, Alexander the great was a great ruler who managed to overthrow Roman rule in Great Palestine and placed it under the watch of Ptolemy followed by Seleucids. Moreover, Jews returned from Babylon in 538 B.C with Moses rules and teaching as part of their belief systems. Torah was important in their religious practices based on the commands given to Moses by God. During this reign the Temple was a holy place that was accorded due respect. High priests were accorded maximum respect, as they had a special place in society assisted by Sanhedrin. Sanhedrin was important in implementation of Torah as laid down by Moses. Later, synagogue replaced the temple and was dominant as practiced by Judaism. However, temple was also a place of worship for Jews who were far away from Palestine. Moreover, Hebrews was translated into Greek to take care of Jews outside Palestine who practiced Greek as their language. Greek contributed to serious division in Judea but Greek prevailed due to support from pro-Greek Sadducees. King Seleucid declaration that temple be devoted to Zeus led to uprising by Jews who saw this as disrespect of temple. In 142 BC, Jews won this battle and were granted freedom (Nardo 45-59). The next rule after Judah was corrupt and this led to civil strife and war. However, Romans intervened and Palestine fell under stewardship of Roman. Herod was appo inted as Judea King and transformed the infrastructure. Pontius Pilate took over after Herod’s death. Most Jews hinged their hope on Jesus as a political messiah while others gave up and thought of Jesus as a spiritual leader. A section of Jews was impatient and advocated for revolution to get rid of foreigners and this resulted in a protracted battle with the Romans. Zealots killed large group of Romans in AD 66. At

What is the relationship between personality traits and emplyee Essay

What is the relationship between personality traits and emplyee performanceHow do personality traits translate into individula's professional careers - Essay Example Moreover, the interrelationship between employee performance, personality traits and professional careers is further intertwined with various organisational theory models, which will be considered contextually. The learning organisation is an evolving notion which has become increasingly incorporated into the modern company and multinational philosophy. In its simplest form, Richard Karash propounds the ideology underlying the learning organisation: â€Å"A learning organisation is one which people at all levels, individuals and collectively are continually increasing their capacity to produce results they really care about† (Karash, R. 1995). The ideological underlying principle behind the learning organisation is that it produces a flexible workforce with a shared vision, which in turn ensures internal stability within an organisation. Mike Wills defines the learning organisation as a â€Å"group of people who work together† (Wills, M. 1998). He further defines it as a â€Å"company, corporation, firm, enterprise or institution, or part thereof, whether incorporated or not, public or private, that has its own functions and administration. For organisations with more than one operating unit, a single operating unity may be defined as an organisation† (1998). Pedler, Burgoyne and Boydell define the learning organisation as â€Å"an organisation that facilitates the learning of all its members and continuously transforms itself to achieve superior competitive performance† (1991). The concept traces its origins to the early writings on management trends in the 1930s and Schumpeter’s creative destruction theory (Pedler, Burgoyne & Boydell, 1991). This was further developed by neo-human writers such as Chris Argyris with his proposition of the â€Å"double-loop learning†, which reacted to the studies of corporate excellence undertaken by Peters and Waterman, identifying organisational behavioural

Political objectives of the principal participants of the 1991 gulf Essay

Political objectives of the principal participants of the 1991 gulf war - Essay Example Iraq was the largest victim as it pertained to achievement of its own objectives, including sanctions which led to significant economic problems in the country, citizen poverty and starvation, and virtually complete isolation from the international community. Kuwait achieved socio-political stability by driving out the massive population of Palestinians in a nation where there has been significant tensions and mistrust between domestic citizens, government and the Palestinians. This essay identifies all victories and detriments to fulfilment of principal partner political objectives as a consequence of the 1991 Gulf War. The 1991 Gulf War encompassed a six week confrontation against Iraq by US-led coalition forces as a response to Iraq’s annexation of Kuwait. In 1990, Iraq invaded Kuwait which brought rapid condemnation stemming from many member countries of the United Nations who feared that growing economic strength of Iraq would destabilise the balance of power in the Middle East. In total, 34 different nations from around the world joined the joint military operations of the Gulf War or provided economic support for defeating Iraq’s objectives. The United Nations was growing substantially concerned that a Kuwaiti-controlling Iraq which was now threatening and antagonizing Saudi Arabia, a nation with significant geopolitical importance for its international oil supply, would give Saddam Hussein control over nearly all oil reserves in the region. Kuwait represented a strategic environment by which Iraq’s Hussein could strike against Saudi oil fields, which would threaten oil procurement and pricing throughout the developed world. Between 1980 and 1988, one of the longest wars of the 20th Century, Iraq had been at war with Iran which was motivated by border-related disputes. Saudi Arabia, which feared a growing hegemony within Iran, had loaned approximately $26 billion USD to Iraq in an effort to prevent the Shia in Iran from

Consultancy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Consultancy - Essay Example With the help of this assessment practice, it was identified that knowledge of current recruitment practices in different industries along with know-how of different jobs roles and organization models is necessary. On the other hand, compensation and benefit consultancy requires knowledge of taxation and payroll management along with prevailing market norms for development of market competitive package is necessary. Other than these roles of HR, OD consultancy is also an interesting field. Organizational development is an uncertain process that progresses on trial and testing. Therefore, strategic thinking along with leadership, intrapersonal, interpersonal and problem diagnosis skills, are necessary for this role. It is important that prior to working on the professional assignments, theoretical insight and practical exposure has been acquired through necessary trainings, apprenticeships and assisting seasoned professionals. Consulting Capability Framework In order to analyze the sk ills set required for this part of portfolio submission, I would like to pursue my career as HR consultant with core emphasis on compensation and benefits, recruitment and organization development. ... Some of the core yet common capabilities include exceptional communication skills, strategic thinking, team work attitude and effective time management (Ball, 1989; 1996; Roebuck, 1998). However, further emphasis on individual roles assists in identifying individual requirements of these roles. For recruitment consultancy, it is important that a consultant is aware of different requirement of in-house hiring and personnel management, outsourcing and executive search. Out of these executive search is the most rewarding and sophisticated role since a consultant needs to be aware of client as well as candidate’s needs and they are expected to find a match that is not only job-fit but is an organization-fit as well (Schoyen and Rasmussen, 1999; DuPreez, 2010). Due to extension of such roles globally, it is further important that a recruiter has to have an insight of cultural competence i.e. candidate’s values needs to match with organizational culture (Compton, Nankervis, a nd Morrissey, 2009). Furthermore, thorough knowledge of the role for which recruitment is being performed is also important. Most of the HR consulting firms performing executive search have separate domains for every sector such as banking, FMCG, logistics, services etc and also for different fields such as supply chain, mechanical, HR, finance etc. In addition to the role of recruitment or executive search consultant, a role of compensation and benefits consultant also has certain requirements in terms of skills. These key skills include relevant education in business and finance along with industry knowledge. Cultural sensitivity and global mobility policies are another criteria required to be fulfilled.

Human Resource Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 1

Human Resource Management - Essay Example This helps in the HR planning processes that entail incorporation of reward systems and increase of responsibilities for workers. Furthermore, the termination of services of workers also falls under the HRM department is expected to use proper channels that are fair and transparent to uphold integrity. This also includes the guiding reasons for terminating the services of an employee through effective tribunals that follow tenets of justice and equality. There are several differences between personnel management and Human Resource Management in every organization such Coca Cola Company. For example, in terms of nature relations, HRM deals with unitarist view while personnel manager leans with pluralist view. Therefore, in terms of a unitarist perspective, the HRM coordinates with the management and staff through a common vision for the establishment of a mission for the attainment of business goals. Additionally, the vision targets the achievement of mutual interest whereby the needs of corporations are met by employers and employees (Yeandle 2003, p. 123). However, with personnel management, there is a centralization of power whereby all powers are held by the top management. Therefore, this influences decision-making where all suggestions rest on the management excluding the personnel manager. Alternatively, there is a difference in leadership and management responsibilities between HRM and personnel manager. For example, while leadership style is the emphasis in personal management, in HRM it is transformational. Another difference is the contract of employment whereby there is a clear written employee contract in personnel management while HRM emphasize on one-time-long contract (DuBrin 2008, p.167). This means that there is less rigidity in the terms and conditions for employees. In other words, there is flexibility in terms of approach to the contribution of knowledge and skills for the organization. Therefore, there are numerous HRM related roles and res ponsibilities of line manager

Political objectives of the principal participants of the 1991 gulf Essay

Political objectives of the principal participants of the 1991 gulf war - Essay Example Iraq was the largest victim as it pertained to achievement of its own objectives, including sanctions which led to significant economic problems in the country, citizen poverty and starvation, and virtually complete isolation from the international community. Kuwait achieved socio-political stability by driving out the massive population of Palestinians in a nation where there has been significant tensions and mistrust between domestic citizens, government and the Palestinians. This essay identifies all victories and detriments to fulfilment of principal partner political objectives as a consequence of the 1991 Gulf War. The 1991 Gulf War encompassed a six week confrontation against Iraq by US-led coalition forces as a response to Iraq’s annexation of Kuwait. In 1990, Iraq invaded Kuwait which brought rapid condemnation stemming from many member countries of the United Nations who feared that growing economic strength of Iraq would destabilise the balance of power in the Middle East. In total, 34 different nations from around the world joined the joint military operations of the Gulf War or provided economic support for defeating Iraq’s objectives. The United Nations was growing substantially concerned that a Kuwaiti-controlling Iraq which was now threatening and antagonizing Saudi Arabia, a nation with significant geopolitical importance for its international oil supply, would give Saddam Hussein control over nearly all oil reserves in the region. Kuwait represented a strategic environment by which Iraq’s Hussein could strike against Saudi oil fields, which would threaten oil procurement and pricing throughout the developed world. Between 1980 and 1988, one of the longest wars of the 20th Century, Iraq had been at war with Iran which was motivated by border-related disputes. Saudi Arabia, which feared a growing hegemony within Iran, had loaned approximately $26 billion USD to Iraq in an effort to prevent the Shia in Iran from

Human Resource Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 1

Human Resource Management - Essay Example This helps in the HR planning processes that entail incorporation of reward systems and increase of responsibilities for workers. Furthermore, the termination of services of workers also falls under the HRM department is expected to use proper channels that are fair and transparent to uphold integrity. This also includes the guiding reasons for terminating the services of an employee through effective tribunals that follow tenets of justice and equality. There are several differences between personnel management and Human Resource Management in every organization such Coca Cola Company. For example, in terms of nature relations, HRM deals with unitarist view while personnel manager leans with pluralist view. Therefore, in terms of a unitarist perspective, the HRM coordinates with the management and staff through a common vision for the establishment of a mission for the attainment of business goals. Additionally, the vision targets the achievement of mutual interest whereby the needs of corporations are met by employers and employees (Yeandle 2003, p. 123). However, with personnel management, there is a centralization of power whereby all powers are held by the top management. Therefore, this influences decision-making where all suggestions rest on the management excluding the personnel manager. Alternatively, there is a difference in leadership and management responsibilities between HRM and personnel manager. For example, while leadership style is the emphasis in personal management, in HRM it is transformational. Another difference is the contract of employment whereby there is a clear written employee contract in personnel management while HRM emphasize on one-time-long contract (DuBrin 2008, p.167). This means that there is less rigidity in the terms and conditions for employees. In other words, there is flexibility in terms of approach to the contribution of knowledge and skills for the organization. Therefore, there are numerous HRM related roles and res ponsibilities of line manager

Coffee and Starbucks Essay Example for Free

Coffee and Starbucks Essay Abstract Starbucks opened its first location in Seattles Pike Place Market in 1971. Now Chairman Howard Schultz joined Starbucks in 1982 as Director of Marketing. Schultz visited Italy and noticed the popularity of espresso bars there. He thought this would be a great idea in the Seattle area and convinced Starbucks to open a coffee shop in downtown. Schultz founded his own coffee company and acquired Starbucks name and assets from its founders in 1987. The company had just 17 stores but would soon grow quickly and went public in 1992. Starbucks popularity soared as it opened coffee shops within Barnes and Noble bookstores. It also provided coffee for United Airlines and shops in Starwood hotels. The companys focus on quality and commitment to social causes and the community have made it one of the worlds most admired businesses. Starbucks made the cutting-edge step of having its second Corporate Social Responsibility Annual Report verified by an outside auditor, so readers can be assured the facts and figures it presents are accurate. One of the revealing statistics in the report is that Starbucks purchased 74 percent of its green coffee at outright negotiated prices, independent of depressed commodity prices in 2002, up from just 12 percent in 2001. Starbucks also paid an average of $1. 20 per pound at a time when coffee was trading on the commodity market for $. 40 to $. 50 per pound. The end result: higher income for farmers, which translates to a better quality of life for farmers. Introduction: Starbucks began 36 years ago as a single store in Seattles Pikes Place Market, and today is the worlds leading retailer, roaster and brand of specialty coffee. The company has experienced extraordinary growth: its number of stores has more than doubled in the past ten years, with close to 6,000 coffeehouses in over 27 international markets. More than 19 million customers visit a Starbucks coffeehouse each week. When Starbucks considered its ambitious expansion plans for Europe, the Middle East and Africa, executives knew that the location they chose for their new roasting plant and support centre would be critical to their success. In fact, the decision was so important that the company spent close to three years looking at various sites across Europe and the International market. Main discussion: 1. Starbucks product’s competitive priorities As we know the competitive priorities is operating advantages that a firm’s processes must possess to outperform its competitors. In this part, we are going to define each possible competitive priorities of Starbucks for operation process as cost, quality, time and flexibility †¢Cost: Market indicators show a potential trouble for the entire coffee industry as a whole, namely the rising cost of coffee beans and farmer’s tendency to switch to other profitable crops. First, rising cost means lower profit margins. Second, the fact that farmers are switching to more lucrative crops such as vegetables, fruits, and even illegal crops foreshadows the scarce supply of coffee beans. Hopefully Starbucks’ competitive prices for its coffee subcontractors are lucrative enough to retain and deter its suppliers away from abandoning the coffee production. Economic trends should not influence. Starbucks pricing strategy greatly, because gourmet coffee, or any other coffee, is measured on quality and availability, and not so much on price. Furthermore, in times of economic downturn, the business is actually performing better, since people are fixated on the idea that if we cannot afford something as grandeur as a new car, then at least we would treat ourselves to a nice cup of coffee. Hence, economic trends should not greatly influence the performance of coffee sales. †¢Quality -high performance design for quality control, Starbucks has a specialized process for roasting the perfect coffee bean. It is implemented with the roaster determining by sight, smell, hearing, and computer, if the beans are perfectly done. Additionally, the colour of the beans is tested in an Agtron blood-cell analyzer. If the sample is deemed imperfect in any of these processes, the whole batch is discarded. Starbucks’ departmental systems are organized into functional and production divisions such as Supply Chain Operations, Human Resources, Accounting, etc Starbucks employs approximately 15,000 individuals to operate its retail stores and regional offices, and 1,600 individuals to work on administrative, sales, real estate, direct response, roasting, and warehousing operations. -consistent quality: measurement of quality products and services that keep customer’s retention. Its competitive strategy is to rapidly expand to a market and dominate it completely before moving on. In the process, it hopes that these rapid expansions would create a higher barrier to entry, discourage competitors from expanding, and eventually acquires weak competitors who wants to exit. †¢Time: three competitive priorities deal with time fast delivery time, on-time delivery and development speed. -fast delivery time: starbucks saves costumers’ time by offering self-service to the costumers. -On-time, delivery by processing orders in efficient time, which guarantees no costumer delay on service. -development speed starbucks’ consumers have tried its product, but not through advertisement, but through promotions such as gifts introducing new products to the market. †¢Flexibility: the customization of starbucks has the ability to satisfy the unique needs of costumers by changing products and services designs. Starbucks volume flexibility is accelerating the rate of production quickly to handle large fluctuation in demand because of the unique service to the costumers. 2. Starbucks critical analysis, services and manufacturing strategies In order to identify the critical analysis of the company services and manufacturing strategies we will start analysing the corporate strategy as it follows: †¢Goals The Companys goal is to establish Starbucks as the most recognized and respected brand in the world. To achieve this goal, the Company plans to continue to rapidly expand its retail operations, grow its specialty sales and other operations, and selectively pursue opportunities to leverage the Starbucks brand through the introduction of new products and the development of new distribution channels. , as well as: -Provide a great work environment and treat each other with respect and dignity. Embrace diversity as an essential component in the way we do business. Apply the highest standards to the purchasing, roasting and fresh delivery of our coffee. Develop enthusiastically satisfied customers all of the time. Contribute positively to our communities and our environment. Recognize that profitability is essential to our future success. †¢Core competencies: starbucks considers the unique resources and strengths when formulating strategy as workforce, facilities, market and financial, and system and technology as they follow: †¢ Culture and employees who support values and missions of the organization, who have a stake in the performance of the company. ? Market domination in the U. S, allowing economies of scale, creating high barrier to entry, and impeding competitors’ growth incentive. ? Sufficient return on equity, which means proper management of company’s resources †¢Low supplier’s and customer’s power, and low influence from economic trends †¢Quality product and customer service, established brand name Environmental responses ?Economics Trends – Market indicators shows a potential trouble for the entire coffee industry as a whole, namely the rising cost of coffee beans and farmer’s tendency to switch to other profitable crops. First, rising.

Gender inequality from a socological point of view

Gender inequality from a socological point of view In this essay I will discuss how gender inequality has been explained. In doing so I will explore three board approaches on gender differences and inequality. Which I will compare and contract with functionalist approach; who believe that gender roles fit the needs of the social system, and Feminist explanation; who argue women are unequal to men. First I will introduce the biological basis on behavioural difference between men and woman, supported by theorist Tiger and Fox (1972), Functionalist John Bowlby (1953), Jean Elshtain (1987). Next I will draw attention to theories placing central importance on socialisation and the learning of gender roles by looking at the works of Liberal Feminist Sue Sharp (1994) and Ann Oakley (1972). However while these theoretical approaches seek to explain the persistence of gender inequalities this essay will then go on to compare two opposing views, that of Functionalist and Marxist Feminist, in order to allow for greater depth in the analysis of these positions. I will do this by considering arguments made by functionalist theorist Talcott Parsons; forms of complementary roles (1942) and Murdock (1949) and furthermore Marxist theorist Friedrich Engels; ideas on capitalism (1902). Finally taking everything into account I will go on to critically assess the attempt of Radical Feminist to overcome gender inequality, where I will argue that radical feminist efforts to defeat gender inequalities has been less victorious then Liberal feminist, however there extreme views hold strong arguments on issues such as domestic violence. Sex can be seen as ambiguous term, which refers to the biological distinction between females and males (Macionis, Plummer, 2008:367). Many sociologists, who adopt the biological approach, propose that the functions of the brain and hormones to chromosomes are responsible for natural differences in behaviour between men and woman. They argue that men demonstrate biological based tendencies towards aggression that woman lack. This approach has been supported by theorist Tiger and Fox (1972), who agree that the natural selection has encouraged hormonal differences, which can explain gender differences such as senses, behaviour and emotions; they further claim that nature intended mothers and children to stay together. In contrast, this argument supports functionalist views on maternal deprivation as suggested by John Bowlby (1953) who wrote a psychological account of the ill effects of maternal deprivation on children. However feminist have argued that this has been misrepresented as a n ideological argument to keep women at home. In addition many researchers remain unconvinced by the biological approach, such as theorist Elshtain (1987) who suggested that the level of aggression varies for woman in different cultures, therefore the biological approach fails to take cultural factors to account. Furthermore critics point out that this theory is grounded upon data, animal behaviour rather than anthropological and historical data (Giddens, 2009:613). Gender refers to the social aspects of differences and hierarchies between male and females (Macionis, Plummer, 2008:367). Unlike the biological approach, many sociologists argue that there is nothing natural about gender inequality; rather it is socially constructed through socialisation of learning of gender roles. Liberal Feminist Anne Oakley (1972) claimed that gender roles are learnt through social agencies such as family; where manipulation and canalisation takes place, school; where boys are encouraged to take on sports, and the media; where women are portrayed as housewives in adverts for cleaning products. Ultimately children gradually internalize social norms and values that are expected from them which correspond with their sex. Consequently norms and values are culturally produced along with ideals of masculinity, femininity, which ultimately has led to the sexual division of labour. Oakley has disputed that the process of socialisation of gender roles is guided by manipu lation, for example in the home, boys and girls are encouraged to play with gender specific toys. The patriarchal ideology that is through claims that women are more suited to caring roles because of their maternal instinct supports functionalist views. Functionalists have used this ideology to argue that social agencies contribute to maintain social order by overseeing the smooth gender socialisation of new generations. However this has been sharply criticised by feminist who argue that this theory ignores the ability if individuals to reject certain norms and values projected by society. Theorist Connell (1987) stressed that empirical evidence on gender inequality is not simply a shapeless heap of data, but reveals the basis of an organised field of human practice and social relations through which woman are kept in subordinate positions to men (Connell, 1987). On a more optimistic note Connell suggested how females are seeking for change, for example school girls are taking interest in competitive sports, calling their own shots, which suggest gender inequality exploited within the family and state is being challenged, the means that have traditionally supported mens power is being weakened. However Despite the changes in society and the economy, such as the Thatcher era, which represented new female role models in power, did not seem to have had much impact on the girls attitudes as the study Just Like A Girl by Sue Sharp (1994) concluded, that girls still expected to undertake womens work, such as health work, teaching. Nevertheless the study did present some chan ge, such as greater stress on equality with men, which came with a sense of assertiveness and confidence. There was a greater importance of having a job, being able to support themselves, especially in the event of a divorce. Nonetheless the girls in Sharps findings indicated that the girls look forward to a future in which they are likely to end up juggling work and domestic life like their mothers before them. (Sharp, 1994). Functionalist see each aspect of society as interdependent and contributes to societys functioning as a whole, held together by social consensus, which produces order, stability, and productivity. Their sociological interest in gender is relatively recent, there theory proposes that gender differences contribute to social stability and integration and assume they fit the needs of individuals, the family and the social system. In contrast with the roles influenced by biology and learning of gender roles, through socialisation emphasise that the womans primary responsibility is the home. Anthropologist Murdock cross culture study (1949) emphasised the significance of motherhood and concluded that the mothers role and the family are universal, where womans main concern should be at the home, whereas mens main work should be outside the home. Furthermore a leading functionalist Parsons (1956) emphasised the important functions of the family, mainly as regards the stabilisation socialisat ion of children. The female taking on the expressive role providing care and security to children and offering them emotional support compared with the instrumental male role, where man take on the role of the bread winner in the family, these roles are seen as complementary which Parson believed helped integrate society. However the functionalist perspective neglects the inequalities in the distribution of labour and power, with the consequential exploitation of women in work and at home. Therefore theorist Oakley argued against Murdocks secondary data, by refuting his claim, that gender roles were universal, though she accepted that sexuality, reproduction and maternal care are influenced by biology. It can be heavily argued that the functionalist approach on gender neglect the negative functions of an event such as divorce. The fact that the approach justifies the status quo and complacency on the part of societys members, critics therefore have argued; even when such social change may benefit society functionalist fail to encourage people to take an active role in changing their social environment. Instead, functionalism sees active social change as a threat to society because the various parts of society will reimburse naturally for any problems that may occur. Unlike functionalist, the Marxist feminist approach does not focus on the positive aspects of society that contribute to its stability, but takes on a conflict perspective, which is inspired by Karl Marxs writings on class struggles. There approach draws main focus on the conflicted and changing nature of society. Whereas functionalists continue to avoid social change, however Marxist theorists challenge the status quo and encourage social change even when this means social revolution. Marxist feminist strongly believes gender inequality is down to capitalism, rich and powerful people who force social order on the poor and the weak. Engels (1902) noted that capitalism intensifies male domination, first capitalist create more wealth, which confers greater power on men as wage earners, expanding capitalist economy depends on defining people especially woman as customers and consumers and convincing them that personal fulfilment derives from owning and using products. (Macionis, Plummer , 2008:382), according to Engels this allowed men to work while society assigned woman the task of maintaining the home. The double exploitation of capitalism as Engels saw it paying low wages to male labour, and no wages to for female wok. (Macionis, Plummer, 2008:367). Marxist further suggests companies only employ woman when they really need them, making them more disposable, therefore they argue that women are a reserve army of labour. However critics see their theory as underestimating the particular shortcomings of women, and fail to explain gender inequality in socialist societies. More so, many argue that its overly negative view of society, ultimately attributes the efforts of positive aspects of society such as humanitarian, democracy, civil rights. There theory of reverse army of labour, critics argue it fails to explain why there are womens jobs and mens jobs. It is seems to overlook the fact that patriarchy can be influential by itself. The Marxist feminists seem to imply that once capitalism is abolished; gender inequality will disappear, which might not actually be the case. (Weineck, 2007). Many movements have been successful in their attempts of overcoming gender inequality however some have not been as victorious, yet hold strong arguments such as the Radical Feminist. They have sought to tackle gender inequality by extreme protesting of patriarchy, as they believe that men are responsible for the inequality of woman. Early Radical feminist Firestone (1971) argues that men control womans roles in reproduction and childrearing. Because women are biologically able to give birth to children, they become depended materially on men for protection and livelihood. (Giddens, 2009:617). She further suggests this biological inequality is socially organized in the nuclear family. Radical feminist have brought to light key arguments, such as free domestic labour, where men exploit woman by replying on the free labour woman provide in the home. Unlike Radical feminist, liberal feminist have conquered more in overcoming gender inequality. Liberal Feminist are moderate in their methods and aims, who seek to better womans rights through political and legal reform, they have gone on to achieve legislation such as the Equal Pay Act (1970) and the Sex Discrimination Act (1975). Though Radical feminist are seen to pursue a revolutionary agenda, however like liberal feminist, they stress practical political strategies. Nevertheless in contrast to liberal feminist frameworks, radical feminist is inclined to be suspicious of government intervention, perceiving the state itself as being intrinsically patriarchal, and also tends to focus on the politics of the private sphere, in particular sexuality, motherhood and bodies. (Beasley,1999:55). However Radical feminist have more in common with Marxist on terms of acknowledging that social life is embodied but as will shortly become evident, the inclination of the latter feminist approach is frequently to limit interest in embodiment to the laboring body of the paid. (Beasley, 1999:55). However they have criticized Marxist feminist on their view on capitalism, claiming that abolishing capitalism would not end patriarchy. Despite the fact that is can be heavily argued that radical feminist efforts have been less successful then liberal feminist, it is important to acknowledge their efforts of making society aware of the severity of domestic violence. There argument holds much relevance in todays society, as statistics show that woman as having a high rate of victimization, 1 in 4 women will be a victim of domestic violence in their lifetime. (Oxfam, 2011). The womans aid site stated that Between 10 and 69 per cent of women report abuse by their intimate partner in every country where reliable data exist. (Womans Aid, 2011). The efforts of radical feminist in overcoming this inequality has been successful in terms of providing shelters for abused woman, which did not exist in the 1970s. Furthermore there are now laws mandating the reporting of domestic violence of domestic due to the efforts made by the radical feminist. In conclusion, all the theories I have touched upon provide a variations of explanations on gender inequality, therefore it is clear to say there approaches are not cut from the same cloth. I feel the most convincing explanations are the aspects of socialisation of learning gender roles. I think this is important, as people sometimes without even realising it socialise boys and girls differently from an early age. The functionalist view on gender, I feel is outdated to some extent as social change is constantly taking place however it is important to look at all the argument made when exploring gender inequality. Though many feminist groups share conflicting views with one another such as radical feminist, liberal feminist and Marxist feminist, however it is important to appreciate their central aim of striving to help woman have the same equality as men.