First Week Reflection

Amazing and Pretty Traveling is always interesting. As we move from one place to another for recreation, to visit different places, to see the beauty, to watch out the modern world. We usually take a great experience having a Joyful travel in new places which we had never seen before. We anticipate so much wow to the place where we are going somewhere to visit. I was so much dreaming about the United States to go.And when I got a chance to go for ICE in United States, I started wondering how beautiful would be the place and university nature. Generally, I had a experienced on my past to leave home and arrive at the university. I found the difference in my expectations and the observations as soon as I attend this university. I got to know that there are also some smaller and beautiful cities in this country. After residing in this city, I made and cooperate with many friends from different nations with different races, religion, ethnics and so on.But I found no difference in them. I Just gained an excessive and desirable experience to talk with them. Not only this, I felt that I'm getting the most advanced education in an affordable cost than any other institutions in whole United States. I am feeling so much excitement to meet new friends, new lecturers and others. The another thing is that I m having a new food that differ from my previous food. I feel uneasy with them and I think that it will be as used to slowly.It was quite interesting to taste a new one before but not as a whole. However, I'm experiencing a DOD time at ECHO. I am enjoying most of the things beside some difficulties. Whenever I have problems, I suddenly ask my lecturers n if possible meet to my advisor. But every difficulties is the way of life and showing the right path to earn a meaningful livelihood as I think. Hoping all as the essentials of my life that I encountered, it seems normal Upton now, so amazing so pretty at ECHO.

Human Resources

Q. 1 Write down the difference between Personnel management and Human Resource management. Ans. Distinction between Personnel management & Human Resources management The history of Human Resources management traces its roots to the erstwhile Personnel management that was prevalent in the companies of a few decades ago. Though the two terms ‘Personnel Management’ and ‘Human Resources Management’ are interchangeably used by most of the authors, there are key differentiators that make Personnel Management (PM) different from Human Resources Management (HRM). HRM is clearly based on the foundation of behavioural science knowledge relating to the handling of employees to motivate organizational goals. The focus is more proactive approach and pays attention to employee satisfaction and delight. Business goals and objectives and the strategies that will enable this to happen are the foundation for HRM. The basic philosophy is driven by the Theory Y approach where the belief is that people like to work and do not prefer t be supervised and made to perform. The employee becomes a champion for the organization and its product/service. PM is that management style that deals with the control and reactive problem solving approach to resolve employee issues in a organizations. The philosophy for the PM approach relied on the Theory X approach that believed that people do not naturally like to work and need to be coerced to work and often need to be driven to work. Is more the ‘stick’ approach rather than ‘carrot’ approach. Rigid rules of do’s and dont’s exist and these provide the framework for employee’s behaviour at the workplace. Employee welfare and formal grievance systems play a significant role here and thereby managing industrial relations with high amount of trade union activity are highlighted. Very few organizations today practice this style to people management, as the benefits and the long term gains from a HRM approach, impact business results far more. HRM emphasizes on training, as an important area of people management, which covers the following aspects: 1. Increasing productivity 2. Improving quality 3. Improving organizational climate 4. Ensuring personnel growth etc. Q. Write a note on scope of HR in India. Ans. Scope of HR in India Contrary to these forces, in India the owner manager/government/public sector manager was an industry icon and a national hero of sorts. The Personnel Management practices were dominant of the ‘brick-and-motor’ industry. Though the approach was largely welfare oriented and reactive in nature it served effectively for the large PSU organizations that built the country’s foundation. Its only in the past 10-12 years with the immense growth on account of the IT industry that winds of change began to blow. It was largely the advent of the Information Technology era in India that brought with it the western management practices. MNC’s (multinational companies) started up their operations in India. The FDI (foreign direct investment) went up steeply as the world saw the potential in the country’s human resources. India became a preferred location for MNC’s primarily from the USA, followed by other developed countries. The gave birth to a new generation of management as well as HRM practices. New hiring methods, new ways of paying salaries, new employment terms and most importantly increased focus on individual performance and outcomes. There was emphasis on deliverables and linking individual and team performance to business results and success. Given the highly educated workforce there was a de-emphasis in the role of the trade unions. The era of the trade union dominance gave way to the new order of individual negotiated salaries and terms and clearly performance linked assessment systems. Another transformation that the Indian workplace witnessed was the focus on ethics and ethical practices in doing business. It was only fair to expect that with the weak legal system, it needed the support of the government policies and the corporate policies to beat the corruption that existed. This has significantly contributed to India emerging as a preferred destination for doing business. All of this has yielded to give way to the birth of the ‘professional manager’ Professional managers today are a critical and essential part of the Indian corporate. The professional manager brought about a shift in the culture from a highly authoritarian approach of getting work done, to a more collaborative and participative approach. The entrepreneurs who earlier operated in a secure, sheltered market and hardly face challenges, were challenged by the globalization that swept in with the liberalization policies and measure brought in by the Indian government late 1995 and onwards. Despite the challenges, the Indian employee and his manager evolved. Together they stepped up to face the challenge head-on and to win not only in India but also globally. The levers of (a) low cost, (b) highly skilled, and (c) English as the medium of education and it being the corporate-language: were the key drivers that enabled the flow of global business to India. There was exponential growth in employment both directly (jobs in the international and domestic companies) as well as indirectly (as support industries like transport, catering and ancillary industries). The simultaneous investment of the government in building the necessary infrastructure did its share of providing impetus towards creating more jobs for the people of the country. Hence, human relations movement in India has evolved very differently as compared to what we see in the developed economies of the USA and the UK. What is currently acting as a limitation is the enhanced awareness on the need for research based HRM practices. While there is a lot of work happening in the Indian education system to promote this, it is going to take a while before it can create a distinct body of knowledge that is referenceable. For now the industry relies on emulating westerns HR practices and customizing on a as-needed basis for the Indian corporation. For the rest the industry forums and consortiums like the NASSCOM act as a hub bringing together organizations on a regular basis to discuss challenges and share best practices and identify ways and means o overcome them together. So far this has been successful and working to the advantage of the Indian corporate. Leading MNC research and consulting firms like Mercer and Hewitt too contribute to the industry through carrying out research and sharing reports on a regular basis. The approach however remains analytical and less prescriptive. Q. 3 Explain the critical steps in Human Resource Planning system. Ans. We will attempt to discuss in details the critical steps that are part of the above system. A. Purpose of Human Resource Planning: Human Resource Planning fulfils individual as well as organizational goals. What it essentially amounts to is â€Å"striking a balance† between the future human resources needs and the future enterprise needs. And this is done with the clear objective of maximizing the future return on investment in human resources. And this objective may be laid down for a short-term (i. e. for one year). B. Estimating/Forecasting the future Manpower Requirements: the first step in the process is to arrive at the desired organizational structure at a given point in time. Mapping this structure with the existing structure helps in identifying the gap in resources requirement. The number and type of employees needed have to be determined. In addition to the structure there are a number of external factors that affect this determination. They include business forecasts, competitor strategy, expansion plans, product/skills mix changes, profit/revenue growth projections, in addition to management philosophy and government policies. This step also includes an analysis of the external labour/talent environment, its demographics, demand/supply of the required talent, and cost considerations. C. Auditing Human Resources: Once the future human resource needs are estimated, the next step is to determine the present supply of manpower resources. This is done through what is called â€Å"Skills Inventory†. A skills inventory contains data about each employee’s skills, abilities, work preferences and other items of information which indicate his worth to the company. Skills inventory are also referred to as competency dictionaries. This information is us ually retained as part of the performance management system with the HR department. This step in the HRP system helps identify the existing profile of the manpower and its efficiency. It helps highlight where the organization is vs. where it ought to be. The step concludes with identifying clear gaps in the skills/ manpower mix required to meet the upcoming business objectives. D. Job Analysis: After having decided how many persons would be needed, it is necessary to prepare a job analysis. The recorded details of training, skills, qualification, abilities, experience and responsibilities, etc. as needed for a job are studied. Job analysis includes the preparation of job descriptions and job specifications. E. Developing a Human Resource Plan: This step refers t the development and implementation of the human resource plan, which consists in finding out the sources of labour supply with a view to making an effective use of these sources. Some important considerations at this point are: †¢ Specific roles/disciplines being hired for, of them which roles are pivotal for the business †¢ Competencies and capabilities needed †¢ Manager vs. employee hiring †¢ Hire internally vs. External sourcing †¢ Planning for new skills through training existing staff vs. hiring new teams †¢ In case of surpluses, planning for redeployment/ reduction in orkforce as required †¢ Succession planning for key positions in the company. Q. 4 With reference to the compensation and salary system what are the systems that are helpful to raise the effectiveness of employees Ans. Compensation/ salary systems are designed to ensure that employees are rewarded appropriately depending on what they do and the skills and knowledge (intellect) required for doing a specific job. It must therefore provide for the following key factors in order to be effective: The following factors may be helpful to raise the effectiveness employees Signal to the employee the major objectives of the organizations- therefore it must link to the overall goals and objectives of the company. For example if doing a quality job is critical for the company its compensation system has to ensure that this is adequately rewarded. On the other hand if a company values productivity and units produces, the compensation system would be designed such that productivity is rewarded. †¢ Attract and retain the talent an organization needs – the need to benchmark salaries to the prevalent market standard for that job / skill so that the company is able to attract the right talent. If a enterprises pays a salary lower that what the market does for that job/responsibilities, the probability that suitable candidates would take the job offer and join the company. Even if they do join subsequently when they find that the market pays more for that job they would quickly find a more remunerative job and leave the company. †¢ Motivate employees to perform effectively – as discussed at the outset, money is a key motivator and it often might be the only motivator for most employees, therefore ensuring that compensation is appropriately disbursed need to be taken care of while designing the compensation system. Jobs in the brick and motor, production setups would focus on higher incentive policies that would motivate the employee to produce more while the base-salary would be low. †¢ Create the type of culture the company seeks to engender – compensation systems play a critical role as sponsors for the organizations culture. A performance driven culture would build compensation policies that clearly and significantly reward performance. A company that rewards loyalty would reward employees who stay longer in the company with significantly better incentive programs. Hence we see how compensation systems are reflective of the organizations over all philosophy of what its goals and objectives are and how this can be linked to salary payout. Q. 6 â€Å"Dynamic Learning† is an organization that wants to revise the HR policies. It has conducted a survey and the results of survey indicated that r=there is employee unrest, tardiness, absenteeism, more grievances. This all clearly indicates low morale. Suggest the measures that can be taken to improve employee morale. Ans. Employee Morale Boosters. Morale boosters can take the form of recognition, eompensation, special perks or simply terminating employees. Here are 11 low cost morale boosters: Welcome ideas: Employee morale improves when staff feel they are valued. Share and implement their innovations and ideas. Keep Score: Mount a large score board in the office to recognize top performers and to motivate those on the bottom of the list. Inspect: The old management adage, inspect what you expect is true. Companies with a lack of focus can confuse staff and lead to less morale. Thank You Notes: Send a special thank you letter to you staff’s family or spouse, praising their good work and efforts. Huddle: Have a daily morning huddle to highlights tasks for the day and to cheer yesterday’s wins. Open Up: Provide an open forum or one-on-one time to allow employees to express their concerns and feelings can be an easy means to boost morale. Have Fun: Special events and outside work activities can take the pressure off the day-to-day grind in the office. Show Charity: Get your staff involved in a bigger cause to help them see there is more to life than work. Add Perks: Use low cost perks such as a Foosball table in the lunch room. Fire Staff: Sometimes the root cause of low employee morale can be a staff member whose negativity brings down the group. Even a top performer can bring down staff behind your back. Measure it: Keep tabs on the levels of morale in your business by regularly measuring employee satisfaction. The backbone of business success resides in the productivity and output of your employees. Those companies who remain vigilant to the signs of low morale and who focus on improving morale can thwart off the impact of a low morale workplace. Human Resources 1 â€Å"If you are working in a company that is not enthusiastic energetic, creative, clever, curious, and just plain fun, you’ve got trouble, serious troubles† (Tom Peters. Indeed, the success of any organization depends on several issues amongst them, organizational culture, teamwork, management style and the level of motivation amongst the employees. Leadership The whole organizational momentum is decided by the top management, the style they adopt determines how decisions are going to be made, what kind of decisions the business is likely to make, the nature of policies which the company is going to adopt as well as how the organization will respond to management issues such as competitor activity, industrial attractiveness employee relations, public relations as well as corporate social responsibilities. The strategic fit of the organization is determined by whether the leaders are visionary or non-visionary whether these exercise foresight and how they balance risk taking and the drive for initiative. According to (Stacey, 1992p. 31-39), the momentum of a company is generated from the top management and perfected in bottom level, the success of an organization squarely rests on reach and every single employee irregardless of the role and position held in the organization. Therefore, to achieve a well coordinated and motivated team, the leadership and in essence, every single employee must be able to play their role so as to achieve a synergetic effect. The company which succeeds is that which handles all departments’ issues in regard to solving problems which arise and keep on arising. The challenges can serve as the source of de-motivating an otherwise motivated staff, if issues are not well attended to, while on the other hand, the challenges can afford an organization the opportunity to bond its workforce and reassure unity of purpose in the organization positive organizational behavior leads to organizational success while a negative corporate behavior leads to loss of profits and therefore organizational failure 2. You have been hired as the H. R director of the Schapiro Inn & out Motel. What are some of the key issues you should address the First day of work? Do you want to make your presence known the first day, or would you ease into the job slowly? What . R. management philosophies do you plan to adopt to make sure that you have the best workforce possible? Although take over calls for moderation, definitely there are some things that a new H. R manager would need be familiar with the first day of reporting to work. This is mainly because of the fact that on the fist day of work, one has already signed an agreement letter, and a letter of agreement. Probably they have been oriented and all relevant hand over details completed. This therefore implies that one is responsible for all happenings and is mandated to execute the relevant tasks as though that day was his/her 1000th day. Since not any board of directors would take the excuse that the H. R. M is new and therefore the reason for the numerous mistakes. But for the fact that different organizations have different needs, all HRM functions are similar and the rest calls for understanding of a company dynamics. On assuming office, an HRM manager has an obligation to execute normally all relevant duties such as pay issues, employee complaints, recruitment and staffing issues as well as formulate HR policies in collaboration with the administration. Where applicable, the HRM is supposed to solve any pending issues. The above is undertaken in the understanding that in an organization, smooth running is of utmost importance and a breakdown should never be experienced, for this may affect operations of the whole organization and therefore result into losses and interruptions to normal functioning of the organization. The best workforce can be achieved only by adopting suitable policies notably, pay related policies as well as employee motivation issues. The appraisal method adopted, problem solving and disciplinary issues as well as equality and equity policies at the place are of importance to an organisation. If the above are practiced, motivation results and staff often give their best. 3 â€Å"Call it what you will, incentives are what get people to work harder. † (Nikita Khrushchev) Research findings on the impact of pay and incentives on performance and output have overwhelmingly supported the above contention. Most employees work to satisfy their basic needs as opposed to achieving other goals. Although other factors such as job environment, tools and machinery, job policies as well as terms of contract are relevant to. All of the above play important roles in ensuring that employees and well equipped to perform at their best. Incentives basically refer to salaries and all other benefits which allow employees to function with minimum constraints. Incentives as a motivator should be administered carefully and uniformly. Job grading should be predictable and done in guidelines of a clear and open policy whereby employees are aware of what they need to do in order to move to the next level or to move to a higher job group. In a situation where by the issue of incentives is handled unprofessionally, conflicts arise and output and performance are negatively affected. 4 Discuss the term â€Å"turnover† in the hospitality industry. What does it mean? How can it be controlled? What are some of the causes? What does it mean to you? Turnover can be defined as the situation whereby employees keep on quitting job in unusually high rates. This could either be due to natural attrition, unfavorable working conditions as well as due to service termination. Turnover is a very common occurrence in the hospitality industry mainly due to the nature of the industry. Since many businesses in the hospitality sector peg their staff needs on seasons, low or high seasons call for flexible employment and contract terms in which organisations increase or retrench staff to reflect on market activity, this in turn results into un-usually high staff turnover occasioned by unpredictability of demand forces. â€Å"Laziness may appear attractive, but work gives satisfaction† (Anne Frank) Job satisfaction refers to a state whereby one is able to work hard and in turn receive self assurance from the job upon being contented with the results of the work. Job satisfaction is good for employees in that it lead to high level of concentration and therefore high output. Lack of satisfaction leads to lack of concentration, something which a ffects performance. Laziness is a leading cause of job dissatisfaction in that for one to be truly satisfied with their work hard work and effort is needed. One needs to concentrate and exercise a lot of patience for that leads to satisfaction. Therefore, laziness hinders performance and this prevents job satisfaction. Employees should derive job satisfaction from the tasks allocated to them. This in turn leads to high profitability of the organization and a healthy work force. Human Resources 1 â€Å"If you are working in a company that is not enthusiastic energetic, creative, clever, curious, and just plain fun, you’ve got trouble, serious troubles† (Tom Peters. Indeed, the success of any organization depends on several issues amongst them, organizational culture, teamwork, management style and the level of motivation amongst the employees. Leadership The whole organizational momentum is decided by the top management, the style they adopt determines how decisions are going to be made, what kind of decisions the business is likely to make, the nature of policies which the company is going to adopt as well as how the organization will respond to management issues such as competitor activity, industrial attractiveness employee relations, public relations as well as corporate social responsibilities. The strategic fit of the organization is determined by whether the leaders are visionary or non-visionary whether these exercise foresight and how they balance risk taking and the drive for initiative. According to (Stacey, 1992p. 31-39), the momentum of a company is generated from the top management and perfected in bottom level, the success of an organization squarely rests on reach and every single employee irregardless of the role and position held in the organization. Therefore, to achieve a well coordinated and motivated team, the leadership and in essence, every single employee must be able to play their role so as to achieve a synergetic effect. The company which succeeds is that which handles all departments’ issues in regard to solving problems which arise and keep on arising. The challenges can serve as the source of de-motivating an otherwise motivated staff, if issues are not well attended to, while on the other hand, the challenges can afford an organization the opportunity to bond its workforce and reassure unity of purpose in the organization positive organizational behavior leads to organizational success while a negative corporate behavior leads to loss of profits and therefore organizational failure 2. You have been hired as the H. R director of the Schapiro Inn & out Motel. What are some of the key issues you should address the First day of work? Do you want to make your presence known the first day, or would you ease into the job slowly? What . R. management philosophies do you plan to adopt to make sure that you have the best workforce possible? Although take over calls for moderation, definitely there are some things that a new H. R manager would need be familiar with the first day of reporting to work. This is mainly because of the fact that on the fist day of work, one has already signed an agreement letter, and a letter of agreement. Probably they have been oriented and all relevant hand over details completed. This therefore implies that one is responsible for all happenings and is mandated to execute the relevant tasks as though that day was his/her 1000th day. Since not any board of directors would take the excuse that the H. R. M is new and therefore the reason for the numerous mistakes. But for the fact that different organizations have different needs, all HRM functions are similar and the rest calls for understanding of a company dynamics. On assuming office, an HRM manager has an obligation to execute normally all relevant duties such as pay issues, employee complaints, recruitment and staffing issues as well as formulate HR policies in collaboration with the administration. Where applicable, the HRM is supposed to solve any pending issues. The above is undertaken in the understanding that in an organization, smooth running is of utmost importance and a breakdown should never be experienced, for this may affect operations of the whole organization and therefore result into losses and interruptions to normal functioning of the organization. The best workforce can be achieved only by adopting suitable policies notably, pay related policies as well as employee motivation issues. The appraisal method adopted, problem solving and disciplinary issues as well as equality and equity policies at the place are of importance to an organisation. If the above are practiced, motivation results and staff often give their best. 3 â€Å"Call it what you will, incentives are what get people to work harder. † (Nikita Khrushchev) Research findings on the impact of pay and incentives on performance and output have overwhelmingly supported the above contention. Most employees work to satisfy their basic needs as opposed to achieving other goals. Although other factors such as job environment, tools and machinery, job policies as well as terms of contract are relevant to. All of the above play important roles in ensuring that employees and well equipped to perform at their best. Incentives basically refer to salaries and all other benefits which allow employees to function with minimum constraints. Incentives as a motivator should be administered carefully and uniformly. Job grading should be predictable and done in guidelines of a clear and open policy whereby employees are aware of what they need to do in order to move to the next level or to move to a higher job group. In a situation where by the issue of incentives is handled unprofessionally, conflicts arise and output and performance are negatively affected. 4 Discuss the term â€Å"turnover† in the hospitality industry. What does it mean? How can it be controlled? What are some of the causes? What does it mean to you? Turnover can be defined as the situation whereby employees keep on quitting job in unusually high rates. This could either be due to natural attrition, unfavorable working conditions as well as due to service termination. Turnover is a very common occurrence in the hospitality industry mainly due to the nature of the industry. Since many businesses in the hospitality sector peg their staff needs on seasons, low or high seasons call for flexible employment and contract terms in which organisations increase or retrench staff to reflect on market activity, this in turn results into un-usually high staff turnover occasioned by unpredictability of demand forces. â€Å"Laziness may appear attractive, but work gives satisfaction† (Anne Frank) Job satisfaction refers to a state whereby one is able to work hard and in turn receive self assurance from the job upon being contented with the results of the work. Job satisfaction is good for employees in that it lead to high level of concentration and therefore high output. Lack of satisfaction leads to lack of concentration, something which a ffects performance. Laziness is a leading cause of job dissatisfaction in that for one to be truly satisfied with their work hard work and effort is needed. One needs to concentrate and exercise a lot of patience for that leads to satisfaction. Therefore, laziness hinders performance and this prevents job satisfaction. Employees should derive job satisfaction from the tasks allocated to them. This in turn leads to high profitability of the organization and a healthy work force.

Love-2 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Love-2 - Essay Example Sappho’s poetry is very feminine portraying jealousy, insecurity, and she had a way of evoking the sight, tongue, heart etc. as though they belonged to someone else. In her poetry, passion reigns supreme. Naturally her poetry is old fashioned and it projects old-fashioned love. There are many differences between the two. Naturally Sappho’s lines are ancient and Eliot’s modern. Apart from this, Sappho has written in passionate fervour of love, whereas Eliot shows the most unromantic side of it. Sappho is bristling with the romance, passion and sexual desire, while Eliot’s love is dreary and without imagination. Her poetry brims with imagination and she even uses the limbs as external think tanks. On the contrary, Eliot does not show much imagination or creativity in this song. It is a dry, matter-of-fact kind of song showing a very ordinary life, devoid of all sophistication. Sappho creates a world full of love, peopled by lovers with imaginative and creative dreams and desires. In this song, T.S. Eliot shows the bare modernity with the basest things in life and here love does not create an aura, but an ordinary, drudgery like living together and going around together. In a way both these poets reflect the ancient approach and modern approach to love. In ancient days, love is considered to be an ethereal feeling, reserved only for the lucky few. Physical desires did exist, but they were clothed in decency and fascinating, yet erotic love. Even though Sappho’s poetry was extremely feminine, she does not vulgarise it. In the modern approach, love is shown more as sex and the mental involvement comes as an afterthought and the poets represent this basic difference in their

Judicial Process Article Review Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Judicial Process Article Review - Research Paper Example Some states in the US define the juvenile-adult transition at seventeenth birthday, and some few states define the line of transition at sixteen years of age. Generally, states have laid down transfer procedure laws that govern or call for criminal prosecution of young offenders, even if they are considered juveniles under the jurisdictional definition. The laws are intended to reduce or deter further criminal activities. Research has not established any inherent fact that they are effective, questioning their efficiency. Are the laws efficient in deterring crime? Research on effects of the law on deterring crime has produced totally inconsistent results. Prompting the question of their effectiveness. Many studies have not realized a drop in juvenile crime rate that can be associated with the transfer laws. Nonetheless, much evidence demonstrates that transfer laws governing the states have a diminutive or no effect in deterring crime by the juveniles. Possible reasoning attributes it to general ignorance, tendency to ignore risks involved in decision making and low impulse control. A research comparing youths prosecuted criminally and youth processed under the juvenile system demonstrated a counter effect of transfer laws on criminal deterrence. Youths prosecuted criminally were also found to recidivate frequently and sooner into criminal activities. These negative results can be attributed to various causes, which include indirect and direct effects of conviction criminally, absence of rehabilitative means in the criminal correctional facilities, and the risk of association with criminal mentors in the adult correctional system. Studies showing the counter-productive nature of transfer system do not all agree that the effect is true in all types of offences, creating a possible assumption that criminal conviction may be effective on some juvenile offenders and non-effective on some offenders. A research conducted by

Haitian Culture and Society Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Haitian Culture and Society - Essay Example This paper outlines the origins of Haiti’s poverty in its geography, history and political evolution. There is then an outline of the main features of Haitian culture and a discussion of what culture is and how it is understood within Haiti and by outsiders looking on. Finally there is an explanation of the paradoxical â€Å"rich in culture but deep in poverty† paradox which both sustains Haiti’s sense of identity and inhibits its development in the future. Haiti’s geography is typical of the Caribbean region in so far as it is part of a larger tropical island. The Dominican Republic occupies the Eastern portion and Haiti has the smaller western portion. The terrain is mountainous in parts, and conducive to fruit and timber production, and the surrounding seas provide ample fishing possibilities. The climate is drier than in most surrounding islands which presents some problems for agriculture. Mineral resources are present, which made the island an attrac tive target for colonial activities from the 15th century onwards. The early history of Haiti is lost in the time before literacy and so it is impossible to tell exactly when and how the area was colonized and who set up the first settlements there. What is clear, however, is that the land was inhabited by an Amerindian people called the Tainos long before Columbus and the Spaniards arrived. The whole island was known as â€Å"Hispaniola† in deference to the European conquerors and it was quickly taken over and subjected to the exploitation of plantation and mine owners, using the local population as a convenient workforce. From this time onwards a pattern of emigration developed which still haunts the country to this day. The incoming Europeans brought with them many aspects of Western culture including the Roman Catholic faith, colonial architecture and incidentally also many diseases and vices which were unknown to the indigenous population. There are some records of local culture, including sporting and cooking practices, house designs and the â€Å"elaborate social structure organized around local chiefs or caciques.† (Girard: 2005, p. 19) Having taken what they wished from the part of the island which is present day Haiti, the Spaniards retreated to the far eastern tip of the island and left the west to return to its natural tropical jungle state. The next wave of conquerors were the French who added slavery to the list of exploitative practices that were used in Haiti. This brought huge changes to the island, such as the arrival of many thousands of captives from Africa and the building of western style cities and roads. It was at this point that one of Haiti’s most famous cultural practices was introduced: the tradition of voodoo. This was a loosely defined set of religious and cultural beliefs based on the polytheistic societies in West Africa. It existed alongside Catholicism, and the population often integrated elements of both religious traditions into their lives and practices. A combination of poorly educated priests and strong ties to ancestor and spirit worship from Africa ensured that this unusual combination was maintained into the present time. This syncretism is perhaps one of the most significant features of Haitian culture and it is carried through into its art, architecture, language, music and sports. Discrete

Developing leadership Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Developing leadership - Essay Example An effective leader knows how to handle members of the group. I am highly inspired by the leadership skills portrayed by these charismatic and dedicated leaders. I strive to be like them. Progress and self-improvement can only be measured by the goals and objectives an individual sets. Therefore, to develop my leadership skills, and to improve on my weaknesses, I had clear goals that I hoped to achieve by the end of the course. Character coupled with efficient complementary skills is essential for one to be an extraordinary leader (Reeves, 1991). Therefore, knowing clearly that I lack in complementary skills such as communication skills, it become a goal to be achieved. I also set to acquire the ability of evaluating the strength of team members. The skill is important as it will make it easier for me to establish the strength and weaknesses of the members. Therefore, enabling me to effectively allocate duties and seek guidance from the right person. It is one way of ensuring that the entire team participating in a project contributes practical and productive information (Zenger & Folkman, 2012). I was also hoping to be a better team player and develop the ability to think independently by the end of the course. My key competencies are in character, interpersonal skills and personal capability. After self-assessment of competencies, I have found that although I display high levels of honesty and integrity. I motivate and inspire team members to perform and knowledgeable in my tasks. I am also exceptionally good in general repair work and have led teams in social initiatives that involved renovating houses in poor neighborhoods on volunteer basis. Sadly, character and proficiency in repair works are not sufficient tools for modeling an extraordinary leader. A leader who only develops what he does well, gains only by simple incremental development

History Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 1

History - Essay Example Social activists and reformists advocated for favourable attitude towards the urban-industrial society and called for efficient government intervention. The intervention sought to resolve economic and social disparities owing to unfriendly policies that favoured a selected few (Eisenstark et al 3). The movement argued that the government should be an agent of human welfare, an aspect that ought to cut across socioeconomic levels. In addition, progressives were against large corporations that were seen to have poor working conditions with little compensation. As such, the movement sought responsible citizenship and democracy with regard to elections, referendum, and recall. In light of this, the progressives recommended the adoption of secret ballot during elections, candidate nomination through primaries, and direct election of senators under political reforms. The movement also urged for regulation of large corporations and monopolies, which were seen to benefit top management at th e expense of the employees. Progressives called for social justice to limit child and female labour and drinking. Intensive lobbying by the progressives achieved changes in various aspects of life under prevailing conditions. These changes saw social, economic, and political reforms that were geared towards quelling public dissatisfaction. Social reforms majored on education, women rights, and problems facing minorities in America society. The lack of education was illustrated as a major cause increasing levels of poverty and progressives advocated for modernisation of schools. Changes in the education system transformed schoolhouses into consolidated school districts that offered graded class. Prohibition laws were also established in an effort to curb rampant alcohol consumption in saloons, which were regarded as gathering placing for political machines (Milkis and Mileur 138). The progressives concern of alcohol consumption was based on the negative effects felt at social and eco nomic levels. The prohibition laws served to encourage efficiency in the economic front as employers were in need of sober workers. Minority groups, particularly African Americans faced increasing violence in most parts of the country owing to the tension over economic competition. As such, African Americans were lynched and executed, which initiated calls for laws against such acts. Progressives worked to end such atrocities against the African Americans signalling the beginning of struggles against racial discrimination. African American organisations cultivated for local approvals from the majority whites to establish black educational institutions such as Tuskegee Institute. Progressive concerns about deplorable working conditions and child labour were characteristic of economic reforms. The reforms stipulated and enforced safety regulation with frequent inspections serving to improve the working conditions of workers. In addition, the employers were expected to offer injury com pensation for all workers. Similarly, some states passed laws limiting working hours for women while abolishing child labour and setting a minimum age for employment. However, this did not settle in well for some families that needed more income in order to survive. In line with improving the living standards, progressives advocated for housing laws that aimed at replacing tenements with better housing. The tenements were settlement houses

Explore the ways in which late antique or medieval Christian thought Essay

Explore the ways in which late antique or medieval Christian thought (i.e. St. Thomas Aquinas) compares and contrasts with Greek philosophy (i.e. Plato and Aris - Essay Example Let us try to see what these similarities and contrasts were between them on example of the role that was played by the dichotomy that separated the world into opposing realms, such as ideas and matter in the Greek philosophy, and spirit and flesh or faith and reason in the Christian thought. In general, for the formation of the Christian thought probably the most important was its early period when this presently dominant religion was searching to define itself. The Romans widely propagated Greek culture and in this way Christianity found itself in the Greco-Roman society amidst pronounced philosophical and religious confrontation. It was integration of competing philosophies and of the rich Hellenistic philosophical heritage into the Christian world view that served as a winning strategy for the Christian religion. Before the first statements regarding the general doctrine of the church were made in the 4th century, philosophical theology was becoming more important than direct revelation in determining the essential Christian doctrines. At the same time, not all of the early church scholars had the same view on the available heritage of secular knowledge, which was mainly Greek. For instance, Tertullian in 2nd century treated the secular knowledge as unnecessary in co mparison to scriptures, but his coeval Clement of Alexandria defended the usefulness of the Greek secular heritage, and of philosophy in general, as a proper addition to the gospel. In the 3rd century Origen of Alexandria went even further and claimed that there actually was a philosophical school that through reason confirmed the gospel. For Origen this school was represented by the philosophy of Neoplatonists - the further development of Platonic philosophy initiated by Plotinus - with its views on the essence of God and divine relation to the world and man. In the end, this position of Origen prevailed and thus Neoplatonism assumed the role of the basic philosophical theory that to

Pregnancy and Mood Stabilizing Drugs Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Pregnancy and Mood Stabilizing Drugs - Essay Example From this study it is clear that drugs commonly prescribed for patients with depression or to bipolar disorder patients include valproate, carbamazepine, lamotrigine and lithium carbonate, all of which pose risks for the growing foetus. Based on various studies, it was found out that sodium valproate and carbamazepine pose highest risks for malformation or defects, reaching up to 7.2% increase in risks. Despite the possibilities for birth defects, most studies support the idea of continuing mood-stabilising medications all throughout pregnancy to reduce the likelihood of relapse or recurrence of manic or depressive episodes. This is because the benefits of using medications outweigh greater risks of psychotic episodes for the mother, resulting to suicidal attempts or infanticide, as well as bonding and attachment issues between the infant and the mother. Due to these, it is highly-recommended by psychiatrists that women of child bearing-age diagnosed with bipolar disorder or other re lated disorders regardless of relationship status or plans of getting pregnant must be well-informed of the risks in taking mood-stabilising medications and other prescriptions during pregnancy. In order to successfully achieve these goals, it is imperative that psychiatrists must strike a balance between medication use and outweighing the risks for foetal and infant malformation in women taking prescription drugs. Studies conducted during the 1970’s when psychotropic drugs were still subjected to tests revealed that the use of such drugs caused birth defects in infants, whose mothers were using medications while pregnant.  

Visual Techniques Essay Example for Free

Visual Techniques Essay Contemporary television nowadays is leaning towards the â€Å"reality† aspect of what’s being shown to the audience. Because of this, they adapt visual techniques which makes it easier for the audience to relate to what’s on today’s TV. One specific technique is the subjective perspective or view point. This is when the television shows encourage its viewers to follow a certain character or adopt a certain stance through the direction of the shots. High angled shots usually give power to viewers while low angled shots leave them powerless. Another visual technique is the social distance. This enables the audience to see how close or how intimate characters are to a certain cause or idea. Personal distances are judged through the types of shots, like when its about far social distance, long shots are used, and for close personal distance medium to close-up shots are used. 2. On the other hand, television visual techniques are now being used in contemporary films. One good example is the use of lighting. Before, one can immediately distinguish a film from a television show because television shows usually have more lighting, as compared to darker, dimmer lighting on films. Nowadays, in the advent of High-Definition, films give a more life-like feel just like television because of lighting. Another one television visual technique used in contemporary films is the documentary style or approach. Instead of the usual plot, films follow different sequence of events that could make the viewers feel like they’re watching a made-for-TV documentary. 3. Film and television clearly have influenced each other throughout their shared history. Now, film visual techniques are not anymore limited to films, just like with television techniques being used in films. Also, both of these benefited from better production because of the advanced tools and techniques used in making them (CinemaRoll, 2008). Computer-generated images are not that costly now, making it available even to low-budget films. On the other hand, viewers are tired of the usual plot twists and turns in movies that’s why they enjoy odd, radical approaches in film making, including the incorporation of television techniques in its production (Cohen, 2006). References: CinemaRoll. (2008). Television and Film. Retrieved June 8, 2009, from http://cinemaroll. com/cinemarolling/television-and-film/ Cohen, D. S. (2006). New techniques make visual effects more actor-friendly. Retrieved June 8, 2009, from http://www. variety. com/awardcentral_article/VR1117955526. html? nav=visualfx07

Failure to plan is planning to fail

Failure to plan is planning to fail A very archaic saying often quoted in business is: Failure to plan is planning to fail. This may sound simplistic, but people who are resolute about being prosperous and successful, especially traders, they ought to memorize this saying by heart. If one chooses to consult any trader making money consistently, he will surely explain that, one only has only two choices, either to follow a well written plan or risk the likelihood of inevitable failure. An investment plan or written trading can be an additional benefit, as it makes you a part of the minority, which has successfully evaded a major road block, if not guaranteeing absolute success. The use of inefficient methods may delay the probability of your success, but not without skirting you in the right direction to chalk out and set up your own course of work The key to understanding this is carefully studying the various processes involved, how they work and also how to make them work in the most economical manner. The Key To Avoid Disaster The first major lesson to inculcate is to treat trading like a business only to succeed, because that is what it is. Doing things such as opening brokerage accounts, reading trade books, etc. is not exactly the right business idea, on the contrary being the disastrous recipe. According to John Novak, who is an experienced developer and trader of the T3 Fibs Pro-Trader Program, following a well-written trading program is essential to avoid failure in the market scenario. He and his wife, who is his business associate in a software systems company, run trading chat-rooms to help educate traders in learning how to utilize their software and moreover, learning the all-important art of trade. Concisely, their software aids in identifying the Fibonacci areas in terms of resistance and support, in different time frames and provides the traders important data with respect to the specific areas, from which they may enter or exit the market. The trader should acquire an important knowledge of as to when the market may have a tendency to reverse or pause, so that he/she may take the necessary action to avoid it. Novak also states that even for the best of trading programs, consequent analysis and market data, the odds leading to a consistent range of success varies from bleak to nil with the absence of a written plan. He states that his website offers good examples of plans for trading, while making the market information useful to both, clients and non clients alike. He also advises that a good trade plan must evolve and changes must be bought about eventually like in a market, improving gradually with time. A plan shouldnt be altered while trading but should be surely revised after the closing of the market as it may have been changed with the market conditions. It is necessary for each trader to make his or her own plan, while leaving a niche for personal flair and goals, as copying another trader does not leave the mark of a good trader. How to Develop the Master Plan? The essential 10 components which are utmost necessary for every plan are: 1. Assessment of skill The questions that arise include whether-The person is ready to indulge in trading? Do they have confidence about whether it will work out or not? Do they follow the various signals without even an inch of hesitation? If the answer to the above questions is no, one is advised to read the book by Mark Douglas, about zone trading and especially going through the trade exercises in it. Then one can gain sufficient knowledge about thinking in terms of probabilities and more importantly, the give or take battle ensuing in trading. The real pro traders are always able to envisage the market conditions and make money from those who lose money through their lack of planning.

How does Shelley present relationships between men and women? Essay

How does Shelley present relationships between men and women? Shelley present relationships between men and women in various ways but they all have an inter-linking message within them. This is that women are dependent on men in the majority of relationships. Shelley uses characters as examples of different relationships; for example Caroline and Alphonse’s relationship is a very loving one. All that Frankenstein says of his parents his good things, for example he says, â€Å"Active spirit of tenderness that animated both,† the majority of descriptions of their relationships is similar to this. Their relationship effectively creates a benchmark with which to compare all the other relationships with. None of the others is anywhere nears as perfect as theirs is described. In comparison to their relationship Walton’s relationship with his sister is significantly less passionate. Walton expresses his love for his sister occasionally, he says, â€Å"I love you very tenderly,† he is however not in touch with the emotional turmoil you would expect his sister to be going through. Emotionally Walton is naive; their relationship is long distance, and it is clearly obvious Walton has no experience in communicating his feelings. Their relationship is an unsure one. The main relationship between Victor and Elizabeth is of great contrast, especially between them. As the novel goes on it is apparent that Victor stands for evil, he is selfish, lets an innocent die and his self-piteous as well as ignorant. Elizabeth on the other hand stands for love, caring and is completely unselfish. They are two complete opposites, but they are supposedly in love. There is huge contrast between them, and their relationship is quite rocky... ...sonality. Again in the way that Shelley has presented the relationships between men and women, she has expressed her feminist opinion on how women are forced to give in to men. This is where the role of the monster comes in, it wants a female for companionship, a woman as an equal. The monster represents the relationship that feminists want; he doesn’t want to dominate a relationship, where the woman has to depend on the man. The way Shelley presents relationships seem very feministic, men are portrayed as selfish and ignorant, while women are portrayed essentially as the heroines, for example Justine. She dies with honor, while Victor is portrayed as self-centered. S well as feminist opinions being expressed, there is a general feeling that relationship will eventually fail and are often painful. Shelley uses relationships to express her opinions.

Pros and Cons of Computer Technology :: Computers

Pros and Cons of Computer Technology In the last couple of decades, compute technology has expanded enormously and has become part of our daily lives. Many of us use computers at work, school and even at home. We are at the point where we can not return to our old lifestyles because we have accustomed ourselves to an easier way of life through computers. There are many advantages to working with computers as well as disadvantages. The implementation of computers in our society has helped facilitate our lives. Computers can help us create and edit documents very easily and can help us speed up work. It is now easier to communicate and send documents through computers at the push of a button. The Internet and E-mail services are just two examples of many features that computers can offer. There are many benefits that technology can offer but not everyone has the sufficient background or training required. Computer literacy is a demand in today's work force and is mostly affecting the older generation. The older generation is at a disadvantage compared to the younger generation that is already being exposed to computers at school. Computer skills are a major issue and will force the older generation to return to school for training. The older generation will have to live with this drastic change and will be forced to adapt to our technology otherwise they will be left behind. Many people feel that computers have eliminated thousands of jobs. For example, in the "Interview with the Luddite", Kirkpatrick Sale states, "We have an estimated 6 million people who have lost their jobs to automation, or overseas shops, since 1988". Kevin Kelly on the other hand disagrees with Kirkpatrick Sale and states, " It's leading them to study coputers and to learn how to get a job with computers". "The number of jobs created by computers and technology is rally more sizable". I agree with Kevin Kelly on the fact that computers and technology has generated just as many and even more jobs to our society than it has eliminated. I feel that computers do not mean that jobs will be eliminated because we still need people to run these machines but that people need to be trained in a different skill. For example, many years ago the Engineering Industry use to develop blue print projects by hand. Today Engineers use different types of computer software such as Cad Key, Auto Cad, an d Micro Station which require cmputer training in the specific software.

Marketing Essay -- Business, Customer Satisfaction

This essay is a critical literature review of Relationship Marketing in relation to customer satisfaction and customer loyalty. In this review, I will provide a brief orientation of relationship marketing; identify the different dimensions of relationship marketing and critically analyse the concept of relationship marketing in relation to customer satisfaction and customer loyalty. Leahy (2011:651) defined relationship marketing as ‘attracting and keeping customers for a long period of time’. Relationship marketing is used by firms to change consumer attitudes and increase the frequency of purchase in a business using marketing techniques such as promotions and advertising. According to Ndubisi and Chan (2005), relationship marketing provides an organisation the opportunity to be forward thinking with regards to getting access to the right information about their customers in order to meet the customers’ needs effectively, efficiently and gain competitive advantage. On the other hand, as a result globalisation, Geddie et al. (2005) viewed Relationship Marketing through the prism of technology because businesses have the opportunity to store vital information on their customers shopping habit in their databases thereby, using it to their advantage in providing a better customer service and establishing a long-term relationship with their clie nts resulting in increased customer satisfaction and loyalty. Peppers et al. (1999) referred to relationship marketing as one-to-one marketing and suggested that businesses must be dynamic and fast in their approach and response to individual customers’ needs which are ever-changing and unpredictable. Therefore, organisations must be prepared to provide bespoke products or services that meet... ..., Leahy (2011) notes that even if a firm using databases that has allowed them to reach all their customers, that does not mean they are maintaining the relationship with their customers successfully. Yet a customer’s perception of relationship is not rated highly neither is it valued because customers view it ‘impersonal’ and they are very suspicious of the firm’s motives (Leahy, 2011:453). With technology, firms have been able to contact customers about adverts and promotions but that does not mean an active relationship exists between both parties. Customers interest in what brands have to offer them and is of a great interest to them et, they don’t value firms trying to establish a relationship with them. It might help if firms decide to look at other avenues of trying to reach out and establish close relationships with their customers so it can be effective. Marketing Essay -- Business, Customer Satisfaction This essay is a critical literature review of Relationship Marketing in relation to customer satisfaction and customer loyalty. In this review, I will provide a brief orientation of relationship marketing; identify the different dimensions of relationship marketing and critically analyse the concept of relationship marketing in relation to customer satisfaction and customer loyalty. Leahy (2011:651) defined relationship marketing as ‘attracting and keeping customers for a long period of time’. Relationship marketing is used by firms to change consumer attitudes and increase the frequency of purchase in a business using marketing techniques such as promotions and advertising. According to Ndubisi and Chan (2005), relationship marketing provides an organisation the opportunity to be forward thinking with regards to getting access to the right information about their customers in order to meet the customers’ needs effectively, efficiently and gain competitive advantage. On the other hand, as a result globalisation, Geddie et al. (2005) viewed Relationship Marketing through the prism of technology because businesses have the opportunity to store vital information on their customers shopping habit in their databases thereby, using it to their advantage in providing a better customer service and establishing a long-term relationship with their clie nts resulting in increased customer satisfaction and loyalty. Peppers et al. (1999) referred to relationship marketing as one-to-one marketing and suggested that businesses must be dynamic and fast in their approach and response to individual customers’ needs which are ever-changing and unpredictable. Therefore, organisations must be prepared to provide bespoke products or services that meet... ..., Leahy (2011) notes that even if a firm using databases that has allowed them to reach all their customers, that does not mean they are maintaining the relationship with their customers successfully. Yet a customer’s perception of relationship is not rated highly neither is it valued because customers view it ‘impersonal’ and they are very suspicious of the firm’s motives (Leahy, 2011:453). With technology, firms have been able to contact customers about adverts and promotions but that does not mean an active relationship exists between both parties. Customers interest in what brands have to offer them and is of a great interest to them et, they don’t value firms trying to establish a relationship with them. It might help if firms decide to look at other avenues of trying to reach out and establish close relationships with their customers so it can be effective.

Comparative Literary Analysis

If you were placed onto a stranded island in the middle of nowhere with no hope of being rescued, even the most civilized person would turn to savagery by the end. This is a fact about human nature, and at one point humans lose their morals and values. In The Crucible and the Lord of the Flies, both authors, Miller and Golding, show the evil in nature, the fight for truth, and mob mentality in certain situations. Abigail Williams and Jack both become very power hungry by the end and show the evil in nature, while John Proctor and Simon are looking for the truth, and Mary Warren and SamnEric follow the mob mentality that is going around.In The Crucible, Abigail Williams is first seen as a child speaking the truth and pointing out the people in the town who are â€Å"witches†. Everyone in the town believes her and her group of friends. But as she realizes that she has the power to condemn anyone as a witch, she overuses that power. Since Abigail desires to be with John Proctor, but he is not willing to be with her due to his wife, Abigail decides to condemn Elizabeth Proctor as a witch, so that she would be able to be with John. This clearly shows how people can use their power that they might have for their own good and use it for evil.This occurs in The Lord of the Flies when Jack slowly becomes more and more power hungry. Throughout the novel, Jack always wants to become chief but Ralph is chosen as chief and this did not please Jack. But as the novel progresses, Jack slowly turns to savagery, and the others follow Jack with his savagery. An example is his wild hunts for pigs, and his crazy dances after killing the pig. He feels much more powerful as more people start to enjoy killings pigs with him and he starts to form a type of mob.â€Å"His mind was crowded with memories: memories of the knowledge that had come to them when they closed in on the struggling pig, knowledge that they had outwitted a living thing, imposed their will upon it, taken away its life like a long satisfying drink. †(Golding 70) This quote explores Jack’s mental state in the aftermath of killing his first pig. This slightly shows the decline into savage behavior. This quote shows Jack’s feelings of power and superiority he experiences after killing the pig. This power slowly transitions into creating his mob and gaining more power from everyone around him, which causes him to become the chief.With this power he gains, Jack now controls most of the island, which allows him to do almost anything he wants, including to set the island on fire just to kill Ralph. At the same time in both The Crucible and The Lord of the Flies, John Proctor and Simon are looking for the truth for the fear in which everyone was going crazy in the town or island. In The Crucible, John Proctor looks for the truth as he questions the honesty of the girls calling out the witches in the town. John carefully looks for evidence to prove that the girls aren’t telling the truth.Fortunately Mary Warren admits to John that they are all playing along only because of Abigail. But at the courthouse, no one believes Mary Warren, and she is also called a witch, so to save herself, she blames John Proctor in threatening Mary to lie. As much as John tries to fight for the truth, he fails at showing everyone because of the power everyone else has over him. Simon in The Lord of the Flies also fails to show the truth over the â€Å"beast† that everyone feared. â€Å"‘As if’, said Simon, ‘the beastie, the beastie or snake thing, was real. Remember?’† (Golding 50)From the beginning Simon doubts the truth about this beast in the island and tries to assure the younger kids that there is no beast. Simon is the only character who truly looks out to find the truth about the beast. But in the end, he is seen as the beast and is killed by the boys who change into savages. When Simon returns to the campfire to tell ever yone what the beast that everyone has feared of, he is mistaken as the beast and never gets to explain the truth. This is just like John Proctor in which he is also killed before the truth gets out.This comparison is similar because both Simon and John were the only people to reveal the truth to the public but no one listens to them, and they end up dead before they say anything. During all of this in The Crucible and The Lord of the Flies, there are the leaders, Abigail and Jack, and then there are the followers, Mary Warren and SamnEric. In The Crucible, Mary Warren follows the mob mentality because of Abigail, and the fear of getting caught. If Mary did not follow what Abigail had said in the beginning to play along with her, Abigail threaten to kill them all, or at least hurt them.Due to this Mary went along with the mob. Although Mary tries to confess in the courtroom, in the end she still retreats back to the mob mentality and blames John Proctor. This also happens in The Lord of the Flies when SamnEric join Jack’s mob. â€Å"Now the painted group felt the otherness of SamnEric, felt the power in their own hands. They felled the twins clumsily and excitedly. Jack was inspired. †(Golding 191) This quote shows how Jack becomes happy with the increasing number to his group and it shows that SamnEric join due to the mob mentality and the power that Jack has compared to Ralph.They try to follow their conscience but end up joining the mob and go along with the savages. Throughout the movie and novel, people end up losing their morals either due to having too much power or not having enough and going out of their way to gain that power. The evil in nature is clearly shown by both authors and depict how far people would go for ambitions that they want such as power. Both authors also show that the truth never gets out, which is unfortunate, but life doesn’t always have happy endings either. And last but not least, the mob mentality is a driv ing force for all the madness in the town of Salem and the Island.

Information Privacy Security: TJX Data Breach Crisis and Lessons

Introduction Protecting the privacy of consumer personal information continues to pose significant challenges for organisations. The complexity is aggravated by consumers’ vulnerability that comes about when they are unable to control the usage of personal information they share with business organisations. Given the importance of information privacy, there has been a host of privacy research focusing on the organisational decisions regarding the use and reuse of consumer personal information (Schwartz, 2009; Greenaway and Chan, 2005). Culnan et al (2008) observes that the emerging decentralisation of technology environment has posed additional privacy challenge: data breaches. Currently, it is only the United States that requires organisations to give formal notice in the event of data breach (Morley, 2014). European Union and its member countries are yet to establish any legal requirements for organisations to notify consumers of any data breach, thereby leaving such eventuality at the f ate of an organisation’s management. Without any notification laws, data breaches remain private and under the discretion of the affected organization. Therefore, this paper focuses on one of the most prominent data security breaches that the world has ever witnessed: TJX data privacy breach crisis, in the context of, ethical principles and theories, legal, professional and social issues. . The Information Privacy Concept According to Xu et al. (2008), the concept of information privacy is multidimensional in nature and is largely dependent on the context as well as personal experiences. Although others see information privacy as full of definition ambiguity (Schwartz, 2009), others have defined consumer personal information as being made up of data generated when consumers conduct transactions. The problems of privacy often emerge from how this consumer information is stored, analysed, used, or shared (FTC, 2008). Information on how to address problems related to privacy management is limited due to minimal research in the area, particularly those issues dealing with management responsibilities on social issues. For example, there is limited research on how organisations should deal with consumers’ personal identifiable information, the role of managers in the protecting the consumer data and the moral duty of every party involved in the handling or accessing consumer data. Overview of TJX Data Breach TJX is a US-based off-price retailer operating over 2,400 stores in various countries and regions including US, Puerto Rico, Canada, and Europe. In the network of stores, the retailer collects and store customer information that would authorize purchases via payment cards, personal cheques , and processing of merchandise returned without a receipt. This violated the legal requirement that prohibits any business from retaining sensitive consumer card information, including the magnetic strips on credit cards (Smedinghoff and Hamady, 2008). In addition, the breach exposed TJX’s failure to observe basic ethical and professional principles. The revelation emerged when in 2007 TJX issued a press release stating that criminals had intruded their data system and stolen over 45 million consumers’ card information within a period of 18 months (FTC, 2008). Although the TJX filed Form 8-K disclosure statement with the Securities and Exchange Commission as required by the law, the company was widely held to be at fault for the breach. The company was accused of breaching the law by storing unencrypted sensitive consumer information, for their failure to limit unauthorised access to the massive data via their wireless network, and the inability to establish adequate security measures within its networks among other issues (FTC, 2008). The Legal and social Issues in the TJX Data Breach The current global data protection guideline is based on the Fair Information Practices (FIPs), which deal with individual rights and organisational responsibilities with regard to management of consumer data (Morley, 2014). In other words, how responsibly the data is used is a pointer to the social expectations with regards to consumer data use. FIPs attempts to put a certain level of balance between the competing business and individual interests in terms of legitimate use of personal information, which serves as the foundation for privacy laws and industry-specific regulatory programmes. In this respect, FIPs lays the foundation for organisations on how to be socially responsible in dealing with privacy issues. On the other hand, the adoption of these guidelines lays the foundations for evaluation by the external audiences on an organisation’s degree of responsiveness (Allen, 2011). There is a general consensus that responsible data management practice is paramount in every organisation (Morley, 2014). However, there is no consensus about how the implementation of individual principles should be carried out. Schwartz (2009, p.1) observes that in most parts of the world, â€Å"fair information practices are implemented through omnibus laws.† Curiously, the United States has no comprehensive laws that compel organisations to observe fair information practice, but instead developed sectoral laws and regulations to consumer privacy protection with laws being enacted in response to issues arising from specific industries. The challenge that comes with this approach is that there is uneven practice in terms of operations and implementations. Moreover, the TJX issue exposed some glaring weaknesses in the implementation of FIP laws and regulations based on the principles of notice, choice, access, security, and sanctions for noncompliance (Culnan, et al., 2008). The effectiveness of data privacy management for organisations that collect, store, and use consumer personal data is curtailed by other issues including unclear law or policy, varied jurisdictions, and differences in data type. The challenge may be further aggravated by conflicting regional or state laws (Allen, 2011). The breaches in the TJX case involved unauthorised access to consumer personal information, which resulted in a variety of risks towards consumer personal information. Nevertheless, there is a general agreement within the statutory laws and regulations that every organisation should ensure there is duty of care with regards to information they collect and store based on consumer’s vulnerability and the actual possibility of harm (Allen, 2011). Allen (2011) observes that although organisations that comply with government regulations are considered legitimate, and readily accepted by their external environment, including partners, this milestone is not easily achievable given the above challenges. For example, the term ‘reasonable procedure†™ as stated in most sectoral data protection regulations does not specify what is actually ‘reasonable’, which may vary depending on the nature and size of the organisation, the types of information it captures and stores, the security equipments and tools in the possession of the organisation, and the nature of risk at display. There has been criticism in regards to the prevailing laws and regulations because they are seen as reactive and outdated at the time when they are enacted (Morley, 2014). The other complaint is that most of privacy violation issues are only detected after the damage is done, thus doing little to reverse the loss on the affected consumers. The Moral Issues and Responsibilities Information ethics is based on the collection, use, and management of information (Morley, 2014). As technology becomes increasingly complex, it is evident that ethical problems related to these developments continue to increase. However, the normative theories (stockholder, stakeholder, and social contracts) used to address the prevailing challenges remain less developed, with many institutions only relying on bare legal minimum requirements in relation to consumer data protection (Culnan, et al., 2008). Morley (2014) observes that these theories are distinct and incompatible with regards to the obligations of a business person. Taking into consideration the large social and financial impact of privacy breach as observed in the TJX case, there are mainly two aspects of moral issues that are central to the data privacy: vulnerability and harm avoidance. The concept of vulnerability highlights most of society’s moral intuitions, with the inherent scenario where one party is at disadvantage with regard to the other party in terms of data collection and use. This situation emerged because one party lacked the capacity to control the information givento the other party. Solove (2007) observed that the root cause of large-scale privacy invasions is embedded inthe lack of information control by the giver. In the case of TJX, consumers suffered outright vulnerability, although they expected TJX to protect their card information with a proper mechanism in place. On the other hand, avoiding harm involves the need for managers to avoid using consumer data to harm the vulnerable consumer socially and financially. Many have argued that it is the responsibility of the managers to take a minimum moral standing to ensure no harm is done in the treatment of consumer information (Culnan, et al., 2008). Conclusion Information privacy is an important issue in the modern business environment. In order to protect consumer information, managers must learn to strike a balance between consumer privacy and business interests by constantly adhering to the principle of protecting the vulnerable consumer and not causing harm to them through their personal information. It is important to note that TJX caused harm when their consumer personal data were stolen by a third party intruder. Although TJX violated industry rules, it is more significant to highlight that the company’s failure to observe moral responsibility in the protection of consumer data should be viewed as more detrimental to the company. Businesses are expected to follow basic ethical principles in managing business activities. While we can argue that the TJX data breach saga received the attention because of the United State’s comprehensive formal notice requirements within the laws on privacy data management, it is also appa rent that personal data protection is beyond the laws and regulations and requires ethical foundations within the organisations. The need to integrate ethical reasoning into the privacy programmes of every organisation is paramount (Xu et al., 2008). We can argue that integrating moral responsibility within organisations will not only establish ethical standards for the organisations, but is growingly becoming a necessity considering the challenges surrounding the implementation of legal requirements. Furthermore, considering that consumers are vulnerable and are unable to control how businesses use their personal information, it is the moral responsibilities of every organisation to go beyond bare minimum legal compliance. That is, each organisation needs to take reasonable precaution when handling consumer data and ensure no harm is caused with this kind of data. References Allen, A. (2011). Unpopular Privacy: What Must We HideOxford: Oxford University Press. Culnan, M. J., Foxman, E. R., and Ray, A. W. (2008). â€Å"Why ITExecutives Should Help Employees Secure Their Home Com- puters,† MIS Quarterly Executive (7:1), March, pp. 49-55. Federal Trade Commission (FTC). (2008). â€Å"Press Release: Agency Announces Settlement of Separate Actions Against Retailer TJX, and Data Brokers Reed Elsevier and Seisint for Failing to Provide Adequate Security for Consumers’ Data,† March 27(available at http://www.ftc.gov/opa/2008/03/datasec.shtm; accessed November 29, 2014). Greenaway, K. E., and Chan, Y. E. (2005). â€Å"Theoretical Explana-tions of Firms’ Information Privacy Behaviors,† Journal of the Association for Information Systems (6:6), pp. 171-198. Morley, D. (2014). Understanding Computers in a Changing Society. Chicago: Cengage Learning. Schwartz, M. (2009). â€Å"Europe Debates Mandatory Data Breach Notifications.† The Privacy Advisor (9:2), p. 1. Smedinghoff, T. J., and Hamady, L. E. (2008). â€Å"New State Regula-tions Signal Significant Expansion of Corporate Data SecurityObligations,† BNA Privacy and Security Law Report (7), October 20, p. 1518. Solove, D. (2007). â€Å"The New Vulnerability: Data Security andPersonal Information,† in Securing Privacy in the Internet Age, A. Chander, L. Gelman, and M. J. Radin (eds.), Palo Alto, CA: Stanford University Press, pp. 111-136. Xu, H., Dinev, T., Smith, H. J., and Hart, P. (2008). â€Å"Examining the Formation of Individual’s Privacy Concerns: Toward an Integra-tive View,† in Proceedings of the 29th International Conference on Information Systems, Paris (available at http://aisel.aisnet.org/icis2008/6; accessed October 29, 2014).

University of Maryland

The University of Maryland is propelled by fearless ideas. Our fearlessness generates creativity, innovation, and an entrepreneurial spirit with which few can compete. What ignites your spark and makes you fearless? There was a time where being your-self was respected and encouraged. From the clothes you wore to the books you read, any chance you had to showcase your individuality was recommended to be taken. It seems nowadays everyone is into the same â€Å"new craze† or the same â€Å"fashion forward† movement. It seems as if no one is truly standing for themselves; my generation is following the same trend of everyone being unique.I do not see any true examples of eccentricity or uniqueness amongst my fellow â€Å"90’s Baby’s.† It is this lack of individuality that drives my fearlessness, and pushes me to set and accomplish anything I put my mind to. To be yourself is to have confidence in who you are as an individual, even though you may not kno w who that is yet. It is the willingness to take risks which can end up hurting you, with the faith that it will all work out.To be yourself also requires dedication and fearlessness. You must be steadfast with your beliefs and not be afraid to stand up for them. These are the beliefs that â€Å"ignite my spark† and motivate me to move forward within all that I do. Being true to who I am and having confidence in myself even though times may seem bleak is what makes me fearless, not only as a student, but as an individual.

Influence of Role Models on Children

A role model is someone looked up to and held in high esteem. They are often emulated and referred to for guidance. Children being very influential can be heavily affected by their role models. A role model for a child is someone seen as big and great in their eyes. Whoever the role model may be, children will pick up actions, words and mannerisms from them. It affects them in every way, how they deal with people, their dress, and vocabulary and how they aspire to be.Role models can have positive or negative effect on children depending upon the role model and others' definition of what is good and what isn't. * Where do children get their role models from? Depending upon the environment, personality of and upbringing of the child, their role models can differ greatly. Some children's role models are pop singers and actors, they are often ones that are popular in media culture and invariably the children's friends would have had an additional effect in affirming the role models.Some role models are noble, in that they are healthy to be role models for the child; uch noble role models include parents, family members, people who do a lot of charity work or work with animals and people who help communities. These role models are formed from knowledge about them, from the child's environment or from hearing stories about them from others. Children learn from their environment and are well-known to be like sponges that soak up all what they see and hear. How role models affect children Vocabulary Some negative role models that often swear or use derogatory words can affect the children who take them as role models by influencing them to start swearing and use ad language or curse words. Alternatively positive role models can help in teaching children to be polite in speech. Dress Children can seek to copy the fashion of their role models; this is usually the case for role models obtained from the media, cartoons, TV presenters, movies or pop singers.These role model s are also affirmed by other children at school, often making it fashionable and cool to be like a certain singer. This can cause children to dress inappropriately for their age and cause temper tantrums. Again it does depend who he role model is, therefore it could be a positive change or modest way of dress which does not seek to harm the child in anyway.Behaviour Popular role models popularized by the media today such as various pop singers do not always have the best of ethics or values that parents wish their children to have. A child can start to emulate the behaviour and attitude of the role model influencing what the child does and if they get into trouble or not. On the other hand, if the role model is one which parents consider positive, this can have positive effects on raising he child with good mannerisms and encouraging them to do well.Role models can greatly affect children from their dress, way of thinking, speech and behavior. A role model can have a positive or neg ative effect upon the child. Popular role models taken by many children today are often those publicized by the media such as various pop singers, sports stars or actors. Children can be deeply influenced by role models, so it is important that parents try to otter positive role models which will benefit their children in all ways possible.

Mother Tongue by Amy Tan and Veil by Marjane Satrapi Essay

Mother Tongue by Amy Tan and Veil by Marjane Satrapi - Essay Example Language is and will always remain to be key constituent of communication. The article, ‘Mother Tongue’ is highly provocative in its connotations because it not only shows that language, specifically, English language is significant medium of expression but most importantly, it has succeeded to evoke creative discourse on issue which is intrinsically linked to the language. Indeed, facilitating communication through language is critical issue within and outside the precinct of language externalities like grammar, spelling, correct phrasing etc. She is emphatic that English as literary language needs to be confined within the paradigms of literature only, though, of course, language that is easily understood is an important condition. She stresses that language ability is often associated with wide ranging implications, leaving behind its key objective of communication. Often in a developed society, the lack of command in the native language is construed to be a major def iciency that reflects in undermining the dignity of individuals. The individuals get associated with personality disorders and deliberately not taken seriously. She cites the example of her mother who is not proficient in English language, thus uses ‘broken or fractured English’. ... highly innovative in her work that has communicated her deepest feeling not through structured English but by graphic displays that have conveyed her thoughts effectively. The ‘Veil’ depicts the religious fanatics and the strict code of conduct under the stringent and extremely biased Islamic laws that reflect a new perspective of the people of Iran. The text/visuals disseminate information in a unique manner that is praiseworthy as well as hugely imaginative. Satrapi has shown that communication has more than one media and language is just a tool that strengthens expressions of thoughts into concrete format. Most importantly, the author of ‘Veil’ has revealed new dimension of language. She shows that language can also be interpreted in diverse ways and readers/ listeners need also be tuned to the changing thought processes of the concerned individual. In other words, understanding of people also becomes a critical element in the effective communication proc esses. People must make efforts to understand the compulsions of other individuals who are probably trying to communicate important information in a language that might be ‘broken or fractured’ as Amy Tan says. The native language and immigrants have become two important faces of same coin, the language barrier! Indeed, it cannot be denied that proficiency in native language is desirable but making it a compulsion for common man defeats the very purpose of language which is to communicate. The issue of language, specifically, English language is an important factor for myriad reasons. It is widely used in the developing world where immigrants go for higher education or for better prospects vis-a-vis job opportunities and personal and professional growth. Hence, knowledge and skill in the language is

An Object (or Discovery) that the world could not live without Essay

An Object (or Discovery) that the world could not live without - Essay Example Books have got a label of â€Å"NEED† in today’s world. No matter whom you are and what you are studying every single industry needs literate and civilized employees who need books to get that position. Whether you are an accountant, doctor, engineer, architecture, artist, painter, related to any media industry or belong to any other profession you need books to get to that level. We are living in the world of units and scientific gadgetry. This technology has increased the use of books. Now the use of E-books is so common that every single person is dependent on it. Nobody can deny that (Chapman, 45). Books have come to live in our lives. We all are dependent on books. Although it’s sort of a unit we barely think about its advantages but how ironic it is that these books are included in our every phase of life. From the beginning of our childhood in schools then in colleges or universities and later in our adulthood they keep us busy from worldly

EMILY DICKINSON Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

EMILY DICKINSON - Essay Example The poem â€Å"Before I got my eyes put out† will be examined first. The poem is discussing how the sort of power found in angels and the heavens is too much for people: â€Å"But were it told to me—Today—/That I might have the sky† (5-6). Having the sky is obviously only something a heavenly creature could possess, though there aren’t any directly mentioned in the text. Regardless, something like this is obviously too much for a person: â€Å"The News would strike me dead† (17). In this poem she is setting up the difference between people and the heavens, though it is important to note that she states that she would die, and she does not say that this is particularly a bad thing. Without a judgment as to whether this would be a positive or negative thing, Dickinson is free to develop her theme as she feels fit. Though it’s not obvious in this particular poem, death as a positive event will be developed and treated as the obvious way o f viewing it. Next, â€Å"I like a look of Agony† discusses how pain and death can be seen in a positive aspect. As Dickinson states that people would not pretend to be in pain because it is not a state that people want to be in, one can assume that a person that does appear to be in pain is actually in pain, and she appreciates the honesty of it. Death, which is â€Å"Impossible to feign† (6), is the ultimate form of honesty, and obviously honesty is always regarded as a positive trait. As pain and agony can often lead to death, the link between agony, death, and honesty is apparent. It might seem at first that the poem is a bit morbid, since it sounds as though the speaker is enjoying the suffering of others if one were to merely glance at the first line, by the end of the poem this interpretation obviously cannot be carried all the way through and must be discarded. The next poem,

Economic development in Germany after the First Word War (between 1919 Essay

Economic development in Germany after the First Word War (between 1919 and 1933) - Essay Example Instantaneously after the First World War, Germany began making efforts of recuperating from their effects of war through social expenditure. The Germany government commenced projects that involved enhancing the transport sector, starting gas works and also trying to revolutionize their power plants. This was an attempt to lessen the escalation in the rate of joblessness which was becoming worse to the country’s economy (Huefner & Woergoetter, 2008). The working class in German got greater political and social representation in the society. Those people, who came from humble backgrounds, for example those in the army, were promoted in their jobs and they started earning better wages. There was equally an explosion in trade unionism in German. The socialist and trade union movements in Germany became much stronger than they were in 1914. These unions no longer concentrated in banning strikes among their employees but they also adjudicated for peace so that there would be no repeat of the war that had resulted in the loss of millions of families as well as leaving most of the men who had taken part in the war wounded. The social spending subsequently started growing with the government using 65 marks for each inhabitant by 1925 as compared to the expenditure of 20.5 marks in the year 1913. By the year 1929, the government’s expenses were more than one hundred marks per inhabitant. The German government took control over banks and they literally controlled the money that flowed in and out of the banks. The government also took control over foreign trade as well as the manufacture and sale of food. The production and sale of armaments was equally put under the government control. Maximum prices for various goods were set by the government so as to raise more revenue to meet its ever increasing demands. Apart from all these, the franchise enterprise was

Strategic marketing planning as an Essential Marketing Tool Essay

Strategic marketing planning as an Essential Marketing Tool - Essay Example Strategic Marketing Planning Strategic marketing plan is a â€Å"management process leading to a marketing plan† (McDonald, 2008, p.7). It is a systematic approach by managers that includes the written or detailed plan of the current status of the company, its goals, and how to attain it. The company obtains information about the mission statement and corporate objectives; analyses the financial performance of the company through the marketing audit; reviews the strength, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats; forecasts the marketing impact; sets marketing objectives and strategies; estimates the anticipated outcome; classifies alternative plans and mixes; and projects the budget needed. Marketing planning is essential for business establishments that aim to gain competitive advantage, which is limited to establish brand, build, defend, and maintain. To achieve competitiveness, firms must employ techniques or models such as Porter’s generic competitive strategies. Gene ric Competitive Strategies Porter’s Model was developed to encourage the firm to gain competitive advantage through following the suggested strategies. The famous hypothesis of Porter is â€Å"stuck in the middle† when firms failed to utilise one of the strategies such as differentiation, cost leadership, focus, or combination as illustrated in Figure 1 below. The model of Porter is determined by the forces in the environment that have a direct influence to the firm’s competitive position. These are â€Å"threat of new entry, intensity of rivalry among existing firms, pressure from substitute products, bargaining power of buyers, and suppliers† (Ormanidhi & Stringa, 2008, p.57). Porter argues that companies must examine its competitive position so that they will know their strength and weaknesses that would form into strategies for defensive or offensive actions. Figure 1 Porter’s Model * Grant 1998 cited in Kossowski, 2003, p.6 Differentiation Thi s is one of the business strategies that Porter identifies in the framework. Differentiation is the firm’s strategy to produce â€Å"unique products or services† (Allen, 2006, p.434). This strategy is essential when the companies’ objective is to build customer’s loyalty because it satisfies the customer’s needs and preferences. The product or service is designed based on the customers’ wants; hence, it produces satisfaction. The customers are concerned with the product quality, features, or after-sales support that increases their value. It results to the positive perception of customer regarding the quality of services the company rendered. Due to additional expenses caused by differentiating products, the company must charge a premium price to return its investment. Regardless of this, perceptive customers prefer quality in terms of delivery system, product, and services. Thus, this strategy is limited to customers who are willing to pay despite the higher price. However, product differentiation is relevant in establishing a brand name for its recall. The differentiated products influence the customers’ perception of the firms’ dissimilarity with their competitors. In addition, it eliminates price conscious consumers by focusing on unique products. The research literature is interested with the widely accepted and used model designed by Porter. Akan, et al. (2006, p.45) include the tactics that managers must utilise in applying this strategy that will