US foreign policy and history Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

US foreign policy and history - Essay Example The American Civil War of 1861 - 1865 remains the most severe military action the US has been involved in. That war between the North and South would have great consequence upon the political, economic, military, and social life of the country.Although these consequences have been discussed by several generations of American and foreign historians, the debate is still far from being over.Politically, the War resolved arguably the key problem that persisted since the American Revolution of 1776: it proved that the republic is capable of coping with both external and internal threats. Until the War many predicted that the US would follow the same pattern many republics did in the 18th and 19th centuries: either collapse into tyranny or suffer a series of overthrows and devastating civil wars. The victory of the North in the War unified the nation and convincingly proved the United States' viability as a federal republic: since the War ended in 1965, no state has attempted secede from t he federation (McPherson, 1989). Besides, the War eliminated any doubts regarding supremacy of the Federal government over the states' authorities. Another critically important outcome of the Civil War was abolishment of the slavery. The 13th Amendment, establishing the Freedmen's Bureau (March 1865) which provided food, medical aid, and education to freed people, the Civil Rights Act of 1866 which granting citizenship to blacks and authorized the federal government to protect their rights, and the 14th Amendment - these critically important documents have become the direct outcome of the Civil War. Evidently, the emancipation of 4 million slaves strongly affected economic life, social relations, and military institutions - literally each sphere of life - but in the first turn this accomplishment of the victors should be addressed as a political issue due to the following reasons. In the middle of the 19th century, the United States was powerful enough to equally compete with many E uropean countries and be regarded as an influential international force. However, legalized slavery - an ugly anachronism of the Dark Ages - seriously undermined the country's reputation in the eyes of European countries (Brinkley et al, 1991). Although the legislative amendments failed to immediately win equal rights for black citizens, emancipation of slaves raised international prestige of the United States as a civilized country. One of the most often admitted reasons for the Civil War was determination of the South to preserve their traditional agrarian society based upon labor of slaves. Although the system brought large profits to the Southern slavocracy, it represented a huge contrast with the capitalist North were wage labor prevailed, which slowed down development of capitalism in the United States (McPherson, 1989). The Northern victory removed that harmful contrast, finally caused the Industrial Revolution in the South, and turned the American economic system homogeneous thus opening the way for further development of capitalist relations in the country. The War also stimulated the Northern industry. Producers of arms, munitions, canneries and meat packers made striking profits during the four years of war. A number of farmers had to take weapons and change their traditional occupation while the army required a lot of farm products -that combination of circumstances stimulated development of the farm machine industry and growing prosperity of Northern farmers. However, when the War was over, the farmers found out that rapid onset of new technical devices coupled with availability of new lands in the South dropped prices for the agricultural production. Many authorities admit that precisely at that time American farmers lost much of their former independence (Brinkley et al,

Italy embraces Welsh Literature Essay Example for Free

Italy embraces Welsh Literature Essay The Italians have fallen for Welsh literature, if the trend of publication (18 books in 9 years with more to follow) has anything to go by. However, its not exactly a sudden connoisseurship that this country, an inveterate contributor of Arts and literature, is bent on to prove. It has more to do with the bond that developed through the migration of a chunk of Italians to Wales in the 20th Century, besides having somewhat similar appetite for Romantic art and culture. The latest from the Welsh stable are, The Canals of Mars (poetry collection) by Patrick McGuinness, Minhinnick (anthology of contemporary Welsh poetry), The Prince of Wales (a novel on modern Cardiff) by John Williams and Y Pla (The Plague, a novel) by William Owen Roberts. Thus, translations are doing fine with experts in zone like Andrea Bianchi and Silvana Siviero, who are translating their 11th book from Wales. Bianchis own poetic prowess joined with Ms Sivieros 13 years of on the soil experience. High on success, they have branded their works as Parole dal Galles (Geiriau O Gymru). Close on the heels are six other publishers. The literary magazine from the University of Venice through its ‘Welsh Literature Section’, also provides encouragement. With three volumes of poetry by Robert in the pipe line, along with publishing prospect of the books by poets Gillian Clarke and John Barnie or the novelist Caradog Prichard, both the market and its producers are upbeat about the future. The poet, Gwyneth Lewis or Sioned Puw Rowlands, the director of Welsh Literature Abroad – all attribute this enthusiasm to the orchestrated effort produced by the parties from both the sides, save the Italian readers interest, which they have already proved by their rousing reception to the novelist Trezza Azzopardi.

characteristics of Thailand

characteristics of Thailand Culture has long been a topic of interest in the academic world and has been written extensively on by many sociologists and ethnographers. As individuals from different countries have their own cultural norms and values, there are bound to be some cultural conflicts that occur when people with different cultural background interact with one another. Thailand has long been regarded as one of the most attractive markets in Asia for foreign direct investments (FDI) due to its many advantages such as its infrastructure, strategic location, FDI policies, government support, etc. (Thailand BOI, 2009). Although there are literatures on about the Thai culture and suggestions, particularly to Westerners, about how to adapt to this unique country, little remains said about how foreign workers as a whole can adapt to the Thai working environment. In attempt to shed some light on the matter, the author shall combine data from past researches about how Westerners should react to the Thai culture, along with more literature that explain the Thai society in more specific details. Lastly, the author shall discuss and analyze his interview data set taken from foreign workers in Company X and present a conclusion. As this paper’s focus revolves around the field of culture, a common understanding about what the word actually entails should first be established. Some examples of definitions have been made by a number of anthropologists. However, selecting from the most popular definitions, the following best describes the meaning of this important concept: Triandis (1994) views culture as interplay of sameness and differences; whereby all cultures are simultaneously very similar and very different. Furthermore, he perceives that as human beings, people share many commonalties and universals, but as groups of people or societies, we exhibit many differences Triandis (1994). However, the author feels that Ogbu (1988) best defines the concept of culture, as he explains, â€Å"[It is] a way of life shared by members of a population, and that it is the social, technoeconomic, and psychological adaptation worked out in the course of a people’s history. Culture includes customs or institutionalized public behaviors, as well as thoughts and emotions that accompany and support those public behaviors. It includes artifacts-things people make or have made that have symbolic meaning. Particularly important is that the definition of culture includes people’s economic, political, religious, and social institutions – the imperatives of culture. These imperatives form a recognizable pattern requiring competencies that guide the behaviors of members of the culture fairly predictably.† (p.11). For foreign workers to enter into Thailand, it would be inevitable that they will come across cross cultural challenges and some culture shock. Culture can have effect on what may seem to be the simplest things in life, such as meetings, greeting, perception of time; but what may seem to be normal to Thais may not be as familiar to foreign workers. This subject is indeed, and has been for a long time, difficult to identify and analyze effectively, as one can dig deeper and deeper into the academic findings and come up with such a variety of opinions and analysis that has to do with culture and its effect in the business world. In this case the author shall choose to focus on the Thai culture, and attempt to aid and produce further explanation to foreign workers wishing to come to Thailand in order for them to be able to better adapt to the Thai working environment. The term culture shock, which was first popularized by Kalvero Oberg (1960), portrays to the feeling of anxiety and disorientation that people experience when living in another country and culture. In explaining this phenomenon, Jandt (1998) shows 4 stages of culture shock: Initial Euphoria: Everything seeming new and exciting. Irritation and hostility: All the focus at this stage is on the differences between one’s own home culture and the new culture that they are experiencing. Gradual adjustment: When one becomes more accustomed and more comfortable in the new culture. In other words, things become more predictable and there are less unpleasant surprises. Adaptation: The person has fully adjusted and can function in both their own culture and the culture they are currently living in. The first and second stages of culture shock have some correlations with companies that decide to expand their operations abroad, as each company must overcome cross-cultural boundaries – named â€Å"psychic distance† according to Johanson and Vahlne (1977). However, instead of companies, this paper wishes to look at human individuals who wish to work abroad in Thailand. Psychic distance has been defined as factors preventing or disturbing the flow of information between potential and actual suppliers and customers, in which examples are differences in language, education, business practices, culture, and industrial development Johanson and Vahlne (1977) (p.24). The connection between psychic distance and knowledge within a firm is that a firm’s mangers will tend to be more comfortable towards country markets that they can get to know most easily. Thus, they will avoid countries that are more difficult to get to know – the bigger the perceived psychic distance, the less likely a company will expand into that territory (Brewer 2007). Johanson and Vahlne (1977) and Brewer’s (2007) are analysis about companies entering new markets, but their notions are still applicable in the sense of foreign workers living and working in Thailand. Much of the problem of culture shock stems from the lack of understanding within a particular country. The more difference that is perceived between the Thai culture and the foreign worker, the more psychic distance he or she would tend to feel against the Thai people. This would inevitably lead to the feeling of isolation, loneliness, or even hostility perceived in stage two of Jandt’s (1998) culture shock phases. If the foreign worker is not integrated into the Thai organizational community, then any work that must be done together with Thai workers and foreign workers will not be at its most productive stage, as the best output comes when there is group cohesion and good synergy. The aim of the research is to help foreign workers in Thailand better understand Thai culture and lessen the third stage of culture shock, along with promoting a smoother transition and adaptation to the Thai working environment and working better with Thais. By understanding more about the Thai working environment, along with the norms and unique culture, foreign workers can be better suited and prepared to adjust themselves to a new working environment, and lessen the chances of any conflicts occurring in the Thai work place. 2. Literature Review 2.1 Barriers to effectively adjust to a national culture One main problem that prohibits understanding of another culture is an ethnocentric orientation, which is using one’s culture as the standard for judging other cultures (Cavusgil et al, 2008, p.128). As most people have been brought up in a single-world culture, they cannot help but have a one-sided view of the world – which is a result of an ethnocentric view that believes that one’s own race, religion, or ethic group is somehow better or superior than other cultures (Cavusgil et al, 2008). Therefore, in order to overcome this cross cultural barrier, foreign workers are suggested to have a Polycentric orientation, which is a host-country’s mindset where one has developed a great affinity with the country in which one is in – or the best option having a Geocentric orientation, which a global mindset where a person is able to understand any culture in the world and combines an openness and awareness to other cultures (Cavusgil et al, 2008). Understanding a new culture – in this case Thailand – essentially requires effort from the foreign workers if they wish to get a better grasp and understanding of the Thai culture. However, doing so may be easier said than done. Although in this paper we shall be focusing on foreign workers, some aspects that may help expatriates adjusting to Thailand may have some relations to what other foreign workers may have to deal with. Barsoux et al. (2002) states that the â€Å"interaction adjustment† is the most difficult for expatriates because it requires them to learn the host country’s behavior patterns and their ways of communication, along with how varieties of relationships are handled – which differs depending on the country, but, nonetheless, also applies to the situation of foreign workers coming to Thailand. This task would be particularly hard to achieve if the expatriate does not speak the local language, as the only way to fully understand a particular culture is through its language (Valdes, 1987). 2.2 Hofstedes Dimensions of Culture Geert Hofstede, a Dutch cultural anthropologist, has been considered to be one of the most acclaimed academic writers who throughout the years has been cited numerously in the field of cultural studies. Through a statistical analysis of questionnaire data sets conducted with several hundred IBM employees from 53 countries, he was able to discover a pattern that indicated national cultural differences and similarities among his subjects; and how such characteristics can be generalized and grouped together to graph different human behaviors and motives – best known as Hofstede’s theory of cultural dimensions. In a preliminary attempt to conceptualize the Thai culture and put it in writing, the author shall initially start with the findings of Hofstede and how he has identified his initial four cultural dimensions that explain each country’s national culture – in this case, Thailand. In doing so, it should help the reader slowly build up an understanding of the overall picture of different aspects of the Thai culture, which would later be complimented with more detailed explanations. Check again if the ranking of the data is from Hofstede 2005 or earlier Although still important, it should be noted that Hofstede’s research can only be used as a general guide to the understanding of the Thai culture. His research does not provide sufficient understanding on how to manage a multicultural organization or gain a deeper comprehension of any particular culture. Therefore, extra literature relating to Thailand and its people shall be integrated into the review of Hofstede’s theory in order to fill in more gaps and further explain some of the more specific characteristics of the Thai society. In his most recent book, co-authored with his son, Hofstede and Hofstede (2005) explain the cultural dimensions (see appendix for Thailand’s cultural rankings) as follows: 2.2.1. Power Distance (PD) High PD countries tend to exhibit a tall hierarchy in their organizations with large differences in salary and status. Subordinates highly respect their bosses and do what they are told. Inequality is expected, and may even be desired in some cases. An example given by McCann and Giles (2007) shows that young workers in an organization perceive their interactions with older workers to be more problematic compared to their interaction with their peers, as the older workers were seen as more â€Å"non-accommodative† and superior – making them feel obligated to be more polite and respectfully avoidant in their communication tactics (e.g. holding back their opinions). Moreover, in such scenarios communication is almost always one way (top to bottom), and the manager is always expected to know more than his subordinates; input or feedback from subordinates is seldom practiced and may in fact be seen as somewhat impolite or disloyal (Javidan House, 2001). As Thailand is ranked as a High PD country, the status differences are often large (Sriussadaporn and Jablin, 1999) compared to Low PD countries that have a flatter hierarchy system, in which subordinates and supervisors are viewed as closer together and more interchangeable, but not identical (Hofstede and Hofstede, 2005). 2.2.2. Individualism vs. Collectivism Thailand is characterized as a collectivist country in which people belong to a strong cohesive group that they believe will protect them in return for their loyalty to the group (Hofstede and Hofstede, 2005). This type of patronage, or kinship, system is based on relationships between people that revolve around favors and reciprocity that give great importance to kindness and sincerity, in which personal links and family connections are valued to be of extreme importance (Holmes and Tangtongtavy, 1995). Collectivism can also be seen in the Thai people’s belief of social harmony where everyone is always consciously, or even unconsciously, making the effort to avoid any personal conflict with others (Nakata and Dhiravgin 1989; Sriussadaporn and Jablin, 1999; Knutson et al., 2003), which also fosters and supports the concept of â€Å"kreng jai† – later explained. In his research, Hall (1976) made a distinction that characterized cultures to be either â€Å"low context† or â€Å"high context†. Low-context cultures rely heavily on verbalization and emphasis on the delivery of verbal messages – expressing one’s self clearly, logically, and as convincingly as possible (Hall, 1976). In other words, Low-context cultures tend to value expertise and performance, and tend not to beat around the bush (Cavusgil et. al, 2008). High-context cultures, such as Thailand, are the opposite. They tend to focus on non-verbal messages and prefer indirect and polite face-saving style that emphasizes a mutual sense of care and respect for others (Cavusgil et. al, 2008, p.136). Interestingly Hall’s approach is very closely related to Hofstede’s individualism and collectivism cultural dimension, which has been further explained by Gudykunst and Ting-Toomey (1988) that cultures that have been labeled by Hall as â€Å"High-context† are considered to be â€Å"Collectivists† in Hofstede’s theory, and vice versa. Hence, Thailand is considered to be a High-context and a Collectivist culture. This may also help explain why it is difficult for Thai people to say â€Å"no† when one may feels disagreement or is unable to carry out an order. Moreover, as maintaining harmony is the center focus of a Collectivist culture (Hofstede and Hofstede, 2005), showing bad emotions such as frustratio n, impatience, frustration, anger, or irritation is seen as disrupting the social harmony and is considered relatively rude and offensive (Sriussadaporn and Jablin, 1999; Knutson et al., 2003). Also part of the characteristics of Thailand’s high-context (Hall 1976) and collective culture (Hofstede and Hofstede 2005), it was found that young people seldom speak up – which may have stemmed from childhood as students do not express their opinions in class as much because quietness is also considered a virtue in the Thai culture (Knutson et al., 2003), which is also the case with younger people not disagreeing with older people in organizations (Boode, 2005; McCann and Giles, 2007; Javidan and Dastmalchian, 2009) – further supporting Smutkupt and Barna’s (1976) findings that any doubts or contradictive thinking in one’s mind are very rarely communicated openly in the Thai culture. 2.2.3. Uncertainty Avoidance (UA) Broadly defined, people in High UA countries tend to be more emotional than other countries, and are more motivated by their â€Å"inner nervous energy† (Hofstede and Hofstede, 2005). As Thais are ranked as having high UA, one of the ways they reduce their uncertainty in everyday life communication is through their proper use of pronouns and postures to show respect, deference, politeness, and closeness towards others (Sriussadaporn and Jablin, 1999). This can also be seen through their use of silence to avoid uncertain confrontations with other people – especially with the more senior people (McCann and Giles, 2007). Moreover, as a result of this high UA ranking characteristic, Thais generally tend not to readily accept change and are relatively against taking risks (Swierczek and Ha, 2003). 2.2.4. Masculinity vs. Femininity Thailand has the lowest Masculinity ranking among the Asian countries, which indicates that they show a low level of assertiveness and competiveness compared to other countries in the region (Hofstede and Hofstede, 2005). Sriussadaporn and Jablin’s (1999) research shows this with their observation that Thais do not truly express their own opinions as much as they deserve to due to their non-dominant and non-assertive characteristics. This may have derived from or have some indications to their Collectivist and confrontation avoidance nature in the findings of McCann and Giles (2007) attributed to the complex Thai hierchical system and their expected respect for the older generation. 2.3 The Thai workplace environment Words that could describe the Thai management style and its working environment, or business culture, are the following: compromise, slow, centralized, seniority-based, relationship-based, conservative, and family-based (Adams and Vernon, 2004). These terms seem very much to stress the maintenance of harmony in the company – being non confrontational and accepting the differences of inequality. As stated earlier, Thailand is traditionally a high power distance country (Hofstede and Hofstede, 2005), which makes Thai society a segregated one with distinct unofficial class groupings and little chance for mobility across the class lines – also applying to the workplace environment (Komin, 1995; Lawler et al., 1995). Interestingly this type of class system in Thailand, is very much reflected in the organization and management of family-owned companies and enterprises according to Lawler et al. (1995). In other words, the need for a formal or set of rules in management may not be as high of a priority as the environment produced by the Thai social system has a great influence in defining the interaction between peer-to-peer and worker-to-worker in a company setting YES ACCORDING TO THE INTERVIEWS. In the largest firms in Thailand, family connections has served as a foundation for building international trading companies and has been a very important aspect of understanding the Thai working environment, which has been characterized by Isarangkun Na Ayuthaya and Taira (1977) as â€Å"management by entourage†. In other words, it conveys the concept of the importance of knowing the right people to get the job done and having connections in the right places. However, this concept becomes less manageable as a company grows and requires being more responsible for its accountabilities, more professional managers are needed – creating a hybrid of Westernized practices in a traditional Thai family enterprise (Lawler and Atmiyanandana, 2003). In the aspects of companies that are family enterprises, HRM practices are very much influenced by traditional Thai values and their social practices compared to the everyday management theory (Bertrand et. al., 2008). In other words, professional managers in the HRM filed are found to be very rare in family enterprises, even ad hoc, along with HR planning and the systematic analysis of employment issues are found to be virtually absent in such organizations (Lawler et al.,1989). So how are the employees controlled? The answer is through a complex hierarchical class system that has been deeply rooted within the Thai culture (Adams and Vernon, 2004). – also conveying that employees with lower positions react to people with higher managerial levels out of a sense of duty rather than according to the rules and regulations set by the company (Knutson et al., 2003). Moreover, this can be seen through the use of the complex Thai language between superiors and subordinates. EXPLAIN SOME OF THE IMPORTANT â€Å"JAI† WORDS: KRENG JAI, NAM JAI, SBAI JAI. This emphasizes on the importance of social harmony can be seen with the proper linguistic uses that must be used in everyday life when addressing people of different status (Knutson et. al., 2003). Where English has one word, â€Å"I†, as the first person pronoun, and one other, â€Å"you†, for the second person pronoun, Thai speakers must choose from up to 9 commonly used forms for the first person pronouns, 8 second person pronouns, and 5 third person pronouns (Iwasaki and Preeya, 2005). In addition to these variety of words, Cooke (1968) has listed up to 27 first-person pronouns, 22 second-person pronouns, and 8 third person pronouns, which include language used with royalties and specialized tems used by specific people (i.g. Buddhist monks have specific terms to address themselves and others). This would all depend on the politeness or closeness the speaker wishes to convey, and depending on the status of the other person who is involved in the conversation. Specific uses of language and conflict avoidance are some very specific characteristics of the Thai culture that conveys to the collectivism and high context society explained thus far. If, however, a disagreement should arise, Thais will look for indirect means for their resolution – usually through third parties or by â€Å"intense† private talks (Lasserre and Probert 1996; Lawler and Atmiyanandana, 2003). Kreng jai, is one of the most difficult concepts of the Thai cultures for foreigners to understand (especially for Westerners), which has been defined by Komin (1991) as, The concept of time in Thailand is somewhat more lenient than in other countries. Foreign workers have sometimes found this aspect of the Thai culture to be the hardest to adjust to – unless the foreign worker himself has the same attitude towards time. Mainly speaking, punctuality can at times be seen as unimportant when going out or having socials with friends. However, foreign workers have found that Thai are very punctual when it comes to meetings and appointments with their superior. 2.4 The Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis The notion that language and culture can be interlinked may not be obvious to us at first, as we, being native speakers, may not be conscious how we say things, and why we say it the way we do in our own languages. However, Jandt (2001) suggests that a person who has learned a second language, or has grown up speaking more than one language, may become aware of the different ways each language allows the speaker to describe and grasp the reality we live in. It is these different perceptions one has of reality that Jandt (2001) believes to be the same differences in culture – making the relationship between language and culture resembling mirrors to each other. This relates back to the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis that says cultural elements can be seen in a language’s vocabulary and grammar (Whorf, 1956). Harley (2001) supports the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis in that it shows how a culture’s or country’s language determines the structure of the speaker’s thought process. That is to say, language affects the way humans remember and the way people perceive the world. If a language has a rich vocabulary for certain notions and concepts, then it makes it easier to describe those ideas in that particular language (Whorf, 1956). Thus, ideas, notions, or things that are easily described in a language must be important to the culture (Jandt, 2001). The two main ideas comprising the Sapire-Whorf hypotheses starts with the first being linguistic determinism, which is the idea that the form and characteristics of our language determine the way in which we think, remember and perceive; and the second, linguistic relativism, which is t he idea that as different languages map onto the world in different ways, different languages will generate different cognitive structures (Harley, 2001, p.81). Although there are studies relating to the intricate nature of the Thai language (Komin 1991; Chantornvong, 1992; Komin, 1995; Knutson, 1994; Knutson et al., 2003), there has yet to be an establishment between the numerous words that contain â€Å"jai† (heart) and the way Thais think and perceive others. It can seem a bit daunting or even a tedious endeavor for a foreign worker to deal with such vicissitudes of the different nuances of the Thai culture. However, the most important aspect to bear in mind is the relationships that Thais hold so dear towards one another, and the mutual understanding one has towards the other person (Komin, 1995; Knutson et al., 2003). For Thais, the heart shows sincerity, and thus so many words are derived from it to express the different feelings one has. In order to test whether or not this may be true, the author has conducted and compiled data set from his interviewees. Moreover, having to express oneself in another language means learning to adopt someone else’s reference frame (Hofestede and Hofstede, 2005, p.328). In other words, by understanding and speaking the local language, one is better able to understand the national culture. With no knowledge of Thai, a foreign worker is likely to miss out on a lot of hidden nuances and subtleties of the Thai culture, and may result in being left as a relative outsider. One of the examples given by Hofestede and Hofstede (2005) is the subtleties of humor, which varies amongst different culture and is very specific sometimes to one culture.

Team Based Organizations Essay -- GCSE Business Management

Team Based Organizations Introduction A team is a small group of people with complementary skills who work actively together to achieve a common purpose for which they hold themselves collectively accountable. In today’s society, there can be several different factors that are associated for a group of people to become a high performance team. For a team to achieve great performance, and deliver real benefits to the organization, they have to be able to distinguish their strengths and weaknesses. All teams need members who believe in team goals and are motivated to work with others actively to accomplish important tasks. A commitment to teamwork is found in the willingness of every member to listen and respond constructively to views expressed by others. High performance team has to give others the benefit of the doubt, provide support, and recognize the interests and achievements of others. These things are very essential for a team to be a high performance team in today’s competitive and changing business environment. High Performance Teams It takes a lot of work for a group of people to become a high performance team. High performance teams have special characteristics that allow them to excel at teamwork and achieve special performance advantages. A team that is going to be a high performance team has to consist of strong core values that help guide their attitudes and behaviors in directions consistent with the team’s purpose. Another thing that a high performance teams do is to turn general sense of purpose into specific performance objectives. Whereas a shared sense of purpose gives general direction to a team, commitment to specific performance results makes this purpose truly meaningful. Moreover, members of high performance teams should have the right mix of skills, including technical skills, problem solving and decision making skills, and interpersonal skills. Lastly, anyone can easily ague that for a team to be a high performance team they have to be creative. In the new workplace, teams must use their creativity to assist organizations in continuous improvement of operations and in continuous development of new products, services, and markets. Diversity Climate Improving the diversity climate of an organization is through the implementation of teams. To conceive a better perspective of how diversity climate applies to organizing... ...s the group can gain from the complementarities among the skills of its members. Second, different skills of team members have to be relevant to one another. For example, complimenting someone may not occur, if the skills of one team member are not relevant to the productivity of a teammate. Third, good communication is necessary for any team members to perform the relevant joint tasks and engage in a knowledgeable process to be productive Conclusion Teams are the major forces behind today’s revolutionary changes in organizations. Team based organizations are becoming the management system of the future in today’s competitive business environment. To be a high performance team the proper skills need to be present. When it regards to teams being diverse, one must take into consideration the differences and use them to their advantage. In order to be able to successful run a business, there needs to be the distinction of what group of people is qualified and capable of doing what is right for the organization to succeed. References Katherine C. Naff, Richard C. Thompson. The Impact of Teams on the Climate for diversity in Government. http://www.hf.faa.gov. July 10, 2005.

Crowded Coasts Essay

Using named examples, describe how physical and economic factors have lead to crowded coasts? The area around the coast may have a better climate than inland for jobs. For example, in Australia, rainfall is much greater nearer the coast and so most of the farmland is within 300-400km of the coastline. The ability to earn a living through farming means more people would move to the coast as it will create a higher crop yield and ultimately and greater profit. Recent droughts in inland Australia makes the coast the best place to farm. The coast may also have valuable resources that would bring people because of job opportunities or goods. The sea can give food from the fish and promote fishermen, the sand could be used to create glass and there might be some valuable resources such as coal, oil or natural gas which could attract people as there would need to be multiple workers. So, the more resources are found on the coast, the more jobs are needed to fill them and so people who may b e in unemployment inland will see this and move to the coast. The climate on the coast also lead to crowded coasts as the climate is usually ‘better’ than inland or in other areas. An example is Costa Rica in Spain where people move due to the Mediterranean and which is also a factor in why many ex-pats live in the South of Spain to get away from the British weather. The climate might be cooler and so more comfortable living and working conditions such as Australia or the moderate temperatures all year around (Dorset is the 2nd sunniest and have very few days of snow and frost). The environment would also appeal to people who have been living in densely populated cities as there is a high density of ecosystems and so this would appeal to not just the people living there but provides income through tourism and so more people would go to the coast for jobs. Jobs could include working at hotels on the coast or through giving diving tours of coral reefs. Eventually, more people would move to the coast for these jobs making it more crowded but also from the tourists who visit the area. The transport links in the coastal areas means people have the ability to live on the coast but also can commute to a city if needed. The transport links would encourage urban growth as a main port on the coast would bring employment. The extra transport also means tourism can thrive as people can get on a train/airplane and get to the destination quickly. An example is Bournemouth which is a large tourist area and has a station located not too far from the coast but also a small airport for local flights so people around the country can go to Bournemouth as a tourist. The cost of living could also be cheaper if you are living in smaller coastal towns and so could be appealing for young families who are short of income. This is the case for Spain’s Costa geriatric and Australia. However, once more people move in the house prices will increase but if it’s only a small town then more people will become interested but the house prices will start relatively low.

Gerardus Mercator essays

Gerardus Mercator essays On March fifth, 1512, a boy soon to be one of the greatest influences on the exploration of our planet, was born. Originally named Gerard de Cremere, Gerardus Mercator first studied at Hertogenbosch in the Netherlands, then in 1530, at the age of 18, entered the University of Louvain, studying humanities and philosophy. From there he graduated with an M.A. in 1532. After graduating, Mercator began to have worries on how to reconcile the account of the origin of the universe given in the Bible with that given by Aristotle. Although traveling to many places, including Antwerp and Mechelen, the only result he obtained from his travels was that he became deeply interested in geography. Mercator returned to Louvain after realizing his true passion, and studied mathematics under Gemma Frisius, instrument making and engraving under Gaspar Myrica, and learned how top apply mathematics to geography and astronomy, and in 1534 married Barbara Schellekens, by whom he had six children. By the time he was 24, Mercator was a superb engraver, an outstanding calligrapher, and a highly skilled instrument maker. In 1535 1536, Mercator, working with Myrica and Frisius, constructed a terrestrial globe. In 1537 they constructed a globe of the stars. Mercator, from 1537 1540, produced maps of Palestine, Flanders, and the world with a new projection. In 1544 Mercator was charged with heresy partly due to his Protestant beliefs, but also because of the fact that he traveled so widely to acquire information for his maps, suspicions were aroused. After spending seven months in prison, he was released, mainly due to strong support from the University of Louvain. Then in 1552, he moved to Duisburg and opened a cartographic workshop. Once in Duisburg, Mercator completed a project to produce a new map of Europe (1554) and taught mathematics from 1559 to 1562. In 1564, more maps followed: one of Lorraine and one of the British Isle...

Emotional and Cognitive Intelligence Essays

Emotional and Cognitive Intelligence Essays Emotional and Cognitive Intelligence Essay Emotional and Cognitive Intelligence Essay Cognitive intelligence and emotional intelligence have both been widely examined with regard to their effect on individual workplace abilities. A critical comparison of the two concepts will be the basis of this essay. Some theorists have hypothesised that the ease with which an employee can process information and work towards solutions (our cognitive intelligence) is the key aspect in our ability to contribute to the workplace, particularly in more complex environments (Viswesvaran Ones, 2002). While others support the theory that our ability to use and adapt to emotion (our emotional intelligence; EI) has the greatest affect on our organisational involvement (Cherniss, Extein, Goleman, Weissberg, 2006). Through exploration of both theories, and their respective strengths and weaknesses coupled with their practical applications, this essay will aim to support the, perhaps rather diplomatic, view that the two concepts are not only equally important but, in fact, complementary (Cote Miners, 2006). Since the emergence of emotional intelligence as a theoretical construct in the work of Salovey and Mayer (1989) there has been much debate surrounding its precise definition (Spector and Johnson, 2006). Despite these deliberations EI has come to be accepted as an one’s ability to recognise, project and shape their own emotions, and identify and appropriately respond to the emotions of others (Mayer, Salovey, Caruso, 2000). Furthermore, through research EI has become widely acknowledged for its organisational importance. Organisational leadership is purportedly more likely in individuals with high EI abilities (Rosete Ciarrochi, 2005) while Kirch, Tucker, and Kirch (2001) speculated that accounting firms’ sole focus on cognitive capabilities when recruiting may lead to unhappy working environments. A popular method of testing for EI in research is the Mayer-Salovey-Caruso emotional intelligence test (MSCEIT) (Cherniss, 2010; Cote Miners, 2006). When a store manager recognises one of their staff is stressed or unhappy and offers them a break, some time off or even counselling they are employing their EI skills. It is estimated that anywhere up to 80% of our business potential is dependant on these skills, with only 20% of an individual’s organisational success based on their cognitive abilities (Kirch et al. , 2001). This leaves little doubt about its importance in business. In complete contrast, cognitive intelligence is not a debatable concept. Generally speaking cognitive intelligence refers to an individual’s quantitative abilities, such as memory, problem solving and the ability to absorb and then utilise information (Cote Miners, 2006). It has been studied in relation to the workforce for well over 80 years (Viswesveran Ones, 2002), and it is quite obviously a valued attribute in wider society. We extensively test the cognitive abilities of our Year 12s in the examinations for the Higher School Certificate; receptionists are tested on their typing skills based on a words-per-minute measurement, and individuals are even asked to complete a comprehension task when the apply for training in the police force – physical ability alone is not sufficient. Cognitive intelligence is used every day; remembering to pick something up from the store, or calculating the total of the bill in a restaurant are examples of everyday cognitive capabilities. As such it is highly valued in jobs of elevated practical and mathematical expertise, such as linguistics or laboratory science. Some might even say the value placed upon these strengths is too high, but we will elaborate on that later. The existence and importance of emotional intelligence in life and work is virtually indisputable. Every time a sales manager sits down with a new recruit to ensure they are comfortable and prepared before their first cold call, or a doctor shields his fear about a potentially dangerous diagnosis to keep the patient calm, EI is in use. However, perhaps its greatest limitation lies in the ambiguity and near-cliche of the term itself (Cherniss, 2010). It has been studied and elaborated upon so much, that what was initially a concise realm of specificity, has – particularly in the area of EI testing – become convoluted by measures of social intelligence and emotional and social competencies (Cherniss, 2010), which while similar to EI do distinctly deviate from the generally accepted Mayer et al. 2000 model of it. Some measures even include tests of cognitive intelligence, the concept with which it is supposedly in direct contrast. This has led to criticism about whether or not measures of EI have construct validity (Cherniss, 2010). From a theoretical standpoint the equivocality regarding an agreed definition of EI most specifically affects the theorists studying the concept. From an organisational perspective the practical implications of uncertainty surround the measurement of the concept, as opposed to its definition. For example if an organisation relies heavily on a team which is cohesive, cooperative and connected to one another the business may screen potential employees to ensure they will suit the role using a measure of emotional intelligence. Here in lay the problem; if a construct cannot be clearly defined, how can a test every truly have construct validity – how can the variables indicating an particular outcome ever be accurate, when we do not know exactly what we are measuring? Moreover, a focus on EI within businesses and organisations could have significant drawbacks. Unavoidable though it may be, if EI is the sole focus when staffing a coffee shop, the outcome may be a lack of efficacy, drive and direction. For example, if all of the staff are preoccupied with the emotions of their co-workers and are constantly self-monitoring their behaviour so as to maintain absolute harmony within the team, the focus will be on the relationships rather than the task at hand. Similarly cognitive intelligence is an important component of not only our work lives, but also our everyday lives. You would not allow an electrician to delve into your fuse box if they did not have the capacity to understand its complexities – nor would they have been employed in the field in the first place. In the same sense, an individual might struggle to make it to work punctually without the ability to comprehend the bus timetable. With that in mind however it is important to recognise the limitations of cognitive intelligence. If you take for example the Graduate Australian Medical Schools Admission Test (GAMSAT) which future Australian medical, dental and optometry students must take in order to be allowed into their preferred degree. The role of the test is to gauge the cognitive abilities of the individual, given the sophisticated level of learning required. However, few universities in Australia allow, even a high GAMSAT scorer, entry into a medical degree without the successful completion of a face-to-face interview because demonstration of their emotional intelligence capabilities is a vital aspect of this job, and one could argue all fields of work. If all the lawyers in a law firm possessed only cognitive abilities, they would likely complete tasks with a great deal of efficiency and accuracy. However when it came to recognising distress, sadness or indeed any emotion in a client being questioned on the stand, they may fail o even recognise the discord. It has also been acknowledged that even though cognitive testing is widely recognised as valid and reliable (Viswesvaran and Ones, 2002), there is always the possibility that an individual with a high score on an accepted measure of cognitive intelligence such as the Stanford-Binet IQ test (Wood et al. 2010), will perform poorly in a workplace deemed below their individual capacity, and in reverse someone with a low cognitive expectancy may perform well in a role of great complexity (Viswesvaran Ones, 2002). Explanations for these variances are broad, and generally speak to the fluidity of the concepts. In spite of what is clearly a myriad of conflicting research studies, basic logic gives rise to the theory that both types of intelligence have their strengths in the workforce. Emotional intelligence accounts for very subjective every day workplace experiences such as the friendships we form; and moreover the evolutionary path of EI could also be said to be responsible for the development of things like bereavement leave, exit interviews, employer counselling facilities and team building seminars or meetings. The en masse emotions and moods of employees throughout the past few decades – and the highly emotionally intelligent people who observed these emotions – could arguably be said to have paved the way for these positive changes in policy and corporate development. Judging emotional intelligence strictly by a measure of success potentially contributes to the perception that it is a weak concept. It is possible that emotional intelligence is related to beneficial outcomes that cannot be measured by a Key Performance Indicator (KPI) in business. For example Cherniss, 2010 cited various researches that indicated EI contributed to personal wellbeing, improved interpersonal relations and even a reduction in the likelihood of depression and drug use. Aside from the obvious strength of giving people the ability to complete work related tasks, the abundance of attributes under the umbrella of cognitive intelligence is probably the greatest asset of the cognitive family. The boundaries of cognition are vast; the concept covers memory, mathematical processing, verbal reasoning, perception, memory, visual processing, judging, use of language and many other elements. Thus it is almost impossible to be completely lacking in cognitive strength generally. As indicated by Viswesvaran and Ones (2002) and Cote and Miners (2006), if one is weak in a particular cognitive area they will likely compensate with strength in another. For example, a mathematics professor is an obvious candidate for someone with immense cognitive power, however if that same professor always forgets his keys or where his car is parked, this is a cognitive failure. Therefore it is possible to be cognitively strong, and therefore potentially productive in the workplace, if you have capabilities in just some cognitive areas. From an organisational perspective the application of the both the cognitive and EI constructs often takes place in the recruitment phase. Before an applicant can be invited for an interview at Flight Centre Limited a series of tests must first be completed. The first is a detailed cognitive task involving mathematical equations, logic and reasoning as well as a test of personality and emotional ability to assess your emotional compatibility with the brand. While this approach has its limitations, as detailed above, generally speaking it is a productive process of elimination. Organisations also support cognitive abilities with training days, and development beyond the expectations of an individual’s role. For example a hairdresser has the cognitive intelligence to cut hair, the employer may develop the employees cognitive abilities by having their staff learn make-up application techniques. This in turn develops the employee’s cognitive skills, with the real-life benefits of giving the staff more professional development and offering the employer another approach to gaining more business. A staff member of a newspaper might have great writing ability, but insufficient grammatical skills; in response an employer might offer that employee a sub-editing course to hone those cognitive deficiencies. With the exception of the recruitment phase of a business, the theory of emotional intelligence is much less tangible and therefore more difficult to apply in an organisation. It is of course what contributes to a regional manager of a retail outlet sending a new employee to a particular store – due to their EI fit with that team – but deficiencies or imbalances in EI are difficult to police and adjust. Some businesses apply it as part of a philosophy, by encouraging (and sometimes enforcing) monthly or weekly one on one meetings with senior management to discuss their feelings towards the business, or offering planning and social days so that teams can bond and perhaps become better able to receive the emotions of one another. It could also be suggested that organisations look to people of high emotional intelligence to lead teams, and divisions as the emotionally intelligent perhaps have the ability to motivate and inspire the cognitively gifted to complete their tasks with a greater level of efficacy or quality. Such substantiations have not, however, been verified. This might seem the appropriate time for the introduction of some revolutionary third workplace success measure, one not as littered with limitations as the two aforementioned concepts are. On the contrary, the myriad of weaknesses serves only to support the idea that cognitive intelligence and emotional intelligence are both vital and complement one another in life and in work. More that being equal contributors, independent of one another, they serve individuals in harmony, creating balance between personal relationships and emotions as well as, tasks and problem solving abilities. To that end it stands to reason that without a certain level of cognitive capability any task, let alone job, will not be able to be completed. However, as anyone who has been a part of an organisation will know, work is much more than just the tasks at hand. The people you work with, for and alongside play a crucial role in our work lives and our ability to monitor both their and our own emotions complements our general mental ability. ? References Cherniss, C. (2010). Emotional intelligence: Toward clarification of a concept. Industrial and Organisational Psychology, 3, 110-126. Cherniss, C. , Extein, M. , Goleman, D. , Weissberg, R, P. (2006) Emotional Intelligence: What Does the Research Really Indicate? Educational Psychologist, 41(4), 239-245. Cote, S. , Miners, C. T. H. (2006) Emotional Intelligence, Cognitive Intelligence, and Job Performance. Administrative Science Quarterly, 51, 1-28 Kirch, D, P. , Tucker, M, L. , Kirch, K, E. (2001). The benefits of Emotional Intelligence in accounting firms. The CPA Journal, 71(8), 60-61. Mayer, J. D. , Salovey, P. Caruso, D. (2000). Models of Emotional Intelligence. Handbook of Intelligence, 2, 396-420. New York: Cambridge University Press. Rosete, D. Ciarrochi, J. (2005). EI and its relationship to workplace performance outcomes of leadership effectiveness. Leadership Organizational Development, 26, 388-399. Salovey, P. , Mayer, J. D. (1989). Emotional intelligence. Imagination, Cognition and Personality, 9(3), 185-211. Spector, P, E. , Johnson, H, M. , (2006) Improving the definition, measurement and application of emotional intelligence. A critique of emotional intelligence: What are the problems and how can they be fixed? 325-344. Mahwah: Lawrence Eribaum. Viswesvaran, C. , Ones, D. S. (2002). Agreements and disagreements on the role of general mental ability (GMA) in industrial, work, and organizational psychology. Human Performance, 15(1/2), 211-231. Wood, J. , Zeffane, R. , Fromholtz, M. , Weisner, R. , Creed, A. , Schmerhorn, J. , Hunt, J. , Osborn, R. (2010) Organisational Behaviour: core concepts and applications, 2, 44-45. Milton: John Wiley Sons.

Questions to Help You Choose Your College Major

Questions to Help You Choose Your College Major When you were in high school, everyone wanted to know where you were going to go to college. Now that youre there, everyone wants to know what youre going to major in. If youre having problems deciding, try asking yourself these five questions. What Do I Love? Knowing what really engages you is critically important when picking a major. If you think you want to be a doctor but cant wait until chemistry ends because it means you can head straight to your Shakespeare class, pay attention to that. No matter what major you choose, if youre like everyone else, youll end up changing careers several times during your lifetime. So pick something that speaks to the fire in your belly and that will get you excited, regardless of the context in which its presented. What am I Good At? Do students in your residence hall always come to you for help with their biology homework? Do you always earn rave reviews for your performances or art work? Majoring in something that you have a natural inclination toward can speak to where your interests and skills are, and, if youre particularly skilled in a specific subject, can possibly lead to further study (abroad, in graduate school, or with a fellowship after graduation). What Do I Want to Do? Have you always wanted to be a doctor? A teacher? A lawyer? Dont limit yourself to only doing what is traditional for those fields. If you want to be a doctor but have a love of Spanish literature, make sure you take your pre-med requirements ... and look into majoring in Spanish. Having college goals and exploring your interests along the way can be a bonus on your graduate school applications. Similarly, if you know youve always wanted to work on Wall Street, make sure youre adequately prepared with the coursework youll need to get your foot in the door. Your major and your preparation for a professional field dont always have to be the exact same thing. What Skills Do I Want to Learn? If you love theater and are hoping to pursue it full-time after you graduate, remember to keep in mind the additional skills youll need to do so. If you want to run your own theater company someday, youll need to know about all kinds things about business rules, ethics, marketing, writing, public relations, and customer service. Pick a major that is intellectually interesting and that also provides you with the practical training you may need later. What Life Factors Do I Need to Consider? Many students have additional factors influencing their college choices: family, financial obligations, cultural expectations. While exploring your own path is highly important, its also important to keep in mind that these external forces will have an influence on your post-college life in one way or another. Finding a major that can provide balance for your internal dreams and desires with external expectations can make an overwhelming situation sometimes feel more manageable.

Most Significant Events Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Most Significant Events - Essay Example The last half of the twentieth century brought to America many remarkable social, economic and political events. Choosing the five I feel had the most powerful effect on America and the World was no easy task. Each decade held many amazing, newsworthy and notable times. After much consideration the five I have elected to go with are The Cold war, The Vietnam War, Reaganomics, Nixon’s Legacy, and Liberal Reform. Following World War II, there was a significant increase in births. The children born of this era were called, â€Å"The Baby Boom Generation†. This year, 2011, the Baby Boom Generation ranges in age from forty-six to sixty-five and represent about twenty-seven percent of the United States population. This almost twenty-year span saw the largest number of births on U.S. record. The parents of the â€Å"Baby Boomers† were spawned of the â€Å"Great Depression† and the â€Å"Dust Bowl†; children of poverty, deprived of so much. The greatest war in human history, World War II, changed their lives. After World War II the Baby Boomers and their parents experienced that American Dream. Mostly because of the GI Bill of Rights that was passed on June 22nd, 1944. This bill allowed returning GI’s to be able to buy homes and return to school. Jobs were everywhere and easy to find, particularly in the North East and along the coast. Because of the GI Bill, the suburbs were born as a couple after the couple moved their families outside the cities.... This caused a great boost to the economy as new housing developments, new schools and shopping centers sprung up everywhere; a nice safe place for children to grow up. The fifties were a time of innocence, in the beginning, but by the close of the fifties, innocence was lost as suburban moms began to work outside the home and â€Å"Latch Key† kids were born. The Sixties was the divining moment for the â€Å"Baby Boomers†. Their music, social ideas, lifestyles and the Civil Rights movement changed many things. â€Å"Make Love Not War was their motto and they lived for the advice of Timothy Leary’s advice to, â€Å"Turn On, Tune In and Drop Out†. By 1979, lots of â€Å"Boomers† were increasing the divorce rate. The sixties ideals had changed the way people thought, acted and believed. Times had changed and for most, there was no going back. From 1945-1954, President Truman evolved a policy of containment designed to hedge in the U.S.S.R., but even so , the cold war turned hot in Korea. At home, an anti-Communist crusade against suspected subversives subsided only after its reckless leader, Senator Joseph McCarthy, was censured. From 1963-1975, the idea that communism in Southeast Asia threatened vital American interests was argued and debated by many presidents. But it was Lyndon Johnson, who became President after Kennedy’s assignation; who began a massive bombing campaign and sent half a million American troops to intervene in Vietnam’s civil war. In 1974, amid dissent at home, Richard Nixon, then President of the United States, gradually began to withdraw U.S. forces from Vietnam, signaling limits to America’s influence as a superpower. In 1965, thousands of US

Reaction paper Research Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Reaction - Research Paper Example This would be a positive development in the field of psychology as early diagnosis would also mean early medical intervention. With DCN, I believe that the causes and symptoms of various mental disorders such as schizophrenia, amnesia, autism and Alzheimer’s will be brought to a better light. From the article, it was mentioned that in DCN, the â€Å"methods involve the imaging of brain function in noninvasive ways that are very safe and friendly to infants and their parents.† Although the proponents of this method being used for imaging the brain function claim that it is safe, I still doubt whether there a number of parents who would allow their babies to become â€Å"guinea pigs† and undergo such experiments. I think that this can be a possible hindrance in the further advancement of DCN in the area of infant brain development. I also wonder whether this method of studying brain functions could be applied not only to babies but to geriatric individuals as well. If it is possible, then the medical world will probably have a better understanding of mental disorders like Alzheimer’s, which is common to old people.

Label and Delinquency (Criminal Justice) Assignment

Label and Delinquency (Criminal Justice) - Assignment Example Finally, this paper aimed to assess the robustness of labeling in explaining the different types of delinquency (Adams, et.al., 2003). The analysis on this paper which shall now follow aims to offer an overview of how this research was conducted, the subjects used, and the overall findings of the research. It also aims to present a personal opinion on whether or not this student felt that the authors looked at relevant and pertinent information and data in the article, including the most interesting findings in the article and why. Finally a recap of the pertinent findings and this student’s overall opinion on the article including recommendations on how this article may be improved shall be presented in this paper. The research was conducted by assessing the high school students’ attitudes and behaviors regarding drugs and delinquency in Mississippi. Respondents were juveniles who were held in two training schools in July of 1992. The respondents were mostly from the rural areas. These respondents were also remanded to the custody of the Mississippi Youth Services for behavior which ranged from status offenses to gang-related activities. The research was conducted on group settings with about 25 juveniles per group. A research questionnaire was answered by said respondents. Researchers used overhead projectors and they read each item to the different respondents. There were 337 juveniles who were qualified for the research, and about 277 ended up participating in the study. Reasons like court appointment, preparation for release, and solitary confinement prevented the other respondents from participating in this research. Teachers, peers, and parents were also included as respondents. T hese three groups assessed the informal labeling placed on these delinquents. The data gathered was later coded based on the different variables included in this research. After coding, an index of six contrasting descriptive adjectives was used to

Hungary taxation system during and after soviet union Essay

Hungary taxation system during and after soviet union - Essay Example The government of Hungary has various industries which it can impose tax such as in textiles, food processing, chemicals, mining and motor vehicles industries. This paper discusses about the Hungary taxation system during and after Soviet Union. Also, outlines several changes that were evident in a clear and outright way. In the early 1950s, Hungary, like the other European countries embraced the soviet economic model which was introduced by Stalin. The design constituted of one sided preparations for war and emphasized on industrial self-sufficiency. This led to centralized managed system replacing the market and the market prices. This model was not fit for Hungary as it was a country with a population of 10 million people and had an economic background that was different from the Soviet Unions. The result of this was that the one fourth of the gross national product increase was wasted by the frozen investment projects and the unsalable commodities. The impact of this was that the shortage appeared in every area. The average wage earner wage earner experienced 20 percentage declines in real wages, and there was food rationing. The revenue also collected by the state as tax was minimal, and these made Hungary experience an economic crisis in 1953 (OECD, 27). It is apparent that the fiscal system of Hungary passed a series of stages from the centralized planning to mostly free market economy. The first stage which is classical socialism was experienced in the first two decades after the World War II. Classical Socialism was characterized by centralization of many economic variables such as income distribution, pricing, input and output mix. At this stage, tax system was used as a rudimentary tool to capture economic surplus and the transferring of the revenue to the state. The taxes imposed at the time were a mixture of turnover taxes and taxes from the factors of production. The paying was exclusively by the firms in this socialized economy (Bernardi et

Is Preventing Further Global Warming a Social Responsibility Essay

Is Preventing Further Global Warming a Social Responsibility - Essay Example Scientists have estimated that by the beginning of the next century, temperatures of the earth would have increased by approximately 2.1 degrees Celsius. An increase of only one degree is highly detrimental to animal and plant existence. Therefore, if the dangers of global warming do not undergo immediate intervention, then plant and animal lives might face partial or absolute extinction in the near future (Leroux 15). Causes of global warming For vey many years the concept of causal in global warming evaded human understanding. Until the formation of the Intergovernmental Panel by the UN, little was understood. The panel later found out that the presence of heat trapping gases in the air was majorly responsible for causing global warming. In this regard, they classified the heat trapping gases that cause what they referred to as the greenhouse gas effect. These gases range from simple CO2, methane, Nitrous Oxide to water vapor. Further research revealed that the amount of these gase s in the atmosphere was directly proportional to the increase in atmospheric temperatures. Major sources of these greenhouse gases are human activity-based. The beginning of industrialization in the nineteenth century brought about changes in fuel consumption. Due to demand from industries in fuel, exploration and extraction of fossil fuel has dramatically increased. Despite refining, fossil fuel provides a large amount of CO2 emitted to the atmosphere. Smoke from industries and fuel burning by locomotives are powerful source of carbon dioxide in the environment (Pumphrey 23). Other gases are highly harmful to the ozone layer that protects the earth from harmful emissions of light rays from the sun. Continual depletion of this protective blanket leads to exposure to these harmful radiations which in turn lead to increase of global temperatures. This has been identified as a hazardous effect caused by such gases as methane and other chlorofluorocarbons. Emissions of nitrous oxide inc rease the risk to global warming, 300 times more than carbon dioxide does. This shows the potential risk of continual increase of such industrial gases in the atmosphere. Debate in global warming Since its discovery, global warming has remained a debated issue in all its dimensions. Starting from its causes to how to curb it, there have been unclarities concerning the responsibilities involved. From the beginning of discovery of the concept, the responsibility was only pushed to governments. According to Leroux (98) statistics obtained in 2009 from different regions of the world indicated that awareness of the concept was still low. The question of responsibility has thus continually raised endless debates. With a general understanding that causing of global warming is largely done by industries, blame has only been shifted to industries. Responsibility has evaded direction. The general societies have thus remained unclear whether they should be involved or not. This is one major de bate that has rocked the human mind. Responsibility With increased rates of this disaster, there was need for a collaborative approach towards combating the dangers of the situation. Given that its effects will largely affect the causers and victims of increasing greenhouse gases in the

Adoption of the Euro and the European Countries Economies Essay

Adoption of the Euro and the European Countries Economies - Essay Example It is evident from the study that the need to achieve a stable monetary and economic stability for these countries, the need for appropriate rule of law and respect for the human rights and the protection for the minorities, the proper and efficient functioning of the market economy, to enhance the capability of all the countries to work together in the face of economic as well as political crises and pressure of the market forces etc. It was also aimed to achieve full cost transparency and price transparency. These were aimed to achieve for the single market for goods and services as well as for labour and capital. They aim was focused on the achievement of the exchange rate stability and economies of scale in the production process and hence on an efficient market mechanism with efficient market allocation and distribution of resources. Among the other major economic goals, the need for an introduction of low inflation and low level of long-term interest rates for the member countr ies. The benefits obtained from the adoption of the euro can be discussed considering two perspectives. One is from the point of view of the economies of each countries and the other from the perspective of the euro zone as a whole. Considering first the entire euro area it can be said that the adoption has helped all the countries to achieve greater economic and monetary stability. It also helped to achieve greater economies of scale as well as greater economies of scope in the production of goods and services. ... g the other major economic goals, the need for an introduction of low inflation and low level of long-term interest rates for the member countries (Tumpel-Gugerell, 2007). Benefits: The benefits obtained from the adoption of the euro can be discussed considering two perspectives. One is from the point of view of the economies of each countries and the other from the perspective of the euro zone as a whole. Considering first the entire euro area it can be said that the adoption has helped all the countries to achieve greater economic and monetary stability. It also helped to achieve greater economies of scale as well as greater economies of scope in the production of goods and services. It also helped in achieving efficient market outcomes with efficient allocation of scarce resources of the economies along with efficient distributions. The biggest benefit from the adoption was the exchange rate stability and the price stability among the member countries. After the adoption, the Euro pean countries experienced low rate of inflation and lower rate of long-term interest rates (Tumpel-Gugerell, 2007). There has been a process of convergences with respect to stable long-term interest rates and low inflation rates. After the adoption of the euro, monetary policies became more credible to the markets compared to the pre-adoption period. This was one of the major benefits that the eurozone has acquired from the introduction of a single monetary authority. The monetary policies were initiated with the major goal of reaching price stability and interest rate stability. The targeted inflation rate was mentioned to be within 2 % in the medium run (Schadler, 2005, pp. 106-110). Events, such as oil price shock in the early 1990s, have created great barriers to achieve this price and

Hungary taxation system during and after soviet union Essay

Hungary taxation system during and after soviet union - Essay Example The government of Hungary has various industries which it can impose tax such as in textiles, food processing, chemicals, mining and motor vehicles industries. This paper discusses about the Hungary taxation system during and after Soviet Union. Also, outlines several changes that were evident in a clear and outright way. In the early 1950s, Hungary, like the other European countries embraced the soviet economic model which was introduced by Stalin. The design constituted of one sided preparations for war and emphasized on industrial self-sufficiency. This led to centralized managed system replacing the market and the market prices. This model was not fit for Hungary as it was a country with a population of 10 million people and had an economic background that was different from the Soviet Unions. The result of this was that the one fourth of the gross national product increase was wasted by the frozen investment projects and the unsalable commodities. The impact of this was that the shortage appeared in every area. The average wage earner wage earner experienced 20 percentage declines in real wages, and there was food rationing. The revenue also collected by the state as tax was minimal, and these made Hungary experience an economic crisis in 1953 (OECD, 27). It is apparent that the fiscal system of Hungary passed a series of stages from the centralized planning to mostly free market economy. The first stage which is classical socialism was experienced in the first two decades after the World War II. Classical Socialism was characterized by centralization of many economic variables such as income distribution, pricing, input and output mix. At this stage, tax system was used as a rudimentary tool to capture economic surplus and the transferring of the revenue to the state. The taxes imposed at the time were a mixture of turnover taxes and taxes from the factors of production. The paying was exclusively by the firms in this socialized economy (Bernardi et

Adoption of the Euro and the European Countries Economies Essay

Adoption of the Euro and the European Countries Economies - Essay Example It is evident from the study that the need to achieve a stable monetary and economic stability for these countries, the need for appropriate rule of law and respect for the human rights and the protection for the minorities, the proper and efficient functioning of the market economy, to enhance the capability of all the countries to work together in the face of economic as well as political crises and pressure of the market forces etc. It was also aimed to achieve full cost transparency and price transparency. These were aimed to achieve for the single market for goods and services as well as for labour and capital. They aim was focused on the achievement of the exchange rate stability and economies of scale in the production process and hence on an efficient market mechanism with efficient market allocation and distribution of resources. Among the other major economic goals, the need for an introduction of low inflation and low level of long-term interest rates for the member countr ies. The benefits obtained from the adoption of the euro can be discussed considering two perspectives. One is from the point of view of the economies of each countries and the other from the perspective of the euro zone as a whole. Considering first the entire euro area it can be said that the adoption has helped all the countries to achieve greater economic and monetary stability. It also helped to achieve greater economies of scale as well as greater economies of scope in the production of goods and services. ... g the other major economic goals, the need for an introduction of low inflation and low level of long-term interest rates for the member countries (Tumpel-Gugerell, 2007). Benefits: The benefits obtained from the adoption of the euro can be discussed considering two perspectives. One is from the point of view of the economies of each countries and the other from the perspective of the euro zone as a whole. Considering first the entire euro area it can be said that the adoption has helped all the countries to achieve greater economic and monetary stability. It also helped to achieve greater economies of scale as well as greater economies of scope in the production of goods and services. It also helped in achieving efficient market outcomes with efficient allocation of scarce resources of the economies along with efficient distributions. The biggest benefit from the adoption was the exchange rate stability and the price stability among the member countries. After the adoption, the Euro pean countries experienced low rate of inflation and lower rate of long-term interest rates (Tumpel-Gugerell, 2007). There has been a process of convergences with respect to stable long-term interest rates and low inflation rates. After the adoption of the euro, monetary policies became more credible to the markets compared to the pre-adoption period. This was one of the major benefits that the eurozone has acquired from the introduction of a single monetary authority. The monetary policies were initiated with the major goal of reaching price stability and interest rate stability. The targeted inflation rate was mentioned to be within 2 % in the medium run (Schadler, 2005, pp. 106-110). Events, such as oil price shock in the early 1990s, have created great barriers to achieve this price and

Woody Contruction Company Essay Example for Free

Woody Contruction Company Essay The Custom Woodworking Company is a small-to-medium sized custom furniture and cabinet making company located in Someplace, British Columbia. It is represented by Ron Carpenter, CEO, his wife Emelia Carpenter, the president and their son John Carpenter, the director. The company is privately held with approximately 850 employees. Throughout the years, they quickly gained reputation for attractively designed and well-constructed furniture and built up a loyal staff and work force. Woody 2000 project started in 1989, as a result of a boom in the commercial construction activities and the intentions of the management. The production floor of The Custom Woodworking Company was to expand by 25% with an estimated budget of 17 million dollars. The timeframe for this would be approximately 18 months. This expansion would include an equipment installation of semi-automatic woodworking trains, which requires both software and hardware to operate the system. Introduction: A Project Manager is a person responsible for accomplishing project objectives. These objectives include initiating, planning, executing, monitoring and controlling and closing of the project. Project Management can be defined as being an art of controlling the cost, time, manpower, and hardware and software resources involved in a project. A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge Guide (PMI 2008) define project management as â€Å"the application of knowledge, skills, tools and techniques to project activities to meet project requirements†. Successful organizations have some sort of project some time or another throughout the lifetime of the project. The owners and contractors have different ideas of what they want done. In the construction world the common bond is to create a successful project with high quality, desired completion date and the actual costs While reading through the Woody 2000 Project there were a few things that I discovered that could have been done to maybe enhance the project. Scope is very important in the definition of project requirements at the start of the project and if a portion of this is missed it can cause unforeseen extra cost and variation of cost and the final product. Defining the project scope is to identify all the work in details that the project will accomplish in order to achieve its final goal. The work includes the activities in which the project members have identified will be necessary to support the project and all the other instances surrounding delivery of the project. There was a lack of planning. The expansion was based on a mini boom in the construction industry, but no one took the time to conduct a statistical plan as to whether or not the boom was going to last and for how long. It may have been defined to the key players, but not to the actual people that need to know. In my opinion the project was not carefully planned out. Vice President of Finance and Administration, Spencer Moneysworth did not have the project management skills that was needed for this project. The fact that he decided not to involve the production people was a mistake. He should have included all key players from every section whether they were at management level or not. Because of the short suspense, and he did not want to waste any unnecessary time, he immediately invited the Expert Industrial developers (EID) to get a quote. There were poor management, VP Moneysworth may be good at Finance and Administration, but he lacked the management skills to make this project successful. There was not an actual project manager, which was needed because of the estimated cost for the project was given a cash flow versus working out the necessary details that was required and breaking down every section that was to be expanded, materials, resources and supplies. Timelines and budget were set without considering any internal or external problems. The initial objective was to increase production efficiency and keep up with the current demands, but the expansion quickly turned into an expansion of the current facility to an upgrade in offices. The completion date of the project and the amount were somewhat unrealistic. The company did create a monthly cash flow chart for the project. Another issue is that there was not an evaluation process that states when there would be another meeting or to check on progress of the project. Communication management which is also a vital part of any project was a flaw in this project. Having good communication will determine the flow of information. Effective communication can lead to a successful project and should be frequent and relevant. Another reason they should have communicated is because after they realize the price and time of the project they should have relook their approach. In conclusion the biggest problem that I see with Woody’s 2000 project is the planning and communication phase. They did not effectively plan and implement what they wanted to do and there was no communication between department heads and contractors. If they had planned properly and involved the right personnel they would have been more successful.

Music Essays Concept of Music

Music Essays Concept of Music Concept of music Journal Entry for Reading The given article clearly describes the concept of music and has helped me in understanding the music. According to my perception regarding the article, Music is a kind of art and environment. It is an art of transcription of sounds in time for creating a continuous, integrated and resonant composition with the assistance of melody, harmony, rhythm and timbre. It is a combination of pleasing and harmonious sounds. It helped me in understanding the basic constituents of a musical composition. I have become able to understand that it is an eminent part of all the living beings. Music has its presence everywhere, in every creature and in different forms. It provides relaxation to the mind. When I feel very tired and I use to hear music. It provides relaxation and energy to my body. Firstly, I was introduced to music at my school. I learned singing as well as playing harmonium at that time. After that, I learned music at a summer camp. My music teacher was surprised with my understanding of music and the abilities of learning music at a faster pace in comparison to my fellows. I really love music and want to become a singer in near future. For the achievement of my goal, I am working hard towards learning the skills. Journal Entry for Music Controversies The genre of music can be classified into two categories, i.e. good or bad. With the assistance of this, the content of the genre of music can be evaluated. Different kinds of music are present world wide in different cultures. Music differs from one culture to another. The different genres of music act as the web around the culture of the respective country. The music videos forecasted on different television channels are not according to the ethical standards of the society. The videos show vulgarity, which puts negative impact on the society. The growing multinational companies in music industry, and the utilization of independent record labels for the survival in the market by these companies has negatively impacted the young listeners. The young listeners are tending towards excessive use of drugs and violence after watching such controversial music records of rap, rock n roll, etc (Dalton, 2008). In the past few years, there is an increase in the listening of rap music by youths in America, which has led to an increase in crimes such as robberies, murders, rapes, etc. The rap music has led to social and political controversies. The critics have suggested proposing laws against such controversial cases and government has implemented security review for warning labels on records. Tupac was a critic of the system. He revealed the critical situations related to the system in his poetry. His work was mainly focusing on the lifestyles of ghetto and social militant engaged in activism. His lyrics were about the problems existing in the society and the conflicts due to racism. The listening of music is fine, but the images displayed on the television and copying them by the youths and children are the controversial aspects of music. Journal Entry for Movies Music plays a significant role in movies. Whether it is a play, drama, or a movie, all of them are incomplete without musical compositions. We can consider the example of the movie ‘Amadeus’ in which a child has a possession to become a famous composer. The life cycle to become a great composer and the twist in life of the hero are shown with very effective combination of musical tracks. The movie shows the courage of the director towards the life of Mozart and becomes successful in producing curiosity in the viewers towards music (Amadeus, 2008). In the movie ‘Dearly Beloved’, spiritual music has been composed by the composer and the movie shows a romantic mixture with musical lyrics. Music is present everywhere from the ancient time and it is integrated to nature. The movie ‘Phantom of the Opera’ is composed with classic silent version of the music, which shows a visual percept for the movie. The movie also presents a musical mystery. The basic requirement of any movie is an effective combination of sound effects with musical compositions. Music composed in the movies is the auditory art form, which can make the movie successful. The creativity of musicians and composers makes the music records successful in the industry. Journal Entry for Music in Puerto Rico African and European formation of music has a great influence on the music of Puerto Rico. It is famous world wide and mostly in the Caribbean region. The music of Puerto Rico has different genres, such as native genres: decimal and seis, and folk music genres: salsa, rock, danza, bomba, plena, etc. Each genre produces different and unique pitch and tone. The musical composers utilize different genres for composing music of movies related to love tragedies, and different stories conveying moral lessons. There are various radio stations in Puerto Rico. Among them, only one radio station carries classical music. The rap and hip hop music genres negatively influence the society. The criminal activities and actions increase in the society. The people will deviate from the cultural values and loose their old traditional roots (Welcome to Puerto Rico, 2008). The music industry of Puerto Rico must have to concentrate on its native and folk music genres instead of external music genres from different countries. The youth should be motivated towards learning classical music and promoting the original music genres of Puerto Rico world wide. The culture of Puerto Rico is mainly shaped by the music. The music of Puerto Rico has evolved out of the combination of other cultures with a distinctive tone of music. Thus, the Puerto Rican music should focus on its traditional music to bind the people and the cultural values in the society, as contemporary music has provided many popular stars like Ricky Martin, Olga Tanon, etc. with name and fame in the world of music. References Amadeus (2008). Retrieved August 23, 2008, from http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0086879/ Dalton, C. (2008). Controversy between Rap Music Society. Retrieved August 23, 2008, from http://www.writing.com/main/view_item/item_id/1320365 Welcome to Puerto Rico (2008). Retrieved August 23, 2008, from http://welcome.topuertorico.org/culture/music.shtml

The Day My Father Began to Understand the Colors of My World :: Personal Narrative, Autobiographical Essay

The world is full of color. It has to be. Where else would we find depth and meaning and purpose? Color comes together to make shape. The vibrancy of blues, reds and yellows all wash over us as we experience life. Everything ruptures with color, even music with its bright highs and dark lows or language spoken with meaning and clarity. Existence is an art and the freedom to express your art a privilege we all hold dear. I discovered the power of expression when I was young. Crayons and scissors filled my mind. I could manipulate a world of my own on paper, shaping its people. I was king. I knew my subjects. They were spread in 2-demensions before me as they struggled to all escape my mind at once. Although my scribbles never quite matched the emotion I felt deep inside me, they were enough. The forms and figures were mine. I created them. I began to know myself as I continued to grow and develop, but I could never reach the ultimate plateau I felt so strongly that I needed. I needed a boost to reach some sort of self-assurance in my ability and my love. I tried to achieve acceptance once. Although I was young, I remember it well. I had spent all day in school creating another expansive world. As my teacher rattled off times tables and division, I furiously created an eight-year-old masterpiece through a storm of colored pencils and erasers. As I perfected each tree in my landscape, I began to feel powerful. I knew what it was to create and to be good; all I needed was for someone to show confidence in my work. My mother picked me up, but I didn't take this opportunity to show her. My picture was special. It deserved the ultimate unveiling. I was going to show it to my father. Dad came home unhappy, as usual, and ready for dinner. I knew better than to involve him yet. As I ate my unnoticed meal, I could barely hold my excitement. After dinner, I ran to my room and unfolded my work along its careful creases. I walked slowly to his chair, carefully and excitedly balancing my masterpiece in my hands. "Look, Dad, look at what I did. I did it today in school all by myself." He turned slowly in his chair, upset because his connection with CNN had been broken.

Wal-Mart Case Study Essays -- Business Analysis Wal Mart

Wal-Mart Case Study Case Review and Recommendations As we have reviewed and studied the strategy, culture, finances and the challenges and successes at Wal-Mart, there are many strategies we see that the company must undertake to hold its dominate position and drive further growth. Herein, we define our top four. These core strategies include: rebuild and recreate its reputation in the face of recent challenges; continue to show price leadership; improve the customer experience; and drive international growth. The financial performance of Wal-Mart continues to be strong. It delivered another record year in 2008 as total net sales increased 8.6 percent to $375 billion. Yet, earnings growth rates and same store sales have slowed. And, the company faces a number of challenges to its operating procedures, reputation and growth prospects. Given the company’s stated objectives of â€Å"growing operating income faster than sales† and increasing shareholder value, the strategies we recommend will directly affect the company’s ability to overcome present challenges and meet these primary financial objectives. Reputation and Brand A key strategic objective, perhaps the most critical for the company going forward, is to rebuild and recreate its reputation. While brand and reputation are closely interlinked, author and business consultant, John Foley, differentiates the two attributes in this manner: â€Å"Brand is inside out. Reputation is outside in† (Foley 3). Wal-Mart’s reputation has waned in the past several years and, according to Foley, â€Å"the... ...and - its promise, image and emotion that it creates - remains relatively strong. The Wal-Mart mission of â€Å"saving people money so they can live better† is clearly and consistently communicated. However, Wal-Mart’s reputation, the â€Å"outside in† view, built on direct experiences, outside opinions, rumors and judgments, must be strengthened. The pillar of its overall business strategy – price leadership – must be maintained. The company’s power and influence can be used to create positive affects in consumers’ lives, not only in their wallets. Finally, growth opportunities exist in the US and beyond. In order to deliver growing shareholder value, the company must continue to reach into emerging markets.

Once an Eagle Essay

Leadership is an important characteristic in any field. Early on, it has been recognized that the success of any organization is highly dependent upon the quality of leadership. Even if the organization has a number of talented individuals, without strong leadership, there would be no success. In a similar light, the success of the military depends on strong leadership. It has been said that in the military, leadership is a requisite. As an integral component in warfare, leadership determines the outcome of combat operations, without it, it can be fairly argued that no military operation would be success. As the brain, leaders are expected to have the power of command. The subordinates in the group all rely upon the leader to provide wisdom and guidance, not to mention excellent judgment. It is essential, therefore, that a good leader has the following characteristics such as charisma, confidence, sound judgment, wisdom and intelligence. Military history is filled with individuals who were â€Å"born leaders. † A brief glimpse into the role of monuments and military commanders will reveal a common characteristic, they were all excellent leaders. The civil war gave rise to many superior commanders such as Joshua Chamberlain and John Logan who, despite their lack of military training, were able to lead their troops into combat and inspire many victories. The requisite ability that these fine commanders possessed was the ability to inspire their troops by providing an excellent example. Unlike other leaders, these fine leaders chose to lead through example. They were regarded as the epitomes of self-sacrifice and honor. None of them felt that they were too important to be left out of the battlefield and they were never hesitant to take their place in the frontlines should it be required of them. This aspect is what made them leaders. Another important aspect of leadership that is best exemplified by the actions of General Robert E. Lee who not only won the affection of his troops but also exhibited a talent for disciplined application. While it may not be necessary to have the affection of one’s troops during war, as shown by General Ulysses S. Grant, current military strategies emphasize the importance of a leader who is not only able to provide sound judgment but who is also able to inspire his troops. Charisma combined with the ability to make the best decisions in any given situation would therefore be the essence of excellent leadership. The reason for this is that in achieving one’s goal it is necessary that it be accomplished through motivation, direction and purpose. These essential characteristics have been shown by many of the great Commanders during the Second World War including but not limited to General Douglas McArthur who liberated Australia and the Philippines from Japanese occupation. It is difficult to say which style works the best as it is possible that the combination of charisma and the ability to make the best decisions in any given situation may be exhibit in many different forms of leadership. Leaders may sometimes be directors, participators or even delegators. Yet, it is not so much how the practice their leadership but their ability to get results. The military operations during the first Gulf War gave rise to a new breed of military commanders who were able to obtain results despite the differences in their leadership styles. Commanders such as Norman Schwarzkopf and Collin Powell demonstrated that leadership need not necessarily be overbearing. The important thing is that the commander understands the importance of the situation and is able to use the abilities of the troops, despite the limitations, to achieve the intended results. In any case, it must be remembered that the leadership that these great commanders possessed was not limited to the battlefield. From the very first day that they took command, they showed their leadership and cultivated the necessary traits that they felt was needed in their troops in order to become effective in future tasks.