Cultural adaptation and cultural change Essay

Culture is the set of all society’s spiritual, emotional, material and intellectual features of a social group or a whole society. It incorporates lifestyles, literature, traditions, value systems and beliefs with which the people from a certain society or even a group should follow. Individuals are made to respect their culture as a tool towards safeguarding it. Generally therefore, culture can affect one’s behavior both positively and negatively when individuals seek to adhere to the ways and authorities of their culture. Societal culture is an important tool towards shaping the people’s behavior. It provides norms, values, and traditions with which the people are supposed to adhere to in order to be in harmony with the societal rules, regulations and foundations. The cultural diversity within a society therefore seeks to provide respect on the fundamental human rights and freedoms. Through culture, the society is provided with a harmonious system through which they can interact with one another through various social integrations. Therefore, culture constrains our behavior when its promulgations require us to go by its standards. The personal feeling about a certain behavioral conception is dictated and shaped by the cultural dictations which require them to abide by these cultural dispensations. This is to say that, the people’s behavior within a society is constrained towards a certain behavioral conception by the requirements and dictates of their culture. (Lee, 1999) The role posited on the cultural constrain towards shaping our behavior can be argued diversely about its authenticity. At one level, it is good and recommendable since it helps in shaping and restoring the people’s behavior towards conceptions that are acceptable within a specific society. However, a counteractive argument can be placed on the negative implications allied to the cultural constrains in the societal behavior. By and large, the overall effect of this constrain is that it is wrong and a bad conception that is aimed at pulling the people behavior towards specific societal expectations. These expectations may be illogical to the changing societal structures. Behavioral constrain by culture has only acted to limit the people behavior towards a global behavioral change which would be a requisite to the requirements of societal change. This has therefore led to dogmatic scores and backwardness in behavioral expectations from such people who lack adequately borrowed behavior from the changing course of the global imagery from the effects of their society’s cultural dictates and authorities. Some major cultural dispensations are far below the scale that promotes a projected individual development since they are shaped and governed by traditional societal scores. (Lee, 1999) However, cultural change would perhaps be the most eminent tool towards governing strong behavioral changes. Cultural change can only be possible through cultural integration. This is the process with which different cultural groups come together to exchange their cultural imageries. Different cultures are intermingled through exchange and concept borrowing to bring up cultural diversity. A diversified culture is that which incorporates various cultural scores in its regulations and abandon specific cultural dispensations which could be underscored by traditionalism and dogmatic backwardness. Consequently, through cultural integration, people come to learn about new cultural systems embodied by other groups which bring more realistic sense towards modeling the societal behavior above its growth. Perhaps, cultural integration is what has rooted out various traditional cultures through models of westernization. Cultural diversity therefore opens more practical cultural developments that concur with the change in societal structures. Reference Lee, C (1999) The Complex Whole: Culture and Evolution of Human Behavior. West View Press

A Brief Analysis of William Blake’s “The Fly”

â€Å"The Fly† by William Blake has a very loose structure, and uses a trimester rhyme scheme. The purpose of using trimester is for the short lines to symbolize the brevity of life. The first of the five stanzas describes an innocent fly being thoughtlessly killed by a human being. The second compares a man to a fly and a fly to a man. The third and fourth explain how flies and humans are similar, and the fifth affirms that man is indeed like a fly.Death is repeatedly referred to as a hand. The fly is killed by being â€Å"brushed away† by the humans â€Å"thoughtless hand. † The human is killed by the â€Å"blind hand† of death. Blake uses the technique of Juxtaposition of the fly and the speaker. The human sees the fly as powerless, and then realizes that humans could be seen in the same manner by a higher order. He says he is fated to live his life â€Å"Till some blind hand/ Shall brush my wing†, comparing his death to that of the fly.The iris stanza uses the imagery of the human placed in a God-like position when he kills the fly. When the human speaking from the point of view of a human, the fly symbolizes those below the speaker in society. The theme of â€Å"The Fly† is man's extreme weakness in comparison to God/death/fate. The poem also uses a common theme of Flake's: innocence and experience. The fly is totally innocent and powerless. The speaker realizes that human beings are powerless in the same way, and this passes him into the realm of experience.

How to Respond to Conflicts with Colleagues in Working Environment Essay

At my work placement, I had a conflict with a teaching assistant at the school. I was working two days per week, in year 4 with teaching assistant Mrs X, where she was continuously belittling me and at the same time discouraging me by working against me rather than working with me in assisting the children with their learning. For example, if I was working with the children on a group task, she would suddenly ask me to get her something unimportant. Which would not only interrupt the task and the children’s learning but their concentration as well. On another occasion, she contradicted me by giving another set of instructions to a group of children I was working with, to the instructions I had given to them earlier. It confused the group and they were unsure how the task was going to be carried out. Though she knew I was working with that particular group and I had already discussed the task with them. There were almost every days several occasions when I could feel the tension between us. At first I thought that as Mrs X was more experienced, she would know better and so I accepted the situation as it was. And being a trainee TA, I felt that she was genuinely correcting my ways to assist children in their learning. Secondly I also thought that I might be reading the situation wrongly and I might have misunderstood her. But as the days went by, the situation deteriorated further. And I began to realise that I was being picked upon by Mrs X for no particular reasons. At this point I decided to raise the matter with my mentor. I explained the situation to her. She was quite considerate and listened to me carefully. I was careful to explain the situation in a way, in case if my mentor took any action or decided to talk to Mrs X, than any bad feelings didn’t persist afterwards between us. After few days, my mentor got back to me and told me that she had a word with the class teacher of Mrs X and now on wards, I would directly be taking instructions and giving feedback to the class teacher only so that I had less and less interaction with Mrs X in the class room. It worked for me for some time, though luckily, I was asked by the Head teacher to start working with another year class where I was needed. I think I tried to resolve the conflict, with my colleague, amicably and constructively. I did so by first, not allowing it to go on for longer. Secondly, giving due time and consideration, to analyse the situation carefully, and then deciding to talk to my mentor in utmost cautious way so that no bad feelings persist afterwards with Mrs X, and that it’s on record with my mentor as well.

Introduction to Human Resource Department Term Paper

Introduction to Human Resource Department - Term Paper Example The term paper "Introduction to Human Resource Department" primarily highlights the unionization issues of Chevron Corporation. It will shed light on the strategy adopted by the company in order to cope up with the issue of unionization and offer some suggestions to the company by which it can effectively curb the unionization. Historically the concept of unionization was well acknowledged by several eminent scholars around the globe. However, only a few marked it as an illegal practice. The concept of unionization within the organization was developed in the early 18th century. However, with the passage of time, the system became prominent in different parts of the world. Unionization is a process of forming groups among the workers of an organization. A union is therefore defined as a group of employees who strive to improve the working condition of the employees. Such groups are generally made up of professionals, trainees, students and unemployed persons. Union relies on the fact that joint efforts are better than individual efforts and also helps in achieving the goals more flexible. The principal aims of unions are generally demands for higher pay packages, more leaves, increase the number of employees for a particular job, to improve the condition of working, demand for additional facilities, rules and regulations pertaining to hiring and firing, promotion of workers, procedures for lodging complaints, safety within the workplace and about the different policies of the organization.

The European Theater of World War II Research Paper

The European Theater of World War II - Research Paper Example The war started in September 1939 when Hitler’s Germany initiated an attack on Poland while Britain and France called for a war against Germany. Most of the battles fought in the war were fought over the control of different territories in the continent2. It is said that the seed of the Second World War was hidden in the First World War itself. Germany’s humiliation in the Versailles Treaty had injured the German national pride. Hitler used this sentiment cleverly; and rose in the power. Germany went through a lot of economic difficulties3. Germany experienced a severe economic depression during the early 1920s. Hitler blamed it on the terms imposed on Germany at end of the First World War. Hitler stirred up the injured German pride and rose to power in Germany. His Nazi party won the parliamentary election in July 1912 and in January 1933 he became the chancellor of Germany4. German Invasion of Poland: On 1st September 1939 Hitler’s army marched into Poland. On September 3, Britain and France initiated war against Germany to safeguard Poland. This is known as the official beginning of the war. However Hitler’s aggression started the year before, when he annexed Austria with Germany with support from Mussolini’s Italy. Then Hitler threatened Czechoslovakia and wanted Sudetenland. In the Munich Pact the Czechs gave away Sudetenland on French and British request. However, few months after Hitler took reminder of Czechoslovakia violating the Munich pact. During this period Poland continued to get threats from Germany. Britain vowed to help Poland if Germany threatens its independence. Poland already had a mutual treaty with France5 (Feldman, 2000, pp. 38-43). So, when Germany attacked Poland, Britain and France went on to wage a war against Germany. Poland had a strong military force but they were no match to the German panzer division and the motorized division; in addition the Germans had a large fleet of modern aircrafts where , the Poles had a medium size fleet of obsolete aircrafts. Germany used tanks and air power simultaneously. Its bombers continued to bomb Warsaw for days. This is famously known as the blitzkrieg. Within a few days Germany took almost whole of the country. The remaining small part of the Poland was controlled by the Soviet Union; as the soviet force invaded that part of Poland in the name of defending Poland and itself6. However after the takeover of Poland nothing much happened. Although Britain and France declared war on Germany they took a defensive stand. This was called by the U. S. newspapers the Phony War7. The Soviet Finnish War: In the year 1939 Finland was the victim of an invasion led by Soviet Union. But they did not get much success; the Finnish army, though heavily outnumbered, fiercely resisted the red army. This rose world opinion against the Soviet Union. This also gave England and France an opportunity to enter Finland and help it. Britain and France had also other aims; they wanted an opening to enter Germany. The asked for help from Norway and Sweden too. But both the countries refused permission to build a camp on their soil8. Attack on Denmark and Norway: The month of April, 1940 witnessed the attack on Norway and Denmark by Hitler. Denmark surrendered at once. But, Norway decided to fight9. With the help from the British and the French, Norway put up a resistance for sometime. At last they surrendered

Exchange rate diagram Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Exchange rate diagram - Essay Example In Figure 2, as the aggregate demand curve shifts from D0 to D1, the aggregate supply curve also shifts from S0 to S1 since the exchange rate is fixed. The increase in aggregate supply of domestic currency is usually done through the central bank intervention in the foreign exchange market. 2. The higher a country's interest rates, the greater the demand for that currency. ("Exchange Rate", 2006) When foreign interest increases, foreign investments are more attractive. As domestic people want to exchange domestic currency to foreign currency in order to earn more interests, the demand for domestic currency would decrease. Under the floating exchange rate regime, as shown in Figure 3, as the demand for domestic currency decreases, the aggregate demand curve shifts from D0 to D1, causing the exchange rate to rise from e0 to e1. Under the fixed exchange rate regime, however, as the demand for domestic currency decreases from D0 to D1 as a result of the increase in foreign interest, the aggregate supply of domestic currency must also decrease, from S0 to S1, as shown in Figure 4. ...

System Analysis and Design Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

System Analysis and Design - Essay Example Failure to display them could result to a loss of customers to her immediate competitors thus resulting to the loss of a chance to increase her sales or it may also make the customers unable to deduce whether she may be selling the product that they need. In order to solve this issue within a minimal space that her store has she makes use of a limited storage space within the back of her store to stock a few extra product quantities so as to dodge running out of stock. This may be said to call for her employees’ help in restocking shelves often when need arises. Carol may also be said to have suppliers who make deliveries within a particular time scheduled by her and them; they may be said to be her store’s only opportunities to obtain supplies; thus there might be a need for a timely order of products. All these, in our view, could be extremely tedious and costly since she might often be forced to employ workers to help in the arrangement of goods within the display sh elves. The key objective of this project may be to implement an effective DBMS, which would enable Carol: To keep an accurate product inventory, whether on display or within the store room; To alert Caro or her employees in case there might be need for a restock of the display shelves with goods from the store room, then later updating the inventory with the restocked amount; To making a preparatory timely placement order from every supplier; Business benefits and recommendation The primary business benefit that needs to be enjoyed from the use of the new system is for Carol’s store to maintain its level of competitiveness within the market at low costs. Other intermediate benefits may include: Improved record keeping Cut down on the errors brought about by the manual order processing Reduce the levels of staffing within phone-order and mail-order processing Cause increment of turnover through the tracking of popular items’ sales as well as slow movers. Efficient movem ent of products from the store to the display shelves thus resulting to more sales due to the consumer awareness created. Timely delivery of goods from suppliers, which would in turn result to an efficient flow of goods to consumers thus cutting down on deficits The creation of new channels of marketing as a result of efficient display and timely supply; After the review of the planning process, it could be recommended that the system be implemented. This could be because the cost incurred in its development may not exceed the advantages enjoyed by the store together with the community at large immediately the employee training process and the installation process are complete. This may be because it can be considered cost effective yet advantageous. System capabilities An extremely new and fresh Database Management System would be implemented, installed and further maintained. In order to ensure that the business benefits are obtained: This database would be sure to make a provisio n that may track as well as update information on inventory when products ought to be delivered, moved to the display shelves from the store room, sold or even entirely removed from the inventory. The database would also be able to make a provision of information about the products stocked within the store every time new supplies are made. This may, therefore, provide Carol with a perfect opportunity to make timely orders, effective displays as well as

Tambour embriodery work Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Tambour embriodery work - Essay Example The origins of tambour work are traced to the 18th Century where it grew into a favourite pastime for women. Being a new form of embroidery, the technique was preferred due to it being an exotic form of stitchery (Embroiderersguildwa.org, 2014). The finest attires stitched through this technique were traded all over Europe from Britain to France and in Asiatic countries such as India and Persia. In Turkey and India, tambour embroiderers used metal threads to stitch their fabric. Turkey, specifically, used tambour work to make covers used in ceremonial household events, as it was a status symbol (Embroiderersguildwa.org, 2014). The Indians of Peru, on the other hand, developed their work without the use of a frame; also known as coarse chain embroidery. The popularity of tambour work grew in leaps and bounds because of the Napoleonic wars. These wars made it difficult for people to obtain fashionable French laces and they had to settle for tambour laces. It was further adopted in Britain after an Italian established his tambour embroidery shop in Edinburgh (Thetextileblog, 2014). Its popularity grew further after the invention of a machine that would manufacture tambour fabric on a larger scale. There was massive production of ‘sprigged muslin’ and other tambour

Mental Illness and Substance Abuse Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Mental Illness and Substance Abuse - Essay Example On ingestion the THC is found to be absorbed into the blood stream from where it is carried to the brain, producing a high feeling. The THC molecules is found to affect a number of areas of brain, inclusive of the areas of control balance, perception of time, sound, color and as any other drug the Glucose craving. Psychosis on the other hand can be defined as a cluster of symptoms characterized by hallucination and impaired reality. Psychosis is often symptom associated with Schizophrenia. Cannabis used have shown to produce symptoms similar to psychotic disorder as Schizophrenia, when ingested at large amount. Mounting researchers have indicated that Cannabis found to trigger the onset of Schizophrenia or its relapse and also aggravates the symptoms. (Hambrecht, M. and Hafner,1996). The users of Cannabis experienced unpleasant effects on usage as anxiety and pain, while some may experience hallucinations. The unpleasant effects are found to disappear as cannabis wears off. But some people may have frightening experience as it withdraws. It is found that of 1 in 10 people who use cannabis are found to be addicted to it. It is worrying fact that usually it is the young people who get hooked to it and they smoke cannabis on daily basis. The early the age they are exposed, early is the onset of Psychotic symptoms. It is found to be still more severe in people with existing mental disorders as Schizophrenia or bipolar, where they undergo negative psychological effect on cannabis use. Researchers pouring in point to the direction that cannabis may be the gateway for many other drugs to enter in. Thus one point is established as, in persons having mental illness are for persons with known family history of mental illness, cannabis triggers adheres psychotic symptoms. (Imade and Ebie ,1991) Though the usage of cannabis is known from 1970s now it has become an issue of concern as more young people are found to be the smokers of cannabis. Most cannabis users started in very early teens, thus causing a psychological transition and misadventures on a young persons life. This issue of regular Cannabis use is found to be a menace in developed countries. This has really become a national crisis mainly for countries as Australia and New Zealand. The Government has taken wide range of steps from forming a forum, organizing discussion, releasing pamphlets, funding research to create an awareness about cannabis and its link to mental illness.( Jerrell and Ridgely,1995) So this essay tries to unravel the above facts by discussing and reviewing the articles published with this concern. The List of articles selected and the reason for the selection : 1. Cannabis use and mental health - facts - is an study based on Australian community with case study done among 2 age groups as adolescent and adults, aiming to pinpoint the majority groups age by which they start this habit. 2. Cannabis and psychosis - Information for health care workers - An research report done under the instruction and funding of Victorian government health information, by the state government of Victoria, Australia, tends to explore the relationship between the

Child Development Article Review Essay Example for Free

Child Development Article Review Essay This article is about studying children’s sleep patterns to see if sleep disorders may be a direct correlation to behavior problems within children. Could sleep issues be the cause for such issues like ADHD and other behavior related illnesses including psychiatric disorders? According to John Bates, Richard Viken, Douglas Alexander, Jennifer Beyers, and Lesley Stockton, there are many behavior related disorders that could be related to how much sleep a child receives, along with the age and quality of sleep. Many parents who have children with behavior related issues are realizing that the quality of sleep may be directly related. There may be many factors that can be discussed and taken into consideration, including environmental factors, developmental factors, income of families, and genetic inheritance as well. There are many types of sleep disturbances that need to be looked at since many young children experience different forms of sleep disturbances such as, night waking, sleep walking, resistance to bed time routine, delay, and trouble falling asleep. Survey showed that 42% of 12 -35 month olds had problematic bedtime resistance, and 35% of all others have night waking issues. (Bates, E. Bates et all p.62) Sleeping disorders in the young child can have a negative impact on the brain, inadequate amounts of sleep can cause a child not to perform up to their potential, resulting with stress. Stress causes a number of issues within the child, such as overworking brain functions, misfiring of neurons, and stress hormones being over produced. Then the effects of daily day to day functions are disrupted within the child causing poor concentration and incapability’s in daily routines. Three main issues to think about when understanding child sleep disorders is that 1. Insomnia in the young child may forecast psychological disorders. 2. Sleep is not well understood in the young child but can be thought of as social and biological. 3. Relations to environment, genetic inheritance, developmental factors all need to be considered. 4. Sleep issues in the young child can have a negative impact on social, emotional, cognitive and physical development. 5. Age and quality amounts of sleep are factors that need to be considered when studying sleep disturbances in young children. This article touches on many different aspects on how sleep issues can develop into very serious conditions in children. Good healthy sleep patterns are key to a healthy child and if the child is experience irregularities in sleep then the parents or care giver should look into what maybe causing the disturbances. If that child experiences this continuously then that caregiver should really look more into the underlying issues with a medical professional. Sleep disturbances can be related to a multitude of developmental problems. Parents, teachers and caregivers should be aware of signs and symptoms of lack of sleep and try to monitor or regulate good sleep habits. Good sleep habits in a child can be so positive and so beneficial. It’s important for parents and caregivers to know they are not alone when trying to combat sleep issues in the young child, many children go through stages of mild sleep disturbances.

Management culture on HRM practices

Management culture on HRM practices Introduction This research paper identifies the influence of management culture on HRM practices and ultimately on the organization. Globalization is a process which facilitates the integration of societies and cultural values by means of communication and trade across nations which are primarily aided by strategic use of information systems. However, there are several issues of concern which an organization should consider before establishing their HRM practices. Issues pertaining cross-national transfer of HRM practices, individualism at work, individual and organizational transformation, more influence of economic success, differences in leadership practices, emphasis to spirituality, dehumanization, greater role of the state, difference in consultation and ownership are some of the key concerns that emerge in organization processes due to the cultural difference in management practice. Both western and non-western management culture has its own benefits and shortcomings. This research paper performs critical analysis of both western and non-western management culture by analyzing the relevant literature of human resource management in line with the management culture which is discussed in the next section. The discussion is built around difference in management styles of countries like Sweden, Japan, United Kingdom and India. In last section, based on the analysis of western and non-western management style, conclusions and recommendations are drawn. Hypothesis View Armstrong (2009) defines human resource management as set of policies which are designed to improve the organizational integration, employee commitment, flexibility and quality of work. Human Resource Management acts as an intermediate between the organization and the employees. The practice of human resource management involves supervision of the people (how they are employed and managed) in the organization. A well-designed structure of human resource management within an organization should result in no Trade Unions. Human resource management is a vital segment of any organization. It plays an important role in defining and designing the elements of organization culture. Organization culture is known as set of shared values and beliefs specified by the organization taking into account various agreeable and disagreeable conducts. Jackson (2002) supports a cross-cultural approach within an organization in order to give emphasis to management of segregation across cultures and to deal with the apprehension of difference in people management styles. Strategic human resource management also helps the organization to gain a sustainable competitive advantage over its competitors composed of high-quality people. The roles and objectives of human resource management depend upon the volume of the organization. Torrington et al. (2005) explained that as the size of the organization increases, the scope of employing people to specialize in particular areas of human resource management also increases. Figure 1.1 demonstrates various roles and objectives of human resource management. Change-management Objectives Performance Objectives Administrative Objectives Staffing Objectives Human Resource Management Human resource generalists Line Managers Consultants and advisers Human resource specialists Subcontractors Figure 1.1: HRM roles and objectives [Torrington et al. (2005)] Keating et al. (2004) identifies comparative human resource management (CHRM) research which improves the adequacy of human resource management practice and provides global point of view. CHRM research includes a comparative study of human resource management which results in variation due to the difference in culture and institutional environments. This research also supports cultural relativity between HRM concepts, theories and models. The word Integrative imply the propensity to collate diverse rudiments into one single function. Liu (2004) suggests that an organization can make use of integrative human resource management (IHRM) research model in order to allow all their subsidiaries to establish same human resource management practices. This method is more expensive due to integration between the parent company and all their subsidiaries through inter-transfer of their HRM practices. A critical challenge facing IHRM is fast and growing globalizing world. Figure 1.2 shows some of the key characteristics of Comparative and Integrative human resource management. Comparative HRM Integrative HRM Comparative HRM compares HRM practices at organizational level as well as national level Integrative HRM approach compares HRM practices at organizational level A study of Comparative HRM helps in identifying different patterns of HRM practices at organizational level as well as national level Two main objectives of Integrative HRM are: Standardization International learning A study of Comparative HRM helps in identifying different reasons for the variations in HRM practices investigated at organizational level as well as national level Integrative HRM approach describes same HRM practices for both parent company as well as its subsidiaries Comparative HRM describes two major categories for the reasons of variation: Cultural Issues Institutional Issues Major challenges of Integrative HRM are: Globalizing world Robust transfer mechanisms Difference in cultural values Comparative HRM does not use theoretical framework Integrative HRM involves centralization of work and improves monitoring Figure 1.2: Comparative HRM and Integrative HRM Comparative HRM and Integrative HRM approach are used by the organization in order to measure the impact of their existing HRM practices. Furthermore, CHRM provides a global perspective and IHRM facilitate centralization of work within organization. The organization implies Comparative Human Resource Management (CHRM) and Integrative Human Resource Management (IHRM) in order to investigate the areas of improvement. In the next part of this section, we shall discuss how CHRM and IHRM are related to the practice of personnel management and work group management. HRM versus Personnel Management Personnel Management is typically related to the practices and guidelines associated with management of employees working in an organization. As discussed earlier (in section 1 overview), HRM also defines the practices related to the supervision of the employees in an organization. So, what is the difference between Personnel Management and HRM? Bratton et al. (2007) describes the evolution of personnel management and some of the key differences between Personnel Management and HRM. In England (1970), when a new legislation was approved, promoting the equality in employment, there was an unexpected increase in the functions and status of personnel manager. A study conducted by Donovan Commission states that since 1914 there has been a constant growth of personnel managers with most of them found to be men. One of the key functions of personnel manager was to deal with Trade Unions. Second World War increased the demand of personnel managers and in 1989, the personnel specialists/managers rose to 35,548. The following figure (Figure 1.3) describes the difference between Personnel Management and HRM. Personnel Management Human Resource Management (HRM) Personnel Management is a subset of Human Resource Management Human Resource Management is integrated with strategic plan of an organization Personnel Management provide more significance to Legally Constructed Exchange Human Resource Management provide more significance to Psychological Contract Personnel Management deals with the activities related to the supervision of an employee like recruitment, training, counseling etc Major objectives of Human Resource Management: Encourage learning at workplace High employee commitment Improve performance of the organization Personnel Management facilitates Work Group management and improves the management process HRM focus more on an individual aspect and marginalize the collective measure of the aspects between an individual and management Figure 1.3: Difference between Personnel Management and HRM [Bratton et al. (2007)] However, as the main purpose of Personnel Management and Human Resource Management is to improve the relationship between the employer and employees, the term Personnel Management and HRM can be used interchangeably. Personnel management deals with functions like counseling for employees, security of personal information and proper job description. Personnel management also gets effected by the impact of cultural differences. Both comparative and integrative human resource management provides a framework which defines the guideline for the practices of personnel management. However, due to the swift growth of business across nations, personnel management practices should also be revised constantly. Work Group management can also be defined as a subset of Human Resource Management which consists of a group that manages the working practices followed by an organization. Work Group management confronts a crucial challenge due to the increase in diversity of culture and beliefs. CHRM and IHRM provide an analysis of the cultural difference which can be useful in design of work group management. Many believe that the concern raised by diversity is simply ignored while establishing HRM policies and practices in an organization. This might result in greater conflicts and low performance. Considering the perception of organization culture, western management culture has always been referred to the things that are not regarded as religious, spiritual and sacred. The universalistic approach makes western management culture give more emphasis to dehumanizing treatment of individuals and neglect the importance of incorporating cross-cultural and shared value perspective within the organization. Individuals are often referred as resources of the organization, which helps the organization to fulfill their requirement in the process of achieving business targets. On the other hand, non-western management culture involves a big fraction of human characteristics at work. Non-western management culture also describes equal importance to spirituality and cultural differences between the employees of the organization. Theory Analysis As discussed in the previous section, Integrative HRM and Comparative HRM help the organization to build a strategic HRM which in turn allows the organization to design competitive strategies in relation to their HRM policies and practices. However, as business is growing more and more in a borderless world, the organization has to deal with two important challenges: Maintain correlation between their national units which operates in respective national cultures. Employees of the organization have difference in cultural value. There are two ways of taking the discussion forward, one is at macro level (among different national culture) and second is at micro level (people possess different cultural value). Boone et al. (1997) identified that integration opportunity and constraining diversity were two main issues faced by the managers in Europe. In 1991, various multinational companies which were operating in Europe were in tight spot of making a strategic decision whether to adopt the European style of management or to continue with their own style of management satisfying all the norms of local-national culture. This involved an investigation from legal, social, economic and political point of view. According to Jackson (2002), there are four dimensions to represent the value systems of any national culture. Power Distance Uncertainty Avoidance Individualism Masculinity An organization can take up either integrative approach or differentiation approach for their HRM practices. For example, an operational unit of an organization decides to adapt the HRM practices which are followed by the host country. This results in differentiation of HRM practices between the parent company and its subsidiary. What happens when the companys growth is coupled with both the parent company and other operational units? Now, let us try to answer the above asked question by considering the management culture followed in different parts of the world. Swedish Management Culture Western management culture is generally referred to Western Machine Model as business organizations give more emphasis to economic success and often focus more on task completion and outputs rather than creativity, emotions and spirituality. Leaders create a vision whereas managers develop plans based on Leaders vision, the employees/workers concentrate on its implementation. In most of the western countries, robust HRM structure provides broad range of incentives based on the factors like opportunities, participation and working conditions. Jackson (2002) states that, when the act of co-determination at work was passed in 1976, the managers and union representatives were assigned equal right to information and managers were instructed to consult the unions before making any major management decision. Since the end of 1980s, distinctions between blue-collar and white-collar workers were supported by associate agreements which diminished the effect of trade unions at the workplace. Co nstant growth in service industries also resulted in weak trade union representation. In 1994, Sweden joined European Union. Swedes tend to focus more on social democracy and equality. They are impassively practical and bias towards rational reasons which define their sensible approach towards life. Jackson (2002) identified three main factors of Swedish Cultural value: Love of nature Individualism through self-development Equality As per Jackson (2002), Swedish management culture is considered to be ambiguous by the foreign managers. Informal relationships with subsidiary, avoiding conflict, low in power distance, high in individualism, low in uncertainty avoidance, unclear objectives are some of the key traits of Swedish organizations. The factor of equality can be understood by the fact that 75% of the women constitute the workforce. In order to explain this in more detail, Jackson (2002) took an example of IKEA: Furniture Distribution Industry. Since its beginning, IKEA faced a massive challenge of maintaining its Swedishness along with the strategic decision of adapting local-national culture in which they are operating. IKEA has been a global player from past 25 year which includes some of their biggest market in United States of America, France and Germany. Just like Swedish culture, IKEAs management style is also informal denying the actuality of employee as replaceable and interchangeable component. Common practice of sharing knowledge and skills were seen among managers towards their subordinates. Discussion and explanation were prime sources used in order to spread their organizational culture rather than formal training programs. Human resource management has also followed the same Swedish approach. Recruitments were made on the basis of good interpersonal skills and high potential whereas less emphasis is given to formal qualifications. Shortly, IKEA started having trouble with their subsidiaries in countries like Germany, France and USA. Issues pertaining managers authority, informality, job description, assessing risks, indecisiveness, lack of formal rules were some of the key concern for IKEA. IKEA also lost some of their key American managers in the same process. In order to overcome the above mentioned inadequacy, Jackson (2002) proposed a multicultural model. This model suggests that people having different cultural values should work together. Cultural differences and business ethics should not affect each other when communicating across nations. Boone et al. (1997) describes three types of diversity (refer figure 1.4) from the managerial perspective. Types of diversity Examples Diversity in negotiated environment Tax rules Subsidization practices Financial reporting requirements Quality and product standards Administrative diversity Internal accounting rules Information systems Manufacturing systems Inherited diversity Customer preferences Employee characteristics Business systems Figure 1.4: Three types of diversity [Boone et al. (1997)] Japanese versus UK/European Business Model Unlike western management culture, Japanese management style stress more on getting in groups to provide a solution of the problem. Motivation plays a very important role in determining the performance of any organization. However, Japanese organizations stay short on the motivational factor yet report very high productivity. Azhashemi et al. (1999) describes, that in recent years, more importance has been given to efficient frameworks in order to improve the quality of the management practice. Japanese management style introduced Total Integrated Management (TIM) framework to enable the organization to interrelate each of their facets. As multiple factors are joining hands with management quality, it becomes difficult for an organization to focus on each of these factors and enhance their quality of management practice. The following figure illustrates six critical factors defined in Total Integrated Framework (TIM) which are essential for the success of an effective organization. Business Structure Management Resources Management Design Corporate Culture Management Performance Management Cycle Figure 1.5: Critical Factors of Total Integrated Management (TIM) Framework [Azhashemi et al. (1999)] Total Integrated Management (TIM) framework helps the organization to identify the missing loop in their management practice by defining how the management cycle affects four factors of the organization (Business Structure, Management Resources, Management Design and Corporate Culture) which in turn reflects the performance of the management practices. Azhashemi et al. (1999) also describes that the quality of management cycle is directly proportional to the remaining five factors. If the management cycle shows high quality level, the six factors produce an excellent loop that enables the organization to be proactive and implement them. As discussed earlier, Japanese organizations show low job satisfaction. Career or Job satisfaction can be considered as a division of motivation. Jackson (2002) identified that motivational factors include both individual attributes and cultural values. The following figure describes the cultural differences among East Asian and Western cultures which constitutes the motivational factors. East Asian Western Equity Wealth Group Individual Saving Consumption Extended Family Relations Nuclear and mobile family Highly disciplined/motivated workforce Decline in work ethic and hierarchy Protocol, rank and status Informality and personal competence Avoid conflict Conflict to be managed Figure 1.6: Motivational Factors [Jackson (2002)] The core objective of spirituality is non-economic, yet critical for an individual. Spirituality consists of two main elements which are vision and inspiration. This refers to a framework in which more focus is offered to the individual eliminating the possibility of marginalization of human being. However, the perception of Japanese organization about their employees differs from that of western organization which consider employee as Intellectual Capital. Jackson (2002) defined seven spiritual values which are identified in the Japanese culture. National service through industry Fairness Harmony and cooperation Struggle for betterment Courtesy and humility Adjustment and assimilation Gratitude Jackson (2002) classifies British management culture as low measure of power distance, high on individualism, high on masculinity and very low measure of uncertainty avoidance. British organizations are not total learning organizations. However, British management culture is built around the concept of action learning. The second generation of Learning Organizations can be described as Knowledge Management a transition from British Management Style to Japanese Management Style. Jackson (2002) also suggested following methodology for management learning. Azhashemi et al. (1999) illustrates that UK/European business model framework helps the organization to increase management standards and performance. The basis of this framework is Total Quality Management (TQM) which mainly concentrates on customer satisfaction. This business model consists of nine elements (refer figure 1.7) which enables the organization to assess their business results. These nine elements are further divided into two major categories: Enablers and Results. Enablers consist of elements which convert input into output whereas Results allows the organization to measure their level of output. UK/European business model used a method of self-assessment in order to link and improve each facet of an organization. Azhashemi et al. (1999) suggested some of the key benefits of the self-assessment method. An objective assessment against credible and proven criteria. An assessment based on evidence. An opportunity to focus improvement where it is most needed. An opportunity to promote sharing of good, effective approaches within the organization. An opportunity to learn. The analysis of Total Integrated Management (TIM) of Japanese management style and UK/European business model indicates that the two frameworks concentrate mainly on the concepts of Total Quality Management (TQM). Policy and strategy are the two main elements of Total Integrated Management (TIM) framework which displays the belief of Japanese management style that these policies and strategies can affect both business and management factors. On the other hand, UK/European business model enables the organization to achieve high standards. Indian Management Culture Indian management style is based on its diversity with many religions, customs and ethics. Many believe that the managerial behaviour in India is influenced by values and beliefs an individual possess. Some also believe that people work in an organization only to nuture their supervisors. Spirituality plays an important role in Indian management style. Employees often feel difficult to choose between culture of the organization where they work and their own spiritual beliefs. Due to this, it is very often that people resign their job and start their own business which allows them to live based on their own spiritual values. Kumar et al. (2005) describes that the managers in Indian organizations often display emotionality in decision making. The individualism and collectivism goes hand-in-hand in Indian management style. Individualism defines more importance to an individual goal whereas collectivism refers to high importance to objectives of a group. It is often seen that spirituality acts as an vital function of the management style in which influence of the culture is more dominant. Pawar (2009) defined a relationship between individual spirituality, workplace spirituality and work attitudes. Individual spirituality injects into the workplace spirituality which in turn affects the motivation and involvement of an individual towards business ethics. Pawar (2009) explained this in figure 1.8. Individual Spirituality Workplace Spirituality Meaning in work Community at work Positive organizational purpose Positive Work Attitudes Job satisfaction Job involvement Organizational commitment Figure 1.8: Effect of Individual Spirituality and Workplace Spirituality on Work Attitudes [Pawar (2009)] However, Indian Management Style has been stirring towards Western management styles. During this process, difference in business practices and cultural values are some of the key challenges which are faced by Indian management style. Kumar et al. (2005) considered an example to explain this in detail, a subsidairy of South Korean firm in India. The study states that their employee receive targets which they should achieve on regular basis. Employees are also expected to raise their performance constantly. This shows that there is a shift from people-centric culture of Indian management style towards work-centric approach of western management style. Clark et al. (2000) defined the emphasis of HRM in seven European countries. In the last part of this section, we discuss advantages and disadvantages of the application of Comparative/Integrative human relations, Business Ethics and Spiritual/Cultural values to HRM practice. Figure 1.10 describes the advantages and disadvantages of the applications of Comparative and Integrative Human Relations to HRM practice. Advantages Disadvantages Provides an overview of cultural differences at both organizational level and national level Both Comparative HRM and Integrative HRM approach only provide a theoretical framework and does not provide a solution-based framework Provides a measure of diversity level at both organizational level as well as national level Major challenges towards implementation are: Globalizing world Robust transfer mechanism More influence of personal values Provides cultural relativity between HRM model, theories and practices Both Comparative HRM and Integrative HRM approach are too expensive to implement Provides global perspective and aid centralization of work Existing dependence of HRM practices on the laws and regulations governed at national level Provides the list of shortcomings in term of cultural issues and institutional issues Marginalize the collective measure of various other aspects between an employee and the organization Helps the organization in standardization and international learning Cultural and Institutional issues occur during communication across nations Figure 1.10: Advantages and Disadvantages of CHRM/IHRM on HRM Practices Figure 1.11 describes the advantages and disadvantages of the applications of Business Ethics and Spiritual/Cultural values to HRM practice. Advantages Disadvantages Improves the involvement and contribution of an employee at the organization Individual spirituality affects the workplace spirituality Helps the organization to improve productivity in line with high job satisfaction Difficult to manage the diversity in cultural values across organization Facilitate the improvement of Personnel Management practices Difference in business ethics and personal ethics results in greater conflicts in work group design Provides cultural relativity between HRM practices and aid international culture HRM practices need constant modification on regular basis Figure 1.11: Advantages and Disadvantages of Business Ethics Spiritual/Cultural values on HRM Practices Summary According to Stashevsky et al. (2006), leadership styles in which leaders possess intellectual stimulation, individualized consideration and inspirational motivation to be provided to the followers is known as Transformational Leadership. The term Leadership has always been coupled with strategic human resource management (SHRM). Leadership is one of the key managerial traits used in order to understand SHRM. For the organization to adopt resource-based strategic human resource management, one of the vital constraints required is competencies related to leadership. Generally, in an organizational context, the definition of managerial leadership reflects a process in which an individual exhibits influence upon others. However, there is a difference between a leader and a manager. Bratton et al. (2007) also defined that the reflection of the fact leaders create a vision whereas managers develop plans explains the difference. The study reveals that the leadership style followed in western culture is more influenced by repressive nature of the components which constitutes leadership. On the other hand, non-western culture follows the authority displayed by the autocratic nature of leadership components. Many workers/employees in non-western management style are seen to accept incorrect orders as 1) they are not willing to challenge their supervisors and 2) to show respect to their superiors. HRM practices in an organization confront many challenges due to the influence of spirituality and difference in cultural values. There are advantages and disadvantages in integrating spiritual/cultural values to HRM practices. Comparative HRM and Integrative HRM provides a measure of HRM practices at both organizational and national level. Difference in personal values affects the work group design in an organization. Personnel management which facilitates work group management helps the organization to minimize the effect of personal values by means of taking into account the security of personal information, counselling and specification on job. The following are the key issues faced by work group management due to the difference in personal values in a group. Greater conflicts Poor performance Low job satisfaction Traditional practice of HRM or personnel management concentrates mainly on an individual and offers marginalization of various other aspects between an individual and the organization. Due to globalization, it is not feesible to negate the fact that business is growing in borderless world and differences in cultural values are bound to occur. There are concerns if the organization concentrates on spiritual/cultural values more than business ethics, there are issues if the organization cancel out the actuality of cultural and institutional differences. Universal HRM is the key to success. Universal HRM refer to the process of defining high-level HRM models, theories and practices at both organizational level and national level in order to provide the organization with highly motivated workforce and greater productivity. Irrespective of cultural, institutional and various diversities, Universal HRM allows the organization to achieve their business goals more efficiently. After learning and analyzing the HRM practices followed in both western and non-western management style, Universal HRM is considered to be the Best-Practic

Problems of global waste

Problems of global waste The caring for and management of global waste is a global concern for the Earth as the population of Earth grows, and places where waste is deposited becomes a problem. Waste of various kinds is a danger to human health, wildlife preservation, and the environment in a broad range of aspects including how waste affects water supplies, soil contamination, and hazardous environments that remain or become uninhabitable. As the human population grows, so does consumption, and with that consumption huge amounts of waste are formed. concerning the management and the future of how waste is handled locally and globally, as it is a global problem not just local. How people and wildlife can cope with or without a world filled with hazardous material left over from various human activities caused from their disposal of waste. municipal solid waste of most human households affect how we live and how we affect the environment. How medical waste that is thrown in places where it may come into conta ct with the human population and how it can spread disease. How hazardous waste that is perceived by the public as the most potentially dangerous waste, can prove to be fatal if left untreated in populated areas . Is the future of waste management that of recycling or turning waste into usable energy such as electricity and other powered devices. Waste problems do not only affect local environments but the global environments as a whole. Unfortunately when waste is put into landfills the waste does not disappear just because the human eye can no longer see it does not mean the earth and global habitats dont feel the consequences. There are many kinds of waste that effect the world. they are classified by their physical, chemical and biological characteristics of their compounds . Solid waste materials can contain less than 70% water. Solid waste can be materials as household garbage, industrial wastes, mining wastes, and oilfield wastes. Liquid wastes contain less than 1% solids. Liquid waste can contain high concentrations of salts and metals. Sludge is whats in between liquid and solid. Sludge is usually made up of 3% and 25% solids, everything else is water dissolved materials. Landfills affect pollution levels of the environment the contamination of groundwater and aquifers that are used for consumption by humans and anim als the leakage of waste and soil contamination methane gas caused by decaying organic wastes methane which is a greenhouse gas more potent and deadly than carbon dioxide it can cause severe problems for the local environment around the waste site they can also be disease zones can cause outbreaks of certain diseases to the surrounding area and problems of annoyance and health risks such as dust, pests, bad odor, and other problems. Alternative methods can help the environment such as waste reduction and recycling incineration of waste can also reduce waste problems but when waste is burned harmful substances affect our air quality and health. When Waste is burned in incinerators It is a more expensive alternative way of disposal than landfills. In the united states the EPA reported 118.5 million tons or 57 percent of the united states total waste were managed in landfills. Todays incinerators are capable of destroying around 99.9% of the organic waste material that are put into the furnaces. Also this can produce a form of usable energy for Numerous thermal processes that recover energy from the burnt solid waste. waste organizations burn wastes in incinerators to produce steam for energy and is cleaner. Garbage as plastic and other non organic substances burned in incinerators poisons water soil and the air. Areas of life that are near incinerators have objected to them because of fears of harmful pollution. There are drawbacks to the use of incinerators but it is one of the measures that can reduce organic waste problems. In the United states 33.5 million tons of waste or 16 percent total were combusted at high temperatures. Recycling methods are becoming more popular worldwide. Recycling can also be a way to gather energy through thermal treatment from using waste as a way to use for appliances, and too make boilers to produce steam and electricity in a turbine. When items that would be waste if not recycled can be reused and prevent waste of reusable mate rials, lowers the need to keep making more items that would be more waste, and keeps the environment safer than use of other waste management methods like incineration and to prevent water pollution from landfills. recycling has also lower greenhouse gas that is a major concern for our planet. Recyclable products are many items from glass, paper, metal, plastic, textiles, and electronics that are refurbished cleaned and gone through different checks to make sure they are safe for re-consumption. unfortunately recycling methods tend to be very expensive alternatives to traditional waste management and for this reason they are turned away for much more environmental damaging solutions. The Environmental Protection Agency reported that 56 million tons or 27 percent of Americas total waste were recovered by recycling. The EPA is encouraging recycling and that recycling in the united states has reduced the countrys total carbon emissions. Recycling has caused some controversy by critics as they often say that the practice is too expensive and not as effective as other methods as incineration which produces energy that is used more than the reused products that are saved from recycling and how landfills are becoming more organized and more environmentally friendly than in the past. To Methods to turn waste into energy as discussed with how incinerators create energy are called Waste-to-energy and is becoming increasingly popular as it turns harmful waste into energy in the form of heat of electricity from the incineration of the waste materials. This form of waste management produce electricity in the form of combustion or produce a combustible fuel in the form of ethane methanol methane and also synthetic fuels that can power various equipments. There are also some very new and developing technologies that produce energy from waste and other fuels without direct combustion like that of incinerators. These new forms of energy producing waste deduction have the poten tial to produce more electric power amount of fuel than would be by direct combustion. The converted fuel produce a higher combustion temperatures. A modern form of waste management is Plasma arc gasification it uses a very high electrical energy and the extreme temperatures created by an electrical arc gasifies. The arc converts waste into elemental gas and solid waste in a plasma converter. this method has been intended to be a generator of electricity, depending what the composition of input wastes are and to reduce the volumes of waste being sent to landfill mounds. Another method of making waste or other products into energy is gasification which converts carbon materials like coal and petroleum into carbon monoxide and hydrogen by placing the materials in a high temperature within a controlled setting of oxygen and steam. This forms synthesis gas and is a fuel. mechanical biological treatment system facilities is a sorting facility that takes care of biological treatment such as anaerobic digestion and composting . mechanical biological treatment facilities are designed to process household wastes along with commercial and industrial wastes.

The United States was Justified in Dropping the Atomic Bombs on Hiroshi

The United States was justified in dropping the atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki for many reasons. First of all, just to start out, the bombings had nothing to do with Japan, it was about the Cold War and the real reason America used these weapons was to show Russia that the US possessed them. Second, the war in the Pacific had been raging for almost four years. The two battles immediately preceding the bomb decision were Iwo Jima and Okinawa, two battles where the Japanese fought to the death and the cost in American casualties was horrific. It was predicted that the invasion of the Japanese mainland at the Island of Kyushu -- scheduled for November of 1945 -- would be even worse. The entire Japanese military and civilian population would fight to the death. American casualties -- just for that initial invasion to get a foothold on the island of Japan would have taken up to an estimated two months and would have resulted in up to 75,000 to 100,000 casualties. And that was jus t the beginning. Once the island of Kyushu was captured by U.S. troops, the remainder of Japan would follow. You can just imagine the cost in injuries and lives this would take. Also It is not beyond the possibility that a million or more Americans could have been killed had we landed. The Japanese had correctly guessed where we intended to land, and were ready and waiting for us. The casualties would have been high. Another reason the atomic bomb was justified is the bomb was dropped with a desire to save lives. It is a matter of math. How many Americans lost their lives fighting how many Japanese at Tarawa, Iwo Jima, Okinawa. The mathematical formula showed the closer we got to Japan the more we lost. In addition to saving America lives it also... ...ecessary to end the war, because the Japanese were not going to surrender. In August of 1944 the war in Europe was over and the face off between the United States and Japan had finally arrived. The United States had to choose between sending hundreds of thousands of US soldiers, to invade Japan killing and being killed by the hundreds of thousands, OR dropping a newly developed weapon called the atomic bomb on two cities in Japan which would result in tens of thousands of civilian lives with little cost to US servicemen. The only hope of ending the war quickly and honorably was to drop the bombs. Calls for surrender were ignored and the Japanese hierarchy, Okinawa and Iwo Jima had shown clearly what an invasion of Japan would be like. The decision was made, the bombs were dropped, the war was ended and both military and civilian lives were saved by both countries.

The Respect Kid :: essays research papers

The author of this novel is Margarat Atwood. She was born in Ottawa, Canada in 1939. She attended the University of Toronto, Radcliffe College, and Harvard University. This book is about a future dystopia. It shows a future in which the United States no longer exists. A knew society, known as Gilead, is created. Women are stripped of their rights. This novel shows what may lie ahead for women, if they do not begin to stand up for themselves. In this novel fertile women are scarce. These fertile women are called Handmaids. Sexual activity is regulated and monitored in order to control the population. Two of the main characters in this novel are the Commander and Offred. The Commander is the head of the household were Offred is stationed as a Handmaid. Offred is the narrator of this story. She belongs to the class of women know as Handmaids. Since the opportunity for men to have pleasure is controlled, men do not rebel against society. Promotion and wives are promised for any man who is loyal. Harsh penalties for irregular satisfaction of sexual desire including homosexuality and masturbation have been created. Marriage is completely arranged. The Handmaids are told that their old society was unstable and immoral. Women suffered a lot. The women in Gilead are told that those problems have been solved.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Offred looses her identity in this new society. Before the new religious group of Gilead took over the world she was a very normal every day woman. She did what was expected of her time and continued to do so after the take over. She had a husband and a daughter who she loved very much. But in the new society, love is not permitted. Before the takeover social class was not a problem and each individual was treated equally. But slowly people of high social groups became much more powerful. They were chosen as Commander’s and the poorer individuals went to Colonies. Young woman were screened, and the ones who passed were used as Handmaids. These Handmaid’s had children for the infertile Commander’s wives. They would be sent away to special schools where they were taught how to give birth and to obey their masters without question. The woman’s lives were controlled by this society; and were taught to forget the society which they once live d. Things that once were, no longer existed. The Respect Kid :: essays research papers The author of this novel is Margarat Atwood. She was born in Ottawa, Canada in 1939. She attended the University of Toronto, Radcliffe College, and Harvard University. This book is about a future dystopia. It shows a future in which the United States no longer exists. A knew society, known as Gilead, is created. Women are stripped of their rights. This novel shows what may lie ahead for women, if they do not begin to stand up for themselves. In this novel fertile women are scarce. These fertile women are called Handmaids. Sexual activity is regulated and monitored in order to control the population. Two of the main characters in this novel are the Commander and Offred. The Commander is the head of the household were Offred is stationed as a Handmaid. Offred is the narrator of this story. She belongs to the class of women know as Handmaids. Since the opportunity for men to have pleasure is controlled, men do not rebel against society. Promotion and wives are promised for any man who is loyal. Harsh penalties for irregular satisfaction of sexual desire including homosexuality and masturbation have been created. Marriage is completely arranged. The Handmaids are told that their old society was unstable and immoral. Women suffered a lot. The women in Gilead are told that those problems have been solved.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Offred looses her identity in this new society. Before the new religious group of Gilead took over the world she was a very normal every day woman. She did what was expected of her time and continued to do so after the take over. She had a husband and a daughter who she loved very much. But in the new society, love is not permitted. Before the takeover social class was not a problem and each individual was treated equally. But slowly people of high social groups became much more powerful. They were chosen as Commander’s and the poorer individuals went to Colonies. Young woman were screened, and the ones who passed were used as Handmaids. These Handmaid’s had children for the infertile Commander’s wives. They would be sent away to special schools where they were taught how to give birth and to obey their masters without question. The woman’s lives were controlled by this society; and were taught to forget the society which they once live d. Things that once were, no longer existed.

Business Analysis& Decision Making Essay

According to Haslam, Neale and Johal (2000), `the total factor productivity us in general defined in two main types; the Level of labour and capital and their efficiency of production; and the productivity of the firm. The productivity of capital and labour is calculated as: total outputs divided by inputs of labour and capital`. Labour cost in a company makes a major part of the production cost and should be therefore most cost efficient. The total employment divided to the total physical output equals the total labour productivity†¦.EXAMPLE†¦ If a company produces more the one product or provides service rather the manufactured it can be difficult to recognise the physical output. Therefore, financial proxies such as value added or net output of employment are used. In order to compare the figures fair with each other, financial indexes can be produced. `This is possible by dividing the total number of labour hours into the value added`, (Haslam, Neale and Johal, 2000). The result of this calculation is the value added generated by labour hour. This index can be compare not just with the past years of production of a firm, in addition it is possible to compare with other companies to obtain a broad prospective about labour productivity and how efficient labour is used. Furthermore, over the years inflation changes the purchasing power of money and capital productivity varies. Assts may change value due to depreciation or capital consumption. Therefore, companies analyse the value added per  £ of fixed assets. `Capital productivity is calculated as capital stock (before depreciation or capital consumption) divided into the net output or value added figure`, (Haslam, Neale and Johal, 2000). The relationship between a growing product market and productivity is that; in a growing market the demand of a manufactured good increase. The result is an increase in volumes produced and sold. However, productivity is the output less the cost of production. Therefore, a growing market is not the only factor in order to achieve greater productivity. Like it was briefly pointed out in the paragraph above, labour cost is expensive and therefore should be used efficiently. A boost in productivity may occur whilst improving the productive flow. Due to the introduction of new techniques, working methods such as cell or mass production; and technical inventions such as conveyors labour costs can be cut and productivity increased. Another factor for increasing productivity may be employees’ satisfaction. In addition, in a growing market it comes to fragmentation and segmentation and the market matures. In order to stay competitive many firms lower their prices, which results less revenue generated. Employee satisfaction Labour time most efficient used labour efficiency, product quality, brand recognition and the economy Haslam, Neale and Johal, Economics in a Business context 3rd edition, Thomson Learning 2000, London

Physical Evidence in Services Marketing Essay

Services Marketing Mix refers to the combination of marketing activities an organization engages in to promote and sell intangible services, as opposed to tangible products. Marketing professionals and specialist use many tactics to attract and retain their customers. These activities comprise of different concepts, the most important one being the marketing mix. Marketing strategy is integrated with the marketing program, or marketing mix. The marketing mix traditionally includes variables such as price, product, promotion, and place. For this reason, the marketing mix deals more with implementation, and is not defined specifically as part of marketing strategy. Marketing mix is frequently used in combination with strategy to help marketing managers promote their product and/or service and it provides a useful framework for decision-making. The first P, product, in the marketing mix involves determining the products or services to offer for sale. â€Å"The product area is concerned with developing the right â€Å"product† for the target market. † (Perrault & McCarthy, 2004, p. 38). The product refers to tangible products and intangible services. Marketing research is vital in developing the marketing mix and continues throughout the marketing process. Research allows the business to discover what products or services the consumer wants, needs or desires. â€Å"If you don’t understand what the market needs first, you can’t possibly put the Ps to work effectively† (Scott, 2004,). The services marketing mix is an extension of the 4-Ps framework. The essential elements of product, promotion, price and place remain but three additional variables – people, physical evidence and process – are included to 7–Ps mix. The need for the extension is due to the high degree of direct contact between the providers and the customers, the highly visible nature of the service process, and the simultaneity of the production and consumption. While it is possible to discuss people, physical evidence and process within the original-Ps framework (for example people can be considered part of the product offering) the extension allows a more thorough analysis of the marketing ingredients necessary for successful services marketing. People – because of the simultaneity of production and consumption in services the staff occupy the key position in influencing customer’s perceptions of product quality. In fact the service quality is inseparable from the quality of service provider. An important marketing task is to set standards to improve quality of services provided by employees and monitor their performance. Without training and control employees tend to be variable in their performance leading to variable service quality. In addition to the four Ps of traditional product marketing–product, price, place and promotion–the services marketing mix includes the three Ps of service marketing–people, process and physical evidence. The Services Marketing Mix is also referred to as the Extended Marketing Mix. The Four Ps In his seminal book, â€Å"Basic Marketing: A Managerial Approach,† E. Jerome McCarthy introduced the four Ps classification system that is the cornerstone of traditional marketing. Product refers to the tangible and intangible benefits of a product or service, and how it meets customers’ needs. Price refers to the appropriateness of the pricing structure of a product or service. Place refers to the availability to customers of a product or service. Promotion refers to efforts to make a target audience aware of a product or service. People Unlike products, which are consumed independently from the individuals responsible for creating them, people play an integral role in the consumption of services. Customer satisfaction for services consumption is based upon the quality of interactions with the personnel who provide the service. In addition to skills and knowledge relative to the provision of services, services personnel must also have an aptitude for interpersonal communication. Process Process refers to the systems an organization implements in order to facilitate the delivery of services. Efficient and effective processes allow service delivery personnel to anticipate customer needs, identify and implement appropriate solutions, and respond to customer feedback in order to improve service delivery. Service delivery processes can improve customer satisfaction, increase customer retention, and increase the value of a service offering. Physical Evidence Physical evidence refers to the tangible and intangible elements that comprise the environment in which services are delivered. Tangible aspects of service delivery are the physical elements of the service environment that influence customer opinions about the overall service. For example, a clean and comfortable restaurant interior can improve customers’ perceptions of the dining experience. Intangible aspects of service delivery–such as reputation and the opinion’s of other customers–are the immaterial elements of the service environment that influence customer perceptions.

Kaleidoscopic: An Analysis of “The Wasteland” by T.S. Eliot Essay

T.S. Eliot’s â€Å"The Wasteland† is known for its kaleidoscopic and fragmented form, with the converging of different styles from different movements of poetry; the employment of a wide range of metaphorical devices (from allusions to the decidedly Christian quest for the Holy Grail, to references about ancient Greece, and more pagan origins – the diversity of allusions from different cultures only serves to raise the universality of the poem’s theme); and the wealth of convolutions of the poem as a whole, jumping from one scene to another in an abrupt and disconcerting lack of traditional cohesion. There are rapid shifts not only in imagery and perspective, but also in setting, and in subject. And yet the poem is unified by its overall theme of despair – despair and futility in the midst and at the inevitable end of man’s search for peace and contentment. Man subjects himself to a baffled search for spiritual peace, when, in the end, he must be resigned that the search is, after all that time, futile, even never-ending. It is this futility and despair that grounds the â€Å"fragments† of the poem, the so-called â€Å"bigger picture,† making it into that which the poem strives to attain. A technique that Eliot employs is the deliberate â€Å"scattering† of connected passages that discuss one subject. As an exploration of the theme, he carries it further by â€Å"dissecting† the subject, offering hints and foreshadowing in earlier parts of the poem, then places the other divisions into a variation of sections. Malcolm Bradbury and James McFarlane, in their introductory essay â€Å"Name and Nature of Modernism† for Modernism, 1890-1930, encapsulates the fragmented form of the poem: â€Å"Modernist works frequently tend to be ordered, then, not on the sequence of historical time or the evolving sequence of character, from history or story, as in realism and naturalism; they tend to work spatially through layers of consciousness, working towards a logic of metaphor or form† (p.50). The Modernist poem’s multiplicity in layers exploits the poetic form in that insights and epiphanies are not procured at face value, that the reader must take it upon himself to discover and explore the layers and exposition. Also, the collage-like quality of this Modernist poem tore through the traditional forms of poetry and poetics, in its audacious experimentation. Jerome Rothenberg and Pierre Joris in their introductory essay for Poems for the Millennium say, â€Å"A characteristic of modern art (and poetry) so defined . . . has been the questioning of art itself as a discrete and bounded category† (p.8). The poet and the poem continue to push at the boundaries, insisting that the boundaries should not even be existent – an intention that â€Å"The Wasteland† succeeds in carrying out. Although the many convolutions and intricacies in â€Å"The Wasteland† evoke the initial impression of fragmentation, there are interlocking themes and content, if not passages reminiscent of others, found throughout the poem. Part of Eliot’s poetics is, underneath all the references from other fragments of literature and all levels of allusions, there are images that shall mirror another, and then another, though they may be as subtle as a single word in a line, through they may be scattered throughout the entire length of the poem. One example of this resonance can be found in Eliot’s mention of drowning, or death by water. The â€Å"narrative† is prophesied near the beginning of the poem, lines 46 and 47 say, â€Å"Here, said she, / Is your card, the drowned Phoenician sailor,† followed with the ominous statement, â€Å"Fear death by water† in line 55, found in the same section. It is essential to note that among the ancient Mediterranean people, it was the Phoenicians who became known for expertise in sailing and navigation, mastering the rather challenging task of sailing against the wind, making headway little by little, by tacking back and forth (Black). Eliot provides this information through a prophesy by one of the many characters in the poem, Madame Sosostris, a clairvoyant. This adds another dimension to the resonance of the passage because, as well as being part of a group of references, its very position as being the first the readers encounter in the poem provides and carries out its intention of foretelling the future. Eliot then continues to explore this theme, in almost teasing narrative, throughout the poem. The next reference is found in part three, or The Fire Sermon. In line 220 – 221, the sailor is mentioned again in, â€Å"At the violet hour, the evening hour that strives / Homeward, and brings the sailor home from sea.† Interestingly, this is imparted in the form of another prophecy of sorts – this time from the blind seer Tiresias. This passage offers a kind of build-up by narrating the usual routine of a sailor in one of his less tragic days at work. The statement is an aside, a mere commentary at the larger picture painted by The Fire Sermon, although in its simplicity and subtlety, the passage succeeds in presenting that the Phoenician sailor is supposed to come home from a hard day (and night’s) work at the sea. Which makes it all the more tragic, as these resonant images culminate, fittingly enough, in part four, titled Death by Water. Everything comes together in this part of the poem. The skilled yet unfortunate Phoenician sailor is named, Phlebas, and we witness his fate, that which has long been hinted at from different parts of the poem. Phlebas dies, â€Å". . . a current under sea / Picked his bones in whispers (line 315).† And he dies, not for want of expertise in his profession, but by forgetting â€Å". . . the cry of gulls, and the deep sea swell / and the profit and loss (lines 313 to 314)† – readers get the impression that Phlebas was preoccupied, in reflection of matters known only to him. In him readers behold another character of Eliot’s, who emulates a theme of the poem, that human beings are in a continuous search for some sort of peace or contentment, yet they must resign ourselves to a life of futility and despair. Death by Water concludes with a note, some words of caution, still reminding the reader of the Phoenician sailor’s skill, his promise, regardless of his tragic death: â€Å"O you who turn the wheel and look to windward, / Consider Phlebas, who was once handsome and tall as you.† Aside from being a critique of traditional form and the very definition of art and poetry, the poem also became a critique of the current social condition. Published in the aftermath of World War I, which had been the most destructive war in history at that point, many believed that the poem was an â€Å"indictment of post-war European culture and as an expression of disillusionment in contemporary society, which Eliot believed to be culturally barren.† Despair was the consensual mood of nations, and salvation seemed bleak at the time. â€Å"The Wasteland† encapsulated that consensus, that attitude, displaying one of the characteristic of Modernism, which â€Å"is the one art that responds to the scenario of our chaos† (Bradbury and McFarlane, 27). And the stylized fragmentation of the poem serves to thrust that aim further, form functioning to serve the subject matter. â€Å"The Wasteland† as a Modernist poem employs daring experimentation of style, from sudden shifts in form and style and subject, to the division of narrative style and exposition. Passages reminiscent of each other are found throughout the poem, carrying with it the theme of the poem like an interconnection of veins throughout a human body. It is a critique of the times, and of the times before that had shaped the current situation. As Rothenberg and Joris state, â€Å"The most interesting works of poetry and art are those that question their own shapes and forms, and by implication the shapes and forms of whatever preceded them† (p. 11). Works Cited Black, Bob. â€Å"Borne by the Wind: The Lure and Lore of Sailing.† Microsoft ® Encarta ® 2006. CD-ROM. Redmond, WA: Microsoft Corporation, 2005. Bradbury, Malcolm and James McFarlane. Modernism, 1890-1930. Sussex: Harvester Press, 1879. Harmon, William. â€Å"T.S. Eliot.† Microsoft ® Encarta ® 2006. CD-ROM. Redmond, WA: Microsoft Corporation, 2005. Ramazani, Jahan, Richard Ellmann and Robert O’Clair, eds. The Norton Anthology of Modern and Contemporary Poetry. New York: W. W. Norton, 2003.   Rothenberg, Jerome and Pierre Joris, eds. Poems for the Millenium: the University of California Book of Modern and Postmodern Poetry. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1998.

Metro Group

Metro Group Executive Summary: Metro has taken initiative to implement RFID tagging to better track its inventory and improve its supply chain management. The palette level tracking which has been implemented at certain stores has proven beneficial and now Metro is considering case level tagging. Given the cost savings, improvement in inventory and store level performance, the case level tagging would yield higher savings as compared to palette level tagging. Since RFID technology is evolving very fast the primary cost – price of tags, would decreases significantly and thereby would increase ROI.Therefore, with the assumptions case level tagging is recommended over palette level tagging. In-Store Logistics problem: One factor that contributes to in store logistic problems is on shelf availability of products. There’s about 6% to 10% out of stock rate in grocery retailing and that is a major problem in loss of revenue and potential loss of customers. The cause of this pr oblem could be that the inventory already exists in store but the in store inventory system is not sophisticated enough to prevent the problem. RFID, however, can help improve inventory data accuracy and stock visibility.Another problem is promotion compliance – because of the numerous promotions going on per store, the stores lack the resources to carry out all the events effectively and that could result in manufacture dissatisfaction due to unsatisfactory promotions. Using RFID can help in pallet and case level by giving accurate stock information so manufacturers can see how their promotions are doing as well as if markets are holding their end of the bargain. Finally, RFID can improve problems in productivity and labor efficiencies. One problem is workers unable to locate items to physically scan them with traditional readers.With RFID, the worker just needs to be within the vicinity so no extra work needed to identify correct pallet from within a case. Another labor pro blem that arises is too much manual work done by workers to scan items when they arrive, with RFID, the pallets can just arrive on location and just be unloaded instead of manually inspecting codes by workers. Process flow of the supply chain: Upon production, the assembly of the pallets is conducted at the manufacturer’s plant. The pallets are stored either at the manufacturer’s warehouse or are shipped to a distribution center (DC).From the DC the pallets are either shipped to one of Metro’s DCs or directly to a Metro store. At the Metro DC pallets are either kept as they arrive or get unbundled and repackaged as mixed pallets. Every pallet contains from 60 to 80 cases with some exceptional cases of 900cases/pallet. The above flow requires high labor force. As a next step, the stock room determines how much of the product should be moved directly to the sales floor and how much needs to remain in the stock room. There are cases where products marked for the sa les floor had to be returned back to the stock room due to lack of display space.The products displayed at the sales floor are also relocated for promotional events. A retail store receives shipments either directly from the manufacturer or from a variety of Metro DCs. In addition to the various locations the shipments originated, the size of the pallets, the pallet mix, the randomness of the delivery schedules there are also cases where a product has to be returned for quality issues or product damage. Business Process Optimization at the pallet level: The major difference between barcodes and RFID tags is that RFID tags do not require a direct line of sight for scanning and processing.This leads to major process automation wherever the process scanning is required, e. g. scan barcode on pallet, scan storage barcode to verify location, forklift driver scans barcode on pallet etc. Whenever a pallet is within a read range from an RFID reader, the scanning automatically takes places, therefore, the employee doesn’t have to physically locate and scan the tag (ultrahigh frequency benefits displayed in Exhibit 3). Apart from that, RFID tags can store information about the object itself (location, case counts, etc. ).This leads to major picking and truck loading process optimization. Whenever a pallet is created, the number of cases and pallet location can be stored in the tag and placed on the pallet. Pallet movement can then be detected by readers placed within the warehouse for improved warehouse visibility. This allows employees to locate the pallets quicker and reduce the time required to move pallets to outgoing docks for shipment. Inbound and outbound pallet inspection during the truck loading process becomes faster, more accurate, and requires less resource utilization.RFID readers at the loading docks will be able to automatically check the identity of a pallet when it is moved onto or off the truck, eliminating in that way the need for manual scanni ng and inspection. Business Process Optimization at the case level: Implementation of RFID tags at the case level reduces the need for forklift readers to count cases on the pallets as the case tags provide immediate signal notification of case count. As pallets are stored in the Metro DC for potential case mixing, current process flow is facilitated by improved efficiency of mixed-pallet picking.In addition, RFID tags identify optimal picking paths for the employees or the best route to take through the warehouse when they search for the products that will consist of the mixed pallet. During shrink-wrapping, the need to label the mixed pallets is eliminated as case tags will verify and notify trucks (headed from Metro DC to Metro stores) for the pallet content. Case level RFID tags also eliminate the 1% mixed pallet case recounting process, a result of too many or too few cases being picked for mixed pallets or wrong cases altogether being picked.The tags on the cases notify employ ees of improper inclusion or exclusion without the need for manual recounts. Process improvement is facilitated through more efficient shelf restocking at the store level. For the first time, employees have improved visibility of what is in the backroom, instead of relying upon memory of backroom items. This will help limit the stock outs but will also improve the inventory-ordering accuracy. Last but not least, storage mapping utilized in conjunction with case level RFID tags limits the time required for searching the replenishment cases.When the point-of-sale data indicates that a shelf is empty, employees are notified that replenishment is required, have clear visibility of the number of that particular item available in the backroom, as well as the exact backroom item location. Cost-Benefit analysis: Exhibit 1 shows the cost benefit analysis for the implementation of RFID either at palette level or case level. In both scenarios, Metro would not be generating enough incremental p rofits as opposed to the investment.Certain assumptions were made regarding average cost of tag, average number of pallets reaching DC and number of DC. In case of palette level tagging, manufacture is set to make huge savings per plant which is evident from per palette saving data as well. But for the case level tagging, Metro will be generating high incremental savings but not more than investment. Assuming that tags and portal bought by Metro runs for 5 years, Metro will break even on its investment in less than 2 years and would earn more than $11M savings per year thereafter.

Matthew Carter Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Matthew Carter - Essay Example Carter visited New York four years after completing his internship at Enschede. The visit introduced him to the world of type designing, in which he soon developed intense interest. He was astounded by the positive advancement in typographic creations as evidenced in the compositions of designers like Milton Glaser, Herb Lubalin and others that contributed to the progressiveness of New York’s commercial art industry in 1960. When Carter returned to London from New York, he found that its commercial art scene lacked contemporary sans serif type. He joined forces with men such as Alan Fletcher, Bob Gill, David Collins, Colin Forbes and others to create many sans serif faces for the country’s young and inexperienced graphic design industry. One such sans serif face was made for Heathrow airport’s new terminal. Carter’s fascination with New York’s progressiveness lured him to the U.S again. He took up employment at Mergenthaler Linotype located in Brook lyn. While being intensely influenced by its director of typographic development Jackson Burke, Carter began threw his heart and soul into his work and started designing new typefaces for photocomposition. One of them was Snell Roundhand, a script face that he created in 1966 that exquisitely displayed the relative advantages of photosetting

Contemporary issues in marketing MGT Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Contemporary issues in marketing MGT - Essay Example Over time the classical economic theory based business social responsibility evolved to see business social responsibility as more than just profit. Businesses worldwide have become more socially responsible, but they still are pursuing economic interests. Economic interests will always remain the number one priority for businesses all over the world. "Any mechanism for enforcing or urging social responsibility upon firms must of course reckon with a profit motive..." (Arrow, 2001: 304) Not all the businesses have socially responsible outlook. Some business owners still regard socially responsible business practices as a waste of money, the cost outweighing any benefits. The majority of business owners, however, regard the cost of socially responsible actions as necessary expense. They make such a commitment an essential part of their business operation. They take a great deal of pride in the reputation their business has established and wish to protect its good name. These businesses want to be seen as responsible corporate citizens, conscious of the high standards expected of them by their customers and society at large. The business world of today is much more complex compared to that of 60 years age, requiring a higher degree of corporate social responsibil... Corporate Social responsibility's (CSR's) time has come, and it is not just a management fad. The key benefits of CSR for companies are in employee retention and helping organizations through dialogue and engagement with their key stakeholders. This enables companies to win better alignment with their markets and customers in the long run, and help stem the growing tide of confrontation. Strategic Ethics And Social Responsibility Strategic ethics and social responsibility are two of the most important, yet perhaps most misunderstood concerns in the world of business today. By their very nature, these fields are controversial, and there is no universally accepted approach for solving their questions. On the other hand, government is encouraging organizational accountability for ethical conduct, and organisations are being asked to prevent and control misconduct by implementing ethics programs. By defining strategic ethics, we can link and compare it with the concept of social responsibility. In this way, we can examine applications in the business context, thus drawing conclusions about their roles in strategy. (Ferrell, 2000, 119-23) With the competing demands from different stakeholders, Corporate Social Responsibility is becoming more important in an organisation. Corporate enterprises are starting to recognize that they have a wider responsibility to the communities within which they operate. Research has shown that by implementing social responsibilities, a win-win situation can be achieved between the company and its stakeholders. Social responsibility is the obligation a business assumes toward society. Jennings (2003:6)