Comparing California, Massachusetts, And New York s Pay...

2. Comparing and contrasting California, Massachusetts, and New York’s pay equity statutes. Recent trends toward certain state legislatures augmenting pay equity statutes have been deemed â€Å"sweeping changes† as compared to the stagnancy of federal pay equity statutes. New York and California enacted pay equity statutes at the end of 2015 that went into effect at the beginning of 2016. A session law enacted in Massachusetts in 2016 expands that state’s pay equity provisions in â€Å"impactful† and â€Å"noteworthy† ways in comparison to other states’ laws. These three states’ significant expansions of pay equity provisions can act as templates for Kansas, which limits employees bringing wage disparity claims to comparing themselves to their counterparts only if their work is â€Å"equal† and if they work at the same â€Å"establishment.† California’s recently amended statute requires that employees filing wage discrimination claims show that they and their counterparts of the opposite sex perform â€Å"substantially similar work, when viewed as a composite of skill, effort, and responsibility, . . . under similar working conditions.† Systems based on seniority, merit, measures of earnings based on production quantity or quality, or â€Å"a bona fide factor other than sex† (such as â€Å"education, training, or experience†) are legal bases under the California law upon which to differentiate among employee wages. A factor other than sex cannot be â€Å"based on or derived from† employees’ sexes, must beShow MoreRelatedWal Mart Annual Report Analysis Essay examples31762 Words   |  128 PagesFive-Year Financial Summary 16 Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations 30 Consolidated Statements of Income 31 Consolidated Balance Sheets 32 Consolidated Statements of Shareholders’ Equity 33 Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows 34 Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements 52 Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm 53 Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm on Internal ControlRead MoreDomino Pizza 2013 10k83576 Words   |  335 PagesSECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934| Commission File Number 001-32242 Domino’?s Pizza, Inc. (Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter) | | | DELAWARE| |38-2511577| (State or other jurisdiction ofincorporation or organization)| |(I.R.S. 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Analysis of Mozarts K. 515 Mvt. 1 - 1279 Words

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Quintet No. 3 in C major, K. 515 Andrew McGuire Dr. Burkart MUSHIS 200 11/19/2012 Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was a prodigy of his time, and arguable the greatest of all time. This paper will discuss an analysis of his third string quintet in C major, K. 515. Through this piece in Sonata Form we will dissect the exposition, the development, the recapitulation, and the coda; along with an analysis of the quintet we will briefly discuss parts of Mozart’s life, as well as look at the background of the Viola Quintet No. 3 in C Major, K. 515. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was born into a musical family after his sister Nannerl, by his father and mother Leopold and Anna Maria. His beginnings would originate in Salzburg,†¦show more content†¦As with codas we find our final theme in the piece the part proceeding the measure of rest (see Figure 5). Delving deeper into the coda we find theme two reoccurring in the tonic key, this time not segregated by instrument parts. For the first time in the movement we see the two viola parts obviously playing what is the theme ( see Figure 6), right before we see the second viola briefly mingle with the cello. Figure [ 6 ] After the brief return of theme two between the cello and violas we end happily on the tonic of the piece. Overall I thoroughly enjoyed this piece. Not only this piece but also this assignment. It is one thing to sit in class and read about and take notes over sonata-allegro form. It is completely another to be expected to dive deeper into a piece and try to figure out its inner most workings. As a violist I also appreciate the fact that Mozart went against the normality of the cello quintet and wrote a viola quintet. The fact he was willing to go against what was expected of him by society makes me respect him as a composer even more. After a glimpse into the life of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, we have discussed his Quintet No. 3 in C major. Discussed its themes and their placement, as well as briefly the variations of these themes. We also saw a brief glimpse into history around the time that the K. 515 and what could be considered

Discrimination on Blacks free essay sample

Thesis Statement: Many Americans cherish their country as a place of opportunities, but African Americans have experienced horrible things and have not been given the chance white Americans have, as others in this country. African Americans were freed from slavery by the 13th amendment of the constitution and the 14th amendment and let them be free but that did not mean they were given the same opportunities as other white people. But still in the 1960’s they were discriminated against because of the color of their skin. This means they were not allowed to go to the same school, movie theaters, restrooms, public facilities. Before the Civil War blacks were not allowed to read and write. Their white owners felt that if they became educated they would not want to be slaves. After slaves were freed in America the government had to decide how to share resources with blacks, In regard to education it was decided that African Americans had the right to an education however it was decided separate but equal was fine. We will write a custom essay sample on Discrimination on Blacks or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page This meant that schools were designed so black and white people were served but in separate areas or different locations. The problem was blacks and whites were not given the same buildings or resources, African Americans got much less. White’s believed that blacks were incapable of learning at an advanced level. In the 1960’s, 15 percent of African Americans had no schooling, and 48 percent had never gone beyond the fifth grade. The reason behind this was because African Americans were treated so horrible. They were called niggers, black monkeys and filthy trash. African Americans also get threats how if they came across town where whites were they would be burned or killed. The Jim Crow laws were state and local laws in the United States between 1876 and 1965. The Jim Crow law was to segregate African Americans and whites for the reason that blacks would not be in contact with the whites. One of the civil rights activists was Rosa Parks who was a African American who faced horrible discrimination. December 1, 1955 in Montgomery, Alabama Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat in a colored section for a white passenger because she felt that she should get equal rights. Another activist was Martin Luther King Jr. In 1963 on the Washington March Martin Luther King Jr. made a â€Å"I have a dream speech† where he talked about racial problems and discrimination.

Master Patient Index Essay Example

Master Patient Index Paper Master Patient Indexi Master Patient Index Master Patient Index1 Master Patient Index (MPI) and the Primary Key are important parts of a health care organizations database. They help in the retrieval and organization of data in an organizations data base. The Master Patient Index (MPI) is an electronic medical database that holds information on every patient registered at a health care organization (TechTarget, 2011). The information that is contained in the patient record is things such as age, race, social security number and the patients’ health history. The Primary Key is a Key in a database that is unique for each record and identifies patients. This Key can be a driver’s license, a social security number, or a telephone number. The database can only have one type of Key for each record, otherwise it would be too confusing to search for patient records. An organizations IT system can use the MPI and the Primary Key in the integration of information from different systems into one system. The organization will have to come up with the idea of what that Key will be and use it in all of its data bases. The IT system can use these two components for organizing information, finding that patient quickly in the records system, and any previous visits that they may have. A Health Information Management System (HIMS) analyst can also use this information in the clinical, financial, and marketing aspects of the health care organization. We will write a custom essay sample on Master Patient Index specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Master Patient Index specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Master Patient Index specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer They can use the clinical information in any follow-up of their visit, any diagnosis that is given, any lab work that can or will be done, and any medications that are prescribed. The financial information can be constructed from the same information, and billed accordingly, by lab work, visit level, and any clinical supplies that were used. Lastly, the marketing information is also taken from this database as well. The demographics that are in this information can help in the marketing of Master Patient Index2 information to certain age groups, or gender. For example, if there are more retired people than younger people, there would be a shift in drugs or supplies that would normally be used by older persons than younger persons. As stated earlier, the MPI and the Primary Key are very important in setting up an organizations database and the use of that database. The Primary Key can help in finding a patient’s record in the MPI. Bibliography TechTarget. (2011, February). What is Master Patient Index. Retrieved December 4, 2011, from SearchHealthIT: http://searchhealthit. techtarget. com/definition/master-patient-index-MPI

10 Common ESL Mistakes

10 Common ESL Mistakes 10 Common ESL Mistakes 10 Common ESL Mistakes By Guest Author This is a guest post by Pratiti Diddi. If you want to write for Daily Writing Tips check the guidelines here. Learning a new language is never easy. Below you will find ten common mistakes among students of English as a second language. Even if you are a native English speaker I guess you could use a reminder on some of them. Incorrect: My sister is photographer. Correct: My sister is a photographer. Incorrect: It is more cold today. Correct: It is colder today. Incorrect: I have told you all what I know. Correct: I have told you all (that) I know. Incorrect: Which is the biggest city of the world? Correct: Which is the biggest city in the world? Incorrect: I have done a mistake. Correct: I have made a mistake. Incorrect: I have been here since three days. Correct: I have been here for three days. Incorrect: We waited one and a half hour. Correct: We waited one and a half hours. Incorrect: According to me, it’s a bad film. Correct: In my opinion, it’s a bad film. Incorrect: It’s getting winter. Correct: Its getting to be winter. Incorrect: Except Angie, everybody was there. Correct: Except for Angie, everybody was there. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Grammar category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:50 Rhetorical Devices for Rational WritingTaser or Tazer? Tazing or Tasering?Adverbs and Hyphens

How to solve your biggest resume problems

How to solve your biggest resume problems Do you think that creating your resume is a â€Å"one and done† process? If so, then think again. The truth is, you should think of your resume as a constantly evolving document- one that changes over time as your background, experience, and skill set expand. It should also be continually tailored and honed to meet the needs of your target company and/or industry, which may change over time. But there’s another reason why you should never close the door on resume updating, one that might be keeping you from achieving your goal of landing your next great job- your current resume might have some serious problems that you’re either unaware of or have simply ignored. And in today’s ultra-competitive job market, resume problems- even the small ones- may mean the difference between getting hired and losing out to another candidate who made a more polished first impression.Get focused and organizedJust as an unkempt appearance can make a bad first impression, an unfocused resume can really reflect poorly on you. Hiring managers and HR personnel are busy people who don’t have the time (or the desire) to untangle or decipher a murky, disjointed resume. So, getting things organized and focused before you even think about where you’d like to send your resume should be a top priority.Your best bet is a streamlined approach- create clearly delineated sections for your objective, experience, education, and key skills, and make sure they’re targeted to the standards of the industry you hope to join. Better still, laser focus your resume to attract positive attention from the specific company that you’re eager to get hired by and repeat the process every time you decide to send out your resume.Also, before you decide to send out your resume, take a step back from your document and review it again to make sure it tells a cohesive and chronological narrative about who you are as a professional and what potential value you o ffer a prospective employer. If you can get a trusted colleague, mentor, friend, or family member to review your resume, even better- a fresh set of eyes and a second opinion is always a good idea.Bottom line: on the job hunt trail, a well-tailored resume is like a well-tailored outfit, and it’s your best chance of making a positive and lasting impression on the folks who matter- those who make the hiring decisions.Put your best self forwardYou might be shocked to learn that many people leave out some big and impressive feathers from their resume caps and fail to highlight all their skills, talents, and accomplishments- things that can really make a candidate stand out from the candidate crowd. Have you earned any company or industry awards? Did you develop a major revenue-generating product or idea for a previous employer? Did you come up with or implement a significant cost-savings plan or process at a previous job? Do you excel in any particular talent or skill thatâ€℠¢s desired in your industry? Ask yourself these sorts of questions when constructing your resume, and make sure that your resume highlights your very best self- the version of you that has the best chance of getting hired.Always editThis may sound obvious but ask any hiring manager worth their paycheck and you’ll undoubtedly hear some real resume horror stories that could have easily been avoided had their creators just took a little extra time to review and edit their work. Isn’t the prospect of landing a great new job worth the additional effort? Sweep your resume for errors, inconsistencies, typos, and anything else that might give readers some pause or make them scratch their heads. Trust us, it’s worth your time- nothing sets off alarm bells for hiring managers and HR personnel in quite the same way as a resume riddled with mistakes.If you’re on the job hunt and want to ensure that you’re giving yourself a real shot at landing a new position, use the strategies and advice presented here to ensure that your resume problems are solved before sending it out. Take the time to make sure you’re putting forth the best document possible- one that will get you hired.

The Influence of Marketing through Culture and Tradition in Kuwait Research Paper

The Influence of Marketing through Culture and Tradition in Kuwait (Gulf) - Research Paper Example The origin of Kuwait culture comes from diverse backgrounds and is very rich. In addition, the influences of marketing on customs and traditions of Kuwait is widespread as observed in many firms (Ahmed 16). This calls for conscious marketing especially for the international marketer since what a certain culture accepts may be regarded as a taboo in another. This paper will focus on the influence of marketing on culture and traditions in Kuwait. The importance of culture in marketing cannot be underestimated, the traditions, values, attitudes and religious beliefs of a people can affect greatly the promotion of a product. Most of the marketing mix components can only achieve great outcomes if the culture and traditions of the people is well understood, respected, and tolerated especially that of the target market. For instance, promoting a product is expected to increase customers and consequently the profits, therefore to achieve greater profits through promotion it is imperative tha t a company puts into consideration a people’s culture and traditions in order to gain a deeper understanding of their needs and be able to produce and market the products that suit their needs. The language of a people is a vehicle of culture and affects the consumer behaviour considerably (Victor 142). One of the marketing strategies is promotion; consumer acceptance of a product requires a language to promote the product. Therefore, promotional methods such as personal selling, advertising, publicity and sales promotion can only be successful through the use of a language. In Kuwait, Islamic is the commonly used language which among the most influential cultural elements (Ahmed 67). Other elements include religious beliefs and ethnic values, all these cultural elements have an effect on the marketing mix, pricing, promotion, product, and price. This requires multinational firms to make their promotions and products adaptable to the environment they exist to ensure persuasi ve marketing. A cultural bound firm is the one that is consumer-oriented, this is evidenced by cultural groupings, and inclinations that tend to purchase certain products calling for marketers to be responsive on cultural influences on their marketing strategies. In Kuwait, culture is related to all dimensions of the society (Ahmed 23). Therefore, appropriate marketing strategy has gained more focus from marketers who wish to promote their products in an effort to increase their market share. Culture and tradition has become a key component of advertisements for most products and services to attract more customers and retain existing ones. Some of the business that have embraced marketing through culture and traditions include the National Bank of Kuwait, Commercial Bank of Kuwait, and Zain which is one of the best telecommunication companies in the country. The use of cultural strategies to market themselves has not only helped these companies increase their sales but also attract new consumers while at the same time achieving and increasing customer loyalty. Another important aspect on the influence of marketing through culture and traditions in Kuwait observed in organizing employees principles as a national culture in order for them to understand their work and what is expected out of it and the manner in which the expect to be treated. This means firms have to act in

'NGOs legitimacy and representation at the global level' Literature review

'NGOs legitimacy and representation at the global level' - Literature review Example ons and an annual addition of 1200 new ones (Yearbook of international organizations, 2013).This essay seeks to examine the concepts of legitimacy and representation of these NGOs at the global level. In addition, the essay intends to find out the ways in which accountability and representation can be enhanced. As a point of departure, a pressing question on the legitimacy and present political debate on reclaiming the democratic projects in the context of globalization has arose and it needs to be answered. Numerous institutions and scholars have always argued out the extent to which these NGOs are legitimate, responsible and answerable (MACDONALD, 2008). These aspects directly affect the subjects. For instance, the reason for the recent mounting of pressure of high profile campaigns for democratization of powerful international organizations such as the IMF and world Bank includes the belief that, these organizations are neither not representatives of the subjects, nor do they exhibit the aspects of accountable bodies. Montesquieu, a balanced democrat argues that any leadership that is a representative of subjects must get consent of the governed. This follows that, a legitimate NGO should be attributed to the consent of the governed either through elections or by acclamation. This follows that, democracy is exhibited in these institutions if Montesquieu principle is applied (LOY, 1968). On the other hand, Locke confirms that the aspect of legitimacy must be derived from the subjects and once a legitimate body has been consented, then subjects have a preserve of their rights through these bodies. Locke believes that, the interests of the subjects must come first before personal interests (LOCKE, 1990). The question that arises is that who bestows responsibilities to NGOs and how representation of citizens is gained? This follows that, the aspect of representation is challengeable. Despite MACDONALD’s assertion that, alternative non-electoral mechanism of

Mindy’s Sections Essay Example for Free

Mindy’s Sections Essay Profitability BJB intends to apply a six sigma approach to improving profitability in the innovative CD changers. Using such tools provided through this approach will lead to major cost reduction and quality improvements that will result in an increase in profitability. The approach will involve measuring capability of processes to produce services and products that remain free of defect. Experts at BJB will analyze standard deviation, short term performance data, and critical to quality (CTQ) characteristics to predict long-term process capability. Such analysis will apply concepts to the product, such as opportunity for defect, defects per opportunity, and defects per million opportunities. Experts previously described will use a four step approach to deploy this strategy. These steps include measuring of CTQ characteristics; analysis through benchmarking and gap studies, improvement, and control. With a ratio of 1 expert per 100 employees, BJB will lead more projects per year as well as have a potential savings of $175,000 per project. Reference: Harry, Mikel J. (1998). Quality Progress. Six Sigma: A Breakthrough Strategy for Profitability. American Society for Quality. Retrieved from: http://asq.org/qic/display-item/index.html?item=13334 Customer Complaints Management BJB will apply a Six Sigma approach to manage and improve customer complaints’ management process. This methodology provides an organized structure for solving and analysis of problems. BJB will apply DMAIC (Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve, and Control) phases to solve and define problems within the organization. First, the problem is defined, variables influencing processes are measured, cause for process failure are analyzed, improvements are planned and made as well as variables are controlled until a defined six sigma level and a solid level of customer satisfaction is determined. Reference: Riesenberger, Carlos Sousa, Sergio Dinis (2010). Application of the Six Sigma Methodology in Customer Complaints Management: A Case Study in the Automotive Industry. Retrieved from: http://www.pomsmeetings.org/ConfPapers/015/015-0345.pdf Environmental Regulations Compliance BJB must consider environmental regulations compliance in regard to computer and electronic product manufacturing sector (NAICS 334). This sector covers manufacturers of electrical distribution equipment and electrical industrial apparatus as well as other electrical equipment and supplies. Laws and Regulations that BJB must abide by include: †¢ Greenhouse Gas Reporting Program †¢ National Emissions Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants (NESHAP): air toxics regulations: o Degreasing Organic Cleaners (Halogenated Solvent Cleaners) o Magnetic Tape (surface coating) o Semiconductor Manufacturing †¢ Stratospheric Ozone Regulations: o The Phase-out of Ozone Depleting Substances o Significant New Alternatives Policy (SNAP) Program: EPAs program to evaluate and regulate substitutes for the ozone-depleting chemicals that are being phased out under the stratospheric ozone protection provisions of the Clean Air Act (CAA). Compliance to such laws and regulations will assist BJB meet environmental obligations. Enforcement of legal action against BJB is a result of noncompliance to such laws and regulations. Reference: United States Environmental Protection Agency (2012). Laws and Regulations. Retrieved from: http://www.epa.gov/lawsregs/compliance/

personal narrative Essay -- essays research papers

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Growing up as an only child I made out pretty well. You almost can’t help but be spoiled by your parents in some way. And I must admit that I enjoyed it; my own room, T.V., computer, stereo, all the material possessions that I had. But there was one event in my life that would change the way that I looked at these things and realized that you can’t take these things for granted and that’s not what life is about.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  When I was seventeen years old and going into my senior year of high school I was given the opportunity to go on a trip to Spain with my school. It was a two week trip during the summer, visiting different cities and historical sites throughout the country. While we where there we went to see a Flamenco dance show in Seville which is about an hour and a half outside of Madrid, the city where we were staying. It was a Wednesday around one o’clock when we left and the ride up there was really beautiful. We were driving through the country side passing some small villages on the side of the road. We arrived there around 3:30 and sat down for the show. It was really cool they had all the ladies with their bright dresses and fruit in their hair dance around while we ate lunch. And the show ended around five and we started to head home. On the way home we were driving through the countryside along side a small village when all of a sudden we heard a loud bang and the bus started slowing down. After a couple of ...

Structural Rationalism

In the advent of industrialization which is marked by the affordability and mass production of construction of materials like iron steel and glass, an architectural school of thought emerged known as structural rationalism which emphasized the important and distinctive role of structural efficiency in the form of buildings including space requirements and architectural design.This philosophy was promoted by French architect Eugà ¨ne Viollet-le-Duc whose theories were specifically written in his book, Discourses on Architecture (Frampton).     Viollet-le-Duc adhered to the restoration to the localized style of building vis a vis the ‘abstract’ international style conspicuous during his time.Belgian architect Victor Horta is one of the pioneering advocates of this architectural philosophy which he exemplified in the design of the Tassel Hotel in Brussels in 1892.The design featured exposed decorative iron balustrades shaped as a plant filament combined with local axia l plans that resulted to a simple yet striking decorative work of art. Interior architecture involved rooms with irregular shapes blended with decorative painting and furniture.The masterpiece of Horta marked the commencement of the Art Nouveau movement which was perpetuated and advanced by Hector Guimard, a French architect and furniture designer.   (Pile) While maintaining highly decorative curved line that usually follows a floral pattern, Guimard highlighted indigenousness of design that conformed to function and climate and even patriotism.Guimard’s most famous designs are the entrances of the metro subway stations in Paris that featured metal cast in curvilinear flowerlike lines meticulously designed in detail.By the early 20th century, Dutch architect Hendrik Petrus Berlage adhered to a return to the conservative objectives of true constructive rationalism that stressed simplicity of form and clarity of structure.He underscored the notion that the structure itself fu nctions in the creation of space which reduce the need for decorative structures.   This idea was embodied in the design of the Amsterdam Stock Exchange of 1903 and initiated the emergence for modernism.BIBLIOGRAPHYFrampton, Kenneth. Modern Architecture: A Critical History. Oxford University Press, 1980Pile, John F. A history of interior design. Laurence King Publishing, 2005

Multi-Level Organizational Research

Organization is central to human achievement. The most accomplished individuals tend to have supporting groups and structures, which have major roles in celebrated successes, though they may remain hidden from superficial views. Organizations date back to the dawn of civilization, with religious institutions and military forces being enduring examples. Organizations are inherently multi-level (Klein, & Kozlowski, 2003). Each level is connected with and dependent on the others. The individual, teams, and the organization as a whole, are the 3 significant parts of a typical structure. Organizations, though they exist in kaleidoscopic varieties of purposes, sizes, and natures, share common issues when they become subjects of systematic inquiry. Performance and effectiveness are the two most important motivations for organizational research, though the interactions between individuals and groups are matters of primary interests in fields of sociology and psychology. This document reflects on the inevitable implications of multiple levels in organizations, and suggests best practices with respect to studying such structures and the people who function within them. The focus is on how to incorporate multi-level realities in to organizational research, Stating the Obvious It is common knowledge that organizations are made of individuals, and that groups of people have to function as teams. However, the implications of the obvious on how organizations should be studied and measured are complex and certainly not as obvious. It may be tempting to resort to over-simplification and ignore multi-level aspects of organizations when designing research projects to study them. Interplay between individual perceptions and organizations are common to all types of organizations. Multi level variations have been found even in the prison structure (Camp, et al. 1997), where institutional operations and satisfaction with immediate supervision have equal influences on the social climate. The implication is that any research in to the functioning and performance of a large structure with branches at multiple levels has to incorporate distinct phases of research for individuals at the periphery, for teams that operate within the body of structures, and for the entire organization as an entity. Each of these levels will be in dynamic inter-play with the other two. A phenomenon at a lower level, for example,   may not connect with theory validation at a higher level (Crowston, 2002). There are many examples of technologies being integrated in to organizations at lower levels, without incontrovertible evidence of the benefits at higher levels. That is why conclusions from research at a single level may not yield entirely relevant conclusions. The best individual technical skills may come to naught if a person cannot deal with others; similarly, the best teams cannot function without adequate resources and support from above (Loo, 2003). No level of organization can be independent, take all the credit, or be assigned all of the blame. Investigative research, which aims to diagnose why an organization functions below par, or which seeks to make recommendations for improvement, has to validate its suggestions for feasibility and appropriateness at each of the multiple levels. Past organizational research has focused more on the individual level, and not enough on teams and the organization as a unit, or on the interactions between these levels (Schnake, and Dumler, 2003). However, this trend has begun to change and researchers of today can no longer the multiple level structures of organizations they may wish to study. Organization science needs to match the integration which marks literature on the existence of multiple levels (Klein, & Kozlowski, 2003). Mixed level research needs methods and measurements of their own (Schnake, and Dumler, 2003); the levels of data collection and analysis are often not the same.   Pluralistic ignorance, in which each individual has a special perception of the self versus that of others and of the organization, commonly plagues organizational research. That is why projects should not be based solely on the surveyed and perceived opinions of individual members about their peers, superior, subordinates, and groups. Bottom up models which draw inferences from lower levels for the higher will yield different conclusions if a top down approach is used (Klein, & Kozlowski, 2003). Research methods must account for how perspectives change with levels. It may be best to adopt an iterative approach, thinking not micro or macro, but both micro and macro (Klein, & Kozlowski, 2003). Research Objectives as Determinants Given that multiple levels are ubiquitous in organizations of all types and sizes, all research in this area should take the phenomenon in to account. Organizational research may vary by objectives, and this factor of difference can help in dealing with multiple levels. The People and Process elements of the Marketing Mix for Services (Payne, 2002) play important roles in determining strategies followed by organizations which do not have concrete or tangible product features in their offers. Research in to the internal workings of such organizations may focus on the lower levels of individual capabilities, and small team functioning, rather than concern itself with organization-level matters. Conversely, stock market analysts who are concerned with specific financial outcomes may prefer to dwell on effectiveness of organizations as a whole (Huber and Glick, 1993), rather than bother with details of issues at micro levels. Downsizing and new designs are some major concerns of contemporary organizational research. These phenomena create most strains on the individual (Huber, and Glick, 1993) and hence projects which seek to study the effects of integration and different hierarchies should focus on the lowest level of individual members of staff. The simplistic approach of focusing on just one level of organization will not work in all cases. Communication issues, matters related to diversity in the work force and matters concerning global organizations, all require work to be done at all levels (Huber, and Glick, 1993). Social climate studies also have to take all levels in to account, since institutional initiatives can have variations at its spatially separated sites, and individual variations as well with regard to job satisfaction and organizational commitment (Camp, et al. 1997). Some of the research problems of multiple levels in organizations arose in the past because of the paucity of prior work in similar areas. However, there has been a cascade of organizational research in recent times, with multiple level enquiries (Huber and Glick, 1993). This new body of work can be used as templates when fresh research projects in organizational behavior are undertaken. The Effects of Organizational Labeling Organizations tend to fit in to stereotypes which have been created in public minds over time. Professionally managed corporations, political parties, religious institutions, and bureaucracies, are a few examples of such set patterns of our collective minds. Simultaneously, organizations are more than just people who control or work in them. Suppliers, financiers, regulators, franchisees, and customers are some of the other categories of stake holders. All organizations do not have to be equally responsive to the environment (Huber and Glick, 1993). Monolithic, powerful, and strongly entrenched organizations may demand research of how to further their aims, but worry less about the proclivities of employees and suppliers of goods and services at the bottoms and fringes of their hierarchies. A highly evolved organization will be dynamic and open minded: it deserves and needs organizational research at multiple levels, with plenty of iteration, and the objective validation of hypotheses. Others will be directive and in a hurry for results: they may appreciate the values of enquiries at multiple levels less or not at all. Organizational research driven by purely scholastic intent is a rare privilege. The professional researcher will more often have a restrictive brief set by a paying client with a specific and selfish perspective. Organizational studies may mention all the levels in passing or for the sake of completeness, rather than address each of them in detail and in concert. The multiple levels within organizations should always be kept in mind when studying structures and group working. Even though studies may be sponsored by the most apical level of organization, valid findings and scientific rigor require that the study extends to teams and to individuals as well. Towards Best Practices Multiple levels are inevitable in organizational studies. How can the complexities of this reality be incorporated for better research project design, and to ensure findings on which sponsors can rely? It is best to start with the environment in which the organization operates (Huber, and Glick, 1993). Such a prior effort will put research fully in context. It is necessary to spend time to collect primary data on how the organization functions; and to focus on processes which link the various levels (Crowston, 2002). It is risky to plunge headlong in to researching an organization: every investment in understanding its needs and to profile it accurately, will pay off in terms of relevant findings on which action can be taken. Levels in organizations can be conceived in terms of internal customers. This is a standard concept in Services Marketing (Payne, 2002). A higher level in an organization, or a branch of the same level, is a customer of a team which supports it through its function. Thus, a Sales Manager is a customer of his or her sales people, and the entire sales function is a customer of the production or manufacturing department. Since dealing with all levels can make organizational research very complicated, a workable option is to use the internal customer concept to delineate levels of research. Another approach is to set up microcosms of the organization in external settings, to act as laboratories for experimentation. Groups of employees may be placed on extended sabbaticals, and asked to play roles equivalent to the levels of their parent organizations. This approach has the advantage of eliciting more objective input data from people inside the organization, but can be expensive and time consuming. Research projects which adopt this ‘laboratory’ approach require patience and sustained support, but yield better and more applicable findings at the same time. A relatively quick and simple compromise could be to adopt a problem-solving approach (Loo, 2003). The median level is a good optimum in such cases, with a focus on actual teams from the structure, with additional participation by representatives from other levels and branches. This team approach can use direct and indirect benchmarking to support its recommendations. Wherever a choice is available, the organizational researcher should try to go as micro as possible as uncontrollable factors and complexities keep increasing as the analysis goes to higher levels (Camp, et al. 1997). Aggregate measures tend to mislead, and reduce the chances of useful and valid findings. Regardless of how organizational research is approached, a common requirement is to specify qualitative organizational performance measures as closely as possible. What for example is motivation or how will supervision be assessed? This will also address the issue of phenomena at lower levels not being confirmed by theories at higher levels-perhaps the higher level has not specified the benefits it seeks (Crowston, 2002). Such specification will also reduce the pitfalls of data from a lower level from pluralistic ignorance, affecting analysis of a higher level (Schnake, and Dumler, 2003). Finally, the organizational researcher must always think of multi-level implications of proposed work and suggestive conclusions whether or not all levels are included in the work (Klein, & Kozlowski, 2003). Such an approach should persist throughout the research, including the critical stage of sampling. Conclusions While multiple levels in organizations and their influences cannot be denied, including all of them comprehensively in actual projects may present.   It may often be best to make research manageable with clear statements of assumptions and limitations. Organizations are in flux in any case and will evolve towards the median level. This is the historic trend (Huber, and Glick, 1993). Excellence and thoroughness in studying the team level may be a good compromise. The perspective of each category of stake holders is distinct, yet valid. The researcher would do well to keep the expectations and profile of his or her customer in mind! Multiple levels, in the end, are integral to all significant organizations, and all research in to such groupings must take these multiple levels in to account. References Camp, R. et al. (1997) Aggregating Individual-Level Evaluations of the Organizational Social Climate: A Multilevel Investigation of the Work Environment at the Federal Bureau of Prisons. Justice Quarterly 14: 4: 739-762. Crowston, K, (2002) Process as theory in information systems research, Proceedings of The IFIP WG 8.2 International Conference: The Social and Organizational Perspective on Research and Practice in Information Technology, 10–12 June 2000, Aalborg, Denmark. Huber, G, and Glick, W, (1993) Organizational Change and Redesign: Ideas and Insights for Improving Performance, Oxford University Press Klein, K & Kozlowski, S, (2003) A Multilevel Approach to Theory and Research in Organizations: Contextual, Temporal, and Emergent Processes, Chapter 1 in Multilevel Theory, Research, and Methods in Organizations: Foundations, Extensions, and New Directions, JOSSEY BASS Loo, Robert (2003) A multi-level causal model for best practices in project management, Benchmarking, Vol10, Issue 1; pg. 29, 8 pgs Payne, A, (2002), The Essentials of Services Marketing, Prentice-Hall Schnake, M. and Dumler, M. (2003) Levels of measurement and analysis issues in organizational citizenship behavior research, Journal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology. 76(3):283         

The Internet Censorship essays

The Internet Censorship essays The Internet is a worldwide system of computer networks, its a network of networks in which users at any one computer can, get information from any other computer and sometimes talk directly to users at other computers. Today, the Internet is a public, cooperative, and self-sustaining facility accessible to hundreds of millions of people worldwide (Internet 1). Though The Internet has become the number one source for communication and information, it took its hit for providing unsavory information and influences on young adults. Governments around the world, claiming they want to protect children, thwart terrorists and silence racists and hate mongers, are rushing to eradicate freedom of expression on the Internet (Silencing The Net: The Threat to Freedom of Expression On-Line 1). Information is accessible to millions and millions of people all over the world in different languages. Its a way to express ones freedom of speech but does that mean its a creation of platform for unwanted information and destructive websites? Publishing making of bombs, suicide guides and child pornography on the Internet creates a great deal of negative impact on children and young adults. Its a step every individual should take against eradicating this information from the Internet and being responsible when using the Net. Government strict measures on the Internet laws and regulation should be enforced for the safety and security of the community. The Original motivation to create the Internet was an aid to the academic and research community. Today, theres no particular focus. Everyone and anyone can and does use the Net (Hahn 261). This means anyone who uses the Net can publish information for example, how to commit suicide. There are hundreds of websites where suicide methods are posted to encourage users to try out different ways of suicide. Is this called a freedom of speech in...

Sentence Building with Appositives

Sentence Building with Appositives If you have read How to Build Sentences With Appositives and Practice in Identifying Appositives, you should be well prepared for these sentence combining exercises. Instructions Combine the sentences in each set below into a single clear sentence with at least one appositive. Omit words that are needlessly repeated, but dont leave out any important details. If you run into problems, you may find it helpful to review the following pages: Introduction to Sentence CombiningWhat Is an Appositive?Practice in Identifying Appositives When youre done, compare your new sentences with the sample combinations on page two. Keep in mind that many combinations are possible, and in some cases you may prefer your own sentences to the original versions. Monroe and I strolled through the graveyard.The graveyard is the most peaceful spot in town.St. Valentine is the patron saint of lovers.St. Valentine was never married.We were waiting outside the prison cells.The cells were a row of sheds fronted with double bars.The cells were like small animal cages.My father was outside.My father was beneath the window.My father whistled for Reggie.Reggie was our English setter.We saw the stream in the valley.The stream was black.The stream was halted.The stream was a tarred path through the wilderness.We arrived at a group of peasant houses.The group was small.The houses were low yellow constructions.The houses had dried-mud walls.The houses had straw mats.A great many old people came.They knelt around us.They prayed.They included old women with jet-black faces.The women had braided hair.They included old men with work-gnarled hands.One of the Cratchet girls had borrowed the books.She was a hatchet-faced girl.She was thin.She was eager.She was a transplanted Cockney.She had a frenzy for reading. It was the kind of home that gathers memories like dust.It was a place filled with laughter.It was filled with play.It was filled with pain.It was filled with hurt.It was filled with ghosts.It was filled with games.I led a raid on the grocery.It was the grocery of Barba Nikos.The grocery was small.The grocery was shabby.Barba Nikos was old.Barba Nikos was short.Barba Nikos was sinewy.Barba Nikos was a Greek.Barba Nikos walked with a slight limp.Barba Nikos sported a flaring handlebar moustache. When you are done, compare your new sentences with the sample combinations on page two. On this page youll find answers to the exercises on page one, Sentence Building With Appositives. Keep in mind that in many cases more than one combination is possible. Monroe and I strolled through the graveyard, the most peaceful spot in town.St. Valentine, the patron saint of lovers, was never married.We were waiting outside the prison cells, a row of sheds fronted with double bars, like small animal cages.(George Orwell, A Hanging)Outside beneath my window, my father whistled for Reggie, our English setter.We saw the stream in the valley, black and halted, a tarred path through the wilderness.(Laurie Lee, Winter and Summer)We arrived at a small group of peasant houses, low yellow constructions with dried-mud walls and straw roofs.(Alberto Moravia, Lobster Land: A Traveler in China)A great many old people came and knelt around us and prayed, old women with jet-black faces and old men with work-gnarled hands.(Langston Hughes, Salvation)One of the Cratchet girls had borrowed the books, a hatchet-faced, thin, eager, transplanted Cockney girl with a frenzy for reading.(Wallace Stegner, Wolf Willow)It was the kind of home that gathers memories like du st, a place filled with laughter and play and pain and hurt and ghosts and games.(Lillian Smith, Killers of the Dream) I led a raid on the small, shabby grocery of Barba Nikos, a short sinewy Greek who walked with a slight limp and sported a flaring, handlebar moustache.(Harry Mark Petrakis, Stelmark: A Family Recollection)

Negotiating with East Asians Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Negotiating with East Asians - Article Example The present research has identified that IBN is basically a kind of communication that often occurs between one or more parties to assist them to deal with those issues that are agreeable among themselves as well as those that bring forth some kind of drift. Some of the countries chosen for the research carried out so that the Asian business community can be understood better are, China, Japan, and Korea. These are amongst those countries that trade so often with the United States of America and also have closely linked cultural backgrounds. In as far as the negotiation procedures between the two are concerned; several disparities were found to exist in East Asia that is not there in America. These include; The East Asians attend meetings in large numbers. This is the same for all from the three studied countries. Although their reasons vary, for instance, the Japanese attend in large numbers because they believe that no single individual has the capacity to understand the whole comp any thus represent it in full confidence in any meeting to the Chinese putting hierarchical meaning to the number, having much regard for ranks and the power that comes with it. The Americans avoid such numbers due to several reasons such as to cut down on the expense associated with large numbers of avoiding group disagreements because they are eager to close a negotiation as fast as possible. In East Asia, the majority of those in meetings happen to be men. They give little regard to their female counterparts and whatever input they might have in as far as the meetings are concerned as stated by Hofstede, G. Due the there been the complete opposite of such perceptions in America, it is often quite common for their Asian partners to assume that the American women present in the boardroom are assistants or secretaries thus find it repulsive if these women participated in any manner whatsoever. The East Asians are known to arrive in any meeting fully conversant with their partnerâ₠¬â„¢s background, from professional such as work experience to the level of study as well personal information such as what they like to eat and do at their free time. The Americans do not have this tradition to be over-indulged in their partners lives thus are always caught unaware at most times.

Declaration of Independence Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Declaration of Independence - Essay Example Lee asked for a newly declared independent government, one that could form alliances and draw up a plan for confederation of the separate Colonies. The need for some such move had become increasingly clear during the last year, especially to George Washington, if for no other reason than as a rallying cry for his troops. The Virginia soldier chosen by Congress to general its Continental Army languished in New York, short of supplies, short of men and short of morale while facing the threat of a massive British offensive (House 2007).DiscussionCongress immediately turned to consider Jefferson's document. It would have to serve as a sort of early version of a press release--an explanation that could be disseminated at home and around the globe by broadside and to be read aloud at gatherings. Its statements had to inspire the troops and garner public support for the action Congress had just taken. Not surprisingly, Congress paid close attention to the document's language.The delegates t ook the time to spruce it up a little and edit out what they found objectionable. In general the Congress was fine with the vague sentiments of the early paragraphs that have since become the cornerstone of American democracy. What the delegates were more interested in, however, and what they saw as the meat of the document, were the more concrete declarations. For years, they had based their resistance to England on the belief they were not fighting a divinely chosen king, but his ministers and parliament. But during the previous 14 months the Crown had waged war on them, and King George had declared the Colonials in rebellion, that is, outside his protection. Common Sense had gotten them used to thinking of the king as that "royal brute" and this document were supposed to explain why he should be so considered. Thus Jefferson had produced a catalog of George III's tyrannies as its heart and soul (Hole 2001). Congress at length struck out some sentimental language in which Jefferson tried to paint the British people as brothers unconcerned to American suffering and a paragraph where he ran on about the glories the two people might otherwise have realized together. But more substantive changes were especially telling. Among George’s crimes, Jefferson had listed the slave trade, contending that the king had â€Å"waged a cruel war against human nature† by assaulting a â€Å"distant people† and moving them into slavery in â€Å"another hemisphere.† This was too much for Jefferson’s fellow slaveholders in the South, especially South Carolina, and certain Yankee traders who had made fortunes from what Jefferson called the â€Å"execrable commerce.† Together, representatives of these Southern and Yankee interests deleted the section. In any case, after more than two days of sometimes-heated debate, on July 4, 1776, the Continental Congress approved the revised document that explained its declaration of independence of July 2. The approval was not immediately unanimous, since the New York delegates had to await instructions from home and did not assent until July 9. At the time of approval, Congress

Essay about a song Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

About a song - Essay Example The lines â€Å"Winter is over, Summer is near,† (Krall lines 3-4) etched its symbolism into my head as pictures and memories filled in my mind. The lines depicted the change of seasons—for me, it symbolized the amount of change that happened in my life from the age of eight. I decided then and there to pause for a moment and letting out a soft sigh, I let the memories of childhood come back to me. The song didn’t stop and continued to play in the once silent room. More of the lyrics struck me as it continued to play. Diana sang on, saying that â€Å"I wished it would rain, washing away the sadness and tears,† (Krall lines 14-15), whether she meant it literally or not, I interpret it in relation to childhood experiences. The lines could mean that sometimes, being a kid is about being happy and that there are times when a grown up misses the life where there were a lot less responsibilities. I may not be a full fledged grown up but I can relate to the song where there are times I wish I could go back the time when all I would worry about is what game to play with the other kids in the neighborhood; when all I would think about it enjoying a worry-free life. The water from the rain symbolizes the power of the rain to cleanse a certain item—for those who are not kids anymore, it is to forget the worries and responsibilities for a moment and return to a life of innocence even for the quickest time. This time around, the song was nearing its end when another couple of lines caught my attention, â€Å"I stood there in the salt spray air,† (Krall line 19) the salt spray air could symbolize the air by the salty sea—according to a Carl Jung, a psychologist, in dreams, the sea itself symbolized uncertainty and vastness (qtd in Spoinas). It can pertain to life—anyone’s life, in general, where uncertainty is constantly present. Dangers and opportunities can be found in any corner and we are left

Was Nelson Mandela A Great Leader History Essay

Was Nelson Mandela A Great Leader History Essay INTRODUCTION The leader is a man who comes closest to realizing the norms the group values the highest; this conformity gives him his high rank, which attracts people and implies the right to assume control of the group. (Homans, 1950). The underlying need-structure of the individual which motivates his behavior in various leadership situations. Leadership style thus refers to the consistency of goals or needs over different situations. (Fiedler, 1967). One of the great leaders who had the above qualities fulfilled in him was Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela, former president of South Africa and world acclaimed international statesman. The following would be a detailed analysis of his leadership traits, behavior and the situations in which he had proved himself a good leader. ABOUT NELSON MANDELA Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela commonly known as Nelson Mandela was born in 1918 in Umtata, Transkei, South Africa; son of Henry Mandela (a Tembu tribal chief). He married Evelyn Ntoko Mase (a nurse), 1944, divorced, 1956; married Nomzamo Winnie Madikileza (a social worker and political activist), June 14, 1958, divorced; married Graca Machel (lawyer), 1998; children: (first marriage) Thembi (a son; deceased), Makgatho (son), Makaziwe (daughter); (second marriage) Zenani (daughter), Zindziswa (daughter). He took up a correspondence course with the University of South Africa (now UNISA) to complete his first degree. He was awarded his Bachelors degree in 1941, and in 1942 he was articled to another firm of attorneys and started upon a law degree at the University of Witwatersrand. By 1948 Nelson Mandela had failed to pass the exams required for his LLB law degree, and he decided instead to settle for the qualifying exam which would allow him to practice as an attorney. LIFE AS A PRISONER During the 1940s and 1950s he rose rapidly through the ANC hierarchy but was frequently subject to police harassment, detention, and banning. When the ANC was outlawed in 1960 he went underground and organized its military wing, Umkhonto we Sizwe (Spear of the Nation). In 1962 he was Sentenced to five years imprisonment for inciting Africans to strike and for leaving South Africa without a valid travel document. In 1964, whilst still in detention, he was charged with treason and, after giving a memorable four-and-a-half hour speech criticizing apartheid, he was sentenced to life imprisonment. Living in a prison had the same meaning as living in the worst place in South Africa: Robben Island. ANC prisoners earned D classifications, which was prisoners who were the most dangerous and had the least rights. They were kept in cells with hay carpets and thin blankets as beds and iron buckets for toilets. The daily menu was always the same; small portion of corn soup with extra vegetable or meat chop for dinner. The men were wearing thin shirts from khaki and shorts, even during the winter, and were restricted from reading newspapers or magazines-they were not allowed to read any news at all. The prisoners spent most of their time in a chalk mine, where they worked very hard As one of the leaders of the group, Nelson received more harsh treatment than the others. He was kept 23 hours in his cell every day, shined only by a lamp. This made him unable to sleep or know what the time was. He was only allowed to have one visitor every six months and once he was not allowed to see his wife for two years, Winnie. He could only write and receive one letter every six months. The letter he received was screened by the guard, who would cut the parts that were considered to be unsafe, effectively erasing those parts even though there were writings behind those parts. In total Mandela spent twenty-seven consecutive years in detention. From 1964 to 1982 he was held on Robben Island, from 1982 to 1988 in Pollsmoor Prison, Cape Town, and from 1988 to 1990 in Victor Verster Prison, Paarl. From 1985 on he rejected several offers of conditional release which would have imposed severe limits on his political activities. In many ways his imprisonment increased his, already considerable, political status and resulted in a worldwide campaign for his release. During the 27 years that Mandela spent in prison, hidden from the eyes of the world while he quarried limestone and harvested seaweed, his example of quiet suffering was just one of numerous pressures on the apartheid government. Public discussion of Mandela was illegal, and he was allowed few visitors. But as the years dragged on, he assumed the mantle of a martyr. In 1982 Mandela was moved to the Maximum security Pollsmoor Prison outside Cape Town. This move apparently stemmed from fears by the South African authorities that Mandela was exerting too great an influence on the other prisons at Robben Island. Mandela spent much of the next six years in solitary confinement, during which he was allowed a weekly 30-minute visit by his wife, Winnie. He was offered a conditional freedom in 1984 on the condition that he settle in the officially designated black homeland of Transkei, an offer Mandela refused with an affirmation of his allegiance to the African National Congress. In 1988, Mandela was hospitalized with tuberculosis, and after his recovery he was returned to prison under somewhat less stringent circumstances. In February 1990 he was unconditionally released to scenes of joyous celebration at home and abroad. LIFE AS A POLITICIAN Another revisionist interpretive approach is to understand Mandelas greatness as a collectively manufactured achievement the deliberate assembly of a messianic personality originating in a movements awareness Of its own organizational shortcomings and willingness to compensate for them by directing its ideas through a charismatic individual. This is indeed part of Mandelas story, for the ANC certainly began to intentionally contrive a public legend around Mandelas  leadership  well before he went to prison during the 1952 defiance campaign, when collective decisions and activities were attributed to his personal genius. The appearance in South Africa at this time of popular photo-journalism aimed at black readers made this easier, and Mandela himself took pains to ensure that the media images matched the messages he and his comrades wished to project. Mandelas earliest political experience came while enrolled at the University College of Fort Hare, where he was working to obtain a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree. While at the college, he was elected to a student political organization known as the Students Representative Council. Soon after, Mandela was expelled for participating in a protest on campus (ANC archive). Because of this, Mandela attended Johannesburg where he finally obtained his BA. Soon after, he joined the  African National Congress  in 1942, during the height of  World War II. Nelson Mandelas personal fixation with freedom brought him to work with many other members of the African National Congress to form a group under the leadership of a colleague, Anton Lembede (ANC archive). The groups main focus was to change the African National Congress into a mass movement, including all people from urban communities to those in the country. Mandela was instrumental in many political endeavors, many of which were anti-apartheid movements such as the Program of Action, a policy based initiative which was founded on the principle of using the non-violent weapons of boycott, strike, civil disobedience and non-co-operation (ANC archive). This eventually became the modus operandi of the African National Congress. And yet, some of our greatest leaders and role models have to resort to evil in order to do well. Mandela, being no exception to this, was the leader of an armed resistance group known as Umkhonto we Sizwe (Spear of the Nation), formed in 1962. Mandela explains his reasoning: At the beginning of June 1961, after long and anxious assessment of the South African situation, I and some colleagues came to the conclusion that as long violence in this country was inevitable; it would be wrong and unrealistic for African leaders to continue preaching peace and non-violence at a time when the government met our peaceful demands with force. -Nelson Mandela. He was eventually elected President of the African National Congress in 1991. Later, in 1994, he was democratically elected President of the State of  South Africa. QUOTABLE QUOTS OF NELSON MANDELA Let freedom reign. The sun never set on so glorious a human achievement.   A good head and a good heart are always a formidable combination.   Only free men can negotiate. Prisoners cannot enter into contracts.   Communists have always played an active role in the fight by colonial countries for their freedom, because the short-term objects of Communism would always correspond with the long-term objects of freedom movements.   SELECTED WRITINGS OF NELSON MANDELA No Easy Walk to Freedom, Basic Books, 1965. The Struggle Is My Life, Pathfinder Press, 1986. Long Walk to Freedom: The Autobiography of Nelson Mandela, Little, 1994. AWARDS GIVEN TO NELSON Jawaharlal Nehru Award for International Understanding from the government of India, 1980; Bruno Kreisky Prize for Human Rights from the government of Austria, 1981; named an honorary citizen of Rome, 1983; Simon Bolivar International Prize from UNESCO, 1983; W. E. B. DuBois Medal, 1986; Nobel Peace Prize, 1987; Liberty Medal, 1987; Sakharov Prize, 1988; Gaddaff Human Rights Prize, 1989; Houphouet Prize, 1991; Nobel Peace Prize, 1993; numerous international honorary degrees, including honorary doctorate degree, Open University, Cape Town, 2004; honorary degree, Amherst College, New York, 2005. CLOSING THOUGHTS True, Mandela had important collaborators that helped him to become a hero and he was the beneficiary of social context and historical circumstances. But no reassessments are likely to detract from Mandelas  achievements  as a political performer whether following his own strategic intuitions or acting out a collectively contrived script. Mandelas understanding of politics as performance is well documented it is obvious and explicit in his courting of the media as early as the 1950s, and his fascination from that time with costumes and disguises. But Mandelas iconic status is not just the consequence of his theatrical capacity to motivate and inspire. His authority is also the product of the occasions when he has acted against the grain, when he has asserted his own individual will. Such actions have continued since his supposed retirement. Nelson R. Mandela, in the wake of political turmoil, was one man who was both willing and able to stand up and fight back. Indeed, we can see how the man developed his legacy through his activist years, his years in prison, and his much more elaborate life afterwards. Despite Mandelas history of supporting terrorism (was on the offical US Terrorist Watch List), the South African Broadcasting Corporation poll for the Greatest South Africans, had Mandela ranked number one greatest South African of all time. Conclusion Nelson Mandela has never wavered in his devotion to democracy, equality and learning. Despite terrible provocation, he has never answered racism with racism. His life has been an inspiration, in South Africa and throughout the world, to all who are oppressed and deprived, to all who are opposed to oppression and deprivation. Mandela personifies struggle and today he is still leading the fight against apartheid with extraordinary resilience and vigor after spending nearly 3 decades of his life behind bars. He has sacrificed his private life and his youth for his people, and remains South Africas best known and loved hero. Nelson Mandela reinforces the fact that leaders have very different qualities and that leadership success is more complex than just identifying few traits or preferable behaviors. He is endowed with many personality traits that make him a natural leader, and over the course of his lifetime, he has also developed many leadership skills and strategies Mandelas leadership success can be attributed to his use of consensus. Consensus is considered to be the superior decision making process to build commitment and motivation in group members towards group objectives. Using consensus aids in making the best possible decision and utilizes the resources of everyone involved. In conclusion, Nelson Mandela is viewed as a revolutionary leader for his ability to empower and motivate others using his strong regard for consensus and the democratic process.

ABC, Inc. Case Study Analysis Essay -- Business management Essays

  ABC, Inc. Case Study Analysis †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Introduction A number of problems were made during the recent hiring process. This case Study is an attempt to identify and recommend ways to improve this process. From the information that has been obtained, I believe that a lack of employee experience and a lack of prior planning and follow up resulted in a failure to accomplish all the tasks necessary to hire the new employees in a timely fashion. †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Background Carol Robins, a new campus recruiter for ABC, Inc., in early April he was able to hire 15 new trainees who were destined to work for Monica Carrolls, the operations supervisor. From the interviews that were conducted, it appears that Carl was unable to accomplish all of the tasks necessary so that the new hires could begin work. These tasks included documentation, drug testing, material preparation for the orientation, and facility scheduling. Monica Carrolls did contact Carl on May 15 concerning his process with the hiring process. Other employees had failed to keep the paper copy of the master orientation manual current so that it can be quickly copied. Another factor appears the rapid expansion of the company. †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Alternatives With more than one problem a major focus on a number of different Solutions, such as, Prior planning by Carl could have eliminated some of the issues; however, Carl’s in experience would probably still have result...

Crime and Violence in Jamaica Essay

Jamaica is a small third world country in the Caribbean with a population of approximately 2, 709, 300 people. The country faces many problems yearly but the worst is the ever increasing crime rate. In October 2011 Jamaica was ranked 3rd in a report of countries with the highest crime rates by the Geneva Declaration on Armed Violence and Development . The country has taken a turn for the worst over the past few years. Our local television stations and newspapers are packed with daily stories of robberies, political disputes, abuse in its many forms, murders, kidnappings, rapes and more recently, scamming. There are many factors which may contribute to crime and violence in our country. There are factors such as lack of jobs, lack of education, poverty, abuse or influence in homes, poor justice system and improper methods of dealing with conflict. A primary contributing factor to crime and violence in Jamaica is lack of jobs. Upon leaving school it is extremely difficult for Jamaican youths to find jobs so many of them turn to crime to sustain themselves. Many young people who fail to get jobs, either because they were under qualified or there was just nowhere to accommodate them, turn to felonies such as robbery and drug sale (especially marijuana). When asked why they choose to rob and sell drugs, many persons reply that they are just trying to make a living. There are also some situations in which students whose parents are out of jobs, sell drugs to make money for their tuition. Read more: Crime essay Another primary contributing factor to crime and violence in our country is poverty. It is a well known fact that many families in Jamaica are poor. In many of these families there is usually only a single parent, more often than not- a mother, and several children. In these situations the parent is unable to care for so many children. We see families with five, seven and sometimes even ten or more children appear on our local news programs asking for assistance because their children cannot attend school or they cannot buy necessary items for them. Many of these families are not able to provide proper shelter or food for their children, and they cannot afford to send them to school. A child from such a home might turn out to be uneducated and  may not be able to get a job in the future. Another child might decide that he cannot endure poverty any longer and may turn to crime to get â€Å"quick cash† or to try and make a living. Lack of education is another contributing factor to crime and violence in Jamaica. It is said that â€Å"Education is the key to success†, but sadly in this area, Jamaican youths are found lacking. Many young people have to drop out of school early for a variety of reasons. Some are unable to find school fees, books and other necessary items to attend school, others are made to stay home to look after an ill parent, many teenage girls get pregnant in school also and end up leaving school to try and find work to look after themselves and their child and others decide that school is just â€Å"not working out† and they choose to drop out. With a lack of education and proper training, and with the economy being the way it is, it will be nearly impossible to get a job. Being uneducated and unable to get a job many young people turn to crime to support themselves. The fourth contributing factor to crime and violence in Jamaica is abuse and/or influence in the home or a difficult home life. Some young people come from homes where they are abused or where there is violence. The popular saying â€Å"The child is a product of his environment† proves to be true. Children who grow up in homes where there is violence or criminal activities are more likely to grow up doing the same thing. Sadly, some children in our country are even introduced into criminal lifestyle by their parents. For example there have been cases where teenage girls are led to prostitution by their mothers who are also prostitutes. A child such as this will grow up doing this and even if she decides to change, it will not be easy because it is what she is used to. Also if such a child wishes to change, other factors could also prevent it. Factors such as poverty and lack of education. She will find it difficult to get on her feet and will eventually be forced to continue the lifestyle. In such situations the parents are to be blamed for introducing the child to certain lifestyles but they can also indirectly cause their child to turn to a life of crime. An example of this would be a child who has a difficult home life where there is abuse or conflicts. As a result this child may have a low self esteem and  self worth and will be easily influenced by his/her peers and may eventually get involved with things such as drugs. This same child may also have pent up anger and might be violent with his peers. The influence of music is also a contributing factor to crime and violence in Jamaica. Dancehall music has become increasingly violent over the past few years and it is evident that it is influencing our people negatively, especially our young people. It is no secret that Jamaican teenagers look up to and imitate the behaviors of our Jamaican artists. Watching the incredibly violent videos of dancehall sensation Tommy Lee, it is hard to believe that he would allow the distribution of such violent songs and videos. His videos are so violent that they cannot be viewed on television and can only be found on the popular social network Youtube. His songs are also heavily edited to allow radio play. With so many young people looking up to him and singing his lyrics it is nearly impossible for them not to be influenced by his negative lyrics. And this has indeed been happening in our society. My own brother told me about a situation at his school where a teenager wrestled a fellow class mate to the ground and rubbed his shoe in his face. When taken to the office the boy said his classmate had said something he did not like and he referred to popular lyrics from Tommy Lee. Here we are seeing where music is contributing to violence in our country. Many of these popular songs also include lyrics about the use of marijuana and other drugs. When teenagers listen to these songs and hear the people they look up talking about marijuana , they will want to try it too. This leads to the use and distribution of the illegal substance in our country. Jamaica’s poor justice system is also contributing to crime and violence in our society. Recently we are seeing where persons suspected of committing crimes are held in prison and awaiting trial for months and sometimes years at a time. Others are never convicted and are left to roam the streets and even to commit other crimes. It is understandable that persons will want justice for crimes committed against them and/or their loved ones. It must be very difficult to see someone who is responsible for murder walking around free while someone‘s parent, friend or sibling‘s life has been cut short. The family or friend of this deceased person may eventually decide to  stop hoping for the justice system to come through for them and may take matters into their own hands. When this person decides to end the life of the suspected murderer some friend or family of this person may decide to exact revenge on the disgruntled person, thus the chain of violence continues. It has also come to light that some members of the police force are involved in crimes in the country. If we cannot trust the persons who are supposed to protect us and look out for our best interests, then who can we trust? This also explains why many people decide to take their own revenge instead of waiting for the justice system to work. Even police officers who are not involved in crime will sometimes cause the public to lose faith in the justice system by poor methods of investigation, inactivity and poor judgment. Many investigations and open cases are jeopardized by police officers who are either ignorant or just negligent of the procedures to take when gathering evidence. Considering all these problems with the justice system it is not hard to see why some citizens take matters into their own hands and exact their own revenge. The final contributing factor to crime and violence in Jamaica is ineffective methods of dealing with conflict. The citizens of our country seem to not know how to correctly resolve problems. As soon as we feel threatened or offended, even about the smallest things, we resort to violence to â€Å"get back† at the person. We are not a people who will sit and talk through our problems, instead we find the quickest or easiest way to get revenge. Many people are injured and some even lose their lives over simple misunderstandings that could have been resolved without violence. Though our country has a high crime rate we must continue to hope for and work towards a day when there is no violence and crime plaguing our little island. In order to achieve this goal we must first address the root causes of crime and violence, these include factors such as lack of jobs, lack of education, poverty, influence of music, abuse and influence in the home, ineffective methods of conflict resolution and poor justice system.

Home Depot Essay

Today’s market is characterized by highly competitive organizations which are all vying for consumer’s loyalty. Firms are faced with the challenge to maintain their own competitive edge to be able to survive and be successful. Strategies are carefully planned and executed to gain the ultimate goal of all: company growth. However, external factors are not the only elements which influence growth. Today most companies find that it impossible to create any kind of sustainable competitive advantage based on product alone. It is common knowledge that every one of the successful companies sought and found a precise understanding of how it could create a customer-centered competitive advantage. Along with the changing business world, customers change as well, becoming more demanding and knowledgeable than before. In turn, company management had shifted their focus on their clients or customers so as to stay successfully in business. This transition meant that organizations have to completely reformulate their conventional business aims and purposes from being process-focused to customer-centered. Hence, in order to bring out exceptional customer services within the company operations, the management should employ fine-tuned organizational restructuring. Moreover, employing proactive customer commitment involves the consideration on culture and infrastructure (Lowenstein, 1997). Organizations that capitalize on customers’ active participation in organizational activities can gain competitive advantage through greater sales volume, enhanced operating efficiencies, positive word-of-mouth publicity, reduced marketing expenses, and enhanced customer loyalty (Lovelock & Young, 1979; Reichheld & Sasser, 1990). Rather than going after every potential source of revenue, companies eliminate useless assets that do not add value for customers’ satisfaction. Business organizations implement bureaucratic policies and procedures for the benefit of the staff, customers and the company in general. According to Bowers, Martin & Luker (1990), if consumers somehow become better customers — that is, more knowledgeable, participative, or productive — the quality of the service experience will likely be enhanced for the customer and the organization. Company Profile The Home Depot is the world’s largest home improvement retailer and second largest retailer in the United States. From one store to $73. 1 Billion in sales, Home Depot has come a long way in a short time. This organization is very familiar to this writer as he was employed here for a few years after leaving the Marine Corps and was his first civilian job. Home Depot stands out more than many organizations that this writer has worked for because it was his first civilian organization and many adjustments had to be made. The company distributes everyday jobs to participants and creates rules, policies, measures, and hierarchical organizational charts to organize various actions. Home Depot ought to continually amend their structures to become accustomed to the atmosphere shifts, technology changes, organizational grow, and leadership changes. Furthermore, structure is also a means to high-performing teams. Mindful awareness to structure and roles in teams will make the team much more successful. When it comes to leadership, structural leadership contributes a critical role in shaping organizations. It can be influential and stable, even though it is more restrained and less heroic leadership compared on other frames. Structural Change In the traditional supply chain management used by businesses that import materials for production, a lot of people, time and money are invested upon to ensure that the demands of the manufacturers will be handled in the specified date and time required. Before being able to place an order of shipment of raw materials, several transactions are consulted between the supplier and the manufacturer that eats up their valued time. The supply flow normally includes the intention of order, quotation, confirmation, delivery, payment and handling of receipts. Great amount of time is consumed in the mere planning of the purchase orders of a manufacturing company. And since most of the time the transactions involve not only a single supplier, especially in the case of huge international producers, manufacturers deal with sub-suppliers with several forwarders from which a number of consolidations are exchanged. The workload and time that the inventory managers handle defines the proceeding business processes that will follow that predicts and maintains the success and profit of the whole business organization. That is why, efficiency counts! The best suppliers continuously update and upgrade their service deliveries in order to answer the demands of their customers. Customers have the ever-increasing demand on getting their hands into the products which can lead to change in supplier if expectations are not met. This is the reason why suppliers who are also industry leaders trend toward more reliable delivery services across their customers. However, problems of delivery are usually attended by most companies through with either quick fixes that do not work or complete and comprehensive designs that take too long and are expensive. The Implemented Plan of Changes Customer Satisfaction Along with the changing business world, customers change as well, becoming more demanding and knowledgeable than before. In turn, company management had shifted their focus on their clients or customers so as to stay successfully in business. This transition meant that organizations have to completely reformulate their conventional business aims and purposes from being process-focused to customer-centred. Rethinking and reformulating the organization on the other hand, entail the consideration of several factors such as various processes, technology, the environment as well as the success factors of people (Cohen and Moore, 2000). Hence, in order to bring out exceptional customer services within the company operations, the management should employ fine-tuned organizational restructuring. Moreover, employing proactive customer commitment involves the consideration on culture and infrastructure (Lowenstein, 1997). Online Marketing The tremendous growth of technological advancement has become the driving force of contemporary industries. The diffusion of the internet has revolutionized the business arena. The use of the Internet is changing high-tech marketing overnight while different industries have been trying to use it as part of their marketing strategy. It has not only reconfigured the way different firms do business and the way the consumers buy goods and services, but it has also become an effective instrument in transforming the value chain from manufacturers to retailers to consumers, creating a new retail distribution channel (Appelbaum et sl, 1998). E-marketing is a powerful tool used by different business organizations around the world. It is defined as the process of achieving marketing objectives through the use of electronic communications technology. Smith and Chaffey (2001) have provided a 5Ss’ mnemonic for how the internet can be applied by all business firms for different e-marketing tactics. These 5S’s are selling, serve, speak, save and sizzle. E-marketing is also known to be the online marketing strategy utilized by different company whose objective is to be the best company in their field. In various countries worldwide, more and more business firms have been using e-marketing strategy in order to be competitive. From books, foods and beverages, automobiles and other products and services, various firms, irregardless of their company sizes, are trying to survive by means of e-marketing strategy. Aside from being a promotional medium, the internet is a tool for marketing communications as well. Due to its interactive nature, the internet is an efficient method used in communicating with the consumers. Hence, several companies are beginning to realize the advantages of using the internet as a tool for communication. Companies then started to concentrate on designing web-related strategies and employing interactive agencies that will facilitate their development of specific company web sites as part of their integrated marketing communication strategy. There are companies however, that are effectively using the internet by incorporating their web-related strategies with the other areas of their IMC strategies. The approach now becomes integrated and more strategic. On-line marketing is considered to be the most expensive yet seems to be the most comprehensive marketing strategy that every company wants to implement and apply. At present, people, particularly those in the business arena, tend to engage themselves within the trend of rapidly growing technology so as to stay competitive. Upon surfing the internet, various companies have put up their official sites online for customers and potential consumers to view. Online or e-marketing is the latest marketing approach for any firm who wants to effectively market its products and services. In addition, e-marketing enables the company to be known worldwide since more and more people are able to access information derived from the internet. Within the business world, where competition is strict, internet marketing is one essential marketing strategy applied by most industries. Service Delivery Service intangibility means that services cannot be seen, tasted, felt, heard, or smelled before they are bought. For example, people undergoing cosmetic surgery cannot see the result before purchase. Airline passengers have nothing but a ticket and a promise that their luggage will arrive safely at the intended destination, hopefully at the same time. They draw conclusions about the quality from the place, people, price, equipment, and communications that they can see. Therefore, the service provider’s task is to make the service tangible in one or more ways. Although there are also times when product marketers try to add intangible offers, service managers try to add tangibles to their intangible offers. Physical goods are produced, then stored, later sold, and still later consumed. In contrast, services are first sold, then produced and consumed at the same time. Service inseparability means the services cannot be separated from their providers, whether the providers are people or machines. If a service employee provides the service, then the employee is part of the service. Because the customer is also present as the service is produced, provider-customer interaction is a special feature of service marketing. Both the provider and the customer affect the service outcome. Service variability means the quality of services depends on whom provides them as well as when, where, and how they are provided. For example, some hotels – say, Marriot have reputations for providing better service than others. Still, within a given Marriot hotel, one registration-desk employee maybe cheerful and efficient, whereas another standing just a few feet away maybe unpleasant and slow. Even the quality of a single Marriot employee’s service varies according to his or her energy and frame of mind at the time of each customer encounter. Service perishability means that services cannot be stored for later sale or use. Some doctors charge patients for missed appointments because the service value existed only at that point and disappeared when the patient did not show up. The perishability of services is not a problem when the demand is steady. However, when demand fluctuates, service firms often have difficult problems. For example, because of rush-hour demand, public transportation companies have to own much more equipment than they would if demand were even throughout the day. Thus, service firms often design strategies for producing a better match between demand and supply. For instance, hotels and resorts charge lower prices in the off-season to attract more guests. Restaurants hire part-time employees to serve during peak periods.