Best Practices in Human Capital Development Essay

Human capital refers to the stock of productive skills and technical knowledge embodied in labor. Many early economic theories refer to it simply as labor, one of three factors of production, and consider it to be a fungible resource – homogeneous and easily interchangeable. Other conceptions of labor dispense with these assumptions. Today’s Globalization and competition among companies made companies to select the best practices for Human Capital Development. This Research contributes to the Best Human Capital Development Practices that are implemented by the companies and continues with in-depth study of its Weakness and Strengths and calculate the production metrics of each practice. Accenture Human Capital Development Framework (HCDF) Research from HCI (Human Capital Institute) shows that Human Capital Development Framework is one of the best Human Capital Development practice in the corporate world. The Accenture HCDF uses four distinct measurement tiers in arriving at an assessment of an organization’s human capital practices. These tiers reflect the key variables that influence the relationship between a company’s human capital assets and its financial performance: Tier 1, Business results, consists of measures of organizational performance (e. g. , traditional financial analyses featuring EVA TM, revenue growth, market share and stock performance). Tier 2, Key performance drivers, consists of measures of intermediate organizational outcomes (e. g. , productivity, quality, innovation and customer satisfaction) often captured on a balanced scorecard. Tier 3, Human Capital Capabilities, consists of the most immediate and visible people-related qualities (including employee attitudes and abilities) that are necessary for achieving critical business outcomes. Their influence is felt through key performance drivers. Page 2 Tier 4, Human Capital Processes, consists of practices that lead to robust and effective human capital capabilities. Included in this tier are core HR processes (e. g. , competency management and performance appraisal) and broader human capital processes such as learning and knowledge management. Strengths: Individual Development is focused, Growth Oriented, Human Resource Identification and Performance Appraisal. Weakness: Team Management is Absent, Production rates and costly. 360-Degree Performance Management Feedback System As per Research with HR Capital Management and Development, Report, 2007: This system, which solicits feedback from seniors (including the boss), peers and subordinates, has been increasingly embraced as the best of all available methods for collecting performance feedback. Gone are the days of working hard to impress only one person, now the opinions of all matter, especially if you are in a leadership role (at any level). Every person in the team is responsible for giving relevant, positive and constructive feedback. Such systems also help in identifying leaders for higher level positions in the organization. Senior managers could use this feed back for self development. Sony and Acer are implementing this HR tool for development of Human Capital. (The Best HR Capital Development Practice, Geetha Sharma 2007) Strengths: Motivational, Higher Retention of Employees, Leadership and Higher Production rates. Weakness: Misunderstanding and Disputes between executives and Managers. Page 3 Knowledge Sharing Adopt a systematic approach to ensure that knowledge management supports strategy. Store knowledge in databases to provide greater access to information posted either by the company or the employees on the knowledge portals of the company. When an employee returns after Attending any competencies or skills development program, sharing essential knowledge with others could be made mandatory. Innovative ideas (implemented at the work place) are good to be posted on these knowledge sharing platforms. However, what to store & how to maintain a Knowledge base requires deep thinking to avoid clutter. This HR Practice is performed at Google, Inc. and other large companies. Strengths: Responsibility of employees, Development in Teams. Weakness: Only Innovative Groups are encouraged leading to inequality. Fair Evaluation System for Employees Develop an evaluation system that clearly links individual performance to corporate business goals and priorities. Each employee should have well defined reporting relationships. Self rating as a part of evaluation process empowers employees. Evaluation becomes fairer if it is based on the records of periodic counseling & achievements of the employee, tracked over the year. For higher objectivity, besides the immediate boss, each employee should be screened by the next higher level (often called a Reviewer). Cross – functional feedback, if obtained by the immediate boss from another manager (for whom this employee’s work is also important), will add to the fairness of the system. A relative rating of all subordinates reporting to the same manager is another tool for fairness of evaluation. Normalization of evaluation is yet another dimension Page 4 Of improving fairness. This is practiced at many companies around the globe with Equal Opportunity Provider Including HSBC and American Embassy. Performance linked Bonuses Research with SBA, USA on Human Resources Practice: Paying out bonuses or having any kind of variable compensation plan can be both an incentive and disillusionment, based on how it is administered and communicated. Bonus must be designed in such a way that people understand that there is no payout unless the company hits a certain level of profitability. Additional criteria could be the team’s success and the individual’s performance. Never pay out bonus without measuring performance, unless it is a statutory obligation. Companies like Nokia and GM are implementing this practice. Strengths: High Productivity and Determination among Human Resources. Weakness: Cost Effective to the Company. Metrics to evaluate Organization Human Capital Development Processes: Research with Northern California Human Resources Association (NCHRA), Companies should evaluate the Human Capital Development by Estimating the ROI (Return on Investment) with the staff and other functionalities like revenue growth, market share and stock performance. Employee Retention and High Productive nature helps the companies to evaluate the Organizations Human Capital Development. Page 5 Companies should take Staffing as a Profit Center. Companies are spending more than ever on training programs to drive specific strategic initiatives and improve performance, yet they often fail to demonstrate the business value of their investments. Research with HR Metrics and Development Seminar, 2005: Each metric contains 2 to 5 performance indicators. For instance, â€Å"employee attitudes† metric includes the following indicators: Job Contentment (the percentage of employees satisfied with their job), and Manager Contentment (the percentage of employees satisfied with their manager). References †¢ Marcus Buckingham and Curt Coffman, First Break All the Rules (New York: Simon and Schuster, 1999). †¢ Accenture High Performance Workforce Study, 2002-2003. †¢ HR Capital Management and Development, Report, 2007. †¢ HR Metrics and Development Seminar, 2005. †¢ Human Resource Capital Institute, New York †¢ The Best HR Capital Development Practice, Geetha Sharma 2007. †¢ Northern California Human Resources Association (NCHRA), Website for HR Managers.

Lawrence’s Presentation of Elizabeth Bates in Odour of Chrysanthemums Essay

Odour of Chrysanthemums is a short story by D. H. Lawrence, written in the autumn of 1909. It is set in Nottinghamshire and tells the tale of a coal miner’s wife, a young mother, waiting for her abusive husband Walter to come home. She blames his drinking for his absence. It turns out he has been killed in a pit accident. The story describes the setting before the discovery of his death and the aftermath. The main character in the story is Elizabeth Bates, mother of two and wife to Walter, the coal miner. Elizabeth, the protagonist of the story, is first introduced by Lawrence in a descriptive tone. He describes her as being a tall woman of imperious mien, handsome, with definite black eyebrows. The fact he calls her handsome, a word usually used for describing men, shows that she may carry some male qualities, such as strength. Also, Elizabeth has smooth, black hair parted exactly. Along with her dark eyebrows, this darkness could show a stern side and her hair being parted exactly shows precision and order of which she may have in her life; a routine, a daily schedule. She closed and padlocked the door also, which shows her need for security. Lawrence writes about Elizabeth standing steadily for a few moments watching the miners as they passed along the railway shows that she is curious to know where her husband is. She calls her son, John, and when he replies and she cannot see him she looks piercingly through the dust. She is afraid that he is at the brook, which she had previously told him to avoid. When she sees him hiding before the raspberry canes, she was pleased and gently asked him to come inside. This shows that she is a responsible mother who looks out for her children’s safety and security. This is a major theme given off in Elizabeth’s character. On his way into the house, John tears the wisps of chrysanthemums and drops the petals in handfuls along the path. Elizabeth says ‘Don’t do that- it does look nasty’. Chrysanthemums are a symbol in the book and her saying this indicates that she does not like the flowers. However, she picks one herself and when they get home, instead of disposing of it; she tucks the little flower into her apron. Keeping the chrysanthemum shows that the flowers have meaning to Elizabeth; this also reflects the reason as to why she finds them â€Å"nasty†, indicating to the reader that they do not hold the most pleasant memories for her. After this first appearance of chrysanthemums, Elizabeth and her father begin suspecting her husband has gone drinking yet again. The reader also finds out the fate of Elizabeth’s husband, though it is through mere foreshadowing. â€Å"Her husband did not come home.† Elizabeth channels her husband through her son when she sees him struggling with a knife and a piece of wood. She saw herself in his silence and pertinacity and the father in her son’s indifference to all but himself. She then pieces together what Walter was doing and glances at the clock, which shows impatience and, again, curiosity. When she ventures out to strain the potatoes in the yard she again watches the men trooping home, fewer and fewer. You can tell she is getting more anxious on why her husband has not returned. We see Elizabeth’s temper when she finished her barely eaten meal rose up from the table with evident anger and exclaimed how scandalous it is for a man to not come home to his dinner and hints that he has gone to the pub while she waits. Walter seems to be a recognizable brand of â€Å"bad husband,† and Elizabeth, the put-upon wife and mother, seems to be a clear victim. Her frustration and harsh words about Walter seem fully justifiable. Elizabeth clearly sees herself as having wasted her life with Walter, missing out on a better life she could have had with someone else. However when she comes down from putting the children to bed Lawrence describes the room as empty, which could show that her life is in fact empty without her husband. Elizabeth is certain of disaster as the story leads on, which we see from the very start. The story reaches its climax when Walter’s mother turns up at Elizabeth’s house. We see juxtaposition between Elizabeth and the grandmother. The elder woman is described to be very troubled, weeping without wiping her eyes, the tears running however stopped by Elizabeth’s directness when she said ‘Is he dead?’ We also see the difference of the two when Lawrence describes Elizabeth as having her thoughts elsewhere. She thought about the economic difficulties his death could bring upon her, and if he was hurt she was thinking of how tiresome he would be to nurse. Lastly she considers the children. The fact she shows little emotion towards the fact that her husband may well be dead agrees with the ea rlier point of Elizabeth being a long-suffering wife who deserves sympathy. Her response to Walter’s death reveals that she is not as blameless for her unhappiness as she first appears. At first, Walter seems to be the clear cause of Elizabeth’s difficult life. When his death is finally reviled the old woman drops into a chair and starts to wail and weep (a typical response to such news) but Elizabeth tells her to hush and not to wake the children, appearing to not be affected. When they both heard the details of his horrific death the grandmother continues to wail and cry, and Elizabeth again tells her to be quiet and not to wake the children. This shows her maternal side, and is showing the grandmother that she is a good mother like she herself boasts about. Elizabeth’s dismal view of her fate changes once Walter’s corpse is brought home. As Elizabeth and her mother-in-law undress and wash Walter’s body, much like a parody of the two women attending to the body of Christ, Elizabeth confronts her role in the marriageâ€⠄¢s failure. When she looks at the corpse, she realizes that for years, she has not really seen Walter. He was her husband but distant from her, and she feels â€Å"ashamed† because she had not allowed him to be himself. Instead of feeling anger and resentment, she recognizes that her own expectations and refusals helped tear them apart. She describes her unborn child as ice in her womb, ice of fear. She has no-one to support her anymore. This may be the reason why she ‘winced with fear and shame’ from the death. The pity she feels for Walter sharply contrasts with her earlier harsh view of him, serving as an epiphany—she suddenly recognizes Walter as a human being, rather than simply a difficult burden. Elizabeth realizes she has been culpable in her own unhappiness. At the end of the story, she submits to both life and death as her â€Å"masters,† humbled by her own mistakes and about to carry on with a new perspective.

History of public administration Essay

Glossary Bibliography Biographical Sketch Summary Historical accounts of African public administration often highlight the colonial setting and usually overlook pre-colonial Africa. The African civil service has its roots in precolonial institutions on which European powers relied to build the colonial state and consolidate their administration. Thus, this chapter analyzes the development of African administration from the pre-colonial era up to the present. The first section discusses the pre-colonial period. The colonial system constitutes the second section. The third section deals with the post-colonial period and discusses some problems associated with African administration. 1. The Pre-Colonial Period: From the Ashes of Pharaohs to the Berlin Conference At the end of the prehistoric period (10 000 BC), some African nomadic bands began to settle more permanently in villages along the Nile River to develop the political foundation of ancient Egypt. As these early farmers increased their mastery over soil and animal life, irrigation became a key development strategy to increase food production, which in turn multiplied their populations. Eventually, different villages came to recognize their common interests, to coordinate their efforts and broaden community linkages. People from different communities joined together through confederation or conquest for purposes of commerce or defense, and developed African  ©Encyclopedia of Life Support Systems (EOLSS) PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION AND PUBLIC POLICY – Vol. I – Development of African Administration: Pre-Colonial Times and since – Emizet F. Kisangani empires, kingdoms, and chieftaincies. Two types of systems, hierarchical political systems and horizontal or acephalous societies, developed to help generate stable communities and foster prosperity. U SA NE M SC PL O E – C EO H AP LS TE S R S Stateless societies were small political entities and had no bureaucracies as they were mostly based on kinship. Hierarchical societies, however, had bureaucracies to carry out certain functions such as collecting taxes, supervising ceremonies, entertaining dignitaries, and compelling people to do the rulers’ bidding. These polities, which evolved before the arrival of Europeans in Africa, were either centralized or decentralized political entities presided over by emperors, kings, chiefs, or military commanders. The following analysis covers the first hierarchical form of rule that emerged some three millennia BC in ancient Egypt, followed by a brief overview of Medieval Africa. The final sub-section discusses the African administration up to the Berlin Conference in 1884-1885. 1. 1. Ancient Civilization of Africa: The Case of Egypt Around 3300 BC, farming lineages along the Nile Valley joined together as villages to increase production of food and to defend themselves against outsiders. From these villages regional confederations of Upper and Lower Egypt developed. By 3100 BC, a central authority emerged and unified these confederations under the rule of divine pharaohs. From 2700 to 2181, six dynasties succeeded each other to form the Old Kingdom. A century and a half of civil war and provincial rivalries gave rise to the First Intermediate Period and the Middle Kingdoms that ruled Egypt from 2080 to 1640 BC. The Middle Kingdom was replaced by the Second Intermediate Period and the New Kingdom from 1570 to 1090 BC. Three dynasties (18th through 20th) ruled in the New Kingdom and the Third Intermediate Period began around 1089 BC with the Kushite Kings. The Egyptian empire was multinational consequent to the conquest of foreign nations. The Old and Middle Kingdoms were highly centralized and ruled by â€Å"god-kings† or pharaohs. With its capital at Memphis, the Old Kingdom was divided into provinces. Next to the king was the vizier, the administrative hand of the king, who was also in charge of day to day administrative, fiscal, and judicial matters. Although very few administrative documents have survived, court documents provide a glimpse of the Egyptian bureaucracy. Three basic administrative divisions existed: the Department of the Head of the South, the Office of Government Labor, and the Treasury. The Palermo Stone provides further evidence of administrative structure in the collection of revenue and in the assessment of Egyptian wealth. On the Stone was documented a biennial administrative census that left nothing unaccounted for, so that taxes could be assessed even on the basis of canals, lakes, wells, and trees of an estate. The system consisted of a hierarchical structure with diverse administrative agencies spreading throughout the kingdom for effective management. Another governmental task was the administration of justice, on which was founded the concept of ma‘at (or justice), whereby some high priests bore the title of priest of Ma‘at. In addition to the capital city of Memphis, there were other towns of importance that  ©Encyclopedia of Life Support Systems (EOLSS) PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION AND PUBLIC POLICY – Vol. I – Development of African Administration: Pre-Colonial Times and since – Emizet F. Kisangani made up provinces headed by town governors, who were also chief priests in charge of temple revenue in many parts of Ancient Egypt. Provincial temples were the subject of central government regulations to avoid any strong power at the provincial level. However, during the first intermediate period, the office of governor in charge of civil affairs became the office of chief priest. U SA NE M SC PL O E – C EO H AP LS TE S R S The role of bureaucracy in these early kingdoms was to facilitate the transfer of resources from different provinces to the king’s court. If early administrations were in charge of maintaining irrigation and agricultural output, later administrations seemed to be more involved in supervising construction work and wealth transfer. The proliferation of these later types of bureaucracies, at the expense of those that used to maintain the agricultural system, would probably have produced pressures on the agricultural output and might have been the first sign of political decay in Ancient Egypt. The centralized system itself between the king, court officers, and ambitious governors may also have led to the same result. The New Kingdom and the Third Intermediate Period generated a great mass of documentation about Egyptian political and administrative life. The form of government remained the same, based on divine kingship. The government always stressed the religious function of the political system. Under the auspices of Gods, the government was expected to maintain the integrity of Egyptian territory and expand its frontiers. The most important function of the government was to create civic and individual security, and the vizier carried out the duty of ensuring that law and regulations were obeyed throughout the bureaucracy. The society was divided into hierarchical stratifications with the king at the top, a small group of high-ranking and wealthy officials next, and a much larger group of bureaucrats (scribes), priests, soldiers, stable masters, citizens, cultivators, and herdsmen filling the bottom layer. The Egyptian political system under the New Kingdom and the Third Intermediate Period was divided into an internal government and a government of conquests. Internally, the civil government was run by two viziers (northern and southern), overseer of the granaries of upper and lower Egypt, and the chief taxing master. The two viziers also supervised the overseer of the treasury and lower level officials in charge of bureaucracy, judiciary, and the police. At the lowest level of the administrative hierarchy were the chiefs, town mayors, and councils. The government of conquests had several governors who supervised vassal kings and their battalion commanders. Most of the Northern Lands were small and scattered, and under the direct control of various battalion commanders. The goal of this decentralization scheme was to obstruct anyone from controlling a large estate and challenging the king’s power. The governor of the Southern Lands was the Viceroy of Kush and his role became important internally at the end of the Twentieth Dynasty. He also supervised two deputies and a battalion commander. Military forces were all centralized under one commander. In addition to these administrative entities, there existed a religious government hierarchy, with the â€Å"overseer of prophets† at the top, a position held at various times by a vizier who was the head of two high priests. Below them was the priesthood bureaucracy. The corps of the centralized system was maintained by a small group of powerful officials. They headed each department and reported directly to the king who appointed  ©Encyclopedia of Life Support Systems (EOLSS) PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION AND PUBLIC POLICY – Vol. I – Development of African Administration: Pre-Colonial Times and since – Emizet F. Kisangani and removed them. The bureaucracy consisted of a group of educated scribes whose role consisted of collecting taxes, conducting censuses, regulating agriculture, and administering justice and law with a small police force. A professional army was divided into various units, each with its own hierarchy of officers. U SA NE M SC PL O E – C EO H AP LS TE S R S Pressures on land and rising inflation may have been politically significant in later days of the New Kingdom, though bureaucratic inefficiency and abuse of power were probably the main causes of economic collapse. Besides the deterioration of administrative integrity, another major cause that weakened the kingship was the changing relationship between the king, civil government, army, and a few powerful families. Some families came to control major economic resources of the state, and the civil service became less susceptible to royal control. In addition, the kings’ tours of their provinces became less frequent, and royal princes and other deputies carried out religious rites formerly performed by the kings. During the ensuing Third Intermediate Period (1069 – 664 BC), Egypt was in perpetual crisis and the Egyptian civilization disappeared after the Roman conquest around 30 BC. In summary, the evolution of Ancient Egypt is characterized by the rise and fall of large scale governments that reflect alternating periods of unification and fragmentation. 1. 2. Medieval Africa Medieval Africa was different from the Ancient in several respects. First, Medieval leaders attempted to balance local traditions and regional autonomy in response to their people’s needs by developing and consolidating large-scale kingdoms and empires for purposes of trade or defense. A second difference was the impact of Islam on African societies. Muslims believed that one God (Allah) called on them to undertake jihads (commonly known as holy war against non-believers) when necessary. The most renowned of Africa’s medieval empires of Mali, Songhay and Morocco rose to the highest stages of their international influence with Islam as the imperial religion. Other medieval African kingdoms and empires developed indigenous political ideologies based on regional customs and beliefs, while Coptic Christianity remained the official state religion in the Abyssinian kingdom of medieval Ethiopia. In 969 A. D. , Muslims from the Maghreb conquered Egypt and established the Fatimid Dynasty in Cairo (c. 970-1170 A. D. ), which was highly hierarchical and whose military was highly professionalized. This strict hierarchy of officials, and the controlling powers of the vizier, left room neither for the autonomous tendencies of provincial governors nor for the growth of widespread corruption. Tolerant of other religions, the system let Copts and Jews occupy prestigious positions in the administration. The centralized administration controlled tax revenues, the payment of troops, and the allocation of military fiefs. The Fatimid administration was in charge of regulating and distributing the waters of the Nile River. Dams and canals were regularly repaired and improved; even an occasional period of low water did not greatly damage the general economic situation. When the Fatimid rule in Egypt was threatened by European Christian Crusaders (c. 1170), it was Egypt’s professional soldiers, or Mamluks (slave-soldier), who rallied behind Saladin to defeat the Crusaders. He then established a new Mamluk Dynasty in  ©Encyclopedia of Life Support Systems (EOLSS) PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION AND PUBLIC POLICY – Vol. I – Development of African Administration: Pre-Colonial Times and since – Emizet F. Kisangani Cairo from 1171 to1517. By the thirteenth century, the institution of the slave-soldiers became an integral part of the political and social system in many Muslim countries. The Mamluk oligarchy never accepted in its ranks someone who was not a slave soldier, so that the military establishment not only remained hierarchical, but also continued to be a caste dominated by slave soldiers. U SA NE M SC PL O E – C EO H AP LS TE S R S Most Mamluk caliphates were divided into military fiefs centralized under one single Caliph. The basic administrative entity was the village because the Mamluk dynasty obtained most of its revenues from landed estates. A major innovation to ensure payment was that the peasants were prohibited from leaving their villages without permission. In addition to land taxes, the Mamluk caliphates drew their revenues from customs duties, based on ad valorem and the religion of the merchants, so that Christian importers had to pay taxes as high as 30%, whereas Muslim importers paid only 10%. This canonical tax was abolished under the reform of 1316. Several other kingdoms, such as Ghana and Mali, developed in Medieval Western Sudan. But the best known was the Kingdom of Songhay founded around the trading town of Gao (c. 1000 A. D. ). The Songhay Kingdom broke away from Mali and subsequently arose to become the third great empire in the medieval western Sudan (c. 1460-1590). Songhay’s founding emperor, Sunni Ali, established imperial authority northward into the Sahara in order to control international trade routes and valuable deposits of rock salt (which was mined and cut into large blocks to be traded for gold). Following Ali’s death, one of his generals, Muhammad Toure, overthrew the legitimate heir, and embarked on a hajj to Mecca. In 1496 he returned to wage jihad against nonMuslims. He conquered new territories and ruled over Songhay’s expanded empire as Caliph of West Africa. Under Muhammad’s authority (1493-1528), Songhay, especially the towns of Timbuktu and Jenne, rose to become one of the medieval world’s largest multinational empires. The administrative system was open enough to provide lower level citizens some type of upward social mobility. The empire was highly decentralized and Islam was used as a tool to assimilate different communities. Different categories of slaves cultivated fields, constructed adobe buildings and mosques, acted as porters, or served as soldiers and officials in the imperial government. Some of the latter rose through government and military bureaucracies by virtue of meritorious work to achieve high positions of administrative responsibility, as did soldier Muhammad Toure, when he rose by military merit to become a general and then became the emperor of Songhay. As emperor of Songhay, Muhammad established effective central supervision over provincial governors. He also reformed Songhay’s imperial government so that merit (rather than birth) became the principal criterion for advancement in bureaucracy. Eventually, after Muhammad became blind and was deposed in 1528, Songhay’s trans-Saharan trade declined. This was also partly due to competition from European sea traders along the West African Atlantic coast, which undercut the trans-Saharan gold trade. After severe political crises of succession disputes, rebellions and civil war that Songhay emperors faced during the 1580s, their imperial army was decisively defeated by Morocco’s elite musketeers at the Battle of Tondibi in 1591. Other kingdoms and chieftaincies came up throughout Central, Eastern and Southern  ©Encyclopedia of Life Support Systems (EOLSS) PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION AND PUBLIC POLICY – Vol. I – Development of African Administration: Pre-Colonial Times and since – Emizet F. Kisangani Africa. Although some of these polities were decentralized or confederated, most of them developed as centralized systems where the king or the chief represented the top, followed by the house of the king or an inner circle of advisors, and finally the Council of Elders as the legislative branch. The army and bureaucrats were in charge of maintaining security and law, collecting taxes, and conducting censuses. In most polities, age was a major social feature of stratification, while in other areas the system was meritocractic. 1. 3. Beyond the Medieval Era to the Nineteenth Century U SA NE M SC PL O E – C EO H AP LS TE S R S In the late 1500s and through the 1700s, Europeans and Arabs introduced new weapons and made new demands for captives of war throughout Africa to meet the demands of a growing international slave trade. Consequently, many of Africa’s previous patterns of political and economic growth were disrupted, even though many of the great traditions of medieval African politics and administration continued to guide their evolution. As African kingdoms and empires continued to develop, and trade between coastal cities and interior regions expanded throughout the continent, various African peoples established political confederations based on religious ideology, commercial linkages and/or military authority. Such confederations were committed to establishing broader nationalist ideologies, promoting literacy and advancement by merit, expanding both regional and international commerce, and undertaking significant administrative and military reforms. The first great reformer and leader in North Africa was an Ottoman military commander, Muhammad Ali (1805-1848). He established the first secular schools, engineering and medical colleges, modern factories, modern printing presses, and stateowned textile and munitions factories. His successors continued his policies of borrowing foreign capital and building projects, such as the Suez Canal that was completed in 1869. In the west, the original Asante confederation, established by seven clans near the city of Kumasi (in modern day Ghana), united around the symbolic Golden Stool of their ruler Asante-Hene. This confederation built roads and promoted agriculture, commerce, industry and education through self-help and self-reliance. The Asante emperors implemented several modernization policies in administration that included promoting advancement by merit and the development of state enterprise through public investment. By 1874, the British imperial army defeated the Asante army and annexed the Fante territories into their Gold Coast colony. In East Africa (c. 1800-1885), there was also a movement toward centralization of authority and broadened commercial linkages throughout the region, from Ethiopia’s Highlands to the Limpopo River in Southern Africa. In the first half of the nineteenth century, however, Africa continued to be significantly disrupted by international trade in slaves, even as new Euro-American markets began to demand large imports of such African-based commodities as palm oil, cotton, peanuts, and ivory. By mid-century, European merchants realized that Africans could produce such valuable exports more efficiently and humanely by working in their own countries than by working as slaves in the Americas. Many other nineteenth century African nations were consciously modernizing their various political economies and shifting to regional confederacies,

Should gay couples be able to marry Research Paper

Should gay couples be able to marry - Research Paper Example Regardless of the legality the same-sex marriages, research show its trend moving in an upward direction. Therefore, this manuscript will critically analyze the issue of same-sex marriages, vitally weighing the positive and the negative aspects of same-sex marital union. Same-sex marriage is an issue that has raised concern for a long time in most communities across the globe. Moreover, the US is among many countries around the world that has experienced many protests, some campaigning for the same-sex marriages, while others against this form of marital union (Mello 64). The pro-gay marriage activists cite several reasons for their relentless campaign for legalization of same-sex marriages. Firstly, these activists argue that gay couples have equal rights as other couple and that disallowing them to practice same-sex marriage is against the freedom of association (Rimmerman and Wilcox 176). Moreover, they argue that it hampers the group’s freedom of religion choice. In additi on, they argue that refuting same-sex marriage is an example of prejudice against the minority, since gay believers form a small minority in most communities across the globe. These critics allege that it has no negative effect on other individuals, since it only affects the gay believers (Aldarondo 122). Some even claim that any marriage should be based on love, regardless of which sex an individual is. Furthermore, pro-gay campaigners argue that same-sex marriage is the in-thing, and civilized individuals should adapt to this ‘modern’ lifestyle. Another reason cited by these activists is that an increase in the number of gay marriages is advantageous to the society, since it will increase the number of child adoptions within societies. This, they claim is possible, since gays are unable to have children and will only rely on adoption (Cahill 53). Some activists claim that a gay union is an association, just like the business associations. As such, people should be all owed to associate, just like other business associates are free to unite. Moreover, these campaigners argue that since the marriage entails, two individuals of the same sex, the two partners will have equal rights (Hull 124). Therefore, since the partners are of the same gender, they will have same responsibilities, thereby improving the financial capability of the couple. On the other hand, the majority of the world communities do not support same-sex marital unions, based on several factors. For instance, the main world religions do not support gay marriage since it is against their sacred teachings (Snyder 99). According to these world religions, marriage should be a sacred union between a man and a woman, with the principal purpose of procreating. As a result, gay marriage does not fit in any world religion. However, gay activists may retaliate to this by alleging that most states’ constitutions provide for freedom of worship as long as it does not harm other individuals (Snyder 98). Same-sex marriage supporters claim to increase the rate of child adoption. However, anti-gays claim that a gay family setting is not a suitable environment to raise children, since these children may grow up with socially unnatural and unaccepted norms. As a result, these children may have serious problems while they grow and interact with other children. This will also bring confusion to the children

Globalisation as a Cause of Poverty and Inequality Essay

Globalisation as a Cause of Poverty and Inequality - Essay Example    However, the international capital inflows can be reversed to create boom-and-bust cycles that can be detrimental to the social welfare of the affected regions. Globalization encourages labor mobility (Lecher and Boil, 2012). However, skilled and specialized labor force may take advantage of the global market to access markets with high demand and low skill supply. Globalization may also enhance immobility; unskilled workers are prevented from migrating to developed nations. Currently, globalization poses a scenario based on the idyllic view of the general globe where technology and capital have a free flow in a market where access to knowledge and information is vast, efficient markets, and where there is equity in market participation capacities among the households. Globalisation can partially be attributed to the increasing improvements made in the technological field, minimized costs of transportation, as well as due to some deliberate choosing on behalf of many nations to further integrate their economies with the global economy. In essence, globalization refers to capital market liberalization, trade restrictions’ removal, for instance, quotas and tariffs, and free movements of human resources. All these can be considered to be economic globalization’s indicators. The 80s and 90s saw many countries open up their borders leading to reduced restrictions on direct foreign investment as well as curtailing quantitative controls on imports which reduced the tariff rates.   In general, the process of liberalisation and globalisation leads to reduced poverty and high economic growth and development. Globalisation comes in many facets hence a mixed set of outcomes. The argument brought about by anti-globalists is that globalisation has adverse effects on poor people in LDCs. Countries such as the US had thrived in managing the process of globalisation incisively proving that globalisation can be a driving force to economic growth and development and those incapable of managing the process ended up with dismal economic growth and development as well as increased poverty and high inequality in income distribution, showing the adverse effects globalisation can have. A number of issues have been highlighted linking globalisation to inequality: i. Inequal ity rates have increased since the 80s. ii. This high inequality rates are caused by other factors other than the traditional factors i.e. urban bias, education inequality, and concentration of land. iii. High inequality levels can decrease

Analysis of Electronic Medical Records Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Analysis of Electronic Medical Records - Essay Example The system should have the capacity to store quite a large amount of information at any one time. The operations of such information should also be manageable for ease of retrieval by the hospital officials and other users (Skolnik & Neil, 121). The hospitals also want the EMR to address the problem of mishandling, error, and confusion associated with operation manual information.The patients have their share of information requirement as far as their wellbeing is concerned. Firstly, they need a system that makes it easier to keep their information as confidential as it can be possible. EMR provide electronically storage of information that should offer confidential features for the storage of sensitive data about their personal details, medical records, and history. Secondly, the electronic systems should provide for immediate processing of claims and processing of payment as well. Thus, people seeking health care services would find it convenient to receiving health care and making the payments for the services (Skolnik & Neil 122). The patients are also seeking a system that should have the capacity to reduce the need for hospital admissions or their stay in the hospital. This means that they can receive equally quality services online, saving a lot of expenses. Physicians, on the other hand, are set to benefit from the implementation of EMR operations in the hospitals. Firstly, they are looking forward to an electronic system that can provide for immediate access to data. Manual storage of records is the source of immense time wastage in the hospitals where the health professional has to spend a lot of time looking for information in past stored files. Thus, the EMR should resolve this problem by providing an easy and convenient way of accessing information about any given patient. Secondly, the health professional is in need of a system that makes

Division in the nineteenth-century Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Division in the nineteenth-century - Essay Example For example, Stephen Dedalus identifies (like his father) with Parnell, the fallen champion of Irish independence (â€Å"Home Rule†), yet he later rejects the Gaelic nativism and nationalism of his college friend Davin. Write an essay that analyzes and illustrates the hybrid postcolonial attitudes toward Irish politics, language, and culture in Portrait. The Christmas dinner scene, Stephen’s conversation with the dean of studies, or his exchanges with Davin are examples of passages you might consider. You havent defined what "hybrid attitudes" are and I dont understand what this sentence means:   "These hybrid attitudes Stephen encounters throughout the novel only help Stephen strive for his own identity and escape the connection the Irish have made with the dominant culture---the English."   I dont know what "hybrid attitudes" could "help Stephen strive for his own identity and escape the connection . . . with .   . the English," which contradicts the whole idea of postcolonial hybridity.   First youd need to tell us what "hybrid attitudes" you mean (Im not aware of any).   The Christmas dinner scene, for example, doesnt show us a hybrid culture; it shows hostility between two different political/religious causes (which youd have to name and explain before wed undestand them):   theyre not "hybrid" in themselves.   Im not sure youre understanding what the question says about "hybridity your statement isnt true: Stephen *cant* "escape the connection . . . with . . . the English."   That he cant escape it is what makes *his* identity hybrid and postcolonial.   And the "attitudes" youre discssuing below arent hybrids:   Mr. Casey  is a Parnellite who  favors Irish independence  (the "native" side); Dante, because of her Catholicism, is anti-Parnellite and therefore sides with British political interests (the "imperial" side).   Both scenes are relevant and yes the xmas dinner

Biggest Obstacle to Business Sustainability Essay

Biggest Obstacle to Business Sustainability - Essay Example In other words, it ensures the efficiency and effectiveness of the supply chain. According to Werther and Chandler (2011), there are several CSR-related concepts that used to overcome communication barriers in a business. The Strategic Corporate Social Responsibility: Stakeholders, Globalization, and Sustainable Value Creation contain ideas that improve communication. Specifically, these include accountability (p. 305), business ethics (p. 336), stakeholder relations (p. 374), and environmental sustainability (p. 326). Others include compliance (p. 313), the use of the media (p. 344), religion (p. 365), and sustainable development (Werther and Chandler (2011, p. 326). Accountability requires honesty and transparency in the auditing process within an organization. The economists and accountants preparing the audit reports should embrace answerability as a crucial tool for linking up with the stakeholders. According to Werther and Chandler (2011), accountability enables external auditors to assess the organization and the managers. Consequently, this enhances the reliability of the reports conveyed to the stakeholders. Specifically, it minimizes the instances of doubts within the organization. Accountability ensures a proper flow of information between the managers and the employees. For this reason, it is the most critical virtue that promotes responsibility of the managers. In response, the supervisors pass all the relevant, reliable information to the employees and the customers. Business ethics refers to the mode of conduct within an organization. Professional ethos and values dictate the behavior of the workers and managers. The principles encompass the behavior and responsibilities of the organizational fraternity. Corporate integrities assist in reducing instances of communication breakdown in an organization (p. 335). According to the ethics, it is the role of

Democracy in Singapore Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Democracy in Singapore - Essay Example Despite all of this, Singapore is consistently ranked as one of the least corrupt countries in the world. The Singapore government is led by a Prime Minister and a President. The latter plays largely a ceremonial role, although the position does contain some veto powers. The Members of Parliament are voted into parliament by the first-past-the-post system. The PAP has controlled Parliament every since the first election in 1959, although the opposition Workers’ Party was able to make significant inroads into Parliament in the 2011 elections. If Singapore’s citizens are able to demand more freedom, it is possible that the country will be able to become a more democratic society. The one thing in Singapore’s favor is that it is relatively corrupt free and is one of the better educated nations in Southeast Asia. If the government realizes that greater freedom will lead to a more productive economy then political change is possible in the not too distant

Xerox corporation swas analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Xerox corporation swas analysis - Essay Example With new technology and service offerings for office and production environments, including affordable color printing for businesses of any size, Xerox's revenue growth strategy could be aligned around creating new opportunities to expand its share of the $102 billion document market. The transition from offset presses to digital systems would also be a catalyst in improving profit margins for the company without adding new products. If a fraction of the company's revenue is invested in research and development each year, it would be possible for Xerox to create the industry's broadest portfolio of document management technology and services. With the available expertise and experience in the filed of copiers, the company can plan to launch world class new systems in color and black-and-white digital presses, production copier/printers, office multifunction systems and printers. Thus, using the existing expertise in manufacturing copiers, it would become possible to tap new opportunities and take on the digital revolution without any significant investment on the company's part. Xerox Corp's Turnaround Strategy (2004) What Went Wrong, [electronic version] Retrieved 10 February 2008,from icmrindia's website: http://www.icmrindia.org/casestudies/catalogue/Business%20Strategy2/BSTR121.htm Value-added services including consulting, imaging and content management for businesses small to large. By integrating Xerox's document management services with better technology and improved productivity, work processes could be simplified. Value added-services, which could include consulting, imaging and content management for businesses of any size, would be an additional source of income for the company. Provision of consulting, imaging and content management is a niche area. With the digital revolution growing manifold by the day, this is the right time to exploit the potential of providing such services. Many companies prefer to outsource such jobs to experts in the field; thus, Xerox could be a service provider to such companies. Xerox-Annual Report, (2005) Retrieved 10 February, 2008,from Xerox websites: http://www.xerox.com/Static_HTML/annualreport/2005/truecolors.html http://www.xerox.com/Static_HTML/annualreport/2005/gradient_content.html Xerox's unparalleled innovation in color technology and MFDs With Xerox's expertise of over 60 years in the field of manufacturing copiers, it would be relatively easy to come out with new age color printers and multifunction devices like copier-scanner-printers. There is a growing demand for such copiers in the market. The revenue from the launch of such products is expected to grow by 20 percent on an annualized basis. As the revenue per color page is approximately five times higher than the revenue per black-and-white page, there is a significant opportunity to be tapped in this market. With about 3

Cyber-Dating and Traditional Dating Methods Essay - 1

Cyber-Dating and Traditional Dating Methods - Essay Example Describing the term dating is vague and ambiguous in today’s world. Marquardt described a variety of definitions for dating in 2001. Dating can be described as â€Å"a fast-moving, highly committed relationship, when two people quickly form a serious and intense bond, spending most of their time together† (Rosenthal 2012). With the advent of computers, social networking sites and a plethora of dating sites available for teenagers and adults, online dating is rapidly becoming the newest trend for 21st-century people. Estimates show that there are 836 dating sites in January 2005 and 40 million Americans visit the online dating sites every month. A survey also showed that 14% of singles who were engaged, married or dating someone met them through online dating services (Rosen et al 2007). Although the differences between online dating and traditional dating are quite divergent, both display a variety of benefits and demerits when compared in various perspectives. The path that a relationship develops between two people is different and the bond created also differs when it comes to online dating and the conventional dating methods. The time taken for a relationship to flourish varies significantly. Online dating begins with email messages, interactions on social networking sites and chatting through the internet. ... Cyber-dating offers an escape from the various stereotypical roles and commitment issues that bound the otherwise conventional methods of traditional forms of dating. The traditional forms of dating mainly propose that a man asks a woman for dating and courtship. However, online dating offers the teenage girls to experiment with their powers within a heterosexual relationship (Nayar 2010). Traditional norms maintain that the woman should wait for the man, however, online dating services and experience lets the girls or women experiment with modern and more assertive relationship experiences. Although internet dating offers quick courtship services, the information and data provided by candidates can sometimes be deceptive. It is easier for people to lie to each other and the appearances can be altered to deceive the other person (Nayar 2010).  Ã‚  

Of Mice and Men is chiefly concerned with imprisonment and repression Essay Example for Free

Of Mice and Men is chiefly concerned with imprisonment and repression Essay How does Steinbeck present such themes within the novella? All of the characters within Steinbecks Of Mice and Men have a dream, yet this dream is unobtainable because they are trapped, inside the ranch and inside themselves. They cannot break out because of their lifestyle and their need for work and money. Lennie and George dream of having their own ranch and live off the fatta the lan' yet they hold each other back. George represses Lennie, he has become like a father to him but will not let Lennie grow up, Lennie cannot talk without Georges permission. What are you gonna say tomorrow when the boss asks you questions? Lennie, however, realises that George cares for him and he has learnt to manipulate George, If you dont want me you only jus got to say so, and Ill go off into those hills right there. Lennie makes George guilty, so that George feels that he has to stay with him. Neither will let each other go, as neither knows about life without them. George and Lennie travelling together is unusual Aint many guys travel around together and this means that they are left as outsiders. Other workers turn up alone so have to fit into ranch life and into the group but as George and Lennie are together, they become unapproachable, as other workers are confused about their friendship. After leaving Weed George and Lennie believe that they have escaped from their problems however whilst Lennie is there they can never truly escape their problems as they will just follow them from place to place The marginalised characters are repressed, because of their age, sex, or race. Curleys wife has no name; she is just the stereotypical woman. Candys dog also has no name and the two are on the same level on the ranch. Being married to Curley, she has given up her right to freedom, as at the time women were just expected to be a good wife aint I got a right to talk to nobody? Curleys wife has dreams, like the others which she can never achieve Coulda been in the movies an had nice clothes. She is trapped in the ranch she could leave but would not be able to support herself, as all she has is Curley. Curley, whilst he seems like he is in control of his life, is imprisoned within his personality. Curley is the Boss son and feels that he must live up to the Boss reputation and be an unofficial leader for the ranch workers, the fact that Slim seems to have taken this role angers him. He is married and uses this to his advantage, he has something that the others do not have and uses this to intimidate the others and show off, seems like Curley is cockier than ever since he got married. However, Curley cannot control his wife and is paranoid that she may be seeing another worker, he is looking for her throughout the text, he knows her flirtatious nature and suspects others of being with his wife. It is pointed out by others that Curley is like a lot of other little guys. He hates big guys he feels that has to prove himself, just because he is mall does not mean that he isnt strong. Curley likes to be in control and make others fear him and this holds him back, if he behaved like any of the ranch workers then it is likely that he would be accepted but he cannot change himself now. At the time of the novella, black people were discriminated against and Crooks is an example of this. He is left to live alone and we rarely see him. If Lennie had not gone into his room and spoken to him then we would have never met Crooks or learnt about him. He is never given a chance to speak or voice his opinion. The majority of the ranch workers were involved with the discussion about Candys dog but Crooks being in another room was never involved. Crooks knows being black is the reason for his isolation Cause Im black but he cant leave the ranch because he is crippled so he is imprisoned somewhere he is ignored. On a ranch where working is all there is to do Candy finds life difficult. He is the eldest and this prevents him from working and socialising. When the others are playing horseshoes Candy is not, he is talking with the other outsiders, George and Lennie, in the barn. Candy is not given chance to think or consider suggestions, during the conversation about his dog he seemed pressured into the decision. Carlson is speaking at him rather than to him and he is given very little time to form a counter argument. The town where the ranch is situated is called Soledad, which means, in Spanish, loneliness or secluded. George and Lennie have to walk miles to reach the ranch, suggesting that it is isolated. Once on the ranch workers are stuck doing the same monotonous tasks daily. Whilst workers could escape from that particular ranch, it would only be to find another. Because of the Depression, workers were stuck travelling from place to place in search of work and once they had found one place, some were reluctant to move on for fear of not being able to find any more work. Migrant workers were very low down in the social hierarchy and found it difficult to break out, as they needed the money. Steinbeck presents themes of imprisonment and repression well, with many ideas not apparent on the first read. His novella is a look at life in 1930s America and he manages to show how life was for many different types of people and shows how everyone was trapped in some way.

Globalisation: Advantages And Disadvantages

Globalisation: Advantages And Disadvantages Introduction: faisal From the start of curriculum I was aware of a group project to be completed as a coursework for this academic year. So from that moment I was pretty anxious about, what will be my topic and who all will be my group mates? The latter question was easy to answer but regarding the topic of the coursework stretched my anxiety to a greater extent. But when our group was assigned with the topic of globalisation and its impact on the companys marketing strategy, I was fascinated from the very moment I heard it because during the past two decades I felt that there has been dramatic changes in the way the countries and societies are developing. During this period the accessibility of greater variants of products was at ease. This accessibility has grown manifolds than our parents and grandparents had in their times. So this topic gave me a chance to look into those aspects in the global environment which have triggered these changes. So I was preparing myself to get into greater intricacies and depth of how globalisation has impacted and at what stage of globalisation we are at present. But in conjunction to that my focus was also in understanding the impact of dynamics of these environments on the firms performances as well as the marketing strategies; I was also interested in finding how these firms have adapted during these periods and so on. Therefore I planned and prepared myself to dig into all the kinds of resources i.e. library materials, e-journals and internet to get the valuable information relevant to the topic; so that it could help me for the better understanding and to get started with the project. During the starting of my project, I thought that it was easy for the companies to adapt to the post globalisation period and only the exporting companies should learn about the global marketing strategies. But later in the project I understood that the understanding of global marketing strategies is important to even the domestic players so as to the reporting companies. This was because of the free entry of foreign players in the domestic market of others as a result of globalisation. Globalisation gave both advantages and disadvantages to the companies all over the world. The advantage was they have the liberty to utilise the opportunities which arose in the international markets. The disadvantage is that they have to compete with global players even in their domestic markets. But with the progress of the project and with the help of group discussions we had, we understood that every firm can sustain and utilise the emerging opportunities with the implementation of a good strategy. The companies are trying to cope up with the changing scenario with the modification in their strategies. In the project we tried to analyse the marketing strategies which were prevalent before globalisation and the marketing strategies which are present past globalisation. The emergence of a global economy was due to globalisation. We also tried to analyse the effects of the emergence of global economy in the marketing strategies of the companies. Recollection of experiences: The day I got the topic and our team was formed we all planned and prepared ourselves to get into the details of project so that we can find and analyse the topic and present the report in the best our capabilities before the honorary. The task was humungous but we knew that if we work together nothing is as the heel of Achilles; so we strategized our motto and we promised each other that we all will work together and will not let any stone be unturned in this task. So the first obstacle before us was how to go about and get started with this project. But it is true that nothing is impossible for a productive team. So we planned that we need to divide the topic in different segments i.e. the entire project will be completed in three phases. In the first phase, we divided our group into different sub groups and each sub group was given task to gather the required information regarding the globalisation, the current situation of globalisation, business strategies pre and post globalisa tion era, marketing models, past and current marketing strategies, finding and analysing the global firms and the marketing strategies used by them. During the second phase, we planned to have series of group meeting sessions and frequent brain storming activities where we all gave our inputs and suggestions. During these sessions we were all required to update the group with our progress in our respective topics and findings we had till date, after these we all were given our future task to be completed and project progress precisely and followed by critical feedbacks. This was very crucial to avoid repetitions and to give new perspectives of thinking to the entire group members. These group discussions helped us to create a report which can serve the purpose of project as well as individual learnings. This also helped us to view the other side of every aspect as every individual will think only from one side. This also created a healthy competition among the group members. This me thod also helped us to understand the individual capabilities and capacities of every group member which was very crucial for development of the skills which the individual group members are lacking at. Third phase was also a group meeting session were we all sat together and analysed our project each subgroup, individuals were asked to give their individual analysis of the topic they were handling. On gathering all the analysis, the group was summoned to come to a consensus for the idea, and finally give a perfect analysis. During this stage the final draft of the project was prepared and was checked for errors and details. The errors and the deviations from the group objectives have been discussed at this stage and a group consensus was obtained from these discussions. The various differences from the group objective were found and the measures for rectifying the errors were suggested after the group discussion. The different subgroups discussed about the differences and there was a hot debate regarding the view points of every individual. These differences were supported by their own understanding depending on their own analysis. Therefore achieving a group consensus was very difficult at this point of time. But the group helped us to understand which all the incorrect view-points given by us. This helped us to understand our faults which were proved by the group logically. I understood the fact that the productivity will be high in a group rather than doing a job individually. Being in a group will avoid a self-centric view point in each and every point of life. This was evident from each group works I have done so far. Personal feelings and the learnings from the experience: This project was truly what I dreamt of because from the starting I was very anxious about the factors which are causing changes in our livelihood. Secondly I was curious how companies are coping with these rapid changes in the existing condition; what aspects of marketing are affected by globalisation and role of marketing managers to cope up with this change so as to get their firm golden bottom line always and increasing; always questioned me in my mind and I was searching the answers to these questions anxiously. During this project my sub group was assigned to gather information regarding marketing strategies in the pre and post globalisation era. Our group knew that this topic will require serious amount of groundwork to be completed to make a complete analysis of it. So in-order to accomplish this task, our sub group planned to go for a massive search for all relevant information during the past decade. For this we took the help of the materials present in our library and thro ugh this only our major portion of the information was collected. But going through all the materials in library took the major time of our project. We also resorted to go through the e-journals and internet to gather other vital details. After getting the relevant information, I and my sub group were able to select right and valid data for our project. Soon after this I was allotted in our sub group to make a rough draft of the information gathered during this process. Personally during this project I was able to gather great informations about the globalisation and its effects on companies marketing strategy. This project helped me to go through many journals in this topic which could have otherwise been untouched. Secondly sometimes I was not able to find relevant matters and I ended in searching irrelevant data and as a result I found myself getting caught at the dead ends. But on the further analysis, I found that doing things monotonously can bring a boredom and lacklustre app roach to the assigned task. So I formulated a plan that whenever such a situation occurs, I will ask my team mates to step into and guide or take the things in their hands and continue forwards for a while. After sometime, I rejoined the team and continued with the topic. Finally as a team player I and my team mates were able to produce great results. Sometimes during the group meetings, I was not able to put through my ideas convincingly because I felt I am not that aggressive during a heated debate. So at times I felt my suggestions being unheard during the team meetings. I was feeling very bad at this situation. But my group was so supportive that they had their patience to listen to suggestions. Each and every suggestion of mine was left to a discussion about itself and then the group gave the conclusions. Some conclusions were totally different from mine, but the group made sure that they made me understand where I have gone wrong in my thinking and conclusions. Personally I fe lt so irrelevant in the group at least initially, but later I understood the importance of correcting ones mistake when somebody proves it wrong logically. I was lucky to have such a group which could think diversely without which we could not have been able to give such a good report to our group project. The cooperativeness of the group helped me to enlarge my thinking and helped me to learn a lot about this topic. I was able to streamline my thinking to the topic especially the effects of globalisation on companies marketing strategy even though I knew about globalisation. I have not thought about this specific topic till I did this project. My group helped me to think and they helped me to start the project my adding to my knowledge of globalisation. This learning was very important for me, so that I will not repeat the same mistakes in any future projects. Moreover I have learned a lot of new things which wouldnt have been possible without my supportive group in this project. Group Dynamics and learning from the experience: It is truly said with great things some problems are accompanied to arise. Our team was truly an ingenious group, but when all the high energised individuals gather at a common platform and brainstorm together there are some situations for heated debate bound to occur. The major problem, we as a group faced was whole presenting our updates before the group. Some of the group members were poaching into those territories where there is already a group assigned for the above task. So at this point of time a ruckus usually formed. To rescue the group from this situation, some of our group members took initiatives to sort out the issues and were demarcating our territories to be handled by each subgroup or individuals. This motivated us to get back into the defined tracks. Sometimes during consensus stage, we as a group couldnt come up with consensus because most of the individualistic debates occurred during this time. At this point of time few of us individually stood up and took over t he control of the team and guided the situation to a productive platform and as a result we were able to come to a conclusion which was agreed by all the group members. During the project some of our group mates were not able to keep up with the pace of the project because of the tight schedule we had fixed for the sub groups. So at some point of time, these people felt left alone. But the group meeting sessions proved to be a remarkable platform to put these problems ahead. As a solution to this problem the sub groups were asked to update each group members initiatives, progress and hindrances they were facing. So these individuals who had problems were highlighted and remedy to it these individuals were assigned as a team leader for their sub group and were asked to formulate a strategy for the upcoming events in the project phase and to list out the KRAs (Key Result Areas) to be achieved till the next group meeting. Apart from these problems, sometimes irrelevant topics of debate s occurred during the group meetings which we as a group felt that it was hampering our productivity but our group members mostly recognised such situations and intervened and divert those to our project and to our relevant goals. Lessons for the future projects: Truly this project helped me and my group in a great way. Because of this project we were able to understand the details of the pre and post globalisation era; how this has affected the countries, people and society and the reason for their growth and development; the details of the developed, developing and underdeveloped economies and so on. The project has given us a great insight regarding the strategies and growth potential in this era and the marketing strategies the companies are using to cope with the competition in the globalised village. This project also helped me to understand the importance of home work before approaching a project. The homework here means preparing about the topic very deeply and thoroughly by reading more and more books, articles, journals, etc. This also helps to increase the quality of the project thereby increasing my personal knowledge. This also helps everyone to have a look at a topic from different perspectives so that a perfect conclusion can be presented, also helped me to identify the importance of keeping a timeline and adhering strictly to it so that the work as a whole can be delivered within the time frame given to the projects. This project taught me the importance and being receptive for new ideas and not being stubborn with my own ideas. These are major learnings for me from this group project which I can use as a lesson for my future projects. On the other hand this project has given us an opportunity to work as a team. This has led to a better understanding about our peers, know how, knowledge and the way they approach a situation helped us greatly. It also gave us an opportunity to develop our competency skills. This group project is a replica of our future working environments. So working under such teams gave our group glimpses of dynamics when a high energy team is brain storming and working to achieve a goal. It has also helped me to understand the importance of team work and productivity associated while working with great talent pool. So me and my group learned that no task is big for a team if the members of the team puts a whole hearted dedication to achieve the common goal. This project has also given me an opportunity to understand my mates bit more differently and it had made our bonding to the great extents. This group gave us all a stage to analyse our skills and competencies on a comparative basis. This has highlighted our strengths and weaknesses as an individual we possess and we have took that learnings on a very positive note; we as a group are trying to augment our strengths to our higher level while mending our weaknesses to bare minimum for our future projects and it is a mirror towards the realities which we are going to face in the corporate world. Conclusion: It is rightly said that The journey of thousand mile starts with a single step. I truly believe it after going through this project has given me a new insight about our globalised village; how great strategies have come and have been modified through-out. This has led me to a new paradigm to believe that the certainties of uncertainties are great and tackling this will make a global business players strategies crucial and vital. At personal front I am trying to improve my emotional and intellectual fronts while working as a team player. I also understood the roles of a team player and team leader; the need for a supportive group for better productivity; the amicable way of achieving a common consensus, etc. Moreover I have learned that one need to be opened to ideas and be alert to gather valuable information irrespective of individuals we are interacting and I am trying to be an excellent listener and good learner because the knowledge keeps on increasing when you are interacting frequently with others and if one doesnt, they will be obsolete in terms of knowledge base in near future. This is very crucial in the present competitive world and it has been rightly said that rolling stones gathers no moss. Last but not the least, I want to thank wholeheartedly to all my peers, seniors and faculties who have shared their valuable insights and their precious time to help me to complete this project successfully.

Strategic Management Project Shell

Strategic Management Project Shell COMPANY: SHELL Introduction Shell is one of the worlds leading energy group and petrochemicals companies. It has around102000 employees in more than 100 countries. The objectives of the Shell Group are to engage efficiently, responsibly and profitably in oil, oil products, gas, chemicals and other selected businesses and to participate in the search for and development of other sources of energy to meet evolving customer needs and the worlds growing demand for energy. Mission Statement Shells innovative approach ensures that they are ready to tackle the challenges of new energy futures. 1.1 Topic of investigation having a strategic implication. This report explains the team buildings and teams work in Shell and development of its research work progress within the organization. It also presents suitable analysis of the project management and planning, advisory and project implementation of work. In this report, positive results of theories and its test showed that effective teamwork can lead to a success and achieving critical goals of Shell. It may also be able to gain the sustainability of competitiveness. Moreover, study explains that how team performance can be improved through leadership with project planning to face the upcoming challenges in modern era of business environment Shell operates in. 1.2 The aim, scope and objectives of the project. How can we improve Shells research study about lubes oil? What strategy we should adapt for improving Shells research? How and effective team force can be made for this purpose? The aim of the project is to achieve such team management, technology and resources that meet the new emerging energy challenges. Shell need to adapt such management strategies which will make a strong workforce with experienced and skilful team members. Shell wants to be recognised as a great company-competitive successfully and a force for progress. Shell has a fundamental belief that they can make a difference in the world because of its worth in the global market. A strong consumer proposition has been developed for the brand and embodied in the line World Quality which communicates Shell value-based offering in a precise manner, to its core target audience. The purpose of the advertising in the first instance is to support this strong value proposition and secondly to tailor the media solution to the store. 1.3 Justifying the scope, aim and objective. In meeting the energy challenges, the world faces three hard truths. The first is that there has been a step-change in global energy demand, with rapidly developing countries like China and India entering the energy-intensive phase of growth. Even with huge improvements in energy efficiency and substantial growth in renewables, fossil fuels will still be the main element of the energy mix by mid-century. The second hard truth is that easy-to-access oil and gas is in decline. As a result, energy will come increasingly from unconventional sources, such as oil sands. The third hard truth is that the increased burning of fossil fuels especially coal for power generation could mean unacceptably high emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2) and other greenhouse gases that contribute to global warming and climate change. Meeting the energy challenge Shell is helping to meet the energy challenge with a broad range of approaches. It uses advanced technologies that can unlock oil and gas in more remote or hostile environments, and new techniques to extend the lives of existing fields. We are increasing production from unconventional sources, including oil sands. Shell helps make the most of cleaner-burning natural gas through our output of liquefied natural gas (LNG) and gas to liquids (GTL) products. We are helping to develop second-generation bio fuels that do not compete with food crops; and we are developers of wind and solar power. 1.4 Evaluation of project research methodology. Methodolgy Research Study should be verified by seniors because all research is based on practical data and that data may vary by location of the research and by person. Need to Understand the Hypothesis before research and development. Which department are more feasible and which person is more interested and suitable for that research. Research should be complete on time. Research conduct at same time on different locations 2.1 Identify sources of data and information that will support the aim of the project. For a company like Shell having the right information about the environment, customs, laws and customer needs is of key importance. To gather this information the company will firstly see the law of the country in which it is going to start business, as we are talking about their business in UK the law allows this business. Here in UK there is a high demand it is a rich environment for the company to run their business. Data about this can be obtained by doing surveys and examining the current market i.e. by observing the similar businesses running in the country. Scanning the Environment In this research study, an appropriate approach of environmental scanning is considered in the industrial organisations that are operating in the chemical industry. Different types of information were used in this study. It included general information about the industry and specific about the participating companies. The type of data that was included was; Formal data that concerns the companys character. Data that is publicly available, like in annual reports. Interviews of managers that provided the history and culture of the companies. This information was very important to analyse and research the topic and to see how other companies are operating in the industry. Strauss (1987) emphasizes the usefulness of the case study approach when used with grounded theory. Grounded theory seeks to generate theoretical statements and, ultimately, complex theories based on empirical evidence, although it can be used in different ways and reach various degrees of complexity. The research design framework adopted in this study can be described as a multiple case study, composed according to the theory building structure, as described by Yin (1989), i.e., where the sequence of chapters follow a theory-building logic, and using the grounded theory method of qualitative data analysis. 2.2 Synthesise the data and information for options or alternatives that support the project aims. An effective information infrastructure was implemented to assess the information required in this research, which included technological information, processes and information acquired by people. A rich collection of scientific and technical information was gathered, which was managed by professionals having different backgrounds. However, some companies just provided a consistent picture which was a small collection made up of journals, literature and reports mainly. The information being pervasive is one of the main reasons in having difficulty in accounting for the costs involved in the research as it depends on specific roles and their performance. The data that was collected showed that in medium or large chemical companies data and information was being handled by 50% staff while in smaller companies about 9% staff was involved. The scope of the companies was assessed by their links with Research and Development organisations and hoe they collaborate with the regulatory agencies. Strategic change Larger companies like Shell influence the planning adoption but some other factors also interfere with the tendency, for example in what form the organisation is and what is the management style of the organisation. No evidence was found that suggests that the subsector companies should adopt the planning technique as a planning tool. While, the planning offices are also rare and their main duty is to collect the difficult data which is needed by the top management for decision making. The strategic change analysed mainly talked about increasing the quality of the product, which includes mainly improving the conditions of production. Environmental protection was also an issue in some cases there were highly pollutant industries. Globalisation and diversification were also some important strategic changes. Companies that targeted globalization pursued growth in the industry but some companies just secured their positions in the internal market due to the threat of major competitors operating in the main market. Companies which had a little scope of growth adopted specialization. The main target was to improve the product quality. Some companies claimed that they always pursue improving the production quality while other companies admitted that they have to improve the quality of the product to satisfy the EC regulations. 2.3 Determine an option or alternative that supports the project aims. Other way of supporting the project aim is to use theoretical information and implement it directly on the company. Information is like team management theories. Inductive and deductive research can be used to gather information and to move towards the aim. Deductive research Deductive reasoning works from the more general to the more specific. Sometimes this is informally called a top down approach. Conclusion follows logically from premises Inductive research Inductive reasoning works the other way moving from specific observations to broader generalizations and theories. Informally, we sometimes call this a bottom up approach. Conclusion is likely based on premises..It involves a degree of uncertainty. Inductive type based on induction. Data is collected on a subject and researcher tries to develop theory from this data. 3.1 Evaluate the research analysis to enable conclusions to be made. Team Management It is difficult to build a team and maintain good working relationships. However, team members go through a number of development stages to work together effectively in team performance management. Individuals performing well are rewarded while those who are not performing good are motivated. The functions and roles of its members should be recognised by its team. The leader should establish continuous communication lines and set clear goals that are understood. A team that performs well accomplishes projects quickly and with less difficulty, misunderstanding, and divergence. Strategic Objectives Strategic goals or objectives are broad, high level aims, derived from organisations mission statement and purpose, affecting the whole organization (sometimes referred to as corporate aims). These will be: Long term (time horizon of several years), although they should be monitored regularly (typically annually) and may be revised periodically. Responsive to external factors such as new competition, changes in global economic conditions, or customer demands. The term strategic denotes a particular focus of the managers planning and decision making responsibilities. Senior mangers focus mostly on why questions, concentrating on the big picture and providing vision and leadership for employees across the whole organisation. Alignment of team performance and corporate goals To achieve the corporate aims it is necessary that the direction of the teams is towards the long term strategic goal. Managers and team leaders have to keep in mind what they need to achieve overall. And hence, to control the teams in such a way that either they are working on long projects or short its all adding up to the final goal. In the case of Shell the main objective of the company is to provide good quality chemicals. To achieve this there has to be a proper direct and control system of the staff working at the stores from the top management to the staff working on the floor. A good communication and understanding will always lead to easy achievement of goals, satisfying the customer at the end. Mangers are supposed to take into account the demand and supply of the products to make sure every product is available on time and then work should be allocated to the subordinates in a proper system to get all the work done systematically and easily. Proper team management should be done by the supervisors and the team leaders. All the staff should be divided into small teams which have to work in different sections. Proper training should be given to all the team members and a standard way of achieving the goal. This performance target should be given to all the team members and should be monitored and reviewed constantly. This standard should be according to the company policy and should be according to health and safety and customer satisfaction oriented. Providing good work at the end of every shift, which is the availability of all the products on time with good customer service. 3.2 Recommend a course of action that achieves the project aim. Skills that need some development Communicating Decision-making Leadership Prioritizing Valuing and Skills need to be achieved. To respond problems, experiences and opportunities from which to learn. To generate ideas without constraints of policy or structure or feasibility. Involving with other people i.e ideas bouncing off them, solving problems as part of a team. Need to have a limelight/high visibility i.e can chair meetings, lead discussion, and give presentations. To be engaging myself in short, activities such as business games, competitive teamwork tasks, role playing exercises. Supporting Others Motivating Analysing Delegating Reporting 3.3 Analyse the impact of the recommendations. Training courses at Shell for career progression. Management Development Programme Includes: Consumer Legislation Customer Service Employment Law Health and Safety Human Resource Management Policies Procedures Opportunity development builds competitive positions by identifying and utilizing opportunities in the environment. Opportunity development is necessary because your existing positions are constantly being degraded by change. Opportunities exist as openings in the environment that allow you to advance your position in the direction of your mission. These openings are usually small, but by taking advantage of the small openings, you eventually position yourself for the big advances you want. Training After the initial audit our ethical trade specialists work with the suppliers to support them through remediation of any issues that are found. Training is offered to suppliers on particular issues and best practice, at regular intervals. Shell is in the process of more than tripling the size of its own ethical trade team that focuses on training and intensive problem solving with its suppliers. These individuals are trained to the highest levels and are equipped to address endemic problems in the supply chain and come up with viable solutions for the suppliers. 4.1 Produce the results of the investigative project. The purpose of this study was to explain the team buildings and teams work in Shell and development of its research work progress within the organization. It also presents suitable analysis of the project management and planning, advisory and project implementation of work. In this report, positive results of theories and its test showed that effective teamwork can lead to a success and achieving critical goals of Shell. It may also be able to gain the sustainability of competitiveness. Moreover, study explains that how team performance can be improved through leadership with project planning to face the upcoming challenges in modern era of business environment Shell operates in. The main result was in the adoption of the learning and training courses within the company in order to prosper and enhance in the future. Shell is one of the leading companies in the world in the chemical an oil sector and it felt pride in taking these training and development steps in order to move forward and to achieve its project aim as a result of the research program. 4.2 Evaluate the impact of the investigative project The future sustainability of any organization heavily depends on the quality of project management to be able to cope with todays dynamic business environment. There is direct co relation between stake holder business project and the people within the firm. Shell is one of the four largest companies in the UK and has been ranked number one of the top 100 graduate employers in the UK and all over the world. The sustainability of Shell competitive advantage of its brightest people is depending on the successful team work and leadership. The best leaders know how to get others to follow and the best team members know how to follow their leaders. REFERENCES BOOKS: Aguilar, F.J. (1967) Scanning the Business Environment. New York: McMillan. Robert , buttrick ,(2005).The project workout: pearso education limited Edinburgh gate Education 3rd (1) pp, 305-350 Strauss, A. Corbin, J, (1990). Basics of Qualitative Research: Grounded Theory Procedures and Techniques. London: Sage. Strauss, A. (1987) Qualitative Analysis For Social Scientists. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Total Quality Management: The route to improving performance by John S. Oakland (Hardcover 15 Mar 1993) Shell employee control hand book 07/08 Personal development as a strategic manager unit 7001: level 7 strategic management and leadership CMI Checklist: Personal development planning Developing strategy for world class business E-learning Your role in improving personal effectiveness Development needs and planning development Web links: www.milum.net 13/12/2009 www.enotes.com 13/12/2009 www.quickmba.com 13/12/2009 www.managers.org.uk 10/12/2009 www.shell.co.uk 20/12/2009

Virtual Child Pornography Should be Legal :: Argumentative Persuasive Argument Essays

Virtual Child Pornography Should be Legal This nation has several issues over which most people's minds freeze up, with the disastrous drug war probably leading the list. I don't share a feeling of squeamishness and horror when it comes to drugs: What I don't want, I don't take, it's that simple. And I don't spend time fretting that my neighbors might be toking, or snorting, in the privacy of their homes. Child pornography is something else; it pushes all kinds of emotional hot-buttons in me. Certainly I would agree with the majority that anyone who exploits children in a sexual manner is committing a serious offense, deserving of harsh punishment. And anyone who get his kicks looking at images of children in sexual situations, well, that's also pretty horrifying to my sensibilities. I am very glad that my own lust meter pegs when I look at fully grown women, not at some other subset of the population. Nevertheless, I feel moved to speak against the wave of hysteria that is exemplified by U.S. Rep. Henry Brown's call for a Constitutional amendment to ban virtual child pornography. (Virtual child pornography is images that appear to be of children having sex, but which are in fact made-up, simulated by the miracles of modern computer graphics). Some who oppose such an amendment do so on the basis that the Constitution is not meant to cover specific legislative issues. That is true, but it misses the larger point, which comes down to basic rights, even for people we think have horrifying tastes. To put it bluntly, children (and adults too, of course) have the right not to be sexually exploited, BUT, adults have the right to possess any material which does not directly exploit children. Yes, including virtual pornography. I think a strong case could be made that it should not be illegal for someone to possess images of ACTUAL child pornography: The crime has been committed by the person exploiting the children, not the person viewing the picture. Nevertheless, in this column I'm taking the less assertive position that only pretend pictures of children don't warrant legal sanction. Think about this: Take a napkin. Draw a big guy with an erect c***. Draw a much smaller figure giving him a b*** j**. You have just committed a felony. Take that napkin and stuff it in someone else's pocket.

Sports are Entertaining and Fun Essay -- Expository

Sports are Entertaining and Fun Sports in society today can be entertaining to watch and also fun to play for both men and women of all ages. I am a person that takes sports very seriously in my life. I enjoy playing sports as much as I enjoy watching them on television. I started playing baseball when I was seven years old, and played up until I graduated high school. I also played basketball from fifth grade to a junior in high school. I think that I am so involved in sports because my family takes sports very seriously, and they got me involved in them at an early age. My Dad, Mom, brothers and cousins have all been active members of sports throughout their lives. We all enjoy doing anything involved with sports. It could be actively playing a sport, watching an event on television, or going and watching a sporting event with a group of people. I think we live in an area that has a large history of sports and many traditions and customs that go along with it. By living close to Pittsburgh my entire lif e I have been able to experience and appreciate the history and legacy that our sport teams have offered for so many years. I have been a huge fan of all the Pittsburgh sports teams for my entire life. I have been to numerous Pirate and Steeler home games with family and friends. I think this is why sporting events can be so entertaining because you get to spend quality time with your family and friends and share in all of the memories to come. I want to find out if people have the same thoughts and opinions that I do about sports. I want to see if men take sports more seriously than women do, or is there a lot more women involved then we think. I want to find out what sports men and women like t... ...understanding of what sports men and women like to play and watch, and how they feel towards them. After conducting ten surveys, two interviews, and an observation I have found out that mostly everyone does like at least one sport in some way. Mostly everyone does agree that sports are entertaining and fun to participate in. I noticed that many people like to watch and play a variety of sports instead of just one. Football seems to be the most favorite to watch among both men and women. Men seem to choose more physical sports to play whereas women choose more sports with higher skill levels. Overall I thought that the research went well because I did not come across any problems. Everyone was very cooperative when I collected my data. I thought that this was a fun experiment because I had a chance to see how men and women compared when it came to sports.

Racial Discrimination and Class Prejudice

If someone said racism to you, what would you first think of? Would one think of black and white people straight away? If so, you need to understand that racism isn’t just about skin colour it’s about where you’re from, what religion you are and often different parts of a country are split due to racial discrimination. The idea of racism has been around for hundreds of years, it’s because human’s natural instinct is to put others down to make themselves look better. When Africans were taken across the Atlantic for the slave trade, they were demoralized so much so that they would rather take their own life than commit to a life of slavery.In southern America in 1619 White farmers and landowners needed cheap labour to work on their plantations; this is why the slaves were first brought to America. The Americans regarded the black people as animals; they didn’t agree that they were even the same species. However this all changed when slavery was banned around America in 1807, and every man was free. Eventually black men begin to gain land of there own and work for themselves, but this did not go unnoticed.Even after the civil war the black people in the southern states of America were still discriminated against and treated awfully. Groups of men used to go around at night and just burn, torture and kill any black people that they think have stepped out of line. Racial discrimination is still a very big part of our world today, racism is not just black and white, in Zimbabwe white farmers are being pushed out of their land; where their families have lived and farmed for hundreds of years, whilst their own land is being distributed as the black farmers believe it is there land.Nevertheless the white families are left penniless. In England today Muslims very often feel discriminated against, as English people are scared of them, English people think of them as terrorists after a lot of bad press, but this is not the case. If the cloud of doubt were lifted just a little, millions of people would have better lives. I find it hard to understand how people accept the status that they are given; they should surely be able to choose how to live their life and what to do.In â€Å"Roll Of Thunder, Hear my Cry† one line really stuck out for me, â€Å"Comical objects to cruel eyes that gave no thought our misery† this shows how the black people recognize their place in society and even if they don’t believe in it they accept it. Martin Luther King gave an inspiring speech, which changed the views of millions of people around the world â€Å"I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: â€Å"We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal. â€Å"†Equality is a hard concept to grasp for many people around the world due to the fact that lack of education is still a big problems lots of different countries espec ially L. E. D’s, this is mostly due to class. However this year in America, a country renowned for their vicious racists, have elected a black president. Barack Obama, the aforementioned president, is a pinnacle of light to such a diverse nation. Seeing as a mere thirty years ago black people were still fighting for entirely equal rights. Barack Obama is now thought of as the most powerful man in the world.Never the less this does not discount racism in America as there is evidence to suggest that the poor black people and ethnic minorities do not still receive the opportunities given to white people. Class prejudice happens all around the world, in England today this is a big issue, but the homeless often sell ‘big issues’ around the streets so they can scrap a living from the tower of success. Every class in Britain is stereotyped, it is almost as if the country is divided into, people your allowed to talk to and people your not. These are often referred to as classes.People get stereotyped on their class all the time, then it often falls into smaller categories such as race, or where you live. Stereotyping is a habit that we all need to get out of. Racism and Class prejudice is a growing problem in England today, if we do not take action it may get out of control. Infect some would argue it already is with the steady growth of gang crime and people getting hurt just because of where they are from. We don’t want to have people beaten on the streets or worse killed just because of their background. Everyone deserves a chance in life without being pre judged by other people.