Saturday, August 31, 2019
Economics of Transportation Essay
Transport is usually the movement of goods and people from one destination to another and transport economics is the study of the allocation of the resources used to move freight and passengers from destination to destination. The passengers and freight are moved all the way through a transport mode because a transport mode defined as the means of moving passengers and also freight. The largest parts of transport modes are rail, road, air, sea, and pipelines. Transport system normally helps in defeating the effects that arise as a result of distance. Transport system can also provide other benefits such as enhanced opportunities for intercontinental trade and the economic assimilation, enlarged volume of market by making sure that domestic goods are sold worldwide as well as promoting the Just in Time (JIT) production techniques. In the economics of transportation components are delivered when required thus reducing a firmââ¬â¢s stock level therefore saving the unit costs. There is an improved mobility of labor because workers can live many miles from work and commute (young 3-4). Transport infrastructure is defined as the social overhead capital that can be used to give support to the movement of freight and people. In any developed economy, a considerable sum of social capital is usually set aside to develop the transport infrastructure. Transport infrastructure generates both negative and positive externalities. Investments made in the local transport infrastructure are seen as the primary stimulus for the regional economic development. This is seen when roads unlock employment opportunities and market that can benefit the third parties which may include workers and local businesses. Any time there is a change in the infrastructure, there are changes in the cost of travel and as a result the producer and consumer behavior becomes influenced (young 6). Economics of transportation comprises of transport operations which are considered as the assessments that dictate the type of transport mode that has to be employed. Transport operations decisions falls into two most important categories and they include supply side and demand side. The demand side decisions helps in choosing what journey to make, using what mode, and at what time can it be taken by firms and consumers. In the other hand the supply side decisions deals with what transport mode to provide. Transport operators normally take an account of various types of elasticity in the arrangement of prices and predicting the output. This price elasticity of demand usually predicts the outcome of a change in charges on quantity demanded and also the effect of change in charges on total revenues and expenditure, the effect of change in indirect tax that may comprise road changing and the fuel duty on price and the quantity demanded as well as the effects of price unfairness (young 11). Does transport generate externalities that can cause market failure? Literature Review According to Rodrigue transport sector is an equally important component of the economy that can bring impact to the welfare and the development of populations (para. 1). He argues that when transport systems are well-organized they are in a position of providing economic opportunities and social opportunities as well as benefits that lead to positive multipliers effects that comprise of improved accessibility to market, additional investment and employment.
Friday, August 30, 2019
Ambition in Macbeth Essay
Julius Caesar once said ââ¬Å"When the gods wish to take vengeance on a man for his crimes they usually grant him considerable success and a period of impunity, so that when his fortune is reversed he will feel it all the more bitterlyâ⬠. This quote directly reflects the problem with over ambition in effective all cases. Being over ambitious can bring someone to great heights but usually also leads to their downfall. In William Shakespeareââ¬â¢s Macbeth, the situation is no different. Macbeth, the protagonist in the play, is cursed with over ambition. This affliction brings him to great heights in his career however ultimately leads him to his downfall. Three main examples of Macbethââ¬â¢s blind ambition go as follows. Near the beginning of the play Macbeth is awarded the title of the Thane of Cawdor by the late Kind Duncan after he managed to capture the previous thane on crimes of treason. Macbeth is temporarily content with his title but that was not to last. Upon his wife, named Lady Macbeth, receiving word of a prophesy regarding Macbeth becoming king she begins to hatch a plot to have Macbeth seize power from Duncan. Macbeth, hesitantly accepts the plot after much prodding from his wife by sayingâ⬠I am settled, and bend up each corporal agent to this terrible feat. Away, and mock the time with fairest show: false face must hide what the false heart doth know. â⬠(1.7. 89-93) This simply means that he must hide his true intentions from Duncan before he kills him. Shortly after his coronation, Macbeth begins to fell unsafe with his position. He feels the guilt bearing down on him at almost every moment in the day and he has trouble sleeping. He ponders the witches prophesy and realizes the next step that he must take. The witches stated that Banquo ââ¬Å"Thou shalt get kings, though thou be none: So all hail, Macbeth and Banquo! â⬠(1.3.70-71) Given this knowledge, Macbeth is worried that Banquo may overthrow Macbeth. He hires three murderers to go out and kill Banquo and his son Fleance. He says ââ¬Å"Well then, now Have you considerââ¬â¢d of my speeches? Know That it was he in the times past which held you So under fortune, which you thought had been Our innocent self: this I made good to you In our last conference, passââ¬â¢d in probation with you, How you were borne in hand, how crossââ¬â¢d, the instruments, Who wrought with them, and all things else that might To half a soul and to a notion crazed Say ââ¬ËThus did Banquo.ââ¬â¢ â⬠(3.1.80-90) By saying this, he basically pins all of their troubles on Banquo and thus giving them reason to kill him. The third and ultimately final example of Macbethââ¬â¢s reckless ambition occurs when Macbeth has the family of MacDuff, one of his Thanes, killed to simply send a message to the people of Scotland that he was not to be trifled with. Coincidentally, the reason that spurred him on to do this and the reason MacDuff manages to convince Prince Malcolm are quite closely connected. MacDuff escapes to England to raise an army against Macbeth, upon arriving he is questioned by Malcolm who had escaped previously as to the reason for his arrival. The only thing that allowed MacDuff to convince Malcolm to do this for him was the furor he had mustered upon receiving word of his dead family. He exclaims: ââ¬Å"O, I could play the woman with mine eyes And braggart with my tongue! But, gentle heavens, Cut short all intermission; front to front Bring thou this fiend of Scotland and myself; Within my swordââ¬â¢s length set him; if he ââ¬Ëscape, Heaven forgive him too! â⬠(4.3.269-273) In conclusion, these three events had temporarily positive effects and long lasting extremely negative effects on Macbeth and ultimately leading to his death. He did not remain content with the title bestowed upon him by Duncan and instead strive after the title for king for himself. He sought to stopà the prophesy bestowed upon him by the witches by having Banquo killed but revealing his guilt afterward. Finally he had the family of a potentially opposing thane murdered to send a message to him. Unchecked ambition has been the bane of powerful men and women throughout history and nothing has changed in William Shakespeareââ¬â¢s Macbeth.
Thursday, August 29, 2019
Major Influences in My Life Essay
It is often reiterated that ââ¬Å"success is one percent inspiration and ninety nine percent perspiration. â⬠I also strongly believe in it as I recall the successful events in my life, whose gradual path towards achievement was shaped by initiation developed by motivation; however, the successful implementation was attained through my sheer hard work and perseverance. I have always considered my work as my hobby, and I try my best to finish the work within the stipulated time. I donââ¬â¢t expect miracles to happen, but I have experienced that miracles happen when work is done with sincerity and diligence. Besides, there have been men and women from all walks of life, who provided the emotional support to me in my distress. Among the most trustworthy persons whom I always relied upon was my mother. I can evidently remember the difficult times during my education at school when my mother instilled the much need confidence in me, and encouraged me to never give up. It is true that education begins at home, and I was fortunate to have scholarly parents, who always tried to provide the necessary paraphernalia to me, including their assistance in understanding the difficult subjects. Read more:à Person I admireà essay I learnt good morals from my religious mother, who inculcated virtues like honesty, loyalty, care for the elderly, and affection towards the children. My firm faith in God is also due to the holy teachings of scriptures conveyed to me by my pious mother. She always taught me to love all humanity, and to follow the path of non-violence. I see myself as a mature, independent and judicious person, for which I would give the credit to my loving mother. During my school education, my teachers treated me like their friend, and emphasized the importance of punctuality and regularity in both professional as well as personal life. I owe my gratitude to my mathematics teacher, who once, said to me, ââ¬Å"It is important to have a goal, but it is more important to work towards reaching that goal. â⬠My teachers also highlighted the importance of patience and tolerance that are needed in implementing any plan. Slowly and steadily, I kept on developing these personality traits in me, and I confess that I am grateful to my teachers for imparting such motivational and positive education to me. I would also like to acknowledge the contribution of my supervisor at the McDonaldââ¬â¢s restaurant, who helped me to identify my strengths and weaknesses. Whenever I committed a mistake, my supervisor would politely tell me about my wrong deeds, and moreover, suggest an optimum solution. It was under his supervision that I learnt good workplace skills like time management, organizational management, decision making and problem solving. Although my supervisor was kind, good listener, encouraging and forgiving, I noticed that he was never angry, and kept his cool in most difficult times. I admire him for his positive qualities, and I must admit that I have learnt some of these good traits from him; as a result, I have been able to balance my personal and professional life due to proper management of time and stress. I have realized that learning is a continuous process that continues the whole life, but to apply the virtues in practical life, there are role models who provide the necessary encouragement. I owe my gratitude to my parents, especially my mother, my teachers at school, and to my supervisor, who enabled me to imbibe the morals, and practice them in daily life. As a result of their positive influence, I have become a responsible citizen of the society. I have firm faith in myself, and also, I confide in my friends and relatives. My teaching lessons from home and school have equipped me with problem solving and decision making skills. Besides, my mentors have helped me to acquire good interpersonal skills, which have made me adorable among friends and colleagues. Now, I continue to learn from my distinguished professors in the university as I pursue a rigorous undergraduate degree program.
Wednesday, August 28, 2019
WONDERWORKS (TN) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words
WONDERWORKS (TN) - Essay Example The Wonder world building is among the many architectural developments that initiated changes and abilities for building designs to take shapes different from the normal that considered the need for the foundation to have a huge base that can carry the pressure of the whole structure. Wonder works is an amusement center that provides fun to all people ranging from children to mature people. With a wide range of activities involved in the place, many of the amusement activities have standards developed for safety of the users and the constant information of the management to the people on a number of occurrences. The occasions creates an attachment to the customers to keeps them protected and ensuring that they play their role in ensuring safety is provided for at all times. Much of the material developed here reflects the architectural works that went into the development of the structure. The details of this work provide an understanding into the works that went into the development of this building and the different questions of when, where, the size, civilization and cultures involved in the construction. The works also consider the nature of the construction as per the years when it was constructed comparing with the current level of input that would have gone into it if it were to be built today. Considering these, the materials used, and the possible material components of the structure, one understands the developments into the architectural field and their effects to the works in general. The details of the work explain these factors starting with a bibliography of Wonder Works. ââ¬Å"WonderWorks Pigeon Forge: 50% Theme Park, 50% Science Museum, & 100% Funâ⬠as the saying above goes, Wonderworks is a placed filled with fun and amusement. The place is located inside a very huge upside-down building, which is a symbol of great architectural works that existed since the years of earlier developments in buildings. The building provides amusement,
Tuesday, August 27, 2019
What is the relationship between Leadership and Ethics, why they must Essay
What is the relationship between Leadership and Ethics, why they must be related and how they can be related in daily Leadership in the Intelligence Community - Essay Example Leadership, which establishes the corporate identity, is difficult to delineate in terms of moral leadership, mainly because leadership is about the ââ¬Å"influence of individual character and the impact of personal mentoringâ⬠(Gini, Structural Restraints, par. 11), while moral leadership is considered a reflection of acceptable organizational values. According to Paul Hoffman, core values are what define individuals while ethics are demonstrated through behavior. Values are constant but ethics are different in different settings, and things are right, wrong, true or false, according to observed behavior. Therefore, in terms of leadership, organizational values should be reflected in leadership behavior and if not, the leaderââ¬â¢s commitment to these values is questionable. Organizational failure can be attributed to personal greed over expressed organizational values. When an executive has low ethical standards of behavior, workers feel justified in responding in kind. Therefore, they consider bending the rules to be acceptable and are apt to be late for work, often absent, and three quarters of workers in a survey admitted they did not give the job their ââ¬Å"best effort.â⬠In other words, ââ¬Å"American workers are as ethical/dutiful in doing their jobs as their bosses and companies are perceived to be ethical/dutiful in leading and directing themâ⬠(Gini, par. 2). A decade ago, business ethics were viewed in terms of administrative compliance with rules and regulations to maintain a market share. The situation has changed in a global business community, and companies are beginning to realize they must earn the respect and confidence of their customers (Business Ethics). Ethical behavior in business is under more scrutiny than ever before, mainly because of recent eventsââ¬â9/11, Enron, terrorism and the war in Iraq, along with a devastating economy and an unexpected number
Nobel Peace Prize laureate Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words
Nobel Peace Prize laureate - Essay Example In between he served briefly as Prime minister in the year 1973 ââ¬â 74. This Nobel Prize held a lot of significance to the person receiving it. It is the highest honor for any individual to be recognized for their sincere and selfless efforts taken towards acquiring peace and stability for their country and countrymen. It was Alfred Nobelââ¬â¢s wish that the Peace Prize should be awarded to those noble people who strived hard for brotherhood and peace, sometimes even at the cost of their own lives, as happened to Muhamed Anwar Al Sadat. The Nobel Peace Prize of 1978 was given as a joint award to the Israeli Prime minister Menachen Begin and Muhamed Anwar Al Sadat for their courage in bringing peace to their countries in the face of adversity. The Middle East, for the last thirty years has been torn and ravaged with the scars of so many different wars and was badly in need of peace as well as a strong reconstruction program to help it to its feet once again. This noble deed came in the guise of the President of Egypt, Muhamed Sadat who exerted a lot of effort on the peace front. The Egyptian government was deep in debt and hence was forced to sell its interests to the British Government and linked the Mediterranean Sea with the Indian Ocean through the Suez Canal. These resources were then utilized by the British and the French to lay the foundation for a strong political control over Egypt and its affairs. He completed his education at the Military College. In Egypt and soon after his graduation, he was posted at a distant out post by the government authorities. It was during this time that he met a person called Gamal Abdel Nasser and began a long political association with him, which finally led to his presidency. This out post served as the culmination point of revolutionaries like himself who were determined to overthrow the British rule. Sadat went to jail a couple of times
Monday, August 26, 2019
How Much Does Budget Affect the Artistic Content of a Film Dissertation
How Much Does Budget Affect the Artistic Content of a Film - Dissertation Example This paper shall discuss how films get funded and the impact of the budget to the overall artistic content of the movies. Body Films usually get funded by major film studios. These studios have a significant amount of money at their disposal and have insurance financing options to secure their investments (Vaux, 1999). Having their financial support can help cover any filmââ¬â¢s requirements ensuring that all important details, as well as the mundane details and expenses of any movie would be covered. Independent distributors, as well as talent agencies, government agencies, and non-profit organizations can also contribute the necessary funds for the making of these films (Vaux, 1999). Budgeting for any film can bring about a variety of benefits. A bigger budget can mean that the best crew can be hired to assist in the filmmaking process. It also means that the filmmakers can allocate more resources into making the best film which they can possibly make (The Guardian, 2010). They can spend more money for special effects, visual effects, and for other technical elements of the movie. In other words, a filmââ¬â¢s budget can impact on the visual quality of the movie. The process of budgeting has various goals and it establishes a clear framework for the movie decisions (Garon, 2008). As a result, if an independent film would be made on a very small budget, then some items for the movie must be reduced to a near zero allocation. This would lead to the film being shot locally or with one or two areas doubling for other locations. This also means that the film has no budget for travel expenses or accommodation expenses for its actors and film crew (Garon, 2008). In these instances, the location shoots cannot be maximized for the movie and the extent to which the film crew can go to make the movie better is limited. The film budget usually sets the tone of the movie. Labels like no-budget, low-budget or high-budget usually establishes early assumptions about the movie. With ââ¬Ëno-budget moviesââ¬â¢, a rough ambiance is usually expected and moderate success in their actual release can already translate to large returns (Garon, 2008). On the other hand, high-budget films have to have huge box-office returns in order to support the expense of filmmaking. Some studios often even exaggerate their budget in order to increase their advances and put across the message that the filmmakers had the necessary budget to work with (Garon, 2008). The budget of films is generally significant in making the best film which can possibly be made. However, most filmmakers agree that budget is a tool which can be changed at various stages of the movie making. For independent artists, various budget scenarios which are supported by best case financing and worst case financing ideas can be changed at different stages of the filming process. Some scenes may therefore be reshot according to budget adjustments (Garon, 2008). And writers may end up rewriting a nd the script based on financial limitations, revising the storytelling process to accommodate the filmââ¬â¢s budget. For example, if the script calls for a cafe in France, the writer may shift to a local coffee shop for a story or scene to unfold. As to whether the artistic content of the movie is compromised in the process is often based on how the scene is shot with its essential elements in place, as well as its ability
Sunday, August 25, 2019
Wal-Marts approach to Purchasing and Supply-Chain Management Essay
Wal-Marts approach to Purchasing and Supply-Chain Management - Essay Example This report stresses that Wal-Mart is a retailer of consumer goods. Its ultimate strategy is to offer products at low prices thus becoming a common primary area of interest among various business experts in terms of costs. This low pricing strategy is the core competitive strategy for the retail store. However, besides this, its purchasing and supply-chain management have great contribution too; the actual business world William. The Wal-Mart failed in Germany because the management wanted to implement the United States model to the Germany market. The Wal-Mart management pressured the executives in Germany to enforce management styles of American in the workplace. For instance, workers were forbidden dating colleagues in the organizationââ¬â¢s influential positions or flirt with colleagues Huff Post Business This paper shows that the presented activities, Wal-Mart are trying to employ in order to create there competitive advantage primarily using itââ¬â¢s purchasing and supply-chain management for this reason have proved effective. It was found that these activities with information technology have helped Wal-Mart create a competitive advantage over other players in the retail chain store industry. Therefore, to gain competitive advantage in an industry an organization will need to choose the right business models and adopt the right technology to develop a competitive advantage in the industry.
Saturday, August 24, 2019
Kosovo Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 5000 words
Kosovo - Essay Example Thorough investigations will be carried out to find the technical process that goes behind in making these visual designs. The investigation also explores the successful factors of using visual designs, such as logos and identifying their processes, techniques and development. In contrast the not so effective visual designs will also be investigated, to find out what went wrong in the process and development. For this project it was essential to undertake a motive and start experimenting to what can be done with visual design. Moreover to see the impact of how these techniques change the perception of a country. The chosen country for this experiment is Kosovo. Kosovo proved to be more of a challenge to experiment with as many still view Kosovo as a war torn country. The experiment on designing for Kosovo is an attempt to replicate the development and effort that goes behind branding to engage the audience to a visual design. 1. Definition of Visual Design Visual design is not about what the message is through the word. The design is supposed to show both emotions and visuals. The graphics elements must incorporate visual art skills prior to any graphic elements are applied to a design. Visual art includes works which are primarily visual in nature using anything from traditional media to state of the art logo design. Majority of basic visual design concept include colour, contrast, typography, composition, lie, texture, space and shape. Lines are used to guide the viewer thought a composition also the use of type in a visual design can add visual interest. A logo is a name or trademark of a company. Logos are used by companies o represent a concise image of the company. Our eyes are drawn to visual objects; people generally find it easier to remember a simple image over works alone. A logo is also graphical mark thatââ¬â¢s used to identify an organization, company, production or brand even individuals to aid and promote instant public recognition. A logo ca n either be purely graphic as a symbol/Icon or it can be composed of the name of the company/brand etc. 2. The importance of visual design and their effects in nation branding Visual design symbolizes the establishment and provides a quality image, representing one of the missed elements needed the nationsââ¬â¢ nation branding factors. Either the country doesnââ¬â¢t have one or it isnââ¬â¢t good enough. The research conducted will provide some in depth details of the process that is done in the background on how to make a logo that can help Kosovo stand out it a fears completion when it comes to branding. There are countries, cities and tourist resorts that are facing increasing competitions to attract tourists, possibly inhabitants and various companies to visit their regions or to promote exports, according to Teemu Moilanen and Seppo Rainisto (2009). Figures compiled by Teemu Moilanen and Seppo Rainisto, show that there are more than 300 cities in the world with over a m illion inhabitants. Most of the cities want to stand out from the other competing cities, in terms of attracting the tourists to visit the cityââ¬â¢s tourist attractions. Indeed there is more to branding a country than visual design. However, the visual design is the first step to promoting the country at its core. 3. The successes and failures of visual identities The destinations that are going to be investigated for this research are four distinct country tourism destinations. The research
Friday, August 23, 2019
Upward Mobility Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words
Upward Mobility - Essay Example I am educated enough to do two jobs at a time. If I leave either of them, I would not be able to party and shop as much as I do now. This will affect my relationship with friends as I would not get to see them quite often. My friends have always been great source of financial and emotional support for me. I have based my analysis of the social class I belong to on the basis of my perceptions that have fundamentally been shaped by the media. People who work hard and party at the end of the day and have all the necessities of life are placed in the upper middle class society by the media. Media has played a very important role in shaping our class perceptions. ââ¬Å"While textual studies focus on in-depth analysis of particular shows, other researchers have compiled demographic portraits across all television drama programming at a given point in timeâ⬠(Butsch, 2011). Media influences and encourages the audience to move upwards in their respective social classes by possessing mo re
Thursday, August 22, 2019
Victorian childhood Essay Example for Free
Victorian childhood Essay Childhood has changed dramatically in the last 200 years. Life was hard and rough for working people in Britain at the end of the 19th century. From a very early age, children were expected to do all they could to help their parents, this was necessary in order for the family to survive. Life was quite different in a wealthy home- there was plenty of space, good food and clothes, and no duties to do as a child. However all children were expected to be seen and not heard, and to respect their elders. Be grateful, boy, to them which brought you up by hand Mr. Pumblechook, page 26à In the novel Great Expectations, there are three children who grow up throughout the story, Pip the main character, Estella, and Herbert Pocket. Society was firmly divided into three parts in the Victorian era, there were upper class, middle class, and working class people. Pip is an orphan, he lives with his sister and her husband Joe Gargery. Pips family are working class as Joe does hard, manual work. Wife of Joe Gargery, the blacksmith Pip, page 7Upper class people had a very superior attitude to anyone below them. Estella was born into poverty as her parents were criminals, but she was adopted by Miss Havisham so was brought up as upper-class. Miss Havisham invites Pip to her estate and wants Estella to play with him.à With this boy! Why, he is a common labouring-boy! Estella, page 57à Later it becomes apparent that Miss Havisham cultivated her to become a man hater like herself after she was stood-up on her wedding day. Charles Dickens himself, born in 1812 had a childhood like many of those portrayed in his novels, not a particularly happy one. Due to his fathers imprisonment he was sent to work in a blacking warehouse, memories of this time haunted him for the rest of his life.à Oliver Twist another well-known character created by Dickens portrays a slightly more typical poor Victorian childhood; being driven into crime at such an early age in order to survive in Victorian London.à Working class children were sent out of the house early in the morning, and not allowed to return until dusk, and children of wealthy parents were brought up by nannies and governess and sometimes only saw their parents for a few minutes a day. Pips sister, Mrs Joe Gargery is very proud of the fact that she has raised Pip herself, or by hand as she is constantly reminding him. If it warnt for me youd have been to the churchyard long ago who brought you up by hand? Mrs Joe Gargery, pageà à Mrs Joe Gargery has established a great reputation with herself and the neighbours because she has brought Pip up by hand. But in this case, by hand means to be brought up using violence. Mrs Joe used Tickler to beat Pip.à Tickler was a wax-ended piece of cane, worn smooth by collision with my tickled frame Pip, page This certainly worked to beat fear in to him as shown on page 15; Pip and Joe are trying to communicate without speaking so that Mrs Joe doesnt get angry.à Using violence to teach children to behave was not uncommon in the Victorian era, particularly in schools. In fact, if the child had been naughty at home the parents would often tell the headmaster so that he would be punished in school.
Wednesday, August 21, 2019
Native Americans in the United States Essay Example for Free
Native Americans in the United States Essay Dentify the economic, political, and/or social causes of the Civil War assess the influence of individuals and groups in the U. S. government on Reconstruction assess the influence of individuals and groups in the South on Reconstruction distinguish and analyze the freedoms guaranteed to African Americans in the 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments to the Constitution analyze the various components of Jim Crow legislation and their effects on Southern minorities describe efforts by the U. S. Government to assimilate Native Americans into American culture identify significant events that impacted the relationship between the government, Native Americans, and American citizens identify settlement patterns in the American West, the reservation system, and/or the tribulations of the Native Americans from 1865ââ¬â90 After completing this lesson, you will be able to evaluate the causes and consequences of the Civil War identify the economic, political, and/or social causes of the Civil War assess the influence of individuals and groups in the U. S. government on Reconstruction assess the influence of individuals and groups in the South on Reconstruction distinguish and analyze the freedoms guaranteed to African Americans in the 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments to the Constitution analyze the various components of Jim Crow legislation and their distinguish and analyze the freedoms guaranteed to African Americans in the 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments to the Constitution effects on Southern minorities describe efforts by the U. S. Government to assimilate Native Americans into American culture identify significant events that impacted the relationship between the government, Native Americans, and American citizens identify settlement patterns in the American West, the reservation system, and/or the tribulations of the Native Americans from 1865ââ¬â90After completing this lesson, you will be able to evaluate the causes and consequences of the Civil War identify the economic, political, and/or social causes of the Civil War assess the influence of individuals and groups in the U. S. Government on Reconstruction assess the influence of individuals and groups in the South on Reconstruction distinguish and analyze the freedoms guaranteed to African Americans in the 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments to the Constitution analyze the various components of Jim Crow legislation and their effects on Southern minorities describe efforts by the U. S. government to assimilate Native Americans into American culture identify significant events that impacted the relationship between the government, Native Americans, and American citizens identify settlement patterns in the American West, the reservation system, and/or the tribulations of the Native Americans from 1865ââ¬â90.
Tuesday, August 20, 2019
Motivation among Construction workers in Cyprus
Motivation among Construction workers in Cyprus This assignment serves as a proposal for the dissertation requirements and the associated research to be carried out. The dissertation paper will focus on individual development in terms of motivation. More specifically, it will investigate the levels of motivation of the employees in the Construction industry of Cyprus, using Maslows Needs Hierarchy as its theoretical base. The main research question to be addressed is What is the degree of satisfaction at each level of Maslows Hierarchy of Needs among the Construction Industry workers in Cyprus? The particular industry, throughout the world and in Cyprus, faces a series of problems (Yankov Kleiner, 2001). Some of the problems include communication and coordination problems. Also, productivity is observed to be relatively low when compared with other sectors, and this has a direct effect on inflating costs and organisational inefficiency. Parkin et al. (2009) states that motivation is an important factor influencing productivity and that various forms of rewards can stimulate motivation. The particular research aims to determine the degree of satisfaction and the importance of each level of Maslows Hierarchy for workers. This will contribute to the better understanding of employee motivation by managers and thus help in the designing of appropriate reward systems that will have a significant impact on increasing employee motivation. The inspiration for conducting such research came from the authors personal interest on the specific industry and topic, after working as a construction site manager for some time and studying various motivation theories through the current course. Additionally, no research has been conducted on the specific industry on the island until now. All these make the proposed research interesting and important since it will introduce some understanding on the motivation levels of the workers and it will help the rapidly developing construction industry of Cyprus to become more cost effective through adopting more suitable management practises. The following sections introduce the key literature on the topic and the proposed methodology to be used. Also, some details are given on the problems to be addressed, the context of the study, the planned timeframe and the anticipated contributions of this research to theory, knowledge and practise. Review of Key Literature Motivation and Content Theories Motivation can be defined as the cognitive, decision-making process through which goal-directed behaviour is initiated, energized, and directed and maintained (Buchanan Huczynski, 2004, p.244). Content Theories of motivation focus on the goals to which humans aim to achieve (Mullins, 2007, p.256). One of the earliest content theories is the needs hierarchy by Abraham Maslow (1943). Other content theories followed Maslows work, such as Alderfers ERG model and Herzbergs Two Factor theory, but the Hierarchy of Needs is the cornerstone theory on individual development and motivation. Since motivation is a determinant of behaviour and performance, content theories such as the work of Maslow aim to provide the contextual framework for understanding the various motives, and thus using the information to influence performance (Parkin, et al, 2009). The main criticism of such theories is that they lack robust empirical support, especially Maslows Hierarchy of Needs (Roberts, 1982). Additionally, there is a fundamental problem in applying them in organisational settings since most of the above theories concentrate on the individual and so downgrade social interaction, culture and learning (Trigg, 2004). Nevertheless, content theories are extensively used by managers as a framework for dealing with their employees. Maslows Hierarchy of Needs in brief Dr. Maslow started his study on the hierarchy of human needs when he became interested to find out why two of his professors were so different from the rest (Maslow, 1975). Unlike previous researchers, he synthesised a wide body of research and adopted a holistic approach on studying human motivation (Francis Kritsonis, 2006). So he proposed the hierarchy of needs, consisting of five parameters, with the top level being Self-Actualisation. The top level is discussed in further detail in the next section. The pyramid below illustrates the five needs in the order of their priority. Source: Shoura Singh, 1998 Maslow (1943) briefly describes the five parameters as follows: Physiological Needs: these are the starting point for motivation and they are also called physiological needs. They include survival needs such as food, water and sleep. Safety Needs: after fulfilling the survival needs, one needs to secure his body and his job. Also, there is the need to protect his property and family. Belonging Needs: the need to belong to a social group, to love and being loved and fellowship with others. Esteem Needs: the need for recognition, achievement and independence. The need for high self-evaluation based on capability and the respect of others. Self-Actualization Needs: the advancement of the individual and humanity through elevating spirituality, true perception and growth. Lingard and Rowlinson (2005) explain that individuals progress up the pyramid in a systematic manner. In other words, once the lower need has been satisfied, it is no longer a motivator and the next parameter becomes the primary motivator. This is known as the concept of satisfaction-progression process. Moreover, Mullins (2007) adds that there exists a decreasing degree of satisfaction at each level. So as lower needs become more satisfied, higher level needs start to emerge. Finally, Maslow (1943) explains that there are exceptions, where the hierarchy is not necessarily in the proposed order for them. Examples of such exceptions include people in chronic unemployment who may lose interest in higher level needs because they seek satisfaction from low level needs. Empirical Studies and Criticism of the Hierarchy Maslows theory served as the theoretical basis for numerous research projects (Shoura Singh, 1998). Some studies found Maslows theory to be valid when empirically tested, while others criticised it for not applying to non-western cultures and other classes than the middle class. Some of the studies that confirmed the theory include the study measuring motivation levels in Venezuela by Socorro and Ramirez (1986) and in USA by Hankins and Clark (1989). In addition, a study on personality-factor tendencies in Israel by Megen (1985) found that the tendencies were highly consistent with Maslows Self-actualization characteristics. Finally, Lester et al (1983) found that the levels of satisfaction of the parameters were related to measures of neuroticism, therefore making Maslows theory credible. Recent studies by Parkin et al (2009) and Kazaz and Ulubeyli (2007) found that the decreasing degree of satisfaction of the parameters was not valid for construction workers in Turkey. They claim that higher needs appeared more accomplished than lower level needs, and that extrinsic rewards (monetary) were the main motivators. Moreover, some theoretical criticism suggests that Maslows methodology was not scientifically appropriate and that the sample he used was extremely exclusive (Trigg, 2004). Also, various authors, including Alderfer, challenged the satisfaction-progression hypothesis, saying that any one deficiency can exist along another one. Finally, Buchanan and Huczynski (2004) and Maher (2002) state that the definition of Self-actualization is too vague and leads to empirical problems, and that the hierarchy cannot fully interpret behaviour as it lacks aspects of evolution, learning, culture and social interaction. Self-Development Potential Total Self-Development, or Self-actualization, drives humans to expand awareness, beyond common materialistic knowledge, into higher consciousness levels of existence (Shoura Singh, 1998). This parameter can be linked with Total Quality Management practises in the sense that if a person is on its pursuit it means that he will extend his potential, become more operational and effective. Furthermore, the pursuit of self-actualization is responsible for the expansion of the mind, which can be very useful for organisations. This is because such employees strive to acquire understanding beyond common, available knowledge, and this can translate into human capital (Singh, 1996). Maslow (1943) states that self-actualizing people develop Being Values. These are the ultimate values that cannot be reduced to anything more ultimate (Maslow, 1975). Despite the fact that they develop during the final parameter, they still behave like needs- thats why they are called metaneeds (Goble, 2004). Failure to fulfil such metaneeds leads to the sickness of the soul, also known as metapathology. On the other hand, if such needs are fulfilled, then the individual enjoys life the most, with vivid experiences and is able to see symbolism in various aspects. Of course, this parameter is also an on-going process, where the individual goes back and forth from the previous parameter (Maslow, 1975). Motivation, Productivity and Work Many authors stress that motivation levels can affect productivity to a great extend (Parkin et al, 2009; Mullins, 2007). Yankov and Kleiner (2001) add that by applying motivation theories on organisational context can help managers understand the levels of motivation for employees and design systems for the optimization of human resources in the production. Such systems can include both extrinsic and intrinsic rewards, depending on the employees indicated deficiencies. The research proposed by this essay will attempt to define the motivation parameters fulfilment using Maslows Hierarchy of need. This will give insights to managers in the specific industry on the deficiencies of the workforce. Therefore this data will assist in the development of suitable reward systems that will cover the suggested deficiencies and increase productivity through increased motivation. Why use Maslow and not any other Content theory? The proposed research will utilize Maslows theory because it is the most incorporated theory in the Business world (Buchanan Huczynski, 2004). Management fashions such as TQM, BPR and job enrichment integrate Maslows ideas for motivation since it has a broad coverage. Moreover, it is the only theory with such depth and close ties with psychology, which is one of the researchers personal interests. Proposed Methodology Research Questions What methodology must be developed for suitably assessing the motivation parameters of employees in the Construction Industry of Cyprus? What is the degree of satisfaction at each parameter of Maslows Needs Hierarchy among workers in the Construction Industry of Cyprus? How can managers use the findings to increase motivation levels, and thus productivity? Methodology related Questions What is a sufficient sample? How errors will be limited and reliability will be ensured? Approach, Target Group and Sample Sufficiency The target group for the specific research are the low ranking workers on the construction sites to be visited. These include builders, plumbers, electricians and any other technician that does not hold a managerial position. By including all the type of employees working in the Construction Industry, a holistic approach of motivation parameters will be retrieved for the whole industry. The collection of data will be obtained through personal survey by the researcher, with the uses of a quantitative questionnaire. Since the actual meaning of a dissertation is a small scale research, a sample of 50 to 70 responders should be sufficient, provided that the majority of those asked will take part in the research. As section 4 explains, responders will be randomly selected, provided that they hold a low ranking position, and the sites to be visited will be both random and specific. The questionnaire intends to include questions that cover the 5 motivational parameters, in order to be able to develop a quantitative assessment for each responder at each parameter. Each parameter will be covered by more than one question. The response to questions will be measured using a Likert Scale from 1 to 7, with 1 representing total disagreement and 7 total agreement. Additionally, the responder will be asked to respond to the same questions in terms of personal importance. Triangulation of Data The Triangulation theory enables researchers to assess and complete hypotheses (Denzin, 1978). Based on this, the questionnaire will include multiple questions studying the same variable, and also questions will be randomized to check whether responses to similar questions are matched. Evaluation Methods For data evaluation, some terminology and formulas are adopted from Shoura and Singh (1998). This also helps in cross reference compatibility. Firstly, all the questions will be grouped according to the parameter they test, and the mean value of each responder for all questions will be calculated (Quality Index numerical parameter). Then, all the QIs will be averaged to find the group QI. QI is helpful to see the instant perception of questions by responders. The same procedure will be done for the responses of the same questions for personal importance. This will be named Relevance Factor (RF). Moreover, QI will be divided by RF, and with using a convenience factor multiplication (k), it will produce a value between 1 and 100 (Scaled QI). This will serve as an additional numerical parameter for assessment. To illustrate the use of SQI, lets say that RF is high. This produces a low SQI that shows that attention must be placed on the specific parameter. Finally, regarding the central tendency theorem, the standard deviation of QI, RF and SQI will be calculated to see question responses fluctuated around the average. Where central tendency is observed, it is important to analyse the data since important conclusions can be drawn. The appendix contains the statistical formulas. Effectiveness of Proposed Methodology and Alternative methods availability The proposed methodology is expected to be effective since it appears to be rational and triangulated. In addition, the work of Shoura and Singh (1998) helped in the final formulation. A similar version was tested in Honolulu and the results were credible. This methodology can be made more effective by relating the results with demographics, where especially age is very important in the analysis of Self-Actualization. Unfortunately, integrating such an analysis will exceed the length of such a small research project. Alternative methods of assessing motivation parameters include recorded interviews with employees or with managers that lay down their views about their staff. However, this takes a qualitative data form which requires a more complex analysis. So a quantitative data collection is preferred, where responses are homogeneous and easier to analyse. Some other researchers chose to send their questionnaires through email or by post. The specific researcher prefers to be involved personally in the data collection to make sure that there is complete understanding and everything goes as planned. Ethical Considerations and Practical Considerations It is important to state once again that this research is intended to be of a small scale; therefore no generalizations can be made using its findings. Nonetheless, it can be used as a reference on future research. Moreover, subjects will be fully explained of the requirements and be assured that the research will remain anonymous and will not affect their job. This information will be printed on the questionnaire and further stressed by the researcher. Further considerations on ethics include the fact that participation is voluntary and that the completed questionnaires will not be shown to anyone. Finally, the supervisor will sign a statement confirming the purpose of the research and the results will be shown to managers whose employees participated. For the timeframe and the feasibility issues of the research see Section 4. Context, Timeframe and feasibility Context of Study The researcher plans to distribute the questionnaires in construction sites in the 4 main provinces in Cyprus Larnaca, Nicosia, Limassol and Paphos. Each province consists of one major city and a number of small villages around it. The sites to be visited include some specific and random. The specific sites are those known through acquaintances made during working experience. The criteria for selecting the random sites will be their convenient location and the number of workers on the site. The questionnaire will be distributed randomly to low ranking employees that are willing to participate in the research. In regards to the construction industry of Cyprus, it is a rapidly developing industry producing around 20% of the Republics GDP (CYSTAT, 2010). The particular industry also serves as a significant foreign currency earner, since properties are exported mainly to residents from the UK and Russia. The workers on the sites can be described as low skilled labour with low educational qualifications, mainly of eastern European nationalities. The specific research will only target these technicians and will exclude any qualified engineers and high ranking staff since most of them occupy a managerial position. Finally, it is observed that most firms in the industry do not have an HRM department. So any reward schemes are designed by CEOs who are not specialized in the field, especially in terms of motivation. Timeframe The time-line of the research is designed in advance. All tasks are given generous time and the plan aims to finish the whole project 2 weeks before the deadline. These actions allow for any unexpected events that may occur and disturb some tasks. The calendar in the Appendix shows the timeline in detail. Briefly, the first literature review will start on the 21 of March and last for 3 weeks. Then the questionnaire will be designed using one week and in the next two weeks, data will be collected by visiting the various sites and handing out the questionnaires. On the 1st of June, a deeper literature review will take place for 3 weeks and then the data will be recorded and analysed. After analysing the data, one week will be dedicated to studying literature and relating to results. The final task is to write the dissertation, and this will take 4 weeks. Feasibility The weeks that data will be collected are appropriate since they do not involve any holidays and workers are expected to be on the site. Also, it is a good time for the researcher since the weeks do not collide with exams or any other obligations. Finally, a friend acting as a translator is available at that specific time. Furthermore, some of the site managers were informed about the research on their staff, and are happy to collaborate. Some other conditions that need to be met to ensure the smooth running of the research include: A translator will accompany the researcher to ensure that the subjects fully understand the questions and the requirements (the translator is a friend of the researcher, speaking Bulgarian, Romanian and Turkish, that has confirmed that he will participate) The researcher will be present to provide clarifications and instructions The questions have to be designed so that the most illiterate person can understand them Identification of the Problems to be addressed The suggested research will address the problem between employees motivation and productivity, by examining the motivation parameter fulfilment on Maslows Needs Hierarchy. Through this, other problems will also be addressed. These include the lack of empirical data on the motivation levels of the workers in the specific industry that can be used by managers in order to design policies that stimulate motivation. Finally, the results can be used to find out whether contemporary reward schemes address the needs of workers or they are irrelevant and ineffective. Research Contributions Similar studies on motivation claim that they contributed both in theory and practice. Kazaz and Ulubeyli (2007) suggest that their study contributed to the enhancement of the validity of Maslows Theory but also indicated that some concepts are not completely valid. Furthermore, Parkin et al, (2009) and Shoura and Singh (1998) suggest that they provided vital insights to managers in the specific industries that will contribute to the fine-tuning of Human Resources. The specific study will also contribute to theory, in the sense that it will try to test the validity of Maslows theory in a small island society and on a lower societal class than the middle class. Additionally, it aims to add to the knowledge on the motivation levels of employees in the Construction Industry of Cyprus, which may act as an inspiration for future research. Finally, it aims to help management practice in an industry where HR expertise is limited and reward schemes are designed randomly, based on instinct and experience.
The Reagan Tax Cuts And Foreign Policy Essay -- essays research papers
The Reagan Tax Cuts and Foreign Policy During the 1980's President Ronald Reagan's (our 40th president from 1981 to 1989) domestic policy of a substantial tax cut led to greatly increased economic prosperity for our country. During Reagan's administration marked changes were made to the tax code and economic statistics showed a major change for the better. However, at the same time, the Democrats controlled the Congress and continued increased spending against Reagan's wishes. The Joint Economic Committee stated that an across-the-board tax cut was not new. In the 20's the Mellon tax cuts were implemented by Secretary of Treasury Andrew Mellon during the Administrations of Hoover, Harding, and Coolidge. In the 60's Kennedy introduced tax cuts. In both instances the decrease of high marginal tax rates somehow increased tax payments by the rich. Perhaps a foreshadow of things to come. Debates were raging over the Reagan tax cuts, known as the Economic Recovery Tax Act of 1981 (or, ERTA). This act was designed to spur savings, investment, work, and economic efficiency. This policy would impose a 25% across-the-board cut in personal marginal tax rates. In the act of decreasing marginal tax rates, and stimulating economic incentives, ERTA would increase the flow of resources into production, thus lifting economic growth. This policy received much criticism because its opponents argued that ERTA would be a giveaway to the rich, because their tax payments would collapse. Reagan worked hard and skillfully with the congress to obtain legislation to stimulate economic growth and curb inflation, he embarked upon a course to cut taxes and curb inflation. President Reagan was able to sign into law a tax cut in late 1981 even though congressional Democrats tried to block his cuts. All tax payers received these cuts which helped to spur the economy. The cuts were taken over three years with a 5% cut in 1981, a 10% cut for 1982, and in 1983 another 10% cut. Reagan's call for extensive changes in the federal income tax laws helped bring about passage of the Tax Reform Act of 1986. In 1986 Reagan introduced the Tax Reform act of 1986. The tax reform act of 1986 chopped taxes, and indexed taxes for inflation as well. During Reagan's first term the inflation rate was at -5.7%, unemployment was at1.4%, interest rates were at -.7, and the gross na... ... The aides had then illegally given some of the arms money to contra guerrillas. Conclusion The Reagan Tax cuts showed that reducing excessive tax rates stimulates growth, reduces tax avoidance, and can increase the share of tax payments given by the rich. With respect to foreign policy Reagan's performances especially with Mikhail Gorbachev showed a high approval of performance with the people. Reagan had the highest poll ratings for performance of any president since World War 2. It appears that his leadership helped to make the feeling of the country to have a more confident outlook on the future. References "Iran-Contra Affair," Microsoftà ® Encartaà ® 96 Encyclopedia 1993-1995. 1996 Grolier Interactive Inc. Edition copyright à © 1992 by Houghton Mifflin Company. http://www.house.gov/joe/welcome.html http://www.reaganhome.com/taxcuts.html http://www.theatlantic.com/atlantic/election/connections/foreign/reagrus.htm Hyland, W.G., ed., The Reagan Foreign Policy (1987). The American Heritageà ® Dictionary of the English Language, Third The Atlantic Monthly, February 1994; Reagan and the Russians; Volume 273. The Joint Economic Committee reports on the Reagan Tax Cuts
Monday, August 19, 2019
Legalization of Marijuana for Medical Use Only Essay example -- pro me
The history of U.S. policy toward mind-altering substances has followed cycles of tolerance and intolerance ever since the mid-19th century. The medical use of the cannabis plant goes back at least 5,000 years to ancient China. It has been used by most of the worldââ¬â¢s cultures for its healing properties (Medical Marijuana Cases 1). Today such conditions as Migraine headaches, Glaucoma, Cancer, Epilepsy, Asthma AIDS/HIV, Spinal injury, Muscle spasms, Insomnia etc., could be treated for symptomatic relief with cannabis or cannabis extract. However, marijuana is still considered an illegal drug in most states in the United States. Marijuana usage may have been common 20-30 years ago, but it really isnââ¬â¢t any longer. Judy Foreman states that a hardy band of activists seeking legislative approval of perennial bill that would bring Massachusetts in line with 34 other states in letting patients with certain conditions smoke marijuana (1). 2 What was known, as the ââ¬Å"wicked weedâ⬠of the sixties can be good medicine . Marijuana certainly seems safer than may other drugs, even aspirin that causes gastrointestinal bleeding, killing hundreds of people every year (Grinspoon/Bakalar 4).3 There are lots of drugs American society does not let people use except under doctorââ¬â¢s care, for instance, cocaine, Demerol, est. No one thinks we have legalized cocaine because we let surgeon or anesthesiologists use it. Therefore, the notion that there is a link between medical use and whether people should to be able to legally get stoned is nonsense. One situation does not necessarily include the other. Nevertheless, there has not been a single death by overdose (Foreman 4).2 As an enlightened society, we must reconsider the legalization of marijuana for medical use only as it eases pain and suffering of many illnesses. à à à à à To effect changing the attitudes within our society about marijuana, one must be realistic about the legislation of our own bodies. Right now cocaine and morphine are prescribed legally as medicines, and those legal uses are not adding in any significant way to the country drug problem. While experts debate the medical use of marijuana, patients in Santa Cruz, San Francisco and Alameda County are lining up at Cannabis Buyersââ¬â¢ Club to receive the drug. Despite the coffee house atmosphere at the Cannabis Buyersââ¬â¢ Club marijuana remains illegal. Although some ch... ...ting a combined total of almost 10,000 physicians statewide endorse the proposition (Donââ¬â¢t Jail Med 5).9 What can we do to help? We must stop building prisons instead we must rebuild our lives. Works Cited 1. Mikki, Norris, and Chris Conrad. Medical Marijuana Cases. N.p.: Inernet mario lap, 1996. 2. Foreman, Judy. ââ¬Å"Medical Marijuana (Acure or Curse).â⬠Boston Globe [Boston, Mass.] 7 Oct. 1991: 25-26 3. Grinspoon, Lester, and James B. Bakalar. ââ¬Å"Marihuana as Medicine A Plea for Reconsideration.â⬠American Medical Association.â⬠273 (June 1995): 1875-1876. 4. Donnelly, Kathleen. ââ¬Å"The Cannabis Prescription.â⬠San Joes Mercury News, 6 Feb à à à à à 5. Schlosser, Eric. ââ¬Å"More Reefer Madness.â⬠Atlantic Apr. 1997: 90-102 6. ââ¬Å"Deglamorising Cannabis.â⬠Editorial Lancet 11 Nov. 1995: 1241. 7. ââ¬Å"Marijuana as Medicine.â⬠Editorial San Francisco Chronicle 31 Jan. 1997: A24. 8. Morganthau, Tom. ââ¬Å"The War Over Weed.â⬠Newsweek 3 Feb. 1997: 20+. 9. ââ¬Å"Donââ¬â¢t Jail Medicinal Marijuana Patientsâ⬠. Online NORML Internet. 21 Nov. 1996. 10. Mikuriya, Tod. Marijuana Medical Handbook. N.p.: Internet. 11. Postrel, Virginia I. ââ¬Å"Reefer Madness.â⬠Washington Post 3 Mar. 1997: 4.
Sunday, August 18, 2019
John Brown: Violent Abolitionist :: essays research papers fc
John Brown was born on May 9, 1800 in Torrington, Connecticut. When he was about five years old, his father moved the family to Hudson, Ohio. There, John was filled with the heavy anti-slavery sentiment that was present in that area. This, combined with personal observations of the maltreatment of blacks and the influence of Calvinism, started John Brown on his crusade to abolish slavery. In 1855, Brown and several of his sons moved to Kansas, a territory deeply divided over the slavery issue. Brown was captured after the raid, sentenced to death, and was hung on December 2, 1859 in a field near town. On October 16, 1859, abolitionist John Brown and several followers seized the United States Armory and Arsenal at Harpers Ferry. The actions of Brown's men brought national attention to the emotional divisions relating to slavery On Pottawotamie Creek, on the night of May 24, 1856, Brown and his sons murdered three men who supported slavery, although none actually owned slaves. Brown and his sons escaped. Brown spent the next three years collecting money from wealthy abolitionists in order to establish a colony for runaway slaves. To accomplish this, Brown needed weapons and so decided to capture the arsenal at Harpers Ferry. In 1794, President George Washington had selected Harpers Ferry, Virginia, and Springfield, Massachusetts, as the sites of the new national armories. In choosing Harpers Ferry, he noted the benefit of great waterpower provided by both the Potomac and Shenandoah rivers. Producing of weapons began in 1796. In 1817, the federal government contracted with John H. Hall to manufacture his patented rifles at Harpers Ferry. The armory and arsenal continued producing weapons until its destruction at the outbreak of the Civil War. In the summer of 1859, John Brown, using the alias Isaac Smith, too k up residence near Harpers Ferry on a farm in Maryland. He trained a group of twenty-two men, including his sons Oliver, Owen, and Watson, in military training. On the night of Sunday, October 16, Brown and all but three of the men marched into Harpers Ferry, capturing several watchmen. The first victim of the raid was an African-American railroad baggage handler named Hayward Shepherd, who was shot and killed after confronting the raiders. During the night, Brown captured several other prisoners, including Lewis Washington, the great-grand-nephew of George Washington. There were two keys to the success of the raid. John Brown: Violent Abolitionist :: essays research papers fc John Brown was born on May 9, 1800 in Torrington, Connecticut. When he was about five years old, his father moved the family to Hudson, Ohio. There, John was filled with the heavy anti-slavery sentiment that was present in that area. This, combined with personal observations of the maltreatment of blacks and the influence of Calvinism, started John Brown on his crusade to abolish slavery. In 1855, Brown and several of his sons moved to Kansas, a territory deeply divided over the slavery issue. Brown was captured after the raid, sentenced to death, and was hung on December 2, 1859 in a field near town. On October 16, 1859, abolitionist John Brown and several followers seized the United States Armory and Arsenal at Harpers Ferry. The actions of Brown's men brought national attention to the emotional divisions relating to slavery On Pottawotamie Creek, on the night of May 24, 1856, Brown and his sons murdered three men who supported slavery, although none actually owned slaves. Brown and his sons escaped. Brown spent the next three years collecting money from wealthy abolitionists in order to establish a colony for runaway slaves. To accomplish this, Brown needed weapons and so decided to capture the arsenal at Harpers Ferry. In 1794, President George Washington had selected Harpers Ferry, Virginia, and Springfield, Massachusetts, as the sites of the new national armories. In choosing Harpers Ferry, he noted the benefit of great waterpower provided by both the Potomac and Shenandoah rivers. Producing of weapons began in 1796. In 1817, the federal government contracted with John H. Hall to manufacture his patented rifles at Harpers Ferry. The armory and arsenal continued producing weapons until its destruction at the outbreak of the Civil War. In the summer of 1859, John Brown, using the alias Isaac Smith, too k up residence near Harpers Ferry on a farm in Maryland. He trained a group of twenty-two men, including his sons Oliver, Owen, and Watson, in military training. On the night of Sunday, October 16, Brown and all but three of the men marched into Harpers Ferry, capturing several watchmen. The first victim of the raid was an African-American railroad baggage handler named Hayward Shepherd, who was shot and killed after confronting the raiders. During the night, Brown captured several other prisoners, including Lewis Washington, the great-grand-nephew of George Washington. There were two keys to the success of the raid.
Saturday, August 17, 2019
Human societ
The human society is a very complicated structure. It consists of a huge quantity of members, each of them with their own thoughts, emotions and experiences. The notion of ââ¬Å"societyâ⬠unifies all those members and therefore, they must correspond to the standards of that society. They have to elaborate some special mode of living, thinking, behaviour in order to be like other. ââ¬Å"Being like allâ⬠ââ¬â thatââ¬â¢s the main motto of human society of all times. Within the complex structure of society one can be happy and rich, other unhappy and poor but everyone tries to be like the rest.But it is well known that each rule can have its exceptions. So, the human society has. There are people who are not able to find their place in the society. Each of them has his own reasons. One just doesnââ¬â¢t want to be like all, the other just canââ¬â¢t behaviour like people around him and so on. In the world literature the notion of the ââ¬Å"outsiderâ⬠has been rather often discussed. Among these discussions the view of ââ¬Å"outsiderâ⬠by Thomas Mann and Albert Camus are one of the most interesting. Tonio Kroeger in the novel of the same name by T. Mann is rather a typical outsider. So, what made him to be so?Surely, he is an artist and the real artist is always a little bit different from the crowd. But there are many talented artists which are not outsiders at all in their real life. Tonio is a lonely artist. These two words- ââ¬Å"lonely artistâ⬠are able to explain the Kroegerââ¬â¢s problem. The first word is ââ¬Å"lonelyâ⬠and the second is ââ¬Å"artistâ⬠. The ââ¬Å"lonelyâ⬠is the reason and the ââ¬Å"artistâ⬠is the consequence. Kroeger has become an artist because he was lonely and couldnââ¬â¢t find himself in this life. All he can do is creating art describing the reality around him but he is not able to live in this reality.He realizes that his inability and suffers a lot because of tha t. Some of the events of this story must be perceived in symbolic manner because of Kroegerââ¬â¢s difficulties in being like other. His homosexual sympathy to Hans Hansen hasnââ¬â¢t to be understood as just a physical sexual expression. This sympathy symbolizes the Kroegerââ¬â¢s aspiration for prestige bourgeois life as Hans was the bright representative of same. Kroeger couldnââ¬â¢t find himself in this bourgeois life but was eager of living like his ââ¬Å"ordinaryâ⬠contemporaries. Thatââ¬â¢s why Hans attracted him. Kroeger lived in constant paradox within him.His heart was the heart of an artist but in his veins the bourgeois blood was flowing. He wanted to be as easygoing and careless as his friends but he couldnââ¬â¢t be so because his mind was depressed all the time by the events of the life around him and he could only describe them in his art. That was the main reason of Kroegenââ¬â¢s being the outsider. The main thing Kroeger had to learn during h is life was that probably his outstanding skills as an artist were conditioned by his withdrawing from the ordinary life. In other words, if he had been an ordinary bourgeois personality he wouldnââ¬â¢t have been a gifted artist.The main reason of his unhappiness was that he didnââ¬â¢t want to understand that simple thing: it is not possible to connect things which can not be connected ââ¬â the commonplace satisfied life and the delicate, sensitive vision of the artist. Should Kroegen understand that in time, the life would be much easier for him. But he understood that later. Perhaps, thatââ¬â¢s the fate of each real talent ââ¬â to pass through many difficulties in order to find oneself in the art. The ordinary always remains to be ordinary. It is not worth to follow it.We must follow things that we have skills for and there always will be place for the ordinary in our life ââ¬â it will come into our lives by itself. But if talented person tries to overtake the ordinary or to live between the ordinary and the exalted he or she is doomed to unhappiness and misfortune. Precisely that started to happen with Tonio Kroeger. When he understood that it is not possible to find compromise between ââ¬Å"the Dionysianâ⬠(all the passionate and emotional) and ââ¬Å"the Apollonianâ⬠(rational and reasonable) he decided to combine them in his art and that was the unique correct decision for him.Albert Camus in his ââ¬Å"Strangerâ⬠gives us the other notion of outsider. Meursault ââ¬â a man of absurd in the world of absurd, ââ¬â thatââ¬â¢s the Camusââ¬â¢ vision of the problem in case. When after the first sentence of the novel -ââ¬Å"Maman died todayâ⬠follow the indifferent meditations of the protagonist regarding when died his mother ââ¬â today or yesterday, we understand the Meursault is completely indifferent to the notions of time, place and many other phenomena of our real world. All along the novel new ar guments prove that. Meursault lives being ruled by purely physical instincts.His life consists of a number of patterns (ways of behaviour) which he uses every day. For example, he becomes sad because Sunday came and broke the customary way of his everyday life. The heat produced by the sun when he goes back from the funeral of his mother worries him more than the very death of his mother. In other words the Meursault activities look completely paradoxical for other people, but not paradoxically for him. Camus presents in his hero his understanding of life in general and of truth in particular. To say more, Meursault believes sincerely in justice and truth.But he has his own notion of that ââ¬Å"truthâ⬠. Yes, he doesnââ¬â¢t cry at his motherââ¬â¢s funeral. But on the other hand he never says lies. He doesnââ¬â¢t see any sense in acting like the rest of people. He just shows his own true emotions or indifference in each particular moment of his life. He is independent i n the full meaning of this word. He doesnââ¬â¢t believe in God, he lives by his own motives. Society tries to find some meaning in his behaviour but all in vain. It is not possible to find sense in absurd. Otherwise, it will not be absurd any more. Thus, Meursault embodies the Camusââ¬â¢ notion of so-called ââ¬Å"relative truthâ⬠.That is not all societyââ¬â¢s truth but the truth of one person. Yes, he guns down the Arab but he believes in justice and doesnââ¬â¢t try to avoid it. Certainly, it sounds terribly but that is Camusââ¬â¢ absurd vision of the truth. On the one hand Meursaultââ¬â¢s activities are horrible as that his ââ¬Å"relative truthâ⬠makes a lot of harm to other people but on the other hand he is not eager of making harm to anyone, he never lies, he is just living his own life which is right to his opinion. This difference between Meursaultââ¬â¢s truth and societyââ¬â¢s truth makes Meursault to be the outsider.He canââ¬â¢t underst and the sense of the societyââ¬â¢s existence (to say it more exactly ââ¬â he doesnââ¬â¢t even want to understand it as it is not important for him) and the society, in its turn, canââ¬â¢t find out any meanings in the mode of Meursaultââ¬â¢s life. Nevertheless, Meursault has learnt his lesson towards the end of the story. When we see him sentenced to death it is already possible to speak about ââ¬Å"newâ⬠Meursault. It doesnââ¬â¢t mean that he has completely changed his moral perception. He still doesnââ¬â¢t believe in God and is sure that after death there is nothing but non-existence.But he started using his memory what he has never done before. He remembers his father and understands all the ââ¬Å"advantagesâ⬠of human memory. He had never resorted to his memories and lived only following his physical impulses. When being in prison he understood how good it can be ââ¬â to remember something that has happened once. Meursault starts to distingui sh the past and the future. His imagination and feelings work like they never did before. He realizes that both imagination and feelings (spiritual, not physical feelings) are rather useful in regular life.Only in prison he begins to perceive each new day like a gift (as there were few left before his death penalty) without classifying them in days which are good and in days which break his customary way of life. In other words he began to understand that his life was not as correct as it seemed to him before. But he started to understand that too late when his life was going to be cut by those who havenââ¬â¢t managed to find some meaning in his life. Both Tonio Kroeger and Meursault realized the mistakes of their existence.Kroeger understood that he was unable to learn living like other people because the problem which was, by the way, created by himself was already too significant and complex for him and he had to find some area in which he could get rid of that immense moral t ension. That area became his art for him. Meursault couldnââ¬â¢t change his life because he was already sentenced to death for the actions of his previous egoistic ââ¬Å"self-lifeâ⬠. These two protagonists are similar in this respect as they both realized the necessity to change their lives. Nevertheless, there is a clear difference in ââ¬Å"being outsiderâ⬠between Kroeger and Meursault.Kroeger was a brightly expressed outsider as he couldnââ¬â¢t find himself in his society and that was hurting him a lot. He really was out of societyââ¬â¢s side. He crossed successfully with the society within his professional skills only when he was describing that society in his works. As to the commonplace reality- he was an unhappy man. Meursault, contrary to Kroegen, represents another type of outsider: ââ¬Å"outsider within societyâ⬠. Meursault was the member of society and thatââ¬â¢s why society was astonished by his behaviour. He was a stranger within society an d that made his activities paradoxical.Kroeger experienced pain because he was outsider and the society didnââ¬â¢t care a lot about it. Meursault didnââ¬â¢t suffer a lot because of being outsider ââ¬â but society suffered because of his activities. Speaking about the outcomes made by each of these two protagonists it is necessary to say that Kroegerââ¬â¢s conclusion was more successful than Meursaultââ¬â¢s. Kreoger found the decision of his problem in his art and Meursault had not already time for the correction of his mistakes as he realized them under the threat of guillotine. Being outsider means to not coincide with the publicââ¬â¢s opinions and norms of life.T. Mann and Albert Camus showed us that the notion of the outsider is poly-semantic. Tonio Kreoger and the stranger Meursault are both outsiders but each in his proper manner. Kroeger is an ââ¬Å"outer outsiderâ⬠(he wants to be within the society being like all) and Meursault is an ââ¬Å"inner out siderâ⬠(he doesnââ¬â¢t feel himself to be outsider but the society consider him to be so). Regarding Mannââ¬â¢s story it would be helpful to conclude that it is not worth to follow the common opinion and try to be like all. The most important thing is to preserve the skills and the lofty given to you by the nature.As to the Camusââ¬â¢ novel, it is possible to learn from it that being honest only for oneself is not enough, it is also necessary to thing about the society you live in and that oneââ¬â¢s notions of truth are not always common for all. The society was created by people precisely in order to find the compromise between different peopleââ¬â¢s opinions. Both Kroeger and Meursault have become outsiders by themselves. The conclusions they have made from their mistakes are rather consoling. So, hope that Mann and Camusââ¬â¢ novels will serve as good examples for many for not being an outsider in the future.
Friday, August 16, 2019
Compassion International Speech Outline
Bridgette Woodcock Prof. Roche THE 113 Speech 21 February 2013 Compassion International: Child Sponsorship Introduction (Play video) 1 (Provide two statistics) Did you ever think you could change the life story of the weak and vulnerable? Well, you can! Today, I want to share with you the importance of what you can do to change a childââ¬â¢s story. 2 Today, many children are living in poverty and exploitation. Many of those places are within the 26 poorest countries that Compassion International serves. Compassion is well known and used by celebrities and other national foundations. 4 Compassion uses a holistic method of child development 5 An average person can minimize and eliminate the exploitation and poverty through the organization Compassion International. Child sponsorship lifts children out of poverty/exploitation. 1 Fox News. com reported, ââ¬Å"In Brazilââ¬â¢s poorest regions, mothers, many of whom are stuck in the sex trade, often push their own daughterââ¬â¢s i nto the business at age 12 or younger to increase the familyââ¬â¢s meager incomeâ⬠(para. ). 2 Compassion Serves in 26 Developing Countries, ââ¬Å"19 were placed in the ââ¬Å"Tier 2 categoryâ⬠(ââ¬Å"governments who donââ¬â¢t fully comply with the Trafficking Victims Protection Act (TVPA)â⬠(para. 3-4). 3 ââ¬Å"Compassion International takes a long-term strategy by tackling the underlying issues that make child enslavement possible. Prevention through education, care and nurture is how we (Compassion) work to protect all of the 1. 2 million children we (Compassion) serve around the worldâ⬠(para. ). Is child sponsorship with Compassion real/legitimate? 1 Yes! Compassion is independently audited by several agencies including Charity Navigator 4 star ranking for 11 consecutive years, Chronicle of Philanthropyââ¬â¢s ââ¬Å"Top Rated Charity-#23 on Top 400 listâ⬠, Better Business Bureau Wise Giving Alliance, Forbes ranks it as #15 on its Largest Cha rities List, and Non-Profit Times ranks Compassion as #30 on its Top 100 List. 2 Been in Business since 1952. Sponsors may visit their children, write letters, send cards and give extra above the sponsorship, which 100% of donation goes directly to that child and his/her family. Over 87% of $38. 00 sponsorship donation goes to the child & childââ¬â¢s center to provide school fees, books, educational materials, clothing, food, health care, counseling, and activities. Holistic method of child development 1 Child Survival Program (Birth to age 2 and mothers) Begins when a mother is still pregnant, provides nutrition, medical assistance, parental education, and social support for both mothers and caregivers to help them succeed the first few years of the childââ¬â¢s life. 2 Child Sponsorship Program (Age 2-10-new registrations- existing children to age 18) 1 Sponsorship is a unique way for one person to have a life-changing effort on poverty around the world by sponsoring a child in poverty. 3 Complementary Interventions (All ages- operations, flooding, mosquito nets, water) Divided into two areas: Supplemental development activites (medical, nutritional, and educational assistance, AIDS prevention, Malaria prevention) and Program Enhancement Activities (disaster response, water projects, income-generating activities, and infrastructure development). 4 Leadership Development Program (college students) 1 Gives students the opportunity to develop their gifts and become skilled professionals and leaders of influence in their churches, communities, and nations. Conclusion- Partnering with Compassion is Affordable and Makes a Difference! $38. 00 per month per child 2 Extra Donations Optional (Birthdays, Christmas, Family Gift) (no more than $1,000 per year, $2,000 in graduation year). 3 Forms a personal relationship with child 4 Limits child exposure to human slavery and poverty. Works Cited Compassion International. (2012). compassion. com. http://www. compassio n. com/child-development-model. htm Hanlon, Mark. (2011). The new slaveryââ¬âhuman trafficking. FoxNews. com. Retrieved February 20, 2013. www. foxnews. com/opinion/2011/09/15/new-slavery-human-trafficking.
Thursday, August 15, 2019
Leaderââ¬â¢s Ability Essay
The level of difficulty a new leader will experience throughout the progression of business growth will depend on the leaderââ¬â¢s ability. Any person can become a successful leader either through luck or through hard work. Luck may come in the form of inheritance or support from a family member or a close contact. Ability will be earned through hard work and dedication, which will reward the leader with knowledge and respect. To compare the two, luck may be a quicker way to success, however, ability through hard work and dedication will surely build a stronger foundation for ability to maintain the earned power; thus, allowing the leader to have a firmer grip on his position and enable him to keep his power for longer. The leaders employees having seen him progress through different stages, growing and working towards his goal of obtaining power will have respect for him, because the average employee can relate to him having seen the leader do the employees work in the past. Chapter 6 elaborates on a theme of personal ability. ââ¬Å"Virtà ¹Ã¢â¬ is the Italian word Machiavelli uses to describe a successful leader, the meaning of which does not have an English equivalent; however, comes closer in meaning to the Latin word virtus,â⬠virilityâ⬠in English. Although the exact meaning of ââ¬Å"virtuâ⬠has not been specified, it is understood to describe ability, skill, energy, forcefulness, strength, ingenuity, courage, or determination. Virtà ¹ is the quality which defines a successful leader, and is the quality one must possess in order to succeed in the world of business. Having to evaluate any successful leader of the current times, each one of them possesses this quality, taking for example Donald Trump whom inherited his fortune, or Warren Buffett whom grew his account from nothing to billions of dollars. Also, it is stated in this chapter that virtà ¹ without opportunity is wasted, and opportunity without virtà ¹ is wasted as well. This suggests that having all the qualities of a successful leader will not guarantee that one will become as such without being given the opportunity. Alike with being given numerous opportunities, one will not succeed without having the qualities, or at least having the potential of the qualities required to become a successful leader. All the opportunities without the ability to take advantage of them will be wasted. Business Relevance The following are two examples of acquiring power; one is through inheritance, the other through hard work and dedication. Trump was born in New York City in 1946, the son of real estate tycoon Fred Trump. Fred Trumpââ¬â¢s business success not only provided Donald Trump with a posh youth of private schools and economic security but eventually blessed him with an inheritance worth an estimated $40 million to $200 million. Donald Trump then went in his fatherââ¬â¢s footsteps to become the next real estate tycoon before continuing on elsewhere in his career. This is a classic example of inheriting a parentââ¬â¢s fortune and using it to obtain power through taking advantage of opportunities made available to Trump through his fatherââ¬â¢s success in real estate. Born in Omaha in 1930, Buffett worked at a grocery store run by one of his relatives for a good period of time. He even sold assorted products as a door to door salesman. He used some of the money that he earned to fu nd a bank account. He also used some of his money to buy different items that he could invest in with the intention of earning money. It is estimated that he had earned about five thousand dollars from his work when he graduated from high school. Later, Buffett created Buffett Associates, Ltd. in 1956. He was able to get a few partnerships with some businesses during this time and eventually got to where he had nearly $300,000 in capital around the end of that year. The partnership of Buffett Associates, Ltd. helped make Buffett a millionaire in 1962. Nearly a million dollars of the $7 million that the partnership had came out of his money. This example explains Buffettââ¬â¢s success through hard work and dedication. Buffett grew his account from zero to millions over the period of thirty years. He did not inherit a fortune, therefore he had to work from the bottom up. People around the world respect him and seek his expertise on becoming successful. Regular folk can relate to him because they know he used to be one of them, he too used to no money, and a great amount of determination to become successful. Right or Wrong Machiavelli explains that the level of difficulty a new leader will experience throughout the progression of business growth will depend on the leaderââ¬â¢s ability. This is true for both Donald Trump and Warren Buffett because they both became successful leaders through luck and through hard work respectively. For Donald Trump, success came in the form of inheritance from his father, which was a quick way to gain knowledge and power. However, there are a lot of people who view Trump as an amoral capitalist. This supports Machiavelliââ¬â¢s theory of quick success and how it brings about disrespect. Donald Trumpââ¬â¢s case however is not supported by Machiavelliââ¬â¢s theory of short lasting power. The reason for this is that the theory cannot be always accurate, there are exceptions. Also, at this time and age, having the knowledge and the funds to gain power, will give one the ability to keep their power. For Warren Buffett, his ability was earned through hard work and dedication, which rewarded him with respect. Buffettââ¬â¢s dedication to succeed surely built a stronger foundation for ability to maintain the earned power. This has turned Warren Buffet into an investment guru whom people all around the world look up to and respect. His investment strategies are highly successful and are adopted by investors everywhere. Warrenââ¬â¢s power came from working from the bottom up and demonstrates a well-built foundation for acquirement and maintenance of power and success. This supports Machiavelliââ¬â¢s theory of long earned and long lasting power directly. In conclusion, Machiavelli was right; however, his theory does not apply to every single case and thus, is not a completely reliable way to evaluate or forecast oneââ¬â¢s position in an industry or the potential of gaining power and becoming successful.
Employersââ¬â¢ Decision-Making based on Heuristics Essay
Employers in the United States, especially for those in the East coast or in the southern states, usually have a common way of judging their applicants based on some valuable attributes.à In this case, the applicant is a Hispanic Woman which seems to be enough to affect the employerââ¬â¢s decision. à Why?à Objectively speaking, it is because of her race, her possible place of origin and its ââ¬Å"social implicationsâ⬠.à Such racial bias in employer decision-making can be deconstructed into a number of heuristic aspects discussed in class.à As a disclaimer, this paper strives to be objective and non-racist.à It contains only fair or probable assumptions on the possible thought patterns of employers, which are not absolute and may be proven false. Representativeness A Hispanic (Latina), even with a Masterââ¬â¢s Degree, will not escape a social stigma perpetrated by a widespread social awareness indirectly attributed to President Bushââ¬â¢s policy against illegal immigrants.à The context here is based on tough U.S. actions against border crossings from Mexico to America.à American Border Guards are used to apprehending Latinos in flight, which is very much portrayed in the movie Babel (2006). Due to the significant number of illegal cross border cases by Hispanics, our Latina applicant will be viewed as such, based on some of her physical attributes (skin color, hair, and accent).à An employer who is minimally trained in psychology will surely make the mistake of considering a Latina applicant as one of those people who illegally crossed the Mexican border into the U.S. sometime in the past.à Moreover, what will influence the employerââ¬â¢s decision not to accept her is the U.S. Governmentââ¬â¢s penalty against those who harbor illegal aliens due to a number of government-declared risks: terrorism, smuggling, human trafficking etc. Availability The employerââ¬â¢s bias against the Latina can be analyzed in terms of the availability of past memories regarding the hiring of Hispanic Americans.à This employer may have experienced the assumed disadvantages of hiring Hispanics in the past.à He/she may have hired someone like her in the past year, but was not very satisfied with her performance due to a number of assumed complications like, say, she goes home to Mexico everyday thereby crossing the border.à This context is very much related to employers situated in New Mexico where a large bulk of the labor force actually reside in Mexico, and cross the border every day to show up for work. The employer may wish to avoid such ââ¬Å"border-crossingâ⬠complications in the payroll so as not to arouse suspicion to the immigration authorities about keeping an alien in the companyââ¬â¢s workforce.à The Human Resources Department may have collected a lot of business intelligence in the past years about a significant number of other employers hiring Hispanic Americans and the disadvantages they caused to their companies (an assumption only). If the disadvantages of a Hispanic workforce become frequent, it will naturally affect the availability of not so good memories about hiring them.à Assuming that Hispanic Women have this mean behaviour, the employer finds it hard to avoid regressing to this statistical mean behavior.à S/he may be thinking about the odds that this Latina woman will be so different from the rest.à Of course, these ideas may be far fetched, but their existence in the minds of biased employers is not impossible. Attribution and Anchoring/Adjustment The abovementioned idea assumptions on availability lead to the framework of the attribution heuristic.à The employer, through availability and representativeness, may have created his/her built-in logic on hiring: Hispanic Americans may cause immigration problems, therefore company trouble.à This self-made logic can spread to the whole Human Resources Department, especially in this case that the other manager may call the shots. à Human Resources may tend to raise its standards or benchmarks for them, thus becoming racist in its employment policy.à The whole concept of benchmarking and adjusting it for specific behaviors is the meat of anchoring and adjustment.à Assuming that employers have built the bias based on the above heuristics, they possibly could have preferences over other races (whites, Chinese, etc.) such that they lower the benchmark for the other applicants except Hispanics.à This idea is supported by the fact that our Hispanic applicant has a Masterââ¬â¢s Degree in Marketing and is still deemed ââ¬Å"unfitâ⬠, even with a higher educational attainment. Conclusions It is no wonder that most reputable companies fill their Human Resources Department with people who have an objective awareness of human behavior across various origins and cultures.à Recruitment committees are ideally made up of psychology graduates or behavioral science majors so they can objectively asses the fitness of applicants while limiting the determining factors of racial, socio-political, economic bias.à Also, the employersââ¬â¢ decisions should be affected by a sense of long term integrity of the company by building the best mix of workforce from different races and origins, without biases and the mistake of overgeneralization. Reference: [no author]. (1997). Heuristic. Retrieved January 28, 2008, from http://www.sfb504.uni-mannheim.de/glossary/heurist.htm. Baron, J. (2000). The Effects of Overgeneralization on Public Policy. Retrieved January 28, 2008, from http://www.sas.upenn.edu/~baron/overgen.pdf. Chapman, G. B. (2000). Incorporating the Irrelevant: Anchors in Judgments of Belief and Value. Retrieved January 28, 2008, from http://heuristics.behaviouralfinance.net/anchoring/ChJo00.pdf. Hilgard, E. R. (2001). Introduction to Psychology. New York : Harcourt Brace Jovanovich. Ã
Wednesday, August 14, 2019
Business Models Strategy and Innovation
The concept of the business model is basically a structure that supports business viability that includes its goals, purpose and other ongoing plans to achieve them. In simple words, it specifies the description to fulfill an organization's purpose. The business plan is all about elements that are required for demonstrating a prospective business's feasibility, whereas a business model is about demonstrating elements for making the existing business to work successfully. The definition of the business model is described differently by various authors but its common meaning can be defined by two elements ââ¬â a business system, that can be defined as work systems in form of delivery or production system that are designed by a firm, within its boundaries and beyond for product delivery to target customers. And the next element is profit model, which is a pattern to describe firmââ¬â¢s intention of making profits in existing business. It can include plans to sales increase or/and reducing costs.à It also helps the business to distinguish from other competitors by means of product or price (Verstraete, & Jouison-Laffitte, 2011). Out of the two elements of the business model, the business system is less visible and profit model is more visible. The profit model is observed by outsiders and due to direct linkage to the bottom line of any firm, it is much more glamorous than the business system. However, a business system can be considered as the most significant element in a business model, since it plays two roles ââ¬â as a system that realizes a firm's differentiation strategic intent which is the real work, and secondly, it accelerates towards future learning processes. During business system design the following things are determined by the firm ââ¬âthe labor division amongst the firm and its partners for trading, internally organizing firmââ¬â¢s in-house system of working and controlling trading activities of partners externally (Weill, Malone, Dââ¬â¢Urso, Herman, & Woerner, 2005). The business model as a system works to satisfy needs of customers and tries to do a better job than other competitors. It also enables people working in an organization to explore more about technologies and observe customer's reaction. The business model as a system functions in accordance with learning system while doing the work that involves learning first. It also leaves footprints of the doers while working on any system. It determines two important factors that include maintaining the workflow of in-house and outsourced operations and controlling final delivery options to customers. These factors help the firm to determine ways to learn about market and technology and search for possible partners that are aligned with the firm's goals (Lindgren, 2012). When actual work is done, the flow of various kinds of information takes place and it creates an overall exchange of information from firms to its business partners. As humans are blessed with high thinking and observational po wers, it can directly stimulate by work or action that can be done. This action further provides triggering events and enhances the capacity to form proper strategies for the business system. Also, the business system helps with accumulating information. It is not just dealing with mundane operations to determine operations cost and various products to act as a learning system. It also enables these firms to keep close watch over outside parties like partners and customers and then gains business system's byproducts activity that can quite quickly accommodate and provides growth for improving long-term benefits. Thus, eliminating static problems of any kind. The profit models, on the other hand, has multiple attractions that enable the firming contract to offer lower cost operations that can reduce its operating costs and no longer needs to invest in such work sector (Osterwalder, & Pigneur, 2009). It overall leads to the reduction in capital costs in the firm. If the business model is considered as a system, the doers are accumulators of work related information and approach contract firm that is still learning. The costs can be controlled unless external work can become extra burdens to the firm's business. It integrates together the unbundled and bundled work for carrying out overall operation smoothly, then delivers its final product to customers. This will not become a serious problem if both these bundled, as well as unbundled works, are integrated without creating the transaction costs too expensive. It also means that less learning about work never erodes future growth that has the potential of unbundling firm. The profit model c an override risks that are imposed on the business system due to dynamic problems in firm. There are unexpected environmental conditions that exist in the supplier firms that can change in dramatic ways, and hence threatens the supply lines for destabilizing integration in smooth ways. This significant learning process can produce certain in-house components in a business model that creates a huge innovation towards progressing future market, where a central role is occupied by components to produce new products successfully (Kim, & Min, 2015).à As per the article on the design of business model with a perspective of an activity system, by Raphael Amit and Christoph Zott, it gives a whole new idea about the business model and its various parameters to design its activity systems. The design elements include structure, content, and governance. The element structure describes activities that are linked or in other words have sequences between them that capture their actual importance for a business model. If IBM is considered, during the 90's when a huge financial crisis occurred, the firm was triggered and it forced to switch its peripheral and core activities. Thus shifting the firm's focus from hardware supplier and to become new software service provider. It enabled the firm to rebuild its structure from old known body or core and it helped in becoming one of the greatest service providers in the world. It took those decades but it enhanced its reach and helped them to launch a new range of activities related to IT, consulting, networking and many other services (Dermine, 2013). By the end of the year 2006, almost over half of the revenues generated by IBM amount to ninety billion dollars and it was possible due to investing new technologies or activities that are totally new. The element content is referred to activities selection by the firm that is actually ready to be performed. If an example of retail bank named as Bancolombia is considered, it adopted activities that were designed for offering microcredit to above sixty percent of Colombian citizens who didn't have banking service accesses. The bank adopted training methodologies for top management people to hire new staff and train them. Thus creating and developing new ways to link and expand the existing banking system that includes channels, applications, and platforms (Honohan, 2002). The element governance is referred to people those performing activities. If any franchise is considered, it is relevant to one approach that can work as a key element in value determination in any firm. It's about an adaptation of new business ideas through exploring professional management for creating values that can be added to performance in any business model. The NICE themes for business model design deal with novelty, lock-in activities, complementarities services and efficiency in a model. Novelties are new ways of governance activities, lock-in refers to retaining power by the activity system, and complementarities are the inclusion of value adding services that lead to innovation in a firm and create demand in an actual market (Teece, 2010). The efficiency refers to use of activity system to achieve more output and reducing transaction costs. The essay covers the overall idea regarding the adaptation of business models to run and operate any business firm successfully. Its idea is to understand the concept of business model and its work functioning as an activity system. The elements of business models are discussed in brief along with its focus on handling problems that can arise during business model implementation. The essay also enlightens on partnership and innovation processes along with significant design elements that are necessary for future growths of existing business models. Dermine, J. (2013). Bank Regulations after the Global Financial Crisis: Good Intentions and Unintended Evil.à European Financial Management,à 19(4), 658-674. https://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1468-036x.2013.12017.x Honohan, P. (2002). Comment on ââ¬Å"Costs of banking system instability: Some empirical evidenceâ⬠.à Journal Of Banking & Finance,à 26(5), 857-860. https://dx.doi.org/10.1016/s0378-4266(01)00271-0 Kim, S., & Min, S. (2015). Business Model Innovation Performance: When does Adding a New Business Model Benefit an Incumbent?.à Strategic Entrepreneurship Journal,à 9(1), 34-57. https://dx.doi.org/10.1002/sej.1193 Lindgren, P. (2012). Business Model Innovation Leadership: How Do SMEââ¬â¢s Strategically Lead Business Model Innovation?.à International Journal Of Business And Management,à 7(14). https://dx.doi.org/10.5539/ijbm.v7n14p53 Osterwalder, A., & Pigneur, Y. (2009). Business Model Generation. Retrieved from https://www.businessmodelsinc.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/Business-Model-Generation-preview-of-the-book.pdf Teece, D. (2010). Business Models, Business Strategy and Innovation.à Long Range Planning,à 43. Retrieved from https://www.businessmodelcommunity.com/fs/root/8jig8-businessmodelsbusinessstrategy.pdf Verstraete, T., & Jouison-Laffitte, E. (2011).à A business model for entrepreneurshipà (1st ed.). Cheltenham, UK: Edward Elgar. Weill, P., Malone, T., Dââ¬â¢Urso, V., Herman, G., & Woerner, S. (2005). Do Some Business Models Perform Better than Others?.à Sloan School Of Management Massachusetts Institute Of Technology. Retrieved from https://ccs.mit.edu/papers/pdf/wp226.pdf
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