Public Speaking Self-Reflection Essay

In order for public speaking to become a skill, there are a few areas in which I need to improve to make it a suitable strength. Public speaking is not a weakness for me but I would like to transform it into one of my strengths. During my two minute presentation, I found that in order to do this I need to improve my ability to perform long speeches without hesitation, maintain eye contact, and be energetic in front of an audience showing more overview what topic I am discussing. In class I plan to work on take the steps of improving my verbal communication in front of my peers. While talking I plan to avoid using filler words that will drag a speech on and draw less interest from my audience. Being able to talk among my peers by keeping good eye contact on them at all times. By doing this it allows me the freedom to walk around and not be completely immobile when giving a speech. Understanding how to organize my work to have a solid overview on what I will be saying when presenting. With this class I hope it takes me to a whole new level on how to talk to people and how to control my emotions when in front of any audience regardless who it is. By allowing myself this sense of understand and awareness will help give me a sense of calmness giving me the ability to stand up and say what I need to say when giving a speech or if I am in a crowd listening to someone speak to offer my views on what is being said. In order for myself to improve my weak areas to accomplish my goals I will have to do the following: first write a speech and review it, next go over the speech many times in a place I feel safe performing the speech. After this find a mirror, use this to help reduce my fear when speaking in front of people. If this doesn’t work for me I can always use my family to help me. This will be continued to repeat itself until I felt I was ready to give my p resentation. Once I have accomplished improving my shortcomings will have the tools needed to be successful in any  job related to my career field.

Growing Importance of the Global Economy Essay

How has the growing importance of the global economy affected your organization’s competitiveness? The global financial crisis continues to be a severe shock to most enterprises. The initial economic downturn, the worst since the Great Depression, has affected almost all sectors of the economy. Everyone and every organization that has felt the pain. The company I work for serve the basic insurance needs of the fast-growing but largely under-served American middle income market. While many insurers have moved up-market, we are firmly committed to helping working families and retirees get basic protection through long-term care, life and supplemental health insurance products, as well as annuities How has your organization responded to this? My company offer consumer’s choice in how they buy insurance products. They can buy direct from Colonial Penn, which has special expertise in direct sales. They can purchase products across the kitchen table through career agents from Bankers Life and Casualty Company, independent agents of our Washington National Insurance Company unit or through its Performance Matters Associates marketing arm, both of which also offer voluntary benefit products to employees at the workplace. What recommendations would you make for your organization to improve its strategic decision-making? I would have consolidated and integrated all operations under a single resource with the goal of delivering improved customer service even as we reduced costs. A streamlined application and straight-through processing system has shortened customer and agent turn-around times and lowered application costs. 2013 CNO Financial Group, Inc. http//www.cnoinc.com

Capitalism vs Democracy

The political system and the economic system of the United States have been intertwined since the very founding of our country. Although there are many different views on how well the systems work or how they function, this has been a common thought shared by all different sides. Some have an optimistic view of capitalism, while others feel as though capitalism favors too few people. Two major points of view, the conservative and the â€Å"reform† liberal, describe how capitalism works, and the role for the government in managing the marketplace, in two similar, yet very different ways. First, we look at the thoughts of Milton Friedman, of the conservative point of view. According to Friedman, capitalism is a free market system that is driven from the bottom up, starting with individuals who make voluntary choices to purchase goods and services and hold jobs. Having a free marketplace gives every individual the power to create their own economic destiny, from what food they eat, to what car they drive, to what career they choose. Friedman also describes capitalism as â€Å"self-correcting†, that if left alone, the market place will inevitably fix any problems it creates. According to Friedman, capitalism follows a cycle, consisting of ups and downs in the economy that will eventually work themselves out over time. It begins with a future expectation of profit, and people with money to invest. As more people begin to invest their money, the demand for labor and materials increases, leading to economic expansion and more people spending money. As demand continues to increase, supply begins to decrease, causing inflation and increasing product prices. At this stage, future expectations of profit are bad. As prices rise, people can’t afford to buy things, so they start to pull their money out of the market and investments. With fewer investments comes less demand, causing people to lose their jobs, prices to drop, and consumers to buy fewer goods. This ultimately leads to a recession, where demand for products is very low and often the unemployment rate is high. Then the cycle starts over again, cost conditions are recreated and people begin to invest money again, and the cycle continues. Another benefit of capitalism is that it allows for healthy economic competition, which not only gives individuals a larger variety of products, but also enables the marketplace to regulate its own prices. This also causes power to be widespread, and keeps people satisfied by being able to purchase what they like. For example, a consumer voluntarily goes to a grocery store. As they walk down the beverage aisle, they see a large selection of drinks to choose from, this is because of competition. Since there are various products to choose from, every consumer can decide to buy what type of beverage they like, making the consumers happy. Friedman also argues that capitalism is rational and efficient. The marketplace constantly finds a way to do more with less, and with every economic decision made, the costs and benefits are weighed first. In a capitalist economy, no one is going to do business unless they gain more than they lose. For example, if a person wants to start a business baking cakes, they would first determine how much money they need to invest to be able to make the cake, and compare it to how much they could sell each cake for. If it costs more to make the cake than they would be able to sell it for, then of course the person isn’t going to do it. The whole point of investing and even purchasing with capitalism is to make a profit, or somehow gain from the exchange. Nobody enters into a business contract knowing they are going to lose money. This is why Friedman claims that one’s standard of living should be based on what they can afford. Even basic necessities of life, such as food and shelter, are not rights of an individual, but a result of the economic decisions they make. Someone who works hard and has a better job can afford a nice house over an apartment, or to eat lobster instead of chicken. With capitalism, everyone has the right to pursue the things they want or need, but they do not have the right to just have them. This ensures that everyone has the freedom of choice in the marketplace, and the liberty to make a successful life for themselves, for Friedman believes conducting the economy in a voluntary manner is better for the social fabric of society. Milton Friedman believes there is a role for the government in economic affairs, but that role is very limited. The government’s purpose is to protect the rights and liberties of its citizens, and to be free politically, we must be free economically. He claims that the only time the government should step in is when â€Å"market failure† occurs, or when the market can’t or we don’t want it to do something. The federal government should only involve itself in economic affairs to enforce the rules set by and agreed upon by the people, mediate differences among citizens on the meaning of the rules, and allow a way for the rules to be modified if necessary. For example, printing currency should be a federal government function, to allow a fair and uniform payment method throughout the country. The government should also be in charge of regulating monopolies, where the freedom to make choices is compromised by the fact that there is no competition. Another instance would be in situations where there is a â€Å"neighborhood effect†, or when a third party is affected by a decision that they were not a part of, such as pollution. If a farmer were to dump waste into a stream and pollute it, that would violate the rights of other people who use the stream to have clean water. It would also be the function of the government to regulate â€Å"public goods†, or something where it is difficult or impossible to determine the particular user or the amount used. For example, a lighthouse is a public good, because it is almost impossible to identify who uses the light to guide them or how often they use it. Friedman ultimately believes that the government should stay out of economic affairs as much as possible, for every time the government acts the freedom of the people shrinks, and all government interventions have more costs then they do benefits. When the government regulates the way a business operates, for example, requiring steel plants to put filters on their smoke stacks, it increases the cost of doing business, which increases prices and decreases sales, production, jobs and wages. Capitalism, according to Friedman, has a way of efficiently working things out on its own, and needs very little government intervention. Many programs we have today, such as social security, Medicare, and welfare to name a few, Friedman would do away with, as they are the responsibility of the individual, not the government. The marketplace is even more proportional to public demand than the political system is, and will constantly cycle through different phases and work itself out without the need of government regulation. Milton Friedman looks at capitalism as a free and voluntary system that should be driven by the consumer not the federal government. Another approach to the way capitalism works is that of the â€Å"reform† liberal, which has a few similarities to the conservative point of view, such as the belief that capitalism and democracy are interlocked, that aving capital or money to invest drives the market, that the government must intervene when the market â€Å"fails†, and on the general definition of property. The liberals also believe in the business cycle, with only one major difference. According to Kane and the liberals, the business cycle is not continuous and self-correcting, but gets stuck at the tail end of a recession. With so many people out of work, they begin to s uffer and make drastic decisions. People don’t have time to just wait for the market to fix itself, it could take years and if they did, too much damage would have already been done. The liberals believe that people have the right to basic needs, such as food and shelter, in which the marketplace will not provide. This is where the government must intervene, to ensure that all people have the resources they need to survive, and to correct the marketplace and pull the economy out of the recession. According to the liberals, the market is a prison, and it is not driven from the bottom up, but rather from the top down. They believe when it comes to purchasing power, there is no comparison. Corporations have a much greater influence and power in the economy than the individual, which leads to a privileged position of business. The decisions we make to purchase things are not voluntary or mutually beneficial, because the corporations and business owners set the prices, and for things like housing, we as consumers don’t have the option to just not buy it. We are forced to pay for the things we need, and the prices are set by the business owners, in which the product may not even be worth. Another problem they see with capitalism is that there is a â€Å"permanent shortfall in aggregate demand†, or that there are too many people with too little money to spend. With not enough money, the average individual doesn’t have the ability to make purchase, which leads to under consumption, and ultimately to a decline in the economy. With all of the power being held by the few in major corporations, this constantly widens the gap between the rich and the poor. In theory, capitalism gives all people equality in the marketplace, but in actuality, the liberals argue that this is not the case. Since the rich and elite own the majority of things to own, their interests are honored first, making the interests of the common people unequal to that of the business leaders, and sometimes not served at all. Also, we face resource constraint, so all the people who have money continue to get more money than others. This separation will just continue to grow until the government intervenes, creating more problems and making it harder for the economy as a whole to pull out of hard times. The liberals also argue that the way capitalism is designed, people only invest or produce things to make a profit, furthering their own interests, instead of doing it because people need it. If you can’t pay for your food, you go hungry, no one is going to simply give it to you because you are starving. With this, capitalism is a trap for those who can’t afford to survive, and the liberals believe that it is one’s right to have their basic needs met. Their overall view of capitalism is a negative one, feeling that capitalism alone cannot provide adequately for the majority of the citizens of America. The liberals feel that the government should and needs to have a strong role in the economy in order for capitalism to serve the people. Programs such as Medicare, welfare, and government regulations are necessary to give people equality in our economic system. The government needs to be responsible for regulating monopolies, to ensure that prices can remain fair and citizens have options in the products they buy. Also, minimum wages, working conditions and hours worked should be regulated to give people the opportunity to make a decent living, and not be taken advantage of by corporations and employers. The rights and definition of property need to be established politically to be fair across the board. To the liberals, the more government involvement there is in the economy, the more freedom the individual has to make good money and have a decent standard of living. Political power and economic power are not two separate entities, and leaving more power in the marketplace imprisons democracy. More economic power and more capital translate directly into more political power. Major corporations and companies have much influence over what interests are met in the government, for example, anything that jeopardizes business confidence in society has immediate and harsh consequences politically, but something that violates and individual’s wealth may not be addressed at all. Money talks in America, and this contributes more to a corporations own needs, giving less and less attention to what is best for the average citizens. Liberals like Lindblom, state that the market will not provide on its own, and things like food, clothing, shelter, education, health care, and transportation need to be taken care of by the government, rather than being left up to the marketplace. The government needs to be responsible for more than just market failure, currency, and public goods. It needs to protect the citizens of our country from the detrimental effects of capitalism, provide regulations, a way to keep the market prosperous, and keep us from getting stuck in a recession. Democracy needs to be more powerful than the economic system, and make sure that everyone’s rights, as a corporation or an individual, are protected and that all of their interests are served with equal importance. Both the â€Å"reform† liberal and conservative points of view agree on some of the basic components of capitalism, but their opinion of the government’s role and how well capitalism works on its own couldn’t be more different. Today, we favor the liberal view in actuality, with many government programs and regulations in place. However, it remains a controversial issue in politics today, as there is much debate on whether or not we should return to the original form of federalism and eliminate much of the current government intervention. Regardless, one thing all parties can agree on is that the economic and political systems of the United States are and forever will be interlocked with one another.

Critical Assessment of Global Crisis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words

Critical Assessment of Global Crisis - Essay Example It has been argued that the major basis of the financial crisis was the loose of monetary policy in the early 2000s also known as the â€Å"Greenspan put.† Fed and central bank lowered short-run interest rates to rescue financial markets. There are several key dates indicating the phases of the global financial crisis. Originating from the US, initial signs of financial crisis originated from escalating defaults in the subprime market. The subprime market refers to the marketplace for borrowers who have excessive debt experience, high default rates and the borrowers with recorded bankruptcies and who have a history of missed payments. On the summer of May 2007, Moody’s a credit agency reported that it had planned to reduce creditworthiness assessment of 62 tranches of mortgaged-based securities (MBS), that is, the debt obligations representing a claim on income obtained from mortgage loans. Between June and July of the same year, more tranches were downgraded. In August 2007, French Bank BNP halted three of its funds on a temporary basis because it was unable to assess the value of subprime mortgage securitizations. In short, financial institutions across the world begin to the reassessing the value of the mortgage recognized against their lending. This led to loss of trust and the confidence in these mortgages to tremble. Most institution cast doubts on securitized assets evaluation has they begin to hoard huge amounts of cash assets so as to cover any arising losses originating from their portfolios. The securitization market went under stress leading to a sharp increase in interest rates.

California Voter Online Registration Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

California Voter Online Registration - Essay Example This essay demonstrates that the information entered by the prospective voter online will be checked carefully by the elections official before an applicant can be qualified as a voter and be enlisted on the voter rolls. Basically, the law allows for a more convenient, easier, and faster way to register to vote as registration can be carried out even in the comfort of the applicant’s home. After the law has been passed, the Republicans, according to Yee, started running and â€Å"we start grabbing online registrations and that’s how we won† (Sankin n.p.). Another beneficent face of this law is that it increased California citizens’ participation in the election. Because the voter registration was made easier, more applicants have come to register online. Essentially, this brings a better turn out during elections because the State will be represented more accurately by the growing number of potential voters. Furthermore, because California is a very divers e State, it would allow for ballots to be translated into different languages which will improve access to all citizens. Nevertheless, the fear of online hacking and virtual theft would be an apprehending issue. Also, there might be a need to add more people for the verification of voter’s identities and the voters’ votes – whether they are genuine or dummy. This is to say that while California has evolved in terms of its voter registration system, there is no way that technological threats and legal implications can be discounted.

The Value of Incumbency Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

The Value of Incumbency - Essay Example Incumbency is a valued commodity in any election and can mean the difference between winning and losing, but the problem it creates for the system, and for the voters, is not so readily apparent. Incumbents have a de facto advantage because they are running as the hometown favorite. Their district has elected them once, and barring scandal there is no reason for the voters to turn on them. With a little good government and giving the constituents the legislation they prefer, an incumbent should have an advantage. But for most of them this is not enough. The sitting congressman has the purse strings to offer pork barrel projects, highway funds, military spending, and special incentives to their district. This is openly viewed as buying votes and it is a favor that the challenger is unable to provide. They can also raise money for advertising. Incumbents have the inside track on raising campaign funds year round. They have been in office and talking to lobbyists willing to contribute. Contributors are eager to donate money with the hopes of gaining access to the incumbent's influence. PACs have been formed to raise money to support key issues and they can capitalize on the news for public exposure. If the voters are unfamiliar with the challenger, the incumbent has an opportunity to define them (Gerber).

Provision of Mental Health Care, Diagnosis and Treatments in Learning Essay

Provision of Mental Health Care, Diagnosis and Treatments in Learning Institutions - Essay Example The purpose of the program is to provide mental health care to people who might not have access to it and those who might be shy to access the services in hospitals. Psychiatric nursing has three main goals, which are keeping the patient safe, stabilizing symptoms, and promoting engagement in treatment (Damon et al., 2012). To promote the later I feel we need to take the health care to those who cannot access it and to those who might be afraid of accessing it in health care facilities. This program will ensure that everyone in those institutions is diagnosed of any mental illness of psychiatric disorder. The program will provide health care and diagnosis without charging any amount of money to the patient and thus we expect to have even the residents living around the targeted learning institutions to come for the services. Our target population is the adolescent and young adults who might need behavioral and psychiatric treatments. We will be accessing this people close to their re sidential places using the learning institutions in those areas therefore it will be a form of residential treatment. According to Sharfstein et al. (2009), this kind of treatment has proven to be effective especially in treating drug and substance abuse. As a result, we expect it to be effective in treating mental health ailments and psychiatric disorders since most of them are related to substance abuse. Our target population is the adolescent and the young adults that is why we decided to use the learning institutions to administer our program. This program is expected to help us in ensuring that we have a mentally healthy population in our learning institutions and the areas surrounding them. By doing so, we would improve the learning conditions in those institutions for both the students and the educators. As a result, we will be able to achieve a more productive society in those areas. Moreover, by ensuring a mentally healthy population, we expect to reduce the crime rates in those institutions and areas surrounding them significantly. Mental health and physical health are interconnected and one of them directly depends on the other (UOP, 2006). Therefore, in improving the mental health of people in those areas we expect to improve their physical health, which will improve the way they undertake their day-to-day activities. We expect that every person in the area where the program will be administered will benefit either directly or indirectly through improved living conditions. The program will not cost much since we will be using public facilities, which are the learning institutions to administer our program. However, we will need to incur some cost for the allowances of the psychiatric nursing professions who will be involved in the program and the equipment and treatments to be used during the program. We expect to use about $ 20,000 according to our budgetary estimates for transport and allowances of the professions involved. Another $ 10,000 will be needed to buy or hire the equipment to be used during the program and $ 15,000 for the drugs to be used in the treatments during the program. This makes our budgetary estimates for this program to be about $ 45,000. This can be funded in bits but we will need about $ 20,000 at the start of the program. In planning this budget, we put into account the number of institution where we will administer the program, the number of

Phase 2 Individual Project Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Phase 2 Individual Project - Assignment Example The primary objective of this case study is (a) to define fixed, variable, and mixed costs; (b) to determine cost behaviour patterns, and (c) to explain how these different patterns affect operating and pricing decisions. II.Cost Analysis a. Definition of Variable Costs + Example All expenses incurred that increase as the Production Output and Sales increases and decreases whenever the Production Output and Sales decreases should be considered as variable costs. Albrecht, Steve W., et.al.(2010, p.1062) defined variable costs in a more general way by saying that they are the costs that change in total in direct proportion to changes in activity level.. In the SAC operations, an example of the variable cost would be Raw Materials. The higher the demand for the product which would be evident in the increase in Sales volume, the higher the required Production Output, and a corresponding set of Raw Materials will be needed to produce the desired order quantity. b. Definition of Fixed Cost s + Example All expenses that are incurred whether or not operations are at high or low level should be called Fixed Costs. Rich, J.S., et. al. (2009, p.757) defined fixed cost as constant costs â€Å"within the relevant range as the level of of output increases or decreases.† At SAC, an example of that fixed cost is Depreciation Expense – Factory. Each month, whether or not the factory produces for high demand or for low demand, the value of depreciation expense will not change. c. Definition of Mixed Costs + Example Some costs known as mixed costs are made up of a combination of fixed cost and variable cost. Weygandt, J.J. et.al. (2009, p.209) teaches the need to separate these two in order to properly perform a cost-volume-profit analysis. Kinney, M.R. and Raiborn, C.A. (2012, p.70) also refers to the â€Å"high-low method† of determinine variable costs per unit and then separating it from fixed costs. That is, the formula to determine the portion that is var iable in a mixed costshould be as follows: Cost at High Level of Operations less Cost at Low Level Operations divided by High Activity Level expressed in volume of production or sales less Low Activity Level also expressed in volume of production or sales. The result will be the variable cost per unit within that mixed cost. Variable Costs may then be computed for its total and then separated from the total mixed cost in order to arrive at the fixed cost total within the mixed cost. In the case of SAC, there are data from two years, 2005 and 2006. Cost of Goods sold in 2005 was 50.81% whereas in 2006, the percentage increased to 59.30%. This means Cost of Goods Sold (CGS) may not be considered as 100% variable costs. A closer look at the details of CGS in the 2006 journal entries shows the following accounts: Cost of Goods Sold Raw Materials Labor Overhead Classification: Fixed, Variable, Mixed Supplies-Factory 3,500 MC Insurance-Factory 800 FC Indirect Labor 16,000 MC Factory Salar ies 12,500 FC Factory Property Tax 7,500 FC Maintenance Expense- Factory 8,700 FC Depreciation Expense-Factory 1,600 FC Utilities- Factory 3,650 MC Raw Materials RM, beg.=19,360 Purchases=33,710 RM, end= 10,000 RM, used 43,070 WIP, beg.= 1,800 RM processed = 41,270 WIP,end= 7,000 FG added=34,270 FG,beg.= 25,360 FG,total= 59,630 FG,end= 36,360 FG,sold= 23,270 VC Direct Labor 8,500 VC Selling Expenses 1,560 MC Admin.

Rapid Response Team of Acute Conditions Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words

Rapid Response Team of Acute Conditions - Essay Example The purpose of this paper is to provide in-depth comparison between the rapid response team of acute pain in Riyadh Military hospital and national health services of United Kingdom. The comparison has been conducted on the basis of policies being implemented in both the countries in terms of health care provision. Furthermore, the paper will also discuss the implication of SBAR model to address the rapid response for acute pain cases. The policies as studied within the context of UK hospitals are in the form of protocol directed by National health services (NHS) UK. The paper has been structured by providing in depth introduction to the rapid response team for acute conditions in national health services (NHS) of Saudi Arabia and United UK. Secondly, financial system section has also been added to understand the amount of revenue that is used to provide rapid response in acute pain situations. It should be noted that it is highly significant to create understanding with the advantage s and disadvantages of programs being implemented in health provision sector. Health Policy for Rapid Response Team in Riyadh Military Hospital in Saudi Arabia: The policies for the rapid response team in Saudi Arabia have recently been addressed by the medical services. It has been suggested in the main protocol of the program that response team will be selected on the basis of certification. This is similar to the criteria of UK rapid response team (RRT). The only difference is that the implication has been noted absent at most cases. Many cases are still being noted in the context of hospitals in Saudi Arabia where patients die because of no address to the emergency calls (Essa 2012). It is expected from rapid response team to provide intervention in the lesser time frame. This is the basic policy that has been set for the rapid response team of Riyadh military hospital. As per the hospital’s policy maker, it is expected that the rapid response team will be able to impleme nt all needed medical models for intervention purpose within five minutes time. Consideration of five minutes treatment means that the model implication for assessment of the patient is done along with the recommendation. If in any case, more time is being consumed then it should not be considered as a failure of RRT (Piza and Adelstien 2011). The criteria for setting five minutes assessment is because the members should be capable of managing more cases of emergency. The difference between any RRT with the traditional treatment team is in terms of minutes of assessment. The purpose of a rapid response team is to extract out the right cause from the situation of acute pain. If in case, more time is being taken by the team then the main motive becomes unaccomplished (Adams and Failano 2011). Situation, Background, Assessment and Recommendation (SBAR): The rapid response team (RRT) at the Riyadh military hospital level recommends the usage of situation, background, assessment and reco mmendation (SBAR). The policies for the rapid response team (RRT) have made it evident that SBAR should be followed in order to diagnose students in the best possible manner (AMA 2012). The implication of SBAR in Riyadh military hospital is because it has proven a successful manner to communicate the patient’s condition by the rapid response team to primary care provider. SBAR was basically implemented at US navy hospitals as a major method of

CASE STUDY ----- Accsys Technologies PLC Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

----- Accsys Technologies PLC - Case Study Example This paper will analyze the financial statements and annual reports of the company and identify three areas of heightened audit risk in the auditing of the company this year. In addition, the paper will explain the reasons for five substantive audit procedures in relation to the areas of heightened audit risk identified. From the annual report of the company, it is evident that there are some areas that require heightened audit risk this year. One of the areas in the company that has heightened audit risk is the operating costs. There was an increase in the operating costs of the company by 11%. While the figure was 13.5 million pounds in 2013, it rose to 15 million pounds in 2014. This resulted from high costs of administration that the organization incurred during the year. Moreover, there were legal costs that resulted from the arbitration process related to the Diamond Wood. The cost of staff also increased by 9% and this was as a result of the increase in head count (ACCSYS TECHNOLGIES 2015). Operating costs is an area of heightened risk audit in this company since they determine whether the costs incurred by the company are being used to cover the relevant expenses. In addition, costs determine whether there is effective management of costs in the organization and ascertain whether there are activities that contribute to the wastage of the company’s resources. For Accsys Technologies PLC, operating costs represent an area of heightened risk since they keep on increasing and might affect the profitability of the company, as well as the initial business plan of the organization. With proper auditing of the costs such as staff costs, the management can make adjustments to the operations of the organization and ensure that the company is in the right track (ACCSYS TECHNOLGIES 2015). Another area of heightened audit risk in the audit of the company this year is

The Hollow Men by T.S. Elliot. Essay Example for Free

The Hollow Men by T.S. Elliot. Essay In The Hollow Men there is a conflict between an intense longing for a state of edenic purity and the contradictory search for a more lasting form of order through denial and alienation. It can be observed that The Hollow Men expresses the depths of Eliots despair, but the poet in a sense chooses despair as the only acceptable alternative to the false existence of the unthinking inhabitants of the waste land. The despair of The Hollow Men is controlled by intellectual principles, in the way the poem consciously evaluates experience in abstract terms, distinguishes between opposing states of being, and establishes, both in form and subject matter, the illusion of visionary experience. The poem represents the progress of Eliots own intellectual soul, but this progress is frustrated by the poets attraction to a visionary imagery. The Hollow Men replaces the rich and chaotic style of The Waste Land with an austerity of expression and a more contemplative mood. The formal strategy of The Hollow Men, like its content, seems designed to show how effectively the inarticulate influences the conception and creation of a work of art. The formal aspects of the poem imitate the characteristics of the hollow men it portrays. For example, their desire to avoid speech (5) is comparable to the poems general paused rhythm, and the technique of constant repetition and negation: The eyes are not here / There are no eyes here. (5) Moreover, the Paralyzed force, gesture without motion (5) applies not only to the men themselves but to the poem as a whole, which exhibits little narrative progression in the conventional sense and lacks verbs of direct action. As the hollow men walk together, say prayers to broken stones, and whisper meaninglessly, so the poem itself moves toward a conclusion only to end in hollow abstraction, broken prayer, and the meaningless repetition of a rhyme. The reduction of poetic expression to the minimum does away with metaphor and simile and produces a final section of the poem which almost completely lacks modifiers. The poetic style marked by verbal austerity and negation forms a counterpart  to the theme of rejection of the validity of human experience at every level. In this respect the poem expands on the theme of denial explored as part of the individuals search for meaning in The Waste Land. The Hollow Men explores this boundary situation in its images of finality or extremity and in a theme that comprises two different states of being. The poems speaker anticipates with dread that final meeting (5); the men walk together In this last of meeting places (5); the final section, in its generalized abstraction of all that has gone before, tells us that This is the way the world ends. The Dantescan image of the lost souls Gathered on this beach of the tumid river (5) belongs to a boundary theme that recurs throughout Eliots poetry: Prufrock escapes from the world of skirts and teacups to the world of visionary imagination by means of a walk upon the beach. (6) The protagonist of The Waste Land sits down and cries By the waters of Leman,(7) then on the shore with the arid plain behind me. (7) The persona of The Hollow Men has arrived, intellectually and physically, at the limit of one world only to find that its deliberate disguises (5) hide a limited lack of possibility: between capacity and existence Falls the Shadow. (5) (5) The Hollow Men, T.S.Eliot, (6) The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock, T.S.Eliot. (7) The Wasteland, T.S.Eliot

Young People and the Vote Essay Example for Free

Young People and the Vote Essay Since the end of the Watergate Era in the mid-1970s, voter participation among those ages 18-30 had been on the decline. (To Be Young and Voting, 2008) However, in the past fifteen years, a reversal of that trend appears to be occurring. Beginning in the Clinton Era, youth participation in the political process has been on the rise. (To Be Young and Voting, 2008) Several reasons have been put forth for the rise in youth participation in the voting process. Of the various reasons purported, the one that makes the most sense is an increased dissatisfaction about the status-quo among younger people. (To Be Young and Voting, 2008) That is, in more recent years, there is a perception among young people that the country is going in the wrong direction. Evidence indicates a dramatic increase in the interest level of people under the age of thirty in the presidential elections. (Shaw, 2008) Part of the reason behind this is simple. The candidates themselves have been younger. 1992 found the first baby-boomer candidate for a major party, who was only in his 50s at the time of his election. In 2008, Barak Obama is even younger, at 47. Both of these candidates have made concerted efforts to reach the younger demographic. Clinton in 1992 played the saxophone on MTV as part of a get-out-the-vote campaign. Obama has been making similar efforts by appearing on popular TV entertainment shows, such as Letterman, The Daily Show and others. His opponent, John McCain, also appears quite often on these shows, which indicates that both parties recognize the potential voting strength of the younger demographic. Both campaigns have attempted to use the Internet to attract younger voters. (Nagourney Thee, 2008 The first significant organization effort in history on the internet was initiated by the Obama campaign. (Nagourney Thee, 2008Both candidates make use of websites, e-mail, and viral posting more now than in any time in history. It has been suggested that the candidates’ use of sharing sites such as You-Tube, and social networking sites such as Face Book and My Space have proven to be instrumental in garnering interest among younger voters. In addition to events and activities aimed at younger voters, the major candidates have embraced themes that resonate with the younger demographic. .(The Youth Vote, 2008) Both major candidates have embraced â€Å"Change† as a central theme. This coincides with a consistent trend among young voters, who tend to support a difference in the status-quo. .(The Youth Vote, 2008) As with most Americans, younger voters have expressed dissatisfaction with the direction of the country, with nearly half of respondents to a recent poll indicating that the nation was a better place to live in the 1990s than it is now. The popularity of both the sitting President, and the current Congress are at historical lows. .(The Youth Vote, 2008) Troubles with the economy, gas prices, and dissatisfaction with the war in Iraq have fed the notion of the need for change. (Shaw, 2008) The â€Å"change† theme seems to coincide with some of the more divisive issues in both traditional and modern partisan politics. .(The Youth Vote, 2008) According to polls, younger people are trending to the Democratic Party, indicating that the Democrats are doing a superior job convincing young people that they are the party of change. (Nagourney Thee, 2008)An increasing number of young people are socially liberal, with liberal viewpoints on gay marriage, immigration and government programs. (Dionne, 2008) Combined with the perception that the current administration has been doing a poor job on fundamentals such as the economy, the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, younger people are beginning to flock to the Democratic Party in large numbers. (Dionne, 2008) The character of the various candidates in this election has also sparked interest among younger voters. At various times since the primary season, the major parties have offered: The first viable African American, a female who is the spouse of a former president, a Mormon, and a Former POW. All of these are firsts in major elections in the United States. The â€Å"Final Four† has generated quite a bit of youth interest, as well. Sen. McCain’s choice of running mate, Alaskan governor Sarah Palin, was the focus very recently of much attention owing to her youth, style of speaking, and the ability of a very popular actress, Tina Fey, to do a spot-on impression of her. A popular former cast-member of Saturday Night Live, Fey has injected a large political element into a variety show that has long appealed to younger viewers. There has been a marked contrast between the two presidential candidates with respect to age. John McCain, at 72 years of age, is the oldest candidate ever to run for president on a major party ticket, while Barak Obama is among the youngest at 47. The Democrats have made a considerable effort to portray Sen. McCain as out of touch, noting, among other things, his admitted inability to use the internet. (Nagourney Thee, 2008 Overall, youth participation in the political process in this election cycle has increased for numerous reasons. The primary underlying reason for this increase is a pervasive dissatisfaction with the direction of the country politically, socially, and economically. This, combined with a concentrated effort by both parties to mobilize younger voters, use of internet, and the age contrast of the candidates have combined to produce what may be the largest turnout of voters 18-30 since the voting age was lowered in 1972. References Dionne, E. J. (2008) â€Å"The Year the Youth Vote Arrives†. The Washington Post. July 25th, 2008. Nagourney, A. Thee, M (2007) â€Å"Young Americans are leaning Left, New Poll Finds†. The New York Times. June 27th, 2007. Shaw, M. (2008) â€Å"Talking Politics. † The Wilson Daily Times. Feb 9th, 2008 â€Å"The Youth Vote† (2008) The Washington Times. June 4th, 2008. â€Å"To Be Young and Voting† (2008) The Christian Science Monitor. May 5th, 2008.

Credibility and Uses of Psychological Experimental Evidence

Credibility and Uses of Psychological Experimental Evidence Abstract Experimental psychology is the aspect of psychological science that explores the human mind and its perceptions and behaviors through experimental methodologies and subsequent interpretation of the obtained results. Again, â€Å"evidence-based practice in psychology is the integration of the best available research with clinical expertise in the context of patient characteristics, culture, and preferences† (American Psychologist, 2006). This definition is in line with the one advocated by the Institute of Medicine (2001) that says, â€Å"Evidence-based practice is the integration of best research evidence with clinical expertise and patient values† (Sackett, Straus, Richardson, Rosenberg, Haynes, 2000, p. 147). Experimental psychological research makes use of controlled conditions in experiments to conclude about the validity of a hypothesis and evidence-based practice in psychology constitutes a large part of it. This essay attempts to discuss the various experimental evidences used in psychology and form an opinion on the usefulness and credibility of those evidences. How Good is Psychological Experimental Evidence Evidences from experimental psychology are of interest to researchers working on human behavior, brain mechanics, neurology, and so on; regardless of where these are performed either within the laboratory or outside of it, human beings form the major part of the experiment. The primary goals of experimental psychological research are to be most cost effective, improve quality and increase accountability. However, the psychological community—including both scientists and practitioners—is concerned that evidence-based practice initiatives not be misused as a justification for inappropriately restricting access to care and choice of treatments (American Psychologist, 2006). Experimental psychology and its psychological approaches broadly deal with psychoanalysis, behaviorism, and cognitive psychology. Since psychoanalysis explores the mind and explains its behavior, it is of prime importance; that said, it has been argued that psychoanalysis is overrated, as it is only able to explain the behavior after it has occurred and not make any helpful advance predictions. Behaviorism explains a wide range of behaviors from language usage to moral values using the principles of behavior shaping, generalization, reinforcement etc. Behaviorists were able to come up with moderately consistent predictions but absolute predictions for individuals was not possible. Cognitive psychology, on the other hand, follows a very scientific approach to explain primarily non-discernable mental processes through experiments and models. The empirical approach to psychology is questioned by the advocates of the humanistic approach who lay emphasis on individual conscious experience and disregard experimental evidence. They stress on subjective perception and understanding rather than objective reality. The argument put forward by the humanists says that human behavior is the sum of one’s feelings and aura, and is shaped by the perception and understanding of one’s environment. Thus, humanists contend the experimentalists on the premise that a perspective of the whole person is important to settle on any outcome; one should look through the ‘observer’ lens as well as the ‘observed’ lens. The humanists are advocates of free will and reject determinism; they do not support scientific approach and are not concerned with predictions and control over human behavior. The right of the individual to control and dissect one’s own behavior is endorsed by humanists. In ‘Psychology as a Means of Promoting Human Welfare’, Miller criticizes the controlling view of psychology, suggesting that â€Å"understanding should be the main goal of the subject as a science, as he asks, who will do the controlling and whose interests will be served by it? â€Å" (Miller, 1969). Psychological experimental evidence can be valid in evidence based practice as it gives a data point on the theories that are being explored. It is about integrating individual clinical expertise and the best external evidence (Sackett, Straus, Richardson, Rosenberg, Haynes, 1996). Thus the external evidence provided by scientific approach like statistical methods is helpful in making deductions that in turn assist in forming the foundation for evidence based medicine. An experiment by Cathy Faulkner, to substantiate the use of confidence intervals for estimation is a case in point. In her study, she â€Å"asked a group of leading clinical researchers to think of a clinical trial that they have designed and then to think of the most central question in the trial. 81% of the respondents thought that it was – is there an effect? Then she asked them to rate the importance of three possible questions: 1) is there an effect? (2) How large is the effect, and (3) how clinically imp ortant is the effect? Given those prompts her expert respondents rated all three as highly important. In other words, their first response was influenced by their automatic dichotomous thinking but when prompted they immediately recognized that a trial psychological therapy is only useful if it tells us how large an effect the therapy is likely to give and how clinically important that is. So, estimation, meaning confidence intervals, is what we need for fullest information about the size of an effect and the best basis for assessing its clinical importance† (Cumming, 2012). The value of experimental evidence lies in the fact that it is able to provide a basis for future research and enable replication of the same, wherein a number of psychologists, after skillful experimentation would come up with similar answers. For example, in experiments on effects of drug habits, the experimental results would almost always validate stress as a consequence of drug abuse. Thus by replication of results and consequent corroboration of facts, a theory is likely to gain acceptance. Nonetheless, the limitations of the empirical approach following a specific scientific methodology are many: Since psychology deals mostly with humans, and no two human conditions can be the same, the results are never absolute. Moreover, human behavior changes with time and so would the results of experiments. In establishing causes for incidents, psychologists take the deterministic view and discount the peripheral variables that influence human behavior and ones they have no control over. Also the range of paradigms in psychology makes it difficult to advocate a universal law for any occurrence/observation. Again, since most of the parameters are unobservable, like memory, and some immeasurable, testability becomes an issue in such experiments. â€Å"Whenever psychologists involved in research or practice move from observations to inferences and generalizations, there are inherent risks of idiosyncratic interpretations, overgeneralizations, confirmatory biases, and similar errors in judgment† (Dawes, Faust, Meehl, 2002). Objectivity is almost impossible in some cases. Thus, integral to use of psychological experimental evidence and â€Å"clinical expertise is an awareness of the limits of one’s knowledge and skills and attention to the heuristics and biases— both cognitive and affective—that can affect clinical judgment† (American Psychologist, 2006). Judgmental errors and volatility of psychological experimentation is exhibited clearly in the 1971 Stanford prison experiment led by researcher Phillip Zimbardo, held in the basement of the psychology building at Stanford University. The objective of this experiment was to test a hypothesis on prison behavior, how captivity influences and changes an individual’s response and behavior. Zimbardo and his team wanted to find out if the cause of abusive behavior in prisons was the inherent personality traits of the prison officials. The participants of the prison simulation experiment, including Zimbardo himself got so engrossed in the characters they were playing (after sessions of de-individualization, disorientation and de-personalization) that it turned dangerous for the them and they were forced to stop it after 6 days. However, it was concluded that the situation is the biggest influence on a person’s behavior rather than the individual’s character. The Stanford prison experiment was an eye opener for ethical issues regarding psychological experiments using living subjects. It led to creation of better safeguards for the participants and meticulous scrutiny before embarking on experiments. It became imperative to demonstrate the necessity of the experiment and show how it would contribute to the advancement of psychology, and also provide clear option of opting out of the set up if it gets uncomfortable for the subject. Concerns on informed consent have also been dealt with to uphold the safety and health of subjects. Several other pioneering experiments like Stanley Milgram’s Obedience to authority experiment in 1974, Ivan Pavlov’s classical Conditioning experiment way back in 1903, Henry Harlow’s Emotional Attachment in rhesus monkeys have employed living subjects; the answerability thus automatically escalates when using such participants. In conclusion, it is clear that psychological experimental evidence plays an integral part in the progress of psychology; however, the researcher needs to strike a balance and critically decide on the need for empirical approach in preference to humanistic approach. Studies designed to investigate the credibility of psychological theories and explain certain behavior patterns by isolating situational controls using living subjects (human or animal) need to be handled with utmost care and precaution. The researcher should be in a position to adequately address any ethical issues that might arise out of the experimental set up. It is to be borne in mind that humans are prone to error and judgment might be prejudiced in some cases; it is important to be prepared for these contingencies. To tackle the concerns from humanists and warrant the use of experimental evidence, Slife and Williams (1995)have suggested: †¢ We need to try at least to strive for scientific methods because we need a rigorous discipline. If we abandon our search for unified methods, well lose a sense of what psychology is. †¢ We need to keep trying to develop scientific methods that are suitable to studying human behavior it may be that the methods adopted by the natural sciences are not appropriate for us. References American Psychologist, Vol 61(4), May-Jun 2006, 271-285. Cumming, G. (2012, June). Australian Psychological Society. Retrieved December 4, 2014, from http://www.psychology.org.au/inpsych/2012/june/cumming/ Dawes, R. M., Faust, D., Meehl, P. E. (2002). Clinical versus actuarial judgment. In T. Gilovich D. Griffin (Eds.), Heuristics and biases: The psychology of intuitive judgment (pp. 716 –729). New York: Cambridge University Press. Institute of Medicine. (2001).Crossing the quality chasm: A new health system for the 21st century. Washington, DC: National Academies Press. Miller, George A. Psychology as a means of promoting human welfare. American Psychologist, Vol 24(12), Dec 1969, 1063-1075. Sackett, D. L., Straus, S. E., Richardson, W. S., Rosenberg, W., Haynes, R. B. (2000). Evidence based medicine: How to practice and teach EBM (2nd ed.). London: Churchill Livingstone. Sackett, D. L., Rosenberg, W. M., Gray, J. A., Haynes, R. B., Richardson, W. S. (1996). Evidence based medicine: What it is and what it isn’t. British Medical Journal, 312, 71–72.

The main techniques Fitzgerald used to introduce our main character Gatsby :: English Literature

The main techniques Fitzgerald used to introduce our main character Gatsby Author's Techniques by Fitzgerald The Great Gatsby Fitzgerald is a very diverse and interesting author to analyze. The techniques he uses for each character or theme that he wants to present is different from page to page, thus making him a multifaceted. When speaking of the title character of the book, Jay Gatsby, there are a few specific techniques used in the layout of his features. Gatsby doesn’t appear in the book in flesh and blood until the third chapter of the book however by that time Nick Carraway has received enough second hand information about him. However there is of course a reason as to why Fitzgerald waited with the introduction of this man; the more we waited for the Great Gatsby the larger his reputation grew in order for us to build a predetermined view about him. The main techniques Fitzgerald used to introduce our main character Gatsby was reputations and postponed introduction thus creating a lot of mystery around this man. At first when Nick enters one of Gatsby’s parties he doesn’t see the host indulging himself in the luxuries of the crowd, food and music though instead he is nowhere to be seen. This is a very surprising enigma for Nick since generally you would presume that whoever has this much wealth would thrive in showing it off to his guests. On top of this, you have a lot of rumors circulating every one of his parties. Catherine McKee once said that Gatsby is â€Å"the son of Kaiser Wilhelm†, the current ruler of Germany. Of course every speculation made was false however as Nick heard them all, his anticipations for their meeting grew. This is a clever technique since not only does it enhance Gatsby’s character importance in the novel though it shows how little the supporting characters of the book knows him. We hear all sorts of rumors about how Gatsby acquired his wealth however not until chapter VII do we have definite proof of how his money came about. On page 140, two thirds into the book, Tom confronts Jay about who he really is. It is during that event where Tom throws all the facts about his bootlegging in Jay’s face ‘I found out what your â€Å"drug-stores† were-‘ He turned to us and spoke rapidly. ‘He and this Wolfshiem bought up a lot of side-street drug-stores here and in Chicago and sold grain alcohol over the counter. That’s one of his little stunts†¦..’What about it? said Gatsby politely. ‘I guess your friend Walter Chase wasn’t too proud to come in on it.

The Ethics of the Creation, Distribution, and Use of Metadata Essay

The Ethics of the Creation, Distribution, and Use of Metadata Navigation This paper discusses the ethical issues that may arise in the creation, distribution, and use of metadata. To do this, one must first understand what metadata is, and have a reasonable understanding of how it is used today. Metadata is not a word that the average person can state a definition for. In fact, even many technologically inclined people may not have a sound idea of what exactly metadata means. Although many people don’t recognize the name, metadata, many people look at, use, or even create metadata on a daily basis. To truly appreciate how important metadata is one must have a firm grasp on what metadata allows and how difficult information retrieval is without it. What is Metadata? â€Å"The variety and amount of information and information-dependent activities from which we can choose seems to be expanding exponentially.†1 The huge amount of information available, that covers a vast number of topics, requires an efficient way to access this information if any reasonable learning is to take place. This is exactly what metadata does. It categorizes the information created by one person so that others may find it and utilize it. Metadata could be said to be â€Å"information about information† or â€Å"data about data.†2 If metadata’s purpose, â€Å"is to enable integration and retrieval within information systems,† 3 then it needs interoperability, or â€Å"the ability of software and hardware on multiple machines from multiple vendors to communicate.†4 This means that for metadata to have a positive effect, or to actually be helpful, standards must be in place, so that one person’s metadata can be comparably likened to a second person’s metadata, and th... ...2 Amy Brand, Frank Daly, Barbara Meyers, "Metadata Demystified," The Sheridan Press and NISO Press (July 2003). <www.niso.org/standards/resources/ Metadata_Demystified.pdf> 3 Brody (35) 4Dictionary.com, 2003, Lexico Publishing Group LLC, 17 Nov. 2003, <http://dictionary.reference.com> 5Eddie Byrne, Metadata A Primer, 2000, WebSeach, 21 Oct. 2003, <http://www.clubi.ie/webserch/metadata.html> 6Dublin Core Metadata Initiative, 2003, DCMI, 24 Oct. 2003, <http://dublincore.org> 7 DCMI 8 Brody (36) 9James Rachels, The Elements of Moral Philosophy 4th ed., (New York, NY:McGraw-Hill 2003) 93. 10Manuel G Velasquez, Business Ethics: Concepts and Cases 4th ed., (New Jersey:Prentice Hall Inc. 1998) 105. 11 Velasquez (94) 11 Rachels (175) 13 Brody (35) 14 Brody (36) 15 Brody (37) 16 Brody (37) 17 Brody (38)

The Pessimistic W. B. Yeats’ in An Irish Airman Foresees His Death Essa

The Pessimistic W. B. Yeats’ in An Irish Airman Foresees His Death   Ã‚  Ã‚   There are countless manners in which a person can mourn the death of another.   Some become engulfed in a state of rage, while others may feel a calm, quiet grief or pity.   Some place blame on others for the loss while trying to discover a reason for death.   Others may roll several emotions into one large mourning process that includes several stages.   In â€Å"An Irish Airman Foresees His Death,† W. B. Yeats grieves the death of Major Robert Gregory, son of Lady Gregory, by providing the narrator with an overwhelming sense of apathy toward life.   The poem provides a variety of emotions that counter each other to produce a balance that is uniquely pessimistic.   Ã‚  Ã‚   The first-person narrator, presumably the voice of Robert Gregory, allows the reader to connect more easily with the thoughts of Yeats.   If the poem were written in the third person, the personal emotions would have been lost.   Illustrating a death in the voice of the dead adds sorrow and truth to the work, as an outside narrator would seem more distant from the feelings involved.   Yeats may have chosen to express his words through the narrator’s voice as a tribute to Robert Gregory, or because of his friendship with Lady Gregory—or simply because doing so brought him closer to the emotions of the situation in general.   Ã‚  Ã‚   In the final three lines of the poem, the narrator gives the sense that, because of death, there is little value in life.   He says that â€Å"the years to come seemed waste of breath, / a waste of breath the years behind† (14-15).   Such thoughts suggest existentialism, which provides a sense of the lack of meaning or purpose in living—that we simply â€Å"exist.†Ã‚   Yet the opening lines... ... when going into battle, and, ultimately, death (11).   This is not to say he feels delight in dying, but that some sense of delight in going to war him brought him there, via combat.   Ã‚  Ã‚   Taken as a whole, â€Å"An Irish Airman Foresees His Death† is a simple poem about a man dying.   Its intricacies lie in the juggling act performed by the narrator that leads to a pessimistic, balanced view of a soldier’s death.   When each line is considered carefully, the work becomes more and more complicated.   Several emotions are contrasted along the way—possibly an attempt by Yeats to capture the multitude of feelings that must run through the mind of someone dying.    Works Cited Yeats, William Butler.   â€Å"An Irish Airman Foresees His Death.†Ã‚   The Norton Anthology of Modern Poetry.   Ed. Richard Ellmann and Robert O’Clair.   New York: W. W. Norton & Company, Inc.   154-155.

Being an Audience

The play entitled â€Å"Arsenic and Old Lace† is about the story of comedy towards tragedy and dilemma. It emphasized the main product of the play, which is the elderberry wine that the main characters used to kill and bury people who had no family. Despite of its tragic complexity, the characters build widespread comic elements to lighten the effect of the story. Being an audience is actually a good but hard task.It enables you to understand fully the story and the implications of its resolution but having extra sensitive to the actions, words, the setting of the play in order to incorporate your ideas and imagination towards the whole situations, and sometimes may apply to the reality. The audience will determine whether an event, play or movie is good, better, or best for they could see the whole actions, that they are outside the frame of acting – they are the judge in the court.The original title of this play is Bodies in the Cellar. It began as a stage play openin g on January 10, 1941. Arsenic and Old Lace play 1,444 performances on Broadway and 1,332 in London’s West End. The non-musical play conquered stages around the world in many languages – â€Å"Aresnico e Vecchi Merletti – in Italian. In 1944, Arsenic and Old Lace secured its place in the human consciousness with film direct by Frank Capra. The venue of the play in Ohio Theater House Square is an encouraging place to watch.The seats are comfortable and the ambiance is good as if it attracts its audience to participate in the play. Before the beginning of the play, people are talking to their friends and companions regarding their expectations in the story – the characters, the music, and the story as a whole. Some of the audiences observed the scenario of the place in order to be familiarized with the concept of the play. The audiences were approximately 150 to 200 people who are in higher and middle class, mostly whites.Even if there are blacks in the ve nue, only few of them exist. They sat at the right side of the stage where almost all of them are together. The dress of the audiences in the play manifests to their social status. A group of friends or family who are in the higher status wears dresses that are more beautiful while people in middle class, dress just like the same as going to school or church. They were also excited while chattering and laughing at their friends and family.The audience started to pay attention when the host went to the stage to introduce and orient the audience about the Indian’s game status and play that we are going to watch. After his remarks, lights dimmed. Some of the audiences yelled in excitement but most of us (including me), gazed at the beauty of the stage as the curtain opens. As I notice while watching the play, people at front part and at my both sides are amazed by the characters.Because the characters played very well, they encouraged the audience to become participative through their laughs and yells. The movements of the character are like dances. As the music come along, the actions of their bodies also went through the beat along with their voices and facial expressions. The history of the play did not result any negativities towards the audience but a standing ovation also because of the pure and unique performances of the characters as well as the setting of the play where audience may think that it is true.After the play, the audience made a significant applause to all the characters and the makers of the play. This kind of play is not easy for they need to build extra grave to bury all the bodies that the main characters killed. Aside from this, the plot, characterization, and resolution of the story merged as one to bring the comic tradition of tragedy, fallacy, and curiosity. The impact of the play to the audience made a distinct action throughout the story. The audience remained at their seats without talking to one another.As the twist of the s tory revealed, almost everyone in the audience reacted as if they were part of the play. As a whole, being an audience in this kind of event is grateful and unbelievable experience. It brings new life to the tradition of old culture where actors and actresses played their roles without the camera but all bare to the naked eyes. That is why it can be said that they are better than those in the television and movies for there are no director’s cut and editor’s cut – all is true and realistic in a fictional setting and environment.

Citibank: Performance Evaluation Essay

The California Division of Citibank has introduced a new performance scorecard to highlight the importance of a diverse set of measures in achieving the strategic goals of the division. Among the new measures introduced was a customer satisfaction indicator. Unfortunately, James McGaran, the manager of the most important branch and who consistently delivers impressive financial results scored â€Å"below par† on customer satisfaction. Frits Seeger, President of Citibank California and Lisa Johnson, area manager supervising James, are pondering what overall performance rating are they going to give to James. Areas of ConsiderationCitibank’s strategy in California was to build a profitable franchise providing relationship banking combined with ah high level of service to its customers. Financial measures had dominated Citibank’s performance in the past but management felt that these measures were poor vehicles to communicate the high service strategy of the bank. Other areas to consider in this case are: †¢To reflect the importance of non-financial measures as leading indicators of strategy implementation, the California Division developed a Performance Scorecard which complemented existing financial measures with new measures reflecting important competitive dimensions in the bank’s strategy. †¢James’ customers in his branch are sophisticated- they require high service quality and knowledgeable employees who could satisfy their financial needs and his performance exceeded expectations every single year by delivering impressive financial results for four years in a row. †¢But when the division expanded its performance indicators to include non-financial measures, it became apparent that his branch’s customer satisfaction ratings are not as good as his financial performance. His customer satisfaction was â€Å"below par† for 2 consecutive quarters. †¢James discussed concerns regarding the (in)adequacy of the survey: customers rated not only their branch but also other Citibank’s services such as ATMs that were out of the control of branch managers. †¢Even so, he worked hard to improve the customer satisfaction rating by designating a staff to greet customers and held meetings and coached branch employees to focus their attention on improving customer satisfaction. †¢James felt very disappointed when for two quarters, his rating had been only par. He thought that his efforts deserved an above par rating considering that he’s able to successfully run the hardest branch in the division. †¢Frits is considering to give James an â€Å"above par† rating given his excellent performance in other dimensions, but if the performance evaluation team gave James an â€Å"above par,† the other managers could think that the division was not serious about its non-financial measures. Alternate Courses of Action†¢Set aside the performance evaluation guidelines and give James an overall â€Å"above par† rating thus entitling him to as much as 30% bonus. †¢Observe and uphold the performance guidelines and give James an overall â€Å"par† rating and get a bonus of up to 15% of basic salary. RecommendationsI recommend that the evaluating team follow the guidelines they set forth and give James the following ratings: †¢Financials – Above par†¢Strategy implementation – Above par†¢Customer satisfaction – Below par†¢Control – Above par †¢People – Above par †¢Standards – Above ParJames’ average in customer satisfaction for the four quarters was a dismal 64.75 – a far cry from the required market average of 77 to get â€Å"above par† and about 10 points shy from the 74-79 score to get a â€Å"par† rating. Based on the guidelines, with a â€Å"below par† rating, James is no longer qualified to get an overall â€Å"above par† rating and thus settle for a â€Å"par† rating. This is to give credibility to the intent of the management in implementing a balanced scorecard and in giving other factors equal weight and importance as that of financials. Having said that, some important issues need to be addressed in Citibank’ performance evaluation. First, Lisa should have provided support to James as  early as the 2nd quarter when his customer satisfaction scores began to slip from 66 to 63 (then further down to 54 during the 3rd quarter). Performance evaluation should not be a static document- it should be a reference for the employee and superior to identify deficiencies and gaps during the rating period. It should be revisited regularly, identify areas of improvement and see how management can intervene and improve the performance of the manager. A regular performance feedback is crucial so that the managers can align their activities with what is expected of them. Second, it would be worthwhile for Frits and Lisa to review the scores of the other managers focusing on customer satisfaction- this is to find out how all the managers are faring with the new performance indicator and to determine James’ performance vis-à  -vis his colleagues. If the general results of the customer satisfaction are similar with that of James, then his concerns are not unfounded- it may be that while the branches are doing their best in extending excellent customer service, the centralized services might be the one that’s pulling down everyone’s performance. Third, it would be excellent if Frits can benchmark their performance evaluation with the rest of the industry and see if their parameters in especially on customer satisfaction are within industry standards. Fourth, a reorientation or training on the proper administration and use of the performance evaluation is in order. Based on the scores and comments that Lisa gives to James, it appears that she is lenient with him. She overemphasizes James’ financial achievements but mentions too little on his deficiency on customer satisfaction. There also seems to be a halo error in the way Lisa evaluates James- where his financial prowess seems to unduly influence the other evaluation dimensions. Imons, R. Citibank: Performance Evaluation. 1997. Harvard Business School

Organisations Need Strong Culture Essay

I will outline why a strong culture is required for organisations in a post-bureaucratic era. Culture â€Å"represents the totality of everyday knowledge that people use habitually to make sense of the world around them through patterns of shared meanings and understandings passed down through language, symbols, and artefacts† (Clegg 3rd Edition, 2011). It is the ‘glue’ that binds the workforce of an organisation in a post-bureaucratic organisation, which is heterarchical, meaning information flows across divisions and is more equally given to people and different managements. I will also draw upon numerous tutorial and additional readings to explore the differing opinions into the essence of culture and its importance to modern-day organisations. It is an important ingredient to success that organisations meet their objectives under a strong culture in the post-bureaucratic era, as the necessary outcomes will be achieved through a quality focused cultural organisation. Furthermore I will provide an overview of culture in the post-bureaucratic era with the assistance of Josserand (2012), and then analyse the working environment by comparing and contrasting its effectiveness with a strong culture using Rosen (1988) and Karreman, D. & Alvesson, M (2004). Lastly I will assess an organisations working situation without culture using Bolden (2006), to ultimately show that in my opinion it is clear that â€Å"organisations need strong culture† to be successful. Josserand (2012) analyses corporate alumni networks as a post-bureaucratic management practice that perpetuates an individuals’ subjectivation despite them no longer being a part of the organisation. Courpasson (2000, cited in Josserand 2012) states that â€Å"post-bureaucratic management practices are powerful soft-domination devices†. On the surface it appears as though there is equality among workers in the organization which helps produce obedience, however it’s actually a pervasive system of controls which subtly reinforces the hierarchical structure (Josserand, 2012). It’s been debated that an enterprising culture is promoted by post-bureaucratic practices. DuGay (2000, cited in Josserand 2012) further points out that it â€Å"carries humanistic values of autonomy, responsibility, flexibility, confidence, and trust, that encourages people to be empowered and to take on responsibilities†. Culture gives organisations unique identities but most importantly, I believe a positive culture benefits both employees and employers, as it creates a productive working environment and thus leads to more efficient and effective work practices. It increases the successfulness of the organisation if implemented successfully. Employing a strong culture in an organisation can be a tedious, time consuming and a difficult task, however it is a long term project to increase the organisations profitability by increasing the enjoyment and satisfaction of its’ workers. In addition workers will flourish according to Salaman & Storey (2008, cited in Josserand 2012) â€Å"by constantly achieving harder, better and faster†, which is beneficial for the employers and employers as better results are achieved. It also engrains the concept that they are â€Å"players on the same team† (Hardy, 1998, cited in Josserand 2012). The ultimate outcome is for the workers to believe they are â€Å"members of the big corporate family who they can trust as their relatives† (Casey 1999, cited in Josserand 2012). From this, they all enjoy the success of achieving the ‘family’s’ key objectives. Negative culture lacks the engagement and empowerment aspects needed by a successful organisation and achieving the key objectives in a weaker or negative cultured organisation become much more difficult and stresses the bureaucratic processes. Rosen’s (1988) article utilises the setting of an organisations Christmas party to draw out the cultural and symbolic meanings, under the guise of a supposedly innocent social event. There is a â€Å"blurring of boundary between self and organisation† (Rosen 1988), giving workers a chance to develop more personal relationships with fellow workers, which I believe is an important consideration in driving culture. However subtly it is a form of normative control which reinforces the organisations hierarchy. Nevertheless, bosses, co-workers, and inferiors in the organisation socialise in the social setting, not as â€Å"subordinates† (Rosen 1988) but as equals. This further â€Å"blurs the boundaries between that which is work and play, instrumental and moral, inside and outside† (Rosen 1988), where familial bonds are forged and comradeship created. Here, workers’ life and work become indistinguishable. Creating and maintaining a strong culture is thus beneficial for both employees and employers as they feel â€Å"belonging as family and profession† (Rosen 1988). Greater bonding among workers helps develop a sense of connection and a feeling of belonging, which therefore increases the productivity of the employees and therefore make the organisation more profitable. The Christmas party is ultimately â€Å"a collection of members forming an organic unity† (Rosen 1988), creating a culture which â€Å"encourages an informal, flexible, and dedicated membership, one not constrained by extensive rules, and one capable of accomplishing ill-defined and complex tasks† (Rosen 1988). It is the ongoing drive to succeed which continues to grow the strength of the positive culture that is continually being by a valued workforce. Karreman, D. & Alvesson, M (2004), uses the case of ‘Big Consulting’ to discuss how â€Å"organizations were stereotypically understood as bureaucracies, with very slightly refined and tightened structural cages†. Bureaucratic modes of organizing include â€Å"division of labor, hierarchy, and standardization† (Karreman, D. & Alvesson, M 2004), and these usually alienate workers as managers take no appreciation of their contribution. This negative culture that is created from alienating and disengaging workers is very difficult to transform into positive culture, and therefore weakens organisations and bureaucracies as a result. However it has changed over the past thirty years, and this stereotype has been replaced with a cliche â€Å"that organizations are becoming increasingly network based, organic, and flexible, and knit together: values, ideas, mutual adjustment, community feelings or identity† (Karreman, D. & Alvesson, M 2004). Here it is evident that a culture of positivity, teamwork and individuality has been developed. Adopting these practices has benefited ‘Big Consulting’ as it has instilled a â€Å"delivery culture and commitment to keeping deadlines at all costs† (Karreman, D. & Alvesson, M 2004). Now strength is the focus of the organisation when completing a task, as the workers have been cultured into committing themselves whole-heartedly to working together as a team to complete work projects. The culture which has been bread in this organisation can enhance an organisations reputation as evident by ‘Big Consulting’ case study where it is now known as â€Å"a reliable and trustworthy business that delivers what is promised† (Karreman, D. Alvesson, M 2004). Though Bolden, R. Gosling (2006) does not focus on culture, I will be using it to show the disadvantages and issues associated with organisations and leaders without a strong culture. The competency approach â€Å"appears to be fast becoming one of the most dominant models for management and leader ship assessment and development in the UK† (Miller et al. , 2001; Rankin, 2002, cited in Bolden, R. Gosling 2006). This approach was founded on an â€Å"objectivist view of the world that considers the worker and the work as distinct entities† (Bolden, R. Gosling 2006). Of importance – in my belief – is the fact that â€Å"the strong emphasis on individual behaviour means that outcomes are invariably attributed to the individual rather than the collective and/or contextual† (Bolden, R. Gosling 2006). This can have negative effects on the organisation as workers lack the determination and motivation because they receive near no credit for the work they’ve undertaken nor the goals they have achieved. Therefore the organisations profitability often decreases, as workers become increasingly unsatisfied and unproductive as they feel as though they are taken for granted and only known as ‘numbers’ rather than people. I have outlines why â€Å"organisations need strong culture† by providing an overview of culture in the post-bureaucratic era, and an analysis of the working environment by comparing and contrasting its’ effectiveness with and without strong culture. Josserand (2012), Rosen (1988), and Karreman, D. & Alvesson, M (2004), assisted me in showing how post-bureaucratic organisations with a strong culture focused on working together as a team benefits organisations. While I used Bolden, R.  Gosling (2006) to illustrate the negative aspects to an organisation that is hierarchical and does not take notice of employees, and the value they can often add to achieving the organisations goals. I have come to the overall conclusion that organisations do in fact need strong culture, as it increases worker moral and productivity because they are recognised and are engaged as valuable members of the organisation. This in turn benefits the organisation as its profitability increases as a positive workforce leads to positive outcomes with the goals of the organisations being achieved.

Surface runoff

Wind and water erosion are now the two primary causes of land degradation. The most effective known method for erosion prevention is to increase cogitative cover on the land, which helps prevent both wind and water erosion. Vegetation acts as an interface between the atmosphere and the soil. It increases the permeability of the soil to rainwater, thus decreasing runoff. It shelters the soil from winds, which results in decreased wind erosion, as well as advantageous changes in micrometer.The roots of the plants bind the soil together, and interweave with other roots, forming a more solid mass that is less susceptible to both water and wind erosion. The removal of vegetation increases the rate of surface erosion. De Beats, Oppose, J. Glasses, G. , Knap, A,(2006) Effects of grass roots on the readability of topsoil during concentrated flow-Geomorphology Volvo. 76 Issue 1/2, pop-67. The results indicate a negative exponential relation between the relative soil detachment rate and root d ensity as well as root length density, independent of the applied flow shear stresses.A comparison between the effects of vegetation cover on sheet and rill erosion rates and those of the root area ratio of grass roots on relative soil detachment rates reveals that grass roots are very effective in reducing soil detachment rates. Objective of the Study This study aims to come up methods on how to reduce soil erosion in mountainous areas using locally or commonly known plants or garden plants. Some examples of these plants may be grass, corn and root crops. Specifically, it answers the following: 1) TO identify the soil losses Of the soil properties Of the plant covered land. ) To elucidate the effects of residue cover on run off and erosion. 3) To assess the likely impact of soil erosion in mountainous areas. Significance of the Study The study will provide alternative ways in mitigating soil erosion by using different commonly known plants or garden plants. It would also enumerate some ornamental plants or edible plants that can be used to mitigate erosion and that they are locally available and abundant. This study will also be beneficial to future engineering as it provides studies and information of how effective vegetation cover as a method for erosion reduction.Literature Review Soil Erosion Reduction Using Grass De Beats, Oppose,J. Glasses, G. Knap, A. (2006) studied effects of grass roots on the readability of topsoil during concentrated flow. . The main objective of the study is to investigate the impact of root density and root Engel density of grass on the readability of root-permeated saturated top soils. And found out that the results indicate a negative exponential relation Lewis, Timothy D. Rowan, John S. Hawse, Cathy McKenzie, Blair M. (2013) studied assessing the significance of soil erosion for arable weed seed bank diversity in agro-ecosystems.The main objective of the study is to assess the likely impact of soil erosion on the composition a nd abundance of the arable weed seed bank, and presents an overview of erosion mechanisms affecting arable land coupled with an outline of the main factors influencing arable deed seed bank abundance and composition. And found out that net erosion data conceal within-field sediment deposition within swales, foot slopes, buffer strips and hedgerows which provides a further dimension of spatial restructuring of weed assemblages. Seed size and shape also influence hydrodynamic behavior through selective entrainment and preferential deposition.

Cultural and Ethical Dilemmas Within the Colourful Corporation Essay

The aim of this business report is to analyse the ethical dilemmas arising from daily business operations, and to determine whether Colourful Corporation was ethical in its decision making, and to provide solutions for the management of future ethical issues. Having an established international base, Colourful Corporation conducts business transactions in both developing and developed countries. In doing so, Colourful Corporation is exposed to a wide range of ethical dilemmas which are the result of differing cultural values and norms. Segon (2011) proposes variable determinants of culture including religion, political and economic philosophy, education, language and social structure. Different cultural values and norms account for opposing perspectives regarding what constitutes ethical behaviour. The complexities in this ever-evolving business environment have brought attention towards corporate business ethics as research has found that business ethics is closely linked to an organisation’s well-being (Svensson & Wood 2011, p.21). This has highlighted the importance of ethics education for employees of the company as education will lead to the development of ethical practices among individuals in the company as well as the corporation as a whole. Furthermore, according to Hill (2011), pressure from senior management to meet unrealistic performance goals can be an incentive for employees to engage in unethical practices. It is concluded that: business operations continue to be conducted in both developed and undeveloped countries, where ethical issues may arise as a result of differing culture views, consideration must be given; the Corporation must act ethically when dealing in its global business operations; the risk of undertaking unethical activities as a result of unrealistic performance expectations increases; a program should be adopted to support local communities where it is conducting business operations in order to fulfil its ethical and moral responsibility in line with Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR); a need to provide education and training to its employees on corporate business ethics in order to promote a strong corporate ethical culture; and the senior executive made the correct decision, by following corporate policy. It is the corporate policy that must be adjusted to include ethical considerations, assisting future business decision making processes. Subsequently, this may potentially prevent sim ilar tragedies occurring as a result of Colourful Corporation’s actions. * It is recommended that Colourful Corporation: adopt the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) framework ,which is the most widely used reporting framework for performance on human rights, labour, environmental, anti-corruption, and other corporate citizenship issues; encourage the needs of ethical behaviour within and by the corporation to the employees; contribute to charity in the form of providing facilities such as, schools and orphanages for the poor and unfortunate children in the developing country ; update the corporate policy to include ethical considerations required for each business making decision; create an ethical culture within the corporation by embracing the commitment to ethical standards; and engage with a reputable company to provide holistic business ethics training program for all levels of employees to increase ethical sensitivity and develop healthy organisational culture. Introduction The Colourful Corporation has established a foreign entity within business operations, one which consists of a foreign subsidiary within a developed nation. Cognisant of good operational management, regular trips are carried out by executives to inspect and ensure that correct protocol and company policies are being adhered to. A few years ago, an executive of the Corporation was visiting and noticed that a subsidiary had employed a 12 year old girl. This was is in strict opposition to the Corporation’s own ethical code, and the 12 year old was replaced. Tragically, the 12 year old and her younger brother both died in their desperation to find food and survive. This tragic story found its way to the CEO of the Colourful Corporation, instigating the development of this business report. This report will evaluate whether the correct initial action was taken, and if a similar action would have been taken should the final story be known to the Corporation. There have b een no limitations presented within this report. Aim of report The aim of this business report is to analyse the ethical dilemmas arising from daily business operations, and to determine whether Colourful Corporation was ethical in its decision making, whilst providing solutions for the future management of ethical issues. Issues Cultural Value and Norms According to Segon (2011), values and norms are core determinants of culture. These norms and value systems are affected by many variables, including religion, political philosophy, economic philosophy, education, language and social structure (Figure 1). Different variables can account for the perspectives and views across diverse cultural communities. Ethical issues and dilemmas may arise from business decisions depending on what the value and norms the organization is operating in, and accustomed to. Whilst different perspectives arise from varying cultural systems and bring diversity in the economic environment, the occurrence of ethical issues arising from business operations must be considered. As proposed by Park & Voigt (2008), it is suggested that ‘values and norms have both a ‘direct and indirect impact on economic development.’ While a certain culture may impose certain working standards and conditions upon its workers in conducting its business operations, it’s important to consider the potential ethical issues surrounding these decisions. It’s vital the Corporation maintains ethical business practices in line with Australian standards. The visiting executive has acted in accordance with appropriate due care by their avoidance to use child labour in the procurement of producing goods and services. Ethics The ethics dilemma presented, personal and business, must be afforded due consideration. ‘Business ethics are not divorced from personal ethics, which are generally accepted principles of right or wrong governing the conduct of individuals’ (Hill, 2011, pp.141). Hill (2011, pp.142) states that ‘several studies of unethical behaviour in a business setting have concluded that businesspeople sometimes do not realise they are behaving unethically, primarily because they simply fail to ask, â€Å"Is this decision or action ethical?†(Messick & Bazerman,1996)’. A process must be developed within the Colourful Corporation’s corporate policies, ensuring that each business decision considers the ethical impact that the decision may have on the community and its people. Figure 2 (Hill, 2011, pp.141) provides a number of generalisations, highlighting the complexity of ethical dilemmas, and that no one answer can truly be considered correct. However, consid eration of each component will help to improve ethical behaviour. As stated within the Californian Management Review (1999), there is differing advice from many academic sources. However, an important fundamental of ethics worth considering comes from the ’10 Guidelines for national corporations’ postulated by DeGeorge (1993), with the 2nd guideline stipulating that ‘every company must â€Å"produce more good than harm for the host country†Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ (DeGeorge, 1993). Unrealistic Performance Expectations The pressure from senior executives of the parent company to meet unrealistic performance goals that can only be attained by acting in an unethical manner (Hill et al 2011) is a factor that will result in unethical behaviour. There is a high probability that the local manager will make a decision that could potentially violate their own personal ethics and engage in unethical behaviour. The Colourful Corporation’s senior executive demanded that the local manager to replace the under-aged girl with an adult. The local manager followed the direction dutifully, replacing the under-aged girl, even though it may have violated his own personal ethics. Such unethical behaviour of the senior manager may affect the culture of the corporation as they set an example that other employees follow. Colourful Corporation can motivate and improve ethical behaviour by reinforcing a corporate policy that includes ethical considerations. Hill (2011) referred to how Hewlett-Packard (HP) reinforced ethical values of their employees through what they call the ‘HP Way’. The ‘HP Way’ stresses the need for confidence in and respect for people, open communication and concern for individual employees. Education In recent years, there has been a paradigm shift towards corporate business ethics. Consequently, ethics education in corporations is of significance because the lack of anticipation and preparations in practical terms as well as philosophically by corporations may result in the company becoming vulnerable to public scrutiny (Morris & Wood 2011, p.275). This is because research has found that ethical issues have asymmetric relationships across an organisation, suggesting a need to define appropriate corporate policy, and measures with emphasis on the ethical perspective of the company’s business operations (Svensson & Wood 2011, p.21). In line with this, employees of the company should therefore be provided information on the company’s corporate policies in order to align individual business ethics with the corporation business ethic. The following may be achieved by engaging with a reputable company-endorsed should be engaged to provide holistic ethical training program for all levels of employees within the corporation (Morris & Wood 2011, p.275). The author further emphasise that ethics training is able to inculcate ethical practices and behaviour within employees of the company by introducing critical awareness for moral dilemmas. The increase sensitivity among employees has developed a platform for a healthy ethical culture in the company. Hence, it is likely that the company can better manage stakeholders’ interest, as well as incorporating the idea of socially responsible behaviour in the company’s strategic actions (Sisaye 2011, p.277). Moral Obligations Moral obligations, also known as corporate social responsibilities, refer to ‘a concept whereby companies integrate social and environmental concerns in their business operations and in their interaction with their stakeholders on a voluntary basis’ (EU Commission 2002, p.5). The economic and political transformations affecting the lives of young people are varied and complex. Researchers have also argued that the issue of child labour is contentious not only because many children work illegally, but also because their work concurrently involves interdependent realities of survival, participation, abuse and exploitation (Abebe & Bessell, 2011). Furthermore, Brekke and Nyborg (2005) stated that corporations with low social responsibility profile could be driven out of business. Therefore, it is important for corporation to consider moral obligations as a part of corporate policy.