American Political System

The American political system is presidential type of system where the president is the head of state and head of government. There is the state government and the federal government; these two shares the sovereignty with the Supreme Court balancing their powers. The American system also has the two-party legislative and electoral system. The American political system is made up of three main branches which are the executive, the legislature and the judiciary. The executive branch is headed by the president and is independent of the legislature.The president is the commander in chief of the armed forces and exercise overall authority in the management of national affairs of the United States. The ideology of the incumbent President and the President's advisers largely determines the government's attitude in foreign affairs. The legislative power is vested in the two chambers of congress which is the senate and the House of Representatives while the judiciary comprises of the Supreme Court and the lower federal courts. The function of the judiciary is to interpret the United States Constitution and the federal laws and regulations.These include resolving disputes between the executive branch and the legislative branch. The American political system has always been dominated by two political parties, the Democratic Party and the Republican Party since the time of the American civil war. Other parties have existed but they have not been as dominant as these two. It is a usual view that the American political system is weak and disjointed. It is also a usual opinion that this was by deliberate design for the American founding fathers believed in limited government, and designed a system to ensure it.In a number of ways, it is certainly true that the American system is fragmented, if not necessarily weak. Many governmental functions that are performed by the national government as a matter of course in most countries are in the United States relegated to the states. In turn the states pass many of these functions on to local government. The standard form of identification carried by most people is a state driver's license, not a national identification card. Local police perform most law enforcement. They are not directly answerable, in a day-to-day administrative sense, to the national government or even the state government.Local government officials register marriages, property transactions, and much of the other fundamental administration of society. Basically the political system is made up of the federal government the state government and the local government; these include the state, the local, the county, and the town and village governments. (Bruce, 1997) Federal, state and local governments The federal entity created by the Constitution is the dominant feature of the American governmental system. Every person outside the capital is subject to at least three governing bodies: the federal government, a state and units of local governm ent.The local government includes counties, municipalities, and special districts. The federal government was created by the states, which as colonies were established separately and governed themselves independently of the others. Units of local government were created by the colonies to efficiently carry out various state functions. As the country expanded, it admitted new states modeled on the existing ones. State government States governments have the power to make law on all subjects that are not granted to the national government or denied to the states in the U.S. Constitution. These include education, family law, contract law, and most crimes. Unlike the national government, which only has those powers granted to it in the Constitution, a state government has intrinsic powers allowing it to act unless limited by a provision of the state or national constitution. Like the national government, state governments have three branches: executive, legislative, and judicial. The chi ef executive of a state is its popularly elected governor, who holds office for a four-year term (although in a few states the term is two years).Apart from for Nebraska, which has one-chamber legislature (known as a unicameral legislature), all states have a bicameral legislature, with the upper house usually called the Senate and the lower house called the House of Representatives, the House of Delegates or Assembly. In most states, senators serve four-year terms, and members of the lower house serve two-year terms. The constitutions of the various states differ in some details but generally follow a pattern similar to that of the federal Constitution, including a statement of the rights of the people and a plan for organizing the government.State constitutions are generally more detailed. (Bruce, 1997) Local government There are 87,000 local governments, including 3,034 counties, 19,498 municipalities, 16,500 townships, 13,500 school districts, and 35,000 other special districts which deal with issues like fire protection. To a greater extent than on the federal or state level, the local governments directly serve the needs of the people, providing everything from police and fire protection to sanitary codes, health regulations, education, public transportation, and housing. Nearly 30% of the people live in cities of 100,000 or more population.City governments are chartered by states, and their charters feature the objectives and powers of the municipal government. For most big cities, cooperation with both state and federal organizations is essential to meeting the needs of their residents. Types of city governments vary widely across the nation. However, almost all have some kind of central council, elected by the voters, and an executive officer, assisted by various departmental heads, to manage the city's affairs. There are three general types of city government: the mayor-council, the commission, and the council-manager.These are the pure forms; most c ities have developed a combination of two or three of them. (Bruce, 1997) Mayor- Council. This is the oldest form of city government in the United States and, until the beginning of the 20th century, was used by nearly all American cities. Its structure is similar to that of the state and national governments, with an elected mayor as chief of the executive branch and an elected council that represents the various neighborhoods forming the legislative branch. The mayor appoints heads of city departments and other officials with the approval of the council.He or she has the power of veto over the laws of the city and regularly is in charge of preparing the city's budget. The council passes city by laws that sets the tax rate on property, and apportions money among the various city departments for various developments that have been ratified by the council. Cities have grown and council seats have more often than not come to represent more than a single neighborhood. The Commission: T his combines both the legislative and executive functions in one group of officials, usually three and more in number, elected all around the city. Each official supervises the work of one or more city departments.One of the officials is named chairperson of the body and is often called the mayor, although his or her power is equivalent to that of the other commissioners. Council- Manager: The city manager is an answer to the increasing difficulty of metropolitan problems, which require management expertise not often possessed by elected public officials. The answer has been to entrust most of the executive powers, including law enforcement and provision of services, to a highly trained and experienced professional city manager. The person usually holding this office is a government employee sent to the council or city by the federal government.The city manager plan has been adopted by a large number of cities. Under this plan, a small, elected council makes the city laws and regula tions and sets policy, but hires a paid administrator, also called a city manager, to carry out its decisions. The manager draws up the city budget and supervises most of the departments. Usually, there is no set term; the manager serves as long as the council is satisfied with his or her work(Bruce, 1997) County government The county is a subdivision of the state, sometimes containing two or more townships and several villages.New York City is so large that it is divided into five separate sections, each a county in its own right In most U. S. counties, one town or city is designated as the county seat, and this is where the government offices are situated and where the board of commissioners or supervisors meets. The board collects taxes for state and local governments; borrows and appropriates money; fixes the salaries of county employees; supervises elections; builds and maintains highways and bridges; and administers national, state, and county welfare programs Town and village governmentThousands of municipal jurisdictions are too small to qualify as city governments. These are chartered as towns and villages and deal with such strictly local needs as paving and lighting the streets; ensuring a water supply; providing police and fire protection; waste management; and, in cooperation with the state and county, directly administering the local school system. The government is usually entrusted to an elected board or council, which may be known by a variety of names: town or village council, board of supervisors, board of commissioners.The board may have a chairperson or president who functions as chief executive officer, or there may be an elected mayor. Governmental employees may include a clerk, treasurer, police and fire officers, and health and welfare officers. One distinctive characteristic of local government is the town meeting. Once a year the registered voters of a town meet in open session to elect officers, debate local issues, and pass laws fo r operating the government. As a body, they decide on road construction and repair, construction of public buildings and facilities, tax rates, and the town budget.The town meeting, which has existed for more than three centuries in some places, is often cited as the purest form of direct democracy. (Bruce, 1997) Voting in America is by adult Suffrage which is nearly universal for citizens who are18 years of age and older. All 50 states, as well as the District of Columbia, contribute to the electoral vote for President. However, the District, and other U. S. holdings like Guam do not have states' representation in Congress. They do not have the right to choose any political representative outside their respective areas.Each commonwealth, territory, or district can only elect a non-voting delegate to serve in the House of Representatives. Voting rights are sometimes restricted as a result of felony conviction, but such laws vary widely by state. Election of the president is an indir ect suffrage: Voters vote for electors to vote for President. The voters who elect a president are usually called the Electoral College. A candidate may have the majority of votes but looses in the Electoral College, this candidate is deemed to have lost the elections to the candidate who wins more votes in the Electoral College.Finance In order to participate in winning elections, especially in Federal elections it requires large amounts of money. The money is usually used for television advertising. This money is always very hard to raise. Candidates raise their money by appealing to a mass base. Both the two major parties normally depend on wealthy donors and organizations. Traditionally the Democrats depend on contributions from organized labor while the Republicans rely on business donations. Democrats' business donations have surpassed those from labor organizations.This dependency on donors is contentious, and has led to laws limiting spending on political campaigns being ena cted. Opponents of campaign finance laws challenge campaign finance laws on the grounds that they attempt to evade the people's constitutionally-guaranteed rights. Even when laws are upheld, the complication of compliance with these laws requires careful and cautious drafting of legislation, leading to laws that are still fairly limited in scope. (Bruce, 1997) Voting There is the primary election.This is an election in which voters in a jurisdiction select candidates for an ensuing election. Primary elections are one means by which a political party nominates candidates for the following general election. â€Å"Primaries† are widespread in the United States where their beginning is traced to the progressive movement. The primary elections are conducted by the government on behalf of the parties. Elsewhere in the world, the nomination of candidates is usually the responsibility of the political party organizations themselves and does not involve the general public.Besides prim aries, other ways that parties may choose candidates include caucuses; conventions and nomination meetings. There are several types of primaries. These include the open, semi open, closed semi closed. There is also the blanket type. In the closed type voters vote in a party's primary only if they are registered members of that party. Independents cannot participate. In Semi-closed, as in closed primaries, registered party members can vote only in their own party's primary. Semi-closed systems, however, allow unaffiliated voters to participate as well.Depending on the state, independents either make their choice of party primary privately, inside the voting booth, or publicly, by registering with any party on Election Day. In an open style a registered voter may vote in any party primary regardless of his own party affiliation. When voters do not register with a party before the primary, it is called a pick-a-party primary because the voter can select which party's primary he or she wishes to vote in on Election Day. Because of the open nature of this system, a practice known as â€Å"raiding† may occur.â€Å"Raiding† consists of voters of one party crossing over and voting in the primary of another party, effectively allowing a party to help choose its opposition's candidate. The theory is that opposing party members vote for the weakest candidate of the opposite party in order to give their own party the advantage in the general election. In a Semi-open style each voter may vote in any single primary, but must publicly declare which primary she will vote in before entering the voting booth. Typically this declaration is accomplished by requesting a ballot.In many states with semi-open primaries, election officials record each voter's choice of party and provide the parties access to this information. In the blanket type the voters are allowed to vote for one candidate per office, regardless of party affiliation. The current Presidential primary election schedule is that it gives undue weight to the few states with early primaries, as those states often build momentum for leading candidates and rule out trailing candidates long before the rest of the country has even had a chance to weigh in, leaving the last states with virtually no actual input on the process.The counterargument to this criticism, however, is that, by subjecting candidates to the scrutiny of a few early states, the parties can â€Å"weed out† candidates who are unfit for office. (Bruce, 1997) Reference Bruce, E. J. (1997): Native American Political Systems and the Evolution of Democracy: Greenwood Press; Westport,

Song of Bernadette

The Song of Bernadette Franz Werfel’s, The Song of Bernadette tells the story of Saint Bernadette Soubirous. The movie Was directed by the American screenwriter, George Seaton and released in 1943, only two years after the book was published. In 1943, The Song of Bernadette was awarded four Ocsars for: Best Actress in a Leading Role, Best Art Direction-Interior Decoration, Best Cinematography, and Best Music. I believe that George Seaton’s goal for the film was not only to give the novel visual content, but to also spread the word of Saint Bernadette, Lourdes, and to give his opinion on atheism.At the beginning of the film, Seaton quotes, â€Å"For those who believe in God, no explanation is necessary. For those who do not believe in God, no explanation is possible. † I believe this quote plays a big role in The Song of Bernadette, being that most of the people that do not believe that Bernadette sees the Virgin Mary portray atheist and atheism. The Song of Berna dette was filmed in black and white. The shadowing in the movie was very good. It helped you visualize the film better and adds detail to the movie being that it is in black and white.The lighting also helps portray that the woman Bernadette sees is, in fact, something extraordinary. Whenever she appears in the film, she is always bright. I think the actors that played in The Song of Bernadette played their rolls very well. Jennifer Jones was a great in the film as the main character, Bernadette. Gladys Cooper did an amazing job as Sister Marie. Charles Bickford also did a great job for the part of Father Peyramale. Like I said, everyone did a great job, but those three character just stand out for me. In The Song of Bernadette, there are many of God moments, particularly being that the film is religious.I believe one of the first God moments is when Bernadette sees the lady for the first time. After she sees her, Bernadette just walks right through the river that was freezing cold just moments ago. Another God moment is when Father Peyramale tells Bernadette to ask the lady to make the roses bloom early. When she does, she is asked to wash from the water by the lady, but not from the river. Bernadette decides to go in the cave and dig in the from the ground and begins washing(dirtying) her face with dirt from the hole she had dug up.Nothing happens to the roses after that moment, so some people lose believe in Bernadette and leave but Water begins flowing from the hole she dug and when drank or bathed in the water it preformed miracles. The last God moment is when Sister Marie Therese Vauzous calls out Bernadette for not suffering, and that God should have chosen her because she has suffered. Little did she know Bernadette was indeed suffering from Tuberculosis of the bone, which causes intense pain, and had never complained about it.At the end of the movie conversion and change is made by Prosecutor Vital Dutour when we find out he has cancer to the throat. Dutour goes to the well and asks Bernadette to pray for him, when throughout the whole movie he does not believe Bernadette and even portrays the atheism in movie. In the movie there are many of crosses that are religious symbols. I believe that the church appeared to be well. The characters that exemplifies Christ are Bernadette, the sisters, the Priests, and the Virgin Mary. I do not believe that religion was misused at all in The Song of Bernadette.I did enjoy the film. I can honestly say, I’m not that in to religious films, but I really did like this one. Something about it kept my attention, and in my case it is pretty hard for me to keep interest in movies because I’m not a big fan of watching movies, but The Song of Bernadette definitely kept me interested throughout the whole movie. I think that The Song of Bernadette can relate to anyone that has ever doubted something or not believed something. I would most certainly watch this again if it would ever come on television and I happen to be watching.

Raymond Carver - Short Stories with Depth Research Paper

Raymond Carver - Short Stories with Depth - Research Paper Example Precisely why we have very few accomplished short story writers in English literature. In this essay we are going to analyse two stories written by one such accomplished writer Raymond Carver. We are going to compare and contrast these stories and also discuss Raymond Carver’s style of writing. The stories we are going to compare are, ‘Nobody said anything’ and ‘Will you please be quiet please?’ Life of Raymond carver Carver was born in Oregon, in a small mill town. His father was a skilled sawmill worker. His mother supported the family by working as a waitress and retail clerk. Carver got married when he was nineteen and his wife was barely sixteen. Their first child, a daughter was born six months after they got married and a son followed next year. All this time Carver supported his family by doing odd jobs. He later moved to California where he completed his BA and also attended a creative writing workshop conducted by John Gardner. Gardner held profound influence on Carver’s life and career. Carver kept moving his family from one state to another. His wife supported him by doing various odd jobs such as cocktail waitress, salesperson, administrative assistant and even as local school teacher. She supported Carver’s heavy drinking and life as a writer even though he kept teaching in universities across America. She also completed her degree and began to do better jobs to support Carver. Carver took to bottle and by his own admission has stated that in those years of heavy drinking he rarely wrote and only immersed himself in alcohol. Even when his friend Cheever stopped drinking due to diagnosis of cancer, Carver continued to drink. He had resorted to drinking so much that he needed medical assistance thrice to help him back to life. Eventually with the help of Alcoholics Anonymous Carver stopped drinking and took control of his life again. He divorced his first wife and married Tess Gallagher in the year 1982 . He died at the age of fifty due to cancer. Reflection of his life in his work Carver came from a blue collared working family. He came typically from lower middle class background which is seen in his stories. He saw life of blue collared workers very closely. Like couple of his contemporaries Carver painted a picture of lower middle class people on his writing. He highlighted their misery, their problems, their losses, love, relationships, and compromises all in his stories and poetry. He developed a matter of fact approach of stating their lives in his works. For a writer it is difficult to overcome the influences of his life while writing. Personal experiences and feelings do find place in the work they produce. One has to look beyond words to understand and feel what the writer actually wants to convey as deeper meaning to the picture he is creating. All his life till forty Carver struggled with his life by doing odd jobs, teaching and writing. He saw life from close end of th e pavilion and hence all those experiences found place in his work. Carver’s style of writing Carver is said to have a style of ‘dirty realism’ in his work. He was a minimalist writer using words only when necessary. John Gardner whose writing workshop Carver attended mentored Carver to use minimum words required to express him. It was Carver’s publisher Gordon Lish who pushed this minimalist writing to the brim by further cutting down the number of words Carver wrote. Carver later broke the agreement with Lish

In the Service of My Lord Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

In the Service of My Lord - Essay Example There, it flashed in me what it was to be a true follower of Jesus Christ who pleaded to the Heavenly Father when crucified on the Cross, "Father, forgive them for they know not what they do" (Luke 23:34). Forgiveness doe not come easily to even ordinary human beings like me. So then, how was it that He, the Holy Spirit, who had within Him the power to speak to the Father who was in Heaven directly, could pray for their forgiveness If He, Son of God, could pray to His Father for forgiveness of those who have been so cruel to Him, was it because He was weak I knew even such a thought was preposterous. To the contrary, it was because He wanted to teach us mortals, the power of forgiveness, the power of prayer. He showed us by His own example, how to forgive, how to pray! I was moved when I realized this, and a strange calm settled in me after this episode. I resolved to take Christ as my 'Guiding Spirit' ever since and truly believe that "His word" has been "a lamp to my feet and a light for my path" (Psalm 119:105). I devoted myself to my studies then on, and have successfully completed my schooling, to the best of my ability. However, the above experience has never left my memory and has made me believe that I can progress in my spiritual as well as social life, by following the path of the Holy Gospel. Education has always been important to our family.

Child art Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Child art - Essay Example School art is typically distinguished by the subject matter it denotes: visual art, music, dance, or drama. In this article, I suggest a new distinction among the arts genres used in the school, namely, "child art," "fine art," and "art for children." Rather than being categorized by subject matter, these three genres operate across the various media. Each genre is associated with different contents, pedagogies, and evaluation practices. Each is based on a separate set of ideologies and goals, related to different underlying assumptions about the nature of arts and arts learning.(1) Those assumptions are incompatible with each other on both the ontological level (what constitutes art) and the pedagogical level (how to teach it). In the first part of the article I examine the day-to-day "operational curricula"(2) of the three art worlds in the subjects of dance and drama (which, when taught by specialists in the schools in which my colleagues and I observed, were taught as one subject), music, and visual arts. There are fundamental differences among these genres--in their out-of-school manifestations as well as in their ideal curricula--but, I argue, the genres are being diluted and their distinctions blurred, and they are sacrificing their potential contributions to one another.(3) In the second part of the article, I focus on the contexts in which the genres operate. Specifically, I examine the contexts of time and space for arts instruction, as well as the communities of practice in which school art functions. I show that each of the components plays a different, though interrelated, role in the dilution of the three genres of school art. In the third part I suggest that the three genres may be strengthen ed by policies addressing the aforementioned contexts. I argue that similar genres and analogous dilution exist in other school subjects, from language arts to math and science, and that dilution is shaped by the same contexts that shape school arts. That commonality in structures, problem, and cause calls for coordinated action. Accordingly, the development of policies should involve policymakers, teachers, and specialists in each of the genres (e.g., in the subjects of art, science, and math) so that efforts and deliberations may be aligned, informing and supporting each other. School Arts This article is based on two research studies, which examined arts education in elementary schools using qualitative methods. The first, a three-year project, was conducted under the auspices of the National Endowment for the Arts.(4) The second, a four-year project, was sponsored by the Bureau of Educational Research and the research board at the University of Illinois.(5) Observations revealed three genres of arts used in the schools: (1) "child art," meaning original compositions created by children in dance, drama, visual art, and music; (2) "fine art," meaning classical works in the different arts media created by established artists; and (3) "art for children," meaning art created by adults specifically for

The Virgin Suicides by Jeffrey Eugenides Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

The Virgin Suicides by Jeffrey Eugenides - Essay Example The parents were afraid of the girls’ independence, and showed signs that they wished for Victorian moralities for their daughters, for the parents were also afraid that the girls would capitalize on their budding sexuality. As these fears drove the parents to the drastic measures of virtually imprisoning the girls, and the girls’ suicide was probably a result of this decision, it can be said that the parents fears of letting the girls be independent and to experiment with boys were the key decisions that led to the girls’s suicides. Discussion One of the themes of the novel is the lack of independence of the girls, and the parents’ desperate attempt to subvert any sense of independence that the girls might have had. This is a theme that is found in the book and in life, for much has been written about how women should be weak, and docile, not strong and independent, and this apparently is what motivated the Lisbon parents. According to Simone De Beauvoir (1949) the appearance of femininity is one of docility, futility and weakness, and that â€Å"to please they must abdicate† (De Beauvoir, 1949, p. 353). This is shown by an examination of great novels, such as Little Women, The Last of the Mohicans and The Mill on the Floss. In each of these novels, the tomboyish, independent woman is pushed aside, romantically, by the protagonist boy. According to De Beauvoir, this is proof that passive, servile women are preferred to their independent sisters (De Beauvoir, 1949, p. 352). Alex de Tocqueville felt that women entered confining marriage, and that these women gave up their sense of independence â€Å"It may be said that she has learned by the use of her independence to surrender it without a struggle† (Faludi, 1991, p. 48). Another theme in the book is the tamping down of nascent sexuality. De Beauvoir contends that adolescent girls cope with the changes that are bestowed upon them by becoming the coquette, as they were i n childhood. They accomplish this by doing their makeup and hair, massaging her breasts to make them grow, and studying her smile in the mirror. This awakens an eroticism in the young girl and the young adolescent boy. However, for the adolescent boy, this awakening eroticism is a badge of honor – of â€Å"transcendence and power† (De Beauvoir, 1949, p. 349). For the adolescent girl, this awakening causes the girl to â€Å"retain a cast of shame† (De Beauvoir, 1949, p. 349). In other words, it is perfectly normal for a girl to want to become feminine and use her feminine wiles as she reaches puberty, and this was something that was denied by Mr. and Mrs. Lisbon, especially Mrs. Lisbon. At the same time, acting upon the newfound eroticism is a cause for censure. This is in line with the Lisbon’s parents’ beliefs about their daughters, for any hint of sexuality was extinguished before it could even come into fruition. The Lisbon parents made sure of this by not allowing the girls to go out with boys. There is every indication that the parents in The Virgin Suicides had these antiquated beliefs, that the girls should not have independence and should not realize their sexuality, despite the fact that the novel takes place during the early to mid 1970s. This was an era that was marked by change in the female situation – women were helping to forge anti-discrimination policies and policies regarding equal

Wal-Mart retail marketing Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Wal-Mart retail marketing - Research Paper Example The retailers should therefore purpose to blend traits that have the capability to work together and result to maximum customer satisfaction. Considering the importance of retail mix, it is therefore worth for a company to invest considerable time strategizing its retail mix. It is important to note that the more time and efforts a company puts on ensuring maximum customer satisfaction, the more customers it is likely to get. In addition, consumer satisfaction will be significant in ensuring a competitive advantage for the organization. For instance, once customers are satisfied there is a high probability that they will develop loyalty towards the organization and will not move on to the competitor organizations. Further, it will be possible to acquire more new customers. Nothing can feel good for any business person than making their business more profitable as compared to that of their competitors. A good retail mix will ensure this form of success. To develop a good retail mix, t he retailer has to consider a number of elements namely; pricing, store layout and design, merchandising, location, communication and customer service. The retail mix for Wal-Mart are analysed below; a) Merchandise range and assortment This is a retail mix element that focuses on the type of goods the organization sells. Each organization has its own target market and target customers (Pradhan, 2010). When deciding on which

Strategic management as science Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Strategic management as science - Case Study Example The report highlights differentiation strategies through marketing, the role of internal business culture, and a variety of methodologies which contribute to successful business strategy. The evidence would seem to suggest that strategic management is more of a science than an art. Michael Porter, a renowned strategic business expert, discusses his Five Forces model which recognises a variety of external forces which can significantly impact business direction. From a competitive viewpoint, this model suggests that the threat of substitute products can impact sales and growth success (Quickmba.com, 2008). Substitute products represent similar product offerings in similar marketplaces which can detract from sales success simply due to these products creating excess competition in a firm's market environment. Bean and Radford (2000) identify that product innovation, creating unique product offerings, is one method to overcome competition and will create a sense of differentiation in different consumer buyers. Innovation might be categorised as an art form, as this is often based on internal staff ingenuity, however innovation would seem to be more scientifically-founded as before an innovative product can be launched, examination of competing products and their function must occur. This requires analysis of the external competitive environment which is grounded more in scientific research on behalf of a company. With the high level of competition in a wide variety of different product markets causing problems with being able to compete successfully, innovation as a strategic tool would seem to point toward business success. Porter's model also identifies threats to businesses in terms of supplier power, such as the level of control which suppliers have over raw material delivery or the development of a low-cost distribution infrastructure. Cohen and Roussel (2005) offer that a successful strategic business practice involves designing a supply-chain metric which measures the impact of supplier power on the ability to launch new and innovative products. The first proposed task is to set up a supply chain strategy objective which examines costs and the feasibility of distribution in a method which is both efficient and satisfies budget restrictions. This again would point toward supply chain considerations as being more of a business science, as it involves face-to-face negotiations with different suppliers and a strategic analysis of the strengths and weaknesses along the existing supply chain network. The role of strategic management in regards to suppliers is to identify whether deficiencies exist in t he supply chain and work consistently to improve efficiency and budget. In terms of supply, luck and opportunism would seem to be aspects of business strategy which are not relevant to creating a workable supply network. From a marketing viewpoint, Porter's Five Forces model also recognises the threats stemming from different consumers in terms of their price flexibility (the

Behaviour and experience which in nearly all situation affects Essay Example for Free

Behaviour and experience which in nearly all situation affects Essay The studies carried out by Milgram, Piliavin, Haney and Gardner Gardner, have unearthed some very important as well as surprising details about human behaviour and experience which in nearly all situation affects it. This question looks at the various forms of human behaviour, which make us what we are and also looks at experience, something we all seem to rely on heavily. Firstly, in Milgrams study of obedience, it was found that under pressure or authority we sometimes do what we normally would not have done, therefore showing that others influence our behaviour, particularly those who we think are more superior to us. Carry on , one of the main prods the experimenter used on the teacher to make the teacher carry on with the shock treatment. This shows that not only the presence of some authority figure, but also what they do and say can influence human behaviour. One of the reasons, which make us think that a person is superior to us, is because we think of the experience he/she has in that particular field or area. Because of this we assume that they are superior to us and that what they tell is the only option we can follow. Of course this is not always the case. Hitler did have some men in his army who did not follow his instructions and did try and betray him, but the majority of his army did do as he commanded. The effect of an authority on human behaviour is demonstrated clearly in Milgrams study as the teachers ask the so called experimenters, who they think are an authority over them, whether or not they should continue giving shock treatment to the subjects and they also turn to them for support and advice during a very tough emotional and moral battle that they are fighting within themselves. Therefore we turn to people who we think have more experience than us and our decisions are affected by what others say and do, especially those who we see as an authority above us. Similarly, in Pilavins study, human behaviour when helping people revolves particularly around three main factors. These are: Cost Reward Analysis, Plurastic ignorance and the emotional arousal. It was discovered in the experiment that people only went to help if the situation appealed to them and if they thought it was serious enough to help. This resulted in the drunk getting less help than the cane victims. Also people used the cost reward analysis before helping. This in simplified terms means the advantages and disadvantages of helping and also the advantages and disadvantages of not helping. This shows another part of the human behavioural patterns. Another, which can be added to this, is that of plurastic ignorance, which means that people do not know what to do, and therefore look at others near them and assess the genuineness based on what they do. Therefore if most people would not help, neither would that person. Also another reasons for humans not helping during certain situation is because of the Diffusion of Responsibility which means that the more people we see around us, the less we help out as we think that someone else will do so. There is also emphasis on experience in the experiment as it can once again have effect on human behaviour. In this particular experiment if passengers on the train had themselves been a victim (i. e.  cane victim, or drunk), or even if they had helped others before, it will most probably have an effect on their behaviour. Those people, who got help from others when they themselves were victims, might help out, whereas those who got no help when in a similar situation might not help. Also if a person has helped before and had not had the best of times helping, may decide to stay away from he incident this time around. Zimbardos Prison Stimulation experiment was another experiment during which human behaviour and experience paid an important role. It was thought that prison life would have an effect on the behaviour of the prisoners as well as that of the guards. It was discovered that prisoners started to behave in degrading ways because of them being trapped in a prison environment and also because they always had to follow orders from the guards and also because of the fact that they had no choice in the matter. Similarly the guards started to behave in cruel ways once they knew that they were powerful. They then started to punish guards whenever they felt like it. Zimbardos experiment proves the fact that when we have power and are see as an authority figure by others, our behaviour changes drastically and we become on some occasion very unfair and cruel to those below us. Experience once again can affect behaviour. This is because those who have been in a prison before will feel that it is not that bad as they have been there before and know what to expect whereas those who havent been before find it as a shock. Those who have been in prison before may behave in a more civilised manner than others who havent. Finally, the experiment carried out by Gardner and Gardner did not really uncover anything about human behaviour apart from the fact that language is something we are innately programmed to do. In this experiment a chimp named Washoe was taught ASL(American Sign Language), but even after 4 years of training, only 132 signs were learnt. In comparison with that human children learn much more as they grow older, therefore showing that humans are innately programmed to do so. It also shows that we have a much more complex form of communication which animals like chimps cannot learn. Experience is again a relative feature in this experiment. The experiment shows that with adequate experience even animals can learn features of our communication, therefore if they were to continue to be taught for many hundred of years they too may be able to communicate in the complex form that we are now able to communicate in. Therefore all these various studies show a close relationship between experience and our behaviour.

Gender and the Media Essay Example for Free

Gender and the Media Essay Socialisation is the way an identity is defined throughout life for a person. Children are seen a blank slate that is going to have a personality and roles set by the environment he lives in. A child generally has an idea on what gender they are by the time they are 2 years old. A boy will portray himself with the colour blue, would be very hyperactive and tend to bully girls. Females would be more mature, refer themselves to the colour pink and socialise with other girls, this is called primary socialisation. Personalities are defined through interactions with people that are close to them, there societys values and they learn the attributes of their sex at a young age and they know what is expected of them as a certain sex. The person is reinforced by social praise and punishment so the person can learn from mistakes and good deeds. Media has played a massive part on how socialisation as occurred to an individual. I am directly concerned with how the media affects young women within todays society, particularly through the use of gender stereotyping within young womens magazines, mainly through articles and advertisements. Here, the ideas and beliefs already created by the media are useful to advertisers because they are socially accepted ideologies. They know that they will influence women. It has been stated in the past that it is these media interpretations of The Perfect Woman that have been the cause for so many women becoming increasingly pressured into looking good and so dieting, keeping fit etc. This can, in extreme cases lead to serious psychological diseases such as anorexia and bulimia, where one of the main causes has been identified as social pressure. Society affects how people perceive themselves, Body Image awareness still exists in our society. Many people living on our society are influenced by the media and the fashion industry. Both are equally responsible for the increased number of people suffering from eating disorders. Fashion industries tend to only feature whose figures vary from eight to ten. Their androgynous waif-like figures are presented as representative of the everyday woman. In doing so the average woman in the street is forced to measure herself against an unrealistic ideal. Most models are above average height, have naturally lithe bodies and are aged between sixteen and thirty. Their image is constructed and manipulated by a predominately male homosexual industry which appears reluctant to show women as curvaceous individuals. Celebrities themselves fall foul of the dominant media representation of women. When society thinks of a family we automatically think of the nuclear family in which there is a mum, dad and often two or three children. This type is seen as the statistical norm until the 1980s where it was considered abnormal to deviate from this ideal family type and there were characteristics that came with this which were seen as socially acceptable. Children were seen as the outcome of a loving heterosexual couple and each person i. e. the mum and dad should have distinctive roles within the family. The mother should be concerned with motherhood and household chores. The father should protect the family and be a disciplinary role model, as well as their main role being defined as the breadwinner, this meaning they often bring in the most money. The mother should be the housekeeper who attians the house and looks after the children as they grow up. A young male would grow up learning the princilpes of the father and the young female would grow up adobting the mather principles. Post modernism shows that gender is the main topic in an individuals life as events that have occurred are directly linked to a individuals gender. Post modernism gives the individual more choice and that is the basis of post modernism, choice! The individual is more independent on their life choices; such old life ambitions of marriage and children are not compulsory but are a option that some people may seek. Unlike pre modernism and modernity where marriage and kids are ultimate goals and people automatically assume that this is the right path to follow. This gives way to new events that once were either not existent or unethical such as unisex and inter-racial marriages. It shows a deterioration of religion and supernatural belief, which leaves great division among people in identity and lifestyles. People are now working more flexible times, fashion has changed in such away that people can wear what they want, food is more oriental and music comes in a wide variety. Identity has separated into many huge groups such as social classes, ethnic group, age and gender. This leads to unrest to certain groups that want change as people now have a sense of spreading opinion and arguing their rights. Certain groups such as feminists, Marxist ideology and ageist rights. As choice and individual opinion now can be widely credited it gives chance for concern to be broadcasted such as the feminist supporters wanting females to be treated as equals among men. The first wave of feminism gave people the ideology in 1928 when they got the vote, which provoked the idea of gaining more such as the 2nd wave of feminism in the 1960s when women burned the bras, this caused great reasoning between the two gender differences. Karl Marx however says that society not the individual is the important issue as that eventually the working class will soon rule society. This radical change has brought in new changes such as the new man that is a unique gender that of a masculine and unemotional male, the new man focuses on his physical appearance and pays attention to diet, personality and self image, he is more emotional and doesnt fit in with a patriarchy idea. As post modernism has totally effected todays society it shows how an individual can make all the differences and how self concern and freedom is the new ideal but this idea could change and evidence suggests that it could lead to pre modernism of the old age as though it is a long term cycle of a society but critics say this is the final situation of society and the end solution is total equality among genders, races and age. This idea of choice could lead in any direction depending on current affairs within society yet time is not a important issue as this process could last a log time.

Supervision And Training Skills In The Hospitality Industry Tourism Essay

Supervision And Training Skills In The Hospitality Industry Tourism Essay As per the case study the courthouse hotel is a privately owned establishment which is considered as the major hotel in the city. As it is a three star hotel it needs to control its cost so that the hotel runs on profit margin and not on the loss side. Keeping these things into mind the hotel keeps its cost low as compared to others hotels operated in the city. Only few managers and staff members of the hotel use to work once a week in comparison to a month. As the management wants to restaff its organization they need to keep in mind certain factors as the the person should be having good communication skills, should give good level of service to the guest, well gained with good qualifications. In this case study the hotel is moving from three star to four star hotel so he needs to follow the managerial functions which will lead a organizations to high limits. SUMMARY: Staffing is a term that refers to the management of employee schedules. For many retail businesses, staffing is monitored hourly because the cost of employee pay checks is a significant cost driver for the organization. (MANAGING HOTELS EFFECTIVELY, EDDYSTONE C.NEBEL,3 EDITION,PAGE NO.159) Staffing also says that the persons should be recruited in such a manner that the organisation should get ample level of service that a hotel wants from them in order to run on profit margins. No. of staff in the hotel is one of the main key point so that in order to run a company or organisation there is ample staff to run so that it should provide good level of service. Staffing is one of the most vital functions in the function of management. As staffing is all about recruiting the people whenever a new hotel opens. It also acts as ongoing functions because of high rate of employee rate and management turnover. As this turnover rate the hotel needs to restaff its hotel with proper selection of employees keeping in mind that they are well trained enough to run the hotel and leads the hotel towards profits. Properly designing jobs staffed by employees well suited to their work is an important first step in providing superior guest service.(MULLENS 1985) (MANAGING HOTELS EFFECTIVELY,EDDYSTONE C.NEBEL,3 EDITION,PAGE NO.159). As the courthouse is changing his level of service and recruiting more peoples he needs to keep in mind some of the key points which need to run the hotel and to maintain the profit margin. The following key points or staffing issue are as follows: Training and development:- Training is designed to improve the knowledge or skills of the hotels staff . It is obvious to train the staff in order to do the required job or say task.(Hotel operations management,david k.Hayes,jack d.ninemeir, edition 2,115,116). As the hotel is recruiting new staff for the upcoming four star hotel he need to keep several things in mind that the employee should be enough skillfull so that he can run the organisation in profit margin and his recruitment is also depends on the qualification he holds. Training also plays a vital role in the development of the employee as the hotel is allocated to Germans there is a need of training to be developed in them that how to welcome them and the way of communication. It is important to develop the training program both for the benefit of the staff and the organisation.(supervisory management, Robert w.eckles,Ronald l.carmicael, Bernard r. sarchet IInd edition,338). In order to maintain the standard and level of service the hotel needs to give the same level of service to the German peoples and this is possible by training the staff more efficiently and making them enough skilful so that they can caters the needs of them. Directing: The second key point which a hotel needs to keep in mind is the directing as it is a managerial function which initiates action. Its primarily means issuing instruction, assignment ,and directives (orders). Directing also includes building an effective work force encouraging each employee to work willingly and enthusiastically towards the accomplishment of the desired objectives. (Supervision: concept and practices of management,theo haimann, Raymond l. Hilgert,edition 4th ,305). As the hotel is changing from three star to four star hotel so it needs to follow some strategies which can take them to high sky so that it can make profit out of it. Directing in this case study plays an important role as the hotel is changing his level of service as the German is allocated to the courthouse hotel. The hotel has to direct the staff in order to meet the challenge they are about to accept. Giving right direction to the employees can result into profit for the organisation. Directing employees according to the needs of the Germans can result into good customer satisfaction. Directing can also be defined as the art of encourage for the staff to work more effectively and efficiently. In order to do any task we need to have some direction or say planning so that we should know that the work we are doing is going on the right direction or not. Directing to the staff boosts themselves to earn more confidence in what they are doing and the result they want to cater to them is also on the right direction. .(supervision: concept and practices of management,theo haimann, Raymond l. Hilgert,edition 4th ,305). Time management and activity planning: In order to complete the task we need to keep in mind the time factor which plays an important role in doing the activity or a task. In order maintain time management we need to do a certain planning by which the task can be completed. working smart is more important then working hard. To be effective or in order to maintain the time management and activity planning u need to keep some factors in mind:- Devising action plans. Delegating the actions needed to achieve the objectives. Providing support and help whenever needed. (Hospitality retail management, Conrad lashley, ed 2000, 209). As in the case study the hotel is moving from 3 stars to 4 stars and in the coming months the hotel is setting up a plan for opening the banquet halls and room service. In order to run smooth organisation we need to manage the time factor which is very important. Doing the work in the specified period of time is what success all about is in hotels. In order to run a smooth organisation we need to manage all the activity in time. As the banquet is opening so the staff should be more specific about the time management and in that time they need to plan a activity which should be completed in the required time. (Hospitality retail management, Conrad lashley, ed 2000, 209). 2(A) Existing staff may react to the following changes in the following ways: Overtime : As the staff requires ample amount of training in there development so they need to cope up with the skills which can run the smooth organisation. As in the case study first there was only few staff working and that only one weekend in a month. So the new staff might have problem as they have to give extra hours to there work. The problem can be the work pressure on them as they were if working for 10 hrs but now they are working for 20 hrs. (managing change, carnall,1991,92 ) Work load or stress on employees: Changes creates anxiety, uncertainty and stress, even for those managing change. Even peoples are fully committed to change may experience stress .( managing change, carnall,1991,92). As per the case study first the worker were doing their job as per the requirements but now as the new facilities are introduced in the hotel they need to give more attention to their work and this might can take them to stress and overtime in their duty rota. Mutual understanding between the employees: If there will be no understanding between the employees there can be a situation of disputes regarding the wages as the people of the hotel which are new are not familiarise. Planning, organising and staffing can be used as preparatory or preliminary managerial function. The problem of directing can also come into this as everyone has its own way of doing the work. As earlier there was no one to tell them what the best way of doing work is. But now they are pointing out different queries that this is not the way to do the work. (Supervision: concepts and practices of management,4th edition,305) As if there will be no planning no organising and no proper staffing then will be no proper directing towards the work. Even more without these management problems the organisation cannot run properly and proper planning=proper organising=proper staffing= proper directing staff. Every one has its own way of working and if someone impose some thing on them then there is a problem which arises in the organisation and to them also. Steps could a supervisor take to minimize the impact of these reactions are: A supervisor can change the individuals who work in the organisation. In order to follow the managerial functions the supervisor need to follow them on the workers as if the supervisor is planning a strategy then the staff should implement it as a supervisor will not tell something else which will lead a organisation towards the negative level..(managing change 2nd edition, Christopher mabey, bill mayon-white, 165 ) working smart is more important then working hard.(hospitality retail management,2000,Conrad lashley,209). This is what a supervisor wants to tell his employees that dont be in any hesitations jus ask the problem which you want to. Dont jus do the work but should know that what work are doing. Planning for each organisation and time management allow to run the organisation more efficiently and more effectively.(hospitality retail management,2000, Conrad lashley,210). The supervisor maintains the time in which the certain task have to be fulfilled and for doing so the supervisor do a meeting in which he get assured by all the worker to finish there task according to the time give by him. Conclusion After the discussion on the staffing issue and to the proposed changes the conclusion comes that the in order to run a smooth organisation we need to follow the important or say relevant steps for the profit margin. Staffing a right employee and motivating him towards his work is more important if a organisation want to be success in future. As courthouse is moving from three star to for star he need to develop certain strategies and need to be implemented. After developing these implement on them the hotel will be running in profits in the coming future and there will be good level of service which will cater to the guests. The more skillfull the staff will be the more quick service he will be catering to the guest.

Invisible Man: Plot Summary :: Ralph Ellison, The Invisible Man

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ralph Ellison's Invisible Man opens with a prologue describing the main character in time after the begining of the body of the book. In the prologue, Ellison tells of the main characters invisibility. It is not a physical invisiblity, but rther he is not recognised, and therefore persieved, by the world at large. This is coupled with the fact that he is constantly trying to be someone else, other than himself, creates for his a complete loss of identity, and he becomes a man without a soul.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The story begins with the main character being forced to partisipate in an archaic and animalistic free-for-all in order for him to be allowed to give his speach that will determine wheather he will be accepted to the 'college'. He is accepted and goes through two of his years at the college uneventfully. He is ejected from the school during his junior year when the trustee who ws in his care while visiting the school fell ill and is taken to a local bar to get some alchohol. He is given seven letter of what he suposes to be recomendation to give to people in New York. He moves to Harlem and delivers the letters. He finds out that these letters were not recomenation but rather advisments against hiring him. The seventh reciever of a letter gives him a job in a paint factory. He does not derform well there and evetually causes he own dismissal by ignoring hes work and getting knoked out by an explosion that is his fault. He joins a black power group called The Brotherhood and is sent out to spread the word of the group. He meets a man named Clfton, his first real freind, and clifon is shot by a police officer. He speaks at Clifton's funeral and the Brotherhood does not like what he says. he befriens a middle aged white woman whao flirs with him a good bit. one night while with her is is asked to come to Harlem and come a riot that is occering. Invisible Man: Plot Summary :: Ralph Ellison, The Invisible Man   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ralph Ellison's Invisible Man opens with a prologue describing the main character in time after the begining of the body of the book. In the prologue, Ellison tells of the main characters invisibility. It is not a physical invisiblity, but rther he is not recognised, and therefore persieved, by the world at large. This is coupled with the fact that he is constantly trying to be someone else, other than himself, creates for his a complete loss of identity, and he becomes a man without a soul.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The story begins with the main character being forced to partisipate in an archaic and animalistic free-for-all in order for him to be allowed to give his speach that will determine wheather he will be accepted to the 'college'. He is accepted and goes through two of his years at the college uneventfully. He is ejected from the school during his junior year when the trustee who ws in his care while visiting the school fell ill and is taken to a local bar to get some alchohol. He is given seven letter of what he suposes to be recomendation to give to people in New York. He moves to Harlem and delivers the letters. He finds out that these letters were not recomenation but rather advisments against hiring him. The seventh reciever of a letter gives him a job in a paint factory. He does not derform well there and evetually causes he own dismissal by ignoring hes work and getting knoked out by an explosion that is his fault. He joins a black power group called The Brotherhood and is sent out to spread the word of the group. He meets a man named Clfton, his first real freind, and clifon is shot by a police officer. He speaks at Clifton's funeral and the Brotherhood does not like what he says. he befriens a middle aged white woman whao flirs with him a good bit. one night while with her is is asked to come to Harlem and come a riot that is occering.

Critcal Analysis of CATCHER IN THE RYE :: Essays Papers

Critcal Analysis of CATCHER IN THE RYE 10 Quotes and Responses from The Catcher in the Rye "If you really want to hear about it, the first thing you'll probably want to know is where I was born, and what my lousy childhood was like, and how my parents were occupied and all before they had me, and all that David Copperfield kind of crap, but I don't feel like going into it, if you want to know the truth." This statement actually caught my full attention. I like the way that he started this book off. It gave me a sense that the book was going to be very interesting and real. This is a very catchy statement that made me want to continue reading at my own willing and not to just be continuing so I can finish this assignment. It shows that the narrator is not going to start the book off by giving the reader boring details about his life. Instead, he is going to skip all of the usual details and jump to the real stories about his life that he finds and interesting, and that I also found very interesting. â€Å"The more expensive the school is, the more crooks it has-I’m not kidding.† I agree with this statement because people tend to assume that if the school is very expensive, then the crime rate will be lower. Although they think that way, they are making the wrong assumption because they have crooks too. Not only do they have crooks, but they also have high-class crooks. The only difference is that the crooks at more expensive schools may get away with the crime because they have an advantage that crooks in other schools do not have. They have money and they can use the money to bribe people so their reputations are not messed up. â€Å"Game, my ass. Some game. If you get on the side where all the hotshots are, then it’s a game, all right-I’ll admit that. But if you get on the other side, where there aren’t any hot-shots, then what’s a game about it? Nothing. No game.† Holden feels that in order for life to be a game one must be a hot-shot. He feels that if people are not considered to be hot-shots, then those people are not participating in this so-called game of life.

Fear of Death

Some old people are oppressed by the fear of death. In the young there is a justification for this feeling. Young men who have reason to fear that they will be killed in battle may justifiably feel bitter in the thought that they have been cheated of the best things that life has to offer. But in an old man who has known human joys and sorrows, and has achieved whatever work it was in him to do, the fear of death is somewhat abject and ignoble.The best way to overcome it – as at least it seems to me – is to make your interests gradually wider and more impersonal, until bit by bit the walls of the ego recede, and your life becomes increasingly merged in the universal life. An individual human existence should be like a river – small at first, narrowly contained within its banks, and rushing passionately past boulders and over waterfalls. Gradually the river grows wider, the banks recede, the waters flow more quietly, and in the end, without any visible break, they become merged in the sea, and painlessly lose their individual being.The man who, in old age, can see his life in this way, will not suffer from the fear of death, since the things he cares for will continue. And if, with the decay of vitality, weariness increases, the thought of rest will be not unwelcome. I should wish to die while still at work, knowing that others will carry on what I can no longer do, and content in the thought that what was possible has been done. Fear of Death Some old people are oppressed by the fear of death. In the young there is a justification for this feeling. Young men who have reason to fear that they will be killed in battle may justifiably feel bitter in the thought that they have been cheated of the best things that life has to offer. But in an old man who has known human joys and sorrows, and has achieved whatever work it was in him to do, the fear of death is somewhat abject and ignoble.The best way to overcome it – as at least it seems to me – is to make your interests gradually wider and more impersonal, until bit by bit the walls of the ego recede, and your life becomes increasingly merged in the universal life. An individual human existence should be like a river – small at first, narrowly contained within its banks, and rushing passionately past boulders and over waterfalls. Gradually the river grows wider, the banks recede, the waters flow more quietly, and in the end, without any visible break, they become merged in the sea, and painlessly lose their individual being.The man who, in old age, can see his life in this way, will not suffer from the fear of death, since the things he cares for will continue. And if, with the decay of vitality, weariness increases, the thought of rest will be not unwelcome. I should wish to die while still at work, knowing that others will carry on what I can no longer do, and content in the thought that what was possible has been done.

Change and Cultural Case Study

Six months after the merger of Mercy Medical Hospitals and the Promedica Health Systems, the new administration initiated a significant reduction in workforce. The decision was made to redesign patient care delivery. The administration’s first job redesign recommendation was that of a universal worker. The universal worker would deliver many support services. Although this is not a fail proof system, the administration wanted other options to be considered as well. The term universal worker is used when a person is cross trained in many departments, and therefore has a little more assignment flexibility. They are often used in call centers and hospitals to alleviate staff shortages and provide better service without the difficulties of processing so many referrals or dealing with call transfers (webAnswers. com2010). Depending upon the setting, universal worker may be more beneficial. One area that would fall within this area would be assisted living facilities; some of which have been affected since the merger. While some assisted living facilities still operate within this model, the industry as a whole is moving toward a more holistic approach to care in which the universal worker attends to all the daily living needs of their residents: assistance with ADLs, meal service, light housekeeping, laundry, programming, etc. Rather than dealing with four or five different people to have their needs met, residents are able to relate to one or two staff members who actually know them and are familiar with their needs, their routines, their likes and dislikes. The result is care that is more personal, customized and consistent (Widdes, 1996). An additional benefit is increased efficiency in staffing, i. e. , while the caregiver is assisting a resident with his bathing, dressing and so on, he or she may also be able to perform other duties, rather than having to call someone to dust off a countertop or clean a bathroom. Ultimately, this approach can result in increased staffing efficiencies. . The universal worker approach also seems to enhance job satisfaction. Feedback from the staff indicates that they enjoy being responsible for the resident as a whole rather than only one aspect of their care. It is a feeling that undoubtedly enhances the caregiver’s sense of job importance (Widdes, 1996). Training staff to assume responsibilities across departments and even more challenging, reshaping their attitudes and approach to care is an undertaking that requires a commitment to training, retraining and diligent follow up. It is imperative that management be very much in tune with this philosophy. Because this model often fails when implemented, there are only certain departments such as assisted living that the universal worker would actually be implemented in. For the majority of the facility, we would look at job redesign. In order for objectives to be achieved, thought needs to be given to other areas that will be impacted and may require changes to be implemented (An Organization Redesign Process). Other organizational systems that may be impacted by the introduction of a performance based reward system include: †¢The Information System How much information is given to team members, the speed at which they receive it and their ability to us the information to improve results. †¢The Training System- New skills training for employees may need to be implemented in order for them to be able to understand how to interpret information, training in new skills in order for the employees to do their jobs for effectively. †¢The Organization Structure- Departments may need to be integrated or roles significant changed. Decision-making Systems – Consider changing the way decisions are made and the level at which they are made. Authority to decide might need to be taken down to lower levels so that employees are able to make decisions the enable them to more quickly influence or improve the results. †¢Tasks and Technologies – Need to be improved in order fo r the bonus system to achieve its objectives†¦reward people for improved business performance. Changing an organization through an organization redesign process is a journey and generally a rather long journey. That is why the following three principles must be understood by anyone who is about to undertake any type of organization redesign: †¢The entire system has an effect on each element within the system †¢Every element in the system has an effect on the entire system and on each other †¢No matter what you do, the two points above always hold true. When an organization goes through redesign, 1. People need to be identified as being responsible for driving the organization through the process. Those individuals include: †¢Organization Leader: Who is generally the most senior person in the organization. This person will set the direction that the process will go in and names the Steering Committee †¢Steering Team: Consists of key leaders from the organization and other stakeholders. This teams’ responsibilities include naming and commissioning the Design Team, establishing boundaries and guidelines for the Design Team, approving Design Team recommendation and ensuring the Design Team have the resources (time and money included) they require to get the job done †¢Design Team: Generally consists of employees, half are lower level employees and the other half are upper management. Are responsible for reporting back to their functional teams on design choices being recommended and getting the input of the Implementation Team †¢Implementation Team: Basically, the entire organization, who implement the design choices recommended by the Design Team (and approved by the Steering Team). †¢Renewal Team: This team is set up after the Implementation Team. It monitors and assesses to what degree the organization design has done, what it has intended to do and make recommendations for further changes as required. †¢Consultant: Recommends and teaches the design model, the use of tools and methodology. Provides guidance to ensure the design effort stays on track. Provides expertise regarding best practice design choices and independent advice (An Organization Redesign Process). 2. Train the Strategic, Steering and Design Teams. All teams must have a commitment to the process and be able to understand the process in order to go ahead. 3. Environmental Scan: Become aware of the needs and expectations of the external environment: Customers (current and potential), Stakeholders (shareowners and their representatives), Influencers (regulators, suppliers, government, etc. , Competitors and Best in class organizations. 4. Develop Vision & Mission Statements: These statements describe why the organization was created, why it exists and its distinctive competence. 5. Success Criteria: Nominate the outcomes desired in these four categories: Customers, Stakeholder, People, Community 6. Culture: Identify the behaviors, skills and characteristics that the people working in the organization must have, along with the guiding principles that encourage people to use these behaviors and skills, in order to achieve the vision and mission. . Strategies to Influence: Determine the strategies needed to manage and reduce variability and demands from the external environment. This enables you to meet both the requirements of the external environment as well as achieve your desired performance outcomes. 8. Key Performance Indicators: Choose which ones will deliver the business performance required along with inspiring the behaviors and characteristics articulated in the culture. 9. Technical System: Analyze and redesign in terms of how tasks are performed, technologies required and the layout of buildings/facilities so that the people and the technical system are integrated for high performance. 10. Structural System: Design the structure for each of the three teams: Front Line, Resource (known in traditional organizations as Management) and Strategic so that they foster the culture required delivering high performance. 11. Decision Making & Information System: Review: what, where, how decisions are made, what information is needed to make those decisions and how it is stored and captured. 2. People System: Review: Competencies, Job Design, Selection, Induction/Orientation, Learning, and Performance Contracting, Career Development. 13. Reward System: Review how employee’s contributions are recognized and rewarded. Does the system encourage people to focus on organizational goals? 14. Renewal System: Decide how you will regularly review your business and make any design changes needed to ensure continuing optimum performance. 15. Develop an Implementation Plan: This plan identifies who is responsible for implementation, time lines, resources requires, potential bottlenecks, and contingency plans 6. Execute the plan: When the Implementation Team is kept involved in the process and has input to the Design Team, implementation happens much more quickly and seamlessly. Peter Senge (1990) suggests that team learning is the process of aligning and developing the capacities of a team to create the results its members truly desire. It builds on personal mastery and shared vision. When teams learn together, not only can there be good results for the organization, members will grow more rapidly than could have occu rred otherwise. Virtually all important decisions occur in groups. Teams, not individuals, are the fundamental learning units. Unless a team can learn, the organization cannot learn. Team learning focuses on the learning ability of the group. Adults learn best from each other, by reflecting on how they are addressing problems, questioning assumptions, and receiving feedback from their team and from their results. With team learning, the learning ability of the group becomes greater than the learning ability of any individual in the group (Learning Organisations). In order to make the work teams function at its optimal performance, there are nine key activities or work functions that must be present. Those functions include: †¢Advising – gathering and giving information †¢Innovating – creating new ideas or brainstorming new ways to tackle old problem †¢Promoting – selling the idea to management and gathering all the resources †¢Developing – once the idea has been sold to management, it then needs to go to the analytical process and be developed. †¢Organizing – setting up a structure and resources so that the product, scheme, or service can work. Producing – putting the product or service together. †¢Inspecting – watching out for details. Inspection of the high quality must be maintained and accurate records must be kept. †¢Maintaining – it is associated with the support services offered in an organization and the general background work done in a team to ensure that its requirements can be met quickly and efficiently. †¢Linking – is central to the success of all teams. It is the difference between an effective and an ineffective team. Someone coordinating all the team members to ensure that there is maximum cooperation and interchange of ideas, reports and experiences (Margerison, C. & McCann D. , 2000). Being able to plan, and control the intra-organizational and inter-organizational communication that must occur to implement the job design changes will be difficult but not impossible. The information that needs to be given out during the job redesign would have to be given to top managers right before it is given out. Then the staff can be in-serviced on the changes that would be going into effect and a question, answer type forum be done. Once the changes have been implemented, a committee of staff and managers can be appointed to look at the changes and see if there are any additional changes that may need to be implemented because of the initial changes. This is also a way to ensure job satisfaction. If the employee feels that their feedback is worth something and is being listened to, they are more willing to make the changes that need to be made. If individuals enjoy doing a job, they perform at their very best. Giving them the opportunity to be a part of the job redesign, makes them feel as though they have contributed to something and it is worthwhile to the employee.

8thScience Fall Midterm Review Sheet

Understand the structure of atoms, including masses, electrical charges, and locations of protons, neutrons, and electrons.9790588235297">To find the number of neutrons in an atom, subtract the atomic mass (rounded to the nearest whole number) minus the atomic number (number of protons). Atomic mass= atomic number (protons) + neutronsKnow that protons determine an element’s identity and valence electrons determine its chemical properties, including reactivity.Know the difference between and be able to identify elements and compounds.Be able to compare metals, nonmetals and metalloids. Identify that all organic compounds contain carbon. Interpret the arrangement of the Periodic Table.GROUPeriodKnow that elements within the same group (family) have similar properties.Know the number of valence electrons for groups 1, 2, and 13 – 18.Be able to determine the number of atoms of each element in chemical formulas containing subscripts.Know the evidences of a chem ical reaction . Ex.- color change, bubbles or fizzing, precipitate is formed, new substance is formed, smoke or fire, and unexpected temperature change. The only sure way to know if a chemical change occurred is if a new substance was formed. Recognize whether a chemical equation containing coefficients is balanced or not and how that relates to the law of conservation of mass.The law of conservation of mass states that during a chemical reaction, matter is not created or destroyed.

Business Management Essay

My career interest is cosmetology. I have always wanted to own my own beauty salon and become a cosmetologist. I am interested in cosmetology because I love to do hair and being an African American, I need to have my hair done to look nice and presentable. As a child, I always wanted to do others and my own hair. My mother had a license in cosmetology for fourteen years and I always wanted to be just like her. My strengths are that I can do wraps, straighten and curl hair, relax and perm hair, shampoo and deep condition hair, weaves, up dos, color, roller wraps, children styles, and lashes. My weaknesses are that I can’t braid or cut hair, I can’t do arch, pluck, or thread eyebrows, I am not that great at make-up and I do not have a cosmetology license. If I can make my weaknesses my strengths then I will be on the perfect path to success in life. Three individuals have inspired me toward the career of a cosmetologist. Those people are my mom, Kelly Lamb, my aunt, Vanessa Quarterman, and my best friend’s stepmother, Trina Bishop. Both my mother and my aunt had cosmetology licenses in the past and Trina still has one. They have all done my hair and showed my some of the things I know today. They have all encouraged me to fulfill my dreams of being a cosmetologist. I know that they will be behind me one hundred percent while I make my way to the top. Experiences that have made me want to become a cosmetologist were watching movies about hair shows, watching others do hair, and actually knowing that doing my own hair is cheaper than going to the salon for someone else to do it. Watching others do hair was like watching cartoons for me when I was younger. It was very entertaining and I wanted to do the things I watched them do. I also knew that I could get paid for doing hair and if I was good at it, customers would recommend me to other people I would have more customers. I may not get paid as much as a lawyer but I would get paid a lot because a lot of people go to beauty salons. According to Trina Bishop in an interview I gave her on November 22, 2012, the skills behind being a cosmetologist are licensed cut, trim, bleach, color, style, dress, curl, braid, straighten, relax, spray and mode, hair, make-up and different forms of arching eyebrows. The basics to cosmetology are hair, skin and nails but not everyone want to do nail. Some just want to hair and make-up. Aysha Schurman stated in her article â€Å"A Brief History of Cosmetology†, from the moment people realized they wanted to look good, other people helped them improve their appearance. She also stated that ancient cultures didn’t use formal cosmetic classes to create these workers, but they relied on the long practice of apprenticeship or slavery (Schurman). During This career you have to provide cosmetic care and be able to do pretty much anything your customer request as long as it’s in the field you have your license in.

Lab Safety Paragraphs Essay

Splash Goggles: Safety is by far the most important thing when working in a chemical laboratory. There are over thousands of injuries that occur each year that are partially non-preventable, but a great majority are preventable accidents that could have been solved with simple lab safety. One of the most critical pieces of lab safety would have to be wearing eye protection. Eye protection could save your vision and eye protection should be worn at all times regardless if an experiment is being conducted or not. The eye protection worn should also have wide shields in order to protect your ears as well as your neck. There are many types of eye protection: chemical splash goggles face shields, safety glasses, etc. The type of eye protection required is dependable on the chemicals and situation so always understand the experiment first before choosing eye protection and if you do not know, you should always ask your TA. Hand Gloves: Another critical piece of lab safety would be wearing gloves when conduction experiments. They are necessary when your TA requires you to wear them. They will protect you from chemicals, but they do not offer permanent protection from chemicals. Following suit, gloves, like eye protection, come in many different forms, which can include, but are not limited to the following: latex gloves, neoprene gloves, etc. Gloves also come in different lengths depending, once again, on the situation and experiment being conducted. Gloves should not be reused unless they are clean and free of chemicals. Also, gloves should be checked for holes and cracks because the last thing that should happen is having any part of your body coming into contact with  chemicals. Gloves should also be removed before touching other things like your phone or notebooks. Long Pants: Wearing long pants (from hip to foot) while performing any type of experiment in the lab, is another essential safety rule that must be followed. Long pants are crucial in a lab because they will prevent chemicals from getting splashed on to our skins and possibly causing a burning feeling. Only long pants and coats are strictly needed for clothing because other loose clothing such as shorts, skirts, etc. are much more likely to easily catch fire, or be dragged through chemicals, or even tangle up in moving equipment. Closed toe shoes: Many of the labs in chemistry involve dangerous substances that could cause harm to our skin. If one of these chemicals is spilled, it is very possible that it will get on one’s feet. Wearing sandals leaves the toes exposed and prone to be harmed by the spilled chemicals. Also, most of the utensils used in a lab are made of glass. Where there is glass, there is a possibility that it might break. If broken glass pieces get on your exposed feet, there is a high chance of injuries happening. Whereas if one wears closed toe shoes, even if shattered glass fell on our feet, they would be protected. Lab Coat: A lab coat is another essential safety issue when working in the lab. In the chemistry lab we will be working with many substances, many of which are toxic and could easily get on our skin and clothes. A lab coat protects our skin and doesn’t allow substances to get on our clothes. There is also a risk that our clothes might catch on fire. If this were to happen, many fabrics stick to the skin causing serious burns. A lab coat is made of materials that won’t stick to one’s body in case of a fire. Also, a lab coat is much easier to take off than regular clothes, allowing for less time to burn.

Different essays Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Different essays - Essay Example Therefore, they mate with members from a diverse population. Thus, a new species may develop (Alcamo & Schweitzer, 2011). It implies evolution is devoid of have a particular goal that it intends to realize (Simon, 2015). They just evolve meaning they have a capability of changing their structure and reacts on the problems the environment presents at the specific times (Simon, 2015). For evolution to occur, mutation has to take place though it is an extremely slow progression and cannot be rapidly (Simon, 2015). The genes may shift from one population to another and the nonrandom mating may occur quickly but the generic drift occurs by chance randomly. Therefore, it might take a while before this happens. Moreover, selection varies in different genotypes. It may take a while for individuals in a population to be varied (Simon, 2015). Some bacteria have a mutation that makes them possible to survive the penicillin (Simon, 2015). Moreover, the administration of the penicillin changes the environment in which the bacteria reside. The bacteria with resistance genes will survive this new environment. The resistance genes pass over to several generations due to natural selection (Simon, 2015). Due to the usage of penicillin for many generations, the resistant bacteria increase over time. This makes penicillin less effective (Simon,

Ethical issues Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 4

Ethical issues - Essay Example This principle is considerate of the existing laws in a society with the aim of ensuring harmonious coexistence among members of a society. An ethical decision under ethical formalism would therefore be focused on the motive behind an act. Utilitarianism, another ethical principal in judgment, focuses, on the contrary, to the consequences of an act as opposed to the intention of the defendant. This principle goes beyond an individual defendant to consider the effects of the defendant’s actions on the society. Based on the principle, decisions should be made with considerations of future impacts of the case on the society with preference being to ensure maximum happiness among every member of the society (Pollock, 2011). The case involves two defendants suspected of burglary. Utilitarianism will be the most suitable ethical principle in this scenario. This is because the defendants are a possible threat to the society and the impact of their suspected crime together with their future existence in the society is more significant as compared to their intentions for committing the alleged crime and during

Concept Paper Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Concept Paper - Assignment Example This results in a gap in their performance as they attempt to perform their role as a leader. (Boak, 2001) The context of my study is to evaluate the need for the restructuring of leadership training in retail management. The need for competent leaders is a bare necessity in the modern retail industry and an essential pre-requisite for its sustenance and growth. The need for able leadership in the retail sector was upheld in the ‘Retail Davos’- the Retail Leadership Forum held on the 13th and14th of September 2011. This event hosted by the global business advisory giants like Goldman Sachs, Korn/Ferry International and OC&C Strategy Consultants, discussed the role of leadership in the modern era of retailing. According to the speakers at the forum, the retail leaders in future will require â€Å"a new set of leadership skills in order to adapt to the changing dynamics in the fact paced industry.† (Harrison, 2011) This has become a pressing issue on the regional as well as global level. And this is what makes this research problem a matter of substantial business interest. In the present business era marked by fierce competition, many global and local retailers are awakening to realize their most critical survival challenge in the forthcoming years. Already caught in the cobweb of competition, pricing, consumer preferences and global extension, the new challenge that has baffled the retail industry is the need for competent leaders. (Florida, 2006; Higgs, 2001; Stalk, 1992) The retail heads across the world have understood that in order to achieve successful organizational growth, it is vital to find and engage the right leadership. (Lengnick-Hall, 2003; Shim, 2002) Studies in retail leadership conducted by Korn/Ferry in collaboration with the World Retail Congress have shown that the lack of right leadership talent can severely affect the development and expansion of retailers, thereby hampering their business growth. (Morel-Curran, 2008) My study

The Representation of the People Act 1983 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

The Representation of the People Act 1983 - Essay Example Prisoners are allowed to vote in Canada, Ukraine, South Africa, Iran and some other nations, whereas other nations like Russia, Finland, some states in the USA ban prisoners from voting . Approximately, 4.5 million prisoners around the world have been disenfranchised . In the US some states allow felons out on parole or probation to vote . In Richardson v Ramirez , the U.S. Supreme Court upheld a state’s right to ban felons from voting. In Sauvà © v Canada , the Supreme Court of Canada rejected the legislation forbidding federal prisoners from voting. In Hirst v United Kingdom , the European Court of Human Rights, applying the reasoning in the case of Sauvà © v Canada, held the ban on prisoners’ voting rights as invalid. The UK government argued that disenfranchisement prevented crime and punished offenders, serving to enhance the civic responsibility and respect for the rule of the law. It also argued that convicted prisoners due to having breached the social contract had surrendered the right to take part in the civil process for the period of their sentence. The notion of civil death or withdrawal of political, legal and civil rights has its origins in ancient Greek and Roman societies and was adopted by medieval Europe .

Business Memo (AVID) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Business Memo (AVID) - Essay Example This report analyzes the strategic position of the company, the external environment and the financial performance of company based on its financial statements during the years 1999 and 2000. The first big strategic decision the company made was in 1993 when the firm launched its initial public offering (IPO) to become a publicly traded company and raised $53 million. His capital was utilized to spur the firm’s future growth. The three markets Avid serves are: Media composer was the initial product helped the company become such a popular firm in the industry. As the company matured it realized it needed help from other firms in order to developed new products. They entered into a series of strategic alliance with different companies. Avid System became a mid-size company. In this industry they were at a competitive disadvantage with larger firms such as Sony which had unlimited resources. Avid as a pioneer in the industry pushed for open standards for the participants in the digital industry. The company with the help of 150 other firms in the industry created the Open Media Framework standard. The creation of an open standard indirectly hurt the company because lost its edge of having a unique product in the industry. Avid in the early 1990’s utilized a Mac platform for its software. The company noticed that Apple was not doing to well in the computer industry and it felt continuing operating under a Mac platform was risky. In 1997 the company entered into a strategic alliance with Intel in order to convert its software into Windows based platform. The company gave up 6.75% of its common stock in exchange for Intel’s expertise. In 1993 the company entered into an alliance with Lucas film in order to develop special effects products. The firm entered into a partnership in 1994 with Tsushnki Company to develop the world first full motion digital camera. A huge transaction for the company was the

The increasing use of computers in schools Essay

The increasing use of computers in schools - Essay Example Hence, schools have introduced the use of computers not only to improve students' academic performance but also to increase students' familiarity with new technologies as well as make learning fun and effective for students. The introduction of computers in schools aimed first to improve students' performance in their academic subjects. Educators believe that the computers facilitate ease and convenience especially when these are used by the young people to write papers or do research. Studies done by researchers at Boston College state that regular use of computers in order to do research and write paper can improve students' writing abilities. These students are said to perform better in schools than those who don't use the computers on the same undertakings (O' Dwyer et al, 2005). Researchers also found out that the students' constant use of the computer results to higher score in standardized writing tests as a consequence of their learning from producing drafts, editing to correct errors and writing the final copy. In addition, computers have made the access to information swifter as students do not have to browse through books in the library in order to search to gain access for hard to find data.

Control Systems and Quality Management in Relation to Motivation Essay

Control Systems and Quality Management in Relation to Motivation - Essay Example Most healthcare organizations have established continuous quality control and improvement systems for an excellent and constant quality management program as suggested by Shortell and Kaluzny (1997). Healthcare companies should consider that institutions with constant quality control systems desire to adopt positive changes in all aspects of the organization’s activities. Quality management in healthcare companies offers a framework for service delivery and helps hospitals organize their operation to provide quality services. Â  Management control systems aim at bringing commonness of goals and coordination of processes in healthcare organizations for dysfunctional control systems. The control systems are expected to monitor and regulate the behavior of workers in the organization. For instance, the top management depends on information provided at different management levels to make decisions and to evaluate processes. Management control systems in healthcare organizations are concerned with resource allocation, coordination, and motivation of the employees. The control system in the management of healthcare organizations applies techniques such as total quality management. Total quality management is an aspect of management which constantly aims at enhancing quality services and management. Every healthcare organization’s management should develop a control system customized to its goals and resources. These control systems relate to the motivation of employees in healthcare organizations throug h different principles as outlined below: Â  Focus on critical points: for instance, controls are used where failure is a threat and the costs do not exceed a specific amount.