Course work Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 1

Course work - Essay Example With the introduction of the computer technology to the human society during the 19th Century, the works or the tasks of people have been further created with ease. With the implementation of computer systems within the existing systems of completion for human tasks, the jobs of people, which can be merged with technological arrangements, were enhanced to becoming easily completed. Today, 95% of the whole population of man all around the world utilizes the computer systems for their everyday application. Even ordinary appliances are now compiled with complex operating systems based upon computer arrangements to be able to meet the best possible performance that they could render the human society. (Tanenbaum, 2006, 15) The introduction of the Internet systems to the world has been noted as one of the most successful breakthroughs that has been attempted, pursued and now fulfilled by the merging of science and technology in increasing the capability of human communication in connecting people together from a worldwide perspective. Years before the said introduction, people simply depended on snail mails and telephone calls to be able to communicate with their loved ones abroad. It could also be remembered that people who had lesser financial resource also have lesser chances of actually meeting foreign friends. Now, all those situations have already changed. The connection of people to people actually managed to step forward to the next level. Most likely enough, the situation of connecting humans from the different parts of the world has already been revolutionized through the development and continuous advancement of the Internet Systems. Certainly, the entire human systems now mostly depend on the said global connection. Economic and political arrangements are now much more effectively done through the adaptation of the said systems with the arrangements of the Internet instituted within the said human engagements. Overall, seeing the said

Socialization and Criminal Behavior Essay Example for Free

Socialization and Criminal Behavior Essay He was attractive, smart, and had a future in politics. He was also one of the most prolific serial killers in U. S. history. Ted Bundy screamed his innocence until his death in the electric chair became imminent, then he tried to use his victims one more time to keep himself alive. His plan failed and the world got a glimpse of the true evil inside him. Theodore Robert Cowell was born on November 24, 1946 in the Elizabeth Lund Home for Unwed Mothers in Vermont. Ted’s biological father was an Air Force veteran, and was unknown to his son his whole life. His mother was Lousie Cowell. After she had her birth with him, they has moved back to Ted’s grandparents in Philadelphia. While growing up there, his was taught that his mother was actually his sister, and that his grandparents were his parents. They did this in order to protect his mother from harsh criticism and prejudice of being an unwed mother, At the age of four, him and his mother moved to Tacoma, Washington, with some relatives. It was there where his mother had fallen in love with a military cook named Johnnie Culpepper Bundy, In May 1951, his mother married the cook, and Ted had then assumed his stepfather’s last name, and had gotten the name Ted Bundy. During the marriage, they had more children, and Ted found himself babysitting many days after school. In school, he was terrible shy and uncomfortable in many social situations. He was often the one teased in school or made the head butt of the jokes and pranks. Author Stephen Michaud analyzed his behavior and decided that â€Å"he was not like the other children. Despite his parental circumstances and meager surroundings Bundy was well behaved and grew into an attractive teen who was generally liked and who performed well in school. Throughout his years at high school After high school he entered the University of Puget Sound and continued to do well academically, but felt uncomfortable around his fellow peers who were predominantly wealthy. In his sophomore year Bundy transferred to the University of Washington to escape the uncomfortable feeling of his financial inadequacy.

Soft Power in Japan and South Korea

Soft Power in Japan and South Korea The term ‘soft power’ is often used in the discussion of popular culture. This essay will utilise knowledge obtained through scholarly enquiry and education in Asian studies to discuss popular culture as a form of soft power. Firstly, I will provide a summative outline on the theory of soft power. Following this I will discuss Japanese and South Korean popular culture and whether they are consistent with the theory of soft power. The thesis of this essay will argue that soft power is a useful term in relation to the discussion of popular culture. Joseph Nye, who focuses on international relations, developed the theory of soft power in 1990. Nye suggested that power is influencing others to achieve a desired outcome. Similarly, the term ‘soft’ power may be understood through a state’s ability to achieve the outcomes it desires by leading as an example for other states[1]. This conveys that soft power is the ability of a nation to attract others to mirror interests consistent with their own. The desired outcomes of soft power vary, however most nations have broad aims for international stability and consistency, which may prevent or address global and national issues. For example, the United States has used mediums of soft power to justify actions towards ‘weapons of mass destruction’ by presenting American culture as attractive through its liberalism, democracy and human rights. This conveys that soft power is an intangible resource which uses ideologies, culture and economics to address intern ational issues[2]. Soft power has been used in contemporary international relations due to the interdependent nature of nations, making direct force costly. For example, a nation’s militarization incurs political and economic costs, which in return could reduce rather than increase a nation’s power. Rather, soft power is used in other resources such as transnational corporations, which allow more leverage of the global system as a whole. Contemporarily, these resources generate more power for nations because of a shift in power structures. Modernization, urbanization and increased communication have diffused power from the government to private sectors. The spread of power into the private sphere, in regards to transnational corporations, means that the most powerful form of soft power is popular culture. Ideologies of nations can be imbedded into products and communication. These commodities are introduced to other nations through transnational corporations and privat e sectors, who market their products to be attractive, consumerable and resultantly, popular. Since the mid twentieth century, Japan has been increasingly integral to global popular culture. Central to Japanese exports are manga and anime, the most distinguished forms of Japanese popular culture; hence their potential as forms of soft power. Japan’s ‘International Exchange Research Programme’ of 2003, reported the potential for Japanese popular cultures assistance in international diplomacy[3]. It was theorised that positive national images should be embedded into popular culture; mainly through the pre-existing subculture of manga and anime. The report’s recommendation was facilitated, and organisations such as the ‘Japan Cartoonist Association’ were created to reward artistic innovation. In conjunction with Japan’s conveyance of its national image, McGray suggests that Japanese popular culture is seemingly egalitarian; devoid of perspective and hierarchy[4]. This suggests that popular culture has effectively used ideologies, in accordance with culture and economics, to embed a positive national image. Therefore, popular culture that embeds national ideologies is a form of soft power. The Japan Cartoonist Association generates most of its interest and revenue from foreign states, which suggests that manga and anime are attractive to other nations. Hills argues that its appeal comes from the characters within manga and anime narratives, who are internal and selfless[5]. For example, Spike, the hero from ‘Cowboy Bebop’ was not a saint; a paradigm of the right morals, or always successful in his ventures. This conveys an opposition to Western ideologies of individualistic heroes, who fight on the right side of justice and always succeed. In accordance, its attraction may be sourced from manga and anime’s postmodernism; which allows an escape from modern Western culture. Therefore, popular culture that attracts others, generating international interest and revenue is a form of soft power. Market forces and consumer preferences drive the production and global consumption of manga and anime[6]. For example, the production company, Studio Ghibli has been increasingly popular in the market due to the international consumer desire for Japanese anime. Otmazgin argues that consumer desire is notably expressed in increasing trade, production and interdependence, with the importance of intra-East Asian trade tripling over the last forty years[7]. In accordance, corporations and organisations have had increasing influence and power in transnational relations, such as shaping economic relations and improving perspectives of Japanese culture. In accordance, corporations and organisations have had increasing influence and power in transnational relations, such as shaping economic relations and improving perspectives of Japanese culture. Therefore, popular culture that empowers corporations and private sectors’ leverage over global systems is a form of soft power Post-war perceptions, such as the Japanese being aggressive or imperialistic, and policies have prevented some of the Japanese state’s diplomatic aims. Mainly, Japan wishes to attain permanent membership on the UN Security Council[8]. In conjunction, the Japanese state has realised the potential of popular culture in facilitating the state’s desired outcome. Popular culture has generated economic prosperity, as well as conveying ideologies of a positive, progressive Japan. These resources may be considered effective in disassembling post-war perceptions and regulations. Equally, popular culture’s economic success has allowed Japan to become the second largest contributor to the UN’s budget, giving leverage over their diplomatic aim. Therefore, as Nye outlines, popular culture that influences a state’s desired outcome is a form of soft power. In the late 1990’s, South Korea was propelled into global popular culture. So profound was the movement, it has been described as the Korean Wave; with popular exports such as Korean films and music. Korean popular culture may be termed as a form of soft power. The Kim Dae Jung administration, in 1998, designated the media and entertainment sectors as a focus for development. In accordance to these political agendas, entertainment based private sectors increased their national significance. For example, the film industry doubled its Korean market share within the year. Central to the recognition of these industries is that they contain cultural content, which can enhance images of Korea. Joo argues that Korea attempts to embed into its cultural exports the idea that Korea is refined, sophisticated and prominent[9]. This suggests that Korean popular culture uses ideologies, in accordance with culture and economics, to embed a positive national image. Therefore, popular culture that embeds national ideologies is a form of soft power. Korean industries are increasingly obtaining status, interest and revenue from foreign states. Taiwanese television currently pays almost double to broadcast a Korean drama over a Japanese production. This suggests that Korean popular culture is attractive, which may be due to its balance of traditional and modern cultural values. For example, the Korean drama, ‘Winter Sonata’, encapsulates social conservatism, employing traditional morals of being sensitive, gentle and caring, yet presented in a modern environment. In accordance, South Korea provides a model for other conservative Asian states; how to modernize and keep traditional values. Therefore, popular culture that attracts and leads as an example for others is a form of soft power. With the adoption of Neo-Liberal approaches in South Korea, power was diffused from the government to private sectors[10]. Neo-Liberal strategies invoked privatisation and deregulation, which in return allow capitalists to govern systems of production, advertisement and consumption. For example, Korean music is governed by private sectors to be resonant with the Asian youth, which would have previously been stymied by the Korean nationalist government. This conveys that private sectors have more determination in generating what popular culture constitutes, and in conjunction perspectives of Korean Culture. Therefore, popular culture that empowers corporations and private sectors’ leverage over global systems is a form of soft power. Post-Cold War perceptions of South Korea may be summarised as contemptuous, inferior and economically weak; which were supplemented by the Korean financial crisis in the 1990s. Though, the Kim Dae Jung administration realised the potential of popular culture in granting diplomatic power; by conveying ideologies of an influential and prominent nation. By creating cultural markets and consumer demand, the state has effectively facilitated their desired outcomes. South Korea now ranks in the top 15 market economies, and feelings of affinity towards South Korea have increased unanimously, and by almost double in Japan during the Korean Wave[11]. Effectively, The South Korea state now constitutes a substantial amount of power, conveying the success of soft power in achieving their diplomatic aims. Therefore, popular culture that influences a states desired outcome is a form of soft power. Japan and South Korea have both provided examples of soft power that is derived from popular culture. In Japan, popular culture was able to generate power and influence in their diplomatic aims; conveying a positive image of Japan and gaining leverage over permanent membership on the UN Security Council. Similarly in South Korea, popular culture was able to convey a refined, sophisticated and prominent nation in conjunction with facilitating their prominence on the global market. Therefore, soft power is a useful term in relation to the discussion of popular culture. References Er Lam, Peng, â€Å"Japan’s quest for soft power: attraction and limitation.† East Asia 24, no. 4 (2007): 349-363. Hills, Mat, â€Å"Transcultural Otaku: Japanese representations of fandom and representations of Japan in anime/manga fan cultures.† Media in Transition 2, (2002): 1-13. Joo, Jeongsuk, â€Å"Transnationalization of Korean Popular Culture and the Rise of Pop Nationalism in Korea.† The Journal of Popular Culture 44, no. 3 (2011): 489-504. Joseph Nye Explains the Term Soft Power, Educational Film, directed by Allen Greg (Canada: Conversation, 2004). Kaori, Hayashi, and Eun-Jeung Lee, â€Å"The Potential of Fandom and the Limits of Soft Power.† Social Science Japan Journal 10, no. 2 (2007): 197-216. McGray, Douglas, â€Å"Japan’s Gross National Cool.† Foreign Policy 130, no. 1 (2002): 44-54. Nakarmura, Toshiya, â€Å"Soft Power and Public Diplomacy: How Cool Japan Will Be.† International Studies Association, (2011): 1-26. Nye, Joseph, â€Å"Soft Power.† Foreign policy, (1990). Otmazgin, Nissim, â€Å"Contesting Soft Power.† International Relations of the Asia-Pacific 8, no. 1 (2008): 73-101. Yang, Jonghoe, â€Å"The Korean Wave in East Asia.† Development and Society 41, no. 1 (2012): 103-147. [1] Allen Greg, â€Å"Joseph Nye Explains the Term Soft Power,† Educational Film, (Canada: Conversation, 2004). [2] Joseph Nye, â€Å"Soft Power.† Foreign policy, (1990): 161. [3] Nissim Otmazgin, â€Å"Contesting Soft Power.† International Relations of the Asia-Pacific 8, no. 1 (2008): 81-82. [4] Douglas McGray, â€Å"Japan’s Gross National Cool.† Foreign Policy 130, no. 1 (2002): 47. [5] Mat Hills, â€Å"Transcultural Otaku: Japanese representations of fandom and representations of Japan in anime/manga fan cultures.† Media in Transition 2, (2002): 10. [6] Peng Er Lam, â€Å"Japan’s quest for soft power: attraction and limitation.† East Asia 24, no. 4 (2007): 350. [7] Nissim Otmazgin, â€Å"Contesting Soft Power.† International Relations of the Asia-Pacific 8, no. 1 (2008): 85. [8] Toshiya Nakarmura, â€Å"Soft Power and Public Diplomacy: How Cool Japan Will Be.† International Studies Association, (2011): 14-15. [9] Jeongsuk Joo, â€Å"Transnationalization of Korean Popular Culture and the Rise of Pop Nationalism in Korea.† The Journal of Popular Culture 44, no. 3 (2011): 496. [10] Jonghoe Yang, â€Å"The Korean Wave in East Asia.† Development and Society 41, no. 1 (2012): 107. [11] Hayashi Kaori and Eun-Jeung Lee, â€Å"The Potential of Fandom and the Limits of Soft Power.† Social Science Japan Journal 10, no. 2 (2007): 213.

My Incredible Stay in Bolivia Essay -- Observation Essay, Descriptive E

My Incredible Stay in Bolivia As I lifted my heavy suitcase off the wheeled cart, my mind soon went to work reviewing everything I had brought. Considering the mad rush I had to get packed for my ten day stay in Bolivia, I knew there was no way I could have remembered to bring everything. I knew for sure that I had remembered my toothbrush, which is the thing I normally forget. I also mentally went through everything I had packed and to my delight realized I hadn't forgotten a thing! I was so proud of myself! I was part of a twenty-one member team from the United States that went to the largest city in Bolivia to provide humanitarian aid, which included eye exams and refractions. From the Santa Cruz airport, I rode in a small green and white taxi to the small church compound, the place I would be calling home for the next ten days. Stepping out onto the hard packed sandy ground, I silently caught my breath. It was amazing! Breathtaking would be a more appropriate word. Surrounding the small church, were so many different shades of green. The palm trees held a deep sea green color, while the small plants lining the walkway showed a lighter forest green. Plants grew everywhere. Everywhere, including the phone lines! I found out later, that because of the moisture in the air, plants could live anywhere without soil. This explained the hanging plant attached to the phone line directly above the church. A sweet, gentle smell hung in the air. Everywhere I turned, it was there. I soon realized that the smell was coming from a small jasmine bush. The bush had many dainty white flowers and each of them were distributing their fresh scent everywhere. Looking across the street, I could see several more varieties of trees and bu... ... I never fully grasped the power of that statement until I met these people. It is so true. Love bridges that barrier put up between the cultures, and that is enough. The church compound was filled and overflowing with the love these people showed, and to me, there is nothing more special than that. Yes, I will admit, the setting was gorgeous and so different from anything I had ever experience, but the people were what made it memorable for me. When I got back home, I was just as nervous about forgetting something there. I knew I had my toothbrush, and then quickly went through everything else in my suitcase. I was sure I hadn't left anything there, and I was so proud of myself! Then it hit me. I realized I had left something very important there. Something I could not live without. I had left a part of my heart in Bolivia, and I know it will always be there.

Kids Should Be Paid for Good Grades Essay

Money can be a motivation to encourage students to study hard. The students will feel that their effort is worthy when they are remunerated. Compensation for children’s good grades can also nurture children’s concept about money. And the last, parents can refuse their kids’ unreasonable request of purchasing and let them earn it. In general, kids should get paid for good marks. First, if kids get paid for good grades, they will be motivated to get high marks. As they grow up, their demands on variety things will increase as well. However, their parents will not always satisfy their children’s needs with everything. At this point, some children might be disappointed because they cannot get what they want even though they attain good grades. For instance, if a child wants an iPhone and the parents refuse the request because it is too expensive, the child will concentrate on the iPhone rather than study hard. Instead of saying â€Å"no† to the child, the parents can reward good grades so that the child will maintain good marks in order to buy the phone. Of course, when the child has enough savings due to good performance, the child will eventually received what he or she desired. Thus, money can be a great incentive for children to study hard. Second, children will form financial concepts about the real value of money. They hardly know the purpose of money except it could be used to exchange with the goods they want. They did not know the value, power or even the amount of money. The perception of kids about money would probably be â€Å"money comes out from mommy’s or daddy’s pocket. Therefore, paying children based on their grades allows them to know the concept of â€Å"all pays deserve gains. † Kids will soon realize that money comes from their effort and is for good reasons. Third, due to the modern society that we live in, kids are attracted by lots of fancy and luxury products and they might have unreasonable demand. Parents can refuse the unpractical demands of their children. The children will not unde rstand their parents since they are immature. In order to establish a balance between â€Å"buying what they want† and â€Å"they cannot have it†, paying for good grades is a better solution. If kids get paid, they will keep studying hard. Paying for good school work does not only benefit the children, but also the parents. Kids will be motivated by the appeal of money, while their knowledge of finance will be developed simultaneously. In addition, kids will understand that they harvest what they plant. Therefore, kids should get paid for their good marks.

Answers to Questions About Subject-Verb Agreement

Answers to Questions About Subject-Verb Agreement Answers to Questions About Subject-Verb Agreement Answers to Questions About Subject-Verb Agreement By Mark Nichol The agreement in number between subjects and verbs is often straightforward, but exceptions abound. Here are some readers’ questions about subject-verb agreement, and my responses and explanations. 1. Which verb form is correct singular or plural when using an optional plural: â€Å"The attached form(s) is provided for you to list the accounts you wish to establish† or â€Å"The attached form(s) are provided for you to list the accounts you wish to establish†? There’s no standard I know of, nor any easy solution that comes to mind, for noun-verb agreement in this case. This solution, for example, is logical but awkward: â€Å"The attached form(s) is/are provided for you to list the accounts you wish to establish.† This revision is better but still unsatisfactory: â€Å"The attached form (or forms) is provided for you to list the accounts you wish to establish.† But here’s an end run around the obstacle: â€Å"Please use the attached form(s) to list the accounts you wish to establish.† 2. I’m in the scientific field and have repeatedly run into writing something like â€Å"ten liters of water† and then asking myself whether it is correct to continue with a singular or a plural verb. I’m not sure whether the verb refers to liters or to water. The context should make clear whether the verb refers to the unit of measurement or to the substance measured; generally, in scientific content, it will be the substance. For example, in â€Å"Ten liters of water is/are left in the tank,† the quantity (not the number of units of a given quantity) is important. The tank contains water, not liters, so â€Å"Ten liters of water is left in the tank† is correct. However, consider whether an active construction (for example, â€Å"The tank now contains ten liters of water†) is more effective. 3. Why is it correct to write â€Å"There is only Tom and John there†? This is a case of an expletive sentence, one beginning with an expletive, or a filler word, such as there, which is not the subject. The subject of this sentence is â€Å"Tom and John,† but the context of the sentence is that a set of people is at a given location, so â€Å"Tom and John† is a single entity. However, for clarity, Tom and John should be considered separate entities: â€Å"There are only Tom and John there.† Better yet, revise the sentence to â€Å"Only Tom and John are there.† (The original sentence you posed is likely to be used in spontaneous conversation, but in writing, unless you’re conveying casual dialogue, I advise using the careful revision.) Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Grammar category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:5 Uses of InfinitivesBody Parts as Tools of MeasurementGrammar Review #1: Particles and Phrasal Verbs

Free Essays on Sexual Orientaion In The Workplace

More and more companies are developing policies and practices that respect and accommodate employee’s beliefs and practices in a way that does not undermine the company’s ability to conduct business, according to the Business for Social Responsibility. By doing this, it helps prevent lawsuits as well as giving everyone an equal opportunity of freedom of religion. The Bill of Rights to the US Constitution gives public employees the right of freedom of expression of religion. Although private employees are not protected by the Constitution, there are state and federal laws that can. People should not be discriminated against because of their religious beliefs or any belief for that matter. People should be evaluated based on their job performance and not their sexual orientation or religion. While reading the article, â€Å"Religion in the workplace†, I came across some very valid points on how companies can approach religion in the workplace. Some of these points include spreading the word; being specific; being fair; educating yourself; sharing information. The most important thing, though, is never to forget the nonreligious. Gays and lesbians are discriminated against, but there weren’t many laws to protect them from that. Times are changing now. According to the article Sexual Orientation Discrimination in the Workplace, there are 13 states that have laws prohibiting sexual orientation discrimination in both private and public jobs: California, Connecticut, Hawaii, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island, Vermont and Wisconsin. Seven states have laws prohibiting sexual orientation discrimination in public employment only: Illinois, Indiana, Montana, New Mexico, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Washington. A company's handling of policies on sexual orientation impacts productivity and employee recruitment and retention. Greater awareness of gay and lesbian issues ... Free Essays on Sexual Orientaion In The Workplace Free Essays on Sexual Orientaion In The Workplace More and more companies are developing policies and practices that respect and accommodate employee’s beliefs and practices in a way that does not undermine the company’s ability to conduct business, according to the Business for Social Responsibility. By doing this, it helps prevent lawsuits as well as giving everyone an equal opportunity of freedom of religion. The Bill of Rights to the US Constitution gives public employees the right of freedom of expression of religion. Although private employees are not protected by the Constitution, there are state and federal laws that can. People should not be discriminated against because of their religious beliefs or any belief for that matter. People should be evaluated based on their job performance and not their sexual orientation or religion. While reading the article, â€Å"Religion in the workplace†, I came across some very valid points on how companies can approach religion in the workplace. Some of these points include spreading the word; being specific; being fair; educating yourself; sharing information. The most important thing, though, is never to forget the nonreligious. Gays and lesbians are discriminated against, but there weren’t many laws to protect them from that. Times are changing now. According to the article Sexual Orientation Discrimination in the Workplace, there are 13 states that have laws prohibiting sexual orientation discrimination in both private and public jobs: California, Connecticut, Hawaii, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island, Vermont and Wisconsin. Seven states have laws prohibiting sexual orientation discrimination in public employment only: Illinois, Indiana, Montana, New Mexico, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Washington. A company's handling of policies on sexual orientation impacts productivity and employee recruitment and retention. Greater awareness of gay and lesbian issues ...

Free Essays on Search And Seizure

Search and Seizure The Fourth Amendment guarantees "the right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures." The Founding Fathers of the constitution knew all too well how the king's soldiers and marshals had abused their power through sweeping searches of American homes before 1776 thus resulting in the creation of the Fourth Amendment. Despite the establishment of the Fourth Amendment, many years existed in which state and federal governments admitted evidence obtained through â€Å"unreasonable† search and seizures in criminal trials. The only criteria used by the judge were whether the evidence was incriminating and if it would assist in convicting the defendant. Through the years, the Supreme Court interpretation of the Fourth Amendment has changed due to the development of search and seizure law. The definition of â€Å"unreasonable† was first dealt with at the federal level in the 1914 case of Weeks v. United States. Federal law enforcement authorities accused the defendant, Freemont Weeks of using the mail for illegal purposes. After his arrest, the home in which Weeks was staying was searched without a valid search warrant. Evidence in the form of letters were found in his room and admitted in the trial. Weeks was then convicted of the federal offence based on incriminating evidence. The Supreme Court argued that evidence gathered in an illegal manner, without probable cause or without a search warrant, should be excluded from criminal trials. The exclusionary rule was adopted to prevent abuses by the police and other government officials. The logic followed that if police understand that evidence seized in a manner that violates any of the provisions of the Fourth Amendment will be excluded from court proceedings, they will less likely conduct searches withou t warrants or without probable cause. The Weeks decision only affected federal co... Free Essays on Search And Seizure Free Essays on Search And Seizure Search and Seizure The Fourth Amendment guarantees "the right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures." The Founding Fathers of the constitution knew all too well how the king's soldiers and marshals had abused their power through sweeping searches of American homes before 1776 thus resulting in the creation of the Fourth Amendment. Despite the establishment of the Fourth Amendment, many years existed in which state and federal governments admitted evidence obtained through â€Å"unreasonable† search and seizures in criminal trials. The only criteria used by the judge were whether the evidence was incriminating and if it would assist in convicting the defendant. Through the years, the Supreme Court interpretation of the Fourth Amendment has changed due to the development of search and seizure law. The definition of â€Å"unreasonable† was first dealt with at the federal level in the 1914 case of Weeks v. United States. Federal law enforcement authorities accused the defendant, Freemont Weeks of using the mail for illegal purposes. After his arrest, the home in which Weeks was staying was searched without a valid search warrant. Evidence in the form of letters were found in his room and admitted in the trial. Weeks was then convicted of the federal offence based on incriminating evidence. The Supreme Court argued that evidence gathered in an illegal manner, without probable cause or without a search warrant, should be excluded from criminal trials. The exclusionary rule was adopted to prevent abuses by the police and other government officials. The logic followed that if police understand that evidence seized in a manner that violates any of the provisions of the Fourth Amendment will be excluded from court proceedings, they will less likely conduct searches withou t warrants or without probable cause. The Weeks decision only affected federal co...

Pablo Picassos Guernica of 1937 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Pablo Picassos Guernica of 1937 - Essay Example The essay "Pablo Picasso’s Guernica of 1937" investigates the Guernica. It is a painting done by Pablo Picasso in the year 1937. The Guernica over the years has gained monumental status and has also served a constant reminder of the mayhem at that particular time. Evidently, the painting was first exhibited in Paris and was placed under the care of the Museum of Modern Art. Notably, in 1981 after the country had attained full liberation the painting was delivered to Spain and displayed in Madrid (Picasso, 123). On the contrary, this particular paper strives to analyse the painting into detail with the aim of determining through the images portrayed, the theme and the setting of the work of art. Furthermore, the paper also delves to document the purpose for the creation of the painting in relation to the time that it was done. Notably, the subsequent sections of this paper will also highlight the relevance of the work of art in our society today. First and foremost, since the p ainting was done during the war period in Spain, the work of art definitely is an anti-war painting. On the same point, through the championing of the aftermaths and suffering of the war, the painting serves to advocate for peace and address the suffering of the people particularly the innocent victims. On the other hand, the overall setting of the painting is within a confined room in which at the left open end, a wide-eyed bull stands over a woman who is mourning her child who is in her arms. At the centre of the room, a horse’s demise.

Two kinds by Amy Tan Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Two kinds by Amy Tan - Essay Example She struggles to mould her daughter into fame but her efforts fail as her daughter is rebellious and lacks interest in her mother’s initiatives. The narrator however believes that she can only be her personality and not her mother’s dreams (Tan 132- 143). The narrator and her mother have a strained relationship that exists in two scopes, maternal and mentorship scopes, and identifies their conflict. The narrator’s mother plays her parental role of establishing a basis for her child’s future but the narrator does not appreciate her mother’s efforts. She instead believes that she can only be herself and is rebellious to her mother’s initiatives. At the peak of their conflict, her mother hints to the possibility of a worse interpersonal relationship when she explains that there are â€Å"only two kinds of daughters,† â€Å"those who are obedient and those who follow their mind† (Tan 142). She then declares that Jing, the narrator, can only live in the house if she is obedient and Jing regrets, in her mother’s face, being her daughter. The narrator’s strained relationship with her mother is further identifiable in her domestic orientation in which she does not help her parents when called upon to do domestic chores, a behavior that her mother identifies as a problem (Tan 132- 143). The narrator also identifies a poor relationship with her mother in the mentorship role. She does not appreciate her mother’s ideas and even though she communicates her feelings and attitudes, her mother ignores these and insists that Jing must follow her path to success. This generates a conflict that the two characters fail to resolve amicably (Tan 142). The strained relationship between the narrator and her mother develops from the mother’s high expectations in her daughter and her desire that the child attain fame. The mother’s strong belief that all achievements are

Chicano studies Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 1

Chicano studies - Essay Example It is because political power is gained by having good number of followers. In addition, the voting pattern in the USA was more along the tribal lines thus making the Chicano people unlucky when it comes to national resource allocation. Having a political representative would have helped the Chicanos to develop within their area. Illiteracy was also another factor that significantly contributed to the underdevelopment of the Chicano people in Mexico. It is because they did not have the skills and experience on how to foster their individual development ideas that would help them to prosper to be in par with other communities. Moreover, they suffered because of discrimination from other communities who did not give them room to share or exchange ideas. Lack of adequate resources to the Chicano people made them remain behind in development sector. Lack of technological empowerment is also another area that contributed to the underdevelopment of the Chicanos. At the heart issues, dealing with presentation is the human urge to put things into category things, even other humans. One needed to be black or white, male or female, being an American or a citizen from whichever the country, to able to receive fair treatment in the society. The US racial groups were made up of black, white, indigenous, Asian and other. This meant that there was nowhere the Chicanos could fit in these races. The Us government termed them as Hispanics but was not well received by Latinos since it was not inclusive of everybody and they felt it was just top down ethnic identity. The Chicanos did not want to be identified by these dualisms, which was their biggest problem. In turn, the way that Chicanos represent themselves in a daily life did not correspond to the experience of other groups. Thus, it often results to portrayals that are inaccurate when that particular group does not have control of the way that exhibit those

Contemporary And International Marketing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Contemporary And International Marketing - Essay Example of globalization has forced countries and the businesses to broaden their strategies and implement these strategies in other markets to expand the size of their business and economies. Moreover, televisions, cameras, telecommunication services and products and electronic gadgets are in great demand by consumers and businesses, who are involved in producing these products and services, see this increasing demand as a great opportunity to produce even greater revenues. The expansion of business can be in the form of foreign direct investments, Greenfield ventures, licensing and franchising or by opening up a subsidiary in cross border regions. Businesses can be involved in international markets for the sake of achieving benefits and significance of production based on the increased supply and demand in foreign markets (Lukac). In Sony’s case, the Japanese conglomerate decided to expand into international markets for the sake of delivering benefits of its products and services to the customers all around the base and in return, maximizing its annual revenues and shareholders’ wealth (Sony Corporation). Sony has divided its business into five geographic regions. These are Japan region, United States region, European region, Asia-Pacific region and Other Areas which include different markets in Africa, North and South America and Oceania. Sony makes its major profits in United States, Japan and European regions, thanks to the bulk selling of its communication gadgets and television in these regions. Sony’s annual revenues in 2011 were amounted to around 7,181,273 Japanese Yen which are -0.0045% lower than the revenues reported in 2010 (Sony Corporation). Sony considers four emerging markets as its future prospects for setting up factories and operational facilities... This report stresses that Sony offers a variety of standardized products through the geographic regions in which it is doing business. These products can be classified as electronic devices, games and entertainment solutions. These categories includes a range of televisions and projectors, home theatres, cameras, laptops, games, portable entertainment solutions, cellular phones, batteries and chargers, peripheral devices and etc. Reason for producing and delivering standardized products to the target customers at dispersed locations is the high cost of producing and delivering differentiated products. Moreover, consumers’ preferences for electronic goods and gadgets are same all around the world which allows Sony to sell its trademark and standard products throughout. This paper makes a conclusion that the review of Sony Corporation’s business reveals that the company has established itself as the manufacturer of quality electronic goods and gadgets. The consistency in quality delivered to the customers and after sales service makes Sony the world’s largest manufacturer of electronic goods and a reliable name in the field, which helps the company to maintain the current market share and attract new customers. Moreover, the massive size of its business, which is dispersed in 5 regions of the world, helps Sony to outclass its competitors, which is supplemented by the strategies adopted by the company regarding its marketing mix.

Freud Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Freud - Essay Example It is worthy, first, to understand the need for civilization and its importance in qualitative measures and quantitative measures. Civilizations were established to improve modes of relationships among human beings. This was because, in the prehistoric times, an action of an individual was guided more by his instincts and wishes. Apart from that, civilization was meant to improve material prosperity of individuals. This was obtainable through improvement of science and technology, which in turn increased their economic productivity. Freud argues that the objective of such changes was due to the inherent human trait of search for happiness. The search for happiness is achieved by what he describes as utility and yields of pleasure (Freud 41). However, he states that such an effort is always a futility, as an increase in happiness is never achieved. Civilization is thus not responsible for human happiness. Friedman’s main argument primarily focuses in religion. He describes religion as an imposed delusional feeling that seeks to detach individuals from reality. This feeling, however, cannot be depicted scientifically. It operates in the idea that suffering of the human community can only be alleviated by a trust to an external source of help. In trying to achieve this, individuals escape the reality of their lives. The problem of religion in this case is that it imposes only one way of attainment of happiness. In reality, ways of attaining satisfaction should be many and, thus, the individual is tied to his misery if that one way fails (Freud 32). Second, Friedman also discusses art as a source of unhappiness among individuals. Art’s affectivity relies on the imagination of creative people who release their pieces of work for consumption by these individuals. Through art, individuals try to master reality by creating images of how it

LOGISTICS Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

LOGISTICS - Essay Example In addition to the basic forwarding operations, BLC is specialized in customs clearance, packing, warehousing, and transportation of all incoming and outgoing, air and sea shipments, as well as household goods and personal effects. The company’s objective has always been to satisfy the needs of all customers by offering a personalized transport service for any volume of goods and any destination. BLC has a Quality Policy as well a well publicized Mission Statement. For developing and delivering business excellence the company has obtained ISO 9001:2000 certifications in pursuance of providing "best-in-class" service via a quality management system. The company was awarded ISO 9001:2000 certification in 2004. As part of the Quality Policy, BLC regularly monitors customer satisfaction as one of the measurements of performance. It also monitors information relating to customer perception as to whether we met their expectations. BLC business has much to do with organizing and synergizing transportation and warehousing, so its supply chain structure is similar to its competitors with concentration on physical distribution. The red line represents material flow; the blue line represents information flow. While apparently the business model of BCL is sound and it appears to be well managed, its performance lacks behind its competition and certainly does not achieve its goals for it was for which it was founded over a decade ago. It is just another mediocre company, despite its obtaining the ISO 9001:2000 certification. It has high aims but has fallen short in results. To date its annualized growth is just 10% while the industry average is about 13%. The best in class companies are however achieving an annualized growth rate of 25%. The problem areas of BLC can be enumerated as under. 1. BLC lacks in warehousing. Its current warehouses are small and not well organized. It moves the frozen cargo

Contemporary And International Marketing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Contemporary And International Marketing - Essay Example of globalization has forced countries and the businesses to broaden their strategies and implement these strategies in other markets to expand the size of their business and economies. Moreover, televisions, cameras, telecommunication services and products and electronic gadgets are in great demand by consumers and businesses, who are involved in producing these products and services, see this increasing demand as a great opportunity to produce even greater revenues. The expansion of business can be in the form of foreign direct investments, Greenfield ventures, licensing and franchising or by opening up a subsidiary in cross border regions. Businesses can be involved in international markets for the sake of achieving benefits and significance of production based on the increased supply and demand in foreign markets (Lukac). In Sony’s case, the Japanese conglomerate decided to expand into international markets for the sake of delivering benefits of its products and services to the customers all around the base and in return, maximizing its annual revenues and shareholders’ wealth (Sony Corporation). Sony has divided its business into five geographic regions. These are Japan region, United States region, European region, Asia-Pacific region and Other Areas which include different markets in Africa, North and South America and Oceania. Sony makes its major profits in United States, Japan and European regions, thanks to the bulk selling of its communication gadgets and television in these regions. Sony’s annual revenues in 2011 were amounted to around 7,181,273 Japanese Yen which are -0.0045% lower than the revenues reported in 2010 (Sony Corporation). Sony considers four emerging markets as its future prospects for setting up factories and operational facilities... This report stresses that Sony offers a variety of standardized products through the geographic regions in which it is doing business. These products can be classified as electronic devices, games and entertainment solutions. These categories includes a range of televisions and projectors, home theatres, cameras, laptops, games, portable entertainment solutions, cellular phones, batteries and chargers, peripheral devices and etc. Reason for producing and delivering standardized products to the target customers at dispersed locations is the high cost of producing and delivering differentiated products. Moreover, consumers’ preferences for electronic goods and gadgets are same all around the world which allows Sony to sell its trademark and standard products throughout. This paper makes a conclusion that the review of Sony Corporation’s business reveals that the company has established itself as the manufacturer of quality electronic goods and gadgets. The consistency in quality delivered to the customers and after sales service makes Sony the world’s largest manufacturer of electronic goods and a reliable name in the field, which helps the company to maintain the current market share and attract new customers. Moreover, the massive size of its business, which is dispersed in 5 regions of the world, helps Sony to outclass its competitors, which is supplemented by the strategies adopted by the company regarding its marketing mix.

LOGISTICS Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

LOGISTICS - Essay Example In addition to the basic forwarding operations, BLC is specialized in customs clearance, packing, warehousing, and transportation of all incoming and outgoing, air and sea shipments, as well as household goods and personal effects. The company’s objective has always been to satisfy the needs of all customers by offering a personalized transport service for any volume of goods and any destination. BLC has a Quality Policy as well a well publicized Mission Statement. For developing and delivering business excellence the company has obtained ISO 9001:2000 certifications in pursuance of providing "best-in-class" service via a quality management system. The company was awarded ISO 9001:2000 certification in 2004. As part of the Quality Policy, BLC regularly monitors customer satisfaction as one of the measurements of performance. It also monitors information relating to customer perception as to whether we met their expectations. BLC business has much to do with organizing and synergizing transportation and warehousing, so its supply chain structure is similar to its competitors with concentration on physical distribution. The red line represents material flow; the blue line represents information flow. While apparently the business model of BCL is sound and it appears to be well managed, its performance lacks behind its competition and certainly does not achieve its goals for it was for which it was founded over a decade ago. It is just another mediocre company, despite its obtaining the ISO 9001:2000 certification. It has high aims but has fallen short in results. To date its annualized growth is just 10% while the industry average is about 13%. The best in class companies are however achieving an annualized growth rate of 25%. The problem areas of BLC can be enumerated as under. 1. BLC lacks in warehousing. Its current warehouses are small and not well organized. It moves the frozen cargo

The Age of Philosophy Essay Example for Free

The Age of Philosophy Essay The term philosophy was brought about from the ancient Greeks meaning â€Å"wisdom of love. † The true nature behind this social science is to use reason and logic to fully understand certain things. It is the study of knowledge, reality, and existence, especially as an academic discipline. The question every philosopher wants answered is, â€Å"How do we know the knowledge that we do? † There is a process they go through to help them understand this phenomenon. They first examine their own beliefs and find doubt within them. Questions begin to emerge which causes them to analyze each question to a precise answer. They make reasoned arguments for their answers and begin to hear criticism from others. Through the judgment and criticism, they prove the rationality of their beliefs and find the fundamental truths to understand the phenomenon. When studying philosophy, asking a question is more fundamentally important than answering. Questions bring about skepticism, which brings up opposing views and Philosophy relies on rational argument to fully understand a concept. Philosophy is said to have six main branches of thought embedded in it: metaphysics, which is the nature of reality and the universe, epistemology, which is the study of knowledge and how it is acquired, and logic, which is how to get a valid argument. There is also: ethics, which is the study of right and wrong and how people should live, politics, which is the study of government and citizen rights, and aesthetics, which is the artistic perception of a person or thing. Plato, Descartes, and Bell Hooks are three philosophers whose work is evolved around these concepts. Their train of thought explains how each of these can have a part in real life; their works dive into the depths of each concept and allows them to generate a mindset of fundamental truths. Plato was amongst the earliest philosophers who were a student of Socrates. He was not only a philosopher, but a mathematician as well. He also was the founder of the Academy in Athens, Greece. Plato helped shaped and laid the foundations of Western philosophy. His dialogues have been used to teach many subjects, including philosophy, logic, ethics, and mathematics. This philosopher used interplay of ethics and epistemology throughout the works of his that we studied. In his work , Crito, for instance he spoke on the subject of rationality. In this work, Socrates reminds Crito that his actions have followed certain reasons. This means that everything he has always done has been what his inquiries led him to do. He goes on to explain that he does not act on impulse, but by argument, because if he acted on impulse, he would throw away his past and he does not want to rationalize his escape. Socrates wanted to find a common ground with Crito so they could decide what to do together. This can be called dialectical Rationality, which could be described as moving from what we do agree on, to what we didn’t agree on. Socrates wanted the situation to end where both he and Crito both were satisfied that the best thing was done. This ethical decision ties into epistemology, because this concept deals with things that must be proved by a justification, one that is brought on by the inquires of Crito. On the subject of metaphysics, Plato also argued that essences are mind-independent forms that humans can come to know by reason and by ignoring distractions. He based his works off of essence, which is the set of attributes that make an object what it fundamentally is. The Allegory of the Cave is a good example of this, because it depicts the difference between appearance and reality. The shadows on the wall were just forms that he saw, but the reality was, there was a whole world beyond those shadows. Ethics, plays a role in this story as well, because the reality was the truth of the knowledge one is supposed to live by, as opposed to a life in the shadows. The Father of Modern Philosophy, Rene Descartes, is a French philosopher that integrates a few of the six main branches of thought into his works. Aside from his philosophical works, he is known for developing the Cartesian coordinate system during his time as a mathematician. This system gave reference to points in space, allowed algebraic equations to be expressed as geometric shapes, and for shapes to be described as equations. From the philosophical standpoint, Descartes is widely known for his work, Meditations on First Philosophy. In these six meditations, Descartes rejects all belief in things that he doesn’t know for certain and then tries to ascertain what he can know for sure. He gives an example of metaphysics when he talks about objective and formal reality in meditation three. He describes objective as the content or idea of an object. Formal has the meaning that the object actually exists in its own right. It is independent of being perceived. These two expressions speak of the general features of reality in terms of existence and objects and their properties. Descartes also takes metaphysics into account when trying to discover who he is. He claims that eating, walking, and sight are not his attributes, but thinking is. He says that he exists, because he is a thinking thing. He says what he imagines may be false, but since he exists that which he imagines can’t be. Logic and Epistemology are seen when he involves the big â€Å"Reductio Ad Absurdum† in meditation two. He uses skepticism to justify and refute more skepticism. In meditation one he doubts everything, but he runs into absurdity in meditation two. He can’t be deceived of existing if he has to exist to be deceived. He illustrates this concept when describing the ball of wax. The wax has certain qualities, such as, taste, smell, and color that we take very real. However, as it is taken near a fire, those qualities change, but the same piece of wax still remains. The true essence of the wax is what exists independently of our perceptions of it. It is about the substance underneath the qualities we perceive. We recognize the true essence of the wax through our intellect. Our mind is what perceives the reality. Bell Hooks is the third and final author of my paper. She is not only an author, but a feminist and social activist as well. All of her writings are on the interconnectivity of race, capitalism and gender and how they have the ability to produce and perpetuate systems of oppression. She writes through a postmodern perspective and is well known for her book, Teaching to Transgress. This text enriches the concepts of ethics and politics in the philosophy definition. She pushes for a more holistic education in terms of ethic. She believes teachers should teach not to just share information, but to share intellect that helps the students grow. Hooks says that learning is easier if the teacher â€Å"respects and cares for the soul of their students. † Also in the ethic category would be her perception of authenticity and commitment in the classroom. Teachers should be committed to who they are and their well being. If a teacher has that overall stature and attitude, it will empower the students to learn more. Hooks also paid close attention to the eroticism in the classroom, as well as the emotion and feelings of students. She believes having them aware of certain things will help them gain insight on important information that they may need in particular situations in their lives. Moving onto more of the political side of Bell Hook’s writing, she discusses when the schools became intergraded. Being a feminist, she believed that woman should have the same rights and opportunities as men. Hooks main discussion on integration was how the teachers were disrespected. She spoke on how the teachers should morally be treated as. Also from her political standpoint, she wanted to educate for liberation. This meaning, she thought women should have the same educational rights as men. She thought women should have the right to become anything she wanted to be without being looked down upon about her gender. In this text, she stood on a platform for women’s progress, as well as, a platform for a more morally correct educational atmosphere. These three philosophers have different expressions of the six main branches of philosophy. Their works go beyond the norm to explain their personal views in a way that depicts the true essence of philosophy. Their views study the nature and scope of knowledge and help us to explain the reality of how we know certain things. It also helps us to explain how rational arguments lead to a more, morally correct answer to any question. Philosophy has been a big subject to study over the years. It teaches life lessons that can be used by every individual. Bertrand Russell couldn’t have said it better in his quote, â€Å"To teach how to live without certainty and yet without being paralyzed by hesitation is perhaps the chief thing that philosophy, in our age, can do for those who study it. †

Transforming Hr Into Strategic Functions Management Essay

Transforming Hr Into Strategic Functions Management Essay High competition, pressure imposed by environmental changes, accelerated trends for change, and new management techniques have caused enterprises to evolve dramatically with respect to their structure as well as cultural and human resources (Garcia, 1997 cited in ).Nowadays, it is important to consider HRM as a strategic dimension within the wider improvement of quality and good marketing position. HRM can be said to be a strategic coherent approach to the management of an organizations most valued assets- the people working there, who individually and collectively contribute to the achievement of its objectives (Armstrong, 2000). The field of strategic human resources management has enjoyed a remarkable ascendancy during the past two decades, as both an academic literature and focus on management practice (Becker Huselid, 2006). The transition from the older HR practice with focus on staff matter to a subject of re-birth which focuses on linking people as organizational asset with the business strategy of the firm (Niehaus, 1995) means that the HR professional is performing a new and more challenging responsibility that requires new competencies and skills. The Human Resource function should be strategically integrated with a companys business plan to help the company achieve its business objectives. The objective of HR professionals is to ensure that HR adds value to strategic planning and business results of the organization (Ulrich, 2001). HR lacks alignment with other departmental goals To be involved with the over-all strategy, HR needs to be aligned with the organization. One Harvard survey found that 80% of HR departments lack a strategic planning process that aligns it spending with the organizations strategy (Norton, 2001). HR needs to become interdependent with the rest of the organization. HR needs to take a comprehensive approach that aligns its actions with the entire organizational strategy. The motivation to correct these HR problems is high because the strategic integration of HR into an organization achieves a competitive advantage. HR has much to contribute in a strategic supporting role. The ultimate goal is for HR to support an organization through the management of human capital, which is the major subset of the broader organizations strategy. HR needs to be part of the organizations strategy development. In order for HR to effectively align itself with the strategy of an organization, it must present top management with solutions that address the s trategic need and support of the organization (Freedman, 2004). Definition of Human Resource Transformation Beer (1997) argued that the HR function needs to shed its traditional administrative role and adopt a new strategic role, aimed at developing the organisation and the capabilities of its managers. The drive towards a more strategic HR function has pre-occupied the profession for some time and HR functions are increasingly under pressure to become a strategic business partner or an internal consultant, to become aligned to the business strategy, demonstrate its added value (Alvares, 1997, p.9), and latterly, to become involved in Human Capital Management. HR professionals aspire to a strategic role because it raises their status, makes their work more interesting, lifts their personal career horizons and (hopefully) is better for the business as a whole. One of the biggest perceived barriers to achieving this strategic role is the amount of time spent on administrative work; although the amount of time spent on administration has been steadily falling over recent years, to 36% from 50 % between 2003 and 2007 (CIPD, 2007a), a Mercer report on the HR function (Mercer, 2007) confirmed that HR teams would like to reduce the time spent on delivering services, transactions and compliance even more. The response by many HR functions has been to undertake a programme of significant organisational change, frequently labelled as transformation. Human Resources Transformation has been defined as follows: The process of recreating or reinventing the HR function such as re-engineering, restructuring, implementing new systems or a new HR service delivery model, outsourcing or co-sourcing with the specific intent of enhancing HRs contribution to the business (Mercer, 2007, p.1). HR transformation is something done internally to improve the ability of the human resources group to work more effectively with management teams, creating greater value, bringing more timely information, becoming a better business partner. Steve Klingbeil, Partner Chazey Partners A true definition of HR Transformation is an integrated, aligned, innovative, and business-focused approach to redefining how HR work is done within an organization so that it helps the organization deliver on the promises made to customers, investors, stakeholders, and other stakeholders. (HRT- building Human Resources from the outside in, Ulrich, 2009) Drivers and Barriers for HR Transformation According to a 2005 survey (Rampat 2005, p. 7) key drivers for HR transformation include the following: Making HR strategic Improving HR service Responding to changes in business Benefiting from new technology Better managing the cost of internal processes The same survey also revealed the following key barriers to the success of HR transformation Lack of appropriate skills among HR staff Lack of appropriate support technology An unwillingness to take risk or deal with complexity Difficulties in dealing with bureaucracy Difficulties in dealing with corporate or international cultural differences Lack of employee buy-in to HR Transformation Failure in building a business case to support change Lack of genuine top management support Regulatory constraints Unions According to the 2008 Global HR Transformation Report done by Human Resource Outsourcing Association (HROA) in association with Automatic Data Processing (ADP), among the keys to success in achieving HR transformation goals are: Access to better tools/resources: improved/new technology, use of online tools and services, and automation of processes; Change management and education: change management planning prior to implementing a transformation programme, cultural acceptance of change, training and motivation to encourage and engage staff in the transformation, and pre-transformation agreement on the programme goals; Management support at both the top and line levels: gaining top-level management support, and as much line-manager level buy-in as possible, prior to programme introduction; and, continually demonstrating the benefits of the programme to attempt to increase line-level buy-in over time; Alignment, focus and standardisation: alignment between HR and business units, harmonisation of processes, centralisation of services, standardised reporting The New Roles and Competencies of the HR Professional David Ulrich and Wayne Brockbank (2005) have created a model that describes the new roles of human resource professionals. They stress on the importance of building professional, credible relationships across the organization, and performing in a manner that both supports the business and preserves the integrity of the profession. As they outline the new capabilities of the human resource function the role of strategic talent management begins to emerge. Human resources professionals become less responsible for providing service and more accountable for facilitating better decisions. David Ulrich defined 5 major HR Roles in his HR Model to build efficient and modern Human Resources professionals. Figure 2.1: HR roles defined by Ulrich HR Professionals are Employee Advocate, with the responsibility to make sure that the employer -employee relationship is one of reciprocal value Furthermore, the build workforce of the future through the Human Capital Developer. They are also Functional Expert who design and delivers hr practices that ensures individual competence and organizational capability. As Strategic Partner, they help line managers at all levels meet their goals. And to sum the first four roles, HR Leaders need to lead and value their own function. Ulrich et Al., (2005) There are six major factors of HR competencies according to Ulrich et al., (2009), they believe that it is vital for the HR function to be a strategic professional player in a changing world. The two arrows (see figure 2.2 below) illustrate that HR must consider both aspects of the business, i.e. people and business oriented. The characteristics/roles HR people must have or play (six circles within the V shape below) to achieve will be described further. Figure 2.2: Competency model by Ulrich and Brockbank Credible activists build relationships of trust based on facts and have a point of view not just about HR issues, but about business issues. Operational executors do the operational work that have to be addressed by HR, using information systems to ensure better, faster and cheaper HR delivery. Business allies demonstrate a firm grasp on how the organization operates, how they work to enable to make a profit and compete. Culture and change stewards support the organization in identifying and facilitating important changes that improve the capabilities of the organization to compete. It is important that HR professionals help to formulate, communicate and create the organizational culture. Talent managers and organizational designers provide important support and counsel in both employees development (for example, competence and career development) and how the organization capability. Strategy architects contribute to the development, execution and communication of winning strategies. They prepare themselves for the future by drawing strategies to meet upcoming challenges. Possessing the competencies and performing the roles mentioned above, HR departments will derive their goals from the business objectives of the organization and become more strategically involved. HR Transformation and Technology Rapid improvements in technologies are changing the way work is performed by HR professionals from being administrative to todays a more strategic role. With new approaches such as Human Resource Information System (HRIS), web-enabled HR applications, HR self-service and Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP), HR practitioners are now more involved in strategic decision making. A key development in the field of IT is the emergence of enterprise resource planning (ERP) applications, such as Oracle, SAP and PeopleSoft. Enterprise resource planning systems are commercial software packages that enable the integration of transaction-oriented data and business processes throughout an organization (Markus and Tanis, 2000). ERP packages may be configured to more closely fit an enterprises structure, business practices and workflow (Chalmers, 1999). Recently, the HR function has had to adopt a more value adding role to the organization. With the growth of information technology, HR can be relieved from the burden of transactional human resource activities and this can be accomplished either by outsourcing some of the HR function, but what would be more relevant to this study, is to use technology solutions. There is a greater opportunity for HR professionals to become a strategic partner Self-Service HR self-service technology assists in meeting the needs of employees and managers, while supporting business objectives (Keebler Rhodes, 2002). Employee Self Service allow employees to manage their own HR activities such as updating their own personal details, leave application, nominate themselves for training, facilitating feedback and giving them visibility of the information held about them on HR systems. Eventually, HR professionals can concentrate on value added HR activities and spend fewer resources in managing administrative HR activities. Manager Self-Service (MSS) puts the information managers need at their fingertips giving them the ability to more closely monitor and direct their team towards the strategic goals of the organization. Business Partner Model Within this transformational HRM area, Walker (2001) breaks this down further into three types of work done in transformational e-HRM. These types of work include: strategic partnering with the business, creating centres of expertise and administration of service centres. In order to move to the third level of HRM, Beatty (2001) identifies five success factors. These include changing: the culture of HR, the people employed in the HR function, and also their competencies, developmental needs and their performance; the roles and responsibilities of individuals performing HR activities, that is, the structure of the HR function; HR processes or HR products; service delivery and development; and finally; the technology used for HR functions, which may include enterprise-wide systems and custom systems. HR Shared Services Centres HR shared service centre is defined as follows by (Brescia and Hartness, 2001): A centralized location where customer transactions and customer enquiries are handled Increasingly, HR are now using the shared services concept to drive down costs, provide increased levels of service and improve data accuracy and integrity. HR shared service centers help transform HR into a business-driven function focused on facilitating and supporting organizational change. HR shared service centre is usually a part of a wider transformation of HR structure within the organization. Shared service centers are usually proposed for the organizations strategic reasons in order to improve the capability and effectiveness of HR function. The HR shared service centre can include the full service from routine administration in recruitment, payroll and training, or provide specialist HR information and advice on HR policy and practice. While HR shared services provide quantifiable benefits in terms of cost reduction (through achieving economies of scale, the standardization of process, better management structures, etc.), the strategic benefits achievable from HR transformation are significantly more important. Strategic benefits of HR shared services include sharing more relevant and accurate information across the organization (sharing HR best practice, leveraging HR expertise, pooling knowledge across different parts of the organization and different geographical regions), achieving greater structural flexibility, improving organizational learning, and freeing up HR from day-to-day routine enquiries. Centres of Expertise (CoE) CoE provide specialist technical and professional support to the business and other areas of HR on specialist HR topics. CoE HR professionals play a number of important roles that should be clarified in an HR transformation: They create service menus aligned with the capabilities driving business strategy. They diagnose needs and recommend services most appropriate to the situation. They collaborate with embedded HR professionals in selecting and implementing the right services. They create new menu offerings if the current offerings are insufficient. They manage the menu. They shepherd the learning community within the organization. Strategic Business Partner Senior HR professionals working closely with business leaders influencing and steering strategy and strategy implementation. The role can vary enormously depending on organisational size and business priorities. Some activities that strategic partners are likely to be involved in include: organisational and people capability building longer term resource and talent management planning using business insights to drive change in people management practices Intelligence gathering of good people management practices internally and externally, so they can raise issues that executives may not be aware of. Model for HR Transformation The following HR Transformation is a four phased model proposed by Ulrich et al., (2009) Business Context (Why) Phase one addresses the question: why carry out transformation? To start Human Resource Transformation journey it is important to ensure that the context of the business is clearly understood by all those involved in the transformation process. Ulrich et al., (2009) believe that when the presenting problem for HR transformation comes from the context of the business and from the expectations of key stakeholders, then the case for transformation is stronger than if the presenting problem originates primarily inside the business. Outcomes (What) Phase two explains the expected outcomes from the transformation. Hr transformation should also change the fundamental identity, culture, or image of the business. This outcome is referred to as defining and building capabilities. These capabilities become the identity of the firm, the deliverables of HR practices, and the keys to implementing business strategy. Redesign HR (How) This phase has three components, each of which is a way of defining what we mean by HR: The HR function or department may need to be redesigned. HR professionals may be upgraded to possess the competencies required to do their work. HR practices may be transformed to be more effectively or more fully aligned, integrated, and innovative. The transformation model focuses on redesigning the HR function to make sure that it is aligned with business strategy. The redesigned of HR needs to differentiate between transactional and transformational work. Furthermore competencies of HR professional may need upgrade in order to perform their roles in the new organization. Hr practices may need to be revamped. Four domains representing the flows or process central to organizational success are as follows: Flow of people- ensuring talent availability to accomplish organisational strategy. Flow of performance management- promoting accountability for performance and rewarding it Flow of information- ensuring employees is given information needed to do their work properly. Flow of work- who does the work, how and where work is done and ensure quality outputs. The flows should also be integrated with each other to bring results. Accountability (Who) Line managers are ultimately accountable for ensuring that the organization has the right talent and right structures in place to deliver on the expectations of customers, shareholders and communities. Clear role definition and rigorous accountability will help an HR transformation succeed. HR Transformation achieved at AT T Anne Fritz, vice-president HR, who has been with ATT for almost 30 years, said: As competition, rapid technological breakthroughs and globalization turned our business upside down; the old HR model could not support the need for strategic change. Now, our role is to help internal partners to succeed in sometimes-fragile states of competitiveness and to ensure that we have the talent in place to build future business capability. Doing so delivers a value-adding service. HR transformation was achieved through key steps that represent a good-practice model for integrating the HR function with business strategies and aligning organizational performance to corporate goals. The key steps were: Determining strategic business needs customers, growth, reducing cost and technology; reviewing organizational structure, dynamics and systems Defining the strategic implications for HR continuous learning, team working and empowerment Identifying HR systems those that were required to support organizational, structural and cultural change Leveraging HR capability through leading-edge practices leadership, staffing, performance management and education Devising high-level HR initiatives for special needs, such as workforce planning and downsizing. Implications of the Human Resource Transformation in the Telecommunication Industry The HR Transformation model proposed by Ulrich and HRT process at AT T will be used as background for this study. The different components in the above transformation process at AT T key steps are interrelated, only those that seemingly represent the important practices and or potential constraints in HRT will be further explained below. Empowerment Empowerment is an essential element of organizational change and transformation as the global business environment becomes ever more competitive. By enabling managers and employees to have more control over their work and their working lives, they are being empowered. Employee Self-Service (ESS) has a great influence on the empowerment aspect. ESS allows employees to help themselves (changing their personal details, checking or applying for leaves, etcà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦), thus HR professionals are now free to spend less time on day-to-day recordkeeping and focus on value-added functions that aid in meeting the goals and objectives of the organization (i.e., talent management, staff development and retention, performance management, rewards, etc.). Furthermore MSS enable managers processing basic HR transaction (appraisals) and retrieve data without involving the HR professionals. Leadership Effective leadership of the change process is fundamental to its success (Buckingham, 2005;Hunt Buzan, 1999; Johnson Uline, 2005; Kamener, 2004). The concept of managerial leadership permeates and structures the theory and practice of work organizations and hence the way we understand SHRM. In the management texts, leadership has been defined in terms of traits, behaviour, contingency, power, and occupation of an administrative position. Most definitions reflect the assumption that leadership involves a process whereby an individual exerts influence upon others in anorganizational context. Employee satisfaction, motivation, and loyalty are of major importance when it comes to retain the most valuable employees and this is where a strong leadership becomes very important. There is a difference between management and leadership. Leadership means understanding the corporate mission, developing goals which support the mission, then using personal and management skills to help build a stable, skillful, productive and satisfied workforce. Leadership is seen as the power to inspire and motivate the ability to permeate employees with the desire to change the organization to the best. Training and development Swanson (1995) defined employee training and development as the process of systematically developing expertise in individuals for the purpose of improving performance. Trainings strategic contributions to the organizations goal include new employee orientations, diagnosis and correction of skills problems, remedial training and sometimes long-term career development (Ceriello and Freeman, 1991). Indeed training and development is an important aspect in HRT, with new technologies, enhancement of HR practices and processes put in place, training will be required to adapt to new HR requirements. Link: Survey of Global HR Challenges: Yesterday, today and tomorrow PWC Leadership development also proves to be a big challenge. HR professionals continue to wrestle with understanding the best ways to keep people in the pipeline and develop leaders for future succession planning. Increasingly recognized as becoming strategic business partners within their organizations, HR professionals are expected to provide the essential frameworks, processes, tools, and points of view needed for the selection and development of future leaders. Across the globe leadership development has been identified as a critical strategic initiative in ensuring that the right employees are retained, that the culture of the organization supports performance from within to gain market position, and that managers are equipped to take on leadership roles of the future so that the organization is viable in the long term. Performance Management Performance management is a holistic process, bringing together many of the elements which go to make up the successful practice of people management, including in particular learning and development. Performance management is about establishing a culture in which individuals and groups take responsibility for the continuous improvement of business processes and of their own skills, behavior and contributions. At AT T performance HR initiatives is monitored by using the corporations top-level business performance measures: Customer value-added. The degree to which the competencies, people-planning and culture/design requirements have an impact on customer satisfaction. Financials. Revenues, cost reductions and earnings realized from the deployment of competencies, people planning and performance management. People value-added. A measure of the degree to which employee perceptions of leadership, job satisfaction and diversity issues, among others, meet or exceed corporate goals and objectives for all four requirements of the performance-system model. Performance management will aid the HR Transformation process, measuring the performance of employees will help in monitoring the productivity in the organization and establishing a culture of continuous learning, motivation that will result in better ROI. HR managers and professionals must take the lead in building and maintaining this performance culture and in ensuring it permeates the organization. Rewards are often credited as a source of motivation. Communication Good communication between HR function, line managers and employees is essential. Employees need to feel they form part of the organisation and have to be made aware of what is happening within their workplace. Lack of communication to employees can lead to confusion, rumours, misinterpretations and negative morale. Managers often think that employees are more aware than they really are. By building strong communication messages to employees this could help obtain commitment of employees which is important to the good functioning of the business where HRM is being transformed strategically. User involvement All parties should be involved Change management (structural and cultural change) The Inside Track on HR Outsourcing: Retained HR and Other Success Strategies Bruce Barge, Namrata Mundhra and Hameedah Merchant, 2007 The changes associated with HR transformation put enormous pressure on HR. HR transformation has a wide reach, often affecting the entire organization. With the emphasis of HRO on self-service, managers and employees often have concerns about the decrease in face-to-face contact with HR. HR staff often have fears about performance expectations that are connected more strategically to the business. Business leaders might have doubts about HRs ability to attain a more strategic role. Further, while HR is often the champion of change in an organization, there are unique challenges in managing change around HR transformation. HR is supposed to be a role model of effective change management, yet in this case it is the function that will need to navigate through the most wrenching change as HR transforms itself to accept a new and difficult role. A strong understanding of stakeholder concerns and interests is necessary to take a proactive approach to change management. An impact analysis provides a basis from which enablers and barriers to change can be identified. In an impact analysis, a sample population from the stakeholder groups, including executives, managers, employees and HR staff, is surveyed through focus groups and interviews. The findings of the impact analysis drive the development and execution of practical approaches to effect change, which are documented in a change management plan. HRO should help the HR generalist, or business partner, staff focus more resources on the crucial change and talent issues that drive competitive success of the business. HR needs to change and lead change initiatives to transform other functions. If HR transformation is implemented skillfully, HR professionals will become a much more vital contributor to organizational success through business partnership and strong leadership. Hr professionals Engage in projects with other departments Role and competencies Training, coaching guiding Attract, hire, retain talent Employees Be more empowered Participate Engage on self-learning Committed Line Managers Encourage movement of staff to work collaboratively with other departments Empower and motivate staffs Building Employee Commitment encouraging employees professional development, compensating them fairly use MSS fine tune hr strategy to fit with org strategy structure and resource allocation communicating strategy, organization changes at all levels

Free Essays - Love and Hate in A Tale of Two Cities :: Tale Two Cities Essays

Love and hate are both emotions that are used in our attempt to express ourselves to certain people. Like it or not, although hate is more sinister of the two, without hate, the scales would be upset. We cannot always get the best of everything. However, in the novel " A Tale of Two Cities" by Charles Dickens, hate only adds to the story's appeal. In the novel, both emotions are displayed by the characters in the book through the actions they carry out and the words that they speak, even though it can be justified that there are more examples of love than hate. The love between Lucie Manette and her father, as well as that of Charles Darney and Lucie and indeed many other characters are just some of the many examples of love. The more baleful emotion of hate is also revealed many times in the novel, by the French commoners and especially by Madame Defarge when it came to Charles Darney being an aristocrat and the suffering of her own family. The first strong example of love we read about in the novel is that of Lucie Manette and her father, Dr Manette who has been kept in the Bastille for eighteen years. Lucie meets him with the help of another character, Mr Javis Lorry, and tells her father that his agony is over and that she'll bring him to London and away from his previous sufferings. Later in the story, the night before Lucie is to be wedded to Charles Darney, we learn that Lucie has saved her last day as a single woman to be with her father and to reassure him that she'll still be with him even though she is to be married. "Lucie was to be married tomorrow. She had reserved this last evening for her father, and they sat alone under the plane-tree."( Pg 174 ) Throughout the whole conversation with her father that evening, it is evident that her love for her father prevails even that between Charles and herself. "If I had never seen Charles, my father, I should have been quite happy with you."( Pg 175 ) The affection for her father does not go only one way. Her father's for Lucie is also clear as we can see by the following quote: "Quite sure my darling! More than that, my future is far brighter, Lucie, seen through your marriage, than it could have been - nay, than it ever

Essay --

Missouri Mandatory Reporting Laws Brandon Ruble Southwest Baptist University Missouri Mandatory Reporting Laws In a study performed by the National Center on Elder Abuse, Bureau of Justice in June 2013, a staggering 5,961,658 cases of elderly abuse occurred in 2010 (â€Å"Elderly Abuse†, n.d. para 1). That is approximately 9.5% of America’s population. As the elderly become unable to protect themselves or their interests, they are increasingly reliant on the healthcare professional to advocate on their behalf. Missouri has implemented legislation that provides the healthcare professional with resources to report elderly abuse, neglect and exploitation. This report gives the healthcare provider tools including definitions associated with elder abuse, clinical signs of abuse, and actions necessary when abuse is suspected. According to Missouri legislation (â€Å"Protective Services for Adults†, n.d.) abuse is defined as â€Å"the infliction of physical, sexual, or emotional injury or harm including financial exploitation by any person, firm or corporation (para. 4). Furthermore, neglect is â€Å"the failure to provide services to an eligible adult by any person, firm or corporation with a legal or contractual duty to do so, when such failure presents either an imminent danger to the health, safety, or welfare of the client†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (para. 4). Along with strict definitions of â€Å"abuse† and â€Å"neglect†, Missouri’s legislation also mandates that â€Å"†¦any person having reasonable cause to believe that there is a likelihood that, without protection, serious physical harm may occur to an eligible adult shall report information to the department† (â€Å"Protective Services for Adults†, n.d., para 6). It is therefore the duty of the registered nurse, as being th... ...e elder population. It is therefore necessary for the healthcare provider to become educated and thoroughly aware of the potential for elder adult abuse and neglect. Prevention of elder adult abuse is key, failing that, becoming the client’s advocate in situations where abuse and or neglect are suspected becomes the most important task. It is not only the ethical responsibility of the healthcare provider to report suspected cases of abuse and neglect it is mandatory in Missouri. References Elderly Abuse Statistics. (2013, June 18). In National Center on Elder Abuse, Bureau of Justice. Protective Services for Adults. (2010). In Missouri Department of Health & Senior Services. http://health.mo.gov/living/lpha/phnursing/protectiveservices.php Touhy, T. A., & Jett, K. (2010). Toward healthy aging: Human needs & nursing response (8th ed.). St. Louis, MO: Elsevier

Coffee Culture

Coffee has been around for a very long time. It is no coincidence that such an influential and integral drink has created a cultural realm of its own. According to â€Å"Hot and Bothered: Coffee and Caffeine Humor† by Elise Decamp with Catherine M. Tucker, coffee humor has been depicted to be one of the compliments that has culturally elevated coffee-drinking to a another human aspect – humor. Humor can be interpreted and expressed in more ways than one.There are no set rules of what constitutes humor in any society; therefore, humor comes in many shapes and sizes. So, how is increasing coffee humor relayed to â€Å"caffeine culture? † Each culture and point in time is different, but coffee has always had a strong correlation to a â€Å"caffeine culture† that stemmed from the physiological and mental attributes that coffee, or caffeine, imposes on its consumer. Because of its notorious effects coffee has on its consumers, drinking coffee has been portrayed as an energizing, riveting, and delectable image.The article also makes references to cartoons and sketches about consuming coffee in the mid-1900’s and how it depicted the consumption of coffee and its effects. This is perhaps because during that span, societies were emerging as more work-oriented lives that led to the more practical use of coffee, or caffeine. Coffee humor emerged as a way of interpreting coffee consumption and its effects by portraying the consumers as very alert, alive, and even somber. The articles also notes that research on caffeine consumption not only may make a person more energized and alert, but also relaxed and at ease.This eventually led to the relationship coffee had with its consumers by allowing avid coffee drinkers to demonstrate their affinity and devotion by either wearing it as a shirt, bumper sticker, or on a description via social media. Eventually, coffee humor has contributed to the image many coffee drinkers hold and has been an ess ential method of showing the world the many faces of drinking coffee. Drinking coffee, however, has not always been portrayed as a positive influence.Through coffee humor, modern preoccupations about coffee or other aspects of modern life have been revealed to be a concern for the consumption of coffee. The article explains the use of caffeine as drug, known as dopamine, which is responsible for the effects it has on its consumers. Those effects being alertness sleep depravity, high-energy, and an increase in blood pressure. Caffeine not only causes these effects to take place during its intake, but like many other drugs, it leads to withdrawals that bring forth anxiousness, depression, muscle fatigue, insomnia, and headaches.These withdrawals, however, only last a couple days, unlike stronger drugs with longer lasting withdrawals. Consequently, coffee humor has taken an interpretation of the effects of coffee consumption by portraying what would happen if someone was to go without drinking coffee and their lives would be different. What may seem like an innocent joke at first, could actually be analyzed as a portrayal of a social issue of the potential dangers and misinformed lifestyles many choose to be a part of.

Instruction for Fixing Your Player Problems

Instruction to enable the true power of AAC encoded sound. 1. Synchronization problems. OK, so you have downloaded FASM release, tried to play it on your favorite player and it failed, because they have synchronization problems between video and audio. You think that if you have never before experienced such problems, the player is OK, but the video is not. WRONG!!! FASM releases contain a bit different stream and it is known that even if its MPEG4 specification correct, some players don't handle it properly.It happens mostly with older players and sometimes update fixes problem, so you do not need to change your favorite player completely, but if you wish to try a player i consider the best read below. Remember you are doing this on your own risk, so don't blame me if for unknown reason something f†¦. up. 2. Downloading the copy of the best player i know. The official version of Media Player Classic Home cinema Edition you can find here: http://mpc-hc. sourceforge. net/ but if you are looking for latest ALPHA version go here: http://www. xvidvideo. ru 3. Configuring the Media Player Classic Home Cinema Edition.OK so the next step is to configure your fresh player properly. It is good to do one thing before start using this player. It is known that old configuration of it (in case you used it before) can cause strange problems, so I recommend run regedit. exe, then find and delete completely this key. HKEY_CURRENT_USERSoftwareGabest Start the player and go to OPTIONS-INTERNAL FILTERS. Then enable all filters, like below Next double click on AAC to go into its properties. First thing you need to set is 24Bit Output Sample Format, then you can decide you want to have stereo or 5. 1 sound. Then go to audio switcher and set the proper Volume Gain.For unknown reason for me the internal AAC filter of MPC HCE is not as loud as DTS one. This gives the impression of bad dynamics, but can easily be fixed. Set the level you think is good for you. You can also use Nor malize function. Next if you do have different sound cards in your system you can choose which one can play it here. You can also enable proper renderer for video enabling you to use Subtitles At the end make sure you have enabled your player as the default player of your system here. 4. Credits I want to thank everybody who have created this wonderful program. Keep up the good work! (c) 2011 FASM