Enhancing Participation in Distance Learning Environments Essay

Given the increasing diversity and changes happening in the classroom today, it created new approaches in facilitating education and learning for students. Similarly, with the advent of information technology via the Internet in the late 20th century spurred the creation and design of distance learning environments. These capabilities encourage the development of curriculum created to facilitate the same results in a classroom based setup. It is in here that â€Å"students work on their own, with supplied course materials, print-based media and postal communication, some form of teleconferencing and/or electronic networking, and learner support from tutors and mentors via telephone or E-mail† (Sherry, 1996, p. 1). However, comparing this to the traditional classroom-based setup, there is wide range of problems associated in implementing this objective. â€Å"These include redefining the roles of key participants, technology selection and adoption, design issues, strategies to increase interactivity and active learning, learner characteristics, learner support, operational issues, policy and management issues, equity and accessibility, and cost/benefit tradeoffs† (Sherry, 1996, p. 1). Due to this, there is a need to reinforce strategies that advocates and realizes the importance of participation to cultivate and realize the objectives of any distance learning environment. Objectives: Upon the completion of training, participants are expected to carry out the following objectives and goals: †¢ Understand the functions of every distance learning †¢ Develop strategies for participation †¢ Point out relevant communication mechanisms available †¢ Realize the concepts and ideas presented on a particular subject †¢ Choosing and using adequate information for the topic †¢ Learn new motivational ways to effectively increase participation using virtual environments. †¢ Increase capabilities of participants to practice distance learning with a renewed vigor and determination to create success. Role of the Presenter Given the objectives of these training, it is necessary that the presenter must be adept and adequate to facilitate the needs of participants. Due to these, here are the responsibilities of the presenter: †¢ Present accurate and sufficient data concerning distance learning and participation †¢ Motivate individuals to interact in the discussion †¢ Generate feedback and effective communication among participants and guest speakers †¢ Interact and take part in activities that are designed within the course of the training †¢ Provide interactive slides and presentation data to support the argument. †¢ Extract reactions and checklist to the determine whether or not the objectives of the program were met accordingly Participants The training shall be comprised of students who are specializing in education. The group shall be composed of 20 selected third year individuals who were first to sign up in the sessions that were given one week before the program. In here, everyone shall be expected to attend this whole day event and learn from various speakers who have had experience in the realies of distance learning. Similarly, each individual is expected to bring a positive attitude so as to help facilitators bridge the information accordingly to each one. Schedule of Training In achieving the mentioned objectives and goals of the training, facilitators and organizers shall divide and use numerous programs that will attain this purpose. Kindly refer to index 1 to view the table and see several instructional mechanisms and agenda’s in the one day training. The Training Environment Location and time: It shall take place in a classroom based setup wherein there are 20 seats available for participants and several more for the guest speakers and lecturers who shall facilitate in the process. With this, the duration of the exercise shall begin at 8:00 AM and shall conclude at 5:30 in the afternoon. Snack and Lunch shall be served. Refer to Index 1 for the schedule. Audio-Visual: It is the prerogative of lecturers to use audio-visual equipment to supplement their talk. However, the organizers have encouraged each one to provide one to enhance student grasp of what he/she is talking about. Similarly there are numerous instruments made by organizers to also guide students to (1) familiarize with participants, (2) use their skills in determining solutions and (3) enhancing their grasp of the topic. These things shall be elaborated in the next section. Exercise and Activities Discussion 1: Enhancing Participation Under this section, participants are given numerous tenets and ideas surrounding the distance education practice. It incorporates the processes that correspond to the needs of students and instructors in imparting the needed skills and expertise in a particular subject (Montera-Gutierrez, 2002). In here, students shall be given the idea on how to enhance participation in distance education to supplement the objectives of a particular subject. Similarly, it shall focus on several facets in attaining this mainly increasing motivation, content and communication. Discussion 2: Dwelling into Communication In here, the facilitator shall point out the relevance of available communication apparatuses and mechanisms. By elaborating on these innovations, there is a better way wherein students can express their intentions while at the same time increasing participation. â€Å"If a teacher cannot communicate effectively with his or her learners, it is reasonable to assume that their learners will struggle in class† (Purland, n. d. , p. 1). Also, the speaker can identify several skills necessary to achieve this kind of communication among online students. Lastly, this discussion shall seek to introduce participants in various apparatuses and devices available for each ones use in bridging the gap between student and teacher. Discussion 3: Enhancing Content and Motivation The speaker in this section shall deal with creating and stimulating motivation among participants in distance learning. One initiative that can be made involves creating a good extra credit program to influence students to post in discussion forums and gather information and insights necessary for the class. Likewise, the program can also seek to showcase chat discussions concerning the grading of a paper and how the student can enhance his participation even better. On the other hand, the content must also be attractive to students given a particular subject. In here, the facilitator should encourage future distance learning instructors to try to look outside the box and gather resources that are relatively interesting and stimulates thinking. Here, members shall be given techniques in determining which information is adequate. Moreover, the speaker shall also point out relevant ideas and practices that are supplemental in addressing these situations. In each activity, students shall be divided into five (5) groups composed of four Ice breakers and Activities The design of the activities and ice breakers are deemed to encourage each one to participate with the members of the training. Since there are activities after every discussion to test their understanding and capacity, it is expected that everyone should participate and give out their best in addressing the situations given to them. On the other hand, ice breakers are given before the program and after lunch break. These have their defining purposes as the first one seeks to open up with the people to make the comfortable with each other. The latter addresses the sleepiness and laziness that may be felt after having lunch. Evaluation Tools There are two ways in which the student shall be evaluated in the training. The first part involves each speaker’s comments and response to the required reaction papers given to participants after the duration of the lecture and activities. In here, each one shall be given sets of questions devised by speakers to have them answered accordingly. The second way is via the feedback system given by each student in describing the overall success of the program in general and several insights revolving on what they had learned in the process. Closing At the end of the training, each one is expected to have learned something from the endeavor. It must not only revolve around the idea of distant education, but at the same time understand and comprehend what important facets continue to shape participation of students in the success and growth of interaction between the lecturer using communication, content and motivation.

Case Analysis of Yahoo Business Model Essay

Abstract Yahoo! business model is to perform value creation activities to maximum its long run profitability in the internet advertising industry. Yahoo! first started as a simple directory. And today, it’s a global internet communication, commerce, and media company that serve 237 million individual users monthly. Because of the huge number of users now are using Yahoo! as a first look up website, its advertising revenue become a lot. To have a competitive advantage and get maximum profitability, Yahoo! decided to pursue vertical integration strategy. The benefit of vertical integration is to increase the quality of their products. ­Ã‚ ­ Yahoo Business Model Introduction Yahoo! Inc. is an American multinational Internet corporation headquartered in Sunnyvale, California. It is globally known for its Web portal, search engine Yahoo Search, and related services, including Yahoo Directory, Yahoo Mail, Yahoo News, Yahoo Finance, Yahoo Groups, Yahoo Answers, advertising, online mapping, video sharing, fantasy sports and its social media website. It is one of the most popular sites in the United States. According to news sources, roughly 700 million people visit Yahoo websites every month. Yahoo was founded by Jerry Yang and David Filo in January 1994 and was incorporated on March 1, 1995. On July 16, 2012, former Google executive Marissa Mayer was named as Yahoo CEO and President, effective July 17, 2012. According to comScore, Yahoo during July 2013 surpassed Google on the number of United States visitors to its Web sites for the first time since May 2011, set at 196 million United States visitors, having increased by 21 percent in a year. Yahoo grew rapidly throughout the 1990s. Like engines and Web directories, Yahoo added a web portal. By 1998, Yahoo! was the most popular starting point for web users. It also made many high-profile acquisitions. Its stock price skyrocketed during the dot-com bubble, Yahoo  stocks closing at an all-time high of $118.75 a share on January 3, 2000. However, after the dot-com bubble burst, it reached a post-bubble low of $8.11 on September 26, 2001. Business Model To take an early view of this company, one can come to realize that it was actually bravery and uniqueness that contributed to most of Yahoo’s young business plan. The owners had the veracity and guts to take their web site to the next level, from a small web site list to a well-known brand name and beyond. Most of the foundations for Yahoo were laid before the Dot Com Boom, meaning very few people had ever made a venture like this one. Yahoo’s business model was about stepping up and taking risk. The founders of this great company strove to make their web site unique, a feature-full piece of the internet that would consolidate the regular web user’s preferences into one place. Yahoo was about having a home on the internet. Soon Yahoo grew, and soon after the Dot Com Boom they were making share-price history, particularly in Japan. Things were going exceptionally well for this company, but as competition entered the fray, the young business minds behind the behemoth realized that their business model had to change. It was no longer unique in the sense that web sites like MSN and Google were bumping shoulders. Yahoo was in danger to losing their appeal. That’s when they realized that their primary focus from there on in would have to be diversification. Yahoo wanted to be about having everything you needed on the internet in one place. As technology developed people were doing more and more of their regular business online. Yahoo had to diversify and fast. Yahoo primarily wanted people to be able to find whatever they needed on this web site, so they soon started acquiring search engines. They later made a deal with Google and made a partnership with the largest search engine on the internet. This of course wasn’t enough to fit their business model of diversification. Yahoo moved into a pact with Verizon and launched their own internet DSL service. They introduced communication with Yahoo Messenger. They allowed people to check their e-mail with Yahoo Webmail. Soon enough they had everything from games to TV listings to personals. Diversification was going swimmingly for Yahoo. They soon controlled everything that the average person needed on the internet. They were finally  becoming the internet super-power they are today. However, it was quickly realized that their business model had to change again. Diversification was reaching its limit, so Yahoo began to focus on growth and expansion the focus of its business model today. The company began to acquire companies such as Flickr, expanding their online empire. This is where we see Yahoo today. An online sensation that won’t stop. Its growth is now its primary focus, and who knows where their developing business model will take them next. (See Visibility of Yahoo! Brand was realized by comScore Matrix in 2004). Yahoo Corporate Governance and strategic Issue Yahoo! faces a number of governance and strategic challenges in late 2011 as it tries to compete with rivals such as Google and find ways to monetize its shareholding and business links with Alibaba Group in China and Yahoo! Japan. The company was valued at almost half the offer that Microsoft had made in its acquisition offer in 2008. The depth of the challenge is underscored by the frequent CEO changes the company has had. The case examines the successes and failures at Yahoo! and the decisions now facing its board as it encounters investor pressure to improve performance. The problem at Yahoo! was that it was losing its advantage to faster-growing companies such as Google also the scope of organization’s activities was not defined properly as per Market Demand. For example, should the organization concentrate on one area of activity, or should it have many? I believed that Yahoo! was spread too thinly over too many different activities. Overall I can Say Yahoo Corporate Goveranance was lacking clarity of ownership, accountability, lack in focused, cohesive vision for there company. Yahoo, while not a dying company, has struggled to stay relevant after it missed the two biggest trends on the internet: social networks and the move to mobile devices as the gateway to information and entertainment. Yahoo total revenue in millions Recommendation to Mayer Marissa Mayer is an ex-Google exec, after 13-year career at the biggest  Cloud Company on Earth, Mayer brings relevant experience to the CEO position of the once-great Web Company. Mayer knows who she’s competing against, she wants to win, and that means Yahoo! needs to attract Valley-class talents. Mayer did what leaders do: She made a decision that made some people unhappy in order to achieve success for the whole enterprise (toned-up employees and shareholders). After seeing Yahoo! lose altitude year after year, the criticism leveled at Mayer makes me optimistic about the company’s future. Yahoo total revenue in millions of dollars Mobile Products Mayer’s first task should be to articulate a vision for Yahoo. Mayer should be more focused on As we know that Mobile is the future and mobile transition is now a global phenomenon so I recommend Mayer to be more focused on users habits through products and applications available on its web portal such as finance, news, weather, email, sports, etc Mobile Competition Mayer has to be well prepared for mobile competition, report suggest that Facebook and google is now expected to reach a market share of almost 40% of the mobile advertising market in the US next year. Its mobile games and apps are showing no signs of slowing down, Facebook and Google is sure to give Yahoo! a tough time as the latter tries to expand into mobile. Revenue diversification While increasing usage Yahoo! needs to put more focus on growing international presence and appealing to a broader demographic of users. At present, Yahoo! derives 75% of its total revenue from the Americas region, something that needs to be worked on in the future. Search growth and Advertisement Internet Search should continue to be a key area of investment for Yahoo! .Yahoo! should improve more on the advertising quality on its search engine, If Yahoo! can maintain above key areas than I think it’s likely to grow even further in the future. References: Yahoo FAQs. (2012). Investors FAQs . Retrieved from http://yhoo.client.shareholder.com/faq.cfm Jones, G. R. (2007). Yahoo. In C. W. L. Hill & G. R. Jones (Eds.), Strategic Management AnIntegrated Approach (8th ed., pp. C102-C114). Boston, NY: Houghton Mifflin Company. Yahoo! we value. Retrieved from http://docs.yahoo.com/info/values/ Yahoo 10K. (2011, 12 31). Yahoo 10k Annual Report . Retrieved from http://files.shareholder.com/downloads/YHOO/2120211742x0xS1193125-12-86972/1011006/filing.pdf Income statement Retrieved from http://in.finance.yahoo.com/q/is?s=YHOOWomack, B. (2012, 08 10). Yahoo strategy review may result in changes to cash plans. Bloomberg, Retrieved from http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-08-09/yahoo-ceo-strategy-review-may-result-in-changes-to-cash-plans.html The NewYork Times, Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/14/technology/companies/14baidu.html?_r=1Claburn, T. (2006, 01 13). Yahoo loses lawsuit over nazi memorabilia sale.

Managerial Communications Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Managerial Communications - Essay Example I will appreciate that everyone is bound to make mistakes. If I lose focus during the interview, the results may be negative. I am not supposed to allow anxiety to distort my voice. I will be calm and maintain the same degree of coolness and body communication.Focusing more on the current and the subsequent questions may help mitigate the effect of giving the wrong answer. Again, I should avoid interrupting the interviewer by trying to respond to an earlier question, which I believe I gave the wrong answer.   The time for the interview is limited and the time allocated to a particular question should strategically be utilized. Regularly, I can impress the interviewer by staying calm and confident, when a question is put to me than affording the right answer. Another thing to note is that there is often no distinct answer and the way I present myself is of much importance than the answers I give.It is also important to appreciate that an interview helps the employer to identify the person who can respond positively to different issues in the place of work. The answers are important, but other aspects that I portray in an interview are more significant, and they have more impact on the results of an interview.Sometimes, interactions with my colleagues in the workplace will not be always positive. Some of their response and reactions might make me angry. To hold the anger, I need to know that anger is a usual and healthy feeling, which aids us impulsively detect and react to a threatening circumstance. When anger is properly managed, it can remedy an apparent injustice. On the other hand, anger can be an emotion that can become uncontrollable and cause negative results.

The Increasingly Changing Immigration Policies Research Paper

The Increasingly Changing Immigration Policies - Research Paper Example The ‘Geneva Convention’ provided refuge to millions of Refugees in the post world war period until the Cold War of the 1980s and it set the basis of immigration policies and laws in most of the countries. But in the post-Cold War period till today it has been faced with a number of issues and as a result of a number of member states especially the European countries have begun straying away from the basic policy, in order to block the huge flow of migrants every year due to the insufficiencies of the convention. It is an undeniable fact that the ‘Geneva Convention’ was the foundation of the Refugee protection regime and was the one truly universal instrument that gave basic principles on which the international protection of Refugees was built. But the essence of disapproval of the 1951 UN Refugee Convention is that it is archaic. The treaty was formulated in and for a specific era. While Western countries' refuge structures might have managed well enough un til the end of the Cold War, they were not intended to counter the current mass refugee outflows and migratory activities. The United Kingdom had a long custom of migration. Due to its ownership of a large number of colonies all over the world, the UK has been the centre for asylum seeker, working immigrants and refugees. Despite the huge influx of refugees in the UK even in the post-cold war period, the policy system was rather reactive in nature and a decentralized approach was maintained to the refugee issue until 1993. Politicization of the migration policies in most of the European countries since 1970s was rather less intensified in the UK’s case.

MANAGING INTERNATIONAL OPERATIONS Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

MANAGING INTERNATIONAL OPERATIONS - Essay Example Based on this particular understanding, the objective of this study is to reflect the importance of the European Union (EU), SCM and Reverse Logistics in maintaining and managing the international operations with the advent of globalisation process. European Union The EU is commonly recognised as a governmental and commercial union that comprises of 27 member states from the European continent (Paquet, 2003). It reflects and provides insights about inter-governmentalism, convergence criteria, supranationalism and other common policies for integration which further shapes the business operations in the global context within the periphery of EU. The EU controls and frames strategies related to problems such as budgetary contributions of the member countries that is reflected through legal membership. For instance, some of the common policies performed by the EU, such as the fisheries policies reflect about the norms and the regulations fixed for member countries concerning with the per mit to catch various types of fishes till a given quantity in a controlled manner, restricting the probable inhibition of biodiversity (Paquet, 2003). Additionally, the EU enacted common policies to restrict the Treaty of Lisbon which was allegedly hampering the national sovereignty of the member states in lieu to the integration process of the union (BBC, 2013). Irrespective of the risk of national sovereignty, EU member states avail the benefits of structural fund, trade liaisons outside Europe, and single market opportunities among others (Paquet, 2003). However, the role and the position of every member state is certainly not the same in the EU. For instance, it has often been argued that UK, being a prominent member state of EU has been benefitted by the common policies in terms of international trade relationships. Correspondingly, the nation has also been credited for its tactful measures to protect its national sovereignty. Nevertheless, in the recent political and economic debates, the UK has been witnessed to be suffering in terms of its national sovereignty (BBC, 2013). Supply Chain Management The effective SCM within an organisation helps in managing the upstream as well as the downstream relationships with respect to customers and the suppliers. In this context, it is further admitted that SCM comprises of series of events that are responsible for framing the entire lifecycle of products from conception to their consumption. Additionally, the SCM contributes towards better understanding of the competitive market for an organisation focusing on issues related to its long term sustainability (Ilyas & et. al., 2006). With reference to modern SCM approaches, the application of IT reflects upon the inter-organisational system that helps in the flow of information and the processes crosswise the organisational boundaries. The advent of IT in the global market has resulted in positive impacts over the information sharing among the supply chain partners. The efficient application of SCM has further led towards greater organisational success. For instance, for couple of years, Nokia Company was facing problems with respect to

Video reponse Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Video reponse - Essay Example An example is the meaning of the Apocalypse. I always thought that the Apocalypse referred to the end of times. However, as it emerged from the video, the term actually refers to the end of evil. A surprising and interesting piece of information is the autonomy that the Jewish community held. This is in reference to the communities at Antioch and Alexandria (PBS 38:45). Finally, I was also perplexed to learn of Caligula, the Roman emperor who wished to set up his statue in the temple at Jerusalem. I really enjoyed the videos due to the graphics and the directing. The scenes portraying the historical lifestyle and nature of the Jews seemed very real and very convincing. It was almost as if they were recordings rather than reenactments. The narration was also very informative in understanding the video itself. I would like to know more about the years between when Jesus attended the Passover feast at 12 years of age and the age of 30 when he began his ministry. I would also like to understand how Rome became the epicenter of Christianity. In particular, it would be interesting to understand exactly how the situation turned

Leadership and management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 6

Leadership and management - Essay Example For the purpose of analysis, the leadership and management style of TESCO Plc will be critically reviewed in the light of role of leadership in management, the difference between leadership and management, theories and practices of management related to TESCO Plc. TESCO Plc is a multinational superstore in food retailing industry operating in more than 12 countries across world. Strong leadership and management have driven the company to operate successfully in the UK as well as in Europe, Asia and North American Market since 1919 (TESCO Plc, 2014). The nature and style of leadership pursued by TESCO Plc will be discussed below. As a result of operating since 1919 in the UK market, TESCO Plc has encountered various transformational and structural changes from time to time. Such changes largely affects the organizational framework; therefore effective leadership is defined when the leads become successful in efficiently managing resistance to change among all the employees (Grieves, 2010). With the skill and knowledge gained from long experience of working in corporate environment, leaders always tend to formulate strategies and bring required changes in align with the economic condition and industry position. The leaders also identify the potential barriers which may arise in the time of incorporating change process and take initiatives to address such issues well in advance. Experts have recognized certain traits which are inevitable for a leader to manage and control organizational changes. Those traits are attributed in the tabular format. Role of leadership also changes in the various stages of change process. For instance, logical influence is required to be implemented on employees in the planning stage of change process whereas in the introduction and maintenance phase, supportive leadership style should be exercised for minimizing resistance to

The political economies of Panama and Costa Rica Research Paper

The political economies of Panama and Costa Rica - Research Paper Example Costa Rica & Panama: Basics Costa Rica has an estimated population of 4.6 million as of July 2011 and a growth rate of 1.3% (IndexMundi, 2012). Sixty-four percent of this population is residing in urban centers of which about 94% are white, 3% black, 1% Amerindian, and 1% Chinese (IndexMundi, 2012). Their language is Spanish and the nation has high literacy rate of 94.9% (IndexMundi, 2012). The country allocated 6.3% and 10.5% in health from its GDP in 2009. The nation is located in the border of Caribbean Sea and the North Pacific Ocean. It is adjacent to Panama. Its rich geographic area is blessed with mineral, petroleum, hydropower and commercial resources (IndexMundi, 2012). Panama, on the other hand, has a population of 3.5 million and with a growth rate of 1.5% (IndexMundi, 2012). It has a 0.4 migration per a thousand of populace based and 75% of its people are residing in urban communities (IndexMundi, 2012). Panama has bilingual language: English and Spanish with predominant Roman Catholic religion. The country has allocated about 3.8% of its GDP for education and around 8.3% for health. Panama likewise is blessed with copper. Mahogany forests, hydropower and good shrimp culture among many other natural resources of commercial values. Costa Rica’s Pol-Economy Clare, Seanz and Trejos (2002) pointed that there are empirical evidences showing the decline of Costa Rica’s income per capita in the last decade albeit good economic standing in economic input. Clare et al. (2002) opined that the situation seemed amazing because the 80s to the 90s was the period when the country is undertaking serious reform in trading and fiscal performance. Re searcher attributed this mediocre 0.7% annual growth rate of income per capita to influential factors of development: demographic changes (Clare et al., 2002). The latter meant an increasing figure of labor productivity in industrial and agricultural sectors. Economists posit that such increase in participation in production, particularly women and immigrants from Nicaragua. While increased number of labor forces meant growth of income, however, economic activity is slowed by poor labor productivity. Labor productivity has only reached a poor rate of 1.57% in Costa Rica compared to 3-4% labor productivity in East Asian countries (Clare et al., 2002). Using growth accounting, researchers pointed that slow labor productivity growth is reflected in slight negative growth rate of total factor productivity (Clare et al., 2002). This finding is bit odd because the in the last four decades, multitude of technological advancements are poured in this country to support the labor forces in pr oduction. Further study using sectoral analysis was in fact utilized to determine whether slow growth of productivity is a universal phenomenon or merely underplayed by a particular sector. Oddly, Clare et al. (2002) found that the industrial and agricultural sectors continued to attain high rates labor growth productivity and TFP while the service sector stagnates in the production. Researchers opined that it’s ironic for the service sector to have decreasing production output noting that it’s absorbing a large share of resources. As a matter of fact, the service sector of Costa Rica has been allocated with budget higher than that of Brazil and Chile (Clare et al. 2002). Economists assumed that the service sector have difficulties in capturing its market. In a disaggregate

Discussion board forum Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 2

Discussion board forum - Assignment Example The federal government offer aids to workers in states with high unemployment rates through Emergency unemployment compensation (EUC) (Asmundson). Unemployment befits makes the unemployed relax instead of searching for jobs. Lengthening their job search period increases burden on those who are working. This makes the employed lose morale, hence affects their productivity and the e onomic growth of the nation. The more workers stay out of their jobs, the more their skills become affected and their chances of remaining unemployed increases (Asmundson). This will eventually lead to a less skilled workforce hence affecting productivity of the nation. Currently, many states have depleted their insurance funds and are depending on the federal government for loans. In order to replenish their trust funds, the states will have to increase payroll takes hence increasing burden on the workers (Asmundson). Also makes it difficult for employers to hire more employees. Consequently, it will affect the economy of the state. For any commodities that people are willing to buy, there are people who will be willing to produce and sell. The firms usually depend on macro forecasters to determine the economic conditions in order to identify the demands. The companies then determine what to produce, the quantities as well as the pricings. Demand therefore drives the market since it regulates supply. In the case of Isaiah 44:15-17, the wood is in demand. The man needs to make an idol, which he worships. However, he also has other demands such as warming himself and baking bread for food. Because of the many demands, he uses the supply he gets to satisfy his needs Companies that manufacture cigarettes know the effects it poses to the health of its users. They also know that cigarettes smokers also pose a threat to the passive smokers around them. Despite the fact that they acknowledge smoking cause life-threatening

Spirituality in Organizational Strategy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Spirituality in Organizational Strategy - Essay Example Senior leaders of the organization should be able to embrace it strategically and use it as a determinant of organizational performance. A leader should have emotional intelligence which will help support the spirituality of an organization. Casey claims that if a leader does not have emotional intelligence, it will be hard for him of her to embrace spirituality in his organization (34-46). Recently, there has been a major debate on business and spirituality, where many leaders have advocated for a link between issues of the soul and corporate success. However, there is some irony in this spirituality and business juxtaposition if a leader decides to reflect upon the signs of corporate scandals that have been brought by multiple legal and ethical lapses that occur in any organization. However, one would be cynical to think that spirituality phenomenon is a reason of many contradictions in organizations. This paper aims to explain why spirituality in an organization is strategically i mportant and how leaders can use it as a determinant of organizational performance. Leaders often doubt spirituality that is used outside any religious meetings, and therefore, this paper will discuss useful objectives that can be internalized into an organization strategy and how organizational leadership can affect their success. A leader is someone who is capable of influencing his followers to behave or think the same way. Spirit on the other hand, can be defined as a vital force within living beings. If we combine the two terms, it suggests that a leader is someone who can understand and seek out his inner self as well as fosters the same meaning to his employees. Srivastra asserts that spirituality in leadership is an approach in leadership where a leader will strive to influence a sense of interconnectedness and significance among his employees (45-67). Spirituality in leadership therefore, involves principles and spiritual values in the workplace. If a leader is spiritual he will understand the significance of employees finding meaning in the work, which demonstrate a genuine concern for the particular person and not just workers. Spirituality in leadership will help assist employees find meaning in their duties by addressing important questions like the great purpose of their work as well as the worth of their work. Additionally, it will help them in defining their ethical values and principles, legacy and who they are in the organization. Therefore, a spiritual leader will try hard to make his workplace a community, consisting of employees with shared beliefs, values and traditions. Such leadership will also focus more diversity and transformation, rather than on people and power as well as controlling. It will also focus on inspiration and collaboration (Nandam 23-46). However, this does not mean that being a spiritual leader, a leader should adhere to a particular religion or attempt to convince his employees to pursue specific religious set of pri nciples. It is concerned more with the growth of the workers as an individual person, people who show off their compassion to their customers, superiors, employees and subordinates (Bubna 34-88). Spirituality in an organization is important because the employers in the workplace will be able to find the meaning of their lives. In the world today, most of the employees look up to their workplace as one of the ways of defining their lives as well as give meaning to their lives that is torn apart by modern way of living. For example, back then people lived as close knit family, including their extended family, but the world today has changed because nuclear family is not enough to give an employee emotional support and

United States Declaration of Independence Essay Example for Free

United States Declaration of Independence Essay In contemplating the relation of freedom and identity, the Latin maxim libertas non datur sine veritate aptly reminds us that there can be no freedom without truth. While certain aspects of who we are, such as nationality or ethnic ancestry, may be cul? turally or serendipitously determined, there is a truth to hu? man nature which, if not observed, corrupts or destroys life and any exercise of freedom dependent upon it. Human nature and the natural law it reflects are inescapable, and, insofar as the Constitution of the United States was consciously fashioned with an outline of human nature in mind, natural law is an in? dispensable aid to proper constitutional interpretation. This essay explores the founding conception of liberty and its interrelationship with human nature. It then addresses how the Constitution reflects these aspects of human nature. Finally, it contains some concluding perspectives on aspects of human nature understated in the constitutional design and what ought to be done when there are disputing conceptions of human na? ture. I. LIBERTY The founding view of liberty was taken up directly by Ham? ilton. In Federalist 15, Hamilton asks â€Å"why,† if man1 is naturally * Caruso Family Chair and Professor of Constitutional Law, Pepperdine Uni? versity; Dean and St. Thomas More Professor, The Catholic University of America Columbus School of Law, 2001–2003; Professor and Director of the Center on Law Government at the University of Notre Dame, 1980–1999; Assistant Attorney General and Head of the Office of Legal Counsel, Department of Justice, 1985– 1989. 1. The use of the masculine in this essay is intended to include the feminine; the masculine usage is continued in the essay so as not to raise in the mind of the reader any inference that the thoughts expressed are somehow at odds with the quoted material from the founding period, which reflected a different custom in 34 Harvard Journal of Law Public Policy [Vol. 29 free,2 â€Å"has government been instituted at all? †3 Hamilton’s an? swer is blunt and rests squarely on a claim about human na? ture. Government is instituted, Hamilton asserts, â€Å"[b]ecause the passions of men will not conform to the dictates of reason and justice without constraint. †4 Liberty without restraint will not lead to private or public good. How does Hamilton know this? Well, he says, just look around; and further, if the evidence of our own eyes does not convince us and we seek something beyond this empirical claim, he urges us to draw yet another inference about human nature: It is to be expected that men in a collective or group will act badly because the â€Å"[r]egard to reputation has a less ac? tive influence. †5 Think about it, Hamilton admonishes: Liberty will be badly used if joining together obscures accountability. Moreover, â€Å"a spirit of faction† will aggravate these intrinsic human aspects, thereby magnifying the resulting harms. 6 In a group, we will ally with others of like mind in a shameless way to disadvantage or harm others. We will be inclined to use our liberty to pursue â€Å"improprieties and excesses, for which [we] would blush in a private capacity. †7 The desire for liberty to be well used, once â€Å"we the people† were united in political society, greatly motivated the Foun? ders. It will be argued below that this founding conception of liberty informed by human nature accounts for much of the constitutional structure and the express limitations upon gov? ernment power within and appended to it. The justification for the new Constitution is forthrightly anchored in the mainte? nance of human nature as the â€Å"great principle of self? preservation. †8 As such, the precondition for liberty to be used well is honoring the core principle of preserving the truth of oneself—a proposition traceable, as Federalist 43 expressly af? using the masculine pronoun alone, but which this author believes is applicable to all persons without gender distinction. 2. Note that any other presupposition is counterfactual, except to extreme be? haviorists. See, e. g. , Thomas Szasz, Against Behaviorism: A Review of B. F. Skinner’s About Behaviorism, 5 PSYCHOL. NOTES (1991), available at http://www.libertarian. co. uk/lapubs/psycn/psycn005. pdf. 3. THE FEDERALIST NO. 15, at 110 (Alexander Hamilton) (Clinton Rossiter ed. , 1961). 4. Id. 5. Id. at 111. 6. Id. 7. Id. 8. THE FEDERALIST NO. 43 (James Madison), supra note 3, at 279. No. 1] The Human Nature of Freedom and Identity 35 firms, to â€Å"the transcendent law of Nature and of Nature’s God† upon which the nation is founded and all human action de? pends. 9 The question whether identity is a limitation or starting point for freedom may be a puzzler for twenty?first century man, but it is an easier question when tossed the way of Pub? lius. The authors of The Federalist Papers knew human nature or identity to be the starting point for human freedom or liberty. II. HUMAN NATURE What is the law of nature? An early twentieth century lec? turer put matters nicely: Every living creature is the embodiment of some form of natural law. Its duration of life depends upon its obedience to the law of its nature, as embodied in its organism. It lives by being itself, by persisting in being itself, and when it vio?lates the law of the kind of being it is, it renounces life and perishes . . . . All animated beings are subject to the laws of cause and effect, as Nature has prescribed them for each species . . . . [I]n any complex organization, like human soci? ety, something must be freely granted to the individual. This is what we mean politically by â€Å"liberty. † On the other hand, something must be insisted upon for the benefit of the group. This is what we mean by â€Å"law,† in its social sense . . .. Without liberty, there is no initiative, and hence no progress. Without law, there is no survival of the group. 10 It is within the will of man to have positive law either ad? vance human nature or undermine it. It would be a mistake, however, to suppose that the constructed, positive law of soci? ety can disregard the law of nature without consequence. We can construct governments and other social structures beyond our individual natures, but these perform well only if nature’s truths are observed. â€Å"What we must never forget is that Nature never ceases to govern; and that, if men wish to govern, they must govern under Nature’s Laws, or they will be doomed to failure. †11 9. Id. 10. DAVID JAYNE HILL, HUMAN NATURE IN THE CONSTITUTION 24–25 (1926). 11. Id. at 29. 36 A. Harvard Journal of Law Public Policy [Vol. 29 Human Liberty or â€Å"Right† Derived from Assumed Duty The founding generation was studied in the dismal history of societies that sought the false freedom of governing against human nature. If one begins the history of human government with the patriarchal clan, one sees force, but little acknowl? edgment of human liberty or freedom. 12 As the clan gave way to various forms of warrior chiefs and kingships, there was a natural mindfulness of the well? being of one’s group. Several thousand years before Christ, Hammurabi’s famous legal code would describe the clan leader as a shepherd chosen â€Å"to care for the people [and cause them] to dwell in peace and security, that the great should not oppress the weak. †13 The Greeks would give a name to these assumed natural duties of care, and these in turn would later become encapsulated into the notion of rights or liberties. Rights, therefore, arose as correlatives from the reasoned objection of man’s intellect when leaders defaulted on their expected duty of care and irrationally de? prived man of the necessary goods or sustenance to survive. Stoic philosophers like Cicero would bring this conception of human right or liberty derived from duty to Rome, but, with Rome’s fall, barbarian kings once again obscured the concept of natural rights. It would not re? emerge until the American Founders decided to build a government upon human nature and its associated rights. B. Affirmation of Creation as Source of Natural Right or Liberty â€Å"When . . . the Laws of Nature and of Nature’s God entitle them, [and] a decent respect to the opinions of mankind re? quires . . . .†:14 With these words, the Founders gave explana? tion not only for the formation of a new sovereignty, but also the human liberty the newly established United States sought to advance. It was an explanation premised upon the pro? claimed truth that man is not self? creation, but created. That the handiwork of the Creator came with a conscious endow? ment of unalienable rights—life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness—led to the conclusion that any governmental form 12. This is not to say that force within the clan was always contrary to human nature. 13. HILL, supra note 10, at 37 (quoting Hammurabi’s legal code from approximately 2250 B. C. ). 14. THE DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE para. 1 (U. S. 1776). No. 1] The Human Nature of Freedom and Identity 37 that followed would need to have one overriding end: to secure human nature and the rights associated with it. There is much speculation as to why America in the late Eighteenth Century was the locus of natural law rediscovery. Possibly, it was the wide sweep of land, and nature, itself, that the colonists daily inhabited and sought to harness. Perhaps it was the extraordinary discoveries of the era in natural science. Or it may simply have been that no people so distant from their country of origin could rationally continue to think of them? selves as â€Å"subjects. † American colonists were persons enjoying natural liberty. However it was, â€Å"[t]he American colonists came upon this idea in their own way . . . . It was the result of their own experience in self? government, coupled with their faith that their human nature had a Divine origin and involved a moral responsibility of which freedom was a necessary corre? late. †15 If freedom, and the new government that aspired to it, were to be guided by human nature, then that nature would need to be understood. At a very basic level, giving proper attribution to a Creator put human nature off? limits to human redefini? tion16 and secured unalienable rights against the government,17 but a workable government would require some greater identi? 15. HILL, supra note 10, at 51–52. 16. Such attempted human redefinition of truth, unfortunately, is all too common. For instance, disputes abound over what legal protection to extend to an unborn child ever since Roe v. Wade, 410 U. S. 113 (1973), but the legal dispute has absolutely no effect on the truth of the child’s humanity. So too, any association of persons can be legally called a marriage, but such domination has no effect on the truth of what marriage is in terms of conjugal unity and procreative potential. Moreover, because legal assertions have no discernible power to redefine the natural essence of these matters, man ought not to seek to have positive law and nature work toward different ends. Justice James Wilson, who signed both the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution, sagely counseled that â€Å"law can never attain either the extent or the elevation of a science, unless it be raised upon the science of man. † JAMES WILSON, Man as an Individual—Abstractly Treated, in 1 THE WORKS OF JAMES WILSON 206, 207 (James DeWitt Andrews ed. , 1896). It was obvious in the 1850s that black men and women were human. Nonetheless, the law pointedly chose to treat them inhumanly. The bloody consequences of the law’s impertinence in ignoring human nature are etched in history. 17. See Thomas L. Pangle, The Philosophic Understandings of Human Nature Informing the Constitution, in CONFRONTING THE CONSTITUTION 9, 74 (Allan Bloom ed. , 1990) (â€Å"This means . . . while the majority retains supreme political power, it does not retain and never had unlimited power. The supreme (irresistible) power governing every rational person’s behavior is the desire for self? preservation and every individual retains the inalienable right to resist perceived threats to his property and existence, no matter what the source of those threats. †). 38 Harvard Journal of Law Public Policy [Vol. 29 fication of the particulars of human nature. A few of these par? ticulars are explored below. III. MAN IS FREE, BUT NOT APART FROM OR ABOVE, SOCIETY In the Seventeenth and Eighteenth Centuries, it was under? stood that man was not intended to live alone, but in society. Of course, part of this sociability was a product of pure neces? sity. â€Å"From his beginning [man] was born into [society], and without it he could never have been. Helpless in his isolation, he could be exterminated even by swarms of insects. †18 But the yearning for community was more than a utilitarian means of defense against predatory animals or other threats to physical existence. The Founders read Aristotle and accepted his propo? sition that â€Å"man is by nature a political animal . . . . There is . . . a natural impulse in all men towards an association [with others]. †19 This natural desire, according to Aristotle, arose from two sources: reasoned reflection on right and wrong (which is only a comprehensible exercise in relation to others) and our love of others. 20 A. Jefferson: Man Has a Moral Sense Developed Out of Service to Others Thomas Jefferson most notably made reference to man’s so? cial side, observing in correspondence to John Adams that man is â€Å"an animal destined to live in society. †21 For this reason, Jef? ferson would deliberately criticize the anti? social, atomistic conceptions of Hobbes as a â€Å"humiliation to human nature. †22 Thomas Pangle records that Jefferson had derived from the Enlightenment philosopher Helvetius that we experience pleasure â€Å"when we aid or even when we seem to sacrifice for others. †23 Jefferson was not fully satisfied that Helvetius had explained the origin of the pleasure derived from the service to 18. HILL, supra note 10, at 17. 19. ARISTOTLE, THE POLITICS 10–11 (Ernest Barker trans. , 1995). 20. Id. at 106. 21. Letter from Thomas Jefferson to John Adams (Oct. 14, 1816), in 2 THE ADAMS? JEFFERSON LETTERS 492 (Lester J. Cappon ed. , 1959). 22. Letter from Thomas Jefferson to Frances Gilmer (June 7, 1816), in THE WRITINGS OF THOMAS JEFFERSON 24 (Albert Ellery Bergh ed., 1905). 23. THOMAS L. PANGLE, THE SPIRIT OF MODERN REPUBLICANISM: THE MORAL VISION OF THE AMERICAN FOUNDERS AND THE PHILOSOPHY OF LOCKE 120 (1988). No. 1] The Human Nature of Freedom and Identity 39 others and was unprepared to ascribe the origin of man’s moral sense solely to God since that would leave unaccounted for the moral sense or like sensation in a disbeliever. Therefore, on a philosophical level, Jefferson would conclude that, like other aspects of the moral sense in man, nature simply reveals the pleasure of service. 24 As he grew older, Jefferson would come to value tranquility over continued public service,25 but he would continue to lean upon the theorem that the pursuit of happi? ness was dependent upon the virtue of knowing oneself and being useful to others. The â€Å"moral instinct† that inclines us to do good out of a love of others is, Jefferson would conclude, â€Å"the brightest gem with which the human character is studded, and the want of it as more degrading than the most hideous of bodily deformities. †26 B. Wilson: Man Has Moral Sense Because He Has an Innate Conscience James Wilson would question Jefferson’s reliance upon the pleasure or utility of serving others as a sufficiently reliable ba? sis for the development of a moral sense. Unlike Jefferson, Wil? son would insist that human nature intrinsically includes not only a desire to be social and socially useful, but also a con? science. 27 Relying upon Thomas Aquinas by way of Richard Hooker, Wilson would insist that it is conscience that guides reason. 28 The first principles of virtue are self? evident to man, and, were it otherwise, most men would find the pursuit of vir? tue to be impossible and beyond their capacity. Wilson’s attachment to innate conscience contrasts with John Locke, who, in his Essay Concerning Human Understanding, opines that not even the Golden Rule is innately known. Locke is often quoted in a way that makes his writing seem highly relativistic, and certainly the statement, â€Å"[c]onscience . . . is noth? ing else, but our own Opinion,† seems to be just that. 29 Locke was obviously a stronger influence on Jefferson than on Wil? 24. See id. 25. Pangle quotes Jefferson as advising a young James Monroe that â€Å"public service and private misery [are] inseparably linked together. † Id. at 121. 26. Id. at 120. 27. Id. at 121–22. 28. JAMES WILSON, Of the General Principles of Law and Obligation, in SELECTED POLITICAL ESSAYS OF JAMES WILSON 215, 222–24 (Randolph G. Adams ed. , 1930). 29. JOHN LOCKE, AN ESSAY CONCERNING HUMAN UNDERSTANDING 70 (Peter H. Nidditch ed., 1975) (1689). 40 Harvard Journal of Law Public Policy [Vol. 29 son, as Locke’s denial of conscience as innate fits nicely with Jefferson’s proposition that men always inquire further to seek an underlying reason for a moral rule. 30 For Jefferson again, it was the utility of service that brought happiness, not following an inner voice guided by an objective, knowable virtue. Locke would similarly write that â€Å"[p]ower and riches, nay Vertue [sic] it self, are valued only as Conducing to our Happiness. †31 C. Man’s Created Nature Bridges Jefferson and Wilson But Jefferson (and Locke) may not be as far from Wilson as it first would seem. What unifies them is reference to the tran? scendent. All three concede that acknowledgment of a Creator influences man’s moral sense. Locke makes repeated reference to man’s creation, and Jefferson’s â€Å"endowed by their Creator† reference in the Declaration is well known. Nevertheless, Jef? ferson is sometimes described as a â€Å"materialist,† a term he bor?rowed from Locke, or often as a â€Å"deist. † These terms obscure more than they clarify because it was Jefferson’s concession of a Creator God that had real consequence for filling out his con? ception of human nature. As Father John Hardon, S. J. , wrote in apprising the so? called Jefferson Bible, the Life and Morals of Je? sus of Nazareth: That Jefferson believed in God is evident first from his ready acceptance of the teachings of Christ on the subject, the Lord’s Prayer, the Eight Beatitudes, the Parables of the Un?just Steward and the Ten Talents, the Sermon on the Mount—all of which presuppose a belief in the existence of God, the Creator of heaven and earth. Correlative with this goes the belief in prayer and some kind of Providence, and to that extent, at least, an acceptance of some kind of grace, requested for example in the petition, â€Å"Deliver us from evil,† in the Pater Noster. Also the Morals of Jesus allows us to conclude that Jeffer? son believed in some sort of future life, where the good are rewarded and the wicked punished. Besides the Parables of Lazarus and Dives, of the Pharisee and Publican, and the Wedding Feast, Jefferson accepted and extracted the whole discourse of Christ about the Day of Judgment, in the twenty? fifth chapter of Matthew, not excluding the classic 30. See id. at 65. 31. John Locke, Some Thoughts Concerning Education, in THE EDUCATIONAL WRITINGS OF JOHN LOCKE 109, 249 (James Axtell ed. , 1968). No. 1] The Human Nature of Freedom and Identity 41 verse 46, in which Christ foretells: â€Å"These will go into ever?lasting punishment, but the just into everlasting life. †32 What, then, of Jefferson’s self? description as a materialist in the Lockean sense? Hardon writes that it was not a denial of the spirituality of the human soul, but merely the humble con? fession that there is no human proof anchored solely in reason of the soul’s spiritual nature. 33 Hardon’s explanation is persua? sive. Even though Locke (and by extension Jefferson) was un? able to prove the imprint of a moral sense in man and questioned whether reason is naturally inclined toward seek?ing the good, as Aquinas taught, Locke nevertheless insisted on the existence of natural law, knowable only by means of the Divine creator and legislator. 34 By this, Locke meant that hu? man beings are the creation or â€Å"workmanship† of God; there? fore, they belong to God and are His property. From this declared status as created beings, a set of prescrip? tions under the natural law can be deduced. For example, the presupposition of creation allows man to deduce moral pre? cepts in support of â€Å"unalienable rights† derived out of his rela? tionship with a Creator? Owner and other created human beings. These moral precepts themselves then encourage habits of virtue, especially including Jefferson’s insight of service to others. Habits of virtue yield happiness. Disregard the presup? position of man as a created being, however, and think of man as his own self? creation living outside or above society, and the process would work in reverse: unhappiness resulting from practices of vice and self? interest unchecked by any moral sense derived from human nature. Without the public ac?knowledgment of man’s created nature, the derivation of moral sense would be impossible, because there would then be no 32. Fr. John A. Hardon, S. J. , The Jefferson Bible, AM. ECCLESIASTICAL REV. , June 1954, available at http://www. catholicculture. org/docs/doc_view. cfm? recnum? 6040. 33. See id. John Locke writes, â€Å"we do not owe our origin to ourselves . . . .† JOHN LOCKE, QUESTIONS CONCERNING THE LAW OF NATURE 161 (Robert Horowitz et al. trans. , Cornell Univ. Press 1990) (1664). Locke was sure that this is not a religious doctrine, even as such doctrines may confirm â€Å"the truth of our argument that man can, by making use of sense and reason together, arrive at knowledge of some su? preme power . . . .† Id. at 165. Locke admitted that reason may prompt some to doubt God’s existence, but he said â€Å"there exists nowhere a race so barbarous, so far removed from all humanity† that is not suited to â€Å"infer from sensible things that there exists some powerful and wise being who has jurisdiction and power over men themselves. † Id. at 165, 167. 34. See Michael P. Zuckert, Do Natural Rights Derive from Natural Law? , 20 HARV. J. L. PUB. POL’Y 695, 721 (1997). 42 Harvard Journal of Law Public Policy [Vol. 29 stable conception of human nature. Human nature would, of course, be factually constant, but insofar as it would be subject to legal redefinition by those in the possession of force, it would not yield moral clarity for public or private decision. Of course, man is not assured of happiness merely by public acknowledgment of his created nature. When man enacts laws or undertakes personal action in defiance of that created na?ture, he is acting in a way that is contrary to a state of happi? ness. For this reason, if a government of law is to be successful, it must be formed to meet the reality of man’s nature: a reality which recognizes both man’s created nobility and rebelling imperfection. Hence, Wilson insightfully comments: [G]overnment is the scaffolding of society: and if society could be built and kept entire without government, the scaf? folding might be thrown down, without the least inconven? ience or cause of regret. Government is, indeed, highly necessary .. . to a fallen state. Had man continued innocent, society, without the aids of government, would have shed its benign influence even over the bowers of Paradise. 35 he Founders believed man had not â€Å"continued innocent† T and so shaped American government to meet his shortcom? ings. IV. MAN’S IMPERFECT NOBILITY The seventeenth? to? eighteenth? century period out of which the Constitution emerged was, as Arthur O. Lovejoy records, a period of transition between the denigration of man and the celebration of his potential. 36 Theologians and religious writers reminded the Founders of man’s creation in the image and like? ness of God and man’s supernatural destiny, but one satire writer after another demonstrated that man, in action, failed regularly to live up to this nobility. These satires of the Seven? teenth Century were but the flowering of earlier writing. Father James Gillis writes: Shakespeare—the myriad? minded Shakespeare—probably knew man better than any other poet or dramatist or phi? losopher. Certainly he made a life study of man; he tracked 35. JAMES WILSON, Of the Study of Law in the United States, in SELECTED POLITICAL ESSAYS OF JAMES WILSON, supra note 28, at 210. 36. See ARTHUR O. LOVEJOY, REFLECTIONS ON HUMAN NATURE 20 (1961). No. 1] The Human Nature of Freedom and Identity 43 every emotion and mood and thought and passion of man to its secret lair in the human heart, dragged it out, incarnated it in man or woman, king, peasant, soldier, student, lover, clown, clothed it in ermine or fustian or in mourner’s weeds, and made it â€Å"strut and fret its hour upon the stage. † If ever a man revealed ourselves to ourselves, it was that all? But? omniscient Shakespeare. But even he was compelled in the end to confess that he couldn’t solve the riddle of man. Wit? ness the famous monologue, â€Å"[w]hat a piece of work is man! † continuing â€Å"how like an angel! † but concluding, â€Å"this quintessence of dust! †37 A. Man Rationalizes Himself as an Exception: The Self? Interest Problem Thirty years before the Declaration, the French writer Mar? quis de Vauvenargues noted how much we enjoy pointing out human defect, thinking we can somehow exempt ourselves from the same criticism. Vauvenargues lamented, â€Å"We are so presumptuous that we imagine we can separate our personal interest from that of humanity in general, and malign the hu? man race without implicating ourselves. †38 n response to this criticism, man would assert as a defense I his commitment to reason. However, one would have to cau? tiously wonder if â€Å"reason† was itself rationalization and self? deception. Man reaches a conclusion favoring passion over rea? son, then finds reasons to justify the passion and deceives him? self into thinking the reasons discovered were the cause for the initial decision. Again, satirists of the Seventeenth Century regularly pointed out that â€Å"[t]he passions always seek to justify themselves and persuade us insensibly that we have reason for following them. The gratification and pleasure to which they give rise in the mind which should be judging them, corrupt its judgment in their favor. †39 hese insights were best represented in the founding genera? T tion by John Adams. He observed that men tend to act first and think after. Men have a tendency to flatter themselves, and Ad? ams thought this self? deception was responsible for many ca? 37. JAMES M. GILLIS, THIS MYSTERIOUS HUMAN NATURE 5 (1956) (quoting WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE, HAMLET act 2, sc. 2). 38. LOVEJOY, supra note 36, at 20 (citation omitted). 39. Id. at 26. 44 Harvard Journal of Law Public Policy [Vol. 29 lamities. 40 Caught up in the various political controversies of his day, Adams wondered why those against him sought to â€Å"blacken and discredit† his motives, rather than address under? lying issues. 41 This trait of human nature has not changed. 42 B. A Government to Bring Perfection from Imperfect Human Nature Richard Hooker had faithfully recorded the noble, but imper? fect, aspects of human nature: Laws politic, ordained for external order . . . are never framed as they should be, unless presuming the will of man to be inwardly obstinate, rebellious, and averse from all obedience unto the sacred laws of nature; in a word, unless presuming man to be in regard of his depraved mind little better than a wild beast, they do accordingly provide not? Withstanding so to frame his outward actions, that they be no hindrance unto the common good for which societies are instituted: unless they do this, they are not perfect. 43 et all was not lost. God had created a universe by counter? Y balancing the forces of physical science, as Newton explained, and man could likewise construct a successful polity by follow? ing His model. So the Constitution came to be, following this instruction of counterpoise or balance, reflected in the planets as well as literature. The Founders, already having declared their fidelity to â€Å"the Laws of Nature and Nature’s God,† pro? 40. See generally JOHN ADAMS, ON SELF? DELUSION, in 3 THE WORKS OF JOHN ADAMS, SECOND PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES 432, 433–36 (Charles C. Little James Brown eds. 1851). 41. Id. at 436. 42. Why, for instance, did environmental groups seek to demonize then? Judge John Roberts as anti? environment because of his dissent in Rancho Viejo v. Norton, 334 F. 3d 1158 (D. C. Cir. 2003), rather than take up the jurisprudential difficulty that animated the Supreme Court decisions upon which preced.

Social identity and the inevitability of conflict groups

Social identity and the inevitability of conflict groups The topic of this essay is that the Social Identity Theory (SIT) suggests that prejudice and discrimination against out-group members and, as a result, conflict groups may be inevitable; that all that is needed to trigger in-group favouritism and out-group bias is an awareness that one belongs to a particular social group and that another group, of which one is not a member, exists. The SIT was conceived by Henri Tajfel and his student John Turner to amend and supplement Campbells Realistic Group Conflict Theory (Tajfel Turner, 1979). The aim of the SIT was to provide a base level understanding of peoples social identities apart from their individual identities, that is, how people identify with groups that they belong to, the assimilation of in-group ideals as their own, the positive bias toward those of the same in-group, and negative bias (prejudice) toward those who identify with out-groups. It also explained inter group behaviour and its social context and also social comparison. The SIT suggests that the more extremely a person is associated with an in-group, the more likely they are to treat members of out-groups as objects comprised of traits universal to members of their out-group, rather than individuals comprised of both group and unique traits. It points out that, especially in our culture, intergroup conflict and competition is commonplace and easy to trigger. There is also suggestion that in-group bias is a universal trait affecting all social groups. The momentum that helped forge this theory comes from Tajfels own personal history. Born in 1919 as a Polish Jew, Henri was called away from his studies in chemistry to fight with the French against the Nazis. A year later he was captured and survived by not allowing his captors to learn that he was a Jew (The Nazis most despised out-group). After the war, Henri returned home to find all his close relatives had been killed. After a time of helping the aftermath Henri studied psychology with a focus on social identity and group conflict such as he had seen during the war (Reicher). The personal life and times of Henri Tajfel shows some insight into social identity and conflict groups. Such as a young Henri heeding the call to fight the Germans with the French even though he was Polish, in the Second World War the Nazi war machine and its subsequent expansion resurfaced a rift between the Nazis and the rest of Europe that was present in the First World War, leading to two main conflict groups, the Nazis and the Allied Nations. As Tajfel was not a Nazi, He identified with the French (part of his in group) and fought along with them. At the time of his capture, Tajfel had to change a part of his social identity in order to survive. As Nazis were more likely to torture and kill Jews over other captive groups Tajfel had to make sure that his captors never learned that he was a Jew. To do this He had to identify as a non-Jew which to him was an out-group, this however required no alteration physical changes (Providing that he didnt have to expose himself to his capto rs) and psychologically, he was still himself. Tajfel succeeded and survived until the end of the war. This provides a good example of discrimination based on social grouping rather than individual attributes. To this many people would say that those were the war days and that violence and emotion ran high, so it was easy to see such discrimination and hostility as commonplace, but times have changed and we are no longer like that. And, to an extent, they are correct. Though even now in Europe, many still consider the Jews as a powerful, threatening group of social and national outsiders (Werner, 2008), and there is still anti-Semitic violence taking place in this older, wiser world. But still, time has moved on and Western atrocities such as the vast commonplace racism of the early to mid twentieth century has dissipated, though not completely. Much of this is due to changing media portrayals of minorities, with thanks to such trail blazers as Sidney Portier (first black actor to play a lead in a major motion picture), The Cosby Show (first non-stereotyped black sitcom), and even Star Trek (first interracial kiss on U.S. television). By allowing people to identify with minorities in the m edia without stereotyping, aggression toward minorities reduces (Muller, 2009). However lessened, racial discrepancies and violence still occurs in the western world today. It seems that all our attempts to abolish social discrimination and conflict in the past few decades has come a long way, and if you think of things such as the fall of the Berlin Wall, the end of the partite, and the advancement of gay rights, the yes we have. However, if you look at the rise of the Mugabe Regime, the US War on Terror and its subsequent effects on the Muslim population, and even the psudoracism toward the ginger (ging-er) population, then no we really havent. Also, most attempts to abolish group conflict have at best reduced conflict, not ended it out right so long as both groups remain in existence. It seems that intergroup conflict is unavoidable, as we put aside our old differences with one group, we just as quickly discover new differences with another group. Even here in New Zealand in-group bias and out-group prejudice is not only tolerated, it is applauded. Take this personal anecdote for example. In 2005 My best friend and I travelled to the city for my bachelor party. At this time the UK Lions rugby team was touring the country, playing against our All Blacks. Neither my friend nor I were rugby fans of any sort, but when we saw that an English pub was just down the street from where we were staying we decided to don any black clothing we had and go to the English pub to watch the game and give the Lions supporters a hard time. When we arrived we noticed that all the customers inside the pub were dressed in black to support the All Blacks, my friend and I looked around to see if there were any Lions supporters around and indeed we did find them. They had congregated outsi de in a caged off smokers area on the cold July night, watching a T.V. that was barely audible over the sound of traffic. When we asked them if they wouldnt prefer a table inside they responded that they were quite happy where they were. My friend and I returned to our table near the bar to watch the game. Though when a Lions supporter came in to get a refreshment, they were met by a call to go back where they belong or they were informed precisely how useless their team was. During half time, the smokers in the bar went to the smokers area occupied by the Lions fans and once again were insulted for their taste in rugby teams, among other things. The Lions lost the game and at full time the smokers returned to the smokers area to boats their mighty victory to the puny Lions Supporters. This example has a clear cut in-group and a quite literal out-group, the in-group, through force of numbers had dominance in the situation initially. But why, you may ask, did the in group members have to ridicule the out-group members at every available chance? The answer quite simply is self esteem, just as the school bully will put down the smart kids to make themselves feel better, social groups will often discriminate out-groups as a means of enhancing self esteem (Lemyre Smith, 1985). This is not the only example of socially acceptable, intergroup conflict in this country either. The ever continuing Holden versus Ford debate is ever popular and in this case the group conflict is media driven with multiple televised Holden versus Ford races occurring annually and a seemingly unending supply of supporter gear as well as derogatory supporter gear designed to insult and degrade your particular out-group. Some members of both groups can take extreme measures in this conflict, such as disallowing out-group vehicles to park on their property. Attribution has a role to play in social conflict as well. Say for instance a Holden crashes during the Bathurst 1000 race the Ford supporters will commonly believe the fault to be in the car or one of the many short comings of its driver (who obviously must not be bright to be driving a Holden in the first place). The Holden supporters, however, would more likely believe that some external cause (or perhaps a stupid Ford driver cut ting him off) was to blame. This is due to in-group bias causing people to make similar attributions to in group members as they do to themselves (De Cremer, 2000). So far all the examples have involves high levels of emotional attachment toward the in-group. So is it fair to say that in-group bias and out-group discrimination are a result of heightened emotional commitment toward the in-group? To answer this, many experiments have been conducted based on arbitrary groups designed solely for the purpose of the experiment and in most cases the participants are randomly assigned to groups so that there is no predetermined affiliation between group members. The group members are then given simple tasks and the experimenters are looking for signs for in-group bias and out-group discrimination. The results of studies like these has shown that such discrimination does indeed exist, even when the groups are arbitrary and the group assignment is random (Brewer Kramer, 1985) (Sachdev Bourhis, 1985) (Aviram, 2007). This shows that no emotional bond is requires at all for there to be discrimination between in-group and out-group members. All that is real ly required for there to be out-group prejudice is the knowledge that one is in a social group and that another group, an out-group, exists. Summary To summarize the discussion as it stands. The topic was to discuss the SIT and the notion that discrimination and prejudice toward out-groups and intergroup conflict is inevitable, also, that all that is needed for there to be such discrimination is the knowledge that both an in-group and an out-group exists. The personal history of Henri Tajfel and his life during the Second World War was discussed, pointing out the group conflicts and out-group prejudices present during that time. The discrimination of out-group members based on group affiliation rather than individual traits was pointed out. This historical account also gave some insight as to the motives behind the creation of the SIT. Then the role of media in the lessening of racial discrimination and conflict in recent decades was discussed, though it was pointed out that the amount of prejudice and conflict the media had affected had dissipated, it was never truly abolished. There was some discussion on the recent milestones toward intergroup peace globally and also the new found intergroup prejudice and conflict arising at the same time. The view of the discussion then moved to a New Zealand perspective starting with a personal anecdote of the national rugby obsession and the ethnocentric discrimination that arises from the organised conflict of the game itself. It was then discussed how the media and commercial marketing can also induce conflict and discrimination between groups with reference to the local Holden Versus Ford conflict. In this it was pointed out how in-group bias and out-group discrimination can influence the locus of attribution in the inference of others behaviour. Finally, experiments involving out-group discrimination in arbitrary groups of randomly assigned members was discussed, the results of which being in support with the notion that all that is required for there to be in-group bias and out-group discrimination is the knowledge that an in-group (to which one belongs) and an o ut-group (to which one does not belong) exists. The discussion as a whole utilised a combination of empirical research and real life examples to illustrate facts that validate the SIT and support the suggestions that it carries. The SIT provides a good base knowledge of social identity, social discrimination and conflict groups. However this does not make it the be all and end all of knowledge on this subject. With an ever evolving social climate and the development of new experimental techniques, the Sit is rather a solid foundation to which we can build a more profound understanding of the social world.

Role of ETCs in Directing First Responders to Disaster

Role of ETCs in Directing First Responders to Disaster Vishesh Sudhir Emergency Telecommunications professionals (ETCs) play a vital role in the quality of care of the residents in the communities in which they serve. This includes preservation of life, property and equipment during critical incidents which may involve unfavourable outcomes. Critical incidents are events of an unfavourable nature that include deaths in the normal course of work, multiple casualty incidents, natural disasters, power outages, and emergency events involving a large number of people. Critical Incident Stress is the ETC’s reaction to these events which could interfere with one’s ability to function normally during or after the event. The reactions could be physical stress on the body, cognitive impairments in thinking and emotional change in behavioural patterns, feelings, and personality. Immediate reactions include nausea, dizziness, increased heart rate, muscle pains, confusion, memory loss, difficulty in problem solving and making decisions, anxiety, fear, guilt, and hopelessness. Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder is a mental conditions which is caused by distressing events such as rape, assault, murder, kidnapping, automobile collision, or serious injury to oneself or others. These are the triggering events for PTSD which includes symptoms such as re-experiencing the event, nightmares, flashbacks, and anniversary of the triggering event could cause it. Later severe symptoms can include becoming withdrawn from family and friends, losing interest in activities previously enjoyed, or have difficulty feeling emotions, and being intimate with one’s partner. Treatments exist for both CIS and PTSD and there are services available in one’s area of residence to manage the onset of these conditions. The First Responder in the video was an experienced ETC professional who was able to help as many people as he possibly could with the severity of the natural disaster that struck the town being a tornado which required a mass response on the part of the town. He went to each victim that he was able to help with their injuries, bruises, and abrasions all the while keeping in constant communication with coworkers on helping the victims, superiors on calling in additional units and supplies, and the general public on staying safe. The survivors were in a traumatic event and had feelings of being scared, anxious, in fear of their safety and security of themselves and their loved ones. The First Responders felt the same way but with more control and experience since they work as ETC’s for a living, and if I were one during a tornado I would also feel scared, anxious and want to keep all of the victims in the area safe and treat their injuries using the established guidelines. The crisis that occurred in the video could be classified as a natural disaster, which living in Southern Ontario have not had any personal involvement in since tornados, hurricanes, and tsunamis are rare occurrence here. There was the Toronto snowstorm in 1998 caused by La Nina weather patterns which brought record snowfall. My family and I were driving back from my uncle’s house and our car kept getting stuck in position in the road which then required me to get out of the car to shovel near the snow tires in order for my mom to get the car moving further down because they didn’t plow the smaller neighbourhood roads that that time which was late at night and it required constant shovelling of the roads just to get the car moving closer to our house which we eventually got to as the snow dissipated. Personal approaches I would use to overcome the lasting effects a First Responder might suffer include getting CIS Debriefings and PTSD treatments. The debriefing is a regular series of meetings done by the organization the ETC is employed for, other coworkers, superiors and experts in the conditions of CIS with the purpose of the meetings being to get the ETC professionals to express their feelings on the events they were involved in, what impact it made on them physically in the form of injuries, psychologically in their cognitive patterns, emotionally in their relationships with others, and general behaviour both at home and in public. These meetings are a good approach for First Responders as it allows them to get more information about how to deal with their reactions to the above listed traumatic events, utilize support services that are available, and talking to trained experts such as social workers, psychologists, and therapists. For survivors the approach would be to use PT SD treatment that is provided through government services such as CMHA, services provided by their employer if they are employed such as a helpline, and services provided by private organizations such as Canadian Red Cross. The treatments these services offer include a combination of individual discussion, group discussion similar to the CIS Debriefings, and medication. Methods I would use to increase awareness of CIS and PTSD to coworkers, family, and the public include through word of mouth such as discussion with these interested individuals who inquire about it what CIS and PTSD are, provide them examples of each so they have an idea of the types of events surrounding them such as using the videos watched in class or finding a similar event to it on the Internet. I would use social media websites to educate the general public on CIS and PTSD with information pages about the conditions including what they are, symptoms, and treatment options available and contact information of the organizations that offer assistance to those who have CIS and PTSD. Other approaches include starting an outreach company which provides informational sessions to the general public in places such as malls, parks, schools, libraries, and community centres and provide the public brochures, pamphlets, booklets and contact information to organizations which offer assistan ce. I can also use media sources such as the local newspaper, radio station, and popular Internet destinations and present to these media sources information on CIS and PTSD in a presentation style that can accommodate their schedule. The complexity of CIS and PTSD means there is much research to be done on these conditions by the established medical community and so for those with these conditions the chance to increase awareness about it doing their own research, being more proactive and by being an advocate for finding cures for these conditions. The best method is the method the individual uses in their own personal circumstance. (Reference for CISD: Emergency Medical Responder 3rd Canadian Edition; Pearson Canada; Limmer, Karren, et. Al.; 2010 Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Ch. 2 pg. 16-17 in textbook) PTSD from CMHA: http://www.cmha.ca/mental_health/post-traumatic-stress-disorder/ CISD: http://www.info-trauma.org/flash/media-e/mitchellCriticalIncidentStressDebriefing.pdf https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Critical_incident_stress_management

Daewoo Group and Financial Business Essay -- GCSE Business Marketing C

Daewoo Group and Financial Business Problem Definition Daewoo group started as a small textile company and in just 20 years developed into second largest Korean chaebol ( family owned conglomerate). It had over 250000 employers worldwide, over 30 domestic companies and 300 overseas subsidiaries, generating sales of more than 100 billion dollars annually. However, in 1999 it seemed that the ‘golden days’ of Daewoo were over as it was faced with over 50 billion dollars dept and had to decide to sell some of its business to carry on. Can Daewoo really survive and if yes, how? The roots of Daewoo’s crisis are in: a) Korean Economic System’s Structure, Chaebols and Asian Crisis b) Daewoo corporate structure, Kim Woo-Choong and his policies The main problem is that Korean economic system is ready for change and already changing, so does the government and its policies. However, the chaebols such as Daewoo are living in the past and find it difficult to adapt to changes. The question is whether there is any place in a changing Korea for chaebols at all or they will be soon replaced by smaller but more efficient companies? Problem Justification Korean Economic System, Chaebols and Asian crisis: South Korea’s mad rush economic growth was initiated by late dictator Park Chung-hee in the early 1970. Park saw export growth as the key for economic growth. He provided cheap loans and tax benefits to nurture Daewoo and other Korean business into conglomerates that mass produced for export markets( http://detnews.com/2001/ autos). Most of Chaebols were family owned and all of this families were connected to the government which would give them lots of support and get their loyalty. As a trouble would appear ,as in example of Daewoo problem in the 1980s when Daewoo shipbuilding made losses that threaten the collapse of the whole group, the government stepped in to save conglomerate and to provide emergency loans, chaebols could always count on the government to help. So they would continue to borrow money from government owned banks. The bank were forced to continue borrowing money to â€Å"Korean Losers† and never got paid back. It continued ... ...he best solution would be the government to come up with the plan of restructuring Daewoo ( force it to sell off most of its businesses and concentrate on the key once) and for Daewoo to accept the plan as soon as possible. Also government should push on the chaebols to restructure ( mainly to cut off their size and concentrate on the most important businesses) because there is no place for old-style conglomerates in changing Korea, if they stay the same they will face the same problem as Daewoo did and will also badly affect future economic development of Korea. Korean government did come up with the plan of restructuring Daewoo in cutting down its size by selling off its businesses, as an example selling Daewoo Motors to General Motors and etc., giving independence to some of its big divisions such as shipbuilding. But this plan came too late and Daewoo did not implement it until it really got bankrupt. There is not Daewoo group any more. Most of it was sold and what is left is now called Daewoo International and has its main businesses in International Trade, Information, Project Organising, Research Development and some other ( www.daewoo international.com).

Holes :: essays research papers

Holes Stanley Yelnats, a boy who has bad luck due to a curse placed on his great- great-grandfather, is sent to Camp Green Lake, a juvenile detention camp, for a crime he did not commit. Stanley and the other boys at the camp are forced to dig large holes in the dirt every day. Stanley eventually realizes that they are digging these holes because the Warden is searching for something. As Stanley continues to dig holes and meet the other boys at the camp, the narrator intertwines three separate stories to reveal why Stanley's family has a curse and what the Warden is looking for. When he was a boy, Stanley's great-great-grandfather, Elya Yelnats, received a pig from Madame Zeroni, a gypsy, in exchange for a promise. Elya's promise was that after the pig grew strong he would carry Madame Zeroni, who only had one leg, up a mountain and sing her a song that she had taught him. After becoming disillusioned with the girl he thought he loved, however, Elya hops a boat to America, forgetting his promise to Madame Zeroni. Elya marries and has a child in America and always thinks about Madame Zeroni, who he believes has cursed him because of his failure to fulfill his promise. He knows that Madame Zeroni's son lives in America, but Elya never finds him. One hundred and ten years before Stanley arrives at Camp Green Lake, the town of Green Lake is a beautiful place where peach trees bloom throughout the spring. In this Texas town, the schoolteacher, Katherine Barlow, falls in love with Sam, the onion seller. Sam sells onions to eat and to use for medicinal purposes. While Katherine and Sam are alive, racism is institutionalized in the United States and it is against the law for a black man to kiss a white woman. Because Sam is black and Katherine is white, the people in the town become irate when they find that Katherine and Sam have kissed. Charles, or Trout, Walker, the richest man in town has always wanted to marry Katherine. He is already mad that Katherine does not wish to go out with him so when he finds out that she is in love with Sam he gathers the townspeople to burn the schoolhouse and attack Sam. Katherine seeks help from the local sheriff but instead finds that the sheriff, who makes lewd advances towards her, also wants to kill Sam.

Vandalism :: essays research papers

A problem that occurs in most states is vandalism. Vandalism is a growing national problem. Last year this senseless crime cost United States Citizens over one billion dollars. Vandalism is a problem that gets to everyone in some form or another. It can affect your family, friends, property, community, and your pocketbook. The more you know about vandalism, the more you can make it a crime that is more trouble than it's worth.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Over one half of all the crimes associated with vandalism occurs in high schools. There is no typical vandal. Vandals can be good or bad students, girls or boys, whites or blacks, rich or poor. The largest age group arrested for vandalism is between 13 and 14. However, children as young six and seven vandalize schools and park areas. Teenagers with growing-up problems act destructively by destroying vehicles, spray-painting graffiti on public places, etc. Older youths often commit more serious acts such as damaging vehicles or machinery, burglary, arson or theft.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Although most vandals do not have a clear motive for their acts, studies show that basic social problems and attitudes are at the root of the vandalism. Among the many explanations for the crime are anger against society, boredom, drug and alcohol abuse, disciplinary problems, personal problems and racial/political conflicts.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Police, fire and emergency services are affected by increased workloads and false alarms. Also, facilities, such as parks and public rest rooms which everyone in the community uses, become vandalized. Vandalism affects your pocketbook too. People pay their taxes for a reason, to build a better community for the future generation. When the community is vandalized, the people are the ones who have to pay for someone else’s damage.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Vandalism is still and will always be a growing problem unless we do something about it. We need to keep our kids off the streets, make sure you educate them about vandalism by telling then that is wrong and can lead to prison. Also be aware of who your kids are hanging out with, give them enough attention and love as much as discipline and also encourage activities outside of school.

Case Study – Inner City Paint

University of the District of columbia| Strategic Audit Plan/ Case Analysis| Case 28 – Inner-City Paint Corporation| | [Type the author name]| 3/21/2013| Business Policy TR 5:30pm – 6:50pm Spring 2013 | I. Current Situation A. Current Performance 1. Poor financials 2. High account receivables 3. Very disorganized system of business 4. Lack of Customer Confidence B. Strategic Posture 1. Mission: To produce a paint that was less expensive and of higher quality than what has been used commercial buildings, etc. 2.Reputation: Built on fast service; frequently supplies paint to contractors within 24 hours. 3. Primary Market: small to medium sized decorating companies 4. Policies: Walsh handles all mail, payments, and billings II. Strategic Managers A. Top Management * Consists of Stanley Walsh who handles all mailing/billing, payments, etc. * Office is managed by Mary Walsh (Walsh’s mother) with help of two part –time clerks * Plant Manager is an acquaintance o f Walsh’s who only has experience as a painter III. External Environment (EFAS) A.Societal Environment 1. Economic a. The slowdown in the housing market combined with a slowdown in the overall economy caused financial difficulty for Inner-City Paint Corporation (T) b. Now required to pay cash on delivery (C. O. D. ) for its raw materials (T) 2. Technological: Computers and Information Technology offers opportunity to better organize the business (O) B. Task Environment 1. Rivalry High: Larger orders usually go to larger companies due to lack of customer trust. (T) 2. Competitive Prices (O) 3. Threats of Substitutes High (T) IV.Internal Environment (IFRAS) A. Corporate Structure 1. Thirty-five employees (20 part-time); most unskilled workers who lack training (W) 2. Lack of Delegation: lacks employee empowerment and too much of workload is carried by the business CEO/President, Mr. Walsh (W) B. Corporate Culture 1. Rumors abound that the company is in difficult financial strai ts, that it is unable to pay suppliers, and it owes a considerable sum for payment on back taxes (W) C. Corporate Resources 1. Marketing: Lacks a professional salesman other than the owner (W) 2. Finance . Current Ratio of . 92 indicates that the company has an issue paying its short-term liabilities b. Return on Assets of 5. 98% indicates that the company is asset-heavy 3. Facilities: Cheap Rent (S) 4. Inventory: Lack of a Consistent and Reliable Inventory System; owner mental keeps track of inventory (W) 5. Human Resources: The Plant Manager lacks experience or training as a manager. (W) 6. Information Systems: No computer system used for business, very disorganized as a result (W) V. Analysis of Strategic Factors (SWOT Analysis) A. Strengths . Competitive Prices b. Family Business with origin in community c. Fast Delivery for Small Orders B. Weaknesses a. No Financial and Inventory Controls b. Lack of Business Network/Computer c. No Inventory System C. Opportunities a. Hiring pro fessional salesmen to ensure consistent growth and consultants to identify problems and provide solutions b. Attract more market share by raising customer perception of reliability D. Threats a. No Audit of Corporation b. Large Orders usually go to larger companies VI. Strategic Alternatives and Recommended StrategyA. Strategic Alternatives 1. Management Improvement a. Mr. Walsh needs to learn employee empowerment and delegation. He lacks trust in his employees and therefore takes on too much of the business’ customer affairs. b. The plant manager needs to be trained in management due to his lack of experience. c. Public Relations specialist and marketing specialist needed to better handle business and consultations. 2. Facility Improvement: More equipment may be needed to ensure consumers that they won’t have to worry about orders not being ready or too large to handle.B. Recommended Strategy 1. Salary Cuts for All or Cutback of Employees: The President’s six f igure salary is too much for such a small business. 2. Find and Research new suppliers: The high Cost of Goods Sold is greatly reducing profits. 3. Greatly Improve management skills and create policies 4. Hire Salesmen to increase business market share 5. Collect Bad Debt from Clients; Take less credit accounts and more cash accounts because Account Receivables is too high. 6. Create an effective Inventory System that better tracks Inventory on hand.

The Art of Akhenaten – Paper

The Art of Akhenaten A imposing epitome of House Shrine and Akhenaten make Offerings The Art of Akhenaten A Formal Analysis of House Shrine and Akhenaten ma office Offerings oneness of the most enigmatic pharaohs of Egyptian history, Amenhotep IV, had bountiful up in the most aright family in antique Egypt. Once he became pharaoh and ruler of Egypts empire in 1378 BCE, he changed his name to Akhenaten, effective temper of Aten, and was kn confess to the people as the schismatic king.Early in his triumph, Akhenaten encouraged ideas by use cheat as a authority of emphasizing his governmental and apparitional intentions of doing things otherwise on that lufffore, changing Egyptian society. This was true for the following reasons. Politic on the wholey, when Akhenaten denounced the produce deities, he altered the exquisite style and technique of ancient Egypt, by the knowing settings and placements of him and his empurpled family. Religiously, the forced monotheisti c pietism was guileistically stylized by having the new deity, Aten, as the main subject in his reserves.These emphases were what came to be know as Amarna contrivanceistic creation, an erratic, sensual, new style of art that historied the vibrancy and movement of the real human during Akhenatens reign. Akhenatens famous cardinal relief sculptures, House Shrine and Akhenaten Making Offerings, reflect the revolutionary changes in art and religion andtherefore of politics during the reign of this monotheistic pharaoh. Akhenaten and his family were the only royal family that was almost described by the king as displaying write out and devotion under the protection of Aten.In House Shrine (figure 1), the lime rock n roll stela, depicts queer Akhenaten and his sanctum sanctorum Family starring his wife fay Nefertiti and his deuce daughters. It was int dismissed to be stored in a private room in the Amarna palace. The stele is decorated with an intimate scene exhibit the dai ly life of the Holy Family. The sculptors alter choice of bright, yellow(a) limestone background shown in this art go complements the sunshine that shines down on all the individuals. The use of fine lines shows the sun glossy down on Akhenaten and his family.This sense of glistering by both the sun and indirectly by the family expresses that they be full of love and happiness. Often times bright colour are associated with love and happiness, such as this yellow limestone stele. The sunken relief technique is also used. As Janson explained in his textbook it was a popular technique amongst Egyptian art sculptures. In this technique, the sculptor slim down sharp portrays into the stones search, and copy the figures within the chalk outs, below the level of the background, preferably than carving away the surface much or less figures to allow them to emerge from the stone.Light shimmer onto the stones surface then float shadows into the out-lines, animating the figu res without compromising the solid two-dimensional appearance of the wall. In this art temporary hookup the sunken relief technique gives raise emphasis of the sun above shining over them and creates shadows throughout the art human beings by the deep incisions of the curved lines a coarse the back of King Akhenatens have sex and Queen Nefertitis right shoulder tracing down her arm. In addition, there are deep incisions along the outline of his children, which give the shadows symbolism that presents the whole family as the focal point of the effect.However, the incisions along the children do not run as gravid as the ones on Akhenaten, Nefertiti, and the sun god. By using heavier incisions it gives the idea that these three figures are of greater greatness. In conclusion, the choice of color gives the mood of the stele, the lines tell us the focal point and establishes the important figures. Overall, this piece is come up put together. In the beginning of Akhenatens relig ious re potpourri, the official state religion was still based on polytheism with Amun emerging above other deities throughout uncorrupted Egyptian art.During his third reign, Akhenaten started to build his own public synagogue, near the temple of Amun at Karnak. This first performance as king brought with him a stately speculation and ill will between his throne and the priesthood of Amun. In military position the temple was an entirely new style of art, which was lots described, as naturalistic in Akhenatens portrayal of the human body. No durable was the Pharaoh portrayed as half living organism with the perfect body fitted for the afterlife. Akhenaten and the royal family were shown with long toes, massive hips, extremely long fingers, dear torso, ample breasts, big plainlytocks, and an elongated face.This take-off of the royal familys bodies altered unsullied Egyptian art and became better known as Amarna Art. Another astonishing act to this religious revolution wa s the Akhenatens roll of the construction of a new capital, off the beaten track(predicate) to the north of Thebes known as Amarna, sensible horizon of the sun, claiming the sun god lead him there. A few years after, Akhenaten made the ratiocination to abandon Thebes and ordered his people to comport up and leave behind the city built by his father to give birth the blessings of Aten in the city of Amarna.Shortly thereafter, he abolished traditional gods and goddesses, declaring one monotheistic deity, Aten, and introduced in art as a more intimate worship in public and private settings of the royal family, receiving blessings from Aten, and showing solar day to day life and activities. A classic exercise of the radical transformation of Egyptian state religion is found on the august Tomb in Amarna, Akhenaten Making Offerings (figure 2), portrayal Akhenaten and his wife Queen Nefertiti carrying flowers to be hardened on the table beneath the life-giving rays of the Ate n with his two eldest daughters behind him praying and whirl gifts.In Akhenatens hands are iv flowers that represent his minor wives Merytaten, Kiya, Mekytaten, and Ankhesenpaaten. What made this piece so alarming to the Egyptians is the mis moldn seventh cranial nerve structure and body style of Akhenaten and the royal family, and the worshipping of a single god. Starting at the top of Akhenaten Making Offerings there isa subtle linear band red ink across the fragment, which is a hieroglyph for sky. The pass space with the round geometric shape in the sky symbolizes the royal family is bluff to worship.King Akhenaten, standing in front of Queen Nefertiti, bathing in the rays of the Aten, could symbolize that he was the solo priest of his monotheistic religion. As giver and sustainer of life, Atens rays of light form a radial path that begins from the sun and, ifone looks closely, hell notice the rays of light give notice in hands holding ankhs, the hieroglyph for life. This characteristic is often repeated in Akhenatens art pieces, including the House Shrine. The outline of the rays forms a triangular pyramid. In ancient times pyramids were built as a guise to protect the deceased pharaohs as they traveled to the afterlife.Similar to the House Shrine, the sunken relief technique is used to covey the importance of the figures. The heavy incisions well-nigh Aten, behind the Pharaoh and his wife, emphasize them as the main focal point of the art piece and the importance of their religious standing with Aten. The dark underline around Aten creates a dark shadow symbolize his great power as the monotheistic deity. The curved lines behind Akhenaten and his family could symbolize a shadow effect since Aten is placed in front of the family and the lines around the front side of the figures are a lot finer.The shocking effect this piece had on the Egyptians was King Akhenatens way of stating his radical imagination of breaking Egyptian tradition. Furthermore, King Akhenatens abandonment of the traditional gods and roles of kingship also took a toll on Egypts political status seen in his art by worshipping Aten. Tucked inside his newly construed city, ghost with his monotheistic religion, he spent tiny to no time on his irrelevant affairs and more time posing with his family for the sculptor.The military pleaded for support against enemy attacks, but King Akhenaten was distracted with building more temples of Aten so that he and his family would always be protected. This was depicted in his art by showing Aten placing the sunrays over his family as a symbol of protection. In the backlash that followed during the end of his reign, the people and the kingship referred to him as the Great sinful. And in the events following his death, the misshapen face and body feature of Akhenaten and his family were rubbed and broken off.Amarna art was desecrated and traditional Egyptian art was reinstated. His capital was destroyed, the people retur ned to Thebes, and after awhile his image was abandoned, and the heretic king was forgotten. In conclusion, three thousand years ago, in the short time of the Amarna period, Akhenaten turned Egypt height down by breaking unequivocal Egyptian art tradition and announcing a new deity. During that time, capitals were moved, religious ideas developed and flourished, abroad affairs depleted, and artistic changes took place in art within the walls of the court.