Taj People Philosphy and Star System

The employee at Taj is viewed as an asset and is the real profit centre. He or she is the very reason for our survival. The creation of the Taj People Philosophy displays our commitment to and belief in our people. We want an organisation with a very clear philosophy, where we can treasure people and build from within. * Bernard Martyris. Senior Vice-President, HR, Indian Hotels Company Limited (IHCL) Introduction In March 2001, the Taj Group launched an employee loyalty program called the ‘Special Thanks and Recognition System’ (STARS). STARS was an initiative aimed at motivating employees to transcend their usual duties and responsibilities and have fun during work. This program also acknowledged and rewarded hard working employees who had achieved excellence in their work. The Taj Group had always believed that their employees were their greatest assets and the very reason for the survival of their business. In 2000, to show its commitment to and belief in employees, the Taj Group developed the ‘Taj People Philosophy’ (TPP), which covered all the people practices of the group. TPP considered every aspect of employees’ organisational career planning, right from their induction into the company till their superannuation. TPP offered many benefits to the Taj Group. It helped the company boost the morale of its employees and improve service standards, which in turn resulted in repeat customers for many hotels in the group. The STAR system also led to global recognition of the Taj Group of hotels in 2002 when the group bagged the ‘Hermes Award’ for ‘Best Innovation in Human Resources’ in the global hospitality industry. The Taj People Philosophy Since its establishment, the Taj Group had a people-oriented culture. The group always hired fresh graduates from leading hotel management institutes all over India so that it could shape their attitudes and develop their skills in a way that fitted its needs and culture. The management wanted the new recruits to pursue a long-term career with the group. All new employees were placed in an intensive two-year training program, which familiarised them with the business ethos of the group, the management practices of the organisation, and the working of the cross-functional departments. The employees of the Taj Group were trained in varied fields like sales and marketing, finance, hospitality and service, front office management, food and beverages, projects, HR and more. They also had to take part in various leadership programs, so that they could develop in them a strong, warm and professional work culture. Through these programs, the group was able to assess the future potential of the employees and the training required to further develop their skills. The group offered excellent opportunities to employees both on personal as well as organisational front. In order to achieve ‘Taj standards’, employees were made to undergo a rigorous training program. The group strove hard to standardise to all its processes and evolve a work culture, which appealed to all its employees universally. The group believed that talent management was of utmost importance to develop a sustainable competitive advantage. The group aimed at making the HR function a critical business partner, rather than just a support function. To further show its commitment to and belief in employees, the group created the ‘Taj People Philosophy’ (TPP) covering all people practices of the group. The concept of TPP, developed in 199,was the brainchild of Bernard Martyris, Senior Vice-President, HR, IHCL, and his core team. The concept, originally planned to be called as ‘The Womb to Tomb Approach’, covered all the aspects of an employee’s career, from joining the group until his/her retirement. TPP was based on the key points of the Taj employee charter. Key Points of the Taj Charter Some of the key points of the Taj Charter are given below: * Every employee of the Taj Group would be an important member in the Taj family. * The Taj family would always strive to attract, retain and reward the best talent in the industry. * The Taj family would commit itself to formal communication channels, which would foster transparency. It was developed in line with the Tata Business Excellence Model (TBEM). Explaining the rationale for implementing the philosophy, Martyris said, â€Å"It is to achieve that international benchmarking in hospitality, and HR must fit into it†. According to him, the three major areas of TPP included work systems and processes, learning and development and employee welfare. As part of the TPP, the Taj Group introduced a strong performance management system, called the Balanced Scorecard System (BSS) that linked individual performance with the group’s overall strategy. BSS was based on a model developed by Kalpan and Nortan, and focused on enhancing both individual as well as enterprise performance. BSS measured the performance of employees across all hierarchical levels against a set of predefined targets and identified their variances. Martyris explained, â€Å"We are looking at a matrix form of organisation which cuts across hierarchy. It is important to understand the potential of people†. Therefore, BSS was implemented even at the lowest levels of hierarchy. The BSS included an Employee Satisfaction Tracking System (ESTS), which solved employees’ problems on a quarterly basis. As a part of ESTS, Taj carried out an organisation-wide employee satisfaction survey in mid 2000 of about 9000 employees. According to this survey, the reported satisfaction level was about 75%. The group aimed to increase this level to 90-95% and eventually to 100%. The group also took strong measures to weed out under-performers. The group adopted the 360-degree feedback system to evaluate the performance of all top officials, from the managing director to departmental managers, in which they were evaluated by their immediate subordinates. The 360-degree feedback was followed by personal interviews in individuals to counsel them to overcome their deficiencies. The Taj Group also established Centres of Excellence for its 14,000 employees at five locations in India, including Jaipur, Bangalore, Ernakulam, Chennai and Hyderabad. At these centres, departmental heads in each functional area were trained. These departmental heads later trained their own staff. The training included foundation modules and accreditation programs that familiarised the employees with Taj standards. Apart from adopting stringent measures to improve performance, Taj also recognised and rewarded its best employees across all levels of the organisation. For this purpose, Taj created a unique employee identification tracking and reward program known as STARS. Describing the program, Martyris said, â€Å"It’s an HR initiative aimed at creating an association ‘between our star performers and our brand, the Taj’†. The Star System The STAR system (STARS) was the brainchild of Martyris. The system was developed in accordance with Taj’s core philosophy that ‘happy employees lead to happy customers’. STARS, operative throughout the year (from April to March), was open to all employees across the organisation, at all hierarchical levels. It aimed to identify, recognise and reward those employees who excelled in their work. STARS was actively promoted across the group’s 62 chain of hotels and among its 18,000 employees globally, out of which 15,000 were from India. STARS had five different levels. Though employees did not receive any cash awards, they gained recognition by the levels they attained through the points they accumulated for their acts of kindness or hospitality. ‘Level 1’ was known as the ‘Silver Grade’. To reach this level, employees had to accumulate 120points in three months. To attain ‘Level 2’, known as the ‘Gold Grade’, employees had to accumulate 130 points within three months of attaining the silver grade. To reach ‘Level 3’, called the ‘Platinum Grade’, employees had to accumulate 250 points within sic months of attaining the gold grade. To attain ‘Level 4’, employees had to accumulate 510 or more points, but below 760points, to be a part of the Chief Operating Officer’s club. ‘Level 5’ which was the highest level in STARS, enabled employees to be a part of the MD’s club, if they accumulated 760 or more poi nts. Points were granted to employees on the basis of parameters like integrity, honesty, kindness, respect for customers, environmental awareness, teamwork, coordination, cooperation, excellence in work, new initiatives, trustworthiness, courage, conviction, among others. Suggestions by employees that benefited the organisation fetched them significant points. Such suggestions in each hotel of the Taj Group were examined by the General Manager and training manager of the hotel the employee worked in. the suggestions could also be posted on the Web, which were constantly monitored. Employees could also earn points through appreciation by customers, ‘compliment-a-colleague’ forums and various suggestion schemes. Employees could also get ‘default points’ if the review committee did not give feedback to the employee within two days of his/her offering a suggestion for the betterment of the organisation. In such cases, the employee concerned was awarded ’20 default points’. Hence, in an indirect manner, the system compelled judges of the review committee to give feedback to employees as early as possible. STARS helped employees work together as a team and appreciate fellow employees for their acts of kindness and excellence. It enhanced their motivation levels and led to increased customer satisfaction. In one case, a bellboy in one of the group’s hotel who received an American customer wen out of his way to care for the customer. Noticing that the customer, who had arrived late at night, was suffering from cold, he offered to bring him a doctor. However, the customer refused the boy’s offer. The bellboy then, on his own, offered a glass of warm water mixed with ginger and honey, a traditional Indian home remedy for cough and cold. The customer felt surprised and also happy at the bellboy’s gesture. He left a note of appreciation for him, which added to his existing points. According to the number of points accumulated, employees would receive a star, which could be pinned on to their coat. When a certain number of points were collected, employees received gift hampers, cash vouchers or a vacation in a Taj Hotel of their choice in India. The winners of STARS were felicitated at a function held in Taj, Mumbai. The winners’ photographs were displayed on a big screen at the function and they received awards given by the MD of the Taj Group. This award ceremony significantly boosted their morale. The STARS program seemed to have generated lot of attention among the employees at the Taj Group. During the initial phase, not every hotel seemed to be serious about adopting STARS, but after the first awards ceremony was conducted, every hotel in the group reportedly became very serious about the implementation of STARS. Reportedly, customer satisfaction levels increased significantly after the implementation of STARS. Commenting on the success of STARS, Martyris said, â€Å"After the campaign was launched, a large number of employees have started working together in the true spirit of teams and this helps us value our human capital. There are stars all around us but very often we look only at stars outside the system. Many employees do that extra bit and go that extra mile, out of the way to dazzle the customer satisfaction with employee recognition. Employee recognition is hence, directly linked to customer satisfaction. It is a recognition for the people, of the people and by the people†. STARS was also used by the group as an appraisal system, in addition to its regular appraisal system. The Future The STARS was not only successful as an HR initiative, but it brought many strategic benefits to the group as well. The service standards at all hotels of the group improved significantly because the employees felt that their good work was being acknowledged and appreciated. This resulted in repeat customers for Taj hotels. And because of STARS, the Group won the ‘Hermes Award 2002’ for ‘best innovation in HR’ in the hospitality industry. Analysts felt that the fame and recognition associated with the winning of the Hermes award would place the Taj Group of hotels at the top of the list of the best hotels in the world. The group also received requests for setting up hotels in Paris (France), where the ‘Hermes award’ function took place. The HR practices at the Taj Group attracted several Human Resources and Organisational Behaviour experts world over. In late 2001, Thomas J Delong, a professor of Organisational Behaviour from Harvard Business School (HBS), visited India and interviewed various employees in the Taj Group. After his visit, the Taj Group was â€Å"envisioned as an example of organisational transformation wherein key dimensions of cultural change went into the making of global managers†. Analysts also felt that social responsibility and people-centric programs were the core values of the Taj Group, which were well demonstrated through the ‘Taj People Philosophy’. Martyris said, â€Å"The challenges here lay in retaining the warmth and relationship focus of the Ta and inculcating a system-driven approach to service†. Analysts felt that the Taj Group had been highly successful because of its ability to provide better opportunities and gave greater recognition to its employees, which motivated them to work to the best of their abilities. The Employee Retention Rate (ERR) of the Taj Group was the highest in the hospitality industry because of its employee-oriented initiatives. In spite of the highest ERR, Martyris felt that the retention of talent was Taj’s major challenge. He said, â€Å"Our staff is routinely poached by not just industry competitors but also banks, call centres and others. In 2002, in the placement process at the hotel management institute run by the Taj, more than half of those passing out were hired by non-hospitality companies. While we are happy to see the growth and opportunity for this sector, we also feel there is a need for introspection. Are we offering swift and smooth career paths to our employees? How am I to retain staffers from moving across industries? In late 2002, the Taj Group, to demonstrate its strong belief in employees, announced plans to make further investments in training, development, and career planning and employee welfare. The group also tried to standardise its various processes and develop a common work culture. After winning the Hermes Award in 2002, the group also planned to nominate the BSS for the Hermes Award 2003.

Postal Service Case Analysis

Postal Service Case Analysis The United States Postal Service receives no tax dollars from the federal government for their operations. They are a self-supporting agency, using the revenue from the sales of postage and postage-related products to pay expenses. Each year the postal service delivers 212 billion pieces of mail to over 144 million homes, businesses and Post Office boxes in virtually every state, city and town in the country, including Puerto Rico, Guam, the American Virgin Islands and American Samoa. Delivering this much mail, requires managing almost 800,000 employees and contractors, 38,000 facilities and 214,000 vehicles. Managing 214,000 vehicles to deliver an abundance of mail, it is no wonder that accidents happen but many can be avoided. According to www. usps. com, in 2005, the Postal Service incurred $49 million for traffic accidents and in 2006 reported 100,000 motor vehicle accidents. How can the United States Postal Service reduce the annual number of motor vehicle accidents thus saving money? The three options to address the issue of reducing the amount of motor vehicle accidents per year are as illustrated below. One option is to offer an accident-free incentive plan to drivers. Regardless of fault, if a driver remains accident-free during the course of a year, they will receive a bonus. The bonus amount will fluxuate each year depending on the dollar amount saved on accident reductions that year. So for example, if the Postal Service saves $10 million in 2007, the bonus amount would be a certain percentage of the $10 million. Another option is to offer annual driver training. Each year, drivers would have to attend a drivers training in-service in order to continue driving a motor vehicle for the Postal Service. The in-service would be a hands-on training session where the drivers would need to pass a road course. Lastly, the Postal Service can execute a more stringent driving record policy. Upon hire, the candidate would need to provide a certified driving record as a condition of employment. On an ongoing basis, the Postal Service would run annual driving record checks. If any new traffic violations appear, depending on the severity of the violation, the employee would be transferred to a position that does not require driving or their employment would be separated. The time it would take to implement the accident-free incentive option would be 6-12 months. The policy would need to be developed and approved, then an effective date would need to be determined, it could be the first of the year or the beginning of the fiscal year for the Postal Service. The cost and ease of implementation would be fairly straightforward, just the cost and resources utilized to develop the policy. The annual bonus payout wouldn’t be determined until the savings from the year is figured out. Once the savings is figured out, the bonus would be a percentage of that amount and of course, each year that amount would vary. Having an incentive for drivers to take the time and think about their actions while driving, could result in a high return on investment for the Postal Service. If traffic accidents decrease even the slightest bit, the cost savings could be hundreds of thousands of dollars. The time and cost to implement the annual drivers training option would be more lengthy and expensive. The Postal Service would need to locate a facility in each state to hold the driver training and hire qualified trainers. Providing more intensive driver training could also result in decreased traffic accidents for the Postal Service. The problem with this option is not only is it costly, employees may not take the training seriously. There have been many trainings that I have attended where employees tend to goof-off and not take it as seriously as they should. The last option regarding implementing driving record checks would be relatively inexpensive. Upon hire, the candidate would absorb the initial cost of obtaining their driving record but going forward on annual basis, the Postal Service would be responsible for the cost. A driving record costs around $10. 00 and with an estimated 214,000 drivers, the annual cost would be around $2,140,000. This option seems costly; however, if the traffic accidents decrease as a result of the checks, the amount of money saved would more than the Postal Service pays for the driving record checks. To conclude, the option I think would be best is the accident-free driver’s incentive plan. When a company offers an incentive to earn more money, employees seem to respond. Not only will employees take this option seriously, the Postal Service would see a dramatic decrease in traffic accidents. By putting the onus on employees and providing them a bonus opportunity they are more likely to make better decisions when driving. Source: www. usps. com OptionsCriteria 1Criteria 2Criteria 3Criteria 4 Time to implementCostEase of ImplementationReturn on Investment Accident-free incentive plan6-12 monthsVaries depending on cost savings on accidentsRelatively easy-policy development and researchPotentially high-money talks to employees Annual Driver TrainingMore lengthyExpensive-need to buy/rent land and/or building plus equipment, trainer, etc. DifficultPotentially low-employees may not take training as seriously More stringent driving record checksImmediate~$2-3 million per yearEasyUnknown-Could lose employees due to results of check

International Economics Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

International Economics - Term Paper Example s and components which after being produced in ASEAN nations went to labor intensive countries for assembly and then final products reached the markets in Europe, America and Japan. This trade type started in IT products and expanded to other items too. Although ASEAN nations were integrating with the global economy, their intra regional integration was incomplete and was stagnating. In the past two decades the overall trade of ASEAN nations increased by 11% on annual note but intra regional export increased from 19% to 23% in the period 2000-2008.(Hanouz & Geiger,2010). In January 1992, the ASEAN nations signed ASEAN Free Trade Area (AFTA) for deeper economic integration which was to be obtained within fifteen years and it will lead to extensive liberalization in trade. The objective of AFTA was to increase regional trade among ASEAN nations and thus achieving economic independence from the world market (Ahlstrom & Stalros, 2005). As the theory goes, removal of intra regional tariff and non tariff barriers will lead to efficiency and as market size will increase investors will enjoy economies of scale. Here we will discuss about the role of AFTA in describing the pattern of trade in ASEAN nations. As per Balasaa, four different stages of economic integration can be given that are Free Trade Area (FTA), then a Customs Union (CU), a Common Market (CM) and at last a Economic Union (EU). Preferential Trade Arrangements(PTA) encompass lower tariff rates for member nations as compared to non members while a FTA is an regional integration which is formed by imposition of zero tariffs on trade among the member nations of FTA without any change of tariff on imports from non member nations. The traditional economic integration theories explain about the gains from trade and these are static analysis of economic integration. The first theory on economic integration was given by Viner in 1950. His trade creation effect says that as two countries enter into trade, the

Reflections on Food Solution in My Neighborhood Coursework

Reflections on Food Solution in My Neighborhood - Coursework Example Encourage schools to purchase healthy food for the students from local growers that are known to be sustainable farmers †¢ Good food offerings are unaffordable †¢ National school meal program to supply healthy meals to children †¢ Teach people about how they can preserve, cook, and share food for the benefit of those that cannot afford. †¢ Food wastage †¢ Create food awareness through environmental studies and community Arts movements that advocate for social change regarding food conservation †¢ Unhealthy, poorly cooked and cold lunch program †¢ Encourage the Good Food Cafà © that offers a healthy hot lunch program for school kids †¢ Malnutrition and hunger is rampant due to inadequate food supplies and poverty. †¢ The government should create school meal programs to provide children with constant food supply. †¢ Encourage diverse culinary tastes for multicultural population to honor the different cultural rituals †¢ Kinderga rten children change their attitude towards fresh fruits and vegetables †¢ Encourage children to eat fresh fruits and vegetables more than processed and canned food. †¢ Collaborate with food scholars and non profit private and public organizations to exhume, document and link people with their food practices to determine where health deficiency occurs. †¢ Form organizations such as Food-share that supplies fresh, nutritious, and affordable fruits and vegetables to children and adults every month.

Strategic Hotel Management Issues Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Strategic Hotel Management Issues - Essay Example . Also, management must decide whether it wishes to skim the market or penetrate it deeply. In such cases, the major challenge is to ensure that each of the channels makes sense on economic grounds. Flexibility and risk mitigation techniques will help a hotel operator to obtain a stable market position in Vietnam. Following Rutherford, a tourism industry is influenced by political, social and economic factors of a particular country. Using the case of the USA, it is possible to say that "among the country's living patterns. People and industry have moved from the so-called rust belt to the sun belt. The explosion of technology and information-based companies has concentrated human endeavor in technological corridor" (Rutherford 2006, p. 1). The country selected for analysis is Vietnam. In today's transformation from the industrial to the postindustrial era, managers devote much energy and time on each firm's strategic posture. Taking advantage of new opportunities and deflating threats may be the essence of strategy, but changes in strategy do not just happen automatically. Strategy depends on a firm's ability to identify emerging patterns in the business environmentand to act accordingly on time. Strategy design depends on learning or, more precisely, on institutional learning. Opportunities and threats will be anal... Opportunities and Threats for the Hotel Industry In Vietnam Opportunities and threats will be analyzed in terms of demographic characteristics, technology, market segmentation, vocation resorts, national economy, travel patterns and types of investments. Modern Vietnam (south and North), can be characterized by productivity, unemployment, and corporate restructuring preoccupying industrialized society, causing anxiety to firms unprepared to deal with these problems. Thus, as a developing country, Vietnam proposes opportunities for a hotel business (DeFranco and Noriega 1999). Opportunities Opportunities in Vietnam are connected with young population and huge investments in business, technological developments and modernization processes. Since 60 percent of Vietnam's population is under the age of 25, it is no surprise that hotel chains are also quick to make moves in Vietnam. Experts agree that the Vietnamese market holds tremendous potential over the long term. It may be two decades before Vietnam reaches the level of economic development found in Thailand today. Meanwhile, the country's location in the heart of Asia and the presence of an ample, low-wage workforce are powerful magnets for foreign companies. Overall FDI peaked at about $3.1 billion in 1997 after rising steadily since the early 1990s. Investment pledges totaled $1.48 billion in 1999, down dramatically from $4 billion in 2004. U.S. investment in Vietnam has lagged well behind that of other countries (VIETNAM: Economic Policy Analysis, 2006). Technology is still underdeveloped by local companies and in ternational corporation invest heavily in this sphere of business (Dittmer 2001; see appendix 1,2). Threats The population is very poor, with 2005 annual per

Cardiovascular disease Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 1

Cardiovascular disease - Term Paper Example This is usually in the legs. The symptom of the disease is pain in the legs when one is walking. The pain is like cramp that is felt as it comes and goes (Braunwald, 2007). Coronary heart disease occurs in the body of an individual when the flow of blood that is rich in oxygen is reduced or blocked by fatty material in the coronary artery. The coronary arteries are essential for supplying the heart with blood, when they are blocked; it results to the condition of a heart attack. The infection leads to chest pain, a condition referred to as angina (Braunwald, 2007). Aortic disease is a condition that results to weakening of the walls of the aorta and makes the blood vessel to bulge outwards. The condition is then associated to pain in the chest, the back or in the abdomen. The most common disease that is associated to aortic disease is aortic aneurysm. There are risk factors that make one more likely to get the condition. The several risk factors that are associated to cardiovascular disease include high blood pressure, being physical inactive, obesity, and high levels of cholesterol in the blood, diabetes and family history with infection by the disease (Hampton, 2003). With consideration of age, the elderly are likely to develop the condition as compared to the young. Prevalence in sex shows that men are more exposed to develop the condition as compared to women. Men are able to develop the condition at an earlier age as compared to women. Age is a risk factor that is associated to the disease. The risk is estimated to be 82% for those that are older than 65. The risk of stroke is observed from the age of 55. The explanation that is given to the age and risk of cardiovascular disease is relation to serum cholesterol level. In the large population the serum total cholesterol level increases with increase in the age. Cardiovascular disease through research has been considered a being health problem. A

Dementia and Alzheimer's Disease Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Dementia and Alzheimer's Disease - Essay Example This brain and neuron disorder seriously affects a person's ability to carry out daily activities. This condition, called Dementia, which initially affects the parts of the brain that control thought, memory, and language, is taken to be a route map of the progression of Alzheimer's. From a medical perspective, the first signs of Alzheimer's disease are detectable from the lifestyle of affected individuals. However, the simplicity of these symptoms often result in them being ignored or dismissed as natural signs of old age. One of the earliest, yet most unnoticed symptoms of Alzheimer's disease is short-term memory loss. Very often, the patient appears to have skipped memories pertaining to a generation, or a similar time span, which essentially involves the present. Very recent incidents may be forgotten, while those which happened a relatively long time ago are vividly remembered, and oft quoted. Also, individuals and recent acquaintances may be completely forgotten, and may even be mistaken to be some individual the patient had acquaintance with, in the past. One hypothetical, yet practically very common, instance worth referring to is a case where a patient has no memory of his grandson's existence. On seeing the grandson, he may be mistaken to be the patient's son, and the patient may even make attempts to communicate with him in that context. Further symptoms may include problems with writing and speaking. The patient may forget simple words and make statements that don't make any sense. Familiar and routine tasks may prove difficult as time progresses. Common instruments used in daily life such as pens, towels, etc may appear meaningless to the patient. The patient may begin to dress inappropriately, completely forget to keep appointments and may even forget regularly used phone numbers. This is said to be a loss of the power of "Abstract Thinking" (Guide to Long Term Care.com). Also, repeated and unexplained mood swings and behavioural changes, quite contrary to the normal character are observed in such patients. As the disease progresses in the individual there may be a marked deterioration of control over his motor neurons, resulting in loss of mobility to considerable extents. The patient may be unable to feed himself, and incontinence may set in. 'Once identified, the average lifespan of patients living with Alzheimer's disease is approximately 7-10 years, although cases are known where reaching the final stage occurs within 4-5 years or at the other extreme they may survive up to 21 years'(Wikipedia, 2007a). Diagnosis and Clinical Perspectives Granted that the primary indications of a possibility of Alzheimer's disease in an individual are based on observations of the daily activities of the individual, the fact remains that it is primarily a clinical condition requiring diagnosis by qualified medical practitioners. Such a study shall be based on characteristic neuropsychological features and it must be ensured that no deferential diagnosis shall exist, considering the gravity of the possible result. Such a determination of the neurological feature shall consider the patient's medical history and clinical observation, while any neuropsychological evaluation will include testing and assessment of intellectual functioning over a series of weeks or

The spread of global communications technology, such as the Internet, Essay

The spread of global communications technology, such as the Internet, has lead to a worrying trend of Westernization in countri - Essay Example The countries, which this growth of the internet has largely influenced, have also experienced an immense degree of westernization in several aspects, especially in culture, politics, and business. These influences however, have been stealthy in their arrival. The people of the countries influenced need to compare their lives with how they were in the past to realize how much of western culture has now become a part of their lives. The most dominant influence is perhaps the influence that has set in on the daily lives and culture of these countries. This includes several aspects of the culture, such as the food, fashion, language and ethics of these countries, each of which now have a ‘modern’ western touch to them, no matter which country the culture belongs to (Abdullah, pp. 22, 2007). While countries and regions are usually famous for their traditional dishes, which people have passed down from generation to generation over decades, some of the most popular foods in t hese countries happen to be fast food, which is prepared in western style. In other words, the food items, which are most common in the west, such as burgers and fried chicken, are now famous throughout the world, both under multinational brand names and local brands. To pin this effect down to the internet entirely may be unfair, as some of these multinational brands were able to penetrate the borders to these countries before the internet was developed to such an extent (Munck and Fagan, pp. 20, 2009). It is however, due to the internet, plus other forms of global communication like internationally televised media, that this sort of food is now amongst the most popular food items across the country. The advertisement that these brands receive through the internet is an effective source of popularity for these multinationals who sell western food to several countries around the globe. Examples of such multinationals, like McDonalds and Kentucky Fried Chicken, both of which are bran ds who have seen immense growth in their international sales ever since this advertisement picked up speed. Not only does this advertisement make consumers in each country eager to try this food, but it also encourages the local suppliers in these countries to produce the same food as competition for these multinationals. These local brands are often a success because they are able to produce food of similar quality but at cheaper prices. This leads to additional promotion of these western foods due to the internet. The media also helps promote these foods as it not only shows commercials for these products, but shows characters on different television shows consuming these foods as a part of their daily lives. This is a significant reason why these western foods gain popularity so fast and become part of the pop culture in several different countries (Mooij and Mooij, pp. 12, 2010). In a similar manner, other aspects of culture like clothing, language, and music have also leaked fr om the US to other countries. They receive promotion on the internet as well as through popular American television shows, which the US televises internationally. In addition, experts have proven a link in between watching satellite television and developing a materialistic mind (Abdullah, pp. 22, 2007). There is a lot of implicit advertisement of brands through these shows. Other than this advertisement that different brands do, there also the simple effect of young impressionable people seeing certain clothes or hearing a

Organizational Theory Final Paper Essay Example for Free

Organizational Theory Final Paper Essay Due to the recent and anticipated changes the U.S. government has made and continues to make in procedures regarding contract awards, as well as external market pressures from the economic downturn, I submit this proposal as a new approach to the existing organizational structure. Because talent and loyalty are at such a high premium in today’s workforce, I submit that the workforce be modified structurally rather than a full-scale reduction. This economic crisis will not last long and our current reaction and decisions will determine our longevity in the market. So the main objective of this restructure will be to make the best and most beneficial use of our employees that are committed to moving forward and to continue to build goodwill with our employees, shareholders, customers and suppliers. Changes in technology are not an issue for this particular proposal. The very nature of this company enhances flexibility in technological changes and even spear-heads changes in some aspects of industry. There may be mild behavior changes needed, but only to coincide with structural changes. The structural changes should prove to be positively accepted, as underutilization and overutilization issues should be resolved. The outcomes expected are: * reduced costs by realigning talent to appropriate duties * redefining merits for bonuses and certain benefits * offering more flexible working conditions for higher performance * creating diverse teams based on goals and projects * redesign Marketing division, re-evaluate goals, re-evaluate performance Forces Driving Change: * Characteristics of workforce have changed * The organizational structure of this company embraces military-like order. Modification of this approach is needed to empower team structure and welcome more civilian business approaches as â€Å"staff and middle management are better networked, more mobile, and smarter about their value and their options in the market.† (PWC) * Labor supply has changed * Much of the upper management and specialized employees are retired military, bringing them closer to a second retirement. While current conditions have delayed this trend it still exists. Competing companies aggressively recruit educated and experienced managers and industry specialists so we must create conditions that will foster satisfaction and loyalty. * Government contract allocation procedures have changed * More attention and emphasis must be put on other areas of the company’s businesses for wealth building. Government contracting has adjusted rates and opened the door for smaller companies to compete for Defense and Aerospace teaming contracts. * Economic downturns have caused readjustments in businesses and education * The Business Services company needs to update and integrate new business-to-business consulting approaches, enhancing and adding to our strict Six Sigma training. * The Advanced Visualization Solutions division needs to develop their products to serve beyond educational facilities, as most facilities are not currently able to invest in state-of-the-art technology. These products need to be streamlined to bring the cost of production and cost to customers down. * The Construction Company needs to focus on developing more domestic business. The international projects need to be managed by on-site managers via patriots or expatriate assignments. This will reduce expensive unplanned international travel as well as build goodwill with the natives of the country the project is based in. * The Marketing/Communications division has become obsolete, using old approaches of only upgrading the company website and only attending industry exhibitions and conferences. Marketing has become isolated from the energy that exists in the whole of the company, not working cooperatively or creatively with each subsidiary company. This is possibly due to absence of the sense of meaningfulness in the managers, thus lack of motivation. * The Core Divisions need more cohesion in their performance. Due to the overlap of duties between HR, Contracting and Accounting, there must be less antagonism and more cooperation between the managers. The executives rely on authoritarian leadership and â€Å"job-scare† tactics to motivate operations of these departments, thus the managers isolate themselves into their own responsibilities by not sharing information or working as cohesive teams to resolve challenges. Obviously, most of these problems have their origin in the culture that has been created in the company. While there are a few who remain loyal to the mission statement of the company and endeavor to sustain a family-like atmosphere, most managers and employees have become dissatisfied with not only the culture but with their own sense of meaning within the company. Thus, the owners and executives must be the first to revisit the mission statement and goals first set forth by the owners, create a more cohesive and safe culture and implement their own change of perspective. â€Å"Far too often, leaders ask everyone else to change, but in reality this usually isn’t possible until they first change themselves†. (De Smet, et al) One of the strengths to having retired military personnel in leadership and production is their ability to follow orders and to learn quickly. Most of their experience in military life was often being given an order (goal) and some of the necessary resources (most of the time), but little knowledge on how to execute it. Much of our nation’s greatest technology has come from such situations. For example, John Shergill itemized 10 American technological advances accomplished during wartime. One of the most outstanding was the development of a virtual environment, or the internet. â€Å"Conceived and designed in the late 1970’s during the height of the cold war as a defense against nuclear war. The thought was that if vital government information could be stored in a virtual environment, it would be impossible to take out communications at one location. The effect of this advancement is obvious to anyone reading this†. (Shergill) Necessity being the mother of invention was also observable when a young officer was given command over the technology department where he was deployed. Not only was the technology obsolete, but he had no idea how a computer worked. His order was to update and repair the system. Period. He quickly learned and implemented all he could and was successful in not only updating but enhancing new technology for that particular base. Today, as a retired Navy colonel, he is a professor of Networking, computer software and hardware at an outstanding US college. So the ingenuity and problem solving skills that exists within the retired military community is priceless, but their instinctive command-and-control leadership styles have become outdated and ineffective in a civilian business world, especially with civilian employees. Six Sigma approaches have been attractive to the Business Solutions department because it continues to embrace the command-and-control management skills; focusing on optimal production and very little on optimizing producers. Therefore I propose comprehensive and all-inclusive leadership-development training. I understand this may be especially opposed by our Business Services division, as these instructors consider themselves experts in the field of leadership. But it is vital that leaders stay ahead of trends in leadership especially if they train other leaders. Their expertise in traditional instruction of management mixed with the evolving principles will not only enhance, but possibly lead to more forward thinking and new approaches as they implement them. Again, it would be quite in character for the retired military leaders to take what they learn in this area and create even more valuable tactics and approaches that will enrich business leaders the world over. Thus creating a new benchmark for our company and creating a new competitive edge. In the April 2012 online edition of McKinsey Quarterly, three experts in the field of leadership training wrote of their findings in making leadership training the heart of large organizational change. The authors described the situation of one global company as â€Å"While the need for operational change was clear—the performance of the company†¦was inconsistent and in many cases far below that of competitors in terms of efficiency, productivity, and cost—so too were the organizational obstacles. Drives for improvement, for example, carried a stigma of incompetence; current performance was considered â€Å"good enough†; conflict tended to be passive-aggressive or was avoided entirely; and†¦employees felt that they were treated as cogs and that their supervisors were enforcers. The effect of all this on employees was disengagement, a lack of trust in senior management, and a pervasive fear of making mistakes—a worry reinforced by the company’s strong culture of safety and of risk aversion†¦ (So) the senior team had to look beyond technical improvements and focus on helping the company’s leaders to master the personal behavioral changes needed to support the operational ones. To that end, the company mounted an intense, immersive, and individualized leadership program† (De Smet, et al). The authors note that the program took four months for each participant, and included two week-long training programs and ongoing coaching to integrate what they learn with their work experiences. In the span of three years the return on investment in the participants has been tenfold for each leader. The program has increased the company’s income by almost $2 million, and the new leadership behavior has been crucial to the company’s success and is believed to have made the total organizational changes that were made more effective. So the development program I suggest needs to include: * Integrating leadership training with a BHG (big hairy goal). Without personalizing training it will be ineffective. Without an obtainable and desirable goal training will be a waste of time and effort. * Recognize the strengths and successes our company has and build on them. Bring in our strongest and most dedicated leaders (not necessarily formal managers) and train them in how to skillfully influence change by engaging everyone involved in the organization. These leaders may need to be considered as new or replacing current ineffective management or at the very least as team/discussion leaders. They are the bridge between corporate office and employee satisfaction. Use our Company Philosophy, found in our Employee Handbook, to employ our Core Competencies to realize our Vision Statement. * Any change in our organization must be based on honesty. Every employee of our company possesses, or at one time possessed, an expectation of good from us. Being a part of this organization was highly esteemed in the community and upon hiring, the employees felt important and distinct in their field because of our decision to employ. After being employed for about 3 years, the most common feature of the dissatisfaction that begins to set in is the irregular dispersion of information and a feeling that Corporate is not being honest or forthright with them. While this may be a military â€Å"need-to-know† approach to employee management, it is no longer efficient, as our employees are no longer military and they expect inclusion. The â€Å"leaks† and rumors that circulate on all of our job-sites and offices are much more damaging than the truth given from a trusted leader could ever be. * Common language and vocabulary used by leaders must be adopted. The language of a common vision is powerful, so leaders must be allowed to emerge and reassigned to influence the entire company. Success is contagious so the empowered managers will be able to empower employees. * Evaluate managers’ skills and interests and place them in the appropriate department. Technology can be learned, but it won’t be learned by a dissatisfied manager. * Modify benefits. Currently all employees derive their motivation from our bonus plan. Employees have been willing to accept the absence of sick leave, the infrequency of pay raises, and the absence of certain benefits in favor of expecting the year-end bonus. The Employee Handbook indicates that bonuses are â€Å"discretionary profit-sharing and performance-based rewards provided to employees base on a review of the factors previously mentioned in addition to management’s recommendations† (Our Company Handbook, pg. 11). It should be noted that every employee has different needs and motivations for working with us. We should modify our benefit offering by allowing them to make the decision of whether they would rather have a raise, receive a bonus or an enhancement to their provided benefits. * Subsidiary companies’ Business Development departments and company-wide Marketing/Communications must begin to work more cooperatively, beginning with information sharing and frequent interaction. Up to this point, these two departments have functioned exclusively of the other, relying only on each other for necessary information or for marketing tools for conventions/meetings. While BD has relied heavily on personal contacts networks, it must begin to utilize the principals and power of marketing. Marketing/Communications must begin to pursue the good of each BD department to enhance their efforts. The commitment to the structural changes, development of leaders and employee happiness must begin with the owners. It must also be an ongoing commitment, as sporadic attempts will only reinforce skepticism and heighten dissatisfaction. Leadership training must become a systemic process, not an event (Day, pg 8).

The Relationship of Music Education Essay Example for Free

The Relationship of Music Education Essay The growing academic achievement gap observed in academic institutions in the United States has prompted numerous research studies conducted to find ways and means to improve the academic performance of school-aged children in the country. Based on such studies conducted, it has been determined that the incorporation of music education as part of the curriculum used among pre-school, elementary and high school students can help improve the level of academic performance observed in these levels. As such, there are now a number of different websites found over the Internet promoting this method of teaching school-aged children of various levels. However, there are still a number of groups that remain skeptical about its effectiveness. This paper aims to provide information proving that the incorporation of music education to school curricula of different levels result to an improvement of the academic performance of school-aged children. Apart from providing the numerous benefits advocated by different websites supporting this, this paper would look into studies published in academic journals available in Internet databases proving its effectiveness, the claims provided by skeptics that have caused them to conclude that there is no relationship between the use of music education and the improvement of the academic performance of school-aged children would also be presented. Music Education and Academic Performance As previously mentioned, there are a numerous Internet websites now advocating the use of music education as a means to improve the academic performance of school-aged children of different levels. This is because research studies have shown positive and promising results particularly among children with special needs such as those with autism and those that have been considered as children at-risk. In one study, the researcher found that the incorporation of music education in the classroom led to the creation of an environment where children with autism become more successful academically since they determined that students with autism are able to respond more efficiently with the use of music stimuli (Darrow 2009). In another study, it was determined that through the incorporation of music education, members of the faculty and administration have seen that there has been a decline in the number of students dropping out of school as compared to those that did not utilize these programs. In fact, they found that 93% of students dropping out are those that are not included in any music education program (Olson 2008). Internet websites that promote the incorporation of music education as a way to provide school-aged children the ability to develop and enhance various skills which have been considered as essential for the success of school-aged children not just in school but also within the corporate world. Some of these skills include mathematics, creativity and communication skills. It was also determined that through the use of music education as a part of the curriculum of school-aged children allow them to develop traits and personalities that would make them productive members of society. These include developing a sense of self-discipline, less prone to outbursts of rage and anger and substance dependency. These claims presented in these Internet websites are supported by various research studies released by such institutions such as the U. S. Department of Education and the College Board of New York (Children’s Music Workshop 2006; Zhang 2007). While this may be the case, other Internet websites have been found to refute such claims and benefits. One of which is a website that features the study presented to the Australian Association for Research in Education entitled No Evidence for a Mozart Effect in School Aged Children. In this study, the researchers have stipulated that while there have been numerous studies claiming that the use of classical music and other methods of incorporating music education in school curriculum have caused an improvement in the academic performance in some academic institutions, this does not happen each and every single instance. This is due to the fact that other factors such as the cultural of the academic institution and the quality of the teachers facilitating the education of the students play a major role in the overall academic performance of school-aged children (Crncec, Wilson Prior 2002). In another Internet website, it was stated that while music education does help most school-aged children with special needs, this does not encompass all children with special needs. To be specific, children with auditory disorders such as auditory process disorder, or APD, are unable to comprehend sound elements. As a result, the incorporation of music education to the curriculum of school-aged children would only be unbeneficial for these children. In fact, it may even cause these children to exhibit the very issues that Internet websites promoting the use of music education are able to address (Nikolaidou, Iliadou, Kaprinis, Hadjileontiadis Kaprinis 2009). Conclusion The incorporation of music education in school curriculum has, in no doubt, been able to help in the improvement of the academic performance of school-aged children in different levels. The promising results presented by research studies conducted have been found to be consistent when these principles have been applied by various academic institutions, particularly pre-school and elementary schools. As a result, the incorporation of music education has now been endorsed by various local and government organizations involved in the improvement of the overall academic performance of academic institutions in the country. While there are limitations to how much of an improvement may be observed in one academic institution as presented earlier, the consistency observed on the contribution music education to the overall academic performance continuous to make a viable method to be used in schools throughout the country. References Children’s Music Workshop. (2006). Music education online. Retrieved from http://www. childrensmusicworkshop. com/advocacy/benefits. html. Crncec, R. J. , Wilson, S. J. Prior, M. (2002, December). No evidence for a Mozart effect in school aged children. Retrieved from http://www. aare. edu. au/02pap/crn02420. htm. Darrow, A. (2009). Adapting for students with autism. General music today, 22(2), 24-26. doi: 10. 1177/1048371308328384. Nikolaidou, G. N. , Iliadou, V. T. , Kaprinis, S. G. , Hadjileontiadis, L. J. Kaprinis, G. S. (2009). Primary school music education and the effect of auditory processing disorders: pedagogical/ICT-based implications. Retrieved from the IEEE Xplore Web site: http://ieeexplore. ieee. org/Xplore/login.  jsp? url=http%3A%2F%2Fieeexplore. ieee. org %2Fiel5%2F4561602%2F4561603%2F04561902. pdf%3Farnumber%3D4561902a uthDecision=-203. Olson, C. A. (2008). Can music education help at-risk students? Study finds positive testimony substantial but quantitative research lacking. Teaching music, 16(3), 20. Retrieved from ERIC database (10697446, 20081101). Zhang, L. (2007, March). Benefits of music education for your child. Retrieved from http://www. articlesbase. com/education-articles/benefits-of-music-education-for-your- child-124538. html.

An Analysis of J.M. Coetzees Disgrace

An Analysis of J.M. Coetzees Disgrace The novel Disgrace by J.M. Coetzee has attracted wide readership and analysis since its first publication. Set in the post-apartheid South Africa, the plot revolves around the main character David Lurie, a divorced 52-year-old professor who earns a living by teaching communication courses at the Cape Technical University. The resounding conflict in the novel is introduced right from the first paragraph where readers learn of Luries insatiable sexual appetite. He had affairs with the wives of colleagues; he picked up tourists in bars on the waterfront or at the Club Italia; he slept with whores (7). Luries relationships thus surround women, many who end up in engaging in sexual activities with him. In this paper, the themes of arrogance, disgrace, and reconciliation are explored by reviewing Luries interactions with the women in the novel. Despite the portrayal of the female gender as objects of sexual gratification, the characters Soraya, Desiree Isaacs, and Rosalind signify, to a re asonable extent, the rejection of male hegemony on sexual matters. A critical analysis into the life of David Lurie reveals a character whose greatest flaw rests in the inability to control sexual drive. Readers get an idea of the flaw in the first paragraph when Lurie is introduced as a divorced, 52-year-old man who, to his mind has solved the problem of sex rather well (1). We also learn that the problem that Lurie alludes to above has been solved through his sexual relationship with Soraya, an exotic Muslim prostitute working for Discreet Escorts. Whereas the two are committed to a ninety-minute sexual session every Thursday Afternoon, their engagement is clearly devoid of love and enjoyment, especially from the side of Soraya. Elizabeth Lowry, an editor at London Review of Books, finds the relationship of Lurie and women as exploitative. She submits that, both the prostitute Soraya and Melanie-Melà ¡ni are used women and, significantly, they are both dark (Lowry 15). Money is what drives Soraya to honor this appointment. In fact, the objectific ation and commoditization of Soraya body is revealed from the knowledge that a single sexual session takes a duration of ninety minutes and costs a total of R400 (Coetzee 2). The relationship between Lurie and Soraya however ends in a state of disgrace for both characters. Disgrace being a theme which underpins much of the story, Lurie first instance of disgrace happens when he catches the sight of Soraya walking with her two sons along a street that he frequently walks. The glance of Soraya and her two sons live a lasting impression in Luries mind that, in as much as he would like to forget, the two little boys become presences between them (6). Evidently, the reality of Soraya double life leaves Lurie at a state of shame when he tries to imagine what the two sons and their father would do if they discover what he does with Soraya. The feeling is even made worse by the fact that he himself has no son and is divorced. Shame, regret, and dishonor cloud the minds of both these characters. Lurie speaks of she [Soraya] transforms herself into just another woman and him into just another client (Coetzee 7). It is also in this reality that Lurie comes to terms that he might just be a subject in the prostitutes gossip. McDonald (2007) puts this new reality into perspective by submitting that the illusion shattered [that is when Soraya eyes met that of Lurie] is not of her objectivity, but of his own subjectivity, as he becomes aware of how she sees him (McDonald 20). For the first time, he appears embarrassed of his age body as prostitute tend to shudder over older clients (Coetzee 8). Another theme that Coetzee reveals through the relationship of Lurie and women is that of arrogance. Arrogance entails an overbearing attitude directed to people who are perceived as inferior. This arrogance brings to light the hegemonic gender relations between men and women. For instance, after Soraya rejected Luries tendency to regain dominance over her, Lurie re-asserts his dominance when he asks rhetorical questions: what should a predator expect when he intrudes into the vixens nest, into the home of her cubs? (Coetzee 10). McDonald (2009) suggests that objectifying Soraya through the use of animal metaphors was a strategy used by Lurie to reclaim dominance and authority (21). Even though the details surrounding their Luries marriage to Rosalind are scarce, we can gain a wind of Luries arrogance in the marriage set-up through the thoughts that run through his mind. For instance, in an attempt to justify his sexual escapades with Soraya, he appears to suggest that; who needs a w ife, home or marriage when ninety minutes a week with a womans company are enough to make him happy? This is arrogance of the highest order especially to women who, in marriage setup, tend to be very loyal and submissive. Arrogance is further revealed through Luries encounter with Desiree Isaacs. Despite the fact that he has visited their home to make apology for sleeping with Melanie (a student from his class), one cannot help but wonder how again Lurie still views Desiree through lustful lenses. He for instance describes her as the beauty and the desired one. He even imagines the two of them [Melanie and Desiree] in the same bed: an experience fit for a King (164). However, still through Luries relationship to Soraya, Desiree Isaacs, and Rosalind, the theme of reconciliation is explored as even male hegemony in gender relations is rejected. For instance, Luries makes an attempt to reconcile with Soraya by tracking her to her home. Soraya rejects this and in turn demands [commands] Lurie to never phone her home again. Desiree on the other hand finds it very hard to reconcile with an old man who had messed up with her sister. In as much as the family had discussed about Lurie and his planned visit, Desiree still thinks that he is unwanted visitor. She simply cannot come into terms with the reality that her sister, Melanie, had slept with this old man. The process of reconciliation between Isaacs, particularly women, is complicated by the gender sexuality that comes into play. We for instance read of Luries apology when he, with careful ceremony he gets to his knees and touches his forehead to the floor (Coetzee 173). This gesture however leaves t he mother and Desiree unmoved. It can be argued that the rejection of the apology has more to do with the elements of insincerity. According to J.M. Austerities (2016), it is argued that the gesture neither transcends not negates the predicament of gendered sexuality because, a few lines later, we see Lurie experiencing again the current leaps, the current of desire as he looks into the eyes of mother and daughter (J.M. Austerities 160). Nonetheless, Rosalind depicts a woman who has gained control over her life and is willing to reconcile with her husband but not necessarily emotionally. She openly expresses distaste for Luries sexual escapades with Melanie. She says, The whole thing is disgraceful from beginning to end. Disgraceful and vulgar too. And Im not sorry for saying so. (45) Through Rosalind, we see a woman who is not afraid to stand up against a man who had divorced her. However, we can also sense an aspect of Rosalind that is determined to reconcile their differences and be on civil terms. For example, she expresses concern over an article in the Argus news article discussing Lurie. By telephoning and urging Lurie to steel himself, there isa sense of a woman who is on a reconciliation mission. In conclusion, the themes of arrogance, disgrace, and reconciliation are explored in light of gendered-sexual relations between Lurie and characters Soraya, Desiree Isaacs, and Rosalind. Objectification and commoditization of women as sexual tools are the source of Luries arrogance. His character eventually disgraces him when he becomes the objects of self-shame and public ridicule. Because of Luries hegemonic views when he comes to gender relations, the process of reconciliation is complicated to those who cannot explain or accept his behavior. Works Cited Coetzee, J M. Disgrace. Penguin Publishing Group, 2017. Internet resource. J.M. Coetzees Austerities. New York. Routledge, 2016. Print Lowry, Elizabeth. Like a dog. London Review of Books 14 (1999): 12-14. McDonald, William E. Encountering Disgrace: Reading and Teaching Coetzees Novel. Rochester, N.Y: Camden House, 2009. Print.

An Argument in Opposition of Education Vouchers Essay -- Voucher Schoo

An Argument in Opposition of Education Vouchers Why would anyone wish to withhold support for a program that has the potential to revolutionize the, often, insufficient American education system? This question has undoubtedly entered the mind of proponents of education voucher systems across the country. However, despite the pressure placed on legislators everywhere, close scrutiny of the real issues should not be clouded by public fervor. It is my belief that, after a thorough examination of the merits of such programs, school vouchers would be a gross detriment to both the American education system and the nation itself. In an education voucher system, students are given "vouchers" for the tuition of any private or public school that accepts transfer students. Parents must pay the remainder of the tuition of the school to which they send their child if it exceeds the maximum amount of the voucher, which is usually around $3000. While the specifics of these programs vary, these statements hold true for the only two voucher programs currently in effect, in Cleveland and Wisconsin. Paramount of issues at hand is that of the constitutionality of voucher programs. The Establishment Clause prohibits a state religion and guarantees all the freedom to practice whatever religion they should desire. The Supreme Court, along with many lower courts, has held the Establishment Clause to mean also that neither federal, state, or local governments may support a religion, including financially. Voucher programs represent direct state financial support to private, often parochial schools. In fact, even the checks in Cleveland's program, while addressed to the parents, are currently mailed to the school first. Proponents of voucher ... ...ooking to be eligible for addition money. Some political leaders are also supporting voucher programs to please constituents who are, by no fault of their own, looking for immediate solutions to the problems they face. However, our society must be careful not to "bandage" the problem, but instead to fix it. The improvements made by public schools should not be discounted, either. While there are certainly schools and school districts that remain very troubled those administrators and schools boards are not standing idly by. There are continuous improvements in such schools, and there needs to be even more. Taking money from them when efforts are being made to improve their condition will clearly on hinder such improvement. Private schools are and should remain an option for all parents, but our society mustn't waver when it comes to supporting our public schools.

Smoking and Tobacco - Cigarettes and Addiction Essay -- Argumentative

Tobacco and Addiction One of the most serious and expensive problems in the U.S. is the addiction of tobacco smoking. People who are addicted to smoking tobacco are teenagers, young adults, and older adults. The number of people addicted to smoking tobacco has increased highly over the last 5 years. Social problems and media are major reasons for this increase. Smokers are every where with their foggy sphere of cigarette smoke. The large amount of cigarette butts that could be found in the streets, parks, play grounds, bus stops, and other places is one proof of the increased numbers of smokers. High school students can be seen smoking tobacco on their way home. College students also can be seen on campus smoking tobacco. Celebrities, especially movie stars, are smoking on TV shows and movies. Silvester Stallone in the movie "Cop land" and David Letterman are some examples of the celebrities. Over 30 percent of all people in the United States of America are heavy smokers -addicts- of tobacco. "Current smokers rose from 22 percent to 35 percent betwee...

Teen Britain: The shocking Truth(TM) article

Bullying, drugs, alcohol and sex were a few of the issues raised in this article, published on the 27th November 2005 as facing teenagers in today's society. As one of these young adults in our civilisation, I feel that it is my duty to defend myself and others like me in the face of such criticism. Firstly some of the points mentioned in your article I fully understand and agree with. For example, I agree that there are too many teenagers in society who are taking drugs or drinking alcohol whilst roaming our streets. You state that, â€Å"72% of 14 year olds have consumed alcohol†. This growing incidence of alcohol and drug use could also be a factor in the rise of the crime rate. However, I don't think that the press or general public can put all of the blame for this on today's teenagers, their families or the area in which they live. I think that the media has had a part to play in this and so should accept some of the blame. One of the reasons I think this, is that it wasn't so long ago that many newspapers and television documentaries claimed that cannabis didn't have any side effects or create long term damage; however, we are now being told by the media that there are serious side effects to cannabis, such as, that it the effects the quickness of the brain and how well you learn in class. Cannabis is proven to affect concentration spans so therefore pupils will not be able to take as much in during lessons. This may be one of the reasons for teenagers becoming addicted to drugs as they have been given mixed messages about the use and effects of them. In my opinion, the media is to blame for some of the negative behaviour that we are seeing from the teenagers of today. The main reason for my belief is that the media publicise a lot of the bad behaviour of teenagers; for example, young teenagers getting pregnant or drunk. However, I feel that the media very rarely praise teenagers for good behaviour and the achievement of some amazing goals. For example, good exam results, helping charities or helping out at home in difficult situations. Furthermore, some negative teenage behaviour, like smoking and drinking are activities shown on many popular television programmes, such as ‘Footballers Wives' and ‘Bad Girls'. After watching such programmes, some teenagers see these activities as cool and copy what they have watched. The media may also be influencing some teenagers to behave badly, as some of them crave to be famous and they feel that the only way to achieve this ambition is to do something delinquent, as they see these sorts of things getting attention every day. However, the media plays its part in the negative behaviour of teenagers in Britain today, so do a lot of people living in our country and indeed the laws we follow. It isn't the teenagers' fault that they believe that drinking alcohol will not harm them, as this is what they have been led to believe by our new licensing laws; These allow pubs and clubs to open for much longer and therefore make alcohol more readily available. Also the companies that are selling alcohol are partly to blame as they create new drinks which appeal to a younger market by making them taste more like soft drinks. Instead of marketing alcohol to teenagers people should be making young people aware of the dangers of alcohol and binge drinking. Adolescents should be advised to drink in small amounts and not go out binge drinking like these laws may encourage. Your article is extremely negative with its facts. You suggest that a percentage of teenagers have done something disapproving rather than celebrating the percentage of teenagers who have not. For example, instead of saying that â€Å"32% of 14 year olds have had sexual intercourse†, you could have said that 68% of 14 year olds have not had sexual intercourse. By being so negative you make teenagers sound as bad as you can, rather than praising the ones who aren't like this. This makes it far easier for the people reading your article to stereotype teenagers and jump to conclusions; however we are not all like you suggest. Finally, I would like to question the facts and statistics presented in this article as I don't always fully agree. I don't think that you have taken a big enough sample of teenagers in Britain, also I don't think that you have asked teenagers to complete your surveys in enough areas of Britain. Therefore, I question how you can support some of your statements as you seem to are stereotype all teenagers in Britain to be like the few you have spoken to. Would you like someone to go and speak to one or two people in your street and say you were the same as them? No, I didn't think you would. Well, is it fair that you have done this to the teenagers of Britain?

The Role of Architecture on the Tourism Industry

On another yet parallel line, architecture has taken the lead in tourism as the main object of tourist activity and has recently generated a specialized type called architecture tourism whereby specialist trips are organized around the cities worldwide to visit contemporary buildings designed by well-known architects as well as historically important or traditionally characteristic buildings (Chivalrous & Cigarillo, 2007).Tourism event, which boomed particularly during sass, introduced a very dense and over arbitration causing; not only major damages to coastal zones via massive constructions, but also to local life by meaner of conversion of local economies for only tourists, which gradually resulting in the decline of these towns during off-seasons, and eventually destroying both local economy and social life. Nonetheless, despite many negative consequences, tourism activity continued its growth and became the center of global social, cultural and economic life.Therefore, the pheno menon of tourism, in which verse parameters play complex roles, necessitates an intense interaction among sectors and disciplines. Among these disciplines, architecture stands out as a leading actor since it not only facilitates investments, synthesizes the requirements of comfort and entertainment or organizes activities, technologies and spaces, but also creates identities and produces the imagery and iconography associated with branding of the tourism investors. Today, hence, tourism industry and architecture are in a comprehensive and very close interaction.As a matter of fact, authentically satirical architectural edifices have always triggered tourism (Stroller, 1989) by their values as either being witnesses to historical events, or representing various phenomena, or merely by their monumentality, originality or other assets. These unique masterpieces or contexts used to render certain destinations more advantageous over the others. Thus, relatively disadvantageous locations in terms of tourist attractions have developed various strategies to overcome their position by the utilization of architecture again (Donald, 2007) due to its representation capacity.One of these strategies has been to create their own iconic symbols through contemporary architecture and its new forms by well-known designers, who are promoted as celebrities, while the other strategy being to simulate unique buildings and cities in these inopportune places which has no relevance to the location of the original. Recently, tourism industry seems to be promoting not only fake copies of historically important or well-known buildings, cities but also their kitsch and eclectic collage, such as monuments, pyramids, palaces, urban plazas and even the whole city f Venice in resorts.

Directions for “Cognitive Development” Essay

1. Access the textbook website: http://bcs.worthpublishers.com/myers7e/default.asp?uid=0&rau=0 2. Click on the PsychSim Tutorials link 3. In the left column, find Chapter 04 â€Å"Psychsim5: Cognitive Development† and click on this link. Click on â€Å"Cognitive Development† and begin the tutorial. Answer the questions and attach to the email in IT’S LEARNING. This is due no later than midnight Tuesday, September 22. Late submissions will be deducted 20 pts per school day late. PsychSim 5: COGNITIVE DEVELOPMENT Name: Faye Simshauser This activity describes Piaget’s theory of the growth of intelligence and simulates the performance of three children of different ages on some of Piaget’s tasks. Schemas 1. What are schemas? -A schema is the way we make sense of the world by organizing what we know into a mental framework. 2. Explain the difference between assimilation and accommodation. -Assimilation means incorporating new experiences into our existing framework or understanding. When we encounter a new situation, we first try to apply your existing schemas, and then we see what happens. If it fits well into our old schemas, we are satisfied. But if the new experience  doesn’t fit, we need to modify our schemas. This process of adjusting our old frameworks is called accommodation. Sometimes we only need to make slight modifications in our schemas. In other situations we may need to make major changes, or even create new schemas. 3. Suppose that a 15-month-old toddler has learned to call the four-legged house pet a â€Å"doggie.† What do you think would happen if the child sees a horse for the first time? Is the child likely to call the horse a â€Å"horsie† or a â€Å"doggie† or a â€Å"doggie-horse† or some other term? Write your best guess in the space below, and add a sentence explaining why you think the child would use that term to refer to the horse. -The child after seeing a horse for the first time will call it a â€Å"doggie† because of its existing schema with associating four-legged animals with dogs. Stages of Development 4. What are some characteristics of a child in the sensorimotor stage of development? -In the sensorimotor stage of development, the child’s intelligence is consumed with mostly sensations and motor skills. The child’s thoughts are limited to the sensations being experience and the objects being acted upon that moment. 5. What is object permanence? -Object permanence is the awareness that things continue to exist even when out of sight. 6. What are some cognitive limitations of preschoolers? -Although able to think symbolically and gain memory and language developments, preschoolers still lack certain mental operations that form the basis of adult logic. The children make errors on problems that involve changes in the appearance of objects. 7. What is egocentrism? -Egocentrism is the inability to take another’s perspective or point of view into account. Egocentrism is the reason why children stand in front of the television sometimes when others are watching behind them; they think that  everyone can see what they see.

Developing and Maintaining Skills for Everyday Life

As a carer your role is not to do things â€Å"for† the individuals you care for but to do things â€Å"with† them. Your role is to work in partnership with the individual and support their decisions, regarding their care and support them to do as much as possible for themselves. If you provide too much care for an individual they can lose skills, not learn new skills and do not regain skills they have lost. By providing active support and encouraging the individual to participate in their daily living needs you are helping them to develop and maintain their skills for everyday life.Individuals may have an evaluation to assess their physical skills. This may be carried out by an occupational therapist who will assess how well an individual can function in daily life and participate in their environment. The OT will assess what equipment and adaptations are appropriate which might assist an individual to remain as independent as possible. Occupational therapy has been sh own to be successful for the elderly population with many medical conditions and surgical recoveries.Therapists work with individuals to improve their strength and regain or maintain necessary life skills. Occupational therapists working with the geriatric community counsel families, groups in the community and local governments, to make sure that each sector is doing its part to help the elderly to maintain their independence. Occupational therapy also helps geriatric clients and patients with other activities to assist in diminishing the possibility of social isolation and its unpleasant side effects.They do this by helping elderly clients and patients continue social activities they know and encouraging them to get involved in new ones as well as showing these folks ways to continue to learn in spite their limitations. Occupational therapy also promotes mind stimulating activities. These mental gymnastics give the seniors feelings of self-worth and may help them avoid getting dem entia. Encouraging individuals to join local clubs and activities can also help them to maintain and develop their skills. Developing and Maintaining Skills for Everyday Life As a carer your role is not to do things â€Å"for† the individuals you care for but to do things â€Å"with† them. Your role is to work in partnership with the individual and support their decisions, regarding their care and support them to do as much as possible for themselves. If you provide too much care for an individual they can lose skills, not learn new skills and do not regain skills they have lost. By providing active support and encouraging the individual to participate in their daily living needs you are helping them to develop and maintain their skills for everyday life.Individuals may have an evaluation to assess their physical skills. This may be carried out by an occupational therapist who will assess how well an individual can function in daily life and participate in their environment. The OT will assess what equipment and adaptations are appropriate which might assist an individual to remain as independent as possible. Occupational therapy has been sh own to be successful for the elderly population with many medical conditions and surgical recoveries.Therapists work with individuals to improve their strength and regain or maintain necessary life skills. Occupational therapists working with the geriatric community counsel families, groups in the community and local governments, to make sure that each sector is doing its part to help the elderly to maintain their independence. Occupational therapy also helps geriatric clients and patients with other activities to assist in diminishing the possibility of social isolation and its unpleasant side effects.They do this by helping elderly clients and patients continue social activities they know and encouraging them to get involved in new ones as well as showing these folks ways to continue to learn in spite their limitations. Occupational therapy also promotes mind stimulating activities. These mental gymnastics give the seniors feelings of self-worth and may help them avoid getting dem entia. Encouraging individuals to join local clubs and activities can also help them to maintain and develop their skills.

Analysis of Ti Tonic

Analysis of Ti Tonic Submitted by : Anubhav Singh   Ã‚      INTRODUCTION Ti-Tonics are propelled mixes of characteristic tea concentrates, fiber and plant polyphenols, intended to extinguish your thirst and sustain your body. Polyphenols are nature’s most intense cancer prevention agents and protectants. It’s one of its kind products in the world in which the ingredients come from the wine making industry and fuse them to the beverage. Ti Tonic is injected with New Zealand grape seed that is normally removed utilizing our 100% Aqua Pure ® prepare that utilizations just water to extricate the bioactives from these organic prfoduct. This implies the bioactives are separated in their regular shape and not harmed by solvents, or brutal concoction extraction strategies. What’s more no substance or dissolvable buildups are in the last item. Solidify drying of the last item guarantees the movement of the concentrates is kept up and not pulverized.(What’s special, t i-tonics.com) Currently major export market is Australia. Ti Tonics won award of Best Tea Beverage by NZJBA which is New Zealand Juice and Beverage Association. Products offered by Ti Tonics are : Pomegranate Super Tea Blueberry Super Tea Passion Super Tea Mango Super Tea Nectarine Super Tea My market analysis will be conducted in India which is second Largest in terms of population after China. Market Research Analysis Tool I will be using PESTEL for this market research as PESTLE investigation is a market examination apparatus that considers outside variables that can influence a business. It gives a bird eye viewpoint of the whole environment from an extensive variety of focuses that one needs to check and screen while pondering on a particular idea/plan. PESTLE is the abbreviation which, when expanded stands for: P – Political E – Economical S – Social T – Technological L – Legal E – Environmental POLITIC AL : India – Vote based system is the point of convergence of the Indian political framework, however is frequently compelled by social strains because of religious, position and semantic differences. India is the biggest vote based country on the planet and standards of popular government are profoundly dug in the Indian political framework. Indian assorted qualities is reflected in the elected political structure of government, where power is shared amongst states and the inside. Foreign Policy: After a time of unmistakable comrade/communist predisposition, India has step by step warmed up to Western Europe, the US and numerous other outside nations. India is likewise taking a shot at unhindered commerce assentions (FTA) with Canada and the EU to change exchange encourage and fortify its two-sided associations with the two districts. New Zealand- New Zealand’s political framework has a relative representation framework that gives rise to chance to both the gend er; male and females. The nation has high scores in the World Bank administration pointers for 2014, which shows a solid democratic set-up and political security in the nation. The nation is additionally executing the New Zealand Inc. technique, which plans to enhance the nation’s outer export and import through strong foreign relations. The technique is relied upon to cover India, China, ASEAN, Australia and the Gulf Cooperation Chamber (MarketLine,2015) OBSERVATION: India is a political stable country; a relentless government does not mull over authoritative issues to effect business. On the other hand possibly it makes decisions and controls that pads relationship from political unbalanced attributes. There won’t be any political danger in introduce this new healthy organic tea to Indian markets. ECONOMICAL FACTORS : INDIA – Second largest workforce in the world India is home to the second biggest workforce, which is relied upon to increment altoge ther throughout the following four decades. This gives India a critical edge over contenders, for example, China. According to Survey, â€Å"India a haven of stability amidst gloomy global economic landscape (Economic Times,2016) Global Workforce (millions),2014-19 Size of workforce in 2014 Size of workforce in 2019   Ã‚   China 706.8 683.9 India 437.4 472.2 United States 136.0 140.7 Brazil 94.3 98.7 Russian Federation 66.2 66.7 Source – Market Line

Assignment 3 - individual written format business report an

3 - individual written format business report an organization i would like to work for - Assignment Example BCG has been consistently maintained a top five positions over the years as the best organization. Recently they were ranked third by the fortunes magazine’s 2014 list of â€Å"top 100 companies to work for† (12). There is a lot that goes on before one gets hired at BCG since the expectations are always high, but the experience is just phenomenal. The organization may be small in size, but it casts a relatively large shadow amongst its competitors, mainly McKinsey. This has in turn attracted many admirers in the business world who tend to compare themselves to BCG even though it is a consulting firm. The competition is intense at the organization; an insider says that the organization hires approximately one candidate in over 200 applicants for an associate position. The main secret to the rampant success at BCG has been mainly gaining good strategy projects that require planning and hard work as compared to implementation only. New ideas are highly appreciated in the company. This gives the organization varied approaches to tackle business hurdles. The organization had its downfall in business; in 2001, the global revenue hit a downfall as technological explosion ventured in the business. The event resulted to layoffs, and the organization had to reduce its support staff as well as consulting by 12 percent (WetFeet 38). The strategies employed by BCG may be seen as small, but they have long term solutions to business problems. This has enabled the organization to stay top of its competitors like McKinsey and Bain, even if BCG has less staff compared to the two. Intellectualism has always stood up as the best culture for the organization over the decades. An insider describes the company’s growth as just incredible. At one point, he says he used to know almost everyone in the offices but now there are very many people that he can hardly identify with (WetFeet 36). Despite having all the success and growth, the

RUSSIAS'S GOVERNMENT CORRUPTION AND HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATIONS Term Paper

RUSSIAS'S GOVERNMENT CORRUPTION AND HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATIONS - Term Paper Example ts to demonstrate how political corruption impacts the judiciary and individual human rights in a transitioning state by drawing on the details of the Yukos company trials. Gorbachev’s new Russian economy gave way to several conglomerates known as the Financial-Industrial Groups (FIGs).4 The FIGs were engaged in the privatizing the Soviet Union’s economy.5 The Menatep Group, founded by Mikhail Khodorkovsky was one of these business conglomerates.6 By the middle of the 1990s the Russian government made a decision to divest itself of its holdings in Yukos, an oil production company.7 Menatep obtained government approval for the purchase of Yukos and together with a number of commercial banks, individuals and companies placed a bid for 78 percent of Yokus’ shares.8 As a result of these efforts, Group Menatep which was controlled by Khodorkovsky was able to acquire Yukos for a sum equivalent to US$300M.9 By 1997, Menatep owned approximately 85 percent of Yukos’ share holdings.10 By the year 2001, Yukos had earned its place among the echelons of Russian oil industries as a giant, and was similarly recognized globally as a one of the world’s top private oil companies.11 With Mikhail Khodorkovsky at the helm, Yukos established a reputation for best global practices which included elements of transparency, efficiency, performance, valuable shareholdings and sound corporate governance.12 Political changes were taking place that would ultimately have a role to play in the Yukos trials that followed. When Vladamir Putin took office as Russia’s president successor to Boris Yeltsin, the colour of government-commercial relations would shift somewhat. Those changes would be reflected in Putin’s desire to restore the state’s power, despite his public manifestations of support for democratic evolution.13 Ultimately, Putin was predisposed to the adaptation of twin policies, the revival of the Russian economy and the strengthening of state power.14

Issac Newton Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Issac Newton - Research Paper Example There are, however, many facets to this man’s life, other than being a scientist, that are worthy to know. Perhaps that is what truly causes mankind to label an individual the â€Å"greatest.† Possessing not only scientific prowess but also religious and philosophical ponderings, Newton is still a focus of conversation in academic and theological circles nearly 300 years after his death. While people will certainly argue that Sir Isaac Newton should not be considered the â€Å"greatest,† the author of this paper will argue that he is certainly worthy of that title based on the magnitude of his scientific discoveries and the depth of his wisdom and thinking. Sir Isaac Newton, from England, made his mark on the areas of physics, mathematics, astronomy, natural philosophy, alchemy, and theology. That is quite an impressive resume to say the least. One interesting item to note when comparing Newton to other â€Å"geniuses† of the modern era is the fact that he really did not demonstrate his phenomenal abilities until after adolescence. In fact, he lived a rather normal and dull academic life through primary and secondary school. It was not until his time at Trinity College, beginning in 1661, that he began to really excel and get noticed. During this time period, academic life was dominated by the teachings of Aristotle, Descartes, Copernicus, Galileo, and Kepler. Being somewhat of a loner, Newton spent much of his waking hours devouring the teachings of these great men. This is likely when he developed such a broad academic interest. It is amazing to consider all of the various fields previously mentioned that Newton ended up excelling in. Of course, he did not just excel in them; he ended up altering and changing the face of each of these disciplines, as we know them. It was during his time at Trinity that Newton discovered the binomial theorem in mathematics. He then, during these brief four years of undergraduate work, began to devel op infinitesimal calculus. Even with these major accomplishments, amazingly he still graduated relatively unnoticed and simply returned to his family home. It was there that he spent two years engrossed in theories on calculus, optics, and the law of gravitation. Upon completing them, he was lured back to Cambridge and became a fellow at Trinity. It was in this capacity that in addition to his scientific pursuits, he became intrigued by philosophy and theology. This was likely due to the fact that in England during this time period, fellows were required to become ordained priests in addition to carrying out their academic duties (Morrison 133-135). Even though he was heavily influenced by religion and philosophy during his time as a fellow, his pursuits in the areas of physics and mathematical theory continued to dominate his time. Later in his life, however, he began to write volumes on his philosophy about religion. In fact, during the 1690s he wrote a series of religious writing s that dealt with the literal interpretation of the Bible. Some of his religious writings were published; others were so controversial that they remained unpublished. That is the nature of a genius, however. His thought process revolutionized the way in which the religious world looks at theology. Since the field of theology is slow to change in comparison to the scientific world, however, much of his work was so groundbreaking that many critics of Newton arose and countered his arguments. Finally, it

Compare Destiny in Oedipus Rex( by Sophocles) and The Golden Mean Research Paper

Compare Destiny in Oedipus Rex( by Sophocles) and The Golden Mean (2009 by Annabel Lyon) - Research Paper Example According to Michael Clark, â€Å"By the 1950's, Jung had outlined three types of synchronicity: The meaningful acausal coincidence of a psychological event and an external observable event, both taking place at or around the same time. The meaningful acausal coincidence of a psychological event and an external observable event, the latter taking place outside the individual's range of sensory perception. The meaningful acausal coincidence of an internal psychological event with an external observable event, the latter taking place in the future. ... (jung, 1973) Nevertheless, when analyzing the path of self-development taken by Oedipus, as well as that of Alexander and Aristotle in Lyon’s depiction, the importance of synchronicity can be seen in the way that events draw people together at auspicious times that will determine not only their own fate, but the destiny of millions throughout history. Jung’s discussion of â€Å"meaningful acausality† in its first aspect as described by Clark can be seen in the meeting of Oedipus with his father at the crossroads. This was prophesized before Oedipus’ own birth, and for that reason he was tossed away with pierced ankles and received his name. In this instance, the name of Oedipus both illustrates and hides his actual identity to himself and others. In meeting his father in such an apparently random manner against the conscious will of both parties, the element of synchronicity is clearly evident, even if the meaning will not fully become clear until later. T his meeting of Laius and Oedipus exists as the essential point where the meaning of both their lives will constellate and dissipate together, a time the gods and oracles could see but both were unconscious to personally at the time. As Jung writes, â€Å"Synchronicity suggests that mind and matter, as well as past, present and future exist in a meaningfully connected continuum. It also implies that everyday distinctions concerning self and environment, causality and the belief in linear time are historically specific assumptions rather than absolute truths.† (Clark, 2007) The sphinx in the Oedipus tale can be seen as symbolic of synchronicity and the play of fate in the way that it conjoins aspects of