Cooperative Group Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Cooperative Group - Essay Example In the European Union and in large regions of America, cooperatives, with associations, foundations and mutual funds are considered parts of the social economy. The International Cooperative Alliance, established in 1895, is considered to be the final authority for defining cooperatives and the principles by which they operate. The organization has made three formal statements of cooperative principles over the past 100 years in an effort to keep them relevant to the contemporary world. At its 100th anniversary meeting in September, 1995 in Manchester, England, the Alliance adopted the "Statement of Cooperative Identity." which made the definition, values and principles of cooperatives. Definition: cooperative is an autonomous association of persons united voluntarily to meet their common economic, social and cultural needs and aspirations through a jointly-owned and democratically controlled enterprise. Values are based on the values of self-help, self-responsibility, democracy, equality, equity, and solidarity. In the tradition of their founders, cooperative members believe in the ethical values of honesty, openness, social responsibility, and caring for others. Principles: Voluntary and Open Membership, Democratic Member Control, Member Economic Participation, Autonomy and Independence, Education, Training and Information, Cooperation among Cooperatives, Concern for Community (Statement of Cooperative Identity 1995) 2. A critical analysis of the organisation's internal structure Like any organization, cooperative has own structure, which may various from number of its members and the area of activity the co-op involved. There are tree main components of internal structure of cooperation: the Board, Management and Members. The rights, duties and coordination of work of governing team are reflected in scheme, which where adopted from the work of Garoyan and Mohn (1976 cited Cooperatives 2006): BOARD MANAGEMENT ACCOUNTABIITY To Members To Board AREAS OF CONCERN Idea Decision , Judge Ends/Purpose Action Decisions, Manage Means/Activities COMMITMENT OF RESOURCES Determine Values Long-Range, Consequestial Set limits, Monitor Intermediate and Short-Range Organize and Control Resources GOALS, POLICIES Determine Implement MANAGEMENT EVALUATION Set Policies Regarding Results to be Achieved and Limitations on Activities Monitor Progress Toward Results Monitor Compliance with Limits Provide Information for Monitoring OPERATIONS Determine Values and Goals Set Limits Monitor Conduct PERPETUATION Assurance of Capable Management and Board Succession Support, Participate BOARD PROCESS Determine Structure, Behavior, Performance Evaluation, Calendar and Agenda None Board of directors by law is legally responsible for cooperative and it's critical that all directors are highly qualified. Furthermore, directors of board need to represent the cooperative membership as a whole. (Cropp 2005) 3. A critical analysis of the organisation's objectives and/or strategy plans Jeffrey Royer (2002, p.12) from University of Nebraska noted that "because cooperatives are complex definition organization, that served to wide variety of purposes, and perform the wide variety of functions, there is no single objective, , that is accepted by board, management and members. A cooperative may pursue the number of objectives

Spies Essay Example for Free

Spies Essay Michael Frayn uses a unique style of writing in the novel Spies, dual narration. So in this essay there will be an investigation into this distinctive style of writing that magnetises the audience, as it makes the audience feel part of the story. Stephen and Stefan versions of accounts vary, this appeals to the audience as it leaves you guessing too many unanswered questions during the plot. Dual narration has many positives to contribute to the novel, for example numerous independent viewpoints. However during this novel not entirely independent view points, as the narrators remain the same individual in two separate time periods. The older character Stefan has the benefit of hindsight whilst remember the events of that summer in the 1940’s. Whilst Stephen as the enthusiasm of a typical young lad. The two accounts vary as memories are forgotten or Stefan hasn’t remembered the events in the correct chronological order. (Frayn, Spies, p. 32) So this essay will look into the effect that dual narration has upon on the reader throughout the novel. Michael Frayn is capable of using dual narration to such an impressive extent during Spies because he as an author is able to connect with the character Stephen and Stefan. The reason as to why these connections can be made is because Michael Frayn would have grown up as a child during the same time period as we see Stephen growing up in the novel, World War 2. (literature. britishcouncil. org/michael-frayn). This also indicates that Frayn would have same ability to remember certain events and recall the memories in the same manner as what Stefan does. The nature of the dual narration in this novel can become frustrating for the reader. (Hudson, everything is as it was, but everything has changed) The slow progression through the story generates complacency, as the reader wants to advance to the significant events, before the story arrives at them. As you seem to progress quicker than Stephen is able to, because of the hints and clues Stefan has informed you off prior to Stephen’s narrating. Even when Stephen finally describes the event, many of the questions you find yourself asking do not get answered. However the tension and anxiety that Frayn is capable of creating whilst leaving many questions opened and unanswered can entice the reader further into the depth of the novel. (Holtsberry, 2004). This effect gets the readers mind thinking about the possibilities and directions the story could precede and conclude in. Nevertheless you do find yourself bemused when the story continues in an opposite direction as to the one you had expected it to follow. During Spies dual narration is capable of portraying how an individual’s outlook can change over a period time. The memories can be forgotten, they can be missed interpreted, or the memories Stefan possesses may not even be his memories, instead they maybe what he wanted to happen instead. (Frayn, Spies, P. 233) This specific passage of the text indicates that Stefan is capable of remembering and realising how significant certain childhood memories are, even though he did not realise the importance or even consider the possible outcomes at the time as a child’s memory is an innocent one. It’s only with hind sight that Stefan is capable of understand the importance of Stephens memories. (Lancaster, the New York Book Review). The reader is allowed to accept and believe in Stephens’s memories and recollection of events only for Stefan to later on correct the series of events. This can also get extremely confusing for the reader, because Stefan and Stephen at various points with in the Novel have a conflict or memories. The way in which Michael Frayn has used the dual narration technique to write Spies has made the novel one of mystery and suspense. It engages the reader into the depth of the Novel. This leaves many readers having to restart certain chapters, or even rereading the entire novel to obtain and figure out the answers to the questions Frayn has cleverly left opened. The way in which in the novel flows from past to present also engulfs the reader, as you are always trying to figure out Stephens next move through the narrative of Stefan. As a reader this absorbs you into the novel as you feel as though you’re a character in the novel alongside Stephen in his childhood.

Bipartisanship :: essays research papers

Recently, the debate of whether bipartisanship has completely left this country incapacitated due to the lack of cooperation between Senators and House members with conflicting opinions has grown especially due to the Clinton Impeachment Debates. Many individuals feel that the only reason William Jefferson Clinton was impeached in the House was due to the fact that the majority of the House is republicans. This research proposal will attempt to define if the concept of bipartisanship does exist. If it does exist, what are the contributing factors to it (convincing individuals, convincing corporations, money, the Senators or House member’s families)? These can be considered to be the independent variables. Presently, the Internet consists of numerous, almost uncountable, sources on bipartisanship. Many magazines and newspapers are major contributors to this subject as well. The amount of scandal contributing to this particular issue creates a level of curiosity that intrigues a ll aspects of this society. When the public seems to want press on a particular issue, they seem to get it. The most notable feature of the current state of journalism in the U.S. is the total dereliction of duty on the part of national political reporters. More than fifty congress critters, senators, and state governors have announced their retirements in the past year, after they received packets from a group of hackers called the Fifth Column detailing illegal and unreported income from bribes, kickbacks, payoffs, and whatnot. This story of the wholesale sell-out of the U.S. political process should rank as one of the top stories of the decade. But the national media blandly reports the contrived explanations ("I just want to spend more time with my heretofore neglected family") and speculates on the sad loss of Washington country-club camaraderie that used to keep such fine people in public office forever. There are certain hypotheses in question on this particular issue. Hypothesis #1: Other than wartime issues, republicans seem to vote with republicans while democrats choose to vote with their fellow democrats on various issues. Hypothesis #2: Money, big corporations, and fellow party affiliates affect the voting patterns of Senators and House members. Hypothesis #3: Due to the fact that there are contributions coming in at both sides for different politicians, nothing actually gets accomplished. This can compared to a negative (-1) added to a positive (+1) which eventually comes back to equal 0 (consequently resulting in some aspects of government effectiveness going back to â€Å"square one†).

Essay on The Picture of Dorian Gray as a Moral Book -- Picture Dorian

The Picture of Dorian Gray as a Moral Book The Picture of Dorian Gray was a remarkably well-written book due to the reaction of its themes by society. In the preface of the novel, Wilde introduces the opinion that "...there is no moral or immoral book. Books are well written or badly written. That is all." Numerous views can be taken upon this fastidious comment. Many would agree that Wilde is justifiably correct because the preface was written with the intention that his readers understand the deeper meaning of the themes than worrying about whether it is considered morally acceptable; or perhaps, the view that it could be considered moral or immoral by the impact it has on the readers' lives. Even though there are several positions held on what The Picture of Dorian Gray's most important meaning is about, the most prominent is the novel as a moral book. Lord Henry Wotton immediately begins to corrupt Dorian's mind after they first meet by forcing his immoral thoughts of "yielding to temptation" which allows Lord Henr y to hold his attention. After listening for quite a while to Lord Henry's views, Dorian begins to change his own to match them, and therefore begins to live a life of immorality. The yellow book is a device that Lord Henry uses to further corrupt and drive Dorian deeper into the pits of sin. Through Lord Henry's influence, the changes in Dorian Gray, and the impact of the yellow book, Oscar Wilde efficiently reveals The Picture of Dorian Gray as a moral book. Lord Wotton sees Dorian as "wonderfully handsome...all of youth's passionate purity," and cannot resist the t... ...self from the influence of this book. Or perhaps...that he never sought to free himself from it." Dorian procures nine copies from Paris to have them bound in different colors to fit his mood, which implies that he was in all probability never without it. From the yellow book the moral learned is "all access as well as all renunciation" leads to punishment. In conclusion, it has been reiterated that Lord Henry's influence, the changes in Dorian, and the immorality of the yellow book further enforced The Picture of Dorian Gray as a moral book. Oscar Wilde allows for those who could understand the real meaning of the novel by comprehending the importance of these three things to discern that he fully intended on writing this novel as a moral book.

Comfort Zone

Comfort Zone Brian Tracy, one of the top success speakers and authors in the world, has once said, â€Å"Move out of your comfort zone. You can only grow if you are willing to feel awkward and uncomfortable when you try something new. † His point is that, when one steps out of her comfort zone it will be strange, difficult, or painful. However, one will only grow or learn from the experience if they accept the embarrassment, difficulties, and the awkwardness that come with trying something new. I agree with Brian Tracy because of my experience becoming a soccer player.It started in middle school when I decided to join my school’s soccer team. I would watch soccer matches with my family and I was comfortable with the idea of watching it, never playing it. Until eighth grade, when I decided to step out of my â€Å"comfort zone. † Growing up, I wasn’t the healthiest child and I knew that I needed to change my habits. Therefore, in middle school, I decided to join my school’s soccer team. I knew a majority of the rules and how to play different positions despite not knowing how to dribble a soccer ball.When I attended the soccer meeting, that’s when it hit me that there’s a huge difference between watching soccer on TV and actually playing. The other players on the team had played soccer since the age of four, and there I was, without soccer experience. After signing up for the team, I felt foolish, scared, and distraught because I didn’t want the other players to judge me. I didn’t want them to make fun of me because I couldn’t dribble or kick a soccer ball, but my inner voice was still telling me, â€Å" Don’t quit! Let the judging motivate you! Who cares if I can’t kick a ball, I will learn! My comfort zone was watching soccer whereas, trying to play soccer was me, stepping out of my comfort zone. During warm-ups in the first practice, I felt as if I was going to die! My legs fe lt horrible, and there were 2 hours left of practice. I wanted to quit, I was uncomfortable and embarrassed because I fell during an easy drill, was the slowest runner, and tired in the first 20 minutes. In the back of my mind I knew that I shouldn’t quit, I did soccer for me, to benefit my health and feed my anxiety and curiosity about the sport. On the other hand, if I were to quit, I knew I would be unhappy and disappointed with myself.Therefore, I stayed with soccer and I’m happy with my decision because I’ve made the greatest friendships and came out of my comfort zone. My middle school soccer experience has changed me in the greatest way, it helped me realize that I will face problems where at times I won’t feel comfortable and that I shouldn’t quit, no matter how difficult, strange, or painful. After playing soccer in the eighth grade, I decided to continue to play in high school; I wanted to continue my new healthy habits and my friendships that I made in middle school.From freshman year to senior year, I have played soccer for my high school team, junior varsity for my freshman year and varsity for my sophomore, junior, and senior year, and during all my embarrassing falls, crazy drills, and â€Å"psycho† coaches, I realized I love playing. Such a shift in my own paradigm was one of the hardest things for me to do however, I learned what it means to play with heart and passion, a team is a family, and new healthy habits. I grew because I was willing to feel awkward and embarrassed and as Kristen Wiig has once said, â€Å"When you go out of your comfort zone and it works there’s nothing more satisfying. †

The Tibetan Independence Movement essays

The Tibetan Independence Movement essays The Independence of Tibet is one of the hottest topics in the world today, undoubtedly due in part to the massive media exposure and attention given to the Dalai Lama and his movement in America. Recent Movies such as Kundun, The Wind Horse, and the extremely popular Seven Years in Tibet have had an astounding impact on the arousal of international awareness of Tibets situation with China. This impact and the establishment of the Tibetan Independence Movement as a major issue on the international platform has lead to the argument by supporters of Chinese rule of Tibet that interventionists have based their arguments on history according to Hollywood . Have these films swayed public opinion and perhaps even influenced Americas foreign policy regarding China? My answer would be yes. But to argue that it is the basis and the only knowledge of the relationship between Tibet and China is a vain attempt by the Chinese to portray the stance of most of the free world as the work of capitalist propaganda. As an American, I find it insulting that Many of the Chinese-over-Tibet supporters look upon Americans as being so easily influenced by the media that we would use a Hollywood production as the basis for promotion of Tibetan Independence described by one Chinese advocate: Humanitarian Interventionists and Benevolent Global Hegemonists, most of whom lack even a rudimentary understanding of Chinas long and complex history, share a particularly nasty trait. Many of these Globocops imagine because they have downloaded a few pages of seperatist propaganda from Tibet.org, and shed a tear or two while watching Seven Years in Tibet, that qualifies them as China experts. They believe this qualifies them to pass judgment about whether China deserves to remain intact or be forcibly Balkanized by the worlds only remaining superpower. Their attitude rivals that of the most contemptible 19th century imp...

Magic realism cheah essays

Magic realism cheah essays POLITICAL SCIENCE 240: TAKE HOME EXAM QUESTION TWO Magic realism is a term represented in the works of various authors, from Gabriel Garcia Marquez to W.P. Kinsella. It is hard to define, but can, in its simplest terms, be described as a critical ontology of ourselves. Magic realism is a minority literature movement that seeks to offer a new form of historicism, and is therefore radically different from the realist perspective that is consistently being showcased on western media outlets such as CNN. Magic realism is important to the storytelling within the discipline of international relations as it serves to represent voices that would otherwise be silenced. Magic realism must be considered important to international relations because of its liberation of silenced opinions. Magic realism has been shown as both an engagement with history, as well as a rejection of history. It manipulates conventional narrative as a symbolic act of cultural resistance and empowerment, yet seeks to resist engagements with the political. For years, social theory has been attempting to highlight the impartiality of representations within a realist framework. This is not unlike the magic realist perspective, which serves as a liberating response, not simply to countries within the global periphery, but to established nations as well. It therefore becomes worthwhile to assume that magic realism is capable of expressing different voices through a variety of literary devices that are usually in opposition to conventional realism. This form of realism differs in that it attempts to incorporate a barrage of illusionary measures in its quest to provide an accurate interpretation of reality. It becomes obvious that both the reader and the author are clearly aware of such deceptiveness, as is the case with the novel Shoeless Joe, where Kinsella discusses the experiences of baseball, and thusly imprints within the narrative ...

Free Essays on Major Molineux

of Bob Dylan, â€Å" These times, they are changing,† a symbolic message, echoes in the form of a relationship between the self and the world of a reality created by the eyes of the beholder. This reality of perception, manifested by the individual, is constantly evolving through experience, self-enlightenment, and the acquiring of knowledge. The poet and author Nathaniel Hawthorne illustrates these natural truths in the outward appearance of a short story titled â€Å" My Kinsman, Major Molineux.† Within the contents of this tale, a young lad named Robin sets off from his home in the country, on a journey to the little metropolis of a New England colony in search of his uncle Major Molineux. Robin’s intentions are to fulfill a past year’s promise given by his affluent uncle to come and live with him in the city. With a scant amount of wages given to him by his father, and the tattered articles of clothing on his back, this youth optimistically ventures on the road of self-discovery. Through several encounters with the local inhabitance, Robin’s black and white perceptions of the world around him, begin to blend into gray, as he starts to question the very basis of his understanding, stemming from what his uncle had told him just one year earlier. This transition involves the abandoning of the preset notions of adolescence in exchange for the knowledge that one gains through their own experiences. In Robin’s case, these experiences open his eyes to what kind of man ! his uncle really is. Delving further into the inquisition of these natural truths, one must examine their underlying effects on the central characters of the story to understand how the changes of one’s reality are at a constant rate. The character of Major Molineux represents an ego trapped within a self-indulged idealism. He refuses to adaptively change to the world around him, maintaining an out of date mode of thinking. At ... Free Essays on Major Molineux Free Essays on Major Molineux In the immortal words of Bob Dylan, â€Å" These times, they are changing,† a symbolic message, echoes in the form of a relationship between the self and the world of a reality created by the eyes of the beholder. This reality of perception, manifested by the individual, is constantly evolving through experience, self-enlightenment, and the acquiring of knowledge. The poet and author Nathaniel Hawthorne illustrates these natural truths in the outward appearance of a short story titled â€Å" My Kinsman, Major Molineux.† Within the contents of this tale, a young lad named Robin sets off from his home in the country, on a journey to the little metropolis of a New England colony in search of his uncle Major Molineux. Robin’s intentions are to fulfill a past year’s promise given by his affluent uncle to come and live with him in the city. With a scant amount of wages given to him by his father, and the tattered articles of clothing on his back, this youth optimistically ventures on the road of self-discovery. Through several encounters with the local inhabitance, Robin’s black and white perceptions of the world around him, begin to blend into gray, as he starts to question the very basis of his understanding, stemming from what his uncle had told him just one year earlier. This transition involves the abandoning of the preset notions of adolescence in exchange for the knowledge that one gains through their own experiences. In Robin’s case, these experiences open his eyes to what kind of man ! his uncle really is. Delving further into the inquisition of these natural truths, one must examine their underlying effects on the central characters of the story to understand how the changes of one’s reality are at a constant rate. The character of Major Molineux represents an ego trapped within a self-indulged idealism. He refuses to adaptively change to the world around him, maintaining an out of date mode of thinking. At ...

Jewish Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4750 words

Jewish - Research Paper Example This started with the people who occupied the area that was between the Nile, the Euphrates and the Tigris rivers. The land of Cannan, which was later called as Isreal was surrounded by ancient seats of cultural manifestations within Egypt and Babylonia as well as the deserts of Arabia. It was also encircles by the highlands that came from the Asia Minor. This indeed was an area that saw a number of civilizations coming to the fore of each other. This area was negotiated by the age-old trade links and thus comprised of the significant harbors on the Gulf of Akaba as well as on the Mediterranean coast where it exposed towards the influential patterns of a number of other cultures, most of which hailed from the Fertile Crescent. This paper takes a keen look at the Jewish historical basis and studies in-depth the different representations of culture, arts and politics within the world of Judaism. Conventionally it has been seen that the Jews all over the world have claimed that their descent has been mostly lying within the ancient Israelites, the ones who settled within the initial land of Israel. It is for this manner that the Israelites have long and hard traced their shared lineage with Abraham who was the biblical patriarch through Isaac and Jacob, both of whom were Hebrews and essentially the descendants of Eber. On the same token, the Jewish beliefs hold fast on to the claim that the Israelites were indeed the descendants of Jacob's 12 sons, one of whom was Judah who initially settled within Egypt. It was within Egypt that their descendants were put to slavery by the Egyptian pharaoh, who was often known by the name of Ramses II. When one studies the ancient conventional basis of the Jews, there is evidence in the fact that the Jewish Israelites left their country, Egypt being their own to Canaan which was essentially led by their prophet Moses. What this event did wa s to mark the very basis of formation of the Israelites as a nation, which was later divided into twelve different tribes, all of whom are kept after Jacob's sons. Jewish tradition as well as the Bible, the time from Genesis towards the Malachi has told that the Israelites moved about in a freely roaming fashion within the deserts for more than four decades after which they were able to conquer Canaan under the aegis of Joshua, thus dividing the very land amongst the twelve varied tribes. There was a period of time within the Jewish history when the twelve different tribes were led by a series of judges who were essentially the rulers themselves. After this period had passed, an Israelite monarchy was instituted upon within the land under the aegis of Saul as he continued to work under King David and Solomon, the latter being his son. Since King David was the ruler of the time, he made his mark by conquering Jerusalem, where his mode of attack included capturing a Canaanite and late r on a Jebusite town, where he made the same as the capital. King David's son was proactive in his approach as he constructed the First Temple within Jerusalem. Later on, Solomon's period in office was further divided into a couple of kingdoms - Israel which consisted of ten different tribes within the north, and Judah that entailed of those tribes within Judah and Benjamin, both of which lied in the south. Assyrian ruler Shalmaneser V captured Israel in the 8th century BCE. Unfortunately there is no evidence in the f

Mcdonalds Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4000 words

Mcdonalds - Essay Example However, the real problem which the company is facing in India is the dilemma of implementing the international food standards and at the same time meeting the unique tastes and preferences of the Indians. The success of the company in the market can be evaluated using Porter’s Five Forces. Therefore the competitive forces within the market, the power of suppliers and buyers and the threat of new entrants and substitutes are the forces against which the evolution of McDonald’s in the Indian market can be analyzed. PEST Analysis Political Factors McDonald’s international expansion faced political challenges because â€Å"not everyone in the world was happy to welcome McDonald’s into their country† (Center for Management Research, 2011). However, India has been described as one of the world’s largest democracies, a factor which is attributed to the liberalization of business activities within the country. Because of this liberalization McDonald ’s was allowed to enter the Indian market for its food products. Regardless of this liberalization, foreign investors are only allowed to operate in India through partnership and as a result, the company has ventured into partnerships with local investors such as Hardcastle Restaurants Private Limited which provide food products to the Indian market. Moreover, the Indian government is fairly stable which has provided a secure business environment for McDonald’s business operations. Because of the political stability within India, the company has invested in various parts of the country through opening many outlets which are aimed at serving the market with sufficiency. The marketing strategy of the company includes various promotional campaigns through sports activities. The fact that the government of India is involved in the purchase of large quantities of sportswear demonstrates that the political environment favors the marketing strategy of the company. Economic Fa ctors India is experiencing positive economic growth and thus leading to an increase in the ability of the population to spend money. This has elevated the sales revenue of McDonald’s within the Indian market. The economic climate in India is characterized with Multinational Companies (MNC) restrictions such as the support of companies which promote technological growth as opposed to food companies such as McDonalds and thus causing an economic hindrance of the company’s operations within the country. The economic forces within the Indian market are largely controlled by the market which defines the entry and exit of foreign companies to the market. However there in an increased support for employment within India which has enabled McDonald’s to acquire skilled labor within its business outlets. Social Factors In India, McDonald has been viewed as a â€Å"symbol of American economic and cultural domination† (Center for Management Research, 2011). This ill ustrates that the social environment in India has been a challenge to McDonald’s operations. The major social challenge in India is the fact that cows are being worshipped and thus the company is unable to provide the market with its beef products. It is however argued that the vegetarian diet among Indians did not prevent McDonald’s from success in the Indian market. Since, religion is attributed to the vegetarian di

Can America assassinate its citizens justifiably Research Paper

Can America assassinate its citizens justifiably - Research Paper Example The event of the death of Anwar Al-Awlaki through predator drone missile strike raises some relevant questions about the violation of human rights, absence of advance warning and the violation of international law. Preventive measures taken by the government and other intelligence agencies often contributes confusion and fear among the people or America face severe crisis in justifying its actions against terrorist groups. Thesis Statement: The study mainly investigates can America assassinate its citizens justifiably without advanced warning and due process? The doctrine of Radical Islamists discloses that they always require the status of separatist. AL Qaeda and its related extremists groups search a puritanical and strictly fundamentalist Islam. They believe that the modern especially, Western culture and ideologies become act as a prominent threat of their religious faith. In this juncture, one cannot avoid the chance of preventing the threat of global terrorism. Government acti ons against terrorist groups need a well organized plan it needs an effective criterion in determining its citizens. Through the process of ensuring advanced warning or due process against suspected persons, government can assassinate its citizens justifiably. ... But the assassination of Al-Awalaki has explored the administrative failure of the Obama government which loosening standards for extra judicial killings could go down in to a horrifying use of administrative power. William Fisher examines that â€Å"Most of the major human rights groups condemned the killing as an affront to the U.S. Justice system and the values underlying it† (Fisher). The word â€Å"terrorist† is applied to him and has been put on U.S assassination mark without due process. Relevant criticisms had risen against Obama administration and its action against a U.S citizen. Eminent personalities including the Republican presidential candidate Ron Paul, have recommended the beleaguered killing of an American could be an impeachable administrative failure for President Obama (Gneiting). His assassination simply highlights the fact that the administration secret standards for putting people, including American citizens, on a hit list. Therefore, If the Gove rnment just declare anyone, anywhere a hazard to the national security and assassinate him without due process, the rights of all citizens are in threat. Even though an American citizen, Obama administration had taken the rare way of authorizing the targeted killing of Awlaki (The New York Times). U.S military officials had kept an unclear identifying record about Awlaki’s death and it denotes the injustice. Assassinating a citizen without advanced warning or due process explores the dangerous use of government power. It is part of common knowledge is that the Fifth Amendment ensures citizen’s rights to live without fear. As a citizen who lived in the United States, Al-Awalaki has the right to

Facebook Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 2

Facebook - Essay Example Ashley Watson lists Starbucks, Victoria’s Secret, Zara, McDonalds, H&M, Taco Bell, Subway, Lacoste, Hollister and Forever as the top ten most liked retailers advertising on Facebook and claims they are selling themselves on the site as they discovered it as an innovative way of letting themselves be known to consumers. The advertisers on Facebook generally let their products known on the networking site because of the number of people they can reach as friends of targeted consumers see what they are engaged with when they click on the like button below the pictures of advertisers (Stambor). In addition, Facebook advertising is cheaper on the part of the retailers while they are still able to reach more consumers with the help of their prospects’ free advertisements tot their friends. As mentioned earlier in the ads of Facebook, retailers are also able to interact with customers, telling them more about their products and answering questions which makes consumers appreciate or give suggestions to the retailers. Being the top among the ten retailers mentioned earlier, Starbucks gained its status with a well done Facebook page (Lee) where they communicate with their customers, updating them with new products, promotions and other pertinent information that engage their fans. One noted activity of the retailer is giving away free products when they print out invitations from their advertisement on the networking site which increased their production within the promotional period. Another retailer that took great advantage of the site’s advertisement page is the controversial Taco Bell (Lee, Singer) with the lawsuit claiming its Taco fillings do not meet the standard requirement of the USDA to be labeled as beef, the retailer used Facebook to pacify consumers. It is giving away ten million coupons to those who like them on Facebook which consequently entitles them for free Tacos and the more than five million followers of Taco Bell

Cross Cultural Issues in Tourism & Hospitality Essay

Cross Cultural Issues in Tourism & Hospitality - Essay Example An analysis of the cultural differences to understand tourism and hospitality service requirements reveals cross cultural differences.The paper examines Japanese and American cultures and describes the differences in social behaviour of each of these cultures. Tourism and hospitality industry, being the most booming one in past decades contribute to the economic and employment development of countries. It is the kind of service which has both subjective and intangible in nature. Understanding tourism service climate and culture is undeniable for sustaining competitive advantage (Kusluvan 487). Clark suggests that national character, defined as the pattern of enduring personality characteristics found among the populations of nations, has profound impact on buyer-seller interactions (qtd. in Kusluvan 237). One way in which national character influences service transactions is through culturally specific norms regarding how and when emotion should be expressed (Feldman and Morris 1995; Grayson 1998 and Mann 1997 qtd. in Kusluvan 237). Ekman states,â€Å"Considerable differences regarding display rules exist across cultres†(qtd in Kusluvan 237).For example,according to Mann,in muslim culture,smiling for a woman can be interpreted as an indication of sexual interest and muslim woman is socialized for not smiling at man.On the other hand American’s norm of service is the display of smile absence of which can harm a female provider’s career(qtd. in Kusluvan 237). â€Å"While no empirical research exists which systematically examines ways in which cultural differences impact display rules and consequently the emotional labor requirements of hospitality and tourism workers,Hofstese’s(1980) frame work of culture offers interesting possibilites† (qtd. in Kusluvan 237). â€Å"According to Hofstede (1980),cultures can vary along four dimensions to

Facebook Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 2

Facebook - Essay Example Ashley Watson lists Starbucks, Victoria’s Secret, Zara, McDonalds, H&M, Taco Bell, Subway, Lacoste, Hollister and Forever as the top ten most liked retailers advertising on Facebook and claims they are selling themselves on the site as they discovered it as an innovative way of letting themselves be known to consumers. The advertisers on Facebook generally let their products known on the networking site because of the number of people they can reach as friends of targeted consumers see what they are engaged with when they click on the like button below the pictures of advertisers (Stambor). In addition, Facebook advertising is cheaper on the part of the retailers while they are still able to reach more consumers with the help of their prospects’ free advertisements tot their friends. As mentioned earlier in the ads of Facebook, retailers are also able to interact with customers, telling them more about their products and answering questions which makes consumers appreciate or give suggestions to the retailers. Being the top among the ten retailers mentioned earlier, Starbucks gained its status with a well done Facebook page (Lee) where they communicate with their customers, updating them with new products, promotions and other pertinent information that engage their fans. One noted activity of the retailer is giving away free products when they print out invitations from their advertisement on the networking site which increased their production within the promotional period. Another retailer that took great advantage of the site’s advertisement page is the controversial Taco Bell (Lee, Singer) with the lawsuit claiming its Taco fillings do not meet the standard requirement of the USDA to be labeled as beef, the retailer used Facebook to pacify consumers. It is giving away ten million coupons to those who like them on Facebook which consequently entitles them for free Tacos and the more than five million followers of Taco Bell

Philosophy questions Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Philosophy questions - Assignment Example Also, in a utilitarian context, the outcome of prop 30 will be propitious in the sense that the proposed increase in taxes will not impact the high income segments that drastically, since they will yet be left with much money to support their lifestyle, and will still lead to an outcome that will be favorable and good for the entire society that is the best possible outcome (Scarre 126). Answer 2. Given the context that a CEO decides to lay off 10 percent of the workforce to restore profitability of a firm that has shown looses for two consecutive quarters; Gandolfi will certainly disagree with this strategy. In the vast body of literature produced by Gandolfi on the concept of downsizing, he has immaculately proved beyond doubt that the firms opting for large scale layoffs in response to constrained financial and economic scenarios are not only very rarely able to outperform financially, but layoffs also lead to debilitating consequences, which negatively impact the moral of the left over employees and managers (Gandolfi 3). Yet, most of the CEOs prefer to opt for downsizing, which though registers favorably in the financial statements in the short run, leads to unfavorable long term consequences like lose of the trained and skilled labor, creation of distrust and apprehension in the human resources, depletion of moral, shaking of the investor confidence, falling of stock prices and unemployment. This viewpoint will certainly be supported by Aristotle, who held that the highest good was desirable for itself and all the other goods were subservient to it (Peters 10). Hence, retaining the workforce during tough times is a good that brings within its fold many other goods like employment, investor confidence, high moral and profitability in the long and the short

Hindustan Unilever Ltd Essay Example for Free

Hindustan Unilever Ltd Essay Hindustan Unilever Limited, a fast moving consumer goods company, manufactures and sells home care, personal care, and food products in India and internationally. The company offers soaps, detergent bars, detergent powders, detergent liquids, scourers, etc.; and personal products, such as oral care, skin care, and hair care products, as well as deodorants, talcum powders, color cosmetic products, and Ayush health care and personal care products and services. It also offers packaged foods, such as atta, salt, bread, etc.; ice creams and frozen desserts; culinary products comprising tomato based products, fruit based products, soups, etc. ; and beverages, including tea and coffee. In addition, the company exports marine and leather products, as well as offers chemicals; Pureit in-home water purifiers; and salon services. It offers food products primarily under the Annapurna, Brooke Bond 3 Roses, Annapurna, Brooke Bond Red Label, Brooke Bond Taaza, Brooke Bond Taj Mahal, Bru, Kissan, Knorr, Kwality Wall’s, Lipton, Magic, Magnum, and Modern brand names; personal care products under the Aviance, Axe, Breeze, Clear, Clinic Plus, Closeup, Dove, ELLE 18, Fair Lovely, Hamam, Lakme, Lifebuoy, Liril 2000, Lux, Pears, Pepsodent, Ponds, Rexona, Sure, Sunsilk, TRESemmà ©, and Vaseline brand names; and home care products under the Active Wheel, Cif, Comfort Fabric Conditioner, Domex, Rin, Sunlight, Surf Excel, and Vim brand names. The company was formerly known as Hindustan Lever Limited and changed its name to Hindustan Unilever Limited in May 2007. Hindustan Unilever Limited was founded in 1931 and is based in Mumbai, India. As of July 4, 2013, Hindustan Unilever Ltd. operates as a subsidiary of Unilever plc. Many challenges for HULs new boss Cheap Flights from New Delhi to Toronto As low as Fares Have Reduced, Book Your Flight Now! Yatra.com www.Yatra.com Ads by Google Add to My Page Read more on: Hul | Fmcg | Mena | Hindustan Unilever | Sanjiv Mehta Nitin Paranjpe RELATED NEWS Diageo stirs USL in bid to shake Indian market Shreekant Sambrani: Gandhis truth Then and now ITC looks away from fairness for men in personal wash Cabinet to take up ordinance on convicted netas on Oct 2 Rahuls opinion well taken in party, govt: Cong SBI Life Insurance Plans 1 Cr Life Cover @ Rs 543* pm Only Save upto 50%, Get Free Quotes Now!www.policybazaar.com/Tax_Saving IDFC Mutual Fund Invest in a wide range of Funds. Meet an Advisor in Your City Now!www.idfcmf.com Ads by Google Sanjiv Mehta has cut himself an unusual career for a chartered accountant. Rather than move up the echelons of finance management, he was part of crisis management at his first employer, and then the commercial head of home and personal care products and, lately, chairman of MENA (Middle East and North Africa) for Unilever, the second-largest fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) company in the world. As he takes over as chief executive at Unilevers India arm, and the countrys largest FMCG company, Hindustan Unilever (HUL), on Tuesday, he will be the first to not have had a stint in Indian business before doing so. The current slowdown has not spared FMCG companies and though fortified on the back of an open offer and a reinforced supply chain, HUL has challenges of its own to battle. If not for these, all Mehta had to do was ensure continuity to ride out the gloom. However, he will now have to iron out creases at one of its bread and butter segments, skincare, at a time when HULs top brass drive on premiumisation is seeing resistance due to sobering consumer sentiment. Comparisons The company is different from the HUL in April 2008, when predecessor Nitin Paranjpe had taken over as CEO. Paranjpe, who joins the Unilever Leadership Executive, took on the role of president, home care, moved up the ranks in  laundry and home care and then personal care, right from being an area sales manager to being the executive director. He took the company out of the woods during the previous slowdown that India had faced. Jyothy Laboratories joint managing director, Ullas Kamath, says: Nitin breathed new life into HUL by doing away with power brands, increasing rural and semi-urban reach and, most important, building a team that worked hard, stayed together in the past five years. I wish Sanjiv all the best; he should strive to not undo what has been done so far. Another industry peer points to the internal changes under Paranjpes watch and what Mehta would do well to preserve: He brought Leena Nair on board and rehauled the human resources at HUL, with a young team which was answerable for bringing about results and members rotated every three years for a rounded experience. Various programmes also led to low-cost production and an extensive distribution in the hinterlands. It is like HUL is now on auto-pilot and process-driven in a way that people are more aware of the company than the man behind it, which is the mark of a leader. Observers are perhaps worried about the new CEO’s rallying skills because Paranjpe did it very well. One of Paranjpe’s peers and batchmates says, â€Å"HUL will have to be mindful of the drain of human capital to other organisations. ITC is also of a similar size but it does not suffer as much. Paranjpe knew the system and got the top people on his side. He was quiet. Rather than be visible outside like Banga (CEO before him), he was visible inside the organisation and, hence, could influence top guys more.† Mehta has not worked with the Indian team so far but taking over without rocking the boat at this time will be crucial. So far, in various interviews, he has spoken about empowering people and developing them. Nirmal Jain, chairman, India Infoline (IIFL), says: â€Å"Mehta will have to reinforce the strategy so far, so that the morale of his team remains high. He is from an emerging markets background, so he will understand the focus on market share, volume growth and spends on brands.† Challenges One of Paranjpe’s peers and batchmates says, â€Å"Mehta might need to reassure shareholders on not losing margins. He would have to think of ways in absorbing the pressure on volume growth in these times. One of these could be telling them that HUL would take a hit on volume but maintain margins since it can afford to do so.† IIFL’s Jain wants Mehta to focus on innovation and relaunches. Nikhil Vora, managing director at IDFC, says: â€Å"Paranjpe has been able to restrict market share losses and even grow in some categories. But the biggest challenge remains the absence of a funnel of new products, especially because its core categories are only expected to grow weaker.† Jain says going into a service-led business of water purifiers rather than sell bottled water amounts to HUL playing in a niche category, whereas it is better geared to succeed in mass segments. The clamour for innovation can also be linked to how one of HUL’s erstwhile blockbusters has run into trouble of late. Fair and Lovely, a Rs 1,500-crore brand in personal care, a segment that contributes nearly 30 per cent to HULs revenue, is in a category (fairness) which is not growing. â€Å"It shows a consumer disconnect with the brand,† says Vora. Food remains a challenge. Analysts like Vora point to a lack of investment in the category. â€Å"It has been historically coy with introducing innovation in snacks, foods and dairy. These are categories in which its competition has been active with innovation. It needs to get into these categories to stay formidable in the years to come.† Ahead In his Bangladesh stint, Mehta was known to take risks and alter the operating style to turn around a troubled loss-making business, in two and a half years. He is also aware of the cultures in Southeast Asia and West Asia. In his first job with Union Carbide, he was part of the crisis management team after the Bhopal gas tragedy in 1984 and remained till 1992  before joining Unilever in Dubai. Nitin Mathur, consumer research analyst with Espirito Santo Securities, says: â€Å"North Africa due to its proximity with markets in Europe has about 80-90 per cent media penetration and a greater presence of modern trade than India.† While Bangladesh and West Asia not only boast of Indian expats but also media habits that are similar to India. Mehta’s succeeding Paranjpe is reminiscent of the latter’s ascension in the downturn of 2008. However, at that time the FMCG sector was not hit and 2010-11 saw a boom. Will Mehta’s emerging market exposure stand him in good stead now?

Case study and observation research methods

Case study and observation research methods This essay will look at difference between to research methods; Case Study and Observation. Case study is the understanding of the complex issues or can extend experience or add strength to what is already known through previous research. It is an in-depth study of an individual, group, incident or community. Case studies emphasize on the detailed analysis of the event or conditions and their relationship. Sometimes researchers use the case study method for real life situations and use sources of evidence to prove their study. First step to take in case study is to collect all data about the case and should be organised to draw attention to important points in the case. The case studys questions are most likely to be information questions why and How therefore these questions are helpful to focus on the studys goal. In case study researchers gather facts from different sources and conclusions is made of these facts. Here is a case study of the Davids behaviour, David, 13 year old who has been admitted to a detention facility in California. Police reports indicate that he and another boy were arrested for breaking and entering into a private residence. David grew up in an upper middle class section of California. Davids father is a professor at a college, and his mother, is a dentist who works for a health care group. Even as a small child, David seemed unable to restrain himself. He would bound around the house, crashing into walls and objects, frequently breaking items or destroying house plants. David entered puberty at the age of 11, and at that time, his behaviours became more destructive. He frequently got in fights with his classmates, and would verbally assault teachers. His parents suspect that he may have tried smoking cigarettes and may have experimented with sniffing glue. After his arrest for breaking and entering, David began to cry and told his parents that he felt badly for what he had done. He added that he was unable to control himself. In Davids case study which took long time to study Davids behaviour from his childhood to his teenage and in different circumstances Davids behaviour had changed and resources have been used to prove his behaviour such as his parents or police. Another example for case study research; its Freuds little Hans case study, Freud used a case study method to investigate little Hans Phobia however the case study was actually carried out by the boys father who was a friend of Freud. Freud probably only met the boy once. The father reported to Freud via correspondence and Freud gave directions as how to deal with the situation based on his interpretations of his fathers reports. Freud noted that it was the special relationship between Hans and his father that allowed the analysis to progress and for the discussions with the boy to be so detailed and so intimate. The first reports of Hans are when he was 3 years old. When Hans was almost 5, Hans father wrote to Freud explaining his concerns about Hans. He described the main problem as follows: he is afraid of horse will bite him in the street, at age 19 the not so little Hans appeared at Freuds consulting room having read his case history. Freud believed that the findings from the ca se little Hans supported his theories of child development. Observation involves looking and listening to the object very carefully. Researchers in observation study an individual or group in their natural settings without being informed of the observation in advance. Observational data is usually detailed information about the particular person, groups or situations and revealing changes. In a non- participant observation researchers observe behaviour of the subject without interacting with the subject whereas in participant observation the researchers put themselves in the subjects position, so the researchers become part of the world of the subject meanwhile focusing on their study and in direct observation, people know that you are watching them, and there is concern that sometimes individuals change their actions while not showing what you are looking for or what they are really look like. A research which led by Charlton, studied the effect of television on childrens behaviour when it was introduced for the first time to an island of St Helena in mid-1990s, The researchers focused specifically on pro- and anti- social behaviour. Using video recording, they found that, compared with play ground observation on three to eight years olds made four months before television started, five year after its introduction there were 5 out of 64 measures showing a decrease in pro- social behaviour. However for boys, only there were significant increase on two pro-social measures and significant decrease on two anti-social measures. In other words, for boys at least there was almost as much positive as negative effect. The research led by Charlton was a naturalistic observation which is used to collect behavioural data in real life situations. The data gathering device in this research was video recording, which taped the childrens interaction daily. There is another example of Whyte studies about Italian gang for Observation research study, Whyte studied an Italian street gang in Chicago by joining it. It was obvious Whyte was not a normal gang member. His cover was that he was writing a book about the area. He made the famous statement that I began as a non-participating observer. As I became accepted into the community, I found myself becoming almost a non-observing participant' Whyte research study was undisclosed participant observation. Whyte as an observer kept hidden his study about the gang from gang members; Whyte aimed the understanding of the gang by putting himself in their position and observed gang members in their natural setting, as they were busy in their everyday lives. Two ethical issues Consent and Deception, both are very important issues to concentrate on before deciding for a psychological research. Consent should be obtained in an early time of research; this would involves informing the participant about the grounds for the research and their role in the research however there are some cases where this is not required if the research is something in public where they would normally expect to be observed, they would need permission to be observed on the other side in deception, participants should never be deceived about any aspect of the study they are taking part in. Same as consent participants should be provided with sufficient information at the earliest stage. Other ethical issues are, introduction where both sides confidence is needed between the researcher and the participants, and the data protection act protects participants in the research, therefore confidentiality and privacy is important to be agreed on both sides except in situation where the human life is in danger. And participants must be informed of their right to withdraw from the research at any stage of the research. After debriefing, participants have the right to ask for their details in the study to be destroyed in their presence. Participants should not be asked to risk their life in any circumstances during the study. Publication is another important part of the ethical issues, its the responsibility of the researcher to publish is his research, this is because if the research is failed which has costs lot of time and money someone else might have the same idea and might invest lots of time and money, which would be wasted. Its the researcher responsibility to monitor his colleagues in a research to ensure that code is being followed and if the researcher becomes aware of the participants problems in the study, so the researcher should refer them to someone qualified to advise them on the issue if the participants wish to. In Zimbardos Stanford prison experiment, participants were deceived and were physically harmed, they have not been informed properly about all that took place later in the research, therefore deception is not allowed in any circumstances and all that are going to take place in a research should be told to participant in a earlier stage. And the participants consent was not obtained before the research and participants have not been informed of the reason of the study This involves informing the participant of the reasons for the study and what is expected of them. There are few cases where this is not required: if someone is doing something in public where they would normally expect to be observed, they are giving permission to be observed. Bibliography http://www.holah.karoo.net/freud.htm

gossip girl :: essays research papers

From this review: "Nothing I say in this review can bring justice to master storyteller Cecily Von Ziegesar, whose research comes from her own life as an upper eastside, New York City teen. She has a reality-based knack for bringing cigarette-and-pot smoking rich kids into three-dimensional color. As naughty as these characters seem on every page, they are revealed to be real kids wanting to fit into accepted, meaningful lives as much as sleek clothes..† Rich girl Blair Waldorf is about to discover what it’s like to not get her way. Almost seventeen, she has careful plans: to lose her virginity to steady beau Nate and get into Yale. But life has alternate designs. Her mom is marrying a bald-headed dweeb and his dreadlocked son and slobbery dog are moving in. While her mom plans her wedding on the day of Blair’s birthday, Nate starts dodging her instant messages. Blair’s worse fears are coming true : Nate is losing interest. Then she has a total breakdown at her Yale interview, resorting to tears and cheek-kissing – humiliating herself and blowing any chance of getting in. In the meantime, Blair’s ex best friend, perfect-girl Serena is mixing with artsy West-siders, competing with Blair and others in their all-girl school for a prestigious film award. But Serena has her own problems. She is casually dating a West-sider named Dan, who is becoming obsessed. Can his sulky love poems win her heart? Nothing I say in this review can bring justice to master storyteller Cecily Von Ziegesar, whose research comes from her own life as an upper eastside, New York City teen. She has a reality-based knack for bringing cigarette-and-pot smoking rich kids into three-dimensional color. As naughty as these characters seem on every page, they are revealed to be real kids wanting to fit into accepted, meaningful lives as much as sleek clothes. This second GOSSIP GIRL book in the New York Times Bestselling GOSSIP GIRL series is an edgy page-turner. *Fun Notes: In the book, Gossip Girl is an anonymous online character who reports on the latest events in the lives of New York City’s richest teens at her site www.

Early Jazz Essay -- essays research papers

Early History of Jazz   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Jazz is a style of music that began and has been revolutionized within the United States. Jazz music first appeared in the city of New Orleans and eventually moved onto Chicago, St. Louis, Kansas City, and New York City. Jazz unites different elements of African, African- American, religious, brass brand, and blues style of music. The music of Jazz, and its changes through the years, is now a form of music that is known and respected throughout this nation and the world.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Jazz music is a blending of both black and white tradition and heritages. New Orleans was the center of many different ethnicities, such as French, Spanish, American, and African American, which resulted in a city with a unique blend of individuals. New Orleans became a significant center of culture in the mid to late 1800’s. It is believed that jazz was largely influenced from African slaves who were brought over in the 1800’s, who did not have their native instruments, had to make due with what they could find in their new home of the southern United States. On arrival in America, they were exposed to western musical styles that include harmonies, tonal sounds, along with unique beats and rhythms. This resulted in a raw version of what we know as Jazz. Some components of early jazz are still found in the many modern forms of music such as soul and reggae.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ragtime, considered to be the earliest type of jazz, was introduced in the very late 1800’s and early 1900’s. Also, ragtime was considered one of the most decorative and popular styles of music. Ragtime can best be described as a solo instrument style, usually consisting of a piano. As a means of income, many early Ragtime musicians would produce and sell their own music and have them published onto piano rolls in which they could be played in perosonally owned pianos. These piano rolls allow a new and large group of individuals to be exposed to the sounds of ragtime. Multiple moderns forms of music have derived form original ragtime including rhythm and blues.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  One of the most influential ragtime musician and entertainer was Scott Joplin. Scott Joplin was born in Texarkana, Texas on November 24, 1868. Through his talent on the piano and as a composer, he is generally known as the â€Å"King... ...to turn the corner with bop. Bop groups were much smaller than swing bands and included improvised solos, rhythmic complexity, and unpredictable forms. It was a bit of a revolution for jazz.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  There were several individuals who played key roles in the bebop and progressive jazz era. Louis Armstrong, Charlie Parker, and Dizzy Gillespie are just a few of the top jazz artist of the decade. Dizzy Gillespie, who was born in South Carolina in 1917, had an amazing talent, and by the age of 20 he was already touring with major bands. He helped bebop really emerge. Bebop was a type a jazz that was more robust and difficult to play. Overall, bebop still remains the stepping stone into multiple new forms of jazz.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In conclusion, I believe that the early history of jazz is vital in really understanding the complexity and beauty of jazz as a whole. Jazz, being a native form of music within the United States along with it many changes in the 1900’s, has significantly influenced American culture and its development through the years. Jazz remains an influential facet in the world of music and it is enjoyable to know where it came from.

Managing Change in Organisations †Improved HR onboarding process Essay

The main goal of this change initiative is to improve the financial results of the company by improving the engagement and performance of the new HR employees at Mars, Inc. It’s aimed to be achieved by introducing a new, globally aligned, best-in-class 1-year-long induction process with supporting tools and learning events. The target group of new HR associates1 includes those who joined HR at Mars less than 12 month ago, either from externally (from other company) or internally (from other department). As Mars,Inc. is a large family-owned business with over 100 years of history and globally well known brands. It has unique and mature company culture which is driven by its 5 principles: Quality, Responsibility, Mutuality, Effectiveness and Freedom. These principles drive the behaviour of the employees at all level of the hierarchy and have been shaping the characteristics of the organisation. Mars, Inc. fits well to ‘elaboration of structure phase’ (Granier 1972) of the organisational life-cycle: the company is led by a team of professional managers and is very much decentralised with a small headquarter. The business units of the countries therefore enjoy a lot of freedom and responsibility to drive the local business effectively. This approach reflects also in the way they shape the processes within the company: the global process standards are mainly just broadly defined with limited (if any) written documentation about them, which lets the local teams shape it and use it as best fits to their needs. As it has the advantage to allow tailor-made solutions to best assist local business objectives, it also has disadvantages. It is not uncommon that extra local resources are needed to shape the process, and when the process has changed too much, it becomes difficult to compare the practices and results of different units. It also often happens that local units come up with very similar best practices after investing significant resources locally in process development, which resources could have been reduced if globally – or at least regionally – someone would have co-ordinated these development initiatives. As part of the company culture, Mars, Inc. refers to employees as associates, therefore in my paper I will use both terms to reflect the same concept. Realising the potential of this kind of centralisation led the business leaders to setting up global functional centres of expertise, like the Mars University (Mars U) is for learning and development within Mars, Inc. The Mars U is responsible for designing and deploying world-class learning programs, which enable the competency building of employees, so they can achieve their full potential in contributing to the business to achieve its goals. It has matrix structure and its smaller teams are set up by functions (named â€Å"Colleges† of HR, finance, supply, etc.), regions (they coordinate the deployment of functional development programs in a region) and special learning and development related areas (like learning technology). Mars U therefore faces the challenge of balancing between centralisation and decentralisation by providing centrally defined and globally aligned learning solutions in a matrix organisation with decentralised leadership. That is the same challenge in case of the new induction process initiative. In the near past an introductory training program existed for new HR employees, which was similar in all the regions, but inconsistent in content, so it gave a lot of space for local solutions to flower. Moving from this decentralised approach to a more centralised one may cause push backs from the associates in these local units, thus careful change management is essential. Nature of change By assessing the nature of change based on the description above, this change can be categorised with the terms of Ackerman (1997) as ‘transitional’ as the intention is to â€Å"achieve (†¦) a desired state† by setting up a globally aligned world-class induction process for new HR associates, which is a significant difference from the current decentralised approach. One can argue whether it is not defined as ‘transformational change’ as it can result a difference in an organisational process and change in the culture, but as it won’t change fundamentally neither areas, the definition of ‘transitional change’ fits better in this case. To give a full picture about the nature of change, it need to be emphasised that after finishing this particular change project, the change itself will not stop, it will continue as ‘developmental change’ by continuously improving the set up induction process. From another perspective, using the categories of Mintzberg and Waters (1985) this change initiative can be identified as ‘determined’ or planned change as the goal, that need to be achieved, is clearly set, as well as the process how to get there. It does not mean though, that ‘emergent’ changes will not come up during the project, as it may happen that a locally designed induction process which works well will have an improving effect on the globally designed process and tools to ensure the implementation of the best possible practices. Drivers of the change This change initiative has mainly internal triggers. First and foremost, improve the productivity of every new HR associates by providing them all the essential knowledge, competencies and network they need in their new role. Improving their engagement level is also an important trigger, as engaged associates have usually better performance and they less likely to leave the business (Buckingham and Coffman, 2005). In case of HR department, better performance of associates, among other things, could lead to better internal and external customer satisfaction or decrease of costs by effective ways of working, while improved retention cut the costs and time invested in recruitment and training of a new employee. Although the internal triggers are more relevant in this case, the external drivers also need to be mentioned. Mars, Inc. had several acquisitions in the last few years which led to an incoherent culture in the different business segments. To enable exchangeability of human resources and best practices, setting up centrally aligned processes is a key. Also, considering that Mars, Inc. operates in a quickly changing market (FMCG), being innovative and best-in-class in its processes could ensure competitive advantage and retention of employees. Nonetheless, the change needs to be done in a global environment fitting to the expectations of different cultures in different regions. Key Stakeholders As in case of most major changes in an organisation, winning the support of top level management is essential. In this case the management means the Global HR Leadership Team of Mars, Inc. who also plays the role of sponsor of the project and expected to play a key role by being role model in using the new induction process. Their influence is very high as they could stop or change this initiative any time. Their attitude toward the change to be expected very positive, still, contracting with them is critical as many priority projects are currently going on in the business so need to ensure proper focus. Driving the change process requires change agents to ensure smooth implementation: the Mars U associates in the regions and other (local) learning or talent development specialists. As the project aligns well with their general purpose of their roles – to improve associates capabilities, – their attitude is expected to be positive. As they will play the role of connecting the project leaders with associates in their regions or units, their influence is also very high, but mainly only in their area of responsibility. The communication and deployment of the change will focus mainly on the HR managers as they will be the most affected by the change, as they need to change their ways of working the most. Thus, 5 their attitude can be either positive or negative depending how valuable the new process seems to them. Their influence can be high in the area of their responsibility – so the more senior the manager is the higher is the influence. Also important stakeholders, but less influential, are the new HR associates. The new process is all about them, but from change management perspective they play a smaller role, as their attitude to be expected very positive. In any case, careful communication toward them needs to be planned to ensure their full involvement in the process and gain feedback from them to identify potential areas for improvements. There are also some other key stakeholders, like the trainers of the courses, whose contribution to the success can be very important, but as they are interchangeable in the roles, their influence on the process can be categorised as moderate. Furthermore, there are some other subject matter experts (e.g. learning technology or global communication specialists), who will be involved during the design and communication phases, but their influence is rather small and their attitude is expected to be supportive. Management objectives To summarise the main objective, the goal is to implement in all business segments and units of Mars, Inc. a newly designed, globally aligned, efficient and engaging functional induction process with its supporting tools (guides and learning modules) for every new HR employees, which supports their development in the first 12 months after joining in their new role and covers the essential Mars specific knowledge and provides network needed for achieving high performance. The new process and tools should be used by mid of 2013 in all business units. Task 2 For a successful change project it’s not only important to see where we would like to go, but to be able to define how we will get there, we need a careful and detailed analysis on where we are at the moment. Besides a general process overview in the organisation (e.g. by the support of models like ‘McKinsey 7S’ (Waterman et al. 1980) or ‘Burke-Litwin Causal model’ (Burke & Litwin, 1992)), we also need to understand why do we have the problem in our organisation. For this we may use problem analysis models, like the ‘Fishbone diagram’ or the ‘5 Whys?’ (Taiichi 1988) model. Input-Transformation-Output model To better understand the functional induction process, by the ‘Input-Transformation-Output model’ (RDI, 2012a) the main elements can be summarised visually: This model can support the planning process in several ways. It is easier for the change leaders to identify the key stakeholders (see the detailed stakeholder analysis above), to keep objectives always in mind and focus on the processes which need to be changed in order to be able to achieve the desired output. Furthermore, it gives a great overview about who shall be involved in reviewing and developing the process by providing feedback before, during and after the change. Nonetheless, it is essential to be clear on both the transformed and transforming resources required for the whole process to avoid disturbance due to the lack of them. Cause-and-Effect Analysis After having a broader overview of the issue, before taking any actions, a thorough problem analysis is a must. Even though having an initial idea about what can improve the current situation, in a complex organisation with a huge overall impact of the topic, the change leader need to ensure addressing the right issues and providing the right solutions based on that. In defining all the relevant causes of a problem can help the Cause-and-Effect Analysis (Ishikawa, 1968) or Fishbone diagram. In case of our described example, the model looks like this: After defining the list of important causes, the major ones to be selected by the analysing team then the potential actions can be planned. When it’s presented to the management team, their duty is then to decide on which topics to focus on the actions. In this example case, a globally aligned process with supporting tools and metrics are very much missing. When it’s designed and ready to be deployed, then these should be available to all HR managers to be able to drive the induction processes locally and measure their own efficiency. Plan the change After the green light of the management team concerning the project initiative, can start the proper, detailed planning: the development of the change strategy, in which the desired outcome, key actions, milestones, action owners and resources needs are defined. Winning the commitment of the key stakeholders also need to be carefully planned with a supporting communication plan. As unexpected situations are likely to disturb the planned flow of actions, to minimise the potential disturbance, a risk analysis in advance of doing actions can help the project management team to prepare for these scenarios or totally avoid them. Also, a continuous review of the change project is highly recommended to ensure the project execution is on track to achieve the project goal (see the 8 potential feedback sources in the Input-Output model) – this also can be part of the change strategy plan. The next step is then to execute the plan. When unexpected situations happen, continuous adjustments of the plan may be required to ensure proper improvement and keep the progress to achieve the final goal. After all planned actions are executed, the project leader should control that the project goal has been achieved as defined. If no, the project still continues. If yes, the project shall be formally closed with the involvement of the project sponsors and the success should be feed back to the key stakeholders. Task 3 Business Process Transformation Although Mars, Inc. in this situation chose to go on with a change project concentrating on only one function (HR) to improve its induction process, using the Business Process Transformation (BPT), i.e. Business Process Re-engineering model could have led to better results. By talking generally about the BPT model, one can say that improving the customer engagement and cutting the operational costs by improving and simplifying processes (cross-functional) within the company, is in the heart of this approach (Hammer 1990). Let use the definition of re-engineering by Hammer and Champy (1993) to show the key characteristics of this model: â€Å"†¦ the fundamental rethinking and radical redesign of business processes to achieve dramatic improvements in critical contemporary modern measures of performance, such as cost, quality, service, and speed.† This approach is one of the favourites currently in change management, as it promises â€Å"dramatic improvements† in business performance and customer satisfaction, even though it has its own challenges. The most important is that it requires a holistic view from the business leaders to face the issues within an organisation. It needs broad perspective to be able to come out of functional silos and to view the process as a whole, from the very beginning till the very end. If the change project happens only within a single function, there is high probability of missing some important opportunities of improvement. By using the example of Mars, a cross-functional approach could lead to a different, although very thorough solution – like implementing a standardised, world-class induction experience in every part of the company, during which the new employees can learn the most important functional and business knowledge to best support the customer focused processes. Based on its holistic view, the BPT approach requires more complexity from change management perspective as well as total alignment and drive from the top management team. The process improvement strategy should be aligned with the vision, mission and business strategy of the company, while the desired behaviours and key performance indicators should be also clearly defined and communicated to support the process and the measure of success (RDI 2012b). The process improvement initiative should start with a company-wide analysis of the current situation, keeping in mind not only how the processes can be simplified, but also what could be the benefits for the customers by the change initiative. The analysis then will be followed by the definition of the detailed plan: to where and how the company would like to get. To achieve great improvement in company results, increasing the amount of invested efforts and resources and high risk taking is unavoidable – although most probably in mid- and long-term the investment of these extra resources will pay. All these mentioned characteristics of the model lead to the fact that this model can’t be used without a heavy top down and centralised approach due to its holistic nature and complexity. Starting a process improvement initiative from any other level of the organisation without the full support and involvement of the company top leaders can lead to only a temporary and restricted (to a region or function) solution. Managing the implementation of the change at Mars, Inc. Although the change project defined by Mars also intends to improve the measures mentioned in the re-engineering definition, the main difference lies in the adjectives used by the authors: dramatic, fundamental and radical. So in this case we can’t really talk about BPT approach, as it would rather mean taking the whole on-boarding and induction process in all functions of the company and use that to work on, even though it could be very beneficial for the company. Also, without winning the top management support for a holistic change approach, the project leader of this initiative better use a general Change management (RDI 2012c), or preferably, the Total Quality Management (TQM) 2 methodology with using some holistic OD models – like the ‘Burke-Litwin model’ (Burke & Litwin 1992) or the ‘McKinsey 7S model’ (Waterman et al. 1980) – for analysing the potential areas of change interventions. Definition of TQM by Kanji (1990): â€Å"TQM is the way of life of an organization committed to customer satisfaction through continuous improvement. This way of life varies from organisation to organisation and from one country to another but has certain principles which can be implemented to secure market share, increase profits and reduce costs.† The principles of the TQM approach fits well to the culture of Mars, Inc. by focusing on continuous improvement opportunities, on customer needs and motivating employees at all level of the organisation to take part of this and drive innovations. It also reflects in all of the 5 principles of the company3. The management style also resonates well with the principles of TQM, as it engages the collaborative company culture with empowering and motivating the employees to drive continuous improvement for achieving better quality in everything within the business. Although a lot of things fit well to use this model for the change case at Mars, to fully benefit of the TQM methodology, the project leader and the participants shall be skilled to use all its principles to achieve the best possible result, which is currently not yet the case. Task 4 Measure of Success – Processes There are certain elements of the change process, which we can check and measure during and after the project to evaluate the success. Firstly, it is inevitable to set with involvement and communicate to the key stakeholders a clear vision, a well defined ‘S.M.A.R.T. objective’ (Doran, 1981) and some key performance indicators regarding the desired end result of the change initiative. Additionally, it is also important element of the second success factor, which is the level of commitment to the change of the key stakeholders. During the implementation phase, the success of the process can be measured at the key milestones: whether they were achieved on time by providing good quality results within the allocated resource limits. In this phase, the ability of flexible to any disturbance and opportunities through the process is also essential, to keep or even improve the result quality of the change, or to use less resources to achieve the original goal. It may be measured by reaction the quickness of the response or the amount of extra resources needed to keep the good progress. In connection to this, reviewing the key challenges and capturing the lessons learnt for the future also shows the efficiency of the process. Last, but not least, a clear project closure can also indicate how well the project went. Measure of Success – Outcomes If we have a closer look on the change initiative of Mars, Inc., the desired outcome which we wish to measure lies in the main objective4. The company’s main goal is to improve the efficiency and Quality, Mutuality, Responsibility, Effectiveness and Freedom For details see the Management Objective paragraph performance of the new HR employees. As HR is a support department with less direct impact on financial results and the quality of end products than other areas in the business, measuring these goals may be difficult, especially if we need to focus on only the new employee. So it’s advised to define other measures, like the individual performance or future career potential of the new employee, which can be measured by the company globally standardized performance evaluation system. Although the improved employee performance is difficult to be described with exact figures, we can also use historical data to compare the past and the present, and measure factors which can influence performance (e.g. the Line Manager’s evaluation of the performance or the engagement level of the new associate). Besides the employee performance, the efficiency of the new process shall be measured as well (e.g. could we involve everybody we intended to use the new process). Furthermore, as in case of all change projects, defining the return on investment can show the level of success. For example the cost of resource investment of the change project may be compared with the amount of money were saved by better retention of the new associates. By measuring the outcome of a new process we also need to investigate the resource needs of sustaining the process efficiently on long term. 1References: Ackerman, L., 1997, Development, transition or transformation: the question of change in organisations. In: Van Eynde, D., Hoy, J and Van Eynde, D (eds) Organisation Development Classics. San Francisco, Jossey Bass. Buckingham, M. and Coffman, C., 2005. First, Break All The Rules: What the World’s Great Managers Do Differently. Simon & Schuster. Burke, W. W. and Litwin, G. H., 1992. A causal model of organizational performance and change. Journal of Management, 18 (3), 523-545. Doran, G. T., 1981. There’s a S.M.A.R.T. way to write management’s goals and objectives. Management Review, Volume 70, Issue 11, pp. 35-36.

Androgynous Man

The Androgynous Man At a point in Noel Perrin’s life, he suddenly became conflicted over his masculinity. It was such a breakthrough, that he had to analyze the whole situation. Although it took some years to finally grasp the concept of it, Perrin is now comfortable and understands the logic behind the typical gender roles; not from research and other people’s work, but from his own experience and his own ideas. At an age where you would generally start to develop from a boy to a man, age sixteen, Noel Perrin found himself on a three-day trip from New York to Steamboat Springs, Colorado to become an assistant horse wrangler.On this trip with him, Perrin brought Gone with the Wind and a handful of magazines that obtained some interesting articles. In a short period of time, Perrin was out of reading material so he then went back and read all the boring articles and all the quizzes that you would find in a magazine at the time. One of the quizzes that really caught Perri n’s eye was â€Å"How Masculine/ Feminine Are You? † The quiz consisted of inkblots that had four options as choices and you would answer the option that you thought the inkblot most resembled.When Perrin finished this quiz and then found out his results, he was astonished by the conclusion. On a scale from one to ten of masculinity, Perrin was an abysmal 1. 2. Perrin was so confounded over the results that he then went back and analyzed every option. From this, he came up with two basic patterns that he found in the inkblot choices. Perrin claims that males would relate to the inkblots as man-made objects while, females would relate to the inkblots as natural objects.He then went on to conclude that the test itself was using limited criteria and that masculinity/femininity is more complicated than this test states. Perrin believes that there are a large percent of males and females who are androgynous or have both gender qualities. Furthermore, Perrin then proceeds to classify the different gender types; specifically for the male. Perrin strongly insists that there are men who are the â€Å"he-man† or the one hundred percent man. These men are attracted to physical power and dominance.Also, these â€Å"he-men† are so unselfconsciously at ease that other men try to imitate them. The reasoning for the imitation is that generally men think that they have to be the one hundred percent male. These imitators fail to come to the realization that just like women; men also come in a wide variety of types. Perrin then goes on to say that these imitators spend their whole life trying to play that role that they’re scared to believe in a weakness in them. Admittedly, Perrin strongly believes that androgynous people are growing by the numbers.He makes a connection with the women’s movement for the breakthrough of androgynes, but Perrin also believes that one mistake women have done is that they think that all men should be androgy nous; this would lead to a very â€Å"dull† world Perrin states. Perrin subsequently proceeds to give us his ideal or definition of the androgynous man. He uses his own situations such as feeding his kids, how he knows nothing about cars, buying a book called Home Repairs Any Woman Can Do and how some emotional scenes from movies get him all choked up.Overall, the definition of the androgynous man is having traits of the opposite sex in a casual way. After examining Perrin’s article, The Androgynous Man, I find myself mostly agreeing with his definition of the androgynous man and how their numbers are growing. I tend to agree with most of his ideas except for the fact of how he claims it’s so wrong to be an imitator. When I read about Perrin's version of the â€Å"he-man’ or the â€Å"one-hundred percent male†, I automatically thought of James Bond. I think the term now would a â€Å"man’s-man†.What’s not manlier than ordering a dry martini, driving a sports car, being a monogamist, or probably the manliest thing of them all, having a gun? What male doesn’t want to have at least one of those things? So when Perrin states that:Partly they’re [imitators] just envious of the he-man’s unconscious ease. Mostly they’re terrified of finding that there may be something wrong with them deep down, some weakness at the heart. To avoid discovering that, they spend their lives acting out the role that the he-man naturally lives. Sad. (Perrin, Page 247-248) I completely disagree with hat. Perrin makes it sound like it’s such a burden to be envious or jealous of those manly qualities. I think it’s human nature to do that and there is nothing wrong with acting out that way. No man is going to say â€Å"I want to be that guy†, instead they’re saying â€Å"I want to be LIKE that guy†, combining the qualities you have already with the ones that you don’t have. I believe if you’re not constantly searching to be better in life or have better qualities, whether they’re manlier or not, what’s the point of existing in life? It’s human nature to try to be better in one way or another.For example, if there’s an update for your iphone, are you not going to take it? No, because that update is going to make it better. Same rules apply to human life. Another issue I have with another one of Perrin’s opinions is he also believes that â€Å"†¦they [imitators] aren’t as free as us androgynes† (Perrin, Page 247). Perrin doesn’t really back up his opinion here, as he also states that his â€Å"Answer is mere speculation, but not casual† (Perrin, Page 247). Well, if you can’t back this up, don’t state it. I’m not going to sit here and tell you that Ford is better than Chevrolet and when you ask, why?I’m not going to answer, â€Å"Just because it is†. No one would respect or acknowledge my opinion then and I believe the same applies to this matter. When Perrin can come up with proven facts to back up this statement, I will act accordingly. In conclusion, Perrin was right about many things such as the androgynous men and women growing by the numbers and how it’s more accepted now a days. Overall, I think it’s the â€Å"one-hundred percent man† or the â€Å"one-hundred percent woman† that need to stay alive to add balance to the gender roles so that we don’t lose sight of our roots.Responsibility I think as students, at this time in our lives, we can all agree that at least over the past five years or so, one word that keeps being brought up is responsibility. This word has been drilled into our heads since around the age of 16. When you wanted a job, were you responsible enough? When you wanted your driver’s license, were you responsible enough? When you wanted to go out and par ty, were you responsible enough? I strongly believe that the more we get older, the more responsibility we take on. Responsibility is a form of trust and accountability.We all reached a point in our life where we all had to start taking accountability for our own actions. Depending on what the action was, we were either corrected or not. This would be implemented mostly by our parents. For me at least, the form of correction would be punishment. If I went out at night and came home past curfew I would get grounded. So next time if I’m not home on time and know I will be late, I call ahead to confirm it with my parents so I’ll get a lesser form of punishment or best case scenario, no punishment at all. This would be an example of responsibility.Today, I have countless acts of responsibility. I pay my own car payment and my own car insurance. I also pay for my cell phone bill. Also, the most important responsibility to me is taking care of my own two dogs, Duke and Lola. I think the more we get older the more responsibility we take on and handle. It’s part of growing up. You can’t ignore it. You have to embrace it. If not, you’ll see how hard life can truly be. Works Cited: Perrin, Noel. â€Å"The Androgynous Man. † 40 Model Essays: A Portable Anthology. Ed. Jane E. Aaron. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin's, 2005. 246-49. Print.

RedBull & PR Literature review Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

RedBull & PR - Literature review Example This paper presents an analysis of public relation strategies used by Red Bull around the world. Energy drink manufacturers, including Rend Bull GmbH, target a specific market segment, i.e., urban and young male males aged between sixteen and twenty nine (Buchholz, 2010: p43). This market segment has aspirations of living their lives on the edge. Accordingly, Red Bull uses extreme sport as a way of relating to them, with the sport being highly popular among this particular category of consumers. Additionally, the slogan used by Red Bull, i.e., Red Bull Gives You Wings†, was developed with the aim of creating public awareness among this particular segment of customers via communicating that drinking their beverages would ease challenging tasks. Moreover, the company epitomized modern branding by utilizing a marketing communication’s mix, including public relations, which sought to sell a way of life rather than a simple product and become culturally relevant (Buchholz, 20 10: p43). To do this, it was necessary for Red Bull to come up with PR strategies that caught the attention and appealed to their target group. Red Bull has come up with appropriate public relations strategies that are aimed at reaching out to its target market and getting them interested in the product (Russell, 2010: p44). As noted, Red Bull targets customer groups who live an active lifestyle by engaging in extreme sport and activities. In this regard, Red Bull’s public relations strategies attempt to create a perception that Red Bull beverages give necessary energy and edge to users, which can assist them to lead the lifestyle that they desire, as well as increase in their performance ion various aspects of their lives. Public Relations are defined as the relationships that an organization has with various public segments or groups, which have an effect on their ability to achieve their mission, objectives, and goals (Russell, 2010: p11). Companies can leverage PR by usin g publications and press kits on a regular basis in order to inform their shareholders around the world about the company, new products, news, events, and any other issues related to the company. Red Bull publishes its annual reports via which it communicates essential messages to stakeholders and the general public regarding the company. These annual reports serve as an effective tool for advertising where its main strengths and achievements are highlighted (Russell, 2010: p11). Red Bull also identifies Identity Media as one of its most effective tools for advertising (Russell, 2010: p46). The company fully utilizes Identity Media via the development of an online TV channel, which covers various company sponsored sporting events, especially extreme sports, and other programs aimed at attracting consumer interest in the company. Red Bull also publishes the Red Bulletin, a monthly magazine that is distributed by the Telegraph newspaper on Sundays. The issue carries sport reports inte rspersed with product information. The company also uses alternative methods of Public relations, for example, involving their brand in lobby activities in order to integrate themselves into various communities and build relations. One of Red Bull’s most famous public relations