The War Of The Vietnam War - 1382 Words

The movie Platoon was based upon the 25th infantry division stationed in Vietnam during 1967. The company was to patrol near the Cambodian border to prevent the North Vietnamese Army from controlling the southern half of the country. I believe that the movie Platoon portrayed the many conflicts that occurred throughout the Vietnam War. Not only was the war a big conflict for the United States, but also there were different small beliefs about why we were fighting, how to fight in a foreign unknown land, and many others. This movie displayed a truly realistic version of how the war actually was and how it was viewed among the veterans. At the beginning of the movie, the main character Chris Taylor always writes to his grandmother about†¦show more content†¦After being around and talking to others in his division, he starts to get an idea that this war is not all that it hyped up to be. It is literally a hell on earth. Many others think like him and introduce him to marijuana. They feel that getting a high on marijuana is the best way to be optimistic and escape the reality of the war they are fighting in for reasons they do not quite understand. Counting down the days until being discharged tends to be a very common and popular thing amongst the soldiers. Being new to the drama of the war, Chris finds out that having over three hundred more days left to go in his year of duty is heart breaking. It seemed that the United States army was at a great disadvantage when it came to fighting in the country of Vietnam. The region is very mountainous, hot, and included thick jungle throughout. North Vietnamese troops were used to using guerrilla warfare, however the United States had never seen anything like it. In the night, Chris and his company slept in the middle of the jungle with Chris on watch duty for his three hour shift. After his time was up, he alerted his fellow soldier Junior that it was his turn for watch. Later, Chris wakes up to see everyone else asleep and movement from a ways out in the jungle. He realizes it is going to be an ambush on his company that they are not prepared for whatsoever. Constant ambushes in the jungle were new to the United

Healthcare Health Insurance and Fraud E. Ethical Free Essays

Fraud, Waste and Abuse in the Medicare System: A Proactive Approach Course Project Outline Team A: The Prairie State Bulls Julie GIldemeister Elena Hallars Teresa O’Brien Latia Phelps Laura Wimberley HSM 546 Health Insurance and Managed Care Vernice Johnson-Warren Keller Graduate School of Business Management March 17, 2013 Synopsis We propose to discuss the problem of fraud, waste and abuse in Medicare and Medicaid from the viewpoint of a board of directors of a community healthcare system. We agree that a proactive course of action, while initially more expensive, will result in a far better outcome for the system, its providers, and its patients. It will lead to better relations not only with the government but also with our commercial MCO plans. We will write a custom essay sample on Healthcare: Health Insurance and Fraud E. Ethical or any similar topic only for you Order Now This issue will be addressed on several fronts: legislative loopholes, weaknesses in electronic technology, ethical lapses on the part of providers, and enforcement failures. I. Executive Summary A. Environment B. Rules and regulations of Medicare and Medicaid C. Healthcare Reform Legislation D. Problems with Fraud E. Ethical Considerations of Fraud II. Problem Statement A. Fraud, waste and abuse in the Medicare and Medicaid system B. Legislative loopholes C. Weaknesses in electronic medical records D. Ethical lapses in providers E. Common errors in billing and coding F. Enforcement failures III. Literature Review A. Course text B. Fraud, waste and abuse of Medicare/Medicaid funds C. IT and EMR issues D. Ethical training of providers E. Enforcement failures IV. Problem Analysis A. Identification of opportunities for fraud in a healthcare system B. Enforcement of Medicare/Medicaid claims reporting regulations C. Counteracting or preventing a climate of fraud waste and abuse V. Solutions and Implementation A. Streamlining enforcement efforts B. Tightening IT loopholes C. Creating provider incentives for responsible behavior in coding and billing D. Pattern review and claims review to catch trends indicative of fraud, waste or abuse VI. Justification A. Cost of fraud, waste and abuse, especially in Medicare claims reclamation processes B. Cost of failure to comply with rules and regulations C. Improvement in facility/provider/payer relations D. Improvement in cash flow and claims payment E. Improvement in patient and community relations VII. Conclusion VIII. References Aldhizer III, G. R. (2009). Medicare and Medicaid Fraud and Errors: A Ticking Time Bomb That Must be Defused. Journal Of Government Financial Management, 58(4), 12-20. Boerner, C. M. (2010). 60 Minutes Story on Medicare Fraud. Journal Of Health Care Compliance, 12(1), 29-65. Dietz, D. K. , Snyder, H. 2007). Internal control differences between community health centers that did or did not experience fraud. Research In Healthcare Financial Management, 11(1), 91-102. Evans, R. D. , Porche, D. A. (2005). The nature and frequency of medicare/medicaid fraud and neutralization techniques among speech, occupational, and physical therapists. Deviant Behavior, 26(3), 253-270. doi:10. 1080/01639620590915167. Hambleton, M. (2011). Los Angeles Health Care Fraud Prevention Summit: Moving from a Sickness to Wellness Model of Compliance. Journal Of Health Care Compliance,13(1), 19-24. Hoppel, A. M. (2012). Career Code Red. (Cover story). Clinician Reviews, 22(10), 1-8. Kongstvedt, P. R. (2007). Essentials of Managed Health Care (5th ed). Sudbury, MA: Jones Bartlett. Moses, R. E. , Jones, D. (2011). Physician Assistants in Health Care Fraud: Vicarious Liability. Journal Of Health Care Compliance, 13(2), 51-75. Robin, D. W. , Gershwin, R. J. (2010). RAC Attack—Medicare Recovery Audit Contractors: What Geriatricians Need to Know. Journal Of The American Geriatrics Society, 58(8), 1576-1578. oi:10. 1111/j. 1532-5415. 2010. 02974. x Sparrow, M. K. (2008). Fraud in the U. S. Health-Care System: Exposing the Vulnerabilities of Automated Payments Systems. Social Research, 75(4), 1151-1180. Steinhoff, J. C. (2008). FORENSIC AUDITING: A Window to Identifying and Combating Fraud, Waste and Abuse. Journal Of Government Financial Management, 57(2), 10-15. Thorpe, N. , Deslich, S. , Sikula, S. , Coustasse, A. (2012). Co mbating Medicare Fraud: A Struggling Work In Progress. Franklin Business Law Journal, 2012(4), 95-107. How to cite Healthcare: Health Insurance and Fraud E. Ethical, Papers

BMC Medical Research Methodology

Question: Discuss about the BMC Medical Research Methodology. Answer: Introduction The work has been based on researching the ideas for the quantitative research project which is for handling the non-numerical forms lie the text and the images. The research on the quantitative studies need to focus on the advanced controls like the formalised comparisons, sampling strategies and the other statistical manipulations which are mainly for the addressing of the anticipated threats to the validity. Methods for the data collection Analysis The best way for the analysis of the data are the survey of the population or the different forms of the experimental procedures. Through this, there is a possibility to record the data on the datasheets and then store it. (Fan, 2010). There is a possibility to use the software and the training methods like the SPSS software for the different patterns and the arrangements of the data analysis. Type of data The quantitative data is based on the qualitative judgements. There is a need to measure the self-esteem scale in the social research, where the researchers need to develop the instruments for the countless judgments for proper construction. The researchers decide on the use of the scale to make the set of the judgements. The data used for them are: 1. The discrete data which is precise in the maximum way with integers. 2. The continuous data can be divided and then reduced to much fine levels. The measurement is based on handling the heights on a much precise scale. Strengths and Weakness The major strength is to provide the data which is only descriptive. This helps in providing the patterns where the data is in the numeric form and can be applied to the statistical tests for the setting of the data. There is inclusion of the mean, median and the standard deviation which include the tests of ANOVA, t-tests. (Saunders, 2012). The major weakness of the same is that in the data absence. It would be important to check and approve the job with the other liabilities. In this, it is possible to manipulate the value of p which has enough power to determine the accurate results. Generalizability in Quantitative research its alignment This is considered to be the act of the reasoning which involves the draw of the broader inferences which are through the particular observation. (Cotrell et al., 2015). The major goal is to mainly to provide a rich and a more contextualised understanding through the intensive study. With this, there have been improvement in the practice which are held at a higher esteem with the merits to claim the attention by the researchers. The models of the generalisation are the statistical, analytical and the transferability generalisation. This is aligned to the quantitative methods as this helps in covering the issues like the planned replication with the different sampling strategies and the strategic review, reflexivity and a high order conceptualisation. (Noble et al., 2015). There has been a thick description with the mixed methods research and the Re-Aim framework. Level of measurement For a better handling of the information, with the assigned variable values, there are nominal, ordinal, interval and the ratio which are for handling the level of measurement. This works on the description which is based on handling the research activities through a proper classification process. (Faithfull et al., 2015). The qualitative scales and the measures which are made on the data will help in making the usage of the data effective with the mathematical operations. Recommendation With the research, the major focus has bene on concerned with the discovering facts where the data is collected through the numerical comparisons and the statistical analysis. For a better data results, there is a need to analyse and research the topic effectively so that it is easy to bring out the results from it. Conclusion In the research of quantitative data, there have been input for the numerical data which is in the ranking order to measure the different units with the concern to handle the observations and the other questionnaires. (Collis, 2013). This will help in handling the rating scale of the closed questions as well as the pattern of the open ended questions which will be generating the qualitative information with the descriptive response. Reference Fan, W. Yan, Z. (2010) Factors affecting response rates of the web survey: A systematic review.Computers in Human Behavior, 26(2), pp.132-139. Saunders, M., Lewis, P. Thornhill, A. (2012) Research Methods for Business Students, 6th ed. Pearson Learning Solutions. Collis, J. Hussey, R. (2013) Business Research: A Practical Guide for Undergraduate and Postgraduate Students. 4th ed. London: Palgrave-MacMillan. Cottrell, E., Roddy, E., Rathod, T., Thomas, E., Porcheret, M., Foster, N. E. (2015). Maximising response from GPs to questionnaire surveys: do length or incentives make a difference?.BMC medical research methodology,15(1), 1. Noble, H., Smith, J. (2015). Issues of validity and reliability in qualitative research.Evidence Based Nursing,18(2), 34-35. Faithfull, S., Lemanska, A., Chen, T. (2015). Patient-reported outcome measures in radiotherapy: clinical advances and research opportunities in measurement for survivorship.Clinical Oncology,27(11), 679-685.

Learn from Mistakes free essay sample

The point of making mistakes is to learn from them. If you dont learn from what you do wrong, then making mistakes has no silver lining, it Is purely bad. I have come to believe this through personal experience and watching others. When climbing the ladder of success, each step gets you closer to the top. Therefore each step is a mistake that you learned from. A good decision, or even a stroke of luck. How could a person climb that ladder without each and every wooden rung to help them? I am human, therefore, far from perfect, I make mistakes all of the time and I am a better errors because of that.You could almost say that the more mistakes a person makes, the stronger a person they are, assuming of course that they learn from them, As a child I stole cookies from the cookie jar, lied to my parents (still happens every once in awhile), and played tricks on my brothers. We will write a custom essay sample on Learn from Mistakes or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page L, in turn, got in trouble with my parents and was punished. After that I learned that those things arent okay. Now I tend to make different mistakes, such as, going to places that arent safe for me, and giving up when things get hard. Life Is a huge cycle of making mistakes and learning from them.That Is why people can become so wise and strong In what they do, they make good out of the bad. I also see people close to me using problems and mistakes to make a good situation out of a bad one. My parents, my brothers, and my closest friends are all slowly building up the knowledge to be successful. How can a person be more successful by forgetting what they have already learned? That doesnt push you forward it Just holds a person back. Even If a person wanted to forget their past, they couldnt. Its Like forgetting that If a stove Is turned on and you touch It, It will burn oh.Learn from Mistakes BY assassin it is purely bad. I have come to believe this through personal experience and Therefore each step is a mistake that you learned from, a that they learn from them. As a child I stole cookies from the cookie Jar, lied to my parents (still happens every get hard. Life is a huge cycle of making mistakes and learning from them. That is why people can become so wise and strong in what they Even if a person wanted to forget their past, they couldnt.

Twelfth Night Essays (952 words) - Theatre, Twelfth Night

Twelfth Night Essays (952 words) - Theatre, Twelfth Night Twelfth Night Twelfth Night In Shakespeare's Twelfth Night, it is clearly evident that the fluctuation in attitude to the dual role and situation and tribulations imposed upon the character of Viola/Cesario ends up in a better understanding of both sexes, and thus, allows Viola to have a better understanding for Orsino. Near the opening of the play, when Viola is adopting her male identity, she creates another self, like two masks and may decide to wear one or the other while swinging between the two dentities in emotion and in character. She decides to take on this identity because she has more freedom in society in her Cesario mask, which is evident when she is readily accepted by Orsino, whereas, in her female identity she would not be. Thus, a customary role in society and to the outlooks of others is portrayed. Orsino sees Cesario, as a young squire just starting out in the world, much like himself as a young, spry lad, so he has a tendency to be more willing to unload onto her with his troubles and sorrows, seeking a companion with which to share and to teach. Thus, Viola grows in her male disguise to get a better feeling for his inner self, not the self that heshows to the public, or would reveal and share with Viola in her true female self, but rather his secret self, as he believes he shares with a peer. So, she grows to love him. But, Orsino's motivation is actually not love for Viola, but rather he seems to be in love with love itself. His entire world is filled with love but he knows that there might be a turning point for him, like when he says: If music be the food of love, play on; give me excess of it, that, surfeiting, the appetite may sicken, and so die. (206) This quote shows that he knows that he is so caught up in love, that he hopes his appetite for love may simmer when he takes more than he can handle. Near the end of the play, when all tricks and treacheries are revealed and all masks are lifted, Orsino falls in love with Viola. He first forgives her/him of her/his duty to him, the master; then says that she shall now be her master's mistress: Your master quits you; and for your service done him, so much against the mettle of your sex, so far beneath your soft and tender breeding, and since you call'd me master for so long, here is my hand. You shall from this time be your master's mistress (237) This is sort of a switching love as he thought he was in love with Olivia in the beginning, but, he readily switches his love to Viola, as he feel she knows her personality well. As for Viola, she declares her love for Orsino many times, as if by saying that she would love him if she were a lady. When Orsino first sends Cesario to act as a messenger and send Orsino's love to Olivia, Cesario proclaims: I'll do my best to woo your lady; [aside] yet, a barful strife! Whoe'er I woo, myself would be his wife. (210) This shows that Viola knows what a difficult situation that she is in, and that she might try to woo her out of loving Orsino, so that she might have him for herself; except there is a slight, unexpected twist of fate...After Cesario leaves from Olivia's, she declares: yet my state is well; I am a gentleman. I'll be sworn thou art. Thy tongue, thy face, thy limbs, and spirit, do give thee five-fold blazon. Not too fast: soft, soft! Unless the master were the man. How now! Even so quickly may one catch the plague? Methinks I feel this youth's per- fections with an invisible and subtle stealth to creep in at mine eyes. Well, let it be. What ho, Malvolio! (212) Olivia, is thinking back to her question to Cesario, and his response to it. Then she replies to Cesario's response, to herself, thinking about him. She agrees with his response, then goes over his many delightfulfeatures, and wonders how she so quickly has caught the plague of love for young Cesario. She decides that it is her feeling towards his youthful perfections that creep into her heart and to her eyes. Then she agrees with

American Democracy Essay

American Democracy Essay American Democracy Essay Democracy is a political arrangement that, at its most basic, demands that there be collective decision making and equality in the mechanisms of coalition building and deliberation (Christiano, p.1, 2008). The strictest definition would imply that decisions are made directly by the citizens and no electoral process is employed to select legislative representatives who would, in turn, make decisions for the citizens (Christiano, p. 2, 2008). Where representatives are elected to make decisions on behalf of the electorate, such a system is defined as a republic. Although a republic system is not entirely a pure democracy, it is built on democratic principles and normative theory would argue that this distinction is irrelevant as it can be accommodated into the very definition of democracy: practical democracy can involve the election of representatives or it can involve the direct decision-making powers of a citizen class (Christiano, pp.2-4, 2008). In fact, democracy, and its more practical offshoot republicanism, both demand that there be equal political opportunity and voice and a government responsive to the demands of its citizens. Democracy is justifiable for three main reasons: it forces law and policy makers to consider the opinions, rights, and interest of virtually all interest groups within a society (strategic reason), it provides for enhanced decision making abilities as it is better able to direct decision making efforts more appropriately/correctly (epistemological reason), and it improves the collective character of citizens as they are aware that failure to think through new rules or elections could lead to catastrophic results (character improvement reason) (Christiano, pp. 2-3, 2008). The system of democracy as practiced in America holds several principles in high regard, and as such, qualifies it to being referred to as a democracy. These are: the rule of law, inalienable human rights and freedoms, a separation of powers between the three arms of government, a representative system that makes laws and acts as a check and balancing point for the Execute, the Judiciary that polices over the general population and the legislative and executive branches, a responsive government, a multi-party system, civil society freedoms, citizen and political equality, and universal suffrage (Christiano, p. 4, 2008). The American political system creates an opportunity where interest groups can compete for power. This party-based system is the basis of competition for legislative and executive mandate by the elite in the democracy system (only a few people are elected to represent voters and are thus known as the democracy elite). This system is manifest through periodic elections where voters (those who satisfy the criteria for voting, but each of whim has an equal right as the other) (Christiano, p. 9, 2008). Elections are the means by which the citizenry assesses the democratic leadership: the voters may punish or reward the leadership depending on if they were responsive to their demands or if they were responsible in their leadership. Since elections occur only in cycles, the civil society and a free press are important components of the democratic system: they challenge malpractices and expose bad leadership. The Judiciary polices over the other arms of the government: instances of where the Supreme Court ruled that a particular (Executive) policy or (Congressional) law was illegal are countless (Okpala, p. 2, 2009). Indeed, democracy is a rule by the law. As such, everybody and every institution are at the behest of the law and no one can act in contravention of it without a punitive measure. Despite this, penal punishment cannot be exacted without following due process: the accused has rights and these are protected through a fair trial process. Furthermore, every citizen has inalienable rights, many of which are revolutionary in the American context. There are social, economic, and political rights and demand that nobody should be discriminated against for any reason, be it race, religion, or any other standard of discrimination. Though the people are the supreme source of power, they are not allowed to reject the authority of the government. Additionally, every citizens should practic e own rights and freedoms without unjustly interfering with that of others. These are the premises of democracy that are evident in the American democratic model (Okpala, p. 4, 2009). The American party system has been dominated by two parties, namely, the Democratic Party and the Republican Party (Intelligencesquaredus, p.1, 2011). Though these parties have dominated American politics in one way or the other for the past two centuries, there are third parties that have an influence over provincial voting patterns. These parties range from the hilarious United States Marijuana Party to the peripheral Communist Party of the United States. These parties, numbering in the tens, could play a watchdog role or raise awareness on a number of interest issues such as taxation and healthcare. Examples include the Constitution Party that has a presence in over 30 American states and the regional Alaskan Independence Party. Despite their presence, they are generally minor and are dwarfed by the influence and resourcefulness of the two dominating forces in American politics. This two-party system ahs been the hallmark of American politics: going into the 19th century, the political arena was at the stranglehold of the Federalists and Republicans who, for all intents and purposes, were not so different in their political philosophy while the mid-19th century political crisis that eventually led to the American Civil War was due to the breakdown of the two party system of the Whigs and the American Party (that is, the Second Party System). The Whigs would eventually form the Democratic Party in opposition of the South’s clamor for an end to the onslaught on slavery. These distinctions, nevertheless, became only concrete in the post- World War I period when the Republicans managed to dominate national politics for the better part of a decade (1921-1933) (Intelligencesquaredus, p.1, 2011). Political p ositions solidified hardened even further during the Reagan era to yield the present dispensation. An understanding of this history is important because only by knowing the weaknesses of this two-party system will one be better able to appreciate its inherent faults. American history is replete with instances of how this system broke down to yield either a violent confrontation (American Civil War) or a legislative assault. An example of the latter is the impasses generated by inability of the Republicans and Democrats to reach a conclusive deal on fiscal policies in the Obama administration (Intelligencesquaredus, p.2, 2011). In effect, this two-party system has only made America ungovernable. Political compromises are becoming much more difficult to reach and with the resurgence of the Tea Party phenomenon, it is only responsible to assume that Right-wing Republicans may overshadow the conservatism of the Grand Old Party, in turn, making legislative negotiation impractical and ineffective. Clearly, the silent majority of conservative party members are muffled at every election cycle (Intelligencesquaredus, p.1, 2011). Additionally, this two-party system does not provide the electorate with sufficient alternatives, which leads to dampened voter sentiment and participation. This system is susceptible to manipulation by Big Business, meaning that public interest may be sidelined. The American model is, in this sense, far from perfect. This system is hugely dependent on the ability of citizens to make informed decision during voting. This is not always the case in electoral systems like the American one (Okpala, p. 3, 2009). Voters are held hostage by special interests and emotions and make irrational electoral decisions. The electorate is usually won over by the most charismatic candidates, meaning that it is not the most qualified candidates that usually make it to office. In addition, those adept at winning election cycles end up dominating politics. The mass media is especially culpable. It distorts the truth about certain candidates and policies, and drowns the electorate with biased, ‘expert’ information (Okpala, p. 5, 2009). Indeed, the electorate does not have the capacity nor resolve to govern a country. This is best exemplified by the present conundrum: the election cycles have failed to address the failure of public management and force leaders to make tough choices on such important issues as the financial crisis. The electorate the world over, whether in debt-stricken Greece or in America, lack the resolve to make tough decisions and usually pass the baton to the murky world of elite democratic leaders (Okpala, p. 11, 2009). Leaders brave enough to propose tough measures such as austerity and equitable taxing of the rich and wealthy find themselves unpopular. Leaders are also incentivized to prop up populist polices to shore up their popularity. This is usually done by ramping up the entitlements spending. Entitlements, in turn, push the deficit burden and, despite this retrogressive development, the electorate still elects such leaders (back) into office. The democratic system also creates persistent minorities. These are the class of the electorate that loses after every election cycle. A candid example is the Indigenous Americans that live amidst a highly urbanized and developed society (Okpala, p. 9, 2009). What this has done is that it has marginalized their interest and as a result, minorities have lower standards of quality of life, have greater inequalities of income, lower access to and success in education, and political marginalization. The end result is usually referred to as majority tyranny, but even in the absence of it, minority communities still experience largely insurmountable odds in accessing resources and influencing the course of policies and laws (Okpala, p. 8, 2009). In the U.S., however, majority tyranny is not a huge problem as affirmative actions polices, an indication that the minorities have been historically sidelined, are attempting to re-dress this issue. Another challenge with democracy in America is the effect of legislative and judicial over-reach. A number of American states are now seeking to limit voting rights come the 2012 election cycle. Georgia, for example, is seeking a reduction in the time available for voting to a mere 21 days. South Carolina, on the other hand, is seeking to place restriction on voters by demanding that they produce identification documents during voting. These restrictions are unashamedly aimed at restricting the ability of a number of interest groups from voting (Okpala, p. 8, 2009). The proponents to these voting changes claim that it will crack down on the (assumedly) fraudulent voters, that is, African-Americans, college students, Hispanics, the disabled and urban dwellers. This makes it hard for these groups to vote as they generally do not either have access to driving licenses (the disabled and urban dwellers where they public transport) for instance or identification documents themselves (such as Hispanics).The democratic model is not the best political arrangement, but easily beats the other political system for its attempt to be inclusive and representative. Do you need a custom essay on Democracy? At you can order high-quality custom written essays starting at $12/page!

Managing people Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Managing people - Essay Example The purpose of writing this paper is to identify the ethical policies and practices of an organization, its benefits and effects on stakeholders, and how people at the managerial level play their role in developing and implementing organization’s ethical policies and practice. Corporate level managers and executives are facing a lot of pressure from the external forces to maintain their ethical records. External forces may include government, legislative bodies, consumers, and employees etc. The objective of adopting ethical principles and practice is to provide ground for the development of modern ideas of doing work and collaborative efforts for business activities. Traditional concept of doing business aiming higher profit and enrichment of shareholders is no more successive because business ethics are now important aspect that every manager has to deal with (George 1982). Ethical managers believe in the fulfilment of following aspects: Achievement of corporate social respo nsibility Development of fair trade policies with business partners Ethical leadership, supervision, and control Community development Mutual cooperation (with employees and other stakeholders) Fair production and distribution Environmental protection Communal enterprise Fulfilling social rights, employee empowerment, and work life balance (Crane and Matten 2007). Managers who believe in serving ethical behaviour and practices gain more and achieve higher degree of cooperation and trust from their stakeholders. Adoption of ethical values results in higher revenues due to positive sentiments amongst general public and higher demand from the customers. It develops strong moral as well as financial support from ethical investors, and increases brand awareness and brand recognition. Moreover, ethical behaviour increases employee satisfaction, commitment, and their loyalty towards job and finally, it generates better corporate image and goodwill for the business (Andreasen 2001). On the other hand, managers may also face some drawbacks or disadvantages by adopting ethical policies such as higher costs for promoting corporate image and compliance with the fair trade policies with suppliers without quality compromise. Another disadvantage can be the development of false or wrong expectations among stakeholders. Organizations also lose their freedom to maximize profit. For example, an organization transfers its manufacturing facility to an underdeveloped country for less costly production due to the availability of cheap labour. Practices like child labour, poor work safety, and low wages are acceptable in that country, but all these may not be permissible in organization’s ethical policies and practices, therefore managers and other executives would compromise on profitability giving higher consideration to the values that the company holds for the society it operates in (Andreasen 2001). According to Milton Friedman, â€Å"primary and only responsibility of business is to make money† (Duska 2007). This statement can be true to some extent and most of the supporters of this view suggest that self-interest of an organization seeking profit automatically benefits the overall society. It is true that all profitable businesses provide benefits to their shareholders but stakeholders may or may not get their share. Stakeholders basically are those people or groups who directly or indirectly get benefits from organizations. Stakeholder includes shareholders, employees and their families, the

Increasing Service Quality at a Nationwide Restaurant Chain Essay

Increasing Service Quality at a Nationwide Restaurant Chain - Essay Example Simply put, quality of service is the customers’ expectation and evaluation of the level of ease and comfort he is supposed to have while enjoying or operating the products or services of the providing organization. For example, if a restaurant chain is classified as having a four or five star rating, not only would it have a there would be a certain level of proficiency expected in the provision of these services as well. In fact, when we enter a five star restaurant we expect a certain ambience and care and support that emanates from the reception area and goes right through the whole establishment. Empathy, reliability, responsiveness and assurance of the expected level of service are what gives the restaurant its rating and the customer’s perception of the actual services provided gives the satisfaction level of these benefits. Elements of Service Quality There can be many elements of service quality, but they all boil down to the five most important ones which are as under: a. Reliability: This is the ability of the service provider to provide what was promised, in an accurate and dependable manner. b. Assurance: This is the ability of the service provider to convey trust and confidence that what is desired will be carried out. It also reflects the knowledge and courtesy of the service provider while dealing with customer requests or complaints. c. Tangibility: This refers to the physical facilities and equipment at the hotel. Everything from the working style to the dress of the employees should send the message of a caring and responsive attitude to customer needs

The Lamb Essay Example for Free

The Lamb Essay In Blake’s poem â€Å"The Lamb† it has two main themes childhood and spiritual development. Throughout the poem Blake writes about a creator and innocence. The poem begins with a child asking a simple question of â€Å"Little Lamb who made thee†? (pg. 134) As children we have all asked this question wanting to know where did we come from or how did we get here? Even after many years scientist and bible scholars still argue over this issue. The child in the poem wonders how the lamb got its wool coat and how it survives outdoors in the elements. He knows it is not by chance or luck. The child thinks that it must be someone greater who created him and the lamb. Did Blake intentionally write this poem to have a spiritual effect? I personally feel he did Blake’s religious views were expressed in many of his works. For Blake Jesus symbolizes the essential bond and unity between spirituality and humanity. The entire poem focuses on the lamb and innocence. The Lamb is mentioned throughout the entire bible mostly acknowledged in the New Testament. Revelations 5:12,13 say â€Å"Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing. And every creature which is in heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth, and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, heard I saying, Blessing, and honour, and glory, and power, be unto him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb forever and ever†. (KJV pg)The Reference to Jesus as lamb fortifies the Christian ideals of tenderness, humbleness, and peace. The Child seeks knowledge about the lamb wanting to know why he and the lamb were created after thinking about it and realizing that Jesus is the Lamb and that God is his Father and he made everyone and everything he answers his own questions. The child blesses the lamb at the end of the poem. The poem has a personal tone and sound effects. In â€Å"The Lamb† the child is the main speaker and that gives the poem a childlike tone. This is a simple poem that uses the child-like speaker to ask to deal with complex thoughts and questions. This is also an example of an apostrophe in which the child is addressing the lamb as if they are having a conversation. Kennedy and Gioia state â€Å"the speaker is obviously a persona, or fictitious character: not the poet, but the poet’s creation† (p. 430). â€Å"The Lamb† is almost in the form of a song that a child would sing on the playground. â€Å"The Lamb† is a lyric poem (Kennedy and Gioia) â€Å"a short poem expressing the thoughts and feelings of a single speaker (p. 413). It has a simple rhyme scheme AA BB CC DD AA AA EF GG FE AA. In the first stanza it is simple asking questions, while the second is focused more toward spirituality. â€Å"The Lamb† uses alliteration and assonance and that produces a sound effect in the poem. â€Å"The Lamb† is full of symbolism. Arthur Symons in The Symbolist Movement in Literature writes â€Å"Symbolism, as seen in the writers of our day, would have no value if it were not seen also, under one disguise or another, in every great imaginative writer (pg. 3). A lamb is a mild and meek creature that is both brave and obedient. A lamb also has a childlike quality and innocence. Through the entire poem the lamb and the child are reflections of one another, the child and the lamb are both innocent and meek. William Blake uses symbolic words to create extensive metaphors about the lamb. Jesus as a lamb supports the Christian ideals of tenderness, humbleness, and peace. The lamb is a symbol of placidness of character and patience under suffering. Similar to several of the poems in the book Songs of Innocence, it is acknowledged that Blake looked at the optimistic characteristics of standard Christian belief. However his poems do not offer enough substance, since it falls short in accounting for the occurrence of pain and evil in the world. In Blake’s poem â€Å"The Lamb† it has two main themes childhood and spiritual development. Throughout the poem Blake writes about a creator and innocence. Blake intentionally writes this poem to have spiritual effects on its readers. The Child seeks knowledge about the lamb wanting to know why he and the lamb were created after thinking about it and realizing that Jesus is the Lamb and that God is his Father and he made everyone and everything he answers his own questions. In â€Å"The Lamb† the child is the main speaker and that gives the poem a childlike tone. The poem is simple and uses the child-like speaker to ask to deal with complex thoughts and questions. William Blake uses symbolic words to create extensive metaphors about the lamb. Jesus as a lamb supports the Christian ideals of tenderness, humbleness, and peace. These symbols give us more clarity in the realization that we exist because of The Lamb of God.

Society and Beauty Essay -- Feminism Feminist Women Criticism

Two very qualified women go to a business office for a job interview. The job entails a lot of contact with people. Both women are upbeat and perky and have almost identical experience in the field; the only major difference between the two women is the way they look. One woman is tall and slim with an attractive face. The other is a heavy-set "Plain Jane." The attractive woman got the job. Unfortunately, in society today looks are very important. It is a fact that people who are good looking have an easier time excelling in their careers and in life in general than people who are not. This is a sad and very shallow fact that shows society has really not come that far since the days of Martin Luther King, Jr. Society has moved from discriminating because of color; but what is on the outside is still what really counts to many people. She knew what she had to do before it was too late, and she rose up with difficulty and walked across the thick carpet to the bathroom, and flicked of the light... She left the water running out of habit, though this time it wasn't necessary since no one was around to hear the sounds from the bathroom. When she had finished the glass of water she lifted the lid of the toilet and knelt down before it, her face within the bowl. She pushed down of the back of her tongue in the exact right spot, and the brownish liquid gushed out of her (Chernin 30). This journal entry, written by a young woman in college, is about a typical day during her battle with an eating disorder. We live in a society where a woman can never be to thin ... ...23 May, 2000. <http://www.anred.com/defs.html> "Eating Disorder Definitions." Definitions According to Hazel. Hazel's Eating Disorder Support Center. 22 May, 2000. <http://members.aol.com/hazel16042/define.html> Epstein, Rachel. The Encyclopedia of Health: Eating Habits and Disorders. Chelsea House Publishers. New York. 1990. Jones Jr., Frank Allen. "Anorexia Nervosa." Microsoft Encarta: 1997 Encyclopedia. CD-ROM. Microsoft, 1996. Moorey, James. Living With Anorexia and Bulimia. University Press. New York. 1991. Nardo, Don. Overview Series: Eating Disorders. Lucent Books, Inc. San Diego. 1991. Pipher, Mary. Hunger Pains: The Modern Woman's Tragic Quest for Thinness. Ballantine Books. New York. 1995. Sonder, Ben. Eating Disorders: When Food Turns Against You. Franklin Watts. New York. 1993.

Creative writing assignment Essay

To describe myself in three adjectives, one of the words would have to be that Im ambitious. To be ambitious is to be eager and greatly desirous. For example, I play on an ice hockey team and lots, if not all, are all skating drills where its really tiring, but yet, the day before practices, I am always excited and eager to play the next day, where I no that many other players hate going to practices. Another example would be that I make many goals that I always try my best to achieve which most of the time motivate me to try even harder. For example, at the beginning of grade seven, I made a goal to be on the honor roll while being on as many school teams as possible for each of my years at junior high, and I achieved that goal with flying colors. This year, my goal is to make it on the honor roll once again and also to be on the junior volleyball school team, and by making that a goal for me, it makes me try even harder to achieve it. The second word I would use to describe myself would be trustworthy. To be trustworthy is to be reliable and to be worthy of confidence. I use this word to describe myself because I am the kind of person that you can trust with anything from something in words or something material. If someone were to tell me something with confidence that I wouldnt tell another person, that someone wouldnt have to worry because I would never break the trust that that someone puts in me. If someone has enough confidence in me to tell me something or ask me to hold something for him or her, it shows me that they have trust in me, to me, that is a big complement, and if I were to break that trust, I would lose that complement forever. For example, my parents trust me enough to stay home alone from time to time, and the only reason they do is because I havent broken their trust before. The third and final word I would use to describe myself is athletic. Unlike the other adjectives I used, athletic is a word that always pops into my head whenever I am asked to describe myself. Although it isnt as deep as the other two, I felt the need to put it as one of my three adjectives because without it, it just doesnt feel like me. The reason I use this word to describe myself is simple, because I play a lot of sports and I enjoy them more then anything. Ive been athletic about all my life, and I feel it is important for everyone to be physically fit especially while youre young, it  makes u feel better about yourself and even has many long term life saving effects.

Metropolitan Museam of Art

Rob Murphy Art and Culture Extra Credit My Second Visit to the Met 12/10/11 My second visit to the Metropolitan Museum of Art was equally enjoyable as the first. On my first visit, I hovered around the American wing and Egyptian wing mainly. On the contrary, my second visit consisted of a trip to enjoy the Greek and Roman wing. Wings such as the Egyptian, are big enough to re-visit, as I was able too. The works I was able to enjoy on my second trip were the â€Å"Cleopatra† sculpture, and the world renowned â€Å"Perseus with a Head of Medusa†. The â€Å"Cleopatra† sculpture was quite a sensational one.It was carved by William Wetmore Story out of marble; spanning eleven years , it was completed in 1869. The Boston bred sculptor’s masterpiece is in Gallery of American painting and sculpture of the Met. This beautiful sculpture is of the Egyptian queen , born in 69 BC. Alike many of William Wetmore Story’s sculptures, Cleopatra is sitting down in a c hair. The Queen is wearing a long dress with her left breast exposed. She is accessorized with jewelry and an Egyptian head piece. Her facial expressions and body positioning suggests she is is in a deep state of thought. Whether reflecting on past behavior or contemplating future actions, the figures are thinking about deeds of cataclysmic significance†(Metropolitan Museum of Art). This suggests Cleopatra is said to be thinking of something of great significance. The reason I chose the sculpture of Cleopatra as one of the works from my second visit is because it was understandable, and expresses a clear thought. She is a famous figure, and once I witnessed it , it was enjoyable to see something familiar. His sculpture made of marble is beyond my imagination of how someone could complete this.The neoclassical sculptors, â€Å"Cleopatra†, were one of William Wetmore Story’s most applauded works of art. The second work of art I appreciated on my trip to the Met was â€Å"Perseus with the Head of Medusa†. â€Å"Perseus with the Head of Medusa† is located in the European Sculpture and Decorative Arts hall. Italy native Antonio Canova carved this sculpture spanning from 1804 to 1806. In addition to the past sculpture, this was also carved out of marble. It displays Perseus, who is a mythical hero who was said to have defeated various archaic monsters; Most notably known for the Greek hero who killed Gordon Medusa , as displayed in the sculpture.Medusa was a monster who, when someone would lay eyes upon her would be transform into stone. After being killed by Perseus, Medusa’s head was used as a weapon by this hero ,and later given as a gift to his goddess, Athena, as a shield ornament. This greatly detailed sculpture shows Perseus nude , wielding a shield in one hand and medusas decapitated head in the other. He is shown staring at the severed head of Medusa. Perseus takes pride in slaying this monster , and holds her head h igh and might with pride.The face of Medusa looks unpleasant, and has a defeated expression. The mythical hero has her by the hair, except , her would be hair is represented by snakes. The reason I chose to write about this sculpture is because along with Cleopatra, Medusa was a familiar figure to me . In addition , I am also intrigued by Greek mythology such as Medusa and Perseus. The extreme detail of this exquisite sculpture also caught my attention. Canova’s detail is remarkable. The fact that he can capture facial expressions, thoughts, and predictable actions in this sculpture is phenomenal.The Metropolitan Museum of Art is an extraordinary experience. Being lucky enough to enjoy it twice is rare. While gawking at everything you lay eyes upon, you have a sense of disbelief. To think these unparalleled sculptures were hand carved, in days of minute technology is beyond understanding. These two works of art are truly amazing and the fact that they were kept in such immacu late condition is marvelous. The reasons I chose these two was because, I was familiar with both characters and I was interested to do research on them, and learn more.In conclusion I would recommend to anyone planning on taking a trip to this museum to visit these two miraculous works of art. Bibliography: http://www. metmuseum. org/collections/search-the-collections? gallerynos=548&ft=* http://www. metmuseum. org/Collections/search-the-collections/20013020? rpp=20&pg=1&ft=cleopatra&pos=5 http://www. framemuseums. org/jsp/fiche_oeuvre. jsp? STNAV=&RUBNAV=&CODE=O115046173127831&LANGUE=1&RH=UsaFRAMEMuseums&OBJET_PROVENANCE=COLLECTION

Juvenile Crime Control Act essays

Juvenile Crime Control Act essays I chose correctional social work because it is my goal to work within the legal system, mainly with juveniles; perhaps in a detention center or a rehabilitation center for dysfunctional children. Hopefully by researching some legislation in this area, I will be able to gain a greater understanding for how the system works and what to be prepared for in the future. The act that I chose to look at an act that involves the sentencing and housing of juveniles who have committed crimes that would be considered felonies if committed by adults. One of the main reasons I believe that a new policy was needed in this area is that many juvenile offenders are habitual offenders. I feel that stiffer penalties are needed in order to deter many from committing crimes again. Felony crimes such as murder and drug offenses are serious offenses that need to be punished in such a way that nothing of the sort should happen again with that individual. The Juvenile Crime Act of 1997(H.R.3) is a federal bill. Its purpose is to use tough juvenile crime control efforts with overall prevention efforts. It will make it easier for juveniles age 14 and older who commit federal violent crimes or federal drug-trafficking offenses to be tried as adults. The bill also allows for the Justice Department to prosecute teenagers 13 years old who break these laws as adults. The bill requires that states set up a system of records for juveniles who are found guilty of serious crimes that would be considered felonies if committed as adults, equivalent to those maintained for adults who commit felonies and kept on file the same amount of time an adult record would be maintained. Typically, juvenile records are only used when the child is a juvenile. This bill will allow that these records be used in future cases. This bill also ensures that state law does not prevent a judge from holding the parents or guardians of a juvenile offender accountable fo r the juveniles c...

Between You and I vs. Between You and Me

Between You and I vs. Between You and Me Between You and I vs. Between You and Me Between You and I vs. Between You and Me By Maeve Maddox An ad for a new movie about the Hebrew exodus from Egypt shows Christian Bale as Moses–a character who has received a privileged and educated upbringing–shouting the words, â€Å"Something’s coming that is far beyond you and I!† I noticed because beyond is a preposition and should be followed by the object form me, not the subject form I: â€Å"Something’s coming that is far beyond you and me!† Note: The fact that English did not exist in the time of Moses is not relevant. A more commonly heard ungrammatical prepositional phrase is â€Å"between you and I.† This error is so common that it has its defenders. On a Slate post, podcast producer Mike Vuolo takes the position that correctness should be determined by what people â€Å"actually use.† He admits that â€Å"between you and I† contravenes the standard rule about prepositions being followed by me and not I, but claims that there is â€Å"a relatively modern theorywhich may undermine that rule†: Noam Chomsky and modern linguistshave a very persuasive theory that holds that in a construction like â€Å"between you and I, the entire phrase â€Å"you and I† is the object of the preposition and that for the individual elements within it the [grammatical] case becomes arbitrary. He mentions a quotation from Shakespeare to prove that â€Å"between you and I† must be all right. Note: For one example of between you and I in the entire works of Shakespeare, there are numerous examples of between followed by the object form me. The Bard’s one use of â€Å"between you and I† appears in a letter from Bassanio, the merchant from whom Shylock has demanded a pound of flesh: My bond to the Jew is forfeit; and since in paying it, it is impossible I should live, all debts are cleared between you and I. –The Merchant of Venice, Act III, scene ii. Shakespeare can teach us a lot about our language, but he’s not a reliable guide to modern standard usage. For example, in Julius Caesar, he has Antony say, â€Å"This is the most unkindest cut of all.† The most grammar-challenged modern speaker knows better than to double a superlative. Vuolo cites an academic paper written by two sociolinguists that identifies and labels three competing permutations of the between prepositional phrase: 1. between you and me, â€Å"standard usage† 2. between you and I, â€Å"polite usage† Note: By labeling this form â€Å"polite usage,† the authors encourage the false idea that the pronoun I is somehow â€Å"nicer† than me. 3. between me and you, â€Å"vernacular† The authors found that â€Å"the oldest people studied and those with the most education† tended to use the standard form. Participants â€Å"intermediate in age and level of education [less than a Ph.D.] favored† the â€Å"polite† version, whereas â€Å"youth and the less educated† used â€Å"between me and you.† The fact that between you and me was most common among the oldest participants could have something to do with the possibility that grammar was more effectively taught in the public schools in the past than it is now. As for youth and the less educated, good for them. They may be erring socially by putting themselves first, but they are using the correct pronoun case. Language evolves, including pronouns. I and me may eventually change places. Me is an object form, yet many speakers use the compound â€Å"Me + x† as a subject: â€Å"Me and the children went to the zoo on Sunday.† The first person pronouns I and me may go the way of second person ye (subject form) and you (object form): first they changed places, and then one of them disappeared altogether. Vuolo suggests that â€Å"between you and I† is far more common on the Web than â€Å"between you and me.† This may be true, but I wasn’t able to duplicate his search results. I did search the three phrases in the Google Ngram Viewer and found that between you and me is the clear winner in books–and has been for the past two hundred years. Time will tell. When persistent enough, nonstandard popular usage eventually makes its way into standard usage. For now, in this decade of the 21st century, between you and I is nonstandard usage. Related links: I vs Me Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Grammar category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:5 Uses of InfinitivesAmong vs. AmongstShow, Don't Tell

Safety and Efficacy of Resveratrol Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Safety and Efficacy of Resveratrol - Assignment Example Adversarial effects of drug in humans have ever been experienced. Longstanding side effects remain unknown (Barclay 2007). A negligible and short-lived clinical experiment performed few years ago among the obese patients provided 150 mg each day of the compound manifested no dangerous reactions (Sarubin-Fragakis & Thomson 2007).Resveratrol can act as an enhancer or antagonist to the estrogen according to Linus Pauline institute. As a result it might promote or discourage the development of cancers that depend on estrogen among individuals. However, there is no proof that the drug promotes or discourage cancer development among women.MedicationsConsumption of large quantities of pure resveratrol might elevate drug levels in blood which are normally metabolized by CYP3A4 (Barclay 2007). Such occurrences imply that calcium particular immunosuppressant drugs, channel blockers as well as erectile dysfunction might increase quantities of blood. Critical caution is necessary when administer ing the pure resveratrol together with the drugs such as the anti-coagulant as well as the anti- platelets (DyBuncio 2012). Before taking the drugs, kindly refer to the labels and ensure that you abide by the requirements such as not being a child or pregnant. Pharmaceutical advice is necessary in all situations (Polycarpou 2013).Resveratrol may enlarge blood vessels besides decreasing the action of cells essential for clotting the blood. Some studies proposes that resveratrol has frail estrogen influences.

Account Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Account - Essay Example Return on capital employed or Return on Total assets measures the firm’s overall effectiveness in generating the profits. This ratio has gone up a little from 0.6 in 2005 to 0.7 in 2006. This increase does not signify much. The assets of the company are underutilized. Similarly return on net assets (also known as return on equity- ROE) measures the return earned on owners’ investments. Arriva Plc. earned 0.22 on equity or net assets in 2005 and 0.21 of net assets in 2006. The earnings are certainly not encouraging. Debtors’ collection period and Creditors’ payment period reflects average age of accounts receivable and accounts payable respectively. These collection and payment periods have shown a little improvement. Average collection period has come down from 47.98 days in 2005 to 46.04 in2006. Also average payment period has also come down from 95.78 days in 2005 to 82.67 days in 2005. This reflects the working capital problems or cash shortage being faced by Arriva Plc. Creditors have started doubting the company because of its dwindling liquidity position. That is why creditors have reduced the credit period. Gross profit ratio cannot be calculated as there are no trading activities involved. But the net profit ratio shows an improvement from 5.9% in 2005 to 6.06% in 2006. This is certainly an achievement despite cash crunch and difficulties in meeting short term obligations faced by Arriva Plc. during the year 2006. Finally it has been observed that Arriva Plc. is a low geared company. With complete reliance on equities Arriva Plc. is finding it difficult to mobilize funds. It is suggestible for Arriva to reconsider about capital mix. It may be beneficial to bring in more debts not only to improve working capital position but to utilize assets to their full capacity. One of the fastest growing industries in world is travel and tourism. Its financial managements assume importance as under noted issues impact the volumes and costs

Human resource management Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 5000 words

Human resource management - Assignment Example This study attempts to provide detailed analysis of role of human resource management for entire industry in the UK in context with the laws and recommendations are provided to strategically manage the human resource in improved way. This study focuses on HR practices, roles and processes of Hilton Hotel as an example of hospitality industry of the country. As a human resource manager of a hospitality organisation, the role and purpose of HRM is to formulate and execute strategies that are best fit for the organisation so as to achieve efficiency and organisational objectives. A set of multiple HR activities and strategies is briefly discussed as follows: The most important HR function of an organisation is to select right people for the right jobs keeping in view skills, aptitude, motivation, etc for the long run. This is a complete process comprised of several steps designed to filter and choose the right candidate. Hilton Hotel focuses to hire people through testing, interviewing and screening; however it can further improve the process by applying psychometric tools so that the pool of applicants becomes large and candidates are systematically filtered in less time. The existing and new employees need to be trained and equipped according to the dynamic external environment so as to effectively compete in the global and domestic market. Training Need Assessment (TNA) is a process to grasp the lagging skills and potential of the people in organisational context which helps to design training programs effectively. Hilton Hotel has training programs mostly focused around customer services while management training, sustainability and competitiveness training can add value to human capital of the organisation despite keeping a single focus as it is reported that skill gap is 21% in the industry. The employees once selected and trained become an asset for the organisation and they need to be retained to save cost and

Apples Management Strategies

Apples Management Strategies In a highly competitive environment such as the computer and technology industry, the structure of an organization needs to balance the benefits of a free and creative workforce all the while employing rigid guidelines to ensure cost control and efficiency. Apple Computer tried to accomplish this grey area of management when they restructured the organization in 1992. While some of the techniques they implemented looked promising, others appeared as if they were not going to solve their current problems. To facilitate creativity in generating new and unique products, Scully will articulate a far-sighted vision very broadly, at a 50,000 foot level and leave the lower level managers and workers to fill in the blanks. While it is important for Scully to allow the engineers freedom in generating ideas for new products, he may be allowing them too much freedom. Without providing the lower level workers certain specifications and milestones, they will surely overshoot their budget and miss deadlines. To ensure that these milestones are met, Scully should provide them with a semi-rigid guideline for the development, yet still allowing wiggle room for creativity that will distinguish their products in the market. The freedom that is allowed for creativity at Apple also has the potential for abuse. The current structure is lacking boundary controls that define what behaviors will be tolerated and which behaviors are prohibited. These controls should be carefully chosen by upper management and designed to facilitate creativity and boost employee morale, yet keep the workers behavior professional and goal oriented. Recently, upper management has received negative feedback in surveys from the companys employees. We feel that the upper management at Apple is too inexperienced and that it should be comprised of workers promoted from within the company. The average senior manager has only been with the company for 5.5 years, when many of the lower level employees have been with the company for double that amount of time. This may be leading to the decrease in employee morale, thus resulting in them losing the drive they need to keep Apple innovative and profitable. Apples employees are adequately educated and know the products as well, if not better, than most of management, and may potentially lead to the subordinates undermining any recommendations made by their seniors. Compensation and bonuses are a main incentive for exceptional performance and motivation at Apple. While the goals and measures that the bonuses are based upon are aligned with Apples long term goals, we feel that lower level employees bonuses are based on goals that they are not responsible for attaining. For instance, a line worker certainly does not have great control over the companys market share, just as a marketer has no influence over any product flaws that engineering may have missed. Each division should have their own independent measures to determine bonuses. These measures should only consist of goals that they have direct control over. If an employees bonus is dependent on a goal that their job affects, it gives them incentive to excel at their respective duties in the organization. Senior managements compensation on the other hand, should be based on all of ACPIs, as they are responsible for the success of the organization as a whole. Apples new strategy calls for an increase in productivity, which often can mean an increase in speed. Though it was said that Apple remained a very pleasant place to work: its offices were bright, modern, high-tech buildings. The atmosphere was still casual, reflecting the California lifestyle of many of the employees. And the companys historically strong, individualistic culture was reinforced by Apples own technology. It seemed that even though people still enjoyed the environment, they did not necessarily still love the work. One manager said people were being pushed to the limits; long hours and limited resources were leading to burnouts.' The issue here is that to increase productivity the correct way means an increase in efficiency. Most people agreed that the new system had not fundamentally reengineered anything; they were simply having employees work harder with fewer resources. Apple was used to an informal style and not used to employees feeling overworked. Apples people management seemed to be letting its people down. A 1992 Survey suggested that the vast majority of employees perceived that the company did not invest in its workforce and that executive management was not concerned about their future. It also suggested that most employees believed that Apples best people had been passed over for a promotion. Apple was supposed to be a place that people longed to work for. Now it has become a place where employees are unhappy and with the rapid growth new employees were often promoted with little time to develop appropriate management skills. John Sculley often emphasized the importance of leadership. Shortly after he announced his long term view of the organization in a companywide meeting, he released his public view of management: Capable leadership is essential to Apples immediate and long-term success. Thoughtful planning and execution of executive capabilities will be a strategic edge for Apple as we move forward. With all the new management positions due to the rapid growth, this capable leadership began to be questioned. We have learned that there are many ways in which managers can positively affect organizational culture. The way that employees were currently being hired did not seem to use these techniques. Part of the reason that the managers were lacking the proper skills could be because they were not hired based on their value or belief in the new strategy. If the practices are going to be consistent throughout an organization it must promote people whose values are consistent with the companys culture. In order to fix this problem and ensure the successful management of Apple, the manager in charge of getting managers ready for their job sat down with each general manager and created a list of core competencies needed for that division. These would align with the new strategy for the most part; however there was a new focus. The new focus was one that had never been used before, customer focus. It is interesting that in the middle of implementing this new strategy that seemed to be centered on higher productivity, lower prices and product development they would stress the importance of customer focus to all their general managers. This, though not exactly a poor decision, is inconsistent with the other ways that the company went about executing this new strategy. Until this point it had been about increasing productivity with longer hours, rapid growth and successful promotions. After the 1992 survey that showed no improvement in the previous year, it is easy to see that a change was needed. Customer focus seemed to be that change. The reason this inconsistent change was needed was because Apple managers did not believe they had the time to allow the original plan to work. A quality manager was quoted saying We cant wait three to ten years to get results. We wont be alive if we wait that long. As a group, our consulting firm has provided you with several solutions to these ongoing problems at Apple. Our solutions relate to four problem areas at the firm; compensation, promotion, communication, and creativity. Make compensation and bonuses in line with attainable goals. A line workers bonus needs to be attributed to the job he is performing and the goals which go along with that job. The Senior V.P. Secretary is getting his bonus because the RD team has spent 80 hours a week all year cranking out new ideas and products. It doesnt seem fair that the rewards are not in line with the work done to achieve them. Operational level divisions bonuses based on performance, length of time with the company, end of year evaluations done by management. Upper managements bonuses should be based on ACPIs as a cohesive whole since they are responsible for the marketing and final decision making. The company should not cut salary and switch to a commission based pay method. If the Apple wants to improve their gross margin, they need to find other ways to cut costs rather than screw over their employees. If employees feel like they are so far stretched beyond their means and burnt out, they will lose their motivation and drive to do the job they love. This can essentially push employees to stop caring about the end product and companys goals because they are so burnt out from trying to reach these unattainable goals. If you allow them to be creative and just give them simple structure and guidelines as well as some direction, they will still be able to think freely and meet overall goals. Promote from within Management has handed out promotions to employees who may have been unqualified, or may never have worked for the company before. We believe internally advertised job openings would be a better way to make promotions, this way anyone who felt qualified for a position could apply. Other people can make recommendations for co-workers who they feel would also be suitable and qualified to take on that new position. A requirement for the management position will be the Apple University Manager training potential new managers with the Executive readiness program. Rather than simply have this be a review process, they can turn this into a training session. This would help management pass down the organizational vision, image, and voice of the company. The managers will all be trained in a standardized format so everyone works on the same page. The way that Apple had previously promoted employees had significantly decreased their employees morale and made it difficult for them to respect their managers. With a system that allows for more promotion within the company with seniority taken into consideration there will more than likely maintain their culture and dedication to the company. When a large company makes quick management modification and changes, culture can easily be the largest factor affected. Therefore, it is imperative that Apple does whatever they can to maintain a strong culture. A strong part of the group (consensus) feeling gives way to a strong culture, as well as assist in increasing employee morale. Communication Top-Down and Bottom-Up Meeting in San Jose would have been easier to communicate the strategy if they hadnt waited until there were already problems. They would have better off communicating in this style every quarter. This way, employees can give recommendations and ideas to upper management. Managers also need to be qualified and ready to manage. Without management skills there can be a lack of effective communication and implementation. With the proper training and qualifications, managers will have the ability to communicate company ideas and direction in the best way possible to their employees. Promotion from within allows the manager to have pre-existing relationships with co-workers and other employees. They will feel more comfortable talking to them, as well as realize the importance and necessity of communication in the organization. Quarterly meetings with all employees to communicate vision to the entire organization rather than only having the top managers know exactly what is going on and the specific directions theyre headed. Creativity Due to the company wanting to crank out new technology at a faster than ever speed, this has completely stifled employees ability to come up with new products at their own pace and expertise. By forcing the new structure, incentives, performance and commission-based pay, people are not given the same freedom to be creative. There was a sudden change in the company through establishing rules, lowering autonomy, concentration on improving the profits, and constantly having new managers who are not qualified nor trained for the position. This places a large shock value on employees who are used to working so freely and creatively. We think a more productive and efficient method of finding new ideas and technology would be a similar concept to the process IDEO uses. Group think brainstorming sessions for the RD department to boost creativity and piggy-back launch even more creative ideas. We want to instill the idea that it is ok for RD ideas to fail, but the important part is for the employees to take risks and generate as many ideas as possible to throw on the table for discussion. Apples new strategy was good in theory, but it was riddled with implementation problems. Promotion, communication, creativity, and compensation methods all appeared as if they were overlooked when Apple developed their new strategy. Our solutions to these problems should provide a smoother transition for the company, all the while boosting employee morale and productivity.

Film Festival Start Ups :: Movies Films Film Festivals Essays

Film Festival Start ups Silicon Valley fairly bursts with life and energy. Everywhere you look new companies, ideas and innovations are on the move and on the rise. Welcome to the land of start ups; small companies with a dream who survive and thrive by skill, luck and sheer tenacity. While the term usually describes high tech concepts, start-ups abound in the Valley - from the small catering company on the comer to the neighborhood printing shop down the street to the local film festival. Yes, that's right - film festival. The Local Scene "Film festival" usually conjures images of stretch limos, glittering starts and rabid paparazzi. Think Cannes or Sundance and you think big budgets, big egos and big-time Hollywood take over. Even smaller, more local festivals have the same overtones. Take the San Francisco International Film Festival. Champion of such "outsider" interests as gay rights, and American Indians long before those concepts became acceptable, SFIFF has mellowed with maturity. Called the "gray lady of local fests" by Dennis Harvey in Variety (June 30, 1997), the SFIFF continues to support international diversity, but with more of a prestigious, elitist atmosphere. The air, apparently, has become more rarified in San Francisco. The second largest film festival in the Bay Area, the Mill Valley Festival has a much more relaxed atmosphere. But, even within this atmosphere, some of the need for mainstream acceptance and money tends to bleed through. Start-ups seem to have two destinies - wonderful success or complete failure, with little middle ground. Other film festivals have ventured into the Silicon Valley before. Most of them had wonderful prospects - at the beginning. The Santa Cruz Festival, the San Jose Film Festival and the Monterey Film Festival, all showed great promise, and none made it to a third year. The Santa Cruz Festival ran from 1982 to 1985, and died of erratic handling. Part of the Santa Cruz charm is its dedication causes, its fierce independence and the feel that comes together with one word - Burkenstocks. Unfortunately, the wild, eccentric and fairly unorganized tendency that adds charm to the city killed the film festival. With wildly erratic programming that could confuse even dedicated fans and the death of festival found Les Goldman in 1986, the Santa Cruz Festival passed into the night. In 1984 San Jose made its stab at a festival. The Cinema of the Fantastic focused on science-fiction and fantasy in the beginning.

Qing Dynasty Essay

The last dynasty in China, the Qing dynasty, ruled from 1644 to 1911, and there is argument to say that their failures, especially those towards the end of their rule, created the underlying tension and ideologies behind the Communist victory in China and the consequential establishment of the People’s Republic of China (PRC). These failures can be subdivided into military failures, weaknesses of the leadership, financial disarray, political troubles, and the Qing dynasty’s failure to implement lasting, effective reforms. It can easily be argued that the Qing dynasty didn’t recognise the importance of the military until it was too late and they suffered for neglecting it. The dismissal of a key general, Yuan Shikai in 1908 can be seen as a turning point for the military in this period. The dismissal wasn’t for valid reasons, but purely a chance for Regent Prince Chun to assert his authority. However, this had disastrous consequences the Qing dynasty, as th ey had lost their only loyal general, leaving them without military protection, an issue which had already been exacerbated by the Boxer Rising in 1900-1901. The Qing dynasty then made a further mistake in putting too much trust in him when he (reluctantly) returned. This resulted in Yuan Shikai using his unarguable military strength to gain political power. In all, this left the Qing dynasty with little, if any military strength. Their army wasn’t loyal, nor was it organised and there was much internal strife. Therefore the Chinese people were left yearning for a government that was strong enough to command military as well as political power, planting the ideas of revolution in their heads. The Qing dynasty also had a lot of problems with leadership. During the â€Å"100 Days† period of attempted reform, obvious internal power struggles arose which further weakened the dynasty. Here there was the struggle between the reactionaries of the government, those that wanted China to remain traditional and to uphold the ideas of Confucian living, and progressives who were in support of bringing in reform and change to modify China . With hindsight, it can be argued that, perhaps if the progressives had won the debate over reform, there might not have even been a need for a revolution. However, at the time it is important to note that the ideas of Confucian living and social harmony were a core part of Chinese society, and because most of the Chinese public had not known any different, something as radical as what the progressives were suggesting was seen as alien and threatening.  The reactionaries outweighed the progressives in court, and led by Dowager Empress Cixi, they forced themselves into power. For a while, although Cixi was in no way a perfect leader, at least there was a constant leader who was reliable. However in 1908, upon the death of Emperor Guangxu and Dowager Empress Cixi, Pu Yi came to be emperor. However emperor Pu Yi was only a very small child at the time, so Prince Chun acted as regent. He lacked authority, and so 3 further years of inconsistent leadership followed. The Chinese public started looking for someone who was confident to lead them into a revolution and give them what they need in way of reform, opening up and opportunity for a n ew leader to step in. From the end of the Opium Wars, the Qing government had been plunged into a state of bankruptcy, leaving them without enough money to impose an industrial modernisation programme that China so desperately needed. This was made worse by the crippling penalties imposed after the Boxer Rising in 1900-01. The effect of this is most obviously highlighted with the railways crisis from 18958-1911. During this time the railway boom in China meant a great opportunity for provinces to thrive, bringing in trade and new jobs. However, the Qing government chose to nationalise the railway, and to be able to afford to do so, that meant that they had to raise taxes and rely on foreign loans. Naturally, the Chinese people in these provinces weren’t happy with the fact that not only have the government taken away a huge possibility for local investment, but were then imposing taxes on the very people who were missing out. This led to open opposition of the government for the first time in China, as well as a damaged sense of pride because they were relying on foreign investment. The Qing dynasty was widely regarded among the Chinese as old-fashioned and redundant. First of all, this was down to the simple fact that they originated from Manchuria, which wasn’t even part of China, meaning that they were out of touch with the growing popularity of nationalism. Also, their authoritarian tradition made them incapable of responding to the demands of the revolutionaries, who were inspired by Japanese and Western models of democracy. This is because, among the people, there was fear of the punishments associated with â€Å"disrupting the social harmony† (defying the government). Combined with the government’s fear of change, it can be argued that this is why it took until 1949 for China to have a revolution, compared to America or France. Finally, and most importantly, was the Qing dynasty’s  blatant disregard for the crucial need for reforms. The closest that they got to reform was during the â€Å"100 Days† in 1905, when reforms based on western models were proposed but completely ignored in courts and so therefore didn’t go through. Part of this was to do with Dowager Empress Cixi leading a strong opposition against the reform. However, she later went on to introduce some reform, for example she brought an end to tests in Confucianism for government positions and she created provincial assemblies. Many historians have argued, however, that this was just an attempt to win over the revolutionaries who were turning against the idea of an â€Å"establishment† all together. Generally, by the time of the formal abdication of the Qing dynasty in 1912, the revolutionaries within China were ready for change. They were fed up with having a corrupt, inconsistent central government that weren’t in touch with the modern concepts behind revolutionary thoughts. This lay the foundations for the Chinese revolution and the eventual establishment of the PRC in 1949.

How do leaders develop

How do leaders develop? Given the large amount of different facets leaders posses in order to perform effectively in their respective domains, it is hard to specifically define leadership- however, it can be merely presented as an influencing process between a leader and the people who follow. Furthermore, leadership development is essential in carrying an individual through from the stages of emergence all the way to leadership effectiveness, and was defined by Day (2012) as â€Å"the expansion of an individual's capacity to be effective in leadership roles and processes†.According to Contracts (2010) and Murphy (201 1), there are major developmental stages in leadership; starting in early childhood, those years playing a major role in the upbringing of future self-regulation and leadership identity. Studies by Viola and Possessing (2011) have also demonstrated that many skills acquired at a young age during â€Å"sensitive periods†, when learning has proven to be easi er and happens faster, often have an impact on leadership development in later stages; therefore an adequate early environment may reveal itself as helpful in developing future effective leaders.Furthermore, research from Arrive et al (2006) argues that many leader personality traits are partly genetically inherited, and that parents contribute to many characteristics shown in their children; which helps demonstrate that there are a considerable amount of factors in leadership development that are, at least for the early years, beyond the control of the individual concerned and will most likely have consequences (positive or negative) on leadership development in the person's future years.However, initiative is arguably the main driver for self-regulation and a moon trait in leaders, according to Larson (2000). In addition, Caldwell (2008) states in his findings that practice is the main method for obtaining desired leadership skills, leading us to think that anyone with enough init iative and the right set of goals could potentially become an effective leader. Considering the impact of an individual's environment on their personal traits and attributes, most noticeably from the early years, how much control do we really have over our leadership development?Based on a research conducted by Arrive et al (2006), at least 30% of personality heartsickness in relation to transformational leadership is attributed through genetics; which is an indication that genes play a large role in determining leadership attributes in individuals, whether it is leader emergence or leader effectiveness. However, 70% of leadership traits stem from other sources; it is therefore important to analyses all the other factors influencing the development of the individual's leadership skills.Acting as the main role-models, parents are a vital influence in their children's developments and play a major role in their relation to adhering: â€Å"Parents contribute to their children's religi ous beliefs, intellectual and occupational interests, feelings of self-esteem or inadequacy, adherence to traditional or modern notions of masculinity and femininity, helpfulness to others, skills, and values† (Wade & Atavist,2008) A research conducted by Contracts (2010) concluded that there are four different types of parenting styles; these are: authoritative, neglectful, authoritarian and indulgent.Each one of the four is argued to have varying effects on children's leadership development. It is believed that authoritative parents are the most likely to raise children to be effective leaders, by educating them with strict discipline and monitoring; but also supportive and encouraging of them to think and act independently as they become more mature (Murphy, 2011).On the other hand, according to Banding (1991) authoritarian parents tend to exert control and punishment based on firm rules; which is a parenting method that is not usually prone to leadership skill development in children, generally resulting in teenagers with a lack of social and communication skills.Furthermore, neglectful parents are absent or play very minor roles in their children's lives; as a result they tend to raise teenagers with poor social skills and low self control. However, indulgent parents, who will be present without ever enforcing many household rules, tend to raise children with generally higher creativity levels; but will also lead to lower social skills and self-control due to a lack of firmness in regards to their education from their parents.Another phenomenon instigated by parenting, which can be observed from infancy and acts as an indicator for future adhering outcomes, is the attachment or bond that infants have with their guardians; Insinuators et al (1978) determined three different types of attachments a child can have: Secure, avoiding and ambivalent- these will influence the individual's future social behavior.According to Insinuators et all's findings, in dividuals who benefited from secure attachment to their guardians in their formative years are generally more socially adaptable as adults and have the confidence resources to take on leadership roles; whereas individuals who suffered from insecure attachments (avoiding or ambivalent) tend to comparatively lack social confidence due to the absence of a sense of security from a guardian as a child and, in contrast, will not seek out leadership.This goes to show that parents have a considerable impact on the outcome of their children, which ultimately will affect them in regards to their leadership development, abilities and capabilities. It is quite obvious that early influences and genetics have an impact on leadership development in adulthood, those early years being a delicate, sensitive and an important period of development.However, as long as individuals keep on learning new skills and behaviors, development will continue (Bernstein, 1989). An individual's background, environme nt and early upbringing are not the only factors in successful effective leadership development; although those elements are strong enablers, with many demonstrated correlations, they are not everything needed to be a leader .Caldwell (2008) underlined the crucial importance of training and practice through his analysis of notable leaders such as Bill Gates or the Beetles, and included that it requires 10 000 hours of work to become an expert in any field; and this can be achieved by anyone with the initiative to do so. Although practice may yield more results in skill development and mastery if performed at a young age during the â€Å"sensitive period† of learning, it does not however mean that it will instigate zero form of leadership development if practicing occurs later in lifetime (Viola and Possessing 2011).Another important concept explained through a model developed by Lord and Hall (2005), which encompasses the development of leadership identity and self- exultatio n in relevance with the lifespan approach to leader development, is that our notion of leadership evolves through time; for example the way leadership is demonstrated and perceived as a child in primary school will be completely different to the way in which it is viewed by adults with different motifs and sets of personal goals.Leadership identity plays a vital part in leadership development, acting in correlation with self regulation; as individual goals and motivations progress through time, we tend to re-develop new updated leadership identities and adapt our goal researchers accordingly, in order to eventually achieve effectiveness and have control over our own leadership development. Previous findings demonstrate a clear correlation between early influences and leadership development.Furthermore, the presence of a sensitive period in regards to learning and developing core characteristics found in early years of childhood is an indicator of the limited amount of control we hav e over our own leadership development, given that most main decisions regarding young children's upbringing and social environments are made by the parents, and ultimately become defining eaters for the individuals.This emphasizes the fact that individuals placed in a favorable environment for developing leadership skills, self-efficacy and regulation at a young age have a considerable advantage over those that aren't, and consequently greater chances of becoming leaders in the long-run; this can be used as an encouragement for parents and schools to focus on those crucial character- building and defining years in order to enable individuals with the best opportunities for effective leadership from early on.It is still however possible for individuals to hang their leadership development trajectory and develop a different leadership identity at any given time after reaching maturity, if they posses the urge to become an effective leader or differ from a current leadership position; it is only their original circumstances as a young child which they have no control over, which is a major part of leadership development.