George Orwells 1984 and Today Essay examples - 1449 Words

George Orwells 1984 and Today TV rots the senses in the head! It kills the imagination dead! It clogs and clutters up the mind! It makes a child so dull and blind. He can no longer understand a fantasy, A fairyland! His brain becomes as soft as cheese! His powers of thinking rust and freeze! An excerpt from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, By Roald Dahl, 1964 When George Orwell’s epic novel 1984 was published in 1949 it opened the public’s imagination to a future world where privacy and freedom had no meaning. The year 1984 has come and gone and we generally believe ourselves to still live in â€Å"The Land of the Free;† however, as we now move into the 21st Century changes brought about by recent advances in†¦show more content†¦Numerous studies have concluded that the content and amount of television programming watched by individuals – especially by children - has a direct result on the behavior of that individual. The behavior affected by television viewing can be anything from a desire for a certain food or material good to violent distemper (Zuckerman 1985.) Recently, more and more woman have given up their traditional role of raising their children opting instead to work during the day and leave their children to take care of themselves. Unfortunately, many children find that spending count less hours in front of the television to be a worthwhile way to entertain themselves. Most parents tell their children never to talk to strangers, but what they fail to realize is that every day their children are subject to the messages and ideas of strangers on the television. In fact, a study concluded that an average American by the age of 18 has spent more time watching television than they have spent in school; this study also went on the state that children spend more time watching television than any other activity besides sleeping. This may explain why an additional study revealed that if a child was told something by his or her parents and then viewed on television something that contradicted what the parents had said, four times out of five the child opted to believe theShow MoreRelatedEssay on Living in George Orwells 1984-Today3839 Words   |  16 PagesLiving in George Orwells 1984-Today George Orwells horrendous yet prophetic vision of the future in his novel, 1984 has come and gone. In this nightmarish novel, Oceania, where the story takes place, is the perfect depiction of Negative Utopia in which the government is in total control of their citizens. They control every aspect of their life. From the smallest things as the clothes their citizen wore on a daily basis to the person they were allowed to marry to their thoughts. FreedomRead MoreAnalysis Of George Orwell s The Great Gatsby 1285 Words   |  6 PagesMack Allen Mr.Booth Period 6 English 12/3/14 Author Study of George Orwell George Orwell was a literary tactician who won two major awards because of hia advanced and intriguing use of propaganda. At first glance, his books appear to be stories about animals, however, they contain much deeper and influential meanings. Orwell is most recognized for his portrayal of dystopian societies and how they parallel present society. Through intense allegories, Orwell unintentionally crafted novels that areRead MoreAnalysis Of 1984768 Words   |  4 PagesChloe Gould Ms. Melnychenko English 1/F 12 October 2017 George Orwells vision coming to life The world today is becoming a 21st century 1984. 1984 by George Orwell foreshadows similarity between technology, safety, and language in todays world as well as in the picture of 1984’ society. The made up idea of telescreens, memory holes, different language, and safety probation have become to simmare to the present world. In Orwells work conclusions can be drawn that he definitely was pointingRead More1984 Argument1249 Words   |  5 PagesGeorge Orwell’s book 1984 is a very interesting novel. The novel is set up in Airstrip One. In George Orwell’s book 1984 it has many situations. One of the many situations are that some people refer society as â€Å"Orwellian.† What does Orwellian mean? Orwellian means, of or related to the works of George Orwell ( especially his picture of his future totalitarian state.) People believe that Orwell is realistic and say his work part of our society now. George Orwell was a writer in the twentieth centuryRead Mor eThe Works of George Orwell1347 Words   |  5 PagesGeorge Orwell How did George Orwell, an author who died over 50 years ago, suddenly rocket to the top of the best sellers list? George Orwell was able to show peoples all over the world about dangers that not only pertained to people of his time period but to multitudes of future generations. He used his literary knowledge to write books that were incredible influential in both their literary skill and the message they portrayed. George Orwell greatly influenced British society through his literaryRead More1984 By George Orwell1038 Words   |  5 Pages 1984 by George Orwell Brittany Beard Creative Writing 12/14/17 Abstract In this essay, I will use three sources to develop an answer to the question: â€Å"What relevance does Orwell’s text, 1984, written in 1948, have on today’s society?†. I will discuss today’s society’s use of words used in, 1984. The sources given are all relatable, but i have chosen these three, because I can give a better reasoning to how they are relatable. I must include Citations for all informationRead MoreGeorge Orwell s Dangers Of Power Through A Totalitarian Government1186 Words   |  5 PagesWhile writing 1984, George Orwell strongly displayed the theme of the dangers of power through a totalitarian government. Not only were Orwell’s ideas of corruption in an all-powerful government portrayed in his novel, 1984, but comparisons can be made with the story’s points of a spying authority, keeping the lower class ignorant, and an unscrupulous corporate influence with America’s power-heads today. Big Brother could be considered the main antagonist of George Orwell’s 1984. Serving as aRead MoreExamples Of 1984 By George Orwell971 Words   |  4 Pagesparallels would be the high end satiristic novel written by George Orwell 1984. From the communistic entity, the forced working ability, and economic lead by a man who takes on the persona of god; this short novel represents the american culture and many cultures or what they can or will become. This story is a warning of what human beings are, at the highest dystopian standpoint. In introduction, The foresight behind George Orwell’s book ‘1984’ was remarkable. Written in 1949, it was claimed as a kindRead MoreLiterary Context Of Dystopian Literature1746 Words   |  7 PagesZamyatin’s We, published in 1920 or even Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World, published in 1932. However, it is in George Orwell’s 1984 that a truly horrific dystopian world is portrayed. Full of torture, misery, fear and repression, Orwell manages to manipulate and distort the idea of utopia and instead creates a place in which humans have no control over their own lives. The part of 1984, which is so compelling and interesting, is the fact that the people are living in a dystopian world without evenRead More1984 Analysis Essay631 Words   |  3 PagesHistory and 1984 War is peace. Freedom is Slavery. Ignorance is strength. In George Orwells 1984, a light is shining on the concept of a negative utopia, or dystopia caused by totalitarianism. Totalitarianism is, a form of government in which political authority exercises absolute and centralized control over all aspects of lifeÂ… and any opposing political and/or cultural expressions are suppressed. Having lived in a time of totalitarianism regime, Orwell had a firsthand account of

Willa Cather s My Antonia And O Pioneers ! - 1919 Words

Success in Female Pioneers â€Å"But Nebraska was not always a bed of roses. When the first settlers arrived, they found a harsh, unforgiving place, a vast treeless expanse of barren, drought-parched soil. And so, summoning up the dynamic pioneer spirit of hope and steely determination, they left. But a few of them remained.†(Barry) The pioneers were expecting the land to work with them, but it was actually working against them. Winters were hard, and many pioneers gave up and left. The few who remained were proven to be strong and determined to force the land to cooperate. In Willa Cather’s My à ntonia and O Pioneers!, her purpose was to show readers that women could be strong pioneers, overcoming the adversity caused by the land, as seen†¦show more content†¦31). After all their neighbors leave, Lou and Oscar want to give up because the land is working against them. The simile compares Alexandra’s brothers to their neighbors to show how they are simi lar to most people but different from Alexandra. â€Å"Alexandra’s relationship with her brothers Lou and Oscar in particular demonstrate Cather’s revision of the female role within the family† (Alumbaugh 37). Alexandra is in charge of their household and farm per her father’s request, but typically the sons would be in charge. à ntonia is compared to a man to emphasize how important she was to her family. Antonia’s family needed more money, so Alexandra worked in the fields with the men. â€Å"All throughout the wheat season, she told us, Ambrosch hired his sister out like a man, and she went from farm to farm, binding sheaves or working with the thrashers† (My à ntonia 85). This simile compares Antonia to a man because she acts like one and her brother treats her like one. The men had to defeat the resistance caused by the land, and à ntonia helps them, enjoying the hard farm work. â€Å"These are characters who chafe under the restrictions of traditional female roles, preferring a greater degree of independence and self-determination. à ntonia, for example, discovers when she works her own family’s farm and when she is hired out as a farm hand for others, that she very much enjoys the freedom playing a male role allows her†Show MoreRelatedWilla Cather s My Antonia And O Pioneers !1464 Words   |  6 Pagessummoning up the dynamic pioneer spirit of hope and steely determination, they left. But a few of them remained.†(Barry) The pioneers were expecting the land to work with them, but it was actually working against them. Winters were hard, and many pioneers gave up and left. The few who remained were proven to be strong and determined to force the land to cooperate. In Willa Cather’s My à ntonia and O Pioneers!, her purpose was to show readers that women could be strong pioneers, overcoming the adversityRead MoreBrief Survey of American Literature3339 Words   |  14 Pagesfamous for his book The Sketch Book (1819-1820) including - â€Å"Rip Van Winkle† - â€Å"The Legend of Sleepy Hollow† James Fenimore Cooper (1789-1851) The Leather-stocking seriesçš ®Ã¨ ¢Å"Ã¥ ­ /çš ®Ã¨ £ ¹Ã¨â€¦ ¿Ã§ ³ »Ã¥Ë†â€"Ã¥ ° Ã¨ ¯ ´ (Natty Bumppo wearing long deerskin leggings) - The Pioneers (1823) 《å ¼â‚¬Ã¦â€¹â€œÃ¨â‚¬â€¦Ã£â‚¬â€¹ - The Last of the Mohicans (1826)《æÅ"ی Å½Ã§Å¡â€žÃ¨Å½ «Ã¥ ¸Å'Ã¥ ¹ ²Ã¤ º ºÃ£â‚¬â€¹ - The Prairie (1827)《å ¤ §Ã¨ â€°Ã¥Å½Å¸Ã£â‚¬â€¹ - The Pathfinder, (1840)《æŽ ¢Ã¨ · ¯Ã¤ º ºÃ£â‚¬â€¹ - The Deerslayer (1841)《çÅ'Žé ¹ ¿Ã¤ º ºÃ£â‚¬â€¹ William Cullen Bryant (1794-1878) The first important American romantic poet of international

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The managerial function of staffing involves manning the organization structure through proper and effective selection, appraisal and development of the personnel’s to fill the roles assigned to the employers/workforce. Definition Staffing: The selection and training of individuals for specific job functions, and charging them with the associated responsibilities. Staffing is the process by which an organisation creates a pool of applicants and makes a choice from that pool to provide the right person at the right place at the right time to increase the organisational effectiveness. Also,Staffing is the process of acquiring, deploying, and retaining a workforce of sufficient quantity and quality to create positive impacts on the organizations effectiveness According to Theo Haimann, â€Å"Staffing pertains to recruitment, selection, development and compensation of subordinates. † Objectives of Staffing: Staffing aims to match employee skills with necessary tasks in the most cost-effective ways. Effective staffing involves understanding company needs, such as when its most important to save money and when its most important to do the best job possible. It also involves understanding the skills and needs of staff members, as well as their passions and idiosyncrasies in order to find the best possible fit. †¢SCHEDULING Staffing involves scheduling employees to cover shifts in order to perform the tasks necessary to effectively run a company. Some businesses, such as retail stores, must cover a set number of hours, or the times when customers expect their doors to be open. Other companies, such as manufacturers, earn income by completing a specified volume of work regardless of how long it takes. If your business must staff a specific number of hours, it makes sense to schedule your best employees during the busiest times and the lowest achievers during the slowest times. If your company profits by completing a set amount of work, staffing is a matter of scheduling the most efficient workers to complete a project as quickly and thoroughly as possible. †¢FLEXBILITY Every business encounters unforeseen circumstances. Staffing should take into account the fact that sometimes a rigid schedule will fail to adequately address the surprises and opportunities that are an inevitable part of company operations. Successful staffing should have built-in flexibility to allow for extra work when necessary and to cut back on shifts when demand unexpectedly drops. †¢BUILDING SKILLS Staffing also should build the skills of employees. When workers perform the same tasks repeatedly, their morale declines because they do not feel challenged. Scheduling employees for responsibilities outside of their comfort zone enables them to grow, learn and maintain interest in their jobs. It also benefits management by enabling a company to be able to draw on more employees qualified to perform a broader range of tasks. CUTTING COSTS Successful staffing produces the best possible results at the lowest possible cost. This does not mean a manager should keep wages as low as possible or schedule workers for fewer hours because these cost-cutting measures can be quite expensive when shoddy work results. Rather, successful staffing should be thorough without being wasteful and frugal without cutting corners. The process of staffing: 1. Manpower requirements- The very first step in staffing is to plan the manpower inventory required by a concern in order to match them with the job requirements and demands. Therefore, it involves forecasting and determining the future manpower needs of the concern. 2. Recruitment- Once the requirements are notified, the concern invites and solicits applications according to the invitations made to the desirable candidates. 3. Selection- This is the screening step of staffing in which the solicited applications are screened out and suitable candidates are appointed as per the requirements. 4. Orientation and Placement- Once screening takes place, the appointed candidates are made familiar to the work units and work environment through the orientation programmed. Placement takes place by putting right man on the right job. 5. Training and Development- Training is a part of incentives given to the workers in order to develop and grow them within the concern. Training is generally given according to the nature of activities and scope of expansion in it. Along with it, the workers are developed by providing them extra benefits of indepth knowledge of their functional areas. Development also includes giving them key and important jobsas a test or examination in order to analyse their performances. 6. Remuneration- It is a kind of compensation provided monetarily to the employees for their work performances. This is given according to the nature of job- skilled or unskilled, physical or mental, etc. Remuneration forms an important monetary incentive for the employees. 7. Performance Evaluation- In order to keep a track or record of the behaviour, attitudes as well as opinions of the workers towards their jobs. For this regular assessment is done to evaluate and supervise different work units in a concern. It is basically concerning to know the development cycle and growth patterns of the employeesin a concern. . Promotion and transfer- Promotion is said to be a non- monetary incentive in which the worker is shifted from a higher job demanding bigger responsibilities as well as shifting the workers and transferring them to different work units and branches of the same organization. Recruitment is of 2 types: 1. Internal Recruitment 2. External Recruitment Internal Recruitment: Inte rnal Recruitment is a recruitment which takes place within the concern or organization. Internal sources of recruitment are readily available to an organization. Internal sources are primarily three Transfers, promotions and Re-employment of ex-employees. Re-employment of ex-employees is one of the internal sources of recruitment in which employees can be invited and appointed to fill vacancies in the concern. There are situations when ex-employees provide unsolicited applications also. Internal recruitment may lead to increase in employee’s productivity as their motivation level increases. It also saves time, money and efforts. But a drawback of internal recruitment is that it refrains the organization from new blood. Also, not all the manpower requirements can be met through internal recruitment. Hiring from outside has to be done. Internal sources are primarily 3 a. Transfers b. Promotions (through Internal Job Postings) and c. Re-employment of ex-employees Re-employment of ex-employees is one of the internal sources of recruitment in which employees can be invited and appointed to fill vacancies in the concern. There are situations when ex-employees provide unsolicited applications also. External Recruitment: External Recruitment External sources of recruitment have to be solicited from outside the organization. External sources are external to a concern. But it involves lot of time and money. The external sources of recruitment include Employment at factory gate, advertisements, employment exchanges, employment agencies, educational institutes, labour contractors, recommendations etc. oEmployment at Factory Level This a source of external recruitment in which the applications for vacancies are presented on bulletin boards outside the Factory or at the Gate. This kind of recruitment is applicable generally where factory workers are to be appointed. There are people who keep on soliciting jobs from one place to another. These applicants are called as unsolicited applicants. These types of workers apply on their own for their job. For this kind of recruitment workers have a tendency to shift from one factory to another and therefore they are called as â€Å"badli† workers. oAdvertisement It is an external source which has got an important place in recruitment procedure. The biggest advantage of advertisement is that it covers a wide area of market and scattered applicants can get information from advertisements. Medium used is Newspapers and Television. oEmployment Exchanges There are certain Employment exchanges which are run by government. Most of the government undertakings and concerns employ people through such exchanges. Now-a-days recruitment in government agencies has become compulsory through employment exchange. oEmployment Agencies There are certain professional organizations which look towards recruitment and employment of people, i. e. these private agencies run by private individuals supply required manpower to needy concerns. Educational Institutions There are certain professional Institutions which serves as an external source for recruiting fresh graduates from these institutes. This kind of recruitment done through such educational institutions, is called as Campus Recruitment. They have special recruitment cells which helps in providing jobs to fresh candidates. oRecommendations There are certain people who have experience in a particular area. They enjoy goodwill and a stand in the company. There are certain vacancies which are filled by recommendations of such people. The biggest drawback of this source is that the company has to rely totally on such people which can later on prove to be inefficient. oLabour Contractors These are the specialist people who supply manpower to the Factory or Manufacturing plants. Through these contractors, workers are appointed on contract basis, i. e. for a particular time period. Under conditions when these contractors leave the organization, such people who are appointed have to also leave the conce Developing Staffing Strategies: Most organizations understand the benefits that a longer term approach to staff planning can bring. Many actually attempt to develop staffing strategies (or strategic workforce plans, as they are also known). Unfortunately, these organizations often find that the â€Å"traditional† approaches to workforce planning that they try to use are ineffective, and expected benefits are not realized. The answer to this problem lies not in trying to implement the traditional approach more effectively, but in implementing a completely different kind of process for strategic staffing. This paper describes (and provides examples of) some of those â€Å"less traditional,† but more effective approaches. The â€Å"Strategic Staffing† Process First, clarify our terms. I define â€Å"strategic staffing† as the process of identifying and addressing the staffing implications of business plans and strategies, or better still, as the process of identify-ing and addressing the staffing implications of change. The impact on staffing should be defined (or at least discussed) whenever changes to business plans are being considered (whether near-term or longer-term). Others call the process â€Å"strategic workforce planning,† but to me, â€Å"strategic staffing† emphasizes the longer term, business orientation of the process. By any name, this effort typically includes: †¢Defining the number (staffing levels) and types (capabilities) of employees who will be needed at a particular point in the future to implement plans effectively (often including how that staff should be organized and deployed); †¢ Identifying the staffing resources that are currently available; †¢Projecting the â€Å"supply† of talent that will be available at that point in the future for which requirements have been defined (e. g. , factoring in the effects of turnover, retirements, planned movement, etc. ; †¢ Identifying differences between anticipated demand and forecasted supply; †¢Developing and implementing staffing plans/actions needed to close talent gaps and eliminate surpluses. These basic elements are, of course, quite typical of any strategic staffing or workforce planning process, and might be described in any text or suggested by any consultant. Successful implementation of a strategic staff ing process lies not in how these basic steps are defined. The â€Å"devil is in the details† — or perhaps more appropriately in this case — the devil is in the implementation. It is not the steps themselves that are important, it is how they are developed and implemented that counts. Traditional Approaches Just Don’t Work Most organizations that attempt to implement a strategic staffing process follow a fairly traditional approach. Usually, these organizations include staff planning as a component of their annual business planning process. Often, these organizations request that managers define future staffing needs for each year of the planning period (usually in terms of headcount, not required capabilities) using a common template or â€Å"form. The templates are at a common level of detail and are based on common planning parameters (e. g. , all units define requirements at a job-specific level for each of the coming three years). Once completed, these templates are often combined or compiled at various levels to create overall pictures of needs (e. g. , unit plans are â€Å"rolled up† to a divisional level, divisional plans are compiled to create a â€Å"firm-wide† view). Organizations then attempt to create meaningful staffing plans to address these needs. Some organizations supplement these staffing plans with a series of reports and listings (e. g. a list of openings and how they were filled, a summary of turnover rates over time for various types of employees). Unfortunately, rarely do these efforts result in specific staffing and development plans that are actually implemented. Managers tend to see limited value in the process and complain loudly about the work involved. Most managers are being measured and rewarded for achieving short-term objectives that may be inconsistent with the longer-term view that strategic staffing entails. Forecasts of needs are often â€Å"hockey stick† projections that are not realistic or grounded in business plans. Some managers in more volatile areas, where business is changing rapidly, question the validity and value of processes that ask them to provide estimates of staffing needs for points in time that are well beyond their ability (or need) to plan. Staff planning is often incomplete — required staffing levels may be forecast, but required capabilities are not. The staffing plans that result from traditional processes such as these often provide little valuable information and are rarely used to drive staffing decisions. Estimates of need are imprecise and inaccurate. In many cases, the output from the process is too high-level and generic to drive recruiting plans, especially once they have been rolled up to create that firm-wide view. Since required capabilities are not usually defined specifically, it is difficult (if not impossible) to create action-oriented development plans for individuals that address anticipated capability shortages. Some organizations do not even create staffing plans, opting instead to focus their workforce planning efforts almost solely on reporting and compiling staffing information from the past (e. . , detailed turnover studies and descriptions of recent staffing actions), rather than planning to meet future needs. In the end, there has been much work completed, but few results seen. The strategic staffing process then becomes solely staff driven, or worse yet, disappears completely. More Effective Approaches to Strategic Staffing Often, implementing different, more pragmatic approaches to strategic staffing can yiel d the high-quality results that organizations need and expect. Start by defining an entirely different objective for the process itself. The objective is to build a context for decision making, not to predict the future. Don’t try to predict future staffing needs with certainty or define actions to be taken now to eliminate problems that may or may not occur in the future. At best, that is difficult to do well (and accurately) and may be viewed by managers as something that is â€Å"nice to have† but not absolutely necessary. Instead, consider a staffing strategy as a longer-term context within which more effective near term staffing decisions can be made. Not only is this a more realistic objective for the process, but its shorter-term focus might just capture the attention of those line managers who are being measured by, and rewarded for, achieving near-t e r m objectives. Because it helps define appropriate short-term actions, it is more likely that the same line manager making the staffing decision will still be in place to reap the benefits of that decision later on. Here is a simple example of how this objective works in practice. Suppose an organization has documented that it will need 25 additional project managers by the end of its fiscal year. How would a need like this be met? Positions could be filled through hiring, redeployment, promotion, work reassignment, use of contract/contingency staff, or many other sources. Which option is most effective? To select the right option, that organization must have a sense of its future needs. If those project managers are needed in the future (i. e. , beyond this fiscal year), a more permanent solution is most effective (e. g. , hiring or promotion). If, on the other hand, the need is a â€Å"blip† in the curve or the result of some project scheduling irregularities, a more temporary solution is better. For example, the company might hire contractors or delay new projects until the first quarter of the next year, so that existing project managers can be redeployed to those jobs, and an unneeded surplus of talent is not created in the future. In any of these instances, the â€Å"best† near-term solution can only be determined after the longer-term context has been defined. When searching for ways to improve (or initiate) the strategic staffing process, onsider the following options to traditional approaches.? Address staffing from a proactive, planning perspective, not just an mplementation concern. It is no longer appropriate to consider staffing olely from an implementation perspective. Even though it may have been cceptable practice in the past, it is no longer realistic for business to 4 ssume that the staff needed to implement its plans is readily available nd quickly recruited, developed and deployed. In fact, staffing constraints e. g. , an inability to recruit a sufficient number of individuals with critical kills) may impact the company’s ability to implement its plans. These onstraints should be identified and addressed as part of the planning rocess, not left as surprises to be uncovered when implementation egins. From a more positive perspective, a company may choose to ove in a different direction (or try to capitalize on a market opportunity) pecifically because of the staffing levels and capabilities it has at its isposal. ere is an example. In order to take advantage of population growth and hift, an HMO planned to expand into a new geographic region of the state served. The marketing and medical economics functions determined that our new medical centers needed to be built, if the member needs and otential of this new market were to be met effectively and efficiently. The ecision was made to construct the new enters simultaneously in order to nter this market quickly. Unfortunately, the HMO lacked a sufficient umber of physicians and medical technicians to staff four new centers all at once—at least without having a catastrophic impact on its existing acilities. As a result, newly constructed medical centers went unused some for many months), until sufficient staff could be secure d. Obviously, quite costly to maintain the unused facilities. A review of available sffing before the construction decision was made would have shown that a sequential (not simultaneous) opening of centers was more cost effective. Focus on issues, not organizations. Many organizations feel that, because staffing strategies are beneficial in some areas, they should be completed for the organization as a whole — that plans should be created for every unit, regardless of its situation. This type of process usually proves to be both ineffective and inefficient, because not every unit merits the detailed analysis that is typically needed to create and implement an effective staffing strategy. Instead of creating models or analyses for every unit, focus only on those areas where strategies are really needed. Create a series of staffing strategies that each address particular issues. For example, build a staffing strategy that focuses solely on positions that are critical to business success. Create a strategy for a series of positions that are hard to fill or for which external competition for talent is great. Focus a strategy on a unit that will experience significant change. Will the organization need to tap new, nontraditional sources for key talent? If so, create a strategy that is concentrated on those jobs. This approach will allow you to focus your planning resources where they will have the most advantageous effect. Here is an example of this focus. Two insurance companies were 5 merging. Obviously, mergers can create a host of staffing issues, some more critical than others. Instead of creating a generic strategy that applied to many units, the company chose to focus initially on claims. The claims functions of the two companies were managed and staffed quite differently. One company was organized by function (e. g. , disbursement), the other by impairment category (e. g. , long-term disability). In addition, one company had a 40-hour work week, and the second had a 37. 5-hour week. A longer-term, succinct, focused staffing plan was developed to integrate the two claims work forces and define the implications of changes in work week length. Other (separate) strategies were developed to address other implications of the merger. In some cases, staffing strategies that span organizational boundaries are still needed. Cross-unit staffing strategies should be developed whenever an organization intends to manage key talent across organization lines (e. g. , managing IT or entry-level engineering talent from a â€Å"corporate† perspective). An â€Å"issue orientation† can still be maintained in these cases. When creating such strategies, include in the analysis only those positions that are to be managed from a broader perspective. Here are two examples: o An HMO was implementing a new, nationwide data collection and analysis system that would support all of its regions (some of which had their own such systems). Still, it had to maintain its legacy systems while implementing the new system. This raised numerous staffing issues. New talent (with new IT skills) had to be sourced to support the development of the new system, moreover critical talent had to be retained to keep old systems functioning in the meantime. Yet the organization did not want to simply hire/contract the new talent, for then the skills of its existing talent would become obsolete. It only made sense to address these critical issues from a nationwide, cross-region perspective. The HMO developed a staffing strategy that focused on the critical IT skills needed to support the transition—but only on the positions that required these specific skills. Other plans (some strategic, some tactical) were developed for other positions. o To increase its staffing flexibility, the department of transportation of a tate government was considering combining several separate classes of workers (each of which was focused on a particular set of skills) into a single category of â€Å"transportation worker† that included individuals with multiple skills. A staffing strategy was developed to define the effects that this change would have on classification, scheduling/deployment, and training. The plan that was developed included transportation workers in all districts (since bargaining unit considerations meant that the change could 6 only be implemented on a statewide basis), but focused mainly on the positions that were affected. Finally, don’t attempt to solve a second issue or problem until you have created (or at least are well on your way to creating) staffing strategies that fully address the first! ?Tailor the process for each issue. Traditionally, each unit is asked to provide the same information regarding staffing, using a common template, at the same time each year, for the same planning period/time frame. While this approach may bring consistency to the approach, it also forces every unit to adopt a process and set of planning parameters that may not be appropriate. Rather than creating a one-size-fits-all process that applies everywhere, vary planning parameters (e. g. , the population to be included, the planning horizon, and the structure of the model itself), so that they are appropriate for each issue being addressed. Here is an example of tailoring. An engineering/construction firm created a â€Å"long-term† staffing plan for its IT unit that covered but a single year. Given the rapid pace of change of technology (and that so little was known about the future of that technology), it was difficult to define needs (whether in terms of capabilities or staffing levels) past that one-year point. Consequently, it made no sense to develop staffing plans for IT beyond that one-year planning horizon (even though the organization had a five-year business plan). That same organization also found it necessary to increase the depth and breadth of its management pool. Given the rate of change for the business as a whole (and the time needed to implement any significant changes in management talent), a three-tofive- year staffing and development plan was developed. A â€Å"common† process would probably force the IT function and management teams to use the same time frame, and this would most probably result in an ineffective plan. Would it be appropriate to ask IT to create staffing plans for years two and three, even though managers knew that this information would not be useful and would not be applied? Alternatively, would it have been better to ask each unit to plan management needs for just the one-year time frame, even though it would take several years to address the depth and breadth issues that were identified? Would it have been possible to compromise and have each group do a two-year plan (which is probably ineffective for both)? In this case (and many others like it), it only makes sense to vary the planning horizon. Obviously, this tailoring of parameters is only viable when separate staffing plans are defined by issue. The typical one-size-fits-all approach doesn’t allow such variation. 7 ?Focus on particular positions, not all positions. Some organizations attempt to develop staffing strategies that include all jobs. Not every job even needs to be addressed from a strategic perspective. For example, it is rarely necessary to develop a long-term staffing strategy for a job that can be filled relatively quickly from known internal sources or relatively abundant external pools. In addition, the development of effective staffing strategies requires much work and significant resources, so it is not usually realistic to include each and every position in the analysis. Including all jobs (even those for which a strategic perspective is not required) simply bogs down the process, rendering it even more inefficient. Instead, the process should focus on only two types of positions or situations. Consider building staffing strategies only for positions where: o The organization needs to be proactive. A longer-term perspective is usually required when an organization is trying to be proactive in meeting staffing needs (e. . , staffing and training a customer service unit, so that it is fully functional before a new product is launched). Which jobs will be staffed just before launch? Which will be filled a month or two before launch in order to build continuity and teamwork? Which senior management/leadership positions should be filled a year in advance to set direct ion and strategy? o The organization needs time to respond. Strategic perspective is needed when an organization determines that their staffing needs are best met in ways that require some advance preparation (e. g. cases where new sources of talent must be identified; as normal channels become less productive; or instances where talent needs will be met through longer-term development, not short-term hiring). If a future need is to be filled from within, what development needs must be addressed before such a move can be made? What plans for development should be created and implemented so that such moves will be realistic and successful? If you are to develop new relationships with alternative sources of talent (e. g. , new schools or search firms), it will take time to identify and develop possible artnerships with such sources. Long-term staffing strategies may not need to be created for any other type of position—and certainly need not be developed for all positions, rega rdless of need. Here are two examples, one proactive and one responsive: o Being proactive: After conducting a scan, an oil company discovered that it was particularly vulnerable, from a recruiting 8 and staffing perspective, in the area of geo-science. Competition for graduate geologists and geophysicists was intensifying, and the company was expecting that it would be unable to attract the number of recruits it thought it needed. Given the criticality of this need, the company wanted to be proactive. It decided to develop contacts and relationships with graduate students well before they entered the job market (e. g. , through presentations and internships), so that ties might be developed which would increase the possibility that they would work for the company upon graduation. The company created a model and staffing strategy that focused solely on these â€Å"hard to fill† categories. o Needing time to respond: In an insurance company, the traditional â€Å"career path† to branch manager passed through the underwriting function. Most branch managers began as trainees, became underwriters, were then designated â€Å"managers in training,† and were subsequently named branch managers, usually in smaller offices. This process might take eight to ten years. Openings for branch managers in larger offices usually were filled by promoting managers from smaller offices. Rapid business expansion meant that a large number of new branch offices would be opened. The traditional career path could simply not provide a sufficient number of qualified candidates. Because of the length of time required to move along that path, the company was forced to find alternate ources for branch manager candidates. The organization developed a staffing strategy that helped it to define the appropriate mix of targeted recruiting and accelerated development that was needed to meet its growing needs for management talent. Keep plans separate, not consolidated. In many cases, organizations prepare staffing plans at a unit level that are then â€Å"rolled up† into some kind of consolidated plan (or to display the results â€Å"on one sheet of paper†). The common templates that are often used to gather staffing data are designed to facilitate just this type of consolidation. This process of consolidation actually squeezes out the very detail that is most useful and some-times masks significant differences. If one unit has 20 software engineers too many and another unit has 20 too few, consolidation of staffing plans would show that there is no problem (i. e. , the surplus of 20 and the gap of 20 would cancel out, implying that no issues needed to be addressed). In fact (assuming 9 the units are not co-located), there may be 40 issues to address (i. e. , reducing 20 gaps and alleviating 20 surpluses). It is also difficult (and sometimes actually impossible) to develop specific, actionable staffing plans to address summarized needs. The plans might vary greatly depending on circumstances and situations. For example, a consolidated staffing plan might describe an overall need for 15 â€Å"technical specialists. † The staffing actions required to fill 15 openings in one unit/location would probably be completely different from those needed to fill a single opening in each of 15 different units/locations. The actions needed to fill 15 positions of the same type of specialist would be quite different from those needed to fill 15 different types. Similarly, it would be difficult (and perhaps even impossible) to define recruiting plans based on a strategy that consolidates various engineering specialties into a single category. It is unlikely that the differences needed to create realistic, focused staffing plans could be discerned or inferred from summarized or compiled data. When creating staffing strategies, keep the plans separate and distinct. This is especially true if you have developed plans to address separate issues, using different planning parameters. Create plans that are at the same level as your probable solution. Don’t roll up data as a matter of course. Create a corporate view only if the staffing issues that can be identified and addressed are at a corporate level. If, in certain cases, an integrated plan is required (e. g. , to manage IT across, and not within, organizational units), create a â€Å"stand-alone† model that spans those units but includes only those jobs. When it comes time to summarize (and develop that one sheet overview), create a page that high-lights the most critical staffing issues you have defined (see above) and summarizes the strategies you plan to implement to address those issues. If more detail is required, make specific plans available as an attachment. ?Define issues on an ongoing basis, don’t create an â€Å"event. † Strategic staffing should be thought of as defining and addressing the staffing implications of change. Thus, staffing implications need to be defined, whenever change is being discussed or anticipated. If your organization discusses and considers changes to its business plans and strategies just once each year, then an annual staffing process may be appropriate. If your organization discusses, considers, and implements changes throughout the year, however, an annual process is probably insufficient. A discussion of the staffing implications of changes in business plans should be conducted each and every time change is 10 discussed or anticipated — not at some set time each planning period. Assuming change is constant, this implies that strategic staffing is an ongoing process, implemented and updated throughout the year—not a once-a-year event. As an example, an engineering /construction company used to have an annual staff planning process, but now discusses staffing implications of change at every management committee meeting (i. e. , on a biweekly basis). Further, it developed a performance expectation for managers that any proposal for resources (e. g. , a new project or a change in technology used) had to include a analysis of staffing issues and a high-level staffing plan. ?Focus on planning and acting, not reporting. Many organizations spend too much time creating reports, tables and listings that describe in detail past turnover, current staffing levels, and other staffing related data. Others document staffing movement (e. g. , identifying openings and detailing how each was filled). In some cases, these reports represent the bulk of the HR planning effort. What good is this data if it does not significantly affect decision making? An old adage describes a significant difference between â€Å"data† and â€Å"information. † Data is just that — facts, figures, numbers, and the like. Data that is used to make a decision is information. If, for example, you reallocate staff because of something you discern from a data table, then that data has become information. When it comes to staffing, make sure that you provide managers with information, not data. If your reports provide managers with data that is simply â€Å"nice to know† or â€Å"interesting,† but doesn’t directly influence decision making, don’t provide them. Information on past practices and results is typically useful only when it is used as a basis for formulating assumptions about the future that can be incorporated into plans. For example, studies of past turnover should be conducted only when turnover assumptions are to be factored into future plans and models. Detailed information on employee movement might identify alternative career paths that can be exploited to fill staffing shortages that the model has identified, but should not be used to estimate the number of moves of various kinds that are expected in the future. Here are two examples: One high-tech company used to regularly publish a detailed listing that addressed staffing activity. The report (often more than 100 computer-generated pages in length) identified existing openings and detailed how long each position had been open, what had been 11 done in the last month to fill openings, and any data on how the position would be filled. The report did not include any  "look forward† and was not viewed by managers as an especially useful tool. Once the organization began to look at staffing from a more strategic perspective, the report was streamlined, so that it provided information on possible sources of needed talent. An automotive company was trying to establish a strategic workforce planning function. It elected to build its foundation on providing information — accurately answering the questions of managers regarding past staffing practices and patterns (e. g. , defining annual turnover rates for specific categories of jobs in response to specific management requests). As the function built credibility, the workforce planning unit was planning to â€Å"add value† by discussing with managers why they were requesting the data, suggesting alternative data, conducting analyses, and interpreting results. By asking these intelligent questions, the function hoped to build a reputation as a valued strategic partner, thus allowing it to participate actively in the business planning process. ?Solve problems, don’t just build capability. Managers want answers to their staffing problems, and solutions to their issues. Yet some HR functions focus their efforts on providing a process, system, or tool that managers can use to develop staffing strategies — not on meeting management’s need for action and answers. The best â€Å"deliverable† of the strategic staffing process isn’t a tool or model — it is a solution to a staffing problem (i. e. , a qualified individual filling an opening). Generally, the development of a â€Å"tool† or â€Å"model,† while necessary in many cases, is by itself insufficient. The tool must be applied effectively to identify and address critical staffing issues. Managers must be trained (perhaps by HR staff) to use the tools effectively and apply results analytically. Make sure your process results in specific, actionable staffing plans (i. e. what will be done to address staffing short-ages and surpluses), not just a better definition of the needs themselves. ?Do the most you can with the information you have. Many organizations think that they lack sufficient data to support the development of a staffing strategy. When trying to define staffing requirements, for example, some organizations seem to think that staffing strategies must be based on â€Å"perfect data† — a full set of accurate information that describes fairly precisely what each business unit will do or is trying to accomplish. It is as if the staffing function is saying to the units, â€Å"As soon as you figure out what we are going to do, we will be able to define staffing requirements. † Given the rate of change in most organizations, this well defined, complete data set will simply 12 never be available. Still, valuable staffing strategies can be developed, even when â€Å"full† data is not available. o Fully utilize the data that does exist. The objective in these cases is not to try and get that data, but instead to â€Å"do the most you can with what you have. † You almost always know more than you think you do. Suppose you are â€Å"sure† of 20 percent of what your organization is going to accomplish. This will allow you to create staffing strategies for that 20 percent. You can either create a strategy for the part you know, or do nothing until you know it all. The choice is clear. Don’t think in terms of the missing 80 percent — think instead that you will be better off addressing at least some of the problem than if you did nothing at all. Here is an example of what one medical center did to create a staffing strategy for patient care staff in the face of great uncertainty. The center could calculate a ratio of the number of nurses required per patient in a given unit. That was not the problem. The problem was that the center had very little idea of how many patients could be expected at any given time. While not random, the number of patients in each unit fluctuated greatly. Consequently, there was no clear number of patients to whom this staffing ratio could be applied. Even in the face of such uncertainty, the center created a very specific staffing strategy. It would use its own full-time staff to support the minimum number of patients (this number would, by definition, be the same every day); supplement this â€Å"base† with its own part-time staff, whenever the number of patients was more than the minimum and less than the median; and use contractors above the median. Staffing in the 21st Century: Modern organizations struggle with staffing challenges stemming from increased knowledge work, labor shortages, competition for applicants, and workforce diversity. Yet, despite such critical needs for effective staffing practice, staffing research continues to be neglected or misunderstood by many organizational decision makers. Solving these challenges requires staffing scholars to expand their focus from individual-level recruitment and selection research to multilevel research demonstrating the business unit/organizational-level impact of staffing. Toward this end, this review provides a selective and critical analysis of staffing best practices covering literature from roughly 2000 to the present. Several research-practice gaps are also identified.

The Colorblind Painter And Its Effects On The Car Accident Essay Example For Students

The Colorblind Painter And Its Effects On The Car Accident Essay The â€Å"colorblind painter† loses his vision that was caused by a car accident. Due to the car accident the â€Å"colorblind† painter experienced carbon monoxide poisoning that also contributed to the car accident. â€Å"Mr. I’s life changed completely due to losing his vision from the car accident and know faces sudden life changes, such as him being colored blind† (Sacks, 1995, P.4,5,6). The â€Å"colorblind† painter experiences himself visiting ophthalmologists and neurologists to hypnosis and can’t distinguish different colors for some reason because of his loss of vision. â€Å"The â€Å"colorblind painter† deals with having a hard time seeing colors, such as red and green, or other colors that are different to distinguish colors responding to cones, of the retina† (Sacks, 1995, P.4,5,6). Total color blindness is caused by brain damage and the cerebral achromatopsia that is described more than three centuries, which then remains a rare and important condition. Due to being color blind the â€Å"colorblind painter† experiences many life changes. His paintings that once were brilliantly filled with color know is utterly grey and void of color. His paintings where known to be greyish or black and white colors. The color blind painter was once rich with association, feelings and meanings know looked unfamiliar and meanings to him. Everything seemed overwhelmed to the colorblind painter. His car accident was tragic and seemed to suffer from cerebral achromoatopsia that is described more than three centuries ago, which remained a rare and important condition. Due to being color blind the â€Å"colorblind painter† experiences many life changes. His painting that once was brilliantly filled with color knows is utterly grey and void of color. His paintings where known t. .acuity was too external on being able to distinguish between black and white. Mr. I. was successful artist and was able to give graphic descriptions of his internal and external world (cite). His attempt made no difference for his eyes and has no difference for his images that he sees. Having no color seemed to make no difference. The images that he saw made no distinguish on what shags and colors was real to Mr. I. How interesting how he only saw shades of grey. He retained what was a verbal memory of color and how he could remember color even from memories, which he knew that he had experienced color. This evidence supports Gerald Edelman’s view on memories that are constructed. His views and characteristics of vison change his memories and how he sees only two colors. His vision is what stopped him from the things that he loved the most, which were wall paintings.

Senator Dale Bumpers

Introduction Dale Bumpers was born in 1925 and brought up in Charleston, Arkansas. When he was a young boy, the U.S. underwent through the Great Depression forcing Bumpers to do odd jobs to support his family. Bumpers spent the better part of the Great depression working in farms, canneries, and even acted as the hearse driver in his father’s funeral.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Senator Dale Bumpers specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More During that period, he also worked as an attendant in a small grocery store. Before passing away, the senior Bumpers had served a one term as a state legislator. From a young age, the senior Bumpers taught his son that being elected in to a political office was the biggest achievement that a man could have. This must have been the young man’s motivation for his political career later on in life. (Worrell 1) As a young boy, Dale Bumpers spent his life within Arkansas. He attended public schools within his hometown and even went to the University of Arkansas where he got his undergraduate. Finally, he attended the Northwestern University Law School in Chicago where he attained his graduate degree in law. Before joining the University for his Graduate Degree in law, Bumpers first had a brief stint in the U.S. military. During World War II, that lasted from 1943-1946, he served in the American Marine Corps. During his university days, Bumpers became a great admirer of Democratic politics especially those of its presidential candidate Aldai Ewing Stevenson. Bumpers completed his law degree in 1952 and was admitted into the Arkansas bar the same year. In the same year, he became the Charleston city attorney a position he held until 1970. His experience as the Charleston attorney inspired him to write an autobiography The Best Lawyer in a One-Lawyer Town: A Memoir that was published in 2003. (Bumpers 8) Although Bumpers had long been interested in poli tics, he had not made his political ambitions explicit. However, this changed in 1970 when he suddenly announced his interest for the governorship seat on a Democratic part ticket. However, some thought this to be impossible as he had to battle for the nomination with other established candidates led by a former Governor Orval Faubus and Joe Purcell who was the then Attorney General among others. Although he was a newcomer with no big name to his cap, he won the people’s heart with his rich spoken language and personal charisma. During the first round of the elections, Bumper managed to go into the runoff stage with a previous governor Orval Faubus.Advertising Looking for essay on government? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Although Bumpers had a slim victory that led him to the runoff, he got a landslide victory during the next phase of the elections. When the general election finally came, Bumpers emerged victorious o ver Winthrop Rockefeller the then serving Republican Governor. His election as the governor marked his long political career in the United States. He was reelected as the governor in 1972 again defeating a serious pool of both Democratic and Republican contenders. (Biographical Directory of the United States Congress) The political career of Dale Bumpers continued to shine brighter and brighter leading into his election into the United States Senate in 1974. This was a position that Bumpers would hold for four consecutive terms until his retirement in 1998. In 1974, he won against John Harris Jones and in 1980 he defeated William Clark who was a Democratic turned Republican. In the 1986 elections Bumpers was able to retain his seat by defeating Asa Hutchinson a trend that he maintained in 1992 when he trounced future Governor Mike Huckabee. In 1998, he was ineligible for reelection having served the maximum four terms and he retired gracefully from elective office. (Blair 72) As a f ederal government official, Bumpers chaired many committees, which were mandated with bettering the welfare of the American people. This included chairing the Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship, which was mandated with raising the standards of small business people in America. Before his retirement, he also served as a junior member of a committee tasked with looking into Energy and Natural Resources affairs. After his retirement, Bumpers helped his long time friend and the then President Bill Clinton escape an impeachment trial against him. (The Pbs NewsHour) Even after retirement, Bumpers and his wife continued to support their noble cause of childhood vaccination. This led to the establishment of the Dale and Betty Bumpers Vaccine Research Center that seeks to further research in vaccine growth. Today, Dale Bumpers is regarded as one of the greatest American senators who are still alive. Conclusion Dale Bumpers endured a challenging childhood to become one of the greatest politicians that America has ever produced. During his childhood, Bumpers had to perform odd chores in order to pay his bills. However, he beat all the odds to become an attorney and later a Governor. He was later elected in the Senate for four consecutive terms until his retirement in 1998. During his tenure as a senator, Bumpers served in many key committees including the Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship and the Energy and Natural Resources Committee. After his retirement, his defense helped President Clinton to overcome an impeachment trial against him.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Senator Dale Bumpers specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Works Cited Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Bumpers, Dale, (1925- ), n.d. Web. Oct 25. 2010. http://bioguide.congress.gov/scripts/biodisplay.pl?index=b001057. Blair, Diane. The Big Three of Late Twentieth-Century Arka nsas Politics: Dale Bumpers, Bill Clinton and David Pryor. The Arkansas Historical Quarterly, 1995. 53-79. Print. Bumpers, Dale. The Best Lawyer in a One-Lawyer Town: A Memoir. New York: Random House, 2003. 1-12. Print. The Pbs NewsHour. The Impeachment Trial. Former Senator Dale Bumpers, 1999. Web. Worrell, Diane. The Arkansian. Senator Dale Bumpers Project Begins, 2010. 1-36. Print. This essay on Senator Dale Bumpers was written and submitted by user C0ry to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

Haasts Eagle (Harpagornis) Facts and Figures

Haasts Eagle (Harpagornis) Facts and Figures   Name: Haasts Eagle; also known as Harpagornis (Greek for grapnel bird); pronounced HARP-ah-GORE-niss Habitat: Skies of New Zealand Historical Epoch: Pleistocene-Modern (2 million-500 years ago) Size and Weight: About six foot wingspan and 30 pounds Diet: Meat Distinguishing Characteristics: Large size; grasping talons About Haasts Eagle (Harpagornis) Wherever there were large, flightless prehistoric birds, you can be sure there were also predatory raptors like eagles or vultures on the lookout for an easy lunch. Thats the role Haasts Eagle (also known as Harpagornis or the Giant Eagle) played in Pleistocene New Zealand, where it swooped down and carried off giant moas like Dinornis and Emeus  -   not full-grown adults, but juveniles and newly hatched chicks. As befitting the size of its prey, Haasts Eagle was the biggest eagle that ever lived, but not by all that much - adults only weighed about 30 pounds, compared to 20 or 25 pounds for the largest eagles alive today. We cant know for sure, but extrapolating from the behavior of modern eagles, Harpagornis may have had a distinctive hunting style - swooping down on its prey at speeds of up to 50 miles per hour, seizing the unfortunate animal by the pelvis with one of its talons, and delivering a killing blow to the head with the other talon before (or even while) taking flight. Unfortunately, because it relied so heavily on Giant Moas for its sustenance, Haasts Eagle was doomed when these slow, gentle, flightless birds were hunted to extinction by the first human settlers of New Zealand, going extinct itself shortly afterward.

- Research Methods - Discuss the following statement. Unstructured Essay

- Research Methods - Discuss the following statement. Unstructured interviews should only be used as a precursor for a more structured approach to data collection - Essay Example Semi-structured interviews are flexible and they include both open and closed-ended questions but the interviewer adjusts the series of the questions based on the context of responses from the participants. Unstructured interview is a method that elicits the social realities of people; thus it has become widely employed by sociologists and anthropologists in research field process. Unstructured interviews should be only used as a precursor for a more structured approach in data collection in research process. This is because unstructured interviews are best applied for exploration when there is a limited understanding of the domain, or as a precursor to more focused and detailed structured interviews (Saunders, Lewis and Thornhill, 2009, p. 111). Unstructured interviews do not follow a prearranged schedule or list of questions unlike structured interview which employs a prearranged set of questions. Therefore, they can be used as the precursor of structured interview since this method is similar to survey research methods of data collection and they are administered orally instead of writing. The most significant and widely used unstructured interview originates from the ethnographic practice of anthropologists (Honey and Mumford, 1997, p. 36). Many anthropologists and sociologists employed unstructured interview for gathering information through participant o bservations and record field notes taking as they observe the sidelines and also joins the activities of the participants. Unstructured interviews are effectual because researchers identifies one or more key informants to interview on a continuing basis or take short notes while observing and at the same time questioning participants. This is vital because it provides first hand information and the method attempt to solve difficulties in question interpretations. Bandura in his book of social learning theory argues that people learn

Ethical Issue Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Ethical Issue - Essay Example astically, or placing heavy import duties on raw materials essential for a company to prosper, the public looks at ways to save themselves and their insecurities, and the way to do that is to elevate corruption, thereby, the government is being held responsible for this atrocity(Eiras, 2003). The author has also used some of her own secondary research in the form of comparative qualitative charts, a couple of which are as follows: Dr. Dragoljub Kavran and Dr. Sherman M. Wyman, spokespersons for the UNO have raised superb questions about the issue at hand. The authors state that corruption is above even the harshest levels in many developing and under developed economies; mostly, the authors blame the poor political and legal systems for these circumstances, the author also blames politicians who use their own laws for personal benefits rather than those of the populace. This issue has reached far out of hand and even some of the most developed economies such as the UAE and the US face diminutive levels of corruption. Within this 20 page whitepaper, the authors have raised the issue of ‘patience’, or in this particular situation: The wait-and-watch experimentation scenario. The authors believe the within such weak economic conditions, corruption may also be seen as a way to overcome several problems faced by the economies within under developed countries, but this is a commonly rejected principle and the fact still persists which looks at corruption as an evil element. (Kavran, et al., N.D.) Even though this article is inclusive of rich content about the public service organization Ethics resource center, this also includes the chief ethical issues about the corruption problem within Dubai. The chief ethical issue is ‘ignorance’, â€Å"If you are a deputy minister you dont it see as a problem to purchase from a dealer that could be your cousin† (Stier, 2007), this context from the authors article explains it all, the politicians must understand their

I have a school project where i have to speak its like a presentation Assignment

I have a school project where i have to speak its like a presentation. I am assigned senior judge - Assignment Example A contract case law that better explains this argument is the Lesotho Highlands Development Authority vs. Impregilo spA. In the case, the World Bank financed the construction of the Lesotho Highlands Water Project, and this included the construction of the Katse dam in 1991. My Lords, in 1998, a dispute arose between the clients, the Lesotho Highlands Development Authority, and the contractor. This is because of other unexpected labor costs brought by the Highland Water Venture (Hood, 31). In October 2001, the issue was brought before an arbitration tribunal. In 2002, the tribunal ruled in favor of Highland Water Venture and gave an award of more than 6 million pounds. However, the Lesotho Highlands water project challenged the decision of the tribunal in an English court, under the arbitration act, section 67 and 68. They argued that the arbitrators exceeded their authority in respect to the amount awarded, and the currency in which the award was made. The appeal was allowed in a court, and in November 2002, the commercial court ruled that the tribunal violated section 68 of the arbitration act. My Lords, part 3 (a), and (d) of the 1996 section 69 of the arbitration act allows this court of appeal to settle this dispute. Part 3 (a) denotes that an individual can seek the intervention of the court of appeal if the nature of conflict, and the resolution of the same conflict be a lower court will affect the rights of all parties concerned. In this dispute between the University of East England, and Ms. Edwards, the issue under challenge is whether the University is liable in case of negligence by its staff which results to loss or damage of the student’s property. On this note, this case needs to examine on whether the contract signed by Ms. Edwards breaks the Unfair Contract Act of 1977. b) Students residing in the University

Blood pressure laboratory report

Blood pressure laboratory report Abstract The aims of the experiment were to measure blood pressure in a female volunteer using auscultation, cardiac microphone and an automated blood pressure meter. Moreover, monitoring changes in blood flow and blood pressure in the leg whilst sitting and standing. In some exercises this was carried out by using a pressure cuff and listening for Korotkoff sounds with a stethoscope or microphone. An automated blood pressure meter was also used as well as recording when the pulse reappeared in the finger/leg after the blood pressure cuff had been inflated, via the use of a pulse transducer. The main conclusions of the experiment were that the blood pressure measurement differed more for the cardiac microphone technique (mean of 96.31/77.01 mmHg) than auscultation (93/71.33 mmHg) and automated blood pressure meter (94.33/71.33 mmHg); however there was little variation between trials in all methods. In exercise 4 there was a delay from hearing the Korotkoff sounds, to observing a pulse after t he cuff was deflated. Lastly, there was a difference in blood pressure between the arm and leg whilst sitting (96.33 and 89.98 mmHg respectively) and between the leg whilst sitting and standing (89.98 and 114.44 mmHg respectively). Introduction The cardiac cycle involves increasing aortic blood pressure above the veins, causing blood flow through the systemic circulation. Blood flow (pulse) through the pulmonary circulation is caused by higher pressure in the pulmonary arteries than pulmonary veins [1]. Systolic blood pressure, the maximum blood pressure, arises when the heart contracts, pumping blood into the aorta (systole). Diastolic blood pressure, minimum blood pressure level, in which the ventricles relax causes arterial pressure to decrease resulting in the heart refilling with blood (diastole) [2]. The mean arterial pressure (MAP) can be calculated by taking into account the diastolic and systolic blood pressures. However, this value is not just the average of the two determinants [4]. Both these pressures can be determined by implanting a pressure catheter into an artery, and measuring pressure changes as the heart beats [5]. This process though accurate, can be both uncomfortable and invasive, and is rarely used. Hence, blood pressure is more commonly measured by way of auscultation, an indirect, non-invasive technique, whose setup can be seen in figure 1. Auscultation depends on silent streamlined flow but the production of Korotkoff sounds during turbulent flow, by listening through a stethoscope placed on the brachial artery, and recorded by a sphygmomanometer. This method involves placing an inflatable cuff around the patients upper arm, which is slowly inflated until the pulse cannot be felt (cuff pressure higher than systolic pressure). The pressure inside the cuff is steadily lowered until a tapping sound is heard (systolic blood pressure) where the artery pressure is now adequate to rise above that in the cuff. As cuff pressure is further reduced, the heart sounds become louder and then abruptly become weakened as diastolic pressure is approaching and flow is more streamlined. The point at which the heart sounds stop altogether is the diastolic blood pressure, in which normal flow has been resumed [1]. Normal blood pressure should be around 120/80 mmHg [6]. The main aims of the experiment are to compare the auscultation, cardiac microphone and automated blood pressure meter techniques for measuring blood pressure. In addition, compare blood pressure at different body locations i.e. arm and leg whilst sitting and standing. Results The mean blood pressure was 93/71.33 mmHg, showing diastolic and especially systolic values are below reference range. Over the three trails the MAP was 78.55 mmHg, which is within the normal range (~ 70-100 mmHg). The standard deviation for each parameter was very similar (2, 1.53 and 1.68), implying that the normal distribution is very narrow, with the majority of data concentrated around the mean. A mean blood pressure of 96.31/77.01 mmHg indicates that diastolic and systolic values are below normal reference range. Over the three trials, the MAP was 83.44 mmHg, which is within the normal range. The standard deviations for each parameter were similar (2.39, 1.15 and 1.53), implying the data had low dispersion. The reappearance of Korotkoff sounds while the pressure cuff was being deflated corresponds to the systolic blood pressure (96.21 mmHg). The diastolic blood pressure is marked when the sounds fade away (77.52 mmHg). The mean blood pressure was 94.33/71.33 mmHg, indicating that diastolic and systolic values are below normal range, whereas the MAP (79 mmHg) over all three trials, were in normal range. The standard deviations for each parameter were extremely similar (1.15, 1.15 and 0.67), implying little variation. The Korotkoff sounds and pulse signal fade away when the pressure cuff is inflated and then reappear while the cuff is being deflated. The pressure at which the Korotkoff sounds reappear is recorded as the systolic blood pressure (96.33 mmHg) which appears just before that of the pulse. The leg systolic pressure (114.44 mmHg) whilst standing, taken from when the pulse reappeared when the pressure cuff was being deflated, was higher than that whilst sitting (89.98 mmHg). Moreover, the pressure in the arm (96.33 mmHg) was higher than that of the leg whilst sitting but lower than that of the leg whilst standing. Discussion Using the stethoscope can lead to errors such as the pressure cuff being too big, leading to lower results than expected e.g. mean blood pressure of 93/71.33 mmHg in the auscultation technique. Moreover, incorrect positioning of the stethoscope or slow inflation of the pressure cuff can cause venous congestion resulting in faint Korotkoff sounds. Likewise, if the cuff is inflated immediately after the previous trial, it can cause venous distension, distorting the Korotkoff sounds. Excess pressure on the stethoscope bell can disturb arterial flow, muffling the sounds, especially in a noisy environment. In addition, one individuals perception of systolic, tapping sounds may be different to that of another [3]. Lastly, the volunteer may be suffering from white coat hypertension or feel uneasy as a result of the laboratory setting; however these tend to result increase blood pressure [6]. The experiment could have been improved by having different sized pressure cuffs, having separate ro oms when listening for Korotkoff sounds to reduce misinterpretation, and taking longer breaks in between the different trials to ensure normal blood flow has been resumed. The Korotkoff sounds reappear just before that of the pulse in exercise 4, because the sound of the blood spurting into the artery happens before the pulse manages to flow to the finger. An ausculatory gap can arise in between the systolic and diastolic pressures, in which the Korotkoff sounds fade away and then reappear at a lower pressure [1]. This can bring about some confusion to what is the true blood pressure; however this could not be seen in any of the exercises. The reappearance of blood flow to measure systolic pressure can be more accurate if the pressure cuff is released at a lower rate (e.g. 1 mmHg each time), as the true pressure may be missed if the pressure is released too quickly, and hence would lead to a lower result. In exercise 4, the diastolic pressure corresponds to the reappearance of the pulse. Hence, this method will be able to replace the auscultation and cardiac microphone techniques as it can measure both systolic (reappearance of Korotkoff sounds) and the diastolic pressure (reappearance of the pulse). There was a noticeable difference between pressure in the arm (96.33 mmHg) than in the leg (89.98 mmHg) whilst standing (6.35 mmHg). This difference will probably be due to experimental errors such as cuff size or misinterpretation of sounds. Less obvious explanations may be narrowing of the arteries or reduced blood flow in the leg. When the volunteer stood up, the blood pressure in the leg increased by 24.46 mmHg, because the pressure in the veins below the heart are increased, but are reduced in veins above the heart due to gravity. Hence, there is a reduced venous return, causing the leg pressure to increase. Furthermore, when comparing the three different techniques, the cardiac microphone had less similar results to the other two. For example, this method had a MAP of 83.44 mmHg compared to 78.55 and 79 mmHg for auscultation and automated blood pressure meter respectively. It seems that the cardiac microphone had greater values, especially diastolic pressures, having a mean of 77.01 mmHg. This could indicate incorrect positioning of the microphone, too much finger pressure on the microphone, difficultly listening for the sounds or inaccurate interpretation of the graph/sounds. There was little variation between the trials in all the methods, indicating that the results were accurate and reliable. As mentioned previously, the MAP is not simply the average of diastolic and systolic pressure because the arterial blood spends more time near to the diastolic pressure than the systolic pressure, and hence the equation takes this into account. The diastolic pressure has been shown to be less variable across the methods (low standard deviation) as it occurs in between heart beats, whereas systolic pressure can rapidly change in response to various triggers such as exercise.

American Self Perception Vs. The Truth Essay -- essays research papers

American Self Perception vs. The Truth Lee Greenwood, a song writer, describes the emotion involved in American self-perception in a song by saying, "I'm proud to be an American. For at least I know I'm free." Freedom is the founding pillar of the American self- perception. Self-perception is the culmination of how one views oneself. Other aspects which make up American self-perception are wealth, power, and the pursuance of happiness. Self-perceptions, whether confined to the individual or confined to an entire country, usually leave out negative aspects such as hypocrisy. When dealing with the perception of a country, the true image of a society comes from self, or internal perceptions, combined with the external perceptions from other countries. The foundation of American self-perception is freedom. Freedom of speech and movement are virtual institutions in the United States. Such freedoms of speech and movement are outlined in the United States Constitution. Americans believe the constitution sketches the "American Dream" which is having a family, money, and the freedom to pursue happiness. Every American will stand by the line derived from the Constitution, "All men are created equal." In actuality, the constitution outlined the freedom for rich white landowners to achieve unchecked power and wealth. At the time of the framing of the constitution, blacks were slaves thus all men were NOT created equal. Women were equally excluded from the constitution as suffrage wasn't even a consideration at the time. The only class groups which the American Constitution outlined freedom for were wealthy European immigrants fleeing their own land for such reasons as taxes. After such movements as Suffrage and Civil Rights, all Americans were granted individual rights of freedom thus approaching equality. The American self-perception of living a life of virtual complete freedom parallels the American stand on its' belief of democracy. Americans feel that a democratic government is the only possible administration which can be deemed acceptable in today's world system. Such a deep rooted belief in democracy instills a fear and dislike of any other form of government. Look at American policies towards the Soviet Union after the second world war. The ... ...rom America is a godsend, Many Poles agree that the intermingling of American culture with Polish culture is unacceptable. Never has the US ever extended another country such equal treatment. A large section of the Polish population views Americans as wealthy and powerful on the positive side, and imperialistic and egotistical on the negative side. The American true image is comprised of more than self-perception. How other countries and cultures perceive Americans is a important part of what it truly means to be an American. Americans see themselves as free and righteous while other countries like Poland view Americans as ethnocentric. What many Americans fail to see in their self-perception is, that intermingled within their beliefs and practices, hypocrisy. Hypocrisy dominated the American containment policy of the Soviet Union in the Cold War era. As Americans were condemning the Soviets for pushing a communist government, Americans themselves were pushing democracy in weaker, dependent states. To find the truth of what it is to be American, you must combine other countries perceptions into your own, otherwise you will only achieve half the truth. American Self Perception Vs. The Truth Essay -- essays research papers American Self Perception vs. The Truth Lee Greenwood, a song writer, describes the emotion involved in American self-perception in a song by saying, "I'm proud to be an American. For at least I know I'm free." Freedom is the founding pillar of the American self- perception. Self-perception is the culmination of how one views oneself. Other aspects which make up American self-perception are wealth, power, and the pursuance of happiness. Self-perceptions, whether confined to the individual or confined to an entire country, usually leave out negative aspects such as hypocrisy. When dealing with the perception of a country, the true image of a society comes from self, or internal perceptions, combined with the external perceptions from other countries. The foundation of American self-perception is freedom. Freedom of speech and movement are virtual institutions in the United States. Such freedoms of speech and movement are outlined in the United States Constitution. Americans believe the constitution sketches the "American Dream" which is having a family, money, and the freedom to pursue happiness. Every American will stand by the line derived from the Constitution, "All men are created equal." In actuality, the constitution outlined the freedom for rich white landowners to achieve unchecked power and wealth. At the time of the framing of the constitution, blacks were slaves thus all men were NOT created equal. Women were equally excluded from the constitution as suffrage wasn't even a consideration at the time. The only class groups which the American Constitution outlined freedom for were wealthy European immigrants fleeing their own land for such reasons as taxes. After such movements as Suffrage and Civil Rights, all Americans were granted individual rights of freedom thus approaching equality. The American self-perception of living a life of virtual complete freedom parallels the American stand on its' belief of democracy. Americans feel that a democratic government is the only possible administration which can be deemed acceptable in today's world system. Such a deep rooted belief in democracy instills a fear and dislike of any other form of government. Look at American policies towards the Soviet Union after the second world war. The ... ...rom America is a godsend, Many Poles agree that the intermingling of American culture with Polish culture is unacceptable. Never has the US ever extended another country such equal treatment. A large section of the Polish population views Americans as wealthy and powerful on the positive side, and imperialistic and egotistical on the negative side. The American true image is comprised of more than self-perception. How other countries and cultures perceive Americans is a important part of what it truly means to be an American. Americans see themselves as free and righteous while other countries like Poland view Americans as ethnocentric. What many Americans fail to see in their self-perception is, that intermingled within their beliefs and practices, hypocrisy. Hypocrisy dominated the American containment policy of the Soviet Union in the Cold War era. As Americans were condemning the Soviets for pushing a communist government, Americans themselves were pushing democracy in weaker, dependent states. To find the truth of what it is to be American, you must combine other countries perceptions into your own, otherwise you will only achieve half the truth.

Security Commision Malaysia

INTRODUCTION SECURITIES COMMISSION Securities Commission is a general term used for a government department or agency responsible for financial regulation of  securities  products within a particular country. Its powers and responsibilities vary greatly from country to country, but generally cover the setting of rules as well as enforcing them for financial intermediaries and  stock exchanges. The Securities Commission Malaysia (SC), is responsible for the regulation and development of capital markets in Malaysia.Established on 1 March 1993 under the Securities Commission Act 1993, it is a self-funding statutory body with investigative and enforcement powers. It reports to the Minister of Finance and its accounts are tabled in Parliament annually. The SC's many regulatory functions include: * Supervising exchanges, clearing houses and central depositories; * Registering authority for prospectuses of corporations other than unlisted recreational clubs; * Approving authority for corporate bond issues; Regulating all matters relating to securities and futures contracts; * Regulating the take-over and mergers of companies * Regulating all matters relating to unit trust schemes; * Licensing and supervising all licensed persons; * Encouraging self-regulation; and * Ensuring proper conduct of market institutions and licensed persons. The SC's objective, as stated in its mission statement, is to promote and maintain fair, efficient, secure and transparent securities and futures markets and to facilitate the overall development of an innovative and competitive capital market.MALAYSIA CAPITAL MARKET A capital market is a market for securities (debt or equity), where business enterprises (companies) and governments can raise long-term funds. It is defined as a market in which money is provided for periods longer than a year, as the raising of short-term funds takes place on other markets such as the money market). The capital market includes the stock market (equity securities) and the bond market (debt). Financial regulators, such as Securities Commission Malaysia (SC) oversee the capital markets in their esignated jurisdictions to ensure that investors are protected against fraud, among other duties Capital markets may be classified as primary markets and secondary markets. In primary markets, new stock or bond issues are sold to investors via a mechanism known as underwriting. In the secondary markets, existing securities are sold and bought among investors or traders, usually on a securities exchange, over-the-counter, or elsewhere. Role of Securities Commission in Malaysian Capital Market The main role of securities commission is to regulate the Malaysian capital market by implementing Capital Markets and Services Act 2007(CMSA).This Act repeals the Securities Industry Act 1983 (SIA) and Futures Industry Act 1993(FIA). The CMSA which takes effect on 28 September 2007 introduces a single licensing regime for capital market intermediaries. Under this new regime, a capital market intermediary will only need one license to carry on business in any one or more of the following regulated activities such as dealing in securities, trading in futures contracts, fund management, advising on corporate finance, investment advice and financial planning.Licensing ensures an adequate level of investor protection, including the provision of sufficient safeguards to protect investors from default by market intermediaries or problems arising from the insolvency of such intermediaries. More importantly, it instills confidence among investors that the organizations and people they deal with will treat them fairly and are efficient, honest and financially sound. Through its authority to issue licenses, the SC regulates the market by ascertaining the fitness and propriety of companies and individuals applying for licenses.In considering whether an applicant is fit and proper to hold a license, the SC takes into account the following fact ors: * Probity – adherence to the highest principles and ideals; * Ability to perform such functions efficiently, honestly and fairly; * Financial status; * Reputation, character, financial integrity and reliability; Under this measure, intermediaries hold a Capital Markets and Services License as opposed to multiple separate licenses, which effectively reduces administrative and compliance costs, and ultimately saves time.In addition, SC also advised the public not to make any investment with companies that are not licensed or approved by them. SC provide a list of known companies and websites which are not authorized nor approved under the securities laws to deal in securities, trade in futures contracts, advise on corporate finance, provide investment advice, financial planning and/or fund management services related to securities and futures for the public to take note. Last but not least, SC will also continue to monitor those intermediaries that hold the Capital Markets and Services License from time to time, to ensure the albeit to their laws.The Malaysian Capital Market Compliance with International Standards and Transparency Although Malaysia has not undertaken the IMF/World Bank Financial Sector Assessment Program (FSAP), the Securities Commission (SC), as the competent regulatory authority for oversight of the capital market, has voluntarily undertaken independent assessments under the various standards set by the IMF/World Bank, and the International Organization of Securities Commissions (IOSCO).The SC has also supported the move to comply with international best practices on accounting-related matters. A. Code on Corporate Governance for Listed Companies Malaysia embarked on extensive corporate governance reforms since 1998, included introduction of a code of corporate governance and immediate steps to implement changes in the composition and role of board of directors. Out of 10 recommendations to strengthen corporate governance stated in the Capital Market Masterplan by Securities Commission, nine of it has been carried out since 2004.These included strengthening of revelation rules, corporate whistleblower protection and major reforms to patch up government-linked corporations (GLCs). Malaysia voluntarily agreed to be assessed under the Corporate Governance Reports on the Observance of Standards and Codes (CG ROSC) by the World Bank in 2005, based on a methodology that is benchmarked against the internationally accepted OECD Principles of Corporate Governance.Malaysia has published the CG ROSC that was completed in 2005. B. IOSCO (International Organization of Securities Commissions) – Assessment on Objectives and Principles of Securities Regulation (IOSCO Principles) In 2008, the Securities Commission undertook an independent assessment by IOSCO to benchmark its compliance against IOSCO's 30 core principles on securities regulation.The principles covered the responsibilities of the regulator, its enforceme nt powers, the regulation and supervision of primary and secondary markets, market intermediaries, the management and operation of unit trusts, and clearing and settlement. The Malaysian capital market regulatory framework was assessed as fully compliant with virtually all of the IOSCO Principles. Malaysia was rated fully implemented for 28 out of 29 principles, and also for 18 out of the 19 recommendations for Principle 30 on clearing and settlement.Furthermore, Securities Commission has continued to enhance its regulatory framework, processes and protocols in identified areas. Steps are also being taken to address the measures required to become fully compliant with the other two remaining Principles. C. Compliance of CRAs with IOSCO Code Following the release of the revised IOSCO Code, the domestic credit rating agencies (CRAs), RAM and MARC, have adopted the revised IOSCO Code in their own code of conduct.The updated codes, published in early 2009, broadly aimed at enhancing sta ndards and conduct of credit rating agencies in the quality and integrity of the rating process, CRA independence and avoidance of conflicts of interest, CRA responsibilities to the investing public and issuer, and disclosure of the code of conduct and communications with market participants. The adoption of the IOSCO Code by RAM and MARC is an important achievement as only seven CRAs had implemented the code, namely Fitch, Moody's and Standard & Poors, the Japan Credit Rating Agency and the Dominion Bond Rating Service.D. Assessments on Compliance with the 40+9 Recommendations by the FATF In January 2007, Malaysia was assessed for compliance with the 40+9 recommendations of the Financial Action Task Force on Money Laundering (FATF) an inter-governmental body whose purpose is the development and promotion of policies, both at national and international levels, to combat money laundering and terrorist financing. (AML/CFT). The Mutual Evaluation Report is published on the APG website. Measures undertaken by the SC for the capital market sector contributed to a high level of compliance.Malaysia was rated as fully compliant with nine and largely compliant with 24 recommendations. In 2008, the SC implemented several measures to implement the recommendations in the Mutual Evaluation Report. These included measures on market conduct and business practices for stockbrokers and licensed representatives, amending the provisions in the SC's guidelines relating to customer due diligence requirements and politically exposed persons and setting up a networking group to encourage a more proactive participation by the capital market intermediaries towards ensuring higher standards of AML/CFT compliance.E. Compliance with International Accounting Standards Furthermore, the SC is also operational directly with the respective Malaysian accounting boards to integrate accounting principles, with a commitment on full convergence with international accounting standards by 2012. RECO MMENDATION We hope that Securities Commission will continue to play their role well in Malaysian capital market to ensure all investors are protected by them.This will surely benefit all investors who invest in Malaysia capital market as their risks are reduced and accurate information is provided by SC. CONCLUSION After completing this project, we understand that the Securities Commission (SC) plays a very important role in the Malaysian Capital Market. As SC’s mission statement – â€Å"to promote and maintain fair, efficient, secure and transparent securities and futures markets and to facilitate the orderly development of an innovative and competitive capital market†.SC role is to regulate the capital market and protecting the investors is their ultimate responsibility. SC is also obliged by statute to encourage and promote the development of the securities and futures markets in Malaysia. As a Malaysian we should feel proud on this association as SC really p ut their very great effort on the work toward our country’s capital market and result in a very huge improvement in our capital market. As a result, everyone could earn money by investing in a â€Å"healthy† capital market.