Passionate Shepherd to His Love

â€Å"The Passionate Shepherd to His Love† is a pastoral poem that is simple yet idealized. This poem was written by Christopher Marlowe who was an English dramatist. Marlowe is considered to be the father of English tragedy. Christopher Marlowe was the eldest son of a shoemaker and was born on February 6, 1564. Through the entire poem the speaker, who is a shepherd, wants a woman character to come live with him. The speaker goes on to ask her to sit on rocks, and spend time with him. The speaker will make his love gifts and do anything to please her if she will just come live with him. The speaker, form, use of poetic elements, and theme of â€Å"The Passionate Shepherd to His Love† will be the main discussion in this analysis.Marlow writes this poem in first person. The speaker, which is the shepherd of â€Å"The Passionate Shepherd to His Love† conducts his poem in a very dreamlike way. The shepherd opens with the invitation: â€Å"Come live with me, and be m y love.† He is not asking her to marry him but only to live with him. The offer is simply put and the speaker suggests that the woman should just as easily agree. The shepherd obviously only wants her for a period of time. Knowing this, it may make the woman question whether or not she should get involved with this man. The speaker lives in an ideal society where everything is perfect.The shepherd does not really have a care in the world because he lives in his world of simplicity, beauty, and love. Everything is good and happy, from the speaker’s point of view. The shepherd is engaged in romantic and innocent love affairs. â€Å"The Passionate Shepard to His Love† not only is written in iambic pentameter, but this form allows Christopher Marlowe to express his skill of pastoral poetry. This poem is very easy to understand because of the way it is written. The rhyme scheme is very obvious and helps with the flow and form of the poem. This poem has artificial lang uage, and the shepherd spoke just like a man who was only really interested in â€Å"spending time† with this woman.Marlowe added sexuality, and created his own tone in the poem. The tone of â€Å"The Passionate Shepherd to His Love† suggests the pastoral tradition. The shepherd asks the woman to imagine an ideal life that is impossible and ridiculous. In exaggerating and creating these fictional ideas, Marlowe creates a pastoral image of fantasy.The poetic elements of â€Å"The Passionate Shepherd to His Love† relate to some human senses. Seeing the shepherds feed their flock appeals to the sense of sight. Fragrant posies appeal to the sense of smell. This poem appeals to the human senses so that it appeals to the reader. â€Å"The Passionate Shepherd to His Love† combines images and involves song like images to the reader.The overall theme of â€Å"The Passionate Shepherd to His Love† is, in my opinion, love and innocence. This poem celebrates th e passion that young people think they have for others, but in reality they are just curiously looking for love. This poem is a carpe diem poem. The shepherd wants his love to â€Å"seize the day† and come live with him. As was stated earlier, obviously the shepherd wants the woman for just a period of time. This is a fantasy-like setting and the poem is much exaggerated, so carpe diem is to be personified in this type of work.Christopher Marlowe was a talented poet. Marlowe’s works were published at the same time as other world renowned writers, and are to be considered just as influential. A warrant was issued for Marlowe's arrest on May 18, 1593. No reason for his arrest was given, but it was thought to be connected to â€Å"allegations of blasphemy†. He was brought before the Privy Council to be questioned, after which he had to report to them daily. Ten days later, he was stabbed to death by Ingram Frizer. Whether the stabbing was connected to his arrest ha s never been resolved. The overall speaker, form, use of poetic elements, and theme of â€Å"The Passionate Shepherd to His Love† affects the reader’s attitude toward the poem. Only the present matters in this poem. The obvious theme of the poem is love. The form and poetic elements lead the reader to more sensually enjoy the expression of it.

Demand and Supply for Money

DEMAND AND SUPPLY FOR MONEY – MACROECONOMICS REPORT DEMAND FOR MONEY * What is Demand for Money? The demand for money represents the desire of households and businesses to hold assets in a form that can be easily exchanged for goods and services. Spendability, or liquidity, is the key aspect of money that distinguishes it from other types of assets. For this reason, the demand for money is sometimes called the demand for liquidity. * Many factors influence our total demand for money balances. The four main factors are 1. the level of prices 2. the level of interest rates . the level of real national output (real GDP) 4. the pace of financial innovation * Three Reasons or Motives for a Large Demand of Money Economists have identified three primary motives for holding money: †¢ To settle transactions, since money is the medium of exchange. †¢ As a precautionary store of liquidity, in the event of unexpected need. †¢ To reduce the riskiness of a portfolio of assets by including some money in the portfolio, since the value of money is very stable compared with that of stocks, bonds, or real estate. * Transaction Motives Money is an essential element in order to have a purchasing power. * This is money used for the purchase of goods and services. The transactions demand for money is positively related to real incomes and inflation. As an individual's income rises or as prices in the shops increase, he will have to hold more cash to carry out his everyday transactions. The quantity of nominal money demand is therefore proportional to the price level in the economy. * The  transactions motive  for demanding money arises from the fact that most transactions involve an exchange of money.Because it is necessary to have money available for transactions, money will be demanded. The total number of transactions made in an economy tends to increase over time as income rises. Hence, as income or GDP rises, the  transactions demand  for money also rises. * The transactions motive for money demand results from the need for liquidity for day-to-day transactions in the near future. This need arises when income is received only occasionally (say once per month) in discrete amounts but expenditures occur continuously. Example: Households and firms hold money or demand money in order to conduct regular payments of goods and services they purchase from the market. * The households and firms hold money to pay for daily expenses such as food, clothing, transportation, and rentals. * In other words, people hold money for transactions purposes – hence the motive is for transaction. * Precautionary Motive * This is money held to cover unexpected  items of expenditure. As with the transactions demand for money, it is positively correlated with real incomes and inflation. People often demand money as a  precaution  against an uncertain future. Unexpected expenses, such as medical or car repair bills, often require  immediat e payment. The need to have money available in such situations is referred to as the  precautionary motive  for demanding money * People need to be financially secure in the future, especially in financing or paying for unforeseen events. * Example: Money is used for emergency expenses such as hospitalization, accidents, contingency funds for unidentified household or business expenses. * Speculative Motives This is money not held for transaction purposes but in place of other financial assets, usually because they are expected to fall in price. * People want to earn the highest possible income from their different investments. Hence, they hold money to invest into assets or business prospects that have a promising steady flow of returns or income. * It depends on the decisions of households and firms to hold other assets that are liquid and free risks of depreciation in terms of money. * People hold money to make profits or avoid possible losses when the opportunity in the fina ncial market comes. Example: If the bank interest rate is low, the amount of money held for speculative purposes is higher while it is lower if the interest rate is high since the interest rate is the ‘opportunity cost’ of holding cash. QUANTITY THEORY OF MONEY (QTM) It states that the level of prices in the economy is dependent on the amount or level of money circulating in the economy. * The level of prices in the economy is basically the inflation rate. It is the rate at which prices are increasing. * Inflation – refers to the increase in the general level of prices and therefore is the result of too much money circulating in the economy.What would happen if there is an increase in the supply of or too much money circulating in the economy? * There is a possibility that every actor in the economy has so much money and it is natural for them to purchase goods or even services in the economy. An increase in the demand of goods and services without accompanying i ncrease in the available supply will cause the equilibrium price in the economy increase. This premise can be clearly explained if we discuss the quantity theory of money. The Quantity Theory of Money can be expressed by the equation: MV=PYWhere: M= quantity of money or money supply V= velocity of money P= price level Y= aggregate output * PY can be interpreted as the market value of output of the economy or the national income or the GNP. * PY refers to the total income or expenditure for the economy’s final goods. Since it is the value of all final goods and services produced in the economy. It is simply regarded as the nation’s GDP. * From the given equation, velocity of money or V can be expressed as the ration of GNP and money supply. Let us take a look at this equation: V=PYM= GNPM For instance, GNP is equal to P300 B while the amount of money supply in the economy is P50 B then the velocity of money is equal to 6. V= GNPM= 30050=6 * This means that a peso was us ed six times that year to purchase goods and services. * It also being interpreted as the speed of money per year in the circulation. * The QTM assumes that the velocity of money (V) and aggregate output (Y) are fixed, or at least for simplicity purposes, we assume that these factors do not change (or do not change much) MV=PY As a result of the assumptions we made, changes in prices level (or the inflation level in the economy) is directly proportional to changes in money supply * It means that a percentage increase in the money supply will cause an equal percentage increase in the price level or will lead to inflation. THE COMPONENTS OF THE MONETARY STOCK There is a wide range of financial assets in any economy. * Money in the economy is not confined to be circulating paper, bills and coins and the reserved money in the vaults of banks. * Money has many forms which comprises the monetary stock or the money supply in the economy.However, the question is, which part of these is call ed as or being considered as money? * The following table shows the classification of the monetary stock or the money supply. Definition of Money| Components| M1| Currency + Checking Deposits + traveler’s Check + other checkable deposits such as NOW and ATS| M2| M1 + Savings and Small Denomination Time Deposits + Money – Market Mutual Funds| M3| M2 + Large Denomination time Deposits + Repurchase Agreements| L| M3 + liquid assets such as securities (i. e. Treasury Bills), Bankers? Acceptances, Commercial Paper| M1 comprises claims that are liquid. This refers to claims that can be used directly, instantly, and without restrictions to make payments. It consists of items used as medium of exchange. * M2 includes in addition, claims that are not instantly liquid, those that may require notice to depository institution or banks. * M3 includes items that are held primarily by large corporations and wealthy individuals. * L consists of several liquid assets that are close sub stitutes for money. MAIN FEATURES OF THE COMPONENTS OF THE MONETARY STOCK Liquid Low interest earnings Less Liquid High interest earnings It should be noted that from M1 to L, the monetary stock is becoming liquid. M1 is directly used for transactions and L is less liquid and cannot be directly used for transactions purposes. * However, the trade-off is that if the individual hold more M1 than L, the individual is forgoing potential interest earnings from L. the L is being offered at a higher interest rate as compared to the M1. * In general, if you hold more M1, you are very liquid yet you earn little. On the other hand, if you hold more L, you find it very difficult to conduct day-to-day transactions yet you are earning much.Basic Concepts in Definitions * Currency * It refers to coins and bills (paper money) in circulation. * Checking Deposits * Accounts that grant a depositor the right to write checks to individuals, firms, or the government. This component is used in order to a void carrying large amount of money. * This particular component can be considered as money because checks are accepted as for of payments or exchange. * Traveler? s Check * It includes checks issued by non-banks such as American Express 8checks issued by banks are not checking deposits).It is usually used by travelers and tourists, since personal checks are not acceptable in other territories. Therefore, traveler? s check is generally accepted as payment in different territories. Negotiable Order of Withdrawals * A check is invented by thrift institutions as a way getting around the prohibitions of having checking accounts. It is almost same function as travelers check. * Automatic Transfers from Savings Accounts (ATS) * When deposit holders keep money in savings account, the bank automatically transfers from the savings account to the checking account when payment has to be made.This method is usually for bank to bank or institutional transactions. All commercial banks offer this service where savings account can be transferred to other forms of financial assets such as checks or current account (e. g. Land Bank ATS and Metro Bank ATS) * Savings Deposits * Deposits at banks that are not transferable by checks and are often recorded in a separate passbook or ATM (Automated Teller Machine) card kept by the depositor. * Time Deposits * These are the accounts in a bank which require certain maturity date. * Money Market Mutual Funds Interest-earning checkable deposits in financial intermediaries that raise funds by selling shares to individual savers and invest in short-term assets. In addition, these are built-in in all commercial banks such as the BPI Mutual Funds and PNB Mutual Funds * Repurchase Agreements * These are transactions in which bank borrows from a non-bank customer * The bank sells a security today and promise to buy it back at a fixed price tomorrow (that is why it is repurchase) * In that way, the bank gets to use the amount borrowed for a day * Liquid Assets These are assets that can be easily converted into cash such as stocks, cash on hand, cash in banks and accounts receivable- * Treasury Bills * Securities that are issued by the government that have certain maturity date. For instance, the Philippine Government treasury bills (such as the Centennial Treasury Bills). * Banker? s Acceptance * These are orders to pay specific amount at a specific time. This concept usually arises from future date and guaranteed by a bank that stamps it as accepted. * Commercial Paper * It refers to a liquid short term debt instrument issued by private corporations.

Educational Technology Essay

With the passage of time, the advances of technology are making their presence felt in every walk of life from space exploration to clean a room. The central though behind these technological advances is to make life more comfortable, efficient, and safe. As such technology is an integral part of daily workaday life. Newer forms of technology are being introduced with improved rates of efficiency, safety, and comfort. In this regard, inclusion of technology in education has also become the hard norm of the present educational system of such a country as the United States of America with the same focus as quoted above. Henceforth, all important areas of educational development have been hinged with the inclusion of technology. One such area of focus today, with regard to the inclusion of technology in education, is the educational development of the disabled and other disadvantage students’ enhanced learning. The present paper examines in detail the inclusion of technology in education with relation to the learning of disabled and disadvantaged students. The paper first of all discusses the present literature on the present state of educational technology and disabled learners; furthermore, the present paper specifically examines studies conducted in the same area to investigate the legitimacy on educational technology inclusion to teach the disabled students, say, English language, and see what difference the technology inclusion makes upon the learning of the students. Literature Review In the past several decades, changing perspectives on the use of technology inclusion in education for the disabled students has caused the curricular guidance to undergo changes that are significant on their own. It was in the time of the 1970s and the 1980s that parents and teachers came to realize the vision that graduating students with disabilities could now go on living and working in the general community environment with some support that differed according to individual. This vision, then, bypassed the shelters of workshops, centers for day treatment, and other massive settings for residential purposes which were indispensable for the previous students. This revolutionary vision then gave birth to â€Å"the development of curricula that were relevant to students’ functioning to everyday life† (Davern, et.al, 2001). In addition to the above, the Individual with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA, 1997) also paved the way for the educators to look for technology inclusion that can boost up learning in the disabled students; hence the premise of this act is that: A free and appropriate public education will be provided for all children with special needs. IDEA 97 emphasizes the participation of students with disabilities in the general curriculum and requires that Individualized Education Program (IEP) teams make many decisions that support and encourage student performance in the general curriculum and general education classroom (Robinson, et.al, 2002). However, when it comes to the participation of the disabled students in the learning of more complex cognitive content (say reading comprehension or learning vocabulary, and so on) with the mainstream education, with their peers, it is seen as an obstacle that these students show a difference of learning from their peers. Hence there are various involvements made by researchers. These interventions focus on overcoming these differences among the two types of learners. â€Å"Curriculum-based assessment†, â€Å"Direct instruction curriculum design†, and â€Å"learning strategies Deshier† are some of them (Carnine, 1989). Today, as such, technology is fast becoming the norm of the area of educating the learners with disabilities. The times of the twenty first century has given rapid rise to technology integration in education. Henceforward, as Dr. Frank B. Withrow, Director of Development Able Company Washington D.C. (2000) notes that â€Å"Technology predictions for the 21st century include sensory prosthetic devices for disabled people. This may be one of the most significant factors in providing all children an equal and appropriate education.† He further points out that â€Å"Cochlear implants are already providing many hard of hearing youngsters with functional hearing.† Moreover, â€Å"Speech synthesizers give voice to mute individuals. New developments in microelectronic lenses may enable a large number of visually disabled people to read printed books† (Frank, 2000) However, it is another thing to investigate the integration of technology and its feasibility with the production: effectiveness of technology with regard to the learning rate of the students with disabilities. In the later part of the paper I would examine the role of technology in relation to this very theme. I would discuss the role of the educational software for the special education. Educational Software and Special Students Today, like all other areas of education, special education is also influenced by the introduction of newer and newer software that provide the educators the opportunities to better teach the disabled students so that their learning can be worth it. Since commercial software for education usually shapes the center of instruction which is technology-based in special education (also for general classroom education), there is a very rapid race among the educational authorities to obtain the most effective and result-oriented software. However, with the advances made in this area, there are certain concerns raised by the educators and researchers about the feasibility of these software packages with regard to effective learning among the disabled students. In this connection, the most common practice found among the educators is that they â€Å"rely on experts in commercial businesses to produce quality educational software for classroom use, with the assumption that the software has been designed to meet the unique learning needs of the population of students for whom it is targeted† (Boone, et.al, 2000). In other words, the consumers of the software assume that the software was properly designed and developed with a population being the focus of that software, for example, students with disabilities, junior school students, students learning English as a second language, and so forth. The net result that these consumers anticipate from the software obtained, as such, is that it will help them improve the learning capabilities of their students – in our case students with learning disabilities and disadvantaged students. On the contrary, Boone et al. (p. 109, 2000) observe that though many of the software developers are aware of the fact that consulting educational experts and researchers is way important in order to develop a result-oriented, population-targeted software, â€Å"some companies still develop software without taking into account education factors that may affect learning† (Boone, et.al, 2000). They point out three major areas regarding such software development for the disabled students, which were major concerns of the educators: 1) The developed software did not have a theoretical base for its formation; 2) There is an overemphasis on such technical aspects of the software as high graphic designs and audio add-ons; and 3) The software development manifested an improper approach toward educational concerns. With these three major concerns, Boone et al. (2000) also list three major areas – investigated in a Delphi research study – which, according to educators, the educational software for the disabled students was proved to be lacking. These areas are: 1) The investigation revealed that software lacked an incorporation or association of higher-level of thinking; 2) The software also lacked a grounding in the educational research and pedagogical investigation of the related teaching content to the disabled students; 3) The last major area of lacking of the educational software for the disabled students was that the software lacked the inclusion of a number of different level skills which can be used to effectively meet an individual’s specific needs. Therefore, Forcier, 1999 (as cited in Boone et al. p. 01, 2000) notes that because of these so complex issues with regard to the educational software, it seems unclear as to which degree such educational improvisation is actually meeting the needs of the educators/teachers and their students. (Boone, et.al, 2000) Evaluation of Software Boone et al. (2000) point out the importance of the educational for the disabled students so that their feasibility can be put to a check. For the evaluation of an educational software, the authors state that many of the educational software developers and publishers are not providing enough information to the educators. This is a practical problem for the educators who opt for a specific software program available in the market suiting the needs of their educational context; however: (Boone, et.al, 2000) â€Å"Educators often find that software they have purchased is not adaptable, does not teach what it purports to teach, or does not support what is occurring in the classroom. For these reasons, educators must independently evaluate software by taking into consideration the following†. (Boone, et.al, 2000) 1) The educators must look for the software’s intended use by monitoring the help that the software lends to achieve their objectives; 2) Content which accompanies the software must be scrutinized; it is also seen whether or not the software has a teacher’s supplement for implementation; 3) â€Å"the instructional presentation and whether the software meets the principles of universal design (i.e., multiple representations of content, multiple means of expression and control, and multiple forms of engagement)† (Boone, et.al, 2000); 4) they should also go for software that is user-friendly: that is easy to use both by the teacher(s) and students; 5) the software should also provide considerable amount of documents and other support; 6) The software should also contain user inputs. With these areas in mind, the authors further come up with the evaluation criteria of the two kinds of evaluation of the software: formative and summative evaluation through the use of the software to make sure of its compatibility with the learning of the disabled students. I discuss both these steps of the evaluations separately so that a thorough understanding of the issue can be grasped. Formative Evaluation and Learning Software for Disabled Students To evaluate the efficiency of software for students with disabilities Boone et al (2000) state that the first and the foremost focus of the educators should be to take into account an area of the students’ learning and/ or other aspects of their life; this are can be the learning characteristics of those students; or their learning goals; or it can be the area of their social skills and goals, and so on. After this specification, the educators should put the software to test on a across-student level, that is to say: Software evaluation by students should involve a high-achieving student, a middle-achieving student, and a low-achieving student who all have a particular disability. This allows the educator to determine the software’s usability across students with a particular disability and, beforehand, to identify specific areas in the software with which particular students may need help (Boone, et.al, 2000). They also give a precaution to the educators that they should not count on the opinions of the parents of the students because it is possible that some software is not efficient to adults; however, the same is greatly enjoyed by the students.

The new england workingmen's association Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

The new england workingmen's association - Essay Example However, the mechanics kept their dream of better working conditions alive and hence they called for a region-wide convention to address the question of a 10-hour workday in Fall River. Indeed, the region-wide convention held on October 1844 addressed this issue in great length and resolved to form the New England Workingmen’s Association (NEWA) to address the workers’ plight (Massachusetts AFL-CIO 1). As such, most of the meetings held by New England Workingmen’s Association focused on the dominant concern of a 10-hour workday (Massachusetts AFL-CIO 1). In the meetings that followed the formation of the New England Workingmen’s Association, members ended such meetings with a resolution calling for an abridgement of the hours of labor, which was evidently fundamental in rendering every citizen of the commonwealth worthy and capable to perform the sacred duties of a freeman (Massachusetts AFL-CIO 1). As such, the New England Workingmen’s Association followed the footsteps of other labor leaders of the 1840s, who focused on the relationship between connection between 10-hour workday and citizenship. However, the New England Workingmen’s Association was seemingly different from other labor associations in that it included middle-class reformers who stressed issues such as land reform, and women, who frequently found themselves excluded from other groups unlike other labor associations that disregarded middle-class reformers (Massachusetts AFL-CIO 1). In the 1840s, many labor organizations disregarded the membership and contribution of women. Nevertheless, the New England Workingmen’s Association offered a reprieve to the women by extending all the rights, privileges, and obligations of membership to women’s labor groups through its constitution (Massachusetts AFL-CIO 1). As such, the association addressed both men and women issues that relate to their working conditions. Notably, women

Organization's financial statements Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Organization's financial statements - Essay Example In this way, the success of financial analysis process is depended on the use of accurate information, as incorporated in financial statements of each organization. Due to its role in the development of effective organizational decisions, the financial analysis has been extensively explored in the literature. Emphasis has been given to the different missions that financial analysis can achieve, as a decision making tool. It seems that the need for eliminating risks in regard to investment decisions has been the key reason for the expansion of financial analysis process (Lee et al. 2009, p.2). Indeed, it has been proved that financial analysis is an excellent tool for checking whether the existent capital of a firm is adequate for responding to the needs of a particular investment, either in the short or the long term (Lee et al. 2009, p.2). From a similar point of view Norman has argued that financial analysis is quite important for minimizing risks related to the potential participa tion of a firm in a stock exchange market (Norman 2011). Maitah et al. (2012) refer to the use of financial statement analysis in banks as a tool for identifying effective ‘investment and lending decisions’ (Maitah 2012, p.107). ... ? Financial statements most important in financial analysis (Zager & Zager 2006, p.36) Through the financial statement of each organization figures showing the performance of the organization to specific sectors can be retrieved. For example, reference could be made to Liabilities and Shareholders’ equity, as elements of a firm’s balance sheet, one of the most important financial statements of modern firms (Belkaoui 1998, p.2). The financial analysis process can help managers to check the relationship between their firms’ different financial statements; in this way, the actual financial performance of the firm can be identified. The tool used for achieving this target is the financial ration analysis. The above analysis is developed using financial ratios, i.e. figures showing ‘the expression of the relation between two financial statement accounts’ (Drake & Fabozzi 2012, p.102). The analysis of these ratios helps to understand the performance of a f irm in regard to the sectors reflected in these ratios. The most common financial ratios are presented in Figure 2 below. Figure 2 – Most common financial ratios (Zager & Zager 2006, p.38) At this point, the following fact should be highlighted: Financial ratios reflect different aspects of organizational performance. Other ratios refer to the security of the business, as of its financial strength, while others show the financial efficiency of the organization (Zuger & Zuger 2006). This fact is made clear through the graph in Figure 3. Figure 3 – Financial rations as part of the financial analysis process (Zager & Zager 2006, p.39) According to the issues discussed above, financial analysis is necessary for securing the success of organizational decisions. The close relationship between financial analysis and

Other than the obvious (Washington, Franklin, Jefferson, and Adams) Essay

Other than the obvious (Washington, Franklin, Jefferson, and Adams) which American political or military leader do you think had - Essay Example The founding fathers of America worked hard to make a revolution that was both resolute and changeable, and tried to supply basic principles that could be re-interpreted, changed, or even thrown out completely should they not prove considerable to the general population. This spirit of flexibility fits well with the Enlightenment conception of the renaissance man- a man who could be objective, while still participating actively in the revolution. These characteristics perhaps had their culmination, though, in the political figure of Samuel Adams. A well-educated, powerful advocate of freedom and liberty, Adams was an articulate architect of the American revolution as we know it, or would like to; that is, a revolution which is the servant of the people it represents, not their master, and a revolution that led to a government which is an ongoing continuation of the American revolution’s free spirit. One of the main ways that Adams contributed to the Revolution was the way in w hich he led crowds. When the Stamp Act of 1765 ordered the colonists to purchase stamps from England, Samuel Adams began to protest in earnest. He told the crowd what to do. In 1766, the Stamp Act was ordered, and Adams warned the crowd that if their trade goods were going to be taxed, their land would be next, along with everything else they had. Adams also planned, and participated in, the Boston Tea Party. To help coordinate the resistance to what he saw as attempts by the British government to violate the Constitution to the detriment of the colonies, in 1772, Adams and his colleagues set up the basic framework of the revolution, connecting the rhetoric and complaints of patriots throughout the colonies, and organizing resistance against the British. Increased resistance to British policy led to the Boston Tea Party 1773, and, thanks to Adams, the advent of the American Revolution. After Parliament approved compulsions in 1774, Adams attended the Continental Congress in Philadel phia, which was convened to coordinate a response to the harsh colonial rule of George III. Adams helped guide the Congress to the issuance of the Declaration of Independenc

To what extent do risk, rewards and motives contribute towards an Assignment

To what extent do risk, rewards and motives contribute towards an entrepreneurs goals - Assignment Example Steve Jobs – An Icon of Entrepreneurship Burlingham and Gendron (2013) argue, "Without Jobs, after all, there would have been no Apple II". Steve Jobs is a glaring example of true entrepreneurship in the current times; the one, who assesses risks carefully, faces challenges that come his way, and accomplishes tasks in hand successfully. And in this process, he gets rewarded handsomely so much that in his own life time, Apple, in terms of market capitalization, transforms into the world's largest company. That is a great feat indeed! As per Kathryn Lang, entrepreneurship requires thought, planning, and persistence. It is not always the money that makes people entrepreneur. It is the passion or urge of creating something – product or service that exhorts their entrepreneurial spirit. Fixed paychecks in the job do not excite them and insecurity outside the jobs does not stop them from trading into unchartered territories. That is why entrepreneurs are always ready to take risks and face new challenges to get rewarded handsomely. It is this sense of achievement that drives them towards entrepreneurship. The case of Steve Jobs is no different than this. Major Motives – Innovation and Perfection According to John Kao, a consultant to corporations, it is the innovative culture created by Steve Jobs that is responsible establishing Apple ahead of many of its rivals. Though formal education is required yet attitude to learn more in all situations is a prerequisite for creativity. There is no doubt that Steve Jobs has these traits since an early age. At a fairly young age, he was fascinated toward electronics doing projects on radios. While he is fired from Apple in 1985, his entrepreneurial spirit forces him to float two new companies under the names ‘Next’ and ‘Pixar’. He remains in control of these two companies until 1996 when he returns to Apple and becomes chief executive officer (CEO) there. In 2005, during a commence ment address to the students at Stanford, Steve is quite categorical in his statement, â€Å"It turned out that getting fired from Apple was the best thing that could have ever happened to me† (Lohr, 2011). What he says is that perseverance pays and it goes without saying that perseverance is one of the key characteristics that make one entrepreneur. Perfection in the product design has always been his obsession so much that even on internal circuitry that no one is going to look at, he insists that "every line of solder on the circuit board be perfectly straight" (Burlingham and Gendron, 2013). That is why on aesthetics too each product of the Apple Inc. receives accolades from the customers. Steve Jobs emphasises on the innovation in the task and jobs that one undertakes and that becomes possible only with experimentation, taking risks in life and being curious. In line with this, he further adds, "I have always wished that for myself. And now, as you graduate to begin anew , I wish that for you† (Lohr, 2011). Entrepreneurship and Risk Taking Ability True entrepreneurs are prompt in taking risks. As saying goes: no risks, no rewards. This remains a universal fact always as one goes deeper into the events that shape the lives

Caterpillars Resilience for Strategic Change Management Process Essay

Caterpillars Resilience for Strategic Change Management Process - Essay Example 1) These above mentioned lines are not only mere scholarly jargon or illusion used by some well known academic scholars but the lines are truly reflecting the core essence of change management. In such context, Zajac, Kraatz & Bresser (2000) pointed out that the question is not about whether an organization is able to change or not rather the focus should be whether the mentioned organization is able to successfully implement the change management mechanism in competitive environment or not. Palaniswamy and Sushil (2003) argued that going for change for organizations is always directed by external factors because no organizations would want to change the existing system equilibrium without any bankable reason. Well, the argument has point because historical analysis of data shows that without the presence of certain reasons or the objective of achieving certain benefits, none of the organizations have invested its financial and non-financial resources to achieve change management (Za jac, Kraatz & Bresser, 2000). ... Caterpillar Inc- Business Dimension Caterpillar Inc or Cat is an American corporation which is global leader in manufacturing, construction and mining equipment, diesel-electric locomotive, industrial gas turbines and diesel and natural gas engines. The company was established in 1925 and at present, headquarter of the company is located in Peoria, Illinois, United States (Caterpillar, 2013a). The engineering giant offers wide range of products ranging from construction and mining equipment (the yellow equipment of the company has become symbolic icon for both industrial and retail consumers), customized industrial gas turbines which can lift heavy loads, natural gas engines which can work in low carbon emission state, remanufacturing services, end to end logistic services and even financial services (Gillett, Fink & Bevington, 2010). As of 2012, Caterpillar Inc has earned revenue of more than US $65 billion from its global business operation while the company has reported asset wort h around US$89 billion (Caterpillar, 2013a). As of 2008, the company has established presence in every continent while total employee base of the company exceeds 0.1 million (Gillett, Fink & Bevington, 2010). Now, the fact is that Caterpillar Inc never targeted retail customers or sell items to end users because from the starting days, the engineering targeted construction and mining companies or the dealers who sell construction equipment to both industrial and retail customers. In such business ideology, Caterpillar Inc has established global dealer distribution network crossing 185 partnerships across countries in Europe, South America, Africa, North

Culture & Growth stages of Organizations Research Paper

Culture & Growth stages of Organizations - Research Paper Example The ethical and moral values of the people employed by the organization, their social background and their religious values define the culture of an organization. According to Schein (1992), organizational culture is determined by the shared assumptions and beliefs about the world, human nature and human relationships. Organizational culture includes the procedures, leadership styles, individuality, language and symbols used in the organization. The culture of an organization is shaped by values, beliefs and underlying assumption of the personnel of an organization. Values are the factors that represent the outlook of the culture of an organization. Values and beliefs of the people are prominent factors that are shaped by the underlying assumptions of the people. Underlying assumptions are the response of the environment in which the organization exists and these are unconsciously accepted by the people. The culture of an organization may be an obstacle in the way of achieving the mi ssion of the organization. If the mission of an organization and the culture of the organization are conflicting in nature, it might be difficult for the organization to achieve its objectives successfully. An organization must have complete support of the personnel in the organization in order to ensure successful implementation of the strategies set out by the organization to achieve its objectives. ... Leaders may use the style of communication in order to emphasize the need for change in the culture of an organization. Emotional outbursts also have positive impacts in case of bringing a change in the culture of an organization. In order to send a message to the personnel of an organization regarding a thing that is not important, a leader may choose to give no attention to that particular thing. In this manner, the perception of the organizational personnel regarding that thing would change and it would gradually be eliminated from the organization. A change in the culture of an organization can also be brought by the way the leader responds to the crisis. In the stages of growth of the organization, there are a number of things that require significant changes within an organization. An organization needs to acclimatize with its external environment. If the external environment of an organization changes the organization would also have to change. If the organization remains pers istent and does not bring any change, the organization would become vulnerable to a crisis. In this case, a leader plays an important role. In order to ensure that the change is supported throughout the organization, the leader might need to exaggerate the effect that the crisis might have on the organization. In such scenario, the leader may act as a savior and take some rigorous steps that have the potential to bring a change in the organization that would not have been possible otherwise. In order to tackle the change that must be brought in the culture of an organization at the time of growth in the organization, the leaders can bring the change by acting as a role model for others. Leaders can communicate their expectations through their own

Marketing and Strategy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Marketing and Strategy - Essay Example Adaptation is essential to an organization's survival in today’s unreceptive business environment. Marketers need to understand what is at the heart of their consumer offering and stay one-step ahead of the competition in terms of delivering it. It is quite evident that with increased globalization and improved technology, there are constant key emerging trends in marketing which are also changing various consumer needs. Marketing is defined as the conceptualization ad delivery of great customer satisfaction. According to Kaplan and Michael (2010), customers are no longer viewed as members of passive audiences rather they are now active participants in marketing processes. Marketing and marketing communication are changing daily. These changes offer a new wave of communication channels to both new and existing markets, which were not evident in the past decade within organizations. Clearly, there have been significant evidence on shift of focus and budget resources allocation into interactive online marketing which is facilitated with increase use of internet. Based on organizational changes across the globe, new theories of marketing have been largely developed such as electronic, social, and environmental and network marketing. These changes in marketing presume changes within consumers’ behaviors and transition towards electronic marketing (Kaplan and Michael 2010). Technology is changing the world past acknowledgment and consumer potential are evolving with it. No industry can afford to rest on its success. In this tough economic climate, small changes are not always enough to sustain a competitive advantage. New marketing models and fresh approaches to customer problems need to emerge rapidly to stay ahead of the competition. Today, the internet is considered one of the biggest forums. Kaplan and Michael (2010) assert that, there is a new change in marketing where marketers have turned to internet to facilitate their marketing processes. Many marketers have resulted to internet marketing for their business regardless of the kind of business being operated. Internet allows customers to review and purchases an organization product and services regardless on which part of the world they are in. customers are able to access company’s website purchase a commodity or service as well as refer a company to other at the comfort of their homes. Anderson and Narus (2004) maintain that, the use of internet is viewed as a holistic marketing, which has become today platform. Here, holistic marketing widely combines traditional marketing with new computer and digital capabilities to build long term and mutual satisfying relationship between the company and its customers. A good example in the adaptation of a holistic marketing process is in Japan where the country engages in u-Japan where information flows freely which facilitated by a network which can be accessed anytime from anywhere. The letter u represents ubiquitous which indicates a time where internet communication plays a major role in marketing linking both consumers and company (Anderson and Narus 2004). Further, based on online marketing marketers have engaged the use of email newsletters to keep in touch with their customers as opposed to traditional method of designing catalogues and brochures. Dwyer and Tanner (2006) assert that, email newsletters are considered as the method, which displays return on investment (ROI) in internet marketing. For example, markets are using full service providers, which are known to create content as well as designing the marketing layout and later send out organizational newsletters. In addition, online marketing have resulted to two new kinds of resellers namely; infomediaries and metamediaries (Dwyer and Tanner 2006). Infomediaries are web pages such as Google and Yahoo that acts as brokers in today’s marketing world. Metamediaries are companies that possess robust internet

Emotional, Behavioral, and Physical Disabilities Essay

Emotional, Behavioral, and Physical Disabilities - Essay Example The current research also looks at a point at which I visited, observed, and participated in an inclusion program serving special education students, and what I observed in terms of behavior modification. students, including students with emotional and behavioral disorders, physical disabilities, health impairments, and traumatic brain injury, are able to have an opportunity for growth and development is dependent on planning and personal execution. Many different people have different styles of planning and shaping the classroom environment, with different results. Overall, â€Å"Classroom environments that work require personal reflection about teachers’ roles, an understanding of what works in classroom organizations, a view of the relationship between management and instructional decisions, and the ability to use multiple methods† (Fine, 2002). At the same time, the teacher must realize that most students are spending most of their time outside of school, and only a fraction of their time in school or after school programs. Therefore it is important to realize the role that parenting, outside environment, and other factors like television and peer group association that also shape the process in the majority of the student’s time, especially when the student has special needs and is disabled. The current research example shows that inclusion programs can be very successful for students with various physical disabilities if teachers have a positive attitude and are willing to increase their levels of teamwork and communication. Teachers need to focus on stressing similarities to their peers and should help them accomplish what is sometimes a difficult social acclimation, as well as focusing on their academic needs. Disabilities are dealt with in the mainstreamed classroom and instructional strategies for helping children with disabilities achieve are tried out. When looking at the

How the organization should select, recruit, train Essay Example for Free

How the organization should select, recruit, train Essay SUMMARY The following report consists of a guide on how the organization should select, recruit, train and make the most out of the new HR mangers. In addition, it is composed of an introductory program welcoming the graduating managers, takes into account the training needs and methods and the monitoring of employee performance to judge whether or not employees are satisfied and know the goals of the organisation. Furthermore, the career development allows for the opportunity for managers to revaluate their self-confidence, as well as career paths for an improved future for employees. Finally, we will talk about strategic management and the methods of consistency for employee development and the techniques managers need to know. By utilizing these procedures the company will facilitate the training of the new managers. INTRODUCTION In a growing number of organisations human resources are now viewed as a source of competitive advantage. Even the public sector has gradually moved from rules and regulations based HRM approach to a more values-based approach, which understandably has resulted in increased focus on accountability. There is greater recognition that distinctive competencies are obtained through highly developed employee skills, distinctive organisational cultures, management processes and systems. This is in contrast to the traditional emphasis on transferable resources such as equipment. Human Resource Management (HRM) is concerned with the acquisition, development, utilisation and accommodation of human resources by organisations. Increasingly it is being recognised that competitive advantage can be obtained with a high quality workforce that enables organisations to compete on the basis of market responsiveness, product and service quality, differentiated products and technological innovation. The new HR managerial positions aim to complete these needs and achieve high consistency of the HR practices that are vital for the organization. 1. HRM-AN IMPORTANT ASPECT Firstly, it has to be buried in mind that HRM is a very important function within the organization. An effective implementation of HR procedures means a good investment in both the employees and the managers, line and senior ones. Human Resources is a key element for the organization and through the effective implementation of the procedures that will be carried out through a certain strategy, the organization actually achieves its objectives and becomes more devoted to quality and improvement. By following these procedures the organization can gain more loyalty, dedication and flexibility, and in the same time employees, due to this commitment, can broaden their learning horizons and feel more need for improvement. HRM is the key to the future, when effective and continuously improving people will have been considered as an organizations main competitive advantage. It is the group of procedures and activities that bring the right person in the right place. The new HR managers have to be selected and trained in the best way possible. Their decisions and actions in the future will play a big role in the companys future development. 2. SELECTION- RECRUITMENT TECHNIQUES Making the new managers more HR consistent implies that the managers have the proper skills for this job and can achieve the organizations objectives. A whole new selection technique should be carried away and adjusted to the HR needs of the company. This means that the factors affecting which of the candidates will be selected and recruited, will consist of the vital HR procedures and activities The new candidates should be aware of all the skills that are required, but also should know every detail of what the job of the HR manager involves. 2.1 Job profile Through an effective job analysis the organization could avoid extra costs for re- advertising the positions, re-training costs and could reduce labor turnover. The job description should include all the skills, the abilities and the knowledge that are required for the managerial positions. It has to be made clear that the new vacancies that the company offers include clearly HR procedures and the knowledge of HRM theory and extended aspects of HRM is crucial. The new vacancies aim to give solutions to problems related to the staff of the company. This implies that the skills involved in the new vacancies include team working and development. To obtain a reliable job description, the company could ask some HR experts, which are members of the organization, to create a job analysis that will include all the above elements. The job description should include the title HRM manager and as said before, it should also include the main HR tasks. 2.2 Person specifications Labor turnover could be reduced in low levels with a clear person specification. The job advertisement should consist of demanding HRM skills and more specifically skills that are related to team working, socialization, influence over others; intellectual capacity and smart way of talking. It should also include information about the company, its environment, its culture and some compare with competitors. The vacancy should be advertised through means such as newspapers and agents, but more importantly the organization should approach universities and colleges and advertise the vacancy there. The new managers should have a high level of education and be specialized in HRM. Obtaining references for the new managers could be limited to university sources. The course plan that the graduates have followed should be parallel to the job demands. The application form is an element that should be carefully designed for the specific demands of the new HRM vacancies. It is the first step in identifying who your most suitable candidates are and what skills each one holds. It should contain fields about education qualifications, with specific reference to modules that the graduates have attended. Some questions about physical condition in comparison to some tests for drugs and health condition will be desirable. 2.3 Interview plan When the selection process has been completed and it is clear which of the candidates qualify the basic demands, the next important step is the interview. The whole process should be designed very carefully and in a way that will make it more reliable. The interview is the organizations first approach to the candidate. This interpersonal exchange of information allows not only the candidate become more familiar with the organization and its objectives, but also the organization itself with the candidate. The flow of information from both sides has as a result a precise evaluation of both parties. The steps that follow comprise the essential structure of the interview. Step 1 Get prepared for the interview. Find the right place and make sure it is comfortable and friendly, so that the interviewed will be feeling relaxed and outgoing. Distinguish who the interviewees will be and provide them with information regarding the interview plan and a description of how the process should be completed. A panel interview is suggested as the most reliable one. The interviewing team can consist of up to 10 people, but the process should be approached carefully or else the candidate may feel uncomfortably when being bombarded by questions from 10 people one after another. There may be also a clerk to take notes and an equal opportunities adviser to ensure that all procedures are followed. The interview team can be separated and complete 2 interviews per candidate, to ensure that there is absolute agreement between the interviewers. Before the interview begins all the relevant documents, especially the application form of the candidate should be read carefully and some bullet points can be made for each candidate. This way when the candidate will be interviewed the interviewee can bring in mind some skills of the first and can make additional questions. The nature of the measurement of the candidate should be agreed before the interview. This can be carried out by a points system based on how closely the candidate meets the skills that were stated in the job description. Step 2 After the preparation the interview can be opened. Opening is a very important part. It sets the tone of the interview process. Before the interviewee starts with the questions, a short introduction of the staff and the company should be made for the ice to brake and the candidate to feel more comfortable. A very important element of the interview is listening. Apart from the introduction and the questions, the candidate is doing most of the talking. The interviewees should let the candidate talk as much as possible so that they can draw a better picture of them. It is crucial that the candidates are asked for HRM skills. Moreover some key questions relating to HRM theory could be a good aspect of evaluation. An example of question would be how the candidate perceives the concept of HRM. Another one would be on how they believe that staff can be improved and leaded effectively. There are some key points that should be carefully treated during the interview. First, the interview should be structured and it has to be made clear what it is trying to elicit. The organization needs 10 new graduates for managerial positions in HR functions. This has to be buried in the mind of the interviewees and should make them evaluate the candidates according to their HR skills. The questions should be agreed before the opening of the interview and they should be prompted and followed-up through a controlled procedure. Finally, it has to be examined that all the measures of the Equal Opportunities Act have been addressed. It is crucial for the organization not to neglect the law. Equal opportunities should be given to all candidates irrelevant to ethnic group, sex or religion. The new managers can be trained only by people who respect laws and do not make discriminations. Both the Race relations Act of 1976 and the Sex Discrimination Act of 1975 should be taken into account. Step 3 The final stage of the interview plan involves the summation of the data and the closing of the whole process. The organization should give the opportunity to the candidate to ask some questions. This way it can be made clear if the candidate is really interested for the vacancy and in combination with the recorded data a clear and precise evaluation can be made. A lot of attention should be given in the recording of the data. The important issues discussed should be taken down into paper and some notes about the behavior of the candidate during the interview, can be complementarily made. Above it is mentioned that there will be 2 different groups of interviewees that will question the candidate. The first group will be the one to ask the candidates about their skills and questions related to the application form. The second group will test the candidate in a workplace simulation. During this procedure the candidates will have a brief group meeting, where they will be tested in a case study situation. The candidates will be assessed The organization should follow these steps in selecting the appropriate candidates. As mentioned again right people in the right place is the key function of HRM. Introduction is a crucial point in the selection and recruitment process. If this process is effective and the evaluation is 100% reliable there will be no need for staff turnovers and moreover the organization will have found the most suitable people for the new managerial positions. 3. INDUCTION PROGRAMME After the selection procedure is finished and the new managers have been selected, a series of training and development techniques should be implemented so that the organization will meet the demands of HR which are characterized by lack of consistency. The induction programme is a key aspect of the Human Resource Department. Primarily, it is the first time the new manager and the organisation come in contact after the relationship of employer and employee is established. Before the actual training program, the induction process should ease the arrival of the new manager by being supportive of their needs, well structure and last but not least co-ordinated. The aim of the induction process is to familiarise the inexperienced manager with the organisation and its surroundings. Therefore, their anxiety of entering the new organisation is dispelled as fast as possible. Likewise, this process assists in inducing the organisation culture. This principal operation is not only critical for managers working for the first time but also for employees with prior experience. In addition, after this process has been successfully completed, it will help the managers in associating them with their colleagues and superiors. All personnel want to feel acceptance by the colleagues. Additionally our induction programme will be consequential in bringing about sufficient teamwork. Consequently, a system of communication exists in the environment. In order for the company to obtain less disruption amongst its new managers and the existing employees, they should be fully and functionally integrated in the company and their own department. It also makes the manager comfortable at another level. By touring the premises, the prospecting managers are facilitated by knowing about various departments and their location. It will state to them the dos and donts of the organisation. It will show them where the canteen is and where the cloak is. It is at this stage of the welcoming process that training specialists come in hand. Their responsibility is to plan, organise, and direct a wide range of training activities. Trainers conduct orientation sessions and arrange on-the-job training for new employees. Planning and program development is an important part of the training specialists job. In order to identify and assess training needs within the firm, trainers may confer with managers and supervisors or conduct surveys. They also periodically evaluate training effectiveness. A brief outline of the companys history should be included as a supplementary guide in directing them to the set of values and mission statement of the company. They inform them about the range of products and their functions (including a demonstration) as well as a brief summary of the organisations main suppliers and target customers. By introducing the new managers to the firms handbook, they will learn about the benefits, plans concerning holidays and sickness and the companys rules, disciplinary procedures and the payment of wages. During the course of the induction programme, emphasis should be placed on both individual and group training. Each new manager should be aware of how of how to handle circumstances that require problem solving. They should be proficient in either acting alone or as part of a group. Another component of the induction programme should be that the aspiring managers are well equipped with a computer program, which the organisation will provide immediate feedback to any problems that may arise, so as to generate communication for managers both with their employees and superior managers. They should possess both simple skills (the application of spreadsheets) and complex skills (functioning of pilot simulations). In conclusion, they should also occupy the skills for electronic learning. This may involve interactive Internet-based training, multimedia programs, distance learning, satellite training, videos and other computer-aided instructional technologies, simulators, conferences, and workshops. 4. TRAINING Having successfully accomplished the induction programme the determined managers should head to the training program. Training is fundamental to the selection process in judging whether or not your managers are capable in their positions. Training and development managers as well as specialists should conduct and supervise training and development programs for all its incoming employees. Increasingly, our management should recognise that training offers a way of developing skills, enhancing productivity and quality of work, and building loyalty to the firm. Training is widely accepted as a method of improving employee morale, but this is only one of the reasons for its growing importance. Other factors include the complexity of the work environment, the rapid pace of organisational and technological change, and the growing number of jobs in fields that constantly generate new knowledge. In addition, advances in learning theory have provided insights into how adults learn, and how training can be organised most effectively for them. Each and every one of the ten managerial graduates should appreciate the fact that training helps rank-and-file workers, by discovering which individual is most specialised for each job and division. Furthermore, training simplifies this process by placing all trainees in every single job to analyse which individual is most suited for each job. What is more, it maintains and improves their job skills (they may set up individualised training plans to strengthen an employees existing skills or even teach new ones) and possibly prepares them for jobs requiring greater skills. Training methods include on-the-job training (such as the program for the current training method). Schools, in which shop, conditions are duplicated for trainees prior to putting them on the shop floor, hence providing for them enhanced situations. Taking that into consideration, the managers will also recognise that superior quality, swift productivity and the minimisation of labour costs due to the fact that the specialised person for any job will produce output at a faster rate and therefore more will have been produced at a lower cost. Some companies have set up leadership or executive development programs among employees in lower level positions. These programs are designed to develop potential and current executives to replace those retiring. Trainers also lead programs to assist employees with transitions due to mergers and acquisitions, as well as technological changes. Managers should be taught how to be more open-minded and should be social and friendlier towards their employees. So that in turn, the employees will feel closer towards the company and especially their managers. This way, employees will be able to express their problems in a clear manner to their managers. In addition, managers should offer their help and advice to employees so that they will equally feel more satisfied and more importantly feel equal to their managers and all other staff. By helping one another the employees will feel as though they play a fundamental role in achieving the companys objectives. Moreover, they will feel more content and thus more focused on performing their best. Therefore, maximum output by each employee will be achieved. The training process that should be carried out for your new managers is that upon selecting them they should be placed in a room to watch a specified videotape presenting them with the Human Resource basics. Moving along, they should attend lectures and take an active part in seminars. Both of these steps will need an inspired speaker in order to keep them concentrated and focused on their roles. An improved technique in communicating with the managers in these lectures and seminars are visual aids such as videotapes and slides. However, for the process to be complete and moreover essential, the company should encourage their inexperienced managers to ask questions so that they can fully comprehend the information represented to them and feel adjusted in the company. Then they should be taken inside the corporation and to put their recently acquired to practice by observing real working procedures and more significantly take part in talking to the employees themselves and sharing the wealth of experience and knowledge they have. On a final note, they can also help them with obstacles they may have in their duties. From this whole experience, they will learn that the aspects of Human Resource Management are to work effectively as a team and to treat employees fairly. A recommended form of training is role-play where individuals act out a role with others in the group. This process is especially beneficial to the instruction of the managers as they can recognise most of what they have done. More relevantly, it will be highly practical in the course of the training. Another aspect of role-playing is that managers may further develop their inter-personal skills and will associate more with their colleagues and feel more open towards each other. 5. PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT Performance Management is a systematic and data-oriented approach to managing people at work that relies on positive reinforcement as the major way to maximise performance. Performance management is necessary for the success of any type of corporation due to the fact that it takes into account the talent, knowledge and skills of its managers-and then helps them improve their qualities. It is intended for anyone who manages the performance of others. Whether you are a first-time work leader or an experienced supervisor, manager, program director or department chair, performance management will provide your company with useful information with respect to the managers conditions. For performance managers, this changing environment offers many new challenges and opportunities. Performance managers and their employees are increasingly being asked to become generalists who step outside of traditional narrowly defined job descriptions in support of team objectives and goals. These changes are resulting in the development of new approaches to human resource management. The performance management process provides an opportunity for the employee and performance manager to discuss development goals and jointly create a plan for achieving those goals. There are a couple of steps that managers must learn to keep staff orientated and what is more, to stay thriving, be profitable and have linkages to customer engagement. In the first place, you must identify the employees individual strengths. You must position that individual to perform a role that capitalises on these strengths. When we refer to strengths we are referring to a persons ability to provide consistent, near-perfect performance in a given activity. We believe that, when selecting employees, companies have spent far too much time and money focusing on the skills and knowledge of employees and not nearly enough on their talents, which are the basis of strength and success. You must find a way to engage these talented employees. Again, there are many ways to do this for instance by paying them more, provide more generous benefits, but these are low-character solutions. The only way to engage talented employees successfully is to select and develop remarkable managers. Grand managers can select the best people, set accurate expectations for them, motivate them, and develop them. Companies that are unable to create this kind of environment will loose not only in terms unsatisfied employees but equally, sales and their customer base. They will loose more talented people than they keep. They will miscast, over-promote, undervalue, and otherwise misuse those talented employees who do stay. Lacking talented people in the right roles, these companies will have to revert to less robust routes to performance. Pressed by high character competition, these routes will serve these companies poorly. In the end, lacking great managers to keep it on the right path, these companies will loose. So, in order to avoid becoming one of these companies the organisation must rely on managerial excellence in finding talent and the human resource department in selecting the right managers for this part. Apart from those benefits, it also allows for discussion about job performance (the new managers should conduct an annual performance evaluation) with the employee and provides feedback on strengths and improvements needed. Development plans should contribute to organisational goals and the professional growth of the employee. The performance management process begins with analysis and description of the job. The performance manager identifies essential functions in the job description and the strategic mission and goals of the department or organisational unit. Standards of minimum acceptable performance are developed for the position with the employee. Additionally, standards for performance, which exceeds expectations, may be set to encourage the employee to strive for even better results. Performance should be evaluated based on changes over a period of time. The new organisational theory emphasises a focus on decision-making and accountability at the level where the work is done, the graduates should be qualified in making sound decisions and be liable for their own actions. Similarly, the organisation should develop a service culture that rewards team performance, and the integration of its operations should exist so that communication between departments is accelerated. A proposed performance management system helps in monitoring and documenting employee performance and provides opportunities to develop or enhance employee performance. We would like to state that in order to adhere to the firms mission statement and its objectives, the new managers should be instructed upon the use of disciple amongst employees. Managers should be aware of the fact that appraisals should be objective, quantitative and outcome-oriented assessments, which will, in sequence, assist the employee to develop and provide mentoring, coaching, and constructive feedback. Most managers like to think that if they are effective, they will not have to discipline employees. Unfortunately, the need to do so does crop up. The primary reason for knowing how to discipline employees is to enable the manager to quickly stop undesirable employee behaviour and guide employee work patterns back within acceptable norms. Discipline is also important for several secondary reasons. One secondary reason for disciplining is that discipline problems do not correct themselves. When discipline problems are ignored they tend to get worse rather than better. Another secondary reason for terminating behaviour problems is that they invariably lead to other problems which are potentially more dangerous to the manager. These other problems include morale problems, performance problems, control problems, and even other discipline problems. On the other hand, an effective manager who solves discipline problems starts a different cycle. The benefits to the manager are in the form of good morale, performance and control, and thus recognition from higher levels for a job well done. This manager will get the next available promotion. In closing, an annual or periodic HRM audit check will allow a firm to proactively identify and correct employment-related problems before they reach a critical stage of paralyzing the firms business operations. 6. CAREER DEVELOPMENT When people lose sight of their career goals, they often lose confidence in their own ability and commitment to their manager. In turn, the newly acquired graduates should be competent in dealing with their employees and knowing how to evolve their career prospects and how to comfort them and reassure them that they can actualise their careers according to their individual talents and dreams. It is due to these principles that career development is another mandatory aspect of our departments to teach the new managers. There have been a number of significant changes in the field of management development over the last decade. Organisational structures have become flatter and management development needs have consequently changed. Career development is currently focused on being highly responsive to the changing needs of the organisation, as well as those of the individual. Similarly, the needs of managers in small businesses will be different to those in more mature, hierarchical organisations. The arriving managers should keep in mind that there is less emphasis on formal, structured training programmes and a shift towards more informal and flexible development options. There is now a much greater emphasis on self-development and continuous learning. The professional managers should take advantage of the fact that international assignments are becoming more and more typical parts of a managerial career owing to the ever-increasing pace of globalisation in the world today. As an outcome, cross-cultural leadership competencies are required within international companies, meaning that managers must have concise communication with their employees and be distinguished in preparing reports for their superiors. The culture of an organisation can be positive and supportive, or threatening and destructive. Our career development culture should help address the momentous issues of productivity, competitiveness, affirmative action, and succession planning. It will additionally support people in redefining their talents and realising the full potential of their jobs. Managers should play a key role in creating a career development culture. Managers seldom do performance appraisals properly because they are afraid of their workers and the workers are virtually paranoid about the slightest negative note on their files. In order for our company to have the cutting edge, our new managers must be honest with the employees. A better way is to organise a system of mentor ship, in which, managers ease any tensions that may exist between the employees and the employer. A managed career development culture can pay great rewards to an organisation and the people working in it. Employee development is important to the success of the individual as well as to the company as a whole. Through our performance-feedback process, employees are able to create an Individual Development Plan to help them focus their efforts on areas that need the most development so they can improve and enhance their performance. The plan includes goal statements describing what skill, knowledge or experience will be developed, the rationale for why its important to develop these areas and a list of activities that will be done to achieve these goals. Managers should moreover create an Employee Handbook, describing to them their position and value to the corporation. This will be a living document that will be updated and added to as needed and as you grow your company. Coach the new graduates in dealing with performance issues or work habit problems and in parallel demonstrating the ability to conduct employee counselling. Last but not least, it should assist in complying with requirements for governmental reporting. An Employee Handbook will be a living document that will be updated and added to as needed and as you grow your company. While completing and implementing a Career Development Plan can never guarantee success or promotion, increased skills and expertise will improve marketability, both inside and outside of the corporation. The performance feedback process provides the structure and resources for assessing current skills, understanding the companys skill needs, establishing individual goals, and developing an action plan to meet goals and improve abilities. A postal survey of managers in career service organisations showed that, while technical infrastructures for knowledge management are present, managers do not fully recognise the capabilities of the infrastructures that they have. This may be due to poor career development managers. Knowledge management infrastructures are examined in the context of prevailing organisational cultures. In conclusion, one can say that career managements central focus is on guiding its new managers to performing more clearly when they have to aid their employees on problems such as: Where is my career going? What are my contributions to the company? It is increasingly about the need to face and manage change successfully. About securing the future well being of the business and recognising that this may require fundamental change. Management development is also, then, the key to organisational renewal and certainly, it has been used as a lever for change in sectors such as finance, telecommunications and healthcare. 7. HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENTS FUNCTIONS As we are in the dawn of the 21st Century, our campus requires a dramatically different approach to the personnel function, to support the strategic plans implementation, and to help our employees effectively manage the consequences of unprecedented change. As a result, the transition from past practices to new ones will require a very different vision for the personnel function. The Human Resources function must serve as an active, strategic partner in the University community by providing services and a competitive compensation/benefits program to help attract, retain, and motivate a highly-talented, committed, and diverse workforce. The HR staff must exhibit sensitivity, judgement, and appropriate flexibility, as well as promote fair and equitable treatment of all employees. Furthermore, amongst other functions of human resource management should incorporate promoting a campus culture that respects and values all employees. Additional functions include: * Communicating honestly and clearly with the campus and its employees. * Focus on people, eliminating bureaucratic red-tape going on for decades now. * Utilising the full potential of the human resources to the firms advantage. * Maximise resources by utilising technology to its fullest extent to improve efficiency, effectiveness, transaction processing and overall service. * Offer competitive, market-based compensation and a comprehensive benefits package to our employees. * Recognise and reward performance and accomplishments utilising the Performance Review and Development (PRD) process. * Promote a learning environment with professional development, training, mentoring, and continuing education. * Embrace and promote the principles of continuous quality improvement (CQI). * Collaborate across cross-functional lines (compensation, employment, benefits, and employee relations training). 8. STRATEGIC HRM CONSISTENCY IN HRM PRACTICES Strategic human resource management has been defined as the linking of human resources with strategic goals and objectives in order to improve business performance and develop organisational culture that foster innovation and flexibility . Strategic Human Resources means accepting the human resource function as a strategic partner in the formulation of the companys strategies as well as in the implementation of those strategies through human resource activities such as recruiting, selecting, training and rewarding personnel. Whereas strategic human resource recognises human resources partnership role in the strategizing process, the term HR Strategies refers to specific human resource courses of action the company plans to pursue to achieve its aims. By design the perspective demands that human resource managers become strategic partners in business operations playing prospective roles rather than being passive administrators reacting to the requirements of other business functions. Strategic human resource managers need a change in their perspective from seeing themselves as relationship managers to resource managers knowing how to utilise the full potential of their human resources. It has to be taken into account that the lack of consistency in human resource practices and procedures which has resulted in complaints, is due to, the inadequacy of a current, well-written employee handbook. Therefore, employees are unclear about substantial policies and practices. Employees question their decision to join your firm, they are unsure of basic company information (organisation, history, culture, etc) and they are unclear of their role within the organisation. What we must do in order to ensure that they execute a continuous flow of HRM procedures is realise that they require more supervisory and human resource time to answer questions and concerns. Other methods could insist on the correct conducting of effective and consistent performance appraisals are by the application of standardised performance appraisal forms. A form ensures consistency and completeness of the appraisal. The purpose of a performance appraisal is not merely to comment on past behaviour. Rather, it should be designed and conducted to influence or change on future performance and behaviour and to guarantee that the incoming managers, on a continuous level, regulate the degree of consistency in HRM practices. 9. CONCLUSION The above manual comprises a strategic approach to the organizations HR functions. The suggested steps that are outlined in this report aim to make the organization familiar with how an effective and consistent HR department can work. An effective implementation of the suggested strategy could help the organizations meet its key objectives easier. The new HR managers are expected to bring improvement and quality culture to the organization. The new culture will establish new standards and more commitment from all the members of the company. Learning is a vital factor and its procedures should never stop being updated. The future of the organization depends on the development of its members. Therefore the selection of capable and skilful employees is vital and should never be neglected. REFERNCE/BIBLIOGRAPHY * Armstrong, M and Baron, A (1998). Performance Management- the new realities. * John Stredwick, (2000). Human Resource Management, Reed Educational and Professional Publishing Ltd. * Foot, M. and Hook, C. (1999). Introducing Human Resource Management. Longman. * Munro-Fraser, J. (1954). A handbook of employment Interviewing. Mcdonald and Evans. * Taylor, S. (1998). Employee Resourcing. * Mullen, J. (1997). Starring Roles. People Management 29 May, pp.28-30 * Holbech, L. (1998) Motivating People in Learn Organizations Butterworth-Heinemann INTERNET SITES * http://www.smartbiz.com/sbs/cats/perf.htm * http://www.amtekhr.com/services.html * http://www.otis.com/hr/subcatg/1,2244,CLI1_HRC4_RES1_SCM33,00.html * http://www.bls.gov/oco/ocos021.htm * http://humanresources.about.com/

Impacts Of Globalization Islamic Architecture Cultural Studies Essay

Impacts Of Globalization Islamic Architecture Cultural Studies Essay The tension between modernity and tradition has influenced all aspects of todays life, especially in the social, cultural and architectural aspects. This dual structure closely reflects the realities that most modern Muslim societies face today. The impact of modernity and globalization cannot be ignored, which has become one of the most controversial issues in contemporary Islamic architecture. In recent years there have been a considerable number of papers and books regarding the dialogue between old and new or modernity and tradition, which emphasize the role of these challenges in our life. Most of the times becoming dissolved by globalization do not let us pause and rethink the architectural styles we are following. What are the reasons that we need to talk about the consequences of globalization? Because it is necessary for a dialogue to be created between new horizons that take shape within a globalized context and local values, especially when we discuss an Islamic country like Iran that has experienced an Islamic revolution by its own people. We should rethink the challenges of contemporary Islamic architecture in order to enhance our knowledge and increase our ability to tackle current problems confronting the cultural and architectural need of the changing Muslim society. On the one hand there is an urgent need to revitalize local identities and characters and on the other there is inevitable need for new building materials and technologies. The architectural character of purpose -built Islamic community centers in non-Muslim countries has been shaped by image of Islamic architecture in the West constructed through the Orientalist discourse, the post-colonial search for identity, and the particularities of postmodern architectural practice. Nowadays we believe that the architecture of the present day is surely the product of past lessons, even if historicism and classicism are in minority. There are subjects we need to consider such as the main approaches and groups in contemporary Islamic architecture and their perspectives regarding globalization and regionalism in contemporary architecture. Since the 1970s and 1980s the economy systems in Middle Eastern countries (as the biggest Muslim societies in the world) like Iran or UAE has been undergoing a process of transformation from international to global. The furiously rapid development of information and telecommunication technologies and infrastructures is bringing advancements such as the worldwide spread of finance and capital markets. Finally the reorganization of these various global functions has caused the transformation of the metropolises that were the historical and traditional centers of international exchanges. Not only did globalization and global approaches become widespread all over the world, but they also became impossible to ignore. Globalization is a word transposed from globalization and localization. The advance of globalization gave rise to simultaneously react to and resist local movements at the various levels of nationalism. This approach showed that globalization and localization are not unilateral processes and cannot be successful without a collaborative approach and always being together. Globalization is driving localization and localization is driving globalization at the same time. Traditional architecture (Islamic architecture, for an instance) was confronted with western architecture; they are getting compared at all the times. Modern architecture enjoys materials of premium and high quality, total advanced technology of the day and the hunger of new designers, architectures and engineers in inventing new things, but traditional architecture would utilize the same traditional technologies and the same outlines and limitations; as a result this battle did not lead to a desire and pleasant state of things and it was western architecture that won the unfair race. International style and modern architecture were the first true examples of the newly-fashioned styles that dominated the scene of contemporary Islamic architecture. This facing with the new ideas cost traditional architecture its coherence, originality and integrity; however it caused many challenges in the later periods such as the usage of modern material that is totally irrelevant to the function of the buildings, such as mosques with facades covered with English orange tiles or using black marble to make a minaret. Analysis At the turn of the twentieth century the roots of international architecture style had already taken shape in steel-framed, concrete faced and multistory commercial buildings. But it was to take another fifty years and some social reforms to change the contemporary Islamic (religious spaces) architectures trends before the spirit of modern Islamic architecture began to find a coherent style that could call its own. 2.1. Contemporary architecture of Islamic countries At the turn of the twentieth century the roots of international architecture style had already taken shape in steel-framed, concrete faced and multistory commercial buildings. But it was to take another fifty years and some social reforms to change the contemporary Islamic (religious spaces) architectures trends before the spirit of modern Islamic architecture began to find a coherent style that could call its own. The middle decades of the twentieth century could be called the ascendancy of international style in Middle East, when no one dared to question the validity of its principles. The powerful waves of globalization have influenced the trends of contemporary Islamic architecture in many ways. It has changed architectural education and training, materials and components, ideas and conceptions, political and economic conditions, social and civic values, and technology and the design process substantially. Taking Iran as an example for modern Muslim society in the Middle East, we can find facts that Islam as a main component of society has a visible effect on architecture and design. The revival of Islamic regional architecture epitomized the revivalist ideas of exponents of the Islamic revolution of Iran that want to dominate Islam as the most determining criterion in all aspect of life, especially in culture, art and architecture. They are looking for a version of traditional architecture that could be implemented in contemporary circumstances. Some radical trend in contemporary Iranian architecture emphasized a backward looking historicism; however this has been among a small minority of architects. Regional movements accuse modern architect of sacrificing traditional values, but on the other hand they accused regional movements of not being diligent in the enhancement of the quality of contemporary Islamic architecture of Middle East. 2.2. Islamic architecture in non-Muslim countries; Mosques and Islamic community centers As we know representation of Islamic architecture in the West go back at least to the eighteenth century, when European travelers and artists came back from the Islamic world with vivid impressions, which they recorded both in writing and paintings. To them, the most fascinating aspects of the mosque were its domes and minarets. Due to restricted access, the images these foreigners conveyed were generally distorted; minarets and columns were ill-proportioned; curvatures of domes were exaggerated; pointed, shallow, and horseshoe arches were used interchangeably, and so on. The diversity of backgrounds, origins, and ethnicities of Muslims in non-Muslim societies and their shared values and experiences with fellow Muslims all over the world are important aspects of identity of Muslims in non-Muslim countries. The daily interaction of Muslims with the issues of immigration, multiculturalism, a loosened relationship between the religion and the government, liberalism, stereotypes and racism has shaped the development of their hybrid identity. These Muslims are striving within this context to develop an Islamic society that is autonomous as well as participatory, one that constantly attempts at adapting to the contradictions of living in non-Muslim countries. This society would nonetheless be vigilant to avoid the hegemony of the dominant culture, and aware of its role in challenging injustices. Efforts to engage this way with society are evidenced by the participation of Muslims in local and national politics, the armed forces, an increased emphasis on education, and a growing economic base supported by Islamic banking institution. Amidst this interaction, Islamic community centers have emerged as clear markers of the distinctly Muslims presence of this population. The very concept of an Islamic community center in a non-Muslim country represents a set of contradictions. It is not just a mosque for performing prayers; rather it concerns the establishment of a religion, in majority society of non- Muslims who have by and large secularized themselves over the last two centuries. The Islamic communities in these countries are seeking to build for their selves a sense of group identity in a social context that glorifies individualism as opposed to communal interaction. They strive to create permanence and stability in a culture that is increasingly based on mobility, transition and change. The community centers and mosques in these countries struggle to maintain to their ties with the ancient past that they are supposed to link to and far away homelands in a seemingly isolated land. The formation of Islamic community centers indicates a search for identity among Muslims that goes beyond the limitations of ethnic bonds. It also serves as a community institution that helps to consolidate their scattered efforts and secure the right to practice their beliefs. Most Islamic community centers and Mosques in non- Muslim countries have been designed by architects who base their knowledge of Islamic architecture on their own image of it, inspired by the increasing number of community buildings throughout the western countries, as well as the substantial literature that has been developed in the West on Islamic architecture. The emerging architecture can be seen as a descendent of the Moorish revival style and the architecture of fantasy inspired by Islamic pavilions in the expositions of the nineteenth century. Just as these styles formed part of a general western trend, so has the architecture of the Islamic community center become the part of a wider architectural movement in the west, where the presence of Muslim communities in increasingly felt, especially in the metropolitan centers of Western Europe and North America. Figure 1 Through their experience in designing Islamic community centers, non- Muslim architects often learn to reconsider some of their myths about Islam, and to change their previous negative images about Muslims. Such experiences not only increase their knowledge of non-Western aesthetic and building traditions, but also expose them to the nature of Islam itself, especially the tenets which are most prominently reflected in the designs for municipal and domestic buildings and mosques. Unfortunately, many of the new Islamic community centers in America are scaled down and impoverished imitations of old monuments The architect of the West Virginia Community Center, William Preston boast that: The South Charleston Center is modeled after a famous Islamic house of worship, the Badshahi Mosque, in Lahore, Pakistan (fig. 1). The Badhsahi Mosque is bigger than the Taj Mahal, and is considered the largest house of worship in the worldà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦In the final product, the building in no way resembles any of these monuments, but this is not seen t disappoint either the architect or the client. Faithful imitation was not the intention; rather it is the capturing of the flavor of the old (fig. 2) Figure 2 The result is often kind of parody, which is presumably found desirable within a community seeking a nostalgic relationship to the past. In this case, the role of the architect is to revive the past and reinterpret its vocabulary in the contemporary architectural language. In the U.S., this is the language of the commercial strip. The resultant combination of architectural revivalism and the strip mall aesthetic more often captures the essence of an exotic Oriental restaurant than the spirit of traditional Islamic architecture. In such buildings the aesthetic features of the mosque- the minaret especially- are appropriated like the sign posts advertising gas stations or fast food restaurants. The distorted expression of many Islamic community centers in the U.S., their vivid colors, and their use of modern industrial materials, contribute to a generally crude aesthetic, one which may be related to the general loss of high skills and craftsmanship, low budgets, and the low level of ar tistic sophistication on the part of both client and architecture. On the other hand, it is worth pointing out that in the quest for self-representation through architecture, the use of format icons such as domes and minarets has become widespread, not just in non-Islamic countries, but also in many Islamic ones, even where those forms did not belong in the past. While this globalized use of iconic references may seem to be a product of the Muslims attempt at representing themselves through an architecture that they see as authentic and reflects the essence of their Islamic culture, it is in fact more closely related to the Western representations of Islamic architecture being perpetuated today by both Muslims and non-Muslim famous architects and scholars around the globe. Conclusion At a glance at the discussion it might be possible to conclude that the interest of contemporary Islamic architecture in Glocalization and moderate attitudes is in a good condition and is going to become the main popular style in Contemporary Islamic architecture, especially among the recent generation of young architects. Global-regionalism is too young to find a coherent style that it could call its own; therefore there are several kinds of approaches that could be categorized in this group. Their buildings are suggested by the spirit of traditional Islamic architecture, as well as the utilization of new technologies and materials. This paradoxical strategy is the main specificity of the new generation of contemporary Islamic architects. Their fidelity to the spirit of their ancestors, as well as their keen interest in new technologies and advanced building materials, formed a new generation that could only be called Glocalized. The architecture of Islamic community centers in non-Muslim countries illustrates issues related to a minority culture attempting, through architectural form, to re-establish continuity and stability, to express identity and to maintain forms of collective memory. The relationship between identity and iconic references should be seen within a broad-based setting, due to the increasing globalization of ideas about contemporary Islamic architecture that are constantly moving back and forth between the West and the Islamic world through architectural writing, competitions and commissions. While Islamic architecture in non-Muslim countries has already contributed to deconstructing the totalizing agendas of identity politics and Orienatalist stereotyping, cycles of representation are difficult to escape. The focus needs to shift to what kind of identity is being expressed, and where the architectural aspects of collective memory of Muslims can be complemented, overlaid, or even replaced by other systems, so as not to miss the potentials of creative representation. This critical understanding may raise issue of shred human values that can help create a dialogue with non- Muslims through architecture. This can be achieved through fragmentation and perhaps domesticity that reduce the authoritative aspects of formality and humanizes the architectural product. Emphasis needs to be directed toward the expression of transparency, rather than obsession with privacy and exclusiveness. List of references Al-Qawasmi, Jamal[2007], Regional Architecture and Identity in the age of Globalization, volume 3, CSAAR, Tunisia Owen, Graham[2009], Architecture, Ethics and Globalization, Routledge, USA Guggenheim, Michael[2010], Reshaping Cities, How global mobility transforms architecture and urban form, Routledge, USA Hillenbrand Robert [2004], Islamic architecture: Form, Function, and Meaning, Columbia University Press, USA Petruccioli Attilio[2002], Understanding Islamic Architecture, Routledge, USA