Understanding Culture Identity Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Understanding Culture Identity - Essay Example Understanding Culture Identity In understanding culture identity, we may need to define the terms culture and identity separately. Many sociologists have defined culture and identity in variant ways. Different societies manifest different cultures and pass it to future generations through social interactions. Elders and schools teach culture to the young ones. However, cultural disconnect can occur when different cultures interact. In a situation where teachers and students manifest different cultures, a culture disconnect is inevitable. Additionally, there are different types of cultures with others being dominant. A dominant culture enjoys free acceptance and sharing by the majority in a given society. We also have Global culture refers to similar ways of life in different countries and the undermining of cultures via globalization. Additionally, there is mass culture that refers to the simple, entertaining and easy to understand everyday culture. Culture serves the purpose of uniting the society members, unitin g different societies, defining the uniqueness and identity of a society. An identity defines how individuals or groups see and vice versa in a given society. Socialization, mass media, family, and education form an identity. Cultural identity is thus the association of a group or individual to a given set of defined cultures. Its fundamentals include the society’s history, sociological, and socioeconomic factors. Cultural identity defines a society and the way it relates to others. Young people strive and are equally at liberty to change unpleasant cultural identities as applied by their parents. In the story, â€Å"How it feels to be colored Me† by Zora Neale Hurston  (1891 - 1960), the factor of race, individualism, discrimination, self realization, education in culture disconnect, and color comes out clearly in ascertaining culture identity (Hurston 1-3). The story reveals Zora’s discovery of her identity and pride. When I went to Indeed Zora was a Negro i n the United States who had no blood relations with the Indians. This was different from other black Americans who had Indian blood relations. Hence, her individuality and uniqueness comes to being. In the same way my individuality in high college was so unique in our family as I was the first born and the first to join college. In her childhood days, Zora greeted, sang, and danced in the streets to the Negros culture with all the loyalty. As a result, all loved her as she identified with their culture. This manifests the unity that culture identity brings in a society. However, when her mother died while she was only 13, she went to a boarding school. When I joined high school, I enrolled and actively participated in the College Bound. Zora’s culture identity manifests when she immediately becomes â€Å"colored† on joining boarding school. This brings a culture disconnect which Zora appreciates and indentifies with. The College Bound in my high school also changed my attitude on life and created many opportunities for me. Hence, the effect of education interactions with the teachers and other students plays an individual yet significant role in our culture identities. However, Zora is aware of how her new culture identity will subject her to discrimination. Indeed, her racial difference made her experience discrimination at the Jazz club (Hurston 3). I also witnessed some discrimination in my high school where some whites would not play or dine with me because I was African American. This proves the fact that some cultures discriminate over others. Nevertheless, she is ready to soldier on in

E-learning Evaluation Essay Example for Free

E-learning Evaluation Essay The Problem The adaptation of a new e-training program have brought questions of performance gaps in our orientation program to light and have brought into question the usefulness of an e-learning system and weather we should proceed with a more classical training approach in this area. The importance of the information conveyed in this training, such as fire evacuation points and health coverage options, combined with the need to create a positive first impression for new employees makes this program a high priority item. As it can affect workplace safety as well as company liability regarding the mandated OHS training in these fields, it is critical that we ensure that the program is at maximum effectiveness and are able to distinguish training gaps as a result of program delivery or other variables. As employee training and employee orientation are roles of the HR department, it would seem clear that the responsibility for evaluating the effectiveness of the delivery of this training should fall under the same department. Institution and evaluation of new training systems is something that we should always consider a high priority, but these evaluations are generally carried our as part of the delivery model and not as an afterthought, as in this case. Common Methods for E-learning Evaluation Recent writings in the areas of e-learning support a five faucet evaluation of the e-training program and its effectiveness, but it should be noted that this is still an emerging field. These evaluation areas can be considered common industry practice: (1) (2) Reaction Learning Behavior Results Return on investment These areas of focus are considered in context of several factors such as the learner, technology, instruction, instructor, institution, and community (1) to create a rich matrix of evaluation for the program effectiveness and delivery. ROI can be difficult to calculate and so has been grouped in with results in a number of methods of analysis. E-Learning’s upside seems to outweigh any drawbacks, but more research needs to be done in the areas of concrete costs and benefits as well as the contexts for the transfer of knowledge. â€Å"Proving connections between e-learning and the outcomes – benefits and drawbacks – would assist in the use of evaluation methods† (2)  and the use of evaluation should be considered â€Å"at every stage of the e-learning process† (1). As this field further develops we will undoubtedly see more tools emerge to aid in this evaluation. While the benefits of e-learning are well documented for the right context, the drawbacks highlighted may have some impact for us as well. E-Learning programs may rely heavily on self-discipline, may have a high initial cost, can be difficult to support, and may not be suitable for all types of training or all types of learners. (2) We should keep these limitations in mind when evaluating this program and when looking at implementing further programs of this nature. Application of Current Practices The first and probably most obvious learning to take from these writings is that the evaluation of an e-learning program should take place a various places throughout the delivery cycle. Pre-course, formative, and summative evaluations (1) should have been evaluated prior to this point; this in itself is a lesson we can take away to future implementations. From an evaluative approach we can first look at the learner, their skills, attitudes, and preferences as they relate to this e-learning program. Many of these variables are tied to the reaction level of evaluation but the preset attitude towards a training program will carry much weight in the conscious and subconscious effort put forth by individuals towards it. This form of unintentional or deliberate sabotage, as well as extraordinary effort towards a program will greatly affect results. From this we can see that the attitudes conveyed toward and about the technology, instruction, instructor, institution etc will need to be scanned for any negative presets or experiences with training. An additional factor to be taken from these resources is that the skill sets and resources of the learners may not be capable for this type of training to work. An evaluation of the computer literacy, computer comfort levels, and computer/internet availability that employees may possess is in order. We cannot assume that all individuals will have access to a computer and internet, or the appropriate skills and comfort level for this type of training. Gaps in performance may come about from deficiencies in any of these categories. Evaluation in terms of knowledge transference should be broken into the categories of reaction (as mentioned above), learning – cognitive knowledge transfer, and behavioral  changes. Objective gaps in these areas may be due to factors which are easier to analyze when the barriers are properly identified and grouped. And finally we can learn that the evaluation of this program in an â€Å"almighty dollar† may not be a significant as a blended evaluation which takes into account any increases in program availability this will create, the ability for staff to review the material at any time, and the opportunity to create a dynamic first impression within our staff that may translate into a shift in culture. From these and more we can see that there is much to be gained for our organization in evaluating our training systems, not only in terms of due diligence for current operating procedures, nor simply in terms of ROI – but also in terms of how we can improve, an d aid our staff in their learning. Works Cited 1. A Systemic, Flexible, and Multidimensional Model for Evaluating E-Learning Programs. Mungania, Peni and Hatcher, Tim. 2004, Performance Improvement, pp. 33-39. 2. E-Learning: evaluation from an organizations perspective. Kathawala, Yunus and Wilgen, Andreas. 2004, Training Management Development Methods, pp. 5.01-5.13. 3. E-learning: The Relationship Amoung Learner Satifaction, Self-efficacy, and Usefulness. Womble, Joy. 2008, The Business Review, Cambridge, pp. 182-188.

The goals of corporations in maximizing shareholder value

The goals of corporations in maximizing shareholder value The goal of any corporation, excluding non-profit corporation is to maximize its shareholders value .Athough maximization the shareholder value is very important but the manager should not ignore social responsibilities such as protecting consumers, paying fair wages, maintaining fair hiring practices and safe working conditions, supporting education and becoming activelt involved in environmental issues like clean air and water. Because social responsibility creates certain problems for the firm , it falls unevenly on different corporations and sometimes conflicts with the objective of wealth maximization. The objective of the firm is to maximize its value to its shareholders, Any firm in this society have the same tendencies to acquire a successful business, attaining this success through mission statements, goals and objectives is simultaneous through all business. The standard neo-classical assumption is that a business strives to maximize profit , expect to increase revenues more than costs, it means that maximizing in earning per share.The managers are suppose to make money, profit. Therefore, they should make the firm as profitable as they can, they want a high return on investment. Shareholder wealth as the main objective of the firm. The main objective of the management is to maximize profits by maximizing profits at the cost of customer and minimizing cost. Maximizing shareholder wealth and maximizing profit go hand in hand. Both theoretical and empirical literature support the assertion that manager should focus on shareholder wealth maximization. The firm shareholders are the residual claimants and therefore maximizing shareholder return usually implies that firms must also satisfy customers, employees, suppliers, creditors, tax authorities and other stakeholders first. If firms did not operate with the goal of shareholder wealth maximization in mind, shareholders would have little incentive to accept the risk necessary for a business to thrive.Managers with a primary goal of shareholder wealth maximization have impersonal, objective, and accurate information available to make successful decisions for the long-term of the company. Social responsibility creates certain problems for the firm. One is that it falls unevenly on different corporations, another is that it sometimes conflicts with the objective of wealth maximization. Corporate governance is a term that refers broadly to the rules, processes, or laws by which businesses are operated, regulated, and controlled. The term can refer to internal factors defined by the officers, stockholders or constitution of a corporation, as well as to external forces such as consumer groups, clients, and government regulations. The company can not create shareholder value if they ignore important constitiences, they must have good relationship with customers, employees, suppliers, government and so on. This is a form of corporate social responsibility, within an overall framework of shareholder wealth maximization. Kotler and Lee (2005: 10-11) report that there are many benefits to being a socially responsible firm. These include: increased sales and market share, strengthened brand positioning, enhanced corporate image and clout, increased ability to attract, motivate, and retain employees, decreased operating costs, and increased appeal to investors and financial analysts. Pava (2003: 62) provides a reason that many firms do not act in a socially responsible manner. Many executives believe that there must be a trade-off between profits and social responsibility: An activity is either socially responsible or profitable, but it cannot be both. Pava, an accountant, whose research compared socially responsible firms with those that were not, came to the following conclusion (Pava, 2003: 62): Much to my surprise, we were unable to uncover any cost of social responsibility. In fact, the evidence suggested that there might even be a financial advantage for the companies carrying out these projects. Knowing about corporate social responsibility is one way to incorporate how and why a firm should do the right thing into the business curriculum. Kotler, Philip and Lee, N. (2005). Corporate social responsibility: Doing the most good for your company and cause. New York: John Wiley Sons, Inc. Pava, Moses L. (2003). Leading with meaning: Using covenantal leadership to build a better organization. New York: Palgrave Macmillan. Our aim is to build a sustainable business through consistent, profitable growth and to ensure that our customers and wider stakeholders can always trust us to do the right thing, the right way. as a business owner, you have to make a choice: you can either make money, or you can do good. you can both make money and do good. Benefit Corporations, commonly known as B Corps, are a new type of corporation. Unlike the traditional corporation that gives priority only to financial profitability, B Corps actually use the power of business to address social and environmental problems. How do they do this? Among other things, they institutionalize stakeholder interests. Instead of taking the shareholder as the primary person to which they are responsible, B Corps give primary consideration to the stakeholder. This is a very important distinction. A shareholder, as we know, is someone who owns shares in a company; a stakeholder, by contrast, is someone who has a stake in the company, regardless of whether he/she actually own shares. Who can have a stake in the company? Anyone who is affected by the actions of that company, such as employees, members of the local community in which the business operates, or members of the community in which the business has an environmental impact. A traditional C Corporation will focus on increasing shareholder profits, often without regard to how that affects other stakeholders. This is why corporations sometimes do not pay living wages or provide inadequate health benefits because those are costs that, if saved, can provide profit for shareholders. B Corps, however, are committing to taking social and environmental interests into account when making decisions. By becoming a B Corporation, you will ensure that your own business meets high standards, join a community of like-minded businesses, and support a larger movement towards sustainable business. Commit to stakeholder interests in your business. Prior to becoming certified by B Lab, you may be able to include your commitment to consideration of stakeholder interests into your legal organizing documents if you are an LLC, which is what I did for Cultivating Capital. However, be sure consult with an attorney about this, preferably one who is familiar with B Corps. The Katovitch Law Firm explains more about the legal implications of being a B Corp on their blog. Identify areas in which you can improve. Even if you do not get certified right away, the Impact Assessment is a tool that you can use to identify areas for improvement in your business. To get started with the Impact Assessment, visit the B Corp website. Support other B Corps. Every dollar that you spend, for yourself or your business, is a vote for either an economy in which businesses can make money at the expense of people and the environment, or one in which businesses can make money in support of people and the environment. Supporting businesses with a social and environmental mission will also help to green your own supply chain. Managers should always strive to act in the best interest of the firms owners. This view does not cause managers to ignore non-owner stakeholders; indeed, when taking actions that benefit stakeholders also benefit owners, the separation perspective would advise managers to do so. One facet that differentiates this perspective from the others, however, is the rationale behind such decisions; the reason managers make decisions and take actions benefiting non-owner stakeholders is ultimately to reward owners. Clearly, problems arise when a given decision would maximize the benefit to non-owners at the expense of owners, but that would serve the greater good of society in general. managers have come to view non-owner stakeholders as essential to firms success, not only in financial terms, but also in societal terms (Rodgers and Gago, 2004). However, this has not eliminated managerial decisions that are overly concerned with financial performance at the expense of other stakeholder interests. The collapse of Enron and WorldCom early in the twenty-first century, charges of accounting fraud against firms such as Tyco and Time Warner, Medicare fraud by HealthSouth and United Healthcare illustrate that despite the apparent logic of an integrated perspective of stakeholder management, some managers still hold to the separation perspective. As shareholders of these and other firms have seen, however, is that sole regard to financial results is not always in the best interests of these shareholders. Those holding Enron and WorldCom stock, even those who knew nothing about illegal activities by the firms top management, quickly came to realize that excluding non-owner stakeholders is not necessarily consistent with maximizing shareholder wealth. In fact, excluding non-owner stakeholders can inadvertently bring more pressure on managers when non-stakeholder interests are not respected. The focus of the ethical perspective is the firms responsibility to stakeholders from a normative view; that is, the ethically correct action should supercede actions based solely on self-interest, thus making managerial decisions and actions that impact stake-holders based on universal standards of right and wrong the rule that managers should follow. This standpoint, though, suffers from shortcoming stemming from different standards of right and wrong. When right and wrong are apparent, decisions are easy, but management challenges are rarely so clear. Simply suggesting that managers do the right thing ignores conflicts of interest inherent in capitalistic competition, and doing the right thing can result in compromises that are not in the best interests of any of the stakeholders, but rather a way to satisfice or make decisions and take actions that are good enough, but not optimal. The ethical view of stakeholders can result in managers overemphasizing the greater good to the poi nt that they ignore the reality of self-interest, particularly as it pertains to maximize shareholder wealth. Integrating the broad categorizations of separation and ethics allows room for both self-interest of owners and corporate responsibility to non-owner stakeholders. An integrated perspective of stakeholders positions the self-interests of managers as a key driver of economic growth, but tempers this with social responsibility toward non-owner stakeholders. Conclusion :It is overly simplistic to suggest that managers should just do the right thing in all situations, because the right thing to do is not always clear. On the other hand, acting solely in the financial interests of shareholders can result in unintended consequences that ultimately cause shareholders harm. Integrating multiple perspectives allows room for managers to balance the interests of multiple stakeholders. Such stakeholder perspectives allow for competing dimensions, thus provide a framework to help managers harmonize the interests of multiple parties. Refer: History of State-Run Enterprises Teach Us in the Post-Enron Era? Journal of Business Ethics 53, no. 3 (2004): 247-266. Crane, Andrew, Dirk Matten, and Jeremy Moon. Stakeholders as Citizens? Rethinking Rights, Participation, and Democracy. Journal of Business Ethics 53, no. 1-2 (2004): 107-123. Heath, J., and W. Norman. Stakeholder Theory, Corporate Governance and Public Management: What Can the History of State-Run Enterprises Teach Us in the Post-Enron Era? Journal of Business Ethics 53, no. 3 (2004): 247-266 Lea, D. The Imperfect Nature of Corporate Social Responsibilities to Stakeholders. Business Ethics Quarterly 14, no. 2 (2004): 201-218. Rodgers, W., and S. Gago. Stakeholder Influence on Corporate Strategies Over Time. Journal of Business Ethics 52, no. 4 (2004): 349-364. Bingham: Not only is maximizing shareholder wealth consistent with ethical behavior, but maximizing wealth for shareholders in the long-term is only possible by behaving ethically. Unethical behavior is bad business. It incurs costs and damages a companys reputation. Both affect the bottom line. Shareholders demand ethical behavior for a basic financial reason, namely that they bear the costs of environmental cleanups, lawsuits, fines, and product recalls. For instance, the clean up of Prince William Sound in Alaska, following the Exxon Valdez spill, cost the shareholders of Exxon over $2 billion. Likewise, General Electrics shareholders paid a $69 million fine in 1992 after the company pleaded guilty to submitting fraudulent government contracts. Unethical behavior, by sullying a companys reputation, also affects future business. When Beech-Nut admitted that it had sold adulterated apple juice, not only did shareholders foot the cost of the numerous lawsuits, but they also saw their companys market share drop three percent in the year following the scandal. A recent example shows how shareholders suffer from unethical practices. In the summer of 1992, the California Department of Consumer Affairs conducted a number of undercover investigations at the auto repair stores of Sears, Roebuck Co. They found systematic overcharging, and regular performance of unnecessary repairs. A similar operation in New Jersey reached the same conclusions. California consumer regulators demanded the closure of all 72 Sears auto stores in the state. If the closure occurred, Sears would lose $200 million in annual revenue, and 3,000 employees would lose their jobs. Sears settled the New Jersey accusations with a payment of $200,000 to a fund set up to study auto malpractice nationwide. At least a dozen class-action suits relating to the fraud were filed. The scandal also deeply affected Searss reputation at a time when it needed all the goodwill it could get. The Auto Stores, one of Searss most profitable operations, saw a 15% decline in business in wake of the scandal. This shows how unethical behavior is deeply damaging to shareholder wealth. Maximizing such wealth is only possible when a company acts as a resolutely ethical corporate citizen. Management do their shareholders good by doing right. The argument that maximizing shareholder wealth is inconsistent with ethical behavior goes like this: shareholders are inherently short-termist, they are more interested in a companys performance over a quarter, than over a decade. The result is that managers cut corners and break rules to avoid charges to quarterly earnings. This argument is false. Americas shareholders today are mostly giant institutions pension funds, insurance companies, trusts and endowments whose view is long-term. They do not attempt to beat the market by short-term trading because increasingly, they are the market. For example, the average holding period of U.S. equities by the largest public pension funds, the California Public Employees Retirement System, is eight years. For them, the long-term health of a corporation is critical, and that means conforming to a high standard of ethical behavior. Rosenbaum: Your first question cannot be answered yes or no without a better understanding of the terms used. If by ethical behavior you mean not lying, cheating or stealing, the answer is clearly yes. But if you mean ethical behavior in the broader sense of not intruding on the interests of any other stakeholder, as I am assuming you have in mind, the question poses one of the principal issues of the 1980s. I believe most shareholders today would try to answer this question in the affirmative, but to do so requires some additional qualifications. If we exclude short-term maximization of shareholder wealth, and focus only on the long-term interests of the corporation, on the premise that shareholder wealth will increase accordingly over time, there is no necessary inconsistency between that objective and ethical behavior broadly understood. As courts and ethicists have understood for some time, socially responsible corporate behavior is usually in the long-term interests of the corporation and therefore of its shareholders, such as by generating goodwill among those interest groups on whom the corporation depends for its prosperity in the long run. If you unduly pollute the air in the town where your widget factory is based, for example, you will ultimately encourage new laws which might shut the factory down. When we talk of financial ethics, we seem to be talking about two different types of considerations, which are quite different. First, we are talking about societal considerations, such as environmental concerns and balancing the interests of the corporation against those of stakeholders. Second, we are talking about preventing conduct which is either a violation of law or is sufficiently close to the line of illegality that the corporation has determined not to take a risk of violation, particularly without careful consideration at senior levels. I would like to address myself for the moment to the second of these two concerns. When speaking about ethics issues of this type, the role of ethical principles is essentially to supplement and reinforce legal strictures. In these highly competitive days, when corporations are under enormous pressure from shareholders to produce financial results, financial executives face substantial temptations to take measures which, for example, might make their corporation or division appear more profitable than it is. Most executives are strong enough to resist these temptations. A senior manager in a publicly traded corporation, on the other hand, is separated from the pleasure and pain of owning the entire equity funded portion of the firm and it is not their own money at risk. They are typically employed via a contract which specifies remuneration and responsibilities, but they do not personally bear the entire financial consequences of decisions made. As shareholders, we ask the Board of Directors and the senior management to act in our own selfish interest as equity holders. We structure the contracts in a manner we hope will be sufficient to both reward them for outstanding decision making and we reserve the right to remove them when things are not performing up to expectations. Like everyone, management is self interest motivated and can easily forget or ignore shareholder interests in hopes of personal gain. The business news of the past 3-5 years has been full of such events including Enron, Tyco, World Com and others. It is unlikely that any former shareholder or employee of Enron would view the senior management as acting in an appropriate manner as an agent working on their behalf! In the short run, share prices were higher and wealth was increased, but the longer term consequences were devastating to any investor who was not sufficiently diversified to avoid the full brunt of the collapse.

Article Review on John Fitzgerald Kennedy, a Warrior for Peace :: President JFK

J.F.K The Making of America: A Warrior for Peace By David Talbot TIME Magazine, July 2, 2007 This article concerns one of the most famous presidents of the twentieth century, John Fitzgerald Kennedy. It is a thoroughly written piece on Kennedy’s devotion to peace throughout his administration. The author, David Talbot, focuses on the major points of Kennedy’s administration, starting with his aggressive campaign against Richard Nixon, touching on the Bay of Pigs invasion, and finally addressing the infamous Cuban Missile Crisis. Throughout the article, Talbot sprinkles in Kennedy’s commentary on the issues at the time of their occurrence, and Kennedy’s colleagues’ commentary on the issues long after they have passed. Talbot is careful to stay true to what Kennedy was like as a person. He titled the article A Warrior for Peace for a specific reason: Kennedy truly was a man that tried to keep the peace. This is evident with all of the issues that Talbot addressed. In the beginning of the article, Talbot includes an excerpt from a letter Kennedy wrote to his family saying â€Å"All war is stupid.† This is the tone that is effectively set for the article, that Kennedy did everything possible to avoid war. In the Bay of Pigs episode, Kennedy firmly stood his ground and did not send military enforcements (Marines and Air Force) to back up CIA officials Dulles and Bissell. Talbot remarks that that decision was the turning point of the Kennedy presidency, from then on it became a government at war with itself. Talbot harks upon the fact that Kennedy often did what he wanted instead of what he was advised. He was a man on a mission who consistently did what he, not others, thought was best and right and prosperous for his country. However, he was deft in his methods, that is, he very cleverly deflected his espionage chiefs’ military council. Talbot firmly suggests that the sort of ‘theme’ of Kennedy’s presidency was the following: â€Å"J.F.K.’s strenuous efforts to keep the country at peace in the face of equally ardent pressures from Washington to go to war.† The war that he is most likely referring to is war with Cuba. It is a constant recurrence that during the Kennedy administration, the CIA and Air Force chief General Curtis LeMay wanted Kennedy to attack and declare war on Russia/Cuba. Kennedy, warrior for pace that he was, did not. Looking back, a few members of his administration were surprised to find that though Kennedy’s Joint Chiefs assured him that there were no nuclear warheads in Cuba, there actually were.

Juvenile Delinquency and Parenting Styles Essay

There are four different techniques to parent a child; authoritarian, permissive, neglectful, and authoritative. Juvenile delinquency has been found to be closely related to the type of parenting and support a child receives and is most critical in the earlier years of one’s adolescence. Authoritarian is a very strict, controlling, punitive, and cold parenting style. This particular style follows with high control and mature demands, and low nurturance, as well as communication. The child of an authoritarian parent turns out to be subdued, highly aggressive, out of control; they also typically have lower grades including a low self-concept. The second parenting style is a permissive parent. Permissive parents tend to be very lax and inconsistent allowing for a zero-limit approach. Permissive parents display high nurturance, and low maturity demands, control and communication. Children of a permissive parent tend to be more aggressive, immature with peers, and less responsible/independent. Neglectful parenting is the third parenting style and one of the most negative and dangerous. Neglectful parents show no interest in their children, and emotionally as well as physically reject their children. Parents of neglect tend to show low control; if any, and the negative results show up in lack of social relationships, impulsiveness, and sociopathic tendencies. Juveniles who are especially young (under age seven in most jurisdictions) are often placed within the control of community agencies such as departments of human services or social welfare. In many cases parents themselves may have psychological problems, or suffer from drug or alcohol dependencies (Champion, 2009). On the contrary to the three previous parenting styles, the best and most recommended parenting style is to be an authoritative parent. Authoritative parents are firm but fair with consistent boundaries. Authoritarian parents are high on all aspects of nurturance, maturity demands, control and communication. Authoritative parents tend to have children that are more altruistic, have higher independence, and are more achievement oriented. However, not included with the four commonly know parenting styles, African-American families practice a style known as no-nonsense parenting, which is a style in between authoritarian and authoritative (Ewing, 2006). Research shows that the least amount of communication and structure the parents instill in the child, the more likely the child is to be active in delinquent activities. Also a major factor is the income of the family, usually when a dual income family has to work an immense amount of hours just to maintain a lifestyle just suitable to stay afloat, the parents are not home often enough to develop a relationship with their children and neglect them without even realizing it. Just as easily the same is a result of a single-parent dwelling as well (Black, 2010). Parents are more often times than not, the first disciplinary aspect we experience before anything else. According to Black, parents shape and shift children’s lives by the time they hit the age of 5. Jacob Ind a subject and victim of neglectful parenting along with abuse killed his parents as â€Å"the only way out† (PBS, 2007). Now as Jacob Ind is one story of many, he is just an example of how unjust parenting can result in juvenile delinquency and possibly even criminal behavior. Jacob Ind’s parents were neglectful and abusive parents which led Jacob into a path of wrong doing. Jacob was convicted of two counts of first-degree murder (PBS, 2007). Juvenile crime often goes undetected in homes with the permissive and neglectful parenting styles because of the low control, demands, and communication. The parent is often uninvolved and distant in the relationship with the child, if there is any at all. Authoritative parents tend to overcrowd their children and can create high amounts of stress and aggressiveness because they feel little to no room to relax without the constant worry of how their parent will react. As a parenting style plays a major role in the developing of a child and the prevention of crime and delinquency, a main area that is over-looked is the behavior in school. According to Dr.  Eric Lewkowiez, lack of positive role models aid in violent behavior because of an undetected disorder; for example, attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder and/or social ineptness. Other factors that would go undetected because of lack of interest shown by a parent or teacher could be bullying by peers, low grades because they simply do not understand the material in the same manor the rest of the classroom does, and the lack of ability to simply focus (Mirshak, 2011). In conclusion, parents are the shape-shifters of their children, as well as their child’s peers. If any activity seems unusual for a child, the most important thing is to not let it go unnoticed. Children need attention; however, they need the right attention. The best and most effective style of parenting for positive behavior is authoritative. No one parent is perfect nor does one parent always know what to do in a situation when their child is acting out or misbehaving, but approaching it at the best angle (authoritative) is the best deterrent for delinquent and criminal behavior.

Many MNEs may want to start operations in some foreign country Essay

Establishment mode means that the MNE starts its operations from scratch in the foreign country usually through a wholly owned subsidiary where as in entry mode; this can be accomplished by a subsidiary or through partnership with a local party which involves shared ownership. In this study the authors examine the effect of same variables on both these choices available to a company. They do it through a series of hypotheses. The first hypothesis measures the positive effect of greater institutional advancement on the choice that the company makes. Institutional advancement is defined in the study as pertaining to changes in formal institutions over a period of time. It is argued that regulatory forces are likely to be a big influence on a decision that an MNE makes with regard to its establishment or entry choice. Regulatory forces or rather Regulative forces as described in the study are not limited to laws and regulations only but also include political and other social factors. The authors conclude that institutional advancement has a positive effect on the choice to establish a subsidiary with shared ownership. The second hypothesis postulated by the authors’ measures the moderating effect of institutional advancement on the tendency of a technologically intense firm to either go for establishment mode or entry mode. It is argued that firms which are technology intense should go for establishment mode because their competitive advantages are embedded in their labor force skills and organizational practices so it is more efficient for them to start from scratch. They should hire and train the local labor force. Furthermore in case of a joint venture or share ownership of the subsidiary, protecting the intellectual rights can be an issue. Protection of such rights is dependent on the judicial system. In transition economics where the judiciary is corrupt and intellectual property rights are not respected, an MNE would be reluctant to transfer its technology. Therefore authors conclude that firm with advanced proprietary technology are likely to prefer establishment mode but level of institutional advancement has a positive moderating effect on such a firm going for entry mode. The third hypothesis measures the moderating effect of institutional advancement on a multidomestic MNE to either go for establishment of entry mode. Multidomestic firms are defined as those which pursue multidomestic strategy and want to establish a sustainable local market presence. For such MNEs acquiring a local company is a more attractive option because such acquisition can provide them with local brands, market knowledge, distribution channels and network relationships with the host country’s other businesses and government. How the restructuring and realignment of the acquired entity can be very challenging. The firms in the host country are likely to be following a different paradigm. But on the other hand if an MNE goes for shared ownership or entry mode, it can accomplish more without facing these difficulties. It is argues that a multidomestic MNE requires lesser control on the subsidiary. If this is so then subsidiaries in the host country can have considerable freedom and operate on their own fully leveraging their local expertise.Hence it is concluded institutional advancement has a positive moderating effect on a multidomestic MNE to go for entry mode. Finally the authors have used an international survey to gather the data to support their findings. The survey consists of a questionnaire with 33 open and close ended questions. Furthermore the MNE’s latest establishment mode choice or entry mode choice has been taken as the dependent variable. Critique This study is no doubt a valuable asset for managers and students alike in studying the behavior of MNEs in making their choices when it comes to Foreign Direct Investment but nevertheless it has a few shortcomings and weaknesses. But the biggest shortcoming of this study is the scope. The authors have primarily taken a sample of European MNEs. And the so called economies in transition are basically east European countries which were once under the iron curtain. Firstly we need to consider the fact that Europeans MNEs may be very different from Japanese or American MNEs and so forth. The establishment or entry mode choice for Japanese firms may be dependent on or moderated by variables other than the ones discussed here. Similarly an MNE whether European or Japanese may decide to invest in some country in Central Asia or North Africa or even South Asia. The market conditions in these countries are very different from those of the transition economies discussed by the authors. This means that the findings in this study are not universally applicable. Nevertheless it is a valuable addition to our knowledge regarding MNE behavior in making Foreign Direct Investment decisions. But for any researcher trying to consult this study, it is very important to keep the above mentioned limitations in mind.

Case Study for Organization Behaviour Essays

Case Study for Organization Behaviour Essays Case Study for Organization Behaviour Essay Case Study for Organization Behaviour Essay Title of module: Organisational Behaviour Name of the assignment: Final Exam Organizational Behavior Final Exam 1. Summary of the problem as per the case study CEO is resigning due to a brain tumor and the firm needs an interim CEO to run the firm until they find a suitable replacement. As I am the CEO I, What will I do immediately? How I will communicate with my current department and the rest of the company? What will be my key focus? Why? How will I accomplish your goal? 2. Introduction In light of the key aspects (leadership, management, structure and culture) and using the assessment tools I have to make a plan for what I should do as a CEO. 3. Problem analysis: To be in such position with no prior warning means that we need immediate work to understand the current situation, run the current business successfully and then to build the new strategy. a) Immediate Action: I have to create a crisis management team of vice presidents and directors to know exactly what was in the former CEO hands and to manage the current business. ) Next : I have to make an assessment for the current situation and review the strategy to improve it or to change it. And since the structure follows the strategy I have to build my own strategy and implement it effectively. 4. Plan of building and assessment of the new strategy: The plan will be to build and implement a High Level Balanced Score card on nine major steps: a) Assessment: Develop plan, strategic elements and change management. b) Strategy: customer value strategic themes and results. ) Objectives: Strategy Action Components. d) Strategy map: Cause Effect Links. e) Performance measures: Performance Measures Targets. f) Initiatives: Strategic Projects. g) Automation: Performance reporting and Knowledge sharing. h) Cascade: Alignment through Unit Individual Scorecards. i) Evaluation: Strategy Results Revised Strategies Company profile and overview: KEO was founded in 1964, KEO delivers world-class professional  design and management services. KEO offers award winning architectural design, progressive infrastructure engineering and highly ranked project and construction management known for quality and professionalism. KEO is proud of its 44 years of continuous success in providing professional consulting services in planning, design, engineering, and project and construction management. Over the past decade, KEO has expanded from a mid-sized practice to one of the fastest growing leaders in the Arabian Gulf and North African construction markets. KEO is a privately owned, multi-disciplinary firm and is currently ranked by Engineering News-Record (ENR) as a Top 200 International Design Firm (KEO-#77), and a Top 20 International PM/CM firm (KEO-#10). Most recently KEO Achieved the Top 100 Architectural Practices in World Architecture Survey 2008 conducted and published by UK based, Building Design Magazine, KEO Ranked in the following categories: * # 3 in the Middle East Region. * # 5 in the list of Number of Creative Staff. * # 6 in the Landscape Market Sector. * # 39 in the Worlds 100 Largest Architectural Practices KEO has over 1,700 employees with strategically located offices in Abu Dhabi, Al Gharbia, Al Ain, Ajman, Sharjah, Bahrain, Dubai, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Lebanon, and the Washington DC. KEO is opening new offices in Saudi Arabia, Libya, Tunisia, Bulgaria, Iran, Egypt, Bangladesh and Uzbekistan Purpose: To provide reliable and innovative total project solutions or selective professional services to our client’s from our multi-disciplinary capabilities to uniquely fit a project requirement and meeting their project and business objective achieving the highest quality level. Super ordinate goals (vision): KEO strives to be recognized globally and regionally as one of the finest project consultancy firms contributing to client success wherever we work by adopting the following: * Improve the rank to be in top 20 International Design Firms. * To be in the top 5 International PM/CM firms. * To be # 1 in Middle East. * To be # 1 in the list of Number of Creative Staff. * To be # 3rd in the Landscape Market Sector. * To be in top 10 World’s 100 Largest Architectural Practices. Strategy: * Reliable delivery of project as professional collaboration in the international market to lead to very successful project results. Pulling together the best expertise into a project team, whether in design or management. * Joint Venture relationships and, Alliance relationships through our network of associates for project delivery. * Facing creatively the project challenges. * Honesty in our services and professional integrity. * Multi-national staff delivers projects of all sizes for clients worldwide. * Combining the right mix of people, technology and expertise. * To enable clients to achieve the optimal return on investment by reducing and controlling costs, and delivering projects on time with the highest quality. Flexibility of work teams that can integrate into a larger team in partnering and sub-consulting roles. * Concentrating on following the highest quality standards in design, documentation and project management. KEO structure: KEO is matrix organization with organic organization chart model. Deputy President Director IT services Worldwide HR Administration Director Finance MIS Director Asst Director IT Services Deputy Director HRD Admin Financial Controller President Senior Vice President VP Marketing corporate Director PR corporate Branding Washington DC office CEO Lebanon office PM/CM Services Kuwait, Kuwait Based Clients, Worldwide. Infrastructure Engineering Services Master Planning, Sustainability Urban Design, Development Management services Abu Dhabi, Worldwide Architectural, Building Eng, Landscape Interior Design services PM/CM Services Qatar, Abu Dhabi Dubai, Oman, Bahrain, Egypt, Worldwide Managing Director KEO-Infrastructure Vice President KEO-PM CM Corporate Vice President KEO-PM CM International Vice President KEO-Design Managing Director KEO-Strategy, Planning Urban Development Current Structure Style: Since the company is private and a family owned business, the top management always concentrates on the perspective of collegiality and team-orientation giving all the employees the sense of one family. Staff: KEO employed a Multi-national staff in different specializations, combining them into a mix of high skilled people and expertise. KEO maintained high quality criteria for selecting the employees. After reviewing the 7S to understand the organization I will try to begin the plan for building and implementing the High Level Score Card. a) Assessment: 1. At the beginning I will try to identify the strengths, weaknesses, and areas of opportunity for the organization. This provides a road map for both short-term and long-term action (SWOT analysis). I| INTERNAL| | Strength| Weakness| | * Diversity. * Excellent reputation. * High skilled employees. * Spreading and strategic locations. * Multinational team. * Staff ability to change. * Private company. | * Bad communication. * Lack of motivation. * No clear career advancement path. * Cultural differences. * Private company. | EXTERNAL| Opportunities * Extended customer’s plans. Promising markets in Saudi Arabia Libya. * vacant by an ineffective competitor| S-O strategies * More training on quality. * Marketing efforts relying on the reputation and diversity. | W-O strategies * Improve the communication process by training and more efficient system. | | Threats * Highly completive market. * Current recession. * Price wars with competitors * New competitors. * Changing technologies. | S-T strategies * Reducing expenses. * Relying on customer confidence and our track record to keep our position in market. Trying to keep customer’s level of confidence by high quality and accurate time schedules. * Training on new technologies. | W-T strategies * Motivation and reward system to keep the skilled staff. * Open employment for senior management positions internally and give the employees the opportunity to apply for it. * Create techniques to use the cultural differences to the benefit of the company. | S-O strategies take advantage of opportunities that are a good fit to the organizations strengths. W-O strategies overcome weaknesses to make use opportunities. S-T strategies identify ways that the organization can use its strengths to reduce its external threats. W-T strategies Build a defensive plan to prevent the organization’s weaknesses from making it highly susceptible to external threats 2. Review the current strategy by using balanced score card for assessment of the current strategy and what it has achieved last year. Perspective| metrics| 2007| 2008| financial| Revenue Operating profit Operating margin Operating cash flow | 1,179. 8m67. 7m5. 7%93. 9m| 1,313. 6 m86. 7m6. 6%80. 9m| customer| Customer satisfaction (1-5) scale. No. of customers. New customers. | 4426| 45614| Internal business process| No. of conflict accidents Implementing the QMSSuccessful tenders. Successful project (on time, on budget, customer satisfied)| 168852%62%20%90%| 148765%64%28%93%| Learning and growth| Employee satisfactionNo. of employeesNo of trained employees. Productivity Index| 65%168810166| 75%14879276| b) Mapping Strategy: Remapping the strategy based on the SWOT analysis and the evaluation above, the understanding established for the organization (purpose, superordinate goals, strategy, style, Structure and the staff). c) Objectives: (see balanced scorecard). ) Strategy map: Cause Effect Links. (See Balanced Score Card) e) Performance measures: Performance Measures Targets. (See Balanced Score Card) f) Initiatives: Strategic Projects. (See Balanced Score Card) ( new Organization Structure) Strategy Map (Simplified)| StrategicObjectives| Performance measures| Initiatives| Decrease costs Increase revenue financial| * Increase revenue * De crease costs| * Revenue * Operating cost| * Develop resources management program. | Improve Brand Image Increase numbers of customers. Increase costumer’s satisfaction. ustomer| * Increase costumer’s satisfaction. * Increase numbers of customers. * Improve Brand Image | * Customer satisfaction (1-5) scale. * No. of customers. * New projects in new markets. | * Increase quality. and show commitment to customer’s goals(create customer locality program) * Expand into Europe and new promising markets. | Increase the Implementing of the QMS Internal Decrease conflict Increase no. of successful tenders Increase the % of successfully submitted projects. process| * Decrease conflict * Increase the Implementing of the QMS * Increase no. f successful tenders * Increase the % of successfully submitted projects. | * No. of conflict accidents * %of Implementing the QMS * No. Successful tenders. * Successful project (on time, on budget, customer satisfied)| * Modify the organizational structure. * Apply the effective and universal techniques of project management. * New marketing campaign. * Develop the communication system. | Learning Optimize workforce Increase workforce skills Increase employees satisfaction and growth| * Increase employee satisfaction. * Optimize workforce * Increase work force skills. * %Employee satisfied * Productivity Index * No of trained employees. | * Rewarding system * Career advancement system * Open application for senior position from inside the organization. * PMP certification program for project managers. | High Level Balanced Score Card: President Financial metrics | | | | Revenue | ? 373. 6m | ? 320. 8m | +16% | Operating profit | ? 30. 2m | ? 27. 0m | +12% | Operating margin | 8. 1% | 8. 4% | -0. 3pp | Share of post-tax JV losses | – | – | – | Work in hand | 39% | 40% | -1. 0pp | Modified structure: CEO Deputy President Senior Vice President Finance MIS Director HR Administration Director Director IT services Worldwide Washing ton DC office Europe office Lebanon, Cairo Libya offices Director PR corporate Branding VP Marketing corporate Financial Controller Deputy Director HRD Admin Asst Director IT Services Vice President KEO-Contract QS Services Vice President KEO-Design Managing Director KEO-Strategy, Planning Urban Development Vice President KEO-PM CM Vice President KEO-PM CM Corporate Managing Director KEO-Infrastructure Branch manager Bahrain Branch manager Oman Branch manager Qatar Branch manager Kuwait Branch manager AD Branch manager KSA Branch manager Dubai New Structure Financial metrics | | | | Revenue | ? 373. 6m | ? 320. 8m | +16% | Operating profit | ? 30. 2m | ? 27. 0m | +12% | Operating margin | 8. 1% | 8. 4% | -0. 3pp | Share of post-tax JV losses | – | – | – | Work in hand | 39% | 40% | -1. 0pp | Changes to structure: Since the structure follows the strategy, we need to modify the structure to serve the strategic goals as following: * Merge KEO-PM CM International KEO-PM CM corporate under one division because there was overlapping and conflict between them also it will help to optimize the workforce. Add Cairo and the Libya offices under the Senior Vice President because the two still growing and have few projects. And they need somebody focus on marketing to lead them until they acquire more projects then it will be placed in the structure the same as other branches. * Build a new division for Contracts and Quality Management Services to focus on quality system in KEO and give services and solutions to the market clients. * Make branch managers to create autonomy for branches, decrease centralization and reduce pressure on headquarters after the growth of branches and increasing of clients. ) Automation: applying performance measurement software to get the right performance information to the right people at the right time. h) Cascade: help the organization to alignment around strategy. By translates high-level strategy into lower-level objectives, measures. i) Evaluation: evaluate the strategy by the effectiveness of achieving the strategic objectives and comparing to target values of the strategic objectives. 5. Bibliography Reading materials used and referred to as resources: * Organizational Behavior(by Stephen P. Robbins) * Do You Have a Well-Designed Organization? by Harvard business review) by Michael Goold and Andrew Campbell. * LEADING O RGANIZATIONAL DESIGN (Darden Business Publishing). * A LEADER’S GUIDE TO UNDERSTANDING COMPLEX ORGANIZATIONS: AN EXPANDED â€Å"7-S† PERSPECTIVE ( Darden Business Publishing). * The Balanced Score Card (NetMBA) netmba. com/accounting/mgmt/balanced-scorecard/ * Balanced Scorecard Examples Success Stories balancedscorecard. org/BSCResources/ExamplesSuccessStories/tabid/57/Default. aspx * Balanced Scorecard Institute balancedscorecard. org/ * Case Studies(Advanced Performance Institute) ap-institute. com/resources_casestudies. asp

Animal Farm2 essays

Animal Farm2 essays Animal Farm is a symbolical political satire in which animals take the place of humans. These animals can talk and are just as intelligent as humans. They learn to read and each type of animal a different aspect of humanity. (Ex.: Pigs- Politicians; Horses- Laborers; Sheep- Gullible People; etc. ) This book shows how a government that is set up to serve the people turns against them, just like communism did to the Russian people. Animalism symbolizes communism and the characters symbolize Russian leaders and people of importance. This is a tale with no happy ending. Characters They symbolize politicians in a stereotypical sense. Some of them lie, cheat, and steal from the animals they are supposed to serve. They make promises that are never kept. Propaganda is spread to the animals they are supposed to He is a pig who is very old. He has seen the lifestyle the animals live and is dissatisfied with it. He creates a government ideology called animalism which represents communism. He is the Karl Marx of this world. He is a large, fierce looking Berkshire boar, who is not much of a talker. He uses animalism only to increase his power and the dogs to terrorize the other animals. Napoleon symbolizes the dictator Joseph Stalin in this world. He is a pig that fights with Napoleon over the power on the farm. He is a very energetic, eloquent speaking, brilliant leader who organizes the defense of the farm. Napoleons jealousness of him makes him try to kill Snowball. Snowball flees the area and every misfortune in Animal Farm after that is blamed on him. He represents Leon Trotsky in this story. He is a short, fat, twinkle eyed pig who is a brilliant talker. He justifies the horrible actions of Napoleon and most of the animals buy into it. He has a sly, ...

A Report On Education In Prison Education Essay

A Report On Education In Prison Education Essay Prison education has been described as the Cinderella of UK education (Grubb, 2005) and it is the sector which I began working in two and a half years ago in my first teaching post. In common with other new teachers I was enrolled on a Cert. Ed. course at my local college, however it quickly became apparent that the challenges which I faced within this environment were different from those encountered by my mainstream FE colleagues and that the training and guidance which I received as part of my Cert. Ed. studies, though useful for many aspects of my work, was not sufficient to prepare me to teach effectively a cohort containing large numbers of students with either a lack of interest in, or an innate hostility towards, education. This essay will seek to identify how this environment differs fundamentally from mainstream further education, and will consider these differences affects offender learning. It will examine the causes and effects of widespread disaffection and consider me thods of reengagement and control. Finally the consequences of allowing a cohort containing large numbers of students with specialised needs to be taught by generically trained teachers will be considered. Custodial education is viewed as an adjunct to the prison’s primary purpose of secure containment (Irwin, 2008; Wilson and Reuss, 2000) and Simonot, Jeanes, McDonald, McNicholl and Wilkinson (2008) highlight the elementary issue that within the custodial setting the principle identity of those participating in education is that of offender rather than learner. This conflictual definition influences all aspects of prison learning and limits the ways in which prison teachers can seek to reengage the disaffected. The regime in prison is strictly enforced, rigid, unaccommodating and therefore uncomplimentary to learning; further the student profile presents additional challenges to the prison teacher with the presence of extensive and significant educational needs. It is parad oxical that such a diverse cohort of students should be situated within an environment which is essentially antithetical to learning and these elements combined mean that (Simonot et al., 2008, p.7). Furthermore, prison education must answer to two masters, the Learning and Skills Council and the Prison Service, and this situation leads to inherent tensions as the operational requirements of the prison must often take precedence over learning. These factors, combined with the isolation which teaching staff may feel as ‘guests’ within a total institution, produce a learning culture which differs greatly from that experienced in general further education. Research shows that 49% of male and 33% of female prisoners were excluded from school, with 52% of men and 71% of women having no qualifications at all. Additionally, high numbers (65% numeracy, 48% Literacy) have basic skills at or below Level 1 (Bromley Briefings, 2009, p.16). But the challenge for prison education is greater than merely raising the basic skills level of a significant proportion of the inmate population, the reasons behind this lack of achievement must be understood if prison educators are to teach effectively. Within the prison population 20-30% of inmates have learning disabilities or difficulties (Ibid., p.3) with 7% having an IQ of less than 70 and a further 25% with an IQ lower than 80(Ibid., p.35); dyslexia is three times more common than in the general population (Ibid) and since there is no systemised procedure for identifying those prisoners with learning disabilities or difficulties their needs are frequently undiagnosed and unmet (Talbot, 2008, p.63). Additionally, high numbers of inmates suffer from mental health problems; 70% of sentenced prisoners suffer from at least two mental health disorders, and within this group large numbers have a psychotic disorder (Bromley Briefings, 2009, p.37). Finally 75% of inmates have a dual diagnosis of mental health issues combined with drug or alcohol misuse (Ibid., p.39).

Legal, Ethical and Professional Issues Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 5250 words

Legal, Ethical and Professional Issues - Essay Example From this resaerch it is clear that there are quite a few healthcare practices that deprive the dignity of patients by treating them as ingenuous, dependent and inane beings. This transpires, despite the acceptance among nurses and doctors that patients are fundamentally human beings. Nursing practice has to recognise the fact that the law is of great significance. This has become all the more true, due to the unprecedented increase of court cases related to health care. The nurse – patient relationship becomes very clearly defined, when the nurse comprehends the relevance of the law to their practice. There are two types of legislation. Firstly, law based on precedent or previous decisions in cases with similar facts and made in the court is known as the common law. Secondly, the statutory law is primary legislation that has to be passed by both the Houses of Parliament. It has two divisions, namely the criminal and civil law. The civil law relates to cases where remuneration is sought, via pecuniary compensation. On the other hand, the criminal law addresses instances of harmful or disruptive behaviour or practices and the punishment inflicted is in general incarceration. Nurses should be well versed with such legislation, in order to evade liability in their professional role. This is because, under the law, healthcare professionals and workers are accountable for their actions during the course of providing medication or healthcare. They have to identify their limitations and powers with regard to the provision of health care and they should be aware of the existing health care legislations and local protocols. Healthcare professionals should know the provisions of the Care Standards Act of 2000, the Health Act of 2006, the Mental Capacity Act of 2005, and the Disability Act of 1998 (Barker & Randle, 2009). The Code (Nursing and Midwifery Council 2008) has stipulated in no uncertain terms that the individual registered nurses and midwives ‘are personally accountable for actions and omissions in practice’ (Scrivener, Hand, & Hooper 2011). In addition, the NMC Code specifies that nurses should ensure that they follow the latest procedures in their practice. As such, the Code exhorts nurses to learn throughout their career (The code: Standards of conduct, performance and ethics for nurses and midwives 2008). Moreover, spiritual care is a very important aspect of the nursing code of ethics in the UK. This is reiterated by the International Council of Nurses Code of Ethics for Nurses, which states that while providing care the nurse engenders an environment where in human rights, values, customs and spiritual beliefs are respected. As such, the NMC Code of Professional Conduct requires nurses to document and systematically assess the physical, psychological, social and spiritual needs of patients, clients and communities (McSherry & Ross 2010).The regulatory agency of the UK, with regard to nursing and midwifery is the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC). Scenario1 In the first hypothetical scenario the patient is unconscious and has been diagnosed with permanent brain damage. The medical team, including the nurses and critical care nurses have taken a decision to withdraw treatment for this

Ethics in Modern Business Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Ethics in Modern Business Management - Essay Example The business entities are now highlighting the social responsibility acts to elevate their social status as a brand. The regulatory authorities are also making the laws more stringent to accommodate global acceptability of firm. Thus organizations are indirectly provoked to participate in eco-friendly initiatives. The organizations, keeping in view of recent debacles with the companies like Aurthur Anderson and enron started focusing on the building up the ethical standards internally with the help of legal authorities. Sarbanes-Oxley is the most vital tool formulated to monitor the transparency and accountability of organizations in the US. The standards formulated are clubbed with the stringent sanctions, criminal and civil laws. The organizations were made mandatory to disclose the key driving management classifications in the organizations. The minor and major process concerns are to be highlighted to the public through the regular release of financial statements. The audit and key decision making responsibilities were levied on the CEO and CFOs of the organizations. These management processes were now more legally authenticated with respect to macro and micro business environments. Federal Sentencing Guidelines for Organizations: US federal laws & judges have formulated regulations under which the small (SMEs) and medium scale organizations are monitored with respect to the c

Social Stories Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Social Stories - Article Example In this case, five students were selected to help carry out the research. Two participants were dropped from the study due to various reasons. The first was dropped from the study as he was unresponsive to the social stories. The second was dropped due to unreliability during data collection. The criterion for selection of the participants included; First, they should be either male or female with ages ranging from 12 to 15 with an autistic disorder, Secondly their social, language and academic records of the past two years should be available, Thirdly, the students should not have Asperger’s syndrome, and lastly the participants had to be verified whether they have autism using the Gilliam rating scale. The social stories created were based on consultations with special education teachers, professionals, parents, and speech clinicians. To stories were each designed to prompt the targeted behavior. In the case of one participant (Ronnie), he would read about how to stand and play with the aid of pictures and photographs. Another participant (Bobby) learned about the inappropriate high vocal pitch. Bobby would learn how to use a young man’s voice. The third participant (Cathy) learned how to put her hands down. Each of the stories utilized pictures of the participants to analyze whether their behavior would be impacted by own pictures. The staff used to carry out the test involved special education personnel and students trained in the procedures for the tests. Their aim was to provide some guidance for the participants, which involved pointing at pictures, which would serve to prompt the participants into a reaction, which would relate to the image displayed.

Trace out the events leading to hyperinflation in either Germany from Research Paper

Trace out the events leading to hyperinflation in either Germany from 1922-1923, Hungary 1945-1946, or Zimbabwe from 2007-2008 - Research Paper Example Monetary policy in this case refers to the process by which the monetary authority of a country controls the supply of money through interest rates in order to promote economic growth and stability (Eyler 15). Inflation is a monetary phenomenon which if it intensifies leads to hyperinflation like has been experienced in various countries over the years. Hyperinflation was defined by Cagan in 1956 as a â€Å"price level increase of at least 50% per month (Eppel et al. 33). It begins when monthly inflation rates exceed 50% and ends in the month before the rate falls below 50% and must remain so for at least a year. For example in Zimbabwe, it started in March 2007 and ended when the country abandoned its currency in February 2009. So what causes this hyperinflation despite there being monetary authorities to monitor the monetary policy? This will be the subject our study and the main focus will be on hyperinflation in Zimbabwe from 2007-2008 especially being the first country in twent y-first century to experience inflation and the second in the world hyperinflation record books (Hanke 2013 n.p). Literature Review Hyperinflation as stated earlier is the period beginning when inflation exceeds 50% and ending the month before inflation falls below 50%. Hyperinflation is not a new phenomenon as it began in France during the French revolution in 1795. During this incident the monthly inflation shot up to 143% (Koech 1). Koech also observed that hyperinflation occurred 28 times in the twentieth century especially due to the two world wars and transition from communism to market-based economies. However, Zimbabwe was the first to experience hyperinflation in the twenty-first century. It was also the 30th occurrence and the continent’s second after Congo in the 1991-1994. Hyperinflation is often attributed to wars, political mismanagement, and transition from command to market-based economies. However, no researcher has ever fully documented any case of hyperinfl ation due to difficulties in recording and publication of reliable inflation statistics. Most countries do not record such instances to avoid worsening the situation but Hanke did try to develop a Hyperinflation Index for Zimbabwe (HHIZ) based on market based price data (Hanke n.p). Inflation is regarded as general price level increases in the economy caused by a variety of factors but we shall be concerned with the monetary side of the economy. The monetary policy is used by economies to control money supply and money demand hence economic stability. This entails keeping inflation at the lowest as possible through control of interest rates. Monetary policy can either be expansionary or contractionary. Expansionary policy is aimed at lowering interest rates to attract investments thus combat unemployment during recession while contractionary policy is increasing interest rates hence slow inflation (Carbaugh 396). This is not difficult in a domestic economy. The problem comes in an o pen economy where international transactions are involved. Here, the exchange rate is very vital especially as they are very volatile and also determine balance of payment between nations. The exchange regime in place determines the ability of authorities to control inflation in the country. In a floating exchange

Ultimate career catch Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Ultimate career catch - Research Paper Example Our main resource is your career preference. We use it to identify careers that best fit you and your current situation. We will take care of the research and analyze the pros and cons for each choice. This report will reflect different career choices, salary ranges, location areas, benefits, education requirements, and job description. Our research will provide tables and guides that will help you reach a conclusion. By the end of this report we will give our recommendation through strategic planning, researching, and analyzing of report to a rewarding career that will fit your career needs and wants. In this report, we utilize the average income from the last two years to determine what income expectation you can expect. Along with that, we compiled our findings in a table that will establish trends of each career movement and developed a wide-range of opportunities to help us determine the important benefits for each career. This will eliminate the unnecessary careers so we can se lect the ultimate career catch. The salary of financial managers basically depends on the type of industry and location. But the figures for May 2008 for the earnings of financial managers were $ 99,330 and the managers who weren’t at very high posts or at a very low post earned between $ 72030 and $ 135 070. Big organizations often pay more than small ones. Most of the financial managers also receive additional compensation from their companies. These compensations are in the form of bonuses, and they vary according to the size of company.

Social Stories Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Social Stories - Article Example In this case, five students were selected to help carry out the research. Two participants were dropped from the study due to various reasons. The first was dropped from the study as he was unresponsive to the social stories. The second was dropped due to unreliability during data collection. The criterion for selection of the participants included; First, they should be either male or female with ages ranging from 12 to 15 with an autistic disorder, Secondly their social, language and academic records of the past two years should be available, Thirdly, the students should not have Asperger’s syndrome, and lastly the participants had to be verified whether they have autism using the Gilliam rating scale. The social stories created were based on consultations with special education teachers, professionals, parents, and speech clinicians. To stories were each designed to prompt the targeted behavior. In the case of one participant (Ronnie), he would read about how to stand and play with the aid of pictures and photographs. Another participant (Bobby) learned about the inappropriate high vocal pitch. Bobby would learn how to use a young man’s voice. The third participant (Cathy) learned how to put her hands down. Each of the stories utilized pictures of the participants to analyze whether their behavior would be impacted by own pictures. The staff used to carry out the test involved special education personnel and students trained in the procedures for the tests. Their aim was to provide some guidance for the participants, which involved pointing at pictures, which would serve to prompt the participants into a reaction, which would relate to the image displayed.

Ultimate career catch Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Ultimate career catch - Research Paper Example Our main resource is your career preference. We use it to identify careers that best fit you and your current situation. We will take care of the research and analyze the pros and cons for each choice. This report will reflect different career choices, salary ranges, location areas, benefits, education requirements, and job description. Our research will provide tables and guides that will help you reach a conclusion. By the end of this report we will give our recommendation through strategic planning, researching, and analyzing of report to a rewarding career that will fit your career needs and wants. In this report, we utilize the average income from the last two years to determine what income expectation you can expect. Along with that, we compiled our findings in a table that will establish trends of each career movement and developed a wide-range of opportunities to help us determine the important benefits for each career. This will eliminate the unnecessary careers so we can se lect the ultimate career catch. The salary of financial managers basically depends on the type of industry and location. But the figures for May 2008 for the earnings of financial managers were $ 99,330 and the managers who weren’t at very high posts or at a very low post earned between $ 72030 and $ 135 070. Big organizations often pay more than small ones. Most of the financial managers also receive additional compensation from their companies. These compensations are in the form of bonuses, and they vary according to the size of company.

John Steinbeck Essay Example for Free

John Steinbeck Essay Comparison between the portrayal of women in The Ostler by Wilkie Collins and in Of Mice And Men by John Steinbeck In both the stories The Ostler by Wilkie Collins and Of Mice And Men by John Steinbeck the authors have used the females, who are Rebecca in The Ostler and Curleys wife in Of Mice and Men to play important roles in developing the plot. Both of them considerably shape and alter the lives of those other characters around them. In The Ostler Rebecca is a young lady who meets Isaac and later marries him. She totally changes his life. However she has a darker side and later plots to kill him leaving Isaac living in fear for his life. Similarly in Of Mice and Men Curleys wife ends up causing the death of one of the principal characters, Lennie. So we can see that in both stories the women either threaten or cause the death of a main character. Both the stories were written some time ago, the Ostler being the older of the two, written in 1855. So the Ostler was set in the Victorian age. We know that in the Victorian age there were little opportunities for unmarried women. Rebecca is a good example of this. Before she met Isaac she was dependant on drugs. This is suggested on page 11 when Isaac meets Rebecca in the Chemists whilst he is buying medicine for his mother. The chemist said Its my opinion theres something wrong with her. Shes been asking for Laudanum to put on a bad tooth Its a case of suicide, sir, if ever there was one yet. Of Mice and Men was set in the great depression in America. Still there was little opportunity for women and most were unfairly treated. Curleys wife is portrayed as a lonely, isolated character who longs to be free from the tight reigns of her husband Curley. She spends much of her time flirting with the other men on the ranch, hungry for conversation. So in both stories the writers have portrayed the women as unfairly treated. Whether it was one of their aims to make their readers aware of the situation or whether the suggestion is just through their realistic reflection on the society they lived in we cannot tell. Although I wouldnt say that a strong emphasis is placed on the treatment of women and therefore I would argue that it was not their target but just one consequence of the story line. Rebecca is first introduced to us in the fourth paragraph on the first page, although we dont know who she is at that point. A detailed description is given of her, but she is not named. Light grey eyes and a droop in the left eyelid Flaxen hair with a gold streak in it Fair, white arms with a down in the little ladys hands, with a reddish look under the fingernails However after this description which Isaac is telling us in his sleep, then has a narrative signpost suggesting that this women is trouble. and the knife always the cursed knife first on one side, then on the other. It is suggested that there will be murder in the story and conveys a horror genre, a style very popular at that time. Similarly, In Of Mice and Men Curleys wife looks are portrayed as dangerous. Although we haer a description of Rebecca, it is only a feature of Isaacs nightmare. The same decription of Rebecca is then repeated when Isaac returns home to his mother and tells her of his dream. His mother writes the details down so that she doesnt forget them. His mother seems to be a suspicious women who believes the dream had a deeper significance and that it was a prophecy that Isaac would one day be killed by the women of the dream. It isnt until some time later, when his mother falls ill and he goes to the chemist, that he meets a lady who we find is called Rebecca, although Isaac doesnt recognize her from his dream. He thinks she will commit suicide so in an attempt to prevent her taking her life and also because he is strangely attracted to her, he plans to marry her. When he introduces Rebecca his mother recognizes her to be the women of the dream and tries to call off the marriage. However the marriage goes ahead. So you can see what a big part her looks played. It was her looks that first caused conflict in the marriage. Rebecca, who is upset that Isaacs mother, Mrs. Scatchard, does not like her, tries to be friendly towards his mother. However the relationship between Isaac and Rebecca deteriorates and when Isaac discovers Rebecca has bought a new knife, one like that of the dream and demands that he keeps the knife. This further upsets Rebecca and they get into a fight and she leaves. Isaac lived in fear wondering if she return and try to kill him like in the dream. He takes precautions to protect himself. Then one day she returns and tries to kill him. So he leaves. From that day forward he lived in fear.

Symbolic Mediation Internalization Learning Process And Zpd Education Essay

Symbolic Mediation Internalization Learning Process And Zpd Education Essay Second language acquisition (SLA) is a relatively new field, which was seen as an adjunct of language teaching pedagogy before 1960s (Myles, 2010). Ellis (1994) defined three aspects that are responsible for L2 acquisition: external factors (social factors, input and interactions); internal factors (learners existing knowledge and internal mechanisms) and individual learner factors (P. 193). The social factors was investigated under heavy influence from Vygotskys Zone of Proximal Developments (ZPD). In this paper, major focus would be around the notion and application of ZPD, including: defining ZPD and key concepts of Vygotskys theory relating to ZPD: symbolic mediation, internalization,learning process, the role of interlocutor and learner; comparing Vygotskys social cultural theory (SCT) with Piagets cognitive theory; comparing Vygotskys Zone of Proximal Developments with Krashens notion of i+1 hypothesis Symbolic mediation, internalization , learning process and ZPD The social-cultural theory, stemmed from Vygotskys thoughts claims that the language learning process is socially mediated (Lantolf, 2000). Lantolf (1994) stressed that from Vygotskian perspective, the higher forms of human mental activity are always, and everywhere, mediated by symbolic means (P. 418) The symbolic mediation refers to the external process via symbolic signs or tools in social context through which learner can control mental process after internalization (Lightbown Spada, 2006). Lantolf (2000) regards language, among all the symbolic tools, as the most powerful psychological tool (P. 81). Through the mediation of language, the child or learner learns how to perform a task or solve a problem with the help from a more skilled individual (Mitchell Myles, 2004). In other words, the learning process starts as an inter-mental activity, by the more skilled individual sharing through talk, and ends as an intra-mental activity, with the shared knowledge taken in by the unski lled individual. Thus, according to Vygotsky, learning includes two stages: shared understanding in social context through symbolic mediation (mainly in the form of dialogue) and internalization of the shared knowledge by individual. The learning process from a Vygotskyan perspective is described as new concepts continue to be acquired through social/interactional means (Mitchell Myles, 2004, P. 147). Vygotsky defines the concept of zone of proximal development (ZPD), as the distance between the actual developmental level as determined by independent problem solving and the level of potential development as determined through problem solving under adult guidance or in collaboration with more capable peers (Vygotsky, 1978, p. 86). In other words, the role of more advanced interlocutor is stressed by assisting individual crossing the gap between actual level (what the learner can do alone) and potential level (what the learner can achieve with help). The learner is cognitively prepared for solving more complex problems if supported by an interlocutor. More importance has been attached to social interaction between learner and interlocutor, which is regarded as a causative force in acquisition (Saville-Troike, 2006, P. 111). Vygotsky versus Piaget Zuengler and Miller (2006) reviewed the ongoing debates on whether a separation should be made between second language acquisition and second language use and the debates on the commensurability of theories from different schools. It may be interesting to notice that the differences between sociocultural theory and cognitive theory bear relationship with their origins -Vygotsky, the father of socioculture theory and Piaget, the father of cognitive theory. Piaget and Vygotsky are among the earliest proponents to link childrens language development with their cognitive development (Lightbown Spada, 2006). For Piaget, the cognitive development for children is realized through interaction with things around them and is presented by language which is not different from Vygotskys view. They share the view of learner as a social human being who are learning through interaction with environment and of learning and development as a contextually embedded process of interactions (Vianna Stetsenko, 2006, P. 85). However, the dissimilar emphasis that they place on social interaction leads to three major differences. For Piaget, children learn and develop in the environment. For Vygotsky, children not only learn and develop in the environment but also change it through interaction. Therefore, for Vygotsky, language is seen as a more powerful symbolic mediation (Lightbown Spada, 2006). The second difference is adaption versus transformation (Vianna Stetsenko, 2006, P. 87). For Piaget, human develop by assimilation and accommodation to adapt to the environment, whereas for Vygotsky, human develop by actively changing the environment. The third difference lies in their view of the priority between learning and cognitive development. For Piaget, children need to be cognitively prepared to a certain stage before learning, while for Vygotsky, precedence is given to learning instead of development. Therefore, Vygotsky argue for teaching or learning within ZPD, where learners could do more with scaf folding from interlocutors than their independent performance (Zuengler Miller, 2006). ZPD versus i+1 Second language scholars have suggested the feasibility of integrating Krashens i+1 with Vygotskys zone of proximal development (ZPD) based on their similarities. Dunn and Lantolf (1998) have stated the incommensurability of these two concepts not only because they are unrelated but also because they are based on incommensurable theoretical discourses (P. 411) In Krashens view, humans acquire language in only one way-by understanding messages, or by receiving comprehensible input . . . that contains structures at our next stage- structures that are a bit beyond our current level of competence (Krashen, 1985, p. 2). More specifically, three factors contribute to language learning learners internalized grammar,namely the i, input containing linguistic structure a bit beyond learners current level, namely the i+1 and learners internal language processing mechanism (LAD) For Vygotsky, as mentioned above, ZPD is defined as those functions that have not yet matured but are in the process of maturation (1978, p. 86). A more holistic picture has been drawn with respect to language learning learner, interlocutor, their social cultural backgrounds, their goals and motives and all the resources available (Dunn Lantolf, 1998). Learning and development occur in both situations, where learner will surpass their current level either with assistance from a more advanced interlocutor within learners ZPD or with acquisition of linguistic structure i+1, which may contribute largely to their seemingly similarities. However, it would be cautious to notice as well that the development occur with a comparison of learners current level, that is learner himself. Therefore, it would be less justifiable to view the development in Krashens term as an equivalent to that in Vygotskys theory. Also it would be more reasonable to notice that the construct of ZPD and i+1 cannot stand without considering the theocratical frame that they root in respectively. Therefore, a comparison would be made between theories that have incubated these two constructs with respect to the relationship between learning and development, the consequence of learning, the role of language, learner and interlocutor and the role of social interaction. The fundamental difference between Krashens theory with Vygotskys theory is their diverse view on the relationship between instruction learning and cognitive development. Krashen hold the view as a separatist, who perceive learning under instruction and cognitive development as two independent process (Dunn Lantolf, 1998, P. 491). Therefore, Krashen intentionally draw a line between learning and acquisition, arguing that only though subconscious acquisition can comprehensible input be acquired, and learners cognition be developed. Conversely, Vygotsky presented a dualistic quality to development, that is whether learning consciously or not, a mutual influence exists between learning and development ( Dunn Lantolf, 1998, P. 491). Thus, learners are learning and developing at the same time, and the site where learning and development meet is called ZPD. Secondly, Krashen and Vygotsky differ in their view of the consequence of learning, based on their divergent view on learning and development. For Krashen, the outcome of learning is the linguistic structure that is a bit beyond learners current level, and with the acquisition of this feature, learner has developed cognitively, ready to obtain the next i +1. Whereas for Vygotsky, learners are developing along the whole learning process, which means that not only the immediate future, but also the maturing process account for development (Dunn Lantolf, 1998, P. 422). Therefore, it is the variability between acquisition and Internalization (Kinginger, 2002, P. 418). Thirdly, the roles of language, learner and interlocutor are interpreted differently. From Krashens point, language is conceived as a container of linguistic features with comprehensible input and learner as a container with Language Acquisition Device (LAD), the individual process mechanism built inside minds, and the assistance from interlocutor is not necessary (Dunn Lantolf, 1998, P. 418). In contrast, from Vygotskys perspective, language is one of the the most powerful psychological tool of semiotic mediation system (Lightbown Spada, 2006, P. 81), and thus representing the mediated forms of cognition (Dunn Lantolf, 1998, P. 426). Both learner and interlocutor are portrayed as a social human being, with motivation and social cultural identity, instead of a loner with an innate ability to process (Kinginger, 2001, P. 419). Moreover, unbalanced attention is given to social interaction in the frame developed by Krashen and Vygotsky. Krashen assigned relatively little importance to social interaction due to the existence of LAD, despite his support for a weak form of interaction: meaning negotiating proposed by Long (1996). In other words, Krashen argues that the strong form of interaction such as scaffolding or peer collaboration as well as learner output bear no direct relevance to SLA (Dunn Lantolf, 1998). In contrast, social interaction is viewed as the medium and the result of development by Vygotskian scholars (Kinginger, 2001, P. 422). Thus in order to maximize learners acquisition, interlocutor should scaffold the learner along ZPD and learners comprehensible output is as important as comprehensible input. Conclusion Over the past decade, there has been an increasing number of SLA researches conducted under the influence of socioculture theory (SCT) based on the work of Vygotsky (Ableeva Lantolf, 2011; Brooks Swain et al., 2010; Kinginger, 2002; Knouzi Swain et al., 2010; Lantolf, 2007; Foster Ohta, 2005; Swain Deters, 2007; Swain Lapkin et al, 2009). This theory differs from other theory describing the SLA in the stance that social environment is not only a learning context but rather a significant contributor to language acquisition (Swain Deters, 2007). Thus the concept built in SCT framework such as ZPD, cannot be viewed separately away from its origin, which implies that it would be best for any future comparison or commensuration of concepts from unlike theories be made with their roots considered. Also the incommensurability precisely add the value to the theory building in SLA field, not only for the sake of the this particular school itself but also for a helpful reflection for ot her schools.It is with this sharp comparison between different perspectives, a more holistic picture can be draw for L2 acquisition, despite the criticisms been made and the debates ongoing (Zuengler Miller, 2006). Lantolf (1996) have shown his welcome for a future of letting all the flowers bloom in SLA theory building and I simply cannot agree more with him (P.713-49).

Essay --

Reproductive System The reproductive system is a group of organs that work together to make a new life. Most organs of the reproductive system are the external genitalia and the internal organs, including gonads that produce gamete. The external genitalia are found in the pelvis and vulva and gonads are testicles and ovaries. The female reproductive organs are found inside of the pelvis and most of the male reproductive organs are found outside the body. Most of the organ of a male reproductive system is the penis and a female is the vagina. The breasts are one of many parts of the reproductive system. The breasts are organs that have mammary glands, milk ducts, and adipose tissue. In the middle of each breast is a nipple that releases milk when production for a new life has begun. The areola is a thick piece of skin that surrounds the nipple and protects the tissues under when your breastfeeding. There are many types’ problems that have to do with the breast like breast cancer. Breast cancer is a malignant tumor that starts in the cells of the breast, usually starts in the inside the milk ducts or lobules. A malignant tumor is a cancer cells that can grow into in tissues or spread to different parts of the body. Doctors say one in eight women will be diagnosed with breast cancer in their lifetime. Breast cancer is the mostly diagnosed in women, and the second leading cause of death for them. Even though breast cancers are mostly found in women men can get it to but it’s very rare. Doctors are not really sure what the exact cause of breast cancer. Doctors say some of the causes can be, the older you get your chances rise, starting periods before the age twelve or going through menopause before the age fifty-five. Risk of b... ... cells, or by placing radioactive material inside your body; side effects can include fatigue, sun burn rash or tissue may seem swollen. There are different types of stages of breast cancer. Staging tells how far the cancer has spread within the body, staging is determined after breast cancer has been diagnosed and stages from 0 to 4 depending on how far its spread. Stage 0 cancer cells are only found in one location, Stage I cancer cells have left the milk ducts but haven’t reached the lymph nodes, Stage II cancer increases in size and has reached the armpit lymph nodes, Stage III cancer has spread to the cervical lymph nodes or tissue around the breast, Stage IV cancer has spread to other organs. Treatments are Herceptin witch cause cells to die, Kadcyla a cell killing drug let into the cancer cells, Tykerb and Perjeta. All these treatments have side effects.

Making of the A-Bomb :: essays research papers

The machine gun mechanized war. Artillery and gas mechanized war. They were the hardware of the war, the tools. But they were only proximately the mechanism of the slaughter. The ultimate mechanism was a method of organization-anachronistically speaking, a software package. "The basic lever," the writer Gil Elliot comments, "was the conscription law, which made vast numbers of men available for military service. The civil machinery which ensured the carrying out of this law, and the military organization which turned numbers of men into battalions and divisions, were each founded on a bureaucracy. The production of resources, in particular guns and ammunition, was a matter for civil organization. The movement of men and resources to the front, and the trench system of defence, were military concerns." Each interlocking system was logical in itself and each system could be rationalized by those who worked it and moved through it. Thus Elliot demonstrates, "It is reasonable to obey the law, it is good to organize well, it is ingenious to devise guns of high technical capacity, it is sensible to shelter human beings against massive firepower by putting them in protective trenches." What was the purpose of this complex organization? Officially it was supposed to save civilization, protect the rights of small democracies, demonstrate the superiority of Teutonic culture, beat the dirty Hun, beat the arrogant British, what have you. But the men caught in the middle came to glimpse a darker truth. "The War had become undisguisedly mechanical and inhuman," Siegfried Sasson allows a fictional infantry officer to see. "What in earlier days had been drafts of volunteers were now droves of victims." Men on every front independently discovered their victimization. Awareness intensified as the war dragged on. In Russia it exploded in revolution. In Germany it motivated desertions and surrenders. Among the French it led to mutinies in the front lines. Among the British it fostered malingering. Whatever its ostensible purpose, the end result of the complex organization that was the efficient software of the Great War was the manufacture of corpses. This essentially industrial operation was fantasized by the generals as a "strategy of attrition." The British tried to kill Germans, the Germans tried to kill British and French and so on, a "strategy" so familiar by now that it almost sounds normal. It was not normal in Europe before 1914 and no one in authority expected it to evolve, despite the pioneering lessons of the American Civil War. Once the trenches were in place, the long grave already dug (John Masefield's bitterly ironic phrase), then the war stalemated