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Saturday, August 31, 2019

Foundation for the Study of Religion Essay

a). Discuss some of the issues raised in Meta-Ethics. (17 marks) b). How convincing is the view that, when talking of morality, we are talking about facts? (33 marks) (Total 50 marks) Notes: –> Remember, in an exam, you have 30 minutes to choose, plan, and write any essay. –> At AS Level, exam questions are twofold [i.e., there will be an (a) section and a (b) section]. –> Do not forget to answer both sections of a question! –> Usually, the marks appear beside each section of a question. –> In each question, section (a) holds 17 marks, and section (b) holds 33 marks. A total of 50 marks per question. –> Write your responses to questions appropriately – its no good having a detailed (a) section and a brief (b)! –> This model essay is structured so that it is realistic in its time expectations. –> If you have revised thoroughly, and know your stuff, you should be writing this sort of exam essay. –> Remember, do not waffle. An examiner will not assess 65% waffle and 35% real content in an exam essay! –> Keep your essay responses thorough, yet concise – again, you have very little time to respond to questions! –> Finally, it remains for me to wish you very good luck, happy last minute revision, and a most successful first exam! a. Discuss some of the issues raised in Meta-Ethics. Ethics is the study of how people behave, and how they should behave. It is based on ideas of what is morally ‘good’. But, in order to understand ethics, a definition of ‘good’ needs to be determined. Here, one sees that such ideas will vary from person to person and from culture to culture. Likewise, such ideas explain why there is such a variety of moral systems in use today and a marked difference in the level of commitment to a personal moral code. Ethics and ethical language, the study of which ‘Meta-Ethics’ is part, can be split into three distinct branches: descriptive, normative and meta-ethical. On the one hand, descriptive ethics describes the way we live and the moral choices we happen to make. On the other, normative ethics employs the kind of language which is more openly moral and presents a clearer idea about what is held to be right or wrong; so, a statement such as â€Å"It is always wrong to tell a lie† is a normative statement. Contrastingly to both, meta-ethics is the study of the meaning of ethics itself, gauging the meaning of ethical language, and taking into consideration the authority of moral claims and the effects of personal preference. Bearing this in mind, it is possible to note that meta-ethical theory poses questions such as ‘Can we define which action is ‘good’, ‘bad’, ‘right’, or ‘wrong’?’ and again, ‘Is it possible to give a definition to ‘good’, ‘bad’, ‘right’, or ‘wrong’ in themselves?’ Admittedly, all four of these words are related from a moral point of view. But, if we could measure ‘good’ completely and accurately, then we would be able to measure everything else against it. Yet, philosophically, it is impossible to define ‘good’ so completely. For instance, if one were asked to define ‘yellow’, one is able to say what yellow is like (such as â€Å"Yellow is like a banana’s jacket†); but, one unable to say completely and accurately what ‘yellowness’ is. Thus, in the same way, one is able to say what ‘good ’ is like, yet one is unable to say what ‘good’ is. Naturally, it could be argued that ‘good’ actions add to the well-being of all concerned; but, again, ‘good’ actions depend very much on individual preference and one’s individual idea of ‘good’. The puzzle, then, of how to define ‘good’ has intrigued philosophers for thousands of years. Indeed, the ancient Greek philosopher, Aristotle, defined ‘good’ as being how far something fulfilled its purpose in life: for example, a ‘good’ building is one which looks pleasing aesthetically, provides comfort and shelters from the elements. Similarly, a ‘good’ person is one who fulfils well the role into which he or she has been placed. To illustrate this point further, a ‘good’ slave works well as a slave; and, again, a ‘good’ ruler rules the community effectively, maximising everyone’s happiness. This approach has its origins in the Greek word ‘telos’ meaning ‘purpose’ and is therefore referred to as the ‘teleological’ approach to ethics, a purpose-based criterion for gauging what is ‘good’. A differing method is the ‘deontological’ approach to ethics, which has its origins in the Greek word ‘deon’ meaning ‘duty’. Unlike the teleological approach, this one is a duty-based criterion for gauging what is ‘good’: something is ‘good’ if it fulfils it duty. For instance, Immanuel Kant, bearing in mind the absolute rule of morality ‘Do not steal’, claimed that one should never steal under any circumstances because it is always wrong in itself. For example, if you came across something that had been abandoned by someone who could not possibly have any use for it, even if you needed it and it would hurt no one to take it, it is still stealing and, therefore, wrong in itself. Thus, to do ‘good’, one always must do one’s duty. Meta-ethics, then, attempts to go a long way in explaining the essence of ‘good’ and ‘good’ action, combining alike viewpoints yet, likewise, displaying very different perspectives of the real meaning of ‘good’. b. How convincing is the view that, when talking of morality, we are talking about facts? But, when attempting to define ‘good’, and certainly when considering ethics as a whole, is it actually possible to say that moral systems deal with ‘facts’? Some ethicists would claim not. GE Moore, for example, in his book Principia Ethica (1902) claimed that ‘good’ is impossible to define because it entirely depends on the moral codes a person brings to a particular situation. This would suggest that, owing to the wide range and variety of personal preference in ethical systems, it is impossible to talk of facts when dealing with morality. Moore, though, did suggest that ‘good’ was an entity in itself and that it was something which human beings intuitively sought. Indeed, human beings do a thing that is ‘good’ in order to achieve some long-term goal. However, he stated that in doing so, people commit what he coined the ‘Naturalistic Fallacy’. Namely, that in finding oneself in a particular moral dilemma people assume it is natural and logical to shift immediately from dilemma to solution, treating moral conclusions as if they were absolute. For instance, imagine a 15 year old girl having her drink spiked by a much older man who then makes her pregnant. Indeed, the girl did not want a sexual relationship with the man and was horrified when she realised what had happened, particularly because she was a devout Christian with high moral standards. Many people would say that the girl ought to be offered medical treatment such as the morning-after pill or an abortion. Here, using the principle known in moral philosophy as ‘Hume’s Law’, Moore would claim that people have committed the ‘Naturalistic Fallacy’ because they have moved from an ‘is’ statement to an ‘ought’ statement. In other words, they move from a description of how things actually are, to how they ought to be. Put in a simpler form, (A) A teenage girl is pregnant against her wishes; (B) She ought to be offered an abortion. ‘A’ is the ‘is’ statement, ‘B’ is the ‘ought’ statement; yet, to move from one to the other, Moore claimed that an intermediate (or, midway) proposition is needed. This could be as follows: ‘A woman should only carry a child to full term when she has chosen to be pregnant.’ This is known as a ‘value proposition’ and it is this element of the equation that gives the conclusion (B) its moral force. But exactly why does Moore refer to this straight shift from an ‘is’ to an ‘ought’ a misleading notion? It is because (B) is simply a blind, naà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ve opinion without any value whatsoever. The intermediate proposition gives it moral value and force because it establishes that the pregnant girl is neither a ‘woman’ nor one who has ‘chosen to be pregnant’. Thus, it states that she is a teenage girl who is pregnant against her wishes and, because of the intermediate proposition of women only carrying a child to full term when she has chosen to be pregnant, the girl’s situation goes against the moral code. Naturally, using a different moral value in the intermediate stage would produce a different outcome, which suggests that, when talking of morality and moral codes, we are not always talking about facts. Like Moore, whose claims reject the idea of morality being factually-based, RM Hare developed a theory for ethical language called ‘Prescriptivism’, in which he claimed that in prescribing a particular course of action for others, people ought to ask ‘Am I prepared to prescribe that somebody else should do it to me if the roles were reversed?’. (Interestingly, this idea is parallel with the golden rule of Christianity that appears in Matthew 7:12 – ‘Do unto others as you would have done unto you.†) Although this gives the impression that all people should be treated equally, it does not suggest that morality is factually-based because such moral rules can be accepted or rejected. Moral statements, then, according to Hare, are more than mere signs of the personal preference of the speaker; for him, they prescribe a course of action. But, just as he claimed moral rules are hugely important in influencing lives, he also added that one cannot say moral rules are true or false. Thus, it is untrue that – when talking of morality – we are talking about facts. In morality, then, there is a difference in how language is used. In everyday communication, language can be used in either ‘cognitive’ or ‘non-cognitive’ ways. Used cognitively, language states fact and reasoning and is non-moral; in other words, it has no moral values attached. However, used non-cognitively in a moral setting, language aims to express attitudes, exercising an influence over people. In morality, this influence is to persuade people of the moral rightness or wrongness of an action. Indeed, CL Stevenson, a philosopher closely associated with ‘Emotivism’ – a system of morality based on feeling – claimed that, when used non-cognitively, the word ‘good’ is very persuasive because it has a moral tag which tries to draw the listener into taking a moral stance. It pulls on the emotions. Certainly, Stevenson suggested one’s moral code is an emotional response – one simply ‘feels’ something is good or bad. Again, then, it is impossible to say that when we talk of morality, we talk of facts because, as ‘Emotivism’ shows, individual feelings differ and, therefore, individual moral codes influenced by ‘feelings’ similarly are going to differ. Thus, in conclusion, it is unconvincing to say that, when we are talking of morality, we are talking about facts: Moore, would agree because his ‘value propositions’ in moral dilemmas can easily be altered to produce a different outcome and, therefore, a different moral force; Hare claimed one cannot say moral rules are true or false, therefore failing to deliver morality to the territory of ‘fact’; and, finally, Stevenson claims that individual moral codes are influenced by individual ‘feelings’ about the rightness or wrongness of an action, thus rendering factually-based morality a nonsense owing to the rich diversity of individual emotion. Indeed, the highly influential philosopher, AJ Ayer would agree with such an avowal because he suggested all moral statements are ‘meaningless’ statements. For example, how could one prove that it is wrong to cheat? He insisted that such statements as ‘Is it wrong to cheat’ are totally without meaning or provable sense because, logically and empirically, they cannot be shown to be true. All one can do is show that lots of people believe it is wrong to cheat. All they can do is express a personal dislike of cheats, cheating, and its consequences; they can express how they consider it to be unfair. That is, they can express how it does not coincide with what they believe to be fair and right – but that is all. Moral statements, then, are reduced in this way to personal preferences and are not concerned with ‘fact’.

Frankenstein’s story Essay

The blindness involved in Walton’s pursuit of recognition is alarming. As the leader of a dangerous expedition, he is responsible for the lives of other men. His fervent longing for glory in his scientific pursuit endangers those men as he overlooks moral and even rational perceptions of what is possible and what is not. He seems naà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ve of morality, and plans to succeed even at the cost of human life because he considers this discovery worth such a sacrifice:  Ã¢â‚¬Å"One man’s life or death is but a small price to pay for the acquirement of the knowledge which I sought.† I flinched at the use of the word â€Å"I.† The knowledge he seeks appears to be for his own self-gratification.  His shipmates do not agree with him:  Ã¢â‚¬Å"The men, unsupported by ideas of glory and honour, can never willingly continue to endure their present hardships.†Ã‚  Walton’s egocentricity becomes apparent as he never once asks about his sister’s well being, despite the fact that he has not seen her for a number of years. Later as we hear Frankenstein’s story, we find that this element in Walton’s character is also mirrored in his own, as he disregards his family for years as he experiments with the principle of life. Once again the selfishness of the pursuit of glory is paramount, succeeding the search for knowledge. Because Walton has overcome a minor problem on his expedition (the leakage) he becomes overconfident and believes that he can overcome any obstacles of nature:  Ã¢â‚¬Å"†Why not still proceed over the untamed yet obedient element?†Ã‚  Victor Frankenstein has too much ambition for his own good:  Ã¢â‚¬Å"Wealth was an inferior object, but what glory would attend the discovery†¦Ã¢â‚¬ Ã‚  The isolation that he experiences is very much self-inflicted. Frankenstein was self-taught in subjects that only he had interest in: the principles of life. The major path that he followed was influenced by this solitary learning of an unconventional topic. Fastidiously studying a topic left untouched by all before him, his ignorant ambition conquers all morals as he persists searching for recognition and immortality – as a result of man’s quest for knowledge, the ultimate isolation of a being is created. It is extremely irresponsible, and proves that man may not be strong enough to deal with the â€Å"continual food for discovery and wonder.†Ã‚  Ã¢â‚¬Å"Now that I had finished, the beauty of the dream vanished, and breathless horror and disgust filled my heart. Unable to endure the aspect of the being I had created, I rushed out of the room.† The Creation is dreadfully unhappy because of this rejection and neglect, and he is even alienated from society because Victor Frankenstein blindly created him to be hideous:  Ã¢â‚¬Å"I had selected his features as beautiful. Beautiful! Great God!†Ã‚  Thoughtlessly, Frankenstein continued with his task, without considering the acceptance of the Creature into civilization.  Our sympathy for the Daemon is heightened by his own obliviousness:  Ã¢â‚¬Å"Alas! I did not entirely know the fatal effects of this miserable deformity.† Also, the Daemon lives as primitive man. He does not even discover fire until he stumbles across it in the forest. As he seeks shelter near the DeLaceys’ cottage, he learns civilisation by watching and listening like a child. He learns the ways of interaction, notions of pain and joy, and the ‘Science of Words.’ I feel that this is the true wonder of discovery:  Ã¢â‚¬Å"I easily perceived that, although I eagerly longed to discover myself to the cottagers, I ought not to make the attempt until I had first become master of their language.† The Daemon’s development is rapid, though it is his own father who should have taught him these things. He is totally alone with his learning. He is so grateful for his ‘friends’ (although it is a one-sided relationship), and so remorseful for stealing, that he anonymously clears the snow from their path, helps to farm the land, and collects firewood for them; thus from a hunter-gatherer he has developed into a sentient being through his solitary self-teaching. Through these discoveries he is doing good for others. He is deeply affected when they are unhappy:  Ã¢â‚¬Å"I thought (foolish wretch!) that it might be in my power to restore happiness to these deserving people.†

Friday, August 30, 2019

Candid Communication Essay

Due to the costly failed attempt to expand to the European market, and recognition of the major underlying cultural problems which resulted in the unsuccessful expansion, our team has been tasked with proposing plans for revitalizing your corporate culture. Key personnel, who could have provided advice to avert the flawed expansion strategy, did not voice their concerns or advice because such actions were not culturally encouraged. As an executive management team, you have recognized that this failure to uphold a corporate culture which values candid communication at all levels was the ultimate cause of this setback. This proposal is designed to uncover potential obstacles to creating a culture which foster candid communication, and present a plan of action to alter the corporate culture from the ground up. Question 1: The obstacles of fostering candid communication can be categorized into three areas: personal, physical and cultural. When discussing personal obstacles, the outer layers peel back to find both interpersonal and intrapersonal barriers that your organization will find in their journey to value candid communication. For example, interpersonal barriers occur between team members, such as differences in personality styles or behavioral preferences. Ignoring or not addressing these differences can lead to rivalry, competition and fear of speaking up due to retaliation or further dislike from other co-workers. Though individuals in your company may not like or be willing to work with one-another, the major obstacle is to first get them talking to address their differences. Furthermore, even if your employees hold similar behavioral or personality styles, another obstacle may be that their relationships might not be strong enough to support constructive criticism from others, indicating a lack of trust. The absence of trust is the first dysfunction of a team, according to Patrick Lencioni. â€Å"Trust is the foundation of a team† and the lack of trust is the team’s inability â€Å"to understand and open up to one another† (Lencioni, pg. 43-44). Strong, trusting relationships support providing feedback to other employees and supervisors without fear of future scrutiny. Lack of trust within a group also holds a strong influence on intrapersonal barriers to speak freely. Intrapersonal barriers are those that occur within the individual self or mind but are strongly influenced by their surroundings. For example, without the feeling of trust, employees may revert back to their safety zone by keeping quiet and holding back opinions in order to protective themselves (Lencioni, pg. 195). Likewise, other intrapersonal barriers can be as simple as the individual’s self-confidence level or working with individuals who prefer not to provide criticism for fear of rejection from the group. In addition, another obstacle is the absence of individual’s sense of belongingness to the company, one of Maslow’s steps in his Hierarchy of Needs. Belongingness comes from the company support of employees through personal development and job enrichment which play a critical role for employees to recognize that they and their opinions are valued enough to be shared. Secondly, physical barriers of separation, such as the physical distance between locations, geographic barriers like oceans or even walls between offices, can also hinder the ability to communicate openly to employees,. For example, as your company expands internationally, it will face the creation of virtual teams. Virtual teams are at a disadvantage to build trusting, strong relationships because they do not have the luxury of sitting across the table from one-another to work out disagreements. And, even if they wanted to, it would be extremely expensive for the company to fund trips back and forth across the pond. On the other hand, co-located employees may still feel that physical barriers impede their ability to share from blocked areas and closed doors providing visual cues to employees that they are either not needed or wanted. Last, as your company grows it will face both society and company built cultural barriers. Societal barriers, such as international relations and generational differences can influence the effectiveness of conducting business and building relationships in the future. For example, do the companies that we are working with international hold the same emphasis on candid dialog? Do cultural barriers or age differences enable employees to provide productive feedback or criticism without violating a social norm or without fear of creating adversarial relationships? Both examples of societal based barriers greatly influence the ability of people to feel they can share openly. Likewise, company built cultural barriers continue to obstruct straight talk if the culture does not reward such behavior and the population contains individuals who do not fit the cultural mold. For example, Nordstrom employees who are not fanatic about how amazing you Nordstrom’s is will â€Å"be ejected like a virus† (). Employees who do not see rewards for behaviors or do not agree with the cultural behaviors will not be comfortable to share candidly. Question 2: In order to combat these negative obstacles the company must first create and communicate a solid value structure, mission statement and form committees to help implement and generate ideas. The assurance that people feel valued needs to be the primary focus of the company citing the well known fact that employees are the number one customers. A credo similar to the one mentioned in Built to Last (p. 9) for Johnson & Johnson, listed open for all to see, must be presented to the employees specifically listing core values including but not limited to: welcome change, be honest/open, recognize success but not shun failure, treat everyone with respect and spend considerable amount of time nurturing culture. For maximum impact management needs to proactively practice (MBWA) by walking around displaying, encouraging and measuring the success of all these values. These values and structures need to be engrained early in the employees so that the culture will become second nature. The objective is for the employee to be culturally rooted early. This is why the processes of recruiting, hiring, socializing and training new employees is critical, similar to Nike within Built to Change â€Å"the company fostered a â€Å"just do it† identity that was reflected in its structure, the people it hired†(p. 46). Once hired, the cultural foundation has been set and injection into the company’s system will receive little resistance making it simple to promote candid communications. Disregarding early processes may allow people to slip into the company who don’t fit the cultural mold and/or they are not properly adjusted into the system. These outcasts have a possibility of being rejected from the system resulting in employee turnover or a multitude of other problems. Recruiters can ensure recruits fit into the open communication culture by various techniques of evaluation, starting at first contact, including socializing events and interview processes. Events that require potential employees to socialize with current employees at their peer level will help evaluate their compatibility within the system and the employees. Employees administering interviews are encouraged to ask more behavioral questions rather than job function related questions. This will also ensure that new candidates are on the right path to successful transplant into the company. Once hired, new employees are to be indoctrinated with the concept of free speech. In order to build relationships and foster vertical communication, all new employees regardless of position, are to attend a high level onboarding training that is done within one large room. Next they participate in a communication building scavenger hunt requiring them to find and speak to certain individuals within the organization. The new employees are then paired with existing employees in their own department for 3-6 months because it typically takes a while for employees to become situated and comfortable in their new environment. By training employees in this way you guarantee little deviation from expected culture and instill the free speech initiative, making it easier to have candid conversations. People tend to respond positively to change when they receive recognition from managers. Displaying exceptional behavior is often overlooked leading employees to believe that the attribute is not exceptional or essential to success. When establishing a system for rewarding positive behaviors, especially those that revolve around the core values and candid communication, the rewards need to be in high regard to the employee and not necessarily monetary, Microsoft shows this in Built to Change when it â€Å"employees have challenging work and, of course, one of the most highly rewarding stock plans around†¦. hereby attracted some of the country’s top software engineers and marketing geniuses†(p. 47). Equally important within the innovation process is having more time to develop new ideas shown in Built to Change 3M’s â€Å"policies and practices that give employees time to experiment, and its reward system recognizes innovative work† (p. 39). The rewards and time provided for ideas generated will bring about open communication but would be ultimately ineffective in the event that there isn’t a way to evaluate these ideas and innovations. Therefore a committee consisting of white and blue collar workers should be assembled to evaluate and investigate ideas that are submitted for validity or cost effectiveness. To instill a culture that embraces and utilizes open communication candidly the company must have a way to promote and judge the performance of the changes. A committee will be formed in order to set goals, establish who will be in charge, schedule mingling events, enrich communications and ultimately ensure that this initiative isn’t forgotten. The mingling events would serve as a tool to not only build relationships between employees, breaking down communication barriers, but to strengthen and reinforce ties to the company. Some examples of the events would include speed mentoring, company picnics, benefit fairs, blood drives and fundraising events. Next the committee would be responsible for enriching communications throughout the company by fostering goodwill, laying out company-wide changes and compiling and maintaining the medium for communication disbursement. Mediums of communication can vary from newsletters, memos, banners or blogs. In Corporate Culture and Performance, Tandem Computers practices this by displaying achievements â€Å"are regularly recognized on bulletin boards as Our Latest Greatests†(p. 16). Communication transmitted must be professional to avoid wasting time across the organization. Some additional information, including information about the CEO’s family, may be added to show that she is human and the message is genuine. The committee would also explain new product information, organizational issues that might be confusing and benefit changes that might seem to only benefit the employer. By doing this managers can build rapport to increase employee understanding of the company, products, ethics, culture, and external environment, showing that the managers are not hiding information. This builds trust and fosters open communication. In order to facilitate information sharing, the company must utilize various ways of mentoring. Level mentoring should be skipped so that employees get an opportunity to meet with someone above the direct management. Reverse mentoring will be also instilled in the company as the younger person might have some fresh ideas and new tools. Sometimes, a new set of ideas might be the solution to a lingering issue in the company. Training sessions are organized by putting the management and employees on the same teams. Likewise, large group information sessions are implemented to talk about issues related to employees with management information similar to Merck’s communication meetings that are held three times a year. These meetings will have the full support of upper management and are used to open communication, improve the flow of information among all levels of management and to provide employees with information they need to do their jobs better. There could also be an improvement in information sharing by having no doors on offices or no physical barriers between management and lower level employees. Honda and Harley Davidson have an open door policy as described in Built to Change (p. 9). The company should clearly define fair policies and procedures. This will help the employees to know what is expected of them. If employees know what the company expects, it is easier for them to be accountable for their own behavior and contribute accordingly. Clear guidelines for professional conduct will be established by the company so that co-workers treat each other with respect regardless of their position in the company. Also, a process of performance review system will be implemented to ensure the employees are promoting the company’s value structure. A 360 degree review process will be utilized by the company which will help to provide on-going feedbacks to all the employees. This will enable all the subordinates, peers and supervisors to have their input towards the company. This will also help to assess all employees on a continual basis on how they are performing to business needs as well as adapting to the values of the company. The results from these reviews can be used to make administrative decisions as well as to plan for training and development in the future. The company should also not sway from their core values no matter what, as described in Built to Change (p. 4) in the Southwest Airlines example. This will enable the employees to stay loyal and feel comfortable knowing that their jobs are stable. Finally, the company will provide proper benefits to the employees including fair pay based on individual performance, team performance and seniority so that the employees feel valued. A proper organic organization structure will be designed to empower people and allowing them to make their own decisions. This will make the employees accountable with their decisions. A flatter organization structure will be designed in order to enable employees to speak freely to higher levels of management for advice. This will also enhance the mentoring process and help to build effective relationships. After assessing the culture and gathering input, the company should identify the system, policies and procedures that must be either changed or implemented to support the new culture. The new infrastructure should address role expectations, accountability, rewards and selection systems. The company will also have defined job descriptions and encourage people to switch departments so that employees won’t feel pigeon-holed. In other words, the company will also allow mobility within the organization in order to get the most out of their employees and employees will be more flexible. The employees should also understand other roles and jobs in the company to be able to relate to them and provide input for improvements. The company will focus more on team based design that will eventually help to elevate individual performance in the company. Individuals in the company will be cross trained or conditioned in order to improve the overall performance of the whole team. Although the word â€Å"team† is heavily used in the industry today, teams often play a major role in initiating organizational change. A cross functional team design will create mutual accountability for results and joint ownerships of work products. Above all, a properly designed organic organization structure will positively impact the ability to focus, directly affects the communication channels and empowers people by giving the employees a drive to make their own decisions. Question 3: While designing and implementing an effective, company-wide communication structure is vitally important, the activities performed by leaders at all levels are paramount to sustaining an effective communication culture. Managers are the face of your company’s culture and their interactions with their direct reports will be the frontlines of the company’s culture battles. Beginning with the hiring process, managers must be mindful that they are not only assessing the potential hire’s technical skills and abilities, but also their fit within the culture. They must abide by and practice recruiting and hiring techniques that will reasonably ensure that the company is hiring candidates that will express the desired behavior and align with the culture. These techniques could include maintaining relationships with contacts at local universities and recruiting firms. If these contacts are familiar with your company and culture they could aid in providing a stream of potential new hires and would be able to â€Å"pre-screen† for cultural fit. Mangers should openly discuss the company’s culture and ask explicit questions regarding how the potential hire feels he/she will fit within the culture. This will set cultural expectations of open and candid communication with all interviewees long before any are hired. Also, managers should use behavioral type interview questions to test the candidate’s attitudes, trust and ability to speak freely. Additionally, the interviews should be conducted by employees of varying levels of the company, both managers and non-mangers, with a single manager soliciting feedback from all other interviewers regarding their assessment of the recruit. Once potential employees are deemed to be a cultural fit and are hired it is important to continue the initiation process into the culture. Managers need to immediately begin teaching new employees about the open communication culture and submerging them in it. The Container Store, for example, submits all new hires to a weeklong orientation in which they are taught the inner workings and philosophy of the company (FoE, pg. 75). Socialization techniques can be utilized to build the relationships between the new and established employees, understanding that well socialized employees are more likely to share information freely. Managers can organize gatherings of new and current employees to introduce the new hires to their co-workers. Examples would be ice cream or pizza socials in which ice-breaker type games are used to introduce and socialize new hires to their peers. Mangers can also take new hires to lunch with a small group of their fellow employees in an effort to socialize the new employee in an environment outside the workplace. An emphasis should be made at these types of gatherings to learn about the employee’s life outside of the work environment. Other practices like a mentoring or buddy system could also be utilized to engage the new employee in an open communication culture. The focus of these activities should be to build trust and a sense of value within the new hire. Employees that perceive themselves as being valued and have strong trust relationships with their direct reports and co-workers are more likely to give of themselves, that is, to invest their â€Å"heads and hearts† with your company. While recruiting and initiating new hires into the culture is vital, most of a leader’s time will be spent maintaining the open communication culture. These tasks can be broken down into activities that build relationships, empower employees and provide reviews and feedback. Mangers should spend a considerable amount of time getting to know and nurture relationships with their direct reports. Leaders should adopt a Management by Wondering Around system where managers spend time with employees getting to know what they are doing, how they are doing it, what kind of problems they are facing, and what help is required to solve the problems (Dynamic Business Strategy, info from Vick). This type of communication should be seen as an integral part of managing people, not as an additional burden to a manager’s already busy schedule. An open-door policy should be utilized so that managers are available to their employees as much as possible. Leaders should also maintain a database of employee birthdays and employment anniversaries and recognize these occasions with cards and/or gifts. Management could also hold monthly get-togethers to celebrate the birthdays, anniversaries and milestones that occurred that month. Managers should be encouraged to spend time with their direct reports outside the work environment. Informal gatherings like lunches and happy hours could be utilized to get to know direct reports on a more personal level. Managers should hold occasional casual days in which employees are allowed to wear themed casual attire like university t-shirts to kick off football season or Hawaiian shirts at the start of summer. Additionally, leaders could send out daily or weekly e-mails informing employees of what is going on around the company.

Thursday, August 29, 2019

Pabst Brewing Company action memo Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Pabst Brewing Company action memo - Essay Example Therefore, I think a well-defined technological appliance would be a recipe for the success of the company. PBC would adopt the cloud based solution which focuses on channel of migration of the PBC datacenter to enterprise web based applications and its identification, extracted and channelize clouding activities for effecting clients web based internet speed and data acquisition. For the years PBC has been in business, it has major been offering competency outsourcing production, which focuses on marketing and promotion of services through internet marketing and distribution of data across world wide websites. This company has been and will be operating on virtualized datacenter because this technique has brought numerous changes to the company as far as digital technology is of concerned. Additionally, the company through the ICT department has been working closely with its customers to ensure that it provides the services on time. Concerning our customers, PBC assesses, prepares, and socialize with its clients via social media such as Facebook in order to enable effectiveness and realization of problems that may affect the business. Further, the company utilizes metrics configurations routine initiating cloud computing applications and operations to remove any forms of complexity dilemma. It provides its subscribers with salient margin minder application which assist in balancing inventory market demands on both sales and data integration. Further, the business offers its clients with free and customized six unique application services. This service includes a total of 28GB migration data space, entailing 4,152 files on system drive and 6,644 files on data drive. Some of the articulations that PBC has initiated in its business that favors, and creates conducive environment to its customers are; i. AppZero slashes the time and complexity of migrating complex, enterprise applications. ii. AppZero leaves the source machine and application untouched. iii. It mak es no change to the source application and requires no AppZero software on the source machine. iv. All AppZero software is on the destination machine in the Rackspace cloud. v. AppZero’s speed maximizes the productivity gains possible during limited maintenance windows vi. AppZero effectively stands in as the application subject matter expert in the absence of documentation or institutional knowledge, discovering and reproducing application inter-dependencies. vii. AppZero results in a clean installation build on the destination machine. viii. Identity Essential’s expertise marshaled technologies and talent to effect the migration. ix. The effort carried a big payload. Overhead is minimized; IT costs are decreased/controlled while its agility and flexibility are increased. PBC is now well positioned to use IT too aggressively and effectively provision fast changing business opportunities. Following its service provision to people, the firm has been accredited as the be st service provider for all gateway services, a service that is credited by the government and limited to the third party companies. I would like to state that Rack Mount Company has the freedom to go independent in order to accomplish their goals. I would also like to bring to your attention that some of the IT policies that the company need to

Wednesday, August 28, 2019

Teaching Vocabulary Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Teaching Vocabulary - Essay Example Teaching Vocabulary demands the use of various strategies as not all the students have the same capabilities to understand and comprehend the foreign as well as local languages. The issue of teaching vocabulary of a foreign language becomes more complicated due to the common lack of understanding of the foreign language of the children. (Council) It also further depends as to how the children are willing to learn and what methods can effectively be used to teach the children in most optimum way so that the capabilities of the children are maximized. However large part of this learning depends upon the curriculum and various ideologies of curriculum adopted by the schooling systems to impart knowledge into the students. This further trickles down to the goals and objectives set by the teacher in teaching the class. Therefore the issue of teaching vocabulary and various methods of teaching it largely depend upon the way a teacher intends to follow the overall plan of teaching the students. This essay will look into the various strategies for teaching the vocabulary to the students however, before doing so we will be discussing various curriculum methodologies which are being followed in order to set stage for our final analysis of the situation. Curriculum Ideologies Curriculum ideologies are defined as beliefs about what schools should teach, for what ends, and for what reasons. (Lu). All schools have at least one ideology - and usually more than one - that provides direction to their functions. An ideology can be tacit rather than explicit. Curriculum is the way through which these different ideologies can be implemented. The curriculum refers to the content and purpose of an educational program together with their organization. Curriculum is one of developing knowledge through which it can be organized into subjects and fields for educational purposes. Curriculum is also a way to ask questions as to how the knowledge and learning are linked to particular educational purposes. It is because of this reason that curriculum is considered as a best tool for learning. As many pedagogues have noted in their work, both radical pedagogy and critical theory have struggled Sisyphus-like against the forces of vocationalization, corporatization, the instit utionalized Romantic Humanist educational curriculum, and the commodification of knowledge that currently plague institutes of learning today. Apart from that there was also an attempt to institutionalize the critical theory. In this issue, theorists and teachers discuss the practical difficulties in "transforming thinking and revising habitual ways of reading texts and reading the world in their students." (Spurlin) Ideological positions pertaining to curriculum and to other aspects of education exist in a state of tension or conflict. They are competing on what schools should teach and for what ends in a political marketplace. Regardless of how powerful an ideological view may be in an individual's or even group's orientation to the world, it is seldom adequate to determine what the school curriculum shall be. There is a political process that inevitably must be employed to move from ideological commitment to practical

Tuesday, August 27, 2019

The Election Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

The Election - Essay Example According to The New York Times, for republicans, the surefire pickups are Montana and West Virginia, and to some extent Dakota too. Kentucky and Arkansas are also likely to be republican giving the republicans 47 sure seats. States like Iowa, Colorado and Iowa, seem to be leaning towards republicans giving them 50 sure seats. Therefore, my guess is that republicans will secure at least 50 senate seats. If my guess is to be based on the statistics going round on the internet, then it is clear that the GOP candidate Terri Lynn Land is going to loose. According to an article found on Detroit news, the National Republican Senatorial Committee is considering thinning its funding support for her campaign race, additionally, most polls conducted show that she is well behind her competitor Democratic Congressman Gary Peters. According to a poll conducted for The Detroit News and WDIV (Channel 4), Gary Peter leads Terry Lynn 44 percent to 35 percent (Livengood). A more recent poll shows that the gap has further widened with the democratic congressman building a commanding 15 percent point lead over republican Terri Lynn (Spangler). Based on this information I would guess that Terry Lynn Land will receive around 30 percent of the votes and average of the probable polls taking into consideration factors such as margins of error and voter’s tendency to side with the winning team James Robert Redford, because of his impressive resume that encompasses the time he served with The Navy Judge Advocate General Corps, as well as his current position as a Navy Reserve. He is also widely considered efficient in the courtroom and is admired widely for his integrity, collegiality and judicial temperament. He is also a strong advocate for fairness in the courtroom. David Viviano, this is for the reason that he has on numerous occasions proven to be a capable judge, and also insightful. He is also a strong

Monday, August 26, 2019

Discussion and Participation Questions Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Discussion and Participation Questions - Essay Example Another factor to consider is the quantity of philanthropic work companies performed. In order to foster an ethical work environment companies should have a formal code of ethics and an employee manual. Ethics can be used as a factor to gain an advantage over the competition. Social responsibility is one of the hottest trends in the business industry. 2. A company that has achieved great success and incredible levels of growth is Starbucks Cafe. This company took the concept of a coffeehouse to brand new level by offering products of greater quality, great product variety, and excellent customer service. One of the practices that make this company very socially responsible is its use of fair trade coffee. Fair trade coffee is a practice that guarantees poor farmers across the world at least $1.26 per pound of coffee which is twice the global price of that commodity. This firm has used innovation such as being one of the first coffeehouse to offer Wi-Fi broadband internet free of char ge. The firm has taken advantage of technologies to sell downloadable I-tunes. The company offers a lot of value by providing its customers with a great experience in all its stores worldwide. 3. To me it is not out of the ordinary that customization has become as valuable as standardization was at the beginning of the 20th century. Business has change and companies now have to provide a higher level of customer service and satisfaction. If a customer desires a customized product companies cannot afford to say no because that client will be lost forever and the competition will provide the potential client the customized product or service the person needs. In the service industry customization has become more important than ever. For example consultants provide a specialized customized service to each client they serve. 4. Participation professor Corporate values are very important towards the success a manager can achieve. A few years ago I worked at a company that was lacking any type of corporate ethics. The manager of the company lied to workers about compensation, incentives, and production quotas among other matters. The employees were offered incentives and the company never honored them. The lies and corruption at this company were so deep that the firm began to steal hours from the workers and the paychecks were received two to three weeks late every pay cycle. The lack of corporate ethics did not allow some of the good supervisors to do their job well since the employees lost all respect they had for the administration. 5. Participation – Matt An environmental factor of great importance that you mentioned in your response is pollution. Pollution has become one of the most dangerous environmental factors humanity faces. The rising levels of CO2 are contributing to the global warming effect. Humanity is destroying our rainforest at an alarming rate. It is estimated humanity deforestation problem is so bad that at current rate of deforestation a ll our rainforest will be gone within 100 years. Our water supply is not sufficient to provide water for the entire population of earth. In places such as the Sub-Saharan desert people do not have accessible drinkable water. Our society is so depend on crude oil that within 40 years it is possible that we may dried up all our petroleum reserves. 6. Participation - Kershena In your response you mentioned the importance of free trade agreements. Free trade agreement

Sunday, August 25, 2019

Safety Of Genetically Engineered Foods Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Safety Of Genetically Engineered Foods - Essay Example Various organizations across the world have raised concern about the use of GM foods. The organizations have criticized the agribusiness sector for maximizing their profits without taking the health of citizens into consideration. The government too is facing the blame for not passing policies that could regulate the foods. The genetically modified foods cause environmental hazards. The foods cause harm to other organisms. Experts gave the example of pollen grains from modified corn plan. It resulted in an increase in mortality rates in the butterfly caterpillars. It is obvious butterfly caterpillars do not consume cones, but the wind could blow toxins from the cones into their food (Carter, 2011). Toxins from GM foods kill many organisms. Researchers have found it hard designing toxins that could only be harmful to bad insects. It is proof that the toxins pose potential risks to the survival of organisms. GM foods pose a threat to the effectiveness of pesticides. They make pesticides that fight harmful insects to be useless. Example of this is the DDT pesticide. The toxins from GM foods made mosquitoes be resistant towards the pesticide. There are objections to this point of view. Some researchers argue that the toxins being a threat to the effectiveness of pesticides are a good idea (Subramanian, 2007). They argue that pesticides cause ecological damage. The researchers do not consider the harmful side of the insects. GM foods produce Bt toxins. The researchers argue that the Bt toxins would help clear the effects of synthetic chemical pesticides. The GM plants could be harmful to beneficial insects. The Bt toxin could kill insects within a very short time. There are insects that assist in controlling maize pests, for example, the green lacewings.

Saturday, August 24, 2019

Comparison Paper between Don Quixote from Cervantes and Bouvard and Essay

Comparison Paper between Don Quixote from Cervantes and Bouvard and Pecucher by Flaubert - Essay Example The importance of failure in both books is used to show this human attribute and the beliefs which many have surrounding their own lives and with the failure that is achieved. With this approach by both authors, one is able to create a different understanding of what it means to succeed or fail at different tasks. Structure of the Book The first technique which is used in Don Quixote and Bouvard and Pecucher is the use of failure that is acquired through the structure of the book. Both of the books have a main focus of providing comedy in the book while creating a specific relationship to the book through the continuous quest in which the characters are on. In Don Quixote, the individual quests never amount to anything. Either the character leaves the area, loses the battle or decides not to complete the mission. This is combined with the structure leading to the understanding that the plot line does not exist. These different components show the idea of failure specifically from the viewpoint of the character and with the structure of the book, which continuously diverts from any type of success on the journey. A similar path is taken with Bouvard and Pecucher. The structure focuses on both of the characters not being able to achieve anything throughout the book. ... This creates the understanding of failure based on the actions which they take as well as the perceptions which they hold. The character of Don Quixote shows this with the viewpoints that he holds and the intellectual relationship which he holds to the adventures which he goes on. The failure of the character occurs first through the difficulties with the quests that are never achieved and which don’t reach the end goal. For instance, the knight’s ailments and mishaps continue to remain a theme after dealing with others, such as youth and peasants, during his travels. â€Å"Nor was Don Quixote less so, for what with blows and bruises he could not sit upright on the ass, and from time to time he sent up sighs to heaven, so that once more he drove the peasant to ask what ailed him. And it could have been only the devil himself that put his head tales to match his own adventures† (Cervantes, 53). This passage shows the reality of Don Quixote, specifically which shou ld have the character of a knight who is able to overcome the difficulties and problems with the missions which he has been given. However, he is instead approached with ailments and the inability to win different battles while recognizing that the adventures which he has taken are not realistic to what he has heard. The continuation of failure is one that is also noted in the characters of Bouvard and Pecucher, specifically through their decision to take an intellectual quest to determine their righteousness in different situations. The different situations which they become a part of do not lead to any answers. More important, they always fail at winning the arguments or conversations that are a part of the

Friday, August 23, 2019

Sale of Goods Act 1979 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Sale of Goods Act 1979 - Essay Example Section 13(1A) of This Act provides as regards England and Wales, the term implied by subsection (1) above is a condition. Under Section 13 of the Act there is an implied condition in a contract of sale, upon the supplier of a service in a contract that the goods will correspond with the description, which will apply to any sale where the purchaser does not see the goods before he buys them & when acting in the course of a business that he will carry out the service with reasonable contractual period. Even if the purchaser has seen the goods, there may be a sale by description if he has relied upon the description. In this question it need to discuss While 'description' itself is an ordinary English word, the Sale of Goods Act 1979 contains no definition of what it means when it speaks (in Section 13) of a contract for the sale of goods being a sale 'by description'. And then it needs to discuss that a contract is from between parties when the seller was agreeing to sell and the buyer agreeing to buy. Now it need to discuss about condition, sale 'by description', current possession, and misrepresentation. First, one has to decide what is the meaning of sale by description. In the case of Varley v Whipp1 it has been held that this phrase must apply to all cases where the purchaser has not seen the goods but is relying on the description alone. Therefore, a sale must be by description if it is of future, or unascertained goods. But in addition, the term applies in many cases even where the buyer has seen the goods. Not only the term "sale by description" includes goods of a generic kind, for example, a packet of brand X cigarettes but also specific goods when they are sold as a thing corresponding to description. In the case of Beale v Taylor2 the subject matter of the contract was described as a 1961 Triumph Herald Convertible and the plaintiff saw the car and bought it. In fact, it turned out to be two different cars joined together. It was held that the car did not comply with the description. In Grant v Australian Knitting Mills [1936] the sale of woolen underwear was held to be a sale by description even though the buyer was buying something displayed before him on the counter. But a sale is not a "sale by description" where the buyer makes it clear that he is buying a particular thing because of its unique qualities, and that no other will do, or where there is absolutely no reliance by the buyer on the description (Harlingdon Ltd v Christopher Hull Fine Art Ltd3). In other words it appears that the only case of a sale not being by description occurs where the buyer makes it clear that he is buying a particular thing because of its unique qualities and that no other will do. For this reason, the sale of manufactured item will nearly always be a sale by description (except where it is second hand) because articles made to an identical design are not generally bought as unique goods but as goods corresponding to that design. In the Harlingdon case, the buyer was a professional art dealer who knew the seller had no experience or knowledge of the type of painting being said. There was accordingly no breach of s. 13 when the painting turned out to be a forgery. The buyer had placed no reliance on the seller's description. These cases suggest that the real question at issue in deciding whether the sale should be classified as a

Introduction to Human Rights Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Introduction to Human Rights - Essay Example The author of this introduction describes the human rights topic in general and briefly discusses several books that were written on the human rights topic and used to continue the research. In the book â€Å"Human Rights in International Relations† by David Forsythe the issue of the importance of human rights in the international context is discussed. In the beginning of the book the author underlines the importance of liberalism. Individual and political rights should be developed harmoniously in liberal democracies. After a brief introduction into human rights protection internationally the author makes an attempt to find the roots of human rights in philosophy. Philosophical background of human rights is a starting point for further discussion about the importance of human rights in the international relations. Another book written by Jack Donnelly â€Å"International Human Rights† is focused on the issue of human rights and its origin. The main attention is paid to post WWII period and it is correlated with the modern challenges of human rights with regards to globalization and terrorism. The researcher then concluds that as far as we can see, in the modern world a special attention is paid to human rights protection. In order to develop and improve this field, previous experience of different countries, philosophical ideas and correlation with historical events are taken into account. As a result, we can see a real progress in the field of human rights protection and international community attention to the issue.

Thursday, August 22, 2019

Introduction to Early Childhood Education - Assessment Essay Example for Free

Introduction to Early Childhood Education Assessment Essay Identify THREE quality indicators relevant to early childhood education and discuss why they are important for children, parents, and/or society. 300 words. The first quality indicator relevant to early childhood education would be people. Letting your child learn in an environment where the teachers and assistants are expert, well-trained and the majority of them hold qualifications in the area. They should be able to fully understand your child’s needs, communicate well with them ensuring they make your child feel safe and comfortable being around them. They should also be trusted and respected by staff, parents and children. The ‘place or environment’ would be the second indicator. The learning environment should make all children feel welcome regardless of the cultural, ethnic or language background. They should be able to provide a variety of, materials, equipment and play activity arranged to encourage children to learn. A stimulating outdoor environment that challenges and motivates children to explore, run and play is also important. An environment where they feel safe, and where parents can see their child, and feel comfortable knowing they are there. They should be able to feel secure in the environment they are in and to know their children can only benefit from being there. ‘Programme’ the third indicator. A quality learning programme should provide lots of learning opportunities in a wide range of different areas (reading, water play, sand play, dress-up, science, social play). A variety of activities either working in small groups or individual interactions with teachers. Parents should be able to BEd111: Introduction to Early Childhood Education Assessment 20120778 Tourmaline Munday- Cooper 2 to understand themselves about what their child is learning, having good communication with the centre employees, knowing what is going on and understanding their ways etc. an eye out being a parent and understanding the centres way. Teachers should always build trusting relationships with parents while always respecting and supporting different families cultures and languages. Reference List (ASPECTS OF QUALITY IN EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION Valerie N. Podmore and Anne Meade With Anne Kerslake Hendricks, 2000) (Collins Concise Dictionary, 2001, p. 1224). (Gibbs, C. (2006). To be a teacher: Journeys towards authenticity. Auckland: Pearson Education. ) BEd111: Introduction to Early Childhood Education Assessment 20120778 Tourmaline Munday- Cooper 3 Identify TWO early childhood services in your community. Briefly explain their history and then compare and contrast their philosophies, educational goals and the strategies employed to achieve these goals. 450 words. Montessori is a philosophy and method of education pioneered by the Italian educationalist Dr Maria Montessori (The first Montessori school opened in 1909, the first Waldorf school in 1919 and the first Playcentre in the 1930s) Montessori casa dei bambini or childrens house was first opened in San Lorenzo, Rome, Italy. Dr Maria Montessori recognised that the first six years of a child’s life are the most important. Dr Montessori, trialled many materials and activities, but kept only those to which the children were spontaneously and repeatedly drawn. Playcentre began in 1941 primarily as a support service to women left raising children alone due to partners being away with the Second World War. Lack of transport and low family incomes were the reality for many women. Playcentres original aims were â€Å"to provide leisure for mothers and opportunities for the social development of the pre-school child† (Stover, 1998, p. 3). Playcentre is a stimulating environment, they provide a diverse and rich range of experiences, unlimited free play across all 16 areas of play, and a child initiated curriculum. Montessori has a certain structure and is based on their own philosophy unlike playcentre. Playcentre is a parent run co-operative it relies heavily on parental input, participation and support. Montessori aim is to provide an environment with structure and activities that meet the needs of the children and by giving them freedom to move and act within it, it was said that Dr Montessori had revealed the â€Å"true nature† of the child. Their philosophy is aimed for Children to be encouraged to be firmly grounded in reality before being exposed to fantasy. Montessori classrooms are very BEd111: Introduction to Early Childhood Education Assessment 20120778 Tourmaline Munday- Cooper 4 quiet, as children are deeply absorbed in their work. They input this by managing the classroom materials into six areas (Practical Life Exercises, Sensorial Material, Art, Mathemartics, language, cultural subjects, and also physical is brought into their daily routine). Playcentre however is marked by a stimulating environment, providing a diverse and rich range of experiences, unlimited free play across all 16 areas of play, and a child initiated curriculum. Their views and goals are to promote children’s learning through play, Family involvement ( based on the importance of parents as educators of their own children) They like to View children as people who are strong and capable and can make their own choices about how and where to play (childinitiated play). Playcentre teachers are trained parents who take quite a hands on approach and implement learning, using a lot of open ended questions to extend children’s thinking. Montessori and playcentre have different methods. Both focus on the wellbeing of children, and help promote them to learn and grow through many different approaches. The key difference between Playschool and Montessori is that at playschool the whole family joins, rather than it just being a provider of education for the child. Reference List (Pre-schoolers: Preschool Education: Types of Early Childhood Care KYLIE VALENTINE 2010) (Stover, 1998, p. 3). May, H. (2002, Winter). Early childhood care and education in Aotearoa – New Zealand: An overview of history, policy and curriculum. McGill Journal of Education BEd111: Introduction to Early Childhood Education Assessment 20120778 Tourmaline Munday- Cooper 5. Discuss THREE of the following significant factors which were covered in this course and that promote health and safety in early childhood centres and explain the role of the early childhood practitioner in promoting and implementing these factors: 1. Providing a safe environment 2. Providing a hygienic and clean environment 3. Identifying and responding to childhood illness ‘Providing a safe environment’ Being a teacher, means constantly observing children and setting safety rules for them to create a safe centre. This is only part of the process. Teachers must always watch for hazardous situations. Toys, equipment, electrical appliances, hot water, and cleaning supplies can pose danger to children. Centre vehicles and the building itself can also be hazardous to children. As well as outdoor activities, certain heights and lengths of equipment need to be suitable for the environment as these pose a danger to children also. â€Å"Exploration is an important part of a child’s growth and development, and increased independence. However, that exploration should take place in an environment that is as free of hazards as possible† (MoH, 1997, p.71). ). The teacher’s role in identifying and removing or minimising potential hazards is vital. (See Moe, 2008, HS12-16, p. 19) A teacher’s first job should be to look at the environment where the children are going to play first thing in the morning, if there is anything unusual, broken or out of place that could be risk. Toy safety is another, choosing the items correctly the item itself, size, if it is appropriate for their age, etc. Picking safe toys and materials greatly reduces the risk of serious injury. Small things can cause serious harm, e. g. choking. However as a teacher, you must supervise children at all times when using BEd111: Introduction to Early Childhood Education Assessment 20120778 Tourmaline Munday- Cooper 6 the toys/playing. Creating rules for the children helps implement the importance of safety to them as well. ‘Providing a hygienic and clean environment ‘ In an Early childhood centre it is essential that all equipment is cleaned daily/weekly/monthly everything is to be sanitised/disinfected especially With children having access to all sorts of equipment daily (putting toys in their mouths, several hands touching the toys etc. ) It is very important for learning environments to be clean and safe as Germs can easily spread fast among children who play together. (Air, coughing, sneezing, Body waste and fluids, faeces, urine, saliva, mucus, skin, wounds, parasite, Blood, viruses and bacteria). Teachers should encourage children to also get involved with personal hygiene, getting them to blow their noses on tissues, washing hands before and after eating, or using the bathroom, this shows them how to help stay clean. â€Å"The importance of effective hand-washing for educators and children cannot be over-emphasised. Hand-washing is essential following animal handling, rubbish removal, outdoor activities, nose blowing, toileting and preceding food handling and consumption (MoH, 1997)† There are more strategies teachers influence to keep a safe healthy environment such as when a new child starts they talk about immunisation (immunisation charts) and excursion if a child is ill. These hygiene practices can likely reduce the spread of germs or uncleanliness in learning settings and it is essential to have a cleaning schedule. ‘†Identifying and responding to childhood illness† Early childhood teachers should be able to tell the signs and symptoms of an ill child . They should provide appropriate care for a child who is unwell. Sick children are usually have no interest in play, have BEd111: Introduction to Early Childhood Education Assessment 20120778 Tourmaline Munday- Cooper 7 little energy, short tempered and upset, may want to be held and comforted, fever, vomiting or diarrhoea. Parents should be notified, so they can come and collect their child. It is important to isolate the child from the group to prevent infecting others. A staff member must supervise the child closely, as a young child’s condition can change rapidly and they may need urgent attention. Children should always be reminded to also help stop spreading illness, they need to be given an idea, they may not understand the detail but as simple as reminding them to put their hand over their mouth when they sneeze or cough, grabbing a tissue when needed etc. Staff must always enforce hygienic care. Staff with Appropriate first aid should be administered to help with a situation where a child needs tending too e. g. If they are hurt, and need wounds cleaned and banded. The Ministry of Health (1997) advises that children should stay away from early childhood services when they are ill. Depending on your childcare provider they to have their own policy towards the issue. Teachers are not expected to diagnose conditions, that is what the doctors are for. However, having knowledge of how certain illnesses manifest, spread, and incubate is very important. Having a first aid certificate is a positive in the childcare industry having the knowledge of what to do in certain situations, it benefits the children and the centre. Reference List Auckland Regional Public Health Service. (May 2010). Health safety guidelines for early childhood centres. Retrieved 19th September, 2011, fromhttp://www. arphs. govt. nz/Portals/0/Health%20Information/PDFs/ECC_HealthSafet yGuidelines. pdf Childcare illness from http://www. careforkids. com. au/articlesv2/article. asp? ID=71 (Ministry of Health, 1997).

Wednesday, August 21, 2019

Strategic Analysis of Tesco for UK and US Markets

Strategic Analysis of Tesco for UK and US Markets Brief background As the Tesco used the corporate strategy like diversification, it has begun its Tesco bank and Tesco hope its bank could offer mortgages for its customers, also Tesco has buy a restaurant in UK. Although Tescos supermarket has taken the biggest market share in the UK market, but it is decrease in 2012-2013. So this means the Tescos business met problem in the UK market. One of the major challenge for Tesco was that the discovery of equine DNA in beef and other meat products throughout the UK industry. So the Tesco should do some change on its business strategy in the UK market. As the biggest retailer in the world, these years Tesco met some problem as its expanded market, such as the Japan market and the U.S market. In the US market, Tesco named their store a new name fresh easy. As the Tesco makes wrong strategy in US market, its entry mode is FDI, this makes Tesco pay a lot of money on the distribution build and on the store design. Also Tesco do not localization on the US market, thus it failed in the US market. Tesco should learn something new about how to expand its foreign market, such as localization and choose a right entry model to entry foreign market. As Tescos annual report(2012) has said that Tesco is one of the worlds largest retailers with operations in 14 countries. But its business met some problems in recently years. As it has entry the US market for several years, US market does not make any profit. Also in the UK market, Tescos supermarket face the problem of the reducing market share. Aim and objectives The aim of study is to assess the Tesco strategic choosing and if they using right or wrong strategic. The objectives are to: Provide a general overview of the Tesco business running in the US and UK. Analyze the business environment in the US and UK Analyze the retail market environment in the US market Identify and assess the Tesco value chain in the US retail market Identify what problems Tesco has meet on its business in recent years. Identify if Tesco face finance problem when its entry the US retail market and after entry the US market, if the Tesco has problem with cash flow or something else in finance. Research questions What is the Tesco advantage in the UK? It is can be keep in other countries market? What kind of strategy that Tesco using recent years, how it’s working? Did Tesco choose right strategy in the US market? After entry US market, when Tesco has nonprofits in the first year, what kind of decision that Tesco has made and how it influence its business. MNEs how to avoid failed or reduce its lost in the new market. Likely source of literature The conduct this research there are three types of literature sources will be used to discussion of the topic. Including primary literature sources, secondary literature sources and reference guides (Naoum,2013) Primary literature sources: the first-hand testimony or direct evidence. Includes academic research journal, refereed conferences, and reports. Secondary literature sources are cite from the primary sources, for example textbooks, newspaper articles, and magazine and construction news. Reference guides are useful for find out the basic questions quickly, such as dictionaries and handbooks. Literature sources Research methodology Research strategy Source of Data The source of data will be collected mainly from Tesco annual report, newspaper, academic journal article and academic report which based relevant with Tesco Plc. Also some finance detail will get from e-databases of uclan library website. Data collection Data will be collection from the literature directly. Methods of Data analysis Wolcott (1994) stated that methods of data analysis are used to describe facts, highlight useful information, detect patters, develop explanations and test hypotheses. Among several of data analysis methods, content analysis, typology and taxonomy as well as descriptive statistics will be used. Typology and taxonomy method is used to analyze the qualitative data. It can identify different kinds of data, thus forming sub-groups with the general construction project risk category. It can also clarify the relationship between the concepts. Descriptive statistics is a summary to describe the basic features of the data in a study. It helps ones to simply large amounts of data in a sensible way. Content analysis is a method for summarizing any form of content by counting various aspects of the content. It is useful to analyze and understand the collections of text(Strauss and Corbin,1990). references

Tuesday, August 20, 2019

Overview of the Cuban Missile Crisis

Overview of the Cuban Missile Crisis The Cuban Missile Crisis was a period of extreme tension and conflict between the USA and Cuba and the USSR in October 1962; it was characterized by decisions made by both John F Kennedy and Nikita Khrushchev. It was a 13 day event which started as a result of the USSR placing nuclear weapons in Cuba in an attempt to stop future harassment of Cuba following the failed Bay of Pigs invasion in 1961. The Cuban Missile Crisis was by far the closest that the USA and USSR came to using nuclear weapons in warfare, and it was only by tactile decision making in a crisis that disaster was averted. A crisis is characterised by threats to major values, time urgency, ambiguity or uncertainty and surprise or uniqueness, by these characteristics, the Cuban Missile Crisis was one of the biggest crisis of the 20th century. The crisis started when following a meeting between Fidel Castro and Nikita Khrushchev, Khrushchev agreed to hold nuclear missiles in Cuba. This was in response to several threats on Cuba from the USA. The Bay of Pigs invasion, though a failure displayed the USAs negative intentions to the Cuban regime and therefore Castro argued that a nuclear deterrent was the only option for the long term safety of Cuba. This was also a part of the USSRs response to the presence of American Jupiter missiles in both Turkey and Italy, which were firmly in range of Moscow. Following Khrushchev granting Cuba missiles, construction of the missile launch facilities started in the summer of 1962.The deployment of the missiles only came to light following photos taken by a US Air Force U-2 Spy plane. The plane had taken photos which clearly showed both medium and intermediate range nuclear missile facilities. The photos were shown to President Kennedy on October 16th and he quickly organised a meeting of the National Security Council to discuss what options of response the US had (JFK library,1962). This is an example of decision making, where the decision made will have a large and irreversible impact. There were numerous decisions and options discussed from using diplomatic channels to pressure the Cubans to remove the weapons, launch a full scale invasion of Cuba, Air strikes or a blockage (Allison Zeilkow, 1999). While the US had the military capabilities to invade and overthrow Cuba, they feared the Soviet response. It is also important to consider the fact that it was an election year in the US, and JFK had already come under fire by Republicans for a seemingly weak line against Cuba and they did not want to appear weak or afraid of the combined threat of Cuba and the Soviets. This had led to President Kennedy stating before gaining the knowledge of weapons in Cuba that â€Å"if Cuba should possess a capacity to carry out offensive actions against the United States the Unite d States would act’ (Peters Wooley, 1962). This had in effect already forced his arm; he did not want to appear to back down from his promises. In the end the US decided to conduct a naval blockade against Cuba, one of the main reasons for this decision was it made the US appear strong, whilst not forcing the Soviets hand or seemingly overly aggressive. Another key aspect in this is the legal ramifications of a blockade. Under international law, a blockade of another nation is considered to be an act of war, however lawyers at the Justice and State Department found a loophole that avoided the US from issuing a potentially contentious declaration of war. Using the Rio treaty a resolution from the Organization of American states allowed the US from having to declare war upon Cuba, which the Soviets would have objected to (Allison and Zelikow, 1999). The ‘blockade’ was instead termed as a quarantine of offensive weapons. (May, 2012). President Kennedy formally announced the blockade on 22 October in which he stated ‘It shall be the policy of this nation to regard any nuclear missile launched from Cuba against any nation in the Western Hemisphere as an attack by the Soviet Union on the United States, requiring a full retaliatory response upon the Soviet Union’ (United Press,2010). The international response was overwhelming with the world realising that they had never been closer to the use of nuclear weapons, and if they were deployedby both the US and the Soviets, there would be worldwide destruction never seen before on such a scale. During this period it is reported not only was there a Cuban invasion force stationed and ready in Florida but also 145 intercontinental ballistic missiles ready to take off, and the fleet of b-52 bombers were on continuous airborne alert, the US it is clear was preparing for a full scale war on a scale not seen since the end of WW2 (Kamps, 2007). On October 24 Soviet ships that were headed for Cuba caused panic when they neared the line of US ships which were actively enforcing the Cuban blockade. However the Soviet ships stopped just short of the blockade, requiring no action from the US. If they had attempted to breach the blockade, it could have easily led to a military confrontation. A further escalation in the crisis was on October 27, when an American spy plane was shot down over Cuba. Despite this overwhelming pressure which seemed to give no sign of slowing down or de-escalating a way was found out of the crisis which avoided a military conflict between the US and Soviets. Throughout the crisis Kennedy and Khrushchev had been communicating and when the crisis was near breaking point, the US told the Brazilian government to pass on a message to Cuba that it would be unlikely that the US would invade Cuba if they removed the missiles (National Security Archive, 2011). What followed was a personal letter from Khrushchev written on 26th October which offered a way out of the stalemate, if the US declared they will not invade Cuba then the Soviets would leave and remove the missiles. However the next day Khrushchev sent another letter which stated they would remove the missile bases in Cuba only if the US removed missiles from both Turkey and Italy’s As the two offers differed President Kennedy said he would accept the first one, this would also be a lot more f avourable his popularity in the US. What followed were intense negotiations between both US and Soviet dignitaries in Washington. Eventually a deal was reached and the Soviets agreed to remove the missiles from Cuba and to take them back to Russia whilst Kennedy secretly agreed to dismantle weapons bases in both Italy and Turkey. The crisis was over. What the Cuban Missile Crisis is, is an example is of leadership and decision making in a crisis. It was a period of extreme tension, the wrong decision could lead to nuclear war, yet a clear headed and rational decision still had to be made. The decisions that President Kennedy made were made only after looking at the effects both on the world stage and also back in the US. It was a senate election year and President Kennedy couldn’t let any decision he made weakenhis position in the mind of the electorate. Yet he also had to way up the potential devastating impact if the crisis escalated because he wanted to appear strong against the Cuban and Soviet threat. Kennedy had already come under pressure from Republicans, for having a supposedly weak stance on Cuba, so reaching any form of compromise was unthinkable to the Cuban hawks in the Republicans. What this clearly shows is the sheer complexity of the arena that Kennedy had to make his decision in. He had to de-escalate the conflict, which required compromise on his part, whilst appearing strong and not to give in to the Soviet threat. That he managed to do that, and was considered by many at the time to have ‘won’ the crisis is remarkable. We can analyse several of the decisions made by Kennedy, how to respond to the threat and how to deal with the de-escalation of the crisis. When deciding how to respond to the crisis Kennedy and his advisors had to weigh up several key and important factors. As previously mentioned there were several ideas and options to choose from when responding to the initial discovery of missiles in this early stage in the crisis of mounting tension. If the US did nothing, as it was high unlikely that Cuba would use them unprovoked considering the Soviets knew they did not have the same firepower or amount of nuclear warheads as the US, then the crisis would potentially fade away without requiring a military response. However several Republicans had already been criticising Kennedy for being too lenient to Cuba, if it came public that Kennedy did nothing when a nuclear weapon was found 90 miles of the coast of Florida he would appear weak and his leadership credibility would be in tatters. The other extreme would be an escalation of the crisis, either an air-strike or full scale military invasion. While this would certainly win him support back home, it is highly unlikely that the Soviets would not also respond with force, thus starting war between the US and the Soviets. Also President Kennedys allies in the UK, France and in the wider international community would feel that the US went into war too quickly when there was a diplomatic route out of the crisis, thus it would cost him support from his allies. Therefore we can see that the blockade was a good strategic decision for Kennedy to take. It made the US appear strong, meeting the crisis head on, without looking brash and escalating the conflict. Further as previously mentioned there was a legal precedent for it. Thus it is clear this was a good decision to take under the circumstances and time pressure. Kennedy had analysed the impact his decision would have in the US, to the Soviets and Cuba as well as the wide r international community. The blockade made the US look strong but not overly aggressive and more importantly it placed the impetus on Khrushchev to make the next decision to escalate or de-escalate the crisis. Another example of good decision making in the Cuban missile crisis was Kennedy’s decision to accept the removal of missiles in Cuba public, whilst keeping the US withdrawal of missiles in Turkey and Italy secret. He accurately judged how far Khrushchev would stretch diplomatically and calculated that he could create an end to the crisis whilst appearing to have stood firm in the face of Soviet aggression and have forced Khrushchev back down from the US. This was a decision he took after weighing up the options and potential benefits and drawbacks. Kennedy therefore was able to make a clear decision despite threats to major values, large scale uncertainty and a lack of time to concretely analyse every potential outcome of a decision. What inevitably stopped this crisis from escalating into war while other similar crises have ended in warfare is the ability and will of both the Soviets and the US to compromise. In conclusion, we can see that due to decision making a crisis that could have easily ended up in nuclear warfare, ended up with a diplomatic solution. The only reason war was avoided was the rational decision making abilities of a few key players. President Kennedy had to de-escalate a crisis whilst still maintaning control of the situation. That he was able to do this and appear successful both on the world stage and back home is commendable and down to his ability to make clear and calculated desicions under pressure. The US enjoyed the press coverage of a victorious nation and in the senate election that followed the Democrats won three seats, so we can see this as a vote of confidence in the Democrats and Kennedy following the missile crisis. What becomes clear from studying the Cuban Missile Crisis is how important pursuing the correct strategy when attempting to de-escalate a crisis and the need for crisis managers to take rational decisions in face of extreme pressure. Here t he pressure or consequences could not have been greater, yet disaster was avoided by the actions and decision making abilities of crisis managers. References Allison, Graham; Zelikow, Philip. (1999). Essence of Decision: Explaining the Cuban Missile Crisis. New York: Addison Wesley Longman. John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum. (1962). Off the Record Meeting on Cuba: The White House. Washington D.C. Kamps, Charles. (2007). The Cuban Missile Crisis. Air Space Power, (3), 88. May, Ernest. (2012, February 7). John F Kennedy and the Cuban Missile Crisis. Retrieved from http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/worldwars/coldwar/kennedy_cuban_missile_01.shtml#three National Security Archive. (2011). October 26, 1962 to November 15, 1962. The Cuban Missile Crisis.Author. Peters, Gerhard; Woolley, John.(1962). John F Kennedy. 378-The Presidents News Conference. Santa Barbara, CA: The American Presidency Project. University of Californa. United Press International. (2010, April 22). Cuban Missile Crisis 1962 Year In Review. Retrieved from http://www.upi.com/Archives/Audio/Events-of-1962/Cuban-Missile-Crisis

Monday, August 19, 2019

Existentialism in Night Essay -- Essays Papers

Existentialism in Night In his essay â€Å"Existentialism†, Jean Paul Sartre discusses the main beliefs of existentialism. Perhaps the most important belief of existentialism is that there is no human nature, and there is no God. This means that each individual man has control of his own destiny. The definition of each individual man is the sum of his life and all he has accomplished in his life. He is also responsible for all the choices and actions he makes in his life. These types of choices and actions can be seen in the book â€Å"Night† by Elie Wiesel. This book is a story about a boy, Wiesel, who is taken to a concentration camp with his family. It follows him and his father through their trials and movement from Auschwitz to Burkenau, and to Buna and how they continue to narrowly escape death. By the end of the story, readers see how Wiesel has become indifferent to the horrors of the camps. From the beginning to this point in the book, Wiesel and other characters make decisions that Sartre would call existentialist. Wiesel himself makes the first of these decisions. When Wiesel is a young boy in Sighet, he decides he wants to study the Zohar, the cabbalistic books. He would go to the synagogue ad weep while he prayed. His parents said that he should be in school. Wiesel said of his father, â€Å"He wanted to drive the notion out of my head. But it was in vain. I found a master for myself,† (2). His father wanted him to stop with his wishes to be educ...

Sunday, August 18, 2019

Jem as A Young Moral Man in To Kill A Mockingbird Essay -- To Kill a Mo

A young boy growing up during the great depressions and racial discreteness’ between a persons race, will be affected dramatically especially in the situation of having a moral father stand against what is wrong. Harper Lee in To Kill a Mockingbird helps mould the young childish Jeremy Finch into a young mature man. In the trial of Tom Robinson, Jem undergoes a change in the way he envisions Maycomb county’s people, as well as his own personal beliefs. Jem also learns a valuable lesson with his relationship and time spent with Mrs. Dubose during a one month period in her bedroom. The writer uses particular moments to show an alteration of Jem’s close interaction with Atticus. Harper Lee has definitely displayed the obvious changes and effects on Jem in particular moments in his life that have shaped him in to the person he becomes at the end of the novel. Jem demonstrates a drastic transformation from the exposition to the denouement. At the commencement of the novel, he engages in childish games involving Dill and Scout. However, as the story progresses, Harper develops Jem’s character and Jem begins to ignore and avoid Scout’s immaturity. He comes to realize that Maycomb County has a negative outlook on a person’s skin colour. Jem can be considered a young man by the end of chapter thirty-one because he experiences the truth of what was hidden from him as a child, Racism, intolerance and dishonesty. â€Å"It was Jem’s turn to cry. His face was streaked with angry tears†¦Ã¢â‚¬ËœIt ain’t right, he muttered†Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ (212). Jem went through a change in, a short period of time that several boys his age do not encounter in a similar way. Although, it is very normal for boys Jem’s age to be somewhat affected by events and people in their life. ... ...s. ‘â€Å"But to do something like this to a sick old lady is inexcusable.’ ‘I strongly advise you to go down and have a talk to Mrs. Dubose,’ (104). Atticus exhibits his willingness to teach Jem to never run away from his problems. It is Atticus who symbolizes a strong figure in Jem’s maturity, growth and change in the novel. During the course of the novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, Jem experiences an obvious transformation, through particular moments that have effect on the young man he is shaped into. Jem’s growth in the novel is apparent in his interactions with Mrs. Dubose and the Tom Robinson trial. He has distinct moments with Atticus that formulates his authentic personality. As a boy he does not yet understand the truth that little Maycomb County holds. It is through his change in age that he formulates vital morals that break the wall that hides the real world.

Saturday, August 17, 2019

How does Shakespeare present conflict at the start of Romeo and Juliet Essay

Explain how Shakespeare presents the theme of violence in this part of the play. The first thing to note about this scene is that it takes place right at the start of the play. I think that this scene exists to set up and highlight one of the key conflicts in the play as a whole. It takes place after a serious fight between the Montagues and Capulets. This fight’s prime instigator is Tybalt who when asked by Benvollio to help him keep the peace says: â€Å"What drawn and talk of peace. I hate the word, As I hate hell, all Montagues, and thee: Have at thee, coward!† Clearly then this is a deep seated conflict that is responsible for disturbing the peace in Verona and it is the Prince’s job to restore order in this scene. Therefore right at the start of the scene he calls them ‘profaners’. This is very emotive language and helps to underline the Prince’s contempt for both of the families and their conflict. The audience when they hear language like this will then associate both families as being not being very religious and being opposed to God and His purposes. The contempt that the Prince and the audience is supposed to feel for both of the fighting families is further emphasised in the description of their swords as ‘neighbor-stained steel’. Clearly what the Prince is trying to highlight here is that both families are behaving in a very selfish immature way and are showing an unchristian regard for their neighbours. Therefore violence is shown in this scene as being something that is pointless, stupid and going against God. Following on from this the theme of violence is further emphasised through the Prince’s use of a rhetorical question: â€Å"Will they not hear?† I think that Shakespeare deliberately uses this technique here to demonstrate how unthinking both families are in their hatred for each other. It is clear that the hatred between them runs so deep that they cannot and will not listen to people who are trying to mediate between them and trying to keep the peace. This is further emphasised later on in the line by the Prince describing them as ‘beasts’. I think that Shakespeare deliberately uses this word to help emphasise just how nasty the violence between both families are. A beast is an animal. Therefore, to the Prince, the unthinking violence between them has gone so far as to take away their humanity. Again in the next line Shakespeare has further emphasised the Prince’s dislike and animosity towards both families and even how fed up he is with their constant quarrelling by using the emotive language of: â€Å"your pernicious rage’ This helps to underline that to the Prince it is both families’ actions that are having a harmful effect on his city and that they are gradually being very destructive through their actions. According to the Prince the only thing that will help to cool the men’s emotions down and will stop all the violence is: â€Å"purple fountains issuing from your veins† What the Prince means here is that only by the men’s spilt blood will they calm down. This does not seem like an effective way to keep the peace and helps to show that for some reason violence has become a way of life for the people involved the quarrel. What is the cause of all this violence the audience would naturally ask at this point in the speech? It is clear that, according to the Prince, that the cause of most of the violence is merely an ‘airy word’. The connotations of ‘airy’ are something that is unsubstantial, something that is barely even there. Therefore the portrayal of violence in this part of the play by Shakespeare is of actions that don’t have a cause, that are incre4dibly harmful and don’t seem to be about anything much in particular. Surely then we as the audience will slightly sympathise with the Prince and his role to help keep the peace. This can be seen later on in the play when Tybalt gets into a fight with Mercutio. One of the key moments in the play is when Tybalt says: â€Å"Mercutio thou consort’st with Romeo† This could be seen as being just friendly ‘banter’ however to both families it is seemingly jokey things people say to each other take on huge significance. For me then these ‘airy words’ have a huge impact because the strong sense of pride these characters have and how they are unable to let things slide. I think this helps to underline what I think is the big lesson that Shakespeare is trying to teach us about violence in the play and that is that is that violence is often seen by people who are not taking part or who are innocent bystanders as being pointless and damaging.