Thursday, October 31, 2019

Management Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3750 words

Management - Case Study Example Resources within an organization includes finances, labor and time, which all are limited, yet important factors of production. In the 21st century, organizations have experienced intensive pressure to shift towards more production-oriented strategies to remain relevant and to overcome the numerous forces that are strenuous to business operations. For a smooth business run, organizational managers have to remain innovative and flexible to adapt to the dynamic market trends in their role of business coordination. Employees form part of the most vital resource that managers have to manipulate to tap their skills and knowledge and to direct them towards production. To optimize, it is important to align the employees to the organizational goals and to get them on board in the process of project implementation. Today, this has become the role that organizational managers have to shoulder if they have to succeed in their management duties. In the recent past, there has been an increase in work-related issues within many organizations due to conflicts as management face new market forces that require a transition into effective management strategies demanded by the dynamic market. ... Analysis of the Situation at Ground Matters on Ground In this case study, the university management experienced a conflict between the human resource manager and the chief Staff manager over the hiring of an employee in a matter of urgency in the organization. After the chief manager completed a selection process of an employee, the Human resource manager required that the employee produce a criminal investigation certificate as was provided by the organizational polices after which the employee would be served with a letter of acceptance. While the chief staff manager feels that in a matter of urgency the organizational policies can be overruled, the human resource manager feels that this would be a threat to these policies and insists on implementing them to the letter. Meeting between the two managers to discuss the issue ended up unsuccessful and as a matter of fact heightened the tension between the two officers. Resultantly, the chief staff officer had to resort to higher manag ement, the director, to resolve the issue at hand. Apart from heightening the tension between the two officers, the conflict between the two managers, had a consequence on the employees directly under them who also divided and supported their respective boss. The hired employee, Senior Academic Program specialist (SAPS) also felt that he was a victim a long and strenuous procedure and this had an impact of their work attitude. In summary, this conflict was extended to the entire organization and consequently had an impact on employee productivity in this organization. Scenario analysis In this case, the human resource manager and the chief staff manager had a conflict that seems to originate from differences in organizational strategy. While the human

Tuesday, October 29, 2019

Being Clear on What Is and What Should Be Queer. This Essay

Being Clear on What Is and What Should Be Queer. This Conceptualization Of Queer - Essay Example It is inferred from Harding’s essay that because of heteronormativity, queer includes fat women, whose only chance of experiencing sex is by being raped. In The Trouble with Normal, Warner examines the dilemma of determining and pursuing what is normal. Being normal casts negative shadows on what is queer, which is why Warner thinks it is wrong for the Mattachine Society to toss aside the issue of sex to gain respectability and normativity. Two definitions of queer emerge because society defines it as having sexual norms that are against heteronormativity, something that is sinful and pathological (or what queer should be), while Harding and Warner describe it as composed of variations to the norm, where everyone has equal sexual agency (or what queer is). Society defines queer as opposite to acceptable heterosexual norms and practices. Sex is central to the concept of queer, but society, in its heterosexual morality, seeks to undermine queer sex as improper, immoral sex. Hard ing and Warner question the dominant social definition of queer as a negative sexual attitude and behavior just because it is outside heteronormativity. Who defines what is queer? For Harding, the hypermasculine culture defines queer vis-a-vis its sexual and political interests. She asserts that society conditions women to live for their â€Å"primary obligation†: â€Å"to make [themselves] pretty for heterosexual men’s pleasure† (68). Queer women, by sexually desiring the same sex, are clashing with their predominant obligation. Furthermore, queer is defined not according to what the defined actually feels, but how heterosexual society describes it should be. Harding criticizes society and the media for having a skewed understanding of beauty and attraction, which is the basis of political and social roles, functions, and boundaries. After discussing how society and the media pressure fat people to be thin, Harding notes that it is clear that: â€Å"†¦fat is Not Hot† (74, capital letters from original text). Beauty is reserved for the thin, and people are supposed to be attracted only to thin people. Queer is unattractive to heterosexual norms. Another definition from mainstream society is that queer is abnormal and must be concealed or changed to suit heteronormativity. Warner criticizes the efforts of some gay organizations to desexualize their struggles because the essence of being queer is being sexual and being open about it. He stresses that homosexuality is central to the fight for gender equality: â€Å"It is hard to claim that homosexuality is irrelevant as long as you feel the need to make the claim† (46). Sex and sexuality are political centers of the aspiration for personhood. Warner argues that sex is politics and queer is political. In 1953, the Mattachine Society’s new leaders assert the importance of â€Å"integrating† as a way of showing the public â€Å"new maturity† (Warner 46). T o integrate is to be non-sexual and to be non-sexual is to forget that sexuality is a political struggle for the queer. And to forget that queer is sexual and political is to say that queer is dead and must remain so. Warner’s point is that by desexualizing the queer movement, the queer are accepting the social definition that they are not acceptable because they are not the norm. Queer is abnormal and must remain hidden in the bathrooms and bushes. Fat women are queer too because their physical characteristics put them at the fringes of physical attraction. Harding points this out persuasively, as she analyzes the heterosexual norm, where: â€Å"

Sunday, October 27, 2019

Health Issues of Homeless Population

Health Issues of Homeless Population Introduction A person is contemplated homeless if there is no roof over his head to live. The statistics, which prevail only, relate to masses that are counted as homeless and meet the requirements for local government aid. The quota of households proclaimed in need of urgent housing in United Kingdom increased by about 25% over the last four years. The enormous numbers of people classified have complicated social, health and psychological requirements, and in the past years a great number of centres have been set up to dispense foremost care to people belonging to homeless group. Importance of public health Personal medical services regulation body has made this practicable; earlier, the network of general practitioner (GP) fundholding was a hurdle to chief care for vagrant people with complicated and unsolved issues. The nationally increased general practitioner (GP) agreement will in all likelihood put forward inducements for supervision of vagrant people. The existing obstacles for this group can be seen in suc a way that In a report to the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister, they incorporated the appointment procedures, opening times of surgery, financial disincentives, location and discrimination. Causes for differentiation comprise of impressions that they are violent, antisocial, migrant, or ‘undeserving’. Furthermore, the situation was dealt with some vagrant people face even more risk of being excluded due to their gender, age, sexual orientation or ethnic background. In primary safekeeping, demanding conduct can be a matter of question, but classification of an i ndividual as ‘undeserving’ or ‘deserving’ takes no description of the social elements for example poverty and unemployment, which can conduct to homelessness. Doctors are encouraged by the general media council to permit personal views about patients’ gender, culture, race, age or sexuality to preconceive the idea the safekeeping they get. Because of it a challenge is being placed on clinicians not to eliminate people from health centers because of homelessness or possible drug culture. (Anne, 2005). Common health problems Drugs People without home have a larger proportion of dangerous morbidity and humanity than the other general population. The major health requirement is drug reliance,and the use of illegal drugs, which cause numerous morbidity (including viral hepatitis B and C), septicemia, HIV infection, deep vein thrombosis, abscesses, endocarditis, cellulitis and encephalitis. Adjacent to this, many will be using numerous drugs, mainly heroin and cocaine.Typically for drugs users, principles make these rules. Controlled drugs should be authorized to those patients only who have actually accepted GP, drugs worker and patient. Now there are nations approved results of drug cure,and the policy will rely on those who use drugs independent situations, for example, some drug users will insisted to detoxify from opioids (clearly it is then reasonable to work to an outcome of cessation of drug use). For disorganized drug users, this outcome is not much sensible at first demonstration and the goal must be to establish health and social obligating’s. This (harm reduction) will involve a reduction in the amount of the drugs used, upgrading in physical health, less sinful action and improved relationships (personal/family). (Phill, 2003) Alcohol Many vagrant people have a persistent history of serious alcohol dependence with hepatobiliary, gastrointestinal, cardiovascular, neurological, or metabolic complications. Not to forget that the risk of suicide because of depression is still there. Frequently the vagrant users of alcohol will come to the extensive practitioner with an appeal for urgent detoxification. This should not be undertaken without sufficient preparatory support and assessment. Particularly, uncontrolled detoxification can conduct to convulsions (mainly in the initial 24 hours), which can cause death. The drug of choice to accomplish removal is chlordiazepoxide. Earlier Clomethiazole (Heminevrin) was taken, but this is more toxic when excessively taken and has larger causing dependency capacity. A treatment of vitamins is used instead which also requires to be recommended large dose of thiamine for a single week followed by prolongation vitamin B blend strong. (Phil, 2003) Smoking In the regular population, smoking have decreases since last 30 years. As stated by the General Household Survey, 27% of adult population smokes. One of the government investigation carried out about smoking (among homeless people) was managed in 1996 by Gill. They found that the levels of the smoking were: 90% of homeless people 85% of public in night shelters 68% of hostel inhabitants 49% of private sector leased residence. Current research in England (southwest) and Wales noted that 94% of Big Issue vendors reported smoking cigarettes. (Hellen, 2003). Mental Health The most common health issue in homeless people is drug-induced, psychosis, schizophrenia, depression and anxiety states.The direction of the link with homelessness is uncertain; mental ill health can be a cause and also can be an effect. As compared with the usual population, mental illness is overrepresented in young people (typically rough sleepers), the principal conditions being schizophrenia, affective disorder, psychoses and substance misuse (including alcohol).Dual diagnosis is common and many of the homeless people who are mentally ill have a history of illegal actions. The crimes mainly consist of acquisitive crime or alcohol habit, damage to property or mischief while drunken. A very less men have a history of violent crime. Almost less than 1/3 of homeless people.For some old people, mental illness is the excess to homelessness.(Richard Michael, 2008). Practice organizations There has many debates conducted on whether primary care is better provided through specialized general activities working with homeless people than through common activities.It has been talked that a specialized extensive pursuit for vagrant people is best to put on these vagrant drug users in doomsday with an excess of health troubles. And as well as stabilizing the severe medical states such applications can direct the vagrant person in right use of basic care. When these results have been attained the patient is motivated to lodge with a normal practice. This change can be hard not just for patients but also for medical practitioners when there is a powerful personal liability. Consequently, we ponder that a specialized performance requires the assistance of a committed GP liaison worker. Specialized common practices for vagrant people are only possible in large areas of the city. For village vagrant inhabitants, the answer lays in increment of existing normal basic healthcare se rvices. Another problem in basic care provision for vagrant people is the tightness between practice-based work and outreach work. The quarrel for outreach is depended mainly on a wrong supposition that vagrant people are short-lived and do not approach basic care.(James, 1994) Working with primary care organizations Historically the organized multiagency functioning for the advantage of vagrant people has been hard to attain, for causes comprising lack of lucidity about the correct responsibilities and employments given by differing agencies, problems in sharing information, and nonfulfillment to answer in a coordinated manner. The Royal College of General Practitioners suggests that homelessness problems should be considered as component of the basic primary care organization (PCO) agenda. In a Statement on Homelessness and Primary Care it says that PCOs should give services for in progress homelessness woks, obtain a fine understanding of the numbers of vagrant people in their region and the issues they face, and should encourage multiagency connections and the sharing of conventions and operating ways that make coordinated care and integrated working easier. Working with hospitals When sick, vagrant people look for the help later than other people. They are over-symbolized in presence at emergency departments and hospital accidents. Whether their lodged complaints would be managed in a better manner in basic care is not evident; the reason behind most of the attendances is intentional self-harm or overdose of medication, so the elevated attendance speed could cast back the high commonness of serious ailment in this category of vagrant people. The GP will wish a vagrant patient with acute disease to stay in the medical care center until fully healthy for discharge, and in vagrant users of drugs this may be assisted by instruction of substitute medication on the hospital rooms. The chief purpose should be to keep the users of drugs in a hospital room and not allow them take their own discharge because of acquiring minimal substitute medication. Because the GP may wish to press on these instructions of doctors even after discharge, practices working with users of drugs require evenly matched connections with services to the inpatients. Present day many users of the drugs taking methadone are liberated out either in the absence of medication or with adequate amount of medicine for just a single day. This puts excessive pressure upon basic care. (Healthy Life, healthy people) Working with other stakeholders Joint working not only consisted of healthcare associates but also other services providers to vagrant people incorporating social services departments, housing departments, and non-statutory companies. Lastly, and most significantly, GPs should search for to work in association with vagrant people themselves, the ‘consumers. User involvement: active or passive? In trivialized categories, involvement of patients can be an efficient means to better healthcare. In the case of vagrant people, stigmatization, isolation and absence of choice show large hurdles. By implying these patients we can recognize pauses in the work and alter training correspondingly. Similar efforts go some way to respond to the social exclusion, which subscribes to sick-health. The fundamental principle is that all individuals, regardless of status, must be permitted chances to take part in resolutions influencing them. To this end, advocacy groups and self-help will sometimes be of help in finding out the essential requirements. An experimental study carried out at the NFA (No Fixed Abode) Health Centre for Homeless People, Leeds, focused to decide the most efficient and suitable ways to facilitate and encourage the involvement of patient. 30 patients attending by random selections, appointments fulfilled a structured questionnaire investigating their behaviors to becoming actively counted in the service. The solutions showed that most of them were keenly interested in impacting the run of the health care center and desired to be a part of the decisions, which could change the recipients of future regarding the service. They depicted interest in making a contrast, to pass on their practical knowledge, or to restore something. Some candidates, specifically the ones who were trying to lower their use of drugs, revealed a feeling that participation in the NFA would dispense a perfect chance to focus their lives again. But the desire for participation was not accepted everywhere: some contemplated no requirement for modification or judged the NFA plainly as a service to provide their medical requirements, and a small number of people said they did not get the time.(Health Development Agency) Health Promotion And Psychological behavior change Propaganda of health to vagrant people is feared with problems—not because the masses are so diverse. When asked, sellers of theBig Issue(who themselves are vagrant) gave some prime concern to lessening of uncertainty from the injection of drug. Here are few practical means of promotion of health in primary healthcare: Offer immunization of hepatitis B to that vagrant who inject drug. A speeded up program (0, 7, 21 days) outcomes in immensely better fulfillment charges than the customary (0, 1, 6 month) program. A booster should be given at twelve months Urge vagrant users of drugs to avail needle exchange programs, which may lower the commonness of hepatitis C. Injecting instruments should not be shared. Be alert of death from overdosing of heroin. Recommend the patient not to self-inject when alone and guide in opposition to the use of other drugs, including alcohol or benzodiazepines, with heroin; be alert of deficiency of tolerance after voluntary or enforced sobriety. In the time ahead, courses for vagrant people may consist of peer management of naloxone for excessive drug dose. (Bengt Monica, 2006) Conclusion In a nutshell, there are few great models of the foremost care service donation to notify the healthcare of on the streets people. These models have been originated from labouring with vagrant masses as well as composing the best performance evolved from associated fields for instance the use of substance. Basic care health service providers seeking to propose healthcare to vagrant populations have the chance to be the part of swiftly developing circle of healthcare with complexes to carry both the practices of the clinic and continue the development of the professionals. References Anne, R. (2005). Health visiting. UK: Elsevier. Bengt, L. Monica, E. (2006). Contextualizing Salutogenesis and antonovasky in public health development. Health Promtion International Vol. 21, No. 3. Healthy Lives, Healthy People. Accessed from: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/216096/dh_127424.pdf. Health Development Agency. Accessed from: http://www.nice.org.uk/nicemedia/documents/homelessness_smoking.pdf Hellen, G. (2003). People in society: Modern studies. UK: Nelson Thornes Ltd. James, C. (1994). Homelessness and Ill-Health. UK: Royal College of Physicians Phil, R. (2008). Working with young homeless people. UK: Jessica Kingsley Richard, W Michael, M. (2003). Social Determinants of Health. UK: WHO library.

Friday, October 25, 2019

Essay --

4) What does the future hold for the fashion industry in France? With many of Paris’ fashion houses being over a century old, it is necessary that the houses to have successors for their head designers. In recent years, houses such as Chanel, Louis Vuitton, Yves Saint Laurent and Balmain have acknowledged new head designers and creative directors. When houses are changing such a critical role in their brand, they must be extremely careful that the successor will keep the essence of what made the brand respected for so many years. Parisian houses are recognized for taking ample time in doing so, and they usually make the best choice. In the near future, Paris and the rest of the â€Å"Big Four† will be facing some new competition. The Top 5 Quickest Emerging Fashion Markets are the major South American countries, China, Turkey, the UAE and Kazakhstan (Top 5 Emerging Markets†¦). Many Asian and Middle Eastern cities are quickly edging their way up the Top 20 Fashion Capitals List. The rapidly expanding Middle Eastern city of Dubai provides very â€Å"western world† lifestyle. The growth of Dubai has been constant since 1966 when oil was discovered in their land. In such a short time period, Dubai has gone from dependent upon trade and labor to the 22nd most expensive city in the world, and the most expensive in the Middle East. Many luxury brands that are coveted in Europe and the US like Hermes, Cartier and Louis Vuitton have thrived in this wealthy, metropolitan area. As of 2012, it was number 31 on the Top Fashion Capitals list and #1 in the Middle East according to the Global Language Monitor. With the influences of surrounding countries being a bit more ethnic, the cultural diversity is very strong. India is known for their rich, elaborat... ...the fashion industry for hundreds of years, as it is home to the world’s leading designers and has imbedded a natural sense of effortless style in its residents. Paris Fashion Week is the finale of the four fashion weeks and is still depended upon for dictating next season’s trends. The world’s most glamorous names in fashion like Yves Saint Laurent, Coco Chanel, Lanvin, Louis Vuitton, Hermes and many more are still based out of the city. Paris was home to the first fashion house and it was the city to coin the terms of haute couture and prà ªt-à  -porter. To this day use they implement high standards and use unions to protect these sects of the industry. It is home to the Golden Triangle; shopping districts of Champs-Elysà ©es, Avenue Montaigne and Avenue Marceau. For these, and plenty of other reasons, France can still rightly claim its title of world fashion capital.

Thursday, October 24, 2019

Love for Cooking Essay

Goal: In this paper I tried to open to different ideas to cooking opposed to giving directions about how to cook. I tried to provide each reason with two examples to give readers a better understanding about what food can really be about. Evaluation: I feel like I did good on the overview on covering all the basics on cooking to where it’s understandable and relateable opposed to writing is as a recipe or directions list that most people would think cooking is about. Cooking a satisfying dish has three aspects. The first aspect that is usually the most important is eating with the eyes. An example is how the dish is plated, how it smells, and how appealing and appetizing it looks to the eye. Another example that compares to the first example is that if food is plated sloppy or looks and smells unappetizing, it generally doesn’t catch peoples attention. A second aspect that relates to the first aspect is using fresh ingredients. Using fresh ingredients means a healthier meal, and also getting natural vitamins, minerals, carbohydrates, and ect. Another example is using fresh food opposed to processed food, because everyone wants to knows what they’re eating. One last aspect is making the dish taste fantastic. A dish that tastes good has people eating more of it, even though it might not be good for them to over-stuff. Another reason is people asking for the recipe or asking the chef to prepare their meals boost confidence in the chef knowing she made a good meal for everyone. One thing that will always remain is that feeling of providing something delicious for the community that has them cominging back and a sense of happiness and successfullnes in a chef.

Wednesday, October 23, 2019

Lebron James Desicion

In case you haven't heard, one of the best basketball players on the globe had a one hour special to announce his free agency decision in the summer of 2010. LeBron James went on ESPN on July 8th to tell the basketball world he was taking his talents to south beach to join the Miami Heat. â€Å"The Decision† as it became know, brought LeBron quite a bit of hate not only from fans from Cleveland (the team he was previously on) but from fans all around the league and even some players.The main reason for this is because he was viewed as selfish and egotistical in making a one hour special just to tell people where he was going to play basketball next season. Most people see the surface of the situation but don’t take into account everything that went on outside the publics focus. Even events like this have a lot going on in the background that the sports industry should take a look at. People seem to over look the fact that it wasn’t LeBron’s idea to have th e special, he just went along with it.Like every other superstar athlete or celebrity, LeBron has a managing team that makes most if not all of his media related decisions or appearances. He has a publicist, an agent, a stylist and a business manager. This business managers name is Maverick Cater and he is the one who released this statement to ESPN, â€Å"Due to the unprecedented attention and interest surrounding LeBron’s decision, we have decided to make this announcement on national television†. LeBron saw this as an opportunity to raise money for the Boys ; Girls Club of America, a foundation he has been very publicly supportive of.His marketing team saw this as an opportunity to sell LeBron â€Å"The Icon† because popularity for him meant â€Å"cha-ching† for them. ESPN went along with it because LeBron is a huge star and they were interested in boosting ratings. â€Å"The Decision†, ratings wise was a huge success for ESPN. According to prel iminary number from Nielsen co, in the nations 56 biggest television markets, about 8 million homes turned on the program. It was estimated that 12-14 million people were watching when LeBron made his infamous choice. That is a record for a non-sporting event.The popularity of the interview brought a revamped fan base for the NBA. Fans tuned in to see how he would fair with his new team, some wishing him success but most rooting for him to fail. Above all else people watched to see the show put on by the latest NBA team to acquire 3 star athletes. One of the statutes’ LeBron had when agreeing to the televised interview was that he would be allowed to sell the advertising and the profits would go the Boys ; Girls Club of America. The program drew big ticket companies like McDonalds, The University of Phoenix, Bing and Vitamin Water for sponsorships.Together they raised over 3 million dollars. LeBron grew up in the inner city and was from a very poor family. He knows first hand what it’s like to be a kid that doesn’t have access to opportunities for recreation. The money was divided between fifty nine Boys and Girls clubs across the country. $60,000 went to a club just outside of Cleveland to repair a leaky roof, refurbish a dingy gymnasium and a new playground. Another club in the area received $70,000 which was used to install a new gym floor and purchase bleachers and twenty new computers.LeBron might have pist off a few of his older fans but he defiantly gained supports from the kids. Some of the uproar after â€Å"The Decision† has to be created to the mismanagement of the broadcasting. Most people saw problems with the fact that the special was an hour long for a decision that should take about two seconds to say on TV. ESPN went along with it however, and promised the viewers would know his decision within fifteen minutes of the start of the broadcast. In reality the words â€Å"Miami Heat† didn’t leave his mouth until thirty minutes into it.If that wasn’t enough to agitate the audience, the first half hour of the show was made up of Jim Gray, the interviewer, asking more than a dozen soft ball questions that were more like watching chitchat than compelling television. Combine the agitating half hour wait with the disappointment of LeBron’s perceived â€Å"easy way out† decision is enough to have most fans changing the channel in frustration immediately hearing the verdict. From LeBron’s point of view, besides the back lash from his televised free agent decision, he made the best carrier choice.Cleveland had showed repeatedly that they weren’t capable of surrounding him with enough talent to win a championship. Why not sign with a clearly better team that happened to have your best friend in the league on it in Dwayne Wade. He did have to take a 30 million dollar pay cut to join The Heat but hey, what’s 30 million to LeBron James. As we know now, in the end it worked out for the better. Dwyer, Kelly. â€Å"Lebron's Decision was awful but his carities are thankful. † Yahoo Sports. Yahoo, 27 Apr 2011. Web. 6 Mar 2013. ;http://sports. yahoo. com/nba/blog/ball_dont_lie/post/lebrons-decision-was-awful-but-his-charities-are-thankful? rn=nba,wp2143;. Gregory, Sean. â€Å"The LeBron James Hour: Is This Prime-Time Overkill? Read more: http://www. time. com/time/nation/article/0,8599,2002477,00. html Flint, Joe. â€Å"ESPN's ‘The Decision' scores but leaves questions in its aftermath. † Los Angeles Times. LA Times, 09 Jul 2010. Web. 6 Mar 2013. . Broussard, Chris. â€Å"LeBron's announcement coming soon. † ESPN NBA. ESPN, 08 Jul 2010. Web. 6 Mar 2013. .

Tuesday, October 22, 2019

Gun Control and the Brady Law essays

Gun Control and the Brady Law essays Have you ever wondered what effect the United State's laws, written many years ago, have on its citizens today? Television, magazines, Internet sites and articles all tamper with opinions concerning these debatable laws. When addressing the controversial issue of gun control and whether stronger gun control laws would in actuality reduce the likelihood of violent crimes, you will come across numerous variant views. The Constitution states, in the Second Amendment, that people have the "right to bear arms," but does it likewise give people the right to misuse these "arms"? Should the pros outweigh the cons or the cons outweigh the pros of new or stricter gun control laws? With the United States being the "land of the free," why is it that we as United States citizens have to live in fear of gun violence? According to the article "Would New Laws Reduce Gun Violence And Crime?" written by Sean McCollum, "You need only to compare the U.S. with developed countries that have strong gun control laws to see the difference. Their murder rates are only a tiny fraction of ours. As Jeff Muchnick of the Coalition to Stop Gun Violence says, "If handguns made people safe, we'd be the safest country in the world." But we are not." Pro-gun control activists believe that handguns are extremely too accessible to the public. They can too easily be placed in a shopping bag held by the hands of the wrong people. "A loophole in current gun control laws allows purchases at gun shows" to occur without the proper background checks of the purchasers, without keeping records or without "finding out if the buyer is qualified or knowledgeable about firearms in any way". A ll you sometimes need is a simple drivers license showing proof that you are 18 years of age, and most of the time you don't even need that! These simple tasks, no more complicated than getting a drivers license could have already saved 26 students at Columbine from being shot, and 15...

Monday, October 21, 2019

History That Characterize The essays

History That Characterize The essays The arts are defined through areas of visual art, literature and music. These are the fundamental areas in which many categorize art but are not limited within only these boundaries. There are even many cultures where art cannot be defined, because art within itself is abstract. This creates a realm in which the quality of the art is greater than just an ordinary significance. The meaning where art derives is through the expression that you perceive them to be oriented. This influence includes the many factors that play a role in shaping ones understanding and acceptance of art is from beliefs acculturation, and enculturation. All these factors contribute to molding individuality. The molding of perception conceptualizes that art is found within the natural sciences and history. The different courses and different fields of study are like diverse windows into what is held true through each perspective with emphasis and yet, each focusing on the same world. Art is a form of perception of reality and so are the teachings of history. History is a perception of reality, which therefore makes history a form of art. History can be compared to a work of art. The key factor, which connects both history and art, is perspective and in art there is an extent of reality that the artist creates where there is selective information that the historian portrays to the reader in what he wants to relay. In history, there are different perspectives to wars, fights, and the truth. With each individual that explains the truth, there is his or her perspective and bias that follows. There are always polar opposites, rarely a middle ground or gray area. Either this was a good piece of artwork or this was a bad piece of artwork. This side was the right one or this side was the wrong one. There is no finite word to describe a not bad, but not good piece o ...

Sunday, October 20, 2019

Dorothea Dix, Advocate for the Mentally Ill

Dorothea Dix, Advocate for the Mentally Ill Dorothea Dix was born in Maine in 1802.   Her father was a minister, and he and his wife raised Dorothea and her two younger brothers in poverty, sometimes sending Dorothea to Boston to her grandparents. After studying at home, Dorothea Dix became a teacher when she was 14 years old.   When she was 19 she started her own girls’ school in Boston.   William Ellery Channing, a leading Boston minister, sent his daughters to the school, and she became close to the family.   She also became interested in the Unitarianism of Channing.   As a teacher, she was known for strictness.   She used her grandmother’s home for another school, and also started a free school, supported by donations, for poor children. Struggling With Her Health At 25 Dorothea Dix became ill with tuberculosis, a chronic lung disease.   She quit teaching and focused on writing while she was recovering, writing mainly for children.   The Channing family took her with them on retreat and on vacations, including to St. Croix.   Dix, feeling somewhat better, returned to teaching after a few years, adding into her commitments the care of her grandmother.   Her health again seriously threatened, she went to London in hopes that would help her recovery.   She was frustrated by her ill health, writing â€Å"There is so much to do†¦.† While she was in England, she became familiar with efforts at prison reform and better treatment of the mentally ill.   She returned to Boston in 1837 after her grandmother died and left her an inheritance that allowed her to focus on her health, but now with an idea in mind of what to do with her life after her recovery. Choosing a Path to Reform In 1841, feeling strong and healthy, Dorothea Dix visited a women’s jail in East Cambridge, Massachusetts, to teach Sunday School.   She had heard of awful conditions there. She investigated and was especially horrified at how women declared insane were being treated. With the help of William Ellery Channing, she began working with well-known male reformers, including Charles Sumner (an abolitionist who would become a Senator), and with Horace Mann and Samuel Gridley Howe, both educators of some renown.   For a year and a half Dix visited prisons and places where the mentally ill were kept, often in cages or chained and often abused. Samuel Gridley Howe (husband of Juliet Ward Howe) supported her efforts by publishing about the need for reform of the care of the mentally ill, and Dix decided she had a cause to devote herself to.   She wrote to the state legislators calling for specific reforms, and detailing the conditions she had documented.   In Massachusetts first, then in other states including New York, New Jersey, Ohio, Maryland, Tennessee and Kentucky, she advocated for legislative reforms.   In her efforts to document, she became one of the first reformers to take social statistics seriously. In Providence, an article she wrote on the topic generated a large donation of $40,000 from a local businessman, and she was able to use this to move some of those imprisoned for mental â€Å"incompetence† to a better situation. In New Jersey and then in Pennsylvania, she won approval of new hospitals for the mentally ill. Federal and International Efforts By 1848, Dix had decided that reform needed to be federal.   After initial failure she got a bill through Congress to fund efforts to support people who were disabled or mentally ill, but President Pierce vetoed it. With a visit to England, during which she saw Florence Nightingale’s work, Dix was able to enlist Queen Victoria in studying the conditions there of the mentally ill, and won improvements in the asylums.   She moved on to working in many countries in England, and even convinced the Pope to build a new institution for the mentally ill. In 1856, Dix returned to America and worked for five more years advocating for funds for the mentally ill, both at federal and state levels. Civil War In 1861, with the opening of the American Civil War, Dix turned her efforts to military nursing.   In June of 1861, the U.S. Army appointed her as superintendent of Army nurses.   She tried to model nursing care on that of Florence Nightingale’s famous work in the Crimean War. She worked to train young women who volunteered for nursing duty.   She fought doggedly for good medical care, often coming into conflict with the physicians and surgeons.   She was recognized in 1866 by the Secretary of war for her extraordinary service. Later Life After the Civil War, Dix again devoted herself to advocating for the mentally ill. She died at age 79 in New Jersey, in the July of 1887.

Saturday, October 19, 2019

American imperialism the subversion of latin american sovereignty Research Paper

American imperialism the subversion of latin american sovereignty (OPEN VEINS OF LATIN AMERICA BY EDUARDO GALEANO) - Research Paper Example Imperialist regime is where the central state authority is weak together with the open state territoriality while the global regime is where the central state authority is strong together with the open state territoriality. American imperialism tools include- political power, economic power, military power and cultural diffusion. Example of the economic power via Galeano is where he credits Machado’s dictatorship in 1924 to the economic domination that the USA had over Cuba. In 1920 prices of sugar in Cuba had dropped from 22cents per pound to as low as 4cents. Sugar producers were bankrupt with sugar prices fluctuating based on the prices in the America market. America gave Cuba $50 million with the first American ambassador- General Crowder. America also gave Cuba fair trade concessions on a condition that in turn America gets to export their products into the country. The United States gains in trading with Cuba, yet still trades with other states. Nevertheless, Cuba is economically forced to trade mostly with the United States. In short, America imperialism is the compulsion exerted by USA via economic, cultural, military or political power that conquers other countries’ sovereignty into acting in manners they would have not acted otherwise. It is a situation where a country forgoes its own interests at the expense of serving the American interests. The cruise of this paper is to talk about the American imperialism more particularly touching on the tool of political power in Bolivia enhanced by international institutions such as the World Bank and the IMF. The international power of the USA in the 20th century has grounds on its political strength. In 1900, when the united states of American did not have much of an army, it was promising got viewed as power forthcoming great power. By 1920, the United States had displaced the United Kingdom during the First World War making them, the supreme financial power

Friday, October 18, 2019

Effective Anti-Racist Guidelines in the British Education System Literature review

Effective Anti-Racist Guidelines in the British Education System - Literature review Example In this literature review, a brief description of the notion of race, ethnicity, and faith, as well as the distinctions among them, will be discussed. The concept of ‘ethnicity’ is quite new. Before the 1970s there was hardly any discussion of it in anthropology works and literature, even a mention of its definition (Faas 2010). Prior to the Second World War, the word ‘tribe’ was the chosen word for ‘primitive’ societies and the word ‘race’ for contemporary societies (May 1999). Because of the strong connection between the ideology of the Nazis and the concept of ‘race’, the word ‘ethnicity’ eventually succeeded ‘race’ in Europe and the United States (Spalek 2007). The discourse on ethnicity is confounded by a diversity of associated concepts applied to distinguish comparable trends, like the nation, race, minority, and tribe. Several researchers and scholars apply these concepts synonymously w hile others use them as distinct terms (Spalek 2007). Nevertheless, the connection between race and ethnicity is complicated. Even though there is much continuity they are different notions. For instance, Pierre van den Berghe defines the term ‘race’ as a specific classification of ethnicity that makes use of genetic attributes as an indicator of ethnicity (Cashmore & Jennings 2002, 122). Although the connection between the two notions is more complicated than the above definition, his description is quite accurate (p. 122). British scholars normally exclusively attribute ethnicity to minority groups.

Special occasions Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Special occasions - Essay Example For Muslims, there is a one-month of fasting being tediously observed during Ramadan to manifest the Prophet Muhammad’s historic acknowledgement of receiving the Quran from the angel Gabriel. These are special occasions that have been repeatedly and religiously observed for centuries. Further, there are special occasions that are deemed extraordinary only to the individual, the family and closest friends. One’s immersion to the world is celebrated annually through diverse means. Birthday celebrations for children are particularly a joyful occasion to cherish. Apart from the lavish preparations for food, party favors, mascots and invitations for guests, birthday celebrations are filled with loved ones and friends sharing precious moments and preserved through gifts, mementos and photographs that are kept to revere in the future. Another set of special occasions shared with family and friends are school affairs such as commencement exercises or graduations from one academic level to another, school prom, or being accepted in a prestigious university for higher education. What do all these occasions have in common that make them special? The most important element, of course, is me and the people who I share these events with. People tend to associate something special when activities are done out of the normal routine of daily endeavors. They only come once in a defined time period. The anticipation for the next event makes them extraordinary. Likewise, loved ones and friends exert quality time, money and effort to engage in intricate and elaborate preparations just to make one happy during these events. We acknowledge and realize that during these special occasions, we receive a blessing, a grace, a benefit, a lesson, a form of positive reward. During birthdays, aside from gifts, good food, and the company of loved ones, we get

Psychology - personality and values Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Psychology - personality and values - Essay Example I have however changed to a self-confident individual who is outgoing and influential. My values have also transformed from instrumental orientation to terminal orientation. Even though we share some characteristics with my siblings and my parents, most of my values are different from theirs, as my academic and work environments have largely influenced me (Graduate, p. 29-38). Values affect cohesiveness of a workplace by defining what is perceived to be right and what is perceived to be wrong by members of the organization. Common values therefore eliminated conflicts by identifying what every member of the organization consider to be bad and discouraging it while different values generates conflicts because a party will undertake an initiative that is wrong to another party (Graduate, p. 29-38). Jodi’s point that his values have not changed much is valid because people respond to their environmental factors differently. Factors such as the loss of a close relative may have also played a role in his conservative nature to retain his earlier developed personality and values. His matured values with time, together with differences between his values and his family’s, however identify response to his different environments. People cannot however have same values, as he argues, because of cultural

Thursday, October 17, 2019

What is the significance of fire in Faulkner's Barn Burning Essay

What is the significance of fire in Faulkner's Barn Burning - Essay Example sis, and such practice is still in continuance today where individuals and scholars are attempting to analyze a piece of literature to identify different symbols, themes, and moral lessons from it. This paper is attempting a similar attempt of analyzing one of the most popular works of William Faulkner: ‘Barn Burning’ (Faulkner, pp. 1-47), and will endeavor to identify the significance and representation of the ‘fire’ in this tale of acceptance and self-discovery. Brief review of this piece of literature has indicated that Sarty has played the leading role in this story while his father depicts an unconstructive role due to, and in protest of the upper classes of the Civil War. In specific, Abner Snopes is father in this story that cherishes the moment of destruction of others’ barns that he burns to protest against aristocrats (Faulkner, pp. 11-12). In this story, the author has attempted to portray different aspects of the relationship of father and son, as the leading character of the story confronts two sides: his father’s and truth’s. In such theme, the author has played a significant role by using the symbolized notion of ‘fire’ at various places of the story. Although fire is a factual object, however, the notion of fire symbolizes anger of the father, as well as his impudence and effrontery for property, and specifically, barns of other people. In this way, the author has attempted to use the symbol of fire to explain hidden messages in the story, as the approach is clear from the very start of the story that begins with fire of a barn and ends with the same. In personal opinion, brief review of the story indicated that leading character’s obsessive affection to his family (Millgate, pp. 271), especially to his father is also related to the notion of ‘fire’, as story shows that Sarty trusted his father in the beginning and continued to think that fires will end soon; however, the story ended with another fire from his father. In

Wednesday, October 16, 2019

Is the developmental state strengthened or weakened by globalization Essay

Is the developmental state strengthened or weakened by globalization and global governance - Essay Example This made them the envy of the whole world because they were able to double their economies in a span of ten years. Ten years is a short period indeed as compared to fifty years that industrialized countries such as the United States of America and United Kingdom took to double their economies. The high economic growth rates and development in developmental states is attributable to the strength of a government when it genuinely and intelligently decides to engage its citizens and economic agents like companies to drive economic growth and development. Such governments put up key infrastructures and critical institutions and encourage its citizens to do businesses. Globalization and global governance offers both opportunities and threats to developmental states. They are the global engines in the twenty-first century and cannot be assumed. Globalization affects every country in the world through interactions between and among members of different states as they trade, travel and sport. It also happens when different countries sign international agreements on trade, security, environment and health. Is the developmental state strengthened or weakened by globalization and global governance? This question depends on the country’s features, it geographical positioning and leadership styles. Singapore is a developmental state that has benefited from globalization while Japan, South Korea and Malaysia seemed to have been shaken. A developmental state refers to an autonomous government (state) that has the capacity to plan and direct their own economies to ensure that resources are optimally allocated to achieve economic growth and development. Low (2004) asserts that developmental states exhibit authoritarian leadership styles and paternalistic governments. The state through its influential apparatus formulates and pursues national visions, missions and strategies that can deliver

What is the significance of fire in Faulkner's Barn Burning Essay

What is the significance of fire in Faulkner's Barn Burning - Essay Example sis, and such practice is still in continuance today where individuals and scholars are attempting to analyze a piece of literature to identify different symbols, themes, and moral lessons from it. This paper is attempting a similar attempt of analyzing one of the most popular works of William Faulkner: ‘Barn Burning’ (Faulkner, pp. 1-47), and will endeavor to identify the significance and representation of the ‘fire’ in this tale of acceptance and self-discovery. Brief review of this piece of literature has indicated that Sarty has played the leading role in this story while his father depicts an unconstructive role due to, and in protest of the upper classes of the Civil War. In specific, Abner Snopes is father in this story that cherishes the moment of destruction of others’ barns that he burns to protest against aristocrats (Faulkner, pp. 11-12). In this story, the author has attempted to portray different aspects of the relationship of father and son, as the leading character of the story confronts two sides: his father’s and truth’s. In such theme, the author has played a significant role by using the symbolized notion of ‘fire’ at various places of the story. Although fire is a factual object, however, the notion of fire symbolizes anger of the father, as well as his impudence and effrontery for property, and specifically, barns of other people. In this way, the author has attempted to use the symbol of fire to explain hidden messages in the story, as the approach is clear from the very start of the story that begins with fire of a barn and ends with the same. In personal opinion, brief review of the story indicated that leading character’s obsessive affection to his family (Millgate, pp. 271), especially to his father is also related to the notion of ‘fire’, as story shows that Sarty trusted his father in the beginning and continued to think that fires will end soon; however, the story ended with another fire from his father. In

Tuesday, October 15, 2019

Behavioral Programme Assignment Essay Example for Free

Behavioral Programme Assignment Essay Our esteemed bank was established on 11 May 1921 and went public on 11 November 1921 in the name of Nadar Bank Limited at Ana Mavanna Building, Thoothukudi. Later we renamed as Tamilnad Mercantile Bank Limited. We had only 4 branches until 1947. The bank has now 388 full fledged branches and 732 ATM’s all over the India. In order to serve the rural areas, the bank extended services more in non-metro areas. Out of 388 branches, 344 branches are located in Rural, Semi Urban and Urban areas only. GROWTH: We are one of the oldest private sector banks which is continuously making profits and paying highest dividends. This was possible only with the dedicated employees at all levels who are energetic and are enthusiastic in the growth and prosperity of the bank. This made the bank to adopt the official motto: â€Å"Totally Motivated Bank† Achievements and Awards : The financial express in its survey on India’s Best Bank 2013 has ranked our bank No.1 among the Old Private Sector Banks. TMB has been rated 2nd Best Bank in Small Banks category by Business World under India’s Best Bank 2013 TMB has received the Best Banker award in Customer Orientation and Human Resources. TMB has received ASSOCHAM India 9th Annual Summit cum Social Banking Excellence Awards 2013 – India’s Best Private Sector Bank 2013. FUTURE VISION OF TMB: Looking Ahead: The vision of the bank is to develop the bank into a much stronger bank with  the higher level of modernization to handle the business volume. Noble thoughts and high ideas of the team of management charged with dynamic spirit of action will take the bank to a greater height, achieving growth in strength and exhibit the bank as a model bank in the Banking industry. The bank has set itself a high standard, be it in operation, customer service or compliance to regulation. Technology upgradation and March towards Hi-Tech Cyber Banking are the current mission of the Bank. VISION STATEMENT: â€Å"To be a progressive bank with strong brand equity, Enhancing the value for all the stake holders through Excellence in performance and good governance† Medium Term Goal: Aiming to increase its total business to Rs 1 lakh crore in the next four years and to expand our branch network outside Tamil Nadu. At present we having a total business of Rs 41,000 crore in 2013-14, and planning to open a large number of branches in Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Telangana, Gujarat and Maharashtra in the next 3 years. Our endeavor is to have 30-40 branches in each of these states. We are targeting a total business of Rs 50000 crore in 2014-15, and aiming to have a network of 800 branches in four years. Our medium-term goal is to make TMB a pan-India bank. After the expansion of branch network in the southern states, we will focus on widening our footprint in the northern and eastern regions of the country. ASSIGNMENT II CISCO WORK CULTURE Todays organizations face increasing demands for responsiveness, adaptability, innovation, speed, and responsible corporate citizenship. No organization can afford to dismiss the potential benefits of having a diverse and inclusive culture. So for Cisco, building an inclusive and diverse organization is an ongoing and essential business imperative. It truly believe it is their responsibility to: Empower our teams Eliminate biases Create an environment where everyone feels welcomed, valued, respected, and heard. Commitment They aim to provide employees with all the resources, programs, and training necessary to achieve their business goals. They have been giving everyone an opportunity to operate at their best selves, and provide their customers with the best and most innovative products and services. How They Are Structured By partnering with their business leaders, human resource organizations, and key stakeholders and constituents, they have built a holistic diversity framework that is embedded in every part of Cisco. They have constructed an Inclusion and Diversity Coalition, a global team that advises and supports Cisco executives at the function and region level. Along with established inclusion and diversity ambassadors, it includes advocates in the field. The team helps to accelerate program execution by reinforcing inclusion and diversity communication and expectations. Ciscos employee engagement strategy: Ciscos employee engagement strategy has yielded several benefits through the use of collaboration tools. For example, the quarterly company meeting has gone through a total transformation. In the past, Cisco held the company meetings in a physical location, usually a local convention center near the headquarters in San Jose, California. Today the quarterly company meetings are virtual. Through the use of video and collaboration technologies, employees globally can participate in these meetings and interact with senior executives through a live chat (using Cisco Jabber ® technology). The entire event is recorded (along with chat transcripts and other documents) and shared with all employees. This approach has increased employee participation and provided a new venue for rich interaction between employees and senior executives, all of which have boosted overall employee satisfaction. Cisco uses a virtual format for other events as well such as the annual global sales experience (20,0 00-plus attendees) and strategic leadership offsite (3000-plus senior leaders). More than ever employees are conscious of their health and wellness, while employers are looking for ways to provide employees with high-quality healthcare options while keeping their costs under control. Cisco opened a state-of-the-art HealthCenter in San Jose for employees and has followed with centers at other sites. Through the use of technologies such as HealthPresence ® and unified communications, Cisco employees have access to some of the best healthcare systems around the world ASSIGNMENT III 3 Model Component of Commitment About the Model: John Meyer and Natalie Allen developed their Three Component Model of Commitment and published it in the 1991 Human Resource Management Review. The model explains that commitment to an organization is a psychological state, and that it has three distinct components that affect how employees feel about the organization that they work for. The three components are: 1. Affection for your job (affective commitment). 2. Fear of loss (continuance commitment). 3. Sense of obligation to stay (normative commitment). We can use this model to increase commitment and engagement in your team, while also helping people to experience a greater feeling of well-being and job satisfaction. Lets look at each of Meyer and Allens three types of commitment in greater detail. Affection for Your Job (Affective Commitment) Affection for your job occurs when you feel a strong emotional attachment to your organization, and to the work that you do. Youll most likely identify with the organizations goals and values, and you genuinely want to be there. If youre enjoying your work, youre likely to feel good, and be satisfied with your job. In turn, this increased job satisfaction is likely to add to your feeling of affective commitment. Fear of Loss (Continuance Commitment) This type of commitment occurs when you weigh up the pros and cons of leaving  your organization. You may feel that you need to stay at your company, because the loss youd experience by leaving it is greater than the benefit you think you might gain in a new role. These perceived losses, or side bets, can be monetary (youd lose salary and benefits); professional (you might lose seniority or role-related skills that youve spent years acquiring); or social (youd lose friendships or allies). The severity of these losses often increases with age and experience. Youre more likely to experience continuance commitment if youre in an established, successful role, or if youve had several promotions within one organization. Sense of Obligation to Stay (Normative Commitment) This type of commitment occurs when you feel a sense of obligation to your organization, even if youre unhappy in your role, or even if you want to pursue better opportunities. You feel that you should stay with your organization, because its the right thing to do. This sense of obligation can stem from several factors. You might feel that you should remain with your organization because it has invested money or time in your training. Or perhaps it provided a reward in advance, such as paying for your college tuition. This obligation can also result from your upbringing. For instance, your family might have stressed that you should stay loyal to your organization. Note: These three types of commitment are not mutually exclusive. You can experience all three, or two of the three, in varying degrees. Applying the Model at our TMB: Affection for Your Job (Affective Commitment): We are very fortunate in having dedicated employees at all levels who have been energetic and working with untiring zeal for the good growth and prosperity of the institution for the past 92 years. The name and fame of the bank are in a large measure, due to the efficient and diligent service of the highly loyal staff members and officers. This has enabled the Bank to adopt the official motto â€Å"Totally Motivated Bank†. Most of the employees in TMB are committed towards our organization. This has been proven through the  profits earned and dividends paid to the stake holders. Without the positive commitment of affectionate this would not have been possible. In TMB, employees treat themselves to be a part of the family. With this unique feature TMBian’s move forward and make the organization goals and achieve great heights. Fear of Loss (Continuance Commitment): Its important to do our best to grow affective commitment, and reduce our teams reliance on continuance and normative commitment, so that we can lead a team of people who feel passionate for their roles. In TMB, we having some Team members with continuance commitment, which not only impact their growth but also impacting other Team enthusiastic employees, or even lower the morale of the organization. To encourage positive changes, we will link peoples goals with those of the team or organization. If appropriate, we align our teams roles with their skills and interests, with techniques such as Job Crafting . Its important to help people find purpose in their work, which will help them to come out from the above commitment. Sense of Obligation to Stay (Normative Commitment): In our organization, some officers from STEP programme feel a sense of normative commitment since our organization has invested a lot in their training and development. Since they have been contracted for 5 years, they could not able to switch job even if they got better opportunity. To overcome this we are likely to develop affective commitment through explaining them about their growth in this esteemed organization and make them to feel experience positive emotions at their work. Further, we will encourage these people to thrive, and to enjoy the work that theyre doing. We make sure that we give praise regularly, and create a healthy workplace , so that these kind of people will be happy and productive. ASSIGNMENT IV Change is a common thread that runs through all businesses regardless of size, industry and age. Our world is changing fast and, as such, organizations must change quickly too. Organizations that handle change well thrive, whilst those that do not may struggle to survive. The concept of change management is a familiar one in most businesses today. But, how  businesses manage change (and how successful they are at it) varies enormously depending on the nature of the business, the change and the people involved. And a key part of this depends on how far people within it understand the change process. One of the cornerstone models for understanding organizational change was developed by Kurt Lewin back in the 1950s, and still holds true today. His model is known as Unfreeze – Change – Refreeze, refers to the three-stage process of change he describes. Lewin, a physicist as well as social scientist, explained organizational change using the analogy of changing the shape o f a block of ice Lewin’s Three-Step Model For Implementing Change Unfreeze: This first stage of change involves preparing the organization to accept that change is necessary, which involves break down the existing status quo before you can build up a new way of operating. Key to this is developing a compelling message showing why the existing way of doing things cannot continue. This is easiest to frame when you can point to declining sales figures, poor financial results, worrying customer satisfaction surveys, or suchlike: These show that things have to change in a way that everyone can understand. To prepare the organization successfully, you need to start at its core – you need to challenge the beliefs, values, attitudes, and behaviors that currently define it. Using the analogy of a building, you must examine and be prepared to change the existing foundations as they might not support add-on storeys; unless this is done, the whole building may risk collapse. This first part of the change process is usually the most difficult and stressful. When you start cutting down the way things are done, you put everyone and everything off balance. You may evoke strong reactions in people, and thats exactly what needs to done. By forcing the organization to re-examine its core, you effectively create a (controlled) crisis, which in turn can build a strong motivation to seek out a new equilibrium. Without this motivation, you wont get the buy-in and participation necessary to effect any meaningful change. Change: After the uncertainty created in the unfreeze stage, the change stage is where people begin to resolve their uncertainty and look for new ways to do  things. People start to believe and act in ways that support the new direction. The transition from unfreeze to change does not happen overnight: People take time to embrace the new direction and participate proactively in the change. A related change model, the Change Curve , focuses on the specific issue of personal transitions in a changing environment and is useful for understanding this specific aspect in more detail. In order to accept the change and contribute to making the change successful, people need to understand how the changes will benefit them. Not everyone will fall in line just because the change is necessary and will benefit the company. This is a common assumption and pitfall that should be avoided. Time and communication are the two keys to success for the changes to occur. People need time to understand the change s and they also need to feel highly connected to the organization throughout the transition period. When you are managing change, this can require a great deal of time and effort and hands-on management is usually the best approach. Refreeze: When the changes are taking shape and people have embraced the new ways of working, the organization is ready to refreeze. The outward signs of the refreeze are a stable organization chart, consistent job descriptions, and so on. The refreeze stage also needs to help people and the organization internalize or institutionalize the changes. This means making sure that the changes are used all the time; and that they are incorporated into everyday business. With a new sense of stability, employees feel confident and comfortable with the new ways of working. The rationale for creating a new sense of stability in our every changing world is often questioned. Even though change is a constant in many organizations, this refreezing stage is still important. Without it, employees get caught in a transition trap where they arent sure how things should be done, so nothing ever gets done to full capacity. In the absence of a new frozen state, it is very difficult to tackle the next change initiative effectively. How do you go about convincing people that something needs changing if you havent allowed the most recent changes to sink in? Change will be perceived as change for changes sake, and the motivation required to implement new changes simply wont be there. As part of the Refreezing process, make sure that you celebrate the success of the change – this helps people to find closure,  thanks them for enduring a painful time, and helps them believe that future change will be successful. Applying the model at TMB : At our bank we have followed the Lewin’s Three-Step Model while implementing our New Logo: Unfreeze: Even though our Bank has been established in 1921, the logo was set for the bank only in 1962. Since the logo was not competent to match to the current generation of banking and also not expressed the future face of the bank. It has been decided to change the Logo. After having various meetings with our stake holders, at last our Management got approval from our stake holders to change our logo. Our Management has started the process for changing the logo of our bank after 50 years. We are well aware that changing our established logo should be approached with a great deal of caution and forethought. Only a new logo design makeover (executed correctly) can infuse our company brand with new excitement, new blood. We are the leading private sector bank with strong development in modern banking and need a logo that is more in line with, and appealing to, our vision along with modern banking facilities. Change: After got approval from stakeholders, our bank started planning on designing the new logo which should express our vision along with modern banking facilities. The organization has ready to take risk by changing the Logo. The Dispel rumors by answering the questions asked by any one the openly and honestly and also relate the need for change back to operational necessities. Our organization has announced a contest among the staff members for creating a logo which should reflects our vision and Modern banking and also to make the staff involvement. Which made everyone feel that it’s a right time to change Logo of our bank and will give new face to our bank. Refreeze: With help of our all staff members our bank has designed a new log which described our vision and modern banking. The magenta-and-royal-blue combo is a colourful showcase of the brand’s illustrious past, where the inherent DNA of our bank customer orientation commitment to excellence takes center-stage. The complementary colours and the clear-cut typeface underline our bank’s new philosophy of staying in tune with the current generation. What holds the logo together and helps break the clutter is the clever play on the letter ‘M’. An amalgam of two upward arrows, ‘the Positive M’ clearly symbolizes our bank’s new promise – to be one step ahead of life. our New logo was created. On 03.05.2012, we have launched New Corporate Identity (New Logo) for our Bank in a grand function at Thoothukudi by our Managing Director CEO in the august presence of all the Directors of our bank. Change of our New Logo was communicated to people through various medium of communication. The New logo has brought a strong believe from the public that, our bank not only a have a traditional type of banking but also have the Modern banking.

Monday, October 14, 2019

Unfortunate effects on rural public education in Ecuador

Unfortunate effects on rural public education in Ecuador Educator George Washington Carver once stated, Education is the key to unlock the golden door of freedom (State University 2002). Such key will never be held by the hand of Ecuadorians as the country of Ecuador struggles to provide a satisfactory education system to children in rural areas. The poor education system is a key contributor to Ecuadors state as a developing country. This limiting factor has created a vicious cycle of child laborers and inequality among children in rural and urban communities (Salazar and Glashinovich 1996). This paper will provide an in depth analysis of the education systems in Ecuador and the reform required to provide children with a better future. Ecuadors substandard education system is a consequence of the lack of government funding towards infrastructure and accessibility. With the lack of money towards education, problems such as inconsistent teaching, poor attendance, and inequalities between rural and urban scho 1ols arise. Attempted progress has been made by reformists such as President Rafael Correa who works with government funding to better school systems (Bellettini 2004). It is people like President Rafael Correa who are undoubtably the greatest source of hope to the education system of Ecuador. Last April, I travelled to Ecuador with Canada World Youth. The purpose of the trip was to form a partnership between the Canadian and Ecuadorian students. The trip provided me with a cross-cultural experience as I learnt the necessity of foreign for rural education. Our group of fourteen students raised $10,000 which was used to sponsor the education of 4 students in Ecuador including their high school fees. The failing education system instated in rural Ecuadorian communities is faced with numerous issues involving, inconsistent teaching, and poor attendance. These issues are presented due to the lack of government support and funding for education. The problems currently present in Ecuador make it difficult for Ecuadorians to become prosperous and contribute to society. Political instability within the countrys own borders have invited violent protests concerning the previous three democratically elected presidents (Lopez and Valdes 2000). Political issues as well as the economic crisis have proved to further the potential of restoring proper and effective education practices in rural Ecuador. Many social institutions demand governmental support, but it is the education system in Ecuador that is the most desperate. Researchers have highlighted that the education system has slowly been improving since the 1990s (Vos and Ponce 2004). Although, in comparison to previous decades, the educational development has decreased in effectiveness while educational inequalities has drastically grown between the urban and rural communities. The Ecuadorian government has set aside insufficient funds for their social programs as they solely contribute four percent of the countries Gross Domestic Product, compared to the average twelve percent that the general Latin American country invested (Ibid 2004). Not only has the Ecuadorian government neglected funds for the necessary social programs but they have also transferred their focus to social protection programs. This transfer of priorities has cut the funding for education programs by fifty percent (Cibilis, Giugale and Lopez-Calix 2003). The budget cut has affected all school systems across Ecuador, especially the ru 2ral communities. The limited support has caused a decrease in school infrastructure, teacher salary, and teacher training programs. The school systems are suffering and need more investment and greater reform strategies. The government must increase their investment to at least five percent of the countrys Gross Domestic Product in oder to be successful (Schiefelbein 1992). In 2007, President Correa was elected to office in Ecuador. He created a platform that believed in education excellence and education reform (Economist 2009). Since 2007, Correa has spent approximately $280 million on school infrastructure and maintenance (Ibid 2009). In addition the President has introduced logic tests which teachers must pass in order to educate the youth. These logic tests are designed to increase a teachers credibility and ability to instruct young students (Ibid 2009). Those who do not pass the logic tests are required to take a year long training course which will help to develop their teaching strategies and knowledge. The logic tests benefit the school systems as teachers become more prepared and have more effective teaching methods. These tests will be a mandatory measure for all teachers, and will soon increase the quality of Ecuadors public education system. The lack of government investment towards social programs, specifically education systems has greatly inf 3luenced accessibility, teaching methods, and school infrastructure. The rural communities are far more underprivileged then the urban public schools in Ecuador. In rural regions and in most parts of Latin America, teachers are likely to be under qualified and ineffective at instructing. Similarly to Ecuador, forty to fifty of Latin American teachers have no professional training or qualifications (Schiefelbein 1992). The lack of training and qualifications is a result of poor funding and investment by the government. Training programs and workshops are not available to all teachers especially those in the rural communities. In Latin America, people who graduate with higher levels of educations tend to move to the urbanized cities and obtain prosperous jobs (Schiefelbein 1995). Sadly, those who have poor levels of education, become teachers. Teachers with no training and limited knowledge dictate the quality of a school. Furthermore, the teaching population in Ecuador earn low salari es as the government does not believe that teachers merit higher salaries (Schiefelbein 1992). A typical public school instructor in rural Ecuador generally earns $350 per month (Torres 2005). Teachers make an insufficient salary because there is limited funding. Without funding and low salaries, most instructors at the public school level have two or more jobs to pay for their finances. Multiple jobs on the go, means that teachers sometimes neglect to show up to instruct. The Foundation for Sustainable Development claims that there is a high rate of absenteeism among teachers (sixteen percent)(FSD 2003). With teachers absent from classes sixteen percent of the time during the scholastic year, students are missing crucial learning opportunities. Most of the teachers absent for that time would be working at other jobs trying to gain a greater income. The quality of teaching in rural Ecuador and in the public system is very low as the teachers are under qualified and mostly disinteres ted in teaching. Although some teachers are effective, the vast majority of those effective teachers are accepted to teach at private schools. Private schools in Ecuador have the money unlike public schools to afford exemplarily teachers. Unfortunately for the public system, qualified teachers escape to the private schools wh 4ere their salaries are often five to ten times higher then the public system (Schiefelbein 1995)The typical school is unable to hire highly skilled teachers and will find it difficult to implement innovations to improve its educational quality (Schiefelbein 1992: 36). The methods of instruction are inadequate in countries like Ecuador. Unfortunately due to budget restraints, teachers do not have access to a curriculum to help improve their lesson plans. Without a common curriculum to be followed by all public schools, the learning becomes inconsistent and unequal between different schools and regions (Schiefelbein 1992). Simple skills that involve reading, writing, comprehension are difficult to achieve in rural Ecuador (Ibid 1992). Teachers do not posses the necessary credentials and materials to teach these children, as the government neglects them of the necessary resources. With limited funding invested in education, many consequences arise with improper teaching methods between schools in rural Ecuador. The greatest consequence of poor teaching is the rate of student repetition. In Latin America, only nineteen percent of nine year olds attend schools, but nearly fifty percent of the first grade students repeat as they are unable to fulfill the teachers requirements (Schiefelbein 1992). The country of Ecuador would drastically benefit if more money was invested into increasing the quality of teaching as it would decrease the rate of student repetition. Repeating a grade is not only staggering the students ability to learn and involve themselves in the work force but it also posses massive affects on the educational system financially. In rural Ecuador, repetition is two times higher then the countries average (Ibid 1992). If the ecuadorian g 5overnment were to invest more money in to developing an accessible curriculum for all teachers, repetition rates would decrease. The Ecuadorian public school system posses many problems for people in rural communities. The inconsistency in teaching methods are followed by widespread truancy as parents would rather send their child to work as opposed to enrolling them in a rural school. Limited access to schools and extra student costs for those in rural Ecuador are some of the major factors that affect enrollment rates and attendance. There are vast differences and inequities that are noticeable when comparing urban and rural education systems. Although public education is free for children ages five to fifteen years old, enrollment rates suffer drastically in rural communities. In urban developed areas, children have an average of twelve years of schooling while children from rural Ecuador only have an average of four years (Cibilis et al. 2003). Of those children who had four years of schooling, only nineteen percent of the total rural population is enrolled in school compared to eighty percent of the total urban population (Ibid 2003). Education inequities are also affecting those children who wish to attend higher education levels as only two percent of the poorest quantile attend higher education (Ibid 2003). The Ecuadorian government must learn how to disperse their funding equally among communities so that education practices and accessibility is the same for every child. One of the most common reasons for the lack of enrollment, is due to school accessibility. Although the Correo government is starting to invest more in school infrastructure and maintenance there are still minimal public schools available for children in rural areas(Economist 2009). Only 42% of children among those in the poorest quantile have access to preschool education (Cibilis et al. 2003: 271). There is noticeably more opportunity for preschool education in urban communities as they are given a higher priority over rural public education. Coincidently there are more children in rural Ecuador who need public education than urban areas. The inadequate financing and poor accessibility to public schools for those living in rural Ecuador posse major decisions on parents. They often have to decide whether or not to enroll their children due to financial limitations. Although Ecuador promises to serve the public with free education there are still extra costs that are not covered by the government. With restricted funds, families have difficulty paying for uniforms, school supplies, and transportation (Vos and Ponce 2004). The indirect costs linked to the lack of government investment are a considerable reduction in family income because the child is no longer working (Ibid 2004). Many families in rural Ecuador are faced with the difficult decision on whether to send their 6 child to school or have them work. With more government funding towards public education, parents would not have to pay extra costs for school. Therefore, parents would be more inclined to enroll their children to become educated. Although it is evident that the rural education system in Ecuador is desperate for money and seems somewhat helpless, there are reform practices taking place that are proven to be effective. Currently in Mexico, education reform is taking place that could be implemented in to Ecuadors education system. Education reform known as Telesecondary would be transferable and an effective means of reform in rural Ecuador. Telesecondary is a teaching strategy that delivers greater education through new technologies. It consists of using computers, internet and mass media (Cibilis et al. 2003). The students learning from this innovative teaching method distance themselves from the instructor. The main purpose of th 6 7is reform is to give all children the ability to learn at their own pace with a structured and reliable source of information (Cibilis et al. 2003). Another recommendation and applicable education reform strategy would be following the model of the Escuela Nueva. The Escuela Nueva project is currently being practiced in Mexico. Escuela Nueva is community based which focuses primarily on active participation, and cooperative learning (Schiefelbein 1992). The project helps children learn vital life skills by applying their knowledge learnt in class to the outside community. This model of education responds directly to the education challenges that are currently present in Ecuador. It helps to eliminate poor educational infrastructure, repetition rates, and under qualified teachers. The Escuela Nueva programs help schools to achieve a standardized curriculum, better teacher training and greater community involvement. Once part of the Northern Inca Empire, Ecuador has suffered a disruptive past. Such is exemplified as the country has faced poor governance and instability of constitutions as they have just recently imposed their twentieth constitution since 1830 ( State University 2002). However, the greatest problem to face the country is that of education. The poor education system is a key contributor to Ecuadors state as a developing country. Ecuadors substandard education system is a consequence of inconsistent teaching, poor attendance, and the nonobservance of minority groups. Progress has been attempted by reformist President Correa who has concentrated millions of dollars on bettering education in Ecuador. Undeniably, it is he w 8ho serves as the greatest source of hope to the education system of Ecuador. Although the President and his government have made much progress during his two-term reign, there are many steps to be taken to reach resolution, including the elimination of child labor. Subsequently such extensive education problems are followed by the constant battle with child labor in addition to poor economic practices. It is educational reform which will lead to the evolution of Ecuador as its citizens become literate and receive additional opportunities, such as jobs, thereby diminishing poverty (Bellettini 2004). Education may be the problem, but it is also the solution to increase Ecuadors progression to become a developed country.

Sunday, October 13, 2019

OLIVER CROMWELL :: essays research papers

There is definitely an association between John Knox and Oliver Cromwell. Knox, in his book The Reformation of Scotland, outlined the whole process without which the British model of government under Oliver Cromwell never would not have been possible. Yet Knox was more consistently covenantal in his thinking. He recognized that civil government is based on a covenant between the magistrate (or the representative or king) and the populace. His view was that when the magistrate defects from the covenant, it is the duty of the people to overthrow him. Cromwell was not a learned scholar, as was Knox, nevertheless God elevated him to a greater leadership role. Oliver Cromwell was born into a common family of English country Puritans having none of the advantages of upbringing that would prepare him to be leader of a nation. Yet he had a God-given ability to earn the loyalty and respect of men of genius who served him throughout his lifetime. John Bunyan, author of Pilgrim's Progress served under his command in the English Civil War, and John Milton, who penned Paradise Lost, served as his personal secretary. Cromwell's early years were ordinary, but after a conversion experience at age 27, he was seized by a sense of divine destiny. He became suddenly zealous for God. He was a country squire, a bronze-faced, callous-handed man of property. He worked on his farm, prayed and fasted often and occasionally exhorted the local congregation during church meetings. A quiet, simple, serious-minded man, he spoke little. But when he broke his silence, it was with great authority as he commanded obedience without question or dispute. As a justice of the peace, he attracted attention to himself by collaring loafers at a tavern and forcing them to join in singing a hymn. This exploit together with quieting a disturbance among some student factions at the neighboring town of Cambridge earned him the respect of the Puritan locals and they sent him to Parliament as their representative. There he attracted attention with his blunt, forcible speech as a member of the Independent Party which was made up of Puritans. The English people were bent upon the establishment of a democratic parliamentary system of civil government and the elimination of the "Divine Right of Kings." King Charles I, the tyrant who had long persecuted the English Puritans by having their ears cut off and their noses slit for defying his attempts to force episcopacy on their churches, finally clashed with Parliament over a long ordeal with new and revolutionary ideas. OLIVER CROMWELL :: essays research papers There is definitely an association between John Knox and Oliver Cromwell. Knox, in his book The Reformation of Scotland, outlined the whole process without which the British model of government under Oliver Cromwell never would not have been possible. Yet Knox was more consistently covenantal in his thinking. He recognized that civil government is based on a covenant between the magistrate (or the representative or king) and the populace. His view was that when the magistrate defects from the covenant, it is the duty of the people to overthrow him. Cromwell was not a learned scholar, as was Knox, nevertheless God elevated him to a greater leadership role. Oliver Cromwell was born into a common family of English country Puritans having none of the advantages of upbringing that would prepare him to be leader of a nation. Yet he had a God-given ability to earn the loyalty and respect of men of genius who served him throughout his lifetime. John Bunyan, author of Pilgrim's Progress served under his command in the English Civil War, and John Milton, who penned Paradise Lost, served as his personal secretary. Cromwell's early years were ordinary, but after a conversion experience at age 27, he was seized by a sense of divine destiny. He became suddenly zealous for God. He was a country squire, a bronze-faced, callous-handed man of property. He worked on his farm, prayed and fasted often and occasionally exhorted the local congregation during church meetings. A quiet, simple, serious-minded man, he spoke little. But when he broke his silence, it was with great authority as he commanded obedience without question or dispute. As a justice of the peace, he attracted attention to himself by collaring loafers at a tavern and forcing them to join in singing a hymn. This exploit together with quieting a disturbance among some student factions at the neighboring town of Cambridge earned him the respect of the Puritan locals and they sent him to Parliament as their representative. There he attracted attention with his blunt, forcible speech as a member of the Independent Party which was made up of Puritans. The English people were bent upon the establishment of a democratic parliamentary system of civil government and the elimination of the "Divine Right of Kings." King Charles I, the tyrant who had long persecuted the English Puritans by having their ears cut off and their noses slit for defying his attempts to force episcopacy on their churches, finally clashed with Parliament over a long ordeal with new and revolutionary ideas.

Saturday, October 12, 2019

Usage of Characterization In Ryonosuke Akutagawa’s Rashomon Essay

Usage of Characterization In Ryonosuke Akutagawa’s Rashomon Despite coming from a different background than most other authors that have so far been studied, Ryonosuke Akutagawa still wrote stories that included similar ideas like internal and external conflict, sacrifice of oneself for a higher cause, murder, human flaws and many others. In addition to that, Akutagawa also used common literary elements like motifs, symbols, point of view and irony. However, one element that is prevalent in almost all of his works is characterization. In two of his short stories, Rashomon and The Martyr, characterization is used to develop their respective themes; in Rashomon, characterization is equally important in building up the theme as in The Martyr. In Rashomon, characterization is used to show the theme that the desperate situations that a person faces can result in the resorting to means that compromise morals, and can even lead to hypocrisy. Akutagawa does this through narration and behavior of the character. At the beginning of the story, the protagonist is faced with the dilemma of either being honest and dying of starvation, or to be a thief and steal from the corpses that were scattered around. However even after much consideration, he was still â€Å"unable to muster enough courage to justify the conclusion that he must become a thief† (Akutagawa 34). Through this, it is evident at this point, the protagonist was still somewhat reluctant to compromise his morals even for survival, and if possible, he would definitely consider other means. With time though, the protagonist does eventually decide to compromise his morals, and he did not even have to â€Å"wonder whether he should starve to death or become a thief. ... ...gh they may have shown approval initially. In the two different stories, characterization is used to prove the themes, and in both cases, they are equally important. However, there are similarities and differences as to how characterization is used. One similarity that they share is the fact that in both stories, characterization is mainly shown through narration. Indeed in both cases character traits can be extracted through speech, but they are more apparent in the narration. On the other hand, one difference is that in Rashomon, there was only a single person that was being characterized to prove the theme, and this character was less of a one-dimensional figure than the characters in The Martyr, whereas in that story, a whole community was being characterized through their actions, as well as through the introspection of one member of the community.

Friday, October 11, 2019

Belonging Essay

Belonging is a natural reaction, intrinsic. We search in order to find a community, a group of friends, a country in which we belong. America is a place whereWhen we feel uncomfortable, we say â€Å"I don’t belong here† and when you find a situation in which you are happy, you can be yourself, natural and free you feel as if it was created only for you. It can also be the most wonderfully liberating experience when you find yourself in a culture in which you do not belong. In not belonging, you become someone free of restrictions, free of the expectations, free to creatively exre your imagination without the guilt that often latently lies behind the veiled threat of failure and disappointment. The apparent fact of not belonging is open for everyone, but it†tms the course of action taken in light of this cultural segregation which should be the goal of the traveler today. â€Å"I had, I realized become strangely accustomed to living in Korea, even though a part of me desired to be back on the beach in Thailand. Rules, or lack of, which shaped me more as an individual than any thing else I had experienced in my life. We are expected to increase our spending power as we age, not our understanding of other cultures, not our compassion for each other or for those living on the other side of the economic spectrum. The traveler, if open to the possibility, is in a perfect position to experience this transcendence. America is the ultimate machine, the ultimate company, and the by-product of its hyper capitalist model is the increasingly glaring loss of personal creativity and individualism within its borders. We are consumers and we are resources to be used and abused in a cycle of production of consumption. I didn†tmt belong, but I could never belong and it was a liberating experience, one which taught me in a way the rules for living on the fringe of a society. I was an outsider, I obviously did not belong into this society, one which is very homogeneous, one in which a foreigner learns to live with the constant attention of being gawked and stared at, around each corner, in each subway car, in every restaurant, everywhere. In our own cultures, where in a sense, at least culturally, linguistically and historically we do belong, life often becomes a stifling world in which our lives are predestined, packaged products.

Thursday, October 10, 2019

Management Principles & Practice Essay

A group of twelve lifelong friends put together $1,200,000 of their own funds and built a $6,000,000, 48-lane bowling alley, near Norfolk, Virginia. Two of the investors became employees of the corporation. Ned Flanders works full-time as General Manager and James Ahmad, a licensed CPA, serves as Controller on a part-time basis. The beautiful, modern-day facility features a multilevel spacious interior with three rows of 16 lanes on two separate levels of the building, a full-service bar, a small restaurant, a game room (pool, videogames, pinball),and two locker rooms. The facility sits on a spacious lot with plenty of parking and room to grow. The bowling center is located in the small blue-collar town of Wallingford. There is no direct competition within the town. The surrounding communities include a wide-ranging mix of ethnic groups, professionals, middle- to upper-middle-class private homes, and apartment and condominium complexes ranging from singles to young married couples to senior citizen retirement units. Nearly 200,000 people live within 15 miles of Wallingford. The bowling center is open 24 hours per day and has a staff of 27 part- and full-time employees. After four years of operation, the partners find themselves frustrated with the low profit performance of the business. While sales are covering expenses, the partners are not happy with the end-of-year profit-sharing pool. The bowling center operates at 100 percent capacity on Sunday through Thursday nights from 6:00 P.M. until midnight. Two sets of men’s leagues come and go on each of those nights, occupying each lane with mostly five-person teams. Bowlers from each league consistently spend money at both the bar and restaurant. In fact, the men’s leagues combine to generate about 60 percent of total current sales. The bowling center operates at about 50 percent capacity on Friday and Saturday nights and on Saturday morning. The Friday and Saturday â€Å"open bowling† nights include mostly teenagers, young couples, and league members who come to practice in groups of two or three. The Saturday morning group is a kid’s league, ages 10 through 14. There are four ladies leagues that bowl on Monday and Wednesday afternoons. Business is extremely slow at the bowling center on Monday through Friday and Sunday mornings, and on the afternoons of Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. It is not uncommon to have just three or four lanes in operation during those time periods. The owners have taken a close look at the cost side of their business as a way to improve profitability. They concluded that while the total operating expense of $1,466,000 might appear to be high, there was in fact little room for expense cutting. At a recent meeting of the partners, James Ahmad reported on the results of his three-month-long investigation into the operating cost side of other bowling alleys and discovered that the Wallingford Bowling Center was very much in keeping with their industry. James went on to report that bowling alleys were considered to be â€Å"heavy fixed cost operations† and that the key to success and profitability lies in maximizing capacity and sales dollars . QUESTIONS 1. Apply the decision-making process described in the chapter to this case. What is the major problem facing Wallingford? List five specific alternative solutions that could be implemented to solve that major problem. 2. As general manager of this company, how could you utilize and manage the group decision-making process and technique to improve company profits? Which employees would you include in the group?