Mcnamara and the “Fog of War”

Rebekka Carter 11/15/2012 McNamara and the â€Å"Fog Of War† Sometimes negotiation and peace is the only way to avoid catastrophe that could destroy us all. The first lesson of the â€Å" Fog of War,† that McNamara gave was to empathize with your enemy. McNamara thought it was a must and that is was important to put ourselves into the enemy's shoes. He discussed in the interview that later became a documentary, the possible serious consequences we could face as a nation if we didn’t empathize with Cubans during the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962. We must try to put ourselves inside their skin and look at us through their eyes, just to understand the thoughts that lie behind their decisions and their actions,† McNamara justified. If we could negotiate and settle, we might can work something out to benefit both the U. S. , and the Soviet Union. During the Cuban missile Crisis, McNamara tried to persuade President Kennedy not to press on and invade Cuba. He coul d give the president advice because he was a member of the president's cabinet. Robert McNamara was the Secretary of Defense in office. He persuaded him along with Tommy Thompson whom was the former U. S.Ambassador to Moscow. They gave them advice on two messages we received from the Soviet Union. McNamara described this as a â€Å"hard message† and a â€Å"soft message. † The soft message said they would remove the missiles from Cuba as long as we promised not to invade. On the other hand, Kennedy also received the hard message which basically revealed that if we pressed on and invaded Cuba,they would respond with massive military force. McNamara stressed how important it was to empathize with Cuba,if we didn't the consequences could be a nuclear war holocaust. Kennedy ended up empathizing with them by responding to the first message.This action could of saved us from a possible Nuclear War and from devastation, disaster, and from loosing trillions of innocent America n people. McNamara describes the relationship between empathy, morality, and war. He thinks that during war in order to be victorious you have to see the way the enemy sees and try to make peace with them. From a moral stand point, do what's best for the common good. It's best to make peace or at least negotiate and come to an agreement to avoid any consequences that could threaten innocent civilians. I think he believed more in peace and harmony than in war.It was best to just avoid it if possible and negotiate then avoid conflict. Later on in the documentary, McNamara describes the fire bombings of Japanese cities. He argues is it moral to take the lives of 100,000 of Japanese civilians in one night just to win the war. On top of burning the cities, Lemay wanted to drop a bomb. McNamara argued that proportionality was a guideline in war. We shouldn't overdue it just to win. We should have it evened out with the enemy on casualties and civilian deaths. Lemay considered his actions to be thought immoral if they had lost.So judging from that I’d say that if his side lost, then loosing that many people would have been for nothing. If they would of won, it would have been moral is the conclusion I'm drawing from this. Is it ever legitimate to criticize your country's actions in a time of war? I think so yes, and I wouldn’t consider it to be unpatriotic for disagreeing with the government. Freedom of Speech is one thing our country is founded on and everyone can have their own personal view or criticism. One can still have love for one's country and not agree with their policies or in this particular case, war tactics.Some people may not be for war because of the innocent lives lost: men,women, and children. Some people might especially be against nuclear war because of innocent lives and it just causes more danger and conflict. In my opinion it is legitimate to argue or criticize about war or any other action a country carries out. This documentary opened my eyes and changed the way I truly saw Nuclear War and the effects and consequences it can have. The Cuban Missile Crisis had very high stakes to cause not only a Nuclear War, but a Nuclear war Holocaust. With being struck with one bomb, there is a possibility we would of bombed Cuba back.I don't believe we would of surrendered. Other countries would of gotten involved and devastation and loss as of a result from this would have been very great. The fire bombings described in Japan was very disproportionate and unevenly scattered. Cities everywhere in Japan had different numbers of deaths and injuries. Lemay thought this had to be done in order to win the war, even though it was considered â€Å"immoral. † This documentary was an eye opener and it really gave good insight on the key ways to being successful in a war. McNamara called it â€Å"The Rules of War. †

Future of Pakistan

Future of Pakistan After a great struggle Muslims of the sub-continent succeeded to get a homeland where they could lead their lives according to their religion. On 14th august, 1947. Pakistan came into being. unto now Pakistan has made much progress in different fields. Although Pakistan has been In troubles from the very first day yet It has made much progress . Now Pakistan is the 6th atomic power in the world. Exploring current images of Pakistan's futures is the task for this essay. Based on a literature review ofPakistani magazines, newspapers and Journals as well as conversations with Pakistani scholars and interviews with members of the general public, we develop and evaluate five Images or scenarios of the future. This essay concludes with suggestions for designing alternative futures for Pakistan. Before we articulate these images of the future, let us first examine the â€Å"futures approach† to the study of social reality. A futures view focuses primarily on tempor ality. Where are we going? What are the possibilities ahead? What strategies can we use to realize our goals?How can he Image of the future help us better understand and change today? who are the losers and winners In any particular articulation of time? The futures perspective Is initially similar to traditional political analysis in that it begins with an exploration of economic, International and social events and the choices made by actors that make these events possible. However, the futures view also attempts to place events and choices within an historical dimension; that is, the larger and deeper structures that make these discrete events intelligible, such as core-periphery. ban-rural, gender, caste, and macro patterns of social change. Also important in the futures view is the post-structural dimension; the larger meaning system or the epistemological ground plan of the real as embedded in language that constitutes events and structures. unfortunately, most efforts to unde rstand the future remain in the predictive mode. It Is often asked. what and when will a particular event occur and how can we profit or increase our power from a specific prediction? Economists and strategic analysts claim to excellent this task.Our efforts here-sensitive to the richness of reality and the need to decolonize the study of the future from narrow models of reality–is to explore images or scenarios of the future. Our task is not to predict and thereby make this essay political fodder for technocrats but to use the future to create real possibilities for change. We thus do not intend to give a familiar reading of Pakistan's future, as might be available In a five year plan, rather we enter Into a discussion of alternative futures, of the many choices ahead as contoured by the structure of istory and the modern boundaries of knowledge that frame our identity.In the images or scenarios that follow it should be remembered that these images are meant as tools for dis cussion and dialog; they are intended to clarify the futures ahead not to reify social reality. Our goal is Insight not prediction. As an Initial caveat, an important failing of this essay is that the textual sources and conversations were entirely in English–one might get different images with local Pakistani languages.By Zainabazharl 2 here they could lead their lives according to their religion. On 14th august, 1947, Pakistan came into being. Unto now Pakistan has made much progress in different fields. Although Pakistan has been in troubles from the very first day yet it has made and evaluate five images or scenarios of the future. This essay concludes with the image of the future help us better understand and change today? Who are the losers and winners in any particular articulation of time?The futures perspective is economic, international and social events and the choices made by actors that make ake these discrete events intelligible, such as core-periphery, urban-ru ral, gender, Unfortunately, most efforts to understand the future remain in the predictive mode. It is often asked, what and when will a particular event occur and how can we profit claim to excellent this task. Our efforts here–sensitive to the richness of reality and future, as might be available in a five year plan, rather we enter into a discussion of ahead not to reify social reality. Our goal is insight not prediction. As an initial caveat,

1) Define and discuss what constitutes a successful organisation. 2) Coursework

1) Define and discuss what constitutes a successful organisation. 2) Use an example organisation to recommend appropriate performance indicators and justify your choice - Coursework Example Organizations have a structure and management that guides its operations to achieve its objectives. This structure guides the members on whom to do, what to do, when to do, where to do it and to whom. This structure helps in smooth running of the activities (Cohen et al., 2008). Each organization has stakeholders who play different roles to achieve its goals. For instance, profit making organizations stakeholders are: employees, customers, government, shareholders, investors, suppliers, creditors and society as whole. All these stakeholders are very important to any successful organization. The market is becoming competitive day in day out. Therefore, for any organization to feature in the local and global market, it has to meet the current trends of business. The following qualities constitute a successful organization. Firstly, a successful organization must have a management structure. Management is the foundation to a successful organization. The management provides leadership to all the workers in the organization. For instance, researchers consider the mixed type of management best when dealing with a large organization whereas a flat management is preferable in small organizations. Mixed management consists of three levels of management: top, middle and operational or low level. The top management makes the final decisions for the organization and the head is general manager or the chief executive officer. Additionally, top managers make the strategic decisions that aim at achieving the organization goals. Middle management makes the department decisions (Daft & Marcic, 2013, p. 54-56). The departments include sales and marketing, finance, accounting and so many others. Departmental managers head these departments. The manager is responsible for making decisions that facilitates effectiveness and efficiency in the department. The middle managers are answerable

Bring Your Own Device (BYOD Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Bring Your Own Device (BYOD - Case Study Example High numbers of employees in the current market organizations such as Russia and Brazil have developed their own way of making this strategy work. Bring Your Own Device initiative has been pointed out that businesses are unable to control their employees from bringing personal devices. However, this case study is divided in two ideologies. The benefits and risks involved in exercising Bring Your Own Device in workplaces (Wlech, 2015). The use of Bring Your Own Device at workplace has amplified substantially over the years. Hence, the use of paper and manual practices continues to diminish. For instance, schools have progressively used technology while studying through the use of gadgets such as tablets and personal computers. This type of learning assists students to be more cooperative and get involved in the learning process (Kelly, 2014). Bring Your Own Device has increased business productivity since organizations use green practices and positioning in a friendly environment. Bring Your Own Device saves money and creates peripheral support for employees’ hard work. However, Bring Your Own Device escalates productivity. This case study proves that employees are more productive if they are allowed to use their personal gadgets. There are numerous reasons for running a Bring Your Own Device strategy. One of these reasons is better satisfaction from the employees. Employees become more flexible while working. Bring Your Own Device saves cost expenditure in the workplace because it reduces spending on hardware maintenance and software licensing. While Bring Your Own Device increases motivation, the employees are more contented, more relaxed and often work efficiently with their personal devices (Evans, 2013). Though the use of Bring Your Own Device strategy is an advantage to a company as it makes employees more productive, the cost of this strategy is a great financial assurance to companies that procure many

Combating Employee Turnover Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Combating Employee Turnover - Essay Example This has been explained in the form of a model in the diagram below: Figure 1: Employee’s Turnover Model Source: (Allen, Bryant & Vardaman 2011) If an organization sees that employees are unhappy with the work environment and there are some factors that may start the cycle of Employee’s Turnover Model, then the organization should try to remove them from the environment. They may develop strategies that will improve the work environment, improve employee’s relationship with others in the organization and try to focus on individual characteristics of workers to make them happy. These strategies will ensure that the employee does not leave the organization. Another idea suggested by Allen et al. study is that the organization should conduct employee’s surveys at regular intervals and should develop evidence-based strategies based on the problems identified in these surveys to make sure that employee’s turnover is reduced and this can be an effective w ay to combat the problem of high turnover in the large corporations and organizations. (Allen, Bryant & Vardaman 2011) Another study done on 76 organizations concludes that employment benefits and effective retirement policies reduce the problem of employee turnover by almost 34%. The study’s rationale was that employee’s benefits and retirement programs are given to employees after their retirement. Since gratuity fund grows exponentially, so employees think that longer they will stay with the organization, the bigger gratuity or pension they will get. Hence, this motivates them not to quit the job. Therefore, organizations with effective employee’s benefits and retirements plan tend to retain workers for longer periods than organizations that do not focus on these programs. Another important finding of the research was that it takes almost $3000 to replace a work in mid-management position. Hence, if these $3000/worker are used in creating effective retirement and pension plans, then an organization is likely to retain its workers for longer periods (Sutton 2001). In a model developed (Darmna 2000), it was found that replacing the employees that are leaving the organization is quite expensive. Hence, organizations could use half the costs that are spent on recruiting new staff to appease or solving the problems of the leaving staff. They can use the same money to increase their wages or to reduce the de-motivation factors from the organization. This would improve the problem of high employee turnover because factors that were perturbing the employees are being removed from the environment and hygienic factors such as increased pay are being given to them. Hence, there is no reason for them to leave the organization. (Darmna 2000) Participative management is another technique to reduce the problem of high turnover. Participative management believes in the autocratic leadership. It is an approach that calls for management by objective. Her e the responsibility is delegated to workers who are then free to decide how they will go about doing their work. This kind of approach has been highly successful in staff retention and large MNCs are making use of this approach. The illustrious lists of organizations that use this approach are Unilever, Proctor and Gamble, Reckitt-Beckniser and Siemens. It was found that these organizations retain employees twice longer than any other company. One reason for this high retention rate is responsibility management and participative

Litterature Review and bibliography Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Litterature Review and bibliography - Essay Example se, extreme changes in the room temperature including other ergonomic-related problems that may lead to the development of different types of Repetitive Strain Injury (RSI) like the Carpal Tunnel Syndrome among others. (Buckle & Hoffman, 1994) Other factors such as physical stress related to illness or hormonal changes as well as emotional stress related to grievance due to the death or loss of a special someone may also increase stress at work. For the purpose this study, the researcher will gather peer-reviewed journals related to the probable causes of work-related stress and its impact over well-being of employees. To give the readers a better understanding of some medical terms used in the study, the researcher will provide the definition of words. For the literature review, the researcher will first discuss all the probable causes of work-related stress followed by repetitive strain injury, carpal tunnel syndrome and other work-related injuries. Since ergonomics study the impact of working environment in relation to stress and physical injuries related to the working conditions, the researcher will discuss the role of ergonomic analysts. Eventually, the negative health effects of work-related stress will be provided in order to give the readers a better understanding why health care practitioners should focus on preventing stress from work. Ergonomics – a scientific-based study that teaches the proper design of working environment and systems in relation to increasing the efficiency and quality of employees’ work performance. (International Ergonomics Association, 2008) Repetitive Strain Injury – also known as chronic upper-limb musculoskeletal disorders or cumulative trauma disorders are work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WRMSD) which is often associated with repetitive poor body postures. (Stock, 1991; Ranney, Wells, & Moore, 1995) In gathering concrete evidences with regards to the major causes of work-related stress causing physical

Marketing across culture Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Marketing across culture - Essay Example Therefore, marketers need to have different marketing strategies for each and every market where it is being sold and marketed. This is the reason why Denon sells its surround sound receivers with different model numbers, features (silver, black, gold tone) as well as warranties in order to cater to the unique needs of these markets. In order to combat the problem of different needs of the markets, a lot of marketers make a specific marketing plan for a particular product and then they adjust this plan depending on the market where it is being sold in order to fulfill the needs of the customers of this market. For example, many organizations sell their products in hundreds of markets all over the world. It is impossible to make specific marketing plans and strategies for each and every market. Therefore, these marketers make a common international marketing plan and then, they make adjustments to these plans and strategies according to the specific and unique needs of the market. 2. What are the problems you are likely to encounter with the distribution of your products in: China, Japan, and India? Which country poses the biggest problem? Explain your answer. With rapid globalization, companies are now selling their products in different countries worldwide. All of these countries have different markets with unique needs and characteristics. ... Due to the communication, transport as well as regional difficulties, companies need to hire, train as well as constantly keep in contact with these agents (Selling and Distributing in China without a Legal Presence, n.p.). As far as Japan is concerned, one of the major problems is the difficulty of penetrating its cultural barriers and complex bureaucratic relationships and structures. The multi-layered distribution network in India is the biggest problems faced by marketers all over the world. It is difficult for marketers to reach a large number of customers and develop a high market share. Therefore, India is said to be the country which poses the most difficult problem for marketers as it is twice as hard to distribute products in India as it is else where. 3. Many products fulfill both a functional need as well as a social need. When deciding how much to adapt an existing product for a new foreign market, which type of need should a marketer focus on? Explain your answer. When entering a new foreign market, marketers should focus more on functional needs rather than on social needs. This is because the main reason for entering a market is to fulfill the functional needs of the customers. Functional needs are those needs which are fulfilled by the various functions of the product. After the fulfillment of the functional needs, the consumer gets socially attached with the product or service and that is when the marketer should start emphasizing on social needs. Therefore, during the initial stage the marketer should place more emphasis and focus on the functional needs. After that product’s functional needs turn into social needs, the marketer should switch his focus on it. Marketers need to determine the stage of the product lifecycle and

Physics Project (( Radioactive decay )) Lab Report

Physics Project (( Radioactive decay )) - Lab Report Example We used excel tables, bar graphs and smooth line graphs to analyses the data obtained from the laboratory. We found out that during half life time interval the coins will decay to half its initial number just as it will occur with real nuclei decay. Also, that the decay process is an exponential function curve. To decay to zero, we need approximately three times the half-life of the coins. The throwing of the pennies proved to a good model for the nuclei decay process as shown by the normal distribution frequency curves Radioactivity is the natural, spontaneous process in which a nucleus of an unstable atom loses energy by emitting particles such as gamma, beta or alpha particles. Past studies (Martin 2006. Pg 15) have shown that these radioactive nucleus though are randomly emitting particle, the time it takes for a particular radioactive element to reduce to half its original amount is always a constant. In this project, we set out to perform a radioactive decay process and find half-life by using the flipping of pennies. We set to investigate if half of the coins decays at each flip and also investigate the relationship between the accumulated coins decayed and the coins left curves. If we assume that the coins were being flipped at equal interval of time (half-life) we wanted also to investigate if the number of coins that decay each time is half the original number. With these objectives, we set the following hypothesis; that tossing a coin is a good model for radioactive half-life (Cook 2010, Pg. 46). Approximately 50% of the coins should decay at each throw and that it should take approximately three shakes to get to zero coins left. In the second set up hypothe\sis were that; four coins should decay most often on the first throw. Our prediction of the percentage decay first throws calculation is 50%. The distribution of the number of coins that decay on the first throw should be bell shaped (Cook 2010, Pg.

Biodiesel as an Alternative Fuel Essay Example for Free

Biodiesel as an Alternative Fuel Essay As time goes on, humans are discovering new ways to improve their means of living. Whether the upgrade affects us financially, socially, or if it helps the Earth, or better health and education, things are changing. Multiple enhancements in fueling one’s car have risen. Gas has become pricey, and the controversial argument that oil will one day perish are factors that have led people to find other alternatives. Biodiesel is an efficient alternative fuel, for the reason that biodiesel is a safe, eco-friendly, and affordable option. Biodiesel is a clean burning alternative fuel. It is renewable and generated from a variety of vegetable oils and animal fats, not raw vegetable oil. Raw vegetable oil cannot be utilized because it has not undergone the process of transesterification. Transesterification is a process in which oils and fats are obtained organically and are combined with alcohol with the help of a Catalyst to form esters. Biodiesel can be used either in its pure form of 100% biodiesel, or can mix with petroleum as a biodiesel blend (ex: B20, 20% biodiesel, 80% petroleum diesel). Biodiesel began in the 1890s with Rudolph Diesel. Diesel thought early diesel engines could run on pure vegetable oils and believed there would be a grand benefit to those living in poor areas where there was no petroleum. The modern biodiesel that is derived from the transesterification process did not surface until the 1930s in Belgium. But today’s biodiesel really began in Europe in the late 1980s. The early diesel engines ran on many substances, until vegetable oil seemed to be an efficient alternative. That is when Rudolph Diesel got to work and researched vegetable oil, concluding farmers could make their own fuel. However, Diesel died a short while after and petroleum became found in many forms. There was abundance of petroleum and in low cost, so the diesel engine was changed to match diesel petroleum fuel. The petroleum diesel spread quickly and biodiesel was ignored. Yet, the biodiesel industry kicked off after the transesterification process was launched and became a preferred method as an alternative fuel. All good things are flawed, and biodiesel does include some disadvantages. The production of biodiesel can result in more land use. If many of us switch to using biodiesel, there would be much land devoted to our biodiesel fuel needs. Biodiesel transportation and storage can be a hassle. Since biodiesel does not flow well during winter, storage can become an issue. Also, biodiesel cannot travel in pipelines. A truck has to transport it, resulting in higher cost. Biodiesel becomes a gel in cold weather and does not flow; therefore one can experience driving difficulties in the winter time. The diesel creates wax crystal which can clog filters and fuel lines in your car’s fuel system. Even with its disadvantages, biodiesel has not become a popular alternative fuel for nothing. It has many advantages that persuade people to make the switch. Biodiesel is easy to use, and any vehicle can be converted into a diesel engine car. Also, because biodiesel can be blended with petroleum diesel, one could switch from biodiesel to petroleum whenever wanted, without having to make any changes. Biodiesel pumps at gas stations across the country are growing daily. Pure, 100% biodiesel will have about 5%-10% less energy than petroleum diesel. Usually people notice very little change in their mileage or performance. When using a biodiesel blend, the numbers change. Using B20, there is less than 2% change in energy and users notice no change in mileage or performance. Using biodiesel is an advantage that is greatly helpful to the environment. Biodiesel is nontoxic, causing less damage than petroleum diesel if it is spilled or somehow released to the environment. It is also safer than petroleum diesel because it is less able to explode or catch on fire. The combustion temperature for biodiesel is higher than 150Â °C, and about 52Â °C for petroleum diesel. Biodiesel is safe to handle, store, and transport. B100 use reduces carbon dioxide emissions by more than 75% compared with petroleum diesel. Using B20 reduces carbon dioxide emissions by 15%. Also, in both soil and water, biodiesel degraded at a rate 4 times faster than petroleum diesel. Because of its clean nontoxic emissions, easy use, and many other benefits, biodiesel is becoming one of the fastest growing alternative fuels in the world. Due to its expense, biodiesel is cost competitive with petroleum diesel. Millions of users have switched to using biodiesel and are enjoying its benefits. If we create biodiesel in a reasonable manner, it can help the world with the topic of petroleum supply. It’s clean, renewable, and cost effective fuel will provide us with economic and environmental advantages for the future.

Being religious is not a matter of subscribing to doctrines Essay Example for Free

Being religious is not a matter of subscribing to doctrines Essay In oral/first traditions, being religious entails much more than simply subscribing to a set of doctrines.   It is instead a world view, a way of ordering society, and a means of reckoning with the natural and supernatural.   It deals with the unseen and, in the absence of science, does not create boundaries between natural phenomena and the divine or supernatural.   According to Walter Burkert, â€Å"Religion is manifest in actions and attitudes that do not fulfill immediate practical functions.   What is intended and dealt with cannot be seen, or touched, or worked upon in the usual fashion of everyday life. †Ã‚   (Burkert 5) Being religious is not a matter of subscribing to doctrines (which, in Western societies, is separate from science and other aspects of human life), but is instead a complex relationship with the surrounding natural world and with other humans. views in oral/first traditions often establish the links between a people and the forces controlling their lives.   This is especially true with folklore and creation stories, which attest to the links between a people and their divine beings, as with Io in Maori myths or Bumba in Bushongo myths.   In essence, these attest to the people’s close identification with their divinities and stress a kind of organic belonging important to these societies.   (Novak 334-336)   Also, creation myths bind people closely to the sources of their sustenance, showing their reverence for the natural resources on which they depend.   For example, the Pawnee root their origins firmly in corn, their chief food source, and their divinity (â€Å"Mother Corn†) is female; indeed, many oral/first traditions venerate female deities along with the male, attesting to the biological nature of divinity in oral/first traditions.   (Novak 338-339)   Resources are not simply seen as spiri tually inert commodities, as in Western societies, but as vital parts of a world infused with spirits. Folklore also helps to explain natural phenomena, addressing the â€Å"why?† in order to coherently explain and help people cope with powerful events (again in the absence of science), often natural calamities.   (Burkert 112)   Burkert explains that such tales typically start with some human folly, often a broken taboo or conflict, link these to catastrophes (which are, in these people’s views, manifestations of evil), and explain how they are ultimately overcome.   Chains of human wrongdoing, dreadful consequences, and ultimate resolution, says Burkert, create â€Å"a context of sense and [premise] a meaningful cosmos in which people can live in health and at ease. . . .†Ã‚   (Burkert 128)   Evil is attributed to supernatural agents aroused by human wrongdoing and brings punishment by the gods.   However, resolution does not always occur.   In tales akin to the story of Adam and Eve, whose misdeeds in Eden led to their expulsion from it, both the Ya o of east Africa and the Hopi of North America blame human misbehavior for driving God away from themselves.   (Novak 344-346) World views in oral/first traditions not only involve folklore, but they are also rooted in social hierarchies, since hierarchy serves as a means of ordering the world.   According to Burkert, this is virtually universal in world religions and early societies.   (Burkert 81)   In oral/first traditions, hierarchy involves not only simple subjugation to the powerful, such as humiliation and shows of deference, but also adherence to mutual obligations by superior and inferior alike.   These help create a stable, ordered society in which inferiors show deference to superiors and superiors are obligated to protect or otherwise assist those they dominate.   As Burkert asserts, â€Å"Dominance makes possible forms of solidarity not easily encountered elsewhere. . . .†Ã‚   (Burkert 82)   Hierarchy also manifests in showing reverence for natural forces.   Again, Novak’s examples of the Sioux relationship to the bison and the Pawnee reverence for â€Å"Mother Cornà ¢â‚¬  illustrates how oral/first religions clearly recognize their dependence on certain natural resources for their survival, and their world views often place the sources of their sustenance at the top of their hierarchies. (Novak 338-339, 363-372) Another key behavior in such traditions is reciprocal giving, which Burkert considers vital because it â€Å"regulates the standards of justice . . . [and] is an unexceptionable expectation or even obligation of return.   Every gift demands a counter-gift.†Ã‚   In these societies, an unanswered gift is a serious taboo which violates the obligations inherent in hierarchies.   (Burkert 130)   Creating reciprocal obligations in such religions is a means of promoting peace and stability by strengthening mutual social bonds. Ritual often assumes a central place in oral/first traditions because it â€Å"grows out of anxiety and is designed to control it.†Ã‚   (Burkert 36)   Rituals involve confronting some aspect of fear or pain in order to better cope with it, or to appease unseen forces.   One such common ritual is sacrifice (pars par toto, Latin for â€Å"part for all†), which Burkert calls â€Å"a manageable loss in order to gain salvation.†   The author mentions ancient Greek sacrifices to hail (Burkert 34-37), while others involve bodily mutilations (such as finger sacrifice or severing hands).   Another fact of this is sacrificing scapegoats, usually social outsiders or individuals guilty of violating certain taboos. Scapegoats are sometimes blamed for arousing divine wrath, and their sacrifice is a means of restoring safety to a perilous situation.   He grounds this in biology, likening it to distracting predators by leaving behind an expendable part, like foxes gnawing off their paws to escape hunters’ traps.   (Burkert 41)   Similarly, Burkert considers ritual castration a means of defying biology: â€Å"The illusion is that by renouncing procreation men may stay clear of the maelstrom of life and death.†Ã‚   (Burkert 48)   It is also a biological means of enforcing hierarchy, as seen with lower primates A less brutal aspect of this is the sacrificial feast (eating certain venerated foods) and ritualized killing of certain animals (intended to show the being reverence, as with the bison).   Life, according to Burkert, is â€Å"a transient stability depending upon the ‘just’ exchange† (Burkert 155), and showing respect for life-sustaining forces assumes crucial importance.   Another aspect of ritual is the oath, in which words are set in a ceremonial context in order to make them sacred and inviolate.   (Burkert 171-173) Another aspect of behavior in this milieu is the importance of signs, which help divine some aspect of the future, usually through the role of the shaman.   Shamans, who often attain their status through ceremonies or rituals, are basically the mediators between the natural and supernatural, capable of reaching an ecstatic state which gives them divine insights and lets them cross the boundaries that other members of these societies cannot.   An example is the Eskimo shaman, whom Novak claims can achieve a â€Å"fit of mysterious and overwhelming delight† (Novak 355).   In this state, they may see signs by watching people’s behaviors, the weather, objects, and other phenomena in which the future may be divined. These signs basically comprise a kind of unwritten language for interpreting the world, and the shaman acts as a designated translator.   Other signs not limited to the shaman include body markings, such as scars, brands, tattoos, and tooth alteration, which set certain people apart and are not simply arbitrary choices or fashions.   These function as a language (often in the absence of a written language) with deep significance for those who embrace it.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Despite the commonalities one finds among early traditions, such as bonds to the natural world, the presence of shamans, and the importance of hierarchy and mutual obligation, conversion does not appear to be a matter one could take lightly.   In these societies, religion is not simply a set of doctrines which can be substituted for another, but a complex system of relationships to a specific group of people, physical environment, and body of folklore.   They are not rationalized as commonalities between cultures, since people in these societies seldom transplanted themselves lightly from one cultural cosmos to another.   For example, while first traditions all share similar creation stories, the nuances and elements of each will differ from one another, as will the rituals and signs associated with their religions.   Changing entire world views appears not to be a frivolous decision, since the world views in oral/first traditions are so intricate.

Ideologies of Management

Ideologies of Management The extent of complexity in the organisational management processes requires many questions to be raised in the pursuit of effective strategy for management HRM and employees relation. For managers, what important is the know-how, what, why and how to take the right decisions and how to release these decisions to employees. For them, the challenge is how to use the information gathered and also know how to ignore it. Also, their challenge focuses on how to mix being competitors and being evolver, how to face this complex and non-linear dynamics of the business environment and stay lean and agile. The dilemma is to keep the relation to employees in a good state such that motivation and satisfaction are the status quo, meanwhile the common good for the business is realised. This is why, tangible and intangible have been mixed, and this is why many call for human factor and conscious to play a role. This is difficult, but not impossible, the evidence is produced by Brown and Eisenhardt (1998) quoting companies such as Nike, Microsoft, Virgin and others. Industrial relations are very much connected to the trade and workers unions history. At the beginning of the last century there was a leaning towards mass labour and their unions. Trade Unions moved from strength to strength until it started to collapse due to many unworthy tactics and unwelcome strikes which brought many industries to standstill situations. Governments, including the British government, started to attack militancy in trade unions. Industrial relation started to take new forms. Nowadays, many changes have occurred in industrial relations. Silva (1998) stated changes in industrial relations practices (rather than in institutions and systems) such as increased collective bargaining at enterprise level, flexibility in relation to forms of employment as well as in relation to working time and job functions have occurred as a result of such factors as heightened competition, rapid changes in products and processes and the increasing importance of skills, quality and prod uctivity. Management of todays organisations have the conviction that taking unilateral decision is in their own rights, and that it should not be challenged by employees, or even stakeholders. They consider that this is their duty to manage. The conviction follows the ideology of Unitarism. In this work, this notion of management will be discussed in the light of three ideologies which are Unitarism, Pluralism, and Marxism. However, I will start by looking at the concept of job regulation, which some see as the core of industrial relation. Then, the other parts of the question will be discussed within this context. The concept of job regulations in some authors views represents the core of industrial relations. Flanders (1965) stipulated that study of industrial relations should be limited to the institutions of job regulation. In this approach, (Oram, 1984) indicated that the human relations variable was given a relatively insignificant role in the explanation of behaviour in industrial relations. Although personal, or unstructured, relationships were acknowledged as being important, they were considered by Flanders to be outside the scope of industrial relations. Flanders (1965) made a distinction between internal and external job regulations. Internal job regulations are those rules and regulation that can be changed internally by management and subordinates without any outside authorisation. This internal regulation could be achieved unilaterally by the management or bilaterally through negotiation with employees. On the other hand external job regulations are those being imposed on the org anisation from outside agencies where they could be any third parties, state regulation or any outside stakeholders. Hence, it can be said that job regulations as such may forge the industrial relations and external job regulation may allow different forms of unions. As mentioned previously there are three perspectives on employment relations and these are Unitarism, Pluralism, and Marxism. Unitarism by definition has a set of characteristics. In Unitarism, the organization is considered as one unit that is working towards a single goal. It represents the happy family picture. It also follows that all members of the family, i.e. the organisation, are loyal. Unitalirsts do not believe in conflicts or disputes and they do not expect or accept it. Trade unions have no role to play in unitarism, no negotiations and no collective bargaining. Any of these issues would be considered a disruptive influence to the path of the organisation towards its goal. Management in Unitarism considers making unilateral decisions is the norm and any opposition to this is illogic and irrational. Unitarism has a paternalistic approach where it demands loyalty of all employees. Atkinson and Curtis (2004, p. 492) stated paternalistic approach to employee relations in many small companies was found to be largely still intact. The governments intention of developing partnerships in the employment relationship in order to promote greater fairness in the workplace has, to a significant extent, failed. Small companies may not be granting their employees all their statutory rights. The statement quoted indicates that in this approach there is a sense of unfairness in such ideology of unitarism, at least in the view of the author. Other authors such as Rodriguez and Rios (2007) see that paternalism is counterproductive to productivity. Rodriguez and Rios (2007, p. 356) stated Given this historical account, paternalism has been closely related to the traditional personalized social bond between a boss and his employees. The association also implies that paternalism and productivity are not compatible. In this paper we argue that some of the new modern labour bonds that are being established rise from the paternalistic womb. New fully modern bonds non paternalistic are present as well. Both are related to productivity under the condition that organizations act consistently with the premises under which the contracts are made. By consistent we mean non hypocritical relationships that realistically and sincerely take into account those premises to decide upon Human Resources management policies and practices. On the other hand, authors such as Lewis (1989) see that unitarism approach is what is required in the midst of recession. Lewis (1989) referred to Cressey and Mclnnes (1985) argue that the effect of the recession has been to downgrade the role of consultation. In the companies in which they reviewed the process of consultation, it was trivial and bland. Any lifeboat democracy, as they term it, brought about by the desire to improve co-operation in order to cope with the recession, is extremely fragile and will come to grief on the rocks of managerial prerogative. Moreover, some authors consider that unitarism is normal and required, for example Wilkinson, et al (1991) stated unitarism is an underlying theme which remains unquestioned. Implementation is se en as a matter of motivation, with the correct attitudes being instilled by simple training programmes. Black and Ackers (1998) termed the context of unitarism as looked upon in this investigation as macho management or direct control as a management style. The authors then referred to what they termed as new unitarism and indicated that there is now a shift towards such ideology. Black and Ackers (1998) suggest that management is shifting its emphasis, within the strategy of responsible autonomy, away from the shop stewards organisation towards the shop-floor worker. This involves a shift of issues from collective bargaining to consultation and an attempt to supplement or replace the workplace corporatism of the post-war period, with a greater stress on direct communications with and involvement of the shop floor. The new unitarism attempts to circumvent unions and restrict their scope rather than smashing them. In support of this Gunnigle (1992) views neo-unitarism as a unitarist perspective involving a range of HRM policies designed to eliminate employee need for collective representation. In this sense neo-unitarism is a diluted version of the old unitarism that is investigated here. The second perspective that will be discussed within the context of unilateral managerial decisions is pluralism. Keenoy and Anthony (1992) indicated that the 1970s debate about pluralism was centred on the appropriateness of pluralistic methods to the achievement of social justice; an ethical controversy regarding how the business organizations should be managed. Chigara (1995) indicated that Pluralism holds that employers and employees interests are diametrically opposed to each other, and that they are held in the balance by the common need of keeping the enterprise alive. For pluralists, the trade union is a welcome vehicle for communication. Oram (1984, p. 23) added to the above that Pluralists see trade unionism as merely one more example of a competitive pressure group which Western democratic society accommodates as a matter of course. Pluralists also see that within legal limits, trade union aspirations can be fulfilled sometimes by imposing their wishes in ways which manage ment may see as arbitrary. Trade unions are seen as presenting legitimate challenges to managerial rule with one outcome being in the form of agreed rules, regulating terms and conditions of employment. Dobson (1982) indicated that in the pluralist approach, it is implicit to industrial relations a great belief in the virtues of collective bargaining since it is the method which is used to resolve conflicts. Dobson (1982) stated that other forms of job regulation-especially unilateral regulation by employer, trade union and workgroup-are usually condemned, since they over-ride the interests of other groups. The author then aired the views of the critics to pluralism as stipulating that the legitimacy of collective bargaining is based on certain assumptions, most notably the assumption that all interest groups possess approximate equality of power, so that the eventual compromise reflects equal concessions by all the parties. Even the commonly used definition of collective bargaining of joint job regulation, seems to suggest equality between the parties. Dobson (1982) added that Critics of pluralism have argued that power is very rarely distributed equally, and since in the long run the employer can move his production and investment elsewhere, power is predominantly concentrated in the hands of the employer. For the very same reasons other researchers such as Gunnigle (1992) pointed out to the rise of Neo-pluralism. Gunnigle (1992) stated that Neo-pluralism presented a second type of HRM which involves moves towards greater consensualism and commitment in unionized companies. It is characterized by what might be termed a dualist approach, involving the use of HRM techniques such as direct communications with employees and performance related pay systems alongside established collective bargaining procedures. Pluralism then seem to think that organisation conflicts does exist and that employers and employees interests may be different, however, having accepted this they also accepted that these conflicts are resolvable and that trade unions and the process of collective bargaining are more than capable of attaining a resolution. This assumes that power is equally distributed between employers, employees and unions. Hence, collective bargaining works efficiently. However, researchers also doubt this assumption. Dobson (1982) disputed this unrealistic balance of power and stated A more realistic view of collective bargaining, which takes account of the varying power balances between employers and workers, would see collective bargaining straddling the continuum between unilateral worker regulation on the one hand and unilateral employer regulation on the other. Such an approach would bring into question the pluralist assumption that collective bargaining is necessarily good per se, for at the extremes of the continuum the substantive content of a collective agreement may be identical to that of a unilateral decision. Dobson as such dismisse d the application of collective bargaining as equal to unilateral decision within the imbalance of power that exists in reality. Ackers (1994) agrees with Dobsons view and stated Today, the narrow, institutional version of pluralism is unsustainable. Any view of industrial relations as simply collective bargaining would confine it to a minority activity in a declining sector of the economy. The third perspective on employment relationship is that of Marxism. Hyman (1975) is considered as the authority on Marxism in relation to industrial relations, albeit that he was criticized for being too theoretical in his approach. Wood (1976) referred to Davis criticising the work of Hyman as so abstract and general as to be almost worthless, in either theoretical or practical terms. Still, Hyman explain that worker grievances could only be expressed through collective bargaining and industrial actions. Barbash (2005) indicated that the Marxist model assumes the existence of class conflicts and it is built on the assumption of coalition formation. Marxism stipulates that coalition formation is based on classes that form from out of groups that are in the same authority position in the organisation. Marxism also assumes that classes are able to regulate conflicts and can bring change through negotiations. Marxists acknowledge unions but see the faults in them when in the interest o f workers they seek economic improvement rather than embarking on a revolutionary change and they accuse some unions and their members are subject to false consciousness and that they need to work towards their Leninist destiny. Marxists believes that capitalism creates and endorses monopolies and that capitalism has a powerful luring to the workers when they acquire some powers. Therefore the Marxism approach is to make a goal of overthrowing capitalism. It supports the notion that industrial relations are made by those that are involve in the production and gives the first importance to workers and their affair. It holds true that workers for capitalism are considered a burden on profit making. Marxists also held the view that workers contracts are imposed upon them and they do not enter to it freely and that makes them weak as individual and their strength is therefore lies in their coalition. Marxism sees conflict of interest between capital and workers and employment relations are formed through this conflict. Marxism also uphold the view that trade unions presents optimal solution for such conflicts and ironically Marxists views that institutions of joint regulation would enhance rather than limit managements position as they presume the continuation of capitalism rather than challenge it. From the above a conclusion can be drawn regarding the conviction of management that they have the right to unilateral decision making over human resource issues and that this right is legitimate and rational. It is obvious to many that the trade unions power has been in the last two decades in a decline state. Also, the power of collective bargaining has been in decline, especially after the rise of capitalism in Eastern Europe. The pluralistic approach was seen to be restrictive to the flair and individualistic behaviour of entrepreneurial organisations. Pluralism, whilst acknowledging the conflicts in employers and employees interests, it upholds the idea that survival of the organisation is the derived force to keep it going. Pluralists see trade unions are as presenting legitimate challenges to managerial rule and that it leads to a satisfactory outcome. In fact, each one of the two perspective unitarism and pluralism has its critics. For example, in unitarism there is no obviou s reason as why managers have the only say, and whether this is sensible. It can be argued against unitarism that it gives organisation values to managers and not to groups. If it is a fact of life that conflicts exist in organisations, unitarism does not seem to appreciate this. The same also could be said about pluralism, where it is based on assuming a balance of power that seldom exists in organisations. It also assumes that all conflicts are resolvable and that all those involved have no hidden agendas apart from the common good. It also assumes the full trust in each party; therefore it is unreal and impractical. In regard to Marxism, it was found, in my view, as a mere attack on capitalism and rejection of all of its principles based on naive attempt to show its drawbacks. Marxism hence, relay on giving power to unionists leaders and support the use of extreme measures to resolve conflicts. The concept of job regulations seems to be taken by many researchers as the centre for employment relations and that this relation is formed by both internal and external means. As such this concept may encapsulate all three perspectives in one as it contain unilateral, bilateral and collective as well as state efforts in forming the employment relation. In regard to the subject in question which discusses the unilateral decisions by managements over human resource issues and whether it is legitimate or not. I am of the opinion that it is unrealistic to think that management would allow such decisions to be made collectively. Even if on the face of it, they pretend that it is so. I found myself entirely agree with Lewis (1989) who stated The industrial relations debate about the reasons why management promote employee participation in decision making has run for many years. Much of the literature emphasises the theory that participation in the U.K. is more imagined than real. It gives employees the illusion of a say in organisational decision making whereas the reality is that management use the illusion as a mechanism for control of employees. In fact, this illusion is carried out everywhere and seems ingrained in any organisation. REFERENCES Ackers, P. (1994) Back to Basics? Industrial Relations and the Enterprise Culture. Employee Relations, 16(8), 32 47. Atkinson, C. And Curtis, S. (2004) The impact of Employment Regulation on The Employment Relationship in SMEs. Journal of Small Business and Enterprise Development, 11(4), 486 494. Black, J. and Ackers, P. (1998)The Japanisation of British Industry? A Case Study of Quality Circles in the Carpet Industry. Employee Relations, 10(6), 9-16. Barbash, K. (2005) Theories and Concepts in Comparative Industrial Relations. Blackwell. Brown, S. and Eisenhardt, K. (1998) Competing on The Edge. Harvard Business School Pr; ISBN: 0875847544. Chigara, B. (1995) Article 2 of Convention No.87: Precepts And Their Application A Global Assessment. Managerial Law, 37(6), 1-20. Cressey, P. and McInnes, J. (1985) The Recession and Industrial Relations. ESRC conference, University of Warwick, March 1985. Dobson, J. (1982) What is Good Industrial Relations? Employee Relations, 4(2), 5-10. Flanders, A. (1965) Industrial relations: what is wrong with the system? London: Faber. Gunnigle, P. (1992) Human Resource Management in Ireland. Employee Relations, 14(5), 5-22. 1 Hyman, R. (1975) Industrial Relations, a Marxist Introduction. Macmillan, 220. 2- Keenoy, T., Anthony, P. (1992) HRM: Metaphor, Meaning and Morality, in Blyton, P., Turnbull, P. (Eds), Reassessing Human Resource Management, London: Sage. 3- Lewis, P. (1989) Employee Participation in a Japanese-Owned British Electronics Factory: Reality or Symbolism? Employee Relations, 11(1), 3-9. 4- Oram, S. (1984) Industrial Relations and Ideology-An Alternative Approach. Employee Relations, 6(2), 22 26. 5- Rodriguez, D. And Rios, R. (2007) Latent premises of labor contracts: paternalism and productivity: Two cases from the banking industry in Chile. International Journal of Manpower, 28(5), 354 368. 6- Silva, S. (1998) Human Resource Management, Industrial Relations and Achieving Management Objectives. International Labour Organisation, ACT/EMP Publications. Available from: http://www.ilo.org. [Accessed: 24th October 2009]. 7- Wilkinson, A., Allen, P., and Snape, E. (1991) TQM and the Management of Labour. International Journal of Manpower, 12(6), 35-42. 8- Wood , S. (1976) The Radicalisation of Industrial Relations Theor. Personnel Review, 5(3), 52 57.

3 negros :: essays research papers

In the period after Reconstruction the position of African Americans in southern American society steadily deteriorated. After 1877 the possibilities of advancements for African Americans disappeared almost completely. African Americans experienced a loss of voting rights and political power created by methods of terrorization such as lynching. The remaining political and economic gains that were made during reconstruction were eventually whittled away by Southern legislation. By the 1900s African Americans had almost no access to political, social, or economic power. Shortly after this Jim Crow laws began to emerge, segregating blacks and whites. This dramatic transition from African American power to powerlessness after reconstruction gave birth to two important leaders in the African American community, Booker T. Washington and W.E.B. DuBois. Although these two remarkable men were both in search of a common goal, their roads leading to this goal were significantly different. This is most evident in the two most important documents of the men’s careers: Booker T. Washington’s, â€Å"1895 Atlanta Exposition Speech† and W.E.B. DuBois’ response to this, â€Å"The Souls of Black Folks.† These two men were both dedicated to solving the difficult problems African Americans experienced in the post reconstruction south. Both DuBois and Washington wanted economic prosperity for African Americans but they differed on what would be done to achieve this. Both men focused on education as a key to the improvement of black life but they differed on the form education should take. The true difference in these men’s extremely different routes to better the lives of African Americans after reconstruction was a product of their extremely different backgrounds. In this essay I will examine the documents, â€Å"1895 Atlanta Exposition Speech† by Booker T. Washington and W.E.B. DuBois’, â€Å"The Souls of Black Folks† in order to determine the paths that each of these men took towards the advancement of African Americans, and the reasons behind these methods. DuBois and Washington came from extremely different backgrounds. These differences are essential to understanding why each of these men went about trying to achieve progress for their race in the way they did. DuBois, the son of free parents, was born a free man and grew up in a white environment with more privileges and advantages than the majority of African Americans living in the United States at that time. He suffered neither severe economic hardship nor from repeated encounters with racism. In contrast, Booker T.

The Repressive Governments Of Zamiatins We And Orwells 1984 :: essays research papers fc

The Repressive Governments of Zamiatin's We and Orwell's 1984 Outline: Thesis: Both Zamiatin's We and Orwell's 1984 have governments that repress actions and thoughts through the use of physical and psychological force. I. Intro. II. We's Government's Use of Psychological Force A. Number system B. Sexual Registration III. 1984's Governments Use of Psychological Force A. Newspeak B. Doublethink IV. Both Government's Use of Physical Force A. Torture of Winston B. Operation On Fancy V. Conclusion Throughout time, people have wondered what happens when government gains complete control not only over people's actions, but over the thoughts that precede them. Is it even possible to gain such omnipotence over human nature that human beings will renounce all individuality? If such a society could exist, would human nature truly be conquered, or just subdued sufficiently that the will of the few could be contorted into the will of the general population? The British author Eric Blair, better known by his pen name George Orwell, and the Russian born Eugene Zamiatin both attempt to address these questions in their respective books 1984 and We. These novels depict, ". . . mechanized societies whose citizens are deprived of freedom through physical and psychological conditioning." (Bloom 17) The amazing thing about these civilizations is that the majority of the citizenry, at least publicly, applauds the government's totalitarian actions. Both Zamiatin's We and Orwell's 1984 have governments that repress thought and action through the use of physical and physiological force. One of the most visible ways the government of the United State is able to control the thought and actions of its citizens is by the use and abuse of a system by which each member of society receives a number at birth instead of given a name (Goldstein 54). The numbers are assigned according to sex and occupation. For example, D-503, the main character in We, is male, and is thus assigned a consonant for his prefix while his female partner, O-90, is assigned a vowel. As D-503 is an engineer, he receives a 5 as his first number. All state poets such as O-90 have numbers under 100. (Zamiatin 46). This use of numbers instead of names creates a sense of unity and oneness of purpose in the contented, complacent Numbers of the United State. "The most striking thing about the Numbers' "names", is how easily they incorporate their assignment into their lives, and their contempt for the "old way" of naming." (Gregg 549) The Numbers' numbers are sewn onto their tunics called "unifs", front and back in large enough print that anyone, ". . .up to one hundred meters away can read your Number from any direction.

Doctor

In order to keep the sand dunes at Scrofula/Wanda economically sustainable there are several strategies that had to be done so they wouldn't be destroyed in the near future. Since there were an increasing number of people going to Scrofula to use the sand dunes, the council, state and commonwealth had the act quick to save the sand dunes. The strategies that were used for sand dune management in the Scrofula area include dune reverberation, polymers covering, walkways, and fencing.Dune Reverberation has been used in the Scrofula/Wanda area for the management of sand dunes because it removes weeds and harmful materials which may affect the condition of the sand dunes. By controlling noxious and environmental weeds, irrigating the planting areas, planting recommended dune species and installing wind protection fences, removing bitumen and other debris from the dunes and access roads, replacing the fences, the dunes can be reverberated so that they may main in a stable condition for fut ure generations.The second strategy is to install a network of paths and barriers to prevent people from shifting the sand dunes. Surfers often check the conditions of the beach by looking over them at the dunes. They run up to the top of them so they can get a view of where there are good waves or not. In summer, an astonishing number of surfers will flock to the beach. The result of those people all running up the dune would cause displacement of the sand and weakening of the dunes.To solve the need for people to travel around the beach, the council has installed walkways to provide a path around the area which doesn't involve people walking or treading on the sand dunes. The dunes have been fenced off in case any people wonder off and don't walk on the pathways. On top of that, board and chain stairs have been put put in to protect the sloped areas of the beach which may be vulnerable to deformation. Finally, polymers has been laid over areas of bare sand to stop sand blowingâ₠¬ ¦

An Analysis of the Social Gradient of Health in Relation Essay

An Analysis of the Social Gradient of Health in Relation to the Australian Indigenous population â€Å"The demonstration of a social gradient of health predicts that reducing inequality itself has health benefits for all, not simply for the impoverished or deprived minorities within populations. † (Devitt, Hall & Tsey 2001) The above quote from Devitt, Hall and Tsey’s paper is a relatively well grounded and well researched statement which draws on contemporary theoretical sociological concepts to support the assertion that reducing inequality is the key to improving health for all. However the assertion that the demonstration of a social gradient of health predicts that a reduction in inequality will lead to health benefits for all is a rather broad statement and requires closer examination. The intention of this essay is to examine the social gradient of health, whose existence has been well established by the Whitehall Studies (Marmot 1991), and, by focusing on those groups at the lower end of the social gradient, determine whether initiatives to address inequalities between social classes will lead to health benefits for those classes at the lower end of the social scale. The effectiveness of past initiatives to address these social and health inequalities will be examined and recommendations made as to how these initiatives might be more effective. The social gradient described by Marmot and others is interrelated with a variety of environmental, sociopolitical and socioeconomic factors which have been identified as key determinants of health. These determinants interact with each other at a very complex level to impact directly and indirectly on the health status of individuals and groups at all levels of society; â€Å"Poor social and economic circumstances affect health throughout life. People further down the social ladder usually run at least twice the risk of serious illness and premature death of those near the top. Between the top and bottom health standards show a continual social gradient. † (Wilkinson & Marmot 1998) In Australian society it is readily apparent that the lower social classes are at greater disadvantage than those in the upper echelons of society; this has been discussed at length in several separate papers on the social gradient of health and its effects on disadvantaged Australian groups (Devitt, Hall & Tsey 2001, Robinson 2002, Caldwell & Caldwell 1995). Within the context of the social gradient of health it can be inferred that Indigenous groups, for example, are particularly susceptible to ill health and poor health outcomes as they suffer inordinately from the negative effects of the key determinants of health. A simple example of this is the inequality in distribution of economic resources: â€Å"Average Indigenous household income is 38% less than that of non-Indigenous households. † (AHREOC 2004). The stress and anxiety caused by insufficient economic resources leads to increased risk of depression, hypertension and heart disease (Brunner 1997 cited in Henry 2001). Higher social status and greater access to economic resources is concomitant with a reduction in stress and anxiety levels, as individuals in these groups have more control over economic pressures which create this stress. This simple comparison proves that the social gradient of health accurately reflects how socioeconomic determinants affect the health of specific social classes at the physiological level. An extension of the research into the social gradient and the determinants of health is the examination of the pathways through which specific social groups experience and respond to these determinants. These ‘psychosocial pathways’ incorporate psychological, behavioural and environmental constraints and are closely linked to the determinants of health; â€Å"Many of the socio-economic determinants of health have their effects through psychosocial pathways. † (Wilkinson 2001 cited in Robinson 2002). These pathways have been demonstrated by Henry (2001) in the conceptual model of resource influences (Appendix A), a model which illustrates the interaction between the constraints mentioned above and their impact on health outcomes. Henry states that a central differentiator between classes is the amount of control an individual feels they have over their environment. Whereas an individual from a lower class group holds a limited sense of control over their well being and consequently adopts a fatalistic approach to health, those in higher classes with a stronger sense of control over their health are more likely to take proactive steps in ensuring their future wellbeing. This means that both individuals will cope differently with the same health problem. This is partly as a result of socioeconomic or environmental determinants relative to their situation, but it is also a result of behavioural/physical constraints and, most importantly, the modes of thought employed in rationalising their situation and actions. In essence these psychosocial pathways occupy an intermediate role between the social determinants of health and class related health behaviours.

Tourist Places of Jammu and Kashmir

Jammu & Kashmir Travel Information -Srinagar is an ancient city and has many attractions that can attract even the most unwilling of tourists to this magical land. Dal Lake, Nishat Bagh, Shalimar Bagh, and Chashme Shahi are some of the best-known tourist spot in Srinagar. Jammu is the winter capital of the state and next in importance after Srinagar. Most of the tourists who come to the Jammu region have the Mata Vaishno Devi shrine as their destination, which is quite close by. However, the spirit of holiness permeates through the entire city, so much so that Jammu is also known as the ‘City of Temples’. If Bahu Mata is the presiding deity of Jammu, the dargah of Peer Budhan Ali Shah is the other shrine that is believed to protect the local people. The other major tourist attraction is the Raghunath Temple Complex, which is the largest temple in North India devoted to Lord Rama. The construction of this temple was begun by Maharaja Gulab Singh in 1851 and completed by his son Ranbir Singh six years later. The temple of Maha Kali (better known as Bahu or Bawey Wali Mata), located in the Bahu Fort, is considered second only to Mata Vaishno Devi in terms of mystical power. The temple was built shortly after the coronation of Maharaja Gulab Singh in 1822. Other temples in the city include the Gauri Kund Temple, Shudh Mahadev Temple, Shiva Temple, Peer Khoh Cave Temple, Ranbireshwar Temple, and the Parmandal Temple Complex. The most stunning site in Jammu is the Sheesh Mahal. The Pink Hall of the palace now houses the Dogra Art Museum, which has miniature paintings of the various hill schools. The museum also has the handwritten Persian manuscripts of the Shahnama and Sikandernama. The palace was once the royal residence of the Dogra kings. Built as a group of buildings around a courtyard, the palace has a commanding view of river Tawi on one side and the city on the other. The Amar Mahal Palace Museum is a beautiful palace of red sandstone, which stands amidst the most picturesque environs of Jammu. It offers a beautiful view of the Shivaliks in the north and the river Tawi in the south. This was once the residential palace of Raja Amar Singh, but now it has been converted into a museum. The museum has a golden throne made of 120 kg of pure gold. A treat for those interested in history is the town of Akhnoor, 32 km southwest of Jammu. Standing on the banks of the mighty river Chenab, the town tells the tragic tale of the lovers Sohni and Mahiwal. Along the riverbank are the majestic ruins of the Indus Valley Civilization that are of great historical importance. Patnitop, near the Vaishno Devi Temple, is fast becoming a busy hill station and a good place to enjoy the nature in its eternity. Ladakh is home to the minority Buddhist community in the state. They have preserved their unique culture for the past hundreds of years. Leh is the headquarters of this region. The major points of attraction are the Leh Palace, Namgyal Tsemo Gompa, Sankar Gompa, Shanti Stupa, and Soma Gompa.

My Best Friends Secret Essay

It was Saturday and all my friends were playing chase in the neighbouring pastures with some other younger kids. As usual, I was stuck in my sizzling bedroom working on my random body part project. I longed to play with my friends in the windy park brimmed with beautiful leaves with shades of yellow, orange and red. I thought about informing my mum to let me have this day off, but I knew mum wouldn’t approve. I sighed at the thought. I took one last peep at the smiling and giggling friends before spinning around to complete my task. It was time for brunch, were I get to rest at last. My hands were red from all the writing and my nose was blocked. I might be coming down with a cold. I jiggled myself awake before slumping downstairs to the kitchen. It wasn’t a surprise when I saw my best friends and the pesky younger children sitting mutely at the dining table. I threw myself onto a couch bed and made myself comfortable. My mum fetched a jug of orange juice, a few cups and a plate of chocolate chip cookies. I gripped one of the filled glasses and two cookies. I settled down for afternoon television, but something was different. Nobody was talking, they were whispering about something. I desperately wanted to hear about the subject, but I didn’t want to be rude, so I turned back to the television show. Something bugged me inside my brain. What are they talking about? Is it about me? I shivered at the rhetorical questions. Now there was a buzzing noise of what I think is girly gossip. I edged closer towards the crowd of girls. I caught a few conversations: â€Å"Didn’t you hear? Thomas has a crush on Sohnjah!† â€Å"Don’t be ridiculous! He would never have such a crush on the watching TV girl there!† Both of them giggled. â€Å"I bet Sohnjah is gonna be embarrassed! She looks real easy to blush!† â€Å"Hate to admit it, but I think she likes him too! What a great couple the make!† â€Å"It will be a great wedding, for the two of them!† I gritted my teeth as they all buzzed on. Even my best friends, Mihindie and Nicky, were in this. So you were the people who spread that secret and you didn’t even tell me! Not going to tell me anything, are you? I flustered while stomping upstairs and into my mum’s room to sob. Dad came up next to me and patted me gently on the back. I cried silently, not letting any of my sniffles or tears come out. I grabbed my frustrated head and tried to calm down. It was difficult, since I never knew what the secret was about, nor when it started. All that time, when I was at band, Nicky and Mihindie were sharing this pathetic secret? I trotted over into my room and walked to the bedside table. I lifted the photo of me and my best friends at the zoo. I spat at the two heads of my friends with a disgusted look on my face. I fussed about them for an hour with my mum and dad until my mind reminded me of the time when they told me how fussy I am sometimes. I had to admit that they were right. I am fussy and uncontrollable. If they were here, they would never ever play with me. I had to promise never to lose my temper ever again.

Building Sustainable Organizations Analysis

The report discusses the HRM practices in an organization through the case study of a   hospital which is located in Australia with around 400 staff members. The hospital has its unit across the Australia. The case study discusses ineffective HR practices operating in the hospital administration which have contributed to high attrition, grievances, absenteeism and shortage of staff in the organization. The hospital has been reported to have some serious accidents involving patients and staff members. The case then discussed a contrasting view of another hospital that is effectively implementing HRM practices in its administration through employee engagement activities, HR policies, job analysis and recruitment and selection. The hospital has been reported to have great patient services because of its sustainable management practices and policies. The first hospital discussed in the case reflects ineffective HRM practices which have degraded the quality of patient services and have even led to some serious patient accidents. The hospital only has one payroll department which takes care of the salary of the employees and one HR consultant who conducts weekly visits to the hospital. All the responsibilities of an HR manager have been laid down on the middle managers which has overburdened them. The CEO of the hospital has been overlooking the consequences of this activity of overburdening middle managers. This has resulted in work conflicts, staff turnover and absenteeism. The overall quality of the services of the hospital has also degraded. The hospital lacks an effective munication model, which is taken care by an HR manager. Effective munication is required for assigning roles and responsibilities, boosting employee confidence and evaluating performance of the employee. An effective munication holds an organization together through effective policies, employee handbook, meetings and conferences, performance evaluation, employee engagement etc. munication helps to transfer the information from one department to other and thus maintains the flow of information through mails, telephones, meetings, documents, employee record etc (Fielding, 2006). It is the role of an HR to maintain an effective munication in an organization which is not present in the hospital. Employment r elations are also not being properly managed ineffective HR policies. Employment relations are required to hold the employees and have good staff retention in the hospital through developing relation between employee and the hospital through benefits and pensation, appraisal system etc (Gardner & Palmer, 1997). The employee gets frustrated and demotivated due to work conflicts and situation based problems. They need to be motivated by an HR manager through meetings and other activities. The managers are not even aware that these assigned responsibilities are not even part of their job and get frustrated sometimes which creates absenteeism and staff turnover. This overall impacts employee petence through work conflicts and absenteeism which indirectly affects the quality of the services of hospital and leads to disappoint patient. This spoils the image of the hospital and affects the long terms goals and objectives of the organization. A sustainable HRM model is required to improve the quality of the services of the hospital (Wolper, 2004). The CEO of the hospital needs to review the performance of the hospital in order to build a sustainable business model. He needs to understand that an HR consultant is not enough while considering the long term goals and objectives of the organization. The patient care and safety are one of the essential ponents for a successful running hospital which are not as per the norms of a hospital. The severe accidents may increase in the future and may have disastrous consequences on the operational system of hospital. The CEO needs to develop a sustainable HRM model in order to achieve the long term goals and objectives of the hospital (Wolper, 2004). CEO would have to create an effective HR department and ensure proper implementation of the HR policies and practices. He could have a look at the HRM model of other successfully running hospital as mentioned in the case study. The hospital has a proper HR department which has led to quality services to the hospital through its staff retention and employee engagement. Thus, CEO should plan to develop an HRM model in the hospital by considering the following roles and responsibilities of an HR department and should hire an HR manager who could assist him in other recruits for the department. The HR manager is responsible for hiring the suitable employees as per the needs and requirement of the job profile in the organization. Employees are recruited through different channels such as newspaper ads, online ads, networking, telephone etc. It is the responsibility of an HR to use the right channel for selection (Brinkerhoff & Goldsmith, 1992). When a new employee gets hired and joins the organization, he needs to be well versed about the organization and his duties and job role. The HR manager guides and instructs the employee through an induction and training program regarding what he would be expected to do through employee handbook, job description, pany policy manual and training and mentoring. He also checks all the required documents of the employee such as id proof, degrees etc (Brinkerhoff & Goldsmith, 1992). It is the duty of an HR manager to ensure that hospital plies with the rules and regulations of the government through his legal research expertise on hospital. The hospital must abide by the laws as prescribed by the government which may include recruitment contracts with the medical practitioners. Then there are employee contracts which should be very well documented (Brinkerhoff & Goldsmith, 1992). It is the duty of an HR to control and monitor the performance of an employee through employee engagement, resolving work conflict, handling grievances, appraisal system etc. The employee performance is responsible for quality of the services of a hospital. An HR boosts the confidence of employees through different activities and ensures smooth operational activities in an organization (Wolper, 2004). An HR manager is also involved in core team of a hospital and helps in building strategies in alignment with the goals and objectives of the organization. An HR manager acts as an intermediate between the employees and the hospital and thus, helps to resolve employee issues and concerns through proper planning and devising solution (Evans, 1990). Training and development is a very crucial element to develop a sustainable business model in hospital industry. It ensures quality services and equipping the staff with latest technology and practices in the market. It is the duty of an HR to conduct regular training in the hospital such as handling patient effectively, being polite to the patient etc. Thus way training improves the quality standard of a hospital (Savage, Fottler & Khatri, 2010). HR is responsible for running operations of a hospital smoothly and effective administration is the core element of HRM in hospital. The responsibilities may vary from hospital to hospital (Fried, Fottler & Johnson, 2005). Studying the above roles and responsibilities, it can be evaluated that an HR plays a very important role in effective delivery of services and ensuring quality patient care. Further, the report would discuss the ways to develop a sustainable HRM model in a hospital and its consequences. A sustainable HRM model consists of six elements which would be discussed one by one below: HR Management Systems: It ensures that the operational activities are being maintained in an organization through integration of data, staffing and placement and employee support system. The data is helpful is evaluating the performance of the employees and provides employee feedback and coaching and mentoring to the employees if required. This would improve overall work productivity of the hospital through an effective appraisal system and policies and measures (Evans, 1990). Leadership: Employees look for continuous guidance and instructions from their superiors to make sure that their work is in alignment with the goals and objectives of the hospital. HR manager would make sure that the employees are fully aware of their job profile and expected results through intensive planning and organizing. Their involvement in the decision making process ensures that the hospital’s planning, budgeting and organizing considers the issues and concerns raised by the employees. Thus, an HR ensures that there is continuous involvement of stakeholders in the decision making process (Evans, 1990). Partnership: A hospital must ensure that there is proper planning, organizing and optimum utilization of the resources. Partnership is a way to hold the stakeholders and direct them towards a mon goal and objective of the organization (Evans, 1990). Finance: Employees need motivation in order to increase their work productivity which can be ensured through timely incentives and a properly defined salary structure for an employee. The salary package of an employee must be defined in advance so that he is aware about his benefits which may include education, medical, allowances etc (Evans, 1990). Education: Employees look for their career advancement and growth in an organization. Education would motivate them and would also help to increase the work productivity of a hospital (Evans, 1990). Policy: An organization must have effective policies to ensure discipline in the system. An employee must abide by the rules and regulations of an organization so as to align with the goals and objectives of the hospital (Evans, 1990). Thus, a sustainable framework can be ensured through following approaches: A sustainable HRM model would involve four steps which are as follows: Purpose: The purpose is analyse the current situation which can be done through various methods such as taking feedback from the stakeholders, reviewing the records and documents etc. In the case study, CEO must identify the key stakeholders first and then analyse the plete situation through the inputs received from the stakeholders (Savage, Fottler & Khatri, 2010). The process can be carried out through a meeting with the key stakeholders, reviewing the existing HR documents which can be collected from HR consultant and payroll manager. This would help in identifying the root cause of the problem (Savage, Fottler & Khatri, 2010). Purpose: Once the inputs have been received from the previous step, this step would define the actions required to be taken. This would be carried out through prioritizing the actions which are necessary in the current scenario. The planning would involve cost calculation for the implementation of those actions and the consequences the actions would have on the hospital (Savage, Fottler & Khatri, 2010). Purpose: The most critical part of building HRM model is the execution of the planned layout and most of the organizations fail at the execution level. Thus, a leader must ensure that the roles and responsibilities are properly allocated to the respective departments and employees so as to ensure that an effective implementation is being carried out (Savage, Fottler & Khatri, 2010). Thus, the phase would involve planning the execution though funding, allocating the responsibilities and budget planning for the action plan. Purpose: It is very important to measure the success of plan that has been executed and evaluate the process of implementation. Monitoring and controlling helps to determine the milestone achieved and helps in future planning (Savage, Fottler & Khatri, 2010). The process involves analyzing the key stakeholders who would decide the factors for monitoring and evaluating the execution. The roles and responsibilities of the employees must be clearly defined (Savage, Fottler & Khatri, 2010). Developing a sustainable business model for any organization is a challenging task and requires the contribution of all the stakeholders of an organization. But, once the framework is being developed, it would have great results in terms of employee mitment and improve the service quality of the hospital. Effective munication: munication helps in constant flow of information in an organization. An effective munication is required in an organization to keep the employees updated regarding their roles and responsibilities. The HR manager would ensure an effective munication in the organization (Zelles, 2012). Performance Management: Performance management must be evaluated on a regular basis in an organization. Effective HR policies would help to evaluate the performance of an employee (Niles, 2012). Employment Relations: An organization must ensure that the employees are satisfied with their job role to maintain employment relations. An HR manager acts as an intermediate between the organization and the employee to build trust and loyalty among the employees which helps to increase the work productivity (Zelles, 2012). Thus, a sustainable HRM Model is crucial for an organization to ensure employee mitment and quality services. The r mendations for the CEO of the hospital are as follows: The report has analyzed the case study and the measures required to be taken in order to devise a solution for the same. The discussion has involved the steps that CEO needs to consider to build a sustainable HRM Model for his hospital to improve the quality of the services. Most importantly, a sustainable model requires a great leader, HR management systems, effective HR policies and involvement of key stakeholders in the decision making process. Gardner, M & Palmer, G. (1997). Employment Relations:  Industrial Relations and Human Resource Management in Australia. Melbourne: Macmillan Education AU. Dressler, S. (2004). Strategy, Organization and Performance Management:  From Basics to Best Practices. Sydney: Universal-Publishers. Colbert, B.A. &Kurucz E.C. (2007).Three Conceptions of Triple Bottom Line Business Sustainability and the Role for HRM.Pro-Quest, 30(1), 21-29. Brinkerhoff, D.W. & Goldsmith, A.A. (March 1992). Promoting the sustainability of development institutions: A framework for strategy.World Development, 20(3), 369-383. Hahn, T., Pinkse, J., Preuss, L. (March 2015). Tensions in Corporate Sustainability: Towards an Integrative Framework. Journal of Business Ethics. 127(2), 297-316. Savage, G.T., Fottler, M.D. and Khatri, N. (27 July 2010). Strategic Human Resource Management in Health Care. UK: Emerald Group Publishing. Fried, B., Fottler, M.D. and Johnson, J.A. (2005).Human Resources in Healthcare:  Managing for Success. US: Health Administration Press. Evans, D.W. (1990). People, munication and Organisations. London: Pitman. Anthony, R.J. (2009). Organizations, People & Effective munication:  Most Good and Bad Consequences e Down to People and munication. US: UNIV READERS Holbeche, L & Matthews, G. (2012). Engaged:  Unleashing Your Organization's Potential Through Employee Engagement. US: Wiley. Zelles, R. (2012). Methodologies to measure and define Employee Engagement. Germany: GRIN Verlag. Bridger, E. (2014). Employee Engagement. London: Kogan Page Publishers. Macev, W.H., Schneider, B., Barbera, K.M., & Young, S.A. (2011). Employee Engagement:  Tools for Analysis, Practice, and petitive Advantage. London: John Wiley & Sons. Flynn, W.J., Mathis, R.L., Jackson, J.H., & Valentine,S.R. (2015). Healthcare Human Resource Management. US: Cengage Learning. Wolper, L.F. (2004). Health Care Administration:  Planning, Implementing, and Managing Organized Delivery Systems. Burlington: Jones & Bartlett Learning. Nick, G., Reinhold, G., & Valerie, I. (2005). Managing Health Services. UK: McGraw-Hill Education. Niles, N.J. (2012). Basic Concepts of Health Care Human Resource Management. Burlington: Jones & Bartlett Publishers.

Fourth Party System (1896-1928) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Fourth Party System (1896-1928) - Essay Example There were key changes in the Republican and Democratic parties amid 1896 and 1928. Further revolution was experienced due to the changing roles of the national government on farmers, business and minorities. The story of continuity and the key changes experienced in the fields are discussed aptly in the essay. Changes Republican and Democratic Parties between 1896-1928 There were major changes observed in the Republican and Democratic Parties. The changes concentrated in the number of times each party formed the authorized government (Wayne et al, 249). In my viewpoint, the fourth party system can be perceived as an era of inter party competition. Averagely, the 7 national elections held after 1896, the ratio of the party vote between the republicans and the democrats was 57.7% to 42.3% respectively (Wayne et al, 249). Moreover, the republicans got 60% of votes in the 22 states of North and West of the presidential election. Earlier, Democratic and Republican party dominance was equ al in between 1874 and1896. The base of electoral support was initiated when the electorate was modified and realigned by the 1896 election of 1896, which changed the political landscape (Wayne et al, 249). ... odrow Wilson’s 1912 election as the president representing the Democratic Party was only achieved because of the core division within the prevailing Republican coalition (Wayne et al, 249). Republican Party The issue that preoccupied the Republican Party leadership was the splitting up of the party’s members because of internal conflict amid the traditional conformist of the industrial-financial centers of the Northeast. A further cause of the schisms was the traditions of the Progressive reformer of the Middle West that caused disarray amid the Republicans. In my opinion, the issue that preoccupied the Republican Party leadership was Theodore Roosevelt role in splitting the republicans when he failed to capture the GOP nomination from President William Howard Taft (Wayne et al, 248). For this reason, he split the electoral votes in the range of 27.4% to 23.2%. The change observed in Republican Party was its renewal of dominance in producing potential candidates for the presidency. Changes in the Role of National Government between 1896-1928 The American national government had roles during the progressive era at the time the country was evolving from the agricultural epoch to industrial period, for transformation in economic augmentation. It is realistic that the national government experienced major changes in its role of governing the American groups such as farmers, workers, business, minorities and dissidents. The government had to come up with policies to guide large populace being employed in the manufacturing industries. I was especially moved by a research conducted that found out that 1 in 4 families practiced farming because of the industrialization era. The national government role was concentrated in the interest of maintaining and improving the

Out of African film and the book changes by Ama Ata Aidoo Essay

Out of African film and the book changes by Ama Ata Aidoo - Essay Example Despite huge difference in their classes, Farah is treated like a close friend by Karen. She always fearlessly interacted with him to discuss work affairs. Karen and Denys overcome many stereotypes associated with a British colonial lifestyle. For example, Karen disregards the life of a delicate British lady and deals with many work affairs which traditionally used to be looked after by men. Denys also disregarded the aloofness of a typical British aristocrat and treated the local Africans with great respect. This trait helped him to transcend cultural boundaries and effortlessly interact with different African tribes. The scene where Karen begs to have land set aside for â€Å"my Kikuyu† to live on once she is forced to leave Kenya is very significant because it shows that she wants what is the best for the Kikuyu people. It shows her loyalty to them and how attached she has become to them during the times she spent in Kenya. The representation of colonialism in Tarzan: The Ape Man is different from that in Out of Africa. In the latter, the British colonists more or less try to act as peacemakers with the locals. In the Tarzan film, there is a very clear line between the whites and blacks. No importance is given to the blacks who only look like mere shadows in the background. There is obvious othering of the African nation. In The African Queen also, the attitudes and observations about Africa and its people are different than those in Out of Africa. The colonialists are shown as civilized people, while the Africans are characterized by negative values. There is no harmony between the colo nialists and the Africans who are shown as primitive and simple people (Stafford). Esi is a strong and independent woman in the book Changes who leaves her husband to get able to live a fulfilled life. This is not the kind of thing which is usual for even a modern African woman living in contemporary times. The story starts with these words, â€Å"Esi

Library Research Assignment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Library Research Assignment - Essay Example Using this business model, the company can sell its products to the customers present in different parts of the world. An appropriate business model is one of the key necessities in upgrading a company to the world of e-commerce. Benefits of the Website for the Company E-Business means running a business using internet technologies in order to improve the level of profits, as well as to expand the business. In today’s world of competition, it has become the need of every retailer to have online presence to increase the level of sales. In this regard, website plays the role of the most important player as it is the main way to make people aware of the products and services being offered by the company. As Holub (2005) asserts, â€Å"one of the easiest ways to help your business gain more exposure and potential customers is to have a professionally developed website† (p. 1). Our company, A to Z Laptops, will also make use of a website for marketing purposes. The company w ill have an attractive website which will be placed on the most famous search engines, such as, Yahoo and Google in order to be searchable for general users in a convenient manner. The website will perform all key business operations that include marketing, sales, customer support, and internal communications. The website will also reduce the need of having a physical location for trading. A perfectly designed and user-friendly website will provide a lot of benefits to A to Z Laptops. Some of these benefits include increased volume of sales through attracting more customers, improved and efficient customer service, increased business credibility, and reduced business operating cost. Benefits of Internet for the Company Some of the main benefits of internet for A to Z Laptops include internet marketing to enable the business reach international markets, online communication system to serve customers’ queries, and email system to improve customer service. A to Z Laptops can use many methods to sell its services to the customers. Some of the most popular ways include classified ads, internet marketing, selling through company’s website, and email marketing. Online ads and promotions hold a key place in internet marketing. A to Z Laptops can use promotion techniques and ads placed over famous websites and search engines to make people aware of the products of the company. The company can also make use of emails as a direct marketing tool. As Williams (2012) states, â€Å"e-mail marketing is the oldest method to reach the prospects and maintain goodwill in the market† (p. 1). The company’s officials can use emails to send relationship-building and personalized messages to the targeted population. A major benefit of direct marketing is that it reduces marketing costs (Ojha, 2012). The company cal also use social networking websites to improve the process of socialization and increase public awareness about new technologies. Such websites are a great way to reach a large number of people (Hawkins, 2012). Functional Specifications The key electronic business processes of A to Z Laptops will include internet marketing, electronic processing of order, and electronic customer service. We will establish our contacts with the online suppliers of the computer accessories and laptops to ensure provision of items to customers on the due date and time. We will put a link in the