Hegemony and Modern Culture

Hegemony and modern culture (TV documentary script) [Shots of banks, shops, people walking down shopping streets Grafton Street, the Mall in Tralee, Oliver Plunket Street in Cork as voice over speaks] â€Å"Not since the time of Antonio Gramsci has the notion of hegemony been so relevant in Ireland today. But what is hegemony? [Image of Gramsci] Hegemony is the phrase adopted by Antonio Gramsci from Marx to explain how social structures evolve. [Scenes of Regina Cali prison] Antonio Gramsci was born in Italy in 1891. After university, in deference to the fascist Mussolini ruling government he became involved in left wing activity.As a result of this he was arrested in 1928. While in the Regina Cali prison he studied the whole idea of hegemony. He wanted to find out why the weaker forces do not fight back, why do they bow down to their oppressors. He adapted the meaning of hegemony. He realized that it is not just concerned with how the ruling classes operate (as Marx had proposed). Gramsci felt that â€Å"what was missing was an understanding of the subtle but pervasive forms of ideological control and manipulation that seemed to perpetrate all repressive structures†1.He also found that the weaker group had their part in it by accepting the ruling class’s authority. This is the kernel that we are concerned with. This is the theory that we are going to apply to modern culture in Ireland today. Not just why modern culture is imposed but what are the subtle manipulations of this culture and also what is our part in acquiescing to them. [Cut to images of Irish legends Cuchulainn, Fionn mac Cumhaill, Deirdre of the sorrows] We used to have a culture rich in language, dance, storytelling, education, generosity and a love of the simpler things in life.It had evolved from years of myths and legends passed down from generation to generation. We lived by a code of traditions and values. Later we became colonised by England we were robbed of our language an d as a result the stories that made up our culture. Nevertheless we fought back until we gained our independence but already serious changes had occurred in our culture- the culture of money had crept in . Yeats commented on it in September 1913 What need you, being come to sense, But fumble in a greasy till And add the halfpence to the pence And prayer to shivering prayer, untilYou have dried the marrow from the bone; For men were born to pray and save; Romantic Ireland's dead and gone, It's with O'Leary in the grave. 3 [Images of cash tills and money] Consumerism has been growing steadily ever since, but its more than consumerism it’s a greed, an insatiable desire, an endless hunger for the next shiny object. The care for our fellow human beings has been replaced by this self propulsion . Recently we have been woken from a glut of consumerism, obsessed by the price of property and handbags and plunged into an abyss of recession. Now is the time to question what happened?Wha t is our culture? Who are the forces that change it and what is our part in adopting this culture as our own? Firstly what is our culture? Culture is anything that engages us socially. It is the media, television, newspapers, magazines, books, internet, art, music and dance. It is all of these and it is more. It is the way we think, the way we live and the things we believe in. Today in Ireland what is most prevalent is the culture of consumerism. Buoyed by the economic boom that was known as the Celtic tiger consumerism grew and grew. Borrowing increased as sales increased on luxury cars.Items such as handbags became known as must haves, the prices of houses escalated at an astonishing rate. Consumer spending increased by 36% in the period 1999 to 20042. As a nation we became gripped with a greed for goods. Where did this come from? Everyday we are bombarded with images of products and goods. The average person sees over a hundred ads a day. The media is littered with advertising. Most fashion magazines and television stations are run by the revenue generated by advertising. So we can observe how Gramsci’s theory is working, we are being governed by the media to buy these products.But what about the other side, why do we comply so easily. Is it because as a colonised state we are easily duped and behave like sheep. There is clearly proof for this . Because consumerism is our new God, we work all hours to acquire more money. Modern life is riddled with apathy. People don’t revolt any more and this is an essential part of Gramsci’s model. In order for a social structure to grow it needs to revolt. We did in the 1920’s when we gained our political freedom so why not again? Because people today are too busy being distracted by the media.Throughout the media we are shown the perfect way to live, what we need to purchase it, to attain that lifestyle and most importantly what we should be thinking. Open the supplement to The Sunday Times newspaper, not only will it tell you what artists are cool and current it will also give you a meter to what’s hot and not. There is usually a spread on a designer or artist with a photo shoot of their house. The following page has a guide as to where you can purchase items that are similar. We are filling our lives and our homes with products in the hope that they will give us an identity, a look a brand.But it goes further than this. Behind this cult of consumerism is a need for something stronger, the constant seeking that can never be found. In order for it to fill us it would have to be spiritual. We have made a false God of the media. Looking to it to sustain us, to give us direction and it can’t because it’s not based on spiritual principals. Our increasing lack of faith in Catholism had edged us more towards our readiness to believe in something else, something that makes us feel good, safe, and important. All the things the media claims to do.Social net working sites convince us we are important, that people are interested in what we say and want to see photos of us. The whole thing is ego based revolving around the church of me. As individuals become more obsessed with themselves, encouraged by the media (‘because we’re worth it’) to buy more products, watch more programmes that reiterate the ideology of Me and read more papers that tell you what to buy, community spirit is wasting away to nothing. In order for us to get any way out of this mess we need to look to Gramsci once again. We need to revolt.We need to stop consuming for the wrong reasons. We need to think about our purchasing. We need to become consciously aware of what we are doing. We need to start asking questions? Where is my money going? Is it helping communities or causing farmers to lose their farms? Why do they sell Riverock a Coca-cola product instead of Kerry Spring in the college canteen? Because that’s the reality; every time you p urchase something you set a chain of events into motion . Now we’re aware of our power there is no going back. We need to start a revolution.Some trailblazers have already started with Fair-Trade leading the way with putting a conscience into consumerism. In the field of fashion people like Kellie Dalton are paving the way forward for fashion with a conscience. Her work and the work of others at Redress. ie are helping make fashion more ethical. Hopefully with this growth in conscience a sense of community can once return to our shores and this will replace the endless seeking of self in the wrong places. [cue Titles Accompanied with Rage against the Machine â€Å"Take the Power Back†]Sources 1 http://www. nternationalgramscisociety. org 2 HYPERLINK â€Å"http://www. davy. ie/content/pubarticles/wmc20070730. pdf† http://www. davy. ie/content/pubarticles/wmc20070730. pdf 3 â€Å"September 1913† WB Yeats HYPERLINK â€Å"http://www. re-dress. ie/† htt p://www. re-dress. ie/ Irish Times Magazine, (Saturday Oct 31, 2009) The Sunday Times Style Supplement (Sunday Oct 25th, 2009) Cultural Theory, An Introduction, Philip Smith and Alexander Riley (Blackwell Publishing) pgs 35 – 37 HYPERLINK â€Å"http://www. victoryiscertain. com/gramsci† http://www. victoryiscertain. com/gramsci http://links. org. au/node/1260

Conformity and Obedience Essay

Compliance means doing what other people in our social standing do in our daily lives. Most people, in most social groups, conform in everyday things like speech, dress codes, eating habits etc. This kind of conformity is known as ‘’Social control’’- the numerous pressure as individuals grow turns them from babies into members of our society. The main agencies of social control are the family, the peer group, the media, religion, employment and the law. All of these encourage conformity of one kind or another. The conformity types of behaviour are called ‘’social norms’’ Social norms; these are the normal types of behaviour in normal social groups * Age groups * Colleges and classes in college * People of same social economic background * Women/Men * Ethnic groups The role of self-esteem in Conformity; Low self-esteem is linked to feelings of insecurity. Research has tended to show that people with low self-esteem, or low feelings of security, are most likely to be the people that would conform. It is believed that those with low self-esteem can increase their sense of personal security if they belong to a group and adopting its norms because there is ‘’safety in numbers’’ Self-esteem is related to how a person has been brought up, academical performance and to economic and family background. The relevance of conformity in the uniformed public services: The uniformed public services encourage conformity among their members in various ways: Uniform and rank structures, working in teams, espirit de corps, and by having social clubs, sports clubs, and other activities which encourage individuals to mix and socialise outside working hours. The message from the uniformed public services is that conformity is a good thing for their image and for the work of each service. Conformity can be used to be a strong bonding force in the uniformed public services, but if it becomes to strong then this can sometimes lead to problems. In a diverse csociety people are different, and they are usuall quite proud of their differeences, it is what makes them unique. People criticse the public services because they feel that to many of the services have too many white males. In general they are good at their jobs, but they tend to be full of themselves and have that â€Å"bullish† attitude. This means that they have become less welcoming to the female or ethnic minority recruits, aswell as gays and lesbians. The feeling is that these men have been conforming one another so that they exclude everbody else and this they hope will put off new recruits. Obedience basically means the act of carrying out an order As a practice, it means that orders are carried out regularly and that these orders are carried out with dependence. As a quality, it is a habit that people develop that allows them to follow orders without delay and without complaint. Obedience differs from conformity. When someone conforms, they do something without being asked to do it. E. g. An officer who would wear their uniform on duty. Where as, when someone obeys, they do what they are told to. E. g. A soldier following an order to shoot somebody. Following orders; In thte uniformed public services being able to follow orders quickly and promptly is an absolute must. This does not mean that employees are robots and do exactly what they are told all the time, but the short of it is whenever an order has to be obeyed then it has to be obeyed. Due to this reason, people who are not able or prepared to follow an order, are not likely to be employed in the uniformed public services. Even though employees in the uniformed public services have an obligation to follow orders, the people giving the orders have an obligation to give orders that are reasonable and are justified. Orders are part of the general drive towards discipline orders help to give the uniform services structure and keep everything intact. Conscious and unconscious obedience; Those who have very little experience in following orders join a uniformed public service may have problems following orders and may have to make themselves do so. Though after a while it may become very natural to them and they just get used to obeying to orders. The move from having conscious to unconscious obedience. In order to be a public servant the uniformed public services stress that a servant has both conscious and unconscious bedience. the first so work id done in a discipline and organized manner. The second in emergencies were instinct and instant response is needed. Unconscious obedience is not the same as blind obedience. Compliance; Compliance is doing something that other people want you to do. Though sometimes like â€Å"compliance with common practices† this is seen as conformity. In other contexts such as â€Å"compliance with an order† this will mean obedience. Depending on the context, compliance can have different meanings, compliance could be willing or it could obedience in which the person is happy to follow orders. Some feel that compliance is forced upon people. Compliance also means to obedient to rules, regulations and laws. Within the uniform services willing, cheerful obedience is good because it suggests that the team is happy and working well. Status as a factor in obedience The same is in the uniformed public services as in life, if an order is giving it is more likely to be obeyed by someone if the person giving the order is of a higher status. In the uniformed services status usually will mean rank, and orders will most of the time come from the higher ranks to the lower ranks. Those at lower ranks only really get to suggest ideas. Though someone times exceptions will occur to the norm of higher telling lower what to do. For example if someone is an expert in an area they will be given temporary authority. Therefore for that short period the expert is the boss. This might be seen in a road traffic accident where the police would be the one with the higher status until the vehicles become on fire then the Fire service become the bosses because they are the experts. Influences These factors can change the nature of the orders or how they are received by individuals. Fear – This is fear of punishment, of loss of rank, physical beating or of peer-group ridicule. All of these may contribute to people obeying orders that they would not normally obey. Fear of a person (e. g. a commanding officer) should not be the motivating factor for obeying orders. If an individual is following orders due to fear this would suggest that there is some form of harrasment, poor team relationships or levels of understanding are bad. These are potential serious problems iin the Uniformed Public services. The likes of bullying can be a serious problem and can face people with leaving, driven to depression or even taking their own lives. Reward- Rewards are used as an incentive to follow orders, but should only take the form of appraisal, and not gifts. Giving rewards that would be considered obvious lays those handing them out to be seen as having favourites or corrupted. As everyone is to be considered equals favouritism in the Uniformed Public Service is not something that is illegal. Love- Love can sometimes mean intense admiration for some. For e. g. Soldiers may get very close to each during hard times and begin to consider people like a family member. This may also love their country. This type of love can make people be highly obedient and can sometimes lead to self-sacrifice. Sexual love or falling in love can happen in the uniformed public services, and can be seen as bad for obedience as love can blind people. This is why women were not allowed in the armed forces and so were homosexuals until 2000. It was felt that love undermined service discipline. Respect- Within the uniformed public services there are two types of respect: * Respect due to rank- e. g. saluting a senior officer * Personal respect for individuals. Both act as a stimulus for obedience and conformity and do so without undermining authority.

Arguemenitive and analytic style essay proving Aristotle's theory

Arguemenitive and analytic style proving Aristotle's theory regarding the body and soul - Essay Example From these studies I can well analyze that there are assumptions that these theorists have undertaken while determining the concept of the body and the soul. For example, the theorists who had earlier declared that the body and the soul are not dependent on each other might not have realized the inner connections between them while concluding their reflections. According to Aristotle, the soul is the basis for the structure of the human body. Thus any gap between the soul and the body was not accepted as part of his theory. Other views in regard to affecting the growth and development of the body without the soul were irreconcilable in their own respects. (Bos, 6-9). I second to Aristotle’s understandings as his studies clearly present an association of the body and the soul. Here it would be appropriate to mention that a body without its inner responses and features would not reflect any behavior or nature for its representation to the world. Thus its connection and dependency on the soul makes precise sense to the active presentation of its emotions and feelings which in turn is utilized by the soul as well. There are other views to the concerned topic as well. Theories as presented by Plato were based on dualism that ignored the existence of the soul and determined that the human body had no dependence on the soul. Thus according to Plato, the soul was immortal; a view that was completely against the view of Aristotle (Pelosi, 3-4). I can analyze at this point that theorists like Plato might have made assumptions based on the external features of a human body and did not consider the inner associations without which a body does not present life. This, to me, reflects the need for further research and analyze that has been successfully assessed and presented by Aristotle. Aristotle focused on fundamental facts of biology, and integrated his thoughts of philosophy, as well as analyzed his predecessors and concluded on

Health and safety assessment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Health and safety assessment - Essay Example According to Health and Safety at Work ( 2007), organizations have legal responsibilities towards their employees, among them are : In view of this, organizations must seriously consider conducting periodic risk assessment in order to prevent serious legal problems which could lead to the closure of a business. Although a business cannot totally eliminate all the risks in a workplace, management can lessen the probability of accidents by carefully evaluating the potential hazards by carrying out a risk assessment. The group assumed that certain hazards would be visible upon our visit to the facility we have chosen. The group selected the engineering facilities of Penrhyn Road - Sopwith Building since it a good example of a workplace that carries a lot of risks for two main reasons: it is a very busy workplace and a lot of equipment and machinery are being used there on a daily basis. The group visited the said facilities after asking permission. A Technician was assigned to us who willingly guided us through the facilities and explained to us some of the equipments that they have been using. They also allowed us to take some pictures since they were aware that we are doing a risk assessment for educational purposes. In order to have a reliable report, we visited the facility a couple of times and recorded our observations. Moreover, the group met after every visit to discuss the observations that we just recorded. The most important thing in this report is to abide by the guidelines in conducting a risk assessment which can be found at the HSE website. The group members agreed to follow the fi ve steps indicated in the brochure. The first step in Risk Assessment is to walk around the place by making observations on possible sources of hazard that can cause harm to the workers. In order to substantiate the findings, the group took pictures of situations where hazards exist. An example of this is a picture of wooden

LANGUSGE AND THEMATIC ANALYSIS OF THE EXCERPT FORM THE ROVER Essay

LANGUSGE AND THEMATIC ANALYSIS OF THE EXCERPT FORM THE ROVER - Essay Example The major themes observed in this excerpt include prostitution or women liberation according to the author’s perspective, love and lust. Behn uses the profession of prostitution as a tool to demonstrate her definition of women liberation where men and women are treated as equals with same rights. This theme is apparent from the line, â€Å"is all this heaven of beauty shown to move despair in those who cannot buy?† as Hunter (1993, p.103). also states, â€Å"in the Rover the chaotic, unrepressed â€Å"other† body of woman is idealized to allow Behn to express a cultural longing for a prelapsarian Golden Age where sexes love mutually and women are desiring subjects rather than passive objects† The character of Willmore and Angelica are used as an aid to symbolically represent the theme of lust and love because the whole episode that is depicted in this scene is a matter of lust for Willmore while it is love for Angelica. Behn (1967, p. xiv) states, â€Å"f or Willmore†¦ women are objects to be bought and sold, love is merely lust†. This statement is also supported by the non serious demeanor of Willmore in the scene where he is intent on getting his way and uses words as the weapon to persuade Angelica.

The life and beliefs of Amanpreet Gill Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

The life and beliefs of Amanpreet Gill - Essay Example This is supposed to welcome good spirits that the visitor came with into the home. They do this because according they believe that visitors are forms of good spirits that come to bless a home. Gill’s dad was not an educated man, neither was he academic in nature. However, this did not hither him from encouraging Gill to partake English and other English related courses. Gill took this encouragement seriously and due to her positive attitude, she performed well in her English papers. Interestingly, whenever Gill sat an exam, the teacher would award her 19 Â ½ points out of the total of 20 points. This was very irritating to Gill since she would be forced to write another better composition. One of the most interesting experiences for Gill while in class was when they were having reading sessions. She enjoyed reading and would always express what she was reading on her face. For instance, if the character in the book was angry or scared, she would portray this on her face, cre ating clear images of the character in the minds of her classmates. Gill also enjoyed reading since her teacher always told her class that the more one reads, the more one became knowledgeable and expounded on the vocabulary prowess. This was a tip Gill took seriously and spent every opportunity she got to read and read out loud, something that contributed to her strong command of English. Besides being good in class, Gill took part in other curricular activities. She took part in card making competitions, and painting sessions.

Guest Speaker Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 3

Guest Speaker - Essay Example Martin. One of the primary weaknesses of the speech was the speakers delivery of his address. It was not enthusiastic enough and it infected his audience to feel the same lukewarm reception and involvement throughout the exercise. It appears like Martin - in his outline of his life, his causes, personal crusades, problems and triumphs feels disconnected from his lifes narrative. He was like reciting a life story of another person. He delivered each bit of information in a monotonous way, as if reading from a book and not from personal memory. It became hard to catch an emotion like sadness or righteous indignation when he found that his community lacked infrastructures like decent sidewalks or safe parks for the children, for instance; or, joy for crucial moments such as the several turning points of his career and for admiration of the people he looked up to and have shaped his growth as a person. It was an unfeeling way to deliver a narrative that actually talks about the speakers own lif e. It is easy to conclude that Martin is merely going through the motions of being a speaker. He merely played his role by saying his piece and that was it. There should have been some effort at engaging his audience as well. He should have taken time doing some research about those people sitting and listening to his message, and integrated the information in the way he shared his life experiences. It could have given him enough empathy in order to say what are relevant, what are useful and what are interesting to the audience. Of course, he was invited as a guest speaker in order for him to talk about what he has done with his life. So it is the audience duty to pay attention and learn whatever piece of information and wisdom being imparted. However, I believe that a speaker has this rare opportunity given to him to inspire people. Martin was given a platform in order to deliver a message and people are willing to listen. He should have asked himself prior to his

Final Exam Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 10

Final Exam - Essay Example The Peloponnesian War involved the battle pitting the Athenians and the Peloponnesian League under the guidance of Sparta. As a result two immediate long term effects occurred and, hence, affected both sides. For instance, it caused the breakdown of peace meaning Athens violated the Peace of Nicias treaty signed in 421 BC. Another effect included the introduction of the Ionian and Decelean Wars. These two wars occasioned a devastating phase of bloodshed as both sides struggled to gain victory for the acquisition of empires. Subsequently, three long term effects emerged from the Peloponnesian War such as the explosion of the Archidamian War (Tritle 100). It is war that was led by Spartan forces under king Archidamus II. Second effect entailed the contravention of the Peace of Nicias treaty that was meant to stop the war between Spartan and Athenian forces. Third effect is the Sicilian Expedition that was heralded by the Athenians in order to defeat their rivals. The Spartans prevailed over the Athenians because of their prolonged siege that induced diseases and starvation in the Athenian population. The Spartans later showed clemency to the Athenians by refusing to enslave them. It is crucial to highlight that the aftermath of the war played a major role in changing the Greek civilization. The tyrants that ruled Greece suspended democracy. In this sense, it became a reactionary regime that would eliminate the oligarchs and create the capacity for true democracy. During the Peloponnesian War, Pericles demonstrated two political strengths worth noting because they contributed to the favorable outcome witnessed in the duel. First, he was a charismatic speaker who applied both rhetoric and flowery language in persuading the masses. As the leader of Athens, therefore, he integrated colorful speech with the need for his people to exact revenge against the

Descriptive writing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Descriptive writing - Essay Example There are shops on two sides, open to the public, with no doors or windows, as if to suggest that there is no distinction between shopping and standing around in the station. Indeed so it seems in reality, since most of the customers appear to be just passing the time, gazing at the magazine titles and tourist trinkets with an air of distraction. An old lady struggles to push her suitcase between the aisles until a city gentleman in a sharp suit helps her to reach the checkout. They make an incongruous pair, the businessman and the old lady, who are now chatting amiably in the queue. He must be six feet four, at least, while she is tiny, craning her neck to speak to him. I wonder what they are talking about, since they surely have very little in common. Perhaps she has a son the same age, or perhaps they are just exchanging pleasantries, as people do, when they meet a stranger in a public place such as this. A melodic jingle sounds, and a female voice announces some delay affecting the London Express. The accent is decidedly Scottish, in keeping with the Edinburgh setting, but at the same time cool and unemotional. The apology for the delay and the â€Å"inconvenience that this may cause† sounds studiously sincere. A moment later the same message, in the same lilting tones, is repeated. This time the stopping service to Dundee is mentioned. It is a tape recording, endlessly repeating the comings and goings of the trains. The disembodied voice is tireless in its efforts to reassure the customers, announcing delays and arrivals, exhorting passengers to look after their luggage, and alerting them to imminent departures. Three uniformed station workers guard the turnstiles. One of them opens a special gate for the disabled, people with dogs, or the odd passenger who is overloaded with luggage. The other two are just standing there, gazing at the noticeboard with the same vacant expression that the crowds of waiting passengers share. They are mesmerised by the

Osama Bin Laden and the Al-Qaeda Essay Example for Free

Osama Bin Laden and the Al-Qaeda Essay Osama Bin Laden is a militant Islamist and the founder member of Al-Qaeda organization. His father was a wealthy businessperson with a close link to Saudi royal family who after death, Osama inherited all the wealth. In 1996 and 1998, Osama issued two commands to the Muslims urging them to kill military personnel and civilians from the U. S. and its close allies until they stop supporting Israel and withdraw their military forces from Islamic nations. He has been named as the force behind U. S. embassy bombings in Tanzania and Kenya, and connected to September 11 U. S. bombing. In 968 to 1976, he joined an elite model school, and later he was exposed to Muslim unity teaching at Saudi schools and universities. Before the formation of alameda, Osama used to be a member of MAK 0rganizations led by Assam, which le left in 1988 after strategic differences with its leaders. According to Laden, he wanted an organization that would train, equip and lead its Arab soldiers to battles with the aid of Arab soldiers. Their differences came from Assam persistence to include the Arab fighters among the Afghan fighting groups. Instead of creating their independent fighting groups. Laden was not impressed with the idea and in 1990, he returned to Saudi Arabia as a jihad warrior, who was highly appreciated after helping bring down Soviet Union. At the same time, Iraq soldiers attacked Kuwait and bin laden was notified of the plan to fight back by non-Muslim soldiers, and offered to assist. However, he shunned the presence of non-Muslims fighters i. e. the American soldiers considering that the war was near the two holy cities Mecca and Medina. He started criticizing the Saudi leadership, a reason that made loyal family unhappy. They tried to silence him, hence he had no other option other escape to Sudan. He then started recruiting and training his soldiers, with the aid Sudanese government and family members. It is in Sudan where al Qaeda was born. Al Qaeda has been linked to several attempted attacks on U. S. these include: the 1992 bombing of the Gold Minor hotel in Yemen, which was intended to kill American soldiers staying in the hotel, on their to Somalia. Secondly, the organization was also linked to 1998 U. S. embassy bombings in Kenya and Tanzania. Lastly, the evidence reveals that Al Qaeda and bin laden were involved in September 11 attacks on U. S. , though no hard evidence was gotten. POLICY RECOMMENDATIONS: Terrorism is an occurrence, which can be overcome by clearly examining the conditions under which it occurs. These is attributed to fury and desperation that leaves them with no other option other terrorism and violence, no amount sanctions and war can quench these thirst. This leaves U. S. with only one option other to negotiate or at least giving in to their grievances. Instead of opting for double standards where it is in the forefront to punish those who violate human rights, yet when it comes to cases to Muslims human rights violation it gives a deaf ear. As long as the U. S.does not negotiate for peace between the Islamic and warring parties, then this problem is there to stay. At the same time, there is need to other countries in the fight against terrorism in terms of financial, military and relief provision, and at least to counter their moves as they are over the world. REREFERENCES Augustus Richard Norton (2007). Hezbollah: A Short History, Princeton University Press, New York. Emerson, S. (2002), American Jihad: The Terrorists Living Among Us, Free Press, Chicago. Hakan Ozoglu (1996) State-Tribe Relations: Kurdish Tribalism in the 16th- and 17th- Century Ottoman. Empire, British Journal of Middle Eastern Studies, London. James L. Gelvin (2005), the Israel-Palestine Conflict: One Hundred Years of War, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge. Laurence F. Bove, Laura Duhan Kaplan (1995), From the Eye of the Storm: Regional Conflicts and the Philosophy of Peace, Rodopi Press, Rodopi. Magnus Ranstorp (1996). Hezbollah in Lebanon: The Politics of the Western Hostage Crisis. St. Martins Press, Richard N. Haass (2005), Office of the Policy Planning Staff: Remarks to the World Affairs Council of Northern California, San Francisco, California.

External Factors Affecting Hyatt Regency

External Factors Affecting Hyatt Regency Strategic planning determines where an organization is going over the next year or more and how its going to get there. Typically, the process is organization-wide, or focused on a major function such as a division, department or other major function. Simply put, strategic planning is clarifying the overall purpose and desired results of an organization, and how those results will be achieved.(Mc Namara, September 30, 2010) Strategic Planning in any organization clearly define its strategy or direction by using its available resources, making decisions for achieving its strategy including its investment and the manpower. Many organizations can use SWOT analysis (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats) in strategic planning process. It helps an organization to find out the future roadmaps, where to go. It deals with: Where are we nowà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Current situation. Where we want to beà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦..Objectives How to go thereà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦..Strategy Which is the best possible meansà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦..Tactics Who is going to do whatà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦.Activities How do we ensure safety arrival?Control Measures This is all about the Strategic planning process. If an organization is clear about its mission and vision; than it can achieve its common goals by using its available resources and by using different strategy. Strategy planning is most essential in any type of firm. Ac1.1 Explain the importance of external factors affecting on Hyatt Regency: External factors are also called the macro factors. Market environment consist of all factors that in one way or another that affects or getting affected by an organization decision. The macro factors which may affects indirectly in an organization are- -Political -Environment -Social -Technological -Economical -Legal These all the external factors that may affects in the internal environment of an organization. The interior factors like 5 Ms are Management Money Manpower Machine Material The political disorder of any country may affects in the decision making process in an organization. Similarly the unstable government may be the other factor which may affects to provide the regular service to the customers. Similarly Social factors may include life styles of the people, age, sex, income of the people, etc. The legal factors, by which legislation in society may affect the business, e.g.: changes in the working hour of the manpower, etc. The term economic affect the business in the term of Taxation of the government, demand and supply policy, interest rates, exchange rates, etc. Besides these, the technological issues may affect in the business like how rapid pace of change in production processes and production of the business. The ethical issues may include the moral lesson like what is right and what is wrong for an organization to do. It may be culture of the society, norms and values, etc. Thus, we can say that the external factors will indirectly affects in the business. In order to get success in the competitive market, an organization has to think ahead and act according to the situation of the environment. AC1.2 Analyses the needs and expectations of stakeholders of Hyatt Regency: Stakeholders are an integral part of a project. They are the end-users or clients, the people from whom requirements will be drawn, the people who will influence the design and, ultimately, the people who will reap the benefits of your completed project. (Nick Jenkins 2011) Thus, Stakeholders can be a person, customers, group of people who have direct or indirect shares in the organization. In the Hyatt Regency, there are different types of stakeholders in the Hyatt regency, who play an important role in up grating profits for an organization. Some of the stakeholders are- Customers Board of Directors Government Staffs Shareholders Suppliers Stakeholders Needs and Expectations Customers -good customer service Quality product at reasonable price -Good, warm and peace, environment Board of Directors(BOD) -high profit margin -Bonus -expansion of Business -High Turnover Government -TAX -Security deposit -Community Support(CSR) -Creating job opportunities. Staffs -Secured job -High pay rate -Promotion -Annual pay leave -Intensive and benefits Shareholders -Dividend -Bonus shares -right shares -Loan at low interest Suppliers -Loyalty -Regular supplies -Money on time. Thus different stakeholders have the different expectations and different needs, they want from an organization and thus, they are investing their money within it. So, an organization has to look after each members expectation and make them unified in order to achieve target goals. Ac1.3 Analyses the major changes taking place in the external environment that will affect strategy of Hyatt Regency: PESTLE Analysis: This is the macro environment of the company which deals with all the environments which affects the company policy. PESTLE stand for Political, Economic, Socio-Cultural, Technological, Legal and Environmental. These all are same of PEST Analysis or PESTLE Analysis. (Andrew Whalley, 2010) Political/ Legal: Environmental regulation and protection Taxation international trade Regulation These all are about political and legal issues. Government may change policies, making rules and regulation may directly affect the business. So the Hyatt Regency (a food service industry) should develop its marketing strategy according to government policy. Economic: Economy growth (overall; by industry sector) monetary policy (interest rates) government spending (overall level, Specific spending priorities) These all about the economic issues, the increasing in the purchasing capacity of the people, Government policy towards unemployment benefits and government taxation will directly affects in the Hyatt Regency strategy. Social: Income Distribution (change in distribution of disposable income) Demographics (age structure of the population; gender; family size and composition; changing nature of the occupations) Labor / Social mobility These points are all about the Social aspect. The changing in the life style of the people will directly affect on our business, similarly the education will play a major role in the marketing strategic policy. Technological: Government spending on research. Government and industry focus on technological effort New discoveries and development These factors are all about the changing in technology. In this modern age, technology are changing rapidly, like internet, new discoveries, research, etc will directly affects on the marketing strategy of the Hyatt Hotel. So the hotel has to develop its plan by the above mentioned factors. Benefits of PESTLE in an organization: By knowing the current environment and the external factors, it will better placed an organization for the future than the competitors. It is the useful tools for understanding the risks associated with the market. It will helps an organization to understand Meso-economic and the macro- economic environments in which they operate. (The Meso-economic environment is the one in which we operate and have limited influence or impact, the macro-environment includes all factors that influence an organisation but are out of its direct control) Ac2.1 Use appropriate tools to analyses the effects of current business plans of Hyatt Regency: There are different marketing tools which can be used in an organization in order to lead the business in the path of success and prosperity. Some of the marketing tools are as follow: . BCG Matrix: This is called Boston Consulting Group Analysis. This is about chat which has been created by Bruce Henderson for the Boston Consulting Group in 1968. The main purpose of this BCG-matrix is to help the organization business units or product lines. It will help an organization to use the available resources and its brand marketing by using strategic management and the portfolio analysis. BCG-Matrix is very important for the manager and its a great tool because for studying it has two aspects. One is for relative marketing share and another one is marketing growth. Relative marketing is about the competitor around business. BCG Growth Share Matrix Relative Position (market share) Fig1.: The BCG Matrix Strategic marketing, page 58 BCG Matrix is divided into four areas. They are: Stars: Stars are high growth of businesses and the profitability is very high in compare to competitors. More often they need the very high investment in order to sustain. Frequently their business will be slow down and they have to maintain the market. Cash cows: Cash cows are the low growth business with the relative high market share. This is the successful period and maintain continue profit with less investment. So they continue gives strong cash flow to became star in the business. Question Marks: This is about the low market shares which operate in high market shares. They will have potentiality but in order to sustain they may invest in the business in order to struggle with competitors. The managers will have ideas about which one area should focus and which area should shrink. This is about question marks what to do and what to think. Dogs: The dogs refer in business which has low relative shares in uninterestingly. In this period the growth of market will be low. This period may generate enough cash flow to break-even but it is rare. Effects of this model in the organization: There are different stages in the business and the manager should evaluate their business in order to move a straight away with range of investment. The matrix ranks is about market shares, about the industry growth and its profitability. In the dogs period, may be business flowing continuously and may not require cash investment. The second things is that its all about business growth and the estimate or guesswork for the future. In the period of question mark, if the leader is smart and enthusiastic, he may invest lots of cash in order to maintain continuous profit. He should have an idea about time and situation and ability the capacity to grab it. Thus it is all about present situation of the organization and estimate for the future, how to go, where to go and what to achieve. B. Product life cycle: It has been assumption that every product has its life period, it will introduce in the market, it grows, and at the last point it may die. There are four stages on it. They are- 1. Market introduction stage 2. Growth stage 3. Maturity stage 4. Saturation and decline stage. 1. Market Introduction stage: This is the first stage of product life cycle. In this stage an organization has to spend lots of money on advertisement, demand has to be created, no profit margin , no competition at all, and in facts no sales volume. Growth Stage: This is the second stage of product life cycle. Here, profit will begins to rise, customers will aware about product, sales volume will increase, will increase competitions, etc. Cost and expenses will reduced and start to have more profits. Maturity stage: This is the third stage of product life cycle, here, in this stage, cost of an organization will minimum because of huge production, sales volume will reach on the peaks, brand differentiation and features diversification, and the industrial profits go down. Saturation and decline stage: This is the last stage of the product life cycle. Here, in this stage, sales volume decline, prices, profits diminish; profit will be more challenges on production volume, etc. http://www.quickmba.com/images/marketing/product/lifecycle/plc.gif Fig: Product life cycle The effects of product life cycle use in the Hyatt Regency: An organization can introduced new products in the market with fix separate budget. It will help an organization to lead their product globally and in competitive market. It will give general ideas about skills and resources required to launch new product in the market. Company can focus on the different stages for profit margin. Thus the use of marketing tools use by an organization will help them to come ahead in this competitive world with right products on the right place on the right time. 2.2 review the position of an organization in its current market. In order to find an organization position, a company can focus on the different criteria, which are as follow: Existing market shares: An organization should find out how much shares they have and how much percentage covered the market. The current product and services offer: The product which is supplied in the market, are up to customer target and these meet the customer expectation or not. Their competitive strength: The Company needs to find their strength and their possible criteria in the market. Their current size and location of the market: A company needs to understand the market size and their product consume customers, they can calculate to find out their position in the market. Their current planning strategy: In order to cover some marketing shares, planning plays an important role and their strategies for the future. Thus to find out company shares and their spreading products in the market, an organization can do more homework on its own for more quality product, applying reasonable pricing strategy (like different skim), etc. By doing so, a company will boost up with new and new ideas and cover more market shares. 2.3 evaluate the competitive strengths and weaknesses of an organizations current business strategies. In any organization, there are some strength and weaknesses on its own. The organization has to find out its strength and its weaknesses on its own. When finding out weaknesses and strength, they can convert the strength in to opportunities and can alert from the potential threats. Some of the strength are as follow: Strength: Loyal customers: Customers are Loyal on the brand of the company. Being international chain hotel, it has its own customers who always loyal and believe on the brands. High quality Products: Hyatt regency produce the high quality products by which guest are satisfy form it. High Skilled workforce: In the Hyatt regency there are lots of skilled members by which company is getting more popular among others. Locations: Hyatt Regency is opened in the heart of centre city Kathmandu, Nepal which is the strong points on its own. Weaknesses: Insufficient Resources: There are some less resources like Refrigerator, chilling freezer, big utensils for the party, etc. Outdated Technologies: The machines and electronics item use in Hyatt regency are old and not working properly. Lack of Planning: In the kitchen department, there is improper planning during party time and the busy time. Everyone are getting puzzle because of not clarity of job among them. Thus, if the company can rectify its weakness on its own, this company will lead successfully in the number one position in this competitive market. Ac 3.1 Use modeling tools to develop strategic options for Hyatt Regency: Strategic options are creative alternative action-oriented responses to the external situation that an organization (or group of organizations) faces. Strategic options take advantage of facts and actors, trends, opportunities and threat of the outside world. Strategic options can be identified after an institutional assessment, keeping in mind the aspirations (basic question) of an organization. The tool Strategic options helps to identify and make a preliminary viewing of substitute strategic options or perspectives. There are different types of strategic options use in an organization. such options are- Ansoff strategies, vertical, backwards and forwards integration, horizontal integration, differentiation, cost leadership, Mintzbergs strategies emergent, leadership and differentiation, strategic alliance, merger, acquisition, competitive strategies, value-based strategy, contingency strategy, etc. Some of them are describe below: Mintzbergs strategies: There are five definitions of strategies are- Plan Ploy Pattern Position Perspective Plan: In this strategy, the actions are made in advance to which is to apply and this actions are developed consciously and purposefully. Ploy: As plan, a strategy can be a ploy too; really just a specific man oeuvre intended to take in a challenger or competitor. Pattern: A pattern in a stream of actions. Strategy is regularity in behavior, whether or not intended. The definitions of strategy as plan and pattern can be quite independent of one another: plans may go unrealized, while patterns may appear without preconception. Position: Position means of locating an organization in an environment. By this definition strategy becomes the mediating force, or match, between organization and environment, that is, between the internal and the external context. Perspective: Perspective shared by members of an organization, through their intentions and / or by their actions. In effect, when we talk of strategy in this context, we are entering the realm of the communal mind persons united by common thinking and / or actions. B. Cost Leadership: This is concept developed by Michael Porter which is used in business strategy. The meaning of cost leadership is to operate a lowest cost of operation in an organization. The cost leadership strategy is depending upon organization efficiency, size, scale, and cumulative experiences. The main function of the cost leadership strategy is to find out the scale of production its scope and in other economies, producing highly standardized product and using of new technology. Cost leader companies do compete on price and are very effective at such a form of competition, having a low cost structure and management. Ac 3.2: Create options to form the basis of future organizational strategy (p9): Among all the strategic options I would like to recommend Vertical Integration in the Hyatt Regency. Vertical Integration: The word vertical integration describes a style of management control. Vertically integrated companies in a supply chain are united through a common owner. Usually each member of the supply chain produces a different product or (market-specific) service, and the products combine to satisfy a common need. It is contrasted with horizontal integration. The concept and use of vertical integration is introduced by Andrew Carnegie. This led other business people to use the system to promote better financial growth and efficiency in their businesses. Vertical integration is the point to which a firm owns its downstream suppliers and its upstream buyers. Contrary to horizontal integration, which is a consolidation of many firms that handle the same part of the production process, vertical integration is typified by one firm engaged in different parts of production (e.g. growing raw materials manufacturing, transporting, marketing, and/or retailing). The Benefits of using vertical integration by Hyatt Regency: Hyatt Regency is the chain international service industry. There are many hotels under the same management throughout the world, i.e. the same management policy. It has its own brand name products use in every hotels. For example, a company is using its own soaps, shampoos, towels, carpets, etc. Whenever we go, we will find out same quality and same brand name products, thus by being chain hotel, it has same system of servicing guest in each hotel. The same suppliers and manufacturer are engaged in producing guest supplementary product. Thus the vertical integration, a strategic option is the best in this scenario. Ac3.3 For your chosen organization purpose a suitable structure that would ensure participation of all stakeholders. (P10) A person, group, organization, or systems that affect or can be affected by an organizations actions are the stakeholders. The stakeholders may be directly or indirectly may involve in the organization decision process. The following chat would be suitable structure for the participation of all the stakeholders in the Hyatt Regency: Stakeholders strategies Way of communication Duration/time Customers Research on the needs and expectation of the customers, involving customer service department. Flip card, survey 3months Staffs Invent new products, Technicians, recruitment on research. Meetings with managers, survey and feedback, presentation, spot training, job trainings 1 month shareholders awareness about new products Internal meetings, 1 month Government BOD(board of director) Launching new product which has to be environmentally friendly, not affecting by government policies. Financial structure for the purposed plan, giving executive decision, Invitation on seminars, presentation Newspapers, meetings 15 days Up to 1 month Thus different stakeholders can participate in the organization decision process and launching of the new products according to their label. AC4.1: Develop criteria for reviewing potential options for a strategy plan (P11) There are different strategy plan for reviewing potential options are: attractiveness to stakeholders, balanced score card approach, stakeholder participation, feasibility studies, etc. Balanced scorecard approach: The balanced scorecard is a strategic planning and management system that is used extensively in business and industry, government, and nonprofit organizations worldwide to align business activities to the vision and strategy of the organization, improve internal and external communications, and monitor organization performance against strategic goals. (2011 Balanced Scorecard Institute ) http://www.balancedscorecard.org/Portals/0/images/balancedscorecard.jpg Adapted from Robert S. Kaplan and David P. Norton, Using the Balanced Scorecard as a Strategic Management System, Harvard Business Review (January-February 1996): 76. The balanced scorecard is a management system (not only a measurement system) that enables organizations to clarify their vision and strategy and translate them into action. It provides feedback around both the internal business processes and external outcomes in order to continuously improve strategic performance and results. The balanced score card have four perspective in order to develop metrics, collect data and analysis it. These four perspectives are as follow: The learning and growth perspectives: This is the growth phase of the organization. This includes employee training and corporate cultural attitudes related to both individual and corporate self-improvement. Here, employee skills are the most important factors than other else. The business process perspective: These perspectives indicate internal business processes. Metrics based on this point of view allow the managers to know how well their business is running, and whether its products and services conform to customer requirements. The customer perspective: These perspectives indicate how important customers are. Customers needs and expectations are the most important factors in this area. If the customers are not satisfy, they will choose the other options and our business will be on the decline stage. Thus we have to meet their needs and satisfy them. The financial perspective: Timely and accurate funding data will always be a priority, and managers will do whatever necessary to provide it. It is more over related to financial status of the company. Thus, balanced scorecard approach is the best approach to find out the plan and progress report of an organization. Ac4.2 Construct an agreed strategy plan that include resource implication: In order to launch the new product from the Hyatt Regency, we have to analysis, assessing and addressing issue. To analysis the current situation, SOSTAC is the best methods to evaluate. S stands for Situation Analysis which means where are we now? O stands for Objectives which means where do we want to go? S stands for Strategy which summaries how we are going to get there. T stands for Tactics which are the details of strategy. A is for Action or implementation putting the plan to work. C is for Control which means measurement, monitoring, reviewing, updating and modifying. Situation analysis In the situation analysis, we are à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦in this position and we want to reachà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦.. in this position. Objective Increased no of customer by à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦%, brand expansion Strategies Launch new product within à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦.. Months. Tactics Break down the strategy in to action, investment decision, new market shares, differentiation Action Company tactics into action, planning about finishing à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦.within 1 month à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦will finish with in 2 month, survey on the effects, feedbackà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦..cost, location, etc Control Measures Control measures through monitoring, new technology Ac4.3: Compare core organizational values (ethical, cultural, environmental, social, and business) with the current business objectives of an organization. (P13) A business objective is a detailed picture of a step you plan to take in order to achieve a stated aim. Objectives should be SMART in order for the business to know what progress it has made towards achieving the objective: Specific clear and easy to understand. Measurable i.e. able to be quantified. Achievable possible to be attained. Realiable- Durable and T stand for time bound. In order to get the objectives of the company, the organization should focus on ethical, cultural, environmental social and business factors. Ethical: In order to operate the business the company not only should look forward for the profit but should also look for norms and values of the society; i.e. either the product of the company accepts by the society either it match with the society standard or not, right to life, right freedom, and right to privacy, such things are lies under ethics. Culture: Culture includes life style of the people, demand, age group, etc. The product what we launched in the market should focus on the people lifestyle and the demand of the people. Environmental: The Company should bring such a product which should be environmentally friendly. The product should not harm the environment from inside the organization and outside the organization. Social: The product should be community based like preservation of the wildlife, ecological friendly. In society there are various types of community and the product should focus on the societies norms and values Business: Business makes things happen and affect every part of our society. Whatever you want to do, understanding business will help you achieve it. Thus the Hyatt regency if launched a product in the market, the above mentioned points has to consider in the mind for the better product and public better life. Ac5.1 Develop appropriate vision and mission statements the organization. (P14) Mission: A mission report is the head and the heart of an organization and serves as the lens through which organizational programs and strategies are viewed. In this case a mission statement should be closer to the social need rather than the visionary social impact. A mission statement evolves as the social need evolves while also remaining anchored to the vision. In this context, a facilitator also has a role for helping an organization understand its mission as well as its vision. The following illustration creates the linear process: Social Need ==> Mission ==> Programs/Strategies ==> Vision of Social Impact. Vision: Vision creates that force of growing expectation about the future, where change is embraced as a step closer to that very compelling picture of whats coming next. The excitement about the future trumps any worry about the unsure change is recognized as the catalytic converter it is. Vision is being able to see where youre going, to see whats up the road ahead, in both literal and symbolic senses. The link between Mission and the vision: Mission and the vision are the statements from the organization that answer questions about which we are, what we value, and where we are going. For mission, managing with greatness and untamed strength, improving everything daily. For vision, leading with inspiration and courage, obsessed with future possibility, in a love affair with change. Vision is our desired picture (realistic though) of the future. Mission is what you want to achieve by our actions, so that the desired future would be reached. The vision is bigger picture and future oriented while the mission is more immediately focused on the present. Thus, the vision that defines the end game and the mission is the road map that will take. It is much more important that your vision and mission be understood by company employees. Customer do not want to know about what is written on the paper but they care immensely about whether or not a companys vision and mission are reflected in a fulfilled brand promise. So these both are interlinked and interrelated to each other. AC5.2 Produce agreed future management objectives for an organization: An objective is a sub goal. It identifies a short-term, measurable step within a designated period of time that is moving toward achieving a long-term goal.(SIL International 1999). Objectives of the company should be SMART. Where SMART stand for SMART Objectives SMART Meaning Examples Specific Objectives should sp

A Feminist Reading of A Woman on a Roof Essay -- Feminism Feminist Wo

A Feminist Reading of   A Woman on a Roof  Ã‚     Ã‚   The short story, "A Woman on a Roof," by Doris Lessing may seem to be about a few men who become annoyed with a woman because she suns herself out on her roof. The men feel that she is a distraction and are obviously bothered by her presence. They are not happy that this sunbather is out there on display and illustrate these feelings of discontent by constantly whistling and yelling at her. The men also make several rude and sexist comments to her throughout the story. In a time period such as the one this story takes place in, males were considered far superior to women, and comments such as the ones the men make would not be considered out of the ordinary. What is extremely surprising, and quite out of the ordinary, however, is the fact that this woman did not even seem bothered by their actions. When this is taken into consideration, it is revealed that the real source of the men’s anger toward the woman is not simply because she was sunning herself, but rather, wa s due to the fact that she showed indigence toward them in a time when women were expected to submit to men’s demands. The men in this story obviously have strong feelings of superiority and power over the opposite sex, and expect that women will naturally give in to their demands. These feelings are illustrated as early as in the opening paragraph, when they see the woman for the first time. While working, "They made jokes about getting an egg from some woman in the flats under them, to poach it for dinner" (Lessing 856). Such a comment demonstrates the men’s beliefs about gender roles: that women will be home, not working, and eager to serve men. The comments continue; later on, when referring to the woman as ... ...woman And, while she may not have earned women the right to vote or gained women admission into institutes of higher education, she stood up for herself in a normal everyday situation, and that’s a start. She is a woman who was one of the exceptions in her era; she was not just a woman on a roof, but rather a hero of her generation. Works Cited Allen, Orphia Jane. "Doris Lessing." Short Story Criticism, vol. 6. Ed. Thomas Votteler. Detroit: Gale Research, 1990. Atack, Margaret. "Doris Lessing." Short Story Criticism, vol. 6. Ed. Thomas Votteler. Detroit: Gale Research, 1990. Lessing, Doris. "A Woman on a Roof." The Harper Anthology of Fiction. Ed. Sylvan Barnet. New York: Harper Collins, 1991. 856-862. Works Consulted Baron, Mary. "Doris Lessing." Critical Survey of Short Fiction, vol. 4. Ed. Frank N. Magill. Pasadena: Salem Press, 1993.   

Legal Ownership of the Parthenon Marbles Essay -- Parthenon Marbles

Legal Ownership of the Parthenon Marbles The controversy began almost one hundred years ago. Between 1801 and 1812, Thomas Bruce, 7th Earl of Elgin and British Ambassador to the Ottoman Empire, removed several sculptures from the Parthenon in Athens and shipped them to England, where he sold them to the British Museum in 1816. 167 years later, Melina Mercouri, Greek Minister of Culture, requested that the â€Å"Elgin† Marbles be returned. This request sparked one of the greatest debates the art world has ever known. For the past two decades, people have argued over who has the rights to these Marbles. The Greek position is certainly understandable from a cultural and emotional point of view. However, from the standpoint of legality and logic, it is hard to make a solid case against the Marbles’ continued presence in Britain. Legally, Greece could call for the return of the Parthenon Marbles if it could prove that they were wrongly taken and never belonged, legally or morally, to the British. If Lord Elgin’s title were proven defective, then the same would hold true for England’s title. In order to determine whether or not this is the case, the first question that must be raised is whether the Ottomans (then the recognized government of Greece) had the authority to transfer property rights to Elgin. Under international law at the time, acts of Ottoman officials with respect to property under their authority were valid. Even if those actions were not widely supported, they were still legal. The Ottoman officials had a solid claim to authority over the Parthenon because it was public property, which the successor nation acquires on change of sovereignty. Therefore, it is clear that the Ottomans had the power to give Elgin property rights. The next question that must be raised is whether or not they did. This has proven to be slightly less clear. Elgin obtained from the Ottoman government in Constantinople a formal written instrument called a firman. This document states: â€Å"It is incumbent on us to provide that they [i.e. Elgin’s party] meet no opposition in walking, viewing, or contemplating the pictures and buildings they may wish to design or copy; and in any of their works of fixing scaffolding ... around the ancient Temple of the Idols, or in modeling with chalk or gypsum the said ornaments and visible figures ... or in excavati... ...ons. New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Louvre in Paris, and all other western museums contain vast collections of work from other parts of the world. These marbles symbolize the cultural property in all of the world’s museums, and this debate affects them all. Works Cited Daley, Michael. â€Å"Phedias Albion,† Arts Review Volume 52 (2000): 34-35. Goldsmith, John. The Gymnasium of the Mind, The Journals of Roger Hinks 1933 – 1963. Salisbury: Michael Russell Publishing, 1984. Hitchens, Christopher. The Elgin Marbles: Should They be Returned to Greece? London; New York: Verso, 1998. Jenkins, Ian. â€Å"The 1930’s Cleaning of the Parthenon Sculptures in the British Museum,† The British Museum (2001): http://www.thebritishmuseum.ac.uk/parthenon/ Kurtz, Donna (ed.). Bernard Ashmole 1894-1988, An Autobiography. Oxford: Oxford Books, 1995. Merryman, John Henry. Thinking about the Elgin Marbles: Critical Essays on Cultural Property, Art, and Law. London: Kluwer Law International Ltd, 2000. St. Clair, William. â€Å"The Elgin Marbles: Questions of stewardship and accountability,† International Journal of Cultural Property Volume 8 Issue 2 (1999): 391-521. Legal Ownership of the Parthenon Marbles Essay -- Parthenon Marbles Legal Ownership of the Parthenon Marbles The controversy began almost one hundred years ago. Between 1801 and 1812, Thomas Bruce, 7th Earl of Elgin and British Ambassador to the Ottoman Empire, removed several sculptures from the Parthenon in Athens and shipped them to England, where he sold them to the British Museum in 1816. 167 years later, Melina Mercouri, Greek Minister of Culture, requested that the â€Å"Elgin† Marbles be returned. This request sparked one of the greatest debates the art world has ever known. For the past two decades, people have argued over who has the rights to these Marbles. The Greek position is certainly understandable from a cultural and emotional point of view. However, from the standpoint of legality and logic, it is hard to make a solid case against the Marbles’ continued presence in Britain. Legally, Greece could call for the return of the Parthenon Marbles if it could prove that they were wrongly taken and never belonged, legally or morally, to the British. If Lord Elgin’s title were proven defective, then the same would hold true for England’s title. In order to determine whether or not this is the case, the first question that must be raised is whether the Ottomans (then the recognized government of Greece) had the authority to transfer property rights to Elgin. Under international law at the time, acts of Ottoman officials with respect to property under their authority were valid. Even if those actions were not widely supported, they were still legal. The Ottoman officials had a solid claim to authority over the Parthenon because it was public property, which the successor nation acquires on change of sovereignty. Therefore, it is clear that the Ottomans had the power to give Elgin property rights. The next question that must be raised is whether or not they did. This has proven to be slightly less clear. Elgin obtained from the Ottoman government in Constantinople a formal written instrument called a firman. This document states: â€Å"It is incumbent on us to provide that they [i.e. Elgin’s party] meet no opposition in walking, viewing, or contemplating the pictures and buildings they may wish to design or copy; and in any of their works of fixing scaffolding ... around the ancient Temple of the Idols, or in modeling with chalk or gypsum the said ornaments and visible figures ... or in excavati... ...ons. New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Louvre in Paris, and all other western museums contain vast collections of work from other parts of the world. These marbles symbolize the cultural property in all of the world’s museums, and this debate affects them all. Works Cited Daley, Michael. â€Å"Phedias Albion,† Arts Review Volume 52 (2000): 34-35. Goldsmith, John. The Gymnasium of the Mind, The Journals of Roger Hinks 1933 – 1963. Salisbury: Michael Russell Publishing, 1984. Hitchens, Christopher. The Elgin Marbles: Should They be Returned to Greece? London; New York: Verso, 1998. Jenkins, Ian. â€Å"The 1930’s Cleaning of the Parthenon Sculptures in the British Museum,† The British Museum (2001): http://www.thebritishmuseum.ac.uk/parthenon/ Kurtz, Donna (ed.). Bernard Ashmole 1894-1988, An Autobiography. Oxford: Oxford Books, 1995. Merryman, John Henry. Thinking about the Elgin Marbles: Critical Essays on Cultural Property, Art, and Law. London: Kluwer Law International Ltd, 2000. St. Clair, William. â€Å"The Elgin Marbles: Questions of stewardship and accountability,† International Journal of Cultural Property Volume 8 Issue 2 (1999): 391-521.

The Way of Jesus Christ Essay -- Religion, Messianic Jewish Faith, Chr

The German scholar and theologian JÃ ¼rgen Moltmann wrote a powerful work called The Way of Jesus Christ. In his book, Moltmann, blends Judaism and Christianity together to form what is called messianic Jewish faith. Messianic Judaism is a religious movement that adds to Evangelical Christian theology with elements of Jewish terminology and ritual. He connects the Old Testament with the New Testament and believes there must be a connection between the messianic and the Christian perspective of Christology. Moltmann's statement in chapter one supports his idea that there are historical presuppositions that we must understand from the Old Testament before we can understand New Testament Christology. Moltmann states, " there is no such thing as Christology without presuppositions; and its historical presupposition is the messianic promise of the Old Testament, and the Jewish hope which is found on the Hebrew Bible". He believes that to have an understanding of Jesus we must have a historical understanding of the Old Testament promises and the historic Israel together. He furthered states that we must look at the name Christ as an adjective or descriptive word and not as a noun. He does as a way to translate Christ back into its proper term "Messiah" (1). Even the term "Christian" in Moltmann's understanding of Christology lacks the proper terminology to make it significant in meaning. He states, "Christian means, being human in the messianic sense. The name of Christian is not a detonation of a party. It is a promise. It is what is messianic" (1). However, as good as this might sound Moltmann's perspective "amalgamates liberation and feminist theologies with that of the Roman Catholic Eastern orthodox thought into his mess... ...views of Christology by stating if you reject any of the three dimensions, the results will be fatal (150). When you consider Moltmann's understanding of his three-dimensional Christ, he has a valid argument for Christology. Moltmann's conclusions of God's humanity and divinity have valid arguments and biblical support. One would have a hard time disagreeing with Moltmann's three dimensions of the person of Jesus Christ. However, you cannot overlook mainstream traditionalism in our society and say that if you deny one or the other there is a fatal theological flaw. Our society is evidence to the fact that most Christians perceive Christ only in his divine state or, as Moltmann would say, as a theological person of Christ. Even in this state of being, Christ is still the Savior who reaches to the sick, the brother of the poor, and the comrade of the people.

An artwork is foremost a reflection and expression

It has been essentially argued since time immemorial of how an artwork is foremost a reflection and expression of the deeper emotions and values of an artist, which may sometimes be unfortunately suppressed in the artist’s life or unintentionally implied in the artwork. For that matter, any artwork is perhaps considered an artist’s personal drama set in a creative manner of expression. Sophie Treadwell’s play, Machinal, and T.S. Eliot’s poem, The Love Song of J. Alfred   Prufrock, are be fitting examples of modern human drama relatively framed in a dark, lonesome, and tragic milieu of love, death, age, solitude, and despair in the twentieth century. In Eliot’s poem, the narrator or speaker in his poem is a contemporary man who feels secluded brought by the fear of aging, and who is indecisive to act upon his crisis on love for a woman. The speaker Prufrock is rather an epitome of despair, frustration, and helplessness of the modern man toward a personal crisis. Prufrock positions himself as a symbol of disillusionment and dismay for failing to overcome his human weaknesses. What makes the poem or the speaker tragic is that his insecurity on a lot of things is holding his happiness in life and love. He remains to be brooding, dark, lonesome and awaits death in no time. Eliot has always been a difficult read, and this quality of writing has put him in the level of other literary masters. For a non-Eliot reader, the poem may initially seem confusing to understand. However, the speaker Prufrock has been endowed by Eliot the style of repeating particular phrases and going back to his main sentiment while the poem develops into a whole new set of ideas. This style is reassuring the reader that he can understand the deeper emotions of the speaker as he slowly reads through it. On one hand, this repetition may also show the speaker’s inability to communicate well with the society, and he needs to repeat words such as vision and revision to be clearly understood. Eliot possesses an ironic manner of writing that is very well implied on how Prufrock talks about his love for a woman but is coward enough to open up his feelings and of how he even contradictorily speaks of time as he would sense the urgency to capture life and love in his hands before old age and death take him away, but would also set it aside and reveal that there is still time to catch up on things. The first two similar characteristics or qualities of Treadwell’s play with Eliot’s poem are the twentieth century setting and powerful themes of death and despair, even though the former’s work is based on a sensational real murder case and the latter is more of a personal struggle brought about by aging. Machinal is also similar with Prufrock’s written image of pessimism and depression for things that they are incapable of having, but both end in different resolutions. Machinal’s main character, Helen, is unhappily married to a vicious man and yet happily having an extra-marital affair with a younger man. But, Helen being incapable of loving the younger man in the most proper ways as dictated by society’s conventions, murders her husband and releases herself from the wretched married life. In the case of Prufrock, he remains attached to his fears of opening up to his love and to the society. Machinal is as powerful and intense as Prufrock in its presentation of despair over love. Machinal is desperately consumed with two kinds of love as previously stated. What makes Helen a tragic hero like Prufrock is their disparate heroism takes them not into the world of admiration, but into a world of utmost dismay and desperation – theirs is a tragic presentation of surrender to an inescapable human obstacle of frustrating emotions. Treadwell is capable of repetitive rhythm like a strange poem – a quite tricky concept like Eliot – yet incorporated the theatrical lingo of any expressionistic writing during the twentieth century. To say expressionistic is to only define the attributes of human emotions, not necessarily placing it into an approach of realism. But, moreover, Machinal is an engaging, dark display of human wickedness doomed like Prufrock’s love song. Works Cited Treadwell, Sophie. Machinal (Royal National Theatre). London: Nick Hern Books, 1995. â€Å"T. S. Eliot: The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock.†

Miracles – Philosophy

Philosophy- â€Å"A belief in miracles leads to the concept of a god who favors some but not all his creation† The problem with miracles is that it cannot be properly defined which means there is no absolute meaning for a meaning, instead my philosophers have attempted to define miracles in their own way. In these definition they are usually for or against the existence of miracles, for example take two contrasting definitions Ward and Hume. Ward says miracles are events which god intervenes because he only knows the consequences of the action.On the other hand, Hume is a philosopher who is totally against the idea of miracles, he says miracles do not exist because they violate the laws of nature. Knowing this, god cannot intervene because he would violate the laws of nature, humans have faith in experience and trust the laws this would be lost if miracles were deemed true. Another philosopher would had a problem with miracles was a man called Wiles. He basically said, to say god carries out these miraculous events is to say god is guilty of obituary and partisan.Any event where the natural flow is violated for a certain people raises the issue of fairness and consistency. Wiles also said the two idea of having an all loving god and the existence of miracles are two incompatible ideas so its easier to believe that god is all loving and reject the idea of miracles. If this was in reverse and miracles existed and god could intervene then why didn't he intervene is horrific events such as Auschwitz or Hiroshima instead he saves one persons life, this seems unfair and a contradiction of an all loving god.As for biblical miracles Wiles said we must take them in a symbolic sense rather than a literal sense. A strength of Wiles it that allows educated believers to keep faith with god and uphold their faith in natural laws. Many people agreed with what Wiles was saying for example a man called Bultman agreed that the miracles explained in the bible are not there to take literal, he says we get the true message behind the miracle if we demythologize them.For example he turned water into wine to prevent the embarrassment of the hosts which shows his care and wisdom. To believe that god favors some more than others through the existence of miracles is wrong, who says its god that these events originates? We have no evidence to suggest this, just because we cannot find this would doesn't mean we have to point it to god. Holland was another philosopher who didn't believe in the concept of miracles, well the name miracle he thought that they were more of a coincidence.He used the analogy of the train, what is some one was stuck on the track and the train had stopped right in front of the person, some people may call this a miracle but when we know the full picture someone in the train may have accidentally pressed the emergency stop or the driver could have passed out. So the concept of the whole miracles thing may just be one big coincidence. L ooking at Holland’s view it would make god innocent of being arbitrary and partisan, this is because these events are just coincidences it has nothing to do with god.As mentioned earlier, Hume was a man who rejected the idea of miracles due to being a violation of the laws of nature. Hume believes strongly in experiences and what we gain from them, as for this situation, the laws are something we have learnt about and follow. So when something happens that goes against these we deem them coming from god because we cannot define or justify them. All in all, Hume says the alert of miracles comes from the ignorant and barbarous nations. Knowing this, God would also be innocent because it is not god who intervenes so its not him which favors some and not others.There are events that are unexplained so they must come from some where, lets say for arguments sake tat they come from god. Us as humans are not on his level therefore we cannot say or he is this or that, he may have a re ason and we would find out when we die. All the events that are unexplained may paint a bigger picture but humans are outside of god knowledge and experience so we cannot really judge god. Irenaous was a philosopher who looked at the problem of evil, he would say god is being cruel to be kind and making humans into the image of god, this because events like miracles change people.To develop these emotions naturally have more significance than being drilled in at birth by god. Overall, I conclude that God does not favor some people over others. My reasons for this is because we cannot define miracle we can only speculate on what we think, for this reason how can we act upon such uncertainty? Also we cannot judge god because we have no knowledge of him or what he has planned, only him and him only knows the repercussions of his actions.

Sendsad Your Friends a Free Gifts

Introduction In Malaysia, the foreign workers are come Malaysia to work from another country such as comes from Thailand, Indonesia, and each another. The foreign workers can be employed in the manufacturing, construction, plantation, agricultural, services and domestic help sector. Even in Malaysia, the foreign workers have been increase comes from another country to employ. Today, we are going to present on the causes, effects and ways to prevent about foreign workers comes to Malaysia to work. Body Causes Firstly, the causes of foreign workers comes Malaysia to work is exchange rate are bigger (MYR). They are hardworking to work. * The Malaysia economic is higher than their own country. Effect The first of foreign workers comes Malaysia to work is unemployment rate increase. * The local worker very difficult to find the jobs in Malaysia. * Local workers are do no to work likes manufacturing, construction, plantation, agricultural, services and each another. They want to give forei gn workers to work hard. Advantages Foreign worker come and work in Malaysia will bring some advantages: * Increase Malaysia economy * Low wages or salary that pay to foreign worker Disadvantages Related reading: Disadvantages of Foreign Workers in MalaysiaForeign worker come and work in Malaysia will bring some disadvantages * Unemployment rate for Malaysia citizens will increase * Crime rate will be increase Problem Solving It have some ways to solving the problem of too much foreign worker work in Malaysia * Government lack of control or irresponsible * To reduce reliance on low wages Conclusion In conclusion, although foreign worker come and work in Malaysia will bring some advantages and disadvantages, our government have to think about the Malaysia citizen and increase the chances for Malaysia citizen to get a job.

Science Friction Lab Report

I. Purpose/Problem/Question Which type of friction is the largest force – static, sliding, or rolling? Which is the smallest? II. Background Information From our previous activities that we did in class, I know that static friction is a very large force. The force is larger than rolling, sliding, and fluid friction. I also learned that rolling friction is the smallest type of force. This information may connect to my final analysis. III. Hypothesis If static friction is the largest force, then either sliding or rolling friction have to be the smallest force. IV. Experiment Materials * Scissors String * Textbook (covered) * Spring scale (force meter) * 3 to 4 wooden or metal rods Procedure Cut a piece of string, and tie it in a loop that fits in the textbook. Hook the string to the spring scale. Practice the three steps several times before you collect data. To measure next the static friction between the book and the table, pull the spring scale very slowly. Record the largest force on the scale before the book starts to move. After the book begins to move, you can determine the sliding friction. Record the force required to keep the book sliding at a slow, constant speed.Place two or three rods under the book to act as rollers. Make sure the rollers are evenly spaced. Place another roller in front of the book so that the book will roll onto it. Pull the spring scale slowly, Measure the force needed to keep the book rolling at a constant speed. V. Data/Results | Trial 1| Trial 2| Trial 3| Average| Static Friction | 4 N| 7 N| 6 N| 5. 67 N| Rolling Friction| 1 N| 2 N| 1 N| 1. 33 N| Sliding Friction| 4 N| 4 N| 5 N| 4. 33 N| Experimental Error: No cover on textbook. VI. Analysis I found out that static friction has the most amount of force than the others.The smallest amount of force was the rolling friction. It was by far a smaller force than static friction. Static friction had an average of 5. 67 N of force while rolling friction only had an average of 1. 33 N of force. Just for the record, sliding friction had an average of 4. 33 N of force. In this experiment, I learned that static friction has more force than I thought it did. In the beginning, I thought it was a very small force because I connected the word â€Å"static† to the static we watch on television when there is no connection.That is why I though that it was a weak force. It turned out to be the other way around. I did do one experimental error which was that there was no cover on the textbook I was using. Some other experimental errors could have been that the wooden planks were defected or the spring scale was defected. Some human errors might have been that I read the spring scale wrong. Another error would be that when I calculated static friction, the book might’ve slid without me noticing. The results I came up with at the end turned out to be the way I predicted.My results did in fact support my hypothesis. VII. Conclusion After all the experimentat ion, I figured out that static friction is the largest force of rolling and sliding friction, and that rolling friction is the smallest of the forces. VIII. Post Lab Questions Q: Which type of friction was the largest? Which was the smallest? A: The largest type of friction was static friction. The smallest was rolling friction. Q: Do the results support your hypothesis? If not, how would you revise or retest your hypothesis?A: The results do support my hypothesis. Q: Compare your results with those of another group. Are there any differences? By working together, design a way to improve the experiment and resolve possible differences. A: In the group that I compared with, the results were not that different. The results were infact very similar. The only thing that had a big jump was the average of the static friction. My average was 5. 67 N and his was 7. 33 N. I think this is because I did not have a cover on the textbook, but he did.

Families of Patients with Asthma Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Families of Patients with Asthma - Essay Example The limits are as follows: "published in the last 5 years", "Core clinical journals", "Nursing journals" and "All Adult: 19+ years." The search: ((asthma education)) AND ((improved asthma control)) AND ("last 5 years"[PDat] AND (jsubsetaim[text] OR jsubsetn[text]) AND (adult[MeSH]) ) produced eight articles for review. Further limit of "Nursing journals" without "Core clinical journals" yielded four articles only. One study completed at the University of Florida College of Nursing, entitled Promoting adherence: effects of theory-based asthma education, utilized audiotapes, booklets, both, or no additional educational materials. This study revealed that out of the 46 adults participating, a significant benefit of improved adherence for medication use verified by pharmacy records was found in the education intervention group. The group was followed at three and six month intervals (Schaffer & Tian, 2004). Another study which closely relates the clinical question was conducted by department of Internal Medicine,, Croatia. The study implicates that by promoting different educational plans a better asthma control and also asthma related quality of life (QoL) can be achieved.

Quantitative Methods Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Quantitative Methods - Assignment Example Therefore, someone seeks to unveil the relationship between the variables. This relationship can assume a status of being positive, negative or null. Positive relationship encompasses denotations as (+ve), Negative by (–ve) and null by (0) (Asuero & Bueno 2011: p.45). Zero exuberates that there exists extremely no relationship between the variables. Correlation thus becomes useful when trying to gauge relations of sales for the business. Quantitative regression outdoes correlation because of the information of ease in predictions. Graphs entailing reliant and independent variables produce lines of finest fit (Twomey& Kroll, 2008: P.531). The best-fit precisions enable the company to explore in proliferating merchandise encompassing required exactitude in the marketplace. One indisputable importance of the quantitative techniques would be information that aid in estimation of variables. For instance, sales exemplify a variable that counts most to a firm. Therefore, sales made at instances denote undeviating or indirect correlation to matters of taste, earnings, and cost. Attention to these matters leads to improved sales because of greater quality (Parasumaran.et.al, 2007: P 345). Regression entails the importance of exemplifying trend within certain durations. Therefore, this helps in keeping the trend in sales through revising production. Evaluating trends ensures that there entails observance to current precisions involving customers. The depiction of such trends ensures that focus is paramount in firms. Regression technique also exemplifies effectiveness of advertising performed to a certain product.

Organisational Culture of Google and How It Impacts Its Operations Essay

Organisational Culture of Google and How It Impacts Its Operations - Essay Example The researcher states that employee performance is enhanced by the existence of an effective work environment as illustrated by the case of Google. Google is an American based company that specializes in offering communication technology such as internet services. Since its inception, the company has been guided in its operations by valuing the needs and interests of the employees. The major strength of the organization, which can be attributed to its culture, lies in its ability to motivate the employees, which has contributed to its productivity. Employees are encouraged to be innovative, and they are rewarded for their ideas. An analysis of the case study, as well as the video footage, shows that Google is regarded as the best place to work in America as the employees are motivated and their needs and interests are satisfied. Motivation is seen as the key aspect of the effectiveness of the organization in its performance since the employees share the same goals with the organizati on. For instance, mistakes made by the employees do not warrantee a punishment, but they are treated as an effective tool for learning. According to Stahl & Mendenhall, culture is believed to shape the operations of the organization in various ways. It contributes to innovation and success, which allows the managers to be able to cope with problems related to adoption as well as integration. Organisational culture at Google is considered to be very effective given that it has recently been named the best company for employees by Fortune Magazine. The core values of the organization’s culture are intensely held and shared.

Ethnographic Comparison Account Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Ethnographic Comparison Account - Essay Example This paper highlights policy issues in religious practices and problems the mentioned societies face while practicing their religious beliefs. Classic and contemporary ethnographical accounts are used in this analysis. African Americans are citizens of United States of America and they have their ancestry in Sub-Saharan Africa. They are the single largest minority group in United States of America and most of them are offspring’s of Africans brought in America during the slave period. The Chinese are citizens of the People’s Republic of China.There are 56 ethnic groups in China, and Han is the largest, constituting 91.5% (Berlatsky, 2010). The Han are the world’s largest single ethnic group and play a dominant role in Chinese politics and economic spheres.Lack of official data makes it difficult to know the accurate number of religious practices among the Chinese; however, Religion gained prominence among the Chinese in the late 1980s with the latest survey condu cted in 2007, depicting 23% of the Chinese population being religious (Berlatsky, 2010). The most dominant religious beliefs in China are the Chinese folk religion, Taoism and Buddhism. 50% of the Chinese population are Buddhists, while Taoist account for 30% of the population. These figures are estimations since it is difficult to get the exact number of Buddhists, Taoist and those practicing Chinese folk religion because they overlap with one another, and there is no public participation and congregational membership. Christianity is a minor religion among the Chinese and was introduced during the Tang dynasty, in 635 AD. Many Christians in China belong to un-authorized house churches and therefore it is difficult to know the exact percentage of Chinese Christian (Cavali, 2002). The Government of China estimates the number of Chinese Christians to be around 25 million, an estimated 3% of the total population. The Chinese, practice Islam, though it is a minority and was introduced in the period 651 AD. Other religions such as Bon and Hinduism are also practiced in China although under regulation by the Chinese Government (Cavali, 2002). Among the African Americans majority of them are Protestant Christians who follow the historical churches formed by fellow blacks, according to the 2007 Religious survey conducted in America. The largest Protestant group is the Baptists and is divided into four denominations (Gates et al, 1996). The second largest protestant group is the Methodists, whose largest church is Methodist Episcopal Church. African Americans are also members of white Pentecostal movement, and an estimated 16% of African Americans are believed to attend such denominations. The Roman Catholic faith is also practiced among the African Americans, but it is a minority religion (Bankston, 2006). Islam is a religion among this group though in minority, and they constitute 20% of Muslims in United States of America, majority being Sunni Muslims. Religion amo ng the Chinese and the African American is different. One difference emanates from the nature of the religious practice. The most dominant religion in China is Buddhism, while the most dominant religion among the African Americans is Christianity. Buddhists worship Buddha as god, while Christians believe in Jesus Christ as the son of God, and redeemer of mankind from sin. A significant difference arises in the membership of