Factors to be considered when planning to fill a vacancy and carry out an interview Essay

The purpose of recruitment is too attract the best candidates for the job, and to then pick the most suitable. To make sure that the best person is picked Human resources will have to make sure that they are clear about†¦ * What the job entails * What qualities are required to do the job? * What rewards are needed to retain and motivate employees. If the wrong person is recruited and then finds the job too boring or difficult, then the business will not get the best out of its Human resources Department. It will also mean additional costs for the organisation because if the employee leaves because they are unsuitable they would have wasted money on training and will have advertise for their replacement. When filling a vacancy a number of things have to be considered. Before even thinking about filling the job vacancy the organisation needs to carry out a job analysis. The job analysis is a study of what the job entails. It contains skills, training and tasks that are needed to carry out the job. The reason why the organisation needs to recruit to fill the vacancy is a very important aspect to consider, because the person in the job before may have been unhappy. To prevent this from happening again managers can set up exit interviews with the previous employee to see if they are able to improve the job. Are records of Past Employees available? Records of past employees would also be a good thing for any organisation to have because then the business may be able to hire someone who has worked for them before this would save induction and training costs. Whether or not the organisation recruits internally or externally is an important factor to consider. If the organisation recruits internally†¦ * Savings can be made, and individuals with inside knowledge of how the business operates will need less time for induction and shorter periods of training. * The organisation is unlikely to be disrupted by someone who is used to working there. * Internal promotion acts will act as a motivator to other members of staff within the organisation. * From the organisation’s point of view, they will be able to asses the strengths and weaknesses of an insider, however there is always a risk attached to hiring an outsider who may only prove to be good on paper. The disadvantages to recruiting internally are that†¦ * You will have to replace the person who has been promoted. * An insider may be less likely to make criticisms of the business to get the organisation working in a more effective way. * Promotion of one person is an organisation may upset another. Has the appropriate Recruitment documentation been drawn up? Recruitment documentation is another important aspect this includes the job description, person specification, advertisements and interview sheets. Job Description Purpose The job description needs to include the job title, responsibilities and a simple description of the role and duties of the employee within the organisation. To make sure that the job description is up-to-date a job analysis should be carried out. The Job Description has a number of uses†¦ * It tells the candidates for a job what is expected of them. * It helps personnel officers to compare the job description with the candidate. * The Job Description can be used as a gauge to see whether or not the employee is doing the job properly, by comparing their activities with the job description. * Arguments about what the employee has to do can be settled by looking at the job description. The job description is a means of communication between the organisation and candidate to maximise relevance of potential applicants. Person Specification The purpose of a person specification is to outline the type of applicant the business is looking for. The person specification also gives potential applicants the chance to match themselves against the specification. The organisation needs to know the type of person they are looking for this can be set out in the person specification. The person specification sets out the mental and physical attributes, which will be needed for the job. A person specification is used so the prospective candidates know what qualities they should have and what is expected from them. It can also be called upon in an interview situation where the employer can match the candidate to the person specification and the position. Advertisement Job advertisements are an important aspect to the recruitment process. An organisation is able to advertise job vacancies to a selected audience through their job advertisements. Advertisements must reach the people who have the qualities needed to fill the vacancy. The nature of the advert will depend on†¦ * The target audience – managers, supervisors, retail assistants etc. * Where the advert will be placed – on a notice board in a local or national newspaper, etc. A good job advertisement will provide prospective candidates with information and will also discourage people who are not qualified for the vacancy. The way in which the vacancy is advertised will be different is the job is being advertised internally or externally. If the job is being advertised internally it will be most likely to be advertised on the staff notice board or in the jobs bulletin, however if the job is being advertised externally it is more likely to be advertised in a newspaper. Interview Assessment Form In an interview assessment form the areas for evaluation are usually†¦ * Physical appearance and deportment – Does the candidate have the right image suited to the advertised post? * Attainments – What experience and qualifications that they have meet the needs of the post. * General Intelligence * Special Aptitudes – What skills does the candidate have which relates to the job for example foreign languages or knowledge in the latest software package. * Personality/disposition Another factor of recruitment, which needs to be considered, is the legislation, which affects it. If the organisation does not comply with the set legislation then the individual responsible will be taken to court or the industrial tribunal. To avoid legal action an organisation will make sure that the recruitment criteria are made clear and that any terms of employment are made obvious to the candidate. The organisation needs to make sure that its company policy and practice comply with the relevant legislation. A number of the laws affecting the recruitment process are†¦ * Disabled Persons (Employment) Act 1958 This deals with an obligation on firms of more than twenty employees to employ disabled people up to at least three per cent of the workforce. * Sex Discrimination Act 1975 and ’84 This deals with the prohibition placed upon job advertisers to discriminate against women in advertising or conditions of service. * Race Relations Act 1980 and 1982 This is the outlawing of discrimination against employees because of their race, colour or ethnic origin. After the vacancy has been filled, the Human Resources department needs to be sure that they leave enough time for vetting and background checks if the job requires this for example any jobs involving children. If this is not dealt with effectively the organisation will be in the position of having an empty vacancy until they are completed.

Coopers Business Case Essay

1. Introduction Coopers Brewery has had a successful journey from its humble beginnings to it third tier position in duopolistic competing market. Coopers has not existed without its share of disturbances and risk of been taken over by a larger global player, however Coopers managed to defend itself. Coopers has positioned itself in a highly competitive market with a differentiated brand and product that has captured a niche market. Coopers has also successfully integrated a high value chain which in turn captures the essence of Coopers at the same time delivering value at multiple stages. In order for Coopers to stay competitive in the future, Cooper’s differentiation strategy can translate into new emerging markets and changing customer tastes for beer and deliver beer to new niche market segment. 2. Company Background Established in 1862 by Thomas Cooper, Coopers is a 5th generation family owned business that manufactures and sells beer, home brew and malt extract. In 1997, the business purchased a $40 million state of the art manufacturing, bottling and distribution plant in Regency Park South Australia. With advanced robotics and a commitment to an eco friendly plant and processes to reduce their carbon footprint, Coopers has never lost sight of their mission. Mission Statement: Coopers mission statement for its beer as stated in the case study was â€Å"to  provide natural beverages and food ingredients which satisfy tastes and nutritional needs, and create enjoyment† (Hubbard 2008, pg7) 3. Company Analysis – Porters five Forces To assess the competitive landscape and to understand where Coopers Brewery is positioned a number of assessment models or framework can be used. To assess Coopers Brewery current competitive position Porters five forces model (see Appendix 2) can be used to analyse its current state. a) Threat of the new entrants is Low. There are two types of operations i. one is the craft-brewing , also known as miro-brewing, market and the other ii. Large scale production. Entry in the Craft-brewing is somewhat increasing, however larger scale production requires large capital outlay and continuous investment whilst been maintained by significant cash flow (Kaczanowska 2010). In addition incumbent beer producers are known to the consumers due the history and the accumulated advertising of the brand. This high cost for brand awareness creates a barrier for new players (Kaczanowska 2010). Imported products are present although the threat to the Australian market appears low. b) Threat of substitute products: This can be described as medium for the beer industry. There are always beer substitutes such as wine, ready to drink mixers and soft drinks to name a few. Increasingly health-conscious and knowledgeable consumers are looking at higher quality products (Kaczanowska 2010). This can be reflected in the trend toward craft and premium beers. c) Bargaining power of buyers is Medium: Brand loyalty is strong among beer consumers as appose to wine consumers (Richardson 2012). Richardson (2012, pg 24) summed this up as â€Å"Wine consumers are driven by choice rather than loyalty and wine brands are easily substituted, but beer is a branded product and consumers drink the label.† However consumers are price sensitive and may switch to another brand if the situation is presented. d) Bargaining power of the suppliers Medium: Raw Material is the largest cost to breweries. IBISWorld estimate approximately 58.3% of industry revenue (Kaczanowska 2010), these raw materials include, cardboard boxes, glass, aluminium, packaging. Other Raw materials would include sugar, malt, hops, wheat, rice, water, barley all of which are critical ingredients for brewing. All of which have a supply risk, which in turn can have a direct impact on the cost of the supplies good. Coopers have initiated some efforts to reduce some of these risks such as: i. Water supply to the operations is from a deep aquifer, ii. Power supplied by a Gas co-generated turbine iii. Chemical and Preservative Free iv. Waste minimisation e) Rivalry among existing organisation is medium but increasing. There are three main players in the Australian beer market, Foster’s and Lion Nathan with Coopers being in third place, by market share (see Appendix 1). Foster’s and Lion Nathan are both Global conglomerates with Coopers being the Family owned Australian brewer. It could be said that Coopers is the David to the two goliaths being Foster’s and Lion Nathan (Byrom and Lehman 2009). i. Price-based rivalry: Pricing does have a part to play in rivalry, however price wars in not evident in this segment. ii. Non-priced based rivalry: The beer industry sits primarily in this space, where each company focus’s efforts in branding, packaging and quality to target their demographic. iii. Product differentiation: Cooper has a unique or niche market segment (Byrom and Lehman 2009) based on a Family owned and distinctive â€Å"cloudy† beer. In addition to the beer portfolio Coopers also has major interests in Home Brew kits and Malt extraction and has about 80% of the kit market (Byrom and Lehman 2009). Porter (1985) suggests that having a differentiated product strategy does not necessarily equate to high market share, this can been seen in the competitive market share analysis as seen in the appendix figure 1. However a point of differentiation can be replaced or replicated by a competing company and may reduce the competitive advantage Coopers currently has in the market. Continuous competitive analysis is needed to keep this a differentiated strategy. 4.Coopers Value Chain The value chain model as described by Porter (1985) indicates that gaining a competitive advantage, an organisation focuses efforts to the internal activities of the value chain and attempt to strength these activities to  add to the competitiveness of the firm. Coopers Brewery value chain could be reflected in the below diagram; Source: ISO case study 2013 Coopers have made improvements in some of the value chain as seen in the case study, malt extraction for resale, Machinery and new processing operations to brew beer in the bottle or the keg rather than the tank without preservatives and chemicals. Water supply from deep aquifers with sale extract and then reuse of salt in the brewing process. Energy, having their own power generation system that feeds non-used emery back into the grid. Coopers use energy efficient lighting to reduce consumption. These improvements form part of the value chain activities that add to Coopers achieving a competitive advantage in the market. There are many parts to the value chain as reflected in Appendix 4 (Porters Value Chain model) and efforts to manage and maintain each element is ideal. However a strategic view and focus may harness high results, it is suggested that aligning value chain efforts with the core direction of the business. In Cooper’s case by having a differentiation strategy efforts should be aligned with this strategy including product innovation, R&D and quality. 4. Current position Positioning in this paper refers to the Porters model of â€Å"Three Generic Strategies† (1985). Cooper’s can be recognised as Differentiation in the Porters model, seen in Appendix 5. In this cluster Coopers can easily differentiate itself from its competitors. Cooper’s has an Australian History with a family heritage that still exists today, additionally having a product that has a distinctive cloudy appearance separates itself from the globalised conglomerates in the Australian beer industry. Coopers leverages this differentiator and applies this to marketing campaigns. 5. Future direction for Coopers To suggest and recommend future options to Coopers, a reflection of Cooper’s mission statement â€Å"to provide natural beverages and food ingredients which satisfy tastes and nutritional needs, and create enjoyment† (Hubbard 2008, pg7). This mission statement can be used for the future direction of the  business, as marketed as a family owned business and continue to capture the premium niche market it is positioned in. The future has a changing landscape with regards to consumer’s tastes, Cooper’s also captures taste in the mission statement. With the changing taste and desire of Generation Y consumers, Coopers competitive edge could be erode by imported premium beers and or the emergence of micro breweries that specialise in premium craft beers. Options can be summarised as follows: Continue to leverage the Family owned business brand. Exporting the unique beer overseas Continually improving the value chain and seek further opportunities to capture value. Continually focusing on changing consumer tastes and reviewing whether or not to compete in those markets. This will create new product life cycles, in a declining market (Nwabueze 2001). The future challenge for Coopers would be identifying new market opportunities, both on product and geographic level, whilst still achieving the family ownership which has been seen as an advantage since Coopers started. 6. APPENDI XES Appendix 1: Competitive Market Share Australia and South Australia. Appendix 2: Porters Five Forces Model Source:Harvard Business Review(Porter 2008) Appendix 3: Beer production Value Chain: Source: (ISO 2013) Appendix 4: Appendix 5: Source: (Porter 2008) 7. Refeneces Byrom, John, and Kim Lehman. 2009. â€Å"Coopers Brewery: Heritage and Innovation within a Family Firm.† Marketing Intelligence & Planning 27 (4): 516-523. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/02634500910964074. Hubbard, Graham. 2008. â€Å"Coopers Brewery.† IVEY. Business. The University of Western Ontario. The University of Western Ontario. ISO. 2013. â€Å"Baltika Breweries-Economic Benefits of Standards -Case Study.† ISO ORG. http://eng.baltika.ru/. Kaczanowska, Agata. 2010. Beer Production in the Us. IBISWorld Industry Report 31212, http://www.ibisworld.com.au/. Nwabueze, Uche. 2001. â€Å"The Journey for Survival: The Case of New Product Development in the Brewery Industry.† JOURNAL OF PRODUCT & BRAND MANAGEMENT 10 (6): 382-397. http://www.mcbup.com/research_registers. Porter, M. E. 1985. Competitive Advantage: Creating and Sustaining Superior Performance. New York: Free Press, https://www.google.com.au/search?q=Competitive+advantage%3A+Creating+and+sustai ning+superior+performance&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&aq=t&rls=org.mozilla:en-GB:official&client=firefox-a&channel=sb&gfe_rd=cr&ei=eAyoU5j-Gs3C8ge9v4DACA. Porter, Michael. 2008. The Five Forces That Shape Strategy. Harvard Business Review. http://hbr.org/2008/01/the-five-competitive-forces-that-shape-strategy/ar/1. Richardson, David. 2012. The Liquor Industry. 14,

Introduction to Medical Technology

Introduction WHAT IS A MEDICAL TECHNOLOGY? Have you ever been to a play? When the audience comes to see the show, they see the actors and actresses perform. What they don't see are the many crew members who work backstage on lighting and sound and sets. These people don't get to take a bow at the end of the show, but they are very important to the success of the play. In the hospital, the medical technologists are like crew members in a play. Patients don't often see them, but they are vital members of the healthcare team.Medical technologists (also known as clinical laboratory scientists) are professionals who work in the hospital laboratory, performing a wide range of tests. Doctors make many of their decisions about diagnosis and treatment of disease based on laboratory test results. It is the responsibility of the medical technologist to provide accurate and precise data. Because they may hold life and death in their hands, the medical technologist must know when results are inco rrect and need to be rechecked.Medical technologists do everything from simple pregnancy tests, to monitoring antibiotic drug therapy, to complex testing that uncovers disease like diabetes, AIDS, and cancer. They do all this testing by operating microscopes, complex electronic equipment, computers, and precision instruments costing millions of dollars. Medical technology has embedded itself in our culture and has been a positive and powerful force in the improvement of life for millions of people.However, for every yin there is a yang, and with all things that are positive, there is also a negative component that must not be ignored. Most Americans are familiar with the benefits of technology, specifically medical technologies; the media reports on these benefits every day. However, it is not often that physicians have the opportunity to discuss what has been given up or lost as a result of using these same technologies. This commentary is about those unintended consequences result ing from our use of technology, in particular, physicians' use of medical technologies.

U.S. National Debt Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

U.S. National Debt - Research Paper Example Federal governments borrow through issuing government bonds,securities and bills.In other nations government can borrow direct from organizations such as World Bank or other international institutions (Michael S.Weisbach). Only public debt is indicated as a liability on theUS federal government’s consolidated financial statements(Thornton). Debt held by federal government accounts is treated as an asset to those accounts however it is treatedas a liability to Treasuryaccount; the valuecounsel out each other in the consolidated financial statements.Federal governmentexpenditures and receipts are presented on a cashnotaccruals basis. However, the accrual method may provide useful data on long term effects of the governments annual operations. The US national debt is expressed as public debt ratio to GDP(gross domestic product). The debt ratio to GDP may decrease due of gross domestic product, government surplus or inflation (Alycia Chin). Deficitis thedifference between receipts and outlays for each year.US government generates revenue from excise, income, social insurance taxes and fees.The income generated is spent on service provision, social security, and research and debt payment. Deficit arises when spending exceeds income level. In such a case the government must borrow in order to pay its bills. Publicdebts differ from deficit in that public debt is the accumulated deficit plus off budget surpluses. Items included while calculating deficits are considered as either off-budget or on-budget.Governments borrow money needed maintain government operations. It borrows money by selling securities such as bonds, treasury bills, notes and savings bonds to the public. Treasury securities sold to the public and Intragovernmental Holdings amounts to total debt. Historically, US national debt has increased during recessions and wars, and declined subsequently. The debt ratio to GDP may decrease due of gross domestic product, government surplus orinflation.

Over recent years, a range of new information technologies has been Assignment

Over recent years, a range of new information technologies has been introduced to retail supply chains, with the promise of more - Assignment Example They include: Customer care Just in time Kaizen Total Quality Management (TQM) For operation manager, it is important to understand the need of these concepts and their impact for the success of overall business. These concepts can also be significant for enhancing employee morale and creating customer loyalty. Further, they can assist in providing direction to the company for its future planning. The role of operations manager is to oversee the manufacturing concern of the organization along with the successful implementation of these concepts. This paper discusses the implementation of the above-mentioned two concepts in form of Information Technology and Consumer Satisfaction. Moreover, a detailed discussion has been presented related to integrating technology for operations and business challenges confronted by retailer in terms of technology. Implementation of Information Technologies in Operation Management of Retail Industry The management of operations and information technol ogy in an integrated manner along with their strategic alignment is vital for business models in order to achieve success. Excellence in operational activities is the key driver to performance, which is driven by information. Information technology helps in redefining the probable business operations and models across various industries, providing new space for interactions, new channels and markets. Information technology is fundamental part of developing new products, managing customer relationships, designing new organizations and achieving operational success. Operations Management provides techniques and tools to evaluate, improve and place firm's operation in such a way that it best fits the competitive strategy, financial constraints and marketing priorities of the firm. It provides a link to successful execution and strategy. It helps in managing businesses such as capacity utilization, six sigma quality, inventory turns and order to delivery. Inventory Management The purpos e of inventory management is to balance the uncertainty in quantity demand and quantity supply. Inventory should be kept in a way that on demand side, it meets the cyclical demand, prospective demand and fluctuant demand. On supply side, it should maintain the operations of equipment and machinery and should prevent shortages (Loar, 1992). Before the advent of information technology in 1970s, companies used to stock up the surplus inventory to meet the uncertainty as well as flow of material. The cost of money was relatively lower than now, therefore companies could afford to pay for excess inventory in order to buffer against uncertainty and fluctuation in the part of procurement, production and distribution, which are three major stages in process of material flow. However, the increased cost of management since 1970s compounded the focus of asset productivity and contributed to increased attention to inventory management. As a result, number of different methodologies emerged whi ch includes MRP, JIT, Lean Six Sigma etc. (Loar, 1992). The advent of information technology has made the inventory management processes more proactive that companies nowadays can time phase the planning of inventory to minimize the impact of uncertainties. The advancement of information technology has given rise to higher possibility of enhancement in performance. The future demands inventory managem

Rastafari Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Rastafari - Research Paper Example In this regard, therefore, this research paper seeks to shed some light regarding this group of individuals. Introduction Who are the ‘Rastafari’? Are they some dreadlocked ‘ganja’ smokers to be feared and labelled as criminals? Or are they individuals who sing and dance to the reggae tunes? Based on a letter written to the editor and which featured in Caribbean newspapers in 1982, the author claimed that the ultimate ambition for the ‘Dread’, as they were popularly referred to, is to rip a man’s heart out and feed on his genitals. In Hollywood movies such as ‘Marked for Death’ and television programs, which includes ‘60 minutes’ Rastafarians have been depicted as combative dreadlocked gangsters characterized by red eyes from the smoke of Marijuana. Essentially, an image that one can get from popular opinion is that Rastas are dirty, low-life and drug dealers. They were dreaded in some places, for instance Domini ca that they could be shot at first sight. Some of messages conveyed in their music clearly portray the loath that the society they lived in exhibited against them. For example, Bob Marley, the accredited father of reggae music, sings out that ‘he shot the sheriff for self-defense.’ Similarly, in his hit song ‘Redemption song’, he expresses his agitation in the manner that the prophets of Haile Selassie are murdered by the bullet of the gun. Nonetheless, an encounter and research on these individuals gives a totally different picture about them as discussed in the subsequent sections. Rastafarian first came into being in the 1930 in Jamaica and it’s perceived to represent some spiritual ideology. However, a significant proportion of its adherents argue that it is more of â€Å"a way of life† rather than a religion. The adherents hold Haile Selassie I, an emperor of Ethiopia who reigned between 1930 and 1974, as God the Father while others as J esus. Those who subscribe to the teachings of Emperor Haile Selassie are referred to as Rastafari or simply Rastas. As such, Rastafarianism thus describes their way of life although some Rastas consider it as derogatory. This could be explained by their dislike and bias against â€Å"isms†, which is generally a part of typical Babylonian culture. The name Rastafari is believed to have been formed by a combination of two words, Ras and Tafari. Ras is s title given to a â€Å"head† or rather â€Å"leader†. This according to the translation of ras from Amharic, a local dialect group based in Ethiopia. On the other hand, Tafari is the first name of Tafari Makonnen, who is the famously known as Haile Sellasie I. The adoption of the new name followed his coronation. However, there is some discrepancy from Murell who argues out that Ras means Christ; while Rastafari refers to Haile Selassie, the founder of the movement (Murrell 4). Rastafarians claim that Haile Selassi e is their Christ who died physically, but lives in their souls. The believers argue that Christ shall come back to save them from the world, and he shall take them to Ethiopia. The followers argue that Ethiopia is the land that Christ promised them, and they refer to it as Mount Zion. Doctrines Hardly will one interact with a Rastafarian without getting to hear the mention of the term â€Å"Jah†, which, as is mostly the case, a precursor to the utterance of Rastafari. Generally,

The National Security Agency and Cryptography Term Paper

The National Security Agency and Cryptography - Term Paper Example In the past, cryptography was primarily used for military and government intelligence, which is still very important to date. However, advancement in electronic communication systems especially the internet has fueled the use of cryptography in sending private messages and information such as medical records, banking data and credit card numbers among others via electronic channels. Cryptography ensures rapid, secure and confidential electronic communication between two or more people (Nsa.gov, 2). Garfinkel points out that mathematical cryptography involves the use of mathematical processes for sending secret information. It uses the method of encryption, which only the recipient can comprehend. Through this method, a plaintext message is converted into ciphertext, which is sent to the other party. The receiver of the message converts the ciphertext back to plaintext using decryption. The channels through which the messages are sent may be open or accessible to outside parties who i ntercept messages but these people cannot understand or interfere with the information. A Cryptographic system is a process, method or system that provides security in terms of integrity, non-reputation, authentication, access control and confidentiality. The system provides encryption and decryption, which may be software, hardware or even a manually performed process. A cryptographic system ensures confidentiality of information by preventing its disclosure to unauthorized persons either in a local network or across a network. Therefore, for a cryptographic system to be effective in preventing unauthorized decryption of messages, it should be strong, making it hard to crack and to break the system. However, a system is considered weak if it is easily decrypted, has defects in its designs or if it allows weak keys (Dulaney 326). The cryptographic system should also provide an assurance that the recipient receives the original message from the sender. It should not allow any kind of modification on the message during transmission because if this happens, the message is altered and it becomes unintelligible and inaccurate, which may have serious consequences on the recipient. For instance, if such alterations happened in medical records that involved drug prescriptions, the patient under medication may be in danger. Therefore, a cryptographic system should ensure integrity in its process by having mechanisms that will indicate that the message was altered or corrupted, hence allowing proper precautions (Dulaney 327). There are four fundamental principles behind cryptography. The first principle implies the use of a plaintext, which is the message that the sender wishes to encrypt. After the encryption, the message becomes a ciphertext, which is the second principle. The third principle involves a mathematical function known as encryption algorithm that encrypts the message and the fourth principle implies the type of key or keys used in cryptography. The key(s) can be a phrase, a number or a word that is used by the mathematical function for encryption. The main goal of cryptography is to ensure that the original plaintext cannot be reproduced from the ciphertext without using the corresponding key(s) (Garfinkel, 33). Cryptography requires both the sender and the receiver to have the knowledge of the procedures involved in encryption and de

Comparison between the two countries Italy & Singpore Essay

Comparison between the two countries Italy & Singpore - Essay Example This comparison-contrast can serve to further better the understanding between both of these nations. II. Climate The climates of Italy and Singapore, most often are both moderate in temperature, especially warmer temperaturas. What differs between Italy and Singapore is that, Italy also has regions which can be very cold during the daytime, whereas in Singapore, that is unheard of, generally speaking. Another difference is that Singapore also has unusually hot temperatures—the likes of which Italy may have at times, but does not have for sustained periods like Singapore as much, generally speaking throughout the entire region of Italy. Although climates vary with geography, generally speaking, Italy, on average, probably has much cooler temperatures than Singapore overall—although Italy and Singapore can have similar temperatures at some junctures. However, Singapore is more likely than Italy to have unbearably hot weather, which might only be experienced in certain so uthern portions of Italy or on Italian islands in the Mediterranean. In that sense, Italy has more moderate temperatures. III. Geography Geographically speaking, Italy and Singapore both have one facet in common: they both have low-lying areas. According to Richmond (2003), â€Å"Singapore consists of the main, low-lying Singapore lsland and 63 other, much smaller† islands (pp. 18). Although most of Italy is very high above sea level, both countries have geographical similarity in the sense that both Italy and Singapore have lowlands. According to Favor (2004), â€Å"Most of Italy's terrain is rugged and mountainous, with some plains and coastal lowlands† (pp. 11). ... 11). Thus, unlike Italy, Singapore is much less likely to have land that is very high above sea level—leaving much of its land vulnerable to tsunamis and flooding. Italian geography along the seacoast would most likely be the area that would be most vulnerable to flooding of any type since these areas are, speaking generally, at or below sea level in terms of being either plains or low-lying coastland. IV. Location Regarding location, Italy and Singapore do not share much in common except to say that they are both countries that are on the same planet and that they are in the southeastern portion of their continents. Yes, Italy and Singapore are both countries on the planet, but the other similarity is that Italy is located in southeastern Europe, while Singapore is located in southeast Asia. Other than that, Italy and Singapore do not share any similarities with regard to location. The main differences with regard to location are that Italy is located in Europe, while Singapo re is located in Asia. These are the obvious, major differences. Another difference is that Italy is located in a Mediterranean climate, while Singapore is located in a tropical climate because it is located practically on the Equator. Thus, with regards to location, Italy and Singapore do have at least two similarities and two differences. V. Culture In terms of culture, Italy and Singapore both share a commonality: Italian culture is subject to the greater European culture, while Singaporean culture is subject to Chinese culture (which dominates Asia). Italy’s culture share remnants of European culture overall, while Singaporean culture retains elements of Chinese culture (because Chinese culture is one of the most dominant cultures in Asia). According to Wyer, Chiu, & Hong

Labor Relations Reseach Paper Research Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Labor Relations Reseach - Research Paper Example Predominantly, in the heavy industries of south west and the north east, another get natured in the thriving consumer industries of the east, southern coast provinces (Beik, 2005). This has steered to the rise of two new labor movements. State sector workers have complained and struck to shield their jobs, while in foreign-owned and private factories, dismal conditions and dictatorial management are matters that have provoked insurgency. The largest and the most dramatic labor protests in China get induced by laid-off workers against the regularly corrupt and illegal methods in which their enterprises get sold off, or for owing unpaid benefits, which they remained entitled to. Nevertheless, their radicalism happens at the moment of departure from the working classes when they do not anymore have the power to halt production. However, there has been a rising trend for workers to be against the corrupt conditions in which their enterprises get privatized, and to leap in before they get laid off (Pringle, 2010). Deng Xiaoping agreed as many western academics ostensibly do not, that not only is there no essential connection between political and economic liberalism, but the realization of China’s economic success has been reliant on political repression to subdue the inevitable dissatisfaction (Oxford University, 2011). When tanks rolled into Tiananmen Square in 1989, he described the frightening logic behind the resolution: â€Å"Even if we sacrifice 10 to 20 thousand persons, we must exercise control above the situation of the country and get twenty years tranquility in response†. However, workers showed to be far stronger than Deng expected, with strikes recounted even in the 2nd half of 1989. The most significant feature of the growing industrial disturbance is that for the first while since 1948, strikes have become an undying feature of Chinese society. In addition, unlike the past, this has occurred at a time of agreement among the leadership o f Communist Party (Oxford University, 2011). For instance, the Chinese Honda Motor Company faced the worst strikes in its 18-year-old manufacturing business. The company said it needed to develop communication with its employees in the nation after the strikes took the company by shock. Honda, Japanese second - largest automaker, made the report after strikes at 2 suppliers in China paused its car output in China for the first time and required the company to raise their wages. Another third strike, at Honda Lock (Guangdong) Company, Guangdong province, got suspended for the union leaders and management to negotiate over pay. There are no effective networks in China for management and workers to negotiate, said Crothall Geoffrey, a Hong Kong-based China Labor Bulletin advocacy group spokesman. Discussions between the two parties get handled by government - associated union officers who can not selected by the workers. Honda is trying to construct a system that will facilitate a flow of communication between workers via managers to Honda management team and Japanese company officials (Beik, 2005). The first measure to be taken by the company was increasing its wages as demanded by the striking workers. Before any communication developments, the company had to solve the underlying problems of the strike which primarily included wages increment. After ward, the company had

Barratt Developments financial report Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 13000 words

Barratt Developments financial report - Essay Example The company has its operation in all parts of Britain, where it has established 27 divisions by delivering around 14,838 new homes per year. Hence, it focuses on delivering value to the shareholders (Barratt Developments Plc., 2015c). The deals that have completed during 2012 and 2013 are depicted in the figure above. The investment in equity shares decreased in 2013 as compared to 2012. This reflects that the company has failed to invest more in equity of other companies. The reason behind this failure is accumulation of cash reserve. The Help to buy scheme through which the company sell homes was 4% during 2013 (Barratt Developments Plc, 2015a). This is a new scheme, which helped the first time buyers to get homes in London at reasonable rates. The Part-exchange has also increased in 2013 as compared to 2012, which indicates towards the fact that the company is earning profit through this scheme. The number of investors has increased over the period as the company is preferred by public, who have the interest to invest in the shares (Barratt Developments Plc, 2015a). Housing market in the UK: There has been steady growth in the UK housing market due to the demand of new homes and buildings by the customers. With the increase in population, there is increase in demand for new homes (White, 2014). Impact on Barratt Development: The growth in the housing market has helped Barratt Development to earn more profit as the sale of houses increased to a great extent. The rise in sales of the company reflected strong market condition, which in turn contributed towards the development of the economy. The customers have always preferred the company for purchasing any houses as the designs of the interiors prepared by Barratt are unique. Planning regulation and Tax: The supply of the private housing is ascertained with the help of house price along with underlying determinants. In this regards, price and supply of private housing

Summary Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 13

Summary - Essay Example Therefore a careful attempt is made by the authors to bring out all the effects that the rapid change of the family structure is making on the economy. It also states the difference between the structure of the married and the individual working class. It lays an emphasis on the role of the different genders in a family and their relationships. With the rapid change of the economy and the society there has been transformation in the role of the family members. Therefore the authors have tried to emphasize on the current change of roles in between man and woman and their implications. According to the authors, the relationship between the members of the family directly affects the market and its outcomes. The authors seem to bring clear evidence that the family as a unit is continuously aiming for maximizing their income. Taking this into consideration it can be assumed that the monetary issues are one of the prime considerations of the family members and all other goals and aims revo lve round the primary aim. Chapter four of the book, ‘‘Economics of Women, Men, and Work’ basically deals with the time allotment between the household and the labor market. The major emphasis is made on the female gender in this area. The authors have made it clear in their book that they advocate more and more female participations in the labor market. Primarily, the women are involved in the household work therefore that they do not often get time for any other job. But as the aim of the family unit, according to the authors, is maximization of income, thus the women should allocate time both for the household chores and even their career. Right allocation of time between both would not only help the women but also the family in both short and long runs. In the short run, it will help the family in maximizing their income and also in the long run these earnings will provide the women and their children a better economic viability in

The Unredeemed Captive Essay Example for Free

The Unredeemed Captive Essay Some are born literary genius, some achieve literary genius, and some have literary success thrust upon them. As for John Demos in his book, ‘The Unredeemed Captive’ seems to be the blend of the last two categories. Through this book,   Demos takes you to the 18th Century, to explain the tension-ridden and violence-prone confrontation   between three communities (segments of a society).They are the puritan settlers of New England, the Roman-Catholic French of New France (currently parts of Canada) and the Native Americans.   It was a peculiar type of confrontation fought for several types’ self-interests. The conflicts, where religion, culture, race and territorial interests are involved. The story takes savage turns and the reading seriously affects the emotions of the readers! The contents of writing are a mixture of fact and fiction. The book has great historical significance. The mentioned communities then did not believe in peaceful negotiations to settle the ‘border disputes.’ They fought for territorial gains and the borders continued to shift and relocate. The mini-Hitlers were out to establish their moral and racial superiority. The animal tendencies in them surfaced forth and they did not hesitate to capture (kidnap) young girls belonging to the enemy camp, as war trophies, eventually for their sexual gratification.   John Demos is a Yale History Professor. His primary intentions and efforts in this book are to provide an objective analysis of the encounters between the mentioned ‘groups’. He has drawn upon the experiences of one family to achieve the objective in view. It is the John Williams family. Williams is a puritan minister. The family was captured in 1704 in their Massachusetts home by a group of Frenchmen and Native Americans. They were marched off to Canada. Of the seven members of the family his wife died en-route, Williams and four children were released later, his daughter Eunice became a convert (forced conversion?) to Catholicism to marry a Native American. Desperate attempts were made by the family for the return of Eunice to Massachusetts, but she came for short visits only to return back, till her death at the age of 95.   The stunning and heart-rending part of the story is that of Eunice. Remember, she was only 7 when she was captured—what values did her captors defend by torturing the mind of an innocent girl child? Religious principles? Cultural traditions? Racial superiority? Human values? Such persons deserve to be the offspring of the Satan. She was converted to Catholicism and married off at the age of 16, for which the perpetrators of such a crime can face severe punishment in the present times. Probably that was the age when male/female married as per the social customs prevailing then. Well, she spent the rest of her life, but what might be the thought-currents circling and torturing her mind within? Her 88 years of silent suffering is difficult for the printed pages to capture, the most sensitive and imaginative writer will not be able to probe the inner layers of her mind. If someone is able to do proper research on this mind, it can as well reveal the history of the century to which she belonged in the correct perspective.   Her life is a great example of the bitter fruits of cross-cultural bloody encounters. It is the saga of the perpetrators of the torture and those who were tortured. That God and destiny were often quoted to justify the cruel happenings shows the macabre and sadistic mind-set of the groups involved in those conflicts. It was an open exhibition of animal tendencies, by the two-legged devils   The Unredeemed Captive is a systematically researched history by John Demos. To sieve through the 300 year old data (the later 1600s) and make out a factual, historically relevant story is a skilled job. Demos has done justice to his job as the Professor of History. He knows the essentials of the history, the requirements of a research student of history. The research pages do make a slow reading, and that is no fault of the author. The narratives sections are quite fascinating. Basically, this book is written by a history man for the history people   In the present times also, people live dangerously in the border areas of a country, especially when the neighbors are unfriendly. This is the situation when civilization has made advancement and there are international laws for protection. Guess, what would have been the conditions 300 years ago, when might was right and jungle laws prevailed? John Demos describes well, with authority and proof, the dangers of living on the American frontiers in the early days of settling America, when the borders shifted constantly.   A tough subject has been chosen for the book and the area covered is vast.   One can not expect the book to make a good reading from page 1 to page 336. The first five chapters are very exciting; the flying start is the highlight of the book. The story and the incidents related to the family of John Williams are interesting and touching. The rest of the book is about facts, customs and traditions. One needs to make efforts to sustain the interest as for this portion of the book. But overall, the book is no drag.   Finally, the important points of the book: The clash of cultures of the diverse communities is well depicted. Through the personal tragedy of a family, the political story of an era has been told. The doomed role of the religion is described well. Eunice’s rejection of her own family is a mysterious psychological drama. But Demos shows the balanced approach in writing this part of the story, and does not blame exclusively any party involved in the conflicts.    References Cited: Demos, John, Book: The Unredeemed Captive. Publisher: Vintage; Reprint edition (March 28, 1995) ISBN-10: 0679759611 ISBN-13: 978-0679759614

Macroenvironmantal forces: Banking industry

Macroenvironmantal forces: Banking industry Social forces include the demographic characteristics of the population and its value. Demographic Age structure One important trend is the shifting age structure of the worlds population, as aging is now a phenomenon realized by people around the world. Households and Family The number of households has been growing, as the household size has correspondingly been declining. Also, there appears to be an increase in the number of double-income family. Population Shifts As a result of the over-development and congestion of the city center, previously rural area are been urbanized which caused large proportions of Asian population reallocated from city centers to suburbs. Shifts from home to foreign countries are also common. Culture A second social force, culture, incorporates the set of values, ideas and attitudes that are learned and shared among the members of a group. The changing attitudes and Roles of Men and Women Research suggests that the majority or adults today believe men and women should equally share most responsibilities. Beliefs, Values and Habits The values of the population change with the demographics of the people who hold these values. People who are more educated live a busy lifestyle which indicates that they place great importance on efficiency and the up-to-date information. The increasing median age population implies the majority would be more mature when allocating incomes. The increase in the number of double-income couples results in growing emphasis on the togetherness of a family which implies higher values on leisure time spent as family. A change in consumption orientation is also apparent. Today, and for the foreseeable future, value consciousness will drive consumption behavior. Economic and Regulatory Forces The economy pertains to the income, expenditures, and resources that affect the cost of running a business and household. Regulation consists of restrictions that laws in different Asian countries place on business with regard to the conduct of its activities. Business and Consumer Expectations Of particular concern at the macroeconomic level is the inflationary or recessionary state of the economy. During the most recent financial crisis started in 2007, the banking industry suffered huge losses. Although a lot of signs indicate that the economy is recovering, people nowadays are still not so confident about the future. Liberalization As a result of globalization, liberalization in trade and investment is encouraged in order to facilitate international interactions in economic and social arenas by diplomatic coordination of regulations and standards. As a result, the economy is more dynamic and efficient which becomes easier for countries to attract foreign direct investment. Increasing Regulations on Banking Industry Due to the financial crisis, many countries are establishing more regulations that decrease the potential to earn profits from investments and other activities at banks in order to protect both the customers and the banks. Technological Forces Technology refers to inventions or innovations from applied science or engineering research. Each new wave of technological innovation can replace existing products and companies. Electronic Business Technologies In the past two decades, consumers are becoming much more reliant on online management of their bank accounts as the number of homes and businesses enjoying broadband access to the Internet has reached true mass-market scope. With the increasing worlds cellphone subscriber base, the lower phone prices and the expand of cellular service, a truly revolutionary wave of mobile phones that can manage financial accounts is slowly taking root all over the world. However, with the sophistication of the Internet has arisen the issue of cyber security, another technological change to which the banking industry has had to respond. Implication Obviously, the indication of an aging population has brought about substantial growth in savings and retirement plans. Smaller households and double-income families lead to higher discretionary incomes that can be saved or invested. Thus, in the banking industry, marketers should offer more savings and investment account options which enables consumers to select the most appropriate plan that can be personalized to best suit themselves. Due to the unique attitudes, ancestry, communication preferences and lifestyles of different groups according to generation cohorts, genders and so on, the banking industry may develop different marketing programs. As, the technology develops, banks should consider offering a comprehensive range of services, such as viewing and making transactions, paying bills, online and by cell phone in order to provide convenience for customers so as to gain customers. Moreover, for customers accounts safety, banks should create more secure systems and give instructions on how to protect ones account. Considering population shifts, establishing more branches properly with regard to the bank size and target customers would be a wise choice. One important strategy can be offering customers foreign currency accounts responding to the increase in foreign currency use. Another noteworthy strategy would be developing online savings accounts for the teenagers due to the increasing level of education. From this, banks can further educate the youth and encourage financial management, and develop future loyalty customers Banks should develop low-risk investment programs as people are still not so confident about the future economy. An era of much lower risk-taking by traditional lenders has begun that will last for years. As consumers are becoming more value conscious, the banking industry will become more competitive. Banks have to compete on value of their services in order to get customers who are requiring more transparency when choosing product. Greatly increased regulatory oversight will restrict lenders and investment companies of all types. Alternative lending sources will be used to a growing degree by small businesses and some consumers unable to get loans elsewhere. 2. Responses and comments: Maybank has done the following in response to the macroenvironmental changes. Deciding whether the response is appropriate or not, we need to consider whether there are needs and wants for it, whether it is targeting the right group , whether there are points of difference, and whether Maybank would be more likely to reach its goal by performing the response. Offering a number of savings and investment account options such as the Gold Savings Passbook Account and Flexi Plan 2. This response is appropriate as it responded to growth in savings and retirement plans. Moreover, different options can cater to different group of people which will broaden the banks target customers. Pioneering online savings accounts for the teenage market by developing the imteen account. imteen account is a good idea as through Multi-tiered interest rate, Passbookless, Convenient ATM access, Online access, Free Personal Accident (PA) coverage, Academic Cash rewards, Maybank will attract parents who want their children(12-18y) to learn to manage their finance with small risk, and earn future customers. Establishing branches throughout Asia region as well as the world. As Maybanks businesses are mainly in South East Asia, it is not advisable for it to launch a lot of branches outside Asia as it will not be profitable in the short run. In addition, since the world is still in the shadow of crisis, Maybank should focus more on regain trusts from customers instead of expanding its businesses quickly. Developing the low-maintenance Premier Club account for individuals who are constantly on the go This response is appropriate since it satisfies the needs of people who are busy and in need of current events and situations. Offering its customers its range of foreign currency accounts which minimize the risk of foreign exchange rate fluctuations. This action is appropriate as it sets clear targeted segments and tries to satisfy their needs and wants of exchanging foreign currency easily and frequently. Offering a comprehensive range of services that is accessible online while implementing the Transaction Authorisation Code system to create a more secure environment. These responses are obviously right as they meet customers needs and wants of making transactions and other services online conveniently and safely. Offering many services accessible by cell phone. Using M-money to conduct services which is promoted to be secure and convenient. Maybank needs to be careful when implementing the technology. Although mobile banking makes banking services possible everywhere, there are still a lot of challenges. Firstly, Maybank have to find ways to satisfy customers with different mobile phones since it is very difficult for banks to offer mobile banking solution on any type of device. Secondly, security of financial transactions, being executed from remote locations and transmission over the air, need to be addressed jointly by mobile application developers, wireless network service providers and the banks IT departments. Thirdly, another challenge for Maybank is to scale-up the mobile banking infrastructure to handle exponential growth of the customer base as banks unable to meet the customers increasing expectations from the solution may lose customer confidence. Other responses: Responding to the changing attitudes and roles of men and women, Maybank should develop banking services catering to both genders. As indicated in the textbook, in Singapore, the United Overseas Bank launched a credit card just for ladies under the advertising theme, The Men Dont Get It. Maybank should expand its female customer group by providing special services like promotions on spa, shopping, dining, and travelling and so on. The trend of value consciousness leads to Maybank analyzing the market more carefully. Maybe it should add low-fee credit cards in response to this new orientation. In order to earn money and minimize the risk when lending, Maybank should try to develop new ways to make loans to customers. For example, enabling lending by and between members of lending clubs, or between friends and family. 3. Some of the macroenvironmental forces affecting other industries are the similar to those in the banking industry, while some are different. Similarities: For social environment, demographic forces nearly affect every industry greatly. For example, age structure will influence clothing industry by deciding what styles of clothes to produce, and will impact food industry on their strategy about what aspect should they concentrate on, tastes, calorie, or eating environment. It will also affect computer industry by customers needs and wants changing among different age groups. With regard to economic forces, globalization is an important trend. It has led to the rise of massive multinational food processing companies, which often sell their foods under local names in local languages, after producing them in regional factories worldwide. Due to globalization, more and more local clothes brands are known to the world and design, production, and selling can be done in different countries. The Computer industry is a truly globalized sector, where research, development and manufacturing of components and systems have grown in the labs and manufacturing plants of mainly Asia countries. When it comes to political environment, political risks matter similarly to almost all industries, as they need licenses, protection for properties in foreign countries, and avoidance of social unrest. In terms of technology forces, almost every industry is affected greatly nowadays. In clothing industry, the sweeping change in apparel retailing is the rising success of e-commerce which increases efficiency. Meanwhile, in food industry, technology has revolutionized the way that we grow, transport, process, package, purchase and cook food. There is no difference in banking industry as indicated above. Most importantly, technology is essential to computer industry, not only because of its own development, but also the other corresponding techniques such as Wi-Fi, and Internet appliances. Differences: From my point of view, all macroenvironmental forces will affect all industries. The difference lies in to what extend they affect the industry. Some may be tiny and marketers do not need to change strategies, some may huge which force marketers to respond. As for political environment, different laws impact differently to different industries. On one hand, Patent law, copyright law and other related laws are very important to many industries as they give inventors or author the right to protect their intellectual properties. It is especially important in computer industry, as the core of InfoTech is creation and wisdom. Also, in clothing industry, the increasing emphasis on copyright would prevent others from copying the design. However the effect would not be so significant in banking and food industry. On the other hand, the laws and regulations considering health are very crucial to food industry. Considering social forces, culture plays an important role in many industries. However, they may not be as powerful in banking industries as they are in other industries. For food industry, peoples purchases of food largely depend on their eating habits. Nevertheless, as people are paying more attention to health and fitness, it may need to change its focus from taste to lower calorie or full nutrition. In clothing industry, culture mainly determines what a group of people would wear. Also, as the increase concern on health, people have developed a keen interest in sports apparel and workout gear. On the other hand, for banking and computer industries, the effect of culture may not be that significant. Implication: Before making decisions on market strategies, marketers should first carry out a careful environmental scanning analyzing the main forces that affect the industry significantly and that should concentrate on. It is also advisable for marketers to notice all the other insignificant forces in case as the society develops, they become significant enough to affect the industry. Legal Positivism and Morality | An Analysis Legal Positivism and Morality | An Analysis There is no necessary connection between law and morality; and (2) legal validity is determined ultimately by reference to certain basic social facts and the main line of natural law theories that no sharp distinction can be drawn between law and morality The connection between morality and law is one of the biggest questions of jurisprudence. It has become the dispute between natural law and legal positivism and has created a many ways how to think about the scope of legal enforcement. Here we meet with two philosophical directions which are standing on opposite border against each other. Morality is very flexible, changing by generation. If there is any idea of changing a law, it takes hundred years to do it. Law and morality is every so often being connected. Right now, the countries base its laws on morals. Morality deals with question of correctness where on the other side laws are based on question of ethics. Law is characterized by specific people or by a society whereas morals are universal. The basic idea from which morals come is the concept of human rights. Laws are supposed to guarantee human rights but many fail to do so and restrict them. In my opinion I more tend to legal positivism. There are two basic values or reasons for that decision. First, all law are required to be written, where positivism make sure that the government will follow stated rules and apprise the members of society of their rights and obligations. In a legal system run according with positivist tenets, litigants would never be unfairly surprised by the government imposition of an un written legal obligation that was previously unknown. Second, positivism control judicial discretion. In some cases judges are not satisfied with the outcome of a case that would be decided by narrow law. For example, some judges may not want to allow a landlord to move out old and sick woman in the middle of winter, even if the law allows such action when rent is overdue. However, positivism requires judges to decide cases in accordance with the law. One of known philosopher Thomas Aquinas distinguishes four types of law-human, divine, eternal, and natural-as follows: A, Human law-an ordinance of reason for the common good promulgated by him who has the care of the community. B, Eternal law-Gods plan for all of creation. C, Natural law-The part of eternal law that applies to human beings; it is Gods plan for us. Natural law can be differenced by human reason, and it concludes in the correct moral principles. E.g. it is never permissible intentionally to kill an innocent human being, and one must never intend what is evil, even as a means to achieving a good or avoiding a bad result are natural laws, in Aquinass view. D, Divine law-the part of eternal law that God uncovers to us human beings via Scripture. If something is against natural law, then its against divine law as well. But some concepts, primarily of a religious nature, are oppositely to divine law but not natural law. For example, natural reason and natural law tell us that the God exists. But it is only through divine revelation that we can know that baptism, membership in the Christian church, etc. are necessary for our salvation. Aquinas insists that human laws are genuine laws only if they do not contradict either natural or divine law. Other Philosopher John Austin has definition of law as followed: a rule laid down for the guidance of an intelligent being by an intelligent being having power over him. There are two kinds of law: positive law (rules commanded by political superiors to their inferiors) and divine law (rules that God commands all human beings to follow). Law is commands, which Austin see as an expression of a wish by someone who has the willingness and ability to enforce compliance. (If you cannot or will not harm me in case I comply not with your wish, the expression of your wish is not a command.) Unlike Thomas Aquinas, John Austin does not make any differences between divine and natural law. Austin thinks that Gods commands to us are the true morality. Austin distinguishes divine law/the true morality from positive morality, or the beliefs about whats right/wrong, just/unjust that are held by the majority of people in some society. The positive morality of our society is right as it agree with divine law and incorrect insofar as it deviates from it. It does not have any value that Austin had an unorthodox view of the content of divine law. Austin believed that God commands us to be utility maximizes, making utilitarianism the true morality. Positive laws are driven by political superiors. John Austin calls these superiors the sovereign, and he defines sovereign as the person or persons who are not in the habit of obeying anyone else, and who everyone else is in the habit of obeying. Positive laws are general commands by people who themselves are not bound by them, and who can enforce obedience from everyone else. I dont really match with either of these philosophers ideas but if I should to tend to one of their views it would be the one of John Austins for a reason of his division of laws.

Understanding The Relationship Between Political Theory And Ideology Politics Essay

Understanding The Relationship Between Political Theory And Ideology Politics Essay In this essay I make an attempt to differentiate the terms political theory and ideology. I shall also attempt to clarify the meanings used by political theorists. Whilst all theories and ideologies are salient they also possess elements that are contentious or misleading and in turn no matter what political reasoning is developed it in itself can be contested and there are different perspectives and ideologies for any given situation and those perspectives have shaped the modern political landscape and shaped the societies within which we live. Theory or ideas are the toolbox upon which ideology is created. Theory is moulded from philosophy, it is not about coming to a given conclusion or proving a situation, it is an effort to understand through analysis and investigation. Political theory looks at factors such as communities, freedom, equality, social Justice and then attempts to create a model for ideal society by attempting to predict patterns in the future. Empirical political theory is by and large conducted by political science institutions and is intended to describe the What is and from that data try and formulate ideas of What works. Normative political theory is performed mostly by philosophers, legal scholars, and a few political scientists, and attempts to describe how societies ought to be run in essence an opinion of what ought to be as opposed to what is. What can be seen historically is that political theorists seem to be in battle with one another attempting to legitimise their particular view on governmen t, how government should be in their eyes. Some of the modern political theorists include the likes of Thomas Hobbes, John Locke and Jean-Jacques Rousseau who penned Social contract theories, Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels theories of class struggle and Max weber and Ralf Dahrendorf the main authoritative writings on social conflict theory. Hobbes, Locke and Rousseau were Social Contract theorists and critics of the politics in their own societies and expressed this opposition in their explanations of government as it should be, model government. Each had a very different perspective of contractarianism. To Hobbes the State is everything, all powerful and citizens voluntarily give restrictions to their liberty and promise to obey central laws. All individuals make a contract between themselves with an assembly of men to protect their liberty thus they promise to obey the sovereign and in turn have no grounds for complaint against the sovereign. Hobbess view is secular, non-spiritual and thus no allowance of independent political power for religion (Leviathan 1651) à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦. Hobbes theory is one of Absolutism, complete obedience to a single will is necessary to maintain order and security. According to Hobbes without the state and political authority life would be nasty, brutish, and short. In other words an indiv iduals own ego and democracy should be avoided with the monarch being the pinnacle and absolute authority in order for society to survive. John Locke (1689), in contrast to Hobbes, is the founder of the Constitutionalism theory, this is still a social contract theory. This is the theory that is the basis of modern liberal thinking. To Locke God gave the world to mankind as a whole and he also gave the right to life, liberty and estate. Man should live in a state of perfect and complete liberty to conduct ones life as one best sees fit, free from the interference of others (IEP 2011). Each person has personal property rights and the political society is set up to protect those natural rights of life. Each individual consents to be governed by giving some of those rights in return for the state to preserve and protect their rights to life liberty and estate. From this we can deduce that social government has a social duty by way of a social contract to promote and protect the natural rights of its citizens. Jean-Jacques Rousseau (1762) Rousseau judged that liberty was possible only where citizens as a whole had direct and full participation in the law making of the land. To Rousseau popular sovereignty was indivisible and inalienable. For Rousseau Citizens have to be able to choose fundamental rules by which they live and citizens must be able to revise them when they choose to do so. During the 18th Century British Citizens were viewed to be unable to do either. The most striking phrase from Rousseaus work is that the individual should be Forced to be free. From this he is saying that if an individual breaks the law then he should be forced to listen to what was decided as a participant of the collective. From the above we can see three perceptions of social political contract theory. Whereas Theory is the toolbox of political thinking Ideology is the workbench. This is where theories come together and are thrashed out in order to make a workable model of society. Ideology was first coined by Desutt de Tracey in 1796 and translates as the science of ideas. It is a belief or set of beliefs that individuals and political parties base their actions. Ideology contains three major steps. The first is the actual ideas themselves followed by a vision, goals of how society ought to be and finally methodological policy for modification or improvement detailing ways of attaining the goals created from the vision. Ideologies are developed because the theory of reality is often too convoluted to be understood and almost always are biased towards a particular group. Ideology has also been criticised for being the tool of ruling classes, allowing dominant sections of society to maintain their status and position in the hierarchy. Perhaps one problem of Ideology is that it can o ver simplify society and in turn mislead what is reality. Government parties have core ideology values and whilst in power that ideological approach is forced upon those that they govern, they accept a set of ideas and beliefs and those are not to be disputed. Marxism, developed by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels during the 19th Century is possibly the most read and recited of all ideologies, even though Marx himself did not believe that his ideas were ideological. To Marx Ideology was production of ideas, of conceptions, of consciousness, all that men say, imagine, conceive, and include such things as politics, laws, morality, religion, metaphysics. Marx and Engels Marxist ideology evolved around inequality and class division. The Marxist theory clearly defines that there is a struggle in life between a dominant class, the bourgeoisie, and an oppressed class, the proletariat. Thus the ideology, also the basis of the modern Socialist movement, is concerned with economic justice. From this Marx and Engels belief is that if you remove the means of production, thus the power, from the elitist bourgeoisie and transfer it to state control or to the workers, the proletariat, then you achieve economic justice and will be the end of exploitation of the oppressed. Marxist ideology does not embrace the Locke theory of individual right to personal property by actually advocating the abolition of such. Liberalism draws very much on the work of John Lockes social contract theory. It is concerned with maximum freedom for individuals, within the guidelines of the law. There should also be minimum interference from the state with regards to the divine rights of the individual. Liberalism is often thought of as probably the most dominant ideologies in the modern political landscape. This is probably because they are committed to build and safeguard free, fair and open societies, in which they seek to balance the fundamental values of liberty, equality and community, and in which no one is enslaved by poverty, ignorance or conformity thus Liberalism actively promotes the dilution of power, encourages diversity and promotes creativity of the individual. Conservatism values the status-quo and actually rejects change and reform and views such action as dangerous and counterproductive. Unlike liberalism Conservatism argues that political society develops gradually over time out of custom and human experience and that there is no social contract, challenging authority is destabilising and dangerous. Core values for conservative government are to provide for human needs, especially the needs for order, stability and control. Government is not formed to protect rights in fact; the lack of order destroys society. Where theory is about one element of society ideology is multi-faceted whereby it encompasses a set of ideas/theories. Both theory and Ideology have the views of what is, what works and what ought to be. Without theory there could be no Ideology. I agree that each is different, to a point, and yet related. The difference is that the theory is written by and for professionals in the social science fields and the ideology is set out to make such theory digestible to the masses and helps the individual to understand their position in the social order. Government policy is affected by the relentless march of political theory, as society adapts to new policy and changes in the distribution of power so new theories emerge that further change the ideological approaches of those who wield the sword of power. Word count: 1507

Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock Essay: A Beautifully Complicated Maste

The Love Song Of J. Alfred Prufrock : A Beautifully Complicated Masterpiece The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock, by T.S. Eliot is a beautifully complicated masterpiece. The poem rises above all standards of poetry and completely blows your mind. The poem consists of twenty stanzas, each telling a different part of the story of J. Alfred Prufrock's life. Eliot uses many poetic devices to add a hint of magic to the sound of the poem. The diction he uses turns what seems to be a normal poetic work of art into a dream where everything flows together like magic. An example of his diction would be Eliot's powerful use of metaphor in lines 15 - 25 of the poem. The yellow fog that rubs its back upon the window-panes, The yellow smoke that rubs its muzzle on the window-panes, Licked its tongue into the corners of the evening, Lingered upon the pools that stand in drains, Let fall upon its back the soot that falls from chimneys, Slipped by the terrace, made a sudden leap, And seeing that it was a soft October night, Curled once about the house, and fell asleep. And indeed there will be time For the yellow smoke that slides along the street Rubbing its back upon the window-panes;... In your mind, you can just picture a yellowish fog floating around a house, through a fence, or over the trees. His diction gives you a perfect image of the yellow fog. I believe that the 'yellow fog' is a metaphor symbolizing love. Love is slow, like the yellow fog it touches everything, it invades everything around it. There will always be time for love. There's time for everything. Another poetic device that El... ...ces dying with a dying fall beneath the music from a farther room. So how should I presume?"; confusion in others, "Then how should I begin to spit out all the butt- ends of my days and ways'? And how should I presume?"; fear in others, "And I have seen the eternal Footman hold my coat, and snicker, and in short, I was afraid."; and still loneliness in others, "I have heard the mermaids singing, each to each. I do not think that they will sing to me." The entire poem is sad. He feels lost. He is not understood, he feels old, he wishes he made more of a splash before the 'Footman' comes to get him. He wishes he lived more, loved more, laughed more. The Love Story of J. Alfied Prufrock emphasizes a man who has loved and lost someone he deeply cared about. But as the saying goes, "'Tis better to have loved and lost, than to never have loved at all."

Individual and Society: The Royal Family :: Essays Papers

Individual and Society: The Royal Family What was it like to be looked upon as the most noble group of people in a nation as important and vast as England? The most powerful positions of the royal family were the king and queen of course, depending on who had the crown at that time. When one became the king he would inherit all of the riches and powers that come along with being the king. If he were to marry a woman then she would become part of the royal family, but not really be a ruler with the king. If one were not part of the royal family they would never live the glamorous life they lived. The king and queen could show their power through public executions, making new laws, and their ability to do whatever they wanted to. The royal family changed the course of history by bringing about new religions, theories, the English Reformation, the changing of boundaries, taking part in the Enlightenment, and countless other things. The royal family was brought about in the mid-1000’s when King Edward the Peaceful was crowned at Bath. Many Viking invasions and King Ethelred’s weakness to be a powerful king forced him out of the monarchy, and his son, Canute, took control of the nation. King Canute made England the heart of his Scandinavian Empire and was admired by all he ruled. When Canute died and his stepson, Edward, then took the throne blending many traditions since he was not originally from England. After Edward’s death and Harold of Norway was killed in battle, the first distinctively important king of the royal family took over, William I started the first major family in royalty, the Normans. After the Normans ended there were six more dynasties of families to rule England at one time or another. The next of these was the Angevin Empire which started the time period when the English monarchy "became the first European power to work out a concept of government, the "community of the realm," which significantly broadened participation in government and altered the relationships between king and subject" (Plumb 58). The other five families--the Plantagenets, the House of Lancaster, the House of York, the Tudors, and the Stuarts -- were significant during their time but all occurred before the time period being studied. The first empire that deals with Western civilization after 1715 is The House of Hanover, which starts in 1714 with King George I.

Increasing Hate Crime Awareness in the US Essay

Though latest report released last October 2006 by the US Department of Justice – FBI’s Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) Program showed a decrease in total number of reported incidents, 7,163 in 2005 vs. 7,649 in 2004 (Hate Crime Statistics 2005), there has been an inversely growing awareness on this topic among various stakeholders – legislators, law enforcement officials, and the American public – such that term â€Å"hate crime† has become a part of everyday vernacular among Americans. Three factors contributed to this growing awareness. Firstly, the organizational initiatives, normally the offended party group in order to protect their civil rights, are taking active roles, through their advocacy campaigns, support services and education programs. Prominent proponents, among others, are American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) for all Americans, Anti-Defamation League (ADL) for the Jewish, Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG), Massachusetts Office on Disability (MOD), La Alianza Hispana for the Latin-Hispanics and National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) for African-American group. Secondly, the Federal Government on its part, through the DA’s Office has a Civil Rights Unit composed of attorneys for education and intervention services, working in cooperation with victim-witness advocates. In addition, Governor’s Task Force on Hate Crime has its ‘Stop the Hate Website’ Campaign promoting awareness of hate crimes and providing resources for responding to and preventing such acts. Thirdly, concerned group initiatives, such as NGOs in the likes of Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) that combats hate, intolerance and discrimination through education programs and litigations, play an independent, third-party role in increasing hate crime awareness.

Modern Gadgets: A Boon or Bondage? Essay

Modern gadgets: really a boon for us? Brain-the biggest weapon, the mammoth power human has. Testimony of above statement is the present scenario. Just open the sea of imagination and imagine what old time was, now open your eyes and find yourself in this modern world. It is impossible to swallow this immense gap at one go, but if we ta Premium726 Words3 Pages Modern gadgets have made us slaves Since the beginning of civilization man has been making things for his use, like tools etc. As the civilization progressed, man’s effort also increased to make various gadgets. How ever, the speed of making various gadgets got increased The fastest in 20 century in European countries. The prese Premium1182 Words5 Pages see more:life without modern gadgets Modern gadgets Modern gadgets have made us complete slaves to machines. There is no work which cannot be done without the assistance of machines and there is not a single area of human activity where machines don’t have to be used. 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Significance of Personality Development for a Student

Recently, a student approached me seeking help to resolve his personal problems. He was finding it difficult to concentrate during classes and scoring even pass marks in the exams had become a herculean task. A casual enquiry revealed that he was almost starving and severely malnutritioned because of his dislike for the hostel mess food. He would skip breakfast, eat sparingly at night and satisfy his appetite instead at the night canteen with coffee and noodles. This case is not very different from the stories of hundreds of students I have had the opportunity to counsel in the past six years. I have always noticed that most of the students’ academic problems can be traced to imbalances in the personal lifestyle which is often taken for granted. Many parents and teachers fail to make this simple connection and also to impress upon students the need for a balanced lifestyle. Indian society and the education system must veer away from the obsessive focus on marks & ranks, if we want to unleash the full potential of our youth and allow them to grow in a more natural way, pursuing their inborn talents and interests. A host of common behavioural problems noticed in kids and adolescents can be prevented or cured if a foundation is laid at an early age towards holistic personality development. Multiple Intelligence In this article, I will make use of the concept of Multiple Intelligence developed by Dr. Howard Gardner[i], Hobbs Professor of Cognition and Education at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. Dr. Gardner talks of different aspects of intelligence possessed by every human being and why it is important to develop each one of them to achieve a balanced personality. I will also attempt to illustrate how Indian tradition has always emphasized on such all round growth of the human being through the knowledge systems like yoga, ayurveda; through schools of philosophy & spirituality like the darsanas or vedangas and even through classical art forms like music or dance. Physical Intelligence Lack of regular physical activity and regime is perhaps the biggest epidemic afflicting the students in India today. The rat race for marks and ranks leaves little time or motivation for the average student to go out and spend some time at the gymnasium or in the playground. The university campus where I reside has a massive playground, a well-equipped gym, a basketball court, a tennis court and to top it all, one of the biggest swimming pools in South India. And yet, hardly 500 students come out to play or exercise every day, out of the 5,000 strong student community on this campus. No wonder then that a majority of the students who approach me with problems of poor concentration, motivation in studies are those who belong to the couch potato category. Had Swami Vivekananda been with us today, he would have declared again what he told that group of emasculated youngsters who approached him with a request to learn the Bhagavad Gita under his guidance: â€Å"You will be nearer to heaven through football than by reading the Gita. † But there is a significant positive trend happening in schools and colleges across India. Just as the number of obese and overweight kids is on the rise, so is there a growing interest in systems of yoga. What better proof of this than the fact that the mainstream political class in Tamilnadu which takes pride usually in hating everything that is rooted in Hindu tradition, has been instrumental in making yoga compulsory across all schools in the state! Or consider for example the experience of the Vivekananda Kendra in popularizing Surya Namaskara amongst schools all over India, particularly in Madhya Pradesh. Students who have attended the Yoga Vargas or the Samskara Vargas conducted by the Kendra vouch for the marked transformation in personality that the regular practice Surya Namaskara has effected in them. There is palpable strengthening of will power and confidence in these students. Parents and Schools should therefore reconsider the unhealthy trade off which they ask students to make between the time given to physical activities and studies. Linguistic Intelligence Even a cursory look at the placement scenario in professional colleges makes it amply clear that all corporations today emphasize the need for good communication skills and they prefer recruits with better communication skills in English. Communication skill has a great impact on our interpersonal relationships. A person who can communicate effectively and clearly is less likely to create communication gaps which lead to serious misunderstandings. Good communication skills and proficiency in many languages improves one’s reach amongst peers and enhances one’s social acceptance and prestige. It is an interesting fact that great spiritual leaders like Swami Vivekananda were masters of the art of communication. India’s rich literary and oral heritage is yet another illustration of this point; our forefathers understood the significance of developing linguistic intelligence. Musical Intelligence The study and practice of music was considered as a sacred form of worship in Indian tradition – Naadopasana. Perhaps, music is the most beautiful facet of human civilization. Sri Ramakrishna was particularly fond of Swami Vivekananda’s melodious voice and his soulful singing. Sri Ramakrishna would attain Samadhi on listening to devotional music. I often come across students who are addicted to music. Many of them turn out to be class toppers! They listen to their favourite music even the night before their semester exams! We do not need an expert in music therapy to tell us this obvious fact that music not only relaxes the mind but also brings about far reaching physiological and neurological changes in the body-mind complex over a period of time. Interpersonal Intelligence How do you measure a person’s level of emotional maturity and growth? Primarily by the way he conducts himself in civilized society and the treatment he accords to others. Corporations today emphasize again on relationship skills which are considered critically important for an individual to rise in the hierarchy of the organization. A CEO with poor relationship skills is either a non-existent oxymoron or a disaster for the organization. All religious values are centred on building relationship skills on the basis of a spiritual understanding of what connects one human being to another. â€Å"The essence of religion is to be good and do good to others,† said Swami Vivekananda. The Mahabharata declares Ahimsa to be the greatest dharma because the rishis perceived that all life is interconnected. You cannot harm others without harming yourself. If this profound truth is impressed upon our students from a young age, there will not be much need for all the fuss we hear about value education today. Many social or national evils like corruption or caste discrimination are results of a lifestyle that seeks personal aggrandisement at the cost of and complete indifference to the plight of our fellow human beings. If only our education gives greater weightage to building relationship skills amongst students, the India of our dreams would not have to wait for the year 2020. Intrapersonal Intelligence Conventional psychology would look down upon an introvert as a person with poor relationship skills. Not today. Howard Gardner and new schools of thought have begun to understand the reason why Indians give such respect to Munis and Yogis who withdraw from the world. An introvert who spends much time trying to understand his deeper self will also become capable of understanding others from a compassionate viewpoint. Intrapersonal Intelligence is the new marker developed to give due weightage to this important aspect of our personality development and grooming. A person who runs away from his own self all the while trying to substitute his inner vacuum with external pursuits or superficial relationships is heading for a crisis. The extrovert’s sense of identity and esteem is highly dependent on others’ views of his personality. An introvert is a person who is striving to arrive at a state where he can feel good or be content without having to seek an external confirmation of his well-being. Logical Mathematical Intelligence (IQ) Development of Logical Mathematical Intelligence is often given disproportional weightage in the development of a student’s personality. While IQ does play a significant role in the life of every human being, what was perhaps overlooked till recently was that IQ alone does not make a person complete nor is it the only parameter for measuring a person’s potential for success or happiness in life. A person with a poor IQ may be more than compensated by a high emotional intelligence. This is the reason why we see many school dropouts becoming highly successful entrepreneurs in India where as many IIM graduates disappear into oblivion after getting an MBA degree! Conclusion We know through Swami Vivekananda’s writings that he considered two things to be of great importance in personality development: a) Preference to the ‘Heart’ over the ‘Head’ b) The role of the Guru in shaping a student’s personality and the importance of living in the proximity of the Guru or Gurugrihavasa. Swamiji’s views based on Vedantic wisdom have stood the test of time. All that is destructive in human civilization is a result of a sharp brain with an undeveloped heart. Human civilization suffers from an excess of materialistic IQ devoid of EQ and SQ. And the only place where a student can be systematically trained to nurture his EQ & SQ is at the gurukula under the supervision of a wise master. As a teacher, perhaps it would be self-righteous on my part to claim that a teacher plays the most vital role in a student’s personal growth. But, as a student of the school of life, I cannot but reiterate this eternal law – only a spark can ignite another spark, only life can inspire another life. Modern schools of thought like the Multiple Intelligence model discussed here further validate the wisdom that Vedantic knowledge and tradition have bequeathed to us through Atmavidya and the Guru parampara. (The author is Assistant Professor and Coordinator of the Cultural Education Programme at Amrita University in Coimbatore, Tamilnadu. He is a Trustee of the International Forum for India’s Heritage and Resource Person for the Human Excellence Project of the Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan Coimbatore Kendra. He is also a students’ counsellor for the Samvedna Helpline, a project of the corporate social responsibility wing of Tata Teleservices. )