A comparison study of teacher self-efficiency beliefs of Korean and Native teachers of English

Communication is one factor in human relations that could not be removed from existing within the community of humans. This is primarily because of the fact that it is something that keeps the relationship of people from all over the world intact in creating one particular community.Communication is indeed one of the oldest procedures of humans in connecting with each other. Within the ancient years, people utilized sounds to be able to connect to each other. Later on, the sounds developed into words, words into phrases and now, people are already capable of expressing themselves through speaking different languages.This fact leads to the proof that one of the most important needs of people is to communicate. It is the particular factor that separates humans from other creations, since they are able to connect to others through the use of words, or body language, they have the means by which they are able to express their innermost thoughts through communicating their minds to others .Larry Alan Nadig further describes communication in the following manner:â€Å"Expressing our wants, feelings, thoughts and opinions clearly and effectively is only half of the communication process needed for interpersonal effectiveness. The other half is listening and understanding what others communicate to us. When a person decides to communicate with another person, he/she does so to fulfill a need.The person wants something, feels discomfort, and/or has feelings or thoughts about something. In deciding to communicate, the person selects the method or code which he/she believes will effectively deliver the message to the other person. The code used to send the message can be either verbal or nonverbal.When the other person receives the coded message, they go through the process of decoding or interpreting it into understanding and meaning. Effective communication exists between two people when the receiver interprets and understands the sender’s message in the same way the sender intended it.† (TEL, 2001, Internet)However, through the years, the development of the artistic and strategic way of using communication as a link towards other people has been continuously improving.Now, at the brink of globalization, more and more people are having the capability of connecting to others of different races from their own through communication, yet they are lacking the skills of doing so. How then are humans supposed to face this particular challenge of social progress? The book of Rudolph and Kathleen Verderber discusses of the four major ways by which the human society could gain the right skills to communicate.The Four keys of Successful Communication [A Summary of Chapters 1-4]According to the Verderber[s], successful speech communication with others could only be attained through constant practice. This practice through does not only involve one’s own effort of attaining the skills of rightful speech. In a concise discussion within the f our chapters of their book, Kathleen and Rudolph gave the four basic steps by which people could gain good and considerably practical communication skills.(1) Foundations of Communication, the first 100 pagesThis section includes some topics such as verbal and nonverbal communication, plus the perception of self and others. The said topic primarily focus on the ability of the person to use all the possible ways to be able to connect with others in the society, making a certain stress on the fact that people do need to communicate with others because it is innate in them to do so. Using this as the main foundation of learning the skills for speech is certainly a fine start for someone wanting to gain the rightful knowledge needed to converse with others.(2) Interpersonal Communication, the next 110 pages  This part of the book includes several topics ranging from listening and job interviews to communicating in relationships. Most likely, the focus of this part is to show the reade r how communication skills are practically applied in real life. The aim of the authors is primarily to encourage the readers to believe the fact that they cannot do away with the fact that communication is a regular part of human living and they could not do away with it.(3) Group Communication, ranging at only 20 pagesThis particular section tells the reader how to participate in groups as well as to how to apply leadership within groups through the use of fine communicating skills on the part of the one creating the conversation.(4) Public Speaking, the last 160 pagesThe Final chapter discusses on how to pick a topic, research it, adapting to an audience. It also gives a clear description on the differences between informative vs. persuasive speaking. This part mainly focuses on the capability of the readers to develop their skills in expressing themselves in front of a crowd as they hold their attention through the discussions that they are addressing to them.Through the discuss ion of the four major chapters of the book Communicate!, it could be noted that the authors of the book wanted to stress on the importance of an individual’s ability in expressing himself whether personally or publicly. The constant recognition of the fact that people are indeed capable and are responsible of communicating themselves with others have particularly made this reading material a must read.It could not be denied that through the discussions that the authors presented, the importance of listening is given ample focus. The authors even noted: â€Å"Listening is one part of communication that cannot be denied of attention; there is certainly a non-existent communication if the art of listening is not applied by the parties that are having a particular conversation.† (Verderber, 25)

Assessment in Early Childhood Essay

According to Ann Landers, it is not what you do for your children, but what you have taught them to do for themselves, that will make them successful human beings. The subject of children’s achievement and performance in school, and even before school, has received increasing public attention during the latter 1980s and early 1990s. Over the years educators has seek various methods of assessment to evaluate students. According to Pett, (1990), educators use the term Authentic Assessment to define the practice of realistic student involvement in evaluation of their own achievement. One method of Authentic Assessment is to assemble and review a portfolio of the child’s work. Venn, (2000), stated that portfolio is a systematic collection of students work and related materials that depicts a student’s activities, accomplishment and achievement in one or more areas of the curriculum. In this era performance assessment related to the monitoring of students’ mastery of a core curriculum, portfolios can enhance the assessment process by revealing a range of skills and understandings of young children in Early Childhood Education. The wide use of portfolio can stimulate a shift in classroom practices and education polices. According to Meisels and Steele (1991), portfolios enable children to participate in assessing their own work, keep track of individual children’s progress and provide a basis for evaluating the quality of individual children’s overall performance. There are many benefits of using portfolios in the early childhood classroom. Portfolio assessment has become widely used in educational settings as a way to examine and measure children’s progress, by documenting the process of learning or changes as it occurs. For example if parents feel the need to evaluate their child’s progress in the classroom; the portfolio will be available for this purpose. Hence, with the aid of the teacher and evidence of their child’s portfolio parent will have an understanding of how their child is performing. Another benefit of using the portfolio is that it gives students the opportunity to have extensive input into the learning process and shows depth in their work. According to Murphy and Smith (1990), portfolios can be intended to motivate students and promote learning through reflection and self-assessment. Involving students in selecting their own pieces which are done without pressure and time constrains allow them to assess and give themselves a better understanding of their own work and identify what are their strengths and weaknesses. For example little Johnny is in K2 and his class teacher Miss McLaughlin gives him Art pieces to do on Fridays, at the end of doing all those pieces little Johnny was given the opportunity to choose his favourite piece and tell why he choose that sample of work. On-going feedback is another benefit that portfolio provides. In the early childhood classroom portfolio contains a wide variety of work samples, including successive drafts of work on particular projects/theme in the curriculum. Hence, while evaluating students’ progress, teachers would be able to conclusions about a child’s abilities, achievement, weaknesses, strengths and needs. The conclusion will be based on the child’s development, documentations made in the portfolio and on the teacher’s knowledge of curriculum and stages of development. Finally, when the evaluation progress is completed the teacher can use portfolios to provide students general feedback about the quality of their work; in addition this portfolio can be displayed during parent-teacher association (P. T. A) meetings. Students can also select pieces of their work to include in the portfolio. This encourages students to reflect on their past work and gather useful guidelines for improvement. For instance, kindergarteners are at the pre writing level, hence they tend to complete more hands-on and concrete work at this stage. The facilitator may take a photograph of a child’s completed block structure during the first, second or third semester of the year to show the child’s progress in development. Many teachers use portfolios to evaluate how a student progresses over an extended period of time. The portfolio normally contains the best samples of work done by a student, as well as various students’ work that most demonstrate their strengths and skills. It should be noted that all materials placed in a portfolio should be organized by chronological order and or categorized. Meisels and Steele (1991) believe that the materials placed in the portfolio should be organized in accordance to curriculum area or category of development, such as cognitive, gross motor, fine motor and so forth. Once the portfolio is organized, the teacher can evaluate the child’s achievements. Appropriate evaluation should always be done by the teacher in regards to the comparison of the child’s current work to his or her previous work. When the teacher is evaluating, he or she will be able to draw conclusions about a child’s abilities, achievement, weaknesses, strengths and needs. The conclusion will be based on the child’s development, documentations made in the portfolio and on the teacher’s knowledge of curriculum and stages of development. Finally, when the evaluation progress is completed the teacher can use portfolios to provide students general feedback about the quality of their work; in addition this portfolio can be displayed during parent-teacher association (P. T. A) meetings. Students can also select pieces of their work to include in the portfolio. This encourages students to reflect on their past work and gather useful guidelines for improvement.

Avion, Inc. Case Essay

What parts of the supply chain are most closely involved with the situation in this case? What is the responsibility of each part in order to maintain a smooth flow of material? They are Foster Technologies as the supplier, and Avion, Inc. as the buyer. To maintain a smooth flow of material, it is the supplier’s responsibility to comply with the buyer’s requirements and standards, and provide the correct quality and quantity of product and service in a timely manner. On the buyer’s end, responsibilities include: to work internally within organization to determine organizational needs, to develop requirements and standards for the supplier, to select the right supplier, to comply with the supplier’s requirements (making on-time payment etc.), and to overlook the supplier’s performance. What initially appears to be the problem? What really is the problem(s) in this case? The problem initially appears to be lacking of material quality and delayed delivery caused by the poor performance and communication from the supplier, Foster Technologies. The real problem in this case is caused by extremely poor planning, ineffective communication, lack of alternative supplier sources and unsuitable organizational structure within Avion, Inc. How easy is it to switch suppliers? What could complicate a firm’s ability to with to a new supplier? It is not easy to switch supplier at all, especially when a firm has never prepared any alternatives/candidate suppliers. Depending on the type and quantity of products needed, and required delivery time, it might be less easy for a firm to switch. For example, time constraint and/or large demand will significantly narrow down possible suppliers to switch to; and a special product that requires customized machinery or tools in the production process, will also complicate the switch. What does it mean to get to the root cause of a problem? It means to not only to fix the problem at the moment, but also to develop a solution and strategy to prevent the problem in a long run. For this case in particular, it could mean a redesign of the organizational structure of Avion, Inc., changing management and consolidating procurement, production and materials management teams. What does it mean to be a good customer? Why does a buying firm want to be perceived by a supplier as a good  customer? Provide specific examples of what a firm must do to be a good supply chain customer. I think a good customer gives clear and consistent instructions and expectations of the products and service receiving, is active in communicating with the supplier to ensure accurate delivery of the instructions, and comply with the supplier’s requirements. Between suppliers and buyers, credibility goes both ways. Like discussed in class, it is not buyers’ world anymore. There is no longer only competition between suppliers, but also between buyers as well. To be a good supply chain customer, a firm must be making payment on-time and meet any other requirements of the supplier, convey the firm’s wants and needs clearly and consistently to the supplier, and perform measurements on supplier’s performance and maintain an open and consistent communication. Explain the role of performance measurement in managing supply chain activities. Performance measurement in managing supply chain activities is extremely important. 1. The results are fact-based rather than subjective. They are clear and quantifiable, which means they are easy to follow, to evaluate upon, to communicate, and to support an objective decision making. 2. When suppliers know that they are monitored, and what they are monitored upon, it can help them to make better performance. 3. The results can easily be used to compare performance of suppliers. Why can changes within a supply chain disrupt the normal flow of goods and services within a supply chain? Organizations within a supply chain are linked together, and a supply chain is composed of interrelated activities. Goods and service, finance, and information flow in a set direction and sequence. Each step is necessary for the next step to happen. Therefore, any change within a supply chain can affect the normal flow of goods and services. Why might Avion want to reduce the lead times on its purchased materials and components? I think one reason is to reduced the time of cash invested in purchased materials and components, hence to increase Avion’s cash flow. Just as they are a customer to Foster Technologies, there must be customers on the other end of Avion, Inc. that might be demanding after delivery. Why do firms single-source contracts? Single-source contracts can be cost effective. It will be lower cost to  source a high volume of supply from one vendor, rather than source less volume from several vendors. Another benefit of single-source is that, it is easier and requires less resources in maintaining a relationship with a vendor. I assume firms that choose to single-source contracts are usually smaller in size, and they use this way to be conserve resources. Develop an action plan for Avion that addresses the issues presented in this case. Be prepared to fully explain your recommendations. 1. Susan Dey should work with Avion’s production group regarding monthly projected volumes, delivery time frame, and requirements about altering final material release quantities. 2. Bill Mifflin should begin identifying alternative suppliers, in case contract with Foster does not continue. 3. Kevin O’Donnell should work with Foster’s production manager, firstly, to establish a sincere communication; secondly, address issues written in the memos and letters from the production manager and seek solutions; thirdly, discuss about next step to take and future production volume. 4. Avion, Inc. should redesign management and structure within its organization, to prevent similar problems in the future.

Bussiness Plan- physiotherapy clinic Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Bussiness Plan- physiotherapy clinic - Essay Example A partnership serves both the short term and long-term interests of the organization (Eisner, 2010). Firstly, as a recent graduate I have few financial resources. Secondly, I have limited experience working in a real world healthcare setting. As a result, having a partner with an established record of accomplishment in the physiotherapy healthcare segment and the financial resources to support the business is strategic. The business would benefit from our partnership as we merge our skills and abilities to deliver high quality and effective healthcare for our clients. The location of a business plays a significant role in determining success (Spaeder, 2014). The location of the business at the outskirts of the city is informed by a desire to have a serene environment for clients to recover. Although it means that clients have a difficult time accessing it as opposed to the city, the cost of renting the compound is significantly cheaper. In addition, it is crucial to get a big office space at an affordable rate. An analysis of the market demonstrated a demand for physiotherapy services. According to the US Physical Therapy organization (2014), the market is estimated at $ 19 billion and is projected to experience an annual growth rate of over 5%. Firstly, the area has many sports teams whose players would need regular physiotherapy attention. In addition, a large segment of the population is aging. As a result, there will be demand for physiotherapy services to deal with backaches and other forms of pain that are associated with the aging process (NHS, 2014). Physiotherapy plays an integral role in successful aging (Cox, 2004). Furthermore, the demand for physiotherapy services exceeds supply in the state. Although the clinic will cater for everyone, it is necessary on the female gender and aging demographic. The competitors include Elite Clinic and Monsanto Clinic. The former caters

Read the article then write essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 1

Read the article then write - Essay Example rk, headquartered in Melno Park, California, US., had over 8,350 employees in the same time with Mark Zuckerberg serving as chairman and CEO while Sheryl Sandberg stands in as the COO. The company is traded as NASDAQ:FB in the stock exchange market (Harvell, 24-30). Facebook was founded in February 4th 2004 and served only small regions in the United States in the next one year. However, in the following years, that is, from 2005 to date, the site has been operational worldwide (as it is now used by various individuals, organizations and governments) with its global presence ever increasing. The founders at the beginning had restricted membership only to students of Harvard but later allowed membership in neighboring colleges in Boston such as Stanford University and the Ivy League. Currently, through its webpage, www.facebook.com, the site permits persons over age 13 to register as members then create for themselves user profiles, add other users as friends, like other brands/ persons/ groups, post photos and status updates, receive numerous relevant notifications, share videos and exchange messages (Harvell, 65-81). I recently engaged and observed a few people in my quest to find out just how much the social network has changed people’s lives and dramatically revolutionized their ways of doing and seeing things. The results and views are quite frankly overwhelming with most persons able to cite with utmost confidence the numerous advantages and disadvantages of engaging the site. Mrs. Gordon, for instance, appreciates the fact that through Facebook, she has been able to successfully reconnect with long lost friends especially from her college years simply by typing their names, searching for them then sending them messages/ adding them as friends. She quips, â€Å"I have reacquired friends whose contacts I had lost long ago and dear people who I thought I would never see or talk to again through Facebook.† Moreover, Mrs. Gordon argues that Facebook is the most

Science ommunication Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Science ommunication - Essay Example Science communication programmes and activities have a very important role to play for developing a scientifically informed and attitudinally rational society. Sustained science communication efforts play a key role in enhancing level of public understanding of science and thus empowering them with useful knowledge. This can be done by way of interpretation of scientific knowledge and scientific concepts to the public through different mass media - print, broadcast, folk, interactive or digital. One such initiative on the web is http://whyfiles.org. The message may comprise of written words, spoken words, body language signs, icons or symbols. Sometimes, Noise may get embedded with the message, if the channel is not robust and reliable. A noisy message in turn may not communicate the intended thoughts to the receiver. Therefore great emphasis is laid on the medium as well, as Marshall McLuhan's famous saying goes, 'the medium is the message'. The mission statement of 'why files' says: "The mission of The Why Files is to explore the science, math and technology behind the news of the day, and to present those topics in a clear, accessible and accurate manner. We are based at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, but The Why Files covers science at all institutions that engage in scientific exploration and discovery."1 Strengths: Founded in 1996 as part of the National Institute for Science Education with funding from the National Science Foundation, the Why Files has been supported through the Graduate School of the University of Wisconsin-Madison since 1998. The support, financial as well logistical is the prerequisite for sustenance of any science related venture, because science in general is not a blue eyed boy of business community and we must not expect open hearted patronage from this sector. Whatever comes is

Philosophy on how you will teach students who have autism Essay

Philosophy on how you will teach students who have autism - Essay Example Teaching using visual aids is the most effective means of teaching autistic student. This is because students with this disorder are visual thinkers; they rely heavily on pictures to comprehend something. Pictographic and written cues assist these students learn and communicate (Arwood, Brown and Kaulitz 2009). The main advantage of using visual aids is that, an autistic student will be in a position to remember a he have the chance of making relationships and recall easily later unlike the oral teaching strategy. Furthermore, visual approach assists to combat attention failure by facilitating focus on the message. Teachers should use visual supports to teach autistic students how to: It is also imperative that a teacher understands autistic student motivators are different from normal students. This refers to the teaching method whereby there is the use of reinforces such as praise. This is because these students often develop an attachment to a single topic, object, Thus in order for the teacher to create learning interest he should clearly know these students preferences. In a scenario, whereby a student likes cars, then a teacher can for instance while teaching mathematics illustrate using cars. Teachers should objectively offer structured or predictable classroom environments. This environment should be structured to provide consistency and clarity. This will ensure that autistic students know exactly where things belong and what is required of them in a specific state, and can anticipate what comes next. Teachers should ensure that the personalized plan for a student with autism should fit well into the overall classroom timetable. Teachers should vary tasks to prevent boredom, and alternate-group, difficult- activities to reduce anxiety and possibly prevent some inappropriate behavior. In addition, incorporating physical activity and exercise at points throughout the day is

Managing the Learning Environment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Managing the Learning Environment - Essay Example This student was called in the staff room and was warned due to his misbehavior. after few days the student behaved ill mannered with the teacher by saying her that she doesn't know how to communicate with the students and she has a fake accent as she was an Indian teacher. Initially, the teacher did not mind but later she took serious actions towards the student as he was diverting the mind of his classmates. His fellow classmates ignored her and did not pay much attention in the class. moreover, the other students who were sincere to the teacher wanted to join the other section as the class was always disturbed. later the teacher decided to manage the class effectively to get the grip on the situation so that she gains the attention back and make the class more interesting. instructors can talk the help of staff to handle such situations and can discuss such discussions. Many common examples of disruptive behavior are:- -Users of cell phones in classrooms -Inappropriate demands for attention -attending class late and leaving early -creating noise and disturbing the other students -inattentiveness in class(sleeping, reading, chatting and other such things which should not be done in class). -threats to harm oneself or others -monopolizing classroom discussions How to deal with disruptive behavior? †¢ The instructor should serve as a model by demonstrating respectful and responsible behavior with all interaction with students. †¢ the instructor should deal with disruptive behavior immediately ... how to communicate with the students and she have a fake accent as she was an Indian teacher. Initially the teacher did not mind but later she took serious actions towards the student as he was diverting the mind of his class mates. His fellow class mates ignored her and did not pay much attention in the class. moreover the other students who were sincere to the teacher wanted to join the other section as the class was always disturbed. later the teacher decided to manage the class effectively to get the grip on the situation so that she gains the attention back and make the class more interesting. instructors can talk the help of staff to handle such situations and can discuss about such discussions. Many common examples of disruptive behavior are:- -Uses of cell phones in class rooms -Inappropriate demands for attention -attending class late and leaving early -creating noise and disturbing the other students -inattentiveness in class(sleeping, reading, chatting and other such things which should not be done in class). -threats to harm oneself or others -monopolizing class room discussions How to deal with disruptive behavior The instructor should serve as a model by demonstrating respectful andresponsible behavior with all interaction with students. the instructor should deal with disruptive behavior immediately if this behavior isignored the behavior of the student is expected to increase. If the student behavior is irritating, but not particularly disruptive, consider talkingto the student privately, but do not shout on the student or insult the student inanyway. talk to the student calmly, if you feel unsafe being alone request any ofyour colleagues to accompany

Pollution and the effects on our economy and ways to make it better Research Paper

Pollution and the effects on our economy and ways to make it better - Research Paper Example In most cases, most of these negative implications hit more on the environment since most economic activities will involve the production in waste emitting industries. However, not all pollution may have some positive side as well. As it will be noted in the discussion, in some high levels of pollution, governments may be forced to create awareness on the issue and by so doing; employment will be created as human capital is needed to carry out the awareness campaigns. In this paper, discussion is made on how pollution impacts on various economic aspects, which are; Gross Private Domestic Investment, government spending, net export, employment rates and inflation rates. Pollution is a real crisis, with a lot of negative impacts on the environment, which goes on to stall economies locally, nationally and globally. Various economic activities result to pollution. In each of its diverse forms, it is linked to some particular consumption or production process. For instance, the amount of carbon monoxide released in the air has a definite relationship to the amount of fuel burned by diverse automotive engines; the discharge of polluted water into the streams and lakes can be directly linked to the level of output of the paper, steel, textile as well as all the other water-using industries and its amount is dependent on the technological facet of the particular industry. Description and explanation of the level of output of each sector of a given national economy as per its relationships to the corresponding levels of activities in all the other sectors is well done using input-output analysis (Clapp & Dauvergne 89). Undesirable by-products are linked directly to the network of physical relationships governing the daily operations of the economic system. The technical interdependence between the levels of desirable and undesirable outputs can best be described in terms of the structural coefficients similar to the ones used in

The Danger of a Single Story According to Adichie Essay Example for Free

The Danger of a Single Story According to Adichie Essay 1. According to Adichie, how is Africa often described? According to her, Africa is often described as a place of beautiful landscapes and animals with incomprehensible people fighting senseless wars, dying of poverty and aids. It is a continent of catastrophes where people are pitiful illiterate aborigines who have no possibility of being human equals. They are unable to speak for themselves and are waiting for foreigners to save them. All in all, Africa is a lowly continent with nothing more but scenic places with starving people. 2. Did it affect Africa? How? Yes, it affected Africa so much because it only showed all the negative sides of Africa and did not illustrate the beauty of the continent. It shows that Africa is a poor continent with even poorer people who does nothing to improve their lives. It does not indicate all the magnificence of the continent and the attributes of the people in it. Africa is degraded because of these inadequate and unfitting descriptions. 3. What is a single story? What is the power of single story? A single story is a view of something, somewhere or of someone that only shows one side of the coin. It is incomplete. It may have different versions but they all have the same view. For example, what if I tell you that Boracay is a dirty place where people have no regard for nature? The beach is filled with moss and there are plastics everywhere? What if all the things you have heard about Boracay is something like this? It doesn’t sound inviting, does it? But what if I tell you that those who disregard nature are punished and that they clean up all the rubbish they find. That Boracay is a paradise? Now that is a pleasing sight isn’t it? That is an example of what a single story is. It shows only one point of view. And from that point of view builds another story and so on that will not convey the whole truth about the topic. A single story can be very powerful indeed because it blinds people from a great deal of things. It shows things, places or people as one thing only and emphasizes on the differences and not the similarities. It can not only make a story but it can also make it the only story of that particular topic.

Glimpse Of The Indian Society Media Essay

Glimpse Of The Indian Society Media Essay Media today presents a glimpse of the Indian society that is filled with images of tradition, romance, nationalism and familial love. Teeming with energetic music, vibrant colors and heavenly portrayals of Indian families, the audiences are easily cajoled into believing that these depictions are accurate representations of attitudes and beliefs of the Indian life. However, many times, the realities of life do not always approximate the images presented by the media. As a result, media sometimes start affecting the society in an ominous manner. One such issue that is distorted by the media is the dowry system. In the process of raising alarm bells, Bollywood films, TV shows and news media have exploited this issue too much and consequently, worsened its effect. The insatiable greed of the in-laws, which ultimately leads to torturing of brides, has been highlighted so many times by the media that the viewers minds no longer recoils from such phenomenon. Moreover, with the rising consum erism, higher standards of living and exposure to the masses through media, the desires of people for material wealth have also gone up, aggravating the malevolent system of dowry. The dowry system, the custom of making payments from the brides family to the grooms family at the time of marriage, has a long history in India. It stems out from the traditional upper caste practices of kanyadaan or gifting the virgin bride (). Traditionally, these gifts could range from anything significant to even small token of good wishes. Historically, the dowry system could have been established as a form of inheritance for women, because only men inherited the family property. Furthermore, it could have been a way of compensating the grooms family for the economic support that they would give to the new bride as women has little role as bread earners for the family, making them dependent on the in laws. However, in recent times with exposure to mass media, these tokens of gifts or dowry have transformed into substantial transfer of wealth from the grooms family to the brides family, becoming an important factor in marriage proposals. Most of the marriage decisions nowadays a re based on how much dowry is the brides family ready to give. Even if the bride and groom do not suit each other, their marriage is arranged based on the exchange of dowry between the families. (). However, in the current society, where even women act as economic contributors to the family, this system becomes trivial. Yet, it has only inflamed with time. Consequently, the Government of India could not do much to alleviate this issue. Even with the changes brought about by the Hindu Succession Acts of 1956, which gave women legal rights of inheritance, and Dowry Prohibition Act of 1961, which legally outlawed dowry respectively, this practice still continues mainly because of two reasons. Firstly, even though in recent times, the exposure to media decreased the support for dowry among women, it appears that women have started valuing the resources that their dowries bring to their families. The exposure to mass media increased the desirability of consumer goods, causing the newly wed couples to view dowry as a way of obtaining them (). The other reason is that parents of daughters still believe that a large dowry will ensure better treatment of their daughters by her in-laws. They believe that the dowry will increase their daughters standing in her new household as it will act as a signal of parental support of the bride. However, thi s belief is largely baseless and stems from medias misrepresentation of this issue through its different outlets. Dowry is a hot topic that many Bollywood films tried to address. Films like Lajja and Lage Raho Munnabhai try to create awareness about this issue by depicting extreme sequences. However, this path taken by the directors sometimes backfires. In Lajja, Maithilis parents give everything to fulfill the dowry demands put up by their in-laws. They lose their land, saved money and even take on loans for the dowry. Though, Maithili rebels and calls off the wedding, seeing her father being humiliated by the grooms family for dowry. Even in Lago Raho Munnabhai, Simrans father Lucky Singh goes on to appropriating an old age house, leaving 20 old men homeless because the grooms parents wanted the land on which house was built. These acts by the brides family do not take place in the real world. However, they are able to distort the views of audiences, who then start believing strongly in this system. Vivah A journey from Engagement to Marriage, another mainstream Bollywood film, also presents a distorted vision of the dowry system but towards the other extreme. In the film, the grooms father wants nothing more for his son than a virtuous and beautiful wife dowry is unimportant and unwanted (). As Poonams father is asked for a mere token, the viewers are assured that a dowry is unnecessary when two families are as well suited as these. These films, as a result, distort the way the society views the dowry system. The reality of dowry demands in India is quite different from its portrayal in Bollywood films. The images of the dowry system presented in these films are not usually what comes to pass for a woman after her marriage and the giving of her dowry. In Lajja, Maithilis parents tried to call of the wedding because Maithilis father could not fulfill all but one of their demands. This would never happen in the real world. Similarly, what Lucky Singh did in Lage Raho Munnabhai to fulfill the dowry is unlikely to be seen today. However, one would also not find someone like Poonams father- in- law, who declined the dowry given by Poonams father. There are still many Indian marriages, where the brides treatment at the hands of her in-laws is often tied to the amount of dowry they receive. Moreover, theses dowry demands sometimes do not end with the wedding (). The shameless greed of the grooms families in the form of dowry demands continue for years after the wedding, with suggestions of furth er gifts to be made-for celebrations of the birth, naming and initiation of grandchildren. Most of the Bollywood fail to show this aftermath of a dowry induced marriage. According to Bedi, the ever-increasing demands for dowry have led to an increase in dowry-related violence and death among young married women in India, with 8391 dowry death cases in 2010 alone. The violence that the women have to undergo, despite giving dowry, has increased exponentially with the demands of the every-growing dowries. This dowry-related violence is mostly prearranged attacks within the grooms house. Many of these attacks include severe burnings, poisonings, hangings, gunshots, sharp objects, and jumping from height, generally resulting in the immediate deaths of the women (). Furthermore, the victims do not report this due to fear of another attack. They have to accept this cruelty as the price of keeping their families intact (). In some of the dowry-induced marriages, women try to commit suicides in a bid to escape the abuse from her in-laws. However, other families try to take advantage of these cases by reporting the death caused by dowry violence as suicides an d protect themselves from trials. Media, in such cases, immediately tries to capitalize on them through films and TV shows. A recent Bollywood film, Teen Behenein is based on the real-life incident of combined suicides by three sisters, which occurred in Kanpur in 1988. Though this film has flaws in every technical aspect, including script, direction and acting, it still managed to receive praise merely because of the issue that it takes up. Teen Behenien seeks to make an important point about the kinds of sexual, social, psychological and physical violence that continues to be encountered by women. This film only takes the seed of its story from real-life incidents of combined suicides by three sisters, and then builds a narrative around it (). The director was able to influence the society by combining the fictional and non-fictional worlds. In order to profit, the director exploited the issue of dowry system by exploiting it. Satyamev Jayate, a reality TV, also tried hard to create awareness about dowry. Aamir Khan, a famous Bollywood actor, is the protagonist who reveals social issues that are prevalent in India which need to be addressed. In the dowry-focused episode, Aamir delineates that every hour one bride in the country dies due to dowry harassment. This certainly is not true. Consequently, he invites a few women who have been victims of the dowry system to speak about their torture. For instance, Komal Sethi spoke about how after being tortured to pay a hefty amount to her in-laws and husband, she was left to die in the US. Lecturer Nishana, who underwent a cosmetic surgery to please her husband, succumbed to the dowry demands of her in-laws and ended up committing suicide (1.5 million rupees that were given by her parents. Though, these cases depict the extremes that this system can go to, they leave a mark of the audience who begin to consider girls as burdens. Furthermore, the fact that Satyame v Jayate commercialized such sensitive issues to profit from them only undermines the validity of its claims. In a country, where film stars are considered as ideals, the distorted depiction of their personal lives can have a profound effect on society. Through the creation of superstars, media distorts the view of the Indian society on dowry. In India, film is the principal form of entertainment, and therefore, film stars are accorded a respect otherwise offer only to family elder and men of God(). An average of ten million people a day spend the equivalent of a days wages just to enter into a fantasy world of images of bad landlord, greedy industrialist, corrupt politicians and traditional virtues of virginity, devotion to God and family and service to men (). The protagonists, therefore, become the saviors of mankind and the actors start to be revered by the Indian public. According to Gokulsing and Dissanayake, star worship offer a mental escape from the pressures and poverty of everyday life and statements or actions made by big Bollywood stars, like Amitabh or Shahrukh, can have great effects on public attitudes. In high profile and star-studded marriages, the dowry worth fortunes are given; however, just as a custom. Millions of rupees in cash, gold, along with luxurious cars are given by the brides family, but this is not a compulsion and is given just out of generosity. However, the masses get influenced when they see this on the televisions and their desires increase many- folds. They start dreaming of lavish wedding and end up making brides lives miserable, ruining their families and turning the concept of marriage has been turned into a transaction, without any importance placed on the people or the relationship (). As a result of the societys distortion view of the dowry system, in many parts of the country, the birth of a girl is not seen as an event to celebrate. Unlike the loving parents of Poonam in Vivah, the thoughts of many Indian parents are not positive at the birth of a daughter (). The lyrics of an old Indian chant used in Punjab Eat the jiggery, spin the cotton, you should not come, send your brother suggests that the birth of a girl is seen as an event of sorrow. There is no singing or celebration, as the parents have to start worrying about the dowry. Girls become a drain of familys money, unlike boys who create income for the family and stay to take care of his parents in their old age (). This belief has skewed the sex ratio in India, fostered by sex-selective abortions and infanticides. Matrubhoomi, a Bollywood film, is set in a hypothetical village in India without women. The film tries to bring forth the message that if the rampant female infanticide and feticide were to cont inue, then there would be a time where there will be no women left. However, this film failed in its goal. The film is so extreme that the audience could not digest it and the film only succeeded at undermining the seriousness of this issue. The numerous representations of dowry system on both big and small screens, it seems to be distorting to an extent. Since the introduction of mass media in the Indian society, views of the people on the dowry have change significantly. The system, which was initially meant as a form of inheritance for women, changed over time because of its misrepresentation by media. The increasing exposure to media coupled, which increased the desirability of consumer goods, transformed this system into a substantial transfer of wealth from the brides family to the grooms and made dowry an important factor determining marriage decisions. Furthermore, recent films like Lajja, Vivah or Teen Beheinen only distorted the societys view on dowry by showing extremes situation that are highly unlikely to occur. On the other hand, TV shows like Satyamev Jayate tried to commercialize this issue; however, undermined its validity in the process. In addition, medias depictions of lavish weddings of media persona lities, increases the dowry systems prevalence as more and more people try to emulate their ideals. Dowry system, therefore, has become a big problem in India and has led to practices of female infanticide skewing the sex ratio in India. In drawing this paper to a close, it is clear that the problem of dowry is only intensified by media. Until media becomes more responsible in its depiction of the dowry system, leaving aside the monetary intentions, this problem will continue unabated.

Factors influencing the success or failure of Small Business

Factors influencing the success or failure of Small Business Small businesses have certainly started to play an important role in the growth and development of a lot of economies in the world today, and they are becoming increasing popular. The reasons for this are not particularly hard to discern. Growing firms provide significant benefits to regions, with job generation, knowledge spillovers, economic multipliers, innovation drivers and cluster developments. The exact processes of growth and an analysis of the development and transitions from small to high growth rates and size development has generated limited study from an initial review of literature. The birth of new firms and their subsequent growth or failure has captivated the interest of researchers especially during the past decade and a half. The central theme dominating this segment of research focuses on the question of why Jason Fast Foods failed in their business. An initial review of literature on small firms reveals that many of them fail early in their lifecycles, presumably due to the many impediments and obstacles that they are unable to overcome. There is also the less than satisfactory growth rates observed among firms that survive the initial inception stage. Whereas the specific factor that led to the failure of this business was poor operational plan, a congregations of other factors was responsible for the failure of this business. This means that Jason Fast Foods failed because of a combination of poor product/service, marketing plan, operation plan and financial plan. The dynamics of changing demographics and consumer purchasing patterns, coupled with ever stronger competition, put increased pressure on Jason Fast Foods enterprises. This impacted a lot on the small business who had to devise new avenues for driving productivity and develop distinct competencies that was aimed at ensuring their survival. Basically, Jason Fast Foods suffered from limited information, finance, management time and experience and was vulnerable to environmental changes. The scale of operations was also low which meant that this firm did not benefit from the economies of scale which limited its operations and generally inhibited its growth and ability to develop and dominate the markets. The small firm sector has been described as very turbulent, with fluctuations in profits and sales being more imminent than larger firms, mainly because they are more likely to depend on single products or customers (Storey et al., 1987). Large firms on the other hand often exist becaus e competitive factors within industries make the use of economies of scale in productions which are necessary for survival. Operational factor that greatly contributed to the failure of Jason Fast Foods was the inability to attract higher quality people than its competitors. The differentiators between success and failures lie in the ability of a firm adopting strategies in the utilization of its capabilities that ensure the firm has higher quality people than its competitors, its able to develop and nurture its capabilities and that a culture is developed that encourages organizational learning. When competition intensified, the possession of these competencies became increasingly important for the firms continued success. Moreover, these were the distinctive capabilities that supported a market position that was valuable and difficult to imitate. The aim of developing and improving the resources basses and capabilities are aimed at achieving a strategic fit between resources and the opportunities that will ensure for added value from the effective deployment of resources. The overall inability to effect ively deploy resources for the best operational practice was inhibited by its scarcity. In addition to the above, the interaction between competitive advantage and distinctive competencies are well researched issues that Jason Fast Foods failed to exploit. The general concurrence is that firms that develop and exploit their distinctive capabilities and key competencies generally outperform their rivals and are able thrive in the said markets. For example, Day (1994) found that smaller firms that chose to compete with clearly defined strategies outperformed those firms with a less clearly defined focus. These believe is supported by Armstrong (2007) who found a close correlation between the entrepreneurial orientation of firms and the possession of a wide assortment of distinctive competencies. Operational inefficiency deprived Jason Fast Foods the ability to find a close correlation between its entrepreneurial orientation and the possession of a wide assortment of distinctive competencies. The role of financial factor contribution to the failure of Jason Fast Foods was precipitated by the skyrocketing health care and energy costs, tightening credit conditions and increasing labor costs. Generally, the small businesses are facing a challenging economic environment. The major constraints that were facing Jason Fast Foods can be broadly categorized into four groups that are cost factors, credit conditions, trade competitiveness and industry metrics (HSBC, 2005). The major cost factors associated with doing business in America for the small businesses stems from the health care, oil, natural gas, retirement and savings and total employee compensation and regulatory costs (HSBC, 2005). These costs continue to rise by day, meaning that the proprietors of Jason Fast Foods were receiving the same amounts of inputs to run their businesses but at a higher cost. These increased costs limited the ability of Jason Fast Foods to purchase new equipments, hire new employees and expand businesses. The most significant increase in these costs has been the rising oil and natural gas prices. Additionally, the employees compensation costs have also grown, coupled with increased health care and medical costs which continued to impact on the bottom line of Jason Fast Foods. Another constraint that led to the failure of this firm was with credit conditions and access to credit. A lot of researchers agree that business financing is a key ingredient to business success through the provision of the ability for entrepreneurs to start or develop an existing business. As Child (1972) intones, capital availability ebbs and flows as business cycles evolve, essentially meaning that enough capital resources should be available at all stages of growth. The major contributing ingredients to the ease with which small business can gain access to capital encompasses such issues as budget deficits, commercial and industrial loans, interest rates and venture capital. For example, most credit that is extended to businesses either in the form of credit cards or commercial loans are tied to the prime rending rates, which are dictated by the overall operating conditions. These are basically reflected by the prevailing rending rates, which have been rising of late with severe implication on the cost of doing business. The fact that Jason Fast Foods encountered more difficulties in generating alternative financing (example through issuance of stock or commercial paper) become more resilient, meaning that they were being forced to pay high interest costs to secure a loan to finance ventures. This was compounded by the fact that interest rates are usually higher as private sources of capital compete with the public sector for investors in an economy, meaning that borrowing costs continues to rise regardless of growths in the economy. The end result is that small businesses are hugely disadvantaged. Without favorable credit conditions, entrepreneurs will either pay higher prices for capital or forgo adequate capitalization all together (HSBC, 2005). Another constraint faced by Jason Fast Foods that led to its failure was with regards to growth and development and the competitiveness of the operative industry. The major factors as regards competitiveness usually stem from trade deficits and the trends and manufactures new order. The contentious issues are that while the increased globalization has provided business owners with the opportunity to market and sell their goods abroad, small business have continually struggled and failed to exploit the potential. All the above factors clearly illustrate the major difficulties faced by small business in their endeavors that eventually led to the failure of Jason Fast Foods. While the same factors have been found to also impact on the larger counterparts, a clear deduction can be discerned that the impacts have greater implications on the small businesses.

Essay --

Throughout Jewish History we have seen significant transitions from 2,000 B.C.E. to 1492 C.E. These transitions changed many different aspects of Jewish life. There are three specific events or turning points that caused tremendous change in Jewish life and had many ramifications. These three events were the Formation of the United Monarchy, the Rise of Hellenism and the Golden Age of Spain. Each of these transitions impacted Judaism in different ways that changed it forever. The different groups of people involved changed different parts of Jewish life including linguistics, politics, traditions, and literature. The United Monarchy took place between 1020 and 921 B.C.E. It was the transition between a tribal society and an actual form of government. In this monarchy, Samuel appointed Saul to be the first King. Saul was replaced by King David and eventually was followed by Solomon. This era was the most documented era throughout Biblical history. During this time period, David was God’s right hand man. Jewish people believed that the Messiah was once a living King somewhere in the Davidic bloodline. They believe the Messiah in the Bible was a human King. The word Messiah means â€Å"anointed one†. David is the one who brings together loose tribes into a government. He institutes many new things like scribe culture and census records. This becomes known as the prototype for the ideal Jewish monarch. He establishes the city of Jerusalem or the â€Å"City of David†. His legacy becomes a major theme in Jewish history. Through him, the First temple was built for worship and f or sacrifice in 950 B.C.E. This temple was extremely important to the Jewish people. It was the center for worship and politics for the kingdom of Judah. The Babylonians e... ...ed, you sent Seraphim to tell him of your great goodness. They sat down beside me and then Michael said: â€Å"This is God’s message who pleads your cause: ‘On the day that you cross waters of sorrow I am with you. When the enemy draws near, the rivers will not drowned you.’ † These three transitions had a huge effect on Jewish life in many different ways and were major turning points in Jewish history. In all three of these periods the Jews underwent many changes in their lives in many different categories. Although massive changes were made, in each of these eras the Jews somehow managed to keep their cultural identity even while adapting to other ways of life. They never lost sight of their heritage. Therefore, the Formation of the United Monarchy, the Rise of Hellenism and the Golden Age of Spain were the three most important points of ruptures in Jewish history.

Celebrity Politics And Politics Of Celebrities In The Philippines Essay

Compared to the makibaka generation of the 70’s, ours is relatively apathetic to political matters. This is somehow attributable to the modern set-up of Philippine news broadcasting and advertising. Do you know what PDAF is? How about a storm surge? Before the Yellow Revolution in 1986, a distinct line was established to separate the primetime news from show business news. To keep yourself informed in both, you have to watch the professional reporter Harry Gasser in NewsWatch and the entertaining chikadora Inday Badiday in Eye to Eye. Nowadays, you can be updated by watching a single program. In Bandila, Boy Abunda can be found sitting side by side, laughing and sharing banters with primetime news reporters Karen Davila, Ces Drilon and Julius Babao. As observed by Jean Encinas-Franco, a political scientist in UP, it just shows how serious news and celebrity gossips managed to intertwine over a few years. Furthermore, it suggests that the former and the latter are now equal in terms of importance. Our interest is diverted. Even if we are presented with political issues that require our attention, we often turn a blind eye and immerse ourselves with trivial matters. Do you think Ping Lacson is gay? Is the president dating again? In the context of the Philippine society today, the subject of politics is enough to make one cringe. The word almost always comes with the word corruption. This phenomenon is intensified by the negative portrayal of our â€Å"authority† on television. A study by psychologist Bruce Levine shows that watching TV, which is a national pastime in the Philippines, pacifies the mind, making it more passive and more susceptible to information-feeding. We are constantly informed of how unprofessional our government is ... ... deem it as pointless to gain unbeneficial knowledge. This rationalization of ignorance results in political nonparticipation. Works Cited Encinas-Franco, J. (n.d.). Celebrity Politics And Politics Of Celebrities In The Philippines. Retrieved from http://halalan.up.edu.ph/index.php/viewpoints/by-professors/167-celebrity-politics-and-politics-of-celebrities-in-the-philippines Levine, B. (n.d.). Does TV Help Make Americans Passive and Accepting of Authority?. Alternet. Retrieved December 30, 2013, from http://www.alternet.org/culture/does-tv-help-make-americans-passive-and-accepting-authority?page=0%2C3 Morgan, N. (2013, March 7). How to Master Yourself, Your Unconscious, and the People Around You -- 3. Forbes. Retrieved December 29, 2013, from http://www.forbes.com/sites/nickmorgan/2013/03/07/how-to-master-yourself-your-unconscious-and-the-people-around-you-3/

Performance Management Plan Essay

A performance management system allows a business to maximize its efficiency through the sum of all its parts. Controlling employee’s behavior, maximizing employee efforts, and minimizing unproductive down town, is at the heart of a performance management system. In fact, according to Clardy (2013), â€Å"†¦a performance management system is the total complex of factors that trigger, channel, and maintain productive task performance.† (pg.1, para.2) Making sure employees are doing their job is no longer an efficient method of performance management. According to Cascio (2013), performance management can be thought of as a compass (pg. 332, para. 3). A compass will indicate current location and be a guide towards a desired direction. Thus, performance management helps businesses understand the current state of an employee’s performance and the desired outcome and direction in which to monitor and measure. Ensuring that an employee’s efforts are having a positive effect on business strategy becomes a key component of performance management. Moreover, human capital and performance management involves understanding how to align human capital management efforts to business strategies. Therefore, understanding how to align limo driver behaviors towards business strategy will be an indicator of the effectiveness of Landslide’s Limo performance management system. To facilitate the effort of recommending a performance management plan several issues will be addressed. First, how to align performance management to business strategy will be examined. Second, the philosophy of the organization performance will be explained. Third, a job analysis process will be conducted to identify the skills needed by employees and methods for measuring those skills will be detailed. Next, the process or processes for addressing skill gaps will be explained and lastly, the approach for delivering effective performance feedback will be determined. Aligning Performance Management to Business Strategy What becomes apparent, in maximizing employee efforts, is how human resources aligns human capital and performance management with business strategy. However, according to Schiemann (2007), â€Å"It’s a tough challenge when you consider that, on average, fewer than 20 percent of employees know their organization’s business strategy.† Therefore, what becomes a key issue is ensuring that employees have a clear understanding of the organizations business strategy. Fortunately, Landslide Limousine has a straightforward approach when it comes to business strategy, however, a few recommendations for further growth will also be included in this assessment and how to align performance management with the recommendations. Landslide Limousine has a business strategy of being comparable to other limousine services in the Austin area, hiring 25 employees, ensuring world class customer service, and achieving five percent revenue growth over the next two years. In addition, we would recommend furthering growth opportunities within a specialty limousine market, offering non-traditional fleet options for non-traditional customers. The performance management system should be clear and concise and the recommendation would be for a simple but effective performance management system. The first recommendation would be to clearly communicate the business strategy to all employees and ensure understanding through a survey of acknowledgement. It is important that all employees, especially limo drivers, understand the importance of how excellent customer service will effect business strategy and secondary benefits like pay. Second, setting smart targets for service and sales, monitoring and evaluating how employees achieve smart targets and sales. From initial contact and during limo service, upselling services and upgrades on every customer interaction, are important smart targets. Like McDonald’s, when an order is placed, employees will ask if the customer wants fries or a drink with their order, the same can be done with smart targets. When a customer orders limo service, asking if they would prefer a larger or more exotic limo would help align smart targets with strategy. Furthermore, monitoring smart targets could be completed using costumer surveys. Ensuring employees are properly supported throughout the process; evaluating performance and finally, further support through training and development. After a customer has completed their limousine service, managers will evaluate customer surveys  and offer any performance evaluation if necessary and any further training to ensure employees are attempting to upsell customers on services. Following this framework is essential in aligning performance management with business strategy and maximizing employee efforts towards business goals. Organizational performance philosophy Performance management is essential in creating an organization that is high performing and supporting employee development (Yale.edu, 2010). Therefore the organizational performance philosophy should align performance management processes towards the goals of performance planning, review, coaching, and development. First, employees are responsible for communicating about performance and ensuring that they are successful towards the development and continually striving for customer service excellence in support of organizational strategy. Next, management is responsible for ensuring that employees understand their performance goals and fully supported during and after development and assisted through performance reviews to ensure that goals are being obtained and that employees have all support and support resources. Ultimately, it will be the responsibility for the organization to provide an effective and impartial performance management system that encourages excellent performance, communication, and proper conveyance of a properly managed performance management infrastructure (Berkley.edu, 2014). Job Analysis and Necessary Employee Skills A job analysis allows an organization to clearly understand a position and the necessary skills employees must possess in order to functionally manage the position. In fact according to hrcouncil.ca (2014) Job analysis is a process for systematically collecting information to help you fully understand and describe the duties and responsibilities of a position as well as the knowledge, skills and abilities required to do the job. The aim is to have a complete picture of the position – what is actually done and how. With the knowledge and understanding of the expectations of a position, surmising the skillset necessary to competently fulfill positions becomes critical. Having a clear picture of the skills needed will be the frontline in aligning performance management with business strategy. First we must  define and identify necessary positions for Landslide Limousines. The necessary positions will be limousine drivers, customer service agents or office administration, fleet vehicle detailers or individuals who will be responsible for stocking limousines and detailing vehicles before and after customer use. Lastly, job analysis for supervisor and management positions must be ascertained for future purposes and to clarify the skill set necessary to help initiate the organizations performance management. Each position will require a broad spectrum of specific skills necessary, however, in general a job analysis will consist of: Summary of duties Details of most common duties Supervisory responsibilities Educational requirements Special qualification Experience Equipment/tools used Frequency of supervision Others the incumbent must be in contact with Authority for decision making Responsibility for records/reports/files Working conditions Physical demand of the job Mental demands of the job To identify the skills necessary for a limousine driver a few position details must be examined. First, drivers will be required to have the ability to drive limousine type vehicles such as stretch limousines and all over-sized limousines. Drivers must also be able to safely drive vehicles that can transport over fifteen people and have their Texas commercial driver’s license to accompany. Having the ability to clarify job duties as a driver will help ascertain the skills necessary to be a driver for Landslide. Support and administration positions must have the ability to communicate effectively and have attention to detail. Clarifying how support and administration positions will work in tangent with drivers will also be essential in understanding the skills necessary for both positions. Lastly, clearly defining management and supervisory so it becomes incumbent to have  a full understanding of how the entertainment and transportation industry works so that the individual can identify performance management aspects and how to properly align them to organizational strategy. Methods of Measuring Employees Skills and Addressing Skills Gap Having the ability to measure employee skills at initial hire and during employment can help in development and training and allocated support. Furthermore, understanding how to address any preexisting skills gap and any skills gap after training, can be critical for further employee development and maximizing human capital efforts. One method of measuring employee skills is to benchmark skills against a numerical formula that can translate skills into a measureable system. This measurable system can be done at initial hire or during an employee’s tenure. A team skills metric can be developed with the goal of benchmarking overall skills. A chart can be implemented with the Y axis and different job codes or specific work instructions across the top of the chart. A measurement of each can be labeled from A through C. The letter A would equal to being an expert and assigned negative three points, B would be classified as good, or trained in job and can work independently with minimum supervision and be assigned negative two points, finally, C would be classified as good or trained but needs moderate supervision (new) and assigned one point. From this numerical system score, each employee would have an average from all their skills and an assessment would be ascertained. Moreover, employees who were cross-trained or who possessed higher skills raised the score, therefore helping identify each employees overall score in relation to their skill set. Another method for measuring employee skills is to use a skills inventory management system. The skills inventory system can be deployed at initial hire or during employment. The skills inventory system would be an online assessment. According to brainbench (2002), A skills inventory begins with a skills measurement system that enables employees to access online skills assessments through the company intranet. When a company implements a new technology, for example, managers may have their employees take a test for skills related to that new technology. Furthermore, once the online test is taken the results are gathered and a numerical score system is assessed in which management can assess whether or  not further training is necessary and what skill gaps are still or continuously lingering. Both methods of measuring employees skills can be measured against a skills benchmark and addressing skills gap can begin. Addressing skill gaps can be addressed by training, development, and peer-mentoring. Further training to address driving issues can be done using defensive driving courses and customer service skills gaps can be addressed with more training as well. However, understanding how to develop better training to hinder further skill gaps is critical for further development. Development of skills should be addressed References Clardy, A. (2013). A General Framework for Performance Management Systems: Structure, Design, and Analysis. Performance Improvement, 52(2), 5-15. doi:10.1002/pfi.21324 Schiemann, W. A. (2007). Aligning people. Leadership Excellence, 24(8), 20. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/204619577?accountid=458 University of Berkley. (2014). Berkley HR. Retrieved from http://hrweb.berkeley.edu/about/philosophy/performance-management Yale.edu. (2010, July). Yale University’s Performance Management System. Retrieved from http://www.yale.edu/hronline/focus/documents/2010JulyYALEPERFMGMNTGUIDERev6-7-10final.pdf

Participation is the essence of democracy Discuss Essay

Discuss For many years and even centuries one of the main discussions that have been very dominant is the ‘right to vote.’ The right to vote is a phrase that has been in headlines for many centuries to give countries more of a democracy. The United States, Women across the world and many minorities had to fight and millions died in the process to fight for their right to vote. However, is voting the essence of democracy or is voting an overrated task? Is participation of the people needed to make a democracy? Democracy means the right to vote, it doesn’t mean that you have to vote, if no one votes then it’s a democracy because it shows that no one are interest on how the country is ran so the previous government that was voted by the people, will carry on making the decision. In the United Kingdom, if you are over the age of 18 and you do not have a criminal record, you are allowed to vote. If you are ill and you want someone else to vote on your behalf, that vote will be rejected. The term democracy does not have a specific definition but there are elements that create a democracy. A simple way to phrase democracy is a rule of the people or power to the people. â€Å"Government of the people, by the people, for the people† this is a famous quote that former President of the United States Abraham Lincoln defined democracy. There are four main types of democracies: Direct, Liberal, Representative and Pluralist. Direct Democracy is when policies are directly decided on by the vote of the people. The term direct democracy originated in Athens of the 40,000 free slaves in the 5th Century. The women and current slaves were excluded. Switzerland has adopted Participatory democracy which is a type of direct democracy. The citizens have more participation in referendums and are able to be more involved in politics. However, there are certain referendums and policies that are quite complex and many people will just vote without research or consideration on how it might affect them. Also, it is not a representative of the whole country if only a few people vote just because they understand the policy and the other high percentage don’t. This will discourage people to go and put in their vote. Representative Democracy- for this type of democracy to take place, people who are eligible to vote will vote for someone who is running to become a member of parliament (E.g. Member of Parliament) to represent their views in government. The United Kingdom is an example of a representative democracy because we have to vote on who we want to represent us in Parliament. Liberal Democracy incorporates free, fair and competitive elections with the importance of specific key rights and key responsibilities. In liberal democracies they extend the right to vote amongst citizens. This also means that the freedom of free speech is granted. Many Liberal democracies are incorporated with other democracies such as the UK is seen to be as a liberal democracy and a representative democracy. Pluralist Democracy promotes participation that allows free and fair competition in interest. In pluralist democracies there will be a very high range of competing interest such as economy and environment. Political participation is a process where citizens of a country get involved in political activities. Milbrath and Goel(1977) discovered that there are three types of political participants; the gladiators who are the small percentage of keen participants, the spectators who vote and may be interested in specific issues but may limit their participation and the ampathetic are those who do not particularly care and do not participate at all. They also claimed that most people voted sporadically. There are many types of participations such as; becoming a member of a political party, protests, petitions, boycotting, being an MP, debates and joining a pressure groups. Edmund Burke a famous Irish political philosopher argued that participation is the key. He used a metaphor saying said â€Å"The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.† the government represent evils and the good men represent the citizens who are allowed to vote. To interpret what Burke was saying, is that if citizens leave their trust into the governments’ hand, then evil will prevail. What he is trying to promote is a fairer world but with the input of the people. Burke’s main influences in life were religion as both of his parents were strong believers. Burke wanted to widen out the political participation as he wanted to defend the independence of the House of Commons as he opposed the King George III attempts to regain some of the prerogatives that the monarchy had lost in the Glorious Revolution of 1689. (UK Political, General Election Turnout 1945-2010) As you can see from this graph, the turnout has dropped down significantly. The main reason is disenchantment. Many voters lose faith and trust in those who are in government. As you can analyse in 1950 it was the highest turnout. The Second World War finished 5 years before and the people wanted to be in a society where they were confortable and safe. Though there has been a few upwards growth for example in 1979 when the first female was running to be Prime Minister and Margarat Thatcher won the peoples vote. The biggest dip was between 1997 and 2007. The Electoral Voter Commission stated that the reason why the turnout was a lot of 18-24 year olds did not vote. However, when Tony Blair was in power, he was seen as ‘one of the best Prime Minister’ in history. Though people questioned the credibility of this election due to the amount votes and it was said that it didn’t represent the whole population, it was still a democracy because a democracy is the right to vote. You do not need to vote because it is your choice. We can see that from 2001 to 2010 there has been an upward trend in the amount of votes. The main reason for this is because of the Iraq war and a large amount of the population had an opinion on it. Also in 2010 it was the middle of the world recession, people were getting into financial troubles and wanted a change of government to help them through the recession, and this is why the Conservatives got in. The Conservatives were telling the public what they wanted to hear and by the participants of them, they were able to be in office. Participation was definitely important for democracy to take place. In Zimbabwe, the right to vote is important but the right to vote is not an option. In Zimbabwe, many people are killed and many fight for survival. Mugabe has been in power for 32 years as President and Prime Minister. For many years, Zimbabweans are risking their lives to get a better life in South Africa because many people died due to the ruling of Mugabe. Democracy is definitely not practised in the country and the citizens do not vote for what they believe in and participation is not a virtue. Psephology has said voters vote to achieve their goals, however, it is not a choice in Zimbabwe. Britain is a great example of a democracy. If Britain was not a democracy then it may become a dictatorship and lead by the monarchy. Protests, freedom of speech and petitions are the essence of democracy. If no one voted, if only one voted or if no one had an interest then it would still be against the law to be a homophobic, if no one gave an interest then the government wouldn’t fight to bring soldiers back home because it what the people what. 40:30:30 Society. This is a term that Hutton described our society.it means that 40% are in secure work, 30% are in insecure work and 30% are in economic crisis and socially marginalised, jobless or working on poverty wages. If 60% are economically insecure and they are not getting better, there is no point to vote because getting out of the red and into the black is the highest priority on the peoples mind. If there is no change then, it can be seen as a wait vote. Party participation is the absolute importance for a democracy to be in affect because many people have voted for changes that if they didn’t do, could have affected their life and even their family’s life in a bad way. There are many theories that has been studied over the past 60 years to suggest why people vote; party identification (the process of picking the party due to socialisation), sociologist theory (Pulzer’s report in 1967 shows that one votes due to social class and peoples characteristics. The middle class votes Conservatives and working class votes Labour), another is the rational choice theory (Himmelweit at al 1981 said that citizens vote due to the performance of the previous administration and how it’ll effect their or their families goals, the last and final theory is the Dominant Ideology Theory (Dunleavy and Husbands 1985 argues that people vote due to the mass media and the misrepresentation). These theories suggest that we as the people have created competition, security and democracy. The UK leads by example because if people do not participate as citizens of a country, the citizens would be more of a dictatorship. John Prescott wanted devolution for the South East; however they voted against it by a milestone. This is the essence for democracy. In my opinion I believe that if someone doesn’t want to vote or participate because of the lack of trust or because of financial issues then they shouldn’t, why should someone vote for a party or become a member of a party if they are not fulfilling their promises? However, I do believe that if a high proportion of the population do not vote then democracy will not take place because it is not a representative of the whole country.

Importance of Strategic Planing and Management Paper

Importance of Strategic Planning and Management in the Business Paper Artim Toska Bus 475 March 29, 2010 Introduction This paper will describe a small business I may want to start, define strategic management and planning, and explain why a strategic plan would be important to the success of this business. Also, it will explain the four functions of management relative to creating and implementing a strategic plan. Strategic management & Planning In a competitive business world, it is important to have your business prosper for it to overcome the challenges it may encounter. The direction (and future) of a small business has extreme challenges in an economy that lags, but can be overcome with the right strategic mananagent ideas and planning. A small business that I would like to start would be a financial business that would provide short-term capital to small working and expanding companies. I believe this business would provide profits in an economy that has been ailing small businesses. Small businesses would welcome my services since they can not (or find it difficult) to finance their business when banks are not giving them the capital they need to remodel or have their business survive. Strategic management is planning your business at the highest possible level. This would be the duty of the company’s leader (or leaders) to focus on building a solid structure to that business (All business, 2010). This â€Å"structure† will be â€Å"hinged† on the effort of each employee that is hired. Also, strategic management helps answer what are the objectives of the business, the best procedure in achieving these objectives, and what are the resources that are needed to make that happen (All business, 2010). Strategic planning determines the direction that an organization will be eaded over the next year or more, and how it will arrive there (McNamara, 2010). Usually, the process is throughout the organization and focuses on a major function as division, department, or other important functions. A strategic plan includes several levels (or steps) in the process (the order of these levels can be orientated towards the satisfactory of the organization for s uccess). One can view strategic planning as strategic analysis. This would include a review of the organizations environment (economical, social, technical†¦ ). Also, establishing a strategic direction is a major activity in strategic planning. Organizers would conclude what the company needs to do with the issues and opportunities that are facing the organization (McNamara, 2010). This would include what â€Å"strategic goals† the company needs to achieve, and â€Å"methods† to achieve accomplishments. Also, action planning can be looked as strategic planning. Action planning helps view how strategic goals will be attained, and includes specifying objective results with each strategic goal (McNamara, 2010). Strategic Plan & Success A strategic plan would be important to the success of my business because it would form the company’s strategy and communicate it through the organization for implementation. This implementation would help provide the company’s mission and reason for being (this would be expressed though a mission statement). This would help the company’s image with customers. Also, it would help shape the company brand and how to distribute that successfully to consumers. Also, a strategic plan would help the company adapt an â€Å"earnings growth† that will be monitored for sustainability in growth (it would help to establish what businesses to target). Also, the plan would help in the success of the business by establishing a marketing scheme. This would help explain to potential customers how the business would provide financial aid to their business that is in need of our service, with their economical and social environment (it would entail us as a â€Å"life line† for a business that is struggling and in need of help). Four Functions of Management The four functions of management are important in creating and implementing a successful strategic plan. The four functions of management are planning, organizing, leading, and controlling (Rothbauer-Wanish, 2009). Planning helps create in a strategic plan what are the organizations goals, and how those goals can be achieved (developing objectives for the goal and monitoring on the execution of the plan are essential in the planning). Also, organizing helps implement a successful strategic plan by helping me know the amount of employees needed to provide the success of the business (Rothbauer-Wanish, 2009). Leading helps implement a strategic plan by my motivation to employees that will help in their performance. Also, controlling helps implement a successful strategic plan by monitoring company’s goals the organization want to achieve. Conclusion This paper defined strategic management and planning, explained why a strategic plan would be important to the success of this business, and explained the four functions of management relative to creating and implementing a strategic plan. Resources All Business, (2010). What is Strategic Management? Retrieved March 29, 2010, from http://www. allbusiness. com/management/2975129-1. html McNamara, C. (2010). Basic Descriptions of Strategic Planning. Retrieved March 29, 2010, from http://managementhelp. org/plan_dec/str_plan/basics. htm Rothbauer-Wanish, H. (2009). Four Functions of Management. Retrieved March 29, 2010, from http://businessmanagement. suite101. com/article. cfm/four_functions_of_management

Implications of Affirmative Actions on Business

Implications of Affirmative Action on Business ` Affirmative actionprograms, as we know them, are less than 50 years old, and are usually viewedas a series ofpositive steps taken to ensure the representation of minority groups in fields that have traditionallyexcluded them. It protects both racial and ethnic minorities, as well as women, in the areas of education, business, and government. Affirmative action, whichhas its roots in the Constitutional ideal of equal opportunity, is the government’s way of both eliminating inequality and making amends for past discrimination. Sometimes viewed as â€Å"reverse discrimination† for blatantly favoring one group over another, affirmative action programs often differ in the extent to which they attempt to rectify discrimination by either instituting reviews of the hiring process for minority groups or explicitly preferring members of select groups. In many ways, affirmative action has helped women and minority groups obtain and keep positions in either work or school that they would otherwise have been unable to attain. However, since the beginning of affirmative action in the 1960s, these policies have had many implications for businesses—both positive and negative—and have instituted many changes. ` ` President John F. Kennedy signed Executive Order 10925 in March of 1961. The order was originally designed with governmentcontractors in mind, and stated thatsaid contractors would â€Å"take affirmative action to ensure that applicants are employed, and employees are treated during their employment, without regard to their race, creed, color, or national origin. Executive Order 10925 did not advocate special treatment of minority groups, as would later come to pass, but was initially intended to eliminate discrimination from hiring and employment practices. In Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964,the government’s position on the policy of affirmative action was solidified, and a new branch of the U. S. Department of Labor was created: the Equal Employment Opportunity Commi ssion (EEOC). The purpose of the EEOC was to serve as a mediator between plaintiffs and private employers who disregarded the tenets ofaffirmative action, and to ensure restitution to the affected. These changes to hiring and employment practices caused many to voice concerns: Should minority groups receive preferential treatment in fields they were previously excluded from? Does this constitute a violation of the principle of equal opportunity in the form of â€Å"reverse discrimination†? ` ` In 1965, President Lyndon B. Johnson issued Executive Order 11246 which required government contractors to actually document their efforts to ensure equality in hiring practices, and gave the Secretary of Labor the right to investigate and rectify anyaccusations of discrimination. The government could punish violations of the order by canceling contracts, barring companies from future contracts, and other measures† (Kowalski, 27). In 1967, Johnson’sorder was furtherexpanded by Executive Order 11375 to include women as well as minorities and, in 1968, under the administration of President Nixon, specific goals or â€Å"quotas† for the hiring of women and minoriti es wasinstituted. By 1972, the â€Å"four-fifths rule† was in effect, which â€Å"held that firms contracting with the federal government should not be allowed to hire any race, sex, or ethnic group at a rate below four-fifths that of any other group† (eNotes). The EEOC was also strengthened in 1972 by the Equal Employment Opportunity Act. Now, the Commission was able to file class action law suits against corporations in violation of affirmative action policies. The Carter administration, in 1977, initiated the Public Works Employment Act, requiringat least ten percent of federal money given to certain projectsto be allocated toboth minority and women business enterprises. ` ` During the 1980s, affirmative action felt little government support under Presidents Ronald Reagan and George Bush. Both resisted expansion in government contracting, and court decisions began to negate some affirmative action programs. Universities and businesses were struggling to conform to theguidelines of affirmative action while still maintaining certain standardsof operation. Eventually, many of these programs were either scaled-back or set-aside altogether. In the 1990s, Clinton vowed to â€Å"mend, not end† affirmative action programs. He began to reevaluate the programs of several federal agencies, which some believe had positive results. ` There are many arguments for affirmative action in hiring and employment practices. Historically, almost 90% of all jobs are filled internally, with positions going to relatives and friends of those already employed. Employers often fill these positions with people who are under-qualified, and had the position been advertised properly, the hiring managers may have found a better candidate for the job. Affirmative action has â€Å"encouraged ma ny companies to engage in employment practices that set minimum standards of job definition, recruiting, outreach, and evaluation hat result in choosingthe right person for the job† (Diverse Strategies). These practices also promote diversity. When properly managed, diversity can â€Å"increase creativity and innovation in organizations as well as improve decision making by providing different perspectives on problems† (Judge, 20). Greater diversity in certain fields, such as medicine and law, will increase the aid given to underrepresented groups. ` ` The main focus of affirmative action, however, is to level the playing field and counter both ongoing discrimination as well as bigoted attitudes. Even in this day and age, minorities and women continue to lag behind white Anglo-Saxon protestant men in the business world. Male employees may be promoted over women, because some companies still put women on a â€Å"mommy track† without their consent, and many people publicly lie about how they feel with regards to race. Studies have shown that many people â€Å"found it easier to link women’s names with home-related words than with career-related words† (Kowalski, 45), and test subjects â€Å"are often quicker at linking black faces with negative words than with positive words† (Kowalski, 45). ` With all of these arguments for affirmative action, there are still critics that believe these policies not only perpetuate continued racial tension, but alsolead members of these groups to believe they cannot succeed on their own. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas is quoted saying â€Å"It never ceases to amaze me that the courts are so willing to assume that anything that is predominantly black must be inferior. † Affirmative action is also seen to stigmatize people. Others may assume that someone obtained their position because of affirmative action, and this breeds resentment and anger. People relate to each other as either inside or outside the groups benefiting from affirmative action, and it becomes a â€Å"them versus us† mentality. Managers,who have never done anything wrong, may feel painted with a bigot or chauvinist brush. ` ` Opponents of affirmative action also believe itviolates the idea of a merit system. Choices in hiring, raises, and promotions should benefit the people who worked hard and deserve them. Any hiring decision istheresult of an interview, given bymanagers who already have ideas about the qualities an employee should have, and as such, should be based on the skills and education the candidate brings to the table. Managers feel constrained by words such as â€Å"quota† and â€Å"preferential treatment† when it comes to hiring decisions, and developa negative outlook on the idea of affirmative action. ` ` Not only do managers find it interferes with hiring decisions, many businessesalso feel that affirmative action is a burdensome procedure. Scores of businesses protested â€Å"they were wasting too much time on paperwork and spending too much money defending themselves against discrimination charges† (Anderson, 167). During the Reagan years, research into the cost of affirmative action policies for businessesestimated that â€Å"a contract compliance review cost a contractor over $20,000, and that such appraisals were costing the Fortune 500companies $1 billion annually† (Anderson, 167;that estimate has only grown. ` Another issue is that some employees, or potential employees, now use affirmative action as a form of revenge if they feel they have been slighted in some way, such as by not being hired or notreceivinga promotion. It is very difficult to prove that someone was discriminated against based on their race or gender, but the case can still take many court hours and much money. Because of this, many businesses are more likely to settle out of court, rather than tie up thousands of dollars in court fees. This ends with the company taking a financial hit and the angry employee with a settlement. ` ` Since the introduction of affirmative action in the 1960s, affirmative action has had many implications for businesses. Businesses now have to fill certain quotas based on how many people they have working for them, they are subject to reviews of their policies and procedures,and businesses owned by minorities and females are given special privileges and loans that are not offered to others. Businesses arealso responsible for the financial burdens placedon them as a result of affirmative action. Many employees feelthat affirmative action is â€Å"reverse discrimination†,because hiring managers are openly favoring one group over another based on their race or gender,and many believe affirmative actioncontinues to perpetuate racial tension. ` ` With all of these issues, it’s no wonder that some peoplehave negative feelings and attitudes toward affirmative action. They feel that jobs should be given to the people that most deserve them, and that raises and promotions shouldbeawarded basedon the merit system. It is impossible for businesses to operate fairly to all within the guidelines of affirmative action since, by definition,it requires businesses to base their hiring standards on what the government requires rather than ontheir business needs. Hiringthe best possible candidate for a job, no matter what race or gender, should be the main goal when making hiring decisions, and not what minority group may be underrepresented in your company. As long as affirmative action is law, businesses will have to finda way to meet its requirements or face harsh fines and lawsuits, and while there are many compelling arguments against affirmative action, its policies will not be changed any time soon. ` Works Cited â€Å"Encyclopedia of Small Business/ Affirmative Action†. eNotes. com. April 8, 2009 http://www. enotes. com/small-business-encyclopedia/affirmative-action. com. Anderson, Terry H. . The Pursuit of Fairness: A History of Affirmative Action. New York, NY: Oxford University Press, Inc. , 2004. Coulter, Ann. How to Talk to a Liberal (If You Must). New York, NY: Crown Forum, 2004. Grapes, Bryan J. . Affirmative Action. San Diego, CA: Greenhaven Press, Inc. , 2000. Judge Timothy A. , and Robbins, Stephen P.. Organizational Behavior. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education, Inc. , 2009. Kowalski, Kathiann M. . Open for Debate: Affirmative Action. Tarrytown, NY: Marshall Cavendish Benchmark, 2007. Skrentny, John D.. The Minority Rights Revolution. Cambridge, MA: The Belknap Press of Harvard University Press, 2002. Tong, Clifford M.. â€Å"Diverse Strategies†. Diverse Strategies Incorporated. April 8, 2009 http://www. diversestrategies. com/Affirmative_action. htm.