The Utilitarian Theory Of Punishment - 1494 Words

In this paper I will defend both the proponents and principles of the utilitarian theory of punishment, namely addressing the utilitarian approach juxtaposed with the retributive. Before beginning to make claims in any direction, a brief and to-date synopsis of the utilitarian fundamentals regarding punishment will be necessary. From there, I will present the utilitarian theories of punishment as not only the most useful for a society, but also the best representation of criminal law being carried out justly. Following this assertion I will refute objections made by retributivists, and in doing so present a discovered common ground between the retributory criteria for just punishment and the utilitarian theories. This will not serve to say I believe in impure retributivism over the utilitarian theories, but rather will act as testament to the practicality of the utilitarian approach. Finally, I will propose the most ethical response to criminality is found from the utilitarian fundam entals of societal well-being, mentioning specifically the vindictive theories of punishment as meeting the utilitarian criteria. To the utilitarian, punishment is not an end in itself for the actions of a wrongdoer. Utilitarians and I believe punishment should serve as a larger means to an end that will benefit the future while righting the criminal actions of the past by employing deterrence, rehabilitation, and the disablement of the unjust human in the perpetual attempt to increase overallShow MoreRelatedThe Retributive And Utilitarian Theory Of Punishment1478 Words   |  6 Pages Punishment is any kind of negative penalty inflicted on the wrong doer to prevent him from doing wrong in the future. Though there is no specific definition for punishment, it implies all those acts that are required to teach the wrong doer a lesson. Taking a negative step towards the offender. Since the evolution of time, there have been many sociologists who have given their theories on punishment and how the offender should be punished. The theories vary in terms of approach takenRead MoreUtilitarian Theory of Punishment in the Criminal Justice System763 Words   |  4 PagesThere is an ongoing problem in our society regarding punishment and responsibility. We, as a society, tend to look away when it comes to how criminals are being punished and maybe we should be paying more attention. Violence seems to be an integral part of our society, some raise their children with violence, we watch it on television, read it in newspapers and books and now we are even playin g violent video games. When it comes to the judicial system the majority of citizens do not even know howRead MoreRetributivism Vs Utilitarian Theory1730 Words   |  7 Pagesimmorally. A common response to immoral behavior is punishments, which leads me to ask the question: how is punishment justified? In his article â€Å"The Classic Debate†, American legal philosopher Joel Feinberg lays out the main points of discourse between the two major theories of justified punishment, which I will deconstruct. Feinberg asserts that there are two main theories used to justify punishment: Retributivism and Utilitarianism. These two theories supposedly oppose each other such that they areRead MoreThe Utilitarian Reasoning Of An Unbiased Manner1167 Words   |  5 Pages(Cohen and Ahn, 2016). The utilitarian reasoning process is hypothesized to be logical and controlled. The individual weighs the features that go into determining objective utility in an unbiased manner. Such reasonin g will lead to the objective utilitarian conclusion (Cohen and Ahn, 2016). Since this reasoning process requires the manipulation of information and is under cognitive control, it uses working memory and it often takes time (Cohen and Ahn, 2016). Cohen and Ahn (2016) argue thatRead MoreCapital Punishment And The Death Penalty1714 Words   |  7 PagesCapital punishment, or the death penalty is the legally authorized death of an individual as punishment for a heinous crime, typically one that involves murder. The legality of it varies by state and it continues to be a contentious topic of discussion in the United States. Furthermore, in recent decades, public opinion has been shifting from a supportive stance to an unsupportive stance on the use of the death penalty. It is now perceived by most people to be an unethical, immoral, and expensiveRead MoreJustification And Justification Of The Penal System1171 Words   |  5 PagesPunishment in general can obviously be justified (in the traditional sense of the term) on utilitarian grounds. Nevertheless, usually its justification is not asked for. Because justification of punishment, in general is unnecessary. It is the justification of particular infliction of pain (or punishm ent) that can be enquired of. As a man can legitimately ask for justification of a particular law of a state. However, nobody enquires of the justification of legal system or of law in general. It isRead MoreReward and Punishment Essay1128 Words   |  5 Pagesour reward and punishment systems. Let’s take a look at how each of these is used in America. First we have reward. â€Å"Reward is one method of distributing on a fair and just basis the good we are concerned with† (Thiroux, and Krasemann 122). Reward is very desirable in many people eyes. We have the need to be rewarded for our efforts, whether it is at work or at home. There are two major theories that deal with how reward should be distributed which are retributivist and utilitarian. RetributivistRead MoreThe Ethics Of Care : An Argument Against Mill s Utilitarianism922 Words   |  4 PagesIn Support of Held’s Ethics of Care: An Argument Against Mill’s Utilitarianism in Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky This ethics study will define the problem of utilitarianism in the â€Å"ethics of care proposed by Virginia Held (2006) within the literary context of Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky. Held (2006) defines the problem of utilitarian ethics as an abstraction of emotions in moral issues, which alienates the individual in the care process. This method denies the premiseRead MoreConsequentialism, By John Stuart Mill Essay971 Words   |  4 PagesConsequentialism is a broad ethical theory that describes one s actions to be good or bad depending solely upon the consequences of those actions. The distinguishing element of this theory from others is that the action itself has no value without analyzing the expected consequences, as explained by William H. Shaw in â€Å"Consequentialism†, â€Å"...when it comes to rightness or wrongness, nothing matters but the results of our actions† (Shaw 28). Then the question is, what exactly does it mean for a consequenceRead M oreThe Function of Punishment Essay1447 Words   |  6 PagesThe Function of Punishment Justice must not only be done but seen to be done. Most would agree with this statement - the wicked must surely be punished (or should they? - do two wrongs make a right?) but why is it so important that the punishment must be seen to be done? To the utilitarian the answer is simple - punishment must be witnessed in order to deter others from committing the same act. Thus, to a utilitarian the perception of punishment is seen as the main

The History of Bogota, Colombia

Santa Fe de Bogotà ¡ is the capital of Colombia. The city was founded by the Muisca people long before the arrival of the Spanish, who established their own city there. An important city during the colonial era, it was the seat of the Viceroy of New Granada. After independence, Bogota was the capital of first the Republic of New Granada and then Colombia. The city has occupied a central place in Colombias long and turbulent history. The Pre-Colombian Era Before the arrival of the Spanish into the region, the Muisca people lived on the plateau where modern-day Bogotà ¡ is located. The Muisca capital was a prosperous town called Muequetà ¡. From there, the King, referred to as the zipa, ruled the Muisca civilization in an uneasy alliance with the zaque, ruler of a nearby city on the site of present-day Tunja. The zaque was nominally subordinate to the zipa, but in fact the two rulers often clashed. At the time of the arrival of the Spanish in 1537 in the form of the Gonzalo Jimà ©nez de Quesada expedition, the zipa of Muequetà ¡ was named Bogotà ¡ and the zaque was Tunja: both men would give their names to the cities the Spanish founded on the ruins of their homes. The Conquest of the Muisca Quesada, who had been exploring overland from Santa Marta since 1536, arrived in January of 1537 at the head of 166 conquistadors. The invaders were able to take the zaque Tunja by surprise and easily made off with the treasures of that half of the kingdom of the Muisca. Zipa Bogotà ¡ proved more troublesome. The Muisca chief fought the Spanish for months, never accepting any of Quesadas offers to surrender. When Bogotà ¡ was killed in battle by a Spanish crossbow, the conquest of the Muisca was not long in coming. Quesada founded the city of Santa Fà © on the ruins of Muequetà ¡ on August 6, 1538. Bogotà ¡ in the Colonial Era For a number of reasons, Bogotà ¡ quickly became an important city in the region, which the Spanish referred to as New Granada. There was already some infrastructure in the city and plateau, the climate agreed with the Spanish and there were plenty of natives who could be forced to do all the work. On April 7, 1550, the city became a Real Audiencia, or Royal Audience: this means that it became an official outpost of the Spanish Empire and citizens could resolve legal disputes there. In 1553 the city became home to its first Archbishop. In 1717, New Granada - and Bogotà ¡ in particular - had grown enough that it was named a Viceroyalty, putting it on a par with Peru and Mexico. This was a big deal, as the Viceroy acted with all of the authority of the King himself and could make very important decisions alone without consulting Spain. Independence and the Patria Boba On July 20, 1810, patriots in Bogotà ¡ declared their independence by taking to the streets and demanding the Viceroy step down. This date is still celebrated as Colombias Independence Day. For the next five years or so, Creole patriots fought mainly among themselves, giving the era its nickname Patria Boba, or Foolish Homeland. Bogotà ¡ was retaken by the Spanish and a new Viceroy was installed, who initiated a reign of terror, tracking down and executing suspected patriots. Among them was Policarpa Salavarrieta, a young woman who passed information to the patriots. She was captured and executed in Bogotà ¡ in November 1817. Bogotà ¡ remained in Spanish hands until 1819, when Simà ³n Bolà ­var and Francisco de Paula Santander liberated the city following the decisive Battle of Boyacà ¡. Bolivar and Gran Colombia Following liberation in 1819, creoles set up a government for the Republic of Colombia. It would later be known as Gran Colombia to distinguish it politically from present-day Colombia. The capital moved from Angostura to Cà ºcuta and, in 1821, to Bogotà ¡. The nation included present-day Colombia, Venezuela, Panama and Ecuador. The nation was unwieldy, however: geographical obstacles made communication extremely difficult and by 1825 the republic began to fall apart. In 1828, Bolà ­var narrowly escaped an assassination attempt in Bogotà ¡: Santander himself was implicated. Venezuela and Ecuador separated from Colombia. In 1830, Antonio Josà © de Sucre and Simà ³n Bolà ­var, the only two men who might have saved the republic, both died, essentially putting an end to Gran Colombia. Republic of New Granada Bogotà ¡ became the capital of the Republic of New Granada, and Santander became its first president. The young republic was plagued by a number of serious problems. Due to the wars of independence and failure of Gran Colombia, the Republic of New Granada began its life deep in debt. Unemployment was high and a major bank crash in 1841 only made things worse. Civil strife was common: in 1833 the government was nearly toppled by a rebellion led by General Josà © Sardà ¡. In 1840 an all-out civil war broke out when General Josà © Marà ­a Obando tried to take over the government. Not all was bad: the people of Bogotà ¡ began printing books and newspapers with materials produced locally, the first  Daguerreotypes  in Bogotà ¡ were taken and a law unifying the currency used in the nation helped end confusion and uncertainty. The Thousand Days War Colombia was torn apart by a Civil War referred to as the  Thousand Days War  from 1899 to 1902. The war pitted liberals, who felt they had unfairly lost an election, against conservatives. During the war, Bogotà ¡ was firmly in the hands of the conservative government and although the fighting got close, Bogotà ¡ itself did not see any strife. Still, the people suffered as the country was in tatters after the war. The Bogotazo and La Violencia On April 9, 1948, presidential candidate Jorge Elià ©cer Gaità ¡n was gunned down outside of his office in Bogotà ¡. The people of Bogotà ¡, many of whom had seen him as a savior, went berserk, kicking off one of the worst riots in history. The  Bogotazo,  as it is known, lasted into the night, and government buildings, schools,  churches, and businesses were destroyed. Some 3,000 people were killed. Informal markets sprung up outside of town where people bought and sold stolen items. When the dust had finally settled, the city was in ruins. The Bogotazo is also the informal beginning of the period known as La Violencia, a ten-year reign of terror which saw paramilitary organizations sponsored by political parties and ideologies take to the streets at night, murdering and torturing their rivals. Bogotà ¡ and the Drug Lords During the 1970s and 1980s, Colombia was plagued by the twin evils of drug trafficking and revolutionaries. In Medellà ­n, legendary drug lord  Pablo Escobar  was by far the most powerful man in the country, running a billion-dollar industry. He had rivals in the Cali Cartel, however, and Bogotà ¡ was often the battleground as these cartels fought the government, the press and one another. In Bogotà ¡, journalists, policemen, politicians, judges, and ordinary citizens were murdered on a nearly daily basis. Among the dead in Bogotà ¡: Rodrigo Lara Bonilla, Minister of Justice  (April  1984), Hernando Baquero Borda, Supreme Court Judge  (August  1986) and Guillermo Cano, journalist  (December  1986). The M-19 Attacks The 19th of April Movement, known as the M-19, was a Colombian socialist revolutionary movement determined to overthrow the Colombian government. They were responsible for two infamous attacks in Bogotà ¡ in the 1980s. On February 27, 1980, the M-19 stormed the Embassy of the Dominican Republic, where a cocktail party was being held. Among those in attendance was the Ambassador of the United States. They held the  diplomats  hostage for 61 days before the standoff was settled. On November 6, 1985, 35 rebels of the M-19 assaulted the Palace of Justice, taking 300 hostages including judges, lawyers and others who worked there. The government decided to storm the palace: in a bloody shootout, more than 100 people were killed, including 11 of 21 Supreme Court Justices. The M-19 eventually disarmed and became a political party. Bogotà ¡ Today Today, Bogotà ¡ is a large, bustling, thriving city. Although it still suffers from many ills such as crime, it is much safer than in recent history: traffic is probably a worse daily problem for many of the citys seven million inhabitants. The city is a great place to visit, as it has a little of everything: shopping, fine dining, adventure sports and more. History buffs will want to check out  the July 20 Independence Museum  and  Colombias National Museum. Sources Bushnell, David.  The Making of Modern Colombia: A Nation in Spite of Itself.  University of California Press, 1993.Lynch, John.  Simon Bolivar: A Life. New Haven and London: Yale University Press, 2006.Santos Molano, Enrique.  Colombia dà ­a a dà ­a: una cronologà ­a de 15,000 aà ±os.  Bogota: Planeta, 2009.Silverberg, Robert.  The Golden Dream: Seekers of El Dorado. Athens: the Ohio University Press, 1985.

Why Is Modern Art Important - 918 Words

When you look at an artist artwork are your first thoughts the type of art painting is? Do you look at the artwork and automatically know the style and the time period the art comes from? Or are you the type of person that likes to read the information box underneath or alongside the artwork? If you were to ask me any of these questions this time last year, I probably wouldn’t really know and would tell you that I was the type of person that has to look at the information box. With me I always thought I wasn’t really into art, but I soon learned without certain artwork or artist a lot of things such as technology or films that we have now wouldn’t be accessible for us today. What made me realized this was taking both Intro to Humanities and Humanities 20th Century which allowed me to look at art in a different light. Not only has it done that, but taking those two courses has allowed me to understand why modern art was and will always be very important to us, the types of Modern Art that have been discovered, who and/or what works define Modern Art and lastly how Modern Art have been seen as an expression of its age. The form of modern art that stood out to me was Abstract Expressionism. Modern Art is so important because it has allowed us to have all of the modern technology, films, building, etc. that we admire so much. There are many different types of art style that could represent â€Å"modern art† a few examples would be Pop Art, Minimalism, International Styles etc. LikeShow MoreRelatedConceptual Art Essay690 Words   |  3 Pagesthe Post Modern – SAHT1102 Essay Question 2: - Using Examples, discuss why and how Conceptual artists set out to destroy or undermine the value of physical pleasure in art’s making and reception. Conceptual Art maybe defined as a concept or art movement that came about the 1960’s as a reaction towards formalism. Where in art theory, formalism is a concept where an artwork or piece’s entire artistic value is based purely on its form and visual aspects. For example, American essayist/art critic,Read MoreBuilding A Room Decorating Ideas1080 Words   |  5 PagesModern Room Decorating Ideas : How to Choose Wall Artwork Great art can elevate a space, bring together an interior house design and add interest to a room. Art work in your home can also communicate your style to your guests and speak to your personal experience. However, choosing art pieces for your home can be daunting when you have no experience in room design. Luckily, we have compiled a list of room decorating ideas that will help you choose the right artwork for your home and its many spacesRead MoreWhere do the Modern-Day Liberal Arts Originate?842 Words   |  3 Pagesis often asked: where do the modern day â€Å"liberal arts† come from? The liberal arts system originates in the philosophy of ancient Greece, and was born in from certain questions queried by the unique philosophy evolved in Grecian culture. Questions of the human soul were raised: What is the good life? Is ethical truth relative to the culture from which it comes? Do people have free will? What is it for one event to cause another? Why are liberty and democ racy important? What constitutes life? WhatRead More Pop art was a direct response to the commercial and consumer society756 Words   |  4 PagesPop art was a direct response to the commercial and consumer society of modern time†. Explain why this might be true. Pop art was an art formed by artist expressing their views. â€Å"Pop art was a direct response to the commercial and consumer society of modern time†. Explain why this might be true. Pop art was an art formed by artist expressing their views on modern day society. Pop art originally emerged from England in the fifties; although it was not exploited in England, in fact duringRead MoreA Bar At Folies Bergere951 Words   |  4 Pagespeople each night, regardless of class. A bar at the Folies Bergà ¨re became the topic of Edouard Manet’s last painting, as Manet tried to portray the new, â€Å"modern† Paris, and the introduction of mass production during this time. A Marxist art historian, T.J. Clark finds this particular painting important because it revealed a lot about the new, modern Paris, and Manet’s intentions with the painting. Clark focuses more on the emergence of the new social class during this time, and how this affected theRead MoreRobert Rauschenberg And John Cage1388 Words   |  6 Pagesthey gradually replace the important role of human in the process of making and change the ways people live, started the fast pace, high speed of modern lifestyle. Modern art approached with a number of painter, sculptures, poets who individually or collectively to redefine throu gh around this century. The new art forms are creative world’s response to the perspective of the new lives and ideas provided by the industrialized and technological advances that results modern society to evolve itself inRead MorePablo Picasso s Influence On Art1070 Words   |  5 Pagesof art, and art movements Pablo Picasso is probably the most important figure of 20th century. That means Pablo Picasso conquered western art is by storm. Who became very famous before the age of 50.Born in Spain, he becomes the most well-known name in modern art, with his unique style and view for artistic creation. His art made a big impact on the art world and that had been no other artists, prior to Picasso. He had lots of following of fans and critics who like his creation. Even his art careerRead MoreThe Ultimate Aryan Race from the Nazis883 Words   |  4 PagesDuring World War two the National Socialists went to great lengths to establish what they believed to be acceptable cultura l values of the German-ultimitaly Aryan race. Any modern artist was judged at the hand of the Third Reich and if they did not obide German policy, they were classified as degenerate and were banned from the ever-expanding Aryan Race. The lengths to which the national socialists went to, to degrade these artists, was unimaginable. They labeled proclaimed artworks as degenerateRead MoreEdgar Allan. Poe and H. L. Mencken’s Uses of Humor in Negative Reviews1120 Words   |  5 Pagesof people who would indulge themselves with them. However, Noà «l Carrol does not speak about the use of humor in arts criticism, for good or for bad. If we are to use Carrol’s definition of arts criticism, then we can’t judge the effectiveness of Poe and Mencken’s use of humor in criticism, or whether it belongs at all. The question, then, is if humor has a place in the world of arts criticism, and how effective it is at conveying the critic’s judgment and evaluation of the work. As Poe and MenckenRead MoreInfluence Of The Renaissance On Modern Europe1174 Words   |  5 Pagesthe Renaissance proved to be the most important event in shaping a modern Europe, with developments in education, class structure/order and social change issues, religion, building construction/use, Medici banking system, art and architecture, humanism, printing and the printing press, and the scientific and medical changes of the Islamic Renaissance. The changes in the development of education during the Renaissance begins to influence the shape of modern Europe. The beginning changes in education

Teacher Motivation - 6898 Words

Research Proposal Presented to the Gaduate School of UEW For the award of Mphil Educational leadership Teacher Motivation and Student Achievement in Senior High School By: Gordon Gyasi Yeboah Jnr Teacher Motivation and Student Achievement Senior High School Students ProQuest Dissertations and Theses, 2011 Dissertation Author: Stephanie S Hayden Abstract: Motivation has been used to encourage teachers as well as students themselves to increase students academic performance. Although research on motivation is extensive, few researchers have examined teachers perceptions of teacher motivation and its impact on student achievement. The purpose of this phenomenological study was to identify how mathematics†¦show more content†¦................25 ii Teacher Motivation Impact on Student Achievement ................................................26 Performance Pay Primer for Teacher Motivation ......................................................34 Teacher Motivation and Work Environment ..............................................................37 Teacher Morale and Student Achievement ................................................................38 Teacher Effects and Impact on Student Achievement ...............................................44 Teacher Motivation and Student Achievement on Standardized Tests ......................47 Teacher Quality and Work Motivation .......................................................................51 Summary ........................................................................................................................55 Section 3: Methodology .....................................................................................................57 Introduction ....................................................................................................................55 Research Questions ........................................................................................................58 Rationale for Qualitative Tradition ................................................................................58 Rationale for Choosing a Phenomenological Study Method .........................................59 PopulationShow MoreRelatedThe Importance Of Motivation As A Teacher1512 Words   |  7 PagesImportance of Motivation As explained by Lou Holtz, â€Å"[i]t’s not the load that breaks you down, it’s the way you carry it.† His statement is true for the importance of motivation. As a teacher candidate, learning the concept of motivation is crucial for my well-being and for the future of my students. The way that students are taught and encouraged have a huge impact on their careers and their life. In this paper I will be exploring how I was motivated during my earlier years and how the motivation shiftedRead MoreMy Motivation For Being A Teacher Essay1992 Words   |  8 PagesMy motivation for being a teacher comes from somewhere deep within my heart and soul. I love children. I love the look that comes across their faces when they finally grasp a concept after they have been trying to truly understand it. I had a lot of teachers that made an impact on me and I want to have the same impact on as many children as possible. My teachers installed a love of learning in me. There is no better profession than teaching for those who want to learn. One is learning just as muchRead MoreTeachers Can Promote Motivation Among Students1361 Words   |  6 PagesParkhill, 2012 p. 4). Previous research has supported the claim that teachers can promote motivation among their students regarding reading in middle and upper primary grades, when teachers select literature that involves a climax that is likely to peak the student’s interests and read aloud as a whole class setting (p. 9). Although several teachers and parents alike are not particular fans of students reading magazines, yet many teachers find magazines to be motivating for some students to read and makeRead MoreTeacher Motivation and Its Effect on the Academic Achievement of Kindergarten Children6095 Words   |  25 PagesFall 2011 Gender differences on Intrinsic Motivation in Hong Kong Higher Education Hon Keung Yau Man Shan Kan City University of Hong Kong Alison Lai Fong Cheng Abstract The purpose of this paper is to investigate if there are different levels of intrinsic motivation towards study, curiosity and external regulation among males and females. This study focuses are attained by conducting a survey (137 students) among a local university in Hong Kong. Results show that among all students, no matter malesRead MoreTeacher Expectations And Student s Motivation1313 Words   |  6 Pagesvarious responses given by the teachers. 10 teachers were selected from two schools and participated in the interviews were taken place. When asked the teacher’s what the outcome of their expectations are on the student’s motivation, five of the teachers responded by saying that they think that high expectations are important, because they thought that it will increase and have a bigger impact on the students. Three of the teachers responded in saying that teachers should not have expectations thatRead MoreThe Effects of Teacher Expectations on Students Motivation and Perform ance2472 Words   |  10 Pagesliterature review is to examine how teacher expectations have effects on students’ motivation and performance and, if so, how teachers can become better aware of their effects on students and how to improve them. Whether a teacher has high expectations or low expectations for a student, those expectations will influence that student’s experience in school in many ways (Rubie-Davies, 2008). Teacher expectations include the biases and preconceived notions teachers hold on their students which are basedRead MoreCritically evaluate Gardner and Lambert’s theory of instrumental and integrative motivation as a key influencing factor in Second Language Acquisition980 Words   |  4 Pagesintegrative motivation as a key influencing factor in Second Language Acquisition During the process of studying second language, Gardner and Lambert’s theory about instrumental and integrative motivation has a significant impact on different learners. As Falk (2000; cited in Norris-Holt, 2001) states that if learners aim to develop relationship with foreign friends or comprehend lyrics in popular song, which means that these learners are vastly encouraged by integrative motivation for learningRead MoreMotivation Of An Ideal Learning Environment1092 Words   |  5 PagesMotivation in Learning Most critics of today’s educational system blame the teachers and the schools for the lack of student engagement. They rarely implicate the students to assign blame. Could it be that learners today lack intrinsic motivation, something quite catastrophic? Motivation is a reason one has a general desire to do something. An ideal learning environment would consist on having students learning for a price, learning with a passion. Motivation is when someone, a youth, wantsRead MoreSocial And Emotional Development Of The Gifted1473 Words   |  6 Pagesthe same age. It is not uncommon for gifted students to be perfectionists. For many teachers, they are the dream students because they thrive on projects that will include all details and be revised and double-checked or sometimes even triple checked. They usually include all elements of what is being asked. This however can be a distinct source of stress to the students and both the parents and teachers. The child will begin to second guess all choices and question their self-worth. ThisRead MoreMotivation Among Boys And Girls Reading Achievement Essay1618 Words   |  7 Pages Motivation Among Boys’ and Girls’ Reading Achievement Megan Kalina ED 611 Western Oregon University 12/04/2016 Abstract In addition to phonemic awareness, phonics, vocabulary, fluency, and comprehension, motivation can be considered the sixth component to becoming a proficient reader. A student’s motivation in reading is a predictor for long term reading success. This review examined gender differences in regards to reading motivation based on gender, age, teacher’s perspectives

Do Less Blacks Than Their Fell Essay Example For Students

Do Less Blacks Than Their Fell Essay Do less blacks than their fellow white Americans use the web? According to the Pew Study on Internet Usage , the answer is yes, but this study is also quick to point out that its not merely color, its a mixture of things. However, according to Leonce Gaiter , author of Is the Web too Cool for Blacks, the web mocksour fundamental beliefs, our core desires. (p 643) Gaiter flatly states that the majority of white Americans have an ignorance for black culture. He does not take the time to address the other legitimate reasons accounting for the black deficiency, but continues to rattle on about prejudice and racism, not even stopping to document proper sources. Have morals and values changed in America and left blacks behind? According to Gaiter, the web cant help us achieve our 50s and 60s ideals (p 643). Blacks still want the traditional American Dream. Well, what is the traditional American Dream? Perhaps, the dream is to have a nice car and house, and a good job. But in contrast to Gaiter, I believe that these are the same things we want today. Nothing has changed except for the fact that entrepreneurs have emerged with the growth of the Web. People are finding ways to make money from avenues they never dreamed of. The American Dream as we know it has not vanished or been left behind, it has simply been revised to include family time and personal goals. Although racism has decreased in society today, it still is a threat to getting people on the Web. Nowadays, blacks are not the only one being discriminated against-its all minorities. In studies conducted, of the online community, only 23% are non-white. Because of this, non-whites are uncomfortable with the fact that they may converse with those who under normal circumstances would show prejudice against them. President Clinton stated that his goal was to have a computer in every home by the end of his term. But how many people will want to access the web if it is considered white? Gaiter stated that the web is considered white and therefore people stay away to avoid trouble, even if they are offered the opportunity. The only problem that Leonce Gaiter did not fully address is economics. With the amount of people on government assistance growing everyday, economics poses as a big problem. Studies have shown that of the majority of those who do not use the web at least 35% were at an economic disadvantage. How can this problem of economics be solved? One of the key answers is going to be to lower the price of computers and to make Web access cheap and accessible, so that everyone will have the opportunity to advance technologically. If this problem is taken care of, more blacks and other minorities will take advantage of the web. Everyone deserves the change to see what the web has to offer. When people can get past their differences and see the potential this has to offer, life will explode with possibilities!

Finance Option Pricing Application

Question: Discuss about the Finance for Option Pricing Application. Answer: Real Options Real option gives the holder the right to buy or sell the underlying assets on or before the date of expiration of that specific option. The payoffs of the real options must be contingent. The real option has the significant economic value when there is competition restriction in the contingency event and the presence of exclusivity makes the real option most valuable. There are three determinants of the real option value. They are value of the underlying assets, variance in that value and expected dividend on that assets. Black and Sholes model is an important aspect in this regard. Option Pricing Application Being static and not having any good job capturing ability are the limitations of traditional investment. There are three kind of options that can make an investment a bad investment and they are the option to delay, to take advantage of other opportunities and option to abandon. In the option to delay, the NPV is negative and the IRR is less than the hurdle rate. An unacceptable project can be made acceptable with the help of option to abandon. However, this needs to be weighted off against the abandonment value. Option Pricing Application in Capital Structure Decision Design of securities is the most direct application of the option pricing in capital structure. Valuation o flexibility is the other application of option pricing. In order to have the option of taking the future projects, a firm uses to maintain large cash balances and excess debts. The external debt capacity becomes useful when the external reinvestment needs exceeds the firms internal investment needs. The firms value will be increase than the present value if excess return is earned by the investment. The value of flexibility will be greater at the time of more unpredictable investment needs. Option Pricing Application in Valuation A troubled firms equity can be considered as the call option to liquidate the firm. The amount of equity in a firm is a residual claim. At the time of liquidation of the firm, the equity shareholders get the leftover of the firm after paying all the debts and financial claims of the others. There are two claim holders in a firm and they are the debt and the equity. Acquisition As per the financial managers, the long term benefits of the merger and acquisition cannot be seen by the market. Acquisition firms have more trouble creating value than the internal investment firms. The structurally wrong factors of acquisition are supported by the mistakes. There are seven mistakes or sins in the process of acquisition. They are Transference of Risk, Subsidies of Debt, Auto-Pilot Control, Elusive Synergy, Relativity, and Verdict first and Trail afterwards and its not the fault. Value Enhancement There are four ways to create or enhance the value. They are I) the increase in the cash flow by the existing assets, II) the increase in the expected growth rate in these cash flows, III) the extension in the high growth period to allow more years of high growth and IV) the reduction in the cost of capital.

Strengthening the Role of the Federal Government free essay sample

The roaring twenties was a time of fun and prosperity. Women started showing more skin, alcohol was heavily consumed, and the rich were becoming richer. This time however left Americans unprepared for what would happen in the 1930s. On October 29, 1929, also known as Black Tuesday, the stock market crashed. The president at the time, Herbert Hoover, struggled with helping the nation. Like some previous presidents, he maintained the idea of laissez-faire. This idea, however failed to help the economy at the time. The people wanted a new president; and on March 4, 1933 Franklin D. Roosevelt took office. Roosevelt tried to reform and restore the American economy saying, â€Å"All we have to fear is fear itself. † Roosevelt implemented his New Deal plan to assuage Americans ? from the plight of the Depression. His administration was very effective during the dark years of the Depression. The new programs and acts helped strengthen the role of the federal government. Roosevelt came into office with huge challenges to face. When elected into office, the unemployment rate was at about 12,000,000. (Doc. J) As soon as he was elected into office, Roosevelt ordered Congress to start implementing his programs and passing regulations. One of his goals was aimed at industrial and agricultural recovery. His plans consisted of The National Recovery Administration, which was FDR’s attempt to achieve economic advancement through planning and cooperation among the government, business, and labor. The Agricultural Adjustment Administration taxed food processors and gave the money to the farmers. Another one of his major goals was to relieve Americans. Unlike Hoover, he supported federal support to help the unemployed and destitute citizens. Placing Harry Hopkins in charge of the relief program, new agencies came about to help Americans avoid starvation and humiliating breadlines. One effort was the Civilian Conservation Corps, which enrolled young city men on relief to work on the nation’s public lands, cutting trails, planting trees, building bridges, and paving roads. This helped both to the families’ income and nation’s welfare. The Works Progress Administration was established to spend nearly $5 billion for emergency relief. This put the unemployed on the federal payroll so they could earn money to meet their basic needs and get Americans to become consumers again. He pictured that if he could get more people to be consumers again, businesses would start prospering, and the economy would flourish once again. Roosevelt is trying to explain that his changes and programs added were a type of evolution, moving the country forward, not a revolution, moving them backwards. (Doc. C) All the programs mentioned above gave Americans opportunities to get out of this despair time. His final goal was more radical then relief and recovery. The nation needed this more radical step, and Roosevelt responded by embracing a reform program that marked the climax of his New Deal. He was ready to take the edge off national dissent. His most significant reform enacted in 1935 was the Social Security reform. This was a permanent program that gave elderly over the age of 65 money so they could buy life’s essentials. They would receive this money ever month and were permitted to spend this money only 30 days after receiving the check. This forced them to become consumers and helped the elderly from starvation. (Doc. E) This act also gave federal grants to the states for welfare payments to the blind, handicapped, needy elderly, and dependent children. Another radical program was the Wagner Act, which outlawed a number of union-busting tactics and decreed that whenever the majority of a company’s workers voted for a union to represent them, management would be compelled to negotiate with the union on all matters of wages, hours, and working conditions. This led to the revitalization of the American labor movement and permanent change in labor-management relations. The role of the federal government dramatically changed from Hoover’s administration to Roosevelt’s. The government was heavily involved with these programs. It was strengthened and was given more powers due to the agencies that Roosevelt established. (Doc. H) But, Conservatives and the wealthy thought the government was a socialist or communist, because of their over-powering rule. They thought the New Deal would never work. (Doc. B) Some, such as Charles Evan Hughes, believed that the government interference was becoming too extreme. The invalid regulations of the poultry industry were an invalid use of Congress’ powers. Concluding that the NIRA was unconstitutional. (Doc. F) On the other hand, people saw the New Deal as both hindering and helping industrial activity. It helped the unemployed, but also took on too much power and created a larger debt for the national government. His growth of bureaucracy and spending were questionable. (Doc. D) Overall, Roosevelt really helped shape our nation during that dark time in our history. His numerous agencies and programs effectively helped the nation get back on track. The government gained more power. His New Deal did not exactly help save everyone, but it did create a positive starting point to get out of the debt. The New Deal did bring many positive things as mentioned above. FDR will forever be remembered as saving the nation under the Great Depression.

Kurds - A People Without A State Essays - , Term Papers

Kurds - A People Without a State Introduction Of all the ethnic groups in the world, the Kurds are one of the largest that has no state to call their own. According to historian William Westermann, "The Kurds can present a better claim to race purity...than any people which now inhabits Europe." (Bonner, p. 63, 1992) Over the past hundred years, the desire for an independent Kurdish state has created conflicts mainly with the Turkish and Iraqi populations in the areas where most of the Kurds live. This conflict has important geographical implications as well. The history of the Kurdish nation, the causes for these conflicts, and an analysis of the situation will be discussed in this paper. History of the Kurds The Kurds are a Sunni Muslim people living primarily in Turkey, Iraq, and Iran. The 25 million Kurds have a distinct culture that is not at all like their Turkish, Persian, and Arabic neighbors (Hitchens, p. 36, 1992). It is this cultural difference between the groups that automatically creates the potential for conflict. Of the 25 million Kurds, approximately 10 million live in Turkey, four million in Iraq, five million in Iran, and a million in Syria, with the rest scattered throughout the rest of the world (Bonner, p. 46, 1992). The Kurds also have had a long history of conflict with these other ethnic groups in the Middle East, which we will now look at. The history of Kurds in the area actually began during ancient times. However, the desire for a Kurdish homeland did not begin until the early 1900's, around the time of World War I. In his Fourteen Points, President Woodrow Wilson promised the Kurds a sovereign state (Hitchens, p. 54, 1992). The formation of a Kurdish state was supposed to have been accomplished through the Treaty of Sevres in 1920 which said that the Kurds could have an independent state if they wanted one (Bonner, p. 46, 1992). With the formation of Turkey in 1923, Kemal Ataturk, the new Turkish President, threw out the treaty and denied the Kurds their own state. This was the beginning of the Turkish-Kurdish conflict. At about this same time, the Kurds attempted to establish a semi-independent state, and actually succeeded in forming the Kingdom of Kurdiez, which lasted from 1922-1924; later, in 1946, some of the Kurds established the Mahabad Republic, which lasted for only one year (Prince, p. 17, 1993). In 1924, Turkey even passed a law banning the use of the Kurdish language in public places. Another group of people to consider is the Kurds living in Iraq. Major conflict between the Kurds and Iraqis did not really begin until 1961, when a war broke out that lasted until 1970. Around this time, Saddam Hussein came to power in Iraq. In 1975, Hussein adopted a policy of eradicating the Kurds from his country. Over the next fifteen years, the Iraqi army bombed Kurdish villages, and poisoned the Kurds with cyanide and mustard gas (Hitchens, p. 46, 1992). It is estimated that during the 1980's, Iraqis destroyed some 5000 Kurdish villages (Prince, p. 22, 1993). From this point, we move into the recent history and current state of these conflicts between the Kurds and the Turks, and the Kurds against the Iraqis. Causes for Conflict The reasons for these conflicts have great relevance to geography. The areas of geography relating to these specific conflicts are a historical claim to territory on the part of the Kurds, cultural geography, economic geography, and political geography. These four areas of geography can best explain the reasons for these Kurdish conflicts. First, the Kurds have a valid historical claim to territory. They have lived in the area for over 2000 years. For this reason, they desire the establishment of a Kurdish homeland. Iraqis and Turks, while living in the area for a long period of time, cannot make a historical claim to that same area. The conflict arises, however, because the area happens to lie within the borders of Iraq and Turkey. Even though the Kurds claim is valid, the Turks and Iraqis have chosen to ignore it and have tried to wipe out the Kurds. Second, and probably most important, is that this conflict involves cultural geography. The Kurds are ethnically and culturally

A Galaxy Essays - Galaxies, Spiral Galaxy, Extragalactic Astronomy

A Galaxy A Galaxy: Characteristics, Contents and Types Galaxies are huge and contain billions of stars. They contain all of the stars of the Herzspring-Russell diagram, open cluster, emission, nubula, reflection nubula, nova remnants and supernova remnants. We have three different and distinct types of galaxies, which are spiral galaxies, eluptical galaxies, and last but not least irregular galaxies. The Milky Way galaxy, which is a representative of a spiral galaxy, is basically lens-shaped. Its circumference is about 120,000 light years across. On a dark summer night, we are able to see a few of the Milky Way's arm. The Milky Way, as all spiral galaxies, rotates on its axis. However, it does not rotate uniformly. The budge rotates much faster than the arms and it takes about 250 million years to make a single rotation. In the Milky Way galaxy, as in all spiral galaxies, there are two star populations. Population I Stars are similar to our sun. Those stars are relatively young and orbit in circular orbits in the galactic disk. The small mass of these stars consists of heavy elements. These elements are heavier than helium and include carbon, oxygen, silicon and iron. The Population II Stars are nearly pure hydrogen and helium with a small percentage of heavy elements. These stars are in the center of our galaxy. Their orbits are random around the bulge. These stars as a group us ually have less mass and are redder in color. Eliptica Galaxies are mostly made of old stars and contain almost no dust. These stars can range from dwarf size to very massive. These galaxies can be up to two or three times larger than the Milky Way Galaxy. They are smooth shaped and have no spiral arms. Irregular Galaxies come in many shapes and are usually smaller than the Milky Way Galaxy. There are several different types of Irregular Galaxies like Type I, Type II, Peculiar. Some common properties that galaxies are measured by are distance and size. Distance, which is the most basic property, is not an exact science. Galaxies do not have sharp edges and vary in size, so it's very hard to get an exact measurement. Galaxies may be as few as thousands of light years in diameter and as much as 600,000 light years. Size is measured by luminosity. Two issues must be addressed to calculate luminosity. First, one must measure the total range of radiation given off by the galaxy. Second, one must compensate for the fact that the light given off is not evenly distributed across its diameter. With these two issues in consideration astronomers can make a model of light distribution and use it to calculate luminosity. Color and rotation are two other properties used to classify galaxies. But the most important and hardest to measure is mass. There is a relationship between mass and luminosity. The more mass the brighter the star and the reverse is also true. Also, about 90% of the mass of a galaxy is dark matter. Galaxies also can do other interesting exhibits. They can collide, interact and merge with each other. They can also form clusters and super clusters. These big blobs of gas and dust are magnificent and almost have a life of their own. Astronomy

Dont You Love a Good Job Search Success Story

Dont You Love a Good Job Search Success Story I love a good success story, don’t you? And, given my profession, I especially love a good job search success story. This week I heard two of them and I want you to be inspired by these two professionals who used their networks and their talents to land jobs they love! Success Story #1: Stay-at-Home Dad I met Winslow Yee at the Connect – Work – Thrive Conference where I spoke several years ago. He attended my presentation, â€Å"Traversing the Resume Gap.† Winslow was a stay-at-home dad and Human Resources professional who had not worked in his field for ten years! He had taken a huge risk by stepping out of the workforce for so long. To address his gap on his resume, Winslow chose to do what many are frightened to do: absolutely nothing. He listed his most recent position, Senior Employee Relations Specialist at a semiconductor manufacturing company, at the top of his experience section. This job had ended in 2003. Then Winslow started networking. His wife connected him with someone at a company that is now his employer of 9 months. Here’s Winslow’s summary of his strategy and the response he received: What I noticed was that some recruiters and interviewers missed the detail [of my gap] entirely and thought I was still working. So it gave me a foot in the door to talk with them before they filed away my resume. Im not sure it is a strategy I would recommend but it is what felt right to me. I think some of my interviewers (in particular women) were impressed by the decision I made to be a stay-at-home dad. During my interviews I conveyed my passion for coaching, teaching and mentoring   with examples of my  involvement in youth sports, school, church and scouting. This passion was a key factor in my prior success as an HR professional and was still fresh and current. Winslow also did address his gap in his cover letter. Following a convincing account of his experience and qualifications, he added this as his second-to-last sentence: At the end of 2003 I voluntarily left the workforce in order to devote more time to my family. I am now resuming my HR career. Winslow did not apologize for his choice and he did not hide it. His strategy worked. As he said, there’s no one-size-fits-all solution to a resume gap. But if you’ve been trying something that hasn’t been working, you might want to give Winslow’s strategy a try! Again, a central part of this strategy was asking everyone he knew whom they knew who could help him. It’s unlikely he would have found a position without having an inside lead on what became his new job. Success Story #2: Not-So-Passive Job Seeker Paul Elsass, according to his article The Day Apple Called Me to Interview, was minding his own business on LinkedIn when a recruiter from Apple called him to interview for a job. The next thing he knew, he was flying to Cupertino on Apple’s dime to talk to them about being the Lead Evangelist for the Apple Watch. He did not get that job, as Apple chose a candidate with better-matched experience. But it wasn’t long before another recruiter, whom he knows personally, tapped him for his current position at ShapeUp, which he calls â€Å"the best job I ever had†! Here’s Paul’s advice for getting your dream job (see The Day Apple Called Me to Interview): Expand your network beyond just the expected type of profiles you would normally look for. You might be surprised how folks with a variety of backgrounds can make great connections. Never rule out new discussions with people, even if it seems like it may be nothing that would immediately benefit your job or career. Keep in mind that conversations are about more than â€Å"what can it do for me?†Ã¢â‚¬ ¦maybe it’s about what you can do for someone else. After you talk with new connections, store that information in your mental file cabinet. I cannot tell you how many times I have had past conversations, from years prior, resurface and become valuable in a current need. Keep your profile polished and up to date. You never know what phone call you might get tomorrow! I asked Paul some more questions and found out that the Apple recruiter also liked that Paul was publishing content regularly on LinkedIn Publisher. So don’t ignore the opportunity to put your ideas and writing out to the LinkedIn community! Success Depends on You What phone call would you like to get tomorrow? Are you doing everything in your power to get it? And do you have a job search success story to share? Please tell us all about it!

Disraelian Conservatism essays

Disraelian Conservatism essays "The objective of establishing the Conservative Party as a party of government explains most the actions of Disraeli in passing the 1867 Reform Act" [Robert Blake' an academic historian specialist in the history of the conservative party, The History of the Conservative Party from Peel to Thatcher (1985)] How valid is this interpretation of Disraelian Conservatism? Robert Blake is stating that the desire to make the conservative party the majority party in the House of Commons was the main reason that Disraeli passed the 1867 Reform Act. I do not agree with Blake that the passing of the 1867 Reform Bill by Disraeli was an attempt to secure a majority vote for the conservative party. Benjamin Disraeli did not propose the 1867 Reform Act to simply earn a few votes and secure the majority in the House of Commons. He proposed it due to his own personal convictions and morals. Disraeli was a progressive Tory and advocated triennial parliaments and the secret ballot. Previously to the 1867 reform act proposal, Disraeli was sympathetic to the demands of the Chartists who wanted further reform to the Political system, and in one speech argued that the "rights of labour were as sacred as the rights of property". In 1842 Disraeli helped to form the Young England group. Disraeli and members of his group argued that the middle class now had too much political power and advocated an alliance between the aristocracy and the working class. Disraeli suggested that the aristocracy should use their power to help protect the poor. This political philosophy was expressed in Disraeli's novels, Coningsby (1844), Sybil (1845) and Tancred (1847). In these books the leading characters show concern about poverty and the injustice of the parliamentary system. Disraeli was appointed as Chancellor of the Exchequer. He also became leader of the House of Commons and was responsible for the introduction of measures to refo ...

Cell Phones Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Cell Phones - Research Paper Example Body Past, Present and Future Cell phone use has elevated over the years and alone in the region of United States the number of Cell phone users within a time period of 5 years starting from 2007 and ending in 2012 have increased from over 255.4 million users to 326.4 million users and this accounts for an increase in mobile phone users by 27% (CTIA 1). The first cell phone was born around 40 years back when the very first phone call through a cell phone was made by Martin Cooper and the cell phone that was used to make that call was named as DynaTAC and it was an invention made by Motorola Company. This phone was commonly renowned as the brick since it was similar to the size and shape of a brick and was quite heavy to travel with (Yahoo News 1). The initial phones were not only quite difficult to carry around, they were even quite expensive and a few members of the society who belonged to the category of elites could purchase such phones. There was a need for innovation in the tech nology and this motivated the designers to create phones which were much easier to carry around and inexpensive to purchase so that all the members of the society could use them. The designers were not only motivated to create phones that were easy to carry and affordable, their motivation to innovate the technology was even backed by several other needs of consumers. These needs included communication needs, entertainment needs as well as need to socialize. Various innovations in the cell phone technology that have occurred over the course of past 40 years includes phones such as Nokia 5110 which was quite renowned for its entertainment features such as the game snake, and Motorola Razr V3 which was quite popular for being sleek and providing abundant amount of talk time and as recent as the invention of Android phones which are recognized for fulfilling business, social and entertainment needs (Yahoo News 1 & Webster 1). Designers of cell phone technology continue to innovate and excite the cell phone consumers and in future it is expected that they will create cell phones that have never been thought off as previously experienced by the industry. Benefits versus Disadvantages of Cell Phones Since the inception of cell phones and since the acceptance of cell phones as a necessity, there has been heavy debate regarding whether cell phones have benefited the society or harmed the society. Cell phones can be both beneficial as well as harmful for society, but if used in an appropriate manner, cell phones can cause more benefits than disadvantages for the society as well as the individual members and groups within it. Cell phones have benefited people of different ages along with businesses as they serve several purposes. Cell phones help people remain connected with their loved ones as well as business partners at all time (Berger 427). Cell phones allow individuals with the ease of carry and this helps individuals in communicating with other individuals at any point in time. Businesses even get the benefit of remaining in touch with various stakeholders including customers as well as employees due to the widely acceptability of

Medication Errors Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Medication Errors - Essay Example Since in the healthcare setting, especially in the hospital in-patient environment, the nurse remains in contact with the patient for the better half of the time, the nurses are the executors of care, and they are the final common pathways of transmission of the care processes. As a result, any error made in any step of the care being undetected will appear as a deficit in standards of practice on the part of the nurses. It is not true that nurses do not make any errors, but despite being very careful, there are many other factors that may be found involved in such a medication error incident. Despite not being directly committed by the nurse if an adverse event from drug happens due to error, the nurse is often implicated in such a situation. Present scenario of healthcare demands that every professional should exercise their knowledge and expertise in every step of administered healthcare to prevent such errors. Unfortunately, the blame often falls on the nurse, but it is imperativ e to find out the preventative solutions to this problem rather than finding the scapegoat (Strand, J.N., Ferner, R. E., Anthony, C., Teichman, P., and Bates, D.W., 2001). The First Article: Published on June 15, 2006, in The Times and written by Lisa Greene, this article carried the headline, Nurse Error Spotlight Drug's Danger: A pregnant woman died of a magnesium sulfate overdose at South Florida Baptist, despite the drug's well-known hazards. The byline adds comments that an 18-year-old patient was given magnesium sulfate to slow down premature contractions of the uterus; although, the baby son survived, the lady expired, and the hospital issued a statement that error killed the woman. The drug magnesium sulfate is useful in certain situations despite it being a known hazard in the sense that it is reported to cause fatal clinical events. In this care, reportedly, the nurse made an error in calculating the dose. This is apparent from a quotation of a scientific journal article that reports incidences of 52 adverse overdose incidents that included 7 cases of persistent vegetative state or death. In case of this specific patient, the patient attende d the hospital with pre-term labor, and the nurse gave her magnesium sulfate which was administered in a larger-than necessary dose. The baby survived, but the mother expired out of respiratory failure despite attempts to revive. The hospital spokes person directly termed this situation as a single incidence of error by an expert professional, and it was accepted to be a calculation of the dose error by the nurses. Naturally, since the authority is concerned about a lawsuit, none other than this is available to analyze the information, but this overlooks another important aspect of the problem. It is well known that even the most experienced nurse may end up in a "single tragic mistake", but it is the responsibility of the hospital authority of health system to have a safety or governance system in place that would make multiple checks before the error happens, especially when the error may be fatal in nature. This throws spotlights to a system's deficiency in designing a process th at can identify a person's math error before even the error can reach the patient. This was a terrible and isolated incident, but this calls for well-lubricated and functional safety systems at all levels including prescription, pharmacy, and nursing. Computerized and automated systems even

Analysis of Is Google Making Us Stupid by Nicholas G Carr Essay

Analysis of Is Google Making Us Stupid by Nicholas G Carr - Essay Example AI is nothing more than the collective compilation of human knowledge accumulated over bodies of knowledge previously learned.people with very high I.Q.s may think so (from whence such comments may come), they missed to consider the fact that a person with the highest I.Q. still cannot match the speed by which a computer makes calculations and even decisions on the most complex matters. In Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey, quoted by Carr in this essay, â€Å"Is Google Making Us Stupid?,† Dr David Bowman’s and Dr Frank Pooles mission aboard the American spaceship Discovery One bound for Jupiter experienced trouble with their supercomputer HAL (an acronym for Heuristic Algorithm). After surviving several attempts to shut him out of the spaceship, Bowman coldly disconnected HAL’s circuits after it nearly sent him to a deep-space death after a malfunction. Whatever human qualities it has subsumed, machines are still made by men. Bowman’s attachment to this machine was a product of science which allowed the machine to possess a seeming human quality. If a man does succeed to make a replica of himself and enhance this subsumation to make the machine assume fine human qualities, there exists an ethical issue. If that machine, as most people and Carr fear, dominates over man, there is a question where to set the limits of manâ€℠¢s reliance on artificial intelligence must end. In the end, that machine still has no soul. It is still a machine unless you can manufacture the soul and add it to that contraption. The author’s personal experience using Google, with so many features on the fly, was enjoyable saved for unavoidable ungrammatical chat language (jejemon). It has shaped language so that it is deliverable in short quips as in telegrams cutting across language barriers, with its ultimate aim, among other things that the information technology may bring.  

International Marketing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

International Marketing - Essay Example Examples of multinational companies are Wal-Mart Stores, Inc., Toyota Motor Corporation and Procter & Gamble Company (Doole & Lowe, 2008). International Marketing In international marketing, multinational companies may adopt either a global marketing approach or a multi-domestic marketing approach. The global marketing approach involves developing a standardized marketing plan, which is implemented with minimal modifications in both home and all international markets. An advantage of global marketing approach is the economies of scale to production and marketing activities. This standardized strategy cuts costs since it allows large-scale production runs and strengthens the image of the brand. A global marketing strategy can nurture collaborative innovation and can excellently boost sales of goods and services to across markets that have common cultures and languages. This strategy is effective particularly in marketing goods with strong, universal appeal. Global advertising media su ch as international print and broadcasting channels help companies to convey a single message to the international audience (Kaynak, 2002). Cost-effectiveness in the implementation of the global marketing approach is its major but most multinational companies are often faced with the need to segment their international markets and develop marketing strategies that meet the unique needs of the target market in specific countries. Multi-domestic marketing approach takes into consideration the differences between the characteristics of different international markets and develops marketing strategies tailored for each market. Most multi-national companies modify their marketing approaches to successfully appeal to individual target markets in the belief that most goods and services demand multi-domestic marketing approaches to give them an appeal on the global market. Market characteristics such as geography, culture and language make it difficult to employ a single market strategy acr oss different segments of international markets. Nevertheless, some particular situations may let multinational companies standardize some aspects of the marketing strategies but tailor others. Some multi-domestic marketing mix approaches for selecting the most appropriate marketing strategy for a particular international market are product invention, straight extension, dual adaptation, promotion adaptation and product adaptation (Onkvisit & Shaw, 2008). Multinational companies may also choose among countertrade, distribution and distribution strategies. Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. Wal-Mart is one of the largest retail chains globally operating diverse kinds of retail stores. The stores range from neighborhood stores, supercenters, discount stores and online retail stores/clubs. Wal-Mart offers wide-ranging products, goods and services including drugs and pharmaceutical products; fitness and beauty aids; cameras, optical supplies and photograph processing; household goods and chemicals; apparels; clothes and shoes; stationery and books; housewares and furnishings; electronics; appliances; automobile accessories; horticultural products, sporting merchandises; toys; pet food and items (Kaynak, 2002). The neighborhood markets include fresh groceries, meat and dairy products, deli, baked foods, frozen foods, medications, paper goods and general merchandise

Three Different Type of Family Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Three Different Type of Family - Essay Example I was supposed to be at the Saudi Embassy by 11:00 o’ clock. I was in West Los Angeles. My heart was beating fast and I was immersed in perspiration beads. I feared that I might miss the opportunity to apply for the passport in time. It had taken a lot of effort to get the date for application and I could not afford missing that opportunity. I managed to reach the Saudi Embassy in ten minutes. I was pleased I was not quite late, but the staff did not cooperate with me the much I expected them to. They referred me to one another which frustrated me. Anyway, I managed to apply for the passport. I had not done the breakfast to my full and was feeling really hungry. Since morning, I had been moving here and there in frustration. I was overwhelmed with anxiety and wanted a good lunch to energize myself. I was feeling very low and was red in the face. It felt like I was having a very high blood pressure. On my way to Santa Monica, I drove across my girlfriend’s favorite pizza restaurant. Suddenly, I felt a cool breeze filling me. I wondered if love was powerful enough to make me happy at this point in my life when I was feeling very low. My blood pressure started to regulate. I decided to have the lunch, so I parked my car aside the restaurant. Even before I had entered the restaurant, I knew where I was going to sit or what I was going to order. I planned to occupy the same table where my girlfriend and I had sat the last time and order the same meal we had had then. But unfortunately, that table was already occupied by a family. There were a total of three families in the restaurant. The family occupying my table had four members in it; a father, a mother and two sons. This was the first family. It felt very much like a projection of my dream family, wherein I would have two sons from my girlfriend. The family sitting on the left of that table had two members in it. There was a man a child. The man seemed like the father and the child seemed like his son. This was the second family. To the right was another family with six people in it. There was a man and a woman that seemed like a husband and a wife. To the left of the husband were two sons. In between the husband and the wife was a one year old child, and to the right of the wife was a daughter. This was the third family. The first family was a dual parent family. The sons had their biological children with them. The second family represented single parent family. The mother had left the child’s father and had married her lover. The child had no sibling but had his biological father with him. The third family was a merging family. In between the husband and the wife was their biological child. To the right of the wife was the daughter from her previous husband. To the left of the husband were the two sons from his previous wife. The first family was a biracial family. The wife was African American whereas the husband was Caucasian American. The sons had tanned skin whi le the color of one son was darker than the other. The second and third families were uniracial in that all members belonged to the same race. In the second family, both the father and the son were Asian Americans. They seemed like Indians that had immigrated to the US. The third family was of Caucasian Americans. All family members were white. It seemed like the girl’

Environment on Darfur After the Conflict Essay Example for Free

Environment on Darfur After the Conflict Essay The world has experienced a lot of conflicts for quite a long time throughout history. All the time there is a conflict, the damages caused is mostly documented in terms of how many casualties have been reported, and the impact it has caused on the economy. It is however rare to hear people talking on the effects these conflicts can have on the natural environment or which steps have been taken to protect the natural environment from such conflicts. The natural environment for a long time has been a silent victim of the conflicts that occurs either locally or internationally leaving the repercussions to be felt for quite some time. In many cases, the impact the war and other conflicts have been having on the environment has been generally very devastating. There are many pollutants that are released in the environment during the war which can end up affecting the natural resources. On the other hand, there are other natural resources that are depleted during the conflict leaving the environment at a worse position. A major problem is that most of the current conflicts are witnessed in the developing countries which do not have the economic capacity to deal with the environmental problems hence causing a major setback. Africa has had quite long cases of civil wars some which started during the colonial period and still taking place to now. These countries have been mostly been fighting over the borders which were drawn by the colonial powers for their on interests. Most of the wars taking place in Africa are as a cause of fighting for natural resources such as fertile farming land or water. Due to the long history of these civil wars in Africa, it is difficult to know exactly what these conflicts have caused to the environment. However, looking at the rate of the loss of biodiversity in the affected regions, it can be easy to realize how serious the situation has left the damage to the environment. Darfur Conflict and the Impact It Has Caused on the Environment Southern Sudan has witnessed along civil war that has caused many nations through the United Nations body and the African unity to try and broker peace in the region and bring things to the normal situation. The conflict that is being witnessed in the region right now is considered as a war between the different ethnic and tribal lines (IRIN, para 2). The sides that are mostly conflicting are the government’s military and the Janjaweed group. There are other rebel groups that have also made the situation to be worse. The major cause of the war in Sudan has been attributed to fighting for water between the Baggara nomads who moved to the south, a region mostly occupied by the farming communities to search for water. This conflict has led to many casualties being reported throughout. Despite putting in place a government of national unity, and increasing the presence of the African Union Peace keepers, the situation has not improved in any way (Borger, para 2). There have been many reasons given as a source to the Darfur conflict, though the major reasons have been cited to be the increasing population which the current natural resources can not hold, hence making these people to fight for the scarce resources. On the other hand, there have been claims that the conflict is as a result of the Arab dominants intention to wipe out the black Africans. This has even made the United States to refer to this as a form of genocide in the area. Whichever the cause of the war, it has caused so many untold damages. The focus on this conflict has always been the number of people who have died in the region, or the number of those displaced. It is important that people’s life and welfare is put first. This is what has been the major concern of many bodies, organizations and other nations. However, like many other conflicts, little concern has put on what effect this conflict is causing to the environment (AP, para 6). As earlier argued, the war in Sudan was triggered by the environmental problems which led to the communities to fight over scarce resources. It is however a worrying trend that the continued conflict is further endangering the environment that is supposed to support the whole population. The environment has been made worse by this conflict and made the land to become uninhabitable. This means that the tension between the conflicting communities gets to be more intense when it occurs that the natural resources are not going to support all of them as expected (Beyrer, Pizer pp 67). Environmental degradation in Darfur has been on the rise due to the continued conflict. It means that the conflict that started as a result of the environmental problems is being escalated by destroying the environment further. The issues in Sudan over the environment indicate how complex the environmental matters can be in the causing breach to peace. This region has witnessed the decreased cases of traditional methods of environmental management systems, and in some places being disregarded completely. The conflict over resources in Darfur was at a local level but expanded to national level where political and economic marginalization was heightened. Ethnic differences have contributed to making the matters worse to the situation. Therefore, despite having the political and economic factors leading to the problems in Darfur, the major issue surrounds natural resources (de Montesquiou, para 8). The Sudanese Arabs moved to the south to look for pasture for their animals due to the prolonged drought that was experienced in their regions. This led to them conflicting with the black farmers whose land the Arabs were grazing on. The grazing of the animals on the farming land worsened the situation as there was increased soil erosion which made land to be poor for farming. When the black farmers realized that the Khartoum government was indifferent in solving the matter, they rebelled against them. By rebelling, the people started to fight destroying many manmade and natural resources that were on the way (Borger, para 7). When the nomads inhabited the farming areas, they started to cut down the trees. To the farmers, the cut trees were very important as they provided shade for their crops and holding together the soil to avoid erosion. Due to the conflict of interest, these important natural resources were destroyed as they were caught in between the fighting. With no trees cover, the problem of lack of rainfall becomes even heightened, which is a big trouble to both the farmers and the nomads since they cannot be able to get rain that is important for the crops and animals respectively. Due to the bare land caused by the cutting of the trees, it has become harder for the farmers at the refugee camps to go back to their homes as they can not carry out any meaningful activities to such bare lands. With this kind of the situation, it becomes difficult to control human suffering without further harm to the environment (HPN, para 3) Many people have been killed in the conflict while millions of others have been living in the camps after being left homeless. At the camps, the refugees need to be given their basic needs. Water is a very important commodity that no human beings can do without. In fact as argued throughout, the conflict has been surrounding fighting for water resources. Therefore, while at the camps, the refugees have to be provided with water. This has led to the humanitarian organizations to dig boreholes to help the refugees get water. Considering that the land in Darfur is largely dominated by hard rocks, it means that the rains that fall in the short season mostly wash away, hence, the boreholes depends on the underground reserves. Considering the rate at which the reserves are being used, it is tough to imagine the consequences that await the Darfur people when the reserves will finally be depleted. The situation might lead to the refugees being moved to another region that can support them. There are already some areas that have reported the drying up of the boreholes. Apart from water, the refugees also need other resources for their daily work. There have been many trees that have been cut by the refugees near the camps to provide them with firewood. The trees are also cut and used to construct and reinforce the makeshift houses of the refugees. This implies that trees are being used at a higher rate than they are being replaced. There are some refugees who are involved in some economic activities. The common economic activity that the refugees are involved with is making mud bricks. The refugees are involved with this activity mostly because it does not need skilled labor, and the materials are readily available. A lot of water is usually used in the making of the bricks. A lot of water is used considering the dryness on most of the camp soils. Furthermore, since the refugees want to make a lot of money, they try to make as many bricks as possible. The more work they do, the many materials are required. The areas that the soil for making the bricks is dug usually leaves many holes indicating the rate at which the soil is being depleted. The formation of a layer of soil takes many years, however, the refugees depletes many layers in a very short time. It is very bad to notice that the fertile soils that can be used for agricultural production is actually used for the making bricks. These soils can not be replenished in the short run as it is being depleted. In the areas that the refugees remove the soils to make the bricks, they leave the tree roots exposed which contributes to the wilting of the trees (Homer-Dixon, pp 19). Therefore, this still adds the woes the refuges already have. Furthermore, since to make the bricks requires a lot of water, it means that the refugees have to compete on how to use the water for the domestic work and the production of the bricks. In the end, the action contributes to the hastened depletion of the water resources. The bricks cannot be complete if they have not been burnt in the kiln. The kiln requires using a lot of firewood. This means several trees have to be felled to be used in the kiln. One kiln can take as many as 35 trees for the bricks to be ready. This shows the impact this single activity can have on the important natural resources. There have been increased sand dunes in the areas that had once been covered by trees just a few years ago. This is all because of the refugees activities in trying to earn a living. Most of the dams in Sudan are drying and having a lot of sedimentation as a result of deforestation. Many dams have lost their holding capacity due to these reasons (HPN, para 8). Once the war comes to an end as is presupposed, the refugees will have to go back to their homes to start a new life. They will first need to rebuild their damaged homes, which will basically require that they cut more trees to build these homes. Considering the already cut trees in their former homes, there are therefore no trees left behind to cater for their needs. This implies the building materials will have to be sourced somewhere else, which automatically will be increasing the base of the damage to other regions. Having realized the impact the conflict is leading to the refugees affecting the environment, especially on trees, several organizations like the US aid have helped the refugees to design the cooking stoves that uses a completely reduced amount of fuel as a way of the saving the environment. This stoves though taken as a move to save the environment, it has a big impact on the social and cultural life (de Montesquiou, para 11). Since the conflict is between two ethnic groups with two distinct lifestyles, each group undertakes an activity that they think will destroy the other. For instance, the nomads usually graze their animals on the farmers’ crops. This leaves the farmers with nothing as their crops are destroyed by the animals. On the other hand, the farmers on their side burn the grazing lands for the nomads. This is even a worse action to take as it does not only affect the nomads in terms of lacking food, but it affects the farmers themselves in that the burning of the ground destroys the important living organisms that are found in the soil which helps in improving the soil fertility. This means that the soil is left unproductive which will affect both the nomads and the farmers in the long run. Furthermore, the nomads are used to grazing their animals and moving from one region to another after the feeds in that area have reduced. However, due to the conflict, the migration routes for the nomads were blocked by the farmers. This made it impossible for the nomads to move from one region to another with their animals, hence meaning overgrazing in one region. The overgrazed areas will generally have very poor production as there will be increased soil erosion (Homer-Dixon, pp 29). In general, humanitarian issues are usually given much priority over the environment as a short term solution to any crisis. Therefore, whatever actions that are taken by the involved bodies do not give much or even any consideration to the environment. For instance, when the refugee camps are set up, it is aimed at providing security and a better life to the refugees. No consideration is put on what activities the refugees are going to carry out that might affect the environment whether in the long or short run. This is being evidenced by the number of boreholes drying up in various refugee camps (HPN, para 16). There are hundreds of thousands of the Darfur refugees who have been granted asylum in Chad. The Chadian locals are thus forced to compete for the natural resources in their territory with the refugees. Putting in mind the activities the refugees are engaged with, and the major aims of the organization that are associated with the taking care of the refugees which are just humanitarian care, the refugees can have a very big impact on the environment of the host country. The refugees in the camps hopes for someday to go back home. This implies they cannot have long term projects that will help in the development and taking care of the region that has granted them asylum. This might make them to be at loggerheads with the host country and thus be denied the asylum (Gouroukoun, para 7). Furthermore, as the refugees enter the Chadian soil, it is not guaranteed that they have their safety. The Janjaweed have been following the refugees in their camps attacking them. This has also posed danger to the Chadian nationals making them to move closer to where there is security in their country. In essence, the Chadian people are not even free in their own land because of hosting the refugees. As the Chadian moves to the place they feel is more secure, they also cause congestion and constraint to the resources that are supposed to host them. There are many other effects that the conflict has caused to the environment. As the conflict rages on, both sides are heavily armed. The weapons used to attack one group leave a lot of damages to the environment. For instance, there have been many crops, homesteads and the grazing grounds for each group that have been burnt by the opposing group. The oils and chemicals used to burn these properties, and the residue of the burnt products find their ways into the water bodies contaminating them. This on the other hand affects the lives in the water bodies. Furthermore, as the crisis continues, weapons used like bombs have continued to pollute the environment and their effect left in the environment for along time affecting the quality of life. It is very difficult to find crops growing in a region that has experienced a battle field. This is because of the effect that the weapons and chemicals used in the process have on the environment. It is common to find that the areas that had been bombed can not sustain any agricultural activity. It thus means that as the communities fight over the scarce natural resources and keep on destroying them during the fight, it only helps in escalating the problem they are already facing (Homer-Dixon, pp 41). The Janjaweed and the other militias in the Darfur conflict are always in the hideout. Most of the hideouts are in the forests. This implies that they have to depend so much on the forests for their own needs. For instance, they have to cut down the trees to use for fuel, hunt wild animals for food, and all these activities upsets the natural environment settings. There are many regions that used to be occupied by trees and wild animals like the elephants and the antelopes but when looked at now are bare because of the activities that have been taking place in the regions. Conclusion The Darfur crisis has actually been said to have started for over three decades ago. However, it only escalated in 2003 when the current crisis became out of control. The major cause of the war has been attributed to lack of enough natural resources. The problem is that because the fights were due to the protection and the need to acquire more natural resources, it is ironical that the same resources are being destroyed. In essence, this seems to increase the problems already faced. This has created the vicious cycle of the war in the Darfur region. Therefore, unless the concerned bodies look for a way of dealing with the problem of these natural resources, it is not possible to stop this war despite the many peace agreements that might be signed by the leaders of the region. Work Cited AP. Darfur conflict worsens environment, 2007. Retrieved on October 29, 2008 from http://platform. blogs. com/passionofthepresent/2007/06/darfur-conflict. html. Beyrer, Chris Pizer, Hank. Public Health and Human Rights: Evidence-based Approaches; ISBN 0801886465, JHU Press, 2007. Borger, Julian. Darfur conflict heralds era of wars triggered by climate change, UN report warns, 2007. Retrieved on October 29, 2008 from http://www. guardian. co. uk/environment/2007/jun/23/sudan. climatechange. de Montesquiou, Alfred. Darfur violence leaves environmental scars, 2007. Retrieved on October 29, 2008 from http://www. msnbc. msn. com/id/19357602/. IRIN. SUDAN: Climate change only one cause among many for Darfur conflict, 2007. Retrieved on October 29, 2008 from http://www. globalsecurity. org/military/library/news/2007/06/mil-070628-irin03. htm. Gouroukoun. Chadians Increasingly Feel Impact of Darfur Conflict, 2006. Retrieved on October 29, 2008 from http://www. voanews. com/english/archive/2006-04/2006-04-21-voa44. cfm. Homer-Dixon, F. Thomas. Environment, Scarcity, and Violence; ISBN 0691089795, Princeton University Press, 2001. HPN. Environmental degradation and conflict in Darfur: implications for peace and recovery, 2008. Retrieved on October 29, 2008 from http://www. alertnet. org/thenews/newsdesk/HPN/10adb58d76337a4eb2b436c319bf427e. htm.

Change Management in an Organisation

Change Management in an Organisation The assignment focuses on the outcomes of the study of the module-Organizational Behaviour which deals with the importance of the organizational principles in any company linked to its success in long run. I have focused myself to study the Case of BHARAT PETROLEUM COMPANY LIMITED in reference to change of organisation structure bringing in success. Though the objective of the study is to analyse the organisation in the context of dynamics of change affecting its very functioning with respect of organizational issues, the limitation of the study is inability to take up all issues considering organisation behaviour. In 1952 two different companies Shell Petroleum Company and Burmah Oil Company, UK signed an agreement with the Indian Government to prepare a new refinery in Mumbai and the name of the refinery was Burmah Oil Refineries Ltd. In 1957 it started and worked in a proper flow, In 1976 Indian Government changed their policy and nationalized the petroleum industry. Indian Government acquired the complete equity in Burmah Oil Refineries Ltd and changed from Burmah Oil Refineries Ltd to Bharat Refineries Ltd. In 1977 the Indian Government again changed its name to Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd. (BPCL). Industry Environment Indian governments acquired BPCL in 1970 in the act of nationalisation arrangement of Indian governments. In 1991 It was monitored and under the supervision of government till economic reorganizations. Government monitored the all the expenses, raw materials and the end products purchase and selling price, manufacture capacity, uses of the raw materials, circulation, and what is the return on investment were monitored by the government. Three main combined marketing and purifying companies were there at that time and many small and independent companies were supplying their product to these companies. Government improved their strategy for work and enlarged the distribution network in all over the country, like setup new retail outlets to reduce the competition along with their competitor. Privatization As a part of the ongoing economic reforms the government was actively pursuing privatization of the public sector companies. A couple of senior managers state Privatization is a slight that will happen. One cant bother too much about the future without knowing what is going to happen. It is inevitable and we cant do about it. We dont know what will happen to BPCL and us. Tomorrow we may not exist as BPCL. We might become a part of Shell or Reliance or some other organization. The impeding competition as well as the uncertainty of existence in the present form created anxiety in the organization across all levels. Some considered it to be an opportunity where as others considered it as a let down by the government and the organization. The organization initiated numerous changes in order to transform itself to face the future competition. Initiation of the Restructuring Process The initiation for restructuring the organization was by the personal initiative of the CMD Mr. U Sundararajan. He had earlier been appointed by the government to study the petroleum industry in other countries as a preamble for deregulation. He had formed a cross well-designed team for studying the effectiveness of the models followed by different countries. Mr. Sundararajan and the team studied more than two hundred books and numerous articles on deregulation, oil industry and best practices. Mr. Sundararajan realized the inability of his organization to compete with MNCs with deregulation. He started the reorganization process through discussions with the top management, the board and the government The path which BPCL LTD choose to face the competition and initiatives taken in terms of organizational Behaviour has been assessed in this assignment. For the purpose of analyzing the focus was laid down on key aspects of organization behavior which are organizational structure, change of team and organizational culture and climate in terms of Coaches of Organizational Learning which can be correlated to the case. Coaches of Organizational Learning Consultants from Innovation Associates (a subsidiary of ADL) initially trained a group of trainer in systems idea and organizational education. A team of around thirty full time coaches and more than sixty part time coaches were trained in turn by these. These coaches conducted two programs namely Visionary Leadership Planning (VLP) and Foundations of Organisational Learning (FOL). More than six hundred managers have undergone VLP and more than five thousand management and non-management staff have undergone FOL. VLP program is designed to help teams clarify and understand reasons for their unique existence, co-create team aspirations, realistically assess current reality and formulate a Strategy to cover up the gap. The teams identify High Leverage Results they are passionate about and assign responsibilities to a few members with the whole team agreeing to support the process. FOL program is designed to create a common language of learning in organizations. The coaches were instrum ental in creating a non-threatening atmosphere for change and also in providing the inputs on systems thinking and learning organization, enabling effectiveness of the various task forces empowered for quick result changes. One of the trainer states We have applied for instructor education with skeptism. We later realized the importance of systems ideas and organizational education. The first program was a mind opening experience. The inputs on functional silos reflected our organization. Now we are hardcore followers of systems ideas. Communication Communication played a important role during out the change process. A bulletin was promoted that provided usual updates to the whole organization about the visioning exercise, the assessment of current reality, status of the quick fix opportunities and the new structure. In every stage the break through teams had a high level of interaction with the concerned divisions. The informal channel of communication was also taken care of by including community from all realistic constituencies in the change break through teams. A top down approach was used to communicate the change plan with help from the break through team members. One CUSECS member reiterates Communication played a fundamental role in CUSECS project. The common updates through the newsletter and informal communication through the members to their parent departments was useful in updating the whole organization quickly. We identified enablers in each department, people who are opinion shapers and we particularly embattled them. We convinced them first and then asked them to communicate to others about the change Top Management Involvement The CMD was occupied throughout the reorganization process. He communicated his hold to the change activities by personal involvement, and regular appreciation to the change management team and the particular task forces. He played the role of a mentor to the team members. He also interacted with a large number of employees during the visioning, assessment and finishing point stages. Young managers recount stories of his support to the change team, where he gave total freedom to come up with creative ideas and safe guarded them from backlashes from well-known constituencies. Mr. Sundararajan recalls In the prime period I talked to lots of group of people regarding the need for reorganization. The leader has to act not just talk. Lip service will not work for long. If individual says one will take of care of the subordinates then one has to when something happens Change Opportunities for Quick Results During the assessment process, the break through teams identified many opportunities where small changes were likely to produce foremost results. Special task forces for working on the identified opportunities were created and started working in equivalent. The job forces were provided with adequate training and were in constant communication with the break through teams. At one point of time there were more than six hundred task forces working across the organization on thousands of opportunities identified in the change plan. Market study, brand building, packaging, operational efficiency of plants, correct quantity and quality of products, cash collections, and safety are some areas where task forces worked to produce quick results. Creating a Shared Vision The visioning exercise was conducted to develop clarity and common understanding about the potential of the association. The visioning work out started with the panel. The exercise was extended across the company in a escalation approach flowing from the top management to the junior management facilitated by internal experts trained particularly for the same. The core of the vision as articulated by the organizational members across the organization is given below. Be the BEST Establish first class brands and Make the workplace exciting corporate image Improve boundary management Excellent customer care and service Fulfill social responsibilities, to Go for excellent performance and ethical operational efficiency Apply the best technology. Make people a source of improvement Make systems strong and dynamic. Below figure elaborates the nine broad themes in the shared vision of BPCL. The visioning exercise provided an opportunity for articulation of the aspirations of the people. The process brought the whole organization out of lethargy, and increased the energy levels and expectations on persons, teams and the company. Since the vision was iterated throughout the organization, there was greater buy in for the change. One of the managers states We were all amazed that the vision was so much in unison across the organization. It clearly stated that people had great aspirations but never expressed them. This exercise made us realize the possibilities for the future of BPCL. Change Plan Based on the inputs from the shared vision and current reality, a workshop was conducted to develop a change plan. The change plan came to six volumes with over one thousand and six hundred pages. The change plan included the Organizational assessment Well defined corporate values Vision articulated in terms of critical business processes, and Areas of change to achieve the vision Organizational Assessment Current Reality Based on the initial diagnosis by the CUSECS team and the visioning workshop for top management, it was decided that an organization wide assessment exercise would be conducted simultaneously with the shared visioning exercise. Six break through teams were formed. The teams were responsible for assessing the organizational reality in terms of Marketing, Lubricants and Refining Support services and management Logistics processes LPG. The marketing team looked at the customer management processes, product management processes and execution management processes. The refining team compared the effectiveness of the refinery; lube oil processing and LPG plants with the best international players taking into account the machinery age and technology employed. Various performance parameters like crude acquisition, energy consumption, and capital expenditure were assessed. The logistics team also looked at the existing logistics infrastructure, economics of supply and distribution, opportunities for cost reduction, supply points vs. consumption centers, impact of taxes and duty, and comparison with benchmarks and competitors. The LPG team compared the LPG marketing with that of the international and local competitors. The customer base, pricing policies, interface between the customer and marketing and future plans were critically reviewed. The lubricants team analyzed the organizational competitive position in comparison to the competition. It also looked at the packaging, pricing, branding, trade channels, the existing joint venture arrangements, and future plans. The team responsible for support services and management processes evaluated the human resource practices (for example work culture, HR processes, training and development, and appraisal and compensation), the information systems (for example use of different software packages, integration and use of IT), and accounting practices in terms of clarity, speed and cost. The break through teams also assessed the organizational structure in terms of roles and responsibilities, levels and accountability, human resource development in terms of training, appraisal and compensation. Each team interacted with all the stakeholders concerned including the unions, suppliers, distributors, customers, financial institutes, local communities, government officials, and so on. Assessment was carried out in a non- threatening manner, with constant and rich communication of the activities carried out by the break through teams. The assessment exercise created an internal environment for change. The organizational assessment exercise found the following Collective dissatisfaction with the status quo Low customer focus and customer orientation Huge gap between the vision and capabilities to achieve it, and Many opportunities for quick improvement Change Team A change team was formed with twenty-two managers nominated from various functions across levels. The team size grew to thirty as the project progressed. The team members had varied performance records, educational qualifications and experience. The CMD did not believe in giving importance to those with higher degrees over others. His philosophy was to provide an opportunity to average people in an empowered and enabled environment to achieve great results. Mr. Sundararajan says Initially when we formed the change team I asked for nominations from various departments and they nominated all kinds of people. I did not nominate the best mangers in BPCL because I have observed many times in my career, if people are given the right environment and opportunities they would rise up to it. And my faith was not misplaced. These youngsters did a wonderful job. The change project was titled CUSECS for Customer Service Customer Satisfaction. The consultant ADL trained the CUSECS team. The training included topics like negotiations, interpersonal effectiveness, presentations, systems thinking, and best practices. The CUSECS team was provided with all the information and support required to develop skills in diagnosis, change strategy formulation, organization design, and implementation. Those who could not take up the huge workload and stress were requested to leave and join their parent departments. The team conducted a short diagnosis of the organizational issues with facilitation by consultants and made presentations to the top management. One of the CUSECS team members state: We were initially frustrated and unable to understand why ADL wanted us to think through everything ourselves, rather than telling us what is best. Later, we appreciated their approach in enabling us to think and decide for ourselves what is best for the organization. We were trained exhaustively starting from presentation skills, negotiation skills to systems thinking and so on. Designing the New Structure There was a clear consensus among the change management team, top management team and the consultants that the functional structure would not be able to sustain initiatives taken to create the customer centric organization. The obvious solution was to create customer centric strategic business units (SBUs). The change management team with assistance of the consultants considered various options. The redesign process took about a month. The CMD was personally involved in this. To prevent any interference from day to day activities he officially took leave and was present as a resource person. The change team discussed the various choices in structure with all the stakeholders. There were apprehensions among senior managers regarding the new structure and no consensus emerged on the new structure. Politicking and power plays were observed, with each function trying to retain the existing status in terms of power and control. Finally the CMD personally called for a meeting of the functi onal heads and other senior managers. Asking the group to discuss, negotiate and come with a concrete solution acceptable to everyone, he locked the room and waited outside. Finally a design was approved that was acceptable to all. The final structure was not the optimum structure as envisioned by the change team but one acceptable to all the members of the top management team. Implementation The new structure was rolled out in phased manner to ensure effective implementation. The new structure was first implemented in the LPG SBU. Based on the experience, the new design was implemented across the organization with necessary modifications. Further, in each of the proposed SBUs specific regions were identified and the new structure was implemented to verify the smooth functioning before full implementation. Organizational Structure The older structure was functionally organized. There were mainly four functions (refineries, marketing, finance and personnel) each headed by an executive director reporting to the (CMD). Other support departments like corporate affairs, legal, audit, vigilance, coordination and company secretary were directly under the CMD. The Director refinery was in charge of refinery, corporate planning, JV refineries and special projects. Other than corporate finance and marketing finance EDP was also under the Director finance. In marketing, there were different departments for retail, industry, LPG, lubricants and aviation segments. Corporate communication was also under Director meeting. The whole of India was divided into four regions and further into 22 divisions. Each region was headed by a Regional Manager who was in charge of all activities within the region and reported to the Director marketing. Each region had a manager in charge of each of regional personnel, regional engineering, regional industrial customers, regional retail, and regional finance. Regional LPG was under regional industrial customers. The division was the responsibility of the Divisional Manager reporting to the Regional Manager. He had a manager each for sales, operations and engineering. Each of these was responsible for sales, depots and engineering respectively for all the customer segments. Across the marketing function, except for the corporate departments (LPG, industrial customer, etc.) specifically looking after a customer segment, every individual and role is focused on multiple customer segments. For example any strategy addressing the industrial customers originates from the Corporate Department (Industrial Customer), goes via the Director Marketing, Regional Manager, Divisional Manager to the Sales Officer. All of them are responsible for multiple customer segments like retail, LPG, industrial, etc. and deal with different classes of customers. Hence there was very low customer awareness in terms of the unique needs of the different customer segments, with no single individual at the operational level having clarity on any single customer segment. Moreover, the marketing strategy was formulated by people who were far from the customer with very low understanding of the customer they were targeting. The implementers were responsible for diverse customers with a l ow understanding of the logic of these strategies meant for each customer segment. Thus the old structure had created a bottleneck between the strategy formulators and implementers in terms of the regional structure, and between the field staff and the corporate offices and refinery. Activities of a business process are spread out across different functions and levels of hierarchy, engaging many individuals. There was a long chain of non-value adding linkages between any two activities targeting a business / customer. For example, when an industrial customer gives a special order of lubes to the sales officer, the corporate lubes purchases the base oil, plant blends it, SD packs it and the sales officer sells it. The Sales Officer would communicate the order to the Divisional Manager, who passes it on to the Regional Manager. Then the order would be routed to the Corporate Lubes for processing. Everyone involved in the activities of this process belong to different functions and hierarchy levels. This long chain of communication had led to a lack of customer orientation, low awareness of customer needs and expectations and slow response. The New SBU Structure The new structure was focused on the business processes and the customer. The new structure at the top management level is the same. Five SBUs Retail, Lubes, Industry/Commercial, LPG and Aviation are customer centered SBUs and come under the director (marketing). The sixth SBU, Refinery along with two new departments IT Supply Chain and RD are under the director (refineries). Each SBU would have its own HR, IS, finance, logistics, sales, engineering, etc. The number of layers in the organization was reduced to four from six or seven. The major change is the introduction of the territories covering a smaller geographical area and focusing on specific customer segments. In retail SBU the new structure had 669 territories reporting to the four regional offices, where as in the earlier structure there were only 22 divisions which catered to all segments. In other SBUs the regional office was removed and territories were designed to directly report to the SBU heads. Each territory team leader was responsible for sales in the territory only for a specific product. The territory structure was designed to enable the field staff to focus on specific customer segments. Authority was also delegated down the hierarchy and decision making pushed to the lowest possible levels. Decisions earlier taken at the regional level were taken now at the territory level. Further authority was delegated to the role and not the hierarchy level. Administrative offices have been moved to supply locations that consist of 125 terminals for mai n fuels and 35 LPG bottling ones. In LPG SBU head office there are only nine personnel and across the territories even managers at senior positions have been forced to get business. The new design incorporated recalibration of roles and responsibilities and redeployment of more than two thousand people (around one fifth of total employee strength) across the organization. It created new roles at the front effectively using redundant manpower to increase customer interface and interaction. Since the corporate and support functions are now located within the SBUs the new design included lateral linkage mechanisms (see Appendix C). Governance Councils, Process Councils, and Task forces (to address specific organizational issues) were the mechanisms for integrating the different parts of the organization. Some Salient Features of New Structure were Highly empowered work force Decentralized decision making De-linking of authority from hierarchical levels Orientation towards internal and external customers Regular market research and customer surveys Conscious brand building efforts Organizational Structure before redesign Organizational Structure after redesign Conclusion Bharat Petroleum realises that, in the long run, success can only come with a total reorientation and change in approach with the customer as the focal point. Today, Bharat Petroleum is restructured into a Corporate Centre, Strategic Business Units (SBUs) and Shared Services and Entities. From the last many years Bharat Petroleum continues face many challenges of the quickly changing environment. Bharat petroleum make advance and changes their products and services according to the changing environment. In day by day changing in bharat petroleum only one factor has remained unchanged this is Bharat Petroleums employees which are the source of strength and motivation of Bharat Petroleums in their future innovations. Bharat Petroleum wants their employees to understand the complexity of the market, customers requirements, and offer the innovative products to meets the customers requirements. For Bharat Petroleum, promise by its staffs is a critical resource. BPCL believe that only a cheerful worker will place his best result and a good relationship with the customs, Bharat Petroleum deployed and also will plan to implement several steps to make the organisation a great place to work or worker get best organisation environment. Hewitt Associates conducted a survey for Business Today magazine in the January 2001 issue to identify the best employers, and in this survey Bharat Petroleum was one of top ten employers in India. The main motive of the survey was to discover out which companies had really charged the expressive and intellectual energy of their employees. The companies who were in the top list were Hughes, ICICI, P and G, Asian Paints, Hewlett-Packard, HLL, Infosys, LG and Compaq. Bharat Petroleum adopts significant value-based HR methods for growth of individuals and their organisational skills with a assessment to provide them with a competitive edge and also to realise their private vision in tandem with the commercial vision. Bharat Petroleum has been conferred the National HRD Award 2000 by National HRD Network for making Outstanding Contribution to HRD. At the National Petroleum Management Programme (NPMP) on Excellence in Creativity and Innovation (1999-2000), Bharat Petroleum employees bagged all the three awards in the individual category, along with four certificates of recognition in the team category.