Why are environmental issues becoming more important for international Essay

Why are environmental issues becoming more important for international business - Essay Example It is a fact that environmental issues have managed to strike â€Å"increased discussion on the international business horizon† (Cherunilam 2010: 670). It is generally suggested that environmental trends and standards play a significantly valuable role in determining relative success of different products in the international market so the importance of efforts directed at protecting the global environment should not be undermined on the basis of a few negative effects. This belief has resulted in fueling the development and implementation of many environmental management systems around the globe. Different ways by which environment influences business are heavily acknowledged now (Lozada & Polonsky 1993: 20). Recently, the popularity regarding the existence of the link between business and environment has exploded. A wide variety of reasons could be found explaining why businesses now lay a greater emphasis on their environmental policies and services instead of solely focusi ng on profit maximization which would be contemplated in this essay with the help of research literature. Research evidence identifies that modern environmental concerns challenging the business world â€Å"have their roots in the 1960s† (Johnson & Turner 2010: 382), but it has only been some years that these issues have really exploded onto the surface. General consensus today is that with growing awareness the business world has undergone gigantic transformation for the better and as a result of which international business has remarkably affected the environment as well. It is proposed that environmental issues are becoming increasingly important for businesses because low environmental protection standards lead to depressing losses every year. Even those countries which have embraced high environmental standards and where business organizations take great pains to establish strictest policies have to suffer from significant losses which are estimated to be 1-2% of GNP. Th e condition is even worse in the developing world where businesses have not yet adopted high standards due to gross economical contractions and where losses resulting from poor environmental protection have been reported to reach 3-5% of GNP (Wysokinska & Witkowska 2005: 270). This is why more stress is laid on environmental protection in the modern business world now because flawed policies and insufficient investments made in this field adversely affect business organizations. Also there are more governmental environmental regulations and requirements set by the government, customers, and suppliers now due to which business organizations come under pressure to address these issues (Lozada & Polonsky 1993: 20). Research literature makes it obvious that this obsession of international business with different environmental issues encompass a wide variety of subjects from promoting protection of natural resources and discouraging the imports of products deemed destructive to the envir onment to banning any products which may pollute the atmosphere or contain toxic metal compounds. For example, the Environmental Protection Agency in the US establishes certain restrictions on â€Å"the importation of lead and lead articles that constitute toxic substances† (Hinkelman et al. 2005: 829). As a consequence of banning the import of all goods which hold the potential to negatively interfere with natural environment, both positive and negative effects influence the economy of a country. Research indicates that while limiting the import helps in raising the environmental standards by reducing the rate of goods which could destroy or pollute the environment like noisy vehicles, this practice also exerts a bad influence on the regular â€Å"

Success In Writing Essay Example for Free

Success In Writing Essay Everyday more and more people try to make a profession in being a successful writer. In this passage, aspiring writer Melusina Fay Peirce writes to novelist Marian Evans Lewes asking if beginning writing at thirty is too old. Evans is moved by this letter and responds mentioning thirty is not too old. In the letter, she comments that even an accomplished writer such as herself is rarely satisfied with hours of work. It is impossible to be an accomplished writer without having years of wisdom behind you. Throughout the passage, she utilizes various persuasive techniques such as refutation and analogies in order to depict novice work as tasteless. In Lewes response to Peirce, she incorporates many rhetorical strategies in order to convey that writers must prepare to be unsatisfied and must not be concerned about flattery because success in writing comes only with maturity. In the beginning of the letter, Evans uses a plethora of rhetorical strategies which suggest that in order to be a writer one must be ready to be unsatisfied. Evans declares her consciousness is not of the triumphant kind. Beginning her letter with a refutation immediately conveys that being a writer is a difficult life. Although one may put hours of hard work into a novel, satisfaction is not always achieved. She then states that Exultation is a dream before achievement and rarely comes after. Evans suggests that she often fancies admiration before her work is finished only to encounter a deficiency of praise after. While Lewes may be a praised writer, she shocks Peirce when saying she is rarely commended for her work; writers dreams are seldom met. When encountering the lack of the praise writers such as Evans tend to feel like a poor husk. Evans uses this word to convey the emptiness in which she feels after writing. One always feels like it is possible to create better work but doesnt know where to look. She then continues on and inquire to Peirce Does these seem melancholy?. This rhetorical question implies that these feelings of incompleteness and emptiness are far less melancholy than self-flattery. This connects to the refutation at the beginning of the paragraph stating that writers seldom feel triumphant. Using the various strategies, Evans conveys that to be a writer one must not be concerned about flattery and must be prepared to be unfulfilled. In the next paragraph, Evans refutes Peirces main concern of being too old to start writing by giving support to the idea that success come with maturity. Lewes responds by mentioning not to fancy yourself old because you are thirty, or to regret you have not written anything. This refutation replies to Peirces concern that she is too old and tells Peirce not to worry. She then states that it does not even matter if one hasnt written anything prior to being an established writer. Lewes then mentions that the writing of a young writer is no better than trashy, unripe fruit. The underdeveloped fruit mirrors the underdeveloped minds and writing of the young writers. He then states that there is nothing worse than a writer who has exhausted himself. One cannot burn out writing all of their material while young. A successful writer needs to be patient, as triumph in literature comes with experience in everyday life. Towards the end of the letter, Evans reflects that when she was young she began a sort of writing which had no great glory belonging to it, but which she felt certain she could do faithfully and well. This anecdote also works as an emotional appeal as it sympathizes with Peircr, implying mutual feelings both writers felt while young. Evans suggests that mature and older writers are more patient in their writing, consequently producing better works. Evans is very persuasive in her position which states achievements in writings will come along with maturity. In Lewess letter to Peirce, she includes numerous persuasive techniques in order to convey that writers must prepare to be unsatisfied and must not be concerned about flattery because success in writing only comes with maturity. Evanss main point is that one is never too old to begin writing. An aspiring writer shouldnt hold back on account that they havent produced descent works in the past. Wisdom, compassion and insight all come with years of aging and are needed to produce successful writing.

Positive and negative effects of Globalization

Positive and negative effects of Globalization EXECUTIVE SUMMARY. Business management is the act of getting people together to accomplish desired goals and objectives. Globalization in short, points to the whole effort towards making the world global community as a one village. Globalization on business management is interconnection of international markets and managing businesses in a global industry. This includes foreign investments whereby a company expands its business and invest in foreign countries. Globalization makes business management easier and efficient for the company. Based on my research, Globalization simplifies business management in the world. This is due to the advancement in technology, transport, communication, education, and regulations of trade that makes trade fair to all parties. This attracts more people to engage in international business and international trade. Managers within the global face a lot of challenges due to high competition in the industry, good decisions must be made in order to satisfy and maintain their customers and attract more customers for their products. Companies enjoy economies of scale in the business due to reduction of cost in the management. This report explores a range of interlinking questions, starting with what is globalization, what are the effects of globalization in developing countries and developed countries, this is in terms of positive and negative effects. Globalization is something that affects all of us, no matter what our profession or interest is. Globalization is a very wide and a very important focus of discussion. I spent time researching what it is and the effects it has in developed countries and developing countries. So in this report I will define what globalization is and the effects according based on my research. Globalization despite having benefits to the world, it also has a negative effects of it. INTRODUCTION. Globalization in short, points to the whole effort towards making the world global community as a one village. Goods that were only found in western countries can now be found across the globe. Now under developed areas can enjoy the benefits of scientific advances and industrial progress available in developed countries for the improvement and growth of their areas. Because of globalization the economies of the world are being increasingly integrated, example mobile phones and internet have brought people closer. The world is becoming a smaller place. Work can be outsourced to any part of the world that has an internet connection because of improvements in traffic infrastructure one is able to reach ones destination in a short time. Globalization can also be defined as an ongoing process by which regional economies, societies and cultures have become integrated through a globe-spanning network of communication and trade. The process of globalization includes a number of factors which are rapid technology developments that make global communications possible, political developments such as the fall of communism, and transportation developments that make traveling faster and more frequent. These produce greater development opportunities for companies with the opening up of additional markets, allow greater customer harmonization as a result of the increase in shared cultural values, and provide a superior competitive position with lower operating costs in other countries and access to new raw materials, resources, and investment opportunities. Globalization through global communications, global markets and global production have promoted and facilitated by a fourth area of global activity in relation to money. For example, the American dollar, the Japanese yen, Euro and other major national currencies circulate globally. They are being used anywhere on earth and moving electronically and via air transport anywhere in effectively no time. Most bankcards can extract cash in local currency from the thousands of automated teller machines (ATMs) across the world. Also credit cards like Visa, MasterCard and American Express can be used for payments in almost every country in the globe (Scholte J.A., 2000). People can move from one country to another, trade restrictions are reducing, domestic markets are opening up for foreign investments, telecommunications are better established and the countries that are leading the innovations are passing on their technologies to other countries in need (Kulkami A., 2009). EFFECTS OF GLOBALIZATION ON BUSINESS MANAGEMENT IN DEVELOPED COUNTRIES. Globalization has brought benefits in developed countries as well as negative effects. The positive effects include a number of factors which are education, trade, technology, competition, investments and capital flows, employment, culture and organization structure. POSITIVE EFFECTS It would be rather difficult to discuss the extent of the positives that globalization has had on the world at large. But still, here are some of the positive effects of globalization and the positive impacts they have had on so many demographic segments of society. Global market. Most successful emerging markets in developed countries are a result of privatization of state owned industries. In order for these industries to increase consumer demand many of them are attempting to expand and extend their value chain to an international level. The impact of globalization on business management is seen by the sudden increase of number of transactions across the borders. In protecting yields and maintaining competitiveness, businesses are continuing to develop a wide range of their footprint as it lowers cost and enjoys economies of scale (Shah A.,2009) Multinational corporations is a result of globalization. They occupy a central role within the process of globalization as evidenced through global foreign direct investment inflows. Their concentrations within Europe in western economies has led to size constraints, therefore there is a need for new geographical areas to operate whereby they will face a lot of competition in the market. Through this they will enlarge their market and enjoy economies of scale as globalization facilitates time space compression, economies compete at all levels including that of attracting investors (Smith V.A and Omar M.,2005). Cross-cultural management Globalization tend to be the realm of elite because in many parts of the world they are the only people who are affluent enough to buy many of the products available in the global marketplace. Highly educated and wealthy people from different backgrounds interact within a westernized milieu. Western styles, since are symbols of affluence and power, the elite often embraces western styles of products and pattern of behavior in order to impress others. Today Western culture and patterns of behavior and language are staples of international business (Asgary N. and Walle A.H.,2002). United states seems to have powerful impact upon many other countries and societies. The world today has a popular cultural force. The popular consumer culture of the economically dominant West is relentlessly and inevitably transforming other regions, cultures, nations and societies. In addition, such perspective imply that technological change, mass media, and consumer oriented marketing campaigns work in tandem to remake whatever they touch in their own image. Even attitudes and ideas about society, religion and technology are transformed by cultural diffusion brought by globalization. Example, in America McDonalds represent fast, cheap and convenient food while it is not the same worldwide. Its of high price in other countries like China and Russia where it involves cultural experience (Walle A.H, 2002) Foreign trade Globalization has created and expanded foreign trade in the world. Things that were only found in developed countries can now be found in other countries across the world. People can now get whatever they want and from any country. Through this developed countries can export their goods to other countries. Countries do business through international trade, whereby they import and export goods across the global. These countries which export goods get comparative advantages. Organizations have been established with a view to control and regulate the trade activities of the countries in the world so to have fair trade. World trade organizations emerged as a powerful international organization capable effectively influencing individual governments to follow international trade rules, copyrights, policies on subsidies, taxes and tariffs. Nations can not break rules without facing economic consequences (Piaseck R. and Wolnicki M., 2004) . The number of nations that are dependent on trade, foreign capital, and the world financial markets increased greatly. Countries engaged in foreign trade enjoy comparative advantage. The post Recardian trade theories predicted that specialization in labor and capital intensive goods would bridge enormous wage gaps between the poor and the rich countries, that is the developing and developed countries, sparing the latter from massive labor immigration (Gerber J., 2002). Resource Imperative Developed countries need natural and human resources of the developing countries while developing countries need capital, technology and brainpower of the wealthier countries. Developed countries economies are increasingly dependent on the natural and human resources of the developing nations. Growing interdependence of nations and their activities on one another fostered by the depletion of natural resources; as well as overpopulation (Harris P.R.,2002). Foreign investment One of the most visible positive effects of globalization in India is the flow of foreign capital. A lot of companies have directly invested in India, by starting production units in India, but what we also need to see is the amount of Foreign Investment Inflow that flows into the developing countries. Indian companies which have been performing well, both in India and off the shores, will attract a lot of foreign investment, and thus pushes up the reserve of foreign exchange available in India. This is also one of the positive effects of globalization in US and other developed countries as developing countries give them a good investment proposition. Managers objectives might not be the same with those of stockholders in some situations. The more complex the corporation the more difficult it is for shareholders to monitor managements actions whereby it provides the managers more freedom to act in their own self interest at the expense of shareholders. Multinational firms are more complex than national firms. Managers might favor international diversification because it reduces firm specific risk or adds to their prestige. These goals might be of little interest to shareholders. This divergence of interests between shareholders and managers, might reduce the value of multinationals relative to domestic firms (Saudagaran S.M.,2002) Competition One of the most visible positive effects of globalization is the improved quality of products due to globe competition. Customer service and the customer is the king approaches to production have led to improved quality of products and services. As the domestic companies have to fight out foreign competition, they are compelled to raise their standards and customer satisfaction levels in order to survive in the market. Besides, when a global brand enters a new country, it comes in riding on some goodwill, which it has to live up to. This creates competition in the market and a survival of the fittest situation. Culture The positive effects of globalization on culture are many! Not all good practices were born in one civilization. The world that we live in today is a result of several cultures coming together. People of one culture, if receptive, tend to see the flaws in their culture and pick up the culture which is more correct or in tune with the times. Societies have become larger as they have welcomed people of other civilizations and backgrounds and created a whole new culture of their own. Cooking styles, languages and customs have spread all due to globalization. The same can be said about movies, musical styles and other art forms. They too have moved from one country to another, leaving an impression on a culture which has adopted them. Legal Effects Increased media coverage draws the attention of the world to human rights violations. This leads to improvement in human rights. Global economic growth does not necessarily make people happier, worldwide free trade, should also benefit humanity as well as protect nature, not just reward managers and stockholders. Those who would be authentic leaders need to address inequalities. Globalization should promote openness and information along with exchange with greater democracy and prosperity (Harris P.R., 2002). Gone are the days where the limited jurisdiction became a hindrance in the prosecution of criminals. These days due to international courts of justice, these criminals can no longer seek asylum in a foreign country, but will be brought forward and there will be justice. Due to globalization, there is also an understanding between the security agencies and the police of two or more different countries who will come together to curbglobal terrorism. Hence, it is now possible to catch the perpetrators of crime irrespective of which country they choose to hide in. This is undoubtedly one of the greatest positive effects of globalization on society. NEGATIVE EFFECTS Globalization also have its side effects to the developed nations. These include some factors which are jobs insecurity, fluctuation in prices, terrorism, fluctuation in currency, capital flows and so on. JOBS INSECURITY. In developed countries people have jobs insecurity. People are losing their jobs. Developed nations have outsourced manufacturing and white collar jobs. That means less jobs for their people. This is because the manufacturing work is outsourced to countries where the costs of manufacturing goods and wages are lower than in their countries. They have outsourced to developing countries like China and India. Most people like accountants, programmers, editors and scientists have lost jobs due to outsourcing to cheaper locations like India. Globalization has led to exploitation of labor. Safety standards are ignored to produce cheap goods. In practice, however, the recent experience in Latin America has been that many such open-handed multinationals moved their operations to, for example, China or South East Asia because of cost and market considerations(Piasecki R. and Wolnicki M., 2004). FLUCTUATION IN PRICES. Globalization has led to fluctuation in price. Due to increase in competition, developed countries are forced to lower down their prices for their products, this is because other countries like China produce goods at a lower cost that makes goods to be cheaper than the ones produced in developed countries. So, in order for the developed countries to maintain their customers they are forced to reduce prices of their goods. This is a disadvantage to them because it reduces the ability to sustain social welfare in their countries. EFFECTS OF GLOBALIZATION ON BUSINESS MANAGEMENT IN DEVELOPING COUNTRIES. POSITIVE EFFECTS. I know that globalization has also created many negative effects, but I believe its always better to look to the future with optimism and hope. Tomorrow, hopefully, we will be able to minimize or even eradicate the evil forces that give globalization a bad name. Thus we will be able to move forward with peace and harmony(Kulkami A., 2009) Poverty alleviation As far as poverty reduction is concerned, globalization played a role in poverty reduction in developing countries. In deed most developed countries experienced reduction in poverty in the proportion of their living below the poverty line, including fast developing countries like China, India, Vietnam. While other countries like Sub-Saharan Africa registered an opposite trend (Lee E., 2006). Employment situation. Through globalization, people from different countries are provided with jobs opportunities within the global. It has created the concept of outsourcing. Developed countries prefer to provide work to developing countries where costs are cheap. Work such as customer support, software development, accounting, marketing and insurance are given to developing countries like India. Therefore the country that is given the work enjoys by getting jobs. It has given an opportunity to invest in the emerging markets and tap up the talent which is available there. In developing countries, there is often a lack of capital which hinders the growth of domestic companies and hence, employment. In such cases, due to global nature of the businesses, people of developing countries too can obtain gainful employment opportunities (Pillai P.,2008). Technology This is a powerful force that drives the world toward a converging commonality. It has proletarianized communication, transport, and travel. People from different places everywhere wants all the things they have heard about, seen, or experienced through technology. Organizations through its managements can obtain knowledge from different places in the world that can be used in the organization. Television and medias played a big role in influencing the perception of the world, from a relatively small national unity and reality, into a global market and international concerns. As multinationals establish subsidiaries in new locations, they transfer know how from the parent to the local operation. Knowledge flows from one unit to another as a whole organization benefits from development activity. One of the ways that organizations use in knowledge transfer is the movement of personnel, which takes place within multinationals. This build up a bank of knowledge about working in different situations with people from different cultures and this represents a stock of knowledge that could be developed and used to benefit the organization (Kamoche, 1997). Education. Globalization from the point of view has positive effects as well as negative effects. It has increased the access of higher education example universities and reducing the knowledge gap in developing countries, it equally has negative aspects which can seriously threaten universities in those countries. From point of view it has brought more positive effects to developing countries through increasing access to higher learning institutions. Today you can move in the search of the best educational facilities in the world including developing countries without any hindrance. This is due to increased output from secondary schools, greater participation of women in higher education, a growing private sector demand for graduates, and the exorbitant costs of acquiring education in foreign countries, especially those in the nort (Mohamedbhai G., 2002). Foreign trade Despite having negative effects of globalization, it has a good side too. One of the most significant effect it has brought to developing countries is Trade. Before people used to exchange goods for goods or services for services but now people can trade goods for money. This is mostly through International trade whereby people exports and imports goods within countries. Globalization has led to reduction of costs in trade within the globe. It has led to reduction of tax of importation of goods. According to economic theory, foreign trade is in principle, beneficial to any country engaged. The international division of labor allocates the resources more efficient whereby it increases the economic welfare of all countries engaged in foreign trade in long run (Kaitilia V and Kotilainen M., 2002). Foreign investment Foreign investment is a direct result of globalization. Foreign investment is always welcomed as it provides resources, capital and technology to a country that will support economic development of the host country. This improves employment as in direct and indirectly. Increases exports to a country and thereby improves the current account and therefore will help to the repayment of foreign debt. This however has some criticisms for leading to too much foreign control (Kaitilia V and Kotilainen M., 2002). Developing countries can use general or specific industrial and trade policies to be more or less welcoming to foreign direct investments, capital and foreign tourist services. They can directly and indirectly shape their participation in the economic activities in the globe (Piasecki R. and Wolnicki M., 2004). Market sector Globalization of markets in developing countries is growing so fast. The emergence of global markets for standardized consumer products on a previously unimagined scale of magnitude. This brought benefits which are economies of scale in production, reduced world prices, distribution, marketing and management (Levitt T., 1983) IKEA is one of the company that is growing fast in developed countries. Its market is increasing within the global. It has become the worlds largest home furnishings retailer. The managers are facing a lot of challenges in managing them (Nanda A., 1990). IKEA can now be found in so many places in the world example Malaysia. NEGATIVE EFFECTS Globalization is a tool that benefits all sections of mankind. We cannot ignore the negative effects it has in developing world. Unemployment Globalization is a blame to worlds unemployment situation though it brought some jobs opportunities. Despite the fact that it brought jobs opportunities to the global but it is still a blame to the current situation. It s true that global economic integration and increased travel have resulted in increased competitiveness at the national and enterprise levels, forcing producers to find ways to cut costs, improve efficiency, and raise productivity(Kigundu M.N.,2002). The most important factor to determine the level of employment during 1980-2000 was national or regional macroeconomic policies which were implemented and sustained. In addition those countries with liberal macroeconomic reforms, pursued politics promoting flexible labor markets and employment practices, decentralized industrial relations systems, and judicious enforcement of labor. On the other hand, countries with employment laws, regulations, and policies experienced higher level of employment because they were not able to attract and retain as many new jobs(Kiggundu M.N.,2002). For example ,Indonesia faced unemployment and poverty that grew to levels not experienced in two decades, health conditions worsened, and the natural environment degraded (Piasecki R and Wolnicki M.,2004) Spread of fast foods chain. Fast foods chain is growing very fast. But some of the most rapid growth is occurring in the developing countries, where its real changing the way people eat. Kentucky Fried Chicken(KFC) is the largest, fastest growing, and highest potential units (Bartlett C.,1986). Most people prefer to buy fast foods because its cheap and quick. This replaces home cooked fare enjoyed with family and friends. Traditional diets and recipes are yielding to sodas, burgers, and other highly processed and standardized items that have a lot of fat, sugar, and salt resulting a global epidemic of diabetes, obesity, and other chronic diseases. Meanwhile, fast food producers require farmers to raise uniform fields of crops and herds of livestock for easy processing, eliminating agricultural diversity. Western culture. Globalization has led to the spread of western culture and influence at the expense of local culture in developing countries like Africa. Most people now in developing countries cop what people in developed countries do. So, its like they ignore their own culture and practice western culture ( Goyal K.A., 2006). For example dressing styles and eating habits, language. All these can affect management in one way or another example it can cause misunderstandings because of language barrier. Trade Average tariff rates continue to be high in many developing countries, including some that have recently implemented trade reforms. Example,India. Trade policy continues to be an important aspect in globalization at least in some of the lower income developing countries. widespread use of computers, faxes and mobile phones, introduction of the internet and e-commerce, and quicker and cheaper means of transportation in some cases offered opportunities to developing countries, but in many cases deepened the gap between global firms and traditional industries globalization opened up new opportunities for developing countries to create jobs and expand exports. In practice, many developing countries competing for foreign investors offered longer tax holidays, costly subsidies, and various incentives for multinationals. The competition among developing nations reduced positive net effects of globalization or, at best, delayed them. REFERENCES. http://www.oxfamblogs.org/fp2p/?p=1872 http://www.unescap.org/esid/hds/issues/GlobalizationHealth.pdf http://www.un.int/turkey/3.pdf least developed countries Lee E,2006..Poverty Alleviation, from http://ftp.iza.org/dp1925.pdf ILO,GENEVA (Foreign trade) How does globalization affect developing countries economically, article 3/2002 from http://www.etla.fi/files/918_FES_02_3_developing_countries.pdf FOREIGN INVESTMENT, from http://www.etla.fi/files/918_FES_02_3_developing_countries.pdf Impacts of globalization from www.emeraldinsight.com Does globalization affect growth? http://129.3.20.41/eps/dev/papers/0210/0210004.pdf http://www.oit.org/wcmsp5/groups/public/dgreports/integration/documents/publication/wcms_079177.pdf http://books.google.com/books?q=effects+of+globalization&btnG=Search+Books Effects of financial globalization on developing countries by Eswar S. Prasad, Kenneth Rogoff, Shang-Jin Wei, and M.Ayhan Kose, International Monetary Fund, Washington DC,2003 from http://books.google.com/books?id=eBcFQ3DUcQEC&printsec=frontcover&dq=effects+of+globalization&cd=1#v=onepage&q=&f=false Global Employment situation, Managing globalization on developing countries, by Moses N. Kiggundu,2002 .United States Of America from http://books.google.com/books?id=OejvLdnW-oMC&pg=PA293&dq=effects+of+globalization+on+developing+countries&cd=2#v=onepage&q=effects%20of%20globalization%20on%20developing%20countries&f=false http://books.google.com/books?id=BU9sU7sG3DoC&pg=PA131&dq=effects+of+globalization+on+developing+countries&lr=&cd=12#v=onepage&q=effects%20of%20globalization%20on%20developing%20countries&f=false Managing globalization on developing countries, by Moses N. Kiggundu ,2002 .United States Of America from http://books.google.com/books?id=OejvLdnW-oMC&pg=PA293&dq=effects+of+globalization+on+developing+countries&cd=2#v=onepage&q=effects%20of%20globalization%20on%20developing%20countries&f=false Effects of globalization in Latin American countries http://books.google.com/books?id=ilL3tOo8My0C&pg=PA139&dq=effects+of+globalization+on+developing+countries&cd=3#v=onepage&q=effects%20of%20globalization%20on%20developing%20countries&f=false Jobs opportuinities in devpng countries,by Prabhakar Pillai,2008, http://www.buzzle.com/articles/negative-effects-of-globalization.html Positive effects of globalizationhttp://www.buzzle.com/articles/positive-effects-of-globalization.html Negative Effects of globalization in developing countrieshttp://global_india1.tripod.com/negative.htm Technology in developing countries from http://www.freeonlineresearchpapers.com/how-globalization-effects-third Effects of globalization, global market in developed countires http://www.globalissues.org/article/768/global-financial-crisis Smith V.A and Omar M.,2005, effects of globalization, www.emeraldinsight.com_Insight_ViewContentServlet_contentType=Article&Filename=_published_emeraldfulltextarticle_pdf_0540170105. Effects of globalization in developing countries,infranstructure from by Smith V.A and Omar M.,2005 from www.emeraldinsight.com_Insight_ViewContentServlet_contentType=Article&Filename=_published_emeraldfulltextarticle_pdf_0540170105. Cross cultural management in developed countries, Nader Asgary and Alf H. Walle, volume 9, 2002 from www.emeraldinsight.com_Insight_ViewContentServlet_contentType=Article&Filename=_published_emeraldabstractonlyarticle_pdf_1360090303. Foreign Investmet in developed countries,A review of the literature on the market Valuation of Multinational Firms, by Saudagaran S.M., vol 28 No. 3, 2002 from www.emeraldinsight.com_Insight_ViewContentServle_contentType=Article&Filename=published_emeraldabstractonolyarticle_pdf_0090280301. Unemployment situation in developing countries, Piasecki R and Wolnicki M.,2004 from www.emeraldinsight.com_Insight_ViewContentServlet_contentType=Article&Filename=_published_emeraldfulltextarticle_pdf_0060310306. International Trade in developed countries, Piasecki R and Wolnicki M.,2004 from www.emeraldinsight.com_Insight_ViewContentServlet_contentType=Article&Filename=_published_emeraldfulltextarticle_pdf_0060310306. Jobs insecurity in developed countries, the evolution of development economics and globalization, by Piasecki R. and Wolnicki M.,vol. 31 No.3, 2004 from www.emeraldinsight.com_Insight_ViewContentServlet_contentType=Article&Filename=_published_emeraldfulltextarticle_pdf_0060310306. Effects of globalization, Globalization and Its Implications on Universities in developing countries by Mohamedbhai G.,2002 from www.emeraldinsight.com_MohamedbhaIGoolam2.pdf Effects of globalization in developed countries, developing global organization, by Harris P.R vol 14 No. 6, 2002 pp 416-425 from www.emeraldinsight.com_Insight_ViewContentServlet_contentType=Article&Filename=_published_emeraldfulltextarticle_pdf_0540140603. http://www.indianmba.com/Faculty_Column/FC954/fc954.html http://books.google.com/books?id=e2b8TvlNxJ0C&pg=PA41&dq=definition+of+globalization&cd=1#v=onepage&q=definition%20of%20globalization&f=false Impact of globalization on developing countries by Goyal K.A, Issue 5, 2006 from http://www.eurojournals.com/IRJFE%206%20goyal.pdf Ricardo D.(1911) as cited in Piasecki R. and Wolnicki M., Vol. 31 No. 3, 2004, evolution of development economics and globalization from www.emeraldinsight.com_Insight_ViewContentServlet_contentType=Article&Filename=_published_emeraldfulltextarticle_pdf_0060310306. Kamoche K. (1996) as cited in Kidger P.J., Vol 24 No. 1, 2002 pp.69-85, Management structure in multinational enterprises Responding to globalization from www.emeraldinsight.com_Insight_ViewContentServlet_contentType=Article&Filename=_published_emeraldfulltextarticle_pdf_0190240104.

Grandma Essay -- Personal Narrative Profile

She's sitting there, a blown-out shell as hulking and vacant and lifeless as the enchanted castles of my beloved fairy-tale stories. The television cries for attention, but her eyes refuse to acknowledge even its blatant wail. Behind tinted glass-is that smudged dirt or a protective coating?-eyes finally flutter open, the first sign of life. Are they blank? Do they beg for help or scream of past and present pain? I can't say-I haven't the courage to look. The world rotates around its axis three times an hour and I run with it. "Soccer cleats, water bottle, there you go." "Fine-I'll be there in an hour." "Okay, groceries, post office, soccer practice . . . hmm . . . what do you want for dinner?" Family members dance around the kitchen in the ultimate test of agility to avoid tromping on another's toes. "There's nothing to eat!" "Love you-bye!" "Come back here! Pick that up right now!" A slap of the cupboard door, dashed kisses, and a sprint for keys-trip! crash! yell! A mad cacophony-entirely normal, unsettling, and dear Grandma sits there. She has not moved. The eye of the storm? Or merely forgotten by time? Dad and I walk away from it all sometimes, releasing frustration in fruitless lament. Sometimes we laugh bitterly. Sometimes his words are a painful reminder of a happier and more carefree time. "I just had to get out of the house. Usually I can take it-but tonight!" His stride slows in failure. "I never wanted you to realize how different she is. I tried-I hoped you'd never recognize her illness. And pretending used to work. I'm-I'm sorry you have to see it now. She used to love to visit, you know, and you loved her back." I strain to remember lost time and attitude. "Grandma's here!" A rus... ...er a fairy godmother in a white and poofy dress waving a crystalline magic wand and saying the magic words as I am instantaneously granted love and patience and relief from guilt and dread. But there is no magic wand or sudden connection of love and understanding. There is no resolution of perfect peace. I stare at these words and am instead startled, not by supreme happiness or tranquility, but by a resilient hope. The world does not end with this page. I will push print and the world will go on, and I will continue to create my world. "Happily ever after" is unnecessary. Instead, maybe I will sit down next to her and simply speak. Tonight maybe I will kiss her cheek as she goes up to bed. Maybe I will hold her hand as she struggles up the stairs or joke with her, whether she understands or not. This is no end, and there doesn't yet need to be-I'm still trying.

Corrections and Treatment Essay

Community-based treatment The three community-based treatment efforts which I would like to focus attention on are Intensive Outpatient Counseling Services, abbreviated as (IOP) next, a community based program known as: Child Mental Health and lastly Emergency Crisis Response. Community-based treatment efforts vary between states however, the purpose and importance of these treatment efforts are identical. Larry J. Siegel, Brandon C. Welsh authors of: Juvenile Delinquency: Theory, Practice, and Law quote the purpose: â€Å"Provide care, protection, and treatment for juveniles in need†. Institutionalization Issues affecting institutionalized juveniles reflects possible detrimental successful compliance with respect: to community-based efforts. Likewise, institutionalized juveniles are faced with the reality of prison life and a concern is introduced to wither or not juveniles will learn criminal behaviors. Lastly, the opportunity to provide individualized and/or group counseling even more so education is a separate affecting issue of institutionalized juveniles. The juvenile justice system should be concerned with those issues, because it clearly represents foreseeable safety issues for incarcerated juveniles and staff. Separately, the potential for reoccurrence: entry or criminal charges to the justice system leading to overcrowding. With that a final concern to the justice system might reflect mental health issues that are not able to be diagnosed in incarcerated juveniles, this would impact cost or funding within the justice system. Two of the three Intensive Aftercare Programs discussed in Juvenile Delinquency. The Core that I would like to focus attention on are Juvenile Boot Camps and Wilderness Programs, the importance of aftercare programs  offer the opportunity for juveniles to have a safe place to go. Another aspect that can be considered aftercare programs, redirect negative attitudes in juveniles and: potential for reoccurrence criminal behavior. In the reading materials, The Core the following statement is provided â€Å"exposure to a wholesome environment; where the  concepts of education and the work ethic are taught and embodied in adult role models, troubled  youth can regain a measure of self-worth.†

An Explanation of Spring and Fall

An Explication of Spring and Fall: To a Young Child Hopkins starts his poem, Spring and Fall: To a Young Child, with a question to a young girl, perhaps his granddaughter: â€Å"Margaret, are you grieving[? ]† (line 1). This quotation suggests that Margaret is watching the leaves fall from the trees in the fall and is sad to see the leaves go. Margaret is a young child, and in being young, she would have no knowledge of the seasons and why the leaves are falling. â€Å"Over Goldengrove unleaving? (line 2), Goldengrove may be metaphorical for her childhood and her lack of knowledge in life and death, because Goldengrove sounds very playful and beautiful like a garden or playground. †Leaves, [like the things of man]/ With [her] fresh thoughts care for, can you? † (line 3 and line 4), once again Hopkins uses questioning his poem, asking the young girl how she could care about such unimportant things as leaves. With line three of his poem, Hopkins also implies that Ma rgaret is showing characteristics of man by caring about the leaves. He continues that idea in: â€Å"Ah! s the heart grows older/†(line 5). Hopkins is trying to tell Margaret that as she grows older into womanhood, her heart will as well. â€Å"It will come to such sights colder. † (line 6), this idea is even further continued in line six, where Hopkins tells Margaret that leaves falling from a tree is only the beginning of her sadness, because as she gets older, she will see worse things than that. â€Å"Nor spare a sigh/[Though worlds of] wanwood leafmeal lie†(line 8) Hopkins tells Margaret that as she grows older and sees how bad things are she will not dare to cry at the sight of fallen leaves ever again.But, Hopkins assures her that she will indeed still cry, â€Å"Now no matter, child, the name† (line 10). Hopkins then tells the child that she won’t know or be able to verbalize why she feels so sad: â€Å"Nor mouth had, no nor mind, express ed† (line 11). Hopkins continues with â€Å"It is the blight man was born for,† (line 13) meaning that everyone is born to do one thing, and that is die. As Hopkins’s poem comes to an end, the last line reads, â€Å"It is Margaret you mourn for. † (line 14). This says that Margaret will mourn her whole life away, grieving about her own unavoidable demise, and that she will never even realize that is why she is sad.

Human Emotion and Foreign Policy Essays

Human Emotion and Foreign Policy Essays Human Emotion and Foreign Policy Essay Human Emotion and Foreign Policy Essay In this essay, I will argue that we should consider the role of human emotions as an important factor in foreign policy decision-making. Over the last three decades, research has found substantial evidence of the influence of emotions in several areas of political science and international relations. Studies have shown that emotions affect political attitudes (Redlawsk 2006), political preferences (Brader, Valentino, and Suhay 2008), and policy decisions (Marcus, Neuman, and MacKuen 2000). These robust findings show that we cannot contest that emotions significantly influence political decision-making. Over the last few decades, International Relations and Political Science scholars have worked to understand how emotions, such as compassion, fear, hate, embarrassment, anger, revenge, and ‘saving-face, have played a major role in foreign policy decision-making. However, one has to note that these studies have assumed that a person or a group of collective identity drives the perception, interpretation, evaluation, and response to international political events (Snyder, Bruck, and Sapin 2002). To bring my point closer to ‘home, recent newspaper headlines describe world events using emotions such as ‘anger, ‘rage’ and ‘hatred. The undercurrent of emotional rancor and bitterness are displayed at varying levels within the domestic and international affairs of India and Pakistan, Jews and Palestine, Albania and Serbia, and the United States and China, to name only a few. Against these events and happenings, it is clear that emotions play a significant role in foreign policy and foreign policy decision-making. This paper is written in three main sections. Firstly, it will introduce the theory of emotions, in particular, integral and incidental. Secondly, I have used two case studies to showcase the play of emotions in foreign policy decision-making by unpacking and analyzing the significant role of emotions in the foreign po

The Romance of Tristan essays

The Romance of Tristan essays The Relationship of King Mark and Tristan The romance of Tristan, developed by Beroul in the twelfth century, is an epic poem that has helped historians receive a further understanding of life in the 11th and 12th centuries. The poem explores many of the relationships that were prevalent in this time period. One relationship that is dealt with in this story is the bond between a lord and his vassal. This can be seen through the interactions of King Mark and Tristan. The Romance of Tristan shows that the bond between lord and vassal was very complicated, and it was a relationship formed out of trust and admiration, as well as self-interest. In this paper I will explore the common roles in society for a knight and a king, and I will show how Tristan and King Mark show similarities to what many believe is a normal lord-vassal relationship. I will make detail on how this single relationship would effect society as a whole, and note how this bond influences other people. Finally, I will explain how this traditional story is very helpful for historians to paint a picture on how life really was in the 11th and 12th centuries, and share my views on interpreting this poem. On the social and political levels, medieval men had to obey his superiors...He had to show loyalty to his authorities...The greatest social virtue required of medieval man was obedience, justified by religion. This helps form the groundwork for the traditional knight/lord relationship. A lord was a knights superior, and is expected to be respected by his knight at all times due to this reason. The common knight would take this into account in the 11th and 12th centuries, but if he had the strength or desire to fulfill his own personal needs, he would take the opportunity to do so. It seems to me that there was always a certain level of trust that had to be measured during this time. Each party owed something to the oth...

Managing medical error disclosure Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Managing medical error disclosure - Essay Example Incidence of medical errors has been on the increase (Mazor et al 2006). Medical errors are also called euphemistically as adverse events. A report titled â€Å"To Err is Human† had talked about frequency of medical error about a decade ago (Levinson, 2009). In spite of high incidence of serious medical errors, there had been no guidelines from professional bodies as to how to deal with medical errors until a few years ago (Bratton, 2007). Disclosing medical error to the patient has been high on the agenda of ethical practitioners in the medical profession contrary to what time and again insurance companies and their attorneys have advised against disclosure (Guadagnino, 2005). Medical error is the fifth leading cause of death in the U.S. and the Institute of Medicine (IOM) has estimated the related costs at $ 29 billion (Rajendran, 2001). Medical errors are not necessarily related to an individual’s negligence. It can be due to systemic deficiencies (Howe, 2000). Medical errors are so rampant that they are now considered a public health issue endangering safety of patients. Medical error had been recognized as early as in mid 1950s. But there had been no change in medical practice until recent times aimed at avoiding them. For example, in the case of tonsillectomy debated for the past more than two decades as an unnecessary procedure , it was only after the public scandal involving death of children during early 1970, that the medical profession woke up to the realty (Millenson, 2002). There are more than one million adverse events which end up in 44,000 to 98,000 patient deaths in the U.S. (Basanta, 2003).However much the efforts are being taken to avoid medical errors, it has not been possible to totally eradicate them as they are now daily routine to be confronted with by the health industry as whole at some place or other. Hence, in order to put the patients and their relatives at ease, the policy makers have made

Database management systems Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Database management systems - Research Paper Example Organizing and maintaining such enormous amount of data in only papers is almost impossible. If back up is not maintained properly, the business might lose critical information which could lead to losses. Thus, the migration of existing and current data to cloud based platform will require well defined architecture as well as strategies. The cloud database model should have specific objectives in line with policies of the organization. The model should also include sufficient security, encryption, and control over information which will be transferred. The biggest challenge lies in maintaining the balance between speed of data transfer, cost of data transfer, data accuracy and consistency. If all these aspects of cloud database management are not ensured then the consequences could be data loss, wrong location data placement or data alteration during transfer process. Even though cloud based computing platforms are becoming popular, especially for e-business and MNCs, due to cost eff iciency, there are issues related to data safety, speed and security. The objective of this paper is to critically analyze the cloud database by pointing out disadvantages of cloud data. Introduction and Background of the Research The cloud computing technology has been receiving significant attention in the market lately. For many sectors and companies in various industries, cloud is not just an umbrella for marketing but a consolidated technology that offers grid computing, SAAS (software as a service), distributed computing, and so on. There are many companies that offer cloud services including Amazon RDS and Microsoft SQL Azure. A cloud database is basically a database management system that runs on cloud computing platform (Curino, pp.1-2). Some of the cloud computing platforms are Go Grid, Amazon EC2, and Rack space. (Source: Curino and et.al, n.d, p.2) The main vision on the basis of which cloud computing was developed is based on certain key features that cloud database is expected to perform. Some of the important features that was kept in mind while creating cloud data platform were data storage, processing, software installation, software delivery from local servers and desktops across various networks. The key concept was that the target users must get access to remote data from anywhere at any time without requiring to carry a hard drive or other storage device. The concept was created to free big corporations from generating own power and capital investment. Thus, the most important candidate of cloud computing is the database management applications. The main reason behind this is that large corporations spend huge sum of money to safely manage enterprise data which involves upfront investment in both hardware and patented software services. The advantage that the different enterprises would get from cloud computing is that they could reduce their annual data management cost significant with the help cloud database. By using cloud data the comp anies will not have to install, own and maintain dedicated expensive software packages. The reason is that cloud computing service providers or vendors provide their customers with virtual machines or platforms from where the customer will be able to install and manage software services without having to own and store a version in their

Crime Causation and Diversion Paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Crime Causation and Diversion Paper - Essay Example There are several intervention, diversion and prevention programs that have been created to help the youths avoid getting into criminal careers when they become adult in that way reducing crime rates in the society (Greenwood 2006). These programs are also aimed at ensuring that the youths people’s lives are salvaged and that they are able to live productive lives later. This paper will discuss the youth advocacy program and Jeopardy programs. Jeopardy Program Jeopardy program is a program aimed at intervening and preventing gang violence in the city of Los Angeles. This program focuses on youths aged 7-16 years of both genders and their parents. The program works through school, community and the police department in ensuring that young people achieve permanent changes in behavior as a way of ensuring that they eventually positively contribute to the development of the community. The program targets children who are at risk of being recruited to gangs. This is especially in n eighborhoods in the city that are known to be dominated by dangerous gangs (Jorge 2013). The programs give these young a variety of training both physical such as martial arts and formal training thus channeling their energies in productive adventures. The Jeopardy program has several goals. It aims at reducing the level of truancy and school drop out in the community. By keeping the children in school, they are kept away from company that may recruit them to a gang and a life of crime. It also aims at improving the youth’s grade in school and promotes graduation rates. When the learners’ grades are good, they have hope of even going to college and getting into a good career. Their energy is thus focused on achieving this. It also aims at addressing psychological disorders in the youth that may lower self esteem (Jorge 2013). This is because research has reported that people are bound to get into criminal activities to boost their esteem. It also aims to impart the you th with life skills such as problem resolution skills, decision making and goal setting skills. All these are seen to lead to the achievement of the ultimate goal which is to reduce gang involvement. All these aims are achieved through several activities carried out by the Jeopardy program team. This first thing that they do is to identify the children in the community who may be at the risk of being involved in gangs. They then conduct interviews with the children and their parents in order to identify which is the most effective method of dealing with the problem. The families are then referred to the local counseling agencies. This is followed by monthly seminars held with the family every month. During these seminars the progress of the child is assessed. The child is also told to choose from a wide range of activities to engage in and is monitored for at least a year until positive behavioral change has been reported. Youth Advocacy Program (YAP) The youth advocacy is an early intervention program that was aimed at youth at risk of getting into a life of crime and their parents. They would refer the parent to treatment and counseling agencies. The main aim of this program was they reduce the development of hardcore youth delinquency and reduce the crime rates in the society. During the juvenile investigation procedure, in cases where the offender is a minor, the case would be

The Social Construction of Sexuality and Gender Article

The Social Construction of Sexuality and Gender - Article Example The categorization of men and women into two binary groups is a universal phenomenon which in many societies favors men thus creating power imbalances and gender inequalities. In Britain as well as throughout much of the world, notions of sexuality and gender have historically been for granted and perceived to be natural. According to Jeffrey Weeks, We learned very early on from many sources that "natural sex" is what takes place with members of the opposite sex...The social processes through which this is taking place are complex. But the implications are clear, they're the ones we still live with. In the first place, there is the assumption of a sharp distinction between the sexes, a dichotomy of interest, even an antagonism ('the battle of the sexes', which can only be precariously bridged. Men are men and women - and rarely the twain shall meet (Weeks, 1990, 13). Accordingly, while the sex of an individual is innate and established at birth, gender and human sexuality are now understood to be shaped by social forces and socially constructed concepts with important societal ramifications. Social constructivism is the belief that certain ideas, beliefs, behaviors, and concepts are socially constructed and shaped by environmental factors. The argument that gender roles were socially prescribed did not appear in scholarly literature until the 1940s with Klein’s The Feminine Character and thus began an exploration into the arbitrariness of the social categories of male and female. Influential scholars such as Judith Butler, Jeffrey Weeks, and Michel Foucault have sought to shed light onto the socially prescribed nature of gender categorization, and onto the lives men and women throughout the world with an eye to the in the ramifications of the sexual and gender binary.

The Role of Social Media in Managing Customer Relationships Essay

The Role of Social Media in Managing Customer Relationships - Essay Example The varied functional purpose of the organizations include domains like sales, marketing, training professional development, performance management and Human Resource (HR) Development (Cheng Shen, et al., 2010). The major focus should be on effective and timely implementation of the CRM techniques along with its integration with other software programs. The implementation of CRM techniques would require too much installation of procedures which is a time consuming process and also expensive. The overall implementation of CRM application and tools would have high costs associated with it and may not be suitable with the technological environment of the company. The varied technologies have enabled the managers to understand the relevance of CRM, that directly affects and influences the marketing activities and which leads to an increase in the organizational outcome. This has also fostered the relationship between the marketing manager and the customers through collaborative forces of technologies and systems. 1.2.1 Business to Business & Business to Consumer Differences in CRM Conceptual Theory In business to business relationships the conceptual theory is regarded highly for maintaining relationships and then developing incentives accordingly. The conceptual theory can be applicable only to business to business relationships (Mink and Georgi, 2013). On the other hand it helps the corporate customers to develop incentives which would motivate the individual hobbyist to participate in users communities of social media. For consumers, there would be development of customer equity model, customer equity would include desperate measures of calculating the customer needs and requirements and then develop... This essay approves that people are generally prone to engagement in relationship and social marketing tools and the recent advancement in technology will help in maintenance of enhanced customer relationships. It is fair to presume, that the relationship between the different organizational members is quite different from the consumers sector. The methods of social media marketing are also very different and they take into account the planning and implementation of marketing into consideration. The consumer and industrial sector is greatly influenced by the CRM technology integration and the main reason being so would be the construction of organizational capabilities. This report makes a conclusion that relationship marketing is a strategy which is designed to foster customer loyalty, long term engagement and interaction. The development of varied CRM tools would focus more on customer retention and acquisition. These strategies were designed to develop stronger connection with customers by providing them with information related to organizational growth and development. The author of the study has revealed the benefits and non benefits associated with the CRM strategy and its implementation. The variable factors affecting the social media marketing have to be kept into consideration, while developing effective marketing strategies for the betterment of the organizational development systems. Social networking websites are very powerful tools that can be useful as well as harmful to an individual and business enterprise. It has benefitted the common people by providing jobs to millions of people. The usage of social networking websites should be d one cautiously and judiciously.

Eurozone Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Eurozone - Essay Example 249-256, 2010). Denmark, Sweden, and United Kingdom are the countries, which are a part of the European Union, but they are not a part of Eurozone. The rest of the seven countries will join the Eurozone after fulfilling the requirements. Eurozone came into being on January 1, 1999 with eleven members, which met the criteria. Exactly after two years Greece also joined the Eurozone and today the country is facing huge financial and economic troubles (Sladek, pp. 12, 2010). This would be discussed later in the paper. However, the major objective of the paper is to discuss that why Britain should not join the Eurozone especially considering the recent economic disaster in Greece. Discussion Ever since this debate started, the public opinion in the United Kingdom has been against the adoption of Euro. In the polls of 2005, 57 percent of the people opposed, in 2008, the percentage increased to 59 and in the year 2009, the percentage of people against the euro increased to 68 percent (Lynn, pp. 249-256, 2010).... ld minimize the shocks of the recession, it lowered its interest rates to record low level of 0.5 percent so that investments could be encouraged in the country (Pelagidis & Mitsopoulos, pp. 377, 2011). Furthermore, the devaluation of pound in the international arena in the recent past is exactly what the country needed to boost its economy since it helped the economy to boost its exports. If UK joins the Eurozone then it will lose all hope to make any gains on the possible depreciation of Euro since more than 60 percent of UK’s trade would be taking place with Eurozone countries (Farkas & Murphy, pp. 58-59, 2011). Furthermore, the housing market of UK is such that it responds very quickly to the interest rates since they have high variable mortgages. Therefore, small fluctuations on the interest rate may mean huge effects on the consumer spending and their disposable incomes (Alesina & Giavazzi, pp. 85-89, 2010). Through IMF, UK will contribute almost 1 billion pounds to bail out package of Greece. This figure would have been more than double if Prime Minister David Cameron had not interfered in the process. More importantly, this figure would have even greater if Britain would have been a member of Eurozone. Furthermore, in the wake of the recent events where billions of dollars have been provided to the corrupt and irresponsible Greece government for bailout, there remains no room for second thoughts on the idea that UK should never join the Eurozone. The current crisis in Greece, which is quickly pushing their government to default and the subsequent bailout packages for Portugal, Ireland, and Italy mean that the Euro would lose its value in the international markets and it, is highly likely that investors may also lose their faith in the currency (Pelagidis &

The Social Construction of Sexuality and Gender Article

The Social Construction of Sexuality and Gender - Article Example The categorization of men and women into two binary groups is a universal phenomenon which in many societies favors men thus creating power imbalances and gender inequalities. In Britain as well as throughout much of the world, notions of sexuality and gender have historically been for granted and perceived to be natural. According to Jeffrey Weeks, We learned very early on from many sources that "natural sex" is what takes place with members of the opposite sex...The social processes through which this is taking place are complex. But the implications are clear, they're the ones we still live with. In the first place, there is the assumption of a sharp distinction between the sexes, a dichotomy of interest, even an antagonism ('the battle of the sexes', which can only be precariously bridged. Men are men and women - and rarely the twain shall meet (Weeks, 1990, 13). Accordingly, while the sex of an individual is innate and established at birth, gender and human sexuality are now understood to be shaped by social forces and socially constructed concepts with important societal ramifications. Social constructivism is the belief that certain ideas, beliefs, behaviors, and concepts are socially constructed and shaped by environmental factors. The argument that gender roles were socially prescribed did not appear in scholarly literature until the 1940s with Klein’s The Feminine Character and thus began an exploration into the arbitrariness of the social categories of male and female. Influential scholars such as Judith Butler, Jeffrey Weeks, and Michel Foucault have sought to shed light onto the socially prescribed nature of gender categorization, and onto the lives men and women throughout the world with an eye to the in the ramifications of the sexual and gender binary.

Eurozone Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Eurozone - Essay Example 249-256, 2010). Denmark, Sweden, and United Kingdom are the countries, which are a part of the European Union, but they are not a part of Eurozone. The rest of the seven countries will join the Eurozone after fulfilling the requirements. Eurozone came into being on January 1, 1999 with eleven members, which met the criteria. Exactly after two years Greece also joined the Eurozone and today the country is facing huge financial and economic troubles (Sladek, pp. 12, 2010). This would be discussed later in the paper. However, the major objective of the paper is to discuss that why Britain should not join the Eurozone especially considering the recent economic disaster in Greece. Discussion Ever since this debate started, the public opinion in the United Kingdom has been against the adoption of Euro. In the polls of 2005, 57 percent of the people opposed, in 2008, the percentage increased to 59 and in the year 2009, the percentage of people against the euro increased to 68 percent (Lynn, pp. 249-256, 2010).... ld minimize the shocks of the recession, it lowered its interest rates to record low level of 0.5 percent so that investments could be encouraged in the country (Pelagidis & Mitsopoulos, pp. 377, 2011). Furthermore, the devaluation of pound in the international arena in the recent past is exactly what the country needed to boost its economy since it helped the economy to boost its exports. If UK joins the Eurozone then it will lose all hope to make any gains on the possible depreciation of Euro since more than 60 percent of UK’s trade would be taking place with Eurozone countries (Farkas & Murphy, pp. 58-59, 2011). Furthermore, the housing market of UK is such that it responds very quickly to the interest rates since they have high variable mortgages. Therefore, small fluctuations on the interest rate may mean huge effects on the consumer spending and their disposable incomes (Alesina & Giavazzi, pp. 85-89, 2010). Through IMF, UK will contribute almost 1 billion pounds to bail out package of Greece. This figure would have been more than double if Prime Minister David Cameron had not interfered in the process. More importantly, this figure would have even greater if Britain would have been a member of Eurozone. Furthermore, in the wake of the recent events where billions of dollars have been provided to the corrupt and irresponsible Greece government for bailout, there remains no room for second thoughts on the idea that UK should never join the Eurozone. The current crisis in Greece, which is quickly pushing their government to default and the subsequent bailout packages for Portugal, Ireland, and Italy mean that the Euro would lose its value in the international markets and it, is highly likely that investors may also lose their faith in the currency (Pelagidis &

The Lottery Essay Example for Free

The Lottery Essay The Lottery The specific details Jackson describes in the beginning of â€Å"The Lottery† set us up for the shocking conclusion. In the first paragraph, Jackson provides specific details about the day on which the lottery takes place. She tells us the date (June 27), time (about 10 A.M.), and temperature (warm). She describes the scene exactly: there are flowers and green grass, and the town square, where everyone gathers, is between the bank and post office. She provides specifics about the town, including how many people live there and how long the lottery takes, as well as about neighboring towns, which have more people and must start the lottery earlier. In the paragraphs that follow this introduction, Jackson gives us characters’ full names—Bobby Martin, Harry Jones, and Dickie Delacroix, among others—and even tells us how to pronounce â€Å"Delacroix.† Far from being superfluous or irrelevant, these initial specific details ground the story in reality. Because she sets the story firmly in a specific place and time, Jackson seems to suggest that the story will be a chronicle of sorts, describing the tradition of the lottery. The specifics continue throughout the story, from the numerous rules Mr. Summers follows to the names of the people who are called up to the box. In a way, there is safety in these details—the world Jackson creates seems much like the one we know. And then the stoning begins, turning reality on its head. Because Jackson is so meticulous in grounding us in realistic, specific details, they sharpen the violence and make the ending so incredibly surprising. Themes The Danger of Blindly Following Tradition The village lottery culminates in a violent murder each year, a bizarre ritual that suggests how dangerous tradition can be when people follow it blindly. Before we know what kind of lottery they’re conducting, the villagers and their preparations seem harmless, even quaint: they’ve appointed a rather pathetic man to lead the lottery, and children run about gathering stones in the town square. Everyone is seems preoccupied with a funny-looking black box, and the lottery consists of little more than handmade slips of paper. Tradition is endemic to small towns, a way to link  families and generations. Jackson, however, pokes holes in the reverence that people have for tradition. She writes that the villagers don’t really know much about the lottery’s origin but try to preserve the tradition nevertheless. The villagers’ blind acceptance of the lottery has allowed ritual murder to become part of their town fabric. As they have demonstrated, they feel powerless to change—or even try to change—anything, although there is no one forcing them to keep things the same. Old Man Warner is so faithful to the tradition that he fears the villagers will return to primitive times if they stop holding the lottery. These ordinary people, who have just come from work or from their homes and will soon return home for lunch, easily kill someone when they are told to. And they don’t have a reason for doing it other than the fact that they’ve always held a lottery to kill someone. If the villagers stopped to question it, they would be forced to ask themselves why they are committing a murder—but no one stops to question. For them, the fact that this is tradition is reason enough and gives them all the justification they need. The Randomness of Persecution Villagers persecute individuals at random, and the victim is guilty of no transgression other than having drawn the wrong slip of paper from a box. The elaborate ritual of the lottery is designed so that all villagers have the same chance of becoming the victim—even children are at risk. Each year, someone new is chosen and killed, and no family is safe. What makes â€Å"The Lottery† so chilling is the swiftness with which the villagers turn against the victim. The instant that Tessie Hutchinson chooses the marked slip of paper, she loses her identity as a popular housewife. Her friends and family participate in the killing with as much enthusiasm as everyone else. Tessie essentially becomes invisible to them in the fervor of persecution. Although she has done nothing â€Å"wrong,† her innocence doesn’t matter. She has drawn the marked paper—she has herself become marked—and according to the logic of the lottery, she therefore must die. Tessie’s death is an extreme example of how societies can persecute innocent people for absurd reasons. Present-day parallels are easy to draw, because all prejudices, whether they are based on race, sex, appearance, religion, economic class, geographical region, family background, or sexual orientation, are essentially random. Those who  are persecuted become â€Å"marked† because of a trait or characteristic that is out of their control—for example, they are the â€Å"wrong† sex or from the â€Å"wrong† part of the country. Just as the villagers in â€Å"The Lottery† blindly follow tradition and kill Tessie because that is what they are expected to do, people in real life often persecute others without questioning why. As Jackson suggests, any such persecution is essentially random, which is why Tessie’s bizarre death is so universal. Motifs Family Family bonds are a significant part of the lottery, but the emphasis on family only heightens the killing’s cruelty because family members so easily turn against one another. Family ties form the lottery’s basic structure and execution. In the town square, families stand together in groups, and every family member must be present. Elaborate lists of heads of families, heads of households within those families, and household members are created, and these lists determine which member draws from the box. Family relationships are essential to how the actions of the lottery are carried out, but these relationships mean nothing the moment it’s time to stone the unlucky victim. As soon as it’s clear that Tessie has drawn the marked paper, for example, her husband and children turn on her just as the other villagers do. Although family relationships determine almost everything about the lottery, they do not guarantee loyalty or love once the lottery is over. Rule s The lottery is rife with rules that are arbitrarily followed or disregarded. The intricate rules the villagers follow suggest that the lottery is an efficient, logical ritual and that there is an important purpose behind it, whereas the rules that have lapsed, however, reveal the essential randomness of the lottery’s dark conclusion. Mr. Summers follows an elaborate system of rules for creating the slips of paper and making up the lists of families. When the lottery begins, he lays out a series of specific rules for the villagers, including who should draw slips of paper from the black box and when to open those papers. When someone is unable to draw, the lottery rules determine who should be next in line. At the same time, there are ghosts of rules that have been long forgotten or willfully abandoned altogether, such as those for salutes and songs that accompany Mr. Summer’s induction as the  chairman of the lottery. The fact that some rules have remained while others have disappeared underscores the disturbing randomness of the murder at the end of the lottery. Symbols The Black Box The shabby black box represents both the tradition of the lottery and the illogic of the villagers’ loyalty to it. The black box is nearly falling apart, hardly even black anymore after years of use and storage, but the villagers are unwilling to replace it. They base their attachment on nothing more than a story that claims that this black box was made from pieces of another, older black box. The lottery is filled with similar relics from the past that have supposedly been passed down from earlier days, such as the creation of family lists and use of stones. These are part of the tradition, from which no one wants to deviate—the lottery must take place in just this way because this is how it’s always been done. However, other lottery traditions have been changed or forgotten. The villagers use slips of paper instead of wood chips, for example. There is no reason why the villagers should be loyal to the black box yet disloyal to other relics and traditions, just as there is no logical reason why the villagers should continue holding the lottery at all. The Lottery The lottery represents any action, behavior, or idea that is passed down from one generation to the next that’s accepted and followed unquestioningly, no matter how illogical, bizarre, or cruel. The lottery has been taking place in the village for as long as anyone can remember. It is a tradition, an annual ritual that no one has thought to question. It is so much a part of the town’s culture, in fact, that it is even accompanied by an old adage: â€Å"Lottery in June, corn be heavy soon.† The villagers are fully loyal to it, or, at least, they tell themselves that they are, despite the fact that many parts of the lottery have changed or faded away over the years. Nevertheless, the lottery continues, simply because there has always been a lottery. The result of this tradition is that everyone becomes party to murder on an annual basis. The lottery is an extreme example of what can happen when traditions are not questioned or addressed critically by new generation s. Foreshadowing and Suspense Many of the seemingly innocuous details throughout â€Å"The Lottery† foreshadow the violent conclusion. In the second paragraph, children put stones in their pockets and make piles of stones in the town square, which seems like innocent play until the stones’ true purpose becomes clear at the end of the story. Tessie’s late arrival at the lottery instantly sets her apart from the crowd, and the observation Mr. Summers makes—â€Å"Thought we were going to have to get on without you†Ã¢â‚¬â€is eerily prescient about Tessie’s fate. When Mr. Summers asks whether the Watson boy will draw for him and his mother, no reason is given for why Mr. Watson wouldn’t draw as all the other husbands and fathers do, which suggests that Mr. Watson may have been last year’s victim. Jackson builds suspense in â€Å"The Lottery† by relentlessly withholding explanation and does not reveal the true nature of the lottery until the first stone hi ts Tessie’s head. We learn a lot about the lottery, including the elements of the tradition that have survived or been lost. We learn how important the lottery is to the villagers, particularly Old Man Warner. We go through the entire ritual, hearing names and watching the men approach the box to select their papers. But Jackson never tells us what the lottery is about, or mentions any kind of prize or purpose. She begins to reveal that something is awry when the lottery begins and the crowd grows nervous, and she intensifies the feeling when Tessie hysterically protests Bill’s â€Å"winning† selection. And she gives a slight clue when she says that the villagers â€Å"still remembered to use stones.† But not until the moment when a rock actually hits Tessie does Jackson show her hand completely. By withholding information until the last possible second, she builds the story’s suspense and creates a shocking, powerful conclusion. Quotations 1. Mr. Summers spoke frequently to the villagers about making a new box, but no one liked to upset even as much tradition as was represented by the black box. This quotation, from the fifth paragraph of the story, reveals how firmly entrenched the villagers are in the lottery’s tradition and how threatening they find the idea of change. The villagers have no good reason for wanting to keep the black box aside from a vague story about the box’s origins, and the box itself is falling apart. Beyond shabby, it barely resembles a box now, but the villagers, who seem to take such pride in the  ritual of the lottery, do not seem to care about the box’s appearance. They just want the box to stay the same. Their strident belief that the box must not change suggests that they fear change itself, as though one change might lead to other changes. Already, some towns have stopped holding lotteries, but these villagers do not seem to be headed in that direction. Instead, the y hold firm to the parts of the tradition that remain, afraid to alter even this seemingly insignificant part of it for fear of starting down a slippery slope. 2. Although Mr. Summers and everyone else in the village knew the answer perfectly well, it was the business of the official of the lottery to ask such questions formally. This quotation appears about halfway through the story, just before the drawing of names begins. Mr. Summers has asked Mrs. Dunbar whether her son, Horace, will be drawing for the family in Mr. Dunbar’s absence, even though everyone knows Horace is still too young. There is no purpose to the question, other than that the question is part of the tradition, and so Mr. Summers adheres to the rule despite the fact that it seems absurd. Even though other parts of the ritual have changed or been discarded over the years, this rule holds firm for absolutely no logical reason. Large things, such as songs and salutes, have slipped away, and wood chips have been replaced with slips of paper. Yet this silly, pointless questioning continues. The villagers seem strident in their adherence to the tradition. Old Man Warner, in particular, is adamant that tradition must be upheld and the lottery must continue. But the reality is that there is no consistency among what rules are followed and which are discarded. This lack of logic makes the villagers’ blind observance of the ritual even more problematic because the tradition they claim to be upholding is actually flimsy and haphazard. 3. Although the villagers had forgotten the ritual and lost the original black box, they still remembered to use stones. This quotation, which appears near the end of the story, distills the lottery down to its essence: murder. The villagers may talk of tradition, ritual, and history, but the truth—as this quotation makes clear—is that the traditional parts of it have long been discarded. The original ritual and box may indeed have borne along a tradition, violent and bizarre as it may be, but now, without the original trappings, songs, and procedures, all that remains is the violence. The  haphazard ritual, the bits and pieces that have been slapped together into some semblance of the original, have led to this essential moment of killing. The villagers are all too eager to embrace what remains, eagerly picking up the stones and carrying on the â€Å"tradition† for another year. Character Analysis Tessie Hutchinson When Tessie Hutchinson arrives late to the lottery, admitting that she forgot what day it was, she immediately stands out from the other villagers as someone different and perhaps even threatening. Whereas the other women arrive at the square calmly, chatting with one another and then standing placidly by their husbands, Tessie arrives flustered and out of breath. The crowd must part for her to reach her family, and she and her husband endure good-natured teasing as she makes her way to them. On a day when the villagers’ single focus is the lottery, this breach of propriety seems inappropriate, even unforgivable; everyone comes to the lottery, and everyone comes on time. The only person absent is a man whose leg is broken. Although Tessie quickly settles into the crowd and joins the lottery like everyone else, Jackson has set her apart as a kind of free spirit who was able to forget about the lottery entirely as she performed her chores. Perhaps because she is a free spirit, Tessie is the only villager to protest against the lottery. When the Hutchinson family draws the marked paper, she exclaims, â€Å"It wasn’t fair!† This refrain continues as she is selected and subsequently stoned to death, but instead of listening to her, the villagers ignore her. Even Bill tells her to be quiet. We don’t know whether Tessie would have protested the fairness of the lottery if her family had not been selected, but this is a moot point. Whatever her motivation is for speaking out, she is effectively silenced. Old Man Warner Old Man Warner, the oldest man in town, has participated in seventy-seven lotteries and is a staunch advocate for keeping things exactly the way they are. He dismisses the towns and young people who have stopped having lotteries as â€Å"crazy fools,† and he is threatened by the idea of change. He believes, illogically, that the people who want to stop holding lotteries  will soon want to live in caves, as though only the lottery keeps society stable. He also holds fast to what seems to be an old wives’ tale—â€Å"Lottery in June, corn be heavy soon†Ã¢â‚¬â€and fears that if the lottery stops, the villagers will be forced to eat â€Å"chickweed and acorns.† Again, this idea suggests that stopping the lottery will lead to a return to a much earlier era, when people hunted and gathered for their food. These illogical, irrational fears reveal that Old Man Warner harbors a strong belief in superstition. He easily accepts the way things are because thi s is how they’ve always been, and he believes any change to the status quo will lead to disaster. This way of thinking shows how dangerous it is to follow tradition blindly, never questioning beliefs that are passed down from one generation to the next. Mr. Summers Despite his breezy, light-hearted name, Mr. Summers wields a frightening amount of power in the village, power that seems to have been assigned to him arbitrarily. A married, childless business owner, Mr. Summers is â€Å"jovial† and pitied by the townspeople for having a nagging wife. No one seems to question his leadership of the lottery, and it seems to have never been challenged. Perhaps he took on the role himself, or perhaps someone offered it to him. Whatever the case, he now has complete control. Mr. Summers not only draws the names on the day of the lottery, but he also makes up the slips of paper that go into the black box. It’s up to him to make the black circle that ultimately condemns someone to death. Jackson never explains why the villagers put such pure faith in Mr. Summers, and the assumption that he will continue to conduct the lottery is just one more inexplicable but universally accepted part of the ritual.

Models Of Strategic Change

Models Of Strategic Change Strategic Change Management This unit is written with reference to strategic change management. It gives an understanding of the models of strategic change making the concept clear. It gives an insight into the theories to make the idea a positive concept and not a negative one. Change is not always negative. It paves way for a development too but it is often taken as something that disturbs routine. It is difficult to do something other than the normal way but we do fail to accept the fact that a change can make things work better and whatever changes are made should have been decided after quite consideration. Change has become the normal way of life but success requires an organization to optimize and coordinate across the whole business. Understanding the different types of change that are required and the options available for management is a critical step in building the capacity to manage change within your organization. Acknowledgements I dedicate this assignment to my mother who worked hard all lifelong only for the upbringing of her daughters. She stood for us like the Rock Gibraltar in times of trouble. Being a single mother, she struggled hard sometimes even to feed us. Life has been too unkind to her but she never complained rather tried her best to give us a positive image of the world and the power to struggle and a never say die attitude. I am indebted to her giving me life and the power to live it in a decent way. TABLE OF CONTENTS PAGE NO. Acknowledgements Introduction Task 1 Task 1.1 Discuss the models of strategic change Task 1.2 Relevance of models of strategic change to organizations in the current economy Task 1.3 Assess the value of using strategic intervention techniques Task 2 Task 2.1 Examine the need for change in an organization Task 2.2 Assess the factors that are driving the need for strategic change in an organization Task 2.3 Assess the resource implications of the organization not responding to strategic change Task 3 Task 3.1 Develop systems to involve stakeholders in the planning of change Task 3.2 Develop a change management strategy with stakeholders Task 3.3 Evaluate the systems used to involve stakeholders in the planning of change Task 3.4 Create a strategy for managing resistance to change Task 4 Task 4.1 Develop appropriate models for change Task 4.2 Plan to implement a model for change Task 4.3 Develop appropriate measures to monitor progress Introduction This unit helps would-be-managers to understand the nature of change and to cope with it. It gives an understanding about change and the ways to manage with it without disturbing the working of the organization. In this unit we have discussed the different definitions and models of change which have been given by thinkers in the past which helps in evaluating the relevance of models of strategic change to organizations in the current economy. As we proceed, we examine the need for change and assess the factors that are driving the need for it. Also, the resource implications are discussed which do not respond to strategic change. The theories given by Kotter, Prosci, Lewis and others are milestones of the research on change management. Their theories have helped in thorough understanding of change management. As the topic develops, it gives vital information on the reasons of change in markets, budget pressures, new technologies and other new programs such as TQM and re-engineering. All in all, the topic is an important resource on the factors and implications that bring change. Another unavoidable and inseparable resource of the organization is stakeholders of the company. The topic discusses about systems modelling, divergence and convergence and methods of involving them into organization. It is also quite obvious that change brings resistance; therefore this unit enables us to manage resistance giving a way to strategies such as communications, education, forums, etc. The entire work gives a clear picture of change management. All a manager needs is to understand the criteria and manage with a difference on the guidelines of the researchers. Task 1: Discuss the Models of Strategic Change There are many theories about how to manage change. Most of the theories originate with leadership and change management guru, John Kotter who is a professor at Harvard Business School and world renowned change expert. The following eight steps in the change process are his contribution. JOHN KOTTER: Eight steps to transforming an organization (Kotter.J, 1995) Establishing a sense of urgency Forming a powerful guiding coalition Creating a vision Communicating the vision Empowering others to act on the vision Planning and creating short term wins Consolidating improvements and producing still more change Institutionalising new approaches Kotters research gave a whole new way to managing change. A programme of planned change and improved performance developed by Lewin involves the management of a three-phase process of behaviour modification. H:collegeimagesCAW3ZYXL.jpg Lewins Change Management Model Source: http://www.infed.org/thinkers/et-lewin.htm Unfreeze- Reducing those forces which behaviour in its present form, recognition of the need for change and improvement to occur. Movement Development of new attitudes or behaviour and the implementation of change. Refreezing Stabilising change at the new level and reinforcement (Hardy 1996) A new culture should be created within the organization such that managers look to change as an opportunity and adapt their business system to continuously emerging conditions. (Hussey 2000) Proscis ADKAR Effective change management demands five key goals to form the basic ADKAR model: Awareness of the need to change Desire to participate and support the change Knowledge of how to change (and what change looks like) Ability to implement the change on a day-to-day basis Reinforcement to keep the change in place (Hiatt 2003) http://www.change-management.com/tutorials/baseballhands.jpg Proscis ADKAR Source: http://techotoys.com/qwxDnJu0J/ Action Research Action research refers to a way to look at ones own work practically and check as he would like it to be. Because research is done by the person himself or the practitioner, it is called practitioner based research. It is also referred to as a form of self reflective practice because it involves the person himself and his own work. (Hardy 1999) http://t3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQcsVE4Cf5vBAswROm2rCiHEY7RlOeA6qasGK7xErfJZgmC-mlT5whttp://t3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQcsVE4Cf5vBAswROm2rCiHEY7RlOeA6qasGK7xErfJZgmC-mlT5w http://www.llas.ac.uk/images/projects/action_research.gif Action research Source: http://www.llas.ac.uk/projects/2837 Task 1.2 Evaluate the relevance of models of strategic change to organizations in the current economy Teambuilding Consensus Strategic change models, as discussed above are the keys to success of any organization provided they are implemented in a sophisticated way. To achieve effective team decision making leadership, (Franzen 1994) describes Consensus Team Decision Making CTDM model which has three key pillars. Maintain high conceptual level Strive towards consensus Manage the decision making process Strategic interventions Types of interventions selected for a project although depend on variety; they are highly concentrated in a project. Strategic interventions are useful in situations like Rapid changes in the external environment Rapid or stagnant sales Increased competition Rapid expansion of markets Mergers and acquisitions (Lewin 2005) Decision Making Contingency Theory of Decision Making Decision participative contingency theory or the Normative Decision Theory is a model which says that the efficiency of a decision procedure depends on a number of aspects of the situation: the importance of decision quality and acceptance; the quantity of relevant information possessed by the leader and subordinates. (Fiedler 1999) In the autocratic style, the leader takes decisions without consulting others. (Lewin 2005) The participative style leadership, also known as participative democratic leadership style does the job of creating and maintaining healthy relationships between the employees and their leaders.(Kotter 2007) Proactive and Reactive (Whitehead 2006) PROACTIVE REACTIVE Needs to have and use own answers Understands the power of and uses team in solving problems Makes decisions by self Requests that team members make decisions Pushes for results Shares a vision so compelling the team wants to move towards it Reacts to change Foresees and influences change Teaches team to expect direction Teaches team to be self reliant Focuses on finding and fixing problems Focuses on achieving performance outcomes Quick to punish on mistakes Lets the team learn by errors Task 1.3 Assess the value of using strategic intervention techniques in the organization The most important asset of any organization is human resource and strategic intervention helps them to adjust with the changing strategies of the organization and understand it.(George 1999). At Sapphire Beauty Box, it is vital to have a peaceful mind and sound behaviour as this profession deals with direct clientele. The method of strategic intervention assists the employees of Sapphire to find meanings to their life, discover what, and why they do and how to meet their needs in positive and negative ways which helps to promote sustainable change. (Hiatt 2006) Human Process Interventions: These are helpful in particular during change project in organizations where there are some combinations of many new employees, different cultures, working together, many conflicts, etc. Activities: Coaching, counseling, delegating, group learning, virtual teams, etc. ( Hiatt and Creasey 2003) Techno-structural Interventions: These interventions are helpful in particular for rapid growth but few internal systems to sustain growth, many complaints from customers, etc. Activities: Balanced scorecard, downsizing and out placing, ISO 9000, Six sigma, etc.(Kurt 2005) Human Resource Management interventions: These interventions are helpful in situations like establishment of new organizational goals, implementation of technology for a short time, low productivity, etc. Activities: Staffing, evaluating performance, career development, employee wellness programme (George 1999) Task 2.1 Examine the need for strategic change in the chosen organization Reasons for change Change in market: The United Kingdom is going through recession and there has been recession and the CPI annual inflation has rose to 3.3%. (London Business Times 2009). There has been increase in prices, job loss, bankruptcy and what not. Every business has gone through losses and needs to cover up their expenses. (Fiedler 1999). At this point of time, Sapphire needs to change accordingly to ease customers at their purse and still keep them coming. Economic downturns: Due to price rise, the raw material needed at the store is also become expensive. It is important to cover the costs by bringing about change in the organization. (Paul 1996) Customer Expectations: There is a very hard competition in the market especially in the beauty field. Customers get attracted to offers and it is not easy to get their confidence. To invest into customers, It is important to change the strategies accordingly. (Kotter and Cohen 2002) Competitive Edge: Competition is healthy but can be fatal if the strategies become too monotonous and outdated. There is need for change to face competition. (Kotter 1995) Sapphire needs to be updated with products and material being used by competitors and try to do better than other turning the tables towards them. (Kotter 2007) Mergers: The merger of the organization with another can lead to change in strategy as the new staff can have better ideas and plans to make the company a success. (Paul 1996). If Sapphire merges with another company to make it a success, it may have to revise the ways to do things. Change in mission: If the mission of the company changes, obviously there has to be a different strategy to deal with it. The mission of Sapphire is to fight ageing and make people look beautiful but now the market demands more of stress releasing treatments. So Sapphire needs to rethink about its strategy. (Franzen and Hardaker 1999) Task 2.2 Assess the factors that are driving the need for strategic change in an organization The Shifting Economy The economy is so very changing and dynamic. Due to the unpredictability of it, the organization is in constant need of change in the strategy and economic plan. This is more prevalent since recession Environmental factors There are certain environmental changes that have an effect on the production and sales. These changes are to be monitored and the demand of change arises. Financial pressure There occur financial pressures on the organizations, in order to meet deadlines and targets. In order to handle finances, there has to be a change in finance plans. This is where the need for change management occurs. Technological advances There has been drastic change in production, marketing, outsourcing and other fields due to technology. The organization needs upgrading and has to keep in pace with the technological advances to succeed in its mission and make way for growth. Keeping in mind the factors discussed above, there is a need for change. Funding cuts With the recession in the economy, the company has cut down on costs and funds. There is need for change in financial strategy to keep the balance. Competition Competition is a healthy asset for any business. To keep up to the standards and do better than others is very important, hence it is vital to keep a watch at what others are doing and bring change in the company accordingly. Task 2.3 Assess the resource implications of the organization not responding to strategic change Restructuring of HR- If the company does not respond to the changes as discussed above, it may have to face severe consequences and lose in the process. The organization will have to restructure the HR making way for a new beginning. There have to be leaders chosen again and staff employed for the smooth working of the company. Interview and hire of new employees Interviewing and hiring of new staff will have to be done which is a time consuming and costly process for any business. Redundancies The organization will have redundancies if proper steps for the change are not taken in time. This will affect the working and time management of the strategy of work. Training Training is another costly and time taking process. It takes a lot to train the employees and bear the costs. If the need for strategic change is understood, there is no need for the organization to bear costs or losses. ire Task 3.1 Develop systems to involve stakeholders in the planning of change in the chosen organization A stakeholder is one who has something to gain or lose through the outcomes of a planning process or project. These are also called interest groups and can have a strong bearing on the outcomes of political processes. It is useful for research projects to identify and analyse the needs and concerns of different stakeholders, particularly when these projects have an effect on policy Input-output transformation model Operations management transforms inputs (labour, capital, equipment, land, buildings, materials and information) into outputs (goods and services) that provide added value to customers. Transformation System is the critical element in the model that determines how well the company produces goods and services that meet consumer needs. It does not matter whether the organization is a for-profit company, a non-profit organization (religious organizations, hospitals, etc.), or a government agency; all organizations must strive to maximize the quality of their transformation processes to meet customer needs. Steps Involved Step 1: Clarify the research or policy change objective (Problem Tree Analysis or objectives analysis might help with this.) Stap 2: Identify all the stakeholders or interest groups associated with this objective, problem or issue. Stakeholders can be organizations, groups, departments, structures, networks or individuals. Stakeholder table http://www.odi.org.uk/resources/details.asp?id=5257title=stakeholder-analysis Step 3: Using the grid organise the stakeholders in different matrices according to their interest and power. Interest measures to what degree they may to be affected by the research project. Power measures the influence they have over the project or policy, and to what degree they can help achieve, or block, the desired change. The Cultural Web CulturalWeb The Cultural Web http://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newSTR_90.htm The Cultural Web identifies six interrelated elements Johnson and Scholes (2002) call it the paradigm the pattern or model of the work environment. By analyzing the factors in each, you can begin to see what is working, what isnt working, and what needs to be changed. The six elements are: The past events and people talked about inside and outside the company. Who and what the company chooses to celebrate say a great deal about what it values, and perceives as great behaviour. The daily behaviour and actions of people that indicate acceptable behaviour. This determines what is expected to happen in given situations, and what is valued by management. The visual representations of the company including logos, how exquisite the offices are, and the dress codes. Multiple Cause Diagrams http://t1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSdVRFuXnr_B3dlTLYyaZepQmDbF-NMDoz5q0TClaUYPXfxVGPVt=1 Multiple cause diagrams http://ilearn.cto.int/login/index.php Multiple cause diagrams are a way of using interconnectedness to shape up a complex situation. They represent both adequate and casual cause without making a distinction between them. This system is pictured as an interconnected group of events or effects to cause an effect as a purpose. Sometimes, if the input cause is removed, the output cause continues to happen, may be because feedback loops are present or other causes drive the effect. Influencing skills The careless reception of authority is becoming increasingly less common in the world. To get things done, it is better to rely on commitment rather than authority. For example, gaining co-operation from other departments. Task 3.2 Develop a change management strategy with stakeholders in the chosen organization Developing a winning strategy is messier than textbooks suggest. Most insights that are important for formulating strategies rest in the heads of operating managers. (Kotter 2007) The Stakeholder Circle This is designed to put stakeholders on the project management radar. It is a proven method supported by a tough, easy to use tool that guides us through five easy steps namely: Identify your projects stakeholders and understand their needs Prioritize the stakeholders on the basis of power, proximity and urgency. Visualize the key stakeholders using the Stakeholder Circle. Engage with the stakeholders by building and implementing an effective communication plan. Monitor changes as you update and review your stakeholders at key points in the project. Public Hearings: There can be events where stakeholders are allowed to give evidence or question general public authorities about decisions. Public hearings: Regulated, formal arrangements for times and places at which members of the general public and other types of stakeholders can give evidence or question public authorities about decisions. Deliberative Polling: This collects views when people are introduced to the issue and think about it. It also includes a feedback session. Task 3.3 Evaluate the systems used to involve stakeholders in the planning of change in the chosen organization The stakeholder model is helpful in explaining the rules of the economic game and the link between stakeholder value and competitive advantage. The stakeholder strategy plan guides us on how to interact and communicate with each stakeholder during different stages of a project. It also helps to define who should participate, in what ways and on what level of the project. It gives thorough knowledge of the matter and suits best to most organizations. Other ways such as polling, seminars and workshops are also perfect ways to handle change in a proper manner. Task 3.4 Create a strategy for managing resistance to change in the chosen organization Selective Perception: Peoples self interpretation of stimuli presents a unique image of the real world and results in selective perception. This leads to biased view of the situation that fits into the perception of reality. Habit: People are used to the same way of doing things which makes a habit. It becomes serves as a source of comfort. Bringing about change brings resistance. Loss of Freedom: If the change is seen as an inconvenience, it reduces freedom of action or results in increased control, there will be resistance. Direct vs Indirect There is staff that may resist directly and others that may be indirect in resistance. Direct resistance is to oppose in a direct manner and fighting straight but indirect resistance is to show resistance by making excuses such as resigning. Task 4.1 Develop appropriate models for change in the chosen organization that will reflect their circumstances The best model for change that applies to Sapphire Beauty Box is Proscis Five Building Blocks change management model which includes the ADKAR The first thing Sapphire needs is the Awareness of the need for change. If the need for change is understood, half the job is done. Planned communication is essential for understanding. Sapphire needs change as there is a need for it. Next is the Desire to participate and help the change. The employees of Sapphire need to make a personal decision to support the change and sustain it too. The CEO announced incentives for individuals creating a desire to be a part of the change. The third building block is providing Knowledge. Sapphire held a seminar for imparting awareness for change, how to undergo change and how to implement it. Prosci (2003) suggested forums and mentoring for knowledge of change. Ability to implement required skills and behavior is another building block of the ADKAR model. It is the difference between theory and practice. Once knowledge is imparted on change, the performance of the individual needs to be supported. Sapphire can do this by practice, coaching and feedback. Lat, but not the least comes Reinforcement. It is the final and essential stage of the model where efforts to sustain the change is accentuated. It is to be ensured that changes stay in place and individuals do not revert to old ways. The ways to do it are positive feedback, recognition, rewarding, etc. Sapphire makes it a point to take feedback of the customers as well as the employees to keep both sides balanced. There is a Best Employee of the Month award scheme at Sapphire Beauty Box which inspires employees to do their best. http://www.change-management.com/tutorials/ADKAR-clip_image002.gif Proscis Change Management Model http://www.change-management.com/tutorial-adkar-overview.htm Task 4.2 Plan to implement a model for change considering the internal and external circumstances impacting on the organization Kaizen Method This is a Japanese method for continuous incremental improvement. It is a concept for gradual, continuous improvement. It assumes that every aspect of life has to be constantly improved. The main elements of Kaizen are effort, quality, and willingness to change, communication and involvement of employees. Its five founding elements are Teamwork Personal Discipline Improved Morale Quality Circles and Suggestions for Improvement. The Kaizen method is best for Sapphire Beauty Box as it is people oriented, requires long term discipline and easy to implement. Matrix Organizations This kind of organization offers the advantages of flexibility, greater security and control of project information. It establishes a grid with a two way flow of authority and responsibility. Task 4.3 Develop appropriate measures to monitor progress of the developed model Goal Based Evaluation To start with goal based evaluation, there can be two main questions we can ask for How has the programme made a difference Are the participants of the programme feeling better as a result of the programme? Outcome based evaluation is a way that determines if the project at Sapphire Beauty Box have achieved its goals. The organized process using OBE helps to establish clear outcomes, to measure benefits, clarify groups for which benefits are targeted. Other ways to monitor progress in Sapphire Beauty Box are regular reports of the activities being practiced in there. Meetings are also undertaken by higher authorities to administer the changes and keep a watch on them. Quality Circles appear simple and straightforward but have to be viewed in regard to Japanese culture and management systems. Quality circles are do work and are used successfully by British organizations. . CONCLUSION It can be concluded that strategic change is the key factor in any organization. Change is a pervasive influence. We are all subject to change in one form or the other which is continuous. The steps to change from Kotter give vital knowledge about making change Kotter is called the GURU in terms of change management. Proscis ADKAR building blocks give deep understanding and guidance for applying change and monitoring it to sustain change. Kurt Lewins change model is also an important one. The freeze, refreeze and transition stages develop new attitudes and behaviour.