Monday, September 30, 2019
Cognitive Psychology Essay
Cognitive Psychology is the study of how people absorb, process and store information. It is considered as a discipline in dealing with other fields like science, philosophy and language. Perception, thinking, attention, memory, decision Making and Problem Solving ability are some factors that determine this field of psychology. This field serves as an aid in making educational curriculum and other software designs needed for learning. Studying this field focuses on human information processing.            Internal mental state is the focus of cognitive psychology. People who focuses on this field merely studies how to understand, trace and find cure to serious problems relating to mental health. There are 7 themes associated with Cognitive Psychology: Attention, Automatic and conscious processing, Data driven and conceptually driven processing, Knowledge representation, Metacognition, Unconscious processing and Levels of analysis in cognitive science (Pritchard, 2000).            One discipline involved in this field is that cognitive psychology is said to be different from neuroscience because it discusses information processing at a software level. The primary method used is through experimentation on human subjects. Wilhelm Wundt is one remarkable cognitive psychologist who established his first laboratory in 1879. His study focuses on conscious experience (Pritchard, 2000). â€Å"Wundt did experiments involving introspection. Introspection is self-examination of the mind, or conscious experience. Wundt asked subjects to introspect about the feelings and sensations they had in response to a physical stimulus†(Pritchard, 2000). His perseverance on studying cognitive psychology made him consider this subject as a formal academic discipline.            Through further studies and continuous search for developing this field, Wundt was able to train another psychologist like him in the person of Edward Titchener. â€Å"Titchener tried to determine the contents of the mind further (Pritchard, 2000). Structuralism was discovered by him where he was able to determine the elements of thought and how those elements were combined.            Another fundamental of cognitive psychology is Herman Ebbinghaus’ discovery during the late 19th century. â€Å"Ebbinghaus used nonsense syllables to study memory in a quantifiable manner. Nonsense syllables are CVCs, consonant- vowel-consonant trigrams. Ebbinghaus chose those as his subject matter, because he wanted to study memory in a pure form. Hence, he did not want to use items that already had some meaning attached to them. Ebbinghaus demonstrated effects of interference, practice time and forgetting†(Pritchard, 2000).            Another proponent is Edward Tolman who was famous because of his work that centered around animals who demonstrates behaviors based on expectations and internal factors. The importance of his study on cognitive psychology is about memorization. He made experiment on rats by putting them in a maze after they were trained. The rats reached the goal point without going to the learned place. This supported the notion that they had created a cognitive map.            Behavior on the other hand is relevant to cognitive psychology because this is where the processed information appears. The effect of consciousness is determined by the outcome through a person’s behavior. â€Å"Wundt and Titchener were aware of the subjectivity of consciousness, but they still believed that consciousness could be studied†(Pritchard, 2000). Behavior is said to be objective and not subjective. The universal laws of behavior can be determined through psychology because all living things are subject to experimentation of why they come up with such results.            Cognitive psychology and behaviorism goes hand in hand because there are certain aspects that cannot be determined by one field alone. Behaviorism is seen through actions while cognitive deals with information processing. â€Å"Because of behaviorism’s emphasis on the observable there were some things that they just didn’t talk about. Memory, language, and other mental activities would not be discussed by behaviorists. At least they wouldn’t be discussed as we would discuss them, with reference to mental events and thoughts that are unobservable by other people. They tried to explain these phenomenon by constructing theories involving biological drives and habits†(Pritchard, 2000).            Although there are some arguments relating to behavior and cognitive psychology, since there are claims that Mental processes were considered habits that were not connected to the brain, still Cognitive psychology diminishes the confusions as to why human come up with that action. There are interacting determinants between behavior and cognitive psychology. Through these field people learn that as a discipline, cognitive psychology is developed to bridge the gap between behaviorism and cognitive social psychology. Tracing the development of cognitive psychology, it developed mainly from Behavioral psychology because through observations and critical thinking, cognitive psychologist learn to investigate more about information processing. References Pritchard, Evan (2000) Attention and Memory Chapter 1 How Cognitive Psychology     Developed. An article about Cognitive Psychology from the winnipeg website.            Retrieved March 15, 2008 from: http://io.uwinnipeg.ca/~epritch1/amdvlop.htm
Sunday, September 29, 2019
A Business analysis in respect to Boots Essay
Boots will recruit staff for a number of reasons, which include: * The growth of the business * Changing roles within the business * Filling vacancies created by resignation, retirement or dismissal * Internal promotion The growth of the business When Boots grows in size it will probably need more people to carry out existing jobs and new jobs. When existing jobs are being expanded, human resource specialists simply need to copy existing practice on a larger scale. In creating new jobs more detailed thought is required; particularly if the jobs are quite different from those that already exist within the company. Changing job roles within the business In recent years most British businesses such as Boots have changed their job structure. In particular, the country has seen the decline of many routine, standardised jobs. Increasingly, employers have sought to develop new jobs involving information and communications technology, and which involve ground-level employees taking more responsibility for decision-making through empowerment. Developing new jobs requires considerable research, often by examining best practice in an industry or by looking at the development of new jobs in other countries. Filling vacancies created by resignation, retirement or dismissal In many organisations people move on and also employees in Boots move on as well. People get older, they hand in their notice or they are dismissed. In most cases it is necessary to replace the employee. However, the manager responsible for recruitment has to decide whether the firm wants a carbon copy of the previous job holder or whether the job has moved on, requiring new skills and competences. Internal promotion In Boots there will be opportunities for internal promotion. Internal promotion gives an employee something to aim for in the organisation, rather than looking elsewhere. When one person is promoted, it is often necessary to replace him or her. Getting the recruitment process right The recruitment process can be very costly. It takes a great deal of time to set up an effective recruitment process. This involves deciding on what the jobs that are to be recruited for will entail, advertising, sifting through applications, checking which applications best meet the criteria set down for the post, interviewing candidates and, finally, selecting the best candidate for the post. Waste and inefficiency can be very costly to any organisation. If Boots were to advertise a job for a retail assistant and managed to get 100 applicants, by sifting through the application forms they may be in danger of choosing the wrong employee. The personnel of Boots would probably cut the 100 applicant forms down to 10 by eliminating, from their point of view, the most unsuitable employees for the job. But by doing this Boots could eliminate the best applicant, therefore, it is possible that the personnel may have to do the whole process all over again if that the applicant they do choose for the job is unsuitable. Procedures for attracting and recruiting applicants An organisation’s most valuable resource is its workforce; managers therefore need to give careful thought to the needs of employees. The advantages of recruiting from within are as follows: * Considerable savings can be made. Individuals with inside knowledge of how the business operates will need shorter periods of training * Internal promotion acts as an incentive to all staff to work harder within the organisation. The disadvantages of recruiting from within are as follows: * You will have to replace the person who has been promoted * An insider may be less likely to make the essential criticisms required to get the company working more effectively. The Boots company strategy in recruiting employees The Boots Company offers recruitment programmes for general entrance, and schemes focused on school leavers and graduates. The company looks for various qualities in potential Boots employees. In addition to academic ability, we look for people with extra-curricular competencies such as interpersonal ability and team-working skills. In addition to the requirements of individual positions, the boot’s graduate scheme also requires applicants to fulfil three key criteria: * Leading the thinking See the big picture no matter how complex; offer and stimulate new ideas and turn complex issues into clear strategies. o When have you looked for and found solutions beyond the obvious? o How radical have you been? o In what ways have you challenged received wisdom? o When have you identified clear solutions to complex problems? o How do you manage ambiguity? o How logical are you in your approach? * Leading the pace Understand and focus on the important, drive to deliver better performance and be decisive in a crisis. o Can you prioritise, focusing on the important issues and dispensing with others? o Do you regularly achieve standards that you set and which are beyond those expected by others? o When do other rely upon you to make things happen? * Leading the team Act as a catalyst driving for results and restlessly seeking to win. o Do people enjoy working with you, do you create a buzz? o How do you influence others even when the cause looks lost? o Have you been able to get good results from difficult people? How did you manage it? The selection process Below are the most vital aspects that the HRM of Boots have to analyse when recruiting and selecting a sales assistant or any other employee in any other organisation: * Job Analysis * Job descriptions * Person Specification * Job advert * Letter of application * Curriculum Vitae * Interview * Job Evaluation Job Analysis This is the first stage for recruiting an employee. Information may be gathered by the managers of Boots by questioning the job holder or observing the job holder at work. The information gathered is carefully recorded and analysed. Further information might be obtained through discussions with the job holder’s manager or supervisor. The job analyst compiles a description of the main responsibilities of the job by asking: * What are the main tasks of the job and how often do they need to be completed? * Are any specialist technological skills required to do the job? * What mental processes are required to do the job? * Is the job holder required to take decisions and use initiative? * What are the limits of the job holder’s authority? * Is the output from the job a part or a whole? * Does the job holder have to work with others, or control the work of others? * What are the required performance standards and how are they measured? Job description When the job analyst has gathered all the information from the job analysis then he/she can put it into a summary report setting out what the job entails. This summary report is usually known as a job description. It contains two types of information; it describes the tasks of the job and it describes the behaviour necessary to actually do these tasks satisfactorily. A job description usually consists of: * Job title * General information * Position within the business * Job summary * Job content information * Purpose of tasks * Responsibilities * Working conditions An example of a job description can be found in the appendix. Person specification Sometimes known as a personnel profile – the person specification describes all of the attributes and skills required to do the job in hand to the satisfactory standards. For example, in Boots’ mission to require a part-time sales assistant, the HRM would need to specify clearly in the person specification whether or not the employee had to have special ICT qualifications in order to work a till. Job advert Job advertisements form an important part of the recruitment process. Boots is able to communicate job vacancies to a selected audience by this means. Most job adverts are written by the personnel department, task involving the same skill as marketing a product. Adverts must reach those people who have the qualities to fill the vacancy. The nature of the advert will depend on the following: * Who the target audience is – potential managing director, supervisor, operatives etc * Where the advert will be placed – on a noticeboard within the workplace, in the Financial Times, at the local job centre etc Job advertisements therefore take many forms, according to current requirements. Good adverts contain at least the following information: Job title: This should form the main heading, possibly in bold print. Job description: This should highlight the major requirements of the job in a concise format. Organisational activities and marketplace: There should be a brief description of the environment in which the organisation operates. Location: Applicants need to know the location of the organisation and the location of the job. Salary expectation: Figures are not always necessary, but an indication of the salary level should always be given. Address and contact: This should appear, with a telephone number if appropriate. Qualifications: Certain jobs require a minimum entrance qualification, which should be clearly stated. Experience: This should be quantified, as it will have a bearing on the expected salary level. Fringe benefits: The advertiser may wish to mention a company car, a health insurance scheme and so on. Organisational identity: This may be in the form of a logo (or simply the name of the organisation). A good job advert, while providing prospective candidates with helpful information, also helps to discourage applications from people who do not have the required qualifications for the job. The presentation of the advert is very important as it gives prospective employees a first impression of the organisation. Letter of application The title pretty much speaks for itself when describing what a letter of application is. Basically, a letter of application is a letter that an applicant would send to an organisation when interested in a job on offer. In this case, the applicants for the part-time sales assistant would send their letters to Boots after seeing the advert for the job. Along with the letter of application the employees would send their Curriculum Vitae (CV). An example of a letter of application can be found in the appendix. Curriculum Vitae A Curriculum Vitae (CV) shows a person’s achievements, hobbies, interests and past-times. A CV is a vital ingredient to recruiting the best employee – in this case the best part-time sales assistant. Below shows an example of a CV that could be sent with the letter of application to Boot’s HRM sent by an applicant enquiring about the job of a part-time sales assistant on offer. Once Boot’s HRM have evaluated the letter of application of the applicant they can decide whether or not he/she is suitable for the job. If they are then a letter of an invitation to an interview will be sent to him. If he/she isn’t then a letter of consolation is sent by Boots’ HRM. But in this case let’s say the applicant does qualify for an interview, this is the next stage of the recruitment process. An example of a CV can be found in the appendix. Interview Interview is the most vital stage of the recruitment process for Boots and the potential employee. This short time of contact with Boots can give the business representatives a lot of information about how the potential employee looks, behaves, talks and basically how well he or she comes across as a person. That’s why it is so important for the potential employee to dress appropriately and talk with confidence when answering any questions set to him/her by the interviewer(s). Most people have had at least one experience of being interviewed prior to employment. Few people enjoy interviews often this is because the interviewer comes across as being more interested in finding faults with you than finding out the good things. This is sometimes to see if the interviewee is sharp, intelligent and someone who can cope with pressure. Some of the interviewing techniques (used by the interviewer) will show which applicant is the most strong minded out of all the potential employees. For example, the interviewer may decide to ask the applicant to take a message from a person on the phone pretending to be a business consultant of the company or an upset customer. This sort of technique can indicate to the interviewer how well spoken or articulate the interviewee is, how well he/she copes under pressure and whether he/she deals with the â€Å"phone call†in the appropriate manner expected by the organisations standards. The personnel department of Boots is usually involved in interviewing, both in carrying them out and helping managers to adopt good interview practice. By following certain guidelines, the business hopes to employ the ‘right’ person for the job. It also aims to carry out the interview in a way that is fair to all candidates. These guidelines might include the following: The interview should allow information to be collected from candidates, which can be used to predict whether they can perform the job. This can be done by comparing replies with the criteria that successful applicants should have. Boots should give candidates full details about the job and the organisation. This will help them decide whether the job would suit them. The interview should be conducted so that the candidates can say that they have had a fair hearing. The interview, has however, been criticised as not always being an effective ‘tool’. Some of the main criticisms are: * Interviewers often decide to accept or reject a candidate within the first three or four minutes of the interview, and then spend the rest of the time finding evidence to confirm their decision. * Interviews seldom change the initial opinion formed by the interviewer seeing the application form and the appearance of the candidate. * Interviewers place more stress on evidence that is unfavourable than the evidence that is favourable. * When the interviewers have made up their minds on the candidate very early in the interview then their behaviour betrays their decision to the candidate. * The problems with these criticisms are that they do not solve the problems, only identify them. No matter what other means of selection there may be, the interview is crucial. If it is thought to be unreliable, it should not be discarded. Boots must simply make sure they carry it out properly. Carrying out the interview There are a number of factors, which would be taken into account when carrying out the interview. The interview should be conducted around a simple plan and be based on a number of questions against which all candidates will be assessed. It is also considered good practice to prepare suitable place for the interview, such as a warm, quiet, ventilated room. The interviewer should also ensure that the candidates have a friendly reception and are informed of what is expected of them. The average interview usually takes around thirty minutes. The interview plan organises the time to cover the important aspects in assessing applicants. The plan must be flexible enough to allow the interviewer to explore areas that may come up during the interview. Boots can follow a simple strategy of what the interviewer should do and what the interviewer shouldn’t do before and during the interview. The interviewer should always try and make the applicant comfortable by maybe asking him/her whether they had an easy journey to the building or whether they are warm enough in the interview room. This sort of behaviour can put the interviewee at ease in order of seeing the real side of them. Listed below are some of the things that an interviewer representing Boots should do: * Introduce yourself to the candidate * Adopt a suitable manner, show respect to the interviewee and be friendly * Make sure the interview is not interrupted * Conduct the interview at an unhurried pace * Have a list of questions that need to be asked * Encourage the candidate to talk by using ‘open’ questions such as; * â€Å"Tell me about your present or past job†* â€Å"Do you believe that†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ * Concentrate on those areas not fully covered by the letter of application * Be alert for clues in the candidate’s answer, problem where necessary, and be more specific in the questioning if you are not satisfied * When the interview has ended, make sure the candidate ha no further questions and let the candidate know when the decision will be made * Write up your assessment notes as soon as the interview has finished whilst the information is still ‘fresh’ in your mind * Prepare for the next interview The interviewer will have gained a great deal of information from the interview. It will help the interviewer to have an interview assessment form so he/she can decide if that they suitable for the job. An interview assessment form can be found in the appendix. Job evaluation This is the part where Boots HRM will evaluate each and every one of the job applicants. It will evaluate how well the applicant spoke, dressed and came across in the job interview. Also letters of application and Curriculum Vitae’s (CVs) will be evaluated on how well the applicant can write and by looking at the CV the HRM can see which applicant has the best qualifications and most ideal interests, hobbies, and past-times for the job. Boots would be able to tell whether the chosen candidate for the job was the correct selection by assessing whether the company’s aim had been achieved. However, selection can be very costly to Boots. For example, if Boots were to send out application forms to candidates the cost of postage has to be paid for and Boots may have to pay for travel expenses for candidates’ journeys to interviews. Staff will also have to give up time to carry out the interviews. For example, if 10 people were interviewed for three posts by Boots, but only one applicant was suitable, selection may not have been effective. In this case Boots would have to re-advertise and interview other candidates as two posts would be unfilled. Boots’ Human resource department’s role would be to check all stages of selection to find out where problems had arisen. For example, when short-listing, a suitable candidate may have been ‘left out’. At an interview a possible candidate may have been rushed, so he/she was not given the chance to do their best. Legal factors It is now illegal for Boots or any other organisation to specify sex, marital status, colour, race, nationality or disability in any job advertisement. These laws were brought in by the government due to the Sex Discrimination Act (1975 and 1986), the Race Relations Act (1970), and the Disability Discrimination Act (1995). An Industrial Tribunal is available for people who feel that they have been discriminated against by any organisation, for example, during an interview. This Industrial Tribunal can award damages if it feels that a person has a fair case of being discriminated against by an organisation. Another â€Å"Act†that can be looked upon as discrimination by an organisation is the Equal Pay Act (1970). This implies that men and women must receive equal pay if the work that they do is the same or similar. Boots have always followed the laws of the Sex, Race Relations, Equal Pay, and Disability Discrimination Act’s so not to cause a confrontation between the company itself, the person(s) discriminated against and the Industrial Tribunal. They always deploy a system where by such discrimination acts are followed.
Saturday, September 28, 2019
Managerial Functions
The management functions according to Henry Fayol are planning, decision-making, communication, organizing, leadership, motivation, control and coordination. These functions are important for all types of organization whether it is small, medium or largeOr whether they are private or public organizations. The success or failure of any organization is primarily depends on how effective these functions are carried out in an organization. This particularly true in the current dynamic economic, technological. Social and political climate of the 21st century. In addition it is becoming very vital the success or failure depends on how the above managerial functions are carried out in a global economic environment and challenges of environmental issues and climate change.The Distribution center of Walmat serves 120 stores and it is a hub, which ensures the stores have the correct products with appropriate quality and as well it ensures the stocks, arrives at stores in time and there is an a dequate stock to serve the customers in the respective stores where the distribution center is responsible. Say I am working as a Supervisor for a section, which is responsible to the distribution to Super Centers in a given area. I am directly responsible to the Distribution center chief manager.The planning function gives an organization direction and sets the objectives as an organization as a whole and also objectives for the sub-units. It also is a tool to use limited resources to use effectively and efficiently and reduce waste so that the organization is competitive and meets the goals consistently in the short and in the long term. In this regard as a Supervisor I have to schedule the day to day work load and have a contingency plan if some staff do not come in a day and how I can reschedule the activities so that I can meet the deadlines and ensure the stocks arrives at the Super centerIn time. In this manner I have to plan activities and implement the plan on a day- to-day basis to meet the objectives of the Distribution center my responsibilities in accordance with procedures and policies of the center and the directions of my manager. Decision-making refers to the question of what to produce, how to produce, when to produce, how to distribute to plan, organize and control activities. As a Supervisor forSuper centers I have to allocate staff for different activities and I have to make decisions regarding the allocation of staff, As well to schedule tasks I have decide the how I can control the workflow with limited interruptions and improve the time taken for each activity as well to make decisions the timing of processing the orders from the Super Center. As well I have to arrange and use transport to deliver the stocks to the Super center and decide the timing and the type of transport needed. That is I have to make decisions in regards to planning, organizing, control and motivate staff to meet deadlines and ensure a smooth workflow with little interruptions.In any organization the organization uses capital, natural resources and above all human resources or manpower to convert raw materials in to value added products. To accomplish this the organization must recruit the appropriate people in terms of skill, personality and values compatible with the organization, train them if necessary to upgrade skills, motivate them to use their maximum potential by identifying intrinsic and extrinsic motivational factors.As a supervisor I have to ensure adequate staff to perform the activities monitoring the demand for each activity and inform the chief manager on a regular basis to recruit staff for a particular area of work and inform the manager the training needs of staff if identified any inadequacies of their skills observed and in performance evaluations and recommend staff for promotion to the chief manager of the Distribution center.Managers have to communicate with internal staff above them and below them as well as to external bodies. In my day-to-day work I have to communicate with my staff to motivate and to direct them and allocate the resources they need to perform their tasks as well have to communicate and report the progress of my section to the chief manager in written form in accordance with procedures and policies.I have to deal orally and writing with the suppliers and with the Super Center to plan and control activities to ensure the schedules are revised and activities are reorganized and the work processes and the logistics in the Distribution Center is reengineered to improve efficiency in consultation with my chief Manager within my work responsibilities.Organization means the organizational structure such as Authority and responsibility, line of communication, internal control systems, decision-making mechanisms, and logisticsTechnological and information system infrastructure, management culture and style, types and number of divisions and departments, levels of management , procedures and policies regarding particular activities which are routine by nature as well as General code of conduct and policies relating to human resource management and other important functions.As a Supervisor I must know my Distribution center organizational structure and how it fits with Wal Mart so that I can work and know how my work is related with other divisions within the center and know the computer and other internal control systems to work in accordance with such procedures and to enable to use decision-making mechanism tolls computer and other tolls to plan and organize and control activities within my responsibility and to report in accordance with the chain of command and to go beyond my official authority without prior permission.As well I have to organize activities by allocating tasks to my staff and ensure they work in accordance with procedures and policies applicable to their work and apply my managerial style compatible with my staff profile and compatib le with the managerial style of my Chief Manager and with the Wal marts managerial style acceptable to the management culture.Motivation is an important and complex function of management in all levels including the low level management. Motivation means providing appropriate incentives monetary and non-monetary reward systems to maximize the use of the potential of all staff.Have a performance evaluation system to enhance performance and provide carrier opportunity to staff, which has the initiative, ambition, skill and appropriate values personality, which is compatible with the organizational culture. As a Supervisor as discussed above I have to understand the complexity of motivation and must identify the motivational factors and provide incentives and give meaningful tasks to staff to motivate them to perform and use their full potential and to retain skilled staff which is a scarce resource and vital for the competitive edge of the organization as a whole.Managers also must show leadership qualities such as knowledge providers, mentors and facilitators for the staff working for them and to harness their skill and upgrade their skill and shape behavior so that the staff meets the goals of the organization not goals that are not compatible organizational goals as a whole. As mentioned above as a Supervisor I will act as a role model, a mentor a facilitator and a knowledge provider and always tries to upgrade there energy level in a high level and maintain them so that their effort level is high and their morale is high.Coordination is necessary to work with other divisions and with external clients to meet the goals set for the Distribution Center with the Overall Objectives of Wal mart. As a Supervisor I have to coordinate with suppliers, with other divisions with the Distribution center to plan and control activities to maximize the efficiency of the distribution center not by unit alone in the expense of the distribution center but also add value to the Wal mart as a whole as I acknowledge different divisions may have different objectives and  they are not always compatible and one has to strike a balance between technical objectives, human objectives, sales objectives and cost objectives to plan and control activities.Control processes are important as it gives feedback on the results of operations to the managers in the form of reports quantitative and qualitative or regular feedback to managers immediately above on a regular basis so that they can adjust the plan or improve the processes and control cost and rectify weaknesses in operational efficiency and innovate new products on a continuous basis to survive and grow in the short and n the long term.As a Supervisor for Super enter delivery I will give feedback on how to improve efficiency by improving work processes and system and application of technology and better decision making and information system within the organization as well prepare reports in accordance with procedures to measure the performance of the Divisions to control cost and to improve productivity and innovation within the distribution center.The Chief manager of the Distribution center has to plan for the operation as whole and revise plans based on the feedback from the divisional managers and have to plan for capital expenditure and investment decisions which will improve efficiency within the budget and also plan for man power and budget for expenditures and logistic plans within the distribution center. In staffing the chief manager has to make decisions of the best method to recruit staff, best reward system, promotional policies and assessment systems training of staff.In relation to decision making he has to make decisions how to plan effectively using technology and other methods, determine best logistic planning and scheduling the activities, cost control methods, make decisions as how to control quality and quality control processes and syste ms, how to motivate staff, effective methods of coordination of different systems, best feedback mechanism and frequency, appropriate management style.He has to communicate with finance department, Information technology department, suppliers and stores he is responsible and with other distribution center managers on a regular basis as well as with divisional managers and staff. In controlling activities he must establish feedback mechanism and regular reports to identify problem areas and to identify causes and improve efficiency of the processes and systems and to improve the performance to meet the objectives of the Distribution center.In motivating staff he must identify the intrinsic and extrinsic motivational factors and provide incentives and by enhancing the work of staff and supervisors and providing meaningful work. As the external environment is dynamic and in a global economic environment the Walmart must become more adaptable and there fore the work and duties of all ma nagement will become more complex and they must revise their systems and processes on a faster face than ever before and must become a team oriented organization than functional and become more flexible in their work practices in the future.BibliographyCarrol.Archie.B. (1993), Three Types of management Planning: Making Organization Work, Management Quarterly, 34, 1, Retrieved February, 15, 2007, from http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=5002194623Divisions (n.d) Retrieved February, 15, 2007, fromhttp://corporate.walmart.com/?id=10Korman.Abraham. K & Kroat.Allen.I. (1999) Evolving practices in Human Resource Management: Responses To a Changing World, London Manel (ed), Retrieved February, 15, 2007 from https://www.questia.com/read/107266673/evolving-practices-in-human-resource-managementSchirmer.F. (2002), Lower-Level and Middle-Level Management as the Recipients and Actors of Human Resource Mnagement & Organization, International Studies of Management, Retrieved 15, 2007 from https:/ /www.questia.com/read/5000141068
Friday, September 27, 2019
Simone DeBeauvoir Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words
Simone DeBeauvoir - Essay Example In fact, "a man never begins by presenting himself as an individual of a certain sex; it goes without saying that he is man "(De Beauvoir 1986, p. 15). Opposite to the men, women are forced to constantly justify their social status as women in which femininity is particularly important. De Beauvoir points to three main arguments in favor of the idea of the existence of gender discrimination against women. Firstly, De Beauvoir regards the stereotypes in relation to biological differences between men and women: a womans body is considered as defective and limited, while the male body is characterized positively. The second argument in favor of this idea lies in the fact that, as part of the opposition "the Self – the Other" men treat women as an object for manipulation and the overwhelming impact, while the women allow such stereotypes in their address. Consideration of a woman as the Other leads to the third argument in favor of the authors idea. It consists in the fact that gender inequality is determined by social norms with respect to the distribution of various resources and social rights. In practice, women have far fewer rights than men, and this injustice is manifested in all areas of their lives. In general, the idea of discrimination against women is confirmed by the disproportion in the significance of masculinity and femininity in society. Their status is determined by the opposition "the Self – the Other" where the role of the Self is given to the man as an active and free subject, while the role of the Other belongs to the woman as a dependent object. As mentioned above, the first factor in favor of discrimination against women is associated with stereotypes about male and female bodies. In fact, men see their bodies as having a perfect set of features for a happy life. In contrast to the man, "woman has ovaries, a uterus: these peculiarities imprison her in her
Thursday, September 26, 2019
The Tea Party. The impact of the rise of the Tea Party on the American Essay
The Tea Party. The impact of the rise of the Tea Party on the American political landscape - Essay Example The initial stimulus for the beginning of the Tea Party was by Rick Santelli who worked in CNBC and he has been labeled by many as the initiator of the Tea Party. This is owing to the fact that he openly opposed the mortgage plan that was signed by the President after taking office in 2009 on air and this fuelled many protesters and groups to gather and initiate this movement. Different support groups of the Tea Party formed and worked throughout the country to present their points (Williamson et al 25, 37). The Tea Party laid a great initial impact on the political landscape of the United States owing to the great support that it received but the affectivity of the movement has greatly reduced over the years owing to the lack of proper leadership and unity as well as the changing manifestos. In the year 2009, the support for the Tea Party greatly increased and polls revealed that up to 300,000 residents of the United States took part in the organized protests. Different organization s registered under the flag of Tea Party to show their support for this movement. These included The Tea Party Nation, Tea Party Patriots, The Tea Party Express and the Tea Party Nation. Such was the success of the Tea Party and its motif that by the end of the year 2009, political candidates who were associated with the Tea Party won 39 out of the total 129 seats of the United States House of Representatives and five seats in the Senate. These victories clearly demonstrated the political effect of the Tea Party on the American political landscape (Williamson et al 37, 38). The motives for which this movement began were mainly to reduce the federal government and at the same fight against the loopholes in the healthcare policies. The Tea Party also lobbied against the high amount of taxes and the mortgage plan and also demanded the resolving of issues including unemployment as well as the lower level of representation of the common public in the government (Gabriel; Williamson et al 32). The groups that formed under the flag of the Tea Party indicate the fact that they are mainly putting forward â€Å"the voice of the true owners of the United States†that is of the residents of the country. They indicate that they are following in the footsteps of the people who brought about the revolution known as the Boston Tea Party in the year 1773 and thus they refer to their movement as the Tea Party as well. They indicate the fact that they are fighting for their country and fulfilling the dreams of the founding fathers of the United States and trying to uphold the constitution of the country. They argue that the Constitution is to be truly followed and the freedom of the people is not to be invaded by the governing bodies. They present the fact that the common man should be represented in the governing offices so that their problems are properly solved. Furthermore, they also argue that illegal immigrants should not be allowed to enter the country and proper b udgeting schemes should be devised for the benefits of the common man and taxes should be reduced to minimum (The Tea Party). The Tea Party movement has been a center of controversy. It has its own supporters but opposing groups present the fact that the success of the Tea Party is not very high and it has greatly reduced over the years. Furthermore, it is also explained by the oppositionists that the Tea Party does not represent all the people of the country but it rather represents only a few groups and races. This was indicated by a survey that was conducted by the CBS News and the New York Times. This survey was conducted in the year
Factors an Organization Needs To Consider When Developing a Global Assignment - 1
Factors an Organization Needs To Consider When Developing a Global Staffing Strategy - Assignment Example This paper illustrates that the global staffing strategy would incorporate the perspectives of the people as to how they view the entire working mechanism of the world and what the different nations bring to the fore with their respective working realms Hence creating and eventually developing a global staffing strategy is a Herculean task if seen within the proper scheme of things as it cultivates a sense of trust and empathy within the region where the headquarters are located. The expatriates working within the different nations of the world is an enticing opportunity for the staffing avenues that have shaped up with the passage of time. The global staffing strategy with regards to these expatriates gets its basis from the management hierarchies which are present within the organization itself. It is their decision to find out how the organization will have its own staff situated at the different locations worldwide, where it exists to satisfy the varied customers. What is interes ting to note here is the fact that these people who are recruited could either be from the locations where the office domains have been set up or recruited from the headquarters themselves. The need is to select and hire people who understand the dictum of the organization more than anything else, and this can only be done through an understanding which is based on the collective understanding of the global staffing strategy which has been in place now for some amount of time. If the right people get hired at the different locations where the business is run, this would mean that the entire organization would benefit as a result of the same. However, if this is not the case, then the global staffing strategy would implicate to a failure without a doubt, and this would mean that the recruiting issues have not been resolved in an amicable fashion. The role of the human resources management departments within the headquarters and the separate locations all around the world are signific antly more so because they perform tasks which could be easily replicated across the board if proper vision and a sense of purpose exist. If there is a lack of such visionary elements, then this would suggest for a lack of comprehension on the part of the global staffing strategy that has been adopted by the organization.
Wednesday, September 25, 2019
Disfunctional equals to monsters Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words
Disfunctional equals to monsters - Essay Example The monster is a part of the human psyche, a manifestation of what is not the same, threatening to the status quo, or oppressive. Human pain is the central core to identifying and defining the concept of the ‘monster’, and in the relationship that is between the monster and victim, it is not always the perceived monster that holds the true evil. It is the fear of the unknown that is the core of the relationship between the monster and the victim. In the film, Snow White and the Seven Dwarves (1937), the dwarves determine that the creature under the sheet, which is actually Snow White, is a monster, and they determine before knowing what is under the sheet that they will kill it and chop it to pieces. All they knew was that the creature was an invader with an unknown intent, and the instinctual response was to destroy it without prejudice. This is the relationship that the unknown has with culture, representing something to fear and to despise without understanding anythi ng of the motivations that have brought the creature into existence. It is the fear of what it represents that gives the monster power while at the same time stealing from it its humanity, regardless of the level of humanity on which it relies. A monster may be a creature that is more animal, which would then deserve the compassion of humanity, or it may be a humanoid who seeks to belong and in its rejection, rebels with violent retribution. Regardless of its form, the monster/human relationship is one of the unknown as it threatens the known. According to Briefel â€Å"It is the monster’s pain that determines audience positioning in the horror film†(16). Take note it is the monster’s pain, not that of the victims who has creates the relationship. Briefel goes on to discuss the series of masochistic acts that are the predecessors to the eventual acts that the monster commits against victims. As an example, in Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1931), the doctor administe rs a potion that gives him both extreme pain and satisfying pleasure, enough so that he takes the potion repeatedly as he turns into the monster. Freddy Krueger in the Nightmare on Elm Street series created by Wes Craven self-mutilates throughout the series, horrifying his potential victims with the pain that ripping of his own flesh, removing fingers or slicing open his own head (Briefel 17). In the case of Freddy Krueger, the self-mutilation serves as a point of alienation, his apparent lack of feeling in contrast to the threshold of pain that has been far exceeded by the average audience member. In the case of the character of Dr. Jekyll, his monstrosity is in his addiction to the power that is created when he is Mr. Hyde, the alienation from the audience created through the contrast he makes to the choices that the audience might make, but his allure through the temptation that he represents. In this way, the connection becomes one of both revulsion and fascination, the desire t o give into darker impulses fulfilled by the conscious, hideous choices of the monstrous representation. For many monsters, however, being a monster is not a choice but something that is imposed upon them and the true monstrosity is in the reactions of those who must cope with the presence of a creature that is
Tuesday, September 24, 2019
Culture And Public Policy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words
Culture And Public Policy - Essay Example This paper stresses that culture can also be regard as the relationships among people within groups, among groups and between ideas and views. Culture deals with identity, coordination, structures, and practices that guide relations among people such as ethnicity, heritage, rituals, norms, and beliefs. Multiculturalism refers to a specific set of philosophical ideas, or a particular orientation by institutions or the government towards a varied population. Thus, culture is created by people and defines people. Culture is express in various ways such as through how we speak, live, conduct public life, associate with others, celebrate, entertain ourselves, remember the past, and think about the future. This report makes a conclusion that culture influences all public policies. The culture of the people or a nation determines the nature of the public policy that is created . Culture also affects the implementation of the policy. It may facilitate implementation of the policy thereby, helping to achieve the policy objectives or prevent creation or implementation of a good public policy, which may have a negative effect on a country’s different aspects such as economic development. Poor public policies in most African countries are because of bad cultures such as the high degree of power distance. On the other hand, most developed countries public interest oriented policies are inspired by the countries’ good cultures such as low power distance.
Monday, September 23, 2019
Classroom management plan Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 2
Classroom management plan - Essay Example Respecting one another is important because it maintains class decorum. Moreover, it is important to have a safe and conducive environment for supporting learning. Therefore, students will not be allowed to call names of each other in order to blame one another like the children do normally. Besides this, it is also important to study in an environment which is clean because this also ensures good health which is the reason why the children will not be permitted to eat and drink inside the classroom. To enhance learning, creating a conducive student-teacher relationship is essential for which it is vital for the teacher to listen and communicate with the students openly. Therefore, the ideas of the students must be listened and they should be encouraged to participate. Since the benches would be placed in form of rows and columns in the classroom, the children will move out of the class one by one forming a line and will enter the classroom in the similar manner to avoid congestion for the other students. After entering the class room, the children will keep their backpacks under their tables and will keep their lunch boxes inside the drawer below each table. Homework will be submitted by them by passing all the note books towards the front row from where the classroom monitor will collect all the copies and keep them aside for the teacher. Students will enter and go out of the classroom in the similar manner when they will leave for lunch, recess, library and assembly as this will ensure that discipline is maintained. I will have three monitors in the classroom from which two would be boys while one would be a girl. One boy and girl would be responsible for maintaining the class discipline while the other boy would be responsible for collecting all the homework note books from the students. Monitors will be changed on a monthly basis. Students will receive worksheets, writing paper, books, crayons, glue, and scissors,
Sunday, September 22, 2019
Genetically modified organism Essay Example for Free
Genetically modified organism Essay A genetically modified organism (GMO) is an organism which been using genetic engineering techniques, and Monsanto is a publicly agricultural biotechnology company. Monsanto has a huge influence on GMO products. Unfortunately, Monsanto is not a great company because they produce harmful products and lie to their customers. Absolutely, Monsanto didn’t do the illegal things, but they didn’t obey the ethics. As seen in the video, I would like to discuss Contemporary Consequentialism which depend on justice, Kantian Ethics which as a form of deontological ethics and Social Contract Theory which depend on law to discuss Monsanto’s case. GMO products sounds like good for our health and economy, but some companies like Monsanto don’t do well. Contemporary Consequentialism Contemporary consequentialism is the class of normative ethical theories which justice takes an important role. As its name suggests, Consequentialism is the view depend only on consequences. Justice contains distributive justice and retributive justice (Driver P61). Justice concern the distribution of benefits is called distributive justice, such as taxation and health care. Justice concern the distribution of rewards and punishments is called retributive justice, such as good citizen’s awards and prison terms. The theory â€Å"determining whether or not an action is right are the consequences produced by that action†(Driver, 2007, p. 40) did not lead to positive consequences for the Monsanto company. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) also lied about their founding in 1992. Since 1992, 37 people died and thousands more were seriously ill after eating one of the GMO foods made by Monsanto. This is not only ethic issue, but also is illegal. Monsanto’s character was selfish and didn’t make the world a better place (Hinman, 2002). Monsanto should be punished by justice. These GMO foods are killing people by the tens of thousands and The FDA doesn’t have any responds. I think FDA is the biggest travesty in the U. S. Theyre turning a blind eye to their patients misery. Kantian Ethics Kantian ethics is a deontological ethical theory which proposed by Immanuel Kant. He said â€Å"A good will is good not because of what it affects or accomplishes, nor because of its fitness to attain some proposed end; it’s good only though it’s willing†(Driver, P80). According to the video we know the world according to Monsanto. It’s a very dangerous phenomenon. They want the public to believe they commit supererogatory acts. We are present several scenarios where Monsanto’s influence on FDA and other regulatory agencies has helped them to continue their un-ethical business practices. Hinman said â€Å"what is fair for one should be fair for all. †Monsanto doesn’t care other things just want to get maximum profit with all the possible methods. This is all about money. More money is selling GMO foods to other countries that are willing to pay large amounts of money. Maybe local and organic foods are healthy but there is no market for them. Monsanto make a decision which is opposite to Kantian ethics. Monsanto needs to know we should to keep promises even when we don’t want to do. As we seen in the videos, we know no matter the starting point is moral or Kantian ethics, Monsanto and its subsidiaries made some wrong decisions. Social Contract Theory Social contract theory is the view that person’s moral. Social contract theory is rightly associated with modern moral and it is also a theory or model. Thomas Hobbs said: â€Å"where there is no common power there is no law, where no law, no Injustice (Driver, P102). †He believed that human beings were motivated by self-interest. This document which Monsanto have claims that it has â€Å"evolved from long-standing commitments to safety, environmental protection, customer service, first-class research, and product stewardship†(Robin, 2008). Monsantos document is total lie. Farmers also need to sign an agreement when they want to grow the GMO food from Monsanto. Monsanto does believe that they are ethically right in suing a small farmer in order to preserve the balance of the farming community as a whole. Monsanto is using everyone to monopolize food and in the end with the ultimate power over everyone. I think I don’t any great idea to solve this big problem. According to the video, I think just hope Monsanto doesn’t decide to grow marijuana. They can’t mass produce organic foods any better than they can keep Wall Street on track. We know the products which Monsanto produced should not exist. These products can’t help us to make a better world. According to this theory we know first we must be guarantees that people will not harm each other, and people must be able to rely on the other to keep their agreements. Absolutely, Monsanto doesn’t obey the theory. Conclusion Through the discussion about Contemporary Consequentialism, Kantian Ethics and Social Contract Theory, We know Monsanto didn’t make a good decision between money and moral, and the FDA also help Monsanto to lie to their people. These harmful products and illegal documents must be stopped by government. Sometimes we can find the problems, but they are difficult to solve. GMO products are an awesome invention, and I think it can change our life. People are wrong, Monsanto is wrong. Monsanto cannot find an equilibrium point between ethics and business, or we can say money and moral. Many people and company were destroyed by the profit. We need to find a great equilibrium point and it will help us to work better and will not lose ourselves. Reference Hinman, L Ph. D. (2002) Basic moral orientations overview. Power Point, Univerity of San Diego, San Diego, CA Driver, J. (2007). God and Human Nature. Ethics: The Fundamentals (pp. 22-39). Malden, MA: Blackwell. Weston, A. (2007). Creative problem-solving in ethics. New York, NY: Oxford University Press. http://www. iep. utm. edu/soc-cont/.
Saturday, September 21, 2019
Comparison of the Atlantic Slave Trade
Comparison of the Atlantic Slave Trade Although slavery was not a new institution during the 1600 1800s however, there were great contrasts in the way slaves were treated in the Atlantic World. Slaves throughout this era were treated in various ways and from having some legal rights to having none, and from having freedom to virtually no chance of freedom. Although it did take over 150 years, slavery finally came to an end in most of the Atlantic regions. England/America and Slavery In tracing back slavery in Britain and then the Americas one can go back to ancient Rome. However unlike the 1500s 1800s instead of being slave holders, the British themselves were slaves to the Romans whom they had captured and made prisoners of war and then shipped of for sale in the Roman markets. After the fall of the Roman Empire, which historians disagree on the dates which can be between 476 A.D. to 1453 A.D. or that Rome never fell, but rather adapted (Gill, 2010). Unlike slavery in England or the English colonies there were many stations of slaves in Ancient Rome which included: agaso- which was a groom, atriensis, who were stewards, auri custos- were jewelery attendants, bubulcus- which were ploughman, calator who were footmen, cantrix singers, cellarius storekeepers. Slaves were also classified as cooks, messenger, game fatterners, chain gang, market gardeners, doorkeepers, reapers messengers, nurses, obstetricians, shepherds, chaperons, attendants, pages, planters, ev en hairdresser, masseurs, and cloths folders. Also under Roman law slaves could gain their freedom in various ways which included: Per censum, when a slave with his masters permission places his name in the censors roll. Per vindictam, when a master took his slave to the praetor or consul or pro-praetor or pro-consul and declared I desire that this man be free, according to the custom of the Romans(Roman Slaves, 2008), if then the praetor approved he would then put a rod on the head of the slave and pronounce I say that this man is free, after the manner of the Romans (Roman Slaves, 2008). At this point the master or a lector (bodyguard) would turn him around in circle and give him a blow on the check which signified that leave was granted to him to go wherever he wanted. A slave could gain his freedom by Per testamentum which was when a master gave his slaves freedom at his own will. Finally Slaves that fought in the arenas could gain their freedom by fighting well. Although the English justified slavery during the 1500s 1800s on the reasoning that the Ancient Romans used slavery, the institutes were radically different. The beginning of slavery in England and the English Colonies began with indentured servants who would sign on to leave England and start a new life but to pay their fair they sold themselves to work for a certain time span, usually three to five years. Many of this were criminals, prostitutes, or owed debt and were willing to leave to start a new life rather than going to prison or even put to death with the majority being young men in their teens to early twenties. After their committed time was up they then were free to start their own lives. Due to the growth in the colonies there began to be a lack of indentured servants so there had to be another way to get the labor needed for the plantations. There were various schemes that brought slaves to the New World which included kidnapping and being European did not protect you f rom being kidnapped and sent into servitude. Many would find themselves on the way to Virginia after having a beer with a friend in a European city (Hines, 1996). In contrast, most Roman slaves were prisoners of war and were freed on the whelms of their masters. In the beginning slavery in America was neither slavery nor limited to Africans, but was indentured servitude where the servants including Africans were released after serving their time. Africans then would join the community where they were normally farmers and even voters as being equal members of the community. Under indentured servitude if children were born they were considered free which was in contrast to slavery. Under indentured servitude there was no racism. This was to change when under the case of re Negro John Punch in 1640 that made a racial distinction among indentured servants and made blacks indentured servants for a lifetime (Slavery and Indentured Servants). In 1705 the Virginia Slave Code was established that set laws concerning the treatment and legal status of slaves in the English colonies. Under the code a childs status was determined by the status of his mother instead of the father which had been normal in England, if the mother was a free woman then the ch ild was free, but if the woman was a slave the child was considered to be a slave. Marriages between blacks and whites (the Virginia Code also prohibited marriage between other groups such as Amerindians, Irish, Turks, etc.) were illegal. Under the Virginia code the conversion of slaves to a certain religion was not a top priority, and many masters did not encourage the conversion of their slaves to Christianity since they had such a low opinion of the slaves character that they felt conversion was worthless as well as impractical (Hast, 1969. p. 221). Slaves therefore were made to work on Sundays and other holy days. Under the Virginia Code a person that was a Christian or from a Christian nation was not to be sold, however if a slave converted to Christianity they were not allowed to be freed. Also under the code slaves were not to be educated in either religion or a trade since the attitude of the master was the slaves (who were black) were inferior and not capable of learning. S laves had no rights, a slave was not allowed to hit a Christian, however if a slave was struck and was killed by a white master, the master was not held accountable for murder. Slaves were limited on their contact with slaves from other plantations in order to cut down the chances of rebellion. In the area of family, marriages between slaves were not allowed. The justification of slavery was surprisingly not over race but actually religion due to the notion that black Africans were heathens and would undercut the religion of the Europeans. Thus this ideology was the backbone for justifying lifetime slavery for Africans. Ironically Virginia then enacted laws that allowed Black Christians to serve as slaves and here we see the beginning of a history that dominates racial attitudes to this day. One may ask why the change in the social make up from indentured servitude to slavery and there are several answers to that question. One is that they were in a New World and plantation owners were adapting to problems as well as opportunities. One of the problems with indentured servitude was indentured servants tended to run away and if they were either Native American or European they were able to blend in easily with the rest of the population. On the other hand the free African-American population was very small so if an African escaped he/she was more noticeable, another problem was under the contract of indentured servitude any European that served out their contract was to be given a weapon and plot of land. This gave an increase of armed, lower-class whites that lived in the frontier and who had not sympathy for the plantation owners who had enslaved and oppressed them for years. In 1676 under the leadership of Nathaniel Bacon these people banned together and burned Jamestow n. As a result the departe elite plantation owners needed a way to ease this situation and that lead to the paradox of racial slavery. The Virginia plantation owners/aristocrats the focused on the difference of skin colr and were able to present the perception of a colonial society that placed all Caucasians into a category of a master race. Economically it was also easier to keep Africans in servitude and this factor caused a flood of Africans to the Americas over the next 150 years. With the approach of the American Revolution there was a mixed blessing by both free African-Americans as well as slaves. The principles of the revolution had implied the end of slavery but the revolutionaries was never able to deliver that promise. It had been the desire of Thomas Jefferson to end slavery with the formation of the new nation, yet it was ironic that he never freed his slaves. Jefferson was not the only person of his day that wanted to see salves free but there were men like Samuel Sewall who advocated freedom for African-Americans and even had pamphlets published and distributed that countered the arguments that the men of his time used to promote slavery. Sewall stated in his pamphlet The Selling of Joseph: A Memorial Tis pity there should be more Caution used in buying a Horse, or a little lifeless dust; than there is in purchasing Men and Women: Whenas they are the Offspring of GOD, and their Liberty is, à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ (Sewall, 1700). Here he basically stated tha t men took more time and caution in buying horses and gold than they did in buying people. Despite its promise of freedom and rights to all men, the revolution did not grant African-Americans that freedom. This double standard was not lost on African-Americans who had fought on both sides of the war believing one side or the other would have been more likely to grant slaves the freedom they desired. The American Revolution started with an African-American named Crispus Attucks, who happened to also be the first martyr. On Sunday March 5, 1770, which is the date given as the start of the Revolution, was a day full of problems in the city of Boston. The relationship between the colonist and British Soldiers and become strained and filled with frequent violence. The days before this Sunday there had been numerous tavern brawls and street fights between the British soldiers and the colonist. In one incident three British soldiers were beaten and ran out of town but returned with reinforcements. On this day a group of soldiers had just emerged from their barracks and were confronted by a gang of boys that include African-Americans, Irish, and others. After trading insults the two groups began to fight. Lead by Crispus, the Americans were able to drive the soldiers back to their barracks. After much confusion and angry by the citizens of Boston a British sentry ended up being attacked and then called for backup. A British soldier happened to be hit in the head with a stick and as a result his musket fired and killed Crispus. Several more shots ended up being fired and after the smoke cleared five people had been shot to death. This incident, which became known as the Boston Massacre, was the turning point in the relationship between America and the British with everyone realizing that the bonds between England and America had been irreparably severed. It is a great irony of history that the first battle of the revolution was not planned and the first hero of the war was an African- American who had been a former slave and whose courage and passion led the angry crowd to stand up against the British and whose death was the first in a long struggle for freedom and independence. However it would be another seven years before the first state, Vermont, would abolish slavery and then another 88 years before slavery was abolished in the United States. In 1791 as the United states was beginning as the first republic in the Western hemispheres, on the French Island of Haiti events began to unfold for another American revolution. Unlike the revolution in the British Colonies, the revolution in Haiti was driven by slaves who outnumbered their French plantation owners. August 22nd of 1791 was the day that the Haitian was for independence began under the leadership of Dutty Boukman when over one hundred thousand slaves began their revolt against the much hated French. These men and women had been slaves all their lives and they not only wanted freedom, but revenge for the harsh treatments they had endured under the French. Over the next three weeks the Haitian slaves executed any Frenchman they found had burned every plantation in the fertile regions of Haiti. Other leaders for Haitis fight for independence were Franà §ois Dominique Toussaint LOuverture, and Jeam-Jacques Dessalines. It would not be until November 28, 1803 that Haiti wo uld become the second republic in the Western hemisphere. Africa and Slavery Although the majority of slaves that came to America were from Africa, there was a vast contrast in how slaves were treated on both continents. Slavery had been a part of African cultures from the Sahara to the Kalahari long before colonialism thus they were not much different from other parts of the world. Like everywhere else in the world, slaves in Africa were considered legal property of their owners. However, slavery in Africa differed in practice from its European counterpart in practice. African slaves would normally be integrated into the home of the owner and it was not unusual for former slaves to rise to positions of trust within the family of his former owner or even to authoritative positions within their society. Another difference between African slavery and that of European slavery was the treatment of slaves. Under African masters slaves were not subjected to continual inhuman and brutal treatment as was the case under European ownership of slaves. Portugal was the first European nation to make a sustained contact with sub-Saharan Africa, and the slaves they obtained were originally used in domestic capacities and with the limited demand at the time slaves were just a part of trade that involved other commodities, however this would change with the discovery of the Americas and the colonization that would soon follow. By the end of the 16th century over 13,000 slaves were imported to the Americas per year and as more of the Americas and Caribbean Islands were conquered and the demand for slaves increased it is believed that between 1800 and 1865 around four million slaves were imported to the Americas (The African Slave Trade Slaves in Africa, 2006). With the growing realization of the negative impact that the slave trade was having on their population there began to be a growing opposition to the Trans-Atlantic slave trade. The kings of Congo and Benin, which is now a part of Nigeria, were among the first rulers that came to oppose the slave trade. Around 1865 these factors are what lead to the end of the Trans-Atlantic slave trade. It is thought that 15-50 million Africans were taken as slaves from Africa to the slave plantations in the Americas, with half dying on the journey (The African Slave Trade Slaves in Africa, 2006). Although this paper focused on just the two continents of America and Africa, the slave trade had left a legacy on the continents of Asia and Europe as well. The Trans-Atlantic slave trade was also a pointer to the way men can be inhuman to fellow men. Conclusion Where and when slaves served in servitude determined their way of life, from having rights and a chance of freedom to virtually having no rights or chance of freedom. Although slavery was not a new idea during this time period, the way slaves were treated did vary, not only by continent and differing civilizations, but by time as well.
Friday, September 20, 2019
Power distance
Power distance So you want to do business abroad and actually make a profit? Dont forget to ask yourself this: What do I know about the culture? To explain the biggest differences between cultures in this essay we are going to use a method developed by Geert Hofstede (geert-hofstede.com) using his four dimensions; Power distance, masculinity/ femininity, individualism/ collectivism and uncertainty avoidance. With this we will explain the difference between the Dutch culture and the cultures of India and Italy when doing business. Power Distance What Is Power Distance? Power distance measures how much the less powerful members of institutions and organizations expect and accept that power is distributed unequally. In cultures with low power distance, people expect and accept power relations that are more consultative or democratic. In cultures with high power distance, the less powerful accept power relations that are autocratic or paternalistic. Power Distance In India And The Netherlands With a population of over 1 billion it is hard to describe life in India because the Indian people have many different religious, regional, cultural, social, and educational variations in structural and functional patterns of family life, making it hard to generalize. However because the majority of Indians are Hindu, we will primarily focus on the Hindu way of life. India has a high power distance; it scores a 77 on the index. While the Netherlands only scores a 38 with around 16 million people. India is a very interesting country to look at because they have ‘used the caste system ¹ for a long time. With that, they automatically create a massive distance between the highest members of the caste: Brahmins (priests) and the lowest members of the caste the pariah (outcasts, â€Å"untouchables†) there are a total of 5 levels in the caste system and each of the people in a lower caste listen to members of the caste above their own. This makes equality, like in the Netherlands, impossible. This because the social position of a person is determined by heredity, for example if you are born a pariah you will never be a Brahmin and you are expected to life your life in the caste, making it your social group as well. Although the system was officially abolished it continues to play a crucial role in Indian society. Family Life A Joint Family is an extended family arrangement prevalent among Hindus of the Indian subcontinent, consisting of many generations living under the same roof. All the male members are blood relatives and all the women are mothers, wives, unmarried daughters, or widowed relatives. However in the last couple of years the people in the urban areas of India seem to have been shifting more towards a nuclear family household (consisting of 2 parents and children) School/ Education In India higher educations are more like the western European way of teaching, so the power distance is not extremely large in the schools, Teachers are however expected to lecture the students. It has been like this since India was a British colony and it keeps improving towards the level of equality which we are experiencing in Holland right now. However, in India the respect for most of the teachers is higher than the respect students in Holland show towards the teachers. Work/ Business As said before the Indian culture prefers a high power distance, in business there will be a large structural difference between the boss of a company and an employee, splitting them by so many layers that they will rarely or never actually talk to each other. And if they do it would be very formal. Also its necessary to avoid forum like situations where you as a manager ask the ‘lower ranking employees for feedback or advice because this will be seen as weak leadership. Opposed to Holland where we consider it a good thing when managers come to us for our opinions. The State The state consists of many layers in India though it is somewhat similar to the political system in the UK. In India, a persons time is valued based on power. A high-power individual must never be kept waiting. In India, a high-power individual can and will demonstrate their power by keeping a lower power individual waiting. In the Netherlands this is just not acceptable. Power Distance In Italy And The Netherlands Italy scores a 50 on the power distance index of Hofstede which puts it somewhere in the middle worldwide. According to Hofstedes dimensions Italy looks a lot like Germany in. Italy was the pinnacle of European development in the early days (Roman Empire). Italians still seem to expect a lot of differences in power between people. They would say the boss in a company should act like he/she is the boss. Family Life The Italian family is important. Grandparents, aunts uncles and cousins are often invited to share family celebrations and Sunday dinners. The family members do not usually live near each other. When children grow up, they usually live in the house until they marry. Sometimes the children would move in to help their parents. The father is always the head of the family. Friends of the family are also a very big part of Italian society. School/ Education In Italy the schools are even more similar to Holland, you are allowed to question the teachers as long as you do it with the proper amount of respect. The teachers will however have a lecture prepared. Work/ Business Power distance in Italian companies is not extremely really high because a lot of the businesses there are family businesses, nonetheless communication at the office is formal and subordinates are rarely allowed to call their superiors by their first name. The boss of the company is really the boss and he/she should be treated with a lot of respect. Good manners and courtesy are prized qualities in Italy. When doing business in Italy ensure your conduct is always polished. There are etiquettes and protocols for many social and business situations; however, it is important to remember that Italians rate considerateness above behavioral formulas. When you are meeting and departing, always shake hands. This is valid for both individuals and groups. When you do business in Italy, you dress to impress. It is no coincidence that Versace, Gucci, Prada and Dolce Gabbana are all Italian fashion houses. Italians like to make an impression with their clothes. What you wear speaks volumes about the kind of person you are. The State Italians are often cynical about persons in positions of authority. Italians love to ridicule authority and people in positions of power. Breaking petty rules is a source of amusement for many Italians. Individualism And Collectivism What Is Individualism And Collectivism? In relation to Hofstedes cultural dimension study, Individual/ Collectivism will be determined. The meaning of individualism expresses exactly a nation, which do care for him/ herself and his/ her direct family. The word â€Å"I†is a very important factor in this form of life, which is completely different in a form of collectivism. This attitude to life shows that these people care about their whole in-group which includes family, friends, uncles, aunts and grandparents. The word â€Å"we†has obviously a higher meaning to them. Hofstedes charts visualize that countries with high power distance (PDI) belong to the collectivists and countries with low power distance belong to the individualists. According to Hofstede individualism countries have the tendency to be a rich. Countries in a collectivism country have most likely the opposite tendency. Individualism And Collectivism In India And The Netherlands A comparison between India and The Netherlands gives a good impression and shows the differences between those two countries. First of all it is important to have a look at Hofstedes charts. India scores, according to Hofstedes, power distance (PDI) as its highest points for cultures, with a ranking of 77 compared with a world average of 56.5. This fact shows a clearly result of a collectivism country, which India is. It makes itself felt in terms of friendships, which were chosen by their parents, not having conflicts, by being indirect or sharing the income if someone has a good job for example. It absolutely represents the loyalty of the in-group members. As a counter-example The Netherlands will be represented. In opposite to India, Holland scores its highest points in the category individuality (IDV), which is 80 points and ties Canada as the fourth highest worldwide IDV ranking. Some examples to clarify the culture are being very direct, let the children choose friends whoever they want or spend their money however they think it will be right. These facts enunciates that Holland doesnt have this in-group attitude like India but rather the absolutely priority to their immediate family. At school children from India see the teacher as a higher person, whatever the teacher says is right without to question it, which shows that they are depending on their teacher. Furthermore it is normal to focus on a social network, where the synonym â€Å"we†more important than â€Å"I†. Dutch children are joining a completely different way of getting taught in school. It is more important to learn how to develop their own abilities, to be independent and learn how to discuss problems. They also expect the teacher to know everything with every detail. The next part relates to work and business in India. Since they have in-groups it is not normal to work with people who are not part of their in-group. It is very common that the children from India start to work in their fathers, or uncles business. Otherwise they wont find another job because in a collectivist country they are so depended on their in-group. Dutch people raise their children to work at a place wherever and whatever they like. Its more important for them to let them pick up their own experience and realize their dreams. This is the logical way of thinking for individual countries. In addition it promotes the economy to have people who are independent. The final aspect is about the states in individualism/ collectivism countries. Since India is a part of collectivists it is to say that there are more differences between poor people and rich people. Further the human rights are lower than those ones from individualist countries. In contrast The Netherlands which belongs to the individualists are more equal regarding the differences between poor and rich people. It is very important to have the same human rights like every single person in the country. Equality has different meaning for those two mentioned countries. Individualism And Collectivism In Italy And The Netherlands The comparison between Italy and The Netherlands will show the differences between those countries. It is important to take a closer look at Hofstedes charts. It shows Italys highest score, which is about 71 points â€Å"Individualism†and shows the similarity between Holland and Italy. Italy is an individualist country, like The Netherlands, but its Power distance (PDI) is also high. Family life is important for Italians, not just the immediate family, but also uncles, aunts and grandparents play a big role in the childrens life, which shows the differences to comparing to Holland. Sons from Italy leave their parents house in their 20s which is pretty much same like in The Netherlands. Furthermore children are supposed to tell the truth, even if it hurts. This is a typical attribute of individualist thinking countries, which Dutch and Italian people are. They also get raised as independent children with personal opinion because this could useful for a successful life. In those two mentioned country the school and education is pretty much the same. Pupils or students have to be independent, competitive and they are supposed to determine their own goals. It is very common to discuss issues in the class without being silent, so they can develop their skills. Work and business is also a similar matter between Italy and The Netherlands. They are highly educated business people and make business with foreign countries. Employees and employers are committed to contracts which show the human rights, but there is law that people can get laid off, or they could quit the job. The last aspect is about the state and in this point those two countries are also pretty much similar. Human rights are very high, education is important and everyone has his privacy. In conclusion individualist countries appreciate the individual interests and do not deal with collectivism.  Masculinity And Femininity In India and The Netherlands Hofstedes dimension masculinity pertains to societies in which gender roles are clearly distinct. That means, men has to be assertive, competitive and have to air toughness while women stand for nurturance. They are responsible for the household and the children. High earnings and status symbols present a certain social standing for the man. One gets the recognition deserved while doing a good job and is allowed to reach a higher level in his job. In feminine societies these gender roles overlap. Both, men and women are suppose to be modest (both, men and women have the same rights but also the same duties) both parts focus on their relationship and they are also more concerned to the quality of life. With a ranking at 56, the masculinity of India is with the world average just slightly lower at 51. A high rank means that the country is a masculine country. The lower it is, the lower is the masculinity and goes more to femininity. You also can see that India is a masculine country on different examples in Family Life The man is the head of the family. He is the one, who makes the decisions. Who says what to do. Children are obedient towards their parents. Younger children have to listen to the older children. The man is more dominant than the woman. The woman takes care of the household and the children. Whereas women are going to shop for food, household and clothes, the men are looking for cars, a house or things and objectives, which are standing for status. Even when the trend goes more femininity, step by step, traditions like a marriage portion are still common, in rural areas. The woman has to give money which depends of the family earning to marry the man. However, not always the woman (wife) has to do what the husband says. India consists of a lot traditions and one of them is, that the wife has to follow the instructions of the mother of her husband for the first few years. Even when both genders are equal, rightly, the woman is still undervalued. It is not rare that the girls get less or qualitative less food than the boys because the boys have to get strong for hard work, which a girl is not able to do. That is the reason why girls get more jobs like home helpers and get married early. In comparing to the Netherlands which occupy a score of 14 points rank 72, this country is very feminine. Men and woman are modest and focus on their relationship. Both shop for food and both discuss which car to buy. They do not have one dominant â€Å"leader†of the family both act non- dominant. School/ Education Indias school-systems are free for the grades from one till five. However, more boys go to school than girls. Girls are going to marry early, so they let them work and send the boys to school. An example what makes it visible is, that 48% of the Indians over fifteen cannot read and write. 62, 3% of women and 34, 5% of men are illiterates. The education is also more masculine because the pupils or students try to make them visible in class and compete openly with each other. Job choices are strongly guided by perceived career opportunities. The best student is the norm; failing in school would be a disaster. The atmosphere of ego boosting is exiting, the best one wins. Indian children try to learn jobs where they can make money. The Netherlands have more students which present the average. Failing in school is not the end of the world and they learn jobs, basic on their talent and what they like. They underrate their own performance, they do not want to appear too eager and it is okay when the teacher is also just a â€Å"human†and do not know everything. Work/ Business Most of the time, even when it changes in the big cities and step by step also all over the country, the men are working and earn the money for their families. One fourth of the population lives under the poverty line. They live for the work whereas in the Netherlands the people work to live. That means that money and status are not so important like the leisure time. The Indians work in a competitive atmosphere, the higher the position, the better is the money and their status. Only the best are successful in the hard business. The State The state is a performance society. You will be paid for that what you accomplish. The more you can the higher is the earning. The higher the earning is the higher is your status in society. In the Netherlands it is quite different, the community is more important. The solidarity is higher; people help more each other and also the weaker ones. India focuses a lot to the growth in economy, more than in the Netherlands. Masculinity And Femininity In Italy And The Netherlands Italy counts over 60 points and stands on rank 52 in the index from Hofstede but only for the European countries. Italy is also a masculine society but not so high like India. Italy is less masculine but more feminine than India but not so feminine like the Netherlands. Family Life Women expect men to get the leadership in family life and earn the money for the family. Gender roles are also clearly distinct here. The woman is responsible for the family and especially for the household and the man is making career. Children suppose to be obedient, whereas the boys should be tough and the girls more emotional. Most of the time the father is dominant but it is not unusual when there are non-dominant partners in a relationship. Family is very important and children are their future. Parents try to give their children the best perspective and are always around them; often the â€Å"bambinis†sit on the table till late in the evening. The parents take very care of the children and control them also a lot what they are doing. It is normal, that fights are sometimes loud and the Italians also like to make jokes and do not care when the neighbor or strangers hear it whereas love is not shown to the outside. Often a fight between a man and woman sound hard for a n on-Italian but that is their mentality and normally after five minutes all is forgotten. Men are often seen like machos but it is unusual that parents have a divorce. School/ Education The teachers are authority persons to the students but the communication is still friendly and the teachers also make jokes. It is very important that the Italian students pass school with high grades. Often they learn till late in the evening and the parents still control them to repeat the homework and if they understand well. The education is more masculine than in the Netherlands, failing in school or not passing a test is a disaster whereas the Dutch students are more comfortable and they just need to pass, independent from the grade. According to this fact, teachers in the Netherlands, take more attention to weaker students and try to push them by giving them attention, than openly praise the good students. The students are decent in their CVs, whereas in Italy, they sell themselves in interviews to show they are the best. The Netherlands are a permissive society in which the environment should be preserved as small is beautiful. Furthermore the government depends on a coalition between different parties and women are more often elected than in Italy and India. Work/ Business Usually the woman take care of the family and the men is going to work. However women also work, but the earnings of the men are most of the time higher and the high positions are often occupied by the men. Money is important, men like to show their status with cars for example but leisure time and spending time with their families is also important. You cannot really define if it is more masculine or more feminine. It is more feminine than in India but still more masculine than in the Netherlands. The State The community is important, Italy has solidarity. They care about the weak people in the population and aid also a lot of financially help to poor countries. The country is a community and they represent it to the outside. Uncertainty Avoidance What Is Uncertainty Avoidance? The term uncertainty avoidance denotes how members of a culture deal with unknown or ambiguous situations. Cultures with high uncertainty avoidance try to avoid such uncertainties. Members of other cultures maybe experience equal situations as uncertain or chaotic as well, but respond more relaxed and unstressed. Each country has got own rituals and values how they deal with punctuality, formalities and religious affairs. Cultures with a high certainty avoidance index (UAI) are more prepared to evade risks than cultures with a low UAI. The higher the score of the UAI is, the higher the need of people to have laws and regulations which give them a guideline and a feeling of private and public security. High uncertainty avoidance sentiment can be summarized as â€Å"What is different is dangerous.†However, the weakest uncertainty avoidance sentiment can be summarized on the contrary as â€Å"What is different is curious.†In Italy the uncertainty avoidance and individualism/ collectivism are the highest scores, adequate the four dimensions of Geert Hofstede with a value of 75 on the index. It is clear to see that Italy has one of the highest scores at all. On the other hand there are the Netherlands with a relative low UAI amount of 53 which is almost the mean of 39 countries. Uncertainty Avoidance Italy And Netherlands Family Life Because of the high score Italy has achieved, one can see that the family life seems to be as more stressful as in the Netherlands. In the early stages Italian children learn the difference between dirty and clean and between safe and dangerous. They make more experiences with law and rules and know soon what they are allowed to do and what not. Italian mothers and nannies would never allow to see their children in dirt or danger. It is common that family has a very great significance in Italy. In contrast to Italian families Dutch families are quite different. They are more relaxed about that and let their children make experiences on their own. Dutch dont care about their health as the Italian do. Example: Dutch people dont ask for a doctor or a medical certification if they are ill. Often they are already satisfied with the view of a nurse. Religion plays a pretty important role in the Italian family life. 90% of all Italian inhabitants are Roman Catholic. This huge number shows one that they have great Christianity. Religion gives them some sort of security, confidence and for several people a guideline. Health and keeping good are also important things Italian care about. Unlike Italy Holland is not that religious. Nearly half of all Dutch people are atheists. School / Education In Italy there is high uncertainty avoidance. In such countries it is pretty important for the students to believe in that a teacher knows almost everything. The students want to know right answers in detail and the teachers are supposed to have all the answers. In the Netherlands it is quite different. Teachers are rather considered as advisers. The students just want to have good conversation and discussion with the teacher and they dont have problems if a teacher says â€Å"I dont know†. Italians are almost the same as the German and favored a structured and detailed assignments. Work / Business In work life one can see that Italian employees and managers look for long-term employment. In contrast to Italy the Dutch people are short-term orientated and more flexible. If they are dissatisfied with their job they have no problem with looking for another job. Besides the Italian employees and managers favor a well structured and organized work process that they would not confronted with any problems. Many Italian prefer to do business they already know. Example: Italians prefer to know something about an individual before they speak with the person on the phone. Thus, in business one should send an introductory fax and follow-up with a phone call. The State One reason why Italy is scared of the unknown is because it is a very old cultural country that has survived many economical changes, wars and political upheavals. These facts might have bred in Italians a greater anxiety of the unknown. In Italy a mass of laws and rules are the result of uncertainty avoidance. It gives a feeling of security and also it can be seen as a guideline. In Holland there are not that much laws and rules. They think that laws and rules should be established just in case of necessity. Furthermore they believe that many problems can be solved without any laws. The Netherlands have just a few laws and rules to avoid the uncertainty, although the government and the regulation system is very well developed. If there is a law that is not working, the Dutch government would change or withdraw it easily and quickly. The fact that Italy has so many laws and regulations is that many people are not interested in politics. In contrast the Dutch people are very intereste d in politics, because there not many laws, so they are not overloaded by them. For example, Dutch people ask, why there is a change in ordinance. Uncertainty Avoidance India And Netherlands Family life Based on Hofstedes scale Indias UAI is the lowest of the three countries we have to compare. India scores a 40 on the index. This value makes clear that the inhabitants have the least fear of the uncertain. But its quite hard to generalize, because there are many variations in the different patterns of life. One reason for this fact may be that a large part of the inhabitants grow up under the poverty line. Indian are born in the caste system which forms their guideline, therefore they have another way of feeling of losing a job. Mostly they live with a large amount of family members in one house. Their religion, beliefs and rituals are important attempts to avoid uncertainty in the present and in the oncoming life. Approximately 80% of all Indian inhabitants are Hindu. But in Holland it is very different. In Holland religion is not that import as in India or in Italy because there are almost 45% atheists. School / Education Indians who live under the poverty line probably dont fear to have no school education because the most of them grow up without education at all. But for middle class parents it is important that their children get an academic achievement, because its a direct step to achieve prestige and a better status. Another point is that the dutch pupils dont mind what credits they get. They are just interested in whether they passed or not. Work / Business In countries like India people only work hard if there is a need for it, but they also love to relax. So time is not an ever-present concern for them. Furthermore they live day to day, so one can see that they are very similar to the Dutch because they are both short-term orientated. Day to day can also mean that they fight to survive day after day. The State Indian politics are nearly the same as the British. Since its a bicameral system there are multiple parties. A big difference between the British and Indian system is that in India there are political parties that address, only certain groups in the caste system. And with that they create a certain kind of certainty for the people in the caste. Conclusion After our detailed investigation, about how the four dimensions of Hofstede affect the different countries, we can give some marketing and general advices for doing business in India, Italy and the Netherlands. In contrast to The Netherlands, India and Italy are both masculine countries. For example someone wants to publish a new product especially for woman like a magazine. In the Netherlands it wouldnt be difficult to bring such product on the market because its a feminine society. Nobody would have a problem with the content mentioned in the magazine. In India or Italy it might be more problematic. In India the men would object against magazines like this because the society is directed to males being the higher authority. The men have a big influence on decisions being made. The society status is very important for the family. In The Netherlands it doesnt matter who makes the decisions mainly its good for the family. Generally you have to invest a lot of time and effort in order to build up serious and long-term business relationships in Italy but even more in India. Therefore you (as a business man from abroad) should never try to talk about business straight from the beginning. But rather focus on building a relationship, in most cultures on the world people need to trust each other first before they can do business with each other. Work on that relationship and you will have a good business partner who will always prefer you over the loud screaming cheaper company. In the end, the failure to communicate on the intercultural market will result in the failure of your business as an international company. Always take cultural differences into account. Sources Cultural and Organizations – Software of the Mind http://www.globalvolunteers.org/italy/italy_people1.asp http://www.geert-hofstede.com http://www.wikipedia.org/ clearlycultural.com http://www.cyborlink.com/besite/italy.htm Uncertainty avoidance table Caste System india Hofstedes Dimensions for each country
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