Allport’s Motivation, Functional Autonomy and Study of the Individual Essay

VI. Motivation To Allport, an adequate theory of motivation must consider the notion that motives change as people mature and also that people are motivated by present drives and wants. Allport believed that most people are motivated by present drives rather than by past events and are aware of what they are doing and have some understanding of why they are doing it. A. Reactive and Proactive Theories of Motivation Adult behavior is both reactive and proactive, and an adequate theory of motivation must be able to explain both. An adequate theory of personality, Allport contended ,must allow for proactive behavior. It must view people as consciously acting on their environment in a manner that it permits growth toward psychological health. A comprehensive theory must not only include an explanation of reactive theories, but must also those proactive theories that stress change and growth. In other words, Allport argued for a psychology that, on one hand, studies behavioral patterns and general laws (the subject matter of traditional psychology) and on the other hand, growth and individuality. Allport insisted that a useful theory of personality rests on the assumption that people not only react to their environment but also shape their environment and cause it to react to them. He criticized psychoanalysis and animal-based learning theories as being reactive because they saw people as being motivated by needs to reduce tension and to react to their environment. Personality is a growing system, allowing new elements to constantly enter into and change the person. B. Functional Autonomy Allport’s most distinctive and controversial concept is his theory of functional autonomy, it is Allport’s explanation for the myriad human motives that seemingly are not accounted for by hedonistic or drive reduction principles, which holds that some (but not all) human motives are functionally independent from the original motive responsible for a particular behavior. Motives that are not functionally autonomous include those that are responsible for reflex actions, basic drives, and pathological behaviors. If a motive is functionally autonomous, it is the explanation for behavior, and one need not to look beyond it for hidden or primary causes. Functional autonomy represents a theory of changing rather than unchanging motives and is the capstone of Allport’s idea on motivation. 1. Perseverative Functional Autonomy Allport recognized two levels of functional autonomy. Perseverative functional autonomy is the tendency of certain basic behaviors to continue in the absence of reinforcement. Allport borrowed the word â€Å"perseveration† which is the tendency of an impression to leave an influence on subsequent experiences. Perseverative functional autonomy is found in animals as well as humans and is based on simple neurological principles. Addictive behaviors are examples of perseverative functional autonomy. 2. Propriate Functional Autonomy The other level is propriate functional autonomy; it is the master system of motivation that confers unity on personality, which refers to self-sustaining motives that are related to the proprium. Examples of propriate functionally autonomous behaviors include pursuing interests that one holds dear and important. 3. Criterion for Functional Autonomy Present motives are functionally autonomous to the extent that they seek new goals. That is, functionally autonomous behaviors will continue even after the motivation behind those behaviors change. 4. Processes That Are Not Functionally Autonomous Allport listed eight processes that are not functionally autonomous: (1) Biological drives, (eating, breathing and sleeping) (2) Motives directly linked to the reduction of basic drives, (3) Reflexes actions (eye blink) (4) Constitutional equipment (physique, intelligence, and temperament) (5) Habits in the process of being formed,   (6) Patterns of behavior that require primary reinforcement, (7) Sublimations that are linked to unpleasant childhood experiences, and (8) Certain neurotic or pathological symptoms. Allport suggested a criterion for differentiating between a functionally autonomous compulsion and one that is not. For example, compulsions that can be eliminated through therapy or behavior modification are not functionally autonomous, whereas those that are extremely resistant to therapy are self- sustaining and thus functionally autonomous. C. Conscious and Unconscious Motivation Although Allport emphasized conscious motivation more than any other personality theorist, he did not completely overlook the possible influence of unconscious motives. Pathological behaviors are often motivated by unconscious drives, but healthy individuals are ordinarily consciously in control of their behavior. VIII. The Study of the Individual Because psychology has historically dealt with general laws and characteristics that people have in common, Allport strongly felt that psychology should develop and use research methods that study the individual rather than groups. To balance the predominant normative or group approach, he suggested that psychologists employ methods that study the motivational and stylistic behaviors of one person. A. Morphogenic Science Allport distinguished between two scientific approaches; Traditional psychology relies on nomothetic science, which seeks general laws from a study of groups of people, and idiographic which refers to that which is peculiar to the single case or study patterns of traits within the single case, but Allport used morphogenic procedures because the term â€Å"idiographic† was so often misused, misunderstood and misspelled. Morphogenic procedures refer to patterned properties of the whole organism and allows for intraperson comparisons Allport accepted self-reports, such as diaries, at face value. B. The Diaries of Marion Taylor During the late 1930’s, Allport and his wife became acquainted with personal documents, including diaries, of a woman they called Marion Taylor. Although the Allports analyzed much of this information, they never published an account of Marion Taylor’s story. Their work with Marion Taylor probably helped them organize and publish a second case- the story of Jenny Gove Masterson, another pseudonym. C. Letters from Jenny A short time later, the Allports analyzed and published a series of letters they had received from an older women named Jenny. These letters constitute Allport’s best-known example of morphogenic science in that they reveal one person’s pattern of behavior. Two of Allport’s students, Alfred Baldwin and Jeffrey Paige, used a personal structure analysis and factor analysis, respectively, whereas Allport used a commonsense approach to discern Jenny’s personality structure as revealed by her letters. All three approaches yielded similar results, suggesting that morphogenic studies may be reliable. IX. Related Research Allport believed that a deep religious commitment was a mark of a mature person, but he also saw that many regular churchgoers did not have a mature religious orientation and were capable of deep racial and social prejudice. In other words, he saw a curvilinear relationship between church attendance and prejudice. A. The Religious Orientation Scale This insight led Allport to develop and use the Religious Orientation Scale to assess both an intrinsic orientation and an extrinsic orientation toward religion. Allport and Ross (1967) found that people with an extrinsic orientation toward religion tend to be quite prejudiced, whereas those with an intrinsic orientation tend to be low on racial and social prejudice. A review of later studies (Trimble, 1997) found that prejudice is positively related to an extrinsic religious orientation but unrelated to an intrinsic religious orientation. INTRINSIC RELIGIOUS ORIENTATION – refers to motivation arising from goals set forth by the religious tradition itself, and is assumed to have an â€Å"otherly,† nonmundane, even self- denying quality: religion is regarded as a master motive whereas other needs, strong as they may be, are regarded as of less ultimate significance. EXTRINSIC RELIGIOUS ORIENTATION – refers to a flagrantly utilitarian motivation underlying religious behaviors: the individual endorses religious beliefs and attitudes or engages in religious acts only to the extent that they might aid in achieving mundane goals such as feeling comforted and protected or acquiring social status and approval. B. Religious Orientation and Psychological Health Research by Ralph Hood (1970) and others (Hansen, Vandenberg, & Patterson, 1995; Kosek, 1999; Maltby, 1999) has found that people who score high on the Intrinsic scale of the ROS tend to have overall better personal functioning than those who score high on the Extrinsic scale. In general, these studies have found that some highly religious people have strong psychological health, whereas others suffer from a variety of psychological disorders. The principal difference between the two groups is one of intrinsic or extrinsic religious orientation; that is, people with an intrinsic orientation tend to be psychologically healthy, but those with an extrinsic orientation suffer from poor psychological health.

Case- Harley-Davidson-Strength & Weaknesses Essay

CASE ASSIGNMENT To complete Module 3 Case Assignment, please read the information in the background material, look for more information (from previous modules and library resources), and then write a 4- to 5-page report answering the following questions: What are H-D’s top two or three strengths for moving forward in the competitive motorcycle manufacturing and sales environment? Describe what you consider to be two or three of the weaknesses that are likely to have the greatest impact, and what H-D is doing (or should be doing) to overcome these weaknesses. Wrap up by overviewing the more salient points of your entire SWOT analysis (from your Module 3 and 4 Case Assignments) and give your impressions in relation to whether you think the corporation will continue to be competitive and be able to continue to meet its mission. An introduction stating the thesis, position, or central theme of your paper, a main body focusing on the key assignment specifications, and a conclusion concisely stating the main points of your analysis and the conclusions you reached. INTRODUCTION Harley-Davidson, Inc. is a U.S. based motorcycle manufacturer which was founded in 1903 and still remain one of the best American companies. Over the years, Harley-Davidson has adopted different strategies to promote their products in order to maintain its profitability and presence in the U.S. and International market. This paper will include the internal analysis identifying the company strengths and weaknesses and my personal impression is the company will be able to continue to be competitive and able to fulfil  its mission. THREE MAJOR STRENGTHS THAT CONTRIBUTE THE COMPANY TO BE COMPETITIVE IN THE MOTORCYCLE MANUFACTURING AND SALES ENVIRONMENT Harley-Davidson, Inc. is a recognized brand legend, not just in the United States but all over the world, representing value, great designs, strong performance, durability, exclusivity and great customer service. Harley-Davidson has been in business since 1903 and has endured the constant market changes and customers’ demands for new products. The President and CEO of Harley-Davidson, Mr. Jim Zeiner, in 2005 have expressed the main reason of the company success: â€Å"A strong emotional tug draws people to Harley-Davidson. Emotions play a huge role in every customer relationship†. Mr. Zeiner believed that â€Å"Our sense of purpose-in other words, our focus on growing demand by offering great products and unique experiences† have been one of the constants of company success (Harley-Davidson, Inc., 2005). In order to maintain their business competitive in the motorcycle manufacturing and sales environment the company had to evolution along with these changes. One of the ways to accomplish the constant demand for new and innovative products, Harley-Davidson has created and maintained a strong research and development unit to create new innovative designs. Another feature available for Harley-Davidson customers is a webpage where customers can customize motorcycles appearance and performance, giving additional ideas to create new designs (models), attracting existing and new customers to buy Harley-Davidson bikes. Harley-Davidson’s operational excellence allow the company to reduce waste, improving quality and increase customer satisfaction by reconfiguring layouts and processes to gain capacity, reduce work-in progress and handling 50 percent, and reduce three operating shifts to two (Harley-Davidson, Inc., 2005). Through all Harley-Davidson facilities the operational excellence strategy has facilitated the workflow which allowed the company to increase their capacity of production processes. Harley-Davidson management is constantly finding ways to improve processes including standard financial  software platforms that service all business units creating ways to improve forecasting for new performance accessories (Harley-Davidson, Inc., 2005). The company operational efficiency improvement has resulted in a revenue increase from $5.58 billion in 2012 to $5.9 billion in 2013 as well the operating margin of 17.92 percent in 2012 as compared to19.61 percent in 2013. The operating income has also increased 169 basis point (bps) indicating an improvement in profitability (Marketwatch.com). Harley-Davidson has two segments in which offer a variety of products and services. One of the segments is responsible for the development of designs, manufacturing motorcycles, sales of parts, accessories, general merchandise and related services through Motorcycles & Related Products. The other segment provides financial services to Harley-Davidson motorcycle dealers, in other words to finance Harley-Davidson franchises through Harley-Davidson Financial Services (GlobalData, 2012). TWO MAJOR WEAKNESSES AND HOW TO OVERCOME THESE WEAKNESSES One of Harley-Davidson weaknesses, in the past and existing, is product recalls which has and still affecting company’s revenues. In September of this year, Harley-Davidson recalled more than 105,000 motorcycles from 2014 model year because their clutches may fail, causing stopped bikes to creep forward and potentially crash, not been the only recall for this year. Earlier this year the Milwaukee Company also is recalling 1,384 motorcycles made earlier this year to test for possible fuel tank leaks (Associate Press, 2014). Product recalls not only affect the financial stability of Harley-Davidson but also affect their brand and reputation as well. Another Harley-Davidson weakness is their high dependency on Unites States market which increases its business risk. Based on Harley-Davidson financial statement for the fiscal year of 2012, the company sales depended on the 68.1 percent of the market which is an high percentage, if is any adverse event could adversely affect the company’s financial stability (GlobalData, 2012). _Product Recalls_ Harley-Davidson’s Product Development Center (PDC) should improve the quality of their products to reduce recalls issues preventing any further damage to company’s reputation. _U.S. Market Dependency_ There are some issues for Harley-Davidson to enter or grow in countries in the international market which includes an unstable economy, currency exchange, fuel prices. Harley-Davidson should take into consideration these issues and develop lighter and less costly motorcycles that will allow the company to increase their probability to create a new market niche. In order to reduce manufacturing costs Harley-Davidson have the option to open a manufacturing factory closer to these markets reducing cost and increasing revenue. SWOT ANALYSIS MAIN POINTS & IMPRESSION OF FUTURE OF HARLEY-DAVIDSON Harley-Davidson is a successful company composed by dedicated employees, most of them who have been working for many years and they are able to understand market changes and customer demands. Harley-Davidson has a strong brand image, diversity of products, customization, high operational efficiency, strong research center, and great customer service. In my opinion, I think Harley-Davidson has many years to come. The new strategies they have developed includes, the manufacture of customer led motorcycle, seamless launch of surge production, flexibility to adjust to other markets dynamics, develop and manufacture designs to new demographics of clients which includes young adults from 18-34 years old, women, African Americans and Hispanics, and new financial and insurance programs (A. R. Harley-Davidson, 2013). Harley-Davidson have demonstrated with a successful track record that they have the capacity to maintain their position and reputation in the motorcycle market. CONCLUSION Harley-Davidson has encountered many problems since its creation and over the years and has adopted different strategies to promote their products and brand name not only in the United State but internationally, opening the doors to create business opportunities in other countries. No matter their high and low’s, their products have proved to be the best in the motorcycle industry and they are still designing better models to provide the best experience of motorcycling, including past learning experience to improve flaws. They have also been able to improve their operational excellence which has increased company’s revenue creating a financial stability. References Associate Press. (2014, Sep 27). Harley issues recalls to fix clutches, fuel tanks. _The Big Story_. Retrieved October 21, 2014, from http://bigstory.ap.org/article/9e99e8c27efe4b62b4f8eb749275249e/harley-issues-recalls-fix-clutches-fuel-tanks Cook, B., (2012). _Strategize this: Facilitating Corporate Strategy Development – External_ _Analysis_. Retrieved October 21, 2014, from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=syDRegjvFEw&list=PL-ao-8pxqJKLwBr-921a5V9o3P_Uva_mv GlobalData, (2012). _Harley-Davidson, Inc. – Financial and Strategic Analysis Review_. Retrieved on August 18, 2014, from http://callisto.ggsrv.com/imgsrv/Fetch?banner =4d609cd7&digest=27b6b6d33026b58ef227e0025dda7d42&contentSet=SWOT&recordID=47405_GDAUT29887FSA Harley-Davidson, (2012). _Harley-Davidson shows continued improvement_. Retrieved August 18, 2014, from http://www.harley-davidson.com/en_US/Content/Pages/HD_ News/Company/news.html?article=en_US/News/1483_press_release.hdnews Harley-Davidson, Inc. (2005). _2005 Annual Report._ Retrieved October 19, 2014, from http://www.artikus.com.tr/kurumsal/faaliyetraporu/5.pdf Harley-Davidson, Inc. (2013). 2013 was a big year for Harley-Davidson. _2013 Annual Review._ Retrieved October 19, 2014, from http://ar.harley-davidson.com/letter.php Looney, D. C., & Ryerson, A. (2011). Lehman trikes: A story within a story. _Arden: Jordan Whitney Enterprises, Inc_. Retrieved August 4, 2014, from http://search.proquest.com/docview/912511497?accountid=28844 MarketWatch. (n.d.). Harley-Davidson. _Annual financials for Harley-Davidson, Inc_. Retrieved October 24, 2014, from http://www.marketwatch.com/investing/stock/HOG/financials Marketingteacher.com (2011). _SWOT Analysis_. Retrieved August 18, 2014, from http://marketingteacher.com/lesson-store/lesson-swot.html Taylor, A., (2012). The Hurdles at Harley-Davidson. _CNN Money_ – Fortune. Retrieved August 4, 2014, from: http://money.cnn.com/2012/10/03/autos/harley-davidson-polaris.fortune/index.html The Associate Press. (2014). _Harley-Davidson issues recalls to fix clutches, fuel tanks_. Retrieved October 21, 2014, from http://www.dailyfinance.com/2014/09/29/harley-davidson-mortorcycle-clutch-fuel-tank-recall/ UMC Staff, (2013) Harley-Davidson | 2012 Worldwide Sales Up 6.2%. _Ultimate Motorcycling_. Retrieved August 18, 2014, from http://ultimatemotorcycling.com/harley-davidson-2012-worldwide-sales-up-6-2/ http://nccur.lib.nccu.edu.tw/bitstream/140.119/33965/8/33019108.pdf

Latino/a Sexuality and the Heteronormative

Latino/a Sexuality and the Heteronormative In his novel The Brief and Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao, Junot Diaz examines Latino identities and sexuality, and the ways in which both are affected and informed by violence. This violence is enacted through institutions like the state, through representation and misrepresentation, and by the very nature of sex and sexuality. Diaz gives an analysis of identity and sexuality, pointing to the way in which it is not only formed and generated by oneself, but also put on and impressed, through violence or with violent repercussions. Reinaldo Arenas’s autobiography Before Night Falls conveys similar themes as Diaz’s novel about the way in which sexuality is policed through violence from the stateparticularly in the form of dictatorships. Arenas depicts life in Cuba at the time of Castro, discussing how Castro, and the state, presented homosexuality as evidence of being unpatriotic and against nationalism, as well as grounds for torture and imprisonment. Many of the men who engage in homosexual acts are not homosexual themselves, and it is in fact such policing that causes more sex acts to occur. This environment of violence and sexuality, then, also carries over to all other aspects of life. Similarly, Diaz discusses the way sexuality comes into play in the Dominican Republic, during the time of Trujillo. Oscar’s mother Beli falls prey to the violence of the state in the form of an attack sanctioned by Trujillo’s sister, who does not agree with her relationship with her husband, the Ga ngster. In this way Diaz, like Arenas, dismantles the idea of the state as a noble protector and enforcer of just laws, illustrating the ways in which it in fact carries out injustices, and performs its own agenda. Both authors also describe how such violent enforcement does not garner successBeli continues to have an amorous relationship with the Gangster, even after the attack, and Arenas continues to have sex with men, in fact gaining more opportunities for sex acts due to state oppression. Foucault, in his The History of Sexuality, discusses the idea of the repressive hypothesis, talking about how sexuality is thought of as having a history of repression, and discussions of sexuality have been withheld since the Victorian era. Foucault points to the inaccuracy of this claim, stating that silence itself performs a certain kind of discourse, and the repression of discourses on sexuality are instrumental in their formation. Diaz, too, discusses a similar idea regarding the withholding of informationhe relates a story in which Abelard, Oscar’s grandfather, is imprisoned and violently tortured by Trujillo for hiding away his daughter and wife from his rapacious sexual appetite. He then contrasts this narrative with mention of another possible reason for his imprisonment, relaying information about a possible book that Abelard could have written about Trujillo, displaying the supernatural qualities of Trujillo and his regime. In doing so, Diaz gives mentions la pagina blanca, the information that is missing or unknown from such narratives, and the ways in which it can speak louder than any words can. The erasure of violence from public knowledge, as well as the erasure for the reasons for its production, does not remove knowledge of its existence or its effects. In this way, sexuality and violence, even when being given the illusion of being silenced, emerge and are spoken about even through its absence from public discourse. Ricardo L. Ortiz, in his article â€Å"Cultural Erotics of Cuban America† analyses the impact of Arenas’s life and death. As a homosexual, Arenas was placed outside of the context of Cuban nationalism, even being categorized as a terrorist subject in regards to his homosexuality, and through his death, Arenas simultaneously reaffirmed his identity as a Cuban in spite of being outside of Castro’s nationalist project, and attacked him as the cause of his death. Ortiz discusses Arena’s death in a pro-life context of protest through calling attention to the flaws and injustices of the Cuban government, while claiming sexuality as an element necessary for sustaining life. Similarly, Diaz constructs a similar understanding of Oscar’s death in his novel. Oscar essentially commits suicide by choosing to stay with Ybin, in spite of knowing that her violently angry boyfriend will come after him. As Ybin’s boyfriend is employed by the state, he can be s een as a manifestation of its violence, as well as a re-embodying of the violence of state enacted in past times, to Beli. Oscar’s sexuality comes to be the cause of his death, and he comes to fulfill his Dominican identity through its expression. As such, both authors point to the nature of protest through death and beyond life, and Latino sexuality as crucial to understandings of Latino identity. Further, the state can be evidenced as manipulating representations of sexuality for its own aims. In A Queer Mother For a Nation, Licia Fiol-Matta analyzes how the state became encapsulated in the image of Gabriela Mistral, and why she became a symbol for the nation. Mistral’s masculine, gender-queer identity and demeanor allowed her to be taken seriously in spite of being female, and still encompass desired state-sanctioned feminine traits like motherhood. Mistral followed in the state’s racist rhetoric, maintaining an â€Å"othering† gaze against blacks and pushing for racial cleansing through producing more white-mixed offspring. This racist rhetoric provided the state with a language in which to â€Å"other† black populations through the passive violence of exclusion and negative representation. Similarly, Diaz presents the figure of Oscar Wao in an interestingly contradictory light. He does not possess any of the traits of a stereotypical Dominican, and throughout his life finds it extremely difficult to flirt, date, or have sex with any girls because of his extremely nerdy and socially awkward personalityeventually coming to do violence to himself in part because of his inability to perform this aspect of his identity and sexuality. In spite of this, he eventually fulfills the saying that no Dominican man dies a virgin, by having sex with his prostitute girlfriendand in doing so comes to exemplify the idea that even as an exception to the rule, he can perform his â€Å"Dominican-ness† to the fullest. As such, Diaz examines in a tongue-in-cheek manner the way Latino bodies are stereotyped, even inside of the Latino community, and the violence of this type of representation, as well as the affect it can have on identity. In this way, both authors discuss the politics of representation and the contradictory and performative nature of identity and sexuality. Philippe Bourgois, in his anthropological analysis of Puerto Rican street life depicted in In Search of Respect: Selling Crack en El Barrio performs a similar violence through his representation of Latino bodies. As an outsider to this community, Bourgois casts an â€Å"othering† gaze on Puerto Rican crack dealers and creates a culture of difference between readers (as well as himself) and the members of the community he depicts. One of the aspects of this distance comes from an eroticisation of violence in the name of providing unadulterated truth (and of course, for consumer marketability)which brings to mind questions of, when is it okay to reproduce structures of violence, when doing so produces the same violence? Diaz asks a similar question in his reproduction of stereotypes of oversexed, hypersexual Dominicans in the figures of Yunior and Oscarwhat is authorial responsibility, especially in regards to the understandings of readerships? How can this violence be avoided? Diaz himself constructs problematic depictions of females and female sexuality, describing women in a somewhat chauvinistic lightmany of the female figures are represented as objects for the males to conquer through sexual pursuit. For both authors, the replication of such structures supports and reproduces racist and sexist ideas through consumerism. Such ideas then become part of a system of capitalism, providing interesting implications regarding the â€Å"selling† of problematic constructions of identity and sexuality. And as sexuality plays a large part in understandings of the formation of identity, these types of representations can have the effect of creating an environment in which violence becomes normalized in everyday consciousness. In his theoretical work Disidentifications, Jos? Esteban Munoz discusses his theory of disidentification, stating the ways in which categorization through sexuality and race, among other things, allows for a dismissal of or limiting understandings of identity. Disidentification, then, becomes a survival strategy, a way of avoiding the way in which representation can be unrelatable, or reproduced through the systemic violence of rearticulation. Much as Munoz examines the work of Carmelita Tropicana or Marga Gomez, and how they reclaim possibly harmful representations through camp, Diaz reproduces tongue-in-cheek stereotypes of Dominican identity and sexuality, and provides alternative representations of Latino identity and sexuality through his characters. Lola, for example, is represented as having a very present sense of sexuality, but is costumed in the role of a â€Å"goth.† Both writers point to the importance of the multiplicity of identity, and find ways to articulate La tino identity and sexuality that do not conform with the violence of heteronormative ideals. Junot Diaz examines the nature of identity and sexuality in regards to Latino bodies, and the ways in which they are impressed, manipulated, or reproduced through violence. Disidentification, perhaps, provides a necessary step towards providing an alternative consciousness and understanding of identity that does not become enmeshed in the culture of differenceand asks further questions about the way hegemonic society, institutions, and normalized violence enforces and regulates these ideas. How, then, can we use disidentification to further remove ourselves from the violent and harmful heteronormative? And what are the ways we can imagine ourselves in a more broad, inclusive sense of being?

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

Googles Marketing Efforts - Essay Example That's considered a prerequisite for their survival in these competitive times. But it is quite intriguing that a company like Google prefers to remain low key in the marketing efforts. It is not there in the electronic or print media as often as it should be in order to establish its brand equity. Brand identity forms a key strength in today's context, where visibility in media and easy identification features help in propagating the business prospects of the company. It is indeed quite surprising that Google, basically a service providing company, has yet again overtaken many well-established product identity companies like Microsoft, GE, Coca-Cola, Wal-Mart, IBM etc. According to Millward Brown's 2008 ranking of brands1, Google is the topmost brand with a brand value of $m 86,057. Google has worked on its brand quite consistently is apparent from the fact that the brand value has undergone a change of about 30% from the previous years. interestingly this change was about 77% last year. On the other hand, Yahoo ranks a distant 62nd with a brand value of $m11, 465 registering a decline of 13 percent. It is equally interesting that last year Yahoo figured at the 42nd position with a brand value of $m13, 201 and at that time as well Yahoo registered a decline of 6% in its brand value. These statistics raise quite a few questions about the marketing efforts of Google and the manner in which the company is not only able to retain its position year after year, without an apparent change in strategy. Though Google is known mainly for it search engine, but there are a number of other services like Google mail, Google Earth, Google News, Google Finance etc. being offered to the net community. The concept came up in mid-nineties when Stanford University graduate students Sergey Brin and Larry Page stuck upon the idea of providing a search engine which could return relevant information without wasting much time (Datamonitor, 2007). Though there are a number of players in the fray giving competition to Google, the key competitors of Google include Yahoo and MSN. Yahoo is mainly devoted to the search engines besides having a stake in other services as well. But for MSN, the primary focus area is the software development and of course the Hotmail. It is worthwhile here to me ntion that Gmail too has started gaining popularity as well amongst the net-community. While interviewing David Lawee, the then vice-president of marketing for Google (GOOG), BusinessWeek's Silicon Valley Bureau Chief Robert Hof, was able to extract quite a few interesting responses regarding the marketing efforts of Google (Hof, 2007). Some of the salient features of Google's marketing efforts can be pointed out as; i. The company is always thinking about the user's requirements and company's products, instead of devoting much time to establishing 'brand equity'. ii. The company believes in being innovative not only in the manner products and services are created, but also in the manner, things are organized in the company. iii. The company considers it an opportunity when other brands like YouTube appear on the horizon and is always on the lookout to find ways to collaborate with such companies, in order to reach out to a wider market. iv. The company has been doing co-marketing with reputed brands like Dell, Palm etc.

Rosemann and Wiese Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Rosemann and Wiese - Essay Example ERP systems are complex and warrant careful planning and execution for successful implementation (Somers and Nelson, 2001). They are not purely software systems, and their implementation is not merely an IT project. An ERP system affects how a business conducts itself , and affects an organisation's business processes, people's jobs, and information flows (Bingi et al., 1999). Therefore, and due to the complex and integrated nature of an ERP package, the large investments involved (time and money), and the relatively high implementation failure rates, it is imperative for organisations to study the experiences of others, and learn from their practices and success factors. In essence, organisations have to learn how to identify the critical issues of ERP implementation to realise the benefits and to avoid implementation failure (Holland and Light, 1999). Implementing an ERP system is for many organisations the largest project they have ever undertaken, entailing the largest potential advantages and possibly the largest potential risks. Davenport (1998), Gibson et al. ... Zamboni (1999) and Davenport (1998) agree that the implementation of ERP, whether it is developed by an IT department in an organisation or bought as a ready-made package from the market, requires major capital investments. Overall, ERP is a relatively new phenomenon, and the empirical research related to it is not extensive (Somers and Nelson, 2001). Zarotsky (2006) suggests that the questions regarding to ERP system implementation are being raised faster than they can be answered. In general, most of the researches on ERP systems deal with the question of how to implement it successfully in an adopting organisation (Brehm and Markus, 2000; Brehm et al., 2001). Markus and Tanis ( 2001) point out that some studies have concentrated mainly on initial implementation activities, and have not paid enough attention to the overall ERP software life cycle, particularly ongoing use and upgrades. However, Zarotsky (2006) cites that some researches have started to investigate the use of diverse theoretical frameworks and perspectives to address various ERP issues. However, on the whole, most studies have paid little attention to differences between the ERP package life cycle and the traditional system development life cycle (SDLC) (Markus and Tanis, 2001). Textbooks on system analysis and design focus mainly on traditional custom software development, often neglecting maintenance, and many do not mention the ERP software package as a way to support business processes (Markus and Tanis, 2001). In this respect, the over riding factor to keep in mind is that the implementation of an ERP system is essentially different from a traditional systems development life cycle (Somers and Nelson, 2001). In fact, successful ERP project implementation is complex and difficult.

To what degree were the roaring 20s a time of optimism in canada Essay - 1

To what degree were the roaring 20s a time of optimism in canada - Essay Example In the 1920s, the media improved significantly as they focused more on heroes, majorly in sports and movie stars. Cities during this time grew to a greater extent, especially construction of massive stadia and cinemas. During this era, in most countries, women won their voting rights and started voting (Schumpeter, 3). In this context, countries which allowed women to vote included Britain and Canada. Actually, Canada is a country that was greatly affected by the Roaring 20s. There were major changes in the way of life of the Canadians. This paper will discuss  on  how the Roaring 20s was  a time of optimism in Canada. In forming the conclusion,  statistical analysis was conducted in respect to the topic of discussion. After the First World War,  most people  were  ready to start  a new life. Though jobs were readily available, most of the soldiers returning from the battlefields created a surplus of workers. During the early 1920s, there was a 15% unemployment rate in Canada (Schumpeter, 5). However, in the mid-twenties, things changed. There were a tremendous rise and increase in the foreign demand for Canadian raw materials. Moreover, the United States demand for traditional resources in Canada increased. Foreign demands included the demand for timber, base metals, pulp and wheat. Moreover, the market for local raw materials increased (Smith, 16). The market boom created hope and optimism for many Canadians. The increase in demand would automatically lead to a corresponding increase in supply. As a result, the improved demand and supply of goods led to a situation where most individuals were absorbed as workers in industries. Prairie farmers whose market had earlier on collapsed saw an improvement in their markets. Technically, the Canadian economy was booming, and there was hope for a better future (Moore, 10). Specifically,

Elections - Public Law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Elections - Public Law - Essay Example Encyclpoedia Britannica defines an election as a formal process of making decision in which a population chooses an individual to hold public office. Since the 17th century, elections have been widely exploited in modern representative democracy. Elections are used in filing various offices ranging from legislative offices, executive offices and even in private and business organizations. As such, election integrity has been formulated to ensure free and fair elections. Election integrity is basically a set of standards that are built on democratic principals and a legal system that spearheads and protects free, fair and equitable elections. This paper will analyze these principles and policies that would ensure the elections meet these standards, within the typology reviewed by Kornblith and Jawahar (124-137). Respect for Principles of Electoral Democracy This principle gives all citizens equal opportunities to not only participate in an election as voters but also as candidates. Eq ual voting powers must be given to all citizens during an election. Besides, the voters must be assured their right of privacy during the voting process. The political information must be accessible to the voters as well. The elections must also be held regularly during which the free casted votes of the majority remains the sole deciding factor The principles of electoral democracy highly value the free and fair elections. An election is free when it depends on freedom from fear, freedom of assembly, speech, movement and association. An election is fair when all participants are given equal opportunities, when it is transparent, when it is free from intimidation, when there is equitable electoral legislation and system, when it is conducted by an independent and impartial commission, when a proper procedure is followed, and when there is the acceptance of the electoral results. Election integrity is based on the commitment to stick to the democratic system of government as well as the rule of law. It also depends on the channels for participation and complaints and the willingness to accept change if and when there is need. Acceptance of the official results is also very important for election integrity. The system should put in place both institutional and legal framework that ensures the free and fair election. Ethical Conduct This principle requires administrators, the officers conducting the election; the candidates in the election, the parties and anybody participate in the electoral process to conduct them selves with a high degree of ethics. This is to say that all participants must carry out themselves in a way that works towards a free and fair election, and that ensures that the integrity of the process is upheld. It is necessary for all the participants to play their parts in a transparent professional and impartial manner. It would be wrong for public officials to use their offices for their personal gains. At the same time, lobbyists should not use any incentives to inappropriately influence the electoral or public officials; in fact, the law requires that they reveal all their funding and spending. Respect for other people’s political rights and their activity is an important part of the principle of ethical conduct. Both the electoral administrators and the voters must accept the fact that everyone has the right to debate political matters and hold different political views. They must also understand that nobody reserves the right to interfere with the efforts of polit ical parties to spread their message or even the political activities of the other citizens. Accuracy Accuracy is another very vital principle in election. In as much as dishonesty and fraudulent practices are the major drawbacks to integrity in elections, honest mistakes or human error may also take place during the process. Professionalism and accuracy on the part of the election administration is therefore very necessary. The integrity and

Fracking oil prices in USarticles literature review

Fracking oil prices in USarticles - Literature review Example senior representative at the Energy Department, the CEO of Pioneer Natural Resources, a task force member, the GM of the Midland BMW franchise, and the owner of Rusty’s Oilfield Service Company reveal more information about this change in America’s energy sector (Krauss and Lipton, 2012, p. 4). Dow and Jones writer Daniel Yergin sheds light on the same issue by asserting that today’s â€Å"unconventional-natural-gas revolution† converted a shortfall into a huge surplus and changed the natural gas enterprise (Yergin, 2011, p. 2). Yergin’s article cites an independent shale gas producer from Houston David Wessel as proof of this revolutionary change. Since Wessel began extracting in the early 1980s, he has witnessed an immense change in production and market growth over the past decade in contrast to the 1980s and 1990s (Yergin, 2011, p. 5). Jeffrey Folks, from American thinker, agrees with Krauss, Lipton, and Yergin about the decreasing oil costs across the world caused by fracking in the United States. Like Krauss and Lipton, Folks cites statistics from Bloomberg, CBC, the Wall Street Journal, Trading Economics, Forbes, and EIA (Folks, 2014). These figures point the rise in the production of barrels daily to fracking in the United States. Folks compares this effect to the hypothetical absence of fracking in the United States and Canada. This comparison leads the article to contend further that this fracking revolution may carry on for decades as the United States’ economy revels in growth (Folks, 2014). H. Sterling Burnett of the National Center for Policy Analysis echoes Folks’ insights about the effect of fracking today in contrast to traditional oil production over the past ten years (Burnett, 2013). With the help of graphs representing recoverable natural gas and daily oil output, the article proves how even electricity providers are shifting to natural gas as a key source of power. This role could not have been possible today without an immense

ACD-IP PBX Request for Proposal (RFP) Research Paper

ACD-IP PBX Request for Proposal (RFP) - Research Paper Example This paper will focus on comparison and assessment of different vendors for IP PBX. It will focus on the requirements of the organization. PBX is a VoIP phone system that is used to manage communications and phone calls. There are many SIP phones which have been connected and working together to achieve the desired results. It is a private branch exchange that is used to switch private calls between different VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) users that are using local lines. The users are allowed to share a certain number of external phone lines. It also has the possibility of switching calls between a VoIP users and a local user who is using local telephone lines. It can also switch two users who are using traditional lines to communicate. It does this switching in the same manner that a conventional PBX would have done. In a PBX, there would be a need to have several networks that would be used to handle voice and data communications. One of the advantages of using IP PBX is that it does not have to have different networks in order to handle voice and data communications. With IP PBX, there is converged data and voice networks. It means that it is possible to have internet access and at the same time have someone using VoIP using one line. With the use of IP PBX, there is reduced operation costs and decreased cost of maintenance. The IP PBX is owned by the enterprise. There are SIP phones, an IP PBX server, and a VoIP Gateway. In this case, the VoIP Gateway is optional. The IP PBX is the same as that of Proxy Server. The SIP clients can either be soft telephones to hardware based phones. These phones will be used in the entire process and will have the required aspects that will be used in the communication. The SIP clients will have to be registered with IP PBX server. When they want to make a call, they will have to establish a connection with the IP PBX server. The IP PBX

The Processes Of Social And Family Relations Essay Example for Free

The Processes Of Social And Family Relations Essay Culture refers to a set of attitudes, values, systems and traditions that are shared by some common people in the society. It is what defines a set of people and distinguishes them from another. There is a correlation between culture and behavior. The social upbringing of a child in a family set up would influence her future behavior. The child would recognize that way as the most appropriate one of doing things. On family relations, individualists would become emotional and aggressive. On the ether hand, Collectivists would be emphatic and tolerant people. Career development strategies would influence one’s self confidence or lack of it. Uncertainty of a career of one’ choice may lead to aggression, drug abuse due to frustration and other deviant behaviors in the society. Various stakeholders are involved in career development. These include parents, teachers and counselors. How they approach career development would affect one’s behavior. The difference between individualist and collectivist cultures is that whereas individualists believe in independence, collectivists believe in externality and group work. Political organization is a set / system of the body politic and the government. Within the political environment, there exist checks and balances whereby certain interested parties/groups like the human rights activists and trade unionists keep the government on its toes. This would lead to a reduction of deviance and other social injustices in the community. But depending on whether one is an individualist/ collectivist, political organization would determine how he/she would react to the changes in the political environment. In career development, people with individualist cultures tend to follow what they deem best. Collectivists would consult and their conclusions would encompass external opinions and ideas. Individualism makes one independent-minded who in addition is mesmerized  Ã‚   in eigocentricy. For a collectivist, he is a humble and accommodative person. Advantages of individualism are that one makes autonomous decisions. Decisions are made after they have been widely thought out. However, no single individual is perfect in all aspects. People need each other in society. Internality breeds selfishness and societal discrimination. A collective culture is advantageous in terms of problem solving especially those that determine one’s future trait/behavior. Conflicts are well solved through consultation. One also learns other people’s cultures and this brings about cultural fit in the society. However, collectivism has its own drawbacks. People are different and one may not make concrete judgments and/or resolutions when he/she engages others. This can lead to confusion and lack of independence when solving problems. REFERENCES Clyde Klukholm, Culture and behavior, Free Press of Glencoe, 2006

Impact of Latest Little Ice Age on Human Population

Impact of Latest Little Ice Age on Human Population William Lee Nowadays, the presence of Ice Ages which refer to the periodic long-term reduction in temperature of Earth’s surface and atmosphere, is well-known among people. However, most of them never heard of how another kind of geographical phenomenon, Little Ice Age (LIA), occurring from the fourteenth to the nineteenth centuries, influenced our culture, technology and our world today. Can you imagine how our lifestyle would be influenced? Can you imagine how the world would be totally different if it had never suffered from the LIA? This essay will discuss about what the LIA brought to our ancient ancestors and how it affected the world today. Let’s see what is meant by LIA. Distinct from the ice age, which refers to the long-term alternations between glacial periods and interglacial periods lasting for millions of years, the little ice age is another geographical terminology used to describe a pre-modern time period starting roughly from the 14th century, lasting until 19th century. During the LIA, the Earth was chilled by a sudden cooling and the average temperature of the Earth’s surface and atmosphere decreased by 2 degree centigrade than before. This enormous change was usually considered as the effect of solar activity variation (Lesley M. Smith,1997) and the relative position of Earth while rotating around the sun (John A. Eddy,1976). Some new researches also suggest other causes for the LIA, such as increased volcanic activity (Jonathan Cowie, 2007), or altered ocean current flows (Broecker WS, 2000). Due to the relatively higher latitude of land in the north hemisphere, the LIA had a predominant influence on the Eurasia continent rather than others. Meanwhile, most of human civilizations were gathering on the Old Continent. Reasonably the unexpected visit of this drastic change on climate affected human activities in such a complex way that is not easy to tell. However, we do can find some clues and records remained in the history, which can help us figure out the complicated process of change gradually. In order to analysis the impact of the LIA easily, we can try to make a clear image of human cultures by summarizing the status of every civilizations including empires, realms, kingdoms and independent regions existing during this period. At the beginning of 14th century, the Mongol Horde just invaded European countries and at the same time, China in the eastern world had been, for the first time, under foreign rule of Mongolian for already several decades. The Hundred Year’s War was just about to start and Italy was leading Europe to step into the period of Renaissance. A new dynasty called Ming arose after Chinese people stood up to fight against the cruel foreign rulers and in the next three hundred years, the prolonged war fire on the land of China finally came into a short time of peace. In fact, a storm was approaching silently, like the volcano hidden under the sea, it would erupt at any moment†¦Black Death killed a third of population in Europe. Russian and Norse begun to explore new lands†¦ In the fifteenth century, as Constantinople, the pivot on the way to the East, fell to the emerging Ottoman Turks, Western Europeans had to find a new trade route. The forthcoming Age of Sail allows Spanish and Portuguese explorers led to the first European sightings of the New Land (America and other virgin islands) and the sea passage along Cape of Good Hope to India. Then in the sixteenth century, thanks to the Queen Victoria, Britain became a super power on which† the sun never set†, and began to expand its territory all over the world. The Era of Colonization came with spread of culture, disease, thoughts, technology†¦ A peak of chilling little ice age came in the beginning of seventeenth century. The production of crops kept in a low level due to the persistent low temperature. Ming Dynasty collapsed under a series of peasants uprisings. Revolutions for independence or freedom of thought dominated the eighteenth century. And then Industrial Revolution accelerated the world into thrive. Now we have already got a rough image about the corresponding history. But still, how is these historical events linked with the LIA? Here is an example illustrating the LIA’s impact on agricultures. Since the beginning of fourteenth century, the cold weather and heavy storms swept Europe. Crops and livestock were enormously destroyed. Crises arose as political struggles and class warfare weakened those previously prosperous countries. Millions of people starved to death. Cannibalism was even recorded during the Great Famine, which lasted for at least a decade. According to Lamb (1966)’s report, the growing season varied by 15% to 20% between the warmest and coldest times of the millennium. This is fairly enough to adversely influence any type of food production. Without modern technology, such as protection of warm house, seeds especially those highly adapted to warm conditions, could hardly survive this change. In order to adapt increasingly unpredictable climates, farmers begun to experiment with new agricultural techniques and equipment (J. Cohen, 2012). This led to the Agriculture Revolution in Europe. In addition, the LIA also caused significant effect on economy, especially in Europe. Because of the Great Famine, heavy storms and growing glaciers, a large area of farmland was destroyed, which led to decreased tax revenue collected (Lamb,1995). Maritime activities were also limited by expanding glaciers, which caused a huge impact to the fishery and oversea trading (Lamb,1995).Miners lost their jobs due to the advancing glaciers as well. (Bryson, 1977.) However, not all of those influences were bad. One of the four greatest fisheries in the world, the fishery along the Newfoundland coast, was founded by fishermen who were looking for new fish stocks in result of the movement of colder water (Lamb, 1995). The LIA also brought great politic change to both western and oriental world. In China, the LIA made most of the participation shift towards south. This caused frequent droughts all over the provinces of China. The most severe one of them lasted for at least seventy years. Along with several massive earthquakes happening at the same time, this huge but declining agricultural country was finally defeated by corrupted bureaucracy and the Manchurian invaders from the northeast, who took advantage of the power vacuum and crossed the Great Wall, later on established the Qing Dynasty (Kezhen Zhu, 1972) In west Europe, â€Å"as the 18th century drew to a close, two decades of poor cereal harvests, drought, cattle disease and skyrocketing bread prices had kindled unrest among peasants and the urban poor in France.† (J. Cohen, 2012) Many people who managed to express their disaffection yet failed eventually decided to rise up and fight the government which imposed heavy taxes. Therefore, the brewing storm broke in 1789, while the French Revolution incurred. Many historians believe that that was somehow connected to the LIA. Although a large amount of evidences indicate that the LIA actually influenced ancient civilizations in various ways, there are still arguments disapproving this opinion. The theory which explains human history as an outcome of effects from geographical factors, or â€Å"human habits and characteristics of a particular culture are shaped by geographical conditions† as the dictionary explains, is called geographical determinism. Criticisms point out that the theory exaggerates the effect of natural environment on the development of human society. It is obviously incorrect to substitute natural law for social law. The geographical environment is one of necessary external conditions for human society to develop, admittedly, it affects considerably society as well. Nevertheless, it is absolutely not the determinant of development of human society. In fact, its effect may decrease as the human society goes forward. Other criticisms focus on the explanation that historical events are considered as inevitable trend or irresistible outcome of some natural factors. For example, they think that it’s unreasonable to impute the collapse of Ming Dynasty of China to the little ice age alone. The corrosion of government and bureaucracy along with the policy of seclusion which caused the stagnation of technology development, are also critical reasons for the declination of China (Calebjael, 2014). In conclusion, history is a long and complicated story written by every person, every movement, everything which has ever existed in the past time. Geographical factors, such as the presence of little ice age, will inevitably play an essential role in the history, especially in the ancient time. Today, our developments on technology allow us to do whatever we want to do, in spite of the nature. However, it takes price. Our achievement today mostly depends on what the nature gave to our ancestors. We should learn with respect what our ancestors encountered and how they dealt with them, what lesson they did take and what we should do in the future. The little ice age influenced human beings’ society from aspects including agriculture, economics, politics and cultures, etc. and therefore determined the life today to some extent. Our thoughts should be never limited in the little ice age. There are so many other geographical factors and historical events awaiting for us to explore . The attempt of discovering our history never ends. Reference List: Albion C. 2014. Impact of The Little Ice Age in Europe. Accessed on 28 June, 2015. Available from http://www.theapricity.com/forum/showthread.php?36426-Impact-of-The-Little-Ice-Age-in-Europe Brian M. Fagan 2000. The Little Ice Age: How Climate Made History, 1300-1850. Publisher: Basic Books Imbrie J.; Imbrie K.P (1979). Ice ages: solving the mystery. Short Hills NJ: Enslow Publishers. ISBN 978-0-89490-015-0. Accessed on 20 April 2015. Jennie Cohen 2012. Little Ice Age, Big Consequences. Accessed on 15 March, 2015. Available from http://www.history.com/news/little-ice-age-big-consequences Jonathan Cowie 2007.Climate change: biological and human aspects. Publisher: Cambridge University Press Kelly Morgan, 2010 The economic impact of the little ice age. Accessed on 20 April 2015. Available from http://researchrepository.ucd.ie/handle/10197/2649 K. Kris Hirst,2010 The Little Ice Age and Polynyas. Accessed on 20 April 2015. Available from http://archaeology.about.com/od/arctic/fl/The-Little-Ice-Age-How-Human-Cultures-Respond-to-Climate-Change_2.htm Peter J. Robinson 2005. The Little Ice Age, Ca. 1300 – 1870. Accessed on 16 March, 2015. Available from http://www.eh-resources.org/timeline/timeline_lia.html Scott A. Mandia, 2010 The Little Ice Age in Europe. Accessed on 20 April, 2015. Available from http://www2.sunysuffolk.edu/mandias/lia/little_ice_age.html

Romanticism :: Romantic Movement Essays

Romantics often emphasized the beauty, strangeness, and mystery of nature. Romantic writers expressed their intuition of nature that came from within. The key to this inner world was the imagination of the writer; this frequently reflected their expressions of their inner essence and their attitude towards various aspects of nature. It was these attitudes that marked each writer of the Romantic period as a unique being. These attitudes are greatly reflected in the poem â€Å"When I Heard the Learned Astronomer† by Walt Whitman.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Walt Whitman reflects this Romantic attitude in the speaker of his poem. He situates the speaker in a lecture about astronomy that the speaker finds very dull and tedious. Thus the speaker looks past the charts, diagrams and the work that is involved with them and starts to imagine the beauty of the stars alone. Being lifted out of the lecture room, the speaker is freed of his stress and boredom and is able to enjoy the peace and true beauty that the stars embrace.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Varying degrees of Romantic attitude has affected many areas in our lives today. A vast area that Romantic attitude has affected is The Arts. The Arts, composed of many types of genre, are composed and interpreted very different. Some people may look at a painting and imagine extremely different attitudes than the artist who painted it had intended. Another area that the Romantic attitude has drastically affected is fashion. As you glance around you’ll probably observe that very few people dress similar and each person has developed their own style of dress. Fashion often reflects a person’s attitude towards life and may express the mood that the particular person has, this gives each person a unique quality to distinguish them from the rest of society.

bar flies Essay -- essays research papers

Bar Flies   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  When you go to the bar it seems there are always people hanging around much like flies hang around a barn. The people that frequent bars are from many different backgrounds. They are there for a variety of reasons. Some are there to have a burger with friends. Others are spending their time drowning their sorrows with a few drinks. People who frequent bars can be classified into three groups; lifers, regulars, and those who are there to socialize.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The first category of bar flies is the lifers. The lifers are the people that always seem to be at the bar. Lifers spend five to seven nights of the week in the bar. They are not always drinking beer or alcohol often they are drinking coffee and talking with the bar tender. Th...

Comapring Naivete and Satire in Jonathan Swifts Gullivers Travels and

Naivete and Satire in Jonathan Swifts' Gulliver's Travels and Voltaire's Candide       A child has the ability to make the most critical and objective observation on society and the behavior of man. How is this possible? A child has yet to mature and lacks proper education and experience. However, it is for this very reason that a child would make the perfect social scientist; his or her naivete may provide an excellent means of objective criticism and most often satire. A child's curious nature and hunger for knowledge would bring about an unbiased questioning of social structures, minus the brainwashing of these very institutions, and his or her vulnerability would expose any societal dangers present. This child-like scientist would see the truth as it is.    This same premise may be applied to literary works. A naive character or narrator may be used as a child-like scientist, who reveals social truths to the audience through his or her naivete. As Maurois has noted, in writing about Candide, by Voltaire," It was novel of apprenticeship, that is, the shaping of an adolescent's ideas by rude contact with the universe" (101). Jonathan Swift also takes this approach in his work Gulliver's Travels, where Gulliver, the main character, provides a naive point of reference.    The satires Gulliver's Travels, by Jonathan Swift, and Candide, by Voltaire, both make use of naivete to convey satirical attacks on society. In both works, litotes [understatements] are made of extremely absurd situations, which further illuminates the ridiculous nature of a situation. Characters in each novel are made vulnerable by their overly trusting natures. This is taken advantage of, and these characters are left e... ... Ideas. New York: D Appleton and Company, 1929. * "Introduction to Gulliver's Travels." Norton Anthology of English Literature, The Major Authors. Ed. M.H. Abrhams et al. Sixth ed. New York: W. W. Norton and Company, 1995. * Lawler, John. "The Evolution of Gulliver's Character." Norton Critical Editions. * Maurois, Andre'. Voltaire. New York: D. Appleton and Company, 1932. * Mylne, Vivienne. The Eighteenth-Century French Novel. Manchester: University of Manchester Press, 1965. * Pasco, Allan H. Novel Configurations A Study of French Fiction. Birmingham: Summa Publications, 1987. * Quintana, Ricardo "Situation as Satirical Method." Norton Critical Editions: Jonathan Swift Gulliver's Travels. Ed. Robert A Greenberg. New York: W. W. Norton and Company Inc., 1961. * Van Doren, Carl. Swift .New York: The Viking Press, 1930.   

The Warhead Cable Test Dilemma Stanton Wong

1) What stage of moral development do you think Stanton Wong is at? What about Harry Jackson? Why do you think so? According to Kohlberg’s moral development theory, Stanton Wong is at post-conventional level. At this level, right action comes to be defined in terms of moral principles chosen because of their logical comprehensiveness, universality and consistency. It is because he is concerned with the well being of the innocent civilians and the military personnel if a missile misfired. Furthermore, he also thought how he can resolve this problem so that everyone is cared for equally that not harmed by the missile misfired. For Harry Jackson, he is at pre-conventional level. It is because he does not cares of others except if it benefits himself and how senior management can reward him. 2) What do you think Stanton should do now, and why? Use one or more of the methods of ethical reasoning presented in the chapter to support your view. I think Stanton should ask the source inspector, Jane Conway to check the warhead cable and also report to Jane Conway about the failed samples first. If Harry Jackson still ignores to solve the problem then Stanton should report to senior management. Besides, he also can try getting someone in the parent company to get help. One of the methods of ethical reasoning is logic. I think it is logical for Stanton to report the mistakes to authorities as he cares for the civilians and the military personnel. The other method of ethical reasoning is consistency. I think the behavior of Stanton is consistent with his caring attitude and always think that what he can do to solve the problem. 3) Should Stanton blow the whistle on his company? Why or why not? I think Stanton should inform senior management and should not become an external whistle-blower because the media should not be involved. He should try to solve the problem internally first before involving outside parties. Furthermore, he was respected by factory workers and management colleagues and he should not destroy his reputation by himself. Besides that, he also should not destroy the company’s image because he himself is an employee of the company. 4) What steps could the company take to prevent a situation like this from occurring in the future? To prevent a situation like this from occurring in the future, the company should have an established set of testing rules and if a certain number of tests fail out of another certain number then something needs to be done to fix the problem immediately. This rule should be strictly implemented. Secondly, if there any serious disagreement between vice president and supervisor, the matter should directly report to top management. Besides that, the company should take actions on Harry Jackson such as issue him a warning letter or punishment so that he will not repeat the mistake in future.

Monopoly and Fair Return

Chapter 10 (Tentative Due Date: by November 1) Question 2: Discuss the major barriers to entry into an industry. Explain how each barrier can foster either monopoly or oligopoly. Which barriers, if any, do you feel give rise to monopoly that is socially justifiable? LO1 The major barriers to entry in an industry are economies of scale, legal barriers such as patents & licenses and other strategic or pricing barriers. Economies of scale occur only in large firms who are able to reach a minimum efficiency scale point and operate at that point for a long period.This high TC results in a low ATC and high efficiency. Once a huge firm innovates, it protects that very idea or product through patents disallowing other firms to copy their product. Government licensing could also result in limited entry of firms because they might not provide permission for another firm to enter the market. Another means to reduce competition within an industry is to manipulate price. Monopolists, being a price setter, could slash their price just to make it tougher for their competitor to survive.Other strategic methods could include increased advertisement to a level where the lesser and smaller firms will find impossible to compete against. These barriers of entry can prove to be pertinent for the existence of a pure monopoly. The absence of some of these barriers would lead away to a market structure resembling an oligopoly or perhaps even a monopolistic competitive industry if the number of firms was to be large. And in the case where there are no barriers a purely competitive market would appear.But definitely some barriers are within legal rights. For example a patent protects the product for a number of years and it’s understandable that a monopoly would want to restrict the usage of their research and hard work. Similarly if the price slashes are pushing out competition, they are at the same team encouraging competitors to reduce their costs/price which is great for t he consumers and the market in general. Question 3: How does the demand curve faced by a purely monopolistic seller differ from that confronting a purely competitive firm?Why does it differ? The demand curve of a purely competitive firm is horizontal because it has perfect substitutes and a very large number of firms. The demand curve is perfectly elastic and hence horizontal. On the other a pure monopoly’s demand curve is downward sloping because market demand is not perfectly elastic. The monopolist is the industry and its demand curve is hence the market demand curve. The difference in characteristics such as number of firms, types of product and barriers to entry cause the distinguished demand curve.Question 9: Explain verbally and graphically how price (rate) regulation may improve the performance of monopolies. In your answer distinguish between (a) socially optimal (marginal? cost) pricing and (b) fair? return (average? total? cost) pricing. What is the â€Å"dilemma of regulation†? LO5 Thinking of a firm operating at a point where ATC is still falling. Each small firm would produce a much smaller output at a higher ATC. So efficient and lowest-cost production requires a single seller. This is represented in the graph attached and named Graph 1. The monopoly could charge any price they choose.One option is to charge the socially optimal price where price equals marginal cost. This is the allocatively efficient output level where all marginal benefits exceed marginal cost. An alternative pricing method is the fair return theory where price is equal to ATC. Under this operation the monopoly is able to break even and continue operation. A fair return is equal to normal profit. The â€Å"dilemma of regulation† is caused by these very regulation methods. These regulatory measures which are set to achieve the most efficient allocation of resources in P=MC actually result in the monopoly making a loss.Similarly the problem with the fair re turn price is that it doesn’t completely solve the issue of under-allocation. Question 11, LAST WORD: How was De Beers able to control the world price of diamonds even though it produced only 45 percent of the diamonds? What factors ended its monopoly? What is its new strategy for earning economic profit, rather than just normal profit? Despite producing 45% of the diamonds, De Beers was able to control the world price due to the ability to control its own production levels and high market share.The fact that so many diamond suppliers were coming through and providing alternatives such as synthetic diamonds forced De Beers to invest in advertising and promoting their own diamonds. These were factors simply out of De Beers control. More diamond reserves were being discovered and caused competition. So De Beers was forced to stop its operation as a monopoly and instead as â€Å"the diamond supplier of choice†. Problem 1: Suppose a pure monopolist is faced with the demand schedule shown below. Calculate the missing total? revenue and marginal? revenue amounts.Assuming that MC is $39, determine the profit? maximizing price and profit? maximizing output for this monopolist. Assuming that the ATC is $52. 50, what is the monopolist’s profit? Verify your answer by comparing it to the Total Revenue -Total Cost approach. LO2 Total Revenue from top to bottom, in dollars: 0, 100, 166, 213, 252, 275, 288, 294, 296, 297, 290 Marginal Revenue from top to bottom in dollars: 100, 66, 47, 39, 23, 13, 6, 2, 1, -7 The profit maximizing price is $63 and profit-maximizing output is 4. Monopolist’s profit is TR-TC=252-(4*52. 50)=>252-210=$42

The Role of the Economy in Presidential Elections

There are many factors that can influence a presidential election in the United States. One of the most important factors is the economy. It is always one of the top debate topics which candidates must pay close attention to. What makes it such an important issue is that it does not matter what state the economy is. Whether it is in good shape or bad shape, it is still going to play a major role. However, if the economy is suffering than is going to be an even bigger talking point.When the economy is not doing well, voters become more concerned about it, which means that the candidates need to have a good plan on how to fix it. Otherwise, they will lose a lot of support. People are always concerned with money, which is why the state of the economy always plays a role in presidential elections. Although, how big of a role it plays does vary. Even though it does vary, it is always going to be an important issue in presidential elections. Money and our economy are things that voters are always going to be concerned with.That is why in this paper I am going to discuss the role of the economy in presidential elections by comparing and contrasting its role in the 2008, 2004, and 2000 elections. In doing so I will show that the economy plays a major role in presidential elections, but that that role does vary depending on the state of the economy. The 2008 United States presidential election was a very exciting and ground breaking one. There were many issues that played an important role in this election, but one of the biggest was the economy. It played the biggest role in this election compared to the 2004 and 2000 presidential elections.It was considered one of the central issues of the election. The reason why it was such a big issue is the fact that the economy is in the worst shape it has been in since the Great Depression. This caused it to be a central issue which meant that each candidate was going to have to make sure that they had a solid economic plan. Bot h of their plans needed to appeal to the voters. Each candidates plan on how to help out the economy was one of the first things that people would look at. The United States has the biggest deficit that it has ever had. This played into what plan each candidate came up with.It caused the candidates to change their stance on some issues. For example, Obama has plans to create a national healthcare system for those who cannot afford it (Skarda 2008 1). However, due to the fact that the deficit is so great, this plan would call for increased spending which would only add to the deficit. He then said that he would wait for the market to begin to stabilize before he would implement his plan. During a time of economic crisis like this, it is important for candidates to not have any plans to raise taxes. This would result in making them unpopular.It is something that they need to pay close attention to. Many people become unsure in times of such economic crisis and are going to look to the candidate who they believe has the best plan and seem the most confident in carrying out that plan. The candidates needed to make this a top priority because the country is in tough times economically it becomes a major issue. Under these circumstances, people continue to grow unsure of the economy and their own future. They do not know whether or not they are going to lose their job, be able to pay their bills, or even support their family.So when it comes to deciding which candidate to vote for, they are going to look at what each candidate’s plan to fix the economy is. They are going to want to vote for the candidate who seems most concerned about fixing the economy. As a result of all this, the economy played a very big role in the 2008 presidential election as it was one of the top, if not the top issue in the election. Also it played a much bigger role when compared to the 2004 and 2000 elections. Like during the 2008 presidential election, the economy also played a ma jor role in the 2004 election.Although it was not as major as in the 2008 election, it was still very important and not too far behind. And it played a bigger role in this election, than it did in the 2000 election. It was not as big of an issue due to the fact that the economy was not in as bad of shape as it was in 2008. However, it was still a central issue in the election. Also, it was over shadowed by the events that occurred on September 11, 2001. After the terrorist attacks, people became very concerned with issues of national security, so that became a big issue in the 2004 election.But like always, voters were still very interested in the candidates’ plans to help the economy. The Republicans believed that the improving economy would help President Bush win reelection, while the Democrats believed that there was no economic recovery due to the number of jobs that were lost. Also they argued that President Bush was leaving a growing national debt for future generation s because of his tax cuts. The Bush administration argued back claiming that the tax cuts have spurred the economy and will help boost the government’s income (O’Sullivan 2004 1).As a result, the candidates’ plans for the economy became an important issue. In addition, the candidates needed to have a good plan for how to handle the economy when the â€Å"baby boomers† reach retirement age (O’Sullivan 2). That was an important issue to many voters and each candidate needed to be aware of that and have a good plan. But the biggest economic issue was the loss of jobs in recent years. But in the end, economic issues along with all the other issues were trumped by national security issues. Voters were concerned with the war and the protection against future terrorist attacks first and foremost.As a result, the role of the economy was downsized and was not able to have as big of an impact. So despite not being the main issue of the 2004 election, it was still a major issue, but was not able to play as big of a role due to the war. During the 2000 presidential election the economy played the smallest role when compared to the 2004 and 2008 elections. The reason for this is that during this time the economy was booming and there was low unemployment. Due to the fact that there were few economic problems, issues on the economy were on the back of people’s minds.Also, there was not much either party had to do with economic issues. The Democrats were just able to point out how good of shape they got the economy in. Since the economy was doing so well, the Republicans could not attack it or come up with any plans to improve it that voters would really care about. Although the economy was in good shape, it still could have been used as a major tool in getting elected for the Democrats. Al Gore did not utilize the good economy in gaining support to its full potential (Cain 2001 2). Had he done this, perhaps it would have helped him gain enough votes to win.While at the same time, this allowed George W. Bush to have one less issue to worry about since people really were no concerned with it. He was able to focus on other issues and promote his ideas on those issues more than he would have been able to if the economy had played a bigger role. Unlike the other elections, Bush had a better chance of winning election by not talking about the economy. This is opposite of the 2008 election were one of the first issues that voters wanted to know the candidates’ plans for was the economy.And had they not talked about the economy as one of the top issues, they would have had no chance of winning election. The 2004 election is similar to the 2008 election in this aspect. This is one of the few elections where the economy was not one of the top issues at the forefront of the election. While compared to the 2008 and 2004 elections, the economy during the 2000 election had the least important role. In summation, the economy played the biggest role in the 2008 presidential election. It played the second biggest role in the 2004 election and the smallest in the 2000 election.Even though it played a different sized role in each of these elections, it was a major issue when compared to other issues. The economy always plays a major role in presidential elections. But as I have just shown, it plays a much bigger role when the economy is suffering compared to when it is doing well. By comparing the different roles the economy has played in recent elections, it becomes clear that the economy has played a major role in presidential elections and will continue to in future elections.

Politics & Watchmen Essay

Comic books have long held the fascination of young and adult alike. Their social commentary on politics and cultural integration of societies along with their charismatic protagonists pitted against the forces of evil become a gateway into self-reflection – whether or not that self be a person or a government. In Alan Moore’s graphic novel The Watchmen such policy questions and the ambiguity of evil come to the forefront of the story. The Watchmen is a graphic novel with takes place in the United States in the 1980’s but facts about history have changed in order to give the reader a more amoral society: Nixon is still president, America won the Vietnam War and the future looks like a bright place full of peace thanks to Dr. Manhattan’s element introducing new engineering feats to even new fabrics (as seen with Rorschach’s mask that had once been a lady’s dress). All of these elements combine to enlighten the reader and to cause them to question a static government whose lines of good and evil are nonexistence in the face of progress as Moore stated in 1986, â€Å"[I] was consciously trying to do something that would make people feel uneasy. † (Stewart Synchronicity and Symmetry 1987). This paper will seek to develop an analysis of Alan Moore’s classic graphic novel including commentary from other sources that will support and deny the brilliance of this novel and its social commentary on American culture. Alan Moore presents the reader with passages throughout his text which aid the reader in subplots of his story. Some sections are dedicated to Nite Owl while others are dedicated to the tragedy of a pirate shipwrecked in Tales of the Black Freighter. The point of these small diversions from the main story is to give the reader a more comprehensive look into the morals of the story at hand. Moore is giving his readers an idea about heroes and their obligations to justice paired with their personal identities as Singh states, And we meet the protagonists, each with his or her own set of personal demons – including the amoral Edward Blake/The Comedian (a character about whom I would have liked to learn more) whose death sets the plot in motion and the two erstwhile Nite Owls who meet on Saturdays to reminisce about glories past. The only character in the book who actually has supernormal powers is Dr Manhattan/Jonathan Osterman, who developed extraordinary control over matter following a laboratory accident. While the classic superhero comic might have used Dr Manhattan to great effect in action scenes, his function here is different: he serves as a dispassionate observer/commenter on human affairs. (Of course, he is also being used as a weapon by the US – a dubious move, since his very presence in the world encourages the possibility of mutually assured destruction. ) (Singh How Superheroes Fade 2006). Through Moore’s writing the reader discovers that the hero’s battle for justice is being underwritten by the government, especially with the enforcement of the Keene Act: An act which requires masked avengers to give the public their true identity. While some heroes do in fact acquiesce to this new law (i. e. the Silk Spectre/Laurie Juspeczyk, and Ozymandias/Adrian Veidt) or not (Rorschach/Walter Kovacs), or simply retire (the second Nite Owl/Daniel Dreiberg) the fact that the government is requiring for their heroes to divulge their identity and thereby become more of a target to their enemies is part of that running dialogue of government policies that serve no purpose, and definitely no good purpose that Moore was adamant about writing into his story. This idea about heroes begets the ideas about Greek and Roman culture (indeed many comic book heroes have their origins with ancient gods and goddesses) and with this connotation comes another Greek route: That of a hero’s flaw as Bradford Wright writes about Moore’s concept of the graphic novel that The Watchmen is, â€Å"Moore’s obituary for the concept of heroes in general and superheroes in particular. † (Wright 272). There is one hero in this story which allows for the bending of good into the realm of evil to play a dynamic role in the book: Ozymandias/Adrian Veidt seeks to become like Alexander the Great. Alexander the Great conquered the known world- and he did this in order to unite the world and thereby eliminate opposition and evil. In Adrian’s mind, in order to become a great hero he must accomplish a united world in order to have global peace. Thus, he decides to fake a global threat in the form of an alien attack toward the close of the novel. This attack succeeds in uniting the United States with Russia and other leaders (remember this was a time when the Cold War was a serious issue, and even though Moore chose to change the face of the president for his graphic novel, the impending doom of the world is something he still kept in as a fact for his story). As most heroes have flaws, Ozymandias’ flaw may be considered to be his ego – for he wants to be greater than his own personal hero Alexander the Great. Tragic heroes begin their stories with aplomb of luck, or ego, or a rosy view of the world. With literature or drama the tragedy of the unmistakable truth found in the character’s own self-realization is typically the denouement. The writer’s tragic heroes have survived in life under false pretences, thus they are doomed to suffer from their one flaw of ego as Iain Thomson writes,†developing its heroes precisely in order to deconstruct the very idea of the hero and so encouraging us to reflect upon its significance from the many different angles of the shards left lying on the ground†. (Thomson Deconstructing the Hero 101). What is different in Moore’s novel is that Ozymandias doesn’t succumb to his ego – at least not in the written pages of the novel (for Rorschach’s novel does reach the attention of the Frontiersman newspaper and the reader is left to assume its pages will be printed and the truth about the alien hoax will be publicized). Thomson goes on to state â€Å"†¦ develops its heroes precisely in order to ask us if we would not in fact be better off without heroes†¦[and the story’s deconstruction of the idea of a hero] suggests that perhaps the time for heroes has passed [which further illustrates] this postmodern work from the deconstructions of the hero in the existentialism movement. † (Thomson 111). Thus, with the hero turned bad guy (for the cause of world peace) and not being punished by the ultimate superhero of the book, Dr. Manhattan, the reader is left wondering Where is justice? It is this question which spurns on the plots and subplots of the novel. With the Keene Act masked avengers are forced to reveal their identity but The Comedian/Edward Blake does not have to do this as he is an agent for the government. His work for the government is similar to a mercenary soldier – he goes into American occupied territories and takes care of local uprisings. The part of the book dedicated to Blake’s story shows him in Vietnam with a flame thrower killing soldiers. The next scene is of Blake in a bar with a pregnant woman asking him to take of her now that the war is over. Blake laughs at her and she then grabs a bottle and breaks it then attacks him brutally slashing his face as Reynolds states of Blake’s personality, â€Å"[he is] ruthless, cynical, and nihilistic, and yet capable of deeper insights than the others into the role of the costumed hero†(Reynolds 106). The justice of the novel in this scene takes place when Blake takes out his pistol and shoots her in the stomach. The underlining commentary on this scene is further developed as the reader realizes through Blake’s dialogue with Dr. Manhattan that Manhattan could have turned the gun into anything he wanted, but he didn’t, he simply allowed events to play through. So, the characters’ amoral personalities and their ability to follow their government as soldiers and kill villagers then kill a pregnant woman, or even to allow a pregnant woman to be killed when one could have done something to prevent it, layer the story with what are the definitions of good and evil and these traits applications to men who claim to be fighting for justice. Does guilt make evil actions less amoral? This is a question which plagues through Moore’s commentary on the government. The United States government sent Dr. Manhattan to annihilate small villages in order for them to surrender to the U. S. all in under the guise of peace as Klock states, â€Å"[l]ike Alan Moore’s kenosis, [Veidt] must destroy, then reconstruct, in order to build ‘a unity which would survive him. ‘† (Klock 75). Does a government feel guilt over the thousands that die on the opposition’s side? And, if they do feel guilt, how does a feeling make recompense for the harm that is done? Indeed, Moore’s novel about ambiguous feelings gives all of the contradictions of the American government (Sabin 165). In the world of graphic novels, the cut and dry interpretation of the hero fighting side by side with its government and government agencies such as cops, it would seem then that the government would become a hero in association with the protagonists of the story. In Moore’s novel, the reader sees the development of the anti-hero in full climax with the character of The Comedian. The Comedian is a social commentary on how governments, different agencies and countries are a joke – they promise to help the people but when the government sends Blake and Dreiberg to control the rioting in the street all it takes it one person from the crowd to throw a beer bottle at the Archimedes (Nite Owl’s flying device) for Blake to go into the crowd shooting his gun at the people he’s supposed to be protecting. All throughout the novel Moore has Dave Gibbons illustrate the phrase â€Å"Who Watches The Watchmen† written in graffiti all over the city. At this pivotal scene in the novel, when the crowd disperses one lone soul is spray painting this phrase on the side of a building when Blake comes up to them. This is main theme of the graphic novel – who controls the hero when the hero becomes evil? This question comes to a climax with Ozymandias’ character along with (to an extent) Blake’s character.

Health Care of Refugees in Canada Research Paper

Health Care of Refugees in Canada - Research Paper Example Industrialists and manufactures in Western countries like US and Canada were happy to welcome illegal workers who were ready to work at cheaper wages. According to recent data published, immigrants account for nearly one fifth of the Canadian population and this number still continues to grow. Undoubtedly, this chaotic situation leads to numerous social as well as health consequences in the country. Studies indicate that the number of people having precarious status and limited access to health is increasing in Canada. It is identified that refugees do not have proper access to health care and they struggle to pay for health care services in the country. Health care is a fundamental human right and hence it is the ethical obligation of medical practitioners to offer health care services to people regardless of one’s age, sex, or nationality. This paper will particularly discuss whether or not the refugees in Canada should have free access to the country’s health care sy stem. ... It seems that physicians who provide care to refugee families generally perform those tasks discretely. As a result, refugees in the country do not obtain the same level of care which is offered to Canadian citizens. Since uninsured refugees are compelled to pay for services received, help-seeking mentality is discouraged among this already vulnerable population. Clinicians claim that this lack of help seeking mentality among refugees can be directly linked to high levels of morbidity. Delayed care seeking also leads to issues like poor follow up for chronic diseases like diabetes, and growing prevalence of HIV and increased levels of mental illnesses. â€Å"In the case of children and youth, problems included delayed surgical interventions, prolonged absence of adequate care for acute mental health conditions (post-traumatic stress disorder and depression), and unavailability of rehabilitation services for children with autism and other developmental problems† (Rousseau et al , 2008). Currently, there are only a few organizations in Canada fighting for the health care needs of the refugee population in the country. Therefore, health organizations do not give particular attention to delivering health services to refugees on time and effectively. In the words of Muggah, Dahrouge, and Hogg (2012), language difficulties and cultural as well as societal influences become a barrier for refugees in Canada to access quality health services. As per reports, the Federal government has decided to limit refugees’ health coverage to services that are â€Å"of an urgent or essential nature† (Wayne, 2012). The government has also planned to provide the refugee population with medications and

Benefits and Challenges Associated with Visuals Available Today Research Paper

Benefits and Challenges Associated with Visuals Available Today - Research Paper Example Therefore, people should strictly acknowledge the need to respect and abide by the code of ethics. In respect of the copyright laws, the general public should keep in mind to ask permission from the owner of the photos before using these online available photos or taking photos of another person (Lynch, 2008, p. 155). Doing so will protect journalists from preventable court cases. On the other hand, part of the duty and responsibility of the visual journalists is to document what is going on around our surroundings. Through the use of photos, visual journalists are able to express what they mean in their writings. As part of the National Press Photographers Association (2012) Code of Ethics, visual journalists are required to present to the public an accurate and non-bias information with regards to the subject matter they are discussing. It means that it is unethical on the part of the visual journalists to practice racism or talking negatively on something or about a person especially when there is no valid and concrete evidence to back up their statements. To avoid being charged of libel cases (Cates, 2004, p. 130), visual journalists should make it a habit to avoid making false claims that can harm a society or another person. There are many ways that will prevent visual journalists from legal accusations. In line with this, visual journalists should make it a standard operating procedure to treat a society, a community, or a person with respect and dignity (NPPA, 2012).  

HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT - Assignment Example Google ensures through compensation that these talented people are retained. The reward and compensation system at Google is pay-for-performance. The stock option system of the company ensures that employees get compensated and rewarded along with the growth of the company. The most astonishing factor is that in 2005-2006 the employees by themselves demanded a wage cut. According to the Director and Professor of Human Resource Center working at Wharton Business School, "these perks and benefits help Google to recruit people who are willing to spend most of their time at work place". Statistics show that software engineer at Google receives an average salary of $81,239 which is just $8000 less than their senior competitors, yahoo (Small Business, n.d.). Nowadays, many young engineer and professional aspire to get employed at Google. The reason is due to excellent fun and work environment. Top it all, bonuses and compensation, flexibility in working on projects etc. Google has been the most renowned example of a motivating and encouraging employer. There wouldn’t be any single person who wouldn’t wish to work at Google. ... Under this head, comes the most extensively debated subject that is soft HRM and hard HRM. In Soft HRM, companies consider their employees as the most valuable and important resource. For such companies, the needs of employees must be catered at first. Such types of companies are usually considered as ‘good’ employers. Therefore, these companies offer their employees substantial chances to grow not only as workers but also as individuals. Employees are provided regular training in order to ensure that prospect promotions. In hard HRM, companies generally treat their employees as a means of obtaining profits and efficiency. Hard HRM usually do not takes into account the needs and wants of employees. Hard HRM allows the employer to have full control over its workforce and operations. In such organizations, the morale and skills of employees are relatively lower. Companies utilize these approaches according to their corporate culture and type of industry. Those organization s which operate in such industry where norms, standards and benchmark needs to be maintain adopts hard HRM. On the other hand, those companies which are research based and require creative and innovative tactics utilize soft HRM where employees are given full authority to do the work in a way they feel the best. Hard HRM is widely accepted and implemented in organizations like KFC, McDonalds and Ryanair while soft HRM is implemented and encourages in organizations like Facebook and Google. Yes! Google utilizes soft HRM approach (Peter Bamberger, 2000). The culture of Google gives liberty to its workers to bring in innovative and creative stuff. In this regard, they are expected to research and work as per their own way. In fact, Google encourages its employees to spend 20% of