Ethical Considerations in the Legal Prosecution of Robbery...

Introduction In this short essay, the author will consider the various ethical considerations and problems that will need to be addressed in the legal prosecution of a robbery and a murder case. This will include dealing with the ethical problems involved in the investigation of the crimes as well as prosecution problems that arise when the case is presented for trial if the investigator was unethical. Finally, we will examine the ethical issues that are directly related to the prosecutor in these cases. Analysis-General Issues Let us assume that the case of a federal prosecutor is typical. After all, it sets the standard for lower governmental prosecutors. There is much work that has to be accomplished with the cases items, evidence, statements and material witnesses before the case is ready to brought before a judge and jury after we examine the facts of the original crime and its scene. There are many ethical considerations must be taken into account from the beginning of the case when an investigator is called to the the scene for a crime (lets say, homicide) (Federal prosecutor , 2011). In such instances, consideration has to be taken that the investigator is unbiased and is able to remain open minded even. The investigation has to remain within the legal boundaries that govern law enforcement personnel directly related to the case and the evidence about the identity of a suspect, how the evidence was retrieved from the suspect and insuring that there wasShow MoreRelatedLegal St udies8128 Words   |  33 Pagesdiscretion in the criminal justice system †¢ issues of compliance and non-compliance in regard to criminal law †¢ the extent to which law reflects moral and ethical standards †¢ the role of law reform in the criminal justice system †¢ the extent to which the law balances the rights of victims, offenders and society †¢ the effectiveness of legal and non-legal measures in achieving justice. Students learn about: 1.1.0 The nature of crime 1.1.1 the meaning of crime First of (any act or omission of dutyRead MoreThe Case And Remedies Of An Arkansas Capital Murder Case3641 Words   |  15 PagesArkansas capital murder prosecution that had resulted in conviction and sentences of death based on the killing of four members of a family defense counsel learned after the conviction had been reversed that a key prosecution witness, the defendant’s son, who testified against his father implicating him in the murders at trial, has also given prosecutors a statement in which he claimed responsibility for the crimes and exculpated his father. 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Protein Synthesis Transcription And Translation

Protein synthesis is defined as â€Å"The creation of proteins by cells that uses DNA, RNA, and various enzymes.† The synthesis of proteins takes two steps: transcription and translation. Transcription takes the information that is coded in DNA and codes it into mRNA, which heads out of the cell’s nucleus and into the cytoplasm. During translation, the mRNA works with a ribosome and tRNA to synthesize proteins. When trying to understand the process of protein synthesis, basic terms are necessary. DNA is the backbone of life as we know it. DNA stands for deoxyribonucleic acid and it is necessary to life on earth. The basic unit of DNA is called a nucleotide which is also known as a base. DNA is a double stranded helix that is made of these bases. DNA makes thousands of proteins using only four different basis. These bases are labeled as A, T, G, and C. These letters stand for adenine, thymine, guanine, and cytosine. These bases make pairs. A Pairs with T and G pairs w ith C.The same goes for RNA except thymine is replaced with uracil and RNA is single stranded. A continuous strand of DNA is called a gene. Genes are used to make functioning strands of RNA or proteins. The first step in protein synthesis is transcription which is when the cell makes an RNA copy of the information from DNA in the nucleus. The first step of transcription is called initiation. This is when the RNA polymerase binds to the promoter which contains the transcription start point. The polymerase bindsShow MoreRelated Protein Synthesis Essay772 Words   |  4 PagesProtein Synthesis Protein synthesis is one of the most fundamental biological processes. To start off, a protein is made in a ribosome. There are many cellular mechanisms involved with protein synthesis. Before the process of protein synthesis can be described, a person must know what proteins are made out of. There are four basic levels of protein organization. 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Commercial Bank free essay sample

Commercial Bank Recent changes have reformed the banking sector worldwide. The economic, political and social transformations have obliged several banks all over the world to emphasize on retail banking. Commercial Bank answers to those challenges by implementing a change program called PEGASUS. Pegasus has under its umbrella five main programs: 1) CRM implementation, 2) Business Process Reengineering, 3) Development of alternative distribution channels such as e-banking, 4) New roles, new work and managerial practices and finally 5) Corporate identity and Culture change. In this context many important change models are included in this analysis, in order to rationalize the change efforts of Commercial Bank. Till now, the implementation of PEGASUS is more than satisfactory in terms of change processes. But the same does not stand for the culture. Therefore, the future change initiatives of Commercial Bank should focus more on soft issues and less on processes. The adaptation of a Performance Management and Career Planning Program is crucial for the final success of PEGASUS. In the same sense, the implementation of the intranet should be completed and the rewards system should be aligned with the change objectives. The dilemma faced by many businesses today is managing strategic change initiatives efficiently and effectively. Arguably, managing changes simultaneously poses great challenges to organisational success in terms of the desired change. The purpose of this paper is to discuss the driving and resisting forces that occurred during a transitional programme in a Malaysian bank. Issues in the implementation process include change initiatives and the challenges that were faced. Qualitative data indicated that while the implementation process and efforts were genuine, they were fraught with various technical and HR problems, and it was found that change efforts lacked integration and attention to human issues. Change efforts mainly focused on business and cost driven initiatives. This observation suggests that organisational leaders should give careful attention to how each activity can be designed and well integrated when planning and implementing organisational change. The paper discusses the implications ofthese finding on HR policies and practices in financial institutions. Change is inevitable and ubiquitous in a rapidly expanding world. These landscapes of many external forces make it most difficult for organisational survival and prosperity. Indeed, the major dilemma faced by businesses today is managing strategic change initiatives efficiently and effectively (Graetz, Rimmer, Lawrence Smith 2002). And according to Ulrich (1997), a primary difference between organisations that succeed and those that fail is the ability to respond to the pace of change. In other words, organisations need to monitor and scan their external environments, anticipate, and adapt timely to continual change (Marquardt 1996). A salient contention by Pettigrew, Woodman and Cameron (2001), is the relative lateness of anticipation and adaptation ability of firms, and their inability to recognise the change in bases of competition that may have changed in their business environment can be a key attribute explaining a loss of competitive performance. In addition to the inability to recognise change, it is no longer sufficient to adjust one change to compensate another. Arguably, organisations will have to handle all the challenges of change simultaneously (Brown Harvey 2006). These challenges of changes, at the organisational level, have elevated the importance of managing change and in particular, the managing of employees’ change experiences. This is because massive change has an impact on all facets of organisational members as it can create new dimensions of greater uncertainty (Brown Harvey 2006). Hence, it is very important to ensure good coordination, strong leadership, and clear communication while managing various changes simultaneously. There are three major trends that shape change. Specifically, the three trends are (a) the heightened competition brought about by globalisation, (b) information technology, and (c) managerial innovation. Globalisation is changing the economy and markets in which organisations operate. And there has been an increase in the e-business sector that is changing how work is distributed and performed with the use of information and communication technology (ICT). Moreover, managerial innovation becomes more important as a form of response to both competition and information technology trends (Brown Harvey 2006). A significant example of how the reshaping of managerial values, work practices and business notions onset with less domestic restrictions and trade barriers to embrace international competition is afforded by the accession of Malaysia as a member of the World Trade Organisation in the 1990s. The exposure to the competitive edge of foreign organisations compelled Malaysian domestic organisations to evolve a new corporate strategy in response to changes in the cross national managerial work related values (Baron Besanko 2001). Many articles and books have been written about how change management can be approached. Nevertheless, the field of organisational change is far from mature in understanding the dynamics and effects of time, process, discontinuity, and context (Pettigrew, et al. 2001). Moreover, little is written about implementation process and issues in highly regulated contexts such as the banking context (Nightingale Poll 2000, Baron Besanko 2001). Technical change in service industries is an underrepresented area, despite its importance in employment and innovation (Nightingale Poll 2000). Further, empirical studies seeking to link change to organisational performance are rare (Pettigrew, et al. 2001). Partly, the rarity is due to the difficulty in producing convincing evidence. This study contributes to change management by reinforcing existing literature that stress the significant human factor in change management. This study set out to study and analyse the change management and implementation process of a bank in Malaysia (hereinafter referred as Bank A) using the qualitative method. The paper focuses on driving forces that prompted Bank A to change its corporate strategy, which in the late 1990s underwent major changes in its business approach. The Bank A corporate strategy shifted to a customer focused strategy with the transition to a more efficient technological system and business arrangements that underpinned a regime of competitive products and services. A primary aim of this study was to contribute to an understanding of organisational change and the effect of human factors on a change management programme in the context of the banking industry. Firstly, the existing literature on organisational change is reviewed. Next, using a combination of frameworks for analysing change processes, this paper discusses the driving forces that created the pressures on Bank A to embrace a programme of change. The implementation and change efforts will be highlighted, and this is followed by an investigation into the challenges and resisting forces to change that were faced by Bank A in the implementation process. The findings are discussed with implications for Human Resource (HR) policies and practices in financial institutions. Act II: Creating a new vision (diagnosing the problem, creating a motivating vision, mobilising commitment), and Act III: Institutionalising change. Another change model is the evolutionary model of variation-selection-retention (Hannan Freeman 1989, Aldrich 1999). Change is approached using an evolutionary biology model. Organisations are perceived to have frequent variations that are usually local and short lived unless selected for investigation. Hence, efforts to solve problems generate innovations with selective or limited spread because the selection regime signals out the various variations as shaped by systemic forces such as the general component of the external environment (i. e. economic, social, technological). Occasionally, a local innovation is retained after successful selection and testing elsewhere in the organisation. The evolutionary approach highlights the need for organisations to develop a capability for increasing the level of local initiative in problem solving and experimentation (increasing variations). It is also to develop systems for identifying and disseminating the most successful initiatives (modifying the selection regime away from selecting) for stability toward selecting for innovation (Ancona, et al. 2005). Increasing levels of global competition as well as fervent changes in business environments have heightened organisational revitalisation. One institutional practice that has been adopted to improve competitive advantage is organisational learning. Peter Senge (1992) introduces the concept of the learning organisation that translates the abstract models of evolutionary perspective into more specific organisational terms. In contrast to Lewin’s (1947) planned change model, the learning organisation approach is a change process aimed at assisting the development and use of knowledge to build capacity for continuous change and learning. This strategy is a form of collective learning that is necessary for sustainable change. The learning organisation approach advocates ‘starting small’ with a small pilot team whose members share a recognition that a particular problem cannot be fixed easily because it is symptomatic of deeper issues. Senge and his colleagues (1999) organise formal change in three stages: initiating the change effort, sustaining it, and redesigning and rethinking the larger system so that the learning from the pilot project is diffused to the rest of the organisation. These social scientists assert that there should be continuous renewal efforts in a change strategy Change strategies have always proved to be a challenge for management. To ascertain success of any change strategies, the management team must be open and alert to all forms of resistance as well as development, supported by an indepth understanding of the culture and operational processes of an organisation. Given that strategic change does not move in a logical sequence of event (Pettigrew Whipp 1991), management will frequently face ambiguity, as they explore the amalgam of economic, personal and political imperatives. Table 1 shows the major similarities across different researchers in the stages of organisational change efforts. Most of the researchers advocate that there are mainly three identifiable stages on change models. Lewin’s (1947) model shares close similarities with that of Tichy and Devanna (1986) in which the first stage represents a stage in which people or the organisation encounter forces that inform the need for change. The second stage is a transition period, while the third and last stage is the refreezing stage. However, the Tichy and Devanna (1986) change model primarily focuses on the role of individual leader and transformational leadership. Aldrich’s (1999) model is consistent with Lewin’s (1947) in the second and third stage of change model. Unlike Lewin’s (1947) model of change, the Senge and colleagues (1999) three stage model starts with the second stage of Lewin’s (1947) model and focuses primarily on the development and use of knowledge for continuous change and learning. Table 1 Stage models of organisational change Author Focus areas of change Change models Lewin (1947) Process Unfreezing Change Refreezing Tichy and Devanna (1986) Role of individual leader Act I Act II Act III Transformational leadership Awakening Mobilising Reinforcing Aldrich (1999) Role of systemic forces Variation Selection Retention Senge, et al. (1999) Process Initiating Sustaining Redesigning and rethinking Role of pilot teams According to Wiebe and Gordon-Biddle (2002) almost all of the varying approaches to organisational change have been developed along Lewin’s basic, temporal logic of change process. The model of change by Lewin (1947) has been widely employed by a large number of researchers (Judson 1991, Kotter 1995, Galpin 1996, Armenakis, et al. 1999) to build and describe new models of change. Given the focus of the current study is a change management process that attempts to investigate the driving forces, implementation process and resistance to change, Lewin’s (1947) model of change is deemed most appropriate. This model of change focuses on implementing change as a process, and it discusses a relative more complete process of change as compared to the other models reviewed in this study. Moreover, Lewin (1947) has developed force field analysis to complement his three step model of change, which has also been widely adopted by researchers. Given thesimilarities, different focus and shortcomings of various models of change, it was decided that Lewin’s three stage model is a highly appropriate conceptual framework for research analysis in qualitative studies on change management. Methodology Site and Participants Bank A is the site of the current study under a three year change exercise administered by an external consulting firm. Bank A, a locally owned b ank in Malaysia has extensive market coverage and a strong local presence. The bank was driven by heightened competition as a consequence of globalisation, information technology and managerial innovation trends to pursue change. It has been operating in the Malaysian financial sector since the 1970s, and has a network of approximately 82 branches nationwide, with total assets of approximately RM26. 23 million in 2007. The bank serves both retail and corporate customers and provides credit cards, personal loans, mortgages and deposit services (current, savings and fixed deposits) in retail banking whilst offering corporations, institutional clients and small, medium sized enterprises services in corporate banking. The study of Bank A was based on the change management programme that was undertaken at headquarter and local banking outlets. Approximately 20 per cent of employees that were involved and affected in the change management were randomly selected as respondents in the three year period. These 200 respondents represented employees at the branch level, training sessions and the newly created centralised unit. The majority of the pool of respondents represented middle management employees (80 per cent). Specifically, they were from user acceptance test team, product users, project leaders, as well as trainers from branches and centralised unit. Some of them actively participated in technical and weekly review meetings. A total of 60 per cent of the respondents have worked in the bank between five and 15 years at the point of the study. A total of 30 per cent of the respondents have more than 15 years of tenure while the remaining 10 per cent of the respondents have less than five years of tenure. Procedure The primary sources of data comprised semi structured interviews, a feedback survey and observations. The source of data came from the interviews held with randomly selected lower and middle level employees of Bank A in technical and weekly review meetings. The data gathered through a feedback survey was also partly utilised for this study. Five external consultants who were directly engaged in the change management programme administered the interviews and feedback survey. Weekly observation by five external consultants was also considered in understanding and analysing the change programme in Bank A. The consultants were also engaged in the centralised unit and skill training at the operational level when requested to introduce ICT. Measures Semi structured interviews that were mainly designed for the assessment of Bank A’s change programme, were employed to capture perceived operational changes of employees. The interviews start with general questions that then lead to more specific research issues (Zikmund 2000). The questionnaire is presented as Appendix 1. The interviews were designed to inquire about the motivation of Bank A underlying the change management programme, namely, the internal and external driving forces. Such inquiry at the initial and intermediary stages of change programme specifically, stages of testing and implementation of system, assisted the study to assess the understanding level among lower and middle managers of the need for the change in Bank A. Respondents were also asked to elaborate on the change management programme and implementation process in these stages. The bulk of the interviews then focused on the participants’ perceptions of the challenges faced and resisting forces of change in the implementation process. Drawing respondents’ interpretations of positive and negative outcomes that had resulted from the implementation was useful. Respondents’ interpretations were then analysed together with observations from the external consultants. Analysis The data collected by interviews is rich and sufficient for force field analysis of the current study, particularly in discussing external and internal driving forces of the change programme. Force field analysis is a method for analysing qualitative data in the study of organisational change. This method organises information pertaining to change management into forces for change and forces for resisting change (Cummings Worley 2005). It is derived from Lewin’s (1947) three step model of change. The results from the interviews were manually recorded. The verbatim expressions of the interviewed participants were analysed using content analytic procedures. This method attempts to summarise comments, issues or attitudes of respondents into meaningful categories or emerging themes (Cummings Worley 2005). Information from the interviews was condensed and elucidated with relevant descriptive knowledge of the authors. In many cases the interviews helped illuminate, and clarify some of the recorded data and observations. Study data are presented in Table 2 to Table 5, inclusive in the results section to show the expected and actual outcomes. The context of the Tables is structured according to specific and interrelated issues highlighted by the respondents in relation to the change implementation programme. For confidentiality reasons it is not possible to offer direct quotations from respondents in this paper. The primary data were also supplemented by a range of documentation including financial reports, memos, minutes of meetings, internal reports, newsletters, and information circulation to employees involved in the change management programme. Results Change Programme and Initiatives In response to the social change and economic and trade development, Bank A began to undertake proactive measures to strengthen its corporate credibility. One of the early change attempts was process reorganisation of its internal operations via ICT (Bank Negara Malaysia 2004) within one year. Bank A’s consumer banking activities evolved from a highly decentralised set of operations within individual branches to a more tightly focused operation supported by process reorganisation that involved centralisation of common processing activities. Bank A identified core and non core business processes for streamlining. A part of the change initiatives was the elimination of non core processes or outsourcing of back office activities to create a leaner operation at the branch level. An integrated banking solution (henceforth referred to as Financial Information System or FIS) was deployed to replace the old system, which was an elaborate software system that offered enhanced features and functionality that enabled users to respond more effectively to market demands. The system enabled users to design more flexible customer oriented products and services. FIS enabled automation of operational work process of Bank A at the branch level. Moreover, selected loan processing and operational activities could be centralised. The shift away form administrative work and processes via automation and centralisation enabled branch employees to exert concerted efforts on personalised services, which appeared to be more rewarding market segments. The expansion of personalised services was further facilitated by the integrated customer profile system under FIS. Such technological change would hopefully enable Bank A to compete more effectively in terms of customer service, cross selling and development of innovative products and services. Some examples of customer service included combined account statements, sweep facilities and automated service charging. These potential benefits of FIS were communicated to organisational members via bulletin. A total change of the system use in any organisation would also demand changes in processes, procedures and policies (Hall 2002). The adoption of FIS, which integrates information within Bank A and across functional boundaries, had significant implications for the redesign of organisational work processes, and hence, required a change in many activities. Bank A redesigned work to account for the task interdependencies required to fit FIS. Beckhard and Harris (1977) stressed the importance of temporary structural means in facilitating a transition exercise to the desired future state to ensure effective change initiatives. Bank A set up a team to outline all the changes required in hardware and software, and introduced an integrated user acceptance test plan to examine the capabilities of the various functions of FIS to meet both current requirements and future needs of the bank. With the centralisation and automation of selected core activities, Bank A restructured its HR by introducing training and work relocation or transfer for affected employees to undertake new duties in the centralised unit. Besides facilitating transition to new work, these change initiatives were also intended to reduce employees’ perceived insecurity of their employment. Employees in the centralised unit were expected to acquire data entry skills to ‘feed’ FIS with customer profiles in the system conversion exercise. Bank A provided training for the conversion of manual databases of depositors and borrowers into an electronic database. Other training sessions were to equip ‘front liners’ and technical support employees with the ability to troubleshoot minor impending problems that may arise. In addition, bank wide exercises were initiated where all branches and divisions (i. e. branches, centralised support groups, computer operations unit and management) participated in running simulation tests to identify any technical problem of new policies and procedures under the FIS operating environment. Such employee participation also helped to develop familiarity of systems before FIS was fully implemented across all branch operations. The various training sessions were part of Bank A’s plan to remove resisting forces. Organisations may convey credible positive expectations in generating motivation for the change (Eden 1986, Cooperrider 1990). When members expect success they are likely to develop greater commitment to the change process. Moreover, any proposed change would be more readily accepted if it promises to give benefits. The HR department of Bank A introduced employee participation to unfreeze and reduce resisting forces, with the belief the strategy would encourage employees to embrace change, and reduce their frustration and resistance to change. The HR department involved employees in the redesign of job and tasks, and conducted interviews with employees to identify their areas of interest in work to enable a suitable match of employee skills and interests with future work possibilities. Force Field Analysis: External Driving Forces for Change Driving forces are anything that increases the inclination of an organisation and its people to implement a proposed change programme. They vary in intensity, ultimately creating the need for a change programme or energise its initiation (Bishop 2001, Covington 2002). Like most of the organisations in the Asia Pacific region, Bank A was hard hit by the economic crisis in 1997 as many domestic businesses and organisations faced difficulties in repayment of loans in view of increasing interest rates and the unstable Ringgit – the currency denomination for Malaysia. Thus, the economic crisis had an adverse effect on Bank A’s issue of survival. A majority of the middle managers identified globalisation as one of the driving forces for change in Bank A. The government intention to consolidate 58 financial institutions into 10 anchor banks had to be instituted (Kawai 2000). The liberalisation of the long protected financial market in Malaysia under the General Agreement on Trade and Services (Bank Negara Malaysia 2001) became the second driving force in the general environment. A review of corporate bulletins revealed that Bank A believed that this massive change brought about by globalisation was unavoidable. A further force driving the management of change of Bank A was the changing customer or market needs and lifestyles. Almost all managers shared the same view that increasing customer complaints and customer demands for new products and services signalled a need for strategic action. The result of a 2003 national survey (Bank Negara Malaysia 2004) reinforced the urgent need for banks to improve customer relationships and particularly to address numerous changing needs of customers, and according to the survey results there was a reduced demand for conventional banking products and services. The survey findings showed customers expected efficient, innovative and value added financial products and services (e.  g. , personalised advisory services) while young middle to high income individuals were a growing customer segment that preferred the convenience of ATMs and electronic banking. (Bank Negara Malaysia 2004). The survey results revealed that there was a growing urgency for financial institutions to skilfully manage knowledge centres and customer databases to ensure service excellence. The intro duction of sophisticated online banking products and services by foreign banks that often were equipped with advanced technology brought new meaning to Malaysian banking activities. The availability of one stop financial portals and the ease and convenience of electronic banking had enabled consumers to be connected online to manage their own transactions. Stiff competition from foreign banks was another driving force for change. The rapid advancement of technology of rivals also strongly highlighted the inefficiency and poor integration of the historical Malaysian banking system that relied heavily on labour intensive work processes. For instance, direct marketing, credit history, risk management, and segmentation based product pricing could now all be managed online for the first time. Force Field Analysis: Internal Driving Forces for Change Besides the external driving forces internal driving forces were also creating increasing tension on Bank A. Recognised among the internal driving forces were flawed information systems, hierarchical and rigid work practices, less attractive products and services, and a call from within the organisation for a new organisational customer focused culture. According to the external consultants engaged in the change management, the old  information systems of Bank A did not have sufficient storage to accommodate the current and the future needs of Bank A. The systems were technologically inferior to those deployed by foreign banking rivals. These limitations resulted in various non value added activities that consequently, created mass manual records to maintain, and resulted in ineffective and inefficient processing and turnaround times given the proneness of these outdated information systems to human error and fraud vulnerabil ities. All these negative impacts had caused Bank A to lose valuable customers. One of the internal restrictive driving forces in Bank A was its hierarchical and rigid work practices that included reporting structures and work processes. Bank A introduced reporting structures and organised work cogent with old information systems, but ideally, structural design should be designed to fit current technology, the external environment, organisation size and endorse a strategy to achieve organisational effectiveness (Waddell, et al. 2004). However, the adjustment to the inferior technology generated inherent problems such as duplication of work and largely manual oriented processes. The recognition by Bank A of the importance of innovative products (Bank Negara Malaysia 2004) was another internal driving force for organisational development. The old information system limited product offering to conventional banking products and services and created unnecessary work processes that impeded the introduction of innovative products and services that were important for fostering a customer focused culture. Challenges and Resisting Forces to Change The analysis of the change management process of the Bank A revealed that the challenging issues that represent resisting forces to change were often the soft issues such as social, cultural and human issues across different managerial levels and functional boundaries. These significant issues emerged in the implementation stage, in the centralised unit, within branch operations, during the new product launch, across technical training, and were embedded in the HR relocation, interview and organisational performance activities. The change efforts in Bank A revamped the conventional banking system and operations by introducing FIS. A study of the weekly reports and memos in the third year of the project implementation revealed several inadequacies of the FIS. For instance, the implementation of FIS was delayed despite having undergone three years of rapid testing to perform at a level that was acceptable to Bank A and this led to budgetary issues, so it was not possible to fully customise FIS to the current and future needs of Bank A. Testing of both existing and new services presented great challenges. For example, the stability of the system was erratic. The study of the change programme revealed that FIS failed to meet the ideal level of milestones (e. g. project completion in one year, excellent customer service, innovative products and services) that Bank A had set and many of the benefits from change lagged behind its implementation schedule by three to six months. Work processes in Bank A were reorganised as a direct outcome of information management provided by ICT. However, Bank A set a tight timeline for such a massive exercise. Some interdependent activities encountered delay and did not meet the set phases and deadlines whilst other activities experienced technical failure. A large number of the middle managers perceived that the testing phase was optimistically short as the bank was business and cost driven. Table 2 illustrates key expectations and disbenefits of the introduced FIS. Table 2 Expected performance and problems encountered in the implementation stage of FIS Expected performance of FIS Problems encountered Automation capabilities with less human error FIS was not customised successfully Customer focus, enhance profit Stability of system was erratic Efficient and effective Exceeded budget Enhanced features, functionality and capacity Centralisation to avoid duplication Did not meet the set phases and deadlines Branches can focus on customer service and cross selling Role of centralised unit were unclear Less operating layers, efficient and effective Additional paperwork Employees felt insecure FIS was installed to create efficiency and effectiveness by reducing work processes and enabling the banking transactions to be processed with much lesser human intervention or interaction. Thus, the implementation of FIS implied that a large number of employees, particularly those who attended to paper filing and unnecessary work processes became redundant. In the effort to redesign work to fit the FIS, Bank A redistributed manpower by transferring redundant employees to a centralised unit, and these personnel had to embrace their new job designs that were very different from their skills. Some respondents at the centralised unit commented that they experienced stress when newly hired staff who were inexperienced made data entry errors. A large number of them felt insecure about their future and difficult to adapt when the role of the centralised unit was seemingly ambiguous. Apparently, the role of the centralised unit was not clearly outlined or communicated. Indeed, efforts to communicate the role of centralised unit in the change programme were not visible from the newsletter, bulletin, and memos. Review meetings revealed that the problems and delays at the centralised unit eventually led to more processing delays at the branch operations. Respondents from both lower and middle management experienced higher levels of anxiety because of the unintended inefficiencies that caused further administrative work and more manual ‘follow up’. Some commented that it was tiresome to manage the unexpected inefficiency. Observation by consultants informed that this confusing work environment had apparently affected employees’ work commitment and support to the change programme. FIS was introduced to increase the efficiency and effectiveness of Bank A’s banking operation and avoid duplication of work at branch level. This it was hoped would result in excellent customer service. However, operating branches received customer complaints ranging from inaccurate bank statements to long rectification period of such mistakes. According to some branch managers, these problems were frequently testing the capabilities and patience of operational staff in managing customer frustrations over many technical problems. Operational staff voiced that they were overloaded with various tasks. In addition, operational staff frequently had to troubleshoot technical problems that surfaced and had to be managed through temporary solutions. Many of the staff have expressed that they experienced stress and burnout. A summary of the expected performance and problems encountered in branch operations is given. Expected performance of FIS Problems encountered Centralisation to avoid duplication of work Processing delay due to troubleshooting Excellent customer service Additional paperwork Less operating layers Manual follow up Efficient and effective Increase anxieties, stress and burnout Internal transfer or relocation to support FIS at centralised unit Increase in customer complaint (e. g. long waiting period to resolve problem, inaccurate statements and balances) Operational staff were not trained on managing glitches Bank A planned to introduce innovative products and services with the added functionality and capability of FIS. Many new and innovative products and services were developed. However, a large number of the new products and services were never launched in the market, which revolved around the failure of technical testing and functionality during the testing phase. The unsuccessful introduction of FIS at the branch level reinforced the interpretation among the Product Marketing and Development team that the FIS were not a good software solution. An account of these main issues is shown as Table 3. Table 3 Expected performance and problems encountered in new product launch Expected performance of FIS Problems encountered Flexible with many new features Could not launch new products due to some failure at testing stage Ability to maintain a customer database to support cross selling and profiling Existing resources redirected to troubleshooting problems arose with existing problems Bank A recognised that in implementing FIS the existing workforce needed reskilling. Therefore, training programmes were incorporated as a large part of the change efforts, but from the data gathered in the review meetings and interviews, trainees perceived the technical training sessions (that were organised by the HR department) were relatively simple and insufficient. The trainees interpreted the inability of the testing team to anticipate potential technical problems throughout the testing phase as a lack of experience of the trainers and the inability of trainers during the technical training to suggest solutions on how to manage the peculiarity of technical problems further reinforced the negative perceptions of the respondents. Many of the trainees voiced that their confidence towards the functionality of FIS and the feasibility of the change programme were negatively affected while some of the trainees who were operational staff attributed their poor ‘trouble shooting skill’ at the operational level to the inability of trainers to envision and provide suggestion to some queries on the peculiarity and severity of rising technical problems. Such unresolved or unidentified technical problems eventually affected the quality of the system and the technical training. Moreover, the technical problems still could not be resolved even when the system was operationalised bank wide at the branch level, which left branch operations in a state of confusion with increased anxieties. Consequently, operational staff frequently had to develop temporary solutions even though a minority of them was aware that some of these temporary solutions had negative impacts on the efficiency and effectiveness of the operational activities. Customer service suffered when the different temporary solutions across branches created inconsistencies. For instance, different service requirements at individual branches rendered inconsistent service experience to customers. In Table 4 an account of these salient dimensions is shown to reveal the dysfunctional effects outweighed the intended benefits of the technological training. Table 4 Expected performance and problems encountered in technical training Expected performance Problems encountered Reskilling using ‘train the trainer’ approach Targeted at wrong groups for reskilling Coaching at bank wide level Testing team lacked sufficient experience to anticipate potential technical problems Cost effective Unresolved queries and technical problems Operational staff were not trained on managing technical problems Operational staff lacked confidence in FIS Confusion and anxiety Inconsistency of temporary solutions Inconsistency in service experience Organisational change often implies a different allocation of already scarce resources (Brown Harvey 2006). One of the training programmes in Bank A adopted a ‘train the trainer’ method to efficiently manage the massive training required in a cost effective manner. In the ‘train the trainer’ approach, selected key managerial employees were to be trained to eventually assume the role of coaches to drive change at the operational level. However, when the FIS was run at branch level nation wide, it was realised that the HR could not manage the system at the branch level. The most serious challenge in change programmes today is that the constantly changing environment must deal with people’s resistance to change. Most advocates of change assume that support will be imminent because the objectives for change are worthwhile, but sometimes this does not happen (Brown Harvey 2006). As one of the group of stakeholders of the bank, a large number of the employees began to display their dissatisfaction and resistance towards the change programme. Various frustrations arose from the lack of clear guidelines, disappointment with the new job designs as well as the operational and system engineering problems. Data gathered from interviews revealed that the HR department was hardly involved and it seemed that respondents had little impression of the HR department’s participation in the change programme. A large number of the respondents expressed similar views that there was a lack of support in managing employee emotions and

Sampling Presence Of Ancillary Information â€Myassignmenthelp.Com

Question: Discuss About The Sampling Presence Of Ancillary Information? Answer: Introducation Who or what would be the precise target population? In a couple of sentences, explain why you have to study a sample of the population. The target population will be the business school students in the college because the business major being introduced will be for them. A sample is best fit study since it consumes less time than studying the population since assessing all the business students within the given time frame may be impossible and it is easier to gather data and make inference with a sample rather than the population (Andrews, L. C., Phillips, R. L. (2005)). A sample is also more precise because you have to deal with a smaller number which produces less error compared to the population. Collecting data from the entire business fraternity may prove to be more costly than collecting from a portion of them. Based on the case you picked, choose one sampling method to gather data from the four methods listed below. Explain the rationale behind your selected method. I would select stratified random sampling since it represents the whole population of interest. It minimizes bias in sample selection and ensures that each and every individual of the fraternity is given an equal chance (Brus, D. J., De Gruijter, J. J. (1997)). Stratified random sampling also minimizes error compared to other sampling techniques given the same population. Explain the step-by-step details about how you are going to put this sampling technique into action. Identify the population of interest. In our case our target population is the business students in the college. Come up with the most suitable stratification. Since we are interested on the views of the business students on the introduction of major in Real Estate we shall subdivide the students according to their respective year groups which will now form the basis of our strata. Come up with a list of the population. We should be able to identify all the students in the college taking business courses. This may be achieved by accessing their records as it would provide relevant information on the total of these students. Come up with a list of the population from the chosen strata. We can now assign a number say 1 to N to each student in each stratum. From this we will end up with a list of the respective year groups. Identify your sample size. The time and budget allocated for this research can be an essential tool in determining the sample size usually denoted by n. A sample size can also be determined using a sample size calculation. Assign each stratum an equal sampling fraction. The sample size in each stratum should be proportionate to population (Onwuegbuzie, A. J., Leech, N. L. (2007)). For example, if each of our stratum contains 90, 120, 60 and 120 respectively. We can take a sampling fraction of ? from each stratum to get a final sample size of 30, 40, 20 and 40 respectively. As we have our sample size we can use either simple random or systematic sampling to come up with a sample. Prepare a questionnaire of 5 questions that you would use to acquire necessary information from the sample you selected. Questionnaire Sex of the respondent Male Female The respondents current year of study Would you support the introduction of business major in Real Estate in your school? Yes No Which impact do you think Real Estate will bring to your college? What are the challenges likely to be encountered during its introduction? References Andrews, L. C., Phillips, R. L. (2005).Laser beam propagation through random media(Vol. 152). Bellingham, WA: SPIE press. Brus, D. J., De Gruijter, J. J. (1997). Random sampling or geostatistical modelling? Choosing between design-based and model-based sampling strategies for soil (with discussion).Geoderma,80(1-2), 1-44. Teddlie, C., Yu, F. (2007). Mixed methods sampling: A typology with examples.Journal of mixed methods research,1(1), 77-100. Gureje, O., Von Korff, M., Simon, G. E., Gater, R. (1998). Persistent pain and well-being: a World Health Organization study in primary care.Jama,280(2), 147-151. Onwuegbuzie, A. J., Leech, N. L. (2007). A call for qualitative power analyses.Quality Quantity,41(1), 105-121. Minasny, B., McBratney, A. B. (2006). A conditioned Latin hypercube method for sampling in the presence of ancillary information.Computers geosciences,32(9), 1378-1388.

The Fine Art of Good Communication Essay Example For Students

The Fine Art of Good Communication Essay When someone is talking, do you hear them talking, do you listen to what they are actually saying? When you speak, do you ever notice the body language you use, and the tone of your voice? When other people speak, do you notice peoples tones? Do you notice their body language? Communication consists of speaking to another person and also listening to another person. When listening to another person, you can tell how they are feeling by the tone of their voice, the words that they use, and their body language. Other people can also tell a lot by your tone, words, and body language. I really feel that a skill only few people possess, but everyone should master is the art of good communication. Good communication skills start with good listening skills. Listening is the foundation for all good relationships, whether it is personal relationships, such as friendships or marriage, business relationships and even spiritual relationships. All relationships require people to listen and to give feedback on what they just heard. We will write a custom essay on The Fine Art of Good Communication specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now Most people do not actually listen when others speak to them. They hear what they are saying, but not what they mean. When you do not listen, you generally miss what people are trying to tell you. You only hear parts of what people are saying to you. Most people, when in a conversation, start to think about what they will say and only hear parts of what others are saying. Other people begin to let their minds wonder if they start to get bored with the conversation. Friendships require you to have good communication skills. I mean, how can you be a good friend to someone and comfort them in a time of need if you never really know what is wrong? Friends need someone to listen to them when they need to talk about their thoughts and feelings. They also need feedback, such as constructive criticism, sympathy, and even though they may not like it, the honest truth. Wouldnt you want a friend that would be there for you in a time of need? Marriage also requires good communication. Look at marriages without good communication, most of these marriages end in divorce.

Lexis Definition and Examples

Lexis Definition and Examples Lexis is a term in linguistics referring to the vocabulary of a language. Lexis is a Greek term meaning word or speech. The adjective is lexical. The study of lexis and the lexicon, or collection of words in a language, is called lexicology. The process of adding words and word patterns to the lexicon of a language is called lexicalization. In grammar, the distinction between syntax and morphology is, by tradition, lexically based. In recent decades, however,  this distinction has been disputed by research in  lexicogrammar: lexis and grammar are now generally perceived as interdependent. Examples and Observations The term lexis, from the ancient Greek for word, refers to all the words in a language, the entire vocabulary of a language... In the history of modern linguistics, since approximately the middle of the twentieth century, the treatment of lexis has evolved substantially by acknowledging to a greater degree the important and central role of words and lexicalized phrases in the mental representation of linguistic knowledge and in linguistic processing. (Joe Barcroft, Gretchen Sunderman, and Norvert Schmitt, Lexis  from The Routledge Handbook of Applied Linguistics, edited by  James Simpson)   Grammar and Lexis Lexis and morphology [are] listed alongside syntax and grammar because these aspects of language are inter-related...The morphemes above- the s on cats and on eats- give grammatical information: the s on cats tells us that the noun is plural, and the s on eats could suggest a plural noun, as in they had some eats. The s on eats could also be a form of the verb used in the third person- he, she, or it eats. In each case, then, the morphology of the word is strongly connected with grammar or the structural rules that govern how words and phrases relate to each other. (Angela Goddard,  Doing English Language: A Guide for Students)   [R]esearch, particularly over the last fifteen years or so, is beginning to demonstrate more and more clearly that the relationship between grammar and lexis is much closer than [we used to think]: in making sentences we may start with the grammar, but the final shape of a sentence is determined by the words which make up the sentence. Let us take a simple example. These are both likely sentences of English: I laughed.She bought it. But the following are not likely sentences of English. She put it away.She put it. The verb put is incomplete unless it is followed by both a direct object, such as it, and also an adverbial of place like here or away: I put it on the shelf.She put it. Taking three different verbs, laugh, buy and put, as starting points results in sentences which are quite different in structure...The lexis and the grammar, the words, and the sentence, proceed hand in hand. (Dave Willis, Rules, Patterns, and Words: Grammar and Lexis in English Language Teaching)

Human Resources Planning and Development (Hilton Hotels) Essay

Human Resources Planning and Development (Hilton Hotels) - Essay Example Therefore there are no catering facilities hence no staff to man such services except for breakfast. The reason behind this thinking is that their customers comprise of tourist families who are more into adventuring and exploring the surrounding areas and less likely to use the hotel facilities. 3 As a result the HR practice at Travelodge is restricted to hiring staff without much fuss and at the lowest rate possible. There is no room for incentives and rewards for better performance. Consequently training is not considered a priority for improving staff performance. Since Travelodge is a budget hotel, the management feels that it will always get newcomers to join it more easily. Recruitment means that the selection process of employees has to be well defined according to requirement for the job. Training of the employees, both newcomers and existing ones, is a continuous exercise that must be undertaken to sharpen the performance levels of the staff. The most difficult part is retention of staff. For this it is suggested that the employees be rewarded. However, the level of performance of employees is not just a result of their skills but also the result of motivation each person exhibits. There are two sources of motivation, intrinsic and extrinsic. Since it is not always possible to have external rewards all the time for all activities the management has to promote intrinsic motivation that is the outcome of internal factors like self satisfaction or the pleasure of satisfactory performance (Hagedoorn and Van Yperen 2003). The intrinsic motivation is also preferable as in this environment the employee develops affinity with the organisation and considers the welfare of the organisation to be his wellbeing. This improves his productivity and performance since it will go along with his personal satisfaction. Such employees are also loyal to the company’s cause. In contrast the employee who looks for

Reflections Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Reflections - Assignment Example herbal, relaxation. Also, I aim to apply the novel knowledge on how to identify and manage potential drug interactions. I intend to be a medical practitioner who educates the patient as I have learnt that giving instructional points to patients and guardians plays a vital role in recovery (Golan & Tashjian, 2012). As time goes by, so does the profession of pharmacology evolves; changing the common trend. Therefore, being updated is appropriate. As a medical practitioner, I plan to update my emerging medications knowledge by regularly visiting sites like www.elsevier.com, www.fiercepharma.com, and informahealthcare.com/journal/emd. I am from the state of Florida. Yes, my state has pharmacology requirements as far as continuing education. To meet these regulatory requirements, I plan to complete a minimum of 20 hours in pharmacology related subjects during each two-year recertification cycle. Moreover, I plan to be approved by the Pharmacy Board and also put my current email address on file, maintain and report my development credits to the state via CPE monitor program or CEBroker.com, and renew my current license by the expiration date. To sum it up, I can boldly say that I have come to appreciate my role as a drug prescriber. I aim to maintain effective and caring practice standards for the good of saving a life. This pharmacology class has made my career develop into a broader

Descarte's and Hume's answer to Russell's question Essay

Descarte's and Hume's answer to Russell's question - Essay Example His obsession in geometry, made him believe in certainty because geometry always gave a certain answer and not imaginations (Hattab 2007, p.51) He invented certainty basing on his logical doubtful whereby he doubted the existence of everything around him. He never imagined that something existed instead he had to be sure of the existence of that element by questioning. As the inventor of certainty, Descartes questioned the origin of his background and if really, God existed. Hume, on the other hand, is in total opposition of what Descartes thinks. He objects Descartes ideas and views certainty, instead he proposes uncertainty since according to him, all that is defined and perceived are just but ideas and impressions and not the real thing, he does cynical thinking about reality. In other words, Hume distinguishes between the relationship of ideas and facts (Waldow 2009, p.19). Therefore, unlike Descartes, Hume’s criticism on doubt and knowledge are based on how to tackle unce rtainty and this drove him towards the principles of acceptance and tolerance. Descartes as the founder of doubt advocates that human beings should not accept anything they are not sure of, for example, he critics the discoveries of Copernicus, which undermined the earlier traditions, by questioning the views, sources and origin of the modern culture. His critics are considered the major turning point towards the western philosophy. His thinking and ideas on certainty are opposed and condemned by other philosophers. They argue that Descartes’ arguments are based on the ideas he is sure of (Loeb 2010, p.14). They say that people can make mistakes thinking that something is right but without their knowledge they have made a mistake. According to Descartes, this where doubt is applied because many people jump into conclusion without distinguishing what is certain and what seems to be certain. Certainty, according to Descartes therefore, is not just a feeling, but a deeper feelin g that one has no doubt upon. He disagrees with other philosophers by saying that distinctiveness and clarity are the main principles of certainty, and should be obvious in the mind. Hence, certainty according to Descartes is tested by reason and can never be otherwise. He believes that certainty establishes truth meaning anything that means otherwise is never true. Because of his philosophical approach towards knowledge, Descartes is described as the founder of knowledge. Descartes’ main objective in his philosophical work was to establish new ideas in people’s mind and he succeeded because most modern philosophers support his enlightenment and rationalism. There is a big contraction in Descartes’ philosophical work. On one hand, he doubts the existences of everything around him, on the other hand, he is depicts himself as a normal child like any other child in the society living under the same traditional conditions. His contradiction is clearly seen when he c ritics every element about his philosophical background, in contrary, he lives in the same society he critics about. Likewise, in Descartes’ doubts in the existence of God, he accepts his existence in order to overcome the many questions about the origin of human race and ideas. This means that Descartes could never live without certainty giving him a certain response to philosophy. Hume’s criticism, doubt and knowledge on how to tackle uncertainty, drove him towards acceptance and tolerance (Clark 2009,

Business For the Glory of God | Book Review

Business For the Glory of God | Book Review For this assignment we are to read the book by W. Grudem, Business for the Glory of God: The Bibles Teaching on the Moral Goodness of Business. Mr. Grudem explores the Christian side of business which gives an elaborative explanation of what one might encounter. He clearly shows that in all the various aspects of business, which includes profit, ownership, money, lending, borrowing, and competition. Overall, the author clearly illustrates that people who work in the business world are generally made to feel guilty, because few people think instinctively of business as morally good in itself. (11). The main purpose of the book was to demonstrate that the various aspects of business activities are good and these good things will also bring glory to God. Book Review Business people are an imitation of Gods character by representing Him on earth through the approach of various business activities. Grudem reflects on each of the chapters categories, and clearly illustrates how each of the activities fall into these categories which represent a unique opportunity to bring Gods glory to the forefront: private ownership, productivity, employment, commercial transactions (selling and buying), profit, using money as means of exchange, producing inequalities in possessions, competition, borrowing and lending, and the reduction in the worlds poverty. In private ownership, this is where a person would imitate Gods sovereignty through the exercise of mankinds sovereignty over the creation. When a person cares for worldly possessions, Mr. Grudem makes an argument about people having the chance to imitate certain characteristics of God such as wisdom, knowledge, beauty, creativity, love for others, kindness, fairness, independence, freedom, exercise of will, blessedness (or joy), and so forth (20). When people have the desire to have their own things is not necessarily bad, but it is a representation of our overall desire to be ruler over things. The topic of private ownership also gives people the opportunity to do great things with their resources by sharing them with those who are in need so that others can see God in different ways. The word subdue in the book of Genesis implies to the greater good of human productivity. The main point to remember is that God expect for people to work hard at developing the world for Gods glory and for the sake of mankind. In reference to manufactured products, Mr. Grudem states, give us opportunity to praise God for anything we look at in the world around us (26). Typically, any item that is manufactured allows people to discover the wonders of Gods creation in the things that we have been able to make from the earth (27). When a person does productive work, this takes on the meaning of subduing the earth and it makes the resources of the earth useful for everyone. In reference to the rejections of Marxism, Mr. Grudem states, the Bible does not view it as evil for one person to hire another person and gain profit from that persons work (31). The Bible teaches us that employee to employer relationships are generally good and they are equally beneficial (Luke 3:14; 10:7; 1 Tim. 6:2). A relationship at the employment level can provide a context for mutual appreciation for the callings and pride of other people. The good of an employer can be easily seen by employees through hard work, and the opposite can be achieved from an employers perspective by issuing fair pay for a hard days work. Mr. Grudem made some observations about commercial transactions and he realized they has been a normal part of society since the very beginning (Lev. 25:14). The Bible teaches us that selling and buying are ethically right, because they both provided an opportunity for people to do great things for other people by providing the thing they need. People often imitat e God in places where they practice honesty, faithfulness to our commitments, fairness, and freedom of choice. (37). The use of money and profit are great, because they both entail that one has produced something beneficial to others who desire exchange. Not only is profit a clear indication that one is making efficient and great use of resources from God, but it also is encouraged in the teachings of Jesus Christ (Matt. 25:14-30). Money ultimately sets us apart from any animal kingdom, but in such a way as a tool, which makes voluntary exchanges more fair, less wasteful, and far more extensive (49). Money and profit can provide opportunities to glorify God by meeting our needs and those of others, providing charity, expanding our stewardship, and promoting the mission of the church throughout the world. Even though reading this book may seem as an unfamiliar language to most, Mr. Grudem illustrates how the inequality of possessions is fundamentally good and also pleasing to God. Passages in the Bible such as Luke 19:17, 19; 2 Corinthians 5:10 establish the fact of designed inequality, and many other passages from both the Old and the New Testaments. The author explains that inequalities are necessary in a world that requires a great variety of tasks to be done (52). In chapter 7, the author rejects arguments from a biblical perspective in favor of Christian communitarians, redistribution policies, and health and wealth teachings. The chapters about competition, borrowing and lending are basically a summary of the wealth producing topics. These chapters give an in-depth explanation about the good of competition, because it guides society in assigning jobs to those who are best suited for those jobs (62). In common business practices, competition can also decrease the prices of items over time, while in turn increasing the living standard for everyone. The author also notes that the Bible has no absolute prohibition on loans, but he also assumes them as a way of life. There have been many biblical discussions around loans, which focuses on the abuse and misuses of the process, not the actual establishment of the loan. There is a good rationale behind why charging interest is not only necessary for institutions jeopardizing the use of their money with others, but also how it can be reversed to help other people. Lastly, the goes on to discuss the necessity of moral goodness among the business people in an economy in order for things to operate more smoothly. This type of moral formation of a person would often lead to an overall greater respect for the dignity of mankind, and the increasing desire for their activities to bring not harm, but good to others while at the same time bringing glory to God. Mr. Grudem then goes on with an explanation at the very end of each chapter about how most business activities have great potential for misuse and wrongdoing because we live in a time occupied by entrepreneurs with a sinful nature. The sins of some people in business, however, should not make us assume all business activities are morally wrong. In my honest opinion, Mr. Grudem made great points about the abuses of business, and the ways in which we idolize success and money and become cordial by losing sight of the truth that everything belongs to God. The author continued to make comments throughout the course of the book on the concerns to balance the view, but the real wealth changing information comes from the fact that business practices can be glorifying to God. He also mentions in the text that we should not feel guilty about business, but we can take this as a stepping stone towards our common goals. The author explored the various topics that most business professionals have to deal with on a daily basis at work. He does an excellent explanation of the most common misconceptions about work and business, and then offers a way to look at everything from a different perspective. Mr. Grudem goes on to show how business is good and how it can be used to glorify God. Although this book was enjoyable and easy to read, this book was also very thought provoking and even life changing so to speak. I really could not find a bad point about the book and it was packed with plenty of insight about the moral nature of business. The thing I did not like was with his arguments, while most were very well written, are poorly supported with only a few bible verses and almost no logic whatsoever. In one section, he states that since Jesus gave laws on how employers should treat their employees, and God approves of hiring people and being an employer is good. On the other hand, he does not mention anything at all about the Sabbath, and this could cause someone to believe God also approves slavery. I honestly support keeping people gainfully employed, but some of the arguments in the book were lacking supporting facts. In conclusion, I truly enjoy reading this book and I would highly recommend it to any Christian who is working in the business world. I think the long term solution that the author proposes involves starting and maintaining a productive business organization. I think as these businesses are pursued to Gods glory, the positive effect of creating commerce and employment should also have a domino effect where the ability and the economic status of people should continue to prosper in ever-widening circles. Lastly, I feel this book does a great job of illustrating how everyday Christians can have a calling to business and in the midst of pursuing it; they can continue to glorify God, bless others and reflect His attributes. When it comes to money, work, finances and business, Ephesians 6:5-9 makes a great point when it states, Slaves, obey your earthly masters with deep respect and fear. Serve them sincerely as you would serve Christ. Try to please them all the time, not just when they are watching you. As slaves of Christ, do the will of God with all your heart. ; Work with enthusiasm, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people. Remember that the Lord will reward each one of us for the good we do, whether we are slaves or free. Masters, treat your slaves in the same way. Dont threaten them; remember, you both have the same Master in heaven, and he has no favorites.

Andrew Carnegie 3 Essay examples -- essays research papers

In the 19th century, America was significantly changed by a progressive movement which strived to gain an economic opportunity, religious morality, political honesty and social stability. The efforts of the famous progressives have shaped one of the most powerful nations in this world. The United States is ahead of most of other countries in the business world and continues to make the better products. Nevertheless, America wouldn’t be so economically strong without the contributions of Andrew Carnegie, the wealthy industrialist who showed the world a profitable and proper way to operate a business. Andrew Carnegie is the real reason why American business and economy had become so dominant in the 20th century. Carnegie was born in November 25, 1835 in Dunfermline, Scotland. His parents were handloom weavers who barely had enough money for food. Carnegies were radicals who never feared to demonstrate for their rights. Andrew’s father, Will, was a follower of Chartism, a popular movement of the British working class that called for the masses to vote and to run for Parliament in order to help improve conditions for workers. Such exposure to political beliefs made a lasting expression on young Andrew Carnegie and played a significant role in his life. By 1835, the invention of the Cotton Gin and the development of power looms meant that the days of the handloom weaver were numbered. Finally, in 1847 a large steam power weaving factory opened in Dunfermline ending the handloom weaving business for good. Carnegie family was out of work and decided to immigrate to the United States in search of better life. They came to the United States in 1848 and settled in Allegheny, Pennsylvania. Andr ew was only twelve years old but already envisioned glorious promises for himself in the New World. He started work at the age of 13 as a bobbin boy in local textile mill and made $1.20 a week. He then moved rapidly through a succession of jobs with Western Union and the Pennsylvania Railroad. In 1865, he established his own business enterprises and eventually organized the Carnegie Steel Company, which launched the steel industry in Pittsburgh. At age sixty-five, he sold his company to J.P. Morgan and devoted the rest of his life to his philanthropic activities and writing. Carnegie argued that hard work was the main reason a person could succeed in anythi... ...on to be ignorance and thought that building libraries would help to solve that problem. Andrew Carnegie financed 2, 811 libraries and other educating institutions such as colleges and universities. He only wanted to help those people who could help themselves. Libraries were the main gifts Carnegie gave to our nation. After Carnegie retired from business, he also got involved in world politics. His two main wishes were to abolish the British monarchy and make it adopt the American system, and promote peace throughout the world. Carnegie wrote various articles and books and soon became an “unofficial diplomat'; in the cause of reducing differences and promoting peace. He thought that countries had to resolve their differences by nonviolent methods. Carnegie was one of the first to call for “League of Nations';. In 1900, he donated $1,500,000 to build Palace of Peace which serves today at International Court of Justice, an arm of the United Nations. In 1910, he set up an Endowment for International Peace to stop all the war conflicts in the world. Business, education and world peace all progressed thanks to the hard work and well earned money of Andrew Carnegie.

How to Succeed in (or Flunk Out of) College Essay

How to Succeed in (or flunk out of) College Everyone has hopes and dreams to succeed in college, but things don’t go as plan all the time. As a result it can cause you not reach your highest potential. It’s hard for some to make the transition from High School to College because having complete freedom to do whatever you like can be a task within itself. For example deciding when and how long you stay in a particular class and things of that nature. So there is much more to explain and guide you along how to make the best of your college experience and also succeed in the classroom. So let’s begin. Being successful in college is harder than you think; first you have to figure out which school best suit you as a person and the career of your choice. Then you must set up certain classes that are in respectful time frame that’s suitable for you and will help you attain your degree. Also you must learn where each class location around the college campus. Once you have achieved those tasks this is where the real work begins. Meaning preparing yourself for the long hours of studying and writing ten page term papers. In addition there are ways that you can fail in college also. For example, not being prepared for class and not being on time. Also not having your work done in the correct time frame it has to be done within. Also letting other things affect you meaning if you having problems with your roommates or partying too much and not making sure your studies are not taking care of before you do whatever that you want to do. In closing, there are plenty of ways to fail in college and plenty of ways to succeed also. Yes, you might be excited that you are able to come and go as you please but you also need to know when to have fun and when it’s time to hit those books and study. There is no step by step process because everyone is different and is able to do things that others may not be able to do. All things considered you can learn from people that been there and have been in your shoes and take the information that is giving you and used it in your own way.

The eNotes Blog 5 Things to Avoid While TeachingShakespeare

5 Things to Avoid While TeachingShakespeare Introducing Shakespeare to high school students is daunting. Getting them to care about Shakespeare is even more intimidating. Though we often have the best intentions, many of us fall into the following teaching traps when we turn to the Bard. Im certainly guilty of doing this, and Ive tried to make up for these transgressions by doing things a little differently. Lets look at these five (extremely common) things  to  avoid  doing while teaching Shakespeare to high school students as well as how Ive tried doing things instead.   1. Force Students to Read the Play Aloud as if They Were Actors The theater lover in me opens Shakespeare and wants my  students to experience the magic firsthand. Have students  read it aloud; have them perform it! They will make  it their own and fall in love with the characters the way I did in the theater.This seems like such a good idea. But, its actually an easy way to make your students cringe at the mention of Shakespeares name and fake sore throats to get out of reading.What I love about seeing Shakespeare performed in a theater is how well the actors  perform  the  lines and make them easy to understand using the right inflection. Students approaching the material for the first time have a hard enough time working through what the text is saying, let alone performing in a way that  is entertaining and  meaningful to everyone else in the room. (Not to mention it generally embarrasses the more introverted students and makes them feel quite negatively towards the play.) Instead, I try  to  let professionals, like Branagh, take the stage: Find a recording of the play and have students follow along while the tape reads. Youll be surprised to find how much better the students are able to understand the language  in the play when it is performed properly. Stop the tape frequently to discuss the metaphors and ask them questions about the text. If you want students to perform the lines, assign them a particular scene to learn and memorize. This will help them fully understand how the language works  and  make the material their own. Win win! 2. Consider  (or call)  Shakespeares Language  Old English All of my students start off calling Shakespeare Old English because it seems so alien to them. However, Old English is actually an entirely different language. Beowulf  was written in Old English. It looks like this: HWÆT, WE GAR-DEna in geardagum, à ¾eodcyninga à ¾rym gefrunon, hu à °a à ¦Ãƒ ¾elingas ellen fremedon! Shakespeare is written in  Early Modern English. Arbitrary, technical, and unnecessary distinction, you might say? Think again! Telling your students that Shakespeare is not Old English but  Modern  English can help make the text more accessible. He does  use some archaic puns, metaphors, and vocabulary, but what students are calling old is his syntax and poetic phrasing, not so much his language. They dont have to learn a whole different language to understand the play- they just have to figure out how  he plays with the language they already speak (which is so much easier!). I  try to dust off the old language with the following: Do a lesson on iambic pentameter and poetic phrasing (Shakespeares weird syntax). If students know why the language sounds so strange, they will feel more competent  approaching  it, instead of dismissing it as something old that they dont think they can  understand. Analyze  something like hip-hop or lyric syntax to help students understand how Shakespeare played with the language. In other words, people in Shakespeares time didnt necessarily talk like this, but they  understood his language  the way we understand songs today. For a fun way to help them play with Shakespeares syntax and form, have students try to write a Shakespearian sonnet in iambic pentameter. Proposing they write about particularly absurd topics (Sonnet to a Squirrel) makes this exercise informative and entertaining. 3. Read the Play  for Its Plot The  best  part of a Shakespeare play in the theater is watching the characters and plot unfold on the stage. But whats even better is being able to break down all of the metaphors, irony, allusions, and off-the-wall metaphors. And there is no better place to do that than an English classroom! While spoilers  for  Game of Thrones may be blasphemy, spoilers in Shakespeare allow students to get into the really fun bits of these plays. Shakespeare borrowed most of his plots from historical events, mythology, or other playwrights. The fun of Early Modern Drama was not what was depicted, but  how  it was depicted. I try  to  indulge in spoilers: Encourage students to look up a synopsis of the play online before reading it as a class. Create a plot outline and post it somewhere in the classroom (or online) so that students know exactly what they are reading about when they get lost in the language. Spend class time focusing on the specific metaphors, irony, characters, etc. This  will help students remember the play and its themes long after the class is over. 4. Treat Shakespeare Like the Almighty Bard and Master  of the English Language This one was really hard for me to accept. As an English teacher, theater lover, and metaphor enthusiast, Shakespeare  is  the almighty master of the English language.  However, my tendency to nerd out over Shakespeares brilliance before my students even got to the text tended to make them less open to reading (or loving)  it. Why? Because Shakespeare already comes with a lot of baggage. Chances are, your students have associations that align Shakespeare with high-class, complicated, and unquestionably brilliant literature. When in reality, Shakespeare was the low, popular entertainment of his time. Shakespearian theater was performed outside the city walls near bear-baiting pits and whore houses. Treating Shakespeare texts like they contain all of lifes answers will dissuade students from engaging in, questioning, and appreciating the text for what it is. Shakespeare is full of body humor, insults, innuendos, and, yes, flaws. If you introduce Shakespeare as undeniably great, your students will miss all of this (or worse, think they cant talk about it). I try  to put Shakespeare back in the bear pit: Introduce Shakespeare in his Early Modern context. Bring in modern  books, short stories, or play adaptations by authors with ethnically diverse backgrounds to show students how authors have taken up the same themes as Shakespeare (many even doing it better). Fun Fact: The Bodleian Library (one of the most famous libraries and the site where  they filmed Harry Potters library scenes) originally  rejected  Shakespeares plays. Sir Thomas Bodley claimed that he had built the library as an ark to save learning from the deluge and had to keep out  very unworthy matters such as Shakespeares plays. 5. Lecture About What the Play  Meant to Say Many of Shakespeares plays are extremely controversial (see  The Merchant of Venice) or extremely cryptic (see  King Lear). When I first started teaching, I thought offering a resolution to these problems would help students better understand and connect to the story. It did not. Resolving textual problems only solidified the idea that the text was perfect rather than helping the student learn. Grappling with these controversies and inconsistencies can be one of the most rewarding and empowering exercises a student can do in an English class. I tried to get cozy with ambiguity: Hold a classroom discussion or debate about what is going on in the text and why. Rather than offering solutions, ask students  a lot of questions and never resolve the problems.  The question is often better than the answer anyway. Even if you avoid all of the donts and do all of the dos, some students will never get happy feet when you pull out a Shakespeare play. But, if you give the students the space to engage with  the plays, they will  leave the class with something even more valuable: critical eyes and confidence. Ultimately, the best thing you can do to teach Shakespeare is to make it fun for your students and yourself. Who knows, you might even  create another anglophile.

The Piano Man Essay examples

The Piano Man Essay examples The Piano Man Essay examples Heritage and Economic Prosperity Challenges Succeed The play â€Å"The Piano Lesson† by August Wilson successfully exemplifies Family Heritage and Economic Prosperity, two very important branches of the â€Å"American Dream.† Taking place in 1930’s in Pittsburgh, it also shows how times have changed, and the naà ¯ve idea of the American Dream can sometimes be a farther reach for different heritages. The Piano Lesson touches upon different aspects of life including the economy, family, and the ever-so suspicious supernatural. In the time frame that the â€Å"The Piano Lesson† takes places, there is a whole lot going on in society. Lymon and Boy Willie, two main characters, have traveled from Mississippi to sell watermelons in Pittsburgh. They are saving their pennies to purchase land from the Charles family’s master, that of who’s ghostly presence haunts the property that his family resides on. When they discover that they are running a little short on money, Boy Willie tries to convince his sister to let him keep the piano and sell it for money to buy more land that he originally planned on buying. The piano is a keepsake, and an ornament that his family holds dear, and is extremely protective of it. This brings up Heritage, and how it differs from generation to generation. The piano is almost like a voodoo object to the Charles’ family, and if they were to get rid of it, it would be almost as if they would be cursed forever. In the 1930’s, African American families were often involved with voodoo and other supernatural activities. They believed in ghosts, and life after death, and passed all of those ideas down to younger generations, such as Boy Willies and Berniece’s daughter Maretha. Their heritage in the 1930’s; suspicions, and trying to make as much money as possible in order to fulfill a different American Dream. â€Å"All that’s in the past. If my daddy had seen where he could have traded that piano in for some landed of is own, it wouldn’t be sitting up here now†¦ (Page 46)† This quote shows that even two siblings may believe in a different heritage when it comes down to for this intense a item. Page 2 Unfortunately, African Americans in the 1930’s weren’t given much opportunity for success and prosperity. Lymon and Boy Willie had to go as far as selling watermelons out of there truck miles from where they lived so they could get ahead. When that wasn’t enough, they had to try to convince Berniece to let him sell the one item that they all cherished, and that they all believed had a piece of their family name attached to it. Since The play took place in the beginning of the Great Depression; it is understandable as to why times were hard. In the 1950’s, as life began to modernize and the Economy became more opportunistic for society in general, the idea of the â€Å"American Dream† became more realistic and not as farfetched for people. It seemed possible to have land, a house, jobs, and live comfortably. â€Å"Boy Willie say charge them a quarter more. They didn’t care. A couple of people give me a dollar and told me to keep the change. (Page 59).† Twenty years prior, Boy Willie and Lymon were trying to sell watermelons cheap to try to make ends meet just as sow in the quote above. The fact that money played such a big role in the idea of how life should be really makes the whole idea of the perfect life, family, and home, a bit hypocritical. If the â€Å"American Dream† is supposed to portray happiness, and the only way to be happy was if there was enough money availabl e, than is money really what makes the world go ‘round? Maybe the American Dream was just a way to flaunt success in the 19th century. The economic prosperity would win out over heritage because even if you believe in only one way to do something, the economy may come in the way. For an example if someone does not believe in a certain job, and because the economy fell and you had no other choice you may rethink your heritage to take care of your family

Media audiences and Media geography Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4000 words

Media audiences and Media geography - Essay Example A potential representation of the traditional media is the folk media that projected the communication channels of the ancient societies. Modern media has a very different and advanced mechanism of mass communication. The mass media in the contemporary age is one of the most effective systems of life support that has pronounced effect on the global future and has the widest distribution all over the world. The contemporary age is essentially the age of information, in which the social and environmental issues continue to grow, that imparts the need of transition to a sustainable economy for every nation. â€Å"There has also been a healthful and general realization that the emphasis on â€Å"mass† audience – meaning an audience of individuals in lonely and direct contact with mass communication was never accurate† (Schramm, 1960, p. vii). The distinction between the audience of the past and the audience of the new age is imperative for the media to customize the content according to the every-changing and modifying needs of the audiences in an increasingly culturally diverse and globalized world. Media has a very strong influence on the society. Klapper (1960, p. 5) defined the consideration of the mass media as a compulsory and sufficient cause behind the effects observed in the audiences as short-sightedness, and recommended the consideration of media as just another influential element amidst other influences. â€Å"[I]t is the presumed power of the media to capture and sway the hearts, minds and behavior of the national public that account for both the fear and anxiety, and the hope and excitement, with which the media are regarded† (Fejes, 1984, p. 219). Media has always been both a trend-setter for and influenced by the audiences of a particular point in time. â€Å"The media are crucial in the social circulation of discourse and thus play a formative role in social and political change† (Fiske, 1996, p. 10). Media place s immense emphasis on the likes and dislikes of the audiences because the success of media fundamentally depends upon the approval of the audiences of the content that the media shows. The first and the foremost basic principle that every would-be programmer is taught through every handbook is â€Å"know the audience† (Ang, 1991, p. 19). â€Å"In order for television to achieve its work – that is, to make meaning and produce pleasure – it has to draw upon and operate on the basis of a kind of generalized societal common sense about the terms of the society and people’s social location in it† (Gray, 1995, p. 9). The research culture has evolved greatly over the passage of time. Although research has been a necessary part of the spread of knowledge in all times, yet the research was never as rampant as it is today. In the past, it was easy to advertise a product by just showing the models endorsing them as the audiences understood that the technology was not quite developed to expect every product to be made after a lot of research. Besides, the audiences themselves were too uneducated and far from being the part of a research culture to think on these lines. Over the decades, there has been immense advancement in technology which has played a fundamental role in the development of a research culture all over the world. Today, scientists are equipped enough to