Part 3 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Part 3 - Essay Example Multinational Corporations execute diverse roles in the foreign exchange market such as the provision of different methods of foreign investment and promotion of exports and exports. Nevertheless, such entities tend to incur diverse risks such as exchange rate vitality and flexibility in pricing. Foreign exchange risk relates to the possibility of losing financial resources in the course of buying and selling currency due to unexpected changes in relation to exchange rates. Besides their roles in the foreign exchange market, multinational corporations face diverse risks. Multinational corporations execute diverse roles and duties within the foreign exchange market. In this section of the research paper, the focus will be on illustration of the different roles of multinational corporations in the foreign exchange market. Most of the multinational corporations tend to engage in exporting and importing of various products based on the demands and projections in their host nations. In that context, multinational corporations contribute to the promotion of imports and exports within the foreign exchange markets. Multinational corporations are also vital for the generation of diverse decisions in relation to foreign investment. That is through the integration of the market research and development programs in the course of making appropriate decisions with reference to the achievement of the goals and targets within the industry and market of operation. Multinational corporations are essential to the provision of alternative techniques of the foreign inve stment. It is vital to the realization of effectiveness and efficiency in the achievement of the goals and targets of foreign investment. Similarly, organizations or multinational corporations operating in the foreign exchange market concentrates on the promotion of international

Francisco Goya’s Third of May Essay Example for Free

Francisco Goya’s Third of May Essay Francisco Goya’s ‘The third of May’ was an 1814 painting of Francisco de Goya depicting the execution of the Spanish citizenry resulting from the fighting in the Puerto del Sol area of Madrid. Don Gray in his article Art Essays, Art Criticism Poems pointed out that, the subject of the painting is the dreadfulness of the execution in which Goya has grouped his picture in four different sets namely, those about to be shot, those already dead, the firing squad, and those about to be shot. The painting was done in the context of the aftermath of the popular uprising in Madrid with its background against the French invasion and the monarchic crises it provoked between Charles IV and his son Ferdinand. The title â€Å"The Third of May† simply refers to the fateful days of 2 and 3 of May 1808, which was a Spanish uprising against French invaders. As the riots cleared up, French executioner rounded up the ringleaders for execution but as it may be inevitable, many civilians were said to be included in the infamous firing squad of more than eighty peasants on the predawn of the third of may in 1808 at Principe Pio hill, in Madrid. Historical Issues that may have Influenced the Context of the Work Francisco de Goya was one of the greatest Spanish painters along with El Greco and Diego velasques. Goya’s Third of May depicts the brutal picture where the Spaniards who fought against French-led were executed on the Principe Pio, a remote hill just outside of Madrid. Mary Connell describes the uprising that took place on the second of May. The Spaniards were armed with scissors, spoons, knives, and a few firearms . By mid afternoon the revolt was over but the French were determined to set an example so that the Spanish would not again attempt such a revolt. French soldiers executed eighty-three peasants during the pre-dawn of third of May. This disgusted Goya, feeling that the French liberal reform he had been so pleased at first, had accomplished nothing lasting, as many people had died and suffered as a consequence of the war. Thus, according to Connell, Goya’s work was not meant to be beautiful, but is supposed to be horrifying to frighten the viewer. Connell emphasized that Goya’s purpose within the painting was not to blame the French but to point out the faceless and mechanical forces of war blindly killing people. The painting also depicts how war is horrible and the impact of violence on humanity, which demonstrates that war is always wrong and generate all kinds of evils. Thus, Connell aptly stated that Goya was hoping to persuade people to resort to war in no way at all . The impact of the brutality of the war had made great influence on the â€Å"Third of May† as the painting clearly conveys the horror of war through violence and death. There are some other interpretation of the characters of the painting such as the man in white whose both arms stretched out, said to be resembling Christ sacrificing his life on the cross, the man on the white seemed to be bravely welcoming death by sacrificing himself which seem to portrayed good and evil, with the French troops representing the evil and the dark side of the war. Social Issues that may have influenced the Work Among the social issues that confronted Goya prior to his magnificent work, The Third of May was his loyalty to the French during the occupation. James Voorhies of the Department of European Paintings, The metropolitan Museum of Art, noted that when Goya was questioned about his loyalty to the occupiers, he demonstrated his loyalty to Spain by commemorating Spain’s uprising against the French rule in two paintings: The Second of May and The Third of May. Thus, the social pressure on Goya was that his allegiance to Spain was under question. His desire to prove his allegiance to the Spanish monarchy has led him to commemorate the fateful days two days of May 1808. Regarding the commemoration of that particular incident, Christopher John Murray pointed out that, Goya’s paintings were designed as part of the celebrations of the return of Ferdinand VII to Madrid. As mentioned earlier, the Third of May was painted by Goya to prove his allegiance to the Spanish Monarch in view of social pressures questioning his loyalty to Spain. Murray however, goes deeper than this issue of loyalty. He stated that although the painting has become an iconic image of repression, popular martyrdom, and the horrors of civil strife, in which, Goya intended the message to remind the people of the horrors and violence that war brings, but in modern times, Goya’s work has been viewed being not officially commissioned, but he proposed it as a project, as he was in precarious financial situation, and he wanted to gain favor with the regime of Fernando VII to escape being prosecuted for having collaborated with the Napoleonic occupation. To sum up the social issues that may have influenced the making of the ‘The Third of May,’ are, first, is the issue of collaboration with Napoleonic occupation in which Goya has to prove his allegiance to the Spanish Monarch. The influence of this is seen in Goya’s depiction of good and evil. The good is represented by the martyr and those who are about to face their death through firing squad, while the bad is portrayed by the French soldiers. By this Goya is trying to prove that he is willing to highlight the evils of the Napoleonic occupation. The second is that he intended to paint day two and day three of May, which was for the commemoration of the horrors of war, but it was also intended to please the newly restored king to gain favor in order to avoid possible prosecution due to his collaboration with the Napoleonic rule. Thus, according to Murray, although the paintings in effect are historical paintings commemorating recent events, they are devoid of the element of heroism. Murray contends that there is no evidence that Goya had witnessed the incident, thus it is clear that the third of May is â€Å"a highly imagined and constructed painting. Regardless of the issues surrounding the painting of the â€Å"The Third of May’ Goya has successfully portrayed what he wanted to put on canvas. The Third of May is a powerful reminiscent that war is violent and a waste of life on both sides. The painting is very attractive because of Goya’s brilliant use of colors to emphasize what he wanted the view to read in the painting. What are the Critical issues that may have influenced the context of Goya’s work? There were perhaps a few critical issues that influenced the context of Goya’s work, The Third of May. Among these issues were his deteriorating health and his allegiance to Spain in question. Kimberly Court cited in her article entitled â€Å"Goya’s Black Paintings Harsh, but Honest† that the resulting atrocities on the Iberian Peninsula from 1808 to 1814 forever staining Goya’s insight of Humanity . The uprising that followed after the coronation of King Joseph Bonaparte has persisted through guerilla warfare and continued its war against the Napoleonic armies killing more than three hundred French citizens and capturing French ship. Court pointed out that, the guerrilla warfare was the inspiration behind Goya’s Los Desastres de la Guera or The Disasters of War in English. Goya was afflicted with serious illness, which according to James G. Hollandsworth the popular explanation of Goya’s illness is that he was suffering from syphilis. Hollandswoth asserts that after this illness in 1789, Goya’s paintings reflected a harsh, cynical view of the world. However, despite of his illness, Polyxeni Potter noted that Goya was an artist opposite and contradiction and his paintings incites horror and gladness, sadness and other images that made potter to comment that Goya’s imagination harnessed the supernatural into a disturbing display of the insensible and unreasonable. Goya’s allegiance to Spain was questioned in connection to his collaboration with the French. Since this was already discussed above, it is deemed it unnecessary to discuss it further. Conclusion Francisco de Goya’s contribution to arts is now an institution, which benefits sincere students of the arts. Goya was indeed a gifted person whose works can affect a viewer’s mood. His paintings were a powerful reminiscent of the heroism and nationalism of the Spanish people during the Napoleonic era in Spain. Although his motives in some of his paintings were for personal interest, such as that of The Third of May, it was evident that the painting had left a lasting impression on the effect of war to lives and properties, a lesson that must never be forgotten but to be implanted in the minds of every individual. Francisco de Goya may long been gone, but his contribution in the world of arts will continue to live on especially his use of lights and dark colors. Goya’s talent is not only a gift of his own; it is gift for the entire artist, a gift for the entire aspiring artist, and finally, a gift for everyone loves arts. Goya’s â€Å"The Third of May†, reminds us not only of the horrors and of violence of wars but also of courage, heroism, sacrifice. Bibliography Connell, Mary. The Atrocities of War http://www. jmu. edu/evision/archive/volume1/essays/connell. html Court, Kimberly. Goya’s Black Paintings, harsh, but Honest http://www. wsu. edu/~kimander/goyasblackpaintings. htm Gray, Don. Art Essay, Art Criticism Poems http://www. jessieevans. com/essays/essay087. html Hollandsworth, James. The Pschological Disorfers: Ashizophtenia. New York: Springer 1990. Murray, Christopher John. Encyclopedia of the Romantic Era, 1760-1850, Vol. 2. New York: Fitztoy Dearborn, 2004. Potter, Polyzeni. Emerging Infectious disease http://www. cdc. gov/ncidod/EID/vol9no11/about_cover. htm Voorhies, James. Francisco de Goya 1746-1828 and the Spanish Enlightenment. Metro Politan Museum of Art 2000-2008. http://www. metmuseum. org/toah/hd/goya/hd_goya. htm

Victorian Furniture of the Middle Class :: Victorian Era

Victorian Furniture of the Middle Class According to the Middle Class Victorians, less was definitely not more. In fact, in the case of the Victorians, the more ostentatious and packed a house was, the higher the status of that family. A house in the Victorian Era would most likely be cluttered until nothing else could fit. Not only was there clutter, but the rooms were "quite dark with busily patterned wallpaper (Victorian Home Life Changes)" and lots of gold garnishments. Fashions of Furniture and Their Influences Beginning in the 1830's, the first influences of Victorian furniture were from the English architect, Augustus Pugin. These were of the "Neo-gothic Design (Sometimes More is More)" characterized by dark woods, pointed arches, trefoils and other Gothic cathedral carvings. By incorporating previous influences from cathedrals, furniture represented morality in the Victorians lives (Sometimes More is More). A trefoil looks like a three-leaf clover and is found in wooden furniture. By the 1850's, a new inspiration came from the "Rococo Revival." This was a more "romantic form (Sometimes More is More). " It was characterized by "swirling lines, natural motifs like fruit and flowers, and dark woods like mahogany, rosewood and black walnut (Sometimes More is More)." The design came from France and included the use of not so dark wood and looked more natural. The Rococo Revival ended around 1870. Meanwhile, during that time period, around 1860 until 1880, the Renaissance Revival took place. Instead of having expensive, richly made furniture, the Victorians merely began placing expensive additions to inexpensive, poorly made furniture. During the 1850s, mass production of carpeting took place as well as patterned wallpaper (Sometimes More is More.) This allowed the Victorians to decorate their houses with even more colors and clutter. Who Decorated the House and What Were Some Typical Pieces of Furniture Overstuffed divans and couches were a staple in most middle class houses (Furniture).

The Unsung Heroes – Creative Writing

â€Å"Launch the beacon. † Again another beep, flowed by the sound of the beacon launching. Chris had on last look at the Crab nebular, smiled and then turned his ship into the dark of space. Even from this distance he could see the slight glow of the Crystals. â€Å"Ship lock on to the Omega crystals. † â€Å"Acknowledged. † Said the ship. â€Å"It's now or never boys. † â€Å"Alpha 2 ready. † â€Å"Alpha 3 locked on. We are waiting on you, alpha 1. † Said Steven. â€Å"It's been nice knowing you ladies. † â€Å"Guest I'll never get that beer after all Steve. Alpha 2 ready. † Said Nick. Chris closed his eyes and thought of earth, his family†¦ is wife. â€Å"This is for you Sarah. † A tear rolled down his eye. â€Å"Lets move! † He reached for the throttle stick and pulled. The bombers spread off into the darkness. The day was coming to an end. To the west as the Santos star descended from the sky, it glowed Red, setting the sky alight with an orangey fire, lightly topped with a shimmering yellow. The east was swallowed by the darkness of space, only to be broken by thousands of stars surrounding the Crab Nebular slowly creeping up from the horizon. Though it only looked like a smudge in the sky, it was still a breath aking sight. There was a large mountain range to the north, on top of which stood the twin moons of this unnamed cold, dessert planet. To the far south dark clouds were slow looming upwards, you could hear the wrath of the thunder in the distance. In the middle, at the edge of a small cliff facing the southwest sat a lone man. Like a statue, he sat there cross-legged, without movement, without a sound. His eyes were fixed on the necklace in his hand. He stared at it, watched the light shine of it, it was hitting him in his eye but that didn't really bother him. â€Å"Chris†¦ ey Chris, †¦ â€Å". No response. â€Å"CHRIS man! † Steven exclaimed at point blank. â€Å"I heard you the first time. † Said Chris. He put the bracelet in his shoulder pocket and dusted the sand off his trousers as he got up. â€Å"What's our status? † â€Å"We are ready to go. You'll take lead, while me and Nick will proved cover for you. The bomb is ready, but you will have to release it at full speed other wise it won't work. † Chris nodded. â€Å"Hey listen, I didn't get a chance to say this before, but I'm am sorry about Sarah. We couldn't have known. † â€Å"I know. Thanks. What about the other ships? asked Chris? â€Å"From Beta wing, two can't take off and the other has lost navigation. Besides they're rookies, they wouldn't get past the first line. That leaves the four Gamma wing ships. They will hold off the Shivan fighters, so all we have to do is take out the sentries. Besides we've got the element of surprise, they think we're all dead. † â€Å"Man, it happened so quick! If only we had some sort off warning! † said Nick. Two wings of fighters Beta and Gamma, and a wing off bombers Alpha had been sent off to destroy, what was thought to be a Shivan supply station. When the ships jumped out of hyperspace, they were confronted with not a supply station, but a Shivan attack force; which included a nearly completed Lucifer class destroyer. The alliance had only two such ships and they were both too far away in other sectors of space where as this one would have been ready in a few days. It was in its most crucial stage, as it was being fitted with omega crystals. Once completed it would be able to take out most of the capital ships in the sector, which would be the turning point in this war, from which the humans could not likely recover. The Omega crystal was most destructive molecule ever constructed and was so unstable that it had to be kept at -120^0C. It had the power to destroy a planet within minutes. In theory, if it were to be warmed above -25 degrees it would explode so violently that it would cause a temporary black hole which collapse within a fraction off a second. But this would be enough to take out an entire system of planet. The Shivan had been expecting them and as so as they came through the jump gate they exploded bombs around the gate taking out most of the fighters including Alpha 5-Sarah Thomson. The surviving bomber aunched EMP bombs to block the Shivan radar as they escaped to a near by planet. The remaining fighters were humanities last hope. â€Å"Chris we're picking up heat signatures from space. We have to leave now! † said Steven. â€Å"No send, Gamma wing first. Tell them to go through the jump gate and try to warn the Alliance. Hopeful the fighters will follow them which will gives us a chance to take out the crystals. † Replied Chris. Nick went off to tell the others while Chris and Steven got ready. Within a few minutes Gamma wing had taken off and were making a run towards the hyperspace gates. The bate worked, and the Shivan fighters chased after them. The three bombers took off in to space. â€Å"Warning, core breach,† said the ship. â€Å"Initiating emergency lock down in ten seconds, nine, eig-†¦. † â€Å"Ship, override all emergency protocols. † Responded Chris. † Divert power from weapons to shields and thrusters. Guys I've got a leak in my system but it should be ok. † The computer responded with a beep. â€Å"Launch the beacon. † Again another beep flowed by the sound of the beacon launching. Chris had one last look at the Crab nebular, smiled and then turned his ship into the dark of space. Even from this distance he could see the slight glow of the Crystals. â€Å"Ship lock on to the Omega crystals. † â€Å"Acknowledged. † Said the ship. â€Å"It's now or never boys. † â€Å"Alpha 2 ready. † â€Å"Alpha † locked on. We are waiting on you, alpha 1. † Said Steven. â€Å"It's been nice knowing you ladies. † â€Å"Guest I'll never get that beer after all Steve. Alpha 2 ready. † Said Nick. Chris closed his eyes and thought of earth, his family†¦ his wife. â€Å"This is for you Sarah. † A tear rolled down his eye. â€Å"Lock and load, lets go! † He reached for the throttle stick and pulled. The bombers spread off into the darkness. 40 seconds `til I'm in range. How we doing boys? † asked Chris. â€Å"Sentries two, five and six are down. You have got clear path alpha one. Take out the crystals and we are out off here. † Said Steven. Bad news guys, some of the fighters have doubled back, gamma wing is gone. † exclaimed Nick. â€Å"Contact in fifteen seconds. Alpha two and I will hold them back. It's all up to you now, alpha one. † The two fighters broke off Chris's wing to intercept the fighters. â€Å"In range in five, four, three, two, one fire! † The bomb glided silently towards its target. â€Å"Impact in twenty seconds. Hang on guys one coming. † Chris turned his bomber around; only to see Alpha three get destroyed. The explosion was so sever that the shock wave destroyed the ships near it. â€Å"Ahh, Alpha one engines are down, shields are at 30%. I'm going to self-destruct get clear†¦ no wait, Chris the bomb, they are going after the bomb! Stop them! † Two fighters had broken off the attack and were going after the bomb. Chris turned to stop them, but one off them rammed the bomb, causing it to explode four second before impact! The shockwave from the bomb obliterated the fighters the two fighters. Ship what's the temperature of the crystals† asked Chris. â€Å"Temperature is minus sixty eight degrees,† said the ship. â€Å"Dame it we were so close, Chris I'm going down, I'm going down Chris, AL-†¦. † Steven's ship exploded. Chris was now alone. Four fighters started two move towards Chris's. There was only one thing left to do. Chris powered up his engines. â€Å"Acknowledged. † Said the ship. â€Å"Thrusters at 130%, shields at 25%. Weapons at 12%. † Chris pulled on the throttle stick and the ship propelled forwards. The fighters began to fire on Chris â€Å"Shield are down to 15% impact in ten seconds, shields are down, structural ntegrity is down to 30%. Impact in five, four†¦ † â€Å"I'm coming Sarah!!! † â€Å"Two, one,† the ship struck the crystals. The impact caused the temperature of the crystals to drop to minus fourteen degrees. The explosion was immensely powerful, but there was no sound. It created a black hole about two hundred million km across. It absorbed everything before collapsing. And then there was nothing. Chris Thomson and his friends died to save billions of lives. No one will know every of this sacrifice. He died for something that he believed in, he died as his friends, as an unsung hero.

Role Play Exercise

Scenarios – Assume that Asian is a new hired outdoor sales executive for company Lennox Design which provide one stop solution for T-shirt and Uniforms supply. We get an Introduction from our existing customer who name Ms Eng that her friend Ms Learn factory have a sports day event by next two month. Now Asian had appointment with the purchases In-charge person Ms Elm, try to approach her to purchases our product to her event uniform.Asian:† Hi Ms Limit, I am Asian from Lennox Design, nice to meet you (Handing business card and a company prepared free gift t-shirt to Ms Limit), You friend Ms Eng introducing me that you are interested to order t-shirt for your company sports day event by the next two month. † Ms Limit:† Hello Mr. Asian, nice to meet you too (opening the t-shirt plastic) Woo, nice design for this t-shirt, it is free to me? Asian:† Yup, this t- shirt special deserve to you for free and this t-shirt is design from my company, you may see th e quality for our product too. † Ms Limit:† Thanks you, I like it very much.Well, we haven't made decision for the t-shirt use at the day of events, but we had no much Idea for choosing the new t-shirt, any suggestion Mr.. Asian? † Asian:† Yes, May I now how many pieces t-shirt and the budget for per pieces t-shirt you wish to order in this activity? Ms Elm:† Meme†¦ Elf consider the previous events experience, we need around 500-600 pieces red color plain t-shirt with my company logo and my company have enhance the budget for this events to have a better benefit to our staff, we were set the T-shirt budget in ARMY per pieces.Asian, you are welcome. Here is the deposit ROOM ( pass the money to Asian ), and can I know when can get my t-shirt? † Asian:† Well, normally after confirm the artwork, mass production will take reworking days to process the order. Please do not hesitate to call me if Ms Limit have question for the t-shirt and souv enir, we are the company which specialist in supply souvenir and t-shirt, I wish that you company can give me more chance to serve you in the future. † Ms Limit:† Mr.. Asian, you are modest and see you. (shake hand with Asian) Asian:† See you Ms Limit, Bye. â€Å"

English Tongue Twisters for ESL Students

English Tongue Twisters for ESL Students Tongue twisters are short, memorable lines that are difficult to pronounce, especially rapidly, because of alliteration or a slight variation of consonant sounds, and are especially useful in pronunciation when focusing on related phonemes, or sounds. In other words, there are several s sounds such as sh, z and tch, and a tongue twister focuses on the minor changes in the mouth required to move between these sounds. By changing back and forth a number of times to the different sounds, students can improve their knowledge of the specific physical movements required for that particular phoneme set. Learning a tongue twister employs musical intelligence, which is one of the multiple intelligences of learners. Another example of this type of learning includes grammar chants. These types of exercises  build up muscle memory related to speech, making it easier to recall later. Fun but Not Necessarily Accurate Tongue twisters are lots of fun, but they often dont make much sense, so its important to warn students before introducing them to tongue twisters that theyre not meant to be learning guides for using proper grammar. Rather, they should be used for exercising pronunciation muscles. For instance, in the old nursery rhyme tongue twister called Peter Piper, the content of the story may make sense in terms of narrative, but the phrase Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers, doesnt actually work because you cannot pick already pickled peppers. Similarly, in Woodchuck, the speaker asks how much wood could a woodchuck chuck if a woodchuck could chuck wood, which would make sense if only woodchucks didnt chuck wood with their teeth. For this reason, when introducing an ESL student to English tongue twisters, its doubly important to go over what the limericks mean in the context of the piece as well as in the context of the words on their own, paying special attention to common idioms that dont make sense when directly translated to a foreign language. Practice Makes Perfect A very large part of understanding how to speak a foreign language properly comes in understanding how the muscles of the mouth are meant to move to elicit certain  sounds and pronunciations- thats why tongue twisters are so handy in teaching ESL students to speak English correctly and quickly. Because tongue twisters consists of so many slight variations on the same sound, all of which are used colloquially in American English, the ESL learner is able to get a clear grasp of how pen sounds different from pin or pan, despite sharing a majority of the same letters and consonant  sounds. In the poem Sally Sells Sea Shells by the Sea Shore, for instance, the speaker is able to go through every variation of the s sound in English, learning the difference between sh and s as well as z and tch. Similarly, ​Betty Botter and A Flea and a Fly walk the speaker through all the b and f sounds.

Editorial Cartoon NFL tragedy by Rob Tornoe

Editorial Cartoon NFL tragedy by Rob Tornoe Introducing the Event Depicted in the Cartoon The cartoon under consideration provides a picture of the horrible disaster happened to Japanese people who lost everything. The tragedy has taken thousands of lives away and has deprived thousands of people of home.Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on Editorial Cartoon NFL tragedy by Rob Tornoe specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More In the cartoon, the artist tries to depict the reaction of other people to this tragedy and show how trifle other problems are comparing to the sufferings experienced by the Japanese people. While comparing tsunami disaster and NFL fans’ concerns, Tornoe has managed to render the scale of disaster as well as unconcern of other people with the problem (n. p.). The cartoon is based on the event that happened on March 11, 2011 when about 30  000 people died and got to the list of the missing. Full devastation and natural disaster appears to be one of the horrible events in the history of mankind. But what is more terrifying is people’s indifference to this tragedy and reluctance to help and understand other people’s sufferings unless this tragedy affects them. Tornoe chooses a tricky approach to conveying a satirical character of the cartoon. In particular, while introducing different contexts within an image and correlating two completely different events in terms of meaning and importance, the artist intends to fully disclose the essence of people’s attitude towards the tragedy as well as the measures they take to help. In addition, Tornoe also makes use of irony while comparing two different interpretations of â€Å"tragedy† for the Japanese and for the American. Information about Title, Artist, and Subject of the Cartoon Providing a Detailed Description and Analytical Summary The cartoon under consideration is called NFL tragedy whose author is Rob Tornoe, an outstanding political ca rtoonist. The picture unveils his personal vision of the events happened in Japan and the way the global community reacted to this disaster and expressed its unwillingness to be involved into rescue operations and measures eliminating the consequences of the tragedy. While taking the first look at the cartoon, one can see two figures, one representing the Japanese people and another from the United States. The first person looks desperate and helpless because he lost his home and land because everything was destroyed by the earthquake. The second figure is an American standing near Japanese, but is little concerned with what is going on around him. He seems not to care much about the house burning as well as about heaps of ruins he is standing on. With some beverage in his left hand and a â€Å"Fun Number One† glove in his right hand, the American seems to be more anxious about other problems.Advertising Looking for research paper on art and design? Let's see if we ca n help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More His appearance, nevertheless, demonstrates that the NFL fan does not even realize the degree of devastations and disruptions; all he wants to know is whether his favorite team is going to play next season. Number 7 on the fan’s T-shirt is another important detail that cannot be left without attention. The number only highlights that neither the Japanese nor the American is lucky in his own manner, which places a satirical accent on the cartoon. Details surrounding people matter much as well because they underscore the reaction of the figures to the tragedy. The house burning in the left corner, the broken computer lying within the debris – these are all things that surround the Japanese and the American. There is not a thing that is not affected by tsunami, except for the fan. While looking at the NFL fan, the question concerning what is really important comes to the forth. Fan’s involvemen t into the problems of the League does not only indicate NFL policies of the owners and players, but show how important fans are for both sides to gain financial benefits. Explaining Quotations The quotes explain how each person understands the meaning of the word â€Å"tragedy†. Hence, the Japanese, the victim of the earthquake, says â€Å"Tsunami destroyed everything I owned. It’s a tragedy†. In contrast to this response, NFL fan says, â€Å"Speaking about tragedy, did you know there might be not any NFL games next season?†. Both statements indicate what a tragedy means to each person. These contrastive reactions to the problem make the viewers understand different degrees of tragedy as well as how insignificant NFL tragedy is compared to the disaster happened to the Japanese people. It also indicates that the fan does not care about the suffering and pains experienced by the Japan because he has never dealt with losing his home and land. Would he care much about his favorite team if his house was destroyed? Lack of this experience prevents â€Å"Number 7† from realizing the actual scales of the disaster. The Thesis and the Main Idea of the Cartoon The artist’s Thesis In the cartoon, the author renders the idea of people’s indifference to the tragedy happened as well as passiveness and reluctance of people to help the Japanese people overcome the ecological disaster and understand the actual meaning of tragedy. Interpreting the Details of the Cartoon to Explain the Thesis Particular attention should be paid to the persons’ anxiety and concerned expressed and the way they understand tragedy and hopelessness. The house burning and the ruins surrounding the fan do not affect him; he is still involved in their problems and concerns with the next season of NFL games. At the same time, one can see the desperateness and shock of the Japanese who is at a loss and who does not know what can be done to solve his problem.Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on Editorial Cartoon NFL tragedy by Rob Tornoe specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Providing Supporting Evidence for Supplementing the Artist’s Evidence In fact, abhorrent images of the disaster and horrible experience of the Japanese people is unspeakable and incomparable with other insignificances and routines of life. Indeed, the picture displays one part of the problem and it is not difficult to imagine what consequences this disaster has had for humanity and natural environment. McCurry reflects on horrible outcomes that the earthquake can have, including groundwater contamination, spread of poisonous waist, and aggravation of the already critical ecological situation (837). The author talks about the Indian Ocean tsunamis happened years before the tsunami in Japan. It was less disastrous, but the damages it brought are still tangible. In this respect, one cann ot imagine what harm has been done by the earthquake in tsunami. The nuclear plant breakdown is not only concern of the Japanese government, but the concern of the world organizations, as the outcomes are now being experienced by many countries in the world. Impossibility to understand the actual scales of the disruptions can also be explained by people’s lack of involvement into this tragedy. Tedjasukmana provides the readers with a real picture of tsunami earthquakes as well as the threats they constitute to humanity (23). The author also emphasizes the necessity to express more concerns with everything taking place in the world because it can sooner or later affect them in future. As a result, ignorance generates more ignorance, but people should not wait until the problem influences them. People should also realize that disasters are not just spectacles or shows to watch. Living in the era of television and media, society is able to keep abreast of everything that happens in the world, but this awareness does not contribute to its overall welfare. In this respect, people should revaluate their view on the role of TV; they should understand that it serves not as a source for entertaining and shocking performances while disclosing horrible disasters, heroic rescues and houses burning and tearing apart (Mutter 693).Advertising Looking for research paper on art and design? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More On the contrary, they should use television take corresponding measures for eliminating the outcomes of the tragedy and remaining human in critical situations. Indifference to what is going on in the world is also brightly illustrated in the cartoon under analysis. It fully reflects people’s ignorance, coldness, and unconcern with other people’s problems. In this respect, one can conclude that globalization encourages egocentrism and provides more incentives for self-centered strategies. Disaster in Japan, therefore, should not be considered as an event as presented by media channels, but a process, a tragedy, and a bulk of horrible consequences for society. While continuing the theme of media and its role in delivering information to society, Sandomir’s article discloses information about NFL network as well as the way it is impacted by TV channels (n. p.). False information and wrong interpretation of facts can have a critical impact on society, particularly o n its perception of the events happening in the world. Increasing attention to certain events and details make people put aside other more significant facts. Being educated by the media, people are not able to realize the actual problems and disasters until they experience it. In addition, Sandomir underscores the negative consequences for people who blindly follow the false messages delivered by the media channels. Distorting and corrupting the reality, media seeks to attract more viewers and increase rating, but not convey and inform people about real facts. Presenting Personal Thesis Statement Evaluating the above-disclosed evidence supporting the main idea of the cartoon, it can be stated that Tornoe has managed to fully deliver the world’s attitude to the earthquake in Japan. Partially because of the media activities, partially because of growing tendency in self-centered orientation and increasing competition, government is reluctant to help Japan eliminate the outcomes of the disaster. The cartoon also underscores people’s misconception concerning the extent of the tragedy because people cannot evaluate the actual scales of disaster. Conclusion In conclusion, the cartoon under analysis represents the author’s multidimensional view on the problem existing in the globalized community as well as people’s relations and attitudes to each other. Grounding on the evidence presented in the paper, the cartoon proves to be quite realistic in depicting the world reaction to the tragedy. In desperate quest of sensation, mass media strives to capture the abhorrent pictures of people’s sufferings and pains instead of providing help to the Japanese people. Unwillingness to help prevents people from building a strong and multicultural society where each person is more concerned with the overall welfare but only with their insignificant problems. Tornoe has managed to convey the main problems as well as the main vices of the contempora ry society with the help of one cartoon depicting people’s inability to understand the actual consequences of tragedy. Jason Tedjasukmana, et al. Sea of Sorrow. (Cover story). Time 165.2 (2005): 22-39. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. Web.http://web.ebscohost.com.proxy055.nclive.org/ehost/detail?hid=122sid=36d14b0e-b91c-430f-8a1b-828f1481b5a5%40sessionmgr115vid=6bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#db=aphAN=15530843 McCurry, Justin. Cleaning up after the tsunamis. Lancet 365.9462 (2005): 835-836. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. Web. http://web.ebscohost.com.proxy055.nclive.org/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?hid=122sid=12075b58-8fca-453b-9215-5b4a517dcd81%40sessionmgr111vid=8 Mutter, John C. Preconditions of Disaster: Premonitions of Tragedy. Social Research. 75.3 (2008): 691-724. Print. Sandomir, Richard. In Lockout, a Close Eye Falls on the NFL Network. New York Times 17 Mar. 2011: 14. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. Web. http://web.ebscohost.com.proxy055.nclive.org/ehost/detail?hi d=122sid=12075b58-8fca-453b-9215-5b4a517dcd81%40sessionmgr111vid=3bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#db=aphAN=59340457 Tornoe, Rob. â€Å"NFL Tragedy.† The Cagle Post. Cagle Post, Web. http://blog.cagle.com/2011/03/nfl-tragedy/

Press Releases A Blast from the Past

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Negative stereotype of Chinese Americans - Essay Example Related to this is the notion that the Chinese "somaticize" their emotions. In this view, rather than expressing/experiencing emotions verbally and behaviorally, the Chinese manifest emotions as physical or bodily symptoms related to illness. If true, this "somaticizing" of emotions may provide a culturally condoned outlet for emotional expression (e.g., complaining of a stomach ache when angry) when other forms of expressions may be considered inappropriate (e.g., yelling at your employer). A somewhat different understanding of Chinese emotions, proposed by Potter (1988, 59), is that emotions lack social significance in the collectivistic Chinese culture and thus are less relevant than they are in the individualistic American culture. The underlying assumption here is that emotions are more disruptive to the social harmony than they are helpful. In this view, emotional expression in Chinese culture is not so much discouraged or suppressed, but rather it is ignored. Potter described attitudes toward emotional displays in China as that of indifference, as evidenced by a statement by one of her cultural informants: "How I feel does not matter!" Although the underlying dynamic in Potter's model is quite different from that of Kleinberg, Wu and Tseng, and others, both models may lead to the same result: low levels of emotional experience and sparse emotional displays. Empirical tests of these n... Tsai and Levenson (2000, 37) found support for emotional moderation in Chinese culture in a study comparing Chinese American and European American dating couples who had unrehearsed conversations about their relationship. Chinese American couples reported fewer periods of positive emotion and showed less variability in their reported emotional experience than European American couples. Other studies of emotion in Chinese culture have not directly measured emotional responding, but rather have examined qualities of emotional judgments. Ekman et al. (1987, 97) found that college students from Asian countries (Hong Kong, Japan, Sumatra) attributed less emotional intensity than students from non-Asian countries to photographs of facial expressions posed by Caucasians. Matsumoto (1993, 55) reported a similar pattern of lower intensity ratings for Asian Americans using photographs of facial expressions posed by both Caucasians and Japanese. Consistent with ethnographic views reviewed earli er, Matsumoto also found that Asian participants rated the emotional expressions as being less "appropriate" under various social situations than did Caucasian participants. Health care and social services providers face numerous challenges in meeting the health and wellness needs of Chinese Americans. In designing a strategy of care for this population, providers must understand that poverty, limited English skills, and noncitizenship status all serve as significant barriers to access and use. Providers must also consider the population's unique cultural beliefs and practices as well as address its most pressing social concerns. A strategy to increase accessibility for and use of health care services among Chinese Americans may well

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Negative stereotype of Chinese Americans Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Negative stereotype of Chinese Americans - Essay Example Related to this is the notion that the Chinese "somaticize" their emotions. In this view, rather than expressing/experiencing emotions verbally and behaviorally, the Chinese manifest emotions as physical or bodily symptoms related to illness. If true, this "somaticizing" of emotions may provide a culturally condoned outlet for emotional expression (e.g., complaining of a stomach ache when angry) when other forms of expressions may be considered inappropriate (e.g., yelling at your employer). A somewhat different understanding of Chinese emotions, proposed by Potter (1988, 59), is that emotions lack social significance in the collectivistic Chinese culture and thus are less relevant than they are in the individualistic American culture. The underlying assumption here is that emotions are more disruptive to the social harmony than they are helpful. In this view, emotional expression in Chinese culture is not so much discouraged or suppressed, but rather it is ignored. Potter described attitudes toward emotional displays in China as that of indifference, as evidenced by a statement by one of her cultural informants: "How I feel does not matter!" Although the underlying dynamic in Potter's model is quite different from that of Kleinberg, Wu and Tseng, and others, both models may lead to the same result: low levels of emotional experience and sparse emotional displays. Empirical tests of these n... Tsai and Levenson (2000, 37) found support for emotional moderation in Chinese culture in a study comparing Chinese American and European American dating couples who had unrehearsed conversations about their relationship. Chinese American couples reported fewer periods of positive emotion and showed less variability in their reported emotional experience than European American couples. Other studies of emotion in Chinese culture have not directly measured emotional responding, but rather have examined qualities of emotional judgments. Ekman et al. (1987, 97) found that college students from Asian countries (Hong Kong, Japan, Sumatra) attributed less emotional intensity than students from non-Asian countries to photographs of facial expressions posed by Caucasians. Matsumoto (1993, 55) reported a similar pattern of lower intensity ratings for Asian Americans using photographs of facial expressions posed by both Caucasians and Japanese. Consistent with ethnographic views reviewed earli er, Matsumoto also found that Asian participants rated the emotional expressions as being less "appropriate" under various social situations than did Caucasian participants. Health care and social services providers face numerous challenges in meeting the health and wellness needs of Chinese Americans. In designing a strategy of care for this population, providers must understand that poverty, limited English skills, and noncitizenship status all serve as significant barriers to access and use. Providers must also consider the population's unique cultural beliefs and practices as well as address its most pressing social concerns. A strategy to increase accessibility for and use of health care services among Chinese Americans may well

You can choose what ever you think Research Paper

You can choose what ever you think - Research Paper Example De Nittis (2008) observes that Oates places special significance on the issue of subordination of women and the feminist perspective of our male-dominated society. She finds that the story displays the theme of violence, especially on females and "male characters are the perpetrators of violence, often physical violence, upon females" (De Nittis 7). Apart from the fact that the story describes issues of violence against women, there is also the integration of fantasy over reality among young girls and how the society responds to it. It can be noted that Connie constantly displays narcissistic acts by always looking at herself at the mirror, fixing her hair time and again, and would act as if she is a matured woman and experienced with men. The repudiation comes directly from her mother who often scolds her for being so immature and contrary to her sister, June. This is where the issue of fantasy versus reality comes into play: because women toil so much in order to be recognized at a certain level by certain male categories, particularly matured men, the society reacts the against it by considering girls as sexual fantasies rather than respectable women. Oates finds a surface realism wherein she deems Arnold friend as a "symbolic Satan" (Christle 1). The roots of Connie, and females in general, being a recipient of sexual violence is because female sexuality has always been perceived based on the masculine parameters (2). For instance, it is as if that being beautiful is all that really matters for Connie - when she sees herself nicely in the mirror, she would think that she would get the kind of recognition she wants from boys. This is always ironic in a sense that the more females define their sexuality in terms of beauty and attractiveness, the more male are going to treat them indecently; and that is the sad

Managing Change in Organisations - Improved HR onboarding process Essay Example for Free

Managing Change in Organisations Improved HR onboarding process Essay The main goal of this change initiative is to improve the financial results of the company by improving the engagement and performance of the new HR employees at Mars, Inc. It’s aimed to be achieved by introducing a new, globally aligned, best-in-class 1-year-long induction process with supporting tools and learning events. The target group of new HR associates1 includes those who joined HR at Mars less than 12 month ago, either from externally (from other company) or internally (from other department). As Mars,Inc. is a large family-owned business with over 100 years of history and globally well known brands. It has unique and mature company culture which is driven by its 5 principles: Quality, Responsibility, Mutuality, Effectiveness and Freedom. These principles drive the behaviour of the employees at all level of the hierarchy and have been shaping the characteristics of the organisation. Mars, Inc. fits well to ‘elaboration of structure phase’ (Granier 1972) of the organisational life-cycle: the company is led by a team of professional managers and is very much decentralised with a small headquarter. The business units of the countries therefore enjoy a lot of freedom and responsibility to drive the local business effectively. This approach reflects also in the way they shape the processes within the company: the global process standards are mainly just broadly defined with limited (if any) written documentation about them, which lets the local teams shape it and use it as best fits to their needs. As it has the advantage to allow tailor-made solutions to best assist local business objectives, it also has disadvantages. It is not uncommon that extra local resources are needed to shape the process, and when the process has changed too much, it becomes difficult to compare the practices and results of different units. It also often happens that local units come up with very similar best practices after investing significant resources locally in process development, which resources could have been reduced if globally – or at least regionally – someone would have co-ordinated these development initiatives. As part of the company culture, Mars, Inc. refers to employees as associates, therefore in my paper I will use both terms to reflect the same concept. Realising the potential of this kind of centralisation led the business leaders to setting up global functional centres of expertise, like the Mars University (Mars U) is for learning and development within Mars, Inc. The Mars U is responsible for designing and deploying world-class learning programs, which enable the competency building of employees, so they can achieve their full potential in contributing to the business to achieve its goals. It has matrix structure and its smaller teams are set up by functions (named â€Å"Colleges† of HR, finance, supply, etc.), regions (they coordinate the deployment of functional development programs in a region) and special learning and development related areas (like learning technology). Mars U therefore faces the challenge of balancing between centralisation and decentralisation by providing centrally defined and globally aligned learning solutions in a matrix organisation with decentralised leadership. That is the same challenge in case of the new induction process initiative. In the near past an introductory training program existed for new HR employees, which was similar in all the regions, but inconsistent in content, so it gave a lot of space for local solutions to flower. Moving from this decentralised approach to a more centralised one may cause push backs from the associates in these local units, thus careful change management is essential. Nature of change By assessing the nature of change based on the description above, this change can be categorised with the terms of Ackerman (1997) as ‘transitional’ as the intention is to â€Å"achieve () a desired state† by setting up a globally aligned world-class induction process for new HR associates, which is a significant difference from the current decentralised approach. One can argue whether it is not defined as ‘transformational change’ as it can result a difference in an organisational process and change in the culture, but as it won’t change fundamentally neither areas, the definition of ‘transitional change’ fits better in this case. To give a full picture about the nature of change, it need to be emphasised that after finishing this particular change project, the change itself will not stop, it will continue as ‘developmental change’ by continuously improving the set up induction process. From another perspective, using the categories of Mintzberg and Waters (1985) this change initiative can be identified as ‘determined’ or planned change as the goal, that need to be achieved, is clearly set, as well as the process how to get there. It does not mean though, that ‘emergent’ changes will not come up during the project, as it may happen that a locally designed induction process which works well will have an improving effect on the globally designed process and tools to ensure the implementation of the best possible practices. Drivers of the change This change initiative has mainly internal triggers. First and foremost, improve the productivity of every new HR associates by providing them all the essential knowledge, competencies and network they need in their new role. Improving their engagement level is also an important trigger, as engaged associates have usually better performance and they less likely to leave the business (Buckingham and Coffman, 2005). In case of HR department, better performance of associates, among other things, could lead to better internal and external customer satisfaction or decrease of costs by effective ways of working, while improved retention cut the costs and time invested in recruitment and training of a new employee. Although the internal triggers are more relevant in this case, the external drivers also need to be mentioned. Mars, Inc. had several acquisitions in the last few years which led to an incoherent culture in the different business segments. To enable exchangeability of human resources and best practices, setting up centrally aligned processes is a key. Also, considering that Mars, Inc. operates in a quickly changing market (FMCG), being innovative and best-in-class in its processes could ensure competitive advantage and retention of employees. Nonetheless, the change needs to be done in a global environment fitting to the expectations of different cultures in different regions. Key Stakeholders As in case of most major changes in an organisation, winning the support of top level management is essential. In this case the management means the Global HR Leadership Team of Mars, Inc. who also plays the role of sponsor of the project and expected to play a key role by being role model in using the new induction process. Their influence is very high as they could stop or change this initiative any time. Their attitude toward the change to be expected very positive, still, contracting with them is critical as many priority projects are currently going on in the business so need to ensure proper focus. Driving the change process requires change agents to ensure smooth implementation: the Mars U associates in the regions and other (local) learning or talent development specialists. As the project aligns well with their general purpose of their roles – to improve associates capabilities, – their attitude is expected to be positive. As they will play the role of connecting the project leaders with associates in their regions or units, their influence is also very high, but mainly only in their area of responsibility. The communication and deployment of the change will focus mainly on the HR managers as they will be the most affected by the change, as they need to change their ways of working the most. Thus, 5 their attitude can be either positive or negative depending how valuable the new process seems to them. Their influence can be high in the area of their responsibility – so the more senior the manager is the higher is the influence. Also important stakeholders, but less influential, are the new HR associates. The new process is all about them, but from change management perspective they play a smaller role, as their attitude to be expected very positive. In any case, careful communication toward them needs to be planned to ensure their full involvement in the process and gain feedback from them to identify potential areas for improvements. There are also some other key stakeholders, like the trainers of the courses, whose contribution to the success can be very important, but as they are interchangeable in the roles, their influence on the process can be categorised as moderate. Furthermore, there are some other subject matter experts (e.g. learning technology or global communication specialists), who will be involved during the design and communication phases, but their influence is rather small and their attitude is expected to be supportive. Management objectives To summarise the main objective, the goal is to implement in all business segments and units of Mars, Inc. a newly designed, globally aligned, efficient and engaging functional induction process with its supporting tools (guides and learning modules) for every new HR employees, which supports their development in the first 12 months after joining in their new role and covers the essential Mars specific knowledge and provides network needed for achieving high performance. The new process and tools should be used by mid of 2013 in all business units. Task 2 For a successful change project it’s not only important to see where we would like to go, but to be able to define how we will get there, we need a careful and detailed analysis on where we are at the moment. Besides a general process overview in the organisation (e.g. by the support of models like ‘McKinsey 7S’ (Waterman et al. 1980) or ‘Burke-Litwin Causal model’ (Burke Litwin, 1992)), we also need to understand why do we have the problem in our organisation. For this we may use problem analysis models, like the ‘Fishbone diagram’ or the ‘5 Whys?’ (Taiichi 1988) model. Input-Transformation-Output model To better understand the functional induction process, by the ‘Input-Transformation-Output model’ (RDI, 2012a) the main elements can be summarised visually: This model can support the planning process in several ways. It is easier for the change leaders to identify the key stakeholders (see the detailed stakeholder analysis above), to keep objectives always in mind and focus on the processes which need to be changed in order to be able to achieve the desired output. Furthermore, it gives a great overview about who shall be involved in reviewing and developing the process by providing feedback before, during and after the change. Nonetheless, it is essential to be clear on both the transformed and transforming resources required for the whole process to avoid disturbance due to the lack of them. Cause-and-Effect Analysis After having a broader overview of the issue, before taking any actions, a thorough problem analysis is a must. Even though having an initial idea about what can improve the current situation, in a complex organisation with a huge overall impact of the topic, the change leader need to ensure addressing the right issues and providing the right solutions based on that. In defining all the relevant causes of a problem can help the Cause-and-Effect Analysis (Ishikawa, 1968) or Fishbone diagram. In case of our described example, the model looks like this: After defining the list of important causes, the major ones to be selected by the analysing team then the potential actions can be planned. When it’s presented to the management team, their duty is then to decide on which topics to focus on the actions. In this example case, a globally aligned process with supporting tools and metrics are very much missing. When it’s designed and ready to be deployed, then these should be available to all HR managers to be able to drive the induction processes locally and measure their own efficiency. Plan the change After the green light of the management team concerning the project initiative, can start the proper, detailed planning: the development of the change strategy, in which the desired outcome, key actions, milestones, action owners and resources needs are defined. Winning the commitment of the key stakeholders also need to be carefully planned with a supporting communication plan. As unexpected situations are likely to disturb the planned flow of actions, to minimise the potential disturbance, a risk analysis in advance of doing actions can help the project management team to prepare for these scenarios or totally avoid them. Also, a continuous review of the change project is highly recommended to ensure the project execution is on track to achieve the project goal (see the 8 potential feedback sources in the Input-Output model) – this also can be part of the change strategy plan. The next step is then to execute the plan. When unexpected situations happen, continuous adjustments of the plan may be required to ensure proper improvement and keep the progress to achieve the final goal. After all planned actions are executed, the project leader should control that the project goal has been achieved as defined. If no, the project still continues. If yes, the project shall be formally closed with the involvement of the project sponsors and the success should be feed back to the key stakeholders. Task 3 Business Process Transformation Although Mars, Inc. in this situation chose to go on with a change project concentrating on only one function (HR) to improve its induction process, using the Business Process Transformation (BPT), i.e. Business Process Re-engineering model could have led to better results. By talking generally about the BPT model, one can say that improving the customer engagement and cutting the operational costs by improving and simplifying processes (cross-functional) within the company, is in the heart of this approach (Hammer 1990). Let use the definition of re-engineering by Hammer and Champy (1993) to show the key characteristics of this model: the fundamental rethinking and radical redesign of business processes to achieve dramatic improvements in critical contemporary modern measures of performance, such as cost, quality, service, and speed. This approach is one of the favourites currently in change management, as it promises â€Å"dramatic improvements† in business performance and customer satisfaction, even though it has its own challenges. The most important is that it requires a holistic view from the business leaders to face the issues within an organisation. It needs broad perspective to be able to come out of functional silos and to view the process as a whole, from the very beginning till the very end. If the change project happens only within a single function, there is high probability of missing some important opportunities of improvement. By using the example of Mars, a cross-functional approach could lead to a different, although very thorough solution – like implementing a standardised, world-class induction experience in every part of the company, during which the new employees can learn the most important functional and business knowledge to best support the customer focused processes. Based on its holistic view, the BPT approach requires more complexity from change management perspective as well as total alignment and drive from the top management team. The process improvement strategy should be aligned with the vision, mission and business strategy of the company, while the desired behaviours and key performance indicators should be also clearly defined and communicated to support the process and the measure of success (RDI 2012b). The process improvement initiative should start with a company-wide analysis of the current situation, keeping in mind not only how the processes can be simplified, but also what could be the benefits for the customers by the change initiative. The analysis then will be followed by the definition of the detailed plan: to where and how the company would like to get. To achieve great improvement in company results, increasing the amount of invested efforts and resources and high risk taking is unavoidable – although most probably in mid- and long-term the investment of these extra resources will pay. All these mentioned characteristics of the model lead to the fact that this model can’t be used without a heavy top down and centralised approach due to its holistic nature and complexity. Starting a process improvement initiative from any other level of the organisation without the full support and involvement of the company top leaders can lead to only a temporary and restricted (to a region or function) solution. Managing the implementation of the change at Mars, Inc. Although the change project defined by Mars also intends to improve the measures mentioned in the re-engineering definition, the main difference lies in the adjectives used by the authors: dramatic, fundamental and radical. So in this case we can’t really talk about BPT approach, as it would rather mean taking the whole on-boarding and induction process in all functions of the company and use that to work on, even though it could be very beneficial for the company. Also, without winning the top management support for a holistic change approach, the project leader of this initiative better use a general Change management (RDI 2012c), or preferably, the Total Quality Management (TQM) 2 methodology with using some holistic OD models – like the ‘Burke-Litwin model’ (Burke Litwin 1992) or the ‘McKinsey 7S model’ (Waterman et al. 1980) – for analysing the potential areas of change interventions. Definition of TQM by Kanji (1990): â€Å"TQM is the way of life of an organization committed to customer satisfaction through continuous improvement. This way of life varies from organisation to organisation and from one country to another but has certain principles which can be implemented to secure market share, increase profits and reduce costs.† The principles of the TQM approach fits well to the culture of Mars, Inc. by focusing on continuous improvement opportunities, on customer needs and motivating employees at all level of the organisation to take part of this and drive innovations. It also reflects in all of the 5 principles of the company3. The management style also resonates well with the principles of TQM, as it engages the collaborative company culture with empowering and motivating the employees to drive continuous improvement for achieving better quality in everything within the business. Although a lot of things fit well to use this model for the change case at Mars, to fully benefit of the TQM methodology, the project leader and the participants shall be skilled to use all its principles to achieve the best possible result, which is currently not yet the case. Task 4 Measure of Success – Processes There are certain elements of the change process, which we can check and measure during and after the project to evaluate the success. Firstly, it is inevitable to set with involvement and communicate to the key stakeholders a clear vision, a well defined ‘S.M.A.R.T. objective’ (Doran, 1981) and some key performance indicators regarding the desired end result of the change initiative. Additionally, it is also important element of the second success factor, which is the level of commitment to the change of the key stakeholders. During the implementation phase, the success of the process can be measured at the key milestones: whether they were achieved on time by providing good quality results within the allocated resource limits. In this phase, the ability of flexible to any disturbance and opportunities through the process is also essential, to keep or even improve the result quality of the change, or to use less resources to achieve the original goal. It may be measured by reaction the quickness of the response or the amount of extra resources needed to keep the good progress. In connection to this, reviewing the key challenges and capturing the lessons learnt for the future also shows the efficiency of the process. Last, but not least, a clear project closure can also indicate how well the project went. Measure of Success – Outcomes If we have a closer look on the change initiative of Mars, Inc., the desired outcome which we wish to measure lies in the main objective4. The company’s main goal is to improve the efficiency and Quality, Mutuality, Responsibility, Effectiveness and Freedom For details see the Management Objective paragraph performance of the new HR employees. As HR is a support department with less direct impact on financial results and the quality of end products than other areas in the business, measuring these goals may be difficult, especially if we need to focus on only the new employee. So it’s advised to define other measures, like the individual performance or future career potential of the new employee, which can be measured by the company globally standardized performance evaluation system. Although the improved employee performance is difficult to be described with exact figures, we can also use historical data to compare the past and the present, and measure factors which can influence performance (e.g. the Line Manager’s evaluation of the performance or the engagement level of the new associate). Besides the employee performance, the efficiency of the new process shall be measured as well (e.g. could we involve everybody we intended to use the new process). Furthermore, as in case of all change projects, defining the return on investment can show the level of success. For example the cost of resource investment of the change project may be compared with the amount of money were saved by better retention of the new associates. By measuring the outcome of a new process we also need to investigate the resource needs of sustaining the process efficiently on long term. 1References: Ackerman, L., 1997, Development, transition or transformation: the question of change in organisations. In: Van Eynde, D., Hoy, J and Van Eynde, D (eds) Organisation Development Classics. San Francisco, Jossey Bass. Buckingham, M. and Coffman, C., 2005. First, Break All The Rules: What the Worlds Great Managers Do Differently. Simon Schuster. Burke, W. W. and Litwin, G. H., 1992. A causal model of organizational performance and change. Journal of Management, 18 (3), 523-545. Doran, G. T., 1981. Theres a S.M.A.R.T. way to write managements goals and objectives. Management Review, Volume 70, Issue 11, pp. 35-36.

Sexual Assault in the Army

Sexual Assault in the Army â€Å"The Invisible War† Sexual Assault  against Women in the Army In 2012 a documentary entitled â€Å"The Invisible War† dealing with sexual assault against women raised attention to an issue that has been rarely spoken about. As an issue, it has been gaining attention in recent years however, and even President Obama (Office of the Press Secretary, 2014) describes it as a â€Å"profound injustice† in a speech he made in January. Sexual assault in the army affects a certain category of the American population that is abused. This paper will focus mainly on veteran women, explaining the causes behind their victimization, the measures the U.S officials have been trying to implement to limit such incidents, and finally it will provide some real study cases. The Report to the President of the United States on Sexual Assault Prevention and Response (Depatment of Defense., 2014) came as a response to president Obama’s request to the defense department to improve their policies against sexual assault in the military system. It defines sexual assault as â€Å"[intentional] sexual contact characterized by use of force, threats, intimidation, or abuse of authority or when the victim does not or cannot consent† (2014). Based on this definition, the rapport states that the number of victims of sexual assault between 2013 and 2014 are as follows: 4,3% for women and 0,9% for men. It also shows that despite the increase in 2012 concerning the number of sexual assault cases against women in the army, there is a decline from 6,1% to 4,3% in 2014 (same as 2010). In simpler terms, women are 5 times more likely to get sexually assaulted than men in the army. These figures imply an aggressiveness against women in particular considering that veteran women make up only 14,5% of the active-duty force (Statistics on Women in the Military, 2011). Some would explain this behavior through the feminist theory; that sexual violence against women is a way for men to reinforce their power, hence label it as a gender issue (Peterson Bailey, 1992; Hagan Peterson, 1995; Baron Straus, 1987). In chapter eight of Crime and Inequality (Hagan Peterson, 1995), the writers explore different surveys and experiments made to prove the relationship between gender inequality and violence against women, especially rape. They argue that such violence is intended to â€Å"keep women in their place† (1995). Clark and Lewis (1997) also argue that in societies where women are regarded as possessions of men, it is more likely that men would exercise their power by forcing and threatening women into sexual activities (cited in Baron Straus, 1987). Although this theory does not relate to women in the army in particular, but it tries to establish the relationship between the socioeconomic inequality between men and women from one hand, and the sexual abuse women suffer from. (Hagan Peterson, 1995). â€Å"The central argument is that rape is rooted in male domination of sociopolitical and economic activities (Williams and Holmes 1981). Thus, rape is expected to be more common where women hold little political or economic power [†¦] and the occupational status of women is inferiorâ€Å" (Peterson Bailey, 1992). In Addition to the view that men assault women sexually to reinforce their power, sexual assault might be attributed to some other causes. One of the main factors which are associated with high risk of rape, in particular, is the work place environment. Veteran women share their sleeping quarters with male soldiers which provide an environment in which the assailant has an easier access. Women also may experience pressure and may be obliged to hear demeaning comments or gestures (Sadler, Booth, Cook, Doebbeling, 2003). According to Pauline Jelinek (2012) in her article â€Å"military alcohol abuse ‘culture’ is now a ‘crisis’.† It is known that drinking alcohol and consuming drugs within the ranks of the military is a ‘culture’, and is considered as an escape from what they experience in the war. However, this has numerous drawbacks such as sexual aggression against veteran women. In fact, it is reported that half of perpetrators in the military are under the influence of alcohol or drugs at the time of (Sadler, Booth, Cook, Doebbeling, 2003). Man’s tendency to act violently is another factor associated with high rate of rape. This is proven by a meta-analysis of sex difference in physical aggression. It shows that men are more likely to act violently and that 62 per cent of those who are injured by a partner are women (Archer, 2000). This is explained by what Melissa M. McDonald, Carlos David Navarrete and Mark Van Vugt (2012) call â€Å"The male warrior hypothesis.† They argue that men are programmed to act aggressively â€Å"to gain access to mates, territory and increased status.† This tendency to act violently can be interpreted as one major cause of sexual assault. Furthermore, women’s silence increases the rate of rape. This is attributed to barriers to justice where women feel that they are at risk of retaliation by the assailants. In fact, offenders usually outrank the victims and consequently, women are obliged to make a choice between their military career or seeking justice. What is worse is that commanders not only fail to enforce the protection of those women but also they put the blame on women for ruining the careers of â€Å"good soldiers† claiming that this is not â€Å"a big deal† and â€Å"not worth causing conflict in the unit† (Stalsburg, 2011). Despite the existence of sexual crimes in the military, a great number of methods and victim assistance programs have been actually implemented by the American army to prevent the occurrence of such cases. â€Å"Bystander Intervention Training† provided by the Department of Defence is one of the methods that encourages and shows all the service members how â€Å"to intervene safely when they see situations at risk for sexual assault† (U.S. Commission on Civil Rights, 2013). Another training that only commanders receive is â€Å"The command training and efforts to address sexual assault† (2013). It teaches commanders to assume an effectual responsibility by adopting certain rules and initiating some directions. It trains therefore high ranked officers to prevent the setting up of â€Å"environments that foster sexual harassment†(2013). As far as the military response to victims is concerned, two major reporting options are available for military members to opt for. The first, the unrestricted reporting option, implies â€Å"criminal investigation in which command and law enforcement are provided with details of the incidents† (U.S. Commission on Civil Rights, 2013). The restricted reporting option, on the other hand, provides help for victims in terms of â€Å"medical and healthcare,† but it does not imply an official investigation. This option is made specifically for women who prefer not to reveal the harasser’s identity or to call legally for their rights. In addition to these methods, â€Å"every military installation has a Sexual Assault Response Coordinator (SARC) and at least one Victim Advocate [who is] responsible for connecting victims with appropriate resources and services† (U.S. Commission on Civil Rights, 2013). Although several measures have been adopted in the military, most women being raped prefer to be silent and not to uncover the truth. Even though America have the most powerful army in the world, it has in its ranks a secret –an invisible story- that many women won’t dare to reveal. However, in 2012 these women decided to break this silence and speak out in an investigative and a documentary film entitled â€Å"The Invisible War† (2012) which evolved around the sexual assault and harassment in the US military. This film aided these women to uncover the truth, tell their stories and share their experiences. One of these women is ‘Kori Cioca’ who was serving â€Å"in the US coast guard and was stationed in Michigan† and was raped by one of the commander officers back in 2005 (Stebner, 2013). During the aggression and while calling for help, her assaulter hit her and broke her jaw. She didn’t have the courage to report this incident because of the threats she received and the fear of losing her job (Stebner, 2013). In her article â€Å"the Invisible War: New Film Exposes Rape, Sexual Assault Epidemic in U.S Military† Amy Goodman (2012) interviewed Ms. Cioca where she told her horrible story about the aggression. In fact, her superior began by harassing her verbally but she refused these sexual suggestions. She said â€Å"he didn’t rape me because I was pretty or that he wanted to have sex with me; he raped me because he hated me, and he wanted to show me that I wasn’t as great as I thought I was.† This statement can be interpreted in favor of the feminist view of sexual assault discussed earlier. As for the victim, she thought about committing suicide but she changed her mind when she knew that she’s pregnant. Until now, although she feels traumatized and fights everyday to win her right back, she remains hopeful and confident that one day justice will take its course. To sum up, sexual assault against women has been an ‘invisible war’, a blight in the most honorable institution like the U.S. military. Its causes go back to different factors; human nature in general and the environment of the army in particular. The U.S officials and mainly the department of defense have been implementing different measures in the different levels of the armed forces to eliminate this problem. However, what the story of Kori Cioca reveal can imply the limits of such measures and the commitment to stop this sexual aggressiveness against women. References: Archer, J. (2000). Sex Differences in Aggression Between Heterosexual Partners:. Psychological Bulletin, 126(5), 651-680. Retrieved December 2014, from: http://www.batteredmen.com/ArcherSexDifferencesMeta-AnalyticReviewf2000.pdf Baron, L., Straus, M. A. (1987, December). Four Theories of Rape: A Macrosociological Analysis. Social Problems, 34(5). Depatment of Defense. (2014, November 25). Report to the President of the United States on Sexual Assault Prevention and Response. Retrieved December 2014, from The United States Department of Defense: Sexual Assault Prevention and Response.: http://sapr.mil/public/docs/reports/FY14_POTUS/FY14_DoD_Report_to_POTUS_Full_Report.pdf Goodman, A. (2012, janaury 30). The Invisible War: New Film Exposes Rape, Sexual Assault Epidemic in U.S. Military. Retrieved December 2014, from Democracy Now: http://www.democracynow.org/2012/1/30/the_invisible_war_new_film_exposes Hagan, J., Peterson, R. (Eds.). (1995). Crime and Inequality. Stanford, California.: Stanford University Press. Jelinek, P. (2012, september 9). Military Alcohol Abuse Culture Is Now A Crisis, Report Finds. Retrieved December 2014, from: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/09/18/military-alcohol-abuse-drug-drinking_n_1893360.html McDonald, M. M., Navarrete, C. D., Vugt, M. V. (2012, January 23). Evolution and the psychology of intergroup conflict: the male warrior hypothesis. PHILOSOPHICAL TRANSACTIONS B. Retrieved December 2014, from: http://rstb.royalsocietypublishing.org/content/367/1589/670 Office of the Press Secretary. (2014, January 22). Remarks by the President and Vice President at an Event for the Council on Women and Girls. Retrieved from The White House: http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2014/01/22/remarks-president-and-vice-president-event-council-women-and-girls Peterson, R. D., Bailey, W. C. (1992, Mai). Rape and Diemnsions of Gender Socioeconomic Inequality in The U.S Metropilitician Area. Journal of Research in Crime and Delinquency, 29(2), 162-177. Sadler, A. G., Booth, B. M., Cook, B. L., Doebbeling, B. N. (2003). Factors Associated With Women’s Risk of Rape in the Military Environment. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF INDUSTRIAL MEDICINE, 43, 262–273. Retrieved December 2014, from: http://www.arlingtonwestsantamonica.org/docs/Sadler_Military_Environment.pdf Statistics on Women in the Military. (2011, September 30). Retrieved December 14, 2014, from The Womens Memorial: http://www.womensmemorial.org/PDFs/StatsonWIM.pdf Stebner, B. (2013, february 13). The Invisible War: Former Coast Guard recruit tells of how horrific rape at hands of commanding officer made her contemplate suicide. Retrieved December 2014, from Mail Online: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2277917/Kori-Cioca-tells-Katie-Couric-horrific-rape-contemplated-suicide.html THE INVISIBLE WAR. (2012). Retrieved december 2014, from the invisible war: http://invisiblewarmovie.com/index.php U.S. Commission on Civil Rights. (2013, September). 2013 Statutory Enforcement Report: Sexual Assault in the Military. Retrieved December 2014, from United States Commission on Civil Rights : http://www.usccr.gov/pubs/09242013_Statutory_Enforcement_Report_Sexual_Assault_in_the_Military.pdf

William Goldings Lord of the Flies Essay -- Essays Papers

Lord of the Flies I chose to do one of my book reports on William Golding’s Lord of the Flies. The reason I chose this book is because it deals with many issues that are important to leading a solid Christian based life. It also deals with some issues that were talked about in class, for example discrimination, prayer and civilized behavior. The book starts out with Ralph and Piggy walking through the woods on what appears to be a deserted island. We are told that a plane transporting many young boys between the ages of 5 and 12 crashed on this island and these are the first two characters that we meet. Ralph and Piggy find their way out of the woods and onto a beach where they discover a conch shell that can be played as a horn. Ralph sounds this horn and shortly after a number of young boys emerged from the woods. It is now revealed that no adults are on the island and it is just the boys. They then decide to form a make shift government and piggy appoints Ralph to be the leader since he initiated the meeting. One boy named Jack, a member of a boy’s choir, protests the fact that Ralph was named the leader. So to please Jack, Ralph tells him that he will be in charge of hunting and gathering food, this along with teasing Piggy about his weight pleases Jack. The boys them split up and start to scope out the island and Jack organizes the first hunt, which is unsuccessful. As time goes on Ralph notices that many of the boys aren’t really doing any work and would rather be playing or sleeping instead, this worries him a little. He then goes out to explore the island with a choirboy named Simon, when they came back they called a meeting by signaling the conch. At this meeting Ralph sets up some basic rules. The main ones being that you can only talk at a meeting if you are holding the conch and that a fire must be keep going all the time on top of the mountain in case a ship passed by so that they could be rescued. The other boys like the ideas and rush up the mountain to start a fire. After they gather a bunch of firewood they realize that nobody can start a fire without matches. Piggy then suggests that they use the lenses of his glasses to spark a flame. The fire starts and gets a bit out of hand and Piggy thinks that one of the younger boys has been burned to death. All of the other boys laugh at Piggy and deny the incident. This is the first ... ...ll right. So we see how important parents are and how much they can influence their children. These boys were too young to be stranded alone and they couldn’t distinguish between right and wrong. I’m sure that as adults they would look back and see how hostile and evil they had become. Someone who has a similar view of this book is Kristian Moe who is a teacher in New York. I found this statement at www.malvik.no/engelsk/lordoftheflies.htm, he writes, â€Å"I feel that the book is very sad. In some ways it is even a little grotesque. It portrays human nature in its worst and darkest. It is very scary, and it makes me think about the world wars, and about Hitler’s racism and hatred. I can not believe that we have so many dark sides within us, but maybe we do.† In conclusion, I have to say that I enjoy this book because it is exciting and scary at the same time. I’m sure that everyone at one point in their life has dreamed of being on a deserted island, but I’m also sure that nobody would want their experience to be like the one we see in this book. Unless of course that have no sense of Christian values and are willing to subject themselves to that type of devilish behaviour.