Sears Air Conditioning Units and Installation Research Paper

Sears Air Conditioning Units and Installation - Research Paper Example These carry the brand name of sears and sears also take responsibility for their after sales services. The Sears air conditioning units are available in many different sizes and models. The most attractive are however smaller units which are used in household. The business environment has evolved over the last few decades. There are hundreds of different products for each market need. There are many reasons to this rapid increase in alternatives of products. The concepts of outsourcing have greatly increased the number of competitors. Just a few decades ago it was not very easy to start selling technology intensive products. This was because business could not make heavy investments in research and development. Moreover the cost of selling up manufacturing plants was too high. Outsourcing however has made it very easy for smaller investors to compete in the market. Outsourcing hubs like china can manufacture products at low cost and companies only have to invest in packaging and marketing of these products. Even distribution for products is outsourced. The challenge of selecting an effected target market for the products still remains a challenge. The quality of the products is even irrelevant if the right target market is not selected. The first step in this process is dividing the market into different segments. These segments can be divided on the basis of age, gender, location or income group. In this case however age or genders are irrelevant as the product being sold is air conditioner. The market would therefore be divided on the basis of location and income groups. The location factor is important from a distribution point of view. Only areas where Sear’s stores are available can be relevant market segments. The second basis of segmentation will be on the basis of income groups. There are three generic consumer of air conditioning. The consumer in the very high income group

The Inferno And The Perfection Of Gods Justice Religion Essay

The Inferno And The Perfection Of Gods Justice Religion Essay The Inferno was written in the early fourteenth century by Italian politician Dante Alighieri, the book is the first part of the epic poem the Divine Comedy and it is followed by Purgatorio and Paradiso. The book Inferno, which is the Italian translation for Hell, narrates the journey of its author through what he believes is Hell, consisting of nine circles of suffering underneath the earth. In his journey Dante is guided through the nine regions by the poet Virgil, who represents Human Reason, each circle in the book represents a different type of sin with a different type of punishment, varying according to the degree of offense they committed in life. In his trip through every one of these circles, Dante realizes and emphasizes the perfection of Gods Justice and the seriousness of each offense towards the creator of all life. Certainly, Dante as a Christian realizes the perfection of Gods justice; he is able to create a connection between a souls sin on Earth and the punishment he or she receives in Hell. In Inferno, Dante explains that God created Hell by justice, a specific example of this, might be when he was entering the Gates of Hell, he read on the entrance of the gate the sign that said, à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Sacred Justice moved my Architect I was raised here by the Divine Omnipotence (Alighieri Canto III, 5) undoubtedly, attributing the creation of Hell to God and his divine justice, and Gods divine justice is exactly what shapes Dantes nine circles of Hell and their punishments, depending on the severity of the sin, the soul is send farther away from God and closer to the Devil. In addition, Dante is conscious of the qualities of God, first that He is just, according to the Bible in Exodus 34:7, He will by no means clear the guilty also that He is merciful à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦For God is love(Kershaw 1 John 4:8) and, in accordance with the Bible, it is also stated that Gods Justice is described as fair, when people receive justice, they receive the penalty they deserve, or they are repaid for the damages done to them, in the bible, justice is related to the Law of Moses, which the Lord gave to the people of Israel as a gift for their protection and well being in the Old Testament of the Bible(Justice). Psalms 96: 13 tells us that à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦He [God] is coming to judge all people on earth with fairness and truth.(Kershaw) No doubt, Dante praises Gods justice in Hell O Sovereign Wisdomà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦.How justly doth Thy power judge and assign!(Alighieri Canto XIX, 10-13) however, he will still along his journey show pity for the souls,à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦how could I check my tears, when near at hand I saw the image of humanity distortedà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦.Certainly I weptà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦(Alighieri Canto XX, 21), and fear to Gods punishmentsà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦and there we saw what fearful arts the hand of Justice knowsà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦(Alighieri Canto XIV, 17), projecting to the reader an image of a vengeful and cruel God, who was punishing harshly all those sinners, these reactions from Dante makes Virgil scold Dante assuring him that Gods justice is divine and perfect. Who is more impious than one who dares to sorrow at Gods Judgment?(Alighieri Canto XX, 30).Therefore, as consequence of the magnitude of the offenses that are being punished in Hell, it is understandable that Dante depicts Hell as a place of perpetual pain and suffering. Starting on the Dark Wood, the Perfection of Gods Justice revolves around the entire journey of Dante. In the first circle with all the non-Christian adults in addition to unbaptized infants, Dante depicts the mercy and justice of God, many of the great heroes, thinkers and creative minds of ancient Greece such as Homer, Horace and Lucan are located in this circle, although they do not suffer, because of the honor and merits they gained in Earth and Heaven, they are hopeless and cannot gain their way into heaven, yet some of the major figures from the Hebrew Bible, according to Virgil, were liberated by Jesus following his crucifixion. In the second circle, Dante analyzes the power of love over desire; He describes God as merciful and caring, but Gods justice is more important, the lustful are located in this circle, they are the first ones to be truly punished in Hell, the souls are blown about to and fro by the terrible winds of a violent storm, without hope of rest. From the souls that are being punish here, Dante concludes that love should not be confused with sexual desires, even if the line that separates both of them seems really thin. Furthermore in the third circle are place those that are given out to carnal desires too, the gluttons who are to forced to lie in a vile slush produced by ceaseless foul. In this circle Virgil tells Dante that the souls trapped here will not rise again until the Day of the Final Judgment where he also describes God as just and fair à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦on which the host shall come to judge all menà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦(Alighieri, Canto VI,90). In the fourth circle the Hoarders and the Wasters, are being punished according to their sins in the same circle, they are carrying enormous weights, rolling them at one another, then in haste they rolled them back, and start all over again creating a vicious cycle. In this region Dante starts to feel pity for those souls and is shocked for the first time at the power of Gods justice. In the fifth circle are the two forms of anger located, the anger that is expressed and the one that is repressed, Gods Justice in this region is seen when Philippo Argenti is attacked by the other souls after he tried to grab Dante, much to Dantes liking, and when God sends his angel to open the gates of Dis. Dante learns from Virgil that as the story progresses himself has been less inclined toward pity, and thus the text asserts the infinite wisdom of divine justice, where sinners receive their punishment in perfect proportion to their sin and to pity their suffering is to demonstrate a lack of under standing. In level six begins a much more serious descent into the realm where the sins turn into more severe and the punishments are harsher. In this area are located the heretics, they are tormented in fiery tombs because of their denial of the souls immortality when they were alive, showing the reader once more how the seriousness of the offense towards God decides how He proportionally assigns the punishment. In the seventh circle, are located the violent, these sinners are separated in three forms, given that each kind of violence is different to the creator, one are the violent toward others, for example killing someone, these souls are punished in a river of blood, another are the violent against themselves, these are the ones that commit suicide, they are punished more painfully than the previous sinners, they change into trees and they can only speak if a limb is broken off and they bleed, as in life they sought relief through pain, they are now suffering in Hell and are constantly being hurt seeking relief. The third group of violent sinners, are the violent against God, these souls are the most painfully tormented souls of the group of violent, the blasphemers, sodomites and the usurers are placed on a burning plain while they are tormented by a rain of fire from heaven ceaselessly. Consecutively, the eight circle is basically full of malice and forethought , the majority of the souls that are located in this circle are evil and when they were alive they knew they were being evil, and did nothing to change their ways, therefore the seducers, panderers, simoniacs, fortune tellers and diviners, grafters, thieves, hypocrites, evil counselors, sowers of discords and falsifiers are place in this level, most of them serve painful punishments, Dante permits the reader to observe the perfection of Gods justice, because even when all these souls are in the same circle, they are punish in accordance to the severity of their sins. For instance, the fortune tellers and diviners are permitted to walk only with their heads backwards; the evil counselors are sentenced to walk inside a flaming tongue and the thieves are bitten by snakes and burst into flames until ashes remain, and from the ashes the sinner reforms painfully. As Dante gradually descents through every level of Hell, he finally finds himself in the ninth circle, this is the last circle and the most evil of all, the traitors and the Devil are located here, Dante divides this level in four regions, the Caina, the Antenora, Ptolomea and Judecca. The Caina is named after the biblical Cain, who was the first son of Adam and Eve, and who killed his brother out of envy (Kershaw Genesis 4 1-17). The second region is Antenora, is named for the Trojan prince Antenor, one of those in favor of returning Helen to the Greeks for the good of Troy, the third zone is Ptolomea, this region is named after the captain of Jericho, Ptolemy, who murdered his guests while they were being honored, and finally the last region is Judecca, Dante chooses this name because of Judas Iscariot, the apostle who betrayed Jesus the Son of God. In this circle Divine Justice doesnt have exceptions, because whether they betrayed their families, country, guests or the Son of God, they are all encased in ice, however their punishment is proportional, some of the souls are covered up to their necks, others up to their eyes, only Judas is covered up to his head completely in ice. Nevertheless, we cant evade the fact that Gods justice in the Inferno is created by a medieval mans intellect, and that his point of view on Divine Justice is influenced by his religious views, however, Dante, during his journey changes his attitude and he finally starts to observe the perfection of Gods Justice, he acknowledges how Divine Justice doesnt punish the souls in Hell harshly and cruelly, but the punishment is definitely a mirror of their sins, which ironically creates an eternal torment for the hopeless souls trapped in Hell. In conclusion, Divine Justice takes many forms in Dantes work, but each punishment is proportional to the seriousness of the souls crime, Dante started his journey feeling compassion toward the sinners and fearing Gods Justice, he descends through the nine circles of Hell, where he reflects, and begins to acknowledge the Perfection of Gods Justice. Each of the levels is different; the souls are punished according to the gravity of their offenses toward God, after Dante reaches Cocytus, which is the center of Hell, He continues to the Purgatory. The Inferno is only the first part of Dantes Masterpiece The Divine Comedy, and it is in this journey through Hell where Dante realizes the perfection of Gods justice, he will later experience in Heaven Divine Grace from God himself. Works Consulted Alighieri, Dante. The Inferno. New York, New York: NAL PENGUIN INC, 1954. 288. Print. This book describes Dantes visit to the lower realms of the next world BCC Writing Lab. Writing a Literary Analysis. Bellevue College, n.d. Web. 17 May 2010. . This source explains how a literary analysis should be written; it provides examples of different works and discusses how a thesis should be written. Birky, Beth. Literature and writing essay resources Analyzing a passage. Literary Analysis Guide. Goshen College, 08 2009. Web. 24 May 2010. . This source discusses ways to analyzed a literature piece and helps you to show more understanding of the text that is being read. Cachey, Theodore, and Louis Jordan. Renaissance Dante in Print. Main Exposition of Dantes Renaissance. Universtity of Notre Dame, n.d. Web. 17 May 2010. . This exhibition presents Renaissance editions of Dantes Divine Comedy from the Zahm, Dante Collection at the University of Notre Dame. This exhibit constitutes essential primary sources for both the history of Dantes reception during the Renaissance and the early history of the printed book. Cruz, Kristen. Literary Genres. List defines each of the genres included in Recommended Literature: Kindergarten Through Grade Twelve. California Department of Education, 30 Nov 2009. Web. 17 May 2010. . This source provides a brief description of all literary genres, does not offer links or details; additional sources needed Dantes Inferno. Dantes World. University of Texas at Austin, n.d. Web. 17 May 2010. . This source is an integrated multimedia journeycombining artistic images, textual commentary, and audio recordingsthrough the three realms of the afterlife (Inferno, Purgatory, Paradise) presented in Dantes Divine Comedy. Justice. American Bible Society. American Bible Society, 2010. Web. 17 May 2010. . This web site discusses the definition of Gods Justice according to the bible Kershaw, Simon. Bible The New Revised Version. Oremus Bible Browser. Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America, 03 Mar 2008. Web. 17 May 2010. This source provides information about the bible with some verses helpful to comparing Gods Justice in the bible to Dantes book. MHS Composition Guide. Philosophical and Religious: The religious and ethical climate influences writers and their texts. Merryville School, n.d. Web. 17 May 2010. . This source provides basic descriptions of a variety of criticism techniques Wiehardt, Ginny. Types of Characters. Types of characters in Fiction. About.com Guide, n.d. Web. 17 May 2010. . This source provides the information we need to know about every type of character we need to know as we study literature

Stags and Hens - personal performance review :: Drama

Stags and Hens - personal performance review Drama coursework!!! The practical piece that I performed on 16th December ‘04 was a play written by Willy Russel called ‘Stags and Hens’. It was written in 1978 and is set on a hen/stag night in Liverpool for what was at that time, the present - reading the play, however, and comparing it with the portrayal of present day Liverpool I noticed no obvious changes. Another play that I have studied is ‘Blue Remembered Hills’ by Dennis Potter. This play was written in and is set in the heart of Devon in WW2 year 1943 with a cast of 5 boys and 2 girl characters; all of which are children around the age of 7. Composed for a cast of 5 female and 5 male characters, ‘Stags and Hens’ highlights a variety of ways in which men and women differ from each other. The two scenes consist of several location switches, initially between the male and female WC rooms at a nightclub - followed by further ventures into the nightclub itself. When reading a male section, I noticed how there was little hesitation from the majority of characters when it came to leaving their vomiting friend in the WC, whereas the ladies refuse to leave their friend behind while she does her make-up. This points out how men and women can react differently to a situation; here, whilst the women are showing sensitivity and care for each other’s feelings, the men appear thoughtless and self-indulgent. Links similar to this one are made throughout the play, and although not always noticed at first, usually become clear with hindsight. Initially, the male and female characters are kept separate from each other, but as the night progresses they mix up more; this gives the impression of awareness and organisation at the beginning, gradually smudging into a drunken confused muddle towards the end. It is a common feature of modern society for men and women to form separate alliances, and is often encouraged by gender division in everyday things. Things that aren’t even considered like going to the toilet; it is seldom that anyone will see a unisex toilet in public. Also, it is seen as normal for men to play football and drink beer, and women to wear make-up and drink ‘girly’ drinks. This is accentuated in ‘Stags and Hens’ on several occasions. Both genders make referrals to each other putting these stereotypes into place: girls – ‘Y’ can bet they’ll be pourin it down them like it’s goin’ out ‘a fashion.’ (Talking about the men) guys – ‘A woman has responsibility to her feller.

No child Left behind Act is a controversial United States

The 2001-2002 No Child Left Behind Act is a controversial United States Federal law which attempts to tackle, head on, the problem of America’s public schools. There are more than fifty million students in our schools and there promises to be increases to this daunting number from immigration as well as the natural growth of the country. Under this new law, schools will be required to ensure that their students will meet or exceed the national requirements set forth by the federal government and the Department of Education. Repeated failure of a specific school to reach these requirements will eventually result in the loss of funding as well as a decrease in the number of students attending these schools.The latter is made possible by the freedom that the No Child Left Behind Act gives to students and their parents who are attending schools that repeatedly do not meet the requirements set forth in this act. Any state challenges to the law are threatened with a cessation of fun ds and in 2005; Utah became the first state to challenge the law with the outcome having not yet been played out on the national level[1]. Where the correct amount of attention needs to be paid to and how these problems are to be solved, as well as the effectiveness of the No Child Left Behind Act, are sources for much debate. One of the biggest problems is high school drop outs and how this increase in drop outs can be curbed.The No Child Left behind Act focuses on a number of aspects of the public school system which the government believes needs to be improved. The first is the quality of the teachers who teach. It is a popular notion to blame the teachers for the shortcomings of the student in the classroom. The No Child Left Behind Act ignores the fact that today’s teacher is faced with more impediments to their successful ability to teach than ever before. An average student watches more than six hours of television a day, often times where there is no parental influenc e at home since often times, especially within the inner city, the student comes from a broken home and the mother is forced to work two jobs.Students within the inner city are faced with the constant threat of gang violence and gang influence which makes it not only difficult to learn and to achieve an education, but it is also a dangerous prospect as well. Also, there is within the American public school, a dangerous overcrowding, brought on by illegal immigration as well as other important factors. As a result, there are hundreds of schools within the country that are overcrowded. In Chicago, there are more than 150 elementary schools and 15 high schools, despite the addition of twelve new high schools and thirty additions to existing schools, which are overcrowded. Roosevelt High School on Chicago’s East side is more than 177% above capacity and Lerna Elementary school on Chicago’s south side is more than 150% above its designed capacity.[2] As a result, teachers a re faced with an overcrowding of students; often times the number exceeds thirty five to forty students in which an increasing number cannot speak English.However, there exists some merit as to the requirement that teachers be knowledgably in the subjects in which they teach. In a 2004 USA Today expose, it was discovered that in the state of California, over 35% of high school teachers were teaching subjects different than what their major or minor in college.[3] This places the student at a severe disadvantage and makes the parents of these students nervous as to who exactly is teaching their students. The No Child Left Behind Act set forth a plan in 2002, when the law was enacted, that by the 2006-2007 school year, all teachers be regarded as highly educated in the subject in which they were teaching. This is achieved by teachers having standardized tests of their own in the subjects in whom they teach.A teacher must also have achieved a bachelor’s degree and demonstrate a command of the subject that they teach as well as a command of the English language, both in speaking and writing in order to be allowed to further teach. In order to see if these measurements will yield the expected positive results, further standardized testing in grades 3-5, 6-9 and 10-11 will be required.[4] Under the previous system, only students in grades 3, 5, 10-11 were given to standardized testing. It will be seen on a national basis in the coming months, as these results are published, as to whether or not this simple and presumed self evident requirement yield the results which the country demands.Another important addition to the current public school system is the ability of parents and their children to choose the schools that they will attend. Previously, students could only attend the schools which were designed for their area. This gave a uniform feeling to the public school map and ensured that those who were paying real estate taxes to their local school, was us ed to teach the students of the local area. The No Child Left Behind Act allows students and their parents who attend poorly performing schools, the freedom to choose the schools which they will attend. It claims that local government has failed their students and that it now falls upon the federal government to step in and fix the problem.This is a controversial aspect of the law but one which according to the Department of Education, in their 2005 annual report, stated a number of positive aspects to the law. First, more progress was made concerning 4th graders in their reading skills over the last five years than in the previous 28 years combined.[5] America’s freshman in high school achieved the highest math and reading scores since 1971 and that the math and reading scores for African Americans and Hispanics have reached an all time high as well. Lastly, forty three states and the District of Columbia have enjoyed unprecedented success in the increase of their students t est scores.Not only is the law result-driven through the test scores which their students achieve, but focuses on the concept and quality of the education that their students are receiving. The gap between white and African American and Hispanic children, according to the Department of Education, states that it is the lowest that it has been in the history of public education. The parents are more informed about the quality and yearly performance of their schools through the publication of school report cards which grade the schools on a variety of various subjects which are designed to be helpful to the parent.This is also helpful in educating the parent as to what schools in the area would be a good fit for their child, if they so decide to move their child to another school district as their previous school repeatedly under preformed and did not meet their federal requirements. This is helpful as well, not only to the students and their parents but also for the school as well as the administrators are aware and feel the pressure to perform up to standards or their student body will decrease and so too will the amount of federal funding from the government. To many, this is a necessary and effective check on the apathetic attitude that some schools in the nation have felt towards the education of their students which they are employed to teach.A more conventional study is the communication between that of the parent and the teacher with regard to the standardized testing that is required multiple times in a student’s educational career. In 2005, New Jersey signed a contract to spend $35 million over the next four years to implement new testing standards for third and fourth graders with regard to math and science.[6] The Educational Commission Report reported in detail about the state implementation of the NCLBA, not only in New Jersey but all across the nation as well.Different from years past, the new implementation of this act represent a more syst emic approach to achieving testing reform and improvement. Professional development of teachers and technical assistance for low-performing schools are at the front of this debate for needed change. The report also points out the need for states, districts and schools to raise the stakes in order to avoid failure and that steady progress must be achieved and charted in order to improve student achievement.Blending texts and graphics, the report gives a series of snapshots from March 2003-March 2004 in the field of student improvement for math and science scores for sixth graders. The progress is divided up into seven sub categories: standards and assessments, adequate progress, school improvement, supplemental service, safe schools report cards and teacher quality and how each area must meet or exceed state requirements. The danger in failing to do so, the report points out, is that once area may well be able to pull down the other groups as well and erase a great deal of effort tha t has been used in this endeavor.Any legislation the size of the No Child Left Behind Act is going to receive criticism. Much of it is justified and has allowed many to regard the law as ineffective or misguided. Massachusetts Senator Ted Kennedy criticized that: â€Å"The tragedy is that these long overdue reforms are finally in place, but the funds are not.†[7] It has been the long running complaint of school administrators that the money is not being sent to the schools in order to make the necessary changes. â€Å"School Administrator Charles Johnson of the Roosevelt High School in Chicago states: â€Å"If the government wants higher test scores, then they need to show us the money!All of these programs cost money. Give us the money and the results will follow.†[8] This is a problem and will probably continue to be a problem as the 2007 government budget again did not yield the necessary amount of money for these programs which as deemed necessary in the original 2002 No Child Left Behind Act. In our highly bipartisan political atmosphere, progress from the NCLBA can only be claimed through a great deal of studies and statistics in order to make such claims.Not only does the study set forth their guidelines, they give detailed statistics as to what areas of the country are meeting those standards and where in the country are the students falling behind at are at the highest risk of dropping out of school. Many studies come to the conclusion, and this one is no exception, that when a student is achieving in school and finds the subject matter and the atmosphere exciting, there is a minimal chance for that student to them drop out of school. The study found that all fifty states met or were partially on track (an improvement from the days before the NCLBA was implemented, to meet at least half of the 40 NCLB requirements. This constitutes an improvement of 11% over the previous year.[9] The study then concludes by pointing out how much of an i mprovement this is.Another problem with the law and one which prompts criticism of the government taking the lead in education reform is the possibility of corruption. The stakes are high for these schools to perform to the standards which the government has put in place for each individual schools. Some of these schools, knowing that they cannot meet these new requirements, will bend the result sin order for it to appear that they are meeting these new demands. This creative reclassification of the results has helped these troubled schools to maintain their previous level of government funding. In this, students are not learning more but are just being classified differently. In Missouri and Iowa, school administrators have admitted to the fact that in many of the schools across their respective states, they had lowered the requirements in order to meet governmental standards.Despite this temptation to create new and creative ways in which to show that these schools were achieving up to government standards, the No Child Left Behind Act allows for further funding towards schools which perform beneath federal standards as well as gives bonuses to schools that repeatedly meet and/or exceed standards. What does worry the aforementioned schools is the fact that only after a specific number of years, usually from 2-4 years of repeated failure to meet federal requirements, despite the extra funding, will schools then be cut off from this extra funding and will then be made to suffer the consequences.There has yet to be a significant number of schools which are placed under these restrictions and then forced to react in ways which would jeopardize the funding of their respective schools as the law is still relatively new. However, it is estimated that especially within the inner cities, these requirements, whether good or bad, will create a reaction that will eventually command a reform within the most troubled and poorly performing schools within each troubled area .The No Child Left Behind Act is controversial by nature. As the United States falls behind smaller and less affluent countries in the areas of science, reading and math, most everyone agrees that education reform is absolutely necessary.   However, with a problem that affects such a large population of the country in the form of parents, students and teachers as well as the society in which they reside, it is a fact that no legislation will please everyone. The No Child Left Behind Act is being implemented in order to correct decades of misuse by apathetic â€Å"but when high school students, upon their graduation, can read and write at only an 8th grade level, somebody is surely to blame.†[10] What is the source of argument is who exactly is to blame and in what capacity?Are the parents to blame when the student is a product of a broken home and there is nobody present within the home to make sure that the student adheres to his school work? Is the student to blame for no t possessing the self discipline to make himself to study, seek assistance outside of school hours and to ensure his or her own success? Is it the government to blame for avoiding the fact that illegal immigration has flooded many of our nation’s schools which has resulted in the overcrowding of the schools or the fact that before this law, there were teachers who graduated with a degree in History, if they graduated at all, who were teaching Biology.Or is it the fault of society who now places a greater importance on the knowledge of pop culture over excellence in schools? In some degree or another, all of the above mentioned principal players are to blame. What the No Child Left Behind Act attempts to do is tackle all of these impediments to the educational process of our nation’s fifty four million students. The No Child Left Behind Act accomplishes the ability to shed light on a subject which has long been ignored: the public school system. However, no government i nstitution can amend the problems of the public school system until the parents and students do their part as well. Only to a very limited degree can government institute behavior. It is up to those involved to ensure the success of themselves, their children, their school and their teachers. We are all in this together.WORKS CITEDCollins, Kristin. No Child Left Behind National Science Teachers Association. www3. ntsa.org. December 31, 2003. Downloaded June 14, 2007Dixon, Janet How No Child Left Behind Affects Your Children. Chicago Tribune June 12, 2004Graham, Patricia No Child Left Behind. History of Education Quarterly Vol. 47 May 2007Matthews, Jay No Child Left Behind Acts: Fact and Fiction Washington Post November 11, 2003No Child Left Behind Act   www.ed.gov.   The Department of Education Downloaded June 14, 2007

Evard Munch’s “The Scream”

Analysis of Edvard Munch’s â€Å"The Scream† Just a few months ago, a painting by the famous Norwegian painter Edvard Munch titled â€Å"The Scream†, was sold in an auction for an unprecedented $120 million American dollars. Even at first glance, it is easy to notice why this artwork is so valuable and iconic. The vibrant colors used in the painting along with the emotions it conveys all stand out very distinctly. The screaming man’s expression, the colors, as well as the swirling motion of the sky, work together to invoke in its audience primal feelings.Initial impressions of the painting are often those feelings associated with the sublime, foreboding, angst, and a bit of terror, thrown in for good measure. All in all, this very famous expressionist piece of art is trying to express to its audience the absolute fearsomeness and awesomeness in nature. â€Å"The Scream† is a contrast between the vastness and majesty of nature and the insubstantialit y of mankind. â€Å"The Scream† was painted by Norwegian artist, Edvard Munch between 1893 and 1910 during the Expressionist period.According to Dictionary. com, expressionism is, â€Å" a style of art developed in the 20th century, characterized chiefly by heavy, often black lines that define forms, sharply contrasting, often vivid colors, and subjective or symbolic treatment of thematic material† (dictionary. com). During this period, artists such as Munch put heavy emphasis on perspectives of the individual as well as emotional angst. The painting itself was painted on a cardboard canvas with oils and is roughly 36 inches high by 28. inches wide. The size of the painting shows that the â€Å"screaming† figure in the foreground is very close to lifesize, which makes it the focal point of attention, and causes the audience to first notice the figure and its chilling expression followed by the stark contrasts of light and dark behind the figure, and it is here w here the painting derives much of its emotion. Behind the â€Å"screaming† man is a river which flows into the night, which bleeds into day.Munch’s use of light and dark colors seems to represent calm and anguish, respectively. In the background of the painting are two figures walking into the the horizon, not paying any mind to the blood-red sky nor the despairing man screaming on the bridge. The figures walking away could be seen as Munch’s emphasis on the individual’s perspective. The screaming man is the individual and he realizes both the benevolence and malevolence of nature and can do nothing but scream.The two featureless figures in the background could represent Munch’s expression of the group or group mentality, who are only concerned with their daily lives and are completely unaware of the daunting vastness of nature presented right before their eyes. Perhaps this is Munch’s way to describe how he feels about society as a whole. H e feels disconnected from the group as only he notices the horror about his surroundings. Only he sees the violence in the landscape. The direction of the painting seems to be counter-clockwise, originating from the screamer’s head.The reason for this could be that Munch was showing us that perhaps the â€Å"screaming† man is projecting his realities outward, as it spreads from the river to the bloodstained skies. According to the Art History Guide, â€Å"Munch suffered from agoraphobia, which could explain why the vast open space in the background gives the feeling of being overhwhelm[ed]† (Arthistoryguide. com). This would also explain the main figure’s expression of fear and anxiety. The reason why Munch painted this piece has been debated throughout the years.However, sometimes some explanations can be the most obvious ones. In an article found on Wikipedia, regarding the painting, it describes how Munch wrote, â€Å"†I was walking down the roa d with two friends when the sun set; suddenly, the sky turned as red as blood. I stopped and leaned against the fence, feeling unspeakably tired. Tongues of fire and blood stretched over the bluish black fjord. My friends went on walking, while I lagged behind, shivering with fear. Then I heard the enormous, infinite scream of nature. † (Wikipedia. org).Judging by the main figure’s pose, with his hands covering his ears in shock, one can assume that when he heard nature’s scream, it was deafeningly loud. The sheer intensity of the volume along with the traumatic experience of existential angst is what is, most likely, producing the look of terror on the main figure’s face. His facial expression is a very good translation of what Munch’s idea of absolute terror might be. The colors in the background support this idea further through Munch’s choice of powerful, expressive colors.The deep crimson hues give off a feeling of danger, paranoia, and anxiety while the dark blues relates to loneliness or sadness. The terror is further exemplified with the figures in the background, his â€Å"companions†, completely oblivious to the intense derangement the central figure is experiencing. Human beings have an innate need to be accepted or to belong, as such, the isolation, loneliness, and terror the screaming figure was exhibiting must have been so abstract and profound that it could only be expressed in â€Å"The Scream†.In summary, Edvard Munch’s masterpiece, â€Å"The Scream† is a painting that screams emotion. It was the style and composition that sparked the Expressionist movement in the late eighteenth century, which, in turn, evoked numerous other styles. With just one painting, Munch was able to portray an entire spectrum of human emotion ranging from calm to almost the violently sublime. It is no doubt that such a work was sold for a large fortune because of how iconic and breathtaking this pain ting is.It represents a distant memory of an expressive period of time in human history where not everything was soap dramas, commercials, and the internet. It represented a time of artistic inspiration, an understanding and observance of something truly monolithic and omnipotent, nature. Works Cited â€Å"Expressionism. † Dictionary. com. Dictionary. com, n. d. Web. 02 Jan. 2013. â€Å"The Scream by Edvard Munch: Art History & Picture of the Painting. † The Scream by Edvard Munch: Art History & Picture of the Painting. N. p. , n. d. Web. 02 Jan. 2013. â€Å"Edvard Munch. † Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 01 June 2012. Web. 03 Jan. 2013. Evard Munch’s â€Å"The Scream† Analysis of Edvard Munch’s â€Å"The Scream† Just a few months ago, a painting by the famous Norwegian painter Edvard Munch titled â€Å"The Scream†, was sold in an auction for an unprecedented $120 million American dollars. Even at first glance, it is easy to notice why this artwork is so valuable and iconic. The vibrant colors used in the painting along with the emotions it conveys all stand out very distinctly. The screaming man’s expression, the colors, as well as the swirling motion of the sky, work together to invoke in its audience primal feelings.Initial impressions of the painting are often those feelings associated with the sublime, foreboding, angst, and a bit of terror, thrown in for good measure. All in all, this very famous expressionist piece of art is trying to express to its audience the absolute fearsomeness and awesomeness in nature. â€Å"The Scream† is a contrast between the vastness and majesty of nature and the insubstantialit y of mankind. â€Å"The Scream† was painted by Norwegian artist, Edvard Munch between 1893 and 1910 during the Expressionist period.According to Dictionary. com, expressionism is, â€Å" a style of art developed in the 20th century, characterized chiefly by heavy, often black lines that define forms, sharply contrasting, often vivid colors, and subjective or symbolic treatment of thematic material† (dictionary. com). During this period, artists such as Munch put heavy emphasis on perspectives of the individual as well as emotional angst. The painting itself was painted on a cardboard canvas with oils and is roughly 36 inches high by 28. inches wide. The size of the painting shows that the â€Å"screaming† figure in the foreground is very close to lifesize, which makes it the focal point of attention, and causes the audience to first notice the figure and its chilling expression followed by the stark contrasts of light and dark behind the figure, and it is here w here the painting derives much of its emotion. Behind the â€Å"screaming† man is a river which flows into the night, which bleeds into day.Munch’s use of light and dark colors seems to represent calm and anguish, respectively. In the background of the painting are two figures walking into the the horizon, not paying any mind to the blood-red sky nor the despairing man screaming on the bridge. The figures walking away could be seen as Munch’s emphasis on the individual’s perspective. The screaming man is the individual and he realizes both the benevolence and malevolence of nature and can do nothing but scream.The two featureless figures in the background could represent Munch’s expression of the group or group mentality, who are only concerned with their daily lives and are completely unaware of the daunting vastness of nature presented right before their eyes. Perhaps this is Munch’s way to describe how he feels about society as a whole. H e feels disconnected from the group as only he notices the horror about his surroundings. Only he sees the violence in the landscape. The direction of the painting seems to be counter-clockwise, originating from the screamer’s head.The reason for this could be that Munch was showing us that perhaps the â€Å"screaming† man is projecting his realities outward, as it spreads from the river to the bloodstained skies. According to the Art History Guide, â€Å"Munch suffered from agoraphobia, which could explain why the vast open space in the background gives the feeling of being overhwhelm[ed]† (Arthistoryguide. com). This would also explain the main figure’s expression of fear and anxiety. The reason why Munch painted this piece has been debated throughout the years.However, sometimes some explanations can be the most obvious ones. In an article found on Wikipedia, regarding the painting, it describes how Munch wrote, â€Å"†I was walking down the roa d with two friends when the sun set; suddenly, the sky turned as red as blood. I stopped and leaned against the fence, feeling unspeakably tired. Tongues of fire and blood stretched over the bluish black fjord. My friends went on walking, while I lagged behind, shivering with fear. Then I heard the enormous, infinite scream of nature. † (Wikipedia. org).Judging by the main figure’s pose, with his hands covering his ears in shock, one can assume that when he heard nature’s scream, it was deafeningly loud. The sheer intensity of the volume along with the traumatic experience of existential angst is what is, most likely, producing the look of terror on the main figure’s face. His facial expression is a very good translation of what Munch’s idea of absolute terror might be. The colors in the background support this idea further through Munch’s choice of powerful, expressive colors.The deep crimson hues give off a feeling of danger, paranoia, and anxiety while the dark blues relates to loneliness or sadness. The terror is further exemplified with the figures in the background, his â€Å"companions†, completely oblivious to the intense derangement the central figure is experiencing. Human beings have an innate need to be accepted or to belong, as such, the isolation, loneliness, and terror the screaming figure was exhibiting must have been so abstract and profound that it could only be expressed in â€Å"The Scream†.In summary, Edvard Munch’s masterpiece, â€Å"The Scream† is a painting that screams emotion. It was the style and composition that sparked the Expressionist movement in the late eighteenth century, which, in turn, evoked numerous other styles. With just one painting, Munch was able to portray an entire spectrum of human emotion ranging from calm to almost the violently sublime. It is no doubt that such a work was sold for a large fortune because of how iconic and breathtaking this pain ting is.It represents a distant memory of an expressive period of time in human history where not everything was soap dramas, commercials, and the internet. It represented a time of artistic inspiration, an understanding and observance of something truly monolithic and omnipotent, nature. Works Cited â€Å"Expressionism. † Dictionary. com. Dictionary. com, n. d. Web. 02 Jan. 2013. â€Å"The Scream by Edvard Munch: Art History & Picture of the Painting. † The Scream by Edvard Munch: Art History & Picture of the Painting. N. p. , n. d. Web. 02 Jan. 2013. â€Å"Edvard Munch. † Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 01 June 2012. Web. 03 Jan. 2013.

Free Essays on Histroy Of Accounting Practice In The UK

â€Å"During the 20th century financial accounting regulation appears to have developed as a series of responses to the evolving requirements of an ever-more complex and inter-related business environment. Describe the general development of financial accounting regulation in the United Kingdom from 1970 to the present day, and critically evaluate the influences that have given rise to each of the major developments.† The role of financial accounting in today’s business environment is undeniably important. The information provided by accountants can have major influences over a number of different people and parties, from a firm’s management team, to an external investor. Here in the UK, we have a large and complex stock market system as well as broad based community of investors. As such, it is vital that the profession be properly regulated and monitored. The fundamental principle upon which all UK regulation is based, is that accountants should be constantly striving to ‘provide a true and fair view’ to any interested parties. Traditionally, accounting regulations have been formulated loosely around the main principles of accounting, such as the prudence convention, the going concern convention, etc. This approach to accounting regulation did however leave the actual methods of application of these conventions up to the preparers of the financial information. In 1970, the accounting profession establish its own self regulated body – this was the Accounting Standards Steering Committee (ASSC). There were a number of reasons why the body was set up, however it was done primarily as a reaction to a number of financial scandals in the 1960s. Other influences included the establishment of similar bodies in the USA, as well as the threat of governmental influence on the accounting profession, which nobody wanted. The ASSC later became known as simply the ASC (Accounting Standards Committee), but not... Free Essays on Histroy Of Accounting Practice In The UK Free Essays on Histroy Of Accounting Practice In The UK â€Å"During the 20th century financial accounting regulation appears to have developed as a series of responses to the evolving requirements of an ever-more complex and inter-related business environment. Describe the general development of financial accounting regulation in the United Kingdom from 1970 to the present day, and critically evaluate the influences that have given rise to each of the major developments.† The role of financial accounting in today’s business environment is undeniably important. The information provided by accountants can have major influences over a number of different people and parties, from a firm’s management team, to an external investor. Here in the UK, we have a large and complex stock market system as well as broad based community of investors. As such, it is vital that the profession be properly regulated and monitored. The fundamental principle upon which all UK regulation is based, is that accountants should be constantly striving to ‘provide a true and fair view’ to any interested parties. Traditionally, accounting regulations have been formulated loosely around the main principles of accounting, such as the prudence convention, the going concern convention, etc. This approach to accounting regulation did however leave the actual methods of application of these conventions up to the preparers of the financial information. In 1970, the accounting profession establish its own self regulated body – this was the Accounting Standards Steering Committee (ASSC). There were a number of reasons why the body was set up, however it was done primarily as a reaction to a number of financial scandals in the 1960s. Other influences included the establishment of similar bodies in the USA, as well as the threat of governmental influence on the accounting profession, which nobody wanted. The ASSC later became known as simply the ASC (Accounting Standards Committee), but not...

How to Convert Nanometers to Angstroms

How to Convert Nanometers to Angstroms This example problem demonstrates how to convert nanometers to angstroms. Nanometers (nm) and angstroms  (Ã…) are both linear measurements used to express extremely small distances. Conversion Problem The spectra  of the element mercury have a bright green line with a wavelength of 546.047 nm. What is the wavelength of this light in angstroms? Solution 1 nm 10-9 m1 Ã… 10-10 m Set up the conversion so the desired unit will be canceled out. In this case, we want angstroms to the remaining unit. wavelength in Ã… (wavelength in nm) x (1 Ã…/10-10 m) x (10-9 m/1 nm)wavelength in Ã… (wavelength in nm) x (10-9/10-10) Aring/nm)wavelength in Ã… (wavelength in nm) x (10 Aring/nm)wavelength in Ã… (546.047 x 10) Ã…wavelength in Ã… 5460.47 Ã… Answer The green line in mercurys spectra has a wavelength of 5460.47 Ã… It may be easier to remember there are 10 angstroms in 1 nanometer. This would mean a conversion from nanometers to angstroms would mean moving the decimal place one place to the right.

How to Define Anode and Cathode

How to Define Anode and Cathode Heres a look at the difference between the anode and cathode of a cell or battery and how you can remember which is which. Keeping Them Straight Remember the cathode attracts cations or the cathode attracts charge. The anode attracts negative charge. Flow of Current The anode and cathode are defined by the flow of current. In the general sense, current refers to any movement of electrical charge. However, you should keep in mind the convention that current direction is according to where a positive charge would move, not a negative charge. So, if electrons do the actual moving in a cell, then current runs the opposite direction. Why is it defined this way? Who knows, but thats the standard. Current flows in the same direction as positive charge carriers, for example, when positive ions  or protons carry the charge. Current flows opposite the direction of negative charge carriers, such as electrons in metals. Cathode The cathode is the negatively charged electrode.The cathode attracts cations or positive charge.The cathode is the source of electrons or an electron donor. It may accept positive charge.Because the cathode may generate electrons, which typically are the electrical species doing the actual movement, it may be said that cathodes generate charge or that current moves from the cathode to the anode. This can be confusing, because the direction of current would be defined by the way a positive charge would move. Just remember, any movement of charged particles is current. Anode The anode is the positively charged electrode.The anode attracts electrons or anions.The anode may be a source of positive charge or an electron acceptor. Cathode and Anode Remember, charge can flow either from positive to negative or from negative to positive! Because of this, the anode could be positively charged or negatively charged, depending on the situation. The same is true for the cathode.

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

Friendship - Essay Example It was not a pleasant experience because we were strangers to one another. Even though my uncle was not happy about our lack of knowledge of each other, he introduced us as first cousins after which we became friends. I was also able to meet other cousins during my stay in the city but my friendship with this particular cousin has grown beyond any other personal relationship that I have had and I, in this paper, look at friendship and the extent to which Akst’s writing applies to friendship and possible deviations. Basis of friendships Akst, in his article, noted Aristotle’s explanation of three forms of friendship: â€Å"those based on usefulness (contacts), on pleasure (drinking buddies), and on a shared pursuit of virtue – the highest form of all† (Akst, 24). Our friendship developed from shared goals and dreams that we aspired to achieve in the future. The only contrasting aspect that existed between my cousin and I was our preferred professions. My co usin preferred a business career. He was a self-proclaimed businessperson and believed that business was the only key that could unlock his fortunes. On the contrary, I had education-oriented goals. I aimed at working hard in school to secure good grades that would qualify me to attend top ranking universities in the country. We however shared common goals despite the different paths that we chose to our respective success. A reflection, ten years later, of our friendship echoes Akst’s point that friendship built on shared pursuit of virtue is the highest form of all existing types of friendship basis. (Akst, 24) Advantages of having friends in the society Wilson in his article addressed the positive implications of friendship. According to Wilson, â€Å"living in a society of friends has many advantages. Friendship can moderate our behavior† and â€Å"friends help us establish and maintain norms and can tell us if we are running off when others do not notice, will no t break the news, or lack the necessary credibility† (in Akst, 26). In any given friendship, there exists a common trait. Personal traits among true friends are always in accord in terms of moral beliefs, ethical standards and political or religious affiliations. The concept of moderation of character in friendship was demonstrated through our relationship. Based on our contrasting success strategies, my cousin opted to venture into business while I pursued my undergraduate studies. Over the years, my cousin equipped himself with versatile entrepreneurial skills while I concentrated on my studies. Within a period of two years while I was in college, my cousin was able to establish and run a successful business firm. In his part, my cousin challenged my strategy of success. He argued that I did not have to finish college in order to own a business. My cousin reckoned that I could continue with my studies while operating a small business venture. He was able to instill in me the art and skills of a young entrepreneur while I was still pursuing my childhood dream of becoming a scholar. After considering his advice, I started supplying the college’s administration with stationeries and later expanded my market to cover the entire college and its environs. It was through our friendship that my cousin moderated my obsession with academic studies and established a renewed perspective of business in my character. Friendship concepts overlooked by the author Misunderstandings in friendships In his argument, Akst failed to mention that friendship is not always perfect. His analysis of the concept of friendship overlooked mistakes and misunderstanding among friends. In my personal opinion, mistakes and misunderstanding serve to strengthen friendship. In my relationship with my cousin, we have had

Present-Day Egyptian Culture Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Present-Day Egyptian Culture - Research Paper Example Agricultural practices have emancipated in Egypt since five thousand years and due to this the Egyptian community is considered to be highly deep rooted. Maximum level of cooperation can be observed in the Egyptian community and they have a central government that deals with regulating all types of issues amongst the community. The Egyptians take special care of their community members and assist all members who need help and assistance (Fahmy, 10). Egyptian people at the major level belong to the Eastern Hamitic Stock. There are four cultural groups present in Egypt. They are Egyptian peasants, the Copt, Nubians, and lastly the Bedouins. Each culture practices its own way of living and have different lifestyles. All cultures easily accommodate with others and this way harmony prevails in major regions of Egypt (Lane, 13). Egypt’s geographical position allowed them to be in link with the surrounding regions and hence they developed and adopted multitude types of cultures and experiences (Fahmy, 4). Values and principles of Egypt have emerged from the various religions worldwide. The main source of heritage in the cultural and intellectual areas in Egypt is the religion of the country. Egyptian Arabic is the main language of Egypt. French is understood by majority of the erudite classes in Egypt. French is usually taught as a second language in most of the schools and universities in Egypt (Fahmy, 6). Berber language is spoken in Siwa region of Egypt. As discussed above, there are four types of cultural groups present and due to the different practices, the languages spoken in some regions are different from the national language of Egypt. The Egyptians follow the religion Islam and this religion plays a vital role in the Egyptian society. All decisions in the country whether they are economic or political, personal or social are based upon the Islamic principles and practices (Lane, 69). The individuals in Egypt act as

TSCA definitions Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

TSCA definitions - Essay Example he various ways in which one can be exposed to PCBs include breathing air that contain PCBs, eating food that contain PCBs, or touching anything that contains them. PCBs usually remain in the environment for long periods of time, and for this reason, therefore, people can easily be exposed to them when they come in contact with things that contain them. Due to their long stay in the environment, one can easily be exposed to them by coming into contact with the equipment or any other thing that contain them like the, electrical transformers, capacitors, fluorescent lighting fixtures, and appliances. It is recommended by NIOSH that workers should not breathe air that contains 42 or 54% chlorine, i.e. PCB levels higher than 1 microgram per cubic meter of air (à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½g/m3) for a 10-hour workday, 40-hour workweek. EPA demands that companies that either transport, store, or dispose of PCBs adhere to the rules and regulations of the federal hazardous waste management program. Also, EPA limits the amount of PCBs put into public waste water treatment plants. Hexavalent chromium Cr(VI) is a valence state (+6) of the element chromium; there are many more valences of the element chromium. Cr(VI) is produced through an industrial process. One of the bad effects of Cr(VI) to human beings is that Cr(VI) is known to cause cancer. Also, Cr(VI) targets the respiratory system, liver, kidneys, skin and eyes. From the OSAH website we learn that approximately 558,000 workers are potentially exposed to Cr(VI) in the United States. Employees can be exposed to hex chrome in different was including breathing in of dusts, mists or fume, ingestion, or through dermal or eye contact . Wellbeing impacts related with presentation to hex chrome can include disturbance or harm to the skin and eyes.   Direct skin contact to Hex Chrome can bring about undesirable susceptible response known as contact dermatitis. Once an anaphylaxis grows, even concise skin contact can bring about manifestations.

Managing Aircraft Maintenance Projects Successfully Research Proposal

Managing Aircraft Maintenance Projects Successfully - Research Proposal Example Regulations and common sense both mandate that each aircraft be the subject of a fully documented maintenance protocol towards ensuring the airworthiness and serviceability of the aircraft. Routine preventive maintenance, although well within the purview of common sense, is not a required part of the maintenance protocol. Within the aircraft maintenance protocol, each aircraft and the work required for its service is regarded as an individual project. The reality of aircraft maintenance project management (AMPM) is that several overlapping projects must be managed simultaneously. This presents major obstacles and difficulties for the aircraft maintenance organization in terms of resource management and utilization, budgetary constraints, priority conflicts and lead-time fulfillment. These considerations are compounded by several factors. Greater demands are being placed on aircraft as the number of passenger miles being flown trends upward over time. The number of aircraft being flown also trends upward but at a disproportionate rate. More importantly for the proposed research, the number of aviation maintenance technicians in the industry trends upward at a much lower rate, suggesting that the workload placed on maintenance technicians per capita is becoming ever greater. Air Transport Association o f America statistics for the 12-year period from 1983 to 1995 gives these increases as 187%, 70% and 27% respectively, supporting the ‘work overload’ factor of AMPM. Baron (2009) discusses at some length untoward events that can be attributed directly to the effects of fatigue experienced by aircraft maintenance personnel, and so to the project management practices of their working environments. It is important to note the finding recounted by Baron from a study conducted by Johnson et al in 2002. Based on quantitative and qualitative data, those authors discerned that in general, AMTs and AMEs working in aircraft maintenance services were

Unemployment in black america Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Unemployment in black america - Research Paper Example Evidently, it is clear that the employment rates of minority groups are much lower as compared to the employment rate of the white people. Statistics show that black Americans have been particularly affected by this racial bias, as the unemployment rate of these minorities is higher than that of whites and other minorities groups such as American Indians. The consequence of this is that Black Americans continue to wail in poverty while there is notable economic development among the whites. Although educational differences may be the reason for this low employment rate of Black Americans, it is clear that discrimination and ignorance labour laws by organizations are the major reasons for this trend. The issue of unemployment for the Blacks in America has a long history that dates back to the last six decades. In the late 1950s, discrimination was at its highest peak and little had been established to alleviate this discrimination. Discrimination in the employment sector was depicted in various perspectives in the employment sector. First, it was quite hard for a Black American to acquire a job in this region of the world as compared to the whites. Secondly, the Africans were assigned only manual labour that saw them become more of slaves than employees. In terms of wages, they were paid much lower than the whites for similar job positions. For African women, it was rare for them to find a job and only handle domestic chores. The feeling that prevailed is that Black Americans were aliens who did not have equal rights to the whites who were the natives of America. As a result, this minority groups was isolated in the slums and most of them did not afford basic commodities such as food and housing (Nunnally and Niambi 431). The poverty level was very high in the slums where most of the African Americans lived. National statistics conducted in America during this time shows that the unemployment rate in America during this period was double

IKEA Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

IKEA - Assignment Example It came into existence in the year 1943 and within a very small time frame it attained a renowned brand image due to its modern architectural designs and eco-friendly nature. Due to which its revenue and operating income enhanced by â‚ ¬27.628 billion and â‚ ¬3.482 billion by the end of 2012 as compared to other rivals in the market. This marked the success of the organization of IKEA and so it expanded in many other parts of the world like Germany, Norway and Denmark (Inter IKEA Systems B.V, 2012). IKEA’S History IKEA is established in the year 1943 by Ingvar Kamprad, a young entrepreneur residing in Smaland of Southern Sweden. The name of the organization IKEA is derived from the initial letters of Ingvar Kamprad, i.e. I and K along with the first letters of his hometown, Elmtaryd and Agunnaryd. Ingvar Kamprad started his career in business by selling matches, pen, pencils, fishes, seeds and many others. However, slowly and gradually, he started offering high-level of concentration over IKEA and so presented varied types of advertisements in local newspapers to attract wide range of customers. Moreover, in order to make it a branded furniture retailing house, he presented varied types of attractive and stylish furniture’s such as beds, chairs, tables, home appliances and many others at a quite lowest price. This proved quite effective for the organization and helped Ingvar Kamprad to open his first store in Norway in the year 1963 and in Denmark in 1969 (Inter IKEA Systems B.V, 2013). After that, within a small time frame, IKEA expanded to other parts of Europe, Switzerland, Australia, Hong Kong, Canada, Germany, UK and many others. Therefore, by the end of 2009, IKEA group became successful to operate in more than 332 stores in 40 countries. Hence, IKEA took more than six decades to mark its position in the segment of trendy furniture’s among other retailers. IKEA Today Inspite of extreme economic downturn, IKEA maintained its popu larity and brand image in the market in a quite stable condition due to its objective to present qualitative products at a competitive price. Due to which, the leading leader of home furniture enhanced its total sales by ?2.15 billion and net income by ? 3.51 billion by the end of 31st August 2013. Along with this, the market share also increased from 7.3% in 2012 to 8.5% in 2013 in the market of UK. This became possible only due to its wide expansion into 332 stores in more than 40 countries in the entire globe (Inter IKEA Systems B.V, 2012). Other than this, the annual sales figure and sales per region is presented in the below graphs. Therefore, from the graph, it might be clearly depicted that the rate of sales of the furniture’s of IKEA is very high as compared to others. This enhanced the equity and profit margin to a significant extent among other retailers (Inter IKEA Systems B.V, 2013). 2. Macro-environment of IKEA In order to analyse the external environment of the market of UK, one of the most renowned technique is used. It is named as PESTEL analysis. Political Factors- the political scenario of UK is quite cacophonous due to the presence of inefficient bureaucracy and corruption. Other than this, the instable government policies and regulations also acted as a curse that hampered the growth of the organization of IKEA. Not only this, shaky coalition of the government of UK hampered the business scenario to a

Unemployment in black america Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Unemployment in black america - Research Paper Example Evidently, it is clear that the employment rates of minority groups are much lower as compared to the employment rate of the white people. Statistics show that black Americans have been particularly affected by this racial bias, as the unemployment rate of these minorities is higher than that of whites and other minorities groups such as American Indians. The consequence of this is that Black Americans continue to wail in poverty while there is notable economic development among the whites. Although educational differences may be the reason for this low employment rate of Black Americans, it is clear that discrimination and ignorance labour laws by organizations are the major reasons for this trend. The issue of unemployment for the Blacks in America has a long history that dates back to the last six decades. In the late 1950s, discrimination was at its highest peak and little had been established to alleviate this discrimination. Discrimination in the employment sector was depicted in various perspectives in the employment sector. First, it was quite hard for a Black American to acquire a job in this region of the world as compared to the whites. Secondly, the Africans were assigned only manual labour that saw them become more of slaves than employees. In terms of wages, they were paid much lower than the whites for similar job positions. For African women, it was rare for them to find a job and only handle domestic chores. The feeling that prevailed is that Black Americans were aliens who did not have equal rights to the whites who were the natives of America. As a result, this minority groups was isolated in the slums and most of them did not afford basic commodities such as food and housing (Nunnally and Niambi 431). The poverty level was very high in the slums where most of the African Americans lived. National statistics conducted in America during this time shows that the unemployment rate in America during this period was double

PERSONAL ESSAY PREWRITING Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

PERSONAL ESSAY PREWRITING - Assignment Example Therefore, through securing the immediate needs and acceptance the community will be protected from the high rate of recidivism especially for drug offenses meaning a safer community. The most influential person in my life is the United States of America president Barrack Obama. Barrack Obama is passionate, enthusiastic and focuses on giving humanity the foremost priority in service to the American people and beyond. Obama is influential because through the belief of service to the community being a personal responsibility and supporting community programs effort for a better America and the world at large. Through attending community service programs that are available in our neighborhood mainly addressing drug users who want to undergo rehabilitation change my life. The programs were important because opened up the real experiences of the people and families that are affected by drug or drug related problems causing a tremendous impact in my life. After undergoing these programs, I got the actual first hand effect of drug from the people we interacted with alongside the victims families. Hercules in the Greek mythology is comparable to me in terms of the source of our drive to serving our community. The character of willingness and dedication to serve without expecting reward for our action is common when it comes to my community endeavors. Hercules stand amidst resistance by the people he was serving assists a lot in giving me the focus and enthusiasm to continue pursuing my goals in the community service such as outright ridicule and

Social Inequalities Affect Health Health And Social Care Essay

Social Inequalities Affect Health Health And Social Care Essay Social inequalities in health have been widely accepted and documented (Fox, 1989; Davey-Smith et al., 1990; Macintyre, 1997; Marmot et al., 1997), and have been particularly apparent in The Black Report (Townsend and Davidson, 1982) which has revealed wide disparities (health gap) between people at opposite ends of the social strata, that are widely increasing in the UK (Marmot and McDowell, 1986; Macintyre, 1997) and the US (Papas et al, 1993). A burgeoning volume of research identifies social factors at the root of much of these health inequalities, for instance, researchers have found health to be socially patterned (gradient effect), where individuals at high ends of the social class experience better health and live longer, than their counterparts (Acheson 1998; Adler et al., 1998) and this has been consistent, even when controlling for other factors (Lantz et al., 1998).Thus, if one moves up the social strata, the better ones health (Kitagawa Hauser, 1973). Social economic status (SES) has been used to assess ones social position as a reliable method, and many types of approaches have been used to assess SES, including occupation, household income or level of achieved education (Mackenbach and Kunst, 1997). Research has found that Individuals with a low SES have a lower mortality rate (Benzeval, 1995) and experience greater disability and ill health (Dalstra et al., 2005; Huisman et al., 2005; Marmot, Bosma, Hemingway, Brunner, Stansfeld, 1997; Marmot, Rose, Shipley, Hamilton, 1978). Deprived individuals may also have a greater propensity to develop diabetes, develop cancer, cardiovascular disease, asthma, infectious diseases and all causes of mortality and even die, as a result of homicide (Adler and Ostrove, 1999; Ecob Smith, 1999; Schalick, Hadden, Pamuk, Navarro, Pappas, 2000; Sterling, Rosenbaum, Weinkam, 1993). Thus, ill-health can therefore restrict prospects of economic attainment (Adler et al, 1994; Marmot et al, 1997). One reason for this could be that people have to put up with poorer living conditions, which could result in them being exposed to hazardous and unhealthy environments i.e. pollution, noise, toxic waste, crowding, ambient noise and poor housing quality, which are linked with poor health and disease (Evans and Kantrovitz, 2002).Whilst individuals of a higher (SES) have a reduced risk of exposure to negative life events (Mcleod and Kessler, 1990) hence, decreasing their vulnerability of suffering chronic or acute illness (Cohen and Williamson, 1991). It is also been found that Children of less affluent families are less likely to succeed at school (Essen and Wedge, 1982), to be employed in more disadvantaged areas, and go through unemployment much earlier in their lives (Ashton et al1987). This can lead smoking, drinking, depression, anxiety, and poor health behaviours (Wilson and Walker, 1993) One other explanation for this inequality is that deprived individuals display more risk taking behaviours, such as; bad diet, smoking and being physically inactive. However, this view is not always supported, and researchers have found little or no relationship (OMalley et al., 1993; Donato et al., 1994). A growing body of research has also acknowledged the relationship between income inequality on individual health (Kawachi, 2002; Wilkinson, 1996), for example, low income has been correlated to show a risk factor for disease and ill-health (Syme, 1998), and according to the relative income hypothesis, people from a low SES are more prone to experience poor health if they feel disadvantaged than others (Marmot et al., 1991; Wilkinson, 1997). They are also more likely to experience depression and stress (Cohen et al., 1997) and this may subsequently hinder or weaken ones power to assess local health-related resources (Deaton, 2003). These  consequences of income inequality can affect individuals significantly, resulting in frustration, stress and disruption, which can subsequently increase the rates of crime, violence and homicide (Wilkinson, 1996). Education also influences health through its relation with higher income (Chevalier et al, 2005) and better living environment, as those with a higher educational attainment are less likely to be unemployed, and more likely to have careers with higher earnings (Ross Wu, 1995). Furthermore, individuals with higher levels of educational attainment have shown to having certain psychological mechanisms, such as social support, economic resources and a strong sense of personal control, which are associated with a higher mortality rate and higher health status. (Kunst Mackenbach, 1994; Elo Preston, 1996). Parents educational attainment is also significant, as this can directly impact the Childs future health via primary socialisation; for example, Blackburn et al (2003) have found that higher levels of maternal education are associated with lower levels of household smoking, and hence, lower levels of tobacco exposure to children. An individuals health outcome can also be affected by the type of occupation, for example, The Black Report (Townsend and Davison, 1982) discovered that unskilled manual workers (social class V) regularly suffered from poorer health than those classified as professionals (Social class I). The Whitehall studies were particularly important in highlighting this association, researchers looked at British civil servants, and discovered higher mortality rates were found to be correlated with lower hierarchal rank (Marmot, 2004), and this social gradient was further refined and supported by Siegrist Marmot (2006). In addition, a strong inverse association was found, between the grade of employment and absenteeism as a result of health status (Stansfield et al, 1995). The type and quality of the job the individual has can also have a fundamental difference to their health, i.e. through occupational hazards and unsafe and physically demanding work environments (Lucas, 1974). It can also impact ones health indirectly through income security, or psychological or social mechanisms. Furthermore, Lower employment grades have showed almost three times greater occurrences of coronary heart disease (CHD) and lung cancer than those individuals in the highest employment grades (Marmot, 1986). Thus, one may conclude that the association between grade and type of work is apparent, and the environment of individuals in lower classs may not always be conducive to good health. An increasing amount of research asserts that health outcomes and health-related behaviour are directly linked with area of residence (Collins, Margo, 2000; Cubbin, Hadden, Winkleby, 2001; Guest, Almgren, Hussey, 1998; Jones and Moon, 1993; MacIntyre, MacIver Sooman, 1993; Pickett and Pearl, 2001; Ren, Amick, Williams, 1999; Shaw et al, 1999).People living in Disadvantaged areas usually experience poorer health (Townsend et al., 1988) and increasingly show higher levels of morbidity and mortality than individuals living in more prosperous areas (Achenson, 1998; Mackenbach, Kunst, Cavelaars, Groenhof, Geurts, 1997; Marmot and McDowell, 1986; Townsend, Whitehead, Davidson, 1992). An example of this was seen in the mortality rates ,in different Scottish postal code areas, which revealed a constant gradient of increased mortality from the most affluent, to the most disadvantaged areas, based on; social class, male unemployment, household overcrowding and access to car (Carstairs and Morris, 1991). The Health Divide (Whitehead,1988), revealed further discrepancies, where a North South health divide in the UK was found, and a higher prevalence of ill health become apparent in the industrialised North (Sidell, 2003). Further health inequalities existing, as a result of area of residence, was seen in Mexico, where a nine year difference in life expectancy was reported between people living in a poor county, and those in a relatively well-off county (Evans et al., 2001). Implications of living in a less affluent area can also impact the mortality risk for those individuals, of even a higher SES (Yen and Kapplan, 1999a). However, those who perceive themselves to live in deprived neighbourhoods are inclined to have more negative health signs i.e. high body mass index. A lower effective efficacy has also been reported amongst low income residents, whereby individuals perceive less cohesion and social control; this may impact the individual mentally i.e. depression (Cohen et al, 2003; Schafer-McDaniel, 2009) and even prohibit physical activity. Another barrier to health and its resultant inequalities is ethnicity/race. Ethnic minority groups have an increased rate of health inequalities, which have social consequences, (higher rates of coronary heart disease and diabetes), for example, research by Keppel, Pearcy and Wagener (2002) showed African-Americans in the United States experienced greater levels of illness (breast/lung cancer, cardiovascular disease, and infant mortality rates) than other racial/ethnic minority groups. Morbidity rates have also been found to be higher for Bangladeshi and Pakistani minority groups, although findings did not generalise to Indian adults, who were found to have a similar health status to white adults (Cooper, 2002).These ethnic disparities have also been seen in the US where blacks seem to have worse health outcomes than whites, for instance, black women were more likely to have a child with a lower birth weight than their white counterparts (David and Collins, 1997). Despite these risk factors, discrimination and prejudice faced by ethnic minority groups further increases their chances of illness and death (Williams and Jackson, 2005). For instance, Smaje (1995) and Modood et al., (1997) found that black people in ethnic minority groups suffered greater material disadvantage as a result of discrimination. Less affluent individuals can also be prone to develop mental health problems, as a result of their status. Many studies have looked at the effect of SES, and deprivation in relation to mental health (Thornicroft, 1991; Jarman et al, 1992; Harrison et al, 1995). Evidence has shown the incidence of mental illness, is more pronounced in the lower socio-economic groups, for example, it was found that working class women were more likely to suffer from mental health problems i.e. bipolar disorder than middle-class women (Brown and Harris, 1978); A positive association between deprivation, low SES and schizophrenia was further emphasised in Rogers (1991) who reported low SES women were more likely to develop neurotic diagnoses, and those who suffered from poverty, were more likely to have an increased risk to develop bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, phobias, depression and suffer from drug related problems (Bruce, 1991). Reasons for these social inequalities existing are multifaceted, and a matter for continuing debate, however, The Black Report (Townsend and Davidson, 1982) outlined four explanations, the first being Artefact, This points out that inequalities in health are demonstrated using different measuring systems to assess social class, and so, associations are resulting from artefacts (Davey Smith et al, 1991). However, this account has been largely dismissed as evidence has visibly shown a health disparity across occupational groups. Furthermore, these inequalities have been verified using different forms of measurement to assess social class i.e. educational attainment and occupation. Thus, this explanation does not present a superior argument to the complexities of health inequalities in society, and so cannot be sustained. An alternative method of explaining social inequalities comes from social selection; this suggests healthy individuals move up (social mobilisation) the hierarchy, whilst individuals with poor health escalate downwards-which could be due unemployment, demotion, or disability (Moore and Porter, 1998).However, there is little evidence supports the view of social selection in relation to health inequalities (Whitehead, 1988) for example, Illness does affect social mobility; however, the size of the effect is very little to actually account for overall health differences (Wilkinson, 1997). The cultural behavioural explanation stipulates that health inequalities occur as a result of individual preferences and lifestyles, comprising of drinking, smoking, diet and exercise (Blaxter, 1990) and cultural factors. These health behaviors have been linked to death (i.e. lung cancer, coronary heart disease), and a social gradient has been found (Wardle and Griffith, 2001). Whilst there is a causal effect for mortality and morbidity, with health behaviours (i.e. smoking, diet), this explanation does not comprise of a complete explanation of inequalities, for instance, controlling for the risk factors of smoking, cholesterol and blood pressure (Whitehall studies) did not explain the increase in CHD mortality amongst administrative and other grades, Nevertheless they did account for about 25% of the disparity (Rose Marmot, 1981). This explanation can further be criticised as it tends to classify health behaviours as being synonymous with cultural influences, and fails to acknowledge other variables, it also associates ethnic groups with a pattern of behaviour which may not necessarily signify wide-spread health patterns in cultural groups. Another approach to explain inequalities in health is the materialistic/structural, which has been supported by many researchers (Acheson, 1998; Gordon, Shaw, Dorling Davey Smith 1999; Townsend, Davidson, Whitehead, 1992). This approach states that inequalities are a result of unequal access to material and physical resources (Raphael, 2006). These include housing, working conditions, quality of available food, among others. Thus, research has consistently shown that social health inequalities exist and need to be dealt with. Health psychologists have played an important part in exposing the individual determinants of health related experiences and behaviour. In particular, highlighting the plight of these psychological and social factors. Therefore, acknowledging these health determinants can be significant in potentially reducing or even diminishing these health disparities, as awareness and research are significant to public health intervention. The benefits of such research are also advantageous, as it highlights that an individual is not alone responsible for their own health, but a number of factors come in to play. Moreover, future research can thus investigate these social determinants, in particular, distinguishing between factors that affect health and those that form health inequalities. For instance, education as a social factor impinges on health but it is the lack of access to it and associated illiteracy that lead to inequalities.

South African Apartheid: Political Defiance Campaigns Against the Gover

After the National Party won the elections of 1948 and introduced legislative measures for the promotion of apartheid, harsher political repression arose and led to increased organization among blacks. Before the 1940s, society was often overwhelmed by the numerous acts of rebellion that many blacks carried out in their daily lives; however, many black organizations refrained from visible remonstration of the National Party government. In the 1950s until the mid-1990s, the significant shift to new black political tactics that stressed open protest became a driving force in the fight against apartheid. This new defiance campaign was composed mainly of actions on a wide-scale level in which black political organizations and civic associations took a powerful role in staging protests and creating mounting unrest. The most significant were political activities; even activities that were originally non-political forms of defiance inadvertently became politicized, such as criminal behavio rs prominently displayed by youth, squatter movements, and pass-law violations. Activities of political defiance included the organization of anti-apartheid parties such as the African National Congress, Pan-Africanist Congress, and United Democratic Front, and the politicization of labor unions and civic associations; constant government efforts were unable to suppress these actions. Black South Africans' acts of resistance, whether political or seemingly non-political, eventually united them in a massive fight against racial oppression which ultimately destroyed apartheid. The National Party’s main goal when it came into power was to create programs to prevent the escalation of the â€Å"black peril† that the Smuts government failed to repress. Immediate... ... Bonner, P. L. "Family, Crime, and Political Consciousness." Journal of South African Studies 14.3 (1988): 393-420. Print. Bonner, Phillip L. "The Politics of Black Squatter Movements on the Rand, 1944-1952." Radical History Review 46.7 (1990): 89-115. Print. Lembede, A. M. "Some Basic Principles of African Nationalism." Inyaniso Document 51 (1945): 314-18. Print. Marks, Shula, and Stanley Trapido. "South Africa Since 1976: A Historical Perspective." South Africa: No Turning Back (1988): 1-45. Print. "Sharpeville Massacre -- The 21 March 1960 Sharpeville Massacre -- Build-up to the Massacre." African History -- Explore the History of Africa. Web. 07 April 2015. . South Africa: Overcoming Apartheid. Web. 07 April 2015. .

Delegation :: Business, Empowering Delegation

Managers can empower workers by delegating to them. â€Å"Delegation involves the assignment of work to other people, and it is an activity inherently associated with all managerial positions† (Whitten & Cameron, 2007, p. 467). Effective management can be attained through delegation. Therefore, a manager must decide when to delegate. Advantages and the Potential Outcome of Delegation Learning to delegate effectively is fundamental to managers’ success in the workplace. A competent delegator can empower others maximizing the organization effectiveness and efficiency. Whitten and Cameron (2007) identifies the following advantages of delegation: time, development, trust, commitment, information, efficiency, and coordination (p.467). Time Delegation can improve managers’ ability to get things done. Delegation increases the discretionary time of the manager† by freeing up some time (Whitten & Cameron, 2007, p. 467). A manager schedule can be extremely hectic and the pressure can be overwhelming due to demands. Managers can increase their time to focusing on other task that is highly prioritized and require the manager complete attention through delegation. Not being prepared and never meeting deadline are qualities that can injure ones reputation, for the manager can be viewed as less efficient and effective in management. Through delegation, the manager can squeeze more out of the day. Development Delegation can increase workers effectiveness. It allows delegates to â€Å"develop knowledge and capabilities† (Whitten & Cameron, 2007, p. 467). Through delegation, workers can be challenged and this can encourage them to develop their capabilities. They can naturally develop knew knowledge and the necessary skills to cope when they are challenged with tasks that are outside of their basic job duties. By encouraging such development, it can prepare employees for future assignments and promotions. Not only does delegation benefits the employee receiving the new task, but it also benefits the manager and the organization too by enhancing effectiveness. Trust Delegation can help managers build a positive relationship with staff. It is a way of showing employees they are respected, for delegation â€Å"demonstrate trust and confidence in delegates† (Whitten & Cameron, 2007, p. 467). Delegation can empower employees, for when the managers seek assistance with a task it shows that the manager believes in them; the manager is confident that that the employee can complete the task successful. Through trust, the manager can empower an employee to bring drive and initiative in the work. According to Whitten and Cameron (2007), individuals who felt trusted by t heir managers were significantly more effective than those who did not feel that way (p.

Lower class

Lower class Americans do not often discuss the class separation that exists in today's society, but we all know there Is something going on. The government helps supports the lower class, so that the lower class can also enjoy their lives without having to work. DRP. Daniels analysis about the underclass and Its relationship to the government Is accurate based on poverty, criminality, and family fluidity. One of the aspects that allow the lower class to remain in their specific position is because of poverty.A lot f the time, the lower class will not take the initiative to work because they claim to get â€Å"paid†. As Anthony Daniels quotes â€Å"l get paid on Friday(Daniels), they are not actually getting paid but rather are receiving state benefits and feel entitled to have them without doing any work. The correct term they should be using is â€Å"I received my check on Friday'. And for this reason the lower class does not feel necessary to work since they receive a chec k every Friday. So, what happens if they do decide to work?Well, when and if they do decide to work, they will usually end up regretting It. The US Government Is basically saying we had destroyed all economic incentive for the latter to work† (Daniels). Here In the US, If you start making more than a certain amount of Income, all your states benefits will get cut-off. This concept Is super deadly because they still need support and are still struggling to become volcanically well. Lastly, the lower class does not think about the future.Most of the time, they ill be concerned with paying of bills (living on a day to day basis), or spending it all on the spot for luxurious items. Many successful people know that saving for the future is exceedingly important and truly beneficial for them. Criminality in the lower classes is a choice that can be steered clear of. Committing crimes for drugs is something that happens quite often and here is the reason why â€Å"Dishonest passivit y and dependence combined with harmful activity becomes a pattern of life, and not just among drug addicts. † (Daniels).Basically committing crimes has become a way of life not only for drugs, but also for other needs. It's not that cannot stop committing crimes but they need help getting out of this villous cycle. These days, there Is no such thing concept of a traditional' family anymore. â€Å"Everyone lived In households with a shifting cast of members, rather than in families. † (Daniels) I really agree with this statement, because today we have no such thing as a family anymore due to divorce rates. Parents are constantly arguing and in disagreement and their children eve no idea what to do.So these children often look up to the TV because that's the one thing they can find satisfaction in. Another reason why these families are so dysfunctional is due to work. Often the father will leave the mother all alone to take of their children all by herself. This mother of ten will have two Jobs, working day and night, to support her children because she is a single parent. This also brings up another point of why families are dysfunctional Is due to Individualism. Many Americans believe In the Idea of individualism which can be bad.In the article, the following quote Is the new definition of Individualism: â€Å"Mothers would say to me that they were pleased to be Independent, by which they meant Independent of the fathers† (Daniels). Usually these mothers are free of the ruthless fathers, but rather government for help. In today's society we all maybe considered equal, but subconsciously we all know that social classes influence our decisions. It is near to impossible to break out of your social class because the government has a system set into place that nearly affects everyone.

Cultural Issues in National Problems Essay

* Based on your study on this module of cultural theories, international business ethics and the practice of managing across cultures, and assuming the role of a business consultant specialising in cross-cultural issues, write a cultural briefing for the Human Resources department of a real international business. Your briefing should cover a range of cultural issues, including the creation of cross-cultural teams, training employees for expatriate assignments, national negotiating styles and training employees for the challenges of cross-cultural management. This assignment may take the format of a report or a more creatively designed briefing document. Creation of cross-cultural teams Train employees for challenges of cross-cultural management National negotiating style The Chinese Negotiation http://www.globalnegotiationbook.com/John-Graham-research/negotiation-v1.pdf Negotiating in China: 10 rules for success http://www.forbes.com/sites/jackperkowski/2011/03/28/negotiating-in-china-10-rules-for-success/ pp. 163 note However, china is also a difficult and risky market for western business communities to operate in. the surprises, disappointment, and frustration on the part of western business people are not strange. China is a special challenge: it is the world’s largest emerging market, largest communist bureaucracy and oldest culture. These unique features make china a unique case in international business that calls for special academic and managerial attention. Now that china has reached and agreement with the European union and United States of America about its membership in the world trade organization (WTO), the importance of china as a trade partner is going to increase further. Question: * What are the meaningful stages of the Sino-western business negotiation process? * What are the main contentious issues in the formal negotiation sessions? * How can we understand chinese negotiating style observed in various stages from the chinese culture point of view? Ping-Pong model 1, pre-negotiation (lobbing, presentation, informal discussion, and trust building) 2, formal negotiation (task-related exchange of information, persuasion, concession and agreement) 3, post-negotiation (implementation and new rounds of negotiations) The Chinese show keen interests in getting to know the other party during these initial contacts. They try to ascertain whether or not the foreign firm has (1) the most advanced technology required for the project; (2) the willingness to sell or transfer it to the Chinese side by way of, for example, joint venture; and (3) the capacity of delivering the products on time. As one chinese negotiators explained: â€Å"our intention is to import the most advanced technology and to cooperate with large, world-famous foreign companies, because the life cycle of a technology is short. We pay even more attention to the supplier’s houjing(reserve strength) for continuous technological development lobbying: lobbing before the chinese government authorities is one of the most important marketing activities facing foreign firms that want to sell large industrial projects in chinese key industries like telecommunications. Foreign firms must convince the chinese that they have cutting-edge technologies that suit chinese government’s priorities, that they have long-term commitment to the chinese market, and that they are financially strong. They must present a highly reliable image before the chinese, making them feel safe to do business with them. The chinese said that they liked to do business with â€Å"big mountain† like Ericesson that they could trust and rely on in the long term. Presentation: giving attractive and reliable presentations to let potential chinese partners know the company, products and negotiating team members, is an important step toward formal negotiation sessions. Presentations aim to convince the chinese of the sincerity of the company in doing business ith china and show the chinese that the company’s products are and advanced technology with high quality and reasonable price. Foreign firms need to present themselves and their technologies to number of authorities. Very often one has to endlessly repeat the same things to different negotiators who may suddenly, without explanation, be replaced by another team. From chinese point of view, it is done to check the reliability and firmness of the supplier. Informal discussion: initial and informal discussions with chinese organizations often occur directly after the presentations Trust building: the chinese attach great importance to trust building in business negotiations. Formal negotiation * Equity share * Contribution of each party * Management control * Technology * Price * Persuasion * Concessions and agreement Post-negotiation * Managerial implications * Priority * Patience * People the PRC condition (guoqing) is a contemporary social and institutional factor influencing the PRC Introduction Hotel Chocolat is a famous luxury chocolate producer in the UK. It has 55 stores in the UK and 5 stores in the USA and the Europe. (Hotel Chocolat, 2012) The mainly product series are Giant Slabs, Selectors, Sleekster Selections, Liquid Chocolat, The Purist and Coco Juvenate Beauty Range. (Hotel Chocolat, 2012) Hotel Chocolat insists a high quality strategy so that their products are in luxury level, which attracting consumers come back again and again. Now Hotel Chocolat plan to expand the business and brand perception, managers think about enter Chinese market. In China, middle class improving their purchasing power in recent years, within urban residents has more disposable income (Farrell D, 2006). If manager decide to enter China market, human resource management (HRM) department needs to prepare three points, firstly is create cross-cultural team with Chinese employees, secondly is train the British employees for challenge of cross-cultural management, thirdly is negotiating st yle with Chinese. Creation of cross-cultural team and the challenges of cross-cultural management Cross-cultural team is necessary. Nowadays, the globe business activities are an important part of the worldwide economy. Many of different nationality works in one company or even in one group. In this case, Hotel Chocolat will be suggested to build a cross-cultural team within Chinese employees. This program can avoid some potential risk in Chinese market. Here will point out three directions. 1. Language In business group need to keep will communication to reduce the cost of information. Hotel Chocolat is British company so that the English is mainly language. But Chinese employee’s native language is mandarin and Cantonese, which make conversation maybe difficult. Fortunately, Chinese education department push English language teaching from primary school to college. Nowadays, the world’s most populous nation will become the world’s largest English-speaking country, account about two billion people are learning or have learned English (Clifford. C, 2009). Firstly, English level is an important testing standard when manager selects Chinese employees. Secondly, English employ which will work in China suggest to learn basic daily Mandarin. Of course, if possible, Hotel Chocolat should better choose the people who interested in China. 2. Build Virtual Team In the beginning, Hotel Chocolat should build a quickly communication tunnel between the UK and China department. For a high efficiency, Hotel Chocolat has to build Virtual Team. Virtual Team is basic on advanced information technology to link the geographical dispersion essential employees. It also downsizes the department in China and improves productivity.(Townsend, A, M., and Demarie, M, S and Hendrickson R, A., 2003) Why build a Virtual Team? Here point five factors: (Bettis, R and Hitt, M., 1995) * The flat organizational structure is becoming a good solution to increasing speed to communicate. * The competition and cooperation will be easy in globe economy environment. * Changes in workers expectation of organizational participation. * Adjustment the production of knowledge work environments. * Make trade and corporate activity easily. First of all, to build virtual team needs to pay attention to define the team’s function and organizational roles, build the technical systems to exchange the information. Define the team’s function and organizational roles are the most important thing. The UK and China have seven (DST.) or eight (GMT.) times difference, it make the working time harder. The manager in China who leads the virtual team should clear expectations about team’s performance and criteria. Because of the virtual team’s geographical dispersion, the manager can define the detail of daily report, working schedules and emergency solution. As a new market competitor, Hotel Chocolat will face many difficult, so the virtual team members in both side, the UK and China, have responds to meet online in a short time. In the same time, the virtual team in China needs to have individual ability to control and solve problems. A well communication system in virtual team is a strong support. The technical system should be designed basic on efficiency. One of the reasons is the virtual team members are in different place so that they cannot face to face. If people cannot face to face meeting, some serious and complicated issues will not solve well. In tradition way, the tools have online meeting (Skype), file upload and download (email). If possible, the technical system can use wide-angle camera to build a multiplayer video session, in the meantime, virtual team members can use â€Å"cloud system† to modify the same file in different place together. Within modern technical system, the virtual team becomes more reality and efficient. National negotiating styles When a company enters new market, an excellent negotiating skill will make their process more successfully. In business activities, communication is the key of make a good deal. Within a group of well training negotiating employees, the new market risks, not only China market, will be reduced. As the human resource department, they should make a plan to lead the negotiators’ mind set. Therefore, the â€Å" Ping-Pong† Model (Fang, 1999) is a good choice. (Fang, 1999) The â€Å"Ping-Pong† model is based on the international business negotiating style and Chinese business negotiating style (Fang, 1999; Frankenstein, 1986; Ghauri and Usunier, 1996; Graham and Lin 1987), fang tries to build a bridge between China and the world. In the â€Å"Ping-Pong† Model, there are two major parts. One is the stage of the Sino-Western business Negotiation process and the other one is the dimension of Chinese business culture. In 1996, Ghauri make a structure of the international negotiating style process. He divides the total negotiation into three parts: 1, Pre-Negotiation 2, Formal-Negotiation 3, Post-Negotiation And also Fang realized that in Chinese cultural situation, he also define three main thing: 1, The PRC Condition 2, Confucianism 3, Chinese stratagems Combine these two things, international negotiating style process and Chinese cultural situation, the â€Å"Ping-Pong† Model produced. Next part, it will analyze six factors of â€Å"Ping-Pong† Model. Pre-Negotiation It includes four processes, lobbing, presentation, informal discussion and trust building. In the beginning is lobbing, in China market the government is a powerful force to the market. So it is necessary to have a good conversation with government. Presentation and informal discussion is the base of trust building. In public ways, presentation can show company’s abilities to the company, in other ways, Informal discussion enhance mutual understanding between company and its potential partners. Formal Negotiation In formal negotiation stage, five major contentious issues needs to serious consideration: equity share, contribution of each party, management control, technology and price. For Hotel Chocolat, technology is the top secret so that the human resource department should focus on this part. Post-Negotiation After formal negotiation, the team should be prepared for Chinese trick. One Swedish negotiator recall that (Ghauri P. and Fang T. 2001) Chinese negotiator always take the old issue whatever and whenever, but these situation would not happened in European, Middle Eastern and African countries. Hotel Chocolat website, (2012), Store http://www.hotelchocolat.co.uk/Chocolate-Store-Locations-Achocolatestore/ (accessed: 8th Oct 2012). Hotel Chocolat website, (2012), Products http://www.hotelchocolat.co.uk/chocolates-CHC_PRODUCT/ (accessed: 8th Oct 2012). Farrell, D., Gersch, U. and Stephenson, E. (2006), The value of China’s emerging middle class, McKinsey Quarterly, pp69-69. Clifford Coonan, (2009) The largest English-speaking country? China, of course, The Irish Times, 6 June, available at: http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/weekend/2009/0620/1224249169396.html (accessed at 9th Oct 2012). Townsend, A.M., DeMarie, S.M., Hendrickson, A.R. (2003) ‘Virtual teams’ In Thomas, D.C. (ed) Reading and Cases in International Management: A Cross-cultural Perspective. London: SAGE, pp.269-281. Bettis, R. and Hitt, M. (1995) â€Å"The new competitive landscape†, Strategic management journal 16(S1), pp,7-19. Fang, T. (1999) â€Å"Chinese business negotiating style. Sage: Thousand Oaks, CA. Frankenstein, J. (1986). Trend in Chinese business practice: Change in the Beijing wind. California Management Review, 29(1): 148-160. Ghauri, P. N. and Usunier J. –C. (1996) International Business Negotiations. Oxford: Pergamon. Graham, J. L. and Lin, C. –Y. (1987) A comparison of marketing negotiations in the Republic of China (Taiwan) and the United States. In Cavusgil, T. (ed. Advanced in international marketing (Vol. 2, pp. 23-46). Greenwich, CT: JAI Press. Ghauri P. and Fang T. (2001), Negotiating With the Chinese, Journal of World Business Vol. 36, pp. 303-325.