Utopi A Colony Of Human Virtue And Happiness - 3490 Words

Utopia is a thing every modern civilization strives for. In Greek, the word topos means place, but the prefix ou- or eu-, rendered in modern English as u has a double meaning: ou- means no while eu- means good. In other words, the literal translation of utopia can be either good place or â€Å"no place.† When asked the definition of â€Å"utopia† one can assume the recurring answer would correspond to Nathaniel Hawthorne’s opening statement in The Scarlet Letter saying that utopia is â€Å"a colony†¦of human virtue and happiness†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Hawthorne 1). However as human beings, with independent wills and thoughts, the suggestion that a whole community can think and be as one to create that perfection without some kind of restriction is implausible. I assert that social, physical, and mental conditioning must be utilized to create the single-mindedness of a majority to make this society conceivable. In 1516, the first recorded utopian society was found in Thomas More’s novel Utopia. What was first and foremost a biting, satirical take on his own society, held some sincerity into what More pictured as a flawless civilization. To the inhabitants of this country named Utopia, â€Å"their chief concern is what to think of human happiness†¦Ã¢â‚¬  and â€Å"virtue as living according to nature; and God†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (More 65, 66). They are a people who find serenity in holding on to no material possessions and partaking in everything together, contributing to the sense of community. The doors to all the houses are left

Indigenous Disadvantage Free Essays

Working Effectively with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People Why are Indigenous people in Australia still disadvantaged with regard to health care and services? For the last 200 years Indigenous people have been victims of discrimination, prejudice and disadvantage. Poor education, poor living conditions and general poverty are still overwhelming issues for a large percentage of our people and we remain ‘as a group, the most poverty stricken sector of the working class’ in Australia (Cuthoys 1983). As a people, our rate of chronic disease is still 2. We will write a custom essay sample on Indigenous Disadvantage or any similar topic only for you Order Now times higher than that of other Australians, and Indigenous people in this country die 15 to 20 years younger than those in mainstream Australia. More than half of these figures are caused by chronic diseases such heart disease, stroke, diabetes, chronic respiratory disease and kidney disease. The majority of these chronic diseases are preventable and while research is continuing to find ways to reduce the risk factors, issues such as smoking, alcohol and substance abuse, diabetes, chronic kidney disease, and promoting healthy eating and active lifestyles are still major challenges in Indigenous communities throughout Australia. Healthy living choices are not easy for people living in remote communities which results in a high incidence of preventable chronic disease. Good nutrition is fundamental to the maintenance of general wellbeing and the prevention of sickness and disease. It plays an imperative role in pregnancy and early childhood, prevents obesity and type 2 Diabetes and can lower the risk of recurrent heart disease by up to 70%. However, remote communities face many barriers to healthy eating, including isolation, the high cost of food, the variable supply of fresh food, lack of community town infrastructure and inadequate health promotion support, are just a few of these barriers that prevent community people from being able to make healthy living choices. Community programs in the Northern Territory aimed at building healthy communities are based on nutrition-related Menzies research and work to support community capacity to create a supportive environment for healthy eating and physical activity. These projects operate within the communities and are aimed at influencing food-related policy, promote healthy eating and physical activity, and encourage community engagement in activities for better health. Not as many health services are as user-friendly or culturally appropriate for Indigenous people as they are for non-Indigenous people, adding to higher levels of disadvantage and a greater reluctance to utilise these services. Sometimes this is because more Indigenous people live in remote locations and not all health services are offered outside of major centres. Specific issues such as reducing the incidence of chronic disease requires a significantly greater effort in coordinating collective strengths, creating and delivering preventative programs and primary health care for Indigenous communities and while great work is being done, more efforts are required to reduce the high incidence of chronic disease on Indigenous people and communities. When designing and developing services to meet the needs of our Indigenous people, close collaboration and consultation with the people for whom the service will be provided is vital. There is also much evidence suggesting that Indigenous women are over-represented in our hospitals and health clinics as victims of domestic and family violence. There is no clear measure of the extent to which Indigenous family violence is under-reported, but it is expected to be higher than for the general population (Cripps 2008; Cunneen 2009). In a report to the Australian Government about Indigenous violence, it was suggested that ‘priority should be placed on implementing anti-violence programs, rather than on further quantitative research’. The key risk factors for Indigenous family violence relate to; social stressors; living in a remote community; levels of individual, family and community dysfunction; availability of resources; age; removal from family; disability; financial difficulties and substance use. Indigenous Australians make up 2. 6% of Australia’s population; however they experience health and social problems resulting from alcohol use at a rate disproportionate to non-Indigenous Australians. It is estimated that chronic disease associated with alcohol use by Indigenous Australians is almost double to that of mainstream Australia. In 2003, alcohol accounted for 6. 2% of the overall incidence of disease among Indigenous Australians. According to available evidence, the use of volatile substances, especially petrol sniffing among the Indigenous population is much higher that of the non-Indigenous population. The use of volatile substances has major impacts on Indigenous people, families, communities and the wider Australian community. What resources are needed and required to address the issues and explain how you see that these resources be best distributed. What projects need to be done? What makes health services more accessible for Indigenous people? ? Having more Indigenous Health Workers on staff; ? Increasing the number of Indigenous people working in the health sector (Aboriginal, health workers, social workers, doctors, dentists, nurses, etc); ? Designing more health promotion campaigns aimed specifically at Indigenous people; ? Better training of non-Indigenous staff to be more sensitive to the needs of Indigenous patients and to improve cultural awareness; ? Making important health services available in remote locations (so Indigenous people do not have to travel to major centres, away from their support networks and the security of their own community); and ? Funding health services so they are affordable for Indigenous people who might otherwise not be able to afford them. As a result of our history and because of the continuing disadvantage, our people have needs that differ from those of mainstream Australians. Therefore, it is also imperative that we acknowledge and respect the impact of events and issues in Indigenous people’s history when designing and delivering these services. The social determinants of health include if a person is; working, feels safe in their community without discrimination, has a good education, has enough money, and feels connected to friends and family. Social determinants that are particularly important to many Indigenous people are; their connection to land, a historical past that took people from their traditional lands and away from their families. If a person feels safe, has a job that earns enough money, and feels connected to their family and friends, they will generally be healthier. Indigenous people are generally worse off than non-Indigenous people when it comes to the social determinants of health. Additionally, it is important to develop policy and practice to address substance use among Indigenous people. Programs addressing alcohol and volatile substance use should be operated in combination with a range of general programs aimed at ‘closing the gap’ between Indigenous people and other Australians in the areas of education, employment, income and housing. What strategies can be put into place to a. vercome access, equity, disadvantaged issues and; b. to make services culturally safe? A strengths-based approach involves working from a community’s collective strengths to assist them to address their challenges. Bringing together different people with specific skills to collectively address issues, communities can provide local solutions issues specific to their local area. This approach includes the practice of using culturally appropriat e and consultative strategies, however, strengths-based approaches also focus on maximising the strengths of contributors. By doing so, the targeted interventions are more likely to realise long-term change because they empower our communities to provide practical solutions that are appropriate for them (Haswell-Elkins et al. 2009; Leigh 2008). Australia has committed to developing strategies to address the causes of Indigenous disadvantage and six key areas have been identified as targets to reducing the divide between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians. These targets are to improve life expectancy within a generation; to halve the mortality rates for Indigenous children under five within a decade; to nsure all Indigenous four year olds in remote communities have access to early childhood education within five years; to improve reading, writing and numeracy achievements for Indigenous children within a decade; to improve the number of Indigenous students in year 12 attainment or equivalent; and to improve employment outcomes between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians within a decade. A sub stantial amount has been invested in improving Indigenous health outcomes and the way the Australian health care system prevents treats and manages the chronic diseases that shorten so many Indigenous Australians’ lives. The aim is to reduce the risk factors for chronic disease in the community such as smoking, alcohol and substance abuse, improve chronic disease management and follow up through our health services, and increase the capacity of our acute care workforce to deliver effective care to Indigenous people with chronic disease. How can we advocate for anti-racism policies? Although many other Australian minority groups have been reported to be experiencing racism in our country, the experiences of racism are most protracted among our own Indigenous people. Racist attitudes toward Indigenous people may be viewed as having two dominant waves; the first wave was predominant during the first 170 years following the arrival of the First Fleet, and the second was in the post-referendum era, which led to changes in Australia’s constitution that formally recognised Indigenous people as part of the Commonwealth of Australia. The belief in superiority based on skin colour was justified by the framing of Indigenous Australians as inferior humans. These politically entrenched attitudes justified dispossession of Indigenous people from their homelands. Dispossession resulted in reluctance by mainstream Australia to acknowledge land rights, loss of spiritual values, disrupted law, and disconnection from land, community, family and cultural values. Most policies were backed by legal provisions instituted by Australian state governments. For example in Queensland, laws enacted treated Indigenous people like prisoners, with little freedom of choice. They were required to work without pay and prevented from undertaking traditional cultural practices. These policies created a sense of powerlessness, hopelessness, stress and related illness. Today, there remains no ‘quick fix’ solution to changing the levels of disadvantage that have been generations in the making. To move forward we must learn from the past and build through good practice and recognising that there are successful public, private and community sector programs and initiatives that have made substantial progress. Addressing disadvantage places responsibilities on those providing support and assistance and on those receiving it. For those who provide support there is a duty to those being assisted; for example, it means service providers should: work together with local Indigenous people and their communities; recognise and acknowledge our history and the consequences of past policy and practice; and empower local Indigenous communities to help themselves. For the communities being assisted, there is a responsibility to help ourselves as best as we can, this might mean looking for information on available services, assisting service providers to improve delivery outcomes, and recognising and addressing personal barriers to improvement. Some Indigenous communities have identified that taking responsibility in education and employment is an important part of the way forward. In other communities, the importance of individual and family commitment to a healthy lifestyle has been identified. Meeting these targets will also require our own people to take responsibility for implementing some lifestyle changes if the problems of obesity, diabetes and substance abuse are to be improved. Local, Territory, State and Federal governments and peak Aboriginal bodies have collective social responsibilities to Indigenous people as their constituents. Governments are responsible for ensuring that citizens have access to the resources and the opportunities needed to take their place in our society. Governments have the responsibility to ensure programs and services do not produce welfare dependency or other unintended consequences. Finally, Australian governments have responsibilities under the international treaties that Australia has entered into. References Review of volatile substance use among Indigenous people. d’Abbs P, Maclean S (2008) Volatile substance misuse: a review of interventions. Barton, ACT: Australian Government Department of Health and Ageing www. healthinfonet. ecu. edu. au Supporting the Yolngu Life: Yolngu Walngakum. Building healthy Communities www. menzies. edu. au Dunn KM, Klocker N, Salabay T (2007) Contemporary racism and Islamaphobia in Australia: racializing religion. Ethnicities; 7: 564-589 Angelico T (1993) Wellness and contemporary Australian racism. In: Collins J, ed. Contemporary racism in Australia, Canada and New Zealand: volume 2. Sydney: University of Technology: 237-258 Lewis W, Balderstone S, Bowan J (2009) Events that shaped Australia. Sydney: New Holland Publishers Trudgen R (2000) Why warriors lie down and die: towards an understanding of why the Aboriginal people of Arnhem Land face the greatest crisis in health and education since European contact: djambatj mala. Darwin: Aboriginal Resource and Development Services Inc. Howitt R, McCracken K, Curson P (2005) Australian Indigenous health: what issues contribute to a national crisis and scandal?. Geodate; 18(1): 8-15 How to cite Indigenous Disadvantage, Essay examples

Options for Performance Measurement in CERAâ€Myassignmenthelp.Com

Question: What Is the Options for Performance Measurement in CERA? Answer: Introduction: The human resource management within a business organisation takes one of the most significant roles in planning, designing and operating the entire functional operations as per the organisational objectives. Not only the materialistic resources but also both the internal and the external people are also under the sincere concern of the human resource management (Frosen et al. 2016). In providing the motivation to the workforce to meet the organisational objectives, the performance of the HRM is also significant. In this report, the organisational strategies and the performance of recent development are analysed. Along with this, the associated limitations are also focused. On the other hand, two alternative measurement approaches and indicative methods for each of the approaches are suggested for addressing the limitations. The performance of a business company is estimated by the development of the design and activities of the individual contribution. As stated by Huang et al. (2015), the measurement of the effectiveness of an organisational performance can be evaluated through the achievement of the organisational targets and benchmarks. Even through the performance appraisal, the current organisational strategies and the outcome of their application in business functions can also be understood. For CERA, it can be noticed that there are some issues and unsatisfactory factors in the service of the organisational management. However, Mark as the founder of the company has been taking and applying some necessary steps in order to eradicate the issues regarding the appraisal of the employee performance management. The limitations occurred in bonus, reward and geographical location of the organisational operations are all under the sincere focus of the entire organisational team. Limitations those are evident in CERAs individual performance measurement with reference to the organisational strategy of CERA and recent development in this HRM practice: In order to operate and measure a high-performance management system, it is necessary for the business organisations to clearly identify, set and create a communication among people. Through this, they can able to evaluate the skills and performance level of the entire team. In fact, the demonstration of the performance level is also helpful in the proper understanding of the organisational benefit. Real, Roldan, Leal (2014) have however argued that the limitations and barriers in the organisational performances with the application of the specific strategies and recent activities can also be identified through this performance measurement process. The Civil Engineering and Research Associates, better known as CERA, is situated in Sydney, Australia. It is basically a civil engineering company established in 2007 by Mark. With the progress of time, this company has become as one of the most influential and reputed companies in the world. The main reasons behind the growing reputation and acceptance level of this company are the design of the systematic planning, organisational structure, and management of the functional targets along with the satisfactory service provided by the organisational staffs. It is quite necessary to mention here that the intention of Mark to create an innovative business strategy of this organisation apart from the influence of its competitors has achieved the customer attention. However, in operating and providing the expected services to the customers, the management of CERA has been facing some noticeable limitations. One of the major limitations associated with CERA regarding the performance of their individual organisational strategy is the poor performance management quality. As stated by Lillis, Malina Mundy (2017), the success of a business organisation through the meeting of the organisational targets is hugely depended on the contribution of the staffs. However, the poor standard of the performance management sometimes creates employee dissatisfaction. The aim of the management of CERA is to provide helpful as well as high-quality solutions to their customers individually as per their needs and requirements. However, lack in the linking up the employee reward structure with the measurement of performance quality sometimes creates administrative issues (Liu et al. 2014). Even, the lacking in the rapid industrial development creates several negative impacts on the motivation of the employees to continue their works and also to encourage the government to focus on the organisational activitie s (de Waal Kourtit, 2013). The limitation in the number of the functional staffs is also a result of this limitation. Although the bonus scheme is good in this, however, it is not as per the necessity. According to Hair (2015), CERA has undertaken effective organisational strategy in order to overcome the issue of industrial limitations. The functional activities of the HRM, as well as the financial department, have been improved in order to measure the performance and contribution of an individual employee within the company. The HRM of CERA has also undertaken the strategy of advertising for the vacancy fill up (Glykas, 2013). It is quite evident that the internal faculty is not sufficient as per the scopes and opportunities of CERA and due to this, they have been deprived of getting several future scopes to improve. Along with this, the timely client services are also focused nowadays. Even in order to get a better market for the strategic expansion of their business; they have also focused on the broader geographic location in the recent days (Teeratansirikool et al. 2013). They have undertaken this strategy with an aim to occupy the regional market with the affluence of produc ts as motivated by their project completion capacity. Even the role of the Research and Development department is also significant to overcome civil development limitations. In order to measure the performance level of CERA, the management of this company has started to follow a scheme known as Performance Panning and Review (PPR) as per the pre-set objectives. Even the introduction of the cash rewards for the staffs as per the measurement of their performance level to meet the organisational goals is also another strategy applied by Mark as the founder and director of CERA. However, this strategy was based on the seniority of the staffs. The necessity to measure the individual performance management has forced CERA to implement some immediate steps. It has been observed from the feedback of Rachel, one of the team members of CERA performance management that the reward system allotted for the employees is not enough satisfactory. Even CERA has also been lagging behind in comparison with Amazon and Netflix. Therefore, it is also suggeste d to pay a satisfactory amount to them in order to encourage them to undertake the responsibility to complete any challenging project. Through all these, the limitations in research and development department have been trying to be controlled. It has been presented by some of the team members of CERA that the present condition of the performance tracking quality is not up to the mark. Bryman Bell (2015) have opined that there are also some legal obligations that are needed to be maintained by an organisational management during the measurement of performance and quality measurement. Mark has stated that the conversation with the members of Civils and Contractors Federation has provided him an idea regarding this. Another limitation can be identified in the project management strategy. There are 45 employees with high professional capacities. Through their effective services, more than 500 projects have already completed successfully. Even as per the employee availability, the management of this organisation can able to undertake the contract of projects worth around $45 million per year. As per the capacity of the internal employees, the projects are also delivered by given time. Year Net profit (A$ 000,000) 2007 12 2008 18 2009 17 2010 29 2011 37 2012 59 2013 78 2014 114 Table 1: Annual report of CERA, 2015 (Source: Melnyk et al. 2014) It is quite clear from the above table that since 2007 till 2014, there is a massive change in the amount of the net profit earned by the management of CERA. Since 2009, it has been going through increase that has become the highest between 2013 and 2014. The amount of A$12,000,000 has reached to A$114,000,000 in 2014 in which A$36,000,000 has taken place between 2013 and 2014 (Melnyk et al. 2014). From the earning of additional revenue and prestige from some specific areas, it is quite clear that people within the organisation served their best effort for the organisational benefit. Even, this is one of the best ways to measure their performance level. The minimisation of work pressure in the workplaces has encouraged them to provide their efficiency and skills as per the organisational objectives (Bourne et al. 2013). In fact, the reword and recognition strategy applied for the staffs by the CERA management has been serving as one of the major factors behind the performance measurement and quality improvement. Recommendation of two alternative measurement approaches and indicative methods within each approach that could work in CERA with addressing the limitations: The main problem of CERA regarding their performance management system is that they do not give proper appraisal to the hard working and highly qualified professionals. Though they employ highly qualified professionals, their remuneration system does not provide the employees with the actual money that they should get for their performance. CERA can introduce two approaches described below to address the problems they face regarding their performance management system. Behaviorally anchored rating scale (BARS) It is a combination of graphic rating scale and critical incident method. It sets the effective performance behaviors required to handle a critical issue. At first, the supervisors find out the critical issues that require effective performances from its subordinates. Supervisors then categorize these issues according to the level of performance required to solve these. Supervisors then give the subordinates these issues to work upon (Wang Wang, 2012). Then their performance is measured on a scale of 7-9 depending on their performance behavior to solve these critical situations. The works that the employees perform are the behavior anchors for measuring performance. In CERA, there is no effective process of evaluating employees performance and thus providing them appraisals accordingly. The process of performance evaluation is such that, high performing employees of certain departments receive fewer bonuses while high performers of other departments receive good appraisals. The main objective was to evaluate performance on generating revenue by keeping under budget (Li, Nan Mo, 2010). Hence, management left out the extraordinary performers of departments like drafting, legal and administration. Implementing the BARS approach can reduce this difference is appraisal system by evaluating each employee through certain performance anchors that is required to handle issues. This will provide appraisals to all the deserved employees and will motivate them to work harder. The 360-degree appraisal The main motto of this appraisal system is to make it more participative and transparent. It is a 360-degree appraisal system, which depends on self, superiors, colleagues and the customers. It is called a 360-degree approach because it involves all people surrounding the employee, from lower level to upper level including people from the same level (Zhao, Seibert Lumpkin, 2010). The main components of 360-degree appraisal are Self-Appraisal- It gives the employee a chance to evaluate its own strengths and weaknesses and the development areas. They can share their self-appraisal views to their supervisors and can jointly chalk out a plan for improving the performance. The employee can also share the career plans to his superior. This plays favorable for the organization as they can plan accordingly (Moynihan Pandey, 2010). Superior-Appraisal- The appraisal by the superiors provides feedback about the performance of the employee and its development areas. The feedback should be constructive to improve the employee performance. Superiors set the goals and processes to fulfill them. They can put the career aspirations of employees in the right track (Rich, Lepine Crawford, 2010). Subordinate-Appraisal- This is the most unique feature of this 360-degree process. The employees get chance to evaluate the superiors on their capabilities of handling crises, motivating employees, setting goals for them, building team and properly communicating the requirements (Walker, Damanpour Devece, 2010). Peer-Appraisal- The people who are of the same level in the department in which the employee belongs provides this type of appraisal. Here the peers give their feedback on the co-operation and the collaboration abilities of an employee. They also evaluate an employee on its capability of handling a team (Brewster Mayrhofer, 2012). Potential-Appraisal- It evaluates the potential of the employees, which the organizations did not expose. The factors that affect this appraisal is the present performance, the past performance, the age, the personality and the qualification of an employee. It helps the employee in defining career goals and setting objectives for the organization to fulfill these goals. It focuses on the training importance of employees to enhance their skills and contribute more toward the productivity of the organization (Cocca Alberti, 2010). The 360-degree process can be very helpful for CERA as well as its employees. The organizations can consider all employees whom they left out for appraisal process. The employees complained about favoritism in appraisal in CERA. This system fully addresses this issue since the appraisal does not depend only on the superiors. The self-appraisal process will help employees to evaluate themselves and counter any inappropriate negative feedback given by the superiors for wrong reasons (Gruman Saks, 2011). The case study states one of the major problems faced by CERA. As there is, no effective evaluation process for evaluating the potential of lower level staff members, the organization never gave importance to the career objectives of inexperienced people. As a result, the organization cannot retain the potential high performing employees. This process can help CERA on employee retention by bringing forward the potential capabilities of relatively low and inexperienced employees. The organization should always follow some basic rules for the success of any of the appraisal process they consider. Firstly, it is very important to jot down the points that need he or she will cover for the review meeting before handedly. The superiors need to leave favoritism and fairly does the appraisal process (Ng Feldman, 2010). The mindset should be positive and the superiors should provide constructive feedback to encourage employees. Superiors should prioritize review meetings above all work because this is the only process to encourage employees for better performance. The superiors should do this review process on a regular basis. Conclusion: The above analysis has made it clear that within an organisational context, management of employees is an essential factor to get organisational success. If employees are satisfied regarding the working environment, pay and reward given, they tend to stay, increase productivity and give their 100% in work. As far as CERA is concerned, it is identified that the employee management system, especially the performance management of employees is worse in the company. The higher management has not only ignored the contribution of few departments in the financial improvement of the company, but also scaled the performance wrongly. In this context, using methods like BARS and 360-degree appraisal seems to be fruitful where every employee is judged based on their performance. The methods also likely to help the high performing employees. They can be encouraged to work effectively while other employees can also be encouraged to get the reward for good performance. References: Bourne, M., Pavlov, A., Franco-Santos, M., Lucianetti, L., Mura, M. (2013). Generating organisational performance: The contributing effects of performance measurement and human resource management practices.International journal of operations production management,33(11/12), 1599-1622 Brewster, C., Mayrhofer, W. (Eds.). (2012).Handbook of research on comparative human resource management. Edward Elgar Publishing. Bryman, A., Bell, E. (2015).Business research methods. Oxford University Press, USA Cocca, P., Alberti, M. (2010). A framework to assess performance measurement systems in SMEs.International Journal of Productivity and Performance Management,59(2), 186-200. de Waal, A., Kourtit, K. (2013). Performance measurement and management in practice: Advantages, disadvantages and reasons for use.International Journal of Productivity and Performance Management,62(5), 446-473 Frosen, J., Luoma, J., Jaakkola, M., Tikkanen, H., Aspara, J. (2016). What counts versus what can be counted: The complex interplay of market orientation and marketing performance measurement.Journal of Marketing,80(3), 60-78 Glykas, M. (2013). Fuzzy cognitive strategic maps in business process performance measurement.Expert Systems with Applications,40(1), 1-14 Gruman, J. A., Saks, A. M. (2011). Performance management and employee engagement.Human Resource Management Review,21(2), 123-136. Hair, J. F. (2015).Essentials of business research methods. ME Sharpe Huang, S. Y., Lee, C. H., Chiu, A. A., Yen, D. C. (2015). How business process reengineering affects information technology investment and employee performance under different performance measurement.Information Systems Frontiers,17(5), 1133-1144 Li, W., Nan, X., Mo, Z. (2010, August). Effects of budgetary goal characteristics on managerial attitudes and performance. InManagement and Service Science (MASS), 2010 International Conference on(pp. 1-5). IEEE. Lillis, A. M., Malina, M. A., Mundy, J. (2017). Field study evidence of subjectivity, bias mitigation, residual bias, and interdependencies in performance measurement and reward systems Liu, J., ED Love, P., Smith, J., Regan, M., Sutrisna, M. (2014). Public-Private Partnerships: a review of theory and practice of performance measurement.International Journal of Productivity and Performance Management,63(4), 499-512 Melnyk, S. A., Bititci, U., Platts, K., Tobias, J., Andersen, B. (2014). Is performance measurement and management fit for the future?.Management Accounting Research,25(2), 173-186 Moynihan, D. P., Pandey, S. K. (2010). The big question for performance management: Why do managers use performance information?.Journal of public administration research and theory,20(4), 849-866. Ng, T. W., Feldman, D. C. (2010). Organizational tenure and job performance.Journal of Management,36(5), 1220-1250. Real, J. C., Roldan, J. L., Leal, A. (2014). From entrepreneurial orientation and learning orientation to business performance: analysing the mediating role of organizational learning and the moderating effects of organizational size.British Journal of Management,25(2), 186-208 Rich, B. L., Lepine, J. A., Crawford, E. R. (2010). Job engagement: Antecedents and effects on job performance.Academy of management journal,53(3), 617-635. Teeratansirikool, L., Siengthai, S., Badir, Y., Charoenngam, C. (2013). Competitive strategies and firm performance: the mediating role of performance measurement.International Journal of Productivity and Performance Management,62(2), 168-184 Walker, R. M., Damanpour, F., Devece, C. A. (2010). Management innovation and organizational performance: The mediating effect of performance management.Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory, muq043. Wang, Z., Wang, N. (2012). Knowledge sharing, innovation and firm performance.Expert systems with applications,39(10), 8899-8908. Zhao, H., Seibert, S. E., Lumpkin, G. T. (2010). The relationship of personality to entrepreneurial intentions and performance: A meta-analytic review.Journal of management,36(2), 381-404.

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Introduction The management in any organization is often charged with the responsibility of planning, organizing, controlling and leading all the resources of the organization in the most effective way to ensure its secure and sustained growth in all its future years of operation. Every approved investment decision should portray the projected effect on the firm’s future by use of the various established assessment procedures.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Short-term decisions lead to the emergence of the global financial crisis specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Moreover, any investment which risk assessment cannot be articulately determined as per the existent procedures should be stalled irrespective of how promising its returns may be. After the recent global financial crisis, it is evident that most firms, even the key financial organizations in a country, make investment judgment based on the short-t erm rather than the long-term. Over the years, since the great depression in the 1930’s, the role of management seems to have diverted significantly from expectations as illustrated by the global financial crisis. Managers, particularly in financial institutions and mortgage firms, have made decisions based on the current environmental changes and without much consideration of the long-term effects of each decision. Investment alternatives that seemed promising in the first few years, turned out to be the causes of the global financial crisis in later years. The form and level of risk management by these firms has been based on short-term assessment methods that have been nullified by the succeeding events. On the same note, there were financial institutions in certain countries such as Canada that did not suffer adverse effects of the crisis. Their management decisions were sound and based more on the long-term than on the short-term. In this easy, I intend to illustrate how certain management decisions by the top financials institutions fueled the emergence of the global financial crisis and how alternative management decisions by other firms cushioned them against the adverse effects of this crisis. Finally, I will elaborate on the managerial lessons from this occurrence that could be exploited to help reduce the recurrence of such an event in the future. Managerial decisions that fueled the global crisis According to Perelman (2012), the state of the economy in the 1920’s was so weak that any single occurrence could have triggered the Great Depression. This implied that short-term managerial decisions made by the financial institutions have certain minor but progressive long-term effects which accumulate to a certain level when a single occurrence can lead to fatal crisis. I think the global financial crisis of 2008 was due to the same reason. The US housing bubble is often regarded as the proximate cause of the crisis. The management of Mort gaging institutions allowed the prices of the house to increase alarming since more inflows were attractive. No efforts were made to alter the condition. According to Tymoigne (2011), these institutions did not consider how the changes in prices would affect consumer spending and savings rate in the long run. The high cash outlay on housing had the effect of increasing the household’s spending causing them to save little no money.Advertising Looking for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Some began defaulting on their very first mortgage payments, a new occurrence in the sector. Such events occurred in Spring 2007. Managers of the subprime mortgages should have recognized something wrong and acted upon it. However, their actions to avert the situation were based on the unexplained belief that the housing prices never decline and the noble decision to ensure that more people own their homes. Th e later was ineffectively executed. Moreover, the continued deterioration of the credit principles that were applied to complex mortgage instruments also amplified the bubble. Managerial decisions in the lending process are aimed at helping people purchase homes in the short run that they ignore the requirements of the lending process. Schenk (2011) argues that loans were granted without the relevant review procedure or without verifying their income sources or securities. All along, the house buyers depended on the house rentals to pay for the mortgage. Later, the mortgage would be used as security to secure loans form non-bank lenders. These lenders, on the other hand, did not hold the mortgages to maturity. Instead they sold them off to the investors. Such incentives had the effect of enticing the home buyers to increase their debt to the extent that they could not afford. The later managerial decision by the U.S. financial institutions to organize the pooling of the above subpri me loans with the aim of strengthening security issuance was not carefully researched. Crump ( 2011) recognizes that had the professionals in this reputable analysis surveyed the process meticulously with a bias on the long-term effects, they would have seen no need to pool the mortgage loans. These may have saved the situation or allowed more time for the implementation of measures to safeguard against the global crisis. The Federal Reserve management was aware of the possible eventual default on the subprimes but preferred to focus their attention on the positive news of the housing industry. According to Prager (2012), a member of the Fed board had shown an optimism in the transition of the US economy to a modest and sustainable speed. This would ensure sustained non-inflationary development. He had perceived that the burst in the bubble would not spill over since the subprimes were worth less than two billion dollars. What he did not perceive is that the subprime was large relat ive to the US Gross National Product and the number of defaults was increasing greatly. Therefore, the spill in the long run would have resulted in the insolvency of the financial institutions that held them.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Short-term decisions lead to the emergence of the global financial crisis specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Similarly, the United States’ yearly decision to finance its annual budget deficit through government borrowing from other nationals had led too a great liquidity in the financial system causing the housing bubble. As Schenk (2011) says, government borrowing was a short-term decision meant to supplement the annual budget. Though the purpose was achieved in the short-run, the long-term effect of too much liquidity and huge debt greatly fueled the emergence of the global crisis. The amount of subprimes was, thus, large relative to the country’s debt leading t o the mortgage anomaly. He further added that the loopholes in supervisory system of emerging nations could have been excused. However, he fails to understand why the US, a model regulator could have failed to foresee such an eventuality. Credit suppliers had opted to use the normal evaluation procedure in the determination of the complex credit facilities in the short-term. They may have instituted measures to come up with the right procedures to evaluate such credit facilities but this did not shield them from the adverse effects of their short-term decision. According to Wade (2011), the credit risk was under-priced, a feature that caused the credit suppliers to be undercompensated for the risk. In due process, the credit spread across the board reaching to extremely thin margins. This further aggravated the appetite for greater credit risk and thus forfeiting the opportunity for correction of the global economic imbalance through the credit markets. Economists such as Adam Smith had long recognized the importance of leverage check in organizations. However, over the years, financial institutions lost a reasonably simple task of defining and determining the leverage due to their short-term mindset. They anticipated that if checks had not resulted in any anomalies in the period they were not conducted, then they would not do so in the few years to come. As Wade (2011) says, the astronomical growth of activities to acquire more securities, were majorly conducted off the balance sheet. Many of the financial products offered by these institutions contained leverage that was too difficult to evaluate or the classes of leverage were layered upon each other to the point of spreading the loss to even the most refined market players. Another reason attributed to the financial crisis is the shortcomings connected to the risk management in the private sectors, and a misunderstanding in the public sector. Schenk (2011) says, few managers had noticed the looming crisis by the summer of the year 2007. Many management decisions were based on what other firms were doing rather than by what was the right thing to do. Unfortunately, these decisions were based on faulty technical issues on the risk assessment.Advertising Looking for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More For instance, many supervisory authorities had failed in their duty in monitoring the risk situation in their firm’s activities, a circumstance that indicated the industry practitioners were overdue in reporting the matter to the top management. Moreover, the management failed to appreciate the forms of liquidity intermediation in time so as to act since they only thought in the short-term. So far I have managed to argue how the different managerial decisions either taken or not taken due to a short-term perspective of the financial institutions’ operations led to the emergence of one the financial crisis often termed as the worst in the history of the world. To further discuss the matter, I will illustrate how certain managerial decisions in Canada had significantly reduced the effect that had the global crisis to their economy. This will substantiate my earlier claim that managerial decisions in reaction to the consistently changing environment that lay emphasis on t he short-term were the real problem behind the economic crisis. Canada and the global crisis Unlike other countries, Canada which is a good example of a middle-sized, sophisticated capitalist economy has a banking system that survived the great financial crisis. Though it is also felt the heat of world recession, the country weathered relatively better than all other nations. Despite a mild hit on the financial institutions, there was no need to inject more funds into the system, the banks retained their level of profitability and shockingly managed to continue with their lending culture as usual. So what managerial decisions did they take into consideration? It is vital to note that their practices were often criticized by the U.S. and the U.K as conservative since they were not opened up to new financial advancements. Canada has instituted a regulatory management of banks, insurance agencies and large investment dealers under the Office of the Superintendent of Financial Instituti ons (OFSI) that meet regularly to ensure that there is a sound and stable management of the financial institutions. According to Schenk (2011), having the securities firms bank-owned and the OSFI to monitor the operations of the banks keeps the operations checked to avoid similar occurrences to those of U.S. the regular meetings ensure that all looming issues are deliberated upon based on their long-term effects on the economy. Pertaining to the issue of leverage, the managerial decisions by regulatory authorities on the leverage were stricter on asset-capital ratio. As Nanto (2010) says, they did not allow their companies to exceed 20 to 1 ratio. This decision was reached based on analysis of what effect the ratio greater than 20 to 1 would have on the economy at large. Therefore, at the time of the global crisis, the Canadian banks had asset-to-capital ratio of 18 to 1 which was less that of their U.S. and European counterparts. The U.S. multiple was over 25 while that of the Euro pean counterparts was above 30. Being less highly leveraged helped Canada survive the economic turbulence of 2008. Canadian mortgages were given by the banks to hold in the long-term unlike their US counterparts that were intended for resell to the investors. Ciro (2012) argues that this acted as an incentive to only lend in situations where there was high likelihood of repayment more than that of default. The banks were more articulate in assessing the income sources of the home buyers and their corresponding securities to ensure the probability of default was almost zero. Therefore, when the home buyers began to default in the U.S. and U.K, the Canadian financial institutions were collecting their mortgage repayments as usual. Their purpose to hold the mortgages for the long-term cushioned them from the adversities of the global crisis. Financial institutions in Canada have huge capital requirements as compared to those of other nations such as the UK and the US. Its banks depend more on the depository funds, which they maintain well above the required level, to safeguard them against emergence of volatility in the market. This is a decision that carries factors in the long-term effect of the ever-changing environment. Lev Ratnovski quotes this as the reason why its banks are classified among the most resilient in the world. Moreover, he adds that this form of framework is to be accredited for the solid statement of accounts, low foreign debt and a very sound national pension plan despite the current population situation. So far, I have illustrated that with the proper managerial decisions putting emphasis on the long-term rather than short-term, it was actually possible to survive the global financial crisis. Canada was faced by the very crisis that faced all other nations. However, it was left less scathed than the US and other European nations. This implies that a global financial crisis is not an event that cannot be avoided. Rather it is an eventuality which can be checked by using the right managerial decisions. Having identified that is not satisfactory. We need to know what to do when we are confronted by a similar crisis or what measures to institute to prevent the likelihood of such an occurrence. Therefore in the next section we look at the managerial lessons form the global financial crisis and in particular from survivors such as Canada. Managerial lessons There are several observations from the economic crisis that can provide a valuable lessons for the future practices. First, it is the interdependence of the macroeconomic behaviors and systems. Discreet long-term monetary policies have a desirable effect on the financial sectors while short-term macroeconomic policies that lead to global imbalances can bring to any financial markets irrespective of how effective the regulatory systems are. According to Schenk (2011), it would be wise to come up with exit strategies that ensure that the short-term policies do not create global imbalances. He adds that there is need for timely warning should there be such imbalances both nationally and internationally. This will ensure the high real interest rates are equally matched by the full pricing of risk. Second, globalization and the markets has shaped to be well comprehended in their complexity. These can be ensured by enhanced communication between regulators both at the national and international levels. This will foster the identification of problems that may result form short-term decisions by the institutions and deliberation on the most appropriate wais to safeguard the future against another global crisis. Third, prudence may be too righteous and boring but the pay off is worthwhile especially when the product is evaluated throughout the whole economic cycle. The worth and efficiency of the net systems have to be determined throughout the business cycle and not during the growth period only. Evaluation at a particular phase would only suite the short -term which we have seen is disastrous. The level of customer confidence in Canada and the U.S. brought the differences that occurred in the recession. One country was cushioned form the extreme shocks while the other was devastated by the crisis. The effectiveness of the regulatory authorities will depend on the line of defense of the firms. This calls for firms to have their practices imbedded in its corporate governance structures and policies. The policy makers need to be cautious in complicating any perceived reforms as the simplest policies are of ten the most effective. Canada’s 20 to 1 asset-to-capital ratio may have been simple but it was definitely effective. Another vital aspect is the depository requirements by the banks. The reforms should increase the amount and quality of reserves that the financial institutions should hold. The amount should reflect the all the long-term eventualities of the market. According to lynch, this principle is widely accepted by the principles but the issue of how much is enough has caused lost of disagreements. This may not be accurately determined though all efforts (Bustillo and Velloso, 2009). Conclusion I have argued in the easy that the organization’s operations while laying emphasis on the short-term were to be blamed for the global financial crisis. First, I illustrated how financial institutions had either ignored the market tends that gave hints on the possibility of a crisis or made short-term decisions that worsened the situation. Then, to illustrate that it was possible to emerge unscathed from the global financial crisis, I have used an example of Canada, an advanced capitalist economy, that was almost unaffected by the crisis. I have evaluated its strategies in comparison to those of other nations so as to underscore the difference. Lastly, I have made some recommendations on possible long-term managerial lessons, which if followed would ensure such events do not reoccur in future. Referen ces BUSTILLO, I VELLOSO, H 2009, ‘The Global Financial Crisis: What Happened and What’s Next’, Studies and Perspectives, Washington. No. 4, 52 p. CIRO, T 2012, The Global Financial Crisis: Triggers, Responses and Aftermath, Ashgate Publishing Company, Farnham. CRUMP, M 2011, ‘The Irish Research eLibrary (IReL): its survival through economic crisis’, Serials, no. 24, pp. 220-224. NANTO, D K 2010, Global Financial Crisis: Analysis and Policy Implications, DIANE Publishing Company, Darby. PERELMAN, M 2012, ‘Business as usual: the roots of the global financial meltdown’. Choice: Current Reviews for Academic Libraries, no. 49, pp. 937-938. PRAGER, J 2012, ‘Reluctant regulators: how the West created and how China survived the global financial crisis’, Choice: Current Reviews for Academic Libraries, no. 49, pp. 938-939. SCHENK, R E 2011, ‘From financial crisis to global recovery’, Choice: Current Reviews for Academic Libraries, no. 49, pp. 561-561. TYMOIGNE, E 2011, ‘Global financial crisis: global impact and solutions’, Choice: Current Reviews for Academic Libraries, no. 49, pp. 735-735. WADE, M 2011, ‘The National Library of Scotland’, Alexandria, no. 21, pp. 67-68. This essay on Short-term decisions lead to the emergence of the global financial crisis was written and submitted by user Johnathan I. to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here. Short The preservation of the human rights is one of the main tasks of any government. However, where is the solution to the question which involves the preservation of the population’s interests, but breaks the human rights? This controversial issue is closely connected with the problem of Aboriginals in Australia.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Short-Term and Long-Term Consequences of Removals for the Indigenous Children specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Moreover, the issue of the Stolen Generations is still current for the Australian society because the consequences of the forcible removal of indigenous children can be observed even today. That is why it is important to focus on determining short-term and long-term consequences of removal for those children who became the victims of the governmental discriminative policy in Australia during the period of 1890-1970. The fact of the forcible removal of indigeno us children from their aboriginal families is discussed by many researchers today. In their work â€Å"Women and Human Rights in Australia†, R. Desai, S. Fascione, J. Fox, and D. Kogan present the overview of the development of women’s rights in Australia in relation to the phenomenon of the Stolen Generations (Desai, Fascione, Fox, Kogan, 2008). The authors make accents on the formal aspects of women’s socio-political organizations in Australia and connect their development with the progress of social movements associated with the problem of human rights in Australia from the perspective of the issue of the Stolen Generations and results of this process. However, presenting the definite background for the development of the social organizations and movements in Australia, the authors give only general and brief information about the phenomenon of the Stolen Generations without concentrating on its consequences. Thus, the reasons for developing the violent acti ons against aboriginals were hidden in the governmental inclinations to realize the principles of assimilation in the Australian population with the help of providing discriminative measures (Desai, Fascione, Fox, Kogan, 2008). If the reasons of the process are historically explained, the consequences of removals for the representatives of the Stolen Generations require their further analysis. These consequences can be discussed as short-term and long-term ones. Many researchers determine such aspects of the process as the inclinations of the authority to create definite conditions for civilizing the indigenous children.Advertising Looking for essay on social sciences? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More However, the real situations became tragedies for those children who were removed from their families. The short-term results of such actions could be observed in the children’s inability to adapt to new circumstances, in their diseases as the results of stresses and changing the life conditions (Cassidy, 2006). The most dangerous effects were connected with the violent actions of white people who took children in their families. Aboriginals were considered as servants and often suffered from different kinds of abuses including sexual abuse (Kennedy, 2001). Various discriminative actions which were directed against the indigenous persons became the causes for children’s different psychological traumas which were complicated with the fact of their isolation from their relatives and cultural background (Krieken, 2004). Thus, when such children became adults they suffered from their impossibility to be culturally identified (Rayner, 2003). Moreover, the society rejected to accept the indigenous persons as equal to the other Australians in rights, and it was the reason for the development of the further hostility and violence against the Stolen Generations (Zogbaum, 2003). Thus, these people could not bear the facts of racial discrimination and being depressed could not find their place in the Australian society. That is why the rate of suicides among the representatives of the Stolen Generations is rather high (Read, 2003). The problem of the Stolen Generations is an example of providing the forcible assimilation and discriminative policy which is tried to be explained by the needs of the oppressed people. References Cassidy, J. (2006). The Stolen Generations – Canada and Australia: the legacy of assimilation. Deakin Law Review, 11(1), 131-177.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Short-Term and Long-Term Consequences of Removals for the Indigenous Children specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Desai, R., Fascione, S., Fox, J., Kogan, D. (2008). Women and human rights in Australia. Social Policy, 7, 52-54. Kennedy, R. (2001). Stolen Generations testimony: trauma, historiography, and the question of Ã¢â‚¬Ë œtruth’. Aboriginal History, 25, 116-131. Krieken, R. (2004). Rethinking cultural genocide: Aboriginal child removal and settler-colonial state formation. Oceania, 75(2). 125-151. Rayner, M. (2003). Who cares about the facts?: more evidence emerges for the Stolen Generation. Eureka Street, 13(8). 20-22. Read, P. (2003). How many separated Aboriginal children? Australian Journal of Politics and History, 49(2), 155-163. Zogbaum, H. (2003). Herbert Basedow and the removal of Aboriginal children of mixed descent from their families. Australian Historical Studies, 34(121), 122-138. This essay on Short-Term and Long-Term Consequences of Removals for the Indigenous Children was written and submitted by user Barbara Abbott to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

Critical Response to Images Covering the Crisis in Libya

Critical Response to Images Covering the Crisis in Libya Photography is one of the most popular â€Å"expressive means† these days. Almost every newspaper article is supported with the relevant image. There are many kinds of photographs which are created according to certain technique and performed with different purposes. Photography in new has a great meaning as it helps readers understand the subject of the article, for example.Advertising We will write a custom term paper sample on Critical Response to Images Covering the Crisis in Libya specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The documentary photography which is often used in news is aimed at recording certain places and events. But the photograph is not only a still image to be view, but according to Barthes (in Camera Lucda): â€Å"The photograph has a dual function. It is (at once) a fetish object and a transformational object (the w o ina) be closer†¦terms). The photography is also the means by which the shadow of the object understood as the real (and/as the mother) falls on the subject† (Kember 214). Thus, each photo is a significant addition to the text, but it can also serve as an individual source of information. Everything used in photography, focus, light, line, space, shade, etc. has specific meaning and function which produce the effect on the audience. In this paper, we are going to provide a critical response to images covering the crisis in Libya. The still images under analysis are from the BBC News: Libyan Crisis (image 4) (Fig. 1) and The New York Times: Detritus of War (image 3) (Fig. 2). These images are not only informational, but also contain certain ideas and tell stories. Every part on each picture is important in terms of the context and idea. In this paper, we are going to analyze the ideas and arguments of both pictures and discuss how the elements of each still image are used to transfer that idea. Main body First of all, it should be mentioned that both pictures are aimed at providing additional information to the articles to which they refer. The Fig. 1 image refers to the article in the BBC News â€Å"Gaddafi not Targeted by Strikes†. It shows one of the protest movements against the UN-backed action. In the picture, we can see several people from the crowd with placates with slogans like â€Å"No Blood for Oil†.Advertising Looking for term paper on art and design? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More People are anxious, their faces are tense. People and placates are on the central focus. The setting of the image is quite difficult to define, as we can see only people, but it is some street. However, the setting is not very important. What is important is the idea: to show what people fight for. In the second picture, from the New York Times (Fig. 2), we can observe only one person and a burning car. The aim of this picture is to show common situations that occur in the st reets in Libya. As opposed to the first picture, it is possible to see the setting and picture is not as emotional as the first one. The position of objects in both pictures is different and has a great meaning for the perception of the image by the audience. Barthes focuses attention on the relationships between object, image and time. He describes them as â€Å"that-has- been†: â€Å"I call photographic referent not the optionally real thing to which an image or sign refers but the necessarily real thing which has been placed before the lens, without which there would be no photograph. In the daily flood of photographs, in the thousand forms of interest they seem to provoke, it may be that the noeme That-has-been is not repressed but experienced with indifference, as a feature that goes without saying† (Barthes 22). Thus, a common thing between these pictures is that both of them provide information about events that took place during the conflict in Libya, and funct ion as additional source of information to the articles. However, they use different settings, focus, details and composition because they provide different ideas: Fig. 1 depicts the â€Å"mood and intentions† of people. Human emotion is in the focus of the picture. The aim of the second picture is just to illustrate the situation, show the fact.Advertising We will write a custom term paper sample on Critical Response to Images Covering the Crisis in Libya specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The second thing in common with the two pictures is that they have descriptions (or captions). According to Barthes, â€Å"the caption helps to choose the correct level of perception, permits to focus not simply the gaze but also understanding of the image† (118). Thus, the first picture Fig. 1 says, â€Å"Small-scale protests against the UN-backed action have continued in various cities around the world†. Thus, the reader under stands the history of the picture and acquires better understanding of its idea. The reader of the second article from the New York Times â€Å"U.S.-Led Assault Nears Goal in Libya† will be interested in evidences supporting the information in the article. Thus, the second image informs that, â€Å"for miles leading south, the roads were littered with burned trucks and civilian cars†. Thus, the reader understands the situation and becomes more informed of the issue. Burrett mentions that â€Å"descriptions are important to readers, because they contain crucial and interesting information that leads them to understand and appreciate images† (35). Thus, we see that description is a very important element of the still image, especially the one that is used in the newspaper article. Furthermore, as it was mentioned earlier in this essay, that every image is aimed at sharing a certain idea. As Bull says: â€Å"What a photograph means does not derive entirely from it s content (although it is essential that content is analyzed). By their very nature photographs are mobile signs whose meaning change across space and time and through virtual space too† (46). Thus, the idea of the photograph will be understood differently by different readers. Consequently, the context of every picture has its cultural implications and helps understand the peculiarities of the nation. In addition, both pictures have an ideological context, which can also be understood from the content, especially, in the first picture which depicts people, â€Å"reading an analog photograph as connected to reality is an ideological function of photographs based on their indexicality† (Sutton 165).Advertising Looking for term paper on art and design? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Conclusion In the article â€Å"The Shadow of the Object: Photography and Realism, Sarah Kember mentions the words by Fred Ritchin that â€Å"the viewer must question the photograph at the basic physical level of fact† (8). In this light, the still images are used mostly to inform the reader and show certain facts. However, it cannot be argued that composition, focuses and other means used in both pictures are essential for the understanding of the articles to which they refer. Moreover, apart from their main function to illustrate the information in the article, they contain certain ideas that can be understood by readers and help the audience to create personal opinion on the issues that images depict. Fig. 1. BBC News: Libyan Crisis (image 4) Barthes, Roland. â€Å"Camera Lucida – Reflections on Photography† in The Photography Reader. Ed. Liz Wells. New York: Routledge, 2003. 19 – 30. Barthes, Roland. â€Å"Rhetoric of the Image† in The Photo graphy Reader. Ed. Liz Wells. New York: Routledge, 2003. 114 – 128. Barrett, Terry. Criticizing Photographs: An Introduction to Understanding Images. New York: Mc Graw Hill, 1999. Bull, Stephen. Photography. New York: Taylor Francis, 2009. Damian Sutton, Real Photography, in The State of the Real: Aesthetics in the Digital Age. Eds. Damian Sutton, Susan Brind, and Ray McKenzie. London: I.B. Tauris Co. Ltd., 2007. Kember, Sarah â€Å"The Shadow of the Object: Photography and Realism† in The Photography Reader. Ed. Liz Wells New York: Routledge, 2003. 202 – 217. Images: â€Å"Detritus of War.† Photograph. The New York Times, Web. â€Å"Libyan Crisis.† Photograph. BBC New, 22 Mar 2011. Web.

A Guide on Writing a Motivation Letter for the Internship

A Guide on Writing a Motivation Letter for the Internship A Guide on Writing a Motivation Letter for the Internship A motivation letter or an essay is a very challenging assignment, as it may play an important part in your future and career. With its help, you can express yourself and show that you are a perfect candidate for a particular internship or position. There may be tens or even hundreds of applicants for the same program and the committee should want to see why you differ from the rest only by reading your CV and motivation letter. It should be not only catchy and intriguing but also show your skills, knowledge and aspirations, hiding all the possible imperfections. Some students may also be asked to complete such a letter after finishing their internship, which can be even more challenging than the one you write at the beginning. Such a personal statement should cover the whole time of you being an intern, your personal and academic achievements and much more. Topics, which you can discuss, may include: Describe a situation, where you played the leading part and managed to solve it successfully; Express how a particular program corresponds with your personal and academic goals; What skills, classes or experience make you the best candidate for the internship? It doesn’t matter what type of a topic you need to discuss, as they all centered around your personality and achievements, which will contribute to the internship and college you are applying to. Helpful tips If you stress out about completing a motivation letter, don’t worry too much and consider it a regular application essay. All you need to do is to give the committee a reason to select you and see that you have qualifications and personal achievements, necessary for the program. Here are a few tips, which will make your motivation essay perfect: Start your letter with a hook. It can be a sentence or even a paragraph, which will catch attention of the reader. The committee should be intrigued and want to learn more about you. Imagine how many essays they are going to read, so try to be interesting and different. You can start with examples, interesting facts or personal achievements, related to the subject; You should not only concentrate on the things, which you will obtain while being an intern but also on the things, which can be useful for the college. Try to explain why choosing you would be a great benefit for the college, university or company; As any other essay, your letter should have a thesis statement. It is very important, as it gives direction for your letter and gives the reader a chance to see what you stand on. Try to compose a sentence or two, describing the key features you possess and the main reasons, which motivated you to apply to the particular internship; Don’t rewrite your CV. You will attach it to your application, so there is no need to mention the same things over and over again. You should better demonstrate your motivation, potential and reasoning, instead of listing brief and boring facts of your bio; Try to avoid common phrases. There are many words, which most of the students use and which already have no value for the reader. For example, ‘I am a motivated team-player’ or ‘I want to gain experience in the field of interest’. It is better to describe more concrete qualities and skills you want to learn from the program; Be serious about the internship. Even if it is a part time program, which doesn’t have any fees, you need to be respectful and prove that you will take it seriously. A great advice is to take it as your job and consider an important step towards your future career; Don’t neglect guidelines. We understand how tempting it may be to show your creativity, trying to stand out from the rest. However, this doesn’t work with formatting and you need to stick to all the requirements about margins, fonts, spacing and so on. Don’t forget about the proper size of the paper. If else is not indicated, it is usually not more than 500 words long.

Ford Motor Company and Mitsubishi Motor Corporation Essay

Ford Motor Company and Mitsubishi Motor Corporation - Essay Example More and more consumers are buying automobiles and development of better infrastructure in terms of road networks has yielded more usage of automobiles by the consumers. Ford has a market share of 18% in the global market whereas Mitsubishi Motors has a market share of around 1 to 2%. There is a lot of competition in the automobile market with big giants of US car manufacturers, Japan car manufacturers and European car manufacturers across the world. The other competitors include Chrysler, General Motors Corporation, Toyota Motors, Nissan, Honda, Mercedes, and BMW. To answer my question I've used variety or research methods: Primary research methods and Secondary research methods. Primary research involves obtaining original data directly about the product and market. Primary research data is data that does not exist before, this data is accumulated to answer specific question. I used this research method because it provides the actual date directly from the market and analysis or this data can give accurate results. Secondary research methods include gathering data that has already been produced from relevant sources. Less effort is required in gathering this information and hence more concentration can be done on analyzing this information. The results from research are attached as Appendix-A Ford Motor Company holds a competitive edge over Mitsubishi Motors as it has captured a market share of 18% world wide as appose to Mitsubishi Motors 1.5% only. Other than North America, Ford Motor Company sales are higher and are steadily growing. Mitsubishi Motors apart from Russian markets has failed to capture any significant sales. Ford Motor Company has shown profit for the third consecutive year amounting to $2 billion or 1.04 per share giving rich dividend to the investors and gaining trust of investors thereby hoping to get more investments in the next year. Mitsubishi motors trying to survive have suffered an operating loss of 13.8 Billion yen for the first quarter of 2005 alone. Significant root cause being the loss of revenue due to fewer sales in North American markets. Ford Motors Company had a Sales Revenue of $178.1 Billion in 2005 as appose to $171.7 billion in 2004 significantly indicating the increase in the sales world wide. Mitsubishi motors had generated Sales revenue of 485.8 billion yen, down 71.8 billion yen from the same period last year (557.6 billion yen), indicating a downward trend in the sales of Mitsubishi vehicles world wide. Questionnaires and interviews with the different people have yielded a sure case of popularity of Ford brand names as oppose to the Mitsubishi brand names. Mitsubishi has one

Statistics project what factors affects the happiness of a country - 1

What factors affects the happiness of a country - Statistics Project Example influenced by the economic, social, political, psychological and geographical factors such as Life Expectancy, Well-being, Happy Life Years, Footprint, Happy Planet Index, Population, GDP and governance ranking (Michael 21) and (Neil 32). The aim and objective of this study is to investigate the relationship between the factors listed and the level of happiness of a country (Helliwell et al, 54). It therefore applies the quantitative analysis methods to show how the different factors are related to the level of happiness of the counties (Joop & Hessel 28). This study applies three statistical methods in the analysis of the relationship between countries’ happiness and the factors that cause happiness. The two methods are linear correlation analysis, statistical descriptive summary and graphical comparison (James 43). The data used for this study was collected as secondary data from www.happyplanetindex.org/data/). The dataset already has data in quantifiable metrics such that they can be used for quantitative data analysis. The data analysis methods applied in this study will be quantitative and descriptive. All the independent variables are in numerical forms except the country and the regions (McMahon 54). The relationship between each country’s happiness and the rest of the variables is tested through the correlation analysis (Gregg 32). The correlation coefficients demonstrate the link between happiness ranking for all the countries and each of the individual independent variables. The result for the linear correlation analysis is shown in table 1 below The third measurement taken in the analysis is the weight of influence of each of the variables on the level of happiness foe all the countries. The countries were divided into two categories, high happiness and low happiness countries. The ratios are taken as the average values of each dependent variable for the high happiness countries divided by the average equivalent for the low happiness countries

Preparing For and Taking Exam Essay Example for Free

Preparing For and Taking Exam Essay One of the most fundamental things that students are supposed to always have in mind is that preparation for exams must start early. It is very recommendable that preparation for the next exam should start immediately after one is through with a prior one. If one keeps up in regard to studies, then the process will be a smooth sailing. Before embarking on the process, it is very advisable to plan and this mostly entails asking oneself some questions. Such questions may include; what is my schedule during exam? How much work do I need to review? How much time do I need and have to prepare for exams? All these questions will enable one to plan time well. After planning is over, it is time to get down working; preparation for exams (Study Skills for College). So what does preparation for and taking exam entail? This is what this essay seeks to find out. Developing a balanced lifestyle prior to testing your skills Enough rest prior to exams guarantees good performance, since rest and good performance go together. Preparation for exams can be compared to preparing for a race as one need to be fit for the race. An individual’s well being is very crucial for one to be successful and thus a student needs to treat oneself with respect, as mental and physical well being is the number one factor to consider if one is to perform well (Moira, nd). To have good rest prior to exams entails having a good sleep. If one does not have enough sleep, he or she will always feel tired and this will definitely impede concentration and focus and thus studies will be negatively affected leading to poor performance. â€Å"Good Sleep equals a functioning student† (Queens University, 2008). A good diet is also essential when preparing for exams. Good nutrition will always work well in fuelling the brain and this can be achieved by mostly eating energy giving foods (Briffa, 2010). Eating process should be a regular activity at this time. If it is possible, fresh fruits for breakfast are recommendable as well as drinking a lot of water and consuming a lot of vegetables. A lot of sugar and coffee is not recommended at this time and fast foods are not healthy for a student who is preparing for exams (Moira, nd). As the saying goes, ‘you are what you eat, ’a healthy meal will translate into a healthy brain. In addition, a complete diet for a student includes ‘brains foods’ (Queens University, 2008). Moreover, a student should always have time for meditation. This process entails directing concentration to one thing and focusing on one object. This improves the breathing system and since one is attentive to only one thing, a student will find his or her thoughts taken away from anxious thoughts. This rejuvenates one and improves his or her focus. This process also goes along way to reduce stress and anger. This is very good before engaging in a challenging task (Zinger, 2008). Polishing quiz and study habits One should always come up with ways that would help in remembering what one has learnt. However, before embarking on the process, the first thing that one needs to do at this stage is to write on a blank piece of paper what one wants to cover and remember. It is also good at this point to work with others so that they can clarify what one does not understand. Cramming has never been recommended when studying and thus one should try as much as possible to read and understand, and if one does not understand, it is advisable to involve other people who may be good at the subject or even the tutors. A student is also advised to employ flash cards when revising since they assist to memorize facts. Discussion groups also come in handy at this point (Study Skills for College, nd). Another thing is that one should read while making some summaries of the main points and supporting information. If it is possible, one should come up with his or her questions and at the same time answer them. Other strategies to be employed include; cue cards, reciting loudly, do some practice problems and if possible go through some old exam questions in order to find answers to the questions one failed (Queens University, 2008). This does not mean that one should strain oneself while doing all this. It is good for one to enjoy studying and not viewing it as a punishment. This is possible if only one rewards oneself. This can be achieved by having breaks while reading. Five to ten minutes are good enough. During those breaks, one should not engage in any academic activities. The recommended activities include listening to music and watching television. This is also the best time to engage in some meditation. A student may also decide to go out for fresh air. In other words, it is the best time to engage in an activity that one likes doing most (Moira, nd). How looking back on the last exam can prepare you for the next one It is very important while preparing for exams to analyze past exam papers or questions. This is very instrumental in trying to find out what went wrong and that led to an individual getting the scores that one got. It also helps one to analyze the pattern the errors took in order to avoid them in future or in the next exam. There are different errors which may come about while doing exams. These include error related to questions, answers, and subject test-making procedures. While looking at past exam papers, it helps in ‘celebrating’ the mistakes one did. Mistakes should never be taken negatively since they offer valuable feedback (Queens University, 2008). In this regard, it is good to look at the experience that one went through while doing the exam. This entails asking some questions such as: Did I go blank the other time or did I have difficulties in breathing? How did I feel while doing the exam? These questions will help one find answers to the problems one encountered then and thus it may be possible to avoid them in future (Queens University, 2008). How to let go of exam anxiety while preparing for and taking exams Good performance in any challenging task also requires the body to be calm. For the body to be calm, it calls for good breathing and having enough air in the body. A student should take time to concentrate on breathing, specifically on the air that gets in and out of the system. Moments of longer and deeper breathing are advisable at this time. Time should also be taken to scan the whole body in order to relax the tensed muscles. This calls for one to sit properly when reading. Exercise also helps in relaxing the body and reducing anxiety. This is because it helps in pumping blood all over the body (Queens University, 2008). Exercises that one may engage in may include playing football, tennis, cycling, among others and this should continue even during exam time. This does not mean that one should spend all the time excising but a little time for some physical activities will do (Moira, nd). In conclusion, preparing for exams is very important just like taking the exam itself. Good preparation will mean success in the exam and thus time should be taken for the process. One’s well being is very crucial in passing exams and thus good preparation will go a long way to ensure that. References Briffa, J. (May, 2010). Food for thought’- nutritional advice for those preparing for and taking exams. Retrieved from http://www. drbriffa. com/2010/05/28/%E2%80%98food-for-thought%E2%80%99-%E2%80%93-nutritional-advice-for-those-preparing-for-and-taking-exams/ Dr. Moira, P. (nd). Developing a balanced outlook about exams. SLDC. Retrieved 0 from http://www. google. co. ke/#hl=enq=developing+a+balanced+lifestyle+while+preparing+for+and+taking+examsaq=aqi=aql=oq=developing+a+balanced+lifestyle+while+preparing+for+and+taking+examsgs_rfai=fp=545d1e31c800a3f3 Queens University. Learning strategies and development: Preparing for and taking exams at university. Retrieved from http://www. bewell-dowell. org/sos/pdf_files/Preparing%20for%20Tests/Exam%20Module%20DEC%202009. pdf Study Skills for College. (nd). How to prepare for exams. Retrieved from http://www. bmb. psu. edu/courses/psu16/troyan/studyskills/examprep. htm Zinger, L. (April, 2008). †Educating for tolerance and compassion: Is there a place for meditation in a college classroom? † College Teaching Methods and Styles Journal, 4 (4), pp. 25-28

The Matrix Essay -- movie film

The Matrix Interweaves much symbolism, mythology, philosophy, and psychology. On the surface, the movie challenges the dominance of technology in our culture and predicts an apocalyptic result from the use of artificial intelligence. Yet, behind the human struggle for survival is a mythical backdrop upon which are backlit some of C.G. Jung's basic ideas regarding the human psyche. These Jungian ideas include the ego-Self relationship and how it relates to the persona, the shadow, individuation, and the transcendent function. The earth has been decimated due to a battle for control of the earth between the AI's and humans; the Matrix camouflages this decimation. Humans are artificially created and sustained by the AI superstructure. Then they are plugged into a computer. A computer program generates a simulated reality called the Matrix. Humans live their lives in this computer-generated reality, but this reality is only in their minds. In fact, humans are kept in mechanical eggs filled with an amniotic-like fluid. The AI infrastructure keeps humans alive to tap the energy they produce. The strangers are a group of humans who have escaped the Matrix. Their leader is named Morpheus. Neo is believed by Morpheus to be the savior, â€Å"The One† (The Matrix). An oracle (also an escaped human) predicted long ago that a savior would come, a sort of second coming, and that he would be able to see through the Matrix and bring it down. The oracle told Morpheus that he would find The One. One question, which threads through the movie, is whether or not Neo is The One. Neo is asleep at his desk at home in one of the first scenes. A computer monitor next to him flashes repeatedly the simple text: â€Å"Wake up Neo† (The Matrix). The message is an instruction from the Self. The sleeping man is in ego mode, a symptom of an egocentric psyche. He is unaware of the possibility that there is something else besides the ego and he has not yet awoken to the possibility that there is another world outside of the persona he lives behind. The theme of Neo as a Jesus Christ figure plays throughout the movie. In Edinger's opinion, Christ was a figure who represented the individuating ego. The image of Christ, and the rich network of symbolism which has gathered around him, provide many parallels to the individuation process. When the Christian myth is examined carefully in the li... ...w people what you don't want them to see. I'm going to show them a world without you. A world without rules and controls, without borders or boundaries. A world where anything is possible. Where we go from here is a choice I leave to you (The Matrix). Neo has become an individuated ego. He negotiated a series of challenging psychic experiences to grow out of his former egocentric attitude. His statement speaks of an awareness of the ego as well as a sense of Self. He even refers to the ego field as scared and seems to be compassionate of the ego's fear. But he wants to live without the rules and control of the ego. Works Cited Chernow, Barbara and Vallasi, George, eds. The Columbia Encyclopedia. 5th Ed. Columbia UP, 1993. Edinger, Edward F. Ego and Archetype. Boston: Shambhala, 1992. Jacobi, Jolande. Complex/Archetype/Symbol in the Psychology of C.G. Jung. Princeton, New Jersey: Princeton UP, 1974. Jung, C.G. The Essential Jung. Ed. A. Storr. Princeton, New Jersey: Princeton UP, 1983. ---. Memories, Dreams, Reflections. New York: Vintage, 1961. The Matrix. Dir. Larry and Andy Wachowski. Perf. Keanu Reeves, Laurence Fishburne. Warner Brothers, 1999.

Delinquency Deterrence Response Essay

It is said that the human mind can be a very complex web of thoughts. Thoughts that can sometimes lead to good or bad actions. Does the actual threat of punishment deter or does it encourage juvenile delinquency? This question happens to hold two answers one being yes and the other no. Juvenile delinquency has existed for years but as we all know it is not a problem that blooms overnight. Juvenile delinquency is a manifested state that is learned and its causes are manifested from in the home (dysfunctional or broken), school (pressure to succeed), friends (peer pressure) and family (need to scape for some reason or another). According to Thomson Learning Inc. Juvenile Delinquency: The Core (2005), for some children and teenagers the threat of punishment is so realistic that this method provides an opportunity for those individuals to do right. This may be because the individuals rational thought process and the enforcement of punishment either has been already enforced or the fear of being caught is too high of a price for the individual to accept. On the other hand there are children and teenagers who do not ear punishment or any other consequences that may come from their bad actions. Furthermore, for some individuals the thought of being punished only enrages and encourages some individuals to continue their bad ways. It s said that in order for a plant to grow and bloom it has to be fed and nurtured. This process is no different when it comes to raising children and teenagers. When children or teenagers are raised in dysfunctional homes with parents that encourage bad behavior and no discipline enable these individuals to do wrong. Living in a home ith parents that consume alcohol, do drugs, steal and party on a regular basis encourages these individuals to become delinquent. A child or teen being raised in that type of environment may assume and be encouraged to think that it is okay to live that way. Being encouraged by peers to do wrong is not right but to be encouraged by ones own parent is considered an act that deems detrimental to any child or teenagers life. The reason for this is because consequences and correction for their bad actions does not exist (Thomson Learning Inc. 005). Some examples of general deterrence, specific deterrence and situational crime prevention strategies are as followed. General deterrence basically is if an individual believes that they will be caught in an act for example like holding up a convenience store and their punishment will be executed to the fullest for that crime. There is the possibility that the crime will not be committed because the punishment far outweighs the crime. Specific deterrence is used to lessen the probability of having a repeat offender. An example of specific deterrence is the three strike law. This method plainly states that a person who is tried for the same offense will go to jail for committing the same crime on a third offense. There are no breaks or excuses due to the fact that the three strike laws were implemented from a previous offense. Situational crime prevention is the ability to reduce and curb the tendencies of criminals by making their actions harder to commit. This can be done by having neighborhood watch groups in conjunction with police patrol at simulated times of the day. Store owners can have cameras placed in inconspicuous areas of their stores along with having tampered proof glass or window bars on their stores. The key in situational awareness is to make the offender thinks twice about their actions and how will it benefit them if they are caught (Thomson Learning Inc. , 2005). As kids growing up we were always told that prevention was always better than a cure. We were also told that for our bad choices made there will always be consequences for those actions. Knowing our boundaries we always stayed within them. My parents taught us right from wrong and they guided us through our childhood right into our teenage and adolescent years. It is in my observation through their hands on ways and always being active in our lives we stayed away from trouble. It is my belief that crime prevention strategies are always the best to start with. When an individual realizes that it is harder to commit a crime whether it is through parental involvement or because of the elements that are in place they may find something that will be more beneficial than getting into trouble. .

Detecting Plagiarism

The results of the paper, Lab Courses Go Virtual, came back with 98% similarity of plagiarism. This result defiantly exceeds the maximum amount allowed in regards to plagiarism. If I were the student, I couldn’t look my instructor in the eye or in this case respond to any correspondence with a clear honest and complete reason as to why I would have done something so deceitful as to copy some else’s work. My course of action toward the student would the following: I would like for you to understand that plagiarism reduces your self-confidence as a student. Clearly the paper that has been submitted was not your original work. Using some else’s work is not only fraudulent, but it promotes a lack of writing skills that is necessary in the workplace. Please review the universities guidelines on plagiarism. The guidelines are located: * Under the Library Tab * click Center of Writing Excellence located on the left hand side under * Writing Tools click Tutorials and Guides. * Under Plagiarism Tutorial click Plagiarism Guide. Keep in mind that I am here to assist you succeed in your journey. I encourage you to resubmit the assignment, within the four day time period from which it the assignment is due. At which time if you have not resubmitted the assignment in the time allotted, I will then assume that you have read the Plagiarism Guide and understand you will have failed the assignment and this course. There is also a possibility that you could be suspended from the university. I look forward to you resubmission of the assignment and if you have a questions or concerns please do not hesitate to contact me at [email  protected] phoenix. edu or call (509) 710-3537 anytime I will be happy to help.

Climate and Migration Essays (907 words) - Droughts In Africa

Climate and Migration Essays (907 words) - Droughts In Africa Global Issues Writing Assignment # 2 Climate and Migration Since the Neolithic Revolution, with he shift to food production, societies have become more sedentary, and have depended on natural resources in order to settle communities. For example, communities started to emerge along rivers, lakes, and oceanic costs so that water could be used for crop irrigation, and to get resources, such as fish and salt. Nevertheless, nature is unpredictable, and when there is a climate change, sedentary communities are significantly affected. In West Africa, droughts have displaced people, and caused out-migration, affecting communities in different ways. The Sahel region, in the South of the Sahar desert, and North of the tropical zone, along the equator, is one of the unstable regions in the world, regarding climate change. Geographically, the Sahel region is critically located. Too many factors play a major role in this region, causing degradation of the land. First, there are global scale factors such as the sea surface temperature (SST) anomalies (Hagos There are several issues linked to climate change in the Sahel region. According to Africa Renewal magazine, the Sahel region faces many issues, from fragile economy to irregular rainfalls. Due to its location, the region is very susceptible to water shortage, and land degradation, problems often linked to anthropogenic climate change. For instance, this region faced a severe droughts through the 1970s and 1980s what triggered a large decline of the economy (Hagos As shown in the U.N. case study, a young man, who used to live in the Lake Chad region, was significantly affected by drought, and he had to move from the region, and find a new place to live. This basically illustrates how droughts are a major issue for the Sahel region, and how they are closely related to population. Certainly, it is possible to solve the problem that the region is facing. However, the issues are as complicated in local scale as they are in global scale. According to the article Responding to Climate Change, from NASA, mitigation and adaptation to climate change, involves changing the human culture of consumption, by reducing the greenhouse emission. This is in a global scale, but also, this is probably the viable solution for Sahel region weather. In fact, Hagos and Cook reported in their study that the recovery observed in Sahel during the 1990s was due to the change in SST anomalies; A little variation in temperature of the two oceans was the cause of that recovery. This way, this study shows that human will continue to depend upon weather conditions, which decreases the chances of humans changing the current situation in the Sahel region. Nevertheless, the fact that a long-term solution depends mostly upon nature forces does not mean that there is nothing to do regarding the Sahel region. As the U.N. case study showed, the region is poor and it impacts the local capability to cope with environmental issues such as droughts. It is important to understand that the major issue is not that the region is dry, but how people deal with droughts. Thus, it is notable that the main problem is poverty in the region, what limits local people solutions. According to Africa Renewal Magazine, in 2013, the