Ping-Pong Diplomacy

Ping-Pong Diplomacy From 1949 to 1972 there were no diplomatic relations between the United States and the People’s Republic of China. No group of Americans had been invited to China since the Communist takeover in 1949 but that all changed with â€Å"The ping heard round the world†. Ping-Pong Diplomacy begun in April of 1971 when the U. S. Table Tennis team was participating in a World Table Tennis Championship in Japan when they received a surprise invitation to visit China.Nine American players, four officials and two spouses spent 7 days in China playing exhibition matches with their hosts, touring the Great Wall and Summer Palace, conversed with Chinese factory workers and students, and attended the Canton ballet. All while the American public followed the progress of this visit daily through the newspaper and on television.The visit opened a new door that changed the relations with the people of China and those of the United States as well as ended a 22 year embar go trade between the two countries. Soon later the Chinese Table Tennis team visited the U. S. in a similar manner as well as other countries to reach out to them using this Ping-Pong Diplomacy. The event showed the first instance that a sport such as Table Tennis can be used so effectively it could become a political tool for international diplomacy between nations.Even so that just a few months after the trip by the U. S. team President Nixon’s National Security Advisor Henry Kissinger secretly visited Peking and a Presidential visit to China was arranged. As the first President of the U. S. to do so President Richard Nixon then journeyed to China in what would become one of the most important events in U. S. history. It was all a result of Ping-Pong Diplomacy.

Barn Burning by William Faulkner Essay

The theme of Faulkner’s â€Å"Barn Burning† is the inner conflict a person feels between one’s innate moral beliefs and one’s loyalty to his or her family. This theme can be extended to any institution which encourages or demands actions of an individual that conflict with a person’s moral beliefs; for example the story could apply to an individual whose employer demands he or she do some immoral or illegal in one’s job. Faulkner wrote this story in the third person. The narrator has limited knowledge, knowing Sarty’s, the main characters thoughts, but not the thoughts of others. The Rural South and an unspecified amount of time after the Civil War provide the settee for the story. Faulkner made extensive use of metaphor in the story. He writes about a clock that no longer runs but has been stuck at 2:14 for years. This is an indication that although Sarty has hopes that his father will change, there is no change in the family’s life and his father will remain the same. They will continue to move frequently and his father will always find an excuse to burn barns. Sarty compares the size of the large pure white house where the de Spains live with a courthouse. This represents Sarty’s belief in justice and truth. This is in sharp contrast to both the unpainted, small house occupied by Sarty’s family and the stiff black coat Abner Sarty wears. The black color is the opposite of the white that represents justice and truth. The coat is stiff suggesting that Abner resistant to change, reinforcing the metaphor provided by the nonworking clock. By having the main character, Sarty, leave his family at the end of the story, Faulkner appears to believe that obeying one’s conscience is more important than loyalty to one’s family, employer, country, or other entity. Faulkner’s use of imagery and the timeless theme of â€Å"Barn Burning† provide a story that is and should be read by people everywhere.

Planning and Budgeting for Women Cancer Foundation Term Paper

Planning and Budgeting for Women Cancer Foundation - Term Paper Example In most states, business registration information is found from the office of the secretary of state. As in the case of this business, the name of the business is Women Cancer Foundation which will be identified by all clients (Miller et al., 2006). The healthcare business also needs exceptional license or authentication which will comprise of an assessment of a background scrutiny on the partners or individuals operating the business. This will be followed by getting into contact with the insurance companies to acquire covers for liability and malpractice. There is no business that can operate or make service decisions without considering the insurance covers taken for the healthcare facility. The insurance and registration charges can be recognized in a budget as constant or fixed costs but can also be charged on a monthly or annual basis (Nah & Osifo-Dawodu, 2007). Another important aspect is the estimation of the probable revenue for the hospital. The source of revenue might incl ude donations from international health non-governmental organizations, patient charges, insurance credits and tax reliefs. Before the services can be priced, all these revenues must be estimated to find the best fair price for the specific services. The policy makers must deduct a fraction of the bills to the patient that might not be collected, charity work anticipated by the health facility and the work it does. Moreover, the expected expenses must be figured out beginning with the visible facility. It must be determined the cost of setting up the structures, the maintenance costs of every department , the utilities and the costs of acquiring special equipment and the amount that will be used per day on each patient. In addition, the costs of maintaining some of the non-medical facilities must be determined which also include advertising g costs. However, care and due diligence must be excised to avoid passing all the costs to the patient with the main intention of accumulating p rofits. There are those cancer patients who cannot meet the costs of medication available given the state of economic recession that hits everyone within the nation (Nah & Osifo-Dawodu, 2007). There are factors to consider when planning and making essential decisions within the healthcare centre. It is required that the management must be familiar with the cost of staff. It must be noted that the staff and other employees who comprise of the consultants and contracts outsourced such as laundry and staffing of nursing need to be paid and given other allowances. The fringe benefits must be determined to ease out the process of budgeting. all the costs of beds, the number of hours worked for every staff and number of hours spent by patients on the beds must be determined inclusive of the costs of replacement of the beds must be factored in the budget and planning process (Wolper, 2004). Most importantly, the costs of expansion must also be factored in. The health care facility must pla n as to whether their facilities might be renovated or new ones put in place. The potential benefits of the expansion must be considered to prevent erecting redundant structures. Thus the revenue must be estimated when doing a plan for the budget. This will also involve space for the parking garage, landscaping costs, window cleaning washing and grounds men. Besides, the funds set aside for emergency services must also be considered to enable the

How to, or how not to, survive a bad blind date Essay

How to, or how not to, survive a bad blind date - Essay Example She was sipping coffee, perched firmly on the cafe’s outside chair. I believe she was waiting for someone. If only I had known, I would not have dared. Then again, I took the gamble, and asked her to let me sit besides her. But before that I gathered the energy to speak to her. It was difficult. I had to go through a lean patch to begin with. She was exasperating in her beauty. And I had not known that it would be this difficult conversing with her. I was walking down the aisle when I saw her. Stopped for a moment, found some energy coming inside me and here I was – speaking to her. I asked her what she was called around. In other words, I wanted to know her name. I had made it difficult for myself. Sasha had a very coarse voice which just did not go well with how she looked. She sounded more like an 80 year old woman. Not that I have anything against older women but then I had my own expectations. She asked me my name. I told her who I was and what I was doing there. I noticed I told her a little too much about me yet asked her way too few questions. She was puzzled because I started the conversation in the hope that I would ask her questions yet it was me who was telling about me more and more. It was that sort of an evening. I had started to feel I was going wrong somewhere or maybe completely! We laughed away for a few moments but it was not supposed to last for long. Hey! I was not supposed to tell you that so quickly. However, Sasha also inquired about me. She wanted to know what forced me to sit besides her and start the conversation. I had no clue. Maybe it was the attraction that she created in my eyes and my heart for her. Too romantic? Maybe yes! I was inclined to sit with her because I felt she was beautiful and her eyes spoke in such a tone that I could not even figure how badly her actual voice would be. It was like sitting with a Ferrari yet being run on a Mini engine. What do I do? I was just too interested in cars that now I am ac tually comparing women with cars. Come on! The connection is obvious! Both look hot anyway. And here is the reason why I sat besides her. She felt like a Ferrari to me in the first look. I got enticed by her charms. And I told her just that! I thought we should introduce tea or perhaps coffee in between. But then she was already sipping coffee. And I was not! She did not even ask me for coffee. How rude! But I had intervened and she did not ask me to sit in the first place, or maybe the right place, or the wrong place! I asked her if she would like another cup of coffee. She told me her cup was still half full. Not the kind of answer I expected. So I did not ask for coffee from the cafe. I kept sitting and we continued to chat further. Without the coffee at least! She was having it all the time. How very inconsiderate on her part! Is not it? All of a sudden there was a hush. Sasha got up and there came a man who hugged her. She hugged back and both kissed on the cheeks. I was surpri sed who this new person was. Maybe someone she knew from the past. But why now? Why did he have to come to spoil my blind date? It was meant to happen. She introduced Peter to me. He was her husband who had gone to the next stop to get her a cab while she sipped coffee waiting for her. This was not happening to me. My blind date had gone wrong. Damn! It was a bad blind date. I should not have endeavored to meet Sasha. Or maybe it was her beautiful eyes that forced me to speak to her,

Individualized Education Program Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Individualized Education Program - Essay Example The law requires that if any member of the ARD does not attend a meeting he must put it into writing. There must be an agreement between the parent and the school agreeing that that member should not attend the meeting. These may be done if the expertise of that member is not needed (Bateman, Barbara D, and Mary A. Linden 1998). Another requirement is when a member of the ARD committee does not attend the meeting and his expertise is needed in the meeting he must write a letter to the school and the parent in order for them to review it before the meeting day. The school and the parents are also required to write a letter indicating the same. The contract should be renewed with conditions because it will enable the dormant member to improve on high work and also to ensure that we don’t lose a member because we had little faith for them and yet if given another opportunity they would have done better.

Ex-fellons and the right to vote Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Ex-fellons and the right to vote - Essay Example In some states of the United States of America, ex-felons, that is the people who committed a crime and have served the concomitant sentence, are not allowed to vote. This very provision not only deprives a good proportion of the citizens of their essential and basic rights, but also in a way tends to compromise their sense of dignity and respect. In a social, political, legal and humanitarian context, the ex-felons should have the right to vote in this country. The provision of debarring the ex-felons from voting is not only anti-democratic, but also contrary to the objective of enabling the ex-felons rejoin the society as worthy equals. It could reasonably be understood that a great many people tend to have reservations, as far as the task of taking an initiative about mixing with and employing ex-felons is concerned. Yet, the very society which punished these people for the crimes they committed also carries the responsibility of assuring that once they have served their sentence, they do not get stigmatized and persecuted, once they are set free. However, the provision for restricting the ex-felons from voting not only amounts to a state sponsored persecution, but also does much to further alienate and sideline these individuals. Genuinely speaking, how could one expect these people to rejoin the society as law-abiding and responsible citizens, when they state formally declares them to be untrustworthy, by debarring them from voting. Ma ny people tend to put forward the argument that serving a sentence is not a guarantee that the ex-felons have abstained from their criminal and unlawful tendencies. However, at a deeper analysis, this argument smacks predominantly of abject prejudice, rather than being logical enough to deserve a blanket generalization. There was a time when many thought that the blacks should not have the right to vote. There was

What am I Learning in Global Perspectives Essay

What am I Learning in Global Perspectives - Essay Example These views have been cultivated, transmitted, and declared functional at all times. Thus, cultures are viewed as not only end results of past behavior but also shapers of upcoming behavior. The tendency of equating culture with an ethnic group is very common in people. In connection with this claim, it is apparent there is diverseness in cultural values. The paper expounds on cultural perspectives, the impact of an individual on others and the immediate environment, and the contribution of the module used in discussion in learning. Sharing personal values to strangers is very difficult. Many people including me consider sharing personal values with people different from me as not only an unsafe practice but also the exposure of oneself weaknesses. As a result of this, it is normal to see some people avoiding at all cost to share their personal values with people different from them. However, my engagement in the discussions and lead events changed my perception on personal values. First, I learnt that it is important to share personal values. The sharing of values enables people to learn each other’s interests and to allow each other to be what they are without any confrontation. In addition to this, it is apparent that sharing of values with other people enables individuals to learn the values that they have in common. The sharing of values not only makes individuals compatible but also strengthens the foundation of relationships between people. In addition to this, the discussion proved that people le arn many things in life through sharing their personal values with other people. Many people in the society correlate well with people from their race or ethnic groups. In tandem with this claim, I can affirm that majority of my friends are from my ethnic group. We cope up well with people from my ethnic group. However, this cultural practice is declining in institutions because of people’s diverseness.

Assignment 3 Three Goals Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Assignment 3 Three Goals - Essay Example I created a whole glossary of these words on my computer to be able to refer to it any time I needed it. I found this practice very useful in doing the assignments as well as for understanding the concept surrounding social research. As I increased my vocabulary, I was better able to understand the social research papers. The more I comprehended them, the more I learnt how the social research works. To understand the second goal, I followed the instructions and guidelines that were provided to write the research papers. I used to print out the information, highlight important concepts and the key arguments. I followed the Bass Academic Reference Guide. To make it convenient, I placed the Guide next to my computer so that I would be able to refer to it any time I needed while making the reference list. Having written the research paper in due accordance with the established guidelines, I re-read the paper from start till end several times in an attempt to pick put the grammar and the erroneous sentence construction mistakes. The re-reading exercise also helped me concoct the paper is a more organized fashion wherein ideas would flow smoothly and the successive paragraphs would be linked with the preceding ones. I could not adequately work to achieve the third goal as I was not well. However, I actively participated in the discussion forums. The discussion forums provided me with the opportunity to learn from other students. I listened to their perspectives on different matters. I learnt the variety of ways in which the same meaning can be conveyed. One thing that I was surprised by the most was the fact that I had been able to make an active participant of the discussion forums while I was often feeling very drowsy due to the effect of the medicines. Although I was not enjoying good health, yet I cultivated a determination in me to finish this unit. I did not want my physical weakness to overpower my emotional strength, and I succeeded in achieving that. One

European States in 18th century, The French Revolution Assignment

European States in 18th century, The French Revolution - Assignment Example There was an attempt to rationalize the monarchial system and its laws. In France, there was a dilution of the monarchy, followed by the French Revolution, whose Jacobin program saw the end to church power, and changes in the metric, financial and legal systems, based on rational thought and the ideal of social equality. Enlightened Politics, for the most part, was manifested in ‘Enlightened Despots’ in Europe, whose power rested not on divine right, but on the necessity of orderly government for the welfare of the people. Frederick the Great of Prussia introduced greater religious freedom, spurred economic improvements and codified the legal system. Joseph II of Austria also embarked on state-sponsored improvements and curtailed the powers of the Catholic Church. In the eighteenth century, the Industrial Revolution saw Britain emerge as a global power, with distinctive advantages over the continental states. A major factor was British success in building up large colonies, particularly in the East and West Indies, and North America, which provided goods for trade with continental Europe and also a market for domestic goods. The stability of overseas trade was guaranteed by Britain’s naval power, which prevented war-time disruptions, unlike France. Population growth and urbanization, and rising standards of living led to increased mass consumption and encouraged mass production. In contrast to the ancien regime and feudal structure prevalent in continental Europe, Britain’s prosperous middle class participated in the political and economic system. An emerging democracy and the curtailment of absolute monarchial influence over property promoted economic growth. Britain’s transport network was more advanced than that of the continent. This facilitated the cheap transport of the products of the Industrial Revolution. Britain’s Agricultural Revolution converted small family land holdings, or

Department of Homeland Security Essay Example for Free

Department of Homeland Security Essay The Department of Homeland Security was established in the year 2002 as a part of the United States effort to combat against terrorists attacks. It was also instituted to respond against natural disasters that will greatly affect the United States people. Its primary goal is to protect the civilian inside or out of the country. Its main functionality is to prepare for actions to respond to domestic crisis. Â  It also provides regulation on cyber security issues. The said department set color codes to describe the threat levels of terrorists in the country. Being well regarded as one of the largest department in the federal cabinet, this department should think of ways on how to perform its function to protect the people of the United States of America. From the said functions of the department of homeland security, it is the role of the concerned department to deal with problems arising that would threaten its citizen. It should not interfere with the scope of work of the other departments. There are a lot of work to be done in monitoring possible threats by the terrorists against the lives and properties of the United States people. Likewise, the department also helps in dealing with people affected by various calamities such hurricanes, earthquake, flash floods and other nature-driven calamities. With respect to the military’s role, the main difference is that the military is not being used to meddle with the domestic issues or internal affairs but for combat and monitoring of the country’s security. Normally, military is under the command of the Department of National Defense, the department focused on military affairs overseas. This can show the major role differences played by both the military and the homeland security department. In the same way, the military should be cautioned not to go beyond its jurisdiction particularly with the civilian communities. Their participation should be limited on providing assistance on calamity-affected populace together with the other agencies of the government.

Business analysis of British Airways

Business analysis of British Airways British Airways is the airline company of the United Kingdom. It has its headquarter in Waterside which is nearby its main hub at London Heathrow Airport and as set up it is the biggest airline of UK on the basis of number of international flights and international destinations it has. It has its second hub which is London Gatwick Airport. As per the research it was found that The British Airways Group was shaped on 1 September 1974. British Airways was formed by the fusion of two large London-based airlines, British Overseas Airways Corporation (BOAC) and British European Airways Corporation (BEA), and two smaller airlines, Cambrian Airways Cardiff and Northeast Airlines Newcastle upon Tyne. BA according to the study was found as the only two airlines to operate the supersonic Aerospatiale-BAC Concorde inaugurating the worlds first supersonic passenger service in January 1976. BA became the worlds most commercial airline following its strategies under the slogan The Worlds Favorite Airline. The main activities of British Airways Plc and its subsidiary undertakings are the method of international and domestic planned air services for the deportment of passengers, freight and mail and the facility of ancillary amenities. (uk.reuters.com 2011) Franchisees  · Comair: based in South Africa, franchisee since 1996.  · Sun Air: based in Denmark, franchisee since 1 August 1996. (uk.reuters.com 2011) Virgin Atlantic Airways- Competitor Company Profile Virgin Atlantic Airways Limited is a British airline owned by Sir Richard Bransons Virgin Group (51%) and Singapore Airlines (49%). It is has its headquartered in Crawley, West Sussex, England, near London Gatwick Airport. It runs between the United Kingdom and North America, the Caribbean, Africa, the Middle East, Asia, and Australia from main bases at Gatwick and London Heathrow Airport, using a mixed fleet of Airbus and Boeing wide-body aircraft (innovationaleaders, 2011). Lufthanza Germanys air ambassador, Deutsche Lufthansa competitors the worlds largest airline companies. It functions more than 530 aircraft from centres in Frankfurt, Zurich and Munich. It soars passengers to about 250 destinations global, not including those attended by code-sharing partner. Lufthansas partners comprise of associated followers of the Star Alliance, like United Continentals United Airlines and Mainland. The companys Lufthansa Cargo component is a main global airfreight transporter; Lufthansa also has benefits in aircraft preservation, cuisine, and information technology productions. ( Biz, 2011) Factors Affecting Airline Industry: Emerging concerns As the carriers have strained to keep up with fast growing  oil  prices .The airlines have also raised some of their fees, executed summer peak-time surcharges and added hefty fuel surcharges on international flights. While as a result of the improbability in the oil markets, airline stocks protracted their losses the increasing ticket prices have matched the steady increase in fuel costs in contemporary time period. The rise in the fuel price has affected the smooth functioning of British Airways and its major competitors like virgin airlines and Lufthansa in several ways. Impact of Rise in Fuel Prices and Strike From the research it was founded that British Airways has a loss before tax of  £410m for the year to 31 march, after finding out its results which were hit by higher fuel costs .In the previous year, British Airways has made a revised profit of  £922m.Due to the rise in prices of fuel British Airways offered its staff members with the option of taking unpaid leave or ask them to work with part time. Even the finance director of British Airways had also forgo his pay for a month. As the impact was very much on British Airways it had to cut more than 2500 jobs since last summer. British Airways has been trailing  £7 every second since last year, which is pretty unattractive and affecting the company a lot. The Shares in the airline were down from 4.5% to 155 pence. However, British Airways believed that it had seen a significantly better effective performance, and that it had recognised customer fulfilment ratings. The total number of passengers conceded demolish from 4.3% to 33.1m.( BA, 2011) The impact of recession has been drastic on British Airways, it got revenue decreased by 11.1% to  £7994 million. As reported there was a loss in operating, which was of 3231 million including  £ 85 million for the business reconstruction. There was a decline in the revenue of passengers by  £856 million, which means a decline of 10.9% as compared to last year. British Airways added that it had to take substantial pricing actions to encourage non-premium sales, which were mostly unchanged on the previous year. British Airways stated that the point of outlook for the airline business was hard-hitting and it would not be recompensing a dividend this year as there has been a lot loss has faced by the industry. So British Airways strategic to decrease the capacity by 4% around winter by not flying up to 16 aircraft. British Airways was not the only airline distress in the global recession, as greater fuel prices and a fall in request for air travel have posh the whole airline industry .BAs upsurge means that economy passengers on long-haul flights of less than nine hours will see their surcharge going up from  £75 to  £85.The surcharge on economy flights of more than nine hours will rise from  £88 to  £98. The number of passengers carried by British Airways in May were demolish by 14.2% from a year ago, as the impact of strike caused by the cabin crew members which effect the airline drastic way.( BBC, 2011) External Analysis of British Airways Political and Legal Factors Air Passenger Tax Recent rise in air passenger tax by the government in November 2010 has led to hike in prices of air travel. This substantial rise in prices may discourage passengers opting for air travel, directly affecting the airline industry. ( Fulton.J, 2010) Fuel Policies As the sole most important cost, policies affecting both fuel supply and price greatly affect airline sustainability. These include supply decisions by oil suppliers, refinery expansion by oil companies and government, which leads in rise of fuel prices affecting the airline sector. .( Fulton.J, 2010) Global Aspects Some governments provide subsidies that provide an unfair advantage and prices lower than market conditions which affects the functioning of airline industries directly and Global  environmental  policies regarding emissions and international route deregulation may affect airline operations in present as well as in future.( Fulton.J, 2010) Economical Factors Airline Revenue Sources Airlines  make  money  by transporting people and goods from one place to another. All of the revenue generated by airlines is caused for transportation purposes. Airlines sell their services rather than a physical product.( Davis.J, 2011) Airline Expenses All airlines have expenditures that are associated with the industry. Expenses include the cost of airplanes and related equipment, member of staff salaries, hiring of business locations inside airports and insurance for both the passengers and goods that are conveyed. ( Davis.J, 2011) Internal Economic Factors Economic factors that affect airline profits comprises of internal features such as whether or not each flight is filled to size, how much passengers pay for their tickets and what services they are demanding such as complimentary food and  drinks, are provided.( Davis.J, 2011) External Economic Factors Economic events that occur outside the airline industry can affect airline profits. Rising fuel costs due to political or economic events reduce airline profit. Weather conditions, such as snowstorms, can negatively affect air  travel. Events such as airplane crashes can affect peoples willingness to travel by air. All these may cause a temporary loss of profits. ( Davis.J, 2011) Forecasting Airlines have to be able to accurately predict travel demand several years into the future in order to be able to provide enough routes and airplanes to handle the needs of passengers. The economic success of an airline will in part depend on its ability to accurately make such predictions and plan accordingly.( Davis.J, 2011) Social factors Obesity One controversy ambiances the issue of airline companies shrinking their seat restrictions for passengers who are overweight . Some firms have gone far-off to charge a passenger with overweight will cost of two seats because of their mass. This has formed a disturbance, as it raises the question of discernment .The airline businesses face that it basically costs more to fly those more overweight passengers.( Reilly.N.J, 2010) Security Airline industries have suffered an intense shift in the security measures. The increase in safety may, on some level, comfort the mind of the pilots, travellers and their families. As of the few successful obstacles in security that have happened over the past decade,  airlines  will certainly not have the frill of being so sloppy in terms of their security.( Reilly.N.J, 2010) Ethnicity Perception is a foremost factor in how we outlook the domain. It is also one of the eldest studies in psychology. How we observe society, as it transmits to  air  travel, has abundant to do with September 11, 2001. Subsequently then the judgments of the world have full-grown increasingly profound to the background of passengers traveling on planes. It has shaped something of a undesirable perception for particular competitions and beliefs which discourages people to travel with other passengers or airline which directly affects the airline industry.( Reilly.N.J, 2010) Technological factors A recent survey exposed that 34% of online customers plan to use price-comparison sites more in 2009 (NMA, 2009). Online booking services and check-in is becoming increasingly used by the airline industry. Technology is vital for modest advantage and is a main driver of globalisation. A key issue will be technological advancements which can offset upward stresses on prices and costs. Online sales are highly important to BA and they are placing substantial trust in its website occurrence to boost online-sales which will decrease customer traffic through BAs call centres but as there is rise in the fuel price now the Ba has increased the prices of online sales too. E-Tickets are now the standard ticket layout used by BA, building flight ticketing more, elastic and up-front. BA emphasis on refining its customer service online with new technology and has released its major drive-through which deals in Wireless LAN systems and communicate over modern SMS messaging. A considerable long-term risk is the outcome of video-conferencing on the demand for air transport.(OUP, 2007) Environmental Factors Sir Rod Eddington , previous Chief Executive of BA specified The whole aviation manufacturing must admit global warming as a truth, and electrify its efforts to maximum cohort of greenhouse gases. Global Warming also interrupts the request for airline tourism as stove UK summers may attract individuals spending their breaks in the UK. There is also a risk of a contamination tax being forced on airlines from the administration. This environment disturbs the organization directly. It includes of suppliers that deal straight or incidentally, clients and businesses and other native investors. (OUP, 2007)   Industry Analysis Michael Porters (1998) five forces analysis will permit an examination of the amount of power BA has in its immediate environment. Competitive Rivalry This not only discusses the degree of competition, but also the kind of competition occurring. BA runs in two diverse markets which are long-haul and short-haul flights and thus experiences in both oppositions. The race in long-haul marketplace comes from other huge airlines such as Lufthansa, who endeavour on routes, facility, comfort and overall quality that are required. In short-haul, competition is determined by low-prices from airlines comprising Virgin. An growing number of tour operatives (like Thomas Cook and TUI) are also now advertising air only used seats to compact prices.(Mindtools, 2011) Bargaining Power of Suppliers This states the degree to which firms who supply a trade can command prices, agreement terms or transfer times. For BA this condition can be difficult. As acknowledged from the macro study BAs prices depend on variations in oil prices that cannot governor. Deprived of flight fuel, planes do not soar and BA will not be able to make a profit. Although one may claim that BA has a high-quality as to which fuel dealer it uses, the petrol market is similar in terms of prices. In context of suppliers of the actual planes, the condition is different again. Airlines such as Airbus and Boeing with its Dream liner, are worried to safe long-term orders to improve expansion costs. (Mindtools, 2011) Bargaining Power of Customers As there is high grade of buyer control for BA. Consumers having capability to vote with their bases if they are not pleased with the product. Measures such as the check-in and luggage managers strike at Heathrow seriously affected BAs revenue as consumers had to find substitute airlines to use. Buyer power plays crucial role particularly in the low-cost segment, as there has been little diversity between market offers and hence consumers look about for the cheapest price, reinforced by the accessibility of online-sales. These low switching costs reflects that customer loyalty is crucial. Customers are also been provided with the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) on their side.(Mindtools, 2011) Threat of new entrants As British Airways being on prevailing place means that it would be hard for a firm to contest with the company on a comprehensive level. Nevertheless as obstacles of entry are flattering non-existent and new entrants are entering in the short-haul commerce and these low-cost operatives, such as virgin having steadily cut away at BA European supremacy. However, due to non-availability of tracks for take-off and landing makes it difficult for new airline to find suitable airports. Many investors have recommended that it is only a problem of time till a low-cost operator efforts a more severe move into long-haul market. Lufthansa has responded early to this conjecture by offering a high-cost high-quality service, comprising private limousine transfers to and from the airport, massages and champagne.(Mindtools, 2011) Threat of substitutes The threat of substitutes states the ability of buyers to switch to a substitute product, hence alternatives to air travel. However it is fair to recommend that there is no actual alternative to long haul air travel in terms of time and cost, but there is alternatives for short-haul destinations vary from coach to car to rail. The real threat of such substitutes mainly depends upon factors such as the efficiency and the price of the rail or coach service.(Mindtools, 2011) Benchmarking Virgin and British Airways British Airways carries a strong brand name and image. It is the biggest airline and flag carrier of the United Kingdom and for sure the extent and scale of British Airways sets it in a competitive gain over its competitors such as Virgin Atlantic Airlines which is the second leading long haul airline in the United Kingdom. Virgin Atlantic is a successful challenger and it also holds a well-known and highly-recognisable brand image and brand reputation. Still, BA is an older and a superior organisation than Virgin Atlantic and it is still leading ahead of Virgin Atlantic in the airline industry. The strong key messages which British Airways delivers are steadiness, quality and reliability. British Airways enjoys a good reputation and is prominent for the very high standards of customer facility and effectiveness.  Virgin Atlantic distinction is based on three strong features: service, value and price, and recently Virgin Atlantics was voted No 1 for having the best online reputation (Creative Match, Undated).  Even it was also nominated as the most child-friendly airline, where,as BA ranking in the 2nd place . British Airways  hosted its first fuel  price  in  May 2004 by adding £2.50  to the value of long haul and short haul fares. The charge sustained to rise as BA and other airlines battled to protect profit margins. BA raised its surcharges  twice in 2004,  three times in 2005  and  once last year for long haul. Airlines such as BA and  Virgin Atlantic  have disputed over the surcharges issue which show the passengers that how much  fuel  affects an airlines costs as well as the industry.  Low-cost airlines  reject to impose surcharges.( Milmo,D, 2007) With the new tiered scheme for calculating charges that imposed on those travelling in the carriers First Class, World Traveller Plus and Club World will be compensating up to  £24 more than people travelling in economy class. This is not an astonishing move as almost all the airlines of the world are growing fuel surcharge due to increased costs of fuel and it is also anticipated that further increase is also possible due to the fact that oil prices are projected to grow further in future.( ebookers, 2011) Financial Indicators Comparing British Airways with virgin, BA has faced a dark phase of recession for a long time which was followed by the rising fuel prices, which led BA to face a loss per share of 38.5 pence, whereas it was 32.6 pence per share in 2009. However, the pre-tax profit of virgin, which was  £68.4 million in last 12months and the revenues grew by 8.4 % to 2.5 billion and profit of 10% shared among 8500 company staff. The Total Capital Expenditure of BA was  £567m, which declined to  £145m in comparison of previous year. Followed over a total of 5.7 m passengers flew with virgin last year. This shows the development in the business of Virgin. There was a loss in operating of BA which was  £231 m whereas, Virgin operating profit fell from  £44.4 m to 25.9 m. This shows that Virgin holds a strong position in the market as compared to BA.( sundaytimes , 2009) Lufthansa and British airways Worldwide events such as the Gulf war, recession now followed by the rise in the fuel prices has put a burden on the airline industry such as British Airways and Lufthansa as a company. These type of events has caused major loss to British Airways as well as Lufthansa and lead a decrease in the amount of seats to be filled in the airline industry. As due to the fact of rise in oil prices, people start avoiding travelling in such situation, as of the fear of rise in prices of travelling fares too .British Airways had an decrease of passengers number by 11% where, as Lufthansa did not have suffered that much like BA , it had a decrease of only 5.4% .( Centreforaviation , 2011). Lufthansa also reported an increase in traffic in 2010 focused around key growth markets with growth of 17.9% year on year to 91.2 m passengers. The carrier added that it shows that Lufthansa holds strong position on long haul routes pay off in 2010 due to the increase in demand and yields for first and business class fares where, as British Airways was still in the dark phase of fare prices. BA was still facing the losses as it holds the strongest position on long haul routes but due the rise in the prices of fuel it has to increase its fares more as compared to Lufthansa , which affected BA directly and encourage passengers to travel through other airlines other than British Airways .( Centreforaviation , 2011). Financial indicators Both British Airways and Lufthansa faced lots of loss due the recession. The total revenue of BA was reduced by 11.1% to  £7994 million whereas, compared to Lufthansa group generated total revenue of 27.3 billion euros with an increase of 22.6%. This shows that British Airways is lacking behind Lufthansa in terms of revenue. BA should try to focus on its fare prices and more and more services should be provided to the passengers in order to remain in the competition.(Cision , 2011) The Total Capital Expenditure of BA was  £567m, which was declined to  £145m whereas, in case of Lufthansa its Total Capital Expenditure for the year was 2.3 billion euros. This reflects that the utilisation of capital in BA is more than its production. BA should use estimated capital in working in order for better production and gaining profits.(Cision , 2011) There is loss in BA operating income of  £231 million whereas, compared with Lufthansa its operating increased by 20.4% to 30.1% billion euros. This shows that there is positive development in the business of Lufthansa as compared to BA. British Airways should adopt such policies which are helpful in developing of its business.(Cision , 2011) Strategies Adopted British Airways raise its fuel price on long haul flights as the high price of oil crushes European consumers stressed with growing rise and wage restrictions .This brought financial development to British airways whereas compared to Virgin Atlantic was competent to reduce the effects of the continuous rising oil prices because of the hedging strategy which it adopted, which means buying the oil when it is cheap. Whereas, Lufthansa adopted the strategy of low cost all costs of flights and services are very carefully observed and condensed to its minimum value, this include such as single fleet type, better-quality flight crew productivity, basic network aiding secondary cities, and the outsourcing of others activities such as maintenance, catering, etc.(BBC , 2011). BA formed its new International Airlines Group (IAG) and it merged with Spains Iberia last year, which would add 10 pounds ($16.12) to the cost of an economy flight and 20 pounds to a first-class ticket. Whereas, To overcome the crunch Virgin Atlantic began with Group sales, which comprise of sales from tour worker Virgin Holidays, which was enlarged by 8.4% to  £2.579bn from  £2.38bn . Whereas, Lufthansa adopted policy of No Frills focused on the inflight service which is virtually non-existent, therefore, the number of flight entourages on board agrees to the minimum regulatory obligation.(BBC , 2011). British Airways executive had a personal talk with its cabin crew members and try to rebuild their trust and made them work together and avoid the strikes as soon as possible. British Airways solved this issue within the time period of a week. Whereas, to avoid the strike Virgin Atlantic agreed to the demands of the pilots and fulfilled them. In case of Lufthansa adopted this policy of low costs which enable the carrier to compromise with very low fares with a very simplified pricing arrangement.( reuters , 2011). British airways, IAG have enlarged the number of seats presented to passengers by 2.7% , which added lot of profit to accounts of British Airways. Revenues rose to 13.4% to à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬3.8bn. Within the period of that fares appear to have risen intensely, with profits from sales of ticket which is increased by more than 15%. (guardian, 2011). British Airways to overcome the losses due the rise in fuel prices, launched its Open skies subsidiary flying direct from Paris to New York ,anticipated that it will cut capacity of the passengers, taking the opportunity to ground some of its old aeroplane which are least fuel efficient. First-class traffic is where BA makes most of its profits. In the phase of oil prices many specialists have said that the record profits of  £883 million in 2007-08 could be wiped out but after launching this subsidiary there is improvement in the economy of British airways.( Jamseon,A, 2008). Recommendations It is essential for British Airways to have a good employee relations as to avoid industrial disputes and interrupted actions. BA need to develop upon its interaction with its passengers across all classes in order to perform better than its competitors. BA should have lower cost competition. BA as an employer should increase its barging power. There should be an opportunity for BA and its competitors to transport aircraft freely between the EU and USA. BA needs to improve its online services by providing extra services. BA should emphasis on the quality of its customer service delivery at all stages, which it has lacked in the past. Conclusion Airline industry in U.K is overwhelmed with several problems. This includes recession, high rise in fuel prices, rising labour cost, disputes between the employees of the industry. British Airways remains cautiously confident about its future visions. However, it is convinced that considerably more work lies ahead if British airways has to succeed. However, there were three most important external factor that has effected BA a lot that are recession, rise in price of fuel and disputes within the industry causing strike . Fuel prices are enduring to grow and this is likely to reduce profits and raise prices for BA. Rising prices and disputes within BA placed it in a disadvantageous position. To overcome these situations BA has adopted several strategies. Such as opening new subsidiaries to gain new position in market. BA also concentrate on business class passenger, offering them the best customer package and maintain good customer relations leading them to gain huge profit in return. BA always watch out for ways to minimize their expenditures and get a value for their money and stockholder money. This leads BA to cost savings, and in conclusion making them to stay on top in an increasingly competitive airline environment.

The Exeter Book :: Old English Poetry Literature Essays

The Exeter Book The Exeter Book is the largest existing collection of Old English poetry. The manuscript was given to the library of Exeter Cathedral by its first bishop, Leofric, at the end of the tenth century. The book consists of 131 parchment leaves which measure approximately 12.5 by 8.6 inches. The most famous works contained in the Exeter Book include â€Å"The Wanderer,† â€Å"The Wife’s Lament,† â€Å"The Seafarer,† and â€Å"Wulf and Eadwacer.† In addition to the 31 major poems, 96 riddles are also included in the collection. The manuscript was likely copied by a single scribe in 975, though â€Å"The Wanderer† is though to date back to the Anglo-Saxon tribes’ conversion to Christianity in the sixth century. â€Å"The Wife’s Lament† may have pre-dated â€Å"The Wanderer† because â€Å"it offers none of the typical Christian consolation for her despair and appears to reflect a pre-conversion, pagan attitude tow ards ones’ fate† (The Exeter Book). Both poems are invaluable resources in their depiction of the precepts and roles of men and women in Anglo-Saxon society. â€Å"The Wanderer† is an elegy, or a lament for the dead and the glories of the past. The narrator of the poem has lost his kin in battle and is wandering alone and contemplating the temporal nature of life. It is clear that the narrator respects the comitatus, the bond of loyalty between a lord and his warriors, as is illustrated when he recalls â€Å"embracing and kissing his liege lord and laying his hands and his head on his knee† (Wanderer 101). The stoic attitude of the narrator is reflective of the Anglo-Saxon culture in which men were supposed to be brave and unemotional. Despite this convention, the narrator’s sorrow is strongly conveyed in the Ubi Sunt (‘Where are they?’) passage when he asks, â€Å"Where has the horse gone? Where the young warrior? Where is the giver of the treasure?† (Wanderer 101). The narrator’s lament also displays the permeating cultural belief that everything in life is predetermined by fate. This is seen when the narrator envisions the end of the world in everlasting winter when â€Å"all the earth’s kingdom is wretched [and] the world beneath the skies is changed by the work of the fates† (Wanderer 102). The poem ends with a strong reference to Christianity in the lines, â€Å"It will be well with him who seeks favor, comfort from the Father in heaven, where for us all stability resides† (Wanderer 102).

The Dance :: essays research papers

THE DANCE It was a dark, windy night and Stacey Browning was just finishing work at The Tree Stump Burger Barn. It wasn’t a busy night, so Stacy suggested that her heavily pregnant boss, Sarah, leave work early, and Stacey would clean and lock up. Stacey was trying to stretch her night out for as long as possible, because tomorrow night was the school dance, and she knew her mother wouldn’t make her go if she was too tired from a hard night at work. Stacey loathed the school dance because it was a dance only enjoyed by ‘cool’, popular, beautiful people, and Stacey was not one of them. At ten-thirty, Stacey turned off the lights in the building, locked the big, glass doors and stepped into the cold, dark night. She decided not to ring her mother and ask to be picked up, because it was only a short walk home and she felt guilty about waking her at such a late hour on such a cold night. Stacey was only just out of the driveway of the restaurant, when she realised she had left her purse in the building. She quickly walked back, unlocked the doors, and turned on the lights. She walked into the kitchens to look for her purse. While she was in there, she heard the doors open and the service bell ring. "Sorry, we’re closed," Stacey called, as she walked out of the kitchens. She looked around the restaurant, and no-one was there. "They must of left," she thought. As she was about to turn off the lights, Stacey felt a cold shiver. "I knew I forgot something else," Stacey mumbled as she walked over to the air-conditioning unit to turn it off, but it was already off. She stood there puzzled for a moment, then walked back to the light switch, trying to think if she had forgotten anything else. With out warning a gust of wind blew the doors open, and circled in the centre of the restaurant. A woman appeared in the middle of the wind. She looked young, in her late twenties, dressed in a white gown which covered her whole body, except her eyes. Stacy stepped back shocked and stuttered "W-wwho are y-y-you?" "I am here to help you," the woman said, with a strong foreign accent. "You are worried about the dance?" she said. "Yes, I am." Stacey replied.

Kants Fundamental Principles Of The Metaphysics Of Moral Essay

Kant's Fundamental Principles of the Metaphysics of Moral The central concept of Kant's Fundamental Principles of the Metaphysics of Morals is the categorical imperative. â€Å"The conception of an objective principle, in so far as it is obligatory for a will, is called a command (of reason), and the formula of the command is called an Imperative.† (Abbott, 30) An imperative is something that a will ought or shall do because the will is obligated to act in the manner in which it conforms with moral law. The categorical imperative is an obligation by the will to act so that the action can be classified as a universal law. When one acts in conformity with the universal law at all times, they are following out the categorical imperative. This differs from the hypothetical imperative in that the hypothetical imperative acts on the basis that the will in the end will gain something (not a means to an end). The categorical imperative is a means to an end, and the action to obtain the end must have moral worth. Stipulations of the categorical imperative are that all actions should act only on the maxim, that actions have moral worth, and the end is necessary. From these stipulations, it can be derived that the categorical imperative should be followed in order to live morally. â€Å"If an action is conceived as good in itself and consequently as being necessarily the principle of a will which of itself conforms to reason, then it is categorical.† (Abbott, 32) â€Å"There is therefore but one ca... Kants Fundamental Principles Of The Metaphysics Of Moral Essay Kant's Fundamental Principles of the Metaphysics of Moral The central concept of Kant's Fundamental Principles of the Metaphysics of Morals is the categorical imperative. â€Å"The conception of an objective principle, in so far as it is obligatory for a will, is called a command (of reason), and the formula of the command is called an Imperative.† (Abbott, 30) An imperative is something that a will ought or shall do because the will is obligated to act in the manner in which it conforms with moral law. The categorical imperative is an obligation by the will to act so that the action can be classified as a universal law. When one acts in conformity with the universal law at all times, they are following out the categorical imperative. This differs from the hypothetical imperative in that the hypothetical imperative acts on the basis that the will in the end will gain something (not a means to an end). The categorical imperative is a means to an end, and the action to obtain the end must have moral worth. Stipulations of the categorical imperative are that all actions should act only on the maxim, that actions have moral worth, and the end is necessary. From these stipulations, it can be derived that the categorical imperative should be followed in order to live morally. â€Å"If an action is conceived as good in itself and consequently as being necessarily the principle of a will which of itself conforms to reason, then it is categorical.† (Abbott, 32) â€Å"There is therefore but one ca...

Leadership Styles Essay

Nursing Armon Copeland Chamberlain College of Nursing 351: Transitions to Professional Nursing Spring Term 2011 Introduction Leadership in the 21st century has been redefined. As leaders we provide the voucher and guidance to begin the journey, while the managers are the ones who drive the team to the destination. Leadership is something you know when you see it, but is very challenging to describe. Leadership development in the nursing profession is important because it directly impacts the care that is delivered to patients. It is critical that the entire senior leadership have the self-same vision or mental image of what the organization intends to aim for as structure, management and organization in terms of changes for a solid foundation. Leadership Leadership is a blend of personal characteristics, abilities, strategies, and circumstances that enable a leader to influence individuals and organizations to accomplish a goal. Although there is no single formula for becoming a successful leader, some common elements include self- confidence, courage, a clear vision of the goal and how to reach it, the ability to clearly communicate the goal as well as strong personal commitment, and the ability to inspire trust and respect among followers. Leadership differs from management in that leadership is a combination of personal qualities and abilities whereas management is a process. Leaders are more likely to be effective when they use the management process to achieve goals. Managers are more effective when their actions demonstrate leadership qualities; thereby earning the respect and trust of those they manage (Hamilton, 1996). Styles of Leadership Transformational and Transactional leadership styles are two very different methods of leadership in the nursing profession. This paper will compare and contrast these two leadership styles and support that transformational leadership style encourages quality care, job fulfillment and improved patient outcomes. The traditional authoritarian style of leadership the top-down directive approach has largely been replaced with a more democratic and/or participative style, which involves such collaborative behaviors as consulting, discussing, cooperating, or negotiating. No one style is effective for all situations, however, so flexibility is important. For example, an authoritarian approach may be the most effective in dealing with acute situations when decisions must be made and implemented quickly. Rapid technological growth, increased diversity in the workforce, and growing complexity within organizations has led to changes in the way effective leadership is defined. Leadership researchers and theorists define good leadership as â€Å"future-oriented rather than present-oriented and as fostering followers’ commitment and ability to contribute creatively to organizations† (Eagly, 2007). Political scientist James McGregor Burns (1978) described this type of leadership as transformational leadership. Transformational leaders establish themselves as role models by gaining followers’ trust and confidence. They establish the organization’s goals, plan how to achieve the goals, and innovate. As Eagly (2007) explains, â€Å"Transformational leaders mentor and empower their subordinates and encourage them to develop their potential and thus to contribute more effectively to their organization. † Researchers also describe a more conservative type of leadership as transactional leadership, in which leaders establish exchange relationships with their frontline employees. After clarifying objectives and subordinates’ responsibilities, transactional leaders reward those who meet objectives and correct them when they fail to meet objectives. The word politics is a loaded term, heavy with images of shady characters in smoke-filled rooms, wheeling, dealing, and often stealing. But politics is really a neutral term. According to Policy and Politics for Nurses, â€Å"Politics means influencing, specifically, influences the allocation of scarce resources. Politics is a process by which one influences the decisions of others and exerts control over situations and events. It is a means to an end† (Mason et al. , 2002). Becoming influential is something that can be learned, and it has as much to do with attitude as with behavior. Both aspects are necessary (Sullivan, 2004). Becoming influential includes such skills as understanding power and how to use it, communicating effectively, understanding the political process, and dealing with difficult people and situations. Conclusion â€Å"Work hard, play by the rules, be nice, be polite, hold yourself accountable and you will get ahead. Our mothers were right, up to a point. Taking that advice, you do get ahead and your hard work is rewarded until you hit the glass ceiling. Or, as one physician called it, the â€Å"gauze ceiling. † Being the best at what you do is not enough to break through the gauze ceiling into positions of leadership. It’s not enough to have clinical skills; you need political skills as well. Leaders make a difference in their world by influencing others to support the leader’s vision or cause. To make a difference, you need political skills. Everything is political in the work environment, professional organization, community, and government. References Hamilton PM. (1996). Realities of Contemporary Nursing, 2nd ed. Menlo Park, CA: Addison-Wesley. Eagley AH. (2007). Female leadership advantage and disadvantage: Resolving the contradictions. Psychology of Women Quarterly 31:1–12. Mason DJ, Leavitt JK, Chaffee MW. (2002). Policy and Politics in Nursing and Healthcare, 4th ed. Philadelphia: Saunders/Elsevier. Sullivan EJ. (2004). Becoming Influential: A Guide for Nurses. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education.

Miranda v. Arizona Essay

Supreme Court Decision: The Supreme Court ruled 5-4 in favor of Miranda and it also enforced the Miranda warning to be given to a person being interrogated while in the custody of the police. Miranda Warning: You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say or do can and will be held against you in a court of law. You have the right to speak to an attorney. If you cannot afford an attorney, one will be appointed for you. Do you understand these rights as they have been read to you? The Supreme Court held that Miranda’s constitutional rights were not violated during interrogation. Case Background: A Mexican immigrant residing in Phoenix, Arizona, Ernesto Miranda, was identified to be a suspect in the line-up of a woman who accused him of rape and kidnapping. Police then arrested and interrogated Miranda. It took up to at least two hours of interrogation by police until Miranda the confessed to the crimes. The confession was written. During the two hours of interrogation, police did not once mention Miranda’s neither Fifth Amendment Protection against self-incrimination nor his Sixth amendment right to have the right to an attorney. After Miranda’s confession the case was then taken to trial hosted by Arizona state court an prosecutors used the oral and written confession as evidence against Miranda. Miranda was then found guilty and he was convicted and sentenced to 20-30 years in prison on each count. The conviction was then upheld due to the fact the Miranda’s attorney appealed to Arizona’s Supreme Court which then led to the case being appealed to the United States Supreme Court which also connected the case with four other similar ones. The court later came to an agreement that it is mandatory that the police have the role of protecting the rights of the accused suspect guaranteed by the Fifth and Sixth Amendments. After the Supreme Court came to the ruling, the rights to be read were the named the Miranda Rights in honor of Ernesto Miranda.

Critically Evaluate the Use of Personality Assessment in Work Settings

Critically Evaluate The Use Of Personality Assessment In Work Settings. What Are The Important Professional Issues? Abstract Personality tests are used in a work setting, predominantly for the purpose of recruitment and selection. A number of professional issues exist around the use of personality tests in this setting, and practitioners should be clear of the possible flaws involved in the use of personality tests. The literature has highlighted concerns with the faking of personality tests. Individuals faking tests can mean those who obtain the highest scores are the ones who are recruited.This should be considered where personality tests are used for recruiting the top candidates as opposed to being used for removing the least suitable candidates. The validity of personality tests has to be considered when being used for selection purpose. A high face validity of tests can increase the likelihood of faking tests; yet low face validity can result in the personality tests being reje cted by candidates. Practitioners have to also take into account a number of ethical issues before using personality tests in a work setting.Key Words: Personality testing; Faking; Validity; Recruitment; Ethics. Introduction Personality tests are used in a work setting at the stage of recruitment, and also once people are within a job, to assess their working preferences. Personality traits have been found to be predictive of a number of outcomes, ranging from health behaviours to task performance (Hough & Oswald, 2008). Work specific factors related to personality types include Job Performance, Work Motivation, Leadership and Adaptability (Morgeson et al. , 2007). Using the Big Five personality traits, Judge et al. (2001) found that Conscientiousness, significantly predicts job performance across different organisational settings, and Emotional stability also predicts overall Job Performance. Organisations wish to recruit the candidates who show the greatest probability of performi ng well in the role and those who are going to benefit the most from the use of all of the training opportunities provided by the organisation (Shum, O’Gorman & Myors, 2006:147). However, the use of personality assessments can be debated, and a number of factors have to be considered before using personality tests to make important decisions about individuals’ careers.The focus of this essay is on the use of personality assessment in organisations, primarily in recruitment and selection, and the issues practitioners need to be aware of before using personality assessments. Faking Faking of personality tests is been described by terms such as â€Å"response distortion, impression management, social desirability, displaying unlikely virtues, and self-enhancement† (Griffin, Chmielowski & Yoshita, 2007). The many definitions may account for the substantial number of published articles relating to the faking of personality tests (Morgeson et al. , 2007).Researchers h ave suggested that it should be expected that individuals will give inaccurate responses in self-report tests due to the value attached to the outcome (Hogan, Barrett, & Hogan, 2007). However, there is little consensus in the research, about the frequency of faking, or how to address the issue. As selection is often carried out in a top-down approach, where those who perform in the top 5-10% are selected to progress (Arthur, Woehr, Graziano, 2001), the possibility of candidates faking personality tests should be a serious consideration for practitioners, otherwise those who have falsely represented themselves will be selected.Where it is obvious what is being tested in self-report questionnaires, there is likely to be a greater opportunity to fake responses. The face validity of questionnaires is an important issue, as it is likely to contribute to faking. Furnham & Drakeley (2000) found that managers tend to use personality tests with high face validity, due to concerns about havin g to rationalise the use of the test to participants. Alternatively, using low face validity personality tests could mean the participants reject the appropriateness of the test, and do not fully engage with it (Kline, 2000:430).However, where face validity of personality tests is high, the accuracy of personality tests scores can be distorted by individuals who assume they know what the â€Å"best response† is, and give an extreme rating. Arthur et al. ,(2001) suggest that it is easy to assume the extreme scores on a scale are the most or least desired, due to the wording of questions. Ironically, ‘fakers’ may overrate themselves and appear to be inappropriate for a role.For example, conscientiousness has been found to be easier to fake than other personality traits such as â€Å"Openness to Experiences† (Griffin, Hesketh & Grayson, 2004); therefore individual who rate themselves to be overly Conscientious may be restrained by rules and be unsuitable for the position. Practitioners have to be aware of the limitations of high face validity and the likelihood of faked responses (Kline 2000: 255). Much of the research around faking of personality tests has been lab-based, and carried out on students (Judge et al. 2008), therefore the question as to whether they do cheat in reality needs to be examined (Griffin, Chmielowski & Yoshita, 2007). Hogan et al. ,(2007) looked at responses to personality tests in the application process for a customer service role, and compared responses given at two stages by 5,266 applicants, over a six month interval. Hogan et al. , suggested that if individuals do fake personality tests at the recruitment stage, they are most likely to do so once they have been rejected from the job on a previous occasion. The findings indicated little difference in the personality measures from time one and time two.These findings would suggest that not all applicants attempt to fake in actual recruitment settings. However , findings by Griffin et al. ,(2007) indicated that some participants do fake their personality when applying to jobs, and this has an impact on the rank order of scores. A professional implication of these findings is that practitioners have to be cautious when interpreting personality scores, but should not be cynical by disregarding personality measures totally. As well as being aware of issues around faking, practitioners should be aware of the methods used to reduce or identify faking.A proactive method used included the use of forced-choice, or ipsative inventories, in which neither option is more socially desirable than the other. An alternative option is to use instructional warnings against faking. A reactive method for â€Å"fixing† faking can be the use of social desirability scales or a lie scale within the inventory which indicate if a respondent is faking. However, there is little evidence supporting the effectiveness of strategies such as instructional warnings and forced choice item format (Hogan et al. , 2007), and social desirability questions are likely to be more transparent in their urpose, and therefore prone being to faked (Griffin et al. , 2007). With all of the issues surrounding faking of personality tests, it has been argued that instead of using the tests as a method of recruiting the â€Å"best† performers on the test, there is actually a greater benefit in using the measures as a form of rejecting the poorest performers when using tests to â€Å"select out† (Mueller- Hanson, Heggestad & Thornton, 2003). Using personality tests for selecting out applicants would allow those who have performed poorly, and those who have faked but not been successful in obtaining the benchmark score, to be rejected.Validity In the past decade there has been considerable evidence in the academic literature for the support of personality tests for selection, but a there have been concerns about the predicative validity of personali ty tests relating to work related behaviour (Meyer et al. , 2001). However, practitioners continued to use personality measures for selection purpose (Bartram, 2004), disregarding the academic arguments. Critics often highlight the â€Å"low† validity scores of the best predictor in the Big Five with Job Performance, Conscientiousness (r=0. 23; Judge et al. 2008), where as other methods of assessment, such as the use of General Mental Ability tests which have been found to have a predictive validity of r=0. 51 (Schmidt & Hunter, 1998). However, the validity score of Conscientiousness should not be dismissed. Meyer et al. , (2001) identified a large number of medical and psychological interventions, which produce correlations of approximately . 15 to . 30, are commonly accepted by professionals, such as taking regular aspirin to reduce risk of heart attacks. It can be argued that academics are actually focussing on a â€Å"gold standard† score of validity (Judge et al. 2008), and not looking at the benefits of other interventions that have similar predictive validities. Schmidt & Hunter (1998) suggest that using a combination of measures with relatively low validity on their own, when combined would be more than sufficient for use in recruiting, for example combining a conscientiousness tests, work sample tests and a job knowledge tests. Practitioners should have a clear understanding of the criterion validity of personality measures in relationship to job performance, and be aware of large degree of unaccountable variance that can occur.There is no guarantee that an individual who scores highly on a personality measure will be successful in their role, and an individual’s skills and ability are likely to account for a large part of their performance in the role (Shum et al. ,2006:161). Ethics It is important that ethical issues are taken into consideration when using personality measures in a work setting. First of all, organisations have to be aware of the qualifications required by the individual administering the personality tests and interpreting them.In the UK, the British Psychological Society sets a requisite standard through the attainment of Level A & Level B qualifications in order to administer and interpret both ability and personality tests. However, not all individuals who administer tests are responsible for interpreting the data, therefore the those who are administering the test should obtain the Occupational Test Administration qualification (British Psychological Society, 2000). Insufficient training on the use of a personality measure can result in misinterpretation of the results and render the test useless.Where individuals have not been provided with sufficient training to administer tests, there is the possibility of providing inconsistent instructions to participants, and leading to errors or biases in the results (Kline, 2000:9). An issue that ties in with the Level B training is that practi tioners are trained to use one specific test, therefore they may only ever use this one test, and not take into consideration the appropriateness of the test they are using for the specific needs of the organisation. Organisations need to be aware of the issues around the feedback they provide to individuals who take part in personality measures.How feedback is interpreted by individuals should be considered, and whether they will understand the meaning of the scores (Kline, 2000:431). Where a candidate completes a personality test, but does not score at the top of the group, they may feel they are not suitable for the organisation, or the type of role they are applying for. The implications of what is reported back to the candidates can result in an individual making major decisions about the type of role they apply for in the future, should they be told that they scored significantly â€Å"poorly† in the personality test (Toplis, Dulewicz & Fletcher, 2005:37).Practitioners should clearly explain the reason for the personality measures used, and ensure the feedback they provide will not have a negative impact on the individual. An important consideration for practitioners should be the possible biases held within personality tests, which can be biased towards a gender, race, social class or disability. These factors can influence the score of a personality test, and can mask actual scores (British Psychological Society, 2000). However, there is evidence to suggest that the use of personality measures balances out the biases of ability tests, when comparing different racial groups.Therefore the combined use of ability and personality tests can be beneficial (Bartram, 2004). When testing individuals with disabilities, factors such as the time required, the environment being tested in, and the method of testing, all have to be considered to ensure the testing process is fair (Toplis, Dulewicz & Fletcher, 2005:42). Conclusion Researchers have identified cl ear benefits in using personality measures in a work related environment, especially when recruiting to a post.However, the use of personality assessment should be considered as a supplementary method of selection into a role, due to the number of possible factors that can influence the results of a personality test. It is clear that faking of tests is a well researched area, however, little consensus exists with how to best address the possibility that individuals will fake a test that has a value attached to the outcome (Hogan et al. , 2007). One possible solution is to use the tests as a form of selecting out those who are in the lowest percentile (Mueller-Hanson et al. 2003), and using additional measures to support the selection of those who perform in the upper percentile. The concerns about the criterion validity of personality measures and job performance have raised doubts about the suitability of personality assessments. When comparing single personality traits with altern ative methods of assessment for their predictive validity, it is clear that alternative methods are stronger predictors of work related behaviours (Schmidt & Hunter, 1998), however, personality measures are still considered reliable measures, therefore should be used to supplement alternative methods or assessment.It is clear that the ethical implications of using personality assessments are an important factor, as they can influence the outcome of the tests as well as the responses of the participants. If practitioners do not follow the correct procedures by providing adequate instructions and ensuring standardised conditions, it is likely that individuals will reject the tests (Kline, 2000:9). It is also important to consider the effects of taking a personality assessment, and then knowing you failed to meet the cut off point.The way in which feedback is given can have detrimental effects of individuals therefore the issue should be approached with caution (Toplis et al, 2005:37). In conclusion, there are a number of issues that need to be considered when using personality assessments in a work setting. The benefit of gauging an individual’s behaviour through assessing their personality is clear, however, practitioners should be aware of the flaws in personality assessment, and be aware of alternative forms of assessment when selecting individuals for a job, to supplement personality assessments.Word count: 2173 REFERENCES Arthur W. J. , Woehr D. J. , Graziano W. G. (2001). Personality Testing In Employment Settings: Problems And Issues In The Application Of Typical Selection Practices. Personnel Review, 30(5),657-677 Bartram, D. (2004). Assessment In Organisations. Applied Psychology: An International Review, 53, 237-259. British Psychological Association,(2000). Psychological Testing: A User’s Guide Psychological. Leicester: The British Psychological Society Furnham, A. , & Drakely, R. (2000). Predicting Occupational Personality Test Scores.J ournal of Psychology, 134, 103-111 Griffin, B. , Hesketh, B. , & Grayson. D. (2004). Applicants Faking Good: Evidence of Item Bias In The Neo Pi-R. Personality and Individual Differences, 36 (7), 1545-1558. Griffith R. L, Chmielowski T. S, Yoshita Y. (2007). Do Applicants Fake? An Examination Of The Frequency Of Applicant Faking Behavior. Personnel Review, 36 (3), 341–355. Hogan, J. , Barrett,P. , & Hogan R. (2007). Personality Measurement, Faking, And Employment Selection. Journal Of Applied Psychology, 92,(5), 1270–1285 Hough, L. M. , &Oswald, F. L. 2008) Personality Testing and Industrial– Organizational Psychology: Reflections, Progress, And Prospects Industrial And Organizational Psychology, 1, 272–290. Judge, T. A. , Klinger, R. , Simon, L. S. , & Yang, I. W. F. (2008). The Contributions of Personality to Organizational Behavior And Psychology: Findings, Criticisms, And Future Research Directions. Social and Personality Psychology Compass, 2, 1982-2 000. Kline P. (2000) The Handbook Of Psychological Testing, (2 Ed). London: Routledge, Meyer, G. J. , Finn, S. E. , Eyde, L. D. , Kay, G. G. , Moreland, K. L. , Dies, R.R. , Et Al. (2001). Psychological Testing And Psychological Assessment: A Review Of Evidence And Issues. American Psychologist, 56, 128–165. Morgeson, F. P. , Campion, M. A. , Dipboye, R. L. , Hollenbeck, J. R. , Murphy, K. , & Schmitt, N. (2007). Are We Getting Fooled Again? Coming To Terms With Limitations In The Use Of Personality Tests For Personnel Selection. Personnel Psychology, 60, 1029-1049 Mueller-Hanson, R. , Heggestad, E. D. , & Thornton III, G. C. (2003). Faking and Selection: Considering The Use Of Personality From Select-In And Select-Out Perspectives.Journal Of Applied Psychology, 88 (2), 348-355. Schmidt, F. L. , Hunter, J. E. (1998). The Validity and Utility Of Selection Methods In Personnel Psychology: Practical And Theoretical Implications Of 85 Years Of Research Findings. Psychological Bul letin, Vol. I24 (2), 262-74. Shum, D. , Myors, B. , & O'Gorman, J. (2006) Psychological Testing and Assessment. Oxford:Oxford University Press Toplis, J. , Dulewicz, V. , & Fletcher, C. (2005) Psychological Testing (4th eds). London:Institute of Personnel & Development.

Use Case Narrative: Enrollment System

An E-commerce Website Use Case Name: Search and browse products ID: US-I Priority: High Actor: Shopper Description: This use case describes a shopper who searches and browses products. Trigger: A shopper is looking for a specific product. Trigger Type: External Preconditions: 1 . The shopper is knowledgeable about the product he/she is looking for. 2. The website is available. 3. The advertisement and buyer account databases are up-to-date and online. Normal Course: 1. 0 Search and browse products and select product to purchase 1 .The shopper pacifies the category of the item and the item itself to be searched. 2. The system verifies that the item is available. 3. The system generates all the products matching the search request. 4. The shopper selects a product and wants to place it in a cart. 5. The system asks the shopper to log in. (Alternative Course 1 . 1) 6. The shopper logs in his/her buyer account. 7. The system verifies the account. 8. The shopper adds the product to cart. Information for Steps Search Criteria List of approved ads Buyer Account List of Buyer Accounts New Cart Entry Modified Cart Alternative Courses: 1.The shopper doesn't already have a buyer account. (branch at step 5) 1. The shopper registers his/her desired surname and password. 2. The system verifies if the surname is still available. AAA. The surname is still available. AAA. The shopper has created a buyer account. Return to Normal Course Step 6. 5. B. The surname already exists. B. The system asks the shopper if he wants to continue registration or not. B. 1 The shopper wants to continue registration. B. 1 Return to Alternative course 1. 1 step 1 B. 2 The shopper cancels the request. B. 2 The system terminates the use case.Surname and Password List of Buyer Surnames New Buyer Account Request for re-registration Cancellation Postpositions: 1 . One or more products are added to the shopper's cart. 2. Cart has been modified. 3. The unregistered shopper has created a buyer account. E xceptions: El: Search request returns no result. (occurs at step 2) 1 . The system displays the message inform search did not match any records. Try another search. â€Å". 2. The system starts Normal Course again. E: Buyer Account is not valid. (occurs at step 7) 1 . The system displays the message inform surname and password is not valid.Please re-enter your surname and password. â€Å". E: Account inputted is not a Buyer Account. (occurs at step 7) 1. The system displays the message inform account is a Seller Account. Please enter a Buyer Account. â€Å". 2. Return to Normal Course step 5. Summary Inputs Source Outputs Destination Request for re-registration or Cancellation Shopper Active Advertisement Database Buyer Account Database Cart Database Use Case Name: Purchase products online ID: US-2 Actor: Buyer Description: This use case describes a buyer's purchase of product(s) on his/her cart online. Trigger: A buyer wants to buy a product. . The buyer's account is authenticat ed. 2. The buyer account database 3. One or more products are in the cart. 4. The buyer has specified readiness to check out and buy product(s) in his/her cart. 1. 0 Buyer confirms the intent to buy and supplies payment. 1. The buyer opens his/ her cart. 2. The system displays the cart's contents with price(s) of product(s) included. 3. The buyer purchase product(s) via Papal. 4. The buyer entered the payment information. 5. The system verifies the payment information's authority. 6. The buyer confirms the payment transaction. (Alternative Course 1 . 1) 7.The system recesses payment. 8. The system confirms the payment's success. 9. The system removes the purchased product(s) from the cart. 10. The buyer wants to view and print the recent or all the payment transaction's report Information for Steps Purchase Authorization Cart Contents Payment Information Payment Information's Authorization Payment Confirmation Product(s) Sale(s)' details Payment Transaction List of Payment Transacti ons Payment Transaction(s)' report(s) 1. 1 Buyer cancels payment. (branch at step 6) 1 . The buyer cancels the payment transaction. 2. Return to Normal Course 6. 1. Cart has been modified. Product(s) purchase is recorded. 3. Product(s) sales transaction is recorded. 4. The buyer has the printed reports for the recent or all the payment transactions. El: Payment Information is not authorized. (occurs at step 5) 1. The system displays the message â€Å"The payment information is not accepted. Please enter an authorized payment information. â€Å". 2. Return to Normal Course step 4. Payment Information's Authorization Buyer Payment Clearinghouse Payment Transaction Database Payment Transaction(sys report(s) Product Sales Database Use Case Name: Post advertisement entries ID: US-3 Actor: SellerDescription: This use case describes a seller posting advertisement entries. Trigger: A seller want to post an advertisement entry. 1 . The seller's account is authenticated. 2. The seller is kn owledgeable about the product he/she is going to advertise. 3. The 4. The seller account database is up-to-date and online. 1. 0 Buyer's posting of product advertisements. 1 . The seller wants to post an advertisement entry. 2. The system asks the seller to log in his/her seller account. 3. The seller logs in his/ her seller account. (Alternative Course 1 . 1) 4. The system verifies the account. 5. The seller inputs the advertisement information. The system verifies the advertisement information. 7. The seller confirms the advertisement. 8. The system confirms the advertisement entry for admit approval. Information for Seller Account List of Seller Accounts Advertisement Information Advertisement Confirmation New Advertisement Entry 1. 1 The seller doesn't already have a seller account. (branch at step 3) 1. The seller registers his/her desired surname and password. 2. The system verifies if the surname is still available. AAA. The surname is still available. AAA. B. B. The seller h as created a seller account. Return to Normal Course Step 4.The surname already exists. The system asks the seller if he wants to continue registration or not. B. 1 The seller wants to continue registration. B. 2 The seller cancels the request. List of Seller Surnames New Seller Account 1 . The advertisement entry is added to the advertisement database for admit approval. 2. The unregistered seller has created a seller account. El: Seller Account is not valid. (occurs at step 4) 1 . The system displays the message mirror surname and password is not valid. Please re-enter your surname and password. â€Å". E: Account inputted is not a Seller Account. (occurs at step 4) 1 .The system displays the message inform account is a Buyer Account. Please enter a Seller Account. â€Å". 2. Return to Normal Course step 3. Seller Seller Account Database Pending Advertisement Database Use Case Name: Management of seller's active advertisements ID: US-4 Description: This use case describes the se ller viewing his/her active advertisements. Trigger: The seller wants to view his/her active advertisements. Trigger Type: External 1 . The seller account is authenticated. 2. The advertisement database is up-to-date and online. 1. 0 Managing of active advertisements 1 . The seller wants to manage his/her active advertisements. The system displays all the seller's active advertisements. AAA. The seller edits the contents oaf specific advertisement. AAA. The system confirms the modification. B. The seller confirms the deletion an advertisement(s). B. The system confirms the modification. List of Active Advertisements Edit Information Edited Advertisement Deletion Confirmation Deleted Advertisement(s) None 1 . Advertisement Database has been modified. List of Active Advertisements Use Case Name: Sales Revenue Report ID: US-5 Priority: Low Description: This use case describes a seller viewing and printing his/her sales revenue report.Trigger: A seller wants to view and print his/her sa les revenue report. 1. The seller's account is authenticated. 2. The product sales database is up-to-date and online. 1. 0 Viewing and printing of sales revenue report 1. The seller wants to view his/her sales revenue report. 2. The system displays his/her sales revenue report. 3. The seller confirms the print of the report. 4. The system print the sales revenue report. List of Sales Revenue Sales Revenue Report 1 . The seller has the printed report of his/her sales revenue. Use Case Name: Management of all the advertisements ID: US-6 Actor: AdmitDescription: This use case describes the admit managing all the pending and active advertisements. Trigger: The admit wants to manage the advertisements. 1. The adman's account is authenticated. 2. The admit account database is up-to-date and online. 3. The advertisement database is up-to-date and online. 1. 0 Managing of all the advertisements 1. The admit logs in his/her admit account. 2. The system verifies the account. 3. The admit want s to manage all the advertisements both pending and active. 4. The system displays all the pending and active advertisements. AAA. The admit selects and view a pending advertisement.

Domestic violence Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

Domestic violence - Research Paper Example Most of the time such as happened in this case, the victims of domestic violence find it difficult to accept their situation and report the case to the authorities. As such, most cases go unreported especially for men due to fear of what the society would think of them. For women, they rely much on men hence fear loss of economic sustenance or fear their partner would more violent towards them if they reported the case. Furthermore, domestic violence occurs within confines of the home thus making it difficult to detect unless the victim reports. Sometimes police regard it as a family matter hence no need for reporting. In Connecticut State, dating violence was not given much consideration; they were exempted from arrest fro domestic abuse (CCADV, 2013). As of October 1, 2011 domestic violence laws in Connecticut apply to you if a person with whom you are in or have recently been in a dating relationship perpetrates violence against you. Domestic violence is a criminal offense punishable by law especially if it involves assault. As such, the person perpetrating the violence, in this case Sarah’s boyfriend can be arrested and arraigned in a court of law for assault. If assault is third degree it is regarded as misdemeanor and attracts a punishment of one year imprisonment but if assault is first or second degree it is a felony punishable by more than one year in jail (Hart, Davies & Epler-Epstein, 2011, p. 11). The boyfriend caused physical injury to Sarah by breaking her arm and on another instance by hitting her on the mouth as evidenced by bleeding mouth. For such an offense the offender is liable to imprisonment and deserves to be arrested whether or not Sarah makes a claim to the police department provided the evidence and testimony by witnesses prove such a crime was committed. The police also determine if the victim needs medical assistance and helps them by also advising them to

Analyzing a Budget Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Analyzing a Budget - Essay Example In addition, the expenditures are clearly indicated as well as the source of income or revenues. Fortunately, the expenditures have been included in the budget. The budget clearly includes expenditures in. This is clearly seen for example the expenditures seen are salaries and wages, janitorial supplies, legal advertising among others. Still concerning expenditure, the budget has clear tracking of expenditure. It clearly shows the amount of cash and for what purpose it will be used. This has helped greatly to prevent loss of cash from managing officials. Like in this case it clearly shows the amount of cash slotted for wages and salaries, legal advertisements among many others. Another strength of the budget is that it has included the revenue collection of income. A good budget includes the sources of revenues in it (Arthur 2003). However, this might not be so evident in other types of budgets. In this type of budget, source of revenue has been included which can be seen as state appropriation, county appropriation, patient fees, insurance and Medicaid. The budget has also included the actual revenue receipts. A good budget should have evidence of the actual receipts of the expected revenue or the already collected revenue (Sullivan 2003). This as a greater percentage will help reduce the loss of funds in a particular company or country. However, despite all the strengths of the budget, it has several weaknesses. To begin with, there is no summary of the budget. A good budget should have a summary of the incomes, average receipts, total costs, net drawings from revenues, total income, total outgoings or even if available the money for creditors in any case the company or country or family had Higher than the actual receipts obtained from the previous revenue collection. The budget has no item showing savings. A good budget should have a line item showing savings from

American and British Civil Religion Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

American and British Civil Religion - Essay Example In order to understand American and British civil religion and its link to Christianity, one must focus on the history and what brought about the changes in these regions historically and their impact on the Christian world in these two most influential regions. In my research efforts, I would like to discuss Gerald Parsons book â€Å"Perspectives on Civil Religion and Sydney Ahlstrom's book on the religious history of these two countries. There are different levels of the definition civil religion and the two most influential authorities on civil religion's definition from Robert Bellah the American sociologist and later Pierard and Linder have in turn served to actually link the concept of civil religion with Christianity (Parsons,2002, p.6). According to Bellah, American civil religion has two aspects :priestly and conservative, liberal and prohetic (Parsons, 2002, p.3). He goes on to explain the Americans on the one hand see themselves as divinely appointed by God to lead the world in a particular direction. â€Å"..For some among the new Christian Right within recent and contemporary American politics, the concept of an American civil religion has been deployed as part of a campaign to create and sustain a distinctively 'Christian America' (Parsons, 2002, p.4).† According to the author, the move in this direction advertises America's ideologies in a Christian context- the ideologies of peace and justice and mingle them in the context of Christian religion. Richard Pierard and Robert Linder have actually defined certain characteristics of civil religion where a nation and its vision are somehow intertwined with each other (Parsons, 2002). His book actually serves to show us how a nation's civil religion is predom inantly linked to some form of religion-in this case Christianity. One must understand through their analyzing of this concept that this concept still is ambiguous to the present day. But in order to under their links, it is only fair to look at the history of these two major powers in the world and their religion in order to understand more clearly their dealings with the world. Both these countries are dominantly Protestant and Anglo-Saxon and their forms of "modernity" go back to the eighteenth century (Parsons, 2002, p.7). In doing so, in my discussion of civil religion, it is important to look at the rituals of remembrance of these two countries. Americans celebrating the 4th of July independence and Memorial day (remembrance of those who have died in civil war), and the British having celebration of Remembrance Sunday (the anniversary of the armistice that ended the First World War in 1918) are most notably viable examples of civil religion in these two countries (Parosn, 2002). In America, the most influential leader Abraham Lincoln who led the civil war in the 18th century, delivered certain key speeches that contributed to the concept of civil religion in America that were intrinsically tied to the Old testament Scriptures :for example at the Gettysburg Address in 1863, "Lincoln used Christian symbolism and language and he saw America as the promised land to which God had led their predecessors (Parsons,2002, p.15)."1 In the meantime in Britain, there is a growing trend in the twentieth century to mark the graves of those who had died in the war (Parsons, 2002). "From 1915 onwards, street shrines were designed to list the names of those who were currently serving with the armed forces and of those who had been killed ...For the clergy they were part of the process of evangelism and the attempt to reassert the relevance of the message of Christianity in the midst of war...it also endorsed the understanding of the war as a holy crusade (Parsons, 2002, p.29)."2 Also , it is notable to include that the British were fueled in their ceremony of marking the graves of those deceased in war-commonly known as the commonwealth war graves were met with huge public support (Parsons, 2002). The British people although

Business Communication and ICT Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words - 1

Business Communication and ICT - Essay Example Contrary to this widely held notion, most messages are communicated through nonverbal clues. Empirical research conducted on this topic suggests that almost 90% of meaning of a message is transmitted in nonverbal forms. Verbal as well as non verbal communications stimuli are critical when transacting business. The two may determine its success or failure in equal measure. Nonverbal communication forms an integral part of communication within businesses. Most businesses utilize the following elements of nonverbal communication: eye contact, gestures, facial expression, appearance and dressing, posture, and written communication. Nonverbal communication underlines the power relationships in the business setting. The key function of nonverbal communication is to facilitate relationships within the business. These relationships incorporate managers, authorities, staff, and customers. The triumph of a business is pegged on effective communication between within these relationships (Goby 2 007, p.432). Goby (2007, p.432) concludes that, in business interactions, appropriate eye contact is critical in businesses since it helps the audience to build trust in the sender. In a business setting, the receivers of a message rely on visual clues in deciding whether to attend to or dismiss the message. Communicators should establish a close eye contact with their audiences as it promoted openness. Good eye contact also enhances building of trust between sender and receiver. People will unlikely buy products or services from a sales person who declines to make constant eye contact. The buyer may deem the seller to be unconvinced about the product and hence treat him/her suspiciously. Facial expressions also form part of nonverbal... This essay focuses on discussing the issue of nonverbal communication that expresses thoughts without using spoken words. Good communication is the groundwork of successful relationships, whether personal, professional, or even in business Nonverbal communication is a powerful tool of communication. This type of communication also utilizes clues that make the message appealing to the recipient as it is stated in the essay. Effective nonverbal communication has an immense contribution to businesses since it provides the parties with a means of interpreting their thoughts and attitudes. Employees within a business engage in frequent communication with its clients, suppliers, personnel, government personnel, and the media. The researcher discusses that Information Communications and Technologies that are a main focus of the second part of the essay enhance the ability of businesses to reduce transaction costs while improving speed and dependability. It is also mentioned in the essay tha t such communication type also cuts down on inefficiencies arising from poor coordination between firms in the value chain hence extracting highest value from transactions. Information Communications and Technologies today also avail effective communication tools for communication between managers, employees, and clients. In conclusion, the researcher mentiones that when well integrated, ICTs has the potential of improving the firm’s performance in terms of amplified market share, extended product range, and tailored products for clients.