The Beattles

In June of 1956, John Lennon met Paul McCartney for the first time. Nobody ever dreamed that John and Paul would have the success that they had. John Lennon and Paul McCartney along with George Harrison and Richard Starkey (Ringo Starr) became known as the greatest and the most influential rock musicians in the world. The Beatles, whose music has been played by prestigious symphonies around the world and has been sung by renowned singers such as Frank Sinatra and Tony Bennett, were a vibrant moving force of the 1960’s; they permanently changed the course of music and soundly influenced the lives of future generations. To get an idea of how much the Beatles helped shape the following generations’ lifestyles, one must look at the lifestyle and the music before the Beatles. The music the Beatles played, â€Å"Rock and Roll,† had already established itself as a popular form of music to American teenagers. Derived from the black’s â€Å"Rhythm and Blues,† rock and roll was made popular by performers such as Chuck Berry, Elvis Presley, and Bill Haley. Though rock and roll had been around for about ten years before the Beatles became famous, it was still a relatively new form of music that had plenty of potential. The Beatles were elevated from obscurity by utilizing the music’s potential. The lifestyle of the fifties was slowly changing. The American public was beginning to accept the possibility of a â€Å"working class hero†. Films such as â€Å"Saturday Night and Sunday Morning† and â€Å"The Loneliness of the Long-Distance Runner,† which portrayed working class protagonists, became overnight successes. The Beatles, who were definitely working class, were the ultimate rags to riches story. As the fifties drew to a close, the Beatles were on a path that forever changed history. The Beatles’ success was not immediate. In 1960 the Beatles, who consisted of John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, Stuart Sutcliffe (guitarist), and Pete Best (drummer), made their first trip to Hamburg, Germany. Although the trip wasn’t a success, the second trip to Hamburg as a backing group to Tony Sheridan was more successful. The Beatles returned home in June of 1961 and found that more and more people would come to see their performances. Though popular and drawing large audiences, the Beatles were refused by Decca, Pye, Columbia, HMV, and EMI, all prominent recording companies. The emergence of the Beatles’ popularity can be traced to the help of two people: the determination of Brian Epstein, their manager, and the foresight of George Martin, their producer. Brian Epstein, a record store owner, was a novice at the manager business. Through his raw determination, he was able to meet up with George Martin. George knew the record business, and he pulled some strings to let the Beatles record. Their first release, â€Å"Love Me Do,† only reached the number seventeen position on the charts; however, that was the start of an illustrated career for John, Paul, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr, who replaced Pete Best as drummer in August of 1962. Beatlemania was the term that described the hysteria resulting from the Beatles’ rise. The Beatles were breaking attendance records all over Europe. Following every performance were reports of girls that had become injured in their attempts just to see the boys. By the end of 1963, the Beatles had five songs that had reached number one in Britain. Looking for new directions to expand, the Beatles looked across the ocean to America. When the Beatles touched down in New York in February 1964, they knew they had come to the right place as ten thousand screaming fans fought to see them. During the Beatles stay in Manhattan, at least a dozen girls were injured trying to catch sight of the boys. During their concerts, there was so much noise that the audience drowned out the performers. Any movement by an individual Beatle would cause added screaming by rows and rows of young females. This kind of reaction would plague the group at any performance they did. The Beatles popularity became the point of many debates. At one point in August 1966, John claimed that the Beatles were even more popular than Jesus. Though he apologized for it later, he was correct in analyzing their popularity. It seemed as if anything the Beatles said or did would affect the whole society. One major effect that they had on society was the drug influence of their music. Taking drugs became the â€Å"in† thing to do. The press went into an uproar when they found out the initials to the Beatles’ â€Å"Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds† was LSD, a popular but addicting drug. Another song, â€Å"Day in the Life,† was banned by the BBC and some United States radio stations because of alleged drug allusions. Drugs were becoming a way of life for many teenagers. In late 1966, the Beatles decided that they would do no more concerts. Many thought that this would lead to a drop in their popularity. The media was soon proved wrong when their next album, â€Å"Sergeant Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band,† became an instant hit. Anything the Beatles touched turned to gold. John Lennon’s first book, In His Own Write, was a million seller. The Beatles could do nothing that wouldn’t sell. As time went on, however, the Beatles began to pursue their own individual tastes. When Brian Epstein committed suicide in August of 1967, the Beatles began their long decline. The Beatles began to rot from within. The TV film, â€Å"Magical Mystery Tour,† was a complete failure. George Harrison took studying in India very seriously. John’s marriage to Cynthia broke down, and he began to see Yoko Ono. All four started to do musical work without the other three. They were having serious financial trouble with their own recording company, Apple Records. By 1969, the Beatles were in deep trouble. It came as only a mild surprise to most people when Paul McCartney decided to quit the group in April of 1970. Paul claimed personal differences existed with John and with Allen Klein, their financial advisor. Though at first the split was claimed as temporary, the world began to understand that the Beatles would never exist anymore. When asked just what he was going to do now that he was breaking from the group, he replied: â€Å"My only plan is to grow up. † By 1970 though, the Beatles had already made a huge impact on society. A revolutionary group responsible for bombing three business buildings called themselves â€Å"Revolutionary Force 9† which was derived from â€Å"Revolution Number 9,† an eight-minute collage of noises from the Beatles’ White Album. Another influence was in the youth churches where a yellow submarine was made a symbol of love. The yellow submarine, from a movie and a song of that name, was described as a ‘a place where they loved each other in a groovy way and got strength to do battle with the Blue Meanies. It also shows that a church has to have flexibility and maneuverability. ’ Though the Beatles were gone, their influence remained. The Beatles have influenced people in ways never dreamed of. Their music was even blamed for the Charles Manson murders in Southern California. Their style of music changed the way the music industry had worked; most groups now perform their own original material, which was very uncommon in the late fifties and early sixties. The Beatles’ constant preaching of love has changed a whole generation’s thinking, and may have helped to bring an end to the Vietnam War. Their drug taking and radical approach to life has caused some people to take the Beatles’ philosophy wrongly and to think that some terrorist activity was acceptable. Others have taken what the Beatles said as gospel and formed new religions. However people reacted to the Beatles didn’t matter; it was just significant that people were reacting, and therefore were being influenced in some manner by the Beatles. The Beatles, the greatest rock band ever to exist, does not record as a group anymore, but their influences will continue for years as the youth of each generation listens to the music that changed the world. â€Å"Hey Jude† â€Å"Hey Jude† is such a monumental favorite, I am almost dissuaded from touching it because of the pressure to say something profound. It is such a good illustration of two compositional lessons: how to fill a time with simple means, and how to use diverse elements such as harmony and orchestration to articulate form and contrast. I think that the fact that the song was written by Paul McCartney to Julian Lennon during the breakup of John and Julia’s mom, Cynthia, adds a new dimension to the appreciation of it but, as have been observed with respect to the fact of John’s having written â€Å"Julia† in honor of his own mother, the effect that each song has upon someone would be hardly diminished if for some reason were to remain oblivious to the biographical background of either. For me, the main message here is to be found in the first half, the imperative to now pursue one’s destined love the minute either you have found him/her, or he/she has found you. I do believe that once you internalize that much, the transcendent, blissful joy of the second half falls right into place. â€Å"Yesterday† This song is so well established in the pop-cultural subconscious that it is difficult to relate to it objectively, no less say something new and insightful about it. As is often the case with the over-exposed war horses of any artsy genre, whether or not you like this song, there is some good reason why it became so over-exposed in the first place. It is a fine piece of work with something going for it in virtually every detail. By the same token, one should not be fooled by whatever unique and interesting factors surrounding the song’s history and production into thinking of it as more unique and different than it is. Especially if you can step around the self-pitying lyrics for a moment (Paul possibly taking a lesson from George, for a change) you will find this song to actually lie along the same compositional and moody lines of the other hymn or anthem-like ballads which so vividly characterize some of Paul’s highest achievements. Love Me Do† Granted, by itself, â€Å"Love Me Do† is hardly the blockbuster of which legendary careers are made. In fact, it is tempting at first blush to dismiss this one as too simple and even unappealing. After all, we have what must be very nearly the skimpiest Lennon/McCartney lyric ever, but just beneath the surface, you find not also that certain bristling intensity in their voices, but also a great deal of stylistically prophetic, especially i n regards to the phrasing, the vocal harmonies, and the modal melody. The most intriguing aspect to this intuitive innovation of the early Beatles is the question of how much of it was motivated by intentional originality and how much a by-product of less-than-entirely-adept emulation of their derivative influences. It is quite a serious question, the answer to which has nothing to do with the relative merit of the final product itself.

Collective Bargaining Creating Better Working Conditions

In the nineteenth century, America was sizeable as it delved into the Industrial Revolution and watched its economy grow. With new technology and a voracious appetite for capital goods, the nation's productive capacity multiplied. Cities formed as business owners built factories that attracted and hired millions of workers. Immigrants poured into the country, while prospective settlers west found the frontier closed. The working class was scrambling for employment and factories willingly provided it. Yet the very abundance of these laborers turned them into expendable machine parts.No one bothered to make working conditions safer as ociety believed that the working class deserved their terrible conditions due to their lack of natural ability. Soon, however, workers found that they could unite to achieve their goals. At the turn of the nineteenth century, Americans, dissatisfied with low- paying, hazardous Jobs stemming from Social Darwinism, publicized their plight and began to form unions that ineffectively bargained with factory owners and the government to create better working conditions. unskilled workers in particular were subject to strict rules set by their employer about their hours and tasks.Stockholders needed profits, and laborers needed Jobs. As a result, industry tycoons found that they could mistreat their underlings. Clocks were â€Å"set back to stretch the day', and doors were locked to keep employees from leaving early (Mitelman 80). A minute of tardiness cost a precious hour's salary, and almost a full hour of work at the end of the day did not translate Into an hour's compensation. A worker who arrived a few minutes late could get fired (Sinclair 20). But no matter; hordes of willing replacements teemed at factory gates.Too late did a congressional committee discover that Chicago packhouses were unsanitary and driving workers to their deaths. Employees had to work In closed rooms only slightly warmer than freezing and stand on wet floors t hat made feet more susceptible to disease. The committee reported the â€Å"neglect on the part of their employers to recognize or provide for the requirements of cleanliness and decency of the employees† (â€Å"House† 116). Industry had no care for their expendable workers, and the government was slow In discovering the health risks the working environment posed.Nor did companies concern themselves with more sudden hazards that could strike their factories. Out of economy and sheer nonchalance, they neglected to Install basic safety measures. Thus the Triangle Shirtwaist Fire In 1911 that started as a small fire and exploded Into a conflagration amid the combustible shirtwaist fabric and wooden floors. Hundreds of workers perished as they rampaged through the long tables â€Å"out through the one open door† (Mltelman 82). The factory doors were troublesome as they opened Inwards towards the pressing, panlcklng crowd.Firefighters found themselves stranded halfwa y off the ground as their ladders could not even reach the top three floors of the factory. The sheer momentum of those workers desperate enough to Jump â€Å"ripped big holes through the life nets†, yet others ingle fire escape soon buckled, plunging workers to their deaths before they could reach the safety of the neighboring rooftop (Mitelman 83). The systematic slaughter of Triangle Shirtwaist employees could have been avoided had the company heeded simple fire precautions.Yet the company's owners, similar to other business magnates who held such power, only acted with such brazenness because of the social version of Charles Darwin's â€Å"survival of the fittest† work. One of the greatest biologists in history, Darwin believed that the genetically supreme would succeed. Translated into Social Darwinism, industrial tycoons were rich because they were naturally talented. Assisted by high capabilities, wealth could burgeon in the hands of those who earned it, so the government had no place meddling with its cries of reform (Henretta 579).Men such as Andrew Carnegie, a wealthy steel businessman at the turn of the century, had himself risen from an abject immigrant childhood, crediting his competence. He believed in a few choice elite spreading the wealth to the poor, since â€Å"the laws upon which civilization is founded† had given society's wealth to that group (Carnegie). Inheritors erred and squandered their bequests, since only the original businessmen had the â€Å"superior wisdom, experience, and ability' to earn such large fortunes (Carnegie).The working class could receive monetary assistance, but the most prosperous men, with the most power in lawmaking, decided there was no use in improving laborers' conditions if they couldn't rise out of poverty themselves. As the wealthy lived in luxury during the Gilded Age, unsympathetic to the plight of the uneducated masses, these men suffering from fires and starvation began the labor movement themselves in search of change. The Knights of Labor, founded in 1869, advocated republicanism as it strove for its goal of employee-run cooperatives with fair payment, a minimum working age, and gender equality.The group worked to secure â€Å"the organization and direction, by co-operative effort, of the power of the industrial classes† in order to achieve these mighty objectives (â€Å"Knights† 72). Their weapon of choice was strikes, or at least the threat of them. Combined with trade unions, the workers gained a potent weapon through their organization. However, the Knights were idealists, insisting on radical ideas such as that all laws must â€Å"bear qually upon capital and labor†, and were unwilling to yield in their quest to equalize capitalists and laborers (â€Å"Knights† 73).Thus the more realistic trade unions such as the American Federation of Labor began to replace the Knights. Unionists such as Samuel Gompers worked for smaller c auses, such as an eight-hour workday. Claiming that shorter workdays would promote innovation and enhance industrial progress, Gompers convinced the public that an eight-hour workday would reduce labor to create â€Å"more advancement and intelligence, and a nobler race of people† (â€Å"Unionist† 74). Yet rhetoric was only rhetoric; the only way to combat big business was through strikes.Theoretically the strike was an effective tool, but in practice it was more often a failure. Strikers only held the power of collective bargaining if all employees left their posts and barricaded their replacement scabs. But many of the best workers initially resisted Joining unions, as exemplified by Jurgis in Upton Sinclair's portrayal of Chicagds meatpacking industry. An immigrant fresh from Europe, Jurgis was a strong butchering work. He believed the union was for weaklings, and â€Å"if they couldn't do it, et them go somewhere else† (Sinclair 61).Even when the strike did succeed, arbitration between unions and managers still left workers with the short end of the stick. The Triangle Shirtwaist Factory beseeched members of the Women's Trade Union League to return after the Triangle Shirtwaist Fire, luring them with promises of safety improvements that turned out to be hollow once the trusting girls returned to work (Mitelman 83). Yet workers could not know if changes would be implemented until they broke the strike, and once they did a new strike would be even more difficult to organize.The government too would rush to aid big business during strikes. In the Great Railroad Strike of 1877, hoodlums burned the Pennsylvania Railroad Company trains in a riot. The government charged the strikers with arson and rioting, â€Å"although it was common knowledge that it was not they who instigated the fire† Cones 32). Deputy sheriffs hired by the Pittsburgh mayor created chaos in the city, but they too charged the results of their conduct to the striker s Cones 32).Eventually quelled by federal troops, the riot was an example of federal government using court actions and anti-labor legislation to show that it supported industry bove the common worker. Although the federal and state governments remained unconcerned with the working class, local political machines recognized their difficulties. As the grassroots representation of laborers, local government needed votes and could get them by improving the working environment. Collectively, the group of voters had more political influence through their political representatives than individuals did.Tammany Hall in New York City helped the newly formed New York State Factory Commission pass 56 laws concerning fire safety, hazardous machinery, and wages for womena dn children (Henretta 651). The New York Consumers' League, middle-class women shocked by the indecency of working conditions, limited Oregon women's working hours through the Supreme Court. Other lobbyists convinced Massachuse tts to pass a minimum wage law for women and children in 1912 (Henretta 645). But Supreme Court rulings and the few government laws passed could be effective only when the laws were enforced.Factories such as the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory violated fire regulations even after the disastrous fire (Mitelman 83). With little to lose if disobedient, too often did industries turn deaf ears to government mandates of eform. Although the efforts of unions and politicians in the early twentieth century were easily defeated and fell short of lofty goals to improve working conditions, these spurs of labor reform began an effective labor movement that gathered force to stimulate the Progressive Era.Muckrakers exposing societys ills tugged at heartstrings and stirred the fever of reform through the sight of revolting work and sickening men, providing a sharp contrast between capitalists and laborers. As the middle and upper class abandoned Social Darwinism, the Progressive Era emerged here the government finally became a friend rather than an enemy to the lower class. Progressive presidents welcomed bills limiting hours while promoting collective bargaining through labor unions.At the same time, both the executive and Judicial branches worked to weaken big businesses consisting of trusts and monopolies. The mid-century, until the major goals of minimum wage, maximum hours, and prevention of child labor were achieved. Although laborers still strive for better conditions and industries still resist, workers are now armed with the tools they need to improve their plight.

Briefing Paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Briefing Paper - Essay Example Hornby Plc currently has the greatest market opportunity of the toy industry in the upcoming 2012 Christmas season. The firm has to implement a growth strategy this upcoming season to diversify its revenue stream. The company will penetrate ten new consumer markets utilizing an exporting strategy. The firm will implement a passive exporting strategy focused on capitalizing on the season boom that occurs every year on Christmas. The firm will target at least five Latin economies. â€Å"Goldman Sachs forecasts that Brazil and Mexico will be solidly placed within the world’s six largest economies by 2050† (Thecostaricanews, 2012). The Latino toy market has the peculiarity of having two days in which kids receive gifs which are Christmas Day and the 6th of January referred to as Three Wiseman Day. Hornsby will ensure that they have a wide variety of toys by enhancing its supply line of toys. The company is going to increase its number of suppliers to include more high technology toys, bargain toys, and educational toys. Educational toys are great gifts because the toy serves a dual function of entertaining and teaching. These toys help aid the child’s creativity and intellectual growth (Growingtreetoys, 2012). The firm will increase its Chinese supplier of toys. The strategy of increasing suppliers is implemented in order to improve product variety and to increase profitability by lowering acquisition costs. The firm is going to improve its procurement function by acquiring a new information system that will help the firm better access the prices available for toys in the marketplace. The new tactics and strategies at Hornby will only help the firm if the company is able to increase its customer base. The firm needs to pay close attention to its marketing strategies. The firm will reinforce its use of the internet to obtain e-commerce sales. Worldwide e-commerce sales are expected to reach $963 million by the year 2013 (Davis, 2012). The firm should get its

Globalization Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 13

Globalization - Essay Example The rest of the paper will discuss the impacts of globalization on democracy as well as its cons and pros. Democracy is very fundamental in everyday governance because it permits for citizen’s participation in governance. Many nations under monarchies have little space for the participation of their citizens and those who oppose are assassinated (Dalpino 4). Some are also imprisoned for life, making it difficult for citizens to question the government. For instance, African nations such as Egypt, Tunisia, and Libya were under the dictatorship of their leaders and had a very little space of contravening the government’s decision. This happened because the nation was not democratic enough to allow for citizen participation. However, some of these nations managed to score high in terms of economic developments even under authoritarian leadership. This is an indication that democracy plays a fundamental role for inclusive governance. The rebellion witnessed in these nations, evidence that the citizens wanted space for expression, and they were pressed to the wall. Many studies indicate that democracy is the best government because it makes the majority carry the day while the minority is having their say (Bartelson 8). For instance, it guarantees an election where the people participate in selecting their representatives and those they have confident as opposed to people assuming the office such as presidency. Through the electoral process, the majority will have their way and the minorities who do not also win will have their say. Democratic governance is inclusive and considers the interests of all at different levels (Scholte 27). Many democratic governments such as the US are assumed to function well by protecting the right of human beings, as well as the minority. This is so because they follow the rule of law that defines them as opposed to monarchies and dictatorial governments (Dalpino 7). Autocratic governments such as Swazi and

The answers on questions on accountability Essay

The answers on questions on accountability - Essay Example The feeling of accountability amongst the government personnel has been critical in Britain ranging from previous decades in history. Many people have gone to greater extents and in situations where decisions are difficult to make to the extent of resignation from their various responsibilities. Individuals feel that the situations might be unfortunate yet they have to do what is to be done. In normal situations, the conventional understanding of ministerial accountability, in which ministers are answerable to Parliament and departmental administrators emerge before parliamentary committees on behalf of their minister, works well (Smith 2006). Â  This shows that the accountability feature among the officials in a given department or sector is transferrable and should be handled throughout the system as a dependent factor on all attributes. To confirm on this claim, there is a valid rationale in posing that accountability should be evaluated as to originate from all the politicians a s well as the departmental heads associated with the observable practices. According to Smith, accountability is a factor that should involve no discrimination in its evaluation and this forms one part of argument of this paper that is subject to argument basing on critical reasoning from the logics displayed. Real accountability is observed as being precise in identifying the source of mistake observed in the management and departmental administration. In a given department, there are individuals with different abilities and hence performance output in various sections. An individual, research or evaluation process cannot assume that the fault from one area in the department is always a fault from every official (Smith 2006). Moreover even if a fault in a single sector of the administration attributes to detrimental effects on other parts, the analysis by the commission should identify the ultimate source of the fault and deal with it independently. The magnitude of liability can t herefore vary on the actual source of the fault. For instance, in a situation where a mistake from one individual or department leads to errors in several other departments or the whole ministry, the liability cannot be compared with the case where a fault leads to an error in a single and smaller section of the department (Osbaldeston 2005). In case the situation goes out of hand, nevertheless, and when public disagreement results, some start to query this perceptive of ministerial responsibility. The non directional questions associated from divergent sources implies on the prevalent notion on the conception of accountability in the government. Recent arguments, such as the need for the review of the considerations of accountability arose with the support initiative and the Human Resources and Development Canada grants and donations program, have resulted in disappointment over determining who was responsible and thus in the end accountable. Â  This has resulted into some individ uals to question whether there is need to be higher accountability of senior public servants, most notably deputy ministers, before parliamentary committees. Â  Opinions on this matter are classified, and the government has constantly protected the traditional perception of accountability (McGrath 1985). The question pertaining to the reality or mere inspirations of account

HR Alignment Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 1

HR Alignment - Assignment Example What makes this leader successful is that when he took over his position, there was growth retardation issue with the organization. There was however a change agenda prepared by the past management to gain growth in a period of five years. Even though the Head of Corporate Affairs was not part of the drawing of the change agenda, he could put every needed resource together and organize the human resource he came to meet in such a way that in just three years, the five year growth plan was already yielding results. Based on the initiative taken by the leader and the approach used in achieving the success, there are three major lesson I have learnt about the most critical components of leading and implementing change. The first of this is a willpower, which acts as an intrinsic motivation for the person who is to effect the change. This is because even though the leader was not part of the proponents of the change, he had a very strong will to ensure that the goals set were achieved. The second is exemplary leadership. Very specifically about our leader, it was observed that he did not just on board to order others around. Rather, he would always take the lead in doing something, which made all others follow suit. Finally, the need to stick to plan is very necessary for any change agenda. The reason this is said is that at all times, the leader ensured that there was no deviation from what needed to be done. In the opinion of Denton (1996), change processes that are not implemented with much fo cus often fail because there is deviation into doing what is not originally part of the

Outline classical theories of motivation and illustrate their Essay

Outline classical theories of motivation and illustrate their application in different business situations. Discuss their useful - Essay Example The first theory that this paper deals with is Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs. To reiterate, this theory is considered to be one of the most important available motivational theories and is used by many professionals in various institutions. It has a broad—and even, perhaps, a universal—appeal. It is actually a very common-sense theory in that â€Å"it suggests that people are motivated to fulfill basic needs before moving on to other needs† (Cherry, K.). The depiction of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs enables easy understanding of his theory. The base of the diagram, which contains the basic needs, is broad and, as with all pyramids, comes to a point at the top. This should indicate that in relation to other levels of the pyramids, humans have more basic needs than other needs. The most basic needs are the physiological needs for water, food, warmth, air, and sleep. It can be readily seen that if an employee does not have these satisfied, that (s)he is n ot going to be motivated—and, in fact, not able—to be productive. ... The second of the five levels of Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs are those of safety and security, which although necessary for survival are not as crucial as those of the first level. Examples of second-level security needs are shelter from the environment, safe neighbourhoods, steady employment and health insurance (ibid.). There is grass roots and political movement afoot in some areas for employers to pay their employees a living wage, the amount differing somewhat depending upon the cost of living in any given area. Minimum wages in some areas are barely sufficient to pay rent and bus fare to work. The food banks help. Businesses would be wise to consider what loyalty and quality production can be expected from employees in such situations, especially if they have a toothache but have no money nor dental insurance to have a dentist take care of the problem. Many a business manager has been heard to lament that it is impossible to find good employees today. If such managers, g ave up their lifestyle for a couple of months and tried living on the wages paid to their minimum or close-to-minimum-wage paid employees, they would, undoubtedly, have a rude awakening. Even if the employees’ physiological and security needs are met, if their social needs—the third level of Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs—are, for whatever reasons, barely being met, these employees are hurting inside and, consequently, in most cases are not sufficiently motivated nor capable of giving their all to their work. The needs in level three are social needs. THEORIES OF MOTIVATION 3 According to Maslow’s theory, social needs are met through friendships; romantic

Research Proposal Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Research Proposal Example Knowing any potential impact would further lead to the investigation on how creditors would create any important accounting-related adjustments just to be able to ensure survival of their business. Thus, the following questions will be answered at the end of the study. This study will employ both quantitative and qualitative method of research through a survey questionnaire and personal interview. In the end, this study will lead to understanding the micro-level impact of DRO on lending and banking institution, and increasing the knowledge on the specific probable moves of banks and lenders to maximise their revenue on short-term loans amidst the implementation of DRO. The purpose of this research is to investigate whether the perceptions on Debt Relief Order (DRO) have significant impacts on the revenue of creditors especially those who have potential profit in offering short-term loans with high interest rates. Knowing any potential impact would further lead to the investigation on how creditors would create any important accounting-related adjustments just to be able to ensure survival of their business. One of the ways in order to protect an individual or a company from exact financial obligation from creditors is to file bankruptcy (Elias, 2011). This is a way of doing something to secure any form of financial obligations that could no longer be handled accordingly. However, in any way this is also a remarkable opportunity to actually create a fresh start when it comes to financial concern of an individual or organization. On the other hand, this also has a remarkable impact on the part of the creditors. Although, individuals who are in financial trouble may actually find it hard to secure financial support in the future for not being able to pay any accounts payable, insolvency on their part could create at some

Significance of John Brown and Harpers Ferry Essay Example for Free

Significance of John Brown and Harpers Ferry Essay Since the Battle of Fort Sumpter, three months later, the first major battle during the civil war began on July 21, 1861 which was called The First Battle of Bull Run in Manassas. During this major battle, General Irvin McDowell commanded the large Union army while General Pierre G.T. Beauregard commanded the Confederate army. The Union perceived that they would make a quick and swift victory with very little loss, but it was the opposite. At the time both sides had inexperienced soldiers. When this war was happening the hundred of Manassas citizens left their homes to watch the battle unfold. Cannons and muskets would be fired all over and some misfires would end up at the civilians homes. At the start the Union was able a push the Confederates back to Henry Hill, but they would have their comeback. Beauregard make a strong defensive line controlled by General Thomas J. Jackson. Jackson held his ground successfully and gained the name Stonewall Jackson. The Confederates were able to capture Union artillery and chose to counterattack the Union soldiers. But it quickly lashed back at them when Union forces on the hill came down and broke the Confederates line of defense, forcing his complete retreat of the Bull Run. Thus this was a victory for the Union. The result of the battle left bodys riddled in the battlefield. Thousands of wasted soldiers died in that battle and was the largest and bloodiest battle during the Civil War. Other than scaring the scaring the citizens who were watching the entire battle the government was also shocked at the outcomes of this battle. Both sides came to the belief that this Civil War was going to become longer and more deadly as it goes on. From looking back at the battle one can see that it was not going to end quickly or any time soon. It became clear that it would last longer than people thought and that there was going to be more struggle. It also brought to people a clear image of what war was like. Thought the Union gained heavy losses, soldiers all across the Union gained moral for this victory and that they won. This war has also brought to the Generals attention that most of their soldiers are inexperienced and need to be trained and prepared for future battles. Politicians in the North were outraged by the high losses resulting from the battle, which gained in favor for the south and gave them hope that the Confederate army could defeat the Union.

Effect of Pay for Performance Model on Healthcare

Effect of Pay for Performance Model on Healthcare Priscilla Hernandez As the federal agency responsible for the Medicare program, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services needed to ensure that beneficiaries received the highest quality care. The implementation of the pay for performance programs by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services may have the source for improvement of the care delivered to Medicare patients. In 2006, a Health Law Review article defined pay for performance as â€Å"a reimbursement method under which some physicians and hospitals are paid more than others for the same services because they have been deemed to deliver better quality care and their patients appear to have better outcomes† (Mayes 17-22). Through these pay for performance programs, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services would incentivize or penalize providers (e.g., hospitals, physicians, home health agencies) based on their performance on clinical, outcome and patient experience measures. For decades, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services and other insurance payers have reimbursed providers using a fee-for-service payment model. The term fee- for-service is defined as â€Å"a method in which doctors and other healthcare providers paid for each service performed†¦.services include tests and office visits† (Healthcare.gov). In their 2011 Health Law Review article, the opinion of Mayes and Walradt was that the P4P program was â€Å"developed largely in response to the cost control problems and perverse incentives associated with fee-for service reimbursement, which is the dominant model in the US† (1). Throughout the last ten years, Congress has enacted legislation such as the Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement, and Modernization Act of 2003, Deficit Reduction Act of 2005 and the Affordable Care Act of 2010, as a means of moving away from this fee-for-service model to a pay for reporting model and eventually to a pay for performance model (Frequently Asked Questions 8). The journey to ensure improved patient care began with the creation of the pay for reporting programs. The pay for reporting programs included the Hospital Quality Alliance, the Reporting Hospital Quality Data for Acute Payment Update later known as the Hospital Inpatient Quality Reporting Program and the Reporting Physician Quality Reporting System. The pay for performance programs included the Hospital Value Based Purchasing program, the Physician Value Modifier and the Accountable Care Organizations. The following paragraph will give a brief history of the transition of the pay for reporting program to the pay for performance program. In 2005, as a result of the Modernization Act of 2003, hospitals voluntarily submitted data on ten quality measures to avoid a 0.4 percentage points reduction in their annual payment update for fiscal years 2005, 2006 and 2007 (Hospital Quality Initiative 3). The quality measures focused on four conditions or diseases that were among the most common, most expensive to treat and most serious conditions for Medicare beneficiaries. These conditions were acute myocardial infarction, heart failure, pneumonia, and surgical care improvement (Hospital Quality Initiative 4). Between 2004 and 2007, the measures increased from ten to thirty-six. The signing of the Deficit Reduction Act of 2005 brought six additional measures and hospitals who did not voluntarily report were at risk of a 2.0 percentage point reduction to their annual payment update for fiscal y ear 2009. The 2009 Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services paper, â€Å"Roadmap for Implementing Value-driven Health Care in the Traditional Medicare Fee-for-Service Program†, notes that the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services proposed moving from a pay-for-reporting program to a pay-for-performance program as part of the Deficit Reduction Act of 2005 (14). The start of this pay for performance program, which was best known as the Hospital Value Based Purchasing program would change the future and the practice of medicine in hospitals and other healthcare facilities for many years to come. This program drove the most change in care provided to Medicare patients. According to CMS.gov: On April, 29, 2011, the Centers for Medicare Medicaid Services issued the final rule establishing the Hospital Value Based Purchasing program†¦This program, which was established by the Affordable Care Act, [would] implement pay-for-performance†¦The final rule adopt[ed] performance measures, drawn from the measure set that hospitals have been reporting under the Hospital Inpatient Quality Reporting program. During his presentation at the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality on September 14, 2009, Michael T. Rapp, MD, JD, FACEP, Director, Quality Measurement, and Health Assessment Group, listed the supporters for the Hospital Value Based Purchasing program. Supporters included the Institute of Medicine, private health plans, and employer coalitions. When the Institute of Medicine released their â€Å"To Err is Human and Crossing the Quality of Chasm Report† they called for â€Å"raising standards and expectations for improvements in safety through the actions of oversight organizations, professional groups, and group purchasers of health care† (6). The support for the Hospital Value Based Purchasing program could be seen as early as November 1999 in the IOM report, â€Å"One way this can happen is by purchasers and consumers requesting and using information to direct their business to the best organizations and providers in a community† (19). For many years, th e need for standardization of care was needed and no other program but the Hospital Value Based Purchasing program could have brought that change. The quality of care given by providers would now be an open book and this would surely drive significant change. The supporters felt the program would bring change but there were also those opposing the Hospital Value Based Purchasing program. Opposition for the program came from hospitals, state hospital associations, and physician associations. Those with oppositions felt the program would pose significant operational challenges due to the number of measures being reported. Smaller hospitals would have the most challenges due to hiring additional work force to perform the chart abstraction required to report on the measures. Some measures would also require changes in processes that often take financial resources. To summarize the 2008 Modern Healthcare article, many healthcare groups felt the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services was heading in the right direction by implementing the Value Based Purchasing Program but felt such a program should not be used to reduce Medicare spending (Lubell 1). The healthcare groups felt the program would lose credibility among providers since it was o nly a short-term fix to reduce Medicare spending (Lubell 2). The first year of payment with the Hospital Value Based Purchasing program would be fiscal year 2013. With this program, hospitals would need to show improvement over the baseline during the performance period. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services established that the baseline period would come from measures previously reported to the Hospital Inpatient Quality Reporting Program for discharges from July 1, 2009 – March 31, 2010 and the performance period would be July 1, 2011 – March 31, 2012. The initial measures included twelve of the Hospital Inpatient Quality Reporting Program measures. Since these were the original pay for reporting measures, many hospitals had already been working on improving their performance. The use of previously reported measures also helped many facilities know where they needed to improve. The results of patient satisfaction surveys would also be part of the program. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services required hospital s to survey patients with a survey know as the Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems survey. The initial measures were all measures that focused on processes. These included providing discharge instructions to patients, controlling a patient’s glucose after having heart surgery and ordering venous thromboembolism prophylaxis to surgical patients. Although patients would have better outcomes, such as less pulmonary embolisms and less infections with these measures, the use of process of care based measures would only show improvement in changes made to processes. The process measures that showed the most improvement over the baseline included Primary Percutaneous Coronary Intervention Received Within 90 minutes of Hospital Arrival and Postoperative Urinary Catheter Removal on Post Operative Day 1 or 2. The Primary Percutaneous Coronary Intervention measure improved by 1.9% from 93.44% to 95.34% showing the percentage of heart attack patients who had the blocked vessel causing the heart attack to be opened up with in 90 minutes of arriving to the hospital. The urinary catheter improved from 92.86% to 95.79% for an overall improvement of 2.93%. Surgical patients often need a urinary catheter after surgery. If left in place for too long patients can develop an infection. This indicator measured the percentage of patients who had their urinary catheter removed with in first or second day after they had surgery. These two measures are some of the few process measures that made a difference in the care and outcome of patients. The Primary Percutaneous Coronary Intervention measure improved the chances of survival for heart attack patients and the urinary catheter measure helped prevent infections. Patients who survived a heart attack as a result of the care they received at a hospital are surely to tell others of their experience. Word of mouth is the most common source of recommendation for a product, restaurant, or even hospital. The New York Times reiterates this in an October 2013 article by stating, â€Å"While private and public payers are making important progress on performance measures and outcomes-based reimbursement, patients still rely largely on the recommendations of loved ones and friends about the quality of care provided by individual doctors, hospitals and other providers†(Blando 2). Although this may be true, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services still created the Hospital Compare website. The website would provide consumers information on how hospitals compared to other hospitals on each of the process of care measures. The website could be compared to the Consumer Reports website in that prior to making a major purchase consumers can research information on the quality of the product they plan on purchasing. This website would enable the consumer to make an informed decisio n regarding their healthcare. It also opened up a world of transparency for hospitals and consumers. Quality data on hospitals had never been shared with their competitors or their patients. Hospitals changed many processes in order to improve their performance of the measures that were displayed on the Hospital Compare website. Can it be determined if there has been improvement in the care provided or is it still to early to tell? In an attempt to answer this question, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services contracted with the Rand Corporation to evaluate the effects of the Hospital Value Based Purchasing program. In 2014, the Rand Corporation released their research report entitled â€Å"Measuring Success in Health Care Value-Based Purchasing Programs†. Their research found only â€Å"49 studies that examined the effect of P4P on process and intermediate outcome measures† (xxi). The RAND article states, â€Å"Any identified effects were relatively small† (xxii). When compared to the initial baseline period, the process of care measures have shown improvement during the performance periods. This journey has been painful for so many facilities. Many of which were not prepared for how quickly the pay for performance program would become reality. Although this program has increased the amount of work for facilities, many have worked diligently to ensure the changes needed to processes to improve patient care were implemented. Improvement in care will only be seen with the implementation of outcomes based measures. As stated above, more heart attack patients have survived. Fewer infections from urinary catheters being taken out in a timely manner will most likely be seen. In the future, the outcome measures should be better predictors of the effects of the pay for performance program. Examples of outcomes based indicators includes measuring readmissions back to hospitals, measuring infections and measuring mortality of patients for the four common conditions mentioned in the previous paragraphs. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services only recently implemented these outcomes measures. As with the process of care measures, until additional years of data are available their effect cannot be determined. At this time with the limited data available, it is s till too early to tell if the Hospital Value Based Purchasing program has made an impact on the care provided to Medicare beneficiaries.

The effect of money in elections

The effect of money in elections Historically, we have had a two party system with minor parties. In todays society Americas two party systems affects the elections and decision of voters as an American Political Landscape. Both parties progresses the ability to mark their political public services to individual voters based on computer models they established from historic patterns and large sample- sized polls that push approaches towards the issues and the candidates, called data mining. Theres either a view point with the Democratic Party on the Right of the table, and on the left of the table there is the Republican Party that has a totally different observation about the topic of discussion. These will be the only TWO options you can vote on or either vote for. The Democratic and Republican national parties and most state parties are moderate in their policies and leadership. In recent years both parties have strengthen the role of the national committee and enhanced the inference of individual committee members. Over time, although the citizens have the right to elect and vote, our Democracy party has combined between the direct democracy and representative democracy. Having a direct democracy is allowing the people to vote who should run as nominees in the office. In representative democracy this is allowing the people to elect those who govern to pass laws; also known as the, Republic. The rules to the political voting and elections game have changed and expanded to the citizens, these rules in America affects how it is to be played. Two words, Thriving Media, according to the text also in, Government by the People, (p. 212) is the surrounding function of our elections and voters in todays society. The media, in particular the print media, have been called the fourth estate and the fourth branch of government. Seventy percent of the public think that the media and internet sources are watch dogs, here to inform us about any such moves during an election. Everyone wants a say-so, and to point fingers at who to vote for the best candidate, of the two. Platforms are ambiguous by design, giving voters few obvious reasons to vote against the party. The American two part system has the effect of using both systems against one another, who knows if each nominee will practice what they preach, once being voted into the office. As read above yes we do have a two part system, but it seems like the two maybe combining together and causing our voters and elections to bring across confusion. There are many internet resources we could use (Watch- Dogs) but in what favor are those resources really? The political game is just that a game used to get that, Winner-Takes-All peaking point. The American two part system affects our elections and voter choices by perception. I even feel as if everyone is not getting to express themselves with exactly what they need from our government. Having a two part system does not let the United States explore enough or as many choices as having a muliti- system. Money,- Although the parties cannot exert tight control over candidates, their ability to raise and spend money has had a significant influence. This time in life money plays a major role on anything, so with the elections and votes it has full control over America. Studies have shown on the Google, website, that the Republican Party spends six times as much money on their campaigns than the Democrat party. Thanks to, Citizens vs. F.E.C. getting the law passed that as much money can be given or fundraised to a campaign in any amount. This allows all sorts of sponsors, interest groups, corporate fronts, and lobbyist to step their foot into the campaign world. Defend Democracy, this statement was used to fight the battle that Corporations should be given an equal opportunity as citizens of the United States of America. In other, words opening the door so that all candidates should be able to spend as much money as conceivable to their campaign. As declared in 1976 and 1978, America has money defined as, Soft Money- money raised in unlimited amounts by political parties for party-building purposes. Now largely illegal except for limited contributions to state or local parties for voter registration and get-out-the-vote efforts. also according to our text in Government by the People, (p. 197). America also has, Hard- Money- Political contributions given to a party, candidate, or interest group that are limited in amount and fully disclosed. Raising such limited funds is harder than raising unlimited funds, hence the term hard money. All national party committees combined raised more than $509 MILLION of soft money in the 1999- 2000 election cycles, up from 110 MILLION adjusted for inflation in 1991- 1992. Banning soft money became the primary objective of reformers and was one of the more important provisions in the BRCA. Soft money enabled large donors to be major players in campaign finance. In the 2008 election the Obama campaign used advertisements such as the Internet to coordinate, communicate, and recruit volunteers (interest groups). I could say that it does give a freedom of speech, but to whom, the nominee or the voters? Advertisement is used worldwide to persuade the people into buying the product. Political advertisement is very manipulation able. In this situation the product thats trying to be sold is the vote. The United States uses political advertisement as an enhancement to vote for whoever the best candidate seems to favor at that time in the public eye. There may be some proof that the media may influence our culture in America by a great deal. America has the television, the newspapers, Internet, and the radio for advertisement sources. The television gives us an image that print media such as the newspaper cannot. We get to experience and create a picture of what things are going on in the political world. Newspapers are still being read, as I still do read them but not necessarily for politics, I usually do watch the television to keep up with elections for visuals. Another stronger advertisement in politics and in anything today is the Internet. The drastic increase in usage of the web also can give visuals and a lot of information on the candidates up for running. The news media have changed dramatically throughout the course of U.S. history. By calling the publics attention to certain issues, the media help determine what topics will become subjects of public debate and legislation. In a way the advertisement of the elections is to throw out an attention grabber, then lower the audience in to pick them as a nominee. Advertisement is very persuasive in running elections. This subject can also put us back at the money being used for the elections. The more money a campaign has the more information and broadcasting they can attend to get to voters. Cool slogans catch the peoples interests, especially a younger crowd that rarely pays close thoughtfulness to anything in politics. There are a lot of commercials and post boards blinding us about different candidates proposal. No one would ever get to see the competitors argument if they could not raise enough money to broadcast as much. According to different internet anonymous sources all over the internet, theres an impression that corporation helping maintain certain nominees up for the office stand to be pretty scandalous. On that note I leave this paper with the finding of huge information and knowledge I didnt know or had even considered with my own government. Happening in the United States of America, is the American two- party system, money issues, and advertisement usage and the effects on elections and the voter system today.

Essay --

The station which might get to be London first shows up in history as a little military space warehouse utilized by the Romans throughout their attack of Britain, which started in A.d. 43. It was conceivably found as an exchanging focus with the landmass and soon formed into a paramount port. It had turned into the base camp of the Procurator, the official responsible for the funds of Roman Britain, when Boudica, the Queen of the Iceni, a local British tribe possessing East Anglia, blazed it to the ground in A.d. 61 over the span of her grisly rebel against Roman guideline. It was reconstructed by the year 100, and first shows up as "Londinium" in Tacitus' Annals. It quickly got to be both the common capital and the regulatory, business, and budgetary focus of Roman Britain. Its populace by the center of the third century numbered maybe 30,000 individuals, a number which developed in fifty years to about twice that number. They existed in a city with cleared boulevards, sanctuaries, open showers, work places, shops, block fields, earthenwares, glass-lives up to expectations, humble homes and fancy estates, encompassed by three miles of stone dividers (allotments of which still remain) which were eight feet thick at their base and up to twenty feet in stature. Throughout the course of the fourth century, nonetheless, as the Roman Empire started to fall, Roman Londinium fell into indistinct quality as its defensive Legions withdrew; history records no hint of it between 457 and 600. Throughout that time, then again, it steadily turned into a Saxon exchanging town, in the long run one of respectable size. In that century Christianity was acquainted with the city (St. Augustine named a diocesan, and a church was constructed), yet th... ...istfulness for a quickly vanishing provincial past which headed William Morris to establish the Society for the Preservation of Ancient Buildings, and headed him, too, to start his The Earthly Paradise with the accompanying lines: Disregard six provinces overhung with smoke, Disregard the grunting steam and cylinder stroke, Disregard the spreading of the repulsive town; Think rather of the pack-horse on the down, What's more long for London, little, and white, and clean, The reasonable Thames flanked by its enclosures green. . . While near the thronged wharf Geoffrey Chaucer's pen Moves over bills of filling. . . From the mid life years on, and well into the nineteenth century, much of London was vicious and dirty. Throughout the eighteenth century, the poor and the unemployed much of the time involved themselves, as Hogarth exhibited, by drink

Role of Nature in the Poetry of Keats and Wordsworth Essay -- Poetry An

Nature played an important role in all works of the Romantics but I believe it is John Keats and William Wordsworth who understood not nature in themselves but themselves in nature. As Wordsworth once said: "the feeling therein developed gives importance to the action and situation and not the action and situation to the feeling." 1 Both Keats and Wordsworth understood that the most complex feelings and emotions can be described and understood when related with a simple act of nature. With a simple gust of wind we are given a glimpse into an author's soul as it is used to convey thoughts, feelings and moods of an author. In Keats' "The Eve of St. Agnes" the wind is used not only to set the scene of a stormy night but also I think as a way to describe Porphyro's ecstatic heart. "Flutter'd in the besieging wind's uproar; / And the long carpets rose along the gusty floor."2 You can imagine as they are running through the halls and out the door how his heart must be leaping with both joy and fear. As the wind tugs at the tapestries on the walls and lifts the carpet from the floor his heart may feel tugs of guilt for whisking her away and also freedom and joy. In Keats' poem, "To Autumn" the wind is personified with these words, "...as the light wind lives or dies..."3 As the wind picks up and comes to life with motion and character it can also slow and cease as will life. I believe Keats relates his feelings of life and death to the seasons of nature in this poem. To me this poem seems to end abruptly, perhaps because I know the winter season is yet to come but it makes me wonder if perhaps Keats found peace as he was writing and decided to just leave it at that. When reading this poem in particular I feel Keats' inspiration ... ...ps something much more solid underneath. After speaking to the old man, Wordsworth confirms this realization as he says "I could have laughed myself to scorn to find / In that decrepit Man so firm a mind"15 and Wordsworth ends the poem with a sense of comfort on "the lonely moor".16 During their times both men found solace in their writing. And while they wrote they drew inspiration, motivation and an understanding of what was in their hearts by observing what was in their surroundings. Nature played an important role not only in their imagery but also by giving them something to relate and compare their thoughts and feelings to. Not only did they reach an understanding of themselves through nature but we were left with an understanding of them through the simple, timelessness of nature. "To her fair works did Nature link / The human soul that through me ran".17

How culture influences human development Essay

This essay is an attempt to show how culture influences human development and interpretation of the world. Therefore, to start with this essay will define culture by different scholars. It will then show the types of culture and give a brief account on what culture constitutes (characteristics of culture). Furthermore, the concept of human development will be discussed briefly to give the reader a more clear understanding of the topic at hand. With clear examples, the essay will then show how culture influences human development and their interpretation of the world. Finally, a conclusion summarizing what the essay will discuss will be drawn. The attempt to define culture is elusive as many may suggest. Nevertheless, there are certain paradigms that constitute the sum total of culture and underlie cultural images and identity construction. It is the close affinity between cultural image and human identity that makes the definition of culture complex. The most complex and yet comprehensive definition of culture is that arrived during the ‘Mondiacult’ in Mexico city which has continued to be the most operationalised definition of culture: ‘Culture is the whole complex of distinctive spiritual, material and intellectual features that charactorise a society or social group. It includes not only the arts and letters, but also modes of life, the fundamental rights of human beings, value systems, traditions and beliefs.’ Young Kate (1993) in a report said, culture is seen in the African social context as transcending the arts or artifacts, folklores, literatures, music, dance and other artistic paraphelia. According to Taylor (1996) culture refers to the patterns of behavior and thinking that people living in social groups learn, create, and share. Culture distinguishes one human group from others. It also distinguishes humans from other animals. A people’s culture includes their beliefs, rules of behavior, language, rituals, art, technology, styles of dress, ways of producing and cooking food, religion, and political and economic systems. Culture can also be defined as a set of values, attitudes, beliefs and behaviors shared by a group of people, communicated from one generation to the next via language or some other means of communication (Barnouw, 1985). An American sociologist Ogburn has divided culture into two parts: Material culture which consists of tangible things and tools used to express the way of life such as machines, dwellings, manufacture of goods and transportation; and Non material culture which consists of non tangible aspects such as norms, values, customs and practices that are exhibited in social institutions such as the family, religion, economy and education. Some of the characteristics of culture is that it is symbolic, meaning it is based on symbols or abstract ways of referring to and understanding ideas, objects, feelings, or behaviors-and the ability to communicate with symbols using language; it is shared meaning people in the same society share common behaviors and ways of thinking through culture(Bodley ,1997); it is learned socially (Archer, 1996); it is adaptive, that is to say people use culture to flexibly and quickly adjust to changes in the world around them (Findely, and Rothney, 2006); it is social meaning culture does not exist in isolation; it is transitive as it is transmitted from one generation to another; and it is continuous and cumulative because it exists as a continuous process. Various people understand human development on a wide variety of aspects. Human development can be intellectual, biological, social, economical, and many others. Human development involves all the individual’s activities starting from birth, infancy, childhood, adolescence, through to adulthood. Therefore, human development and people’s view of the world during all these stages of a person’s life is influenced by people’s exposure to various cultures in so many ways. Usually when a child is born, it is born into a particular family that has a certain way of life. Members of this family will have a language they usually use, type of food they usually eat, religion or church they are part of, a way they dress, a type of people they interact with, types of social  activities they engage in, and so on. All this is part of their culture as a family. That child will grow up and adapt to that culture because the family is its first agent of socialization. As the child grows and develops into an adolescent, then into an adult, his or her view of the world will greatly be influenced by this socialization of the family. The way in which he or she will interact with others will depend on how he or she has been brought up to do. Some individuals are shy and reserved while others are talkative. In the past, the African culture socialized girls and women to maintain their place which was in the kitchen and to be respectful towards men. In as much as this was a form of gender inequality, this culture also brought some form of human development as the men went out to provide for their families as well as develop their communities, while the women stayed at home cooking, taking care of the children and doing household chores which is a form of human development (social) were socializing of the children is involved. So, in this type of way of life the women interpreted or viewed men as being superior over them and the men viewed the women as being their helpers. However, over the years this sort of view has changed (though not everywhere) due to the fact that culture is not static, it is an adaptive mechanism that constantly adjusts to satisfy human biological and social needs. Because of this dynamic tendency of culture, cultural communities continue to change as do individuals. A community’s history and relations are part of cultural process which intern lead to various human developments. A good example that can be cited is that of the Khoi Khoi and san people of the past who hunted and gathered food for their survival. It is very rare to find any kind of people in this day and age who still follow that kind of lifestyle. Culture is not the same everywhere, it varies greatly and this great diversity can sometimes be confusing to others. For instance, the thought of children handling knives makes many American parents very nervous, yet toddlers in some parts of Africa safely use machetes. Similarly, infants in middle-class communities in the United States are often expected to sleep  alone by the time they are only a few months old while many low and middle-class Zambian children typically share their mother’s bed through their toddler years. These striking differences in child rearing practices reflect the diverse range of what is considered developmentally appropriate for children around the world, depending on their cultural circumstances (Roggof, 2003). Therefore, people from, say, these two types of societies will interpret child rearing practices differently from one another. Another example by Barbara Roggof (2003) which results in a great difference in interpretation due to the diversity of culture is the comparison between the United States and Mayan community in Gautemala. The United States is a highly age-segregated society, with children spending much of their time away from activities of adults. That segregation removes children from important opportunities to observe and learn from elders by participating in valued community activities, said Roggof. In contrast, in the Mayan community in Gautemala, children often learn through the process of observation and supportive guidance as they engage in community activities. Young Mayan girls, for instance, regularly observe women weaving complicated patterns because weaving is a daily household activity. Experienced weavers watched for their daughters to express interest and then set up a simple project beside their own which allows them to offer, what Roggof calls ‘guidance embedded in activity’. So unlike in the United States community were learning is often pegged to age and managed in specialized child settings, instruction in this Mayan community is generally triggered by the child’s interest in becoming involved in valued family community activities. This shows that human development in some cultures is influenced by age, while in others by interest. Cultural diversity shows that there are different viewpoints and ways of interacting with the world as there are cultures (Young, 1993). However, cultural difference may sometimes become problematic. Because different people are part of different cultures and backgrounds, people tend to see or interpret things through their background. ‘That is, culture acts as a filter, not only when perceiving things, but also when thinking about  interpreting events.’ For example, Mary Banda may interpret Aisha Yusuf’s habit of over spicing her food whenever she is cooking as a sign that Aisha is not a very good cook as she uses these spices as a disguise of her lack of talent. Mary might even conclude that people from her own culture are better cooks than that of Aisha’s because she does not need spices to make her food taste good. Mary Banda, in this example, is interpreting someone else’s behavior from her own cultural background and based on her own beliefs of culture and behavior. This is an act of ethnocentrism, which is the viewing and interpretation of the behavior of others through one’s own cultural glasses (Giddens, 1989). This is a form of biasness which is also closely linked to stereotypes. For example, suppose someone is having a conversation with another person from a culture different from their own. While he is talking to this person, he notices that she does not really make eye contact with him when he speaks. Also, she does not really look at him when he speaks. On the few occasions when her eyes look his way, she quickly averts her gaze if their eyes meet. From his cultural background he may interpret that she does not feel very positive about his interaction. He may even put off and reject any attempts at future interactions. He may not feel trusting or close to her. But she may come from a culture were direct gazing is discouraged or even a sign of arrogance. She may actually be avoiding eye contact not because of any negative feelings, but because of difference and politeness to him. Of course these potential problems have real and practical implications in everyday life. Such scenarios may occur in a job interview, in a teaching or learning situation at an elementary school, at a business negotiation, or even in a visit with a doctor. It is always hard for people to separate themselves from their own cultural backgrounds and biases to understand the behaviors of others. However, this is not to say that all cultures are different or diverse. There are always cross-cultural tendencies or behaviors that are shared in most cultures. For instance, in most cultures people burry their dead, celebrate at weddings, mourn at funerals, name their children, wear clothes (do not  move naked), and many others. CONCLUSION In conclusion, culture is basically people’s way of life or way of doing things or even way of thinking. Be it how they comb their hair, dress, worship, eat, time they sleep at night, and so on. Culture is material and non material, and therefore, influences a great deal of people’s lives. This influence of culture can be on their human development from birth, infancy, childhood, adolescence, through to adulthood. Jean Piaget talked about four stages human beings pass through as they develop. These include the sensory motor stage (0-23 months old), pre-operational stage (2-7 years old), concrete operational stage (7-11 years old) and formal operational stage (11 years and above). Through all these stages, human development occurs in various ways. And this can be intellectually, socially, economically, and biologically. It can also influence how people interpret the world or other people around them as illustrated in the few examples in mentioned in the text. REFERENCES Archer, M. S. (1996). _The place of culture in social theory_. New York: Cambridge University Press. Barnouw, V. (1985). _Culture and personality (_4th edition_)._ Wales: Dorsey Press. Bodley, J. H. (1997). _Ethnology_ (4th edition). Mountain View cliff: Mayfield Publishers. Co. Dressler, D. et al (1976). _Sociology: The study of Human interactions_ (3rd edition). New York: Alfred A. Knopt. Findely, & Rothney, (1996). _Twentieth century world_ (6th edition). London: McMillan Press Ltd. Furedidi, F. (1997). _Population and development: A critical introduction_ (3rd edition). Britain: Polity Press. Giddens, A. (1989). _Sociology_ (6th edition). Britain: Polity Press. Rogoff, B. (2003). _The cultural nature of human development._ New York: Oxford Press. Taylor, (2006). _Principles and practice of stress management_ (3rd edition). New York: Guilford Press. UNESCO, (1982). _Cultural industries: A challenge for the future._ Paris: UNESCO. Valsiner, J. (2000). _Culture and human development: An introduction._ Britain: Polity Press. Young, K. (1993). _Planning development with women: Making a world of difference._ London & Basinstokei: McMillan Press Ltd.

Employment Law Compliance Plan Essay

Per your request, I was delegated the duty of developing the Employment Law Compliance Plan for Bradley Stonefield and his limousine company. Based on the meeting notes, Mr. Stonefield wants to operate a limousine company in Austin, Texas and to have at least 25 employees working for him within the first year. To ensure the success of Mr. Stonefield’s business, I have developed an employment law compliance plan that he should follow. This communication serves as confirmation of the employment laws that are relevant to Mr. Stonefield’s business. It will also provide how the employment laws should be executed and the consequences of noncompliance. This memo will give information regarding federal employment laws and regulations specific to Texas. The laws that will be discussed are The Texas Minimum Wage Law, The Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967, The American with Disabilities Act of 1990, and the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986. The Texas Minimum Wage Law Texas implemented the federal minimum wage rate of $7.25 per hour in July 24, 2009. Another provision of the law allows automatic increases in the minimum wage amount when the rate of the federal rate increases. The law also  mandates employers provide its employees a paycheck statement, which shows the number of hours an employee has worked (including overtime), the amount of pay they received, and any deductions. The Texas Minimum Wage Law aims to ensure that all employees are treated fairly and equally, regardless of where he or she may fall on the pay scale. Mr. Stonefield’s limousine company can comply with the Texas Minimum Wage Law by ensuring payroll is processed correctly. Additionally, the company should save records of all payroll, for the mandated period, for future references and ensure that the pay rates comply with the minimum wage law. Mr. Stonefield can purchase payroll specific software and individuals skilled in payroll processing to ensure compliance. The Texas Department of Labor enforces the Texas Minimum Wage Law. Individuals of the department of labor audit businesses to confirm the business is operating according to this law. If a business is found to be noncompliant, they could be fined up to $10,000.00 and criminally prosecuted. If the business is in violation for a second time, the business owner may be imprisoned. Penalties of up to $1,100.00 per violation can be executed to employers and businesses who repeatedly violate the minimum age requirement. The Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967 The Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967 prohibits discrimination in benefits, salary, and employment for employees who are age 40 and over. However, if the employer can validate that age is an occupational qualification, this law would not apply. The law is administered and executed by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) and â€Å"[a] key objective of the law is to prevent financially troubled companies from singling out older employees when there are cutbacks† (Cascio, 2013, p. 109). To comply with the Age Discrimination in Employment Act, Mr. Stonefield’s limousine company cannot deny employment or terminate an employee over age if the employee is of the age of 40 and over. However, if an individual lacks necessary skill functions or has poor performance, who happens to be the age of 40 or over, the company is within its limits to terminate the employee. Because age is not a determining factor, the company is justified  in terminating the employee. Noncompliance of the Age Discrimination in Employment Act can cause extensive financial damage to a company. A victim of age discrimination can obtain compensation, including attorney’s fees, court cost, and monetary compensation and punitive damages from the business. There are certain guidelines associated with the amount of compensation a victim can be awarded if age discrimination is proven. Mr. Stonefield is anticipating on employing up to 25 individuals to operate his limousine company. According to the EEOC, employers with 15-100 employees, the limit for compensation and punitive damages is $50,000.00 per claim. Additionally, if an employer: â€Å"resist, oppose, impede, intimidate or interfere with a duly authorized representative of the [EEOC] while it is engaged in the performance of duties under [this law] shall be punished by a fine of not more than $500.00 or by imprisonment for not more than one year, or both† (Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, 2013, SEC. 629). The Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) was approved in 1990, which prohibits employers from discriminating against potential employees with disabilities. A qualified individual should be able to perform the essential duties of the job with or without accommodation. In Mr. Stonefield’s case, he would not be held responsible for not hiring a blind driver. However, if a blind individual has the qualifications to complete data entry job functions, Mr. Stonefield would need to make reasonable accommodations for the essential job functions. According to Cascio (2013, p. 111), â€Å"almost 13 percent of people ages 21 to 64 in the United States have at least one disability, a percentage that more than doubles to 30.2 percent for people ages 65 to 74†. It is also essential for Mr. Stonefield’s limousine location to be accessible for individual with disabilities (e.g. ramps, bathroom stalls, etc.). Additionally, Mr. Stonefield is not allowed to ask or discuss a potential employees past claims or medical history, as it would be in violation of ADA. The EEOC enforces the ADA; however, there are other avenues victims can make claims of discrimination (e.g. Attorney General’s Office, U.S. Department of Justice, etc.). Violation of the ADA, in  connection with the Texas Labor Code, can be subject to damages payable to victims. These damages can include back pay, punitive damages, mental anguish, and pain and suffering (State of Texas: Office of the Governor, n.d., para. 7). Caps are provided for the amount awarded to victims of such discrimination and is based on the number of employees working for the business. In Mr. Stonefield’s case, if he is found in violation of the ADA and because he has fewer than 101 employees, his cap would be $50,000.00. The Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986 The Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1985 sets conditions around employer’s inability to hire illegal aliens. Companies can be sanctioned, and fined and the law relates to every employee. This law essential for Mr. Stonefield to adhere to, as in 2012 there were an estimated 1.7 million illegal immigrants residing in the state of Texas (SOLà S, 2013, para. 3). In order for Mr. Stonefield to comply with this law, it is essential he verifies the identity and the work status of all of the potential employees. Typically, most companies require new hires to fill out paperwork, such as an I-9, and obtain copies of identifiable documents (e.g. license, state issued identification, Social Security card, etc.). Companies that do not comply with this law can receive severe and harsh punishments and fines. According to Cascio, (2013, p. 110), â€Å"failure to comply with the verification rules, fines range from $100 to $1,100 for each employee whose identity and work authorization have not been verified†. Fines and penalties can range from $250.00 to $10,000.00 for each undocumented worker. Frequent or repeat offenders can be charged criminally. Texas law enforcement works with the federal agency Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to enforce the federal Immigration Reform and Control Act. Conclusion The employment compliance plan a general overview of the anticipated laws Mr. Stonefield’s limousine company can use to ensure the success of his business. Additionally, complying with the proposed employee compliance plan can save the company unnecessary expenses. Some of the most complicated  factors in establishing compliance with these laws are understanding the laws, knowledge of how these laws can affect the business, and the consequences if they are violated. As Mr. Stonefield will be operating a new company, it may be beneficial for him to hire a compliance officer to ensure he meets the necessary guidelines. References Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, 2013. Retrieved from http://www.eeoc.gov/eeoc/history/35th/1990s/ada.html Cascio, W. F. (2013). Managing Human Resources; Productivity, Quality of Work Life, Profits. McGraw-Hill. Solà ­s, Dianne. (23 September 2013). Illegal immigration into Texas increasing slowly, says Pew Research Center. Retrieved from http://www.dallasnews.com/news/state/headlines/20130923-illegal-immigration-into-texas-increasing-slowly-says-pew-research-center.ece State of Texas: Office of the Governor. (n.d.). Employment Protections. Retrieved from http://gov.texas.gov/disabilities/resources/employment_protections

Political Aspects of International Business

Political Aspects of International Business International Business (INBU350) The political aspects regard the International Business has been passing through changes that in one way or another affect the organizations. Countries fighting for defend of their territories against others or internal conflicts to keep the democracy alive; for instance the war between Iraq and Iran, or the citizens of Venezuela fighting for the survival of their democracy. As a result the pressure of the non-business situations stimulated the manner that the entrepreneurs do business internationally. Politics and the governments own interest have a direct connection with these change. The managerial method to deal with international business has been transform to better understand the foreign government’s politics. (Fitzpatrick, 1983). They have stimulated the evolution of managerial function involves with the assessment and evaluation of the non-business environment that has current relevance. Companies has to start comprehend how the different governments rules and policies works. Firstly the study of the culture, religion, ethnic, and how others companies making business in that particular country has been successfully. In case of those companies that don’t have the capital to invest in researching companies, can use the internal resources like an embassy together with the local government agencies. Furthermore of the strategy of the organizations to introduce products and services to the foreign nation they have to improve the managerial knowledge about it. Entrepreneurs can avoid unnecessary monetary looses if they watch closely any political movement. However companies have no control of any political status that can affect suddenly their business. In the meantime by tracking the governments issues can minimize any unwanted situation that directly or indirectly affect the company status. On the other hand is not guaranteed that everything going to be under control. Meanwhile the international business has a grow pattern ascendance that will dictate the future of how to make business. Every political issue has a cause and effect besides it negative aspects. The important of the globalization and new comportment to make business internationally has transformed the politics, regulations and policies of those restrictive governments. Additionally the endeavor of the international organizations to achieve and regulates the legal system such as ITC, GATT, and others. On the contrary the international law recognizes the right that any country has to accept or refuse any kind of foreign business in their territories. Meanwhile the United States government stimulated companies to establish operations oversea. Government policies can amend and pact relations with international business. Several reasons may cause governments to modify any deal with the international companies even without notification advance. Politics changes can affect dramatically the manner that international business deal with import, export, and trade with another countries. For example China worked a serious restructuration on their politics and regulations with the international companies, which include better conditions of work for the local employees. (Mcubbrey, 2010) Political and legal risks are two very important aspects of running a business of which an entrepreneur should be aware. Failure to recognize these risks and adjust accordingly could potentially hinder the performance of the overall business ‘As a result’ all this evidence indicates that companies that are looking for introduce of their operations internationally expect in return more than money invested. Therefore is about research and analyze how the country selected works regard the foreign companies. The entrepreneurs have to work with a serious analysis that need to include a investigation about culture, religions, ethnics, needs of the population, government, policies, issues and restrictions. Finally the result of this will be a considerable investment of money and resources and will be necessary a good planning to secure, a profitable returns on investments. By studying the international market, analyzing pros and con, and structure a serious business plan companies can prevent loss investments as a consequences of political risk. References Fitzpatrick, M. (1983)Â  Academic of management. Retrieved from: www. jstor. org/stable/257752 How managing political risk improves global business. Retrieved from: www. pwc. com/us/en/risk-compliance/managing-political-risk-improves-business-performance. jhtm

Discuss the Relationship Between Stress and the Immune System

Discuss the relationship between stress and the immune system (12) Cohen et al (1993) investigated the role of general life stress on the vulnerability to the common cold virus. 394 participants completed a questionnaire about the number of stressful events that occurred the previous year. They were also asked to rate the degree of stress and level of negative emotions. The three scores were combined together to make what Cohen called a stress index. The participants were then exposed to the common cold virus and 82% became infected.The results showed that the chance of developing a cold was significantly correlated with stress index. Cohen et al concluded that life stress and negative emotions reduce the effectiveness of the immune system. However a criticism of this study would be that there was no direct manipulation of the independent variable which was the stress index, so a cause and effect relationship cannot be confirmed. Also, it’s not easy to tell if whether the part icipants who reported sick was due to stress or other extraneous variables.Kiecolt-Glaser et al (1984) also investigated the impact of life stressors on the immune system. The participants were 75 medical students who were preparing for final exams. The natural killer (NK) cell activity was measured to use as an index of immune function. Measures of NK cell activity were recorded from blood samples 1 month before exams and one during exam period. Participants also completed a questionnaire on experience of negative life events and social isolation. The results showed that NK cell activity was significantly lower on high stress blood samples in comparison to low stress samples.Additionally, the greatest reductions were in students who had higher levels of social isolation. Kiecolt-Glaser concluded that examination stress reduces immune function thus making people more vulnerable to illnesses and infections. A criticism of this study would be that there was no manipulation of the inde pendent variable so the cause and effect relationship cannot be confirmed. Also, the experiment cannot be generalised as it used medical students therefore the results are specific only to medical students and when used on others the results may be significantly different.

Political Geography of Britain Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Political Geography of Britain - Essay Example Hence, an electoral system strongly determines a political system’s organization. For anyone interested with the political process, electoral systems are a significant object of study. This paper is on the electoral system of Britain, particularly focusing on its advantages and disadvantages. Britain uses the single member constituency with simple majority, also referred to as the First Past the Post system as her electoral system. For general elections purposes, Britain comprises single constituencies. Every party wishing to contest for the seat/constituency must present one representative or candidate to stand. In every constituency, each voter has one vote, which they cast for the representative or candidate of their choice. Elected as the Member of Parliament for a certain constituency is the candidate with the greatest number of votes. Subsequently, the party with the largest number of elected Members of Parliament normally forms the government (Britton, p1, 2008). Pritch ett (2003) asserts that such an electoral system’s mechanics have in general given support to the dominance of Britain’s parliament by two parties thereby permitting one party to form a governing majority alone. Various scholars associate several advantages as well as disadvantages to this kind of electoral system. As far as electoral systems are concerned, the First Past the Post system that Britain uses is relatively simple and straightforward for voters to comprehend. It requires each voter to place one cross only.

Article summary Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 2

Article summary - Assignment Example In the twenty-first century, the fundamental constraints of air transport are the environmental impact aviation has on the environment. As a result of the high demand for aviation services globally, there is an increasing emission of pollutants to the environment. In addition, there has been a slow progress on noise reduction. Several people are affected by these side effects from air transport. Despite these, the effects of the air transport are increasing as the economy and demand for aviation services grow globally. If not addressed adequately and quickly, the environmental impact of air transport may prove to be the primary constraint to the growth of air transport in the modern century (Ian Waitz, Jessica Townsend, Joel Cutcher-Gershenfeld, Edward Greitzer, & Jack Kerrebrock, 2004). Environmental pollution not only come from air transport, several other means of transport such as motor vehicles, trains, ships gravely contribute to the impact seen in the environment. From the article, we can learn about the harmful effects of pollution. Despite the fact that evolution of transport systems such as air transport plays an enormous role in shaping the global economy and transports the fact remains that the environment is seriously affected. If the issues are not tackled the economy and the transport system will be soon get affected too. Waitz. I., Townsend. J., Cutcher-Gershenfeld. J., Greitzer. E., & Kerrebrock. J. (2004). Report to the United States Congress AVIATION AND THE ENVIRONMENT A National Vision Statement, Framework for Goals and Recommended Actions 1,

How does the media effect body image in teen girls Essay

How does the media effect body image in teen girls - Essay Example The idea of the ‘Barbie complex’ is not new, but the importance placed on being blonde, slim and young has created a culture that is inordinately focused upon appearance to the great detriment of most of its members. This is largely the result of a concerted effort brought forward by the big cosmetic giants that depend on this flawed perception for their profits. The links between advertising, female perception of themselves and serious physical and mental disorders are abundantly clear. The media world depends to a large extent upon the money it receives from advertisers to stay alive, but these advertisers depend to a large degree upon selling their products. The best way to sell a product is to ensure that the product is something that will be needed perpetually, that there will always be some kind of demand for the product. A very effective technique in doing this is to set an ideal that is nearly impossible to achieve and then selling products that are geared toward bringing someone closer to this ideal, as has been done in the dieting and cosmetic markets. â€Å"Women are sold to the diet industry by the magazines we read and the television programs we watch, almost all of which make us feel anxious about our weight† (Jean Kilbourne, media activist, cited in â€Å"Beauty and Body Image†, 2009). This is only started with the portrayal of women in the media as â€Å"the images of impossibly thin models overwhelm today’s teenage girls.   U nbelievably, most models are thinner than 98 percent of American girls and women† (Bartell, 2008), which is also the source for everyone else to form their ideas of what the ideal female body should look like. Thus, friends, boyfriends, parents and others all add to the pressure for girls to attain, regardless of how impossible it might be, the shapes and forms represented in the media. While some may argue that this isn’t really as prevalent as the

Develop the ability to minimize the risk of litigation Essay

Develop the ability to minimize the risk of litigation - Essay Example Fifthly, I will select individuals who have the skills to investigate all cases of fire reported by civilians to the department in order to find the causes of various fire. Sixthly, I will select reputable individuals who have the capacity of maintaining the department image. Lastly, I will select individuals who maintain and inspects all machineries and equipment used for firefighting. The essential elements of the job description will require selected individuals to attend various meetings and training sessions which will be conducted by the department. The individuals selected will also be expected to be clean of any felony charges or criminal histories. Thirdly, the selected individuals will also be required to obtain a drives license which should be clean from any suspension cases or revocations by the state for one reason or the other. Fourthly, the selected individuals are also expected to be available at their different work stations at all hours of the day without excuses or exceptions unless given permission by the persons in charge. Lastly, the selected individuals are expected to attend named associations and emergency meetings set up by the fire department. Successful candidates selected by the fire department will be required to pass the following tests. They will be required to pass the written assessment exam which will be a test of their basic skills. Secondly, they will be required to pass the candidate physical ability test will have three stages and the applicants will be required to pass all the three stages. The first stage will involve creating awareness among the applicants of what is expected in the actual test. The second stage will be a copycat of the real test and applicants who pass the stage will be considered eligible for the last stage and the last stage will be the final test which will determine the ability of