Christopher Columbus good or evil Essay

Christopher Columbus was one of the greatest sailors and explores of all time. In 1492 he discovered a â€Å"new world† and linked Europe to the Americas. His discoveries enlarged the world and began a new age of exploration, therefore changing the history of the world. His Columbian Exchange was the foundation of the future world economy. [1] â€Å"Christopher Columbus can be considered a hero for his work on Christianity,† says John Kimble. Columbus has spread Christianity throughout the world and advanced trade with many new discoveries, thus, finding the â€Å"new world† he then discovered the first European colonies, and through those colonies he then spread the religion of Christianity. Columbus then brought spices and riches to all of Europe. [2] â€Å"After his return to Europe, many people were lead to believe they could explore and sail.† [3] â€Å"Only Columbus set off directly across a board, unknown sea with no specific knowledge of how far it extended or what lay on the other side.† Columbus encouraged everyone to take a risk and make their own discoveries. Yes, Christopher Columbus was flawed but all men are. Columbus put Christianity out on a rage on all different part of the world and had those places endured in trading. With all of his achievements, he then bettered the world to be melting pot that it is to this day. Assertion 2: Christopher Columbus was greedy, shellfish, racist and a bigot. He was responsible for the loss of life of thousands, destroyed culture and exploited those he came in contact with. Columbus did not even find what he set out for, the East Indies, and for that alone, should not be glorified in history. Christopher Columbus was yes a discoverer of something new, but it was only new to him. Before Columbus was there, there were native people on the land that they first discovered before Columbus stated he â€Å"founded† it. He was a  robber of land, and some people think he also robbed the lives of many. [1] Christopher Columbus was found to be a cruel man who enjoys seeing the natives and suffer. [2] â€Å"They should be good servants†¦. I, our Lord being pleased, will take hence, at time of my departure, six natives for your Highness,† was the first thing written in Columbus’ journal according to Bourne, p.111-112; page 18 of Hanke, L. (1949). The Spanish struggle for justice in the conquest of America. Philadelphia, PA: University of Pennsylvania. Christopher Columbus may not have killed that native people but hand he was in charge of murder’s and allowed all the killings to go on, so in those words that is just as bad, he also enslaved native people himself. All he was power and he had huge desire to rule over the land that was not his. Margolis goes on to say the Columbus did not prevent his crewmen from raping the innocent natives, and even that he himself raped and native woman, after beating her with a piece of rope. Columbus was nowhere near a hero; he founded land that had ownership already and then took the land away viciously. Work Cited [1][2] Kimble, John. â€Å"Hero or Villain.† Yahoo Voices. Ed. Mark G. Yahoo, 1 July 2007. Web. 25 Mar. 2013 [3] Caroll, Warren H. â€Å"Honoring Christopher Columbus.† Faith and Reason (Summer 1992) [1] plaza. â€Å"Why was Christopher Columbus a villan?.† KnowsWhy. January 10, 2011 [2] â€Å"The Untold Story. Understanding Prejudice. N.p., 2002. Web. 26 Mar.2013. [3] â€Å"Chirstopher Columbus: The Villain.† 123HelpMe.com 26 Mar 2013

Explain what the what the principles and activities of your business are Essay

The Wycombe District Council (WDC) is an organisation run by the government that provides a wide range of facilities in parts the Buckinghamshire County that is needed to build a community. Public spending e.g. council tax, pole tax, housing rent etc, funds a majority of these services. These vital needs for a community that I will be investigating are services such as housing, public transportation and leisure. HOUSING The need for housing takes priority over all the other needs in the community because without housing over half of today’s population in Briton would be homeless. Because of this need the Council’s objectives in providing this service are: * To provide affordable long term housing for identified community needs. * To provide sustainable and self- sufficient communities through housing initiatives. * Ensuring the provision of adequate range of accommodations to meet identified needs of the community. * I identifying sites to meet the Structure Plans allocating homes for the hosing needs. * Identifying and acquiring suitable sites where necessary for the development of affordable housing. The Wycombe and district council also provides accommodation for the homeless or people in danger of becoming homeless. If such situations were to occur, under the provision act of 1996 the WDC ha s a duty to help any legal citizen in such situation. However the council is ineligible to give homeless asylum seekers in accordance with the asylum and immigration act of 1996, but asylum seekers can seek advice from either the council or citizen advice bureau or housing association. TRANSPORTION AND TRAVEL The Bucks County Council (BCC) is known to provide the three major ways to travel within and from the Bucks area either by train, bus, or coach. The other mode of public transport that is known as taxi that runs in and around the Wycombe District is under licensed by the WDC. The Bucks County Council can be overseen as a head office to the Wycombe District Council. However in providing these services the BCC aims are: * To ensure all new development helps to minimise the amount of motorised travel. * To increase the proportion of journeys taking place by public transport, on foot and by cycle and making these attractive, safe and being alternatives to the car. * To raise the awareness of the wider impact of travel decisions and the need to change travel habits. * To support and co-ordinate community transport community transport facilities. * To promote road safety. * To ensure adequate transport infrastructure exists to service current and purposed developments. * To improve the management of traffic and parking so as to minimise congestion and journey times. * To reduce to the impact of vehicles on the environment in terms of pollution and congestion. LEISURE The WDC offers a wide verity of leisure facilities such as a sports centre that offers a wide selection of sports facilities that include: * 50m swimming pool, * 25m teaching pool, * Multi-purpose sports hall, * 4 Squash Courts, * Simpsons’ Dance Studio, * ‘Lifestyles’ Health and Fitness suite (including sauna and spa), * 6 rink bowls hall, * ‘Bodyzone’ body building room, * Athletics track, * Synthetic turf pitch, * Crà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½che, * Moonbase’ * Children’s soft play area, * Cafeteria /Bar, * The round house ‘Health and Beauty Salon’ LEISURE (continued). The other leisure attractions the WDC has to offer are places like the ‘The Swan Theatre’, a modern threatre with the capability of seating up to 1000 people, found in the Wycombe town centre, offering a wide verity of professional and amateur entertainment with conference facilities. Other attraction that can be found around the High Wycombe are: an artificial lake by the Rye mead used for fishing during summer times as well as an open air heated swimming pool also used during summer time. The UCI 6-screen cinema that’s found a mile and a half from the town, aswel as the Wycombe Museum opened in 1999 where fascinating history and renowned collection of Windsor chairs can be discovered. And many more attraction can be found around the Wycombe district area. In order to recognised the need for these facilities the WDC had set a list objective in order to find out exactly what kind of leisure facilities the public wanted, they were: * To identify the leisure needs of all sectors of the community. * Optimising the use of existing leisure provision. * Promoting equality of access to leisure facilities and services for all including where appropriate direct provision. * Encouraging self-help, partnership working and community participation in the delivery of leisure opportunities. * Conserving, enhancing and promoting the heritage of the District. * To help achieve healthy lifestyles through the Health and Promotion Scheme. Task 2 * Give a description of the work of the human resources department. ALso a description of the work of three other departments -excluding the customer services department†¦ THE HUMAN RESOUCE DEPARTMENT. The Human Resources/Personnel department within any organisation is the department that deals with a majority of the company are internal and external affairs such as: recruitment, training, company polices, development within the company, promotions etc. After collecting some information about the human resources department at the WDC, I learned that they deal with a wide range of different topics, which are * Co-operate services * Recruitment * Management of project * Polices and development * Promotion of equal opportunities * Staff management with the trade union * Reward and establishment TRANSPORTATION AND TRAVEL DEPARTMENT The Transportation and Travel department at the Wycombe and District Council is responsible for the provision of public transport service in and around the High Wycombe district, services such as an organised bus service, to meet the needs of ordinary people who needs to needs to travel by public transport on a daily basis, e.g. for people to get to work school, work, college, to get to other destinations etc. Other services such trains are operated by a large rail network company called Chiltern Railways that run through out the southeastern part of Britton. Another means of public transport is the taxi service; which are all licencend by the council to operate under specified rules and regulation. Other services that are dealt with in this department are * Car Parks (multi-storey car parks surface) * Hackney Carriages * High Way (non agency) * Street Nameplates * Transport Planning * Footpaths and Bridleways * Footways Lighting * Travel Concessions (for elderly people) COMMMUNITY SAFTY This department at the council focuses on safety within the community such as the reduction of crime within the community. The main activities within this department are working together with both the police and the community in an effort to reduce crime and disorder with in the community. Other activities include the monitoring of C.C.TV in and around the town centre. As part of the major plan to reduce crime, the Wycombe District Council has form a large organisation together with members from different organisation called the WYCOMBE SAFTY PARTNERSHIP; here is a list of the organisation that forms that partnership: * Thames Valley Police * National Probation Service (Thames Valley) * Bucks County Council including Youth and Community, Education and Social Services * Youth Offending Team * Drugs Action Team * Local heath providers * ConneXions * Buckinghamshire Fire and Rescues services * Parish and Town Councils * Voluntary Organisations THE ENVIRONMENT DEPARTMENT This department covers a wide range of different task that affects the environment and the community. To ensure high standards of health and safety within the community is kept to a maximum, the council has to ensure rules and members of the community follow regulations. To enforce health and safety the council has to find a way to control these areas in the community: Pollution Pest/Dog Control Atmospheric pollution Control of pest and dogs e.g. dropping faeces in Environmental Monitoring a public park etc. Noise control Consumer Protection Public Health and Safety Food and safety control Public health and safety licensing Health and safety Public Services Waste and Cleansing Development control (appeals, applications, Domestic refuse collection? civic amenities advice, and enforcement) Sewage and cesspool emptying Planning policy Street sweeping and litter collection Urban design and planning Waste reclamation Conservation Environmental Management Flood Prevention / River maintenance Environmental policy group Flood prevention and river maintenance Building Control Building control. Task3 * A DESCRIPTION OF HOW THE EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES ARE SAFEGUARDED BY LEGISLATION†¦ The Wycombe District Council has a strong commitment to promoting equal opportunities, both to the community that it serves and the people they employ. Because the council values the communities within the district and its workforce they believe everyone should be treated fairly, regardless of their race, religion, ethnic background, sex, H.I.V or marital status (e.g. woman, with kids etc) under the equal opportunities law, every member should be treated equally to the highest standards possible. If a service user has a complaint of discrimination against the council they can either contact the reception desk or write to the chief officer. All complaints of such kind are dealt with seriously. Task4 An explanation of how different functional areas communicate with each other At the Wycombe District Council there lots of different departments that the members of staff will need to communicate with each other from in order to deliver the service they aim to deliver. The need for internal communication within any organisation weather large or small is absolutely vital for their business to keep growing stronger and stronger. At WDC there are lots of different methods used to communicate internally, weather it being a quick message, an informal letter, documents concerning another department about a customer, newsletter or staff notice etc. The methods in which these can be done are through the internet, e-mailing, fax, telephone, answer machines, portable radio, beeper mobiles etc. The WDC also uses similar ways to communicate with their external contacts for various reasons such as a purchase order a enquires about their services etc, this can be done through face to face conversation, faxing, telephone, e-mailing etc. There are advantages and disadvantages that goes with some of the methods used to communicate e.g. With visual meetings, telephone or face to face conversation, it is more easier to be able to get an instant response or you can also give an impression or read the other persons body language. And the disadvantages can sometimes be more common than the advantages, methods such as e-mailing which has a time delay where the recipient can take a long time to respond which is the same for faxing, answer machines, beepers and telephone where the person may not be around to receive the call Task5 Explain the organisational structure of the business The organisational structure at the Wycombe District Council is set up into various departments in accordance to the service that is involved with the job role. Each department is department is managed and run by different members of the directing board. Below is a list of the different department and details of the services and job role that is undertaken. A copy of the WDC’s organisation chart is put on a separate sheet with the rest of this assignment.

Faculty of Business Environment and Society Essay - 5

Faculty of Business Environment and Society - Essay Example Understanding different cultures play a role in ensuring that the managers understand the dynamics of managing a business in a different environment with different organisational culture (Adamou, 2014). On the other hand, language barrier is another factor that international managers need to consider when operating beyond international borders. Developing an extensive knowledge of different foreign languages is important for international managers in terms of improving communications when working with different teams in different regions globally. Understanding foreign languages is necessary for international managers in terms of ensuring projects are completed on time. Communication between managers and project teams is critical in ensuring that work is done in an efficient and proper manner. In addition, acquisition other languages help international managers to accommodate the needs of workers and that of the locals. In a globalised business environment, multinational companies are found in different regions across the globe. Consequently, establishing a multinational company in a foreign land requires international managers to establish a cordial relationship with the locals an d including their governments. In essence, understanding the needs of the locals and how their governments operates assist international managers to come up with strategies suitable for operating in different business environments across the world (Adamou, 2014). The demanding role of international managers requires adaptability, flexibility, open-mindedness, making friends and acquisition of foreign languages to operate efficiently in a globalised business arena. International managers need to be more adaptable in terms of ensuring that they move the international organisations they manage in the right direction. The global business environment today is competitive with many international organisations competing for

ESSAY PORTION OF THE FINAL EXAMINATION Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

PORTION OF THE FINAL EXAMINATION - Essay Example In this case, it is very obvious that Clooney had neither informed Pittson of her intention to post his grades to fulosers.com, nor obtained Pittson’s consent on the same. In this same vein, Pittson’s grievances meet the threshold for a full fledged legal case because FERPA applies to educational institutions and agencies that are funded under programs that are run by the US Department of Education and as such, are publicly owned. It is clear that Fargo University as the institution in which the plaintiff learns and the defendant lectures is a state-owned university. The binding of state-owned learning institutions under the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act is well enshrined by the US Constitution in the Administrative Procedure Act (APA), Public Law 79-404, Stat. 237 of June 11th, 1946. The APA Act governs the manner in which administrative agencies of the US federal government should establish, propose and observe regulations. It is therefore important that w hen Professor Clooney was posting students’ and Pittson’s grades online, she did so, knowing that she is a member of a public institution, and thereby bound by the FERPA Act and all other acts that govern the running of state-owned institutions, courtesy of the APA Act. Conversely, even the defendant’s claim of ignorance to this fact may not stand in the court of law, since ignorance is no defense in the court of law. That the threshold for this case is widely met is a matter that is underscored by FERPA including the divulging of information on a student’s behavior, status and even school work. FERPA stipulates that before posting a student’s behavior, status, school work or grades, permission must be obtained from an eligible student or the student’s parents, in order to release such information from any student’s education records. By eligibility, it is meant that the student must have been the subject or person of the information being posted; be of a sound mind; and have attained the legal age. In the event that the student does not meet this threshold, contacting that student’s parents for permission becomes inevitable. It is clear that Cooper did not follow these steps but arbitrarily posted Pittson’s grades to a public forum (Mayers, Mawer and Price, 23). It is also important to note that FERPA clearly accords students above the age of 18 and 18 year old students, and students who have enrolled in any post-secondary learning institution, the right to privacy as touching grades, billing information and enrollment. The only exception to this provision is when the school or its officer(s) obtains permission from the student to share this kind of specific information with the parents. This also clearly underscores the sustainability of the case before the court of law, given that Professor Clooney sought not, informed consent from Pittson, despite Pittson having attained 18 years and being a po st-secondary student, particularly, a university. FERPA also adjures faculty members to maintain confidentiality of students’ educational records, as the custodian of students’ academic database. It is for this reason that FERPA specifies that faculty members and the personnel of learning institutions must not post, display or publish lists of students’ grades, in personally identifiable forms, either in electronic form, or in hard copy. This provision goes ahead to state

Reading Interaction Jurnal Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Reading Interaction Jurnal - Essay Example For instance, in India a guru or a wise man is a revered person with followers comprising mostly the young people. Additionally, the path set by gurus is full of respect because it assists in the search for wisdom. On that note, before attempting to become a guru, one should understand the underlying implications such as doubt and preparation instead of harboring skepticism and doubt. This implies that a critical mind is fundamental in developing a philosophical approach. This affirms that critical thinking is crucial in various spheres of life ranging from economics, social issues and for democracies. Unfortunately, even in situations where freethinkers exist, tyrants and dictators make it hard for such minds to thrive. Critical thinkers, according to the author, were even accepted in the ancient times but this does not permit a person to develop superior complex habits. The mind should only be used for comprehending philosophy. In the next chapter, there is the urgency to understan d the meaning of words. This includes making assessment on one’s personal development before entering a philosophy class. Accordingly, philosophy being a mysterious subject, it is imperative for the learner to draw examples from multiple facets of life such as listening to the prime minister on the radio. Contrastingly, origins of philosophy can be traced to Greece and science hence its mythical status. Philosophy is also attached with the love of gaining wisdom or knowledge and should follow the ancient Greek customs. In the same trajectory, associating historical monuments with great philosophers such as Nietzsche, Kant and Descartes exposes philosophy as a broader subject. It, therefore, implies that approaching philosophy is a tough act unlike visiting a monument. Similarly, philosophical traditions espouse values and ideas that encompass quoting people such as Moliere, Aristotle and Plato. Overcoming large words is another obstacle afflicting many people who are interest ed in learning philosophy. This requires complete patience and mastery of important jargons to attain the possibilities. When it comes to trying out philosophy, it is not recommended with cafes. As noted in chapter 6, disagreements erupting from such settings may prevent people from distinguishing between what is good and bad. Conversations that are lively between friends often degenerate into strong exchanges that lack substance. Philosophy may become an emotive subject especially if it attacks figures such as Andy Warhol without considering the existing concepts that define philosophy. It is thus advisable to assess the reasons behind any argument before delving into any exchanges. However, in the scene of Socrates and Hippias, the two characters are competing in terms of brilliance and sophistry. Socrates, for example, is a man who is focused on modesty in order to understand others such when he meets a certain braggart. This demonstrates a complicated problem where he tends to a ct to fit in an evolving society. Hippias, on the other hand, attempts the value of appropriateness but fails because he does not have a higher critical thinking as shown by Socrates. Conversely, there is a difficulty with Plato as a philosopher who writes subtle dialogues and complex narratives that attempts to connect harmony and coherence in life. On that perspective, it differs from Socratic dialogue that has a direction in the

Doping in sports Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3250 words

Doping in sports - Essay Example Seemingly, he had all figured out. He precisely knew that the venal attitude towards winning excluded the true spirit of sportsmanship and introduced a possibility of cheating, more especially through doping. Indeed, his speech was an act of prophesy because decades after, the sporting activity is saturated with incidences of doping (Burns, 2005). The most hit sporting activity has been the Tour de France cycling competition which drew the full attention of the media to the doping issue (Hoberman, 2007) an issue that had otherwise been covert prior to this. If one ever thinks that doping is a threat to the sporting activity alone then he/she is ultimately mistaken. Based on the sophistication and scope of doping, it poses a threat to more than the world of sport. Initially, doping was considered as a cheating problem but now it has reached proportions that are subject to societal concern. Indeed, as the stakes involved in the sporting activity keep on increasing, the practice continues to be widespread and consequently, the moral values of the sporting activity become questionable and the general health of the sportsmen continue to be under threat and great risk. This paper seeks to assess the issue of doping in sports and how the issue is soon running out of hand and hence the possible remedial steps that can avert the possible doping catastrophe in the sporting world. Therefore, in a bid for the paper to embrace the above scope, the paper will have the following headings; The Problem of Doping in Sports, the Aims and Motivations of the Dopers, Testing for Doping, Doping Testing strategy riddled with Challenges and the Doping Rules as Enforced by the Medical Commission of the IOC. The scope of the problem that doping in sports is, can be shown or be illustrated by looking at a few examples. For instance, in 1986, two pharmacists and a physician were indicted for having sold more than 1000 tablets of Tonedron, at

Short paper on Reinventing Eden by Carpolyn Merchant Essay

Short paper on Reinventing Eden by Carpolyn Merchant - Essay Example This study is to discern specifically the shifting attitudes to the concept of â€Å"wilderness† in western culture, and some issues concerning the labeling of â€Å"wild†, as well as its advantages and disadvantages that have been produced by it. â€Å"Internalized by Europeans and Americans alike since seventeenth century, this story has propelled countless efforts by human to recover Eden by turning wilderness into garden, female nature into civilized society, and indigenous folkways into modern culture.† Wilderness according to her can be compared to the nature of a female. A female’s emotional nature is unpredictable. It could be serene for a time but can also be overly sensitive and sometimes even raging. Thus the kind of characteristic is not ideal to apply in physical environment if habitant is seeking the likeness of â€Å"Eden†. Merchant used this message to educate the readers with the importance of the civilization and organization even in a natural environment. Perhaps, she has been implying that the uniqueness of the Garden of Eden among other gardens was its cultured and organized system, as Biblically speaking the Garden of Eden was tended first hand by our Creator. In further discussion her argument within the context revealed to be that the wilderness she’s implying doesn’t mean to be in natural aspect. The results of wilderness were actually pertaining to the man made attempt for civilization but is environmentally and socially destructive, if not compatible with its habitants. The effect of this wilderness brought by man’s frequent attempt to recreate Eden in technical state has delivered the once fertile earth into a phallocentric state. This is a great decline from once pristine Eden state of the earth. The effect extent up to the lifestyle of men, from their habitation state up to the very food they are eating, which is far from the natural essence of

Professional management practice Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Professional management practice - Essay Example Hence the organization must be prepared to face the consequences. The SIMS.net is a good alternative for the manual register system. SIMS will provide more benefits to the school when compared to the existing manual register maintenance. Change management is a process of transition where the staffs, resources have to be modified according to the change. The changes in the organization must be specified well in advance. This will avoid the problems that may arise due to change. Management of change is a tedious task. The changes and the corresponding requirements must be known. (Wilhelm, 2003).This can be achieved by conducting a study in the organization. A change must be done based on a framework. (Rodd, 1994).This framework will have predefined set of tasks and methods that have to be followed. By using this framework the organization can proceed with the proposed changes. This will ensure that the modifications take place in a structured manner. There are various types of changes that may take place in an organization. The changes can be made on the organizational structure, technology that is being used or in the management policies. Before implementing a proposed change, the company must conduct a feasibility study. This study will help the management to know the current situation and position of the organization. Then based on the results of the study the organization can decide whether to implement this change or not. Change management involves several tasks. Once a change is made it has to be assessed on a periodical basis. This will ensure that the changed system works well and it does not incur any loss to the company. The change management must be planned accordingly so that the employees co-operate and work in the system. The staffs must be given proper training to work on the system. Change management is a process that consists of several steps. It is a step by step routine that helps to

Analyse the attempts by the EU to allievate the inherent problems of Essay

Analyse the attempts by the EU to allievate the inherent problems of establishing a single market within the Financial Services - Essay Example As a result, the integration process had to take a more heightened effort to ensure it was fruitful. The Commission published a White Paper in 1985, whereby the enabling instrument was the Single European Act (the SEA). The aim of this Act was to remove the non-tariff barriers and to encourage free movement of capital and labor by 1993. It was also agreed that discrimination by all means should cease (House of Lords, 2008, p. 33). The non-tariff barriers Although the European Commission was hell bent on establishing a single market, not much had been achieved by 1980s. Furthermore, by the mid - 1980s, most of the aims of the Rome treaty had not been attained despite the first stage of integration having been completed. Actually, non-tariff barriers were reported to have increased between 1975 and 1985 despite all these efforts. It was thereby realized that a strategy was needed to strengthen the integration among members (Canoy, Liddle and Smith, n.d, p. 3). The Single European Act h ad, in mind, three major types of non-tariff obstacles to factor mobility and trade, which inspired its objectives. The first was the physical barriers, whose formation was as a result of controls and customs formalities (House of Lords, 2008, p. 29). Its aim included moving administrative checks away from the borders and ensuring their processes were simplified, development of a common policy on transport, as well as removal of all internal controls and frontiers on capital and people. The second type was technical barriers, which encompasses the various technical product specifications. Its purpose was to harmonize regulations or to create mutual identification of standards of each member country; to institute the correspondence of qualifications; and to dismantle exchange controls. The third type was fiscal barriers, which was characterized by a very complex process of tax rates harmonization particularly in relation to the corporation and indirect taxes. Also, the SEA placed emp hasis on the suitability of allowing free trade on each member country’s public purchasing, which encompassed incorporation of social charter and application of competition. Nevertheless, there was no reliable arrangement for tackling the differences in respect to the external trade policy and a policy on subsidies was not clearly spelt out. It was also not clear, how harmonization could lead to mutual recognition in regards to the achievement of the single market (Eichacker and Amherst, n.d., p. 4). The banking industry The banking industry, among other financial sectors, was greatly regulated and it was characterized by diversified regulatory practices. Essentially, barriers to the supply of overseas services presented more problems than location-related barriers. In some countries, financial institution and non-resident banks were restricted in their rights to do business with residents, by stringent laws and regulations (House of Lords, 2008, p. 36). The first Banking Dir ective instructed members to set up systems for supervising and authorization of banks as well as other credit institutions. This directive, also, led to the requirement that these financial institutions should get licensed to be recognized. In addition, licensing accorded the financial

Impact of Social Classes Essay Example for Free

Impact of Social Classes Essay The world that we live in is so immense, that the people who live in it is so diverse in culture, lifestyle, language and even skin color. We live in different environments and countries yet with all these dissimilarities, we share something in common. That is what we call social classes, which was practiced primarily during the beginning of world civilization. Our world began with this system and thereby influenced the generations after them. People were then identified simply as slaves or kings yet very unjust. People eventually awakened from a lengthy stupor and learned to fight for their human rights to exterminate these social strata and discriminations that exist in the society even until today. It is sad but factual and real. Even in the most democratic country, social classes still exist in modern times and manifest in terms of financial, cultural ethnicity and even racial aspects. We still have what we call as upper, middle and lower classes basing on their financial capacity. It is really part of our world but we have grown to be more considerate and tolerant to each other. In the story AP, the setting of the story happened in a store in a small town five miles away from the beach. People here are generally conservative thus concerned about propriety. The story began when Sammy, who worked as a cashier in this grocery store called AP saw three young girls who came in the store barefoot, wearing swimming suits. This of course does not occur everyday in this town, so naturally, Sammy and his co-worker Stokesie were stunned. Even the other grocery shoppers were surprised to these girls confidently walking along the aisles looking for something they need to buy. When the girls were on the counter being manned by Sammy, they caught the eye of Mr. Lengel, who manages the store. Mr. Lengel who also teaches Sunday school could not help but approach the girls and told them â€Å"Girls, this isn’t the beach. † This embarrassed the girls and one of them said, â€Å"We are decent†. The girls then paid and hurried to go back to their car outside and leave. Before the girls left, Sammy suddenly told Mr. Lengel that he is quitting his job, deliberately saying it while the girls were of hearing range to present himself as their hero but when he left the store, the girls left already, putting his efforts to nothing. Sammy then realized that his impulsiveness led his to lose his job which can greatly affect his life and his family. Living in different areas in the same country also means having diverse cultures. Urban areas especially the big cities have displays of a more liberated lifestyle compared to the rural ones. The contrasts of these two societies are very apparent in this story. These girls didn’t think they did anything wrong by walking in a store wearing swimming suits but for residents of that community, it was very improper and offensive. Sammy seemed in awe of these girls and impulsively quit his job just to become a momentary hero for them. Seeing this trio of girls who have been used to a different upbringing due to a social class they grew in opened Sammy’s eyes to something different from the one he is used to. The second story was entitled â€Å"Barn Burning† which happened in the 1930’s. It was about an impoverished family led by the father called Abner Snopes, who works for farmers in way of rental contracts. This family has been moving from one farm to another for several years because Abner always gets in trouble. Abner is so full of bitterness and insecurities that pushed him to do ludicrous deeds to the farm owners he works in. His temper heats up even with the slightest provocation and gets consumed with hatred which impels him to burn the barns of the farms who worked for. All these were done witnessed by his two sons, twin daughters, sister-in-law and his wife who tags along with him every time he needed to move. He was put in question in Peace’s courts several times because of his arsonist tendencies. One time, he burned a barn to get back at his neighbor named Mr. Harris because his hog strayed to his neighbor’s property and defiantly refused to return it if he would not pay the fine of a dollar. He then sent a black man whom he calls rudely as a nigger and asks him to pay the dollar to claim his hog and tell the neighbor, â€Å"Wood and hay kin burn. † Later the barn of that neighbor was burned. After the inquest the Snopes family had to move to another farm outside that county. When they arrived at another farm, he immediately paid a visit to the owner of the farm and insisted on going inside the white carpeted house with his filthy shoes and smeared dung on it from his shoes. He was later told in court to pay the farm owner ten bushels of corn which he obviously could not afford since they can barely put food on their table. He then later decided to burn the barn of that farm owner for revenge. The only person in the Snopes’ family, who truly asserted himself to correct the misdeeds of his father, was Abner’s youngest son who was a little boy named Colonel Sartoris Snopes. He wanted his father’s habitual barn burning to be stopped and so told the farm owner of what was happening. Colonerl Sartoris was righteous and did what he believed was the right thing to do even if his father’s barn burning is revealed. I am not trying to defend but understand Abner for the things he did in the story. What he did was wrong and there was no just compelling for his actions but Abner’s behavior was in some ways a result of what society laid as basis for a person’s worth. He became irrational and resorted to violence when he thought he was unfairly treated instead of trying to do things in a proper way. Social classification then was so vividly observable. The owners of a farm are far more affluent compared to the families in the likes of the Snopes’ who does the hard, laborious work of tilling the land, growing the crops then harvesting it yet earning so little for it. The unfairness of that era was evident and created a huge gap between these social classes which affects the lives of those considered as inferior like Abner’s family. They deserved equal opportunity to live a more comfortable and easy life. Sammy and Abner has the same impulsiveness to do what they think could put justice into a situation without thinking of the consequences of their action. Sammy quit his job to show that he dissented the way Mr. Lengel embarrassed the girls which was implied to be a decision that would affect his family. On the other hand, Abner resorted to violence to solve his predicament which apparently worsens his family’s situation. Social stratification affects the lives of the people. It may enrich their lives or curtail their opportunities. These days it is a relief to see that the lines between these classes are not as vivid as during the time of our forefathers and are now slowly fading into progression. There are still destitute men and women on the streets in most communities. There are still discriminations among races and gender. There are still people oppressed by their leaders. But it is evident that in our society today people are more aware of their rights and would definitely fight for it in whatever way they can. These stories showed the development in how people treated each other during these two eras and the history of social classes.

Why It Is Important To Study Organizational Behavior Essay

Why It Is Important To Study Organizational Behavior Essay INTRODUCTION According to (Robins Judge, 10th, p.2), Organizational Behavior studies the influence and impact that individuals, groups, and organizational structure have on behavior within organization for the purpose of applying such knowledge toward improving an organizations effectiveness. In the business world today, Organizational Behavior is an essential tool for managing effective teams and it helps to understand and predict human behavior in an organization. It studies on how organizations can be structures more accurately, and how several events in their outside situations effect organizations. It has become more significant today than in previous years because organizations must master to adapt to the rapidly changing business cultures that have stemmed from a competitive market. In order to know how to handle a new workforce, and cope with the challenges of the new environment, the employers need to deliver their message about behavior and attitude of groups, and individuals in corporation. According to Graham and Krueger (1996), soft skills were never a part of management training and it was precious that employers were advised for possessing those skills. If employer can understands on an employees adaptability, personality, and creativity, motivating that employee the way he need to be motivated is never a gray area and a guaranteed success. Question (A): Why it is important to study Organizational Behavior? The study of organizational behavior is one of the most significant elements in the management sciences, as it makes management learn from what has succeeded elsewhere. Generally, financial strength is a measure of the organizations past success. What determines whether the organization will continue to deliver sought-after products, will continue to develop cutting edge technology, will continue to make the right options about which direction the market is going to go, will continue to make sound investments, is the people and the organizational culture and structure. According to Casey Reader (2010), different organizational structures will show different types of organizations that each has strengths and weaknesses. There are four main elements which are Motivation, Culture, Change, and System. According to Motivation, it draws that individual behave differently when they are in groups. Major of the study of organizational behavior has aimed on how best to motivate group of individuals. Professionals have figure that it often doesnt matter exactly what you do, but merely that employees are aware of your efforts to motivate. Based on Culture, when individual communicate with one another over an extended period of time they intentionally to deliver a selective culture that determines how tasks get completed and common attitudes. Organizational theorists tend to practice this culture and how it influences behavior. Strong cultures align with the overall goals of an organization, such as having an emphasis on innovation. On the other hand, weak cult ures degrade from business goals, and cause conflicts, such as overemphasizing bureaucratic rule-following. Today, Motivation and Culture are important to practice with Organizational Behavior because major organizations are encouraging team approach to solve difficulties. Todays post-industrial hi-tech organization requires knowledge intensive work environment and demands creativity from its own employees. Employers gave awareness to Organizational Behavior or soft skill training. The industrial revolution created the wants for hard skills. Employees who work in production line and were not required thinking or communicating to each other. But now, instead of standing behind the production line, employees need to sit in front of a computer, and control machine equipment who works in the production line. Now, employees are not only required to learn new technical skills but also how to communicate, negotiate, decentralize, and motivate within each other. Based on (Morgan, 1997: 5), we have to accept that any theory or perspective that we bring to the study of organization and management, while capable of creating valuable insights, is also incomplete, biased, and potentially misleading. Organizational behavior shows the important key points as Regulatory, and Radical. Basically, Regulatory helps to draw what goes on in organizations, possibly to present minor changes that might improve them, but not to make any basic judgment about whether what happens is correct or incorrect. Radical tends to make judgments about the way that organizations ought to be and provide recommendations on how this could be accomplished. Traditional organization used to practice Regulatory while new modern organization tends to act Radical. To well organize in budget controlling, new modern organization in today doesnt willing to give a long time for bank credit cards salesperson to hit their sales target. New modern organizations urge to get the results fr om salesperson whereas the salesperson should hit their monthly sales on time and accurately, if the salesperson failed to hit the target continuously in few months, employers reserved the rights to terminate the employee. Conversely, traditional organizations used to act Regulatory whereas Hire and Fire policy will never be the options for a traditional organization to behave. Employers are patient enough and theyre willing to spend times to educate, guide, and monitor an employees performance. Based on (Taylor, 1911: Fayol, 1949), the orthodox view in organization theory has been based predominantly on the metaphors of machine and organism. The metaphor of a machine underwrites the work of the classical management theorists. According to Figure 1, it draws the three concepts for understanding the nature and organization of social science, which is Paradigms, Metaphors, and Puzzle Solving. Metaphor plays an important role in organization behavior. Metaphor is frequently regarded as no more than a literary and descriptive device for embellishment, but more fundamentally is a creative form which generates its effect though a crossing of images. Based on Figure 2, by Burrell and Morgan (1979), functionalist paradigm, which is also named as objective-regulation, is the first paradigm for organizational study. Its also a strong outline for the study of organizations and assume that rational human actions and believes one can be understand through the hypothesis testing. Due to the problem-solving orientation which is leads to rational explanation. It seeks to provide rational explanations of human affairs and its pragmatic and deeply rotten in sociological positivism. Relationships are concrete and can be identified studied and measured via science. Functionalist paradigm is based on upon the assumption that society has a concrete, real existence, and a systemic character oriented to produce an ordered and regulated state of affairs, it encourages an approach to social theory that focuses upon understanding the role of human begins in society. Behavior is always seen as being contextually bound in a real world of concrete and tangible social relationships. The functionalist perspective is primarily regulative and pragmatic in its basic orientation, concerned with understanding community in a way which arise useful empirical knowledge. According to Figure 2, by Burrell and Morgan (1979), interpretative paradigm, which is also called as subjective-regulation, is the paradigm whether organizations exist in any real sense beyond the conceptions of social actors, so understanding must be based on the experience of people who work in them. Basically, individuals seek to explain the stability of behavior from the selective viewpoint. Interpretative also explain the behavior from the individuals viewpoint. It emphasized the spiritual nature of the world. The interpretative social theorist tends to understand the process through which shared multiples realities arise, are sustained and changed. Like the functionalist, the interpretative approach is based on the assumption and belief that there is an underlying pattern and order within the social world. However, the interpretative theorist looks the functionalists attempt to institute an objective social science as an unattainable end. Question (B): How this learning may be useful to you in the future? According to (Krech, Cruthfield and Ballachey, 1962), leadership draws as a personality trait. Leadership has traditionally been seen as a distinctly interpersonal phenomenon demonstrated in the interactions between leaders and subordinates. The differential characteristics and career experiences likely to influence the development of these selected skills also are considered along with the implications of these observations for leadership theory and for the career development of organizational leaders. Due to (Jeroen P.J. de Jong, and Deanne N. Den Hartog, 1990), the leadership abstracts purpose is to provide an inventory of leader behaviors likely to enhance employees innovative behavior, and including idea generation and application behavior. In order to be most effective, leaders in an organization must have a clear vision and understanding of the organizational structure. With the well observation of Organizational Behavior, individuals can built a good and high quality of leade rship throughout this selected observation. Individuals able to own a good personality traits, and known well with the own roles and responsibilities of a leader. Human beings encourage seeking satisfaction in every phase of their life. From satisfying their basic primal needs and wants, which is hunger, thirst, rest and social interaction, the complex community today has its benchmark of goals and fulfillment that should be accomplished by individuals. This selective set of fulfillment and goals encloses securing a good job, preferably with a good pay and hopefully, with a high level of job satisfaction. There is no fixed and formal guideline on how to overcome challenges at work into a motivation for individuals to reach job satisfaction, so that with the good practicing of Organizational Behavior, individuals are able to well handle the task pressure, and overcome the variety of challenges. Due to the research and learning of Organizational Behavior, individuals will be able to present and well-practiced a positive working attitude towards his own task and job responsibilities. This selected learning of Organizational Behavior helps individ ual to create self-awareness all the times. Individuals will be able to draw and execute his own action plan, and well known the current position of him, and be aware of where is the next position he is going to reach. CONCLUSION Organizational Behavior is the application of knowledge about how peoples, individuals, and groups act and react in an organization, in order to reach and accomplish the highest quality of performances, and dominant results. One way for an organization to become more innovative is to capitalize on its own employees to innovate. All organizations and groups experience the direct relationship between job satisfaction, and performance. In order to maximize the performance of those within a system, it is significant important to develop an optimal interpersonal chemistry. There is more evidence that the teaching and implementation of soft skills should get higher emphasis in education and organization training process, but it should only complement hard skills, not substitute for it.

Brainstorming :: essays research papers

Brainstorming Need a topic for an English assignment? Need a solution to a business problem? Brainstorming is a great way to find answers. Many problem solving or idea generating solutions may not be best managed by the first idea. It is best to consider many solutions. Brainstorming is a method of shared problem solving in which all members of a group spontaneously contribute ideas in a set amount of time. It involves three basic steps: identifying the issue, generating and listing ideas, and evaluating and picking a solution. The first and most important step in brainstorming is to identify the problem or idea to be explored. Those involved in the process need to be clear on the topic. The question or issue must be one about which all participants can speak to. To maximize contribution, parties involved in the process must feel free from insults or evaluations of their suggestions. The second step in the process is to generate and list ideas or options. Begin with a few moments of reflection as the ideas start to come to mind. Write down ideas as they come to mind regardless how impossible they may seem. Repetitive answers or â€Å"piggy-backing† ideas should be encouraged. A reasonable time frame should be established to meet goals or deadlines in a timely fashion. The third step in brainstorming is to evaluate and pick a solution. In reviewing the ideas generated ask some questions about the ideas and/or solutions to determine the importance of these. What does this idea or solution have in relation to the key topic idea? Why is this idea listed? How closely related is it to other ideas generated? Does this solution best fit the issue addressed? Solutions should be reviewed for its effectiveness. In the event the solution is not effective, one can refer back to the creative

Grandma, Schnitzel and Politics :: Personal Narrative Profile

Grandma, Schnitzel and Politics I strolled the streets of Tel Aviv taking in the smell of fried falafel mixed with the salty ocean breeze. I watched people hurrying, lunging for bus doors before drivers pulled away. Then I realized that if I didn't get to my grandmother's in ten minutes, I'd be late - an offense that could provoke the dreaded silent treatment. I ran from the beach to her apartment on Bet-Lechem street and flew up the stairs two at a time, jumping over the Arab lady who sat scrubbing the floor. I arrived at the fifth story apartment breathless, wondering how the old lady climbed the stairs carrying five kilos of fruits and vegetables in each hand. She opened the door and squeezed me hard reminding me how she managed the stairs. She offered a wrinkled, rubbery cheek to kiss and then immediately ushered me to my place at the table, assuring me that lunch was all ready. I sat down and skimmed through her copy of the Post, vowing not to let her sucker me into a political discussion. She returned with the first course. "I made a chicken soup with canadelach special for you," she said. "Grandma, next time write me a list, and I'll go shopping for you." She snorted, "You know how to pick vegetables." "Then, I'll just carry the bags," I offered. "Darling, when I can't take care of myself, I'll write a big Shalom on the wall," she made a sweeping gesture indicating the whole dining room wall, "and that's this: I'll take all my pills." Then on her feet again, she plunged out of the room with her gray head down. A minute later, she returned with a full tray of salad, tehina, fresh bread, schnitzel, peas, beer and apple compot. The schnitzel itself left little room on my plate for other food. "I also made blintzes for you special, darling because I know you love them," she said. As I sat, she told me stories I'd heard before. She told me how when she was a girl in Poland, they hadn't had cars yet. They rode in horse and carriage. And when she came to Israel, the men stopped and stared at her. She told me for the nine-hundredth time that it was her father who had built the building we were sitting in.

Dr Pepper Snapple Group, Inc. Essay

The problem associated with this case is whether or not the company should introduce a new energy beverage brand into the market. If a profitable market opportunity exists for the company to enter the energy beverage market the next step would be to identify a target market and marketing mix along with a product line and brand positioning. The best opportunity for the company to gain market share is to target adult energy drinkers from ages 35 to 54 since none of the competitors are catering towards this segment. Bottlers, distributors, and retailers are unlikely to produce and stock more than two SKUs of a new energy drink brand so it would be best to introduce a regular 16ounce single-serve package that consists of two different flavors. Since regular energy beverages hold 80% share of the market selecting regular is best, and since the 16ounce energy drinks represent 50% of case sales in convenience stores and want a high turnover to maintain prevalence in convenience stores its best to go with a 16ounce size. Also having two different flavors to choose from will help increase chance of trial rather than have only one flavor and have regular and sugar free or have one flavor and two different sizes. In positioning the brand the company should differentiate the energy drink from competitors by basis of packaging and select the 16.9ounce single-serve aluminum bottle with a resealable screw cap, and also by ingredients in having lower carbohydrates in the formulation. The energy brand should be distributed to all types of off-premise retailers where beverages are sold for maximum sales. The company’s U.S. media expenditure should be $12.6 million, equal to that of Tag Energy’s U.S. media expenditure which lead to a 2.3% dollar market share, because Tag Energy was also new to the energy beverage market and targeted to a certain demographic the company should experience a similar result. The manufacturer’s suggested retail selling price should be $2.29. Higher than the average $2.00 per single-serve because of it’s unique  point of difference – lower carbohydrates and aluminum bottle with resealable screw cap. Market sales potential for the company’s target market is equal to $1.608 (Exhibit 1) billion and market sales forecast is equal to $133.202 million (Exhibit 2). With a retail trade margin equal to 40% the company’s selling price to retailers would be $.961 (Exhibit 3). Thus from the market sales forecast of $133.202 million the company would receive $79.921 million in revenue, and with the company’s contribution margin of 30% total profit would be equal to $22.378 million (Exhibit 4).

Dispersion and Deviation

In the world of data analysis, it is important to take note of the variability of data values for computation. Technically, variability provides an outlook whether there is a certain condition that data follows to achieve a certain computational characteristic. It comes from the root word â€Å"varied† and depicts a notion to analyze whether data sets are varied from each other or not. Usually, variability can be structured among randomly selected numerical values and intends to measure how spread out a group of data is (Lane, 2003).Dispersion is considered to be a measure of variability because it provides a big picture of how scattered the data values are. In gathering data sets, there is always a possibility for the numerical values for them not to align in a certain average. Therefore, dispersion gives the researcher an idea how widely dispersed each of the data is with respect to each other. Another measure of variability is deviation. Deviation is the actual distance of a measurement data from the average of the whole data set or the Mean (Wiley, 2000).There are two forms of computational deviation, the variance and the standard deviation. The variance is the average of the squared deviation measured from the population or sample average (Star Trek, 2007). Meanwhile, Standard Deviation is the variance’s square root. In the research that intends to provide alternative Treatment Educational Course for Parents of Children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, the possible areas where variability can be seen is with regards to the variables involved under measurement.There might be some variations about the effect of the parents’ gender to nurturing their child with ADHD. Variation between the male and female perspectives can be measured by using implicit data acquisition such as surveying, interviewing or experimental design. Another possible source of variability can be considered in the education background of the parents. Peo ple who were able to complete their education and people who have not will more likely result to some variations with their answers on the surveys, evaluations and impression on the proposed alternative treatment for ADHD. References Lane, David (2003). Measures of Variability. Retrieved November 6, 2008, from Connexions Web site: http://cnx.org/content/m10947/latest/ Star Trek, (2007). Statistics Tutorial: Measures of Variability. Retrieved November 6, 2008, from Star Trek Web site: http://stattrek.com/Lesson3/Variability.aspx Wiley, (2000). Statistics Measures of Variability. Retrieved November 6, 2008, from CliffsNotes Web site: http://www.cliffsnotes.com/WileyCDA/CliffsReviewTopic/Measures-of-Variability.topicArticleId-25951,articleId-25906.html

An Analysis of Flexible Leadership Style

An analysis of flexible leadership style Name: Shi Baoyuan Student ID: 20121367 Email: [email  protected] co. nz Word Count: 2029 Executive Summary Flexible leadership style is a vital for leaders to manage the company that a leader needs to possess this model to cope with the changeable company activities. A leader who utilizes the flexible leadership style will provide a suitable working surrounding to his (her) subordinates, and make them working in positive emotion; hence, the subordinates would provide more profits to the company.Additionally, in different situations, the leader needs to change the leadership style to fit the current circumstance. However, the benefits of the situational leadership model are obvious to the leaders; many leaders still avoid adjusting themselves to change. Analyzing this fact, habit and fear of failure are two reasons for this problem. In order to overcome the resistance of changing leadership style in managing a company, the leader should obtai n more education which could assist the leader understanding more and reduce anxiety.Furthermore, the leader can build a new habit, which is depended on the situational leadership model, to cover the old one. Table of Contents Executive Summary2 1. 0 Introduction4 2. 0 Flexible leadership style to a company5 2. 1 Different subordinates need different leadership styles5 2. 2 Different situations need different leadership styles6 2. 3 Variable leadership styles for a company7 3. 0 Resistance of changing leadership style9 3. 1 Habits9 3. 2 Fear10 4. 0 Overcome the resistance of change11 4. 1 More Education11 4. 2 Building New Habituation12 . 0 Conclusion13 6. 0 Recommendation14 References15 1. 0 Introduction Leader plays a vital role in the operation of the company. The leadership style that a leader utilizes in managing is the key to nicely operate the company. According to Hersey and Blacnchard’s situational leadership model, there are four leadership styles in leading an orga nization in different circumstances, which represents that the leader needs to adjust his (her) leadership style to certain situations. The situational leadership model brings plenty of profit to the company.In this report, some evidence will be provided to proof it. However, situational leadership model is a mature and effective model; some leaders still avoid following it. The reasons and solutions of this phenomenon will be mentioned in this report. 2. 0 Flexible leadership style to a company In the management activities, the leader should possess two basic behaviors which are task-oriented behavior and relationship behavior. Both of these two behaviors should be balanced during the company activities, which could assist the company acquiring favorable management model.However, because of the followers and the situations are different, the leader needs to change the leadership styles to handle the variable management activities. 2. 1 Different subordinates need different leadersh ip styles In a company, the subordinates are all different in ability, emotion, and other factors. In order to effectively managing the company, the leader needs to utilize appropriate leadership style to certain subordinates, because the way that the leader treating the followers directly influences the emotion of the followers.According to Graham (1999), â€Å"having a comfortable and stimulating work environment is becoming a crucial factor in getting the job done right. † Individuals working in a comfortable surrounding would reduce the probability of making mistakes. Hence, the leader needs to provide the subordinates comfortable working environments, which could effectively assist the subordinates promoting the working efficiency. Treating different staffs with suitable leadership style would make the subordinates feeling working in a comfortable surroundings, which could assist the followers keeping in active emotion. The leader’s internal, external, and relatio nal context of behavior connects with the followers; own sense of internal motivation† (Banutu & Shandra, 2007, p. 70). It represents that the subordinates can magnify their functions of roles in the company business activities by the influence from the leader. Hence, the correct leadership style choosing in leading certain subordinates is a necessary part in leading activities. Finally, the company will be profited from the result of employees’ duteous works. 2. 2 Different situations need different leadership stylesApart from the factors of the subordinates, the situations of a company always change, which the leader needs to adjust the leadership style to fitting the current circumstance. According to James (2004, p. 296), the leader should change the leadership style â€Å"that is dependent on the situation of which the leader finds him/herself in. † There are two basic elements in leadership, which are task-oriented behavior and relationship behavior. Hence, the leader needs to decide which one is more important in certain situation, the task or the relationship, and provides corresponding leadership style to control and handle the company activities.Facing different situations, the leader needs to alter different leadership styles to match the circumstances. For example, â€Å"in emergency situations, leaders do not have time to seek opinions and suggestions from followers or to use other participative styles† (Robbins & Hunsaker, 2011, p. 224). It represents that the main job of the company in such situation is to immediately complete the assignment they should finish. Hence, the leader needs to just give order to the subordinates finishing their assignments instead of asking for any suggestions and acquiring permission. . 3 Variable leadership styles for a company The operating condition of a company is related with the leadership of the leader. The leadership always occupies the vital position in resolving the result of a co mpany in a crisis; hence, in order to lead the subordinates, the leader needs to amply analyze the choosing of leadership style in certain situation (Steven, Berke, Taylor, & Jose, 2008). It represents that the choice of the leadership in different surroundings and with different subordinates is vital to a company.Once a new assignment coming, the leader needs to consider different factors; and selects a suitable leadership style to handle the assignment. In 1974, House and Mitchell illustrated the Path-Goal situation model that there are four leadership styles in managing activities to fit different situations and subordinates. Utilizing different leadership style can deal with special issue. According to Hammuda and Dulaimi (1997), utilizing different leadership style needs to fit different condition. Table 1 illustrates the Path-Goal situation model (Hammuda & Dulaimi, 1997).From this table, it clearly states that, in different situations, the selection of the suitable leadership style will bring positive effects on the outcome. Table 1: A Path-Goal situation model. 3. 0 Resistance of changing leadership style The situational leadership model is a necessary factor in leading activities; and many leaders have realized it. However, the utilization of this model is not universal. There several reasons in this issue. In this chapter, two reasons of resistance of change will be mentioned which are habits and fear of failure. 3. 1 HabitsThe person who is in the position of leader has experienced much time in managing company, which represents that the leadership style of the leader has become one of his (her) habits. It states that changing the leadership style equals breaking the habit of a person. â€Å"Breaking a habit is difficult because it takes hard work and involves giving up perceived benefits from the habit† (Robbins & Hunsaker, 2011, p. 241). A habit has become a part of individual, which means that it is difficult to change. Individuals have be en accustomed to obtain the benefits from their habits, so it is hard for them to abandon the habits.Here is an example. A man who always wears a watch on his left hand changed wearing the watch on another hand, which will make him feel that it is a heavy burden to his right hand, while he feels nothing wearing on his left hand. It illustrates that individuals dislike the uncomfortable with changing habit. For the reason that people will not prefer to undertake the uncomfortable, as a result, avoiding changing habits is universal. 3. 2 Fear Another reason that leader refuses to change is fear. Leadership style changing represents that the relationships and aims of the company will be different from the past.Before changing, the company could still continue normally working. However, leadership style changing will bring risk to the company because that no one can ensure the new style fitting the company situation. It illustrates that the changing activity might fail, which the leader dislike to suffer the pain from failure. Hence, â€Å"the best way to avoid the pain of failing is not to do anything at all† (Connelly, n. d. ). It is because of this sense; many leaders prefer to maintain the unique leadership style in managing the company in avoiding suffering risk. Furthermore, the fear of losing also makes people avoiding change.According to Robbins & Hunsaker (2011), individuals will feel fear when they are unclear about the coming change, which might make them losing their positions, status, rights or other things are belong to them. It states that people resist changing because of the fear of losing, so facing the unknown change, an involuntary of resistance sprout in individuals’ minds. 4. 0 Overcome the resistance of change Flexible leadership style is a basic element in managing company business. The profits of the flexible leadership style, as it mentioned above, are abundant.Hence, the leader needs to overcome the resistance of change, wh ich could provide positive influences in the management activities. In this chapter, some suggestions will be provided to assist these leaders overcome the resistance of changing leadership styles. 4. 1 More Education As it mentioned, some leaders avoid changing because they dislike undertaking risk; and fear of losing. In order to overcome these uncomfortable senses in changing the leadership style, it â€Å"requires a kind of leap of faith: you decide to move in the direction of the unknown on the promise that something will be better for you† (Schuler, 2003).Leaders need to clearly understand the result of the changing. Additionally, leaders need to be clear about the process of change. An effective method for achieving these purposes is to obtain more education of relative knowledge. According to Robbins and Hunsaker (2011), well-educated will reduce the anxiety of leaders because leaders can understand what will happen, which provide confidence to them to overcome the fe ar of changing. Once leaders know how to control the coming situations by changing their leadership style, and forecast the profit in future; they would not fear to change. . 2 Building New Habituation Leader resists changing the leadership style because he (she) has built it as a habit of his (her) behavior. Changing a habit is a tough work, hence leader can build another habit to modify the leadership skills and even cover the old style. â€Å"Habituation is a decrease in the strength of a naturally elicited behavior that occurs through repeated presentations of the eliciting stimulus. † (Bouton, 2007) It states that an individual can build new habituation by repeating the same action.Hence, leaders who want to own the ability to flexibly change the leadership style need to continually force them to do relative activities. Additionally, it needs â€Å"a signal or event that will make you do the thing that you want to do† (PluginID, 2011). Leader can utilize this meth od to model inflexible leadership as his (her) new habit, but, as it mentioned above, before building the new habit of leadership, leader needs to comprehend the benefit, and makes confidence with the change he (she) is going to do. Finally, a new habit in leadership style controlling will be built. . 0 Conclusion A leader needs to utilize appropriate leadership style to handle the issue with different subordinates in different situations. Hence, the flexible leadership style is necessary in managing the works of a company. The benefits of this model are obvious, so the leader should utilize this model in operating activities of the company. However, there are some resistances to some leaders in altering the leadership styles; these leaders can utilize suitable methods, as it mentioned, to overcome this condition. 6. 0 RecommendationAt present, company management plays an important role in a company development. Leaders need to possess the capability in changing the leadership style to adjust the leading activity to an ideal condition. Acquiring more education and building a new habit are two reasonable selections to assist the leader obtaining the ideal leading ability. However, it is not easy to achieve the purpose; a wonderful leader should overcome these uncomfortable, and nurture the leading ability for the future self-development. References Banutu, M. B. , & Shandra, M. T. B. (2007).Leadership and organizational change in A competitive environment. Business Renaissance Quarterly, 2(2), pp. 69-90. Retrieved from http://search. proquest. com Bouton, M. E. (2007). Learning and behavior: A contemporary synthesis. Retrieved from http://www. sinauer. com Connelly, M. (n. d. ). Exposing Fear of Change. Retrieved September 30, 2012, from http://www. change-management-coach. com/fear-of-change. html Graham, A. (1999, May 07). Comfortable space promotes creativity lighting and colour enhance a productive work environment. The Times – Transcript, pp. n/a. R etrieved from http://search. roquest. com Hammuda, I. M. , & Dulaimi, M. F. (1997). The effects of the situational variables on the leadership stylesin construction projects. (King's College, Cambridge, UK). Retrieved from http://buid. academia. edu James, W. (2005). The impact of corporatisation and national competition policy: An exploratory study of organisational change and leadership style. Leadership ; Organization Development Journal, 26(3), pp. 289-309. Retrieved from http://search. proquest. com PluginID. (2011). The Simplest Way To Build a Habit. Retrieved from http://www. pluginid. com Robbins, S. P ; Hunsaker, P, L. (2011). Training in interpersonal skills. (6th ed. ). New Jersey: Pearson Education, Inc. Schuler, A. J. (2003) Overcoming Resistance to Change: Top Ten Reasons for Change Resistance. (Schuler Solutions, Inc. , Virginia). Retrieved from http://www. schulersolutions. com Steven, H. A. , Berke, J. , Taylor, J. , ; Jose, A. V. (2008). The role of leadership duri ng large scale organizational transitions: Lessons from six empirical studies. Journal of American Academy of Business, Cambridge, 13(1), pp. 16-24. 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Evaluating Compliance Strategies Essay

The compliance process is very important in medical billing and coding. After a patient is seen, physicians document the patient’s visit. Medical administrators then post the medical codes of the visit in the practice management program (PMP) and prepare the claim. It is important to prepare claims correctly in order to stay in compliance. A correct claim connects a billed service to a diagnosis. The diagnosis has to relate to the billed service to treat the patient’s ailment. The connection is referred to as code linkage. It is important to correctly link procedures and diagnosis’ because if they aren’t correctly link the payer will reject the claim and will not pay for the services which then makes the patient responsible for payment. To be in compliance, medical insurance specialists need to know each payer’s billing rules stated in each insurance policy. These are subject to change and updated frequently so medical insurance specialists also use payer bulletins, websites, and maintain communication with payer representatives to make sure they are staying in compliance. Medicare also has its own set of rules and regulations. The Medicare National correct coding initiative (CCI) controls improper coding. CCI edits are used by computers to check claims for errors that would lead to improper payment of services. The CCI prevents two procedures from being billed that could not have been performed together. Private payers also have code edits similar to the CCI. Compliance errors sometimes occur. Submitting an improper claim may just be a simple mistake such as a typo, or sometimes it may be a deliberate act of fraud. Other common errors that are sometimes made are truncated coding, incorrect gender or age of the patient, assumption coding, altering documentation, coding without proper documentation, reporting services provided by unlicensed providers, and coding a unilateral service twice instead of choosing the bilateral code. For these reasons there are several billing and coding compliance strategies that have been put in place. One compliance strategy used by healthcare professionals is to carefully define bundled code and know global periods. A medical insurance specialist needs to be clear on what individual procedures are contained in bundled codes and what the global periods are for surgical procedures. Another strategy is to benchmark the practices E/M codes with national average. By comparing the practice reports with national averages, upcoding is able to be monitored. Another strategy is to use modifiers appropriately, and be clear on professional courtesy and discounts to uninsured and low income patients. The strategy that I find the most useful and am in support of is to maintain compliant job reference aids and documentation templates. Job reference aids are a form of a cheat sheet that lists procedures and CPT codes that are most often used by each individual practice. I think that the only way this strategy can be improved is to make sure that the job reference aids are updated frequently when new services are added to the practice, and when codes change or new ones are added. This can be accomplished by keeping track of when codes are updated or changed. There are many implications of incorrect medical coding. An improper claim will get rejected or denied by the payer. When this happens the physician will need to either file an appeal, or correct the issue. If the error can be corrected the claim can be resubmitted, however this is still unfortunate because the process will take longer than if it had been done right in the first place. When coding errors are made due to fraudulent attempts, the person who prepared the claim will lose their job and face legal action. Also, sometimes the physician in charge of the practice will be liable and possibly sued, because he/she is responsible for their employee’s and their actions. Medical coding, physician, and payer fees are all related to the compliance process. Any services performed by a physician will need to be correctly coded so that they can be paid for. Medical coding must be done properly in order to stay in compliance. Physicians must be honest and provide proper documentation of any and all services performed in order for an insurance company to accept a claim and pay for the services that were performed. As long as everyone works as a team, and works in honesty, it is easy to stay in compliance. And by using the strategies I have outlined, compliance is not difficult to follow.

Braveheart Movie Report

Braveheart is a film directed by Mel Gibson which loosely portrays the life of William Wallace, a national hero in Scotland. In real life, Sir William Wallace was a Scottish knight who led the resistance against the English occupation of Scotland during significant periods of the Wars of Scottish Independence.While there are no accurate historical records that exist concerning the birth date and place of birth of Sir William Wallace, there are accounts of his exploits, one of the most memorable of these accounts is the mark of the beginning of this resistance movement for the independence of Scotland which was his killing of the son of the English governor of Dundee.The heroism of Sir William Wallace was such that it was the inspiration of historical novel The Acts and Deeds of Sir William Wallace, Knight of Elderslie written by the 15th century minstrel Blind Harry which was also attributed as the cause for the legend which surrounds Sir William Wallace. The onscreen portrayal of Si r William Wallace by Mel Gibson in the film Braveheart, according to critics, â€Å"has been somehow stretched to the limits that the silver screen can provide.† (Roger Ebert 1995) The famous cry for â€Å"freedom† in the movie is not as historically accurate as it is portrayed because the concept of personal freedom wasn’t widely celebrated during the era of Sir William Wallace. Another inconsistency of the movie with regard to the portrayal of Sir William Wallace lies in the battlefield strategy employed; there are no historical accounts of the 14th century Scotsmen burning the battlefield.Most of the characters in the movie, Sir William Wallace included, have been â€Å"glorified† to be able to properly manipulate the sentiment of onscreen audiences. Much of the portrayals tend to show only the glorious and benevolent sides and don’t reflect an accurate recount of the historical truths concerning the charact

ITIL Release process documentation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

ITIL Release process documentation - Essay Example This process helps teams in responding to the irregularity of developing software (release). Notification sent to Release Manager: Information concerning events required conveyed to different users, such as beneficiaries, requesters, or managers. This information conveyed with the assistance of notification service of notification e-mail messages. Define and Priorities Release: The word release is applicable to illustrate a collection of approved changes to an IT system. It is described by the request for comments (RFCs) that it executes (UCISA 1-2). Releases need unique identification according to a system described in the release policy. The identification includes a reference to the change that it denotes and a version digit that will habitually have two or three sections. For instance, major releases: IT_System v.1, v2, v3, and minor releases: IT_System v.1.1, v.1.2, v.1.3 and emergency fix releases: IT_System v.1.1.1, v.1.1.2, v.1.1.3 (UCISA 1-2). Plan and Schedule Activities – Governance: The plan defines the scope and materials of the release, clients or users influenced by the release and risk evaluation and outline for the release. It also defines distribute and deployment approach, group responsible for the release and materials for the release and deployment (UCISA 1-2). Release team roles and responsibilities: The approach to effective team formation is creating harmony while appreciating the individuality capabilities of each team member. Team is accountable for a release; individuals are responsible for their commitments. Release core team consist of change owner, engineering manager, architect, quality assurance manager and program manager (UCISA 1-2). Document training, logistics and communication: Once the release and deployment strategy comprehended, the team develop the logistics and delivery strategies. The document for training, logistics and communication is created to generate harmony among team members. The logistics

Total quality management Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Total quality management - Research Paper Example The various marketing challenges have led to the emergence of the Total Quality Management (TQM), which lays emphasis on the fast and timely supply and delivery of goods. TQM is instrumental in improving the productivity of the organization since the evolvement of the concept. TQM approach helps in improving the quality of services and goods on a continuous basis, which involves participation of individuals at every level and phase of organization. This concept also helps in the integration of activities which constitutes of various managerial systems and is the prime determinants of the sustainable competitive advantage. Being one of the leading beverages of the world, Coca Cola believes in creating long term value and training the employees in such a way that they understand the changing market trends and forces which will shape the company’s future. ... The study will also highlight the operational procedures and the management systems of the company. The study will give an insight into the various TQM practices of Coca Cola regarding the production of goods and services. Finally, the study will conclude with recommendations for the improvement in Coca Cola’s process measurement and management systems. Background of the Company: Coca Cola Ltd Coca Cola is regarded as one of the leading beverage corporations of the world which is headquartered in Georgia. The company specializes in manufacturing carbonated beverages throughout the countries worldwide Except Cuba and North Korea. The carbonated cola beverages was initially formed by John Pemberton in the year 1884 and by the year 1886 the company sold 3 version of carbonated cola drinks to various business individual units. The main objective of the company was to lay emphasis on the needs and requirements of the customers and provide a congenial work atmosphere. Presently, the company offers more than 3500 products in more than 200 countries worldwide (Coca Cola, 2013a).The company tries innovative and unique methods to develop core products which suit the taste bud of the customers and also cater to their needs. Presently, the company manufactures carbonated beverages in varied flavors, juices, energy drinks and juices. Organizational Strategies The marketing strategy of the company includes the manufacturing of carbonated beverages and satisfies the customer needs and requirements. One of the major objectives of the company is to understand the customer needs. Understanding the customer requirements is essential in developing the products as per the customer

The Leadership Challenges Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

The Leadership Challenges - Essay Example The purpose of this paper is to discuss the managerial challenges that organizations face today and to discuss different leadership theories that can be used by leaders. One of the toughest challenges for leaders is managing a diverse workforce. Diversity can be defined as the inclusion of different types of people in a workforce which includes differences due to race, age, sex, gender, sexual orientation, physical abilities, religious beliefs, political beliefs, and other ideologies (Uoregon). To properly lead a diverse workforce a manager must apply good communication skills and the person must be conscious of the differences that make each employee unique. â€Å"Learning to respect and appreciate each other’s cultural and stylistic differences and becoming aware of unconscious assumptions and behaviors that may influence our interactions will enable us to minimize the challenges and derive maximum benefits from diversity† (Wisc). A good leader is a person that is able to motivate his staff to ensure the employees provide maximum effort and performance. A leader must have excellent verbal and written communication skills as well as being an active listener. The leader must have good interpersonal skills and be able to deal with any conflict that occurs in the workplace. Personal conflicts between employees are a tough leadership challenge that must be dealt with. An understanding of the different conflict resolution techniques such as smoothing, collaboration, compromise, avoidance, and authoritative command is needed to solve problems quickly before they become a constraint that hurts the performance and profitability of the enterprise. The use of leadership models and theories can help leaders understand better how to properly implement leadership in the workplace. The behavioral leadership perspective assumes that leadership is central to performance and other outcomes. Based on this theory the leader must

Annotated Bibliography Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 17

Annotated Bibliography Example Though the power coefficient of some of these turbines may be relatively low, they also work under low-quality winds. The writer claims that air flow approaching a wind turbine slows down by creating a low- pressure region behind the turbine. This pressure difference between the two sides of the propeller blades reduces the efficiency of doing work and increases the cost of wind power generation. Following to such loss a wing structure placed at a distance around the turbine is used to increase the power of the wind turbine by a factor of 2.0. The propeller is tightly fitted onto the inner shroud without leaving space between the tips of the propeller blades and the shroud. This method of improving wind turbine efficiency reduces the cost of generating wind power. These authors believe that the use of mantle’s nozzle which can be regulated can generate more quantities of electric power in wind turbine. The nozzle that is aerodynamically shaped ring induces a centrifugal force in the wind stream thus replacing free air stream with a concentrated stream of air. As a result, higher mass of air flows and velocity of this air behind the rotor reduced giving a higher energy output from the wind turbine in the nozzle. This increases the profit and reduces the cost of generating wind power. Though speed variation will increase, the concentration factor fc=2.5, it becomes inconvenient to work with wind at speeds exceeding the rated one. It is for this reason that control blades are installed on the frame side to let the excess air bypass the turbine rotor. This is however an additional cost and weight whose effects are adverse as well. These experts argue that steering aero foils are used to increase the rotational speed of wind blades. They are fixed surrounding the wind blades at an optimum distance whereby the angle of inclination can be valid. By adjusting the length and the angle of tilt, the rate can be

Need for Organizational Change Management at Kmart Assignment

Need for Organizational Change Management at Kmart - Assignment Example The annual sales thus achieved were in excess of $10 million. Even during periods of financial depressions and wars, this chain of retail stores stood out as a successful player by virtue of its ability to offer products at affordable prices. What is more, unlike other organizations it helped people sustain their families by offering them jobs. Despite the fact that prices have undergone numerous changes with the passing years, Kmart’s business philosophy remained the same – the company strongly believed that the best way to retain customers is by offering them â€Å"products they need at prices they can afford† (Sears Holdings Corporation-a, 2010). Over the decades Kmart has earned endless accolades that have augmented its position in the global retail sector, and during 1976 it created history â€Å"by opening 271 Kmart stores in one year, becoming the first-ever retailer to launch 17 million square feet of sales space in a single year† (Sears Holdings C orporation-a, 2010). However, the picture at Kmart has not been rosy all through. At the beginning of 2002, â€Å"the company filed for bankruptcy after its debt spiralled to more than $10 billion† (Kelly, 2004), and it has been reported that in the next two years the company had closed nearly 600 stores and laid off nearly 59000 employees. This incident helped Kmart make history yet again because the company had almost â€Å"$17.0 billion in assets at the time of their filing, making it the largest retailer the United States had ever seen declare bankruptcy† (Cole, 2002, p.2). In order to survive the financial plights, Kmart merged with Sears Roebuck in November 2004 following a deal worth $11 billion. Although the company is performing well and trying its best to â€Å"create long-term value in a deliberate and logical fashion, while remaining cognizant of the risks and challenges† (Sears Holdings Corporation-b, 2010), problems that still exist are pushing Kma rt to the back foot.  Ã‚  

A reflection paper on a book chapter Research Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

A reflection on a book chapter - Research Paper Example The traditional approach of making comparison in relation to politics employed speculative and normative tools, with Aristotle leading in that pursuit. This comparison made up the pre-modern comparative politics. While the specific start of modernity remains a diverse debate, comparative politics in the modern times dates back to the emergence of various social science disciplines like sociology and political science (Caramani, 2008; Ch.1). Following this, political science is regarded as a young professional practice due to the fact that modernity is associated with the 21st Century. On the other hand, post-modernism is seemingly an upgrade of classical modernity. In this case, political comparisons are systematic and clearly organized, thus the argument that post-modernism is a stage within the process of modernity. This whole pursuit cannot fail to importantly account for political influence across the identified three periods prior to modernity. Contributions towards comparative politics are diverse and dynamic. History has it that many historians and modernists have the shaped comparative politics over time. The highlighted individuals in Chapter One; The Evolution of Comparative Politics are just but a few who have significantly contributed towards the evaluation and assessment of comparative politics throughout pre-modern, modern and post-modern times (Caramani, 2008; Ch.1). Although political undertakings are one of the most volatile practices in the contemporary world, the ideas, concepts and theories aired in the chapter are still relevant. The contemporary times in political context can be said to be modern in nature and paving way to post-modernism. Systematic comparisons of political aspects are evident today, with key players in the political field drawing relevant political concepts from political experts of the past. Therefore, the applicability of political comparisons in current times remains a significant

Training and development Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Training and development - Essay Example However, to achieve supremacy within the related domains, training and development should be allotted the best possible resources and time. The systems approach (model) towards training and development is significantly drawn up because it pinpoints how its four different phases of needs assessment, program design, implementation and evaluation are shaped up within the reins of an organization. These are for the eventual basis of the employees themselves, because there is a great deal of importance on how the employees would be able to give in their best time and again. Within the needs assessment, the analysis of the organization is done so as to find out where the employees are lacking and what the organization can provide to them as a result of the same. Then on, the task analysis is looked upon at with a greater concentration because this deems significance for finding out what kind of need the employees have within their fore. When the task analysis gets completed, the organizati on moves on to the next phase of needs assessment which is the personnel analysis where each and every employee who requires training and development is determined with regards to his professional strengths and weaknesses.

Cuban Revolution Essay Example for Free

Cuban Revolution Essay My name is Juan Luis Sanchez and had lived well in my country Cuba before this new regime by a tyrant they call Fidel Castro. Although Fulgencio Batista was harsh and corrupt, my life was not very bad. Now it seems that things have changed quite a bit here in Havana. We have become what they call a communist state, and we have no political companion here in the western hemisphere. I was one who was opposed to the corruption I saw in Batista’s government, and though I wanted in some ways to help the peasants raise their standard of living, I was not prepared to have mine lowered in the process. I also was a bit disgruntled at the way the United States had a heavy hand in the politics of my country Cuba, but I am not sure now that Cuba will be in a very good position having incurred the wrath of such a powerful neighbor. This rift has apparently been sealed by a socialist tie we seemed to have developed with the sworn enemies of the United States, the Union of Soviet Socialist Republic (USSR). Many of my comrades are no longer here in Cuba. I have not been able to find many of my professional friends—my personal attorney, family physician and several of my business partners, I have been told, have fled the country because of the threat that this new regime poses to their livelihood. Many of them now live in Miami, Florida. I am now experiencing what must have been the fears of my comrades that made them flee. My businesses relied heavily on several other business that were funded by U. S. nationals and that have come under attack in this new regime. My business, which was growing in the 1940’s and 1950’s, has been experiencing problems since the heavy U. S. ownership of 35% of the sugar industry has been altered. My business’s strategy seems to have changed greatly. It no longer sends a large portion of its produce to the United States, as relations between Cuba and the U. S. have broken down. This problem seems to be very serious, as I have read about a Bay of Pigs incident in which the United States lent support to some Cuban exiles in an attempt to overthrow Castro’s government. I also hear of a Cold War between the United States and the USSR in which our country has become involved. Recently, the USSR has removed some warheads and missiles from our territory, as the United States had threatened to invade Cuba if those things had remained. Though I have spoken of the business I used to run as â€Å"my business† I no longer seem to be in charge of it. When I showed up at the office, no one acknowledged me and I was not allowed to go in. The few comrades I had left in Cuba reported that their businesses had been taken away from them and were placed under the direction of the government. All the profits go to the government, which then rations out wages to former business owners. Our wages have been capped. All my extended property, I came to find, no longer belongs to me and I have lost my large house. Now I have to live in much smaller quarters and share the premises with other persons with whom I am not acquainted. The Cuban economy seems to be doing well, though I have heard that in the last decade (the 1960’s) it had experienced some trouble. Now, we have been receiving some help from the USSR as our investments and trade have now become heavily tied with this and other communist countries of Europe. Our large sugar industry, though no longer able to serve the United States, is guaranteed a market in these European communist states. Though officially the economy is doing well, I have become aware of a shadow economy that exists here in Cuba. It shades the fact that the U. S. dollar receives a higher value on the black market than it does on the official market. Still, the country does possess wealth, which it pours into governmental policies and the military. Though I should probably be relieved that the country is generating wealth, I am very uncomfortable with the fact that all that I have worked for in the past years has been taken from me. I feel I am entitled to a share in all the wealth that is being generated within the economy, yet I am allowed to share in none of this. I have lost all freedom to enjoy the fruit of my former and current labor. In fact, I find that the freedoms of Cubans have been curtailed to the extent that no voluntary organizations exist, nor is there any real scope for the common educated professional (or any common man) to enter the political arena. I, who once was heavily involved in the political aspects of my community, have now only a few alternatives for membership in organizations. I can become a member of one of two organizations of the Cuban Catholic Bishops known as a Carita, or I may involve myself in one of a few other religious institutions dedicated to Jewish, African, or Masonic religions. I have no dissenting voice when it comes to politics. Though this was largely the case under Batista, it now appears to be even more so. Apart from the friends I learned to have migrated, I have been told in secret that two of them were imprisoned for speaking out against the new regime. Yet, despite all the problems I have found and the freedoms that have been stripped from me, I have also noticed some very strange yet progressive occurrences here in Cuba. These seem to be in favor of those who were once peasants. I remember the days when, especially during sugar’s off-season, many peasants were in danger of starving to death because they were out of work. Even I had no choice but to lay off during that period many who worked for me. Now their lives seem to have improved, as they receive from the state rations that last all year round. Schools have only recently resumed operation here in Havana. I have been told that all the teachers and students had been temporarily sent to rural areas in order to teach the peasants there to read and write. As a result, our nation’s literacy rate has risen rapidly. Almost all the persons here can read and write at this point, and the literacy crash program is said to be almost complete. At this rate, literacy is expected to be at 95% by the 1990’s. The streets are also much cleaner here than they were before I woke up to this reality. We, as citizens, have all been made responsible for the cleanliness of our community. I myself have been placed in a group and am required to participate in sanitation activities. The healthcare appears to have improved the lives of the peasants, whom I had had a desire to help before the revolution took place. Indeed, some of those who worked for me had enjoyed the benefits of being seen by my personal physician. Despite this, I was well aware that many of their children died at early ages and that this fact was represented in a large portion of the population—an overwhelming number that I alone could not possible have hoped to reach. Now it seems that governmental reforms have helped solve this problem, as our infant mortality rate has dropped to about 9. 8 per 1000 live births. This is among the lowest rate in the entire world. We also have a system of health care that ranks as the best in Latin America, and our life expectancy has recently climbed to the levels boasted by the United States. Although my personal physician is no longer available, I find that I too do not have to worry very much about basic healthcare needs, as the Cuban state is now in charge of providing this to all its citizens. This is of great help to me, as I no longer find myself with the resources necessary to pay for these kinds of necessities on my own. Yet, although I am grateful for the help of the government in this area, I cannot help but remember the times when I as an upper-classed business owner could afford to pay for this and so much more. Luis, J. G. (2000). Cuban Revolution Reader: A Document History. Ocean Press.