Rawls Trawls’ Theory of Justice, Hayeks Theory of Freedom

Friedrich Hayek was a British philosopher who wrote from his experiences of World War one in which he served. It is known that based on Hayek’s experience in the war and his desire to help avoid the mistakes that had orchestrated to the war; he was led to this career in which he developed the theory of freedom. Hayek argues that there are many definitions for the term freedom; however he refers to this as â€Å"freedom without coercion. Hayek also speaks to individual and personal freedom in which he argues that a man is either free or not free. Being free he says is acting on one’s own will and not the will of another and emphasises the idea that there are two types of freedom; freedom to and freedom from. When Hayek speaks to freedom, he makes mention of Political, Personal/Inner as well as Economic freedom. John Rawls on the other hand was an American philosopher who wrote from his experiences of World War two. Rawls developed the theory of Justice. Justice is a concept of moral relevance based on ethics, rationality, law, natural law, religion, equity or fairness. Rawls refers to â€Å"justice as fairness† and from the theory of justice, the liberty and difference principle was derived. Rawls argues that â€Å"Justice is the first virtue of social institutions, as information is of preparations of thought. † From the theory of justice the original position and the veil of ignorance were also developed. You can read also  Justice System Position Paper   These concepts will be explained further. The aim of this essay is to outline and formulate major distinctions between the two theories listed above by stating the similarities as well as the differences that tells them apart and evaluate both theories, subsequently justifying which of the two provides a better explanation. As was mentioned before, Hayek’s theory of freedom refers to freedom from coercion. The term coercion refers to the act of compelling by force or authority. In Hayek’s words â€Å"coercion can be explained as control of a person's environment or circumstances such that â€Å"he is forced to act not according to a coherent plan of his own but to serve the ends of another,† and so â€Å"unable to use either his own intelligence or knowledge or to follow his own aims. † Hayek went on to say that coercion means having control for the environment so that he/she acts in the interest of the person rather than the interest of their own. Coercion he argues is will, because it removes or eliminates the individual as a thinking person that should be valued and asserts that the only way to prevent coercion is through the threat of coercion. The coerced lacks the ability of using his knowledge for his own purposes, since the effective use of aptitude requires that one be able to predict to an extent the conditions that exist in one’s environment and adhere to an arrangement of action. â€Å"But if the facts which determine our plans are under the sole control of another, our actions will be similarly controlled. † p. 34 For Hayek coercion means doing the will of another and not his own and he gives an example of this, â€Å"Even if the threat of starvation to me and perhaps to my family impels me to accept a distasteful job at a very low wage, I am not coerced by him or anybody else. So long as the act that has placed me in my predicament is not aimed at making me do or not do specific things, so long as t he intent of the act that harms me is not to make me serve another person's ends, its effect on my freedom is not different from that of any natural calamity a fire or a Rood that destroys my house or an accident that harms my health. p. 137 However, what may seem to be coercion to some may not be coercion to others, hence, Hayek outlines that the following conditions must be satisfied in order to say that a person has been coerced; The coerced person's environment must be controlled by another so that, while he does choose, he is made to choose what will serve the ends of another rather than his own ends, The coercer must threaten to inflict harm with the intention, thereby, to bring about certain ends, That which the coercer denies to me must be crucial to my existence or to what I most value, That the act of the coercer must be directed at me. Upon careful examination, it will become apparent that Hayek's definition of coercion is radically defective, primarily because it provides no objective and clear cut standard of what is a coercive act but rather leaves it to individual judgment (with reference to what the individual most values) the determination of when a coercive action has been committed. Hayek speaks also about personal freedom and this he explains as â€Å"inner freedom† which he explains as metaphysical or subject freedom which is the extent to which a person guides his actions by his/her own will, reasons and lasting conviction as opposed to momentarily impulses or circumstances. Economic freedom, which refers to freedom from enterprise or state control and Political freedom which refers to freedom from arbitrary rule or arrest and the opportunities people have to determine who should govern and by what principles. To Hayek, the existence of government is not only permissible but also desirable and he considers, as most classical liberals did, that defence, police, and the administration of justice are indispensable functions of government. He asserts that these governmental activities are not hindrances to a free society, but its guarantees and he argues that the only interference in freedom government should have is preventing one from coercing another. For Hayek freedom means the rejection of direct control over individuals’ efforts and he argues that knowledge must be available, free, unrestricted or controlled and that our faith in freedom should rest on the belief that it will create forces of good rather than evil and that the benefits we derive from freedom depends heavily on how others use it, however, he argues also that we cannot achieve certainty in human affairs so we best make use of the knowledge we have. Thus we should stick to the rules of experience which best serves our way of thinking, although we don’t know the consequences of using this knowledge. He believes civilization is progress and progress is civilization. Hayek also speaks about liberty and stresses that the true meaning of liberty is liberty under the rule of law, rather than unlimited liberty. It follows that freedom of economic activity means ‘freedom under the law, not the absence of all government action’ (Hayek, 1960, p. 220). Rawls on the other hand speaks about the theory of justice, from this the liberty and difference theory was derived and the â€Å"original/initial position† as well as the â€Å"veil of ignorance†. Rawls argued that two principles serve to organize society; the â€Å"liberty principle† which is the first principle of justice that speaks to the fact that person is to have an equal right to the most freedom compatible with everyone else having that same amount of freedom and the â€Å"difference principle† which is the second principle which is an egalitarian conception that unless there is a distribution that makes both parties better off an equal distribution is to be preferred and speaks to the fact that social economic inequalities are to be arranged so that they are both reasonably expected to be to everyone’s advantage and attached to the position and offices open to all. Primary Goods is a term used by Rawls to cover all the things that the Two Principles of Justice are going to divide up. They are things like rights, opportunities, incomes, power etcetera. Rawls He rooted the original position in and extended the concept of â€Å"social contract† previously advocated by Hobbes, Rousseau, and Locke which made the principles of justice the object of the contract binding members of society together. The original position as that which representatives with limited information about the interests that they represent attempt to agree as to how society should be ordered and the veil of ignorance is the state of not knowing or having all knowledge or information for the alternatives but arriving at a position. This deal with the initial/original position which sets up a fair procedure that any principle agreed will be just. Rawls also speak of social justice which he states ‘is to be regarded as providing in the first instance a standard whereby the distributive aspects of the basic structure of society are to be assessed’; therefore, ‘they may not elucidate the justice†¦of voluntary cooperative arrangements or procedures for making contractual agreements’ (Rawls, 1999, pp. 7-8). For both theories, it can so far be seen that although both theories are different they also have similarities. The first similarity is that Rawls and Hayek both worked from the same tradition-liberalism in which they argued that individuals should to be free to pursue their own idea of the good life and that the state's role is as an enabler. Secondly, they both agree on â€Å"the essential point,† which is that principles of justice apply to the rules of institutions and social practices, but not to distributions of particular things across specific persons. Thirdly, the government is important and that the government exists to serve the people; the people do not exist to serve the government. Finally, they both argue agreed on the idea that the handicaps should be provided for. The differences as it relates to both theories are that; firstly, Hayek is from an economic standpoint while Rawls is more rationale and social. The main difference between both is their attitude to equality as Rawls believed in egalitarian and social justice which are two concepts that Hayek rejected as Rawls believe that each individual has different skill, talents and understanding hence they cannot be equal. Hayek argues that †Whether he is free or not does not depend on the range of choice but on whether he can expect to shape his course of action in accordance with his present intentions, or whether somebody else has power o to manipulate the conditions as to make him act according to that person’s will rather than his own. (Hayek, 1960, p. 13) His view is that one should work in order to achieve what they want and with this point of view, Hayek argues that ‘we may be free and yet miserable’ (Hayek, 1960, p. 18). In relation to Rawls’ definition of liberty, Hayek stresses that the true meaning of liberty is liberty under the rule of law, rather than unlimited liberty. It follows that freedom of economic activity means ‘freedom under the law, not the absence of all government action’ (Hayek, 1960, p. 220). Also, Hayek equates social justice with distributive justice and dismisses both of them. He claims that ‘liberalism aims at commutative justice and socialism at distributive justice’ and that ‘distributive justice is irreconcilable with freedom in the choice of one’s activities’ (Hayek, 1960, p. 440). In conclusion, I believe that Rawls theory of justice gives a better explanation as it is more accurate, I see this theory as the more applicable of the two to our society rather than that of Hayek’s as his notion of freedom and liberty is too wide and far-fetched for our developing societies. His notion on inequality and giving credit to the countries which are ahead is quite debatable, Rawls however believes in equal distribution of wealth. Rawls believes that if each individual is given the same opportunity then society will be just. Hayek on the other hand believes that each individual’s ability, skills and talent is different thus equality is impossible; this is to some extent true but distribution of state goods should be just and fair. Each individual should have equal opportunity regardless of social class or position. For Hayek an individual should be free to do as he so desires. How applicable would this be to our society? He argues that the government’s role should only to be implement sanctions for an individual’s action if they so believe that this individual has infringed on another’s right. Hayek further makes vague arguments that that the government should recognize and protect private domain and in doing so and that private persons will be given rules as to what the government will do in different types of situation. Again- inequality protruding.

Separation of Mixtures and Solids

After gathering all the material needed to conduct these experiments, the first experiment was initiated. The mixture of solids was weighed out as well as the 10cm square piece of paper and the weighing dish. The mixture was spread out in a very thin layer on a piece of paper, the magnet was wrapped with clear plastic and the magnet was passed over the mixture several times to remove the iron from the mixture.The iron was placed on the 10cm square paper and weighed. The next step was to separate out the sand. The sand was placed in the beaker with 50mL of water and heated to close to boiling. The hot liquid was poured into a Styrofoam cup and another 10mL of distilled water was added to the beaker and again it was heated to near boiling and poured into the same Styrofoam cup. The second heating was to ensure all the sodium chloride and benzoic acid was removed from the sand.The Styrofoam cup was placed into an ice bath, the benzoic acid began crystallizing in the ice bath as it start ed cooling. The sand in the beaker was heated very carefully to allow it to dry. After the sand was dried it was weighed. The benzoic acid and salt were separated. A filter paper was inserted in the funnel and the cup with the salt and benzoic acid was poured into the funnel. A graduated cylinder with 5mL of water was inserted into the ice bath; this was poured into the funnel to eliminate any of the sodium chloride that may have been missed.The filter paper was laid out on several paper towels to dry. After the filter paper has dried it will be weighed and the weight of the filter paper will be subtracted from the total to obtain the exact amount of the benzoic acid. The paper cup of sodium chloride was set aside to allow it to dry. Once it is dry it will be weighed and the weight of the paper cup will be subtracted to obtain the weight of the  sodium chloride.GramsPercent of MixtureTotalsSand5.4g54%54% Iron0.9g9%63% Dried Sand1.2g12%75% Salt1.8g18%93% Benzoic Acid0.7g7%100%Discu ssionI can see room for error when pouring the water out of the beaker some of the sand could be poured out with it, thereby creating an inaccurate result of dried sand. There is also the possibility of some of the benzoic acid and sodium chloride remaining in the beaker, getting stuck to the sides and again creating an inaccurate result for these two mixtures. When the water is poured through the paper in the funnel some of the benzoic acid could remain in the sodium chloride which would create another inaccurate amount for the benzoic acid.The iron could be slightly inaccurate due to the fact that it was not possible to get every single piece off the plastic wrap and into the dish, although the very small pieces may not have added up to much it might have contributed to an inaccurate amount. The initial sand weight is the most accurate; there was no room for error there.Questions1.How did your proposed procedures or flow charts at the beginning of this experiment compare to the ac tual procedures of this lab exercise? I knew the iron could be removed with a magnet. I wasn’t sure how to remove the sodium chloride and benzoic acid. 2.Discuss potential advantaged or disadvantaged of your proposed procedure compared to the one actually used. The only advantage to my procedure was using the magnet to remove the iron. I didn’t know how to remove the sodium chloride or benzoic acid. 3.How would you explain a sand recovery percentage that is higher than the original sand percentage?Perhaps you didn’t remove all the iron out or there was still some sodium chloride or benzoic acid still left in the sand. 4.What were potential sources of error in this experiment? When pouring water out of the beaker some of the sand could be poured out with it. There is also the  possibility of some of the benzoic acid and sodium chloride remaining in the beaker, getting stuck to the sides and again creating an inaccurate result for these two mixtures.When the wat er is poured through the paper in the funnel some of the benzoic acid could remain in the sodium chloride which would create another inaccurate amount for the benzoic acid. The iron could be slightly inaccurate due to the fact that it was not possible to get every single piece off the plastic wrap and into the dish, although the very small pieces may not have added up to much it might have contributed to an inaccurate amount.

Investigating the effectiveness of human resource management Essay

A) Terms of Reference On the 1st of October 2003, the management department requested a report written investigating the effectiveness of human resource management at McDonald’s Restaurants Limited, and how this operation helps the organisation achieve their strategic aims. The report was to be submitted on the 9th December 2003. B) Executive summary McDonalds has various business strategies being introduced over the next two years. The report investigates how the Human Resource Management (HRM) practice enables the strategic plans to be achieved. McDonalds are expanding the number of restaurants in India, while closing selected stores in the UK, plans to change packaging, deco and uniform will affect the culture of the organisation. McDonalds are also diversifying, ‘McKids’, brand of clothing, and toys. It is the HRM policies that will ensure a smooth change over. The major concern is the cultural change; HRM must ensure that staff are involved in the changes allowing them to ‘buy’ into the plans. The extension plans should run efficiently as all the policies and legislation should already be in place. The investment in ‘McKids’ could prove difficult for HRM, because they are dealing with a separate market. The current polices in place cover a wide range of issues, which are sufficient for McDonalds strategic plans. C) Introduction McDonald’s fast food chain began in America in 1954, developing into a recognised worldwide establishment. McDonalds now has over â€Å"30,000 restaurants serving more than 46 million people each in 121 countries and territories† 1. The first British restaurant opened in 1973, expanding to 1,184 restaurants; however â€Å"80% of McDonalds restaurants are operated by independent franchisees†2. D) Methodology The information was gathered using â€Å"textbooks† from the library, the Internet, and a â€Å"student pack† from McDonalds Limited. E) Their present and anticipated strategy In order for a company to reach its goals, aims and objectives, a strategic plan should be implemented, allowing the company to establish ‘whom they are’, ‘their aims and objectives’, ‘future position’ and ‘how they are going to get there’. Strategic planning also confirms the attainment of their goals. Lynch (2002) says, â€Å"Strategy can be described as the identification of the purpose of the organisation and the plans and actions to achieve that purpose†3. While Kenneth Andrews believes that strategic planning is † a pattern of decisions†¦which represents the unity, coherence and internal consistency of a company’s strategic decisions that position a company in its environment and to give the firm its identity, its power to mobilise its strengths, and in its likelihood of success in the market place†4. Alfred D Chandler (1962) states, â€Å"Strategy is the determination of the basic long-term goals and objectives of an enterprise, and the adoption of courses of action and the allocation of resources necessary for carrying out those goals†5. Although varying, all are concerned with the company’s planning, objectives and goals. Strategic planning is organised by top management; the plan represents directions the company needs to take at different times. There are five steps in strategic planning; firstly, identify the business and develop a mission statement, showing the company’s overall aims and objectives. This statement is used to motivate employees, customers and other interested parties. McDonald’s mission statement is â€Å"McDonald’s vision is to be the UK’s best quick service restaurant experience†6. Secondly, translate the mission statement into strategic goals; thirdly, create an action plan to attain those goals. Fourthly, introduce the strategic planning, and finally evaluate the results to determine whether changes are required. McDonald’s currently holds the largest market share of restaurants chains, at â€Å"7.3%†7; the nearest competitor is Burger King holding â€Å"3%†8 of the market. UK sales have risen dramatically over the last 27 years, and in 2001 sales reached in â€Å"excess of à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½1.6 billion†9, however according to an Evening Standard report â€Å"pre tax profits dropped by 20% last year†10. McDonald’s intends introducing many new strategies, over the next two years. McDonalds, Chief Marketing Officer, â€Å"outlined a number of strategic global plans for McDonald’s† †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ they â€Å"intend to roll out a healthy lifestyle programme called Go Active†, â€Å"Make greater use of Ronald McDonald the face of the brand†, and introduce â€Å"global licensing programme called McKids, initially applied to clothing and Toys†11. In a separate interview he reports of numerous plans being introduced, â€Å"A worldwide advertising campaign†, â€Å"launch of global packaging concept†, â€Å"ongoing review of staff training, new products, and uniforms and the introduction of a loyalty scheme†, and to become â€Å"a leader in healthy eating†12. McDonald’s are installing â€Å"Wi-fi nodes†13 in many restaurants, allowing customers’ access to the Internet. Expansion plans are also intended f or India, where â€Å"McDonald’s plans to double its outlets over the next three years†14 F) Its current HRM practices HRM deals with the ‘Human’ aspect of a company, such as recruitment, selection, training, provisions of contracts, equal opportunities, dismissals and redundancy, welfare and health and safety. HRM is responsible for issues affecting employees and their relationship with the company. HRM developed from personnel management in the 80’s. The concept of management practice dates back to the 19th century, when some employers became concerned about employees working conditions. Rowntree’s appointed the first welfare worker, in 1896, to â€Å"ensure the well being of women and children in the workforce and to watch over their behaviour†15. Welfare work is still an aspect of HRM, although not so necessary within today’s society. It is these early approaches of Rowntrees, Cadburys and Robert Owen, which clearly show the development of HRM. HRM is defined as â€Å"a rational approach to the effective recruitment, retention, and deployment of people within an organisation, including, when necessary, arrangements for dismissing staff†16. Within the UK, McDonald’s employs â€Å"47,735 people†17. McDonalds expects the highest standards of quality, service and cleanliness towards the customers from its employees; they also require staff to have a positive attitude towards themselves, customers and other staff members. McDonalds employs local people, and ensures that employees are selected, trained, promoted and treated on the basis of their skills. Their policy states that McDonald’s will provide career opportunities, challenging and rewarding work, providing pay on performance. There are two levels of recruitment within the company, management and hourly paid staff. McDonalds offers staff flexible working hours suiting individual preferences. The hourly rate for staff exceeds the national minimum wage, salaried management earning between à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½12000 and à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½64000. Staff are entitled to various benefits, health care, pension, company car, bonus scheme, sick pay and stock options. McDonalds supports the ‘Opportunity Now’ Campaign, increasing the number of women they employ, â€Å"43.30%†18 of their workforce is female. The company now allows qualifying staff up to eight weeks paid maternity or paternity leave. The company works closely with various disabled organisations, and employs where possible disabled people. The diversity development within the company insures the working environment is free from discrimination and harassment and job applicants and employees, will not be treated less favourably on the grounds of marital status, colour, age, gender, race nationality, ethnic origin or disability. McDonalds believes that â€Å"training is the foundation of their success and vital for improving the business†19. Hourly paid staff receive on the job training, supplemented by computer based and other training methods, Management staff receive training at one of the company’s six British training centres. McDonalds â€Å"restaurants work to the standards which meet those required by legislation†20, they also have various policies covering food quality and nutrition, also working closely with suppliers ensuring animal welfare. The company has a number of franchises, which means that although McDonalds controls the majority of establishments, legislations, laws and policies are the responsibility of the franchise operator. G) How the HRM practices enables the business strategies to be achieved. Many policies are in place, covering a wide range of topics; enabling HRM to support the company in achieving their overall strategic plans. McDonalds operates in 121 countries, HRM must be aware of the different employment and contract laws, religion, culture, currency differences, and labour costs throughout these countries. The extension plans for India should not affect the company severely as the operation guidelines and policies already exist. Within the UK and USA the company has Universities to train their management, and other staff are trained â€Å"in-house†. When they expanded to India, lack of training facilities; meant staff were brought in from other countries to employ and train staff. This could have caused problems; outsiders may have little or no knowledge of the country, laws or societal beliefs. As the company expands into ‘new’ countries they need to consider other issues such as uniform and eating habits, certain religions do not eat certain products, other cultures impose dress code, all these issues need to be considered by the HRM to ensure the placement of correct policies. Due to falling sales there are plans to change the image and culture of the company; introducing new decor, uniforms and packaging. Unless HRM have involved the staff in the planning stage of these changes, they will encounter great difficulty in obtaining cooperation; staff need to ‘buy’ in to changes. Although, the company does have training facilities around the country educating staff on theses changes. Customers may also object to this image change. The introduction of healthy foods may cause problems, staff will need to be re-trained, which may cause staff shortages, and increase training costs. Some of the stores situated in city centres are installing facilities to allow the customer connection to the Internet. The HRM will have to implant policies to ensure correct usage of the Internet; and take steps to ensure that ‘inappropriate’ websites are unavailable. McDonalds has a high ‘turnover’ of staff, suggesting the recruitment strategy is inefficient. Incorrect job advertisement possibly leads to the submission of applications by the wrong type of person. H) How the HRM practice reflects the theories of strategic HRM. There have been many investigations into the issues surrounding HRM, leading to many theories. According to the Harvard Model, â€Å"HRM polices need to derive from critical analysis of: the demands of the various stakeholders in a business and a number of situational factors†21. The belief is that because organisations are owned and operated by various people (stakeholders), the management’s task is to balance the returns to everyone involved. The Harvard Model is seen as the ‘soft’ approach to HRM, employees being stakeholders of the company. This model has four areas to address, human resource flow, reward system, employee influences, and work systems, there are also situational factors such as influence of trade unions, laws, and labour market, which are also relevant to the theory. The theory believes that the effectiveness of the HRM is related to the four ‘C’s’, â€Å"Commitment, â€Å"Competence, Congruence and Cost-effectiveness,†22. The Harvard theory is that employees are an asset rather than a cost, and investment in these employees provides long-term benefits to the company, this theory is similar to McGregor’s, theory ‘Y’ approach. There are a number of concerns with the approach, â€Å"how to measure the variables, conflicts between cost-effectiveness and congruence, huge variety of variables potentially relevant to any given HRM situation, and sometimes a technology or set of working conditions make it impossible to increase some levels of ‘C’s'†23. The alternative approach known as the Michigan model, being the hard approach, believes that employees should be treated like any other resources, â€Å"obtained cheaply, used sparingly and developed and exploited fully†24. There are common features in both these models, both mix the HR policies and business plan, line managers are responsible for people; both are unitarist, and stress commitment to the organisation. McDonalds has a mixture of both the hard and soft approach, store managers being responsible for the day-to-day running as in the soft approach, and training provisions show that staff are an asset and investment in them should provide long-term investment for the company. The organisation also has similarities to the hard approach, with staff receiving low wages (obtained cheaply), and restaurants are often run with minimum of staff (exploiting). Guests (1987) theory, is also included in McDonalds policy, Guest believes the organisation should, â€Å"aim for high level of commitment from staff, obtain high quality output, continually improve standards, flexibility from staff, no fixed job definitions, working practices and conditions and seek strategic integration through HR policies†25. McDonalds are â€Å"Continually improving standards† and â€Å"offer flexible working times for staff†26. These prescriptive approaches also believe that line managers should accept HRM policies and integrate them into strategic plans, allowing staff to change roles within the organisation. Known as culture, organisations have different values, ideas and beliefs that affect the way they operate. According to Handy, there are four types of culture; Power, Role, Task and Person. McDonald’s culture combines two of these, top management, reflects ‘power’ culture, making the overall decisions, allowing rapid response to decisions. Although there are similarities to the ‘task’ culture, the overall aim of the organisation is task orientated, focussing on team culture, and strong communication between all levels of staff. The contingency approach suggests that â€Å"different problems and situations require different solutions†27, both internal and external influences should ‘fit’ together making a logical solution. McDonalds has integrated this approach, by considering the environment with their packaging and adjusting menus to suit different cultures. This approach also influences staff promotions that the company offers, staff are offered appraisals, a means of increasing their job opportunities. Barney (1991) suggests that there is a â€Å"resource based model†; physical, financial, human and organisational resources are the main link between internal resources and the company’s performance. Suggesting that it is not enough to have HR in line with strategy, and developing people will raise their commitment to the company, and provide an advantage over competitors. Although McDonalds do invest in people â€Å"66.26%†28 are under the age of 20, suggesting the majority of these are temporary, so will not progress through the company, leaving training costs continually rising. Gould’s ‘Model of Morale’, should be considered, suggesting that high staff turnover, sickness, absences and low performance within the company, is caused by low staff motivation, job satisfaction and group cohesion. These problem stem from inadequate internal factors such as â€Å"perception of leaders, matching needs to the job and identification with organisational goals†29, and external factors such as â€Å"status, age, pay, conditions, job market policies, training, equipment and economic state†30. Hofstede undertook worldwide research into culture and concluded that different countries mainly have four different cultures, â€Å"individualism, power distance, uncertainty avoidance, and masculinity. Depending on how the country viewed these areas, Hofstede categorised the countries further, pyramid of people, well-oiled machines, village market and family. As McDonald’s operates in 121 countries; consideration for this theory may allow a better understanding of the needs and values of staff. I) Recommendations Suggested improvements: * Reducing staff turn over * Encourage long-term employment (minimising training costs – maximising staff) * Create a culture that people wish to work in * Promote training allowing staff progression to higher job opportunities * Increase wages    Bibliography Class Notes. McDonalds Fact File 2002. (Available from McDonalds) Http://www.mind-advertising.com/sectors/sector_restaurants.htm (Accessed 18/10/2003). Prynn, Jonathan. Evening Standard UK, 3 May 2003. Kleinman, Mark. 2003 ‘Mcdonald’s Media gets global review’. Marketing Magazine, 11 September, p.1. Kleinman, Mark. 2003 ‘McDonald’s gets back on track’. Marketing Magazine, 11 September, p.15. Burns, Stuart I. 9 October 2003. â€Å"The Internet @ McDonald†, [online] Available from URL Http://www.bbc.co.uk/dns/collective/A1338392 (Accessed 28/10/03). â€Å"McDonald plans Indian expansion†, [online] Available from URL Http://www.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/2924185.stm (Accessed 18/10/2003). Foot, M, Hook, Caroline. 1999. Introducing Human Resource Management. 2nd Ed. Addison Wesley Longman, London Hannagan Tim, 1995, ‘Management Concepts & Practices’, Pitman Publishing, London. Graham, H T. Bennett R. 1998 ‘Human Resource Management’, 9th ED. Financial Times, Pitman Publishing, London. Cole, G A. 2002. Management Theory and Practice. 5th Ed. Continuum, London. 1 McDonalds Fact File 2002 2 McDonalds Fact File 2002 3 Wang, Y. 2003. â€Å"Human Resource Management Strategies†, â€Å"Week 3†, (Classnotes) Lampeter University. 4 Foot, M, Hook, Caroline. 1999. â€Å"Introducing Human Resource Management†. 2nd Ed. Addison Wesley Longman, London. 5 Wang, Y. 2003. â€Å"Human Resource Management Strategies†, â€Å"Week 3†, (Classnotes) Lampeter University. 6 McDonalds Fact File 2002. 7 Http://www.mind-advertising.com/sectors/sector_restaurants.htm (Accessed 18/10/2003). 8 Http://www.mind-advertising.com/sectors/sector_restaurants.htm (Accessed 18/10/2003). 9 McDonalds Fact File 2002. 10 Prynn, Jonathan. Evening Standard UK, 3 May 2003. 11 Kleinman, Mark. 2003 ‘Mcdonald’s Media gets global review’. Marketing Magazine, 11 September, p.1. 12 Kleinman, Mark. 2003 ‘McDonald’s gets back on track’. Marketing Magazine, 11 September, p.15. 13 Burns, Stuart I. 9 October 2003. â€Å"The Internet @ McDonald†, [online] Available from URL Http://www.bbc.co.uk/dns/collective/A1338392 (Accessed 28/10/03). 14 â€Å"McDonald plans Indian expansion†, [online] Available from URL Http://www.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/2924185.stm (Accessed 18/10/2003). 15 Foot, M, Hook, Caroline. 1999. Introducing Human Resource Management. 2nd Ed. Addison Wesley Longman, London 16 Cole, G A. 2002. Management Theory and Practice. 5th Ed. Continuum, London. 17 McDonlads Fact File 2002 18 McDonalds Fact File 2002 19 McDonalds Fact File 2002 20 McDonalds Fact file 2002 21 Hannagan Tim, 1995, ‘Management concepts & practices’, Pitman Publishing, London. 22 Graham, H T. Bennett R. ‘Human Resource Management’ 1998, 9th ED. Financial Times. Pitman Publishing, London. 23 Hannagan Tim, 1995, ‘Management concepts & practices’, Pitman Publishing, London. 24 Graham, H T. Bennett R. ‘Human Resource Management’ 1998, 9th ED. Financial Times. Pitman Publishing, London. 25 Foot, M, Hook, Caroline. 1999. Introducing Human Resource Management. 2nd Ed. Addison Wesley Longman, London 26 McDonalds Fact File 2002 27 Hannagan Tim, 1995, ‘Management concepts & practices’, Pitman Publishing, London. 28 McDonalds Fact File 2002 29 Wang, Y. 2003. â€Å"Human Resource Management and Culture†, â€Å"Week 6†, (Classnotes) Lampeter University. 30 Wang, Y. 2003. â€Å"Human Resource Management and Culture†, â€Å"Week 6†, (Classnotes) Lampeter University.

Wine bar project Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Wine bar project - Essay Example The market survey and customer interviews that have been conducted provided the most important data needed for this business plan. The written plan highlights the executive overview of the marketing strategies to be adopted in order to increase the market feasibility of wine trading. The quality of the product and the strategies for the business are very crucial in the growth of any business. According to Marry-Colleen Tinney, â€Å"Wine consumers in the Unites States are evolving. Unlike in decades past, consumers’ today are more comfortable with wine as an every day luxury, are more confident with their choices and are willing to explore the category more fully than ever before. The more you bring up different options, the more consumers are going to make them a part of their purchasing decisions. Within the past five years the wine occasion has become more casual as consumers are enjoying wine as part of every day life.† (Tinney, 2007). The customers have the habit of experimenting with the varieties of wine and new products in the market. The National Restaurant Association reports â€Å"that 46 percent of adults patronize an eating establishment on typical day, resulting in approximately 50 billion meals eaten out nationwide.† (Suffolk County Department of Health Services). As the retail price of imported wines has dropped, perceptions of wine h ave changed from solely for special occasions to more daily consumption habits. This has driven an increasing consumer consciousness of price and quality and overall education about wine. By utilizing this opportunity wine bar with catering service will successfully operate in Suffolk County. After locating the premises of choice, it is crucial to obtain permits and license from health authorities and New York State Liquor authority before opening a Wine Bar in Suffolk

War on Global Terrorism Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3750 words - 1

War on Global Terrorism - Research Paper Example One glance at him I knew I wanted to be â€Å"that guy†. Eddie was a hothead so I figured if he could make it and summon this inner change within himself so could I. Shortly after that day I mustered up the inner courage and went and talked to the Marine Recruiter and signed up. Two weeks after I walked across the stage of my high school graduation I was stepping off the bus in Parris Island, SC ready to embark on my journey to being a Marine. From entering boot camp a young know-it-all and emerging a hardened warrior forged by blood, sweat and tears. I came to realize that as a United States Marine I was on the frontlines of the war on terror. It became my duty to give my life to the people of this nation so they could live their lives and enjoy their days in freedom and peace. Yet serving one’s country is not just a decision that is right for me; rather, serving our country should be vitally important to every citizen. The war on terror knows no bounds and is being fought each and every day on our soil as well as abroad. The struggle between radical Islamic sectarian beliefs and the principles of free societies have been on a collision course for quite some time now. Due to the fact that so many fanatics believe so strongly that their narrow-minded interpretation of religion is the â€Å"true† and â€Å"right† way, a glut of active and willing volunteers from many of the most poverty-stricken regions of the planet has come to exist. Many nations that are controlled by radical elements of fundamentalist Islam practice cultural and ideological hegemony in these countries; thereby having a low tolerance towards different religions or views being practised of promoted. In order to gain further control, many of these radical fundamentalists have splintered off and chose to use terrorism to achieve their ideological goals. Many American have always taken the concepts introduced by the Declaration of Independence,  the Constitution, or the Bill of Rights for granted; believing that â€Å"all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.†Ã‚  

INTERNATIONAL INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY LAW Assignment Essay

INTERNATIONAL INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY LAW Assignment - Essay Example While on the other hand, the idea of human rights has emerged from the need for universal respect of human beings freedom, dignity and equality. It has evolved over the period to support for individual from oppression and provide an equal chance to develop their potential to take advantage of different opportunities (Donnelly, 1989). Human Rights and Intellectual Property rights (IPR) have gained widespread discussion during the last two decades. Various stakeholders who have vested interests have furiously argued for their rights. The goals of the proponents of both the parties are somehow inversely related. Stereotypical views have been formed both about human and intellectual property rights. The advocates of human rights assert that the only way to achieve the goals of access to food, health and education is through eliminating most of the intellectual property rights (Lutheran World Federation, 2000). While on the other hand, a mindset has been developed that promotes that by on ly expanding the intellectual property rights, we can provide incentives for innovation which will address the concerns of fundamental human rights (Weissbrodt & Schoff, 2008). The relationship between human rights and intellectual property rights can be analyzed from two aspects. ... Therefore, this relationship can only be analyzed if we have a thorough understanding of the scope of both the rights. The existing human rights do not categorically refer to the intellectual property rights; however, there are certain provisions within the human right treaties which can be considered to be relevant to intellectual property rights. Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) which was adopted in 1948 has certain provisions which are important points to be considered. The Article 27.2 states that â€Å"Everyone has the right to the protection of the moral and material interests resulting from any scientific, literary or artistic production of which he is the author† (United Nations, 2007). Similarly, the right to property is also stressed in the Article 17 of UDHR which states that everyone has the right to own property and no one shall be deprived of his property. In addition to that, the International Covenant on Social, Economic and Cultural Rights (ICSECR) established in 1966 is also one of the vital tool through which we can assess the relationship between Intellectual Property & Economic Rights. International rights although increase the scope of relationship between these two rights but there are some regional human rights which contains clauses pertaining to property rights. The Article 21.1 of American Convention on Human Rights of 1969 states that everyone is entitled to the right to use and enjoyment of his property but it further enforces that â€Å"The law may subordinate such use and enjoyment to the interest of society† (Sinjela, 2007). Similarly, the African Charter on Human Rights which was adopted in 1981 also enforces that â€Å"The right to the property shall be

Internal Analysis on Mr Empanada Restaurant Research Paper

Internal Analysis on Mr Empanada Restaurant - Research Paper Example Its vision as a restaurant is to exceed all the expectations of its clients while also giving back to the company that has supported it. According to its vision, Mr. Empanada will soon make its special delicacies as well known by the American public as hamburgers and pizza (Mr. Empanada). Product/services Identification The main food products created by the Mr. Empanada restaurant are empanadas. Empanadas are actually fried or baked stuffed pastries. They are a Spanish delicacy that has been adopted in many nations due to their delicious taste. It is believed that the Empanada recipe was originally developed in the Middle East but was carried to Spanish Europe by tourists and travelers. Today, Empanadas can be found in almost all nations of the world; with each culture using its preferred stuffing or altering the recipe to suit local tastes. Customer Identification One of the reasons why Mr. Empanada is so successful is because it puts such a high premium on providing the very best f or its customers (Yang and Fu 117). For example, Mr. Empanada often tries to implement the advice that is given in customer reviews when seeking to improve its services. It views customer feedback as a way through which to gauge the popularity of its products and service with its best customers. VALUE CHAIN OF MR. EMPANADA’S RESTAURANT Inbound Logistics Mr. ... Most of its raw vegetables are procured from fixed suppliers. Mr. Empanada also favors the practice of backward integration to ensure that all unnecessary costs are reduced, and also to make sure that it only uses the best quality of products to produce its foodstuffs. It is necessary for the outfit at Armenia Avenue to have distribution networks that can carry food stuffs ready for preparation to each of Mr. Empanada’s six restaurants based in Florida (Mr. Empanada). The restaurant has enormous warehouses from which food supplies are shipped by truck to the different restaurants around Florida. Every franchise of Mr. Empanada is part of a centralized chain management process; with only the Russian branch which handles its own distribution and warehousing operations. In the past, operations at the Mr. Empanada restaurant were tracked. The restaurants managers would keep an inventory on food objects and utensils, among other things. Everything that was needed for the restaurant to operate on various shifts would be ordered for on the day before from the distribution center. However, changes were made which made it easier to follow the business operations. With the introduction of automation, the various requirements of different franchises are noted and recorded by a computer. The normal routine today is that the distribution center at Armenia Avenue ships the needed items to various franchises by following a regular schedule. This has allowed the restaurant to be able to serve more customers faster and more efficiently. It has also allowed the business to benefit from cost cutting through discounts that it gets from regular supplies when it regularly purchases whole sale products (Partridge). Outbound

Do the policies and ideology of multiculturalism unite us or divide us Essay

Do the policies and ideology of multiculturalism unite us or divide us - Essay Example In order to promote multiculturalism, policies are in place to protect ethnic identities of immigrants and Canadian ethnic minorities. There are programs for education, employment and support for navigating government services. However, these policies do not always result in equal treatment. Multiculturalism is a laudable goal and it looks good from the outside. However, it is not always good from the inside. The idea of multiculturalism, especially in Canada, makes people feel like they are part of a greater good, a bigger picture promoting anti- racism, and that they fighting for group and individual equality. However, policies created to help protect identity or to aid aboriginals protect their culture or immigrants to integrate into Canadian society sometimes offer advantages to immigrants that native born Canadians do not enjoy. One very visible difference in policy is in the area of education. Canada has actively recruited immigrants to boost the economy for more than a century . Because of the Offical Languages Act in 1969 to mollify Quebec separatists, numerous ESL and EFL programs exist for adult immigrants across the country to help new arrivals integrate (Derwing and Thompson 2005). However, over the years these programs have been modified to emphasize the employability skills of participants and to communicate Canadian values. Other programs, such as neighbourhood national festivals are promoted and subsidized by the government to allow immigrants to communicate their culture to other Canadians in an effort to promote understanding, acceptance and equal opportunity. The LINC program improved upon its predecessor by adding women, who were considered unemployable, to the list of beneficiaries, but it still emphasized â€Å"Canadian† values, rights, and responsibilities (Bettencourt 2003, 25), including laws, shopping and banking, plus information for services (Bettencourt 2003). It was changed again in 2000. Based upon standards of measurement o f language skills, it aims to bring all immigrants’ language skills to a useful level (CIC 1996). Various changes were made to this program by the CIC (CIC 2001; CIC 2006; CIC 2007; CIC 2009) While all this work to help new immigrants benefits society as a whole, the amount of money spent on these programs is not equalled in educations programs for native born Canadians. For example, a native born Canadian who moves to Quebec is not eligible for free French lessons, nor is a Quebec resident who moves to an English province. This is seen as favouring immigrants at the cost of native born Canadians. Education of immigrant children required a change in Canadian school systems. However, public education is the purview of the provincial governments, not the federal government (JEAN-PIERRE, 2011). So many provinces have developed multicultural programs to help resolve the problems of immigration of non-English or French speaking immigrant children. Since schools are funded mostly by property taxes, this is seen as spending the taxes of the Canadian middle class, generally native born, citizens on programs that do not visibly benefit their children. While a case can be made for the value of foreign language instruction to child educational and intellectual development, Canadian schools already offer bilingual education: French and English. Adding other languages might be better accepted if those added languages

Plz follow the instruction Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Plz follow the instruction - Research Paper Example The global outlook advocates ample coordination between the various safety departments (Manuele, 2005). This paper will explore the scope of a coordinated approach to address the crash risks in relation to road haulage. Globalization has increased the volume of freight, and road transportation is a prime area of focus. Since the haulage systems are not fully mechanized or computerized, focus on the human factor is essential. The paper aims to evaluate the risk of crashes entailed in haulage along with scrutiny of research, regulation, regulation, and awareness in this field. It also looks into the current and future risk mitigation measures. In this paper, a specific safety risk has been selected. It is the safety risk of crash associated with road haulage. The history of how the mitigation of this risk has been addressed in research studies, regulation, and public awareness campaigns has been researched and analyzed. Also, the findings are summarized, current risk mitigation efforts are evaluated, and recommendations are made for the future. The business of road haulage depends on the fleet of Lorries that are used for general and long distance haulage across the United States and to the countries like Mexico and Canada. Risk assessment and management for the drivers involved in this kind of transportation business is critical. The safety risk is mainly centered on the crash possibilities. Again, the risk of a dangerous road crash during haulage depends on certain important factors. There is a technical difference between the terms risk and hazard. Risk is generally considered as combining a hazard with its associated probability (American Society of Safety Engineers, 1990). Safety risk involved in road haulage depends on certain hazards associated to their possibilities, especially in the case of crash possibilities. The risk of crashes in road haulage can be evaluated on the basis of certain factors of hazards in combination with their high possibility and o ccurrence. Dangerous goods transportation is a primary consideration. Accident of a truck carrying fertilizers or explosive chemical cannot only injure the driver but damage the locality and environment as well (Fabiano et al, 2002). Hand held cell phone use during driving is also a prominent risk factor (McCartt and Hellinga, 2007). Possibility of collisions with other vehicles particularly at the intersections is another serious risk. The driver’s age is an important consideration in this regard (Mayhew et al, 2006). Driver fatigue, particularly during the long haul, is another risk factor entailed in the crash possibilities of road haulage. Mitigation of a safety risk is possible of course. History of mitigation of risks in regards of road haulage is interesting indeed. In the case of road haulage, combined effort from the authorities concerned with occupational safety and highway security is necessary. In 1970, the Williams-Steiger Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSH act) was passed. â€Å"The act allowed national collection of OHS statistics for the first time. Occupational safety and health standards are put out by the Department of Labor and take legal precedence over state laws and regulations.† (Taylor et al, 2004: 114) Thus, an inter-state framework for the safety of the

Promotional and Advertising Strategies Assignment

Promotional and Advertising Strategies - Assignment Example In this volatile market it is necessary for each of these companies to come up with unique marketing strategies, these strategies play a vital role in brand building and differentiating one company from its competitors. The paper discusses the major marketing, pricing, and consumer oriented promotional strategies for the two most aggressive players in the television market: Samsung and LG. (Briel, 2014) It is observed that both LG and Samsung have effectively utilized all the 4P’s of marketing mix. Both the players are almost running head to head in the television market with Samsung being a little ahead of LG. However, according to Korean Times LG has recorded higher sales of its products especially television sets in the Indian market as compared to Samsung. This is due to two very different marketing approaches used by each of these companies. Indian market is largely dominated by rural areas, among the total population of 1.1 billion people, 200 million people live in deserted, rural areas which means they are naturally poor and cannot afford very expensive television sets. In such situation Samsung decided to target the elite sector of the market, mainly due to two reasons. Firstly, it realizes that India is one of the emerging markets around the world and selling its product at a premium rate would increase its probability of succeeding in such a market. Secondly, sell ing the products at a premium rate is always good for a brand in the long term to establish itself as the global premium brand. In the other hand LG, another Korean giant company, has clearly adopted the market penetration strategy in Indian market. LG sells its television sets comparatively at a lower price to provide an access to the richer segments as well as to those with lower income. Like Samsung, LG imports premium products from Korea but increasingly

M1A3 - Organizatinal Behavior Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

M1A3 - Organizatinal Behavior - Research Paper Example In addition, mental models and shared vision become the third and fourth parts of the process respectively. The former are the personal assumptions within an individual about the company while the latter is the common goal shared by all members of staff9 (Sessa & London, 2006). Lastly, the team learning aspect becomes the fifth key pillar in this organization that is mainly the collective pooling of individually learnt aspects drawn from other members of staff (Marquardt, 2011). Objectively, this paper will give the name of a company in which transformation will aim at by including the intended broad principles. Further, it will include recommendations to the chosen learning organization that may include motivation, team management, culture, ethics, and empowerment. The learning organization chosen would be General Motors Corporation. Brief overview of General Motors General Motors is a name commonly associated to remarkable car brands in the world. Arguably, GM is the leading multi- state car manufacturer with its headquarters in Detroit, Michigan in the United States. Globally, it has establishments in a hundred and fifty seven countries spread across several continents. It has over two hundred thousand employees under its wing by either employing them directly or indirectly. GM has four regional clutters namely, GM South America, GM Europe, GM North America, lastly GM International Operations. Each of these segments is charged with organizing their designated world regions in sales, production, marketing, and development of products. The fifth and key pillar of the General Motors Company is the General Motors Financial that is in charge of the primary financial matters of the company. However, in June 2009 General Motors started experiencing financial strain (Kolb, 2011). The government of the United States intervened through the Chapter 11 accord in which the government-sought to protect the Company’s assets after bankruptcy declarations (Weston, 201 2). With this move, General Motors shareholders could not access their assets in Asia and Europe during this crisis. Remarkably, it experienced a relisting to the stock markets in 2010 following a successful public offering of preferred shares. Sequentially, the U.S Treasury let go of thirty-five percent of its shareholding rights to a minimum of twenty-six percent after the 2010 initial public share offer. Treasury had acquired this stake when it sought to save the company from economic plummet. GM as a transformed organization In order for GM to make substantial transformation, a number of aspects have to come in to play. For a start, the main reason that led to the economic fall of this market giant was the hefty allowances that it paid its managers during that time. The managers of the company across the globe took home unnecessary large pay, which the company struggled to effect. Therefore, the transformation process for this company would start by reevaluating the pay for its managers to suit the current economic times. Ideally, it is not morally up right to pay people heftily when a company as it its dismal performance. Secondly, the Company experienced economic struggle because of the high amounts of money that they injected in to the pension scheme for their retired

On Site vs Online Classes Essay Example for Free

On Site vs Online Classes Essay In assessment of online and classroom (on-ground) knowledge gives specific students that has interest according to how they learn. Taking online classes for me works so much better because I can go at my own pace. After doing some research online I found that there is a debate regarding the matter of online classes vs. traditional classrooms. At a point in time I recently had a debate on their opinion in classroom learning and the online classes. Their opinion has given me a better understanding on the format in relation with on ground classroom setting. Although I feel strongly about my online courses my friend says they will never stop attending school on site. As I continue on I will state the difference of the classroom setting, online classes, and the summary response towards from the textbook. As well as, give some example of the differences between older and younger students attending traditional classroom and online classes. The classroom setting has human contact which might be better for interaction purposes. With the professor there in person they can better explain things that might get misunderstood through typing in an email or on the class discussions. This could also be said for the classmates in your class, who are trying to make their point understood. A classroom for some has less distraction which makes it easier to do class work, reading assignments, and homework that may not get done due to work schedule or life’s unexpected turns. Also a classroom setting has more of a community feeling, everyone bands together to understand one another and their differences. For example, when you’re asked to participate in group activities you try and co-inside with your teammates in order to get a reasonable grade even if your opinions are different. As an online student I find it very easy to study and process all information that is needed. Being able to work on my own and on my own pace is challenging, but not able to physically to get hands on help from an instructor is complicated. Having trouble with some problems and school questions can be very complicated due to the fact that speaking with an instructor through email and not receiving the information right way or getting direction makes it really hard to get a better understanding on how things can be done. Last but not least receiving information is not enough because the due date for assignments for class is not the same for online courses. Making an effort to continue with education is had when I am in need with extra help. Positive outlook on this is being able to work and still spend all the time I can with my children. In summary of the text question is that I have learned in my online course being that it is very hard and challenging, but the passion I have to better my children’s future as well as for myself. Starting online classes has scared me because of the fact that I really thought it was going to very advance with no help. Being that I have already started this course I have came to understand that online is not as hard as I made it seem in the beginning. I am very interested due to the fact that I already have a plan for my families’ future. Showing that I have the passion to care for my family and to be the provider that I am gives me the power to finish in something I started by working, online classes, and being the single mother that I am. Continuing on with this course I am able to speak to my fellow classmates as well as for the tutor we have online to process all information. These are some summaries that I have on this course. In conclusion I have notice that I carry many thoughts in this subject. The audience that have received they have a busy life just like myself. Letting them know that this subject is hard but hard work pays off also being able to spend time with work and family while being enroll in school. An online class gives you the opportunity to be able to live normal life but process all information that is needed. My audience has given me questions that I have asked myself how I can get help when the responses are not as immediately response that we need. The purpose of this subject s being able to process all information that is needed to get through a better writing skill and having a better way to be more accurate in all materials. The end results is to being able to write all my writing materials a lot better than before, more meaningful, and have better ability to write all papers. With this is a gives me understanding in difference of the online classes to just make the choice to contin ue on a path of achievement. According to Carron Jackson, for those of us who are 18-21 we may be better in a college campus because of the social atmosphere it provides. She also states that for those of us who are older and have families and jobs, college is viewed as an education not a social life. Jackson continues with the common reasons as to adults returning to school and 18-21 year olds enrolling in school. She says that adults go back to get higher salary, career advancement and personal growth. 18-21 year olds go because of the pressures from parents, teachers, guidance counselors, for parties with peers, and an actual desire for higher learning to earn a college degree. This debate could continue on until we are blue in the face, some like online classes other prefer traditional classrooms. I really think it has to do with comfort and our learning styles. In conclusion, I have learned that just from my experience alone both ways of studying for me is better on ground classes. Being that everybody learning habits are best understood as a student on an on ground class this will show in the difference of the grade. With this capability we as individuals learning is a great thing, but knowing that learning ways fits well with what helps each person at the end of it all. In many points for me my grade is better as an on ground class then in online classes even though I enjoy both studying moments.

The Influence And Leadership Management Essay

The Influence And Leadership Management Essay Just possessing an impressive title or position does not equate to someone being a leader. Leadership is influencing others to follow your vision. The quality of ones leadership is measured by their followers perception of the leaders effectiveness. This perception is driven by the different characteristics and skills that a given leader has as well as the style they use. Which traits they possess and their chosen approach will have a direct impact on the effectiveness of their leadership. This paper will explore the different aspects of a leaders personality and their position in an organization and how those factors impact the levels of influence gained. It is important to make an early distinction, Leaders and managers are not the same. Management focuses on systems and processes, organising and staffing. John Kotter in discussing what leaders really do describes the focus of leadership as motivating and inspiring keeping people moving in the right direction, despite obstacles to change, by appealing to basic but often untapped human needs, values, and emotions (Kotter, 1999, p. 54). There is overlap however, in that both managers and leaders must communicate the direction, but its a leader who will gain the commitment from followers to do what is needed to achieve the vision. Leadership can be referred to as the process of moving a group of people in a certain direction, and if it is to be sustainable it must be done through non-coercive means, thus by gaining influence from the group. Leaders need to create commitment from their followers through motivation and inspiring them to achieve collective goals. Different circumstances may require leaders to use different styles. They may even behave in a different manner depending on who they are interacting with. That being interaction between a leader and a follower may be different than that between a colleague or supervisor. This is referred to as situational leadership, where there isnt always a single approach that will satisfy all tasks, or influence all followers. According to Paul Hersey and Ken Blanchard, situational leaders should be able to place more or less emphasis on the task, and more or less emphasis on the relationships with the people theyre leading, depending on whats needed to get the job done successfully (Blanchard Hersey, 2012). In a given situation a leader may be more commanding and tell the employee exactly what to do, and how to do it. This is often referred to as an authoritative style of leadership. In another situation the leader may try to sell their message to gain greater commitment while still giving direction and providing information. Sometimes a participative style is the best fit, where the leader focuses on the relationships in the group and is prepared to share the role of decision making. And finally, a situation may call for a leader to delegate responsibilities to their follower, and take the role of a manager and monitor progress. What style to use will depend on what Hersey and Blanchard refer to as the maturity of the individual or group. This would be the levels of knowledge, skills, and confidence that the followers have (Blanchard Hersey, 2012). If the wrong style is used a leader may be faced with failure as too much responsibility was given to an employee with too low maturity, or being too authoritative to a follower with high maturity can damage the relationship through a lack of trust. Matching the leadership style with the appropriate maturity level (situation) is key to success and can strengthen leader follower relationships that will sustain future success. A strengthened relationship between leaders and followers has proven to be indispensable for an organisations success, as Bass argued the importance of this by highlighting survey results where employees favourable attitudes toward their supervisors contributed to the employees satisfaction. In turn, employees favourable attitudes toward thei r supervisors were usually found to be related to the productivity of the work group (Bass, 1990). Stogdill (1974) argued that Leaders are born, that they posses inherent traits that make them suitable as a leader. This is referred to as trait theory. In Handbook of leadership: A survey of the literature, he observed successful leaders and identified skills and traits that these leaders had. It was thought that if people were selected for leadership positions who also had a combination of these traits, than they too could be great leaders if given the chance. The table below contains Stogdills findings: Traits Skills Adaptable to situations Alert to social environment Ambitious and achievement-orientated Assertive Cooperative Decisive Dependable Dominant (desire to influence others) Energetic (high activity level) Persistent Self-confident Tolerant of stress Willing to assume responsibility Clever (intelligent) Conceptually skilled Creative Diplomatic and tactful Fluent in speaking Knowledgeable about group task Organised (administrative ability) Persuasive Socially skilled   Source: Handbook of leadership: A survey of the literature (Stogdill, 1947) McCall and Lombardo (1983) looked to focus on why some leaders succeed and others fail. They compiled their own list of traits for successful leaders. They argued that a leader needed to be emotionally stable and show composure in difficult situations. The leader should be calm, confident and predictable when under stress. They also saw that successful leaders were able to admit their own errors. That being prepared to own up to mistakes made, rather than focusing energy into covering up their errors. Another key skill they observed was good interpersonal skills. Being able to communicate clearly and persuade others without resorting to negative or coercive tactics is key to successful leadership. And finally McCall and Lombardo see a great importance in a leader possessing intellectual breadth. They describe this as being able to understand a wide range of areas, rather than having a narrow area of expertise. (McCall Lombardo, 1983) This idea that leaders are born has been challenged. Skills and traits can develop over time through life experiences such as a dramatic event, family upbringing, positive role models, work experience, education and training. These experiences can shape and alter an individuals personality. Fiedler and Garcia argue that when there is high uncertainty, or little time to think, we generally fall back on what has worked in the past. Leaders with a large repertoire of previously successful behaviours are more likely to perform better than those who lack this fund of experience (Fiedler Garcia, 2005). This highlights both the importance of experience and decisiveness in being a leader. Most of the skills and traits observed by Stogdill can be developed and shaped through life experiences. However, some skills and traits are more likely to be seen in leaders who are born with a particular personality, such as an extraverted personality. Leadership is a relationship between a group of people and an individual. This relationship is based on both influence and power, but like any relationship, the personalities of its members will dominate its long term success. A leaders personality must fit both the group and the situation. However, as previously referenced there are personality traits that have been consistently observed in successful leaders. Having an extraverted personality is not necessarily a requirement of a leader, just as possessing an introverted personality is not a disqualification. However, extroverts are often associated with some of Stogdills traits. Extroverts are commonly perceived as those with high levels of energy, expressive, and seek close relationships, where as introverts are more low key and prefer solitude (Riggio, 2011). A certain personality may not guarantee one being a better leader, but what it can determine is what type of leader one may be. When we think of great leaders many of the examples would fall into the category of extroverts; Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Steve Jobs, and Bill Clinton. But they also come in the form of introverts; Abraham Lincoln, Bill Gates, and Mahatma Gandhi. All these men were/are great leaders, the difference is in how they approached their position as leader, and thus the relationship in the group. In a recent study by Psychology Today, it was found that social skills may be a better indicator of potential leadership. In the report, Ronald E. Riggio discusses misinterpreting the potential social effectiveness of an extroverts social energy. Riggio argues that if the person lacks the social skills to direct that energy, then the person will not be socially effective. Conversely, socially skilled introverts should do well in social interaction, but in a more low-key manner (Riggio, 2011). Most leadership theories in business environments are based on a transactional relationship between the manager and employee, with the manager being the leader to the employees position as follower. The transaction occurs by the leader offering a reward for the employees performance, this being a wage or bonus. To increase motivation they may pay higher incentives or increase perks. Path goal theory is based on the idea that an employees perception of what is expected regarding their effort and performance is greatly affected by a leaders behaviour. A leader helps his followers (employees) attain rewards by clearly outlining paths to goals and removing obstacles that could negatively affect the followers performance. Leaders do this by providing support, information, and other resources which are required by employees to complete the task and reach their goal. Robert House developed path goal theory and identifies two major dimensions of leadership, those being initiating structure and consideration. Initiating structure is the degree that a leader assigns tasks, specifies procedures, clarifies expectations, and schedules work to be done by their employees (House, 1971). As for consideration, House described this as the degree a leader provides a supportive environment through warmth, friendliness, helpfulness. Leaders do this by being approachable, considerate to the followers personal welfare, and when change is on the horizon, giving advanced notice (House, 1971). House argued that Leaders who initiate structure for subordinates are generally rated highly by superiors and have higher producing work groups than leaders who are low on initiating structure; and that leaders who are considerate of subordinates have more satisfied employees (House, 1971). In this theory leaders are seen more as coaches who want to help their employees succeed. In the text Management: ideas and actions, in contrast to transactional, Duncan offers a definition of transformational leadership as a process whereby individuals create a connection that raises the level of motivation and morality of both the leader and the follower with the primary goal to assist followers in attaining their maximum potential (Duncan, 1999). At the heart of transformational leadership is charisma. Sociologist Max Weber (1968) introduced the term charisma in the nineteenth century and described charismatic leadership as a non-rational form of authority. According to Weber, charisma is defined by a specifically supernatural trait that emerges in natural leaders during times of distress (Weber, 1968). But charisma is almost more in the hands of the followers in that they must buy in to the leaders personality, or vision. It is the followers perception that ultimately decides whether the leader is charismatic. Rukmani argues that transformational leadership is composed of idealized influence and inspirational motivation, which serving as a charismatic role model and articulating a vision of the future that can be shared (Rukmani, et al., 2010). Each style has its place in organisations and at times a leader must be able to be both transformational and transactional at different times. During times of change in organisations, transformational leaders are required to inspire the masses to share their vision. Kotter argues that motivation will be more sustainable when people are energized not by pushing them in the right direction as control mechanisms do but by satisfying basic human needs for achievement, a sense of belonging, recognition, self-esteem, a feeling of control over ones life, and the ability to live up to ones ideals (Kotter, 1999). For that reason, once systems are in place a transactional style is more appropriate to manage the work that now must be completed by those who have the knowledge and skills to do it. Leadership is the process of inspiring others to work hard to accomplish important tasks. Graen and Ulh-Bien (1995) propose three approaches to leadership, which a leader can adopt for effectively leading his or her employees. These include leader-based, relationship-based, and follower-based approaches. The approaches can be used in combinations at the same time with different followers. Effective leadership requires flexibility to employ these approaches in an honest and open manner. The leader-based approach is concerned with establishing and communicating a vision for the company, inspiring the employees commitment and enhancing group cohesion. By doing so, the leader and the followers raise one another to higher levels of motivation. Entrepreneurs who are gifted leaders are extraordinarily good at turning their visions into concrete results. A drawback of this approach is that when people are highly dependent on the leader, they may follow an inappropriate vision without question. The leader-based approach works best when there is a need for fundamental change requiring uniform direction by a charismatic leader and limited diversity among followers. The relationship-based approach is based on developing mutual trust, respect, and obligation between leader and follower, which generates influence between the parties. It emphasises building strong relationships with followers and on mutual learning and accommodation. It works best when there are different types of people with different kinds of needs who have to be managed. Relationship-based leadership can be seen as a sort of partnership between leader and follower. But, it is often time-consuming and relies on long-term relationships between particular leaders and followers. With the follower-based approach, leadership involves empowerment, coaching, facilitating, and giving up control. Accordingly, it requires the ability and motivation of the leaders followers to manage their own performance. Often, this approach makes the most of the followers capabilities, enabling leaders to focus on other responsibilities. The follower-based approach is most effective for performing unstructured tasks, in cases of weak position power of the leader, or non-acceptance of the leader. In a business environment, the leader of the organisation may also be the founder of the company. In this case they are an entrepreneur and a leader. This situation demands that the leader takes on different roles in a new organisation. It often happens that the founder entrepreneur is unable to adapt to the needs of the growing organisation. If the entrepreneur is unable to learn a new set of skills or to relinquish authority, the ventures performance can suffer. Many entrepreneurs cannot or will not break old habits in order to learn the roles they have to play in order to develop the venture, causing the company to lose control and turn profits into losses. The main problem seems to be that all too frequently the founder is reluctant to lose control of the business, wanting to do everything him or herself rather than manage others, so the growth potential of the business is strictly limited by his or her personal energy and capacity. Chandler and Jansen (1992) suggest that there a re three distinct leadership roles that an entrepreneur has to develop adequately. Or, which members of the entrepreneurs management team have to develop. The entrepreneurial role requires the ability to recognise and envision taking advantage of opportunity. This ability has been referred as the core of entrepreneurship and may be contingent on the entrepreneurs familiarity with the market. It can also be described as the drive to see firm creation through to fruition, which requires the willingness and capacity to offer intense and sustained effort. A second role the entrepreneur must fill is the managerial role. This requires the ability to develop programs, budgets, procedures, evaluate performance, and perform other tasks essential to implementing strategy. Individuals with strong managerial skills enjoy high levels of responsibility and authority; they seek positions involving delegation and motivation. The effective manager must be competent in three areas: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Conceptual competence: The mental ability to co-ordinate all of the organisations interests and activities, for instance, effective management of the ventures cash flow. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Human competence: The ability to work with, understand, and motivate other people, both individually and in groups. The manager must be able to clearly communicate the goals to be achieved and motivate others to behave in a synergistic manner. For instance, this requires the ability to delegate, manage customer and employee relationships, and exercise interpersonal skills. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Political competence: The ability to enhance ones position, builds a power base, and establishes the right connections. This may be particularly important in start-up firms, because the founder must enlist the support of network members. Establishing connections with people who control important resources and possess important skills and abilities is important to the performance of the new venture. Finally there is the technical-function role. To function effectively in the technical-functional role, the entrepreneur/leader must have the ability to use the tools, procedures and techniques of a specialised field. The specific skills required are determined by the industry within which the venture operates. Consider for instance a restaurant spinoff with a strong technical entrepreneur who only has bartending experience. If such an entrepreneur is unable to develop his or her entrepreneurial and managerial role, and if there is no one else in his or her team to fulfil this, the restaurant spinoff is likely to fail. Generally, the entrepreneurial and the technical roles are of the greatest importance at the start of the business. However, in order to grow, the managerial role is of eminent importance as well. If these roles are lacking yet the venture is determined to grow, a strong manager is needed who has the necessary knowledge and skills to fulfil these roles. But this is easier said than done. Most founders hate to step aside even though they are temperamentally unsuited to be managers. Clarysse and Moray (2004) suggest that investors have to be careful when they want to remove the founder-entrepreneur. This is because the initial team often only accepts a newcomer as a CEO once they have been convinced of the shortcomings of their friend as a boss. Business Leaders today face multiple challenges of recruiting and retaining competent employees. In order to succeed both in reaching a common goal and creating commitment amongst their followers, a leader ability to inspire and motivate is crucial. Whether it comes naturally or developed over time, there are skills and traits that an effective leader must have in order to inspire their followers. They will need to be flexible, both for different task requirements and for the differing personalities and skills of their employees. If a leader cant influence their employees then they will have no followers; so then if the leader has no followers than they really arent a leader at all. Without influence there is no leadership.

The positives and negatives of Mold

The positives and negatives of Mold When you hear the word mold, what comes to mind? Is it something green, fuzzy, and squishy? Do you immediately want to throw it away? Do you run screaming from the room or duck and hide? If you are a scientist, you will look more closely. You will look at mold in a different way, through different eyes. Mold is a whole new world to explore. It is important to understand what mold is, its harmful effects and its possible benefits. What is mold? In the American Heritage Dictionary, mold is any of various fungous growths often causing disintegration of organic matter. Molds are classified as part of the kingdom fungi (Ammirati, par. 6). They fall into the divisions Ascomycota, Basidiomycota, Chytridiomycota and Zygomycota (Ammirati, para. 6). Molds are microscopic fungi that live on plant or animal matter (USDA, par. 1). They are made up of multiple cells and can sometimes be seen with the naked eye (USDA, par. 2). Unlike other plants, mold has no chlorophyll, but rather it lives on food or decaying matter (Ammirati, par. 1). When mold appears on food, it can be greenish in color, or white and cotton-like in appearance. Mold has at least three parts which include the root threads, which invade the food it lives on; the stalk, which rises above the food, and the spores which form at the ends of the stalks which give the mold its color (USDA, par. 2). Mold develops from spores, which when they are dry, float through the air until they find suitable conditions to start the growth cycle again. (USDA, par. 8). When a mold spore lands on damp food, it swells and begins to grow by producing tiny hyphae (threads). The hyphae form a tangled mass called a mycelium, which in turn produces aerial pyphae called stolons. Rootlike structures known as rhizoids anchor stolons in the food (Ammirati, par. 3). This is what allows the mold to stay on the food. By the time the mold appears to the eye on the surface of food, it has already penetrated into the food. Therefore, most molds are threadlike spores (USDA, par. 1). Mold is found in virtually every environment. It is found inside and outside. It is found throughout the year (USDA, par. 7). Mold grows in warm humid conditions. Outside, these may be shady damp areas where leaves and other materials are decomposing (USDA, par. 7). Mold can also grow in refrigerators because they can tolerant sugars and salts better than most other food invaders (USDA par. 15). There are different kinds of molds including blue molds which grow on breads, green molds which grow on cheese and water molds which live in water and soil (Ammirati, par. 2). Mold does not need light to grow but each kind of mold needs certain materials for growth (Pascoe 7). Mold is the only plant that does not have roots, leaves, flowers, or seeds (Pascoe 7). How is mold harmful? It is probably not surprising to learn that mold is potentially harmful. However, it may surprise one to learn that mold has been linked to types of cancer. Molds can cause problems as common as allergic reactions and respiratory problems (USDA, par. 5). Some another diseases that mold can cause are athletes foot, and ringworm in people, and various blights in plants (Pascoe 7). Some more serious if not treated diseases that mold can cause are dangerous forms of pneumonia and it can infect the lungs (Pascoe 17). Mold sometimes contains a poisonous substance called mycotoxins that can make you sick (USDA, par. 5). Mycotoxins are found primarily in grain and nut crops (USDA, par. 10). They are also found in celery, grape juice, apples, and other produce (USDA, par. 10). According to one source, as much as twenty-five percent (25%) of the worlds food crops are affected by mycotoxins (USDA, par. 10). Some mycotoxins, such as aflatoxin, can cause cancer. Mold is not something to mess arou nd with. How is mold beneficial? Despite its ugly appearance and potentially hazardous effects, mold can offer some great benefits. First of all, mold can be beneficial to the gardener. Leaf mold greatly improves the structure and water-holding capacity of soil. It also creates the perfect conditions for the community of beneficial organisms that dwell in your soil (Galloway, par.1). Leaf mold can hold up to 500 times its own weight in water which helps plants to retain moisture during the summer or dry season (Galloway, par.8). In a recent study they found that garden soil amended with leaf mold had a twenty percent(20%) lower bulk density than soil to which leaf mold was not added (Galloway, par.9). It also fertilizes soil by breaking down the dead organisms and waste material (Ammirati, par. 5). In the early 1900s, scientists had began working to develop drugs that could destroy microbes, but the substances that came out where either ineffective or dangerous (Cupp, par. 29). However, one day Penicillin which is made from Penicillium mold was invented (Ammirati, par. 5). Penicillium mold is green-gray color (Pascoe 29). It was invented accidentally by Sir Alexander Fleming, a British bacteriologist, in 1928 (Dauben, par. 38). His laboratory was in London (Souza 49). He noticed one day that a bit of mold of the genus Penicillium had contaminated a laboratory dish containing bacteria. All the bacteria had been killed around the mold (Dauben, par. 38). Therefore, mold would ultimately be used for a variety of medical problems. Not until the end of World War II (1939-45) was there enough of penicillium available to treat large numbers of patients (Souza 50). Another thing that mold is good for is eating. People may think why and who would eat mold? Some molds are used to make certain kinds of cheese. For example: Roquefort, blue, Gorgonzola, and Stilton (USDA, par. 14). The most recent discover is the new mechanism in the reproductive cycle of certain species of mold. This mechanism protects the organism from genetic abnormalities by silencing unmatched genes during meiosis (sexual reproduction). It is to help target unwanted genes such as the HIV Virus, and other serious diseases (ScienceDaily, Par. 1). Another thing that molds are useful for is it plays an important and helpful role in the cycle of life. The molds help breakdown the dead plants and animal material then it returns useful nutrients to the soil (Pascoe 6). Aspergillus blown mold doesnt help save lives but it is often used to produce that citric acid that gives some candies and soft drinks a lemony flavor, as well as to make soy sauce and a Japanese alcoholic drink called sake (Alvin Silverstein, Virginia Silverstein, and Robert Silverstein 47-48). The study of mold is not for the weak stomach. The greenish color and resulting decay of the food does not make it a very appealing subject to most. However, learning about mold, what it is, how it can be harmful and how it is beneficial can be rewarding. Mold has an interesting way of finding foods different from most other plant life. They also have a strange way of traveling, basically catching a ride, on breezes and air currents. The most disturbing things about mold is how sick it can make someone, but we mustnt forget there are benefits that have been found using mold in research to treat some types serious diseases. However, as I learned from my research, mold has its good and bad characteristics.

Voltaires Affect on Modern Western Society Essay -- Fracois Marie Aro

â€Å"I do not agree with what you have to say, but I’ll defend to death your right to say it,† were the famous words of Fracois Marie Arouet, more commonly known under the pen name of Voltaire. He was known for being very outspoken and rebellious, which got him into trouble with the authorities for most of his life. Voltaire advocated the French bourgeoisie as being ineffective, the aristocracy as being corrupt, and the commoners as being too superstitious. Voltaire’s beliefs on freedom and reason is what ultimately led to the French Revolution, the United States Bill of Rights, and the decrease in the power of the Catholic Church, which have all affected modern western society. The French Revolution was a period of upheaval in France, during which the French governmental structure and Catholic clergy underwent a large change due to Enlightenment ideas. The commoners of France began to revolt after hearing the ideas of famous philosophes like Voltaire. Voltaire was a deist who believed that the Catholic Church and its doctrines were not to be trusted since they used propoganda to get followers rather than the actual religion. He believed it was unfair that there wasn’t any religious freedom since you were expected to be a Catholic. He spoke openly about this, which of course got him into a lot of trouble. Nevertheless, the French commoners took his word into thought and decided to act upon what he said by revolting against the church. Voltaire’s ideas also critized royal absolutism because they had, in his opinion, too much power. He favored an elightened absolutist, which is an absolutist who adopts Enlightenment ideas. Once again, the French commoners took this to heart and agreed with Voltaire that the French government was too ... ... to make you commit injustices.† Voltaire studied natural sciences and reason because he was against supestition. Although he advocated religious tolerance, he believed that any one church should not have absolute power. By the time he was executed, he had already brought about the end of the power and right of the church to torture France. People in France still are not as faithful to the Catholic Church as they had been before Voltaire had introduced them to the idea of â€Å"reasoning†. The Enlightenment is held to be the source of many modern ideas, such as the primary values of freedom and reason. The views of philosophers such as Voltaire are considered to be the source of many essential changes in countries such as America and France. His views on religion, government, and freedom are what people remember most because they have not died out in today’s society. Voltaire's Affect on Modern Western Society Essay -- Fracois Marie Aro â€Å"I do not agree with what you have to say, but I’ll defend to death your right to say it,† were the famous words of Fracois Marie Arouet, more commonly known under the pen name of Voltaire. He was known for being very outspoken and rebellious, which got him into trouble with the authorities for most of his life. Voltaire advocated the French bourgeoisie as being ineffective, the aristocracy as being corrupt, and the commoners as being too superstitious. Voltaire’s beliefs on freedom and reason is what ultimately led to the French Revolution, the United States Bill of Rights, and the decrease in the power of the Catholic Church, which have all affected modern western society. The French Revolution was a period of upheaval in France, during which the French governmental structure and Catholic clergy underwent a large change due to Enlightenment ideas. The commoners of France began to revolt after hearing the ideas of famous philosophes like Voltaire. Voltaire was a deist who believed that the Catholic Church and its doctrines were not to be trusted since they used propoganda to get followers rather than the actual religion. He believed it was unfair that there wasn’t any religious freedom since you were expected to be a Catholic. He spoke openly about this, which of course got him into a lot of trouble. Nevertheless, the French commoners took his word into thought and decided to act upon what he said by revolting against the church. Voltaire’s ideas also critized royal absolutism because they had, in his opinion, too much power. He favored an elightened absolutist, which is an absolutist who adopts Enlightenment ideas. Once again, the French commoners took this to heart and agreed with Voltaire that the French government was too ... ... to make you commit injustices.† Voltaire studied natural sciences and reason because he was against supestition. Although he advocated religious tolerance, he believed that any one church should not have absolute power. By the time he was executed, he had already brought about the end of the power and right of the church to torture France. People in France still are not as faithful to the Catholic Church as they had been before Voltaire had introduced them to the idea of â€Å"reasoning†. The Enlightenment is held to be the source of many modern ideas, such as the primary values of freedom and reason. The views of philosophers such as Voltaire are considered to be the source of many essential changes in countries such as America and France. His views on religion, government, and freedom are what people remember most because they have not died out in today’s society.