Armed Conflict

War is often said to be rooted in multiple sources located at various levels of analysis (individual, state, or global) and compare the contributions that theories at each level have made to our understanding of the causes of war.Oxford Dictionary defines war as â€Å"any active hostility or struggle between living beings; a conflict between opposing forces or principles† (qtd. in â€Å"Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy† para. 8). Since the etiology of war is grasped from many sub-disciplines, it is but wise to learn about it based on three groupings namely: those who seek war's causation in man's biology (individual), those that seek it in his culture (global), and those who seek it in his faculty of reason.These determinants of war could give a better understanding as why it happens despite the detrimental effects it does to mankind particularly in terms of individual and global analysis.Individually, â€Å"Some claim war to be a product of man's inherited biology, with disagreements raging on the ensuing determinist implications† (Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy para. 18). According to the â€Å"International Encyclopedia of Philosophy,†Example theories include those that claim man to be naturally aggressive or naturally territorial, more complex analyses incorporate game theory and genetic evolution to explain the occurrence of violence and war (cf. Richard Dawkins for interesting comments on this area).Within this broad school of thought, some accept that man's belligerent drives can be channeled into more peaceful pursuits (William James), some worry about man's lack of inherited inhibitions to fight with increasingly dangerous weapons (Konrad Lorenz), and others claim the natural process of evolution will sustain peaceful modes of behavior over violent (Richard Dawkins) (para. 18).Rejecting biological determinism, culturalists seek to explain war's causation in terms of particular cultural institutions (Internet Encyclop edia of Philosophy para.

Effect of Patient Preferred Music on Pain in Postoperative Patients

The relief of acute pain in adult postoperative patients continues to be a common problem despite the use of pharmacologic therapies. Unrelieved pain can cause various effects including: increased heart rate and blood pressure; increased need for oxygen; tachypnea; increased susceptibility to infection; and anxiety/fear (Swift, 2018). Nurses strive to provide the best care for their patients and this includes finding alternative ways to help with unrelieved pain. Providing music as an adjunct to the standard of care for pain has been shown to reduce acute pain in postoperative patients (Comeaux & Steele-Moses, 2013; Nilsson, Rawal, & Unosson, 2003; Zografakis-Sfakiankakis et al., 2017). The following research proposal intended for the institutional review board (IRB) will discuss the purpose of the study; background and significance; participants and methodology; recruitment; participant confidentiality; participant safety; consent process; risks and burdens; benefits; cost and payment; data and document security; and follow-up and dissemination of results.Purpose of StudyThe purpose of this study is to determine whether allowing patients to listen to their preferred choice of music compared to providing them with pre-selected instrumental music is more effective, when used as an adjunct to the standard of care for pain, on reducing the perception of pain in the adult postoperative patient.Background and SignificanceThe review of literature w as conducted by utilizing the following databases: Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL), Google, Nursing Times, and Research Gate. Search terms included: music therapy, music, acute pain and postoperative pain. The review of literature proved that music, when used as an adjunct to pharmacologic therapy, is effective in reducing postoperative pain. Pain is an expected outcome of a surgical procedure, however unrelieved postoperative pain can lead to complications, delayed healing and, if not dealt with effectively, can become chronic (Swift, 2018, p. 25). According to Nilsson, Rawal, and Unosson, (2003) the best practice for postoperative pain control management should include both pharmacological and non-pharmacological methods (p. 700). Comeaux and Steele-Moses (2013) reported â€Å"According to the Joanna Briggs Institute (2009), music therapy as a non-pharmacological adjuvant to opioid analgesia is best practice in the management of pain and anxiety† (p. 313). In their own study, Comeaux and Steele-Moses (2013) found that the use of music therapy improved patient satisfaction of pain management in the postoperative period (p. 314). Another study also found that using music as an intervention tool in the acute postoperative period could be useful in promoting patient's comfort and improving perception of pain (Zografakis-Sfakiankakis et al., 2017). Nilsson et al. (2003) reported that â€Å"Music is a non-pharmacological technique, that is inexpensive, non-invasive and has no side-effects that have been shown to reduce postoperative pain† (p. 700). Music therapy has been beneficial in treating patients with a wide range of diagnoses and is effective in reducing patients' perception of anxiety and pain as well as the need for analgesia (American Music Therapy Association, 2010). While it has been proven that music can reduce postoperative pain, the preceding studies used pre-selected instrumental or classical music, there is limited research available in the clinical setting on the effects music has on pain with regards to providing patients with preferred music choices compared to providing them with pre-selected music. inlay and Anil (2015) conducted a cold pressor test study to induce experimental pain to determine the impact of music type on pain and stated that â€Å"Simply listening to music may not be sufficiently effective for managing pain if the music is not enjoyable for the listener†¦the more likable the music is to the individual, the better the effects of music listening on the pain† (p. 56). Therefore, it is important for nurses to know which type of music to implement, preferred or pre-selected, as an adjunct to reduce unrelieved postoperative pain.Participants and MethodologyThis study will be conducted as an experimental prospective randomized clinical trial in a Level II Trauma Center that has a complete team of general, specialty and trauma surgeons who perform a broad range of multiple surgeries daily. The anticipated number of participants is between 150 and 200 in a 2 month period. The inclusion criteria includes all patients age 18 or over who will be having an ele ctive surgical procedure done, have an anticipated stay of 3 days or more, are alert and oriented and able to read and write English (for questionnaire purposes). Exclusion criteria includes any patient with hearing loss or hearing deficit making it difficult to hear the music. Data will be collected by placing participants into two study groups, the study group (preferred music choice) and the control group (pre-selected music). Using Zografakis-Sfakiankakis' (2017) random selection algorithm participants, if they meet the inclusion criteria, will be selected by the following: on a typical surgical day, half of the patients, the 1st and 3rd patient or every other, will be included in the study group and then the 2nd and the 4th and so on will be included in the control group. A questionnaire will be given to all participants, since both groups with be listening to some type of music, and will include questions about demographic data including: gender, age, race, type of surgical procedure. The remaining questions will ask the participant to rate their pain using the numeric rating scale (0-10) before the start of and after listening to at least 30 minutes of music; what type of analgesic what administered for their pain; If any other non-pharmacologic intervention took place (i.e. repositioning or application of ice); what was the patient doing before, during and after listening to music (i.e. lying in bed, up in chair, walking in room/hall, talking with visitor, reading etc.); and the date and total time listened to music between each pain medication administration (with at least 30 minutes per session). The study group will be given an easy to use MP3 player with FM radio capability and will also be able to request their preferred songs and music to be downloaded to the device by the nurse researchers. The control group will also be given an easy to use MP3 player, without FM radio capability, that is loaded with pre-selected, by nurse researchers, instrumental/classical music. All groups will be provided with earphones to use in order to prevent disruption to other patients.RecruitmentUpon check-in at the hospital for their elective surgery prospective participants, who meet the inclusion criteria, will be asked if they would like to be involved in a voluntary research study during their hospitalization. The researchers will introduce themselves, including their credentials, and will verbally inform the individual that the study is trying to determine the effects that music has, in addition to receiving the standard of care for pain, on reducing postoperative pain. They will be informed that MP3 players as wells as earphones will be provided to them and that they will be required to fill out questionnaires during the study. Participants will be informed on how their information will be kept confidential, the risks and benefits of this study and after which will be encouraged to ask questions.Participant ConfidentialityTo ensure participant confidentiality and anonymity participants will be assigned a number that will be included on their questionnaires. The number that they are assigned will be determined by the order in which they leave the post anesthesia care unit (PACU). When leaving the PACU the nurse will give the known participants a manila folder that will contain the numbered questionnaires, MP3 player and instructions on use. The first paper that the participant will see when opening the folder will include a statement to them ensuring that the information that is collected from this study from them will not be divulged to others without permission. The instructions will inform the participants to place all questionnaires and MP3 player back in the envelope upon discharge, seal it and then leave it in the designated locked box at the nurses' station.Participant SafetyListening to music is beneficial, not harmful and non-invasive. Participants will still receive the standard of care for pain. Therefore, in this study there is no risk for harm or harmful deception as both groups will be provided with a music intervention, either preferred choice or pre-selected, along with the standard of care for pain. There is no anticipated adverse events seen in implementing the intervention of music listening.Consent ProcessAs part of the recruitment process, which includes providing information about the study, its pr ocedures and allowing for questions, participants who have met the inclusion criteria will be informed that their participation in this study is voluntary and that if they choose to participate that they can withdraw at any time without consequences. The other components of the informed consent will include: basis for selection; duration of participation; risks and benefits; confidentiality of records; names of investigators and contact person; statement of voluntary participation and then signature lines which will indicate consent. Even though signatures will be obtained at the time of recruitment for informed consent, the researcher will not know the identity of the participant once the study begins as they will be assigned numbers randomly as they leave the PACU. All participants will be alert and oriented consenting adults. The participants will also be informed that once this study is finished that it is the goal to have it published in a journal for medical professionals to use as evidence for best practice.Risks and BurdensAs stated earlier, there is to harmful effects or risks in the intervention of listening to music. However, potential burdens of this study could possibly occur when filling out the questionnaire. The participants will have to take time and effort to fill out the questionnaire each time they use the music therapy along with taking prescribed medication. This can pose as a possible inconvenience for them as they will be in a perceived state of pain.BenefitsThere are many potential benefits to the participants who take part in this study. As stated earlier music therapy has been beneficial in treating patients with a wide range of diagnoses and is effective in reducing patients' perception of anxiety and pain as well as t he need for analgesia (American Music Therapy Association, 2010). According to the American Music Therapy Association (2010) in addition to the reduction of pain and anxiety participants may experience: improved respiration, lower blood pressure, improved cardiac output, reduced heart rate, and relaxed muscle tension (p. 4). Furthermore, the results of this study can be beneficial in providing nurses and other healthcare providers with knowledge about the best type of music to use, along with the standard of care, in reducing unrelieved pain for their patients. This information can be shared and may be beneficial as an alternative to reducing pain in various other types of patient populations as well.Cost and PaymentThere will be no cost to the participants of this study as the MP3 players and the earphones will be provided to them by the researchers. No incentives will be given in recruitment or for participation in this study.Data and Document SecurityDocuments for this study will be kept by the patient in the provided manila folder. Once the par ticipant is discharged the sealed manila folder will be turned in by placing it in the designated locked box at the nurses' station. The folders will be picked up on a daily basis. Only the nurse researchers will have access to the locked box as well as the questionnaires. All questionnaire collected from the hospital will then be kept in a locked filing cabinet when not being used by the researchers. The data collected including informed consent will be kept for a period of 3 years.Follow-Up and Dissemination of ResultsParticipants will be given the researchers contact information and will have the option to contact the researchers after 3 months to either get the results of the study or be given an approximate date of when the results will be available. Upon completion of this study the aim is to present the research results at various presentations, submit the research results for peer review and then ultimately spread the knowledge and the evidence-based intervention through publication in a peer-reviewed journal.ConclusionIn conclusion, we have discussed the purpose of the study; background and significance; participants and methodology; recruitment; participant confidentiality; participant safety; consent process; risks and burdens; benefits; cost and payment; data and document security; and follow-up and dissemination of results. Researchers involved in this study welcome the critical evaluation of the IRB in order to ensure that the study will be conducted in a strong, ethical and legal manor.

Cyber Terrorism

‘Terrorism’ is a tough terminology to define. Many schools of thought exist about it, who takes a look upon it with varying perceptions according to their ethnicity, education, cultural groom and personal preferences. Terrorism may take a form of religious duty at one place, a form of revenge at another, a tactical or strategic arm or threat, a justified form of resistance to oppression or a coercive power for armed forces; conclusively whatever shape it takes, it causes violence, may it be on human or nature.Moving along the revolutionary change brought about since the last century is mainly because of information. Robin Morgan, famous feminist activist, writer and poet, summed it up by saying â€Å"Information is power. The secreting or hoarding of knowledge or information may be an act of tyranny camouflaged as humility. † Unfortunately or not, this world is being completely obsessed in the husk called information warfare. It’s not the time anymore when military would be a sign of arrogance and symbol of pride and power of a nation; today military is the last resort to take over any territory.This new form of warfare is an offensive onslaught or a defensive mechanism, adopted in order to ‘deny’, ‘exploit’, ‘corrupt’ or ‘destroy’ rival’s information based systems, like computer networks and Information systems (Goldberg, Director IASIW). In simplest words, it’s a discipline that has originated a smarter way to tackle one’s adversary. Putting together the Information warfare with terrorism, the greatest fears of twentieth century are combined together as â€Å"Cyber terrorism† (Patrick, 2002) IMPORTANT CONCEPTSCyber Terrorism The phrase ‘Cyber Terrorism’ is one of the most ambiguously defined term, or should we say that information warfare has propagated the definition of Cyber-terrorism in order to limit or disrupt the main cause of Terroris m. Major discussion today is regarding the scope of cyber-terrorism, as it is overlapping with cyber-crime, cracking and terrorism (Baranetsky, 2009). Major discrimination between these crimes is on the basis of motivation, methods, targets and the involvement of computer system.Technically, cyber terrorism and information warfare are the same things, but there’s a practical difference. Cyber terrorism is originated by politically motivated groups, disrupted individuals, or cyber cracking facilitators against information, computer systems and networks, in order to target nonviolent portions in society; whereas, Information warfare is originated by national defences against information, computer systems and networks in order to aggravate the enemy losses (Colarik & Janczewski, 2005). Ideological ExtremismAnother profound and old notion of human history is extremism. It is usually associated with religion, ideological and political practices of people which are not in accordanc e with generally accepted norms of a religion, society or a political setup. It’s not something that could be easily defined in words, but when one sees it, it is recognized (Sotlar, 2004). Recently, the element of terrorism has taken its roots in those extremist people, and they have developed the ideology against forces, that are held together to fight the rising terrorism in the globe.Most known of these extremists are people of Al-Qaeda who, so called on the name of Islam, are spreading their ideological extremism, not only through militia warfare, but also electronic and information warfare. Cyber terrorism and Ideological Extremism Talking about the national security, the two major concerns of every nation today are terrorism and ideological extremism. Both are the sources of violence, may it be political or ethnical in nature (Gunaratna, 2008). Major source of both these concern today is Al-Qaeda.Originated by Osama Bin Laden, leader of Al-Qaeda, today they are the sou rce of terrorism all over the world. With recent transformation from an operational to ideological organization, today the pose the greatest threat not only to non-Muslims, but to Muslims and Islam as well. Now the idea behind this shift is to dismantle the social structures and religious beliefs into ideological extremism such that people of Asia, Africa and Middle East stand and operate for them on the front line. In simple words, they’re brain-washing and making terrorists.STATEMENT OF PROBLEM Recent developments from this â€Å"Jihadi† movement have come in the form of extremist articles on the websites. Through various websites, they are prompting targeted people into expressing their views about articulated beliefs that are designed to brain-wash the mind of those people. Other recent propaganda of extremist views encompasses political repression, racism, ethnical conspiracies, religious cults, Jihadists movements and religious fallacies. Certainly or not, is ide ological extremism open terrorism?Are these terrorists making use of internet to indulge people into morally, ethically and socially wrong activities that are endangering all their surroundings? Certainly we need to find how cyber terrorists are expanding their spectrum of operations and are including those vulnerable people as the match stick to next bomb to be exploded anywhere in the world. LITERATURE REVIEW As we stepped into the twentieth century, we were welcomed by some uprising, strong challenges that have so far consumed most portion of the world’s economy. Terrorism was one of them.With terrorism finding its roots in many different countries, terrorists have diversified their operational methodology. Now at the front end, they are fighting by using one of us. The new revolution of Ideological Extremism, especially in the name of Islam, is taking its roots into the youngsters. Not surprisingly, those terrorists have exploited the simple connection of whole world, int ernet. Apart from the major role of U. S led war on terrorism, two other important fundamentalists are United Kingdom and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Anti-terrorism policy of Saudi Arabia is mostly termed as â€Å"soft counterterrorism†.But over the period of time, it has been proven successful (Hegghammer, 2010). They have reacted calmly to the situation, and by using their local preachers, they have successfully tackled those terrorist militants (Hegghammer, 2010) who were there with the intent of disrupt the government structure of Royal family, who had supported U. S. in its war against terrorism (Miller, 2003). They didn’t only counter those ideological extremists but also started a rehabilitation program in order to neutralize their extreme beliefs with reality and norms of Saudi culture (Boucek, 2008).They are also concerned about the uprising ideological extremism in the country (Saleh, 2006). They reinstated their solid stance against terrorism, and they with held their stance against any part involved in terrorism (Source: Arab News: 2010). U. S. , which was previously accusing Saudi Arabia to be an ally of Al-Qaeda (Sperry, 2002), commended the efforts of Saudi Arabia in controlling those terrorist activities, and rehabilitation of detained militants (Source: Saudi Embassy, 2009 – 2010).UK has well-defined laws for terrorism, and are actively involved in reviewing and improving them, as per the current terrorist threats (Source: Foreign and Commonwealth Office). Following the incident of 9/11, UK adopted policies to minimize the developing security threats from terrorists (Browning, 2005). They experienced their major setback in the month of July, 2005, when in London bombings, more than fifty travellers were killed, leaving 700 injured. To the surprise of British, the leader of those terrorist attacks was British born Muslim (Talbot, 2006).Since then, Islamism is considered a threat in UK, may it be in any of its form (Readings , 2010). The widespread of this ideological extremism is very much attributed to the up-rising cyber terrorism, and use of internet to propagate local people about their home countries, brainwashing them, and making them fight for terrorists (Gunaratna, 2008). RESEARCH IMPORTANCE Importance of internet today is more of a necessity than a luxury. It outweighs endless opportunities to all the people around the globe to retrieve or share anything they want to.Freedom of speech and lack of centrally aligned governing body has exposed the contents of internet to boundless criticism from different sects in the world. But in this up-rising assault of information warfare, cyber-terrorism and ideological extremism, it’s the time for the authorities to sit back and define the limitations of this free source. Before legitimatizing the use of internet, it would be important to keep in mind the reasons behind following. †¢ Spectrum of cyber-terrorism: what exactly comes in it? †¢ Need of regulating the flow of information on internet†¢ Why ideological extremism exists? †¢ What are the factors leading to innocent people ending up terrorist? †¢ What lacks in the social structure that is prompting such activities? †¢ How the use of internet is provoking extremism in up-coming generation †¢ Who are propagating the information to provoke such behavior †¢ Are we ready to fight this front of terrorism †¢ Is there any social remedial for a terrorist? With this research, we are aiming to find out the reasons behind all these above mentioned issues. Terrorists are humans, but they have opted the wrong way. Are they smarter than us?There is a big question mark on the upcoming days, as international security continues to be threatened by extremists. CONTRIBUTION TOWARDS THE KNOWLEDGE This research is expected to bring forward key reasons behind the amalgamation of two concepts, cyber-terrorism and ideological extremism, to bring forw ard a new front in the war against terrorism. Through this research, we aim to: †¢ Understand the ideology behind use of internet to spread extremism †¢ Understand policies adopted majorly by, Muslim world leader, Saudi Arabia and, the economic giant, United Kingdom to secure their respective people.†¢ Reveal threats that are present to the respective monarchies. †¢ Facilitate the policy makers with succinct information to start with. †¢ Explore different fronts that these extremists target to exploit youth †¢ Find out the weakness in our social systems that allows these ideologies to be successful †¢ Discover the spectrum of sources in which cyber terrorism exists. †¢ Find the roots of ideological extremism and its effects on current monarchy RESEARCH METHODOLOGY This research will be divided into two parts, as per the two portions of research question.To take views on â€Å"whether ideological extremism is terrorism or not†, cyber-ter rorism to be specific, we will rely on qualitative measures of research. On the other hand, to find the â€Å"extent† to which terrorists are making use of information warfare to spread ideological extremism, we will use quantitative measures of research. Qualitative Research Through this research, we wish to: †¢ Understand views of respondents about the issue †¢ Solicit their approach in reaching their respected viewpoints. †¢ Explore the difference in opinion that exists in policy makers †¢ Consider the possible impact of their thoughts over the people.Quantitative Research Through this approach, we wish to: †¢ Understand the perception of youngsters about this issue †¢ Discriminate respondents on the basis of their ethnicity and racism to understand involvement of any pattern among people of similar sects. †¢ Materialize our results and statistically analyze how many of them could possibly be a victim of those terrorists in near future. S ample For Qualitative research, we aim to take inputs from different critics, terrorism analysts, cyber-crime writers, internet regulatory bodies, extremist group leaders, journalists, and writers on â€Å"extremism†.These people will be selected on the basis of relevance, work in the respective fields, availability and quality of work. For Quantitative research, we aim to survey young students studying in different continents of the world. As all of them will be everyday user of internet, we also aim to distinguish them on the basis of their involvement in internet, and their socio-ethnic mindset about ideological extremism. Variables Major variables in the research will be: (measured as) †¢ Involvement in current affairs (Ratio Scale: Weight assigned to each answer)†¢ Knowledge about the issue (Ratio Scale: Weight assigned to each answer) †¢ Understanding of issue (Ordinal Scale) †¢ Involvement with the internet (Ordinal Scale) †¢ Awareness about po ssible implications of issue (Ordinal Scale) †¢ Views about the issue (Nominal Scale) Monitoring All these results will be checked for reliability, validity and practicality, as per the methods defined by the monitoring/scrutinizing body. These checks will ensure the consistency of responses, and the validity of data will be checked based upon two optimum limits provided by the monitoring body.PILOT STUDY In order to conduct a pilot study on the above mentioned topic, the literature selected, for secondary research, as a source of Qualitative research is linked in the appendix A. Purpose of this study is to understand the perspective of officials of Saudi Government regarding terrorism and ideological extremism. This study was analytical, as qualitative measures were expected out of this study. Description The document comprises of official statements by Saudi government and religious representatives.Their statements usually revolve around the issues of terrorism, war against t errorism, extremism and the teachings of Islam, combating extremist ideology, role of mosque as an institution, condemning immoral, unethical acts and supporting moderation. They withheld their solid stance against terrorism, and declared any one fighting against the custodians of Holy Ka’aba as non-Muslim. They also instigate their support to find out and tackle the roots of terrorism and extremism. Their stance on condemning extremism, violence and any form of terrorism is mitigating with the learning of Islam.Their religious scholars emphasized on the need of omitting deviant ideologies that have been developed between Muslims, and join together united as one creed, as a Muslim. They also highlighted that the reasons of deviant ideologies are lack of knowledge about the religion, and prejudiced in Fatwa. Most of their statements emphasized upon the basic theme of Islam, peace. They extended full support to international community in the war against terrorism. Outcomes of t he study Learning from the pilot study reveals †¢ Saudi government takes terrorism as a threat to its nation, its territory, its religion, all Muslim Ummah, and non-Muslims.†¢ They are the custodians of Holy places of Muslims. They take it as their duty to defend the religion that was gifted to them by their Holy Prophet. †¢ All of the officials agree upon the solid stance they have against terrorism. They want to unite Muslims in order to protect the religion which has been badly reputed by ideological extremists. †¢ Their views are diverged towards the central goal of achieving a peaceful state. They are being the voice of nation, and they stand to serve their people justly, with their lives and properties secured.

Role of Music in The Lord of the Rings Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Role of Music in The Lord of the Rings - Essay Example Some of them were â€Å"The One Ring†, â€Å"The Elves†, â€Å"The Gondor†, â€Å"The Fellowship of the Ring†, and so on. Each theme represents a particular situation, group, or personality and, accordingly, reflects and comments on them. The lyrics of the themes are composed in a thorough manner to satisfy the viewers (Lehman, 2011, p.284). The three main themes were Shire, Fellowship, and Rohan. These were the most prominent and easily recognizable in all the three movies. Each of them is played countless times with different orchestrations according to the moods of the films. The Shire, which is the most popular theme of the movies, represents the Shire and is rendered whenever the hobbits want to go home. It has a folksy feel and slightly out of tune. It is â€Å"warm-hearted, comforting and inviting†. The Fellowship theme has been repeated 38 times across the three movies. In the first movie, it is used as signature theme. It is â€Å"heroic, jagged, and assertive† (Rawlins, 2006). The Rohan theme is used as signature theme for the second movie. It expresses the â€Å"simplicity, military prowess, and sense of honor† of Rohan culture (Rawlins, 2006). The lyrics for all the music pieces and especially those used by the choir were translated into Elvish languages that were invented by Tolkien (Beregond, 2009, p.68). The lyrics were written to reflect the exact theme, and special training was given to the singers to pronounce them (Waldron, 2006). Leitmotif Shore used the technique of leitmotif to compose the music of this trilogy. Leitmotifs are themes that â€Å"represent different aspects of the narratives† (Mathijs, 2006, p.307), and they were widely used in the classical Hollywood movies. In using... The films are The Fellowship of the Ring (2001), The Two Towers (2002), and The Return of the King (2003). Howard Shore is a composer and conductor of music for all the three movies. He won the Academic Awards in 2001 and 2003 for Best Original Score. Music has been incorporated on large scale that spans nearly 12 hours. The music of all the three movies was recorded by London Philharmonic, and won Grammy Awards. Howard Shore is trained in classical music, and he continues to learn to maintain the flow of his creativity. He believes that there is no end of knowledge in music, and, as he learns more, he gets more resources to utilize. He composes music for only those films whose subject strikes an emotional chord inside him. For composing the music of The Lord of the Rings, he has used his lifetime experience and childlike imagination. His improvisation came from the unconscious; he shaped and developed this improvisation according to the theme and characters of the movies. Howard had the responsibility of creating music in one year for a work that took 12 years for Tolkien to put in his book. He had to create music that lasted 21 hours, which included â€Å"nine hours in the theatre and 12 hours on the DVD†. Shore felt that he became aware of many things in himself while composing the music. Music plays an important role in all the three films as it helps to narrate the story and express the characters and situations with the use of the leitmotif technique. The music has become extremely popular and the soundtrack is available for purchase. The music played in the movies is the finest achievement by Howard Shore. The symphonic presentation of the music makes it more popular in concert halls.

Employee's Role in Employee Development Assignment

Employee's Role in Employee Development - Assignment Example Because the subject of employee development is a shared responsibility, it cannot be expected that there will be a single person within the organization who will take the whole responsibility for ensuring that the objectives that are set are met (Ellis, K. (2004). This means that the responsibility of ensuring the achievement of the objectives must be shared between employees and the management. Whiles employees are expected to act as direct respondents to the objectives set, the management has a responsibility of acting as facilitators of the objectives. This situation is actually expected to apply for both short term and long term objectives. As facilitators, the management is expected to provide employees with every needed resource to fulfill the objectives. In terms of the measurability of the objectives also, shared responsibility is expected to be shared between employees and management. Based on previous experience, it has always been the case that whereas employees want easier objectives, managers look for more challenging objectives. To strike a balance, it is always important that there will be an effective liaising system between employees and managers so that each side will understand the other in terms of accounting for measurable

Last will & testament Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Last will & testament - Essay Example by reason under this will, be paid out of my residuary estate; and I hereby waive on behalf of my estate any right to recover from any person any part of such taxes so paid. My Executor, in his sole discretion, may pay from my domiciliary estate all or any portion of the costs of ancillary administration and similar proceedings in other jurisdictions. In my position of being the owner of any real estate at the time of my death, do instruct and empower my Executor and my Trustee (as the case may be) to hold such real estate for investment. They may sell same, or any portion thereof, as my Executor or my Trustee (as the case may be) shall in his sole judgment determine to be for the best interest of my estate and the beneficiaries thereof. I hereby direct that my said wife shall be entitled by her last will and testament, duly probated, to appoint a successor Executor of my estate, as well as a successor Trustee or successor Trustees of all the trusts to be created under my last will and testament. If, for any reason, my said mother be unable to serve or to continue to serve as Executor and/or as Trustee, or, be deceased and shall not have appointed a successor Executor or Trustee, by virtue of her last will and testament as stated above. Then I appoint my wife, Mary Bono (Biographical Directory of the United States Congress, n.d.), as successor Executor and/or as successor Trustee of all trusts required to be established hereunder. None of the appointees named hereunder, including any appointment made by virtue of the last will and testament of my said mother, shall be required to furnish any bond or security for performance of the respective fiduciary duties required hereunder, notwithstanding any rule of law to the contrary. Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. (n.d.). Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Retrieved from Biographical Directory of the United States Congress:

Which step of concept analysis requires research on the concept Essay

Which step of concept analysis requires research on the concept - Essay Example Concept analysis process in nursing theory development involves numerous steps. Walker and Avant (1994) propose that the identification of the concept and its uses requires research. This is because concepts are articulated by a phrase or word. As a result, Walker and Avant (1994) acknowledge that the analysis of a concept must unavoidably be a review of the descriptive word and its use. To me, concept analysis is; therefore, an examination of the term and its significance in nursing and its comparison to other related phrases (McEwen & Wills, 2014). The identification of the concept and its use requires research because lack of research would lead to wrongful identification of the concept, and result to wrongful conclusions and the whole process would be wrong (Ziegler, 2013). According to McEwen and Wills (2014), it is imperative for the researcher to use research to identify the concept and its applications in the development of the theory. This step would also assist in accurate identification of the attributes of the concept. Townsend, L., & Scanlany, J. (2001). Self-efficacy related to student nurses in the clinical setting: A concept analysis. International Journal of Nursing Education Scholarship, 8(1). doi:10.2202/1548-923X.2223 Permalink to

Film Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 2

Film - Essay Example University, who is detained as proof of the assimilation success; Sitting Bull (August Schellenberg), a Sioux chief who rejects to submit to white government policies designed to rip his people off their identity, dignity and sacred land, Dakotas gold-laden Black Hills; Senator H. Dawes (Aidan Quinn), government policy architect for Indian lands allotment to individual families to force implementation of subsistence farming; and the Red Cloud, whose resolution to make peace with American government and then go to a reservation troubled Sitting Bull (Miller, Vandome and John 3). When I commenced watching this movie I assumed I had a good handle on what happen to the Native American Indians. The Indians roams their ancestral lands peacefully and basically, with great admiration for the nation and its citizens. Then the white man approaches, stumbling all over himself with the aim of reaching the gold fields in California or the rich the high plains farmland. The Indians were no more than an annoyance, a bothersome barrier that should be relocated to one side if patent destiny is to be attained. Lands are and reservations stolen, the land that white man has already plundered or passed up, are assigned. Those who do not go to the set reservation are hunted down cruelly. Sometimes even those who agree to come in are pounced on (Sand Creek for instance) and massacres happens with cover-ups that make many people not believe the story. The Indian are massacred at Washita, Sand Creek, and Wounded Knee with petite or no public tumult, but when he reacts by killing a couple of settlers, imitating the white Americans through mutilation, the public atrocity is deep and the military is ordered a blank "kill" plaid (Miller, Vandome and John 34). With every minute the shocking treatment is recurrent, leaving the viewer with only two alternatives of responses - vomiting or weeping. It is exceedingly hard to watch this movie, not for the reason that the it looks out fashioned or

Advertising and Promotion in UltraChromSpec (UCS) Term Paper

Advertising and Promotion in UltraChromSpec (UCS) - Term Paper Example This paper illustrates that UltraChromSpec rapidly established a great reputation for its deliverance of superior quality standard of sales and service. As a result, the business of UltraChromSpec expanded drastically in its different field of activities not only in the US but also outside the Swiss borders into Austria and Germany. After twelve years of its initial foundation, UltraChromSpec started to execute its business operations outside Germany by having collaboration with one of the Swiss pharmaceutical giants i.e. Kaiser-Holzer (K-H). Gradually, UltraChromSpec transformed itself from a distributor to a manufacturer. In this connection, after the transformation from a distributor to a manufacturer, the businesses of UltraChromSpec were formed in three major divisions. One of the divisions is the Medical Division. In this division, UltraChromSpec started to sell mainly the hospital laboratory instruments and the critical care products which are manufactured by Kaiser-Holzer (K- H). The other division is the Analytical Division. In this division, UltraChromSpec started to sell electro or optical laboratory instruments. The other division has been the Electronics Division. In this particular division, UltraChromSpec started to sell electronic components and computer peripherals. According to Bruno Muller, the vision statement of the business policy of UltraChromSpec is, â€Å"Experience has realized us that we cannot do everything, but at least we can be sure that the activities in which we are engaged to do benefit our customers†. It has been identified that the marketing team of UltraChromSpec which is situated in the headquarters in Zurich had reorganized especially the Analytical Division into two business units and the units were again segregated into two distinct groups. The two business units of the Analytical Division include Analytical Chemical Business Unit (which is again divided into two groups namely Spectrophotometry Product Group and Ch romatography Product Group) and Biochemistry Business Unit which is again sub-divided into Ultracentrifugation Product Group and Nuclear Counting Product Group.

Scientific Management was the product of 19th Century industrial Essay - 3

Scientific Management was the product of 19th Century industrial practices and has no relevance to the present day. Discuss - Essay Example This term was also used to refer to any organizational system that precisely brought out the functions of groups and individuals. Further, scientific management can be used to describe situations where jobs are categorized and people perform recurring tasks. Background of Taylorism In the 19th century, there were widespread unplanned companies, decentralized management, casual relations among workers and employers, and informally defined job assignments in factory systems. By the end of this century, increased completion, new technologies, demands from regimes and labor agencies, and a developing consciousness by the elites had motivated attempts to advance business and management. All these developments were aimed at initiating cautiously defined processes and risks, which were later referred to by historians as â€Å"systematic management† since they involved a careful study of individuals at work (Cumo 77). The key figure behind this innovation was an engineer based in Amer ica, who was also a management theorist and a discoverer, Fredrick W. Taylor. Taylor was born in 1856 in a Philadelphia family. He began his career in a machine shop in a steel Company in 1878 where he quickly gained experience and started initiating new methods. After approximately ten years, he invented several technical and organizational innovations such as a technique of timing employees with a stopwatch to work out best times. By the 1890s, Taylor had been recognized as the most determined and dynamic advocate of systematic management. He further introduced accounting systems that he became a consultant of the same. This system allowed the use of operating records by managers with greater efficiency, which later became production systems that enlightened managers more accurately on what was happening in the factory, control workers and their tasks, piece-rate models to motivate following of instructions by workers, and various other advancements. A couple of inventions played a big role in the creation of the scientific management theory. The invention of high-speed-steel enhanced the performance of metal-cutting tools, and attempts to initiate systematic techniques resulted in an incorporated view of innovation in management. By 1901, Taylor had styled systematic management to scientific management (Cumo 78). From the actions of Taylor’s career, it is evident that systematic management was closely related to scientific management. They shared origins, liked by similar people, and shared objectives. The distinctions between them also were clear. Systematic management was distributive and practical, some isolated approaches that did not make a larger whole (Sapru 92). On the other hand, scientific management contributed important details and an understandable point of view. Taylor decided to promote the two systems in 1902 when he got out of Bethlehem. The American Society journal first published Taylor’s first documentation on his vocation, â€Å"shop management† in 1903, which was ranked as an inclusive collection of systematic management techniques. In the year 1910, Traylor was involved in scandals with rough enemies of scientific management. In response to the controversies, Taylor came up with a new approach to his system, which he named â€Å"The Principles of Scientific Management.† In this account, he really embraced the term â€Å"Scientific Management† as used it to symbolize the whole system. He argued

Corruption in India Essay Example for Free

Corruption in India Essay CORRUPTION ï‚ §Corruption is defined as the misuse of any power of public consequence for private gain. ï‚ §Corruption is not something new, as per Arthasastra of Kautilya ( around 3rd century B.C) : â€Å"Just as it is impossible not to taste the honey(or the poison) that finds itself at the tip of the tongue, so it is impossible for a government servant not to eat up, atleast, a bit of the king’s revenue.† â€Å"Just as fish moving under water cannot possibly be found out either as drinking or not drinking water, so government servants employed in the government work cannot be found out (while) taking money( for themselves)† Major Scams in India Year 1976 1981 1987 1987 1991 1991 1992 1992 1994 1995 1996 1996 1996 2000 2001 2002 2006 2009 2009 2010 2012 Scam KUO OIL DEAL SCAM ANTHULAY TRUST (PAY OFF) HDW COMMISSION BOFORS SCAM TELGI SCAM JMM BRIBE SECURITY SCAM(HARSHAD MEHTA) INDIAN BANK RIP – OFF SUGAR IMPORT BHANSALI SCAM FODDER SCAM HAWALA SCAM UREA DEAL UTI SCAM MUTUAL FUND SCAM HOME TRADE SCAM IPO SCAM MADHU KODA SCAM SATYAM SCAM THE 2G SCAM (MOTHER OF ALL SCAMS) COAL ALLOCATION SCAM TOTAL AMOUNT Amount (In crore) 2.2 30 20 64 43000 0.3 4000 1300 650 1200 950 810 233 32 1350 600 61 4000 24000 1,76,000 1,85,591 4,43,894 Effect Of Corruption On Poor Brought Out By CMS-TII †¢With special focus on BPL household’s 2008 survey shows the following results. †¢About one third of the BPL families paid bribe in the last one year for one or more of the eleven public services covered in the study. †¢ This shows that even the poorest of the poor are not spared in their targeted programs. †¢The survey shows that about 3.4 % of people paid a bribe for a school education and 48% in the case of police service. †¢4% BPL households used contacts for PDS ,school education electricity as they could not pay the bribe. †¢2% of the people could not get the above services sine they could not pay the bribe or had no contacts. Effects Of Corruption On The Poor BREAK UP OF BRIBES PAID FOR 11 BASIS SERVICES IN MILLION Services covered Public distribution system Hospital School education (up to class XII) Electricity Water supply National rural employment guarantee scheme Land record / registration Forest Housing Banking Police Total for 11 basic services of BPL families Total bribe paid in an year 450 870 120 1050 240 70 1240 240 1570 830 2150 8830 Source: TII-CMS India Corruption Study (2007) CPI – Corruption Perceptions Index-2012 ï‚ § As per the data for the year 2000 , India was in the 69th rank with CPI score of 2.8. ï‚ §As per Ratan Tata â€Å"Corruption has become worse after liberalization†¦Prior to 1991, corruption was in the form of granting licenses. Now, it’s replaced by the award of contracts and in changing the terms of contractual obligations.† Source: Transparency International 2012 CPI score. CORRUPTION PERCEPTIONS INDEX 2012 Source: Transparency International 2012 Corruption Stifles Economic Progress Agents Role In the Licensing System †¢Corruption leads in reduction in efficiency. †¢Corruption leads to wastage of public funds and Resources. ï‚ §Institutionalization of corruption. †¢Most prevalent form of corruption in India. Eg: Driving Licensing Process in most states. †¢Willingness to pay bribes. †¢Bounce back on the society. Source: February 2, 2008-Economic Political Weekly. What Is The Root Cause Of Corruption ? †¢Traditional practise. †¢Government services being monopolistic in nature. †¢Lack of trans-parency. †¢Lack of efficient and review monitoring mechanism. †¢Issues with electoral process (funding). †¢ Corporate politician nexus-(State Capture). †¢Socio economic divide. †¢Lack of effective grievance redressal system. Major Demands Of The Team Anna and Kejriwal †¢All govt. servants under the jurisdiction (Including PM). †¢Election and removal be independent of the govt. authorities. †¢CBIs corruption investigation agency shall be brought under the admin control. †¢Investigation procedure shall be in tune with the criminal investigation procedures. †¢Setting up of lokayuktas. †¢Provision for the citizens charter. †¢Effective grievances redressal forum. Earlier Movements Against Corruption: †¢1974 Navnirman movement of Gujarat. †¢Jayaprakash Narayan’s (JP) anti-corruption movement in Bihar of 1974-75 were both against corruption. †¢Other movements: †¢Farmers movements. †¢Dalit movement. †¢Womens Movement. †¢Environmental Movements. †¢RTI Movement. India Against Corruption Movement -How it Differed ? †¢Anna’s Image. †¢Political Vacuum at its peak. †¢Media coverage. †¢In the first phase it seemed completely detached from existing political establishment. †¢Second phase suggested a political alternative. †¢Pan Indian image. ADVANTAGES: †¢Gave a very strict dead line. †¢Proposed several use full amendments. †¢His is a political struggle backed by a moral struggle. †¢Attracted the Youth. †¢Advantages of formation of a political party : †¢Other parties tend to choose better candidates. †¢Other parties tend to give more freedom to the lower level workers. †¢Other parties tend to function more transparently. †¢Could be a failure in election. But politically success. DISADVANTAGES: †¢Less features to prevent corruption prospectively. †¢Based on the assumption that Lokpal will be full of honest and efficient people. Lessons From Karnataka Lokayukta Lessons learnt : ï‚ §Lokpal should have the power of a criminal court. ï‚ §Selection of right candidate . ï‚ §Including PM ministers and MPs under the jurisdiction of the bill. Recommendations by Hegde : ï‚ §Powers to implement recommendations of the Lokpal should be the authority of Lokpal rather than the government. ï‚ §Lokpal to have a separate police force for investigation. ï‚ §Lokpal to have the administrative control over CBI’s corruption investigation team. ï‚ §Making CVC answerable to Lokpal. WAYS TO PREVENT CORRUPTION †¢We need a complete overhaul (holistic approach). †¢Bottom up approach will not work (top officials are also corrupt). †¢We need a top down approach (bring all levels of officers under the jurisdiction of Lokpal). †¢Have faith in the citizens. Emphasis on decentralized the governance structures. †¢Better salaries. †¢Better discipline (accountability and other related aspects). †¢Better recruitment process (importance of Attitude, Aptitude, Ethics). †¢Better automation (Transparency and related aspects). †¢Political will/commitment. †¢Social norms/values should change. †¢Electoral reforms. Question Answer Session

Dead Man Walking Essay Example for Free

Dead Man Walking Essay â€Å"Dead man walking† is an expression often used by a police officer when accompanying a criminal walking towards his death. How can a dead man walk? This is a contradicting sentence that makes no sense. It dehumanizes the person walking and lets the person know that is going to die for the infraction committed. This is one of the last sentences Matthew Poncelot in the movie â€Å"Dead Man Walking† heard. Ironically, the last sentence Matthew said was â€Å"I love you†. How was he able to express love in such a â€Å"culture of death†, surrounded by people that hated him and wanted him to die? This was part of Sister Helen’s job, to build a culture of life in Matthew and use restorative justice instead of retributive justice to make him grow as a person before his death. For Matthew being fully alive meant having what he wanted and doing what he wanted, even if his actions affected someone else. He was racists and thought that black people were less worthy of living; this is a perfect example of a â€Å"culture of death†. But he was taught a lesson, after he killed two people and was sentenced to the death row; he met the person that would bring a â€Å"culture of life† to his life before his death. A â€Å"culture of life† is reflecting the image of God within us by imitating the perfect image of Jesus Christ, in loving God and one another. Sister Helen brought this culture and love to Matthew by loving him when everyone hated him. She applied retributive justice which focuses on restoring the good that has been harmed by criminal activity for the victims, the community, and the offender too, when he was been judged by the government with restorative justice which is the approach to criminal justice, in which the emphasis is on hurting the offender. At the end, her work paid off because Matthew apologized to Mr. Delacroix, the father of the person he killed and reconciliation was eventually reached. The concept culture of life and death makes me think a lot and I have realized that the world, in general, lives constantly in a culture of death. The media and society tells us that we will be happy when we have what we want. It implies that people that look in a certain way will be happier. It makes me feel frustrated and sad because it is very shallow to think that money can buy happiness. In my opinion happiness is a combination of love, hope, gratefulness and patience. I also realized that culture of death is linked  with restorative justice; it brings death to the offender who is viewed as less worthy of life because of the mistakes he/she made. In the same way, culture of life is linked to retributive justice; the point of this approach to justice is not to harm anyone so it does not bring a culture of death to anyone, inste ad it uses the love of forgiveness and conciliation to help the offender and the victim. By studying the concepts of culture of death and life, retributive and restorative justice, I have discovered another way to bring culture of life to my life and everyone surrounding me: to use retributive justice whenever someone hurts me. Using restorative justice will only bring more hatred to me and the people that surround me and revenge is not the point of justice, the point of justice is to construct a healthy society, this can only be reached with retributive justice. I also learned that money cannot buy happiness and being fully alive does not mean to have what I want, but to love everyone, knowing this is very helpful in my life because I am surrounded by advertisements and media that tell me that I will be happy when I look in a certain way or have certain things. Now, I know that is not true and that I will be truly happy if I follow Jesus’ example of love. Matthew lived in a culture of death, he thought that in order to live fully he had to have and do what he wanted. He did not care if his actions affected someone else, until he killed someone and got caught. He then was judge by the government with restorative justice and since he had killed someone, his life had to be taken away too. In this process he met Sister Helen, she brought culture of life to him, she used retributive justice so that the father of the victim and Matthew healed, he stopped being racist and finally admitted he had made a mistake. In conclusion, restorative justice brings culture of death to the victim, offender and society and retributive justice brings culture of life.

Attitudes Towards Tourism And Hospitality Career Psychology Essay

Attitudes Towards Tourism And Hospitality Career Psychology Essay To explain human behavior is a very difficult and complex task. But approaching it from different levels such as the persons attitude and perception factors and so on, sheds light to this complexity. Concepts referring to behavioral dispositions, such as social attitude, and personality trait, have played an important role in these attempts to predict and explain human behavior (Ajzen, 1998; Campbell, 1963; Sherman Fazio, 1983). This study uses the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB model) to test the influences governing undergraduates intention towards pursuing a career in the tourism industry. This study will thus explore the variables that influence a students intention to pursue a career in the hospitality industry and the factors that are implicated in or modify a students career commitment over time. The sample includes first year to forth year undergraduates studying Tourism management courses offered by The University of Mauritius. 2.1 Perceptions and attitudes towards pursuing a Tourism and Hospitality Career 2.1.0 Tourism management as a course Author (s) s Study S Variables used les used Davidson and Tideswell (1998) Considering level of student interest in the hospitality programme (Australia) Industry factors: Career prospects, Interests, See degree as a rite of passage to job and career, Entrance criteria used by institutions as a mechanism to attract students Barron and Maxwell (1993) New entrants illusory image of the industry- glamorous and unrealistic perceptions Jarvis (1994) Limited resources applied early in the education process Barron (1997) Offer for the course Good reputation of university OMahony, McWilliam and Whitelaw (2001) Reputation and availability of a particular course Hospitality course as second or third preference Accepted based on entry requirement rather than career interest Hing and Lomo (1997) Students enroll with a vague idea of their goal, their future aspirations and career opportunities (minimal commitment) Place coveted at the university, irrespective of discipline If scores were too low. Theres a chance to pursue interest and career in private hospitality colleges Purcell (1993) Career choice in high school were influenced by parents or guardians, peers or friends Cothram and Combrink, 1999; Sciarini and Wood, 1997 Parents and families were the most influential in determining students attitudes and career choice Young (1994) Parents as primary providers of encouragement Machatton (1997) Negative perceptions of parents- hospitality jobs confined to hamburger- flipping and bed making OMahony, McWilliam and Whitelaw (2001) Not rated as an important influence: Parents Teachers School counselors Peers Rated the highest: Mass media Helmes and Adcock (1992) Lack of information Lack of career knowledge Lead to creation of misconception and unwarranted negative attitudes and often associated with lack of opportunities Barron and Maxwell (1993) Information about the industry Career based on choice rather than by chance Fraser, 2000 Varying interest to work in different sectors of the hospitality industry views changed through various exposures: study programme exposure to industry 2.1.1 Tourism as a career choice Author (s) Study Variables used Ross (1991; 1993) positive attitudes towards potential careers high level of interest in management positions industry regarded as holding considerable promise for future employment and career prospects Gets (1994) unattractive option for high school students: downturn in regional economies potential for attracting youth through: internships or co-operative education between schools and industry Airey and Frontisis (1997) career support improvement in basic hospitality education Greek students positive attitudes but: Unrealistic views about careers in the industry Limited experience as hospitality consumers Employment structure in Greece Charles (1992a) Positive attitudes towards: Career in tourism industry- seen as exciting, stimulating and developing creativity Negative attitude because of potential disruptive effect on: Personal Family And social life Interest seen to be decreasing: After internship experience Barron and Maxwell (1993) Difference between perception and experience of the industry: New students hold positive views Post internship students hold negative views Expectations: Good career opportunities Good training Treatment of staff by employers Job does not demand a capacity effort Perception: Industry not lucrative Poor treatment of manual staff Warsyzak (1997) Assessment of industry becomes less positive after post work experiences Kusluvan and Kusluvan (2000) Positive attitudes changed to negative attitudes after practical work experience: Job stress Lack of family life owing to nature of the work Long working hours Exhausting and seasonal (unstable) jobs Low social status of a hospitality job Unfavorable evaluations were due to: Insufficient information about careers Limited information on working conditions West anf Jamieson (1990) Reduction in commitment after various exposures to the industry Purcell and Quinn (1996) Supervised work experience a key contributor to reduced commitment Fraser (2000) Perceptions, aspirations, expectations and career commitment steadily declined over time. Levels of commitment not based on: Sex Qualifications Levels of industry knowledge Nor prior experience But based on: Employment practices Pavesic and Byrmer (1990) Hospitality Graduates switch to another industry less than one year after graduating. Reasons: Poor pay for the hours of work Little recognition for efforts made Lack of opportunity for progress Long hours Stress at work Not receiving acknowledgement of qualifications gained. Kusluvan and Kusluvan (2000) Negative attitudes formed after internship: Stressful jobs Lack of family life owing to the nature of tourism jobs Unsatisfactory and unfair promotions Low pay Insufficient benefits Unqualified managers Poor attitudes and behavior of managers towards employees Unqualified coworkers Poor attitudes and behavior of coworkers Poor physical working conditions for employees 2.2 The Theory of Planned Behavior Ajzen developed the Theory of Planned Behavior in 1991 as an extension of Ajzen and Fishbeins 1975 Theory of Reasoned Action. The TPB has four components: attitudes (i.e. the individuals positive or negative feelings about performing a behavior), subjective norm (i.e. the individuals perception of whether people important to the individual think the behavior should be performed), perceived behavioral control (i.e. The individuals perception on the self skills and ability of performing a behavior) and behavioral intention (i.e. an individuals readiness to perform a given behavior) Ajzen stated that for nonhabituaI behaviors that are easily executed by almost everyone without special circumstances, the theory of reasoned action was adequate. When behaviors are more difficult to execute, and when a person needs to take control over needed resources in order to act, the theory of planned behavior is a better predictor of behavior than the theory of reasoned action. In the theory of planned behavior, control is taken into account as a variable labeled perceived behavioral control, which is defined as a persons perception of how easy or difficult it would be to perform the action. The theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) has been since its development some 20 years proved to be a powerful approach to explain human behavior. Â   The Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) predicts that planned behaviors are determined by behavioral intentions which are largely influenced by an individuals attitude toward a behavior, the subjective norms encasing the execution of the behavior, and the individuals perception of their control over the behavior (Ajzen, 1975). In simpler terms, behavioural decisions are the result of a reasoned process in which the behavior is influenced by attitudes, norms and perceived behavioral control. 2.3 The Theory of Planned Behavior: Model Ajzens revised model (1991) is expressed in the diagram (figure 2) below: Figure 2: Ajzens Theory of Planned Behavior The theory of planned behavior postulates three conceptually determinants of intention. 2.4 Determinants of Behavioral Intention Attitude towards behavior Attitudes represent an individuals likes, dislikes, beliefs and opinions regarding a particular behavior. It represents a summary of evaluation of psychological object captures in attribute dimensions of good- bad, harmful- beneficial, pleasant- unpleasant, and likable- dislikable (Ajzen; 2001) Rosenberg and Hovland (1996) viewed attitude as a multi-component construct and made the following statement all responses to a stimulus object are mediated by the persons attitude towards the object. Ayres (2008) claims that traditionally there has been a career-for-life philosophy adopted by workers, whereby workers will spend their entire working life working in one industry, and, in many cases, one organization. This philosophy has in recent times, coinciding with Generation Y entering the workforce, been replaced by a more uncertain career structure, with employees frequently changing employers within their industry and many also pursuing work in different industries (Inkson, Anhur, and Pringle, 1999). Morton (2002) stated that Generation Y employees show a tendency towards valuing equality in the workplace and they seek positions that offer reasonable wages and good opportunities for training. Morton (2002) also claimed that they respect managers who empower workers and who are open and honest with employees. Martin (2005), who calls this generation Yers, describes eight main characteristics shown by Generation Y towards their careers. These eight characteristics include the Generation Y employee being self-reliant and independent, technosavvy, entrepreneurial, seeking flexibility, having an urgent sense of immediacy, wanting increasing responsibility, having a get off my back attitude and adopting a free agency attitude. Oliver (2006) claims that recent interest in the Generation Y worker has intensified in recent years, and while generalizations are plentiful, he claims that the Generation Y worker is uninterested in a job for life, instead seeking flexibility and work-life balance. Oliver (2006) states that, overall, Generation Y workers are seen to have much higher expectations of a job than previous generations, including high expectations of pay, conditions, promotion and advancement. A study conducted by Kusluvan and Kusluvan (2000) found that some of the factors that seemed to account for the negative attitudes towards careers in tourism, formed after students had undertaken a practical work assignment, are stressful jobs, lack of family life owing to the nature of the work, long working hours, exhausting and seasonal (unstable) jobs, low social status of tourism jobs, unsatisfactory and unfair promotions, low pay and insufficient benefits, unqualified managers, poor attitudes and behavior of managers towards employees, unqualified coworkers and poor attitudes and behavior of coworkers and poor physical working conditions for employees. Subjective Norms Subjective Norms is the degree to which someone wants to conform to others behavior or expectations. Usually, others are individuals (family and friends) whose preferences on a subject matter are important to him or her. This concept was introduced into theory of planned behavior to accommodate the non volitional elements inherent, at least potentially, in all behaviors (Ajzen, 2002). Although schools, peers and the students community all have an impact on the young adults self- identity and career choice, the parents expectations and perceptions of vocational fit for their children have been found to be the key roles in shaping their career choices (Ferry, 2006). In one study (Creamer and Laughlin, 2005), this influence has been so strong as to override the influence of teachers, faculty, and career field in question but were not as well- known and or trusted as to students parents for this type of decision. In an era where 49% of UK workers report that balancing work and family responsibilities is an issue of significant concern to them (IP Morgan Fleming, 2003), the influence of family and personal life and career decisions is receiving increasing amounts of media attention. Todays business school graduates are looking for a work style to go with their lifestyle, claims the HR consultancy Hay Group (The Economist, 2006). Generation X and Generation Y workers who are younger than 40, are more likely than boomers to say they put family before jobs, says an article in USA Today (Elias, 2004). Todays younger employees are working to live rather than living to work, states a newspaper manager in the journalism newsletter Fusion (Williamson, 2006). Perceived Behavioral Control Perceived Behavioral Control (PBC) refers to a persons perception of the ease or difficulty of performing a particular behavior. According to Ajzen (2002), PBC is used to deal with situations where people do not have complete volitional control (i.e. external influences) over the particular behavior in question. An employees perception to any industry will, no doubt, be determined by their commitment, perceptions, attitudes towards working in the industry as well as the types of jobs available in the industry. It is argued that this is particularly pertinent to tourism and hospitality as it has been reported that potential recruits have a negative image of working in the industry (Aksu and Koksal, 2005; Brien, 2004; Getz, 1994, Kuslavan and Kuslavan, 2000). Several researchers have also studied the perceptions of undergraduate tourism and hospitality management students. Barron and Maxwell (1993) examined the perceptions of new and continuing students at Scottish higher education institutions. They found that in general the new students had positive images of the industry, whereas the students with supervised work experience were much less positive in their views. Baron and Maxwell (19930 found significant differences between the new students perceptions of the industry compared with the students who had undertaken their industry placement. The marked differences in the perceptions of new students compared with those post placement students and graduates lie in the difference between perception and experience in the industry. West and Jameson (1990) agree and claim that the more exposure hospitality students have to the industry, the less commitment they show. 2.5 Behavioral Intention Intention is an anticipated outcome that is intended or that guides your planned actions; in the words of Ajzen, an indication of how hard people are willing to try, of how much effort they are willing to exert in order to perform the behavior. Therefore, the stronger the intention to engage in a behavior, the more likely should be its performance. (p. 181) TPB states that people act in accordance with their intentions and perceptions of control over their behavior, while intentions are influenced by attitudes toward the behavior, subjective norms and perceptions of behavioral control (Ajzen, 1985). Behavior Hsing (2002) defined behavior as the performance of an action at a certain time, in a certain context and with a certain purpose. Generally, the more favorable the attitude and subjective norm with respect to a behavior and the greater the perceived behavioral control; the stronger an individuals intention should be to perform the behavior under consideration (Ajzen, 1991). However based on varying behaviors and situation, the relative importance of attitude, subjective norm and perceived behavioral control is expected to be different. 2.6 Indicators of Behavioral Intention For the TPB to predict behaviour successfully or for maximum prediction, intention must be measured as closely as possible in time to the observation of the behaviour. The longer the interval between measurement of intention and behaviour, the greater the likelihood that an unforeseen event will occur that will lead to changes in intention and be less predictive of actual behaviour. Nevertheless, this study is not working on actual behaviour, but rather on attitudes and beliefs about the behaviour of choosing a particular career. 2.6.0 Indicators of Attitude towards behavior Thus, to measure student attitudes toward behaviour, which in this context meant choosing the programme and direction, or intention to seek a career in hospitality, questions were constructed in such a way so as to shed light on the attitude and beliefs of the undergraduates: I expect this course will only qualify me to do a specialised job in the hospitality industry I am still keen to work in the industry as when I first chose this training programme I am very satisfied with my choice of a career in hospitality I am committed to a career in hospitality 2.6.1 Indicators of Subjective Norms A second major predictor of intention in this study is the influence of important people in an individual students life as encouragement and support to perform the behaviour intention. Subjective Norm refers to a favourable or unfavourable student perception of social pressure and the relative importance of different sources of social influence on their intention (decision) to choose a programme and hospitality career. Such social influence might come from immediate family members, peers and friends, teachers and other individual and groups. As stated by Ajzen and Fishbein (1980) an individual will perform or operationalise their behaviours that they perceive as favoured by other people who are important to them. In the present study, there were items used to obtain a direct measure of students perception of significant others and the degree to which they influenced the decision to take a tourism management course. Questions which relate to parents, friends, brothers and sisters and school teachers were constructed to indicate how strongly they agreed or disagreed with such statements. Such questions were: My parents encouraged me to study hospitality My school teachers and counsellors encouraged me to study hospitality My brothers / sisters encouraged me to study hospitality However, according to Ajzen and Fishbein (1980) any relationship between the respondents and the referent (s) will be more or less stable over time. To assess the actual career influencer parallel to those of the students intention, an open ended question was asked: Who was the most influential individual who influenced your choice of a hospitality career? 2.7 Empirical Evidence 2.8 Conclusion

Topics of Discussion in Educational Studies :: essays research papers

Topics of Discussion in Educational Studies I read the article â€Å"Another Look at what young Children Should Be learning† because the title interested me, how do we decide what to teach and when? Who controls the standards for a school? Is it up to the teacher or is it something that the teachers were told to teach? In many cases I understand that it is a mixture of both the teachers influence and what the teacher is required to do. This makes me think back to my own experiences in school, being taught different thing and now I think, why was I taught that? This article came up with some very interesting points about education.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Some of these things that I read in the article I can directly relate to my own experience. In my high school and junior high we always had learning goals. They would come up with acronyms to help us remember them and make us do project involving them. In high school they were called the ESLERS, what it stood for escapes me now. I guess the school thought it was a good idea to make sure that every classroom had these learning goals posted on the wall. I thought that was always a little silly, but I can’t think of a better way of using them. It never really helped me personally but I could see how it could help others. Learning though interaction at a young age was also mentioned in the article, I have memories of this in use as well. In my elementary school we would always have these weird things that would be secretly teaching us something. Like our first grade teacher introduced us to algebra in a way. He drew this machine on the board, and then he said that he is putting a number in one side. Then he showed us what came out the other side, and we had to figure out what the machine did. He let us put in different numbers, and it was fun. If I become a teacher I hope that I could be that creative when it comes to teaching.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In the article they talk about how some methods of teaching could be good in the short run test scores, but not in the long run education of the student. They say that the amount of drills and practice in reading is a good way to teach reading, but could undermine the students’ disposition toward reading.

1880-1890 :: Essays Papers

1880-1890 The decade from 1880-1890 was an interesting time for America, giving rise to great advancement in architecture, inventions and businesses. For instance, such now famous companies as Sears Roebuck Company, DeBeers and Johnson & Johnson opened in this time (Timeline). Also, the Brooklyn Bridge, the largest suspension bridge in the world was set up in 1883 (Museum). This decade saw another milestone for architecture, the skyscraper. The first skyscraper, built in Chicago out of an all-iron frame, was completed in 1885. Some famous inventions included gasoline engines, the Kodak camera and electric lamps (Timeline). Another first was free mail. Towards the end of this decade, free mail was being delivered to all community populations of at least 10,000 (Timeline). Clara Barton, a major humanitarian, was the leader behind the establishment of the American Red Cross during this time (Timeline). In 1886, Americans got their first good look at the Statue of Liberty with its opening dedication in the New York Harbor (Hurley). On a National scale this decade saw various events being played out across the world. For instance in Germany advancements were being made in science and social reform. An example of this would be, Pasteur’s first use of the vaccination principal and the Germany’s establishment of the first known health insurance (Goff). The French in the 1880’s were developing new techniques in architecture and waging wars. That is, towards the end of this decade the Eiffel Tower was just being completed and the French were waging a war with the Chinese (Sino-Chinese War) over trading rights (History). The British were busy responding to anti-foreign riots in Egypt, eventually leading to their invasion and capturing of Cairo (History). Neighboring Belgium was concerned with more peaceful, recreational matters, such as their hosting of the first beauty contest in 1888 (Time). In the 1880’s the movement known as Impressionism was coming to an end. The eight and last Impressionist exhibition was held in Paris during 1886 (Time). Although Impressionism was coming to an end new forms of art arose to take its place. Some famous artists producing during this time include, Van Gogh, Georges Seurat, and Odilon Redon (Georges). Odilon Redon started his own movement known as Symbolism, which strives to give form to ideas and emotions (Odilon). Another painter responsible for creating a new style is Georges Seurat. Seurat was a French painter who popularized and developed his own style called pointillism.

An Analysis of ?The Meanings of Seneca Falls, 1848-1998? :: essays research papers fc

While being born in the modern times, no woman knows what it was like to have a status less than a man’s. It is hard to envision what struggles many women had to go through in order to get the rights to be considered equal. In the essay The Meanings of Seneca Falls, 1848-1998, Gerda Lerner recalls the events surrounding the great women’s movement. Among the several women that stand out in the movement, Elizabeth Cady Stanton stands out because of her accomplishments. Upon being denied seating and voting rights at the World Antislavery Convention of 1840, she was outraged and humiliated, and wanted change. Because of Elizabeth Cady Stanton’s great perseverance, the Seneca Falls Convention of 1848 was a success as well as a great influence on the future of women’s rights. The convention had several attendees with notable assiduousness to the cause. The founders were Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Lucretia Mott, a highly acclaimed speaker and abolitionist. She was even founder of the Philadelphia Female Anti-Slavery Society and its long-term president! Martha Wright, Jane Hunt, and Mary Ann McClintock were all women who worked in anti-slavery fairs that also wanted women’s rights (203). Among other attendees, Frederick Douglass was also present! With the notable group assembled, a road to change was starting to form. The women had very limited rights compared to men of the time. Women had no voice when it came to the law, they were deprived rights of citizenship, and deprived of their property and wages. They were also discriminated when the matters had to do with payment for work and divorce and were declared civilly dead up on marriage (204)! Finally, women were kept out of professions, and were to be kept as a dependent of the man. Half the population had their rights withheld because of the role that they were born into. The Seneca Falls Convention sought out to have these rights changed so that women could have the freedom that they deserved. The outcome of the meeting had a great effect. The movement started at Seneca Falls requested the concepts by demanding legal, property, civil rights, and changes in gender-role definition and the woman’s rights to her own body (205). At the time, it was known that â€Å"all men are created equal†. When the definition is taken literally, the rights of women are demeaned. However, the women believed that as citizens and members of society, they had the rights to be treated equal as any other man.

Book summary of “A Spectator’s guide to Jesus” Essay

John Dickson, an Honorary Associate in the Department of History in Macquarie University, unfolds the myths and the religiosity that often blurs the image of Jesus. Dickson explores the many roles and identities that are given to Jesus, healer, teacher, Christ. â€Å"A Spectator’s guide to Jesus† is a book dedicated to discovering the truth to the most controversial religious topics, from Jesus’ replacement of the temple, his divineness, meaning of his death and his words and deeds that inspire. In the first chapter, â€Å"How we know what we know about Jesus?† Dickson discusses the certainty of Christianity, mentioning the various ancient manuscripts of Jesus from the Greco-Roman references, to the writings of the New Testament. Dickson then comes to discuss the plausibility of the Bible. Since Paul and Mark had independently offered similar descriptions of Jesus’ life and teaching, and because we know these sources are not copied from each other, we have to assume their information was both early and widely known. After proving the encounters of Jesus as extremely likely events, Dickson’s main concern in the second chapter, â€Å"His words and their impact† is emphasising on Jesus’ words of the Christian character of sex, marriage, prayers, wealth, food and body, caring for those in need, loving enemies and divine mercy. The words of Jesus as mentioned in the Gospels, impact on the way humans should live their lives and have an understanding for humanity. Dickson confronts the problems for society believing in miracles since they occur only in small-minded children’s tales. In Chapter 3, â€Å"The deeds that baffle,† Dickson explains Jesus’ stunning miracles as a preview of God’s coming kingdom. Dickson argues that if one was to see that there were no forces in the universe other than the observable laws of nature, then a matter of uncertainty will occur. While if one believed in the miracles of Jesus, the whole puzzle would be completed. In Chapter 6, Dickson explores the human nature of ignoring the rules that God had set up for us, we tend to modify these rules to suite our own preferences. It is in this chapter that Dickson explores the role of Jesus, to overcome the wrongs of this world on behalf of God and also represent God as a loving creator. An example of Jesus’ role is explored in the previous  chapter (4), where Jesus and God had saved the Israelites from the tyrannous Egyptian invasion, under the command of the famous Pharaoh Ramses II. Dickson points out in Chapter 7 of Jesus’ death and resurrection which had borne divine judgement for all those who accept his hand of friendship. Jesus’ openness towards sinners was a deliberate sign of God’s grace unlike the Jewish way of rejecting non-Jews. Jesus’ preaching declared that his suffering and scandalous social life embodied grace in a tangible way. Through his meals with the undeserving, he sought to demonstrate the friendship with sinners he believed God so keenly desires. Jesus’ acting as a replacement of the temple in Chapter 8 not only suggests a mere religious radical, but the thought of allowing the whole community to embrace the Messiah. Chapter 9, â€Å"The meaning of his death,† as Dickson once again assesses, is the aim of Christ’s mission. Christ had died for us to win God’s forgiveness, â€Å"cancel his judgement and guarantee us a place in his kingdom.† Chapter 9 is a follow on from Chapter 5 which described the significance of Jesus’ title. Dickson tells of the importance of the title ‘Christ’, an Anglicised form of the Hebrew name Yeshua, which had endowed his divine authority as ‘saviour’, rescuing people from divine judgement. Dickson also explains the significance of the traditional Passover themes of ‘blood’ and ‘forgiveness’ of God’s people. God’s judgement would fall upon the lamb (Jesus) so that it might pass over ‘sinners’. Chapter 10, 11 and 12 shows the importance of Christ’s resurrection which had shaped the Christian belief of the afterlife. Christ rising to life is central to the biblical faith and not merely because it marks out his life as a unique moment of history, but because in it God shows he is willing and able to breathe a new life where there is currently death and disorder. Dickson then makes the comparison between ‘The Great Caesar’ who conquered a massive empire with the imperialness of Jesus. Nonetheless, Dickson emphasises the fact that God is more significant than Caesar, every empire will pass into oblivion while Christ’s kingdom reigns all and forever. In Chapter 12, Dickson talks of Christs and God’s divineness. The letter from  the Roman administrator Pliny to Emperor Trajan in AD110 indicates Jesus’ oneness with the almighty, â€Å"Jesus is the image of the invisible God.†Dickson uses irony in the last chapter. For centuries, the church has been seen as the preacher and basis of knowledge for the Christian faith, but Dickson questions the church’s battle for power, land, and welfare over the preference for the lowly and contrasts this with Jesus’ non-violent and dutiful service towards humanity. The Epilogue portraits a follower of Jesus’, one who must endure the shame and unworthiness as a sinner, but in the end, â€Å"All earthly empire will pass into oblivion while the kingdom of true Caesar reigns all.†Assessment of the book’s strength and weaknessesI particularly enjoy the concept of this novel being written for the average person; not a scholar novel. It allows the average person to understand and interpret for themselves where Christianity really lies upon, not the clichà ©, inaccurate summaries. As Dickson pointed out, â€Å"studying the life of Christ is like dropping half-way through a conversation,† you can become mislead and often criticise the faith when you have only heard part of the big story. But in â€Å"A Spectators guide to Jesus,† Dickson offers detailed background knowledge to conflicts, events, other religions, Old Testament and Gospel references. The author makes many comparison of the events associated with Jesus, an example was Joe Louis, the professional boxer. â€Å"The lads knew they were messing with the wrong person,† this situation is similar to what we have done to Jesus as Dickson indicates, â€Å"We laughed at him and harassed him for being different and we would never have realised we were wrong till we saw the Son of God through our own eyes.† I find it extremely easy to interpret the events and concepts associated with Jesus when Dickson relates it to modern day events. I see this book as a spectacular outline to the purpose of human existence, however, there are weaknesses. An atheist reading this book would easily see the weakness to Christianity, â€Å"If humans are so unwilling to believe these days, and if God is so great than how hard is it for him to appear in front of everyone?† Dickson should have considered the significance of the Holy  Spirit which continues to prove the presence of God (Chapter 3). On other occasions, Dickson seemed to be too irrelevant. In Chapter 6, Dickson first discusses the human preference to modify rules, he then tells of our lack of compassion for others. Nonetheless, â€Å"A spectators guide to Jesus† remains to be an incredible book through its inspiring words and debate on the man from Nazareth. Reflection of the books contents to the concerns of the reviewerIn Chapter 2, Dickson shows a selection of teachings of Jesus. A practical implication that captivated me was one of Jesus’ teachings, â€Å"Love for enemies.† In Luke 6:27-36, it spoke, â€Å"Even sinners love those who love them. And if you do good to those who are good to you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners do that.† I can see myself relating with this passage. In year six, a student confronted me and yelled curses at me. I responded with fat insults about him. I instantly felt the pride and rise in self-esteem. But the next day, I saw the kid had become depressed and outraged as a result of my insults. I felt bad. The following week, a different kid yelled insults at me, but this time I didn’t curse back, instead I told him that we could be friends and there is no point in being enemies. Ever since that day we became good friends. I see there being no need for hatred. What can you lose from being nice? You can only gain from being a kind and wise person, similar to the character of Jesus that Dickson depicts through historical sources. If everyone respects their enemy, the world would be a better place. Another way in which I felt the book had related to my beliefs was Dickson’s view on the meaning of Jesus’ death, implying that there must be a God which controls everything. I really don’t see our purpose to life through science. Everything around me is so perfect, from the smallest creature on earth to the biggest stars in the sky. I don’t have to be a genius to spot the missing puzzle, the question to human existence lies nowhere but the fact that there is a God who had created everything, we became sinners and his son Jesus had saved us from Divine judgement, according to Dickson (Chapter 3). http://www.sydneyanglicans.net/mission/resources/a_spectators_guide_to_jesus_john_dickson/

During the Time Periods of the Late 1800’s Through the Early 1900’s Many Countries Were Trying to Gain Power. There Were Many Different Trends That Were Taking Place During These Times to Help These Countries Gain

DBQ Intro: During the time periods of the late 1800’s through the early 1900’s many countries were trying to gain power. There were many different trends that were taking place during these times to help these countries gain control like Colonialism/ Imperialism, Nationalism, and American domination. The first major trend is Colonialism and Imperialism. Document 1 shows colonization/ imperialism by the president wanting America to take control of most of the world if they don’t choose to run how Americans believe they should.POV: in Document 1 it isn’t surprising that President Roosevelt would say this because he is the president of the United States and wants them to have as much power over the world as possible. Document 3 also shows colonization/ imperialism because the Dutch were trying to colonize the Java and people from Java didn’t like them trying to change their history. This document shows how older people in the countries didn’t wa nt things to change and didn’t want to have to accept the new ways of ruling and colonizing by other nations.Document 4 is a picture of a European standing over Africa this shows colonization because the Europeans tried to colonize Africa. Document 5 is a picture that shows that both France and the English have colonized the Africans. Document 6 shows the United States helping other countries colonize. Additional Document that would be helpful here would be a map or chart or even a picture that showed were all Europe had colonized so we could better understand where all European colonization had taken place. The next major trend is Nationalism.Document 2 shows Nationalism because the Jews wanted to live and there homeland which shoes pride in their nation. POV: It is not surprising that Balfour would write this document because he is a Zionist leader and wants the best for his people. Document 3 also shows nationalism because the father didn’t like that his son spoke D utch to him because he had a love for Java and the language that spoke. Document 6 could also fall under nationalism for the Unites States. The last Major trend was American dominationDocument 1 falls into American domination because America and president Roosevelt just wanted to see all the countries run smoothly even if that meant that Americans had to step into make that happen. Document 6 also shows American Domination because it shows all the countries that America colonized. There were many different ways to gain power during the late 1800’s and Early 1900’s. The major trends during these time periods were Nationalism, Colonization/ Imperialism, and American Domination.

Inventory Systems Summary Essay

Abstract To be successful in today’s business environment, an organization must be able to perform certain fundamentals accurately and efficiently. One of these elements is having an effective and efficient Inventory System Management (ISM). ISM enables one to have the knowledge of where his or her inventory is at every step of the way. This allows one to better interact with consumer and make sales. Choosing the right ISM can lead and pave the ground work for future business success and profitability. Inventory System Summary The purpose of this group assignment is to collaborate as a team to compare different inventory systems and describe the advantage and disadvantages of each system in comparison to the others. Management of inventory is important to any business that wants to succeed. Companies purchase inventory systems to help manage the inventory of an organization. Team A reviewed the following companies and their inventory management programs: Best Buy, , and . This Inventory System Summary includes a description of the chosen companies and their inventory systems, and a comparison describing the advantages and disadvantages of each system. Best Buy Best Buy is the largest consumer electronics store in the world. Each year it increases its presence in the market share and distances itself from  others in the industry. Best Buy is headquartered in the Twin cities area of Minnesota, where it handles all main business functions and the leadership that manages its 180,000 employees and 4,000 stores across the globe (Best Buy, 2010). During the previous fiscal year, Best Buy accumulated nearly 50 billion in revenues and 2.2 billion in operating revenue. They also reported that they possess 18.3 billion in total assets and 6.3 billion in total equity. Best Buy has a large array of merchandise including: consumer and commercial furniture, small and major appliances, and a wide assortment of consumer electronics. They also offer an increasingly large list of services. These services include Geek Squad computer services, Best Buy for Business commercial services, and many other services designed specifically for the end user. They operate stores in many countries across the world; however they also operate their company online. From their website, Bestbuy.com, many of their products and services can be ordered and set up for delivery. The different types of products and services Best Buy offers in addition to the different options available to purchase and receive their merchandise makes Best Buy a very difficult company to maintain. They are successful because of the time and money put into their inventory systems. To maintain continuity across the board for all of their partner companies and different store brands they operate , Best Buy uses a similar inventory management system that allows them to track inventory, along with a transaction management system that directly adjusts and updates the world wide inventory both in warehouses and within each store. Most products that Best Buy sales are shipped directly from the manufacturer to the many warehouses and distribution centers across the US and the world where the stores and online sales can pull and ship directly from. One change that Best Buy has gone through the past five years is a switch to a partially vendor based management system. With this new system, Best Buy will limit the vendors and distributers that they purchase from, and will relinquish some of their inventory control over to them. The innovation created by this new system allows vendors to monitor inventory levels and to  ship and replenish product as levels get low. Some of the advantages of this system are: the advantage of directly supplying to the customer from vendor, which cuts the delivery time shorter, availability of the product, ability to offer products at a lower price compared to Best Buy’s competitors, and the flexibility to further develop other areas of their business. Some of the disadvantages are: limiting the vendors may limit the variety of products, relinquishing inventory control over to vendors and distributors may negatively impact their customer satisfaction, and the customers may decide to deal with supplier directly which could put Best Buy at risk of loosing their business. Inventory levels over the past 4 years have remained on an increasingly consistent track as their revenue has risen. According to Best Buy (2010), this rise in revenue and assets is partly due to the fact that they enter new markets and open new stores across the world. The latest opportunities that they have come across include new stores in Europe and other areas overseas. This is new territory for Best Buy but has been a successful venture based on their flexibility with their inventory systems that they have in place. The following table presents the last five year financial highlights according to the Financial Statements and Supplementary Data of Annual Report on Form 10-K. (Investor Relations, 2010) Dell Dell is clearly a giant leader in the information technology world. Dell is an American company with headquarters in Round Rock, Texas. The company develops, sells and supports computers and related products and services. The company got its birth in 1984, founded by Michael Dell. Dell has become one of the most admired companies in the electronic industry. According to Fortune Magazine, Dell is listed as the 38th largest company in the United States. Based on total revenue, Dell is the 5th largest company in Texas and the 2nd largest non-oil company in Texas (Wikipedia, 2010). So, how does Dell do it? Managing its inventory base is an indication. From its early beginnings, Dell set the bar. Dell uses the just in time (JIT) approach in the manufacturing facilities. By using this technique, Dell can minimize its inventory cost. In an industry that rapidly changes, maintaining low inventory levels is one key factor to survival. According to Wall Street Journal’s MarketWatch (2010), the following table provides a  snapshot portion of the financials recorded for Dell from its balance sheet. Annual Financials for Dell, Inc. According to Wikipedia (2010), just-in-time (JIT) is an inventory strategy that is designed aide in improving a business’s return on investment by reducing in-process inventory and any carrying costs associated. JIT production method is also known as the Toyota Production System. JIT works with of use of signals at different points in the manufacturing process. The signals indicate the presence or absence of a part or the need to make another part. If JIT processes are implemented correctly, it can improve an organizations return on investment, quality,  and efficiency. It is quite simple; the philosophy behind JIT is inventory is waste and Dell has tried to capture that philosophy. Wal-Mart The world’s largest and most profitable retailer, Wal-Mart continues to expand its reach in the US and worldwide. To do this, Wal-Mart has to track what is selling, what isn’t, and what products its over 3,740 stores nationwide need – whether it be their discount stores, supercenters, or neighborhood markets. The below excerpt from the 2010 annual report (2010 annual report-walmartstores.com, 2010) shows the level of inventories that Wal-Mart has maintained for the last four years: (Amounts in millions except per share and unit count data) With an average of $34m in inventory, being valued under the LIFO – last in first out- method – keeping track of it is of major importance to the retail giant. To keep track of its inventory, â€Å"Wal-mart and Sam’s Club use electronic product code (EPC) labels to make sure the products you want are available when you need them† (walmartstores.com, 2010). What is an EPC? The EPC is a lot like a bar code that most stores use. Wal-Mart uses the EPC because the information that can be tracked about the product being purchased includes: what the product are, who are the manufacturers, and other specifics like color, size, style, and more. The information provided by the EPC allows Wal-Mart to better manage the inventory on hand, making sure the store provides its customers with what they want, when they want it. How does EPC work? EPC labels consist of a unique number that can be tied back to a specific piece of merchandise. Using special readers, and through the magic of RFID’s, the EPC doesn’t have to be scanned directly for them to be read by the computers. This means that Wal-Mart â€Å"can count thousands of items in seconds and know which products are out of  stock† (walmartstores.com, 2010). The products that Wal-Mart is tracking with the EPC are easy to find. They are identified by an EPC symbol. What does EPC mean to consumers? The ability to track finite inventory information is important as it ensures that the retail giant can keep products in stock that consumers want. Amazingly, with all the information that the EPC tracks, there is no invasion of privacy to the consumer. The EPC does not collect personal information when purchased. Labels are not tracked once the actual merchandise is bought and leaves the store. Comparison The different inventory systems used by each organization share a common goal. The system tracks the inventory for each company allowing them to hopefully save money by knowing where items are and what needs to be purchased. Each organization emphasizes inventory control and recognizes the effects of inventory management on their overall profitability. To this end, many of the companies use a variation of bar coding or Radio-frequency identification (RFID) to track inventory. Each organization also ties inventory management to an awareness of demand; this allows the organization to quickly react to changing market conditions. Conclusion Because inventory is possibly the largest current asset listed on a organizations financial statement, correct inventory management is at the heart of a business’s success or failure. References 2010 Annual Report – Walmartstores.com (2010). Retrieved on January 10, 2011 from http://cdn.walmartstores.com/sites/AnnualReport/2010/PDF/WMT_2010AR_FINAL.pdf Best Buy (2010). Company Reference – Best Buy. Retrieved January 11, 2011 from http://www.answers.com/topic/best-buy-co-inc Dell. (2010). Wall Street Journal: MarketWatch. Retrieved January 12, 2011, from http://www.marketwatch.com/investing/Stock/DELL/financials/balance-sheet Hoyt, W. (2002). The basics of inventory tracking. Retrieved on January 10, 2011 from http://www.essortment.com/career/smallbusinesst_tuag.htm