China’s Monetary Policy & IMF

China's contemporary monetary policy and regulation Monetary Policy Committee Policies (interest rate, ERR, foreign reserves†¦ Risks IMPs Involvement Recent monetary reform Ill. Conclusion A. Future of China's economy International Monetary Fund is an organization that consists of 188 countries, in which countries work together to promote global monetary cooperation, secure financial stability, and sustainable economic growth around the globe. MIFF serves as an International bank, loaning money to member countries due to economic difficulties; and as an adjudicator, reconciling economic conflicts between countries.It's a pool of central bank reserves and national currencies that allows member countries to borrow. China Joined MIFF in 1945, and has twice used MIFF credits, in 1981 and in 1986. China holds annual consultations with MIFF on economic development and policy Issues. In recent number of years, China has been accused of currency manipulation and excessive foreign reserv es to underpin economic China to make policy reforms. In this paper, I will begin with China's monetary system, 1994 monetary crisis, and then discuss China's current monetary policies, reforms, and Miff's regulation on China.China regulates its monetary system through POOCH (People's Bank of China) by adjusting interest rate, performing open market operation, and manipulating Reserve Requirement Ratio. How Chinese government uses these policy tools is interdependent of how Chinese currency Yuan's is arranged in foreign exchange mechanism. Central banks depreciate currency by cutting interest rate and increasing in foreign reserve to stimulate economic growth. In other words, Chinese regulators used more non-market financial policy to administrate credit expansion.Through effective tight state control policies, China had passed a long way from where it was to the second largest economy in the world. It went wrought 1994 Monetary Crisis, 1997 East Asian Crisis, and Global Financial C risis in 2008. These crises not only gave lessons to the Chinese regulating body and MIFF, but also indicate a warning sign of the underlying risk of using too much state control on interest rate and exchange rate. 1994 was a significant year in China's economic history. China faced an unprecedented annual inflation rate of 24% in 1994.It was largely caused by the over investment in early 1990 as government loosen credit to enterprises. Especially after Denominations visit to Southern China in 1992, in which e strongly advocated for economic growth, investment increased â€Å"43% from previous year†(3). The overstatement not only doubled the price of construction materials such as steel and lumber, but also increased price of grains significantly. The sudden rapid rise in price had a devastated effect on resident's living conditions.To fight with the inflation, the Chinese government implemented a series of actions, which include â€Å"tightening credit/loans, strict regulat ion of local/regional capital fund raising, tightening fixed asset investment scale, re-examining various newly established financial institutions, and controlling capital and cash holding of all financial organizations†(3). The main goal of these policies is to lower the economic growth rate and decrease the overall fixed asset investment. After one year of adjusting and implementing policies, the inflation rate reduced to 9. % in December 1995. Just like the cause of China's Financial 1994 Crisis, the Asian Crisis of 1997 was the aftermath of a sudden surge in capital inflows to finance productive investments, which made a country's economy vulnerable. The Asian Crisis started with the lapse of Thai Baht in July 1997, when Thai government was forced to float the baht due to lack of foreign currency to support its fixed exchange rate. Then the Crisis began to spread across to many East Asian countries, including South Korea, Philippines, Indonesia, and Singapore.All of the co untries had acquired a burden of foreign debt. In Korea, the foreign debt-to-GAP ratio rose from 13% to as high as 40%. Furthermore, the crisis was â€Å"deepened by the Miff's initial misdiagnosis† when MIFF imposed â€Å"budgetary tightening† policy to stabilize currency in Thailand, South Korea, and Indonesia (1). Although China was less affected by the crisis, it influenced its the monetary policies. Just as other Asian countries, China started built up official reserves so that it don't have to borrow from MIFF.Both crisis had a significant impact on China today's monetary policy, which is Ojibwa, advocates for â€Å"dovish bias, a tendency to prefer accommodative monetary policy, supporting the use of policy tools to stimulate growth while placing less emphasis on the risks of inflation†(4). This policy belief led to manipulation in exchange rate when China was experiencing a rapid economic growth and currency appreciation. ARM appreciated from about 8. 82 8 Yuan in 2005 per dollar to 6. 09 in 2013, approximately 34% appreciation on a nominal basis against dollar and by 42% on a real basis (5).It was because of China's rapid economic development in the past decades. China has become one of the world's largest exporters and created massive trade surplus and strong demand for ARM. The sudden appreciation led to inflation and consequently lower purchasing power of residents in China. The situation forced government to interfere with the exchange rate in order to maintain financial stability ND protect citizen's welfare. POOCH cut the interest rate to increase the demand for credit, reduced ERR, and increase foreign reserve to fight against appreciation.China's large purchases of foreign reserves reduced their yields and push capital to emerging market, which successfully decelerated the speed of appreciation of ARM. However, how would these policies affect China's economy in a long run? MIFF pointed out that China's tight State control o ver banking system is creating risk to its economic growth in the future. China' undervalued currency not only has negatively affected U. S and Global trade, but also has brought risk to its own economy.According to the New York Times, there's a growing list of countries, from the United States to the European Union to Brazil, have complained that China has been cheapening its currency. U. S criticized that China is trying to â€Å"gain unfair trade advantages over trading partners†(5). International Monetary Fund also claimed that ARM is significantly undervalued, and wrote a report to urge China to ease State controls on banking in 2011. The report examined on China's financial policy, in which encourages high savings, high levels of equity, and high risk of capital misapplication and asset bubbles, especially in real estate.In MIFF words, the consequence of these distortions is â€Å"rising over time, posing increasing macro-financial risks†. MIFF warned China: â₠¬Å"tight government management of the nation's banking and financial system was creating a steady build-up in vulnerabilities that could eventually damp economic growth â€Å"(2) Excessive bank lending and increasing local government debt as a long-term policy would put China's economy at risk. However, China did not implement immediate change in monetary policy after Miff's warning.Instead, Chinese official argues that their exchange rate is not meant to earn unfair trade advantage, but to foster economic stability and social welfare to citizens. The government continues to regulate extensively on interest rates, estate price and exchange rate. Not until recently, China finally implements major monetary reforms in reply to Miff's constant warnings. In order to maintain the economic growth, Chinese government must reform its banking system and adopt a flexible exchange rate. The POOCH has taken step to loosing the government's intervention on interest rate, letting racket to set th e price instead.Just as recorded in the article â€Å"The Interest Rate As A Monetary Policy Instrument in China†, mainland lenders are allowed to charge rates on loans below the official benchmark-lending rate, effective from 20 July 2013. The scrapped (6). Furthermore, the cap on credit union lending rates was also abolished. These reforms indicate that Bank is not favoring state-owned entities, and indeed stimulates real economy. China is putting effort to liberalize interest rates, open financial market, and promote greater foreign investment. I believe that a tightened state control monetary policy is not efficient and sufficient in a long run.Although it has brought finance stability, China has to let the capital flow freely in order to maintain economic growth in the future. China should move away from non-market financial policies and step toward a more market-based currency to rebalanced China's economy. After decades of exponential expansion, China's expansion is en tering a period of slower growth. In the first half of 2013, China's export growth rate was significant lower and GAP has also fallen. Zinnia claimed that the Yuan was nearing equilibrium against the dollar in June 2013.In conclusion, China should depend less on exports and fixed investment to stimulate real economic growth. Ultimately, China should exert less power and subsidies state enterprises, but open up the market and foster global competition. It benefits Chinese Economy in a long-term by â€Å"re-directing resources away from inefficient (and often subsidized) sectors of the economy to those that are more efficient and competitive† (5). The reform would not only increase the efficiency of Chinese mommies firms, but also bring lower prices for consumers in China and improving standards of living after all.

Review on John Donne’s ‘Holy Sonnet 14’

Poem: Holy Sonnet XIV Name of author: John Donne Imprisoned In the poem Holy Sonnet XIV, John Donne writes about the different imprisonments of life. In his poem he is saying that he has fallen for the temptations of Gods enemy, the devil, and he is asking God to break the hold the devil has on him. John portrays that he is trapped and bound by the evils of the devil, and he wishes to be â€Å"divorced†(11) from the devil to be once again imprisoned by the love of God, either way he knows he â€Å"never shall be free†(13).The point John is making in this poem is that he loves God and no longer wishes to live with the sins and imprisonment of the devil, but rather be â€Å"enthralled†(13) by God. John first speaks of God as a â€Å"three-personed God†(1), meaning God is the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Throughout the poem John is at a fallen state, where he has fallen so hard it would be almost impossible for him to alone break the bond that he has with the devil, to be righteous and serve God. John is asking God to help him in breaking the bond, asking to â€Å"Batter†(1) his heart for God, breaking the unholy bond, the engagement that he has with the devil.John wishes to be the God-loving person he knows he is. John needs God’s powerful ways to make him a new person, today some call it a â€Å"born-again believer†, and John so badly wants God to â€Å"make me new†(4). John feels as if he has been taken over by the devil. John is pleading his case in this poem, to God as to why God should help him, defend him, save him, and make him new. This poem is like Johns prayer, pleading to God his reasoning in why God should help him, since God is his â€Å"viceroy†(7) that he should want to defend him.John is trapped as if he is held captive, and is weak and untrue to God, but at the same time still willingly and joyfully loves God. John uses the word â€Å"betrothed†(10) to emphasize that h e has been tied, or engaged to the devil in his actions and wished to be â€Å"divorced†(11). John is saying he is bound by the devil and doesn’t want to be imprisoned by the devil, but instead be imprisoned by God. It’s like no matter what path John is on, whether it is the path of the devil, or the path of God, he will be imprisoned either way and never be free.John grew up as a believer in God and he eventually grew to be known as â€Å"The Great Priest† by many people. A great priest doesn’t have to stray to far from God to feel as John felt in this poem because no one sin is greater than the other. This was not the first time John had felt he had strayed away from God â€Å"divorce me, untie, or break that knot again†(11). The Holy Sonnet XIV is about a man who felt as if he strayed away from God and how badly he wants God to help him get back on the right track, living for Him.John was catholic at a time when anti-catholic sentiment wa s common. He began to question his faith when his brother Henry died. John then soon struggled near poverty to support his family for almost 10 years. With him being in hard times and straying away from his religion, to then come to pick back up into his religion is an example of his life and what he wanted people to know by reading this poem. After he got back to his normal life, in religion, he then became the priest that we know him to be today.

A Tea Party At Two

While an afternoon tea break was a normal occurrence for ladies in Victorian England, it is a rare treat for me and my friends. Last summer, my friend, Hilary, who lives in an old Victorian house, complete with a parlor and an old-fashioned bathtub, invited me to a tea party at her home. It was delightful. I felt like I had stepped into a scene from a Jane Austen novel. My friends and I planned the party for a month. I found the perfect outfit. Yes, it was a modern dress that I purchased at the mall, but it would probably fit right into the Victorian era. Normally, I eschew materialism; I believe that beauty comes from within. However, my guilty pleasure is nineteenth-century British apparel. While I love movies like â€Å"Becoming Jane† and â€Å"Bright Star† for their poignant depiction of the great literary figures Austen and Keats, I find myself absorbed during these films in the details of the dresses, because they were simply gorgeous. Jealousy grips me; I want to wear those gowns too! This tea party was my chance. When I arrived, I was greeted by friends who had come early to set it up. They had laid out Hilarys best china, and placed a vase of flowers on the dining room table. There were cucumber and cream cheese sandwiches, scones, cupcakes, all kinds of cookies, and, of course, English tea. I handed Hilary the ginger snaps I had baked, and we all sat down for tea. We had a great discussion; because it was the middle of summer, many of my friends had just returned from trips, or were about to embark on them. Our conversation was intertwined with literary references to Modernism and Romanticism, since my friends and I had all grown close during our Honors English class. We share a love of literature, and even when we talk about silly, trivial things, we tend to refer to characters in our favorite (or least favorite) books. I remember saying that I felt like Edna Pontellier from The Awakening at that moment, because she was a nineteenth-century housewife. Of course, at some point the conversation turned to college and our futures, as it did fairly often. But when the topic came up, we groaned and changed the subject. That day, we didnt need to consider the future. We were having fun pretending we lived in the past, but more importantly we were experiencing the present. I was a part of a group of people who cared about each other. We laughed together, we listened to each other, and we supported one another. For a moment, having my friends around me was all I needed. This essay was meant to be read aloud in the Queens English.

Publishing and Distribution Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Publishing and Distribution - Essay Example In the changing scenerio, libraries and libraraians will have to play a crucial role in handling conventional and electronic resources. Thus the era of electronic publishing has begun affecting producers, distributors, library and Information centres and user community. Kist (1989) defined electronic publishing as "the application by publishers of a computer aided process, by which they find, capture, shape, store, and update information content in order to disseminate it to a chosen audience" (p. 600 ). Kist pointed out that this definition makes no distinction between the manufacturing process and the disseminating process. Less than a decade ago the term electronic publishing identified an activity that is now referred to as desktop publishing, in which information is stored and formatted electronically, but manufactured and distributed by traditional paper-based methods. Kist claimed that the term electronic publishing (which can include any single aspect digital storage, manufacture, or transmission of a publication) is now so broad that it is usually meaningless. Brownrigg and Lynch (1985) took a very different approach to defining an electronic publication. Their insightful article began by making a clear distinction between electronic produ ction and distribution of information. The authors distinguished between what they called Newtonian (Gutenberg/paper-based) publishing and quantum-mechanical (electronically transmitted) publishing. They concluded that much of what is currently labeled electronic publishing is actually traditional Gutenberg-style publishing carried out by modern methods. Their thesis was that electronic publishing is a delivery medium: that publication is an action and process rather than an artifact. This idea seems to have some merit. One of the most complete definitions of electronic publishing appears in a popular electronic encyclopedia (Grolier Electronic Publishing, 1995). This wholly electronic publication defines electronic publishing this way "Sometimes used to describe the application of computers to traditional print publishing--from word processing to computerized order processing--the term electronic publishing refers more precisely to the storage and retrieval of information through e lectronic communications media. It can employ a variety of formats and technologies, some already in widespread use by businesses and general consumers, and others still being developed. Electronic publishing technologies can be classified into two general categories: those in which information is stored in a centralized computer source and delivered to the user by a telecommunications system; and those in which the data is digitally stored on a disk or other physically deliverable medium. The former category, including online data base services and videotext, represents the most active area in electronic publishing today". Electronic publishing brings us a host of changes. It increases the speed of communicating, disseminating and digesting knowledge. It provides new means of searching for, finding and analyzing specific information. It reduces the need for additional shelf capacities in libraries. Yes, electronic

Indigenous People and Cultures Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Indigenous People and Cultures - Essay Example The internationalization of the English language is the most powerful tool for ruling the world that has taken universal and homogenous mandates. A section of critiques and writers of postcolonial literature like Fairclough, Jenkins, McLaren, and Lankshear, among others, argue that the English language curriculum, especially in Aboriginal schools, needs critical studies and reforms as the current imposition and usage reflect the colonial relations (Clarence and Renshaw, 2009). With reference to the Aboriginal communities and the English language, there have been numerous schools of thoughts and ideologies that require an in-depth study and reform of the current English curriculum. From a personal perspective, the education system is becoming more based on policy prescription and arbitrary then being real. With emphasis to English teachers, the latter have had to widen their views and perceptions regarding the English study. Similar to other educational institutions, teachers are cont inuously changing roles from dispensing of knowledge to facilitating learning and aiding acquisition of knowledge by students. The wider teaching practices in New South Wales Higher School Certificate seem to be limited to examination prosperity (Alberta Education). Much less is done to extend the gained knowledge from prescribed texts into exploring the ways in which texts depicts interpretation and reading positions in the world around them. In addition, these texts further marginalize and subjugate indigenous and aboriginal literature and language (Garcia and Kleifgen, 2010). The basis of the critique will be the New South Wales (NSW) Department of Education and Training reform initiative, with the Quality Teaching pedagogy that incorporates the three dimensions of Significance, Intellectual learning, and quality learning environment. An analysis and critique of the current (postcolonial) English curriculum requires a presentation and review of the works of some English curriculu m specialists in indigenous Australia in order to justify the critique approach and highlight the fact that the English curriculum needs to be reformed. The focus of the critique are the numerous suggestion presented in Australia and other countries that host aboriginal communities by these writers and other researchers. Among the notable writers and researchers, include Lankshear and his argument that the goal of literacy is to pursue and achieve a universal literate population that employs literacy in the persuasion of their economic, social, and cultural purposes (Hooley, 2009). According to Green, another researcher, the review of the available rhetoric meanings is fundamental in an English class. The argument behind his observation is that the English language has a cultural construction, thus its form has different meanings to the users. The arguments of Green follow the knowledge that people acquire linguistic skills through the first language and its dialect, and that these dialects are transferrable to the second language easily (Clarence and Renshaw, 2009). To understand the above concept, there is need to understand the Aboriginal English. According to Aboriginal English researchers, the language is linguistically complex, has a cultural embedding, follows rule governance, and is widely acknowledged by most teachers, regardless of the fact they do not know the exact form of the English langu

No Silver Bullet Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

No Silver Bullet - Essay Example nform, not because it is new in the market, or perceived by many to be the most conformable, but because conformation is based on other systems and interfaces, which cannot be, in any circumstances be simplified through redesign. Additionally, when software conforms to complexities and needs, there would be no cause of alarm with regards to changeability, complexity, and invisibility. Despite the fact that the functionality and availability of software components have rapidly increased the need for writing new code has not significantly reduced. As noted by Brooks (1995, p.12), acquiring and using off-the-shelf, open-source or commercial software components may be an easier and a cheaper way of software development, but, an issue of applicability arises. Software components are more generalized and as such may not be ideal in situations where the development of customized software is intended. Therefore, instead of relying on software components, developers are opting to write new code, since they believe that it would guarantee applicability of the software being developed. The need for writing new code has not reduced significantly because of the need to ensure that the software developed confirms with the complexities and needs of systems and institutions that the software will interact with. Software components, being more generalized may not guarantee confor mity, especially with regards to interfaces and functionality. Additionally, changeability is an essential property that defines the quality and value of software. Developing software that can easily be altered to suit functionality needs when needed and when appropriate has today become very important. Some software components may not allow for changeability and, as such, developers opt to write new code rather relying on components since they can easily manipulate and alter the code they have written quickly and easily. In additional to changeability, software components are becoming less popular

Handgun control laws Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Handgun control laws - Research Paper Example Strict laws have brought differing outcomes; in Japan and United Kingdom, it has reduced violence rates but in Mexico and Brazil, it has led to extreme or substantial violence (Miron 1). Stricter handgun controls laws and licensing are necessary to save lives. Since the year 1934, there have been a number of gun control laws such as The Federal Firearms Act (1938), The National Firearms Act (1934), The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms (1972), The Firearms Owner Protection Act (1986), and National Instant Criminal Background Check System (2007) (Schwartz 1). In 2011, the Obama Administration began a number of modifications designed to tighten penalties and regulations under the present laws. The changes will entail strengthening of the national electronic system through the collection of new information. This is an effort to make the background checks for buyers of handgun fast and simple. The checks under James Brady law will leave an electronic paper. The law is named after James Brady who was Ronald Reagan’s press secretary; in 1981, he was wounded after an assassination attempt on President Reagan. Other changes include tougher sentencing guidelines for the straw buyers (Solomon and Stone 1). However, in the past few months, the Obama Administration seems to have gone mum on gun control. In the courts, it remains alive despite the fact that it has gone dead politically. Gun control is generally seen as bad politics. In 1993, Bill Clinton passed the Brady Handgun Violence Protection Act, however, after Republicans ended Democrats reign in 1994, Clinton blamed gun control. Since the 1980s, state legislatures have not fared well concerning gun control, for instance, more than 30 states have endorsed laws that make it easy for an individual without a criminal record to receive a permit to possess a concealed weapon (Winkler 1). A number of states have implemented laws that let individuals carry

MSc Managerial Finance RESIT ASSIGNMENT JUNE 2013

MSc Managerial Finance RESIT JUNE 2013 - Assignment Example Ratio analysis is considered to be a very accurate and reliable tool when it comes to analyzing and interpret the financial outlook and performance of an entity. The main reason for performing a ratio analysis is to quantify the results of the financial operations of an entity and analyze them in the light of financial performance of the prior year(s) in order to assess different aspects of the financial feasibility. [Peavler, R. (2001)] The financial ratios are usually divided into various sub categories such as profitability, gearing and liquidity, each put emphasis on a different area of the financial outlook of the organization. These analyses form an integral part of the financial statement analysis, especially from the investor’s point of view, which are always looking for avenues to invest in countries having strengthened and stabilized financial ratios and representing an upward trend. It is of great significance that the ratios must be benchmarked against a standard i n order for them to possess a meaning. Keeping that into account, the comparison is usually conducted between companies portraying same business and financial risks, between industries and between different time periods of the same company. [Investopedia.com (2012] The financial ratio performance of The GAME Group Plc has been evaluated for the last three years in order to draw attention to various financial trends and significant changes over the period. The analysis is divided into three main categorize namely Profitability, Liquidity and Gearing. Profitability ratios identify how efficiently and effectively a company is utilizing its resources and how successful it has been in generating a desired rate of return for its shareholders and investors. Liquidity ratios measure the ability of the company to quickly convert its asset into liquid cash to settle its short term liabilities. Whereas, the Gearing ratios identifies the extent to which the company is financed through debt and to what degree the operations are being conducted from the finance raised through raising equity capital or otherwise. For the purpose of financial ratio analysis, the financial year from 2011-2009 has been evaluated in order to analyze the financial outlook of The GAME Group Plc. The information has been extracted from the annual report of the company. Profitability Ratios    2011 2010 2009    Profitability Ratios Gross profit margin 26.30% 27.80% 26.14% Net profit margin 1.75% 5.00% 6.31% ROI 2.33% 9.23% 11.48% ROCE 4.79% 18.24% 29.22% Gross profit margin is an analyzing tool which assists in identifying how effectively and efficiently the company is utilizing its raw materials [1], variable cost related to labor and fixed costs such as rent and depreciation of property plant and equipment. The ratio is calculated by dividing the sales revenue by the gross profit. If we analyze the gross profit margin trend of The GAME Group Plc it appears that there is decline in the percenta ge over the last financial year. The gross profit margin was the lowest in the financial year 2009 when the gross profit

Strategic Business Plan for Bellway plc Assignment

Strategic Business Plan for Bellway plc - Assignment Example (Preece, 2003) A major part of Bellway Plc's plan of action must include following a strategy based on gaining competitive advantage as well as achieving sustainable entrepreneurial growth. Let us first examine competitive advantage to see how and where it will fit in with the overall growth and expansion of the Bellway Plc in securing buyers from the global market like Asia, US and other countries. This brings us to a discussion on the technicalities of the model proposed by Porter. Porter's Five Forces model provides suggested points under each main heading. When taken into consideration individually, each of these gives rise to the development of a broad and sophisticated analysis of competitive position. This may further be used during the creation of a strategy, plans, or even where making investment decisions about a business or organization is concerned. These five competitive forces determine industry profitability and attractiveness apart from being responsible for shaping the prices that firms can charge, the costs they have to bear, and the required investments to engage in industry level competition. We are concerned with the fact that Porter's essentially ahistorical approach cannot provide a full account of either a nation's competitive advantage and corporate strategies or the growth and development of industrial clusters. For this, let us first understand compet itive advantage. This has special relevance for the Bellway Plc, owing to the following reasons: The company needs to launch a full fledged expansion policy in international markets as well as the public sector in UK. It needs to zero in on out station resources which can be procured on easy and regular terms. There needs to a study of the marketing options in order to gain competitive advantage as there are many players involved here. Its competitors include Barrat Development, Taylor Wimpey and Berkley Group Holdings. Competitive advantage is the response of afirm to the pressing need to organize and perform discrete activities. While these needs may not be perpetually spelt out, it is the responsibility of the planners and executers of policies to foresee such situations when catering for growth and development of the firm n various levels. So this implies that the Bellway Plc needs to employ an individual

New World slave societies Essay Example for Free

New World slave societies Essay Coercion and abuse experienced by enslaved people in New World slave societies have tended to focus on violence. This is how it should be because experiencing or witnessing violence was indeed an everyday part of life for slaves. Violence inflicted by slave holders on enslaved people did not take place in a vacuum. It was also meet with and often proceeded by abusive words. Yet while debates around negotiation, slave resistance and paternalism focus in detail on the cultural and discursive context of these relationships, discussions of violence tend to home in on their purely physical aspects. I will be discussing the context of violence in a society undergoing the transition from slavery to a post slave society in the West Indies. Abusive language was sometimes used in place of physical punishment and served as a substitute for personal violence in situations where physical punishment was not allowed. A period known as the apprenticeship period in Jamaica, 1834-38 slaveholders lost the legal right to directly punish their un-free workers so instead used abusive language. But fear is fear whether it is felt physically or verbally the threat was still present. The people of the West Indies today are mainly of African decent. Important minorities are East Indians, mainly Trinidad, Chinese and Europeans of British, French, Spanish, Dutch and Portuguese. There are also many people of mixed blood and racial and cultural mixtures that makes the West Indies one of the more cosmopolitan areas of the world. The most important industry in the past and in the present day is the growing of sugar cane. Other crops include citrus fruit, bananas, spices, coca, coffee, tobacco and coconuts. All of these are agricultural and very labor intensive. The British colonialization of the West Indies brought slavery into the social context. Toussaint L’ouverture led a successful revolt in Haiti. The efforts of Englishmen like William Wilberforce helped bring an end to the slave trade to the New World and eventually led to the emancipation of slaves in British colonies. When European countries began their overseas explorations and colonization in the 15th century, the institution of slavery experienced a revolution. The discovery of the West Indies opened a new era. In every colony prosperity depended upon the production of some article which could be profitably exported, such as coffee, sugar and indigo. These crops called for large scale operations and cheap labor. Wage laborers were not available and it was necessary to resort to some type of compulsion to secure workers. The Indian appeared to be the obvious answer, utilized the institutions of tributary labor and repartimiento, the granting of land along with the Indians living on it. The Indians proved unsuitable for forced labor. They died off rapidly under oppression and even resorted to mass suicide and infanticide. Their number declined to the point of extinction. The Europeans turned to the African as a solution to their labor problems. The African was not unknown to Europeans prior to the 15th century, but there were very few Africans in Europe. The Portuguese exploring the Atlantic coast of Africa brought back two African slaves and subsequent expeditions resulted in the purchase or capture of other slaves. At this time Portugal faced a manpower shortage and African slaves proved to be the solution to its problems. By 1460, 700 to 800 were being imported annually. Spain soon followed the example of Portugal and adopted the importation of African slaves. It was not surprising that the colonists in the New World should have thought of the African slave when they needed labor.

Homelessness and Affordable Housing in Texas

Homelessness and Affordable Housing in Texas Ethics: Texas Homeless Network Samantha Maggiani Ethics are a critical component in any profession. This is particularly true for professions rooted in health or other human services. Professional ethics are at the core of the Social Work profession and are utilized when focused attention is needed on ethical issues that arise in practice. Ethical codes provide insight on ethical norms, provide guidance for ethically informed decisions, and contribute to the strengthening of professional identity (Warren, 2014). The literature and research on professional ethics has considerably expanded in recent years and many professional training programs address ethical issues. This awareness of ethical issues is necessary in a field like social work because of the complex ethical dimensions of practice. Social Workers often serve disenfranchised or vulnerable populations taking on a variety of roles and responsibilities. The profession focuses on the client and encourages taking a person-centered, humanistic approach to services. This approac h lends itself to ethical dilemmas as practioners are involved in very personal, sometimes life changing events with their clients. Because of this, it is important that professional ethics remain at the core of the work of social workers and other human service workers. Ethics are of extreme importance to Texas Homeless Network (THN) and are a value identified in their Guiding Principles to Service. THN works to provide exemplary standards of ethical behavior and believes it is imperative to achieving its mission (THN.org, 2015). THN does not provide direct services to clients. Rather, THN works with service providers and individuals working to end homelessness in Texas. Although they do not assist clients directly, staff at THN still encounters ethical dilemmas in practice. For example, a current ethical dilemma identified in practice is related to Source of Income Protections advocacy work. In April 2014, the city of Austin amended its housing discrimination ordinance to add â€Å"lawful sources of income† as a protected class. The ordinance classifies lawful sources of income as non-employment income such as social security benefits, child support, and tenant-based rental assistance otherwise known as housing vouchers. This amendment was approved unanimously by city council and was intended to increase housing opportunities for low income families, working poor, disabled, veterans, and the elderly. Austin City Council adopted this amendment in response to the large amount of fair housing complaints and increasing economic segregation the city was experiencing. Another piece of evidence supporting the ordinance was a 2014 Austin Tenant’s Council survey that found 91 percent of private landlords across five area counties who own units within a voucher price range refused to accept Section 8 vouchers (Austin Tenants Council, 2014). This refusal to accept vouchers concentrates voucher holders in areas of high crime, high poverty, and low performing schools, thus exacerbating the problems around economic segregation and economic mobility. Immediately after the ordinance was passed, the Austin Apartment Association (AAA) filed a lawsuit claiming the ordinance â€Å"contravenes both state and federal law† demanding it be declared invalid and unenforceable. Their argument is that private property owners have the right to use it as he/she sees fit as long as overt discrimination is not involved. The AAA says that their members are not refusing to rent to Black or Hispanic applicants because of their race and therefore no discriminatio n is taking place. On February 27, 2015 Federal District Judge Sam Sparks rejected the AAA’s request for an injunction that would have blocked the implementation of the ordinance. The court ruled that the AAA failed in its â€Å"burden of demonstrating a substantial likelihood of success on the merits† of the case noting that although some burden is placed on the landlord the ordinance was advancing â€Å"an obvious legitimate government interests of ensuring low-income, minority populations have access to affordable housing.†(Sparks, 2015) The judge also ruled that â€Å"the AAA was violating the liberty to contract or not to contract†¦except as restricted by antitrust, antidiscrimination, and other statues.†(Sparks, 2015) Judge Spark’s ruling allowed the City of Austin to continue working on implementation of the fair housing ordinance but now Texas’ lawmakers are getting involved. Legislators from around the state have introduced legislation that would reverse Austin’s Source of Income protections, as well as legislation that would not allow local municipalities to enact or implement similar ordinances that are more restrictive than state law. This attempt to turn the legislature into an appellate court is in response to Austin’s fair housing ordinance and other local more controversial ordinances, such as identifying LGBTQ as a protected class for housing. The proposed legislation would restrict local governments from enacting locally driven solutions for issues such as fair and affordable housing. The topic of housing discrimination of voucher holders has many ethical concerns. On one side is the AAA and its members who claim that the American system of laws and ethics allow them to rent to whomever they choose as long as they provide safe housing for all residents. On a different side of the ethical debate is the National Association of Social Workers that posits six ethical standards that are relevant to the professional activities of all social workers, some of which are directly related to this issue. For example, an ethical dilemma that THN has identified related to housing discrimination is (1) the responsibility to our clients to promote their well-being and (2) to respect and promote their right to self-determination (NASW, 2008). For this example, a caseworker is helping his/her client obtain and secure permanent housing with the use of a housing voucher. Ideally, the client would be given the opportunity to choose where he/she wanted to live and the case worker shoul d respect that client’s right to self-determination and autonomy and diligently help the client obtain their housing of choice. If the property owner does not accept vouchers, it is then the caseworker’s responsibility to serve as a liaison between the client and property management to educate property management and build a relationship for the client. This is where the ethical dilemma arises. As the social worker in this situation, does the client’s right to autonomy and self-determination trump the landlord’s right to the same? Do we restrict those rights to our clients and no one else? What if the landlord feels disenfranchised by the ordinance from the city taking away his property rights to choose who he wants to serve? These are all questions related to ethics that social workers must pay very close attention to in a situation like the one described. The factors impacting this dilemma on a micro level relate to the client and the landlords. If a client does not get the choice to live outside of high poverty, low opportunity areas, then the likelihood of his/her progressing toward self-sufficiency and success could decrease. For the property owners, they argue that their freedom to run their business as they see fit is unnecessarily, and illegally, compromised. On a macro level, not addressing the issue and accepting apartment owner’s ability to have a â€Å"no Section 8† policy would only intensify the already dire economic segregation and goes against the social work value to challenge social injustice. Based on analysis of the consequences of not implementing an ordinance like the one in Austin, as well as the actions and other alternative options that City Council looked at prior to enacting the ordinance, the ethically responsible response is to support the ordinance and combat social injustice. This argument is strengthened by the decision of Judge Sparks. Part of his reasoning is that the real world damage or â€Å"burden† to the AAA members of abiding by the ordinance is small given the fact that the voucher holders are still paying the rents charged by the property owners. They are not suffering an economic loss at all. So the bigger loss to society would be with the AAA’s reaction to the attempt by the City of Austin to address the realities of discrimination against voucher holders since it would further discrimination and maintain the racially segregated status quo that has existed in Austin for far too long. Other cities and some whole states have enacted ordinances similar to Austin’s with many already found constitutional in respective higher courts. Possible consequences to Austin’s plan to address housing discrimination is the effect on the relationship between AAA and local housing service providers. The service community has expressed concerns with such a public fight against the group since they often work together in partnership to house people within their programs. The AAA has identified reversing Source of Income ordinance as a priority this legislative session and there have been many heated conversations during public hearings and sessions on the chamber floor. This high-profile battle could have consequences on housing placement options for providers in the near future. But source of income protections are not enough to solve economic segregation. Texas cities are facing an unprecedented lack of affordable housing. Low wages and the underfunded, often inaccessible mainstream programs such as SNAP or TANF also contribute to the issues surrounding housing affordability for a large percentage of citizens. An effort to create a local minimum wage of fifteen dollars per hour would be needed also. To prevent similar ethical dilemmas from occurring it takes concerted, strategic efforts from all stakeholders involved. Public Housing Authorities and other city entities need to work harder to outreach to property management and apartment associations to educate them on their programs. Housing providers and human service agencies must work with their clients to advocate and share experiences with lawmakers. And agencies like THN that work with both, need to make more efforts to bridge the gap between providers and consumers. The current efforts by THN during t he 84th Legislature are exemplary of this effort to combat housing discrimination and prevent homelessness for vulnerable Texans. References Austin Apartment Association vs City of Austin. U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas Austin Division. 27 Feb. 2015. Print. Austin Tenants Council. (2014). Voucher Holders Need Not Apply: ATC 2014 Study Housing Discrimination National Association of Social Workers. (2008). Code of ethics of the National Association of Social Workers. Washington, DC. NASW Press. Resources. Texas Homeless Network, Helping Communities End Homelessness. n.d. Web. 06 Apr. 2015 Warren. (2014, January 1). Ethics in Social Work: An Ethical Code for Social Work Professionals. Retrieved from http://cdn.ifsw.org/assets/Socialt_arbete_etik_08_Engelsk_LR.pdf

Alan Bennetts Monologues as Dramas :: Alan Bennett Essays Monologue

Alan Bennett's Monologues as Dramas These plays are written for TV rather than theatre and are experimental for different styles of acting with more emphasis being placed on the single actors face. This is in order to show subtle changes in expressions hopefully giving the viewer a more clear insight into the characters feelings. This is more appropriate for "A Cream Crackerà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦" as it is a moving story, which is portrayed, even more so in the subtle movement of Doris's face "Cracked the photo. We're cracked, Wilfred." Doris has cracked her wedding photo to her late husband Wilfred, the sadness being emphasized not only through her voice but through facial expressions is far more effective. It also works well in "Her Big Chance" as the falseness of Leslie comes across through her trying to be professional and the false gestures and expressions she puts into doing this. "Are you on the cans because id like some direction on this point." Here Leslie is an extra on the daytime soap Crossroads and is asking for direction on the simplest of parts, in order to suggest that she is professional so that she might get a call back. While putting this across to the viewers she uses gestures suggesting that Rex is not as professional and devoted to the job as her. In these plays there is only a single actor/actress in these cases "Leslie" and "Doris" with all the other characters seen through the eyes of the main character. This does not give us the chance to have our own opinions about the other characters but gives us the views and opinions of the main character. This is useful on both plays as although it tells us less about sub characters it tells us a lot more about "Leslie" and "Doris" and their feelings about the people around them. "I've a feeling Scott may be gay" Leslie suggests this as he is the only man, to date, involved in the film who has not attempted to take advantage of her naivety. This tells us of how she is naive and finds herself extremely attractive, as the first man who doesn't make a sexual advance towards her is labeled gay. "Zulema doesn't dust. She half-dusts." From this we learn that Doris takes pride in her home and likes it spick and span, also that she thinks she is able to live alone and does not need home help. It also tells us a bit about Zulema, that she is not fully devoted to her work as the dusting is only half done. Both actresses portray the characters very well and make them both

John Steinbecks East of Eden - A Biblical Allegory Essay -- East Eden

East of Eden: A Biblical Allegory  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In East of Eden (1952) John Steinbeck creates a powerful novel using biblical allegories. By doing this, he can deliver a clear message by describing something unfamiliar to his audience and comparing it to something more familiar. Set in modern times, East of Eden retells the famous story of the downfall of Adam and Eve, and the jealous rivalry between Cain and Able. Steinbeck also creates many other characters throug his novel, that capture a biblical sense and help portray an image of the vast confusion of life. One character that resembles a biblical character is Cathy Ames. Throughout the entirety of the novel, her character portrays that of a monstrous almost inhuman creature. "... just as there are physical monsters, can there not be mental or psychic monsters born? The face and body may be perfect, but if a twisted gene or malformed egg can produce malformed soul? To a criminal, honesty is foolish. You must not forget that a monster is only a variation, and that to a monster the norm is monstrous" (72). These abilities Cathy possessed allowed her to manipulate and control nearly everyone. Her inborn talent enabled her to repress normal emotions of love and thus posses many devil like characteristics. One being the manipulation of sex. In the second half of the story Cathy has married and unintentionally bears the lives of her two unborn sons. Before arriving in their destination of King City, Cathy deviously attempts to abort the lives within her. "He [Dr. Tilson] looked around the room . He stepped to the bureau and picked up a knitting needle. He shook it in her face. 'The old offender - the old criminal. You're a fool. You've nearly killed yourself and you haven't lost y... ...ch children can spend a lifetime trying to decipher the expressions of their love. Sometime later Adam becomes deathly ill. While on his death bed Lee pleads with Adam to forgive Caleb and bless him. "'Don't crush him with your rejection. Give him your blessing! ... That's all a man has over the beasts. Free him! Bless him!" (602). Slowly and with much effort Adam raises his right hand, displaying his act of blessing on Caleb. Like all strong allegories, East of Eden draws one into a world of fictious characters that seem to take on a life of familiarity. The bible, which Steinbeck has chosen to build his novel on, is a book that interests itself not in causes, but in actions and their consequences. By creating biblical allegories, Steinbeck gives a new meaning to an old chapter. Works Cited: Steinbeck, John. East of Eden. Penguin Books USA Inc. (1992).   

Music in the Age of Romanticism :: Arts

Music in the Age of Romanticism In the 19th century the world experienced many dramatic changes related to politics, economics and culture. Music would never be the same after this period. During these years musicians, influenced by the Romantic movement in literature, neglected the formalism and aims of Classicism (Bohle p1861), and developed Musical Romanticism as a way to express their feelings free of traditional musical structures. The term "Romanticism represents the period of the apparent domination of the instinct over reason, of imagination over form, heart over head" (Sadie p141). The Romantic movement was foreshadowed by Bach, but Beethoven was the one who brought it into being in early 19th century (Bohle p 1862). Music in this period was characterized by personal and individual style with more subjectivity. (Miller p197). During this period composers tried to express themselves freely. There were notable extremes and contrasts in their styles of composition. For instance, their preferred media were piano accompaniment, operas and symphony orchestra. In the same way, their music was composed for two kinds of audiences: one in the big concert halls, and an other in intimate salon; and the length of the compositions extended from short pieces to big symphonies. Also the dynamic of the music was very variable using loud and soft levels. In addition, musicians developed a nationalist style using folklore as subject for operas, sometimes borrowing folklore from other countries (Miller, 1973 p134-135). Among the major composers of this period are: Beethoven, Von Weber, Schubert, Schumann, Chopin, Brahms, Rachmaninoff and others. Even though Romanticism and Classicism are classified as opposites they are deeply related. Even in Classicism's excessive use of structures and formalisms, composers of this period also expressed their feelings through music. On the other hand, Romantic composers had to use some basic structures from Classicism needed to write music. However, the Romantic era was a period in music when musicians had more freedom to use different forms to compose music expressing their individualism and nationalism.

Acceptance Speech †Martin Luther King Essay

Acceptance Speech Martin Luther King was an African American activist and leader who dedicated his life to fighting for equal rights for coloured people in America. Grown up in a Baptist family, Christianity held a huge fascination for Martin Luther King, which is often reflected in his speeches. In 1964, he received the Nobel Peace Prize for his achievements in the struggle for equality and independence for coloured people. When receiving the award, Martin Luther King expresses his appreciation by a speech in Oslo. This speech is slightly different to his other speeches such as â€Å"I have a dream† or â€Å"Eulogy† as he uses less metaphors and alliterations and not only focuses on racial discrimination in the United States of America. He uses high vocabulary, as he speaks to a highly educated non-American audience in a humble tone. Martin Luther King begins his speech with the words: â€Å"The tortuous road which has led from Montgomery to Alabama to Oslo†¦ This can be classified as a metaphor, as â€Å"tortuous road† emphasizes that Negros had to suffer humiliation, exploitation and oppression for many years. But this â€Å"road† gave new hope to the people in the United States, as it is said in the speech: â€Å"This road has opened for all Americans a new era of progress and hope. † This is an extended metaphor that appears throughout the whole paragraph, as he goes on with:† a superhighway of injustice†. These words show that the civil rights movement can’t be stopped anymore and will finally bring justice for Negros. Throughout the speech many alliteration occur such as:†faith in the future† or â€Å"bright daybreak of peace and brotherhood†. These examples show that alliterations point attention to the sentence and help to fix the reader’s mind. It then goes on with the simile: â€Å"Man is more flotsam and jetsam in the river of life†. By these words Martin Luther King wants to emphasize that it is possible for everybody to change something in the world, despite the fact that people do not have the same opinion. Later he says:† I refuse to accept the view that mankind is so tragically bound to Starless midnight of racism and war that the bright daybreak of peace and brotherhood can never become a reality†. By metaphor â€Å"starless midnight of racism† Martin Luther King wants to indicate was considerate to something unsolvable or unchangeable. By the words â€Å"bright daybreak of peace and brotherhood†, he which is also a metaphor, he emphasizes thatpeace and brotherhood will finally be achieved. However, hese metaphor are very effective as they make the abstract or unknown concrete but it also enlivens the reader’s imagination. This sentence can also closely be classified as a balanced sentence, as Martin Luther King tells us what to do and what not to do. However, this helps to persuade the audience so stand up for their rights. Throughout the speech many anaphoras occur such as â€Å"I refuse to accept† or â€Å"I believe that†. This rhetor ical device emphasizes Martin Luther King’s aim for equal rights all over the world. Later on it says: â€Å"I refuse to accept the idea that the ‘is-ness’ of man’s present nature makes him morally incapable of reaching up for the eternal ‘ought-ness’ that forever confronts him. † Martin Luther King had a vision for how things ought to be. He shows us to refuse to accept things for how they are, and instead strive to find the solution for how they ought to be. Martin Luther King will always remain one of the most influential and greatest freedom fighters in the world. Though his commitment and persuasion, he achieved a lot for Afro American people in the USA.

How an organisation communicates Essay

Introduction The aim of this assignment is to relate how an organisation communicates its core values and mission to the public, shareholders and employees. This is an objective that can easily get overlooked in the rush to master environmental analysis, strategic choice and outsourcing decisions. However it is important in practice and it is a challenge that many organisations take very seriously. Setting of organisational objectives is the starting point of managerial actions. An organisation’s end results for which an organisation strives is termed as mission, purpose, objective, goal, target etc. Many times, these terms are used interchangeably as all these denote end results. This unit is about providing direction to people in the organisation and enabling, inspiring, motivating and supporting them to achieve what the organisation has set out to do. It is expected to apply different styles of leadership appropriate to different people and situations. For the purposes of this unit, an organisation can mean a self-contained entity such as a private sector company, a charity or a local authority, or a significant operating unit, with a relative degree of autonomy, within a larger organisation. Task 1 Relate the organisation’s purpose, values and vision to people across the organisation (1.1, 1.2, and 1.3) An organisation’s mission is its basic purpose: e.g., what is it for? Why does it exist? A mission statement formalises the organization’s mission by writing it down. Johnson Scholes and Whittington define a mission statement as ‘a statement of overriding direction and purpose of an organisation’. Some companies refer to ‘vision statements’ instead of mission statements. Below is an example of Tesco’s mission statements; Tesco (a UK supermarket chain) their vision is to be the most highly valued by its customers. Their core purpose is to create value for customers to  earn their life time loyalty. This objective sits right at the heart of their business as one part of their values – ‘No one tries harder for customers.’ For Tesco to be considered a force for good, they must be a good neighbour and a responsible member of society. They know that if they look after their staff, they will look after their customers. Work can be a large part of their lives so people deserve an employer who cares. That’s why one of their values is ‘Treat people how we like to be treated’. They are committed to providing opportunities for their people to get on and turn their jobs into careers and across all of their markets they offer a wide range of competitive benefits. According to Michael Hyatt, the author of the New York Times bestseller, Platform; Get noticed in a Noisy World, it is crucial to translate the core values into behaviours that are easy to understand by your employees. He has identified 6 ways to communicate the core values to every member of the organisation. Living the values; leading by example is the best communication tool any leader possesses. A survey conducted by Deloitte has found that 70% of the employees who agree that their companies had performed well financially said their executive management team speaks to them often about the core values associated with the culture of the company.  Hiring new people based on values; recruiting people who already have values that are in alignment with the company’s core values. You can always easily train a person on how to do the job, but it becomes much harder to train a person to have the same values as your organisation.  Reviewing people based on values; incorporating core values as part of performance management process. Reviewing people based on values is interrelated with rewarding people for demonstrating the values.  Business objectives are the ends that an organisation sets out to achieve. A business creates business plans to enable it to achieve these ends – thus plans are the means to the ends. The objectives and plans that an organisation creates are determined by balancing the requirements of the various stakeholders in the organisation. The stakeholders are those individuals and groups that are affected by and have interest in how the business is run and it achieves. Every business has a range of stakeholders including: The  objectives that a company establishes are based on blending the various interests of these stakeholder groupings.  For example; an objective to be the market leader, will benefit all stakeholders because customers will receive high quality products, shareholders will receive high dividends, and employees will receive good wages and so on. Organisations create a hierarchy of objectives. At the top level, an organisation will often create a ‘mission’ setting out the purpose of the organisation. This will be followed by a set of objectives relating to such aspects as: Objectives about employee satisfaction Objectives about cutting pollution Objectives about customer satisfaction Objectives about market share Objectives about return to shareholders.  A business plan will then enable an organisation to achieve its objectives. The business plan must be set within a time frame and set out how the organisation and the various components of the organisation will work towards meeting required objectives. Responsibilities for delivering various parts of the plan will be allocated to key individuals and performance targets will be established which enabled the plan to be delivered. The business will create a series of polices, programmes and budgets to enable it to achieve planned targets. It is also essential from the outset to clarify how the plan will be evaluated on an ongoing basis. (businesscasestudies.co.uk) Motivation in Virgin Media, the word motivation could be defined as the driving force behind actions and behaviour. It leads individuals to take action to achieve a goal or to fulfil a need or expectation. Understanding what motivates employees at work ensures that a business not only has employees that have the knowledge, skill and ability to do the job, but who are also committed to achieve a high standard of work. There are much positive behaviour that indicates employees are motivated including taking responsibilities, helping colleagues, a commitment to achieving company targets and goals as well as interest and concern of the business. Virgin Media recognises that reward is one of the many motivating factors for a lot of its people and offers competitive salaries. It also offers bonus schemes such as it’sASPIRE field  pay and reward scheme. The scheme rewards every Net Promoter Score (NPS) of 9 or 10 with  £10. However, as a forward thinking business, it understands the importance of different motivational factors. It offers additional benefits including private health care, life assurance, company pension scheme and staff saving scheme. The opportunity to progress within the organisation is also an important factor. All virgin media technicians are managed through the ‘Your Story Framework’ for career progression. This includes regular meetings to discuss performance, review progress against set objectives to enable progression within the company. (businesscasestudies.co.uk) One theorist whose studies became influential is Elton Mayo. Mayo’s research concluded that motivating factors include recognition, a sense of belonging and involvement as well as social aspects of the workplace. In 1943, Abraham Maslow published his theory of a hierarchy of needs. Maslow identified that as individuals, we have five set of needs. At the first level, basic needs are those of food, water, warmth and shelter with wages that meet those needs. Safety needs include protection from danger, for example; health and safety at work as well as job security. Social needs include a sense of belonging in work teams. He identified esteem needs as those of self-confidence, feeling useful and needed by other people. Maslow proposed that having satisfied all the lower needs an individual would then be able to realise their own potential for self-actualisation. (businesscasestudies.co.uk) Task 2 Explain the skills necessary to provide support and advice to people during periods of setbacks and change. (2.1 and 2.2) Change is something that happens in businesses all of the time. Change can occur in an organisation’s internal or external environment. As a result, this process of change is constant. Effective managers are proactive in creating solutions to improve the organisations performance. They must then manage employees through the change process. Managers have to plan and drive change initiatives. This involves managing the change process and making it part of an organisations strategy. Strategies a business achieve its aims and objectives. This helps businesses to develop in a more focused way to the environment in which it operates, whilst facing new challenges with more certainty.  Organisations  require skilled and well qualified managers and leaders to drive change initiatives and effectively manage employees through the process. (businesscasestudies.co.uk) When business is booming, employee morale usually soars. It seems like everyone’s getting bonuses, hiring assistants and basking in the company’s success. But when bad news rolls in, the collective mood of employees can plummet. This can happen when the firm looses a big account, suffers a severe downturn or experiences regulatory of legal setbacks. Employees will then look to managers for guidance and reassurance. During trying times, the manager becomes more than the business owner. They must lead employees by setting an inspiring example. When managers’exhibit strength in the face of adversity, they assure the troops that they are able to steer the company through a rough patch and prevent it from sustaining lasting image. Managers must delegate freely to manage a fast-growth business. But boosting employees’ morale during tough times is one job no one can pass off. (Democratic Leadership style) Managers should make themselves visible when setback occurs. They should start attending staff meetings they normally skipped. Help clerks do filing, answer the phone alongside customer service representatives or relieve exhausted workers on the assembly line or loading dock. By pitching in with a positive attitude, they will lift everyone’s sprit. There is no single best way to build morale in the midst of organisational setbacks. While some employees will shoulder crisis without much complaint, many others will react negatively. Managers can customise behaviour to address those employees’ personality. Here’s one morale booster that will work for all employees; see out their advice and act on it. By soliciting their suggestions and implementing as many of them as possible you make them feel like problem solvers who can exert at least some control over an unpredictable situation. This in other word will be identified as the democratic leadership style which is also known as participative leadership. It is a type of leadership style in which members of the group take a more participative role in the decision-making process. (psychology.about.com) Example; if a country zoning board imposes a steep fine on your business, ask employees for ideas on how to cut costs. Approve even modest proposals  to save office supplies; this will help employees take ownership of the crisis and work together to outlast it.(edwardlowe.org) There are different types of support and advice people may need and this could be provided in many ways.(www.invo.org.uk) Personal/Professional Development; to review people’s progress and performance and provide positive feedback and encouragement and/or to see if they need any additional pointers to further develop their skills. For example, members of the public who take on research roles such as peer interviewing, may need feedback and guidance when they first put their skills into practice. Practical Support; to help people to familiarise themselves with a new research environment, for example, all research team members might need help with finding their way around a new location or building. Members of the public may need support with meeting their practical needs, such as payment of fees and expenses, making travel arrangements, parking, and assessing childcare. Emotional/Psychological Support; to help people to cope with any distress that arises as a direct consequence of being involved in research, for example, if they become upset after discussing a sensitive or emotional topic, or from hearing about other people’s bad experiences, or from returning to an environment that has been traumatic in the past. Some people may also be challenged by others about the benefit of public involvement in research and may be helped by being prepared to cope with professional or criticism. Emotional/Psychological Support is often as relevant to researches as it is to involve members of the public. On-the-job-Support; to allow people to let off steam or raise any concerns after a difficult meeting or frustrating experience. Some of these types of support can be provided through informal mechanism that develops organically as colleagues start to work together and form a team. Others may be better provided through a more formal approach that will need to be properly resourced. Communicate with Customers and Employees; do not be reluctant to confront bad news. Develop a strategy to disseminate information. It may not be customers you need to talk to, but suppliers and vendors. Managers also have to engage their employees. Listen to staff and address any specific challenges they face. ‘Keep them up to par with what is going on; even you don’t have all of the answers’. Conduct overall cost Analysis; as a manager, look at where you can reduce overhead. Negotiate with suppliers for a better price, find ways to save money. If the company has a bunch of products that doesn’t sell, cut back on inventory. ‘Companies think that because headcount is the biggest line, item on their budget then that is where they should cut costs. Getting rid of employees is the easiest strategy but it might not be the right one’. ‘Layoffs are generally a reaction versus a well thought out strategy. As a manager, you don’t want to cut so deep it hurts the company’. Empower Employees; find ways to increase moral and empower employees to be the best that they can be, their inputs and opinions should be valued. ‘Happy employees, take care of customers’. Employees are an important asset because they are in direct communication with customers. Motivated employees attract more satisfied customers which in turn, lead to increased profits’. Embrace Change; ‘Most people are not good at taking risks when they are threatened, we have a tendency to react by fright or flight’ says James.By becoming too defensive, it could reduce chances which could lead out a set of crisis situations. When face with a company setback, it is necessary to stay positive; look at what is working, be proactive, find new growth opportunities, preserve-hang in there and ride out the storm. (www.inc.com) Task 3 Analyse the need for integrity, fairness and consistency in managerial  decision making. (3.1, 3.2, 3.3 and3.4) Decision-making is a crucial part of good business. It is good information and experience in interpreting information. Decision-making increasingly happens at all levels of a business. The board of directors may make the grand strategic decisions about investment and direction of future growth (www.tutor2u.net) Often, association leaders must make decisions that members do not agree with but maybe greatly affected by. Members may feel they have little to say over the actions implemented by their leaders. Association staff members are often charged with implementing decisions made by leadership, including communicating the decisions to members and helping members understand that the decision will ultimately result in good. Recently, the Interior Design Educators Council (IDEC) leadership increased annual membership dues. This change alone would help to fund the association better and also provide new opportunities and means for future development. This single alteration has expanded the parameters of this organisation dramatically. They are now considering additional functions, retreats, scholarships programs and resources etc.  It is no secret that economic times are difficult, we find ourselves suddenly in a world of hopeful get-rich-quick strategies, and ‘’extreme couponing’’ champions. Asking people to give more when they have less is not a decision that is considered to be popular. Although the actions and decisions of our leaders are sometimes confusing to others, we must have confidence in the leadership in place, and in the decisions that they make more times than not, members voted them into the position of leadership. (www.raybourn.com, 2012) I think that for unpopular decisions, the more personal the communications method, the better. The scale and geographic spread of an organisation will have a big influence, but the nearer one get to a face to face communication, the better. So, phone is better than email. Video conference is better than phone, in person is better than video conference.  It is useful to think about unpopular decisions from the point of view of the decision itself (unpopular outcome) the process of coming up with the decision (fair process), and the opportunity to deal with the consequences of the decision (work grounds).(www.changingorganisations.com) Different types of communication styles could be used to communicate difficult and unpopular decisions. In business world, communication is necessary for conducting business in an  efficient manner. Any business involves two types of communication; external communication that is directed to the actors in the business environment, and internal communication or organisational communication that is directed to employees. In addition, it is not possible to imagine organisational communication without conflicts. Conflicts are normal in any organisation, because people have different opinions. People communicate their thoughts, idea, knowledge and fears differently in conflicts situations. Managers and team members should know and understand these different styles of communications to avert conflicts. Oral communication is one common form of internal communication for example, in a group or one to one meeting. Nowadays, electronic communication is growing in importance. This can involve written communication, such as an email, text or tweet or oral communication via video conferencing. Intranet; enterprise has recently developed a new intranet system called ‘the hub’ this replaced a purely information based system. It enables input from employees at enterprise’s locations across Western Europe and North America. This channel of communication supports enterprise’s core values. When the outcome of a decision is not known with certainty, a manager faces a decision-making problem under either conditions of risks or conditions of uncertainty. A decision is made under risk when a manager can make a list of all possible outcomes associated with a decision and assign a probability of occurrence to each one of the outcomes. The process of assigning probabilities to outcomes sometimes involves rather sophisticated analysis base on the manager’s extensive experience in similar situations or on other data. An example of a decision made under risk might be the following; a manager decides to spend  £1000 on a magazine ad believing there are three possible outcomes for the ad, 20 percent chance the ad will have only a small effect on sales, a 60 percent chance of a moderate effect and a 20 percent chance of a very large effect. This decision is made under risk because the manager can list each potential outcome and determine the probability of each outcome occurring. Accommodation Style; people prefer to keep their emotions in control and to speak indirectly, using metaphors or other techniques to prevent a conflict from escalating and damaging the relationship. Discussion Style; most managers’ keep their emotions controlled but try to speak clearly and accurately about their disagreements  to the other person. Engagement Style; people in this group are more comfortable with feelings and express them openly. They try to be direct about what their concerns are and are often passionate in their conversations.(psychosocial.actalliance.org) There is no normal style of communication. It simply varies between people and cultures. Communication styles can vary between people in an organisation. As we work with people from different communities and countries, it can be expected we will meet people whose communication styles may differ from our own. It is therefore, important to clear up misunderstandings and misinterpretations early on and to be open to different styles of communications. In contrast to risk, uncertainty exists when a decision maker cannot list all possible outcomes and cannot assign probabilities to the various outcomes. When faced with uncertainty, a manager would know only the different decision option available and the different possible states of nature. The states of nature are the events or conditions that can influence the final outcome or payoff of a decision but cannot be controlled or affected by the manager.  My suggestion is to use the following as a starting point; Summarise the issues relating to the decision Outline the process you went through to arrive at the decision Say what the problem is   Provide opportunity for people to tell you the implications of the decisions from their perspective Ask them to identify possible action or solutions in response to the implications they raise.  Conclusion It is more powerful if top senior managers and directors in every work place get to their people (employees) before the decision is finalised, they need to tell workers what they are contemplating and ask them what the implications are from their own perspective. (Don’t assume you know what their perspective is, even if you know them well and used to do their job yourself). You can then problem solve with them about how to alleviate the negative implications they have identified. And you never know, they might identify some positive implications or opportunities the organisation has not thought of. Bibliography (n.d.). Retrieved March 4th, 2014, from businesscasestudies.co.uk: http://businesscasestudies.co.uk/business-theory/strategy/business-objectives-planning-and-stakeholders.html#axzz2v2QsaooB (n.d.). Retrieved March 4th, 2014, from businesscasestudies.co.uk: http://businesscasestudies.co.uk/teacher-resources/#axzz2v2QsaooB (n.d.). (K. Cherry, Producer) Retrieved March 5th, 2014, from psychology.about.com: http://psychology.about.com/od/leadership/f/democratic-leadership.htm (n.d.). Retrieved March 5th, 2014, from edwardlowe.org: http://edwardlowe.org/digital-library/maintaining-employee-morale-during-setbacks/ (n.d.). Retrieved March 6th, 2014, from www.invo.org.uk: http://www.invo.org.uk/different-types-of-support/ (n.d.). (R. Bowett, Producer) Retrieved March 7th, 2014, from www.tutor2u.net: http://tutor2u.net/business/organisation/decisionmaking.htm (n.d.). (C. M. Brown, Producer) Retrieved March 8th, 2014, from www.inc.com: http://www.inc.com/guides/2010/10/7-tips-for-dealing-with-a-company-setback.html (Ducham)

Procedures in Making the Soap Out of Pineapple Peel Essay

Last month, I and my group decided to pick â€Å"Pineapple skin extract as soap† as our I.P title yet we are unaware of the things that might come our way. We are planning to conduct an experiment tomorrow using the procedures that we guess will work.We have separate procedures for our ingredients: For our pineapple skin extract 1)Cut the pineapple skin into one-inch squares with a sharp knife. 2)Put the pineapple skins in a pot. Add water until the skins are barely covered. 3)Cover the pot with a lid and put it on the stove at medium-high heat. Allow the water to boil for 20 minutes. 4)Remove the pot from the stove. Strain the mixture through a strainer. Discard the skins and put the liquid in a clean container. 5)Cover the container and keep it in the refrigerator. For our lye 1. Get the ingredients and equipments ready: You would need the following things to try your hand at making lye: two plastic buckets (a small one and a large one ? The small one should fit into the large one in such a way that liquid from the small one drips slowly into the large one); some fresh ash from burning hard wood (you can even burn some hard wood to get this); gallons of rain water and a handful of straw. Now to the step-by-step process: 2. Make a few holes in the small bucket. Better if the holes are tiny enough to allow only liquid stuff through. Check after you make holes by pouring some water through the bucket. 3. Now set the small bucket inside the large bucket. See to it that there is some space between the base of the small bucket and the large one. This is important as liquid should drip through holes drop by drop and not smudge the bottom of the small bucket. 4. Place the straw you have inside the small bucket and hide the holes with the straw. Lye water, when formed, will seep through the holes only through the straw. This would prevent other hard blocks of wood or ash from collecting directly into the large bucket. 5. Now place the wood ash above the straw and pour cold water over it. Ensure that the ash is above the straw and not directly near the holes. The straw base will act as a filter and prevent wood ash from flowing down with water. 6. As you pour the water slowly, you will see liquid lye dripping through the holes in the small bucket and getting collected in the large bucket. 7. Once all the water is poured onto ash, repeat the process with the liquid collected in the large bucket. Pour the collected lye solution onto the wood ash (above the straw) once again. Repeat and recycle the lye solution at least three times. This is done to concentrate the lye solution. 8. After repeating the process, you can collect the lye solution from the large bucket and store it in another plastic or wooden container and use it in soap making. Avoid metal utensils as it can result in increase in temperature of lye. 9. Before storing lye, test its strength. In olden days, people tested lye with fresh egg. If a fresh egg floats near the surface of the solution with a little lye water above it, your lye is of right strength. If the same egg drowned, your lye lacks strength. If the egg floated above the solution, then it is too strong. 10. If your lye lacks strength, add more wood ash and repeat the process with the same solution. If it is too strong, add water and check the strength with the egg again. You can keep adding water till you are certain that your lye is of the appropriate strength.

Economics of the movie business Essay

Most of the movies that are eventually released are cofinanced. This is a term that is used within the movie industry to describe those films for which there are more than one firm that share both the cost of production as well as the revenues. Nearly one-third of all the movies that are released are cofinanced. Various studies have shown that the main reason for cofinancing is to manage and share risk. Most of the major studios are in the category of publicly traded firms where the investors are free to carry out their own diversification decisions. Not always is the cofinancing decision related to the movie returns as the studios rarely cofinance highly risky films1. Demand is difficult to predict and thus financial risk remains to be a characteristic of the film industry since most of the cost is incurred long before the demand can be actualized. It’s thus the reason that most of the authors in this field have argued that the key variable that shapes the industry is the financing strategy adopted. Mainly, there are three ways in which cofinancing would reduce risk associated with the movie production. First, the cofinancing of the relatively risky films by the studios would give them the opportunity to participate in the less risky projects. Second, cofinancing would allow studios to fine tune their portfolios thus gaining the advantage of covariances of the gains across the movies. The third advantage of cofinancing is the simple law of large numbers to share a potential loss . Data collection The data to be used here in this paper is the information provided forth in Goettler, R. L and Leslie, P. (2004) where information on over 3,826 movies was exhibited in the US between 1987 to 2000. The primary source of the data was the Internet Movie Database (IMDb). The analysis focused mainly on ownership choices of the major studios. Out of the 3,826 movies examined, 1,305 were produced by the major studios. The analysis here focuses on ownership choices that have been made by the major studios. Movie profitability has been based on the return on investment, RIO, which is defined as the revenue divided by the cost. Revenue in this case was measured as the North America box office revenue and cost was obtained from the production budget. Film’s negative cost, which is the standard measure of production cost was also used. Other cost such as advertising are in most cases proportional to the cost of production and were thus not evaluated in this kind of study. Thus the ROI evaluated here was basically the relative profitability of the films but not the absolute profitability. Also the measure of revenues in this study excluded some revenues such as foreign box and video revenue. It would be ideal to use all the revenue sources but the approach would have limited the number of films in the analysis as most of this kind of data is only available only to a subset of films. At the same time limiting the analysis only to the films with this kind of extra data may introduce selection bias as most of this data maybe limited to the successful films only1. Identification of cofinanced films The listing of a production company is the first sign that there are cofinancing partners but this is not a sufficient condition. The most important criteria is to know if a firm contributes towards the production cost. Its worth to note that a firm can be credited for having contributed into the production company of a film after initiating then selling the project to a major studio even without retaining revenue shares. This kind of arrangement referred to as â€Å"first-look deal† is common between a semi-independent production company and a studio in a long-term relationship. The criteria used here in determining if a film is cofinanced is that first if a major studio is on the list of the production company for a certain film, then the assumption is that the studio has some ownership stake in the film. Second, Variety magazine was a source of those firms with the first-look deals from the â€Å"Facts on Pacts† list and those that are equity partners. The assumption here was that a firm was a joint owner if it was on the production company list and also on the equity partner2. For those movie that an independent firm and a major studio cofinanced, the question of whether either of these two had the option of being sole-owner remains. In simple term, one may also question which among the two firms initiated the entire project? The available information suggest that the studio usually has the mandate to decide if it will co-own or just be a sole-owner. This kind of decision called â€Å"greenlighting† is usually made during decision point of whether to make the movie or not. Complications do arise like when two companies have the same subsidiary structure such as having the same parent company and at the same time end up owning the same movie. In such cases, it was assumed that the movie was not cofinanced since the production divisions happen to work as integrated components of the parent studio rather than as being competitors. Another point of ownership ignored was the cases where the directors or the star actors negotiate a part of the movie revenues. This was so because most of this happens as a result of the directors/actors strong bargaining power to have a share of the revenue once the movie is successful rather than a strong will to share and manage risk.

Three different artists as examples Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Three different artists as examples - Essay Example This is to mean that a piece of art is able to penetrate to the heart and soul. The attainment capacity to which these thoughts and feelings can reach cannot measure, as it tends to vary within individuals. The sinking of the message in an art form is of a silent nature where understanding is in-born. In essence, art is an artist’s ideas conveyed in a standard medium that establishes ripples in the mind of the viewer or to the one set to enjoy the piece of art. In the twentieth century, art evolved in the minds and hearts of many in a manner related to intriguing fashion concepts. Therefore, there was a rise in the making of sculptures, wall paintings, murals, and canvas paintings that depicted advanced beauty and sophistication. Subsequently, it emerges that all art forms have the immeasurable capacity to modify and influence the creative power within an individual. Art wise, change in the twentieth century was the adoption of modernism as a way of artists expressing themselv es. The innovations made during this period majorly influenced many artists that led this in to being the subject of their artworks. Moreover, cubism had also found its way in to the artistic expressions of that time. This form of art involved the use of ovoid shapes and many colors on oil and canvas to bring out beautiful paintings. On the other hand, modernism was an art form in which the traditional art forms had paved way for developed and modernized aspects of art. They ventured in the use of new mediums of displaying art and fresh ideas about the functions of art. For instance, the artists responsible for the revolution of art in the beginning of the twentieth century include Henri Matisse, Pablo Picasso, and Raoul Dufy. In addition, the twentieth century witnessed the birth of fauvism that involved the use of many colors, impressive landscape figures to create expressions, and figured paintings to depict the actual scenario. These various growths in the art world were effecti ve in the development of art in to the forms visible today. On the other hand, the artist reception of these new ideas was overwhelming as most of them blended them perfectly in to their operations. As a result, they gave birth to impressions used in the explaining of the history of a nation. Ideally, these artworks portrayed the economic and cultural status of the people that existed in the time of their making. They documented history. In this regard, the objective of this paper will be to explain the valuable role of artists in contemporary life and society in general. Additionally, it will highlight three artists and three artworks then give their relevance in the art world. This will be through arguments, quotes, examples, and documented evidence to support as to why their roles were significant. Ways in which art plays a valuable role in modern life and society Family of Saltimbanques, 1905, oil on canvas by Pablo Picasso In Picasso’s Family of Saltimbanques oil on canv as painting, the theme is on entertainment as the painted family is that of those who work in a circus. The different characters depict the state in which the family finds itself in. As much as the family tends to make a living through its work, there is also loneliness portrayed in the way the woman sits in solicitude (Fichner-Rathus 81). Picasso pulled her away from the group to emphasize on how lonely she gets. The circus figures stand silent within the picture to show the technique of

Comparative study of two large corporates Essay

Comparative study of two large corporates - Essay Example ciples which trigger corporate finance are the dividend, financing, and investment principles, as well as the goal of company value maximisation which form the main part of the corporate financial hypothesis (Sundaram and Andrew 350-363). Most of the companies are hold by the shareholders and inside the companies are managers, whose primary goal is to increase the wealth of shareholder and also to foster the progress of the share value. Therefore, the objective of company or the financial management is to constantly strive to increase the wealth of shareholder through dynamic and productive efficiency (Alpaslan 41-50). Another goal of financial management is to benefit the society because consumer and employees are part of the society (Ehrhardt and Brigham 10-11). It is the biggest aerospace company of the world and the top manufacturer of military aircraft and commercial jetliners combined. Boeing Company manufactures and designs rotocraft, missiles, defence and electronic system, satellites, as well as launch advanced information and vehicles and also the communications systems. It is a main service supplier to NASA and also a main contractor for Global Space Station (â€Å"About Us†). It offers various commercial and military airline services. Boeing Company offers support service and products to large group of customers in almost 150 countries. It is also one of the leading U.S. exporters and has a tradition of innovation and aerospace leadership. The company expanded their services and product line in order to meet the rising customer needs. Their wide range of abilities include incorporating military platforms warfighter and the defence system through the network –centric processes; creating more efficient, new members of their airplane family; arranging funding solutions for their customers; and creating highly developed technology solutions which reach across various business units. Having it’s headquarter in Chicago, the company employs over

The Portinari Altarpiece Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

The Portinari Altarpiece - Essay Example There are various subjects in the painting as on the left is Tommaso Partinari, Saint Thomas, and Anthony Abbot, while the two sons of Tomasso, Pigello, and Antonio are kneeling down. The right panel holds the images of Maria Maddalena Portinari, the wife of Tomasso and their eldest child, Margherita and alongside them is Saint Margaret of Antioch and Mary Magdalene. At the center of the art piece, Jesus is laying on the ground while shepherds and angels are kneeling before Him (Levy, Macy & Van, 2012). At the center of the art piece, there are various objects and elements with symbolic importance as well as emblematic figures. The central panel represents the Adoration of Christ as it depicts Mary in a deep prayer showing her acceptance of what her child will persevere as the savior of humanity. Consequently, the Holy Family is revealed in Bethlehem in a manger with shepherds, animals, and angels as Baby Jesus lies on the ground surrounded by an array of golden light. In the foreground, there are two urns of flowers and wheat that represent the Passion and Eucharist (Ridderbos, Hagopian, & McCormick, 2005). The wheat represents the Last Supper where Jesus severed the bread. The white lilies characterizing the smaller vase embody the immaculate and purity conception of Christ while the orange ones represent Christ’s â€Å"Passion† in his later life. Consequently, the second vase holds columbine and purple flowers that correspond to the â€Å"Seven Sorrows of the Virg in.† In the backdrop of the left pane, Joseph and pregnant Mary are seen escaping to Egypt, while the background in central panel; angels visit the Shepherds and on the right, the Three Magi are on their way to Bethlehem (Kleiner, 2012).

Media Log 4 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Media Log 4 - Essay Example At an encounter with her therapist, she also confessed to behaving in similar manner for a very long time in her life as she has always wanted to please all people around her. Her rationale for doing this was that her own people did not understand her. Indeed, this is an exemplification of how distant modern family members are even though they may all live together in the same house. It had to take Claire going to Alex’s school to experience a similar situation where she was made to solve a mathematical problem to realise how distressing it could be for anyone to be put under pressure or put him or herself under pressure with the goal be pleasing others. From the episode, one is forced to ask if members of today’s modern family really live independent lives. This is because if Alex had learnt the act of living independently, she would not have probably worried herself about the need to put herself under pressure to please others. But then there the real issue could be t hat the family expects so much from its