Morality Essay Essay

In 1994 Kevin Carter won the Pulitzer Prize for Photography thanks to a photograph that he took in the village of Ayod in Sudan of a child crawling towards a feeding center. Whether it was morally right for him to have captured that moment instead of helping the child is a debate with many people. Some people believe that it was right because it helped stop the famine in Africa, others believe it was wrong because he did not aid the child after taking the picture. It is understood that there was thousands of refugees walking and crawling towards the food center, so was he suppose to help everyone or just that child? In philosophy class we have been talking about Morality in Kant’s point of view which is the Categorical Imperative and also about the Morality point of view based on Consequentialism. I believe that it was not morally permissible for Kevin Carter to leave the child because of Kant’s point of view on Morality, and that he should have not won the Pulitzer Prize for Photography based on this photo and I will explain why in this essay. According to Kant we should base morality on the Universal Law which means we should universalize our actions. This law is the same as the Golden Rule; Treat others the way you want to be treated. What Kant established basically was that we should respect all persons morally equal. The Consequentialism point of view on morality on the other hand is that we should base it on the principle of utilitarianism which means that for an action to be moral it must produce â€Å"The Greatest amount of Good for the Greatest amount of people†. Even though I agree with the consquentialism point of view on morality I do not agree with it this time. Why? Because I believe that at all times we should treat others the way we want to be treated and that all humans are equal. This is why when answering our question I based my answer on Kant’s point of view based on morality. I believe that it was not morally permissible for Kevin Carter to leave the child after he took the picture. First of all I believe that Kevin should have not taken the picture period, he should have right away went to aid the child. Like Kant said we should treat others the way we want to be treated, if Carter was in a position like that he would have not liked to be left there to his own luck. I understand that Carter had a professional obligation where he is only an observer not a participant, which means he was only there to observe and take pictures of the whole situation. I also understand that he was there illegally and that he did not want to get caught yet he had a personal responsibility to help the child. In passage given to us by Professor Jordan it is said that Carter was with a group of photojournalist called â€Å"the Bang-Bang Club† by a Johannesburg magazine. These people wanted to make the world aware of all the issues of injustice. There is where I believe that Carter’s personal responsibility plays role. Carter wanted the world do be aware of all the issues going around the world and for them to help. They were there because they wanted other countries all around the world to stop the famine, yet he did not help a child when it was in his hands to help that child and just left. Carter here was contradicting his believes to start with. Carter did not only just take the picture but waited several minutes for the vulture to spread his wings so he could get a more dramatic shot. Carter did not only use the child to get a picture but waited patiently to get a better picture instead of scaring the vulture right away from the child and helping him or her. There were more pictures that could have impacted us, and I am sure that if he looked around he would have found this is why I do not believe he should have taken the picture. I do not believe that he should have won the Pulitzer Prize for Photography based on that photo. I think that it was wrong to win a prize by using other people. Carter used the child and did not even aid the child. Considering that I believe that it was wrong for Carter to have even taken that picture I strongly do not believe that he should have won that prize. Carter could have used any other photograph to get his point across yet he decided to use that one and take his sweet time to take it anyways, he used the child and did not help her. I honestly do no believe that he should have one that prize. In Conclusion I believe that Carter should have not used the child to take that picture, and he shouldn’t have won the prize. I believe that Carter had the responsibility to help the child because he saw the child suffering and in danger of getting attacked by the vulture. Given the fact that he was the only one there he had the responsibility to help the child. We should do unto others what we would like to be done to us. If I was in that child’s position I would have liked to be helped like I am sure Carter would have too. I think that if Carter would have helped the child he would have not been depressed and committer suicide because he would have known he did something good by helping the child. Like I said before I am pretty sure he could have chosen another photograph to get his point across to have people help stop the famine. Besides he wanted people to help yet it was in his reach to help this child and he did not? He was going against his own believes in my opinion. I believe that it was morally wrong for Carter to not help the child get to the food bank or at least a safer place, closer to were that child could get the help needed.

Culture and Diversity in Decision Making Essay

The definition of the mission and goals of the enterprise is the foundation for any business. Mission – is the answer to the question, what is the activity of the company is and what it intends to do. Procter & Gamble has a pretty clear statement: â€Å"We are there to improve your life† After the mission, the organization needs to define the purpose. In this case, the goal – to produce goods and services of the highest quality and customer value that improve the lives of today’s and future generations around the world. Consumers help to take a leading position in terms of sales, to ensure the prosperity of the business that contributes to the well-being of employees and shareholders, as well as those areas where employees live and work. The goal unites workers for the common cause of the growth strategy. It has great potential due to a simple idea to improve on daily lives of consumers around the world. It is this setting allows P ; G to achieve maximum f ull growth. So, from the above we can highlight the important goals of the company: A. Providing quality products, customer focus; B. Creating a stable, growing company. 3. About the P;G company’s culture signs. The company provides a certain amount of self – dependence divisional governance structure that provides greater flexibility and faster response to changes in the business environment compared to the linear and linear- staff. Managerial responsibility for the activities of the company both in the domestic and foreign market is shared between them. This type of structure combines centralized coordination and control of centrally managed. Key figures in the management of an organization with a divisional structure – not heads of functional units, and the managers in charge of the production department, the so-called divisions. The company groups are formed by categories, each of which includes experts in marketing, sales and advertising. These narrow specialists provide each its part under the direct control of the manager category. The level of the manager is very high. 4. Factors that caused the organization to embody this particular culture. P;G company has been working toward keeping its reputation and standards in all field. Since it was established, P;G has built rich heritage of touching consumers’ lives with brands that make life a little better every day. Here is to motto says â€Å"Do the Right Thing – For each other† The culture of the company is based on the basic moral and ethical values – leadership, striving for the victory, the host’s respect, honesty and trust. These values are not something abstract – they define the actions of the company. 5. What type of leader would be the best? In my opinion there are many reasons that this leader structure will be effective. First, as part of a huge company it managed to create an environment where every employee is interesting to work with. The responsibility of each employee, including the manager is the main driving force effectiveness. And this is the result of the constructed system of management, whose main task is to create conditions for the moral and material interests of each employee. Second, the complexity of management and collective management style in this company is proposed to use a single control method. The management system is structured in a complex of  functional subsystems. That is, they include highlights key subsystems within each of which formed goals, measurable indicators are introduced, developed a system for calculating them are formalized standards, business processes and organizational procedures. Disconnected from the management of the business functions of the company’s managers are moving to a collective system of integrated management of business functions. 6. Imagine that there is a decline in the demand of products. What the change in culture would be need to be in response to this situation. I think company’s CEO should work with the sale’s department. Look up their regular planning and control of the department and its employees, hiring, selection and adaptation of staff; employee motivation, training, exchange of experience, the general debriefing, evaluation of the department, the calculation of cost of sales, cost of sales regulation, evaluation of individual performance of employees. In one word they have to find out their mistake and fix it, because without a reason demand not decreasing itself. References CNBC television channel – Documentary film about Procter ; Gamble company. Retrieved from http://www.hulu.com/watch/286095 Charan, R. (2008, August 26). P;G’s innovation culture: How we built the world-class organic growth engine by investing in people. Retrieved from http://www.strategy-business.com/article/08304?pg=all Procter and Gamble. (2013). Our worldwide business conduct manual. Retrieved from http://www.pg.com/en_US/downloads/company/governance/Policy_Worldwide_Business Conduct_Manual.pdf Schermerhorn, J. R. (2012). Organizational behavior (12th ed.). Danvers, MA: John Wiley ; Sons, Inc

Donny Is My Leader

Donny Is My Leader The Path-Goal Theory states that, â€Å"leaders motivate subordinates to achieve high performance by showing them the path to reach valued goals or results. † In the case study Donny Is My Leader it shows what Donny perceived as motivation was, in fact, demotivating to some of the members of the group thus affecting the productivity as a whole. His autocratic, coercive and often inconsistent leadership style was the deterring factor that influenced the lack of production from the team.His â€Å"break ‘em down to build ‘em up† philosophy minimized some of the effectiveness and productivity of the team thus damaging the entire team structure. An autocratic leader is defined as one who has unlimited authority, power, or influence in any group. Donny’s power was in an unofficial capacity although the group accepted him as their leader. His constant pushing, pulling and prodding was beneficial to some but not all of the team. One day heà ¢â‚¬â„¢s encouraging and comforting and the next day he’s belligerent, inconsiderate, spiteful and coercive.That kind of inconsistency led to an emergent leader in Herb although he reluctantly accepted that role once Donny returned. Out of all the different powers to have, coercive is the only one with obvious negative connotations. Donny lashed out in several situations both on the track and in the locker room. In one particular incident the narrator characterized his outbursts as â€Å"Donny’s wrath†. Every leader has his or her strengths and weaknesses. Donny’s strength as a leader, in large part, comes from his ability to outperform the team, plan a regimen and assume the leadership role although it was not officially his title.He often slowed down to encourage those who were having trouble completing the two mile run. His actions are in line with the consideration leadership style. Consideration leadership style includes showing concern for subordina tes and acting in a friendly supportive manner. Donny routinely left his place at the front to help the slower and more challenged runners. He often encouraged those who fell behind but he wasn’t shy about lashing out if he felt like they were â€Å"loafing†. Leadership has its weaknesses too. Donny’s weaknesses were of the coercive nature.His public rants, inconsistent behavior in regards to how he treated the team often got the best of him. His tirades went on for hours and frequently spilling over into the following day. Aggressiveness is a like a double edged sword. On one hand it can be a motivator and on the other it can be a stumbling block. Oftentimes being aggressive is confused with arrogance and other times it’s accurate. When Donny sensed a challenge to his leadership style he became emotionally unavailable and uncooperative evidenced by his reluctance to call out the particular number of laps as he customarily did.In my opinion, I think Donny was more of a manager than a leader. Managers are â€Å"process oriented and believe that good systems and processes produce good results. † Donny’s management style was task oriented. He believed in taking certain calculated steps to achieve their goals. In particular, he took that approach with Troy. He instructed Troy to â€Å"walk five laps after you’ve run, and then you’ll run with us for four more. † It’s debatable if you have to be a leader to be a manager or vice versa but Donny was both to a much lesser extent. Although I think he was too emotional and defensive whenever his â€Å"authority† was challenged.The consequences of Donny’s leadership style became evident during his absence. While he was out Herb led the group. Herb assured the group that he would run slow enough for everyone to finish. The difference between Donny and Herb became apparent. Donny was task and time oriented whereas Herb was task oriented and much more pleasant. Herb’s approach immediately made him an emerging leader because each time he led the group the entire group finished the two mile run. When Donny reappeared the group dynamic went back to its original state where some would finish and the others wouldn’t.Donny did his usual chastising but to no avail. Harry mentioned that he preferred to running under Harry and that’s when Donny’s emotional and defensive side surfaced. Donny thought that the way in which he led the group motivated them to achieve high performance by showing them the path to reach the team’s desired goals. The emergent leadership qualities in Herb immediately challenged Donny’s power and influence although Herb was reluctant to accept his new role. Despite the path-goal theory building upon a motivational theory, path-goal theory does not fully explain how leadership styles affect follower motivation.Zach Bunn stated that, â€Å"The path-goal theory is a contingency theory, in that it predicts how a leader’s style will interact with follower needs and the nature of the task. It argues directive leadership for ambiguous tasks, supportive leadership for repetitive tasks, participative leadership for unclear, autonomous task and achievement-oriented leadership for challenging tasks. † (Bunn, 2012) My leadership style is one in which I believe everyone is capable of attaining their goals and it’s my job, as their leader, to help them get there.I would consult with each member as to what their personal goals are and incorporate their goals within the team goals. We would map out the proper steps and begin the regimen. I would pay close attention to the temperament, ability and attitude of each team member by exercising my emotional intelligence while constantly publicly and privately encouraging everyone. I believe in learning how to push everyone in the same direction while keeping them engaged. My negative feedback would not be public. I’ve been taught that in order to get respect, you must give it and constructive criticism goes much further than browbeating and embarrassment.

The Exploration on Intelligence Operations Essay

The Exploration on Intelligence Operations - Essay Example Ideally, ILP addresses security threats and establish mechanisms within a community that help in identifying the initiation and growth of crime. The inclusion of improved intelligence operations, community policing and problem-solving in ILP derives fundamental benefits in defining federal security (Bureau of Justice Assistance 2). In a world where criminal tactics are evolving (Boba-Santos 52-57), the American intelligence community had to develop and adopt improved intelligence operations and effective mechanisms of managing intelligence analysis (Clark 8-11). Clearly, Clark demonstrates that the concept of intelligence led policing defines a finer and more effective intelligence intelligence-led guarantees increased security and reduced crime (102-105). With ILP, law enforcement officers have gained the capacity to make effective and timely security decisions that help in curbing national and global crime (Bureau of Justice Assistance 4). Indeed, ILP reduces crime rate since the i mproved intelligence operations help in identifying crime and criminals (Bureau of Justice Assistance 9). This emanates from the fact that ILP concentrates on key criminal activities where is enhances the investigation, apprehension, and prosecution of criminals. ILP supports community policing that helps in targeting criminals, managing crime, investigating crime, and preventing crime in the community (Virginia Department of Criminal Justice Services 2). Moreover, the combination of community policing and ILP develops new ideas and changes that foster crime reduction in the long term.  

Mergers don't always lead to culture clashes Essay

Mergers don't always lead to culture clashes - Essay Example It appears that the cultures appeared to work rather than clash because of Bank of America’s experience in mergers and acquisitions. After Bank of America acquired MBNA, BOA went through and selectively determined which aspects of the corporation they could keep and which they could do away with. While there was a level of employee departures after much of the job perks were eliminated, the company was able to retain much of the talent. Ultimately, it seems BOA’s ability to mesh the two cultures through their experienced approach was the leading force in making the merger work. Culture is important to the success of a merger acquisition. Culture constitutes the backbone of any corporate model and is not simply the indicative of social relations within the company. Even in corporations that are not reliant on a heavy emphasis on independent thought, the nature of culture is reflected in the very structure and work processes that constitute an organization. I believe that oftentimes mergers fail because the structures of these organizational cultures are not just different, but structurally incompatible. While Bank of America and MBNA’s culture was on different spectrums, they were still on a structural level that made it possible for a successful merger. I believe that a component of the smooth transition is attributable to both companies glossing over differences in an effort to make the merger work. Still, I believe that this is not a primary component of the merger’s success. In large part employment options, especially in the post-recession context, are determined by market factors and necessity. This places employees in a situation where ‘extraneous culture elements’ – golf courses, etc. – are amenities, but not essential to operations. It’s more necessary to consider structural components, such as skillsets, and how these elements are aspects of the culture. If these structural components are

Identifying and Managing Risk Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Identifying and Managing Risk - Essay Example This is because once risks are identified the right strategies and techniques are put in place to ensure that they do not have negative effects on the portfolio or project. By implication, it can be said that it is not right to try to deny the reality of the existence of risk. Rather, the existence of risks must be appreciated, identified and embraced. More importantly, the right techniques must be in place to managing risk. Kallman and Abdali, Mouath and Qusai have both come up with a number of risk management techniques which share some similarities and differences in terms of their implementation and usage. Reading through Kallman one finds three major risk management techniques that are highlighted by the writer. These are risk avoidance, risk tolerance, and risk acceptance. Writing on situations under which either of these may be deemed as appropriate for an organization, Kallman emphasized that â€Å"If a cost-benefit analysis shows the downside is just too large for the organizations risk tolerance then avoidance is a wise choice.† The author continued to advise that â€Å"If the situation falls within the organizations' risk appetite or tolerance, however, then acceptance is the appropriate choice.† From these two quotations, the technique of risk management is clearly outlined. It can be noted that Kallman advocates the use of systematic analysis of risk by weighing the impact of risk on the organization’s activities and programs. Once such weighing is done, it will be possible to determine the exact impact of the risk to the organization. By so doing, risks t hat can be contained without any significant negative impact can be allowed to remain so that the efforts to management can be sent on those risks that pose some levels of threat through risk tolerance.  

Criminal Cases in Healthcare Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Criminal Cases in Healthcare - Essay Example The identified case for review is available from The New York Times. Flegenheimer authored the article that was published on 25 May 2012. In the case, a patient called Martin was awarded 120 million dollars as compensation for brain damage caused by negligence among healthcare personnel. The identified liability was proportionately shared among five parties, Jacobi Medical Centre, Kings County Hospital Centre, Brookdale University Hospital and Medical Centre, healthcare personnel and the plaintiff (Flegenheimer, 2012, p. 1). Facts of the case identify mismanagement of the patient’s treatment at the different hospitals where she sought medical attention because of seizure. The allegedly improper care led to health complications including Martin’s brain damage and adverse skin complication (Flegenheimer, 2012). The scope of the case identifies professional malpractice – negligence – among the involved care personnel with a limited scope of contributory negligence from the plaintiff. Based on the essentials of a contract, as implied by a physician-patient relationship, healthcare personnel and a care organization, by vicarious liability, have legal obligations to handle a patient with uttermost care that is reasonable within the professional practice. Failure to observe such care identifies criminal and civil negligence (Witt, 2006). Martin’s position as a patient at the care facilities and her subsequent injuries satisfy the legal essentials of negligence that includes existence of a duty of care, breach of that duty and a subsequent loss due to the breach (Madden, 2003). Contributory negligence, however, partially shifts liability to the patient (Lunenburg & Ornstein, 2007). The doctrine of negligence and contributory negligence implies liability on both the defendant and the plaintiff for failing to take due care in managing the plaintiff’s conditions. The care

Strategic public governance at government level Essay

Strategic public governance at government level - Essay Example It also include the processes to determine the investment direction, the public services sector needs to be addressed, extension of the operations of the state, limitations faced by the Government in order to undertake the state activities. Strategy formulation also helps the Government in deciding about the matters to be addressed on priority basis. There is not any state in the world which has unlimited resources. Therefore the states need to evaluate which projects are important and need investment. The future of a state is very much effected by the strategic decision of the Government of the state. Strategy implementation is the process of preparing the culture, stake holders motivation and resource allocation in order to eke the Government in acquiring the on going benefits for the state. The process is constituted on the implementation of supportive policies, redirecting the Governing bodies and the efforts of related stakeholders, planning the financial issues, alignment of the information system with the information needs of the departments and last but not least provisions of high level of facilities to the population. The strategy implementation stage required several actions to be taken by the Government in order to get the most of it. The successful implementation of a strategy is directly related to the ability of a Government to motivate all the stakeholders in the strategic direction and to develop a state culture to adopt the change and take it into practise. It also demands some crucial steps by the related departments. The responsible bodies should depict different qualities such as discipline, high level of commitment and motivation, leadership and enthusiasm of making things possible. Successful implementation of strategy is very important. This is the most crucial step in the whole process since it involves many factors besides the ability of governing bodies. This includes the adoption of change by all the stakeholders, their commitment levels, and the enthusiasm towards their jobs. Most often the states fail to achieve their desired targets since they fail to implement their strategie s in a successful manner or fail to get support from their employees. The final stage is the strategy evaluation. After the implementation it is important for the managers to test the effectiveness of the strategy. The strategy of a state requires constant updating. With the changing conditions at national and international level it is important for a state to keep its strategy in tact with the changing environment. An out dated strategy cannot fulfil the needs of today's global environment. In order to go through the updating process the states should carry on an audit to analyse which aspect requires improvement. It also specifies what strategy is necessary to support the state operations, the information people use currently and the gaps in these functions and the goals. Most managers fail to analyse the current situation of their business and lack a sense of intuition and forecasting. Often it is also a draw back that the strategy of some states neglects the change in the

Main Characteristics Of A Marketing-Oriented Organisation Essay

Main Characteristics Of A Marketing-Oriented Organisation - Essay Example The basic orientation of a company can be reflected by strategies, structures, and cultures. Each of these must be integrated so that a clear corporate position can be ensured through marketing efforts. Stensrud (1998) also claims that it takes a well-orchestrated effort to develop a marketing orientation. In order to accomplish this feat, there are several key factors that must be carefully taken into consideration. First of all, a company must have access to capital. Secondly, they must emphasize the importance of long-range planning and spend strategically. There must also be appropriate distribution channels, middle managers who know what they are doing, up-to-date systems, and the ability to stick to new strategies. Leaders must be put in place that can handle the new system that comes along with a marketing-oriented organization. According to Answers.com (2010), the needs of consumers need to be focused on rather than the needs of the company that is producing a good or service. This means that an integrated and goal-oriented philosophy needs to be followed by the organization as a whole throughout the process. In fact, the needs and goals of the consumer need to be achieved before the needs and goals of the producing company in order for the producing company to be successful in even reaching its goals according to the idea of the marketing concept. Selling reached an extreme level of difficulty after World War II since it could no longer be achieved by hard selling. This is because the variety of products increased following the war. Furthermore, the level of discretionary income of consumers had increased and, therefore, those consumers could afford to use a little more freedom in their purchase decisions. This was further complicated by the fact that organizations were not able to accurately predict the changing needs of consumers (NetMBA 2010.

Environmental Studies Essay Example for Free

Environmental Studies Essay The population of the world has been on an upward trend for the most part of the past many years. The rapid rise in the population in the past had been attributed to factors like improved medical care and good nutrition. However, the statistics appear to be changing as the 21st century wears on. There has been recorded a decrease in the overall global population growth rate such that although there is still a growth in the population, the rate is reducing. However, the rate is not evenly distributed. Instead, only the developed nations where industrialization and modernity are advanced are experiencing the population slowdown. The developing World still has rising rates of population growth (I. R. C. , 2005). The reduction in the growth rate can be attributed to climatic changes that have in turn caused people to resort to totally new ways of living. There has been a lot of destruction to the atmosphere and the resultant effect has been that some of the plants and animals that were useful for improving the immunity of the people when included in the diet are now extinct. Global warming has killed many such plant and animal species; and the other effects have been that there is an increase in strange, previously uncommon diseases caused by climatic changes which are making more people to die faster than before. Life expectancy has also reduced because of these changes (Johansen, 2009). In addition, the lifestyles of people have changed drastically, including having diets that are less healthy such as the consumption of genetically modified substances whose chemical contents are harmful to the body and shorten life. This trend is bound to go on for as long as industrial development is going to continue, worsening as the effects of global warming resulting from industrial pollution increase (Vormedal, 2005). New factors are bound to come into play, including increased child mortality and increased resistance to medication available even as new species of pathogens and parasites emerge with changing environmental conditions. It is also expected that more people will be less willing to have children as the pressure on available resources increases, thereby pushing the population growth rate down. With globalization opening up doors of nations, more technologies and immigrants are expected to get in, and not only will there be a real pressure on resources available pushing families to downsize but there will also be a massive movement away from the use of natural, more nutritious food items to those that are artificial and developed through technology (I. R. C. , 2005). As such are likely to be more harmful to the body, many people will find themselves less fertile while the fertile ones will be less willing to have more than a few children. The few children born will have a reduced life expectancy due to increased diseases; and child mortality will be very high. As the figure below shows, the population of Canada has been on a downward trend ever since the start of this century. It is expected that this will go on as the country becomes more industrialized and as global warming becomes more pronounced. By the year 2030, the country will most likely be faced with the problem of having a majority of its population being people over the age of 65 years because the young people are those who are likely to be affected negatively by the forces causing this trend (I. R. C. , 2005).

Structural Causes Of Unethical Behavior Within An Organization

Structural Causes Of Unethical Behavior Within An Organization Traditionally, organizations function within a certain set of guidelines and protocols that inherently form a structure in an organization. Pugh defines an organizational structure as a hierarchical concept of subordination of entities that collaborate and contribute to serve one common aim. Activities such as task allocation, coordination and supervision are carried out to achieve organizational goals. Organizations are formal entities that distribute tasks through specialization and create a standard set of processes to create an efficient and effective workplace environment to increase productivity while saving costs. Standard operating procedure protocols, management protocols and standard set of rules and codes are implemented throughout the organization to ensure all employees perform their tasks as they are supposed to in the proper way. For instance, in a car assembly line, factory workers and engineers have to follow a certain set of guidelines to ensure the quality of the cars. Testing for safety and quality are standardized in every manufacturing branch not only throughout the country but internationally. Similarly, McDonalds provide standard operating procedures for every franchise throughout the globe in order to maintain quality and the companys reputation (Griffin, 2012). Although formal organizations provide a set of guidelines and standard procedures, in a situation where ethical decision-making takes place, these standard codes fail to provide a clear cut solution to the dilemma, thus resulting in unethical behavior which are caused by the structure of the organization. Organizations do provide codes of conduct and ethical code doctrines to employees prior to their hiring but implementing those codes are entirely up to the employees and their immediate supervisors. Even the CEO of a company can make unethical decisions to his own discretion despite being bound to the ethical codes of conduct of the corporation in which he serves. Moreover, considering he is the man in charge of the entire corporation, it is even more likely that he will not be held responsible for his unethical decisions. When the organization structure fail to prevent unethical behavior, ultimately the profitability and sustainability of a corporation will be affected. This is where strict corporate governance needs to be put in place in order to minimize unethical behavior within an organization. In order to solve unethical behavior and improve organization structure, we must first understand how a structure can fail to prevent unethical behavior. Furthermore, we must identify the types of unethical behavior that can arise in ethical situations where an organizations structure is ineffective. Finally, we will also expound on previous researches to identify ways to minimize unethical behavior within an organization by, among other things, improving the structure of the organization. 1.2.1 Boston Consulting Group Founded by Bruce D. Henderson in 1963, The Boston Consulting Group (BCG) is a global management consulting firm that has successfully appeared in the top 15 of Fortunes Best Companies To Work For seven years in a row. As much as it was a subsidiary of The Boston Company, BCG currently has 77 offices of its own in 42 countries all across the World. In attempts of trying to understand the nature of pricing in a manufacturing industry and as a result of work done for a semiconductor manufacturer, The Boston Consulting Group came up with its first breakthrough known as the experience curve in 1966. The experience curve states that the unit cost of a product gradually decreases as cumulated volume and production experience increases. Ultimately, the theory stresses that it is crucial and important to enter newly introduced fields and take hold of as much market share as possible. By doing this, an organization will be able to gain advantage over other late-arriving organizations in the same field and thus, eliminating any sort of competition. (Refer to Appendix C) The Boston Consulting Group Matrix (BCG Matrix) also known as the growth-share matrix was introduced in 1968. The framework of the BCG Matrix consists of a box with four quadrants that is represented using terms such as cash cows, dogs, question marks and stars. The terms of the framework represent growth rate, market share and negative and positive flow of cash. The main goal of the framework is to achieve a balance between cash cows, question marks and stars and to sell off the dogs. As soon as the theory was introduced, the terms of the framework quickly became fixtures in the world of business. In the same year, BCG was released as a subsidiary from The Boston Company. (Refer to Appendix D) Despite the departure of a few prominent and top individuals, The Boston Consulting Group became an independent company in 1975. BCG was one of the first few companies to practice the Employee Retirement Income Security Act as the company recognized its benefits and was quick to take advantage of the act. Through this act, The Boston Consulting Group was allowed to establish an employee stock ownership program. The establishment of the program made way for the process of buying BCG from The Boston Company to begin. By 1979, the buyout was completed five years ahead of the original schedule. (Refer to Appendix E) The year 1985 paved way for some major changes at top level management for The Boston Consulting Group as its founder and then Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Bruce D. Henderson retired. He was succeeded by John Clarkeson who assumed the position of CEO and Alan Zakon who took on the position of chairman of the companys board. In 1992, Henderson died at age 77. Few people have had as much impact on international business in the second half of the twentieth century as the founder of The Boston Consulting Group, eulogized the Financial Times upon Hendersons death. (Refer to Appendix E) In 2003, Hans-Paul Burkener was elected the fifth President and CEO of The Boston Consulting Group by the companys partners. As of the year 2011, The Boston Consulting Group was ranked second on Fortunes 100 Best Companies To Work For, marking its sixth consecutive year on such a prestigious list. BCG continues to explore important topics that have significant effects around the World as the company aims to provide better and more quality service in helping organizations to combat the battle of ever changing landscapes in the management of diversity (Refer to Appendix F). 1.2.2 General Electric In 1890, Thomas Edison established his own company and named as Edison General Electric Company by bringing his different businesses together. Two years later, Edison General Electric Company incorporated with Thomson-Houston Company and, then they named the new organization as General Electric Company. The new organization the General Electric Company is a diversified technology and financial services company. General Electric Company has different type of products and services. They main product and service is householder appliances and General Electric Company is one of the largest manufacturers of major appliances in the world. Besides that, General Electric Company also has other different type of products and services such as aviation, consumer electronics, customer training, electrical distribution, energy, finance-business, healthcare, oil gas, water, lighting, software services, rail, and other. In the early 1890s, the first General Electric appliances electric fans were produced, and a full line of heating and cooking devices were developed in the year 1907. A few years later, General Electric Company developed the first airplane engine booster for the fledgling U.S. aviation industry. Besides that, the plastic filaments for light bulbs were created in 1930, and led to the first General Electric Plastics department. Through the years, General Electrics leaders have built a portfolio for the diversity of management and leading businesses. Thats made the General Electric Company become a most success company that drives growth and reduces the production costs; increase financial strength and Controllership that allow it to capitalize on opportunities through numerous cycles. And, they have a set of common values that allows it to face any environment or situation with confidence. In 1971, the General Electric Company with the helped from McKinsey developed a General Electric/McKinsey Matrix. The General Electric/McKinsey Matrix was developed in year 1971, with the helped from McKinsey and consulting firms. And, General Electric Company used it to measure or decides which Strategies Business Units (SBU) should invest, retain, or divest. The GE matrix/McKinsey matrix is one that cans helps to improve the companys businesses unit strength and helps to increase businesses unit attractiveness. Besides that, this matrix is measure the business unit through the business units attractiveness and business strength. When the business units attractiveness and strength is high, the company should keep invest for gain more profit. On the other hand, when the business units attractiveness and strength is medium, the company should retain or selectively invest. But, when the business units attractiveness and strength is low, it is the time for the company to exit that business unit or stop invests in that business unit. The aim of this portfolio analysis is: To decide the company should invest more or divest. To helps the new product or business unit to develop a growth strategies. To decide which business unit should retain or not. 2.0 Literature Review 2.1 Unethical Behavior Resulting from Failure of Organizational Structure Many researchers were found to focus on various aspects that management fails to prevent different types of unethical behavior within a corporation. Some of the unethical behavior that is being studied includes conflict of interest, false advertising, discrimination, insider trading, and harassment among others. For instance, Sherry, Shilbury and Wood (2007) found that as sport becomes a fully-fledged business, there is an increased complexity of ethical issues within sports management and conflict of interest presents similar structural elements as traditional businesses. Practices such as providing benefits, trust and obligation are magnified, as there are also societal expectations and values emphasized in sport and sporting organizations. To illustrate the issue of conflict of interest arising from structural failing in this matter, five of the seven board members of the Californian Horse Racing Board actively own or breed racehorses and at least six acknowledge that they gamble at the track (Sherry, Shilbury, Wood, 2007). This clearly is a conflict of between the board members personal interest and the interest of the corporation. Conflict of interest issues are usually not clearly outlined within the corporation, especially for people in top management and there is no obvious way to i dentify a person who has a conflict of interest because a hierarchical organization does not usually scrutinize an employees personal life. In this case, the integrity of the sport will be compromised, as society will not look with favor on the races for fear of them being cheated out of their bets. Furthermore, despite laws and regulation outlawing discrimination while hiring, there is still a substantial informal form of discrimination in the workplace towards different races or genders. As found by Pompper (2011) after interviewing 36 middle aged, middle income women of African-American, Asian-American and Hispanic ethnicity in the communications industry, glass ceilings in communication organization remains impenetrable especially for women of these ethnicities. The research found that there is a higher level of financial uncertainty for middle aged, middle-income women of color within media organizations. None of the participants of the research reported having equal salary or status with male colleagues that do comparable work. While there have been strides to reduce employment discrimination in many countries, informal forms of discrimination that are not specifically outlined in corporate policies will still occur, especially in a society or country that inherently, in t heir culture, practice discrimination against gender or race. 2.2.1 Boston Consulting Group In a publication titled Strategic Business Models, Frederick Betz discusses the six different kinds of generic business models that can be used in operating a company. One of the generic business models that he highlights is The Boston Consulting Group Matrix (BCG Matrix). Betz defines a business model as a strategic technique of how ones company now operates and how it should change to operate in the future. Also, he describes a business model as an abstraction of business identifying how that business profitably makes money. Besides that, he identifies a business model as abstracts about how inputs to an organization are transformed to value-adding outputs. The transformation of input resources into output products or services is performed by the processes and operations of the business. Furthermore, he mentions that a strategic business model is a systematic list of policies that will guide the future specification of inputs, outputs, processes and values of the complete operations of the business of the corporation. In a publication titled Kiechels History of Corporate Strategy, Robert J. Allio and Robert M. Randall interviewed Walter Kiechel III about his book titled The Lords of Strategy: The Secret Intellectual History of the New Corporate World (Harvard Business Press, 2010). In his book, Kiechel chronicles the rise and stumbles of a number of leading consultancies primarily Bain, Boston Consulting Group and Mc Kinsey after having interviewed originators of the core ideas behind strategy and strategic movement and executives at the companies where it was first practiced. In his book, Walter Kiechel III regards The Boston Consulting Group as the Lords of Strategy. He explains that the pioneering consulting efforts of the organization has helped instill a sense of empiricism that is a fundamental key in competing. He defines empiricism as the ability to identify and recognize facts that are essential in gaining advantage over other late-arriving organizations in the same field. Also, the concepts developed by The Boston Consulting Group are made up of easy-to-understand and familiar patterns that make the task of interpreting the data less difficult. This indirectly enables one to figure out what needs to be done. Besides that, Kiechel did not fail to draw attention to the opinions of critics and his personal opinion about The Boston Consulting Group Matrix (BCG Matrix) in his book. Critics pointed out that a certain organization can define and characterize the shares and size of a targeted market. However, it is impractical and almost impossible for the same organization to predict the exact growth of the market. Kiechel strongly believes that an organization should associate with the hidden message of the BCG Matrix. An organization should take the initiative to identify and accurately comprehend the competitive situation that it faces, the data for understanding the business that it is involved in and the potential that the organization possess. Otherwise, you are left at the mercy of every business units manager telling you that Next year is going to be different; This baby is really set to take off. (Kiechel, 2010). 2.2.2 General Electric Nowadays, General Electric can be more successful. If should related to the McKinsey and Company consulting firm. Because General Electric Company get the help from McKinsey and Company consulting firm, and developed a more complicated matrix (Figure 2.1). Through the internet research, the General Electric Company used GE matrix/McKinsey matrix as their planning system for management of diversity. From my general knowledge about the GE matrix/McKinsey matrix, it is a strategic that will separate from the mother company into many small business units and determine which business unit should invest more, retain, or divest. From Strategic Management: theory and case study, by Tunchalong Rungwitoo, the General Electric / McKinsey Matrix, is a nine cell matrix from two dimensions, which is industry attractiveness and business strength. For the use of General Electric/McKinsey Matrix, they use the GE matrix/McKinsey matrix to identify whether the small business units should invest, retain, or divest. Besides that, it also can fits perfectly to the companys strengths and helps to exploit the most attractive industries or markets. Besides that, General Electric Company can see the status of their business units and suggest the strategy the business fell in which categories through the General Electric/McKinsey Matrix (Figure 2.2). The vertical axis of the General Electric/McKinsey matrix is industry attractiveness, which is determined by the factors such as market growth rate, market size, demand variability, industry profitability, industry rivalry, global opportunities, and others. And, the horizontal axis of the General Electric/McKinsey matrix is the strength of the business unit. Some factors that can be used to determine business unit strength include: market share, growth in market share, brand equity, distribution channel access, production capacity, and profit margins relative to competitors. From International Journal of Humanities and Social science, the General Electric/McKinsey Matrix requires the identification and assessment of both external and internal factors, which are industry attractiveness and business strength on a nine-cell grid. To grow, to hold, or to harvest are the categories used to classify both attractiveness and strength (Figure 2.2). When that is high attractiveness and high business strength (Leader), the company should seek dominance and maximize investment. When that is medium attractiveness and medium business strength (Proceed with care), the company should specialize and invest selectively. And, when that is low attractiveness and low business strength (Withdrawal), the company should attack rivals and time exit. 3.0 Data Analysis and Discussion 3.1.1 Structural Causes and How to Solve Them An organization can have a centralized or a decentralized structure. A centralized organization refers to an organization in which important decision-making tasks and power are given and carried out by few leaders. As stated by Vitez (2012), centralized organization depends on a single person to give direction and make decisions for the corporation. A decentralized organization, on the other hand, give autonomy to individuals in middle and lower management levels to make critical decisions and usually carry out decisions as part of a team (Vitez, 2012). The hierarchy of the organization also tends to be much more flat compared to centralized organizations. In a centralized organization, ethical conduct is often disseminated in the form of ethical codes of conduct and corporate policies. It is easier to control and minimize unethical behavior within an organization with a central structure as employees have clearly written guidelines to follow in the corporation and if they fail to do so, they will be reprimanded for it. However, an employees own personal ethical standards may conflict with what is expected of him as a member of the organization and its corporate culture (Ferrell, Fraedrich, Ferrell, 2012). Centralized organization also creates a groupthink environment in which in an organization culture where unethical behavior is prevalent, employees knowingly commit unethical acts or ignore unethical acts with full knowledge that these behaviors are morally wrong. As stated by Sims (2003), the presence or absence of ethical behavior in organizational members actions is both influenced by the prevailing culture (ethical climate) and, in turn, partially determines the cultures view of ethical issues (Sims, 2003). Furthermore, central codes of ethics are created out of context of ethical dilemmas and may not be suited for delicate situations with no clear-cut solution. While having an ethical code may inhibit major ethical problems such as physical and sexual harassments that are clearly morally wrong and unethical to begin with, subtle ethical problems may not be outlined in the ethical code of the company such as alienating co-workers of other races. Conversely, a decentralized organization gives more freedom to employees to make decisions and top management usually delegate decision making to middle and low management. In this type of structure, there is more flexibility to each unit of business to carry out tasks and make decisions. According to Gitman and McDaniel (2008), decentralized organizations benefit by quicker decision making, increased level of innovation and creativity, greater organizational flexibility, faster development of lower-level managers, and increased level of job satisfaction and employee commitment (Gitman McDaniel, 2008). Despite this, there is also a risk of unethical practices and behavior occurring in a decentralized organization. As employees are given more power to make decisions, they are now more susceptible to moral hazards in which an employee will have a higher tendency to take risks. As decentralized organizations have fewer internal controls such as corporate policies and code of ethics, these organizations rely on shared values (Ferrell, Fraedrich, Ferrell, 2012). Therefore, it is harder to control employee behavior especially if they do not believe in the shared values of the organization. To solve these structural problems, an organization must first acknowledge the possibility of unethical behavior occurring within its framework. An organization must realize the flaws that each type of structure presents and ways to combat these flaws to minimize risky and unethical behavior among its employees. In this sense, organizations should look into allocating resources to study and research the structural problems and implement the solutions into the organizational structure. Organizational change is somewhat harder and more costly to implement in a centralized organization because it involves changing all policies from top to bottom within the organization as compared to a decentralized organization, which is more fluid, and adapt to change quickly. New rules, values and organizational culture to minimize unethical behavior must always be monitored to gauge the success of these new policies. Furthermore, an organization must tailor its ethical standards to the type of structure that it uses. For instance, in a centralized organization there should be more room to maneuver ethical dilemmas that does not strictly coincide with corporate policies. Moreover, centralized organizations should provide a form of outlet for employees to air grievances about ethical dilemmas and adopt a situational approach to ethical decision making in the corporation. On the other hand, in a decentralized organization, top management should constantly portray ethical values outwardly through their actions so that it empowers employees to follow their stride and perform ethically as well. Leading by example is one of the approaches to keep employees from committing unethical acts in this type of organizational structure. There should also be some form of central codes of conduct, even in a decentralized organization to keep employees in check and to maintain the reputation of the corporation. Other solutions to prevent unethical behavior are to set up a committee that will look into employees indiscretions in the company and evaluate whether these indiscretions are justified in the given circumstances. Instead of penalizing the employee by suspending them and creating resentment, the employees should be sent to ethics classes to help them rehabilitate their behavior. Ethics classes are a good way to disseminate ethical values within an organization but having classes in which the instructor tells the employees the rules, there should be a more interactive environment where employees get to try their hand in solving ethical dilemmas in the workplace. Ethics classes and training should also be given to new hires as part of their training in the corporation. Additionally, the organization can provide motivational training for employees to get them invested in the interest of the company and the companys bottom line that is the customers. A motivated employee is a hardworking and productive employee and an employee that is less likely to make unethical decisions that may jeopardize the company and its customers. 3.2.1 Boston Consulting Group Planning System Large companies that have diversified its business into other strategic business units usually face challenges in allocating resources among its units. The Boston Consulting Group Matrix Growth-Share Matrix (BCG Growth-Share Matrix) is a planning model for managing portfolio of different business units that is based on combinations of market growth rate and relative market share. The market growth rate represents industry attractiveness and relative market share represents the strength of a company within the industry relative to its competitors. Thus, the position of a company on the BCG Growth-Share Matrix indicates consumption of cash needed to diversify into a particular business and generation of cash through that particular business. The portfolio planning model of the BCG Growth-Share Matrix is divided into four grids that are represented using four symbols; cash cow, dog, question mark and star. Cash cows are used to represent a business unit in a mature industry that has a large market share. It generates more cash than it consumes which in return can be used to invest in other business units. Business units that are categorized as cash cows should be milked in order to gain profits while investing as little cash as possible into that particular business unit. Besides that, dogs are used to represent a business unit in a mature industry that has a small market share and a low growth rate. It does not require high cash consumption nor does it result in high cash generation. Even so, business units that are categorized as dogs are cash traps because the cash invested is tied up in a business unit that has little possibility. Instead, the cash invested into that particular business unit can be deployed into other more rewarding business units. (Refer to Appendix A) In addition to that, question marks are used to represent a business unit that has a small market share in a high growth market. Due to this, it consumes more cash than it generates. However, business units that are categorized as question marks have the potential to become stars and eventually cash cows if high investments and resources to grow market shares are fueled into that particular business unit. Nevertheless, it is still a questionable decision as it is unknown if it will succeed and become stars and cash cows. Furthermore, stars are used to represent a business unit that has a large market share in a high growth market. It requires high cash consumption but at the same time, it results in high cash generation. Thus, the flow of cash in each direction is evened out. If successful, business units that are categorized as stars will eventually become cash cows when its industry matures. (Refer to Appendix A) Despite its many advantages, the BCG Growth-Share Matrix has its disadvantages as well. The main limitation that has been identified is the questionable link between market share and profitability. This is due to the fact that an increasing market share can be very expensive and may not result in high cash generation as predicted. On top of that, the matrix overlooks many factors that contribute to the profitability of a business unit. For example, market growth rate is only one of the many factors that represent industry attractiveness. Also, there are additional factors that represent the strength of a company within the industry relative to its competitors besides relative market share. (Refer to Appendix B) Moreover, the framework of the matrix assumes that each business unit is independent and does not depend on other business units run by the company. However, in some large companies, this is most certainly not the case. For instance, business units that are categorized as dogs which do not require high cash consumption nor does it result in high cash generation may have been formed in order to strategically help other business units run by a particular company. (Refer to Appendix B) 3.2.2 General Electric Planning System On the other hand, the General Electric also had own portfolio analysis for the diversity of management or Strategies Business Units (SBU), which is General Electric/McKinsey Matrix. General Electric/McKinsey Matrix is a business portfolio analysis on Strategies Business Units (SBU) that based on the business unit strength and the market attractiveness. The business unit strength is determined by some factors such as the market share, growth in market share, and others. And, the market attractiveness is determined by the factors such as market growth rate, market size, and others. Thus, the General Electric will invest the business unit through the markets strength and the markets attractiveness. The General Electric/McKinsey Matrix is nine-cell portfolio matrix which will measure the business unit strength and attractiveness, and let the company know whether they should invest, retain, or divest that business unit. The advantages of this matrix are telling the company their business unit strength and attractiveness and what decision should them make. When the company should invest, retain, or divest the business unit? When the business unit falls into the categories A, B or D (Figure 2.3) is the time for company to invest. Because at that time, the business unit has a quite strong strength and market attractiveness, so the company should invest for growth or to maintain that business unit at that kind of category. On the other hand, when the business unit falls into the categories C, E, or G (Figure 2.3) is the time for company to retain the business unit. This is because the business unit does not have quite strong business strength and market attractiveness. But, the compa ny also can try to invest that business unit for get more earning. And, when the business unit falls into the categories F, H, or I (Figure 2.3) is the time for company to divest that business unit or plan to exit that business unit because the business unit has weak business strength and market attractiveness. Although the General Electric/McKinsey Matrix has many advantages such as it will looks through all the business unit sides such as market size, market growth rate, market share, and what decision should them make depend on the business units strength and attractiveness, it has forgot about the other competitors and the new business unit. This matrix totally forgot about other competitors and the new business unit, we should look at other competitors strength and attractiveness too. This is because other competitors may affect own companys strength and attractiveness and the growth rate too. And, for the new business unit, what can the new business unit should do, to invest, retain, or divest? 4.0 Conclusion 4.1 Organization Structure and Ethics Organizations face many challenges when operating, one of which is the moral problems that can potentially occur within its structure. Organizations play an important rol

ROMANTIC VS CLASSICAL Essay -- Essays Papers

ROMANTIC VS CLASSICAL In the 18th century, there was a period that we called Neo classicism. In this period most of all paintings had the same characteristic which are dark and simple background colors, very masculine, stressed heroism, frieze, sharp edges, more geometric and flat. As we seen in Jean Ingres painting—â€Å"The Turkey’s Slave†, we could see from the simple background and the very sharp edges of her body. Comparing to the classical period, one of the murals that I found around the campus. I decided to use the mural designed by Grant Wood which title is â€Å"Breaking the Prairie Sod† to be one example which have the same characteristic with the classical period even though it had painted in the 19th century. This mural is locate at the main floor east lobby of Parks Library. Actually this mural depicts the breaking of Iowa's virgin soil in the early 1840s with a woman standing beside a man who is drinking out of a jug while his hand rests on the handle of a wooden plow. There are dramatic cloud formations behind them and a view across the field and prairie. And this mural symbolized a lot of things that I never thought before for example; the man in the picture, presented in youth, middle age and maturity, represents Abraham Lincoln, who signed the Morrill Act that founded land-grant educational institutions of which Iowa State is one. Lincoln's presence also sends a strong message to students who view the mural, that with hard work, dedication, honesty and ed...

Of Mice And Men: Comparing The Movie And The Book :: essays research papers

The movie of Of Mice and Men had many differences while still giving the same message that the book was portrayed to have. One of the major differences was that Candy never came into the room when Lennie and Crooks were talking to each other. This was major because Crooks never found out that the plan was true about the little house. In the book after he heard Candy talk about it he wanted to get in on the deal. Also the movie it never showed Lennie have his illusions of his Aunt Carla and the rabbits when he was waiting by the pond. The last major difference was that George never hesitated to shoot Lennie in the movie and in the book it was very hard for him. After George shot Lennie, Slim came to comfort George and take him out for a drink.The characters in the novel and the movie had many differences. In the book George was shown to hate Curley with a passion. In the movie George didn’t seem to like Curley too much but he definitely didn’t hate him like in the book. In the movie Curley's wife seemed to be attracted to Lennie and enjoyed his presence because he was nice. In the book she talked to him only because she was amused by Lennie's stupidity. Lennie was explained as a beast in the book and, "his shoulders could fill the doorway." In the movie he was stronger and bigger than the others were but not to the extreme amount that the book portrayed him to be. Every other thing about Lennie was extremely as the book told it.I felt that the movie was wonderful and I loved it as much as I loved the book. I would give the movie a 10 because it was so great. The only parts that I didn't like were in the end it didn’t make me as sad as the book made me feel. I felt so into the dream the Lennie and George shared that I was sad when it was destroyed.

Terror Management Theory Essay -- Psychology, Anxiety, self-esteem

Terror management theory (TMT) asserts that human beings have natural tendency for self-preservation if there is threat to one’s well–being (Greenberg, Solomon, & Pyszczynski, 1997). It notes that we are the cultural animals that pose self-awareness on the concept of past and future, as well as the understanding that one day we will die. We concern about our life and death but aware that it is unexpected by everything. The worse matter is that we become aware of our vulnerability and helplessness when facing death-related thoughts and ultimate demise (Pyszczynski & Greenberg, 1992). The inevitable death awareness or mortality salience provides a ground for experiencing the existential terror, which is the overwhelming concern of people’s mortality and existence. In order to avoid the continued existence of threats, people need faith in a relatively affirmative and plausive cultural worldview and meaning of life (Greenberg, Pyszczynski, & Solomon, 1995). Cultural worldview is a perceptual construction in the society which explaining the origins of life and the existence of afterlife. We have to invest a set of cultural worldviews by ourselves that are able to provide meaning, stability and order to our lives and to offer the promise of death transcendence (Solomon, Greenberg, & Pyszczynski, 2004). On the other hand, we hold a belief that one is living up to the standards of value prescribed by that worldview and social norm shared by a group of people. This belief is derived by self-esteem of individual. We maintain the perception and confident that we are fulfilling the cultural prescriptions for value in the society and are thus eligible for some form of personal immortality (Landau & Greenberg, 2006). We Together with the assump... ... and death-thought accessibility which are typically evoked by mortality reminders (Greenberg et al., 1993). The research further stated that self-esteem and death awareness are high interdependent with each other and the self-esteem-anxiety-hypothesis. For TMT, A second line of support for the terror management function of self-esteem comes from tests of the mortality salience hypothesis which is another hypothesis derived from TMT. Similar to the anxiety-buffer hypothesis, it states that temporarily increasing the accessibility of death-related thought self-esteem provides protection from mortality concerns, and hence individuals will then intensify their efforts to bolster and defend self-esteem. In sum, convergent evidence supports the claim that self-esteem functions as a buffer against mortality concerns (Pyszczynski, Greenberg, Solomon, & Maxfield, 2006).

Interpersonal Communication Essay

My name is Tralisa King and I am writing to inform you that I have received your letter and would first, like to congratulate and wish you, both well in your new ventures as a family in Holy matrimony. I understand that you would like my advice on producing a long – lasting and happy relationship. I do feel the need to advise you, that I am not a relationship therapist by any means. However, as you both are aware, I have taken a course in interpersonal communication and would be more than happy to provide you with as much knowledge as possible that I have obtained from this course. I hope that based on what I have learned in class, the articles I have read, and my personal experiences you will find some of my advice to be informative or at least gain enough interpersonal communication skills needed to resolve any issues that may arise in your relationships in the future. â€Å"Communication is not simply the exchange of words and information; it is the means through which we share knowledge, thoughts, ideas, and feelings with other people. Interpersonal communication is the way people connect with other people.† (Sole, 2011) Learning to communicate effectively can and most likely will be the foundation, you both will need in order to develop, maintain and/or keep a productive, calm, and strong relationship and/or marriage. Communication is a skill that is never perfected, I have been married for over twenty years and if it had not been for the grace of God and learning to build our marriage on the foundation of communication, I do not think our marriage would have lasted. Although we have found a way to communicate, communication remains a work in progress and there are times when our communication is not up to par. Recognizing how words have the power to create and affect attitudes, behavior, and perception: Words are very powerful and if not used correctly can cause a physical as well as a mental drain upon one’s marriage. Words have a way of bringing out the best and/or the worst in a person. Even the Bible speaks of the power of words in several passages throughout the scriptures. . Sometimes it is not the word alone, it can be the way in which the word is represented that can bring out the best and/or worst in people. The word Ni—r for example, although I am a black female, I do not use this word nor do I allow it to be used in my presence without addressing my disapproval of the word. I have never based my life on what others say, think or feel about me. However, I would be lying to myself if I did not admit that there are still things including certain words that create an immediate emotional and/ or physical reaction if approached to me incorrectly. My children on the other hand, use this word relentlessly while speaking with their friends but are ready to fight at the drop of a dime if called that of a Caucasian person. There are females that get offended by the word B—ch, however this is a word that does not offended me regardless of the presentation, not saying that it shouldn’t offend me; I’m just saying it don’t.. I remember as a child, when being teased by someone, my parents would say, â€Å"words never hurt anyone.† However, todays’ bullying is proving that words can kill. Words and the way in which we use them can have an effect on others behavior, attitude, and perception of not only you but also themselves. â€Å"Negative connotations often act as triggers to derail your interpersonal communication. We all have trigger word’s that create an immediate emotional reaction when we hear them† (Sole 2011) By understanding the power of one’s words and learning away to use, those without offending the other can help to defuse any argument, misunderstanding or anything else that would eventually lead to hatred or possibility of divorce. Remember, one can apologize for the words they say but they cannot take it back; and being forgiven by your partner does not mean that your partner will forget. Listening -develop strategies for active, critical, and empathic listening-Perceptions, Emotions, and Nonverbal Communication One is generally born with some sort of interpersonal communication, such as a baby crying. Generally, a baby crying is their way of letting one know that they are displaying some type of discomfort. After a while, one’s way of listening allows them to decipher that baby’s cry, understand their need and/or discomfort and act accordingly. A baby also uses non-communication, such as responding to a familiar voice or sound, which they often associate with care such as food, warmth, or a touch perhaps. This is also true in a marriage, the longer you are married the more nonverbal communication, and you are likely to develop. â€Å"Nonverbal communication is defined as the communication of a message without words; which means that it encompasses a wide range of vocal and visual signs and behaviors† (Sole, 2011) I am famous for rolling my eyes, walking off, or simply giving a person a blank stare when I don’t agree with them or simply just not wanting to be bothered. Misunderstanding is often due to one’s body language; although my body language often is a response to the situation at hand, this is not necessarily true for my husband. My husband has an annoying habit of sucking his teeth sarcastically when he does not agree, he does this so much, that at times I am not sure he notice he is doing it. Tammy it is important to decipher your husband’s intent of his body movement; because we as women have, the tendency of jumping into conclusion and like my husband it could be a simple habit, vice versa for you Bill. It is also important that the two of you develop an effective strategy for active, critical, and empathic listening. â€Å"Researchers report that most of us spend more time listening than we do talking; however, most people have had little education on how to be an effective listener, which requires focus and attention.† (Sole, 2011) While most people think they are fairly good listeners, studies show that the majority of people listen poorly and inefficiently (Lee & Hatesohl, 1993) (Sole, 2011) Mr. and Mrs. Jones I have learned that, how one listens can and most likely will have an impact upon the way in which one communicates. At the same time, how well one listens’ can have an impact on the sincere qualities they develop in their marriage and/or relationship with others. It is the failure to listen that causes a lot of mis-communication and is one of the main factors of many divorces. I also have learned in my studies how to distinguish four types in the way in which one listens. The first is comprehension listening, which is listening to obtain some type of knowledge, more likely to be done in a meeting, seminar, or group of discussion (classroom environment of some sort). The second type is evaluative listening; this is listening to someone who is trying to pre-sway another in complying with his or her thoughts, ideas and/or opinions. â€Å"In these conversations, it is important that you listen for the speaker’s main points and determine their strengths and weaknesses so that you can formulate an effective response such as countering the arguments or presenting important points that the speaker may not have included.† (Sole, 2011). Although this is good in some cases, I do not suggest you use this type of listening when it comes to communicating with each other because it may make the other feel attacked, which they will feel the need to defend th emselves or cause them to become withdrawn when communicating. The third type of listening is empathic listening, which I highly recommend for the two of you. This is something my husband and I practice a lot it allows us to connect and gives us a better understanding of each other’s thoughts without judgment for the most part†¦ Last but not least , appreciative listening, I recommend this also because is show that you are interested in each other and interested in what each other have to say. Not only did I learn four types of listening, I also learned that there is a process that â€Å"requires six distinct components† (Sole, 2011) when it comes to listening, which are: ïÆ'˜â€Å"Motivating oneself to listen† (Sole, 2011) – This entails keeping an open mind, being attentive at all times, being aware of the nonverbal communication such as movements, eye contact, facial expression or anything else that is accompanied with the discussion at hand. â€Å"Clearly Hearing the Message† (Sole, 2011) – Ma ke sure you can clearly hear what the person is saying and try to eliminate any noise that may be a distraction to you at that time. â€Å"Paying Attention† (Sole, 2011) – try not to speak while the other is talking and focus on what the person is saying rather than focusing on your response. ïÆ'˜â€Å"Interpreting the Message† – â€Å"To correctly interpret a message, you must know what the symbols mean to the person who is using them, and we all interpret symbols differently.† (Sole, 2011) I believe this is more of a written message than it is for a fact to face conversation†¦ ïÆ'˜â€Å"Evaluating the Message† – â€Å"When you have heard and attended to a message and then interpreted it, you must then decide what you think or feel about that information. The results of this evaluation usually determine how you will respond.† (Sole, 2011) On a personal note, I am not sure how one can do this and remain attentive to the discussion because it would seem that one would be more focus on the response than they would the conversation. ïÆ'˜â€Å"Remembering and responding Appropriate† – This should happen at the end of the discussion once the speaker has finished expressing himself or herself. At this time the other should ask any question necessary to get a complete understanding, it is important to never assume anything because the inaccurate assumption is a sure way to bring confusion into your relationship. Once you have established the skill of effective listening, it becomes a little easier to solve and/or avoid communication problems. Trust and self-disclosure Trust is another key element in one’s marriage. In order to build trust one must be willing to expose oneself to self- disclosure. I recently did a report in my class on an article â€Å"Can We Talk?† by Nara Schoenberg, which spoke about the importance of communication. In my report, I spoke of trust and self – disclosure. I stated, â€Å"I do believe that finding new ways to communicate can help to develop a stronger relationship. I also believe that the quality, as well as the quantity of communication is the foundation in which a relationship is built on. One also needs truth and understanding. Knowing that the discussion one is having is based on pure truth is of great importance; being dishonest to spare another’s feelings or to cover up something is just as bad as not speaking at all. One must also have an open mind when conversing, being able to understand the difference of opinion and not focusing on who is wrong or right helps to establish a common ground and growth. With all this being said, I do agree that sharing one’s feelings, fears, doubts and perceptions can help to build a healthy and happy relationship of any kind. At the same time, it can also be dangerous placing this much information or trust in someone that may because you harm†¦ Self- disclosure increases trust within the relationship because it provides â€Å"understanding of your inner thoughts and feelings will significantly impact how you see others, especially with your spouse, who will increase your ability to share your innermost feelings. (Sole, 2011). However, I feel the need to advise you that I feel one must have complete trust with the other before taking this step. My marriage did not have this in the beginning, it took a little time for us to build this type of trust in each other because this consist of sharing one’s private feelings and sometimes secretes that only you know about yourself. Once these feelings and secrets are exposed to the other, it leaves you vulnerable which depending on your partners’ intent could either bring you people closer or tear you apart. Do not get me wrong it was not that I did not trust my husband in the begging, I honestly felt uncomfortable with being vulnerable to anyone including him. Having said this, if you genuinely love each other, there is a strong possibility that you will begin sharing things you would never have shared before without giving it a second thought. The discrepancy I had with the article was Orbuch’s advice was to â€Å"consider setting aside 10 minutes a day for quality conversations.† (Schoenberg, N. 2011, January 17). This suggestion may be good for couples that have been away from each other or if someone in the relationship had an event that has happened to them that, they would like to share with their spouse. However, I work at home and my husband does as well because of this, we are together for the majority of the day and although we love each other’s company, there are times we just like to share our time together in complete silence or talking about things that has no value, like a TV show or trashing talking while playing pool. Most importantly there are times we just want to be left alone. Whatever the case may be, I feel that this approach varies depending upon the couple, the environment and/or the situation. I stated in that report, â€Å"In order to have the type of communication that the article speaks of, one must first have a full understanding of consistent quality communication because there are many ways one can define quality communication; there will never be a sure conclusion or a quick fix when it comes to communicating within a relationship.† (King 2012) Had I been talking to my sister or husband they would have understood this concept in depth. Due to the fact I was speaking in general my teacher advised me â€Å"I failed to include supporting details or examples to bring validity to my claim.† (Miller, 2012) In which I feel she was 100% right. However, this proves that one’s approach varies depending upon the environment and/or the situation. Regardless of the impact or lack of this article had on me, I do recommend that the both of you read this article and share your thoughts it may have a different outcome, and give you a better insight on the importance of self-disclosure. Other articles I think can be beneficial in your marriage are; â€Å"Shared Talking Styles Herald New and Lasting Romance† (Bower, 2010) â€Å"speaks about conversation and the impact it has or can have in one’s relationship and/ or friendship. The article talks about a variety of studies done such as speed dating†¦. Within that experiment, they found that† (King 2012) â€Å"opposite – sex are more likely to express mutual interest when using similar speaking styles than those who differ.† (Bower, 2010)â€Å" Another study showed that young couples in a committed relationship, whom used similar writing styles during 10 days of instant – messaging chats, we’re likely to stay together.† (Bower, 2010) and the article, â€Å"Close Relationships Sometimes Mask Poor Communication† (Health Day News 2011) show how one’s communication with others, lack of communicational skills. This article speaks of a study done on married couples that explored the amount of mis-communication or lack of communication one may have in their relationship. Although the researchers pointed out some valuable information they gained from their studies, they left much to be questioned when it comes to communication in one’s marriage. Identify the barriers to effective interpersonal interactions†¦ Interpersonal communication barriers compose a negative impact in our everyday life on the way we interact with others; rather it is in our jobs, with our friends or our family life. Reason being, we are all different therefore we all have different personalities, emotions, our priorities differ as well as our emotions. It is difficult to identify all the things that create Interpersonal communication barriers, however, I believe that the root of the problem when entering or within a marriage consist of personal emotions, lack of desire to participate and/or explore in conversation. Emotional barriers in a marriage are the hardest thing to conquer. This is because one’s feeling and/or emotions are more likely the ultimate way in which one bases their decision. The problem with this is one’s feeling and/or emotions are comprised of the things that surround us, such as little sleep, anxiety, problems at work, or just generally having a bad day. That one bad day can lead to a bad decision or unintentionally building barriers to protect our feelings and /or emotions. Working on improving your interpersonal skills will allow you to identify each other’s barrier. Once you are able to identify the barrier of your significant other, approach them with it by asking questions to find the cause of the barrier. In a relationship, it is important to break the barriers as soon as possible. The two other barriers you will want to avoid in your relationship lack of desire to participate and/or explore in conversation. The fastest way to ignite an argument and possible build permanent barriers between one another is when one is trying to communicate with the other and your partner is clearly not interested in what you have to say; one not being willing to explore is the other. The unwillingness to acknowledge the possibility of your spouse ideas, opinions, and priorities can cause them to feel belittled and guarded. Keep in mind this is what you are trying to avoid†¦ Remember, there is no permanent solution in obtaining a perfect marriage but as all things in life, a successful marriage requires patients, self-control, and determination and the more you practice the easier it becomes.

E-Business, Opportunities And Threats

The most way of payment In the Internet Is by paying through credit card. The business website could be hacked by cyber-hacker and he could steal the credit card numbers of the customers of the business. How to solve the problem? The company should make sure that their system is protected and safe from any viruses, so the company must install anti-virus software and do regular update for it to ensure that their system is safe well. Also the company should always make a back-up for Its data and never switch off the firewall. Communication with customersSometimes, while employee of the company talks with customer through the email, the customer might have in his/her computer a virus and this virus sent itself to the computer of the company and affected it. How to solve the problem? The company should save its data by backing-up It at safe devices. Also It should Install antl-vlrus software the will scan every downloaded file before the employee open It. The company must Inform Its empl oyees about email attachments from customers or unknown emails and how danger they could be to the company computers.Promote Products Some companies promote their products through sending it to customers by email, and this way of promoting Is affect to reputation of the company as It Is annoying or It considered as not acceptable. How to solve the problem? If the company wants to promote its product through sending it to customer by email, it should do it at good way like reducing number of Images, never attach weird files or large size files, and the subject of the email should be simple and understandable.Provide Information Some companies do not have the security In their websites, so It could be hacked by yber-hacker and he might change or delete the information that will make the company at hard situation. How to solve the problem? The company should back-up its data, enhance its system to be strong & secure, and make regular scan for the system. Also the firewall must always s witched on and having updated an anti-virus software. Operational Implication trends Natlonal Ba KOT Banraln Is respond to E-Buslness ana nas develope a nls servlces because of several competitive forces.Expectations and product fulfillment Because of modern technology, NBB is providing its services through E-Business to uit and cover the expectation of their customers' such as checking the balance, transfer funds, payments and to fulfill their desire and demand. Customer expectation Because of high customers' expectation at this time, NBB developed its website to make it very quick to load that have the ability to contain and serve lots of customers. Information of the service that NBB offer are available, also NBB website has zero of annoying pop-ups and there is space to customers to leave feedback to enhance the services.Increased competition Because of the increasing of competition that BBK offers set of services at its website, NBB is always tried to recruit the finest, creati ve, and talented people that will enhance the process of NBB services and this will raise the competition. Also NBB is offering new loans plan from time to time and offer many type of debit and credit cards. New providers NBB try to not give the opportunity to other new banks for being best than NBB, NBB develops its website to make it much easier and easier and simple to use like provide answers of frequently asked questions â€Å"FAQs†.Also it is offer transfer funds, credit card and loan payment can be made through the website as well. Also NBB has one of the biggest network â€Å"ATM† services around Bahrain. Strategic implications of trends on organizations Competitive pressures Because of BBK competitive activities that allow its customers to check their inquire about their balance, transfer amounts; check online statement NBB is compete to make its services better in different aspects such as hiring qualified, who are reliable, organized to enhance the process, have problem solving skills and deep knowledge n E-Business.And offer their services with affordable prices. Relocations, takeovers, closures and mergers NBB has ATM card which let the customer with draw money from other ATM that belong to other banks in a competitive prices. Refocusing business Through NBB website, a lot of people know about NBB and its service. ADVANTI Operational implication trends Expectations and product fulfillment Because of modern technology, Advanti is providing its services through E-Business to suit and cover the expectation of their customers' and to fulfill their desire and demand.Customer expectation Because of customers expectation that they expect they will find there requires at Advantl weDslte. Advantl Improved Its weDslte to De slmple ana easy to use. I ne website domain name is simple and easy to remember. Also Advanti provide pictures, description of its products and provide detail of the prices, policy and condition. The text format ; colors is comfortable to be seen. Increased competition Because of competitor's activities like ALWASAT Computers that provide many types of delivery services , Advanti now ship its product to GCC countries.Advanti provide ervice of deliver the products â€Å"door to door† and offer discount on some products from time to time. It is also offers gift cards. New providers Because of quick and remarkable presence of AL-Wasat Computers that offers many number of brands, Advanti offers the most unique computer accessories and at affordable prices. It is also known of its faster shipping and its guarantee that the product will arrived safety. Advanti encourage its customers', its offer coupon to the customer that buys from Advanti through online. Because of the competitive pressure that A1-Wasat Computers try its best to attract ustomer base.Advanti goals is to satisfy the customer as much as possible and compete to make its services better in different aspects such as hiring qualified, who are reliable, organized to enhance the process, have problem solving skills and deep knowledge in E-Business. And offer their services with affordable prices. Relocations, takeovers, closures and mergers Advanti is co-corporate with FedEx through shipping the products to customers. Refocusing business Through Advanti website, Advanti have a big customer base a lot of people know about Advanti and its products.

A Critical Analysis Of “The Story Of An Hour” Essay

A critical analysis of â€Å"The Story of an Hour† Kate Chopin’s â€Å"The Story Of An Hour†, in my opinion, is a good piece of literature. It is well written, clearly written, entertaining, and it brings a bit of a challenge to the reader. Starting with the title, Chopin described part of the setting. We already know that everything that happens during this little drama, happens within an hour. This title brought curiosity upon me because I did not realize that many things that could affect one’s life could take place in an hour. For example, the recent tragedy in America, within one hour much had happened in the borders of the United States and Chopin’s choice of title brought that to my attention, within an hour much could happen that could completely change someone’s life. The way the story is written is very straightforward. The author tells you exactly what is happening but still leaves enough room for your imagination to fill in the blanks. For example, when Chopin describes Louise’s room with â€Å"the open window, a comfortable, roomy armchair† (page 378), and then goes on to describe what Louise sees outside, she tells us that our protagonist isn’t living a bad life monetarily. Louise has a nice comfortable chair in her bedroom where she has a nice view of a square with trees and people. The way Chopin describes the weather follows the same suit. â€Å"There were patches of blue sky showing here and there through the clouds†Ã‚ ¦in the west facing her window† (page 378). The author tells you what to imagine but there is still room for you to add, for example, the sun shining through the clouds and warmly hitting her face, among other things. The language used was also good. It wasn’t the usual complicated Shakespearean English, it was, if you will, a more updated version of it. Because she used Modern English, it was easier to follow and understand, I didn’t have to stop and figure out what a certain word meant. At the same time, it is not to say that the piece was poorly written. In many instants as I read it I noticed the way it flowed so well and how beautiful it sounded. The description Chopin gives of Louise sitting on the chair  describes it best. â€Å"She sat with her head thrown back upon the cushion of the chair, quite motionless, except when a sob came up into her throat and shook her, as a child who has cried itself to sleep continues to sob in its dreams.† (Page 378). Simple, yet deep. Throughout the whole story I didn’t really have an urge to stop reading it. Chopin kept me there reading along because I was curious to know more about how Louise felt and if she was going to be ok since it was mentioned that she had heart problems. The story was very entertaining although short. I believe that even if Chopin had dragged on a little more I still would’ve read it right through. Louise showed some strange signs upon receiving the news of her husband’s death. It can even be said that Chopin intended for the audience to think that Louise might have had something to do with her husband Brently’s death. And Richards might have been involved too. As the news were received at the newspaper office, Richards was already there waiting for it and didn’t leave until a second telegram had been sent confirming the death of his friend. The fact that she â€Å"wept at once† (Page 378) also shows some kind of possible involvement, perhaps a fake cry scene was put here just so her sister would see that she was upset about her husband’s death. It is mentioned that she while sitting on her chair she sank â€Å"pressed down by a physical exhaustion that haunted her body and seemed to reach into her soul.† (Page 378). That to me sounds a bit like guilt, the use of the work â€Å"haunted† shows that this is a negative feeling. Once Chopin starts to describe Louise, â€Å"She was young, with a fair face, whose lines bespoken repression and even a certain strength.† (Page 378), that could be describing the repression that she felt because of her husband’s attitude towards her. â€Å"It was not a glance of reflection, but rather indicated a suspension of intelligent thought.† (Page 378), this sentence tells me that she hasn’t been logically thinking anymore, it also helps to show that perhaps she did have some kind of involvement on her husband’s death, not being able to cognitively solve her problems with him. She is waiting for a feeling, maybe it is guilt from what she has done and when it says that she would fight this feeling back it is because she doesn’t want to feel guilty. And later on this feeling is called  a monstrous joy. The cries of freedom also help my observations come true, she had a reason to do it, she wanted to be free of her husband’s ways. Once her husband opens the door, she screams and has a heart attack, she was not expecting to see him ever again, she was filled w joy until the moment she saw him alive. Perhaps she is guilty of trying to kill her husband. The confusing challenging part comes when Richards tries to get in the way of Louise’s sight so she is not able to see Brently. I don’t understand it, what does it mean? Did Richards maybe tell Brently to do something else rather than take this train trip but did not tell him that the train â€Å"accident† was to occur? Maybe it is so and he was trying to not allow Louise to see Brently because Richards and Louise had planned it all and he backed out on it. Maybe Louise’s intention was to be with Richards after her husband died. After reading the story several times this is my interpretation. It is a very good story that could have many meanings, this being one of them. Evil, or Louise’s desire to kill her husband, failed once again because of Good, or Richards strong friendship with Brently. Works Cited Chopin, Kate. â€Å"The Story of an Hour† The Norton Introduction to Literature. New York: Norton, 1998. 377-379.