Lack of Diversity in Management & Coaching in Sports

In recent history it has been evident that some of the most popularize sports in America have been dominated and overran by African American and other minority athletes. In turn when the coaching and management positions in sports are analyzed and broken down, the number of minority coaches and managers in sport are almost non-existent and have been since those sports organization became established. In 2006 Blacks made up about 14% of the population, 12% of all college enrollments, and nearly 24% of all collegiate scholarship athletes.In some major sports, such as basketball and football, blacks make up a great percentage of athletes participating. In 2005 over 55% of all collegiate athletes on football scholarships were Blacks and about 62% of all collegiate athletes on basketball scholarships were Black and this is out of the NCAA’s 328 Division I schools. Despite the large number of Black representing the athletes in collegiate sport, the percentage of African Americans in coaching and administrative position were very small.In 2005 roughly 7% of all head coaches of men’s teams at the nation’s largest universities were black and only 6. 5% in women’s collegiate sports. The numbers are even smaller in the big-time revenue generating sports such as basketball and football. Just to give a breakdown of these percentages, there were only 3 head football coaches at the NCAA’s 119 D I-A schools. What tends to help the racial lines seen been athletes on the field/court of play and the people who are in the position of power.One thing that helps alleviate this barrier is the number of minority assistant coaches in position. The percentage of minority assistant coaches in collegiate sports are far greater that of head coaches in power. It seems that it’s expected to for a white man to be in power and for blacks and other minorities to be in assistant roles that it’s become normal in sports and unquestioned. The authori ty of white head coaches is often legitimized through the eyes of black athletes when its seen that black assistant are taking orders from a white coach.This is an issue that has become to be expected in both collegiate and professional sports (Anonymous, 36-37). It may not be thought about much but there are some racial games that are played. Although the Rooney Rule has at least given minority head coaches a chance to potentially get hired because they actually get a chance to get an interview, many still see it as just a rule put into place to make it seem like everything is equal and to save face from scrutiny about racial issues in sport. In 2003, Mike Millen the president of the Detroit Lions was fined for not interviewing a minority.He was not fined for intentionally not interviewing minority coaches, he actually contacted five different minority coaches and each of them turned the request for an interview down. Each of them felt like the job was already Steve Mariucci and fe lt like they were just being interviewed just so that the Detroit Lions could fill their obligation to interview a minority coach. The problem not only lies with collegiate and professional sports organizations and the issue of not interviewing and hiring more minority coaches and managers but also stems from this minorities feeling that they don’t have a fair shot at the position.Some minorities looking for a head coaching position also have negative feelings towards getting called up for an interview just because of rule that was put into place that forces teams to do this. Some feel like if the Rooney Rule wasn’t in place that general managers wouldn’t go out of there to try and search for minority coaches to interview like that have to do now. A subconscious bias is happening within these organizations because the managers are taking the notion that we’re giving â€Å"them† a â€Å"fair† chance at the position because we are given them a n interview just like everyone else.In reality its being done to help shift focus away from the lack of diversity and make it seem that things are much better in that department and that organizations are treating the issue with an open mind (Nordlinger, J. , 25-26). On the issue of the lack of minority representation in the administration side of sport lacks even more than minority coaches. The hiring of administrators of color has been extremely limited and still continues to be today. In 1999 NCAA reported a combined percentage of minority administrators in position is a mere 10%, which includes all areas of the administrator sector in NCAA D-I sports.This statistic includes both women and men which shows that representation of minorities have been scarce both on and off the field in NCAA D-I sports. The biggest concern with the lack of minorities in top leadership positions in collegiate sports starts with top-level managers themselves such as college presidents, athletic direct ors, and conference commissioners not aggressively pursuing minorities for leadership roles. This not happening will continue to bring up the same issues about underrepresentation in sport period.Putting more minorities in position will lead to more and more minorities potentially getting opportunities for interviews through the passing of knowledge from other minorities alike. The NCAA is taking steps to trying to bridge the gap by planning to open a Minority Institute to develop minorities and give them the necessary skills needed to compete with their white counterparts (Greenlee, 1). I feel that both professional and collegiate sports can do a little more than what is being done to bring more diversity to its organizations and teams within its governing body.The Rooney Rule is a start for sports as a whole period to bring in more minorities, although the rule is only geared toward the NFL it kind of opens the eyes of other leagues to potentially implement a rule or some differen t policies that give minorities an equal shot of obtaining the same position as whites. I believe that clinics or some programs should be set up to help minority coaches and minorities looking to get into the administration side of sport, gain knowledge and skills to help make them more successful as leaders.In turn this could make organization better as a whole because different ideas and not just the same mindset of how things should and could be done within the organization. General Managers and other administrators would get a chance to better interact with a person of minority working within an organization and would be able to gain knowledge from them as well. Depending on how well the minority coach or administrator does and the type of knowledge the person possesses could really open of the eyes of his/her white colleagues and help others get their foot in the door.Ever since minorities have gotten a chance to take on roles such as head coaching positions and in different ma nagement position they have been seen as unsuccessful. I believe that this is because they have had limited opportunities and have not always come into the best of situations with teams that have hired them. Ultimately whites are seen as most successful because they are the majority they have more people in position that are and have succeeded but also more that have ailed. Their successes have been highlighted over their failures and it seems like minority coaches and minorities in top-level management positions failures have been highlighted over their successes. Although the number of minorities hired for coaching and management positions are very limited they will have to be successful in order for them to be legitimatized and given fair shots at getting major positions within sport organizations and leagues.Until minorities represent a percentage that is seen as acceptable in relation the country’s population in America is then where the issue of the lack of diversity in major level positions in sport die out.Works Cited Anonymous, . (2006/2007). Black Teams, White Coaches: Racial Inequality in Coaching of College Sports. Journal of Black in Higher Education, 1(54), 36-37. Greenlee,. (2000). NCAA Report Finds Little Diversity In Sports Administration. Black Issues in Higher Education, 1. Nordlinger, J. (2003). Color in Coaching. National Review, 55(16), 25-26. Retrieved from Academic Search Premier database.

French Existentialism Philosophers Essay

Gabriel Marcel is known to be one of the more religious philosophers who was a French Existentialist. He was a committed Catholic Philosopher and he believed that by being connected to others he will be connected to god. He believed that philosophy should be about hope and wanted to portray the more positive aspects of human characteristics through his writings and thoughts. Marcel has a belief that problems and mysteries were two separate ideas where problems exist outside and apart from ourselves and mysteries were unsolved queries that were more internal to one’s self. For example determining what a body is, is a problem and determining what my body is, is a mystery. He believes that we can use primary and secondary reflections in order to seek a solution to the problem or mystery being faced with. Primary reflections use analytical skills to separate the thinker from the problematic object in order to find a resolution. Separating the thinker from the problem is important in order to effectively reflect and create intellectual and moral means to a solution. Primary reflections use means of abstracting data and using it in order to manipulate the world and deal with the problem that is not always black and white or a right or wrong answer. Primary reflection approaches problems from an objective standpoint where the thinker is separate from the problem while the secondary reflection begins with the experience of existence within the problem and is used with reflection of a mystery. The secondary reflection is open to contemplation by looking at it as a unique presence. The existence within the world is not a problem that needs to be solved because humans and their bodies are intrinsically related to the world and they are in relation to each other, not objects or problems that can be manipulated. Marcel believed that Philosophy is a part of reflecting on a mystery and the mystery requires participation of the person reflecting because it is an experience of presence itself. A mystery involves you as an intrinsical part of the question which is a question of yourself and requires a solution by secondary reflection. A question becomes a mystery when it takes itself into the subject. Marcel believes that humans are increasingly becoming defined by their problems which cause alienation of themselves from themselves and also causing separation from others. The questions of â€Å"being† and humans are mysteries within the Marcel philosophies. When something is recognized as â€Å"not being† it cannot be a mystery. As humans we have a need for â€Å"being† with â€Å"ontological exigence† which consumes â€Å"being† upsurges of joy, happiness, hopefulness, expectations and desires. â€Å"Being† as a human means existing and experiencing the world and the subjects within it. Having something means exercising power over that thing by possession and rights to those possessions. By having rights over a possession can also enables that person to have the ability of disposal of that subject as well. Having something is different from experiencing that thing, for example having a body is different form experiencing your body because you cannot rid yourself of your body without ceasing to be. Life is not identical to a person’s â€Å"being† because â€Å"being† is the whole self which is more than life and it is what a person aspires to be. Humans can only evoke the fullness of â€Å"being† by engaging with others and coming together as a community. Marcel promotes the idea of living I-Thou which opens up and enhances a person’s â€Å"being† which God being the ultimate Thou. The I-Thou idea requires a person to be open to the â€Å"being† of others within their lives and not living only for themselves. Marcel has an interesting stance on the subject of love and how it should be defined. He believes that love has to do with inner subjectivity and it is about seeking and experiencing the â€Å"being† of the other. Love is not about possession or having another person which is commonly thought to be the main definition of what love means. Marcel believes that a self does not love, but it is the self that is constituted by love. When we attach predicates to a thou we limit our love for another and it’s trust and faith which constitutes love in the â€Å"being† of the other. I always thought that love had to do with possessing and labeling a person or subject as yours. However, Marcel’s philosophy on love has changed my point of view into believing that love is about fully accepting a person as who they are instead of trying to possess them and changing them into being an object of your desire and control. Part B: In Simone Beauvoir’s writing of The Ethics of Ambiguity she begins to elaborate on ethics and the importance of a moral obligation to overcome oppression. Moral acts and willing one’s self free is an obligation of a person in order to become a moral person. With moral freedom a person is not free unless they can deal with free individuals. We all should strive for our freedom as well as the freedom of others and the freedom of all. The freedom to choose is shaped by social and political freedom of people. Beauvoir believes that in order to free all we must take a stand for justice especially in the political sense. We ought to respect freedom when it serves freedom, but not when freedom distances itself from itself. For example when freedom is used in the oppression and the abuse of others, we ought not to respect it in cases such as a dictatorship oppressing the freedom of its people. Oppressing an oppressor is justified even when it requires violence and in cases of people rising up and rebelling the person or the system that has been oppressing them it is justifiable. In such cases casualties of war with sacrifices is justified when fighting for freedom because it makes it a just war. Simone Beauvoir states â€Å"the truth is that if division and violence define war, the world has always been at war and will always be; if man is waiting for universal peace in order to establish his existence validly, he will wait indefinitely: there will never be any other future. † (Beauvoir ) With this she means that if the only reasons for war are for violence to annihilate the other opponent because of division then war will never end and people will never reach complete liberation. However, oppressing and oppressor should never be driven by blind faith. The actions must be considered fully well and deliberate over choice. Each circumstance should be considered on a case by case basis and analyzed by practical problems. Ethics emphasize physical and social interaction in relation to other human beings because of freedom. Authentic morality involves engagement with the world that is not abstract intellectualism. People who sit by and talk about the problems and the circumstances that accustom the world are not engaging with the world directly. Beauvoir stresses that in order to achieve authentic morality people must do something to engage with the world not intellectualize the problems within it. Humans have a moral commitment to liberate the oppressed individuals because it causes limited liberation of their own freedom. Oppressed individuals may not even know that they are being oppressed and this why it is important for others to enlighten them and help them become liberated from their situation. With an oppressed individual, their own judgment that they are oppressed is what counts and this is why it’s an obligation of others who recognize the oppression to give them knowledge of their situation. Oppressed people are cut off from the future without the power of liberation to decide what is next for them in their lives. With liberation a person must be able to question values and oppressed individuals are not able to do this. Being oppressed does not gain moral character because character is not built by suffering. A person cannot say that they are a strong person because they have been accepting oppression and the suffering that comes with it. A person is strong when they take a stand for their liberation and fight for their own values as well as the liberation of others. However, power is limited within liberation, Beauvoir enforces this by stating that â€Å"to be free is not to have the power to do anything you like; it is to be able to surpass the given toward an open future; the existence of others as a freedom defines my situation and is even the condition of my own freedom. † (Beauvoir ) Power is a foundation of moral freedom and in order to engage the world a person must have power, but it is a limited power. Not only individuals of the world, but state also has an obligation to ensure that it’s people have a minimum level of well-being because this is necessary to freely act within the world. External help is needed in order to alleviate oppression and once an oppressed individual is placed within the presence of freedom they must pursue freedom for themselves and one cannot force freedom upon them or it would not be recognized as freedom at all. Works cited Beauvoir, S. D. The Works of Simone de Beauvoir. Zuubooks. com, 2010. Print. Marcel, Gabriel. A Gabriel Marcel Reader. 1st edition. St. Augustines Press, 2011. Print.

Comparing and Contrasting of Ethical Perspectives Essay

Comparing and Contrasting of Ethical Perspectives - Essay Example On the other hand, business paradigms are highly volatile which depend on externalities for their sustainable performance. The myriad shareholders and stakeholders of the business emerge as key factors whose interests need to be incorporated within the aims and objectives of the firm for its long term sustainability. As such, the need to become accountable for their actions becomes a highly desirable element of their success. Indeed, the ethical considerations become hugely important issues as they influence the decision making processes that have wide ranging implications for the business and the stakeholders at large. The paper would discuss the issue by comparing and contrasting three articles: ‘What is business ethics’ by Peter Drucker; ‘The social responsibility of business is to increase its profit’ by Milton Friedman; and ‘The relevance of responsibility to ethical business decisions’ by Patrick Murphy. The varying views of the scholars r eflect not only the significance of ethics but also its hugely controversial impact on business outcome. Thus, it is vital to highlight the need to evaluate the extent to which the ethics play role in the overall performance of the business. Most importantly, the paper makes an effort to emphasize the changing dynamics of business imperative in the transforming societal values and emerging new socio-cultural and economic order. What is ethics? Drucker believes that in the contemporary times, the word, ‘business ethic’ has replaced social responsibility. He broadly expounds that ethics are moral obligations that are relative to contexts and people. He says that moral laxity can be defined by the individual behavior but its implications are suspect because of the differing perspectives on the right behavior. Moreover, the ‘extenuating’ and ‘aggravating’ circumstances make the moral behavior highly objectionable as they tend to favor the powerful and the rich. It is true that the wide diversity of socio-cultural and religious paradigms reflects the diverse ethical and moral practices within different societies across the globe. Thus, very often, the actions of people are deemed good or bad as per the different ideologies and views of the people coming from different background. Drucker claims that moral obligations and ethical behaviour therefore depends on the moral norms of one’s society’s culture. Most importantly, he says that individual behaviour cannot be applied to business because morality is relative that relies on socio-cultural norms. Milton Friedman, on the other hand, uses the term social responsibility to define business ethics and says that it is totally irrelevant to the main objectives of business, which is to make profit. He strongly asserts that business can only contribute to social causes to the point where its interests are not clashed. He has linked social responsibilities of business wit h that of issues like unemployment, poverty, pollution control etc. and criticizes the reformers who think that businesses need to focus on wider objectives than merely profits. According to him, burdening the business with social responsibilities adversely impacts its major objective and undermines the postulates of free society. Patrick Murphy’s article reviews the business ethics vis-a-vis moral responsibilities of businesses and how they are employed in decision making processes. He uses different articles to show how various types of social responsibilities: legal, corporate, managerial, social, stakeholder and societal are applied within and across businesses to achieve wider objectives of bus

Envisioning America & What Caused the Pueblo Revolt Essay - 1

Envisioning America & What Caused the Pueblo Revolt - Essay Example At first we thought the white man’s god protected us, so we freely worshiped. Then the rains stopped coming. The other tribes began attacking us for our sparse food and water. As a people, the Pueblos, realized we had angered our Gods. The Gods were punishing us with a drought. We turned from the white man ways to go back to the true ways of our fathers. The white men were mad. They arrested many man, including Popà ©. Some of the Pueblos were killed. The rest of the men, including Popà © were whipped. The story of his shame circulated amongst the tribes. Popà © vowed revenge. Along with Popà ©Ã¢â‚¬â„¢s stories, my people had become angry at the white man’s ways. My family was no exception. The white men’s holy men had made several Pueblo children and women work in their holy places and homes. My mother would take me to the holy place as a child. She would clean the church and cook for the holy man. As a young child I would carry water for the white man’s holy man. Some days it would take all day to fill the water needs of the white man. I did not understand why I struggled so hard to carry water and then the holy man would waste it. Even more strange was the holy man’s wastefulness of water during droughts. The man would dip his fingers into water and place it on babies heads. I never understood how water could help a baby’s thirst if placed on the baby’s head. My mother would have to go home and tend to her crops and other chores after working for the holy man. This made my mother very tired. Other Pueblos felt the same way. We began to hate the Spaniards, instead of just being suspicious. After the runner left, my father and the tribal elders met to discuss the message. I hid in the shadows to listen. My father spoke saying â€Å"Popà © will attack on the day the last knot is untied.† I was excited. Maybe my

Education by computer -a better way Research Paper

Education by computer -a better way - Research Paper Example Nonetheless, despite wide acceptability of this trend, there has been debate from many quotas on the suitableness of this, as a schoolrooms method. The question of whether computers are the best way to go has been motivated by a myriad of factors such as, the cost and maintenance of computers and the whether it adds value or it is just a passing fad. The importance of the roles played by computers in the modern classroom will be discussed with the intent of logically proving that they are they are a crucial aspect of modern education. Keen consideration into the basic psychology of most school going children age ranging from early childhood to late teens will reveal one common factor, they all benefit more from practical student centered learning as opposed to, teacher centered learning. Here, computers come in handy; a teacher will instruct a student on how to obtain information using a certain software or website. The teacher will just require providing the basic skills and he/ she will leave the student to do the rest as the teacher supervises. Students and teachers can use LCD projectors, Digital cameras I pads and smart boards among other technological equipment to harness the power of computer technology in class (Meador). ... Besides considering learners today, especially teens spend much of their time on their iPhones and laptops browsing and chatting, it is natural for them to be more interested in a class that has computers. This is because they will using the same gadgets they normally associate with fun and leisure, and having conditioned themselves thus they are likely to react favorably to technology in class ultimately translating in higher grades. As aforementioned, computer education, or education through computers provides learners with invaluable computer skills, which can serve them well in retrospect as they enter the job market or self-employ. Furthermore, there is innumerable gaming software that can be used inside or outside the classroom situation, to develop not only the computer skills but also the psychomotor skills such as hand and eye co-ordination in young children. Math and mind games also help learners develop; analytical and critical thinking and problem solving skills that cont ribute to their personal and professional growth. Other benefits of gaming activities include improved memory and dexterity with computers, which is one of the requirements for one to excel in the games (Salgado). Teachers as parts of lessons can use these games or curricular activities as part of team building by diving learners in groups and having them compete against each other. They also allow a chance for the more bookish students to shine in co-curricular activities to make up for lack of finesse in the field or gym. Online tutoring is another crucial benefit having computers in the classroom since learners are able to stay in contact with their teachers through the internet. They can consult them

How did Tommy Douglas lead the province of Saskatchewan to adopt his Research Paper

How did Tommy Douglas lead the province of Saskatchewan to adopt his vision of a health care model - Research Paper Example This was the reason for young Douglas to visualize a health care system, which should be free for all. (Tommy Douglas Research Institute, 2009) Young Tommy started preaching at the Baptist church in Saskatchewan, on Sundays, as the church offered him a permanent ministry in 1930. Thus began his career as a politician and motivator. Being persisted by his family Pastor Woodsworth, Tommy joined Saskatchewan farmer labor party, while being elected to Provincial legislature in 1934 and thereafter a CCF Member of Parliament, during 1934-35. He began his political career as labor MP for next 9 years; during the hard times, which saw economic depression and world war. Under Tommy’s leadership, CCF gained power in Saskatchewan, on 15th June 1944 and Tommy Douglas became the premier of this province, which continued for five full terms, as head of Social Democratic Government.(Reb, 2009) This paved the way for bringing several reforms, which included bills for free health care. CCF under the leadership of Douglas created new government departments like Labor, Cooperatives and Social Welfare, along with bringing legislations that provided free medical, hospital and dental services to pensioners, while everyone had free access to hospitals for treatment of cancer, TB and mental diseases. In 1947, a bill was introduced which allowed every one in Saskatchewan being able to avail hospital facilities at an annual fee of 5 dollars. ((Tommy Douglas Research Institute, 2009) Being introduced by CCF under Tommy Douglas, in 1960, the act for providing government paid medical services was passed during 1962 in Saskatchewan. Doctors went on strike against this act, while government recruited medicos from UK. However, the most important factor for making the act successful was the charismatic personality of Tommy Douglas. He had already set an

Theory of change and growth paper, combined with the movie Essay

Theory of change and growth paper, combined with the movie - Essay Example This theory of change and growth is based within an eclectic mix of theories from different paradigms within psychology. The theory works on the idea that cognitive change and emotional growth and understanding, along side support and motivation from an empathetic and compassionate therapist and the involvement of the client’s partner and immediate family members, will create an environment where the client can heal, and move past their problems or difficulties. It is an integration of the principles of cognitive behavioural therapy, emotion focused therapy, and structural family therapy. For the client to be able to effectively move away from their personal and family problems and to understand the problems, its causes and effects, they must firstly be able to admit to the problem in the first place. Denial is not possible if therapy is to be successful. The eclectic theory first focuses on the client, using a theory based in cognitive behavioural therapy. Cognitive behavioral therapy has been shown to an effective treatment for many disorders, including depression, panic disorders, alcoholism and substance abuse (Wakefield, Williams, Yost & Patterson, 1996). Changing behaviour is a complex psychological process. For change to occur therapy and its preceding theory must give the client the ability to become who they really are, and not what they think they are. The therapy needs to enable the client to understand how their cognitive beliefs of themselves and their world, affect their reactions to situations and events. Cognitive behavioural therapy suggests that you can change how you think or change cognitive processing, which in turn will change what you do - or your behavior. Within an eclectic theory of change, if the therapist firstly helps the client to start to change their cognitive malfunctions, thereby changing their sense of self, by taking the client from the emotional

Does malcom x deserve the honor of being on a U.S. stamp Essay

Does malcom x deserve the honor of being on a U.S. stamp - Essay Example He later died of an assassination on February 21 1965 (Draper 48). The USPS has strategies that recognize distinguished contributors in the history of the U.S. This is courtesy of the USPS Black Heritage Series that recognizes overlooked historic contributors in America. Among the leaders recognized in the strategy, include Martin Luther King, Jr., Scott Joplin, Sojourner Truth and other leaders in the country’s history. The USPS, through a committee, nominates leaders and historic contributors from a diversity of fields. Such fields include entrepreneurs, scientists, political and social activists. On 20 January 1999, the USPS announced and made celebration for featuring Malcolm X as among the list of notable contributors in the history of the country. That was courtesy of the 33-cent stamp, which bears the photograph of Malcolm X. The USPS featured a photograph of Malcolm X on a 33-cent stamp as a form of honor attributed to his contribution to the history of the country. This was part of the black heritage remembrance series. The decision by USPS triggered the debate on whether he held credit for the recognition (Cooks 161). Malcolm X did not deserve the honor of being on a U.S stamp. The honor by USPS has its basis on appreciation of the nominees in making the history of the country. Malcolm X does not fit the description of one among the great contributors of the history of the country. He was a renowned advocate of Black Nationalism. He was notably in opposition with the nonviolent policies and multiracial approach to having the challenges the blacks faced end, his contribution remains immense. This formed a major reason for their differences with Martin Luther Jr. The two leaders never shared common ways of advocating for the rights of the people. The contribution of Malcolm X in coming up with various acts advocating for the rights of the blacks remains promoted violence. His participation in the 1964 debate over the Civil Rights Act remains a

Organizational Leadership Philosophy Essay Example for Free

Organizational Leadership Philosophy Essay The ingredients of my leadership philosophy which I believe will be most effective have been summarized into three pages. It is undisputable that vision, values, leadership development, managing change, care for soldiers and their families and a sense of humour are all important elements in a leadership philosophy. It is in this that I have a conviction of the ideology that, a military leader must have a personal philosophy since it will enhance accomplishment of a comprehensive and integrated view of life which is of critical essence. Personal philosophy is therefore of absolute necessity because it gives a foundation to other areas in life. To start with, vision is one of the most important elements to be put under consideration when creating a leadership philosophy. One of this is the fact that, vision ought to be idealistic in order to reflect the mental model of the organization for now and in the future. It must also have the characteristics of appropriateness, purpose, direction and standards of excellence (Wallace, 2008). It must be simple to understand, well articulated and ambitious. The organizational vision which corresponds to commander’s intent can be divided into three concepts. Operation is used to describe the intent of the commander. Purpose is what unifies the operations and involves what the organization is meant to do. Lastly, endstate is the final result that has been achieved. From the above perspective, the vision I have communicated should be understood and shared by everyone in the organization if we are to achieve our objective. We should also apply the concept of vision and revision where our vision acts as a way-point which is subject to adjustment along the way Value is the second element and it entails the morality and virtues which should form the central theme of the human nature. As an organization, the values of the U. S. army are the foundation to provide service to the country. The seven major values which guide this philosophy can be essential in any organization which includes loyalty, duty, respect, selfless-service, honour, integrity, and personal courage. The values are moral guidelines for each soldier to lead us through the intellectual, emotional and philosophical issues that surround our lives and organization. Every leader should therefore adhere to the seven values and ensure that they play the central role in their leadership philosophy. Organizational success depends on the values of the company, its stand and the belief of its people. People who think that we cannot change or train values are wrong and should therefore go for basic training in the US Marine Corps model. In addition, I believe that lack of enough discussion and understanding of values is the major reason for unethical behaviour which the media highlights. It is my duty therefore to establish a formal training program that will enhance values within the army. Caring for one another is the third element of my leadership philosophy just as it is emphasized by the soldiers. This kind of care extends to all other people such as ensuring that soldiers and their families are taken care of. This is in as ensuring that, any mission set forth is successfully accomplished. This may appear as competitive imperatives but both of them must be successfully accomplished by a talented leader. Taking good care of my soldiers will involve ensuring quality life, safety, family support, proper equipment and training, and timely recognition of excellence. This aspect is greatly concurred within the army as the attribute is emphasized in form of an aggressive program which provides for and serves the soldiers welfare as an essential catalyst that ensures unit bonding. The full potential of a soldier is reached when their leaders are caring because modern combat needs love and care of soldiers and soldiering. Leader development is another element made up of three important components which include formal schooling, leader training and empowerment. Among the professional training I intend my soldiers to undergo include the Basic as well as the Advanced Non-commissioned Officer Course, and many other courses that will promote professional development. Although the formal educational courses may collide with training and exercises, subordinates must receive these training to sharpen their specialities. Leader development is a continuous process and I will promote attendance to formal education to supplement our professional development programs (Wallace, 2008). I will also ensure that subordinates are empowered through delegation of duties to encourage the growth of leadership within the organization The next element which is inevitable will be to manage change. Frequent deployment, downsizing, modern technology, and increased personnel and operations tempo will require the army to deal with tremendous change. My mission and purpose for the organization will clearly elaborate the need to manage change because it will be necessary for general improvement. Leveraging diversity is another element of leadership philosophy which is often overlooked by many people. Soldiers from different ethnic, religion, racial experience backgrounds should be treasured since they add value to the organization. The mechanism that I intend to use to ensure that diversity is appreciated includes open-door policy, visibility and small-group sessions in the organization. Moreover, any personnel who do not value diversity will not be tolerated. Lastly, maintaining a sense of humour ought to be preserved since it is an important element for diffusing tension (Wallace, 2008). Humour is important in developing personal rapport and enhancing the cooperation spirit. References Wallace, A. (2008). Organizational leadership: Major Principles for Effective Leadership. A Journal of Human Resource Planning, Vol. 45, p. 23-32

Investigating and Analyzing Opportunities and challenges of implementing ERP solution projects in SMBs Essay Example for Free

Investigating and Analyzing Opportunities and challenges of implementing ERP solution projects in SMBs Essay To accomplish research objectives, the mixed method approach to research will be used. Both qualitative and quantitative data will be instrumental in investigating and analyzing the opportunities and challenges of implementing ERP solution projects in SMBs. Data will be obtained from primary and secondary data, such as books and scholarly articles about theories and models in ERP planning and implementation, and the findings or outcomes of integrating ERP in SMBs in actual situations from other studies. Key individuals from performing, including ERP solutions integrators, and receiving organizations, such as CEOs in receiving organizations, will also be interviewed to gain qualitative data that will address the research goals. The field study approach will be applied to obtain qualitative and quantitative data. The analysis of the qualitative and quantitative data that will follow the contrastive approach. The number of studies that look into the actual outcomes of ERP solutions is limited and the contrastive approach to analyzing data and perceived outcomes of the study will contribute to empirical knowledge regarding the actual or practical situations that take place when implementing ERP solution projects in running and managing SMBs. The succeeding discussions will provide details on the methods and approaches that will be applied to fulfill the objectives of the research. Research Design Field Study ApproachThe field study approach of qualitative and quantitative research will be used at different stages in the study to gather data and determine the opportunities and challenges of implementing ERP solution projects in SMBs. Scholars emphasized the value of a field study design in a theory-oriented research. Schwab (2005, p. 85) noted that the field study approach is instrumental in testing theories or models. â€Å"Field studies â€Å"are frequently used to test conceptual models with a number of independent variables† (Schwab, 2005, p. 85). One primary objective of the study is to compare and contrast theories in ERP and its integration to SMB business functions and processes to actual practices and outcomes experienced by performing and receiving organizations. The field study approach will be utilized gain qualitative and quantitative data from independent variables that will consist of participants from performing and receiving organizations. The data obtained from the field study will be tested against theories and models discussed in the Literature Review. The field study approach enables the researcher to understand a phenomenon within the actual context or environment in which it occurs through direct observation or interaction with the target population. The purpose of the field study approach is aligned with the objectives of the research. The lack of existing literature is one reason that prompted the study. Gaining practical data from performing and receiving organizations through the field study approach will validate and evaluate the reliability of existing literature about the process and outcomes of ERP implementation in SMBs. Qualitative data will be obtained by conducting interviews with receiving and performing organizations. The number of participants from receiving and performing organizations will be equally divided. Five participants from receiving organizations (CEOs, CIOs, and IT managers) and five participants from performing organizations (project managers or ERP solutions integrators) will be selected as the sample population based on the availability of the participants. The formal interviews will be guided by specific themes that are aligned with the objectives of the study to address research questions. The formal interview with participants from performing organizations, including ERP solutions integrators or project managers will focus on three key areas: project controlling, project monitoring, and risk management. The interview questions will be designed to draw the practices or strategies implemented by the participants in order to control or monitor ERP projects in SMBs and techniques in risk management to prevent or address potential risks accordingly. The perceived outcomes of project managers and ERP solutions integrators will also be determined and evaluated based on the actual outcomes of ERP projects in SMBs. The quantitative data will also be obtained from performing organizations. The success of project planning, management and implementation of ERP project integrators may be determined by evaluating the various areas in ERP implementation. The project plans that were completed will be the primary source for quantitative data. The project plans and the actual outcomes of implementation will be evaluated to determine how successful ERP integrators were in accomplishing project plans for client SMBs. Information from receiving organizations will also be instrumental in validating the success of ERP project solutions and in determining the opportunities and challenges that commonly occur during the implementation process. The formal interviews with participants from the receiving organizations will focus on four areas: change management opportunities upon implementation of ERP projects, the challenges that arise during ERP implementation, the quality of the implemented solution or its alignment to the goals of the receiving organization, and the satisfaction of the receiving organization throughout the project life span. The responses from the receiving organizations will determine whether ERP project solutions implemented by performing organizations opened up opportunities for growth and development in the former and identify accompanying challenges in ERP implementation that other SMBs should be prepared for when adopting ERP in business operations. The primary data will be obtained through the field study approach. The secondary data that will primarily be used in writing the Literature Review will be obtained from the Body of Knowledge PMI, Prince2 Body of Knowledge, and professional journal works. The various theories and models in ERP implementation and how the process is integrated to SMB business practices will be the focus of research to obtained secondary data. The PMI and Prince2 will serve as the basis or standard of evaluating the efficiency and success of ERP project plans implemented in receiving organizations.

Different values and beliefs

Different values and beliefs An effective leader recognizes each person as an individual with different values and beliefs. Such influences as childhood experiences, ethnic background, and religious heritage determine an individuals personality, values, and beliefs. Because of these differences, you should be aware that the actions you take might affect one member of your work group differently than another. Your actions could have a positive effect on one person and a negative effect on a different. As a careful leader, you should try hard to identify and think about these differences while deciding upon a choice. Steve Jobs: often called Silicon valley pioneer and the author of unique leadership Ideas Innovation distinguishes between the leader and the follower (Deutschman, 2001) this quotation is the key to the leadership style of Steve Jobs; he has made innovations accessible to the customers so that they keep opening their wallets. (ICFAI,2006) However, is it so easy to be a leader and to be noted among the most prominent. Americas leaders as it may seem at first glance? Somebody may become surprised to know that Jobs has not graduated any college (he started his education but never finished it), devoting all his lifetime to new technologies and innovations in this sphere. Apple may be seen as personality-driven. (Young, 2005) However, the question here is whether it is good or bad, is it really that Job is a cult, and how personality driven companies may become profitable and successful. While Apple had six CEOs through the period of 1977-1985. Thus, one of the peculiarities of Jobs leadership style is that he sees the core companys activity through the marketing prism. Jobs were able to restructure the company and return it to the normal performance through the development of new products and making them popular among consumers. Apple is committed to bringing the best personal computing experience to students, educators, creative Professionals and consumers around the world through its innovative hardware, software and Internet offerings (Young, 2005) this is the mission statement which Apple follows at present. Brand fanaticism and radical customer devotion Steve Jobs has based the leadership culture of the Apple Company on brand fanaticism and radical customer devotion. Though Jobs is highly criticized for his leadership style, but his achievements (introducing mouse and graphic user interface) cannot be neglected. They have become revolutionary. Jobs are perfectionist, and he has been described as being intimidating by several publications. (Harvey, 2001) Another important leadership feature peculiar of Jobs is that he does not see only computers, but far beyond. He is demanding both towards himself and towards his employees. His deadlines often seem impossible to meet. One more important characteristics of Jobs leadership style thus is his ability to combine zeal and fear for his employees, who often state that they are afraid of him, but form any business, especially for the large companies, it is essential that the employees have the same vision of reality with the head of the company. The digital technology to the masses given by more than anyone else, as a creative thinker, he realised that the computers might be much more than plain productivity tools. As a substitute, they could help unleash our creativity and total enjoyment. Since the time he was a kid Steve thought that his ideas can change the world. This is another feature of leadership within Steves character not only he has always been perfectionist, but he always believed into the need of his performance for his company and for the consumers; and his self-confidence led him to success. Jobs is the example of the transformational leader, he is able to direct his people and make them do things which they have never done before, but these things are essential for the realization of Jobs vision and plans. He is seen as egotist, but this is again an integral part of successful leader. Egoism often appears to be a pushing force for striving to success in business; this egoism should partially be spread on workers, as it is seen, Jobs is egoistic towards himself, but he is also egoistic towards his workers in making them achieve what seemed to be unachievable before, and it is essential that this egotist feature has also become an integral part of Jobs success. Perfectionism, egoism and creating .killing products. Despite the fact that Jobs is sees as egotist, he was able to create successful team of workers, which creates new products and works for the satisfaction of the consumer needs and demands. Consumer is the central player of the Jobs business scene, and this is why his products are so successful. He knows that great business comes from a great product (Anonymous, 2006), but great product is impossible without a team, which will work for its creation and improvement. Jobs impressions of the new Motorola phone with iTunes software, and he displayed this new invention as something from what they could learn something (ICFAI, 2006) this relates to the innovation in leadership, but innovation which is impossible without team work. The success of his team work is partially egotism and high criteria, but also the idea and the belief into the strategy through which this product will be brought to life. Sometimes Jobs is not understood in his choice of the products which he sees as future innovations; after he has been back to Apple, he stopped production lines for all products and concentrated his efforts on the four only, which have later become the major companys success. (Deutchman, 2001) Jobs perfectionism is seen through his vision of the company being not only a competitor, but the company which brings killing innovations into peoples homes: he supposes that killing products bring killing profits. (Benezra Gilbert, 2002) Concentration on few products only is also followed by the concentration on their quality. For the creation of these products he needs small team but this team should consist of top talents, because his vision of leadership also presupposes that small team of talents is more useful and productive than crowds of less talented people. He was able to combine his great ideas with consumer desires, marketing visions and the skills of managing his team. These are the keys to his success as a leader. He has created the whole culture within his company, and this culture pursues innovation, devotion to great killing products, marketing vision and concentration on quality. Youd show Jobs something and he might look at one part and say that just waste of tim e. But he never said make that button bigger. (Young, 2005) This is the expression of Jobs striving for perfectionism and his ability to carry his ideas to his team who has to make them real. While he calls his new iTunes Music store a landmark which cannot be overestimated (Erve, 2004), this phrase can be attributed to any of his innovations. His products are perfect and are killing. The ability of Jobs to concentrate only on the most necessary features is seen through his adolescence, when he dropped out of college and kept going to lectures as drop-in, visiting only those he supposed he would need in the future; among those were the courses of calligraphy, which seemed to be wasting of time, but which later became the basis for the Mac typography, and as a result the basis for the multiple typefaces which all computers integrally have at present. (Jobs, 2005) Jobs trusts in his success as the leader and he himself states the necessity to trust, which will ultimately bring necessary changes into ones life and make one the leader. One has to find the job he would love, and this will also create serious success in any area. He believes that as far as work takes greater part of our life, it is essential to believe that what we do is great; otherwise our activity is doomed to failure. Summary of the key leadership features Summarizing the core features of Jobs success as leader are the following: Innovation; Trust in success; striving for perfectionism; Ability to create small team of top talents; Brand fanaticism; Radical customer devotion; killing products bringing killing profits; Ability to express the ideas to the team for their realization; transforming self-interests into business interests for both the leader and his team.

Killer Bees: The American Invasion Essay -- Exploratory Essays Researc

Killer Bees: The American Invasion 1.0 Introduction: Invasive species have a variety of impacts, many of which are unpredictable. The Africanized honey bee (also known as the â€Å"killer bee† in the media community or apis mellifera scutellata among scientists) provides an excellent case study of how even an intentionally introduced invasive species can become uncontrollable and problematic. 2.0 Brief History: Honey bees are a non-native species in both North and South America. European honey bees (EHB) were first introduced as a relatively mild species. The EHB, however, is not well suited for tropical climates. After comparing the honey yields of EHB in the Americas to the yields of honey bees in Africa, Brazilian geneticist Warwick Kerr transported queens from Africa to Brazil in 1956 for colonization (via artificial insemination) with the preexisting EHB species. Kerr was aware that the African species was considerably aggressive, but thought that hybridization with the European species would create a less defensive yet more productive subspecies (or race). The results were favorable; Kerr described the Africanized honey bee (AHB) colonies as, â€Å"the most prolific, productive and industrious bees that we have seen up to now† (Spivac 3). In 1957 the experiment went awry when 26 AHB colonies escaped and swarmed into the forests of Sao Paulo. Since that time, AHB have sp read 300 to 500 kilometers (100-200 miles) each year through the Americas, entering Mexico in 1986 and the United States in 1990. 3.0 Biology and Habits: AHB differ from their EHB counterparts in both physical and sociological aspects: â€Å"Africanized bees resemble their African parents more than their European parents in mitochondrial DNA, mor... ..., DC: Island Press. Lyon, W. F., & Tew, J. E. (2003, April 2). Ohio State University extension fact sheet: Entomology. Ohio State University [Online]. Available: http://ohioline.osu.edu/hyg-fact/2000/2124.html [2003, April 2]. Kim, K. T., & Oguro, J. (1999, April). Update on the status of Africanized honey bees in the Western States. The Western Journal of Medicine, 170 (4), 220. Robinson, G. E. (1998, Sept-Oct). From society to genes with the honey bee. American Scientist, 86, 456-457. Spivac, M., Fletcher, D. J. C., & Breed, M. D. (Eds.). (1991). The â€Å"African† honey bee. Boulder: Westview Press. Watanabe, M. E. (1994, August). Pollination worries rise as honey bees decline. Science, 265, 1170-1171. Winston, M. L. (1992). Killer bees: The Africanized honey bee in the Americas. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.

Different Types of Mutual Funds and Their Investment Objectives :: Business Finance Investment

Different Types of Mutual Funds and Their Investment Objectives Mutual funds are an investment vehicle which pools the money of many investors. The fund's manager uses the money collected to purchase securities such as stocks and bonds. The types of mutual funds vary according to the fund's investment objective. A fund's investment objective will usually seek capital gains, income, or a combination of both. The basic types of funds are described below. The first types of mutual fund I will discuss are â€Å"Money Market Funds.† Money market funds seek safety of the principal by investing in high quality, short-term securities. This type of fund is designed so that the investor's principal should not decrease in value. However, there is no guarantee that this will always be the case. A money market fund seeks to provide a regular distribution of income which is determined by short-term interest rates. The second types of mutual funds are â€Å"Bond Funds.† Bond funds carry more risk than money market funds and are often used to produce income (retirement) or to help stabilize a portfolio (diversification). The primary types of bond funds are: municipal bond funds (issued by state and local governments), corporate bond funds (debt obligations of U.S. corporations), mortgage-backed securities funds (securities representing residential mortgages), and U.S. Government bond funds (U.S. treasury or government securities).

Gordon Growth Model

What is Gordon Growth Model, â€Å"This model is use to determine the fundamental value of stock, it determines the value of stock based on sequence or series of dividends that matured at a constant rate , and the dividend per share is payable in a year† Stock Value (P) = D / (k – G)————–Equation 1 Where D= Expected dividend per share one year from now G= Growth rate in dividends k= required rate of return for equity investor This model is useful to find the value of stock, with following assumption should be taken into account while calculating value of stock, which are: 1.That dividends remains to grow continuously on a constant rate 2. The growth rate should remain less than the required return on equity Relationship between monetary policy and stock market Monetary policy is a state owned measure which is an an important determinant of stock prices , lowering of increase in interest rate couzld be use by fedration to influence stoc k prices. it is very useful to find theâ€Å"value of stockâ€Å". Monetary policy effetcs stock prices in two ways: 1.When in certain circumstances when the federations or the controller of monetray policty lowers interests rates, the return on bonds or securities (which is also considered as an alternative assest to stocks) decreses, this results that the investors who have invested ,are ready or accept to receive a lower required rate of return on an investment in equity. This will automatically reduces the amount of equity , hence it will also lower the (k – G) (denominator in Gordon Growth model).The lowering of this denominator will lead to increase in the value of stock (price of stock). Hence it will increase stock prices. The lowering of interest rate is also a way from the federation to stimulate and energise the economy, this will help to have a higher growth rate in dividends. The rise in dividends can also results the denominator (k – G) to decrease, it also results in higher stock prices . 2. The denominator in equation is always under the monetary policy influences. Because of that, the stocks and stock prices are also influenced by monetary policy.This model clearly demonestrate how monetary policy influence not only stock markets but also investors , stackholders, those who are investing at that particular time. It is always have been seen that the stock market analyst keep an eye on monetary policy measures as monetary policy always an important factor to know the stock prices etc. The relationship between stock prices and monetary policy is an important factor that directly impacts the economic situation of a country, so this measure should be use carefully. Should one follow the typical recommendation of an investment advisor to buy an actively managed mutual fund?If we are really interested in having a real outcome or return on our investment then it is not an ideal thing to follow the typical recommendation of an investmen t advisor: this recommendation could be from a direct advisor or we can have such information or prediction read outr from article or news etc, I f we really want to buy some already active mutual funds than it is totally not enough to go on word of the mouth of someone or listen to hot tips from our investment advisor. Basically it is all about correct and uptodate informations oft he market,this can be a useful way of knowing and gaining profits as an investor.One oft he most important factor which an investor can do is, not always buyand sell securities, for those who are interested in buying mutual funds,it is a best practice to buy no-load mutual fund,which are with lkow management fee. Plus it is also important that we should always be informed about the market, especially any new information about our intended funds that we are interested in buying. From studies it has been established that having a good track record of past performences when investing does not guarantee that the future will also be bright. This is what the efficient â€Å" market hypothesis predictsâ€Å".

Principles of Economics Essay

Suggest how an economist would approach the problem of alcohol abuse. Economics is about scarcity and choice. It is assumed that all human beings are rational thinkers hence would always choose to consume products that would give them maximum satisfaction or utility. Mankiw (2011, p. 6) argues that rational people ‘systematically and purposefully do the best to achieve objectives given available opportunity.’ Given a choice among alternatives and with scarce resources, one would evaluate the benefits and costs of consuming an extra unit of a product and would only take a decision only if marginal benefit is greater than marginal cost. In this case, to solve the alcohol abuse problem, one has to consider marginal benefits and marginal costs derived from consuming an extra unit of alcohol and since excessive drinking has more costs than benefits, one would refrain from alcohol. The opportunity cost foregone by choosing to abuse alcohol is too high compared to satisfaction derived; money spent on alcohol can do many other things such as feeding the family, education for children, and investments among others. Besides, the person may have health problems thus adding to the costs. By considering all these factors, a rational person would refrain from alcohol abuse. Heyne (2000) acknowledges the role played by incentives in directing behavior. For him, rational people usually respond to incentives or are induced to act by them. Assuming alcohol abusers are rational, imposing taxes on alcohol substances would eliminate the problem. This would follow the law of demand which states that other things being constant, if the price of a good increase, the quantity demanded of the good decreases. Taxes have the effect of increasing alcohol prices and this would automatically mean that the abusers would desist from alcohol consumption or cut their consumption. Analyze how prescription drugs affect the demand and supply of other products  and services in this country. Prescription drugs are drugs prescribed by a medical officer to a patient and are regulated by legislation unlike the over-the-counter drugs which can be old to anyone. If a patient is under prescription drugs, he/she buys the drugs despite the price of the drugs. An increase or decrease in price of the drugs therefore has little or no effect on the quantity demanded by an individual (McCarthy & Schafermeyer, 2007). The drugs are provided by the National Health Insurance and have no close substitutes. The increase in price of the drugs thus affects all the sectors of healthcare industry such as patients and private insurers. Due to increased costs, the private insurers are forced to increase the cost of their services in case they have to offer such drugs and this may lead to low demand for their services. The patients are also required to get medical prescriptions before obtaining the drugs thus the demand for the medicine may be low compared to over-the-counter drugs. Use of prescription drugs also has an effect on demand for other healthcare services such as hospitalization. The prescription drugs also affect supply of generic products as manufacturers have patents to supply the new drugs for some years. Formulate a reason why elasticity of demand is an important consideration when analyzing the impact of a shift in supply and why the elasticity of supply is an important consideration when analyzing the impact of shift in demand. The price elasticity of demanded which is percentage change in quantity demanded over percentage change in price shows consumers responsiveness to price changes. (McKenzie & Lee, 2006). It is an important consideration when analyzing the impact of a shift in supply and in determining if the firm should raise or lower its price. The supply curve is upward sloping showing a positive relationship between price and quantity supplied other things held constant. However, in long-run, those factors do change causing a shift in supply curve. Such factors include; input prices, technology, expectations and number of sellers in the market. For example, an increase in input prices such as labor would lead to a decrease in supply thus shifting the supply curve to the left. This results in low output which is  not able to satisfy the market demand thus pushing the prices up. An increase in prices according to the law of demand would lead to a fall in demand leading to excess supply and consequently fall in prices until an equilibrium is reached (Mankiw, 2011). However, the fall in quantity demanded will be determined by elasticity of demand. If the product has inelastic demand, an increase in price as a result of shift in supply would have no effect on demand thus suppliers would get more revenue. If demand for the product is elastic, an increase in price would lead to a massive reduction in quantity demanded and consequently lowering of prices and revenue. Shifts in demand curve are caused by other factors that affect demand except price. These include; income, price of related goods, tastes and preferences, expectations and number of buyers (Mankiw, 2011). Elasticity of supply shows the producers’ responsiveness to changes in price and is important in evaluating the impact of a shift in demand. For example, an increase in income would lead to an increase in demand depending on the type of the good thereby shifting the demand curve to the right. If it is an inferior good, an increase in income would lead to decrease in demand shifting the curve to the left. In this case, the good is normal. A shift in demand curve to the right would lead to an increase in price and quantity supplied. However, this is determined by elasticity of supply. If the good is elastic, a small increase in price would lead to a large increase in quantity supplied. This would in effect lead to excess supply forcing the prices to fall thus inducing an increase in quantity demanded but if the supply is inelastic, an increase in price would lead to a small increase in quantity supplied not enough to offset costs hence fall in revenue. Provide two examples of increasing-cost industries in your state and propose why they would have a positively sloped supply curve. According to McEachern (2010) increasing-cost industries occur as a result of entry of new firms due to increase in demand. An increase in demand results in high production costs and the average long-run average cost curve of each firm to shift upwards. The market is competitive and thus new firms enter the industry to share in the abnormal profits made by existing firms. However, as new firms enter, they compete thereby pushing up the production costs leading to low  profit or some firms are forced out of the market. This depends on how far the market supply curve shifts to interact with demand curve. The industry would have a positively sloped supply curve as an indication of the increasing costs. Examples of increasing-cost industries are housing construction and mobile companies which bid up prices for labor and raw materials. Suggest how, under certain conditions, a perfectly competitive market is economically efficient. A perfectly competitive market can’t innovate, because all products are homogeneous and can’t take advantage of cooperation. But if you define efficiency in a particularly useless way and choose only one definition of â€Å"economic efficiency† as well then there are certain conditions under which a perfectly competitive market is â€Å"economically efficient†.

Frederick Douglass and Richard Wright Essay

There are many similarities and differences between the two intellectual authors, some of these are deep within, some stand out. The main focus is not only to understand the differences and similarities of the two, but also the qualities and characteristics of these writers consist of. Each author displays qualities that illustrate their identity. It is important that we, as readers, understand the authors’ inspiring and intellectual words that portray who they are on the outside and the inside. I believe the authors show similarity and difference to each other in many ways. Family, desire to learn, and the way they portray people, are some of these ways. Both Douglass and Wright have the uncontrollable urge to learn; with their experiences, it made it difficult for them to succeed. There are many examples of this struggle. One example would be when Mrs. Auld had to stop teaching little Frederick how to read and write. As he reflects, â€Å"The most interesting feature of my life here was learning to read and write, under somewhat marked disadvantages† (Douglass 458). This shows how Frederick really loved reading; he had a huge passion for it. When Mrs. Auld had to refrain from teaching Frederick, it put matters into his own hands. He struggles everyday just to get reading and writing lessons. He eventually has to pay a â€Å"tuition fee† to the young white children in his neighborhood for a lesson. This event made times tough for Frederick. Giving up belongings is the only thing he could do to cure his urge. It is sad because the reason Mrs. Auld had to refrain from teaching Richard was because of her husband. He didn’t approve of slaves to learn. Slavery in general plays an important role in Frederick’s life; one reason is because it was against the law for slaves to read. This made it real hard for Frederick to learn how to read and write, he would be forced to receive his education secretively. If Frederick’s learning were to ever be discovered by the public, punishment would take place and maybe result in death. Although reading wasn’t against the law for Richard, he still had to give away money and steal food to succeed like Frederick. They both had that powerful urge and they would do whatever it took to fulfill their passions. Both Frederick and Richard had to live on their own moral principles for them to succeed in life because they basically just had themselves to engage in reading and writing; they were forced to learn everything on their own. Douglass and Wright’s family had a huge impact on them because they held them back from learning, tearing apart their sense of identity. â€Å"Mrs. Auld was an apt woman, and the advice of her husband and her own experiences soon demonstrated to her entire satisfactory that education and slavery are incompatible with each other† (Douglass 461). This made it hard for Frederick because he had no one to go to for learning. It is important to remember that for Frederick learning was not just a privilege, it was a passion. A passion is a powerful emotion, such as love, joy, hatred or anger. Taking away reading and writing from Frederick and Richard is like taking away food from starving children. Frederick’s family has an enormous impact on him because they steal this passion away from Frederick. Although Mrs. Auld stopped teaching Frederick, he still stated that she was caring, kind, and warm-hearted person. It took courage for her to teach him, but it also took courage for Frederick to still strive for his goals even if it was against the law. Unlike Frederick, Richard didn’t have a person like Mrs. Auld to teach him to read and write; all he has is himself. On a positive note, Richard did eventually get to attend school, which didn’t come till later on in Frederick’s behalf. Richard’s grandm other hindered his ability to learn because she thought that reading novels was a sin and that the only reading he should have been doing was in the bible. As crazy as this may be, it was true that Richard’s grandmother thought this way. Like Frederick, Richard’s motivation to fulfill his passion was being chopped into pieces, like your favorite piece of cake on a Sunday morning at church. Richard’s life in the city up north made it very difficult for him to afford anything. Without a family, Richard had to jump from job to job and steal from local places, such as the movie theatre, just to make a few bucks. It is hard to believe that somebody who stole food, was dirt poor, and could barely receive a healthy education would ever become such a great writer. Langston Hughes once said â€Å"Hold fast to your dreams† I believe Frederick and Richard both held fast to their dreams. These examples help to reflect on how both Frederick and Richard’s family held them both back from reading, tearing apart who they are at the same time. Forcing them to be someone they are not. The portrayal of people and events in both books is colored by the author’s feelings. â€Å"My life as a Negro in America had led me to feel that the problem of human unity was more important than bread, more important than physical living itself; for I felt that without a common bond uniting men†¦ there could be no living worthy of being called human† (Wright 260). These deep, vast, and profound words show how Richard Wright felt about racism and the people involved in it. He often wondered why people are who they are. This led him into states of confusion and mixed feelings about white people, and even black people. An example would be when Douglass states the differences of Mrs. Auld and him, he being a slave, her being a slave owner, really displayed how he felt about the incompatibility with education and slavery. As he reflects, â€Å"My feelings were not the result of any marked cruelty in the treatment I received; they sprung from the consideration of my b eing a slave at all. It was slavery-not the mere incidents-that I hated† (Douglass 463).He obviously wasn’t fond of the belief; it showed how he colored her with his feelings and thoughts. Frederick also felt that Mrs. Auld was wonderful, but controlled by society. Society said that slaves couldn’t get an education; sadly, Mrs. Auld had to accept and tolerate the misunderstood beliefs society had. Another example of Richard’s portrayal of people which is colored by his feelings is when Richard portrays the characters Olin and Pease not just as evil people, but as characters in a drama. This exhibits Richard’s deep feelings and thoughts of racist people. Both Richard and Frederick had an atypical outlook on the world; they colored people and events differently than most others would color. I believe the authors show similarity and differences in one another in many ways. As I stated before three of these ways are: Family, desire for learning, and the way they portray people. Each author contains certain qualities which only few people have. Their views, feelings, and thoughts are comparable and contrastable, not one or the other. Overall these writers are wonderful and inspiring, they learned by experience and â€Å"[held] fast to [their] dreams.†

Environmental Impact Upon Health Essay

We humans have captured the environment to make our lives beautiful but through our activities and materialistic pursuits, we have made environment the biggest enemy of our health. We have ourself created an environment which has given us all leisures of life but on the other hand we have dug the walls of unhealthy livings also in it. In 1997, Department of Health Canada passed a report which stated: â€Å"The built environment is part of the overall ecosystem of our earth. It encompasses all of the buildings, spaces and products that are created, or at least significantly modified, by people. It includes our homes, schools and workplaces, parks, business areas and roads. It extends overhead in the form of electric transmission lines, underground in the form of waste disposal sites and subway trains and across the country in the form of highways. † (Hancock, 2000) In the contemporary society of today, built environment is the most crucial aspect of our lives. All over the world, more than 85 per cent of people are living in urban dewllings and 80 per cent of Europe and North America have urban population. These urban settlements are creating an adverse impact on the natural environment. They are using maximum amount of the world’s resources and in return are producing maximum waste from them. Even leRiche and Milner (1971) explained in â€Å"Epidemiology as Medical Ecology,† â€Å"One of the most striking changes in the ecology of man has been the growth of cities. † (Hancock, 2000) The WHO Expert Committee on Environmental Health in Urban Development (WHO, 1991) pointed that: In some respects, urbanization can itself be considered to be a key variable in the health equation: when the pollution produced by a densely packed population outstrips the natural absorptive capacity of the city’s ecosystem, adverse health effects can be increased where controls are lacking or unreliable. † (Hancock, 2000) Urban civilization cannot be termed as a natural ecosystem as it is completely built by humans encompassing almost whole globe in its vicinity and destroying the very concept of being â€Å"Natural†. It is a complex human ecosystem which constitutes both physical environment created by humans and the social, economic, cultural and political environments in which the humans survive. In North America itself, human beings spend around 90 percent of their time inside the four confines of their doors, another 5 per cent in their cars and remaining just 5 per cent outside. And outside too, they are spending maximum time in the vicinity of the built urban environment. It is a general trend of humans to consider the poor diet or just lack of exercise as an excuse for their bad health but they hardly consider the ill effect of the built environment with the housing characteristics, patterns in land use, transportation etc. It is evidently proved without doubt that when these different modes of our living standards are not created keeping the ecological balance into consideration, the ecosystem collapses (Jackson & Kochtitzky, Online Edition) which deteriorates our health causing stress, chronic diseases etc. The haphazard urban development leads to the climate and atmospheric changes, pollution and ecotoxicity, resource depletion and reduced habitat and bio- diversity. (Hancock and Davies, 1997) The subject that encompasses the link between these human endeavors and the public health is known as human ecology. This human ecology can provide integrative, holistic and radical perspective on health issues. (Hancock, 2000) Catalano in 1979 propounded that there is an utmost need that the health issues must take into consideration economic and social processes which shapes community, so as to prevent any spread of diseases. Hancock, 2000) The metapopulation theory gives an enduring account of urban ecosystems and the human aspect of the study of the urban systems can be done by the â€Å"human ecosystem model,† which deals with the social components which are the part of the human system and its connections to ecology. (Niemela, 1999) The Mandala of Health is a model, which establishes the relationship between the natural sciences and the social sciences and gives suggestion at every level of human activity corresponding to its environment. Hancock & Perkins, 1985) Another model, which has incorporated the most important characteristic of ecosystem, is a Butterfly Model of Health. In this model, health is related to societal, economical goals and patterns and biological resources for self-renewal. This model states that number of biophysical and socioeconomic holarchic environments represented by wings, which exert an influence on the health of any individual or whole population. There are number of biological and behavioral filters that engulf the human beings. The nature, people and these factors affect each other. People are considered as healthy when the two wings of the butterfly are in equitable balance within their own dimenisons. In other words, when the biological and other factors maintain equilibrium in nature, it will lead to the healthy individuals. (VanLeeuwen, Toews, Abernathy & Smit, 1999) Overall we can say that the health of the human beings is dependent on the health of the natural ecosystems and the planet. Therefore it is utmost necessary to keep the urban ecosystems healthy keeping in mind both its physical and social dimensions such as health of the population with regard to the mental well being, the social well being of the urban community with regard to their social and cultural aspects, the quality of different components that make the built environment, the quality of the environment in the vicinity of the urban sphere like clean air, clean water, soil, prevention of noise pollution and the urban ecosystem on the overall ecosystem of planet. Indicators of Population Health at the Community Level formulated a model known as the Healthy Community model. (Hancock, 2000) This model reflects on the environmental, social, economic, cultural and political factors that lead to the health of urban populations. There are three main parts, which make up the healthy community model. These are community, environment and economy, which in turn possess three qualities like livability, viability and sustainability. These qualities are related to our living styles and we humans have to make the best use of the available resources to maintain these qualities for our healthy lives. For e. g. Traffic causes respiratory problems because it causes air pollution and noise pollution. This healthy community model provides answer to the best way possible to control traffic. The theories and models show how we can maintain and improve human and ecosystem health, which will require changes in the way the urban settlements are planned, designed and worked upon. Canadian Public Health Association Taskforce on Human and Ecosystem Health in 1992 said in a report: â€Å"Human development and the achievement of human potential requires a form of economic activity that is environmentally and socially sustainable in this and future generations. † (Hancock, 2000) We cannot change the urban settlements but we can sort out ways by which we can reduce the pollution, and make our environment the most beautiful and healthy place to live in.

Architecture and System Integration

The report has been made on the topic of architecture and system integration. The use of architecture and system integration would assist the operations of the organization. The case study selected for understanding the integration of the architecture and system is RetailCo. The existing system of RetailCo was outdated and slow. It created a hindrance for the development of new opportunities and globalization. The use of better technological equipments and techniques would provide the organization with scope for development and improvement. The following repot consists of five sections and each section has provided a unique diagram for the proposed system of RetailCo. The analysis has been done for being able to make the system context diagram, architecture overview diagram, logical architecture view diagram, component relationship diagram for sales operation, component interaction diagrams for sales operation, logical operational model diagram for infrastructure, and logical operational model diagram for sales operation.) The context level diagram is useful for understanding the boundary between the system and parts of system. It shows the environment of operations of the infrastructure system and the entities that are related to the system. The context level diagram for RetailCo has shown the various entities and their relationship with the Systematic Information System Infrastructure. The architecture overview diagram is helpful for getting a better visualization of the system architecture. The components of the diagram are in the form of blocks providing a better overview of the information system. The architecture overview diagram has divided the system components and operations in terms of users, channel, operations, data, and technology. The logical architecture diagram is useful for analysis of the system components by categorizing them in separate tiers/class (client, access, service, presentation, and data). The logical architecture diagram of RetailCo has been used for making the tiered structure of the organization’s infrastructure. Each of the tier has some services (security, persistence, runtime, and integration services) included for the information system of RetailCo. The component relationship model diagram is the study of the relationships of the components of the infrastructure system. The sale operation has been used for making the component relationship model for RetailCo and it has shown the manual and online shopping activities of the customers at RetailCo. The component interaction model diagram is the study of the interaction among the components of the infrastructure system. The sales operation has been used for making the component interaction model for RetailCo and it has shown the interactions among the components of the system with the operation included in sales process. The Logic Operational Diagram is used for making the model of business infrastructure and it consists of both data and process model of RetailCo. The use of the modeling technique is useful for understanding the difference between process model and data model of the business infrastructure for RetailCo. The Logic Operational Diagram has been used for understanding the sales operation of RetailCo and it consists of both data and process model of sales operation. The use of the modeling technique is useful for differentiating between process model and data model of the sales operation for RetailCo. The report had been made for the analysis of the new information system and business architecture of RetailCo. The project had the time duration of 5 years and budget of 1.2 billion US dollars. It has taken almost 5 years of time duration for completing the project and implementing the new information system and business infrastructure. The report has provided with many diagrams that would be helpful for understanding the operations and functions of the new information system. The analysis of the information system would assist the business organization for implementing any further development. The context level diagram has shown the boundary between the system and parts of system and the architecture overview diagram has provided a better visualization of the system architecture and divided the system components and operations in terms of users, channel, operations, data, and technology. The logical architecture diagram has analyzed the system components in a tiered structure. The component relationship model diagram has studied the relationships of the components of the infrastructure system. The Logic Operational Diagram consists of both data and process model of business infrastructure and sales operation of RetailCo. Baskerville, R.L. and Wood-Harper, A.T., 2016. A critical perspective on action research as a method for information systems research. In  Enacting Research Methods in Information Systems: Volume 2  (pp. 169-190). Springer International Publishing. Cai, G., Wang, B., Chen, B.M. and Lee, T.H., 2013. Design and implementation of a flight control system for an unmanned rotorcraft using RPT control approach.  Asian Journal of Control,  15(1), pp.95-119. Chong, S., 2014. Business process management for SMEs: an exploratory study of implementation factors for the Australian wine industry.  Journal of Information Systems and Small Business,  1(1-2), pp.41-58. Dumas, M., La Rosa, M., Mendling, J. and Reijers, H.A., 2013.  Fundamentals of business process management  (Vol. 1, p. 2). Heidelberg: Springer. Galliers, R.D. and Leidner, D.E., 2014.  Strategic information management: challenges and strategies in managing information systems. Routledge. Gonà §alo, T.E.E. and Morais, D.C., 2015, October. Agent-Based Negotiation Protocol for Selecting Transportation Providers in a Retail Company. In  Systems, Man, and Cybernetics (SMC), 2015 IEEE International Conference on  (pp. 263-267). IEEE. Kim, Y., Koh, J., Xie, Q., Wang, Y., Chang, N. and Pedram, M., 2014. A scalable and flexible hybrid energy storage system design and implementation.  Journal of Power Sources,  255, pp.410-422. Li, S., Zhou, M. and Yu, X., 2013. Design and implementation of terminal sliding mode control method for PMSM speed regulation system.  IEEE Transactions on Industrial Informatics,  9(4), pp.1879-1891. Malhotra, A., Melville, N.P. and Watson, R.T., 2013. Spurring impactful research on information systems for environmental sustainability.  MIS Quarterly,  37(4), pp.1265-1274. McCormack, K.P. and Johnson, W.C., 2016.  Supply chain networks and business process orientation: advanced strategies and best practices. CRC Press. McKusick, M.K., Neville-Neil, G.V. and Watson, R.N., 2014.  The design and implementation of the FreeBSD operating system. Pearson Education. Merriam, S.B. and Tisdell, E.J., 2015.  Qualitative research: A guide to design and implementation. John Wiley & Sons. Neves, D., Silva, C.A. and Connors, S., 2014. Design and implementation of hybrid renewable energy systems on micro-communities: a review on case studies.  Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews,  31, pp.935-946. Roth, L.J., 2016. Successful Business Process Management in Retail. Shin, J., Shin, S., Kim, Y., Ahn, S., Lee, S., Jung, G., Jeon, S.J. and Cho, D.H., 2014. Design and implementation of shaped magnetic-resonance-based wireless power transfer system for roadway-powered moving electric vehicles.  IEEE Transactions on Industrial electronics,  61(3), pp.1179-1192. Sousa, K.J. and Oz, E., 2014.  Management information systems. Nelson Education. Stair, R. and Reynolds, G., 2013.  Principles of information systems. Cengage Learning. Venkatesh, V., Brown, S.A. and Bala, H., 2013. Bridging the qualitative-quantitative divide: Guidelines for conducting mixed methods research in information systems.  MIS quarterly,  37(1), pp.21-54. Ward, J. and Peppard, J., 2016.  The Strategic Management of Information Systems: Building a Digital Strategy. John Wiley & Sons. Zolnowski, A., Weiß, C. and Bà ¶hmann, T., 2014, January. Representing Service Business Models with the Service Business Model Canvas--The Case of a Mobile Payment Service in the Retail Industry. In  2014 47th Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences  (pp. 718-727). IEEE.

Concepts of Operations Project Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Concepts of Operations Project - Essay Example Incident Response team (IRT) is the operational team of specialists responsible for performing an UC Davis Misuse Committee and Incident Response Team that is determined by the nature of the incident. A high level oversight of Incident Response Team (IRT) is offered by Misuse Committee. (Kovacich, 2003) Misuse Committee will be composed of Director of Resource Planning and Budget, Human Resources Director, Director of Internal Audit Services, UCDMC Compliance Officer and Chief of Police. The Chairperson of the Misuse Committee determines the company's designated Information Resource Security Guidelines Coordinator that will participate in the misuse Committee. This will be so during a discussion any suspected abuse or misuse of computing resources. In regards to IT incidents, the key responsibility of the Misuse Committee is to provide operational guidelines to the Incident Response Team (IRT). The guidelines include; general investigative protocol, information custody issues, data/evidence preservation, report content and quality assurance. The external law enforcement assistance may be sought by the Misuse Committee to investigate an incident. ... The Misuse Committee in turn approves the de-escalation of an incident from the highest severity rating to a lower severity rating. The Director of Information Technology will be notified of any high level severity incident or incident containment action in the judgment of the committee that disrupt the broad availability of UC Davis electronic circumstances by the Misuse Committee. He will also inform the Director of Information of any other incident that requires initiation of investigation communication or company-wide coordination with the external law enforcement agencies or collateral organizations. The operational capability of the Computer Incident Response Team (CIRT) is to determine the best strategy to put the structure in place. They compare which strategy has worked well for others within their industry in order for them to establish guidelines on an effective incident response capability. Week One Goal Mission Statement B Concept Company's mission statement toward the development of an Information Systems Security Incident is to protect communications and promote standards that give them a unique advantage. The main aim of this policy is to ensure that B concept members are aware of their responsibilities toward safeguarding information assets of the company and also ensure that: The company meets it commitment of protecting information like the one mentioned in the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Guidelines; That there is continued operations within the company facilitated by dependent on electronic access to information; The members and company's partners protects their personal information,

Land Law Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Land Law - Coursework Example Under the common intention constructive trust, when one cohabitee held legal title to property, cohabitees would share the equitable interests whether or not they had made direct contributions to the purchase of the property provided the non-legal owner could prove that there was a common intention that the parties would share the beneficial interest. Moreover, the non-legal owner must also prove that he/she acted to his/her detriment pursuant to this common intention.2 Isaac can be said to have acted to his own detriment pursuant to a common intention that he would share the equitable interest in the Groove home. To start with, he not only quit his well-paid job to move to the Groove home, he gave up his own accommodations at the time. The common intention is further exemplified by Rose’s statement that she had been looking for someone to share the home with and invited Isaac to be that person. The fact that Isaac move to the home and gave up his job and home to do so clearly establishes a common intention. ... istence of a constructive trust as evidence of a common intention.3 Evidence of a common intention can therefore be constructed out of the facts of the case for discussion. Rose expressed an intention to share the beneficial interest in the Groove home with Isaac and Isaac acted pursuant to that common intention by first making indirect financial contributions and acting in ways that supported that intention to his own detriment. Secondly, and at a later stage, Isaac made direct contributions toward the purchase of the Groove home by discharging the mortgage and taking up household expenses. Thirdly, with Rose’s approval Isaac spent 60,000 pounds on further improvements to the property. In the first two instances, Isaac freed up Rose’s own disposable income. In the third instances, Isaac improved the value of the property. This would provide evidence of the acquisition of a beneficial interest in the home pursuant to a common intention.4 Arguably, a resulting trust will be implied out of the direct financial contributions made by Isaac in discharging part of the mortgage obligations on the Groove property.5 Ultimately, the question is whether or not in all the circumstances it would be unfair or unjust to permit Rose, the legal owner of the property, to now treat the ownership of the Groove property in a manner that would encroach upon the acquired equitable rights of Isaac. As stated in McKenzie v McKenzie, a constructive trust will arise: Out of, and is equity’s way of giving effect to, the common intentions of the parties regarding allocation of the beneficial ownership.6 Ultimately, the courts will imply the existence of a constructive trust in circumstances where it would be unjust or fraudulent to permit total beneficial interest in the property to the

Photography branding part 2 Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Photography branding part 2 - Assignment Example This is the extended version of old CRM. At our photo studio we can maintain a database comprising of all the customer details which will be helpful to us in future contracts. E-CRM can be very advantageous because it is entirely based on the modern technology. We can say that with the help of electronic CRM we can manage our customers on a regular and even on individual basis. The firm can be more responsive towards the customers’ orders. This can help us to create a loyal customer base. At our photo studio we can also apply this e-CRM technique. There would be specific information which must be required from the customers in order to fulfill their future orders in proper time. The information required would include full name, home address, purchase history, and also the planner for the coming events. This would help our professional staff to coordinate with them accordingly. If we have a proper time schedule of the upcoming events then we can accurately manage them and thus satisfying our customers. By promoting our websites on different social websites we can have a larger customer base. In this advanced business world the need of internet based systems is very much important, because many researchers have proved that a strong CRM system directly affects the profits of the organization. This e-CRM helps to establish long term relationships with the customers. Research studies showed that there can be three ways to implement a CRM system in any organization; these can be operational, analytical and collaborative. The operational CRM is for working at the front office means it directly connects with the customers. Now the second technique is analytical CRM which works on the data provided by the operational CRM. It is used for interpretation or we can say data mining. In other words we can say that operational CRM records the number of sales and the analytical CRM predicts the purchasing pattern on those