Partner Selection in Joint Ventures Essay

Achieving constant business growth, in terms of size, sales, technology, skills, profits, and a host of other factors is the undeniable primary priority of most business corporations in today’s intensely competitive business scenario. Spurred by constantly changing technological, economic, and political conditions, most business managements continue to look towards achieving constant all round growth, not just to obtain competitive advantage and to satisfy their stakeholders, but also to fuel market prices of company shares, business valuations and the concomitant increases in performance bonuses and management remuneration (Beamish, 1988). Businesses have traditionally grown through strategies of internal growth and acquisition, acquisitions often enlarging the size of businesses manifold, much more in fact than organic internal growth could ever have done (Beamish, 1988). The recent acquisition of Arcelor by the Mittals of London is illustrative of how an acquisition can propel a company to the forefront of an industry in terms of size, sales, geographic spread, and profits. Capital acquisition, though undoubtedly the most effective vehicle for achieving strategic growth requires significant resources and is unfortunately not a very viable option for most companies, especially those which are young, dynamic, ambitious, and look towards achieving fast growth through enlargement of geographical spread, entry into new territories, accessing of new and more sophisticated technology, and enhancement of product portfolio (Gannon, 1993). Swallowing smaller businesses not being very possible for such organizations, their route for growth leads them towards forging alliances with other business firms through various arrangements, be they strategic alliances, representations, franchises or joint ventures (Gannon, 1993). Joint ventures (JVs) allow two business firms, irrespective of their legal status, (private/public stock corporations or partnerships) to come together through a legal entity in which both companies contribute equity and share in the control and profits of the venture. Very obviously joint ventures have many advantages (Geringer and Hebert, 1989). They enable and empower companies to increase and improve their operations by using their strengths, spreading costs as well as risks, enhancing financial access and strength, achieving economies of scale, and accessing technologies and markets (Geringer and Hebert, 1989). The JV process opens up companies to new thoughts, helps in increasing competitive advantages and enables them to achieve their strategic goals through the creation of synergies with other organizations, acquisition of technologies and skills and diversification of activity (Geringer and Hebert, 1989). With such a range of advantages to be gained from the activity the setting up of joint ventures has come to form an integral part of the corporate strategy of most progressive and ambitious companies. Definition of Problem Whilst joint ventures have become an accepted, popular and much used mechanism for the attainment of a number of strategic objectives of different companies, their rate of success ironically continues to be low (Harrigan, 1988). Some management experts, who have in the past attributed this low success rate to basic incompatibilities between different cultures and attitudes towards business, are at a loss to explain why the failure rate of such activity continues to be high even for ventures between companies that belong to the same country (Harrigan, 1988). To take the issue a step further there have also been occasions of JVs failing between two companies, not just of the same country but also of the same group (Harrigan, 1988). Although many such ventures do progress to doing business and making profits, their overall achievements tend to be less than what was originally envisaged, such mediocre results often leading to loss of partner interest, the relegation of the venture to that of a less important activity and subsequently to the search for buyers for the business (Beamish, 1988). International joint ventures of course fare even worse, a fact that has led many experts to wonder whether the establishment of joint ventures are strategically sound decisions or fall into the category of basically risky business decisions whose success depends on the playing out of a number of unpredictable factors (Beamish, 1988). One of the major reasons leading to failures or their less than happy performances of joint ventures, management experts believe, lies with the coming together of wrong people, or to put it in the perspective of one of the partners, the wrong selection of a JV partner (Geringer, 1988). Research Objective This research paper aims to investigate the various issues that are considered during the selection of JV partners, particularly the strategic reasons that are involved in the formation of international joint ventures, the areas of difficulty and the potential points of conflict that could occur between partners during the course of the JV, and the different issues that need to be considered at the time of selection of partner and the sealing of the JV. Methodology and Structure The methodology for researching this paper follows from the framing of the research objective and deals with the most appropriate means of accessing relevant data. Such methodology involves choosing between adoption of quantitative or qualitative research methods and deciding whether to obtain data from primary and/or secondary sources. Quantitative methods, being best suited for research papers that require data to be obtained from many respondents, are not appropriate in the present context. Considering the complexity of the issue being investigated, the subjective nature of information to be analysed, and the interpretation required, as also the need to answer â€Å"how† and â€Å"why† questions, the paper calls for the adoption of qualitative methods. The methodology entails collection of information from secondary and primary sources through the study of available literature on the subject, the bibliography at the end of the paper listing the various publications studied for the purpose. Whilst the study would have been qualitatively enhanced by direct 121 interviews with managers with experience of international joint ventures, such interviews are difficult to arrange at this moment because of the economic crisis and the tremendous disturbance in the corporate world. The paper thus depends exclusively upon a study of the relevant literature for arriving at the findings. Information available on JVs, although extensive and qualitatively rich, is fragmented, and information has had to be obtained from various sources. Whilst the paper is limited by lack of information from individuals with direct first hand experience of joint ventures, efforts have been taken to consult a variety of information sources from different authors and institutions for purposes of cross validation and verification. The review of literature is taken up in the following section, which in turn is followed by an analysis of the findings, conclusions, and suggestions.

Daiwa Case Study Essay

The executive vice president of Daiwa’s New York branch had traded away the bank’s money over 11 years – an extraordinarily long period for such a fraud to run – while using his position as head of the branch’s securities custody department to cover up the loss by selling off securities owned by Daiwa and its customers. The trading loss was one of the largest of its kind in history. But it was the cover-ups by Iguchi over a period of years, and then by senior managers at Daiwa between July 13 and September 18 1995, when the bank eventually reported the loss to the US Federal Reserve Board, that did the real damage. These led to criminal indictments against the bank and its officers and, eventually, to one of Japan’s largest commercial banks being kicked out of the US markets. Unlike Barings Bank, which was swallowed up by similar failures in risk management earlier in the same year, Daiwa’s $200 billion of assets and $8 billion of rese rves meant it was big enough to survive the hit. But punishment by US regulators and public humiliation dealt a massive blow to Daiwa’s reputation. The scandal set in train a longterm change in strategy as Daiwa reigned in its international ambitions and concentrated on its core businesses in Japan and Southeast Asia. There were also long-term per- Lessons learned G Risk-taking functions must be segregated from record-keeping and risk assessment functions. It’s a lesson that’s now been largely learned in terms of segregating traders from the back office – but it has much wider applications; G Structural problems in risk management don’t put themselves right. Daiwa had many warning signals about the way risk management was organised at the New York branch, but chose to believe that local management  had learned its lesson; G Massive fraud can continue for many years in an environment of lax controls: Iguchi made his confession not because he feared he was about to be caught, but instead when he realised that the situation might otherwise carry on indefinitely; G Years after an event, failures in risk management remain a threat to the personal finances of senior executives if the executives can be shown to have acted inappropriately. sonal repercussions for Daiwa’s senior managers. Five years after the debacle broke, on 20 September 2000, in a decision that was immediately challenged, a Japanese court in Osaka told 11 current and former board members and top executives from Daiwa to pay the bank $775 million in damages. The record-breaking award, which followed legal action by shareholders, was to atone for the management failure of oversight, attempted cover-ups, and the breakdown of risk management in the New York branch that led up to the debacle. Treasury securities as part of Daiwa’s services to its pension fund customers. During the 1980s the New York desk became a significant force in the US government debt market and was designated as a primary market dealer in 1986. When Iguchi was promoted to become a trader in 1984, he did not relinquish his back-office duties. All in all, he supervised the securities custody department at the New York branch from approximately 1977 right through to 1995. This lack of segregation, a relatively common feature of small trading desks in the early 1980s but already a discredited practice by the early 1990s, led to Daiwa’s downfall. Daiwa’s New York branch managed the custody of the US Treasury bonds that it bought, and those that it bought on behalf of its customers, via a sub-custody account held at Bankers Trust. Through this account, interest on the bonds was collected and dispersed, and bonds were transferred or sold according to the The Story Toshihide Iguchi, a Kobe, Japanborn US citizen who majored in psychology at Southwest Missouri State University, Springfield, joined Daiwa’s New York branch in 1977. There he learned how to run the small back office of the branch’s securities business. Opened as an office in the 1950s, the Daiwa New York branch began dealing in US  wishes of either customers or the bank’s own managers. Daiwa and its customers kept track of what was happening in this account through transaction reports from Bankers Trust that flowed through Iguchi, in his role as head of the back office. When Iguchi lost a few hundred thousand dollars early on in his trading activities, he was tempted into selling off bonds in the Bankers Trust sub-custody account to pay off his losses. Then, in the words of the FBI agents who investigated the case: â€Å"He concealed his unauthorised sales from the custody account †¦ by falsifying Bankers Trust account statements so that the statements would not indicate that the securities had been sold.† As he lost more money trying to trade his way back into the black, it became hard work keeping alive this parallel series of reports. But luckily for him, Daiwa and its internal auditors never independently confirmed the custody account statements. Later on, while he served his sentence, Iguchi was asked by Time magazine whether his early actions felt like a crime. â€Å"To me, it was only a violation of internal rules,† he said. â€Å"I think all traders have a tendency to fall into the same trap. You always have a way of recovering the loss. As long as that possibility is there, you either admit your loss and lose face and your job, or you wait a little – a month or two months, or however long it takes.† In Iguchi’s case it took 11 years, during which time he is said to have forged some 30,000 trading slips, among other documents. When customers sold off securities that Iguchi had, in fact, already sold off  on his own behalf, or when customers needed to be paid interest on long-gone securities, Iguchi settled their accounts by selling off yet more securities and changing yet more records. Eventually about $377 million of Daiwa’s customers’ securities and about $733 million of Daiwa’s own investment securities had been sold off by Iguchi to cover his trading losses. As Iguchi’s apparen t success grew – he later said that at one point his desk  produced half the New York branch’s nominal profits – Subsequent investigation showed that risk control lapses and cover-ups were part of the culture of Daiwa’s New York operation in the 1980s and 1990s’ According to the charges laid against the bank by US officials, Daiwa had gone so far as to â€Å"temporarily relocate certain traders †¦ and, when necessary, to disguise the trading room at the downtown office as a storage room during [regulatory] examinations†. Following a regulatory rebuff in 1993, the bank had assured regulators that traders would no longer report to Iguchi while he occupied his role as head of the securities custody department. In fact, the branch continued to operate without a proper division of responsibilities. Furthermore, during the 1995 investigation, Iguchi revealed that between 1984 and 1987, other Daiwa traders had suffered major losses; these had apparently been concealed from regulators by shifting the losses to Daiwa’s overseas affiliates (FDIC, 1995). he became something of a golden boy at Daiwa. But the losses accumulated until by the early 1990s it was difficult for Iguchi to continue to hide them, particularly after 1993 when Daiwa made some limited efforts to split up its trading and back-office functions. Yet he managed to survive for another two years before engineering his own day of reckoning. Iguchi’s survival wasn’t entirely down to luck. Subsequent investigation showed that risk control lapses and cover-ups were part of the culture of Daiwa’s New York operation in the 1980s and early 1990s, to a farcical degree. For example, during the 1995 investigation of the Iguchi affair, the bank was also charged with operating an unauthorised trading area for securities between 1986 and 1993. Confession and cover-up In Iguchi’s confessional letters to Daiwa in mid-summer 1999 (he sent a stream of letters and notes to the bank after that initial July 13 letter) the rogue custody officer suggested that his superiors keep the losses  secret until â€Å"appropriate measures† could be taken to stabilise the situation. It was a suggestion that was taken up. In the period after July 13 and before about September 18, when Daiwa belatedly advised the Federal Reserve Board of the loss, certain of Daiwa’s managers connived with Iguchi to prevent the losses being discovered, despite a legal requirement to report misdoings immediately to the US regulators. For example, during September 1995, Iguchi was told to pretend to be on holiday so that a scheduled August 2001 audit would have to be postponed; he was in fact in the New York apartment of a Daiwa manager helping to reconstruct the trading history of his department. Daiwa’s managers seem to have been hoping to transfer the loss to Japan, where it could have been dealt with outside the scrutiny of the US regulators and markets. After Daiwa told regulators about the loss on September 18, Iguchi was taken to a motel and questioned directly by the US Federal Bureau of Investigation. He told FBI agents about what had gone on in the months following his initial confession to Daiwa, and the bank was shocked to find itself facing a 24-  count indictment for conspiracy, fraud, bank exam obstruction, records falsification and failure to disclose federal crimes. Daiwa argued, rightly, that not a single customer of the bank had lost any money. At the time of the incident, Daiwa was one of Japan’s top 10 banks and one of the top 20 banks in the world in terms of asset size. Like most other Japanese, and some European, banks, it had massive â€Å"hidden profits† on its balance sheet that were not accounted for due to the legitimate historical accounting method that it employed. That gave Daiwa’s management considerable freedom of action if unex- Timeline of events July 13, 1995 Toshihide Iguchi of the New York branch of Daiwa Bank confesses  to superiors that he has lost $1.1 billion over 11 years while trading US Treasury bonds. August 8 Japan’s ministry of finance is informed about the scandal by Daiwa. September 15-18 Daiwa belatedly reports the loss to the US Federal Reserve Board, warning that immediate disclosure of a loss of that magnitude might threat the financial viability of the bank. September 23 Iguchi interviewed at a motel by FBI agents who later arrest him. September 26 Iguchi fired by Daiwa and the extent of the bank’s loss made public. October 2 US authorities order Daiwa to put an end to most of its trading in the US, having already shocked the bank by indicting it on serious charges. December 1996 Iguchi sentenced to four years in prison and a $2.6 million penalty (fine and restitution payments). End January 1996 Daiwa agrees to sell most of its assets and offices in the US. February 1996 Daiwa agrees to pay a $340 million fine to avoid further legal battles over its institutional role in the Iguchi affair – one of the largest ever fines in a criminal case in the US. 20 September 2000 Osaka court says some current and some former board members and executives from the bank must pay the bank $775 million as restitution to shareholders. The board members and executives immediately appeal against the decision. One of the bank’s crisis management actions after Iguchi confessed was to pump back into the defrauded account securities equivalent to those that their New York head of custody had sold off. But the US regulators were deeply unhappy at the attempted coverup, and at the way Daiwa had seemed to ignore regulatory warnings over a number of years. They were also unhappy that at least one senior member of Japan’s ministry of finance knew about the Daiwa scandal in early August and had not informed his US regulatory counterpart. This pushed the Daiwa scandal onto the international political stage and led to a telephone conversation in which Japan’s finance minister, Masayoshi Takemura, was obliged to make apologetic noises to US Treasury secretary Robert Rubin for his staff’s failure to pass on the information. (The call was made only after Takemura had annoyed US officials by denying at an earlier press conference that his ministry had failed in its duties; his aides later denied that any formal apology had been made to Rubin.) At a time when the Japanese banking system was already showing signs of strain from the slowing Japanese economy and deteriorating  asset quality, many international regulators took the Daiwa scandal and its aftermath as a sign of the continuing lack of openness in Japanese banks and the Japanese financial system. Meanwhile, Daiwa faced more immediate problems. In November 1995, the Federal Reserve ordered it to end all of its US operations August 2001  within 90 days. By January 1996, Daiwa had agreed to sell most of its assets in the US, totalling some $3.3 billion, to Sumitomo Bank and to sell off 15 US offices. (Indeed, for some time after the debacle, Daiwa was rumoured to be on the verge of merging with Sumitomo.) In February 1996, Daiwa agreed to pay a $340 million fine – a record amount for a criminal case in the US – as a way of laying to rest the charges that US authorities had brought against it. All in all, it endured some of the stiffest punishments ever meted out to a foreign bank operating in the US. By this point, senior figures at the bank had resigned or indicated they would take early retirement. Top management said it would cut its own pay for six months and forgo bonuses as a sign of contrition. Iguchi’s nightmare was now dissipating. In October 1995, he had reached an agreement with his US prosecutors and admitted misapplication of bank funds, false entries in bankbooks and records, money laundering and conspiracy. Iguchi told the judge at early hearings that by the time he confessed: â€Å"After 11 years of fruitless efforts to recover losses, my life was simply filled with guilt, fear and deception.† He said he sent the confession letter because he couldn’t see that anyone other than himself was likely to bring the situation to an end. In December 1996, he was sentenced in New York to four years in prison and a $2.6 million penalty that he had little chance of paying. The cover-up also led to one of Iguchi’s managers being sent to prison for a number of months and fined a few thousand dollars. The Aftermath As this account makes clear, Daiwa’s 1995 debacle resulted in huge losses; a  criminal charge against the bank; Daiwa’s forced exit from US markets; general reputational damage to Japanese banks and regulators; senior resignations at Daiwa; and a diplomatic spat between the US and Japan. In the medium term, the scandal led indirectly to Standard & Poor’s downgrading Daiwa’s credit rating from A– to BBB, and to Japan’s ministry of finance imposing certain restrictions on the bank’s activities for a year or so. It also temporarily threatened the credibility of its profitable trust business. In the longer term, the scandal obliged Daiwa’s management to refocus the bank on its traditional retail and trust banking units. By 1998, this refocus – and the general malaise in Japanese banking – led Daiwa to announce that it would close down many of its international offices to concentrate on its role as a super-regional ba nk in Southeast Asia, with a specific focus on the Osaka region. Bank executives at the time of the scandal in 1995 found that it dogged them into the new millennium. On 20 September 2000, the BBC reported that a Japanese court had ordered 11 current and former board members and executives from the bank to pay the bank $775 million in damages, much of it awarded against the president of Daiwa’s New York branch during the Iguchi period. Judge Mitsuhiro Ikeda made it clear that the award was compensation to the bank’s shareholders for the fact that â€Å"the risk management mechanism at the [New York]  branch was effectively not functioning†, as well as for management’s failure to report the incident promptly, and failures in oversight. Some commentators were surprised by the size of the recordbreaking award, however, and the executives immediately appealed against the decision and filed pleas with the court to suspend any seizure of their assets. Whether or not the award stands, many commentators at the time said that it marked a broader change in attitudes about executive and board responsibility. In Japan, as in most developed economies, it is becoming more and more likely that senior management in charge of a bank or corporation at the time of a disaster will be held personally accountable. I This case study was written by Rob Jameson, ERisk Web Resources AsiaWeek, â€Å"Japan’s $1-Billion Scam†, October 27, 1995 BBC News, â€Å"Bank Bosses Pay $775m Fraud Charge†, 20 September, 2000 Electric Law Library, Criminal Complaint and Indictment Against Daiwa Bank, 11/95 FDIC press release: Regulators terminate the US operations of Daiwa Bank, Ltd, Japan, PR-67-95, November 11, 1995 Time magazine, â€Å"A Blown Billion†, October 9, 1995 Time magazine, â€Å"I Didn’t Set Out to Rob a Bank†, short interview with Iguchi, February 1997

U choose a topic Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

U choose a topic - Case Study Example This water industry operated under strict regulations from both governmental and nongovernmental organizations concerned with quality assurance. One such organization includes the International Bottled Water Association (IBWA), and the America’s Food and Drug Administration (FDA). These bodies are usually concerned with facilitating adoption of safety and quality related standards to consumer markets. Within any economic environment, bottled water industry plays a significant role in enhancing management and rational utilization of ground water (Gleick 54). In addition, this industry provides numerous opportunities for commercial ventures involving different stakeholders like suppliers and logistical manufactures. In the recent past, statistics indicates steadily increasing sales in bottled water within the global consumer market. In 2009 alone, sales of bottled water were approximately $78 billion within that fiscal year alone. In 2010, sales increased by 4.3% to hit a revenu e target of $81 billion. This specific increase within that short period indicates availability of business opportunities within the industry (Eshleman 71). In this regard, certain success factors facilitate achievement of production, distribution and sales objectives by involved companies. One such factor is conformance to production standards required by the industry. Bottled water industry is under governance by federal and state authorities in matters relating to product quality. In order for any organization to gain considerable recognition within any given marketing environment, they will first develop reliable standards of production allowed by relevant authorities. Within the American market, success only comes after an organization gains quality approval from the Food and Drug Association. Apart from such a local quality assurance authorities, other producers choose to advance towards attainment of standards required by international bodies like IBWA (Vasconcellos 84). In t his context, success is directly related to level of conformance to existing standards of product quality in the market. Another integral success factor in bottled water industry involves marketing strategies employed by a given company. In this case, an example of strategy that directly influence marketing trends include distribution and sales patterns used by a marketing agency to reach target consumers (Eshleman 88). Consumer trends suggest that individuals are more likely to purchase a convenience related product whenever their proximity to that product increases. In actual consumer markets, bottled water occupies same shelves as those of other soft drinks in convenience stores. In addition, bottled water can also be sold along with other soft drinks in restaurants, hotels and snack shops. This means that the ability of an organization to avail their product to these premises increases their chances of sales success. From a more practical illustration, Coca Cola utilized its sof t drink distribution channels to deliver its bottled water brands to the market. Fortunately, Coca Cola had a fully developed and efficient distribution channel for their soft drink market. The company was under no commercial obligation to develop a new distribution channel for their new products (Eshleman 92). In this regard, the company in subject supplied mineral water filled bottles to store shelves selling their popular soft drinks. Changes in the industry Since its inception on a commercial scale level,

Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 18

Assignment Example Methodology- to compare between effectiveness of problem-focused or emotion-focused coping strategies, authors analyzed the situation using coded semi-structured interviews from 116 German expatriates when each half were on their assignments in Japan and the USA. The responses were then exposed to moderated regression analysis technique to arrive at conclusions. Findings- the authors presented 966 problem events to the interviewees and out of 3913 coping actions they ranked 30 coping strategies by frequency of use. Results revealed that majority of the strategies were problem-focused like resignation, comparisons, change seeking, ethnocentricism, et cetera. Others were emotion-focused. Implications- the findings revealed that managers at lower levels of hierarchy used problem-focused strategies more often since they need to adjust more to the situations. Moreover, it was also observed that expatriates in culturally more distant countries benefitted more from problem-focused strategies. However, these strategies did not encourage the expatriates to continue with their international assignments. Rather culturally similar nation and longer duration of international assignments encouraged the expatriates to continue. This signifies that cross-cultural dimensions are antecedent to expatriate intentions behind international assignment continuation. Value to readers- expatriation has been researched mostly with the perspective of multinational corporations and countries on whole. This piece of study is majorly devoted to the actual expatriates and their dilemma of coping with the new and unadjusted environment. Some strategies are available to some expatriates while others to other expatriates. Expatriates having social support and friend circle are found to be more adjusted and have more coping strategies with them. Thus, this study provides an insight into how coping

Big Data vs Semantic Web Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Big Data vs Semantic Web - Essay Example It should be noted that such estimation could not be achieved before the adoption of the Big Data Management. Additionally, it was also intended to increase transparency in the data being shared. In this case, any data that is not covered in the digital form will be captured in the Big Data (Heath & Bizer, 2011, p. 34). In other words, the big data management allows capturing of large amount of data in digital form. Finally, the big data management was intended to enable development of products and services of the new generation. The management and environment of the big data management surpasses the traditional data warehouse and relational databases platforms. This is because incorporates technologies that allows processing and storing data in nontransactional forms (Heath & Bizer, 2011, p. 49). The new technology of handling big data concentrates on the collection and analysis of big data that combines the use of the traditional data warehouse with logical data warehousing architectural systems. It is worth noting that the big data management must decide on what data to process. This determination is arrived at following a compliance reasons that determines what data to be stored and what data to be destroyed. Therefore, the technology requires a careful data classification that enables quicker and productive analysis of small data sets. A/B testing, integration, data fusion, machine learning, crowdsourcing, signal processing, natural language, simulation, genetic algorithm, visualization, and time series analysis are the incorporated technologies that are used in the management of the bid data. These technologies are considered exceptional in processing large data quantities efficiently and within tolerable period. These technologies have led to an increased demand of big data information management especially with organizations that generate enormous data on a daily basis (Heath & Bizer, 2011, p.162). For instance,

American Airlines Innovation Report Research Paper

American Airlines Innovation Report - Research Paper Example It does flights both internationally and domestically, including the Caribbean, North America, South America, Asia, Europe, and Africa (Forty 44 ). The developments of this airline range are adverse i.e. passenger services improvement, electronic ticketing, discounts, introduction of self service machines, AAdvanced bag machine check programs, in-flight connectivity programs, power ports introduction to the plane, â€Å"remember me† feature, on board purchase features, and some others as will be seen in details later . American airlines have revolutionized the airline industry when they initiated the passenger services over 50 years ago. Up to date, American Airlines has not relented on its commitment to investment in technology and innovation so as to achieve customer satisfaction. From an advanced AA web site to a Self Service Check In, it has evolved its technology to serve the changing demands of the airline industry and of its customers. The AA website offers more tools a nd more options to the passengers; it has become more convenient in general. Therefore, most customers will continue using American Airlines services. The airline boasts of being the leader in innovation, as it was ranked 11th in the Information Week 500, which is a rating of the most creative organizations in the US. In 1998, American Airlines became the foremost airline to present electronic ticketing across the 44 countries it operates in (Mallarino 170). The AA website receives about 1.7 million visits in a day and is considered the biggest distribution channel in America as well as the best platform of online business within the airline. The airline has the reward packages for passengers who book their flights online get a discount guarantee, and there is no booking free of charge. The American Airlines also has a Mobile platform. The platform is a useful tool to the modern connected passengers and is the main force behind the airlines technology being developed to ease travel for the passenger (Stacks 45). The Airline also has a travel package commonly known as the American Airlines Travel Application. This application has been created with focus on the distinct characteristics of a particular mobile device, which enables timelier and simpler updates as new tools are created and released. This makes the American Airline remain ahead of other companies in terms of application innovation. These applications are available on various platforms including iPad, iPod Touch, iPhone, Blackberry, Android, Windows Phone 7, Amazon Kindle Fire, Barnes, and Noble NOOK Color Readers Tablet (Geza 45). The Airline has a Mobile Boarding pass chance that applies to passengers using American Eagle and American Airlines flights in about 80 cities and 10 international airports. The passengers have the option of receiving their boarding passes on their mobile phones when they book flights in the AA website using either the mobile or desktop version. The passenger is sent an em ail with a link to a boarding pass with a 2-D barcode. This barcode can be used at select American Airlines gates and TSA security checkpoints by scanning the 2-D barcode. The Wi-Fi widget enables customers to find out if the flights they have booked will be Wi-Fi enabled. The in-flight connectivity is a very important tool for leisure and business passengers (Cearly 60). The AA website enables passengers to receive computerized information about their

Organisational Behaviour and Human Resource Management Southwest Research Paper

Organisational Behaviour and Human Resource Management Southwest Airlines - Research Paper Example Southwest Airlines is a well known name in the American aviation industry. It is the largest domestic carrier in United States operating more than 3000 flights a day. The company is a huge success story due to its record continuous profits, even in years when other airlines were suffering. The company was founded in 1971 and since 1973 to 2003 the company never recorded an annual loss. This strong financial record has forced management gurus to study the company in detail in order to understand the factors behind its success. Southwest Airlines only flies within United States and even then the company has done extremely well over the past three and a half decades. The friendly organizational culture of the company may be one of the reasons behind this tremendous success. In this report Southwest Airlines will be discussed in great details and a thorough SWOT analysis will be conducted. Organizational behavior and leadership within the company will be discussed alongside with human re source management issues. Details of organizational culture and structure will also be included in the report. In the end future directions of the company will be analyzed and discussion will be made on how it will try to launch its operations globally. Recommendations will also be made at the end. Background Southwest Airline has always used a strategy that is not widely practiced in the aviation industry. The company uses cost leadership approach in its business operations. Since its inception the company has targeted shorter routes and has tried to fly more flights between cities. Due to this approach Southwest Airline has been successful in gaining a significant market share in the country. The company has been successful in lowering costs to an amazingly low level and by doing this it has knocked out its competitors (Bunz & Maes, 1998). With very low fare it is a first choice of cost conscious frequent travelers. The company uses a variety of techniques to lower its costs down and maintains profitability by utilizing its resources in an efficient manner. An example would be the plane of Southwest Airlines where there is no first class seating available. All the seats are labeled economy class because it allows more seats in the plane. This is one example of how lower costs is achieved by South West Airlines. Southwest Airline has also achieved success because of its inspirational leadership. The CEO of the company for a long time was Herb Kelleher. His charismatic leadership is one of the major reasons why the company did well for a long time (Gibson & Blackwell, 1999). The business strategy of the company has been of lowering costs and increasing efficiency, and charismatic leadership blends well with such a strategy. The organizational culture of the company is also commendable. Southwest Airline has a very friendly culture and employees are encouraged to take initiatives. Employees are also treated in a good manner and this is what motivates them to wo rk hard. Workers of the company are a major reason why company has always been successful even in tough economic times. Employees are given power to take decisions and this is why they are able to come up with innovative ideas and this helps the company at the grass root level. The company only flies short routes with United States and it

Feasibility Report on Employment Research Paper

Feasibility Report on Employment - Research Paper Example A list is shown below for these two recommended sources in correct MLA style format: Bureau of Labor Statistics, U. S. Department of Labor. Occupational Outlook Handbook. 2010-11 Edition. Web. 22 Jan. 2011. . Malandro, Loretta. â€Å"Discover your Leadership Blind Spots.† Bloomberg-Businessweek Online. 01 Sept. 2009. Web. 21 Jan. 2011. . Step 5 (Answering the Research Questions): A. What are the job responsibilities of a management executive in the oil and gas industry? The responsibilities of management executives are much broader than an engineer's as they now have to deal with a variety of problems. Managers also need to take a broader and longer perspective of the business compared to the narrower scope of the engineer's job. For example, management executives not only need to know management theories but also those in finance, production, marketing, sales, promotions and even public or community relations. B. Are there opportunities for professional growth within this fie ld of expertise? Big multinational companies are in the oil exploration industry and they spend a lot on hiring the best executives they can find and pamper them with generous perks and bonuses. In addition, countries like India and China which are rapidly industrializing their economies are in a mad search for new oil sources like those in Africa, Latin America and Central Europe. C. How vulnerable is the industry to external global economic factors like recessions? Although the oil... Feasibility Report on Employment The action I am contemplating or proposing to do will be an upward movement in the corporate ladder. I am exploring various opportunities that will leverage technical expertise to a higher level or rank within the firm I am working with right now and see whether I qualify. In my industry, there is a strong professional career progression with corresponding financial increases in remuneration, perks, benefits and fringe packages (like travel, vacations, medical and health insurance plans, education, etc.) and it is certainly worth exploring this probability. This report tries to examine and assess the expected changes based on the following criteria as bases: educational attainment, work experience, demand and availability of this job, preponderance and types of employers, the nature of the working environment, location of the jobs available, salary ranges and fringe benefit packages offered to management executives. For my employment research feasibility study report, I utilized the two recommended sources which are the Web site of the government's Bureau of Labor Standards where I looked specifically at the site's Occupational Outlook Handbook for most of the information used in this paper and the second source is a related on-line article entitled â€Å"Discover your Leadership Blind Spots† by Ms. Loretta Malandro, PhD from the digital version of Business Week. Both sources are inter-related and highly relevant to the report I am doing on career prospects.

Bromantes Architecture Represents the High Reneissance Essay Example for Free

Bromantes Architecture Represents the High Reneissance Essay Donato Bramante was born in 1444 to a poor farmer’s family. Bramante was a famous Italian painter and architect. He moved to the city of Milan in 1474, where the gothic style of buildings influenced his creations. The High Renaissance was a time in Italy and Rome that the artists were learning how to show perspective, and about anatomy. Donato D’ Angelo Bramante made his mark in the High Renaissance period. He inspired other architects to express themselves. Some of his works include the church of Santa Maria presso, the Tempietto, Santa Maria delle Grazie, the new St.   Peter’s church, and others (Catt, 2010). By 1499, the French occupation of Milan had forced Bramante to Rome. Taken up by the entourage of Alexander VI, he first designed the cloister of S. Maria della Pace (Bramante, Donato, 1994). In 1476 Bramante first greatest achievement was the church of Santa Maria presso San Satiro. It was built on commission by Duke Sfora that was dedicated to Saint Satyrus (biographybace, n. d. ). However, Bramante’s contributions are seen in the choir area that he remodeled. Bramante had used perspective painting to make it look larger than it really was. Using the art of illusion he made the choir seem to be three bays long, but the space did not actually exist. There was a wall that prevented Bramante from building the choir. So what you see actually is only one meter deep (Web Gallery of Art, n. d. ). â€Å"Italian architect and painter. He is best known as the greatest exponent of High Renaissance architecture. His first building, Santa Maria presso San Satiro in Milan (c. 481), use perspective to give an illusion of deeply receding space in the choir. In 1506, he started rebuilding St Peters, Rome. His influence was enormous, and many Milanese painters took up his interest in perspective and trompe loeil† Donato Bramante, (2008). The Tempietto was another one of Donoto Bromante’s great works. It is believed that this shrine was built on the site of St. Peter’s martyrdom. This piece was commissioned by King Ferdinand and Queen Is abella for this very reason (kleiner, 2010). The Tempietto was a small round temple at San Pietro in Montro, in Rome, and was build 1502. This piece of architecture is considered to be a masterpiece of High Renaissance (kleiner, 2010). The Essential humanities. net, calls it â€Å"the crowning jewel of High Renaissance† (2010 p3). His classical structure contains many elements such as; columns, a dome, drum, base, and a vault. This small design was Bramante’s â€Å"most harmonious building of the renaissance† (biographybase, n. d. , p. 1). â€Å"The Tempietto (1502) at S Pietro in Montorio, Rome. The small circular structure, erected as a martyrium to St Peter, is reminiscent of the temple of Sibyl at Tivoli, with its classical entablature carried on a Tuscan Doric colonnade and rich frieze of metopes and triglyphs. It was the first monument of the High Renaissance and established a prototype for sixteenth-century church design† (Bromate, donato 1987). One of Bromante’s early works in Milan was the church of Santa Maria delie Grazie. This building was started by another architect. The Santa Maria delie Grazie was a large church with long aisles. Bramante contributed to this work by adding the tribune to the east end. When Bramante went to Rome, he left this church unfinished (Web Gallery of Art, n. d. ). According to the text the old Saint Peter’s was falling apart and deeded much repair. Julius II chose Bramante to design and replace the Saint Peter’s church. The floor plan of the new Saint Peter’s church featured a cross â€Å"with arms of equal length, each terminating in an apse† (kleiner, 2010 p. 477par. 3). Julius II wanted the new church to serve as a memorial, to mark Saint Peter’s grave and have his own tomb in the church. Bramante’s plans were complex and extreme with intricate symmetries of a crystal. His plan showed none interlocking crosses in which five of them were supporting the domes. However, Bramante died in 1514, at the age of seventy, about the time the construction began (Nickerson, 2008). â€Å"Bramantes plan has been obscured by later work, though Michelangelo used as much of it as he could. What the interior would have looked like can be seen in Raphaels painting The School of Athens† (Bramante, Donato [1444 1514]. 1994). The works of Donato Bramante include the church of Santa Maria presso, the Tempietto, Santa Maris delie Grazie, the new St. Peter’s church, and others. Bramante’s works are divided into two time periods. The first period was spent in Milan, and the second was in Rome. In Milan, his work was decorative and picturesque. However, in Rome his work became more in the High Renaissance style (Sauer, 1907). He set the stage for artist in the High Renaissance, and his work with perspectives have been studied and copied today.

Domestic Violence Essay Example for Free

Domestic Violence Essay There are many theories out there that try to explain why domestic violence happens. Some like family violence theory say that it is passed down through the family because basically what you see is what you will do. Others say it’s a chemical imbalance or its based on other things. I believe that it is a little bit of all of the theories but the Culture of Violence Theory is playing a huge role today in helping shape our young children’s minds as to what is now acceptable. During this assignment we will look at four different types of examples of how the Culture of Violence Theory is doing just that. Culture of Violence theory claims that violence occurs at all levels of society and is looked at as a means to resolve a conflict. Violence and force are acceptable and are used even in family disputes. Theories believe that in order to stop a man from beating or hitting a woman then you have to change the way he believes or relies on violence being a means to solve all his problems. I also believe that our culture as a whole is violence driven. As a soldier in the United States Army, I deploy to combat areas and I have meet other new recruits who basically wanted to join the military for that reason. So then the question is why in the world would you want to do something just for the violence? Well we can look no further then what is the main culprit to me and that is the Mass Media. The Mass Media today is the main reason why our culture is so violence driven. First I am going to start off on the news media and movies that are being viewed by our children and young adults. The news media always seems to project negative things. You rarely hear anything about a city not having an violent acts being placed over the news. Instead you turn the news on and your going to see how a father came home and found his wife cheating on him so he beat her to death, then killed all his children before turning his gun on himself. The news always reports the violent acts so that’s what our culture is getting use to see. When we look at the type of movies being depicted that display acts of violence in a family household we look at the movie Precious. This movie won the actress a Grammy Award but in this movie your watching a girl being physically, verbally and sexually abused at home. The only time she was safe was at school. What does this type of information teach? It could teach a positive message but I believe that in reality all it did was downgrade women and especially African American women. Movies and the News aren’t the only means to project violence within our culture. The controversial video game by rock star called Grand Theft Auto has been sparking debates across the nation for years. This is one of the best selling franchises in the video game industry but the message in this top playing videogame for our youth in particular teens is violence. This game depicts family violence, drug selling, murder, extortion, robbery, theft, grand theft auto and many more violent crimes. This game really belittles women I feel because they always use derogatory language towards them. This game always shows â€Å"pimps† and ho’s† and the pimp is always beating on the women. This sends a message that our society is fine with this type of behavior since we generate it for our amusement and entertainment. I am one of those who is at fault by playing this type of games but I do understand that this is not appropriate for our youth because they are still learning and trying to understand what is the wrong and right way to act in society and this doesn’t help them in any way. Our society today is all about technology. Everyone has an internet capable phone and the internet is streaming videos constantly. With that being sad a lot of youth and teens are able to watch music videos either through their phone, laptop or on the television. The new hit song titled â€Å"Try† by Pink depicts two lovers basically having an all-out brawl with each other. They are pulling hair, breaking glasses, hitting each other. This music video shows our youth domestic violence but shows it as a poetry in motion or as just two people really in love with each other so even though they are hurting each other its ok as long as they continue to work it out and try again. So is the message here teaching our society to not harm each other? It doesn’t look that way to me and if this keeps up then we will continue to see the numbers as high as they are. All of the different examples I gave show you how our culture became so violence oriented. From the News stations to the Movies in the theaters to the videogames we buy our children and the music they listen to. What children hear and see is exactly what they will do so yes I believe Family Violence Theory plays a role in my paper but the Cultural Violence Theory is by far the most destructive force we have and we can only blame ourselves. Reference: CJ333 Chapter 3, Research and Theory on Family Violence Video Game Study Reinforces Negative Impact on Youth, Jennifer Leclaire, 4/10/06 Pink gets physical and aggressive in â€Å"Try† music video, Lucas Villa, October 10 2012

Workplace Bullying Mobbing

Workplace Bullying Mobbing Workplace bullying is the tendency of individuals or groups to use aggressive or unreasonable behavior to achieve their ends and it is the repeated mistreatment of one employee targeted by one or more employees with a malicious mix of humiliation, intimidation and sabotage of performance. Unlike the more physical form of schoolyard bullying, workplace bullies often operate within the established rules and policies of their organization and their society. Workplace bullying is also referred to as mobbing, although mobbing can also mean any bullying by more than one person, psychological terror or aggression, hostile behaviour at work, work place trauma, emotional violence! In practice means  »ganging up « by co-workers, subordinates or superiors, to force someone out of the workplace through rumor, innuendo, intimidation, humiliation, discrediting, and isolation. Mobbing is typically found in work environments that have poorly organized production and working methods and incapable or inattentive management. A recent reliable study estimates that approximately 1 in 6 workers has directly experienced destructive bullying. Half of all bullies (58%) are women. Half of all bullying is woman-on-woman. Women comprise 80% of targets. The vast majority of bullies (71%) are bosses. Why bullies bully can be reduced to 3 factors. This are competitive schemes, peoples who live to manipulate others to accomplish their own goals and when employers reward the aggression with promotions and rewards. Research indicates that adults who bully have personalities that are authoritarian, combined with a strong need to control or dominate. A person can knew when is bullied because of experinces from work and outside of work (always talking about work). There are four types of bullies. Chronic bullies (tries to dominate people in nearly every encounterat work and away from work), opportunist bullies (he/she knows that beating up other people will lead to winning), accidental bullies (is truly unaware of the effect of her actions on other people) and substance abusing bullies (very dangerous and threatening because she may not be in control of her decisions at all). We can protect ourselves of bullying! There is no direct law abou bullying (only in Sweden, Norvay and Finland) but it should be in the employers interest to establish a policy in preventing conflicts from escalating into dangerous states. As well as practical measures a bullying target can take, there is some legal protection or redress against some types of behaviour, although a suffering employee must look to different parts of related employment law. Although you should first realized that this is not your foult that you are bullied, to informed a manager about that, consider changing your job, to tell a bully that this kind of behaviour is not exceptable, The most problematic and serious mobbing or bullying we can find in army workplace! The U.K. army defined bullying as: â€Å"the use of physical strength or the abuse of authority to intimidate or victimize others, or to give unlawful punishments! Every year we can hear about skandals in armies all over the World. In Russian army is still a lot of violence although there was establiseh military police like in other countries. Some argue that this behaviour should be allowed because the soldiering is different from other occupations. Soldiers expected to risk their lives should, according to them, develop strength of body and spirit to accept bullying.

Parallel in events of 1692 in Salem and McCarthy Investigation of 1950s in America :: essays research papers

‘The Crucible’ is written about the witchcraft trials in Salem in 1692, it is a story full of many emotional themes, these are fear, redemption, hysteria and a choice between what is believed to be good and bad. In 1692, Puritans in Salem were in a period of suspicion and fear. People were making accusations of people conducting witchcraft due to a group of people seen dancing in the woods, this is seen as worship to the devil. These witch hunts destroyed the innocent and corrupted the accusers, the law made it impossible to find justice. In 1950, Senator Joseph McCarthy had a frenzied leadership in America. It all started when he claimed that there were many avowed Communist in the American government. There was no proof, but anyone who criticised McCarthy’s claims were accused of being communists themselves, people were claimed to be ’Communist Sympathisers’ and were put on trial and even executed, even those who escaped death or prison were blacklisted and their whole lives were ruined socially and through their careers, this was known as the period of McCarthyism. The events in 1692 and 1950 are very similar because they both involve similar effects upon people. They create fear and redemption, a fight for what is right and what your conscience tells you. In 1692, people were being wrongly accused of witchcraft, they were put on trial and executed, this is exactly the same as the events in 1950, people were being accused of communism, they were also put on trial and executed. In Salem it was due to the girls dancing in the woods and being accused of worshiping the devil, in America in 1950 it was due to the accusations of Senator Joseph McCarthy, which he could not prove. Miller could not criticise Senator McCarthy at the time of his power as the atmosphere at the time was such that he would certainly have been charged as a Communist, so he decided he would write about the Salem witch trials in the 17th century, it shows how the trials in Salem were very similar to the McCarthy period, it was even referred to as a ‘witch hunt’ by critics. In both periods there was a varied atmosphere of fear, redemption, hysteria, terror and shear brutality. But no matter if there were Communists in America in 1950, no matter if there were witches in Salem in the 1600’s, the search for both cause destruction to the lives of the innocent and corruption to the accusers.

Laptop Computers: School Utilization and Student Achievement :: essays papers

Laptop Computers: School Utilization and Student Achievement It has become all too evident in today’s society that there is a need for a quality, successful education system. The need for skills in technology are also obvious. Schools across the nation are now trying to achieve both of these goals by providing a laptop computer to each student. Principal John Kozusko, an administrator at one such school claims, â€Å"It’s like a world apart. It’s changed the way teachers teach†¦the way they think about kids.† (Chute, 2000  ¶4) According to Speaker Rick Johnson of the Michigan House of Representatives, â€Å"Students have progressed from learning about computers to learning from them.† (Johnson, 2003,18) This paper will examine how laptops are being utilized in schools and the effect that they have on student achievement. Participation The movement to use laptop computers to provide a first-rate education to all students has quickly been spreading across the nation. Throughout the United States, Microsoft has counted more than 125,000 students and teachers at 800 schools participating in such programs. (Chute, 2000) In researching this topic, I have found documentation of programs in elementary schools, middle schools, and high schools in a number of different states. These states include, but are not limited to, New York, Maine, Pennsylvania, California, Michigan, and Texas. Some schools fund the program on their own, often starting with a pilot program and expanding as funds become available. (Seeing is, nd) Others collaborate with corporations such as Microsoft and Netschools. (Chute, 2000) Additional funding has come from sources such as business donations, personal monies, federal funds, and bond money. (Corcoran, 2002) Laptop Usage The cases described throughout this paper all include schools that provided laptops for students and/or teachers so that the student to computer ratio was 1:1. As stated above, for some schools this was done with a pilot group, while other schools provided computers to all students. Students are then required to bring their laptop to class, ready to use, just as they must bring their textbooks, pencils, and other necessary materials. (Chute, 2000) They are also responsible for charging the battery for their computer and transporting their computer to and from school on a daily basis. How the computer is equipped varies depending on the make of the computer and the operating system and firewalls set up by the schools.

Introduction to Psychological Counselling Essay

What is Required in Reflective Writing? Why Reflect? ‘It is not sufficient simply to have an experience in order to learn.Without reflecting upon this experience it may quickly be forgotten, or its learning potential lost. It is from the feelings and thoughts emerging from this reflection that generalisations or concepts can be generated. And it is generalisations that allow new situations to be tackled effectively.’ (Gibbs 1988) Reflective writing provides an opportunity for you to gain further insights from your work through deeper reflection on your experiences, and through further consideration of other  perspectives from people and theory. Through reflection we can we can deepen the learning from work. The Nature and Content of Reflection †¢ So what do we mean by reflection? One tentative definition of reflection is offered by Moon (1999): ‘†¦ a form of mental processing with a purpose and/or anticipated outcome that is applied to relatively complex or unstructured ideas for which there is not an obvious solution’. (Moon 1999:23) †¢ Moon continues by outlining some of the purposes for reflection: †¢Ã¢â‚¬ËœWe reflect in order to: – Consider the process of our own learning – a process of metacognition – Critically review something – our own behaviour, that of others or the product of behaviour (e.g. an essay, book, painting etc.) – Build theory from observations: we draw theory from generalisations – sometimes in practical situations, sometimes in thoughts or a mixture of the two – Engage in personal or self development – Make decisions or resolve uncertainty †¦ – Empower or emancipate ourselves as individuals (and then it is close to self-development) or to empower/emancipate ourselves within the context of our social groups.’ (Ibid pp23) †¢In this instance, whilst your reflective writing must relate to your experience, the exact focus and emphasis is for you to determine. Deepening Reflection – Three Models of reflection †¢ When assessing your reflective writing you will be expected more than a superficial review of your experience, they will be seeking evidence of deeper reflection. This means moving beyond the  descriptive, and subjecting your experience to greater scrutiny. In Learning by Doing, Gibbs (1988) outlines the stages for a ‘Structured Debriefing’, which are based on Kolb’s (1984) Experiential Learning Cycle and which encourage deeper reflection: Continued †¦.. Deepening Reflection – Three Models of reflection Description: What is the stimulant for reflection? ( incident, event, theoretical idea ) What are you going to reflect on? Feelings: What were your reactions and feelings? Evaluation: What was good and bad about the experience? Make value judgements. Analysis: What sense can you make of the situation? Bring in ideas from outside the experience to help you. What was really going on? Conclusions (general): What can be concluded, in a general sense, from these experiences and the analyses you have undertaken? Conclusions (specific): What can be concluded about your own specific, unique, personal situation or ways of working? Personal Action plans: What are you going to do differently in this type of situation next time? What steps are you going to take on the basis of what you have learnt? On being Reflective †¢ Starting point We need to acknowledge our role as theory builders Have a clear method for making sense of our experience Develop a range of theoretical perspectives Participate in learning opportunities to practice, theorise  and evaluate their work. The Method: Kolb’s (1984) Experimental Learning Cycle Experiencing feeling Observation & Reflection Watching & thinking Testing & Applying planning and doing Analysing & Conceptualising Theory building On being Reflective †¢ Reflection is the ability to think about the things we have experienced in a systematic way †¢ Evaluate those experiences and learn from them †¢ Reflective practice is where you as the youth, social or health work practitioner take a step back in order to review and analyse how well the work is progressing and how effective you are working. †¢ It has two components: 1. Reflection -in- action; you are reviewing as you are working with a group of young people. 2. Reflection-on-action; you review after the event. †¢ A commitment to ongoing reflection is necessary if you want to improve and learn as practitioners. Integrating Theory and Practice Key Stage Reflection involves asking a series of  questions about your work and the ways  in which you are approaching it. Key questions †¢ What were you aiming to achieve? †¢ What body of knowledge informed your  work? †¢ What skills did you use to work? †¢ For example group work skills, my role as  a Student, my learning style †¢ Interpersonal skills: listening and  responding. The use of open and close  questions. †¢ The skills of providing information †¢ The skills of making suggestions or command (prescriptive intervention) †¢ Challenge and confronting skills †¢ Being a catalyst †¢ Exploring feelings †¢ Providing support Models of reflection Hatton and Smith ( 1995) identified four levels in the development of teacher reflection from teaching practice. In your reflective writing your tutor  will be looking for evidence of reflecting at the higher levels. Descriptive writing: This is a description of events or literature reports. There is no discussion beyond description. The writing is considered not to show evidence of reflection Descriptive reflective: There is basically description of events, but shows some evidence of deeper consideration in relatively descriptive language. There is no real evidence of the notion of alternative viewpoints in use. Dialogic reflection: This writing suggests there is a ‘stepping back’ from the events and actions which leads to different level of discourse. There is a sense of ‘mulling about’, discourse with self and an exploration of the role of self in events and actions. There is consideration of the qualities of judgements and possible alternatives for explaining and hypothesising. The reflection is analytical or integrative, linking factors and perspectives. Critical reflection: This form of reflection, in addition, shows evidence that the learner is aware that actions and events may be ‘located within and explicable by multiple perspectives, but are located in and influenced by multiple and socio– political contexts’ Bloom (1964) identified different levels of thinking processes, which he presented in a hierarchy; these can also be used as a framework for more thorough reflection. They move from knowing, evidenced through recalling information, through to evaluating, evidenced through making systematic judgements of value. In your reflective writing your tutor will be looking for evidence of these higher level processes. Process Increasing Process Knowledge Recognition and recall of information – describing  events Comprehension Interprets, translates or summarises given information demonstrating understanding of events. Application Uses information in a situation different from original learning context – Analysis Separates wholes into parts until relationships are clear – breaks down experiences Synthesis Combines elements to form new entity from the original  one – draws on experience and other evidence to  suggest new insights Evaluation Involves acts of decision making, or judging based on  criteria or rationale – makes judgements about Difficulty Possible sources of evidence for reflective Other things I know Personal aspirations Experiential learning theory Me as a learner SELF Organisational review COURSE WORK Work-based issues Work-based learning PERSONAL REFLECTION YOUR LEARNING PLACE Application of other  modules / learning  to these ideas Application to other modules / learning Guidelines for completing the Reflective Journal/ Dairy Studies have shown that rreflection upon one’s learning is key to a full learning experience. For this reason, you will be required to keep reflective journals as part of your professional development. There are two different Reflective Journal templates. Learning Reflection – to be completed after attendance of each one day of workshop Technology Reflection – to be competed after using the technology in your work practises. Participants are required to integrate at least two new skills into their work practises after each one day of workshop attendance. How long will it take? – As a rough guide, each journal entry should take approximately 20-30 minutes. Feel free to add comments but the minimum requirements are included in the template. What should I write? – What you learn today †¦. Confidentiality – All information completed in journals is confidential. Learning Journal †¢ Reflect for a few minutes on today lesson and write your sample reflection on Reflective Journal Template. †¢ Don’t forget writing your learning journal each week after lesson. Next – Week 7 Session Introduction to Counselling Skills References †¢ Gibbs, G. Rust, C. Jenkins, A. Jaques, D. 1994, Developing Students’ Transferable Skills. Oxford Centre for Staff Development. †¢ Kolb, D. 1984, Experiential Learning: Experience as the Source of Learning and Development, Prentice Hall, New Jersey †¢ Moon, J, 1999, Learning Journals: A Handbook for Academics, Students and Professional Development. Kogan Page †¢ Wright, Jeannie and Bolton, Gillie (2012) Reflective Writing in Counselling and Psychotherapy (London: SAGE)

Cultural Attitudes Toward and Presumptions Essay

When you speak or write, do you own the words that you have created? What about the thoughts that preceded those words? These questions get to the very heart of referencing and citation requirements in academic work. In the Western academic world, the presumption is that you do, in some sense, own your words and thoughts; at the very least, you have privileges pertaining to them. The main privilege is to be credited, or cited, for your effort and scholarship. These notions of authorship and ownership, however, are based in cultural expectations and are neither better nor worse than other cultural perspectives. Some non-western cultures have historically placed emphasis on communal knowledge and showing respect through imitation. In the Western world, ideas relating to intellectual property have changed over time (Bowden, 1996). With these thoughts in mind, consider your culture of origin in addressing the following topics: Describe cultural attitudes toward and presumptions about whether a person can own words and knowledge. Have modern trends such as globalization and easy access to information affected these presumptions? Consider how academic integrity is also applicable in an organisation. Do you believe the same presumptions hold true in your career as an employee of an organisation? How might this assignment be relevant in your workplace? Provide an example situation in which you were, or may be, asked to provide research and reference on specific materials for a sector of your organisation. You may wish to do additional research to support your views. Formulate and share a plan for learning or honing the citation and referencing skills you will need as you participate in this degree programme.

A retrospective model by Fish, Twinn and Purr (1991)

In this strand the precise events that happened from the begginning of the module to the end of the module will be discussed .The critical incidents will be dicussed.Views and Feelings that arose during the critical incident will also be discussed and one will also identify what should have happened. During the first seminar of this module my group was given a team building exerscise or experimental learing to blow ballons and make something with the ballons. The whole group participated in this exerscise.We interacted ,made descisions and problem solved. Burnard P( 1996) suggest that experiment learning is through doing and reflecting on the doing. One has two actions to act or to notice how we act. It is only through noticing what we do that we hope to learn about our behaviour. The experimental learning which was making the ballons helped me to do an acyivity and reflect on my strenghs and weakness working as a team member. I noticed that my strength was that i was confident to do the task and talk to group members and i was confident to make my own descisions to place the blow ballons and place them on the wall. In the next seminar the contact address of the Mulberry centre was given to the whole group. and team roles were choosen. Two group members decided to analyse information about the community profile, two group members decided to visit the Mulberry centre to collect information about the centre, one member decided to do the executive summary two members decided to prepare the powerpoint .The other group member was not present so one person in the group decided that she work with me to present The experimental learning helped me to reflect and identify that my strenghth as a team member, i noticed that i was confident to talk to people and confident to make my own descosions so i descided to tell group members that i was confident to deliver the power point presentation. In the next seminar group a critical incident occured two group members were to feedback to the whole group about the mulberry centre but they were unable to do this because they did not get an early visiting date. This meant that they had to visit the following week. I felt fustrated and worried because i felt i needed to read and understand the information early before presenting. However i managed to make decisions in the group , i suggested that we met at another time and interacted with all members to inform them about the next meeting time However, in the group i did not ask the the group member who visited the centre to give me the web address of the centre. felt worried because i could not read and understand the mulberry centre information earlier before presenting. I. Next time i will ask the groupmember in the group about the web address and phone number of the centre at an earlier stage so that i can read and understand the information,make notes and practice presenting. Through communication group members can reach some understanding of one another, members can build trust, coodinate actions,plan strategies for goal accomplishment, agree upon work, coduct activity and exchange insults Johnson and Johnson (2000) I did not manage my self and resources properly because I did not phone the mulberry the centre to get the website address to get information Next time i should use the university computer to contact the tutor about thier phone number so i can get the website address. I met with the power point deliveres to summarise the community profile notes and each member interacted, listened to each other and decided on the same paragraph to summarise. In the next seminar the two group members feedback to the whole group about the centre and i was actively listening. One members asked the other group members about what services therapist can offer to the centre and she told the whole group.In the next seminar group i meet with my group to talk about our reflection as working as a team. One person in the group decided that each member should write a sentence of our reflection of working as a team and every one agreed and wrote a sentence . Retrospective strand Sucess and constraints will be discussed and one will discuss what to be more aware of.) I was able to communicate verbally to people to inform them about the next meeting times I did not communicate and work collaborately during with the other team member during the critical incident because my computer at home was not working for a weekso i could not email the other group member to get the web address of the centre and i could not email the centre.In the future i will be more aware to communicate to members and centres by verbally and nonverbally( the use of written messages) Sub-stratum strand Ones beliefs will be discussed I beliive that it is important to send and recieve messages effectively in a group so i can get information about the centre and read and uderstand the information ,make notes and present. Connective strrand This is a discussion of what i have learnt and how reflecting has helped me to develop. Ihave learnt to rfeflect om my performance and experience using a rflective journalReflecting has helped me to identify my strenghts and weakness working as ateammember. My strenght is that i can fell confident to make my decisions in n agroup such as choosing a role.i am able to communicate verbally to gather and inform people about a meeting , i am able to reflect on my performane using a journal . Relecting has helped me to aknowledge that i neede to interact and ask questions in a group so that i can be more effective in accoplishing a task in a group. Reflection cab be an introspective act which the learner intergrates new experience with old (Burnard 1996)

The Military- Industrial Complex

In the farewell speech of Dwight D. Eisenhower to the U. S. citizens, the president urged the nation on ‘the dangers of allowing a Military- Industrial Complex to take control of the United States’ (Lovik, par. 1). The Military-Industrial Complex is used to denote the symbiotic relationship that is present between politics, a nation’s military and the economy. The idea behind this relationship is that the nation will continue to invest a lot of its economy into contracts of the military (Lovik, par. 1-3). There is no doubt that the military- industrial complex has raised controversies in America. The Military-Industrial Complex CreationFrom its definition, this concept indicates that there is a healthy relationship between the companies that are specialized in producing equipments and weapons for war and the parties given the mandate to manage the wars. In other terms, this is referred to as ‘War for profits’, which can be tracked from the days where navy ships power and the arms races ruled the empires. The arms races that existed between Spain, Britain’s and France’s European powers were seen as a primal version of the current situations. It came up from the idea that all countries had to establish and build up a strong military which would be considered to be in power.(Military Complex, par. 1-3). Ike was very instrumental in discouraging the U. S. citizens from the military industrial complex. He stated that public policy would become a scientific-technological elite captive. This was because of the immense costs that were involved, as the government was in a contract. Consequently, the contract becomes almost a substitute for intellectual curiosity (Watts). Conclusion There is no doubt that the military- industrial complex is something which evoked great controversy in the US. Up to date, there is so much criticism associated with it. Significance of the four termsWinston Churchill is well known for leading Gr eat Britain in World War Two. After joining several political parties, Winston was elected as MP for Northwest Manchester and later Dundee between 1910 and 1922(History Learning Site, par. 1-4). It is at this period that he made a remarkable change in parliament, as he came up with the labor exchanges. He also advocated for modernization as far as war was concerned, as he supported the use of planes in combat. Additionally, he urged the government to be pro-active about Hitler and the Nazis. He completely refused to accept defeat or refusal, something that made him get honor.Due to his well played role in the war, he won a Nobel Prize for Literature in 1953 (History Learning Site, par. 12-17). Nagasaki was a secluded village which only received its recognition in 1542. It became the only harbor where foreign ships were let in. In 1859, Nagasaki was declared a free port, and modernization began in the area, as it had an economic dominance. The main industry in the area was ship- buil ding, which was very important because most of the ships that were used by the Japanese Navy during the war were built in its docks and factories.However, the city was rebuilt after the destruction of the war, and up to date, it is still the first and peaceful port city with a rich shipping industry (Japanese Lifestyle, par. 7-9). Russia and the Western Allies always had differences on the rebuilding of Germany, as a result of the tension that was present between them. As a result, Russia chocked off the Western Allies from getting their supplies. The Berlin Airlift was introduced by Commander Sir Brian Robertson from Britain, and it proved to be a solution to the situation. It was also referred to as Operation warfare, and included a huge cooperative effort between several nations.The Berlin Airlift was successful as several supplies, plus tons of foods were moved over to the Western Allies during the blockade period (Wise Geek, par. 2). The ‘Hollywood Ten’ is a short film which was produced as a result of the government being blinded by fear. It is of a great historical importance to America, and resulted from the real life story of ten Hollywood men in the film industry. They were accused of being involved in pro-communist activities, and were charged to a one year prison term. Their story was filmed to show their unsuccessful fight against the blinded leadership system (Mendoza, par.2). Works Cited History Learning Site. Winston Churchill. History learning Site, 2010. Web. 6 Jun, 2010. Japanese Lifestyle. Nagasaki History. Japanese lifestyle, 2 Mar, 2010. Web. 6 Jun, 2010. Lovik John. The World of Military Industrial Complex. Political Suite, 10 Sep, 2010. Web. 6 Jun, 2010. Mendoza Luis. Sad Testimony of an Era. IMDB, 21 Aug, 2006. Web.6 Jun, 2010. Military Industrial Complex. What is Military –Industrial Complex, 2010. Web. 6 Jun, 2010. Wisegeek. What was the Berlin Airlift, 2010. Web. 6 Jun, 2010. Watts Antony. Ike’s Seco nd Warning, Hint: It is not the â€Å"Military Industrial Complex†, Watts Up With that, 21 Feb, 2009. Web. 6 Jun, 2010,

Abortion Essays (2519 words) - Abortion, Free Essays, Term Papers

Abortion LaTeisha Davis SOC 203: Social Problems Melissa Reed April 12, 2012 Abortion Abortion is the expulsion of the fetus or embryo from the uterus before it is due for delivery. It arguably tops the list among the controversial issues of our time. It is rightfully so because what is at stake is the health of both the unborn baby and the mother. This issue has been made even more controversial by the involvement of politicians who have tirelessly campaigned to win some groups for their positions. In the American political system, Democrats and the people known as liberals are known to be strong supporters of the right of the woman to choose what she wants as far as abortion is concerned. Conservatives and Republicans on their part believe that it is not about the right to choose but the right to life for the unborn. In this respect, they oppose abortion indiscriminately. In between these two groups are people who believe that abortion should not be done for the sake of simple reasons such as the woman not being ready to give birth. Instead they support abortion in cases where the mother and the baby?s lives are at stake. In this paper, the ideas put forward by all the sides will be considered so as to support the thesis that abortion should not be declared illegal in all circumstances neither should it be available for everyone other than cases where the lives of the mother and her unborn child are in danger. Such a condition should be determined by a qualified medical doctor who will be required to demonstrate that indeed the pregnant woman?s life and that of her unborn baby are at risk, and therefore an abortion is necessary. In the vindication of the main argument, the prolife stance will be examined first followed by the prochoice. The rational position that is central to the claim made in this paper will then follow. Beginning with the anti-abortion stance, people who are strongly opposed to abortion argue that abortion is a violation of the individual?s right to life. Kapp and von Herzen (2009) point out that in some cases, abortion is carried out when fetus is in the third trimester, meaning that chances of such a child surviving after birth are very high. In fact, there are several children who live to be healthy adults even after being born prematurely, when they were on their sixth or seventh month in the womb. When a woman has an abortion during this time, it is not a formless mass of cells that is expelled from the body, but a human being. Intimately connected to this argument of the entitlement to life is the notion of the sacredness of life. Under this idea of sacredness, there is societal consensus regarding the respectful manner in which human life should be treated by everyone. It is clear that when a child is expelled from the mother?s womb at the sixth month, it is a life that is ki lled. The anti-abortion or the pro-life group members in society have made strong arguments regarding the inconsiderate destruction of life that takes place in such late abortions for whatever reason. The blame naturally goes to the whole idea of allowing abortions in the first place. They therefore take the position that if all abortions are declared illegal, the women who get the chance to have abortions in their sixth or seventh month of pregnancy will not have this chance and thus the lives of these unborn babies will be saved. With all the good intentions of the pro-life people, a very important idea is left out, which is, in the process of trying to keep the pregnancy, there are circumstances where keeping the pregnancy will mean the death of pregnant woman as well as the child she is carrying. There are numerous medical conditions that are dangerous to both the two parties, that is, the unborn child and the mother, and in this case, the prolife group needs to think seriously about saving one of them or losing both. Since the chances of the unborn child surviving outside the womb in the absence of the mother is practically impossible, the rational option is to abort the

Despite the failure of the Constitutional Treaty in 2005, Europe truly Essay

Despite the failure of the Constitutional Treaty in 2005, Europe truly has a constitution. This fact gives support to the existe - Essay Example The implication is that the positive impact is founded on the existence of European Public Law. It is important to understand whether European Public Law does exist today and what form it has at present. Various manifestations have been seen throughout the years, including the Roman Law during the Roman Empire (Birkinshaw, 2001). The discussion shall now cover an overview of public law, moving into a more detailed attempt to determine the manifestation of the European Public Law. Discussion Public law implies a system of provisions which manages public activities and affairs. It mainly relates to the application and non-exercise of public powers, including the private actors, legality, and rationality. It also represents provisions which are founded on historical and cultural elements, including political practice (Birkinshaw, 2003). Public law also manifests differently in other European processes where it is indicated via special courts and differentiated from private law as it is not as stable as in the English and Irish laws. There are various incarnations of the European Public Law. ... EU law includes the relations between the EU, the member states, the citizens, EU organizations and agencies, citizens from non-member states, as well as regulatory law. Such regulatory laws have become more imposing throughout the years, with competition laws impacting so much on Europe. A common law of Europe seems to be viewed negatively, even as it supports the growing number of scholars and their research goals in public as well as private law (Birkinshaw, 2003). It is not favourable if it is perceived as a monument being imposed by higher authorities without much consideration to the general sensitivities for member states, possible new members, the Council of Europe, including other non-members (Majone, 2002). The goal of supporters is to secure provisions inching towards common effects and goals. There should be an acceptance on the lack of boundaries in common laws. There are rich sources for common law, including those which relate to human rights, political, and religious ideals. Another possible incarnation for the European Public Law is the European Convention on Human Rights (Birkinshaw, 2001). The success of this law has also impacted on English legal practitioners, specifically in instances where there is an objection to the fact that treaties set by these practitioners seek to prevent the mistakes of the Second World War; such contention has often been used mostly against the UK, not other ratifying countries (Hunt, 1997). English judges have suggested preferences for patriation, not the blending of the Convention into the UK laws with the Human Rights Act of 1998. Even prior to the incorporation, case laws have indicated the focus on common laws on its traditions for the management of human rights, with the inclusion of US and the

Iran's Societal Assessment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Iran's Societal Assessment - Essay Example Iran was a conglomerate of sundry semi-autonomous regions, tribes and classes which were weakly maintained together by the dynasty who depended upon tribal allegiances as well as military power to continue and uphold their rule. In the 20th century, collective denominators have been arranged and supported by the state in an endeavor at creating a modern national Iranian identity for all inhabitants, notwithstanding language, religion or culture. This was to be founded on a secular nation-state, a centralized national government governing over a well-designed territory, pride and honor in Iran’s pre-historic history, its culture and Farsi (Persian) enacted by the state as the official language are some of the unifying tools that the state of Iran is using to control its masses and which this paper will cover. Iran has predominantly used Islam as an instrument to create, foster and maintain national cohesion. More specifically, the Islam religion has been sanctified by the state and enshrined in the constitution. This has been safeguarded and any criticism is suppressed (Hiro, 2001, pg. 243). Islam has provided an extremely ‘inclusive’ identity which has overflowed its national boundaries into the broad concept of the ummat, the community of Islam beyond Iran, a sort of religio-imperialism which has united Iranians. A common culture, rather than any strong feeling of national unity binds the Iranians together. It is the culture that lends unity and the apex of its expression is found in poetry. The architectural beauty and fame of the blue-domed mosques, the workmanship, design and color of Persian carpets- all these are considered important expressions of a common and glorious heritage and have cemented the unity of Iran as it gives them a sense of common history. In light of this, the state has recognized the importance of culture to its citizenry and consequently promoted it to encourage national cohesion and

Family Business & Entrepreneurship Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Family Business & Entrepreneurship - Assignment Example 2.1. Tata Group: In brief, Kuratko describes the Tata Group as â€Å"a well-known and one of the oldest family businesses in India, with its presence in more than 100 countries. Tata Group was founded in 1868 as a family business in textile industry and has expanded into various other sectors such as textiles, communications, software, engineering, materials, services, energy and consumer products†(2013, p.559). Some of Tata companies include Tata Steel, Tata Motors, Tata Consultancy Services, Tata Power, Tata Chemicals, Tata Teleservices, Titan, the Taj group of hotels etc. The total revenues of Tata Group are around $ 80 billion, most of which come from Tata companies outside India. While much can be said about the Tata group, the most noticeable point of argument is its future performance in the native and international markets after the appointment of new Chairman, Cyrus Mistry, who is part of Tata family through marriage and as largest shareholding member. 2.1 Point of study: Within the Tata Group, Tata Motors has been the point of attention both for the company and the media in recent times, especially after their acquisition of Jaguar and Land Rover (JLR) from Ford Motors, under the chairmanship of Mr Ratan Tata, following Ford’s failure to generate profits in the European markets. Reports indicate that Tata Motors, which was running in losses during this acquisition, closed the last quarter of 2013 in impressive profits in their European subsidiaries under the chairmanship of Cyrus Mistry (Sahu, 2014). While this is good news for the Tatas in European markets, their Indian business continued to report losses and weak demand with a 36% fall in volume and 27% fall in revenues. To understand how family members’ commitment to the business translates into growth and profits, it is important to understand the nature of entrepreneurship exercised at the Tatas. This will also probably highlight underlying

Morrison Supermarket LTD Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Morrison Supermarket LTD - Essay Example All these and many other distinguishing features have helped the Morrisons to grow over the years (Morrisons, 2010). As the scale of operations continue to grow bigger for the Morrisons, the stakes tend to get higher; with such an expanded business setup, the decision makers at the company believe that they are exposed to certain degree of risks as well. According to them, if there is some incident that interrupts their manufacturing or distribution units, it might overall affect the flow of business (Morrisons, 2010). Further, the operating systems used by most of the company members are at the verge of completing their age, in this way the company will have to devise a new IT policy along with replacement of old systems, with the new ones (Morrisons, 2010). With respect to the exceptional growth attained by the Morrisons in the last five years, the company has decided to expand its business. Some of the future goals that the company has set for itself include establishing of a nation-wide distribution chain all over UK; an increase of 1.5 million square foot of selling space; improved access for the customers (Morrisons, 2010). Keeping these growth objectives intact, the company wants to maintain a highly skilled operating team that could ensure corporate social framework. The company wants to maximize its profits by establishing cost effective production units, and gaining direct access to agricultural produce. Moreover, the use of environmental friendly operations is among the key objectives for the success of the company in future. Expansion of the business by devising sound IT policy has become inevitable, so the company considers E-marketing as opportunity for enhancement of services (Morrisons, 2010). The perception of customers about a particular brand evolves with the experience they gain after using or consuming products/services offered by a

Response to students' posting on Revenue Cycle Assignment

Response to students' posting on Revenue Cycle - Assignment Example h patient with the proper maintained history of procedures, through which the patient went through, along with the insurance provider details, to facilitate the funds collection process. In this modern time, hospitals use digital networking techniques to integrate various departments, which make the above mentioned tasks efficient and accurate. The main purpose of the whole practice is to monitor the costs and expenses on each medical procedure (Cleverley & Cameron, 2007). The observations shared by Courtney are valuable to the discussion. It is correctly mentioned, that the participation of the doctor in the process of recordkeeping is as important as other activities concerning this practice, because if doctor does not provide the details of prescription accurately, then the rest of the process becomes meaningless. The entire costing and inventory of equipment and medicines consumed while treating a patient solely depends upon the suggested treatment (Cleverley & Cameron,

POLITICAL ECONOMY OF THE SINGLE EUROPEAN MARKET Essay - 2

POLITICAL ECONOMY OF THE SINGLE EUROPEAN MARKET - Essay Example Total Economic Integration when monetary, fiscal, social and macroeconomic policy are entirely unified and a supra-national authority exists, whose decisions are binding for all member states (Laffan et al., 1999). The economic nature of this union determined its integration in the field of economy to an extent the European founding fathers never imagined; however, the ongoing process of EU enlargement provoked many controversies and problems related to the core nature of integration within the EU and the subsequent process of further expansion of the union. Two consecutive waves of enlargement after the 1990s led to visible economic, political and social problems and since then ’European integration was accompanied by increasing levels of Euroscepticism among European voters’ (Richardson, 2006). Without the present deep economic integration, the EU would have never emerged as a leading global player and economic power on par with the United States. On the other hand, p roblems related to its aggressive expansion in the past two decades leave many question marks about the future of the union’s economic and political integration and the ways this integration will be pursued. A key element in this process will be the convergence between the new member states and the old, and the richest, ones due to the significant income gap between them and this convergence could occur only ’in the presence of certain key growth factors and supporting policies’ as Andre Sapir (2005) wrote in his foreword to Economics and Policies of an Enlarged Europe. Both theory and practice suggest that there was no other way of development for the EU but to pursue deep economic integration in order to establish a strong and viable union, its roots being in the European Coal and Steel Community created with the Treaty of Paris in 1951 by Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Luxembourg and the Netherlands – a purely economic alliance. In 1957, the Treaties of Rome gave birth to the