Entrepreneurship Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 10

Entrepreneurship - Essay Example its from the farm business continually; thus a farm manager needs to adjust his or her farm organization time by time to keep abreast of changes in methods of farming, prices variability, and the available resources among other factors. This means that for a farming business to succeed, a manager should, therefore, develop core functions to secure the success of the business. Some of the main functions that should be developed, in this case, a coffee farming business, include internal, external, and support functions (BROWN, 2008, p. 53-56). This paper will, therefore; discuss the roles and responsibilities of these functions and the significance of the functions to the sole traders and SME’s in the success of their businesses. First, internal functions consist of all necessary and essential business activities that help lay a foundation for a business. They are, therefore, required to continue the business objectives that are established by the business owner during an establishment of a business. Internal functions are also needed to continue the regular activities of a business and examples of the internal functions acquisition of finance, hiring of labour, purchasing raw materials, overhead expenses, and production of goods. In a coffee farming business, acquisition of finances is important since it will need high capital at the start-up and the running of the farm activities. Finances can be acquired from investors, banks, and other financial institutions and resources can be channelled to initiate some of the preliminary activities such as purchasing machineries such as processing plants, buildings, and land. Once this is done, the farm will need labour; people who will help cultivate the land, plant ing coffee and making sure the coffee plants are a conducive environment to grow. Additionally, the business also requires a management team, who will carry out function such as controlling the overhead expenses, controlling the production of coffee, and

The Security Council Essay Example for Free

The Security Council Essay The Security Council of the United Nations was one of the original bodies of the UN formed with the United Nations charter in 1945. The Security Council was created to put all the superpowers of the world on equal footing, giving each one vote in binding resolutions for the member nations of the UN. The charter members with permanent seats on the council are the United States, France, Great Britain (the United Kingdom), Russia and China. In 1945, these nations were considered the most powerful on Earth and were charged with keeping the peace of the world. In addition to the five permanent seats, the Security Council is comprised of 10 other member nations elected by popular vote of the entire UN and serving two-year terms. Each member nation of the Security Council has equal power in theory, though in practice some deference is given to the permanent members. The Security Council can pass binding resolutions on the other member nations, but each council member can veto any resolution. As such, the Security Council rarely can form a consensus, though it often discusses major issues around the world. Often, the only time a consensus is reached is when the matter is so trivial or involves such a small country that it has no friends on the council. Though the council was set up to have inherent checks and balances, it has often become a staging ground for popularity contests and member nations have neglected the world’s best interests in favor of the more proprietary interests of their nation. This is how programs like the United Nations’ Oil for Food program have become corrupted by individual nationalism and greed. Furthermore, on the rare occasions when the Security Council can agree and pass a binding resolution, it has limited enforcement powers and often the only punishment for breaking a resolution is a verbal slap from the council. Some member nations, particularly the United States, have lead coalition forces on occasion to enforce UN resolutions, but these military actions often are disapproved by many member nations and the Security Council itself rarely votes in favor of military action. The end result is that the United Nations provides an interesting forum for smaller countries to air grievances and for all countries to point out flaws in their neighbors, but as a governing body, the United Nations and the Security Council has no teeth. It becomes like a restrictive parent who tries to tell a child what to do, but fails to enforce its own rules. In the end, no one respects the rule of the United Nations and might still makes right. Smaller countries object to the permanent members of the council and their might, both military and economic, but they also turn to those countries when they are the ones being oppressed. In short, the United Nations and the Security Council format need to be revisited and the UN must be given some enforcement power to assure that its resolutions are kept. Otherwise, it is a useless home of debate that is ignored and laughed at.

Essay --

Christianity is a monotheistic religion, which means people of that faith believe in one God. Christianity is based on the life and teachings of Jesus. Most Christians believe that Jesus is the son of God, and the savior of humanity. Christians refer to Jesus as Christ, which means Messiah. Christianity is the world’s largest religion consisting of approximately 2.2 billion Christians. There are branches of Christianity, the three primary divisions are Catholicism, Eastern Orthodoxy and Protestantism. Islam is also a monotheistic religion that believes there is one God. Islam is based on the teachings and normative example of Muhammad, who is considered to be the last prophet of God . People who follow the Islam faith are called Muslims. The Qur’an is the central text of the Islam faith, and Muslims believe it to be a revelation from God. There are two main denominations of Islam. There is Sunni, which is the largest denomination making up 75-90% of all Muslims and Shia, which is the second largest branch with 10-20%. Main Concepts and Beliefs Christianity Christians have a certain set of beliefs, and these beliefs are essential to their faith. Christians believe in the Ten Commandments, which are a set of biblical principals that relate to ethics and worship. They instruct to worship only God, as well as prohibitions against idolatry, blasphemy, adultery, murder and theft. They believe in Jesus Christ and that he is the son of God and the Messiah. Christians believe that Jesus was anointed by God as the savior of humanity. Christians believe that through their belief in and acceptance of the death and resurrection of Jesus, humans that commit sin can be reconciled to God and then can be offered salvation and the promise ... ... to follow guidelines of something they might not completely understand. Young people are more consumed by technology today than ever before. This gives them access and answers to any questions they might have about religion, which allows for more doubt to penetrate their minds. More and more people are becoming open minded to other peoples lifestyles, but Christianity looks at this as a sin. People who accept others have begun to question why the Church can’t do the same, and thus they turn their back on their religion. Islam Islam is a growing religion, however there are still closed minded people in the world, and in Canada. The Quebec government wants to pass a law that states government employees will not be allowed to wear religious symbols to work. This seems to set Canada back years as a country that is supposed to accepting of all people and all faiths.

Kamote tops Essay

Sweet Potato Leaves (talbos ng kamote) Sweet potato tops (kamote tops or talbos ng kamote) are the shoots and leaves of the sweet potato plant that contains protein, lipids, carbohydrates, calcium, iron, phosphorus and vitamins A and C. It is excellent source of anti-oxidative compounds, mainly polyphenolics, which may protect the human body from oxidative stress that is associated with many diseases including cancer and cardiovascular diseases. It is relatively low in calories and has no fat and has the highest content of total polyphenolics among other commercial vegetables studied. Studies also indicate that it can also be used as a cure for diabetes particularly the purplish form. Research also shows that the nutritional content of kamote tops or sweet potato greens can counter attack the downfall of the platelet count of anyone hit by dengue fever by drinking its juice. It boosts the immune system of our body helping our body’s defenses against this sickness. The juice is also great for people with hemorrhaging problems like internal cervical bleeding and intestinal bleeding. It is prepared by boiling the leaves adding a little salt, sugar, or kalamansi to make it easier to drink. Since it is easy to grow, you can find these leaves anywhere and in the Philippines. In less than a month from planting, you can start harvesting the tops and leaves thus it is usually organic and safe making it more healthy and nutritious. While it is usually added as vegetable to dishes like sinigang, it can be eaten fresh in salads or with shrimp paste or fish sauce. It can be cooked in vinegar and soy sauce and served with fried fish (Adobong talbos ng kamote). It can also be sautà ©ed in place of spinach adding them to stir-fries or a replacement to another well known green in the Philippines called Kangkong.

Beauty of Mateship

Poetry is one of the most ancient media in which people express their emotions and perhaps one of the most beautiful; as Howard Monomer gracefully puts It, â€Å"It may be said that poems are In one way Like Icebergs: only about a third of their bulk appears above the surface of the page† (1920 1 991 Australian poetry is no exception to this tradition of versified thoughts and feelings, and many a poet have demonstrated an intense focus on both the artistry and harshness of the environment that harbors this nation.Through the creativity and emotions of the poets, Australians are arrayed In a contrasting light as both likeable and dissociable. This Is particularly apparent in the poems being analyses in this essay – A. B. ‘Banjo' Patterson We're all Australians now and Kimonos Servos' nobody calls me a hog anymore. While both Banjo Patterson and Kimonos Servos infuse their poetry with the spirit of metathesis and acceptance In Australia, Patterson focuses on the ci rcumstances of war which ‘instantly mend' the countries' interstate differences while Servos concentrates on the struggle to achieve tolerance as an international migrant.These two poems share a umber of similarities. The first of these is the focus on equality between all, which creates a sense of unity within the participants In the narrative told by each poem. In We're all Australians now, Patterson makes powerful allusions to the nation as a whole using cities as synecdoche for integration such as â€Å"From Brome to Hobnobs Bay†. Brome is a city on the North-Western coast of Australia, while Hobnobs Bay is an electorate of Melbourne, In the south east of the country; hence, this metaphor Implies the Inclusion of the inure country.The third stanza of the poem Incorporates people of opposing ethnicities, using a true blue' metaphor, â€Å"the man who used to hump his drum†, to introduce the indigenous people to the picture through their musical customs, referr ing to their drum playing as an Identifying feature (Aboriginal Arts and Cultures Centre). They are compared as â€Å"fighting side-by-side† with Tasmania farmers; one cannot escape the carefully constructed and implicit incorporation of two distinct ethnic groups as Tasmania people are likely the whitest Australians there are, given the cool climate of their state.This creates a contrast between pollarded races while portraying them all as equal. The title of the poem suggests the idea of unity and togetherness, and everyone being the same – the phrase â€Å"We're all Australians now† appears as an anaphora throughout the poem to reinforce the importance of Australian identity. Within this phrase, the persona Includes himself, which he doesn't do at any other point throughout the poem; this could suggest that he uses himself as a replacement for everyone through use of the word ‘we're'.In a similar fashion, the use of the word ‘now implies reminisce nce of previous times, such that the conflict between states is gone but will never be resorting. Servos also focuses on equality between people. The title of the poem, which Is also Its first line and Its dominant Ideology, states this concept of personal acceptance and equality quite frankly: â€Å"nobody calls me a hog anymore†. The poet†, set the hopeful yet sarcastic tone: despite all the hardship, the persona is accepted as an Australian.The end of the poem shows the use of schism's in the line Mimi need me, and I need you†, which gives the effect that the sharing and the acquisition of Australian citizenship is a mutually beneficent deal, thus creating equal opportunity for both participants. This type of relationship generally results in a unified environment: Australia is enriched and the protagonist is embraced. Both writers have used Australian symbols, icons and stereotypes in order to relate to the concept of acceptance into Australian society and to relate to a typical Australian audience.We're all Australians now refers to perhaps the biggest icon the nation has, its national flag: â€Å"Our six starred flag that used to fly/Half-shyly in the breeze. † This can create a sense of patriotism in the reader, making them feel proud of their entry and thus allowing them to visualize and work towards achieving an atmosphere of acceptance and metathesis. Patterson also refers to the more traditional, enumerating, well-known occupations of the country, especially as they were at the time of the war.These include the men who worked in the shearing shed, or the shearers, those who worked on the cattle runs, the fishermen, the farmers and the miners, scattered throughout the verses. All of these are attempts to relate with the audience, particularly that of the sass, allowing them to feel as though they too re involved in the metathesis, camaraderie and acceptance that the nation is so well known for. The final important reference to Australian identity in this poem is found in the last stanza: â€Å"And with Australia's flag shall fly/A spray of wattle bough†.The poem states the purpose of this explicitly – it is â€Å"to symbolism our unity. † Perhaps the main drive behind the choice of â€Å"wattle† is something as simple as the fact that all men in Australia can grow the wattle, the national flower, no matter where they come from or what they look like; thus, it creates a bond between the people. The wattle therefore becomes a metaphor for togetherness. Kimonos Servos is a little less ‘romantic' and idealistic in describing Australia's struggle to achieve this same goal.His heavy use of colloquial language and intentional lack of spelling, grammar and punctuation conventions imply that he is not trying to please and appease a demanding, skeptical Australian society but rather use his resume as a good reason for benefiting from the tolerance and equality that is so loved a bout Australia. He tries to replicate the way Australians speak in particular as Servos tends to more often than not perform his poetry, making it more a spoken then a written piece (De Wright).Examples of this sort of language include â€Å"I'm an cozies too†, a tirade of interesting, accusatory Australian slang such as â€Å"Fair dinked ridge dodge a dinky die true blue† and â€Å"Me hog mate Kevin†, where the word â€Å"me†, replaces the grammatically correct term â€Å"my', as this is how it is often pronounced. He deals with parts of life that are vital to common Australian people, detailing that they apply to him also: â€Å"A poet with a mortgage/And a wife, and kids/And gas bills, and a tax file number/Just like you.These depictions of real life Susie living create a common ground for both poet and reader, allowing for the ultimate message to be shared: we all deserve – for various, complex reasons – to be called Australians! The p oems also have a number of differences, segregating their ideologies and themes accordingly. The first of these differences is Patterson softened poetic mood as compared to the experiences which engendered them. The most obvious part of the poems that is different and which connects to this idea is the prosody. We're all Australians now has consistent end rhyme and rhythm and flows really well.This is in complete juxtaposition to Server's choice of prosodic elements, which has no consistency and appears as rebellious, unconventional and abrupt as the message itself. They are representative of what the poets are trying to portray – while Patterson is depicting a perfect, naturally occurring team environment, where everyone gets along instantly and operations and relationships flow smoothly, Servos is displaying a struggle to obtain this acceptance, a struggle which is filled with bumps, lumps and plenty of twists, similar to the mood created by the irregular number of syllable s and incidental rhyme.This may be owing to the experiences of each respective poet. Patterson writes about the Battle of Galileo, in a highly dampened manner, as indicated by the reference to Gab Tepee hill, which is a hill Just south of Anza Cove. While he served in the First World War, it was not at Galileo, but rather on the Western Front, meaning essentially that he never actually witnessed exactly what it was he was writing about (University of Sydney).On the other hand, Server's poems often, among other things, contain confronting, realistic autobiographical content. An example of another of these poems is childhood in Richmond, where in fact he is describing his own childhood as a fight for recognition â€Å"and a bag/ full of dreams†; nobody calls me a hog anymore appears to be based on a similar concept (De Wright). The term Hog' is used in Australian English to describe foreigners, particularly Mediterranean Europeans. The poet is a Greek Australian, born in Melbou rne to Greek parents.It is likely then that this poem describes his own experience, an idea strongly reinforced by his referral to himself and the use first- person point of view, both of which are lacking in the other poem: â€Å"And I said, Australia, hey! ‘/You can call me Kimonos! â€Å". All these factors allow him to not only better describe the situation, but to relate to the audience better. The oscillation between first and second person connotes the author's deep desire for dialogue, conversation achieved through the use of pharmacopoeia.Also emphasizing this idea are the forms of figures of speech present in each poem. We're all Australians now has a lot of tropes such as metaphors, personification and metonymy to embellish and moderate intentions; for example, the lines â€Å"the mettle that a race can show/is roved with shot and steel† display metonymy, replacing guns or weapons with the phrase â€Å"shot and steel†, which essentially means the bul lets and the blades; it is a way of euphemistic the otherwise painful message and making the scene a little bit milder than it actually is.On the contrary, nobody calls me a hog anymore is blunter and to the point, instead using figures of sound such as schism's, napoleon and gausses in order to persuade the reader of the point. Patterson and Servos are describing two different scenarios in their poems – while Patterson is discussing the resistances provided by war which instantly heal any interstate dissentions, Servos is essentially portraying the personal fight and victory that he had against racism.Throughout We're all Australians now, the quelling of competition between states when faced with war is a common theme, shown particularly well in the line â€Å"We're not state children anymore†. This line personifies â€Å"the state† as motherly and then quickly brushes over the simplicity of detachment from one's state to instead form a nation. Another part of the poem recites â€Å"For English, Scotch and Irish-bred/ They're all Australians now! At the time in which this poem was set, Australia was a young nation of Just 14 years, so the English, Scotch and Irish are not necessarily literally those nationalities (though for many people of the time, it would have been), but more likely their heritage, including the quintessentially Aboriginal one. On the other hand, Servos, as stated earlier, is depicting a constant struggle, a fight for his own personal acceptance. He attempts to connect with the audience and Australians in order to achieve this.He also describes parts of his struggles in the first half of the memo. For example, gausses is used in the lines â€Å"Point the finger accusingly/Thump my fist demandingly', in order to describe the escalation of moods. He Jumps from peaceful accusations to semi-violent measures within the space of two lines as the anger boils up. Overall, the poets have each drawn upon their own personal exp eriences in order to spin the webs of aesthetic features that readers still enjoy today.Be it Patterson third-hand experience, comparing the Western Front of the Great War to the Battle of Galileo, or the personal story told by Kimonos Servos of he struggle against racist attitudes, the poems leave a lasting message that shall be forever remembered; Australian metathesis is real, a sense of acceptance seen nowhere else in the world does exist, forming indestructible bonds of helpfulness and tolerance.

Social Work Practice

Social Work Practice Introduction Social work is a professional area of practice which applies knowledge, skills, research techniques and social theory to improve the lives of individuals, communities and groups.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Social Work Practice specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Social work is considered as a helping profession because it is majorly concerned with the plight of people who are in difficult situations with an aim of helping them overcome those difficulties. Social workers work in diverse fields both in the private and public sectors such as in rehabilitation centers, child welfare institutions, humanitarian organizations, borstal institutions and homes of the elderly among others (Hare, 2004). Social workers go through the formal education system with a special bias in the social, biological and behavioral sciences. During training, they are exposed to field practicum in which they get an opportunity to work with various organizations where they merge theory with practice (Healy, 2008). Just like other professions such as law or medicine, social work is guided by values, ethics and codes of conduct. Some of the values include competence, integrity, professionalism, social justice and value for human dignity. Some of the core principles include confidentiality, controlled emotional involvement and client self determination among others. Some of the skills include self awareness, observation and critical thinking (Healy, 2007).Advertising Looking for essay on social sciences? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More In this paper, I will explore social work practice by looking at oppression of women by men. I will also look into the knowledge, values and skills which are associated with culturally sensitive practice with diverse populations. Eventually I will engage in a self-awareness exercise by self-administering a value-ba sed assessment and cultural competency inventory; and finally engage in a thoughtful analysis and discussion of my strengths and weaknesses as they pertain to my cultural competency and how I plan to improve on the weaknesses. Gender and oppression of women Gender refers to the roles associated with a particular sex, either male or female. Males and females are born with physical and biological differences. Some physical differences include height, appearance, weight and physical strength. Biological differences may include sexual reproduction organs and hormonal processes. These differences between males and females have been misused to oppress women in several aspects of life like in education, career, power, leadership, employment and management (Connel, 2009). In the field of management for example, women have been oppressed by men through various ways. For example, the issues of masculinity and femininity have played a role in gendering the field of management (Crosby, Stockdal e, Ropp, 2007). Many organizations are guided by the principles of masculinity which do not have respect for women. In these organizations, the authority of women managers is not respected as the authority of men managers. This leads to a situation whereby the leadership or management by a woman may not be as effective as that of a man because the employees in those organizations do not recognize women as a source of authority and therefore, any guidelines, instructions or regulations given by a woman manager may not be taken seriously by the employees (Hartl, 2003).Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Social Work Practice specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More In many organizations, women do light jobs such as secretarial work or marketing. The central roles are dominated by men who are responsible for planning, policy making and moving the organizations towards the realization of their mission and vision (Rivas, 2013). Man y professional women or the â€Å"working mothers† are faced with role multiplicity. At home, they are supposed to be good mothers and wives. They are supposed to ensure that the children are well fed, are healthy and clean (Gregory, 2003). They are also supposed to take good care of their husbands. At the work place, they are supposed to produce good results either as managers or as normal employees. This makes them fall short of what is expected of them at the work place. The men on the other hand have very few roles to play at home which leaves them with a lot of time to concentrate on their roles in the work place. Due to this, they are able to meet the set targets or expectations of the organizations (Mason, 2002). For the women, reproduction is part of labor which they are not compensated for yet if they do not reproduce children, there would be no human resources to work in the organizations. Women have also been oppressed through promotions in organizations. Some wome n have to engage in sex with male directors so as to get promoted to the positions of managers. In the work place, women may be sexually or physically abused by their bosses due to the fact that they are perceived as being inferior and not able to resist the harassment or abuse (Coin Budapest, 2010).Advertising Looking for essay on social sciences? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More In some communities especially in the African continent, girls are denied the opportunity to gain education with the belief that women’s role in the society is to give birth to as many children as possible and also entertain the men with sex. In Kenya for example, the enrollment rates for girls in some communities like the Turkana is less than 10%, meaning that in every 100 girls of school going age, only 10 go to school. The others are betrothed to elderly men as wives after undergoing female genital cut. This has made women lack leadership, political and technological skills (Kenya National Bureau of Statistics, 2011). In the developing countries mostly in Africa and Asia, poverty is very rampant. The economies are poorly managed and therefore there are few job opportunities. Many people depend on rain fed agriculture which is not sustainable due to lack of rainfall. In these countries, most men flee their homes to search for jobs and leave their wives at home with young ch ildren. These women are not able to take care of the welfare of the children and they strain a lot to ensure that the children are fed, clothed and schooled. Some women are forced to engage in prostitution as a source of income for their families. The women in these countries suffer silently because there are very few women in positions of power and leadership who can advocate for their rights. Women have also been oppressed through being denied the opportunity to inherit property. In the developing countries especially in Africa, women are not supposed to inherit any property from their parents. Among the Turkana of Kenya for example, if a wife does not give birth to a male child, the husband marries another wife who will give birth to a male child. It is this male child who will inherit all the properties of the parents when they die or when they grow old. The reasoning behind this is that women are not supposed to own any property but are instead supposed to be owned as property by men. Since 1974, some improvement has been realized in increasing the number of women in management positions. In the UK for example, the percentage of women who held management positions in 1974 was only 2%. In 2008, the percentage rose to 34.5% (Meulders, 2010). In other parts of the world, women are almost at par with men in various aspects such as leadership, education and technical know how. This is not however to say that oppression of women does not exist but what it means is that many people are slowly realizing that women are just like men and what men can do, women can also do it provided that the playing field is leveled. Effects of women oppression One of the effects of women oppression in the work place is that it leads to role conflict which eventually leads to stress. Role conflict refers to a form of disagreement among the roles held by one individual; that is, roles which correspond to various statuses of the same individual. Role conflict pulls an individual in different directions at the same time. It may be short lived or long lived. A good example to illustrate role conflict is by a working mother. As explained earlier, the mother is expected to deliver good results at the work place and also be a good wife at home through taking care of the children, husband and doing other domestic chores. At the family level, women are oppressed through various ways such as wife battering, marital rape, female genital cut, being denied opportunity to gain education and inherit property, men running away from home among others. Domestic violence is the most common form of women oppression at the family level especially in the developing countries. Domestic violence has traumatizing effects on women. Such women need advocacy, empowerment and counseling for them to heal. There is also need for social workers to agitate for policy change to enable women get education and inherit property. Social workers should also educate the communities to avoid cultur al practices which have been used to oppress women. Social work knowledge Social workers working with culturally sensitive and diverse populations need to have social work knowledge in specific areas. One of the areas of social work knowledge is the knowledge of human behavior. Having knowledge of human behavior helps the social workers understand the cultures, values and norms of specific communities. This in turn helps the social workers package their intervention in such a manner that it does not conflict with the cultural practices, beliefs and norms of the particular communities. Such knowledge also helps the social workers to understand the cultural prejudices in various communities. This understanding of the cultural prejudices enables the social workers to help the people differentiate the facts and fictions in regard to certain prejudices. For example, in a community which believes that women are not allowed to go to school, the social workers can help the people understand that women in other parts of the world are allowed to attain eduction and challenge them to change that kind of perception. Another social work knowledge which is useful for social workers working with culturally sensitive and diverse populations is the knowledge of social justice. Social workers need to have an understanding of social justice so as to help people in communities who suffer social injustice. The social workers should also educate the people about the concept and show them the importance of embracing social justice. Social workers working with culturally sensitive and diverse populations also need social work knowledge about the code of conduct for social workers and the ethics which govern the profession of social work. This knowledge can help the social workers avoid unprofessional conduct which might conflict with certain values, norms and practices of particular groups. Social workers working with such populations also need an understanding of human rights. For e xample, they need to understand the various international laws, treaties and conventions which stipulate various human rights for different categories of people such as employees, children and women among others. This understanding can help the social workers educate the populations for them to know when their rights are violated and what they are supposed to do. However, the social workers must do it in a professional manner so that they are not accused of incitement. Social work values One of the values for social workers working with culturally sensitive and diverse communities is the value of service to humanity. This value is very important for the social workers because it enables them to serve the populations irrespective of their cultural, religious, economic and historical orientations. Social workers without this value may have difficult time and in some cases, they may find it almost impossible to work with some cultural groups. The value of service to humanity also enabl es the social workers to appreciate and empathize with the populations without necessarily sympathizing with them. Another value which is important for social workers working with culturally sensitive and diverse populations is the value of human dignity. Social workers must understand that they have an obligation of respecting the clients and their cultural practices. They have to put aside their personal biases against a certain group for them to help the clients. Some times social workers may consider some practices as weird. However, with the value of human dignity, they are able to acknowledge the fact that clients have a right of self determination. When they understand this, they are able to assist the clients without any obstacles. Social workers also need to have the value of competence and integrity. They need to apply their knowledge, skills and techniques in a professional manner when dealing with clients. The essence of this is that competence and integrity enable the s ocial workers to avoid any questionable behavior or practice. It also enhances the trust and confidence of the clients in the social workers. This also enables the clients to open up to the social workers and give as much information as possible. With the information and cooperation from the clients, the social workers are able to solve the problems affecting the clients or refer those which they cannot handle. This enhances the acceptance of the social workers by the communities (Morreau Benson, 2012). Social work skills One important skill which social workers working with culturally sensitive and diverse populations should have is the skill of observation. Observation has to do with going beyond what people say and focusing on their body language and reaction to some social situations. The skill also has to do with doing more listening than talking. This is because the social workers are supposed to treat the clients as the best teachers of their own problems. If the social work ers do more listening and observing than talking, they are able to gather as much information as possible which is very crucial for the interventions. Another skill for dealing with culturally sensitive and diverse populations is the skill of critical thinking. This has to do with how social workers interpret the information they gather from clients either through interviewing, listening, observing or reading. The social workers should apply critical thinking in order to interpret the information correctly. Lack of critical thinking may lead to wrong diagnosis, treatment and intervention. The social workers should therefore understand the information correctly without any personal biases Another skill which is important when working with culturally sensitive and diverse populations is the skill of self awareness. Social workers need to understand how their background, perceptions, biases, motivations and prejudices may affect their relationship with clients. If social workers have l ow levels of self awareness, chances of acting improperly are increased. It is therefore very important that the social workers put aside any subjective reasoning and replace it with objectivity for them to be able to effectively assist the clients. The skill of self awareness also helps the social workers to identify transference in clients. Transference is a situation in which clients associate their fate with the social workers. For example, a female client whose husband is violent may easily confuse a male social worker for her husband; she may do this through making statements such as ‘you men are really bad’. In such a situation, the social worker is supposed to counter the transference by helping the client understand that his role is to help her out of the problem and not to take the blame of others (Tsui, 2010). Social workers working with culturally sensitive and diverse populations also need to have excellent verbal communication skills. This is because commu nication is the only way that the social workers can use to understand the clients and for the clients to understand the social workers. They must be able to understand how to communicate with different groups at different times. For example, the way a social worker is supposed to talk to an elderly refugee woman is not the same way he or she can talk to a young child who is a school drop out. Verbal communication is an important asset for social workers working with culturally sensitive and diverse populations because it enables them to effectively advocate for the clients especially those who are oppressed or marginalized. The skill can enable social workers to influence policy change or development for the improvement of people’s welfare. Apart from verbal communication, social workers need to have the skill of documentation. Proper documentation enables social workers to keep track of every aspect of their interventions and this becomes an asset for them when they want to influence the development or change of a certain social policy. Cultural competency inventory My total score for the value based assessment and cultural competency inventory is 75. What this means is that I am headed in the right direction as far as embracing cultural diversity is concerned. I would have wished to score 80 and above but this is not the case, probably because I am yet to cover some topics in therapeutic approaches and the relationship between myself as a therapist and clients. My strengths and weaknesses in cultural competency Based on my value based assessment and cultural competency, there are the areas which I scored poorly and others which I scored well. Those which I scored well are my areas of strength while those which I scored poorly are my areas of weakness. One of my strengths in cultural competency is that I like meeting new people especially those who are different from me in terms of race, gender and culture. Being a Russian lady for instance, I like as sociating myself with African or Asian men. I also love and embrace the culture of non whites such as the African Americans and Asian Americans. Another area of strength is the fact that I understand that I am independent and do appreciate the views of other people even if those views are in contrary to my own views. I am able to control my personal biases when interpreting the actions of those who are different from me. I also appreciate various communication methods used by various groups of people. Similarly, I am able to understand that other people may stereotype against me and therefore I am able to work against those stereotypes in order to interact with such people in a harmonious manner. I am also good in sorting out my values to know which one to compromise in order to communicate with others without losing my integrity as a social worker. I am also able to seek clarifications from people in regards to what they are saying so as to get the correct meaning of what they say. I like and accept others they way they are and avoid any remarks which may hurt certain groups in the community such as women, the people of color or those who are less fortunate in the society. One of my main weaknesses is that I do more talking than listening. This is because sometimes I listen as I talk. This is not good because I may not be able to capture what the other person is saying. I may also not be in a position to observe the body language of others which is also part of listening. Sometimes I also use my cultural jargon or slag when talking to people from other cultural backgrounds. This is a weakness because others may mistaken my language jargon as lack of respect for them. I am also weak in judging people based on the fluency of their languages. This is a weakness because it amounts to biases which may lead to wrong interpretation of messages by those who are from other cultural backgrounds. Sometimes I use some ethnic jokes when referring to some groups of people who are from different ethnic backgrounds but I get offended when others use the same language on me. This is a weakness because some ethnic jokes may hurt or provoke some people. I plan to improve my areas of weakness by doing further reading on the area of human behavior. I also plan to gain more knowledge in interpersonal skills and how to gain and apply them in various cultural settings. Also in my plan is to learn how to appreciate others and how to avoid judgmental attitudes towards particular populations. I also need to check on my listening skills by learning the art of doing more listening than talking. This is because doing so would boost by ability to get as much information as possible from others and especially from clients. My conceptual framework for practice My future conceptual framework as a social worker is the strength based perspective of social work practice. This perspective has to do with using people’s strengths as a basis of therapy. The perspective aims to capitalize on the strengths of clients (individuals and groups) to form a strong foundation for therapy. It is based on the belief that despite the fact that people have problems, there is something which they are good at or they have some useful information, history or practices which can be used to overcome the problems which they are faced with. It is also based on the belief that empowering people with information is useful for successful therapy (Rapp, 2007). Implications of the perspective to practice One of the implications of the strengths based perspective to practice is that it has reversed roles between the therapists and the clients. What this means is that the therapists must restrain their expertise and make the clients be the experts in solving their problems. The therapists are supposed to play the role of empowering the people to become experts in addressing the problems which face them. In other words, the therapists’ role is to create a sustainable intervention such that the clients are able to handle their problems even without the assistance of the therapists. Social workers using this perspective must therefore refrain from using stigmatizing language, having negative perceptions and labeling when dealing with clients. This is because such negative language or perceptions interferes with the ability of the social workers to effectively capacity build and empower the clients (Rapp, 2007). When capacity building and empowering clients, social workers must be realistic; that is, they must ensure that the clients actually have those strengths which can be used as a starting point for a sustainable intervention. They must also consider the magnitude of the problem affecting the clients and evaluate the clients’ ability to effectively handle the problem when empowered (Rapp, 2007). Oppressed women usually suffer from stigma and feelings of inadequacy. They also undergo through emotional, psychological and social distress d ue to oppression. As a social worker working with oppressed women, I will apply the strengths based perspective to empower such women with information so as to resist oppression by men. For instance, I will educate them about their rights to education, employment and fair treatment. I will also highlight their areas of strength when dealing with men. For example, the fact that women are very good in negotiations, have patience and do not easily lose their temper can be used by a woman who is a victim of domestic violence to talk to the husband to avoid such violence. I will also empower the oppressed women with information, skills and tactics of resisting male oppression both at the family setting and at the work place. For example, I will inform them of the relevant agencies where they can report any form of oppression without the fear of victimization. Through this perspective, I will go a long way in fighting the vice of women oppression. References Connel, R. (2009). Gender.(2nd ed).Washington DC: Polity Press. Coin Budapest.(2010). COIN 2009 international workshops: revised selected papers. Volume 5 of Coordination, organizations, institutions, and norms in agent systems. Secaucus, NJ: Springer. Crosby, F.J, Stockdale, M.S. Ropp, S.A. (2007). Sex Discrimination in the Workplace: Multidisciplinary Perspectives. Malden, MA: Wiley-Blackwell. Gregory, R.F. (2003). Women and workplace discrimination: overcoming barriers to gender equality. New York: Rutgers University Press. Hare, I. (2004). Defining Social Work for the 21st Century: The International Federation of Social Workers Revised Definition of Social Work. International Social Work, 47: 407-424. Hartl, K.(2003). Expatriate women managers: gender, culture, and career. Volume 12 of Schriftenreihe Organisation Personal. 10117 Berlin: Rainer Hampp Verlag. Healy, L.M. (2007). Uni-versalism and cultural relativism in social work ethics. International Social Work, 50: 11-26. Healy, L.M. (2008). Exploring t he history of social work as a human rights profession. International Social Work ,51: 735-748. Kenya National Bureau of Statistics. (2011). Population and Housing Census. Web. Mason,L. (2002). The Working Mothers Guide to Life: Strategies, Secrets, and Solutions. New York: Three Rivers Press. Meulders, D. (2010). Meta-Analysis of Gender and Science Research. Web. Morreau, W., Benson, K. (2012). Human trafficking: Improving victim identification and service provision. International Social Work, 55: 488-503. Rapp, R.C. (2007). The Strengths Perspective: Proving â€Å"My Strengths† and â€Å"It Works† Soc Work, 52(2): 185–186. Rivas, F.S. (2013). Burnout, workplace support, job satisfaction and life satisfaction among social workers in Spain: A structural equation model International Social Work, 56: 228-246. Tsui , M. (2010). From resilience to resistance: A reconstruction of the strengths perspective in social work practice. International Social Work, 53: 233-2 45.

James Cameron’s Science Fiction film “Terminator II” Essay Essays

James Cameron’s Science Fiction film â€Å"Terminator II† Essay Essays James Cameron’s Science Fiction film â€Å"Terminator II† Essay Essay James Cameron’s Science Fiction film â€Å"Terminator II† Essay Essay James Cameron’s Science Fiction movie â€Å"Terminator II† uses assorted conventions of Sci-Fi to non merely engage viewing audiences. but amusement them. Science fiction uses assorted futuristic elements to convey powerful remarks about society. This is most efficaciously done through his powerful and relatable societal remarks. His cardinal societal remarks force audiences to oppugn their ain universe and like all Sci-Fi texts research how possible this really is. The dominant societal remark explored by James Cameron is that Technology will be our ruin. Other societal remarks that are besides relevant are that worlds have an intrinsic demand to adhere towards ethical motives and moralss that can’t be taught and that it is in the human race’s nature to destruct themselves. James Cameron clearly explains the societal remarks through assorted movie techniques. Similarly. Henry Slesar’s short narrative ‘Examination Day’ relies to a great extent on its powerful societal remark to efficaciously prosecute readers. While both texts make important societal remarks. assorted other sci-fi conventions are besides used to maintain respondents entertained. The dominant societal remark that entertains the audience in an effectual manner explored by James Cameron is that engineering will ironically be our death. Cameron cleverly juxtaposes the opening scene of the bunco and hustle of lively Los Angeles to the stopping point up traffic in 2029. However. in this shooting the autos are destroyed and an empty resort area further indicates the dystopian universe of our society. The diegetic laughter of the miss on the swing and the non-diegetic music in the background creates suspense. The utmost white fade out to a dramatic stopping point up of the empty swing singing back and Forth which so brings us to the stopping point up camera shooting of a human skull being crushed by the eradicator clearly reveals that engineering will take to our death. With the war of the automatons being shown in the gap scene. audiences can instantly reason that the genre of thriller is brought to the movie as suspense is instantly introduced in the gap scene. This war indicates from the beginning that engineering will be our death. While the sarcasm of machines destructing humanity is instantly established as a important societal remark in this sci-fi text. Cameron begins to research the features of humanity in his 2nd societal remark. Throughout the movie. Cameron relies on the humourous apposition between the T100 and John Connor to foreground the emotional and idiocentric feature that are inherently human. It is through this and several other movie techniques that Cameron’s second societal remark is explored ; that being human. is non something that can be taught. The moral and ethical justifications that are intrinsic to being human is clearly explored in the scene where John attempts to explicate why. â€Å"You can’t merely travel around killing people† . John’s duologue is contrasted with the T100’s inquiry ; â€Å"why non? † near up camera shootings of their contrasting facial looks high sp ots this important thought. that despite our natural disposition â€Å"destroy ourselves† . ground and morality is merely built-in to us Johns invalid account. â€Å"because you merely can’t †¦ this material is important† . high spots the barrier between machine and homo. Through this societal remark audiences can easy associate the text to the scientific discipline fictional genre. This barrier is farther explored when John humorously attempts to ‘humanise’ the Exterminator. Through assorted satirical scenes Cameron reveals humanity’s salvaging grace is integral their emotions which are ironically aligned to failing. When the T100 asks. â€Å"why do you shout? † The T100’s weeping motive assorted with several movie techniques symbolises the disparity between machines and humanity. In an age where engineering is seen to progress the human head. the T100’s inability to understand why people cry highlights the high quality of worlds. â€Å"we merely call. † Again farther explicating the societal remark we can still associate the movie to the sci-fi genre. The 3rd thought explored by Cameron is the dry self- destructive behavior of humanity. Using existent life illustrations Cameron efforts to make a logica l nexus between the creative activity of the destructive. detestable Terminators and the arms that are already taking us into devastation â€Å"it is in your nature to destruct yourselves† . While the eradicator metaphorically highlights the paradox of our changeless creative activity of devastation. it is the female supporter Sarah Connor. who provides a fresh face and new penetration into sci-fi uncovering the contrast between the destructive creative activity of work forces and the beautiful. creative activity that lone adult females are privileged to digest. â€Å"Fucking work forces like you built the H bomb. Work force like you thought it up†¦ You don’t cognize what it’s like to†¦ create a life†¦ All you know how to make is death†¦ † . Her usage of repeat and expletives high spots Cameron’s feministic attack to this societal remark. symbolizing men’s compulsion with making devastation. This non merely makes this sci-fi movie unique and original in its geographic expedition of this common subject. it besides allows audiences to oppugn why worlds are so haunted with playing â€Å"God† . Similarly to ‘Terminator II’ the short narrative ‘Examination Day’ besides explores Sci-fi convections in similar ways. Like ‘Terminator II’ . ‘Examination Day’ is driven by its powerful and dramatic societal remark. While subtly revealed to be set in the hereafter. unlike ‘Terminator II’ this is non the dominant focal point in the text. While the commentary is different to that of ‘Terminator II’ . both texts entertain audiences chiefly by concentrating them to oppugn their ain lives like all sci-fi text. therefore presenting the ‘what if’ inquiry. The short narrative ‘Examination Day’ exaggeratedly explores a universe where authoritiess obtain ultimate control. This is brought to the readers in the gap paragraphs when Dickies parents are discoursing a â€Å"Government intelligence trial they give kids at the age of twelve† . It is â€Å"the wet in his mother’s eyes† when readers are cognizant that the narrative they have been told has contrasted what truly is go oning. Even though the links to sci-fi aren’t every bit clear as the 1s in ‘Terminator II’ we still see the connexion through the thriller genre. As both Mr and Mrs Jordan attempt to avoid the conversation about the trial suspense begins to develop as we understand that the trial will perchance resemble a large portion in the Jordan family’s life. As Mr Jordan explains the inside informations of the trial further we learn that the authorities will supply Dickie with truth serum. In this event readers are instantly informed that the authorities play a large function in everything which is doing civilisation less Utopian and more dystopian. Is through small cardinal things during the narrative we can see a resemblance to a futuristic universe such as ‘Terminator II’ . â€Å"Your categorization figure is 600-115† . Unlike ‘Terminator II’ this short narrative utilises assorted literary techniques to research this powerful societal remark. trusting on descriptive linguistic communication and organic structure gestures to capture the enigma and anxiousness relating to this test. Furthermore the insistent image of the â€Å"moistness of his mother’s eyes† heightens suspense. hinting towards the significance of this â€Å"Government intelligence test† . Like ‘Terminator IIâ⠂¬â„¢ this text uses assorted sci-fi conventions such as the embedded thriller genre to efficaciously prosecuting audiences. maintaining them entertained. As the denouement reveals the unpredictable turn. â€Å"we regret to inform you†¦ his intelligence quotient is above authorities regulation† . the upseting societal remark become clearer â€Å"†¦whether you wish his organic structure interred by the authorities. or would you prefer a private burial topographic point? † Slesar’s clever usage of inversion as Dickie fails the intelligence trial because he is excessively smart. seems to be warning readers about the dangers of power and control. and the demand for people to be more occupied and cognizant of authoritiess and other administrations that may mistreat their power. Like most sci-fi texts. ‘Examination Day’ challenges our ain universe. and contemplates what may go on if we do non take more duty and involvement in the powerful organic structures that govern the people. Again. it is this dramatic yet relatable societal remark that most efficaciously engages readers by flooring them much like ‘Terminator II’ . While ‘Terminator II’ looks at humanity’s dry destructive nature and unsafe over trust on engineering. ‘Examination Day’ focuses on humanity’s frequently fleeceable and negligent over trust on powerful forces such as the authorities. While both texts are strongly driven by the relevant and powerful societal remarks. both texts follow the conventions of sci-fi through their common futuristic scenes. advanced engineering every bit good as the use of other genres within ; specifically the thriller genre. Along with powerful movie and literary techniques. both texts entertain audiences.

Determine Concentration and Molarity

Determine Concentration and Molarity Molarity is one of the most common and important units of concentration used in chemistry. This concentration problem illustrates how to find the molarity of a solution if you know how much solute and solvent are present. Concentration and Molarity Example Problem Determine the molarity of a solution made by dissolving 20.0 g of NaOH in sufficient water to yield a 482 cm3 solution. How to Solve the Problem Molarity is an expression of the moles of solute (NaOH) per liter of solution (water). To work this problem, you need to be able to calculate the number of moles of sodium hydroxide (NaOH) and be able to convert cubic centimeters of a solution into liters. You can refer to the Worked Unit Conversions if you need more help. Step 1 Calculate the number of moles of NaOH that are in 20.0 grams. Look up the atomic masses for the elements in NaOH from the Periodic Table. The atomic masses are found to be: Na is 23.0H is 1.0O is 16.0 Plugging these values: 1 mol NaOH weighs 23.0 g 16.0 g 1.0 g 40.0 g So the number of moles in 20.0 g is: moles NaOH 20.0 g Ãâ€" 1 mol/40.0 g 0.500 mol Step 2 Determine the volume of solution in liters. 1 liter is 1000 cm3, so the volume of solution is: liters solution 482 cm3 Ãâ€" 1 liter/1000 cm3 0.482 liter Step 3 Determine the molarity of the solution. Simply divide the number of moles by the volume of solution to get the molarity: molarity 0.500 mol / 0.482 litermolarity 1.04 mol/liter 1.04 M Answer The molarity of a solution made by dissolving 20.0 g of NaOH to make a 482 cm3 solution is 1.04 M Tips for Solving Concentration Problems In this example, the solute (sodium hydroxide) and solvent (water) were identified. You may not always be told which chemical is the solute and which is the solvent. Often the solute is a solid, while the solvent is a liquid. Its also possible to make up solutions of gases and solids or of liquid solutes in liquid solvents.  In general, the solute is the chemical (or chemicals) present in smaller amounts. The solvent makes up most of the solution.  Molarity is concerned with the total volume of the solution, not the volume of the solvent. You can approximate molarity by dividing moles of solute by volume of solvent that is added, but this isnt correct and can lead to significant error when a large amount of solute is present.Significant figures can also come into play when reporting concentration in molarity. There will be a degree of uncertainty in the mass measurement of the solute. An analytical balance will yield a more precise measurement than weighing on a kitchen scale, fo r example. The glassware used to measure the volume of solvent also matters. A volumetric flask or graduated cylinder will yield a more precise value than a beaker, for example. Theres also an error in reading the volume, relating to the meniscus of the liquid. The number of significant digits in your molarity is only as many as that in your least precise measurement.

The Cask Of Amontillado Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

The Cask Of Amontillado - Essay Example The design in which the author brings out his message in the Cask of Amontillado story would be that people should always be careful whenever they are talking bad about other people. The issue of trust is also quite common in this story (Poe, 23). The author’s main point is primarily from Montresor who is the story’s main character. Alternatively, the author shades light on how Montresor exacts his revenge throughout the story and his self-satisfied reaction to the outcomes of the tragedies (Poe, 28). As readers of the story, the readers might be tempted to judge Montresor as a cold-blooded murder and an unreasonable character since his presentation to us is his poor motivations. However, there is the other side of Montresor where he has good will pretense and has careful Fortunato manipulation, which generally indicates care upon the planned Fortunato’s death. The readers have also a classic Poe’s case as an unreliable narrator. Throughout the story, his guilt and irrational nature tends to stop him from presenting himself as a truthful narrator to the reader (Poe, 40). On a closer inspection of the story, it is quite evident that Montresor has a black sense of humor. This character amuses the horrified reader especially when he directs Furtunato into his trap. By doing this, Montresor informs the audience regarding his intentions thus before the start of the story of his happenstance with Fortunato. On the other hand, Poe employs both dramatic and verbal irony in conveying the darkness of the Cask of Amontillados story. Verbal irony in this case is used to illustrate how the speaker contrasts his literal meaning with the speaker’s actual message. Alternatively, Montresor’s dialogue use in the story demonstrates the use of verbal irony (Poe, 35). There is also the aspect of dramatic irony in which the author uses throughout the story. Dramatic irony is generally as a result of disconnection which mainly occurs

Human Resources Employment law for Businesses Case Study

Human Resources Employment law for Businesses - Case Study Example Based upon these facts the company needs to retain legal counsel because the lawsuit is valid. 2. Natalie Weston has a valid lawsuit against her former employer. The store manager broke confidentiality when telling a company calling to verify Ms. Weston previously worked at the company by telling them she came to work drunk. Based upon these things the Martin's department store needs to retain legal counsel. In addition the description does not state that the store manager has any proof that Ms. Weston was drunk while at work. With this proof this situation can easily be called defamation of character. However, the determination in regards to ruling will maybe influenced by the evidence presented. If an employee or the potential employer provides a statement that this has occurred the employer will have a strong lawsuit against them. 1. There is a difference between an employee that reports a serious or violent crime to the police and an employee that reports someone stealing paper clips. The differentiation lies in the determination of the severity of the crime. Raping an individual would constitute a felony and stealing cars or car parts dependent upon the determined value would also constitute a felony. However, stealing paper clips is not a serve or violent crime. ... However, stealing paper clips usually is dealt with from the inside of the company by company officials. This notion was further demonstrated in this case as the court ruling found that "public policy favored citizen crime fighters and the exposure of criminal activity" (Muhl, 2001, p. 2). Thus ruling that stealing a screw driver and car parts are not in the same category and protection extends to Palmateer. 2. This crime occurring at International Harvester does call for more severity than stealing a two dollar screw driver. Stealing car parts and selling them is more complicated than stealing a screw driver. Obtaining stole car parts and selling them is an illegal deed regardless of who or where the car parts are being stolen from. This operation may expose thefts to stores, or people. Due to the nature of this crime the good faith clause is applicable to this situation. 3. Terminated works have some rights that extent past the termination. The termination should not be discussed with other workers in regards to the reason of termination. Further the former work has the right to confidentiality. Thus if a new potential employer calls to verify the employee was employed at the facility they should not release details of the termination. This is confidential information and the company may be sued. In addition the former employer may not say anything that maybe detrimental to the former employees character. This release of information (whether it is true or factious information) may cause the employee not to receive the potential job. This situation presents defamation of character.To further instill the rights of public policy this case occurred in a state that a good faith clause. According to Muhl(2001),the good faith clause has been

How do Power and Policitcs in an Organization as well as Communication Essay

How do Power and Policitcs in an Organization as well as Communication involve Leadership and Organizational Processes - Essay Example Therefore, in the context of an organization, power and politics are very closely linked. Power is a leaders' ability to influence other people' activities and behavior whereas politics lies in exercising power and influence in the organization towards the fulfillment of a person's individual goals rather than organizational. The "power influence approach" by Yukl (1989) states that the efficiency of the leadership process in an organization depends on the extent and level of power that is occupied by the leader. It lies in the person's ability to gain, maintain and enhance the extent and level of power they possess. Therefore, both the factors; power and politics determine the efficiency of leadership process in the accomplishment of goals and objectives in an organization. The power and political factors are involved in the leadership and organizational process in the manner that the goals and objectives of an organization are achieved by the collaboration of leaders and group members where leaders play the role of controllers and directors whereas the group members act as followers and participants towards the accomplishment of these goals.

Doctors and patients Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Doctors and patients - Essay Example The patient happens to be the narrator of the story and told the story from a first-person account of the horrors surrounding the mental ailment of depression and a slow descent into insanity. The author gives a thinly-disguised autobiographical account of her sickness, how the people around her had responded to her predicament, such as her husband and her sister-in-law, while giving a dispassionate account of the shapes she supposedly found in the wallpaper of the room where she is confined. The other viewpoint in this story is the reaction of her doctor-husband, who took the rather nonchalant view of her ailment and considers her sickness to be the product of imagination only and therefore nothing very serious. From this perspective, her husband-doctor thinks that a good rest is all that was needed for her to easily recuperate and recover her senses. This short story gives readers a rough idea on how doctors of medicine usually think of their patients with regards to certain ailmen ts, and how they think about their patients, in general. Medicine as a practice or profession requires a certain kind of acceptable behavior as a modicum of acceptable social interaction. In short, doctors should exhibit a high degree of professionalism in their work at all times under all circumstances, according to strict ethical standards. The story is different when told from the perspective of a patient as contrasted with the view of the doctor. This gives the readers an excellent opportunity to evaluate and consider which viewpoint is more accurate in terms of details of an ailment, in this case, an incipient insanity of the wife. There will always be two sides to a coin, as in this case, there are also two sides to the same story. This paper likewise contrasts the two viewpoints regarding the severity or seriousness of the ailment. The similarity between the two viewpoints is that both husband and wife agreed to take a well-advised vacation by renting an isolated ancestral ho me. The doctor-husband came to the view his wife needed a change of scenery for her health to improve and the wife had agreed to the temporary move of three months only because she was hesitant to insist that she is not sick and two eminent doctors (her husband and also her own brother) had expressed their opinion that she was not really sick at all. Both spouses were in agreement the wife needing the rest to restore her mental health due to postpartum depression after childbirth (Schorkhuber, 2008, p. 4). The two spouses had originally been in disagreement as to which room to take among the several rooms in the large rented house; they eventually settled on a room on the second floor as the more appropriate choice for their purpose. The author-wife had initially preferred a ground floor room to take up residence but she later agreed to the second-floor room as the better choice because of the wonderful views it afforded of the surrounding areas, including the garden and the streets down below, up to the little private wharf of the estate, and to preoccupy her mind too. The two of them, once agreed on taking a second-floor room, decided on the playroom of the house, among the several rooms to be chosen. Both of them helped in clearing out some of the old furniture, moving some of these old items downstairs while bringing up some items they had brought along for the purpose of having a good rest and recuperation for the wife. However, the contrast is in the ulterior motive of each spouse as to why they choose that particular room. For the doctor-husband, it was the safe area in the house because the room had windows with the grills to prevent his

Human Resource Management of Homecare Housing Essay

Human Resource Management of Homecare Housing - Essay Example The paper tells that Human Resource person is responsible to take care of the issues in order to offer major satisfaction to the workers. But at the same time small business establishments frequently don’t have the employees or the budget to appropriately handle the nitty-gritty elements of HR. Because of this, small business companies have increasingly outsourcing their HR requirements. But at the same time, HR, when relating to health care business, can be defined as the different types of medical and non-medical employees accountable for public and person health intervention. Here, Homecare Housing Association handles 20 units extend over south east England. This includes three ex-local authority old persons’ homes, 10 ex-local authority committee housing estates, and seven new purpose built particular requirements housing growths, mainly sheltered housing for the disabled. As a ‘Strategic Business Partner’ of the company it’s my duty to help the company to deal with the various issues faced by the company. One of the main issues faced by the company is that women handle only the certain positions, roles and particular department. So that it will affect the overall functioning of the Company. Over the last 12 years, the organization has developed from a small voluntary group running organization to two new housing developments employing approximately 600 people. Out of these, 60% of them are female and 40% are male. Majority of the workforce are women. So the women must ready to handle the duty of every department and ready to take care of all the activities. As a ‘Strategic Business Partner’, it my special duty to manage all these activities. The affiliation among health care and human resources is extremely complex, and it needs further examination and study. While examining health care schemes in a worldwide context, many universal human resources questions and issues occur. A number of the issues of greatest significance will be examined in detail further which consists of the composition, size and allocation of the health care employees, issues relating to workforce training, the immigration of health workforce, and the level of economic growth in a particular state and socio-demographic, environmental and cultural issues. The difference of size, allocation and composition inside state’s health care employees is of large concern. As I mentioned earlier, a Strategic business partner has certain duties and responsibilities to do. When studying in detail, I have talked and discussed with some employees and managers in the organization, when I have understood some issues being happened in Homecare Housing association. Some employees are not satisfied with current situations and some customers of this company are not satisfied with the service offered by the company. So it is my duty to study in detail about these problems and to solve these problems. For that, I would be discussing about the demands and problems of the work force in the company. In every organization the value for employee satisfaction should be high. Employees working in every organization should be treated in a descent manner; if the workforce is satisfied then only organizations can achieve their goals. So as a strategic business

Doctors and patients Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Doctors and patients - Essay Example The patient happens to be the narrator of the story and told the story from a first-person account of the horrors surrounding the mental ailment of depression and a slow descent into insanity. The author gives a thinly-disguised autobiographical account of her sickness, how the people around her had responded to her predicament, such as her husband and her sister-in-law, while giving a dispassionate account of the shapes she supposedly found in the wallpaper of the room where she is confined. The other viewpoint in this story is the reaction of her doctor-husband, who took the rather nonchalant view of her ailment and considers her sickness to be the product of imagination only and therefore nothing very serious. From this perspective, her husband-doctor thinks that a good rest is all that was needed for her to easily recuperate and recover her senses. This short story gives readers a rough idea on how doctors of medicine usually think of their patients with regards to certain ailmen ts, and how they think about their patients, in general. Medicine as a practice or profession requires a certain kind of acceptable behavior as a modicum of acceptable social interaction. In short, doctors should exhibit a high degree of professionalism in their work at all times under all circumstances, according to strict ethical standards. The story is different when told from the perspective of a patient as contrasted with the view of the doctor. This gives the readers an excellent opportunity to evaluate and consider which viewpoint is more accurate in terms of details of an ailment, in this case, an incipient insanity of the wife. There will always be two sides to a coin, as in this case, there are also two sides to the same story. This paper likewise contrasts the two viewpoints regarding the severity or seriousness of the ailment. The similarity between the two viewpoints is that both husband and wife agreed to take a well-advised vacation by renting an isolated ancestral ho me. The doctor-husband came to the view his wife needed a change of scenery for her health to improve and the wife had agreed to the temporary move of three months only because she was hesitant to insist that she is not sick and two eminent doctors (her husband and also her own brother) had expressed their opinion that she was not really sick at all. Both spouses were in agreement the wife needing the rest to restore her mental health due to postpartum depression after childbirth (Schorkhuber, 2008, p. 4). The two spouses had originally been in disagreement as to which room to take among the several rooms in the large rented house; they eventually settled on a room on the second floor as the more appropriate choice for their purpose. The author-wife had initially preferred a ground floor room to take up residence but she later agreed to the second-floor room as the better choice because of the wonderful views it afforded of the surrounding areas, including the garden and the streets down below, up to the little private wharf of the estate, and to preoccupy her mind too. The two of them, once agreed on taking a second-floor room, decided on the playroom of the house, among the several rooms to be chosen. Both of them helped in clearing out some of the old furniture, moving some of these old items downstairs while bringing up some items they had brought along for the purpose of having a good rest and recuperation for the wife. However, the contrast is in the ulterior motive of each spouse as to why they choose that particular room. For the doctor-husband, it was the safe area in the house because the room had windows with the grills to prevent his

Philosophy Term Paper on Stereotype Encounters

Philosophy on Stereotype Encounters - Term Paper Example Individuals being stereotyped will feel that their behaviors are judged on the basis of their negative attitude instead from the basis of their personal merit. When people feel stereotyped their performance is undermined as they will feel their actions are under a lot of scrutiny, and this makes them loose their self esteem which will undermine their productivity (Dovidio et al, 2010). Stereotyping will make a person feel like a victim of social identity, and they will feel inferior if they are not able to cope with the stereotype and this will undermine their capability to make sound decisions and their productivity in the activity they are undertaking (Kemick, 2010). I have encountered various stereotypes the first one being that all Arabs and Muslims are terrorists. After the September 11 attacks in the United States, Muslims and Arabs have been stereotyped and have been rejected by other communities. The attacks were staged by the al-Qaida, which is a Muslim group and from this d ay people have had the notion that all Muslims are terrorists. This has denied Muslims many opportunities as people fear that they will attack them as they are connected to terrorists. After the attacks Muslims were under great scrutiny and they are treated with fear and rejection. Even the authorities at airports double checked their luggage and this made them fall victims of sterotyping.it was evident to note Muslims being stopped by police more than people from other cultures. This stereotype has had a negative impact on Muslims as it messes up with their self confidence caused by the belief that they are being sidelined or rejected by the community, and this undermines their

Mike and Marty Scanlon Essay Example for Free

Mike and Marty Scanlon Essay People often have difficulty believing that Mike and Marty Scanlon are brothers, let alone twins. The two men bear a resemblance, but the similarity ends there. Marty Scanlon was always a quiet, well-behaved child. He excelled in all his academic subjects throughout his school years, although he was shy and had few friends. Marty would always be polite to people, but he generally preferred to keep to himself. After college, Marty became a successful network administrator for a large financial company and married his longtime girlfriend. A dedicated family man, Marty spends most of his free time doing home improvement projects and looking after his two children. Mike Scanlon, on the other hand, could never be described as shy. He was the student that teachers dreaded having in their classroom: boisterous, unruly, and indifferent to authority. Mike had many brushes with the law throughout his high school years, for crimes ranging from vandalism to public drunkenness. Mike dropped out of high school to take a job as an oil-change technician at a local garage; he spends most of free time and money at local bars- at least the ones that havent banned him for starting fights. Mikes current legal trouble surrounds two of his ex-girlfriends, who are independently taking him to court for child support. Mike is unfazed, however; he laughs with his friends that theyll never get a dime from him. 1. How would Freud explain the personality differences between Mike and Marty? 2. How would you rate Mike and Marty on the Big Five personality traits? 3. Given that Mike and Marty are twins and share some of their genetic makeup, how would you explain the pronounced differences in their personalities? What role, if any, does temperament seem to be playing? 4. Which of the two brothers seems more likely to be achieving self-actualization, and why do you think so? 5. Do Mike and Marty appear to have different levels of intelligence, or do they show intelligence in different ways? Why do you think so?

Sony Corporation Innovation All The Way Business Essay

Sony Corporation Innovation All The Way Business Essay The report is an evaluation of the organization structure implemented by Sir Howard Stringer in October 2005. The transition of Sonys organization structure from Transnational structural to multidivisional structure has been analyzed in detail. Goold and Campbells five tests have been conducted to determine the appropriateness of Sir Howard Stringers structural choice given his desire to make Sony a more innovative and flexible organization. The risks and benefits of the structural choice has also been assessed. The report displays the cultural web of Sony before and after Sir Howards arrival. It was derived that the Reconstruction type of strategic change had been used to bring about the transformation in the organizations culture. Consequently, Sir Howard adopted the Education and Communication and the Collaboration/Participation styles of strategic change implementation. In conclusion, it can be seen that the stock share value has increased during 2005-2007 which means that Howard Stringer was doing a good job at implementing his change. Acknowledgement We thank Heriot-Watt for giving us the opportunity to enhance our learning in Strategic Project Management by means of this group assignment. We would like to give a hearty thanks to our Professors at Heriot Watt, namely Dr. M. A. Salama and Dr. Michael Clarke for their time and guidance for completing this assignment. We would like to thank the university librarian Ramakant for his cooperation in providing us the appropriate books and journals for reference. We would also like to thank our families and friends for their support through out the completion of this assignment. We could not have done this without them. PM Stars Incorporated Introduction As a part of this report let us start by introducing Sony Corporation. SONY Sony is one of the leading manufacturers of electronics, video, communications, video game consoles, and information technology products for the consumer and professional markets. Sony was founded on 7th May 1946. The representative corporate executive officers at Sony as of today as Howard Stringer(Chairman, CEO and President), Ryoji Chubachi (Vice Chairman) and Nobuyuki Oneda (Executive Deputy President and CFO). (Sony Global (2009) has provided the above information). Sony Corporation (commonly referred to as Sony) is a multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan, and one of the worlds largest media conglomerates with revenue exceeding  ¥ 7.730.0 trillion, or $78.88 billion U.S. (FY2008). Its name is derived from sonus, the Latin word for sound. Sony Corporation is the electronics business unit and the parent company of the Sony Group, which is engaged in business through its five operating segments-electronics, games, entertainment (motion pictures and music), financial services and other. Sonys principal business operations include Sony Corporation (Sony Electronics in the U.S.), Sony Pictures Entertainment, Sony Computer Entertainment, Sony Music Entertainment, Sony Ericsson, and Sony Financial. As a semiconductor maker, Sony is among the Worldwide Top 20 Semiconductor Sales Leaders. The companys slogan is make.believe. (Wikipedia (2009) provided information regarding Sony Corporation). Company Strategy Vision (2005): make Sony cool again Vision (2009): make.believe When Howard Stringer joined as the CEO of Sony Global Japan he made new strategies and used those strategies to restructure the organization to be in-line with these strategies. Firstly, he looked at the core competencies of the company and focused mainly on the electronics, games and entertainment sector. He established a growth strategy saying, Our target is for the Sony Group to achieve consolidated sales of over 8 trillion yen and an operating profit margin of 5% (electronics 4%) by the end of fiscal year 2007. NewsBlaze (2005) published the company strategy from the fiscal year 2005 to 2008 as given in Appendix C of this report. The three-year revitalization plan/strategy was as follows (in brief): Restructuring the Electronics Organization Eliminated the corporate silos and bring more focus on competitive growth. Improving Sonys Profit Structure Cost Reductions Sale of Real Estate, Stock and Non-Core Assets Strengthening Sonys Current Electronics Business Focus on areas of the Electronics business by bringing profitability in television by the second half of 2006. Focusing Resources on Growth Strategy Making the HD World and Major Profit Pillar Launching of a range of high-definition products in 2006. Focusing on Intelligent Interoperable Products Developing network-enabled products and applications Strengthening Technology Development Creation of Home and Mobile Platforms Concentrating Investment on Semiconductors and Key Component Devices Next-Generation Display (OLED) Enhancing Software Development Group Convergence Strategy Pursuit of mobile entertainment Establishment of Cell Development Center Group Strategy by Individual Sector focus on: Games Entertainment Motion Pictures Music Mobile Phones Financial Services Network Services, Retail Retail Business Note: Refer to Appendix C for a detailed Company Strategy. Organizational Structure Corporate Structure of Sony Corporation From the analysis on the organizational structure that Howard Stringer was trying to implement in 2005 we can see that it was clearly a multi-divisional structure. This structure has been further worked on since 2005 and there have been slight changes to the same. Multi-Divisional structure (M-form) The multi-divisional structure is also known as the product structure where the divisional structure groups organizational function into a division. Each division works as an independent section within the company and the divisional structure contains all the necessary resources and functions within it. Each Division will have its own sales, engineering and marketing departments. (Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (2009). The organizational structure in 2005 that Howard Stringer was trying to implement is a hybrid structure which is as follows (Please refer to Appendix A for the assignment of each person in the division): Figure 1 Sony Organizational chart (as of Oct 2005) (Source: Johnson, Scholes and Whittington, 2008) Please refer to Appendix B for the new Organization Structure as of 1st July. From the organizational structure above it can be seen that Howard Stringer was attempting to implement the multi-divisional structure. He had assigned Ryoji Chubachi to handle the main Electronics business and Chubachi had implemented the multinational matrix structure. We will not go into details of the matrix structure but will explain it below in brief. In case of the Multinational Structure of the organization we can see that there were a few business units that were put together in order to increase their responsiveness in the market. There were five committees created across all these business units and business groups. This gave a better integration of knowledge, flexibility and the ability to analyze these units across its procurement, technology, product strategy, sales and productive business outcomes. Strategy and Organizational Structure When Howard Stringer took over the Sony Global Corporation in 2005 he gave strategies for each product in the company. The strategies are stated above in the Introduction section of this report. As per the strategies implemented we can see clearly that he had devised different strategies for each core product that Sony was providing and so he also divided the companys organizational structure the same way. Thus, we see that the company is become more flat and each division is reporting to the Headquarters. As in a multidivisional organization such as Sony, the divisions become flexible as in the sense that they are able to merge, add or close divisions. This is apparent in the fact that Sonys Mobile division merged with Ericsson to produce Sony Ericsson range of mobiles. It can also be seen that Sonys Music Entertainment division had a 50-50 joint venture with Bertelsmann Music Group naming Sonys Music division as Sony BMG Music Entertainment and in August 2008 Sony bought Bertelsmanns 50% shares and Sony renamed its Music division as Sony Music Entertainment. Ergo, it is apparent that because of Sonys multidivisional structure each division is able to work as its own company which is flexible enough to have joint-venture projects as in the case of Sony Ericsson and the company is also able to make the decision of buying over another company such as the Bertelsmann Music group. When Howard Stringer took over Sony he also closed down a chain of restaurants and other non-core business companies that Sony owned. With a multidivisional structure in place Sir Howard Stringer was able to control and oversee each division from a distance by monitoring the business performance of each division. If we look at the advantages of a multi-divisional structure we can see that because the structure is divided by product lines it allows each division to grow and specialize on their competences. We can see that each division has actually become its own company like the Sony Electronics Inc., the Sony Pictures Entertainment Inc., and Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. As we will see in the redundancy test later in this report we can see that each of the companies that are based in each country have their own head offices. This means that there are many parent levels in this organization which means that many of the supporting departments such as HR and IT will be redundant but due to the large organization structure of the company Sony needs these headquarters to be set-up. Although the knowledge sharing and cooperation between the business units become very limited but Howard Stringer has tried overcoming this by placing five strategic committees across the business units which are the product, technology, production, procurement and sales. Thus standardizations and centralization has helped to reduce effort and poor coordination. Also, with Howard traveling around Sonys operations at a rate of 30,000 air miles a month (Nakamoto 2006) is building spirits and reflecting in the eyes of the employees all around Sony. Goold and Campbell Tests We will use the Goold and Campbell last 5 tests to determine the appropriateness of Howard Stringers structural choice given his desire to make Sony cool again (Clayton 2005). The Specialist Cultures Test: The Organization Structure: Specialist Culture test Figure 2 The Specialist Culture test In the Specialist Culture test we placed Sony between Good and Very Good as Sony has an Engineer-driven culture (Edwards, Lowry, Ihlwan, Hall 2005). Sony is an engineering culture (Paczkowski 2008) says Howard Stringer and they really take care of their engineers. Engineers have the freedom to think and come up with new designs. When a certain project was untaken engineers from all the different departments met in one place to finish that task. This shows that there is no organizational contamination of the specialist engineer culture test. The Difficult Links Test The Organization Structure: Difficult Links Test Figure 3 The Difficult Links Test Shared know-how Links Sony holds Knowledge-sharing sessions and several other activities company wide. They host forums to enable interactive discussion about the company news and they engage their employees in company developments and in-the-Know at all times as claimed by them on their website. Sony also provides all documents, policies, lessoned learned and all other types of documents on their intranet sites. Shared Tangible Resources Links Though with a multidivisional organization with so many parent companies the amount of duplication of work increases but after Sir Howard Stringer came into Sony he divided all core businesses by products into separate units that would report to the Corporate office and setup a corporate RD unit to reduce the duplications and also brought in standardized engineered products to help the reduction of cost. Pooled Negotiating Power Links Sonys Mobile division merged with Ericsson to produce Sony Ericsson range of mobiles. Ericsson had the latest mobile technology and Sony had the vast experience in consumer electronics and entertainment like music, pictures and games. Bringing them both together in a 50-50 joint venture gave Sony power in the market. This would help both the companies generate economies of scale. It can also be seen that Sonys Music Entertainment division had a 50-50 joint venture with Bertelsmann Music Group naming Sonys Music division as Sony BMG Music Entertainment. Financial analysts covering the merger anticipated that up to 2,000 jobs would be cut as a result, saving Sony BMG approximately $350 million annually (Wikipedia, 2009) Coordinated Strategies Links After Sir Howard took over he put together the Electronics Unit which consisted of: The Semiconductor Business unit Core component Business Unit BP Business Group Audio Business Group Digital Imaging Business group VAIO Business Group Video Business Group TV Business Group Connect Company He strategically placed all these units and groups together in order to establish Sony as a leading player. They wanted to develop a semiconductor and core components group thus they put these two relevant new business units under the Electronics Unit. With this new engineering structure Sony wanted to increase their internally sourced components, centralize their engineering functions and reduce their cost by consolidating and cutting down their manufacturing sites. Vertical Integration Links By coordinating the flow of its internally sources components and by standardizing designs through out the company Sir Howard has managed to reduce cost and enhance product development. New-Business Creation Links Vertical integration is very obvious in the Sony business as they try to enter the digital world they are buying companies and doing joint ventures to meet the specific needs of their customers and that is to bring the mobile, music, gaming and video entertainment together. Sony is in a good position to do a backward or forward integration in case it decides to do so. The structure is flexible enough to accommodate that. The links are best handled through self-managed networking among units n top management should leave this up to the unit rather than impose to-down coordination process. The Redundant Hierarchy Test: The Organization Structure: The Redundant Hierarchy Test Figure 4 The redundant Hierarchy Test The reason we have placed them between satisfactory and good is because although the company had many parent levels in the organization they were able to reduce the redundancy through standardizing they internal sourced components. Sony also standardized its designs across the different units and in its core business which was the Electronics Business they had five committees across each group which were the product, technology, production, procurement and sales. This centralization has helped to reduce effort and poor coordination. Also, with Howard traveling around Sonys operations at a rate of 30,000 air miles a month (Nakamoto 2006) he tends to increase the communication gap between the different groups and companies at Sony. The Accountability Test The Organization Structure: The Accountability Test Figure 5 The Accountability Test The reason we have placed them between good and very good is because in the multidivisional structure the overall structure of the company is flat. Thus, most of the units are directly reporting to the corporate office. This increases the responsibility and accountability of each unit heads. The Flexibility Test The Organization Structure: The Flexibility Test Figure 6 The Flexibility Test The reason we have placed them between good in the case of its flexibility is because Sonys structure after Sir Howard Stringer had made it flexible for the company like the Sony Mobile business unit to merge with Ericsson Sonys Music Entertainment division had a 50-50 joint venture with Bertelsmann Music Group. Sony also sold many of its non-core assets like the restaurant chains etc after its restructuring since it made it easy by moving these non-core business units out of the way to concentrate on the core business. The Risk and Benefits of the Multidivisional Structure As we found out through our analysis that Sony Corporation has a multidivisional structure and Goold and Campbells five tests of good general design principles helps us to see what risks and benefits that Sony Corporation faced when Howard Stringer took over. The Benefits   In Electronics group Sony placed centralized decision-making power over key areas under the Electronics CEO. This change assures coordination and focus across newly defined business groups. Exact horizontal coordination in main areas- product planning, technology, procurement, manufacturing, and sales and marketing-will allow fast and streamlined decision making across product lines. Concentration on particular business area (Games, Entertainment, Electronics, Mobile phones) Flexible (Sony Corporation can focus its resources on different business groups, which depends on market situation, add, close or merge divisions ) Specialization of competence (We can see that each division has actually become its own company like the Sony Electronics Inc., the Sony Pictures Entertainment Inc., Sony Computer Entertainment Inc.) Ability to give clear direction and make a working environment that draws out the unique talents of employees and helps them to reach their full potential Encourages general management development Ownership of strategy (As per the strategies implemented we can see clearly that he had devised different strategies for each core product that Sony was providing and so he also divided the companys organizational structure the same way) Investment in core businesses Sony divisions enable to work in tandem for their mutual advantage (to develop new-age products). The Risks Conflicts between divisions Additional cost of the center Difficulty of co-operation between business groups (due to the large organization structure of the company the knowledge sharing and cooperation between the business units become very limited but Howard Stringer has tried overcoming this by placing five strategic committees across the business units) Divisions might grow too large (as we said before each division has actually become its own company like the Sony Electronics Inc. or the Sony Pictures Entertainment Inc. and there is a risk of them grow too large) Power is centralized As CEO Sir Howard Stringer recalled in a 2005 New Yorker article, the engineers started to suffer from a damaging not invented here syndrome, even as rivals were introducing next-generation products such as the iPod and Xbox. As a result of their belief that outside ideas were not as good as inside ones, they missed opportunities in such areas as MP3 players and flat-screen TVs and developed unwanted products-cameras that werent compatible with the most popular forms of memory, for instance. Looking at the above risks and benefits we can see that though there were a lot of risks in the structure Sir Howard needed to make a decision and he made this decision with the help of allies in the company and he also took help from persons who were made in-charge of changing the IBM structure many years back. They were successful in doing so and since Sir Howard was declared President of Sony Global we can say that he is still in there and is still fighting and restructuring to put Sony back on to globe again. Sony is today coming up with new customer focused products rather than products that are innovative but it is not what the customer wants. The Cultural Web Before Howard Stringer Organizational culture sometimes influences the organizations strategy if taken for granted. Culture has played a role in Sonys current financial difficulties. They had power blocks which hindered the flow of communication and corporation between the management, designers, production and marketing. The Cultural Web, developed by Gerry Johnson and Kevan Scholes in 1992, provides one such approach for looking at and changing your organizations culture. Using it, you can expose cultural assumptions and practices, and set to work aligning organizational elements with one another, and with your strategy. The Cultural Web identifies six interrelated elements that help to make up what Johnson and Scholes call the paradigm the pattern or model of the work environment. By analyzing the factors in each, you can begin to see the bigger picture of your culture: what is working, what isnt working, and what needs to be changed. The six elements are: Power Structures: Sony had a culture, were long serving executives have very strong influence on the organization. At their annual general meetings all these executives take up the front seats whiles the lower ranks are relegated to the back. Many of the working seniors did not even discuss their share values and did not have the involvement in the business. Control Systems: Sony emphasized on budget plans and emergency fixes as their main control systems. Quality was not really emphasized, they believed in getting the work done with the least amount of cost. Lower level staffs were not awarded for their achievements or bonuses given at the end of the year. All these were aimed at controlling cost. Organizational Structure: They had the functional/Transnational type of organization where the CEO sits at the top and all functional heads report to him. They believe in top management taking all the decisions without the involvement of the junior level engineers. These caused lack of communication and co-operation between the various units and more of delegation to get the problem solved. Stories: Sony had gone through continuous restructuring for the past 9 years to improve their financial positions. Sony was not customer focused. They did not invest in non-core businesses and lacked new-age products even though they had very good and talented engineers. Although Sony believed in harmony of the people and the company but with all this restructuring the morale of the employees was down and this was evident when there was a comment that there is sparkle in the eyes of the employees after Howard Stringer took over. Rituals Routines: As per the Japanese culture of respect Sony had a ritual that it never fired its high rank executives even after retiring. The senior managers were made Advisor (Gunther, 2006) and each of them had their own secretary, a car and driver and they also had the authority to second-question people who were actually working at Sony. At Sony the ritual was that if an engineer came to know about a fault in the product they would let the seniors know they would just fix the problem and just do it. Thus seniors were not involved in the business Symbols: There was a symbol of seniority when the company never really retired its senior managers and also in the fact that during annual meetings the seniors would be given the preferred and best seats in the hall while the others were given uncomfortable seats to symbolize the importance that Sony gave to its senior managers. To create the harmony they want and give employees a range of different health and wellness programs. Some of those (as taken from the Sony Site) are as below: They provided On-site fitness centers On-site flu shots On-site cafeterias Wellness fairs 100% medical and dental plans Health risk assessments Gym discounts Stop Smoking programs Nutrition information Ritual Routines Respect for senior managers Work in Harmony giving employees the best working environment. Seniors never got fired. Engineers got the freedom to do what they wanted to. Engineers did not inform senior managers of faults they just fixed it. Stories Continuous restructuring Morale was down Believed in the harmony of the environment and the peoples freedom of working in that environment Symbols Senior management given big pays No one really gets retired Health related programs and discounts available. Complete Medical covered. The Paradigm Respect for Seniors Emphasis on Harmony through-out the company Health and wellness programs, discounts and medical coverage Engineer-driven Culture New innovative products Power Structure A lot of power was given to seniors in the company who were not involved in the day to day work. Less responsibility on the shoulder of the seniors managers as responsibility was not taken Control Systems Budgets Emergency Fixes Organizational Structures Transnational Branches/devolved Delegative leadership style Engineer-driven culture Figure 7- Cultural Web before Howard Stringer became CEO of Sony Global Sony Corporation mainly focused on giving the best environment to its employees especially its engineers who were the minds behind the innovations. A high level of respect was kept between the senior and junior employees in the company. Various Health and wellness programs and benefits were available for employees. Sony was an engineer-driven culture which put what the engineers thought and innovated before what the customers wanted or what the market demanded. The Cultural Web After Howard Stringer Power Structures: Howard was made the new CEO thus giving power of the company to him. He was able to make changes but very smartly Howard made Chubachi his right hand man since he was aware that he was the first non-Japanese CEO of the company. His power can be seen in the fact that Howard is now President of Sony in 2009. Control Systems: There was a more cost control in the company through reduction of employees in many of the sites. Manufacturing companies were consolidated and shut down in many areas. Rewards and bonuses based on group performance (not seniority) after Howard Stringer had taken over. Organizational Structure: With the structural changes that Howard had made to the company Sony had a flatter structure. Management was made to be more involved in each of the business units of the company. There was more responsibility given to senior and middle management. Stories: As per Chubachi, it was said that since Sir Howard had taken over there was a sparkle in the eyes of the employees. The over all morale of the company was better. After Howard came people were still not sure if they knew where they were leading to but they understood the company strategy which was to make the company cool again. People were more excited. Rituals Routines: After Howard came he dissolved the advisory board that consisted of 45 senior mangers who had a say in the company even after they had retired. Main customer who had used Sony products for a long time where now giving their inputs on the Sony products. Engineers were given more appreciations. Success was being celebrated through Award ceremonies, Christmas parties, training programs and knowledge sharing sessions. Symbols: After Howard came he dissolved the advisory board that consisted of 45 senior managers who had a say in the company even after they had retired. Each of them had a secretary, a car and driver and probably many other benefits. The gap between the senior management and the juniors was being reduced. Ritual Routines Good communications Customer involvement Appreciations Giving praise Celebration of success Stories Reduced Gap between the senior managers and juniors. People were more aware of the company strategy. Symbols Senior management who had retired where not taken care of by the company. Promotions based on group performance The Paradigm Respect for Seniors Emphasis on Harmony through-out the company Health and wellness programs, discounts and medical coverage New innovative products Power Structure Engineers given limited power Management given more responsibility along with current power. Restructuring of power in the company Control Systems Budgets Partnership agreements Financial controls Organizational Structures Multi-divisional Units based on market priority and business needs. democratic leadership style Figure 8- Cultural Web after Howard Stringer became CEO of Sony Global From the above cultural web we can see that Sony did not undergo major paradigm changes but did move from a transnational structure to a multi-divisional (Electronic department was a matrix) structure. Sir Howard Stringers Change Management Change management is also known as Change control. It is usually referred to the process by which the change of a system/process/organization is implemented in a controlled manner. If we look at the above Cultural Webs before and after Sir Howard Stringer took over Sony we can see that in order to bring the changes as per the paradigms shown above he had to adopt a Change Management program. Organizational change management processes include techniques for creating a change management strategy which is getting everybody involved in the change process. Engaging senior managers as change leaders, they become the sponsors of the change program. You also need to build awareness of the need for change (communications) getting everybody to understand why the need for change. Developing skills and knowledge to support the change (education and training), helping employees move through the period of change (coaching by managers and supervisors), and methods to sustain the change (measurement systems, rewards and reinforcement). Howard Stringer had instituted all these processes for his change management, but due to the dominance culture