Sunday, November 24, 2019

Blood Diamonds Essay Example

Blood Diamonds Essay Example Blood Diamonds Essay Blood Diamonds Essay The consequence in the deceases of more than 50 thousand people. left 1000000s homeless. and incorporate force such as mass colzas and mutilations were caused from these gems net incomes which helped to subsidise a war. It was besides stated that these blood diamonds increase the conflict in Africa which resulted to the loss of four million lives and 1000000s of occupants has been dislocated. Lapp of what happened at Sierra Leone which had disagreement ; these conflict diamonds yet in small ways can do monolithic devastation in a state. In the despicable civil war at Sierra Leone. the lifting up evolutionary United Front apprehended control to a great extent of the nation’s diamond Fieldss. The issue sing blood diamonds did non happen merely long-ago. There was a study late by the United State that 23 dollars of diamonds are being smuggled into international diamond markets which are from the Ivory Coast. Diamonds have besides played an of import function in funding struggles in Angola and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Fortified sadism and barbarous human rights maltreatments go on with over control of diamond mines in eastern Congo which was the bloodiest war since World War II. The Global Witness in 1998 had to get down a disclosure operation about the function of diamonds in fiscal support statement. Amnesty International a labor human rights organisation in the universe became so influential in edifying citizens refering the job and urges the authoritiess and industry to take action. International tenseness has augmented from a big federation of Non Government Officials through the old ages. United States is the 70 per centum of the world’s diamond bargainer and this lone means that it was the taking costumier of diamonds. With this ground. they should be the first and major caput to cover on the job of blood diamonds which besides called struggle diamonds. On the manner difficult works for the United States Congress to command the trading of blood diamonds. Terrorist operation are possible funded by the international trade of diamonds and with this. the United States Congress Members obtains tactics to set a halt to it. Diamonds are expensive goods that can easy be covered and transported harmonizing to the U. S. General Accounting Office and was used in illegal agencies of trading. It was extracted from unaccessible countries which no intimation to happen from its beginning. Government-run Kimberley Process which is an international understanding endorsed by the United Nation which aimed and developed a diamond enfranchisement plan that would forestall the flow of blood diamond and initiated halt to its trade was soon participate United States together with other states. The chain of warranties or the system of ego ordinance. was the understanding wherein the diamond companies will take charge to guard itself in despatching diamonds from its topographic point to the shops where it should be delivered. This became there support to the Kimberley Process. However this understanding I non to the full applied to the industries because it is a must for a company covering in diamonds to hold a class of action in topographic point to vouch that their diamonds are conflict-free. Actual visit of the authorities in the diamond industries should be practiced for more confidence of liberating from struggles and behavior cyclic country verification to diamond companies to do certain they have strategies in topographic point to avoid any trade in struggle diamonds. Several of the states rich in diamonds are those truly hapless and citizens do non acquire any benefit from their resources peculiarly the dirt profusion. Confusions and explosive natures are widespread in the diamond Fieldss because radical group’s antiterrorists can still prehend benefit and right to utilize the diamonds. Given all the jobs refering the struggle diamonds the United States authorities should take a expression in implementing the diamond jurisprudence and necessitate all parts to construct up a dependable diamond industry. The pattern for tracking agreement in each of the diamond companies will be helpful to do certain to forestall the entryway in the market of struggle diamonds. Additional force should be given off by the Administration for the execution of Clean Diamond Trade Act ( CDTA ) in hindering the operation to conflict diamonds as they support the Kimberley Process. Nowadays. blood diamonds are still a serious quandary. Experientially the authorities action in commanding the finance struggle in diamonds are non that powerful and functional to guarantee that the Rebel groups. terrorist and other condemnable webs will non any longer make usage of it. This continual failing of the Control System found by the Government Accountability Office of United States was because of the paltry imposing of Clean Diamond Trade Act. The demands for development in supervising procedure in the diamond industries in line with the jurisprudence and roll uping precise information on United States trade in unsmooth diamonds. Bing the taking consumer of diamonds. the United States should take a firm stand on beef uping the Clean Diamond Trade Act and the Kimberley Process. Suggested measure that will be the best aid turn toing on the job will be: working with other cardinal disposal to reenforce the Kimberley Process and interrupt down on blood diamonds smuggled out of the Ivory Coast. In add-on guarantee that the Kimberley Process taking on processs to develop the accurateness and probe of the information. call for hallmark of production conformance. endow with satisfactory funding to promote effectual completion of the system. They should besides supply more forceful support every bit good as proficient and fiscal assistance. to assist states develop their achievement of the Kimberley Process. The on clip application of the proposals of Government Accountability Office including the topographic point cheques of diamond companies and tracking of unsmooth diamonds inside and outside the state particularly the end puting in put to deathing the proposal will be a great aid in deciding the jobs. Having custodies on pressing traffics to come on the truth of United States rough diamond trade statistics will besides be a aid. Mentions: Battling Conflict Diamonds. Retrieved August 18. 2007. hypertext transfer protocol: //www. globalwitness. org/pages/en/conflict_diamonds. html Conflict Diamonds. Retrieved August 18. 2007. World Wide Web. amnestyusa. org/news/doc/diamonds_survey_text. pdf US Congress Tackles Blood Diamonds’ Trade. Retrieved August 18. 2007. World Wide Web. voanews. com/english/archive/2002-02/a-2002-02-14-2-US. cfm Conflict Diamonds. Retrieved August 18. 2007. World Wide Web. un. org/peace/africa/Diamond. hypertext markup language Stop the Trade in Blood Diamonds. Retrieved August 18. 2007. worldvision. org/worldvision/†¦ /stable/globalissues_conflictdiamonds

Thursday, November 21, 2019

Week Two Discussion Questions Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Week Two Discussion Questions - Essay Example For example, the items in the company’s balance sheet can be explained by the items in its income statement. On the other hand, the changes in the company’s retained earnings reports are generated both from the income statement and balance sheet. Lastly, the cash in the current assets section of the balance is further explained by the more extensive statement of cash flow. Companies using accrual accounting need to prepare adjusting entries for prepaid items. These adjusting entries give a more adequate picture of the company’s assets by subtracting the amount in the prepaid expense which is already consumed. For example, company A purchases prepaid insurance at the amount of $1200 during Jan 1 which is consumable for one year which it records as a debit in prepaid expense. At each end of the month, adjusting entries which include crediting prepaid expense by $100 should be undertaken in order to reflect the true amount of prepaid insurance in its portfolio. An example of adjusting entries for accruals is the case of employees’ salary which companies incur each day of the month but is paid at the first day of the following month. At the end of the month, the company debits salary expense and credits salary payable of the amount. However, during the first of the month adjusting entry is made to indicate that this salary is now paid. This is done by debiting salary payable and crediting cash. Closing entries are necessary in order to put temporary accounts in their final destinations. It should be noted that revenue, expenses, and capital withdrawal accounts are temporary and should be zero at each start of accounting period. Thus, the following closing entries are made: close revenue accounts to income summary; close the expense accounts to income summary; close income summary to retained earnings; and close dividends or capital drawings to

Wednesday, November 20, 2019

Marketing 3000 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Marketing 3000 - Essay Example I have observed that generally, consumers are very price sensitive, especially during times of financial and economic crises. The most effective strategy that works to generate sales, repeated product purchase, and gain consistent patronage is if organizations implement a low price, yet high quality strategy. For basic necessities of homogeneous products (like soap, detergents, bread, coffee, milk, eggs), consumers with low purchasing power would opt to select those with the lowest costs. In supermarkets, therefore, organizations that aim to generate more volume in terms of revenues apply the least cost strategy. For example, the single-served coffee is gaining popularity in contemporary times. This market has been dominated by Nescafe where a 12-pack Taster’s Choice House Blend Instant Coffee costs $12.16. To enable to enter this market, Starbucks, which is known for its specialty coffee, previously served only in its respective coffee stores, have launched their single served Via in 12-pack pouches runs $9.95. When I learned of this move, of course, as a customer who perceived Starbucks as a projecting an image of high-priced, high quality coffee, definitely purchased Via, which as even lower in price than Nescafe’s Taster’s Choice. In another experience, the Cola wars between Coke and Pepsi had also undergone some price wars in the past. I remember being a Coke enthusiast ever since I can remember being allowed to drink carbonated drinks. Pegged almost at the same price, Coke and Pepsi have decided not to implement any price war because the strategy would be detrimental to both. However, there was a time when Pepsi came up with a new promotional strategy that enticed consumers to win cash prices by collecting specially printed Pepsi crowns. This promotion led to shifts in consumers’ purchases from Coke to Pepsi, despite the same price due to the offer of hopes to possibly win something big. When things like

Monday, November 18, 2019

Decisions in USA Super Cars Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Decisions in USA Super Cars - Assignment Example If the company decides to take loan, it would be better for USASuperCars to accept a sure sum from HSBC in 3 months instead of 12 months. Although, the bank could face risks, it can get profits. To expand their operations and get newer opportunities, organizations would enter foreign markets. When organizations expand, they might need extra financial resources. To get that resource, they might approach number of options including banks for loans. This is relevant to USASuperCars as well. USASuperCars is a company which sells luxury sports cars in its home base of the United States, and also other countries. It has signed a contract to sell their super cars to customers in 5 countries. So, as it is expanding their operations, it might need financial resources. It has an option to get loan from the HSBC bank, but there are some risks associated with it. That is, as the selling prices are fixed and are dealt in local currencies at the exchange rates prevailing at the time of delivery, uncertainties can arise leading to problems for USASuperCars. At the same time, the financial status of USASuperCars is good. So, this report focusing on the standard deviation and mean in exchan ge rates, HSBC’s loan offer, and the outcomes will help USASuperCars and its management to take a correct decision based on statistical analysis. Organizations functioning in any sector would always find both internal and external opportunities to grow. That is, apart from finding opportunities in its home operations, an organization can also find prospects in foreign countries as well (Mellahi, Finlay and Frynas, 2005). However, operating in home operations as well as foreign operations can bring different set of challenges to the organization. When the currency of the home country of the organization and currency of the entering country fluctuates due to various political and economic factors, it can affect organizations

Friday, November 15, 2019

Difference And Diversity In Early Years Settings

Difference And Diversity In Early Years Settings We are all different sizes, come from different backgrounds, have different religions or none at all are different ages and come from different ethnic groups and different classes. (London: Pre-school Learning Alliance 1999 p.1.) This essay will reflect the wide diversity of children, parents and families encountered in early year settings, using popular theories as well personal experience. Exploring the ethical issues related to difference in relation to personal beliefs and values. It will also evaluate government legislation and initiatives that impact upon diversity issues, identify sources of support, information and resources for managing diversity in early years settings and considering how they can be used. Difference is a word that arguably some early year professionals and people fear and hope that they will never have to deal with the issues it raises and wider implications associated. The above quote succinctly sums up what the nature of the world is full of and what children see, hear every day. Why are we sheltering ourselves from difference instead of embracing it? Diversity is defined as a quality of being different or varied, a range of difference. (Makins 1996 p.157). Professionals should be conscious of all the different types of diversity that they may into contact with in working in early years. Colour, religion and culture, gender, disability, learning styles, personality and socioeconomic. A visible physical diversity doesnt mean that they are not different, every child is different, and should receive different level of treatment to meet there individual needs. Children and their families have to encounter diversity throughout their lives together, it is the job of the practitioner to help ease the approach of diversity and try to guide them as professionally as possible. Problems could occur if a certain issue is something that is difficult or against the childs and parents or carers belief system. Where do we draw the line of what is right and what is wrong, what we should say and what we shouldnt? The theory, The Psychodynamic Approach Sigmund Freud described it as the talking cure, (Pound, 2005), this can be defined as a way of helping people handle emotional problems or disorders by digging into their unconscious though. Freud (1905) strongly emphasised the importance of early experience and drew attention to the unconscious in relation to the development of personality in young people. (Pound, 2005). Our behaviour and feelings as adults are largely rooted in our early childhood experiences. Relationships are of great importance in determining how we feel and behave. Our behaviour and feelings are strongly affected by our unconscious mind, i.e. mental processes of which we are not consciously aware. These unconscious influences come both from past experiences and also from instincts, with which we are born. (Jarvis 2001). Freuds theory argues, that the morals that stem from our parents will be past down generations not because it is what they concluded but because it is our genetic makeup to believe what our parents believe. Freuds peer, Jean Piaget, also recognized unconscious development. While Freud was interested in emotional and sexual development, Piaget focused on intellectual development that children can only process new concepts at a particular stage in their development (Linda Pound 2005). One of Piaget theories was the theory of Moral Development in which he explains that there are two different lanes in which a childs moral reasoning sometimes develops, the Heteronomous phase and the Autonomous phase. The Heteronomous phase is when children understand that there is only one way of seeing and doing things. The Autonomous phase is when children understand that people have different views and values on circumstances. (Walsh, 2008, online). Lev Vygotsky (1978) also believed that children are unconsciously influenced by what they absorb in their early years. His theory of Social and Cognitive Development was that children mimic the adults that surround them, he emphasises that childrens language was social in origin because it arose in interaction between child and others. (Linda Pound 2005). This means that childrens language is the product from and is an element of social interaction. Vygotsky emphasised the significant importance of families, communities and the involvement with other children. Piaget and Freud believed that knowledge and understanding came from personal experiences, (Linda Pound 2005). Therefore it is essential that educational practitioners are encouraging children to look at difference and diversity through other individuals eyes as the children may not have the same encouragement at home. According to Freuds theory influences are unconsciously developed at a young age so it would be advantageous to practitioners to promote positive thinking and attitudes towards topics that are uncomfortable to discuss such as disability, race, gender and social background at an early stage. Children will develop a better understanding if these topics are discussed openly and sensibly and honestly rather than keeping them taboo. As practitioners we should support children, parents and families as they encounter and deal with diversity with encouragement and guidance. Hopefully the parent will continue the education in the home setting which is why they to need to be informed. A part of the EYFS (Early Years Foundation Stage) in the Personal, Social and Emotional development area of learning, to help children develop an awareness of difference in their peers it is encouraged that children establish constructive relationships, develop self esteem in a safe environment and experience a sense of the community. Children need adults to set a good example and to give them opportunities for interaction with others so that they can develop positive ideas about themselves and others. (EYFS 2007 p.22). It is argued that in order for children to understand that people with disabilities or individuals from ethnic backgrounds are different but they shouldnt be treated differently, children should be able to see and explore these differences by meeting people who are disabled or who come from different backgrounds. It is important that our schools include children from these categories in their classes and that they dont tiptoe about the subject. Every school will have an Inclusion and Disability policy which refers to the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 (DDA) and the DDA 1995 Part 4 (as amended by the Special Educational Needs and Disability Act 2001) (SENDA) and takes full notice of the Code of Practice for Schools published by the Disability Rights Commission (2002). Perception of anti-discriminatory practice is to accept that it is not just for minority parties but truthfully for all children and adults within a setting. As morality is fundamentally concerned with an obligation to others, children must learn to be attuned not only to their own emotional reactions, but also to those of others. (Damon 1988, p14) Every pupil should be able to fully access all areas of the curriculum. The introduction if the Every Child Matters Framework (2004) has allowed for individual learning in all areas of education, some have been positioned higher on the educational programme. This is because of Human Rights, all children have the right to learn and play together, children should not be discriminated against for any reason. (Article 23 and 31 United Nations Convention on the Rights of Children (UNCRC) 1989). The Human Rights Act, (1998) ensures that everyone is treated equal. The TDA (Training and Development Agency for Schools) website states that Education authorities, governing bodies and teachers are bound by many of the provisions of human rights legislation. (TDA 2010, online). It also comments that every school should have an Equal Opportunities Act that the school will have published, allows children to fare better in inclusive settings, both academically and socially. The policy also states that children should not need to be separated to achieve adequate educational provision, and that inclusive education is a more efficient use of educational resources. Children also have the right to Social Opportunities which inclusion in education is the characteristic of inclusion in society, children need to be involved with their peers around them. Inclusion means enabling all students to participate fully in the life and work mainstream settings, whatever their needs.Inclusion may also be seen as a continuing process of breaking down barriers to learning and participation for all children and young people. Segregation, on the other hand; is a recurring tendency to exclude difference.(CSIE 2002 b; p.1) Inclusion in mainstream schools is a great idea as it gives children the chance to see and speak to other children who come from different backgrounds or have different beliefs or who are disabled, it also helps those children to enjoy a normal life without feeling segregated for being different. But are our schools actually doing this, letting those children take part in all activities? Watching the DVD series Get Physical with Kelly Holmes, (ONeil and Lent, 2005) it is easy to see a result. The DVD available on Teachers TV online shows what Kings Avenue Primary School in Clapham, south London did to improve inclusion within their school. The school has a diverse intake of pupils with widely differing requirements. Implementations have been made by the school for its pupils to abide to the inclusion ethos. At Kings Avenue one of the success stories is the Russian Workout dance class, a trained Russian dance tutor comes to the school to teach dance classes. The aim of the scheme is so all children are able to take part in sport whatever their condition and it works. For 25 years, barriers of learning have been attempted to be removed by education policies for children with special needs so that they are included in mainstream schools. There are some people who are unhappy with how the government are trying to achieve it. Classroom disruption are feared by teachers. Academic standards declining are feared by parents with non-disabled children. The most common comment in this debate is to continue sending children that are most severely disabled to special schools. Allot of people believe this is segregation. While others believe it is universal logic. Baroness Mary Warnock spoke on The Big Debate on Teacher TV about the subject. The way were teaching disabled children, she claims, will leave a disastrous legacy. (Lent, 2005). In the 1978 Warnock report, it condemned segregation, created the term SEN (Special Educational Needs) and established the Statement of Need, which expanded the range, already there are lots of children within mainstream schools with special needs that were being treated differently. (Warnock, 1978 p.47-49, paragraph 3.42-45). Mary Warnock (2005) the original architect of the Inclusion Policy, states in her interview on The Big Debate with Jonathan Dimbleby, that Inclusion is actually becoming Integration. (Lent 2005). She also mentions, That the people, who are being segregated as Different, are being brought into mainstream schools but arent participating in every activity in class or the system isnt providing a suitable alterative to the activity that everyone can take part in. Inclusion is what should be happening, but what is happening at present is Integration. (Lent 2005). For example, a child in a wheel chair cannot take part in a physical education lessons because of their disability coupled with the fact the school does not have the correct facilities. What should be done? If the child is to have the same education as all the other children in his/her class shouldnt he/she be allowed to take part? The Inclusion charter (CSIE, 1989) states, We fully support an end to all segregated education on the grounds of disability or learning difficulty, as a policy commitment and goal for this country. So therefore it is the governments duty to provide that school with the essential facilities for that child to feel the same as everyone else. Sometimes it is those individuals with special needs which are not included by way of the terminology of their name, it could be stated that all individuals have special needs, which pertain solely to them, whereas some need extra support to achieve or become included in the curriculum. All schools have legal duties not to discriminate against disabled people, Education and the Disability Discrimination Act (1995) as amended by the Special Educational Needs and Disability Act (2001). The law is explained through a code of practice which the Disability Rights Commission has produced. Although it will not stand in a tribunal as law, they will have to take into consideration where it is significant. A person who has a physical or mental impairment which has a considerable and enduring difficult effect by their ability to have a normal life will be covered by this act. All children and adults have the right to evolve and to develop in a context where there is equity and respect for diversity. Children, parents and educators have the right to good quality in early childhood education services, free from any form of overt and covert, individual and structural discrimination due to their race, colour, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, national, ethnic or social origin, property, disability, birth or other status (in reference to Article 2, UN-Convention on the Rights of the Child, DECET Mission Statement 2005). Inclusive practice is not only for children with disabilities, it covers all types of diversity such as gender issues. The key to understanding research about both genders is the nature/nurture debate. Numerous psychologists argue that gender is the product of environmental influences, the way we are brought up by our parents, guardians, friends and relatives. As believed by Dr John Money (1972), we are psychosexually neutral at birth, and our gender is a consequence of the nurture we receive as children. A less popular view is that gender is the result of nature, particularly the effects of hormones on the developing brain. (Kenyon, 2006, online) Social constructivist Barbara Rogoff, suggests that the culture in which children grow up (or in other words how they are nurtured) accounts for gender differences, Rogoff argues that girls are given more guidance in proper social behaviour than boys and that different tasks are usually assigned to children depending on whether they are boys or girls. (Rogoff 2003 cited in Pound, 2009, p.72). Inclusive practice would include the gender issue and practitioners should allow all children to play with all types of toys and activities, not to make comments like only girls play with dolls or can I have a strong boy to help me carry this box. If a boy wants to put on a dress in the dressing up area or a girl wants to play with building tools, then let them, encourage positive images of men and women doing traditionally gender specific roles so that children will not get stereotypical ideas of what men and women should do. (Holland, 2003, cited in Pound, 2009). Penny Holland (2003), an academic leader for Early Childhood Studies, reminds us that young children are struggling to make sense of what it means to be a boy or girl. They are in the progress of formatting gender identity, trying to find, rules that will make them feel that they belong in the gendered world that surrounds them, (Holland, 2003, cited in Pound, 2009, p.73) Practitioners are also having a difficult deal with how to support the gender issue. Parents opinions may differ radically because of their own upbringing and beliefs from those held by teacher and practitioners themselves may find it difficult to settle their own personal beliefs about gender with their colleagues. Still children are copying views that people are not even awake to that they are giving off, it is important not to limit childrens life chances by promoting stereotypical behaviour as there is a wide disparity between the views of parents and those of the practitioners who care for their children. It could be argued that getting a child a full and happy education could be considered every parents dream and sometimes it is a challenge to get there. Inclusive practise values all children and families. As concerned professionals, we should ask ourselves: Do all the families using an early years service or school feel equally welcome and able to access the provision with ease? A diverse range of requirements needs managing in order to obtain a healthy and fair balance between the needs of the individual and the needs of the group or class, it would be unfair and the opposite of inclusive practise if the children with the disabilities or who speak English as a second language starts to receive all the attention. Proponents of inclusive practise maintain that it has long-lasting effects, not just for the children, but also for society in general. It will help eliminate the negative effects of discrimination and allow children to reach their full potential. The public are becoming more aware of SEN (Special Educational Needs). The Every Child Matters framework maintains to emphasize success and gratification for all, together with pupils with SEN. Barriers in the classroom are being overcome with the help of teachers and teaching assistants, and several understand more about meeting individual needs. Parents that have any questions or need guidance and support with a child that has SEN are being made aware of the lots of different sources of support, information and resources about managing SEN at home. Every mainstream school in England will have SENCo or Special Needs Co-ordinator, on the staff. Outside of the school there are educational psychologists, they visit the school regularly to support pupils and the adults who work with SEN children. They visit to offer help and advice on a variety of special need problems. The professional are also involved with considering those pupils who may need a Statement of Special Educational Needs. (Burnham, 2007). Rearing children in all types of practices over time has been influenced by the beliefs of behaviour of children. Cultures and values of people have rooted beliefs but they modify with generation, periods of time and even within aspect culture. Child rearing has also been affected by the needs of life in a particular society, the skills and abilities valued in that society. We live in a multicultural society and must respect other peoples belief systems and values. Anti-discriminatory practise forms the basis of an environment in which there is no discrimination towards individuals on the basis of race, gender, culture or ethnicity. No adults or children should be victims of discrimination in schools and fair treatment should be given to all individuals. The term inclusion is often used when referring to children who have special educational needs, but it is also used in a wider sense to describe equal opportunities for all in the learning environment. It is through the development of trust and positive relationships that children and adults of all backgrounds learn to respect one another. (Burnham, 2007 p84).

Wednesday, November 13, 2019

The Historiography of the Origins of the Cold War Essay -- History His

The Historiography of the Origins of the Cold War There have been many attempts to explain the origins of the Cold War that developed between the capitalist West and the communist East after the Second World War. Indeed, there is great disagreement in explaining the source for the Cold War; some explanations draw on events pre-1945; some draw only on issues of ideology; others look to economics; security concerns dominate some arguments; personalities are seen as the root cause for some historians. So wide is the range of the historiography of the origins of the Cold War that is has been said "the Cold War has also spawned a war among historians, a controversy over how the Cold War got started, whether or not it was inevitable, and (above all) who bears the main responsibility for starting it" (Hammond 4). There are three main schools of thought in the historiography: the traditional view, known alternatively as the orthodox or liberal view, which finds fault lying mostly with the Russians and deems security concerns to be the root cause of the Cold War; the revisionist view, which argues that it is, in fact, the United States and the West to blame for the Cold War and not the Russians, and cites economic open-door interests for spawning the Cold War; finally, the post-revisionist view which finds fault with both sides in the conflict and points to issues raised both by the traditionalists as well as the revisionists for combining to cause the Cold War. While strong arguments are made by historians writing from the traditionalist school, as well as those writing from the revisionist school, I claim that the viewpoint of the post-revisionists is the most accurate in describing the origins of the Cold War. In the years imme... ... sides as having been the cause of the struggle. In evaluating the historiography of the origins of the Cold War, I deem the post-revisionist account to be the most convincing of all those assessments offered thus far. Bibliography McCauley, Martin. The Origins of the Cold War 1941-1949. 2nd Ed. Longman. London, 1995. Hammond, Thomas, Editor. Witnesses to the Origins of the Cold War. University of Washington Press. Seattle, 1982. Gaddis, John Lewis. We Now Know: Rethinking Cold War History. Clarendon Press. Oxford, 1997. Saull, Richard. Rethinking Theory and History in the Cold War. Frank Cass. London, 2001. Crozier, Brian et. Al. This War Called Peace. Sherwood Press. London, 1984. Fleming, D. F. The Cold War and its Origins, 1917-1960. George Allen and Unwin. London, 1961. Morgan, Richard. The Unsettled Peace. BBC. London, 1974.

Sunday, November 10, 2019

Organisational Behavior Notes Essay

Definition * The study of human behaviour, attitudes and performance within organisational setting to improve performance and differences. * Frameworks of theories, methods and principles from disciplines such as psychology, sociology, political * The organisational Iceberg The study of organisational behaviour embraces, therefore an understanding of * The nature and purpose of the organisation * The human element and behaviour of people * Business strategy, organisational processes and the execution of work * The process of management as an integrating and co-ordinating activity * Social responsibilities and business ethics * The external environment of which the organisation is part of and * The need for organisation success and survival. The Pyschological Contract * The PC is not a formal written document that is referred to but a people organisation relationship where mutual expectations and satisfaction of needs are implied. * Important to enhance the level of trust and teamwork. * Human capital to be seen as a responsibility and a resources to be added to * Two observations in human behaviour at work * Peter Principle * Parkinson’s law ../2 The pyschological contract: possible examples of individual and organisational expectations Individual’s expectations of the organisation * Provide safe and hygienic working conditions. * Make every reasonable effort to provide job security. * Attempt to provide challenging and satisfying jobs, and reduce alienating aspects of work. * Adopy equitable human resource management policicies and procedures. * Respect the role of trade union officials and staff representatives. * Consult fully with staff and allow genuine participation in decisions which affect them. * Implement best practice in equal opportunity policies and precedures. * Reward all staff fairly according to their contribution and performance. * Provide reasonable opportunities for personal development and career progression. * Treat members of staff wit respect. * Demonstrate an understanding and considerate attitude towards personal problems of staff. Organisation’s Expectations of the Individual * Uphold the ideology of the organisation and the corporate image. * Work diligently in pursuit of organisational objectives. * Adhere to the rules, policicies and procedures of the organisation. * Respect the reasonable authority of senior members of staff. * Not to take advantage of goodwill shown by the management. * Be responsive to the leadership influence. * Demonstrate loyalty, respect confidentiality and not betray positions of trust. * Maintain harmonious relationships with work colleagues. * Not to abuse organisational facilities such as email or internet access. * Observe reasonable and acceptable standards of dress and appearance. * Show respect and consolidation to customers and suppliers. A pyshcological contract is not only measured in monetary value or in exchange of goods or services, it is in essence the exchange or sharing beliefs and values, expectations and satisfactions. Mutuality is the base principle of the pyshcological contract and consensus or mutual understanding is the basis of mutuality. Ideally therefore self-interest should be balanced with common interest in a win-win arrangement. In the past this unspoken contract might have implied that employees could expect job security and adequate rewards from their employer in exchange for hard work and loyalty. Today’s pyshological contract may be different, in line with a changed working environment that includes factors such as increased rationalism, technological changes, and management aproaches such as outsourcing. The new pyschological contract may revolve more around an employer’s willingness to assist you in developing your skills to order to maintain your marketability. The Peter Principle This is concerned with the study of occupational incompetence and the study of hierarchies. In a hierarchy every employee tends to rise to their level of incompetence. Employees competence in their postion are promoted and competence is each new position qualifies for promotion to the next highest posotion until a position of incompetence is reached. The principle is based on perceived incompetence in all levels of every hierarchy political, legal, educational and industrial and ways in whcih employees move upwards through a hierarchy and what happens to them after promotion. Peter suggests tow main means by which a person can effect their promotion rate. â€Å"Pull and push†. * Pull is an employee’s relationship – by blood, marriage and acqaintance – with a person above the employee in the hierarchy. * Push is sometimes manifested by an abnormal interest in study, vocational training and self-improvement. In small hierarchies push may have a marginal effect in accelerating promotion; in larger hierarchies the effect is minimal. Pull is therefore, likely to be more effective than Push. Parkinson’s Law A major feature of PL is that of the rising pyramid, that is â€Å"Work expands so as to fill the time available for its completion. There is little, if any, relationship between the quantity of work to be done and the number of staff doing it. Underlying this tendency are two statements; * An official wants to multiply subordinates, not rivals * Officials make work for each other What is driving leaders & organisations behaviour? * The continuous importance that consumers base on value of product and service. * The diverse workforce is also an important factor that drives organisational behaviour. * Consumers expect that organisation understands their needs and produces top quality products at best price possible. These demands place leaders in a challenged situation by domestic and global markets and competition. What are organisational factors? * Organisational factors may be identified as the organisational environment, structure & design * Individual characteristics, group behaviour * Overall decision making * The change processes adopted by the organisation The fast momentum in any industry highlights the importance of the leader to align the human resources with the organisational factors. Framing the Organisational behaviour Organisational behaviour may be studied under the following main contributors * The environment * The individual in the organisation * Group behaviour and interpersonal influence * Organisational process Organisational environment is the external and internal environment, the legal and political constraints, economic, technological changes and development all have an impact on the decisions that are taken by the management. The individual is the foundation of the organisation performance. This should therefore highlight the importance of managing individual behaviour at any level of the organisation. There are 3 important influences that mould the individual behaviour. 1. Individual characteristics 2. Individual motivation 3. Rewards Group behaviour Groups may form either intentionally by managerial decisions or form out of individual efforts. * Formal groups are groups that were intentionally created by managerial decisions * Informal groups are groups that form out of common interests and friendships that may have a negative or positive effect and therefore affect the organisation or individual performance. * Organisational processes are the communication, the decision making and the leadership elements that the organisation fosters as part of its culture and which in turn have an impact on the general performance of the individual and collective behaviour. Factors of organisation process Communication process is the ability of management to receive, transmit and act on information. The information integrates the internal activities with the external demand and information also integrates internally the activities of the organisation. Decision making process Decisions by managers have a direct impact on the employees well being, the organisation’s resources and the design and implementation of rules in a organisation. This should illustrate the importance of managers to communicate, assess and analyse the feedback of decisions and practises in the organisation. Leadership process Leaders in an organisation may be managers and non- managers. The manager may not always be the leader, yet leadership skills contribute in attaining the set goals. Some people believe that leadership styles should vary according to the situation, other believe that one style of leadership is effective in most situations. Importance of effectiveness * Surviving in the environment * Organisation ages- it forms, develops, matures and declines Importance of the Dimension of Time Quality, productivity, efficiency, satisfaction, adaptiveness and development are 6 general categories of effectiveness criteria. Each of the categories have a time base, short run criteria – 1 year, intermediate 5 years, long run are those for which the indefinite future is applicable. Personality Individual difference and work behaviour * Individual differences have a direct effect on behaviour because peole who perceive things differently behave differently. * Individual differences shape organisaitional behaviour and consequently, individual and organisaitional success. What is the ASA framework? This is the attraction- selection-attrition to careers and organisations. * Prospective employees are attracted to careers and organisations. * Organisations elect employees on the basis of the needs of the organisation. * Attrition occurs when individuals discover that they do not belong to the organisation. Studying individual differences at the work place is important since not addressing differences among employees may hinder from achieving organisation and personal goals. Understanding work behaviour Inorder to fully understand where individual differences arise the personal environment also needs to be given attention, weight and considered. Heredity factors are also important. An effective management must; * Observe and recognise the dufferences and * Study relationship between variables that influences individual behaviour. For discussion * What are the variables at work? * Give examples of work behaviour. Can you think of how these may be fostered on connected? The following variables impact employee productivity, creativity and performance extensively; * Heredity factors and diversity * Abilities and skills * Attitudes Heredity factors Gender, race and ethnic background are all heredity factors, mental and moral differences are also influenced by genetic inheritance and such factors mould each individual which in turn have a direct effect at work behaviour. 1.a Diversity * Diversity refers to those attributes that make people different from another. Primary dimensions of diversity include age, ethicity, gender, pyshical attributes, race and sexual orientation. When an employee is harassed as a resukt of diversity, due to isolation they become less enthusiastic in their job. * Managing diversity therefore ensures that employees become top level contributors especially in today’s †¦ Abilities and Skills * Ability is a pesson’s talent to perform a mental or pyshical task. * Skill is a learned talent that a person has acquired to perform a task. * Ability tends to be stable over time while skill tends to change according to training and experience. One needs ability to be a sales executive (appearance and manners are important) yet one may attain skills with years of experience in sales. * Mental ability therefore refers to the level of intelligence including comprehension, indicative or deictive reasoning, body language, associative memory etc. * Tacit knowledge is the work related to practical know how of the employees acquired eitehr through observation or direct experience on the job. Emotional intelligence – When you probe people to get to know them more * It is important that managers assess and attest abilities and skills snice no amount of leadership and motivation can make up for such deficiencies- job analysis therefore becomes important. * Job analysis is the process of defining and studying a job interms of tasks and behaviour and specifying responsibilities, education and training needes to perform a job – therefore removes guess work when recruiting. Attitudes Attitudes are deteriments of behaviour because they are linked with perception, personaility, fdeelings, etc therfore has a certain amount of importance to the managers. Attitudes are * Learned * Define one’s predeposition towards a given aspect or situation * Provide the emotional basis of one’s interpersonal relations and identifications with other * Attitudes are close to the core of personaility * Some attitudes are persistent and enduring while others are liable to change over time. Changing attitudes at the workplace How can a manager change attitudes of his employees? The process depends on three main factors / contributors 1. The Communicator 2. The Message 3. The Situation The Communicator * If the communicator is trusted and the employees perceive the manager as having prestige, they are more likely to change their attitudes. Employees change because they try to identify with a liked communicator and tend to adopt attitudes and behaviour of the liked individual. * A manager with a low prestige is not show respect / trust by peers and superiors – therefore more difficult to change attitudes of his team. The Message * Intentional and unintentional messages are delivered through verbal and no nverbal communication by managers. * The message delivered to employees has to be clear, understandable and convincing. * Developing persuasive verbal and non verbal communication skills is essential to managers. The Situation * The managers success in delivering a change in attitude also depends on the situation when the message is being delivered. * Distraction and pleasant surroundings are two factors that facilitate change in attitude (perks, performance allowance, training opportunities†¦) Is job satisfaction an attitude? Job satisfaction results from the perception of the job itself and the degree which there is a good fit between the individual and the organisation Factors to consider * Pay – not just the pay but the perceived fairness. * The work itself – are job tasks considered interesting? Do they provide opportunities for learning and accepting further / higher responsibilities? * Supervision – technical competence and interpersonal skills of the immediate boss. * Co workers – extent to which co workers are friendly, competent and supportive. Advancement opportunities – availability of opportunities Work conditions – the physical work environment is comfortable and supportive of productivity. Job security – it is reasonable expectation that one’s position is secure and contured employment within the organisation. Job relation in relation to Job performance on Effectiveness Are these 2 factors related or dependant on each other? * Attempts by management to satisfy employees may not mean higher performance while high performance may not mean that the employers are satisfied at work. * Discuss the ripple effects of rewards, warnings, absenteeism, fair promotion etc. That these have on job performance in general. Effect on OC Personality Personality refers to a relatively stable set of feelings and behaviour that have been significantly formed by genetic and environmental factors. * The manager attempting to understand his employees must give attention to the major forces that shape personality. * Cultural forces, heredity, family, relationship and social class are all factors that mould personality. How? * Culture – society, institutes various pattern behaviour with the result that members of a culture have common personality characteristics. * Heredity – varies from personality to another but are not constant since it is associated with values or ideals (temperament) * Family relationships – the experience one has with his parents, grandmothers, other family members / life experiences. * Social class – influences one’s self perception, perception of others, of work, of authority of money factor. * Personality is therefore a product (a number of forces that together have attributed to shape the unique individual). Personality is interrelated with perception, attitudes, learning and motivation – therefore analysis behaviour is incomplete unless personality is considered. Personality and Behaviour in Organisations The big five Personality Dimensions is key in understanding organisational behaviour. 1. Extroversion (Open minded, sociable, etc) 2. Emotional (Stability) 3. Agreeableness (More open to people, challenges and change) 4. Conscientousness (to understand your people’s attraction) Other three major factors are: Locus of control This relates to the extent to which employees believe that their behaviour will influence what happens to them. (Differing personalities of Internals & Externals). Self efficacy Personal beliefs of competencies and abilities. This has an impact on Org behaviour and decisions like selection, training programmes and goal setting and performance. Creativity This is a personality trait that requires deviation from the normal thinking to produce new and useful ideas. (Think in an unconventional way). While a personality factor of the individual organisations play an important role to develop creativity at work by giving opportunities and freedom to think and come forward with new ideas. Reward winning ideas and discuss failures positively to nourish creativity all round. The Importance of Culture National Culture is the sum total of the beliefs, rituals, rules, customs, artefacts and institution that characterise the population. How organisational transactions are conducted is affected by nation’s culture and its subcultures. Values, customs and rituals of cultures do not simply appear. They are revolutionary and are influenced by politics, religion, language and cultural aspects. Managing in the 21st century For effective management understanding different cultures and various organisational cultures is important in the 21st century. ../9 ../9 Adaptation to new environment is becoming a common occurrence and although adaptation from one origin to another is always difficult, it can be better understood by learning about organisational culture. Organisational Culture Organisational culture is the shared values, norms, beliefs and norms which influence the way employees think, feel and act towards others inside and outside the organisation. OC gives unique identity to an organisation Although culture cannot be seen, it can be sensed and felt through a person’s attitudes, emotions and perceptions. â€Å"The way we do things around here† Deal and Kennedy 1982 â€Å"The collective programming of the mind†, Geert Hofstede 2001. Hostede identified four dimensions of culture: power distance, uncenrtainty, avoidance, individualism and masculinity. Power distance is essentially used to categorise levels of inequity in organisations which Hofstede claims will depend upon managment style, willingness of subordinates to diasgree with superiors, and the educational level and status accruing to particular roles. Uncertainty avoidance refers to the extent to which members of a society feel threatened by unusual situations. High uncertainty avoidance is said to be characteristic in France, Spain, Germany and many Latin American societies. Individualism describes the relatively individualistic or collectivisit ethic evident in that particular society. The USA, France and Spain display high individualism. Masculinity refers to a continuum between masculine charactertistics such as assertiveness and competitiveness, and feminine traits such as caring, a stress upon the quality of life and concern with the environment. Can organisational culture be created by management? * Ann Cunliffe (2008) states that OC is important for 4 reasons *Slaps the image that the public has as an organisation * Influences organisational performance * Provide direction to the company * Help to attract and retain motivated staff Creating the desired OC may be difficult since imposing a particular culture may not be met with resistance. Why? Is disparity between what the management states as values and the reality with the employee an issue? What organisational factors may be attributed to the development of a desired OC? Communication is an organisational factor that is an important factor is developing and fostering an OC Why? Discuss with example? Communicating top down only leaves management out of touch from the real situation and may lead to a gap in culture that management wants to create another culture that actually develops. Uncover the levels of cultures Artefacts – Visible organisational structures and processes (had to decipher). Annual report, newsletter, furnishings are examples of artefacts. Espoused Values – Strategies, goals, philosophies (espoused justifications). Assumptions that tell individuals how to perceive, think and feel about work, human relationships and performance of colleagues. Basic underlying assumptions – Unconscious taken for granted beliefs, perceptions, thoughts and feelings (ultimate sources of values and actions). Summary with examples of Schein’s three levels of culture * Surface manifestation of culture – most accessible forms which are visible and audible behaviour patterns and objects (observable culture, send a message) * Organisational values – the accumulated beliefs held about how work hold be done and situations dealt with that guide employee behaviour ( be honest, be creative, work hard) * Basic assumption – invisible perceptions, taken for granted understandings, held by individual with an organisation concerning behaviour, the nature of reality and its relationship to its environment (stability, excellence, quality and responsibility). Where does OC come from? Values are the basic element that distinguishes one organisation from the other. Changing organisation structure and its process will mean a change in values and therefore a change in culture. Why? Discuss the difference on a change from tall hierarchy to a change in flat hierarchy.

Friday, November 8, 2019

Ideas of the Romantics essays

Ideas of the Romantics essays Romanticism in itself is a current that manifested itself in the late 1700s and quickly swept throughout Europe. One of its characteristics is its universality: its field of manifestation was widespread and went form painting, art, music to literature. The Romantic current generally has some common features that can be traced across all its areas of manifestation. I am referring here to its sources of inspiration (generally folklore and popular art) or to the nationalistic innuendos that the romantic works make (for example, let us consider the French Romantic paintings, full of such themes). Some of the Romantic works, especially the literary ones, call upon the Middle Ages as a source of inspiration, a period that best encouraged the Romantic imagination. However, one of the most important elements of the Romantic Movement is the romantic character himself. A romantic character generally has several common characteristics which make him recognizable from the every beginning. One of these is individualism. The rise of capitalism and mercantilism destabilized the old medieval patterns and it was most often the case that the new bourgeois refused to fit into the old order and "developed their own tastes in the arts and created new social and artistic movements alien to the old aristocracy"[1]. The direct effect that this phenomenon had in art and literature was that, if before the Church and aristocracy usually shared the same ideas and tastes, the new society presented a numerous association of individualistic people, where any artists or writer could find a sympathetic audience that would pay for his work. Thus, the individualism developed in the society reflected itself in the arts and literature as well and every artist could now create according Literary heroes like Faust helped create and better define the romantic hero. We are faced here with chara...

Wednesday, November 6, 2019

Race in Social Services essays

Race in Social Services essays Children's Institute International (CII) is a private non-profit organization that improves the lives of Los Angeles' most vulnerable children by helping them directly and by strengthening the families and the communities in which they live. The organization is an equal opportunity employer and, therefore, race is not a factor that has any role to play in either recruitment or career planning. Race is also not an eligibility criterion for the organization's service programs that include the key areas of child and family assessment, sexual abuse treatment, domestic violence intervention, family treatment services, therapeutic day care, and long-term foster family care. Thus, it is evident that race has no role to In fact, since CII's objective is to serve families and children all over Los Angeles country, its programs and services do not even specifically target a particular racial or ethnic population. However, because the need for CII's services is greater among high-need, low- resource communities, it can be said that the organization's programs appear to target the African-American and Hispanic communities. The organization's services may seem skewed towards the African-American and Hispanic communities, but the fact remains that CII is an organization that supports racial diversity. Indeed, this is evident in the racial/ethnic composition of the organization and the complete absence of comments pertaining to racial or ethnicity issues during working hours. CII is also an organization that makes an effort to stress its racially diverse nature by encouraging it members to be aware of the importance of racial diversity. As such, the organizational culture and composition has ensured that there is no consciousness of racial issues among its members. Perhaps, the only perspective from which it can be said that members of CII are conscious of racial issues is, if one ...

Monday, November 4, 2019

The Strategic Marketing Plan for Spicy Toddy Wine Essay

The Strategic Marketing Plan for Spicy Toddy Wine - Essay Example The important USP is the introduction of preferential selling days, on selected weekends and holidays, with attractive offers to improve the sales during the weekend and holiday tours. Also an excellent network of sales distribution channels to support the sales outlet is also envisaged in the process. Long-term success depends on having satisfied pool of customers and hence customer retention initiatives also have a major role in the promotion of Spicy Toddy Wine. The primary sales outlets are the key places where the youth is expected to spend considerable amount of time during their leisure. The adventure sport centers, beaches, movie halls and commercial places are the locations where the Spicy Toddy Wine would prefer to consolidate its sales. The distribution channels would be tailored appropriately to support the sales at this location. Though the sugar syrups are reported to have stored for more than a year without any damage, the health consciousness of the population could result in the intuition of avoiding the products with the extended shelf life (foodbanter.com, n.d.). Thus the concentrated selling points with the necessary promotions would demand a highly efficient distribution channels to support the sales. The channels of distribution are also created to ensure a proper supply linkage to the prime tourist places where the product would be pushed as an exclusive product of the region. Further, the logistics in distribution is planned very carefully (Kotler and Armstrong, 2001). The entire chain starts with primary processing centers located in prime palm growing regions. The natural toddy pooled from local producers is processed to remove any microbial contaminants and checked for its purity and product acceptability as per the FDA regulations. The quality control team has diverse role like ensuring the quality at all processing and bottling centers and quality at the delivery locations. The quality assurance is more rigorous in the places where wine vending machines are installed. The packing for delivery is also undertaken in variety of ways. From the small sachets for a fast moving individuals, special tour pack which have better bottle in tamper free boxes to prevent any damage in long journeys and home buyer pack which are targeted at home based users. The packed goods are carried to the exclusive sales points being operated in the specially designed chilled vans to prevent any damage to the product. The inventory updating is scheduled for Fridays based on the sales forecast received from sales team. The beer vending machine placed at prime locations are operated only on weekends and holidays. They are refilled on Fridays and emptied and cleaned on Mondays. The vending machine refill operations are managed by a different team as it demands sophistication and better quality in its handling. In addition, the exclusive weekend parlors are the special centers which were set up to monitor the direct sales and to understand the buying behavior of customers and h ence to develop means to improve the delivery. Marketing Mix: Customer Relationship Management Retention of customers in the most difficult part in the business of wines

Friday, November 1, 2019

The First World War Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

The First World War - Essay Example Though historians find it very difficult to pinpoint one particular event or one particular day when the war trigger was put on. But the events of June 28, 1914 are still remembered as a turning point (Turner, 1970). It is on this day that, Archduke Francis Ferdinand, heir to throne of Austria-Hungary, and his wife were assassinated (it was their wedding anniversary) in Sarajevo, Bosnia by a Serbian nationalist student. This province had been under Austro-Hungarian Empire since 1908. After this assassination, Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia, followed by the Russian Mobilization the next day. Increasing emphasis on militarism led to the development of new weapons. Simultaneously the emergence of trench warfare made the Great War the bloodiest conflict the world had known (The Birmingham Post, 2004) The rise of German power after 1870 and its Imperialistic designs: Germany used to be a loose confederation of independent states till 1870. On January 18, 1871, these states united under a Prussian king who had the title â€Å"Kaiser, of the German Empire†. Bismarck was the first Chancellor or Prime Minister of the unified Germany. This resulted in gradual expansion of Germany and alternation of distribution of power within Europe and a new world order (Henig, 2002). This period referred to as the German Second Reich gave rise to some imperialist designs of Germans. When Austria-Hungary decided to go after Serbia, Germans gave them a silent nod with an assurance of backing it with its firepower if the need arises. There were elements within German establishment who were planning for a showdown with Russia, another big power within the region at that time. But Otto von Bismarck, the