A Beautiful Mind Characterization and Dialogue

Writing Portfolio The 2001 biopic/drama film ‘A Beautiful Mind’, directed by Ron Howard is a prime example of a text in which visual and verbal techniques are used to develop the personality of a character. An important job for the director of any film is to establish a framework and personality for the protagonist. ‘A Beautiful Mind’ is no different, and visual and verbal techniques are used effectively to develop the personality of John Nash.But because Ron Howard is dealing with a very complex character in the form of a paranoid schizophrenic mathematician, his personality is forever changing and the differing film techniques achieve this. As this film is a biopic/drama drawn into one, the viewer follows Nash’s life over a number of years. Nash faces many tricky dilemmas and the way he deals with these situations are conveyed to the audience, using these film techniques. Nash (who is portrayed by Russell Crowe) changes drastically throughout the te xt, because he suffers from paranoid schizophrenia.Director Ron Howard uses the technique of ‘characterisation’ to adapt his personality in different ways. Throughout the text, the viewer is introduced to several ‘imaginary characters’, who are in fact delusional figures created by Nash. The first component of the ‘characterisation’ technique is when director Ron Howard chooses to introduce these characters. Often injected at great times of stress for Nash, the delusion characters normally create further dispute between Nash and his real life companions.An important stage of the text is just after the climax, where Howard chooses to include and remove Nash’s best friend Charles (in the form of the actor). Nash is preparing a bath for his baby son, while wife Alicia is outside tending to the washing outside. But because Nash suffers from schizophrenia, he is delusional and believes his friend Charles is watching the baby. For the viewer, all that is witnessed is the baby lying in the bath, crying it’s lungs out as water seeps over its head. Nash’s personality is developed negatively in this scene. For the viewer, Nash is developed negatively because of these delusions.The delusions put his baby sons life at risk, and also cause a further rift between Nash and his wife Alicia. In earlier scenes, Nash’s friend Charles was in fact present to the viewer in the form of the actor (portrayed by Paul Bettany). The effort to include the actor in these earlier scenes is a bid by the director to create the same realism for Nash, as for the audience. But in later scenes, the removal of Bettany and other cast members changes the viewer’s perspective of this protagonist. As the actor is no longer present, the viewer is forced to side with Alicia in thinking John Nash is delusional.The viewer here, is easily able to pin point the affects that paranoid schizophrenia has on Nash, and other sufferers of th at disorder. Characterisation is important, as in these later scene his personality is changed into a very confused man. The confident, charming and intelligent John Nash of Princeton University is instantly transformed personality due to the including and removing of key characters. These key characters not only include Charles, but also his niece Marcee and Special Forces Operative William Pacher. Dialogue is another technique (this time verbal) which is important in developing the personality of character John Nash.Director Ron Howeard opts to portray Nash as an arrogant and scornful outsider in the opening scenes of the film. During these stages, dialogue is crucial to develop this personality. â€Å"There must be some mathematical formula for how bad that tie is†, Nash statesto a fellow student on his first day at Princeton. While later, he criticises his co-recipient scholarship winner Martin Hansen by announcing â€Å"There isn’t one seminal or innovative ideaà ¢â‚¬  in either of his pre-prints. These quotes are just two extracts of dialogue from the early scenes of the text which develop this arrogant and scornful personality.As the text continues and his problems with schizophrenia are developed, the idea of Nash being an outsider is put in place. Another form of dialogue is important in the closing scenes of the text. Nash’s personality has transformed remarkably from his younger days. In his elder years, he is back teaching at Princeton. Nash is a much more mellow man in these scenes and dialogue is again used as a technique to develop this personality. After being nominated for the Nobel Prize, Nash concludes during his reception speech. â€Å"Perhaps it’s good to have a beautiful mind, but it’s an even greater gift to discover a beautiful heart†.This piece of dialogue is essential in reflecting the more mellow character that Ron Howard chooses to develop. In earlier scens, Nash is arrogant, scornful and p re-occupied to solve an innovative maths formula. Combined with his schizophrenia, this results in Nash being regarded as an outsider. In these times, he is greatly supported by his wife Alicia, as she deals with his mental disorder also. By Nash saying ‘an even greater gift is to have a beautiful heart†, proves that does identify the most important thing in life, which is his family.His eternal love for Alicia and their son, is more important than solving mathematical formulas, and his dialogue re-iterates this changed persona. No longer is Nash a scornful outsider, and his great love for Alicia (in which he again displays) is seen more favourably by the viewers of the text and develops a nicer personality of Nash. All respect to Russell Crowe, who portrays the life of a paranoid schizophrenic fantastically, it’s the crucial visual and verbal techniques implemented by the director that implement this. Nash’s personality is troubled and he is presented as d angerous during the bath scene with his son.By the removal of actors playing the delusional characters in the film, the viewer is truly able to see how disdurbed Nash is because of his illness. While the dialogue is unsed in the opening an clothing scenes to change Nash’s personality from an outsider, to a more open and affectionate man. Nash’s personality in the earlier scenes, is probably related to schizophrenia in general. People who suffer from the illness are often felt alone and compainionless. Ron Howard’s ability to truly reflect the persona of a PSD sufferer is important. In later scenes, Nash is drastically changed and no longer scene as an outsider.This transformed personality is the result of careful and meaningful dialogue in the test. This would relate to Nash being much softer in the closing scenes towards both his wide and the wider society he lives in. This re-iterates the importance of language techniques and how they can be used to show a cha racters position amongst a community. Nash who in the beginning is established as an outsider, becomes a much more balanced man , involved in the Princeton community. Dialogue is just one of these techniques used to develop the character of John Nash effectively.

Mobile Phones a a health hazard Essay

These days the Technology is increasing so much that we all people are dependent on the machines which many engineers have made. These entire software machines are not always useful in your lives but on the other hand are dangerous and hazardous. The attraction towards all this things can be an addiction which will in future never be removed from our body. The mobile phones is one of the inventions. The students studying in schools are finding this gadget inseparable from them. A few schools are allowing the students to carry their mobile phones with them. I believe that this is not right. While the teachers in the schools are teaching, the students are busy on their phones and not giving attention about what their teacher is teaching. Excess usage of mobile phones can reduce our level of concentration and focus because of which we might not perform well in our exams. As this being a habit can never be given up and I can prove it with an example of my daily routine. I have been noticing this in my school and also in many other places that whenever people have gone on a holiday with their family so as to remove their tension and stress. But they are not able to as the whole time during their vacation also they are busy with their office work, or the regular social networking sites and applications. Vacation is meant to be relaxing with your family and friends instead of being on the screen the whole day. As I had said that mobile phones are sometimes dangerous and hazardous because they emit the radioactive waves which can effect on our brains and also cause us cancer. If we talk on phones two or three hours a day it will cause cancer which can be harmful to our health. But the most dangerous incident that happens because of mobile phones is while driving or crossing a road. As the government had made a rule that we all people are not allowed to talk on the phone while driving but most of the citizens do not follow this rule. There are many incidents on the Mumbai roads. There was a person talking on his phone while crossing the roads, and met with an accident and he came under a bus. The mobile phones could be our best friend and useful gadgets when we use it in need like Emergency or to pass on information about our whereabouts to our parents when we are late to reach home.

African American Injustice Essay Example for Free (#3)

African American Injustice Essay African (466) , Black people (388) company About StudyMoose Contact Careers Help Center Donate a Paper Legal Terms & Conditions Privacy Policy Complaints ? â€Å"In the eyes of white Americans, being black encapsulates your identity. † In reading and researching the African American cultural group, this quote seemed to identify exactly the way the race continues to still be treated today after many injustices in the past. It is astonishing to me that African Americans can still stand to be treated differently in today’s society. In reading â€Å"Blacks in America†, Andrew Hacker states that â€Å"being black in America has consequences in areas of: wealth, identity, raising children, occupational opportunities, place of residence, and treatment in the criminal justice system. † To be honest, and I feel bad saying that I already knew this was happening to African Americans. I have heard stories of blacks not getting jobs; regardless of how qualified they are for the position, because of the color of their skin. I have heard stories, and even witness black children getting picked on in school because of the simple fact that they are black. I watched a video in school where a black family moved into a white neighborhood, and before long all the white families had moved out because they didn’t want a black family in their neighborhood. This was confirmed by Hacker in my research in the quote, â€Å"Almost all residential areas are entirely black or white. † I have also seen videos of African American men getting beaten by white arresting officers, and have heard stories of many black men being stereotyped by policemen. This must be why Hacker states â€Å"When white people hear the cry, â€Å"the police are coming! † it almost always means, â€Å"Help is on the way. † However blacks cannot make the same assumption. † These are all reports and events that I think the average American has seen before, but yet most people, including myself, continue to just shrug of and ignore. I guess it’s something that I might have subconsciously accepted, or maybe refused to think more deeply about. In reading and researching, I reaffirmed knowledge that I refused to take a greater note of. I wouldn’t say I learned anything new, because I knew what I wanted to focus on. A quote from Andrew Hacker’s article summarizes the above best, â€Å"In the eyes of white Americans, being black encapsulates your identity. † It may be easy to tell how I am going to focus this anthology. I am going to focus it on the injustices that African Americans continue to face in the United States today. That being, I know exactly what I need to get out of my interviewees, but it is probably a sensitive subject for some of the people I need to interview. I am not black, and I don’t know what it feels like to face this discrimination in everyday life. I can understand the tenderness that African Americans must feel then, when revealing and talking about their experiences with discrimination. I would think then, that it must be especially sensitive to talk about with a person from the race that they receive this everyday discrimination. It will be interesting to hear all the different types of prejudice that my interviewees have received throughout their lives. I would imagine that it ranges from just a look, or the way white Americans act around them, to voiced and physical altercations between themselves and white Americans. Hacker at times seems to be speaking directly to African Americans as he describes these altercations, â€Å"So many of the contacts you have with them (white Americans) are stiff and uneasy, hardly worth the effort. † But to me, that is exactly what the problem is. Why would it not be worth the effort? The first step to take for the uneasiness between the two races to cease to exist is for us (all people) to stop seeing color because once we act differently around the other is where all the problems seem to start. The second step is to make these contacts worth the effort. If we choose to continue to stay in our own comfortable circle of race, when is the problem ever going to end? The answer is never. My opinion as a white 18 year old is that most of the blame lies on the white race. Imagine being eyed every time you go into a store, having your car searched for no reason, or greeted warily at restaurants all because the color of your skin is different. We ignore this daily discrimination because no cares enough anymore to take notice that it happens every hour, every day somewhere in the United States. Will it ever stop? Not until we each take the steps to make it. A recent census commercial I’ve seen said â€Å"We (United States) can’t move forward until you mail it back. † I believe that our country can’t move forward and truly be great until we make sure these daily discriminations are eliminated from our society. In this project, I will interview African Americans on their personal experiences with discrimination, how they handle it, and if they think anything can be done about this problem. Sources: Andrew. 1999. â€Å"Blacks in America. † Pp. 160-168 in The Meaning of Sociology, 6th ed. , edited by Joel Charon. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall. A Time to Kill. Dir. Joel Schumacher. 1996. â€Å"African American History. † University of Washington Libraries. Web. 02 Apr. 2010. . African American Injustice. (2017, Jan 24).

Answer questions Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 16

Answer questions - Essay Example Therefore, the formation of the family aimed at exposing the members into different sexual orientation in, a more or less, observational technique to understand what sexuality entails. In this case, the family assists in understanding lesbianism and heterosexuals in a detailed manner. The family is not only a study association but also a social bond enhanced by the sexual diversity, indifference and respect. For this reason, the actual meaning of the relationship is immeasurable in both the neither qualitative nor quantitative terms. However, the solidarity and cohesion promoted by the family is unpredictable. The family is an opportunity to understand sexual orientation in a holistic perspective by examining the factors that influence sexuality, social perception, and the challenges experienced by the LGBTQ individuals. The most common type of gender identity microaggressions in an institution is the disapproval of the LGBTQ experience where these individuals receive awkward and condemned treatment. Specifically, the disapproval occurs either consciously or unintentional. However, both cases causes harm to the victim (Nadal 91). Additionally, there is a general perception of the LGBTQs as abnormal for their non-conforming sexual orientation. Specifically, heterosexual individuals consider the LGBTQ persons as overly sexual and sexual deviant (Nadal 93). Other forms of microaggressions include the denial of the reality of transphobia, physical threat and harassment, and denial of bodily privacy among others (Nadal 96). Notably, institutions such as schools and the workplace exhibit instances of gender identity microaggressions. Specifically, the most common types of discrimination occur among friends, family members or even the LGBT people (Nadal, 2013). The consequence of microaggressions includes victimization, suicidal thoughts, substance abuse, and depression among other well-being effects.

Protaganist and Antagoinist Character Bio Research Paper

Protaganist and Antagoinist Character Bio - Research Paper Example Joey was the youngest amongst his sibling and was the dearest to his father, Louie Bucceri. Bucceri was from Sicily, and he was a shrewd businessman, he died in an attack by mob, which was planted by Rokov. Loss of his father was a seere blow for Joey, he spent most of his childhood on the streets of New York until he was recruited in Naval Academy. The troubled past, did not let him develop any strong relationships in the adult life, he was charged for domestic violence, and beating his wife. After spending three years in jail, Joey’s return was unwelcomed by his family, as his wife did not allowed him to see his daughters, moreover, due to criminal record of felony he was not accepted by any office as an employee. The best he could was to work with builders. Joey was under severe depression, and to lose to contact from harsh realities of life, he indulged himself in to excessive drinking. During these grim days of his life, Joey had only one friend Skinny or Dino Baldino. While everything was falling apart in Joey’s life, he decided to give one last short at life; he decided to win back his family’s business from the ruthless Rokov. The battle between the two orphans, each trying to gain authority and vengeance for their dead fathers will create havoc, for all others who are related to them; perhaps in this case Joey has the advantage, because he has not much to lose. Ex-commissioner of hockey, the owner of seven casinos in Vegas, Victor Rokov is a Russian by origin. His personality may be treated as an antisocial one; however, there are various dimensions within Rokov’s character. The journey of his development, from his father’s death to present day casino-empire is based on several twists and turns. Rokov’s father was an owner of a strip club in New York.He was burder in bad blood by Italian Mafia.Rokov who was still very

Which ethnic groups claimed to have discovered the new world Essay

Which ethnic groups claimed to have discovered the new world - Essay Example Columbus is given credit probably because it was a well-communicated, planned and documented voyage. These may not have been possible for the earlier explorers. There are not enough records that add substance to their claim and except the Phoenicians who documented their travels in useful inscriptions; very few left any written records for their efforts. In 1872, on a plantation in Brazil, a stone, covered with strange carvings, was found in a field. The carvings were later identified as Phoenician writing, telling of a ship blown off course and landing in a strange, new land, some 2500 years earlier, after returning from a trip to the Middle East. The Phoenicians were well known as enthusiastic sailors and were one of the foremost to document their travels. They have been known to travel around the coast of Africa to the Arab lands. Also, historians agree that, in 1872, of Phoenician writing was not of a state to which the stone could have been a fake. The term Phoenician refers to the inhabitants of the ancient cities of Tyre and Sidon and also included the Israelite tribes of Dan, Asher and Zebulon who resided near these cities along the east Mediterranean shore. These people also traded frequently along the northern African and Spanish coasts as well as the British Isles and navigated the Straits of Gibraltar called the "Pillars of Hercules". Diodorus of Sicily wrote, in the first century BCE, that the Phoenicians, while sailing along the west coast of Africa, were blown off course into the ocean by a "furious storm" and after many days being blown about, "arrived at the island and so they were the first to discover it." The only places, west of Europe that has navigable rivers are Cuba, Haiti and North and South America. (Pohl, 21). Also the early explorers tended to call even extremely large landmasses islands. (Boland, 28). As long ago as 1913, author T. C. Johnston in his book "Did The Phoenicians Discover America" claimed that the American continent was discovered and settled by Phoenicians and Hebrews who kept in contact with the Middle East for some three hundred years. He claimed that North America was the Biblical Ophir, visited by the fleets of King Solomon, and he outlined some twenty-six points of comparison between the civilization of the Eastern Mediterranean homelands of the Phoenicians and Hebrews and the Mayan, Inca and Aztec civilizations in the New World. More research by Professor Barry Fells points to Punic or Phoenician inscriptions found in New England, Ohio and West Virginia, and also the discovery of coinage and trade goods in the United States which had come from the Phoenician city of Carthage in North Africa. Numerous archaeological vestiges of Phoenician settlement have been found all the way down the Atlantic coast of Morocco dating back 3,000 years. A tablet found in New Mexico is inscribed in what appears to be early Hebrew in a Phoenician alphabet of a form used about 1000 B.C.E. in the eastern Mediterranea

Managing Diversity Legal Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Managing Diversity Legal - Case Study Example 4). In her case, Mr. Chuck and Dell can be involved as witnesses. AHRC resolves the complaints through the process of conciliation. â€Å"This is where the people involved in a complaint talk through the issues with the help of someone impartial and settle the matter on their own terms† (Australian Human Rights Commission, n.d.). The possible outcomes that Mel may expect from lodging the complaint include an apology from Mr. Con Tenshus, compensation for the lost wages, reinstatement to the job, and changes in the organizational policies. Relevant legislation and case law According to Section 7 of the Sex Discrimination Act 1984 that talks about discrimination on the basis of pregnancy, this Act applies on the discriminator if he discriminates against the aggrieved person on the basis of her pregnancy if the less favourable treatment of the aggrieved person is unreasonable under the given circumstances (comlaw.gov.au, n.d.). This Act also applies when the discriminator discrim inates against the aggrieved person because of her pregnancy by requiring her to comply with such a condition or requirement that is complied with a substantially higher proportion of people that are not pregnant, or that is unreasonable considering the case’s circumstances, or with which the aggrieved person cannot comply. One condition of the application of the Sex Discrimination Act 1984 is for the organization to have more than 6 employees (Lawlink, 2002). Since the tiny office in Broadmeadow employed 8 people at the time when Mel worked there, the Sex Discrimination Act 1984 applies on it. There are a number of shortcomings in the use and effectiveness of the Sex Discrimination Act 1984; the focus of the Act on the complaints lodged by the victims of discrimination does not help in the resolution of the systemic discrimination. The complainants have inadequate support of adequacy. There are limitations in the rights of the regulatory agencies involved in providing the pr egnant women with equal opportunity and that are responsible for the elimination of sex discrimination, that are encountered while initiating the claims and investigations of the systemic discrimination. The regulatory tools required to resolve the issues are insufficient and thus cannot provide much assistance to the organizations in the elimination of discrimination. Furthermore, the process of lodging the complaint and its advancement is time-consuming, costly, as well as overly legalistic. The enforcement provisions of the Sex Discrimination Act 1984 are insufficient with respect to the regulation’s terms as well as the extent of punitive damages imposed on the discriminator, especially in comparison to consumer protection legislation or the health and safety legislation. Strengths and Weaknesses of Mel’s Case One strength of Mel’s case is that her duty was frequently changed from doing the creditors work to doing the debtors work, although she was originall y hired to do the creditors work. Another strength of her case is that Mel informed Mr. Tenshus of her pregnancy as soon as she learnt that she was pregnant. Yet another strength of her case is that no minutes of meeting were made in either of the two meetings that she had with Mr. Tenshus, although those meetings are mentioned in Mr. Tenshus’

Strategy for Call Centre Development Assignment

Strategy for Call Centre Development - Assignment Example Based on these considerations, this paper shall outline how a fully functional call centre could be implemented; including equipment use and usage of technologies alongside costs.   This paper is being conceptualized for NUI Galway which is a third level educational institution with 15,000 + students and a staff of about 500 with many different departments. First and foremost, it is important to consider the labour pool for the call centre. This labour pool would trigger the decision on where to set the call centre up. The decision on where to pluck the labour pool for technical support should be based on labour availability in the area where Galway is located, the labour competition, the educational level of potential agents, and appropriate wages for potential agents (Copito, 2000). It is also important to consider geographical factors, cost of living, quality of schools, transportation and similar factors affecting the labour pool. After duly considering and establishing particular qualities which the company would need from its technical support agents, potential locations and areas where the labour pool would be recruited can be set forth. Next, Galway also needs to decide whether it would own or lease property for its call centre (Copito, 2000). Leasing or owning property would now be based on the availability of resources within Galway’s resources. If a property is currently available for it to set-up its call centre, then there would be no need to lease property. The infrastructure involved in the call centre property should, however, be set-up in such a way as to meet the needs of the agents (Copito, 2000). In effect, the area should also house a place where the agents can park, eat, relax, and where they can avail of their immediate needs. Parking space is an important accommodation for the property because the most of the employees would be working night shifts and public transport would likely not be available to them (Copito, 2000). Parking should be on the ground level and should be outside to reduce the cost of accommodating indoor parking areas.                 

Expanding Internationally Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Expanding Internationally - Assignment Example Through a related diversification strategy, a company may be able to leverage competence in one market in order to achieve competence and competitiveness in the other markets. Thus, evaluating the list of the company’s products for relatedness among the products yields positive results. The company may employ related diversification using two products; luggage and color televisions. This implies that the other products (writing instruments and miscellaneous plastic and paper tags) fail to qualify as part of related diversification. As outlined in the definition, related diversification calls for a company’s engagement in different products with regard to the existence of a certain level of connection in operations pertaining to the products selected (Griffin and Pustay, 2010; Neelankavil, 2007). Thus, both luggage and color televisions represent a luxury nature of business operations. This implies that both products are geared towards meeting the client needs of comfort and luxury. On the other hand, writing instruments and miscellaneous plastic and paper tags do not contribute significantly to the creation of a luxury and comfort oriented product. This, in turn, disqualifies the employment of both products in a luxury oriented line of business. Therefore, in order to employ a related diversification business strategy, the company has to focus on the production and distribution of both color televisions and luggage solutions to local and international market audiences. In a bid to expand internationally, China and South Africa offer a potential opportunity for the company’s business expansion. This is owed to numerous reasons. For instance, both China and South Africa represent a significant share of the company’s revenues (Kyambalesa, 2004). In addition, both China and South Africa represent one of the most rapidly developing economies in the world and are on course to being significant players in the consumption of certain products in the future. This is owed to the rapid development processes being undertaken in these regions which create numerous job opportunities while increasing cash flow circulation. Thus, the regions represent a rich hub for luxury-oriented businesses such as the businesses undertaken by the company. Therefore, China offers a strategic entry point into the world of technology and color TV production. On the other hand, South Africa provides the company with the most convenient entry point into the African continent. Being a highly developed country, South Africa has the necessary and conducive infrastructure for effective international business relations. Moreover, the existence of a favorable Chinese-African partnership underlines the convenience of this decision as a strategic and international expansion measure for the company. However, the expansion process of the company will rely on a Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) process as the most convenient mode of entry into other markets. As a result, the desired FDI strategy for expansion would be acquisition. This is because an acquisition strategy would provide the company with immediate and direct entry into the desired foreign markets (Griffin and Pustay, 2010; Neelankavil, 2007). Moreover, through an acquisition program, the company would be able to oversee operations of the independent subsidiary companies

Microfinance Dissertation Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4000 words

Microfinance - Dissertation Example The foremost significance of microfinance institutions lies in their pro-poor feature Most of the developing nations are characterised by a majority of the population dwelling in poverty-stricken rural areas. Hence, microfinance institutions help to bail them out of dire situations arising out of low investment potentials and opportunities mirrored through a poor economic growth rate. Secondly, the fragile financial systems of developing economies are too poor to confront the risk of lending out to the rural poor; rather, they tend to advance their services to the more organised or formalised sector. Hence, investment lending is indeed negligible for the rural areas in developing economies. Lastly, the rural poor in developing economies often are discouraged to avail lending options in commercial banks, where they need to deposit collateral while taking credit unlike in microfinance institutions, where they are allowed to accept loans collectively that does not expose any single indi vidual to huge liability stakes. In addition to alleviating poverty, reducing inequality of income and generating employment, microfinance institutions also help to boost up economic growths through increased production and reduced dependence on externally produced items (Woller & Parsons, 2008). The situation in Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabia could be distinguished exclusively as an oil-producing giant that draws almost all of its income from exporting the fuel around the world. However, the rise in economic growth rates has been recorded as 1.25 percent between 1981 and 2000 in contrast to a fall of 2.5 percent in GDP per capita, implying a rising inequality in the distribution of income (Raphaeli, 2003, p. 1). The nation is also characterised by an extremely skewed tax structures favourable mostly for the richer section, while the same cannot be said for the poorer population who derive their incomes out of primary activities such as farming or fishery. The modestly developed financia l sector of Saudi Arabia cannot is quite unfavourable for the rural poor who have to strive hard for loans. Furthermore, the national government exhibits little effort in development of infrastructure in these regions (Islamic Development Bank, 2010, p. 3). These loans could prove to be foundations for setting up of small scale industries conducive for the economic growth and employment generation in the nation. In addition, microfinance institutions could also bail

High School and College Essay Example for Free

High School and College Essay Many aspects of both high school and college can be tied together. People learn many of the same things they learned in high school during their first year or two of college. They are basic general education classes. They are similar in such ways that you still have to go to class, do class work, home work, take test, and study hard. Depending on the school, teachers can also give you that one on one help. Class sizes can also be similar to high school if you attend a small college. They are both learning experiences that the individual helps write for themselves by their choices and decisions. There are similarities in the people also. Even in college cliques and groups develop, just like in high school. On the other hand, we all know that high school and college are very different. The work in high school is kind of easy. In college, its time to strap down and get to work. Theres really no room for error. Attendance is very important in high school. If you miss a day in class, the teacher would call home. In college, it’s your own responsibility. Students end up having the same friends throughout high school, because they grew up with them in elementary and middle school. Because of this, they earn an image or reputation. College is a new beginning. People are not tagged with a prior social status or image. It is an opportunity to start new and meet new people. Some people meet many of their lifelong friends in college, because they go through so much together. In a way, they are transferring to adulthood, with them by their side. High school and college are what students makes of it. High school prepares people for college. College is a new chapter in life, and also a new beginning. In a way, college is a mature version of high school. To find the true similarities and differences, people must experience both for themselves.

IT Applications and Groupware Essay Example for Free

IT Applications and Groupware Essay Groupware Technology uses software that collaborate the work of different groups. It is based on internal networks and centralized storage space. The purpose is to facilitate fast communication without physical contact. Groupware includes email, workflow, calendaring, instant messaging and conferencing. Implementation Strategies The three main strategies for effective implementation and use of groupware are as follows: Understanding the Organizational Requirements This is the most important part for implementation any technology or group in an organization. Different organizations require different groupware products as they have different requirements. (Hills) A groupware that is good for one organization might turn out to be a disaster for another. Therefore it is necessary to understand the requirements of the organization before implementing any new technology. This involves the study of underlying business processes and work flows, mapping them and then identifying gaps and areas which need improvement or need to be automated. The goals of the company, its organization structure and size are important factors in evaluating what is best for the company. Large companies with great number of employees require higher level of collaboration as compared to small companies and therefore need more complex technology. The communication structure within the organization is also an important factor. Some organizations follow a strict and formal structure of conversing while others rely on less formal way. Thus the communication style needs to be understood before implementing technology to automate it. Lastly the new technology must blen d well with the existing systems. Most of the organization do not follow a sharing culture and people like to work independently and are reluctant to share information. Implementing Groupware technology in such an organization will not be effective as people would oppose any change that will be threat to their existing culture. The solution lies in first changing the organization culture and then implementing the new technology. The company should promote a collaborative culture that encourages people to work in teams and share their work and ideas. (Hills) Managing and Training People People are an important asset of any organization. If their needs and requirements are not satisfied then any change introduced in bound to fail.   Unless the technology is accepted by the users, any investment in that technology would be a complete failure. People usually oppose change because they like doing the things they have always been done. Therefore it is important to understand their concerns, problems and interactions before implementing the groupware technology. They need to be assured that the new technology is not to replace them but to make their work more efficient and fast. Employees most fear the loss of control and privacy as groupware makes everything available to everyone through a centralized system. These fears can be overcome by making people a part of implementation process and involving them as much as possible. Moreover people do not like to follow standard operating procedure and follow the more convenient methods. Thus the actual work practices need to be studied and incorporated in the groupware systems. (Hills) The success of any investment in technology depends on how readily it is accepted by the users. Therefore whenever a new technology is introduced the user must be trained to use it. They must be made to feel secure and assured that the technology is to improve their work. Organizations must hold training and interview sessions to cover all their needs and to involve them in the implementation process as much as possible. The purpose and benefits of the new groupware technology must be well communicated. 3. Using the Right Technology and Tools Once the organization and people requirements are well understood, the organization knows which technology is suitable for them. However other than the organizational structure and people, the technology infrastructure of the organization is also an important factor. There are four main factors to consider:  · Internal Network Structure The groupware technology is meant to provide a shared environment through collaboration and therefore require good understanding of the existing network technology. Network delays, User interface, audio/video quality, notifications and concurrency control are vital considerations since they all affect the user experience. (Brinck, 1998) If the existing Networks of the company are not up to the standard and face considerable delays and suffer from slow response time then implementing any new technology would do no good but will actually make things worse. Therefore organizations must upgrade their technology infrastructure including internal networks to utilize full benefit of the new technology.  · Collaborative tools One of the challenges in the collaborative environment is the tracking of shared documents. In a shared environment documents are used by multiple people and there exist multiple copies of the same document in different places. This makes hard to identify which the final version of the document. So Tracking and Version Control tools in groupware keep a record of all changes in a document and present the user with one final version. Features like Digital Signatures also help in tracking documents by storing information about who holds the document at what time and what changes were made. (Miller, 2005)  · Maintaining Privacy and Control Since collaborative systems allow sharing of information, thus Privacy and Security are the two major challenges faced by organizations implementing groupware. However some information is private and needs to be protected. The collaborative environment of groupware technology allows all information to be available to everyone at all time. This may lead to unauthorized access of information. One way to protect confidential information is to gives users control over what information they want to share. Also enforcing controls over what information a user can view saves private information to be seen by users who do not require it.   (Brinck , 1998)  · Consistency and Concurrency In groupware systems, one document is viewed by multiple users. Therefore it is important that consistency is maintained and all users view the same type of information. For example if one user has red color for a particular document and the other user has a blue color for the same document then this will create confusion. All users must be view the same data. To avoid this misunderstanding users must now what information is private and what information is shared. It is also important that users are provided customized view as all users don’t require everything. However customization requirements must not conflict with consistency. Every user must know how others are viewing the information. (Brinck, 1998) Concurrency is coordinating multiple tasks that are done at the same time. In a shared environment one document can be accessed by multiple users. This causes problems like one person accessing the document for all the time, unauthorized access and conflicting changes made by all users. To avoid such issues techniques like floor control, locking and merging is used. In this only one person can control over who accesses the document and for what time. The person who wants to access the document locks it so that other users can just view it without modifying. Similarly all users can edit the document during the time it is locked with them. In the end all the changes by different users are merged together so that the users have one final document at the end. (Brinck, 1998) Conclusion Technology infrastructure including the internal networks of the organization is important  issue that needs attention for any new technology implementation. However the social impact  cannot be ignored. It is highly required for successful implementation that the technology fulfills  the needs of users and is accepted by them.

Framework For Understanding Organizational Ethics Commerce Essay

Framework For Understanding Organizational Ethics Commerce Essay Organizational ethics is one of the most important, yet perhaps one of the most overlooked and misunderstood concepts in corporate America and schools of business. Organizational ethics initiatives have not been effectively implemented by many corporations, and there is still much debate concerning the usefulness of such initiatives in preventing ethical and legal misconduct. Simultaneously, business schools are attempting to teach courses and/or integrate organizational ethics into their curricula without general agreement about what should be taught, or how it should be taught. Societal norms require that businesses assume responsibility and ensure that ethical standards are properly implemented on a daily basis. Such a requirement is not without controversy. Some business leaders believe that personal moral development and character are all that are needed for effective organizational ethics. These business leaders are supported by certain business educators who believe ethics initiatives should arise inherently from corporate culture and that hiring ethical employees will limit unethical behavior within the organization. A contrary position, and the one espoused here, is that effective organizational ethics can only be achieved by proactive leadership whereby employees from diverse backgrounds are provided a common understanding of what is defined as ethical behavior through formal training, thus creating an ethical organizational climate. In addition, changes are needed in the regulatory system, in the organizational ethics initiatives of business school s, and in societal approaches to the development and implementation of organizational ethics in corporate America. According to Richard L. Schmalensee, Dean of the MIT Sloan School of Management, the question is, How can we produce graduates who are more conscious of their potential . . . and their obligation as professionals to make a positive contribution to society? He stated that business schools should be held partly responsible for the cadre of managers more focused on short-term games to beat the market rather than building lasting value for shareholders and society (Schmalensee 2003). This introductory chapter provides an overview of the organizational ethical decision making process. It begins with a discussion of how ethical decisions are made and then offers a framework for understanding organizational ethics that is consistent with research, best practices, and regulatory developments.Using this framework, the chapter then discusses how ethical decisions are made in the context of an organization and poses some illustrative ethical issues that need to be addressed in organizational ethics. Defining Organizational Ethics Ethics has been termed the study and philosophy of human conduct, with an emphasis on the determination of right and wrong. For managers, ethics in the workplace refers to rules (standards, principles) governing the conduct of organization members. Most definitions of ethics relate rules to what is right or wrong in specific situations. For present purposes, and in simple terms, organizational ethics refers to generally accepted standards that guide behavior in business and other organizational contexts (LeClair, Ferrell, and Fraedrich 1998).1 One difference between an ordinary decision and an ethical one is that accepted rules may not apply and the decision maker must weigh values in a situation that he or she may not have faced before. Another difference is the amount of emphasis placed on a persons values when making an ethical decision. Whether a specific behavior is judged right or wrong, ethical or unethical, is often determined by the mass media, interest groups, the legal system, and individuals personal morals. While these groups are not necessarily right, their judgments influence societys acceptance or rejection of an organization and its activities. Consequently, values and judgments play a critical role in ethical decision making, and society may institutionalize them through legislation and social sanctions or approval. Individual vs. Organization Most people would agree that high ethical standards require both organizations and individuals to conform to sound moral principles. However, special factors must be considered when applying ethics to business organizations. First, to survive, businesses must obviously make a profit. Second, businesses must balance their desire for profits against the needs and desires of society. Maintaining this balance often requires compromises or tradeoffs. To address these unique aspects of organizational ethics, society has developed rules-both explicit (legal) and implicit-to guide owners, managers, and employees in their efforts to earn profits in ways that do not harm individuals or society as a whole. Addressing organizational ethics must acknowledge its existence in a complex system that includes many stakeholders that cooperate, provide resources, often demand changes to encourage or discourage certain ethical conduct, and frequently question the balancing of business and social interest s. Unfortunately, the ethical standards learned at home, in school, through religion, and in the community are not always adequate preparation for ethical pressures found in the workplace. Organizational practices and policies often create pressures, opportunities, and incentives that may sway employees to make unethical decisions. We have all seen news articles describing some decent, hard-working family person who engaged in illegal or unethical activities. The Wall Street Journal (Pullman 2003) reported that Betty Vinson, a midlevel accountant for WorldCom, Inc., was asked by her superiors to make false accounting entries. Ms. Vinson balked a number of times but then caved in to management and made illegal entries to bolster WorldComs profits. At the end of 18 months she had helped falsify at least $3.7 billion in profits. When an employees livelihood is on the line, it is difficult to say no to a powerful boss. At the time this chapter was written, Ms. Vinson was awaiting sentencing on conspiracy and securities fraud and preparing her 12 year old daughter for the possibility that she will be incarcerated. Importance of Understanding Organization Ethics Understanding organizational ethics is important in developing ethical leadership. An individuals personal values and moral philosophies are but one factor in decision-making processes involving potential legal and ethical problems. True, moral rules can be related to a variety of situations in life, and some people do not distinguish everyday ethical issues from those that occur on the job. Of concern, however, is the application of rules in a work environment. Just being a good person and, in your own view, having sound personal ethics may not be sufficient to handle the ethical issues that arise in the workplace. It is important to recognize the relationship between legal and ethical decisions. While abstract virtues such as honesty, fairness, and openness are often assumed to be self-evident and accepted by all employees, a high level of personal, moral development may not prevent an individual from violating the law in an organizational context, where even experienced lawyers debate the exact meaning of the law. Some organizational ethics perspectives assume that ethics training is for people who have unacceptable personal moral development, but that is not necessarily the case. Because organizations are comprised of diverse individuals whose personal values should be respected, agreement regarding workplace ethics is as vital as other managerial decisions. For example, would an organization expect to achieve its strategic mission witho ut communicating the mission to employees? Would a firm expect to implement a customer relationship management system without educating every employee on his or her role in the system? Workplace ethics needs to be treated similarly-with clear expectations as to what comprises legal and ethical conduct. Employees with only limited work experience sometimes find themselves making decisions about product quality, advertising, pricing, hiring practices, and pollution control. The values that they bring to the organization may not provide specific guidelines for these complex decisions, especially when the realities of work objectives, group decision making, and legal issues come into play. Many ethics decisions are close calls.Years of experience in a particular industry may be required to know what is acceptable, and what is not acceptable. Even experienced managers need formal training about workplace ethics to help identify legal and ethical issues. Changing regulatory requirements and ethical concerns, such as workplace privacy issues, make the ethical decision-making process very dynamic. With the establishment of values and training, a manager will be in a better position to assist employees and provide ethical leadership. Understanding Ethical Decision Making It is helpful to consider the question of why and how people make ethical decisions. Typically it is assumed that people make difficult decisions within an organization in the same way they resolve difficult issues in their personal lives. Within the context of organizations, however, few managers or employees have the freedom to decide ethical issues independently of workplace pressures. Philosophers, social scientists, and various academics have attempted to explain the ethical decision-making process in organizations by examining pressures such as the influence of coworkers and organizational culture, and individual-level factors such as personal moral philosophy. Figure 1.1 presents a model of decision making. This model synthesizes current knowledge of ethical decision making in the workplace within a framework that has strong support in the literature (e.g., Ferrell and Gresham 1985; Ferrell, Gresham, and Fraedrich 1989; Hunt and Vitell 1986; Jones 1991; Trevino 1986). The model shows that the perceived intensity of ethical and legal issues, individual factors (e.g., moral development and personal moral philosophy), and organizational factors (e.g., organizational culture and coworkers) collectively influence whether a person will make an unethical decision at work. While it is impossible to describe precisely how or why an individual or work group might make such a decision, it is possible to generalize about average or typical behavior patterns within organizations. Each of the models components is briefly described below; note that the model is practical because it describes the elements of the decision-making process over which organiza tions have some control. ________________________________________________________________________ Figure 1.1 Framework for Understanding Ethical Decision Making in the Workplace Individual Personal moral factors philosophy Stage of moral development factors Ethical issue intensity Organizational factors Organizational culture Coworkers and superiors Opportunity Ethical/Unethical, Decision ________________________________________________________________________ Ethical Issue Intensity One of the first factors to influence the decision-making process is how important or relevant a decision maker perceives an issue to be, that is, the intensity of the issue (Jones 1991). The intensity of a particular issue is likely to vary over time and among individuals and is influenced by the values, beliefs, needs, and perceptions of the decision maker; the special characteristics of the situation; and the personal pressures weighing on the decision. All of the factors explored in this chapter, including personal moral development and philosophy, organizational culture, and coworkers, determine why different people perceive issues with varying intensity (Robin, Reidenbach, and Forrest 1996). Unless individuals in an organization share some common concerns about specific ethical issues, the stage is set for conflict. Ethical issue intensity reflects the sensitivity of the individual, work group, or organization, and triggers the ethical decision-making process. Management can influence ethical issue intensity through rewards and punishments, codes of conduct, and organizational values. In other words, managers can affect the perceived importance of ethical issues through positive and negative incentives (Robin, Reidenbach, and Forrest 1996). If management fails to identify and educate employees about problem areas, these issues may not reach the critical awareness level of some employees. New employees who lack experience in a particular industry, for example, may have trouble identifying both ethical and legal issues. Employees therefore need to be trained as to how the organization wants specific ethical issues handled. Identifying ethical issues that employees might encounter is a significant step in developing employees ability to make decisions that enhance organizational ethics. New federal regulations that hold both organizations and their employees responsible for misconduct require organizations to assess areas of ethical and legal risk. Based on both the 2002 Sarbanes-Oxley Act and the United States Sentencing Commission guidelines, there are strong directives to encourage ethical leadership. If ethical leadership fails, especially in corporate governance, there are significant penalties. When organizations communicate to employees that certain issues are important, the intensity of the issues is elevated. The more employees appreciate the importance of an issue, the less likely they are to engage in questionable behavior associated with the issue. Therefore, ethical issue intensity should be considered a key factor in the decision-making process because there are many opportunities for an organization to influence and educate employees on the importance of high risk issues. Under the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, boards of directors are required to provide oversight for all auditing activities and are responsible for developing ethical leadership. In addition, court decisions related to the Federal Sentencing Guidelines for Organizations hold board members responsible for the ethical and legal compliance programs of the firms they oversee. New rules and regulations associated with Sarbanes-Oxley require that boards include members who are knowledgeable and qualified to oversee accounting and other types of audits to ensure that these reports are accurate and include all information material to ethics issues. A boards financial audit committee is required to implement codes of ethics for top financial officers. Many of the codes relate to corporate governance, such as compensation, stock options, and conflicts of interest. Individual Factors One of the greatest challenges facing the study of organizational ethics involves the role of individuals and their values. Although most of us would like to place the primary responsibility for decisions with individuals, years of research point to the primacy of organizational factors in determining ethics at work (e.g., Ferrell and Gresham 1985). However, individual factors are obviously important in the evaluation and resolution of ethical issues. Two significant factors in workplace integrity are an individuals personal moral philosophy and stage of moral development. Personal Moral Philosophy Ethical conflict occurs when people encounter situations that they cannot easily control or resolve. In such situations, people tend to base their decisions on their own principles of right or wrong and act accordingly in their daily lives. Moral philosophies-the principles or rules that individuals use to decide what is right or wrong-are often cited to justify decisions or explain behavior. People learn these principles and rules through socialization by family members, social groups, religion, and formal education. There is no universal agreement on the correct moral philosophy to use in resolving ethical and legal issues in the workplace. Moreover, research suggests that employees may apply different moral philosophies in different decision situations (Fraedrich and Ferrell 1992). And, depending on the situation, people may even change their value structure or moral philosophy when making decisions. Individuals make decisions under pressure and may later feel their decisions were less than acceptable, but they may not be able to change the consequences of their decisions. Stage of Moral Development One reason people may change their moral philosophy has been proposed by Lawrence Kohlberg, who suggested that people progress through stages in their development of moral reasoning. Kohlberg contended that different people make different decisions when confronted with similar ethical situations because they are at different stages of what he termed cognitive moral development (Kohlberg 1969). He believed that people progress through the following three stages: The pre-conventional stage of moral development, in which individuals focus on their own needs and desires. The conventional stage of moral development, in which individuals focus on group-centered values and conforming to expectations. The principled stage of moral development, in which individuals are concerned with upholding the basic rights, values, and rules of society. Obviously there is some overlap among these stages, such that cognitive moral development should probably be viewed as more of a continuum than a series of discrete stages. Although Kohlberg did not specifically apply his theory of cognitive moral development to organizations, its application helps in explaining how employees may reason when confronted with an ethical dilemma. Kohlbergs theory suggests that people may change their moral beliefs and behavior as they gain education and experience in resolving conflicts, which in turn accelerates their moral development. A question that arises is whether moral philosophy and moral development can predict ethical behavior in businesses and other organizations. Fraedrich and Ferrell (1992) found that only 15 percent of a sample of businesspersons maintained the same moral philosophy across both work and nonwork ethical decision-making situations. One explanation may be that cognitive moral development issues that relate to a persons nonwork (e.g., home, family) experiences are not the most significant factors in resolving ethical issues within an organization. The ethics and values of an individuals immediate work group, rather than his or her moral development, may be the most important consideration in determining ethical conduct in organizations. Nevertheless, most experts agree that a persons stage of moral development and personal moral philosophy play a role in how values and actions are shaped in the workplace. This may be especially true for top managers, who usually set the formal values of an organization. However, the informal use of these values and expectations plays a major role in the daily decisions that employees make. Many of these informal rules comprise the organizations ethical climate in the context of its corporate culture. Former Tyco International CEO Dennis Kozlowski set the leadership tone at his company and stood trial for allegedly taking $600 million in unauthorized bonuses, loans, stock sales, and other payments from the company. In his trial, the court wanted to know what the board of directors was doing while Kozlowski furnished his luxury Manhattan duplex with millions of dollars in rugs, china, and bookcases, and spent $1 million for his wifes birthday party-all billed to the company. Kozlowskis personal ethics were on trial, but his ethical leadership influenced everyone in the organization (McCoy 2003). Organizational Factors Although individuals must make ethical and legal decisions at work, it is also true that they often make these decisions in the context of committees and group meetings, and through discussions with colleagues. Decisions in the workplace are guided by an organizations culture and the influence of others-coworkers, supervisors, and subordinates. Organizational Culture Organizations, like societies, have cultures that include a shared set of values, beliefs, goals, norms, and ways to solve problems. As time passes, an organization comes to be seen as a living organism, with a mind and will of its own. Although most organizational cultures reinforce ethics, some organizations, like Tyco, create a culture that supports unethical decisions. If a company derives most of its profits from unethical or illegal activities, individuals who join this organization will have a difficult time surviving unless they too participate in these activities. For example, even though Enron had a code of ethics and was a member of the Better Business Bureau, the company was devastated by unethical activities and corporate scandal. According to Lynn Brewer, former Enron executive and author of House of Cards: Confessions of an Enron Executive, many Enron managers and employees knew the company was involved in illegal and unethical activities. Many executives and board members at Enron did not understand how organizational ethical decisions are made and how to develop an ethical corporate climate. They did not realize that top executives and boards of directors must provide ethical leadership and a system to resolve ethical issues. In the case of Enron, managers eventually paid for these ethical lapses through fines and imprisonment. The ethical climate of an organization is a significant element of organizational culture. Whereas an organizations overall culture establishes ideals that guide a wide range of member behaviors, the ethical climate focuses specifically on issues of right and wrong. The ethical climate of an organization is its character or conscience. Codes of conduct and ethics policies, top managements actions on ethical issues, the values and moral development and personal moral philosophies of coworkers, and the opportunity for misconduct all contribute to an organizations ethical climate. In fact, the ethical climate actually determines whether certain issues and decisions are perceived as having an ethical component. Organizations can manage their culture and ethical climate by trying to hire employees whose values match their own. Some organizations even measure potential employees values during the hiring process and strive to hire individuals who fit within the ethical climate rather than those whose beliefs and values differ significantly. As previously mentioned, some business leaders believe that hiring or promoting ethical managers will automatically produce an ethical organizational climate. However, individuals may have limited opportunity to apply their own personal ethics to management systems and decision making that occurs in the organization. Ethical leadership requires understanding best practices for organizational ethical compliance and a commitment to build an ethical climate. Over time, an organizations failure to monitor or manage its culture may foster questionable behavior. Sometimes entire industries develop a culture of preferential treatment and self- centered greed. The once conservative mutual fund industry found itself in a major scandal in 2003 related to allowing large customers to engage in short-term and after-hours trading, in violation of their own organizations rules. The mutual fund organizations gave hedge fund customers the right to make frequent trades in and out of funds, a practice not accorded ordinary investors. Firms such as Janus, Alliance Capital, and Pilgrim violated their own rules and now have legal problems. Another example of an unethical industry culture is reflected in New York Attorney General Eliot Spitzers settlement in which 10 major Wall Street firms were collectively fined a total of $1.4 billion because their investment bankers had exerted undue influence on securities research to enhance relationships with their investment banking customers (Anonymous 2004). Small investors were the victims of these unethical and illegal cultures of preferential relationships with certain customers. The Influence of Coworkers and Supervisors Just as employees look for certain types of employers, they are also particular about the people with whom they work. Managers and coworkers within an organization help people deal with unfamiliar tasks and provide advice and information in both formal and informal contexts on a daily basis. A manager may, for example, provide direction regarding certain workplace activities to be performed. Coworkers offer help in the form of discussions over lunch or when a supervisor is absent. In fact, one often hears new or younger employees discussing some fear about approaching the boss on a tough ethical issue. Thus, the role of informal culture cannot be underestimated. Numerous studies (e.g., Ferrell and Grisham 1985) confirm that coworkers and supervisors have more impact on an employees daily decisions than any other factor. In a work group environment, employees may be subject to the phenomenon of groupthink, where they go along with group decisions even when those decisions run counter to their own values. They may take refuge in the notion of safety in numbers, when everyone else appears to back a particular decision. Indeed, coworker peers can even change a persons original value system. This value change, whether temporary or permanent, is likely to be greater when a coworker is a supervisor, especially if the decision-maker is new to the organization. Employees may also resolve workplace issues by unquestionably following the directives of a supervisor. In a company that emphasizes respect for authority, an employee may feel obligated to carry out the orders of a superior even if those orders conflict with the employees values of right and wrong. Later, if a decision is judged to have been wrong, the employee is likely to say, I was only carrying out orders, or My boss told me to do it this way. Supervisors can also have a negative effect on conduct by setting a bad example or failing to supervise subordinates. ClearOne Communications Inc. relieved its CEO and CFO of their respective responsibilities after they were named as defendants in a complaint from the Securities and Exchange Commission (Wetzel 2003). A civil complaint alleged that they directed sales personnel to push extra products to customers beyond their orders to inflate sales and earnings. Eliminating such unethical managers within an organization can help improve its overall ethical conduct. In this case, it was alleged that the CEO and CFO not only directed unethical actions but also contributed to an unethical corporate climate. Finally, it should be mentioned in passing that individuals also learn ethical or unethical conduct from close colleagues and others with whom they interact regularly. Consequently, a decision maker who associates with others who behave unethically will be more likely to behave unethically as well. Opportunity Together, organizational culture and the influence of coworkers may foster conditions that limit or permit misconduct. When these conditions provide rewards for financial gain, recognition, promotion, or simply the good feeling from a job well done, the opportunity for unethical conduct may be encouraged or discouraged. For example, a company policy that does not provide for punishment of employees who violate a rule (e.g., not to accept large gifts from clients) provides an opportunity for unethical behavior. Bellizzi and Hasty (2003) found there is a general tendency to discipline top sales performers more leniently than poor sales performers for engaging in identical forms of unethical selling behavior. Neither a company policy stating that the behavior in question was unacceptable nor a repeated pattern of unethical behavior offset the general tendency to treat top sales performers more leniently than poor sales performers. A superior sales performance record appears to induce more lenient forms of discipline, despite the presence of other factors and managerial actions that are specifically instituted to produce more equal forms of discipline. Based on their research, Bellizzi and Hasty concluded that an opportunity exists for top sales performers to be more unethical than poor sales performers. Opportunity usually relates to employees immediate work situation-where they work, with whom they work, and the nature of the work. The specific work situation includes the motivational carrots and sticks that supervisors can use to influence employee behavior. Organizations can improve the likelihood of compliance with ethics policies by eliminating opportunities to engage in misconduct through the establishment of formal codes and rules that are adequately enforced. However, in the sales person example, it is possible that the codes and rules were not adequately implemented. It is important to note that opportunities for ethical misconduct cannot be eliminated without aggressive enforcement of codes and rules. One important conclusion that should be drawn from the framework presented here is that ethical decision making within an organization does not depend solely on individuals personal values and moral philosophies. Employees do not operate in a vacuum, and their decisions are strongly affected by the culture and ethical climate of the organization in which they work, pressures to perform, examples set by their supervisors and peers, and opportunities created by the presence or absence of ethics-related policies. Organizations take on an ethical climate of their own and have a significant influence on ethics among employees and within their industry and community. Ethical Issues This section briefly describes three highly visible ethical issues facing corporate America. The issues are presented to provide concrete examples of the types of misconduct that should be identified and prevented through organizational ethics programs and ethical leadership. An ethical decision is a problem situation requiring an organization or individual to choose among several actions that must be evaluated as right or wrong, ethical or unethical. Ethical issues are presented that have been associated with the major ethical scandals of the early 21st century.2 Conflict of Interest A conflict of interest exists when individuals must choose whether to advance their own interests, the interests of their organization, or the interests of some other group or individual. An illustrative alleged conflict of interest is when Citigroup made a $1 million donation to the 92nd Street YMCA nursery school as an alleged quid pro quo so that financial analyst Jack Grubmans children could attend the exclusive nursery. Grubman, an analyst for Salomon Smith Barney, supposedly upgraded his rating for ATT stock after Sanford Weill, CEO of Citigroup, the parent company of Salomon Smith Barney, agreed to use his influence with the nursery to gain admission for Grubmans children. Although Grubman denied elevating his rating for ATT to gain his childrens admission, they were in fact enrolled (Nelson and Cohen 2003). To avoid conflicts of interest, employees must be able to separate their private interests from their business dealings. Likewise, organizations must avoid conflicts of interest when providing goods and services. Arthur Andersen served as the outside auditor for Waste Management, Inc. while simultaneously providing consulting services to the firm. This led the Sec

A Two-Class Society Exposed in The Stolen Party Essay -- Stolen Party

A Two-Class Society Exposed in The Stolen Party  Ã‚   In a perfect world we would all live together in peace. But we don’t live in such a world. In Liliana Heker’s story "The Stolen Party" we are reminded of the real world and the thin line that separates the lower class from the upper class. In an instant we see all the discrimination and inhumane treatment some people feel they have a right to inflict on those whom they consider "not one of them." The story is about Rosaura, the nine-year-old daughter of a woman who does housecleaning for a wealthy family. Rosaura often accompanies her mother to work and does her homework with Luciana, the daughter of the house. As a result, or so she thinks, Rosaura is Luciana’s friend and has been invited to her birthday party. Rosaura’s mother states that she does not want her daughter to go to the party, because "it’s a rich people’s party" (1133). She tries to explain to her daughter that the people will look at her as "the maid’s daughter" and not as another person (1134). But Rosaura is only nine and "the smartest in her class" (1134), and she feels that Luciana is her friend and would not hurt her in any way. Rosaura chooses not to listen to her mother’s advice because she feels that she knows what is best for her. Here we see that Rosaura’s mother is trying to make her daughter aware of the difference between Luciana’s family and her own family. We can presume that her mother has had an incident like this before in her life and wants to prepare her daughter for disappointment. Brandon Spontak states that "Rosaura’s mother is not very educated . . . but has an instinct which only comes from years of experience that she uses to detect problems in life" (89). As Rosaura’s mo... ... delicate balance" (1137), she realizes that there is a thin line between classes of people and that she made it even worse by offering Rosaura money. In a perfect world this would never happen. Innocence would not be stolen, dreams would come true and people would look at each other with acceptance, not ignorance in their hearts. The truth is it’s not a perfect world, and the line never disappears. It is just that some people make it more noticeable than others do. Works Cited Elliot, Kevin. "The Stolen Future." Ode to Friendship & Other Essays. VWC. Virginia Beach: Connie Bellamy, 1996. 61-63. Hatcher, Nathan. "The Deception of Senora Ines." Ode to Friendship & Other Essays. VWC. Virginia Beach: Connie Bellamy, 1996. 59-60. Heker, Liliana. "The Stolen Party." Harper Anthology of Fiction. Ed. Sylvan Barnet. New York: HarperCollins, 1991. 1133-1137. A Two-Class Society Exposed in The Stolen Party Essay -- Stolen Party A Two-Class Society Exposed in The Stolen Party  Ã‚   In a perfect world we would all live together in peace. But we don’t live in such a world. In Liliana Heker’s story "The Stolen Party" we are reminded of the real world and the thin line that separates the lower class from the upper class. In an instant we see all the discrimination and inhumane treatment some people feel they have a right to inflict on those whom they consider "not one of them." The story is about Rosaura, the nine-year-old daughter of a woman who does housecleaning for a wealthy family. Rosaura often accompanies her mother to work and does her homework with Luciana, the daughter of the house. As a result, or so she thinks, Rosaura is Luciana’s friend and has been invited to her birthday party. Rosaura’s mother states that she does not want her daughter to go to the party, because "it’s a rich people’s party" (1133). She tries to explain to her daughter that the people will look at her as "the maid’s daughter" and not as another person (1134). But Rosaura is only nine and "the smartest in her class" (1134), and she feels that Luciana is her friend and would not hurt her in any way. Rosaura chooses not to listen to her mother’s advice because she feels that she knows what is best for her. Here we see that Rosaura’s mother is trying to make her daughter aware of the difference between Luciana’s family and her own family. We can presume that her mother has had an incident like this before in her life and wants to prepare her daughter for disappointment. Brandon Spontak states that "Rosaura’s mother is not very educated . . . but has an instinct which only comes from years of experience that she uses to detect problems in life" (89). As Rosaura’s mo... ... delicate balance" (1137), she realizes that there is a thin line between classes of people and that she made it even worse by offering Rosaura money. In a perfect world this would never happen. Innocence would not be stolen, dreams would come true and people would look at each other with acceptance, not ignorance in their hearts. The truth is it’s not a perfect world, and the line never disappears. It is just that some people make it more noticeable than others do. Works Cited Elliot, Kevin. "The Stolen Future." Ode to Friendship & Other Essays. VWC. Virginia Beach: Connie Bellamy, 1996. 61-63. Hatcher, Nathan. "The Deception of Senora Ines." Ode to Friendship & Other Essays. VWC. Virginia Beach: Connie Bellamy, 1996. 59-60. Heker, Liliana. "The Stolen Party." Harper Anthology of Fiction. Ed. Sylvan Barnet. New York: HarperCollins, 1991. 1133-1137.

John D. Rockefeller: Turning Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder Into Success :: Biography Biographies Essays

John D. Rockefeller: Turning Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder Into Success John D. Rockefeller, the Standard Oil magnate who, by the time of his death in 1937, was probably worth close to a billion dollars, is perhaps one of the best historical examples of an obsessive-compulsive. An obsessive-compulsive is one who is driven to an act or acts, generally being asocial. By his own fixations and by nature of his peculiar psyche he must balance these actions with others more socially acceptable. There are abundant examples of Rockefeller's deeds fitting these clinical characteristics, and John D. Rockefeller is today generally regarded as an obsessive-compulsive. The roots of this disorder are traceable back to his childhood. While much of Rockefeller's business history remains a mystery today, it is apparent that much of his success is attributable to his obsessive-compulsive disorder. Franz Alexander and Louis B. Shapiro's description of the obsessive- compulsive disorder from their book Neuroses, Behavior Disorders, and Perversions0 is a frequently used summary of the commonly agreed-upon characteristics. It states: "Full blown cases of obsessive-compulsive states present a dynamic equilibrium in which obsessive preoccupation with ego-alien fantasies... are precariously balanced by rituals representing an exaggeration of social standards, such as cleanliness, punctuality, consideration for others. The dynamic formula is similar to bookkeeping in which on the one side of ledger are the asocial tendencies which the patient tries to balance precisely on the other side with moralistic and social attitudes... Every asocial move must be undone by an opposing one..." The term "ego-alien" refers to thoughts, emotions or material which are consciously detestable to the patient (though not he may not necessarily be conscious of the reason). This summary is important, and we will return to it later. Rockefeller was born in 1839 and raised in a troubled, then broken, home. His father, who sold quack "quick-heal" ailment medicines, was often away for months at a time. Rockefeller was raised essentially by his mother. Eventually his father consummated a bigamous marriage with a teenage Canadian and left Rockefeller and his mother and siblings. At an early age, it became apparent that young John was not quite like the other children. For instance, he adamantly refused to play with other children unless he could choose the game. In almost every description of him as a child, he is often described as "thinking". He married Laura Celestia Spelman, a girl who was strikingly similar to his mother, which is never a good sign; and when he decided to go into business, he borrowed $1000 from his father- at ten percent interest.

Family Planning Will Prevent Child Abuse :: Prevenintg Child Abuse

Child abuse is one of the biggest problems facing America today. Children whose parents abuse them often turn to a life of crime, or suffer physical or mental scars. In severe cases the child may even die. In Saint Louis a boy was attacked by a pack of dogs, after he had finished playing basketball at the local court. If his mother had reported him missing he may have been found in time to rescue him, instead he bled to death under a tree. (Davis 3A) Of course this is an extreme case of child abuse, and it is often not this severe. The best way to prevent child neglect is to start family planning at an earlier age. It is tough for many people to understand why anyone would abuse a child, but it happens more than people think. Intergenerational transmission of violence is a major cause of child abuse. Children who were abused when they were young are more likely to be abusive when they grow up and have children. (Compton?s 1) Some studies have shown that thirty percent of abused children grow up to be abusive parents. Children who were not abused and grow up to have children are much less likely to be abusive parents, only two to three percent of people will be abusive. (Child Abuse and Neglect 1) People would tend to question why a child who knows how hard it was when they were young would grow up and do this to their child. Children grow up thinking that everything their parents do is right. The problem is when these children are abused they don?t often learn that it is the wrong thing to do, and will be more likely to abuse their children. (Compton?s 1) Stress can be a cause of child abuse as well. Parents who don?t know how to handle stress will often lash out, and become abusive to their children. Stress can be brought on from a variety of places. Common stress factors are unemployment, illness, drug abuse, poor housing, larger than average family size, death, or the presence of a new baby. (Compton?s 1) A large number of cases of child abuse come from families living in poverty, poverty can cause or result of any one of the most common stress factors. (Child Abuse and Neglect 2) When people are under stress they often will lash out at their kids for the littlest incident, if this happens too much they may start to physically abuse their kids.

Unit 203

Unit 203 Outcome 1: understand the importance of equality and inclusion 1. 1 explain what is meant by: * diversity * equality * inclusion * discrimination DIVERSITY means difference. When it is used together with EQUALITY it means recognizing both individual and group differences, it means treating everyone as an individual and giving value to each and every person. Diversity means allowing people to be different and respecting these differences. In care industry the carer might need to challenge others if necessary and speak up for the individuals they support, who cannot speak for themselves.INCLUSION is the right of every human to have equal access and opportunities, regardless their race, gender, disability, medical or other need, culture, age, religion and sexual orientation. It is about getting rid of discrimination and intolerance. DISCRIMINATION is a preconceived attitude towards the members of a particular group that leads to less favorable or bad treatment of those persons. This kind of attitude is often resistant to change even in the light of new information. 1. describe ways in which discrimination may deliberately or inadvertently occur in the work setting Direct discrimination may happen when individuals are treated less favorable or when they are given lower standard of services because of their gender, race, ethnicity, culture, disability, religion, sexuality, mental health or age. The carer must be aware of its own prejudices and make sure that the support they give is not provided at different standards for certain categories. Indirect discrimination takes place when a rule or policy is more restrictive for people from a certain group, when it should be applied equally to everybody.For example a council procedure for homeless people made only in English would put people whose first language is not English in difficulty, which is an unfair disadvantage and could be taken as indirect discrimination. If the council has a good reason for having a particular policy in place (eg. For health or safety reasons) this would not be consider indirect discrimination. Harassment can take place because of people’s prejudices or because individuals believe it is acceptable to tease people or tell racist jokes. This creates an unpleasant environment where an individual can feel degraded.Victimization takes place when someone is treated less favorable because of doing something that another person disapproves (eg. Someone being treated less favorable because they complained about a service). The care worker duty is to make sure they understand what might be considered as discrimination and to raise any concerns with their supervisor/ manager on behalf of the individuals they support. 1. 3 explain how practices that support equality and inclusion reduce the likelihood of discrimination In providing care and support too individuals, it is our duty to be able to respond appropriately and sensitively to everyone we interact with.The w ay a person approach equality and inclusion shows whether she/ he is able to provide care and support. A way in which employers have responded to the issue of diversity was to develop flexibility in their working practices and services (eg. Employer may allow flexible working pattern to accommodate child care or a GP surgery may offer services during weekends for people that work full time during the week). So a commitment to equality in addition to recognition of diversity means that different can be equal. It is important that employers and their representatives behave ethically and lead by example.The UK framework has 2 elements to it: anti-discriminatory framework gives individuals a route to raise complains of discrimination around employment and service delivery and public duties which place a proactive duty on employers to address institutional discrimination. The anti-discriminatory framework protects gender, ethnicity, disability, sexuality, religion, age. Public bodies inc luding local authorities, education, police forces, and national health services are bound to z number of duties. The implementation of public duties will identify and address institutional discrimination.Each of the public duties requires employers to: * produce an equality scheme * carry out impact assessments on their functions, policies and practices * carry out equalities monitoring and take action to redress any imbalance * publish the results of any work undertaken Outcome 2: Be able to work in an inclusive way 2. 1 identify which legislation and codes of practice relating to equality, diversity and discrimination apply to own role The Equality Act 2010 ensures consistency in what work places need to do to comply with the law and make working environments fair.The purposes of the Equality Act are: * establish the Commission for Equality and Human Rights * make discrimination unlawful * create a duty on public authorities to promote equality of opportunity between men and wome n and the prevention of sex discrimination The new Act aims to protect disabled people, prevent disability discrimination and also strengthen particular aspects of equality law. The Act provides legal rights for disabled people in the area of: * employment * education * access to goods, services and facilities including larger private clubs and land based transport services * buying and renting land or property functions of public bodies The Equality Act covers the same groups that were protected by existing equality legislation- age, disability, gender reassignment, race, religion or belief, sex, sexual orientation, marriage or civil partnership, and pregnancy and maternity- but now extends some protections to groups not previously covered (e. g. care workers or parents of a disabled person). It provides rights for people not to be directly discriminated against or harassed because they have an association with a disabled person, or because they are wrongly perceived to be disabled .The main Acts incorporated into the Equality Act 2010 are: * The Disability Discrimination Act 2005- about removing the discrimination that disabled people experience. It gives them rights in employment, education, access to goods, facilities and services, buying or renting land or property, function of public bodies. * The Equal Pay Act 1970- stops employers to discriminate between men and women by paying them differently and providing different employment terms and conditions if they are doing: the same or similar work, work rated as equivalent in a job evaluation scheme, work of equal value. The Sex Discrimination Act 1975 and amendments 1982, and 1999- make unlawful the discrimination on grounds of sex, marital status or gender reassignment. It applies when recruiting and when deciding what terms and conditions should be offered to an employee as well as when decisions are made about who should be promoted, transferred or receive training as well as to any decisions about termi nating someone’s employment. The Race Relations Act 1976 and amendments 2000, 2003- which gives public authorities a statutory duty to promote race equality. The aim is to make promoting race equality central to the way public authorities public authorities work, and says they must: eliminate unlawful racial discrimination and promote equality of opportunity and good relations between people of different racial groups. 2. show interaction with individuals that respects their beliefs, culture, values and preferences in order to be sure that a care worker’s work is inclusive and respectful of other people’s social identity, they need to: * recognize that they need to treat everyone they care and support as individuals and respond to them, and their social identity, in an individual manner * Understand that treating people fairly does not mean treating people in the same way.They need to recognize difference and respond appropriately * Respect all individuals they support regardless of their social identity * Try to increase their knowledge and understanding of aspects of social identity that might be different from their own * Avoid stereotyping or making assumptions about individuals based on their social identity * Recognize that their own social identity may impact on individuals in different ways * Avoid using inappropriate and disrespectful language relating to social identity 2. 3 describe how to challenge discrimination in a way that encourages hange If discrimination is challenged effectively, future incidents of discrimination can be prevented, as well as empowering individuals to understand their rights. The care worker should: * Always act fairly and try to see things from the other person’s point of view, considering that there could be different pressures, needs and cultures. * Always use positive language and never use words or phrases that could be disrespectful towards another person * Not allow prejudices and stereoty ping to influence them and not accept any tupe of discriminatory behaviorOutcome 3: Know how to access information, advice and about diversity, equality and inclusion 3. 1 identify a range of sources of information, advice and support about diversity, equality and inclusion http://www. equalityhumanrights. com/ gives information about the Equality and Human Rights Commission which was created to challenge discrimination and promote equality and human rights http://www. scie. org. uk/socialcaretv/search. asp? uery=diversity gives information about working with lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered people with different needs of support https://www. direct. gov. uk/ gives information and guidelines about public services Employer’s policy and procedures regarding equality and diversity 3. 2 describe how and when to access information, advice and support about diversity, equality and inclusion Any belief that someone is a victim of discrimination has to be reported immediately to the manager or supervisor.If a care worker feels that he/ she is a victim of discrimination, they should as well report it straight away to the manager or supervisor. Also a more senior or different manager can be contacted if there is a suspicion that the direct manager or supervisor might be involved. The human resources team is usually qualified to give advice and support on this matter. Support can also be found to a Trade Union if the care worker is a member or to Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service (www. acas. org. uk).

Decoding Apple’s Balance Sheet Apa Format Essay

Decoding orchard apple trees remnant Sheet In March of 2009, apple had its best March rear end revenue enhancement and earnings in orchard apple tree annals (Apple). In crop to see how this occurred, it is consequential to look over the financial statements of Apple. on that point is a lot of information usable to investors who be inte catch ones breathed in commit in a company. By flavour specifically at the balance winding-clothes of Apple I am passing to determine if investing in Apple is a serious idea or a distressing idea. Some things I am going to consider ar Apples assets, liabilities, and sh atomic number 18holders equity. These areas should join me insight to how the best quarter in Apple history came to be. looking at the watercourse assets of Apple, specie and cash equivalents went rectify from 11. 8 one thousand million dollars to 4. 4 one million million dollars. This may look bad at first, but all of the new(prenominal) assets must be added to this in order to get an overall picture of the assets. short-term marketable securities went up from 10. 2 meg dollars to 20. 5 one thousand thousand dollars. This helped Apples assets grow tremendously. Accounts receivable fell to 1. 9 one million million dollars from 2. 4 one million million dollars. With the rest of the authorized assets figured in, inventories, deferred tax assets, and another(prenominal) current assets, the total current assets up vacate to 33. meg dollars from 32. 3 one thousand million dollars. That was a grow of 1. 5 one thousand million dollars (Apple). It is distinguished to take into account the rest of the assets. For example, long marketable securities come up 1. 5 jillion dollars, property, plant and equipment come up 0. 91 trillion dollars, goodwill stayed the similar, acquired intangible assets fell 0. 017 billion dollars, and other assets rose wine 0. 56 billion dollars. Now that we know how each asset was affected during this q uarter, we come to the final numbers, which are total assets rose 3. 6 billion dollars. Apple grew its assets substantially during this quarter.I would call in Apple would be a good company to invest in. Before I made any decisions I would check up on the balance sheet further in order to compare liabilities and stockholders equity with the previous quarter. This will give me a better understanding of the financial situation of the company (Apple). Current liabilities are in the first section of liabilities and shareowners equity. The following accounts are current liabilities and how they fared. Accounts payable went down from 5. 5 billion dollars to 3. 9 billion dollars. Accrued expenses went down 1 billion dollars.Deferred revenue went up from 4. 8 billion dollars to 7 billion dollars. The total change in current liabilities was a decrease of 0. 4 billion dollars. The other two liabilities categories, deferred revenue (non-current) and other non-current liabilities, rose colle ctively 0. 7 billion dollars. This gives the total liabilities a rise of 0. 3 billion dollars. This amount compared to current assets is not as significant. So far Apple is still looking like a good investment because the assets of Apple rose 1. 5 billion dollars whereas their liabilities only rose 0. 4 billion dollars.It is now snip to take a look at the final category of the balance sheet, the shareholders equity (Apple). The value of shareholders equity, reciprocal stock, rose from 7. 1 billion dollars to 7. 6 billion dollars. Retained earnings withal rose it rose from 13. 8 billion dollars to 16. 6 billion dollars. Accumulated other comprehensive income rose . 07 billion dollars. be shareholders equity rose 3. 3 billion dollars. So adding together the rise of 0. 4 billion dollars in liabilities with the 3. 3 billion dollar rise of the shareholders equity, we get the same amount, 3. 7 billion dollars, as we got for the rise in total assets.