Saturday, August 31, 2019

Mistakes Managers Often Make

While working in a book bindery as a summer job, I came across a manager who broke one of the 101 Biggest Mistakes Managers Make.   The rule broken was: showing favoritism not based on performance. This bindery, worked in a factory like setting, and hired most people for minimum wage.   The salary offered attracted a range of people from students, to housewives, and foreign speaking Americans.   I accepted the position for minimum wage, and was happy to be busy for the summer months.   What I was not happy with was the favoritism that ran rampant throughout the bindery. My manager began showing signs of favoritism in very small ways, but as the summer wore on, the signs of favoritism began growing and growing.   It seemed that this particular bindery hired relatives, friends and anyone who knew anyone.   Obviously, this can be an asset as well as a negative.   In my case, it was a definite negative.   My manager had several relatives and friends working there that were her obvious favorites.   Since I was not related and had known her previously, I began to notice a pattern of more difficult jobs going to me, and the easier jobs going to those that she knew or liked better than me. When I brought this to her attention I was told that there was no favoritism going on and was making something out of nothing.   As this pattern continued, other workers began to take notice and become irritated.   They were reluctant to confront her due to the fact that they knew I had, and not only received no satisfaction, it seemed that I was no even more unpopular. The jobs that came my way now were ugly.   The books were extremely heavy to pack, messy to inspect and often scattered throughout the bindery so I had to go find them.   I noticed my workload and noticed the workload of the favorite ones was much, much different.   Theirs consisted of paperback books, that needed little to no inspecting and were light to pack and always on the same cart in the same place. I finally was able to convince a few people to come forward so that the issue could be resolved.   Unfortunately they did not receive satisfaction either.   In fact, they were labeled troublemakers and their workload drastically changed for the worse very quickly. At this point, I felt personally responsible for their unhappiness and difficulty at work so I decided to take the next step.   As professionally as I could be, I spoke to Human Resources about the situation.   I was assured that it would be addressed with the person immediately and I would not find any further unfairness.   I was sure that this was the end.   Work would return to normal and the workload would be evenly distributed again soon. What I did not expect was further unfairness.   This manager now truly detested me and her actions were completely obvious.   Now my jobs were piling up and all nightmare jobs.   My coworkers that had come forward now seemed to be getting a break.   All their bad jobs were coming my way instead.   I knew that this had gone from a professional disagreement to a personal one.   I didn’t know what to do.   I wanted to stand up for myself but feared future retaliation. This was just supposed to be an easy summer job.   I wasn’t sure if it was worth all the headaches.   Still, I knew what I had to do.   I made an appointment with the Vice President to discuss the matter.   He boasted of an open door policy and this time I was positive that it would be handled once and for all. My coworkers were nervous for me and still upset about what had transpired between them and her.   They were not interested in coming forward with me, and I didn’t blame them.   This was supposed to fun. Nevertheless to support me, they began taking frequent breaks, working slower, coming in late and caring less and less about the condition of the books that were being sent out.   I have to admit, although not intentional, my attitude had gotten worse which directly resulted in less care with the books.   Work in this part of the bindery was grinding to a slow halt.   Our division was getting further and further behind but nothing was done.   We were just instructed to work harder and faster. My meeting with the Vice President went well and the days after that went along much smoother.   Unfortunately by the time this meeting took place, the summer was almost over and we were still weeks behind in production. I left that summer wondering how this had happened at all.   It was a simple issue I had thought.   I had expected maturity and professionalism.   I didn’t know that people like this, with this type of mentality existed in upper management.   I learned that this type of person exists on all levels and what was a simple issue that could have been resolved in five minutes, dragged on for almost three months and resulted in hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars being lost or wasted. During my meeting with the Vice President I explained how simple this issue really was and the only reason it had gotten to him was because it had not been handled in the first place.   I let him know that employees need a person they can go to when issues arise. I suggested a non-bias person that could listen and act appropriately.   Having to go through the chain of command is a good way to start but when the problem isn’t resolved there has to be someone available, without the busy schedule of the Vice President.   The whole situation was an eye opener and taught me not only how to stand up for myself professionally but how to make suggestions that may help a company avoid these mistakes in the future.

Friday, August 30, 2019

The Ancient City of Uruk

The metropolis of Uruk was at its most influential from 4000-3000 BCE, and its rise and enlargement can be partly attributed to the absence of prestige stuffs in the southern alluvial sediment ( Joffe 1994, 512 ) . Low entree to these stuffs led to the desire for trade and the formation of extended relationships with other metropoliss, which, along with other factors, led to the enlargement of Uruk, an event which can be displayed by a rapid population addition and drastic societal alteration. Previously, the belief that Uruk had low entree to raw stuffs was widespread, but this belief is baseless, as Uruk had about everything it needed but lumber. It has been observed that most local trees and reeds may hold served for Uruk’s demand for wood, demuring the edifice of big, monumental public architecture ( Joffe 1994, 514 ) . Though the alluvial field was fertile and rich, a premier topographic point for agribusiness, and so had most resources needed for endurance, Uruk’s entree to luxury stuffs was highly low. It has been argued that a chief stuff that drove the demand for trade was lumber, but this has been disputed by the fact that most monumental edifices in Uruk are composed of gypsum, which was a locally sourced rock, every bit good as the aforesaid beginning of local trees and reeds ( Joffe 1994, 513 ) . The cardinal thrust for trade was most likely the desire for luxury points such as semi-precious rocks and metals, objects which have been found within Uruk though they were sourced from rather far off. Evidence of this long-distance trade is found within entombments of a manner which moved off from that of the Ubaid period with the add-on of sedate goods ; objects such as mirrors and Cu axes were found within Gravess in Susa, the Cu imported from the mountains about 200 kilometers off ( Jennings 2010, 59 ) . Trade would hold ab initio been instituted near by, with colonies in close propinquity to Uruk, before traveling farther out to topographic points with more alien goods. These countries, along with supplying stuffs to another metropolis, would hold had a desire for the forte points being produced in Uruk with the addition of stuffs available. Artifacts of Uruk manner have been found from Egypt to topographic points every bit distant as Pakistan, with advanced clayware from Uruk traded for cherished rocks, gold, and other such stuffs ( Jennings 2010, 67 ) . As Uruk’s influence, as the trade Centre of the period, increase d over clip, the desire to keep the flow of goods into the metropolis precipitated the enlargement of Mesopotamian dregss along the trade path with the constitution of trading outstations ; this development allowed goods to be ferried between colonies instead than over long distances, many of these outstations walled and supplying a safer path for the prestigiousness points ( Jennings 2010, 68 ) . The prevalence of trade made immediate the issue of travel between these outstations, and so along with the usual agencies of conveyance – by pes – more efficient agencies were discovered and put to utilize, such as boats and sleighs ; donkeys were introduced to the profession of trade, as were wheeled vehicles ( Jennings 2010, 69 ; Joffe 1994, 515 ) . Equally good as a more efficient agencies of travel, the first signifier of authorship was developed in Uruk ; this was economic, and developed because of the increasing prevalence of trade. In response to the laterality of trade, Uruk underwent a monolithic enlargement of its boundary lines. Many colonies that have been identified by several historiographers as trading settlements were set up along common Uruk trading paths, and architecture characteristic to Uruk has been found in little communities along the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, on the outskirts of Mesopotamia ( Algaze 1989, 571-608 ; Surenhagen 1986 ) . Some colonial outstations had become more than simple stop-overs for going bargainers, and had accumulated plenty wealth to justify protection by tall rock walls ( Jennings 2010, 68 ) . A chief cause of enlargement in Uruk was increased specialization in the production of goods. The increased handiness of prestige stuffs due to success in trade led to an inflow of people, both impermanent occupants – from trading colonies – and lasting occupants – from colonies that were incorporated into the metropolis of Uruk, under bid of the new-found elite. Equally good as external colonies, people were likely traveling into the metropolis with the hopes of thriving in their peculiar trade and providing to increased demand for luxury points. The alteration in the fabrication of fabrics, from flax to wool, is an illustration of the specialization that occurred, and is possibly one of the more important cases: woolly sheep were introduced from the North, and woollen cloths had many advantages, including the easiness with which they took dye ( Jennings 2010, 65 ) . The coloring of cloth was particularly of import in this new age of increasing societal stratification, and wool was besides far more convenient as it took far less attempt for laborers to bring forth ( Jennings 2010, 65 ) . Another root of the quickly increasing population of Uruk, unrelated to stuffs, is an inflow of refugees from fall ining city states in Sumer, but this can besides be attributed to the rise in power and influence of Uruk, its wealth and prosperity ma intaining it afloat where other metropoliss failed ( Jennings 2010, 69 ) . Equally good as trade and subsequent enlargement flowering from the desire for natural stuffs, a profound alteration in societal fortunes occurred. With a booming economic system within Uruk, as the Centre of trade during this period, societal stratification began to happen, with degrees being distinguished between the elite and the on the job category. The distribution of wealth was a major factor, those with the most holding places of power within the trading Centre. The development of composing farther separated the categories, as acquisition to compose would hold been something that was restricted to the elite, but what was most of import, as Algaze says, was economic distinction, as economic distinction leads to societal distinction ( 2001, 204 ) . There are many illustrations of differences between societal categories, one being a list of professions found widely, from Uruk to Ebla, ordered harmonizing to the rank of rubrics held by the elite ( Nissen 1986, 329 ) . This list na mes leaders of peculiar groups, from presidents, courtiers, and embassadors, to priests, nurserymans, bakers and throwers ( Nissen 1986,329 ) . Through this list and others like it – as it is the most extremely reproduced list from the period – it is possible to see the rigorous hierarchy that developed in Uruk with lifting wealth position. Another index of position can be seen in the grave goods, mentioned above. With the Uruk period came a move off from the old Ubaid period-style of entombments, and the inclusion of sedate goods began, which was another distinguishable symbol of position. With a more affluent civilization, more luxuriant entombments became common, and the more luxuriant the grave goods included, the higher the position of the resident of the grave. Another new thought displayed in this period was that of the person, and single ownership displayed by clay seals ; these were used to track traded goods and grade ownership, and this thought was non conta ined to Uruk. A broad assortment of seals have been found within Uruk and without, subsequently conforming to other social manners, their visual aspect altering circumstantially but keeping the original Uruk ideals ( Nissen 1986, 320 ) . A metropolis can merely spread out to a certain extent, and this applies to Uruk. The thrust for trade through the desire for entree to raw stuffs created the chance for Uruk to spread out its influence, its population lifting with its wealth and complexness. Over clip, the lower categories in society were pushed to spread out agribusiness, which intensified to back up the lifting population of specializers who did non bring forth their ain nutrient. This led to over-irrigation, and the one time fertile, rich land of the southern alluvial field was subjected to environmental impairment, which finally led to the prostration of agribusiness ( Algaze 2001, 218 ) . Equally good as the terrible overburdening of the land, Uruk’s lessening in influence can be attributed to a supposed addition in ill will in Mesopotamia as colonies fought for connexions to the trading web ; ill will in the country can be seen in the copiousness of walled colonies, such as Habuba Kabira and Sheikh Hass an ( Jennings 2010, 60 ) . Even as Uruk declined, other countries had been influenced by Uruk’s thoughts, which travelled along with trade stuffs, and little colonies became involved in widespread trade, viing with each other for the more successful trading spouse with high entree to critical stuffs and making lifting force. Equally good as ill will, it appears that Uruk decided to turn away from its dependance on an early planetary economic system based on trade and external variables, from long distance relationships jeopardised by force and competition from and between other provinces, and towards the local economic system. Uruk’s local economic system was able to be managed in a much more efficient manner since the innovation of the authorship system, and so colonies were able to distance themselves from trading and the metropolis, and develop as their ain entities ( Jennings 2010, 71 ) . But even as Uruk’s methods were embraced by some, other countries such as Tepe Gawra rejected many of the rules which other topographic points were so eager to take up, and this is displayed by the low sum of Uruk-style clayware that was found in the country, while at the same clip in many other parts these types of goods were quickly go arounding ; this part besides maintained their ain distinguishable manner of entombment, non conforming to the new Uruk manner ( Jennings 2010, 72 ) . Uruk was an country with low entree to raw stuffs, and it displayed an astonishing ability to accommodate to its fortunes and specify a new manner of life which would distribute across Mesopotamia. Trade provided it entree to the luxury stuffs it required, and this gave birth to a rapid period of enlargement and wealth, which created the first known grounds of social stratification. The limited entree to critical stuffs, though non the lone variable, was the trigger for the rise and eventual autumn of the metropolis of Uruk.

Thursday, August 29, 2019

Hawaiian Tropical Reef Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Hawaiian Tropical Reef - Research Paper Example This is a spectacle nature orchestrates for the continuation of the string of different life forms. There is a vibrant dominance of coral reefs that make life possible at the deepest part of it. This is due to the fact that the integral components of it are different species or diverse groups of aquatic flora and fauna in which each of them has elemental role to play for the success of maintaining the balance of life. Unacquainted about it, the tropical reef in Hawaii may be one of the most restless places on earth as life in there would never stop to transform. There would always be a perfect story of adaptation and survival. Change is eminent in this place as combined efforts of adaptation, survival and transformation have become integral components of making what Hawaiian tropical reef is all about. After all, it is an ecosystem where the perfect drama of life, story of survival, adaptation or migration takes center stage. In other words, Hawaiian tropical reef is a natural ecosys tem where there is a huge number of flora and fauna trying to benefit from each other. All forms of interaction can be observed in here. This ecosystem substantially covers the entire aquatic area of responsibility of Hawaiian geographic location. Coral reefs are formed from the fusion of calcium carbonate which would result to either hard or soft corals (Miththapala 1). Some corals take time to develop and others do not undergo a long process in their formation. However, all of these types of corals could be remarkably observed at the Hawaiian tropical reef. In other words, there are varieties of corals found beneath the captivating view of Hawaii’s ocean. One benefit of these coral reefs is that they have become home to a wide range and huge number of different microorganisms. In fact, Hawaiian tropical reef is loaded with tropical reef fish (Foster 54). These living organisms are just among the thousands and possibly millions of life forms of flora and fauna that seeks to find their survival in the Hawaiian tropical reef. There is a constant interaction between these organisms. As plants not only provide food for the primary consumers, they also give off oxygen for the benefits of those organisms requiring it for their breathing. In the same way, animals give off carbon dioxide for the benefits of the plants living as integral component of the coral reefs. It is of interest why Hawaiian tropical reef became a marvelous spot and perfect attraction not only among the locals, but substantial number of visitors all throughout the year. In reality, the Hawaiian Archipelago’s geographic location has something to do with this. Hawaii is located somewhere in the world where there is a perfectly combined atmosphere for subtropical climate which prohibits multiplication of coral reefs in a cool winter ocean water, but beneath there is also a need to encourage flow of its warmer counterpart that needs to take place for the whole year (Lau and Mink 227). In other words, the vast population of coral reefs in Hawaii could be largely attributed to the natural combination of both cool and warmer flow of ocean water which further could be ascribed to the subtropical climate. I really did enjoy reef walks at Hawaii tropical reefs; it would happen during the lowest tides of the month. At this moment, various creatures will be clearly visible

Wednesday, August 28, 2019

Sports recreation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Sports recreation - Essay Example Notational analysis has emerged in the recent past and has proven to be a technique that can improve the level of professional sports. The technique is aiming at designing a competitive advantage. The game is analyzed by annotating players and matches for techniques and tactics using a technique commonly known as Notations.In order to examine advances taking place in the area of evaluating the effectiveness of the coach, we first examine how formal teaching effectiveness has been evaluated. Research on teaching effectiveness has developed since man acknowledged education as a quality value in life. The interaction between the student and the teacher is important in measuring effectiveness. This focus is directed towards a critical element in the learning process which is effective if it is positive. Coaches are required to outline key factors in performance, categories under which the factors will be classified and the criteria for success and unsuccessful performance. They are requi red to know the objectives in which they want to inflict on their students. The model of coaching requires a coaching practice plan in education programmed. An analysis is a new technique of recording performance, it facilitates identification of critical events in a specific performance and these events can later be grouped in terms of reliability and consistency. It enables qualitative response which is objective and accurate. This technique ensures that there is no alteration in performance without feedback records.

Tuesday, August 27, 2019

Funding Higher Education Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Funding Higher Education - Essay Example In the present times, corporate organizations are known to support the funding of higher education all across the world. Such organizations make investments in educational research that prove to be beneficial for their own operations. The budgets of such organizations are spent on educational institutions in their own countries also sending their workers for training and development. The post secondary education has been observed to have become highly intangible for students across different countries. The primary reasons behind such a scenario include the cost and the unavailability of adequate spaces for educations. In such a midst of necessity for high quality of higher education for students across different countries in the world, it can be said that corporate organizations are the ones who would benefit the most from investing and contributing in the process of funding of higher education (Ehidiamen n.d.). The present study focuses on the issues of funding higher education and tries to determine how such issues may be resolved by actions of organizations, considering two different organizations for the study. ... According to the Law on Institutions of Higher Education â€Å"The number of study places to be financed from the funds of the State budget in an institution of higher education shall be determined by the Minister for Education and Science on the basis of a proposal of the Council of Higher Education. The number of study places in institutions of higher education founded by local governments and other legal persons and natural persons shall be determined by the founder of these institutions of higher education† (Juris et al 2006). According to the Law on Institutions of Higher Education, â€Å"the Higher Education Council has extensive competence and functions, including issues of funding the higher education† (Juris et al 2006). It constitutes the power of planning schemes for the development of higher education and the fees for the study, thus offering an outlook to the Minister for Education and Science and the Cabinet in regard to the outline of the State budget for the funding of institutions of higher education. â€Å"Membership of the Higher Education Council is confirmed by Parliament – Saeima. The Higher Education Council’s resources to realize its mandate are limited, however† (Juris et al 2006). With significant decrease in the expenditures made by the public on higher education, a crisis has been observed across the world affecting the process of development. Several countries across the world have imposed severe decreases in public budgets for higher education. Such measures had to be done due to many of the policies of economic reforms of the countries or influenced by the underlying principle for the condensed

Monday, August 26, 2019

Social Work and the Law Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Social Work and the Law - Case Study Example In other instances, abuse reports from hospital visits were ignored and the child was returned to her abusers. The Timeline article noted that three social workers were sacked after a public inquiry by Lord Laming found them guilty of negligence. Since Victoria's death, there has been an upheaval in reforms to protect children, young people and vulnerable adults, especially in the areas of social work and the government in the UK. Under the Children's Act of 2004 (Smith 2005), legislation in the following areas has been introduced: physical and mental health, emotional well being, protection from harm and neglect, education training and recreation, contributions by children to society, and social and economic well being. The question becomes whether these generalized areas can become focused enough to matter. Studies indicate that the basic areas affected by the Act are the rights of children through the revised Mental Health Act; needs of pupils through Qualification and Curriculum Authority (QCA)__related to the number of new international family arrivals; disability awareness training; the Education Act 2005; help for people with dementia through the International Health Study related to quality of life; the need for new legislation prohibiting discrimination because of sexual orientation, and the effort to balance work and life in the community (Background 2006). This is an ambitious enterprise, but given past history, it is not likely that the Children Act 2004 will resolve all of the issues in conflict. There is presently a two-year assessment underway funded by the Nuffield Foundation which began in October 2004 and will continue to September 2006. The assessment is based on the Human Rights Act of 1998 which brought the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) into UK domestic law, and the purpose is to determine anti-discriminatory measures available under the Equality Bill which extend to children and young people (All Party Parliamentary 2005). One concern in the Climbi inquiry was allegation of racism. Victoria was African and spoke little English (Timeline 2003). At present, no police officers criticised by the inquiry have lost their jobs, and one of the social workers involved has been allowed to resume working with children (Climbi Inquiry 2005). With anti-discrimination a key concern in the UK and Blacks, ethnic minorities and the disabled the focus of many reforms underway, the social aims of the UK government are commendable, but one wonders if they can actually chan ge public perception in a way that creates a safe environment for children. The policies contained in the law have weaknesses. The Equality Bill allows for enforcement against anti-discriminatory actions, but, according to the Child Impact Statement, "its powers in relation to the Human Rights Act 1998 are primarily promotional." Clause 9(2)(a) of the Equality Bill defines human rights as ECHR rights specifically, though subsection (b) enables the new Commission on Equality and Human Rights to exercise its functions in respect of other human rights. This could include the UN Convention on the Rights of the

Sunday, August 25, 2019

Globalization Impacts On The Poor And Inequality Essay

Globalization Impacts On The Poor And Inequality - Essay Example Financial integration should be accompanied with the pursuit of macroeconomic stabilization policies. Both traditional and modern trade theories suggest that gains from the free trade will not be distributed equally within economies. The World Bank studies several ways in which globalization affects inequality within and across countries. A very important factor in the distribution of income is the initial income of the country. The empirical literature reveals that free trade contributes only to 20% of the world inequality, being less important than such factors as technological innovations or demographic changes. The economists use the term globalization to refer to international integration in the capital, commodity, and labor markets. The crucial economic features of the two most recent periods of globalization (1950-73 and 1974-2007) involve increased integration in trade, international capital flows and movement of labor. However, as we can see in table 1 (WTO,2008), there are differences in the importance of these factors in each period. During the entire 1950-2007 period, the trade expanded by 6.2 percent. In the first decades after World War II (WWII), due to the reconstruction of the country economies, the most dynamic traders were the Western European countries and Japan.From 1974 to 2000, newly industrialized Asian economies (NIEs) were the main beneficiaries of globalization, with their merchandise exports comprising raising from 2.4 percent to 9.7 percent within only two decades.  

Saturday, August 24, 2019

IT in the Workplace and how It Affects Work-life Balance Research Paper

IT in the Workplace and how It Affects Work-life Balance - Research Paper Example The virtual world of the internet has taken personal and work lives by storm in entering a deep zone of human consciousness and subconsciousness. (Duxbury 15) It has become a near involuntary exercise to stay in the world of the Internet due to the worldwide acceptance and need for this technology in professional, social and financial spheres of life. The advent of the Internet, Internet Rich Applications, and Smart Devices together have led to the fading of boundaries between work and personal life. While holding a Smartphone in hand there is a possibility of getting a notification from one’s employer about an upcoming task or an urgent call to made that very day, or perhaps a call from a client or boss. Hardware devices like Smartphones, PDAs, Tablets, and Pads have affected work-life balance to a great extent. The introduction of such devices in one’s life has led to 24 X 7 seamless connections with the Internet, email accounts, instant messengers, office network etc. This increases the chance of being contacted for official work on weekends, vacations or even while one is sick. Randstad Work Monitor Report for Quarter 1 2012 revealed that majority of employees in Singapore struggle to achieve work-life balance as technology infiltrated daily lives and virtually resulting in being connected to the office while attending to personal and social life. (Asia One 1) A Canadian researcher, Linda Duxbury, through her focused study has found that tools like emails, blackberry, instant messenger, professional networks, PDAs, laptops, pads, Palmtop PDAs have increased the expectations of being available anywhere and anytime. It adds to the stress and burden of the employee and raises hopes of managers expecting people to reply and respond to messages or answer calls even when they are away from work. (The Conversation 1) It indeed makes one stressed if he or she is not able to attend a phone call or reply to a mail or message immediately.

Friday, August 23, 2019

Venezuela under Hugo Chavez Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

Venezuela under Hugo Chavez - Essay Example He directed the movement in an unproductive coup overthrow against the Democratic Action government of Carlos Andrà ©s Pà ©rez, who was the president in 1992. This led to the imprisonment of Hugo Rafael Chà ¡vez Frà ­as (Feinberg, 1). Later on, after he was released, he formed a socialist political party two years later, it was called the Fifth Republic Movement, and he was voted president of Venezuela in 1998. In 2000, he was re-elected and during this second term he presented the system of communal groups, Bolivarian Missions, and employee-managed companies, along with a land reform program, which was municipalizing main industries. In 2006, he was re-elected again with more than 60% of the votes. After emerging victorious in his fourth tenure as president in October 2012, defeating Henrique Capriles, Hugo Rafael Chà ¡vez Frà ­as was sworn on 10th January 2013. However, the Venezuela National Assembly decided to postpone the inaugural ceremony to give him time to enable him r ecuperate from medical treatment in Cuba, which resulted from a cancer return that was initially identified in June 2011. On 5th March 2013, Hugo Rafael Chà ¡vez Frà ­as passed away in Caracas at 58 years. During the duration Venezuela was under Hugo Chà ¡vez, it was not a democratic country, though Chà ¡vez was not a dictator, he crushed the democracy of the Venezuelan nation. In a period when South America was swiftly moving towards the far-left demagoguery from its ancient binaries of far-right, Chà ¡vez was still holding Venezuela back in the past, both politically and economically. Under the decade of Chà ¡vez, while other nations like Peru and Brazil became representations of equality and success, Venezuela appeared to go back to the bad ancient days. It is true that the polls were usually well-conducted and fair under his regime. He even freely accepted defeat in one.

The market for Cancer vaccines Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

The market for Cancer vaccines - Essay Example Geography is also a decisive factor in the case of market characteristics of cancer vaccines as the demand is global and the producing countries are few which results in geographical constraints as the importing cost is involved. The key obstacle to enter this market includes the likes of authoritarian problem, compensation related matters, high cost implicated in manufacturing an oncology product, and government cost repression measures. Also, fear over the effectiveness and side effects of the vaccine of cancer is appearing to be the barrier in the growth of cancer vaccine market (Findlay, â€Å"Cancer vaccine - A giant leap in cancer treatment†). Incentives as such depend on the country where it is being produced. The research and development work related to the cancer vaccine is very expensive which calls for government subsidies and the incentives are correlated with these. Gears to help authorize cancer patients to assess research studies for which they may be entitled which includes the OncoLink/EmergingMed Clinical Trials Matching Service, which persuades patients to look for and consider medical test for the treatment of cancer. A channel to help one to navigate the territory of corresponding and substituting medicine with instructions and warnings on treatments such as vitamins, herbals, chemicals, acupuncture, diet, meditation and body-mind therapy. It comprises that the preliminary information relating to photodynamic therapy (PDT); an original cancer treatment which works by revealing a photosensitizing medicine to precise wavelength of light to kill cancer cells. Proton therapy is a highly developed form of radiation therapy that is at present in use at a limited number of centers worldwide. Protons are different from straight radiation because the beam can significantly diminish normal tissue revelation to surplus radiation. In today’s world, medical science has come of ages and quite a

Thursday, August 22, 2019

Biology Lesson 6 Exam Essay Example for Free

Biology Lesson 6 Exam Essay Question 1 2 points Save Epithelial, muscle, connective, and nervous are types of what? bones cells tissues (pages 846-847) organs Question 2 2 points Save Which of the following is NOT a structural characteristic of bone? Haversian canals periosteum connective bone (pages 851-852) bone marrow Question 3 2 points Save Freely movable, slightly movable, and immovable are types of what? bones subcutaneous tissues muscles joints (page 854) Question 4 2 points Save Which is NOT a characteristic or function of the epidermis? repair of damaged cells (page 861) flattened cells protection from outside forces  contain waterproofing protein Question 5 2 points Save Which type of blood vessel is both strong and elastic? capillary artery (page 873). Vein venule Question 6 2 points Save Which of the following are the smallest and most numerous blood vessels in the body? venules veins arteries Capillaries (page 874) Question 7 2 points Save Air moves through the bronchi to the alveoli by a network of tiny tubes called arterioles. venules. capillaries. bronchioles. (page 886) Question 8 2 points Save Which of the following lists the correct order of structures through which air passes as it enters the body and proceeds to the lungs? Nose, larynx, trachea, pharynx pharynx, nose, larynx, trachea nose, pharynx, larynx, trachea (page 886) pharynx, nose, trachea, larynx Question 9 2 points Save Most of the end products of digestion are absorbed into the circulatory system from which organ? liver (page 911) pancreas large intestine small intestine Question 10 2 points Save The mouth, small intestine, and kidneys have functions that involve the digestion of food, synthesis of vitamins, and filtering of the blood. intake, digestion, absorption, and elimination of food and its wastes. secretion of bile, digestion of food, and reabsorption of water. All of the above. Question 11 2 points Save Pancreas is to small intestine enzymes as stomach is to saliva. stomach is to proteins from amino acids. liver is to bile. (page 910) liver is to hydrochloric acid. Question 12 2 points Save Ureter is to urinary bladder as urinary bladder is to ureter. urethra is to urinary bladder. urethra is to ureter. urinary bladder is to urethra. (page 914) Question 13 2 points Save As urine passes through the nephrons in the kidneys, urine from the renal tubule empties into a larger tube called a(n) ureter. (page 914) collecting tube. Bowmans capsule. renal vein. Question 14 2 points Save Which of the following is the blood vessel with the largest diameter? capillary artery vein (page 874) venule Question 15 2 points Save The skin repels pathogens by functioning as a barrier. by producing antibodies. with sweat, which contains lysozyme. both a and c. (page 924) Question 16 2 points Save As a defense against pathogens, mucous membranes cover all of the bodys surfaces to act as an impenetrable barrier. line internal body surfaces that contact the environment. (page 924) produce antibodies to combat infection. secrete sweat, which has antibacterial enzymes. Question 17 2 points Save An allergic response is NOT typically caused by harmless antigens. pollen. histamine. both a and c. Question 18 2 points Save The function of neurons is to maintain a difference in electrical charge across the cell membrane. have specific ions cross the membrane through ion channels. maintain a membrane potential with charged ions on either side of the cell membrane. all of the above. (page 945) Question 19 2 points Save When an impulse moves down the axon, sodium ions first rush out of the cell. a small part of the axon momentarily reverses its polarity (page 946). The resting potential of the cell does not change. potassium ions are pumped into the axon. Question 20 2 points Save When a neuron is at rest, sodium ions are most concentrated inside the cell. potassium ions are most concentrated inside the cell. the outside of the cell is negatively charged. b and c. (page 946) Question 21 2 points Save After an action potential, the voltage-gated sodium channels close and then sodium ions diffuse into the axon. potassium ions flow out of the axon. (page 947) the membrane potential becomes positive. neurotransmitters cross the cell membrane. Question 22 2 points Save. Refer to the illustration below to answer this question. Which structure regulates movement and posture? A B (Cerebellum) C D Question 23 2 points Save Refer to the illustration in question 22 to answer this question. Which structure regulates intellectual function? A (Cerebrum) B C D Question 24 2 points Save The brain stem is responsible for directing information in the brain and secreting hormones. regulating vital functions and memory. (pages 951-952) motor processing and regulating homeostatic functions. sensory processing and regulating balance. Question 25 2 points Save. Which of the following is NOT a characteristic of the spinal cord? It runs through the vertebral column. It extends just below the rib cage. It uses spinal nerves to connect to the PNS. It has a dorsal and ventral root at each end. (pages 952-953) Question 26 2 points Save Which of the following is NOT a function of hormones? initiate behavior and reproduction (page 974) coordinate the production and use of energy maintain nutrition and metabolism react to stimuli from outside the body Question 27 2 points Save The gland that is stimulated during emergency situations (causing the fight-or-flight response) is the  hypothalamus. thyroid. adrenal. (page 985) pituitary. Question 28 2 points Save Development and maintenance of female sexual characteristics are mainly stimulated by secretions of the pituitary. hypothalamus. pancreas. ovaries. Question 29 2 points Save Thyroid hormones stimulate cell metabolism and growth. (page 984) slow growth of their target cells. stimulate synthesis of DNA. bind to receptor molecules on the target cells surface. Question 30 2 points Save Which of the following is NOT a major structure of the male reproductive system? testes corpus luteum epididymis urethra Question 31 2 points Save. A sperm cell consists of a tail used for locomotion and a head that contains ____, which help(s) the sperm cell penetrate an egg cell. semen RNA enzymes (page 997) mucous Question 32 2 points Save After the ovum leaves the ovary, what is the first structure it passes through? corpus luteum cervix uterus fallopian tubes (page 1000) Question 33 2 points Save Which of the following is NOT a major structure of the female reproductive system? bulbourethral glands uterus ovary fallopian tube Question 34 10 points Save Match the terms in Column I with the definitions in Column II. Skeletal system F endocrine system H immune system C reproductive system I muscular system F circulatory system D digestive system G respiratory system A excretory system J nervous system E A. regulates supply of gases from ATP production B. provides negative feedback signals C. protects body against foreign dangers D. rapid transit for liquids and gases E. primary regulator of sensory functions F. provides support and means of motion G. processes materials for growth and maintenance H. makes cells used in circulatory system I. only system in which meiosis occurs J. takes out whats not wanted in the blood.

Wednesday, August 21, 2019

Construction Essays Road Works Equipment

Construction Essays Road Works Equipment Road Works Equipment Road Works Equipment/Compaction/Asphalting Executive Summary Roads are the lifeline of any economically vibrant nation. In this perspective, the road works equipment assumes a special significance as it not only impacts the overall quality of roads in a country, but also influences the economies associated with the construction and maintenance of roads. Road works equipment is a billion dollar industry that is growing and expanding at an exponential pace. The construction and maintenance of roads involves many technical and procedural nuances that demands special procedures and specialities. The purpose of this report is to analyse these micro and macro details associated with road works equipment and to delineate the role played by the modern road works equipment in the dynamics and economics of road works Get help with your essay from our expert essay writers The contemporary road works equipment has completely altered the way road works companies conceptualize and plan their work and the way they allocate their resources. Traditionally speaking, the road works industry has been a labour intensive and capital intensive venture, a factor that significantly added to the costs of the construction and maintenance of roads. In such a scenario, the allocation of scarce resources and manpower used to become a cumbersome task that added to the complexity of the road works operations. One objective of this study is to delineate the changes and contrasts in the earlier practices and the modern day practices. Not only this report mentions the major companies, manufacturers and suppliers of road works equipment but also takes a look into the hire, purchase and leasing arrangements feasible in this industry. Introduction The road works and highway maintenance has become a field of astute specialization in itself. Hence all the aspects of this business are undergoing through a process of refinement and specialization with the passage of time. The way road works operations were managed in the past are a complete contrast to the ways things are done today. With the advent of mechanization in all the aspects of construction industry in the last few decades, the road works equipment has assumed a special significance and importance of its own. The main task before this report is to compare and contrast the earlier practices in the road works operations with the contemporary trends and practices. Though the roads always played a special significance in the economic and cultural well being of a nation, their importance has increased manifold in the new liberalized and globalized economic scenario. With the advent of trading blocks like the European Union (EU) on the scene, the roads have become a vital instrument of change and harmonization. The unprecedented increase in the number of automobiles over the years has necessitated the need for improvisation and ingenuity in the road works industry. Till the last few decades, the road works procedures in Europe were primarily capital intensive and labour intensive. A major chunk of the budgetary allocations in the road works assignments were set aside for the labour costs and the purchase of road works equipment. This massive augmentation into the costs of factors of constructio n unleashed a revolution into the road works equipment industry. It is well said that necessity is the mother of invention. Till now the manual approach in the road works operations was not only compromising on the quality of roads, but also coasted immensely in terms of time and assets. Soon a need was felt that the salient aspects of the road work aught to be mechanized by using the innovative and specialized equipment. This vital need was catered to by the companies specializing in the road works equipment. The impact of this change was felt acutely in the major road works tasks like compaction and asphalting. The new equipment not only saved much time and money but also performed the above mentioned tasks with an enhanced efficacy and refinement. The specific objective of this report is to deliberate on the changes unfolded by the arrival of mechanized procedures and new equipment. This new approach towards road works definitely increased the efficiency and savings associated with all the procedures. Discussion Innovation and specialization are the hallmarks of the scientific and economic development. Roads are an important aspect of the economic and cultural development. This aspect of the national growth has certainly undergone rapid and multifarious changes in terms of technological and procedural inputs. The way road works operations were planned and carried on in the past are definitely a far cry to the modern state of the art road works techniques and equipment. Today the roads are expected to satisfy a number of criteria and expectations which were never heard of and expected in the days of the yore. It will be really interesting to delve on the compromises and contrasts between the earlier practices and the modern day practices. 3.1 Earlier and Modern Day Practices Roads always played a special significance in the British financial, cultural and social life. The British rulers always paid a special attention to the roads and well understood their relevance in maintaing and upholding the economic and cultural growth in this vibrant nation. However, the roads of the yore were predominantly un asphalted and narrow and though they successfully catered to the needs and the aspirations of the times, they were no match to the modern metalled roads that were designed to meet the realities of industrial revolution and economic growth. The invention of automobiles and the industrial revolution proved to be a turning point so far as the history of road works is concerned. The new automobiles and transportation vehicles demanded very different types of roads, the construction of which required special features and procedures. This need gave birth to the nascent road works industry that was later to evolve into an important and vital aspect of the British business and cultural life. The new roads needed to be compact and levelled, the achievement of which required procedures like asphalting and compaction. In the earlier times, these procedures were performed mostly manually and were predominantly labour intensive. The crews associated with compaction tasks had to hustle to get their jobs done and open the roads to traffic. These compaction procedures performed manually required large amounts of time and investments. This augmented the public pressure to minimize the time spent with lane closures and traffic disruptions. These compaction procedures were mostly performed using bulky road rollers that produced nearly 2400 vibrations per minute and influenced the quality of roads. Thus the outcome achieved also proved to be flawed and not as per the ideal quality requirements. However, the advent of modern equipment has drastically changed the things. Today there are available the highway compactors that yield a miniscule 4000 vibrations per minute (ZOOM Info, 2008 ). This enables the construction crews to control the impact per foot that definitely magnifies the smoothness and the density of roads. The new compactors also enable the construction companies to perform the jobs well before the expected time limits and have minimized the frequency and time of lane closures and resultant traffic disruptions. As was with compaction, so stands true for the awesome task of asphalting. The process of asphalting involves paving the roads with a mixture of gravel and asphalt. This primarily involved the twin procedures of mixing and paving of asphalt. The asphalt mixing equipment used in the past was primarily manual and thus did not allow the mixing of asphalt as per the desired proportions and density. The modern asphalt mixing machines are totally automatic and allow the road works crew to choose the density and viscosity of the asphalt mixture as per their requirements (APELLC, 2008). This has certainly revolutionized the concept of road works. So also stands true for the bothersome task of asphalt paving. The asphalt laying and paving today is no more done manually as was the practise in the past. Today there are available such machines that perform the task of asphalt paving and laying at one go and that too automatically. This not only helps in constructing smoother and flawless roads b ut also allow the road works crews to achieve pavements pf desired thickness and with. Though the road works industry is a vital constituent of the national growth, the fact is that like any other business it is a business and has to abide by the norms and aspirations expected of all the successful ventures. Like other industries, the road works industry also aspires to cut down on its time related commitments and investments, modernize and automate its operations and use its finances to the optimum level. The road works ventures of today are way apart from the practises of the past in the sense that the usage of modern road works equipment and accessories enables them to achieve efficiency and savings which was not possible with the predominantly manual road works procedures of the past. The advent of modern road works equipment especially in the segment of asphalting and compaction has totally revolutionized the contemporary road works industry. 3.2 Major Companies/Manufacturers/Suppliers Today their exist many companies in the world that specialize in the manufacturing and supply of increasingly sophisticated and automated road building equipment that is in tandem with the changing industry needs (SED, 2008). Especially considering the lack of skilled labour in this industry in the West, the services rendered by these companies are increasingly in demand. Some of the major road works equipment manufacturers and suppliers are; Caterpillar Tadano Haulotte Group Ingersoll-Rand Company JCB Inc. Multiquip Inc. Stone Construction Equipment Inc. Dynapac Prater-Sterling Sebright Products Inc. Reynolds Industrial L.P. 3.3 Methods of Procurement Road works industry is primarily a capital intensive industry that needs the optimal utilization of the assets at its disposal. Hence it prefers to procure its equipment using a spectrum of methods like procurement, hiring, outsourcing, purchasing, purchasing on instalments and leasing. Hence most of the major companies dealing in the road works equipment offer a range of options and facilities to their customers. This not only ensures the optimum utilization of scarce resources but also enforces customer loyalty, brand preference and accountability in the long run. 3.4 Drivers and Barriers The recent upsurge in the number of automobiles and the stringent pollution norms has necessitated the up gradation of the existing roads throughout the developed world. The economic boom in Asia and South America has also motivated most of the international road works companies to shift their operations to these lucrative climes. This has enhanced the demand for the road works equipment related to compaction and asphalting. However, the availability of cheap unskilled labour and a shortage of skilled labour in Asia and Europe are hampering the introduction of sophisticated road works equipment. The recent recessionary trends in the West and the upsurge in the oil prices are also proving to be a major barrier to the expansion and growth of road works equipment industry. 4.0 Conclusion The introduction of the sophisticated road works equipment and machinery has definitely altered the face of road works industry. Courtesy the better and accurate compaction and asphalting machines, the quality of roads has improved drastically along with the optimal achievement of requisite economies and parameters. Considering the latest statutory guidelines pertaining to pollution in the developed world and the economic boom in the Asia and South America, the market for the road works equipment is expected to expand further. However, the road works industry being strictly capital intensive, the companies involved will have to offer a wide spectrum of procurement options and facilities to its customers. References Asphalt Paving Equipment, APELLC, viewed 17 July 2008, Industrial Machinery, ZOOM Info, viewed 17 July 2008, SED The National Event for Construction, viewed 17 July 2008,

Tuesday, August 20, 2019

Total quality management and service

Total quality management and service There are many ways you can explain Quality, for example Service or product which meets or exceeds the expectations of its consumers is known as Quality Product or Service. Product quality and Service Quality plays were important role in Hospitality Industry because if you exceed your Guest Expectation they will surly come back to you and they vll also recommend you to their friends and family, which will increase the business. Hospitality Industry is known for their Products and Service and so it is important for them to maintain and gradually increase there quality according to their customers need. Defination Of Quality: According to Oxford Dictionary â€Å" Quality can defined as a degree of Excellence†Jurans defins Quality as â€Å"fitness for intended use† the defination says that Quality is meeting or exceeding customer expectations. Ref: http://www.shsu.edu/~mgt_ves/mgt481/lesson1/lesson1.htm Example: If the Guest Stays in the 5 star hotel property, he is quite sure of the products and service he is going to get from them, and if the hotel is successful in providing expected service that means they have given the guest quality service and products. According to Deming- Quality should be aimed at the needs of the consumer, present and future. Ref: http://www.balancedscorecard.org/TheDemingCycle/tabid/112/Default.aspx Example: In the hotels there are guest who vist same property more offently may be every month, hotel should keep the record of their special needs such as what type of room they prefer, any special dietary requirement, any special products they like having in there room for eg. Fridge, fan etc. And providing all the recorded needs of the guest on his every vist, i called as Quality Service and Product. Both the definition have almost same meaning that is quality can only be achieved if the guest is satisfied with the service and products. According to me â€Å"Getting good Service or Product for less amount is quality† For Example : For me staying in BB is more satisfying than a big property because you get all basic things and service in very low price than a big hotel. Difference Between Product Quality And Service Quality Product Quality Service Quality Product Quality can be owned once purched. For eg, booking of room in a hotel. Service Quality can only be Experienced as Good or Bad For Eg, food service given on table. Product quality,is not dependant on service quality Service Quality is dependent on Product Quality It is Tangible, for eg it can be seen It is Non tangible, can only be experienced It is capital based, for eg. Room s, food, It is labour based, staff can only give service Product Quality can remain constant. For eg. Rooms remain same Service Quality can not be constant. For eg. Depends on nature of staff when he is giving service. It includes features( eg food, interior etc), defects(a/c in room is not working) It includes Delivery Time( providing service on give time), Knowledge of Delivery( can give explanation about what is served to the guest) The above given points shows us that both Product Quality and Service Quality plays very important role in hospitality industry. If both the qualities are well balance by any company they can easy achieve their goals. From customers point of view both qulaities are important. For Example if a luxuries hotel, providing all facitiles to the guest but cant provide service according guest expectation, than its sure that guest vll not come again. Implementing Quality Model: There are different types quality models available now such as, Total Quality Management, EFQM, Balbridge Award, Continuous Professional Development (CPD), Six Sigma, ISO 9000, Bench Marking and Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP) this quality models are helpful to almost all different organization. Hilton Kensington: Six Sigma is an very important model in hospitality industry : Six Sigma is very important model in Hospiality Management, Hilton Hotels have used this model, the model helps every organization to increase revenue, it increases customer loyalty, it also reduce cost, To maintain optimal inventory : Hilton hotel as good records of their inventory, there is perfect count of all equipments used in restaurant, in kitchen also chef has proper count of all the food items required, counting of equipments are done on regular basis. In restaurant and other department of hotel trainings are given to all staff about things required in there specific departments, by which staff has good knowledge about their inventories. Minimize wastage/pilferage: In every department of the Hilton hotel there is very low wastage because of trainings they get from the department heads. For example in front office all the paper which are used are recycled, all the water bottles which are opened and which has water in it remaining are brought in restaurant and are used in breakfast, it helps lot of wastage. Reduce the time : staff of department get all required trainings on regular basis from department manager and also from GM, they are told how to work fast and effectively, for example: if the front office staff are trainined with latest softwares, and system they can check in the guest quickly and so Hilton has all training which helps to reduce the time. Hilton hotel keeps record of every staff and the training they received, which helps them know how will knowledge the staff is. Conclusion In the above given report I have disscussed about different definitions of quality in the Hospitality industry and the various quality theories developed by the quality gurus like Deming and Juran. The report also mentions the difference between service quality and product quality. I have also disscussed about use of Six Segma in Hilton London Kensington. Bibliography Websites: http://www.businessballs.com/dtiresources/quality_management_gurus_theories.pdf Ref: http://www.shsu.edu/~mgt_ves/mgt481/lesson1/lesson1.htm http://www.balancedscorecard.org/TheDemingCycle/tabid/112/Default.aspx Interviews: Mr stephane FB Manger, Hilton London Kensington, Date 1 oct 2009 Mr Daniell Operational manager , Hilton London kensington, Date: 2 oct 2009 Books: There were no single book on Quality Management In the Library So could not reffer from books

Monday, August 19, 2019

Reflections on Counseling Sessions Essay -- Person-Centered Counseling

Introduction The counseling session began with the introductions where I introduced myself as the counselor and later introduced my client. This stage is important in any counseling session since it is the time of exploration and focusing according to Gerard Egan as quoted by Wright (1998) in his essay on couselling skills. It is in this session that I was able to establish rapport and trust with my client in order to come up with a working and fruitful relationship with him. During this stage I made use of skills like questioning, where I would pose a question directly to my client, sometimes I would choose to just listen to what the client wanted to speak out while in some instances I would be forced to paraphrase the question if I felt the client did not understand the question I had asked previously. There were also other times when I would reflect through silence. During such a period, I got time to study the client and the information he had given. This being a difficult area, since some cl ients may not be able to volunteer information to you as the counselor, I decided to assure the client of confidentiality of any information he was willing to share with me with a few exceptions which I also told him about. Being open to him about the only times the information may not be confidential was part of my building rapport and establishing trust with him. I therefore, decided to ask the client what information he wanted to share with me and lucky enough he was ready to speak to me about different issues that he was going through. During this time, I gave the client enough time to talk about the problem without interrupting. This time gave me an opportunity to undertake reflective listening through active listening which ac... ...ons Make Better Conversations Retrieved From: http://learnthis.ca/2008/12/open-ended-questions-make-better-conversations/ Rogers C., (1975). Empathic: an unappreciated way of being. The Counseling Psychologist. 5(2):2 10. Rogers, (1975). â€Å"client-centered† therapy Retrieved From:http://www.analytictech.com/mb119/reflecti.htm, Schenk K., Williamson J. (2005). Ethical Approaches to Gathering Information from Children and Adolescents in International Settings. Retrieved From: http://www.popcouncil.org/pdfs/horizons/childrenethics.pdf Steven, (2010). "Getting to Know You" - A Familiar Pattern of Sessions. Retrieved From: http://www.basic-counseling-skills.com/pattern-of-sessions.html Wright, (1998). Counseling skills: part I - can you do without them? Retrieved From: http://search.proquest.com/docview/214108384/1315FF976504A312F4B/1?accountid= 5049

Sunday, August 18, 2019

Essay --

No Jail Time for Big Bankers In the article â€Å"Why DOJ Deemed Bank Execs Too Big to Jail,† author Ted Kaufman reports how banking executives never serve jail time for their part in financial fraud. There are three main reasons that executives are not prosecuted: the American government is showing little effort in bringing the big corporation executives to justice, if the banks and executives are prosecuted, thousands of innocent people could be out of jobs, and the health of the financial industry may crumble. Mr. Kaufman wants his readers to understand that although the citizen’s deserve for these financial executives deserve to go to jail, over that past few years, it has been shown that not only that it hasn’t happened; it probably will not happen in the future either. Is it right that they can dodge going to prison for their greed and illegal activities, but a man who steals food from the grocery store to feed his hungry family serves years in prison? The answer is no, because some o f these banking executives have robbed the American people of their life savings and have put America’s banking system’s in a downward spiral with no real help by the government to help stop this and help bring the executives to justice. The American government has done very little to help in the efforts to bring these executive’s to justice. Congress didn’t oppose strengthening criminal enforcement of federal fraud laws regarding financial institutions after the 2009 financial crisis. They passed the House’s bill by a very large margin. The bill is called the Fraud Enforcement and Recovery Act. Even the Obama administration established a task force to oversee the investigations. Attorney General Eric Holder even said, â€Å"We will be relentless in our... ...ir jobs, their homes, and their financial stability. If the financial industry crumbles, it will be felt worldwide. When people lose their jobs, they are no longer to take out loans and make payments on the loans they already have. There is no money going into the banks. If the American financial institutions fail and the industry crumbles, stocks will plummet and businesses will close. So what’s the solution to the problem? Mr. Kaufman definitely is on to something. â€Å"Justice for All† should mean something. Why shouldn’t CEO’s be held accountable for their actions? If we continue to let them get away with it, they will continue to take their bonuses, cut corners, and not care that they are doing anything illegal, or at the very least, unethical. If we want to prevent the failing economy from happening again, we must stop these executives and hold them accountable.

Saturday, August 17, 2019

A Comparison of Classic and Contemporary Philosophers Essay -- essays

A Comparison of Classic And Contemporary Philosophers Why is it so important that young children in our society receive a good education? The answer to that question is very simple; because they are our future. The old saying â€Å"the youth of today are the leaders off tomorrow† holds more truth than many people realize. By giving children a good start at an early age we are only helping ourselves as well as the children. A good example of this is can be seen in our society. By the time a teacher in our society retires from his or her position their students will have made it out into the real world and taken jobs. This new generation will be the ones to make the decisions about laws such as Social Security, and Medicaid. The students will be able to turn these programs around and make them more beneficial to their recipients. These teachers who are now retired will be the ones who are collecting Social Security and reaping the benefits of the children’s solid education. The idea of educating the youth is not even close t o a new idea. Philosophers such as Jean Jacques Rousseau in the seventeen hundreds and even farther back than that to the time of Plato in three hundred eighty six B.C. and after. Both of these great men shared similar ideas on how children should be taught so that they can get the most out of their education. Though educational philosophy dates back thousands of years, there are still many great thinkers who are revolutionizing teaching with their philosophies today. In the later part of the twentieth century there was also Paulo Friere who is considered by some to be the greatest thinker of his time and also Maxine Greene who has also greatly changed education in today’s society. Thanks to these great minds along with many others, modern day education was revolutionized. Many of the teaching techniques and ideals that are practiced in the classroom today originated from these philosophers. These four philosophers though from two very different time periods had some very sim ilar ideas about education. Jean Jacques Rousseau said that children are born innocent and pure, and become contaminated by the world, as they grow older. â€Å"Everything is good as it comes from the hands of the Maker of the world but degenerates once it gets into the hands of man†. (Cahn 163) This quote shows that Rousseau saw the world as an imperfect place that corrupted ... ...that they had a firm grasp on what it takes to give children a proper education, and to prepare them for the real world. The approaches that they proposed would give students more of a drive or desire to learn. In toady’s society school is just a hassle that kids have to put up with. I think that if children were taught in the way that Plato, Rousseau, Friere, and Walzer said they should be, our society would be very different. One other thing that I found interesting about these philosophers is the fact that they all had very similar philosophies about education even though one live around 300 B.C. and another in the seventeen hundreds while the other two in the later part of the twentieth century. I guess that no matter the time period, its like they always say; â€Å"great minds think alike.† Works Cited Cahn, Steven M. Classic And Contemporary Readings In The Philosophy of Education. Apr 20, 2002. McGraw Hill Co. 1997. â€Å"Educational Philosophy†. http://home.pacbell.net/altsch/Philosophy.html. Aug 11, 1999. HotBot.com. Accessed Apr 20,2002. â€Å"Plato†. http://www-groups.dcs.st-and.ac.uk/~history/Mathematicians/Plato.html . Jan 1999. Google.com. Accessed Apr 20,2002.

Greektown Ethnography

I took a trip to Greek town Casino in Detroit Michigan with my father, this trip was something of an unexpected trip but I figured it was a great place to observe the behaviors of many different cultures as Greek town casino is the home of a multicultural society. I wanted to observe the behaviors of those between African American’s and Caucasian persons. I wanted to see if one race over the other tended to gamble more or if one culture got more aggressive as the night went on. While we know that casinos in Michigan restrict the age limit of gamblers did age affect those that gambled or was it just those of a certain race. The crowed is about sixty percent African American, Thirty Percent Caucasian and the other ten percent is in the category of what is called the â€Å"other’s† category. The age groups range from the young newbie’s that just turned twenty-one to late eighties. The bells and whistles are going off on nearby machines; the crowds grow increasingly big at different tables as the more a person wins. Yet those who come for just something to do keep sat at their machines playing their slots. Looking around the people didn’t seem any different the African American’s seemed to stay localized to the slots area whereas the Caucasian’s seemed to play at the tables more. I found a patron playing a penny slot named Gladys who gave me the rundown of the people and their actions. According to Gladys the Caucasian people tend to play on tables more and consume more alcoholic beverages as where the African Americans tend to gamble more at the slots and tend to smoke more than those of the Caucasian culture. I continued to observe the patrons to see if what Gladys was saying was true. Great majorities of the Caucasian’s were in fact at tables and about sixty percent of them had a drink at hand. While majority of the African American’s were at a slot machine or an electronic table with no human interaction. I wondered if there was something to the no human interaction did African American’s think it was bad luck. Did they think it would make them gamble more? The move I observed the cultures at the casino the quicker I noticed that African American’s gambled more on the slots then the Caucasian’s at the tables. As the day went on I continued to talk to the staff and patrons regarding he behavior of everyone around. A few waitresses claimed African American men; young or old were rude when it came to providing service. They were more touchy feely and made sexual comments, not to mention they left a lousy or no tip at all. Whereas Caucasian’s regardless of age, or gender provided better tips, manners and compliments said Allison the head supervisor of the wait staff. The pit managers claimed that Caucasian’s placed higher bets if there were a female table dealer where as African American’s placed higher bets if it was a male dealer. He went on to tell me that most Caucasian’s started their gambling in the casino with twenty-five dollars and that African American placed bets of one hundred dollars to start their gambling fiasco. While it seemed obvious that regardless of shape, size or color everyone at the casino claimed not to care whether the won or lost. But as long as they had fun that was all that mattered to them. In conclusion the African American’s tended to gamble more than Caucasian. But the Caucasian’s tended to get rougher as they drank and lost more.  It was right then and there that I realized that the casino wasn’t really about money but about freedom. People of all different cultures were coming to Greektown casino in the hopes that they would possibly win, someone would listen to their story, and most of all that they would have fun and escape their everyday life. Regardless if a person had a drink or cigarette in hand, they were there laughing and spending whatever money they came with. It didn’t matter who it was, African American, Caucasian or a member of the other category each and every one of them had a smile on their face and were laughing they were just there to have fun.

Friday, August 16, 2019

How effective is Peter Brook’s film version of Lord of the Flies?

â€Å"My devil had been long caged, he came out roaring. † This quotation, originating from Stevenson's novel Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, beautifully portrays the point that is focused on by Golding's novel Lord of the Flies. The slow regression from being ‘civilised' schoolboys to truculent savages is compacted into an allegorical story that includes many symbolic objects and stages, which could all be interpreted and presented differently. Peter Brook's film enlightened me of a whole new way of interpreting the novel. All films include certain aspects, such as, casting, location and music. Brook has used these basic building blocks to develop an innovative analysis of Golding's novel. Although Brook had added and taken out certain occurrences in his film version it still contains the original message of the novel, it is however presented in a different light. The setting of the film is on Puerto Rico, is an island off the coast of the Dominican Republic. This setting included all of the major places talked about in the novel, for instance the mountain, the fort, and the jungle. The location is includes nearly all the features that are mentioned in the novel and in this respect is very orthodox in its interpretation of the novel. The filming took place a short time after the writing of the book and the film was out by 1963. This suggests that the version shown as a film was formed whilst opinions about the book were still mixed and forming. Although Golding leaves us in some doubt to why the boys end up stranded on a desert island Brook tells us straight away that the boys are being evacuated at the beginning of a nuclear war Not all of the film concurs with the book. There are many scenes including the discourse between Simon and the Lord of the Flies, Ralph's conversation with the sailor and the scene where Jack refrains from killing a piglet. These scenes are key points in the book. I think the scene where Jack refrains from killing the piglet is not added so that the audience feel no empathy with Jack. However I think that the conversation between Simon and the Lord of the Flies is not added as it allows the audience to still keep a very tense part of the novel personal. Ralph's rather ironic conversation with the sailor is replaced by sheer emotional stare. I believe this not more effective than the conversation, however, it is almost equally as gripping. There were a few other scenes that were cut, but the three mentioned above were the only crucial points in the film where I could feel that a big part of the story was missing. There were also scenes that were added on like Piggy talking about post offices and Jack seeing a boy get whipped. Both of these new scenes helped to draw a clearer picture of both characters. The casting is an area where I doubt some of Peter Brook's judgement. Although I believe that Hugh Edwards playing Piggy is a perfect match, and that he portrays â€Å"the fat boy† well. However, Tom Chapin is not the ginger boy who's â€Å"ugly without silliness† that I was expecting. James Aubrey also doesn't fill the expectations that I thought were in the novel of Ralph being â€Å"built like a boxer. † Roger Elwin however was perfect for the role of Roger, â€Å"the slight, furtive boy whom no one knew. † Another major fact was that the all of the boys were amateur actors. This brought an idea of innocence in my mind, which the boys lost towards the end of the film but it did make some parts of the film disjointed and in coherent. However, I feel that if the boys were trained actors the emotions felt by the boys would have been more evident and therefore the regression of the boys into savagery would have been more exciting and understandable. This version being filmed in the early sixties is in black and white. It also contains many old pieces of music and terminology. I think this adds to the film as it was the era that Golding was writing in and therefore its probably close to what Golding himself might have been thinking. The contrast between black and white also shows up the stark contrast between good and evil. And in the jungle the black and white imagery enhances the mood even further. But, in the novel Golding refers time and time again to colours, textures and tones this part of the novel could only be captured in a colour version if the film. A modern setting for the film would help it to relate to modern people. If the setting was modern more people would be able to understand and enjoy the film, because some of the original terminology such as, â€Å"sucks to your†¦ † would not be effective with an average audience. When Golding wrote the novel it related fully to the environment it was written in. However now the socio-historic setting has changed and Britain no longer has the threat of the Cold War above it's head, so the threat could possibly be changed to the threat of â€Å"terrorism† or â€Å"tyrants. † Music is used many times in the film. During the introduction we hear the stark difference between the melodious hymns of a school choir and some loud music that draws a picture of bombardment. As I had read the book this symbolised in my mind how the boys who were originally ‘civilised' were going to be corrupted. We hear the choirs chant on Jack's arrival. This seems to bring hope to the boys initially but when Jack arrives the story changes. We hear this same chant from the Jack's ‘tribe' when they are regressing to savagery and ironically when the sailors arrive. This was very effective and made the point that although there was savagery on the island, the savagery in the rest of the world is even greater. The most emotive scene in the film is when Piggy is killed. During this scene Peter Brook brings together all the different factors he has been using throughout the film to reach a climax at this moment. The â€Å"loud derisive cheer,† of the savages was portrayed as World War Two air raid sirens. This was an excellent choice by Peter Brook, as it captured not just the savagery of the boys on the island but also savagery throughout the world as a whole. As the crescendo of the boys gets louder we see the fight between Ralph and Jack portrayed to softly really. There's not enough emotion on James Aubrey's face when he lunges at Jack, however you have to remember this is two twelve year-old children who are fighting and therefore the fight would have been jumbled up. Finally we see Roger, who's not shown fully in the light, using a lever to move a rock. Whilst this is going on we see where Ralph helps Piggy when Piggy shouts, â€Å"Don't leave me. † Then suddenly the audience hears and sees the rock thundering down and the last we here of Piggy is a high-pitched yelp. If Brook had shown Piggy strewn on the ground, I think it would have taken some of the imagination away. I think that Brook has left out some scenes from the film because he wants the audience to use their imagination. All in all I thought that watching this film gave me another way of thinking about the novel. Peter Brook's version of Lord of the Flies was effective up to the point that it gets the audience to use their imagination and also to think carefully about the film. However, in this day and age, where people like to use their imagination as little as possible it cannot be fully appreciated by all. The ending for instance contains an ironic appearance that can be grasped by all. However, the deeper meaning of civilisation being ‘corrupted' needs to the worked out. If a modern equivalent was made many of the scenes that Brook left out would be added in and although the film would be less disjointed it would have lost the great deal of stress on imagination that Brook's version did have. This film presents a version of Lord of the Flies that is highly effective in retaining the message of the original novel and enhancing it.

Thursday, August 15, 2019

The Cross-Cultural Management Implications for a UK Manager Undertaking an International Business Assignment to another Country

Abstract This report looks at the implications for cross-cultural management for a UK manager undertaking an international business assignment in China. Key ways of understanding cultural differences, particularly Hofstede’s and Trompenaars cultural dimensions, are discussed. Although the UK and China have some similarities, they are very different in several dimensions, and the ways these differences impact upon business practice are pointed out. Finally, key recommendations are made. 1. Introduction The following looks at the cross-cultural management implications for a UK manager undertaking an international business assignment to China. It uses a theoretical framework of cultural differences to explore the ways in which the two different countries have different business styles (including differences in style of management, communication and staff issues).The exploration of the differences between the UK and China is used to support a number of recommendations to the UK manager about best practice. China offers unparalleled opportunities for business, and over the last 30 years has shown unprecedented economic growth, with a percentage rise of 8.7% in 2009, better than all other major economies (UK Trade and Investment 2012 [online]). China is large, both in terms of size (3.7 million square miles) and population (1.3 billion).Its capital is Beijing, and its population largely (92%) Han Chinese, with the remainder 55 different ethnic minority groups. Although officially an atheist country, Christianity, Islam, Buddhism and Daoism are practiced. Mandarin is the main language, although there are a number of local dialects, and the currency is the Yuan or Renminbi (Foreign and Commonwealth Office 2012 [online]). China’s communist government have, over the last 30 years, brought about substantial change to bring about market-oriented economic systems (Gore 2011) in order to deliver the prosperity that it seemed the Marxist system could not provide (Grant 2005). The transformation has been built upon the large workforce, offering the possibility of cheap labour and hence low-cost manufacturing. It has seen economic reforms which have meant China have become a force in the global business market (Brandt and Rawski 2006). China is, however, culturally very different from the UK, and in order to conduct business successfully it is essential to understand these differences and the impact on management. 2. Cross-Cultural Theorists Two theorists, Hofstede and Trompenaars, are particularly useful for understanding the differences between cultures. Hofstede has been very influential in contemporary management theory attempts to understand cross-cultural differences. His ideas were rooted in a large scale study of IBM (Matsumoto and Juang 2012), and involve five different dimensions which characterise a nation. Each country has a different value for each dimension, and a unique picture of the cultural nature of that country is built up through all five dimensions. The five dimensions are power distance, individualism / collectivism, masculinity / femininity, degree of uncertainty avoidance, and time orientation (Hofstede 1984).Power distance concerns the extent to which people are happy with an unequal society, and the extent to which the society is hierarchical with a large gap between the powerful and those without power. A low power distance country, for example, would be more egalitarianism and intolerant o f power imbalance. Individualism / collectivism refers to the extent to which people think of themselves as individuals or as part of a group.Individualistic societies are competitive and value creativity for example (Phillips and Gully 2011). The dimension of masculinity and femininity expresses the extent to which the culture displays predominantly masculine values: gender roles are clearly defined, assertiveness and striving are praised. In a feminine culture roles are more fluid and more caring values respected (Tian 2004). Uncertainty avoidance refers to how comfortable people are with ambiguity. Cultures high on this like rules and regulations (Sorrentino 2005).Interestingly for the context of this report, Hofstede’s final dimension was based on data collected from China, with the help of Michael Harris Bond (Berry et al 1997).Time orientation concerns the way in which people think about time, with a distinction between short-term and long-term orientation. Cultures which are short-term oriented life in the moment, while long-term cultures are strong on planning (Daft and Marcic 2010). Trompenaars (1993) model can be seen as a development of Hofstede’s ideas. He suggested seven different dimensions, again based on a large-scale study across many different countries. These dimensions cover three main areas: how people relate to others, their perceptions of time, and their experiences of the environment (Lane 2004). The seven dimensions overlap with Hofstede’s dimensions to some extent, with some being very similar and others new. The dimensions he specifies are: Universal v. particular: whether the society is organised around set rules and procedures or whether the needs of the individuals come first Individual v. collectivism: whether people predominantly act for themselves or think about the group Affective v. neutral: whether people are predominantly demonstrative emotionally, or are controlled and rational Specific v. diffuse: whether organisational systems determine employee behaviour, or systems arise out of the needs and perspectives of individuals. Achievement v. ascription: whether achievement or background, education and other fixed variables assumed to be important about people Sequential v. synchronous: whether time is seen fixed and linear or flexible and open Internal v. external control: whether people believe that nature can be controlled through human will, or human beings are part of nature and subject to its laws. (Trompenaars and Hampden-Turner 2004). While Trompenaars is clearly influenced by Hofstede’s work, Hofstede has criticised the former for lacking the intellectual rigour he believes the five dimensional model possesses. Hofstede has also attracted criticism, for example that five dimensions are inadequate to fully capture the complexity of cultural differences (Browaeys and Price 2008). Despite criticisms, however, both these models are useful to help understand how cultures differ from each other, and will influence the next section. 3. Discussion / Analysis According to Hofstede (Geert-hofstede.com 2012 [online]) (see appendix), China and the UK show fairly different cultural styles. They are, however, identical for masculinity / femininity (66) and near-identical for uncertainty avoidance.Both the UK and China tend towards masculinity in society, with drivenness and competition valued. Additionally, both are low for uncertainty avoidance, in other words, both societies are happy with ambiguity and believe rules should be followed flexibly and selectively. Both societies are adaptable, which encourages entrepreneurship. China is higher than the UK for power distance (80 v. 35), that is, China is comfortable with hierarchy, power structure and wide gaps between people. There is more likelihood of abuse of power, and authority is important. Aspiration above ones status is unacceptable. In the UK, people see each other as equals to a greater extent, have less respect for authority, do not tolerate abuses of power, and aspire to change their status. There is also a gap between the UK and China in regards to individualism, with the UK scoring much higher (89 v. 20). In other words, in China there is a much higher degree of interdependence between people, with people defining themselves as part of a group. In the UK the tendency is to think about oneself, and one’s family before society as a whole. Chinese people act to serve the group rather than themselves, and are likely to have much higher organisational commitment, as well as feeling it acceptable for closer groups (e.g. family) to get preferential treatment at work. Whereas UK people tend to be generally agreeable to those outside the preferred group, in highly collectivist societies those outside their group may be demonised. China are much more long-term oriented than the UK. There is a greater value placed on persistence and long-term goals. They are happy to save and be economical with resources, and have great respect for the past and for tradition. By contrast, people in the UK are more able to enjoy the moment, and can be flexible with regards to goals. According to Trompenaars, China is one of the most particularist of the countries he looked at (Rugman and Collinson 2008), meaning that they look at the particular case and take all circumstances into account, rather than looking at general principles. For example, an employer in a particularist culture might excuse poor work behaviour if the individual’s circumstances offer a good reason. In addition, China scores highly for affectivity, level of diffuseness and external control (Aswathappa 2010).That is, people conduct business in an emotional way, displaying emotions openly, do not have a strong sense of the barriers between public and private life, and feel that fate plays a stronger role in what happens to an individual or organisation than choice and self-motivation. While there are some similarities, China and UK have a very different cultural make-up, according to both sets of dimensions. What impact does this have on business styles This can be considered in terms of different areas. For team work, for example, the high-power distance might mean that Chinese staff are uncomfortable with sharing feedback and frank discussions. However, their low individualism suggests that they would put the team before themselves, and would therefore be motivated by team-based rewards. UK staff, by contrast, might find sharing opinions as a team fairly easy, as they have a lower power distance, but might put their own interests before those of the team or organisation as a whole. In terms of communication, China have high affectivity, which suggests they might work better if communication styles are emotional rather than neutral. For example, written communications in the UK tend towards formal business English: a more open and friendly style might suit the Chinese market more. Additionally, China scores highly for diffuseness against specificity. That is, there may be a tendency for communications to be more roundabout, with things left unsaid or communicated non-verbally. Diffuse cultures also have a higher degree of overlap between work and home (Amant 2007), which may mean that there is a greater reliance on shared experience upon which to base communication amongst the Chinese. There is also a need for a different management style, to take into account the greater power distance in China. Whereas UK workers respond better to power sharing and partnership styles, in China there may be a need to confirm the hierarchy, making it clear who is in charge, and defining roles carefully.However China also score highly for particularism, which suggests that management needs to take into account the details of each situation, rather than rigidly follow rules. Employees are likely to expect that rules can be bent to suit circumstance. Motivation and performance management are also likely to differ across the cultures. As mentioned, China scores much lower for individualism, which suggests that team-based rewards would be more motivating for them than in the UK. China are also markedly more long-term oriented, which means employees are likely to respond to goals set for the distant future, rather than needing near-instant reward. There is also an issue here for motivating teams which consist of employees from both China and the UK, as each employee group is likely to have a different perspective on what is a motivating factor. The higher score for China on external control suggests that employees are less likely to enjoy spontaneous decision making. As they feel that the forces which drive business are located outside of themselves, this removes some of the responsibility for making decisions, and places it in the hands of fate, or higher authorities in the organisation. This is confirmed by the high power distance in China, which suggests that employees are very comfortable with letting decision making be carried out by those higher in the corporate hierarchy. By contrast, UK employees are likely to desire more participation in decisions. Negotiation should also be handled with care. The higher affectivity and diffuse culture in China may mean that great attention needs to be paid to the non-verbal cues when negotiation takes place.The higher power distance might also mean that negations need to be carried out between staff perceived to be at similar levels. In addition to the dimensional analysis of culture, Tian (2007) suggests that negotiation in China is determined by a set of core traditional values including the importance of sincerity and trust, respect for age and hierarchy, maintaining social harmony and avoiding getting angry or being unpleasant to others. This might mean that negotiation between two people of very different ages might be tricky, for example. 4. Conclusions Although they have some common areas, for example similarly masculine cultures and a similar tolerance of uncertainty, China and the UK have key cultural differences which are likely to impact attempts to manage a diverse work team. In particular, China employees are likely to be much more comfortable with hierarchy and unequal distribution of power, to value the group over the individual, to be focussed upon the long-term (but less likely to react spontaneously to the moment). They are also more likely to expect rules to be bent to the particular case, to attribute the cause of events to circumstances or agents external to themselves, and to prefer styles of communication which heavily emphasise the non-verbal and tacit. While, to a certain extent, globalisation has meant that cultural diversity is threatened, (Homann et al 2007), to be successful management needs to anticipate and plan for difference. 5. Recommendations Recognise that hierarchy has a more important role in China Adapt communication styles to pay attention to context, body-language and assumed information Plan team-work to incorporate two very different perspectives on the relative importance of the individual and the group Ensure Chinese employees are kept fully informed about the long-term perspective 6. References Aswathappa, K (2010) International Business (4th edn.), Tata McGraw-Hill Education, India. Berry, J W, Portinga, Y H and Pandey, J (1997) Handbook of Cross-cultural Psychology: Social behavior and applications (2nd edn.), John Berry. Brandt, L and Rawski, T G (2006) China’s Great Economic Transformation, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge and New York. Browaeys, M-J and Price, R (2008) Understanding cross-cultural management, Pearson Education, Harlow, Essex Daft, R L and Marcic, D (2010) Understanding Management (7th edn.), Cengage Learning, Belmont, CA. Foreign and Commonwealth Office (2012) ‘China: Country Information’ [online] (cited 22nd February 2012), available from http://www.fco.gov.uk/en/travel-and-living-abroad/travel-advice-by-country/country-profile/asia-oceania/china Geert-hofstede.com (2012) ‘What about China?’, [online] (cited 22nd February 2012), available from http://geert-hofstede.com/china.html ‘What about china?’, Gore, L (2011) The Chinese Communist Party and China’s capitalist revolution: the political impact of the market, Taylor & Francis, Oxon. Grant, R G (2005) Communism: Systems of government, Evans Brothers. Hofstede, G H (1984) Culture’s consequences: international differences in work-related values (2nd edn), SAGE, Thousand Oaks, CA Homann, K, Koslowski, P and Luetge, C (2007) Globalisation and business ethics, Ashgate Publishing, Ltd, Aldershot, Hants. Lane, H W (2004) The Blackwell handbook of global management: a guide to managing complexity, John Wiley & Sons / Blackwell, Oxon. Matsumoto, D and Juang, L (2012) Culture and Psychology (5th edn), Cengage Learning, Belmont CA Phillips, J and Gulley, S M (2011) Organizational Behavior: Tools for Success, Cengage Learning, Belmont, CA. Rugman, A M and Collinson, S (2008) International Business (5th edn.), Pearson Education, Harlow, Essex St. Amant, K (2007) Linguistic and cultural online communication issues in the global age, Idea Group Inc, Hershey PA Sorrento, R M (2005) Culture and social behaviour, Routledge, UK Tian, Q (2004) A transcultural study of ethical perceptions and judgements between Chinese and German businessmen, Martin Meidenbauer Verlag, Germany Tian, X (2007) Managing international business in China, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge. Trompenaars, F (1993) Riding the waves of culture: understanding cultural diversity in business, Economist Books. Trompenaars, F and Hampden-Turner, C (2004) Managing people across cultures, Capstone. UK Trade and Investment (2012) ‘China’ [online] (cited 22nd February 2012), available from http://www.ukti.gov.uk/export/countries/asiapacific/fareast/china.html