Causes and Solutions to Pronunciation Problems

Causes and solutions to pronunciation problems12008815x , So Hee Kim Hong kong is one of the most preferred locations for international business in Asia Pacific, and is becoming more so. Naturally business English skills is becoming increasingly important. Business English skills can be categorized into three different parts. These parts are writing, presentation and communication. All are equally important, but this essay will focus more on commuicaition. To be be more specific, it will focus on pronunciation.For, when I first came to hongkong, I realized that people’s grammer and vocabulary is quiet good, but it is sometimes hard to understand them because of their pronunciation. Because relatively other aspects are quite good, I think that hong kong can increase their competitiveness in business English by focusing on this aspect. So, the following will cover the objective of the essay, the causes for the inaccurate pronunciation and the solutions. The objective is to look into how hong kong people can achieve an ‘acceptable’ pronunciation.An acceptable pronunciation is ‘ a pronunciation when other people can understand what he/she says and the speaker’s English is pleasant to listen to; in other words, the speaker is comfortably intelligible. ’ (James,2010) To be short, the pronunciation doesn’t have to be like a native speaker but just have to be understood comfortably. There are few factors that leads to the problem of pronunciation in hong kong, despite the early age the children start to learn English. One is the influence of their mother tongue. And the other is the way how pronunciation is taught in schools. Candice, 2006) There are lots of studies that proves that the first language have a profound affect on learning the second language (Carter,2001). In hong kong, their first language is Cantonese. And there are differences in phonology between Cantonese and English. First, unlike English, Cantonese is logographic. Because they learn their mother tongue in a logographic method, they might apply the same way when learning English. That is, they may learn apply visual recognition method when learning English words rather than applying the phonetic analysis method.And this can decrease the ability to link letters and phonemes, which can affect their pronunciation. Also there are differences in the languages syllable structure, sound inventory and prosodic patterns. (Catherine,2002) But the more pressing problem is the insignificant emphasis placed on pronunciation teaching. For these kinds of problems can be overcome with a good system. First, teachers should clarify the differences between English and Cantonese phonological systems.In a study, a research(Candice,2006) was conducted to students of hong kong to find out where the most frequent pronunciation errors occur and the reason behind this. The research showed that most of these problems occurred, because the students did not h ave a clear idea of the differences between the two sound systems. For example, the /l/ sound in Cantonese cannot be found in a word-final position. So most of the students in the research had a tendency to not spell out the /l/ when pronouncing ‘will’. Learning phonics in an appropriate method is also important.Phonics is teaching reading by training beginners to associate letters with their sound values. By learning phonics students will be able to read and pronounce properly. Recently in primary schools in hong kong, phonics has become a major component of the English language curriculum. But there still seems to be a lot of limitation concerning this. The most pressing problem regarding this issue, is that the knowledge base for teaching phonics is not established. So the teachers will have to work on finding a clear methodology for teaching phonics in secondary language contexts.For example, in a study the researcher suggested adopting awareness raising activities for phonics learning. (paul,2008) This means increasing student’s awareness to the general sensitivity to sound-spelling correspondence. This will increase their ability to notice and deduce the specific relationships themselves. This will lead to better performance of students in sounding out a new word from it’s spelling or spelling a word from it’s pronunciation. Also, teachers should make use of today’s technology.For example, there are so many good computer program for learning English pronunciation these days. The strong point of using computer software is that it allows student to repeatedly listen to what they want, and help them to learn at anytime, anywhere. And by motivating them to use these systems in their daily lives, they can help students develop independency in learning pronunciation. Pronunciations in English is important, in people’s daily lives and also in business society. Poor pronunciation can have a negative impression and also create prejudice against the person. saylor) So, in order to have a good communication skills in the business world, having an ‘acceptable’ pronunciation is a necessity. The main cause for pronunciation problems in hongkong can be found in the huge difference between their mother tounge and English. But by applying an effective English education system it is not a problem that could not be overcome.. As international business in increasing in hong kong, overcoming this weak point will have great effect on the nation’s competitiveness as the center for global businesses.References. 1. http://www. ehow. com/about_6636066_importance-english-pronunciation. html 2. An analysis of Hong Kong native Cantonese Form Three students’ problems in English Pronunciation. ( Chiu Kik Ling Candice,2006) 3. Teaching Phonics through Awareness-Raising Activities (Paul Sze, 2008) 4. Learning to read English among Chinese Children (Rebecca Treiman) 5. The Significance of Pr onunciation in Engilsh Language Teaching (Abbas Pourhosein Gilakjani, 2012)

How Does Poverty Affect Worldwide Development Essay

How does poverty affect worldwide development and the use of the Millennium Development Goals? The Millennium Development Goals (MDG’s) are a group of goals created by the U.N, set to be achieved globally by 2015. There are eight different goals ranging from Gender Equality to Environmental Sustainability. The first goal is ‘To eradicate Extreme Poverty and Hunger’ and more specifically, Halve, between 1990 and 2015, the proportion of people whose income is less than $1 a day. By 2005, the global poverty rate declined from 46% in 1990 to 27%. Also, the number of people in developing regions living on less than $1.25 (US) a day declined from 1.8 billion in 1990 to 1.4 billion in 2005. This was very encouraging to the U.N. but then, the financial crisis hit. The economic crises sparked large declines in exports and slowed trade worldwide. Thankfully, the overall poverty rate is still expected to fall to 15 per cent by 2015.This translates into around 920 million people living under the poverty line which is half the number in 1990. –Singapore Singapore is most certainly a developed country as it has a booming economy and has completed every MDG. When the Millennium Development Goals were created in 2000, Singapore was already a very developed country and one of the biggest powers in Asia. One of Singapore’s main trades is tourism, and in 2010, Singapore welcomed 11.6 million visitors, which generated 18.8 billion dollars. In the Travel and Tourism Competitiveness Report released by the World Economic Forum, Singapore emerged top in the Asia-Pacific region, and was ranked 10th out of 139 world economies for competitiveness of the tourism sector. This just goes to show that Singapore is a key player in the world tourism sector and is up the top with Switzerland, Germany, France and Canada. There is very little data about poverty in Singapore as it can only be found in a small number of cases rather than tens of thousands of people. That being said, Singapore does have many poor and homeless people. Sadly, they are usually the elderly trying to look after themselves by busking or selling items off the streets. The Singapore government has implemented different action plans to counter this problem and has welfare programs that can help people in desperate need. Currently however, there are only 3000 families qualify. The average household income was at S$7,214 in 2010, which is more than enough for a family to afford basic necessities. However this data may not be accurate at representing the situation. The number may have been lifted significantly by the wealthy locals and expats living here. What this does is cover the fact that there may be families living on much less that stated. –Cambodia Cambodia is recognised as a developing country and needs assistance in completing MDG number 1. Cambodia has a lack of natural resources and a primitive industrial base causing agriculture to be a key part in its economy. Rice provides the staple diet and was Cambodia’s major export before 1970. Cambodia’s current GDP is $30.13 Billion U.S and the average income is $2000 U.S. This statement does not do the situation in Cambodia any justice. The people of Cambodia (usually in rural areas) suffer from 31% of the population being under the poverty line. This means that they live on less than $1.25 U.S a day. From 2003, when the Government of Cambodia commenced the MDG’s, Cambodia has made good progress in some goals and very limited in others. While there has been a significant improvement in poverty rates in urban areas, the rates are still very high in rural areas. Implementing MDG number 1 would greatly improve the lives of the Cambodians. In 1990, it is estimated that 29% of Cambodia was below the ‘Dollar a Day’ rate before falling to 19% in 2004. Poverty has stalled the development of Cambodia as the priority of the government is focused on the people in poverty. To complete the MDG’s especially goal number 1, would be very beneficial for the Cambodians as the government could focus on developing the different trades and work on creating a safer, sustainable and productive future. Comparison Singapore and Cambodia are both located in South East Asia, but there are some major differences between them. For example, Singapore has completed all of the 8 development goals, while Cambodia has only completed just one to date. Singapore’s G.D.P is $292.4 (US) Billion compared to Cambodia’s $30.13 Billion (US). Singapore is ranked 41st for G.D.P in the world compared to Cambodia at 108th. In the Human Development Index, Singapore is ranked 27th compared to Cambodia’s 124th. The Human Development Index (HDI) is a comparative measure of life expectancy, literacy, education and standards of living for countries worldwide. There are many different methods of comparing the two countries and in nearly all of them, Singapore and the other developed countries will be higher ranked. That is why we must globally focus on helping the developing countries and the Millennium Development Goals are a great system for identifying and solving the issues that are faced. How we can help Poverty and Hunger can cause large problems in development and they need to approached globally. This does not mean though, that the only people that can help are governments, charities and large corporations. No, individuals are able to help in many ways. From simple things like donating money to a charity or raising awareness to organizing a full blown fund-raising event. Every thought and donation counts. Due to technological advances and increased popularity of social networks in recent years, a new window of opportunity for awareness and donation has been created. Facebook is an example. Currently, the website can boast the number of memberships is over 1 billion users. This is a massive target audience and provides easy methods of awareness. Simple ideas such as creating a group or a page providing information and awareness on a chosen M.D.G or charity, then inviting your friends who then pass it on. Another interesting website is http://www.freerice.com/. This website gives the user questions on a variety of topics and states that they will donate 10 grains of rice to the World Food Program whenever you answer the question correctly. This is possible through the use of sponsors on the page. This is a great idea and it allows users to have a sense of physically

Ap American Dbq

There was a change, not a reformulation regarding political ideas and the ideas of the American Constitution that were part of the decision made by Jackson. Before Jackson the Native Americans were allowed their land but Jackson changed this policy for a racist agenda. The Indian Removal Act Of 1830, which evicted the Native Americans, was a change that had not been in place with the Native Americans before (Docs. A, H). The treaties brought about no benefit. Before Jacksons administration there had been agreements made between the Cherokees and the federal government (Doc. E).Jackson changed the idea of having treaties by saying the treaties with Indians are an absurdity (Doc. H). Instead of compromise Jackson wanted domination, a clear change in policy. The Intercourse Act, a constitutional law, protected the rights of the Indians (Doc. D). In the case of Cherokee Nation V. Georgia the Cherokees lost the case and therefore lost their protection. However, it can be argued that even if the Cherokees had won the case, Jackson still would have removed them from their land. Jackson had no respect for John Marshals decisions and, therefore, showed little respect for the Constitution.The Native Americans were no way a threat to the U. S. , nor were they savages. They were like the Americans in that they owned nice houses (Doc. L), were educated, farmed, many were Christian, and some were slave owners. Their constitutional republic was even modeled after the United States. John C. Calhoun even wrote in a letter to Henry Clay in 1820, he said that the Native tribes appear to be making gradual advances in industry and civilization (Doc. J). From the beginning of the United States, Native Americans were given rights to act as independent nations, and those rights were to be respected by following the Constitution.For example, Henry Knox, the Secretary of War in 1 789, wrote to President George Washington, The Indians, being the prior occupants, possess the right of the soil. It cannot be taken from them unless by their free consent, or by the right of conquest in case of a just war, (Document B). Because of this, the LIST allowed the Natives on American land their independent nations as they were the prior occupants, and their land shouldve never be taken unless they agreed to it or they were to lose it in a war. Although the united States policy sounded fair, for many years, the Natives were intentionally tricked into treaties that gave up huge amount of territory to the whites. Jacksons administrations decision to remove the Cherokee Indians was a change encompassing moral, political, constitutional, and practical changes, disregarding prior administrations concerns for his personal agenda. He passed the Indian Removal Act of 1 830 which evicted the Native Americans from their land, which angered them and could have brought about fighting.The Indians were further irritated when they tried to sue in Federal Court but were denied in Cherokee Nation Vs.. Georgia. They were more satisfied when they won the Worcester vs. . Georgia case. The Native Americans were at peace with the prior Administration and were happy with their land. When Jackson took office, the Native Americans were forced to move out of their homeland to lands west of the Mississippi, which was not something that would have been done in the previous administrations.

Does It Matter Who We are Communicating about Essay

Does It Matter Who We are Communicating about - Essay Example Awareness alone cannot eliminate bias in communication. The author discusses the importance of learning how to communicate with various personality types, in order to get the message across. By learning about the audience, through observation and body language, the speaker or communicator can adjust or tailor communications that will reach, rather than offend, multiple members of an audience. This discussion also has implications for communications among individuals. It cannot be assumed that the listener communicates in the same manner as the speaker. The author highlights the need for greater awareness and adaptability in communications, thus eliminating the bias of assuming that the species in terms of language and stereotyping in communication that occurs within those groups. Stereotyping is described as a means of confiscation, for the individual to gain favor within the group and survey participants are able to identify various forms of stereotyping in a given scenario. The limitations of the research include a scenario describing the behavior of one individual, rather than of multiple group members. The research clearly indicates that stereotyping does occur in communications, within various social contexts. The research also indicates the need for awareness of stereotyping, in communication with a larger audience that may consist of members of very different groups. members of the group or audience to be respected and this is done through inclusion. The authors suggest that, particularly in a class setting, the faculty can set parameters for class communications from the start. It is further suggested that communications within and for a larger group should also consider avoiding language that stereotypes a specific group or groups.

Why NYU Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Why NYU - Essay Example New York University is the perfect place for students like me who are interested in an effervescent culture and diversity. The heart of NYU is its Washington Square campus, which is the center of Greenwich Village. The Village is a historic neighborhood that is composed of imaginative and energetic communities. NYU, without walls and gates, demonstrates its deep interconnection with New York City and gets inspiration from the latter’s vivacity. It has attracted generations of writers, musicians, artists, and intellectuals, which I want to interact with when studying in the University. I want to live at the center of the country’s culture and the arts, which makes NYU an appealing educational prospect for me. Furthermore, I love that NYU is a diverse school with autonomous departments. I can see myself interacting with people from other races and ethnicities and learning more about their cultures and personalities in the process. As a foreign student, I find myself at ea se in a diverse community. NYU is the ideal learning institution because of its outstanding faculty and research facilities. I am significantly partial to schools dedicated to excellence and professionalism. When I watch TV or read the news, its professors and researchers are often interviewed and their opinions are considered as reputable. Many business and social documentaries come from NYU and its faculty members. In addition, NYU teachers publish in peer-reviewed journals. This improves their credibility as sources of expert knowledge and skills. I seek to learn in a challenging academic environment, and I believe that NYU offers these cognitive challenges through its exceptional faculty, who will help develop the quality of my thinking as a business student. Finally, I want to study at NYU because it promotes a collaborative learning environment. I believe that to be successful in business, I must possess strong interaction, communication, and teamwork skills, which NYU will

HUMAN RESOURCES MANAGEMENT Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

HUMAN RESOURCES MANAGEMENT - Essay Example There can be three different time horizons according to Jackson and Schuler (1990) for which human resource planning can take place – short-term (up to one year), intermediate term (one to three years) and long-term (more than three years). Since it is a growing trend by UK based companies to employ Indian executives for their overseas branches, the planning suggested here is on a long-term basis. Typically there are four phases of human resource planning – collection of data which helps to forecast the human resource demand, the human resource objectives have then to be established, then comes the designing and implementation phase where the organization achieves the human resource objectives (which means staffing, appraising, compensating and training) and finally these programs will have to be monitored and evaluated (Appendix A). For such planning an assessment of the macro environment is necessary both in India and the UK. In addition, the skill requirement has to be assessed as technological change is an ongoing process (MDR, 1997). The specific skill requirement, the unskilled and semi-skill have to be assessed in addition to the qualification of the present employees. The local employment market and the competition has to be assessed which would help in deciding at what stages it would be possible to get skilled people. The micro environment of the industry will give information about employee turnover, the prevalent salary, other terms of employment including promotions and transfers. In today’s world compensation packages do not matter and what matters is to have a talent powered organization consisting of highly motivated, skilled and loyal employees (Gordon, 2002). The recruitment activity requires making employment oppurtunities known to qualified individuals in a manner that proper job specifications are communicated. The required employee qualifications also need to be

Local, regional, or national current event or political issue Essay

Local, regional, or national current event or political issue - Essay Example Fiscal and tax policies impact the way people live directly or indirectly according to the rates they pay for their products and services. An increase in the rate of national insurance or the income tax rate will lead to a rise in direct tax, which effect reduces the net earnings of working individuals since net income is reduced for every hour spent in the workplace. This will lead to individuals working for extra hours in order to maintain their income targets to facilitate their needs. On the contrary, this effect might make people work less since the increased taxation might act as a deterrent to productive employment work due to the high taxes and low net earnings. Changes in the benefit and tax system seek to reduce the risk of eradicating poverty. Tax and benefit reforms can be used to increase the availability of labour, therefore, increasing the economic benefit derived from the economy and ease the general level of redundancy in the country. Changes in indirect taxes can ha ve great effects on demand patterns for goods and services. An example is the rising duty on beverages and cigarettes brands. This inconveniences the users as these products are a part of our daily needs. It’s designed to put grounds for substitution effect among users thus reducing demand for de-merits goods. On the contrary, government subsidies to the producer reduce their production cost, price in the market and encourage demand expansion. In business investments decisions, capital investment in purchasing new machinery, investing in innovation and technology, specialized skills and infrastructures leads to a shortage of funds. This leads to a shortage of monetary value in the country and forces the citizens to dig deeper in their pockets in order to maintain equilibrium in the economy and facilitate the end of the projects. A government spending on transport infrastructure increases real spending on transport though in the long term it will boost the competitiveness and productivity of the country. This leads to government borrowing and debt, which allows super powers to be a part of control in the country thus they invest in foreign land having an advantage as the government favours them. Once external forces control the market, they create monopolies thus controlling the prices of products in the market. This affects the economy and its people as standard prices are not guaranteed. Contrary a budget deficit can react positively in the long-run if used in financing extra capital and spending leading to an increase in national assets stock. For example, investing in infrastructure leads to improvement in the supply-side of the economy capacity. Increased investment in social amenities; health facilities and education institution brings optimistic effects on employment and productivity. Tax systems tend to be weak, the administration handling tax collection and accounts allow unpaid tax through practices like corruption and evasion. Most tax evaders hold businesses that earn large amounts of money and controls the economy and when they evade paying tax small and medium businesses are forced to step up by paying higher taxes. In this case, there is no equal distribution of resources in the country thus no equal income distribution of wealth and yet taxes are paid on a similar scale (Begun, Pointe and Luke, 2006). Re-pricing economic alternatives, taxation is government’

FOUNDATIONS OF OPERATIONS MANAGEMENT Coursework

FOUNDATIONS OF OPERATIONS MANAGEMENT - Coursework Example The office is small as it was the starting point of the business. The company had been trying to find a way to explore the potential clients at the sea side, but had been reluctant to work on a business plan or business strategy due to the presence of a huge number and variety of competitors already operating in that set up. Instead they have been focusing on building a brand name and customer loyalty through exceptional customer care. Due to this strategy the company had been fast in reaching their annual profit goal, in fact they have exceeded it. So, the board has decided that it is time to step in this potential market. The company’s resorts are already present there and are flourishing but research has shown that a small restaurant will attract a lot of foreign tourists and who could say no to a side profit. A business plan has already been made and approved, this plan includes financial planning, restaurant market research, cash flow forecast, competitor’s analysi s, human resource planning and a marketing plan. More than 70% of our surveyed foreigners focus group deduced having a liking to eat their homelands native food rather than trying new things even in foreign land. Due to already being able to deal with a lot of tourists our chefs are already specialized in foreign cuisine. This is a strength as compare to the potential competitors. Client satisfaction with services and the main menu has been and keeps on being of most extreme significance, yet our discoveries demonstrate that the lighting, bar, decor, and different alternatives to enhance the feasting experience are additionally figures in client choices and tourists are mainly attracted to such places. Cash flow for the next two year has been prepared starting from a huge outflow in the first three months in the preparation and setting up of the restaurant. Starting from cleaning of the already present

Marketing and Strategy Theory Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3250 words

Marketing and Strategy Theory - Essay Example The introduction section examines the fact that the rate of failure for the introduction of new products in retail grocery industry falls within the 70 to 80 per cent range. It then develops a theoretical model explaining why this happens. The theoretical model then culminates in a set of hypotheses that are further investigated by the paper. The conclusion part of the paper summarises the main issues brought out by the paper and gives inferences where appropriate. It then confirms that indeed the rate of failure for the introduction of new products in retail grocery industry falls is very high. The rate of failure for the introduction of new products in retail grocery industry is very high; it falls within the 70 to 80 per cent range. Linton Matysiak and Wilkes is a product development and market research firm specializing in perishable foods. The firm carried out a review of 1935 new products introductions by top food companies in the United States (Linton, Matysiak and Wilkes, 1997). This review was aimed at determining national introductions, regional breakdowns, line extension mortality, new item mortality and the overall product mortality. It also ventured into determining the ratio of line extensions to new items. The firm examined a number of issues such as the number of product line extensions, the number of innovative and new items and the locations where new products were introduced. On the other hand, the review found that the Top 20 grocery retailers in the United States enjoy a 76 per cent rate of success in the introduction of new products. However, the bottom 20,000 food companies in the US found to have slightly less than 12 per cent rate of success for new products introduced (Linton, Matysiak and Wilkes, 1997). The review found a number of differences between the top 20 companies and the bottom 20,000 companies in new product introductions. A notable one is the lack of strategic marketing on the part of the bottom 20,000 new product introductions. The research also observed lack of research among the bottom 20,000 food companies in the US. On the other hand, the top twenty companies were observed to greatly embrace strategic marketing and research. Before any new product introductions, these companies had gathered all the vital information through research. Strategic marketing elevated them even higher (Quinn, 1998). These two aspects are what are believed to be the magic behind the success of the top 20 companies. New product introductions were found to cost an average of $270 per product for each store (Linton, Matysiak and Wilkes, 1997). This is quite a sum of money considering that every year a supermarket may introduce about 5000 new products. It therefore becomes very difficult for the small players to compete effectively with the larger and already established players in the retail grocery industry (Porter, 1980). Groceries spend about $956,800 for every store, most of which eventually fail. Strategic marketing and market research can therefore go a long way in increasing the success rate for new product introductions. This can greatly save money for both retail stores and manufacturers, since any successful new product introduction pays off in the long run. The survey further observed that big corporations practice strategic marketing as an essential part of their day-to-day business management. The firm made use of statistics from the US Commerce

Reality TV is a huge success to the television industry in the 1990s Essay Example for Free

Reality TV is a huge success to the television industry in the 1990s Essay Reality TV is a huge success to the television industry in the 1990s. As a genre description, reality TV is widening its usage from news magazine programmes based round emergency service activities to talk shows, docusoaps and a variety of first-person programmes (Creeber, 2001: 135). Reality TV with extensive meaning becomes popular to describe any factual programme based on an aesthetic style of apparent zero-degree realism in other words a direct, unmediated account of events, often associated with the use of video and surveillance-imaging technologies (Creeber, 2001: 135). While Barnfield has criticized the loose usage of the term, suggesting that over the last decade such a wide range of productions have been categorized as Reality TV that one wonders if the term is too general to be helpful'(Holmes and Jermyn, 2004: 3). It is true that reality TV is not explicit enough in meaning. However, it is the best word applicable to all situations and never unilateral. It gives producers more space to innovate new programmes as to prosper this genre. Reality TV evolves with the development of new technologies. New sub-genres emerged as the hybrids of established genres. It challenges traditional documentary and changes the serious content to more entertainment elements. Every format is close to everyday life to convince the audience as real programming. In the short history of only two decades, reality TV has evolved into various formats. I will focus on five main forms which have either had a remarkable effect on television history or unprecedented audience ratings with reference to relevant representative programmes of British television. Contested Generic Identification: Definition of Reality TV It seems difficult to issue a particular definition of reality TV to attest to debates over it. As Su Holmes and Deborah Jermyn point out: Producing a particular definition of Reality TV is nevertheless complex. This is partly because of the fundamentally hybrid nature of the forms in question. Yet it is also because of the range of programming to which the term Reality TV has been applied, as well as the extent to which this has shifted over time with the emergence of further permutations in reality-based texts. (Holmes and Jermyn, 2004: 2) Jon Dovey characterised this genre by reference to the dominant and original forms of Reality TV that feature police and emergency service work (Dovey, 2000: 80). In his opinion, as form and construction, reality TV should be: à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ camcorder, surveillance or observational actuality footage; à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ first-person participant or eye-witness testimony; à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ reconstructions that rely upon narrative fiction styles; à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ studio or to-camera links and commentary from authoritative presenters; à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ expert statements from emergency services personnel or psychologists. (Dovey, 2000: 80) These elements are helpful in interpreting the origins of reality programmes and in understanding its sub-genres and new development. Only by bearing these elements in mind can we make reference to relevant programmes when we trace back history to discuss the evolution of reality TV. Is it American Innovation? : Historical Precedent of Reality TV There is no consensus about the first reality programme. Jon Dovey thought that Reality TV is generally historically located as beginning in the US with NBCs Unsolved Mysteries in 1987 (Dovey, 2000: 81). While Bradley D. Clissold considered that during the years that it aired, Candid Camera (US, 1948- ), arguably the first Reality TV programme, proved itself to be one of US TVs most memorable, enduring and popular shows (Holmes and Jermyn, 2004: 33). There is a consensus that the earliest reality programme came out in America. In addition to these mentioned above, other commentators like Richard Kilborn, Chad Raphael and Gareth Palmer all agreed with this conclusion (Kilborn, 2003: 55; Palmer, 2003: 21). In the commercial environment in America, technologies like cable, satellite and digital prospered reality programmes in television market. However, reality TV as a television genre has evolved into a very strong Eurpoean form with regional variations in each country (Dovey). In mid-1980s, when surveillance technology such as CCTV (closed-circuit television) became accessible, Britain produced its own reality programmes, which revealed real accidents, crimes and emergencies. By using CCTV footage, these reality programmes departed from traditional documentary and were quickly accepted by the curious audience because of their witness techniques. They were real shows without actors and noted for low-cost which was attractive to most programme-makers. Among these early reality programmes, Crimewatch (BBC, 1984- ) was most influential. Jon Dovey said it has been seen as central to the development of the form, particularly in respect of debates around criminology and the media (Creeber, 2001: 135). Deborah Jermyn, who is experienced in studying television crime appeal, commented on Crimewatch: Promoting the growth of crime-appeal programming in Britain with a format where serious unsolved crimes are reconstructed, police and victims families interviewed, images of suspects publicized and the public encouraged to phone in and volunteer information by this time the series had comfortably established itself as Britains foremost crime-appeal programme. (Holmes and Jermyn, 2004: 71) The effectiveness of Crimewatch as a detergent to crimes has been under much debate. It entertained the audience, but it was weak as a warning to the criminals. As Jermyn commented: indeed some criminals have claimed that the poor-quality CCTV footage they witnessed on Crimewatch actually gave them an incentive to commit crime (Holmes and Jermyn, 2004: 82). The use of CCTV conspicuously enhances the programmes claims to authenticity and underlines its sense of a privileged relationship with real crime and actuality, qualities which programme-makers evidently believe to be ratings winners (Holmes and Jermyn, 2004: 83). In this case it is exciting for the audience to see the raw footage without caring much about its effect of crime appeal. These early reality programmes about crime appeal, accidents and emergencies formed a new documentary format, which was the precedent of a new genre-reality TV. Later popular factual entertainment programmes are based on these elements to innovate. Their effect is remarkable in a long term. Fly-Off-the-Wall: Video Diaries Known as Access TV The 1990s was a golden era for the prevalence of reality TV. Jon Dovey points out: it seems that ordinary people, non-professional broadcasters, have never been more present on our screens (Dowmunt, 1993: 163). Camera is no longer simply fly-on-the-wall to observe and record, but closes to the object to become active fly-off-the-wall. For a long time, access TV, as new reality television, has been in a great demand. According to Jon Dovey, there are some fundamental principles that identify access programming; they centre around control and power over the programme-making process, especially the authors should have control over the whole process of representation (Dowmunt, 1993: 165). Camcorder and video technology opened up expansive space for access TV. Non-professional broadcasters became a leading role in making these programmes. As Patricia Holland commented on this innovative style: The video diary style, in which programmes are made with domestic video equipment by members of the public rather than by television professionals, has introduced a new way of making programmes. Low-tech, with a less polished appearance, they seem to bring the audience even closer to the realities they show. (Holland, 1997: 158) Video Diaries, produced by the BBC Community Programme Unit from 1990-1999, was a representative of access TV. From these series of programmes, Jon Dovey noted: the Unit solicits and researches ideas from potential diarists with a compelling story to tell. Once chosen, the diarist is trained in the use of an S-VHS camera and packed off to shoot their story, with support from the Unit should it be needed. In this way the diarists are given not only editorial control but also control over the means of production. They return with anything up to 200 hours of material and attend all the edit sessions, from an initial assembly which is viewed and discussed at length to the offline and online edit processes. (Dowmunt, 1993: 167) The format of Video Diaries is a development of documentary. Gareth Palmer has explained that it imported the authorizing and legitimizing discourse of documentary into the personal, and in doing so it imported also documentarys ordering principle into individual lives (Palmer, 2003:168). It was popular to the audience and also gained acclaim from the critics because of its flexibility in recording reality. Nevertheless there were debates that the producers had already controlled the programme by selecting the diarists, and there were also problems of quality and legality. New Observational Documentary: Emergence of Docusoap Docusoap is one form of the new observational documentary and one sub-genre of reality TV. It is a hybrid of documentary and soap-opera. It improves from serious documentary to emphasize on entertainment, especially everyday lives. Developed in the UK in the mid-1990s, the docusoap enjoyed unprecedented success for roughly a four-year period (1996-2000) (Kilborn, 2003: 87). Docusoap combines documentary and drama. There are elements of narration, interviews and background music, and similar sequences as soap-opera. Each episode has a certain title and focuses on character, personalities, plot or situation. Technological advances promote the development of new observational documentary. New technologies like lightweight cameras, portable sound equipment and non-linear editing system accelerate editing process with better quality and effect. Besides, financial benefits also attract producers to choose new technologies. As Paul Hamann has commented, docusoaps already cost on average only a third of the price of the equivalent in light entertainment or sitcoms (Bruzzi, 2000: 77). The entertainment factor of docusoap makes it popular with audience. Driving School peaked at 12.45 million viewers (Bruzzi, 2000: 86). It focused on the trials and tribulations of people preparing for their driving test (Kilborn, 2003: 96). Compared to the core character of reality TV, docusoap is blamed to be less factual with aesthetic reconstruction. According to Bruzzi: The sequence most frequently cited is that in which Maureen Rees, on the eve of another attempt at her theory exam, wakes in the middle of the night and asks her husband Dave to test her on the Highway Code. The sequence is a reconstruction, and Jeremy Gibson (head of BBC Television Features, Bristol) and others have gone on record exonerating themselves from blame, commenting that, having gleaned that Maureen did get up at night ghrough panic, it was perfectly legitimate to recreate such a sequence without the film crew having to camp out in her bedroom for an entire night. (Bruzzi, 2000: 87) The producers intervention revealed obvious dramatic skills, which aimed at telling a complete story. In any case, under these circumstances one can never expect a totally natural performance from the character with the presence of camera. These factors make docusoap not so real, but the audience appreciate it for the entertainment value and these factors do not affect their enjoyment. However, by the end of 1990s, this new documentary format had gradually lost its popularity. Critics and executives of TV channels began to complain the similar content with in the same format between series. It was also blamed as a challenge of serious documentary. Then new factual programmes emerged and replaced docusoap in TV schedules. Docusoap is remembered as a creative hybrid of documentary and fiction with high ratings in the history of reality TV. Serve the Public: Prevalence of Lifestyle Lifestyle is another sub-genre of reality TV, of which BBC has been one of the biggest providers (Gareth Palmer; Holmes and Jermyn, 2004: 173). It originated in the 1990s and is still popular today. It occupies a large part of TV schedule, shown usually in the daytime and prime time. There is a series of choices in dà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½cor (House Invaders [Bazal for BBC1, 1999-2002], Changing Rooms [Bazal for BBC1, 1996- ]), clothes (What Not To Wear [BBC2, 1999- ]) and manner (Would Love To Meet [WLTM, BBC2, 2001-3]) (Holmes and Jermyn, 2004: 174). People now have strong sense that they are citizens and consumers. They are eager to improve their lives. Many are glad to show their private life in front of camera. For habitus, Gareth Palmer commented: Britain is a nation of homeowners clutching close the belief that the home represents a sort of castle. Hence, it makes sense to produce programmes aimed at the house-proud (Holmes and Jermyn, 2004: 179). For fashion, according to Palmer, in looking at fashion programming we come closer to seeing how the individual should ideally be styled according to the new class of experts (Holmes and Jermyn, 2004: 181). There is a debate as to whether fashion shows need be bitchy. Palmer has an interesting opinion: fashion without bitchery, like academia without snobbery, is inconceivable (Holmes and Jermyn, 2004: 184). Bitchery makes fashion programming as amusement. It does happen frequently in our life, which is a factual element of lifestyle. Lifestyle programming is an innovation that television is not only observing peoples life, but also changing peoples way of life. It serves the audience by giving instructions, which is the nature of European television, compared to marketing the audience of American commercial television (Ang, 1991). Lifestyle is a good illustration how culture affects social life. New Interactive Reality Show: World Success of Big Brother Endemols jewel in the crown, Big Brother was thirty months in development and was the brainchild of co-principal, John de Mol. First broadcast on Veronica in 1999 and an immense ratings success, the programme has been adapted in over eighteen territories in Western Europe, the UK, the US and elsewhere. (Albert Moran, the Global Television Format Trade; Hilmes, 2003: 120) Big Brother, a new reality programme is based on established genres such as game show, quiz show, documentary and soap opera. It is a social experiment, in which we witness the reaction of the participants to their new environment and changing circumstances are often beyond their control. With the feature of game show, Big Brother sets its game rules as: The programme involved ten housemates interned together over a ten-week period in a specially designed hermetically sealed environment. The housemates were supplied with food and drink and had access to all amenities, but were isolated from all contact with the media and the outside world; there were no television sets, radios, newspapers. Every week each housemate had to nominate for eviction two fellow-contestants; the two with the highest number of nominations would then be subject to public voting. It was the role of the public to select, by telephone vote, which of the two was to survive. By the final week there would be only two housemates remaining the winner was decided by the public, and took away a cheque for à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½70,000. (Palmer, 2003: 182) From the above description, it is obvious that this programme innovatively uses interactive voting. The audiences have opportunities to join the programme and play a crucial role in deciding the result. In early 1990s, Mike Wayne criticized programmes at that time: broadcasters and programme makers have paid relatively little attention to the way in which people watch television. They have been concerned with how many people see a programme, rather than the way audiences interact with the images on the screen: what they absorb, what they challenge and what they discard (Hood, 1994: 43). It seems that Big Brother answers all these criticisms. Compared to the audience, the participants are powerless to control the programme. They are observed at all times and their lives are exposed to the public. Weve been looking at the housemates through the eyes of thirty-one unforgiving cameras we have seen them at their best and also at their worst (Ritchie, 2001: 279). What they need is just to relax and enjoy their time. For all of them, without exception, it has been an amazing experience. They have learned a great deal about themselves, and the rest of us have learned not just lots about them, but also about human nature in general (Ritchie, 2001: 279). However, all the participants are under much pressure exposing their lives to millions of audience. There is probably some negative effect on the psychology of most participants. Gareth Palmer calls the programme a psychological experiment. Programme experience is not always as wonderful as Ritchies comment in the above paragraph. In Sweden there was a suicide of a participant on a similar programme (Palmer, 2003: 185). So in Big Brother a team of mental health professionals will oversee both the selection process and the psychological well being of the participants while they are in the house (Palmer, 2003: 185). Big Brother creates a small society for the housemates away from the outside world. There are conflicts and also friendship. The participants are competitors and also partners. As the audience watch the trivia of their daily routine, the voiceover commentary helps them understand the situations. Big Brother, a hybrid of different forms with popular interactive elements, is a new format of reality TV. It is leading a new trend of reality programming. Many independent television production companies are professional and experienced in making these new reality shows. Channel 4 and ITV, such non-mainstream commercial channels have shown many this kind of reality programmes. The audience are looking forward to more innovation of reality TV. BIBLIOGRAPHY Allen, R. C. and Hill, A. (2004) the Television Studies Reader, London: Routledge Ang, I. (1991) Desperately Seeking the Audience, London: Roughtledge Bruzzi, S. (2000) New Documentary: A Critical Introduction, London: Routledge Creeber, G., Miller, T. and Tulloch, J. (2001) the Television Genre Book, London: British Film Institute Dovey, J. (2000) Freakshow: First Person Media and Factual Television, London: Pluto Press Dowmunt, T. (1993) Channels of Resistance: Global Television and Local Empowerment, London: British Film Institute Gunter, B. and Svennevig, M. (1987) Behind and in Front of the Screen: Televisions Involvement with Family Life, London: John Libbey Hilmes, M. (2003) the Television History Book, London: British Film Institute Holland, P. (1997) the Television Handbook, London: Routledge Holmes, S. and Jermyn, D. (2004) Understanding Reality Television, London: Routledge Hood, S. (1994) Behind the Screens: the Structure of British Television in the Nineties, London: Lawrence Wishart Limited Kilborn, R. (2003) Staging the Real: Factual TV Programming in the Age of Big Brother, Manchester: Manchester University Press Ishikawa, S. (1996) Quality Assessment of Television, Luton: John Libbey Media Livingstone, S. and Lunt, P. (1994) Talk on Television: Audience Participation and Public Debate, London: Routledge Macdonald, K. and Cousins, M (1996) Imagining Reality: the Faber Book of Documentary, London: Faber and Faber Limited Palmer, G. (2003) Discipline and Liberty: Television and Governance, Manchester: Manchester University Press Ritchie, J. (2001) Big Brother 2: the Official Unseen Story, London: Channel 4 Books Swallow, N. (1966) Factual Television, London: Focal Press Limited Winston, B. (1995) Claiming the Real: the Documentary Film Revisited, London: British Film Institute

Preventing Healthcare Associated Infections (HAI)

Preventing Healthcare Associated Infections (HAI) Introduction Clinical governance is important for providing safe care to patients and is essential to continuous improvement in patient safety.(vicgov) One of the key components in relation to this safety and quality issue in health care is preventing and controlling healthcare associated infections(HAI) which plays a significant role in poor outcomes of patients.(sahealth) To prevent transmission of HAI, Hand Hygiene should be done which is one of the most effective ways. Clinical professionals, especially nurses who have high risk of HAI transmission to patients, need to review the effects and great importance of Hand Hygiene to minimize the risk of HAI. Also, study tells that a number of infections can be prevented by adherence to established infection control practices.(sahealth) However, when accessing articles, they need to know the review methods such as a systematic review and randomized control trial, to satisfy evidence based practice with having analysing skills for quality resources. Five articles were reviewed to practice this. Critique Larson et al did research to examine the impact of the new practice Guideline on HAI and this compared the infection rates of pre- and post-Guideline implementation in a sample of US hospitals in different time. The problem is the result can be affected by time. Some components, such as how surveillance is conducted, how infections are defined and other concurrent infection prevention activities over time, might play a significant role in the result. Also, there were no control groups in this research so that the outcome of this research cannot be compared with the control group’s infection rates in the same time of post-Guideline implementation. And there was only 2 days observation which is unlikely to be an accurate reflection of practice. Monistrol et al used no control group as well. And Hand Hygiene compliance, the consumption of alcohol-based hand rub (AHR), HAIs and MRSA hospital acquisition incidence were measured. Hand Hygiene compliance was measured by direct observation of health care workers during daily work routine. Observations covered all the 8 hour shifts on weekdays, which is more acceptable than Larson et al’s only 2 days observation. However, infection control nurses undertook the observers and also part of the educator. This could explain the high Hand Hygiene compliance in all periods due to the presence of observers. Meanwhile, Allegranzi et al assessed the effectiveness of the World Health Organization hand hygiene improvement strategy in a low-income African country, evaluating hand hygiene infrastructure, compliance, healthcare workers’ knowledge and perceptions, and handrub consumption. The ideal design for these researches would be Randomized Clinical Trial (RCT), because the research outcomes can be compared by control groups for more exact data in a same time. However, those cannot be done properly with RCT and this is the reason why they did not choose RCT for the research strategy. Once the new practice Guideline is published, the control groups will be informed as well. And this might withhold best practices from patients, raising ethical concerns. The most rigorous study among those three articles was Allegranzi et al’s research. To examine the effectiveness of WHO’s hand hygiene improvement strategy, they prepared well with training the observers for a long time according to the WHO observation method. And for the baseline evaluation and follow-up evaluation WHO knowledge questionnaire was administered. Also, more scientific and specific categories such as hand hygiene infrastructure and healthcare workers’ level of knowledge were shown in this research than others. Stout et al and Melissa et al reviewed articles by using a systematic review. In regards to the search strategy, Stout et al searched only PubMed for relevant articles. While Melissa et al searched MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL, HMIC, the Web of Science and the Cochrane Library databases. There is evidence that single electronic database searches lack sensitivity and relevant articles may be missed if only one database is searched(Akobeng 2005). Meanwhile, Stout et al evaluated and reviewed 3,463 articles published between January 1, 2000 and March 31 2013. Forty two articles were selected and grouped into 1 of 4 categories after quality assessment of articles. Also, the earliest year of 2000 was selected because alcohol-based hand rub was not widely in use in prior years. This is a quite scientific strategy. While, there was no specific reason for Melissa et al to pick the articles between May and November 2004, as well as there was no mention about quality assessment of studies. A systematic review was selected for these articles to examine primary studies on focused clinical questions so that specific answers from narrowly defined review questions were given. Findings Conclusion The result of Larson et al indicates that hand hygiene guideline was disseminated and hospitals responded by modifying procedures and policies, compliance with hand hygiene recommendations remained low. Similarly, Monistrol et al suggested that no changes in incidences of HAI were shown after the multimodal campaign. However, Allegranzi et al found that hand hygiene improvement is affordable and effective in a healthcare setting with limited resources. The difference between Summary Number Author/s, year country Aims Sample/setting Design/methods Main Findings Strength/limitations of the study 1 Stout, Ritchie Macpherson 2007 UK To improve compliance with hand hygiene guidelines, resulting in low incidence of HAI. Search strategy with combined terms of ‘handwashing’, ‘alcohol cleanser’, ‘infection’, or ‘compliance’ Date or language limitation were applied. A systematic review: MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL, HMIC, the Web of Science and the Cochrane Library databases between May and November 2004 2 Melissa et al 2014 US To assess the existing evidence surrounding the adoption and accuracy of automated systems or electronically enhanced direct observations and also reviews the effectiveness of such systems in health care settings. 3 Allegranzi et al 2010 US To assess the feasibility and effectiveness of the World Health Organization hand hygiene improvement strategy in a low-income African country. University Hospital, Bamako, Mali Introducing a locally produced, alcohol-based handrub; monitoring hand hygiene compliance; providing performance feedback; educating staff; posting reminders in the workplace; and promoting an institutional safety climate according to the World Health Organization multimodal hand hygiene improvement strategy. Compliance increased from 8.0% at baseline to 21.8% at follow-up 4 Larson, Quiros Lin 2007 US To evaluate implementation and compliance with clinical practices recommended in the new Centers for Disease Control and Prevention(CDC) Hand Hygiene Guideline To compare rates of HAI before and after implementation of the guideline recommendations To examine the patterns and correlates of changes in rates of HAI Survey for 89.8% of 1359 staff members Hospitals that were members of The National Nosocomial Infections Surveillance System Quantitative study during 2001 – 2004, Hand Hygiene Guideline implementation and compliance measures: the introduction of the guideline within the hospital; the presence of the recommended products on clinical units; institutional policies and procedures regarding hand hygiene, includeing the presence of a formalized plan to monitor compliance. Measure of HAI pre- and post-Guideline: collecting data regarding HAI rates in the ICUs of study hospitals for 12 months before and 12 months following publication of the Hand Hygiene Guideline. Hand hygiene compliance: ranged from 24% to 89% per ICU None of the pre to post-rates of change were associated with hospital characteristics. Assessment of hand hygiene compliance was based on just 2 days of observation 5 Monistrol et al 2011 Spain To evaluate the effectiveness of a multimodal intervention in medical wards in relation to hand hygiene compliance, alcohol-based hand rub consumption and incidence of HAI and MRSA. 825 patients and 868 patients totally in the pre and post period respectively. Conducted at three internal medical wards(113 beds) in Hospital Universitari Mutua Terrassa, Spain Quantitative: Prospective study during 2007 2009. Carried out in four phases: a baseline phase(10 weeks from February 2007), an intervention period(5 months from June 2007), a post intervention(10 weeks from November 2007) and follow-up evaluation(November 2009) Hand hygiene compliance improved from 54.3% in the pre period to 75.8% in the post period. Alcohol-based hand rub consumption increased from 10.5 to 27.2L per 1000 patient-days. The incidence density of HAI ranged from 6.93 to 6.96 per 1000 hospital days and new Healthcare Associated MRSA went down from 0.92 to 0.25 per 1000 hospital-days. Strengths: conducted in general medical wards with the long-term follow-up Limitations: no control group was used; no group session, compliance observation or surveillance of HAIs was carried out outside the studied area Vic gov http://health.vic.gov.au/clinrisk/publications/clinical_gov_policy.htm sahealth http://www.sahealth.sa.gov.au/wps/wcm/connect/public+content/sa+health+internet/clinical+resources/safety+and+quality/preventing+and+controlling+healthcare+associated+infections

The Role of Gene Mutation in Human Evolution Essay -- Exploratory Essa

The Role of Gene Mutation in Human Evolution Have you ever looked at a gorilla or a monkey and considered it to be your ancestor? Probably not, but, if you have had that thought then it was probably just because that is what has been taught in our school systems for decades, and probably will be for a long time to come unless proven otherwise. Sure, humans and primates have similar features: facial expressions and structures; fingers; toes; breasts; hair; etc., but there has been no evidence that proves that we are, undoubtedly, a product of natural selection evolving from ape-like species. Ever since the first mentioning of our evolution from such species was introduced, it has been primarily theory, and nothing more. Scientists have been struggling for years to find the scientific evidence linking humans to primates. Recently, though, in the study of such a theory, there has been a remarkable finding suggesting just that – Humans are descendants from ape-like species. Anthropologists have long debated how humans evolved from a species with larger jaw muscles and smaller cranial capacities (smaller brains). The new finding may be the answer they’ve been searching for. Although it is not definite proof linking the two species, it is very convincing. Perhaps with more research, it can become factual proof that links humans to primates. Mysosin is the major contractile protein that makes up muscle tissue, and it is this gene that is thought to be responsible for the appearance of the genus Homo in the evolutionary aspect of the hominid species. â€Å"Myosin Heavy Chains are a critical protein component of the sarcomeres, the engine room of skeletal muscle, from which contractile force is derived† (Currie, 373). ... ...nd unpredictable, and this goes for everything in science which is why it is so intriguing to so many people. You and I are both able to read and comprehend the words on this page, along with being able to do hundreds of other tasks that no other species is able to do, thanks to a small, muscular genetic mutation that occurred in primates 2.4 million years ago, giving rise to the genus Homo, and eventually Homo sapiens. Works Cited 1. Currie, Pete, 2004, Muscling in on Hominid Evolution. Nature, v. 428, p351-450. Macmillan Building, London, UK. p373-374. 2. Stedman et al, 2004, Myosin Gene Mutation Correlates with Anatomical Changes in the Human Lineage. Nature, v. 428, p351-450. Macmillan Building, London UK. p415-418 3. University of Pennsylvania Medical Center http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2004/03/040325074128.htm

Sidney Fines Sit-down :: essays research papers

Sidney Fine's Sit-down Sit-down is a historical non-fiction book. It depicts the events of the 1936-1937 strike at General Motors plants in Flint and around the country. The author of this book is Sidney Fine. In this report you will learn what I learned about the struggle between Corporations and the beginning of unionization.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Sit-down is about the General Motors Sit-down strike of 1936-1937. This strike was mainly about the right for workers to represent themselves through collective bargaining. The union supporters went through a long, inhumane and bloody fight. hey finally won the fight on February, 11 1937. On this day General Motors recognized the United Auto Workers as the collective-bargaining agency for their employees.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The 4 main characters involved with the strike are GM President Alfred Sloan Jr., executive Vice President Willam Knudsen, U.A.W. President Homer Martin and the Governor of Michigan, Frank Murphy. Sloan and Knudsen represented the GM stock holders and the interest of management. They did not want collective bargaining because it would take power away from management. Martin represented the working people on GM assembly lines and all auto workers in the United States of America. Governor Murphy’s role was to mediate, but he was on General Motors side. He insisted that the sit-downers get basic human right’s such as food, heat, and water. Murphy also controlled the police and National Guard. They shot and killed several strikers. After it was all over Martin and the United Auto workers emerged victorious.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The strike started in Flint on December 30,1936. The GM factories were described as a mess, because of the lack of sanitation. There was also spare parts and other miscellaneous weapons used against the cops in the Battle of the Running Bulls laying around in Flint factories everywhere. In fact the conditions in the factories were all out nasty. I would not want to live there for a month and a half. On February 11 1937 GM and the U.A.W. struck a deal at the state capital building in Lansing .   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  This stories Characteristics are kind of strange because it does not go in chronological order. It starts out with The Battle of the Running Bulls. Which is actually at the end of the strike. Then it goes on to describe different aspects of the strike. Such as the corporation, the workers, Strategy’s and Tactics of GM and the U.A.W. Next the book talks about the settlement and the aftermath. In general the beginning and the end of the book

Akhenaten, The Mysterious Ruler :: essays research papers

Akhenaten, The Mysterious Ruler Akhenaten is considered by many historians to be one of the most fascinating and individuals of the ancient world. It is been said that he created the first monotheistic religion. Did he do so? We will explore this question, along with other factions of his life and reign. In order to see how Akhenaten is considered a revolutionary and how his reign is different from those before his a look at the role of earlier â€Å"traditional† kings is needed. Then we will examine the royal house in Egyptian society during Amenhoten III's reign. What did he believe in? What of the relationship was there between father and son, a co-regency? And what of his mother, Tiye? What influence did she have on him, if any? We will also look at references to Aten during Amenhoten III's rule. To understand how revolutionary the worship of Aten was we need to look at the worship of other Egyptian gods and in particular Amon-Re. Then a peek at the first years of the rule of then Amenhoten IV . Then the change occurs after about five years. Amenhoten IV changes his name to Akhenaten and declares that Aten is the god of his worship. There are several possibilities of why he decided to change to the worship of Aten, and move his capital. We'll explore these possibilities. Who was Aten, and how was he worshiped? After all this is the god that Akhenaten worshiped and placed above all other gods. Historians argue whether or not Aten was worshiped as the sole god of Egypt. We will explore Aten and how he is worshiped and depicted. We will discuss the ethics of this new religion, if indeed there are any.. We shall see the king as a devoted family man. One who loved to be seen with wife and family. This was an unusual for a king of that time. His attitude about truth brought about an art revolution as well as a religious one. This is seen on temples that he built and depictions that we find in them. Looking through the eyes of noted historians such as Redford, Alfred, Breasted, and others we look at these questions and try to begin to understand the man that Redford calls "The Heritic King".. I. Introduction II. Traditional pharaoh role and traits. A.How are past traditional rulers seen? III. Amenhoten III A. Religion 1. Description of various gods 2.

History of Retail Industry Essay

Department stores were gradually introduced which gave customers a chance to choose between brands and products at one location. From JC Penney founded in 1902, to Piggly Wiggly in 1916 who was the first to offer checkout lines and self service. In 1961, Target was founded with Wal-Mart in 1962 and Kohls right behind them in 1963. It wasn’t long and Best Buy, Kmart, TJ Maxx, Costco, and many more retail stores opened their doors to the industry of shopping. It didn’t take long for the retail industry to take off and attract consumers of all kinds with the convenience of shopping and with it ame an experience as well. From department stores to grocery stores they transformed their ways of selling to gives customers not only the products they want but the atmosphere that was appealing. With Wal-Mart opening its doors in 1962 it made the 1960s the revolution in the world of retail. Today, retail industry is booming, yes with the recession it hurt some of the smaller busine sses but for the most part they have stayed afloat. We did lose some big retail businesses in 2008 such as Linens N Things, Mervyns and Circuit City. With this being said, the retail industry needs to make stakeholders understand the role in the industry to help protect and improve their reputation as well as build the confidence in consumers. Corporate stakeholders have to be more than a moral responsibility to the company. They need to be a part of much more from how much consumers spend to supporting key policy issues and in the end will change the shareholder value. Social, Economic, and Political Setting The retail industry does a lot for the social and economic setting. Wal-Mart alone does a great deal for the communities where their stores are located. Not only do they provide jobs for around 1. 5 million people, they also have competitive pricing to help local economies. Their competitive pricing brings in more than 312 billion dollars. So not only is Wal-Mart a thriving company they believe in a family work culture as well as supporting their local communities. Many retail stores leave a big footprint in their communities and worldwide. They rally around charities and do their part to put a stamp on the map. On the other hand, most in the retail industry try to keep business and politics separate which seems to be the safest position to take. Some retail businesses like Wal-Mart and Coca Cola are open to their affiliation with the Republican Party and seems to help their image with the traditional consumers but most do not want to take a chance of offending their customer base. Domestic and International Ethics Starbucks who opened their doors in 1971 to forty-one year later they have become a global company with more than 19,000 stores in 60 different countries. They have made the Ethicsphere Institute’s World most Ethical Company List for six straight years. They introduced the Ethical Coffee sourcing program in 2001 to help farms in Central and South America improve their crops while remaining environmentally aware. They helped local nurseries plant over 200,000 seedlings to restore natural forest cover as well as decreasing the use of herbicides and chemical fertilizers with farmers. They also helped train farmers to help reduce the use of carbon by replacing more than 200,000 trees. Ecological and Natural Resources The retail industry has regulations made by the Environmental Protection Agency that they have to comply by to meet regulatory obligations as well as helping reduce environmental impacts such as waste management, product selection and construction of new facilities. Retail businesses may have state regulations to comply by as well as Federal regulations. Many in the retail industry are taking great strides to help impact the environment. There are four areas that highly impact the environment. One is the choice of raw materials for clothing has big impacts on the environment. Cotton is known for its rigorous use of water and pesticides and the so called natural dyes that rely on the harvest of millions of insects to reach the â€Å"natural†color. The second is manufacturing. Textile dyeing and finishing mills can be high producers of water pollution and carbon dioxide emissions and by improving their mills to reduce water, energy and chemical use can really reduce the footprint of their global supply chain. The third is transportation which unfortunately manufacturers and retailers are on other ends of the globe which any mode of transportation sends some sort of pollution into the environment. The last impact is consumer care which many consumers may not even be aware of how a few simple steps can help reduce environmental impacts tremendously. One is washing in cold water and air drying if possible. Dry cleaning is another risk to the environment due to the chemical that is used to clean the clothes called perchloroethylene which has been known to cause many health effects with exposure to this in high levels. So it is not just the retail businesses that can help make changes to better our environment it also falls on the shoulders of designers to use fabrics that don’t require dry cleaning and to the consumers that purchase to make choices that help the environment. Clean by Design launched their program in 2009 to help reduce the environmental impacts by using buying power of multinational corporations by improving processes in the environment to reducing emissions and waste. It is astonishing to see by 2011 that Target, Wal-Mart, Gap, Levis, H&M, Nike and Li & Fung are all participating in this program and hopefully they corporations will continue to get in board and the list will continue to grow. Social Issues In today’s lively and unstable business world of retail industry they are always faced with social issues such as customer choices, brutal competitors, complex global economy and the use of the internet. Retailers are constantly trying to find new ways to make their business more profitable and ways to get more shoppers through their doors. Retail industry has caught on to engaging with society and the consumers on a personal level. They are adapting and changing to the environment around them and constantly developing new ways to serve their customers with trust and brand loyalty. Just like Timberland Company did in 2008 by making a â€Å"nutrition label† on their shoe box to show the environmental impact it has from beginning to delivery of the shoe. The company did this in hopes of giving consumers the information they need to make environmentally smart decisions on buying. Not only did Timberland Company do this they also comprised their shoe box that is made up of 100 percent recycled post-consumer waste fiber, no chemical glues and only soy-based inks to print labels. Timberland is just one of many retail stores that take a stand on social issues. Target is another big business in the business industry that comes to mind. From opening its doors in 1988, Target has always tried to be a step above in the industry with the competitive edge logos to their reputation for low prices and offering organic foods in their superstores. They always try to maintain their mission statement which reads, â€Å"to make Target your preferred shopping destination in all channels by delivering outstanding value, continuous innovation and exceptional guest experiences by consistently fulfilling our Expect More. Pay Less.  ® brand promise†. They not only cater to the consumers they are extremely involved with schools and the communities that surround them. They are partnered with St. Jude which is a huge plus for them and provide disaster relief and are always raising funds for our country’s children. Another company that has taking great strides to make their place in this economy just as their mission statement says to â€Å"Inspire and nurture the human spirit – one person, one cup, and one neighborhood at a time. Rating of the industry’s overall social responsiveness I believe the retail industry for the most part is trying to take the right steps to make a difference in the economy and help insure the environment is first priority. Over the years we have seen so many big corporations leave footprints in the global economy as well as making the appropriate changes to better the community and environment we live in. References Retail. (2010). Retrieved from http://www. ceres. org/roadmap-assessment/sector-analyses/retail Wal-Mart. (2012, December 9). History timeline. Retrieved from http://corporate. walmart. com/our-story/heritage/history-timeline https://corporate. target. com/about/history/Target-through-the-years (2012, March). In Starbucks Ethical Coffee Sourcing and Farmer Report. Retrieved November 8, 2012, from http://assets. starbucks. com/assets/6e52b26a7602471dbff32c9e66e685e3. pdf Clean by design. (n. d. ). Retrieved from http://www. nrdc. org/international/cleanbydesign The evolution of retailing. (2009, 12). Retrieved from http://www. kpmg. com/CN/en/IssuesAndInsights/ArticlesPublications/Documents/Evolution-retailing-o-200912. pdf Ken, A. (2012, March 31). Wal-mart company.

Legal Case

Legal Studies In December 2002 Dominic Li answered his front door to two men (Richard Nimmo and Maua Sua) both armed with guns. Sua and Nimmo were being paid by Yonky Irvin Tan, a drug dealer whom Li’s brother in law owed money to. Both Sua and Nimmo poured hydrochloric acid onto Mr Li where he suffered burns to his face, became blind and burns to his oesophagus. Mr Li painfully passed away three weeks later due to these injuries sustained as they led to a blockage in his throat that blocked his breathing. Tan was found guilty of plannng the murder and sentenced to life in prison.Sua and Nimmo were found not guilty to the murder but found guilty on other offences. Identify the correct legal citation of the case Name: Dominic Li – Satorre v R, R v AB, R v Tan – Acid attack and murder Date: 13th December 2002 Outline the elements of the offence In this case the elements of this case include the planning of the event by Tan. This is known as the men’s rea (gu ilty mind) this is proven by Tan admitting he had planned out the act and paid Sua and Nimmo to kill Li for him. Also acts rea is established in this case.Acts rea is the guilty act and is revealed in the case by Sua and Nimmo pouring the acid on Li’s face which eventually led to Li passing away three weeks later due to the injuries suffered in the attack. The overall offence of this act was murder. Describe the factors that might have led to the criminal behaviour. Economics was the factor/motive for this murder. Li’s brother in law (Phillip Ma) owed Tan money and had disappeared. Tan then planned out the murder of Li as a way of finding out where Ma was and to portray to Ma that it was a sign that Tan was coming after him.Outline the reporting and investigation of the crime Mr Li’s murder was reported to the police by his wife who looked on in horror as her husband had the acid poured down his throat and on his face at gunpoint. The evidence that was discovere d at the crime scene was the DNA of Sua and Nimmo (Fingerprints on guns and acid bottle). Explain the role of the courts The role of the courts is to hear cases being put forward by the two parties and decide the outcome of the hearing. In this case the case was heard at the NSW Supreme Court.It was heard in Supreme Court as the offence committed was too severe for the local courts as it was a murder case. Outline the legal representation The legal representation in this case is the roles of both the crown and the prosecutor. The role of the crown in cases is to act as the prosecuting party against the defendant. The Crown is usually abbreviated or represented by R. e. g. R v Smith. The role of the prosecutor is to assist the court in that the truth of the offence has been arrived and achieved. Identify the PleaIn the case of Dominic Li’s murder the offenders involved in the crime Tan, Sua, Nimmo and Sattore all pleaded innocent but were found guilty on various offences. Firs tly Tan was found guilty of planning the murder and was sentenced to life in prison. Secondly Sua and Nimmo were found guilty but were acquitted because one of Tan’s associates that was involved in proving Sua and Nimmo’s guilt and been in prison on previous occasions was seen as unreliable. However, both Sua and Nimmo were found guilty of drug offences and both prisoned to 24 years prison.Finally Sattore, who was found guilty of driving Sua and Nimmo to Li’s house was charged with being an accessory to the crime as he admitted to having prior knowledge of the planned murder and was sentenced to 16 years in prison. After the sentences were handed down Sattore expressed his sympathy and sorrow towards the victim’s friends and family. Discuss the factors that affect the sentencing decision Factors that affect sentencing decisions are conditions that may influence the final outcome and affect the result e. g. educe or increase the punishment handed down. The se conditions are considered by the court when determining whether the defendant is guilty or innocent. Some conditions may reduce the severity of the charge. These conditions are known as mitigating offences. In addition, conditions that may result in the charge becoming more severe are known as aggravating offences. In Mr Li’s case the mitigating offence shown was that of Mr Tan’s associates being labelled as unreliable therefore leading to the murder charges on Sua and Nimmo being dropped.Explain the penalty given Penalties given to the defendant may include time in prison. The judge determines the time that the defendant has to serve in prison based on the severity of the case that is being heard. In the case of Mr Li’s murder the judge handed down the sentence of life in prison to Mr Tan, 24 years in prison to both Sua and Nimmo and 16 years imprisonment to Sattore. Analyse the extent to which the law balances the rights of victims and offenders.In cases pr esented in court, the courts have to ensure the both the rights of the victims and the offenders are upheld. These rights must be met without any bias or unfairness towards one party. In the case of Mr Dominic Li’s death, his family and Mr Li himself have had their rights maintained as they know that the people responsible for Mr Li’s death are serving a long time in prison for what they did. On the other hand the rights of the offenders have also been upheld. Justice has been served to Tan, Sua, Nimmo and Sattore.This has been done by Sua and Nimmo being acquitted because of an unreliable source being used as a witness and providing an unstable statement. However, the rights of Li’s family were once again maintained as both Sua and Nimmo were still charged for other offences and face lengthy prison sentences. Furthermore , Sattore has been dealt justice as he is still serving time for his part in the murder but hasn’t been given as severe punishment as t he other member because he did not actually take part in the killing he just drove the murderers to Li’s house.He also admits to feeling extremely sorry for his actions and all of the offenders must live with the guilt of murdering Mr Dominic Li for the rest of their lives. In conclusion, the rights of both the victims and offenders have been upheld throughout the case by the final outcome. The family of Mr Li can get a sense of security and satisfactory out of knowing that the people who killed their beloved family member are serving time behind bars. Finally, the rights of the offenders were maintained because each member was given a fair trial and received a reduce punishment except for Mr Tan. Bryce Donovan

Bond Market Power

The reasons behind James Carville's quote stating that if he would want to be reincarnated as the Bond Market as appose to a political figure or religious leader (Ferguson, N, 2008) is clear, the Bond market since its inception over 800 years ago has been the most influential financial instrument throughout history. Its longevity and power far surpasses any leader. It affects the outcome of wars, the success and failures of even the largest economies and also touches the lives of individual people. The below paper will discuss the history and origins of such a Debt Instrument, its rise in America inspiring James Carville's quote. Also how the Bond Market works, its components and its power over economies throughout history using examples to support this. Concluding this analysis with the Bond Market in Ireland and how it has been greatly affected by the current economic climate. Origins and Early History of the Bond Market: Nations, races and religions have been at war since the dawn of time and has seen many wars; there have been countless debates as to what ultimately plays the most important role in winning a war. Many people would argue that it is the size of an army, some would say it is the General at the forefront of a battlefield, others would denote it to technological advances in weaponry. These arguments all have one factor in common, they all need to be funded by money; money to pay soldiers, to reward Generals and to pay for arms. The amount of money which a town, country or kingdom has to fund a war is what determines victory. Niall Ferguson outlines the historic origins of the Bond Market very informatively in †The Ascent of Money† tracing the use of Bonds, to as far back as the early 14th century in Italy. Throughout the 14th and 15th Century, Italian cities were at war with one and other. Florence, Pisa and Siena being the main cities at war with each other among others. As concluded above, it is money which is the most influential strategy or weapon to be victorious against the other cities and in the case of Florence we see that by funding their wars they landed their town into major debt. How could Florence pay back this debt? Imposing tax increases would lead to upheaval, they therefore came up with the revolutionary idea of a commonly coined term: â€Å"Government IOU's† (Ferguson, N 2008); the wealthier citizens would lend the Government money over an agreed period of time receiving regular interest payments on said loan. The ideal factor in this agreement is that these IOUS's could be sold to other citizens prior to their maturity making them a liquid asset. This debt instrument saw the birth of the Bond Market. By the early 14th Century, two thirds of households were the Florentine Governments prime lenders in financing their â€Å"Mountain of Debt†. (Ferguson, N 2008). While it seems like a win-win situation for both investors and the Government a critical point arose, if a Government kept going to war and kept issuing Bonds to pay for such wars, how could an investor be guaranteed the investment would be returned. It is this point which highlights the link between the Bond Market and is power over economies. Governments undertaking this idea grew throughout the 16th and 17th century, some using towns as intermediaries; France with Paris hotel de ville, Spain utilizing Genoas Casa di San Girgio and Antwerp's beurs. (Ferguson, N, 2008) But it is the 18th Century and the British consol which paints the most relevant picture as to the rise of the Bond Market and the extent of its power, both from the perspective of winning battles and to be capitalized as a rewarding investment; The Battle of Waterloo being the best example of this. Nathan Rothschild was the most prominent figure at that time in the UK financial world and due to this and his reputation of being a successful Gold smuggler, he was given the task by the British Government of using funds from the issuance of Bonds to purchase amounts of gold to finance the Duke of Wellingtons battles. Rothschild was commissioned to deliver  £600,000 worth of Gold but instead collected  £2 million worth of bullion reserves. It is when the war was announced over and won by the British in 1815 that Rothschild had a problem of having an overly excessive gold reserve from his gold piling mission. He then, in a clear way of capitalizing on the Bond Markets in such a historic way, made one of the best investment decisions of his life. Post being informed of the Duke of Wellingtons victory, Rothschild purchased the British Bonds before the market had an opportunity to react, expecting the price to rise with increased stability of the Government due to the victory at Waterloo. Rothschild purchased the British Consol initially on 20 July 1815 and then again in subsequent years until selling at a peak in late 1817 at an increase of 40%. It is this display of financial valour and a clear inter connection between Government economies and the Bond Market which saw its rise to power in the global financial world. (Ferguson, N 2008). Linking the above to America and ultimately James Carville's quote, we can begin with the oldest impact of the Bond Market on American History, the American Civil War. The South approached the Rothschilds to back them as they did Britain in Waterloo but the Rothschild decided to opt out, this resonated throughout the entire European quarter which led to the an ingenious idea by the Confederacy to offer â€Å"cotton backed bonds† to the Europeans which basically guaranteed the bonds with Cotton making them a less risky initiative. Because the south monopolised the global cotton supply, they could influence prices thus making the cotton backed bonds more expensive leading to the increase in Bond price and ultimately funding for the Civil War. This is why it is said that the fall of New Orleans (cotton producer of the south) in April 1862 was the true definitive moment in the American Civil War, as a result the Bond prices fell astronomically and hence the financial backing for the Confederacy, the end of the war being 1865 with the North claiming victory. (Ferguson, N 2008). Bond Market America 1900's – 1990's Clinton Administration: In terms of the US Treasury Bond Market, it began as part funding for World War I. The war was financed through a rise in taxes and through the sale of war bonds, called â€Å"Liberty Bonds†. Over $21 billion dollars of debt were raised in maturities that came due after the war. Budget surpluses were not enough to cover the debt and so converted into T-bills, notes and bonds. These amounts were paid down regularly until borrowings were increased during the Great Depression of 1929. Foreign governments became holders of United States debt as they began to have surpluses in the balance of trade. As the Government deficit rose during World War II and accelerated during the Vietnam war, the debt markets and the rise of debt related trading instruments has dominated financial markets. In the early 1980s, bond yields rose substantially due to increases in commodity prices, labor wage increases and expanding deficits. Bond prices anticipate rising amounts of future debt and thus yields rise. (www.ehow.com). U.S. interest rates beginning in 1900-2010: (observationsandnotes.blogspot.com) The graph above shows U.S. interest rates beginning in 1900. From 1953 onward, the rates are 10-year U.S. Treasury Note rates, plotted monthly; prior to 1953, they're the less granular. This can support the previous paragraph's historical perspective in the ascent of the US Bond Market, in that we see how the interest rates drop from the depression and how it slowly began to rise post the Vietnam War in the late 60's early 70's.( observationsandnotes.blogspot.com). Placing the James Carville quote into perspective and in line with the time at which it was stated, during the Clinton administration. We can see according to some the destruction of the Bond Market happen in the US in 1994 entirely caused by the policies of said Administration. In 1993 President Clinton began with a plan to kick push the economy. His view was that all he needed to push the economy was lower interest rates. Short-term interest rates can fall for many reasons; public expectations change, increased savings increase, the market or as Adam Smith coined the â€Å"Invisible Hand† drives down interest rates as a signal for more investment. (Smith, A 1991). The same can happen artificially as the central bank expands credit and intentionally causes increased money supply within the economy, the central bank creates distortions in the capital structure, including stocks and bonds, while an increase in private savings allows steady economic growth. The Clinton administration, pushed the Federal reserve to lower short-term interest rates. Making money cheap and plentiful to pump up spending. But there is a fine line between plenty of money and plenty of devalued money. One is higher prices or in other words Inflation, lowers the purchasing power of money, which forces the Fed, sooner or later, to raise the interest rates back to a higher level. The usual consequence is an economic slowdown or even recession. A by-product may be a lower exchange rate internationally. But the actual consequence in the time of the Clinton administration was the bond market collapse. (Pongracic, I, 1995) So far we have tracked the history of the Bond Market from its origins in Italy to its rise within the US economy, but what is the Bond Market technically and how can we analyze the Bond Market and break it down to see how it operates within the financial system in today's terms? The Bond Market and How it works: When dissecting the bond market and its relevance and importance in today's terms we do not associate it too much to the funding of wars or the financing of battles, as we did with Waterloo, The American Civil War and Vietnam, we view it like Nathan Rothschild did, as an investment tool. Stocks historically produce higher rates of return than other investments but at the same time carry with a substantial amount of risk, also noting that it is at the Board of Directors discretion to pay out dividends on common stocks. The alternative being Bonds on the other hand have a maturity date at which time the Bond is redeemed at the issuing price. US Treasury Bonds interest and redemption payments are backed by the U.S Treasury thus rendering them â€Å"risk free† . (Faerber, Esme, 1993) The word †BOND† means contract, agreement, or guarantee. An investor who purchases a bond is lending money to the issuer , and the bond represents the issuer's contractual promise to pay the interest and repay the principle according to specified terms. The issuers themselves can be the National Government, Lower Levels of Government , Corporations and Securitisation Vehicles. (Levinson, M, 2000). Bonds are traded on both the Primary and Secondary Capital Markets along with Stocks and Mortgages, they are first introduced as initial public offerings or IPO's on the primary market and then can be traded or sold on the secondary market before maturity. The Par, face or maturity value of the Bond is the amount the issuer must pay at maturity. The coupon rate is the rate of interest paid on the bond. If the repayment of Bond are not met, the holder can claim on the assets of the issuer, (in the above Civil War example, the South's cotton). Long term bonds traded in the capital market include long term government notes and bonds, municipal bonds and corporate bonds. When dealing in Corporate Bonds, Default risk is an important factor of Bonds, as it is the main factor which influences a Bonds Interest Rate. This can be explained to be the risk that the issuer will not be able to meet interest payments and pay the principle back to the investor. If the possibility of default increases because the corporation is suffering losses the default risk will increase and their expected return on these bonds will decrease. Due to this importance, it is the credit rating agencies which assess the risk of default of Companies and Governments alike and rate them according to likeliness of default. (Mishkin, F.S, 2006) When buying and selling bonds, investors can utilize brokerage firms as they do with other investments and in the case of U.S Treasury Bonds can purchase them directly, it is when successfully realising where its best to buy and sell bonds which leads the investor in gaining from both differences in bond pricing and in commission costs. The Irish Economy & its Bond Market a midst the crisis: As displayed above, the main way for countries to raise fund when required are theough the Bond Markets. They are also a a key indicator as to the economic position of that country. This is because the more concerns the markets have about a nations financial stability, the more expensive it is for that government to issue its Bonds and raise money. A midst the Irish Financial Crisis and the troubles of Irelands Banks, mainly due to the blanket guarantee annoiunced by the Irish Finance Minister John Lenihan, Ireland have found it so much more costly to attract interest in their bonds this year. This is due to the Government accepting responsibility for Commercial Bank’s risky Loan Books, considering these loans will more than likely be defaulted so is the risk that the Irish Government will default on their soveirgn debt. Due to the above, the market prices of Irish Bonds have fallen in recent months, pushing up the yields. The yield on a 10-year Irish bond reached about 9% at one point. That is very high. The UK government – in spite of all its financial difficulties – can borrow for 10 years at just over 3%. (bbc.co.uk).

Ethical Leadership Is Mostly About Leadership Integrity Essay

A recent study conducted in 2010 among UK and some European companies, revealed that the most prominent ethical issues to organisations includes harassment, bribery, corruption and facilitation payments, and whistle blowing (Wesley et al. 2011). Thus, it is important that ethics must indeed embark from the top. Leaders cannot escape from their responsibility to establish a moral example for their followers. The ethical actions and behaviour of top management have to be consistent with their teaching, otherwise formal ethical training and codes are bound to have a slim chance of success. The outcome of organisational goals is dependent on the leader’s capabilities to set the direction for employee behaviour, which includes promotion, strategies and appraisal (Brown & Mitchell 2010). This essay will examine how leadership integrity plays a part in building an ethical leadership, and also consider the other factors involved in building ethical leadership. Ethical leadership is mostly about leadership integrity Ethical leadership involve leaders to lead in a way that respects the dignity and rights of followers. It is especially important in the society today, when the public trust has been eroded by the actions of many, in both the profit and non-profit organisations. For instance, top executives of corporate organisations contributed to the recent credit crisis by reporting higher profits than actual, in order to enjoy greater compensation themselves (Berenbeim 2009). Ethical behaviour includes key principles such as integrity, honesty, and fairness. This is a situation where by leaders engage in behaviour that benefits others and refrains from behaviour that cause harm to others (Toor & Ofori 2009). Ethical leaders embody the purpose, vision and values of the management. They link up the organisational goals to that of the employees and stakeholders, giving a sense of direction to their employees’ work and ensure that organizational decisions are based upon sound moral values (Pic colo et al. 2010). Thus, an ethical leader who demonstrates leadership integrity is one with ‘right values’ and ‘strong character’, who set examples for others by constantly making efforts to incorporate moral principles in their beliefs, values and behaviour (Freeman & Stewart 2006). Hence, leadership integrity is one of the top attribute of an effective and good leader. Leadership integrity represents an honest, reliable and trustworthy person. It symbolizes a true commitment to perform the right action, regardless of the situation. One study has shown that the integrity of profit making by managers and business owners is a key point which makes a Fortune 500 organisation stands out from other competitors (Blanchard et al. 1997). Social learning theory (Bandura 1977, 1986) also aims to explain why followers’ perceptions of ethical leadership behaviour are influenced by the individual characteristics of the leader. Social learning theory suggests that individuals learn and follow the actions, attitudes, behaviour and values of credible role models (Bandura 1977, 1986). Ethical leaders are perceived to be role models with high ethical values and traits, such as leadership integrity, and thus, this encourage followers to establish their own framework of moral ideals and principles, which ultimately leads to moral action (Avolio 2005). Followers are also able develop a higher level of moral perspective and interpersonal ability through the provision of positive and constructive moral feedback given by the ethical leaders (Eisenberg 2000; Hoffman 1988). In a study developed by psychologist Dr. Robert Turknett, it was revealed that integrity is the foundation of his leadership character model, and hence, suggested that no leader can be successful without integrity (Turknett et al. 2005). He also notes that individuals with integrity are willing to stand up and defend for what is right, careful to ke ep promises, will not twist facts, and can be trusted to speak the truth. Furthermore, James Quigley, the global CEO of Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu, emphasized the importance of integrity and trust in the professional success of an individual (Quigley 2007). He highlighted that individuals who lacks integrity are not considered trustworthy, and will severely weaken an individual’s value to the organisation. Hence, the importance of integrity and character is highly valued in the workplace. Individuals who lack integrity, are not trustworthy, and will not be given responsibilities or opportunities, and thus, will be frowned upon by other employees in the organisation (Quigley 2007). Corporations with integrity leaders are often leaders in their own industries, and likely to do better than other competitor firms, achieving in their long-term financial goals. Other fundamental elements that make up ethical leadership In contrast, other studies have suggested that ethical leadership is not just about leadership integrity, but at the same time, it consists of a multi dimensional concept, with many other fundamental elements (Trevino & Brown 2004). Ethical leaders have to be seen as both a â€Å"moral person† and a â€Å"moral manager† (Trevino et al. 2000). The moral person aspect of ethical leadership can be seen as the personal characteristics and traits of the leader, such as personal integrity, honesty and trustworthiness, including the moral nature of the leader’s behaviour, such as expressing a genuine concern for others and treating people right, demonstrating personal morality, and being open and communicative. In the process of decision making, ethical leaders consider the ethical impact of their decisions, and based them upon ethical values and decision rules (Trevino & Brown 2004). It is therefore important that leaders themselves are indeed moral persons and explici tly demonstrate ethical behaviours to their followers. Their followers learn what to do and what not to do by observing their leaders behaviour, and are likely to imitate their leaders (Kaptein 2002). However, being perceived as a moral person is insufficient. A moral person only portrays the actions of the leader. It does not advice the followers what is expected of them. A moral manager creates ethical standards and expectation throughout the organisation by portraying ethical behaviour, traits and decision making. A moral manager posses three distinct characteristics. Firstly, a moral manager actively demonstrates ethical behaviours and lead through good examples. Secondly, rewarding morally appropriate conduct and punish unethical behaviours, strengthen the organisations’ ethical stance. Thirdly, a moral manager communicates ethical values and issues throughout the organisation openly (Brown et al. 2005). There are four types of leadership styles. They include the ethical leader, the hypocritical leader, the ethically neutral leader, and the unethical leader. An ethical leader is an individual who is both a moral person and a moral manager. This leader also has a strong influence in the organisation, with regards to the ethical culture, enforcing the goals of the organisation, and influencing the ethical values, norms and standards (Kalshoven et al. 2011). Next, a hypocritical leader is one who is not a strong ethical person but who attempts to place strong emphasis on ethics and values. These leaders often talk about ethics, but do not follow up with the action itself (Trevino et al. 2000). In such cases, the followers often perceive these acts only as a false front. Without any actions to match what the leader communicates about ethics and values, it points out issues that has yet to surface, and thus, is worse than not doing anything at all, which tarnish the reputation of the leader (Trevino et al. 2000). This result in the followers not trusting the leader, and becoming cynical in everything the leader says. Thirdly, the ethically neutral leader is seen as neither a strong ethical or unethical leader. An ethically neutral leader may be an ethical person, but do not take up an active leadership role is the important areas of ethics, and followers are uncertain of the leader’s stand on the issue of ethics. Hence, the ethically neutral leader is one who focuses on end results without setting any ethical goals. Lastly, a weak moral person and moral manager is an unethical leader. Furthermore, other studies have suggested that in addition to the first key attribute of leadership integrity, there are five other attributes that characterise ethical leaders, which includes, ethical awareness, managing ethical accountability, people oriented, motivating and encouraging and empowering (Resick et al. 2006). Firstly, ethical awareness is the ability and willingness to identify moral and ethical situations and problems. Hence, without being first able to identify the ethical issue present, even a leader with leadership integrity will not be able to act ethically, which will lead to a da maging effect on perceived ethical leadership (Resick et al. 2006). Secondly, ethical leaders have to learn to manage ethical accountability, through establishing and instilling a reward and punishment system. This ensures proper ethical standards and conduct are performed throughout the organisation (Resick et al. 2006). Thirdly, in order to be aware of how their actions will impact others, ethical leaders have to be people oriented, which highlights the selfless, external focus and responsibilities required of an ethical leader (Resick et al. 2006). Next, ethical leaders are also required to be motivating. Thus, even if ethical leaders possess leadership integrity, they have to be able to motivate, exert influence, and guide followers towards the organisational goals, ethical standards and norms (Resick et al. 2006). Lastly, ethical leaders must be encouraging and empowering, and thus delegate responsibilities and tasks to employees, and ensure that they are ethically responsible. This allows the employees to be independent and responsible, and hence convey ethical standards throughout the organisation (Resick et al. 2006). Emotional intelligence is another strong attribute and influence of ethical leadership, beside leadership integrity. Leaders with high emotional intelligence are able to stimulate an ethical organisation by openly communicating about ethical issues, gaining motivation, and increase ethical awareness. Ethical leaders who have high emotional intelligence are also very trusting, understanding, engaging and have the ability to inspire others (Gregory 2010). Such leaders develop a strong set of empathy and interpersonal skills, as well as people oriented skills. They are then able to understand the influence, and impact their behaviours and decisions on the stakeholders and employees in the organisation (Gregory 2011). One study highlighted that 89% of the respondents identified emotional intelligence as highly important and essential to meeting the organisations’ top challenges (Freeman 2007). Two other studies were also conducted with business students, and nurses in the US hospitals. The results of both studies revealed that emotional intelligence has a direct relationship with ethical awareness, and thus, higher emotional intelligence scores predict higher performance in ethics (Joseph et al. 2009; Deshpande 2009). Insights and analysis In reflection, leadership integrity is an important and essential attribute in building an ethical leadership. As discussed earlier, leadership integrity is highly valued in organisations, and the absence of it will likely result in followers losing trust and respect for the ethical leader. Hence, this means that followers will especially look up to ethical leaders with strong leadership integrity as these leaders are associated with having strong positive traits and characteristics, whom will likely do the right thing, given any circumstances, and supports the statement that ethical leadership is mostly about leadership integrity. In addition, Bandura’s social learning theory suggests that individuals learn and follow the actions, attitudes, behaviour and values of credible ethical leaders. Hence, this means that followers’ moral self-development is likely to be heavily influenced by the leader’s effort to model moral behaviours. Thus, this also supports the statement that ethical leadership is mostly about leadership integrity, because the qualities of the leader, such as leadership integrity, will influence the followers to model such behaviours and values. On the other hand, only the moral person aspect of ethical leadership place emphasis on the leader’s behaviour, traits and personal decision making towards ethical conduct. The behaviours and actions of a moral manager have an external focus of how the leader is seen by employees and stakeholders, as they aim to increase the ethical awareness and standard in the organisation. Thus, under Trevino’s definition of an ethical leader, leadership integrity belongs to the category of a moral person. However, the leader needs to be both a moral person and a moral manager, in order to be considered an ethical leader. Thus, this denies the statement that ethical leadership is mostly about leadership integrity, and supports the idea that leadership integrity is only one dimension of being an ethical leader. Secondly, Resick’s definition of the six key characteristics of an ethical leader belongs to the category of either a moral person or a moral manager, where leadership integrity, ethical awareness and people orientation falls into the category of moral person, while managing accountability, encouraging and empowering, and motivating belongs to the category of moral manager. Hence, this refute the statement that leadership integrity is mostly about leadership integrity, as it can be clearly seen that leadership integrity is only one aspect of the characteristics required of ethical leadership, as there are other important elements that effect ethical leadership as well. Thirdly, studies have also revealed that other than leadership integrity, the emotional intelligence of the leader is also another key factor in building an ethical leadership. Thus, this further supports the claim that that ethical leadership is not mostly about leadership integrity, but is also heavily influenced by the personal characteristics of leaders’ emotional intelligence. My personal stand is that though the behaviour, values, traits and personal characteristics such as leadership integrity, of an ethical leader is important, but, the ability to influence and affect followers to model such moral behaviours places an even greater emphasis in building a reputation of ethical leadership. As discussed earlier, the traits and behaviours of the moral manager addresses this aspect, and thus support my stand that ethical leadership is a multi dimension concept, which consists of many other fundamental elements other than just leadership integrity. Conclusion Ethical leaders bring about highly desired benefits to organisations. The personal characteristic of an ethical leader, such as leadership integrity is one key factor in building ethical leadership. However, there are also other elements involved which have a strong impact in building ethical leadership. Hence, in order to be effective ethical leaders, individuals with leadership integrity have to demonstrate that they are capable of motivating employees by creating and stimulating an ethical organisation, developing standards of ethical conduct and behaviour, and communicating openly on ethical issues, instilling a rewards and punishment systems, demonstrating ethical behaviour, and thereby increasing the ethical awareness in the organisation. References Avolio, B. J. 2005. Leadership development in balance: Made/Born. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Bandura, A. 1977. Social learning theory. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice–Hall. Bandura, A. 1986. 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