Spheres and Stages of Discipleship

In addition will also discuss what is called the e Four Spheres of discipleship. 2 Spiritually Dead The Apostle Paul described in Ephesians 2: 15 those who were dead in their is ins and transgressions. These are people who have not accepted Christ as Savior, insist dead reject His sacrifice on the Cross. They sometimes claim to seek a God or Higher Power b UT there is no evidence of any relationship with God whatsoever. These people are what the authors call Spiritually Dead. 3 In fact the author compares these people to dead men in a casket just waiting to decompose.When speaking to the â€Å"walking dead† the authors teach how to id entity the common â€Å"phrase from the stage†4 in order to assess where a person is in their walk with God. These typical phrases are usually: ; I don't believe in God. ; The bible is just a myth. Putnam, Jim, Bobby Harrington, and Robert Emerson Coleman. Discipleship: Five Steps That Help Your Church to Make Disciples Who Make Disciples . (Grand Rapids, MI: Sanderson, 2013). 60. Ibid. , 77. 3 Ibid. , 61 . 4 Ibid. , 62. ; Religion is a crutch for the weak. ; Christians are intolerant and homophobic. ; There are many paths to God.Opera Winfred Olsten)5 ; don't believe in hell. Or hell is on Earth. ; My good deeds will save me from hell. ; There is no right or wrong, ‘do what thou will' 6 Once a person is identified as spiritually dead, this should determine how to a approach them with a spirit Of understanding without a judgmental or condemning ATT etude. Spiritual Infant The second stage is called to describe believers who are like newborn babes craving milk instead of the meat of the Word. This comes from the scrim future: â€Å"As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow†¦ (1 peter 2:23 KAVA).Christians at this stage are alive yet they refuse to grow. This can include new converts a s well as long time Christians who are stagnant in their growth process with God. 7 Spiritua l infant TTS were described in the Book of Hebrews as those living on the milk of the Word who should be teaching: † For when for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you†¦ † (Web. 5:1214 KAVA). 5 â€Å"Pastor Joel Olsten Discusses Sin And The Path To God,† Opera's Next Chapter, accessed February 1, 201 5, http://WV. Opera. Com/own-operas-next- heaper/Pastor-Joke-Steen-Discusses-Sin-and-the-Path-to-God 6 Crowley, Leister.The Book of the Law:(technically Called Libber AY Vela Legs Sub Figure COX as D levered by XIII . Red Wheel/wiser, 1938. 7 Putnam, Harrington, and Coleman, 63. Spiritual Child The next stage is described as the Stage which characterizes Christians who are growing in their walk with God and growing in their relationships wit h other fellow believers-8 The Apostle John referred to early followers as his children. (1 John 2:12 KAVA) Also in 1 Thessalonians 2:101 2 the apostle Paul refers to himself as a â€Å"spiritual faith † who had to encourage, comfort, and urge the Church of Thessalonians to live holy lives.These spiritual children have learned the church â€Å"lingo† or language and are a able to function in a growing church body as believers, but they are selflessness with much of their spiritual life involving around themselves. 9 These individuals can be new con arts as well as old converts who have attended church for decades. They can be identified by the Eire â€Å"phrase from the stage† which are: ; I don't know if this church meets my needs. ; The church is getting too big. ; Why do we have to learn new songs? NO One speaks to me at church. 10 The length of time a person has attended church has nothing to do with their level of growth .They need to surround themselves around mature Christians in order to go from dependency to self sufficient. 1 1 8 Putnam, Harrington, and Coleman, 65. Ibid. , 65. 10 Ibid. , 66. 11 Ibid. , 66 9 Spiritual Young Adult 1 John 2:1314 d escribes Spiritual Young Adults as Christians who have overcome the Evil One and the Word of God abides in them. 12 These individuals are striving to become more concerned about others rather than themselves. They are more students of t e Word of God and the Great Commission. They are givers instead of takers. 13 You can identify a Spiritual Young Adult by these phrases from the stage: ; In my devotion†¦ I will like to go to Uganda for a mission†¦ ; I love being a worship leader because†¦ ; I have three friends that I witness to†¦ These young adults need mentoring and a place to utilize their spiritual gifts. Spiritual Parent Spiritual Parents are considered spiritually mature people who make disciples and have grown strong in the Lord. These are reliable disciples who are qualified to tea chi others. 14 2 Timothy 2:12 describes them as those who have grown strong in grace that is in Christ Jesus. They can also determine where a person is in their walk with the L ord and oft en can mentor these young adults.God is a Spiritual Parent who nurtures and fights for His s virtual children as His own. 15 12 Putnam, Harrington, and Coleman, 67. Ibid. , 67. 14 Ibid. , 68. 15 Adams, Vincent. Imitating the Fatherhood of God: A Single Dad's Guide to Spiritual Parenting . S. L. : Solaris, 2012. 17 13 6 The Four Spheres of Discipleship The four spheres of discipleship describe how a disciple grows in four stages: The sphere with God and disciple, the church sphere, the sphere of family an d the world The spheres help the disciple understand the head, heart and hands of God, family y, church and the world. 6 The sphere is designed help a disciple balance family life and minister y life. It also shows them how to integrate the four spheres within the five stages of discipleship. Below will detail each sphere. Sphere One: The Centrality of Christ In the book Discipleship, by Dietrich Bondholder, the author conveys that through simple obedience does one reall y understand the meaning of being a disciple. 17 Who en referring to the dead or God's authority, true submission are evident. When dealing with the heart of the relationship between God and the disciple, there are visible changes in the pee arson's life called transformation.With the hands, the disciple ventures outside the walls of the church through evangelism. 18 Sphere Two: Relationship With The Family of God (Church) The second sphere of relationship is where we grow as Christians within the b odd of Christ. Scripture points out that we are in the family of God with brothers and sisters in Christ. 1 9 As a church family, the church works to nourish relationships among believer sometimes converted from broken families. Some Of the broken families were from the d splices' choice to follow Christ. 20 16 Ibid. , 77 Bondholder, Dietrich. Dietrich Bondholder Works . Volume 4: Discipleship. Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 1996. ) 77. 18 Putnam, Harrington, and Coleman, 86. 19 Ibid. 20 S phere Three: Relationship At Home A third sphere is addressed by the Apostle Paul in Ephesians 5 & 6 involves the home. Paul discusses how the husband should lead the household and love h is wife. Also how the wife should love her husband. The responsibility of the fathers and mothers in easing children and responsibility of children to respect their parents. 21 Sphere Four: Relationship With The World Finally the Apostle Paul moves toward chapter 6 of Ephesians, where he addresses a final sphere of relationships with the world.

Eth125 R8 Disability Diversity

Associate Program Material Aging and Disability Worksheet Part I Identify 2 or 3 issues faced by the aging population. 1. Lack of security for the future (social security dwindling) 2. Unable to afford being able to retire 3. Being alone Answer the following questions in 100 to 200 words each. Provide citations for all the sources you use. †¢ What is ageism? How does ageism influence the presence of diversity in society? Ageism is prejudice or discrimination against a particular age-group, especially the elderly.Ageism influences the presence of diversity because those who are affected by ageism within their career may lose their job due to newer, younger, cheaper people coming into the workplace to take over their current position. Which may leave those who are older without proper insurance to take care of their aging bodies which could result in earlier deaths and a lack of diversity in the world. Also when the younger generation takes over positions in the workplace that wor kplace will have a lack of diversity as well. http://www. merriam-webster. com/dictionary/ageism What is the Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA)? How does the ADEA address issues for the aging population? The Age Discrimination in Employment Act was put into place in 1967 to prohibit discrimination of people over the age of 40 in the work place. The ADEA addresses issues for the aging population by making it illegal to fail or refuse to hire or to discharge any individual or otherwise discriminate against any individual with respect to his compensation, terms, conditions, or privileges of employment, because of such individual’s age.Also it makes it illegal to limit, segregate, or classify his employees in any way which would deprive or tend to deprive any individual of employment opportunities or otherwise adversely affect his status as an employee, because of such individual’s age. http://www. eeoc. gov/laws/statutes/adea. cfm †¢ What is being done to ad dress the issues you identified? The ADEA had put many laws in affect to make it illegal to discriminate someone for their age. It also has been recommended to Congress to have education and research programs.These programs shall research, and promote research, with a view to reducing barriers to the employment of older persons, and the promotion of measures for utilizing their skills. They will also publish and otherwise make available to employers, professional societies, the various media of communication, and other interested persons the findings of studies and other materials for the promotion of employment and foster through the public employment service system and through cooperative effort the development of facilities of public and private agencies for expanding the opportunities and potentials of older persons. ttp://www. eeoc. gov/laws/statutes/adea. cfm †¢ Is the number of aging population expected to rise in numbers or decrease? The number of aging population is ex pected to rise in numbers. â€Å"With baby boomers approaching retirement, the 65-and-over population in the United States could increase nearly 80 percent by 2025. During the same period, there will be just 15 percent more working-age adults and 15 percent more children younger than 15. † With the number of baby boomers approaching retirement there will be a strain put on social ecurity and other benefits made available to those who are senior citizens. This will cause problems to those retire after them. There is no certainty that things like social security will last through the baby boomers and be around when the next generation retires. http://www. globalaging. org/elderrights/us/populationrise. htm †¢ What types of legislation may or may not be affected by the aging population? Two major pieces of legislature that will be affected by the aging population is pension provision and health care.With both pension and health care the key issues that will cause issues is that the number of people working and paying taxes to fun pension and health care programs is going to dramatically decrease as the baby boomers retire and as they retire the amount of people uses these services in going to see an increase. Legislation regarding items such as criminals is unlikely to have any effect on the aging population. While there are some laws in certain states requiring older people to retake their drivers test each year or every two years a country wide law could also affect the aging population as well. How does poverty affect the aging population? Poverty affects the aging population in many different ways. Since people are living longer and with that resources are decreasing as time goes on and the elderly have fewer and fewer choices for finding help with finances and health related issues, which results in substandard medical care. Having substandard medical care can result in subpar health and either suffering due to a medical condition or death from a medical condition that could have been treating if better medical care was available to them.Another affect poverty has is subpar housing and the ability to provide food for themselves due to a lack of income and the fact that many programs meant to help have strict guidelines or are disappearing all together. Part II Answer the following questions in 100 to 200 words each. Provide citations for all the sources you use. †¢ What does the ADA provide for people with disabilities? The ADA’s goal is to provide equality to people with disabilities and protect them from any discrimination that they may be faced with.The ADA provides protection to those with disabilities in the workplace where there is a possibility they could be discriminated against and be fired, or passed over for a job. The ADA also insures that public structures are accessible to those with disabilities. By doing this it allows people with disabilities to feel more like equals by having protection from di scrimination and the ability to enjoy the same things their friends do such as going to restaurants and the mall. http://www. ada. gov/q&aeng02. tm †¢ How have people with disabilities been treated in the past? In the past people with disabilities have been treated unfairly and have faced discrimination. In recent years things have been improving but there is still work to be done. There are still a few buildings that are not handicap accessible. Some may be included in the exclusion under the ADA such as historical buildings but there are some who are â€Å"flying under the radar† and until a problem arises they will continue on with their business.Another problem people with disabilities faced was discrimination in the work place. They were often not chosen for jobs because they were not able to perform them with accommodations. While this may still occur with the ADA it makes it illegal. †¢ How has the attitude toward people with disabilities changed over time? I n earlier years people with disabilities were often placed into institutions and were then forgotten about which resulted in them living in unsafe and unsanitary conditions.Many of them were abused, neglected or murdered by their own families or by the people who worked at the institutions. They were called â€Å"retarded†. Today discrimination towards those with disabilities still does exist the condition of the homes in which some disabled live is acceptable and some with disabilities are able to have happy healthy lives with little or no accommodations made. Some neglect and abuse still does occur but the days of forced sterilization are over. What are some unique circumstances or issues encountered by people with disabilities? There are many unique circumstances or issues encountered by people with disabilities. Little people definetelty face many of these unique circumstances. Just going to a restaurant or even a friend’s house provides issues for little people to be able to get around safely by car or being able to see on top of counters and reach things like sinks. People in wheelchairs also face some unusual circumstances off their own.Just like little people they also may encounter problems reaching counters and sinks, and traveling. Just imagine trying to navigate your wheelchair across a snowy parking lot or sidewalk to get to your favorite restaurant. †¢ What is being done to address those issues? Many public places have smaller toilets and sinks that help children and little people be able to reach the sinks and toilets with ease. Adding these little things help not only the little people community but also help children becomes more independent.Many public places also have wheelchair assessable sinks that allow them to pull their chairs right up and under the sink to allow them to reach it with ease. Handicap accessible parking spot allow for all people with disabilities to park closer to reduce the amount they have to walk thu s reducing the amount of accidents that could occur. †¢ What types of legislation have been introduced to address issues faced by people with disabilities? On January 23, 1990 Congress passed the â€Å"Americans with Disabilities Act† (ADA) it provided protection for people with disabilities in many aspects of their lives.In 1988 the Fair Housing Act was amended to include people with disabilities and families with children with disabilities. In 1973 the Rehabilitation act prohibited discrimination against someone with a disability by anyone receiving federal assistance, but it did not cover discrimination by employers, public accommodations in the private sector, publicly funded programs or those providing federal financial assistance. Protection for all disabilities did not take place until the Americans with Disabilities Act passed.CERTIFICATE OF ORIGINALITY I  certify that  the attached  paper is my original work. I am familiar with and acknowledge my responsib ilities, which are part of the University of Phoenix Student Code of Academic Integrity. I affirm that any section of the paper which has been submitted previously is attributed and cited as such, and that this paper has not been submitted by anyone else. I have identified the sources of all information whether quoted verbatim or paraphrased, all images, and all quotations with citations and reference listings.Along with citations and reference listings, I have used quotation marks to identify quotations of fewer than 40 words and have used block indentation for quotations of 40 or more words. Nothing in this assignment violates copyright, trademark, or other intellectual property laws. I further agree that my name typed  on the line below is intended to have, and shall have, the same validity as my handwritten signature. Student's  signature (name typed here is equivalent to a signature): Skyye Smith

Entire Course Essay

   The Power of Many Watch From the grassroots- Understanding community organizing. Consider the African proverb: â€Å"A single bracelet does not jingle.† Discuss the process of social change and the benefit of organizing together for change over individual efforts. Read about the approaches or paths that can be taken to effect progressive social change. Discuss two or three approaches that seem most relevant or practical to you. Support your comments with references and respond to a minimum of two classmates’ postings Social Change Model From Table 3.4 in your text, select two social change models and compare and contrast the similarities and differences between them. Identify their social change tactic, and give examples of representative groups, coalitions, organizations, or entities that exemplify them. Specify the components of successful progressive organizations.  Support your comments with references and respond to a minimum of two classmates’ postings. Reflection Paper Watch the following video, 21st Century Enlightenment and consider the video’s concluding statement,† Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful committed citizens can change the world. Indeed it is the only thing that ever has†. In a three to four page paper, Discuss your thoughts on the video and how it supports this statement. Include a discussion of the terms â€Å"social change,† â€Å"progressive organizing,† and â€Å"community organizing†.Support your comments with references and respond to a minimum of two classmates’ postings. Reflecting upon the video, discuss some ways in which individual citizens can respond to social problems.  Consider how becoming involved with social change aligns with your own values as you consider the following quote, â€Å"Activism is living out one’s values†.Support your comments with references and respond to a minimum of two classmates’ postings. In 250-300 words, discuss the ways in which individuals can be empowered, disempowered and how they can combat personal disempowerment. How does personal empowerment lead to collective empowerment? Describe how social change organizations empower their individual members.  Support your comments with references and respond to a minimum of two classmates’ postings.

Business report of Barclays in India Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Business report of Barclays in India - Essay Example Barclays Bank became a major player in the retail banking industry in India shortly before the economic crisis wherein credit policy was loose and tempting for consumers. This study details the strategies used by Barclays Bank with the purpose of investigating whether these strategies are sustainable or whether they need further enhancement or policy decisions for improvement. Methods used for analysis are evaluation of environmental analysis of factors affecting Barclays’ operation in India. Using the PEST and Porters 5 forces of competitive analysis, study is able to view external factors that act as barriers for the operation of the bank. Likewise, the study looked at the sustainability factors that are internal to the operations of the bank and is able to infer the strengths and weakness in its operations. Result of analysis could be used as benchmark information for future plans of the bank. Introduction Barclays bank targeted the under-served population of India in its e ntry to the retail banking system of the country. Barclays believe that the â€Å"unbanked† sector is a great potential for marketing its innovative banking products. Since this is a great challenge for Barclays Bank, it is worth investigating if this strategy has been sustainable. In this report, the strategic approaches taken by Barclays Bank to enter the retail banking system of India will be analyzed and criticized. The industry life cycle and the theory of Porters five forces will be used to better understand the industry context in which the bank operates. The value chain and the competitive position of the bank will also be examined in order to arrive at a decision on whether to carry on with the operations or what needs to be developed some more. 1. Analysis of the environment 1.1. Life cycle of the banking industry in India An industry life cycle has been defined as a period of time from the introduction of an industry to its decline and stagnation. Typically, an ind ustry life cycle is described in the illustration below: The industry life cycle is depicted as a period where the industry has a beginning, followed by the growth, maturity and final phase of decline. (Financial Dictionary) Relating this to the industry life cycle of the Indian banking industry, records show that the banking industry in India is already in existence for about 200 years, but it has been subjected to various reforms. Before the nationalization of its banks took place in July 1955, banks in India were held by the private sector that was characterized by weaknesses, lack of capitalization and systemic deficiencies. Banking system at that time ignored the credit requirements of the agricultural and other needy sectors. Growth in the Indian banking system started when the government nationalized the State Bank of India, followed by nationalization of SBI subsidiaries in 1955, 14 major banks in 1969 and nationalization of 7 other banks with deposits over 500 crores in 198 0 (India, Finance & Investment Guide). The third wave of changes in India occurred in 1991 when the government allowed entry of new foreign entities to join the banking industry. 1.2 PEST Analysis Political. The bank sector of India is governed by the Reserve Bank of India. It is the sole agency that issues banking licenses, devising guidelines and regulations, specifies lending rates, reserve and liquidity ratios to commercial banks (Banks in India) The

VISUAL ANALYSIS PAPER Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 1

VISUAL ANALYSIS PAPER - Essay Example a short time difference, the former artist belonged to the School of Florence and can be seen as a typical representative of Renaissance while the latter articulated a new period which is called Mannerism. To begin with, it may be particularly important to examine the similarities which can be found in the two works of art. First of all, the most obvious point that the two paintings share is colors of the clothes that Mary the Virgin wears. Thus, the authors adhered to the tradition and depicted her wearing old fashion garments, one of which is red and the other is blue. The contrast between these two colors is easily recognizable and is pleasing to the eye. While both authors used red, the intensity of this color is different: on the former picture it is significantly lighter than on the second one. Another point that the two works of art share is the posture of Mary. As one can easily see, she is depicted sitting and looking at her child. It is rather obvious that this composition can be interpreted from different points of view. On the one hand, this kind of posture reflects the biblical story and might be seen as a typical one. On the other hand, it is quite natural for a mother to look at her child while being painted or taken picture of. That is why the general atmosphere of the picture is incredibly humanistic: it depicts behavior of almost real people which contributes to warm perception of it. The third aspect which should be taken into account while considering the similarities between the two pictures is the way the two characters look. It must be noted that they do not look straight at the audience, but down and to the side. The reason why Mary is depicted in such a way can be easily understood: she looks at her son who is smaller than her and is sitting on her laps; that is why, it is natural for her to look down. However, the child also looks down and to the side. There are might be several ways to explain it. According to one of them, people can

The Myth of Education and Empowerment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 33

The Myth of Education and Empowerment - Essay Example The books in the libraries are tattered, dated and discolored while many of the books are in a state of disintegration. "The available books contain outdated facts as well as theories that may not be much help to the students. There are no important books with information relating to AIDS or other diseases, past USA history, exploration and such books" (163) as Moore depicts. To make the education system even worse, "president bush government proposed to reduce and cut federal government spending on libraries by a total of $39 million, a reduction of approximately 19 percent (162)". The Americans view and consider education as the gateway to success as well as a crucial ascend to socio-economy ranking. Nevertheless, writer of this essay depicts that there is no equal distribution of education to students in schools across the different socio-economic course. He depicts it as a fraudulent mirage that the country leadership uses to keep the middle class and working class students in go od schools while the others lament in schools without some crucial education materials such as books and qualified teachers. The writer portrays the poor education system, lack of educational materials and different education philosophies in the school systems affect the standard of education and empowerment in the country. In empowering the students through education, the writer says that it is very important to develop and provide the necessary learning materials such as funding libraries and construction of classes.

Ford Competitors Analysis Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Ford Competitors Analysis - Case Study Example Toyota is the main competitor and specializes in making simple but reliable cars. The latter also has a wider global market as compared to Ford, which mainly operates in six continents. However, Ford Company has a credit company that aims at giving financial services hence diversifying its operation. The company’s financial services earn more income as compared to the ones by Toyota. In vehicle production, Ford has an advantage over Toyota in the production of smart and electric cars (Edmonston, 2012). Ford operations have been restricted due to the government’s stringent penalties on emission standards. Toyota and General Motors have invested heavily in waste containment and hence they are able to produce more. This also gives them easier access to government funding and subsidization on raw materials. Ford has been investing in the production of smart cars including Lincoln and Ford cars, which are fairly new to the global market. This has led to the production of exc ess capacity as compared to Toyota and Honda that mostly has a ready market. Ford has produced Fiesta, which is a smart car that is developed using Ford SYNC technology. However, Chrysler has also been actively involved in the use of R&D capabilities to produce Dodge Charger and Chrysler 300 (Vlasic, 2012). The latter models compete with Lincoln and Ford cars with the new Chrysler Dodge Dart competing with EcoSport in capabilities and fuel efficiency. Chrysler is known to produce quality sports cars, which is a setback for EcoSport (Crisp, 2012). General Motors is also involved in the production of mini and electric cars also using R&D capabilities to supply its large global market position. Disparate with Ford, Toyota, and Chrysler, General Motors has a range of hybrid electric cars developed using multiple technologies. Its Opel Ampera and Chevrolet Volt are the main competitors for Lincoln and Ford cars (Vlasic, 2012).  

The Future of Health Care Delivery in Canada Research Paper

The Future of Health Care Delivery in Canada - Research Paper Example Each provincial government delivers health services to the people on its own terms, making the harmonization of the health care delivery system very difficult, which in turn means that it is difficult to coordinate national health programs and as a result, any health challenges goes unaddressed, since each provincial government has to do its own audit. Therefore, this is a significant issue that needs to be addressed, through a possible overhaul of the system, to place healthcare under the responsibility of the national government, and thus achieve more coordination and harmonization of the health services delivered to the people. This will serve to ensure equity and fairness for all in the future. Secondly, the Canadian healthcare delivery system has major imbalances between acute and chronic treatment (Rachlis, 2004). The healthcare system in Canada was established on the basis of providing world-class treatment for major illnesses such as surgeries, while the chronic illnesses hav e been relegated to a level that is deficient (Rachlis, 2004). Consequently, there are few deaths resulting from major illnesses because the health care system is well developed for that, but there are major shortcomings in the area of chronic illnesses, which accounts for much of the lives lost in the country. Therefore, there is a great need for the country’s healthcare system to be developed further for chronic treatment capacities, which will ensure that the imbalance existing between the acute and the chronic treatments is effectively addressed in the future.

Their Eyes Were Watching God Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Their Eyes Were Watching God - Essay Example The movie was adapted and reproduced by Oprah Winfrey's Harpo Studio, and directed by Darnell Martin. Winfrey was the main host for the show. Its teleplay was done by Janie Crawford (Halle Berry), Teacake (Michael Ealy), Jody Starks (Logan Killicks), along with Mayor Joe Starks (Ruben Santiago-Hudson). Oprah Winfrey is immensely admirable, owing to her encouraging rise to fame due to her determined pursuit of quality and because of her wish to leave something optimistic for the world. However, her description of this most thoughtful and uplifting novel fell short of grasping Ms. Hurston’s brilliance (Hagopian 1). The film focused almost totally on the love story between transformed playboy, Tea Cake, and Janie Crawford. She missed the fact that there were other layers to the book such as the studies in developmental cultural anthropology and psychology. Crawford’s life with Tea Cake lasts for only about a year and a half (Hagopian 1). However, the film made it appear as though the companionship lasted much longer. Even though, it was the most noteworthy relationship of Crawford’s life, through it, Janie acquires the identity and voice that she has been denied for past 37 years. Also, through that voice, Janie saves herself from prison. The love story in the movie outshines the character development in the film. In reality, that is what the film is loomed on, a study in personal development and character (Hagopian 1).

The Views of the Managers in the International Organisations Regarding Research Paper

The Views of the Managers in the International Organisations Regarding Global Convergence - Research Paper Example According to some academics, globalization can lead to a single model, which closely resembles with that of American Corporate Governance Model as they believe that it is the most successful model. Some of the people in spite of supporting convergence thesis do not agree that it has to be a copy of Anglo-American convergence model. According to them, a hybrid system can emerge on the basis of the best features of the prime governance models and also supports the hybrid stream of thinking of the Standard School. But, according to the Diversity School academics, global convergence will not happen. According to them, cultural diversity and the difference in legal as well as economic systems along with the variant aspirations and goals prevalent in the society will not lead to global convergence. Mainstream governance thinking is highly influenced by geographical boundaries. It is practically impossible to find two countries with identical characteristics of corporate governance; actuall y, each country is characterised by its unique governance model. The corporate Governance model is referred to as the specific structures and processes, which are embodied in a country’s institutional, legal and cultural context. Attention towards corporate governance has mainly grown out of shareholder activism of the institutional shareholders in the Anglo-American context. Under the pressure of shareholder activism, the listed firms along with the stock exchange authorities realised the need for good corporate governance.

How Values Affect Decisions in Personal and Professional Life Essay Example for Free

How Values Affect Decisions in Personal and Professional Life Essay Abstract Many people have a set of core values, either personal, organizational, or cultural, that help guide his or her life, and that assist him or her in making decisions in their everyday existence. Most of my decisions are based on how they will affect my family, me, and my career. My family is the key factor in any decision I make. I have to consider what influence my choices will have on my family before I act on them. My success in my career choice of Information Systems is also an important value to me. I strive to improve my knowledge of information systems to the best of ability in order to further my career. This value has brought me to be results oriented, a hard worker, and a team player. Companies are now doing business with other companies in different countries. Organizations are now set up to where employees have to interact with different people to get the job done. If someone desires a long, prosperous career, they have to learn to work with diverse people of different cultures. Everyone has a set of core values that assist him or her in making decisions in their daily existence, and many people expect these values to lead them to live a wonderful life. Many people have a set of core values, either personal, organizational, or cultural, that help guide his or her life, and that assist him or her in making decisions in their everyday existence Values such as my family, friendships, and personal growth contribute to the choices that I make in my personal life. Values such as being results-oriented, a hard worker, a team player, and the desire to be successful guide me in making decisions in an organizational environment. I evaluate my core values before making any decisions that will influence them in anyway. According to author David Peters (2003): Personal ethics have been defined as principles of good behavior, a moral code of conduct, or a system to decide between competing options. But simply stated, personal ethics are nothing more than the rules impose on ourselves that govern our daily actions. (p. 30) For many people different factors and beliefs shape their values but, I believe that everyone shares one goal of living the best life possible not just physically but spiritually and mentally. Many of my decisions are based on how they will affect my family, me, and my career. My family is the key factor in any decision I make. I have to consider what influence my choices will have on my family before I follow through with them. For example, my returning to school keeps me from spending as much time as I would like with my loved ones. I thought about returning back to school long and hard and came to the conclusion that I need to return to school now before I have more children, my daughter gets to an age were I have to run her all over town for things that she wants to participate in, or any other life-changing event takes place. I came to the conclusion that I need to go now because it will only take between a year and half or two years to complete. By the time I am done with school, my daughter will be four and starting kindergarten, and that is a good time to also think about having another child. So I decided to go ahead and return to school and get my masters degree in information systems. If I know that a decision will drastically affect my family, I will go to them to get their input on the situation. My success in my career choice of Information Systems is also an important value to me. Roy Posner states, One of the interesting values in life is ones innate desire for continuous improvement. (Roy Posner 2006). I strive to improve my knowledge of information systems to the best of my ability in order to further my career. This value has brought me to be results oriented, a hard worker, and a team player. In the environment of information technology, everyone has to be team player because most of the positions require people to interact with each other. Whether the person is a systems analyst or a mail clerk, he or she will be part of a diverse group of people who have to work together effectively and efficiently to meet the goals of the organization as a whole. Culture is the key to peoples way of living, accepting changes and doing business is rapidly loosing geographical borders. (Kanungo, 2006, p. 23). Companies are now doing business with other companies in different countries. Organizations are now set up to where employees have to interact with different people to fulfill his or her job duties. If someone desires a long, prosperous career, they have to learn to work with diverse people of different cultures. At one time or another, everyone has had life experiences that help guide his or her decision making process. Nancy Haught (2006) states the following: For many people, from many different belief systems, their faith is the only factor that they see shaping their personal ethics. But most Americans would admit that other factors do play a part: parents or other relatives;? experiences such as a stint in the Peace Corps or a brush with the law. The factors that shape our ethics are varied, but it religion that often gets the credit, or the blame (p.C1) Many people have come to the realization that they dont have to have the world to live a good life. Although, someone may want a successful career, they shouldnt have to sacrifice other aspects of their life to obtain it. Other aspects of life are more fulfilling, such as a wonderful relationship with God, family, and friends. Many people have a set of core values that assist him or her in making decisions in their daily existence, and many people expect these values to lead them to live a wonderful life References Haught, N. (2006, March 11). Ethics values | definitions ethics, morals, values. The Oregonian, C1. Kanungo, R. P. (2006). Cross culture and business practice: are they coterminous or cross-verging? Cross Cultural Management, 13(1), 23. Peters, David. (2003) Your Personal Ethics ? is it time for a check up? National Jeweler, 97 (7), 30. Posner, Roy. (2006). The Power of Personal Values. Retrieved July 05, 2007 from http://www. gurusoftware. com/GuruNet/Personal/Topics/Values. htm.

Urban transport conditions Essay Example for Free

Urban transport conditions Essay Urban transport conditions in bangkok, thailand For the past 30 years, the urban population of the world has been rapidly growing. In 1975, the urban population in developing regions has exponentially grown from 861 Million to 2135 Million in year 2000, and still is expected to grow by 45% in 2015 (Metge Jehanno, 2006). Such increase in population would entail a subsequent demand in adequate transportation systems. Being a developing country would involve that new developments will take place, which will result in the traffic congestion of the area. Such congestions will be due to the lack of mitigation policies, particularly pertaining to land use and transportation (Hokao Mohamed,1999). Thailand’s urban centre, Bangkok, is one good focus in analyzing the conditions of urban transportation in Developing countries. Bangkok â€Å"began in 1782 as a settlement on the bank of the Chao Phraya, and this area soon became the center of the city’s government and religious institutions† (Wyatt, 1995: n. p. ). Bangkok Metropolis has an area of 1,569 sq km (606 sq mi), which restricts it to utilize much of the land for the construction of roads. Bangkok is barely above sea-level, making it subject to frequent flooding, in addition to the 60 inches of precipitation it receives every year. Chao Phraya River is just one of the major waterways in Thailand, which is still currently used as a route for transport within the city. However, some of the canals have been filled in order to accommodate the construction of roads (Wyatt, 2005). The Bangkok Metropolis’ modes of transportation barely meet the demands of its 9 million daytime populations. Sixty-five percent of the city population relies on public transportation, more specifically the city buses, metered taxis, the Skytrain, the Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) subway, and the tuk-tuks. The Skytrain has a capacity of 700,000 passengers per day, and is situated along the Silom and Sukhumvit, two of the most frequently congested roads in Bangkok. The MRT is a Thai-foreign venture whose construction commenced in 1997, and approximates a capacity of 80,000 passengers per hour. The Tuk-tuks are the Thai version of the canopied tricycle, and are public utility vehicles that can accommodate up to three persons per trip (â€Å"Tuktuks, Bangkok†, n. d. ). The mass transit system includes both buses and trains (â€Å"Infrastructure: Highways†, 2004). Although there are existing public transportation systems, the increase of the number of private car ownership doesn’t seem to wane. According to a study conducted by Du Pont and Egan (1997), such increase in ownership can be attributed to the inadequacy of Bangkok’s mass transit system. The rate of the development of infrastructures simply cannot keep up with such a rapid pace of motorization, therefore, this results in intolerable traffic jams in the city (Gakenheimer, 1997). One problem causing the endless traffic congestion in Bangkok is the proportion of road area to the number of vehicles traversing the roads everyday. Only 8% of Bangkok’s land area (roughly 625 sq km) has been used for roads, which is obviously insufficient to accommodate its 2 million vehicles (Du Pont Egan, 1997). Poboon et al. (1994) conclude that: â€Å"Traffic jams in Bangkok are therefore inevitable because they are attempting to carry too little passenger travel on public transport relative to their provision of roads† (as cited in Du Pont Egan, 1997). The inefficient city planning that failed to provide secondary routes from the major arteries within the city cause traffic to be as slow as an average of 6-10 kph in the central business district. Such inefficiency results in an annual loss of $9.6 billion, simply because an estimated 44 days in productivity is lost in exchange for travel time (as cited in Du Pont Egan, 1997). Not only does congestion account for the financial losses of the city, it also aggravates air pollution. In 1990, it has been estimated that â€Å"8-hour exposure at street level is equivalent to smoking 9 cigarettes per day†, and that such levels of pollutants have exceeded the safety guidelines set by the World Health Organization (as cited in Du Pont Egan, 1997). GOVERNMENT PROJECTS AND IMPLEMENTATION The government has prioritized the Bangkok traffic issues, and several commissions have been institutionalized to deal with these issues, most of which had been unsuccessful (â€Å"ASEM Bangkok†, 1996). More than 30 government agencies are responsible for transport and urban development of Bangkok, but the implementation of transport and land-use plans are carried out by 11 agencies which fall under two ministries — Interior and Transport Communications (Du Pont Egan, 1997).

Assessment Of The Clash Of Civilizations Politics Essay

Assessment Of The Clash Of Civilizations Politics Essay Huntington (1993) argues in his well-known theory about the clash of civilizations that the future conflicts in the world will be between civilizations, most especially along the fault lines of these civilizations. He identifies seven or eight civilizations, namely the Western, Confucian, Japanese, Islamic, Hindu, Slavic-Orthodox, Latin-American and possibly the African civilization. This paper will first examine the arguments Huntington employs in favour of his thesis and the critique formulated on this. The second part will look deeper into the research on war causation to look if conflicts can indeed be explained by intercultural differences. 2. Huntington and his critics (300-500) The first argument in favour of the civilization thesis is that, according to Huntington (1993, p. 25), differences among civilizations are basic. The differences can be found in amongst others history, culture and religion. Many critics do not agree with this argument, arguing that the division of civilizations would be imprecise and that Huntington is generalizing too easily. Huntington neglects the diversity which exists the world nowadays (Perry, 2002; Veer, 1999; Esposito, 2003). Perry (2002, p. 3) gives an example that neither religion nor alphabet can justify the differences between the Western and Latin American civilization. Another argument is from van der Veer (p. 2), who acknowledges that religion is important when distinguishing civilizations, but that this also counts for nation-states. That Huntington chooses for civilizations and neglects the importance of nation-states is a short-coming according to van der Veer (1999, p. 2), especially because the two world wars wer e between nation-states within the same civilization. Furthermore, there have been many other conflicts within the same civilization (Iraq-Iran; Kuwait-Iraq). The second argument Huntington (1993, p. 25) gives is that world is becoming smaller, so that interactions between people of different civilizations are increasing. This creates consciousness and awareness of the differences between civilizations and can also lead to clashes. According to Perry (2002, p. 4) this argument is slippery, because Huntington is referring to one trend happening in many European countries today but which is not present everywhere in the world. He is referring to the tensions between immigrants and natives caused by immigration to western countries. Besides, according to van der Veer (1999, p. 8), this trend does not per se increase feelings of civilizations but can also increase feelings of nationalism or other forms of identity. Thirdly, the nation state as source of identity will weaken due to processes of economic modernization and social change. These processes throughout the world separate people from their local identities and instead increase religion as a source of identity. Religion unites people across borders and, as religion being an important characteristic of civilization, civilizations will become more important (Huntington, 1993, p. 26). However, critics argue that modernization could also lead to a decrease of religion instead of an increase (Veer, 1999, p. 2). This can be seen in the EU nowadays, in which less and less people go to the church. Besides, modernization led in the past to increased feelings of nationalism, and not to feelings of civilization (Muller, 2008). The fourth point Huntington (1993, p. 26/27) makes is the dual role of the West, which is at the moment at the peak of its power but at the same time the period is characterized by a return to the roots in Non-Western civilizations. According to critics, this assumption is also too oversimplified, as in each country there are pro-western and anti-western individuals. Besides, the last years have showed a growing interest in the West among the mass population. Immigration towards Western countries is because people hope to find better lives in there, and they wish that their countries become like Western countries (bron). Fifthly, cultural features are less mutable than political and economic ones. This means that they are also more difficult to overcome. It is hard to change someones ethnicity and religion (Huntington, 1993, p. 27). However, according to Muller (2008), this does not necessarily lead to a clash. As seen in the past, different ethnicities lived peaceful together in empires without conflicts between them. Furthermore, Huntingtons arguments imply that cultural features are primordial, which means that features are a cultural given and a natural affinity. Besides, he does not make a clear difference between civilizations and ethnicities. According to constructivist theories cultural features are not like kinship sentiments, they are constructed and it is thus possible to change them (Rubenstein Crocker, 1994, p. 118; Oberschall, 2000, p. 982/983). The last argument is that economic regionalism is increasing which will be most visible with economic blocs. According to Huntington, economic regionalism may succeed only when it is rooted in a common civilization, a good example of this would be the EU (Huntington, 1993, p. 27). However, nowadays it is not so obvious that the EU is regarded as a success, taking into account the financial problems in Greece and Ireland. 3. War causation (750-1500) Although Huntington is convinced that the future wars will be between civilizations, the research on war and conflict causation shows different findings. As already seen in the previous section of this paper, the two world wars of the last century were between countries within the same civilization (WW I and WW II). Also the majority of conflicts were within civilizations, which implies more inter-ethnic conflicts (Fox, 2005, p. 448) Also the Islamic civilization has seen many conflicts, for example the Iran-Iraq war and the war between Iraq and Kuwait. These conflicts show that it is not per se about cultural differences, but about national interests. But also conflicts between different religions can have a false image. An example is the conflict in Northern Ireland between Catholics and Protestants, in which political and socio-economic issues and grievances are more important than religion itself. This also counts for Islamic-Christian conflicts in Sudan, Lebanon and Bosnia. From the top it looks like a conflict about religion, however at the ground other issues than religion are more important (Veer, 1999, p. 7; Esposito, 1999, p. 228/229). Furthermore, many of the terrorists attacks in the last decade have been against Muslims in Muslim states. Tensions between Shii and Sunni are still there, and also tensions around the Kurds and other ethnic Muslim groups (Fox, 2005, p. 447). Academics in the field of war causation have much critique on Huntingtons thesis, because there are other important causations for war which he ignores. In this part the following question will be answered: Are ethnic or cultural differences a driver of war, or are there others causations? First other theories of war causation will be discussed and at the end there will be reflection to Huntingtons theory. 3.1 Ethnic and cultural differences as a driver of war Explanations of conflict by ethnic differences is a popular topic in the war causation theories nowadays. However, it is not only popular but it also received much critique. Since the end of the Cold War the world has seen many ethnic conflicts. To name just a few: Tutsis and Hutus in Rwanda, Abkhazians and South-Ossetians in Georgia, Uzbeks in Kyrgyzstan and Kurds in Turkey. In the debate about the ethnic differences as a driver of war, there is one group of scholars that sees these differences as the main driver. These can be called the primordialists. The primordialists see ethnicity as a given: people are born with it. Different ethnicities can be seen everywhere in the world, the world exists of different traditions, cultures, religions, norms and values (Baumann, 1999, p. 59). Furthermore the world exists of inequalities. Mostly these inequalities run parallel with different ethnicities mentioned before. In other words, inequalities are caused by different ethnicities, because different ethnicities exist just because they are there. The inequalities cause conflicts between different ethnicities. Clashes and conflicts between ethnicities and cultures are thus unavoidable (Baumann, 1999, p. 61-62). Also Huntington can be regarded as a primordialist, because he sees no other option than a clash between civilizations. A clash will occur, just because different civilizations and cultures are there. The second group of scholars are the constructivists. They argue that ethnicity is being viewed as a cogent existential reality, which is a process of reification (Baumann, 1999, p. 61-62). Reification is when an abstract belief or idea is taken for granted as being real. Something which in fact is not real, is being treated and viewed as real, just like ethnicity (Baumann, 1999, p. 63). According to the constructivists ethnicity is made by mankind and it is socially constructed. Baumann (1999, p. 64) gives a clear example of how ethnicity should be regarded: it can be compared with wine, which is made of natural ingredients. But these natural ingredients do not make wine themselves. The ingredients need to be added to each other and they need to ripe. In the end, a wine will have different flavours depending on a certain context. Also ethnicity exists of different natural bonds which do not in themselves create ethnicity. It needs economic and political interests in order to work in everyday life. Furthermore it needs social conditions, because the ethnicity needs to make sense for the people. Furthermore, ethnicity has also different meanings related to various social settings (Baumann, 1999, p. 64). So in other words, ethnicity is a peoples creation based on natural products and not a natural product on its own (Eriksen, 1993, p. 16; Barth, 1998, p. 15). So although ethnicity is being viewed by many academics like Huntington as something absolute and a natural given, in fact it is not because it is socially constructed. People can change their identity (Eriksen, 1993). For the explanation of war this has consequences, because if ethnicities are constructed, clashes between ethnicities could be avoided. There should be some other forces which cause war and feelings of ethnicity. The next part will deal with some of these other theories. 3.2 Other explanations of war Greed: economic factors One group that does not agree with Huntingtons Clash of Civilizations is the group who argue that economic factors are the main drivers of conflict (Collier, 2000). They see greed as the important cause for war (Collier, 2000; Collier Hoeffler, 2004). Economic incentives make rebellion possible and there are groups with economic power who tend to gain from the continuation of the conflict. This has all to do with the rational choice paradigm, conflict gives rebels the opportunity to enrich themselves (i.e. rebels are rational) (Bulte, 2009, p. 2). When looking at the ongoing conflicts in the world nowadays, it becomes clear that in many cases economic aspects indeed play an important role: Colombia, Mexico, Congo, Afghanistan, Sudan, Iraq, etc. All are cases in which drugs, oil or natural resources are (leading) factors in the war. This leads us to the resource curse, which implies that the availability of resources would increase the risk of conflict (Collier Hoeffler, 2004). Resources in a country are associated with 1) a slower economic growth; 2) violent civil conflict; and 3) undemocratic regimes types (Bulte, 2009, p. 2). An important aspect of the greed theory is Cramers (2002, p. 1857) point of view that capital and capitalism is an international phenomenon. He says that none of the contemporary civil wars can be explained without the magnitude of the interests and activities of international capital linkages. Economic powers intervene when they can get profit out of it. It is no surprise that the Middle East has seen so many conflicts in which the U.S. was involved. Oil and natural resources are main drivers to intervene and main drivers for conflict. Grievances: inequality Another group that does not agree with Huntingtons thesis is the group that focus on the explanation of conflict by grievance. Grievance is in contrast to greed rooted in a behavioural paradigm and emphasized by relative deprivation, inequality and social exclusion (Bulte, 2009, p. 2). The definition of relative deprivation is the perceived gap between peoples value expectations and their value capabilities that is, the discrepancy between what people think they ought to get from society and what they believe they will actually obtain (Schock, 1996, p. 101; Gurr, 1970). When people feel they cannot obtain what they want, people feel that they suffer from inequality. The feeling of inequality leads to frustration which may lead to aggression and violence. This happens mainly with people who suffer from social exclusion, for example an ethnic minority (Gurr, 1970). However, critique on the grievances theory is that it does not explain how the people get mobilized. Therefore, political factors should be taken into account. Political factors The last group of theories that will be discussed is the group that explains conflicts by state (trans)formations, weak states and democracies, i.e. the political context. They argue that there is more chance on violence during a period of democratisation than in a full authoritarian or a full democratic regime. This means that when a state is changing from an autocracy to a democracy, the state is in transition and this increases the chance on war. In a transition period a situation of social change, institutional weakness and threatened interests arises. This can produce a political impasse for getting to democracy: it becomes difficult to form stable political coalitions and to gain sufficient support for power (Mansfield Snyder, 1995, p .26). Some add to this that not only transition can explain the level of civil war, but also the degree of democracy (Hegre et al, 2001, p. 42/43). They state that semi-democracies are unstable, because they are partly open yet somewhat repressive: a combination that invites protest, rebellion and other forms of civil violence (Hegre et al, 2001, p. 33). Political participation is ineffective but mobilization is possible. Potentially effective violent protest is thus selected to oppose the government (Schock, 1996, p. 124/125). 4. Conclusion This paper discussed Huntingtons theory about the clash of civilizations and to what extent this theory find its support in research on war causation. Huntington is right to a certain extent, that future wars will be more and more between different cultures. However, the explanation of this statement and a great understanding of what is happening in the world is very important. Clashes between different cultures do not happen just because different cultures are there. Clashes between cultures happen because of a certain context in which they exists and because of certain forces which influence a conflict. These can be economic aspects, feelings of inequalities or the political context. All should be taken into account in order to understand future conflicts. Furthermore it is necessary to say that although Huntington can be right that clashes between different cultures will occur, this does not have to be per se between civilizations. It makes more sense that conflicts happen between ethnicities or nations, also within the same civilizations. The concept of civilizations is too generalized. Only time can learn us what will happen in the future. Literature Barth, F. (1998), Ethnic Groups and Boundaries: the social organisation of cultural difference. Long Grove: Waveland Press. Baumann, G. (1999), The Multicultural Riddle: Rethinking National, Ethnic and Religious Identities. London/New York: Routledge. Bulte, E. (2009) Natural resources and violent conflict: resource abundance; dependence and the onset of civil wars Oxford Economic Papers. Collier, P. Hoeffler, A. (2004) Greed and grievance in civil war, Oxford Economic Papers, 56:563-595. Collier, P. (2000) Doing well out of war: an economic perspective, in: M. Berdal D.M. Malone (eds) Greed and Grievance; Economic agendas in civil wars. Lynne Rienner Publishers, Colorado. Cramer, C. (2002) Homo economicus goes to war: methodological individualism, rational choice and the political economy of war, World Development, 30(11): 1845-1864. Eriksen, T. H. (1993), Ethnicity and Nationalism: Antropological Perspectives. London: Pluto Press. Esposito, J.L. (1999), The Islamic Threat. Myth or Reality?. Third Edition, New York/Oxford: Oxford U.P., 1999, 212-289. Fox, J. (2005) Paradigm Lost: Huntington ´s unfilled clash of civilizations prediction into the 21st century, International Politics, 42:428-457. Gurr, T.R. (1970) Chapter 2, Relative Deprivation and the impetus to violence, in T.R. Gurr, Why men rebel. Princeton: Princeton Universtiy Press. Hegre, H., T. Ellingsen, S. Gates N.P. Gleditsch (2001), Toward a democratic civil peace? Democracy, political change, and civil war 1816-1992, The American Political Science Review, 95 (1):33-48. Huntington, S. (1993), The Clash of Civilizations. In: Foreign Affairs (72,3) Summer 1993, 22-49. Institute of International Studies (IIS) (2003), Islam and the West Conversation with John L. Esposito. In: Conversations with History, Institute of International Studies, UC Berkeley. [Accessed 6 January 2011]. Available at www: http://globetrotter.berkeley.edu/people3/Esposito/esposito-con0.html Mansfield, E.D. J. Snyder (1995), Democratization and the danger of war, International Security, 20(1):5-38. Muller, J.Z. (2008), Us and them. The enduring power of ethnic nationalism. In: Foreign Affairs, March/April 2008 Oberschall, A. (2000) The manipulation of ethnicity: from ethnic cooperation to violence and war in Yugoslavia, Ethnic and Racial Studies, 23(6):982-1001. Perry, G. (2002), Huntington and his critics: the West and Islam. In: Arab Studies Quarterly 24 (2002) 1. Rubenstein, R.E. J. Crocker (1994) Challenging Huntington, Foreign Policy, 96:113-128. Schock, K. (1996) A conjuctural model of political conflict: the impact of political opportunities on the relationship between economic inequality and violent political conflict, Journal of Conflict resolution, 40(1):98-133. Veer, P. van der (1999), Political Religion in the twenty-first century. In: T.V. Paul and John A. Hall (eds.) International Order and the Future of World Politics (Cambridge University Press, 1999), pp. 311-327.

Benjamin Franklin Essay -- Biography Biographies Bio

Benjamin Franklin Benjamin Franklin was an American printer and publisher, author, inventor, scientist, and who was a diplomat born on January 17th 1706 and died in Philadelphia on April 17th 1790. Franklin was one of ten sons of seventeen children of a man by the name of Josiah who was a soap and candle maker and mother by the name of Abiah, a discrete and virtuous woman (Van Doren 7). Ben was raised in a Puritan heritage household which they had left to avoid England's Restoration Era of 1683. Franklin had a blend of Puritan heritage, Enlightenment philosophy, and New World environment ideals. Ben Franklin had a fascination public and interpersonal life. Franklin's life consisted of his reflections of his own behaviors and embracing curiosities of the whole moral and physical world around him (Ford 60-64). Ben married in September 1st 1730 to a woman by the name of Deborah Read. Franklin was an apprentice under his brother and a printer of a Boston newspaper called the Pennsylvania Gazette, the Almanac of Poor Richard and a good share of printing in that era (Van Doren 69). Ben also a philosopher, who followed the secular world view of Sir Isaac Newton, John Locke and favorite author named Joseph Addison. Franklin was a civic leader starting in 1727 who helped in putting together the Organization of Junto, a club of tradesmen in Pennsylvania who helped with civic improvements of that city which were: a library, fire company, college, insurance company and hospital (Van Doren 63). Ben was also an inventor who discovered bifocals and the ability to harness electricity through a lightening bolt in 1746 (Phelps 485). These achievements were just a small fraction of what Franklin was capable of doing. Ben was also a politician... ...on of a new government. Benjamin Franklin would not have been best known today as one of the Great Founding Fathers of The New World known as North America. Along side with him were Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, George Washington, James Madison, Alexander Hamilton, and John Hancock. Without all seven of these true Americans, there would not be a free and independent nation called the United States of America. Bibliography Ford and Grillparzer. Encyclopedia of World Biography. Detroit: Gale, 2004. Issaacson, Walter. Benjamin Franklin: An American Life. New York: Simon & Schuster, 2003. Phelps, Shirelle and Jeffrey Lehman, eds. West Encylopedia. New York: Gale, 2005. Rakove, Jack. The Beginnings of National Politics. Baltimore and London: John Hopkins U Press, 1979. Van Doren, Carl. Benjamin Franklin. New York: Garden City Publishing, 1941.

Geothermal Energy: A Clean and Renewable Energy :: Alternative Energy Sources

What is Geothermal Energy? The term geothermal comes from the Greek geo meaning earth and therine meaning heat thus geothermal energy is energy derived from the natural heat of the earth. The heat that flows from the Earth's hot interior due to crustal plate movements, zones of high heat flow, may be located close to the surface where convective circulation plays a signifcant role in bringing the heat close to the surface (World Bank Group, 2012). The Earth's crust, on which we live and depend, is in large part the product of millions of once-active volcanoes and tremendous volumes of magma that did not erupt but instead cooled below the surface. Such persistent and widespread volcanism has resulted in many valuable natural resources throughout the world. ... Groundwater heated by large, still-hot magma bodies can be tapped for geothermal energy. -- Excerpt from: Brantley, 2014, Volcanoes of the United States, USGS General Interest Publication Deep circulation of groundwater along fracture zones will bring heat to shallower levels, collecting the heat flow from a broad area and concentrating it into shallow reservoirs or discharging as hot springs. These reservoirs may contain hot water and/or stream. By drilling into these reservoirs, the hot water and/or steam is piped to the surface where it is used for direct use applications, or the high pressure steam is separated to drive turbines for power generation. The low energy waste water form such power generaiton is then usually re-injected back into the reservoir, or further utilised for direct heat applications. This technology enables it to be utilised to generate electricity and provide domestic and industrial heat. Geothermal energy has proven to be reliable, economic, environmentally friendly and renewable (World Bank Group, 2012). In general there are two main categories, (1) the high temperature resources and (2) the moderate/low temperature resources. The high temperature geothermal resources - 220 degrees Celsius and up - are predominantly found in volcanic regions and island chains. The moderate to low temperature resources are found on all continents. The high temperature are almost always used for power production while most of the low temperature resources are used for direct heating purposes or agriculture and aquaculture. How does Harnessing Geothermal Energy Work? Deep wells, a mile or more deep, can tap reservoirs of steam or very hot water that can be used to drive turbines which power electricity generators. There are 3 types of geothermal power plants in use today, and they are: Geothermal Energy: A Clean and Renewable Energy :: Alternative Energy Sources What is Geothermal Energy? The term geothermal comes from the Greek geo meaning earth and therine meaning heat thus geothermal energy is energy derived from the natural heat of the earth. The heat that flows from the Earth's hot interior due to crustal plate movements, zones of high heat flow, may be located close to the surface where convective circulation plays a signifcant role in bringing the heat close to the surface (World Bank Group, 2012). The Earth's crust, on which we live and depend, is in large part the product of millions of once-active volcanoes and tremendous volumes of magma that did not erupt but instead cooled below the surface. Such persistent and widespread volcanism has resulted in many valuable natural resources throughout the world. ... Groundwater heated by large, still-hot magma bodies can be tapped for geothermal energy. -- Excerpt from: Brantley, 2014, Volcanoes of the United States, USGS General Interest Publication Deep circulation of groundwater along fracture zones will bring heat to shallower levels, collecting the heat flow from a broad area and concentrating it into shallow reservoirs or discharging as hot springs. These reservoirs may contain hot water and/or stream. By drilling into these reservoirs, the hot water and/or steam is piped to the surface where it is used for direct use applications, or the high pressure steam is separated to drive turbines for power generation. The low energy waste water form such power generaiton is then usually re-injected back into the reservoir, or further utilised for direct heat applications. This technology enables it to be utilised to generate electricity and provide domestic and industrial heat. Geothermal energy has proven to be reliable, economic, environmentally friendly and renewable (World Bank Group, 2012). In general there are two main categories, (1) the high temperature resources and (2) the moderate/low temperature resources. The high temperature geothermal resources - 220 degrees Celsius and up - are predominantly found in volcanic regions and island chains. The moderate to low temperature resources are found on all continents. The high temperature are almost always used for power production while most of the low temperature resources are used for direct heating purposes or agriculture and aquaculture. How does Harnessing Geothermal Energy Work? Deep wells, a mile or more deep, can tap reservoirs of steam or very hot water that can be used to drive turbines which power electricity generators. There are 3 types of geothermal power plants in use today, and they are:

Communities and Urbanization Essay -- essays research papers

COMMUNITIES & URBANIZATION Introduction George Murdock once said that a community is one of the two truly universal units of society organization, the other one being family (Schaefer, 461). We are all part of a community, and in many cases, we are a part of multiple ones. In chapter 20 of our textbook, we are looking at communities and urbanization. It discusses urbanization and how communities originate. It also looks at the different types of communities. Communities are defined as â€Å"a spatial or political unit of social organization that gives people a sense of belonging† (Schaefer, 548). It can be based on a place of residence, such as a city, neighborhood, or a particular school district. It could also be based on common identity, such as gays, the homeless, or the deaf. Lets take a look at communities and urbanization through the functionalist perspective, the conflict perspective, and symbolic interaction. According to the functionalist perspective, communities are very much structured to maintain their stability as a society. When you look at such things as urban ecology, it is a prime example, because it looks at how different elements in urban areas contribute to stability (Schaefer, 464). According to the conflict perspective, communities are very much structured in a way that separates different communities by certain conflicts. You have the upper class of a community, and then you have the lower working class. You have black and Jews, and then you have the KKK. All these things cause different communities to be separated and structured to unify each different community. One very example of the conflict perspective in this chapter is new urban sociology. Symbolic interaction can be viewed many different ways according to communities. Anywhere from the upper class using very proper etiquette and high posture, to gays wearing a piercing only on their right ear. You also have your working class that may look older and more rigid than the officials and owners of companies who have not had to do a lot of manual work throughout their lives. The list can go on and on. All of these are ways that symbolic interaction helps to set up different communities. How did communities originate?   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  A community is a spatial or political unit of social organization that gives people a sense of b... ... way. Conclusion In this chapter, we learned about how different communities were developed. We learned about preindustrial cities, industrial cities, and postindustrial cities. We learned the process of urbanization through the functionalist and conflict perspectives. We also learned about the many different types of communities that there are. Communities are found everywhere. No matter where you go, you will always find yourself in a community of some sort, and you will always belong to a community somewhere, whether it be residential or political, or both. It’s amazing to think about all the different types of communities there are in this world, and which types of communities you yourself might be associated with. RESOURCES Armour Vivian. Personal Interview: Treasure of a Small Town School. 18 Nov. 2004. Asset-Based Community Development Institute. http://www.northwestern.edu/ipr/abcd/abcdbackground.html Co-Intelligence Institute www.nwu.edu/IPR/abcd.html Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. Date Accessed 18 Nov. 2004 Schaefer, Richard T. Sociology 8th Edition The American Heritage. Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition. 2000. Houghton

Racial Preference Essay

In this article, Whites Swim in Racial Preference, Tim Wise discusses the racial inequality in our society. As a whole, we want to believe that our culture is fair and just in racial terms. We would like to believe racial preference is a thing of the past, however, it is very much current. Discrimination has existed for decades but I believe that African-Americans got the bitter end of the stick. In the 1960’s, black people got treated like they weren’t even human beings. â€Å"A full time black male worker in 2003 makes less in real dollar terms than similar white men were earning in 1967.† (Wise, 2003) Obviously, the racial preference has not faded so much as society would like to believe. African-Americans struggled when it came to trying to take care of their family and becoming a citizen. The inequality seemed as if it was becoming norm in the 60’s. Blacks weren’t even given the chance to prove themselves, simply because their complexion was a little darker than whites. As stated in the article, whites have much more of an advantage when it comes to today’s culture. Whites are given more opportunities in life, which in return leads them to be more successful. Tim Wise used the example of University of Michigan providing 20 additional points to students with low-income families regardless of race. Seems fair, right? It seems fair until you total it all up and in the end whites are the ones with more points. It isn’t even given a second thought because whites were raised to believe that their accomplishments are because of their actions and not because they grew up in a system that was set up for them to achieve in. Yes, Affirmative Action happened, but in the end it still benefitted whites more than any other race. Races such as Arabs and Muslims get looked down upon ever since 9/11 and that lessens their success in society. Blacks get perceived as dangerous and reckless. Whites still have the upper leg in many things in society such as politics and jobs.

A Game of Thrones Chapter Forty-one

Jon You are as hopeless as any boys I have ever trained,† Ser Alliser Thorne announced when they had all assembled in the yard. â€Å"Your hands were made for manure shovels, not for swords, and if it were up to me, the lot of you would be set to herding swine. But last night I was told that Gueren is marching five new boys up the kingsroad. One or two may even be worth the price of piss. To make room for them, I have decided to pass eight of you on to the Lord Commander to do with as he will.† He called out the names one by one. â€Å"Toad. Stone Head. Aurochs. Lover. Pimple. Monkey. Ser Loon.† Last, he looked at Jon. â€Å"And the Bastard.† Pyp let fly a whoop and thrust his sword into the air. Ser Alliser fixed him with a reptile stare. â€Å"They will call you men of Night's Watch now, but you are bigger fools than the Mummer's Monkey here if you believe that. You are boys still, green and stinking of summer, and when the winter comes you will die like flies.† And with that, Ser Alliser Thorne took his leave of them. The other boys gathered round the eight who had been named, laughing and cursing and offering congratulations. Halder smacked Toad on the butt with the flat of his sword and shouted, â€Å"Toad, of the Night's Watch!† Yelling that a black brother needed a horse, Pyp leapt onto Grenn's shoulders, and they tumbled to the ground, rolling and punching and hooting. Dareon dashed inside the armory and returned with a skin of sour red. As they passed the wine from hand to hand, grinning like fools, Jon noticed Samwell Tarly standing by himself beneath a bare dead tree in the corner of the yard. Jon offered him the skin. â€Å"A swallow of wine?† Sam shook his head. â€Å"No thank you, Jon.† â€Å"Are you well?† â€Å"Very well, truly,† the fat boy lied. â€Å"I am so happy for you all.† His round face quivered as he forced a smile. â€Å"You will be First Ranger someday, just as your uncle was.† â€Å"Is,† Jon corrected. He would not accept that Benjen Stark was dead. Before he could say more, Haider cried, â€Å"Here, you planning to drink that all yourself?† Pyp snatched the skin from his hand and danced away, laughing. While Grenn seized his arm, Pyp gave the skin a squeeze, and a thin stream of red squirted Jon in the face. Haider howled in protest at the waste of good wine. Jon sputtered and struggled. Matthar and Jeren climbed the wall and began pelting them all with snowballs. By the time he wrenched free, with snow in his hair and wine stains on his surcoat, Samwell Tarly had gone. That night, Three-Finger Hobb cooked the boys a special meal to mark the occasion. When Jon arrived at the common hall, the Lord Steward himself led him to the bench near the fire. The older men clapped him on the arm in passing. The eight soon-to-be brothers feasted on rack of lamb baked in a crust of garlic and herbs, garnished with sprigs of mint, and surrounded by mashed yellow turnips swimming in butter. â€Å"From the Lord Commander's own table,† Bowen Marsh told them. There were salads of spinach and chickpeas and turnip greens, and afterward bowls of iced blueberries and sweet cream. â€Å"Do you think they'll keep us together?† Pyp wondered as they gorged themselves happily. Toad made a face. â€Å"I hope not. I'm sick of looking at those ears of yours.† â€Å"Ho,† said Pyp. â€Å"Listen to the crow call the raven black. You're certain to be a ranger, Toad. They'll want you as far from the castle as they can. If Mance Rayder attacks, lift your visor and show your face, and he'll run off screaming.† Everyone laughed but Grenn. â€Å"I hope I'm a ranger.† â€Å"You and everyone else,† said Matthar. Every man who wore the black walked the Wall, and every man was expected to take up steel in its defense, but the rangers were the true fighting heart of the Night's Watch. It was they who dared ride beyond the Wall, sweeping through the haunted forest and the icy mountain heights west of the Shadow Tower, fighting wildlings and giants and monstrous snow bears. â€Å"Not everyone,† said Halder. â€Å"It's the builders for me. What use would rangers be if the Wall fell down?† The order of builders provided the masons and carpenters to repair keeps and towers, the miners to dig tunnels and crush stone for roads and footpaths, the woodsmen to clear away new growth wherever the forest pressed too close to the Wall. Once, it was said, they had quarried immense blocks of ice from frozen lakes deep in the haunted forest, dragging them south on sledges so the Wall might be raised ever higher. Those days were centuries gone, however; now, it was all they could do to ride the Wall from Eastwatch to the Shadow Tower, watching for cracks or signs of melt and making what repairs they could. â€Å"The Old Bear's no fool,† Dareon observed. â€Å"You're certain to be a builder, and Jon's certain to be a ranger. He's the best sword and the best rider among us, and his uncle was the First before he . . . † His voice trailed off awkwardly as he realized what he had almost said. â€Å"Benjen Stark is still First Ranger,† Jon Snow told him, toying with his bowl of blueberries. The rest might have given up all hope of his uncle's safe return, but not him. He pushed away the berries, scarcely touched, and rose from the bench. â€Å"Aren't you going to eat those?† Toad asked. â€Å"They're yours.† Jon had hardly tasted Hobb's great feast. â€Å"I could not eat another bite.† He took his cloak from its hook near the door and shouldered his way out. Pyp followed him. â€Å"Jon, what is it?† â€Å"Sam,† he admitted. â€Å"He was not at table tonight.† â€Å"It's not like him to miss a meal,† Pyp said thoughtfully. â€Å"Do you suppose he's taken ill?† â€Å"He's frightened. We're leaving him.† He remembered the day he had left Winterfell, all the bittersweet farewells; Bran lying broken, Robb with snow in his hair, Arya raining kisses on him after he'd given her Needle. â€Å"Once we say our words, we'll all have duties to attend to. Some of us may be sent away, to Eastwatch or the Shadow Tower. Sam will remain in training, with the likes of Rast and Cuger and these new boys who are coming up the kingsroad. Gods only know what they'll be like, but you can bet Ser Alliser will send them against him, first chance he gets.† Pyp made a grimace. â€Å"You did all you could.† â€Å"All we could wasn't enough,† Jon said. A deep restlessness was on him as he went back to Hardin's Tower for Ghost. The direwolf walked beside him to the stables. Some of the more skittish horses kicked at their stalls and laid back their ears as they entered. Jon saddled his mare, mounted, and rode out from Castle Black, south across the moonlit night. Ghost raced ahead of him, flying over the ground, gone in the blink of an eye. Jon let him go. A wolf needed to hunt. He had no destination in mind. He wanted only to ride. He followed the creek for a time, listening to the icy trickle of water over rock, then cut across the fields to the kingsroad. It stretched out before him, narrow and stony and pocked with weeds, a road of no particular promise, yet the sight of it filled Jon Snow with a vast longing. Winterfell was down that road, and beyond it Riverrun and King's Landing and the Eyrie and so many other places; Casterly Rock, the Isle of Faces, the red mountains of Dorne, the hundred islands of Braavos in the sea, the smoking ruins of old Valyria. All the places that Jon would never see. The world was down that road . . . and he was here. Once he swore his vow, the Wall would be his home until he was old as Maester Aemon. â€Å"I have not sworn yet,† he muttered. He was no outlaw, bound to take the black or pay the penalty for his crimes. He had come here freely, and he might leave freely . . . until he said the words. He need only ride on, and he could leave it all behind. By the time the moon was full again, he would be back in Winterfell with his brothers. Your half brothers, a voice inside reminded him. And Lady Stark, who will not welcome you. There was no place for him in Winterfell, no place in King's Landing either. Even his own mother had not had a place for him. The thought of her made him sad. He wondered who she had been, what she had looked like, why his father had left her. Because she was a whore or an adulteress, fool. Something dark and dishonorable, or else why was Lord Eddard too ashamed to speak of her? Jon Snow turned away from the kingsroad to look behind him. The fires of Castle Black were hidden behind a hill, but the Wall was there, pale beneath the moon, vast and cold, running from horizon to horizon. He wheeled his horse around and started for home. Ghost returned as he crested a rise and saw the distant glow of lamplight from the Lord Commander's Tower. The direwolf s muzzle was red with blood as he trotted beside the horse. Jon found himself thinking of Samwell Tarly again on the ride back. By the time he reached the stables, he knew what he must do. Maester Aemon's apartments were in a stout wooden keep below the rookery. Aged and frail, the maester shared his chambers with two of the younger stewards, who tended to his needs and helped him in his duties. The brothers joked that he had been given the two ugliest men in the Night's Watch; being blind, he was spared having to look at them. Clydas was short, bald, and chinless, with small pink eyes like a mole. Chett had a wen on his neck the size of a pigeon's egg, and a face red with boils and pimples. Perhaps that was why he always seemed so angry. It was Chett who answered Jon's knock. â€Å"I need to speak to Maester Aemon,† Jon told him. â€Å"The maester is abed, as you should be. Come back on the morrow and maybe he'll see you.† He began to shut the door. Jon jammed it open with his boot. â€Å"I need to speak to him now. The morning will be too late.† Chett scowled. â€Å"The maester is not accustomed to being woken in the night. Do you know how old he is?† â€Å"Old enough to treat visitors with more courtesy than you,† Jon said. â€Å"Give him my pardons. I would not disturb his rest if it were not important.† â€Å"And if I refuse?† Jon had his boot wedged solidly in the door. â€Å"I can stand here all night if I must.† The black brother made a disgusted noise and opened the door to admit him. â€Å"Wait in the library. There's wood. Start a fire. I won't have the maester catching a chill on account of you.† Jon had the logs crackling merrily by the time Chett led in Maester Aemon. The old man was clad in his bed robe, but around his throat was the chain collar of his order. A maester did not remove it even to sleep. â€Å"The chair beside the fire would be pleasant,† he said when he felt the warmth on his face. When he was settled comfortably, Chett covered his legs with a fur and went to stand by the door. â€Å"I am sorry to have woken you, Maester,† Jon Snow said. â€Å"You did not wake me,† Maester Aemon replied. â€Å"I find I need less sleep as I grow older, and I am grown very old. I often spend half the night with ghosts, remembering times fifty years past as if they were yesterday. The mystery of a midnight visitor is a welcome persion. So tell me, Jon Snow, why have you come calling at this strange hour?† â€Å"To ask that Samwell Tarly be taken from training and accepted as a brother of the Night's Watch.† â€Å"This is no concern of Maester Aemon,† Chett complained. â€Å"Our Lord Commander has given the training of recruits into the hands of Ser Alliser Thorne,† the maester said gently. â€Å"Only he may say when a boy is ready to swear his vow, as you surely know. Why then come to me?† â€Å"The Lord Commander listens to you,† Jon told him. â€Å"And the wounded and the sick of the Night's Watch are in your charge.† â€Å"And is your friend Samwell wounded or sick?† â€Å"He will be,† Jon promised, â€Å"unless you help.† He told them all of it, even the part where he'd set Ghost at Rast's throat. Maester Aemon listened silently, blind eyes fixed on the fire, but Chett's face darkened with each word. â€Å"Without us to keep him safe, Sam will have no chance,† Jon finished. â€Å"He's hopeless with a sword. My sister Arya could tear him apart, and she's not yet ten. If Ser Alliser makes him fight, it's only a matter of time before he's hurt or killed.† Chett could stand no more. â€Å"I've seen this fat boy in the common hall,† he said. â€Å"He is a pig, and a hopeless craven as well, if what you say is true.† â€Å"Maybe it is so,† Maester Aemon said. â€Å"Tell me, Chett, what would you have us do with such a boy?† â€Å"Leave him where he is,† Chett said. â€Å"The Wall is no place for the weak. Let him train until he is ready, no matter how many years that takes. Ser Alliser shall make a man of him or kill him, as the gods will.† â€Å"That's stupid,† Jon said. He took a deep breath to gather his thoughts. â€Å"I remember once I asked Maester Luwin why he wore a chain around his throat.† Maester Aemon touched his own collar lightly, his bony, wrinkled finger stroking the heavy metal links. â€Å"Go on.† â€Å"He told me that a maester's collar is made of chain to remind him that he is sworn to serve,† Jon said, remembering. â€Å"I asked why each link was a different metal. A silver chain would look much finer with his grey robes, I said. Maester Luwin laughed. A maester forges his chain with study, he told me. The different metals are each a different kind of learning, gold for the study of money and accounts, silver for healing, iron for warcraft. And he said there were other meanings as well. The collar is supposed to remind a maester of the realm he serves, isn't that so? Lords are gold and knights steel, but two links can't make a chain. You also need silver and iron and lead, tin and copper and bronze and all the rest, and those are farmers and smiths and merchants and the like. A chain needs all sorts of metals, and a land needs all sorts of people.† Maester Aemon smiled. â€Å"And so?† â€Å"The Night's Watch needs all sorts too. Why else have rangers and stewards and builders? Lord Randyll couldn't make Sam a warrior, and Ser Alliser won't either. You can't hammer tin into iron, no matter how hard you beat it, but that doesn't mean tin is useless. Why shouldn't Sam be a steward?† Chett gave an angry scowl. â€Å"I'm a steward. You think it's easy work, fit for cowards? The order of stewards keeps the Watch alive. We hunt and farm, tend the horses, milk the cows, gather firewood, cook the meals. Who do you think makes your clothing? Who brings up supplies from the south? The stewards.† Maester Aemon was gentler. â€Å"Is your friend a hunter?† â€Å"He hates hunting,† Jon had to admit. â€Å"Can he plow a field?† the maester asked. â€Å"Can he drive a wagon or sail a ship? Could he butcher a cow?† â€Å"No.† Chett gave a nasty laugh. â€Å"I've seen what happens to soft lordlings when they're put to work. Set them to churning butter and their hands blister and bleed. Give them an axe to split logs, and they cut off their own foot.† â€Å"I know one thing Sam could do better than anyone.† â€Å"Yes?† Maester Aemon prompted. Jon glanced warily at Chett, standing beside the door, his boils red and angry. â€Å"He could help you,† he said quickly. â€Å"He can do sums, and he knows how to read and write. I know Chett can't read, and Clydas has weak eyes. Sam read every book in his father's library. He'd be good with the ravens too. Animals seem to like him. Ghost took to him straight off. There's a lot he could do, besides fighting. The Night's Watch needs every man. Why kill one, to no end? Make use of him instead.† Maester Aemon closed his eyes, and for a brief moment Jon was afraid that he had gone to sleep. Finally he said, â€Å"Maester Luwin taught you well, Jon Snow. Your mind is as deft as your blade, it would seem.† â€Å"Does that mean . . . â€Å" â€Å"It means I shall think on what you have said,† the maester told him firmly. â€Å"And now, I believe I am ready to sleep. Chett, show our young brother to the door.†

Employment and Staff Essay

Motivating staff is essential to a business, because if the staff are motivated that means they’re happy, and are happy to do the job and are more likely to do a better job than someone who’s unmotivated and unhappy. To motivate staff, business can use one of the motivational theories, researched by theorists such as Taylor, McGregor, McClelland, Vroom, Herzberg, Maslow and Mayo. Mayo’s research found that after a number of experiments testing incentive schemes, rest period, hours of work, and changes in lighting and heating whatever changes were made, output continued to rise. This motivated the staff, and Tesco uses this theory to motivate their staff. All of their staff gets breaks, so when they are tired of the job, they can go to a canteen to get some food, or just sit down and rest. Also nowadays a lot of people smoke, and if a person has been smoking for a while, they tend to get stressed easily, and they need a cigarette to calm themselves down, so Tesco lets people to have cigarette breaks when people get stressed out. Also the conditions of work will help to motivate the staff, for example in summer when it’s really hot all of their stores have air conditioning, so all the staff and their customers are cool, because people tend to work better and are happier when they are cool. Tesco also uses Maslow’s theory, which suggests that the staff needs to be ranked into hierarchy, so for example the bottom of the hierarchy will have basic needs, when the top of the hierarchy will have greater needs. So someone who works in a store stocking shelves, their needs will be to have a break when they’re working, to get a new uniform etc. Where the area manager for example will have greater needs, for example because they have to travel a lot from store to store they will want to get a car for them to be able to travel, also the petrol to be paid for. Also because their role involves a lot of responsibility they will expect to get paid more for doing the job than someone who works in a store and their only responsibility is to make sure that all of the shelves are stocked up. If all of their staff needs are unsatisfied, then it means the staff will be unhappy and unmotivated which will reflect in their performance. Tesco also uses McGregor’s theory, which suggests that all employs should be punished if they did a bad job and rewarded if they did a good job. For example if an employee does a bad job they will be threatened and get a disciplinary, which means if they do it again they might lose their job. If a person does a good job, they will be recognised, and their manager might have a chat with them to reflect on their performance and make sure that they are aware that they did a good job and the person is in a higher position, such as a manager, they will get a bonus.  M3) Performance indicators Business have many ways of measuring their staff performance, for example they can use time periods for measuring, for example ASDA might measure their employees performance by how many customers they’ve served in one hour. This method does not work for all businesses, for example clothes manufacturer might not use this method because they need quality not quantity, and if they push t heir staff to make shirts faster they might make them poor quality or they might not fit. This helps develop their staff because they set themselves a target and this motivates people because people like challenges, and they are clear on what they need to do for the day. Also by achieving their target they might get a reward for it so it motivates them. Goal theory Another method of measuring performance is setting their employees goals. The best goals are when the employee and the employer both agree on what’s important and working together to achieve that goal. Clear and challenging goals can motivate their staff. For example ASDA might use this method on people who are stocking up the store. For example the manager might say that today they need to move couple shelves somewhere else and stock them up and they have 2 hours to do it. This help the staff to develop, because they know what’s their performance, and what they can do to improve it next time. SMART Targets SMART is a technique used to work out how useful a set of objectives are. All the targets needs to be specific, they should have a focus and not be vague. They need to be measurable, so they should include something that can be measured. They also need to be achievable, so if staff do not think they can achieve their targets they will be demotivated. Also it needs to be realistic in relation to both the resources and skills available, and the overall goals of the organisation and it needs to have a time-bound, so it must have an end so that success can be measured. This helps to develop staff because using SMART technique the staff are clear about the objective and they are sure that it is achievable, because if staff thinks that it is unachievable they get demotivated. Benchmarking Benchmarking can be used to measure organisations performance by comparing themselves to other organisations and matching or exceeding their performance. For example ASDA will compare itself to all big supermarkets in UK such as Sainsbury’s, Morrison’s, and Tesco etc. This help to develop staff because they compare themselves to their competitors and it is very clear on how they are doing, and this helps to improve the business, because if other business is doing better then they need to figure out what they are doing wrong and how to change it. Probation Pretty much all businesses will have a probation period for new employees. This means that they will be closely monitored for a certain period of time and their performance will be measured so the business is certain that this person is capable of doing the job and is a right candidate. Business such as Tesco will have a short probation period because the job doesn’t require a high skill and it doesn’t take long to find out if the person is right for the job, but jobs like teachers or doctors will have longer probation periods, because it takes some time to find out if the candidate is capable of doing a job, and their probation period will be around 9 months but can be longer. Also when people are on probation period this gives the right to the employer to fire them for no reason. Probation period helps to develop staff because if they are on a probation period, they are under more pressure and makes them more focussed about understanding the business and doing their job at their best ability. Appraisal Appraisal is another method of measuring performance in a business. This means that at the end of the year the employee and employer will sit down and review the year, the employee will say what he thinks he’s done very well, and the employer will say what they think they’ve done well and what  they need to work on. This is helps to develop staff because the employer tells the staff on how they are performing and what they have been doing very well and what they have been doing not so well, and gives them advice on how to improve or change it. Supporting employees There’s couple ways of how you can support employees. One of them is me ntoring, this means that someone in the workplace will help them that is just above their positions and has been in their position previously, so they can pass on some of their knowledge and explain the job. There’s two types of mentoring; formal and informal. Formal mentoring means that the mentor will have paper work with them and will monitor them and will write everything down. Informal mentoring means that the mentor will only have a chat with them or help them but wouldn’t write anything down. Also another way to support the employees is buddying up. For example in ASDA a new employer will be partnered up with someone that is on the same level as them but has been working for a long period of time and knows their job very well, so the new employer can work with them for couple of days to get to know the job and the other person can help them if they get confused or stuck. This helps to develop staff because people get demotivated and getting support from other staff or the manager helps to improve their performance, because some people get stuck and are not sure how to do a job they’ve been given, and some help from the manager can sort that out, also just having a chat with them might also help because some people just need to know that someone cares about them and how they’re getting on. Occupational Health People are human beings and can get stressed when they are pushed to work hard, so the employers need to think about how to release that stress. For example they could put some plants in the office, because plants produce oxygen which helps people to relax. Also if the office is very warm think about putting an air con to cool it down, because when people are hot they tend to get very stressed out. For example all Tesco stores have air con, so all of their employees are cool and don’t get stressed out as much. This helps to develop staff because for example, if the working conditions in Tesco are very hot the employees might not work very well, and they will get very stressed, but if they install air conditioning and make the store cool, the staff will work a lot better and will be a lot happier, because they are not hot and they’re comfortable. Managing workloads People get very stressed out when they are under pressure and have a lot of things to do, so it is very important for a business to balance it out, and spread workload equally, for example Tesco will divide people into section and give the same amount of shelves to stock up, so it’s fair on everyone. This helps to develop staff because giving them a lot of workload will demotivated them and sometimes even push them into leaving the job because they are stressed and lose motivation, so by reducing workload and sharing the workload equally, this will release the stress and staff will have more motivation. Delegating authority and responsibility By giving more authority and responsibility can motivate employees but it is very important to monitor how it is working, in order to avoid errors and costly mistakes, which can affect employer in terms of money and reputation, also it might lead to dismissing the employee. For example Tesco manager will be responsible for hiring new people and they might hire someone that is not capable of doing the job which might cost Tesco money. This will help to develop staff because they will feel like they are trusted, so they will be more focussed and will try to prove to their employer that they are capable of doing the job. Capacity Capacity relates to the amount of work or products that can be produced or is being produced. Using as much capacity as possible should lead to lower costs for the business, so employers need to ensure that employees are performing well without putting them under so much pressure that they suffer with stress and then become ill. Linking rewards to performance Giving rewards to people for doing a good job or achieving or exceeding a target motivates people to work harder. For example Tesco manager will get a bonus for achieving or exceeding the stores targets. He then might share it with the team, to keep them motivated. This helps to develop the staff, because everyone loves getting a reward if they do a good job, because it shows that their employer cares about them and also gives them a sense of achievement, and makes themselves feel good, because they did a good job.