Policy Issues Paper free essay sample

Violence in any form can have a lasting effect on a person. Children who witness violence are permanently scarred because of what they are seeing. Children who witness family or domestic violence are affected in ways similar to children who are physically abused. Children are often unable to establish nurturing bonds with either parent and are at a greater risk for abuse and neglect if he or she lives in a violent home. Statistics show that an estimated 3. 3 million children are exposed to violence against their mothers or female caretakers by family members in their home each year (Ackerman Pickering, 1989). When a spouse, woman or male is abused, and there are children at home, the children will be affected by the abuse. This paper will refer to the video, â€Å"Child Exposure to Domestic Violence. † â€Å"Child Exposure to Domestic Violence† is a video about personal crime that looks at how children react to witnessing domestic violence. We will write a custom essay sample on Policy Issues Paper or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page The children in the video have witnessed their father physically abusing their mother and have heard his or her father making death threats toward his or her mother. The video starts off referring to the children of O.  J. and Nicole Brown-Simpson. Nicole was a victim of domestic violence and was found murdered with her boyfriend. O. J. was found not guilty of her murder but was found guilty in her civil lawsuit. The video asks what the children saw or heard, if anything. Studies show that child abuse occurs in nearly 30 to 60% of family violence cases that involve families with children. 6,000 American families were surveyed, and it was found that 50% of men who assault their wives, also abuse his children. Research shows that 80 to 90% of children living in homes where there is domestic violence are aware of the violence (American Psychological Association, Violence and the Family: Report of the APA Presidential Task Force on Violence and the Family, 1996). The causal factors addressed in the video were of a man who went to his ex-girlfriend’s residence and attempted to break in by climbing into a window. Out of fear she contacted police and had him arrested for violating the order of protection she had placed on him. In the video, the three year-old son was standing in the doorway and witnessed his father getting arrested. The little boy time and time again has witnessed his parents arguing and fighting. The police have been to their house more than 20 times and his father served six months in jail for domestic violence. Children react to their environment in different ways, and those reactions can vary, depending on the childs gender and age. Children exposed to family violence are more likely to develop behavioral, emotional, psychological, and social problems than those who are not. Recent research indicates that children who witness domestic violence show anger and temperament problems, depression, low self-esteem, and more anxiety than children who do not witness violence in the home. The trauma they experience can show up in behavioral, physical, social, and emotional disturbances that affect their development and can continue into adulthood. No financial issues were discussed in the video. However, the financial issues that can be associated are a loss of a two person income in the family. When one family member goes away who may be the primary breadwinner of the family, the household becomes the responsibility of the mother which in-turn can cause a financial strain. Another financial issue can be legal fees and court costs. The father served six months in jail for domestic violence and was led away in handcuffs for violating the restraining order. He will have to obtain a lawyer and pay restitution to the court or his ex-girlfriend. The father also can be responsible for child support and may lose his employment because of his legal troubles. The basis for this selected video was as a result of having the experience a child who was raised in household that witnessed my father abusing my mother. Also witnessed my siblings experiencing the same type of abuse from their significant others. Was not raised in a two parent household, was raised only by my mother who struggled to heal from her scars of being abused for many years. I can relate to the video by knowing what the children were feeling at the time, the fear, shock, and hurt that I witnessed growing up. From the criminal aspect, this video shows the Actus Reus, the criminal act of being caught at the scene attempting to gain entry into his ex-girlfriends residence. Domestic violence is represented by a negative reaction. Men hit and abuse other family members because of control and because they have feelings of shame and humiliation which leads to feelings of anger, hostility and rage. Pathological or emotional conflict in the forms of aggression and violence occur, whether an individual has unacknowledged humiliation, dissociation, or depression and is transformed into reactive rage and anger.

Rock and Roll to Death essays

Rock and Roll to Death essays From Rock-a-Billy in the 50's, to Rock in the 60's, to Disco in the 70's, to Punk and Glamour in the 80's, no American institution has ever undergone such radical transformation in such a short time. Women's suffrage was not until 1920. Chuck Berry started it; Elvis Presley put a face on it. In the 1950's, Rock n' Roll was born. It emerged from rhythm and blues, a kind of music similar to jazz. This kind of music attracted teenagers. Disk jockey Alan Freed was the one who introduced this music and later gave it the name of Rock n' Roll. In the 50's Elvis Presley introduced a music that was sexual suggestive and outraged dull adults. He changed he style of music by introducing a country and western style and became a national hero. By the end of the decade, Rock n' Roll started to decline because it was formula ridden and it was too sentimental. Teenage audiences shifted their devotion to Folk music. The rebirth of Rock n' Roll came in the 60's, when the Beatles started to play. The Beatles, for some the best rock group ever, dominated the record industry with their electric guitars, rhythm, bass guitars, and drums, changed the name of Rock n' Roll to just Rock. During the 60's, many other styles of music surfaced from Rock like Motown, Soul music, Jazz-Rock and Folk-Rock. Folk-Rock was the most appreciated and was first suggested by Bob Dylan. This kind of music brought to folk music a hard beat, to Rock, a new poetic style. Rock activity during the 60's was first described for its surfing music, a very joyful music that suggested the fun people had while surfing. The Beach Boys were the ones who introduced this kind of music. At the end of the 60's this happy kind of music changed to a more rebellious style that was called "hippie music". With this "hippie music", fueled by drugs and a collection of seemingly wasteful talents that far eclipsed their predecessors and anything before or ...

Business Performance of Leadership

Choi and Kim (2014) opined that leadership is the capability of the management of a company to make vital decisions, inspire as well as motivate others to perform their work in the workplace. Effective leaders can set as well as achieve challenging goals, take decisions at difficult situations, calculate the risks as well as persist in the face of failure. The characteristics of a good leader are to manage the workplace, have communication skills as well as self-confidence. However, the IT leaders are different from other leaders. Loveridge (2014) argued that the IT leadership is the group of the senior executives those are responsible for implementing an IT infrastructure as well as applications that can drive the IT business strategies. The report is based on the leadership in the IT business of Australia and its importance for the business. The selected organization for this report is Melbourne IT. It reflects on the impact of the leadership on the success of the IT business. Leadership style is also discussed in this report for the IT leader. As the business is based on Information Technology, therefore the leader face IT challenges in their business, and respective solutions are also given. Australian IT businesses are facing innovation shortfalls and failure in the development of the leadership programs. The selected IT business for the report is Melbourne IT and as the leader of the business, different leadership functions are conducted. Melbourne IT is an Australian Internet company with its primary business is the registration of the domain name. This IT business also provides the web as well as email hosting services as well as online marketing services to the Australian population (Melbourneit.com.au 2015). When it comes to achieving business success, most of the leaders of the organization think of a strategy which most of the business comes up with. The following are some of the quality traits that should be there within a good leader who leads an IT business organization: Character: The leader requires to be trusted as well as known to live their life with honesty (Katsos and Fort 2016). As in the current era, technology becomes the most vital needs of the population; therefore, the leaders should do the delivery of the IT services from respect for the good character as well as trustworthiness of the person who leads the business. Communicate: In order to reach new benchmarks of achievement, it is required an art of clear communication (Anvari et al. 2014). With good communication skills, the leaders are also required good listening skills that help to drive results and hear to the employees. As a leader of the organization, it is the responsibility to respond to the employee’s concern and questions. Direction: The leader can work to achieve the goals and objectives of the organization. As a leader of an IT business organization, the leader can create impressive change within the organization as the use of technology changes day-by-day (Harney 2016). The leader can act according to the needs and requirements of their customers and provides with better IT service delivery. Optimistic: The leaders are the source of the positive energy. They are helpful as well as concern for other’s welfare (Almog-Bareket 2012). In order to avoid personal criticism, they start to gain the consensus of the employees to work effectively as team members.   Honesty: The leader should be ethical, believable; honesty as well as reliability forms the foundation of the business success (Marco and John 2013).   In order to avoid conflicts, the leader shares information openly to the employees. An IT leader encompasses of two various types of leadership styles such as transformational as well as transactional. The transformational leadership inspires the followers by raising consciousness about the specified values and motivates the followers in order to address the high level of personal needs (Minavand 2013). As this particular report is based on an IT business organization, Melbourne IT, therefore this style of leadership plays an important role as the leader works with the subordinates in order to identify the required changes and create an organizational vision in order to guide changes through inspiration. As a transformational leadership style, the leader is focused on increasing the effectiveness of the organization. This style of leadership stresses that the leader understands as well as adapts to the followers motives as well as requirements (Brandt and Uusi-Kakkuri 2016). An IT leader has the responsibility to achieve good role models who can empower the staff me mbers in order to achieve higher standards. In the last few years, many transformational changes are taken place in technology. As for example, the development of computing technology by Apple, Intel was the transformational events that are taken place. Steve Jobs, the co-founder of Apple transformed their business processes through the software applications as well as high-speed microprocessors. At Apple, Steve Jobs is seen as a leader who has an idealistic vision to provide computers as a tool to change the world (Davenport 2014). Jobs were passionate about the company as well as enthusiastic about the announcements of products. Figure 1: Transformational Leadership Style Apart from this leadership style, another type of style is transactional leadership that focuses on the exchange, which occurs between the leaders as well as followers. The leader can have a concern with maintaining the normal flow of the business operations (Minelle 2014). Disciplinary powers, as well as an array of incentives, are used to motivate the employees to work. This style of leadership conforms to the existing structure of the IT business as well as measures success as per the organizational system of rewards as well as penalties (Antonakis and House 2014). Performance review is required to judge the performance of the employee. Steve Jobs also acts a transactional leader who directs their efforts through tasks as well as structures. Steve influenced the employees for a strong desire to work, shared their passion with the staffs as well as provided with the organizational vision (Moors 2012). The leadership style of Steve Jobs is desired to create great products that would give enjoy to the clients by using it rather than the products that bring profit to Apple. Figure 2: Characteristics of Transactional Leadership Style Both this style of leadership is required to guide the Melbourne IT to success. The transactional leader provides with an ability to address small operational details that on the other hand, the transformational leader is crucial to the strategic development of the business. Apart from this, the transactional approach features both positive as well as negative enforcement while the transformational leadership features both motivation as well as inspiration (Salovaara and Bathurst 2016). Transactional leadership appeals to the self-interest of the individuals, and transformational leadership focuses on the group progress. There are various challenges that the IT leaders are facing in Melbourne IT business organization: Rate and pace of change: According to Moore's law, the doubling of the speed of the computer processing takes place every 18 months. It is one of the manifestations of the technological trend that all the changes occur at exponential rates (Sethuraman and Suresh 2014). Due to the exponential rate of change in the technology, the IT leader is also making changes according to the business requirements. This rapid change in the business affects the leadership quality.  Ã‚  Ã‚   Complexity in the integration of the system: Sometimes, change in the system becomes complex. Therefore, the leader is not able to cope up with the complex situation, and it affects their responsibility as a leader (Brandt and Uusi-Kakkuri 2016). Due to rapid change in the technology, the IT department of the company requires changing their IT infrastructure in order to meet the requirements of their clients. Ongoing pressure to cut the cost: Due to rapid change in the technology, the implementation of the new system requires more cost and budget. Therefore, it becomes a vital task for the leader to implement the new system within the estimated budget. The threat to cyber security: Cyber attack is the most vital concern for the IT leader as there is a high risk of threat of hacking of the information from the database system (Ali Shurbagi 2014). The main function of the IT leader is to give high-security measures to the client's information so that any third party person cannot access it. In order to exploit the technology as well as information is fast becoming a prerequisite for the leadership programs. The IT leaders must help the company to value their business as possible from the technology (Sethuraman and Suresh 2014). The following are the solutions that the leader should follow to have a great role in technology decisions and cope up with IT challenges as: Information Technology Leadership Development Program: It is one of the best solutions for the IT leader to change their character according to the change in technology (Antonakis and House 2014). This program takes the IT leader in the IT application management, operations, technical services as well as IT planning for Melbourne IT. The development program gives a full-time position to the leader with benefits as well as design in order to create a sustainable career path with Melbourne IT. The building of strategic IT leadership skills: A strong IT leaders can create a clear vision for the future, a design of the competitive strategy for the business; create an agile as well as flexible culture for Melbourne IT. Consultation with the IT business analyst to develop a new existing system for the business: Due to change in the technology, the business leader can develop and implement a new legacy system for their organization with the help of the IT business analyst (Salovaara and Bathurst 2016).   With consulting their ideas with the analyst, they can implement such a system that should be beneficial for the organization in the future. Take the ownership of information: The vital part of managing the information technology is to manage the data quality as well as accessibility (Marco and John 2013). The IT business leader is responsible for the usability of the data gathered as well as stored in the technology and service. The IT providers should have required integration capabilities, but the leader does managing the information. Improve the technology vendor management capabilities: Technology vendors can double contract value when they are circumventing to the IT. The IT business leaders can also look in order to corporate IT for guidance as well as support with the vendor negotiations (Antonakis and House 2014). One of the techniques to nudge in this direction is to measure the effectiveness of the vendor management as well as negotiations. It is concluded that the IT leader must be self-achiever, and they are motivated to become a proactive leader. Rapid change in the technology produces a chaos situation of the leader, and they must be ready to cope up with the technological change. In this report, two types of leaders are used such as a transactional style of leaders such as they used to motivate through the system of rewards as well as penalties. The manager’s use this style and it is focused on the basic management process to control, organize as well as do short-term planning. The leader can act as indicated by the necessities and prerequisites of their clients and offers with better IT administration delivery. As a transformational leadership style, the leader is engaged to build the adequacy of the Association. This style of initiative anxieties that the leader comprehends and additionally adjusts to the followers thought processes and necessities. The transformational leadership inspires the followers by raising consciousness about the predefined values and inspires the supporters to address the high state of individual needs. Therefore, these two types of leadership style are to be in an IT business leader. Ali Shurbagi, A., 2014. The Relationship between Transformational Leadership Style Job Satisfaction and the Effect of Organizational Commitment.  IBR, 7(11). Almog-Bareket, G., 2012. Visionary leadership in business schools: an institutional framework.  Journal of management development,  31(4), pp.431-440. Antonakis, J. and House, R., 2014. Instrumental leadership: Measurement and extension of transformational–transactional leadership theory.  The Leadership Quarterly, 25(4), pp.746-771. Anvari, R., Irum, S., Shah, I., Mahmoodzadeh, N. and Ashfaq, M., 2014. Determinants of Information Technology Leadership Program.  Review of European Studies, 6(2). Brandt, T. and Uusi-Kakkuri, P., 2016. Transformational Leadership and Communication Style of Finnish CEOs.  Communication Research Reports, 33(2), pp.119-127. Choi, S.I. and Kim, D.I., 2014. A Study on The Effect Business Performance of Leadership on Global Corporate.  Journal of Digital Convergence,  12(10), pp.191-199. Davenport, B., 2014. From A to Google: How Technology Is Impacting Information and Leadership.Journal of Leadership Studies, 8(2), pp.41-45. Harney, B., 2016. Book review: Developing leadership: Questions business schools dont ask.Management Learning. Katsos, J. and Fort, T., 2016. Leadership in the promotion of peace: Interviews with the 2015 Business for Peace honorees.  Business Horizons. Loveridge, R., 2014. Leadership in the Innovative Organization.  Nang Yan Business Journal, 1(1). Marco, R. and John, F., 2013. The role of need for achievement in self-leadership: Differential associations with hope for success and fear of failure.  African Journal of Business Management, 5(20), pp.8368-8375. Melbourneit.com.au, 2015.  Melbourne IT. [online] Melbourneit.com.au. Available at: https://www.melbourneit.com.au/about-us/ [Accessed 5 Jul. 2016]. Minavand, H., 2013. The impact of project managers’ leadership style on employees’ job satisfaction, performance and turnover.  IOSR Journal of Business and Management, 11(6), pp.43-49. Minelle, F., 2014. Business Leadership for IT Projects.  PROJECT MANAGER (IL), (17), pp.47-47. Moors, G., 2012. The effect of response style bias on the measurement of transformational, transactional, and laissez-faire leadership.  European Journal of Work and Organizational Psychology, 21(2), pp.271-298. Salovaara, P. and Bathurst, R., 2016. Power-with leadership practices: An unfinished business.Leadership. Sethuraman, K. and Suresh, J., 2014. Effective Leadership Styles.  IBR, 7(9).

Rhetorical Analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 8

Rhetorical Analysis - Essay Example The purpose was even to make the White American population feel guilty of their atrocious behavior towards the African American population in order to gain sympathy and motivate them to give equal rights to African Americans. He quite effectively used the persuasion techniques of emotional appeal and credibility to persuade his audience. The speech that was authored and presented by Douglas was quite persuasive for the African American population as well as the White American population because he was a credible actor who really knew the pressing issues faced by the African Americans. He is well qualified to deliver the speech and persuade the audience because he had himself experienced the atrocities that he experienced at the hands of the White Americans. He had experienced the misery of being a slave and was even one of the numerous leaders who led the Abolitionist Movements from the front. His experience provides him the mandate of being a credible speaker and author of the speech in the eyes of the audience. Furthermore his repeated citing of bible and the context in which he was citing the bible portrays him as a person who is knowledgeable. Douglas continued to persuade the audience by appealing to the emotions of the African Americans who were still experiencing atrocities at the hands of the majority of the population of America. He uses various words and phrases to attract the emotions of his audience. For example, he uses the phrases such as â€Å"mournful wail of millions† in order to appeal to the audience’s emotions of sorrow as well as their emotion of begging to be helped (Douglass 1). Furthermore he uses the phrase â€Å"bleeding children† to appeal to the white audience to sympathies with the African Americans who were still suffering and were being treated as slaves (Douglass 1). His aim of using these terms to make the White population feel the pain that is being suffered by the African Americans and to

11 Topics Journal Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3750 words

11 Topics Journal - Essay Example The article raises grave concerns and some of these I have been forced to acknowledge before I even read this article. I believe that Voice Box and Flute do not really complicate McKibben’s argument but rather it allows the readers and viewers to put the argument in perspective. McKibben argues that technology has taken away the charm of the old life. It has made everything too automated and engineered that real objects lose their original identity (McKibben). The Voice Box and Flute further proof this point. Sarah Green, by using the technology, lost her identity as she became part machine. The concerns of McKibben are very convincing. I believe this so because I am a strong believer in fate and God’s will. If God programmed a person to be blind, it was meant to be so. It was because God had intentioned this person to discover the Braille language. Similarly, Sarah Green developed the voice box because her voice was failing and she was desperate not to lose it. If such conditions do not occur, humans would not be tested to discover their true potential and human race may be robbed off important discoveries. If our parents began doing the function of God, we may lose out on important discoveries and insights. It would ultimately lead to children with similar intellects and similar physical beauty. The diversity, we so look forward to, would be lost somewhere in between. Journal Topic 2: They Say, I Say The social networking site Facebook tends to be synonymous with materialism and narcissism in some people’s mind. They see such websites as a community of users promoting their own selves by publically posting photos, emotions, thoughts and major life decisions. However, certain users of the website have also brought forward more productive use of the website such as promoting small businesses, opening forums of discussion and asking people to raise their voice against certain issues. On the contrary, there are only a small percentage of peop le involved in such activities. For the truth is that Facebook does promote a culture of self- obsession. In this paragraph, then, after considering both sides of the argument it is held true that Facebook promotes a culture of materialism and narcissism. (Graff and Birkenstein, 14) Topic 3: Response to a Valedictorian’s Speech In the speech of high school valedictorian, one controversial issue has been the fact that high school does not provide adequate ground for the future challenges posed by higher education. On the other hand, some of my colleagues argue that high school is for having fun and once we enter college life, we would be bound to take life seriously. On the other hand, Harrigan and Davies contend that seventeen years of education is a must for every student. They even maintain that students have to relearn everything at college that they learnt at high school (Harrigan and Davies). My own view is high school does prepare us for challenges of college life but w e as students are not serious and capable enough to grasp the implications of what is being taught to us (Graff and Birkenstein, 26-27). When it comes to the topic of education, most of us readily agree that practical knowledge and theoretical knowledge have different uses and often schools focus too much on theoretical knowledge that they fail to equip their students with the confidence in approaching higher education. Where this argument usually ends, however, is the question of whether practical knowledge at the level of high school is right for the students. Whereas some are convinced that practical knowledge is a must others maintain that giving practical knowledge should be held off till the students have a strong theoretical base (Graff and Birken

Background to HRM at General Motors Corporation Essay Example for Free

Background to HRM at General Motors Corporation Essay General Motors Corporation (NYE: GM) is the leading American automaker in the world with its operations spanning in 157 countries. The car manufacturer was established in 1908 in Michigan and today it is headquartered in Detroit, the United States of America. Besides the domestic industry of the United States of America, General Motors manufactures cars and trucks in other 30 countries around the world. Among its brand products are Cadillac, Buick, Chevrolet, GMC, GM Daewoo, Hummer, Holden, Opel, Saab, Pontiac, Vauxhall, and Saturn. Besides these brands that are owned by the automaker, GMC also operates joint ventures in China and Japan. That is, Shanghai GM and SAIC-GM-Wuling Automobile respectively. From its Website, General Motors Corporation is among the leading American employer with 204 000 employees distributed throughout its global markets. The employees include production engineers, financial auditors, marketers, and researchers among others. Before restructuring and retrenching that took place in 2008 following a harsh global financial crisis that resulted into a loss of $37.3billion by the automaker, General motors corporation was the leading American employer with 284 000 employees (GMC, 2008). Because of its large network of global presence in 31 countries, General Motors human resource management practices entail international practices that are designed in accordance to the international operation requirements and the organizational culture designed to reduce operational costs. Majority employees of the corporation’s subsidiaries in the 31 countries are drawn from the domestic pool of local labour markets and only a few expatriates are drawn from USA as back office managers due to their wide knowledge of its organization culture (Cappelli, 1999). The Board of directors which draws from the organization’s international market presence is charged with the responsibilities of making major decisions critical to the company’s operation. According to Gustin (2008), General Motors Corporation spent up to $103 million in settling healthcare insurance benefits of its retired employees in 2007. From this information, it is evident that the American automaker provides life insurance covers for its employees upon retirement. However, following restructurung, these benefits  were stripped off and only a few employees still enjoy them today. From January 1, 2010, pension scheme of retired hourly employees of General Motors Corporation was transferred to United Autoworkers; a third party insurance firms and all permanent employees who were hired after january 1, 1993 nolonger receive health care insirance benefit upon retirement(GMC,2008). The entry salary of the global automaker is dictated by the labour laws of each market of operation and thus varied with the United States of America being the highest irrespective by job categories ( Main et al., 2007). The organization has invested in a Human Resource Management system that allows close interraction of its global employees through technology such as e-mailing and enterprise resource Management (Azrul, 2010). Marketing strategy entails presentations by field marketers to the organization’s large distributors and online follow ups. Reccommended HRM practices for GMC From the above background analysis of General Motors corporation, it is clear that the organization requires international Human Resource Management practices that will integrate the cultural diversity of its employees.The catastrophic impact of the 2008 financial ciris that resulted into massive restructuring and retrenching of its human resources also underscores the organization’s poor human resource planning. The following recommendations are prescribed for the automaker on the basis of figure 1 below. The first recommendation, is Re-designing the business strategy to target the bottom line of the market. According to Azrul (2010), one of the main reasons for the $37.4 billion loss incured by the American automaker is external market forces from competitors like Honda and Hyundai that were producing far cheaper vehicles with high efficient engines and low fuel consumption rates as compared to Genereal Motors’ brands. In the heat of global financial crisis, the market shifted to consumption of cheaper and less fuel consumers produced by the competitors resulting in huge losses by the General Motors Corporation. The new business strategy should entail  designing cars and trucks with high eficent engines and electric cars that can survive an upsurge in oil prices. This will involve an investment in manufacturing technologies that ensures high quality at reduced costs such as electric engines that uses bateries.This will give the Amecan leading automaker a competitve advantage against the stiffening market competition. The second recommendation is outsourcing of labour from China and Japan. Many Corporations prefer to manufacture their products from China because of the availability of a relatively cheaper labour force when compared to western counterparts. General Motors corporation can either outsource its human resoure from China or undertake most of its production from its Japanese and Chinese Subsidiaries. The labour laws in the two countries are relatively flexible and firendly than in the United States of America. This will help the American Automator reduce huge operational costs incured in meeting the big payroll of over 200, 000 employees. The third recommendation is integration of employees’ training in high involvement work practices. According to Konrad (2006), engaging employees of an organization in job specific training improves their productivity by increasing their job-related skills, reducing propensity of committing costly errors, and increasing their job confidence. Training of General Motors’ employees on their job specifications will improve their productivity. Ofshore trainings in China and Japan are recommended. This will allow the corporation’s manufacturing engineers to learn new efficient production technologies of Japan and China in making cheaper and highly effiecient cars. Motivational incentives such as team building sessions, delegation of duties, self-managed leadership styles, and monetary rewards will boost their commitment to the organization. The combined effect of training and motivation will necesitate restructuring of a pay roll while leveraging on improved productivity of highly productive employees. The fourth recommendation is embracing technology in Human Resource Management system to enhance global cordination of its business. According to Dreher and Dougherty ( 2002), the use of technology such as centralised Enterprise Resource Management system to co-ordinate human resource  activities of General Motors will enhance quick sharing of ideas and consultation among the global employees of the company without barriers. This will allow the organization to carry out its marketing strategies efficiently and effectively without limitation by geographical distances. Effective Human Resource Management through streamlined sofware-based systems enhances fast communication and online training which gives an organization a higher competitive advantage. The fifth recommendation is integration of social benefits such as pension and health care schemes in the reward system. From the backround information above, it is evident that General Motors Corporation with-held social benefits for employees who were hired after January 1, 1993 and transferred the remaining ones to third pary insirance firms. The American automaker also stripped healthcare benefits for retired employees beyond 65 years. Acording to Konrad (2006), social rewards like health care insurance schemes make employees feel more valued by their organizations than monetary rewards in terms of bonuses and salary increments. Also pension schemes improve employees’ commitment to their employer because of future guarantees. This reduces employees’ turnover which is essential in retaining critical human resources for continuity of operation of General Motors. High staff retention improves an organization’s competitive advantage in a complex market of operati onal rivalry. The sixth recommendation is the implementation of employee productivity management and monitoring systems such as Balanced Score Card (BSC) and High Performance Work System (HPWS) (Rouse, 2000). The latter system refers collectively to open systems, autonomouas teams and teamworks, and performance-based pay (Azrul, 2010). The implementation of the two Human Resource Management systems will improve organizational performance by providing real time employees’ information storage database from which future managerial decisions, and rewards will be based. According to Konrad ( 2006), employees of an organization are more productive when they are aware that their performance is recorded for review in determining their future rewards. Effective implementation of the Human Resource Management systems will help General Motors Corporation in categorising employees  according to their productivity rates. This information is important in determining the relevance of job training and objective restructuring in the event of a crisis like that which befell it in 2008. In this case, only high productive employees will be retained. The seventh recommendation is the implementation of an integrative pay/ reward system to inculde performance-contingency pay scheme, skill-based pay, and seniority-based pay scheme. According to performance-contingency pay scheme, the employees’ reward will be based on the performance of their working teams. This will help the automaker in creating effective self-managed and motivated teams. Skill-based pay will ensure that employees’ pay schemes are based on their job skills. For instance, production engineers will be given high pay than marketers because of their technical skills required by the organization. Seniority-based pay scheme demands that those employees who have stayed longer in the organization will get a higher pay than new comers because of their cumulative salary increements along their carrier path. Seniority-based pay scheme promotes staff retention even when the entry salary is relatively lower than the market rates because employees know that there is a room for growth. In general, General Motors Corporation should ensure total compliance with the labour markets and legal environments of their respective countries of operations before implementation of the proposed recommendations. For instance, the employment laws regarding hourly wages, minimum wage policy, employment opportunities, labour regulations, and safety rules in China are different from those of the United States of America. Therefore it is imperative that the American automaker consider their implications in setting the minimum entry wage in each country of operation. Conclusion. In conclusion, General Motors Corporation can sustain its competitive strategy as a leading automaker by embracing the above prescribed Human Resource Mangement system that integrates staff training on job related skills, outsourcing, social reward scheme, technology, and  performance-contingency pay scheme among others as strategic competiencies in its operation. The implementation of Balanced Score Card and HPWS is critical in improving the productivity of the organization’s employees. The proposed system will enhance high staff retention, high staff productivity, and objective contingency planning in times of global crises like the 2008 global financial crisis that lead to massive retrenchment by the automaker. References Azrul, A. (2010). Human Resource Management General Motors. Monash University Publication, p.1-13.From: http://www.scribd.com/doc/14812855/Human-Resource-Management-General-Motors Main, B.G.,Jackson, C., Pymm, J., Wright, V. (2007). GMC:The Remuneration Committee and Strategic Human Resource Management. University of Edinburgh publications, p.1-49. Cappelli, P. (1999). Employment Practices and Business Strategy. Oxfford, ew York : Oxford University Press. General Motors Corporation. (2008). Restructuring Plan for Long-Term Viability: Submitted to Senate Banking Committee House of Representatives Financial Services Committee. Detroit: General Motors Corporation. Rouse ,D. (2000). Manufacturing Sdvantage:Why High Performance Work Systems Pay off. Journal of Team Performance Management, vol 96(5) , p.1420. Dreher, G., Dougherty,T. (2002). Human resource strategy: A behavioral perspective for the general manager. Boston: McGraw-Hill/Irwin. Gustin, L. R. (2008). Billy Durant: Creator of General Motors. Ann Arbor. Michigan: University of Michigan Press. Konrad, A. M. (2006). Engaging Employees Through High-Involvement Work Practices. IVEY Business Journal , n.p.From:

The History of Cake Essay examples -- Food and Drink

The history of cake is a very long and complicated history and the origins of it are not known by many people. How did all of the traditions related to cake start? Why is cake round? What were the first cakes made of? Cakes have been discovered and recorded throughout history. To find the true ancestors of the cake as we know it, one would have to look back to before modern civilization to when people were still mostly traveling nomads. Their main source of sustenance had always been meat. However, people could not rely on meat alone to keep them alive since that depended upon always being surrounded by animals. When farming was started man began growing many different types of produce, one of which was wheat and grains. The most primitive people in the world began making cake shortly after learning how to make flour. In fact, the remains of their cakes have been found in the ruins of Neolithic villages. â€Å"The cakes found there were extremely simple and consisted of crushed grains that were moistened, compacted, and probably cooked on a hot stone.† (Stradley, 1) The cakes then were closer to crackers though than the cakes we know of now, but they were definitely the beginning of the id ea. The word cake is said to have been used as early as the 13th century and is derived from the word â€Å"kaka†, an old Norse word for a baked flour confection sweetened with sugar or honey. According to food historians, the first people to show modern baking skills were the Egyptians, who started the concept of filling their breads with nuts and fruits. (the History of Birthday Cake, 1) After the Egyptians, the Greeks and Romans both started their concept of cake, which will be discussed later. After them the English and their neighbors began... ...chy and can never be known for certain due to their long history but they have definitely helped with many celebrations throughout the years. Works Cited "History of Birthday Cake." Birthday Gifts,Anniversary Gifts,Send Flowers to India,Rakhi Gifts, Diwali Gifts,Send Gifts to India. Web. 16 Jan. 2012. . Lynne, Oliver. "Cake History Notes." Food Timeline: Food History & Vintage Recipes. Foodtimeline. Web. 14 Jan. 2012. . Stradley, Linda. "Cakes-History of Cakes." What's Cooking America, Cooking Recipes, Food History, Dinner Party Menus and Recipes, Health and Beauty Articles, Culinary Dictionary, Baking Hints, Cooking Tips. Web. 15 Jan. 2012. . Krondl, Michael. "Let Them Eat Cake!" Sweet Invention: A History of Dessert. Chicago, IL: Chicago Review, 2011. Print.

Dining Trends within Secondary System

In most of the adolescence, poor dietary system has been affected in a big way which costs the school children face the consequences of obesity. Almost 83% of the overall food habits fall under the junk food concept. This overall food habits comprise of high sugar content, high fat and saturated fat content with minimum attention given to the consumption of fruits, vegetables, pulses, and fiber and calcium intake. The healthy food habits will barely account for 22% of the children’s food behavior (Snelling, Korba, & Burkey, 2007).In order to curb this bad dietary system approach, schools involve their students in the National School Lunch Program but the availability of the junk competitive food in and around their schools such as stalls, cafeterias, hotels, restaurants; vending machines disrupt this program structure. In comparison to the NSLP items provided by schools, the competitive food items are high in calorie and fat content and lack nutrient value (Kish, 2008). This c alorie content and nutrient value can be stated into three levels based on the type of food items.Level A could imply rich in minerals and vitamins, lower fat and high fiber involving the items of fruits, vegetables, low fat and fat free milk products and whole grain products. The intake of this level is a necessity for every high school child but is the least intake of food habit noticed. Level B comprise of moderate levels of calories and proteins, grains and certain nutrients, certain amount of dairy products and considerable amount of fruits and vegetables.Level C indicate high fat foods, fried items, potato chips, French fries, all kinds of cafeteria junk food, butter, cheese, soft drinks, pizzas which contain highest levels of fat and cream. Majority of the participants were identified falling into level C which is a huge concern for school authorities and parents (Snelling, Korba, & Burkey, 2007). Customer Demographics The overall high school demographics comprised of the Whi tes, blacks, Hispanics, Asian Americans, and certain students who are offered food items at either free or reduced prices. The highest number of students was figured under the white category.The consumption of the level c items in terms of purchases ranked much above the offerings made to the students and the intake of level A and level B in the competitive food markets was the least purchased. Culture, ethical behavior and religious influences are initiated from the family, society and the school atmospherics which are directly affecting the food styles of the children. Demonstration effect also paves way for the encouragement of eating junk food as in certain cases it shows the style, status and class symbol (Snelling, Korba, & Burkey, 2007). Health Behaviors – Canadian perspectiveThe outcomes and the behaviors resulted due to their purchase behavior helps in the overall development of health education comprising of the social, emotional and physical state of mind of a chil d. In Canada, the un-necessary buying habits on food could arise from the time of adolescence at the time of dating and alcohol usage also they might have been evolved from their childhood pattern. Therefore it is very important to analyze the behavior which develops through home behaviors, relationship with their peers and the social and the economical environment.Social inequality like gender, sexual orientation, ethnic behavior, youth and psychological behaviors are affecting in a huge way. As analyzed in Canadian secondary schools, teachers influence the children’s buying habits. The Health Behavior in School-aged Children (HBSC) in Canada was conducted which identified the eating behavior of children in their physical activity, leisure time, while dieting and eating and especially during personal hygiene. Parental communication, understanding in the family and trust within them act as a base in their erratic food habits.Conflict with their parents and at times thinking o f going away from home are huge concerns of unhealthy food behaviors (Public Health Agency of Canada, 2008). Since children spend most hours at school premises, the setting of the school have huge influence on their eating pattern. Hence in certain cases, due to stress in academics or other mental torture at schools by teachers, the pattern of healthy food habits is disrupted. To overcome all these problems in Canada, physical activity guide and overcoming sedentary behaviors which indicate less movement and energy wastage is looked into along with keeping a check on the food frequency.Use of drug, smoking pattern and drinking pattern is the main cause in Canadian school children (Public Health Agency of Canada, 2008). Physical Environment The overall appearance and atmosphere in high school systems is guided by the school program meals and the attractive stalls existing in t he vicinity of the schools which are rich in the stock of junk foods. Better funding for food by the governm ent is a necessary requirement for combating cholesterol, diabetics and obesity amongst young school children.Extensive reports on food habits was documented through emails, public responses, broadcast and print media information, parents, cabinet ministers, editorials, newspapers, health professionals and school management (Jeffrey, & Leo, 2006). Service Styles Ease and Speed of service – Today all the food courts and joints follow the Grab and Go concept which indicate that they grab the item desired by them microwave it and consume it immediately. Such instant are the dining facilities available in their stores which helps in consuming huge quantity at one time due to the hot and quicker option that is offered.This facility is incorporated at all times of meals including breakfast, lunch focusing on salads, sandwiches and some wraps and complete meal comprising of sandwich, chips, fruit cap, yogurt, bottle of water and condiments which help in reducing the time students ha ve to remain in queue for the service. Today in alternative to hot food options available, cold options are also made obtainable by food businesses. This is the best option that can be made accessible in cases where space is a constraint especially in hospital food courts and more common during parent meetings and get-togethers.The traditional made to order set ups are become outdated and the modern grab and go concept capture 55% of the business on the school campuses. No-waiting was the concept to grab fresh and good food without waiting in line which makes the students acknowledge that it resembles the made-to-order model setup (Food Service Director, 2008). Packaging – The concept of Aramark’s Grab and Go Green started taking shape with its implementation of the throw away bags instead of the disposable trays.This was encouraged by offering a free beverage to anyone who took a bag and a meal special. The bags are made of recycled material costing only 99 cents and can comfortably carry a beverage and a meal which have their specific compartments inside. After usage they can be used for the storage of their belonging, books etc. Aggressive marketing through emails and signage helped the Aramark’s promotions and hence has been different from the national brands packaging and advertising (Food Service Director, 2008). ConclusionThe Canadian food habits of schools are far lacking in terms of weaker standards of nutrition, selling poor in nutrient food stuff, lack of limits on saturated food items and wide differences in the food nutrition criteria of judging the food offerings, lack of standardized guidelines and policies and documented published information (Public Health Agency of Canada, 2008). Government should take active role in ensuring responsibility in terms of providing nutritious healthy food which facilitates the process of food safety, protection the children there by protecting the consumers at large (Jeffrey, & Leo, 2008).

Impact of Selfishness on Personal Life Essay

Every day, people make several decisions that more or less influence their live. However, it is necessary to consider other people and results before the decisions were made, since selfish decisions can cause lots of problems. The selfish choices that selected by the main characters in both â€Å"On the Rainy River† and â€Å"A Pair of Silk Stocking† cause regret and raise conflict between the main characters and themselves . Regret can be caused by selfish decisions. On the one hand, O’Brien, the narrator of the â€Å"On the Rainy River† felt guilty and worried about his families during the way to Canada because he fled away from the war: â€Å"I would go to the war–I would kill and maybe die –because I was embarrassed not to. That was the sad thing† (O’Brien 12). Clearly, O’Brien explained why he decided to go to Canada and continued his life without contradicting his own beliefs. Here he lost his chance at having personal happiness and would have to live with regret from then on. Even though, O’Brien went back and join the army in the end, he still could not get away from the guilt that rose by his decisions: â€Å"I survived, but it’s not a happy ending. I was a coward. I went to the war† (O’Brien 14). Unlike most people, O’Brien did not regarded surviving form the war as a fortunate thing for him, instead, O’Brien considered himself as a coward and did not forgive himself for making the inappropriate decision from now on. On the other hand, Mrs. Sommer, the major character of â€Å"A Pair of Silk Stockings† also felt guilty about her family, for the mother used up all the fifteen pounds to purchase accessories and entertained herself instead of buying â€Å"so and so many yards of percales for new shirt waists for the boys and Janie and Mag†(Chopin 1). The fifteen pounds were supposed to spend on the clothing of their children according to Mrs. Sommers’s plan at beginning, but she spent all for herself. By the end of day, she did not want to go home: â€Å"in truth he saw noting—unless he were wizard enough to detect a poignant wish, a powerful longing that the cable car would never stop anywhere, but go on forever† (Chopin 3). Mrs. Sommers’s thought reflected her regret since she wished the cable can run forever, so that she did not need to go back home and face her families. Obviously, personal happiness cannot be achieved by selfishness, doing this can create nothing but regret that will follow a person through their life. Furthermore, the selfishness gives raise to conflict between people and themselves. In â€Å"On the Rainy River†, on the one side, O’Brien felt he was â€Å"too good for the war. Too smart, too compassionate, too everything† (O’Brien 3) since the war is completely unreasonable for him. He did not want to be killed or kill anyone else. On the other side, he found himself is completely irresponsible for both his family and country, for the simple reason that he neither supported his country nor protected his family during the most dangerous time. Due to his strong sense of morality and the honourable values like bolstering his own country, O’Brien struggled with two conflicting forces in himself. Similarly, Mrs. Sommers struggled against herself to repress the urges and temptation of the luxury items. At first, she planned to spend the money on her children. However, as soon as she entered the department store, she had a powerful desire for a moment of luxury. She tried to hide the desire because of her economic situations. Eventually â€Å"she went on feeling the soft, sheeny luxurious things—with both hands now, holding them up to see them glisten, and feel them glide serpent-like through her fingers. Two hectic blotches came suddenly into her pale cheeks† (Chopin 2) and undoubtedly she succumbed to her desires. By the end of the short story, Mrs. Sommers was extraordinarily desperate for the luxurious life to never end â€Å"a poignant wish, a powerful longing that the cable car would never stop anywhere, but go on and on with her forever† (Chopin 3). The cable in some way symbolized her dream life since at that time only wealthy people were able to afford cable. Her wish represented she still wanted to enjoy the feeling of that unrealistic luxurious life and was unwilling to return back to reality. Ultimately , being selfish leads to the conflicts between people and themselves and annoyance in their life. Overall, the two short stories namely â€Å"On the Rainy River† and â€Å"A Pair of Silk Stockings† emphasized the negative impact of selfishness on human life. Both O’Brien and Mrs. Sommer suffered the regret and conflicting forces that rose by their selfishness. Therefore it is necessary to consider the result before making a decision since selfish decisions, in long term, cannot bring any happiness and self-satisfactory.

Troubleshooting Problems in Crystal Growing

Troubleshooting Problems in Crystal Growing There may come a time when you will try to grow a crystal without success. Here are some ideas for possible problems and ways to correct them: No Crystal Growth This is usually caused by using a solution that isnt saturated. The cure is to dissolve more solute into the liquid. Stirring and applying heat can help to get solute into solution. Keep adding solute until you start to see some accumulate at the bottom of your container. Let it settle out of solution, then pour or siphon the solution off, being careful not to pick up undissolved solute. If you dont have any more solute to use, you can take some comfort in knowing that the solution will become more concentrated over time, as evaporation removes some of the solvents. You can speed this process by increasing the temperature where your crystals are growing or by increasing air circulation. Remember, your solution should be loosely covered with a cloth or paper to prevent contamination, not sealed. Saturation Problems If you are sure your solution is saturated, try to eliminate these other common reasons for the lack of crystal growth: Too much vibration:Â  Keep your crystal set up in a quiet, undisturbed location.Contaminant in the solution:Â  The fix is to re-make your solution. The fix only works if you can avoid contamination (wont work if your starting solute is the problem). Common contaminants include oxides from paper clips or pipe cleaners (if youre using them), detergent residue on the container, dust or something else falling into the container.Inappropriate temperature:Â  Experiment with temperature; you may need to increase the temperature around your crystals to get them to grow (increases evaporation). For some crystals, you may need to decrease the temperature (which slows the molecules down and gives them a chance to bind together).Solution cooled too quickly or slowly:Â  Did you heat your solution to saturate it? Should you heat it? Should you cool it? Experiment with this variable. If the temperature changed from the time you made the solution to the present time, the rate of cooling might ma ke a difference. You can increase the rate of cooling by putting the fresh solution in a refrigerator or freezer (faster) or leave it on a warm stove or in an insulated container (slower). If the temperature didnt change, maybe it should (heat the initial solution). Water wasnt pure:Â  If you used tap water, try re-making the solution using distilled water. If you have access to a chemistry lab, try deionized water that was purified by distillation or reverse osmosis. Remember: water is only as clean as its container! The same rules apply to other solvents.Too much light:Â  An unlikely problem with home crystals, but for certain materials, the energy from light can inhibit the formation of chemical bonds.No seed crystals:Â  If you are trying to grow a large single crystal, you will need to get a seed crystal first. For some substances, the seed crystals may form spontaneously on the side of the container. For others, you may need to pour a small amount onto a saucer and let it evaporate to get crystals. Sometimes crystals will grow best on a rough string suspended into the liquid. The composition of the string is important! You are more likely to get crystal growth on cotton or wool string than on nylon or a fluoropolymer.Seed crystals dissol ve when placed in the new container:Â  This happens when the solution isnt fully saturated. See above for details.

Medication errors Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Medication errors - Essay Example inistration requiring higher skills like the intravenous route, but occur even when medications are administered through the simpler non-intravenous route (Ghaleb et al, 2006). Tang, Sheu, Yu, Wei, and Chen, 2007, report that among physicians, pharmacists and nurses, who make up the chain of healthcare professionals involved in the use of drugs for therapeutic reasons, the contribution of nursing professionals to medication errors is high, even though they are only involved in the administration of the drugs. They fall back on a multidisciplinary committee analysis of 441 medication errors in a hospital in the United Kingdom. The report of the committee showed that nurses were responsible for twenty-two percent of these errors and that twenty-five percent of these errors were medication errors. The authors provide additional information on the background of the nursing professionals involved in medication errors. More than ninety percent of medication errors occurred after graduation from a nursing school, with more than thirty percent of the errors occurring in nursing professionals, who had graduated in the previous year. The average length of work exper ience was found to be 2.2 years with a plus or minus error of 0.7. More than half of these errors occur in large teaching hospitals or medical centers, while 36.1% of the errors occurred in regional hospitals and 12.5% in local hospitals. The more significant medication errors within a hospital were the intensive care units and the medical wards. Data on the break up of the types of errors is also provided. Wrong dose makes up the highest percentage of medication errors at 36.1%, followed by wrong drug at 26.4%. The other types of medication errors involved were wrong time at 18.1%, wrong patient at 11.1%, wrong route 8.3%. Wrong administration of antibiotics made up 38.9% of the medication errors. The medication errors regarding the administering of electrolytes were 8.4%, analgesics 6.9%, anti-diabetics 6.9%

Confidentiality of Health Information Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Confidentiality of Health Information - Essay Example When should the computerized medical database be online to the computer terminal The medical database should be online to computers when authorized computer programs for the data are used. Anyone outside the facility should not have online access to database of medical records. When the computer service bureau destroys or erases records, should the erasure be verified by the bureau to the physician There should be no mixing of a physician's computerized patient records with those of other computer service bureau clients. In addition, procedures should be developed to protect against inadvertent mixing of individual reports or segments thereof. Should individuals and organizations with access to the databases be identified to the patient Dissemination of confidential data is limited to only individuals or organizations with a real use for the data. Only necessary data should be released. Patient identity should be removed where appropriate. The release of confidential information from the database should be only for the specific purpose for which it is to be used and limited to a specified time frame.