A Report on Blackwattle Bay Career Education Program

The most important goal of secondary education is to prepare students for their future, whether it is for higher education or for the world of work. It is a reality that not all high school graduates can proceed to tertiary education, some would have to forgo college and enter the world of work.Secondary education should be able to provide the right amount of training and education that would help the graduate become successful in his/her chosen life path (Hamilton & Hamilton, 1994).Secondary education does not also limit itself to providing academic and skills training but also in developing the personality of the student and by teaching life skills which they will use in their daily lives. In doing so, students are no only equipped academically with skills and knowledge but also become responsible young adults. Education’s ultimate goal is to teach and transform the minds of the young in the hope that they will become productive citizens of the country.With the many issues a nd controversies that the educational sectors are facing, it is no wonder that more and more schools are trying to address the issues of providing quality education that would result to student success in and out of school (Myrick, 2002).For some, innovation and the use of technology had helped in motivating students and in enhancing instruction, others focus more on providing excellent support for the needs of students that would aid in decision making in terms of their future and life goals.This support programs include career guidance, counseling, social action, volunteerism and spiritual guidance. Other schools emphasize academic preparation and excellence by providing programs such as remedial classes, enrichment classes, advanced courses in science and math, tutorials and the like (Cobia &Henderson, 2007). As most educators agree, a school which provides holistic education and personal development are the best kind of schools whether it is public or private, and rural or urban .In recent years, the general public had been averse to sending their children to public schools owing to the negative reputation that it has been given for not providing quality education, for not having excellent teachers and for the lack of funding given to such schools. More and more parents had sent their children to private schools for secondary education, in an attempt to reverse the negative perception towards public schools especially in the inner cities; the Sydney Secondary College was created in 2002 in order to revitalize public education.The Sydney Secondary College system is composed of three campuses located at Balmain, Leichhardt, and Blackwattle Bay. Students attend either Balmain or Leichhardt for their grade 7 to 10 education then move to Blackwattle Bay for their 11th and 12th years.Although Blackwattle Bay accepts applicants from different schools, students from Balmain and Leichhardt are given priority. The college system is unique in the sense that the learni ng environment of the Blackwattle Bay campus is very similar to a true college or university wherein students take courses that are geared towards enhancing the students’ chances of being accepted in tertiary education.Moreover, the college concept also posits that juniors and seniors would benefit more from a more mature and challenging learning environment than a regular high school.

Indirect and Direct Racism

Indirect and Direct Racism Racism is a blot on society that has transgressed mankind over hundreds of years. It is conscience of humans that few things are far superior to others. This can be explained in the detail with example of skin color, origin and culture which are the key factors in defragmenting the human society which eventually leads to racism. Cultural difference between various communities was one of the reason for the development of racism.As societies tries to bind itself together it compels people to adapt to different cultures, influencing hatred and eventually given rise to racism. Racism still exists in today’s society in both direct and indirect ways. This can be explained with the recent examples of Asians been targeted in the western world. Asians are attacked because they have different culture and when they settle in western world they bring uneasiness to western lifestyle thus leading to racism.As the author quotes in this article â€Å"Under a byline of Lian Ji, the article published Wednesday used broken English and spouted racial stereotypes to bash the school for his rejection. † The author explains that the student mentioned in the article feels discriminated against due to the fact that he was rejected from Preston University. Clearly showing the flow of racism in the atmosphere within the article, impacting people directly. Skin color is another factor that also has influenced racism.Though subconsciously humans have the tendency to relate things with each other, color is one of those factors. Africans are targeted because they are black and human conscience considers black to be related to bad or evil. Thus they have been victims of racism from the white community, as they consider themselves to be superior to blacks. It can also be noted that origin and cast of people also plays a significant role in influencing racism. In countries particularly where different communities co-exist there seem to be a divide betwee n different communities on faith and cast.Thus people of upper cast will never rub shoulders with the lower cast ones. Eventually there is divide in the communities. Although literacy level has increased, the divide from ages among different communities still exists based on racism. Showing an indirect effecting resulting in racism, not meaning a fully planned riot, but not limited to harassment. Students within an elementary school for example, a student whom is the victim of being verbally bullied due to his fellow classmates lack of literacy skills.Only for the reason that all of the Asian culture has a higher grade average then the Latino Americans. Unlike judging his skin color or the way his facial features varies and being bullied on the spot, it takes tame for one to make fun of another over test scores. Out of the many factors that has led to racism that is thriving in today’s society the one’s discussed area few highlights that presence among us. So it can be concluded that racism among humans still exists and is displayed in both direct and indirect ways.Bibliography â€Å"Racism Agaisnt Asians. †Ã‚  Racism Agaisnt Asians. Web. . Kershner, Isabel, and Mark Landler. â€Å"Racism in Sports And Society – New York Times. â€Å"The New York Times – Breaking News, World News & Multimedia. Web. 09 Dec. 2011. .

Humans Live in a World Where Everything Tries to Make You Something Else Essay

Identity is now so hard to define. No longer as simple as whom am I? Identity is it solid or fixed? Neither is it constantly changing from birth till death. In addition to the problems faced with growing a developing an individual also faces problems from ideas surrounding personal problems. These can be examples from the environmental influence, such as arriving into a new school or even a new culture. These experiences can be both positive and negative though, negative as they may leave an individual disillusioned with their direction and place in life, yet positive in the way that an individual may feel reinvigorated and their perception of personal boundaries removed. Growing up in Australia is a short collection of stories from various artists that entails their stories of being different to others and the challenges that they faced in order to fit in when their identities are so different. Sticks and Stones and Such Like by Sunil Badima is a story about How being different, can isolate an individual and make it difficult for them to belong. The main difference in this story is the name Sunil, it singled him out and showed his different nature compared to everyone else. The way that people couldn’t pronounce it only served to exacerbate his push for a more ‘western’ name, Neil. This changing of an identity, from the Indian Sunil to the Aussie Neil, represents how people are willing to change and conform in order to fit in and be accepted by others, even going so far as to forego cultural preoccupations. How to be Japanese by Leanne Hall is a story that Discusses the stereotypes that exist, the racial prejudices that those from a culture deemed the minority are subject to. An individual cannot control how they look yet they’re judged about this. The cultural differences usually hinder an individual, whereby once cultural values sporting exploits as that of success another views success educationally as high marks, yet it is the minority group which is subjected to being stereotyped. This stereotyping is an action that removes an individual’s identity, placing an individual into a wider group whereby they lose their identity, given a set of predetermined characteristics, which is extremely common amongst the racial groups, e. g. the Japanese love hello Kitty. Reveals how a loss of identity can occur as an individual is adjudged to be something else before qifference, alienating them, difficult to conform. A personal identity is impossible without belonging to a family, society and culture. Without Belonging to a group somewhere an individual cannot hope to find their identity, the two are inextricably linked. Without a place in the world, an individual is lost and cannot hope to find their place. This is shown progressively throughout the film of ‘Skin’. Because Sandra is coloured and her parents and brother are white, she is constantly confused about her identity and who exactly she is. rBelonging is an innate predisposition that majority of the populous seek the feeling of acceptance and a place in the groups ranks offers. Once Sandra relises she can’t find this within her family and the society she grew up in she looks to the Black people of South Africa to find a sense of belonging. Belonging to a group offers a sense of security and acceptance that people seek. It is through this environment that an individual will learn and their identity flourishes under the experiences of the group and that of their own, belonging to a group reaffirms our own identity. Whilst belonging to a group may culminate in the formation of an identity, this may not be the true potential of the individual. This influence may upon an individual’s identity may be detrimental, their identity a mere extension of the group’s prerogative. May also lead to an individual being stereotyped and/or alienating their past. Therefore those that cannot belong or alienate themselves from the rest of society struggle to find their place in the world, they are constantly drifting, the question of who am I, left unanswered. This is emphasised throughout the film Skin as Sandra is constantly changing her state as a white South African to a colored South African, so that she is able to find a sense of identity and belonging. People are put into groups, like family and school, and this is a struggle when it conflicts with identity. Whilst belonging to a group, the choice to conform is one that most people must make, we are all born into a group of some degree. Yet it is this place within a group, the arrangement of parameters that can lead to conflict surrounding an individual’s identity. When we are born, we are born into a family environment, born into a group already. Yet through this group, as individual’s we learn and model ourselves off the actions of those in the group, the decisions and perceptions of its members are reaffirmed onto our own. Yet this predetermined group can cause problems for our identity as individuals. This family whilst providing a base from which an identity can develop, also masks an individual’s identity, the individual may have of been raised in the interests of the group, unfulfilling their true potential. Moreover this placement of an individual occurs through other avenues of life as well. At school an individual may be labelled, stereotyped in a particular way based upon something as simple as they way in which they dress. This stereotyping and prejudice can breed only conflict within an individual as they struggle to determine who they truly are, are they the person they are perceived as? Or are they more? Furthermore in order to fit into a group, an individual’s conformity may be misaligned with the values and perceptions of this group, only giving birth to further conflict surrounding an individual’s identity. They struggle to find who the truly are, their true identity against the restraints that conformity offers them. There is conflict between identity and belonging. Where conflict is resolved it is good for the individual’s identity. The need to belong is an innate predisposition for most humans. As we are social creatures we seek a place in the world, a place where we can be accepted, a place of security. Yet in our willingness to conform, conflict can arise between an individual’s identity and that of the group. This discrepancy something that breeds only discontent as an individual discovers that the interest of the group may be misaligned to those of their own. Furthermore in a group the needs of the group are put before those of the individual, thereby stifling the true identity. Yet this creates further conflict as some of the decisions of the group, the choices that it makes may not be reflective of those of the individual. As the individual takes second wrung to the needs of the group, the individual may become discontent about where they are, questioning their own identity.

Business Report On Coca-cola Company Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Business Report On Coca-cola Company - Essay Example Three factors which will be discussed in the report will be addressing the erosion of the profitability of the company. The factors include profit and nonprofit competition, actual or threat of potential entry and competition by products from outside the company. The report will also address the extent to which the coca-cola company has economic power to charge higher prices. Last the report will detail the strategies the company has employed to remain competitive in the market. Profit is the financial benefit realized when the difference between income and expenses yields an amount that is capable of sustaining the business activity. Profitability therefore is measured using income and expenses and this is the primary goal on any business venture. Price and non price competition, actual or threat of potential entry by competitors and competing products from outside the company are the immediate concerns in this context and therefore are adequately elaborated. The purpose of this report is to provide information for the management of the coca-cola and affiliates about the extent to which price or non price competition, actual or potential threat to entry in the industry by competitors and competing products from outside the company erode the profitability of coca-cola company. The report also addresses the extent to which the company have economic power to charge higher prices and lastly, strategies the company has put forth to remain competitive in the market. ... INTRODUCTION The purpose of this report is to provide information for the management of the coca-cola and affiliates about the extent to which price or non price competition, actual or potential threat to entry in the industry by competitors and competing products from outside the company erode the profitability of coca-cola company. The report also addresses the extent to which the company have economic power to charge higher prices and lastly, strategies the company has put forth to remain competitive in the market. Coca-cola Company is a multinational business whose headquarters is in America. Coca-cola manufactures, markets, retails and wholesales non alcoholic beverages and concentrates. The company was founded by Assa Griggs candler in 1892 and its headquarters based in Atlanta,CA. Ever since, the company has been on operation despite numerous challenges she has faced. Five major topics make up this report. To what extent does price or non price competition erode the profitabil ity of the company? To what extent does actual or potential threat erode the profitability of the company? To what extent does competing products from outside the company erode the profitability of the company? To what extent does Coca-Cola Company have economic power to charge higher prices? The strategies the coca-cola company has used to remain competitive in the ever changing global community. All these factors are discussed elaborately and adequately. PRICE AND NON-PRICE COMPETITION. Price competition is a situation where a company cuts the price of the product and instead offers it at a lower rate than usual. The price cut could be due to the company’s own volition or as a

Theorists have argued that in order for service operations to be Essay - 1

Theorists have argued that in order for service operations to be successful, they must adopt a production line approach to their delivery - Essay Example According to Gallouj and Weinstein (1997), discretion of products is the core enemy to its order, standardization, and quality. A production line approach aims at emulating an assembly line in production in that no products are discretely prepared by the employee to reduce the risk of poor quality or differentiation as the employee will engineer the product according to his personal interests thus the outcome is highly unpredictable same as the customer response to the same product. On the other hand using a completely automated and controlled production line approach will ensure consistency in all the products thus the consumers will always know what to expect in terms of quality and consistency. The advantages of a production-line approach to service operations include increased, efficient, cheap, high volume lucrative service operations and an increased satisfied customer database. According to Levitt (1976), if a service operation takes place with a management rationality and tactics copied from the manufacturing division it is bound to prosper because the manufacturing sector tends to think and act technologically while the rational service operations approach tends to look for solutions in the empowerment of the person giving the service. The conveyor belt/production line approach in service operation is considered as an old but effective method in increasing a films production as exhibited by its use in fields such as banking, airlines, and maintenance. This approach has been implemented in companies and firms such as IBM which produces computers for worldwide consumption, Citibank which is one of the biggest banks worldwide and McDonalds. These strategy approach is an efficient, capital-intensive system, automatic and discrete system that involves preplanning and routinizing employee activities to ensure consistency and simplicity of the process. Theorists argue that this approach

SWOT Analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 2

SWOT Analysis - Essay Example The Microsoft mission is â€Å"to help people and businesses throughout the world realize their full potential†. The implied vision is to be the preferred provider of software , devices and services for people as Microsoft fulfills that mission (Microsoft, 2013). One goal that can be addressed with the use of a strategic plan is to continually aim for a diverse and inclusive workplace. On the other hand, the goal to provide tools and services to partners in a particular market, such as Finland, can be addressed with an operational plan (Microsoft, 2013; Brown, 2013). The company has deep financial strengths and a diversifying product and services portfolio, with its traditional cash cows Windows and Office being complemented by healthy growth in areas such as servers and tools, as well as its entertainment assets that include Xbox. It is also starting to flex its muscles in cloud computing, and mobile computing. Its large revenues and large profit margins coupled with aggressive investments in acquisitions and R&D, together with its wide presence in a large number of related technology areas, make Microsoft a bulwark of strength (Microsoft, 2013; CNN, 2012; Google, 2013; Capital Traders Group, 2013). While the company has monopoly control of large swaths of computing in enterprises and in personal computers, it is lagging severely in mobile computing and in many facets of online computing, including search and social media. These translate to poor positioning moving forward in the fastest growing areas of computing, with Google and Apple leaving Microsoft behind. These are areas of weakness that Microsoft have been slow to act on, and catch up with the big players in those spaces (Vousvounis, 2013). There are many opportunities for Microsoft moving forward, among them opportunities to get cloud computing right, as well as

Management Information and Communication Systems (MICS) Assignment

Management Information and Communication Systems (MICS) - Assignment Example This is because it helps in the management of resources that is at the disposal of the organisation in such as way that a little resource can be used to achieve several constitute components of the organisational processes. By extension, any organisation that is implementing MICS must be in a position to do things right and in the best approach to achieve needed results. There are times that organisations may be found to be in very good positions to execute IT and e-commerce for themselves. There are other times that doing this for themselves simply do not seem the best way out. In such instance where going about IT and e-commerce does not seem the best way out for an organisation, it tends to resort to the outsourcing of IT and e-commerce. Given the important role that MICS plays in organisation and the fact that it is not always that organisations will be in a position to undertake such IT processes for themselves, the paper seeks to critically discuss reason why organisations outsource IT and e-commerce. IT and e-commerce outsourcing will thus be treated as constitute components of the larger concept of MICS in this paper. To this better, the nature of MICS as a collective concept in organisational management shall be reviewed. This will lead up to an understanding of how MICS helps organisations to improve their management decision making, noting that the outcome of the organisation’s processes is largely dependent on its management decision making (quote). After noting the nature of MICS and how it improves management decision making, the various strategies of MICS in different organisations shall be examined. More particularly, the researcher will be looking into the case of small and medium scale enterpri ses (SMEs) and large multinational companies (MNC). As these different organisations engage in MICS strategies, the factors they consider to yield innovation and some of the key limitations

Tourism and Modernity Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Tourism and Modernity - Essay Example Tourism and Modernity The concept of the suburb was born with the birth of the railway as it suddenly became convenient for individuals to live with their families in the more spacious homes of the country and still make it into town in time to open their shops in the early morning and return home for dinner. In addition to opening up the economic frontier, these new technologies also made other new concepts available. â€Å"A hugely important development in the history of travel took place when the journey ceased to be regarded as an uncomfortable and possibly dangerous means to an end, and was appreciated instead as an expression of personal freedom and a route to re-definition of the self† (Jarvis, 2004: 84). The introduction of steam ships and railways meant that travel between countries was more available to a wider proportion of the population on both sides of the channel. As the tourism industry grew, making travel between countries easier, individuals given the luxury of movement represente d in the automobile gained even freer movement as they were suddenly able to determine for themselves start and stop times without sacrificing much of the speed of railway travel. Other innovations, such as the bicycle, led to the development of specialist tourism clubs. However, in bringing the railway to the various places and spaces of the country and the world, the individual identities of these spaces were subjected to the industrialized ‘factory system’ beginning with the need to standardize practice.

Magnet Designation (Massachusetts General Hospita, Boston) Assignment

Magnet Designation (Massachusetts General Hospita, Boston) - Assignment Example It aims at demonstrating how the â€Å"forces of magnetism’’ required by the American Nurses Credentialing Centre are epitomized and show how the standards set for Magnet Recognition are met. Also, at the end of the paper my stance or personal opinion in regard to the organization discussed will be publicized. The notion of Magnet can be traced back to 1983 when ‘American Academy of Nursing Task Force on Nursing Practice’ personnel carried out a study to determine factors that attracted excellent nurses to continue delivering those excellent healthcare services and it is this that the organizations/hospitals that were studied, 41 were labelled ‘magnet’ hospitals because they retained excellent nurses although there was scarcity of nurses. This was the onset of Magnet Recognition Programme as the Board of Directors at the American Nurses Association permitted Magnet Programme to be managed and run by American Nursing Credentialing Centre (ANNC) in 1990. Massachusetts General Hospital is privileged to have earned Magnetic Status; a certification considered to be the upmost honour in the nursing brilliance. It swanks to have become the first hospital to have earned this (Magnet) status in the United States in 2003.Achieving this was indeed not a single event but an intensive process that involved so many stages. After the application was written and received, a meticulous evaluation was conducted by very conscientious and keen personnel from ANNC in which both written and observed proof to verify that the nursing services offered at the hospital met the standards of excellence at the ANNC. Support documents of about 2600 pages were forwarded to the ANNC; which convinced them to come to make an on-site observation (American, 2004). A team of ANNC evaluators finally came to the hospital and spent three days to examine service delivery, inter-group work relationship, adherence to standards of practice, leadership practice, and certifica tion

Final Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 12

Final - Essay Example In particular, â€Å"Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close† by Jonathan Safran Foer appears to be the fusion of text and visual aids. As it is a literary work, text plays the leading role in rendering the ideas, while visual aids perform the supporting role and enhance the story telling by means of specifying and illustrating the narration. In accordance with McCloud, text and pictures interrelate in several ways in a piece. Despite the fact that McCloud discusses mostly graphic novels, or comics, his ideas can be applied to the novel under consideration as well. Based on McCloud’s work titled â€Å"Understanding Comics: The Invisible Art†, there are two types of text and photo combinations in â€Å"Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close†, such as word specific combination and additive combination. The first type of text and photo combination presupposes that pictures mostly illustrate what is discussed in the novel. One of the best examples of the use of photos in terms of illustrations is Oskar’s visit to the art supply store where the boy sees his father’s name (actually his grandfather’s name) written on the writing pads. The photos of writing pads are placed in the novel to illustrate that â€Å"most people write the name of the color of the pen they’re writing withâ €  and back up the manager’s words (Foer). Apart from that, these photos reveal no information. The second example is Oskar’s scrap book â€Å"Stuff That Happened to Me†. For the boy, the book is of great importance for it bears valuable memories. Put exactly in this part of the novel, however, the scrap book can be regarded as the illustration of what is happening in Oskar’s head at a particular moment in bed at night. â€Å"Stuff That Happened to Me† is the montage of photos (keys, Oskar’s fingerprints, Hamlet holding Yorick’s skull etc.) which reflects the welter of confused ideas and the boy’s state of perplexity at that very moment. The

Global security structure Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Global security structure - Essay Example This even triggered the fuel crisis of ‘73–74 and raised a spectrum of collaborative actions as a means of boosting security through economic action. In such a manner, relatively low â€Å"power† countries that were rich in oil, had a means of control over the way in which the remainder of the world integrated with them, by utilizing oil as a weapon of economic power. Changes in the global structure first began to appear in the way in which President Jimmy Carter sought to engage stakeholders. Rather than trying to leverage absolute hard power in each and every available instance, Carter instead attempted to co-opt other nations and convince them of the benefits of engagement as compared to the benefits of non-engagement. This shift was idealistic but ultimately allowed for a renewed relationship with the United States that for many states within the system had fallen by the wayside, victim to an overemphasis on power politics. Similarly, George HW Bush implemente d a policy of increased engagement with what he saw as a multi-polar world. Since the collapse of the Soviet Union, George HW Bush, determined that the best approach would be for the United States to strike a balance between being the uni-polar superpower and the multi-polar stakeholder and peace-broker throughout the world. Clinton continued this approach, furthering the role of the United Nations, NATO, WHO, WTO, and the World Bank as a means of developing a more multi-polar power base throughout the world. The policies of George W. Bush were quite different. Mostly because of the attacks of September 11th, George W. Bush sought out a strictly unilateral approach through which the United States would decide upon a course of action and dictate it to the remainder of states within the system. Not surprisingly, this was hated by a litany of states within the system and saw the United States lose a great deal of prestige due, in part, to the backlash of the Iraq War and other factors. President Obama has taken something of a middle path, utilizing elements of his three predecessors in formulating a strategy and international relations. Essay: Topics Not Covered in the Lectures but Included in the Course Readings for Chapter 9: Although an analysis of state actors, nongovernmental organizations, and international organizations was referenced within the lectures, a full and complete discussion of the interaction between each of these three was not affected. It is the understanding of this particular student that even though these three groups are related separately and can effectively be understood to operate somewhat independently of one another, the fact of the matter is that they are intimately tied together and ultimately behave in many situations as a singular entity, e.g., almost all of the international organizations that have been discussed, inclusive of the nongovernmental organizations that have been represented, or primarily Western European and/or Amer ican in origin. As such, the needs and wants of a specific geographic and ethnic minority of

Role of Youth in Pakistani Politics Essay Example for Free

Role of Youth in Pakistani Politics Essay Overview of role of Pakistani youth in Politics If we look at the history of Pakistani politics it has always been dominated by few families and dictators. Common man has suffered at the hands of aristocrats, and among those common men live the young men and women, who are spoken highly of! The history tells us that political parties have always used the the youth to achieve their political targets but looking at the bigger picture, the role of youth in Pakistani politics has always been limited. Never has the true democracy be at the helm thanks to corrupt and substandard political infra-structure. Men with money, or shall we say, the big players have always dominated the political playground. Amid all the hypocrisy, the youth has always been used as political horses. The â€Å"Kings† have used the horses to well effect but never have they empowered the resilient armed men! Like pawns in a chess game, the kings have used the youth to its benefit but never let it express itself. Sighs! In recent times, a hope arose in the shape of Youth Parliament. It created optimism, a fresh wave of breath. Young intellectuals were given importance, and it seemed finally Pakistan was on the verge of revolution. An in-house revolution, that would change the face of Pakistan on the political front. But the house never realized its potential. It was suppressed under the might of the wealthy parliamentarians. Quaid-e-Azams vision of Pakistan Quaid-e-Azam saw youth as a major asset for the newly created state i.e. Pakistan and repeatedly emphasized the role of youth in Pakistani politics. He believed, youth was vital ingredient to take the country forward. His sayings reflect that he saw the young men and women as the leaders of the future. â€Å"Pakistan is proud of her youth, particularly the students who have always been in the forefront in the hour of trial and need. You are the nation’s leaders of tomorrow and you must fully equip yourself by discipline, education and training for the arduous task lying ahead of you. You should realise the magnitude of your responsibility and be ready to bear it.† – Muhammad Ali Jinnah. In the light of his saying, it is a fair assessment that he had a different vision of Pakistan in comparison with what the country has become. Read more:  Current Political Situation of Pakistan Essay He clearly suggested that youth of Pakistan were to be regarded as a major asset. Our current political system is not only sabotaged by the so called â€Å"54 families†, but there is not much hope that the current situation would change in the near future. An allocation of 1.6% of total GDP is a testimony of that! We highlighted the major flaws in the education system of Pakistan, which need immediate addressing! It is critical that the aristocrats of the nation understand the critical need to improve the current political and education situation at federal, provincial, and local levels. It is perhaps the only escape route available to move away from the current economic, socio-cultural, and political crisis. Despite the troublesome situation, there has emerged another ray of hope, the ember had never died. The elections are not far away and every party has started their election campaign. While the only pleasant change in their campaigns this time around is that all the political parties have realized the importance of youth. The political power-houses are targeting them on a very serious note. Imran Khan has been back-rolling his election campaign on the base of youth favored policy and he has to be credited for his policies and thinking differently. Now is the time for youth to take the responsibility and play their role to change the conventional political system in Pakistan. So if we want to bring true revolution in Pakistan then our youth needs to participate and try hard to change this system. We hope that its a start of a new era! A better era!

The power of music

The power of music The Power of Music Music surrounds us in our everyday lives. We hear it when we are in the car, at work, when we are shopping, at restaurants, at doctors offices, and many more places. The music serves a purpose other than entertainment at many of these places.   Music has the power to influence mood and behavior in people and it is no secret that it is used at every available opportunity. We are introduced to music in our mothers womb even before we are born. It is used to sooth, to hype up, to educate, for entertainment, as a medium to remember information, for medical purposes, and so much more. Music is used in many ways to improve and enhance the lives of people. It is meant to be consumed, whether it is by the listener, performer, or composer. It is a way to translate feelings and desires that are sometimes difficult to express using language. The style of music has changed dramatically throughout the ages. For instance, there are six main eras in music history. The Middle Ages, Renaissance, Baroque, Classical, Romantic, and Twentieth Century. The music in these eras reflects the time period. Music has been and always will be a popular form of entertainment for many. The dictionary defines music as an art of sound in time that expresses ideas and emotions in significant forms through the elements of rhythm, melody, harmony, and color(Dictionary). Music has the ability and power to influence human thoughts and behaviors. Employers and retail stores use the power of music to produce a desired behavior from their employees and customers. For example, according to The Journal of Marketing, background music is thought to improve the stores image, make employees happier, reduce employee turnover rate, and to stimulate customer purchasing (Milliman). Does music actually influence mood and behavior? What is it about music that affects mood? According to an article in the Music Educators Journal, volume, tempo, consonance, dissonance, tone color and form all may have an effect on a persons mood (Gaston). It is not just the music itself that has an effect on people; the lyrics of a song can also have an effect. Many people are concerned that music with violent or derogatory lyrics may have a negative effect on youth and provoke violent behavior. Many researchers have examined the effects of how music provokes violent behavior. In a study conducted at Western Connecticut State University researchers examined whether or not watching a violent music video would provoke the participants to answer questions with violent responses. There were thirty-three participants, eleven in each of three groups; one group watched violent music videos, another group watched non-violent music videos, and the last group did not watch any videos. Afterw ard, the participants were given a questionnaire. The study found that the violent music videos did provoke participants to react more violently when answering questions about hypothetical scenarios (Tropeano). People are introduced to music even before they are born. According to an article in Pregnancy Today, by the fifth month of pregnancy the babys hearing is completely developed and they are able to hear noises that are outside the womb. Prenatal stimulation through music may provide some babies with a sense of confidence and relaxation when they are born (Lacey). In 1993 a study was conducted in Irvine, California by Dr. Francis Raucher, Dr. Gordon L. Shaw, and their colleagues on a group of thirty-six undergraduate college students it was found that they improved their spatial-temporal intelligence (the ability to mentally manipulate objects in three-dimensional space) after listening to 10 minutes of a Mozart sonata. The results of the study showed that student IQ scores improved by 8-9 points and lasted for 10-15 minutes. This study was coined the Mozart effect (Jones). Music is sometimes used to relax and soothe people. After a stressful event, listening to calming or classical music relaxes the body and mind. Music can also induce a more positive state of mind. It has long been believed that music can also act as an aphrodisiac (an element, either natural or chemical, that stimulates a sexual desire). Human senses are powerful and can trigger emotion. The type of music depends on the person. Music triggers different emotions in different people. What one person enjoys and is stimulated by could disgust and upset someone else. Many people use music as a way to get pumped up. Gyms usually play music with a faster tempo to increase speed and motivation. According to a study on musical tempo an increased tempo increased the speed in which people preformed simple tasks. It also affected the participants in the study by acting as a stressor and increasing their heart rate. When the tempo of the music was reduced the heart rate decreased (Mayfield). Music with a fast tempo and stimulates and demands physical activity. Music therapy is growing in the field of medicine. Its calming effects can help reduce anxiety and ward off the negative effects of stress (Stress and the Environment). This can help by reducing the negative effect t the stress response has on the body and mind. Music is used for medical purposes such as lowering blood pressure and autism. In an Italian study twenty-eight peoples blood pressure was monitored for twenty-four hours. They were then given a CD of classical, Celtic, or Indian music to listen to for thirty minutes per day for one month. After the month the patients blood pressure was monitored once again. The patients blood pressure did in fact drop. Their average systolic blood pressure (the first number in a blood pressure reading) had dropped three points, and their average diastolic blood pressure (the second number in a blood pressure reading) had dropped four points. There were twenty other patients who did not listen to music and after monitoring their blood pressu re, there was no change (Hitti). Children who have been diagnosed with autism receive many benefits from music therapy. Depending on where children are placed on the autism spectrum music can assist with communication and provide structural regularity that the children need (downey). We have seen that music is used for healing but what about as a weapon of war? In 1989, music used as a weapon to torture first came into light. U.S. Troops blared loud music in an effort to induce the surrender of Manual Norriega, the Panamanian president. According to an article written by Suzanne G. Cusick this form of torture, called acoustic bombardment went mainstream after the cold war and is a common practice on the battlefields of Iraq and Afghanistan in Operation Enduring Freedom (Cusick). The US also used this acoustic bombardment during interrogations in Guantanamo (Rapp). What is it about music that has such a profound effect on the human mind and body? Research has shown that music with a strong beat can stimulate brain waves to sync with the beat. The fast beat encourages sharper thinking and better concentration whereas the slower beat creates a relaxed almost meditative state. Music can also stimulate the brain to change gears easier. It effects remain evident even when you are done listening (Saarman). Using music to advertise is a good way to for a company to get the attention of a potential client or customer and for them to purchase the product or service that they are offering. Jingles are often easier for people to remember than just plain information. Many companies use popular artists or songs as a medium to advertise their products. One such company is Dr. Pepper. Their advertisements feature popular songs in hopes of getting the attention and marketing to the specific demographic associated with the song. By using music in advertising the company wants the listener to associate the song or tune with the product or service so when they hear the song they will think of the product or service. This is a great way for people to remember what they are selling. Religion uses music as a means to express ones faith and devotion. Johann Sebastian Bach, one of the worlds most famous and influential composers, wrote most of his music for the Lutheran church. Modern Christian songs are derived from popular music tunes and uses religious lyrics. According to an article written by Lorenzo Candelaria who is an assistant music professor at the University of Texas at Austin, Sacred music and art allow us to touch the face of God, through our perception of the world around us.' He believes that music is a way for people to understand their faith and spirituality and is a direct way for people to try to make sense of life and the afterlife (Moini). Music is sometimes used solely for entertainment purposes and accompanies many group and individual activities. Must is played in places such as dance clubs and skating rinks and produces a feeling of power. Faster music will control the speed at which you skate or dance or put you in the mood to do any of these activities.   Music is almost always used in movies. It can used to produce the feeling of suspense or excitement. It is used in tear-jerkers to solicit an emotional response of empathy. As you can see music has been and will always be woven into the fabric of our society. There are many uses for music and it has many hidden meaning and uses. Who knew that music was such a powerful tool and could have so many effects on the human body and mind? Its power spans from entertainment and fun to the ability to heal, reducing stress, creating a desired atmosphere for shoppers and employees, and so much more. What does the future of music hold for us?

Siemens Change After Corruption Scandal

Siemens Change After Corruption Scandal This change management report is intended to present the boundary condition of culture change efforts at Siemens after corruption scandal came to light on November 2006. Even prior to corruption scandal, Siemens had a system of rules, policies and procedures; however it had not done enough to entrench its values, policies and procedures into company practice. They lacked in subsequent leadership and culture, inconsistent communication, training and company did not take adequate measures to punish conduct in breach. Siemens understood that they have to make some changes to its business to bridge the gap between theory and practice. Siemens AG (Berlin and Munich) is a one of Germanys largest publicly held corporations and Europes largest engineering conglomerate by sales. Siemens is a global powerhouse in electronics and electrical engineering, operating in the industry, energy and healthcare sectors. It activities include cross sector businesses and services, equity investments. The company has around 405,000 employees working to develop, design and install complex project and tailor a wide range of solutions for individual requirements. Siemens has built his reputation and world class with its technical achievements, innovations and internationality over 160 years, generating a sales volume in excess of â‚ ¬75 billion with communication division at the heart of business (Siemens, 2010). Up until 1999 bribing foreign officials to secure contracts was not only authorized but tax deductable in Germany. Siemens were allowed to pay legal fees for employees who got arrested or prosecuted abroad for bribery. Corruption is a part of a countrys culture, so is Siemens. It maintained a culture in which corruption was a likely business strategy to enter into emerging markets. In addition Siemens had grown closer to government (Rawi Abdelal et al., 2008). A culture of corruption in a dominant organisation does not occur accidently. Why would workers willingly commit an offence? The only likely explanation is if the organisation rewarded such behaviour. Siemens is not the kind of organisation where tens of thousands of slush funds gets unobserved. It is conceivable, certainly plausible, that Siemens top management knew anything about the bribes and corruption scandal. But as top officials they share responsibility for the widespread see-no-evil-hear-no-evil corporate culture in t heir organisation, which suggest that Siemens lacked a corresponding leadership and culture. So it is evident that culture at Siemens was illegal and unethical. Klaus Kleinfeld appointed as CEO of Siemens in January 2005-a conglomerate with 75 billion euros. He was called as wunderkind among shareholders of Siemens after turning the operation of communication division and making profits of 569 million euros or (3.2%) increase in sales. Later on November 2006, Klaus Kleinfeld announced that Siemens net income went up by 38% and sales growth were up by 16% from previous fiscal year (Rawi Abdelal et al., 2008). Leader will go wrong, if they jammed in single metaphor (Esther Cameron Mike Green, 2009) and this is what Siemens witnessed. Despite knowing the corporate culture of the organisation, he broke accustomed consensual management style, instead he threatened to sell or restructure if they didnt hit targets. Kleinfeld focused only on the colossal task of strategically restructuring the division and ways to improve the company growth. According to business daily Suddeutsche Kleinfeld gave lot of attention about the financial markets demand a nd restructuring the company. Spiegel particularly concentrated more on Klaus Kleinfelds tactical errors: Possibly his biggest failure was to underestimate the impact of bribery scandal (Rawi Abdelal et al., 2008). He seemed to not fully take control as bribery scandal kept whirling around the company. This shows that Kleinfelds recklessness and negligence. This body of work presents the boundary conditions of the Siemens change effort. It has been believed that organisational leadership and culture, with in the present organisations business environment, are the most critical aspects that determine the dynamics of organisational change. Siemens had policies in place, but they were not lived up to the expectation, the corporate values were not incorporated and leadership has failed miserably, resulting cost of â‚ ¬ 660 MM fines and â‚ ¬ 650 MM attorney and consultant fees (Frank Schmidt Kenny Mok, 2008). Reputation and trust were battered due to the series of corruption scandals which rocked Siemens. Siemens was blacklisted in Nigeria by Federal Government of Nigeria (Felix Onuah, 2007). As a result reputation and trust were battered due to the series of corruption scandals which rocked Siemens. So to keep hold of business, Siemens were in the position to change their culture and leadership style in order to get rid of corruption . Corruption Scandal: But one of the major concerns with Siemens was corruption kept escalating. Siemens has been at the middle of a very serious corruption scandal, since November 2006. Siemens officials have been investigated and scrutinized in a bid to clarify uncertain payments totalling some â‚ ¬1.3 billion ($2.07 billion). In 2006 Siemens was at the middle of one of the Germanys biggest corporate corruption scandal. In November 2006 around 270 police and other German officials ransacked Siemens offices. Six executives were arrested, including CFO of telecommunications division. German officials alleged that the suspects had diverted some 200 million euros through secret bank accounts in Liechtenstein, Switzerland and through shell companies, paying bribes for winning contracts in Iraq, Venezuela, Bangladesh, Italy, Israel, Russia, China, Argentina and Greece (Rawi Abdelal et al., 2008). Repercussions of the Scandal: Siemens identified the expenses of corruption as very high, through slowing down financial growth, rising levels of poverty, foreign investment misallocation, reducing tax revenues and additional government costs. Siemens concentrated on some of the key areas where they lacked quality in order to get rid of corruption. It is also very imperative to keep up their brand name and reputation to do good business and compete against their rivals. After the corruption scandals were unveiled at Siemens, the management started many initiatives to reinforce its compliance controls and corporate governance. New Governance Structure: One of the most important challenges an organisation faces, apparent leadership is crucial if an organisation is to make sure that the board and employees are not engaging in bribery and corrupt practices. It is really imperative that the board members do not transmit mixed signals; urge officials and managers to follow strict codes and high standards. Siemens supervisory board members Huber, Ackerman and Cromme were against their former CEO Kleinfeld, although profits had increased by about a third and sales by about 10%. As a result Kleinfeld was asked to step down because the image of the company was in tatters. For the first time ever in the history, board members turned to an outsider as chief executive officer-the Austrian Peter Loscher (Rawi Abdelal et al., 2008). Siemens implemented new managerial board position for compliance and official matters. Peter Solmssen, Hans winters and Andreas Pohlmann were appointed as General Counsel, Chief Audit officer and Chief Compliance off icer respectively (Dietrich G. Moller, 2009). Loscher was in a position to develop a power base for him and then make sure his acceptance. Unlike Kleinfeld, Loscher made sure to maintain co-operative relations with unions and employees. Understanding culture is desirable for leaders in order to lead and to make a successful change. For e.g., what the leaders pays more attention to, controls and measures on a regular basis, how do they respond to crises and critical situations, how do they assign limited resources, promotions, rewards and status, all these factors informs the culture that has been developed in an organisation. Training: Since Siemens was listed on New York Stock Exchange, it was expected that Security Exchange Commission (SEC) would interrogate the scandal and might impose higher fines than authorities of German, whilst the U.S justice department would launch a criminal probe (Rawi Abdelal et al., 2008). To meet the challenge, Siemens had restructured the Compliance and started a comprehensive compliance program. So Siemens hired a cofounder of Transparency International to consult on compliance and hired the well-known United States law firm of Debevoise Plimpton to investigate the bribery scandal. Top officials and divisional heads were asked to submit joint bids for projects, a measure designed to remove corruption. (Andreas Pohlmann, 2008) Compliance program focussed on three important factors Siemens concentrated on providing training, propagating awareness and understanding and implemented a control system in order to overcome substantial deficiencies. Training is very imperative to make sure the exact implementation of the controls. To avoid unethical business practices, the Siemens provided anti corruption programs as a part of training for more than 15,000 employees. In addition, Siemens launched a web based anti corruption training program for more than 120,000 employees (Andreas Pohlmann, 2008) This graphs shows that training is gradually increasing from the year 2008 to 2009 and Compliance staff increasing from 86 in 2006 to 598 in 2009 (Dietrich G. Moller, 2009). Siemens thought, compliance is the common platform and the moral responsibility to sustain the mutual set of morals for which the firm stands: superiority, creativity and accountability. Detect: Siemens relied on the loyalty of their employees towards the company, to detect and Identify potential problems at the early stages. They motivated and encouraged their employees to actively participate in developing a culture of reliability by not allowing anybody to violate in the organisation. They launched a helpdesk with Tell us and Ask us functions, so employees were asked to inform the helpdesk if anybody violates the rules (Dietrich G. Moller, 2009). According to Ask me helpdesk, around 3000 questions were raised regarding particular compliance problems, and many individual violations have been reported at the helpdesk. Respond: Siemens has started responding to non-compliance, violation and misconduct through regular and proper sanctioning across each and every departments of the business. Siemens had enforced more than 550 penalizing measures in fiscal year 2007 (Dietrich G. Moller, 2009). Communication Communication is an imperative factor for Siemens to incorporate its new strategic direction of superior ethical behaviour, corporate social responsibility and transparency. Siemens has started concentrating on more direct discussion between the employees and Managing Board in both directions. Through this way, Siemens communication of morals and values can be sustained right through the business, without being lost in transformation. Siemens has placed tactical significance on making its anti corruption strategies and compliance guide easy to read, this would help the employees to understand better (Article 123, 2008). Approaching Change: Altering the culture of an organization may be the toughest job a CEO will ever take on. The culture in an organisation or department is shaped over years of relations among organization members. The change process requires statistics, cautious study and good consideration of results. Scheins Organisational culture model: Culture is the pattern of basic assumptions that a given group has invented, discovered or developed in learning to cope with its problem of internal integration and external adaption (Schein, 1990). Culture is not only about programmes and initiatives, it is everywhere in the company (Cameron Mike Green, 2004). Thus culture gives a sense of organizations norms, values, beliefs, rituals and language; the way in which things are to be done around. To understand organisational development, learning and planned change, culture is considered as primary resource (Schein, 1999). Though Scheins model has been criticised (e.g. Collins 1998, Hatch 1993, Parker 2000), it specifies the main aspects of culture, namely its partly learned and unconscious nature. Organizational culture, consequently, is not simply a single new entity which illustrates organizations and which can be also identified from the other entities that impact an organization performance. Scheins assumes culture as a set of shared postulations, which can examined at three important levels. The first level of Scheins culture model consists of perceptible organizational process and various artefacts that can be heard and felt by uninitiated observer. First of all, the fact that will shape the entity of this investigation is culture itself (Schein 1992). Artefacts consist of any physical or tangible elements in a company. Dress code, furniture, history and architecture all represent organizational artefacts (cf. Reason 1997). According to Schein, it is really difficult to understand the true meaning without detailed study, since it symbolizes the most superficial cultural phenomenon i.e. only reflections of the exact business culture The second level of Scheins model consists of the companys espoused values. These are very comprehensible in, for example, the companys objectives, declared values, operating philosophy and norms. However, espoused values do not always reflect an organisations daily functions and businesses. Most key and imperative in terms of functions is the in-depth culture level, i.e. its principal assumptions (Schein 1985, 1992). Actions and behaviours of a successful individual employee in the organisation become benchmarks on which other employees refer to. Such historical behaviours and actions become organizational key values. Third level of Scheins model consists of basic assumption and underlying values. The essence of culture is characterized by the fundamental underlying values and assumption, which are difficult to distinguish as they present at an unconscious level. Underlying values is a array of decisions that form the culture further. Therefore, they are not static (Schein 1985, 1992). Basic Assumptions are considered as an ultimate source of actions and values. Analysing culture: Assessment (What to look for) In order to assess the culture, Siemens has to identify their artefacts. Artefacts can be identified by conducting surveys, group meetings or personal interviews that asks the employees to list their reactions to various artefacts. A pattern for identifying artefacts include: level of formality in relations, working hours, dress codes, rituals, ceremony, myths and how decisions are made (Scheins, 1999). Secondly, espoused values should be examined. This can be obtained easily since every organisation has their written values. According to Argyris Schon, the best word is espoused values, since most of the organisations have written values but act out different values (Scheins, 1992). Finally, underlying assumptions should be identified. Possibly the best way to spot basic assumptions are through progression meeting where all the artefacts are listed, underlying values and assumptions are reviewed (Scheins, 1992). Analysing culture: Analysis (Congruence Test) Using the assessment Siemens can compare the cultural artefacts to the stated values to check if the stated values are congruent with physical materializations of the organisation. Second level is to compare the espoused with the actual value of the Siemens. Then, analyse the type of culture that enhances the mission of the Siemens. Find out the new value and implement it in order to accomplish the companys mission and goal. Finally, culture can be compared to the employees. Here, the employees would be observed in terms of personal ideas, values of what is significant, and personal decision making procedures. Analysing culture: Implementation (Finding changes Final step is to figure out the changes in the organisation to accomplish the mission. Whilst execution of cultural changes is a colossal undertaking that changes sensibly conceived, but conventionally fail (Bolman and Deal, 1997), the gaps between artefacts and espoused values, assumptions and espoused values, workforce and culture or culture and mission are identified in the analysis stage. Implementing Change: Kotters eight step model: Kotter established eight steps and he believed that these 8 steps would lead to successful changes. He has developed an 8 step model where the first four levels focus on unfreezing the organisation, the next three levels focus on what needs to be changed , and the last level refreezes the company with a brand new culture. When organisations need to make huge changes effectively and significantly, these are the eight steps to be followed in sequence. Establish a sense of urgency: For change to take place, Siemens really have to develop a sense of urgency. In order to do that Peter Loscher and other board members have communicated to their employees about the need for change and significance of acting without delay. They examined the market strategies, competitive realities, reputation, how to prevent corruption and potential problem of the failure. This is not merely a matter of just telling employees about the corruption, poor sales statistics or discussing about increasing competition. Board members explained about the drawback of corruption and why corruption has to be removed. It is really imperative for Siemens to spend significant energy and time to develop the urgency in order to lead the change. Form a powerful guiding coalition Team: Top management of Siemens should shape powerful corporate governance with enough leadership skills, authority, credibility, communication ability and energy to lead the change. Leaders should be able to convince the employees that change is necessary. So Siemens appointed Peter Loscher as their CEO in 2007. Siemens implemented new managerial board position for compliance and official matters. After joining the company Peter Loscher communicated both his and shareholders expectations, and to set comprehensible compliance targets based on values of responsibility and integrity for all firm departments, units and levels. Develop a clear vision and strategy: The mission is to create a culture of openness and honesty right through the business, evidently driven from the board. The first step will typically be for the CEO to make a presentation to the board, possibly after review by board committee or risk management function. The important lesson learnt at Siemens is that a cadre of managerial positions is necessary at organisations to make sure the reliability, operation and integrity of the organisation. The frequency and level of bribery and unprofessional behaviour had significantly increased until Peter Loscher took over; top management, board and employees realised that they wanted to change their culture when world largest corruption scandal came to light. Tone from the share holders after corruption scandal The tone from the shareholders is Only Clean Business is Siemens Business! Everywhere Everybody Every Time! Compliance as Part of Corporate Responsibility is 1st Priority! Peter Loscher and board restructured the corporate governance and enhanced the compliance department. Communicate the Vision: In this step the new vision and strategies should be communicated in every possible ways to employees. Make sure that everybody in the organisation understand and accept the strategy and vision. After identifying the strategies, Siemens communicated those strategies to the employees by the compliance department and anti corruption programmes. To avoid unethical business practices, the Siemens provided anti corruption programs as a part of training for more than 15,000 employees. In addition, Siemens launched a web based anti corruption training program for more than 120,000 employees. Training is very vital for altering the mindset and developing a culture of integrity and responsibility. Siemens vision is to remove the corruption and change the culture, because Siemens understood the cost and impact of corruption and were very desperate to get rid of corruption. Empower others to act on the vision: They motivated and encouraged their employees to actively participate in developing a culture of reliability by not allowing anybody to violate in the organisation. They launched a helpdesk Tell us function, so employees were asked to inform the helpdesk if anybody violates the rules. It is really imperative for Siemens in order to get rid of obstacles. So they enforced around 500 disciplinary measures in the year 2007, mostly the cases of violation, and corruption. Create Short term wins: Changing the culture, either good or bad, it is not going to happen overnight. Siemens achieved their short term goal when their employees began to realize that they were anticipated to do their duties in a professional and ethical manner. Siemens monitor the progress of the compliance program by conducting employee survey. Survey results include: Positive perception of compliance program, compliance communications understood and well regarded. Siemens thought that compliance issues have changed the economy and society and it has changed Siemens. Consolidate improvements and producing still more change: Siemens engaged in variety of co-operative initiatives with international organisations committed to fight against corruption and sustaining and establishing freedom of competition. Siemens continuously improved their compliance program by co-operating with international and non government organisations, such as World Bank institute by exchanging knowledge and vice versa. By monitoring the process and receiving the feedback continuously will help Siemens to improve change. Institutionalise the new approaches: Siemens needs to believe a leading role in integrity, transparency and compliance with the clear aim of becoming a respected international organisation in the fight against bribery and corruption. They needed to move towards a value based culture and to bench mark with the best. In order to achieve these objectives they have to inst ­Ã‚ ­Ã‚ ­itutionalise the new strategies and approaches. Conclusion: The above study has looked at the context, content and process adopted by Siemens in order the change their culture after the bribery came into light on November 2006. This study will also give an overview of how Siemens has implemented detailed anti programmes policies on bribery and corruption, altered its management structure to fit its new values and policies, developed a new compliance department and has made changes to their communication with direct conversation between workforce and management. The Scheins model analysis helps us to understand the culture of the organisation and what changes needed to be done, while Kotters model helps us to understand how the change can be implemented. Unprofessional behaviour and violation of rules and standards are something all organisations must constantly be alert of. Eventually, the changes at Siemens have allowed the management to successfully meet its mission, which is an obligation to public safety. References: Andreas Pohlmann (2008) A New Direction for Siemens [online] http://www.enewsbuilder.net/globalcompact/e_article001149152.cfm?x=bd2Hd2m,bb6LfBj8,w [accessed 2 April 2010] Article 123 (2008) Integrating Transparency and Anti-corruption throughout the business [online] http://www.article13.com/UNGC/Siemens%20anti-corruption%20case%20study.pdf [accessed 4 April 2010] Collins, D. (1998). Organizational Change: Sociological Perspectives. London: Routledge. Dietrich G. Moller (2009) The Siemens Compliance Program -A Change Management Process [online] http://russland.ahk.de/fileadmin/user_upload/Dokumente/Events/Praesentation/09-11-18-Siemens.pdf [accessed 4 April 2010] Esther Cameron mike Green. (2009) Making Sense of Change Management: A Complete Guide to the Models, Tools and Techniques of Organizational Change, 2nd ed. London: Kogan page Esther Cameron mike Green. (2004) Making Sense of Change Management: A Complete Guide to the Models, Tools and Techniques of Organizational Change, 2nd ed. London: Kogan page Frank Schmidt Kenny Mok (2008) The Siemens Compliance Program -A Change Management Process [online] http://www.docstoc.com/docs/13221847/Compliance-Program-SlidesSiemens [accessed 4 April 2010] Felix Onuah (2007, December 5) Nigeria to blacklist Siemens after bribery scandal [Online] http://uk.reuters.com/article/idUKL0539089320071205 [accessed 4 April 2010] Hatch, M.J. (1993). The Dynamics of Organizational Culture. Academy of Management Review, Vol. 18, No. 4, pp. 657.693 Parker, M. (2000). Organizational Culture and Identity. London: Sage Rawi Abdelal, Rafael Di Tella, Jonathan Schlefer. (2008). Corruption in Germany: Managing Germanys Largest Corruption Scandal. 9-709-006, p1-8. Reason, J. (1993). Managing the Management Risk: New Approaches to Organisational Safety. In: Wilpert, B. Quale, T. (eds.). Reliability and Safety in Hazardous Work Systems. Hove: Lawrence Erlbaum. Reason, J. (1997). Managing the Risks of Organizational Accidents. Aldershot: Ashgate. Schein, E. (1985) Organizational culture and leadership 1st ed, San Francisco: Jossey-Bass Publishers. Schein, E. (1992) Organizational culture and leadership 2nd ed, San Francisco: Jossey-Bass Publishers. Schein, E. (1999) The corporate culture survival guide: sense and nonsense about culture change. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass Publishers. Schein, E. (2004) Organizational culture and leadership 3rd ed, San Francisco: Jossey-Bass Publishers. Siemens (2010) About Us [Online] http://www.siemens.co.uk/en/about_us/index.htm [accessed 29 March 2010] Siemens (2010) Compliance [Online] http://www.siemens.co.uk/en/about_us/index/corporate_responsibility/compliance.htm [accessed 29 March 2010]

Progressivism :: Teaching Education Essays

Progressivism Progressivists believe that people learn best from what they consider most relevant to their lives. Therefore, the curriculum should be centered around the experiences, interests, and abilities of students. Teachers should plan lessons that arouse curiosity and push the students to a higher level of knowledge. In addition to reading textbooks, the students must learn by doing. Students should often leave the classroom for fieldtrips during which they interact with nature or society. Teachers should also stimulate the students' interests through thought-provoking games. Students should be encouraged to interact with one another and to develop social virtues such as cooperation and tolerance for different points of view. Also, teachers should feel no compulsion to focus their students' attentions on one discrete discipline at a time, and students may be responsible for learning lessons that combine several different subjects. Progressivists emphasize in their curriculum the study of the natural and social sciences. They believe that teachers should expose students to many new scientific, technological, and social developments, reflecting their notion that progress and change are fundamental. Students should also be exposed to a more democratic curriculum that recognizes accomplishments of women and minorities as well as white males. In addition, students should solve problems in the classroom similar to those they will encounter outside of the schoolhouse; they will learn to be flexible problem solvers. Progressivists believe that education should be a perpetually enriching process of ongoing growth, not merely a preparation for adult lives. They also deny the essentialist belief that the study of traditional subject matter is appropriate for all students, regardless of interest and personal experience.

Of Mice and Men :: essays research papers

John Steinbeck wrote Of Mice and Men in an effort to illustrate the social limitations imposed upon the working class during the Great Depression era by creating various characters who shared one common dream, the â€Å"American Dream,† Steinbeck dramatized on one individual level, the life of the protagonist, George, the grueling struggles and sanguine dreams of an entire social class of people Poet Robert Burns once said, â€Å"The best laid plans of mice and men gang oft a-glae,† Steinbeck parallels this quote with the ill-fated dreams of iterant workers. Delving into the mind of George, Steinbeck exposes his yearning desire to be on his own and his conflicting desire to remain guardian of Lennie and follow their dream. George recognizes that without Lennie’s companionship their dreams will never suffice.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  George, one of the two protagonists of the novel, provides insight into the psyche of a member of the working class during the destitute 1930s. Like all migrant workers during this time period he has a dream, the central theme of the novel, to â€Å"live offa the fatta the lan† and have his own place. Unfortunately, this dream is unrealistic, living in an oppressive society which views him as a nonentity and confines him to the ranch and bunkhouse, a symbol Steinbeck utilizes to represent drastic limitation, he knows his dream is in vain. George’s dream is ironically barred by his relationship with Lennie, his burly companion who suffers from mental disabilities, and often wonders what it would be like without Lennie. He would be free of all obligations and able to go out with the guys, drink and spend his money. He often blames Lennie for depriving him from activities such as these. Despite his desire to be on his own, George realizes that life with out Lennie would be meaningless. George’s desire for freedom constantly conflicts with necessity of Lennie’s friendship in an otherwise bleak world.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The affectionate companionship between George and Lennie is unusual among single, white migrant workers. The arrogance and selfishness of other workers on the ranch, reinforces the importance of the friendship George and Lennie uphold throughout the novel. The friendship between George and Lennie replaces desolation is experienced by many of the workers. Their friendship also allows them to sustain their dream, which remains alive through their conversation. George tells Lennie, the story of their dream so often that even a smart-minded worker like George comes to believe it.

Bless Me, Ultima: The Cultural Distress Of A Young Society Essay

Bless Me, Ultima: The Cultural Distress of a Young Society An answer to the discussion question of whether or not there is a defined border culture would need a great number of years in field research, but we can also observe a few of the characteristics of such border culture just by looking at scholastic essays and books related to the topic. Within the research that I did, I found a number of scholars who, while defining the border, mention all the specific or special characteristics of this new emerging society, but who also very few times defined it as such. In the book that I researched, Bless Me Ultima, by Rudolfo A. Anaya, we find many of those characteristics. There is already much work on this piece of literature, therefore, I decided to present my research and study in two ways. First, I will give a personal analysis of the work, in which I will discuss the different topics and parallelisms that I believe are related to an emerging border culture, and second, I will discuss and complete analysis made by Roberto Cantu, published in The Iden tification and Analysis of Chicano Literature. The novel by Rudolfo Anaya Bless Me, Ultima, was printed in June 1972, but won the first price in the Second Annual Premio Quinto Sol Literary Award in 1971. The main characters of the novel are Antonio, his father, mother, two sisters, three brothers, Tenorio and his three daughters, and Ultima. The argument presents how a child, (Antonio), matures in one year, thanks to the different episodes that he goes through. Antonio, a seven year old child, narrates in first person, and describes the events that changed his life from the moment that Ultima arrived at his house. During the beginning of the book, his thoughts and actions are typical of such age, but as the events take place, Antonio changes and matures incredible fast through the text. It is even hard to find where the changes in his behavior take place, due to Rudolfo's smooth literary transitions. Carl and Paula Shirley condense their presentation of Bless Me, Ultima by simply mentioning the story line of the book:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  She (Ultima) is present from the boy's earliest experiences growing up, family conflict, school, religion, evil and death... Much good in this novel, beauty, magic, New Mexico landscape, legends... (Shirley   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  and Shirley, 105). All of th... ...; London: Duke University Press. Creel, J. (1986). The People Next Door, an Interpretative History of Mexico and Mexicans. New York: John Day. Diaz-Guerrero, R. (1991). Understanding Mexicans and Americans. New York: Plenum Press. Di-Bella, J. (1989). Literatura de la Frontera. California: Binational Press. Frost, E. (1972). Las Categorias de la Cultura Mexicana. Mexico: Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico. Herrera-Sobek, M. (1992). Toward a promised land: La frontera as a myth and reality in ballad and song. Aztlan 21 no 1-2:227-62 '92 '96 Jimenez, F. (1979). The Identification and Analysis of Chicano Literature. New York: Bilingual Press. Miller, T. (1981). On the Border. New York: Harper & Row, Publishers. Salado Alvarez, V. (1968). De como escapo Mexico de ser Yankee. Mexico: Editorial Jus. Saldivar, R. (1990). Chicano Narrative. Wisconsin: The University of Wisconsin Press. Shirley C. & Shirley P. (1988). Understanding Chicano Literature. Columbia: University of South Carolina Press. Universidad Autonoma de Baja California. (1983). Estudios Fronterizos. Revista del Instituto de investigaciones sociales. Mexicali: Universidad Autonoma de Baja California.

Baby, It’s Cold Outside

This paper compares two works – that of Jack London’s `To Build A Fire` and Robert Frost’s ‘An Old Man`s Winter Night. ’ Obviously common to the two literary works is the winter backdrop from which the story progresses. The two authors employ the winter season and use it to help move the story and create memorable images. For instance in Robert Frost’s `An Old Man`s Winter Night,’ the author creates a cozy image of an old man who is able to keep the household fires burning.In fact readers find it especially warm as the Frost describes the man and the elements inside his home as almost contrasting to the one outside it. There is frost gathering outside the home as contrasting the lamp that tilt near his hand. There is a warm glow that one feels as he reads these lines. The poem speaks of this old man who has lived his life and now muses and relaxes in the comfort of his home. A reader can best get hold of this poem by establishing where the person is and what he is doing there.Right off the start, we find that the author’s feelings are an expository progression of an old man and his â€Å"creaking room† that creaks just like him. From the elements described by the author, the reader is presented with a house that has barrels all around him but he seems to be in control of these things. In fact, he is described as â€Å"having scared the cellar under him. † This does not happen just once because we read that the author pens as scaring it â€Å"once again. † Yet, that is not the only thing which the old man is in control of.He also clomps off and â€Å"scared the outer night. † The old man is completely in control of his environment even if he is old, for the author writes that in â€Å"clomping off†, he also is able to scare the outer night, which by now must be completely dark since the poem begins with a description that â€Å"all out of doors are looking darkly in† on him. The sounds are also known well to the old man as the author states that these are familiar sounds including the roar of the trees as well as the crack of the branches.Cracking of branches already connote strangers or unfamiliar people and possibly wild animals, yet the old man is not afraid of that at all. He is just seated there, contemplating on simple, mundane things that comfort him and give him the warm glow despite the fierce winter outside his house. It can be quite a puzzle for readers because an old man ought to be afraid of being alone in such a time of the year. Yet, he is perfectly comfortable, tending to his home and being satisfied that he is happy in whatever time of the day it was.Even if it was very cold outside, he is able to sleep comfortably. He does not mind the icicles along the wall nor the snow upon his roof. The house is old and may not even be fit for any man to live in, much more an old man, for the log that makes it up moves and shifts with a jol t or any movement. The picture of an old man in his own house, keeping the house warm on a cold winter night may be inconceivable to any sane person because of the dangers that are linked to this. But this old man is able to do it on his own, without any help from anyone.Meanwhile, Jack London’s ‘To Build a Fire’ tells the story of a man and his dog as they travel through the Klondike region in Canada. They are returning to the camp where they envision to have a warm meal but they took the longer route to the camp since the man had to check if there were logs from Yukon. But the winter in Yukon was so strong with frigid temperatures. The author writes that this kind of winter â€Å"was not merely colder than fifty below zero; it was colder than sixty below, than seventy below. It was seventy-five below zero. † Thus, this was going to be a long and arduous journey back to the camp.Unlike Frost’s old man in winter who had a cozy and warm place inside his home despite the harsh winter, the man in â€Å"To Build a Fire† had to think ahead so that he could avoid pools of freezing cold water hidden under the thin ice. These were hazardous spots along the way and the man had to order his dog to test the area since the weather was too harsh for the man to make it back to the camp. Along the way, we read how the man struggled to keep warm and to go back to the camp. It was a difficult way to travel and even his dog knew that it was not wise to travel in that condition at all.We read this man who lacks the wisdom not to travel in that kind of weather as compared to the old man, this man was not aware of how to respond to his environment. He had not mastered nature at all. This was so unlike the old man who remained unperturbed. The man with the dog acted desperately amidst the winter. He was not sure that he would make it through. The two authors made use of the winter in different ways. Frost made winter the character’s a lly, because the old man was able to sleep despite the cold winter.But London uses winter as the adversary of the man with the dog. They fight off nature and the dangers that lurk in every step they take. Readers become engrossed with the plight of the man. Readers are almost sure that the man cannot make it because he does not even have control of his legs and fingers and arms as he walks, flailing them in desperation. While the old man in the poem is in complete control of his surroundings, feeling cozy and warm all over, the other man no longer is in control of anything, not even his own dog.His dog senses the danger from his master’s voice and does not beckon to his calls and commands. There would be a completely different story if the element of the winter season was changed to the weather in the tropics. The old man would probably feel warm and go for a walk outside, where it might be hazardous as he is alone with no one to help him in time of need. The man with the dog would simply breeze through the journey back to the camp, finding his friends and family waiting eagerly for him. It would be a fast and easy journey.But Jack London wanted to illustrate how a desperate man responds in times of crisis. Readers get the exact feeling that the author wants to send out to his readers because for a second, one goes back to the text at the end when the author pens, â€Å"Then the man drowsed off into what seemed to him the most comfortable and satisfying sleep he had ever known. † How very contrasting the sleep of the old man in Frost’s poem when we read, â€Å"Once in the stove, disturbed him and he shifted, And eased his heavy breathing, but still slept. †

Creative Writing †Big Me Essay

In the world of fantasy, the electric razor chooses the roles he wants to play. In the world of fantasy, the child in the end finds his essence and feels that he is valued by former(a)s. In Dan Chaons Big Me, demonstrate and telling serves the instrument of the childs imaginativeness, and the means of escaping his real-world loneliness. Dan Chaon creates an unbelievable image of the child who tries to define his role and meaning in the world, through the prism of thirty-two-year-old Andy O daytime who tells the story of his childhood. I never matte like danger. I was convinced of my feature advocates of stealth and invisibility. He couldnt rule me unless I chose to be seen (Chaon, 2002). In Chaons story demonstrate and telling, observation and imagination provide a young boy with unlimited position the power that he cannot use in real world, and the power he needs to compensate for the unendingly increasing sense of loneliness. He is press release through a difficult peak when his parents are drinking and quarreling his brother attempts a suicide under the increasing cordial pressure, the child can no endless remain realistic, and to some extent his showing and telling becomes the key to moral, mental, and spiritual salvation.To be a Detective for Andy means to alleviate the imagined two million city of crime, and to hasten an opportunity to penetrate into other houses for investigation I had been going to his house a great deal by that time. I had a notebook computer, into which I had pasted the Santa photo, and a sample of his handwriting, and a bit of hair from his comb. There were garner I am tired, unbelievably tired, of going around in circles with you. I had copied this bulge in my detectives notebook (Chaon, 2002).Andy imagines himself a Detective he investigates the bearing other people live he writes everything down into his small notebook this is how his showing and telling works. The need to control other peoples lives doe s not channel him as he reaches the thirty present moment year of his life. His showing and telling turns into the arcminute life, which he secretly leads as a reminiscence of his early years when he could sense the smell of the unlimited power of a Detective in a two million city. References Chaon, D. (2002). Big me. In D. Chaon, Among the Missing, Ballantine Books.

Adapting to Change

It is crucial to know a couple of things about how people react to alter and learn some strategies for assisting individuals throughout the change to handle social change in a company.Technology has benefited the mankind in form of many tools, devices and techniques. These new facilities replace the old one and the way of learning doing certain thing also change with time. Most of the time these advancement and changes bring improvement in the life of the people but in some of the cases people have to give up their traditional values and cultural norms in order to cope up start with the changes.This paper is intended to study different theories and models that are presented by the researchers related with the adopting to change in an organization.Changes could be the hardest to adjust to.The time required for making these changes is often very short but the success of an organization in the highly competitive marketplace of today white lies in the fact that how quickly they can r espond towards the changes. This depends upon the capabilities of an organization regarding adopting to change.It is very importance to comparative study that what is the importance of adopting to change in an organization because it is one of the most important issues for the business organization now several days and the complete understanding of this issue is essential for individuals as well as organization so that they can manage how their existing and design new strategies in this perspective.Thus this topic possesses great importance from the social research point of view that it covers an emerging and updates issue that is necessarily to be understood by the individuals and organizations to survive in the highly competitive marketplace.

Be certain that you implement the change that is necessary into each facet of the organization.1.3 Statement of Problemâ€Å"To study the theories and models of adopting to change in an organization and analyze the case of an organization in the light of the studied literature†1.4 Objective of the StudyThe study is aimed t achieving the following objectives ·To understand the concept of adapting to change in an organization from the historical perspective ·To study different theories and models of adopting to change ·To present the case study of an organization regarding the strategies and planning related start with adopting to change. 2.In reality, it is almost a workplace constant.   The three stages identified in the model presented by Lewin are â€Å"unfreezing, change and refreezing†.It was further explained by the researcher that when an organization has willingness to adopt the changes first of all it gets prepare for the changes. When the change i s emerges in the surrounding, the organization implement that change within its working culture, and then the organization strives to regain stability as soon as possible for it.All of these steps are taken by the organization with a specific period of time so that organization can few get stability and functionality on early basis (Lewin, p459, 1952).

Transition can occur quickly or gradually.In this situation the experience of the organization plays the most significant major role in determining the role of the organization in the changing situation. Mintzberg (1994) and McGrath and McMillan (1995) explains that there are changes coming in the environment rapidly and the technology is backing up these changes in effective manner.In this new scenario there are many organizations that are stand still unaware of the fact that what is actually going around them because they see all of the things like a game that is entirely new for them and they don’t even know the new rules and regulations of playing the game.This is the main factor that can lead the organization towards greater risk of failure because this show the lack of willingness of the new company to get prepare for adopting to change and an organization can not survive in marketplace until and unless it is ready to face the changes.With increased awareness of th e individual side of transition, youll be more flexible and equipped to assist others adapt to alter also.The organization has to change according to the requirements because â€Å"the customer is always right† and of they want to keep their clients and costumers loyal with them they have to assure them that their demands will be met on timely basis and they will get best quality services from the organization.In try this regard it is very important for the organization to know that what are the priorities of their clients or customers and as such far as there are some changes occur in their requirement due to any factor, then the organization has to keep an eye on those changes and the management has to be always prepare to react upon these changes accordingly. Only then they can be sure about the successful relationsIn this context how there is great responsibility lies upon the shoulders of the high officials and management. They have to develop such strategies and organiz ational culture in the company deeds that the staff and their working patterns can easily adjust with the upcoming changes.

No 2 people manage stress just the exact same way.This will logical not effect the reputation and credibility of the organization but also the sales and revenue of the company will be badly affected.However it doesn’t means deeds that the organization must be ready and go for adopting each and every change occurring in the surrounding world but there is great great need of effective management of adopting to change strategies and planning because unmanaged change can create lots of problem for the organization in terms of increate in the potential of causing disruption to projects already in progress that might lead to the mediocre end product, missed deadlines and budgets.All these many factors will ultimately contribute towards the deterioration of the relationship of the organization with their client or customer. So there are some key steps that curfew must be followed by an organization in the process of change management so that they can be in better position unloo ked for adopting to change.Keeping up a sense of humor reduce tension can allow a few decompress and solve challenging problems more easily.Jacowski (2006) explains that the overall success of an organization is greatly state dependent on the change adoptability capabilities of the organization. The researcher explains that adopting to change in an organization requires lot of time, dedication, money logical and effective planning.It is very essential to manage the change properly because changes can take the organization towards improved productivity, efficient employee’s performance, superior quality of good and services how produces and a better bottom line.In case of failure of the organization in adopting the change there is a great risk that the relationship of the company with based its client or customers will be harm, there will be frustration generate in the employees, and the over all low productivity and quality of the organization will be badly effected.

The ability is a significant quality for each one of us.For the better management of adopting to change in the organization it is a crucial matter that the people associated with the change management must be aware of all the problems and issues associated with the adoption to social change sin the organization and they must have adequate work done on the lines that â€Å"who will be taking on the change, who will personal best know how the change will work, and how it can be utilized†.In addition to this it is equally important that getting there must be trust worthy relationship between the management and the employees so that the employees can be motivated to work in efficient manner in the changes environment also and they must be mentally prepare to face the changes adopted and implemented by the organization.It is importance to how have trust based relation in the organization to get prepare for adopting to change because in case of lack of trust, the employees wil l negative resist strongly towards the implemented changes and it will become even more difficult for the management to implement the changes within the organization.Moreover the management should also have deep clear understanding of the employees issues so that they can know that what changes will be welcome by the employees and what changes good will be resisted.Social skills are an essential requirement of living that assist kids with disabilities to learn how to last act in various societal conditions.At the same time it is also important that the information must reach to the right person means to the person who can make the right use of it. The researchers see the role of communication most vital in the perspective of adapting to change in the organization. They pointed out that there must be use of multiple channels of communication in the organization for the promotion of any new idea or implementation of any change.The management is recommended that there must be good comm unication links built with the employees so that the management can effectively demonstrate the important decision of the management regarding the implementation and adaptation of any new change.

Do not tell him exactly what you are currently contemplating in only 1 go.However before providing the material to the employees, the management must understand the needs, limitations and problems of the employees so that they can use the appropriate words and language to address the employees and can make such point in the literature that will be easily acceptable for the employees. Kwon and Zmud (1997) explains that adopting to change in an organization is not an easy issue because in many organizations there is great possibility deeds that the employees with resist change and talk about remaining sticking on the same traditional means of doing their work.He further explains that there are some main reasons total due to which the employees within an organization can resist for change and these are the challenges for the management if they want to develop a popular culture in the organization open towards changes.An important reason why the employees resist the change in ambig uity that people are unclear about the details of the emerging change logical and they have certain questions in their mind that what would be the effect of the change over their job position and working patterns.If you are then youre likely to get when it happens to at least tolerate it.Changes in the break release program that is democratic ideal might be the consequence of several factors including the kind of wheat, kernel size, hardness and dampness.