Why Obama Won Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Why Obama Won - Assignment Example By taking into concern the current situation of this contemporary world, it can be stated that the political parties need to become market-oriented, by recognizing public demands and most importantly, by designing an effective party product. In this similar context, the party product may comprise certain important factors including policies, constitutions, symbols, organizations and ideologies. It has been apparently observed that an effective political marketing imposes significant impacts upon several important aspects which include political decisions, market orientation strategies, online association marketing and media coverage initiatives (Marshment & Rudd, n.d.). Besides, the notion of political marketing is also viewed as a sort of commercial marketing that emphasizes upon forming, preserving as well as improving long-term interrelation with the voters for the purpose of attaining significant success and expected objectives (Shaughnessy, 2001). In addition, an effective polit ical marketing is all about shaping and delivering accurate message to the key audiences in order to obtain considerable success, especially in the political field (Ren Scott Creative Marketing, n.d.). In this discussion, a detailed analysis will be taken into concern regarding how an effective political marketing supported US President Barack Obama succeed in defeating Mitt Romney to earn a second term. Analysis Brand Difference of Obama and Romney Considering the recent changes in the US political environment, it can be stated that it is the democratic brand which mainly differed Obama from Romney who possessed republican brand. A major difference that can be viewed in this regard is that Obama largely supported the ideas as well as the policies based on Democratic Party while conversely, Romney deciphered strong concern towards Republican Party’s theories and concepts. Furthermore, US President Obama, from the very beginning, was observed as much keen towards introducing a s well as developing significant democratic policies concerning international relations, supporting legalization particularly for illegal immigrants and augmenting employment opportunities among others. These quality facets of democratic policies can be viewed as a significant factor which contributed to the success of Obama helping the common people to interpret the policies as mainly formulated for the interests of the nation (Carothers, 2012). This significant aspect, i.e. the democratic brand of Obama might have significantly assisted him to attain success and win for a second term as US President by a large extent. The democratic branding of Obama evolved over the course of the campaign when he included republican idea into his proposal relating to health insurance reform. According to the proposal, a few of the initiatives based on republican ideas have been taken into concern under the guidance of Obama. In this regard, the initiatives included facilitating varying health ins urance premiums on the basis of participation in programs relating to employer wellness, establishing standardized mechanisms to enhance healthcare quality and superior access towards different community based health centers (The White House, n.d.). Conversely, the republican branding of Romney evolved over the course of the campaign when he acclaimed prior to the election that it is possible to mitigate the loss of revenue resulting from tax cuts by eradicating different deductions as well as exemptions, especially for the upper-income individuals of the US. However, a few of the republicans were significantly criticized regarding the viewpoint of Romney regarding the

Positive functions for society Essay Example for Free

Positive functions for society Essay The family was once described as a social group that shared common residence, consisted of at least two adults of each sex that maintained a socially approved sexual relationship and had one or more children, their own or adopted. This is a nuclear family, described by George Murdoch to be a universal family type. Although it is correct to say that nuclear families reside universally, family types now vary from single-parent families to gay headed families. Despite the variety, they contribute to the society, in ways that can be positive and negative too. Many sociologists differ in their views as to whether the family is positive to the society or not- functionalists believe that the family has positive functions that contribute positively to the society but it has to be said that functionalists tend to ignore negative aspects of the family such as the dark side, which consists of all that makes the family a negative experience for its members. Nevertheless there are sociologists that focus on only the negative aspects, such as, radical psychiatrists, radical feminists and Marxists. The new right theory has faith that family is a positive function of the society, however new rights only refer to nuclear families, as they believe that any other family type is inferior. Functionalism is a consensus theory which looks at society positively. Functionalists often make an organic analogy, as a human body is maintained by the functions of each part of a body, keeping it alive and healthy, similarly, and society is kept going by its institutions- family being one of the institutions which function to sustain the well-being of society. It is recognised by functionalists that families change themselves over time for the sake of adapting to society, an exemplar would be leading functionalist Emile Durkheim who strongly believed that family was the most important institution of society. Durkheim believed that family positively functioned for both individuals and society. The family, he believed, is the institution that offers its members emotional support, stability and gives them their identity as primary socialisers, and to an extent, teaches them how they should act toward the rest of society. Thus he proves that they perform a positive function to society too, as they provide fundamental social order and stability, which helps to prevent the society from becoming disordered. Talcott Parsons was a functionalist who analysed the families  from a modern perspective and came to a conclusion that although families have less functions, as they are provided with help from outside agencies, they still perform two important functions which determine the actions within a society. These two functions focus on individuals- the first being the socialisation of children primarily, into the responsible, committed individuals that society can benefit from and the second is the stabilisation of adult personalities, as he stated that it was family who help ease away tensions of the modern world, particularly for male workers. He also believed that these functions were best found in nuclear families, where the clear sexual division in labour enabled wives to partake an expressive role while men held an instrumental role. However, there are functionalists like Fletcher who believe that family has not decreased their functions, he explains how the family do not just perform the apparent obvious functions of primary socialisation, social control and reproduction but they also play a role in providing basic education and support through school life and they still have an economic function because they provide support to their non-working members, whether they are un-fit to work, ill or unemployed and ultimately, family supplies the whole economy with workers. The functionalism theory sheds light on the positive aspects of family life which all contribute to the society positively. Each functionalist has consistently mentioned a vital performance that families partake- the primary socialisation of children. During this stage a child learns about his/her culture and is most likely to be taught the norms and values of their society. Primary socialisation is a vital performance which is done by the family, as a child is expected to have acknowledgement of the norms and values in order to adjust with the society they live in. Although the functionalist theory does not look at the negative aspects of the family there are others that do. It can only be assumed that the functionalist view was patriarchal- the belief that men are dominate. This assumption is only representative of Parson as he introduced the warm bath theory, whereby he suggested that it was men that had a hard day at work and their wives (women) stayed at home and made them feel better when the husbands came home. Radical feminists are those who focus on this discrimination and have firm belief that the world is wrongly dominated by  men. They believe that patriarchal ideology gives women a perception that motherhood is their natural role whereas it actually keeps women subservient to men. They express how women have at least a dual role but most have a triple burden which consists of the roles of a paid worker, a mother and a housewife. The Marxist theory characterises the society as being one that exploits and subordinates the working cl ass. They argue that the family only benefits capitalists as they produce the working class, teach their children to accept capitalist values when primarily socialising them, which are to hard work, accepting and respecting authority, and it is the family that makes their members feel that capitalism is the norm. Radical psychiatrists on the other hand, argue that the family as a whole is a deception. Clinical evidence proves that families suffer exploitation, oppression and a negative experience. The modern family is so independent that it leads to emotional stress between the members. They disagree with functionalists and say that families actually spend too much time trying to please others by doing what they are expected to do, which prevents them from having autonomy. Thus if someone did something wrong it would lead to shame, guilt and repression. This leads to the dark side to a family which includes abuse to children and domestic violence to both men and women. Child abuse consists of, physical abuse, emotional abuse, sexual abuse and neglect. A CPS report showed that five to six children died each day in 2001 due to child abuse or neglect. Approximately 84% of the children were abused by their parents and mothers alone were responsible for 47% of the neglect and 32% of the abuse. Domestic violence is also increasing the UKs crime rate and accounts for a quarter of the murders in the UK. Domestic violence is all the violence that occurs between partners. Not only does it account for physical violence but sexual and emotional abuse too. Although it is considered a crime against women because they are twice as likely to be threatened and injured, men are also violated against- a study conducted at the Leicester Infirmary in 1992 concluded that equal numbers of men and women were being assaulted at home and that men received more serious injuries, losing consciousness more often than women. It may be so that the family as individuals may be affected more if they suffer these negative experiences however, it may also affect the society because ones participation to society will become effortless regardless of the way they contribute, for examples if they are a student,  they will not work hard, if they are a worker, they will be less. Nevertheless there are 400 refuges around the UK and any help lines to support those that are suffering. There are different views of the family that that highlight how they function in society and towards individuals. Functionalism is the main theory that promotes the positive aspects of a family and reflects the positive contributions a family makes towards society by performing essential functions such as reproduction, primary socialisation and social control. There are also many theories that focus on the negative aspects of the family- the things that make family a bad function of society. However, it has to be said that all the theorys are correct if read from the perspective that they are written in. Thus, although the family does have a dark side and may not comply with all theorists, such as radical psychiatrists and radical feminists, they still manage to uphold the main functions, that is to reproduce, socialise with individuals and support their family members.

Television Programing Essay -- Technology, TV, Internet

In the beginning, television programming was free for anybody with a television set and an antenna. Unfortunately, there weren’t very many channels to choose from and they were all loaded with ads. Later, cable companies found success for themselves by charging consumers to pipe an ever increasing number of channels into their homes. But it still seemed like there was never anything good, and it was all still loaded with ads. Now advanced telecommunications technology enables consumers to access television and video content on demand via the internet, provided they have a broadband, or high speed, connection. The increasing market penetration of broadband internet service may be leading consumers to abandon traditional television in favor of internet based on-demand video distribution, and forcing traditional television content producers to find new ways to maintain profits in the wake of this change. Watching high quality video content on a television screen via the internet has become easy for the average consumer. Streaming video players, which connect televisions to the internet and allow someone to easily navigate the vast sea of internet video content, are readily available for purchase in electronics stores. One such product, the Roku 2 HD, retails for about $60 and allows access to hundreds of online video channels without subscription fees over a broadband internet connection (â€Å"Choose your Roku†, 2011; â€Å"Roku channel store†, 2011). Meanwhile, Cox Communications charges about $20 per month for a very basic programming package consisting of 23 channels (â€Å"Cox Communications†, 2011). Since the Roku only costs the equivalent of three months worth of the most basic cable television service and does not require a subscription ... ...ly $734 million of that is from video (Perren, 2010, p. 74). While the advertising revenues are still small for online video, the number of people that are viewing is large, and it is getting larger quickly. In November 2010, The Washington Post published an article that that noted Netflix’s video service alone made up roughly 30% of all consumer internet traffic during the busiest times (as cited in Kang, 2011a). With so many consumers shifting over to online viewing, it is apparent that the industry will have to find a way to make it work. The consumer trend towards broadband internet connections and internet based on-demand video services is clear. Cable companies will continue to lose their once dominant positions unless they are able to leverage these new technologies to improve their customers’ experiences while increasing value of their advertising space.

Reaction to Wendell Berry’s Out of Your Car, Off Your Horse Essay

While Wendell Berry’s essay is certainly thought-provoking, it was to a certain degree frustrating to read for me because I perceived it as a perfect example of good environmentalist intentions and a legitimate desire of finding alternatives to our unsustainable system which ultimately lead to an oversimplified and irrational utopian vision to be realized by pursuing just one path which shows esoteric traits. Berry’s idol is localism.  Surely, local economic structures are vital to environmentalist efforts if they actually help to reduce for example the Carbon footprint because fuel for transportation is saved. On the other hand, if consequently carried out, this strategy will backfire. Local farming will be more diverse but it certainly won’t be more productive. In a free, global market, farmers, if they have access to the necessary knowledge and equipment, will grow the food that is best suited to their soil and climate, thereby maximizing productivity and getting out more food on less space for less energy. This effect can and often does weigh heavier than short transportation, especially if this transportation is also carried out only on a small scale, leading to many small trucks delivering small amounts of food to countless small organic shops which do a good job on selling an ecologically peaceful mind but very poorly on actually saving the environment. Large scales might not fit to our romantic social ideals but more often than not, they are ecologically efficient More importantly, the question â€Å"What will this do to our community† is not the only important one. If this were true, then some people in Northern Siberia should probably start burning their fossil fuels like crazy. After all, they are often available in their neighborhood and global warming would certainly benefit their agricultural returns while their colleagues a few hundred miles South will suffer from extreme dearth. No, mutual dependency and its consequence, thinking globally, are a huge step forward, if it is flanked by serious consideration of local concerns.

Ray Bradbury’s book The Illustrated Man Essay

Ray Bradbury’s book The Illustrated Man is a compilation of short stories that leads from one story to the next. Each story is a continuation of a new one; thereby producing a chronicle-like book. Specifically, there are two stories in the book that really made an impact on me, and they are namely The Veldt and The Rocket. The two short stories is a continuation of the other. Basically, the two stories revolve around their respective families and how they cope up with the struggles of every day living and trying to fulfill their domestic duties. The two stories are very different from one another in a sense that love for the family (and achieving it, for that matter) is told in a different angle. Bradbury shows that in the end, there are still many things in the world that cannot be simply bought.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In the Veldt, the protagonist is portrayed by George Hadley. George Hadley is a very wealthy man. He is the father of Wendy and Peter and a husband to Lydia. Mr. Hadley is a very wealthy man; he works very hard to give the wants and needs of his family. Because of his richness, he built an automatic house for his family. Their house is one of the most ultra-modern houses that anyone can imagine. Consequently, he built this house in hope that it will solve some of their house problems since Lydia, Wendy and Peter does not want to do their household duties. Because of such, Mr. Hadley mounted different mechanical devices and machineries in their house. Literally, everything in the house is automatic—from the doors, comfort rooms, closets—everything. They even have a machine that helps the kids tie their shoelaces and the house can clean on its own; and even, the house can automatically take care of the children. Moreover, he installed a special nursery for the children in which the surroundings can be change anytime using their imagination. In the long run, the children and even Lydia becomes too dependent on the house and on the mechanical devices and machineries that Mr. Hadley installed. When Mr. Hadley found out about this, he tried to shut down all the machines in their house. Eventually, his wife and children found out about it and they became livid and angry to Mr. Hadley and it even came to a point that they almost want to kill him. This scenario happened because all the children and even Mrs. Hadley realized that it (the automatic house) became more important more than anything in their family.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   It just goes to show that the Hadley family became more interesting in their house more than anything in the world. They did not even bother to think about the things that matter most in life like love, respect and trust. Admittedly, there are certain things in life that cannot be bought by all the riches in the world. No matter how rich Mr. Hadley is, still, he was not able to show his love for his family. His work demanded too much from him and that is why, to maintain the wants (more than the needs) of his family, he worked too hard to give then all they want. He thought that by giving them an automatic and ultra-modern house, he will be able to fill the gap in their relationships. But what he did not realize is that in the end, his family became more dependent and accustomed to their automatic house. This only implies that a big house or even the most expensive or the most modern gadgets in the world cannot level up to the love that a family have. In the story, Mr. Hadley had barely enough time to spend with his family (that is why his family enjoyed too much the house). He did not have any quality and meaningful time with them. When he found out that the house he built is enough for his family, it is only then that he realized that he is missing too much of a good thing in his life. He realized that his wife and children does not love him anymore and would rather choose to be in their special nursery than spend some time with him. Because of such, he was rewarded by â€Å"secrecy and disobedience† from his children (Bradbury).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   On the other hand, â€Å"The Rocket’ is so much unlike the situation of the Hadley family. The lead character in the short story is named Bodoni. Naturally, his family does not have the amenities and means that the Hadley’s can afford. Their living condition is also so much different from the Hadley’s yet he is able to please his family’s wants and moreover, their needs. His family’s ultimate dream is to visit the planet Mars. To satisfy this dream, he works very hard just to satisfy their daily needs and in the hopes that he can save enough money so that he can bring all his family to Mars someday. After six years of hard labor, he was ready to tell his family of what their dreams have become; and because of this, the entire family got excited but they only got disappointed when he told the truth that he was only able to make three thousand dollars—which is barely enough to take one member of the family to Mars. With this reality in sight, the family got sad and just decided that they now do not want to go to Mars. Instead, the family debated and in the end, Bodoni decided to just buy an old rocket. He fixed the rocket and explained to his family that even though the rocket cannot fly to Mars, they can always inside it and just use their imagination about travelling to Mars. With his brilliant, Bodoni became â€Å"the best father in the world.† (Bradbury)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   There is a very big difference in the family lives of the Hadley’s and Bodoni’s. In the Hadley’s case, he decided to build an automatic house for his family because he is very rich and he does not have enough time for them. He thought that by giving them that house, he will be able to show his love for his family. He showered his family all the material things that his money can buy. In the long run, the actual circumstance became his worst nightmare. The house became undoubtedly became the replacement of his absence in the house. Additionally, the special nursery in which Mr. Hadley built for his children became the author’s symbolism of Mr. Hadley’s absence. The house and the room became his substitute for his affections. When he wanted to shut it down, the children became angry at him because they already view the house as everything they ever needed. The children thinks that it is enough for them and they do not need nay love from their mother, especially their father because the house provides everything for them. What they do not realize is the fact that their father loves them dearly and only has the best intentions for them. It just so happened that he is too busy working. When he realized that the house seemed more important for the children than him, he decided that he wanted his children back but it was too late, the children already hates him. This story only shows that no matter what or how many material things you give or shower to your love ones, love and quality time cannot be bought by such things. What is more important is the time that you will be able to spend with your family and how you will be able to show your love for them. Money is easy to earn but love takes forever. Meanwhile, it is the contrast for the family of Bodoni. Even though they are not as rich as the Hadley’s, Bodoni works very hard just to achieve a life-long family dream which is to travel to Mars. He works night and day so that all the family members can go outer space but unfortunately, after six years of hard labor, he was just able to earn to take only one family member to Mars. After which, they just decided to buy an old rocket. Their rationale for buying it is that, every one in the family can fit and enter the rocket anytime they want. They just have to use their imagination to take them to Mars. In this story, family love is expressed obviously and so dearly. Even though he barely made earnings form his job, Bodoni was able to spend some quality time with his family. Because of this, his family (including his wife and children) understands him and even considers his plan to abandon their dream—but in the end, they gained something more important than seeing Mars—that is, they were able to share the love they have for each other by sharing   the same activities and discussing matters that involve the family. In the part wherein they discussed and deliberated on whether to buy or not a rocket, it shows that family opinion matters in their household. This means that every voice in the family is considered and is important. Through this, they were able to express their love, respect and commitment for each other and the future of their family. They were one in achieving their gamily dream and indeed, they were able to achieve it in a very special way.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   These two stories is typical scenario in our society these days. Many parents work so hard just to secure the material needs of their family and their family. The consequence of this lifestyle is that, parents then spend less time with their children and so much quality hours are thrown away. Practically speaking, there are many parents who cannot attend their children’s recitals, etc. because they have emergency meetings in their office. Because of such, they become guilty to children and to make up for those absences, they give them all their material needs and wants. What they fail to see and accomplish is that more than any material thing that the world and money can give, deep in the hearts of their children is a heart that longs for a real and euphoric kind of love and happiness. Then, there are also the kind of family in which they lack everything the world can offer (just the basic necessities) but they are the ones who are the happiest in the world. For them, money, wants and desires are not their priorities because they know in their hearts that they a gift of something so priceless that not even the richest man in the world can buy. They have the purest form of love for each other. For this kind of family, they only survive on the basic needs and the hope and love that they have for each other. It is therefore important to cherish every single moment that opportunity gives us to spend time with our love ones for we may never know what the future holds for us. We must think of it as if it is the last hours that we will be able to spend with them. Work Cited: Bradbury, Ray. â€Å"The Veldt.† The Illustrated Man. William Morrow, 1997. Bradbury, Ray. â€Å"The Rocket.†Ã‚   The Illustrated Man. William Morrow, 1997.

Ophelias Suicide Note Essays

Ophelias Suicide Note Essays Ophelias Suicide Note Paper Ophelias Suicide Note Paper Ophelia’s Suicide Letter Dear Hamlet, I thought I would be able to bottle up all of these emotions but it seems I cannot bear it any longer; I must let it all out. I must tell you, Hamlet, that living in this mad world is driving me to the brink of insanity. I am just so fed up with going about every single day persuading myself that I had ought to ignore it all and simply, sweetly smile. But why should I? Why should I sit around and let the likes of men like you order me around any longer? Yes Lord this, yes Lord that! Who do all of you men think you are? Being ordered around by my father, brother and you, my former lover, completely frustrates me every time. Am I your maid? Your slave? Your toy? You all speak to me with such disgusting disrespect. â€Å"Get thee to a nunnery† you say? Is it my fault that your mother is a despicable whore? Just because she did not wait a mere second to marry your uncle, it does not grant you the right to speak to me condescendingly like I have done the same. All you men speak to women like they are simple objects of pleasure. May you lie in my lap you ask? Most certainly not. I am not a prostitute whom you can come to whenever you please. We, I, am more than just a source of sexual gratification. Without us women, who would cook and clean for you men? It is quite evident that without us, you men are hopeless yet why is it that we are still miserably mistreated? Oh, this strange society we live in is so corrupted. If we had been in an ideal world where women and men were thought of as equals, I would have most certainly spoken up for myself. But no, in this society, the chains of social rigidity confine me for being a woman. I live each and every day without the freedom of speech or choice, forced to obey the commands of all men alike. Had I defied any orders, severe punishment would have definitely followed. The withstanding of such social inequality had been agitating me ever since I could remember; I was already hardly surviving. But on top of that, the tragedy of my father’s death had to strike! How can I go on with a peace of mind in the chaos of my beloved father’s death, the very man whom you, the other man I whole-heartedly loved, so cruelly murdered! What sense does this make? Such a thought makes me tremble in utter disbelief. How could you have committed such a crime and not feel any sense of shame or guilt? Had you not any thought or consideration for my well being or stability of my emotional state when you committed such a sin? You didn’t, did you -since you did not think twice to confirm who it was behind the arras. I am curious, Hamlet, for what reason did you do such a terrible thing? What has he ever done to deserve such a foul fate? Has he wronged you in any way? All he has done is loyally serve your family yet this is what he receives in return! It overwhelms me with great sadness. Moreover, not only have I lost my father, but it seems I have lost you as well, both mentally and physically. Following our separation, I still loved you Hamlet. But you, who pushed me away and branded me as damaged goods, have broken my fragile heart, have killed my father, someone who truly cared for me despite his demands, and have left me in utter despair. Oh it feels as if my world is suddenly falling apart! I cannot go to you, Hamlet, for your hands are stained with my father’s blood and as of late, I can hardly speak to you as your mind seems to have plummeted to the depths of insanity! Yet at the same time, despite everything that has happened, I find myself unable to leave you for I am still very much in love with you. I am torn between you and my father but it seems that the both of you have already abandoned me to survive in this lonely and treacherous world on my own. There seems to be nothing left for me now. This world is crashing down on me and without any care or concern from anyone, I am living solely as a victim in a vicious society with impossible expectations. Oh, what am I to do and where am I to go? I have contemplated over and over again but I can think of no other salvation but death in this choice-less existence. To perish would liberate me from my grief and despair and would give me an opportunity to make a decision of my own. Yes, it is the only way and thus, with this final letter, I may leave in peace. Farewell my love, Ophelia

Using the Spanish Verb Poder

Using the Spanish Verb Poder As one of the most common verbs in Spanish, poder means to be able; in its conjugated forms it is frequently translated as can or could. But partly because the English could can refer to the past, present or future, and partly because the preterite and conditional tenses of poder are often interchangeable, the use of poder isnt always straightforward. Like its English counterparts can and could, poder functions as an auxiliary verb, although in Spanish it is followed by an infinitive. With a few exceptions, most of which dont have counterparts in English, it cant stand alone. Keep in mind that poder is irregular. The -o- in the stem changes to -u- or -ue- when stressed, and the ending is shortened in the future and conditional tenses. Here are the various ways poder is used: In the Present Tense To Mean ‘Can’ or ‘May’ The present-tense forms of poder indicate the ability, either physical ability or having permission, to do something. It is distinguished from saber, which means to know how. Thus, while one may ask,  ¿Puedes tocar el piano hoy? (Can you play the piano today?), one normally would ask,  ¿Sabes tocar el piano? (Can you play the piano? or Do you know how to play the piano?). Puedo hacer lo que quiero. (I can do what I want.)No puede trabajar los domingos. (She cant work on Sundays.)No puedo ir al cine. (I cant go to the movies.) In the Future Tense To Mean ‘Will Be Able’​​ This is similar in usage to the present tense. Podrà © hacer lo que quiero. (Ill be able to do what I want.) No podr trabajar los domingos. (She wont be able to work on Sundays.) No podrà © ir al cine. (I wont be able to go to the movies.) In the Preterite or Imperfect To Mean ‘Could’ or ‘Was Able’ Which tense you use depends on whether the reference is to a one-time event (preterite) or something occurring over a period of time (imperfect). In the preterite, poder can have the sense of to manage to. Pudo salir. (He managed to leave.)No podà ­a salir. (He was unable to leave.)No pudo trabajar porque dormà ­a. (She couldnt work (that particular time) because she was sleeping.)No podà ­a trabajar porque dormà ­a con frecuencia. (She couldnt work because she was often sleeping.) To Make Polite Requests​​ As in English, such requests are made in the form of a question. Usually the conditional form of poder is used, but (while it may seem illogical) the imperfect also can be used.  ¿Podrà ­as darme un lpiz? (Could you give me a pencil?)  ¿Podà ­as darme un lpiz? (Could you give me a pencil?)  ¿Podrà ­a lavarme usted los platos? (Could you wash the dishes for me?)  ¿Podà ­a lavarme usted los platos? (Could you wash the dishes for me?) To Express Possibility or Suggestions​​ Either could, may, or might can be used to translate poder when it is used to indicate a possibility or offer a suggestion. In such cases, either the conditional form of poder or (again, seemingly illogically) the imperfect can be used. The imperfect form may be understood as more colloquial. Podrà ­amos ir al cine. (We could go to the movies.)Podà ­amos ir al cine. (We could go to the movies.)Podà ­a no haber salido. (He might not have left.)Podrà ­a no haber salido. (He might not have left.) To Express What Could Have Happened but Didn’t​​ The preterite is usually used in such cases, although the conditional can be used when directly criticizing somebody. Pudo salir a las tres. (She could have left at 3 oclock.)Pienso en lo que pudo ser. (Im thinking about what might have been.)Me lo podà ­as haber dicho. (You could have told me.) Poder  as a Noun The noun  poder  means power or authority. The adjective form is  poderoso, powerful. Related terms include  potente  (potent or powerful),  potencia  (power, potency, strength) and  potencial  (potential). Poder  Standing Alone as a Verb These are the main exceptions to the rule that  poder  must be followed by an infinitive: When the infinitive is implied by the context.  No  puedo.  (I cant.)  ¿Quià ©n  puede  ms? (Who can do more?)In the impersonal expression  puede  que, usually followed by a verb in the subjunctive, meaning perhaps or it is possible.  Puede  que  salga.  (Perhaps he will leave.)In the expression  poder  con, translated in various ways such as to manage or to cope.  No  puedo  con  ella. (I cant handle her.)  No  puedo  con  el  enojo.  (I cant deal with the anger.)In various expressions where it means roughly could do. La curiosidad pudo ms que el miedo (roughly, his curiosity overcame his fear).  No  pude  menos  que  dar gracias.  (I couldnt do anything less than giving thanks.)In the idiom  a ms no  poder, which means as much as possible or to the utmost. Jugaba a ms no poder.  (He played as hard as he could.)  Es  feo  a ms no  poder.  (Its as ugly as could be.)In the expression  Ã‚ ¿Se  puede?, mean ing Can I come in? Key Takeaways Although poder can be used alone, it most often is used an auxilary verb to mean can or be able to.As an auxiliary verb, poder is followed by an infinitive.The infinitive form, poder, can be used as a noun to refer to power or authority.

Mangrove Habitat Profile

Mangrove Habitat Profile Their unusual, dangling roots make mangroves look like trees on stilts. The term mangrove can be used to refer to certain species of trees or shrubs, a habitat or a swamp. This article focuses on the definition of mangroves and mangrove swamps, where mangroves are located and marine species you can find in mangroves.   What Is a Mangrove? Mangrove plants are halophytic (salt-tolerant) plant species, of which there are more than 12 families and 80 species worldwide. A collection of mangrove trees in an area makes up a mangrove habitat, mangrove swamp or mangrove forest.   Mangrove trees have a tangle of roots which are often exposed above water, leading to the nickname â€Å"walking trees.† Where Are Mangrove Swamps? Mangrove trees grow in  intertidal  or estuarine areas. They are found in warmer areas between the latitudes of 32 degrees north and 38 degrees south, as they need to live in areas where the average annual temperature is above 66 degrees Fahrenheit. It is thought that mangroves were originally found in southeast Asia, but have been disbursed around the world and are now found  along the tropical and subtropical coasts of Africa, Australia, Asia, and North and South America.  In the U.S., mangroves are commonly found in Florida. Mangrove Adaptations The roots of mangrove plants are  adapted  to filter salt water, and their leaves can excrete salt, allowing them to survive where other land plants cannot. Leaves that fall off the trees provide food for inhabitants and breakdown to provide nutrients to the habitat.   Why Are Mangroves Important? Mangroves are an important habitat. These areas provide food, shelter and nursery areas for fish, birds, crustaceans and other marine life. They also provide a source of livelihood for many humans around the world, including wood for fuel, charcoal and timber and areas for fishing. Mangroves also form a buffer that defends coastlines from flooding and erosion. What Marine Life Are Found in Mangroves? Many types of marine and terrestrial life utilize mangroves. Animals inhabit the mangrove’s leafy canopy and waters underneath the mangrove’s root system and live in nearby tidal waters and mudflats. In the U.S., larger species found in mangroves include reptiles such as the American crocodile and American alligator; sea turtles including the hawksbill, Ridley, green and loggerhead; fish such as snapper, tarpon, jack, sheepshead, and red drum; crustaceans such as shrimp and crabs; and coastal and migratory birds such as pelicans, spoonbills and bald eagles. In addition, less-visible species such as insects and crustaceans live among the roots and branches of the mangrove plants. Threats to Mangroves: Natural threats to mangroves include hurricanes, root clogging from increased water turbidity, and damage from boring organisms and parasites.Human impacts on mangroves have been severe in some places, and include dredging, filling, diking, oil spills, and runoff of human waste and herbicides. Some coastal development results in total loss of habitat. Conservation of mangroves is important for the survival of mangrove species, humans and also for the survival of two other habitats – coral reefs and seagrass beds. References and Further Information: American Museum of Natural History. What Is a Mangrove? And How Does it Work?. Accessed June 30, 2015.Coulombe, D. A. 1984. The Seaside Naturalist. Simon Schuster. 246pp.Law, Beverly E. and Nancy P. Arny. â€Å"Mangroves-Florida’s Coastal Trees†. University of Florida Cooperative Extension Service. Retrieved online October 17, 2008 (as of August 2010, the document appears to no longer be online).

Organizational Leadership Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words

Organizational Leadership - Term Paper Example Description of situation The organizational transformation Before moving into the realms of the organizational transformation a clear picture of the main parameters regarding the organization entails a necessary significance. The prime parameters encircling the transformation of the organization depend upon people, technology and structure (School of Business, n.d). People Connection to the external environment is done by the people and people are the holders of multi identity in different environment. People can be directly influenced by the external environment despite the fact that the public pressure groups or culture can divert the people’s behavior and attitudes. So people play a dominant role in the organizational transformation. To what extent people play an important part in the company profile of Hewlett Packard (HP) will be discussed in the analysis section (School of Business, n.d). Technology: Technology plays a significant role in the discussion of transformation of organization. Depending upon the complexity and level of technology adopted by the competitors firms must formulate its strategies accordingly in order to develop its technology and simultaneously formulate the profit structure. Although the main concern will be to look upon development of technology depending upon the customers’ need (School of Business, n.d). Structure: The structure of the organization is usually affected by the external environment. It has been found out that when external environment is highly skeptical or uncertain then the optimal requirement is to adjust the internal environment and make it flexible so that it can easily adapt to the... From the discussion it is clear that considering the complex transformation of today’s nature and economy of market the transformation of the business organization has become a very common issue. So the issue of transformation in the organizational leadership in Hewlett Packard will be the prime focus in this paper.As the paper stresses  connection to the external environment is done by the people and people are the holders of multi identity in different environment. People can be directly influenced by the external environment despite the fact that the public pressure groups or culture can divert the people’s behavior and attitudes. So people play a dominant role in the organizational transformation. To what extent people play an important part in the company profile of Hewlett Packard (HP) will be discussed in the analysis section.  Technology plays a significant role in the discussion of transformation of organization. Depending upon the complexity and level of t echnology adopted by the competitors firms must formulate its strategies accordingly in order to develop its technology and simultaneously formulate the profit structure. Although the main concern will be to look upon development of technology depending upon the customers’ need.  The structure of the organization is usually affected by the external environment. It has been found out that when external environment is highly skeptical or uncertain then the optimal requirement is to adjust the internal environment and make it flexible so that it can easily adapt to the uncertainties of the environment.

Write four articles based on four press releases Assignment

Write four articles based on four press releases - Assignment Example All around the globe, air travel security, was changed to curb terrorism, world leaders and many other citizens paused to reflect the events to commemorate the victims of the al-Qaeda. At around 8:46 am E.T there was a moment of silence for 17 minutes, they are the exact time when the air lines flight 11 and airlines 175 were hijacked by nine men conspired in al-Qaeda plot which slammed twin towers. Retired police department of New York still remembers his wife and his fellow officers, the only female who died at the twin towers. She was on duty several kilometers away, when she heard a jet slammed into the world business center before she went to assist the south tower collapsed, and she killed. It is a reminder that menace still remains 10 years after thousands of people were killed, and four months after their leader were killed by the US special force. The article was from the CBC world news which reminds the Americans about a day they will live to remember. A trusted courier to bin laden, who had been followed by the American spies, was finally located in a residential area 35 mile to the north of Pakistani capital. The property was so large and secure making US officials doubt whether it was built for just a courier. This was followed by eight months of serious intelligence works that lead to a helicopter assault that saw the death of bin laden on a Sunday. American officials have it that he was shot in the head and that one of his sons died with him (Michael, 2007). This operation had been an American army highest priority operation. The CIA monitored the operations on a 12-foot-high mansion valued at $1 million with neither an internet connection nor a telephone line. The CIA believed that this building was specially built, in 2005, to hide bin laden. Mr. Obama hold various security meeting before the final plans were put in place. The Pakistani government was not involved as they had previously denied claims that Osama

Dow Chemical Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words

Dow Chemical - Research Paper Example In addition, Dow has announced plans to invest in facility in Saudi Arabia for DOWâ„ ¢ FILMTECâ„ ¢ reverse osmosis elements. The company is also considering building two new plants in Map Ta Phut, Thailand, and Schkopau, Germany. To reflect Dow’s disciplined portfolio management and strategy to focus on higher-value performance businesses, the company has decided to sale its global Polypropylene business to Braskem SA and in the third quarter of the financial year Dow AgroSciences and M.S. Technologies LLC have announced a submission to the U.S. Department of Agriculture for approval of the first-ever three-gene herbicide-tolerant soybean. Dow is named to Dow Jones Sustainability World Index 11th time since the index was launched. Dow has improved its rating from last year and has thus achieved the highest score in the chemical sector. In the last quarter of the financial year, Dow launched its DOW POWERHOUSEâ„ ¢ Solar Shingle to U.S. markets, starting in Colorado and expanding into targeted states through 2012. Joint venture of Dow, SCG-Dow Group, has started its propylene oxide facility in Thailand using innovative hydrogen peroxide to propylene oxide technology. To enhance innovation collaboration between two companies, Dow and Haier Group have agreed to establish the Haier-Dow Global Joint Innovation Laboratory in China. Response to Part E Following its strategy of global exposure, Dow Electronic Materials announced the formation of a new business to capture current and future demand for light-emitting diodes (LEDs) and the construction for a manufacturing and testing facility for metallization materials is underway in Korea. To strengthen research in important scientific fields, Dow announced 11 year, $25 million-per-year investment in programs with 11 leading U.S. universities, supporting every individual related to the program and enabling resources to face the world’s leading challenges. Dow Chemicals has developed itself into a b illion dollars worth of Multinational Corporation through its expansion strategy. With wider greater geographic reach, the company is now reaching fast growing markets in various parts of the world. These areas include China, Southeast Asia, Latin America and the Middle East.  The company has its footsteps in four continents of the world and its business operations appear to be growing at a rapid pace. In the financial year 2011, the company has started project in several parts of the globe to accelerate growth in their downstream business. These projects are turning out to be highly cost savings projects. In the financial year 2011 the company achieved record sales in the developing economies all around the globe. For instance, in China the company’s sales reached a staggering $ 4.5 billion during the last financial year which is the best figures yet for the country from any offshore operations. Moreover, the company is steadfast and committed to its goal of 35% of revenue s from developing economies of the world by the end of the current financial year. Currently the major chunk of the company’s revenue comes from Europe, Middle East and Africa which accounts for 35% of the global sale of the company having more than 57 manufacturing sites all across these areas. Another 35% of the revenue is generated through North America where the company has 65 manufacturing sites and has employees more than 26,000 employees. The last thirty of the revenue comes from

Learning disabilities Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Learning disabilities - Research Paper Example Some of the primary characteristics presented by students with learning disabilities include: trouble maintaining attention regardless of distractions; inadequate memory and learning strategies; poor reading skills and poor sense of motivation for academic activities (Graves & Ward, 2012). Learning disabilities typically manifest themselves differently in students at various education levels such as elementary and high schools. In elementary school, students with learning disabilities exhibit poor motor skills, attention and typically show difficulty learning basic skills. However, at the high school level, learning disabilities are exhibited through emotional difficulties on top of the normal emotional issues associated with adolescence (Bowen & Rude, 2006). ... For high school students with learning disabilities, academic success may seem like an unattainable fete. Although learning disabilities are the most common among high school students, other forms of disabilities, including, physical, emotional instability and mental disability are also quite prevalent (Graves & Ward, 2012). Today, high school students with disabilities (SWD) are placed in inclusive education classes where they are expected to learn, read and pass standardized tests and examinations at the same level as non-disabled students. Standardized testing encompasses the use of testing approaches and instruments administered and scored in a consistent and preset manner. Typically, students with disabilities placed in inclusive education classes perform rather dismally on standardized test, thus do not demonstrate year to year progress on such tests (West, Leon-Guerrero & Stevens, 2007). As a consequence, students with disabilities exhibit repeated test failures as a result of failure to complete assignments, failing the course due to inadequate comprehension of the material and ultimately due to excessive absences caused by their disabilities. Problem Documentation From previous research findings, it is clear that there are diverse advantages to including students with disabilities in classrooms with typically developing students. One of the greatest benefits is that students with disabilities are able to learn from their peers as non-disabled students can act as role models (Garnett, 2010). This encourages disabled students and instigates rapid progress as children learn most and best from their peers. In addition, inclusion enlightens typically developing children regarding disabilities, thus showing that they should not be

The Developmental Process of Clinical Supervisors Essay

The Developmental Process of Clinical Supervisors - Essay Example Newly qualified dentists, also known as foundation dentists, are supervised for a period of one year.     Ã‚  Supervision is an extensive practice that applies and fits various contexts differently. In the clinical setting, the ultimate objective of supervision is to enhance the knowledge and skill base of the supervisee. In so doing, the practitioner realizes all-around competitiveness in his/her line of professionalism. In order to achieve the desired results, the adopted supervisory practices should fit the relationship between the supervisor and the supervisee. Over and above this, the supervision process has to be effective, an aspect that is greatly influenced by the supervisor.   Regardless of the context within which the supervisor and the supervisee interact, the supervisor should discharge his/her role effectively. In order to ensure that the supervisory process runs smoothly, a functional relationship has to be established between the parties involved. Failure to do this could often result in complexities that are likely to derail the entire process. In the clinical context, the situation is even more critical due to the factoring in of the patients or clients. Clinical practitioners do not only have to worry about the supervisor and the supervisee, but also the patient or client who is essentially the central concern in the whole process.   Supervision in the clinical setting develops the supervisee and consequently, impacts on other parties, say the patients or clients. Healthcare provision is driven by health care practitioners for the benefit of patients and clients.

Project management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 18

Project management - Essay Example I could not concentrate long enough to think of any contribution to make to the group and I even forgot the basic steps of the theory which we had been taught to act as a guide. My group members however came to my rescue and did all the work at this stage. I cannot up to date be able to explain how the process of strategizing took place exactly and even had to read about it later on in order to understand and be able to move onto the next step (Kendrick, 2010). The strategizing part was not over yet as we had to continue with additional planning which mostly dealt with marketing planning and strategizing on the different ways to campaign. This involved a lot of team work to brainstorm the perfect ideas for marketing campaign which would gain the maximum support and attract the target group was hoping to attract at that time. The fact I had a little previous knowledge in marketing was a huge contribution to the group and to this stage in our project (Levine, 2002). There had to be recruitment and training which was still our responsibility and this was really stressful to find over twenty members of staff who had the right qualification, right energy and determination to work in the project and who shared the same enthusiasm and willingness to spend long hours even without pay working for the success of the project. This process took longer than was expected or even accounted for in our timeline and hence affected the whole project despite the fact that we rushed some of the steps such as budgeting (Termini, 2009). The budgeting step was my area of specialty as I am good at approximation of costs and making mini budgets for personal reasons. I therefore was confident about assisting the team in this step and since we knew what we wanted and where we would get them from in terms of materials, the budgeting stage was smooth. This taught me that having prior

The Developmental Process of Clinical Supervisors Essay

The Developmental Process of Clinical Supervisors - Essay Example Newly qualified dentists, also known as foundation dentists, are supervised for a period of one year.     Ã‚  Supervision is an extensive practice that applies and fits various contexts differently. In the clinical setting, the ultimate objective of supervision is to enhance the knowledge and skill base of the supervisee. In so doing, the practitioner realizes all-around competitiveness in his/her line of professionalism. In order to achieve the desired results, the adopted supervisory practices should fit the relationship between the supervisor and the supervisee. Over and above this, the supervision process has to be effective, an aspect that is greatly influenced by the supervisor.   Regardless of the context within which the supervisor and the supervisee interact, the supervisor should discharge his/her role effectively. In order to ensure that the supervisory process runs smoothly, a functional relationship has to be established between the parties involved. Failure to do this could often result in complexities that are likely to derail the entire process. In the clinical context, the situation is even more critical due to the factoring in of the patients or clients. Clinical practitioners do not only have to worry about the supervisor and the supervisee, but also the patient or client who is essentially the central concern in the whole process.   Supervision in the clinical setting develops the supervisee and consequently, impacts on other parties, say the patients or clients. Healthcare provision is driven by health care practitioners for the benefit of patients and clients.

Business and Ethics. Which global dimensions of collective existence Essay

Business and Ethics. Which global dimensions of collective existence are more often cited in moral considerations of global busi - Essay Example All moral ethics should be considered while developing the structure of an organization. This is the key to success for firms and it will make them flourish in the international market. â€Å"Indeed there are several factors triggering international convergence of ethical standards and ethical perceptions. A variety of initiatives by MNC’s, non governmental organizations, governments and international organizations have promoted this tendency. These efforts, along with the critical role of information technology in disseminating news and practices around the world, have elevated the forces working towards universal forms† (Yadong Luo, 2007, P. 207). Although due to globalization world now faces many challenges including the migration and condition children. The current process of globalization has impacted on patterns ad processes of transnational labour migration and has more recently led to increase in labour migration. Migration has bought about many opportunities fo r different family members. it is common that older family members finds it difficult to adjust t a new culture living style but children finds experience such a situation differently. Some of them easily cope up with the situation easily but others may find it difficult to adapt to such a situation. The migration can have mixed experiences. A recent survey points out that children of the same area have different experience on migration. But a common fact is that when migration is occurred from normally under developed section to developed area with aim a livelihood, the experience is rough for most of the families especially for children. Such situation ca mainly leads to child labour, rough, long working conditions and under payment. â€Å"The brief survey of the current wave of globalization on children shows just how large are the transformational in so many critical parts of the ordinary life† (Kaufman & Rizzini, 2002, P.16). Line of Argumentation: With the present situa tion of labour and the condition of the migrant labour it is necessary to consider the life of the people who suffers from the worst side of all these. With globalization the purpose of migration is mainly employment and the migrant labour especially children are suffering from the change situation. So it is important consider the moral values behind these process in order to protect the people from all these. â€Å"Under contemporary globalization, international labour mobility has increased, while levels of exploitation and deregulation have accelerated. Lack of legal protection for migrant workers heightens their attractiveness as instruments of 'maintaining competitiveness' because they are obliged to work in situations where decent work conditions are not enforced. Irregular migrants are especially vulnerable because the threat of apprehension and deportation thwarts unionizing and exposure of dangerous working conditions† (Taran & Geronimi, 2003). For an organization to be successful in the global market, internal and external issues regarding the organization as well the migrant labour and their families is to be considered. â€Å"From the perspective of social responsibility, business ethics embodies standards, norms and expectations that reflect a concern of major stake holders including consumers, employees, share holders, suppliers, competitors and the community†

Compare and Contrast of Agriculture Technology Between hang Dynasty and Han Dynasty Essay Example for Free

Compare and Contrast of Agriculture Technology Between hang Dynasty and Han Dynasty Essay For the past five thousand years, human civilizations have existed on the earth and constantly reforming and contributing to our society. The excellences human made are unprecedented, and the experience theses civilizations cumulated can also be continuously studied by the people nowadays. This year, we learnt many great civilizations, among the civilizations in ancient China, the Shang dynasty and the Han dynasty are the most outstanding civilizations. Their cultures are distinct and their contributions are tremendous. Although now we can find their stories, cultures and inventions only on history books, their contributions and achievements are still having deep affection to us. Agriculture is a very significant part of a civilization. Without agriculture, making progress is impossible. Agriculture is the foundation of everything. Agriculture is a good reflection of science and technology in a civilization. During the comparing and contrasting of the agriculture of Shang dynasty and Han dynasty, we can get a deeper understanding of the great knowledge and intelligent of the people of the two dynasties. We can also discover the development and progress they have made. The Shang dynasty is the second dynasty in Chinese history. The Shang Dynasty last from 1600 B. C. to 1046 B. C. and experienced three big stages. The Han dynasty can be divided into two historical period which are western Han dynasty (202 B. C. to 9 A. D. ) and eastern Han dynasty (25A. D. to 220 A. D. ) Both Shang dynasty and Han dynasty are important civilization in Chinese history. Also, both dynasties made big breakthrough in agriculture. From the research of a large number of archaeological material and oracle records, archaeologists concluded that the Shang dynasty is operating mostly on agriculture. Although at that time, the handicraft industry has been developed, agriculture is still the ifeline of the economy during Shang dynasty. Basically, the main type of agriculture during Shang dynasty was glebe farming, and in the southward of Shang dynasty, which is the Yangtze River area, the popular agriculture type was paddy fields farming. A very important reason that stimulates the development of agricultural technology during the Shang dynasty is the development of bronze industry. During Shang dynasty, the bronze industry developed very quickly. Especially in the late Shang dynasty, the development of bronze industry came into its own stage. The appearance of bronze tools made the agricultural technology developed quickly. The question that most people will concern is that how did people in Shang dynasty make bronze tools? It is true that it was a very hard process for people in the Shang dynasty to make bronze tools. So, at the beginning, the amounts of bronze tools are very limited. People in the Shang dynasty usually use carpentry tools including knife, adz, and axes to make bronze tools. In the middle Shang period, craftsmen can already made variety kinds of bronze tools like shovels, Jues, adz. However, at that time, there were no enough sources of cooper metal compared with sources of stone tools; also, the process of making bronze tools is complicated. As the result, in the middle period of Shang dynasty, bronze tools were not widely used. Also, most of the bronze tools were under the control of agricultural officers. Civilians and slaves cannot have these bronze tools. They can only use the heavy farm tools like stone spade, axes. Then, at the late period of the Shang dynasty, this problem got solved because of the expansion of the production scale. At the same time, the appearance of irrigation technology and the strict management also helped to make the development of the agriculture in the Shang dynasty. As the main production department during the Shang dynasty, the developed agricultural technology provided the society with lots of food, in this way, a large number of people leave the career of agricultural production and began to work in other aspects for example business people, officers, soldiers, professional producers and so on. The government of Han dynasty put lots of effort on the restore and development of agricultural. Han dynasty began after the perish of Qin dynasty. At the beginning of the Han dynasty, because of the long period of wars occur during the late period of the Qin dynasty, the agricultural and economy paralyzed. The people died in the wars are mostly farmers, as a result, the labor decrease and there‘s not enough people to take care of the cropland. At that time, the total population went straight down from 20 million to 8 million. Emperor Gaozu of Han solved these problems and agriculture of Han dynasty restored and developed very quickly. There were lots of innovations and invention of agriculture during the Han dynasty. These achievements can be divided into three aspects. Firstly, there are huge developments towards the irrigation. Secondly, there are improvements of agricultural tools and technology. The third one is the cultivation of crops and vegetables. At the beginning of the Han dynasty, there are flood from upstream the Yellow River every year. It is a big hazard to the residents who lived in the downstream of the Yellow River. Their croplands got destroyed and some of them lost their houses. Emperor Wudi of Han lead his people solved this problem. Thirty thousand people work together to remove the siltation of the river and planted trees on the upstream of the river. After this recuperation, there was no big flood occurred in the Yellow River. There are lots of interesting and useful inventions during the Han dynasty. Above is agriculture equipment called Libi. Libi is a plow equipped with a double moldboard. People put Libi on a plough can turns up the soil on each side of the furrow. With the Libi, the efficiency of cultivation increase. The application of Libi is a big improvement in agriculture. Also, it is nearly 1000 years earlier than Europe of using the similar thing. Above is another invention which is called Lou. It is an animal- drawn seed plough. It has three feed. With Lou, people can do cultivation job three rows at a time. Lou can do three tasks: opening ditches, sowing, covering with soil at one time. Lou made farmers during the Han dynasty save much times and did more works. Lou increased the efficiency of the busy working farmers. The popularization of cultivation works with cattle would be another development on agriculture during the Han Dynasty. At that time, the most popular ways of cultivation are two people with three cattle and one people with two cattle. The ways that cultivation using cattle made people worked easily. The third achievement that we mentioned above is the cultivation crops and vegetables. Firstly, people made the cultivation of crops regionalized. In the northern area, people grew wheat, and In the Yangtze River area and Southern area, people grew rice. Also then the scales of the cultivation get larger. Another impressive improvement on agriculture is the cultivation of vegetables. During the Han dynasty, people already has variety chooses of vegetables including the vegetables we usually eat now like celeries, carrot, taro, green onion, garlic and so on. The most amazing thing is that during Han dynasty, people already learnt to grow vegetables in the greenhouse. During the eastern Han period, there were over 20 kinds of vegetables grew in the greenhouse. The use of greenhouse is one thousand years earlier than Europe. The biggest difference of agriculture between Shang Dynasty and Han Dynasty is the mode of production. Shang dynasty is a slavery society, slaves worked collectively. Also, During Shang dynasty, the croplands were all belonged to the emperor of Shang, and he put the land law of serf society into practice. As the image show above, at that time, the roads and channel crisscross and partitioned the cropland into squares. The emperor of Shang forced people work on the cropland. The outside parts are private fields and the inside part is public field. On the opposite, during the Han dynasty, people live and cultivation in the unit of a family. People have their own croplands. This kind of mode of production was usually described as small-scale farming by individual owners. Nowadays, in the remote mountain area or countryside, people are still using this kind of mode of production. A question may come out, why the first kind of production mode didn’t last long and in the contrary the second kind of production mode last till today. In my opinion, in the Shang dynasty’s example, people don’t have their own croplands. They work hard but the wheat and rice that come out of the croplands did not belongs to them, so they are not satisfy with the works they are doing. In contrast, with the second kind of mode of production, people are glad because if they put more effort, they will get more payback, so they are satisfy with their works and willing to do better. From the analyzing of the agriculture technology and development of Shang dynasty and Han dynasty, we can certainly conclude that the development in agriculture of both dynasties are significant and they both show their incredible intelligence to us. Their inventions and new ideas gave us inspirations. We can also see the huge improvement from Shang dynasty to Han dynasty in the 800 years. Their progresses are starling.

Information Technology and the Other Degree Programs :: essays research papers

Information Technology and the Other Degree Programs Introduction This paper is primarily about the Information Technology Department and how the Information Systems, the Computer Science Departments, and Computer Engineering courses relate to Information Technology. Each of these specialties has their similarities and differences to the Information Technology department. Georgia Southern University has a strong College of Information Technology, which offers three disciplines, which are the Computer Science Department, the Information Systems Department, and the Information Technology Department. Information Technology, according to the Information Technology handout in class, can best be defined by â€Å"The typically electronic tools and techniques for gathering, storing, manipulating, and analyzing, and communicating information† (â€Å"Information Technology† handout from Web CT pg 2). Information Technology technicians sometimes overlap with Computer Engineering, Information Systems, and Computer Science departments. Students wishing to major in Information Technology must take a second discipline. This builds knowledge in other areas as they pertain to Information Technology. There is an internship that students must take, but receive no credit. There are fewer maths, and less programming, and there are no business classes in this area of specialization unless the second discipline is a business course. The Information Technology curriculum overlaps Computer Science, and Information Systems curriculum. Information Technology majors graduate with a Bachelor s of Science degree. Computer Engineering is the designing and building of the hardware for the actual computer. Georgia Southern University has no specific degree for a Computer Engineer. They have several engineering programs in the School of Technology that students can get an engineering degree and go on to become a Computer Engineer. Computer Engineers take more math than Information Technology majors. The Information Technology majors must take a second discipline, while Computer Engineers majors do not have to take a second discipline. Computer Engineering majors graduate with a Bachelor of Arts degree. Information Systems primarily deals with business, and uses technology to enhance business and creates solutions for business. Increasingly there is a stronger bond between technology and business. The Information Systems technician understands that bond, and is able to translate for technology and business. Information Systems majors do not take any Information Technology classes. Information Systems has many more business classes than the Information Technology curriculum, which basically has no business classes. Information Systems graduate with a Bachelors of Business Administration, instead of a Bachelors of Science degree. Computer Science is primarily about programming. The Computer Science department takes many more programming classes, and puts strong emphasis on Java, which is a high level machine language.

Global Workforce Integration Essay -- Labor Outsourcing Integrating Es

Global Workforce Integration Outsourcing, offshoring, and workforce globalization. Those words were voiced late 1999 in Seattle inside and outside the World Trade Organization meeting. Damages in Seattle amounted to $2.5 million, and 500 plus protesters were arrested. 3 In those days, outsourcing was about moving manufacturing jobs to developing countries to take advantage of the lower salary there. The affected blue-collar US workers were acting violently out of anger and frustration since their jobs were taken away. White collar population didn ¡Ã‚ ¯t voice any opinions about the issue back then, since US had the largest demand for white collar workers. Today, white collar workers are feeling the pressure of outsourcing in America and starting to discuss the matter seriously. According to researchers at UC Berkeley, 1 in 10 current job positions in the US can be outsourced, while 1 in 6 Silicon Valley jobs are vulnerable to outsourcing. 4 Since software facilitates the white collar job outsourcing and software development is one field most prone to outsourcing, I will focus on the outsourcing issues related to software. I have chosen three specific computer companies  ¨C Peoplesoft, Oracle, HP  ¨C to discuss their outsourcing trends and make inferences about the global effects. In the end, I hope to arrive at a decision about outsourcing from the ethical analysis of the outsourcing issue. But first, let ¡Ã‚ ¯s have a look at why outsourcing is being applied to white collar job positions today. Why Outsource? A major reason for outsourcing is pay difference. Even though we have currency exchange rates between different countries ¡Ã‚ ¯ currencies, the exchange rates are only for monetary values and don ¡Ã‚ ¯t sh... ... d=20040221 3. Seattle Post-Intelligencer, The WTO Legacy, http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/wto/ 4. San Francisco Chronicle, Looking Offshore, Feb 7th, 2004, http://www.sfgate.com/cgi- bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/2004/03/07/BUGMJ5FA9G1.DTL 5. Yahoo Currency, http://finance.yahoo.com/m5?a=1&s=USD&t=CNY 6. SFC 7. SFC 8. A. Aneesh, Programming Globalization: Technological Modes of Labor Integration, forthcoming 9. WebEx, http://www.webex.com 10. SFC 11. SFC 12. SFC 13. SFC 14. SFC 15. NEELESH MISRA, Associated Press Writer, Yahoo News, March 12th, 2004, http://story.news.yahoo.com/news? tmpl=story&u=/ap/20040312/ap_on_bi_ge/india_outsourcing_1 16. SFC 17. SFC 18. SCU, Engineering Handbook - Ethics, http://cseserv.engr.scu.edu/NQuinn/COEN288/EngrHandbook_Ethics.pdf 19. SCU 20. SCU

‘Of Mice and Men’: the relationship between Curley and Curley’s wife Essay

In the novel ‘Of Mice and Men’, the relationship between Curley and Curley’s wife is very unstable lacking communication, love and respect. Additionally neither one showed attention for one enough, Curley liked to believe his wife was a possession this is shown by the quote ‘’you seen a girl around here? He demanded angrily’’ also ‘’ Go back home’’. These quotes implies that Curley is an extremely restless and always looking for her, furthermore he is an aggressive man, ordering people and getting away with it being the Boss’s son. In the relationship neither one is happy, Curley’s wife is flirtatious by ‘putting her self-out there’ and ‘kicking her legs about’ which shows that she is lonely and lacking the attention needed. But, this must have been expected being the only women on the ranch. She also likes to manipulate and intimidate Curley which drives him crazy, but s he enjoyed it, because it provided her power. Even though Curley’s wife despised Curley she could never leave him. In the 1930’s, the year this novel was set, once married the women became the man’s belonging, and the women’s belongings also became his such as; money, clothes etc. Curley does care about his wife but is shown in an unexpected way, for example when Curley is trying to find her and being restless till he succeeds to do so. Even Whit tells him this by saying ‘’yella-jackets in his drawers’’ this means that Whit’s implying that Curley has ants in his pants. Curley could be seen in either of two perspectives, either him being protective to her and being paranoid and not wanting to lose her to ‘lower’ class with-in the ranch. Alternatively people can see this as being controlling her, wanting to know where she is every second of the day. Curley’s wife married Curley the day they meet, which can be seen as love at first sight or on the other hand a way to escape from her mum. Which was shown for by his wife; she had only married him because she didn’t get a letter from a guy to get her into Hollywood to gain her a step closer to becoming an actress there. She believed her ‘’o’l’lady stole it’’ which made Curley’s wife resentful. Moreover a lot of people from the 1930’s would have gone to see movies in Hollywood as w way to escape the reality of the depression if it could be afforded. And mass entertainment also a multi-million dollar industry additionally huge cinemas were built which could seat more people. Hollywood became a major film-making centre.

The Cultural Anchoring Of Leadership Styles

With globalisation and related intensification of trade and commerce effective leadership has become indispensable in the business world. Where traditionally the business leader took the role of commanding â€Å"the troops† towards effectiveness and efficiency this has changed dramatically over the last decades. The service industry rise, knowledge management trends, increased workforce diversity combined with international trading and global sourcing of talent, has considerably reshaped the role of the leader in the contemporary organisation.Numerous firms are in global alliances depending upon flexibility/adaptability to local markets, requiring their managers to possess appropriate leadership styles to cope effectively with different value systems and cultures (Fahy, 2002; Coviello et al. , 1998). 2Arguably, the flattening of hierarchical structures has also contributed to this reshaping process as traditional sources of authority, upon which leaders have built on for years , have been diminished.Combined with the rise of new trading powers such as the â€Å"Asian Dragon†, business leaders, especially in international MNEs do not only face domestic multiculturalism and diversity but are also increasingly expatriated. Consequently completely new cultural pitfalls and challenges are faced requiring understanding of cultural values as well as quick cultural adaptation to transfer domestic leadership abilities into foreign markets. Combined with steadily rising competitive pressures, the contemporary business leader in a role not easily filled.Despite leadership being a universal concept (Bass, 1990), with most literature anchored in the (individualistically oriented) US, it has been questioned to what extend western leadership styles are cross-culturally transferable (Dorfman, 2003). Resultantly, debate has sparked over how far leadership is culturally contingent, if universal leadership qualities and tactics exist and what the explanatory variable s are (Scandura & Dorfman, 2004).This assignment aims at contributing towards this debate by exploring leadership disparity and possible congruence between the UK and Japan using academic measurement of national culture; Hofstede’s framework respectively. The next section will give an overview over the concept of leadership followed by an in-depth cultural comparison and concluding section. 4The term leadership incorporates some elements of controversy over its meaning and practices. Different cultural gist or terminology or in cross-cultural contexts makes a universal definition difficult (Yukl, 2002).This seems unsurprising as the understandings and expectations of authority roles differ between cultures. Nevertheless, despite cultural differences the majority of leadership definitions reflect some basic elements these manly being â€Å"group†, â€Å"influence† and â€Å"goal† (Bryman, 1992). Keeping this in mind, leadership can be seen as the â€Å"pr ocess of influencing others towards achieving some kind of desired outcome. † (De Jong & Den Hartog, 2007, p. 44) or bluntly spoken â€Å"leadership is the ability to get [people] to do what they don’t like to do and like it†Whilst this is a very basic attempt of a definition it allows for easier application in a cross-cultural context and highlights an important point: In order to lead one needs followers (Drucker, 2007). It is here where the inseparable link to power emerges whereby the power of leaders is largely dependent upon the perception of others (Hollander & Julian, 1969; Maurer & Lord, 1991; Pfeffer, 1977) but nevertheless forms the basis of leadership authority.It appears that only effective use of this power, combined with â€Å"leading by example† (Pfeffer, 1981) will result in positive and proactive guidance fostering creativity, innovation, commitment and long term organisational development. 6However, this is questionable and it seems that far too often in academic literature the terms â€Å"manager† and â€Å"leader† are merged giving a blurred picture of what each role actually entails. Readers should be reminded that leaders, unlike managers, do not have to rely on forms of power to influence subordinates, often actually relinquishing formal authoritarian control.This is due to the idea that to lead is to have followers, and following is always a voluntary activity. Nevertheless, it can be argued that even leaders need some foundation of authority; may it only be their charisma (Weber, 1968). This has been manifested in the participative, charismatic or transformative styles of leadership (Den Hartog & Koopman, 2001) as oppose to the transactional style more related to operational, task focused managers.Especially in western economies with predominant service industries, innovation and knowledge management, the former have been the focal point in recent years as autocratic leadership styles do no lon ger seem sufficient to extract the full potential of an increasingly knowledgeable, highly skilled and demanding workforce. Such, arguably â€Å"softer† approaches fostering employee involvement and participation have nevertheless been proven to result in increased organisational performance (Bass, 1996; 1997; House & Shamir, 1993) and are arguably more â€Å"ideal† forms of organisational leadership (Bass & Avolio, 1989).This might be applicable to western societies yet a cross-cultural generalisation might be prejudiced and the influence of personal values and cultural influences upon leadership styles should not be ignored (Byrne & Bradley, 2007). Rather, culture, an essential component of which is personal values (Kroeber, 1952; Kluckhohm, 1949), is to be seen at a centre stage when analysing leadership differences (George et al. , 1998; Nakata & Sivakumar, 1996; Steenkamp et al. , 1999; Cadogan et al. 2001), as t is â€Å"the collective programming of the mind wh ich distinguishes the members of one group or category of people from another† (Hofstede, 1980, p.260) and shape leadership preferences.Culture hereby should not be limited to national culture but has to be extended to incorporating organisational as well as political culture (Schein, 1985), the latter two arguably being extensively shaped by the former. Democratic or authoritarian political systems, national values regarding sex differences and ethical behaviour as well as organisational attitudes towards factors such as centralisation and work attitude, undoubtedly influence leadership styles.Not only will such factors shape leadership approaches, but with regard to cultural differences these will often even stand in conflict to each other. Consequently domestically implemented leadership approaches might not be applicable in other cultural settings and render ineffective in maintaining firm sustained competitive advantage and superior international performance (Kimber, 1997 ; Jackson and Aycan, 2001; Pfeffer, 2002).The next section will investigate the effect of cultural values upon leadership styles in detail using the U and Japan as examples. 9British leadership style has often been described as more casual in nature fostering teamwork and seeking group consensus (Lewis, 2001). As such, a more participative leadership style is predominant reflecting flatter hierarchical structures in UK organisations. So, hierarchical structures not primarily seem as means to establish authority structures (Laurent, 1983) but more as core administrative frameworks.This according to Hofstede (2001), is a reflection of the UK’s low association to Power Distance. Essentially, subordinates do not attribute much to position and title and leaders must â€Å"embody a collective will and take personal responsibility for it while continuing to communicate and co-operate with the team† (Mole, 1990, p. 105). Unsurprisingly, networking capability and people managem ent skills are highly valued in the UK (Stewart et al. 1994) as leadership qualities.Nevertheless, this (collectivist) team and people orientation is mainly seem as a path towards achieving organisational targets and innovation assuring individuals in team settings aggregate knowledge that has strategic relevance to the organisation (Miller &Morris, 1999). As such transformational leadership attitudes (Burns, 1978) can be seen where leaders are to create conditions under which subordinates devotedly contribute to the organisation yet this is done primarily through a strategic lens. (McCarthy, 2005).Nevertheless, the Anglo-Saxon system of shareholder satisfaction drives leaders towards task orientation often combined with a short-term outlook. As such quick, short-term organisational (financial) success is often more valued than long-term organisational success and relationship building, reflecting according to Hofstede, a culture of highly short term orientation and low uncertainty avoidance. Essentially, risks are seen as part of daily business practice and leadership approaches reflect that subordinates are given opportunity to implement potentially rewarding, but high risk, strategies.This shows that, despite team orientation and a one might say more relaxed, friendly and diplomatic leadership style, the British cannot deny their American leadership style influence, fostering structured individualism, speed and drive (Lewis, 2001). Falsely, m any authors seem to ignore this connection, even so influences of hire and fire mentality and the creating of specialist roles underlining a core individualistic attitude are undeniable reflecting British national, and interlinked to that, legal and organisational culture.Such individualistic attitude constantly resurfaces in leadership styles often portrayed through individual target setting, remuneration practices and shorter employment contracts. Employees do not look for lifetime employment and a steady career in o ne company resultantly British leaders are more reluctant to invest heavily in the training and education of subordinates (Schneider & Littrell, 2003). This continues to the often actively sought after and purposely created assertive and competitive environment amongst colleagues or departments reflecting a relatively high masculine attitude as Hofstede’s culture scale clearly outlines.While these attributes sketch general aspects of British leadership, styles will vary between organisations, industries and individuals. Service- or R&D intensive industries for example, will follow a more Theory Y (McGregor, 1960) approach fostering employee involvement and empowerment. Leadership on traditional manufacturing industries on the other hand due to their reliance on productivity and output combined with an often repetitive working atmosphere, might take a more Theory X attitude.In contrast to the UK, Japanese leadership, like many Asian countries, is grounded in Confucian principl es (Redding, 1990; Tan, 1986) and despite rising western influences, strong Confucian traits believing in moral, interpersonal relationships/loyalties, education and hard work still lurk beneath the surface (Lewis, 2001). Especially â€Å"taking the family as a model for society at large, Confucianism is basically authoritarian and stresses hierarchical and status differences† (Selmer, 2001, p.8).As such, through its vertically orientated hierarchies and rigid organisation (Chen, 1995) one would expect Japan to score higher than the UK in Hofstede’s power distance index, and so indeed it does. This offers leaders with traditional and legitimate power bases however, surprisingly not resulting in autocratic leadership styles as one would expect, but far more the association of assertiveness-authority and reason tactics (Schmidt & Yeh, 1992).As such, Japanese leadership style rewards subordinate respect and obedience with highly paternalistic attitudes, expressed by mendo u: â€Å"I think about your, I will take care of you† (Dorfman et al. 1997). Consequently, the Japanese leadership culture, despite placing emphasising hierarchy and status differences requiring full subordinate obedience, expects helping and caring for followers and being involved in their personal lives (Whitehall & Takezawa, 1968; Bass et al.1979).As a result the most powerful force of the Japanese leader is not autocracy but charisma combined with intrinsic rather than extrinsic (materialistic) reward mechanisms often predominant in the UK: bonuses, on-target-earnings, etc. (Maslow, 1943, 1954). This seems surprising considering the high masculine score, which, from a western perspective would result in autocratic, top down, assertive, tough and focused on material success (Hofstede, 1998) leadership.It is here where Hofstede’s framework seems to only partly explain the Japanese culture and low individualism but high masculinity and power distance stand in conflict with each other. 14Additionally, in such an environment more focus towards ascription rather than achievement would be expected (Trompenaars & Hampden-Turner, 1997, 2000). Nevertheless, the contrary appears in the Japanese context with leaders having to possess superior, often specific, (hard) knowledge supplemented by strong educational backgrounds (Nestler, 2008).Here another disparity to UK leadership emerges, where despite educational background being important for initial work placement, greater focus upon (soft) â€Å"people skills† and strategic directive is desired and ascription of leadership positions remains (Hampden-Turner & Trompenaars, 1994). 15The collectivist principles shape Japanese leadership style dramatically, requiring group consensus and decision-making despite extremely high masculinity and higher power distance.Essentially a â€Å"bottom-up† (ringsho) process of decision-making is chosen (Wu, 2006) with the leader granting independent decision making to the group generally letting subordinates use their own approaches to achieve overall collectivist objectives (Dorfman et al. 1997). This is surprising, as in western societies strong hierarchical structures often result in a â€Å"top-down† leadership approach but can be explained through high uncertainly avoidance collecting input and consensus from all parties involved before decisions are made.Even more so, the concepts of â€Å"wa† (maintaining social relationships) and â€Å"kao† (maintaining â€Å"face†) actually require the involvement of subordinates in the decision making process and the preservation of harmony rendering western leader contingent punishment behaviour inappropriate. It is here where Japanese leadership style diverts extensively from its UK (Anglo-Saxon) counterpart where public scrutinising is part of daily leadership practices reflecting a competitive and individualistic culture driven by short-term financial objective s with high-risk acceptance.Due to the collectivist environment and extensive future planning, Japanese managers on the other hand, do not view themselves as risk takers, despite this characteristic often being attributed to charismatic leaders (Bass, 1985). This is reflected in Japan’s extremely high uncertainty avoidance score and is further supported by strong long-term orientation valuing prevailing face and harmony. Unsurprisingly, life-long employment is desired, supplemented b continued job rotation aimed at developing employees.As a result leaders and subordinates enter into long and close relationships hardly ever interrupted contrasting the UK’s â€Å"burn out† environment fostering high staff turnover. Unlike in the UK, Japanese business leaders look for generalist employees capable of working in multiple levels of the organisation reflecting a society placing less value upon specialists than western cultures. 17Overall, Japanese leaders focus upon co llective (not individual) responsibility (Hayashi, 1988) and group harmony maintenance is usually considered more important than profitability and overall productivity (Bass, 1990).Nevertheless, also Japanese leaders have to drive performance resulting in somewhat of a trade-off situation between performance and collectivist harmony maintenance. According to the performance-maintenance theory (Misumi, 1990), Japanese leaders have to chose between goal achievement and the continuation of the group, preferably combining high levels of both (Misumi, 1995). If this is achieved, such supportive or participative leadership styles (Ouchi, 1981) are said to result in â€Å"higher levels of motivation, delegation of decision-making, commitment, and intrinsic job satisfaction† (Keys and Miller, 1982, p.6). This appears to be in line with the currently preferred leadership style in the UK.However, one should not forget that unlike the Japanese working environment, the UK has been subjec t to great inward as well as outward FDI flows resulting in a blending of many different leadership approaches. As such arguably UK leaders would find it easier to adapt to Japanese principles than Japanese leaders. This is due to the western â€Å"farce† of collectivist team working for individualistic goals and the limited respect paid to status differences.While Hofstede’s framework helps to understand the leadership differences between the two countries if fails to explain some factors. So for examples does high Japanese power distance explain hierarchical structures and respect to superiors but the theoretical assumptions of complete centralisation of power, low emphasis on developing the workforce and autocratic top-down contact initiation (Hofstede, 1991) do not fully reflect the Japanese working environment.On this note one should not forget that Hofstede’s framework is not free of criticism and arguably is outdated, limited in scope of methodology and m easurement (Dorfman and Howell, 1988; Roberts and Boyciligiller, 1984) and only reflects a blend of organisational (IBM) culture and national cultures (Hunt, 1983; Robinson, 1983). As such it is no surprise that other studies such as the GLOBE project have found differing or even contradictory results for similar cultural dimensions. The Cultural Anchoring Of Leadership Styles With globalisation and related intensification of trade and commerce effective leadership has become indispensable in the business world. Where traditionally the business leader took the role of commanding â€Å"the troops† towards effectiveness and efficiency this has changed dramatically over the last decades.The service industry rise, knowledge management trends, increased workforce diversity combined with international trading and global sourcing of talent, has considerably reshaped the role of the leader in the contemporary organisation. Numerous firms are in global alliances depending upon flexibility/adaptability to local markets, requiring their managers to possess appropriate leadership styles to cope effectively with different value systems and cultures (Fahy, 2002; Coviello et al., 1998).Arguably, the flattening of hierarchical structures has also contributed to this reshaping process as traditional sources of authority, upon which leaders have built on for years, h ave been diminished. Combined with the rise of new trading powers such as the â€Å"Asian Dragon†, business leaders, especially in international MNEs do not only face domestic multiculturalism and diversity but are also increasingly expatriated.Consequently completely new cultural pitfalls and challenges are faced requiring understanding of cultural values as well as quick cultural adaptation to transfer domestic leadership abilities into foreign markets. Combined with steadily rising competitive pressures, the contemporary business leader in a role not easily filled.Despite leadership being a universal concept (Bass, 1990), with most literature anchored in the (individualistically oriented) US, it has been questioned to what extend western leadership styles are cross-culturally transferable (Dorfman, 2003). Resultantly, debate has sparked over how far leadership is culturally contingent, if universal leadership qualities and tactics exist and what the explanatory variables a re (Scandura & Dorfman, 2004).This assignment aims at contributing towards this debate by exploring leadership disparity and possible congruence between the UK and Japan using academic measurement of national culture; Hofstede’s framework respectively. The next section will give an overview over the concept of leadership followed by an in-depth cultural comparison and concluding section.The term leadership incorporates some elements of controversy over its meaning and practices. Different cultural gist or terminology or in cross-cultural contexts makes a universal definition difficult (Yukl, 2002). This seems unsurprising as the understandings and expectations of authority roles differ between cultures. Nevertheless, despite cultural differences the majority of leadership definitions reflect some basic elements these manly being â€Å"group†, â€Å"influence† and â€Å"goal† (Bryman, 1992).Keeping this in mind, leadership can be seen as the â€Å"process of influencing others towards achieving some kind of desired outcome.† (De Jong & Den Hartog, 2007, p. 44) or bluntly spoken â€Å"leadership is the ability to get [people] to do what they don’t like to do and like it† (Truman in Sadler, 2003, p. 5).Whilst this is a very basic attempt of a definition it allows for easier application in a cross-cultural context and highlights an important point: In order to lead one needs followers (Drucker, 2007). It is here where the inseparable link to power emerges whereby the power of leaders is largely dependent upon the perception of others (Hollander & Julian, 1969; Maurer & Lord, 1991; Pfeffer, 1977) but nevertheless forms the basis of leadership authority. It appears that only effective use of this power, combined with â€Å"leading by example† (Pfeffer, 1981) will result in positive and proactive guidance fostering creativity, innovation, commitment and long term organisational development.However, this is quest ionable and it seems that far too often in academic literature the terms â€Å"manager† and â€Å"leader† are merged giving a blurred picture of what each role actually entails. Readers should be reminded that leaders, unlike managers, do not have to rely on forms of power to influence subordinates, often actually relinquishing formal authoritarian control. This is due to the idea that to lead is to have followers, and following is always a voluntary activity.Nevertheless, it can be argued that even leaders need some foundation of authority; may it only be their charisma (Weber, 1968). This has been manifested in the participative, charismatic or transformative styles of leadership (Den Hartog & Koopman, 2001) as oppose to the transactional style more related to operational, task focused  managers. Especially in western economies with predominant service industries, innovation and knowledge management, the former have been the focal point in recent years as autocrati c leadership styles do no longer seem sufficient to extract the full potential of an increasingly knowledgeable, highly skilled and demanding workforce.Such, arguably â€Å"softer† approaches fostering employee involvement and participation have nevertheless been proven to result in increased organisational performance (Bass, 1996; 1997; House & Shamir, 1993) and are arguably more â€Å"ideal† forms of organisational leadership (Bass & Avolio, 1989).This might be applicable to western societies yet a cross-cultural generalisation might be prejudiced and the influence of personal values and cultural influences upon leadership styles should not be ignored (Byrne & Bradley, 2007). Rather, culture, an essential component of which is personal values (Kroeber, 1952; Kluckhohm, 1949), is to be seen at a centre stage when analysing leadership differences (George et al., 1998; Nakata & Sivakumar, 1996; Steenkamp et al., 1999; Cadogan et al. 2001), as t is â€Å"the collective programming of the mind which distinguishes the members of one group or category of people from another† (Hofstede, 1980, p. 260) and shape leadership preferences.Culture hereby should not be limited to national culture but has to be extended to incorporating organisational as well as political culture (Schein, 1985), the latter two arguably being extensively shaped by the former. Democratic or authoritarian political systems, national values regarding sex differences and ethical behaviour as well as organisational attitudes towards factors such as centralisation and work attitude, undoubtedly influence leadership styles.Not only will such factors shape leadership approaches, but with regard to cultural differences these will often even stand in conflict to each other. Consequently domestically implemented leadership approaches might not be applicable in other cultural settings and render ineffective in maintaining firm sustained competitive advantage and superior internationa l performance (Kimber, 1997; Jackson and Aycan, 2001; Pfeffer, 2002). The next section will investigate the effect of cultural values upon leadership styles in detail using the U and Japan as examples.British leadership style has often been described as more casual in nature fostering teamwork and seeking group consensus (Lewis, 2001). As such, a more participative leadership style is predominant reflecting flatter hierarchical structures in UK organisations. So, hierarchical structures not primarily seem as means to establish authority structures (Laurent, 1983) but more as core administrative frameworks. This according to Hofstede (2001), is a reflection of the UK’s low association to Power Distance. Essentially, subordinates do not attribute much to position and title and leaders must â€Å"embody a collective will and take personal responsibility for it while continuing to communicate and co-operate with the team† (Mole, 1990, p. 105).Unsurprisingly, networking cap ability and people management skills are highly valued in the UK (Stewart et al. 1994) as leadership qualities. Nevertheless, this (collectivist) team and people orientation is mainly seem as a path towards achieving organisational targets and innovation assuring individuals in team settings aggregate knowledge that has strategic relevance to the organisation (Miller &Morris, 1999). As such transformational leadership attitudes (Burns, 1978) can be seen where leaders are to create conditions under which subordinates devotedly contribute to the organisation yet this is done primarily through a strategic lens. (McCarthy, 2005).Nevertheless, the Anglo-Saxon system of shareholder satisfaction drives leaders towards task orientation often combined with a short-term outlook. As such quick, short-term organisational (financial) success is often more valued than long-term organisational success and relationship building, reflecting according to Hofstede, a culture of highly short term orien tation and low uncertainty avoidance. Essentially, risks are seen as part of daily business practice and leadership approaches reflect that subordinates are given opportunity to implement potentially rewarding, but high risk, strategies.This shows that, despite team orientation and a one might say more relaxed, friendly and diplomatic leadership style, the British cannot deny their American leadership style influence, fostering structured individualism, speed and drive (Lewis, 2001). Falsely, m any authors seem to  ignore this connection, even so influences of hire and fire mentality and the creating of specialist roles underlining a core individualistic attitude are undeniable reflecting British national, and interlinked to that, legal and organisational culture. Such individualistic attitude constantly resurfaces in leadership styles often portrayed through individual target setting, remuneration practices and shorter employment contracts.Employees do not look for lifetime emplo yment and a steady career in one company resultantly British leaders are more reluctant to invest heavily in the training and education of subordinates (Schneider & Littrell, 2003). This continues to the often actively sought after and purposely created assertive and competitive environment amongst colleagues or departments reflecting a relatively high masculine attitude as Hofstede’s culture scale clearly outlines.While these attributes sketch general aspects of British leadership, styles will vary between organisations, industries and individuals. Service- or R&D intensive industries for example, will follow a more Theory Y (McGregor, 1960) approach fostering employee involvement and empowerment. Leadership on traditional manufacturing industries on the other hand due to their reliance on productivity and output combined with an often repetitive working atmosphere, might take a more Theory X attitude.In contrast to the UK, Japanese leadership, like many Asian countries, is grounded in Confucian principles (Redding, 1990; Tan, 1986) and despite rising western influences, strong Confucian traits believing in moral, interpersonal relationships/loyalties, education and hard work still lurk beneath the surface (Lewis, 2001). Especially â€Å"taking the family as a model for society at large, Confucianism is basically authoritarian and stresses hierarchical and status differences† (Selmer, 2001, p. 8).As such, through its vertically orientated hierarchies and rigid organisation (Chen, 1995) one would expect Japan to score higher than the UK in Hofstede’s power distance index, and so indeed it does. This offers leaders with traditional and legitimate power bases however, surprisingly not resulting in autocratic leadership styles as one would expect, but far more the association of assertiveness-authority and reason tactics (Schmidt & Yeh, 1992).As such, Japanese leadership style rewards subordinate respect and obedience with highly paternalisti c attitudes, expressed by mendou: â€Å"I think about your, I will take care of you† (Dorfman et al. 1997). Consequently, the Japanese leadership culture, despite placing emphasising hierarchy and status differences requiring full subordinate obedience, expects helping and caring for followers and being involved in their personal lives (Whitehall & Takezawa, 1968; Bass et al. 1979).As a result the most powerful force of the Japanese leader is not autocracy but charisma combined with intrinsic rather than extrinsic (materialistic) reward mechanisms often predominant in the UK: bonuses, on-target-earnings, etc. (Maslow, 1943, 1954). This seems surprising considering the high masculine score, which, from a western perspective would result in autocratic, top down, assertive, tough and focused on material success (Hofstede, 1998) leadership. It is here where Hofstede’s framework seems to only partly explain the Japanese culture and low individualism but high masculinity and power distance stand in conflict with each other.Additionally, in such an environment more focus towards ascription rather than achievement would be expected (Trompenaars & Hampden-Turner, 1997, 2000). Nevertheless, the contrary appears in the Japanese context with leaders having to possess superior, often specific, (hard) knowledge supplemented by strong educational backgrounds (Nestler, 2008). Here another disparity to UK leadership emerges, where despite educational background being important for initial work placement, greater focus upon (soft) â€Å"people skills† and strategic directive is desired and ascription of leadership positions remains (Hampden-Turner & Trompenaars, 1994).The collectivist principles shape Japanese leadership style dramatically, requiring group consensus and decision-making despite extremely high masculinity and higher power distance. Essentially a â€Å"bottom-up† (ringsho) process of decision-making is chosen (Wu, 2006) with the leader granting independent decision making to the group generally letting subordinates use their own approaches to achieve overall collectivist objectives (Dorfman et al. 1997). This is surprising, as in western societies strong hierarchical  structures often result in a â€Å"top-down† leadership approach but can be explained through high uncertainly avoidance collecting input and consensus from all parties involved before decisions are made.Even more so, the concepts of â€Å"wa† (maintaining social relationships) and â€Å"kao† (maintaining â€Å"face†) actually require the involvement of subordinates in the decision making process and the preservation of harmony rendering western leader contingent punishment behaviour inappropriate. It is here where Japanese leadership style diverts extensively from its UK (Anglo-Saxon) counterpart where public scrutinising is part of daily leadership practices reflecting a competitive and individualistic culture driven b y short-term financial objectives with high-risk acceptance.Due to the collectivist environment and extensive future planning, Japanese managers on the other hand, do not view themselves as risk takers, despite this characteristic often being attributed to charismatic leaders (Bass, 1985). This is reflected in Japan’s extremely high uncertainty avoidance score and is further supported by strong long-term orientation valuing prevailing face and harmony. Unsurprisingly, life-long employment is desired, supplemented b continued job rotation aimed at developing employees.As a result leaders and subordinates enter into long and close relationships hardly ever interrupted contrasting the UK’s â€Å"burn out† environment fostering high staff turnover. Unlike in the UK, Japanese business leaders look for generalist employees capable of working in multiple levels of the organisation reflecting a society placing less value upon specialists than western cultures.Overall, J apanese leaders focus upon collective (not individual) responsibility (Hayashi, 1988) and group harmony maintenance is usually considered more important than profitability and overall productivity (Bass, 1990). Nevertheless, also Japanese leaders have to drive performance resulting in somewhat of a trade-off situation between performance and collectivist harmony maintenance. According to the performance-maintenance theory (Misumi, 1990), Japanese leaders have to chose between goal achievement and the continuation of the group, preferably combining high levels of both (Misumi, 1995).If this is achieved, such supportive or  participative leadership styles (Ouchi, 1981) are said to result in â€Å"higher levels of motivation, delegation of decision-making, commitment, and intrinsic job satisfaction† (Keys and Miller, 1982, p. 6). This appears to be in line with the currently preferred leadership style in the UK. However, one should not forget that unlike the Japanese working e nvironment, the UK has been subject to great inward as well as outward FDI flows resulting in a blending of many different leadership approaches. As such arguably UK leaders would find it easier to adapt to Japanese principles than Japanese leaders. This is due to the western â€Å"farce† of collectivist team working for individualistic goals and the limited respect paid to status differences.While Hofstede’s framework helps to understand the leadership differences between the two countries if fails to explain some factors. So for examples does high Japanese power distance explain hierarchical structures and respect to superiors but the theoretical assumptions of complete centralisation of power, low emphasis on developing the workforce and autocratic top-down contact initiation (Hofstede, 1991) do not fully reflect the Japanese working environment.On this note one should not forget that Hofstede’s framework is not free of criticism and arguably is outdated, lim ited in scope of methodology and measurement (Dorfman and Howell, 1988; Roberts and Boyciligiller, 1984) and only reflects a blend of organisational (IBM) culture and national cultures (Hunt, 1983; Robinson, 1983). As such it is no surprise that other studies such as the GLOBE project have found differing or even contradictory results for similar cultural dimensions.