Job Evaluation

Table of Contents Acknowledgement Executive Summary Outline the merits and limitations of Crop Banks proposed reward system for the managers and staff. Develop an alternative reward system for bank employees and explain why it is superior to the proposed reward system Conclusions Crop Bank has become a most strategic Bank in the field. It has faced a strong competition from both Government sector and local private and foreign banks. To face these challenges Crop Bank always has to introduce new technology, new financial products and new reward system to their employees and to their customers.The reward system is mainly concern thing within the Corp. Bank. Reward system for the Manager mainly based on the Customer satisfaction and leadership qualities. For the staff the reward system is based on customer satisfaction. These categories evaluated within three criteria. Within the Board meeting Bank CEO accept this rewarding system. Within this case study we have to find; 1. Outlining of Merits and Limitation of Crop Banks propose rewarding system for the manager and staff 2. Develop an alternative reward system for Crop Banks employees and explain why it is superior to the proposed reward system 1 .Outline the merits and limitations of Crop Banks proposed reward system for the managers and staff. Job Evaluation Methods: The essence of compensation administration is Job evaluation and the establishment of the pay structure. By Job evaluation we mean using the information in Job analysis to systematically determine the value of each Job in relation to all Jobs with in the organization. In short, Job evaluation seeks to rank all the Jobs in the organization and place them in a hierarchy that will reflect the relative worth of each. We must first understand what are the Merits and Limitations within the Crop Banks' current Nanking method.Merits 1 . It is a simple method; current ranking method is a simple one. It only based on â€Å"How much was the customer is satis fied†. So as we can see it is the easiest way of ranking. And the ranking method limits to only three categories they are â€Å"1 . Not meeting customer expectation, 2. Meeting Customer expectation, 3. Far Exceeding Customer expectation†. This is a simplest method on ranking. 2. This current ranking method is a low cost method; as we can see this is a simple ranking system, because of that this cost a low budget. 3. The current rating system can be used in service based organization.In the banking sector such as Corp. Bank they provide a service as for this current ranking method is based on customer service it can be a lot of help to a serviced based organization such as Banks. 4. Ranking method that is currently using by Corp. Bank can be use daily basis because it mainly concern about the Customer satisfaction. Limitations As we can see the Merits within the current reward system there are also Limitation within this. 1. Can't clearly measure the categories; the rewa rding system clearly based on the Customer Satisfaction. And it is only rated by â€Å"1 . Not meeting customer expectation, 2. Meeting Customer expectation, 3.Far Exceeding Customer expectation†. There is no guideline how to evaluate. This is a limitation occurred in current reward system in Corp. Bank. 2. As the above mention rewarding system is clearly based on customer satisfaction. From this we are facing a problem â€Å"Only Customer Satisfaction is enough? † As a developing Bank it is a limitation that Corp. Bank is only concern about the Customer satisfaction when there are more facts that should taken for ranking 3. When concentrating about the Customer Satisfaction factor we are clearly facing a halogen, how can we identify the customer satisfaction because Human is dynamic creature.Some Customers can be satisfied and some customers can never be satisfied because there needs and wants are clearly different. As Abraham Moscow has described there are different needs and want and there are different motivators. As we can see Human can not be easily satisfied. 4. Managers can not always control their subordinates. This is another limitation in the current ranking method in Crop Bank. Managers will not be able to control their subordinates; subordinates will always use their personal feelings within the aerospace. Managers can't always control this.Reward system only concerns about the customer satisfaction this because of the subordinates work Managers may have to pay the price. 5. The current reward system of the Crop Bank will not effect to the entire bank. Customer satisfaction will be only effect to the front office where the customers usually go. But when it comes to the back office customer satisfaction is not enough. For an example Accountants Job can't be evaluated from Customer satisfaction. So as we can see current rewarding system is not enough to evaluate the entire banking industries. 6.In the case study it is clearly mention f rom this reward system only the salary of the employees will go up. But not all people will get motivate from financial benefits. According to Herbage's theory everyone is not motivated by Money. 2. Develop an alternative reward system for bank employees and explain why it is superior to the proposed reward system There are four main Job Ranking Methods. We must first identify what is the most suitable ranking method for the Crop Bank. A. Ranking method: Raters examine the description of each Job being evaluated and arrange the Jobs in order according to their value to the company.This method requires a committee, typically composed of both management and employee representative to arrange Job in a simple rank order from highest to lowest. No attempts are made to break down the Jobs by specific weighted criteria. The committee members merely compare two jobs and Judge which one is more important, or more difficult to perform. Then they compare the other Job with the first two, and s o on until all the Jobs have been evaluated and ranked. The most obvious limitation to the ranking method is its sheer inability to be managed when there are a large number of Jobs.Other drawbacks to be considered are the subjectivity of the method- there are no definite or consistent standards by which to Justify the rankings- and the fact that because Jobs are only ranked in terms of order, we have no knowledge of the distance between the ranks. B. Classification method: A Job evaluation method by which a number of classes or grades are defined to describe a group of Jobs is known as Classification method. The classifications are created by identifying some common denominator skills, knowledge, responsibilities tit the desired goal being the criterion of a number of distinct classes or grades of jobs.Once the classifications are established, they are ranked in an overall order of importance according to the criteria chosen, and each Job is placed in its appropriate classification. This later action is generally done by comparing each position's Job description against the classification description and benchmark Jobs. The classification method shares most of the disadvantages of the ranking approach, plus the difficulty of writing classification descriptions, Judging which Jobs go where, and leaning with Jobs that appear to fall into more than one classification. . Factor comparison method: Raters need not keep the entire Job in mind as they evaluate; instead, they make decisions on separate aspects, or factors, of the Job. A basic underlying assumption is that there are five universal Job factors: (1) Mental Requirements, (2) Skills, (3) Physical Requirements, (4) Responsibilities, and (5) Working Conditions. The committee first rank each of the selected benchmark Jobs on the relative degree of difficulty for each of the five factors.Then, the committee allocates the total pay rates or each Job to each factor based on the importance of the respective factor to the job. A Job comparison scale, reflecting rankings and money allocations, is developed next. The raters compare each Job, factor by factor, with those appearing on the Job comparison scale. Then, they place the Jobs on the chart in an appropriate position. D. Point method: Raters assign numerical values to specific Job components, and the sum of these values provides a quantitative assessment of a Job's relative worth.The point method requires selection of Job factors according to the nature of the specific group of Jobs Ewing evaluated. After determining the group of Jobs to be studied, analysts conduct job analysis and write Job descriptions. Next, the analysts select and define the factors to be used in measuring Job value and which become the standards used for the evaluation of Jobs. Education, experience, Job knowledge, mental effort, physical effort, responsibility, and working conditions are examples of factors typically used.The committee establishes factor weights ac cording to their relative importance in the Jobs being evaluated, and then determines the total number of points to be used in the plan. A distribution of the point values to Job factor degrees is made, with the next step being the preparation of a Job evaluation manual. Point Rating method will be the most effective way for the Corp. Bank. It can be identify step by step. Determine the cluster of Jobs to be evaluated First we have to identify what are the Job categories in the bank.We can identify there are two categories in the bank as Front Office and the Back Office. Corp. Bank Front Office -Manager (Chief Manager) -Personal Banking Officer -Customer Service Manager -Executive Officer -Tellers Collect the Job Information Back Office -Operation Managers -Banking Assistant -Clerk Identify a clear knowledge about Job. We can prepare Job Analysis to identify about the Job. Now we can briefly identify Duties and Responsibilities about above mention job categories. Front Office:- Cust omer Handling. Opening Accounts, Updating and Issuing Pass books. Collecting cheeses and Drafts.Cash and Queue withdrawal. NRC Accounts handling Back Office:- Issuing Loans Issuing Credit Cards Loan Recoveries Other clerical works As we can see these two Job categories plays different roles within the same bank. Be equity towards both parties we have to identify Compensable factors that can evaluate both parties equally and fairly. Selecting Main Compensable factors and Sub Compensable factors To identify the value of the Job, we must select some main compensable factors that are common for every Job within the Crop Bank such as Skills, Effort, and Responsibilities.After identifying these main factors, we must identifying sub compensable factors that elaborate use of the main factors. Showing below is a model for the Crop Bank reward system Skills Education Training Experience Effort Mental Physical Complexity of Duties and Responsibility Job Condition bib Diseases, Stress) bib Dise ases are the ones occurred from the current Job for an example employee who daily working with the computers gradually have a bad eyesight. ) Dividing Grades After we have identified main and sub Compensable factors.We have to identify the Grades. From Job to Job above mention factors may defer, for an example: – Under Skills there is a factor called Education. Education can be divided several grades according to the Jobs within the bank Grade 1 Passed Advance Level Grade 2:- Diploma Holder Grade 3:- Degree from a recognized University or equal qualification Grade 4:- Post Graduate Degree holder As we can see to establish an effective Job evaluation system several grades must be issued.In the Crop Bank we can categories to 4 grades according to Jobs within the bank Grade 1 Tellers Clerk Banking Assistant Grade 2:- Personal Banking Officers Executive Officers Grade 3:- Grade 4:- Customer Service Manager Manager (Chief Manager) Valuing According to Grades Factor Degree and Poin ts 2nd 3rd 4th Education Skills 20 35 50 2 3 15 45 4 Mental Effort 10 30 5 Physical Effort Duties/Responsibilities 7 Job Condition Total 200 300 Preparing a Guide book to Evaluate Points There should be a Guide Book to instruct the evaluator.The guide book should contain details about Compensable factors and guidelines about how to evaluate the employees properly. This should help the evaluator to do his duty properly. Evaluation Finally the Job should be evaluated properly and the points should be afforded according to the Guide book. Below is the model example sheet Evaluation Sheet Name of the Job -? Date: / Details Marks Total(Total Value of the Job)

Inspirational Leader

1. 0 Introduction The Book that I had selected on business is â€Å"The Inspirational Leader† which written by John P G Tan. John P G Tan is one of the country’s highly sought after leadership trainer and speaker. The purpose of this book is to help bring about better management and leadership amongst the people of the country. His belief is that we can become leaders who can make the difference. John P G Tan trains for companies large and small and his training sessions have been consistently rated as excellent, exciting and enriching.He runs his own training company, Professional Skills Trainers Sdn Bhd, and has developed â€Å"The Inspirational Leader† program, a program which made a difference to countless people. Besides that this book is to give us the skills that we need to turn from a scratcher to a soarer. (John (2002) said) This book will also point us in the direction of the areas that we will need further development on. We can become inspiring leader s, but we must know the skills and the reason for being inspirational rather than remaining mediocre of this great transformation process. John (2002) said) So it is with leadership. There are those who think that they are leaders when in reality the only thing that they are leading is themselves into delusion about their leadership abilities. On the other hand, there are those who lead their team to greater heights, whose goal in life is to add value to those for whom they are responsible. There are the ones who inspire us to go on. (John (2002) said) This book will help is discover just how to become an inspiring leader.The book gives us, step-by-step, and in a very down-to-earth manner, the skills that we will need to, for examples, get your leadership paradigms right, overcome negative mindsets of leadership, think out of the box, acquire the essential skills that you will need to become an effective, inspiring leader. 2. 0 Climbing Up the Inspirational Leadership Rungs To becom e an effective leader, one has to climb the Five steps of Leadership. John believe that there are perhaps 6 Levels to the question of leadership. He call this the 6 Rungs of Inspirational Leadership. John (2002) said)The reason is because RUNGS denote that we have some climbing to do, that effort is needed if we want to proceed and that the effort will require us feet as well as our hands. The journey is not an easy one but rewarding one nonetheless. The first Rung is that of YEARNING. At this level, we are not even a leader yet. We just eyeing the horizon, thinking about all the wonderful things that we would do if we were a leader. John’s experience is that most of the people here are around the 25-28 years of age bracket, educated and who have a desire to go forward.For some, the way forward seems to be well prepared, but for most of us the way ahead can seem rather hazy. But we have that desire to progress and to that end our arm ourselves with the necessary qualification s and training to get to that next level. (John (2002) said) The second rung is that of BEING, being the manager or leader, that is, we get here by being technically competent. At this point people follow you because, quite frankly, they just don’t have a choice. You are their boss and whether they like it or not, they are going to have to take orders from you.Not the prettiest of situations to be in, but a situation relished by some people nonetheless. But before you go off and think that this rung is therefore obsolete, think against. It is a position that you must have. But you must not stay put here. You must have the desire to keep on keeping on. (John (2002) said) The third rung is the rung of BEFRIENDING. Here, your subordinated actually quite enjoy being with you and will actually do things for you because they want to rather than feel that they have to.At this level, to get people to turn towards loving you, you would have to practice a fair amount of human relations skills, as well as communication skills. The problem is that most of us progress upwards on technical competence. (John (2002) said) Rung four is the rung of PRODUCING. This is when people admire you because they see that your leadership brings about results. They come to you with a problem and you help them solve the problem, not refer them to some other department. They come to you with a crisis and you develop opportunities out of that crisis.The level four person is one adroit in the skills of problem solving, creative thinking and communication. (John (2002) said) The fifth rung had to do with what you have done with your subordinates. The other levels were generally about you but a level five, the rung of REPLICATION, you are more concerned about your people’s development. At this level, the leader’s concern is about helping his people develop to their fullest potential. (John (2002) said) The last level, level 6 is about INSPIRING. Here, the people are loyal to you because you are loyal to them. Here, they are true followers because they see in you a true leader.They are willing to walk two miles when you asked for an extra one because they saw the same trait in you. At this level, you are an inspiration to the people around you. (John (2002) said) 3. 0 The 3 Essential Skills A guy called Robert L Katz did some research and found that we all needed three essential skills. He called these skills technical skills, human skills and conceptual skills. (John (2002) said) Technical skills are essentially knowledge skills, the type of skills you acquire when you go to college and university for your studies. At the lower level management, technical skills are of great importance.This simply means that if you are to begin progressing, you will need to be technically competent. (John (2002) said) Human skills are the skills required to work with human beings and since almost all work is centered around other human beings, we will be in great need of these skills. Executives in all levels of management require this skill be it lower, middle or top level management. People who have this skill are able to get the best out of their people towards greater heights of achievement and self-development. All of us believe that we are pretty good at handling people.But the truth is that for most part there are more people who practice bad human relations skills than those who practice good ones. (John (2002) said) The third skill is that of conceptual skills, the ability to think and conceptualize, visualize and then help make things materialize as a result of the ability to look ahead. This skill becomes more and more important as you climb higher up to the 6-R. As you get to the level of Producing, you are going to need lots of this skill. Conceptual skill is like that, that is if we have it, and use it. We create value for others be they our internal customers or our external ones.Conceptual skills help us to surpass the competition , position and reposition products and services so that we create value for those we serve. This in turns brings in a level of loyalty that we would not have otherwise achieved. (John (2002) said) 4. 0 Stop That Bad Trickle Down The problem with management and leadership is that they suffer from what is sometimes called the trickle down effect. What is the trickle down effect? Simply this. We get into the job market. We report to a boss who is less than inspiring. These not quite so professional bosses push down lousy management practices and principles on us.By virtue of the fact that we are at the bottom of the totem people, we dare not challenge any of these bad bosses. The day arrives and we become bosses. Now is the time to let out some of our pent-up feelings. So we push down all the things that we didn’t like pushed at us to those below us. We trickle down bad management and leadership practices. The guys below us wait till it’s their turn to do more of the same . Well, it’s about time this is stopped. And it can stop with you. (John (2002) said) Take a little time off and ask yourself what are the good things that you have learned from your previous bosses.List these things down. Basically, listing down the good things that you have seen in your bosses. Make sure that you trickle these down to your subordinates. Then ask yourself what are the not so nice things that you have had to lap up from those above you. List them and make sure that you do not perpetuate these practices. 5. 0 Treat People As People Let’s start with this major area of self-development- if you want to turn hate to love, for example, the area of Human Skills. One of the problems that we face today is that people don’t really care for one another. We are only nice to others when we need them to do something for us.At other times, we are nice to them because we might need them to do something for us in the future. The rest of the time, we just canâ₠¬â„¢t seem to be bothered. We have lost the sense of looking at people as people. We often mouth words like â€Å"people are our biggest assets† and then we go and treat them otherwise. Insincerity is rife in management today. We tend to look at people only as things to help us achieve our objectives. In many situations we call up others not to find out how they are, but to see if we could somehow solicit their help to achieve some goals that we have. (John (2002) said) Treat people as people.If you like being treated as a thing, useable to others only when they need you, then do the same. Don’t bother to inquire after health and well being of your subordinates. Only call on them when you need things done. And when you don’t need them, cast them away. (John (2002) said) If you do that, then please remember, that’s what they will do to you too. Take a good look at yourself today and very sincerely ask yourself the following questions. Please be brutally si ncere and honest with yourself. Am I a user? Do i really look after cares and concerns of my subordinates or do I just tend to look after my own cares and concerns?Do I ooze charm only when I need the other person’s help? Or am I really concerned about the developmental welfare of my people? 6. 0 Watch The Words It is easier said than done. Criticizing, condemning and complaining are about the easiest things to do, almost second nature to most of us. A simple example will illustrate this point. (John (2002) said) When you are out driving your car and someone overtakes you rather recklessly what is your normal reaction? I would bet that the tough â€Å"crazy driver† would have gone through your mind more than once. Looks like we are about the only ones driving at the right speeds on the roads.We have the habits, and it’s a bad habit, of looking at things, seeing the worst in them and then condemning the person or persons involved. (John (2002) said) Well it was s imply this, that negative words can really kill a person’s initiative. And when we have done that, it can take ages to try and win that person’s confidence back against. Watch your words. Take a good look over your vocal thesaurus and see what kind of words, phrases and jargon you use. Learn to reduce the usage of words that criticize, condemn and complain. (John (2002) said) Remember, if you are a manager, your words hold weight. So what has this got to do with black dot?Just this, address the black dots when you see them. But address them with words that build and develop, not words that destroy and demotivate. 7. 0 The Other Guy’s Got Right Too We are still looking at the rung of Befriending at rung three where you are trying to change the attitudes and mindset of the people whom you manage from one of â€Å"have to† to â€Å"want to†. This if you remember, is a prerequisite of changing from hate to love. (John (2002) said) At this point it migh t be a good idea to take a look at this principle, the principle that the other guy does have rights, the same kinds of rights that you have.Perhaps a good place to start would be to look at what some of these rights are. People have the right to be respected and to be treated in a respectful manner. It matters not what his or her station in life is, the point is simple. If that person is a human being, then he or she deserves to be treated with some level of respect. (John (2002) said) The trouble is that most of us equate respect for the other person with his or her socio-economic status. Thus a doctor gets greater amount of respect than say a perhaps a construction worker.The guy who comes around to sell lottery tickets, well, he is a nuisance anyway, disturbing our peace as we have dinner and so does not deserve that much respect. (John (2002) said) We do not actually list down who gets more respect, but we judge and we act accordingly very quickly. I believe that people have th e right to disagree with us. Just try and remember this one, the other guy’s got rights too. 8. 0 The Wisdom Of The Open Mouth Well, the open mouth is basically about how we speak with people, what we do with our mouths. It’s about positive communication skills and therein lies the important words – positive.There are many people who relay nothing but negatives when they open their mouth. Their talk is all about the bad side of people, situations, whatever. Would that they refrain from opening their mouths and fouling up the air. (John (2002) said) Yet there are others who, despite their problems, maintain a positive front and convey nothing but goodness from their mouths. But the Wisdom of the Open Mouth is not about not saying negative things. It’s about saying positive things, saying things in such as way as to edify, to build up the other person, to add value to what is being said and whom it is being said to.At this point it may be good to remind our selves that the wisdom of the open mouth lies not only in the mouth but in the heart and in the mind. The Wise Mouth knows that the brain and the heart must be engaged before words are spewed forth. (John (2002) said) The Wise Mouth thinks before speaking. The Wise Mouth has decided that the words that come from it will build human relation bridges rather than barriers. The Wise Mouth has decided that it will encourage rather than discourage, edify rather than vilify, mold rather than scold. John (2002) said) The Wise Mouth will seek out ways to say things in a positive, caring manner and in so doing add value to those around him or her.The Wise Mouth will not allow foul words to contaminate it. Foul words do nothing but offer an illusion of comfort. Give yourself an oral check-up. Are you generally spreading the good news or the bad news? God knows that there is enough bad news in the world today – take a peek at your daily newspaper and you will get the drift. Kind words ar e often hard to come by, but when they do come by, they add such a dimension of real warmth and comfort to one’s soul. John (2002) said) 9. 0 TeamWork Truth be told, this word â€Å"TeamWork† or Teambuilding is overused and under-understood. Most of us think that teamwork is just about a bunch of people, wearing the same T-shirts, working together. But is that all there is to teamwork? Not by a mile it isn’t. (John (2002) said) The role of inspirational leader’s role in a team is to lead the team to higher grounds, setting down greater and greater challenges. Every team, in order to do well, must plan ahead. But planning ahead is not just about anticipating what actions the team will have to do first next and so on.Planning requires us to also look at what we would like to be or like to achieve at the end of the activity period. (John (2002) said) It is easy to evaluate our team members on quantitative results but such results are not the be-all and end-a ll of team efforts. Perhaps leaders ought to be looking at things like value-inculcation of their team members as well. Inspirational Leaders do one thing much better than uninspiring ones – they encourage their people to talk, to participate, to give feedback – whether positive or negative feedback. John (2002) said) Inspirational leaders also tend to inspire their teams by allowing greater levels of participation in team activities and in team decision making. It is the leader’s duty to bring the best out of his or her people. Look at them and spot their strengths and then strengthen them even further. By sending them for further training and then allowing them to practice what they have learned during those training sessions. By writing up a three – year development plan for these folks. By not waiting for them to ask you to develop them, but to do so proactively. John (2002) said) Then you need to look at their faults and remedy them immediately.Never allows a subordinate’s faults to become a habit for habits are hard to break. 10. 0 Motivating There are two kinds of motivation – one that is centered around motivating yourself and another that is centered around motivating others. At this juncture, I want to only address the one which is centered around motivating others. (John (2002) said) The first principle of motivating others I believe has to do with our own perception of people. This one is really quite self-evident; you treat people nice, they tend to treat you nice. John (2002) said) You treat them bad and you can bet your boots that they will treat you rotten. Somehow, unfortunately, most of us just don’t quite seem to get this into our heads. The second principle of motivating others has to do with giving them the recognition that they deserve for the work well done. A third principle in motivation is simply this – your integrity level. Say what you mean and mean what you say.Always keep to your word. As an inspirational manager your word and your integrity is more important than your signature. John (2002) said) Nothing destroys the confidence that your people have in you than a lack of integrity. Principle number four has to do with involving people. Getting your people involved in the work that you are doing, getting them involved in the decision making process, communicating with them your intentions and asking for their feedback tend to result in better all-round performance and productivity. (John (2002) said) Principle number five has to do with rewards. Make sure that you reward your people for work done. The problem is that too many of us take the easy way out when rewarding our people.We bribe them with money, and only money. Think about how to reward people in different ways. (John (2002) said) 11. 0 The Inspirational Leader At Work The inspirational leader is one who keeps on keeping on; who keeps on reading and learning more and more about the business, th e science and the art of leading, managing and inspiring his or her people. (John (2002) said) Most of us start the journey at a point, when we were formally appointed into some sort of managerial or leadership role. At that point in time, most of us only had our technical expertise to fall back on. John (2002) said)We had little by way of awareness of the skills required to become better leaders. We were at the stage of Unconscious Incompetence. What this means is that we did not know that we lacked the skills of becoming a good leader. (John (2002) said) Then people complain about us or higher ups recognize our lack of ability and they point these shortcomings to us. At this point we move from Unconscious Incompetence to the stage of Conscious Incompetence. (John (2002) said) We now know that we don’t know. A big help this is – but it is nonetheless a good start.We then embark on training programs and so on to enhance our leadership skills. (John (2002) said) We lear n new things to practice. Some of the things in this book might be new to some of you – but to others, they might not. Whatever it is, you learn and begin to practice. You are now in the stage of Conscious Competence. (John (2002) said) What this means is that you have now decided to put into practical application what you have actually learned. Here’s something for those if you who have learned but refuse to translate that learning into practical application – you are still at Conscious Incompetence.Progress is slow and sometimes mistakes are made. But that is really quite acceptable. This is the stage of Conscious Competence. (John (2002) said) You are able to do what is required of you – but you have to think through it before you can practicalize it. The last stage is that of Unconscious Competence. At this stage, you are able to unconsciously put into practice all the various principles that you have learned. All the stuff that has been written in th e preceding chapters is no longer a problem for you. Because you have been practicing them, you have been incrementally improving on them. John (2002) said) 12. 0 Conclusion For as long as we retain our humanness, all of us are going to make mistakes. But then mistakes are simply opportunities to improve.The inspirational leader knows how to take corrective steps when he or she makes mistakes – including apologizing for their mistakes. Then he or she picks up the pieces and gets on with it. As the leader keeps improving, he or she gets to level 6 of the 6-Rungs of Leadership. Here, he or she knows how to delegate, motivate, communication, reward inspire and lead his or her people through the synergistic practice if all the skills acquired.Please don’t think that all there is to being inspirational is in this book. There are just so much more to know, to understand, to practice. The inspirational leader is a true professional who understands the needs to continue improv ing. He picks up extra skills, skills on assertiveness, strategic thinking and a whole range of other career-enhancing skills that will make him an asset to his company, his bosses, his peers and his subordinates. Some final words, is the journey worth it? Those who have travelled that road with me all agree that it is. Those who have travelled that road as my subordinates believe that it is.

Beethoven Pastoral Symphony Essay Example for Free

Beethoven Pastoral Symphony Essay Beethoven was one of the pivotal composers that helped music evolve from the Classical period into the age of Romanticism. When discussing Beethoven’s success in classical compositions, his symphonies are at the forefront of most if not every conversation. However, even within the topic of his symphonies, some are naturally highlighted more than others. For example, one could reproduce the melody from either the opening movement of the Fifth or the finale of the Ninth and a majority of people would be able to recognize them. While these two works were revolutionary in the progression of symphonic music, they were not the only ones to have played important roles in this sense. Beethoven’s Pastoral Symphony is a pivotal work in the expansion of music with programmatic characteristics. However, this symphony is one that sways between the realms of absolute and program music, for it can be identified with both categories of symphonic music. While it is highly unlikely that Beethoven viewed this composition as a truly programmatic piece, the Sixth Symphony has played an important role in the development of the symphony as a genre and influenced future composers of program music as well. In order to discuss the significance of the Pastoral Symphony, one must first shed light on the difference of program music from that of absolute music. Author R. W. S. Mendl describes absolute music as being â€Å"that which gives us pleasure by the sheer delight in sound patterns without having any emotional, pictorial, or literary references† and claims that music with programmatic content â€Å"attempt[s] to represent scenes, objects, or events which exist apart from music.† It is hard to gauge the amount of programmatic works prior to the Pastoral Symphony, simply due to the fact that the term â€Å"program music† was not used as a defining category of music at the time of their release. An estimated eighth of all symphonic works that were presented before Beethoven’s Sixth Symphony were composed with the intent of conveying particular images or scenes. It would seem that with such a small percentage of varying works that were composed to contain prog rammatic ideas, labeling these works with a universal genre proved to be somewhat difficult. With the expansion of this style of writing, naturally the encompassing term â€Å"program music† would become associated with such pieces. Around the time of Beethoven’s composing, music was undergoing a shift from the Classical period into an age of Romanticism. Compositions were expanding in numerous ways regarding form, orchestration, and harmonies that were being implemented. Beethoven has been called â€Å"the innovator who broke through the limitations of Classicism without abandoning them.† This is truly evident through his symphonic writing. While on the cusp of the Romantic era, it became evident to him that the stature of absolute music was on the rise. Lewis Lockwood states that from a compositional aspect, Beethoven looked down upon ‘program music’ for its seemingly shallow representation of actual sounds and lack of originality. In response to this rising style of music, he composed the Pastoral Symphony with the intent of merging illus trative ideas of programmatic music with the structure of absolute music. Beethoven successfully achieved a blend of programmatic and absolute ideas with this symphony, in order to create an overall pastoral feeling of nature rather than depict any specific image. While the symphony and its five movements are labeled with titles that were created by Beethoven himself, he believed that the overall pastoral idea of this work could be perceived by the audience without a description that would usually be necessary with a complete program piece. It is this idea that helped Beethoven create the title as it can be viewed on early sketches, â€Å"Pastoral Symphony or Memories of Country Life: More the Expression of Feeling than Tone-Painting.† It would appear that Beethoven intended to create a general mood that expresses the idea of nature rather than rely on specific images or one precise story to achieve this. Despite Beethoven’s general feelings towards program music and his conscious efforts to claim that the Sixth Symphony was more a collection of overall feelings rather than an attempt at creating one specific image, this piece is neither absolute or programmatic music but a blend of the two styles. The first point in this argument would be the fact that Beethoven attached titles to each of the five movements within this symphony that depict certain scenes associated with pastoral ideas. The headings for the movements are as follow: ‘Pleasant feelings which are awakened in mankind on arrival in the country’, ‘Scene by the brook’, ‘Joyful fellowship of country folk’, ‘Thunder and Storm’, and ‘Beneficent feeling after the storm joined with thanks to the deity’. The mere fact that this symphony is the only one of his nine to contain subtitles attached to each movement that describe a scene of nature favors the thought of the symphony being more programmatic than absolute. However, if one were to look past the movement headings and take into consideration the content of the music, one would observe that the first two movements contain very little defined imagery. From an analytical perspective of the form, the first ha lf of the symphony is rather conventional and resembles the absolute approach to music. These movements hold true to the subheading for the symphony in regards to creating overall feelings rather than one precise painting or story. While there are compositional devices used to help convey the pastoral feeling within the first half of the symphony, it is not until the end of the second movement that Beethoven truly utilizes extra musical associations to convey imagery. This andante movement entitled ‘Scene by the brook’ ends with the flute, oboe, and clarinet engaged in a coda while imitating birdcalls. The composer himself labeled these three woodwind voices as a nightingale, a quail, and a cuckoo, respectively. These birdcalls have led to several debates, discussions, and even complete articles that attempt to analyze the true meaning of their existence in the piece. No matter how they are interpreted, one fact remains still. The birdcalls act as segues from the symphonic first half to the more programmatic portion of the piece. The second half of the Sixth Symphony ventures away from conventional symphonic composing techniques found in the first two movements and includes more programmatic material. A strong indication of programmatic material resides within the later half of the symphony, where Beethoven includes several pastoral elements to enhance the musical imagery. The third movement consists of excited melodies in a compound-meter stylized scherzo representing country-dances. There are several points within this movement that have a drone in the bass that has been viewed as a depiction of bagpipes, an instrument that was frequently associated with the representation of pastoral ideas. This jovial dance-like movement transitions into the fourth movement, which resembles a storm. The storm is â€Å"clearly an example of tone-painting† with its explosive minor chords that represent thunder and lightning and the constant patter of rain in the strings’ lines. Another significant feature added to the symphony that aids the pastoral image is the use of a ranz des vaches in the final movement. The ranz des vaches was an alpine horn call that herdsmen used to summon cattle. Author, David Wyn Jones notes in his book that â€Å"common features of ranz des vaches melodies are: triadic motion, dotted 6/8 meter†¦frequent use of grace notes, all harmonized mainly by the tonic triad.† While looking at the horn call that Beethoven uses within his symphony, one would notice that it meets all of the criteria that Jones listed. The imagery associated with the Pastoral Symphony depicts scenes from nature, which was a subject close to Beethoven’s heart. Through journal entries and letters, one can deduce Beethoven’s love for nature. The following is a letter to Austrian musician and friend, Therese Malfatti in 1810 that depicts his feelings about the outdoors: How fortunate you are to have been able to go to the country so early in the year! Not before the 8th shall I be able to enjoy this delight: I look forward to it with childish anticipation. How glad I shall be to wander about amidst shrubs, forests, trees, herbs and rocks! No man can love the country as I do. For it is forests, trees and rocks that provide men with the resonance they desire. Through this letter and several other firsthand records, one can clearly see Beethoven’s infatuation for the outdoors and the justifiable reason to compose a piece that commemorates this love. It makes sense that the first large-scale work that includes extensive amounts of imagery would reflect the thing that he admired most. Along with the simple beauty of nature, there were other factors that influenced Beethoven while writing his Sixth Symphony. The inclusion of nature and rustic ideas within music was not uncommon to composers prior to Beethoven. Pastoral subjects could be found in several theatrical presentations, operas, and intermezzo from the sixteenth through the eighteenth centuries. One notable work that inspired the development of the Pastoral Symphony was an oratorio written by Franz Joseph Haydn, his teacher and mentor early on in his composing career. Haydn’s oratorio, The Seasons, had an impact on Beethoven while he wrote his Sixth Symphony. Haydn incorporates arpeggiated horn calls in the aria â€Å"Der muntre Hirt† that begin â€Å"a sequence of summer scenes that will [eventually lead] to the storm† later in the oratorio. Similarly, Beethoven opens the fifth and final movement of his symphony with an arpeggiated melody in the French horns that subsequently signify the end of the storm that took place in the previous movement. Another example of musical quotation that Beethoven purposely incorporated is an oboe melody that â€Å"has long been understood as a quotation from Bach’s chorale ‘Birch an, o Schà ¶nes Morgenlicht,’ from the second part of the Christmas Oratorio†¦Ã¢â‚¬  It is worth mentioning that prior to Beethoven’s Pastoral Symphony, there had been other symphonic works to contain sections that resemble thunderstorms. Several commentaries on the Pastoral and its development discuss the 18th century German composer, Justin Heinrich Knecht and his piece entitled La Portrait musical de la nature. This work seems to contain similar programmatic ideas as that of Beethoven’s symphony, including a thunderstorm that interrupts the overall peaceful feeling of nature that resumes after the storm. In addition to preceding compositions that influenced Beethoven’s writings, there has been the suggestion for the possible influence from the literary writings of Scottish poet James Thomson, mostly that of his well known poems collectively titled â€Å"The Seasons†. While there is no concrete evidence that Beethoven took inspiration from this poem, some scholars feel that the poem possibly had an underlying effect on the outcome of the Pastoral Symphony. The text of the poem discusses nature, progressing through the four seasons starting with spring and ending with winter. The poem was translated to German in 1745 and served as a basis for Haydn’s oratorio that shares the same name. As discussed earlier, Beethoven drew inspiration from Haydn’s oratorio, so it would seem that he was indirectly influenced from the poetry of James Thomson for this reason even if he had no connection to the actual literature itself. So far there have been factors that support both sides of the argument in trying to define the Pastoral Symphony as either a work of absolute music, or one depicting tone painting. The mere fact that the piece contains an appropriate amount of material that justifies both categories, one should agree that this work could be viewed as the perfect synthesis of the two sides of the symphonic spectrum. The next step in understanding the influence that the Pastoral Symphony had on future composers of both absolute and programmatic works would naturally be to look at the general reception of the premiere of this piece. The Sixth Symphony received its first public performance on December 22nd, 1808 along with Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony. Beethoven worked on these two symphonies simultaneously in the years leading up to this concert. At this time however, the symphonies were labeled opposite of what they are viewed as today, which means that the Pastoral was written and performed as Beethoven’s fifth symphony, while the C-minor was viewed as his sixth. Over the course of time it would seem as though the Fifth Symphony has overpowered the Pastoral in the minds of audience members. While this may be true to some extent today, at the time, critics were singing praises to this wonderful portrayal of nature through melody and harmony. A review of the score in the musical journal of the time, Allgemeine musikalishce Zeitung, was typical in saying such things as â€Å"this work of Beethoven, wonderful, original, and full of life, which can be placed without hesitation besides his other masterworks†¦Ã¢â‚¬  When comparing it to other compositions that focused on imagery of programmatic material, one critic claimed that â€Å"none of the musical paintings known until now can withstand comparison†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Overall, the piece was welcomed positively and viewed as a representation for composers who desired to use programmatic features. Some of the compositional styles that would soon develop through the Romantic period can trace influence from Beethoven’s Sixth Symphony. When discussing compositions that drew inspiration from the Pastoral Symphony, one should mention Hector Berlioz’s programmatic work, Symphonie Fantastique. As a composer, Berlioz was an advocate for music with more programmatic tendencies and was viewed as a radical composer during his time. At one point in his career, Berlioz wrote critical reviews of Beethoven’s nine symphonies. When discussing the Sixth, he used descriptions such as, â€Å"delightful phrases [that] greet you, like the perfumed morning breeze† as well as â€Å"swarms of chattering birds in flight†¦Ã¢â‚¬  With such joyous descriptions that Berlioz gave, it comes as no surprise that he would find inspiration from this piece for his own writing. Author, Owen Jander views the second movement in Beethoven’s symphony entitled â€Å"Scene by t he Brook† as an obvious â€Å"point of departure for the ‘Scene in the Meadows’ in Berlioz’s Symphonie Fantastique†. As mentioned earlier, Beethoven’s second movement has been the topic of several discussions concerning the Sixth Symphony, specifically, the imitation of birdcalls that can be found at the close of the movement. Jander believes the calls to symbolize Beethoven’s acceptance of his growing deafness and his own fate. If one is to agree with this interpretation, then the connection to Berlioz’s Symphonie Fantastique becomes one that is easy to accept. Berlioz’s third movement, entitled â€Å"Scene in the Meadows† opens with the English horn and the oboe representing two shepherds that are calling to one another. At the end of the movement, one of the â€Å"shepherds† return once more but is not joined by the other, but is instead replaced by the distant roll of thunder heard in the timpani. Those familiar with the piece and its program know that the concluding two movements that follow represent a personal hell and damnation for the protagonist. The connection between both that of Beethoven’s and Berlioz’s works would be the idea that both composers are aware of their own fate and accept it through the illustration of music. Another composer that was potentially influenced by the Pastoral Symphony was that of the German opera composer, Richard Wagner. As just discussed, it would seem that the second movement of Beethoven’s work is to represent the â€Å"realization of one’s destiny through nature†. In Wagner’s opera, Siegfried, there are scenes within the second act that take place in the forest. In which, the main character, Siegfried learns of his destiny from the ability to understand a forest bird. This situation is the exact opposite from that of Beethoven’s, where the composer realizes his destiny through the discovery that he can no longer hear. Two compositions that were separated by nearly one hundred years, both contain similar imagery that represents a person’s realization and acceptance of their destiny through nature. The chances of this being a coincidence seem rather unlikely. To say that that Beethoven’s Pastoral inspired Wagner’s us e of nature within this opera would be a fair conclusion. When discussing Beethoven, the Sixth Symphony may not be a piece that comes to mind right away; one might rather recall themes from other symphonies by him. However, the importance of this piece in the evolution of the symphony as a genre is too important to go overlooked. The mere fact that out of the nine symphonies that Beethoven wrote, the Sixth was the only one to receive a programmatic title and descriptive scenes attached to the movements is an indication at the significance of this work. It may not have directly influenced several composers in the years that followed as far as content is concerned, but Beethoven’s ability to combine aspects of program music with the absoluteness of a symphony opened the door to possibilities for future composers on both sides of the spectrum. Beethoven Pastoral Symphony. (2016, Dec 08).

Germany during WWII Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Germany during WWII - Essay Example World War I was seen as the main driving force behind strengthening of capitalism since it war economy was seen as the best way to "create a German Gemeinschaft in the service of the national welfare" (Feldman 1981: 164). However after suiffering defeat in the war, people became rather skeptic of capoitalsm and a need for reconstruction of induytsrial base arose. The traumatic Versailles Treaty further dampened the hopes for a more liberalized economy in Weimar Germany. According to the main proponents of capitalism, this system can survive where political economic stability is present. However this was not the case in Germany, especially not after the World War I though some relative peace was seen from 1924-1928. Still the conditions for prospering of capitalism were not present since the political structure of Weimar Republic was very fragile at the time. Despite this obvious problem, there was present in Germany, groups that wanted capitalism to exist and supported incorporation of large firms into economic system of the country. Such a step was however against common wisdom but since it was not possible to give up capitalism immediately, Germany continued with the system- much to everyone's surprise. The German Democratic party (DDP) was one such liberal political group. The other problem was the presence of weak Spcialist parties. The Socilaits parties did not have a strong agenda and their principles could be easily altered. Political considerations were thus more powerful than common economic wisdom. Weimar government was not wise in this sense and while it knew that capitalism could hurt the country, it didn't pay heed to the economic forces that govern economic climate. Sturmer best describes the political instability in these words: [T]here were in the Reichstag different kinds of majorities, namely a majority for the conduct of foreign policy, a majority for social policy, and majorities based on agrarian and industrial interests; but these majorities were mostly incompatible with one another. Consequently, with no solid majority in existence in the Reichstag, there was neither consistent government, nor consistent opposition (Strmer 1971: 62). It is important to understand why Weimar Republic still wanted a capitalist economy. It was not for the same reasons that rest of the Europe had adopted it. When economic situation reached an all time low in 1919 and millions of demoralized soldiers returned to Germany after the defeat, it was important to find a quick solution to the problem. Economic conditions may not have been as worse as they were in other countries but workers were still suffering and economy on the whole was fragile. Thus the corporatist system emerged from a desire to restore order and to regain some of the old prestige: "[T]o a disciplined and methodical nation like the Germans, the most obvious means to recoup its losses seemed to lie in improved organization, which should obviate the wastage of production caused by inefficiency or unnecessary competition" (Scheele 1945: 164). Sticking with the old economic system appeared to be the best solution for recouping losses. Throughout the period of 1918 to 1933, Weimar Germany's economic system worked on inflationary policies. Even though some revolutionary socialist ideals were introduced, they were quickly taken over by capitalist greed. For example initially Friedrich Ebert's introduction of the

Children who are brought to the US illegally should be deported if Essay

Children who are brought to the US illegally should be deported if they are discored as adults - Essay Example However, around 12% are from Asia and 8% from South America (Colton-Sonnenberg, pp.4). Illegal immigration however is quite a difficult issue, because of differing views, misinformation, and lack of information (Haines & Rosenblum, pp.1). It is also a heated political debate, because the issue in the discussion has many dimensions, some of which include legal, economic and moral (Chapman, pp.272). According to some people, however it is victimless crime. This is because the immigrants provide a cheap form of labor. However, illegal immigration causes a large amount of hardships for Americans, especially those belonging to the lower strata of the population. This is mainly because of the fiscal drain that illegal immigrants may cause (APRA, 2006). The issue whether children who had previously crossed borders illegally but have in effect, lived their whole life as US citizens, should be deported if discovered is a very pertinent one. One very important criticism includes the fact that children born in the United States to illegal immigrants serve as ‘anchor’ to their families. ... 77). Deportation has received quite a lot of criticism. Mass deportation of illegal immigrants might have disastrous effects on families. Sometimes immigrants’ families may consist of one legal parent, one illegal parent or a legal, or an illegal or also citizens of the US if born there. Estimates of Urban Institute state that two-thirds of all children of illegal parents are actually US born citizens. Mostly, if the illegal parent is the breadwinner of the family, and if deported, the children are most likely to be leaving as well, the children being U.S citizens. However, only deporting the parents is not even morally correct or economically feasible. Therefore, the debate of deportation of children remains a particularly raging one (Steinger, pp.34). In addition, some people are of the view that having citizen children is no legal defense to the deportation. Therefore, the government often accepts the de facto deportation of children as a necessary step to enforce immigrati on laws against their parents. In addition, the chance that illegal immigration may continue to occur is because of this incentive of having citizenship by giving birth to a child. Not only do this but also the immigrants do not pay taxes; however, the children receive all the benefits of a good education and a health system. In this way, there is a fiscal drain in the U.S, having a negative impact on the budget (Neuman, pp.182). Many people are also of the view that there has been a misinterpretation of the 14th Amendment, done to grant rights of citizenship to the slaves after the Civil war. However, at that time, no illegal immigration occurred and there were no immigration laws until 1875. Therefore, many people assert that the

Latin American civilizations Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Latin American civilizations - Essay Example United States of America. It comprises twenty independent states, six European (France & Netherlands) dependences and two US dependences. According to the American Heritage College Dictionary (3rd edition) the word â€Å"Latin† is derived from the word â€Å"Latium† which refers to an ancient country of west-central Italy bordering on the Tyrrhenian sea dominated by Roman Empire after the 3rd century B. C. As the region is defined with its European ancestry so the people of Latin America do not necessarily feel identify with the region. They tend to identify them with their national identities rather than with a Latin American regional identity.The population of Latin America is an amalgam of ethnic groups with varying composition of European, Amerindian or African origin.The Latin America has remained the home of many indigenous peoples and civilizations, including the notable Maya, Aztecs and Inca, before the colonialism in late15th century. They followed diverse religious thoughts and practices. Following is an account of some important civilization religious thoughts and practices.Mayan Religious Practices.The Maya civilization emerged in Mesoamerica – a region extending south and east central Mexico to include parts of Guatemala, Nicaragua , Honduras and Belize in early 1800 AD and flourished around 300-900 AD. Quiche was the mother tongue of all Mesoamerican and it is still spoken by a large number of Guatemalan indigenous people . The Mayan people had spectacular art and architectural skills with sophisticated mathematical and astronomical systems. The Mayan religious school of thought was based on the cyclical nature of time. Popol Vuh was their sacred book and Mexico and Guatemala was their main religious Centers. Like many ancient civilizations three aspects of cosmos i. e; the underworld, the sky and the earth, were the key features of Mayan religious belief. The caves, mountains and natural wells were considered extremely important geographical features as they were seen connecting the upper and the nether worlds. The influence of Cosmo vision was obvious even in their city planning and architecture. Mayan underworld was dominated by the aged Maya gods of death and putrefaction. The sun god dominated the Mayan idea of the sky. The night sky was considered to be a window showing all supernatural doings. They believed that world had infinite space and it had flat and square shape. They also worshiped the circle, which symbolized perfection or the balancing of forces. The maize god was considered to be the central figure of Mayan religious philosophy and maize life - cycle lay at the heart of Maya people. According to Mayan belief all gods were unbounded and associated with each others. The qualities of these gods and their attributes changed with the passage of time and with cultural influences from other Mesoamerican groups. An important characteristic of Mesoamerican religion was the dualism among the divine entities. The gods symbolized the confrontation between opposite poles: the positive, exemplified by light, the masculine, force, war, the sun, etc.; and the negative, exemplified by darkness, the feminine, repose, peace, etc. Good and bad features were not permanents traits of gods (Maya civilization, 1) . Philosophically, the Maya believed that knowing the past meant knowing the cyclical influences that create the present, and by knowing the influences of the present one can see the cyclical influences of the future. Aztec Religious Thoughts and Practices The Aztecs civilization refers to the Pre-Columbian Mesoamerican people under the control of the Mexico. The Aztec Empire was founded in postclassical era in the 14th, 15th and 16th centuries in central Mexico with Tenochtitlan as its capital. The basic theme of Aztec belief was Ometecuhtli - a Supreme Creator, who, according to

What are the main political implications of the privatisation of Essay

What are the main political implications of the privatisation of security - Essay Example Therefore, any security move for any nation cannot avoid having political implications since this act as benchmark to access the capabilities of the political leaders to offer protection to their citizens. Over the years, many nations have viewed security as the sole role of the government and hence they have seen military jobs as a different kind of job. Many have considered security as an aspect that they have paid for through tax remittances and therefore they have been the biggest opposes to the idea of privatizing security for quite some time (Singer, 2008, p. 8). In the United States, the whole concept of privatizations traces its way back in the 19th century by the use of private firms in the rail service provision. Security privatization was one of the largest privatization initiatives that the United States embarked on in the 20th century during the Second World War by privatizing part of the defense functions (Chesterman & Fisher, 2009, p.16). The motivation for this government to private collusion was the increased need for operational and technical support during that time of the war. Ever since that period, this kind of partnership has never ceased between these public and private companies. This trend in security partnership especially in the military has given rise to numerous private security firms (PSCs) which have specialized in a range of activities, which the United States government has been keen to privatize. The major areas that these companies have concentrated on include assessing security risk, offering intelligence support, strategic planning, technical assistant and operational supplement (Singer, 2008). The ramifications that the privatization of security offers all lie in the political arena since security from the onset was a government role which the political leader as the steers. Several analysts discuss that as much

Marketing Research Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Marketing Research - Essay Example The Market Research Society of UK gives the definition as: 'the collection and analysis of data from a sample of individuals or organizations relating to their characteristics, behavior, attitudes, opinions or possessions. It includes all forms of marketing and social research such as consumer and industrial surveys, psychological investigations, observational and panel studies (MRS, 1994) 1. Exploratory Design: This is used to discover the general nature of a problem and variables associated with it. It helps in formulating of relevant hypotheses. This uses primary techniques like focus groups, in-depth interviews and observational studies and also uses secondary data, non-probability samples, case analysis and subjective analysis of the resultant data. They are generally qualitative in nature. 2. Descriptive Design: They focus on the accurate description of the variables under consideration. They use questionnaires and surveys. They are used for determining consumer profile and their product usage studies, price and attitude surveys, sales analysis, media research etc. They are quantitative in nature. 3. Causal Designs: They try to establish the nature of relationship between two or more variables under investigation. The direction of the Causal link is very important. The example of their uses may be measuring the effectiveness of advertisement in terms of sales or study of price elasticity of demand etc. Marketing Research Process: The Marketing Research Process can be divided in the following stages: 1. Define the Problem: The first and most crucial stage of the process is defining the problem and providing the necessary information to the Research team which will help them prepare a proper design plan. This stage helps the organization to assess its current position, to define its information needs and to prepare it to make informed decisions about its future. The information provided helps the market researchers with in-depth understanding of the situation. It is important for the market researcher to interview the staff commissioning the study and any other persons who can shed some light on the situation. This helps in forming the Market Research questions, which will lead to forming sub questions. The success of the research depends solely on understanding the problem and defining the questions and sub-questions for which answers are sought by the research. For our case of Hobbit's Choice the basic problem identified is the feasibility of a fine, upscale restaurant featuring the finest entrees, drinks, and desserts in an elegant atmosphere. 2. Decide Research Plan: At this stage the researchers decide in which category his research should fall into. In our case the Hobbit's choice, we have to first find out whether the research will fall into Qualitative or Quantitiative category. In Quantitative category the research is designed to elicit

Who benefits from islamophobia Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Who benefits from islamophobia - Essay Example taken part in Germany, in France mosques are being attacked, and legislative measures are continuously being enacted to suppress Muslim rights in the west (Gottschalk & Greenberg, 2008). Similar to 19th century travelers, American Christian Zionist leaders connect Islam categorically with violence. Hagee announces, â€Å"Islam not only condones violence; it commands it. A tree is known by its fruit, and the fruit produced by Islam is fourteen hundred years of violence and bloodshed around the world† (Hagee, 2007). In order to support such an allegation, Hagee remarks that the Qur’an requires the amputation of a hand or foot of someone who resists Islam, saying, â€Å"In America, cutting off someone’s hand or feet because he would not accept your religion is unthinkable – but the Islamic Bible commands it†(Hagee, 2006). The concept underlying the Islam jihad is literally attacking unbelievers for the purpose of converting them to Islam. They do this through persuasion or by force. Mohammed and his successors attacked their surrounding neighbors offensively to spread Islam. These were offensive and defensive wars that forced the affected to submit to Allah or rather face the danger of being crashed. According to Christian Zionist leaders, the offensive violent jihad incites the determination of the Muslims to dominate the world and to force every inhabitant of the globe to follow their religion, Islam (Hagee, 2007). Hagee demonstrate a similar view of the Qur’an that requires Muslim nations to fight any non-Muslim nation regardless of its superiority to advance their cause of dominating the world. The Muslims across the world are devotedly committed to Israel’s obliteration according to Christian Zionist leaders. They do this by claiming that Muhammad dreamed of Islamic world domination, Hagee warning that, â€Å"The first step in fulfilling Muhammad’s dream is the destruction of Israel† (Hagee, 2006). The work published by Samuel Huntington, one of

Incident report Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Incident report - Essay Example Knowledge results from the combination of grasping experience and transforming it† (Kolb 1984). I faced with small but diverse conflicts during my activity. There is a tendency that the middle managers have proven to be more mobile. So first of all I estimated the conflict in order to give an answer to the question of what we can change the current situation. The manager should properly analyze what the person needs or do not needs, and what will only confuse the worker, to be able to articulate the problem and extract the desired information (Aldair 2009). I was needed to think and act quickly in order to satisfy the tasks proposed, I used to concentrate and express my ideas and thoughts correctly in order not to offend anyone ant at the same time be understood by my interlocutors. Kolb proposed six main characteristics for experiential learning (Kolb, 1999), including the following points: His experiential learning theory was developed in order to give a model to develop our practice. This theory has appeared under the different titles like The Learning Cycle, The Kolb Cycle or The Experiential Learning Cycle. The Kolb Cycle is divided into four different stages and it is possible to start at any point, however the order of the stages of learning from experience must not be ruined to achieve the successful results. The Experiential Learning Cycle says that is not enough to get an experience in order of learning. The experience is essential thing when it is necessary to formulate generalisations and concepts, useful for the new situations. In order to prove the skills you should get to the new situations. According to the written above the idea is to link theory and action by planning with reflections back to the theory. In order to join it to my activity I need to open each category a bit more. Concrete experience is

The Game Essay Example for Free

The Game Essay Every person has a different way of viewing success. In the movie â€Å"The Game†, each of the characters views success in their own specific and distinct ways. Nicholas has a more materialistic view of success contrasted by Conrad who lives a more easygoing life and Christine who is mostly a balance between the two. The various characters such as Nicholas, Conrad and Christine will achieve their success at the end of the movie, however each of them attain it in different ways. Nicholas Van Orton is the main character of the movie. At the beginning of the film, Nicholas appeared to be a very successful business man but lived in solitude. Divorced and alone, Nicholas now lived in a Mansion with his housekeeper, Elsa, as his only company. At this point of the movie, Nicholas seemed to perceive success as money. For his birthday, Nicholas is given by his brother a present to go to the CRS office and play a game. Once the game starts, he perceives his life as falling apart. His money is robbed form his bank account, his house is taken over by the CRS, and everywhere he went something mysterious happened to him. Nicholas saw success at this point as the survival of this horrible nightmare. With no money and anywhere to go, he decides to approach his ex wife for help. This might have been out of desperation, since he has not done such a thing in a long time. Parallel to this, he starts developing a relationship with Christine, a waitress in a restaurant which throughout the whole game will be there to help him. By the end of the movie, we see how Nicholas starts to realize how everyone surrounding him is a part of this â€Å"game† that wants to kill him. At this point he decides that the best thing is to kill himself since he has nothing to live for. Everything he had in life is gone. He throws himself from a building and surprisingly he lands on a giant air bag. This game was done by his brother Conrad as a birthday present. This whole nightmare instantly turned into happiness. Everything he just went through was a whole set up of a surprise party. He had not lost his house nor his money; everything was in-touch. After enduring through all the various games, Nicholas realizes that success does not only mean being a successful business person, but to be happy and have people that surround you. Throughout the movie, Christine appears to be an innocent person that coincidentally meets Nicholas. She helped Nicholas during the game to try to escape from the CRS agents, from people who wanted to kill him and also to try and get out of a solitary building. At the beginning, she helped Nicholas however, towards the end she played a role in robbing his bank account. At the end of the movie, we see how everything that has happened on the past couple of days, was a game. All of Nicholas possessions where intact and this was just all part of a game. By this time of the movie, we start realizing who the real Christine is. She is a woman whose goals of success are to make people happy. She achieves this goal by taking a job â€Å"the game† and go around the world in a mission to make other people happy. Christine’s view on success was through other people’s happiness. Conrad, Nicholas’ brother, has a unique personality. He was free-spirited, had a spontaneous character and wanted to live life to the fullest. He starts off the movie by saying how he fell asleep on the beach and when he woke up, he realized it was his brothers birthday. This scene of the movie gives us a sense of what character Conrad is. Even though he is not a successful businessman and does not have the same type of luxuries as his brother, he views his life to be a successful one. Conrad’s view on success was to live a happy carefree like free of any worries of having a set job or having any obligations. He has no interest in living the way his brother lived and even felt bad for him. This is why Conrad wanted Nicholas to participate in the game. He wanted Nicholas to open up his eyes of his unhappy life and appreciate other things apart from the materialistic ones. When the game is over Nicholas sees the value in trying to live a little bit more like Conrad, in not such a strict and orderly life without and personal relationships with other people. Nicholas, Christine and Conrad had very distinct views on success. On one hand Nicholas was all about the materialistic life, full of luxuries and a very successful business, yet with no personal relation. He ignores his ex-wife phone calls, does not have a good relationship with his brother and lives in a mansion with only his housekeeper Elsa. On the other hand, we have Christine and Conrad. Both of this characters view success in terms of happiness. Conrad is a free cared man that does not care about his money or any materialistic thing, he cared about the relationship with himself and how he felt about it. This is what made his happy. Christine, wanted to make people happy. She was part of the CRS agency who their job was to go around the world and make people happy. For me Christine is the most successful character. By doing the game and making people happy she achieves an internal happiness and a happiness for others. She not only succeeded in his work but also as a person. Although this three characters might seem they have nothing in common, we can see how all of them in one way or the other achieved their view of success. They where all successful in their own eyes. This movie demonstrates the perspectives of each individual when it comes to be successful.

Meaning of Life and Literary Metaphorical Descriptions Essay Example for Free

Meaning of Life and Literary Metaphorical Descriptions Essay Stuck and chained without any tendency of where your life is headed, requires necessary effort to go through. This is the situation for the main character in Wiliam Lychacks short story, Stolpestad. Without any whereabouts of his life directions, Stolpestad come across his own life through unpleasant confrontations of his own identity loss. â€Å"This is your life, Stolpestad† Stolpestad finds that his life gone tedious, waiting towards the end of each shift, lying and giving an excuse to postpone his arrival back home to his wife and his children. Driving through the city, Stolpestad yearns after his life in the town as child. â€Å"You idle slow and lawful past the house as if to glimpse someone or something – yourself as a boy, perhaps. † Though Stolpestad is aware of the requisite in his absence back home, he decides to go to a bar. At the bar he is telling stories, spreading laughter, about his earlier predicament with shooting the suffering dog. Stolpestad seems full of confidence re-telling the story, but in the certain situation he was nervous and sensitive: â€Å"with this hope that she’s already dead- that shrill of insects in the heat and grass as you nudge her again. You push until she comes to life, her eye opening slow and black to you – you with this hope that the boy will be running any moment to you now, hollering for you to stop. † He wish the dog to already be dead, or that the boy will come hollering him to stop. This nervousness of his comes truly to life when the boy and his father are confronting him, and the surrounding noices frightens him: â€Å"It’s only a door opening – but look how jumpy you are†. Stolpestad finds this confrontation to be a very uncomfortable situations, and feel that it is a repeating element in his life, which is depicted in this paragraph: â€Å"the deja vu of a pickup truck in the driveway as you pull around the house, as if you’ve seen or imagined or been through all of this be- fore, or will be through it all again, over and over†. We can interpret this, from the fact that Stolpestad keeps running into these unpleasant situations. Putting down a suffering dog turns into an unintentional disservice to the dying dog, the boy and his father and himself. The unsuccessful execution and the survival of the suffering dog, Goliath, can be seen as a metaphor for Stolpestads life. The life of the dog Goliath and Stolpestads life are heading in the same direction, Goliaths suffering is a reflection of the suffering in Stolpestads own life. Gully is gravely injured and it is just a matter of time until its’ life will peg out, but even after what was supposed to be an easy put down, the dog remains alive. Stolpestad is neither injured or near death. Stolpestad is caught between the choices whether he shall pursue his meaning of life or leave this world behind. He is stuck as a spectator of his own life, as the dying dog Goliath is a spectator of its’ own death. The injury of the dog can also be interpreted as a simile for the environment and the town Stolpestad lives in. The Christian narrative of â€Å"David and Goliath† deals for Goliaths sake with the themes negativity and failure. The nickname â€Å"Gully† is a synonym for a sewer. That means, that the dogs name in both significances refers to something including degradation and poor environs. Goliath lies on all the trash on the families within the families’ premises and symbolizes the poor social environment that the family hails from. The family is tamped by this inadequacy in the society, which the dog and its name symbolize. The sentence: â€Å"The old tires, empty bottles, paint cans, rusty car axle, refrigerator door† exemplifies what poor environment the family is a part of. The environment of the father may also explain the cause of his ironical compliments of Stolpestads house: â€Å"He lets out a long sigh and says it’s a fine place you seem to have here†. Still this higher league of society does not fit Stolpestad, and it does not seem like he has been in this contrast to the lower league of society his whole life, which also may cause the sympathy he has for the boy. The boy can be interpreted as an illusion of Stolpestad as a child. In the early beginning of the short story, Stolpestad is driving around soulless, looking for something – possibly himself as a child, and after the meeting with the boy, he quickly conceives comprehension of his life situation. This may be caused of Stolpestads own youth, that may have been difficult, but he still may miss: â€Å"Back to all the turns you were born, your whole life spent along the same sad streets† The kind of narrator being used in the story is a â€Å"second person narrator† who writes to a certain â€Å"you†. Our â€Å"you†, who our narrator directs itself to is the main character of the story, Stolpestad. Though it is Stolpestad the narrator direct itself to, the reader feels like being spoken to, when this narrative perspective is being used: †Was toward the end of your shift†. This way a text involves and affects its reader in a whole other level. It is hard to judge whether the narrator is an actual figure or totally absent throughout the story. The narrator does not specifically appear throughout the story, but certain things point to the narrators’ appearance: †away we go†. Still it is doubtful and unknown, who the narrator may be, as the short story does not give an unequivocal explanation of who the narrator might be. The language is both embossed of slang and then the more literary metaphorical descriptions. This shows, how the narrator has authority of changing the style when it fits him. Therefore it is a mixture of the lower style and a formal literary style. Stolpestad is living a life that just passes by, without him taking any action, and therefore he feels like his whole life just consists of continuous repetitions. He is living in the same surroundings as he did in his youth and during his childhood so therefore his external rams haven’t changed, though he has become older. Therefore everything feels recognizable and boring for him. With the description from a second person narrator, who sees Stolpestad from an external perspective, we can connect this to the interpretation of him as a passive individual. He is not even in possession of the authority to tell his own story, but is having it told by another narrator interfering and judging him negatively. Here as well he stands without influence, but may passively let the narrator relate his story, while he himself will have to be a spectator to his own life. So do not just let life pass you by.

The Conditions Under Deviant Behavior Problems Criminology Essay

The Conditions Under Deviant Behavior Problems Criminology Essay The conditions under which deviant behavior exists have presented an enduring question for researchers. Within the literature the majority of definitions of deviance share one commonality: that social norms and values subjectively label behaviors as deviant. Similar to the number of theories of deviance there exist a number of motivations why individuals choose to engage in deviant behavior. Existing theories-general strain, anomie, labeling, control, and learning-examine these factors and attempt to clarify the hows and whys of deviant behavior. The most common factors which facilitate individual deviance include personal strain, social disorganization, a lack of self-control, and the perception that the benefits for engaging in deviance outweighing the potential costs. Because of these variations there is currently no universally-accepted theory of deviance. Introduction An urgent question in contemporary social sciences is how and why certain behaviors, attributes, or classes of individuals come to be defined as deviant.  [1]  Since social groups make the rules, deviant behavior results from individuals who fail to adhere to said rules. When behaviors are defined as deviant it is assumed that they will either promote or inhibit individual motivation to engage in such acts and will evoke certain social responses which serve to influence subsequent behavior by those within said society.  [2]  A number of theorists attempt to identify a commonality to the different types of deviant behavior. The underlying theme is that this type of behavior offends societys normative order and deviance becomes a theoretical construct of this consensus. There exist a number of theories which seek to define how individuals and their behavior are identified as deviant. Definitions of and Motivations for Deviant Behavior Despite a wide variety of definitions of deviance there is consensus that deviance refers to behaviors or attributes manifested by specified kinds of people in specified circumstances that are judged to violate the normative expectations of a specified group.  [3]  This consensus perspective serves to promote collective agreement as to what core values, norms, and goals should be. Behavior that falls outside of the specified parameters are deemed deviant. The degree of deviance is directly correlated to the perceived serious of the punitive response it elicits. Many questions abound as to individual motivations to engage in deviant behavior. Fundamentally, if one anticipates that satisfaction will ensue from engaging in the behavior then he will do so. Hirschi (1969) asserts that the motivation for deviance is always present and that research should examine the circumstances which permit individuals to act on these motivations.  [4]  In another view, Merton (1938) argues that societal strain increases motivation for deviance in order to achieve certain unattainable culturally-sanctioned goals.  [5]  Where the majority of individuals will embrace conformity as a response to strain others resort to deviance. Similarly, Tittles (1995) control balance theory assumes that individuals have a strong need to exercise control over themselves and to escape having control exerted over them by others while Katz (1988) argues that the motivation to deviance occurs to protect ones self esteem, encourage a desired reputation, establish autonomy, [ or] demonstrate competence, for example.  [6]   These theories all share the presumption that deviance is motivated by the need to adapt to psychological distress which results from the failure to achieve desired goals through conventional means. Accordingly, when pushes, or psychological impulses which compel an individual to engage in deviant behavior, and pulls, or the attraction of deviant opportunities, interact then motivation for deviance increases.  [7]  Deviance results from individuals motive to engage in deviant behavior being stronger than the motive not to amidst the existence of the opportunity to do so. Theoretical Foundations There are two primary types of theories to explain deviance: structural and processual. Structural theories are labeled sociological theories while processual ones are termed social psychological theories due to the differences in goals and scope.  [8]  Structural theories emphasize the relationship of deviant behavior to particular structural conditions within society and attempt to explain why deviance is higher in certain areas, such as those with lower socioeconomic status.  [9]  On the other hand, processual theories seek to describe the processes by which people engage in deviant behavior by attempting to explain the conditions which lead to the commission of deviant acts.  [10]  With respect to scope, structural theories address the epidemiology, or distribution in time and space of deviance and processual theories focus upon the etiology, or specific causes, of deviance.  [11]   Specific Theories of Deviance General Strain Theory (GST) GST addresses the interrelatedness of strain and its emotional response, individual coping mechanisms, and deviance.  [12]  As a theory it focuses not upon strain itself but upon individual responses to strain and seeks to identify those characteristics which enable non-deviant responses amid strain. Sharp, Brewster Love (2005) argue that certain types of strain create certain actions which influence delinquent behaviors. Anger, for example is an emotional response which has a high likelihood of encouraging deviant behavior. Therefore, where there is a strain-particularly one perceived as unfair-low social control creates pressure which, in turn, causes deviant behavior.  [13]  Research indicates that gender is a strong predictor of strain-induced deviance with males more overt in their responses than females who tend to internalize strain. GST has been used considerably in the study of juvenile deviance. Repeated exposure to stressful life experiences has been found to both escalate and accelerate juvenile delinquency and depending upon when during ones life-course trajectory the strain occurs different implications ensue. The literature suggests that involvement in delinquency begins to increase during early adolescence, peaking around age 16 and 17, and followed by a decline in such behavior.  [14]  Agnew (1997, 2006) claims that this life-course trajectory highlights that adolescence is a period of high transitions, that adolescents perceive their environment as negative more so than adults, and that there is an increased propensity for juveniles to react to adversity through deviant behavior.  [15]  The lack of useful coping mechanisms in juveniles makes it difficult to react to strain more effectively. Anomie Theory According to anomie theory-much like GST-deviance results from social disorganization in that elements in society promote deviant behavior by making such behavior a feasible adjustment to society. Where the earliest form of this theory hypothesized that anomie results from a failure to achieve positively-valued goals Agnew (2001) expanded upon this theory by including that anomie can also result when positive stimuli are removed and when negative stimuli are applied.  [16]  One criticism of anomie theory is that it assumes universality in what should be defined as deviant and how most individuals should behave; however, in reality, deviance is a relative concept so this universality is erroneous.  [17]   Labeling Theory Labeling theory presents an interactionist perspective to the study of deviant behavior by stressing the importance of the processes through which society labels a particular act as deviant and the subsequent negative social sanctions which influence the individual to engage in further deviance.  [18]  Becker (1973) claims that deviance is a consequence of the application by others of rules and sanctions to an offender.  [19]  Therefore, while the act or the person may not be inherently deviant, existing social controls create deviance by defining acts that the majority believes to be so and, consequently, labeling individuals who engage in such acts as deviant. This creates a self-fulfilling prophecy by amplifying the very phenomenon that it is intended to suppress.  [20]  Of primary importance is that subsequent events serve to reinforce the deviance because an individual internalizes the label attached to him by societys stigmatizing and creates secondary, or tertiary, deviance. The labeling itself serves to ensure that every society has a percentage of deviants which is critical to maintain the majority consensus.  [21]   Control Theory Control theory is similar to anomie and social disorganization theories to the degree that deviance results from the lack of social controls on individual restraint to engage in deviant behavior.  [22]  Durkheim (1933) asked why people conform to social norms instead of why they engage in deviant behavior. Under this theory it is assumed that everyone would engage in deviant behavior if given the chance, that a small amount of social controls will increase deviance, and that there exists a central value system which defines deviance in society.  [23]  There are four components of an individuals societal bond which serve to prevent deviance: attachment to specific groups through affection, respect, and socialization; commitment to accepting conforming behavior; involvement in non-delinquent behavior; and a belief in the dominant value system of any particular group.  [24]  When social bonds are reestablished or strengthened then the deviant behavior ceases. Accordingly, individuals who engage in deviant behavior do so due to low self-control. Under this theory low self-control is comprised of six personality traits: anger, impulsivity, preference for simple tasks, risk-seeking, being more physical than mental, and being self-centered.  [25]  Gottfredson Hirschis (1990) self-control theory asserts that inadequate child-rearing results in lowered self-control which facilitates a predisposition to engage in deviant behavior.  [26]  They also claim that individuals who engage in one type of deviant act will commit other deviant acts. Learning or Socialization Theory These theories suggest that deviance is a learned behavior similar to how non-deviant individuals learn conforming behavior. By attempting to distinguish variations in behaviors theorists assume that differences in rates of deviance among various groups can be determined. One of the most widely-cited learning theories is Sutherlands (1947) differential association theory which postulates that deviant behavior results from normative conflicts in neighborhood structures, peer group relationships, and the organization of family in society.  [27]  The fundamental tenets of Sutherlands theory are that criminal behavior is learned, that learning is a result of personal interaction, that primary learning occurs in intimate group settings, that people learn that socially-normative attitudes are either favorable or not, that deviant behavior results when conditions favorable to deviance exceed those unfavorable to violating the law, and that deviant behavior cannot be explained by general needs and values.  [28]  Accordingly, an individual learns various motives which are favorable to engaging in deviant behaviors as well as rationalizations and techniques for achieving them. While the behavior may be defined as deviant to the rest of society, within a particular individuals in-group the behavior may adhere to the groups norms. Akers (1985, 1989) expanded upon Sutherlands work by adding that deviance results when a person learns definitions that portray some conduct as a desirable, even though deviant, action.  [29]  If an individual is rewarded for a deviant act by his in-group then he becomes socialized to continue the behavior under the expectation of similar positive experiences for subsequent acts. Other Theories Deterrence theory asks whether the expectation of certain, severe, and swift punishment for engaging in deviant behavior would deter such behavior.  [30]  Rational choice theory addresses an individuals anticipated cost-benefit ratio of acting on deviant impulses. A greater expected or perceived benefit increases the likelihood that the individual will commit the act. Finally, conflict theory asserts that the development of formal social controls and laws are legitimized by the more powerful societal groups.  [31]   Conclusion The wide variation of social psychological theories of deviant behavior seeks to answer why individuals become motivated to engage in deviant behavior, how behaviors and attitudes are defined as deviant, what factors facilitate deviant behavior, why some deviant behavior is escalated, and what consequences exist.  [32]  Despite the number and variety of theories of deviance the commonality is that this concept is a socially-defined construct utilized to maintain a societys normative values. The disparities in definitions of deviance among societies make it difficult to establish an all-encompassing theory to explain the existence of deviant behavior in contemporary society.

Definition Essay - Art and Excellence :: Expository Definition Essays

Definition Essay - Art and Excellence Art is why I get up in the morning, but my definition ends there, ya know, it doesn’t seem fair that I’m living for something I can’t even define, and there you are right there in the meantime. –Ani DiFranco, â€Å"Out of Habit,† Living in Clip Art seems to be such an all-encompassing word it defies definition. The artist Ani DiFranco blatantly says in her music that she cannot define art although it is intimately and passionately tied into her life and interpersonal relationships. Ani Difranco is an artist, but why is she an artist? What about her and her music make her an artist? What makes her music art? What is the difference between this enterprise and that of being a world-class physicist? Was Einstein not a true artist? Is physics not an art? If it is an art, is it art? When one attempts to analyze and define art, these sorts of questions inevitably arise, making any objective notion of what art is exceedingly difficult to determine. In fact, we find that nearly everybody has his or her own unique conception of art. Of course, it may be argued that everybody also has his or her own unique conception of a spoon or any other idea, but art seems something over and above this. The incredible depth , richness, and complexity of art do not merely allow for, but seem to necessitate the myriad conceptions of art we find in the world around us. I believe the level to which anything can be considered art depends on the level of originality, skillfulness, effectiveness, and other such relative characteristics providing opportunities for the excellent performance or unbelievable creativity we typically associate with art. To begin explaining what is meant by art’s reliance on relative characteristics, let us analyze the word deep. How do we know when something is deep? Should we consider any body of water greater than four inches in depth deep and anything less deep shallow? It seems fairly obvious that the word depth refers solely to relative phenomena. Deep is a fairly simple property to which we make the switch from shallow at some arbitrarily and relatively defined level on the gradient of depth.