Tuesday, December 24, 2019

Discouraging Crime by Cracking down on Criminal Behavior...

Discouraging Crime by Cracking down on Criminal Behavior: Result is Safer Communities The frequency of crimes committed in many communities result in a heightened fear for those affected by this criminal behavior. More focus is required on the methods used to deter crime to discourage individuals from committing criminal behavior. Understanding of what is sociably acceptable and what violates cultural standards in a community is important. Then society will be able to find suitable ways to deject criminality through means of appropriate reprimand. Despite laws set to punish those who commit a crime, criminal behavior is still present in communities. Therefore, direct focus on criminal behavior can discourage crime by more police†¦show more content†¦Third, police presence in patrol cars can reduce deviant behavior by increasing visibility in areas prone to individuals breaking the law, such as speeding through school zones, radar police vehicles to slow traffic, and visually seeing police vehicles patrolling the streets. This method makes them able to respond quickly to calls and to look actively for crime. Whichever method of patrol the police use in a community to deter crime, the sociological perspective is a reminder to be aware of all the elements surrounding each situation to be successful (Macionis et al., 2009). The presence of police, in their many forms, contributes to a community’s awareness of crime control efforts, which result in deterring criminal behavior. Deterring Crime with Involvement from the Community Communities actively involved in deterring crime work directly with their local police to discuss any issues or expectations, learn about and address problems with crime in their area, and hear updates or resolutions on actions the police have had (Forman, 2004). Civilian based methods used in communities help to deter crime. For instance, a commonly known organization, Alberta Citizens on Patrol Association (ACOPA or better known as COP), made up of volunteer community members who want to work in collaboration with local police in creating a safer community by focusing on preventing crime (Alberta Citizens onShow MoreRelatedFundamentals of Hrm263904 Words   |  1056 Pages Fundamentals of Human Resource Management Tenth Edition David A. DeCenzo Coastal Carolina University Conway, SC Stephen P. Robbins San Diego State University San Diego, CA Tenth Edition Contributor Susan L. Verhulst Des Moines Area Community College Ankeny, IA John Wiley Sons, Inc. Associate Publisher Executive Editor Senior Editoral Assistant Marketing Manager Marketing Assistant Production Manager Senior Production Editor Freelance Development Editor Senior Designer InteriorRead MoreCissp Study Guide67657 Words   |  271 Pagesand data. This type of policy can provide an approved software list, which contains a list of applications that can be installed on individual workstations. This policy can describe how databases are to be protected, how computers are to be locked down, and how firewall, intrusion diction systems, and scanners are to be employed. Pg 93 Shon Harris CISSP All-In-One Certification Exam Guide Pass Any Exam. Any Time. - www..com 5 Ac tua lTe Explanation: An acceptable use policy is a document

Monday, December 16, 2019

Counterintelligence Policies Free Essays

One of threatening crime these days in the U. S. is terrorism like the 9/11 tragedy and other similar terrorism attacks. We will write a custom essay sample on Counterintelligence Policies or any similar topic only for you Order Now The reason is obvious that such attacks turn out to be suddenly happened that scare most people to go into public venues like malls, office buildings, bus or railway stations, and other places of interests. Prior to 9/11 tragedy, the U. S. experienced impressive economy growth in terms of GDP in which, according to CIA Factbook, â€Å"before 2001 the country became the largest and the most powerful economy in the world with a per capita GDP of $36,200† (†CIA Factbook 2001†). However, the situation turned upside down when terrorists attacked the Pentagon and Two Buildings of World Trade Center in September 2001. It turned out that the 9/11 brought the country’s economy to experience a great suffer since some industries experienced great losses and slow growth afterwards. In order to prevent such huge loses in the future; U. S. government takes some necessary actions in both foreign and domestic policy especially regarding the home country defense initiatives (counterintelligence) to protect U. S. citizen from foreign espionages that threatens the U. S. nation security, which also impacts the country economy. Concerning the counterintelligence issues that the U. S. faces, therefore, the thesis statement for this paper is â€Å"As foreign intelligence action becomes threats to the U. S. national security, what goals and policies that U. S. counterintelligence has within the past six decades and in the future and what factors in the counterintelligence initiatives that need fixing to improve future successes in counterintelligence† 2. Counterintelligences in the U. S. 2. 1 History and Recent Cases of Counterintelligence in the U. S. A great power is the result of the great pressure. This condition highlights the roadmap of the U. S. counterintelligence initiatives within the past six decades. To date, United States is still perceived as the most powerful nation on the earth that suggests many actions threat the country to challenge their defense system. Due to the current position as a super power country, such actions to the country’s land will take months or even years of preparation since the attackers must have reliable information about the country’s defense before prior to execute it. Since any attacks to the country take some times by sending the intelligence, therefore, the country has to have the capability to counteract any intelligence performed by country’s counterparts by securing vital information about their national security plans. One of action to secure it is through counterintelligence. Historically, counterintelligence started several decades ago when John Jay became the first coordinated a national level of counterintelligence efforts. At that time, the goal of committing the counterintelligence is to lead a legislative committee to investigate a plot to sabotage defense and infrastructure targets in New York. In his investigations, Jay employs at least 10 agents; a few of the famous ones are Nathaniel Sackett, Elijah Hunter and Enoch Crosby. All of his agents were operating under enormous pressure. Some were undercover; being unmasked meant death to all of them (Rose P. K. , 1999). Enoch Crosby is the best secret agent that John Jay has. He uses various names and identity to retrieve information about the pro-British’s activities. After he get â€Å"to famous† for his work in one place, he was assign to another area, joining another pro-British Colony (Rose, 1999). In addition, one of recent cases in counterintelligence was on the arrests of two Chinese, Fei Ye and Ming Zhong, who found guilty for their actions of committing economic espionage, highlights the importance to conduct counterintelligence to secure the U. S. critical resources including trade secrets. The cases occurred when they found to bring the stolen trade secret in their luggage in San Francisco International Airport in November 2001. According to their statement, they intend to take the trade secrets of two well-known IT companies in the U. S. -Sun Microsystems, Inc. and Transmeta Corporation- to support and profit the development of the respective industry in China (Department of Justice, 2006). Similarly, the case of 9/11 attack also highlights that the country experiences information leaks about sensitive defense material that let the tragedy happens. Other leaks of information might cause another threats to America in the future. Here is where American Counterintelligence takes a vital role. American Counterintelligence has found that leaks of information have often happened in the United States governmental and intelligence environments. It turned out; the history of Americans sold out their country goes back a very long way. How to cite Counterintelligence Policies, Papers

Sunday, December 8, 2019

The Tax Law in Australia

Question: Discuss the tax law in Australia. Answer: Tax is the money earned from income of citizens and is paid by the citizens of a jurisdiction to their government for various purposes. In Australia, tax is paid by both individuals and companies ( Lehmah et al, 1989). The importance of tax collection in Australia include that tax collection aids in the fair redistribution of wealth in the state and second, raises revenue that is used to provide for the various public services such as free health care and salaries for government employees. Resident and non residents are differently. There are test set up to determine if a tax payer is a resident or not. For an individual, the first test is be an Australian resident, second is not a citizen but has been present in the country for more than 183 days in the financial year or not a citizen but been present in the country for an aggregate of more than 122 days in three consecutive years. For a corporation, it is considered resident if it is incorporated in the country, if it is not incorporated in Australia but it is run in the country or if it is listed as a resident by the government of Australia. Residency is important to tax payers. Resident tax payers pay less tax rates compared to non residents. Another difference is that residents are liable for capital gains tax while the non residents are liable only on real property (McMullan, 1992). In Australia, tax was introduced during the colonization period in 1788 by the first governor. The first taxes was the import taxes imposed first on wine and beer and later on all luxurious goods so as to cater for the orphans and to aid in the completion of the Sydney's first goal. Other taxes introduced by the colonial government included the wills tax and the stamp duty. During the First World War, federal income tax was introduced. The government thought taxation as a good way to generate income to cater for the expenses required during the war. Tax Administration Act was adopted in 1953. Australian constitution mandates the Common wealth with exclusive, concurrent and residual powers to impose taxes (Boden, et al 2010). In relation, the constitution also contain various provision such as that the laws made by common wealth have to be approved by the two houses of parliament that protects the state and the public from the powers given to the common wealth creating checks and balances. There are legislations that govern tax law such as Income Tax Assessment Act and the Income Tax Rates Act. There are various types of taxes in Australia. They are levied by the citizens to the three levels of government. There are the local, state and federal governments in Australia each with its role in tax collection. The taxes are then paid either on a progressive scale or on a flat rate. Progressive scale tax administration means that the rate of tax paid from income increases as the income increase. The more the income, the more the tax to be paid. On the other hand, flat rate means that the same rate applies to all irrespective of the amount ( Thuronyi, 2003). There are several types of taxes in Australia. To start with, is the personal income tax which accounts for about 67% of the federal government's revenue (Tomasic et al, 2002). This is a classification of taxes based on the tax payer as they are taxes paid by individuals for personal income. Personal income tax is paid on a progressive scale. Income tax is collected from the income of individuals. These kinds of taxes include income taxes which are the most significant taxes in Australia and are collected by the federal government. The body mandated to collect such tax is the Australian Taxation Office. Withholding tax is a form of tax collection whereby the tax is deducted from the source and the Australian Taxation Office collects it from the employer. Other personal income taxes include, the capital gains tax in which net capital gains are added to the taxable income then taxed in trusts capital gains tax shifts to the beneficiary while in a partnership, the partners are taxed separately and not as a partnership. An exemption is allowed for goods owned since 20th September 1985 when the tax was introduced. the death duty and the partnerships or trust taxes. The second types of income taxes are the corporate taxes. These are taxes paid by corporations for the income they make. The mode of payment here I a flat rate. Both resident and nonresident corporations are taxed. Another tax is the goods and services tax. This is tax paid for the value added on goods and services. The tax was introduced in the year 2000. However, the law provides for some goods and services that are exempted and one do not have to pay taxes for such.Property taxes are levied by state governments and are paid for income earned from owning property, departure tax is also known as the passenger movement charge it is levied on all passengers leaving the country. Luxury car tax is levied on businesses that sell luxurious and expensive cars. Payroll taxes are levied by the state governments in Australia on the wages and or salaries of the tax payers, inheritance tax is tax levied by the government for inherited property. The person who inherits the property pays the tax. Fringe Benefits Tax is a kind of tax collected by the Australian Taxation Office to some people on non monetary benefits that they enjoy. Fuel taxes are taxes levied on the commonly used fuels in Australia, and the custom duties are taxes levied on imported goods such as perfume and alcohol Shome, 1995). In conclusion, taxation in Australia is efficiently and easily understandable. Australia is known for its low tax burden compared to other developed jurisdictions. It is for this reason that I urge that the taxation is efficient. Also necessary institutions have been put in place to ensure taxation in the country runs smoothly both for the citizens and the government. The tax system is in accordance to the cannons of a good tax system that are simplicity, convenience, equality and certainty References. Lehman, G. J., Coleman, C, F. (1989). Taxation law in Australia. Butterworth-Heinemann. Thuronyi, V. (2003). Comparative tax law. Kluwer Law International. McMullan, R. (1992). Parliamentary debates senate hansard. Boden, R., Killian, S., Mulligan, E., Oats, L. (2010). Critical perspectives on taxation . critical Perspectives on Accounting 21(7), 541-544. Tomasic, R., Bottomley, S., Rob McQueen.(2002) Corporations law in Australia. Federation Press. Shome, P. (Ed). (1995). Tax policy handbook. International Monetary Fund.

Saturday, November 30, 2019

RMIT International University Vietnam Essays - Linguistics, Culture

RMIT International University Vietnam Master of Business Administration Assignment Cover Page Subject Code BUSM4450 Subject Name: Business Research Design Location Campus (SGS or HN) where you study: RMIT Hanoi Campus Title of Assignment: (In the form of a question) Assessment 3 - Reflection Journal File(s) Submitted: Assessment 3 - Reflection Journal Student name: Le Thanh Thuy Student Number: S3360505 Lecturer and Group number: Dr Matthew McDonald Assignment due date : 10/9/2017 Date of Submission: 10/9/2017 Number of pages including this one: Word Count: (Main Content - excluding appendices reference lists) Table of Contents TOC \o "1-3" \h \z \u 1.Introduction PAGEREF _Toc492507382 \h 3 2.Reflective Journal PAGEREF _Toc492507383 \h 3 2.1.Initial Problem Identification : PAGEREF _Toc492507384 \h 3 2.2.The Concepts and Theory of Research Design Application PAGEREF _Toc492507385 \h 4 2.3.Forward Movement PAGEREF _Toc492507386 \h 4 2.4.Project Team Performance PAGEREF _Toc492507387 \h 5 2.5.Positive and Negative Experiences PAGEREF _Toc492507388 \h 6 2.6.Future Career Application PAGEREF _Toc492507389 \h 6 3.Conclusion PAGEREF _Toc492507390 \h 7 Reference Lists : PAGEREF _Toc492507391 \h 8 Introduction After completing two assessments for the Business Research Design course, the coordinator gave us the formula how to write a Reflective Journal in assessment 3. The reflective writing require us to obtain the deeper thinking of personal experiences and what about the observation during the process in order to make the research proposal. Our research question is : "Why do Vietnamese workers prefer working for a foreign company to a local one?". In the journal, I will report what I have learnt from nine sessions of the course and the process that my team project have been through, what we did well and did not do well. Beside this, I will discuss more about the knowledge what I have gained and evaluate my performance in both myself and team members, clarify clearer about my thoughts and spot the patterns and links of the course, thus, I would be able to purify why things happen the way my project team did and how much successful we achieved after completing the research proposal. Furthe rmore, the reflective journal will also identify the positive experience when working in a team and evaluate the effectiveness of the course which can assist for my lifelong learning, especially for the business research career. Reflective Journal Train J Athl ( 2006 ) identifies the benefits of writing a reflective journal are strengthening personal reflection, making the critical thought become easier and enhancing the feeling expression. Additionally, Walraven V C (2017) emphasizes that the reflective journal is a helpful learning evaluation for many wide range of subjects and this writing is not much requirements for students and do not need e effort for coordinator for any helps. Instantly, reflective journal permits students to reflect on their understanding they have learnt in class by writing on the reflection, students can demonstrate their knowledge and personal experiences after each lesson based on reflective journal and propose their new plan for the next lecture. A journal writing educate students to create new perspectives and allow them to blow their mind, brainstorm many kinds of new ideas, strengthen the skillfulness and optimize their critical thinkings. Thus, for each journal writing regularly after class, students would improve certainly in terms of their writing skills, sentences consistency and their creativity and innovative thinking as well. In the next sections, my reflective journal will emphasize our Sky Team s performance and demonstrate the quality of research proposal throughout four days of intensive class. Also, I will illustrate my critical thinking and personal experiences I have gained when I taking part in my project team during attending the Business Research Design course. Additionally, based on the process of writing a reflective journal in the online RMIT Learning Lab, I will discuss three key points that how to write an effective journal writing are describing the positivity and negativity what things happened, examine and assess the learning experience throughout intensive course and further personal knowledge what I have learnt from this experiences. Initial Problem Identification : The problem our Skyteam focus on is about the high turnover rate of Vietnamese companies compare to foreign ones. Vietnam now is a developing country which high potential for foreign investments, however, there is a large amount of Vietnamese young talents tend to

Tuesday, November 26, 2019

Free Essays on Theresa

, prints the letter in her column. The response from the article is overwhelmingly positive, including letters from others who have found similar letters written by Garrett. Theresa, unlucky in love since divorcing her unfaithful husband, decides that she must meet the man who has written the letters. She finds him in Wrightsville, North Carolina, still struggling with his wife's death. Theresa and Garrett meet and fall in love, he unaware of her knowledge of the letters. "Message" lacks any real emotional conflict; everyone gets along swimmingly. Before you know it, Theresa and Garrett have proclaimed their undying love to one another, despite the fact that they don't appear to have anything more in common than physical attraction. Does Theresa's 12-year-old son, Kevin, resent Mom's new boyfriend? Nope, he thinks he's "cool". The only suspenseful part concerns Garrett finding out Theresa knew about the letters all along. When the truth comes out, Garrett confronts her with this cliched clunker "I don't even know who you are anymore." When Garrett visits Boston, he is depicted as the stereotypical out-of-water Southerner in the big city who feels suffocated. Meanwhile, Theresa can't leave behind her job in Boston. Can't a syndicated columnist write from anywhere in the country in this day of e-mail and fax machines? The fact that Garrett is not completely over his late wife is evident throughout the book. It's the most genuine and heartfelt element in "Message". Unfortunately, Sparks drives the point into the ground through the use of flashbacks, nightmares, and the actual messages in the bottles. What the story needs is a character to inject some comic relief. A few sarcastic, irreverent remarks would be a refreshing break from the sugary sweet dialogue. Garrett's father would be the perfect candidate, but he is relegated to "Don't make the same mistakes I made" talks with his ... Free Essays on Theresa Free Essays on Theresa Theresa, so moved by Garrett's words, prints the letter in her column. The response from the article is overwhelmingly positive, including letters from others who have found similar letters written by Garrett. Theresa, unlucky in love since divorcing her unfaithful husband, decides that she must meet the man who has written the letters. She finds him in Wrightsville, North Carolina, still struggling with his wife's death. Theresa and Garrett meet and fall in love, he unaware of her knowledge of the letters. "Message" lacks any real emotional conflict; everyone gets along swimmingly. Before you know it, Theresa and Garrett have proclaimed their undying love to one another, despite the fact that they don't appear to have anything more in common than physical attraction. Does Theresa's 12-year-old son, Kevin, resent Mom's new boyfriend? Nope, he thinks he's "cool". The only suspenseful part concerns Garrett finding out Theresa knew about the letters all along. When the truth comes out, Garrett confronts her with this cliched clunker "I don't even know who you are anymore." When Garrett visits Boston, he is depicted as the stereotypical out-of-water Southerner in the big city who feels suffocated. Meanwhile, Theresa can't leave behind her job in Boston. Can't a syndicated columnist write from anywhere in the country in this day of e-mail and fax machines? The fact that Garrett is not completely over his late wife is evident throughout the book. It's the most genuine and heartfelt element in "Message". Unfortunately, Sparks drives the point into the ground through the use of flashbacks, nightmares, and the actual messages in the bottles. What the story needs is a character to inject some comic relief. A few sarcastic, irreverent remarks would be a refreshing break from the sugary sweet dialogue. Garrett's father would be the perfect candidate, but he is relegated to "Don't make the same mistakes I made" talks with his ...

Friday, November 22, 2019

How to Correctly Use German Adverb Auch

How to Correctly Use German Adverb Auch Sometimes the littlest words can have a big meaning. Take the German adverb auch. In its simplest form, this word means also. But it also (get it?) holds greater significance.   Auch can mean even. It can also be a modal particle and imply anything from I hope to Youre sure. Heres a closer look at the power behind this common, little adverb.   When Auch Is Accentuated This type of auch relates to the subject of the sentence and will usually be in front of a verbal group. Its meaning is also. For example:   Mein Sohn will jetzt auch Klavier studieren. My son now also wants to study piano. Meine Oma isst gerne Bockwurst und auch Bratwurst.My grandmother likes to eat Bockwurst and Bratwurst, as well. When Auch Is Not Accentuated This type of  auch bears directly upon the elements of phrase that follow it. It usually means even. For example:   Auch fà ¼r einen fleißigen Schà ¼ler, war dies eine große Hausaufgabe.Even for a hard working student, this was a lot of homework. ï » ¿Ihr kann auch kein Arzt helfen.Not even a doctor can help her. Take note that in the above sentences, the unaccented auch draws attention toward an accented word: fleißigen or Arzt, respectively. Auch Can Express Mood An unaccented auch can also be used to indicate the mood of the speaker. In such cases, you will find  auch to help underline the speaker’s irritation or reassurance. For example:   Du kannst auch nie still sein!You can never be still, can you? Hast du deine Brieftasche auch nicht vergessen?I hope you didn’t forget your wallet. Context Is Everything Consider the following two dialogues and the meaning implied by the context. Sprecher 1: Die Freunde deines Sohnes kà ¶nnen gut schwimmen.  / Your son’s friends can swim really well. Sprecher 2: Mein Sohn ist auch ein guter Schwimmer.  / My son is also a good swimmer.Sprecher 1: Mein Sohn treibt gerne Basketball und Fußball. Er ist auch ein guter Schwimmer.  / My son loves playing basketball and soccer. He is also a good swimmer. Sprecher 2: Ihr Sohn ist sehr sportlich. / Your son is very athletic. As you can see, in both dialogues, the phrases with auch are practically the same, yet a different meaning is implied. Tone and context mean everything. In the first case, auch is accented and serves the subject of the sentence:  Sohn. In the second case, auch is unaccented and the emphasis is in on guter Schwimmer, implying that the son is, among other things, also good at swimming.

Thursday, November 21, 2019

Groups and Teams Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Groups and Teams - Essay Example The study of groups and group dynamics plays a very important part in the study of organizational behavior. Groups are a common feature in most organizational settings. (Group Dynamics, n.d.) It has been observed that groups are most productive when an assignment entails the requirement of multiple skills, experiences and decision making abilities. They are able to assemble quickly, take decisions and if the need arises then they can disperse and move on to another task. As compared to individuals, groups have a lot of enthusiasm to complete the job. Groups are responsible for completing most of the work in an organization. Thus it would not be incorrect to say that the success of an organization depends largely on the effectiveness of its groups. (Group Dynamics, n.d.) Group work helps to explore and express varied ideas and suggestions of the group members in a cooperative way. Working in groups involves mutual support. A group can be successful only if all the members believe in the culture of shared commitment. Group work is not about competing with the peers. It involves using the range of resources available in the group to deepen their understanding and extending their knowledge to their collective advantage. (Working in groups,n.d.) Groups are generally classified as formal or informal groups. ... Anybody can become a part of the informal group. Friendship groups, reference groups and interest groups are all informal groups. Even though the informal groups are not formed to achieve organizational goals they can have a strong positive or negative influence on the working of an organization. For example, they can either talk about how to develop a production method or how to create shortcuts that would eventually endanger quality. (Group Dynamics, n.d.) Good team behavior requires development and supervising. It is imperative to ascertain the appropriate role of each member within a group. Meredith Belbin from the Industrial Training Research Unit at Cambridge developed a model of how teams work. Beblin identified a number of roles for each member of a group. The chart below displays all the team roles and the corresponding behaviors. In order to use the chart effectively one has to identify his/her current role and use this awareness to make his/her behavior efficient and effective. (Working in groups,n.d.) The Role Description Behaviour PLANT A source of good ideas for the group. Intellectually dominant & imaginative but introverted. Contributing ideas RESOURCE INVESTIGATOR Popular, sociable, extrovert & relaxed. A source of new contacts but not an originator Introduces ideas from outside. Negotiator SHAPER Extrovert & passionate about the task. Highly strung & dominant Shaping roles/ objectives. Pushing group towards agreement. MONITOR EVALUATOR Analytically intelligent. Dissects ideas/ spots flaws. Possibly aloof Analyses situations & contributions of others COORDINATOR Balanced, disciplined& good at working through others. Presides/ coordinates States objectives, establishes roles, sums up achievements IMPLEMENTER Practical organizer, schedules/ plans

Tuesday, November 19, 2019

A critical evaluation of the role of leadership in managing people in Essay

A critical evaluation of the role of leadership in managing people in sport and leisure organisations - Essay Example To expand the competitive market it is needed to apply the effective management principles for the management of people. The reasons behind the success of football clubs in India are the worldwide fans and the advance technology in broadcasting the football game all over India. To increase the awareness among the customers and meeting their expectations, funds should be available to run the industry and attract the commercial sector investors. Human resource managers are facing the challenges to meet the rising expectation of the customers and providing them services in order to exist in the competitive market. The sport and leisure industry will enjoy the competitive advantage only when it is the only one, which can meet the customer expectations, improving the quality, and creating awareness on consumer rights (Robinson, 2005, p.1-2). As the trends are changing, Human Resource Management processes the changes in the organisation structure, systems and cost reduction programs. Manag ing the people in the sport organisation helps the manager to acquire the skills and to be a good leader to help the new talents face the challenges in sport and leisure sectors. The sport and leisure industry will enjoy the competitive advantage only when it is the only one, which can meet the customer expectations, improving the quality, and creating awareness on consumer rights (Wolsey, Minten & Abrams, 2011). The leaders in the sports industry have to face lot of challenges in leading his team to reach the goal. A good leader is needed, who is confident enough to lead his team and encourage them to achieve the goal. In sports industry, a leader will be the one who is providing direction, encouragement and authority to evoke desired behaviours. For example, in the Minnesota Timberwolves organisation, like many sports organisations, the leader will play his role in catalysing the learning process among the followers, as well as creating environment

Saturday, November 16, 2019

Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe Essay Example for Free

Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe Essay This is the story of Okonkwo, a renowned warrior and wrestler, who lives in the Ibo village of Umuofia in Nigeria, Africa. Respected by the elders of his clan, he hopes to become an elder himself someday. Due to his relationship with his father, Okonkwo has a hardened heart and thus, his actions throughout the novel are governed by anger and fear. Okonkwo, (per African tradition), has three wives and many children. He is prosperous and successful at the beginning of the story, but his heart does not soften. As a result, he makes many mistakes and is eventually exiled from his clan for seven years. While Okonkwo is away from Umuofia, white missionaries settle in his clan’s village and begin to preach Christianity. The tribe begins to change, especially its younger members, and when Okonkwo returns from exile, he sees the changes and attempts to reverse them. He struggles against the new laws of the white man and relations between the clan and the whites deteriorate until things finally reach a crescendo. Okonkwo’s fear Things Fall Apart, written by Chinua Achebe, is a story of a man whose life is dominated by his fears. There are many subtle themes throughout this book. One theme that cries out over the rest is Okonkwo’s, the main character, fear of weakness as seen through his childhood, his oldest son, and eventually his death. Since his childhood, Okonkwo was ashamed of his father, â€Å"In his day he (Unoka) was lazy and improvident and was quite incapable of thinking about tomorrow†(p.4). By the standard of his clan, Unoka was a coward and squanderer. When he was a child, a boy called Okonkwo’s father an agbala. This word means â€Å"woman† as well as a man who has no title. His carelessness left numerous debts unpaid at his death. Ashamed of his father, Okonkwo worked hard and fought well to gain a reputation of high status and influence in his clan. He acquired three wives, one whom gave him his first son. Okonkwo’s first wife, whose name is never mentioned, gave birth to his first son, Nwoye. Okonkwo saw Nwoye weak and lazy from an early age. For this, Nwoye was beaten constantly. Okonkwo was highly demanding of his family because of his obsession not to be like his father. He mistook this behavior as masculinity. He wished his son were a promising, manly son like his friend Obierika’s son, Maduka, who was also a great fighter. One night the town of Umuofia was told that someone in Mbaino had killed one of their â€Å"daughters†. The woman was Ugbeufi Udo’s wife. The blood price for the murder was a virgin and young man to Umuofia. The virgin was given to Ugbeufi Udo as his wife. They did not know what to do with the young boy, Ikemefuna. Okonkwo was asked on behalf of the clan to take care of the boy. Secretly, Okonkwo grew fond of Ikemefuna, â€Å"Even Okonkwo himself became very fond of the boy-inwardly of course. Okonkwo never showed any emotion openly, unless it be the emotion of anger†(p.28). Ikemefuna lived with Okonkwo and his family for three years until the time came when the Oracle said that Ikemefuna had to be killed. Okonkwo was warned not to have any part in killing the boy who called him father. He ignored this and upon returning sank into a deep depression which kindled the affliction inside of him. Not only the death of Ikemefuna, but also the accidental killing of Ogbeufi Ezeudu’s son, which gets Okonkwo and his family exiled for seven years, aides in his depression. To atone for the killing of his clansmen’s son, Okonkwo and his family were cast out of Umuofia and were forced to go live with his mother’s clan in Mbanta. In their second year a group of six missionaries traveled to Mbanta and tried to persuade the people from their false gods of wood and stone to the one true God. They captured Nwoye and he later joined their congregation. When Okonkwo was informed of the news he strangled Nwoye in anger. He questioned how he could have fathered such a weak son. At the end of the seven-year exile, Okonkwo was able to return home. However, the church had taken over Umuofia also. Nothing was the same. Okonkwo refused to integrate with the new visitors. He thought that the clan’s failure to remove them was â€Å"womanly†. Almost happy again, Okonkwo began to accept the new Umuofia. Then the leaders of the clan, including Okonkwo, were taken for ransom by the church. Deeply angered by what was happening, Okonkwo killed one of the leaders at a meeting. The pacification of Okonkwo’s clan is what depressed him. He knew his clan would not go to war. This desire to act violently all goes back to his father’s lack of desire. In the end the violence settled on Okonkwo, when he hung himself. In conclusion, all these aspects: his childhood, his first son and Ikemefuna, and his death contribute in explaining Okonkwo’s fear of weakness. Okonkwo’s life was controlled by his fears. He valued the success of his family and the community with his own success. If Nwoye was weak it was because he had failed as a father. The pacification of the town was a reflection of Okonkwo’s failures, he thought. Not being able to control those events, Okonkwo, out of desperation or either out of the pride in his manhood or perhaps both, killed himself. In spite of Okonkwo’s beginnings in poverty and misfortune, he has risen as one of the most respected elders of the clan. Yet others remark on how harshly he deals with men less successful than himself. For example, at a meeting to discuss the next ancestral feast, Osugo—a man without titles—contradicts Okonkwo, who in turn insults Osugo by declaring the meeting are â€Å"for men.† When others at the meeting side with Osugo, Okonkwo apologizes. Okonkwo’s hard-earned success is evident because the clan chooses Okonkwo to carry the war ultimatum to their enemy, the enemy treats him with great respect in the negotiations, and the elders select Okonkwo to care for Ikemefuna until they decide what to do with him. Once the young man is entrusted to Okonkwo’s care, the rest of the clan forgets him for three years. At first, Ikemefuna is very unhappy—he misses his mother and sister, he tries to run away, and he won’t eat. After Okonkwo threatens to beat him, Ikemefuna finally eats, but then vomits and becomes ill for twelve days. As he recovers, he seems to lose his fear and sadness. Ikemefuna has become very popular in Okonkwo’s house, especially with Nwoye and the other children. To them, he seems to know everything and can make useful things like flutes, rodent traps, and bows. Even Okonkwo has inwardly become fond of Ikemefuna, but he does not show affection—a womanly sign of weakness. He treats Ikemefuna with a heavy hand, as he does other members of his family, although he allows Ikemefuna to accompany him like a son to meetings and feasts, carrying his stool and his bag. Ikemefuna calls Okonkwo â€Å"father.† During the annual Week of Peace just before planting time, tradition permits no one in the village to speak a harsh word to another person. One day during this week, Okonkwo’s youngest wife, Ojiugo, goes to a friend’s house to braid her hair, and she forgets to prepare Okonkwo’s afternoon meal and feed her children. When Ojiugo returns, Okonkwo beats her severely. Even when he is reminded of the ban on violence, he doesn’t stop the beating. Because Okonkwo’s violation of peace can jeopardize the whole village’s crops, the priest of the earth goddess orders Okonkwo to make offerings at his shrine. Although Okonkwo inwardly regrets his â€Å"great evil,† he never admits to an error. His offensive breaking of the peace and the priest’s mild punishment are talked about in the village. After the sacred week, the farmers of the village begin to plant their harvest. Okonkwo allows Ikemefuna and Nwoye to help him collect, count, and prepare the seed-yams for planting, though he continually finds fault with their efforts. He believes that he is simply helping them learn the difficult and manly art of seed-yam preparation. Soon, the rainy season begins and the planting takes place, followed by the intense period of care for the young plants. During the resting time between planting and harvest, the friendship between Ikemefuna and Nwoye grows even stronger. Reference * Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe

Thursday, November 14, 2019

The Truth To A Ballad :: essays research papers

The Truth to a Ballad   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã¢â‚¬Å"At her Redeemer’s throne she’ll stand, And she’ll be cured of woe, And He her bloodied hands will wash, And she’ll be white as snow† (15). This quote concludes the beautifully written ballad located in the first chapter of Margaret Atwood’s Alias Grace. By summarizing the events leading up to the murders, the murders themselves, and the ensuing trial, the poem presents the reader with what appears to be a foreshadowing of things to come. However, though the ballad reflects many of the novel’s events, there are several differences which contradict Grace’s narration.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The poetic verse and the story told by Grace contain numerous similarities. As the ballad states at the beginning, Grace says she was sixteen years old when the murders at the house of Thomas Kinnear occurred; James McDermott worked as a stable hand, and Grace was the serving maid. Also alike is the poem’s description of Nancy as a â€Å"no well-born lady†¦.who goes in satin and silk, The finest ever seen† (11). When first meeting Nancy, Grace wonders why â€Å"a housekeeper would be wanting a dress like that,† (200) immediately noticing Nancy is dressed rather well considering her occupation. When the murders take place in the novel, James strikes Nancy on the head with an axe and throws her into the cellar where she eventually died with an unborn baby in her womb. This event was depicted in the poem, as was the scene where James and Grace steal valuables from Mr. Kinnear’s house and fled across the lake to the Lewiston Hotel in t he United States. As the ballad progresses, the two are later arrested at which point Grace states she does not remember seeing the murders take place. Also similar, is James’ declaration of Grace being the one who lead him on, and if not for her the murders would have never happened. When the poem explains how Jamie Walsh marked Grace a murderer at the trial, yet she was given a life sentence while James was hung and dissected at the University, Grace’s tale is reflected perfectly. The ballad concludes with Grace receiving forgiveness and entering a life of paradise. This appears apparent at the end of the novel as Grace is pardoned, and then fulfills her â€Å"apple skin prophecy† of marrying a man with a first name beginning with ‘J.’ Though the above events are comparable to the story Grace tells, the ballad contains several discrepancies as well.

Monday, November 11, 2019

From Poland to USA Essay

Life, for me, has always been about taking risks in order to fulfill our dreams. Sometimes, we are required to face the difficult challenges in order to succeed in life. Originally, I am from Poland, and five years ago, I decided to move to the United States to fulfill my dreams. Moving to the United States was a very big leap from my end. My determination to succeed in life has been my driving force for survival in a country away from mine. My dream of acquiring a degree from an American college was now within reach. All I needed was a little bit of luck, and a handful of determination. The first few years I spent in the United States was a struggle. I had to learn a new language and adapt a new culture. I found myself adjusting to a new environment, where I was able to appreciate the new things that surrounded me. Living a life in New York was something out of the extraordinary. To fend for myself, I took on odd jobs, from being a waitress, to a cashier, and a paralegal for different employers. Although I was living a comfortable life, I was not contented with what I had. I wanted to enhance myself by continuing my education. I wanted so much to be a successful career woman. Although I had acquired a Masters degree in Sociology, I still wanted to pursue a Master’s degree in Public Administration. I have always been ambitious and determined to achieve my goals. A new degree will help me enhance my knowledge about things, and eventually help me to be of service to the United States. New York City faces many issues that require the implementation of new policies. With the education provided to me, I may be able to face such and do the necessary changes for the betterment of society. The knowledge I have acquired from studying Sociology has given me a well rounded education in liberal arts, that may be used to my advantage in my future careers. Having a fulfilling career definitely means a lot to me. The education that this university will give me will help me become a more diverse individual. In addition to this, I may be able to integrate my Polish culture with that of the Americans, that may be used to my advantage in further job opportunities.

Saturday, November 9, 2019

Relationship between organizational culture and performance Essay

The topic of the link between organizational culture and performance have drawn considerable interest from both academics and practitioners because this theme can help managers design suitable strategies and goals to increase level of performance as well as providing competitive advantage to firms. Among numerous studies discussing about this subject, I found two journals that contains valuable data for interpreting the close relationship between them: â€Å"Impact of Organizational Culture on Employee Performance† of Awadh and Saad (2013) and Rose et al. (2008)’s â€Å"Organizational Culture as a Root of Performance Improvement†. Both journals stated a hypothesis that there is a transparent link between them and a good organizational culture may positively influence its performance. While the former journal focused on indentifying and measuring strong relationship between performance and organizational culture in general, the latter examined this relation in spe cific case among American, Japanese, European and Malaysian multinational companies operating in Malaysia by obtaining necessary data from self-administered questionnaires designed for respondents of high technology industry. Sixteen items adapted from Rajendar and Jun Ma’s (2005) work were used to assess the organizational culture on seven-point scale which represents the agreement of respondents. This secondary research paper which is used as a report of my understanding after reading these two journals will focus on general useful information about organizational culture, performance and their mutual influences. Discussion of findings Organizational culture Since culture plays a significant role in how the employees and managers work in the firm, the organizational culture is one of the most popular and controversial concepts in the fields of management and organizational theory (Ogbonna and Harris, 2000). Awadh and Saad (2013) defined organizational culture as a combination of shared complex social phenomena such as values, beliefs, communications and explanations guiding employees’ behaviors. This definition is widely agreed by many other researchers such as Ehtesham et al. (2011) who stated that each organization has a unique culture. valuable source of competitive advantage and Lunenburg (2011) who explained more clearly about four major functions of organizational culture: â€Å"gives members a sense of identity, increases their commitment, reinforces organizational values, and serves as a control mechanism for shaping behavior†. The culture of an organization can do its functions and transfer its messages to employees by four common ways: stories, rituals, material symbols and language (Robbins and Coulter, 2009). Rose et al. (2008) not only supported Awadh and Saad for their basic understanding about the culture of an organization but also chose the same three perspectives about organizational culture’s dimensions to include in their research: Hofstede’s (1980), Schwartz’s (1994) and Trompanaars’s (1993). Hofstede’s four dimensions including individualism, power distance, uncertainty avoidance and masculinity are considered to be the initial idea for all other’s theory. These dimensions were identified through the value’s comparison among 53 national subsidiaries’ employees and managers of IBM Corporation. In 1998, he worked together with Bond to detect the fifth dimension called â€Å"long-term versus short-term orientation†. Schwartz based on Hofstede’s study to build a model containing only two kinds of dimension: conservatism versus autonomy (affective and intellectual) and self-enhancement (hierarchy and mastery) in 19 94. Similarly, in 1993, Trompanaars brought a model of seven dimensions which can be a good supported for Hofstede’s model: five under the broad heading of relationship  with  people  communitarians, neutral versus emotional, specific versus diffuse and achievement versus ascription), attitudes to time and attitudes to the environment. These three perspectives of culture dimensions seem to be quite different from seven dimensions of nature culture I have learnt at my university: innovation and risk taking, attention to detail, outcome orientation, people orientation, team orientation, aggressive and stability (Robbins and Coulter, 2009). However, all of these views to look into culture dimensions are helpful for presenting effective relationship between distinctive sets of norms and values in different ways. Moreover, the authors of the two journals also share the same understanding about a strong culture. They both agreed that a strong culture should include integrated and effective set of values and beliefs from policies, procedures and objectives designed by top manager which can influence upon employees’ behaviors, may bring about a high degree of organization performance and sustainability, and cannot be imitated because of its unique quality. In addition, Awadh and Saad (2013) also mentioned two more levels of culture: sub culture 2 (organization segments with different culture on the basis of geographical areas, job requirements and department goals) and weak culture (the loosely knit organization culture that seems to be more innovative and can help the organization remain its superior performance since it is able to adapt the changes in environmental conditions). 2. Performance and its closely knit relationship with organizational culture Awadh and Saad (2013) defined performance as the degree of an achievement after fulfilling the organizational mission at workplace which may become the measurement of transactional, efficiency and effectiveness towards organization goals. Rose et al. (2008) thought that performance is a broader indicator that may contain productivity, quality and consistency. According to Rose et al. (2008), performance measures can be comprised of results, behaviors (criterion-based) and relative (normative) measures, education and training concepts and instruments, including management development and leadership training for building necessary skills and attitude of performance management. Both journals mentioned about the traditional performance measurement basing on strategic performance system which includes both financial and non-financial measures and means that we should also consider about intangible asset. Using this method leads to competitiveness which can help in enhancing competitive advantage based upon effective pressures (Rose et al., 2008). Awadh and Saad (2013) mentioned about four casual relationships between performance management and culture: growth, customers, internal business process and financial reward management system. They said that learning about these four relations can help focusing on cooperative tools of an organization to improve communication and receive feedback which may enhance the performance management. Awadh and Saad (2013) also defined three contributions of culture to performance: forceful management, nature and scope of culture based upon theoretical point of view and competitive advantage attained through strong association and establishment of culture. These findings showed two main inferences: culture and performance are interrelated, and superior and imitable relationship with competitors may result in a sustainable competitive advantage. Awadh ad Saad (2013) explained the process that culture may influence performance in six main facets: the strong culture enable efficient management of work force employees, the net profit enhances performance of employees, the common path of making perfect use of resources helps organization positively develop, the culture provides competitive edge, employee commitment and group efficiency improve performance upon organization sustainability and the nature and power of organization culture influence upon sustainability and effective of  organization. All of these findings might help practitioners and academics to manage the value of culture based upon degree of performance. The survey carried out by Rose et al. (2008) revealed that American and European multinational companies, those have higher mean scores in organizational performance, were performing well in all four dimensions compared to Japanese and Malaysian multinational companies: high scores in individualism, low power distance, low uncertainty avoidance and femininity. The findings of their study were reported that the organizations which pay attention to the cultures are more successful. They explained that focusing on cultures provides better financial returns which are significantly correlated to the cultural strength and healthier employee attitudes, the prerequisites to financial and market performance advancement. They also reported that industry moderates the link between corporate culture and performance. These results have advanced understanding of the determi nants and performance effects of corporate culture. Although the two journals seem to have a limitation of a small sample since researching in a wider population is impossible which makes it hard to draw any certain conclusion, Rose et al. (2008)’s research still had a certain strength since they could be able to approach managers and executives from 240 different multinational companies to collect the necessary data. The results of two studies brought about valuable recommendations for employees to try their best in perceiving the organizational culture and top managers to motivate their workers in achieving the company’s objectives by providing a precise guideline and direction. Moreover, the most important thing is that both journals greatly contributed closely knit arguments to prove that there exists a clear link between a strong culture and good organizational performance. REFERENCES Awadh, A.M. Sadd, A.M. 2013. Impact of Organizational Culture on Employee Performance. International Review of Management and Business Research, 2. Ehtesham, U.M. Muhammad , T. M. Muhammad, S.A. 2011. Relationship between Organizational Culture and Performance Management Practices: A Case of University in Pakistan. Journal of Competitiveness. Hofstede, G. 1980. Culture’s Consequences: International Difference in Work Related Value, London, Sage Publication. Hofstede, G. Bond, M. H. 1998. The Confucius Connection: from Cultural Roots to Economic Growth, Organ Dyn, 5-21. Lunenburg, F. C. 2011. Organizational Culture-Performance Relationships: Views of Excellence and Theory Z. National Forum of Educational Administration and Supervision Journal, 29. Ogbonna, H. Harris, L.C. 2000. Leadership style, organizational culture and performance: empirical evidence from UK companies. International Journal of Human Resource Management, 766-788. Rose, R.C. Kumar, N. Abdullah, H. Ling, G.E. 2008. Organizational Culture as a Root of Performance Improvement: Research and Recommendations. Contemporary Management Research, 4, 43-56. Robbins, S.P. Coulter, M. 2009. Organizational culture and environment. Management. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Pearson Education, Inc. Schwartz, S.H. 1994. Beyond Individualism/ Collectivism: New Cultural Dimensions of Values. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publication. Trompanaar, F. 1993. Riding the Waves of Culture. London: Economist Books.

Thursday, November 7, 2019

Globalization Threat to the Environment essays

Globalization Threat to the Environment essays Global change has become a popular word in scientific debates on long-range structural change in the earths ecology. Globalization has in the past played a major role in the controversial environmental debates. Many problems resulted in this area of discussion, in regard to the intricate linkages between globalization, government, trade and transport, and environmental decay. The current debate on the environmental effects of globalization is particularly concerned with the question whether a worldwide liberalization of trade may provoke environmental collapse. Three major environmental concerns related to trade are the domestic environmental effects caused by the use of imported products, the foreign environmental effects caused by the production of exported goods, and the environmental effects caused by transport movements needed for international trade. In a democratic society, the citizens presume the right to make laws that reflect their deepest values, yet this is no longer the case. With the emergence of the World Trade Organization (WTO), democracy has been abandoned. It no longer matters what the democratic societies want, but what the global corporations want. Created in 1994, the WTO is already among the most powerful, reserved, undemocratic bodies on earth. It has been granted with vast powers, which include the right to judge whether laws of nations are impairments to trade, by WTO standards. They rule laws concerning public health, food safety, small business, labor standards, culture, human rights, and other social and economic procedures (Krugman and Obstfeld 23). If any of these laws proved to be harming to trade, the WTO can demand their nullification, or enforce very harsh sanctions. Trade should be a tool to achieve shared human aspirations, to improve standards living and to enhance the quality of life. Trade rules should not provide a license to degrade the world or force it to trade away...

Tuesday, November 5, 2019

20 Terms Every Content Writer Needs to Know

20 Terms Every Content Writer Needs to Know Crafting content for businesses and their marketing agencies can be a decent earner for aspiring writers. But if you want to be taken seriously, you need to get the lingo right. Dan Brotzel of UK agency Sticky Content walks us through some of the essential terminology So, youve got your first content commission – a series of blog posts perhaps, or some new web copy. What usually comes next is a briefing form. The brief may be a detailed document of several pages, or it may be a couple of pages in an email. It may have been written just for you, or – more likely – for lots of other people working on the project as well, from marketers to web developers. ​​​​​​​ Your first job is to go through the brief, understand whats required, and come back with any questions. Heres a handy guide to some of the phrases you may come across Amends. Content work always goes through several rounds of amends on its way to approval. Your agreement may cite a certain number of rounds of amends that you will carry out; if not, its worth asking about this up front. While you shouldnt worry that there will be things to tweak, you should make sure that the amount of amends isnt getting unreasonable or turning into a rebrief. Brand voice. This is the verbal personality that your copy should convey. Guidance may come in a tone of voice document or in a brief description, e.g. friendly, straightforward, positive. If in doubt, ask for examples of voice they like. Call to action (CTA). All content should lead to a next step you want your reader to take, such as Call us now or Get a quote. Knowing the CTA will help you focus your writing. Compliance. In heavily regulated industries such as finance, a Compliance team will review the copy for potential issues such as making claims (the cheapest cover ever!) that cant be backed up. Its worth asking up front what sorts of things they normally look for. Conversion. The action that you want people reading a piece of content to take, such as downloading a report or making a purchase. Copydeck. Simply the document that contains your copy. This may take the form of a templated doc that you are asked to write content into. Distribution. How your content will reach people, for example via email, social channels or search results. Engagement. A slippery word that really just means people acting on your content in some way, e.g. Evergreen content. Content thats designed to have a very long shelf-life so needs to be written in a way that wont quickly date. Hygiene content. Essential content that keeps a website working, such as FAQs, Help content and About us content. This is distinct from Hub content (regular editorial-style content such as posts and articles) and Hero content (big campaign material). Key phrases. Words you may be asked to work into your copy, to help it appear in relevant search results pages. Landing page. The page that people arrive at after clicking on a search result, especially a paid-for one. There is a whole best practice for writing and designing these to drive conversions. Listicle. An article written in list form, usually beginning with a number. Localization. Translation. Sometimes you will be asked to write copy thats easy to localize, meaning it should steer clear of idioms and very specific cultural references that could get lost in translation. Newsjacking. The practice of creating some content triggered Optimization. Basically, improving things through an ongoing process of testing and learning. A page thats been optimized for search, for example, is one that has been written and designed to have the best chance of driving search traffic. Personas. Many bigger companies will have developed character sketches that stand in for key segments of their target audience. Often theyll have a nickname such as Sally, the savvy shopper or Dave, the silver surfer. These profiles can be very useful to help you pitch your copy correctly. Pay Per Click. The paid-for ads that appear among your search results when you look for something via a search engine. Pay per click is abbreviated PPC. The search engine gets a small fee whenever anyone clicks on an ad. Stakeholders. People with a governance interest in your content, such as Compliance, Product, and Brand. All review the content, and some may have an input into its creation. Stakeholder reviews inevitably lead to amends. Traction. A fancy word for response. As in: We want to see how much traction this first ebook gets, then well decide whether to do another one. Wash-up. A meeting where the work is reviewed after its gone live. You may not be asked to attend this, but you may hear feedback from it thats useful for your next commission. When interrogating a brief (as marketers like to say) you can inspire confidence

Saturday, November 2, 2019

Topic and Research Questions Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Topic and Research Questions - Essay Example her has to study things in their natural settings, attempt to look further into them and make sense of them, and interpret them in terms of the meanings people bring to them (Yin 7). In this question the research will aim to find out what the health care providers think about the use of the electronic record keeping in medical practice. It attempts to find out the feelings that they have on whether electronic record keeping has led to improvements in their service delivery, if it has affected their delivery of care to their patients and generally what they think of electronic record keeping in relation to other methods of record keeping available for use by them. This is a quantitative research question. Quantitative research tends to focus on measurement and proof of phenomena. This type of research adopts a scientific approach to research that goes through a specific process. The scientific process is based on the premise that a phenomenon is only meaningful or of value if it can be observed and counted. Qualitative research is characterized by numerical data which allows for a variety of statistical analysis (Gravetter and Forzano). Many researches have employed this method because of the fact that it is objective and easier to interpret figures than interpreting feelings and emotions or perceptions of people or phenomena. This type of research basically employs questionnaires and surveys in data collection before analysis. Usually a large portion of the population is surveyed so that the results portray a representative sample of the whole population (Gravetter and Forzano 157-158). This question therefore aims to conduct a survey on the US hospitals by counting how many hospitals have adopted and are using the electronic record keeping. Actually a variety of hospitals may be surveyed in this research to identify how many of them use the electronic health records. The rate of adoption can be arrived at by finding out the number of hospitals that are using

Thursday, October 31, 2019

Recommendation letter Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 4

Recommendation letter - Essay Example [Surname] usually consult with me if he has any challenging issue and I must confess that he is one of the most astounding people with critical problem solving skills I have ever met, in spite of his young age. For the period I have known him, [Surname] has shown his undying passion for civil engineering. One day, I received a call from [surname] asking if he could see me. When I invited him over to my place, his first question after greetings was, â€Å"do you think I can become the most successful civil engineer in my country?† I could only boost his ambition by telling him he could be world’s best civil engineer because I knew his potential. [Surname] plans to be a government consultant and improve the condition of roads in his country in the best way he can. However, he can only achieve this by pursuing a higher level of education. As such, your institution is a major link for [surname] to achieve his long-lived dream. Moreover, your university has ever been the most appealing institution for him to pursue his dream programme. Your assistance will be highly appreciated. Thank

Tuesday, October 29, 2019

Critical reception of William Hogarth in the nineteenth century Essay

Critical reception of William Hogarth in the nineteenth century - Essay Example According to Gray (140), his contemporaries compared Fedotov who is a Russian artist with Hogarth; for instance, Druzhinin describing Fedotov drawing of a woman leading her drunken husband through the streets claims that Hogarth would not refuse a subject rich in dramatic and satirical potential. Although the two artists use romantic themes of the misunderstood, impoverished artist and enforce pathos of the situation with abundant symbolic detail. Druzhinin later lamented the loss of a man who in his opinion believes could have been Russia’s Hogarth because Fedotov had the potential to go beyond the achievements of the famous English artist. Other commentators of Fedotov did not encourage him to emulate Hogarth; for instance, Bryullov advised him not to be attracted by complexities of Hogarth but encouraged Fedotov to follow nature (Gray 140). Until 18th century, continental Europe set the artistic agenda with the first artist using true English style and sensibility being William Hogarth who exposed vice and corruption in the 18th century London (Else 69). While Hogarth satirized the society other artists were busy showing the best light of the society in the 18th century. Through the nineteenth and twentieth century there were various views; however in the Victorian time, Hogarth emerged as a popular figure as well as honest and patriotic Englishman (Bindman and William 13). Hogarth issues regarding artistic origins as well as background emerged in early 1780s with publication of the fourth volume of Horace Walpole’s Anecdotes of painting in England that dealt with contemporaries including Hogarth. Considering the role of Hogarth’s widow following his death, there is an indication of moral conversion in the widow through suppression of indecent print and she engaged with Rev.Dr Trusler in producing a [popu lar volume known as Hogarth Moralized in 1768.

Sunday, October 27, 2019

Critical Analysis Nursing Care for the Older Adult

Critical Analysis Nursing Care for the Older Adult Dementia is an umbrella term to describe a collection of symptoms that develop in association with a progressive disorder of the brain of which dementia of the Alzheimers type is the most common. Other forms of dementia include Lewy body dementia, Picks disease and (MID) multi-infarct dementia (Ramsay et al, 2005). The main features of dementia are a decline in memory, ability to learn and understand in a continuing progression. There are often changes in social behaviour, general motivation and the clients ability to control their own emotions (Burgess, 2005). These changes vary from a gradual to more sudden onset that varies from individual to individual. In the early stages of dementia memory problems are often the most obvious sign (DH, 2009). Mental health practitioners find that memory problems and other needs are only the beginning of the process in making a diagnosis. The doctor is required to check in what ways an individual is not functioning as they would expect. Assessments may be carried out at home in order to gain a clearer image of how the client is managing (Ramsay et al, 2005). The doctor will also need to know the clients medical history including any physical illness and current medication. The doctor will also want to rule out depression as a cause of the memory problems. If the memory problems are attributed to depression, then treatment using an antidepressant could help substantially (Ramsay et al, 2005). Diagnosis is a scientific tool. Beyond that the carer requires an understanding of the clients experience of having a problem or disorder, health and social care needs to be values based as well as evidence based. To translate this philosophy into practice requires that the assessment process be driven by the principles of partnership, holism and personalisation (Atkins et al, 2004). Assessment is a valid and integral part of any nursing intervention and must be performed in partnership with the client (RCN, 2004). Following this, the next step is to consider involvement of various investigations, often carried out in hospital or in a clinic, including the use of blood testing, X-ray and if necessary, brain scanning to discover the cause of the symptoms (Ramsay et al, 2005). To carry out a full assessment of the clients problems, other practitioners are likely to play a part in the assessment as part of a multi-disciplinary team (MDT). Members of the team may include nurses, occupational therapists, psychologists, physiotherapists, social workers and doctors. Making a diagnosis is important as diagnosis affects the type of treatment used (Ramsay et al, 2005) Difficulties that can occur in practice when attempting to engage with clients in an effective manner include; making all of the information that is being exchanged comprehensible to the client, finding methods to reduce frequency of forgetting that can occur, finding methods to encourage clients to feedback information positive or negative to overcome any difficulties that many people can feel in clinical settings (Ley, 1997). The reflective account outlines the importance of communication skills in practice where the nurse can be delivering care to individuals with very specific needs that must be attended to with privacy, comfort and dignity for the health and wellbeing of the patient. In the account it is clear that clients with dementia can find communication, mobility, and physical health problems difficult and in managing the care of clients with dementia although challenging, may be overcome through empathic understanding and best practice including evidence based care delivery. In relation to communication, the most suitable approach is the use of selective questioning, providing information, respecting personal dignity and being clear so that the client understands (Zimmermann, 1998). Patient centred methods of care place demands on nurses because such a method involves responding to the cues from clients in which feelings and emotions are expressed. Nurses are required to develop the expertise to respond in an appropriate manner to the clients feelings and emotions (Stewart et al, 1989). In order to provide high quality person centred care, the needs of each patient must be assessed individually to ascertain additional requirements that the client may have. Conversely, some clients will require less assistance than initially considered by the team. It is equally important to understand these needs in order to respect each clients need for independence (Stewart et al, 1989). Best care can be defined by the underlying principles that communication should always be person centred (Oberg, 2003). Therefore the client should be provided with a quality standard of care that allows a sense of control over the treatment that is being provided. It is vital that the client is involved in their own care and treatment, not only does this maintain the comfort and dignity of the person, but prevents errors and miscommunication leading to an effective client/nurse relationship. In one study findings concluded that actively involving the patient in aspects of care and treatment often leads to earlier recovery and an improved quality of life (Stewart et al, 1989). Overview of Care Practice Reflection in Action In practice, a male client was confused as a result of his dementia. The client was an older adult who used a wheelchair and required assistance with mobility because of a leg amputation. Sometimes the client would try to leave his wheelchair which resulted in him falling to the floor. The client was unable to find the lavatory and was becoming increasingly frustrated by his inability to identify specific places. In addition the client became agitated and at times had difficulty with speaking. On one occasion the client called a nurse who responded to the patient, approaching him slowly from the front and greeted him, and asked How can I help? Is everything ok? The patient responded to the question with an answer I needà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ I need to go to theà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ The client repeated this statement several times with increasing sense of urgency but was unable to find the correct word to finish the sentence due to his level of confusion. The client experienced memory problems and episodes of agitation. Managing the clients ability to be continent was another important consideration in the care of the individual as he used an attachment (catheter) and was occasionally incontinent of faeces (Johns, 2000; Schà ¶n, 1983; 1987). The assessment phase of the nursing process is fundamental at this stage of the interaction so that the nurse was able to ascertain if the client required the use of the toilet (Kozier, 2004). The nurse asked the client if he needed to use the toilet. The client responded by nodding his head and saying yes. The planning phase of the nursing process is equally important at this stage. The nurse informed the client that he would show him the way and escorted the client to the toilet. When speaking to the client the nurse was careful to maintain eye-contact and speak slowly and calmly to ensure that the client would understand. Whilst being escorted the client explained that he had been incontinent of faeces. The client began apologising but the nurse reassured him and explained that he would get him some fresh clothes (Johns, 2000; Schà ¶n, 1983; 1987). The nurse was able to provide comfort and maintain the dignity of the client as well as the clients confidence in the nurses abilities. The client was reassured and an explanation of the procedure was provided to the person in a step-by-step process, asked if he understood and if he was agreeable. The client confirmed he was agreeable and began to converse with the nurse and appeared much more relaxed. The client responded with additional banter and appeared more content. The client was able to carry out more intimate aspects of his personal cleansing so that further consideration to preserving his dignity and independence was maximised. The nurse recommended that the clients catheter bag was emptied on a more regular basis to aid comfort and reduce distress (Johns, 2000; Schà ¶n, 1983; 1987). The NMC (2008) guidelines stipulate that nurses maintain the respect, dignity and comfort of clients. After being washed the client was assisted with putting on clothing, explaining each step slowly, the client responded y following each step and no longer appeared agitated and was returned to the lounge in a wheelchair. The student reported the information to the rest of the team and discussed regular catheter care for the client. Reflection on Action During the reflection in action (Johns, 2000; Schà ¶n, 1983; 1987) the nurse was able to quickly and effectively clean and change the client with comfort and dignity through implementation of the nursing process and incorporating the ideas of assessment, diagnosis and planning phases of care. The reflection on action (Schà ¶n, 1983; 1987) highlights what the nurse was trying to achieve and provides opportunity to consider alternatives for future practice. Care was delivered to the client using the Care Programme Approach (CPA) and the procedure implemented to offer a framework to complement policy documents and therefore allow the process to be followed. The approach allows mental health practitioners to provide a structured pattern of care throughout the process, assess clients need, plan ways to meet the needs and check that the needs are being met (DH, 2007). Those who experience dementia may find some tasks increasingly difficult such as everyday tasks of living, including washing and dressing without assistance or with finding the right words when talking. Interaction for the person can become increasingly difficult and distressing for the client in their relationship with others (Ramsay et al, 2005). Dementia care practice provides opportunities to mental health nurses on how to engage effectively with clients. During the initial contact stages of any nurse and client interaction it is important that the nurse keeps the environment simplified and to eliminate noise that can distract the client (Zimmermann, 1998). It is useful if the nursing team minimises activity occurring in a shift change because a confused client may misunderstand nurses saying goodbye to each another and may wish to leave. Approaching the client slowly and making eye contact can reduce any risk of alarming the client (Zimmermann, 1998). Also the nurse should speak slowly and calmly with pauses so that the client responds to the content of the communication and not the mannerisms of the nurse (Zimmermann, 1998). These skills may help to reduce the clients anxiety and confusion. The National Service Framework (NSF) for older people sets out national standards and service models of health/social care that older people using mental health services can expect to receive, whether they are living at home, in care or are in hospital (DH, 2001; WAG, 2006). Older people are generally referred to as anyone aged sixty and over and the national ten year initiative is to ensure better health and social care services for people meeting the criteria. It includes older people with dementia, carers and ethnic minority groups. In addition, age discrimination and patient-centred care have been identified as two key areas. Including the NSF, there have been a number of campaigns to promote dignity in the care of older people, recognising that standards of care in some cases are poor and inadequate (DH, 2006a). Unfortunately, there has been a lack of clarity associated with the notion of dignity and the appropriate minimum standards and/or recommendations that should be applied. For example, in an attempt to address the concerns of dignity the Department of Health published an online public survey around the views of dignity and care provision (DH, 2006a). Results of the survey reported that a many aspects of care were identified by older people as vital in maintaining dignity, such as respecting the person and communicating effectively. The Lets Make It Happen NSF (2002) outlines eight standards of care that address issues such as age discrimination, person centred care, mental health and the promotion of health and active life in old age. The success of the NSF for Older People depends on how well it is being implemented. Lets Make It Happen follows the NSF for Older People in 2001 and focuses on examples of research and good practice through evidence based care provision, which demonstrates how implementing good practice can improve peoples quality of life and should also help to develop ideas for how the NSF might be implemented (Alzheimers Society, 2002). In 2006, the Department of Health released a report: A New Ambition for Old Age, in an attempt to move the requirements outlined in the National Service Framework forward, and offers details of the next stage of healthcare reforms for older people. This documentation places older peoples needs as integral to care planning and delivery, with respect and the maintenance of dignity by recognising the existing issues around health related age discrimination (Department of Health 2006b). Furthermore, the Department of Health have established a set of benchmarking tools to root out age discrimination and to advance person-centred care (Department of Health 2007a). This is to be achieved, in the first place, by actively listening to the views of users and carers about the services they need and want (Department of Health 2007a). Within Wales the Care Programme Approach (CPA) is highly regarded as the cornerstone of the Governments mental health policy and procedures. The framework was introduced in 2004 for the care of people with mental health issues who are accepted as clients by mental health services in an inpatient or community setting. All NHS Trusts in Wales participated in a review and all had processes in place to deliver CPA to clients (Elias Singer, 2009). Although the review sample was small, findings were consistent across all the organisations, and demonstrated that CPA had not been implemented as effectively as it should. If this randomly selected sample is representative of all mental health services in Wales, there is a risk that services are failing clients and carers due to a lack of adequate risk management processes, a lack of focus on the outcome of patient interventions, and a lack of service planning and service models to safely and adequately meet clients needs. Greater focus is nee ded on the assessment and management of risk (Elias Singer, 2009). Practitioners must be prepared and fully trained to fulfil the role of care co-ordinator. Information systems need to meet client needs rather than organisational priorities. The current system is very complex and bureaucratic particularly where CPA and the Unified Assessment (UA) have been integrated into a single process. A record management system needs to be developed that supports CPA and UA whilst also providing the least administrative burden for clinicians and practitioners (Elias Singer, 2009). A significant amount of evidence exists suggesting that providing care for a person with dementia is not only stressful, but can also have a negative impact on the carers mental health (Cooper et al, 1995). Recently, government policy has expressed the importance of offering support to carers. This has been highlighted by the Audit Commission report examining mental health services for older people (2000). Research suggests that carers needs are multifaceted, and that support is needed at times of transition, for example diagnosis, admission of the person they are caring for to residential care and the death of the person with dementia. (Aneshensel et al, 1995). The need for more advanced training in the field of dementia care has been recognised for quite some time (Keady et al, 2003). NICE and the Social Care Institute for Excellence (SCIE) recently developed guidelines for supporting people with dementia and their carers (NICE SCIE, 2007). The guidelines identified the main therapeutic interventions and when and why they should be used. The principal focus of care should involve maximising independent living skills and enhancing client function. This will involve assisting clients to adapt and develop their skills to minimise the need for support (NICE SCIE, 2007). This should start in the early stages of the condition, and could involve a number of services and the clients carers. Providing care in ways that promote independence is liable to take time, but it is the core intervention for people with dementia on a therapeutic basis. The NICE and SCIE (2006) guideline identified key interventions that should be utilized for maximising function. Care plans are vitally important and should include the activities that are important for maintaining independence. Care plans should take account of the individuals type of dementia, their needs, interests, preferences and life histories (NICE SCIE, 2006). Obtaining advice about clients independent toilet skills is important. If the client experiences episodes of incontinence, any possible causes should be assessed and then treatment options tried before the team concludes that incontinence is permanent. Physical exercise should be encouraged when possible and facilitated in a safe environment, with ass essment advice from a physiotherapist when required. As exercise is thought to help improve continence problems, loss of mobility and improve endurance, physical strength and balance in falls prevention (NICE, 2004) physical exercise should be promoted by all staff. Therapeutic interventions for the cognitive symptoms of dementia are comprised of psychological and pharmacological treatments. However, providing supportive levels of care that encourage clients to maintain as much of their independent functions as possible is equally as important as any specific interventions for the cognitive symptoms of dementia (NICE, 2007; Moniz-Cook Manthorpe, 2009). Much has been written about medical and social models of dementia, some of which has implied that there are a number of different ways of looking at dementia, one as a disease model and one as a disability. Some of these differences are described in Tom Kitwoods Dementia Reconsidered (Kitwood, 1999). Kitwood described the medical model as the standard paradigm, and argues eloquently that it is the wrong model to use. Dementia is an illness that causes a progressive decline in cognitive abilities and there are demonstrable changes to the brain. It is, however very important to remember that we are treating a person with dementia. How the condition presents depends on the clients personality, their relationships with others, and who they are as a person (Kitwood, 1999). Nurses and GPs have cited inadequate professional training as one of the main factors influencing their ability to provide an optimal service to people with dementia (Iliffe Drennan, 2001; Alzheimers Society, 1995). However, it is not known what method of training would equip them with the right range of knowledge and skills. Around 700,000 people in the UK have dementia, and this number is predicted to double to 1.4 million over the next 30 years (DH, 2009). Conclusion In summary, dementia is a debilitating disorder that is having a massive impact on mental health services. The introduction of numerous frameworks for the care of the older adult and other policy documents have set the standards expected of mental health professionals and backs up evidence based care with a high standard of principals and values (RCN, 2004; DH, 2009,). The number of people being diagnosed with a dementia is increasing, and although difficult to manage, through continued research, development and training of staff and practicing with empathy, treating clients with dignity and respect and upholding the core values of the nursing profession (NMC, 2008) dementia care services and service providers may transcend the potential difficulties that lay ahead. In these uncertain times it is comforting that the care of the older adult has not been forgotten.

Friday, October 25, 2019

Reasons Behind the Industrial Revolution Essay -- Industrialization Pa

Reasons Behind the Industrial Revolution The Industrial Revolution was the widespread replacement of labor by machines driven by water wheels, windmills and later by steam power. This change called the Industrial Revolution was a process, which began in the 18th century and continued well into the 19th century. The Industrial Revolution was the result of interrelated changes, which transformed agricultural economies into industrial ones. The immediate changes made by the Industrial Revolution were the nature of productions. This included what was produced, as well as where and how they were produced. The Industrial Revolution replaced the Domestic System; this was when goods that were traditionally made in home or small workshops began to be manufactured in large factories. The Industrial Revolution overturned not only traditional economies but also whole societies. Economic changes caused far reaching social changes, including the movement of people to cities in search of work, the availability of a greater variety of materials, and new ways of doing business. These are a few of the several reasons why the Industrial Revolution was so important. This essay will explain what caused the massive change in Britain's industry. One major cause of the Industrial Revolution was Britain's population increase. Between 1780 and 1851, the population of Britain grew rapidly. Historians do not agree about the specific causes of the population explosion, but it is clear that two main factors were at work. These were the rising birth rate and the falling death rate. For a variety of reasons people lived longer and the death rate fell significa... ...the new ideas and inventions in industry. The reason for this is because if it weren't for Britain's population increases the development of the industries would not have been so important. Another reason why I think Britain's population increase was one of the major causes of the Industrial Revolution, this is because Britain's industry would not improved so well if Britain's population did not assist. This is due to the fact that Britain's population provided cheap labor to work in the factories made for Britain's industry. The reason why the inventions made in Britain helped so much in causing the Industrial Revolution was because the new inventions ensured that modernization in machines could speed up the production in goods; which was very important. This essay has explained why there was an Industrial revolution.

Thursday, October 24, 2019

Participants in the Business Buying Process Essay

Who does the buying of the trillions of dollars’ worth of goods and services needed by the business organizations? Purchasing agents are influential in straight -re-buy and modified re situations, whereas other department personnel are more influential in the new-buy situations. Engineering personnel usually have a major influence in selecting the product components, and purchasing agents dominate in selecting suppliers. Webster and Wind call the decision making unit of a buying organization the buying center. The buying center is composed of â€Å"all those individuals and groups who participate in the purchasing from the decision†. The buying center includes all members of the organization who play any of seven roles in the purchase decision process. Several roles of organization buying: Initiators: Those who request that something be purchased. They may be users or others in the organization. Users: Those who will use the product or service. In many cases, the users initiate the buying proposal and help define the product requirements. Influencers: People who influence the buying decision. They often help define specifications and also provide information for evaluating alternatives. Technical personnel are particularly important influencers. Deciders: People who decide on product requirements or on suppliers. Approvers: People who authorize the proposed actions of deciders and buyers. Approvers: People who authorize the proposed actions of deciders or buyers Buyers: People who have formal authority to select the supplier and arrange the purchase terms. Buyers may help shape product specifications, but they  play major role in selecting vendors. Buyers may help shape product specifications, but they play their major role in selecting vendors and negotiating. In more complex purchases, the buyers might include high-level managers. Gatekeepers: People who have the power to prevent sellers or information from reaching members of buying center. For example, purchasing agent, receptionists, and telephone operators may prevent salesperson from contacting users or deciders. The average number of people involved in a buying decision ranges from about three (for services and items used in day-to-day operations) to almost five (for such high tickets purchases as construction and machinery). To target their efforts properly, business marketers have to figure out: who are the major decision participants? What decisions do they influence? What is the level of their influence? What criteria do they used? When a buying center includes many participants, the business marketer will not have time or resources to each out to all of them. Small sellers concentrate on reaching they key buying influencers. Larger sellers go for multilevel in-depth selling to reach as many participants as possible. Their salespeople virtually â€Å"live† with their high volume customers. Companies will have to rely more heavily on their communications program to reach hidden buying influences and keep their current customers informed. Business marketers must periodically review their assumptions about the buying center participants. Major Influences on Buying Decisions Business buyers respond to many influences when they make their decisions. When suppliers’ offerings are similar, business buyers can satisfy the purchasing requirements with any supplier, and they place more weight on the personal treatment they receive. Where supplier offering differs substantially, business buyers are more accountable for their choices and pay more attention to economic factors. Business buyers respond to four main influences: environmental, organizational, interpersonal, and individual. 1. Environmental Factors Business buyers pay close attention to current and expected economic factors, such as the level of production, investment, consumer spending, and interest rate. In a recession, business buyer reduces their investment in plant, equipment, and inventories. Companies are fears of shortage of key materials are willing to buy and hold large inventories. They will sign long term contracts with suppliers to ensure a steady flow of materials. 2. Organization Factors Every organization has specific purchasing objectives, policies, procedures, organizational structures, and systems. Business marketers need to be aware of the following organization trends in the purchasing area. Purchasing Up Grading: The new, more strategically oriented purchasing departments have been changed, from old-fashion â€Å"fashion departments† with an emphasis on buying at the lowest cost, to â€Å"procurement departments† with a mission to seek the best value from fewer and better suppliers. Some multinationals have even elevated to â€Å"strategic supply departments† with responsibility for global sourcing and partnership. Cross-functional Roles: Most purchasing professionals describe their job as less clerical, more strategic, technical, team oriented, and involving more responsibility than even before. Sixty-one percent of buyers surveyed said the buying group was more involved in new-product design and development than it was five years ago; more than half the buyers participate in cross-functional teams, with suppliers well represented. Central Purchasing: In multidivisional companies, most purchasing is carried out by separate divisions because of their different needs. Some companies, however, have started to centralize their purchasing. Headquarters identifies materials purchased by several divisions and buys them centrally, thereby gaining more purchasing clout. The individual divisions can buy from another source if they can get a better deal; in general, centralized purchased purchasing produces substantial savings. For the business marketer, this development means dealing with fewer and higher-level buyers and using a national account sales group to deal with large corporation. Decentralized Purchasing of Small-Ticket Item: At the same time, companies are decentralizing some purchasing operations by empowering employees to purchase small-ticket items such as binders, coffeemakers, etc. Internet Purchasing: Forrester Research estimates that B2B transactions over the net reached $2.7 trillion in 2004. The move to internet purchasing has far reaching implications for suppliers and will change the shape of purchasing for years to come. Other Organization Factors: Long Term Contract. Business buyers are increasingly initiating accepting long -term contracts with reliable suppliers. Business markets are using internets to set-up extranets with important customers to facilitate and lower the cost of transactions. Their customers enter orders directly on the computer, and these orders are automatically transmitted to the supplier. Some companies go further and shift the ordering responsibility to their suppliers in system called vendor-managed inventory. These suppliers are privy to the customer’s inventory levels and take responsibility to replenish automatically through continuous replenishment programs. Purchasing-Performance Evaluation and Buyers’ Professional Development: many companies have set up incentive system to reward purchasing managers for good buying performance, in much the same way that sales personnel receive bonuses for good selling performance. These systems are leading purchasing  managers to increase pressure on sellers for the best terms. Improved Supply Chain Management: Purchasing executives are increasingly involved in working with marketing and other company executives in building a seamless supply chain management system from the purchase of raw materials to the on-time arrival of finished goods to the end users. Interpersonal and Individual Factors Buying centers usually include several participants with differing interests, authority, empathy and persuasiveness. Each buyer carries personal motivations, perceptions, and preferences, which are influenced by buyer’s age, income, job position, personality, attitudes towards risk, and culture. Cultural Factors Buying factors vary from one country to another. Here are some rules of social and business etiquette that marketers should understand when doing business in other countries.