Five Star and Amtech

Five Star and Amtech Travis Huggard: G00059703 Professor: R. Todd Kane Grantham University Five Star and Amtech When deciding which type of culture was dominant at either 5 Star or Amtech, I had to look at what type of culture their presidents represented. For example, the president of 5 Star, John Tyler â€Å"believed that 5 Star was the far superior company, had effective managers, had clear responsibilities and jobs† (Daft, 2001).On the other hand, the president of Amtech, Jim Rawls, did not believe in organizational ideas, thought that charts were just a barrier in the way of the real job that needed to get done, and he thought highly of the people that worked for him. Five Star makes it obvious that they are an aggressive company, and Amtech is more in the line of kindness brings productivity. After examining the two types of cultures, 5 Star represents a clear achievement culture. They make it no secret that they are competitive, even to the point of acquiring Amtech. St ar also runs everything in an organization fashion that promotes aggressiveness and diligence. They may lack a little in the personal initiative category of the achievement culture, as their managers did state that they â€Å"wish for more empowerment opportunities† Daft, 2001. But even this was not enough to make me change the classification. Amtech represents the culture of clan, as evidence in the way that they promoted face-to-face communication and fairness by rotating jobs so everyone knew how company operations were managed. At Amtech, employees were committed and collaborated often, demonstrating agreement, a value of clan culture.After examining both companies and the way that their presidents conduct business, I am not so sure that there is a culture issue or gap. I did not read anywhere that each particular company’s employees desired for one culture, but worked in another, minus those managers that for more opportunities to be in charge. Each company had th eir own way of conducting business, which was their right, and all employees knew this. As far as the newly formed company, it most likely will be a combination of the four corporate cultures. Each president and his employees promoted and lived by their own set of cultures.I think that this is partly why the the company was formed, to synch cooperate cultures with another while leaning each other’s habits and work ethic. A perfect balance may be asking too much, especially when a culture may have a gap, so it must be taken slowly and not lightly if the combination is going to work. So, If I was John Tyler, or king for a day, the culture technique that I would use or change would be aggressiveness, especially when we know that there will be changes to how work might open up for him during his time here.Also John Tyler might like a little increase in consideration, and personal time After a while, employees like to point out that they need attention, and works of encouragement. Another technique that I would use would be competiveness. I am sore loser, and very competitive, Being good at why I do is why I enjoy comment this culture. References Daft, R. (2001). The Leadership Experience 5th Ed. Mason, OH: Cengage Learning. . .

British expansion into Africa between 1868 and 1902 Essay

To what extent were humanitarian and missionary motives the most important reason for British expansion into Africa between 1868 and 1902? Although there had been British presence in Africa from the start of the 19th Century, with British areas of control including Cape Colony, Orange Free State and areas along the West coast, prior to 1880 Britain had in reality very few possessions in Africa. Only when the ‘Scramble for Africa’ was triggered did Britain, along with many other European great powers, begin its campaign for territorial acquisition. The fundamental motives for British expansion into Africa were essentially the economic interest Africa held for Britain and its entrepreneurs, the rivalry Africa created between the Great European Powers, its strategic value and what was commonly presented to the British public as being the most important motive, humanitarian purposes. For many, including Colonial Secretary Joseph Chamberlain, it was believed that Britain had a moral obligation to bring civilization and Christianity to the native population who were considered to be ‘uncivilized’ and racially inferior. Moreover, the Church strongly promoted the idea of missionary work in Africa; the Church encouraged the notion that a fundamental element of imperial occupation was the extension of Christianity which therefore was a motive behind imperialism in Africa. Many missionary societies were created such as the United Society for the Propagation of the Gospel which conducted fund-raising activities and lectures. An example of a well known missionary was Mary Slessor who went to carry out her mission in Africa. Particularly concerned with tribal customs viewed as ‘un-Christian’, she set out to end human sacrifice, slavery and other forms of brutality. However, in reality humanitarian motives were of very limited significance in motivating British expansion into Africa; Britain was not simply guided by altruism and a quest to help the native populations, but instead was largely led by the economic and strategic interests the continent represented for it. Ultimately, it is likely that missionary incentives were simply conveyed as significant in order to win over public opinion and support, particularly through the media and popular entertainment. Of considerably greater significance to Britain was the strategic value that Africa held. Africa had always been strategically vital for Britain’s trade route to the Jewel of its Empire, India. Although Britain had few possessions in Africa before 1880, the few it did have included Gambia, Sierra Leone, Gold Coast and Cape Colony, all of which were deliberately very strategically situated along the coast. This provided Britain with stopping points and allowed it to ensure the security of its position along the long trade route to India. After the construction of the Suez Canal in 1969 Africa, and in particular Egypt, became of even greater strategic importance as the canal provided a quick route to India. As a result the canal attracted considerable British investment in Egypt and in the canal itself. This was illustrated when Britain invaded Egypt in 1882 in response to nationalist riots. British intervention demonstrated how Britain recognized the need to protect the financial investments in Egypt, and most importantly secure the route to India, despite Gladstone’s own personal policy of non-intervention. Moreover, it demonstrates how strategic considerations were ultimately only significant in order to protect Britain’s trade routes and its economic interests in Africa. However, the British occupation of Egypt in 1882 resulted in a turning point in European attitudes towards Africa. It was after this occupation that the ‘Scramble for Africa’ by European powers began, thus creating the issue of extreme rivalry between the Great powers, something which was very important in motivating formal British control in Africa. Until the 1880’s Britain felt no real need to establish formal territorial control, instead it relied on an ‘informal empire’ in which they had established a purely economic influence. Britain had not wished for territorial control in Africa which they recognized absorbed time, people and money but rather economic exploitation at minimum cost. Yet British seizure of Egypt meant that other European nations began to show expansionist interest in the region which in turn threatened Britain’s informal arrangement, particularly in West and Southern Africa. For example, Britain had an interest in Nigeria but a danger was that important trade along the River Niger would be under threat from French expansion in the area. Similar pressure came when Germany seized Togoland and the Cameroons in 1884 and the Belgians set up the Congo Free State in 1885. As a result the government granted a Royal Charter to the Niger Company, out of which eventually emerged the colony of Nigeria. It is unlikely that the government would have regarded the interests of the Niger traders very sympathetically had it not been for its determination not to allow France, Belgium and Germany from grabbing land which would threaten British trade, something which was of foremost importance to Britain and it would not allow to be compromised. The scramble in West Africa had also resulted in Berlin West Africa Conference which laid down rules for future annexation of territory. The treaty stated that in order to gain land a nation had to prove that they were in ‘effective occupation’. This meant that before taking formal control, an economic influence had to be established in the region by private investors and entrepreneurs. For example, a noted ‘man on the spot’ was Cecil Rhodes. At the age of seventeen Rhodes went to Arica and became a multimillionaire through diamond and gold mining enterprises. In 1889 he founded the British South Africa Company and used this organization to push British control northwards from Cape Colony to establish Rhodesia, a colony named after himself. The role of the individual itself was of limited importance in driving or furthering British expansion into Africa as few entrepreneurs managed o push forward territory as Rhodes had. However, it was ultimately motivated by economic interests and it allowed the British government to most significantly protect British influence in an area by proving ‘effective occupation’ which therefore allowed Britain to compete in the scramble with other nations and thereby protect its trade and economic interests in Africa. Finally, of foremost importance in motivating British expansion into Africa was the economic interest the continent held for Britain. Firstly Britain’s colonies along the west coast had always been strategically important for the vital trade route to India and later North Africa became equally as vital in Britain’s route to India via the Suez Canal. However, beyond this Britain was extremely keen to exploit the continents abundance of natural materials and extremely valuable minerals. This is evident as Britain was clearly only interested in seizing colonies that, if not strategically important, were rich in materials to exploit. For example, Egypt was seized by Britain due to its vast economic importance as it provided the quick route to India and additionally produced high quality cotton which was much sought after by British textile manufacturers. Furthermore the attraction to the British of Nigeria lay in the palm oil trade as palm oil was used in the manufacture of soap and candles and as an industrial lubricant. Britain also saw great potential for trade in East Africa; Zanzibar imported significant quantities of manufactured goods from Britain and India. It was a major trading point from which came ivory and leather goods and into which went textiles, brass and steel from Britain. Britain’s primary interest was trade and economic gain. Without any economic potential in an area Britain was not interested in colonization, in contrast if a region held great economic investments, for example Egypt, Britain was quick to occupy the area despite its reluctance to extend formal control which it viewed as consuming time, people and money. In summary, Africa’s economic potential was clearly the primary reason for British expansion into Africa 1868-1902. Britain was not a solely altruistic nation which became involved in the continent purely to help the people, instead it was driven by its own gains. It is true that rivalry from other great European powers was vital in turning British control in Africa from informal into solid occupation, however essentially Britain’s determination not to allow other nations to grab land was to avoid threat to its trade and economic interests in a region. Moreover, Africa’s strategic importance was also highly valued by Britain, yet once again its ultimate value lay in its path along the crucial route to India and therefore the protection of Britain’s economic interest.

Risk Management and financial derivatives Essay

Risk Management and financial derivatives - Essay Example In this regard, pharmaceutical firms are relatively more volatile than most companies in other industries ("Risk Management in the Pharmaceuticals Industry" 2005). This paper discusses the major business risks that have significant impact on pharmaceutical companies, specifically AstraZeneca. Moreover, it explains how the company utilises derivative financial instruments such as interest rate swaps and forward foreign contracts to minimise its exposure to financial risks brought about by fluctuations in the interest rate and exchange rate. This paper also presents alternative strategies that the firm can adopt in order to hedge against these risks. Based on their annual reports, AstraZeneca and other multinational pharmaceutical companies including GlaxoSmithKline and Merck have identified risk factors affecting their operations. These are summarised as follows: Most pharmaceutical companies have recognised that the pharmaceutical companies throughout the world have become highly competitive ("Risk Management in the Pharmaceuticals Industry" 2005). AstraZeneca cited that industry consolidation have resulted in the establishment of few but very large and formidable companies which are able to match, if not exceed, the firm's resources allocated for research and development as well as marketing. This threatens the company's competitive edge, thus, directly impacting its bottomline ("AstraZeneca Annual Report" 2004). Similarly, GlaxoSmithKline explained that product innovations and advent of technological advances which competitors may adopt could adversely affect the firm's operating results ("GlaxoSmithKline Annual Report" 2001). These factors have facilitated the emergence of new global players, particularly in the markets of China and India, which are playing increasingly significant roles in the business models of industry players ("China and India: Risk and Returns in Asia's Blockbuster Pharma Markets" 2005). Apart form these, AstraZeneca also mentioned that risk relative to competition is aggravated by the loss or expiration of patents, marketing exclusivity and trademarks. The company noted that once patent protection or other types of marketing exclusivity for a certain product have expired, lower priced generic copy products may be legally manufactured. The introduction of generic products generally leads to substantial loss of sales for the pharmaceutical companies' proprietary products ("GlaxoSmithKline Annual Report" 2001). The competition from generic medicines exerts downward pressure on profit margins and results in decreasing revenues. This is evidenced by the study conducted by Deloitte which asserts that the very large number of drugs coming off patent in the next three to five years equates to billions of dollars in current in potential sales. However, it is estimated that the pharmaceutical giants could lose about $35 billion to $50 billion in product sales during the said time frame due to competition from generic brands. (Rhodes & Mulder 2004) Regulatory Approvals and Price Controls Pharmaceutical companies are also facing increasing pressures from regulatory bodies in various countries. In

Real estate law Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Real estate law - Coursework Example to be followed when the rent is defaulted, the provisions available under the break clause for the tenant and what needs to be done by both landlord and tenant when the agreement is made outside of Part II of the Landlord & Tenant Act 1954. As per the Landlord and Tenant Law UK, there have been proposed new procedures for landlords when there is a default from a commercial tenant. It is necessary for the commercial landlords to review their procedures when there is an instance of commercial tenants default in giving rent. The new rules and regulations for commercial tenants default came into existence from April 2012. The name of the new process is given as Commercial Rent Arrears Recovery or CRAR. The rule is being made in such a way that it is only be available in case of pure rent arrears along with any other components associated with the rent, which is considered to be a part of the rental like VAT and interests on rent. However, service charges and insurance would not come under consideration. The CRAR will replace the common law that offers right to the distress of rent (Martin 2009). As far as the distress is concerned it allows the landlord to sell off the goods of the commercial tenant up to the value of the rent without initiating any legal proceedings. With the new law it is mandatory for the landlord to initiate legal proceedings before selling off the commercial tenant’s goods to recover the rent. In this scenario as the tenant, Spotted Dice Limited, is a defaulter of the rent to the landlord, the landlord has every right to file a case against the commercial tenets under the CRAR Act and proceed accordingly to recover the rent and the associated components that come under the rental of the commercial premises (Pawson & Mullins 2010). According to Justice Minister Helen Grant, the aim of the introduction of the new law is to protect the vulnerable people from aggressive bailiffs. In this scenario if the landlord has a written lease or rental

Lack of Funds Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Lack of Funds - Research Paper Example The article emphasizes how limited funding affects public prison staffs in various ways. Their training is limited leading to a lack of morale and maturity among them. The low benefits and minimum supplies to manage such a huge group of criminals make them irritable and unfriendly towards the inmates. The Bureau of Justice Assistance conducted an elaborate study on the topic "Emerging Issues on Privatized Prisons". Corrections department isn’t the only one facing the minimal funding issue. The global economic stagnation has led to severe cost cuts for most of the state departments and the prisons are no exception. Both the private and the public prisons face similar issues according to the articles. The first article underlines the problems faced by the prison officers because of limited funding. Gary emphasizes how this forces the officers to manage with what little they have caused severe unease among the inmates. Gary indicates most of the prisoners have developed their lit igation skills in their idle time. They have very little to do other than indulge in dominance fights. Forcing too many prisoners in a small place and making them share limited resources take a toll on their already altered ego, paving way for many mental and physical issues. The prison officers, on the other hand, do not have any special training to handle such inmates with special needs. All over the world, the age of the prison inmates is increasing rapidly owing to the slow judicial process. There is no proper infrastructure to equip the needs of the elderly in the prisons. The actual training given to the prison officers is reduced to save costs leaving them with little or no knowledge on how to handle problematic prisoners.

A study into enforcement mechanisms in transboundary water treaties Essay

A study into enforcement mechanisms in transboundary water treaties - Essay Example Transboundary water resources provide for water for human consumption, agriculture, power generation and industry. In addition, transboundary water bodies sustain ecosystems that enrich humans and provide natural channels for navigation and the carriage of goods. Thus, proper management and utilisation of transboundary water resources requires broad cooperation amongst States sharing these natural resources and agreements relating to such arrangements must allow for monitoring, dispute resolution and enforcement. Without proper enforcement mechanisms, conflict is likely and this can be very costly for all concerned. This dissertation presents a discussion about enforcement mechanisms that are available in international law for global treaties for management of transboundary water bodies and basin practices that assist with sustainable management of such freshwater bodies. I certify that, except where cited in the text, this work is the result of research carried out by the author of this study. The main content of the study which has been presented contains work that has not previously been reported anywhere. Water is important for all humanity because the role played by water in the natural world is very fundamental (Varis, 2008, Pp. 1 – 2). Water circulates in the atmosphere, rivers, lakes, the soil and rocks carrying chemical substances and energy to support the ecosystems of the world. Billions of people around the world depend on freshwater systems for their water needs. Because water is essential for human existence, access to water is one of the most complicated challenges faced by humanity today. Rivers and lakes are the main sources for freshwater for people around the world, but substantial rivers and lakes are often not located within a single political boundary. A rapidly increasing global population has presented a dramatic increase in the number of users of the hydrological

Regulatory Agency Paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Regulatory Agency Paper - Essay Example he goals of America’s criminal justice clients through offering an all-inclusive correctional healthcare program, which deals with agency and offender needs in custody, pre-custody and post-custody settings (CHC, 2014). Based in Greenwood Village, Colorado State, the organization oversees over 2,500 workers all across the United States. It has five more regional offices plus a full-service health care center also based in Colorado. The organization is currently servicing in 27 states, and they have been developing gradually over the past years (CHC, 2014). The organization has consolidated and incorporated some of the most valued healthcare providers in the field to establish one of the leading correctional healthcare services organizations in the United States. CHC is dedicated to offering first-class community-based educational and treatment services for the U.S. criminal justice system. The organization have been offering outpatient treatment services for many corrections systems clients for over three decades and probation supervision services for over 10 years to roughly around 300 courts (CHC, 2014). In conjunction with their criminal justice partners, Correctional Healthcare Companies, Inc. is helping to resolve a number of the most demanding problems that the correctional system is facing today. Some of the problems include lack of efficient, evidence-based criminal specific treatment methods and a huge population of psychologically ill wrongdoers who occupy jail and prison beds. Also, there are the uncollected court fees, fines, as well as victim restitution, which are greatly affecting the U.S. criminal justice system (CHC, 2014). Another problem is the reduced budgets for correctional behavioral and mental health treatment plans. America is also facing high recidivism and parole/probation failure rates because of behavioral and mental health issues. However, CHC has been influential in implementing programs, which offer effective and responsible

Research paper analyzing the writiing style of Stephen King Essay

Research paper analyzing the writiing style of Stephen King - Essay Example On the one hand, critics question King’s writing style as â€Å"The Comic Strip Effect† and â€Å"The Disgusting Colloquialism† (Hoppenstand and Browne 2). On the other hand, King is also praised for his â€Å"dazzling† storytelling skills (Hoppenstand and Browne 2). Since 1987, most of his novels were chief selections of the Book-of-the-Month Club, which in 1989 made the Stephen King Library, and is dedicated to keeping King’s novels â€Å"in print in hardcover† and some were even produced as films, such as The Shining (Badley et al. 1). This paper analyzes King’s writing style. King’s writing style is described as seeking to terrorize, horrify, and lead his readers to gross-some reactions, which magnifies his use of ethos and pathos, while having logos residing â€Å"between the lines.† Stephen King is the King of macabre; he spins stories from â€Å"American nightmares† (Hoppenstand and Browne 2). As the king in this genre, he has ethos or authority in the ghastly dimension of human experiences: â€Å"His work has changed the horror genre and blurred the lines between horror and literary fiction† (Dyson and Bloom 5). His ethos conceals the logos of his stories. He writes about stories of real human conditions that not all horror stories touch upon. King’s thoughts go beyond the archetypal. His â€Å"pop† awareness and his campy humor entice the collective unconscious (Badley et al. 4). In Danse Macabre, King stresses the â€Å"cross-pollination of fiction and film,† and he categorizes his subject into four â€Å"monster archetypes†: the ghost, the â€Å"thing† (or human-made monster), the vampire, and the werewolf (Badley et al. 4). He uses references from classic horror films of the 1930’s and the 1950’s pulp and film industries (Badley et al. 4). He combines the gothic novel, classical fables, Brothers Grimm folktales, and the oral tradition (Hohne 95). During this time, the characters doubt the myths but need them in their lives; horror is particularly comforting and â€Å"cathartic† and the narrator marries the roles of physician and priest into the witch doctor as â€Å"sin eater,† who takes over the culpability and fear of the culture (Badley et al. 4). As a result, Stephen re-creates old monsters by adding a new sense of mystique. In The Uses of Enchantment: The Meaning and Importance of Fairy Tales (1976), psychologist Bruno Bettelheim stresses that the enchantment and horrors of fairy tales present existential problems in forms children can understand. King’s paranormal horrors have comparable cathartic and informative roles for adults; â€Å"they externalize the traumas of life, especially those of adolescence† (Badley et al. 4). Danse Macabre represents the externalization of these traumas, as a way of coping and survival. People have to analyze and read between-the-lines, nevertheless, to understand the themes of survival and adaptation in some of King’s novels. King writes to terrorize readers. King’s critics say that his success relies on the â€Å"sensational appeal of his genre,† which King eagerly confesses, because he writes to â€Å"scare people† (Badley et al. 4). His fiction is explicit, maudlin, and at times, known for conventional plots (Badley et al. 4). In Carrie, he writes about the opposite of Cinderella. It is the macabre version of dreams that can hardly come true for a society that denigrates women like Carrie. Furthermore, King’s humor is frequently unsophisticated and â€Å"

Apply the concepts of the expectancy theory of motivation as an Essay - 1

Apply the concepts of the expectancy theory of motivation as an approach to improving performance in a given workplace situation - Essay Example This belief is founded on past experience, self-efficacy as well as the perceived difficulty of the performance standard. Secondly, instrumentality is based on the belief that if the set performance expectation is reached, then there is an accompanying reward for the work done. The reward can either be a promotion, a salary increment, a sense of accomplishment or even recognition. If the rewards are made to be similar for all irrespective of the individual performance, then instrumentality reduces. The individual’s instrumentality is based on trust, control, and policies. The perception that individuals have a control on how the rewards are distributed results to an increased instrumentality. Trust mainly comes from the leadership, if the individuals can trust their leader, then it means they will believe in whatever they are promised. Policies are also very important when it comes to instrumentality. The perception that a certain level of performance attracts certain rewards in accordance to the organizational policy will exponentially increase instrumentality (Vroom, 1964). The other component is valence. It basically deals with the value that a person gives to the rewards of an outcome. This value is founded on the basis of the person’s needs, values, preferences, sources of motivation and their goals. The potential valued outcome can range from promotions, recognition, pay rises, bonuses, intrinsic satisfaction based on validation of one’s abilities and skills, time off, new and interesting assignments, or it can also result from an intrinsic satisfaction based on the view that their efforts positively impacted others (Porter and Lawler,1968). The company in the case scenario can effectively adopt the expectancy motivation theory in order to improve the performance of its employees. There seems to be an attitude by the employees towards work,

Morality in Education and the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms Speech or Presentation

Morality in Education and the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms - Speech or Presentation Example And this is similar to the way that the laws of science work in nature, laws of logic work for reason – all this means that there also exists a moral order. It is vital that we once again believe in a superior, unchanging moral order, and give it a proper and important place in the educational process. And this is why several people feel that morality education should be taught in schools. And this is not it. Schools also hold the responsibility to guide children in the step by step development procedure, and developing morals and ethical principles leads to proper development. Thus, it is indeed the responsibility of the school that it educates the children regarding the morals. It is important for moral education to be started very early on so that the morals are instilled in the child permanently. Moral education should begin at home and continue in school. However, it does not end there. It continues throughout a person’s life as he is involved in various situations and circumstances. The social forces continue to teach man about how to act morally and change and influence him. Moral education helps a person make appropriate decisions; it tells him the difference between right and wrong. One thing, however, is to be noted that morality is an abstract notion and everyone has a different view of it and the teacher will pass on to their students what they have in their mind. Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms The Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms is for the guarantee of the rights and freedoms of the people in Canada. They cannot be restricted by law, within limits that are reasonable and evidently justified in a free and independent society. Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms takes care of human rights in Canada. The Charter is part of the law and the Constitution of Canada. The federal government is not allowed to arbitrarily change anything in the charter. She is also a paramount to the laws of any province or territory. The Ch arter makes sure that everyone in Canada is able to enjoy certain basic freedoms which are these: They have a right to any religion and freedom of conscience They are not restricted regarding their thought, religion and expression and they have freedom of media, such as press They have no restrictions regarding any peaceful assembly they want They are allowed to associate with whomsoever they wish (for example, membership in the union) These rights are known as fundamental freedoms since they are the basic rights allowed to every person living in Canada. However, the Charter does allow the Parliament to temporarily restrict some or all of these freedoms in certain situations; for instance the people may not be allowed the freedom of assembly when there is a war. Although the Charter gives the right of freedom of speech, student councils in majority of Canadian secondary schools are closely monitored and restricted by school administrations. So, basically, students do not have comple te rights over their speech, assembly or publishing what they want to. That means the Charter is not valid in this case although the courts may ask schools for justification regarding the limitations. Limiting students’ rights may be a good thing and also may not work out well. Good because it is important to take care of and maintain discipline in schools and educational institutions; and if students are given complete freedom they may take advantage of that. The bad part is

Optic Flow Essay Example for Free

Optic Flow Essay The study of optic flow becomes much more complicated when the movement of an observer towards a surface or object is not straight on. In fact, even in the more straightforward condition of straight ahead condition, Gibsons mathematical analysis was wrong. In situations when, for example, we are walking or driving, it is commonly necessary to estimate the chances of collision with an object or surface towards which we are moving obliquely. Similarly, we dont always look straight ahead when moving. The resulting oblique relationships between angle of gaze, direction of movement, and converging paths are much more difficult to analyze. Cutting (1996; Cutting et al. , 1999), has made major contributions to the study of perception during motion by enriching knowledge of the complexities of optic flow. Sensory stimulation is a chemical process which occurs between the human body and brain. When we experience sensation, body is exposed to some type of sensory stimulation. The sensory receptors then receive this information, and transmit it to the brain using neural impulses, or neurotransmitters. There it is interpreted into the correct sensation. Sensations are the basic building blocks of perception. Perception is the process of organizing and making sense of sensory input. Perception allows us to better interpret the information sensory receptors receive, and form images of the world around us. Transduction is what happens when the receptors transform the energies they receive into a form that can be interpreted and utilized by the nervous system. Human beings are able to experience various sensations because the nervous system encodes the messages we are receiving and interpreting. In his doctrine of specific nerve energies, Johannes Muller theorizes that different sensory modes exist because the information received by sensory receptors stimulates different synapses when traveling back to the brain. This is known as anatomical encoding. This type of encoding determines which sensory organ is activated by a certain type of stimulation, according to which specific neural pathway it travels. (Wade, Tavris, 2006). Anatomical Encoding and Sensory Modalities Anatomical encoding does not totally explain how or why different sensory modalities exist independently. Scientists found it difficult to link specific skin senses to individual neural pathways; neither does the doctrine of specific nerve energies explain variations of stimulus within a certain sensory experience, i. . the softness of an animals fur versus the coarseness of sandpaper, or the distinction between the colors light blue and dark blue. A second type of encoding, called functional encoding, is therefore required to make sense of these differentials in sensory perception. According to Wade and Tavris, functional codes rely on the fact that sensory receptors and neurons fire, or are inhibited from firing, only in the presence of specific sorts of stimuli (2006). This means that any given time, some neurons are firing, and some are not. The information regarding the rate of, number of, and patterning of each cells firing is what forms a particular functional code. Sensory adaptation occurs when continual exposure to the same sensory stimulus results in decreased sensitivity to the presented stimulus. Basically this means that given enough time, senses learn to become accustomed to the stimulation receptors gather. The sensory system brings information regarding environment to brains. They help us to interact with environment. The sensory system is made up of five senses, which correspond to five sense organs. The five senses are vision, hearing, taste, touch, and smell. These correspond with the eyes, ears, tongue, skin, and nose. Each of these contains sensory neurons, which transmit impulses to the central nervous system. The information is processed and from that we receive a perception which we interpret and which may change behavior accordingly. This is called Transduction which is the process of the receptors changed the information they receive into a form which the nervous system can utilize. Spatial Projection and The Surface Of The Body Up To The Cortex The visual, auditory, and somatic systemsindeed, all the sensesseem to maintain a spatial projection from the surface of the body up to the cortex. Moreover, connections in each system must be very precise for the signals from the various receptors to be kept straight as they pass up the system. The precision of arrangement is remarkable. (Lappe, M. 2000) It should be in order to ask how such an arrangement came about. What factors are at work as the organism develops to make all the connections come out right? To this question we now have an answer. First, Weiss, then L. S. Stone, and more recently Sperry have gone through a series of ingenious experiments to pin down the factors that control how connections are formed in the nervous system. Sperry, for example, has crossed the sensory and motor nerves in the legs of the rat, and from that has picked up some clues. He has also cut the optic nerve, rotated the eyeballs in various degrees, allowed the nerves to regenerate and then tested animals for the return of spatial vision. There are many details to his experiments, and they prove somewhat confusing, but the upshot of them all is this: Nerve fibers grow back to make the same connections that they made in the first place. To put the matter in another way, the nerve cells along the sensory pathways have some sort of biochemical tags that keep them straight when connections are being laid down. One might say that each nerve cell has a name and that other nerve cells know what that name is. It is still a mystery what these names are and how the cells know each others names and that will be a subject for future research. At any rate, nerves can be badly cut, mangled, and twisted, but somehow or other nerve fibers get back where they belong. For us, it is interesting to know that biochemical factors are at work in laying out the spatial arrangements of the nervous pathways. Lateral dominance has also been a serious problem in getting at the anatomical basis of cognition. That one of hands or feet or eyes is the major one and the other the minor one is a fact not easily disputed. We know, too, that in some affairs one side of the brain is dominant; that is to say, it plays a major role in perception or action, while the other side is minor. Although people have often argued about how important lateral dominance is and how many of the worlds ills it accounts for, few deny altogether that it exists. We must, in fact, believe that some parts of the brain, like the speech area, show very strong one-sidedness and that, in the case of others, the sides share about equally in the functions that concern them. If that be true, how can we tell where to look for a particular function? If one kind of cognition belongs to one side of the brain and we make a lesion in the other side, we will completely miss the point. Or if a type of cognition shares equally corresponding areas on both sides, it takes a perfect bilateral lesion in the areas to make the localization known. We ought to consider, too, the matter of individual differences. We find it natural to say that people are different in the measurements of personality, intelligence, or some other aspect of behavior, but we often seem to assume that brains are standard products turned out on an assembly line so that they look as much alike as new cars. The fact is that brains vary a lot in their size and shape. Lashley has been going into that matter lately, and he assures us that there are individual differences in brain anatomy. It appears that any speculation in this respect is restricted by conditions which are inherent in research experiments. According to observations, only objects or patterns cause any demonstrable satiation. Hence, we must find a process which accompanies object or pattern vision rather than the perception of homogeneous surfaces. The alpha rhythm of the human brain is much more seriously disturbed by visual objects or patterns than it is by a bright homogeneous field. Adrian suggests that it is attention to which the alpha rhythm is so sensitive. But there remains the other possibility that, quite apart from this factor, the rhythm is strongly disturbed by a visual process which accompanies the perception of objects or patterns. Vision Optic Flow and Perception It seems safe to say that, in terms of stimulation, an object is an area (or a volume) which differs from its environment either as a whole or along its boundary. We see things of any kind only when a relation of inequality obtains between the stimulation in one area and that in another, surrounding, and area. Thus it seems plausible to assume that the process which goes with object or pattern vision is a relationally determined process, and that satiation is established in regions in which this process takes place for some time. Relational determination is not a familiar term. Relationally determined processes are extremely common in physics. For instance, if temperatures differ in two parts of a system, a current of heat energy is established which tends to equalize the temperatures. The direction of the flow depends upon the direction of the difference, and in the absence of any difference there is no flow. Merchant, H. , Battaglia-Mayer, A. , Georgopoulos, A. P. 2001) Similarly, if a solution which contains certain molecules is surrounded by a second solution which contains these molecules in a different concentration, a current of diffusion will be observed, unless the solutions are separated by an impermeable barrier. The current flows as long as the concentrations differ. Thus, it is again a relation of inequality between the two parts of the system which maintains the process. Incidentally, examples exhibit relational determination in more than one sense. As the currents of heat or diffusion spread, their distribution in space depends upon the shape of the boundary at which the parts of the systems are in contact. This shape is defined in terms of geometrical relations among parts rather than of merely local conditions, and the distribution of the flow adapts itself to such relations. Therefore, not only the flow as such is relationally determined, but the same holds also for its pattern in space. Some such processes cause obstructions in the medium in which they occur, and that in this fashion after-effects are established when later further processes spread in the same medium. The relationally determined process which underlies pattern vision is a direct electric current and that such a current flow when conditions of excitation in one part of the visual cortex differ from those in an adjacent part. An attempt was also made to explain how the electromotive forces originate which drive the current from one part to the other, and back again to the former. The explanation involved no hypothesis which is at odds with available knowledge of nerve impulses and their influence upon cortical tissue. Vaina, L. M. , Rushton, S. K. 2000) Rather, those forces were derived from concepts which play a great role in present neurophysiological discussions. Nevertheless, this particular part of the theory need not now be described, because there may be various ways of deriving electromotive forces which would drive a direct current through the tissue. It seems that, whatever choice may be, the distribution of the flow as such would always be about the same. It is this flow which we will now consider. The flow would spread through the tissue as a volume conductor, which is to say that, in this connection, the brain must be regarded as a continuous medium to which principles of continuity physics apply. In this respect, there is a possibility which is implicit in present neurophysiology, even though its consequences have, until recently, not been explicitly considered. Surely, if the potentials of the alpha rhythm as well as those of on and off effects can spread through the skull, there is nothing in the brain to prevent such potentials from spreading through this medium as a continuum. As a result, it can hardly be a disturbing thesis that a steadier flow would do the same. (Sherk, H. , Fowler, G. A. 2001) In flowing through a continuum, a direct current assumes a distribution which is relationally determined by the shape of given boundaries. In object or pattern vision, the boundaries in question would be those between cortical areas in which retinal stimulation establishes different kinds or degrees of excitation. It will suffice if we consider a fact which concerns only the distribution of the current as such, and is quite independent of further theorizing. If excitation within a circumscribed cortical area differs from that in its environment, the resulting current must circle around the boundary at which the two areas are in contact. Moreover, unless the surrounded area is very large, the current must be denser in this area than it is in the environment in which it can spread widely. This is true whether or not local excitation is higher in the circumscribed area. Thus, if a black object is shown on a white background, the density of the flow must be maximal within the area of the black object, just as it is maximal within the area of a white object surrounded by black. Satiation and Proximal Energy We can now turn to the problem of satiation. The present theory has no difficulty in solving this problem. Any direct currents which flow through the nervous system polarize the surfaces of cells, and also change their polarizability. Generally speaking, this effect, the so-called electrotonus, has the character of an obstruction. Further currents which afterwards flow through the same medium are weakened. At the same time, they suffer changes of their distribution in space. We are not introducing a special hypothesis if we assume that the currents of theory are also electrotonically active, and that the resulting obstructions follow the same rules as hold for electrotonus in general. For instance, the degree to which the various parts of the medium are electrotonically affected is directly related to the density of the current in those parts. Now we know that the density of the currents postulated in theory must be maximal within the area of a circumscribed object, still great in adjacent parts, and progressively lower at greater distances. Perception is treated throughout as the representation to the individual of real, physical states of affairs of both the external environment and of the self. The former include objects, persons, scenery events, and extended terrain and spaces. States of the self include postures, movements, and activities such as reaching, standing, running, and speaking. Although it is obvious that own physical states are represented to uswe readily and immediately perceive what we are doingthis aspect of perception is usually overlooked in the theoretical treatments, with notable exceptions (Gibson, 1979) Physical states of both the environment and the individual give rise to patterns of energy at the sensory receptors. These patterns, which usually vary over time as well as space, are the proximal stimuli that initiate the chain of neural activity and culminate in a perceptual representation. Certain features of these proximal energy patterns correlate with particular properties or attributes of a physical state of affairs. For example, both the size of the retinal image and the degree of convergence of the eyes correlate with the size of an external object. Likewise, a pattern of stimulation in the joints, tendons, and muscles of an arm correlates with its position. A point to be emphasized is that the features of the proximal stimulus pattern are not simply replicas or necessarily even rough copies of the physical properties that give rise to them. Rather they correlate with them. For example, binocular disparity is in no sense a replica of observer-object distance; it is a correlate of it. This view was first adumbrated clearly by Gibson (1950, 1959) and is emphasized here.

The Leadership Style Of Yvon Chouinard

The Leadership Style Of Yvon Chouinard At the centre stage of Patagonia Company stands its most valuable pillar and founder, Yvon Chouinard. Yvon saves is a man believed to be saving the world, one fleece jacket at a go. Being a climber, surfer, am entrepreneur, an environmentalists and a known philanthropist, he certainly stands out as one of the few business men who attained success based on his own terms of doing business. Based on his tender age experience as a climber, Yvon realized that he was capable of making more environmentally safe, cheap and effective climbing equipment than what was available in the market. Patagonia, the company that he formed makes exceptional gear as a market leader in the same with worldwide sales soaring above 240 million US dollars annually! Chouinard leadership at Patagonia has basically been a fearless one which has enabled the company to uphold innovation in its corporate practice as well as embracing new changes like when it switched to the use of organically grown cotton as well as other forms of recycled materials alone in its production process. His fearless qualities have also ensured that the company can manage to give away a small percentage of its annual gross sales to the other small scale works that are not profit oriented and maintain the profitability of the company. In Let my people go surfing, Yvon shows how by keeping the determined spirit of an explorer, one can blend work, play and social duty and remain successful. Through his easy leadership, Yvon has managed to curve a reputation of unsurpassed quality, long term environmental strategies and a maverick innovation plan in the company. Even the face of the challenging business world, Yvon is still into surfing and generally adventure but surprisingly maintains record success in his business. One of Yvons philosophies is that You have to be true to yourself; you have to know your strengths and limitations and live within your means (Chouinard, 2005). Yvon says that though he tried to look at herself just like a climber, surfer and blacksmith, he had to accept that he was also a businessman and was going to remain one for a long time probably. He however decided that if he was to stay in business, he was going to operate not by the normal rules of business but by his own terms, be serious but make his work enjoyable on a daily basis. He also realized that the terms under which he was going to operate were suppose to allow him and his employees climb one stair of their progress one at a time, allow enough freedom for their employees to dress the way they want, even bare foot if it would make them happy! And create some spare time for him to surf the waves, sky the powder or take care of issues at home. In other words he cultivated a culture in Patagonia where there was dist inction between the family, the work someone did and play. Even though the company profits grew from 20 million dollars to 100 million dollars between the 1980s and 1990, he and his wife Melinda kept all the money in the business (Chouinard, 2005). The growth in the company just excited everybody and they never failed to do what they could to maintain that level of growth. Upward vertical mobility was very real since even new employees in lower paying jobs like in the warehouse or retail stores had the opportunity and indeed rose to better paying positions in the company. Yvon established a fast-growing organization which in turn helped with outsourcing of the skilled labor that they needed. Despite the growth, Patagonia staff members still managed to keep their own cultural practices. People surfed at lunch hour; they played volleyball on the sand behind the building. When it came to the realization of Yvon, that Patagonia was likely to make a billion dollars in profits if the market mix remained as it was for some time, he decided that 10 percent of their pre-tax profit or 1 percent of their profits would go towards environmental rehabilitation and rejuvenation projects annually. His passion for environmental safety and sanity made him to decide that the Patagonia was going to start using recycled papers, an action which saved the company 6 million gallons of water, 3.5 million kilowatt of electricity and also helped keep off 52, 000 pounds of pollutants from the air. This measure which took place in 1990 also helped the company to help save about 14,500 trees from being used as fuel (Chouinard, 2005). Under his leadership, Patagonia worked together with other entities like Wellman and Malden mills to come up with recycled polyester which the company used to come up with its PCR Synchella fleece. Later, the world financial recession came and hit hard at the company to an extent that they had to cut down on their spending to stay afloat. This is the time; Yvon realized that the company had exceeded its resources as well as its limitations. He realized that the company was dependent on a growth that it could not sustain. Re-thinking the company priorities and instituting new practices became a priority. The recession called on the company to break its rules and make use of the very resources it had deemed unsafe for the environment, a scenario that forced Yvon to organize several employee seminars in different places where they could observe the environment, ask themselves capital questions why they were in business, what they needed to do as a company to reduce environmental degradation and global warming, the culture that everybody at Patagonia was brought up in and the values they both shared as individuals. While the company managers were concerned about the interventions t hat would take care of the cash-flow crisis, Yvon brought to their attention slowly and bit by bit, the businesss environmental ethics and even values. With this he taught his entire staff the values he had leant as a surfer and climber that You have to be true to yourself, acknowledging their strengths and weaknesses while trying to live within their means because if the company tries to be what they are no, there was likely to be a mentality of Having it all which could be the final nail on the coffin and the business is dead! Yvon Chouinard was in all aspects a very inspirational leader because he had followers! All his employees followed his lead without complaints. By allocating some time for play and adventure even for him, he showed one aspect of his weakness He cannot work without playing/having fun! This made him approachable. He used his intuition to appropriately gauge the right time to instill in his employees the values he had leant as a climber, when the financial crunch was threatening the companys existence. He tried to capitalize on what made them unique as a company, him as the manager, owner and leader of the rest of the employees. They all had been brought up in a culture of environmental ethics. He influenced them into surfing every lunch time. Finally, his inspirational leadership skills come in because he showed tough empathy to his employees in the sense that he cared passionately about the work they did but had to be realistic with them that without operating within their limits and exploiting their strengths and weaknesses, they were headed for a hard day in office as a business. He cultivated excellence as well as innovation by adopting the environmentally safe modes of production, was a source of optimism and enthusiasm in his free style method of management. Finally he encouraged his employees to have high inspirations by putting in place structures that allowed even junior clerical workers to rise to higher ranks with more pay. He was therefore very inspirational in all means. Yvon was a leader who was driven by ethics hence an ethical leader at the same time. He encouraged his employees to involve themselves in environmental restoration programs and even take responsibility by committing a percentage of the companys profits to the same. Striving for a balance between work, the family and play was also at the center stage of his influence as a leader. He was therefore very ethical and inspirational in his approach to issues. His leadership also has an elem ent of contextual init because he managed to build a team identity at Patagonia. Their production method, the games they played and the central values to which all the employees subscribed to made them an outstanding lining in a fabric of similar companies in the US. When the company faced an adoptive challenge due to the financial crisis which was calling on it to ignore its values and embrace the use of environmentally unfriendly resources, he mobilized his employees in different teams let them pick out the values that put them together and to identify the adaptive changes in that case. Through his guidance, they realized it was necessary to live within their means. He Got on the balcony and studied the pattern of change which was imminent, Identified the adaptive change by looking at the risks which the current pattern of doing business posed if they were to persist with it and he regulated the distress that came with the new change by taking the employees to far off places sometimes even next to mountains or under trees to reduce stress and help them absorb the realities of the new change before making informed decisions. His contextual leadership skills pushed him to seek a bigger picture of the implications of the financial crunch on Patago nia and he maintained a disciplined attention seeking the suggestions and discussions of his team and through this, gave the work back to the people so that they can own it and protected the voice of the people from below by creating a forum where people could exchange and discuss freely without suppression of any kind. There was no blame game and he believed that because they had succeeded together, no fingers were supposed to be pointed at anyone but all needed to build a consensus and realize that operating within their means was the most convincing way out. Sustainable Development in Businesses Organizations the world over are faced with a challenging issue of creating a balance between the need to make a profit and the need to preserve the very same resources from which they get their profits. However it has become paramount and critical for organizations to have policy approach geared towards the use of resources without compromising their future availability. Sustainable development is that policy approach and it broadly touches on three things: a broad view of social, environmental and economic outcomes, a long term perspective concerned with the rights of future generations and an inclusive call to action that requires everyone to take charge of their actions. Some organization CEOs have been reluctant to embrace this. This paper is an argument in favor of sustainable development and the need for organization CEOs to make it a part of their policy needs. Human Resources An organization is structured basically from its human resource. An active and productive human resource in an organization is also the desire of every CEO. Sustainable development requires people in an organization to be competitive in order to drive success and create innovation. This gives an edge to the company even in the market share and general welfare of the company including profitability. When employees think of the future and ways to improve and optimally give back to the environment, they come up with highly innovative ways to tackle challenges within the organizations (Casper, 2009). A company that has innovative human resources is always likely to drive success according to Casper and this can be noted when a effort is put into encouraging people within the organization to embrace environmental challenges of the day. A progressive CEO also considers the health and wellbeing of his employees. There is no better way to do that than to embrace sustainable development as it broadly tackles the needs of a workers health and wellbeing. It is very important to have a clean environment in the workplace for everyone in the organization and can only be effectively tackled when there is a sense of optimal resource usage in a business. Therefore, once a company takes that issue to their most valued human resource, the benefits are great because a certain culture is instilled inside the company. Energy Conservation Energy is a highly scarce commodity. Every company strives to get energy very cheaply so as to reduce overhead and drive profits. This may compromise the importance of an organization to put into consideration the need to conserve the sources of that energy. Even though it is a critical commodity it does not warrant the CEOS to use unorthodox and harmful ways to get it. This positions the organization as greedy and may be harmful to the image it portrays to the general public and to its customers (Malone Pasternack, 2002). This brings the importance of sustainable development to the minds of CEOs and the policy developers in an organization. Energy projects are very capital intensive and have a long gestation period. They therefore have a direct bearing on the environment and ecology at large. A lack of sufficient energy impacts badly on the economy and on the lives of people. Hence it is of paramount importance that the sources of energy are used in a wise and sustainable manner to fairly impact the people and to drive the economy of a country. Pollution of energy sources, especially the non-renewable ones, is a threat even to the national security of a country. The sectors that offer jobs that are energy affiliated are significantly affected and an employment situation may present itself and this is a threat to the security and national wellbeing of a country. It is imperative therefore that those ceos sustainably use the energy resources if they are patriotic nationalists. The economic growth realized will only serve as a plus to the organization as this means more business and hence profits and the overhead costs are greatly reduced. Architecture Organizations expand and have growth targets for the future that should impact the lives of future generations. A future-oriented ceo is the one who has the capacity to embrace sustainable architecture. This is a bit costly when considering the capital required. But when viewed from an angle of the need to conserve the environment and the futures positive impact on the lives of future generations, it is worth putting in maximum effort. The design for architecture should put into consideration energy consumption, employees health and well being, plus maximum utilization of available resources. For example, instead of using electricity for lighting and heating, the organization may employ the use of solar energy for the same utilities. In addition, the material for construction that is recycled, such as reclaimed lumber, and low volatile organic compounds, may play a big role in the reduction of harmful emissions in the environment. An organization can also incorporate waste management that is progressive and places into consideration the issue of environment. The current trends show that governments the world over are going to enact legislation barring people from using certain materials for the construction of buildings and this may be a step ahead of the rest. Obviously this will be profitable then since the price of materials required will have shot up due to inflation and demand as the others try to grapple with the government requirement. It is therefore prudent for a ceo to use environmentally sustainable construction since it is likely to drive profits in the future (Casper, 2009). Health Human health and sustainable development are inexplicably linked and go hand in hand. It is the desire of every organization to have healthy and able employees. This reduces medical bills due to insurance, reduces interruptions during work and positions the company for future growth and development. However the threat to the health of people is very real when viewed from the angle of the manner in which big companies and corporations are either inadvertently or knowingly engaging in activities that are harmful (Malone Pasternack, 2002). Productive CEOs must come up with ways of stemming this and there is no better way than to embrace sustainability of the sectors that massively affect health. There is a notable change in demographics, consumption and behavior in people. Most of them are moving towards towns where companies are situated and this poses a threat to their health if the issue of waste management and harmful gaseous emissions by companies is not properly checked. As a companys broader task to embrace corporate social responsibility, a progressive and future oriented ceo should press for policies geared towards ensuring that the heath of people is a priority. This positions the organization to have a good image when viewed by people and it enhances its customer base through that (Casper, 2009). Legal Aspect The governments of today and the international community at large, in its last gasp to enhance sustainable development, are coming up with laws to govern the use of resources. This has made it necessary for companies to try and make policies fit into the legalities or face strict penalties. In a country where these laws exist, there is more pressure from human rights organizations to make them stricter than they are. Some have gone to the extent of inserting in the constitution the basic right of a clean healthy environment so as to stress the importance (International Law Commission, 2003). Due to this pressure across the board, it is imperative that an organization embraces the need for sustainable development. This will reduce friction with the law and greatly reduce any legal costs that the organization may have. This is also beneficial to a countrys development because it enables compliance with environmental treaties that it has signed and also ratifications of the United Nations (International Law Commission, 2003). Social Aspect In most countries where use of resources is not closely watched, the less privileged in society are most affected. This includes the youth and the women and children. This group forms the foundation for a countrys growth and if not consistently checked can be a disadvantage to the economy of the country (Malone Pasternack, 2002). This group of people is paramount to the security situation in every country. The youth are known to create chaos in a country where unemployment levels are huge. This is a future problem being propagated today and it threatens the future of organizations. In light of this problem, organizations should therefore embrace sustainable development to position themselves for future markets. The available resources should be used carefully to realize this goal. The organization stands to benefit security-wise and the country is likely to realize economic growth hence benefitting the organization further. Also people once faced by such problems resort to mass action and this is dangerous to organizations reputations especially if it deals in sensitive products such as food (Malone Pasternack, 2002). To sum up, sustainable development is an aspect of current time and any ceo who seeks to position his organization for future growth and development should embrace the task of environmental conservation. The many aspects of the business are invariably touched in one way or the other by the issue and any business leader who ignores these risks could well be considered retrogressive or insensitive in his quest to grow business wise. Also through sustainable development, three important issues are affected positively: the environment, finances and social welfare. These three issues are interrelated and form the pillar of growth in any organization. Therefore business leaders should welcome sustainability (IANS, 2008). Ethics and Business In this post Enron era, managers are still struggling to find a fit between ethical codes of behavior in the workplace. They also are identifying practices that are not only ethical but consistent with organizational productivity and sustainability, both in the short run and the long run. Ethics, a word derived from the Greek word, ethos, meaning a way of living, can be termed as an accepted code of behavior in the workplace. Ethics are mainly informed by society values whereas a business operates in terms of their economic, social, cultural and political diversity. Despite the lack of generally accepted workplace ethics worldwide, managers should develop strategic plans in their organizations that would promote basic human rights, while at the same time, improve organizational teamwork and productivity. Strategic planning refers to the systematic identification of an organizations short, medium and long term goals, followed by the development of action blueprints on how to achieve them (Gray, Larson, 2006). The first approach that I would take on ethics in the workplace is to ensure the observance of basic human rights of all stakeholders involved in the business. This is based on the premise that managers of organizations would interact with stakeholders such as employees, suppliers, debtors, creditors, financiers, customers, government and society in general. Impact of ethics on various stakeholders of the business It is universal knowledge in psychology that human beings tend to build relationships and develop confidence in people who treat them fairly. Paying suppliers at the right time after delivery of goods or services creates supplier confidence regarding the organization. To maintain and safeguard this relationship, a supplier will strive to honor his delivery contracts to the corporation. This will ensure a continuous production of goods in the organization. This has the capacity to reduce any loss that can emanate from unsatisfied demand due to internal inefficiencies. A manager, who is ethical in terms of the way he or she sources for finances for the organization, is likely to develop a good credit rating. This ensures that the company can access finances when the need arises on short notice as a result of the managers reputation for having excellent collateral. Communicating to a customer in the right way, offering the right service at the right price and being open to a client about a product is likely to develop the confidence of such a customer towards the company and its brands. It is a well known fact in the field of marketing and psychology that a satisfied customer acts as a voluntary promoter of the company and its products to other people. Such a customer recommends the product to family and friends. This action increases the organizations client base leading to growth of sales and profitability. To achieve this, managers must come up with a clear customer focused strategy on how employees are supposed to talk to customers and how they are supposed to serve them (Sison, 2008). The public forms the market base on which a business thrives and managers should ensure that the organization is not engaged in unethical practices that may negatively affect society. It should carry out activities that promote growth and the development of society. This is a long term investment by the company since a well developed society provides the organization with a wider customer base for its goods while at the same time ensuring sustainability of the organization in the long run. This understanding has in the recent past culminated to a move by a number of organizations to achieve brand positioning on corporate social responsibility. The shareholders of the organization are affected by both ethical and unethical actions of any of the stakeholders of the business. The managers are only custodians employed by the shareholders to take care of their investment. Consequently, when they engage in unethical practices within the organization, such as embezzlement of funds, managers lose the shareholders confidence in them since such unethical behavior can lead to the collapse of an organization. Finally, when many people refer to ethics in the workplace, they have employees behavior in mind. Observance of basic human rights in organizations ensures that employees feel secure in carrying out their duties. This peace of mind influences them to be more productive. Once managers treat their employees fairly, such employees are likely to remain motivated. It would also ensure that employees have negligible, if any, work related stress. Many people can attest to the fact that when working in an organization where a person feels valued and respected, an employee executes his duties in an enhanced manner leading to higher productivity and profitability. To achieve this, managers should come up with ways and means of creating a good work environment where there is no abuse of employees by the employer and where basic human rights are respected and observed. How to promote ethics in the workplace Implementing strategic plans on ethics requires accommodation of diverse behaviors from individuals. Some organizations thrive in utilizing employees diversity to generate unique products and services instead of trying to standardize their behavior. In the post Enron era, organizations are paying more attention to the issue of ethics in the work place when developing their strategic plans. To do this, they start by collecting views among their employees and other stakeholders. This helps in understanding the social and cultural diversity of an organizations stakeholders. For instance, bowing slightly before shaking hands with senior individuals is treated as a sign of respect in some cultures. In other cultures, it is seen as a symbol of slavery and abuse. Consequently, it is only after understanding individuals cultural orientation that managers can develop a fit in workplace ethics which is not only inclusive but also consistent with the organizations strategic mission. Ethics in the workplace can be promoted by strategically developing an organizations culture that supports ethical behavior. This is based on the principle of the need for association by human beings. This helps employees in developing a sense of belonging to the company and to its culture. To fit in the work environment where they spend many of their waking hours, employees are likely to take up the code of behavior portrayed by senior managers. As a result of this, if the top managers are corrupt, disrespectful or posses any other vice, employees are likely to follow suit. A healthy corporate culture such as one that promotes quality in their employees ways of delivering services and interaction with all business stakeholders is likely to increase profitability in the long run. A good and ethical corporate culture ensures that senior members of the company act as role models for junior employees who will most likely strive to maintain ethics in such a workplace. Workplace ethics can be promoted by ensuring that an organization has satisfied employees. The satisfaction may be as a result of proper remuneration. Consequently, managers should not only view an employees salary as a cost, but they should also view it as an investment in ensuring that the organization retains highly skilled employees in the long term. Hard working employees who contribute a lot to the company feel cheated when the salary they receive is too small. This makes them feel justified in their corrupt activities (Swartz, Watkins, 2003). The organization should also have a good work environment. Another factor that managers should consider is proper orientation of employees. This may demand the use of a professional alongside reliable managers in the orientation process of new employees. Such a set up ensures that the right ethics code is clearly communicated. When carrying out their duties, new employees compare their actions with what they were taught on the first day rather than what their colleagues are doing (Wiggins, 2006). This ensures that unethical individuals in the organization do not pass the vice to new employees. What is ethical is interpreted differently by different people. Managers should come up with a set of ethical behaviors in the workplace in collaboration with employees. Efforts should be directed at sensitizing employees on what is termed unethical in such organizations. The organization should develop benchmarks on progress of the employees in terms of ethical behavior in the workplace. This is because, like any other strategy, a strategic plan in promotion of ethical behavior should be monitored and controlled after implementation. Those who follow the ethics code should be consistently recognized and rewarded in order to motivate them to maintain ethical behavior in and outside the organization. In conclusion, it is worth noting that ethical behavior as indicated above affects the productivity of the organization. It affects the interest of all the stakeholders of the business. Despite the lack of specific attributes to good ethics, it is worth noting that good ethics should promote the achievement of an organizations goals and objectives. They should be entrenched in the organization by the management in collaboration with their employees. Continuous control and the monitoring of strategic plan implementation progress are both vital as they help in keeping employees and other stakeholders on course.

Social Media And New Media In Ghana Media Essay

Social Media And New Media In Ghana Media Essay Social media is a growing phenomenon in our present information age. For many persons, particularly the youth, social media provides the platform to create, disseminate and share information with persons of shared ties. The power and influences of the social media phenomenon in shaping our world today cannot be overlooked. Its impact is witnessed as a coordinating tool for a significant number of the worlds political movements including the political revolutions that took place in the Middle East commonly referred to as the Arab Spring. Again in political campaigning, social media is credited to have contributed significantly to the electoral success of then candidate Barak Obama as his adoption of the technology facilitated his reach and garnered support from many young voters during the 2008 American presidential elections. The social media fad is believed to have enhanced cultural exchanges, created, maintained and deepened social ties in a significant number of social settings. F or quite a number of people, it is almost impossible to exist in our present world and not be affected by the social media phenomenon. It has become part of our new world which is driven extensively by information and communication. The social media application runs on the foot of the internet technology. The internet directs the manner in which communication is carried from place to place, person to person and culture to culture in our world today. It has become as ubiquitous as the human species and almost a measure of human civilisation. Researchers and scholars have divergent opinions of the impacts of the internet and new media technology on our world today. Their opinions are expressed broadly in utopian and dystopian perspectives and cover all aspects of life of which the technology is used. The utopians appreciate the Internet as potentially an enormous tool for good. The positive possibilities from the Internet include supporting the practice of democracy, human interactions, concerted political action, education, etc. On the other hand the dystopians, the cyberpunks and the alarmists, see danger in every digital project even an ultimate loss of our humanity. Understanding the internet and all its associated technology and applications requires an understanding of the dimensions under which the internet can be studied. Bell (2001) explains that there are three ways to understanding the internet or its synonym cyberspace. Bell describes the meaning of the internet or cyberspace under: a) material b) symbolic and c) experiential stories. He cites Stanley Aronowitz (1996) as providing the terms ontology, phenomenology and pragmatics to discuss ways of thinking about the internet technology. Material stories of the internet technology provide a historical understanding of how the technology came to exist and the transformations it has undergone. Whittaker (2004: Pp 13) explains that symbolic stories of the internet or cyberspace give literary and generic accounts most notably in cyberpunk but also in science fiction and other speculative fiction. Bell, citing Jordan (1999), provides an explanation to symbolic stories of cyberspace as the ways in which cyberspace are depicted in films and fiction. Therefore movies such as Robocop which prompted civic discourses over the use of robotics in solving human limitations, and The Matrix provide good examples to understanding symbolic stories of cyberspace. New media and social media New media tools, which are internet based technologies and applications provide platforms for social media tools to be used civic discourses. There is often the tendency to interchange the terms new media and social media. However, it must be noted that new media and social media mean different things though both exist in cyberspace and are associated with the internet technology. According to wiseGEEK new media denotes the various technologies that have emerged rapidly in our present millennium. The major types of new media include social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter, as well as blogs and video sharing sites such as YouTube. One of its most defining characteristics is interactivity. Social media, however, refers to online technologies and practices that are used to share opinions and information, promote discussion and build relationships (Crown 2009; 2). iCrossing (2008) indicates that social media shares the characteristics of Participation, Openness, Conversation, Community, and Connectedness are currently presented in the following basic forms Goode (2009) explains that social media facilitates citizens engagements in new forms of civic participation as they construct, archive, tag and reticulate news stories and political media content. Bakardjieva (2011) describes how blogs, a social media application and bloggers have become visible in the Bulgarian public sphere. In the Bulgarian scenario, the tool was adopted to protest against a decision of the Supreme Administrative Court to strip a territory in the south-east of Bulgaria of its status as a protected natural reserve. The countrys young people and environmentalist groups engaged in civic protests in the streets to challenge the decision as they organized and reported their actions by blogs, websites and text messages. The brief but centrally placed and well-attended civic actions obligated the Bulgarias mass media and parliamentarians to situate the issue on their agenda. http://edc.education.ed.ac.uk/sindhur/files/2010/09/Different-Media-and-modes-of-communication-Every-day-life.jpg  [1]   Figure : DIFFERENT MEDIA AND MODES OF COMMUNICATION-AN EVERYDAY LIFE PICTURE. The British government recognises how digital technology has transformed the way in which people communicate and share information at the local, national and international levels. To ensure that the potential of the transforming power is harnessed well enough to facilitate citizen engagement and proper governance, investments into providing adequate guidelines for civil servants to appreciate these changes so that they can operate effectively in a dynamic media environment. The British Government via new media tools and online access is tailoring its services to its public more conveniently all day and all week. The quote below is taken from the introductory chapter on connecting civil servants through social media in The Guide for Civil Servants (pp 11): Use of social media techniques is not restricted to government interaction with citizens or business. There is already a range of tools dedicated to encouraging discussion and sharing knowledge and best practice among civil servants. Social media and New media in Ghana Ghana has not been isolated from the global social media craze. Universally, Facebook is noted as the most popular social media platform and is most recognized in Ghana as well. Currently, there are about 1,436,560 Facebook users in Ghana, which makes it rank number 73 globally (Socialbaker 2012). The social networking statistics from Socialbaker illustrates that the penetration of Facebook in Ghana  is  5.90%  of the countrys population and  110.76%  in relation to the number of Internet users. The population of Facebookers users grew by more than  231,140  in the last 6 months. About 41% of Ghanas Facebook user population is between 18 and 24 years, an age group that can be found typically beginning university education or exiting into the professional world. Other social media like YouTube, twitter and LinkedIn are also popular among Ghanaians. Though their popularity is high among the youth and IT savvy persons, statistics on these social media applications are rather low or unavailable. No Ghanaian profile or account is listed in the top 200 global accounts. The same applies with YouTube and LinkedIn. Increasingly, the Whats App application and Blackberry messaging (BBM) which are described as social networking applications are also becoming popular platforms among Ghanaians for information dissemination. All the applications, Facebook, YouTube, twitter Whats App and BBM are available on mobile phone devices commonly referred to as smartphones. They are also on other portable new media gadgets such as ipads and tablets. Chart  [2]   Figure : User age distribution on Facebook in Ghana Ghana was one of the first African countries to get connected to the Internet in 1989-1990 however, the extent of use of the new media technology among Ghanaians is limited. This is a result of the underdevelopment of existing telecommunications infrastructure, though in recent times significant investments have been in developing them (Sey 2011). The investments have been supported by a national communications policy which highlights the Government of Ghanas commitment to accelerating the socio-economic development process of the country through ICT (Republic of Ghana, 2003, p. 14; cited in Sey 2011). In the wake of this policy, there has been considerable improvements in internet connectivity which begun in the early 1990s with the slow bandwidth dial up access to the now high speed broadband connectivity. Mobile phone telephony is not only big on the African Continent but equally the predominate mode of telecommunications in Ghana. Again because of the generally poor fixed line infrastructure. Ghanas National Communications Authority is cited to have announced a mobile telephony penetration rate of about 88.6% as at January 2012 with the leading service provider recording over 10 million subscriptions (Modern Ghana, 2012). Mobile phones in Ghana have varied uses aside its basic use for calls. Sey (2011) reports that in 2007 just over one fixed line existed per 100 inhabitants. Uses of new media in Ghana A number of several accounts have been given for the varied uses of the new media technology in Ghana. However, some research account that the application is appropriated to business and community development. Sey (2011) cites (Slater Kwami, 2005) who indicate that a substantial section of users get onto the Internet as an escape mechanism to connect with the Western world as a poverty reduction strategy. They add that the Internet provides some users with the means to reach people in Western countries who are perceived as potential sources of financial means for migration while others who do not anticipate physically leaving the country might content themselves with enjoying Western life vicariously through foreign content online. Sending e-mails, finding and communicating with pen pals, applying to schools abroad, watching movies, listening to music, and playing games are also some other uses that Ghanaians put the new media to use (Alhassan, 2004; Burrell, 2009; Daily Graphic, 20 03; Slater Kwami, 2005. Cited in Sey 2011). Political parties have also embraced the new media technology and are using social media particularly to grasp the attention of young people. A Communication official of the New Patriotic Party says the party adopts a writing style suitable for the social media in its messaging as the technology creates a better communication channel between the party and voters. The National Democratic Congress says the interactive nature of social media facilitates incorporating feedback from voters into the partys decision making processes (Boakyewaa Pokua 2011). Amongst Students of the University of Ghana, the most popular social media tool is Facebook. Its uses are varied from meeting new friends, sharing information on academic work, and updating family and friends with what is happening in ones life (Dentaa 2011). 2. Problem Statement There is recorded data on citizens disconnections from civic life in our present information society. These are noticeable among younger generations in Western democracies. The United States, Germany, Sweden, and the United Kingdom have all recorded younger peoples withdrawal in participating in conventional politics and government which constitute civic activities, in alarming numbers. Putnam (2000) argues that, Americans in the last three decades of the 20th century witnessed much less engagements in terms of political participation, charitable contributions, involvement in community organizations, and even participation in social activities with some of these trends obvious among college students. Despite a withdrawal from offline civic life, studies suggest interests in online civic engagements. As a fledgling democratic state, with a history of military dispensations that have stifled civic discourses and civil liberties, Ghana is on the brink of developing its democratic creden tials. The new democratic dispensation gives rise to civic participation in social and political discourses mainly through traditional media. Increasingly, young Ghanaians- a significant number of whom are enrolled in the universities, seek to master the use of the internet and more particularly social media tools to express themselves, explore their identities, and connect with peers. Hence there is opportunity to utilise the characteristics these online tools present to promote civic discourses amongst this group. The study thus seeks to ascertain the use of social media for civic discourses amongst students of the University of Ghana. Questions the study will speak to: Are students of the University of Ghana engaged in civic discourses via social media? What principles of civic discourses are seen in their social media engagements? 3. Background Social transformation is a common phenomenon in our human life and often characterises the conception of civilised society. A transformed society is one which may have at least undergone essential changes in its core institutions, economy, and the relationships between social groups or classes, the creation and distribution of wealth, power and status. Technology has played a key role in the transformation of society. Theorist like Marshal Mcluhan posit in determinist theories that technology changes society and recount human evolution from the Tribal age through Literate, Print and present Electronic age. But besides the influences of technology on social transformation, the contributions of social institutions cannot be overlooked, particularly universities. Universities have contributed significantly to the processes of social change and development. Stories of early civilisations recount the centrality of higher institutions of academic studies in the transformations that took place in those societies. The role of universities has been in generating skilled resources for labour sectors of social life and also in providing scientific investigations and solutions to social phenomenon. As the world rapidly changes and develops or perhaps becomes a lot more civilised, universities can be seen to take on the added role of encouraging and facilitating new cultural values. It is also plausible to see the institution involved in training and socialising members of new social elites. Thus the contributions of universities in fostering heightened awareness of and participation in civic discourses is one worth studying. The practice of citizens contributing in any way possible to how they are governed cannot be overemphasized. However the challenge to this has been in the sustenance of citizens interest in engaging in public activities which support contributions to governance. Evidences of Citizens having less time for public life abound in many countries, despite their resourcefulness in bringing more knowledge and skills to the market place of ideas. Reasons ascribed to citizens having less time for public activities include having less faith that government will be able to deliver on promises, more and more disconnect from community affairs because they seem to find the information, allies, and resources they need to affect an issue or decision they care about outside of the physical public space. A central tenet of Putnams bowling alone thesis holds that much of the decline of civic engagement in America during the last third of the twentieth century is attributable to the replacement of an unusually civic generation by several generations (their children and grandchildren) that are less embedded in community life. (2000, p. 275). He supports this claim with evidence that members of this older generation tend to exhibit consistently high patterns of certain forms of civic activity (membership in civil society groups, voting, and attending city government meetings, for example) throughout their lives. By contrast, younger generations (especially the current youth demographic) have by and large failed to develop comparable civic habits, preferring to spend the majority of their free time on wholly personal pursuits. While some very recent data on one type of civic engagement, voting, contradict this pessimistic assessment (Kirby Marcello, 2006), most of the relevant indicators point toward a greatly diminished Universities have frequently been regarded as key institutions in processes of social change and development. The most explicit role they have been allocated is the production of highly skilled labour and research output to meet perceived economic needs. But to this role may be added, especially during periods of more radical change, roles in the building of new institutions of civil society, in encouraging and facilitating new cultural values, and in training and socialising members of new social elites. 4. Purpose The purpose of the study is to identify civic discourse engagements of students of the University of Ghana via the social media. The study objectives are: to evaluate whether civic discourses take place among students of the university of Ghana. to identify the forms of such civic discourses students of the university of Ghana to ascertain whether such discourses conform to the principles for civic discourses. The study will thus provide data on social media uses for civic discourse interactions and make recommendations on the possibility of nurturing a generation of elites who adopt technology to further discourses that affect how they are governed and their society at large. Findings from the study can help in selecting and developing alternate communication channels for the promotion of civic discourse in Ghana and among an increasing youth population enchanted by the new media and its varied applications. 5. Significance The study is significant as it will support in identifying and exploring how applicable modern technologies can be engaged to facilitate civic discourses which are essential in beefing up processes of good governance and democracy. Traditionally universities have functioned as centres of teaching and research. In their teaching activities, universities provide the professional training for high-level jobs, as well as the education necessary for the development of the personality. Students who graduate from the university ultimately work and live in societies. The university provides a heterogeneous environment which initiates students to diverse people and perspectives. There is a tendency that students may be more motivated and prepared to participate fully in civic life. Students interactions and experiences of diversity whether inside or outside of the classroom, have the possibility to introduce them to new ideas and to challenge their pre-existing views (e.g. Gurin, Dey, Hurtado, Gurin, 2002). As a result, students attitudes toward civic issues may shift in substantial ways, and they may become more involved in community service and political activities. 6. Methodology Various methods are available for conducting studies on Computer Mediated Discourses and civic discourses in mass communication research. The most familiar methods used have been surveys and content analyses. Within the domain of content analysis textual analysis, rhetoric and discourse analyses have been identified as probable methods to studying problems relating to civic discourses specifically or discourses generally. Surveys Survey as a research method denotes gathering information from a sample of individuals. Wimmer and Dominick (2011) explain two types of survey methods that can be used for research processes: Descriptive surveys and analytical surveys. A descriptive survey attempts to explain what exists at the moment. An example for this type of survey is that of broadcast networks frequently conducting surveys of their audiences to identify their programming tastes, evolving values and lifestyle variations that might affect their programming. Descriptive surveys thus examine the as it is situation in the area under study. An analytical survey attempts to describe and explain why situations exist (Wimmer and Dominic 2011). The approach ordinarily examines two or more variables investigating research questions or testing research hypotheses. From the results researchers can examine the interrelationships among the variables and develop explanatory interpretations. For example, television station owners survey the market to determine how lifestyles affect viewing habits or to determine whether viewers lifestyles can be used to predict the success of syndicated programming (Wimmer and Dominic 2011). Adopting a survey approach in conducting studies on social media and civic discourses will facilitate investigations into the problem in a realistic setting. For example newspaper reading, commenting on social happenings on television or radio and participating in political issues of governance, all of which are probable civic activities can be examined in their real environments other than in a laboratory or screening room where artificial conditions are generated if studied as experiments. Secondly, surveys allow researchers to collect data on and examine many variables including demographic variables and use a variety of statistics to analyse the data collected. Thus patterns of relationships of differences or closeness are possible to be deduced to enable positing hypotheses as well as provide explanations to the problem. Considering that a constraint to research is funding and costs associated to carrying out the research, the reasonable cost of surveys in relation to the amount of information gathered (some online surveys are free) makes it a useful and widely used method. Researchers are able to control their research expenses by selecting from mail, telephone, personal interview, group administration, and the Internet modes of surveys. Related to this surveys have no geographic constraints and they can be conducted almost anywhere. Probably a significant benefit for using surveys in research is the availability existing data which makes it possible to carry out a whole study without the use of a questionnaire or contacting a respondent. Data sources such government documents, class or students registration lists may be depended on as primary data sources or as supportive sources of information. However an essential shortcoming in the use of surveys is the inability to draw causal or non-causal relationships between dependent and independent variables. Thus for a study as this it is not possible to draw casual or non-causal relations between social media use and civic discourses. This is because independent variables cannot be manipulated the way they are in laboratory experiments. Without control over independent variables, the researcher cannot be certain whether the relationships between independent variables and dependent variables are causal or non-causal. Results from surveys may easily be considered bias in the event of inappropriate wording or placement of questions within a questionnaire. This thus means careful scrutiny of words chosen to solicit data and organized unambiguously would be required. This can be strenuous and time consuming. An example Where did you hear the news about the presidents death? is mildly biased against newspapers. The word hear suggests that radio, television, or other people is a more appropriate answer (Wimmer and Dominic 2011, pp 190). The possibility of including wrong respondents in survey research is almost not negligible. Respondents may claim to possess a characteristic necessary for the study but may in fact be deficient in that feature. A mail survey or Internet survey may be completed by a teenager when the target respondent is a parent in the household.