Essay on Climate Change

Climate is the average condition of temperature, amount of water vapor in air that is humidity and rainfall that has persisted over years and centuries and millenniums. Does climate ever change? Yes! It had changed! Earth, when newly made, was hot and red! Eventually it cooled and biological life started. Then Ice age eclipsed whole of the Earth, with chilled winds blowing all over the place. Gradually, the climate again changed to normal. Then the question arises, â€Å"What is actually normal temperature? † It might be the range of level of mercury in which life can persist.The climate, therefore, has changed, starting from hot to normal to cold and then it began reversing to normal and then what? What is going to be the next? Are we moving to the starting? The Earth may get that hot again. As we are seeing, these days, the issue of Global warming, green house effect is becoming the primary talk. But which force is changing the climate? The earlier stages of climate change w ere supposed to be caused by natural phenomena such as meteor strike, volcanoes, air currents and many others.But presently, what is causing climate change? None of the natural effects is taking place. But still, the temperature is rising, the Ice at the poles is melting, carbon dioxide levels are increasing and the ozone layer is being damaged. These all disasters are taking place due only one parasite, the HUMAN RACE. Humans are setting up industries, power plants, using excess of air conditioners, burning fossil fuels and flourishing cities just for the sake of the rise of temperature and increase of toxins in the air.A person driving a car, relaxing in the cool air of ACs and listening to the radio does not realize that he is emitting thirty seven grams of highly toxic carbon monoxide every four kilometers and amounts of sulfur dioxide. A youngster spending time on social networking on a computer doesn’t realize that he is emitting two hundred fifty kilograms of Carbon di oxide every year. These all will invite doom. Sulfur dioxide will combine with clouds and sulfuric acid would rain. The reaction of sulfuric acid with life would turn the latter into pillars of carbon. Due to rise in temperature, our lakes and seas would evaporate.Our monuments would fall. To prevent ourselves from doom, we should use everything sustainably. Now, what is sustainability? It means the use of resources judiciously so that they sustain for the generations to come. Let’s map a dream city that is sustainable and comfortable. The main issue that is swallowing most of the natural resources and emitting a huge amount of heat and harmful gases is the production of electricity from power plants. These days, most of the electricity for domestic and industrial use is being created from the combustion of coal. Coal is a fossil fuel and may end up soon if used in excess.Besides when burnt, it gives out many poisonous fumes including oxides of sulfur, nitrogen and carbon mon oxide. It also gives out CO2, a greenhouse gas. We can use nuclear energy to reduce the emissions of poisonous fumes but may not be able to reduce CO2 content. The other options that arise are solar and wind energy, but they are a diffused source and not permanent. Hydroelectric energy and tidal energy is also getting famous and are also good alternatives. Then arises the second most alarming issue, that is, pollution by automobiles. Petroleum is quite polluting and limited fossil fuels.One good alternative of this may be hydrogen. Hydrogen is one of the most abundant element on Earth and the fuel with one of the highest caloforic value. But it may seem bulky plus it is highly explosive. CNG and LPG are also good fuels but are also a part of fossil fuels. Third issue is the increase in usage of non – biodegrable materials such as plastics and synthetic fibres. Currently, usage of paper bags and jute bags is suggested to be the best. The last prominent issue is the scarcity of water. Water is being used in excess and soon potable water may perish.Good options are usage of special toilets designed to use less water in flush and usage of renewed water. So, my dream city would be like this: Everyone use electrical equipment judiciously. Electricity would be produced from Solar, Wind, and Tidal & Hydroelectric energy. Everyone would use jute and paper bags and won’t do unnecessary shopping. Every bit of paper would be recycled. Cars would run on hydrogen, battery and car pool would persist. Cycles would be preferred more. Toilets would use less water and no tap would be kept open unnecessarily. Luxurious, Global warming free, green and sustainable, a dream city would be†¦..

Building a High Performance Project Team Essay

In order to deliver a high-quality project [one that successfully balances scope, time, and cost] in which the needs and expectations of the users are met, the project team must not only be effective and work well together, but also the project manager must have the ability to lead and manage the team while focusing on people issues. This is often a difficult task since many project mangers are usually expected to lead teams without formal authority. Controlling a project blends the art and science of project management – building a strong, committed team at the same time you are making progress against the plan (Verzuh, 2012). This means that project leaders should seek to discover and solve problems while they are still small and at the same time monitor progress while putting in place measures to ensure the team’s continued focus on the goals and expectations of the project. Thus, it is critical for project managers to understand that project success does not hinge only on the science of project management, but also on the ability to build a committed, cooperative, and cohesive team. A project manger who exhibits practical understanding of how to evaluate and sustain an effective team performance, along with the ability to identify and quickly resolve key resource issues throughout the project life cycle, is more likely to reach a synergistic potential of the team. Consequently, drawing from contemporary projects, this brief study focuses on distinct human attributes the effects on leadership as the key to the aforementioned controlling activities that ensure that a project evolves in an orderly m anner, rather than turning out of control. 2Recruiting Project Team Members Every project manager plays a pivotal role in building a high performance team. While the leader must consciously invest in building a strong, cohesive team capable of working together, the process of selecting and recruiting project team members vary across organizations. Two important factors affecting recruitment are the importance of the project and the management structure being used to complete the project (Larson & Gray, 2011). However, it is the project manager’s responsibility to optimize the team’s performance regardless of whether he/she gets to choose the team members or not. Hence project managers must develop strategies that help build a high performance team right from the selection stage. 2.1Project Team Dynamics Negative interpersonal team dynamics is not only unproductive, but can make a project manager’s job a daily grind of frustration and resentment (Verzuh, 2012). When selecting and recruiting team members, project managers naturally look for individuals with the necessary experience and knowledge/technical skills critical for project completion (Larson & Gray, 2011). However, when identifying project resources project managers more often than not find themselves thinking about who they need rather than what they need. Thus, more emphasis is placed on pervious working relationships. Aside from selecting team members who hold the â€Å"right† level of skill and expertise needed to support the project requirements, it is just as important to identify team members who are able to work well with others and exhibit consistent levels of cooperation. These social intelligence skills include the ability to persuade, negotiate, compromise, and make others feel important (DiTullio, 2010) Consequently, the key to creating a high performance project team lies in understanding and embodying the language-action relationship. This is critically important to building relationships, trust, gaining alignment and commitment to produce breakthrough results (Strategic Momentum, 2006). 3Defining Criteria For Project Team Members To fully discuss this topic, we must start with a simple definition of a team. Jon Katzenbach and Douglas Smith define a team in their best-selling book The Wisdom of Teams (Harper Business Essentials 1994), as â€Å" a small number of people with complimentary skills who are committed to a common purpose, a set of performance goals and an approach for which they hold themselves mutually accountable† (Katzenbach & Smith, 1993). In other words, as Sarah Cook (2009) suggests, the characteristics of a high performance team therefore are: * A clearly defined and a common shared purpose * Mutual trust and respect * Clarity around individual roles and responsibilities * High levels of communication * Willingness to work towards the greater good of the team * A leader who both supports and challenges the team * A climate of cooperation * An ability to voice differences and appreciate conflict However, project teams have another characteristic: They will be temporary, formed specifically for the purpose of achieving the goal, after which they will disband (Verzuh, 2012). Thus, to get the people on the team to be mutually accountable to a common goal, trust each other, and be treated with respect while putting in the effort to accomplish a task, the project manager must be able to put the pieces together by establishing strong ground rules and team identity that is built on commitment to a shared goal. In this respect, the criteria is for the project manager to engage his team in simple exercises and hold multiple discussions with the team about the obvious benefits of teamwork by encouraging best practices and innovation for the benefit of stakeholders. 4Developing Trust Among Project Team Members As noted earlier, projects are temporary endeavors that begin and end, and so do project teams. Managing project teams is even more complicated given the trend towards cross-functional, organizational, and sometimes national boundaries. This unique characteristic only increases the likelihood that the composition of a new project team will comprise of more individuals with little or no previous working relationships. With this in mind, as (Verzuh, 2012) rightly suggests, â€Å"developing trust, respect, effective communication patterns, and the ability to maintain a positive relationships despite disagreements takes time. Most importantly, it takes a conscious effort by the project team leader†. Once the project leader understands that high performance teams rarely occur naturally, a strategy must be put in place to help transform the way team members think and act in order to create and maintain the highest level of commitment to the plan. According to (Strategic Momentum, 2006) conversational dynamics is critical in building relationships and trust. By conversational dynamics they mean the conversational mode used when the project team works together. Project leaders must encourage collaborative conversations among team members since they help build trusting relationships, and are able to effectively deal with real issues, thus accelerated results. Collaborative conversations are open and authentic and they breed mutual respect and commitment. Project leaders can rely on authentic conversations to deal with interpersonal relationships and trust issues. In the event of breakdowns, the focus is on restoring relationships and trust to insure on going alignment and commitment. It is apparent therefore that high performance teams have a culture that embraces trust, continuous review and clarification of goals, robust communication and holding each other accountable (Wagner, 2006). 4.1Communicating Effectively with Project Team Members Once an atmosphere of trust has been established, the project manager’s biggest challenge is communication and clarity. Communication has long been ranked very high among factors attributing to project success. In this respect, Tom Wagner suggests that the project team leader must ensure the group stays firmly rooted in reality, sets clear goals and priorities, and follows through on all tasks (Wagner, 2006). This means that the entire project team shares the responsibility of all the project goals, and receives relevant and concise information at the right time. This also ensure that team member do not engage in conflicting agendas that arise when team members pursue incompatible objectives. Consequently, when communicating within the project team (Verzuh, 2012), outlines four major communication needs: * * Responsibility: each team member needs to know exactly what part of the project he/she is responsibly for. * Coordination: as team members carry out their work, they rely on each other. Coordination information enables them to work together efficiently. * Status: meeting the goal requires tracking progress along the way to identify problems and take corrective action. The team members must be kept up to speed on the status of the project. * Authorization: Team members need to know about all the decisions made by customers, sponsors, and management that relate to the project and it’s business environment. Team members need to know these decisions to keep all project decisions synchronized. 5Leading the Project Team Members In spite of advances in the project management profession, research studies have shown that many projects fail, underlining the importance of the project manager’s role as manager. Specifically, the manager’s leadership role is of great importance in motivating people and creating an effective working environment in order for the project team to meet greater challenges in today’s global economy (Anantatmula, 2010). In other words, there are four specific elements that help create an effective team-working environment. The leader must establish ground rules that explicitly define expected personal behavior in reference to team values; he/she must build a team identity based on shared commitment and objectives – the key here is goal and project scope clarity and a solid understanding of team members strength and diversity; a good leader must be able to teach his team to apply the proper problem solving techniques which involves exchange of ideas and thus the ability to listen to different perspectives; and last but not the least, the leader must be able to manage meetings effectively. By conducting team meetings that are actively steered toward the project goals, the team can share pertinent information, coordinate activities, uncover new problems and make informed decisions that produce synergistic outcomes. Ultimately, adding value to the team’s effort should be the goal and role of the project team leader. Defining a clear vision can do this and goal, facilitate a working environment, set clear expectations and responsibilities, and provide the team enough autonomy where they can work and do their jobs with full commitment and confidence (Wikibooks, 2010) 6Managing Challenging and Dyna mic Issues and Conflict It is not an easy task to get a team to jell but the productivity and joy that come with high performance teams are so significant for a project team leader to assume it can occur naturally. According to (Verzuh, 2012), every project team faces two central challenges, two obstacles to becoming a high performance team. * Project teams are formed to solve complex problems, and they must solve those problems together. * Project teams are temporary and so the must learn to work together. Thus, it is the responsibility of the project leader to understand these two challenges and harness the problem solving power of a rather diverse team. In other words, it will take a conscious effort on the part of the project manager to transform the team from a loose collection of talent and expertise to a cohesive unit. For the team to produce superior decisions needed to solve complex problems creativity is required. This means that disagreements are bound to occur and hence conflict-resolution skills become essential to make the best decisions possible without jeopardizing interpersonal relationships. Deborah Kezsbom, in her article entitled: (Managing the Chaos: Conflict among project teams (American Association of Coast Engineers 1989), perfectly concluded, â€Å"conflict is an inevitable and necessary part of the project environment. Given the proper atmosphere, attitudes, and training, conflict can broaden perspectives and stimulate innovative and cohesive interactions.† Project managers who realize that preventing conflict is as important as solving them, are likely to be effective. The author went on to recommend the following for improving project leader effectiveness and minimizing conflict: * Communicating key decisions in a timely fashion to project related personnel. * Adapting leadership style to the status of the project and the needs of the project team. * Recognizing the primary determinants of conflict, when they are likely to occur over the project life cycle, and the effectiveness of handling approaches. * Experimenting with alternative conflict handling modes. * * Proving work challenge to motivate team members. * Developing and maintaining technical expertise. * Planning early and effectively in the project life cycle. * Demonstrating concern for project team members. 7The London 2012 Olympics Construction Project The construction of the London 2012 Olympic park was widely praised for its successful delivery. With  £9.3 billion budget, the Olympic project was one of the most high profile projects one could ever imagine. The project finished on time and under budget much to the delight of its sponsors who according to Sir John Armitt, the man in charge of the team that built the park, knew what it valued, balancing cost and quality, and made that clear to its suppliers. But it was the ability of the project leaders to blend the art and science of project management that prompted some soul-searching about lessons that can be applied to future developments. The value placed on relationships between individuals and organizations working the project was a crucial ingredient in the projects successful delivery. According to a study conducted during the project which focused on the underpinning role of 13 distinct human characteristics – including respect, trust, clarity, motivation, collaboration, openness and fairness – and how these concepts have a practic al influence on effective leadership, worker involvement, safety culture, communication, risk management, monitoring and assurance. The lead researcher Helen Bolt said: â€Å"The most important thing we discovered in this research was the value of the relationships between individuals and organizations. Of all the characteristics of the relationships in evidence during the project, the most critical were respect and clarity -they underpin everything, are not costly or difficult to achieve, and can have a significant impact on safety culture and standards.† 8Conclusion As outlined throughout this paper, project team members are faced with the challenge to work interdependently to achieve defined goals. These goals can be simple or complex depending on the nature and scope of the project. Nonetheless, every project presents peculiar challenges for the team and its leader who essentially make a series of decisions in accomplishing these goals. As the magnitude of interdependencies increases so does the need for the team members to trust one another and rely on refined skills to work collaboratively. Since project teams are temporary, they must learn to work together to reach its synergistic potential. A high performance team does not evolve overnight, it take time and effort by the leader who facilitates the team, establishes a positive working environment and leads the team in learning problem solving as well as conflict resolution skills. It is no secrete that leadership is the foundation of a high performance team. Whilethere are many constant traits a leader must possess to be effective, there are however, many important components of leading a high performance team that lack a true definition. One of the components of great importance is the ability to be adaptable in your leadership style, and let your leadership adapt and evolve as the team progresses through its developmental stages. Project team leaders must also exhibit the same accountability they demand from the team members and display the energy, attitude and commitment to propel the team forward. Ultimately, communication is the key to all the aforementioned activities. Project leaders spend a great deal of their time communicating. In fact, every project management technique is a form of communication and hence it is crucial to communicate in a timely and effective fashoin among all stakeholders. References: Anantatmula, V. (2010). Project Manager leadership role in improving project performance. Engineering Management Journal , 22 (1), 13-22. DiTullio, L. (2010). Project Team Dynamics: enhancing Performance, Improving Results. Management concepts. Katzenbach, J., & Smith, D. (1993). The Wisdom of Teams: Creating the High-Performance Organization. Boston, MA: Havard Business School Press. Kezsbom, D. (1989). Managing the Chaos: Conflict among project teams. American Association of Coast Engineers. Transactions of the American Association of Coast Engineers , 9. Kortekaas, V. (2012, August 19). Retrieved on August 09, 2013, from http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/0/57d92e9c-d7df-11e1-9980-00144feabdc0.html#axzz2d6NUQRbS Project Management: Lessons can be learnedfrom sucessful delivery. Financial Times . Larson, E. W., & Gray, C. F. (2011). Project Management: the managerial process (5th ed.). New York, NY, USA: The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. Strategic Momentum. (2006). Retrieved August 06, 201 3, from Strategic Momentum.com: www.strategic-momentum.com/_downloads/the_critical_steps_to_building_a_high_performance_team Verzuh, E. (2012). The Fast Forward MBA in Project Management (Vol. 4). Hoboken, NJ, USA: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Wagner, T. (2006). Building high performance project teams. Loiusiana Contractor , 55 (3), 41. Wikibooks. (2010). Managing Groups and Teams.

Management Theory and Practice Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Management Theory and Practice - Essay Example The people of different countries do depict changes in tastes and perceptions which are required by the business concerns to effectively tap and thereby bring about changes in the production or operating system. Similarly, in order to tap the different markets in a much effective manner, the business organization must adjust its different policies regarding both price and distribution. The business concern through the changing of their price structure helps in pervading the minds of the consumers in a more prolific manner. Moreover, the business concern should fulfill the different guidelines as envisaged by the government of the country while endeavoring to promote the different goods and services to a large number of consumers. Further, the business corporations in order to internationalize their operations need to gain a large pool of people working across the globe for the company. Working across different cultures and diversities require the business organizations to act in a pr udent fashion to help satisfy the needs of both the internal and external stakeholder groups like the employees, the group of suppliers, the consumers and social groups and the government at large (Yip, Loewe and Yoshino, 1988, p.1-8).... In the light of the above discussion the paper endeavours to analyse McDonald’s sense of adaptability to its changing business environment. Factors of Changes in Business Organisations The increasing mode of globalisation has required the business corporations to synchronize its business processes to adapt itself to the changing business environments. It is observed that business organisations to successfully operate in the global climate need to customize the product or service offerings on an expanded scale. The people of different countries do depict changes in tastes and perceptions which are required by the business concerns to effectively tap and thereby bring about changes in the production or operating system. Similarly in order to tap the different markets in a much effective manner the business organisation must adjust its different policies regarding both price and distribution. The business concern through the changing of their price structure helps in pervading th e minds of the consumers in a more prolific manner. Moreover the business concern should fulfil the different guidelines as envisaged by the government of the country while endeavouring to promote the different goods and services to the large number of consumers. Further the business corporations in order to internationalise their operations need to gain a large pool of people working across the globe for the company. Working across different cultures and diversities require the business organisations to act in a prudent fashion to help satisfy the needs of both the internal and external stakeholder groups like the employees, the group of suppliers, the consumers and social groups and the government at large (Yip, Loewe and Yoshino, 1988, p.1-8). McDonald in

Business plan for a startup business Assignment

Business plan for a startup business - Assignment Example tomized computers and repair service in the next three years of operation by offering customers the latitude to customize the specification and performance of their computers at a low cost with an after sales support of highly competent technicians. Computer Savers is a computer assembly and repair business intended to cater to small business owners as well as home PC users. It is engage in the selling of computer parts and software and is also engaged in the customization, upgrade, repair, virus removal and hard disk data recovery of computers. The company intends to create a niche in the computer retail and service industry by providing customized computers as well as providing repair service at a significantly lower cost than competition. Computer Savers offers customized computers and repair service to its customers. To enable Computer Savers to offer customized computers to its customers, it will sell computer parts for ease, convenience and easy availability of the necessary hardware to assemble a computer. It will also sell licensed softwares to make the assembled computers usable after leaving the outlet. The repair service component of Computer Savers will complement the computer customization business by offering repair service after the computer’s warranty coverage has elapsed. It will work in synergy with the computer customization business as the skills needed in the repair component of the business can also be used in the assembly of computers. Computer Savers will make a niche in the computer retail and service industry by offering computer products and services that is significantly lower than the competition. It will cater to the specific segment of a market where end users prefer to customize the specification of their computers. Computer Savers will also offer an after sales support through its repair business component. Combining these elements of offering customized computers at a lower price with an after sales support will make

Individual marketing article analysis which happened in 2012 Essay

Individual marketing article analysis which happened in 2012 - Essay Example This is realized from the different point of views as per different analysts of firms with interest in IPOs and general investments. Hersey (1991) argues that there is no much news expected even with companies tying their best within a week. The earliest that this could occur is December 17th with series of meetings so as to interact with potential investors. This has been caused by the new rules, which governs the process of going public. Another hindrance is Christmas, which will come in the middle of marketing and may last for at least one week. The presidential elections also interfered with many companies, which could have had deals before the end of the year. Gaiman (2009) argues, however, not all of the companies had this, there were exemptions who pitched shares just a day after voting due to high levels of confidence in gaining potential customers attention, according to the chief financial officer. It still remains tricky to strike deals before the end of the year. There is a backlog of companies who have signed IPOs initial documents waiting processing but still having the lowest recorded dollar value of IPOs backlog, since the year 2009. Lomborg (2012) argues, however, according to the new laws grading IPOs, companies will have their planning confidentially. Those with an annual revenue less than one billion US dollars will have submissions of prospectus done out of public view. This would remain for at least twenty one days before the company sets off. It has been argued that deals can be underway before the public get a glimpse of the idea (Walter & Howei, 2012). This is not what is reflected by the silence in the markets. Many companies have already put up terms on offer or some have had their deals postponed after pitching to investors. A possibility is that the companies could decide to enter the fray quickly. This may come as a surprise to many who are not aware of what is happening. A typical

The World Marketplace Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

The World Marketplace - Assignment Example Code of conducts the policies, procedures, etc to run the business effectively. The need of avoiding the infringing by the company needs great precautions. For example, during the invention of any product, the authorities of company get information about the already invention of same patent product, then there is need of rules and laws help to proceed the process from the law department (Martire, 2014). In 1776, many economists favoured the concept of free trade amongst the nations to improve the economic welfare. There are many benefits of free trade for those the countries like it rather than trade restrictions, such as; no tariffs, quota system, no trade barriers, promotion of domestic industries, subsidies from the governments, etc (Irwin, 2014).European Union is an example to describe the encouraging aspects of free trade, such as; promotion of competition and innovation, generation of economic growth, disseminates of democratic values, fostering of economic freedom, prosperities and opportunities for every citizen, etc (Froning, 2000) . For the development of international business development, there are different types of barriers that influence the revenues of a firm. There are two types of barriers for the organisations to overcome, internal barriers( controlled by the companies, such as financial matters, production and distributions matters, etc.) and the external barriers (uncontrolled by the organisations, such as political environment, legal issues, distributor matters, socioeconomic issues, socio cultural issues, technological needs, etc. There are some suggestions to overcome the business barriers to get more revenues, such as; Collaborations with the large and well-established firms, taking the advantages from the government programs for the exporters, taking advantages of useful rules and regulations in specific countries, etc (BV,

Elimination of Discrimination Against Women and International Human Essay

Elimination of Discrimination Against Women and International Human Rights - Essay Example Most of the non-governmental organisations that champion for women rights’ are under United Nations. United Nations member states adopt several treaties that seek to protect the rights of women. The Charter of United Nations recognises that persons have basic human rights and should live a dignified-life. In addition, the Charter prevents all forms of discrimination because every person is has equal freedom regardless of gender. Discrimination against women infringes the rights and respect for human solemnity. It limits women from taking an active part in political, social, cultural, and economic developments in their country. In addition, inequality between in genders demeans women’s contributions in the family, society, and in individual states. This is because women do not have enough space to exploit their potentials. In the light of this, United Nations has entered into several treaties that seek to cushion women from any form of discrimination (General Assembly). This paper will analyse the convention of elimination of discrimination against women. It will then endeavour to highlight the contribution of the convention to development of international human rights. Women have been on the receiving end of all forms and mannerisms of men behaviour. Patriarchy dominates virtually all the indigenous and marginalised societies. Men perpetrate all forms of discrimination to women. Women suffer because they are voiceless in presence of male dominated societies. Discrimination against women happens in all sectors. These forms of discrimination include forced relocation from women’s ancestral lands, pollution and destruction of their homes, limited or no education at all, and poor health care. Other human right’s violations that women face include rape, domestic violence, forced sterilisations, and inadequate reproductive health care. These vices have significantly limited women participation in national and international matters. These b ad experiences of women have attracted the international attention to provide an amicable solution. Women use various ways to demand for call for recognition of their human rights. These are efforts to end discrimination and oppression of women (Kambel, 2004). United Nations stepped forward to safe women from wrath of patriarchal nature of society. It did this through signing of various treaties that recognises women rights. United Nations is replete with regional commissions, specialised agencies, programs, and other instruments to address the plight of women. Nations have presented entities that seek to recognise women rights. The countries do so in the international circles. The commitment of all the world society structures is to achieve equality and human rights. Steiner (2008: 175) notes that the number of movements advocating for women rights has increased over the years. Leaders and champions of human rights hold international conferences with the main goal of reducing the g ap between men and women. Non- governmental organisations are in the forefront to advance the efforts to eliminate discrimination against women. Women have formed movement aiming to draw the attention of international community to recognise their rights (Steiner, 2008:173). The lessons that international community learned from the tragedies of Second World War led to signing of the Charter of United Nations. The aim of this alliance was to bring peace, mutual aid, and human rights

Strategy and organizational learning Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Strategy and organizational learning - Essay Example Flow of information, knowledge, technology and capital has transcended geographic and national boundaries due to globalization. With such fast, easy and fluid flow of information, knowledge and technology the major asset of an organization has become knowledge and not production. Rate of an organizations ability to learn and adapt is considered to be the only real source of competitive advantage. How organizations can become a learning organization? Does individual learning and social learning has any relationship with organizational learning? What is the difference between an organization that learns and a learning organization? Is it just mastery of words or there is some substance in it? This paper aims at answering all these questions with the help of theory and its critical analysis along with the examples from the business world. Emergence of Knowledge/ Learning Organizations Charles Darwin said â€Å"It is not the strongest of the species who survive, nor the most intelligent ; as a matter of fact, it is the ones who are the most agile to change†. The same point stands valid for organizations too. The organization who wishes to remain relevant and thrive in the long run, learning better and faster is the solution or the technology. Learning is not only the key to success but perhaps vital for survival for today’s organizations. For this purpose organizations must strive to enrich knowledge through continuous internal and external learning. A learning organization is one that encourages and values learning and realizes the role learning can play in enhancing organizational effectiveness. This attitude and importance of learning is reflected in the vision of the organization and a learning strategy that supports the inspiring vision for learning. Building a Learning Organization A learning organization depends on a lot of internal and external factors. External environment includes economy, society, polity and technology. The subsystem of lear ning organization includes organization, people, knowledge and technology. Each subsystem not only interacts with each but also support for learning to permeate all across the organization. The importance of learning is communicated by leaders. An effective communication system is developed to avoid the development of silos and ensure smooth lateral flow of knowledge across structural boundaries. Both planned and emergent learning needs are emphasized. For building effective learning organization following steps must be taken, strategy development, collaboration mechanism, knowledge sharing and learning, management techniques and knowledge capture and storage (Serrat, 2009). Social Complexity and Organizational Learning Organizational learning is a very complex social phenomenon. Emergent and fluid nature of organizational learning makes it more complex. The two most important determinants of complexity science are schemas of diversity and interaction interdependence. Presence of bo th in learning organizations makes it a complex. Tensions within and between internal and exte

Cross-Cultural Ministry Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Cross-Cultural Ministry - Assignment Example Changing such a relationship to a positive one may be difficult due to the corrupted or dependency mentality created in the minds of the poor. It is thus necessary to build healthy relationship from the very start. A relationship of the giver on one hand and the recipient on the other hand is bound to fail. Such a relationship is unhealthy, unsustainable, and fails to empower the poor. Over-dependency on the giver harms the poor in the long-run. The people in the Third World country have been made to believe that they are meant to be poor. This is a wrong mentality that harms their confidence level as well as development. Such mentality needs to be banished if at all Third World countries have to believe in their own economic empowerment. Developmental progress calls for the mutual collaboration of all the parties. It is not possible to develop by simply depending on the support of others. Instead, both the giver and the recipient must come together and chart away forth for the development

Industrial Relations Case Essay Example for Free

Industrial Relations Case Essay Of all the case studies and ethical dilemmas that students are asked to consider, this weeks is the most relevant to current challenges facing the manufacturing sector. The Oz Clothing case relates to clothing and textile but is could equally relate to automotive, white goods and even construction sectors. This weeks case asks that you consider the role of a number of key stakeholders in Industrial Relations and importantly the role of Fair Work Australia (FWA) does or could play in industrial relationships and strategic directions for companies OC to Oz clothing Question 5 To discuss the effect of FWA on industrial relations at Oz Clothing can entry with the element of IR. Firstly industrial relations have covered several aspects of industrial life as trade unionism, collective bargaining, workers’ participation in management, discipline and interpretation of labor rules and code of conduct (Christopher 2012). As the globalization, economic downturn and legislative change raised all these contributors have shaped the IR outlook with a re-examination of way it placed. Fair Work Australia is the national workplace relations tribunal that was established under the Fair Work Act 2009 which carries out a range of functions relating to norm of wage and employment conditions, enterprise bargaining, industrial action, termination of employment and other workplace matters. From one side it set out series of legislation and regulations transition about dismissal applications. Once the employee was dismissed for the reason of draining payroll accounting which was harsh and unjust, if there was no case of genuine redundancy the FWA may get involved to deal with that for general protection (Scott 2009). This mean the strategic direction for Oz is tough to make over its manufacturing sectors and dismiss the rest of workers. Also in the case study Oz Clothing intend to shut down the low-skilled, labor-intensive manufacturing industry. This would hard to implement as forced by FWA function of facilitating collective bargaining and enforcing good faith bargaining (Stone 2010). Federal government agreement as prescribed by international trade treaties and free trade protection is going to slash the advantage of local textile industry that there is no rely  on any assistance such as tariff protection (Nelson 1997). So the manager had to handle the higher company tax and maintain operation of manufacture by their own force. On the other hand according to Roberts (2005) stated the Rudd labor government arrangements with a greater priority provided for trade union interests. For the Clothing Worker Union against the risk of employment turn-off that will prevent agreements ending and Transport Workers Union can stop Oz form business sell off to the other trading nation. The remuneration politics is difficult to handle and would influence organizational strategy Meanwhile in terms of awards and award modernization program, the FAW has the authority to adjust minimum wages and award condition with Fair Work Ombudsman. By making and varying awards in workplace relations system, this function would impact Oz Clothing on their cutting operation of Australian manufacturing because the massive remuneration package cannot been covered by executive decision. Reference Christopher C, Steven R 2012 ‘Industrial Relations a Journal of Economy and Society’, Regent of the University of California, vol 51. Issue 4 Nelson, L.G 1997 ‘Managers and enterprise bargaining’ Asia pacific journal of Human Resources, 35 p.54 Roberts, C. 2005 ‘Me Inc’s challenge’, BRW, 20-25 oct, pp.16 Scott, S 2009 ‘Gillard gets tough with states on IR’, Australian Financial Review, 29 January, p.7 Stone, R J 2010, Managing Human Resources, 3rd edn, John Wiley Sons Australia Ltd, Milton QLD

Impact of VAT (Value added Tax) Increase on Tourism industry

Impact of VAT (Value added Tax) Increase on Tourism industry To evaluate the impact of VAT (Value added Tax) increase on Tourism industry of U.K in 2011. 2) Provisional Working Title: The tourism generates a major contribution to UK economy. It generated about  £85 billion offering 3.5 percent to national GDP. About two million jobs are maintained by the tourism industry in which 1.4 million are directly employed in the sector with five percent of UK employment. The tourism industry of UK has considerably reduced in the past ten years drastically. The closing stages of the provisional VAT reduction that took place in January 2010 are expected to negatively influence the UK tourism industry completely. Even though the return of the VAT rate to 17.5% will not have a specific unfavorable effect on lodging providers and tourist attractions, it is bounce to minimize the competitiveness of U.K based on the recent measures collected in Europe. For example, consider France lowered the VAT rate for restaurants from 19.6% to 5.5% and hence Germany proclaimed that it will lessen its VAT rate on lodging from 19% to 7% in January. Most of the reports suggested that the tax rate is more when compared to other destinations. Hence, it shows that the visitors to U.K face higher prices that generate the country to be less competitive. Moreover, the lower rate would support savings in the sector that could knock over the turn down in the Balance of Payments and add up to  £1.6 bn in the first year in the consecutive years. On an average of the assessment of VAT rates in some crest rival tourist destinations such as France, Spain, Italy, the US and Australia revealed that the visitors of U.K will compensate about 10% more on housing and restaurants and 3.5 % extra on appeals and remaining items than they would in any of those substitute countries. A vat rate of 17.5% places the UK tourism sector at an apparent upgrading in the forceful comprehensive tourism market. In this connection, this research aims at evaluating the impact of VAT increase in the tourism industry of U.K in the year 2011. 3) Aims and objectives of the research: The important aim of this research is to evaluate the impact of VAT (Value added Tax) increase on Tourism industry of U.K in the year 2011. Objectives: To understand about the effectiveness of tourism taxation in U.K To analyze the trends and issues of U.K tourism To understand the economic effects of changing VAT rates on the U.K tourism industry To conduct a primary research evaluating the impact of VAT (Value added Tax) increase on Tourism industry in 2011. To analyze the results of the primary research 4) What is already known about this topic? (Preliminary literature review) Literature review: The following literature provides the information collected from secondary sources of information say ( articles, journals, various websites, white papers, annual reports, magazines, documents, texts , statistics and so on ) Several authors views and opinions are considered to draw a conclusion on the existing literature. The economic evaluation of Tourism: The authors Dwler and Forsyth (1993) explains that Tourism is viewed as an increasing economic action and it is desirable. The positive influence of the economic proceeding is also required in it. Most of the interested parties inquire to determine the effect of tourism on economic activity. Hence, these interested parties might be policy makers charged with the generation of the policy towards the segment. They may involve promoters of events or policy changes and government treasuries observing spending on tourism ventures or may be local authorities. Similarly, the authors Fletcher (1994), Frechtling (1999), Crompton Lee and Shuster (2001), Tyrell and Johnson (2001) illustrates that a predominant method is employed for analyzing the economic impact of the tourism depending on the input and output analysis. Consequently, the authors Wanhill, west, Gamage (2001) says that an input –output model is used to evaluate the change in the question. ii) Effectiveness of Tourism Taxation in U.K: The authors Ramesh Durbarry and Thea Sinclair illustrates that tourism in United Kingdom is considered as a chief source of revenue, service and foreign exchange receipts. Its effects also fall over to remaining divisions of the economy. But, the tourism businesses in U.K underwent plenty of issues in the present days. This imitated major decline in the shares of the world tourism market and decline in the intensity of the valid revenue for every visit for most of the UKs prominent tourism markets. As a result, the level of the price competitiveness on tourism receipts provides some concerns specially. Tourism taxation is a significant resource of measuring price competiveness in the economy. However, tourism makes an imperative payment to the economy. Let us check those points one by one: Tourism and day visitors offered about 5 percent of GDP (gross Domestic product) over  £ total of 61 billion in the year 1999. Number of the people working in the tourism businesses of 125,000 are about 1.78 billion It is also considered as the largest invisible export of UK The uppermost traveler appearances are from USA, France and Germany According to Deloitte report, it is stated that the contribution of tourism to UK economy offers five per cent of the national GDP and seven percent of employment. This is the situation before ten years ago. Hence it can be concluded that the tourism industry of UK economy considerably reduced in the past ten years. Meanwhile, there are many issues that influence the countrys international competitiveness and it is also appropriate to consider the time of the raise in the rate of VAT on tourism services in the UK. Vat has been augmented from eight to 15 percent in the year 1980 to 1981 and to 17.5 percent in the year 1991. The following fig shows the U.Ks Tourism balance from 1982-2006. iii) Trends and issues of U.K tourism: The UK tourism industry suffered two important issues in the year 2010 for sustaining employment and making sustainable economic development. Hence, it is needed that the government important that the new government recognize and boost the industries that are capable to tackle these problems. The attributes such as labor intensive, low barriers of entry and high demand are suited for assisting the current economic and employment problems. According to UK labour force survey, 2008, it is revealed that UK tourism offers youth employment. Based on UK Tourism Survey, 2008, it is revealed that it provides regional employment. In fact, it offers a high return on investment and rapid return on investment. The UK tourism underwent number of issues. Even though, the sector experienced huge growth rate in getting visitors from overseas, it accompanied considerable issues given below: Even though, tourist visitors from aboard augmented about the past two decades, declines happened in the late 1990s The u.ks share of international tourism reduced to about 4.5% during the mid 1990s and remained fairly steady thereafter Reduced the development of the real tourism receipts from overseas Real tourism receipts per capita per tourist also reduced for most important of the chief UK countries Rise of the tourism price index for UK than consumer price index Hence, it can be concluded that the tourism industry in United Kingdom has underwent number of problems, especially in the decline of the share of the world tourism receipts , decline in the price competitiveness and decline in the value of the receipts per each visit of the tourist from most important regions of interest. Hence, this context is against the conversation of the tourism taxation, the price sensitivity and the world wide competiveness of the UK tourism industry that should be measured. iv) Evaluating the economic effects of changing VAT rates on the U.K tourism industry: For most of the countries, VAT is treated as an important tax in the tourism industry. The VAT rates in the European economy change across many countries both in hospitality and application of the standard rates. The member countries can install very less rates and after application of such type of rates when they select tourist facilities. Hence, the vat rates are applicable to tourism industry in industries such as accommodation, restaurants, bars and cafà © service and so on. In Europe, merely three states Denmark, Germany and UK yet relate their standard VAT rate to the tourism industry. There appears that to widespread acceptance that reducing taxes on tourism services is advantageous to the countries that have installed reduced rates to the tourism related sectors. Table to show the VAT rates in the hospitality and the Catering sector in European countries, 1998 Table to show VAT rate in hotels of Europe: Hence, from the above tables, it can be concluded that a reduction in the rate of VAT in the hospitality and the catering sector may not imply less revenue tom the government of UK. The tax had doubled during the years 1984 to 1993 due to enormous increase in numerous businesses in this segment and in their extent of business. The government earned more revenue despite of lowering the rate. Hence, the simulation results from BTA (1998) also signify that the output of VAT in UK could augment in the context of a decrease in the existing rate of VAT in the hospitality and the catering sector. Hence, it stated that these outcomes reveal that the correlation among the decrease in the rate of VAT and the increase in the tax may not imply a casual relationship. Furthermore, an econometric model is also considered to understand the VAT effectiveness in the tourism industry of UK, however, this research summarized that an improvement in the price competiveness of the tourism sector in UK could be accomplished with the help of the depreciation of the exchange rate for sterling as well as reducing the rate of VAT by lessening their prices as long as the tourism businesses react to the tax reduction by lessening the prices. Still research is required in this. Trip advisor poll (2010) revealed that the tax will increase from 17.5 % to 20% on 4th January 2011. It will influence both the costs of shopping and accommodation, tourist attractions and even car hire charges. This makes UK very expensive to nearly a quarter (24%) of European respondents. From the research, it is revealed that a quarter believe that the VAT augment will generate British holidays unaffordable. Mean while, further quarters (26%) are yet undecided whether the tax hikes will deter them from holidaying in UK next year 2011. 24% of the Britons claim that VAT increase could make domestic holidays very costlier in the year 2011. Emma O Boyle also stated that UK is considered as one of the Europes most famous holiday destinations and regarded as a world class shopping hub. Due to the VAT increase, the outstanding travel deals in 2011 of British tourism industry should work hard to be viewed as striking and cutthroat celebration alternative. 5) Why is this work important? (What contribution to knowledge / originality is involved?) This research project provides number of benefits to understand about the effectiveness of the tourism taxation in U.K. In depth evaluation of the thesis makes an individual to know about the economic effects of changing VAT rates on the U.K tourism industry. As a result, this project will be helpful to enhance knowledge in taxation, acquiring new skills, understanding ability, decision making skills and time management skills. In this manner, this project leaves a lot of scope for future researches also. 6) How will this work be conducted? (Methodology sources of data) Research methodology: Research Methodology is used to realize the concept of the project. By the research method one can know the products of analysis and also the total process of the project. Various research methods are explained by the researcher in the research methodology to find the aims and objectives of the research. For completing the project effectively a variety of research methods are discussed. For collecting the data that helps in completing the project successfully Primary research and secondary research methods are used. The data is analyzed and then results are made after analyzing the collected data. Some of the research methods are commonly used for any research process. A research work is not merely a work plan but it provides the data that has to be completed. Hence, it can be said that work plan will explain the flow from the projects research design. Moreover, the function of the research design is to facilitate that the evidence acquired permits the user to reply the initial quest ion as definitely as likely. Research design handles with a logical problem but not a logical problem. (Yin, 1989: 29) The various research processes are Experiment methods Survey methods Observation methods Case study method Literature review The research methods used for the successful completion of this project are Qualitative research and quantitative research method. Qualitative Research Method: [Marshall PA. 2003]Qualitative research method is a type of logical research. The approach of gathering in–depth information during questioning the participants is done in the Qualitative Research. Qualitative research methods are more flexible when compared to quantitative research methods. The indefinable factors can be recognized by the qualitative research methods. Participant research, in-depth interviews and focus groups are the three types of qualitative research methods. The participant observation is used for collecting the data based on the behaviors. To obtain the group data, focus groups are used. For collecting individual data in depth interviews are used. Qualitative research contains very smaller sample size. In the qualitative research mainly the interviews and group discussions are carried out. In this type of research the customer response forms, information or media clips are provided. This was generally conducted to observe and query the activities of the different groups in the present world. The scientific research is considered as the qualitative method. In the present event study, this research provides the higher inspection and survey related areas. This qualitative research offers the in depth information on the research and various issues present in the research, several generating ideas, and finally the conclusions are drawn from the possible results of the study. Qualitative research is a special kind of scientific research. It contains the investigation that: Seeks answers to a question Methodically, it employs a predefined group of procedures to reply the question It gathers evidence It also produces proof that were not determined in advance It also produces the findings that are suitable beyond the immediate boundaries of the research study. A qualitative interview technique is dissimilar from daily conversation in the following ways. First it is a line of investigation tool and a good interviewer must prepare questions in advance, and later analyze and report results. (Rubin Rubin, 1995, p.2) (Potter,W. 1996) (William Badke, 2008), (Fetterman, D. 1988) Merits of Qualitative research: It helps in building new theories It uses subjective information Explore new areas of research The questions which are complex to evaluate in the quantitative methods can be examined by the qualitative research method Demerits of qualitative research: 1) It is expensive 2) Time consuming process 3) The information gathered is limited to questionnaires and interviews. Primary research: As a part of the primary data, interviews are conducted with the government officials, higher officials of tourism department and finance department in order to predict conclusion on the impact on the VAT increase in tourism industry of U.K in 2011. Secondary research: As a part of the secondary research, number of articles, journals, various websites, white papers, survey reports, news papers, magazines, texts, documents and so on is referred in order to draw a conclusion on the economic effects of changing VAT rates on the U.K tourism industry and various trends and issues in it. Both primary (interview sessions) and secondary research (literature review) are sources of information collection. Sampling will be decided based on their availability. 7) What are the anticipated outcomes? A literature survey comparing various authors views and opinions of plenty of articles, journals, magazines, different websites, texts, and documents in order to draw a conclusion from it Analysis results of the primary research Probable recommendations for the research by considering the results acquired from the primary and secondary sources

Leonardo da Vincis The Last Supper Essays -- Art Painting Religion Es

Leonardo's "Last Supper" is a priceless piece of art with much hidden meaning and obvious talents bestowed upon a wall. Under the study of Verrocchio as a painter and a sculptor, he was able to use his skills in creating a very detailed and a very naturalistic piece of work that would be remembered for hundreds of years. He was also able to create characters with amazing individuality. Not only was his portrayal of the characters magnificent, but the symbolism he used which emphasized the story being told in the "Last Supper". Lodovico Sforza chose Leonardo to create "The Last Supper" in the refectory of the Dominican Church of S. Maria delle Grazie in Milan. The Abate of the S. Maria delle Grazie saw Leonardo work from morning until night on "The Last Supper" without eating. Although, there were times he would stop painting for days at a time; or, he would work on a specific character for just a few moments and then leave to continue working on it later. He worked on it from 1495 thru 1498 (Strauss, 27). Before Leonardo began painting the actual portrait, he put down a substance which was suppose to absorb the tempora and protect the tempora from the moisture on the wall. Unfortunately, the substance was proved unsuccessful, and by 1517 it began to deteriorate. In May 1556 a painter Giovanni Batista Armenini said that the painting was ‘so badly affected that nothing is visible but a mass of blots'(Heydenreich, 18). The painting has continued to decay in the following centuries. It was further damaged by restorations made by careless artists and by the addition of a doorway put in the lower part of the painting. Yet even to this day his painting "The Last Supper" is widely known and visited by many tourists each year. ... ...ical movement and mental emotion by the pause between two great emotions which are the "momentarily stiffening" at an extreme point of excitement and at the horror of being "startled out of tranquility" (Heydenreich, 67). The painting portrays both expression and emotion. This combination complements each other. The expressions allow the viewers to see the emotions the characters are feeling. Their frozen movement allows one to see they are human. We can see both their outward and inward reactions. It is as if Leonardo had been there, and he had taken a picture of the marvelous meal. He definitely accomplished his goal in portraying his "Last Supper" as a realistic piece of art. The symbolism, the individualized personalities of the characters, and the skills such as the light perspective and spacial perspective blended together to fo!rm a photograph-like painting.

PSY 301, Introductory Psychology, 1998, Exam 2 :: UTEXAS Texas Psychology

Introductory Psychology -- Pennebaker Test 2 Please write your name and social security number on THIS PAGE as well as on your Scantron form. Be sure and blacken in the correct dots for your SSN, name, and test form. 1. Hans and Franz are identical twins that were separated at birth. The finally meet at age 45, and find that both of them have become psychology professors. What is the most likely explanation for this similarity? a. both twins had strong psychology genes. b. both twins had strong teaching genes. c. something in the twins’ genes led them to see the world the same way. d. identical environments. e. all of the above are true. 2. Functional fixedness interferes with a. objects or events that are functioning properly. b. looking back to evaluate the success of a strategy. c. defining the problem and goal. d. choosing a solution. e. implementing the chosen strategy in solving a problem. 3. When people of varying cultures were asked to match facial expressions with specific emotions a. there was little agreement, even among people from the same culture. b. there was agreement within a specific culture but not across cultures. c. people from underdeveloped societies had responses not seen in industrial societies. d. there was remarkable agreement among members of all cultures. e. there were large differences between rural and urban societies. 4. The innate physiological mechanism that keeps an individual's body weight at a genetically programmed level is known as the a. homeostatic trigger. b. hunger median. c. genoprogrammatic releaser. d. metabolic master. e. set point. 5. The cessation of breathing during sleep is called a. sleep apnea. b. narcolepsy. c. insomnia. d. paradoxical sleep. e. simulated death. 6. Unlike sex in humans, sex in animals typically takes place a. far more frequently. b. after elaborate courtship and foreplay. c. in run-down hotels. d. in the absence of physiological cues. e. only at certain times of sexual readiness. 7. The affiliation motive often strengthens when people are in a situation involving a. performing a work task. b. helping others. c. the threat of danger. d. independent behavior. e. casual discussions 8. The fact that some people who are very good at some intellectual skills (such as reading or verbal reasoning) are frequently rather poor at other intellectual skills (such as solving math problems) tends to contradict the concept of a. the "g" factor. b. specific intelligences. c. instrumental (operant) conditioning. d. componential IQ. e. factor analysis. 9. Of the following, the BEST example of an aptitude test is a. the MMPI. b. a college final exam. c. a 5th grade spelling test. d. an academic achievement test in arithmetic. e. the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale. 10. If Mother Goose sees one of her eggs outside the nest, she will go through a series of steps to move the egg back with her bill.

Ancient Greek Olympics :: essays research papers

Ancient Greek Olympics Reporting today's Olympic games is like a technological masterpiece. The athletes compete in many events, their times and scores are tallied and sent worldwide by satellites and high-tech computers within seconds. Each event is carefully watched and recorded with a sense of history. There was no such sense of history or records when the first Games began in Ancient Greece. The first recorded champion in Greece was a sprinter, Coroebus, he was a cook in a near by Greek city called, Elis. He ran naked on a sanded course in front of thousands of spectators. The course was about 630 feet long "or one stad-from which the word stadium was derived." His victory won him a wreath of olive leaves. That was in 776 BC and this year became very important to later Greek Historians. In 300 BC all time was dated by Olympiads, a time span of four years between the games. The Olympiad began with the first recorded foot race. As far back in Greek time as anyone can remember, the human body was a very beautiful thing. "A body of a man had glory, as well as his mind, that both needed discipline, and by that such discipline men best honored Zeus." From time to time the Greeks held ceremonies of Games in honor of their god Zeus. They held these ceremonies for the areas in which they took place. These places were, Pythian, Isthmian, Nemeam, and of course, Olympian. The Olympian games go back to the time of the first people to live in the valley of Alpheas River. There in Elis, in the western Peloponnesus was Olympia, "the fairest spot in Greece." This land was filled with beauty and snowcapped mountains. This area was a perfect spot for the ceremonies held every four years, for Zeus. In 1875, the most important ruins of Ancient Greece were uncovered. One important ruin that was discovered was the temple of Zeus, that was in use about 2,500 years ago. Near it was the temple for his wife, Hera that was even older. It was used about 2,900 years ago. Another important discovery was the finding of the statue of Hermes. Hermes was sculpted by the Praxiteles. This statue was found in the Hera's Temple. Contained in the Temple of Zeus was one of the Seven Wonders of the World, it was a statue of Zeus sitting on his throne, it was larger then a two-story house. This great masterpiece was made by, Phidias, it was made of ivory and gold. Soon everyone wanted to win the favor of their god, Zeus.

In-House Training

In-house training Introduction The role of Training and development is the field which is concerned with organizational activity aimed at bettering the performance of Individuals and groups in an organizational setting. Training focusing on doing activities to develop for current job and development to prepare future roles & responsibilities. In house training is a training program to use Trainers go through the job description for leaning opportunities developed by the organization has been used and implemented by the organization in 2005. Is an activity provided by employee who develop training with the good expertise of training materials, courses, assessment. Furthermore, there are some ways to method employee training. There is teaching work-related skills like classroom-based training, webinars, self-directed learning to make sure the standards and meet expectation at other company. Usually, the only bigger company can offer to Completely provide the needed training in-house of supplementing their in-house programs with external programs to Develop the various reasons. In-house training should be viewed as an investment' to promote their clients' shares, as opposed to a cost. This investment in human capital can be measured in the evaluation process.Body of the Essay In-house training seems like coaching as it stays for long-term success of the strategic goals to set up objective goals ‘what kind of the satisfy to address need training ‘when a person has a more experienced and knowledgeable person to help another person in order to educate to develop their visions and methods pertinent to the accomplishments of their job, gaining Skills; Abilities because this will allow for motivating the employee and building a more positive environment.For instance, a group of employee shares together their information to another person to have a skill about their information to benefit for this person. Keeping classroom training in house by using an employee in an onsite classroom to watch it what's required to train them design a classroom training program. This is particularly true when the training includes mission critical topics. It may educate them on existing policies, procedures, and best practices, then have them design a classroom training program. CITATION Whe17 l 1033 (When to use in-house training for your employees., 2012-2017) . The external training it gives you access to whoever you want or possibly can manage to do the sessions, you can choose your friends but not your relatives as they say. Whilst you might be stuck with your in-house ‘experts' your corporate family. CITATION InH00 l 1033 (In-House Vs. External Training: which is better?, 2000). The Pros of in-house training is that the Training cost savings are the cost per delegate is typically less when compared to sending the same number on to public training courses which mean â€Å"regularly workers need to grow professionally, however will most likely be unable to bring about the cost of classes, preparing programs or different assets freely. At the point when businesses go up against this cost, it can prompt more joyful representatives and support coordinated effort. Business reproductions and different projects are best utilized when representatives can work in groups, and subsequently are upgraded for a working environment setting. Setting up this level of joint effort in the workplace, while all the while creating center vocation aptitudes for representatives, can add to steadfastness and ?retention†. CITATION How151 l 1033 (How a training program can save your business money, 2015 ) , more focused training- Individuals can understand from their own explanation and learn from other employee, Convenience that fit around the working schedule of the employees or using a work examples, Team building had different training classrooms give individuals opportunity to encourage greater team work, awareness and understanding of each other's role and Incorporate organization's values. The cons of In-house training which there is extra administration this Although you save money by decreasing the organization required by the training company, you do go up against this weight yourself. Requirements for In-House training courses could include a training room, equipment such as laptops, and tablets amongst other things. These should be dealt with and ahead of time to guarantee the training works, Delegates stay onsite to the pure fact the candidates could be pulled out of the classroom in order to help with different exercises suggests they probably will be. This makes it hard to really get a candidate through a whole session without intrusion, Dedication It could be argued that by not moving the training course out the building, it might not be viewed as such a serious event by your employees that if you were to take them to an external location, Lack of innovation  If you are using all of your own equipment in the same environment that your staff is used to there is a danger of the training course going stale. Familiarity could mean a lack of improvement in the training that could hold you back and Networking Your staff won't meet anybody from different organizations if the training course is done In-House. This is missing out on an excellent networking opportunity as well as the fact different ethos' and styles brought by employees from other organizations can give a different view to your employees – again helping them develop. The benefit of the topic Consultation that spending a time with a trainer to identify and assess your specific training requirements. This mean to make sure that the trainer to improve a course that meets all the goals. Cost effective this will often charge a cost of delegate, particularly if you deliver the course at your trainer and Flexible the person who will train to another person this means to ensure courses are structured and delivered to meet your organization's culture and work priorities. People carrying out this training already work for your in- house training, to be sure that they know your in-house training, too. CITATION The09 l 1033 (The benefits of in-house training, 2009). Furthermore, In house benefit for organization: Retention In house benefit for employees: Professional development, Employee satisfaction. Conclusion In an organization that is truly committed to the utilization of human capital, in order to gain acompetitive advantage in the training or in the case of most libraries justifying their need forresources, in-house training programs are the most effective to the long-term success of theorganization's strategic goals. Training should be seen as an investment in the organization'sstrategic plans. To compete strategically, you must first determine the training need through self-assessment, develop a training program that will support the job analysis and core competencies needed. This report will motivate people and the conditions in which they will be motivated to satisfy them.Bibliography BIBLIOGRAPHY (2000). Retrieved April 1, 2018, from In-House Vs. External Training: which is better?: https://www.agencycentral.co.uk/articles/2016-04/benefits-of-internal-training.htmHow a training program can save your business money. (2015 , March 31 ). Retrieved from CAPSIM: http://www.capsim.com/blog/how-a-training-program-can-save-your-business-money/The benefits of in-house training. (2009). Retrieved from https://www.theirm.org/training/in-house-training.aspxWhen to use in-house training for your employees. (2012-2017). Retrieved from http://vnmanpower.com/en/when-to-use-in-house-training-for-your-employees-bl211.html

Early Cold War Essay

The term Cold War was first introduced by Bernard Baruch, an American businessman and political adviser to every President from Woodrow Wilson to John F. Kennedy (â€Å"Bernard Baruch†). It was a time of mutual distrust between the United States and the Soviet Union and their respective allies which begun after World War II. From Democracy in America’s author, Alexis de Tocqueville, â€Å"There are now two great nations in the world, which starting from different points, seem to be advancing toward the same goal: the Russians and the Anglo-Americans. . . . Each seems called by some secret design of Providence one day to hold in its hands the destinies of half the world† (Kreis, â€Å"The Origins of the Cold War†). The primary concern of the United States during the early years of the Cold War was the political threat of the spread of Communist ideology from the Soviet Union (Zinn, 1980). Further back in its history, Russia exhibited radical tendencies by overthrowing Tsar Nicholas, followed by the Bolshevik Revolution, the unification under Lenin where Communism’s seed began to sprout and continued by Stalin (Kreis, â€Å"The Origins of the Cold War†). A history of military intervention in Eastern Europe climaxing in 1948 in the overthrow of the democratic government in Czechoslovakia by a communist coup were thrown as examples of Soviet expansionism. This reminded the American public of the atrocities of Hitler (Zinn, 1980). And with him in mind the United States and its western European allies began to see Stalin as a threat (Kreis, â€Å"The Origins of the Cold War†). The more fearful concern was the Soviet Union’s revitalizing industry after badly scathed by the aftermath of World War II and its increasing military strength (Zinn, 1980). The United States slowly exercised its economic might by refusing to aid any post-war reconstruction in Russia as approved by the U. S. Congress in 1945, a major about face in policy under the Lend-Lease Act of 1941 wherein the U. S. shipped huge amounts of war equipments to Russia (Kreis, â€Å"The Origins of the Cold War†). Coming from the huge gains of World War II, the United States was also wary of regimes opposed to its capitalist structure. That fear was best exhibited by the emergence of Soviet Union as a global power with an ideology opposed to democratic and industrial capitalist principles of the United States (Kreis, â€Å"The Origins of the Cold War†). Americans generally fear revolution. They fear â€Å"change — real, fundamental social, economic and political change† (Kreis, â€Å"The Origins of the Cold War†). Fro all its democratic talk, America has a history of suppressing true liberalism and radicalism. The Soviets also had their share of fears in the early years of the Cold War. After World War II, Stalin feared that democratic principles would be forced upon the Communist tenets of the Soviet Union. He believed the two principles cannot co-exist. As he warned in his speech, capitalism and imperialism made future wars inevitable (â€Å"Episode 2: Iron Curtain 1945-1947†). Stalin also was aware of the United States expanding influence all over the world. He was wary of this move and pressured Turkey, a country located strategically on the southern borders of Soviet Union, for a Soviet military presence in the Darnanelles and the Bosporus. Turkey was then influenced by Great Britain and eventually aided by the United States. The atomic bomb that was dropped in Japan started the concept of the nuclear arms race which the Soviet Union was interested to join. But Stalin received intelligence reports that the Americans â€Å"would not share atomic secrets with the Soviet Union† (Zubok, â€Å"Cold War Chat†). The mutual distrust and fears of both the United States and the Soviet Union resulted in actions that further shaped the history of the Cold War. The United States’s fear of the possible spread of Soviet Communist ideology led to their policy of containment. What is now known as the Truman Doctrine paved the way to the formal declaration of cold war against the Soviet Union. This was the famous speech of President Truman to the U. S. Congress asking for $400 million to aid Greece and Turkey’s fight against communism (Kreis, â€Å"The Origins of the Cold War†). The containment policy of the United States involves military interventions to countries where Communism was viewed to thrive. The most famous display of the containment policy was the Vietnam War which started in 1950 under President Truman’s administration. Armed with the U. S. Congress resolution named Gulf of Tonkin Resolution, President Johnson further escalated the war by bombing North Vietnam and continuing to send as many as 540,000 troops by the end of 1968. As more Americans left and died in Vietnam, the anti-war sentiments back home put pressure on the government. The Nixon years saw the continuance of the Vietnam War with the expansion of hostilities in Laos and Cambodia. Nixon’s Vietnamization policy of providing military aid but not troops proved to be a temporary success. A 1972 preliminary peace draft in Paris was initially rejected. By 1973, Nixon convinced Hanoi and Saigon’s President Nguyen van Thieu to sign the Paris Peace Agreement which ended the hostilities between the United States and the Democratic Republic of Vietnam. The containment policy also played a role in the creation on April 4, 1949 of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO), currently an alliance of 26 countries from North America and Europe. This was the outcome of Europe’s fears of another Soviet aggression in the guise of Stalin when they were just about to rebuild after Hitler’s dictatorship. Western Europe also needed the assurance of the United States’s protection while they started to rebuild from the ruins of World War II. NATO members’ common grounds are said to include the same democratic ideology and capitalist structure of economy (Kreis, â€Å"The Origins of the Cold War†). In the late 1940s to 1950s both the United States and Soviet Union sought to build their military arsenal. For the United States, this gave way to military integration, the passing by Congress of the National Security Act in 1947 which created the Department of Defence, the National Security Council, and the Central Intelligence Agency (Kreis, â€Å"The Origins of the Cold War†). On the Soviet side, they detonated an atomic bomb of their own in 1949. The first H-bomb was also detonated by the United States in 1952. Not to be outdone, the Soviets detonated a fusion bomb in 1953 (Kreis, â€Å"The Origins of the Cold War†). NSC-68, a policy the United States adopted in 1950 raised defense spending to staggering amounts, up to $60 billion dollars, â€Å"a symbol of America’s determination to win the cold war regardless of cost (Kreis, â€Å"The Origins of the Cold War†). Although the Cold War has now officially ended, the United States, the only legitimate superpower left, continues to establish a world order that caters to its capitalist structure. Military interventions have been part of its policy if it serves U. S. interests. During the Cold War, the goal was the containment of Communism. At the present, terrorism is the new battle cry. It is said the United States owns a very large percentage of the world’s wealth while it tries to suppress those who oppose to its capitalistic tenets. Currently, we are seeing the emergence of a possible superpower like China. It has been known as the sleeping giant and could be a contender to displace the United States from its current status. Whether there will be another Cold War by any other name, only time will tell. References Bernard Baruch. Answers. com. Retrieved 10 December 2006 from the Web: http://www. answers. com/topic/bernard-baruch Cold War (1998). CNN. com. Retrieved December 10, 2006 from the World Wide Web: http://www. cnn. com/SPECIALS/cold. war/episodes/02/ The Origins of the Cold War (2006). TheHistory Guide Website. Retrieved December 10, 2006 from the World Wide Web: http://www. historyguide. org/europe/lecture14. html Zinn, Howard. (1980). A People’s History of the United States. Retrieved December 10, 2006 from the World Wide Web: http://www. writing. upenn. edu/~afilreis/50s/zinn-chap16. html Zubok, Vladislav Dr. (1998, October 4). [COLD WAR chat moderated by COLD WAR reporter Bruce Kennedy for CNN’s COLD WAR series]. COLD War Chat: Dr. Vladislav Zubok, Historian. Retrieved December 10, 2006 from the Web: http://www. cnn. com/SPECIALS/cold. war/guides/debate/chats/zubok/

Marketing James Patterson Books Essay

Over the last decade James Patterson has published an unprecedented number of best-selling books, cemented a powerful brand image amongst a loyal following, and redefined the process by which authors create content to meet reader demand. From November 2000 through June 2003, Patterson had cumulative sales of over six million dollars, trailing only John Grisham during that time frame. He has generated the majority of his sales through a loyal readership that consistently lines up to buy his next installment. Keenly aware of this dedicated following, Patterson successfully sought to augment the proliferation of his titles with co-authors familiar with his brand that could share the workload, creating a virtual assembly-line of best-sellers. Despite this enormous success, the Patterson brand still has a sizeable opportunity for growth. Patterson cites a need to broaden his, relative to other best-selling authors, narrow reader base to capture a greater percentage of the â€Å"omnivorous† readers, amongst whom his brand penetration was much lower. There are two possibilities for Patterson to consider, both involving his relationship with book clubs. The book clubs provide an excellent source of individualized customer information, but have not themselves yielded an enormous amount of profitability for already-established authors such as Patterson. The first option would be to negotiate higher club royalties with the existing book club partnerships. Patterson himself has advocated this approach, citing that the clubs often erode profits from bookstore store sales, and the clubs need him more than he needs the clubs. The second possibility is for Patterson to embrace the book club marketing model, using the club’s customer information to market directly to the customer. Patterson could identify on an individual and international basis the â€Å"omnivorous† reader that has not yet embraced his books. He could then tailor a marketing campaign centered around the promotion of his titles directly to these readers. Recommendation: The first option would not really address the concern about Patterson’s narrow reader base. While it may be true that the club needs Patterson more than he needs the club, it is still a means to reach a broader audience. It seems more likely that Patterson has merely under-used the club channel, which is why the second option would provide a better opportunity for  Patterson to reach a larger target audience. He mentions that he has not yet become a â€Å"badge† author, meaning that he has not been able to break out of his genre and create a â€Å"buzz† across a wide range of readers. He does not yet have the name recognition as some of his best-selling counterparts, and without this name recognition he needs to seek other means to create a buzz for his next title. I would advocate allowing book club members exclusive access to his next release before it is released in book stores or other retail channels. Clubs, with exclusive rights to the pre-released book, would now have incentive to push Patterson as its preeminent selection. This would help create the powerful, and international, word-of-mouth campaign that he is seeking. First, those already loyal to the brand would now have the opportunity to create anticipation amongst other non-club Patterson loyalists, driving demand for its eventual release in stores. Secondly, and more importantly, club members not loyal to the brand would now have an added incentive to sample a Patterson novel. Being granted exclusive access to what promises to be a best-seller might be the impetus necessary to finally penetrate more of the omnivorous readers. Now Patterson would have a broad spectrum of readers across the globe discussing his novel and creating a buzz before it even reaches a mass audience. This is a similar model to the one employed in the movie industry, where movies are pre-released to create a word-of-mouth campaign before its larger release. Patterson notes that the book industry is generally â€Å"unimaginative†, essentially waiting to retroactively replicate the success of the next blockbuster hit. With an exclusive pre-release to a carefully pre-determined list of customers, Patterson would instead be proactively creating a buzz, and potentially, a blockbuster. In terms of channel management, this pre-release should satisfy all members of the channel. Certainly, the book clubs would embrace the idea of being able to market an exclusive release of a Patterson novel, and with exclusive rights, should be able to retain club members for longer commitments. More importantly, this would not have to come at the expense of the retail chains because club members generally would buy books through the club channel anyways. The retail stores, instead, could benefit from the buzz created by club members, as non-club members may now be clamoring to buy the book their friends have already been talking about as soon as it is released in stores. A true blockbuster would increase the size of the â€Å"pie† for all channel members. Channel (2001): Strategic Resources: Patterson: ?Brand name: dominant in crime fiction genre ?Many titles: 3 per year vs. 1 for Clancy, Cornwell ?Cliffhanger endings leave Patterson readers eager for next installment ? Marketing Expertise: Patterson former Chairman of J. Walter Thompson â€Å"Badge† Authors: ?Name recognition: 90% and 84% for Grisham and Clancy (Patterson 54%) ? Broader range of readers ?Books as a status symbols: read these authors to impress others Book Clubs: ?Individualized customer information ?Name-brand authors ?Capable of tracking all book sales and buying behavior Problems: Resources: ?Patterson name not as well known as his book titles ?Relatively narrow range of readers: mainly â€Å"crime fiction addicts† ? Not as much status in reading a Patterson novel ?Relatively small international readership Incentives: ?Book Clubs push authors with highest name recognition? Patterson books might not be promoted as heavily as books from â€Å"badge† authors ? Deals with clubs risk eroding bookstores’ profits ?Club members often terminate contract after commitment is over Coordination: ?Retail stores can only track purchase behavior through surveys Recommendation: ?Pre-release next best-seller prospect with book club members oPre-release gives book, as well as club members, premium status oGenerates a â€Å"buzz† before retail release in domestic and international markets with Patterson loyalists and â€Å"omnivorous† best-seller readers oCreates anticipation to drive demand for purchases at retail stores.

The British Culture

People can generally identify themselves as part of a larger culture, which means that they hold many of the same values and beliefs as those around them. But they might not be aware of being part of one or more subcultures. These exist within the larger culture but are marked by differences. A subculture is a group of people who are part of a larger culture, but who separate themselves by their own unique beliefs and behaviours. In the 1950s David Riesman, a United States sociologist, distinguished between the majority that passively accepted the styles, standards and meanings given to them and a minority. This subculture sought its own meanings of things, interpreting them in what Riesman calls â€Å"subversive values. † Culture sociologist Sarah Thornton believes that subcultures raise their status through their subculture so as to differentiate themselves from other groups. Ken Gelder states that subcultures are very social, sharing conventions, values and rituals with those in their subculture even if they do not share those values with the greater culture, in the following research; we will see all the different British subcultures which make the United Kingdom one of the richest cultures in the world.. The England culture: It sometimes becomes difficult to separate the culture of England from the influences of the culture of the United Kingdom. England Culture has come along way and has developed over several millennia, to recent movements such as Brit Art and now encompasses a variety of forms which include photography, painting, sculpture and performance art. Cuisines of England also influence the England culture to a great extent. The urbanized workers of England were in many cases cut off from regional food traditions as the country was the first industrialized country of the world. More recently, a new style of cooking called Modern British has emerged that combines traditional British ingredients with foreign culinary influences. English folklore that has evolved in England over a number of centuries is yet another aspect that influences the Culture of England. England thrives with folklore in all forms such as the traditional semi-mystical Arthurian legends and semi-historical Robin Hood tales, to contemporary urban myths and facets of crypto zoology. Culture of England is lame till we include the heritage of the country as it is massively affected and influenced by it.  Also you can read about  History of the Culinary Arts. In recent years, Stonehenge has become a focus for modern summer solstice celebrations. Though the Stonehenge pre-dates the existence of England as a nation, it is believed by many English people to hold an iconic place in the culture of England. English literature has been made rich by the famous works by the popular writer of the past like William Shakespeare, Charles Dickens, Thomas Hardy and many more. Just like literature, English music has been instrumental in influencing the England Culture to a large extent. Talking about food, there are few food-related taboos in England. Some of the English avoid some foods for so-called hygienic reasons, such as onions and leeks, which can cause bad breath. There are also some types of foods that are considered uncivilized. Traditionally, the people of England have never eaten horses, dogs and other carnivores or insects. Slowly, the eating of meat is looked on as uncivilized. As part of the shift away from meat toward fruit, vegetables, and fish, people have become more distanced from the production of the meat they eat and less willing to eat as wide a variety of meats. The Scottish culture: The Culture of Scotland will give you a glimpse of the rich historical past of the country. Scotland is a nation which is well positioned in the north-west part of Europe. Scotland also beautifully shares a border with England. It is bordered by the Irish Sea and the North Channel to the southwest, the North Sea lies to the east while the north and west part of Scotland is bordered by Atlantic Ocean. The Culture of Scotland is influenced by the residents of the Scottish Highlands who basically belong to the Celtic descent. To the Southern part of Scotland, the residents are Scots with little bit of Nordic and Anglo-Saxon influence. The people of Scotland have a love for learning. If we look at the history of Scotland it is found that their history is full of educated persons who acquired university educations. In the beginning of the 20th century, Andrew Carnegie who was the Scottish-born American industrialist made education easy. In the Culture at Scotland, we can find the celebrations of Hogmanay, which is basically the celebration of to mark the beginning of New Year. In the Culture of Scotland, there is the tradition of taking out Torchlight Parade in Edinburgh. People take part in the Torchlight Parade which is held on the 29th December on each and every year. The people taking part in this parade carry wax torches and walk on foot through the popular streets of the city. The Hogmanay street party organized on New Years Eve last for three nights. We can also find the celebrations of Christmas like that of any other European countries. People take part in Christmas celebrations with great pomp and glory. During this period people go to churches and arrange gala lunch and dinner parties for ones friends and relatives. There is also many Scottish celebrations, one of them is the Burning of the Clavie which celebrates the New Year, old style, which falls on 11 January (unless 11 January is a Sunday, in which case the celebration is held on 10 January). The Clavie is a half-cask, mounted securely on a pole, and filled with staves of wood and inflammable liquid. If we are interested in the Scottish food, the region has a very distinctive cuisine that is usually based on traditional foods. Food of Scotland mainly comprises of the Scottish foods. Food of Scotland is really mouth-watering which will positively satisfy your appetite. Some of the popular traditional Food of Scotland that you can try out while on a tour to Scotland is: -Scottish Beef: The beef cattle belonging to Aberdeen Angus breed reared in Scotland. Steaks made from these cattle beefs are really very tasty. Bannocks or Oatcakes: This dish is an oat flour biscuit that is baked on a griddle. Nowadays people usually prefer to sample bannocks with cheese. The culture of Wales: The nation of Wales is a major part of United Kingdom but the Culture of Wales is quite distinct from the rest of England. The nation of Wales is known to preserve its own distinguishing culture, language, art and music. The national emblem of Wales includes leek and daffodil. The Welsh Dragon is a significant part of the Culture of Wales. The country of Wales is extended 274 kilometers in the north to south and about 97 kilometers east to west. The eastern side of the country of Wales is bordered by England, the southern side is covered by the Mor Hafren or the Bristol Channel, the western side has St. George's Channel and the northern side has the Irish Sea. The total area of the coastline is over 1,200 kilometers and includes several islands that lie off the Welsh mainland. The Welsh culture exhibits the true essence of the region and tourists are introduced to the colorful and vibrant cultural heritage of the nation. Gradually with the change in times a mode rn outlook developed among the Welsh and thus a different meaning was attached to the Culture of Wales. Cultural Tours of Wales provide you an idea of the religion, arts and crafts of the region as well as the language. Religion, music and sport are among the indispensable part of the Cultural Heritage of Wales. Basket making, candle making and knitting are among the popular arts and crafts of Wales. Wales is famous for music and poetry and Culture of Wales has a great affinity to the most well-known musical image of Wales. Wales has a long tradition of folk song and has a long history of the instrumental tradition. The most widely practiced religion in Wales is Christianity and include to the diverse Culture of Wales. Culture of the performing arts in the Swansea provides you great source of entertainment. Festival of Music and the Arts plays an important part in promoting Wales Tourism. The Festival of Music and Art brings a great cultural gathering. Culture of Wales is presented mainly at the Swansea, Pembroke, Llandeilo, Narberth and Tenby. These places are perfect for the region's deep-rooted cultural aspect that includes arts and craft and musical performances. When it comes to entertainment, the country of Wales posses a rich culture and history and the people here enjoy lots of festivals. Festivals and Events in Wales are celebrated throughout the year; the festival of Eisteddfodau for example, known as cultural gathering, is one of the major Wales Festivals and Events. The biggest celebration is the Royal National Eisteddfodd of Wales, which is generally held in the early period of the month of August. There is another version of this festival of International Eisteddfod festival that is held every year in the month of July. The festival of Eisteddfod is a cultural competition that has its root in the ancient times. This festival celebrates the victory of the British from the Norman invasion. Among the other Festivals and Events in Wales, one is the Royal Welsh Agricultural Show. This festival is held in July and in these festivals there is a wonderful exhibition of several spectacular agricultural products that have their own beauty and are unique. You can also enjoy a host of oddball events throughout the year. The city of Brecon is known for its jazz festival and the fine food festival of Abergavenny is also very popular. The Irish culture: Ireland is rich in history and has also been the home to many talented writers including the likes of Oscar Wilde. Ireland has made a large contribution in literature and the very traditional folk music combined with the beautiful steps of the Irish dance all reflect the rich culture of Ireland. The people of Ireland are known to be very hospitable and friendly in nature. Having a family life is considered of great importance in Ireland. The traditional ways of the Irish culture can be seen in the rural areas of Ireland. Here, a lot of traditional customs are followed which is quite a contrast to the modern life that is led in the urbane areas of Ireland. Ireland also has a large number of people who own their own palatial residencies. The modern Irish culture follows a more open method of communication between the Irish people. The Irish believe in displaying their affection rather than curbing the same. English still remains to be the most spoken language today. The native dialect can be found in some of the rural areas of Ireland. The Irish language was introduced by the Celts and many senior citizens can be found speaking in the traditional Irish language. The homes in Ireland still follow the same rule and are built in a similar fashion, as was the pattern of the olden days. Bright and cheerful colors can be seen splashed on the walls of most homes with colorful doors. Homes of Ireland are generally terrace houses with the central heating system having replaced the traditional fireplace. Although there is no official religion for Ireland, special consideration has been given to the Catholic Church. One can see the Roman Catholics, Methodists, Jewish, Presbyterianism and even a small percentage of other religions such as Islam existing in Ireland. Talking about food, Stories related to the old Irish culture have the mention of honey being widely used especially to make mead. Meat was widely eaten along with poultry products. The potato formed a major part of the food in Ireland amongst the labor class. Today, the food habits have influences from all over the world. Although meat has always been the main item in Irish food, fast food has also taken over. New Irish dishes are being churned out to maintain some healthy eating habits amongst the Irish people; these focus mainly on fresh vegetables. The British norms & values Norms are defined as specific but tacit standards of what is socially and individually acceptable; values as explicit but general statements of principle, of which the content is continually changing through changing norms, changing circumstances, changing policies and the accompanying ethical debate. The relation of norms, values and policies is shown by an historical example. The inherent conflict within both norms and values is discussed and the role of the policymaker is defined, both as an artist in conceiving and devising one among many possible but always partial realizations of contemporary norms and values, and as a partially conscious agent in reshaping the norms and values of his time. The psychological implications of this are briefly indicated. Britishness is the state or quality of being British, and is used to refer to what binds and distinguishes the British people and forms the basis of their unity and identity, or else to explain expressions of British culture, such as habits, behaviours or symbols that have a common, familiar or iconic quality readily identifiable with the United Kingdom. Dialogue about the legitimacy and authenticity of Britishness is intrinsically tied with power relations and politics; in terms of nationhood and belonging, expressing or recognising ones Britishness provokes range of responses and attitudes, such as advocacy, indifference or rejection. In the 16th and 17th centuries most people in this island lived in small village communities. They knew all their neighbours. They dressed alike, and almost all of them were white. The vast majority belonged to the same religion, and spoke much the same language. And, at regular intervals, these very similar people, possessed of very similar values, would cheerfully go and watch some of their number being burnt alive at the stake, or slaughtered with swords, because they were deemed to possess the wrong brand of Christianity. As this suggests, promoting common â€Å"British values†, even assuming that we knew what these were, is never going to be enough to prevent some stray, impassioned individuals in our midst from wanting on occasions to kill their neighbours on God's behalf. Acts of violence against one's own countrymen that are legitimated by religion are emphatically not new. Nor have such acts ever been unique to Islam. Historically – in this country, as in most other countries – religion has often proved a more consistently lethal and divisive force than any secular ideology. It has also often been a more divisive force than race. Yet, in recent decades, pundits and politicians have devoted far more time to worrying about racial divisions in British society, than they have to thinking imaginatively about the consequences of our new religious pluralism. This, despite the fact that, since 1945, Britain, like other European states, has entered uncharted territory as far as religion is concerned. Before the Second World War, most Britons were at least nominally Protestant. Now, all the world's religions are represented here. It is a great experiment. But it comes accompanied with new risks, tensions and uncertainties. Gordon Brown, the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, made a speech in 2006 to promote Britishness. Brown's speech to the Fabian Society's Britishness ( British intellectual socialist movement ), Conference proposed that British values demand a new constitutional settlement and symbols to represent a modern patriotism, including a new youth community service scheme and a ‘British Day' to celebrate. In 2007, the majority of people in many non-white ethnic groups living in Great Britain described their national identity as British, English, Scottish or Welsh. This included almost nine in ten (87%) of people with mixed heritage, 85% of Black Caribbeans, and 80% of Pakistanis and Bangladeshis. Non-whites were more likely to describe themselves as British than whites. One-third of people from the White British group described themselves as British; some respondents opted to call themselves English, Welsh or Scottish. 19] A study conducted for the Commission for Racial Equality (CRE) in 2005 found that, in England, the majority of ethnic minority participants identified primarily as British, whereas white English participants identified as English first and British second. In Wales and Scotland, the majority of both white and ethnic minority participants identified as Welsh or Scottish first and British second, although they saw no incompatibility between the two identities. 20] Other research conducted for the CRE found that white participants felt that there was a threat to Britishness from large-scale immigration, the ‘unfair' claims that they perceived ethnic minorities made on the welfare state, a rise in moral pluralism and perceived political correctness. Much of this frustration was found to be targeted at Muslims rather than minorities in general. Muslim participants in the study reported feeling victimised and stated that they felt that they were being asked to choose between Muslim and British identities, whereas they saw it possible to be both at the same time.