Moon Essays (355 words) - Observational Astronomy, Lunar Phase, Moon

Moon Conclusion on the Moon Watch When I first got this assignment I was thinking I am never going to be able to do this every night for a month. I surprised myself once again. This class has made me doubt myself many times but I always seem to pull myself up to do it. I believe I did very well on this experiment and I achieved the purpose. I got finished and I even added some color. One problem I encountered was not being able to see it because of the trees in my yard. I had to drive a mile up the road to even see the moon. I found it and put down my data. The second problem I encountered was getting everything about the moon everyday. Some days were harder because I missed looking at the moon but I got with other students and I got my information (Without copying someone's data). The third problem was the different times that I had to see the moon. One was earlier in the evening and the moon wasn't there after nine o'clock, some weren't visible until nine thirty, and once, I couldn't see it until the morning. It was just a little hard figuring out what time the moon was going to be visible. This application can be used by actually anyone. We as students can use it to see where the moon is to the earth and where the sun is. Fisherman and Mariners can use the moon watch to know when the fishing is good and when there's high tide and low tide. Researchers can watch the moon phases and watch the different types of craters and valleys and basins there are on the moon. The marks on the moon don't change but the same marks don't show up every night. So far I have liked this experiment the best. I have always been interested in the moon and I loved the opportunity that I have had to watch the moon. I learned something new again and it was fun thanks for picking this experiment. I really love this class. Science Essays

Needs of the employees of Melbourne Aquarium

Needs of the employees of Melbourne Aquarium Executive summary The management of human labor is crucial to any organization. Lack of good management has lead to a lot of loss due to sabotage, strikes, go-slows and low quality of services due to employee de-motivation. This paper is a case study for the needs of the employees of Melbourne Aquarium, measured against what the aquarium requires of its staff.Advertising We will write a custom report sample on Needs of the employees of Melbourne Aquarium specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More To carry out the study, three main methodologies were used. The first step was touring the aquarium and making eye observations. This was important as it gave the research team first hand information about the aquarium. The other second hand information was got from an interview on one of the staff. Though it was hard to get an interviewee, the research team eventually got a security guard to interview. The interviewee sought anonymity. The above infor mation was compared with the materials available from online sources and materials. From these, the research team came out with some findings. The areas covered in this paper include the needs of the Melbourne Aquarium: education, experience, flexibility as well as personality as well as those of the employees; security, contract needs among others. The research team recommended arrangement of seminars where the employees could be informed of the employers requirements and separate seminars where the Melbourne Aquarium management could be informed of the needs of the staff. Increment of the staff was also recommended. Introduction As the name suggests, the aquarium is located in Melbourne along the southern ocean. It borders Yarra River and Flinders Street.Advertising Looking for report on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The aquarium is one of the biggest in Australia and attracts thousands of to urists annually to it. The aquarium that is owed by the MFS Living Leisure Group was renovated in 2004 which lead to increase in the labor need of the aquarium. The needs of an employer Education The first basic need of an employer in the tourism industry is relevance education. Academic excellence in most cases is a proof of the ability of an employee to perform in the required levels of professionalism. It is in this line that the company is thought to have placed its advertisement for personnel including academic qualifications as one of the primary requirements. In a recent advert, Melbourne Aquarium announced the post of a financial controller of its system accounts records. In the announcement, the Melbourne Aquarium stated that a person with a master’s degree in finance management and an international certification in the same discipline would have an added advantage in the selection of the qualified candidates (Mylne, Llewellyn, Crittall, 2011, p23). This case is com mon in all the departments of Melbourne Aquarium. Other departments include human resource management, tour guidance, the crowd control, lifesaving, and strategic managers. However, qualifications in each department vary. For example, a good certificate in life saving skills can earn the favor of the human resource team in Melbourne Aquarium. Experience Apart from academic qualifications, Melbourne Aquarium gives preference to an employee who has an experience and exposure to the field of work.Advertising We will write a custom report sample on Needs of the employees of Melbourne Aquarium specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More This makes the recruitment and the training to be easier less costly and also less time consuming. Thus, an application in any position needs to have the required experience in the various departments of the aquarium (Torrington, Hall, Taylor, 2008, p31). In the strategic management, the firm requires a minimum of fi ve years experience. This is the department that ranks highest in the organizations and controls all other department. Thus, the company need not make any mistake in the kind of personnel that are recruited in the department. In other departments, the minimum requirement is three year of experience while the crowd management requires four years (Torrington, Hall, Taylor, 2008, p31). However, the firm gives attachment and internship to graduates from high education institutions. These persons are put under the supervision and control of highly trained and experienced staff so that the quality of work is not compromised. Flexibility of language, culture and religion The thousands of tourist who trickle into the banks of Melbourne Aquarium daily are drawn from various points of the world. These customers are also drawn from a variety of traditions, and religions and use different languages in their countries. Melbourne Aquarium thus prefers personal who is flexible to deal with all thi s kind of customers. In Australia, Australian English is the national language. While most of the staff is drawn from the country one of the qualification is the ability to converse in different languages (Mylne, Llewellyn, Crittall, 2011, p23). In the last two decades, Melbourne Aquarium has increased the percentage of international labor considerably. One of the main reasons of this move was to make sure that the personnel are fluent with as many languages as possible. In their advertisements, the firm quotes conversancy with other languages as a requirement.Advertising Looking for report on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Though not mentioned, these languages are those that are commonly used including British English, French, Chinese, German and Arabic languages (Mylne, Llewellyn, Crittall, 2011, p23). The needs of an employee While it is easy to know the requirements of an employer though the advertisement that they make, the needs of an employee may be harder to be known. In this regard, I carried out an interview with an employee in the Melbourne Aquarium so as to measure the situation (Page, 2009, p147). Contract of work An employment contract in Melbourne Aquarium is composed by an offer by the prospect employee and an acceptance or a counter offer by the Melbourne Aquarium. This is valid in labor contracts; a labor contract involves an offer and acceptance where the parties are employer and employee. According to our source –a security guard at the Melbourne Aquarium- who sought anonymity, the staffs that do have a contract in the tourism sector are oppressed by their employers. Even tho ugh these cases are few in Melbourne Aquarium the victims cry foul of not being treated as equals in the firm as other employees (Bohlander, Snell, 2009, p12). Conducive environment The motivation of any worker is first drawn from the environment that is sounding the work place. This case applies across the industries including the tourism industry. Conducive environment includes terms that are favorable to the employer, the intercalation between the employees, freedom of interaction and converging, the provision of basic necessities and also the recognition of an employee as a person. After several visits to Melbourne Aquarium I noted that the population ratio between the employees and the tourists who visit the aquarium is so small that the staff at times is not able to control the crowds. This was drawn from an observation during a visit the research team paid during a peak season. The case is especially so during the peak periods. It was my view that their low delivery at such t imes may be blamed without regard to the situation on the ground. Cases of customer bearing the burden when they are overloaded are not uncommon in tourism companies (Egger, McClymont, 2004, p56). Payment rate The employment contracts include the payments tat each person receives. The employees of the tourism industry cry foe due to the major variances in their terms of payments. The knowledge that one is working at the same level yet he or she is being remunerated better that you is so de-motivating. According to our source, the staff at Melbourne Aquarium has been demanding for this right which is yet to be met satisfactorily. The more experienced and connected staff is more remunerated than those with less experience. The motivation of staff is affected when the knowledge of such comes to their attention (Weaver, Lawton, 2010, p80). Safety and confidentiality The mind of person operates in a way that when it is unsure of the security of the surrounding, it responds by reducing th e productivity of other body organs. Thus the employees of any industry need to ensured of their safety. This especially goes to the life sabers. They need to be ensured that there are no sharp objects and other things that may harm them in their duty off saving other lives. However, even the other personnel need to be sure of their security. (Woodside, 2007, p90). Apart from the safety from physical danger, the staff also needs to be ensured that the information about their relationship with the 3mployer is kept confidential. This means that while giving the tourists who visit the aquarium details about the staff, personal data should not be revealed. Instead, the management should give general data (Ashworth, Bain, Smitz, 2004, p128). Conclusion The understanding of the requirements of both the employer and employee is a basic requirement in the study of human resource management. The above mentioned issues are so intense and need to be rectified to improve the relationship betwee n Melbourne Aquarium and its staff. This analysis leads to the conclusion that, each of the parties has to be well informed before entering into a contract so that the decision made may not be regrettable. The employer should be aware that the employees require security and good working conditions while the employees should realize that service delivery is the top requirement of Melbourne Aquarium. Recommendations As we have seen through the paper, there the requirements of Melbourne Aquarium and those of its employees are different. Therefore it is recommendable that both the employees and the strategic managers be educated more on the rights of each other. Thus education seminars should be held differently and also is consistent. Any new employee or a member of the directing board should be given the information that is required without bias. In rectifying some of the cases, it is recommended that the ratio of the staff and the tourist population be increased. This should be done by recruiting of new staff. This will in response create a better environment to the employees. In their part, the employees should not be contented by their levels of experience and expertise. Addition of education skills and other tourism based education is a necessity tat can increase employer satisfaction. This two are just but examples of areas that need rectification. References Ashworth, S., Bain, C., Smitz, P., 2004. Lonely Planet Australia. Australia: Sage. Bohlander, G., Snell, S., 2009. Managing Human Resources. New Jersey: John Willey sons Inc. Egger, S., McClymont, D., 2004. Melbourne. Melbourne: ICI. Mylne, L., Llewellyn, M., Crittall, R., 2011. Frommers Australia. Australia: Frommer. Page, S., 2009. Tourism Management: Managing for Change. London: Sage. Torrington, D., Hall, L., Taylor, S., 2008. Human Resource Management. Australia: Cengage Brain. Weaver, D., Lawton, L., 2010. Tourism Management. Australia: ICI. Woodside, A., 2007. Tourism management: analysis, beha vior and strategy. New York: Cengage Brain.

25 Names of Fabrics, Wools, and Leathers Derived from Place Names

25 Names of Fabrics, Wools, and Leathers Derived from Place Names 25 Names of Fabrics, Wools, and Leathers Derived from Place Names 25 Names of Fabrics, Wools, and Leathers Derived from Place Names By Mark Nichol This post lists and defines terms for apparel materials that have in common that the terms are derived from place names. 1. angora: a type of wool from Angora rabbits, which originated near Ankara (previously Angora), Turkey 2. Bedford cord: a corduroy-like fabric, named after Bedford, England, or New Bedford, Massachusetts 3. calico: a type of cloth originally from Calicut, India 4. cambric: a type of cloth originally from Cambrai, France 5. cashmere: a type of wool and a woolen fabric from Kashmir goats, which come from the Kashmir region of India 6. chino cloth: a cloth originating in China (the name is Spanish for â€Å"Chinese†) 7. Cordovan leather: a type of shoe leather first produced in Cordoba, Spain 8. damask: a type of fabric named after Damascus, Syria 9. denim: a type of fabric originally called serge de Nà ®mes, or â€Å"serge of Nà ®mes,† after Nà ®mes, a town in France 10. dungaree: a type of denim cloth originating in DongrÄ «, India; pants or overalls made from this fabric are called dungarees 11. duffel: a cloth first made in Duffel, Belgium 12. Harris tweed: a type of handwoven tweed cloth originating on the island of Lewis and Harris and adjacent islands in Scotland (the name of the cloth type tweed is coincidental with the name of the river Tweed) 13. Holland (or Holland cloth): a type of linen originally made in various parts of Europe, including the province of Holland in the Netherlands 14. jaconet: a fabric originally from Puri, India (the word is derived from the name of the city’s Jagannath Temple) 15. jean: a type of fabric originating in Genoa, Italy 16. jersey: a type of knit fabric originating on the island of Jersey, next to France (but a dependency of the United Kingdom) 17. Mackinaw cloth: a woolen cloth used for thick, warm jackets (called Mackinaws or Macs) originally favored by lumberjacks and then hunters and fishermen in the Mackinac (or Mackinaw) region of Michigan 18. madras: a lightweight cloth originally from Madras, India (now called Chennai) 19. muslin: a lightweight fabric originally from Mosul, Iraq 20. Morocco leather: a type of leather originally from Moroccan goats 21. nankeen: a type of fabric originating in Nanjing, China (previously called Nanking or Nankin); also refers to pants made of this material, as well as the pale buff or yellow color of the fabric, a type of porcelain originating in the city, and a type of lace (often called nankins) and part of the name of numerous animals and plants featuring this color 22. osnaburg: a coarse cloth originally made in Osnabrà ¼ck, Germany 23. suede: a type of leather made from the underside of animal skins, originally referenced in the French phrase gants de Suà ¨de (â€Å"gloves from Sweden†); similar-looking fabrics are referred to as â€Å"sueded silk† and so on 24. tulle: a type of fabric originating in Tulle, France 25. worsted: a type of wool whose name is derived from that of Worstead, one of the villages from which it originated; also, the name of a type of yarn and a category of yarn weight Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Vocabulary category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:Regarding Re:Proved vs. ProvenEnglish Grammar 101: Prepositions

Love in Marriage Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Love in Marriage - Essay Example This research will begin with the statement that marriage is the basis of a family unit, and society's central component is family - thus, marriage. On a general term, marriage is the coming together of two individuals whose aim is a lifetime of partnership and possibly, reproduction. If this is true, then it is safe to say that stability is important for couples to move on with their married lives towards the fulfillment of their unified goals. While it is true that some couples may be married for reasons other than love, and while it is also true that these types of marriages may have worked for some of these couples, it still remains true that love plays a major and important role in the majority of marriages in the world. Nowadays, it can be said that love is overrated in relationships and undervalued in marriages. This may be the reason for several early marriages or relationships, and continuous increase in divorce rates. While no one says it is wrong to get involved with love at an early age, while inside a marriage, couples need to recognize it's importance â€Å"till death do them part.† According to recent studies, while romantic love is a concept that is widely accepted, not everyone considers it as an important factor in marriage. However, most studies show that love in marriage helps in stabilizing the union between the couples. Surprisingly, while not everyone views love as necessary to establish marriage, a large percentage of marriages in societies are based on romantic unions.... However, it should be first emphasized that the attention it needs is not the one that causes romance novel bestsellers or blockbuster hits. For one, successful marriages seem to be a rarity (De, 1996, p.703). How many among acquaintances or relatives have successful marriages, or have at least come from successful unions? It seems that almost everybody in today's world at least knows a person who have come from a broken home. Gone were the days when the term â€Å"broken home† causes tugs at the hearts of those who hear. Why? Because it has become so common. It is possible that people may have been so cynical of the concept of love that the more they hear of it's supposed failure to make marriages work, the more they disregard it. One has to remember that while love in marriages will not change the annoying things that they say make marriages collapse little by little, love may help in making couples focus not on what is annoying, but on what is pleasing. And while love will not keep either party from getting hurt, it will at least pave the way for possible forgiveness (Chapman, 2007, p.29-31). On a logical note, since humans are inherently in need of affection, marriages should be the foundation where the fulfillment of the sense of belonging and security should come from. As mentioned earlier, love in marriages helps in providing stability in a union. Therefore, people should not look into the idea of love in marriages as some sort of just a romantic idea resulting from too much reading of pocketbooks or watching romantic movies. Love in marriages runs deeper than shallow Hollywood presentations. Love and marriage are two crucial elements in human society. Understanding the importance of love is stabilizing this core unit

GPS Systems in police patrol Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

GPS Systems in police patrol - Essay Example In addition, there is advantage of the GPS in terms of response time or arriving at a disclosed vicinity immediately, especially in emergency situations. For instance, a patrol vehicle that is located in a particular street in New York would be able to respond as soon as possible when an emergency call to address burglary or criminal activities in that street is reported. Through the GPS the police officers would immediately locate and respond, as required. 2) Explain the value of Automated Vehicle Locators (AVL) in police patrol vehicles from the point of view of a police dispatcher or supervisor. AVLs in police patrol vehicles are defined as â€Å"a device that makes use of the Global Positioning System (GPS) to enable a business or agency to remotely track the location of its vehicle fleet by using the Internet. These devices combine GPS technology, cellular communications, street-level mapping, and an intuitive user interface, with the ostensible goal of improving fleet management and customer service† (Tech Target par. 1). Therefore, from the point of view of a police dispatcher or a supervisor, AVLs provide them with the ability to immediately locate the whereabouts of these police patrol vehicles at all times and assist them in the following examples: monitoring purposes to determine if the patrol vehicles are in areas where they are supposed to be; and in changing their routes or for re-routing purposes, as immediately

Dreaming in Cuban Essay Example for Free

Dreaming in Cuban Essay All summer she has lived in her memories . . .. Her past, she fears, is eclipsing her present. In Celias life, it always has. Celia is caught in the folds of time. Her central memory is that of Gustavo Sierra de Armas, the married Spaniard with whom Celia, when she was a very young department store clerk in Havana, had an intense love affair that was truncated by his unannounced departure. For twenty-five years, until the triumph of the revolution, Celia writes to Gustavo on the eleventh day of each month, keeping the un-mailed letters in a satin lined box. I watch the sun rise, burning its collection of memories, she writes to Gustavo and later, Memory is a skilled seducer who hover around the mid-century of life recall the rumors of multiple seductions by the dictator at the presidential palace. For Celia, these rumors become present reality, with Celia as one of the seduced. He does not age, nor does she. In Celias reveries, memory is most often sensualized and is always infused and injected with imagination. Memory is scripted, the script becoming more real than fact. As Celias daughter Felicia will tell her son Ivanito, Imagination, like memory, can transform lies to truths . . . . The matriarch of the novels dreamers, Celia seems engaged in an eternal wait that is never concluded, never satisfied. Her life, like her time, is arrested, moving then in long, elliptical swirls like patterns drawn on the sand by her beloved sea, whose waters envelop her again and again at critical junctures, cleansing and caressing her, then depositing her once again on shore, amid the folds of time. Three generations of Cuban women dominate this marvelously told story of a family divided by politics and the Castro revolution in Cuba. Celia del Pino is the effective head of the family. She is a loyal follower of Castro who watches the beaches near her small home to protect from a surprise attack from the assumed enemies of the regime. Her daughter Felicia also remains in Cuba, but has no interest in politics and has recurring bouts of insanity but finally dies when she succumbs to a fanatical version of Cuban Santeria religion. Her sister Lourdes immigrates to the United States and exalts in her own version of the American dream becoming a successful owner of a small bakery chain. Lourdes is as bitterly anti-Castro as her mother is pro. Finally we have Pilar, daughter of Lourdes and born the very year that Castro took power. Raised in Brooklyn, but with strong feelings of her Cuban roots, Pillar is a punk artist and later musician. She is caught with a foot in both words, nostalgic for Cuba and her grandmother, but fully rooted in the cultural scene of New York City. There are other members of the del Pino family who play lesser roles and Celia’s late husband, Jorge, plays the most curious role, a bit of magic realism as he spends several years in conversation with Lourdes after he has died. Only gradually does he fade away leaving Lourdes in a position where she can finally pay a visit to her aging and dying mother in Cuba. Dreaming in Cuban is told in segments related by numerous narrative consciousnesses, usually in the third person, from time planes that move backward and forward but follow a general linear chronological direction. What we learn of Lourdes comes primarily from the third-person narrative segments devoted to her and, secondarily, from the reflections of her daughter and her mother in the sequences narrated by or devoted to them. Lourdes has passed into exile, like so many of her contemporaries in 1961, with her husband Rufino Puente and their two-year-old daughter, Pilar. Lourdes has tried to force roots into the northern soil of Brooklyn, and genuinely believes that she has done so. In fact, when they leave Miami in a secondhand Chevy, unable to bear the endless brooding over their wealth, the competition for dishwasher jobs of Rufinos family, which has been ostentatiously prominent in Havana society, it is Lourdes who insists that they move ever northward, in search of the cold. New York City, finally, is cold enough. As enterprising and dynamic as Maria de los Angeles Mina Lopez in Roberto Fernandezs much praised 1988 novel Raining Backwards, Lourdes has founded the Yankee Doodle Bakery, and in time opens a second one. A fighter and a survivor, she has prospered. Lourdes takes pride in her love of order, her practicality. A take charge person who sees right and wrong in uncomplicatedly absolute terms, Lourdes becomes a volunteer auxiliary policewoman on a neighborhood beat, slapping her nightstick over and over into her palm before she goes out on patrol. Always estranged from her distant mother, Celia, who has been sent away to Havana by her own mother, never to see her again, Lourdes feels her parental affinity is with her father, Jorge del Pino, who railed over the years in Cuba at what he termed tropical squalor and who comes to New York to die of cancer. In Cristina Garcias 1992 novel Dreaming in Cuban, Cuba is a pivotal presence. The work examines, through a wealth of female and male characters, with emphasis upon the matrilineal chain, the intense experience of Cuban ness. The island country of Cuba is portrayed from within and without, and the distance from it is measured through the fictive evocation of exile, exile once removed, and inner exile. Different views of Cuba both inspire and result from divergent exiles. I have chosen to approach the topic of Cuba as text and context in the novel through an analysis of three female characters: Lourdes del Pino Puente, a Cuban exile living in Brooklyn; her daughter Pilar, age 13 when the novel opens; and Lourdess mother, Celia del Pino, who has by choice indee insistence remained behind in Cuba, in her seaside home. In Cuba, Lourdes sister Felicia feels this unleapable distance even from her adored son Ivanito, with whom she has a powerful spiritual bond. What is he saying? his mother wonders about him. Each word is a code she must decipher, a foreign language, a streak of gunshot. Even with her boy, to whom she is more closely bound than to any other being save her mother, Felicia is unwillingly but undeniably alone. Between Ivanito and his older twin sistersstiff, unbending adherents to the regimethere is also estrangement based on language as vital posture, the sum and expression of ones stance in the world she inhabits. He will never speak his sisters language, account for his movements like a cow with a dull bell. The novels title, Dreaming in Cuban, suggests an idiom of belonging, a collective, ever imperfect antidote to isolation and estrangement. What Celia terms the morphology of survival† must always take into account the grammar of this culture specific language, Cuban. Lourdes believes herself impervious to any such considerations. Yet the sight of a lone elm set in concrete causes her to wonder if this individual is Dutch elm disease set the last of the dying species. Is it a metaphor for her own exile and separation? There are other signs as well. The New York City rivers along which Lourdes walks and patrols flow gray, absorbing the light, usually unable to return it as reflection, their color and coldness evocative of metal. Breezes from the sluggish river seem to inscribe [Lourdes] skin with metal tips. Gray is also the color of ash. Felicias third husband, falling onto the wires of a carnival ride in Cuba, turns to ash and blows northward, where he had wanted to go. For Lourdess mother, gray is also the color of memory: Memory cannot be confined . . .. Its slate gray, the color of undeveloped film. That memory has been free to follow Lourdes northward, and that she would permit it to do so is a thought she would surely deny. In her daughter Pilars memories, her mothers toucans and cockatoos, released when the revolutionaries took over the Puente hacienda, also flew north in confusiona confusion, which Lourdes emphatically rejects; she abhors all ambiguity. Yet the northern clime has inspired in her inordinate hungers. The first is an erotic appetite for Rufino, which leads her husband to install a bell in his workshop so as to be always available to her and which finally leaves him spent and weary, and the second is a concomitant craving for pecan sticky buns, which brings about a weight gain of 118 pounds. In Rufino, Lourdes is reaching for something beyond him, something he cannot give her; she may well seek in this physical union a reintegration she cannot attain, a reconnection with her remembered life left behind, with the Cuba she knew. The sticky buns, with their impossible forbidden sweetness, may be the closest Lourdes can come in exile to the sensorial bombardment, richly evoked in the pages of Dreaming in Cuban, of her island home. In Cuba, Lourdes sister Felicia feels this unleapable distance even from her adored son Ivanito, with whom she has a powerful spiritual bond. What is he saying? his mother wonders about him. Each word is a code she must decipher, a foreign language, a streak of gunshot. Even with her boy, to whom she is more closely bound than to any other being save her mother, Felicia is unwillingly but undeniably alone. Between Ivanito and his older twin sistersstiff, unbending adherents to the regimethere is also estrangement based on language as vital posture, the sum and expression of ones stance in the world she inhabits. He will never speak his sisters language, account for his movements like a cow with a dull bell. The novels title, Dreaming in Cuban, suggests an idiom of belonging, a collective, ever imperfect antidote to isolation and estrangement. What Celia terms the morphology of survival† must always take into account the grammar of this culture specific language, Cuban. Lourdes believes herself impervious to any such considerations. Yet the sight of a lone elm set in concrete causes her to wonder if this individual is Dutch elm disease set the last of the dying species. Is it a metaphor for her own exile and separation? There are other signs as well. The New York City rivers along which Lourdes walks and patrols flow gray, absorbing the light, usually unable to return it as reflection, their color and coldness evocative of metal. Breezes from the sluggish river seem to inscribe [Lourdes] skin with metal tips. Gray is also the color of ash. Felicias third husband, falling onto the wires of a carnival ride in Cuba, turns to ash and blows northward, where he had wanted to go. For Lourdess mother, gray is also the color of memory: Memory cannot be confined . . .. Its slate gray, the color of undeveloped film. That memory has been free to follow Lourdes northward, and that she would permit it to do so is a thought she would surely deny. In her daughter This is Cristina Garcia’s first novel. She was born in Havana, Cuba in 1958 but grew up in New York City. She attended Barnard College and the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies. She has been a correspondent for Time magazine and lives in Los Angeles with her husband Scott Brown. Works Cited 1. DREAMING IN CUBAN, By Cristina Garcia, 245 pages New York: Ballantine Books, 1992. ISBN # 0-345-38143-2

when it was a game :: essays research papers

When It Was A Game I have been a fan of the game of baseball for 25 years. I played little league baseball for Ocean View Little League in Huntington Beach, California in the early1980s, and four years of high school baseball at Ocean View High in the late 80s to the early 90s. Baseball has been an intricate part of my life ever since. While thumbing through a box in my garage the other day, I came across my old little league year book from 1984. Seeing myself in a baseball uniform at 10 years old was quite amusing. I flipped through the rest of the book, laughing at the way my family and friends dressed in the 80s. I was reminded of a quote my grandmother used to say, â€Å"The more things change, the more they stay the same.† My grandmother is a huge baseball fan. My grandmother grew up in South Central Los Angeles and used to watch the Los Angeles Dodgers play throughout the 60s, 70s, and 80s. I distinctly remember my grandmother and I watching Kirk Gibson hit the game winning home run for the Dodgers against the Oakland A’s in the 1988 Word Series. She is a huge Dodger fan, however, since I played on the A’s in little league that year, I rooted for the A’s. To this day, my grandmother will not pass up an opportunity to remind me of who won that game. My grandmother said to me the other day, â€Å"They don’t make them like they used to†; she was referring to the 1988 Dodger team, as opposed to the teams of today. I think she has a point to an extent; however, I can see the similarities and the differences in the game of the 80s and the sport it has become in the new millennium. The game has changed in some ways, but for the most part, it has stayed the same. The rules are the same as in the 80s. It is still 90feet to first base, 60 foot 6 inches from the pitchers mound to home plate, and you still only get three strikes and four balls. Today, you can still go to the ballpark and get a soda, peanuts, Cracker Jacks, cotton candy, and a hot dog, just like when I was a kid in the 80’s. You can still go to the game early and see the teams take batting practice, and if your lucky, get an autograph or two.

Motivation in different cultures Essay

There has been general upsurge in cultures and managerial research in the last decade or so. Despite this fact, empirical studies on culture dimensions to management practices across cultures have been limited in numbers and scope. In few countries, very limited knowledge about its cultural values and the consequences it poses for motivation is known. A major question is whether the drawback of universal theories could explain for the disappointing economic development of various countries. A few reports suggest that there is difference in application of motivational theories in different parts of the world. In view of these differences, untrimmed Western management models may not be very appropriate for adoption all over the world, in general without recourse to the prevailing local cultural values. The suggestion is made to look for appropriate and suitable management models for different cultures by studying the relatively more successful local companies and institutions. Key words: Motivation, Management, Cultures, Values INTRODUCTION: Motivation has kept people in crises going throughout centuries; it has been the cause of increased standards of living, success, fortune, and satisfaction. Most leaders throughout history have used varying techniques of motivation and persuasion. The same is true for successful managers. According to many, the role of motivation in the work environment has great value. Many studies have evolved around various motivational techniques for directing employees towards desired goals. However, â€Å"the challenge to management is to recognize and understand the impact of various motivational systems on individual and group behavior within an organised work endeavor. The success or failure of motivation rests not only on the technique but also on management’s ability to match the needs of people with appropriate rewards† –Todes, 1977. Motives are needs, which force people to move towards goals, or point they define. Studies of motivation have tried to respond to the ‘why’ of the human behavior, which is directed towards a goal and the need for that goal. Hersey and Blanchard (1977) noted that motives can be defined as needs, wants, drives, or impulses within the individual which are directed towards goals which may be conscious or subconscious. Freud long ago discovered the importance of subconscious motivation; in order words, people are not always aware of everything they want (Hersey and Blanchard, 1977). Dickson (1973) stated that employees are not motivated solely by money but by other factors, which is linked to their behaviour and attitudes. Many theories of motivation have been developed with the understanding of how employees’ behaviours can be energized positively and how they can better be directed to achieve desired objectives. The relevance of cultures to management with the sole purpose of contributing to a culturally feasible motivation theory building across cultures is to be known. Motivation practice in different societies requires identification of the ‘growth-positive’ and ‘growth-negative’ culture based-factors. Defining motivation: According to Stephen (2000), motivation is the willingness to exert a persistent and high level of effort towards organizational goals, conditioned by the effort’s ability to satisfy some individual needs. Motivation theories are classified into two groups: ‘content theories’ and ‘process theories’. Content theories explore what motivate people: that is, arouses and energize the behavior. The most famous content theories are Maslow’s need hierarchy, Herzberg’s two-factor theory, and McClelland’s three-factor theory. Process theories researched the specifics of the motivation process. Vroom’s expectancy theory and Adam’s equity theory are well known process theories. As the concept of motivation is reviewed, we should keep in mind that level of motivation varies both among individuals and within individuals at different levels. Among motivation theories to be re-viewed are those of Maslow, Herzberg, Hofstede, and Vroom. Maslow’s theory of motivation: Maslow, a behavioral scientist, is one of the most prominent writers in the area of human motivation. He developed the â€Å"Hierarchy of needs theory†. Maslow (1970) stated there is a connection between behavior of individuals and their needs, and the strongest â€Å"felt needs† determine behaviors of individuals at given times. Maslow’s approach was based on the assumption that the individual is the basic unit in a social organization that is capable of â€Å"life affirming and self -fulfilling† behavior. Maslow believed that work becomes a personal commitment and its accomplishment creates satisfaction and self- actualization and provides a way to achieve individual goals. Maslow categorized these â€Å"needs† into five levels; from the most primary needs of Physiological; Safety; Social at the base to the most secondary needs of Esteem and Self-actualization needs at the top. Basically, Maslow postulates that knowing the needs that employees are trying to satisfy, managers can help satisfy those needs so that employees can be satisfied and, then, motivated to work better. He believes that the lower needs are satisfied before an individual attempt to satisfy a higher level need in the hierarchy. Maslow’s need theory has received wide recognition, particularly among practicing managers. Its popularity can be attributed to the theory’s intuitive logic and ease of understanding. Unfortunately, however, few researches do not generally validate the theory. Maslow provided no empirical substantiation for the theory, and several other studies, which includes the studies of Lawler III and Suttle (1972), and Hall and Nongaim (1968) that sought to validate it found no support. Herzberg’s two-factor theory: Both Herzberg and Maslow agreed that if an organization met the safety and social â€Å"needs† of its employee group, the satisfaction and level of performance of the group would rise. Herzberg (1968) proposed the â€Å"Two-Factor† theory of motivation. He conducted research among 200 engineers and accountants regarding job satisfaction and dissatisfaction. The subjects were asked to think of a time when they felt good or bad in their work environment. Herzberg, after analyzing the responses, concluded that there are two groups of factors, which cause satisfaction and dissatisfaction in an organizational setting and work environment. Herzberg called the first group of factors â€Å"motivators† and the second group â€Å"hygiene†: The hygiene factors, also called maintenance factors, are of such a nature that their presence in the organization will not necessarily motivate an individual to work harder but the absence of which can create an unhealthy organizational environment. Hygiene factors, such as salary, company policy, supervision, job security, working conditions interpersonal relations, and status, are job context factors that help to maintain a healthy working environment. They do not motivate workers when pre-sent but workers can become dissatisfied when these factors are absent. The second set of factors-the motivators- are related to the job content of workers. The presence of these factors can motivate workers to perform better and their absence can result in dissatisfaction. These factors include achievement, recognition, advancement, challenging work, opportunity for growth, and higher responsibility. Herzberg maintains that both factors are important to the smooth running of an organization. The hygiene factor, even though they do not motivates, if absent creates a poor job attitude. However, an organization may have good working conditions, with adequate provision of hygiene factors, which are only job context, and workers may not be motivated. If adequate attention is paid to the motivators, which are job content related, workers may be motivated to work harder and produce more. Hofstede work-goals motivation theory: Hofstede (1980, 1990) postulated his motivation theory on 18 work-goals. The work-goals were classified into five major groupings or super goals as relating to the needs or goals of individuals in motivation. The super goals are: do a good job, ambition, cooperation and individuality, family and comfort and security. The five super goals are made up of these component goals among others: 1. Do a good job (challenging work, achievement, skill utilization). 2. Ambition (advancement, recognition). 3. Cooperation (good working relationships with colleagues, with boss). 4. Family and comfort (time for personal/family life; desirable living area). 5. Security (stable employment, welfare benefits) Vroom expectancy theory: Vroom approaches the issue of human motivation quite differently from the ways Maslow and Herzberg did. He holds that people will be motivated to pursue the achievement of a desired goal if: (1) they believe in the worth of the goal; and (2) they believe that their actions will en-sure the attainment of the goal. In a more detailed form, Vroom believe that a person’s motivation to perform will depend on the value the person places on the outcome of his efforts multiplied by his confidence that the efforts will actually help to desired goal; that is F = V * E Vroom’s theory shows that individuals’ have goals and are motivated towards actions that will ensure the achievement of these goals. As such, managers should communicate how employees goals, such as promotion, more pay, recognition, and so on, can be earned in terms of what behavioral patterns are known to employees, such patterns should form the basis for administering rewards. Otherwise problems will occur in terms of workers’ lack of confidence in organizational policy, and the result may be detrimental to good working environment. Culture and management discourse: The last decade has brought a renaissance of interest in cultural phenomena in societies and organizations. Re-searchers from a variety of disciplines have provided range of theoretical and analytical studies. Perhaps because of the different methodological and political orientations that distinguish these disciplines, the literature remains theoretically unintegrated – in a state of conceptual chaos. Before reviewing the relevant literatures about culture, and the impact of culture on motivation management, it is important to define culture. Culture is a common word and like all common words it comes with much conceptual baggage, much of it vague, some of it contradictory. Contemporary concepts of culture: Some management researchers subscribed to the view that sees culture as- a shared homogenous way of being, evaluating and doing-, which are ideas, shared by members of a cultural group. Others see culture as heterogeneous combining differentiated and dynamic subcultures, still, others see culture from a multi- fragmented perspective that bring ambiguity into culture discourse – which are vital to motivation. As numerous intercultural scholars have noted, each culture has its own unique â€Å"world-view† or means for making sense of the world (Zahama, 2000). Hofstede (2003) defines culture as the â€Å"software of the mind†, a collective phenomena, shared with the people who live in the same social environment. It is the collective programming of the mind, which distinguishes the members of one social group or category of people from another. According to Deresky (2003), culture comprises the shared values, assumptions, understandings and goals that are learned from one generation, imposed by the current generation, and passed on to succeeding generations. Hawkins et al. (2006) propagates that the main operational regime of culture starts by earmarking stated boundaries for individual behavior and by guiding the functioning of such institutions as the family and mass media. In a societal setup these boundaries are termed as ‘norms’. Further, norms are derived from cultural values. Given the commonalities among the various authors of culture quoted above, it is obvious that they concur that culture should be defined as that which is shared, harmonious, homogeneous, but the definitions disagree with what exactly is being shared or harmonious and homogeneous. Culture consists of patterns, explicit and implicit of and for behavior acquired and transmitted by symbols, constituting the distinctive achievements of human groups, including their embodiments in artifacts; the essential core of culture consists of traditions (that is, historically derived and selected) ideas and especially their attached values. From a more dynamic perspective, culture is conceived as being made up of relations, rather than as stable suggests that every individual embody unique combination of personal, cultural and value systems. This implies that national cultures, corporate cultures or professional cultures, for example, are seen as symbolic practices that only come into existence in relation to, and in contrast with, other cultural communities. Levels of culture: As almost everyone belong to a number of different groups and categories of people at the same time, people unavoidably carry several layers of values within themselves, corresponding to different levels of culture. For example: A national level according to ones’ country. A regional and/or ethnic and/or religious and/or linguistic affiliation level, as most nations are composed of culturally different regions or ethnic or religious or language groups. A gender level, according to whether a person was born as a girl or as a boy. A social class level, associated with educational opportunities and with a person’s occupation or profession. A generation level, which separates grandparents from parents from children; for those who are employed, an organizational or corporate level according to the way employees have been socialized by their work organization In modern society, they are often partly conflicting: for example, religious values may conflict with generation values; gender values with organizational practices. Conflicting values within people make it difficult to anticipate their behavior in a new situation. These socialization processes or levels of culture are more ways of doing things, or practices, as opposed to fundamental assumptions about how things are. In the center is a system of societal norms, consisting of the value systems shared by major groups of the population. Their origins are in a variety of ecological factors (in the sense of factors affecting the physical environment). The societal norms have led to the development and pattern maintenance of institutions in society with a particular structure and way of functioning. These include the family, education systems, politics, and legislation. These institutions, once they have become facts, reinforce the societal norms and the ecological conditions that led to them. In a relatively closed society, such a system will hardly change at all. Institutions may change, but this does not necessarily affect the societal norms; and when these remain unchanged, the persistence influences of a majority value system patiently smooth the new institutions until their structure and functioning is again adapted to the societal norms. Change comes mainly from the outside, through forces of nature (change of climate, silting up of harbors) or forces of man (trade, colonization, scientific discovery). The arrow of outside influences is deliberately directed at the origins, not at the societal norms themselves. It is believed that norms change rarely by direct adoption of outside values, but rather through a shift in ecological conditions: technological, economical, and hygienic. In general, the norm shift will be gradual unless the outside influences are particularly violent (Hofstede, 1980a). THEORETICAL BACKGROUND: A survey study was carried out in five different European and African countries by a The Research and Development Unit of Euro-African Management Re-search Centre (E-AMARC – Maastricht-Paris-Brussels-Stirling) to know the impact of differences in cultures on motivational factors. The European countries were France, Italy, Nether-lands and Scotland, while the African country involved in the research was Nigeria. The questionnaire used as a base the ‘Value Survey Model’ developed by Hofstede The research aimed at comparing motivation management values across five countries. For this purpose, written survey questionnaire was used. The questionnaire tried to obtain a fair representation of the opinions of two categories of respondents: Managers (everybody leading the work of others), non-managers (higher educated employees). The questionnaire contained items about the manager’s motivation-related values and perceptions. Only the questions found significantly relevant for the understanding of the effect of culture on management motivation practices were reported and examined in the study. The research included,The survey questionnaire contained a number of questions aiming at understanding â€Å"what makes people thick†. Table 2 presents the data on Maslow, Herzsberg, Hofstde and Vroom motivation factors as they are perceived to influence motivation by the respondents. This research project describes the results of a survey study of five countries; France, Italy, Scotland, Netherlands and Nigeria. DISCUSSION: It has often been said and discussed that the motivational factors does not have the same prominence in different cultures. In the survey, questionnaire contained a number of questions aiming at understanding â€Å"what makes people thick†. The table presents the data on Maslow, Herzsberg, Hofstde and Vroom motivation factors as they are perceived to influence motivation by the respondents. The research project describes the results of a survey study of five countries; France, Italy, Scotland, Netherlands and Nigeria. The results obtained from the research confirmed that the cultures of France, Italy, Scotland and Netherlands as measured by the motivation-related values and desires of the respondents were different. Examination of responses on the motivation-value factors from the research reveals that the Italians ranked â€Å"have challenging tasks, have freedom to adopt their own approach to tasks, make contribution to the success of their organization, live in desirable area for self and family, and to have good working relationships with direct superior† as the five most important motivation-value factors. To â€Å"serve your country, have little tension and stress on the job, work in a well-defined job situation, have opportunity to help others and work in prestigious and successful organisation† as the five lest important motivation-value factors. The French respondents ranked â€Å"have challenging task, live in desirable area, freedom of approach to tasks, cooperation with others, and good working relations with superior† as the five top motivation-value factors. They ranked â€Å"serve your country, have little tension and stress on the job, work in a prestigious and successful organisation, have security of employment and well-defined clear job situations† as the five lest motivation-value factors. The Scottish respondents ranked â€Å"cooperation with others, live in desirable area, challenging tasks, have good relationship with superior and to have freedom of approach to tasks† as the five top motivation value factors. They ranked â€Å"serve your country, to have little tension and stress on the job, to have opportunity to helping others, to have well defined and clear job situations and work in prestigious and successful organisation† as the five lest motivation-value factors. The Dutch on their part ranked â€Å"live in desirable area, cooperation with others, have good physical working conditions, have good working relationships with direct superior and have opportunity for higher earnings† as the five top motivation-value factors. They ranked â€Å"serve your country, have little tension and stress on the job, have opportunity to helping others, to be consulted by direct superior and to have variety and adventure on the job† as the five lest motivation-value factors. To the Nigerian respondents, they ranked â€Å"make contribution to the success of their organisation, to have challenging tasks, have security of employment, opportunity for higher level jobs and cooperation with others† as the five top motivation-value factors. They ranked †have little tension and stress on the job, have variety and adventure in the job, to be consulted by direct superior, work in prestigious and successful organisation and opportunity for helping others† as the five lest motivation-value factors. The difference in the ranked order of the work-goals among the four European country respondents is of little significance. Though there is not much difference among these countries, there are significant differences when compared with the African-Nigerian respondents. In a collectivist society like Africa-Nigeria, goals like security of employment, contribution to the success of organisation, opportunity for advancement to higher level jobs and earnings have symbolic cultural and economic values that add to their rated importance. Some of the value clearly relate to ‘motivation factors’ and others relate clearly to ‘hygiene factors’ in Herzberg terms. For example, variety and adventure in the job, challenging job, freedom on the job, recognition and opportunities if they refer to advancement, not merely to earnings, higher salary, all clearly relate to ‘motivation factors’. On the other hand, factors like opportunity for higher salary, good physical working conditions, security, and good relationship with superior are clearly hygiene factors. However, some factors like clear job description, cooperation and challenging tasks sit on the fence and may deflect one way or the other depending on the tasks and situations at hand. Comparing the five highest motivational factors to Herzberg’s two-factor theory, the European respondents ranked, challenging tasks, desirable living area, freedom of approach to job, working relation-ships with superior and cooperation with others, are motivator factors. For the African Nigerian respondents, contribution to success of organisation, security of employment, advancement to higher level jobs and earnings are hygiene factors. Herzberg stated that to the degree that motivators are present in a job, motivation will occur. The absence of motivators does not lead to dissatisfaction. Further, he stated that to the degree that hygiene’s are absent from a job, dissatisfaction will occur. When present, hygiene’s prevent dissatisfaction, but do not lead to satisfaction. In this study, the lack of challenging task for the respondents would not necessary lead to dissatisfaction. Higher earnings for the respondents than what they believe to be fair may lead to job dissatisfaction. Conversely, the respondents will be motivated when they are engaged in challenging tasks but will not necessarily be motivated by higher earnings. The result of this study supports the idea that what motivates employees differs from organisation to organisation and from country to country given the context in which the employee works. What is clear, however, is the emphasis given to the ranked order of the most important motivation value factors across cultures. Implications for management and organization: One crucial question to be answered is what motivates employees to work effectively and productively? One of the answers can be, challenging jobs, which allows a feeling of achievement, responsibility, growth, advancement, enjoyment of work itself and earned recognition, have not appeared as very motivating factors as was the case with most studies of this nature conducted in the West. This difference may be due to cultural influences. The West tends to be individualistic while Africa-Nigeria and most other African countries tend to emphasize the social aspects of a job situation. In Africa-Nigeria, clear job description, which ranked 8th position, is a very strong motivator and this seems to be consistent with traditional African value concern for paternalistic superior-subordinate relations. Similarly, contribution to the success of one’s organisation to the African-Nigerian respondents is more important than to be consulted by one’s boss in his decisions and freedom of approach to job. To make a contribution to the growth of one’s organisation is rather a static affair ‘present’ orient-ted and suggests a group of well-motivated employees’ who would want to be consulted by their superiors and get involved with the effectiveness of the organisation and cordial human relationships The ranked order of the motivation value factors of the respondents provides very useful information for management and the employees. Knowing how to use information provided by the study results in motivating employees is a complex task. The strategy for motivating employees depends on which motivation theories are used as a reference point. If Hertzberg’s theory is followed, management should begin by focusing on earnings and job security (hygiene factors) before focusing on interesting work and full appreciation of work done (motivator factors). If Vroom’s theory is applied, management should begin by focusing on challenging tasks and desirable living area for the employees in effort to achieving organizational goals and objectives. If Hofstede’s work-goal theory is applied, management must focus on advancement to higher level jobs, earnings, and security of employment in order to motivate the employees to effectively become satisfied and productive. A comparison of the results provides some interesting in-sight into motivation values across cultures. Challenging tasks, which ranked as number one motivator for Italy and France, ranked number two for Nigeria and number three for Scotland, is a self-actualizing factor. The number one ranked motivator, contribution to success of organization, is a physiological factor. According to Maslow, if management wishes to address the most important motivational factor of employees, challenging tasks, physiological, safety, social, and esteem factors must first be satisfied. If management wished to address the second most important motivational factor of employees, opportunity for higher earnings, increased salary would suffice. Contrary to what Maslow’s theory suggests, the ranges of motivation factors are mixed in this study. Maslow’s conclusions that lower level motivation factors must be met before ascending to the next level were not validated in this study. It is perhaps very interesting to note that the rank order of the factors by the African-Nigerian respondents seems to be gravitating towards ‘hygiene and maintenance factors’. Of the seven factors most highly ranked, only ‘security and earnings’ are indisputably motivation factors in Herzberg terms. One of the points to observe from the table is the relative low position (10th and 17th) scored by â€Å"freedom on the job† and â€Å"to be consulted by direct superior† respectively for the African-Nigerian respondents. Variety and adventure on the job, which is associated to recognition, scored the 16th position. All these factors are motivation factors by Herzberg and host of other western theorists and should have scored much higher. The fact that they did not suggests that the respondents have other priorities and we may have to look into culture and environment for further explanations. The results of this study indicate that job context is more important than job content. Organizational control or interpersonal factors (job-context factors such as co-operation, security, opportunity, contribution and earnings), for the most part, received high-ranking more than internally mediated factors (job-content factors such as success, consultation, freedom and the job itself). The results suggest therefore that efforts to motivate the African- Nigerians should focus on job context rather than on job content. Changes in nature of organizational control factors or interpersonal factors are likely to be more valued than changes in the work itself. Work enrichment programs that help the respondents function as members of a group, and which emphasize formal rules and structures, are more likely to motivate them in an extrinsic oriented society of Nigeria, where satisfaction tends to be derived from contribution and security, than in Italy, France, Scotland and the Netherlands where the job itself is more valued. The results suggest that the African-Nigerian respondents may be effectively motivated by the hygiene factors as long as these factors explicitly meet their personal and family needs. The results presented also suggests that the Italian, French, Scots and the Dutch’s respondents ranking of motivation-value factors, all corresponding to â€Å"higher† Maslow needs. On their part, the African-Nigerian correspondents’ ranking of the motivation-value factors corresponding to â€Å"low† Maslow needs. These findings illustrate that cultures and organizational work settings may have dramatic effect on motivation values across cultures. The empirical evidences that result from this research have shown that the different management theories of motivation in the form they have been developed and applied in the West may not or partially fit culturally in Africa. The similarities and differences among the five country respondents suggest that it make sense to study and compare western motivation values and traditional cultural values, beliefs, perceptions and attitudes among countries, regions and sub-cultures within the same country. This study calls for caution in importation and imposition of training and education practices that draw uncritically on Western motivation management theories and models without due sensitivity to the cultural differences and specificities of how motivation are conceived of and practiced in different cultures. It also calls for an indigenous approach that builds naturally on prevailing cultural norms and values, and for a closer examination and more detailed reporting and support for an appropriate, viable and feasible motivation management theory orthodoxy that is congruent with local environment. Finally, it is argued, based on the empirical evidence of this research results, that the generally accepted Wes-tern (most especially US) motivation theories like Maslow, Herzberg and Vroom may not be very appropriate for motivating employees in Africa-Nigeria and for universal formulating and theorizing on motivation management. Conclusion: The motivational factors that exist in one culture or country may not be present in another. For example, the elements that motivate individuals in an individualistic society vary from those that would motivate individuals in a collectivistic society. People in an individualistic culture tend to view themselves mainly in terms of their own self-interests, goals, and accomplishments and do not normally associate these factors with those of the group or organization with which they belong. The concept of self-actualization is far more prevalent in this type of culture. Conversely, people in a collectivistic culture generally do not partake in activities of a highly individual nature. They tend to align their personal goals and interests to those of the group or organization as a whole. The United States and France are examples of individualistic cultures, whereas Japan is a predominantly collectivistic culture. As mentioned earlier, different types of cultures require different types of motivation. In the same sense, different physical and economic conditions within various countries can influence the actualization of lower-level needs, which may hinder the development of higher-order needs. For example, in countries that are somewhat less developed the stress of everyday life and being able to provide the basic necessities becomes so overwhelming that individuals are unable to move beyond this stage and fulfill higher-order needs. In addition, countries such as Japan that experience high uncertainty avoidance seem to value the need for security more so than self-actualization needs in regards to enhancing work motivation. In contrast, countries such as the United States and France that are lower in uncertainty avoidance tend to pursue self-actualization needs due to the fact that their requirements for security are less complicated and met more easily. When deciding which type of reward programs would be most beneficial to Global Industries, Inc. and its members, several theories of motivation will need to be examined and then applied with reference to the local culture. References: Organizational behaviour – Stephen Robbins Managing organizations – RK Sharma, Sahashi K Gupta Management of Organizational Behaviour- Englewood Cliffs: Prentice Hall. www. academicjournals. org

Australia slashes wheat forecast Essay

In Australia, the commodity markets for wheat hit a formidable loss, as an ongoing drought reduced the predicted crop forecast by a crushing 30%. Australia being the second largest wheat exporter in the world, only behind the United States of America, plays an important role in the distribution of food. Although, in recent years the quantity demanded has risen due to the change in eating habits in China, the growing interest in the use of durum wheat as a bio-fuel, and rising demand for wheat in developing countries. These factors have all contributed to the shortage of wheat, and rising prices of wheat products. For example, pasta in Italy has risen from à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½0.26 per kg to à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½0.45 per kg, and supermarkets may further increase this price by 20% by the end of the year (2007). This rise in price of pasta has created major problems, and protests in Italy, as pasta is Italy’s national dish. Italian’s average consumption of pasta is 28kg a year, making it their staple food. Overall, international wheat prices have risen by a startling 350% in the past five years, and global reserves are at their lowest since the early 1980’s causing geopolitical stress in terms of shortage of food. Since the price of wheat, which is a commodity, (Homogenous goods that are raw materials in critical industries)1 has risen dramatically over the past 5 years, governments across the world should (in a graphical sense) try to shift the demand curve left. The demand (the quantity of goods and services that consumers are willing and able to buy at all prices, for a given time period, ceteris paribus)2 for wheat has been going up, but due to the supply shock (in unplanned change in supply usually occurring because of changes in weather conditions or an external change outside the control of the company or economy)3 – the drought in Australia – the supply (the quantity of goods and services that producers are willing and able to produce for a given time period, ceteris paribus)4 of wheat has decreased dramatically, which has caused a shortage (A deficiency in amount; an insufficiency)5 of it on the global market. Shifting the demand curve left can be done though manipulating the non-price determinants of demand for wheat. Some realistic options of doing this are: the Italian government can reduce taxes to give people a higher income (buy less pasta), the Chinese government can increase income taxes to lower people’s income (buy less meat), negative advertising of wheat and lowering the price of substitutes for wheat (buckwheat, rice, soy products, or other grains). In Italy, since pasta is an inferior good (Items for which an increase in income results in a fall in the amount bought e.g. bread, linoleum and coal)6, in theory people should buy less of it if their incomes rise. In China, since eating habits are changing to eating more meat, farmers are feeding their livestock more wheat for them to grow. By decreasing the Chinese people’s income, they will automatically buy less meat (normal good – Goods to which the general law of demand tends to apply)7. Also, negative advertising of wheat will dissuade people from buying wheat, and will thus push people to buy a wheat substitute, which will be even more of an incentive if the prices of the substitutes are lower than wheat. Also, the demand for wheat used as a bio-fuel can be solved by using other substitutes, such as experimenting with different bio-fuels, like corn. Therefore, the price of wheat can and should be lowered through decreasing the demand for the commodity, as the marginal social benefit of feeding people, has more weight compared to the marginal social costs of the governmental costs of increasing incomes, and lowering prices of substitutes. Shifting the supply curve to the right through the use of a buffer stock scheme (A buffer stock scheme is a form of intervention to try to stabilize the price of a commodity. Stocks of the commodity are kept and sold when the price is high to try to reduce it. When the price is low further stocks of the commodity are bought)8 will be too difficult, or impossible as the reserves of wheat are very low. In short, there would be no other alternatives to fully rectify the shortage, other than rationing, which would still keep some people hungry as there is a shortage. 1 Notes: Commodity Markets – 29th September, 2008 2 Notes: The Law of Demand – September 17th, 2008 3 http://www.bized.co.uk/cgi-bin/glossarydb/browse.pl?glostopic=0&glosid=1213 4 Notes: The law of Supply – September 24th, 2008 5 http://www.answers.com/topic/shortage 6 http://www.bized.co.uk/cgi-bin/glossarydb/browse.pl?glostopic=0&glosid=623 7 http://www.bized.co.uk/cgi-bin/glossarydb/browse.pl?glostopic=0&glosid=680 8 http://www.bized.co.uk/cgi-bin/glossarydb/browse.pl?glostopic=0&glosid=1121

Free Essays on American Capital Punishment

The United States is one of the only nations in the ‘civilized’ world that still permits capital punishment. Also, The United States still practice crude methods of death such death by firing squad. I think that capital punishment is a just punishment. Not only is it a just form of punishment, it is the only way to punish someone who took another persons life. The United States is obligated to justify what loss of life that occurred. The core beliefs of our nation allows us to accept capital punishment as a form of punishment. Anyone who seeks to take another mans life, liberty and property, will be punished with the assistance of the government. In times of advanced technology, crude methods like hanging are still practiced by states like Washington. If we are so civilized, can’t we find a way to carry out punishment that isn’t so rudimentary? Lethal injection seems to be the only civilized and humane method of death. The rules are plain to see, if you do this, then this will happen to you. Someone has to do something seriously bad in order for them to merit the death sentence by a judge. I think that it is fair to say that the idea of capital punishment is just. How else would we compensate another persons wrongful death? No material thing on Earth is worth the price of a persons life.... Free Essays on American Capital Punishment Free Essays on American Capital Punishment The United States is one of the only nations in the ‘civilized’ world that still permits capital punishment. Also, The United States still practice crude methods of death such death by firing squad. I think that capital punishment is a just punishment. Not only is it a just form of punishment, it is the only way to punish someone who took another persons life. The United States is obligated to justify what loss of life that occurred. The core beliefs of our nation allows us to accept capital punishment as a form of punishment. Anyone who seeks to take another mans life, liberty and property, will be punished with the assistance of the government. In times of advanced technology, crude methods like hanging are still practiced by states like Washington. If we are so civilized, can’t we find a way to carry out punishment that isn’t so rudimentary? Lethal injection seems to be the only civilized and humane method of death. The rules are plain to see, if you do this, then this will happen to you. Someone has to do something seriously bad in order for them to merit the death sentence by a judge. I think that it is fair to say that the idea of capital punishment is just. How else would we compensate another persons wrongful death? No material thing on Earth is worth the price of a persons life....

Getting Transcripts for Graduate School Admissions

Getting Transcripts for Graduate School Admissions An essential, often forgotten component to your graduate admissions application is your academic transcript. Your graduate application is not complete until your official academic transcript is received. What Is an Official Academic Transcript? Your official academic transcript lists all the courses that you have taken and your grades earned. It is official because it is sent directly from your college or university to the graduate admissions office and it bears the official college or university stamp, signifying its validity. How Do You Request Your Official Academic Transcript? Request your transcripts by contacting the Registrars Office at your university. Stop by the office and you can complete a series of forms, pay fees, and youre on your way. Some institutions allow students to request transcripts online. Visit the Registrars Office webpage to determine if your institution provides online transcript services. What Do You Need to Request Your Official Academic Transcript? Have the addresses for all the graduate schools to which you are applying on hand. Youll need to provide the Registrars Office with each address. Be prepared to pay a fee for each transcript that you request, typically $10-$20 each. When Do You Request Your Official Academic Transcript? Regardless of whether you request your transcript online or in person, you must process your transcript order early, well before the admissions deadline. What many applicants dont realize is that the official transcript is sent directly from the Registrars Office at their university to the graduate admissions offices of the schools to which they are applying. The Registrars Offices of most institutions require at least 10 business days or about 2 weeks to send official transcripts. It’s a good idea to check with your university well beforehand to ensure that you request your official academic transcripts on time. In addition, the admissions season is a very busy time, so it’s a good idea to request transcripts even earlier than the guidelines set by the Registrars Office. Allow for time to resend the transcripts if necessary. Sometimes transcripts are lost in the mail. Your graduate admissions application is not complete until your official academic transcripts are received, so dont let something silly like missing transcripts jeopardize your application.

Should All Drugs Be Legalized Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Should All Drugs Be Legalized - Essay Example On the other hand, those who violently oppose the legalization of all drugs contend that legalization would actually make â€Å"harmful, psychoactive, and addictive substances affordable, available, convenient, and marketable. It would expand the use of drugs. It would remove the social stigma attached to illicit drug use, and would send a message of tolerance for drug use, especially to youth† (Drug Watch International, 2001, par. 1). The current discourse hereby asserts that all drugs should be legalized to eradicate the costs of prohibition, to lower its prices, and to minimize repercussive violence that results from illegal trade and criminal activities that ensue from the sale and use. At the current status of governmental policies and regulations of restricting the sale and use of drugs, statistics have consistently revealed that ther are more incidences of addiction and costs to society All Drugs Must be Legalized The legalization of drugs would eradicate the costs of p rohibition. As asserted by a Harvard University professor, Jeffrey Miron, the costs of prohibiting drugs are enormous. In the United States, for instance, it was revealed that â€Å"If it legalized drugs, the United States could save $85 billion to $90 billion per year. Roughly half that is spent on the current drugs policy and half that is lost in taxes that the state could have levied on legal drugs† (Miron, 2013, par. 4). ... eral deficits by eliminating expenditure on prohibition enforcement -- arrests, prosecutions, and incarceration -- and by allowing governments to collect tax revenue on legalized sales† (Ghosh, 2010, par. 8). As disclosed, the savings that would be generated from legalization would definitely outweigh the costs of prohibition. Likewise, by legalizing drugs, the black markets would be eliminated and therefore, the prices of drugs would significantly decrease (Drug Watch International, 2001). Birrell averred that â€Å"legalisation would replace the freest of markets that currently exists to the benefit of the world's most vicious crooks with a system in which supply is controlled, products regulated and profits taxed† (Birrell, 2013, par. 8). Thus, the elimination of the black markets would likewise eliminate absence of accountability and make the sale of drugs safer and more secure. Finally, if the prohibition or restriction of the sale and use of drugs are lifted, viole nce and drug-related criminal activities would be reduced, minimized or out rightly prevented. According to Vibes (2013), â€Å"the steady increase in violent crime over the past few decades is directly correlated with the escalation of the drug war† (par. 4). This was supported by Miron (2013) who emphasized that â€Å"prohibition leads to violence. By making a black market inevitable, you generate violence because the conflicts between the parties involved in the drug trade can't be solved by legal means within the judicial system† (par. 20). In fact, from the statistics disclosed by the U.S. Department of Justice, it was noted that â€Å"state and local law enforcement agencies made an estimated 1,336,500 arrests for drug possession or use in 2010† (Snyder, 2010, p. 11). In the UK, it was disclosed