Lead And Manage A Team Essay

1.1 -Explain the features of effective team performance The features of effective team performance is set up through positive leadership, this is something which is developed and nurtured. An effective team will work together, be focused and all the time supporting each other along the way to achieve and reach goals. For a team to be effective, each team member needs to be clear on their roles and responsibilities relating to their job. Team performance will be more effective if there is respect for the leader/manager and an understanding towards their job role and responsibility. The leader/manager should also be aware of the skills or weakness within the team and be able to provide support were necessary and also utilise their strengths. Training and support will enable staff to improve performance, develop confidence and lift spirit within the team. A leader should encourage any conflicts to be resolved through healthy, professional confrontation and willingly and openly negotiate necessary changes. Effective leaders are a bit like cheerleaders for the team, they encourage and support members who are committed and actively with their teams and engage those members who aren’t participating. 1.2 -Identify the challenges experienced by developing teams Lack of Diverse Skills and Interests: If a team consists of members with similar skills and interests, the purpose of the team may not be achieved. Consider the scope of the project before selecting team members to determine which skills and interests best serve the team. Choose team members who have a range of different skill sets and interests. Read more:  Explain the Features of Effective Team Performance Poor Communication When individuals work as part of a team, communication is a key. If a team member treats his role as an independent one, communication suffers. If the team leader doesn’t communicate with the team members, the office suffers. Hold team meetings to discuss expectations. Ask team members about their successes and challenges to gauge the level of communication. Supervisions are key as they are often a good tool to set objectives and measure success. Role Confusion Even though a team works together to achieve a goal, each person needs to know his specific role within the team. Otherwise, role confusion results. When team members lack an understanding of their specific roles or choose not to follow through with their roles, the team cannot develop as a cohesive and well-functioning unit. As a branch manager it is important that i ensure that i develop specific, well-defined roles for each team member. Explain each role, in detail, to each team member to avoid confusion. Monitor team members to make sure they adhere to their assigned role. 1.3 -Identify the challenges experienced by established teams Conflict Conflict can occur in work place for all sorts of reasons, however it can often occur in established teams. Often established teams can become quite friendly and personal issues can interfere or cause problems within the working environment, it is important for me as the branch manager that these are indentified and dealt with sooner rather than later as often it can become difficult to manage if it escalates. Norming Tuckman model refers to Forming – Storming – Norming and performing, Experienced teams can often get stuck in norming which is where everything becomes stagnant and just ticks over day to day. Day to day tasks are complete but nothing above and beyond, as the branch manager its my role to get the team from this stage to performing, this can be done through regular team meetings, supervisions. 1.4 -Explain how challenges to effective team performance can be overcome Working as a part of a team can be challenging depending on different personalities and working styles, however it can be just as rewarding, tasks can get completed quicker and the working environment can be fun and enjoyable. If not managed effectively the team will not function and there are some basic things to bare in mind. Clear job roles Regular team meetings Regular supervisions/appraisals Team building days All staff are aware of what we are working towards Manage performance effectively 1.5 -Analyse how different management styles may influence outcomes of team performance There are many management styles and i believe having one particular type all the time wont work, i find myself more of a democratic which is: Democratic style, the manager allows the employees to take part in decision-making: therefore everything is agreed upon by the majority. The communication is extensive in both directions (from employees to leaders and vice versa). This style can be particularly useful when complex decisions need to be made that require a range of specialist skills: for example, when a new ICT system needs to be put in place, and the upper management of the business is computer-illiterate. From the overall business’s point of view, job satisfaction and quality of work will improve, and participatory contributions from subordinates will be much higher. However, the decision-making process could be severely slowed down unless decision processes are streamlined. The need for consensus may avoid taking the ‘best’ decision for the business unless it is managed or limited. As stated above this does have its disadvantages as decisions can be slow and staff can become to involved in the managing of the business. Other types of management styles are: Consultative Persuasive Autocratic Chaotic Democratic is more my style but I will step into other styles should the need arise, however democratic style has its pros and cons, not all decisions can be made or involve the team and during these times conflict and anxiety may arise, it also has the potential to blur job role boundaries as staff may feel they are in a higher position than they actually are, I think its important during times staff can not be involved in decisions then other styles of management should explored, being stuck in one style can become predictive and staff may become complacent. A good style of management is also Autocratic this style of management is where the manager makes all the decisions and this can be an assertive style however it can make the staff  feel less involved in the day to day running of the business, it does have it pros – staff can feel well lead and managed with the business under control as the manager can come across confident. I think its important to move between the both styles depending on the situation, for example if you are disciplining someone the a more assertive style would be needed, where as if you are trying to reach targets or setting KPI’s then the democratic style would be more suited as you would involve the whole team and let everyone decide how the KPI’s would be achieved, staff are more likely to achieve targets if they are involved in the process. 1.6a &B -Analyse methods of developing and maintaining – trust / Accountability Trust develops from consistent actions that show staff you are reliable, cooperative and committed to team success. A sense of confidence in the workplace better allows employees to work together for a common goal. Trust does not always happen naturally, especially if previous actions make the employees question if you are reliable. Take stock of the current level of trust in the workplace, identifying potential roadblocks. An action plan to build positive relationships helps improve the overall work environment for all employees. Remain honest with your employees about both positive and negative aspects of the business. Expect your management team to maintain the same level of honesty with the employees. This sense of integrity makes your employees and colleagues more trusting of your actions Involve all employees in achieving company goals. Be transparent with your company’s mission and goals so all employees feel they are a valuable part of obtaining those objectives. Employees who feel management values them are more likely to instil trust in those leaders Value all input from your employees. Encourage employees at all levels to share their ideas for improving the company. Listen with an open mind even if you don’t ultimately choose to follow a suggestion made by an employee. Define the duties. Eighty percent of the job is specified by your job description and responsibilities. Twenty percent of your time, however, is spent helping colleagues and clients. Create an atmosphere where everyone bends over backward for the other person. A successful, trusted and well-respected team  member uses words like, absolutely or certainly when asked for help. Look for things that need to be done and do them without being asked! This is the true definition of teamwork. Be clear with prospective employees during the interview process. What are your expectations? Hold your existing employees and new hires to consistent standards, outlined in your policy manual. True teamwork demands that all employees are held to the same standards and, most importantly, do whatever is necessary to take care of the customer! Define your expectations in a workplace policy manual. A personnel policy and workplace manual should cover individual and team responsibilities. If you don’t already have one, or if you have one that needs updating, be sure it includes items such as: Job description Office and working hours Leave time Professional appearance, including body piercing, tattoos and hair color Salary Other benefits Outside employment Probationary periods Performance reviews Absenteeism Discipline Termination Be aware, however, that more important than defining your expectations: You need to be consistent in holding all employees to the same standard or else you will create an atmosphere of favouritism! Outline the time commitment and set aside adequate time for each task. It is not fair to assign or accept a responsibility and then have no time to accomplish the task. Be realistic about the timeframe, and make sure your team members are aware of the deadlines for each project they take on. Be careful to not overload your staff with too many commitments or too many interruptions. They will get discouraged and burned out. Instead, focus on delegating one task at a time, communicating the objective and timeframe clearly. Open the lines of communication by having an open-door policy. Manage by â€Å"walking around.†Ã‚  Know the concerns of your team and deal with them head on. Ignoring your staff’s concerns will NOT make them go away! Be positive in your approach and dependable in your attitude. Do not lose your temper. Instead, be reasonable and predicable. If you respond inappropriately, whether out of anger or insult, your team will remember the 10 percent of the time that you were out of control, not the 90 percent of the time that you did well! By following these steps and increasing the accountability of your office staff, you create trust and respect in the workplace. With these changes, your sense of teamwork and trust will grow, while decreasing your levels of stress and conflict 1.6 -Compare methods of addressing conflict within a team Be Aware when conflict occurs Knowing that conflict may and will occur is the first step to resolving it, especially if you know that certain team members may disagree with each other. By recognising that there will be conflict, a manager knows what to expect. Set the Ground Rules At the beginning set some ground rules in your first meeting. Be sure to address what process will be taken to address conflicts, as they are bound to rise and will need to be taken care of before they spiral out of control. Tell team members that everyone’s ideas are valid and that they shouldn’t be dismissed, even if you do not agree with them. Learn About Destructive Conflicts Conflict becomes destructive when no resolution is in sight or the issue cannot be resolved. A psychological model for explaining destructive patterns is the persecutor-victim-rescuer triangle. The persecutor would be the bad-guy or bully in this scenario, but the rescuer is also placing him or herself in a position of superiority over the supposed victim. Stop yourself if you see yourself slipping into any of these roles and also try to recognise it in your team. Stop Conflict when it Happens Conflict should be addressed immediately before it can grow. If a discussion  grows heated during a meeting, do not wait until the next meeting to address the issue. Instead, discuss the issue while in the meeting; even if members disagree, they are still able to see each other’s points of view. Get the Whole Story Be sure you understand the perspectives of every person involved. Conflicts arise when there are differences of opinion, but also due to miscommunication or misunderstanding. As the manager, you should get all the information you can in regards to the conflict so that you can resolve it efficiently and effectively. Meet for Resolutions If the conflict can’t be resolved during the initial meeting, set up a separate meeting with those that are having the conflicts, so that a resolution can be reached without getting the other team members involved and picking sides. Discuss Both Sides of a Perspective Even if you are inclined to agree with one side of the conflict, do not make a final judgment until each person has had their say. Ending a discussion without hearing each person out can escalate the problem. Explain the pros and cons of both ideas, so that both people can consider the opposing view. Make Compromise a Goal Compromising between parties is helpful, as it can allow for both conflicting parties the ability to use their ideas. Most times, points can be combined in order to make a better idea or solution.

Project Management Project Essay

Question 1 South American Adventures Unlimited SA Adventures Unlimited was formed four years ago by Michael and Jill Rodriguez. Michael was a trained geologist, while Jill had a master’s degree in Spanish. They were both avid outdoor enthusiasts and fell in love while trekking across the Andes in Chile. Upon graduation they seized upon the idea of starting their own specialized tour business that would focus on organizing and leading â€Å"high-end† adventure trips in South America. Their first trip was a three-week excursion across Ecuador and Peru. The trip was a resounding success, and they became convinced that they could make a livelihood doing something they both enjoyed. After the first year, Adventures Unlimited began to slowly expand the size and scope of the business. The Rodriguezes’ strategy was a simple one. They recruited experienced, reliable people who shared their passion for South America and the outdoors. They helped these people organize specific trips and advertised the excursion over the Internet and in travel magazines. Adventures Unlimited has grown from offering 4 trips a year to having 16 different excursions scheduled, including trips to Central America. They now had an administrative support staff of three people and a relatively stable group of five trip planners/guides whom they hired on a trip-by-trip contract basis. The company enjoyed a high level of repeat business and often used their customers’ suggestions to organize future trips. Although the Rodriguezes were pleased with the success of their venture, they were beginning to encounter problems that worried them about the future. A couple of the tours went over budget because of unanticipated costs, which eroded that year’s profit. In one case, they had to refund 30 percent of the tour fee because a group was stranded five days in Blanco Puente after missing a train connection. They were also having a hard time maintaining the high level of customer satisfaction to which they were accustomed. Customers were beginning to complain about the quality of the accommodations and the price of the tours. One group, unfortunately, was struck by a bad case of food poisoning. Finally, the Rodriguezes were having a hard time tracking costs across projects and typically did not know how well they did until after their taxes were prepared. This made it difficult to plan future excursions. The Rodriguezes shared these concerns around the family dinner table. Among the members in attendance was Michael’s younger brother, Mario, a student at a nearby university. After dinner, Mario approached Michael and Jill and suggested that they look into what business people called â€Å"project management.He had been briefly exposed to project management in his Business Operations class and felt that it might apply to their tour business. 1. To what extent does project management apply to Adventures Unlimited? Or, in other words, is this company managing projects? Explain your answer. Answer in a short paragraph (no more than 100 words) using font size 12. Question 2 Answer question #1 on page 147 in the exercises section. Question 3 Pg. 192 Optical Disk Preinstal lation Project Draw the network diagram A – Complete the following table with information from the network diagram:

Good Country People: the Twin Dragons of Image and Language Essay

â€Å"Good Country People†: The Twin Dragons of Image and Language â€Å"Good Country People† by Flannery O’Connor tells the story of a thirty-two year old handicapped woman originally named Joy but later Hulga with a PhD in philosophy. Towards the end of the story, the supposedly intelligent and cunning Hulga is seduced by a supposedly simple, naive, and innocent-looking Bible salesman by the name of Manley Pointer. As in Revelations, it is possible to see the twin dragons of image and language working together to persuade in this story. Specifically, the twin dragons as characterized using dialogue spoken by Hulga and Manley create a sense of individualism, maturity, and control of personal fate ; however, only Manley possesses these qualities, while Hulga is under the illusion that she does. Also, when used by the author, the twin dragons’ message to the reader is one of human collectiveness, vulnerability, and simplicity. As an example, both dragons are utilized by Hulga when she uses her philosophical knowledge to persuade the Bible salesman of her superior understanding of the world. In the barn, Manley Pointer tries to drive the conversation to his advantage; however, she is able to withstand his attempt: â€Å"’We are all damned’, she said, ‘but some of us have taken off our blindfolds and see that there’s nothing to see† (674). The legless girl chooses to use the word â€Å"damned† in an attempt to better connect to Manley Pointer’s religious language. In addition, Dorothy Tuck McFarland points out in her essay â€Å"On ‘Good Country People’† that the blindfold confession does not empower her, but actually shows â€Å"Hulga’s surrender to love†(1054) which â€Å"makes her vulnerable to a revelation of her own blindness† (1054). I agree with McFarland’s statement because the more Hulga talks about herself, the more she reveals information that can be used against her. In addition, the girl’s use of the blindfold image serves as a tool to differentiate herself in a positive way from others who are monotonous sheep of a flock; she is different, better, all-knowing while others are mindless. The author’s intention here is to show, by appealing to Hulga’s ethos, the negative tendency for human beings to see their qualities in a false positive light and highlight them for others to be impressed. It is now clear that when the dragons of image and language are employed by the character Hulga in this case, it is to present herself as strong and unique in the eyes of Manley Pointer. In an ironic twist, O’Connor uses the dragon of language with dialogue coming from Hulga to present her entirely differently than she presents herself: naive and weak. As Pointer reveals his true self, the girl realizes that she has been tricked, her demeanor changing drastically: â€Å"Her voice when she spoke had an almost pleading sound. ‘Aren’t you’, she murmured. Aren’t you just a good country people? †(675). All of her former beliefs along with her confidence are demolished in an instant, and this is highlighted by words such as â€Å"pleading† and â€Å"murmured†. Not being able to pass through life with an orderly step-by-step procedure because of her physical condition, Hulga’s social and love life stand on fragile foundations, and this is why her emotions overshadow her academic and philosophical intellectualism which ironically blindfolds and so pushes the girl into developing a false impression of Manley Pointer’s innocence. The author is using the dragon of language to persuade the reader of the girl’s weak nature, reflective of the true mental weakness of human beings in society on a larger scale; most people believe they are in control of their own destinies, but in reality, they cannot even be certain if the sun will rise tomorrow. A similar distinction can be made between the presentations of another character, Manley Pointer, by the author versus by Manley himself. When introducing him, the author uses the dragons of image and language to create a simple, innocent, and common-looking country boy, traits which enable him to win Mrs. Hopewell’s trust. Before dinner is ready at the lady’s home, this apparent Bible salesman shows up at her door trying to persuade to buy bibles: â€Å"Well lady, I’ll tell you the truth – not many people want to buy one nowadays and besides, I know I’m real simple. I don’t know how to say a thing but to say it. I’m just a country boy† (667). In these lines, the boy appears as if he has almost given up on selling bibles and turns himself into a submissive servant in order to give Mrs. Hopewell a sense of control over him and their discussion. The salesman appeals to ethos which makes the lady lower her guard; however, he is still not successful until he plays with her emotions when he mentions his heart condition: â€Å"I have this heart condition. † (668). This approach is effective because â€Å"he and Joy had the same condition! †(668); because of this, Mrs. Hopewell’s trust is won and he is given a free meal alongside Hulga. Dorothy Tuck McFarland argues that the image of naivety the county boy creates makes the girl feel â€Å"that he offers no threat to her and allows herself to respond to his open admiration† (â€Å"On ‘Good Country People’†1053). Therefore, McFarland sees the boy’s clever persona as a tool to cause Hulga to manifest her affection the same way the salesman misleadingly manifests his. I would add further that his persona of innocence and simplicity does not only win her attention but eventually wins the girl’s trust and her heart as well. Regardless of McFarland’s or others’ interpretations, the twin dragons used by the author intentionally persuade the reader that people on a societal scale are simple and submissive by turning our attention to Pointer’s aura of reliability which poses no threat and creates trust. In a similar ironic twist of presentation as experienced via Hulga, Manley Pointer’s strength of character is unexpectedly revealed later in the story. Images and languages help reveal his true identity and his actual beliefs, showing his individualism, manipulation of others, and control of his personal life. After the Bible salesman reveals his true colors, the girl tries to persuade him that he is just another Christian; however, Pointer shuts her up when he speaks his mind: â€Å"I hope you don’t think,†Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬Å"that I believe in that crap! I may sell Bibles but I know which end is up and I wasn’t born yesterday and I know where I’m going! (675). The boy’s former beliefs are compared to the strong word â€Å"crap† which shows that being formally educated in philosophy is not the only way to deny God and religion in general. The bible salesman’s language changes from what was previously submissive and humble dialogue to what is now an empowered, angry, and insulted one, suggesting that it is wiser to be skeptical not only with seemingly trashy people but also with the innocent and simple country ones because the latter may actually be the most proficient backstabbers. Through is own use of the mentioned images and language, Pointer reveals that even â€Å"good country people† can be clever, unique, and surprising even when it comes to playing with the minds of the so-called intellectuals. As was done in the case of Hulga, the author puts these words into Manley’s mouth to persuade the reader that when people present themselves, they emphasize their strengths, uniqueness, and control of their own destinies. It is interesting to see that the difference between a first impression and an in-depth evaluation of a character has manifested itself in two ways in this story, as we have seen. Hulga is transformed by the author from a know-it-all to a confused, insignificant dot. On the other hand, Pointer is transformed from the latter to the former. The twin dragons of image and language when used by Hulga make her look strong on the outside, but the same dragons show her true inner weakness when used by the author. Conversely, the dragons of image and language used by the author for Manley Pointer make him appear weak on the outside, but when used by Pointer himself show his true inner strength. In the end, O’Connor uses the twin dragons to further her own thesis of the disappointing reality of human nature.

In what manner (if any) does Stonewall Jackson illuminate the ideas Essay

In what manner (if any) does Stonewall Jackson illuminate the ideas and concepts put forth by the classical theorists (Sun Tzu, - Essay Example He was also successful at occasionally playing a defensive strategy when one was needed. Thus, he effectively displayed Clausewitz’ theories of attack and defense strategies. Jackson was also very skilled at mobilizing his troops and getting them to a location with great speed. Because he was able to get to the right spot at the right time, he was able to obtain important victories for the Confederacy (4). His ability to maneuver with great speed is something that Jomini believes is critical to success on the battlefield. In his work, â€Å"Summary of the Art of War,† he explains that â€Å"rapid movement† and â€Å"striking in the most decisive direction† is one of the most important factors in the outcome of a battle (5). Additionally, Jackson and Lee both held that obtaining specific enemy territories was critical to the army’s overall success. This is something that Jomini believed was also critical in determining the outcome of a war. It is obv ious that Jackson and other Civil War leaders studied Jomini and, in fact, his work â€Å"became the text book for the conduct of the American Civil War† (6). Sun Tzu’s work, â€Å"The Art of War,† deals heavily with the importance that terrain plays in the outcome of a battle. Much of Jackson’s success was due to his exceptional knowledge of the surrounding terrain as well as his ability to utilize the terrain to his advantage.

The UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights Essay

The UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights - Essay Example human rights although structured with a very specific content can sometimes be given different meaning because under the influence of the members of the decisive levels of society’ (Fonte, J., 2004, p.3). In the specific paper human rights are examined from their international perspective as it has been formulated under the influence of United Nations Declaration of Human Rights. At a next level a specific country, Canada, has been chosen as a ‘sample of examination’ regarding the recognition of the value of human rights and their respect throughout the rules set by the government. The study of this issue is mainly based on a specific book which is analyzed as of its structure and its content while the views presented are being criticized as of their applicability in modern life. In this context, current paper has been formulated in order to present as more analytically as possible the ideas and the proposals included in the particular book trying to support any a rgument with the appropriate theoretical and practical data, wherever this has been possible. The presentation of Canada’s political and economic history could be characterized as satisfactory. More specifically, Part I, Chapter 1 and Chapter Three present the country’s structural characteristics supported with a series of statistical data with an extended emphasis on the current economic and political characteristics of the country. A more detailed historical review is included in Chapter Seven which deals also with the country’s capitalist economic development. The comparison with similar conditions in other countries – which are geographically connected with Canada , like United States – help the understanding of current economic and political conditions in the Canadian region. As an example it is mentioned that ‘during the nineteenth century the shift in the centre of the system, from Britain to the United States, began to take place; Economic inter ­locks between Canada and the

Nursing care given to a patient with paranoid schizophrenia Essay

Nursing care given to a patient with paranoid schizophrenia - Essay Example This is a nursing case study prepared on the basis of the observations made by the author while on a practice placement. The paper discusses the observations made about the nursing care given to a patient with paranoid schizophrenia.The study is also intended to show the role of a nurse in care; including assessment, planning, implementation and evaluation and also in the care given to the patient’s family. In this particular case, the method used was Orems Self-care model (2001) which emphasizes on improving the patient’s state of health and making them feel responsible for their own health. It is not possible to undermine the role of a nurse in this system which is mainly to promote physical, mental and social health through developing a good, trust-based relation with the patient. In addition, this case study will show how client-centered nursing models are used in which the patient’s interests and rights are respected and protected to the maximum possible ext ent. As Rogers C (1990) opines, the nursing team in this particular case develops strong relationship with the patient with real exhibition of sympathy, originality, and willingness to listen while dealing with the patient. As per the NMC (2008) directive that nurses should develop a deep and reliable relationship with the patient, the author engaged in conversation with the patient; and the expected result was a relationship based on respect and belief (Baker 2003). In this particular case, the patient’s individual freedom to decide her own life was preserved as far as possible (Ewles & Simnett, 2003). As per the definition by Lowden, (2002) autonomy means allowing the patient to make decisions in personal matters. The Patient The patient in this case study is named Mary. The name is imaginary to comply with NMC professional code of conduct (2002). She was 54, and was admitted to the hospital with Paranoid Schizophrenia. Before her entry into the Ward, there was a holistic a nd thorough assessment by the duty doctor. The basic concepts of care The method of care is totally holistic in nature. In this case, Orems (2001) Self Care Model of Nursing is used as the basic criteria and it follows the four stage nursing process of assessment, planning implementation and evaluation. As Barker (2003) observes, this holistic approach will explore the physical, psychological and social spheres of nursing assessment. Assessment The nursing process starts with assessment (Roper et al 2000) which includes all the present and historical information about the patient This must include as much information about all spheres of life as possible including the mental health, family background, education, religion, beliefs and occupation. Family history of mental disorders and other genetic factors are also taken into consideration. In addition, adequate attention is paid to the patient’s lifestyle and living situations. There are a number of ways suggested by Townsend (2006) for the assessment of patients which include consultation with other health professionals, collecting data from family members, watching and interview. In addition, according to the Oxford Nurses Dictionary (2002), a holistic assessment will consider a patient’s psychological, physiological and social life. In the opinion of Jenkins & Field (1996), collecting all these information from a patient will help a nurse in developing a healing relation with the patient. In fact, Mary had a long history of schizophrenia. For her, the disease had its beginning about thirty years ago but the disease was not diagnosed accurately in the beginning. The disease at first started in the form of tension along with sleeping problems and difficulty concentrating. But no one including her parents took the change seriously as there was a tragic incident. It was during those days that her husband died in a car accident. When she shrank more and more into her own private world, all includin g her parents and friends thought it as a result of the shock caused by her husband’

Taxation Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Taxation - Coursework Example There are many reasons why taxation is practiced by the government in any country. One of the main reasons is to pay expenditures for the government. The expenditures includes, paying for the public expenditures that happen in the daily life like cleaning the environment and maintenance of the cities. All this is managed by the government and catered for by the revenues the citizens are taxed. The country may lack enough revenues and decide to borrow which is not a secure act. It is good for the country to maintain its economy by using more of the taxation money for such expenses in order to avoid dangers like inflation. By doing so, the public goods produced in the country and the merits can be well be provided from the taxation fee than borrowing the fee from outside country which may affect the country very heavily. The current UK budget can clearly show how the taxation is utilized by introducing austerity measures which raise the VAT and cut the costs of the public services. Rec ently, billions of cash was cut from the budget of the new coalition government of the UK. All the departments except the health and oversee aid cut their spending to over 25 percent where by it created a chance of making 750, 000 new jobs (Finney 2005). This looks because the government has created new job opportunities in the country. Another reason for taxation is for the government to correct the market failure. The government has the right to intervene into the individual markets in the country to govern them and correct them by lowering or raising their taxes. This is majorly to increase or decrease the demand of the goods and services. The demand of demerits goods such as cigarette can be reduced by increasing its taxes. This is for the better of the country by discouraging the citizens not to be taking the cigarettes and polluting the environment. On the other hand, products like books and educational goods can be exempted from raising the taxes and

The Harlem Renaissance and its Effect on African American Literature Research Paper

The Harlem Renaissance and its Effect on African American Literature - Research Paper Example Its flame continues to burn today through the writings of contemporary African American authors. It has been argued that the Harlem Renaissance was short-lived and without much effect on literature black or white. However, to say this and limit its impact to a short period in the 1920s is shortsighted, as the early writing of such authors as W.E.B. DuBois clearly â€Å"manifested an awareness of the possibilities of a black aesthetic still in development today...It might even be that its effects were still being strongly felt, and thus that it was still figuratively alive, as late as 1970.†2 The complex nature of the literary movement which we identify with the European Renaissance is very much a continuing project. Clearly the literature of the period had roots firmly planted in the African experience of writers, most of whom were descendents of slaves. While some sought to incorporate slavery into their work, others such as Alain Locke in his 1926 book, The New Negro: An Interpretation sought to promote black authors as legitimate representatives of an expanding African-American culture. â€Å"Central to the development of this racial awakening is a new internationalism which Locke describes as primarily an effort to recapture contact with the scattered peoples of African derivation.† 3 While African roots of blacks in this period played an intrinsic role in life and literary development of blacks, the Renaissance had a surprising reciprocal effect on African writers such as Peter Abrahams as noted in his comments upon reading DuBois’s The Souls of Black Folks. â€Å"Du Bois...might have been writing about my land and people. The mood and feeling he described were native to me....[he] had given me a key to the understanding of the world. The Negro is not free.†4 A note here should explain that DuBois in his writing chose to explore

Environmental Sustainability in the Construction Sector Term Paper

Environmental Sustainability in the Construction Sector - Term Paper Example EIA also refers to the study of the impacts of a proposed projects, plans or programs on the environment. It assesses the possible positive and negative impacts that a proposed project may have on the environment. It consists of the natural, social and economic aspects. The purpose of EIA is to ensure that decision makers consider the ensuing environmental impacts when deciding whether to proceed with a project (ecolink.co.ke). The USA first introduced EAI under the Environmental Policy Act (1969). Since then it has evolved and a variety of offshoot assessment techniques have emerged acting as a broader impact assessment toolkit (International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED). The main focus is on social, environmental health, biodiversity and cumulative effects and risks. This initiative by the USA motivated many countries to initiate formal EAI systems with legislations and regulations. The EAI systems served as a guide as to when an environmental assessment was requisite, and for what kind of projects. EAI plays major roles as far as environmental sustainability is concerned. It serves as a deterrent measure to adverse projects and at the same time a development tool for beneficial projects. The major roles of EAI are environmental sustainability, policy development, planning, investment, monitoring and assessment as discussed below. Environmental sustainability refers to development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs (World Commission on Environment and Development 1987). EAI guarantees protection and preservation of the environment and natural resources including human health aspects against uncontrolled development. This is meant to ensure a sustainable economic development that meets present needs without compromising the ability of future generations to sustain themselves (Guidelines of Principles and

The bible from Genesis to Revelations Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

The bible from Genesis to Revelations - Essay Example God created Eve and Adam who later gave birth to three sons, that is, Cain, Seth, and Abel. After some time Enoch emerges and later Noah and the ark. Next, is the story of the tower built in Babel and after about 1000 years later, Abraham also appears. The story of the people chosen by God begins from Abraham. This is because God had promised Abraham that he will make him a father of a big nation and his descendants will be as many as the stars. Abraham after many years gave birth to Isaac who later gave birth to Esau and Jacob. The name Jacob later changed to Israel and Israel means â€Å"wrestles with God†. Jacob gave birth to twelve sons who later formed tribes in Israel. The tribes were twelve in number just as they were twelve. Jacob’s most famous son was Joseph. Joseph was sold as a slave to Egyptians, and later he rose to a higher rank in Egypt and because of his influence in the Egyptian government, he managed to bring his family to stay in Egypt in order to save them from famine. The story in the book of exodus starts 400 years later. In this book, the family of Israel does not enjoy the prestigious status as it used to when Joseph was alive. Most of them were taken as slaves as when Joseph died (Maartens & Van, 2011). After about 400 years later, God broke His silence with his manifestations seen when he revealed Himself through signs and wonders to the masses. God, in order to make pharaoh leave his people to go back to the Promised Land, did many wonders in Egypt. The wonders inclu ded the plagues that he brought to the Egyptians. When Pharaoh released the Israelites, God gave them directions and told them how to build the tabernacle and this marked the book of exodus. The book of Leviticus begins, but it is full of laws hence nothing much on it can be discussed. Numbers is the next one and a good part of this book is about census. It begins with a census where they count the population of

John Marshall Essay Example for Free

John Marshall Essay â€Å"Its is emphatically, the province and duty of the judicial department, to say what the law is.† (Ducat, Craig Constitutional Interpretation p. 10) These seventeen words written two hundred years ago made the highest court in the United States supreme, and making it so, Chief Justice John Marshall’s words in that sentence continue to make an impact on every Supreme Court case thereafter. Justice Marshall laid the basic foundations to protect the Federal system that was established by the Constitution. In Marbury v. Madison, McCulloch v. Maryland, and Gibbons v. Ogden the Supreme Court maintained the United States as a federal state. Marbury v Madison was the influential case that the Supreme Court cites as a precedent when employing judicial review. It left the power to be rested on the judicial branch when determining to uphold either the law or the Constitution. By establishing the right to judicial review, Marshall, with the support of the legislative and executive branches, made all cases before the courts subservient to the U.S. Constitution. Cases that have been heard after Marbury v. Madison, that come into question, must be interpreted through the Constitution. Uniformity of all states of the Union were established when Marshall and the Supreme Court ruled in McCulloch v. Maryland. Although the Constitution gave powers to the states under the Tenth Amendment, Marshall implemented the powers of the Federal government by exercising Article 1 Section 8 Clause 18 (necessary and proper clause) and Article 6 Section 2 (supremacy clause). Marshall explained that the Constitution gave the federal government the power to incorporate a bank if it deemed it necessary and proper not for the powers of Congress, but necessary and proper for the powers granted to Congress by the Constitution. Marshall also outlined the rights of the states by enacting Article 6 in his decision. He stated that the supremacy clause prohibited the states from having the power to tax, which would then involve the states power to destroy the powers of the Constitution to create. Gibbons v. Ogden expanded the powers of the Federal government aforementioned in the previous two influential cases. This case defined the Commerce Clause found in Article 1 Section 8 Clause 3. In his genius, Marshall defined commerce not only as an exchange of commodities, but also the means by which interstate and foreign intercourse those commodities travel. By giving the Federal government control over commerce through interpretation of the Constitution, Marshall preserved the prosperity of the country as an economic Union conducting business under national, not state, control. Chief Justice John Marshall’s decisions in all three of the cases explained previously depict the evolution of the Supreme Court. Marbury v. Madison separated the powers of the three branches of governments, McCulloch v. Maryland separated and defined the powers of the Federal and state governments, and Gibbons V. Ogden separated the commerce powers of the Federal and state governments. Marshall decided each case based on the foundations established by the U.S. Constitution, and in each of his decisions, he preserved the integrity of the Framers intentions of the United States as a Federal state.

Race and ethnicity in the United States Census Essay Example for Free

Race and ethnicity in the United States Census Essay The media is an industry where the competition is intense and it has been used by the government individuals, organizations, institutions, society, and family etc. for various purposes. However, due to the increasing competition in the industry, many at times the functions and duties which the media owes to the society are significantly overlooked. There are various functions of the media some will be discussed later on in this paper. The aim of the media has to a fearfully large extent shifted from fulfilling its roles to the society, rather their focus is often on how much entertainment they can offer to their audience and how much money they can make and how quickly they can make it. Entertainment and money making is definitely key in the existence, survival and growth of this industry, nevertheless, this should not be achieved by inappropriately portraying a group’s identity in any form. DEFINITION OF KEY TERMS Construction – To make or create, by putting together ideas, components or arguments. Group Identity – This refers to a person’s sense of belonging to a group. Media- Are communication channels through which news, entertainment, education, data or promotional messages are disseminated. Media includes every broadcasting and narrow casting medium such as newspapers, magazines, TV, radio, billboards, direct mail, telephone, fax and internet (business dictionary, 2015). THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK SOCIAL IDENTITY THEORY BY TAJFEL TURNER (1979) This theory was propounded in order to understand the psychological reasons and basis for inter- group discrimination. The components of this theory goes thus: Categorization- This is the process of putting ourselves and others into categories, our self-image is associated with the categories we belong to. Identification – This is the process by which we associate ourselves with certain groups of people. Nevertheless there are some groups we don’t want to be identified with (out groups) and there are some we would want to be identified with (in groups). Comparison- This is the process through which we compare our groups with other groups, thereby creating a positive bias towards the groups in which we are members of. This aspect of this work will focus on two salient functions of the media amidst the various ones there are. Social heritage function- The onus lies on the media to transmit positive racial and ethnic values about every existing race and ethnic group. The act of highlighting and spotlighting the various negativities of races and ethnic groups should be avoided. Surveillance function- This is the duty the media owes to the society in circulating news and information when necessary, the media is responsible for providing information about events. THE CONSTRUCTION OF GROUP IDENTITY BY HOLLYWOOD (A STUDY OF THE LATINO RACE) There are five acclaimed races in the world: 1) Mongoloid (Asian and American Indian) 2) Caucasoid (European) 3) Australoid (Australian and oceanic) 4) Negroid (East African black). 5) Capoid (South African black) The Latinos could be said to belong to the Mongoloid race and most of the 315 million people who live in the United States of America are either immigrants or have ancestry to another country. In actual fact, the only truly American people are the Native ones. This country is based on the idea of migration in pursuit of a better social and economic life. According to U. S. Census Bureau (2012), there are roughly 52 million Hispanics/Latinos living in the United States, representing approximately 16. 7% of the total population of United States of America, and making them the nation’s largest ethnic minority. Among Hispanic subgroups, Mexicans rated as the largest at 63%, followed by Puerto Ricans (9. 2%), Cubans (3. 5%), Salvadorans (3. 3%), Dominicans (2. 8%), and the remaining 18. 2% were Colombians, Guatemalans, Portuguese, Honduras, Ecuadorians, Peruvians, Brazilian. The main reason for their migration has been either that they are politically endangered or have financial problems. For instance the Cubans who ended up in America wanted to escape from the political conditions in their country. Escaping from the communist government practiced in Cuba, they were considered as ‘political refugees’ in America for three and a half decades until 1995. As a result of America’s opposition to the Cuban government, they were treated in America better than almost any other ethnic group. This has also been partly because of their high level of education and professionalism before migration (Martins, 2006 as seen in Mousavi Sadeghi, 2013). Latinos, Mexicans in particular, mostly live in the Southwest; almost half in California and Texas. Puerto Ricans are mostly in the East and Cubans are in Florida. According to the U. S. Census Bureau, legal Hispanic household income is only 75 percent of White American income. There is also a high rate of poverty and unemployment among them, and their socio economic status is at a low level. The cause for this situation is partially their jobs being the lowest paid ones, their low education level, and employment discrimination (Camarillo and Bonilla, 2001). They are present in the news, advertisements, election campaigns, political debates, television and films. The common major feature that is present in all of these portrayals is the problems related to them that should be solved and not to be glorified, exaggerated or exploited by Hollywood. Before now African Americans were more likely to be portrayed as domestic workers in Hollywood. African Americans played major roles in television sitcoms such as â€Å"Beulah† in the 1950’s and â€Å"Gone with the wind† in 1939. In recent times Latinos have increasingly replaced African Americans as Hollywood domestics. Hollywood has presented an incorrect reality of the Latino people to the American people and to the world at large, it has exaggerated a poor image of this particular race. Although the Latinos who live in America get more roles to play in Hollywood, most of these roles are mentioned in the next paragraph. The Latino female is often presented as a temptress, vamp, lustful, promiscuous, unfaithful, manipulative, of loose morals or submissive at times in relation to a white male fantasy, low class, serving the whites. A list of Ten Latino Female artists who have played the role of a maid in Hollywood Movies/series. Jennifer Lopez – Maid in Manhattan, 2002 Aida Linares- Clueless, 1995 Lupe Ontiveros- As good as it gets, 1997 (She has played an estimate of 150 maid roles on television). Consuela-Family Guy, 2005-till present Nadine Valesquez-My name is Earl, 2005-2009 Paz Vega- Spanglish, 2004 Kate Del Castillo- La misma Luna, 2007 Adriana Barraza- Babel, 2006 Catalina Saavedra, The maid, 2009 Roselyn Sanchez, Devious Maids, 2013- till present Pania Ramirez – Devious Maids, 2013 till present THE MEDIA, DIVERSITY AND SOCIAL CHANGE INITIATIVE (MDSCI)’S SIX YEAR STUDY REVEALS SOME STATISTICS. Among the racial and ethnic groups studied in the Media, Diversity, and Social Change Initiative’s report, released August 2014, Latinos made up only 4. 9% of movie characters across 100 of 2013’s top-grossing films. According to the U. S. Census Bureau’s estimates, there are roughly 52 million Latinos in the U. S. as of July 1, 2011, or just over 16% of the current U. S. population. That number is on track to reach 132. 8 million — or about 30% of the U. S. population — by July 1, 2050. LATINOS THAT ARE DEPICTED IN TOP-GROSSING MOVIES ARE MOSTLY NAKED. While the study does note that â€Å"Hispanic females (37. 3%) were more likely to be featured in popular films than were white females (29. 6%) or Asian females (32%),† Latinas are also more likely than females among any of the other groups studied (37. 5%, to be precise) to be shown partially dressed or nude on the big screen. LATINOS ARE ALSO HIGHLY LIKELY TO BE SEXUALIZED. The sexualization of Latinos does not stop with women. Latino men were the most likely among the studied groups (16. 5%) to be depicted wearing â€Å"tight, alluring or revealing clothing. † DANGERS OF THE NEGATIVE PORTRAYAL OF RACE ETHNICITY BY THE MEDIA ?Since there is a tendency to believe what is represented or depicted by the media; as particular races or ethnic groups are often negatively portrayed, others who are not acquainted with such group of people are bound to believe they are actually the way the media has presented them. ? Another danger of negative portrayals of race/ethnic groups by the media is that the younger ones from such groups may not be able to see themselves better than the way the media has portrayed them. For example if a race is continually depicted as a maid or as vulgar murderer the younger generation of such groups may not see anything wrong with being that way and could actually end up as same. ? This particular race have existing challenges of employment, poor education; the continuous depictions as such does not help solve these problems, but only worsens them. ?It could be difficult for people who are negatively portrayed to keep relationships with or amongst other races who are depicted as superior to them. THE NOLLYWOOD CONSTRUCT OF ETHNICITY (A STUDY OF THE YORUBA, AND NORTHERN NIGERIANS) The founding fathers of Yoruba films in Nigeria i. e. Herbert Ogunde, Moses Olaiya (Baba Sala) Based their works on the constructive values of the Yoruba ethnic group without leaving their audience entertained. In recent times Nollywood has neglected the transfer of social heritage function in the production of Yoruba films. More often than necessary abusive statements, raining of curses and the invention of such and rascality has been synonymous with Yoruba films. The very rich Yoruba culture which the world could learn from is often being tarnished by our film industry. However there are various Yoruba producers who focus on spreading the positivity of the Yoruba culture i. e. Tunde Kelani, Tade Ogidan, Yinka Afolayan. Men from the Northern part of Nigeria are also often times portrayed as either a gateman or the security man of a well-established family. The character who could actually be Yoruba speaks like a man from the north to convince the audience that the gateman is a man from the Northern part of the Country. Little does Nollywood know that many of the gatemen in Lagos which I can speak for are not even Nigerians. I have observed that most of the gatemen/security men in reality are actually from Niger Republic many of them look like Nigerian Northerners, are able to speak Hausa language but they are not Nigerians. RECOMMENDATIONS ?Every race has some sort of value and norms that could be positive, the media should hereby seek out such and spread them. ? The media needs to respect the fact that every human person has dignity and should be portrayed as such. ?They never should never assume that a particular race or ethnicity is less than the other, regardless of the socio economic status of such groups. ?The media should seek to solve the challenges faced by some races and ethnic groups rather than exploit them. ?The media should be reminded that they are socially responsible to the society, thus they should be mindful of what they feed the society with.

The Human Resource Management Of Toyota

The Human Resource Management Of Toyota The Toyota culture has developed since the companys beginning and is the core competency of the corporation. The Toyota is first and leading about culture, the manner people behave and think is deeply entrenched in the company beliefs and its principles. At the core it is regarding respect for individuals and incessant improvement (Liker, 2004). Human resources management in Toyota is an organizational function that personnel and operates a unit. These workforce deals with problems related to individuals within the organization. They make programs to select the best, develop and retain talent and set up a system for employee benefits, payroll administration and daily operation. For manufacturing companies due to the comparatively complex organizations and the processes connecting to levels of employees, this HR department can play a more interactive part in hiring the correct talent, taking care about the workplace needs, hearing the voice of employees, promoting teamwork and mediating conflicts that would maximize efficiency, productivity and competitiveness. Toyota mission is to make sure to get the most utilization out of all of people whether it is team associate on the floor. Everybody is the customer and company is trying to attain a successful business, which entails everybody functioning at the maximum level Strategically, there is a very reflective difference in Human Resource at Toyota contrast to traditional companies but possibly not in the way they might think. Toyotas strategic view is that lean management needs more extremely developed individuals and deeper belief than in a mass manufacturing system. People turn out to be the most critical part of the system and their readiness to recognize and solve issues is what drives continuous improvement. As such, Human Resource is arguably the most significant function in the enterprise. The accounting roles of Human Resource are moderately trivial at Toyota contrasted to roles in developing individuals and creating a fair atmosphere based on shared trust. The human resource department at Toyota plays a very diverse role than that of dealing out with people as a stream of assets. Strategically, the Toyota views the team associates are developed as the main competitive competency of the corporation (Liker and Meier, 2007). And developing outstanding people is the most significant work of the company, the organization emotional with that responsibility had improved is exceptional. One merely has to seem at the people who pass through HR as managers to become aware of something is different at Toyota. Organization directors, vice presidents of manufacturing, and a number of the leading experts on the Toyota production scheme have spent time operational in HR. Since HR has a key position in developing people who effort in operations so HR managers have to be experts on operations. As lean management is a technique for eliminating waste and the object of a great deal of waste elimination is labour cost, one might think the main reason of lean methods is head-count decrease. Toyota has an extremely different sight. People who are healthy trained in problem solving will primary contain the difficulty to get production organization and then take the time to recognize the root reason of the difficulty and develop and implement contradict measures. The insinuation of the attitude of management is quite deep. 1. There have to be a standard, so team members can be familiar with deviations as issues. 2. Team members must be healthy trained to understand the principles. 3. Team members cannot terror that exposing a difficulty will get them in problem. 4. Team members have to be trained in difficulty-solving methods. 5. Team members have to be motivated to help the corporation achieve its goals. Attribute of fetching a strategic associate with the business is representative support for organizational/commerce strategies through alignment with persons strategies. Such position puts HR in an improved position to deliver worth, which thereby demonstrates dependability. HR has turn out to be successful by ensuring that good policies and procedures exist and by managers/ HODs on what they can and cannot perform. HR participates in the business meetings and relationships of the business since HR understands the business and positions exist inside the business. Corporation strives and promises to provide a career development trail and utilize the skills of the resources, and this assure of the business is merely fulfilled by HR since they evaluate the performance and take proper decision so that preeminent suits the business and the resource. The standard for Human Resource is to support the companys principles and to partner with developed in order to arrive at the business strategic goals. The reality of the conditions was that none of these two was being achieved. There was much information from the corporation indicators to substantiate this, including data as of the hotline-call scheme, a regular opinion review, and team associate meetings. With this gap recognized, it was time to get to effort on problem solving. Regularly at Toyota, problems recognized are solved by reaching a cross- functional team together and letting them to employ the problem-solving procedure and empowering them to create the decisions necessary to get care of the issues. * Improved joint effort within HR and with manufacturing. * Development of personage skills in HR. * Integration of HR values into each section. * Greater elasticity in the workers. * Improved communication and entrance to HR for team members. * List all current member roles. * Identify the main roles of HR and then support the organization accordingly. * Operate within budget constraints. Approach of Toyota is much more holistic and broad. It starts with an attitude that the power of the company is based on kaizen and admiration for people. Dimension of success is multidimensional and reflects the achievement of the venture, not particular projects. The leadership hierarchy is not there to delegate development to black- belt specialists but rather best at every level play an important position in daily improvement and develop team members. Toyota is conjured of people and people are greatly capricious from person to person and still the same individual over time. Toyota sets an example of a learning organization that is real and successful. It is successful for the possessor of the company and for the team members. It begins with the assumption that individuals are the most imperative resource and require be developing, nurturing and challenging. Human resource management is the most visible and significant functions in the corporation because humans are barely the competitive resource that cannot be imitation Human Resource changes Key external factors are pouring radical changes to the organizations shape and work the Strategic circumstance for organization people currently and in the imminent years. The factors are for illustration, technological evolution, social and economical changes, operational environment, etc. To remain competitive, organizations regularly find it essential to commence major changes that have an effect on their processes and people. 1. Strategic Partners * Act as an essential part of the commerce team. *Connect the business team in methodical organizational audits resultant in clear priorities. * Give HR resources to the trade. * Possess clear understanding of current business circumstances (internal and outside 2. Administrative Experts * Develop and manage rule, plans, and policies for efficiently managing human capital. * Act as consultants in fields of know-how, supporting additional HR professionals and additional HR clients. * Take blame for continuous development in programs and operations 3. Employee Champions * Speak for employee wants and management anxiety about employee relations. * Know the employees and foresee their concerns and issues. * Be approachable by employees. * Be professional in assisting employees. * Provide employees with the resources they need for meeting company objectives. 4. Change Agents * Influence and impel organizational change strategies in sustain of business objectives. * Manage the process to make sure successful change management. * Incessantly take the organizations pulse concerning both internal and external affairs. * Remain up to date about implements and practices of change in order to successfully and efficiently run change and react to the organizations needs. Team performed the HR roles of both employee and strategic partners. The task of the teams included: * Development: on job development, section-specific training, coaching, process improvement, section business and strategic planning. * Employee Relations employee advocate, peer reviews, concern resolutions, safety and health. * HR Systems rewarded promotions up to assistant manager, training for salaried members, salaried relations. HR and manufacturing now effort on the annual business tactics together, resulting in improved collaboration and addition of the two departments, while at the similar time preventing a number of the team member concerns as of coming up like they used to. In other words, if considering manufacturing and HR are two silos and Toyota divide HR into small teams to work with management, it will assist the collaboration of each although make it harder to make sure fairness and constancy across all of the departments. For this motive, the team suggested that there still be an essential HR administration group that would be dividing into specific functions consecutively to address the problem that were pointed. The group consisted of the subsequent functions: *  Personnel   Comp/benefits, payroll, transfer system, staffing and recruiting *  Health and Safety   Medical leave of absence, early symptom investigation support, Disabilities Act, data reporting, health evaluation, workers comp, family and medical leave. *  Employee Relations   Communications, Policy development and training, recognition. *  Training   Team leader training, Promotion process, problem solving training, quality encircle, plant-wide training. This central group now had the aptitude to focus on planning and policy setting and turn out to be the experts of their own areas. Increasingly, change management is seen as a permanent function to improve competence and keep organization flexible to the competitive market. Organization strategically employs change to improve organizational efficiency. But bringing about endearing change in todays competitive surroundings requires thoughtful planning, effectual communication and employee acceptance. The team spent numerous months getting contribution from the patrons and benchmarking, and then analysis. They looked at the present structure of the HR and found that the biggest difficulty with the existing layout was that HR was figuratively apart from the manufacturing part and also not doing a fine job in partnering with them or being accessible to the team associate and edifice the relationship of trust. As the function with key responsibility for human capital management that has involved from the commencement when main organizational change inventiveness is being developed. The impact of organizational changes on employee approach cannot be overstated. Many people are uncomfortable with change, and are filled with hesitation and apprehension over job security and the future, conditions that can threaten the accomplishment of change initiatives. Human resources departments can lead the way in change management because of their training in communications, performance appraisal, improvement planning, safety and organizational systems. When these skills are optimized, any work setting can go from confrontation to resplendence because of the inclusive nature of changes. Aspects of SHRM (Performance Management System) It is an easy fact of life. The majority humans will lend an ear to praise. No matter who is the being in question, he or she will be able to spare a number of times for compliments, even downright flattery. In conditions of performance management, admire can be an extremely influential tool to motivate the employees and enhance productivity. Up till now it should be realized that delivering meaningful admire is not as easy as it sounds. Certainly, there are ways to go concerning it that are stronger than others. In adding, the timing and optimized constructiveness of admire are very significant points of finesse which is supposed to be hammered down before a manager goes into the field (David, 2002). An effectual supervisor will not consider acknowledging star workers, and letting them to acquaint with just how much they appreciate the stellar performance delivered. A supervisors work is complex, and in the middle of numerous projects it might be easy to allow an employees exceptional performance expedition by unnoticed. This, though, is a dangerous error. It is absolutely vital that supervisors acknowledge workers when they succeed; stipulation a performance management plan is to have any effect on a business since an employee is forging in front in his or her field does not signify that a manager should just pile more effort on the already loaded shoulders (Ummit, 1997). But admire should be administered cleverly, if it is to come crossways right. All too frequently employers are seen amateurish their displays of support by not associating the exact accomplishments with the reasons for the admiration when administering a praise. Most importantly, though, the praise is supposed to be sincere. A supervisor is supposed to never praise an underperforming employee just to jumpstart results. This will ultimately go wrong on the management by point a lower standard of performance and a tapering degree of credibility in universal (James, 1996). The management of praise should be attuned based on the place of the employee or workers in question. Persons at the entry level, for instance, will advance more fast when praise is given rather liberally. Here we observe the notion of estimate. For those start a new job, respect and admire can be given even stipulation the employee doesnt hit the spot perfectly on aspire. At this phase, nurturing the employee is more important than considering results achieved with deafening accuracy. The bar is raised, though, when admire is administered to employees with more experience and superiority. There, encouraging imprecise performance when exactitude is within reach can cause irreversible slippage in conditions of the in general professionalism of the workplace. It be supposed to be remembered, however, that when and knowledgeable employee encounters a new put of everyday jobs, he or she should be praised at the admission level, once more, in order to construct up the skills essential for success in the novel area of work (Fred, 2006). The contented of praise that is positive should be cautiously developed. In arrange to demonstrate the authenticity of the praise known; a supervisor should connect the employee on a decision-making as fit as an interpersonal level. By starting out with an account of how the corporation assistance from the employees performance, the supervisor be supposed to then segue into how the celebrity performance complete him or her feel. After allowing some time for reflection, the worker should drive home how significant the employees performance is to the association (John, 1996). Performance management is a total process which throws glow on the overall association performance to the departments and at the employees level. It too tends to focus on the process to give a goods or services in the association. Scholars have proposed the move of Performance Management from association structure to the employees for achieving improved performance. Others have distinct the multi dimensional organization arrangement in order to performance management to describe the linkage among employees performance management systems to attain its strategic objectives (Micheal, 2000). Workers Performance Management system is a complete procedure, which is based on the workers performance and the accomplishment of managerial objectives at all levels. The essential philosophy at the back the performance management system is to developing the alignment among the managerial objectives, with the employees skills and capabilities, furthermore it emphasize on the growth and improvement of the in general system. People more often than not misperceive the performance management to the performance appraisal; in real performance appraisal is judging the history performance as performance management system is an ongoing procedure to measuring the completion of objectives (Mark, 1995)). Performance appraisal as contrasted to the performance management in which the center is made on the contrast between the performance standards life form made by the association and the actual performance of the employees as no one in fact compares the performance against the managerial objectives. Performance management is the real subject while we effort in the organization for excellence control, in excellence based organization the objective of the performance is complete on the achievement or completion of the goals quite than established principles (Paul, 1999). Researchers have been made in the performance appraisal although unfortunately it did not provide any satisfactory consequences as researchers tends to explain the performance appraisal as it did not effort for the employees as healthy as on for the association except developing the displeasure or expiation. It was finished two of his researches that 90% of the workers found the performance appraisal as an unproductive. The reasons he deduced as of his research are similar to the Managers avoid giving truthful critiques because they dont desire any conflict. Often times managers fear the appraisal process as a great deal as employees do, so they put off and dont prepare adequately. Workers can be demoralized by ratings and statistics as of the research supposed that 80% of people observe themselves in the top 25% of all performers. So 55% will be actually demoralized by honest feedback concerning where they place (Tony, 2000). Performance appraisal is not responsibility something extra for the association and the organization awarded workers based on the appraisal not capable to get the required consequence. Reward does not alter the performance of persons who work exclusively for prize. Better remuneration system can by no means be a good option for the association for achieving its objectives. On the oppose part it can de-inspire the employees due to uneven distribution of plunder on the basis of performance appraisal. On the entire consequences of performance appraisal might lead to the refuse of overall performance of the association. On the other surface, Performance management of the workers is the system which allow the organizations to attain their goals by utilizing the fully skill level of their workers. It begins when a worker joins the organization and trimmings when he leaves your association (Louse, 2002). Performance management and receiving the required behaviour is single of the centre issues which most of the association fails to analyze in arrange to achieve the necessary goals. Organization behaviour be supposed to be developed among the individual in such a method which is performance leaning and behaviour should be examine and then modified to develop the required performance (Simmen, 1996). The achievement of the system is connected with employees expectations stipulation the employees expectations complete with the appraisal system, after that there exists positive relationship and vice versa. The additional thing which must be reserved in mind while rising the goals that it be supposed to be in accordance with the workers and organization capability. Person should be answerable in promoting of a performance management system which in fact promotes the quality culture (John, 1996). The essential purpose of performance management system is to creating the position in between the association objectives and its associate systems to achieve the association objectives, Carter. In modern association there should be a fair performance management system to attain the organization objectives. By strategically by the performance management system organizations can develop its performance principles, can develop the procedures and then reports the judgment for further development and in this an incessant process keep running. In TQM system Performance management system play a significant role for developing as healthy as measuring and achieving the objectives. The approaches similar to balance score certificate, metrics, and indexes are supposed to be match with the system in the quality procedure to the organizations (David, 2002). Stable performance management system plan was taken by scholars to attain the organizations vision deliberately. Balance score focusing on the four business prospective i.e. financial, client satisfaction, business procedure and the organization knowledge and innovative culture. A recent survey indicated that the companies use a standard of 13 management gear at the corporate level. These tools are prospect to help measure or check the performance of an association, and within this the most well-liked performance related instrument was the fair Scorecard. In the nonattendance of a basic strategic background, managers found it firm to agree on an suitable set of measures of managerial performance. Balance scorecard is the stage for measuring the association performance having coordinating with financial and non economic feature of business (Louse, 2002). Deliberately goal setting, rising performance management system, person accountability, rewards and credit are some of the input elements for a excellence performance management system. Next to this, total quality process too focuses of the contribution of all the stake holders of the organization counting the Management, workers, suppliers and clientele. Employees performance depends on the effectual performance management system. Worker must have knowledge concerning their job what they have to have to perform in arrange to fulfil its job aim. In organization the developed performance elements tell the employees actually have to perform and the performance principles tells the workers that how effectively they have to have to perform (Ummit, 1997). The performance rudiments are the indicators which can differ from the organization to association it can be output, effectiveness, and impartiality. While the standards comprise certain objectives for which to employees have to have to achieve. Performance principles and elements be supposed to be such that which have to be calculated, attainable, pale and challenging. Federal system describes the basic three dissimilar types of elements which can be used for the effectual performance management system that are dangerous elements, non critical rudiments and performance elements. Treacherous elements or activities are persons for which an person is assigned for, non risky are those which have no direct effect on the employees performance dimension but it pay an significant role as performers perform in some collection or team activity. Extra performance measurement can be based only on the collection performance rather than the person accountability (Louise, 2002). Critical and non critical rudiments are both interdependent, dangerous elements are believed to be the basic purpose of an individual while non critical and added performance elements are the behind units for receiving the outcomes. Goals can only be achieved stipulation both critical and non dangerous elements are being correctly communicated. At all the levels of the association, there have to be a system of dimension for measuring all the dangerous activities. Performance management is a continuous procedure in which the go after up is being given after every activity is to perform and gauge, (David, 2002). Rising and managing a performance management system is not a simple task. There should be consensus among workers when goals are developed and goals are such that which must be easily sub divided into dissimilar organization level. By the balance card developed by all the four potential (Financial, Process, customers, and Organization culture) must be reserved in mind. Management must be dedicated to develop the structure and proper message with the employees should be made. Clear Measures have to be adopted and employees at all level have to be aware with the adopted procedures. Performance management is a continuous procedure; follow up be supposed to be given to the workers so that employees can approach to know regarding their performance in the association (Louise, 2002). As the performance management is an expensive process and a group of time and money concerned in it so great mind should be taken; merely critical activities should gauge which are necessary for achieving the managerial goals. Though this does not mean that completely lack of knowledge of non critical and added performance elements. These are the supporting rudiments which provide the strategic and act as a means for achieving organization objectives (Mark A and Huselid, 1997). The Performance Management procedure begins and trimmings in the same series of events which are as follows: Personal goal setting Performance study Midyear performance analysis Annual performance appraisal Under individual goal location, the supervisor and the employee will be seated together to set yearly goals at the year finish; the goals are to be attained by the employee at elected accommodation of the subsequent year. Under performance preparation, the manager and the employee, throughout the same goal setting sitting, will arrangement on how to perform in arrange to achieve the goals mainly effectively. In the following year, the supervisor will analysis the employees development and achievements, counsel and coach for better performance, give credit and appreciate for achievements so distant and make changes in the performance diagram, if necessary; the progress of worker shall tell the manager whether or not the all set goals can be achieved in the known year (Paul, 1999) At the year finish, the manager and the employee will be seated together to appraise the employees performance in the known year and the feedbacks will all be fed into location new goals and action tactics for the next year. You may discover the performance management process attractive easy, however, implementing each stage of it requires an sympathetic of how person performance of all employees can translate into total managerial performance. As look upon to this, managers require asking themselves the next questions: WHAT TO ASK WHAT TO DO What does the company desire to achieve in the extended run? Gain imminent into the corporate vision What business does the company has to be in to attain its vision? increase insight into the corporate assignment What will be the strategy to maintain in that business? Formulate business strategy What are the functional objectives behind the strategy? Place functional objectives Process of the Performance Management system: Individual Goal Setting Performance Planning host a performance appraisal sitting between the manager and the employee assess performance as against predetermined goals measure competencies as adjacent to required competencies set for existing role measure potentials as against necessary competencies set for prospect role chalk out person Development Plan delineation to fill skill gap, motivation ambition gap and cooperation gap chalk out strengthening plan to reward/recognize for achievement and punish for deliberate failure Year Performance Review Performance review session among the supervisor and the employee discuss on performance development status and seek answerability for missing deadlines on goals revise performance plan with new deadlines for goals Performance Appraisal Host a performance appraisal session among the supervisor and the worker measure performance as preset goals gauge competencies as against necessary competencies set for current position measure potentials as required competencies set for future position chalk out Individual growth Plan outlining to fill ability gap, motivation ambition gap and communication collaboration gap chalk out strengthening plan to reward for success and punish for on purpose failure The beauty of this Performance Management process is that it has three dimensions only, which give three major outputs that can be fed into other four dimensions of HRM and not to mention Performance Management also. The beauty is illustrated as follows Performance appraisal Performance Measures Score Scale Outputs Performance assessment Set Goals 5-points New goal setting Competency assessment Required competencies of present role 5-points growth Plan Potential assessment Required competencies of prospect role 5-points Vocation Development plan Those are the underlying principles that can be used by managers to develop/modify existing Performance Management mechanism and put them in perform in the company for the betterment

Womens Role In The Economy Essay example -- essays papers

Womens Role In The Economy â€Å"The Transfer of Women’s Work from the Home to the Market† â€Å"The transfer of women’s work from the household to commercial employment is one of the most notable features of economic development† (Lewis, Historical Perspectives on the American Economy P. 550). In colonial America there was a distinct sexual division of labor. Men were property owners and heads of households. A man’s responsibilities included staple crop farming, hunting, and skilled craftsmanship in order to produce commodities for market (An Economic History of Women in America Pp. 30-33). Women were responsible for a variety of different jobs. In the home and the fields women ensured the survival of the family. They were responsible for child rearing, housework, food processing, cloth and clothing manufacture, candle and soap making, household furnishings, and farm chores (EHWA P. 31). A few unmarried women would work outside the home as domestics or farm servants. Women would also handle the sale of handicrafts and household manufacture. In the early nineteenth century only a very small fraction of women in the United States worked in the agricultural, industrial, and service areas of the market sector. Wages of women relative to those of men were exceptionally low within the area of agriculture. With the spread of industry, relative wages for women increased, and their employment appeared to be linked to the technological advances of the factory system. As the country became more industrialized, more women began to work outside the home, in factories and in the clerical sector, and their wages began to increase relative to the wages of men. Late in the nineteenth century there was a rising demand for clerical workers. By 1890, only 18.2% of adult women participated in the labor market. Of that 19%, 40.5% were single women (aged between fifteen and twenty-four). Only 4.6% were married women. (HPAE P. 560) It was not until the twentieth century that married women entered the labor force in any substantial way. They first entered the labor force in the 1920’s when they were young, and later in the 1940’s and 1950’s, in their post-child-rearing years. There have been important gains in the participation of married women in the labor force, with particular age groups, or cohorts, affected during particular decades. I... ...ed women in America’s past frequently came from an economic necessity, but it has also implied economic autonomy. The rise of economic independence for women has resulted in many social and societal changes such as the formation of wider and less family-dependant social networks, a greater chance for marital dissolution, and the possibility of less constrained and structured gender roles (HPAE P. 571). Today, there are almost as many women in the work force as there are men. It is now a rarity for a woman to work exclusively within the home. In our current economy it is almost a necessity for both the man and woman to work outside the home in order for the household to survive. It was interesting to learn about the economic factors affected women’s participation in the work force in the past and relate that to women’s role in the work force today. Bibliography: Matthaei, Julie A. An Economic History of Women in America: Women’s Work, the Sexual Division of Labor, and Development of Capitalism. New York: Schocken Books, 1982. Whaples, Robert and Betts, Dianne C. Historical Perspectives on the American Economy. New York: Cambridge University Press, 1996.

Davidsons The Folly of Trying to Define Truth :: Philosophy Argumentative Papers

Davidson's "The Folly of Trying to Define Truth" Davidson’s argument against the possibility of defining truth draws upon the work of Tarski. However, Tarski’s assumption that the semantic conception of truth holds only for formal languages which are not semantically closed is not as plausible as it seems to be since it can be shown that this would result in the impossibility of formulating a theory of truth, because the epistemological presuppositions of formal semantics undermine any theory of representation of reality in which our cognitions can be true or false representations. Yet Davidson concludes that "there cannot be a definition of ‘For all languages L, and all sentences s in L, s is true in L if and only if . . . s . . . L’." I am challenging Davidson by introducing into his above scheme my own definition of truth — "For all languages L, and all sentences s in L, s is true in L if and only if we prove s in L" — and then showing how to prove this definition philosophically. I. Introduction: Can we define truth? Davidson argues for "the folly of trying to define truth" and claims that Tarski's "accomplishment was accompanied by a proof that truth cannot (given various plausible assumptions) be defined in general" (Davidson, 1996:269). Tarski's plausible assumptions are that his "semantic conception of truth" can be formulated only for formal languages which are not semantically closed. But these assumptions are not so plausible as they seem since it can be shown that if we accept them it is impossible to formulate a theory of truth because the epistemological presuppositions of formal semantics undermine any theory of representation of reality in which our cognitions can be true or false representations (Nesher, 1996). Yet Davidson concludes from Tarski's theory of truth that "there cannot be definition of `For all languages L, and all sentences s in L, s is true in L if and only if ... s ... L'." I would like to start by challenging Davidson about his claim for the impossibility of defining truth and to introduce into his above scheme my own definition of truth; then I will show how to prove this definition philosophically: [1] `For all languages L, and all sentences s in L, s is true in L if and only if we prove s in L'. We can see immediately that the plausible assumptions of Tarski's "semantic conception of truth" for semantically formal languages do not hold in my definition of truth since I define truth in the same language in which it is used.

Educational Goals and Philosophy :: Education Teaching Teachers Essays

Educational Goals and Philosophy I have many reasons for choosing education. The first reason would have to be that I love being around children. I like to watch them get excited about new things that they learn and see their eyes light up when something really amazes them. The second reason is that my mother is a teacher. I have seen her in class with her students and how they have so much respect for her. I also have much respect for her because I know teaching isn’t easy and there has not been a day in her teaching career that I haven’t seen her amaze the students or me for that matter. I just hope that one day maybe I can be as good of a teacher as her. My last reason is that I hope to make learning fun and exciting for students. When I was a student in grade school I had a teacher that didn’t use any special teaching methods or manipulatives and that class was boring for me. One year I had a teacher that used many exciting activities, such as, treasure hunts to make learning fun. I learned a lot from that teacher and was very excited about what I learned. During my observation experience I noticed that the classroom environment helps to enhance student’s learning. From this experience I would like to display projects that I did at that grade level to motivate my students and encourage them with their work. I would also like to hang pictures and have sculptures that would be fun and educational for them at their level. For example, if I would teach fourth through sixth grade, I would use fossils and skeletons for their learning experience with science. I could also use pictures of famous places for learning history like The Eiffel Tower, The Leaning Tower of Pisa, Big Ben, The Taj Mahal, The Great Pyramids, The Sphinx, Stonehenge, etc. I believe that classroom management is as important as classroom environment when it comes toward contributing to children’s learning. From my experience, I feel that if a teacher uses only negative discipline then he/she has a repugnant affect on students, which causes the student not to reach their potential. In my classroom, I plan to use both positive and negative forms of discipline, so that good behavior will be rewarded and students will remember and be motivated toward proper behavior. Educational Goals and Philosophy :: Education Teaching Teachers Essays Educational Goals and Philosophy I have many reasons for choosing education. The first reason would have to be that I love being around children. I like to watch them get excited about new things that they learn and see their eyes light up when something really amazes them. The second reason is that my mother is a teacher. I have seen her in class with her students and how they have so much respect for her. I also have much respect for her because I know teaching isn’t easy and there has not been a day in her teaching career that I haven’t seen her amaze the students or me for that matter. I just hope that one day maybe I can be as good of a teacher as her. My last reason is that I hope to make learning fun and exciting for students. When I was a student in grade school I had a teacher that didn’t use any special teaching methods or manipulatives and that class was boring for me. One year I had a teacher that used many exciting activities, such as, treasure hunts to make learning fun. I learned a lot from that teacher and was very excited about what I learned. During my observation experience I noticed that the classroom environment helps to enhance student’s learning. From this experience I would like to display projects that I did at that grade level to motivate my students and encourage them with their work. I would also like to hang pictures and have sculptures that would be fun and educational for them at their level. For example, if I would teach fourth through sixth grade, I would use fossils and skeletons for their learning experience with science. I could also use pictures of famous places for learning history like The Eiffel Tower, The Leaning Tower of Pisa, Big Ben, The Taj Mahal, The Great Pyramids, The Sphinx, Stonehenge, etc. I believe that classroom management is as important as classroom environment when it comes toward contributing to children’s learning. From my experience, I feel that if a teacher uses only negative discipline then he/she has a repugnant affect on students, which causes the student not to reach their potential. In my classroom, I plan to use both positive and negative forms of discipline, so that good behavior will be rewarded and students will remember and be motivated toward proper behavior.

Culloden Case Essay

Culloden is not an action film, or a historical documentary, it is a historical deconstruction.   It serves to retell the events of the battle of Culloden as they really occurred.   Culloden was not the patriotic battles filled with the heroes that are portrayed in history books, it was an occurrence of bloody mass slaughter and ethnic cleansing. Through filming the events in a documentary style and vividly reconstructing events, the Director of Culloden, Peter Watkins, represents the horror of war in a true and realistic manner and allows the viewer to feel as though they are witnessing events first hand.   This technique, coupled with rapid editing, loud noises and tight close-ups brings the horror of the events home to the viewer and any images of the battle that a viewer may have previously held are completely lost. Within the documentary the deficiencies of the myths contained in history books and stories are revealed.   The character of Bonnie Prince Charlie, for example, is not portrayed as the romantic hero with whom people traditionally associate, rather he is revealed as an incompetent fool who self obsession leads to the murder of innocent civilians and soldiers. The presence of the British historian commenting on events from a safe distance is aimed squarely at pinpointing exactly how this reality becomes distorted over time.   The disjoint between the events on the field and the historian’s reaction to them serves to show how events such as this are dramatized.   Even in the midst of the bloodshed and the violence the historian views events with bias, commenting on them in an animated and vibrant fashion. The film draws the viewer’s attention to a number of factors that are traditionally forgotten in the heroic tales of war; it is an extremely terrifying event where innocent people die, the soldiers themselves suffer horrendously from the events and dreadful mistakes are made.   Whilst the bravery of the men who fight these wars should be remembered, so should the reality of what occurred on the battlefields.

Pluralistic and Elitist Matrix Essay

Introduction Power is an essentially contested concept. Power is an inherently political concept. Therefore, to define power, we should constitute components of political sociology. Power is the ability to share, exercise or delegate responsibilities and authority (Byme, 2010). There are various theories of power; the pluralists, elitists and Marxists. Pluralists explain the way power is distributed in the society. Elitists show how power is concentrated in the society. Marxists show how class conflict with economic power (Connolly, 2006). However, this paper will create a matrix of difference between the pluralist and elitist. Under pluralists, political power is split and detached. The presence of social classes, status groups, political parties, interest groups and pressure groups are evidence of power distribution. It is agreeable that groups provide more efficient and effective means of representation than the electoral process (Patron et al.., 2006). Pluralists provide that no one group will dominate because every group has equal and opposite changes. It postulates that the larger the group, the more influencing power it has. Policies prove as the outcomes of their bargaining; therefore, compromises tend to be moderate, fair to all and conductive to social balance. The state is so impartial in the contending groups and behaves like an orientation between them. Pluralists are divided into two groups: insider and outsider groups. Insider groups are those that are more powerful as they form part of establishments. Insider groups can work intimately with the voted and selected Provo in both central and local authorities. However, the group is not so beneficial because it is conferred upon those with principally attuned opinions to the ruling regime. On the other hand, outside groups are less powerful and do not have easy access to politicians and civil servants since its outside status is a sign of weakness. Groups can choose to remain outside because perhaps to avoid  being compromised (Hill, 2005). An example of this system is the National Union Party (NUP). NUP from the pluralistic view is an independent party group formed and given power during an electoral process to represent and fight for the rights and interests of citizens. The roles and representing interests are put in the manifesto. Elitists, on the other hand, include the ruling over by small elite groups that make decisions or rules over a large group which is submissive and marginalized in political powers (rothkopf, 2008). Elitists have colossal sources of power got either through wealth possessions, religious authority or traditional authority in the society. Modern democracy contains democratic elitism opportunities for the ordinary passive masses to vote in various elites to rule over them (Patron et al.., 2006). Distribution of power in society reflects the inequities in wealth. Some groups have few resources, and others have many. Some interests are unorganized; some rely on others to protect them, for instance, the poor, mentally ill, children, homeless, and women among others. Groups always fight their battles in a pattern that is systematically loaded in favor of middle and upper-class interests or the interests of economic groups (Richardson et al.., 2011). For example, Public oversight Authority (POA) from an elitist viewpoint is a politically organized committee with the purpose of raising and spending resources so as to withdraw and choose a political candidate. POA represents youth, employments, business projects and youths with special interests.POA can raise up to $20000 to promote a committee in the national political party. In conclusion, the difference in sources, nature, analysis and verdict of power between the Pluralists and Elitists is stated by the following matrix. Pluralists Elitists Sources of power Interests of the society Elite group formation Nature of power Detached intense Analysis of power Positive neutral Ultimate verdict The system of power is engaged. The system of ruling is accepted. References Byrne, R. (2010). The power. New York: Atria Books. Connolly, W. E. (2006). Political science and ideology. New Brunswick, NJ: Transaction Publishers. Hill, M. (2005). The public policy process (4. Ed.). New York: Pearson Longman. Patron, S., & Phelan, M. (2006). The higher power of Lucky. New York: Atheneum Books for Young Readers. Richardson, I., Kakabadse, A., & Kakabadse, N. (2011). Bilderberg people: elite power and consensus in world affairs. Abingdon, Oxon: Routledge. Rothkopf, D. J. (2008). Superclass: the global power elite and the world they are making. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux.