Gays in the Military - 1427 Words

Gays in the Military, is it right? For nearly 50 years, it has been the U.S. militarys official policy to exclude homosexuals from service. In November 1992, President - elect Clinton told Americans that he planned to lift the militarys long - standing ban on gays and lesbians. Homosexual men and women, he said, should not be prevented from serving their country based on their sexual orientation. Soon after taking office in 1993, Clinton faced powerful military and congressional opposition to lifting the ban. General Colin Powell, then - chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and Senator Sam Nunn, who was chairman of the Senate Armed Forces Committee between 1987 an 1994 and left Congress in 1996, announced that they would seek to†¦show more content†¦Throughout the 1980s, concerns about the spread of AIDS further solidified some military leaders opposition to allowing gay people to serve. The directive remained in place until 1994, when it was supersede by the dont ask, dont tell policy. Between 1980 and 1 990, the armed forces discharged an average of 1,500 service members annually because of their homosexuality. Defenders of the dont ask, dont tell policy argue that the military must do what it needs to maintain the strongest possible fighting force. In order to carry out that obligation, they say, military leaders must have the authority and discretion to set rules as they see fit to keep up morale and maintain order. On the issue of gay peoples service, they say, if military commanders maintain that allowing gays and lesbians to serve openly would be detrimental to morale and discipline, then courts and public should respect that decision. Defenders of the ban and of the militarys current policy dispute the notion that military personnel should be afforded the same constitutional protections as civilians. Policy supporters maintain that the military is a unique institution with its own set of rules. Opponents of the current policy believe that while the military may have aShow M oreRelatedGays in the Military 966 Words   |  4 PagesThe United States military isn’t shy when it comes to the issue of gays in the military. When people think of gays in the military they usually compare them to blacks in the military. Most people use this analogy because blacks â€Å"have been oppressed and excluded from the main stream† (John Sibley). During this time period not only were black, and gay excluded from the military but women were also seen as people who didn’t belong in the arm forces. Even thought blacks in the military had to go thru differentRead MoreGays in the Military2022 Words   |  9 PagesGays In the Military Very often political institutions reflect the will of society and set the precedent for norms that will be expected of its members. The United States Military is still enforcing archaic policies which threaten to harm the principles our nation was founded upon. The principles of freedom and equality are those that every American holds closest to their heart, that is unless you are in the military and are gay. The issue of gays in the military has developed into a caseRead MoreGay s On The Military1171 Words   |  5 PagesGay’s in the military The argument about gays in the military is a very popular one today with the media and politicians alike. Both sides have valid points in this argument we will look at both points of view and try to make an informed decision based on both points of view. Military Historical Policy The Articles of War of 1916 covered the issue of homosexual behavior for the first time, although exclusion was limited to assault with the intent to commit sodomy. A revision of these regulationsRead MoreGays in the Military Essay899 Words   |  4 Pages The subject of Gays in the military has been debated over many times by many people. When dealing with whether or not gays should be allowed in the military the simple question of, Do they want to be in the military?, must be answered. After this question is answered you can begin analyzing the problem. The answer to the question, Do gays want to be in the military?, is an unquestioned yes. Gays would be proud and determined to protect this beautiful country in which we live. I personally am confusedRead More Gays in the Military Essay1362 Words   |  6 Pageshomosexuals from service. In November 1992, President - elect Clinton told Americans that he planned to lift the militarys long - standing ban on gays and lesbians. Homose xual men and women, he said, should not be prevented from serving their country based on their sexual orientation. Soon after taking office in 1993, Clinton faced powerful military and congressional opposition to lifting the ban. General Colin Powell, then - chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and Senator Sam Nunn, who was chairmanRead MoreGays in the Military Essay1761 Words   |  8 Pagestell† policy that was put in place in 1993 by congress under President Clinton, in which gays are allowed to serve in the military as long as they do not disclose their sexual orientation. Recently, Obama has made good on his promise of â€Å"change†, and brought the debate on whether or not to repeal the DADT policy to congress and it is currently under review. If the policy is repealed, it would allow for gays to serve openly in the armed forces; which means that not only could they freely discloseRead MoreEssay about Gays in the Military778 Words   |  4 Pages The question of whether or not gays should be alowed in the military is a hotly debated event in curnent politics and their are many arguments for and aginst it. these very arguments give us some insight about where our society is going and how willing we really are to accept others. So now we have two citizens both wanting to join the military and both identical in everyway save the fact that one in straight and one is gay. They both pass all tests with the same score yet one is let in andRead MoreGays in the Military: An Overview of the Issue746 Words   |  3 PagesGays in the military: An overview of the issue One of the most divisive civil rights issues of recent memory revolves around the question of whether gay Americans can serve in the military and be open about their sexual orientation. Until the Clinton Administrations Dont Ask, Dont Tell (DADT) policy, evidence of homosexuality could get a soldier discharged. In fact, there were many jokes during the draft era, particularly during the Vietnam War, of unwilling straight recruits pretendingRead MoreEssay about Sexual Tolerance of Gays in the Military1252 Words   |  6 PagesTolerance of Gays in the Military In 1999, more than 1,000 men and women were discharged from military service due to their sexuality. That number has actually decreased compared to recent years. (Suro NP) Homosexuals were purged from federal employment in 1950, with Bill Clinton updating that policy in 1993 by adding the â€Å"Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell, Don’t Pursue† policy. (Deicher 176) This policy doesn’t work and needs to either be updated again or the ban against homosexuals lifted. Gays should beRead MoreWhy Gays Shouldn’t Serve by David Horowitz Essay1054 Words   |  5 PagesIn the essay â€Å"Why gays shouldn’t serve† by David Horowitz he states that â€Å"Don’t ask, Don’t Tell policy is a way of containing the destructive force of sex on a combat capability called Unit Cohesion. (354)† This controversial topic has surfaced more and more recently because Barack Obama wanted to let all people serve in the military, regardless of their sexual orientation. â€Å"More than 1,000 retired flag and general officers have joined us in signing an open letter to President Obama and Congress

Essay about Racial Discrimination in the U.S. Justice System

Racial Discrimination in the U.S. Justice System Introduction In modern-day America the issue of racial discrimination in the criminal justice system is controversial because there is substantial evidence confirming both individual and systemic biases. While there is reason to believe that there are discriminatory elements at every step of the judicial process, this treatment will investigate and attempt to elucidate such elements in two of the most critical judicial junctures, criminal apprehension and prosecution. Criminal Apprehension Statistical accounts show consistent accord in that African Americans are disproportionately arrested over whites. What is much less lucid, however, is the real reason for this disparity.†¦show more content†¦While both sides of this deeply entrenched controversy substantiate meaningful claims, neither of their arguments is exhaustive, although Walker, Spohn, and DeLone’s case is much more convincing. African American arrest statistics are best understood as the convergence of both a somewhat higher incidence of crime as well as racial discrimination in the criminal justice system. Although higher incidence of crime may initially appear to justify higher arrest rates, there is significant evidence demonstrating that not only is African American crime exaggerated by a racially discriminatory criminal justice system (one of the products of which is disparate arrest rates), the greater crime rates in and of themselves are a result of economic inequality. In order to understand the nature of the statistical disparity, the first aspect that must be examined is necessarily the statistics themselves. Recent data (1998) shows that more than two out of every three arrested persons are white (67.6%) and that African Americans account for only 30% of all arrests. More striking is the data adjusted per capita: African Americans are two and a half times as likely to be arrested as whites, and are even more over-represented in violent crimes, for which they are over three times as likely to be arrested. African Americans are five times as likely to be arrested in cases of robbery or murder (Walker et al., 39). There isShow MoreRelatedBlack Americans And The Criminal Justice System994 Words   |  4 PagesThe criminal justice system in the United States is evident of several deep flaws relating to the treatment of black men and women accused of committing criminal offenses. It is logical to believe that due to the U.S.’s rather dark past surrounding the treatment of black Americans, systematic racism is included under the guise of the criminal justice system. The U.S. is historically infamous for it’s open racial discrimination against black Americans, up until systematic racism became one of theRead MoreAnalysis Of Richard Wright s Black Boy 1116 Words   |  5 Pages1945 The life one will lead is predetermined by the color of their skin, the god they believe in, and the place they were born. A message not unlike this reverberated through society and government in the United States not 70 years ago. Discrimination and prejudice ran rampant throughout all of American society in 1945. Richard Wright as a black author in 1945, a true anomaly for this time, eloquently brought forth this idea in his book Black Boy. Wright wrote â€Å"Had a black boy announcedRead MoreIs The Judicial System Broken?1062 Words   |  5 Pages Rough Draft Law 206 Prof. Heller 12/02/2014 Is the Judicial System broken? In 1789, each of the thirteen states had already establish a judicial system such as criminal and civil cases. The United States Constitution is the original document in which it established fundamental laws for the national government as well as protecting the right of the citizens. The U.S Constitution was designed to avoid too much power in the system of checks and balances. As years went by, the Constitution beganRead MoreWhy The Incarceration Rate So High For Young Black Males?1428 Words   |  6 PagesAmerica has the largest justice system in the world. America also has the highest incarceration rate with over 2 million people in prison. African Americans account for approximately 40 percent of those inmates. Why is the incarceration rate so high for young black males? By examining the data and demographics, and the causes and consequences a greater understanding will be gained as to why these disparities exist. As of December 2013, according to the Bureau of Justice Statistics, the number ofRead MoreRacial Discrimination Within The Criminal Justice System1271 Words   |  6 PagesRacial discrimination is where an employer commits race discrimination when it makes job decisions based on race or when it adopts seemingly neutral job policies that disproportionately affect members of a particular race. Federal and most state laws prohibit workplace race discrimination. Title VII -- the federal law that prohibits racial discrimination of the U.S. Constitution and the Civil Rights Act of 1964 work in concert to ensure that each resident’s chances in the pursuit of happiness areRead MoreThe New Jim Crow Law1014 Words   |  5 Pagespolicies, and rules that equates to the American criminal justice system. This series of principles of our legal system works as an entrance to a lifelong position of lower status, with no hope of advancement. Mass incarceration follows those who are released f rom prison through exclusion and legalized discrimination, hidden within America. The New Jim Crow is a modernized version of the original Jim Crow Laws. It is a modern racial caste system designed to keep American black men and minorities oppressedRead MoreHeart of Atlanta V. United States825 Words   |  4 Pagessegregation, a system of racial separation which, while in name providing for separate but equal treatment of both white and black Americans, in truth perpetuated inferior accommodation, services, and treatment for black Americans. During the mid-twentieth century, partly as a result of cases such as Powell v. Alabama, 287 U.S. 45 (1932); Smith v. Allwright, 321 U.S. 649 (1944); Shelley v. Kraemer, 334 U.S. 1 (1948); Sweatt v. Painter, 339 U.S. 629 (1950); McLaurin v. Oklahoma State Regents, 339 U.S. 637Read MoreThe Death Penalty Is Not Justice1509 Words   |  7 Pagesâ€Å"To take a life when a life has been lost is revenge, not justice.† -Desmond Tutu The death penalty is a legal punishment practiced worldwide, which includes execution being the punishment, mandated to someone convicted of a crime. The death penalty has existed since 1700 B.C. when the Code of Hammurabi was a legal document in ancient Babylonia. Ever since the Code of Hammurabi many countries have adopted this punishment including the United States. When European settlers came to America, AmericansRead MoreRacial Profiling And The Civil Rights Movement1239 Words   |  5 PagesMovements Outline Topic/Question: Have Black Lives Mattered? – Racial profiling in the justice system, increased incarceration of African Americans and the idea of â€Å"White Privilege† persists in the United States. 1. Introduction Even though America is the world dominating superpower and is known to intervene on behalf of the violation of human rights internationally, it fails to acknowledge and correct the flaws its legal and justice system present against its own citizens. African Americans have longRead MoreCriminal Justice: Racial Disparity and Discrimination and O.J. Simpson768 Words   |  4 Pages(Gardner, 2009). To this end, criminal law justice provides that the person alleging the commission of a crime must proof beyond reasonable doubt that the accused person(s) possessed mens rea, if the court is to hold a criminal liability against the accused. In the case of People of the State of California v. Orenthal James Simpson (1995) or what has come to be famously known as the O.J. Simpson Trial is a classical illustration of how highly the U.S. criminal justice regards the beyond reasonable doubt

The Mask of Benevolence free essay sample

The Mask of Benevolence BY sarniJ010 The Mask of Benevolence was honestly shocking to me and made me rethink a lot. I thought it was interesting and intriguing that it discussed the views of most hearing people and talked about why they arent necessarily right. Many of the facts, opinions, and details of how things had been dealt with in the past completely surprised me. One of the most surprising things for me was how each culture viewed one another; which was almost all negative. Of course, not all people in each category have those thoughts. The book was an amazing read for me because I was able to see nd understand some things as the deaf culture does because the author, Harlan Lane, was so specific and explained things through the thoughts she heard from people within the deaf community. In the beginning of the book, Lane discusses how the deaf culture views cochlear implants and the oral communication of deaf people. We will write a custom essay sample on The Mask of Benevolence or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page And though I was unsure why there was there was such a strong dislike of these things, it soon made sense to me. Deaf children that are forced to get an implant or to rely on oral communication get lost in an in between world of deaf and hearing. Lane stated, the implanted child will not move easily in the hearing world, it is unlikely that he will learn American Sign Language (ASL) fluently and make his own fundamental values of that community. So there is a real danger that he will grow up without any substantive communication, spoken or signed. (p4). This was extremely eye opening because although I had never thought negatively in any way about the deaf community I did have the impression that medical advancements and such implants would be viewed incredibly highly to the deaf. As most hearing people are, I uppose I was simply uneducated on the facts of cochlear implants. Lane claims that the result of the discrepancies between the implant and the natural mechanism of hearing is a sound that many formerly hearing adults have trouble interpreting and sometimes even localizing. (p219). On page 20, Lane tells a story about a woman from a large deaf family and hoped dearly that her daughter, too, would be deaf. Deaf people do not wish to hear, they simply wish for people to be more aware of their culture. They are not impaired, they were simply born into a small culture; like eing Hispanic or Jewish, why would you wish to wake up and be white one day? That is not who you are. Lane discusses so many negative things of how the hearing think of the deaf that not only completely blew me away but also made me feel disgusted toward the majority of hearing people that do look down on the deaf community. I was astonished. I honestly never knew there were that many naive people out there that saw hearing people as that much better and higher than the deaf; simply because I have never known anyone who thought that way and I never even considered that! I was in shock when I saw Lane quoting an American psychiatric publication from 1985 that stated, Profound deafness that occurs prior to the acquisition of verbal language is socially and psychiatrically devastating. (p35). Devastating?! The view of the deaf from so many hearing is outrageous! After quoting the publication, Lane went on the list several characteristics that the hearing culture has labeled to all deaf people. These characteristics included aggressive, irritable, egocentric, and even shy. How would a nearing person know it a deat person is sny or isolated? Hearing people see that the deaf person is not communicating with them and automatically assumed these things. However, how do you expect someone who does not share the same language as you chat and visit with you? That is extremely egotistically of all hearing people that think that way. And that Just goes back to hearing people expecting the deaf to learn our language. How unbelievably naive! Its not like the Hispanic culture moving here that have the ability and resources to learn English yet refuse to. The deaf have the most unique language in the world and are imply unable to learn any other language fluently. How can you learn to speak a language fluently when you are unable to hear it? As I Just stated, sign language, which I will refer to as ASL from now on even though sign is not exclusive to America, is simply the most unique language in the world. And those that deny it as a language are simply Just incredibly uneducated. Something I found interesting was when Lane discussed storytelling in the deaf community on page 16. She explained how deaf children learn the importance of storytelling and they practice at a very young age. Lane states that clear communication is highly valued; stories should be rich in detail, start at the beginning and end at the end, and contain plain talk; hinting and vague talk in an effort to be polite are inappropriate and even often offensive (p16). How is that not talking about a culture with a rich language? In fact, I feel as though the deaf can actually communicate more than the hearing. Because not only do they have the language like we do, their facial expressions and attention to detail are way beyond the average hearing person. Another point from early on in he book that I wanted to discuss was a something that I could relate to. The chapter entitled The Paternalism Indictment discusses the flaw with the teachings for deaf children. That market is completely controlled by hearing people who hardly understand the deaf and their culture and so it is all basically based of stereotypes. On page 49 Lane states, It is said to be conducted in the interest of deaf people, but the profits go almost exclusively to hearing people. And I got to see this first hand when I was a sophomore in high school. My long time best friend, Rachel, was born rofoundly deaf in one ear. She can hear fine and is in no way deaf or a part of that culture. She never once required any special treatment in school. However she did use a hearing aid or speaker box in elementary from time to time. All throughout middle school and our first year of high school she maintained a pretty high GPA. One day while we were sophomores, she randomly received a new schedule from the office. Following the new schedule, she went to her first class and discovered that they had put her in all special education classes. Obviously she was confused and pset, so she called her mother and they went to the office to sort out what was clearly a mistake. The office stated that it was not a mistake. Apparently, the school had been claiming Rachel as profoundly deaf, which she was in one ear, and requiring the special attention of any other child with a severe impairment. And of course, the school was getting large additional funds because of Rachels impairment; Shame on the school for knowing that they would receive additional benefits for claiming Rachel. And shame on the state for that matter for giving the chool extra funds because the poor school was Just so kind as to deal with all of Rachels special needs due to hearing impairment. Lane stated there are paternalistic universals and parallax in the attributions, and a claim to a civilizing burden that fails to mask the benefactors economic interest (p49).

Renewable Energy A Necessary Way of Life for Our Survival Essays

Renewable Energy: A Necessary Way of Life for Our Survival With the rising population the need for energy increases. The use of non-renewable fossil fuel is causing a negative impact on the Earth?s o-zone and climate. Imagine a life without the convenience of a computer, television, microwave or car. Imagine a planet so polluted that smog in the air is so bad that one cannot see very far, lakes and rivers are contaminated, and land irreversibly damaged from people trying to find more energy sources. One day this may be a reality if we do not do something to change how we use our energy resources. If we continue to use up our non-renewable resources, there will be nothing left for future generations. We must also have concern not only about the environmental effects but also the health effects associated with coal-fired power plants, coal mining, and the combustion of natural gas, such as heart ailments, respiratory disease, and lung cancer. We must look to renewable energy sources provide a cleaner, safer, and more sustainable alternative to coal and natural gas. Today?s society is too dependent on fossil fuels and, if they continue on this path, society will be in great danger. Therefore, we need to encourage and invest into renewable resources. ?The Rise of Renewable Energy? by Daniel Kammen, discusses the current renewable energy usage and the untapped potential in renewable energy. Fossil fuels are non-renewable resources because they take millions of years to form, and are being depleted much faster than new ones are being made. Fossil fuels include coal, petroleum, and natural gas which all contain high percentages of carbon. Fossil fuels are burned in order to fabricate energy and emit carbon dioxide as a byproduct. According to the US Department of Energy, natural processes can only absorb about half of the estimated 21 billion tons of fossil fuels that are burned each year. Some examples of renewable energy alternatives Kamman gives us are: solar cells (or photovoltaics), wind power, and biofuels. Each of these alternatives are currently in use around the world but is not being utilized to their full potential. ?Sunlight could potentially supply 5,000 times as much energy as the world currently consumes? (Kamman 75), but we are currently using only a fraction of that. Solar cells use the sunlight to generate electricity, and because their versatile size they can be used just about anywhere ?on the roof or walls of homes and office buildings, in vast arrays in the desert, even sewn into clothing? (Kamman 76). Worldwide photovoltaic installations increased by 7.3 GW in 2009, up from 6,080 MW installed during the previous year. In 1985, annual solar installation demand was only 21 MW. Wind power, is a renewable energy source that is generated by wind turbines. Wind power is increasing in the United States but is not increasing as aggressively as in Europe where wind power is being greatly utilized. The US Department of Energy published a report in 2008 outlining a plan to generate 20% of the nation?s energy demand using wind power by 2030. Wind energy has become very popular because it can be produced anywhere in the world where the wind blows with a strong and consistent force. Windier locations produce more energy, which lowers the cost of producing electricity. Most regions of the United States have very good wind resources, with a majority of usable wind resources in the western plains. Most wind turbines can be used as stand-alone applications such as generating electricity for homeowners or farmers, charging batteries, and pumping water. They can also be built close together forming a wind farm and connected to a utility power grid to supply a number of people. Another source of renewable energy is biofuel. A common biofuel used in the United States is ethanol, which is made from refined corn and gasoline; this emits some carbo n dioxide but not as much as standard gasoline. Some other biofuels are cellulosic ethanol and green diesel, both of which are cleaner than corn-based ethanol because they do not emit as much carbon dioxide. With the amount of cars on the road and the popularity of SUV?s, the amount of gasoline consumption for the

Death In Stephen Cranes The Blue Hotel Essays - Stephen Crane

Death In Stephen Cranes The Blue Hotel Essays - Stephen Crane Death In Stephen Cranes The Blue Hotel Stephen Crane is a well-known author of variety of short stories. He was born in Newark, New Jersey, the son of a Methodist minister. After schooling at Lafayette College and Syracuse University, he worked in New York as a freelance journalist. His short stories and experimental poetry, also, anticipate the ironic realism of the decades ahead. In his brief and energetic life, he published fourteen books while acting out, in his personal adventures, the legend of the writer as soldier of fortune (741-743). Among one of his works include The Blue Hotel. The novel the Blue Hotel is a novel themed with death. The moment that the Swede arrives at the Blue Hotel it is somehow, in The Swedes mind, transformed into a wild west hotel, by the many dime novels he has read, which made him even more uneasy about staying at the hotel. In one of the initial scenes this fear is evident The Swede answered him swiftly and eagerly: These men are going to kill me.. I know I wont get out of here alive(771). The Swedes fear of dying had made him want to leave the hotel, but Pat Scull, the owner of the Blue Hotel, attempted to get him to stay by showing around the hotel and showing him pictures of his family. Scully shows the Swede some pictures of his children Thats the pitcher of my of my little girl that died. Her name was Carrie. She had the purtiest hair you ever saw! I was that fond of her, she-(773). Cranes use of color in the episode helps to point out the pattern of death. Scully and the Swede first walk into a dark room and while Scully speaks of his deceased daughter the Swede is focusing on the shadows in the darker part of the room. The Swede fears everything in the hotel, so Scully offers him some whiskey, which of course the Swede believes is poisoned. After proving to the Swede the whiskey is fine the Swede take it. The whiskey he gives The Swede does loosen him up. The Swede begins to drink more and more. Soon there after he joins a card game and where he proclaims that Johnie, Scullys son, has been cheating. The Swede feels that the only way to right the wrongs of Johnnies cheating is to fight. Ironically the street is covered in a fine white virgin snow as the spectators chanted kill him Johnnie kill him(780). In this scene the Swede thought that the gang of spectators would kill him, however, Scully made it so that only he and Johnnie would fight. As with most of the novel the Swede was fearful of fighting Johnnie, he feared Johnnie would beat him and he feared that the crowed would kill him. The Swede wins allowing Crane to set up what starts the Swedes death march. Having beaten the hotel owners son the Swede decides to leave. However the Swede, still under the influence of the whiskey, stops at a local saloon where he wants to celebrate with his victory. When he finds that no one will celebrate with him he Grasped the gambler frenziedly at the throat, and was dragging him from his chair. then was seen a long blade in the hand of gambler. It shot forward, and a human body. was pierced as easily as if it had been a melon (786). The Swedes limp body fell to floor beneath the bar where he had been drinking. The theme of death in The Blue Hotel is present throughout the novel. Cranes use of color, character flaws, and plot help strengthen this theme. Crane uses the Swedes fear of death to be his death. Had the Swede not been drinking he more than likely would not have become so aggressive and in turn he would not have started the fight with the gambler that led to his death.

8 Good Presents for College Students to Give to Mom

8 Good Presents for College Students to Give to Mom Gift-giving occasions like Christmas, Hanukkah and Mothers Day often come at a rough time for college students. They tend to fall at the end of the semester, a time when finals are quickly approaching and funds may be running low. Still, you want to show your mom youre thinking of her and appreciate everything shes done for you. Given those limitations, college students sometimes need to be a little creative when it comes to giving gifts. Gifts to Give If You Have a Little Cash 1. Share your school pride. Swing by the campus bookstore for some mom-themed school paraphernalia. See if you can snag one of those [your university name here] Mom T-shirts or sweatshirts so she can show off how proud she is to have a kid in college. 2. Go with a classic. Send her a bouquet of her favorite flowers, or incorporate that flower into a more affordable arrangement. You can find an online seller or contact a local florist in your hometown, and be sure to ask if they offer a student discount or have a promo code for first-time buyers. Keep at mind prices might spike during times of high demand (like Mothers Day), so consider sending hers a few days early. Youll save some money while still letting her know you care. 3. Show her how generous she taught you to be. If your mom has a favorite charity, make a donation in her name. Not only is it thoughtful, its budget friendly because you can choose to donate however much you can afford (and you dont need to tell her how much you spent). Gifts Even Broke College Students Can Afford 1. Say thanks. Take a picture of yourself holding a big piece of paper or poster saying THANKS! in front of your school. You can put it on the front of a homemade card or put it in a frame. 2. Give her your time. Make a coupon redeemable for some quality time together when youre not in school. It can be good for a cup of coffee, lunch, dinner or dessert - your treat, of course. 3. Give her something shes given you. Offer to make her a homemade dinner when you get home. Even if youre just learning to cook or are limited in the kitchen, there are plenty of easy recipes for college students you can try. At the very least, shell appreciate the effort. 4. Take some time to write down your thoughts. It can be really hard to find the perfect card in a store, so make one yourself. Most moms would rather have an original, sincere, handwritten card than another generic gift anyway. 5. Pick up the phone. Dont forget to call! If you have room to improve in the call Mom department, consider giving a gift of setting a weekly phone date for you two to check in with each other.

Sainsbury Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Sainsbury - Assignment Example However, the major success factor of the company is its effective value chain framework that ensures long-term sustainability and profitability for the company (Sainsbury Plc, 2014). Notably, the company has fully automated depots in its inbound logistics which further depicts the extensive use of IT in its business operations. This not only enhances the operational efficacy of the company but also results in establishing it as one of the competent business unit in terms of implementing and utilizing IT (Sekhar, 2009; Clark, 2004). The operations of the company are conducted in a three store formats which includes the local, regular and the central domain. The company has more than 500 local stores operating in the UK that has diverse branding approach and fascia. The central formats are used for the stores of the company which are small to medium in size and operate in the center of the city. Apart from the regular products, the company also sells some specific mainline brands through its stores in the UK market (Prezi Inc, 2014; Khosrowpour, 2004). The outbound logistics of the company includes two picking centers and it follows a warehousing model. The aim of this model is to establish dedicated picking centers in the UK with the aim to enhance the delivery of its products and services to the urban area further expanding their services to new potential customers. Notably, the company has faced immense competition from the rival supermarket chains which has forced it to develop effective strategies which can ensure the sustainability for the business. This has influenced the company to adopt the warehousing model (Prezi Inc, 2014; Khosrowpour, 2004). In the value chain domain of marketing and sales, the company targets both the customers including high income group as well as the potential buyers falling under the low income group. However, the company mainly focuses on providing high end products and makes a mark for itself in the

Human Resources NHS report Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Human Resources NHS report - Essay Example They are providing emergency and urgent care services to the UK patients. The study will be identifying the job role that will be requiring more training and development. Male nurses in the minor injuries units of NHS are requiring highest training and development for obtaining idea on treatment skills. Moreover, the study will be focussing on the north east of the UK area like Newcastle area. Mainly the A&E centres of this area are having quite inexperienced male nurses thus waiting time increases in care set up. Training and development of male nurses will be increasing the efficiency of the overall NHS set up in the Newcastle area (BBC News, 2015). According to Nick Triggle, NHS Winter report of Wales outlined most number of waits in the year 2009. NHS introduced new nurse recruitment rules for the A&E centres in order to increase safety among the patients. â€Å"It is observed that almost 92.4% of patients were treated in the trauma centres and A&E centres during the year 2009, where as, NHS targeted to treat at least 95% of the cart seekers (BBC News, 2015)†. â€Å"Major decline in the service provision started from the month of October of 2009. Such declining mode resulted into lowest levels of service traits during the year 2010 (BBC News, 2015)†. â€Å"During the time of January 2010, performance of the A&E centres reported as less than 87% of the capacity level. During the time, it was observed that only 29 among the 140 major hospitals under NHS reported that they were able to meet expectation of the care seekers (BBC News, 2015)†. Such care and trauma centres are providing the services like minor injury units and walk-in centres which increase the ability of health care services (BBC News, 2015). However, the statistics are showing that the target was set 95% of the patient’s capacity. â€Å"Actual scenario was outlining that only 88.5% patients are cared by the male nurses in Newcastle area (BBC News, 2015)†. In the NHS services

Sociology Reflection Essay Example for Free

Sociology Reflection Essay It is through sociology that scientific study of the great social institutions and the relation of the individual to each is being made. The home and family ,the school and education,the church and religion, the state and government ,industry and work ,the community and association, these are institutions through which society functions. Sociology studies these institutions and their role in the development of the individual and suggests suitable measures for restrengthening them with a view to enable them to serve the individual better. The study of sociology helps us to know not only our society and man but also others, their motives, aspirations, status, occupations, traditions, customs, institutions, cultures etc. In a huge industrialized society, our experience is comparatively limited. We can hardly have a comprehensive knowledge of our society and rarely have an idea regarding other societies. But we must have some insight into an appreciation of the motives by which others live and the conditions under which they exist. Such an insight we derive from the study of sociology. Sociology is essentially the study of human interaction. With this in mind, you can apply sociology theories and ideas to any scenario of daily life dealing with person to person interaction or even to an individual in regards to the society. For example, when you meet with a friend you treat that friend a certain way. Your actions usually fall between the social norms of society. Meaning you wont be overly mean or overly nice to your friend. Relating to social norms is the idea of conformity. You may find yourself doing things you might not normally do just because others are doing it. A good example of this is sitting in a classroom and responding to a teacher’s question. If a teacher asks to see a show of hands of who agrees with a certain idea or thought and you go to raise your hand but you see that no one else has raised their hand, its likely that youll hold back and agree with the other side of the argument or not raise your hand at all. Well, everything takes place in a sociological context. When you are managing a company, you are managing people (employees and customers) and trying to meet needs and wants. Knowing about the groups you are dealing with helps you manage more effectively because you are more in tune with what people value and how they interact. These are group tendencies of course, and individuals will each bring their unique perspective. Business is constantly changing, effecting and influencing society on a daily basis. When I first studied Business I was drawn to studying the way decisions within a business could affect another business or other social institutions such as the family or education. I believe that despite the fact our society is technologically advanced, all businesses are reliant on positive, social interactions and because of this, businesses must nurture and protect their staff. Communication, interaction and positive social relations are key to a business being successful. The dynamic relationships between businesses and people and the effects these relationships can have, fascinate me.

Religion in August Wilsons Fences Essay -- August Wilson, Fences

In August Wilson's play, Fences, the character, Troy Maxson, is by no definition a religious man. He has created his own religion through his own philosophies, especially baseball. Sandra G. Shannon's critical analysis, "The Good Christian's Come and Gone: The Shifting Role of Christianity in August Wilson Plays," gives analogies for the way Troy deals with his own spirituality. It is agreeable that Troy, like other Wilson characters, deals with religion in his own way. Shannon asserts, "this cynical black man does not lay his burdens down at the church's altar. As is the case with each of Wilson's men, Christianity plays no role in Troy's search for comfort and direction" (382). Troy never does find comfort and direction, even in his sacred baseball. It could be that Troy finds his greatest solace in the blues. Shannon states that, through the blues, Troy feels as if he can communicate and heal his emotional wounds. Shannon explains Wilson justified the need for the blues in an interview with Bill Moyer. Wilson states, "The blues are important primarily because they contain the cultural response of blacks in America to the situation that they find themselves in. Contained in the blues is a philosophical system at work" (382). It is true that for Troy the two systems of the blues and Christianity can in no way co-exist with each other. It is also true that Troy does not openly disregard the church, but he does make it obvious in his own way that he is clearly an atheist. "While Christianity does not interest Troy, he adopts the game of baseball as a more relevant metaphor for his life" (Shannon 382). Shannon is totally right in the fact that Troy uses baseball as a religion. Shannon correctly states t... ...ation when such human substitutes are available" (Shannon 384). Shannon is correct in her thoughts about Troy and fulfilling his needs through other people. In conclusion, I believe Shannon makes her points strongly about Troy's aversion to Christianity. She sums up her assertions by stating, "When African American men like Troy did fall into the pits of depression, they did not reach for the Bible. They created their own convenient laws of behavior," (384). This is indicative of Troy in every way he deals with work, family, and death. I agree with Shannon in that Christianity knocks at Troy's door just like death, and he rearranges it to fit into his philosophies. Works Cited Shannon, Sandra G. "The Good Christian's Come and Gone: The Shifting Role of Christianity in August Wilson Plays." Contemporary Literary Criticism 118 (1999): 382-384.

Automobile in History Essay

The United States as a country was founded upon simple fundamental guidelines that have allowed for us to become a leading power in the world. These guidelines have been rapidly evolving and expanding to allow them to remain relevant in the world around us. An obvious example of this rapid change and adaptation is the introduction of the car into everyday American life. It is well known that cars were invented prior to the Model T, but the Model T was the first car capable of being mass produced and affordable to Americans with proper fiscal management (Kyvig 47). With this breakthrough by Henry Ford people were becoming more connected than ever and the manufacturing while simultaneously creating an entire new element in the world of business. Once the people were equipped with the ability to drive the nation forward in all regards, they did exactly that. With the mass production and use of the Model T the United States improved greatly within our own economy, leisurely drives and motor sports were derived from the traditional use of the car, and the car soon became a mark of status within American society. Starting in the late 1700’s, European engineers began tinkering with motor powered vehicles. Steam, combustion, and electrical motors had all been attempted by the mid 1800’s. By the 1900’s, it was uncertain which type of engine would power the automobile. At first, the electric car was the most popular, but at the time a battery did not exist that would allow a car to move with much speed or over a long distance. Even though some of the earlier speed records were set by electric cars, they did not stay in production past the first decade of the 20th century. The steam-driven automobile lasted into 1920’s. However, the price on steam powered engines, either to build or maintain was incomparable to the gas powered engines. Not only was the price a problem, but the risk of a boiler explosion also kept the steam engine from becoming popular. The combustion engine continually beat out the competition, and the early American automobile pioneers like Ransom E. Olds and Henry Ford built reliable combustion engines, rejecting the ideas of steam or electrical power from the start. Automotive production on a commercial scale started in France in 1890. Commercial production in the United States began at the beginning of the 1900’s and was equal to that of Europe’s. In those days, the European industry consisted of small independent firms that would turn out a few cars by means of precise engineering and handicraft methods. The American automobile plants were assembly line operations, which meant using parts made by independent suppliers and putting them together at the plant. In the early 1900’s, the United States had about 2,000 firms producing one or more cars. By 1920 the number of firms had decreased to about 100 and by 1929 to 44. In 1976 the Motor Vehicle Manufacturers Association had only 11 members. The same situation occurred in Europe and Japan. The first automobile produced for the masses in the US was the three-horsepower, curved-dash Oldsmobile; 425 of them were sold in 1901 and 5,000 in 1904–this model is still prized by collectors. The firm prospered, and it was noted by others, and, from 1904 to 1908, 241 automobile-manufacturing firms went into business in the United States. One of these was the Ford Motor Company which was organized in June 1903, and sold its first car on the following July 23. The company produced 1,700 cars during its first full year of business. Henry Ford produced the Model T to be an economical car for the average American. By 1920 Ford sold over a million cars. It is a well known fact that the Model T was the byproduct of a much larger scheme; it was the first manufactured good that utilized the assembly line (Kyvig 78). The assembly line has proven to be one of the most significant factors in American manufacturing throughout time. This revolutionary introduction into the business world allowed for the expansions of industry into parts of the country it had never been able to touch before (American Decades 84). By incorporating these techniques into his company the term Fordinomics was coined (Anonymous 1). The implemention of this Fordinomics was simple focus on your small portion and in the end put it all together for cheaper and better quality (Anonymous 1). This specific assembly line allowed for two key components of the manufacturing market to be vastly improved in a very short amount of time. It can be observed that the more obvious of the two is the simple efficiency of the assembly line and much less strenuous work it brought. The other is the production of the car and its use in shipping efforts. Prior to this time shipping was solely in the hands of the railroad industry, but no longer. This monopoly that was broken by this introduction thrust the United States into a position of potential economic greatness. The greatness was achieved through thoroughly spread pockets of manufacturing in key cities around the country. Within this pockets were always massive urban centers to allow for the full potential of this newly discovered manufacturing style to be maximized (Kyvig 105). By implanting this new style into the heart of industry Americans were now receiving more steady incomes, thus allowing the purchase of more of the goods they themselves were producing. This style of production utilized first with the Model T was utilized by the United States military to amass more and more supplies for the armed forces. Throughout World War 1 the assembly line was utilized to quickly and efficiently resupply our overseas troops in the most cost effective way possible (American Decades 132). Henry Ford has single handedly thrust the United States into a position of opportunity through his ingenious style of production matched with the most basic form of the car. With the car now being used as a more practical tool rather than just a luxury available to the most upper class of people, it slowly became a necessity in the life of many Americans. The introduction of the car was not only beneficial to the American consumer, but to consumerism as a whole. It allowed for every aspect of consumerism to be fully maximized to every last detail from raw product to shipping the completed products across the nation. Today cars are what make coming and going from work, school, and other commitments possible for us in our lives, our ability to succeed as a country has been established through this tradition of motor vehicles that was instilled upon us by Henry Ford. When the car was made readily available to the American public they turned it into a form of entertainment. It began with the casual Sunday drives that most car owners practice once they were in possession of a vehicle (Hanss 2). These causal drives were established as an escape from what people were seeing every day, going ten miles from their home was uncommon prior to the introduction of the car. These allowed people to begin to be more ambitious in their opportunities to leave the traditional home and go out into the unknown world to fulfill their dreams. The dreams of people were more often than not farfetched and highly unlikely, yet they seemed to be sought after more than any other thing in America. The car was device beginning to be seen not only for its economic benefits, but for the simple joy that could be found within the fundamental concept of going faster than the human body is intended to. The first automobile race in the United States was held in Chicago in 1895 on Thanksgiving Day (Harding 39). This race was prior to the availability of a car to the common public solely due to too high of prices. Due to this beginning of racing before the access to cars was affordable for the common American family it can be assumed that the urge to own a car was heightened. Now the car has effectively proved to be another source of entertainment to the American people. With the taste of what a car is capable of doing the rapid expansion racing into an entire industry came shortly after. Soon after the end of World War 2 there were about six different types of cars dedicated to racing alone (Harding 135). The American people had found a very simple escape from everyday life in the form of watching races. There was something about the way the cars sounded, or the cheering of drivers that allowed people to make a connection with this new sport and become mesmerized by its blinding speeds and incredible skill set required. The infatuation with racing swept across the nation like something never seen before, and to this very day the affects of this infatuation can be seen in NASCAR and other racing based professional sports leagues in the United States (Benzkofer 1) The car originally intended as a tool, like a wrench of screwdriver, to simply accomplish tasks one cannot complete without the require tool has become a symbol for more than just that. The car was a sign of prestige and accomplishment coincided with a dose of arrogance that could not go unseen when talking in terms of someone else’s money (American Decades 84). With the use of the car as a sign of accomplishment and success came the need create images for celebrities and political figures to ensure they were valued, respected, and cherished. It was necessary to create these images to portray to the public the stability and prosperity in times of doubt (Kyvig 49). Your car was also the stamp given that labeled your mark in society, if you were in possession of a car prior to 1905 then you most likely were a wealthy person, but after the creation of the Model T it was much more common to see people in possession of vehicles thus creating a new way of judging and labeling each other. Throughout the life of vehicles there has always been a message sent to potential owners that the looks and appearance of the car is vastly more important than it actually is. Over exploitation of human nature to want to best has forced the car into a position of losing efficiency for trendy looks. By the 1940s there were hundreds of different makes and models to choose from (Harding 124). The plethora of decisions to be made during the purchase of a vehicle was absurd, from the color of the inner lining of the tires to the type of materials used to create the interiors of the car. The car had been developed into a device of status, income, and prestige in society rather the it’s intended purpose of being a tool that made basic jobs and tasks easier to accomplish. The automobile is arguably one of the most influential inventions to ever hit the United States. It brought with it several different political, economic, and social changes to society. Politically the car was a sign of power and accomplishment, without a beautiful car you were nobody. The development of the Model T and the assembly line thrust the United States into a manufacturing economy allowing growth and prosperity. With the introduction of higher speeds and travel came the leisure side of cars in racing. Racing was an outlet for many Americans when times began getting rough. In all, the automobile is a blessing bestowed upon the world allowing us all to advance and become more efficient in the way we conduct our lives. Word Count= 1957 Works Cited Anonymous, â€Å"Ford to Own Ships, Make Tires, Extend $5 A Day Schedule† in New York Times, 10 August, 1914. Dearborn Michigan, August 1914 Stephan Benzkofer, â€Å"Zoom Town† in Chicago Tribune, 12 September, 2012. Chicago Michigan, September 2012 Daniele Hanns, â€Å"Socioeconomic affects of cars in the 1950’s† Journal of Social/Economic History 2, no. 1 (2003) David Kyvig, â€Å"Daily Life in the United States, 1920-1940: How Americans Live Through the â€Å"Roaring Twenties† and the Great Depression† Library Journal 129, no. 12 (2001) Parker, Dorothy. American Decades: 1900-1909. 1st ed. 7. New York: Random House, 2001. Print. Harding, Elizabeth. â€Å"Henry Ford. † SIRS Decades. ProQuest, 12 Aug. 2006. Web. 28 Nov. 2012.

Accounting Is an Information System That Identifies

A objectives and the roles of financial accounting â€Å"Accounting is an information system that identifies, records, and communicates the economic events of an organization to interested users. †1. The basic objective of accounting is to provide information to the interested users to enable them to make business decisions and â€Å"Financial statements are the primary means of communicating financial information to parties outside the business organization. †2. Moreover, accounting can give the essential information, especially for the â€Å"external users, is given in the basic financial statements: Profit and loss statement and Balance sheet. 3 On the other hand, accounting can give addition information to the internal user: for example the marketing managers, the supervisor of production, finance directors, and the officers of company. Now, I would like to discuss the people who are using the financial reporting. I had said this on the the above paragraph. There a re external and internal users. First, I would like to introduce the external users. Investors or those owners will be examples of external users. They need to rely on the financial accounting report to make a correct decision to buy, hold or sell stock.And other external user will be the creditors. Suppliers and bankers for examples. They use the financial report to calculate the chance of giving credit or borrowing cash. The supplies and bankers will ask some questions: â€Å"Is the enterprise earning satisfactory income? † or â€Å"Is the company profitability when compare with the competitors which are in the similar size? † or â€Å"Will the company get enough ability to pay its? †. All the question can be answered by the financial report. Therefore, the financial report gives a strong confidence to those supplies and the bankers.Furthermore, taxing authorities will be another external user. Because of the IRS(Internal Revenue Service), need to find out whe ther the companies obeys â€Å"the tax laws. Regulatory agencies, for instances the securities and Exchange Commission and the Federal Trade Commission, want to know whether the company is operating within prescribed rules. †4 Customers will be another external user. Through the financial report, Customer want to know information about the endurance of an company, especially when they want to have a long term investment with company.The Government will be another external user. Why I say so? This is because governments want to know the distribution of financial resource. Moreover governments want to know the company’s activities. Governments need addition information to handle the financial activities of company. The last but not leash external user will be the public. The companies influence the public in many different channels. For instance, companies will make a lot of economic contribution to the society. There are a lot of person who are employed be the company. Financial statements may assist the public by providing information about the trends and recent developments in the success of the company and the range of its activities â€Å"5. Another external user will be the Lenders. Lenders will want to know information that let them to find whether their loans, and the interest attaching to them, will be paid when due. At this time, I would like to introduce the internal users of accounting information are managers who plan, organize, and run a business. These include a lot of person. First, Employees want to know information about their job.The stability and profitability of their employers. This is because employees want to know about whether their employers can sustain their salaries. They are want to know information which let them to enjoy the ability of the company to provide retreat benefits and employment opportunities. Of course the manager will be another internal user. This is because manager needs to relay on the financial accou nting report to set up the policy of the company. They need to base on the report to find out the profitability. Is the profit can sustain the whole company?Through the report, the manager can change the policy of the business company in order to gain the highest profit, for example, change the supplies which are in a lower cost. The role of financial reporting is to tell those stakeholders about the financial position and the condition of the economic unit or a business company. Because of financial report provides the information, stakeholders can make decisions about future investments Financial reporting is critical in making effective stock investment decisions. When the people do not read the financial report, his or her investment will become a gambling.The financial report includes the balance sheet, income statement, cash flow statement, retaining earning statement and financial position statement. Combining all of them, will give you a clear image of the financial conditio n of the company. In order to deduce the future of the companies. I think finance market needs financial reporting. However, before my discussion, I want to introduce what is finance market first. â€Å"A financial market is a market in which people and entities can trade financia:6 source of value at low transaction costs and at prices that reflect supply and demand .As I mention before, financial reports give the financial information to all the people in the financial market, such as supplies, the lenders and shareowners. Therefore, the financial report is necessary for the financial marketing. As far as I am concerned, financial market is a fair place for trading the economic materials. Financial report will become the reference for those enterprises which ready for trading so that the enterprise can find the most suitable one for trading. Through the economic material trading.This can make the financial market more sustainable due to the cash flow through the market. At last, as I said this before: financial accounting report show all the details of the financial position of the company: The revenue and the expense. Therefore, the company can get the information about the place where the cash spend on. Thus, the company can check out whether the allocation of the resource and redistribute the resources efficiently. Take a easy example, when a company spend extra expense on their supply such as stationery last year.The company can spend less on it next year. And it is a sample but good example for the role of financial accounting to assist in efficient allocation. Reference:1. Accounting principles Weygandt Kieso Kimmel 2. http://memberfiles. freewebs. com/45/34/63343445/documents/Financial%20Accounting. pdf 3. http://dilipchandra12. hubpages. com/hub/Role-of-Accounting 4. http://www. ecampus. com/hospitality-financial-accounting-2nd/bk/9780470083604 5. http://www. ecampus. com/hospitality-financial-accounting-2nd/bk/9780470083604 6.

The Role of ERP Systems in Managing Global Businesses

The Role of ERP Systems in Managing Global Businesses Introduction ERP systems are computer applications and management systems that integrate various business aspects and are used to manage resources, data, and functions (Buckley Casson, 2009). In essence, the ERP systems help to bring a seamless and robust system that supports business processes (Bouquet, Morrison Birkinshaw, 2009).Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on The Role of ERP Systems in Managing Global Businesses specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More In supporting business operations, global or multinational firms have invested immensely on ERP systems. However, varied opinions on whether ERP systems capabilities are aligned to helping global businesses needs have been donated. The other conspicuous concern relates to whether ERP systems can help multinational firms to achieve enhanced performance. Although considerable studies have examined the role of ERP systems in supporting global firms, there is still need to research the effect of these systems on the growth of global firms (Beard Sumner, 2004). A lot of literature has been delivered to exhibit the impact of alignment of ERP systems to virtual and international businesses. This paper advances the contribution of the current literature on the role of ERP systems in growth of global businesses. Realizing the requirements to have accurate information, many global firms have decided to align ERP systems with global businesses from which organizational success can be achieved (Beard Sumner, 2004). Discussion There is a growing acceptance of the use of ERP systems across sections of the business world, especially among businesses that seek to globalize. Proponents of ERP systems suggest that with the growing competition, businesses are supposed to develop business systems that will bolster their processes as they exploit new markets. In this paper, I seek to explore the role and the effectiveness of ERP systems in global businesses. Arguably, ERP systems, just like other applications, may have limitations. Integration complexities and high initial investment costs are some of the outright downsides of ERP systems (Beard Sumner, 2004). However, studies conducted on companies that have fully or partially implemented ERP systems reveal that such businesses have managed to canvas the market and penetrate external markets more easily than have businesses with traditional approaches. The linkage between Global businesses Global businesses are businesses that have multinational operations and transfer goods, services, information, skills, and capital across boundaries. These business formations have unique information needs because of their integrated operations in geographically dispersed business units. The need for virtual organizations to source accurate and timely information to enhance business processes has necessitated the use of ERP systems (Bouquet, Morrison Birkinshaw, 2009).Advertising Looking f or research paper on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Since ERP systems are seamless, they allow information sourcing and operating in different time zones requires global businesses to deploy enterprise systems to manage their operations. Global businesses deal with different global cultures as they move toward profiting from their operations (Bouquet, Morrison Birkinshaw, 2009). In the effort to compete on the global platform, businesses conglomerate to form powerful business structures. However, these business units also need information systems as frontiers of global growth. Studies have shown that ERP systems help businesses to manage diversity (Beard Sumner, 2004). There is the need to establish accurate and timely information requirements that befit operations of global nature. As observed, the need to outsource consolidated information is an imperative aspect that global businesses are pushed to achieve. This is where the role of ERP systems comes into play. Clearly, the information required is massive and that traditional business strategies may fail to address challenges of accessing global enterprises (Beard Sumner, 2004). Enterprise Resource planning systems are management systems that enable businesses to have better international coordination, collaboration as strategies in the ambit of multination a business. The rising complexity in information needs of global businesses can be managed by the use of ERP systems due to the capacity of ERP systems to offer multi modular support system. Therefore, businesses, especially multinational and virtual organizations should envision robust capabilities suitable to manage virtual businesses. ERP systems have the capacity to offer an opportunity to arrive at tactical, operational and strategic decisions (Beard Sumner, 2004). Unlike traditional legacy, organizations deploying the regime of ERP systems are able to gather and ut ilize accurate information that can support the growth of businesses. Businesses that want to explore outside markets beyond country boundaries can decide to enter such markets through various strategies, including partnerships, alliances and mergers (Bouquet, Morrison Birkinshaw, 2009). Whether a business decides to take either of the above penetration methods, there is need to execute their techniques via feasible ERP systems. International organizations can use supply chains and third party businesses to approach businesses. ERP systems, according to supply chain professionals, integrate numerous supply chain units to derive business returns. In addition, businesses, with the help of ERP systems are able to support and enhance end-to-end business processes. These businesses have been found to support and coordinate business activities and track business-to-business (B2B) and business-customer (B2C) activities.Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on Th e Role of ERP Systems in Managing Global Businesses specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More In the current global markets, manufacturers are continuously faced with challenges of dramatic reduction in sales margins alongside rising customer expectations. Being a business that seeks to have a successful supply chain system, it is arguable that global firms have the duty to embrace information visibility. The information needs of global firms are different from firms that invest in local and regional markets (Buckley Casson, 2009). ERP systems have been viewed as necessary ingredients in scheduling customer needs and delivering goods and services in following modern business philosophies such as Just-in-time. The ability of these business units separated by a wide geographic divide to collect customer information, analyze and disseminate the information can be achieved though implementing progressive ERP systems (Bartlett Ghoshal, 2003). Integrated enterprise resource planning systems have the ability to help multinationals achieve effective and efficient production and delivery of goods and services. International businesses need to deploy systems that offer high visibility. ERP systems offer an incredible opportunity for global firms to have critical insight into globally competitive platform. ERP systems not only offer opportunities for business taking part in global operations beyond sheer management of operations. Savvy manufacturers and global units recognize the significance of integrated ERP systems in helping them realize their objectives and enable them create scenarios of effective response to the dynamics of global supply chain (Buckley Casson, 2009). ERP systems deliver seamless platforms that reorient such organizations to reduce their long-term IT costs. Global business units can achieve global visibility Achieving global visibility in a demand driven supply chain market is what many global firms are focused o n. In an age of tight competition and cost management, it is essential that manufactures optimize their resources as they continue to offer their unique goods and services (Bartlett Ghoshal, 2003). Businesses need to identify and make use of their inventory and information capacities to derive profits and remain relevant in the market. As businesses engage other partners through supply chain systems and third party logistics, ERP systems are strategic business systems that provide solutions to problems of information sharing between global business, suppliers and customers. Understanding where resources are located, businesses have deployed several technologies to streamline their business operations (Bartlett Ghoshal, 2003). However, research shows that these technology platforms can rely on the right ERP systems to meet the expectations of organizations and their customers. With integrated information systems, ERP systems also support relationships and alliances (Bergeron, Raymo nd Rivard, 2004). The capacity to collect and share large volumes of information between different business units via ERP systems has been cited as a core business factor of success.Advertising Looking for research paper on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The findings of the research conducted on the impact of ERP systems have supported previous studies that conceptualization and alignment of ERP systems capacities creates a ground for improved business performance. The findings of the study establish that each global firm has unique information needs and that ERP platforms have the capacity to support B2B relationships and the flow of information (Buckley Casson, 2009). Managing global performance Many firms have argued that ERP systems have provided actionable information to employees and partners of global business across the world to make viable decisions (Aberdeen, 2007). Through integrating data and providing global visibility, ERP systems can provide quick route toward reduced costs, advanced speed and transparency that aims to improve customer satisfaction. The bottom line is that modern ERP systems have evolved into operating platforms that continue to scale global competition (Bergeron, Raymond Rivard, 2004). ERP systems have become popular business trends among global business organizations that seek to achieve efficacious operations in an era of global business. According to Bergeron, Raymond Rivard (2004), 15 trillion US dollars worth of trade from goods and $3.7 trillion from services are exchanged across borders every day. Analysts suggest that these figures are bound to increase as many businesses continue to appreciate the need for seamless exchange (Aberdeen, 2007). The number of firms are getting into global business are definitely on the increase to take advantage of the opportunities available from global markets. Many reasons have been used to explain why businesses are rushing to employ ERP systems. Increased global demand for goods and services, reduced trade barriers and the need to form multinational alliances are some of the reasons firms are seeking to invest in global business. ERP helps to reduce the costs incurred by an organization in running global activities (Bouquet, Morris on Birkinshaw, 2009). Gone are the days when firms or businesses had to hire many professionals in order to perform technical works such as accounting and network administration. ERP system helps to synchronize all global units and departmental functions with the help of software alone (Bartlett Ghoshal, 2003). Conclusion A growing body of knowledge confirms that the growing competition demands businesses to develop business systems that will bolster their processes as they exploit new markets. In the effort to compete on the global platform, businesses conglomerate to form powerful business structures. However, these business units also need information systems as frontiers of global growth. Studies have shown that ERP systems help businesses to manage diversity. Through integrating data and providing global visibility, ERP systems can provide quick route toward reduced costs, advanced speed and transparency that aims to improve customer satisfaction. Additionally, businesses wit h the help of ERP systems are able to support and enhance end-to-end business processes. These businesses have been found to support and coordinate business activities and track business-to-business (B2B) and business-customer activities. ERP systems deliver seamless platforms that reorient such organizations to reduce their long-term IT costs. References Aberdeen. (2007). The role of ERP in globalization. Boston, Massachusetts: Aberdeen Group. Bartlett, C. A. Ghoshal, S. (2003). What is a global manager? Harvard Business Review, 81(8): 101-108. Beard, J. W., Sumner, M. (2004). Seeking strategic advantage in the post-net era: viewing ERP systems from the resource-based perspective. The Journal of Strategic Information Systems, 13(2): 129-150. Bergeron, F., Raymond, L. Rivard, S. (2004). Ideal patterns of strategic alignment and business performance. Information Management, 41(8): 1003-1020. Bouquet, C., Morrison, A. Birkinshaw, J. (2009). International attention and multination al enterprise performance. Journal of International Business Studies, 40(1): 108-131. Buckley, P. Casson, M. (2009). The internalisation theory of the multinational enterprise: A review of the progress of a research agenda after 30 years. Journal of International Business Studies, 40(9): 1563-1580.

Cruel But Funny Roommate Pranks

Cruel But Funny Roommate Pranks Even though April Fools Day is already over, it doesnt mean that playing college roommate pranks is forbidden. So, it doesnt matter if you and your roommate are enemies or best friends - pranking can be fun either way. Some of the following ideas are pretty cruel, so think twice before pulling them on your roommate as revenge might reach you very soon. #1 A Cream Cheese Deodorant Is your roommate a little sleepy in the mornings while getting ready for the day? If yes, it will be even easier for you to pull this prank. If you want to spoil your roommates morning, everything you need to do is to take out the deodorant stick from the packaging and replace it with any cream cheese. Just unscrew the stick from the base, carve the piece of cream cheese in the same shape to match a deodorant form. Insert the fake deodorant and screw it back so that it looks just like a regular deodorant stick. This one is harmless, of course, but might get a little messy so your roommate will have to spend more time in the bathroom before going to classes. #2 A Bold Toothbrush Toothbrush pranks are always funny and easy college pranks. This prank will do the best if it is played before your roommates date. Take his or her toothbrush and cut off all the bristles. Or you can also put some salt on the brush to give that strange salty taste to any toothpaste. #3 Spiced Food Are you annoyed with your roommate eating your food? Do you want to take your revenge and wonder how to prank your roommate without them knowing? Let him or her know about that by spoiling another dinner. Just cook dinner for yourself and add some extra-hot sauce to the leftovers. This way, you will know for sure if your roommate steals your food. If you want to make this prank a little crueler, hide the milk to make your roommate struggle longer. This is one of the classic April Fools Day pranks alongside a few others which you can learn from our article. #4 Caramel Apple Who doesnt love caramel apples? Your roommate wont resist having one when seeing them freshly cooked on the table. But what your roommate doesnt know is that there is a big and juicy onion under the caramel layer. Bon appetit! Be sure to catch the reaction of your roommate at this precious moment as the shot of it might become a new meme. By the way, have you already checked our list of the best college memes? #5 A Little Late Are you looking for some ideas of funny pranks to do at home at night? This prank can ruin the whole day of your victim, especially if he or she has some important plans for the day. Just set all of your roommates clocks one or two hours ahead, making him or her be late for a job interview or classes. Too cruel! You can also set multiple night alarms to make your roommate wake up every hour or so and spoil his or her sweet dreams. Especially good for annoyingly snoring roommates. Do you need more prank ideas? Then check out our list of the best pranks that you can play on your college friends. #6 Thirsty? Many students wonder â€Å"How to prank a bad roommate?† Well, if you are in the middle of the war with your roommate, then you will totally find the following pranks suitable. If your neighbor loves drinking right out of the bottle, you can take advantage of that. The first thing that you can do is to add some little marshmallows into the milk carton before your roommate is going to drink it. This will feel just like the lamps in curdled milk. Seeing the disgust on the face of your victim at this moment is priceless. The second prank can be played with orange juice. Just fill the empty bottle from orange juice with a mix of cheese powder from a mac and cheese box with water. The taste is going to be killing. #7 Oily Hair Bathroom pranks are the most common and mean roommate pranks. You can put a thin layer of toothpaste on the toilet seat or cover a soap bar with clear nail polish. These are just classic. But there is one more thing that you can do – replace your roommates shampoo with baby oil. It will be very hard to rinse it without a shampoo (make sure to take your shampoo bottle away). #8 Uncomfortable Bed Its very simple – just take a box of crackers, crumble them and spread evenly over the sheet of your roommate and under it. Even if your roommate notices the mess and gets rid of it, he or she will struggle with the leftovers of crumbs here and there in the bed for a long time. This is a great way to give a messy roommate a hint as this is one of the easiest pranks to pull on a roommate who doesnt clean. Leaving with a roommate might be a blessing but also might be a real struggle. Either way, a little bit of humor wont hurt. Did you like our list of pranks to play on your housemates? Be careful, as pulling one of them might become a beginning of the war between you and your roommate.

Language as a Reflection of Life, Power, Relationships and Self-Realiz Essay - 8

Language as a Reflection of Life, Power, Relationships and Self-Realization in Hurstons Work - Essay Example Though pegged majorly in search for love and personal identity, the author brings out other themes as closely interwoven with themes of gender and sexuality using language. The language of men and that of Janie and other women reflect different inclinations to societal approaches to its issues. This paper shall analyze, critique and discuss how language has been used to change the status quo or sustain it. The thesis statement shall be: Language, as used in Hurston’s Their Eyes Were Watching God, is a double edge sword that has the power to effect both positive and negative changes. As the story begins, the author brings to the attention of the reader that the whole narration is based on a flashback. The major character is narrating her life to her best friend Phoeby in a friendly language between age-mates. Through that narration, her grandmother’s use of language depicts responsibility though stuck in the past. Nanny Crawford’s use of language may be seen to be overly restricted to safeguard her beliefs about life, which according to her, has to be defined through the prism of financial responsibility. She marries off Janie for two reasons after seeing her kiss Johnny Taylor. She persuades Janie into marrying the aged Logan Killicks. Her language as she admonishes Janie tells that her perspective about marriage is overly focused on life, family and stability as opposed to happiness. That is evidenced when she tells her that she should not let her down like her mother Leafy who deserted her. Her grandmother says, â€Å"So you don’t want to marry off decent like, do yuh?...Do you want to make me suck the sorrow yo’ mama did, eh? (Hurston 30)† One may also observe Nanny Crawford’s language, though a woman, depicts that belief that family relationships amongst married people should be safeguarded by all means. When Janie realizes that Logan was interested more in a farm assistant than in wife, she comes to lament to her grandmother Nanny Crawford about her marital issues.  

Growth Through Inequity and Key Performance Indicators Assignment

Growth Through Inequity and Key Performance Indicators - Assignment Example It has been operating its business operations currently for over a hundred years. After the mineral mining proved to be unsuccessful, the company owners were forced to sit and rethink on the course to take. They decided to buy minerals that could enable them produce finished products, which greatly saved the company setting the base of the entrepreneurship spirit that has since been shaping the company. It is from this weak start that the company has developed tremendously into a multinational organization. Currently the organization produces and sells over 50, 000 different items for commercial use, industrial purposes or healthcare products. Most importantly, it sells its products in over two hundred countries around the world. 3m has worked tirelessly to bring changes in its products while inventing and producing new versions of items. It is in this spirit that the organization has been able to identify consumer needs in the market and respond to them accordingly for example, the post-it ® Note. The organization undergoes different stages to come up with an item on the market. It taps the original ideas, designs the product, manufacture it and deliver the finished product on the market. The 3m does not base on one particular style to generate its ideas. It uses manager’s method to tap ideas from people and its own employees. At the same time, remains proactive in encouraging all workers to come up with new ideal processes, which makes the organization active in developing new products on the market. The company produces goods with customer requirements in mind. This enables it to provide various solutions to customer needs around the globe. In developing the goods, it starts with focusing on custo mer requirements then make decisions on the products to manufacture.

Dog Bite Law - The Diane Whipple Case Research Paper

Dog Bite Law - The Diane Whipple Case - Research Paper Example No one else was seen in the immediate area. The victim was Diane Whipple, a lacrosse coach, who lived in an apartment a short distance from the apartment where the dogs lived. San Francisco General Hospital pronounced Diane Whipple dead at 8:55 p.m. that night. Bane and Hera, the Presa Canario dogs that savagely killed Whipple were originally bred for fighting, guarding and herding in the Canary Islands. The breed, being almost extinct in the 1950s, was mixed with mastiffs and others and reintroduced in the US in the 90s. The dogs were obtained through a website called â€Å"Dog-o’-War.† The dogs lived inside the apartment of Robert Edward Noel, Attorney-at-law and Marjorie F. Knoller, Attorney-at-Law, his wife. The Suit: Sharon Smith, Diane Whipple’s life partner, filed a wrongful death suite against the dogs’ owners on March 12, 2001. The criminal law applicable to the case against Noel was Death caused by a mischievous animal and involuntary manslaughte r. And the criminal law applicable to Knoller was death caused by mischievous animal, involuntary manslaughter, and second-degree murder. The basis for the charges and recovery against Noel and Knoller were formed from three theories of California law. In the state of California the owner of the dog is liable for dog bit injuries unless the victim was a trespasser on the property or provoked the dog. Noel and Knoller claimed that they were not owners of the dogs but â€Å"trustees.† This indicated they intended to defend themselves against a civil suit on the grounds that they were not the owners. They were also subject to either one or both of the defendants being negligent in handling of the dogs. The final basis of recovery was common law and liability for keeping a dog that has dangerous tendencies. If Noel and Knoller had known that the dogs Bane and Hera had dangerous traits to kill and attack a person, then both could be held accountable. In any dog bite case, possible civil defendants can include owners and caretakers of the dog, the landlord and property manager where the dogs resided, the breeder, trainers and even others. The legal basis for all civil claims is negligence. In order for landlords and property managers to be held accountable, they would need to have actual knowledge that the dogs had bitten another person or exhibited dangerous tendencies. Since Whipple died the legal coarse of action is for â€Å"wrongful death.† Whoever can inherit your property if you die without a will can also sue for your wrongful death. Sharon Smith and Edythe Pamela Whipple-Kelly filed wrongful death suits against the dog’s owners and against the owner and property manager of the apartment building where the dogs lived. The value of the case is based on the value of the person’s life and their relation to the person suing. Therefore, it is very hard to establish a rule on potential damages. The Prosecutor’s Case: The belief t hat the breed Presa Canario dogs are dangerous was the basis for the prosecutions case. Noel and Knoller were fully aware that these particular dogs had bitten people and animals, but neither took precautions to protect someone like Whipple. A witness, Neil Bardack, testified that Knoller knew she could not control the dogs, as he had seen the dogs dragging her down the street in the past. There were other witnesses that testified the dogs had previously attacked them or shown extreme aggression. It was determined that Noel and Knoller

Critical Analysis of Organisational Change Development and Management

Critical Analysis of Organisational Change Development and Management INTRODUCTION Sometime in the 5th century BC, Heraclitus of Ephesus philosophised the only constant is change. (http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Heraclitus). All organisations go through change as they develop and evolve, whether to success or to failure. This essay will look at two companies as they go they go through change, planned and unplanned, their approach and the extent to which they succeeded and applying organisation development and change theory to these two case studies. Organisational change is a recurring theme in the study of organisational development there are several factors, internally and externally, that will influence the development of the organisation, initiating a change which may, or may not, lead to success and sustainability. How the change is implemented is essential to its success as it often impacts one, if not all, areas of the organisation. Early change management theorists include: Kurt Lewin (1951). Doug Stace and Dexter Dunphy (2001) identify organisations which they describe as prudent mechanistics, which retain traditional structures, avoid the organisational fashion show, and perform well. (Buchanen, p566). Harold Leavitt (2003) argues that, while rigid beaurocratic structures encourage authoritarianism, distrust, dishonest, territoriality, toadying, and fear, they also provide ways of handling complexity, give us structure and predictability, and offer psychological rewards by fulfilling needs for order and security. It is argued that the study of change is paradoxical (Buchanan, 565) as the reasons for organisational change are many and complex and because change is a process not a static moment in time, hence can be only understood in relation to continuity. Not all change needs to be deep change it can be a fine tuning to an appropriate response. Transformational change of the Australian Defence Force. The companies were chosen because other their organisational similarities. Company A Company B Similarities Large > 20,000 Reactive International Public Sector Strong corporate culture Founded 1921 Large >20,000 Reactive International Public Sector Strong corporate culture Founded 1922 Differences Australia 90s Organisational structure Approach to change England 00s Organisational structure Approach to change Scope: PESTEL Organisational behaviour terrain. Study this at the organisational level. This essay is not going to examine the group or individual level. Australia has maintained military forces since federation as a nation in January 1901. Upon Federation, the Australian Government established the  Australian Army  and Commonwealth Naval Force. In 1909, the Government established the  Royal Australian Navy, which absorbed the Commonwealth Naval Force. The Army established the Australian Flying Corps in 1912 although this separated to form the  Royal Australian Air Force  in 1921. The services were not linked by a single chain of command, as they each reported to their own separate Minister and had separate administrative arrangements. The three services saw action around the world during  World War I  and  World War II. The importance of  joint warfare  was made clear to the Australian Military during World War II when Australian naval, ground and air units frequently served as part of single commands. Following the war, several senior officers lobbied for the appointment of a  commander in chief  of the three services. The government rejected this proposal and the three services remained fully independent.[13]  The absence of a central authority resulted in poor coordination between the services with each service organising and operating on the basis of a different  military doctrine.[14] The need for an integrated command structured received more emphasis during  the Australian militarys experiences in the Vietnam War.[14]  In 1973, the Secretary of the  Department of Defence,  Arthur Tange, submitted a report to the  Government  that recommended the unification of the separate departments supporting each service into a single Department of Defence and the creation of the post of Chief of the Defence Force Staff. The government accepted these recommendations and the Australian Defence Force was established on 9 February 1976.[15] The  British Broadcasting Corporation  (BBC) is the principal  public service broadcaster  in the United Kingdom. It is the largest broadcaster in the world with about 23,000 staff.[1][2][3]  Its global headquarters are located in London, and its main responsibility is to provide  public service broadcasting in the United Kingdom,  Channel Islands  and  Isle of Man. The BBC is an autonomous public service broadcaster[3]  that operates under a  Royal Charter.[4]  Within the United Kingdom its work is funded principally by an annual  television licence fee,[5]  which is charged to all United Kingdom households, companies and organisations using any type of equipment to record and/or receive live television broadcasts;[6]  the level of the fee is set annually by the  British Government  and agreed by  Parliament.[7] he BBC was the worlds first national broadcasting organisation[8]  and was founded on 18 October 1922 as the  British Broadcasting Co mpany Ltd. The original company was founded in 1922[9]  by a group of six telecommunications companies-Marconi, Radio Communication Company,  Metropolitan-Vickers,  General Electric,  Western Electric, and  British Thomson-Houston[10]-to broadcast experimental radio services. The first transmission was on 14 November of that year, from station  2LO, located at Marconi House, London.[11] Outside the UK, the  BBC World Service  has provided services by direct broadcasting and re-transmission contracts by sound radio since the inauguration of the BBC Empire Service in December 1932, and more recently by television and online. Though sharing some of the facilities of the domestic services, particularly for news and current affairs output, the World Service has a separate Managing Director, and its operating costs are funded mainly by direct grants from the UK government. These grants are determined independently of the domestic licence fee. How do organisations change why do they change. How change is implemented, their impact and their success factors? Two organisations will be compared and contrasted against the various theories, their similarities being that they are both large and complex organisations whose purpose is to serve the public. Initition What are the triggers for change? Why did the organisation have to change. Organisational life cycle (Greiner L) Mintzberg types of change possible step change (company 1) Elements of change : Whipp, Rosenfeld and Pellige The Change Kaleidescope Bolgrum, Barly Whitepaper 1986 Organisational behaviour terrain. Types of change planned and unplanned Strategy Safari Punctuated equilibrium Organisational structure Cultural Era Implementation Strategic Elements of change (Whipp) Levels of change Change Kaleidescope Factors faciliting change Levels of change Wilson, D Forces for change, Lewin K (disagree in co1 cas but potentially for co 2) Total quality management nstep process : c1 y c2 elements of Resistance to change bellelan co1 n long terms, c2 yes short-term bursts Managing resistance : Kotter Co1 yes, co2 no The coping cycle Kublar-Rosser co2 yes ; n/a to company 1 Factors facilitating change Yes co1 2 but co2 fainlied in mid-implementation Unless structure follows strategy, inefficiency results. (Chandler 1962: 314) Impact Contingency approaches Dunphy and Stacy : Yes can be applied to both Effectiveness of change strategy The change kaleidoscope (culture leadership) Time Preservation Capability Scope diversity Organisational structure- tie into first part (initiation) Organisational culture- tie into first part (initiation) Efficiency Resistance 5 types of organisational structure : Mintzberg Divisional Form, mechanistic 1982 : Peters and Waterman in search of excellence Mckinney 7 steps Elements of change context : Economic Political ? Organisational effiveness/ development maturity? Transformational Political and economic forces Restructure of organisation Culture Organisational design IT communciation Conclusion: Bluprint for change One must consider the culture re: effectiveness and how deep it is to go Contigiency Approach Lawrence and lorsh structure depends on factors from the environment. Contingencey Theories : imprecise specification of factors such as environment Ashridge leadership and management BPR radical decentralisation BBC petal. The management of innovation burns stalk mechanistic Æ’Â   organic The Australian Defence Organisation (ADO) has an enduring strategic priority is to keep Australia and the Australian people safe from attack or the threat of attack, and from economic or political coercion. To meet this requirement, the Defence Department employs a full time workforce of over 92,000 personnel consisting of both uniformed Australian Defence Force (ADF) members and civilian Australian Public Service (APS) personnel. The Defence Environmental Scan 2025, identified that the Defence Organisations workforce consists of an ADF with 50,600 full time members and 20,600 Defence Public Servants. In addition, the ADF has 21,000 Active Reserve members.2 2. As a whole, the Defence workforce is responsible for delivering the range of defence outcomes required by Government. While the military and civilian components of the Defence Organisation are required to contribute collectively to the achievement of these Government objectives, the management of the Defence workforce is currently stovepiped along ADF and APS lines, with limited consideration of the workforce as a total resource. Scope. This essay will examine the theories current Defence workforce structure across the ADF and APS. It will consider the potential disadvantages of the current stovepiped separation of ADF and APS personnel management, and examine the merits of moving towards an integrated and total Defence workforce. It will explore the potential benefits of increasing the number of contested positions available to ADF and APS members, particularly in middle and senior management. ONE DEPARTMENT TWO WORKFORCE COMPONENTS Experience and Opportunity 7. The Department of Defence is consistently praised for its success in the planning and conduct of military operations, while also being criticised for failings in its corporate and strategic management. This somewhat paradoxical situation is in part a result of the Defence Departments personnel management processes, where on one hand significant effort and resources are applied to ensure that ADF personnel are adequately educated, trained and prepared for roles they are likely to undertake within the Defence Organisation, while within the APS, individuals are expected to undertake any task without subject matter expertise or professional qualification.6 8. The structured and formalised ADF approach underpins a culture where the importance of experience and professional development are valued and built into career pathways. The APS personnel management approach is not supported by the appropriate personnel structures or management mechanisms required to enable this development. While ADF senior commanders understand and expect ADF personnel to be released from mainstream responsibilities at certain times during their career to meet professional development milestones, the APS management framework does not offer senior managers this flexibility. The APS workforce structure provides limited ability to backfill APS staff undertaking formalised professional development and as such, it is very difficult for senior APS managers to release personnel for extended periods professional development and education. 9. The lack of opportunities for professional development in the APS is compounded by the relative inexperience of the APS workforce when compared to their ADF counterparts. This inexperience has been exacerbated by the accelerated promotion of individuals in recent years as a byà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ product of the rapid growth in civilian numbers.7 A comparison of the relative experience levels of senior and middle management in the Defence Organisation shows that 27 %of all APS Senior Executive Service (SES) staff are under the age of 45 and 26 %of Executive Level 2 (EL 2) staff are below the age of 40.8 For ADF members, the minimum period of commissioned service for promotion to one star rank is approximately 23 years, with a minimum of 20 years service required before being eligible for promotion to colonel equivalent rank. The accelerated progression to middle and senior management in the APS limits the time and opportunity for staff to pursue professional development and education for civilian personnel is very much an exception rather than a rule. A TOTAL AND INTEGRATED WORKFORCE Workforce Integration 11. The Chief of the Defence Force and Secretary are currently focussed on moving the Defence Departments people management in a more strategic direction so we [Defence] can better recruit and retain the talent we need to meet the security challenges of the future.11 To meet these challenges, the Defence Department will require a people management framework that draws together the capabilities of the current personnel resources available to the Department more effectively. Key to this approach is breaking down the culture of stovepiped management of ADF and APS personnel. A move to a more integrated workforce management framework, that selects the most experienced and qualified candidate from across the Defence Organisation for particular appointments, would provide significant benefits to the Department. 12. While acknowledging that certain areas of the Defence business requires a degree of specialisation, particularly in the ADF for the planning and conduct of operations and the APS in the delivery of specialist services, there is a great deal of scope for a more integrated approach to personnel management across large sectors of the Department. This is particularly the case across middle and senior management within the Department at the EL 1à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ lieutenant colonel (05) equivalent level and above, where the requirement for specialisation is often not as important as a sound knowledge of the broader functioning of Defence. 14. In relation to the ADF, an integrated workforce would significantly improve the capacity of the Defence Organisation to better leverage the experience and skills of ADF members. ADF members detailed knowledge and skills gained through experience in a variety of operational and nonà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ operational appointments, and structured professional development, can be applied in a range of areas within Defence. For ADF members, an integrated approach would provide increased career opportunities for the large majority of ADF officers who currently find themselves with limited options midà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ career. Achieving Improved Effectiveness and Efficiency 15. An integrated personnel management framework and the corresponding improvement in experience and professional development across middle management within the Department would provide considerable scope and opportunity for senior management to consider delegating additional responsibility to a more capable middle management group. This would assist in focussing the decision space of senior management on the strategic direction of the Defence Organisation as opposed to the more routine issues currently consuming their limited time. The empowerment of middle management would also provide increased job satisfaction, leading to improved productivity and retention. This is a significant benefit in an environment where the Defence Organisation is aggressively competing to recruit and retain the best. 16. The introduction of an integrated workforce will require cultural change within both the ADF and APS. There will need to be an acceptance that the lines of accountability for personnel issues to the Secretary for APS members and CDF for ADF personnel will become less clear. The personnel management framework will need to move away from a differing model for the APS and ADF to a more integrated management system, particularly in the area of middle and senior management. The recent appointment of a human resource management professional into the role of Deputy Secretary People Strategies and Policy, provides a real opportunity to realign personnel management across Defence. 17. To assist in this process, a review of all middle and senior management positions from EL 1à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ 05 equivalent and above is required. The review should focus on identifying which positions are suitable to be classified as contestable between APS and ADF members. With an understanding of the nature and scale of these contestable positions, an overarching management structure that incorporates both APS and ADF senior and middle managers can be developed. This overarching approach requires Defence senior and middle management personnel to be centrally managed to best meet Defenceà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ wide requirements. For this approach to be successful, the Departments personnel numbers would need to be managed in a more flexible manner, with a move away from separate ADF and APS caps, towards an overarching cap on total Defence employees. 18. There are many examples within industry and other Government agencies where personnel with diverse skills and backgrounds are managed as a total resource. Studies of these approaches would be of benefit when developing a revised framework for the Defence Organisation. The Australian Federal Police (AFP) has addressed these issues very effectively and achieved a wellà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ integrated workforce incorporating both sworn and unsworn officers. Defence should consider using the AFP experience as a case study on how to integrate differing elements into a total workforce. CONCLUSION (Substantial conclusions are drawn about the implications of the analysis for theory and practice) 19. The Defence Department can no longer afford a stovepiped approach to workforce management and must move towards greater integration between the ADF and APS components where the total personnel resources of the Department can be applied to achieve best affect. A move to a more integrated workforce, particularly in the areas of middle and senior management would have significant benefits for the individual APS and ADF members and the Department as a whole. It would provide opportunities to build mechanisms and flexibility into APS personnel management to enable increased professional development and enhanced experience levels. This will improve the job satisfaction and overall employability of APS members both within the Defence Department and the wider APS. For ADF members, greater workforce integration will provide improved career opportunities for the majority of experienced and qualified personnel who, under the current construct have limited career options once they reach the mid career point. This will have significant benefit for ADF retention. 20. A more integrated workforce would provide a framework that ensures the most qualified and experienced personnel from across the entire Department are identified for appointments at the middle and senior management level. Increased integrated can only improve overall workforce effectiveness and efficiency as the Defence Organisation confronts the complex security challenges of the future. RECOMMENDATIONS (Detailed, relevant and considered recommendations for practice are offered).In developing a total and integrated Defence workforce the following is recommended: TQM-What Is It?   If you are reading this book, it is likely that you already know what we mean when we use the term Total Quality Management. Still, its a good idea to define the term, and provide a brief overview.   Certainly TQM can be defined in a number of ways, and the details of different approaches can vary somewhat. However, a good starting definition, drawn from Capezio Morehouse is:   Total Quality management refers to a management process and set of disciplines that are coordinated to ensure that the organization consistently meets and exceeds customer requirements. TQM engages all divisions, departments and levels of the organization. Top management organizes all of its strategy and operations around customer needs and develops a culture with high employee participation. TQM companies are focused on the systematic management of data of all processes and practices to eliminate waste and pursue continuous improvement.    Perhaps a better way of understanding TQM is to compare a TQM organization with what we might call a traditional organizations. tets look at a number of differences.   1. Customer-Driven vs. Company-Driven   Traditional organizations tend to make their decisions based on what is most convenient for them, rather than what is wanted and expected by their customers. Being customer-based means gatf7ering information from customers/clients and modifying services and processes to meet those needs as well as possible. In government, this is not always easy, due to the conflicting responsibilities of a department, and the multiple customers/stakeholders involved in government situations. However, in many cases moving to a customer-driven organization can yield many positive results for government departments.   2. Long-Term vs. Short-Term Orientation   Traditional organizations tend to think and plan with respect to short term outcomes, white TQM organizations tend to think in much larger time spans. A typical example might be that a TQM organization would look at downsizing as having effects over a decade or two, while a traditional organization would look only at the immediate budgetary issues, letting future chips fall where they may.   Also, successful TQM organizations make a long term commitment to the principles of TQM, rather than looking at TQM as a program; something with a beginning and end. This means patience.     3. Data-Driven vs. Opinion-Driven   Traditional organizations tend to be managed by gut feel, or by opinion. They guess at what their customers want, and guess at the costs of waste, etc. TQM organizations base their decisions on data they collect; on customer needs, on waste, on costs, and on the sources of problems. While judgment is always involved in any decision, TQM organizations begin with the data, not with the solution.   4. Elimination of Waste vs. Tolerance of Waste   Most organizations operate with a high degree of waste and inefficiency. Traditional organizations consider waste, whether it be in time, materials, etc, as a normal part of their operation. TQM organizations are very active in identifying wasteful activities, and eliminating them.   5. Continuous Improvement vs, Fire Fighting   Traditional organizations tend to address problems with the way they do things only when there is a major problem or crisis. The watchword in traditional organizations is: if it aint broke, dont fix it, except that often it IS broke, but nobody is paying any attention .   TQM organizations are always looking for improvement, and are constantly engaged in problem-solving to make things better.   6. Prevention vs, Inspection   Traditional organizations tend to fix problems after the fact. Rather than trying to prevent problems, they catch them after the fact, which is very costly. TQM organizations work to prevent problems and errors, rather than simply fixing them.   7. Cross-Function Teams vs. Fortressed Departments   Traditional organizations tend to have sub-units that work autonomously and with little communication or involvement with other units. For example, personnel may have only limited interaction with other departments. Or, on a local level, administrative staff may have little communication with other staff in a government branch, and have a different reporting structure.   In TQM organizations, there is more use of cross-functional teams; teams convened for a particular purpose or purposes, with representation from a number of units or levels in the organization. The use of cross-functional teams means that input is gained from parts of the organization that need to be involved.   8. High Employee Participation vs. Top-Down Hierarchy   Traditional organizations tend to have very restricted communication and decision- making patterns. Employees are told what to do, rather than being inctuded in figuring out what to do. Information tends to flow from top to bottom.   In TQM organizations, employees are much more actively involved in both the decision-making and communication processes. Information flows both top to bottom and bottom to top. For that matter, information also flows sideways.   9. Problem-Solving vs, Blame   Traditional organizations tend to look to affix blame for things that go wrong. TQM organizations attack the problems in their organizations rather than the people. They fix things.   10. Systems Thinking Vs. Isolation   Traditiona~ organizations tend to see the parts and processes of their organization as single things, unretated to other part of the organization. TQM organizations tend to recognize that most often, probtems arise as a result of multiple causes, and that sub- units are interdependent. TQM organizations tend to see problems as a result of the entire system.   11. Leadership vs. Management   Traditional organizations tend to see people as objects to be managed; told what to do, disciplined, tracked, etc. TQM organizations exhibit more confidence in staff and more trust, and expect MORE from them, not less.   Thats a good starting point. There are probably a number of other comparisons to be made, but that gives us some common ground for discussion.   The Three Quality Gurus   While TQM may seem to be a new development to many, it has been around since the 1940s. One of the reasons why TQM seems to be the newest fad was that it was not embraced by North Americans, but it did find a home in post-WWII Japan.   The most well-known advocate of TQM was W. Edwards Deming, a statistician who, while largely ignored in North America, was actively involved in the 40 in the rebuilding of Japan. Deming passed away recently, and was in his 90s.   Two other gurus are Philip Crosby and Joseph Juran. Both are a bit younger than Deming, but have been influential in the field. It is worthy of note that the three gurus do not always agree, probably due to differences in terms of what each thinks is important, rather than in basic principles.   For those interested in learning more about TQM, it might be a good idea to read material from each of these experts.   TQM As Organizational Change Overview Moving to TQM is like any other organizational change. It must be managed effectively, and leaders of the change must take into account aspects of the organizations current culture. In fact, although TQM brings a number of benefits to those in the organization, you can expect some people to be cynical and resistant to change. Lets face it. Everyone in government has seen management fads come and go. Thankfully, a well managed TQM organizational change is likely to bring most if not all people on side over time. Organizational Change Principles 1) Time Any change (and its attached benefits) will take longer to realize than you expect. Typically, it may take as long as two or three years to have TQM working at its peak. 2 Resistance Regardless of the objective nature of the change, some (even many) people will resist it because it is unfamiliar. TQM must be introduced so that it maximizes peoples enthusiasm and minimizes resistance. 3. Leadership Any change will succeed or fail based on the ability of the change leaders to lead. People will take their cues about TQM from the management. If management show that they are committed, employees will become so. If management waffles, hedges, and backs off, then employees will see this as just more rhetoric of little importance. 4. Persistence Nobody is telling you that this process is easy. The worst thing a manager can do is start the process, and when it gets difficult, stop it. That breeds contempt for both the process and the manager. Managers need to commit over the long haul and realize they must be persistent while the rest of the organizations works at getting it. 5. Consistency The primary mistake managers make is that they become inconsistent. Perhaps most of the time, their thinking and actions reflect the principles of TQM. However, not all the time. This tells employees that the manager is not serious. As soon as a manager suggests that a poor product or service be delivered, the game is up. Instant lack of credibility. Consistency also means including employees in the planning of TQM activities, treating employees as the managers customers, and a number of other things. 6.Incentive People will embrace changes that they see are in their own self-interest. When presenting or deal ing with TQM changes it is important that managers highlight and focus on the benefits to the other people in tt7e organization. 7. Communication Change will be accepted or rejected based on the effectiveness of the communication about it. Communication must be frequent, of a two-way nature, and balanced (both positives and negatives). It must begin as early as possible in the process. http://work911.com/articles/tqm2.htm accessed 23102010 Impact Culture does not change because we desire to change it. Culture changes when the organization is transformed; the culture reflects the realities of people working together every day. Frances Hesselbein The Key to Cultural Transformation, Leader to Leader (Spring 1999) Implementation Ten years ago, Peter Senge introduced the idea of the learning organization Now he says that for big companies to change, we need to stop thinking like mechanics and to start acting like gardeners. Alan M. Webber, Learning for a Change Vision without action is merely a dream Action without vision just passes the time Vision with action can change the world Joel A. Barker The Power of Vision In times of rapid change, experience could be your worst enemy. J. Paul Getty Only the wisest and stupidest of men never change. Confucius