Decentralization and Development Essay

Most developing country’s governments and multilateral institutions are increasingly concerned by the slow progress being made towards achieving the Millennium Development Goals and have identified new ways of strengthening the development focus of their policies and programmes. For this reason, decentralisation is receiving increasing international attention as a potential tool in the acceleration of development. Though decentralisation would not be implemented solely for the direct purpose of economic development, the ensuing changes in the institutional architecture are very likely to impact on governance, participation and the efficiency of public-service delivery, all of which are important variables for development outcomes. Decentralisation is understood as the transfer of power, responsibility, authority, functions and appropriate resources from the central to the local level. This study attempts to analyse the performance of the decentralisation policy in Zambia since a new decentralisation policy was introduced in Zambia in November 2002 following two previous failed attempts in 1968 and 1980. An effort will be made to analyse the policy design, its implementation, monitoring and evaluation concerns and how these relate to development. Specific emphasis in the study will be placed on whether power can actually been devolved by the Central Government to the Local Governments and to what extent this can have a positive impact on the delivery and management of services at district level thereby leading to development. The study intends to evaluate how the decentralisation policy is operationalised by analysing political, administrative and fiscal decentralisation and how these interface with development in Zambia. The designers of the decentralisation policy in Zambia hoped that when implemented properly, it would reduce the workload at the centre, create political and administrative accountability, promote responsiveness, and in the long run develop organizational structures tailored to local circumstances in which the payment of taxes could be linked to the provision of services. In this way, it was intended that decentralisation would contribute to democratisation, more effective development, and good governance. The problem, however, is that despite these well intentioned goals, the theory is contrary to the practice since decentralisation in Zambia is characterised by several contradictions in the way of challenges related to human resource management, procurement, financial management, and the commercialisation of the elections process which involves the use of money to bribe voters and thereby greatly undermines the ideals of individual merit. As a result, democracy in Zambia has not necessarily produced the best leaders. These contradictions have negative implications for development and this study seeks to investigate why decentralisation has not necessarily led to development in the Zambia context. Generally, the study intends to explore the impact of the decentralisation policy on the development process of the Zambian economy, in terms of effectiveness in the delivery of services. The study hopes to highlight inadequacies, which could be addressed to improve performance and lead to development. More specifically, the study aims at: * Examining the legal and institutional framework of decentralisation in Zambia. * Analysing the determinants of pro-poor decentralisation process. * Examining the role of elected leaders in development under decentralised governance. * Analysing fiscal decentralisation in relation to service delivery (development). These objectives have been critically identified to cover the four pillars of decentralisation namely, the legal framework, as well as fiscal, administrative and political decentralisation. Decentralisation as a process of transferring authority and functions from the centre to the periphery governments is intended to result in good governance. The quest for good governance in both developed and developing countries has taken centre stage. Governments design policies, which are intended to improve people’s welfare and subsequently lead to development. The decentralisation policy in Uganda is one of such policies, which intends to encourage popular participation, accountability, and therefore enhance good governance and development. It is assumed that once organisations are decentralised formally and legally, the intended results are attained. However, there have been few tests to critically compare the assumptions and the subsequent results associated with decentralisation. This study intends to fill the gap by relating the theory of decentralisation to the practice in Zambia. A new decentralisation policy was introduced in Zambia the policy covers the crucial aspects of decentralisation such as setting up of sub-district structures and clearly defined roles for the local authorities, the province and central government. Additionally it clearly states that the government is aspiring for devolution although the process will start with deconcentration of services while capacity is being developed in the local authorities. The policy also clearly states that the objective of the policy is primarily governance, i.e. giving citizens more voice in decision-making and general improvement in democratic governance where citizens will elect the mayor as opposed to the current system where this is done by councillors, and councils will have more powers and resources. This is in keeping with the fact that the government wants to introduce devolution. A decentralisation secretariat was established to spearhead the implementation and coordination of the policy. The local government administration in Zambia is large and highly complex. This complexity together with the significant differences in management between provincial and district approaches, the researchers’ geographical location and resources determined the choice of research design and method most appropriate for the study. Thus the study will be fundamentally based on an analysis of secondary data as it relates to the theoretical and practical implications of decentralisation in Zambia. Hence secondary data will be collected and analysed by means of a literature study which makes use of various sources related to the Zambian setting, including books, journal articles, and legislation.

Thomas Jefferson Biography

Biography of Thomas Jefferson Thomas Jefferson, the third president of the United States, is recognized for his many accomplishments during the 18th century. Not only was he a president, but Jefferson was the author of The Declaration of Independence, a founding father of the United States, and the founder of the University of Virginia. Jefferson was a brilliant political writer who used his writing skills to separate the United States of America from Great Britain and to protect the rights of man.Jefferson addresses these rights in the declaration when he says, â€Å"All men are created equal and there are certain unalienable rights that governments should never violate. These rights include the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness,† (Jefferson, 1. ) These words are popular and have historical meaning. On April 13th, 1734 in Shadwell, Virginia, Thomas Jefferson was born to the parents Jane and Peter Jefferson. Shadwell is a town just outside of Charlottesville . His mother, Jane Randolph Jefferson, was from a family that claimed to be descended from English and Scottish royalty (â€Å"Thomas Jefferson†).His father, Peter Jefferson, was a skilled surveyor and cartographer, which meant that he studied and practiced making maps as well as accurately determined the three-dimensional position of points. Peter produced the first accurate map of the province of Virginia. Perhaps young Jefferson got inspiration from his father. Jefferson had five siblings. He had two older sisters, two younger sisters, and one younger brother. He lived in a very busy household. As a child, Jefferson spent his free time practicing the violin and reading books. At the age of twenty four, Jefferson married Martha Jefferson.They were both from plantation families and it is believed that they were introduced to each other by mutual friends. Thomas fell for the young American girl’s education and interest in music (â€Å"Thomas Jefferson†). Togethe r they had six children, but only two lived to be adults. After many wonderful years married, illness fell upon Martha and she passed away on September 6th, 1782. Jefferson made a promise to her that he would never remarry. After her death, he spent three weeks mourning in his library. In a period of seclusion, Jefferson explained in his autobiography that he felt like a part of him had died after she passed (Jefferson, 42).Later on in life, Jefferson had an affair with slave-girl Sally Hemings. There isn’t much information on this story, but there was DNA proof that he fathered her child. (â€Å"Jefferson – Hemings†). Thomas Jefferson began his education at a very young age. At the age of five, his father placed him in an English school and he was attending Latin school by age nine. The Latin school was conducted by Reverend William Douglas (Beran, 78). In 1758, Jefferson attended the school of Reverend James Maury. He described Reverend Maury as â€Å"a corre ct, classical scholar† (Jefferson, 29. He later attended the College of William and Mary at the age of seventeen in Williamsburg. It was there that Jefferson began his law studies with George Wythe. Jefferson received and unofficial political and cultural education from him. For two years, Jefferson studied primarily with George Wythe and Dr. William Small. He said that Dr. Small taught him a vast majority what he knew about politics. Over the seven years of study spent at Williamsburg, Jefferson culminated in the practice of law, but without any degree. Thomas Jefferson was also strongly influenced by the political philosophy of the Enlightenment and also from John Locke.Thomas Jefferson was not a good public speaker, but that didn’t stop him from expressing his opinions of politics. In his early writing years, Jefferson mostly wrote political letters (Skarmeas, 66). His earliest published work is The Declaration of Independence. He began drafting The Declaration of In dependence after British troops had attempted to confiscate American ammunition stores and capture patriot leaders in these towns (â€Å"Reasons for the Declaration†). The continental congress met in September of 1774 to pick a committee responsible for drafting it. Jefferson was the delegate chosen to write the important document.The Declaration of Independence was written as a letter to King George III hoping for reconciliation. The committee met several time to discuss ideas and think of what they wanted to be addressed in the document. Like most people who write something, he had to first make a rough draft (â€Å"The Declaration of Independence†). Jefferson, by himself, drafted a rough copy of the declaration. He worked on it for two and a half weeks. Only minor changes were made to his draft before it was finalized. The Declaration of Independence became Jefferson’s most popular work.This was such an important document because it formally declared that the thirteen colonies of North America were free and independent from British control (â€Å"Reasons for the Declaration†). It served as the basis for the American Revolution. It began the formation of the federal government and a new United States of America. The Declaration of Independence was released to the public on July 4th, 1776. As time went by, the ideas of Jefferson’s words â€Å"all men are created equal† grew in importance. Northern states used them to free slaves in their states. Abraham Lincoln used equal rights to justify the Civil War (Bernstein, 156).He soon became the governor of Virginia. Jefferson also because the vice President of the United States. To occupy his times during his four years as vice president, Jefferson authored A Manual of Parliamentary. This was one of the most useful guides to legislative proceedings ever written, and served as the president of the American Philosophical Society. After Jefferson’s time as vice presiden t, he became the third President of the United States. As president, Jefferson accomplished many things, including the Louisianna Purchase (Beran, 73). This greatly expanded the size of the country.After his presidency, Jefferson settled down. His tone of writing remained the same as before though. He was still straight forward political writer who expressed his opinions through letters and documents. Jefferson did, however, write an autobiography describing his accomplishments and life journeys. He began writing this is 1821. The last thing that was written by Thomas Jefferson was a letter addressed to Roger C (â€Å"Thomas Jefferson†). In this letter, Jefferson thanks him for inviting him to the celebration of the fiftieth anniversary of The Declaration of Independence.He said that he was happy and hopes that the celebration serves as a reminder of the rights he had originally written about. At the end of the letter, Jefferson apologized for having to reject his invitation because of his health conditions. Thomas Jefferson lived a very eventful and successful life. In 1818, his health began rapidly declining. He was diagnosed with kidney failure and many other age related diseases (â€Å"Thomas Jefferson, a Brief Biography†). His death was mainly caused by a combination of a few things. One thing that contributed to his death was exhaustion from diarrhea. Another contributor was toxemia from a kidney infection.Uremia from kidney damage and orthostatic old-age pneumonia also added to Jefferson’s declining health. He was bed-ridden and eventually died on July 4th, 1826 in Charlottesville, Virginia. The date of his death is ironic because it was the same day as the anniversary of The Declaration of Independence. Jefferson might have lived longer under modern medical care (Bernstein, 187). Jefferson leaves behind a legacy that will always be talked about. He will forever be revered as one of the great American Founding Fathers. He was a spok esman of liberty, but had also been viewed as a racist slave owner.He was a president who expanded government authority beyond the wildest visions of his predecessors. Jefferson is a symbol for the nation he helped create. After he died, he was buried in the family cemetery at Monticello. The cemetery is located in Virginia and Jefferson’s grave is surrounded by metal fences. Beran, Michael Knox. Jefferson’s Semons: Portrait of a Restless Mind. New York City: Free Press, 2003. Print. Bernstein, R. B. Thomas Jefferson. Oxford: University Press, 2003. Print. Skarmeas, Nancy. Thomas Jefferson. Nashville: Ideals Publications Incorporated, 1998. Print. Jefferson, Thomas.Autobiography of Thomas Jefferson. New York City: Dover Publications, 2007. Print. â€Å"Thomas Jefferson. † International Encyclopedia of the Social Sciences. New York City: Macmillan Library Reference, 2008. Print. â€Å"Thomas Jefferson. † The Biography Channel Online. n. p. n. d. Web. 17 Ma y. 2009. â€Å"Thomas Jefferson, a Brief Biography. † Monticello Online. n. p. n. d. Web. 7 September. 1993. â€Å"Reasons for the Declaration. † History King. n. p. n. d. Web. 14 March. 1999. â€Å"The Declaration of Independence. † America’s Library. n. p. n. d. Web. 24 April. 2000. â€Å"Jefferson – Hemings. † Monticello Online. n. p. n. d. Web. 4 August. 1993.Related Photo This is a picture of the sign at the Monticello Graveyard located in Virginia. The photo relates to Thomas Jefferson because the Monticello Graveyard is also known as the Jefferson Cemetery. The cemetery sits behind and slightly down the mountain, hidden from the plantation's daily life. Something of a disappointment was the fact that the locked wrought iron fence prohibited visitors from paying homage to the great man and his family. Somehow it felt as if we were being banned from his world. Thomas Jefferson was buried in this cemetery along with many other members of the Jefferson family. Literary InterpretationOne of the most recognized and most popular documents in American history is The Declaration of Independence. The Declaration of Independence, written by Thomas Jefferson and adopted by the Second Continental Congress, was the start of a new beginning for the United States of America. The declaration is a letter to the King of Great Britain, George III. The declaration states the reasons for the British colonies wanting independence. It explains why the colonies have overthrown their ruler. Thomas Jefferson addresses specific details for their reasoning as well as expressing his opinions of the governmental structure.Jefferson uses his strong political writing skills and his knowledge on politics to the colonies’ problems with other nations of the world. Thomas Jefferson’s purpose for writing The Declaration of Independence was to express his ideas for a better society and to help the colonies become free at the same time. â€Å"But  when a  long train  of  abuses  and  usurpations,  pursuing invariably  the  same Object evinces  a  design  to  reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is  their right, it is  their duty, to  throw off such Government, and to  provide new Guards  for their future security,† (Jefferson 1).This sentence of The Declaration of Independence shows Jefferson expressing how he feels about being treated wrong. Thomas Jefferson and other members of the Second Continental Congress wanted to use the declaration to expose the abuses to the other nations of the world. They wanted to justify the action of congress by blaming the rapture on King George III. The abuses that Jefferson is discussing are the abuses that King George III has applied to the colonies of Northern America. The abuses were a result of the king’s desire of creating a tyrannical government in America.The foundation of representative government is the power of the pe ople to make laws for the public good (â€Å"Reasons for the Declaration†). King George III interfered with that process by rejecting legislation proposed by the colonies, dissolving colonial bodies or representation, replacing colonial governments with his appointed ministers, and interfering with the naturalization of citizens in new regions. King George III extended his tyrannical control by interfering with the objective judicial processes and the civil rights of the colonies (â€Å"The Declaration of Independence†).Jefferson then uses this to create a list of unalienable rights that should be applied to everyone. â€Å"We hold these truths to be self-evident,  that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness,† (Jefferson 1). Jefferson addresses that if any form of government becomes destructive of the ends, it is the right of the people t o alter or to abolish it, laying its foundation in the belief of these rights.Jefferson uses these to lay down a basic structure of the government he want and how the people of this society should be treated. Of the abuses that were mentioned, Jefferson devoted approximately one-fourth of the abuses in his original draft of the  Declaration of Independence  to the topic of slavery. Jefferson held the King accountable for maintaining and protecting slavery as an institution in the colonies. Not surprisingly, the moderate congress, already fearful of being too radical, removed all references to slavery from the document.It remains a source of historical debate why a slave-owning man like Jefferson would have devoted so much intellectual energy to criticizing slavery and to attempting to remove it from the colonies. Jefferson thought that slavery was contrary to the laws of nature, which decreed that everyone had a right to personal liberty. These views were radical in a world wher e unfree labor was the norm. Jefferson spends so much time writing about slavery because he does not approve of it and he does not want to incorporate it in the society and government that he is aiming towards.It is clear that Thomas Jefferson wrote The Declaration of Independence to help the thirteen original colonies to become free from British control. The Declaration of Independence has much deeper meaning than just that, though. Jefferson uses the document to express exactly how he feels about the political structure of a country. From this point on, people should look at The Declaration of Independence as the guidelines and rules to how a country should be run and how the citizens of that country should be treated. Jefferson, Thomas. â€Å"Declaration of Independence,† The American Experience.New York City: Prentice Hall, 2002. Print. â€Å"Reasons for the Declaration. † History King. n. p. n. d. Web. 14 March. 1999. â€Å"The Declaration of Independence. † America’s Library. n. p. n. d. Web. 24 April. 2000. List of Authors Works 1. A Summary View of the Rights of British America 2. Draft of Constitution for Virginia 3. Original Rough Draft of the Declaration of Independence 4. Draft of Kentucky Resolutions of 1798 5. Wall of Separation Letter 6. Manual of Parliamentary Practice 7. Autobiography of Thomas Jefferson Persuasive Essay Thomas Jefferson is an important figure in American history.He was one of the American Founding Fathers, the third president of the United States, and an original American politician. Thomas Jefferson is an important American author and should be taught in an English curriculum. Learning about Thomas Jefferson in an English class can teach students about his influence on early American government structures as well as the history of the thirteen original British colonies. It can also teach students about his progress and developments as an American Founding Father. Thomas Jefferson matters in Americ an literature because he is one of America’s original politicians.Thomas Jefferson is an American forefather. Not only did he write the Declaration of Independence, he was Virginia’s representative to the first Continental Congress, the governor of Virginia and the third president of the United States. As a president, Jefferson accomplished many things. He allowed the Alien and Sedition acts to end without renewal and also had the tax on liquor repealed (â€Å"Thomas Jefferson†). In 1803, Jefferson purchased the Louisiana territory from France for $15 million. This is considered the most important act of his administration.All of these things are important because it teaches the history of our country and Thomas Jefferson contributed to the history. Thomas Jefferson’s Declaration of Independence can teach students about how America’s thirteen original British colonies became independent from King George III. If the Declaration of Independence was a ssigned to students, it would teach them the reasons for America wanting to become free from British rule. They would learn how King George III treated the thirteen colonies and what they wanted for their governmental structure.It also teaches the unalienable rights the Jefferson included in the declaration (â€Å"Reasons for the Declaration†). As a champion of civil liberties, Jefferson valued reason above faith. This is much different from other philosophers during his time because they were the complete opposite. Learning about Jefferson’s political beliefs teaches students how he used politics to make his decisions. He was a strong supporter of the ideals of the Enlightenment. Those ideals are reason, liberty and equality (Bernstein, 98). He believed that these ideals should be used to govern nations.He put his beliefs into his writings and into the Declaration of Independence. Many people think that Jefferson should not be taught in an English curriculum because h e favored slavery and was a slave owner himself. But while Jefferson was vocally opposed to slavery, and even passed the Act to Prohibit the Importation of Slaves during his second term as president,  he was a slave owner and believed that black people were inferior to white people. For some, this is cause enough to dismiss Jefferson as someone for whom history has inflated their reputation, but he was a man of his time and was subject to the cultural beliefs of that time.In truth, Jefferson was instrumental in the America of today, the America that values equality and liberty and freedom. Jefferson’s actions and philosophy shaped the  ideals  of America. In fact, for America to revisit the teachings of Jefferson might be wise. In conclusion, Thomas Jefferson should be taught in English classes. Jefferson is important to American history and shaped our country. â€Å"Thomas Jefferson. † International Encyclopedia of the Social Sciences. New York City: Macmillan L ibrary Reference, 2008. Print. Bernstein, R. B. Thomas Jefferson. Oxford: University Press, 2003. Print. â€Å"Reasons for the Declaration. History King. n. p. n. d. Web. 14 March. 1999. Annotated Bibliography Beran, Michael Knox. Jefferson’s Semons: Portrait of a Restless Mind. New York City: Free Press, 2003. Print. From this source, I got information about Thomas Jefferson’s education and about his life after becoming a president. I used this information in my biography essay and cited in twice. I found this book to be very helpful and it provided a vast amount of information. Bernstein, R. B. Thomas Jefferson. Oxford: University Press, 2003. Print. From this book, I got information about Thomas Jefferson’s work on The Declaration of Independence and on his death.I used this information in both my biography essay and in my persuasive essay. It provided a lot of information that I was able to use and I feel like it was a very reliable source. Skarmeas, Nancy. Thomas Jefferson. Nashville: Ideals Publications Incorporated, 1998. Print. From this book, I got information on Jefferson’s early political letters and writing. This book provided examples of his political letters and details explaining them. I used this information on the Early Writing Career portion of the biography essay. This source was very helpful. Jefferson, Thomas.Autobiography of Thomas Jefferson. New York City: Dover Publications, 2007. Print. From this autobiography, I got information on every aspect of Jefferson’s life. I used this information in all three essays. This source provided the most accurate and reliable information since it was written by Thomas Jefferson himself. â€Å"Thomas Jefferson. † International Encyclopedia of the Social Sciences. New York City: Macmillan Library Reference, 2008. Print. From this online encyclopedia, I obtained information on Jefferson’s early life. I used this information in my biography essay.There was n’t that much information from this source, but what I found was very reliable. â€Å"Thomas Jefferson. † The Biography Channel Online. n. p. n. d. Web. 17 May. 2009. From this source, I found a lot of information on Thomas Jefferson’s early life and his writing of The Declaration of Independence. I used this information in all three essays. This source offered a lot of information that I didn’t find anywhere else. â€Å"Thomas Jefferson, a Brief Biography. † Monticello Online. n. p. n. d. Web. 7 September. 1993. From this source, I got information of Thomas Jefferson’s death.I used this information in my biography essay. This source offered very little information. â€Å"Reasons for the Declaration. † History King. n. p. n. d. Web. 14 March. 1999. This source offered information about why The Declaration of Independence was written. I found use of this source in all three of my essays. This source offered a lot of detailed a lot of d etailed information. It was a very reliable source. â€Å"The Declaration of Independence. † America’s Library. n. p. n. d. Web. 24 April. 2000. This source offered information about the Declaration of Independence.I used the information from this source on the literary interpretation and biography essays. This source offered very straight forward facts and information that I found to be quite helpful. â€Å"Jefferson – Hemings. † Monticello Online. n. p. n. d. Web. 4 August. 1993. This source gave me information about Thomas Jefferson’s affair with slave-girl Sally Hemings. I used this information on my biography essay when I talked about the affair. This source had the most information about the affair. I found this source to be very useful. Jefferson, Thomas. â€Å"Declaration of Independence,† The American Experience. New York City:Prentice Hall, 2002. Print. This source is what I did my literary interpretation on. I found it to be very easy to interpret and it also provided some information that I could’ve used in my persuasive essay. â€Å"Thomas Jefferson Family Cemetery. † Carol House Online. n. p. n. d. 17 February. 2007. This source is where I got the cemetery picture from. All I got from this source was the picture. It was a good source. â€Å"Thomas Jefferson on Politics and Government. † Faculty Online. n. p. n. d. 7 May. 1996. This source is where I got the cover picture from. All I got from this source was the picture. It was a good source.

Analysing NetFlix Performance Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Analysing NetFlix Performance - Essay Example This increased their expenditure on streaming from the US $33 million to the US $200 million per year.On July 12, 2011, they increased their monthly subscription from the US $ 9 to the US $ 15. It takes off after 2003 when the company makes a profit for the first time. Between 2003 and 2009 the growth is steady but slow. The year 2010 find’s the stock taking off in a big way. The reason may be the sudden increase in subscription base or due to the tie-up with Starz Entertainment. The company becomes a dot-com success story. Video rentals are a technology-driven industry. At the time NetFlix entered the market DVD’s were a novelty and were costlier.Internet was also in its infancy. Video Cassettes were the popular medium and it was mostly retail renting. NetFlix made use of the compactness of the DVD and the accessibility of the internet to start online renting, sending the DVDs by mail. Monthly Subscription was another attraction. When the business prospered they tied up with Cable TV operators and Movie producing companies to get new movies at the earliest time. They also made use of the Improvement in the internet speed by offering Movies over the internet by streaming.This meant that no physical media was to be transported and that the user can make his choice online. The Web Portal of the Company also has facilities for registering viewer preferences. Right decisions at the right time and adapting to changing technologies and keeping track of the user preferences are the reason behind NetFlix’s success.The recent dip in stock prices and the negative comments of the customers on the increase in subscription rates are only temporary hiccups.  

International Human Resources Practice in the United States Assignment

International Human Resources Practice in the United States - Assignment Example employees. Human resource managers tend to develop various strategies to improve the qualities of the employees through training and development. Traditionally, the role of human resource managers was associated with recruitment and selecting the right candidate for the job. However, modern day requirements are much higher than the traditional processes. The managers require developing strategies for the employees in order to support the overall organisational objectives. A few factors have influenced HR Managers while deciding upon the appropriate approaches to effective management of the employees. The external factors are influencing largely to the human resource practices such as recruitment, induction and customer service. These factors may include the cultural, political, social and economical situations of a country that largely need to be considered while practicing human resource management. Thus, these factors prevalent within the United States need to be assessed by the or ganisations before an appropriate model for optimum utilisation of human resources can be designed. As suggested by Mueller and Clarke (1998), the US based HRM approach is a merit-based reward system that focuses on the incremental compensation for the exchange of performance. They further added that this approach cannot be applied in all countries. It is the culture and nationality that play an imperative role in decision making and distribution processes. According to Armstrong (2006), the prime goal of human resource management is to enable strategic planning which will develop the employees to contribute on the organisations success. As observed by Hofstede (n.d.), through the 5-D model, the national culture of the US is individualistic in nature, which has influenced the organisational culture. Thus, it can be said that individualism prevails among the employees of the organisation. Furthermore, it can be assumed that HRM in the US is focussed on the individual employees, rathe r than teams. Thus, strategies that will benefit an individual employee, and motivate him/her for producing efficient working skills are designed by HR professionals. Internationalisation of companies has led to following various cultures based on the local culture of the US. The US is the headquartered to many international companies which are spread all over the world. Therefore, it can be assumed that the culture of US is followed in majority of the companies branches spread across the globe. Thus, it is equally essential for HR managers to find a healthy balance between the global organisational culture and local culture of the country. Cultural Aspects Related to International Human Resource Management Recruitment It has been observed that the initial stage in the International Human Resource Management (IHRM) process is the recruitment of the appropriate candidate exclusively for the job. This is an important task of the HR personnel as the candidate’s behaviour and kno wledge will be reflected in the working environment of the organisation. As observed by Denning (1998), cultural differences have embarked on the recruitment procedures of employees by HR professiona

Vulnerable Population and Self-Awareness Paper Essay

Vulnerable Population and Self-Awareness Paper - Essay Example This impairs their quality of life by decreasing their subjective health and increasing depressive symptoms. Loneliness among widows could lead to cognitive decline and increased need to use health services available to them. This paper applies criteria in selecting a vulnerable population, studying the population’s demographics and reflecting on personal attitudes and values towards that population. There are over 13.7 million widowed individuals in the United States, with over 11 million of this number being women (Jenkins, 2009). Female survivors have outdistanced the men by an increasingly widening margin with women now representative of eighty percent of the population of widows in the US. In 1940, there were approximately twice as many widows as there were widowers, with this ratio climbing to 4:1 and expected to continue rising in the future. Several factors can explain this disparity between the two sexes. First, women have a longer lifespan compared to men with women living into their advanced years more than men do. Second, most men will marry women who are younger than they are, which increases their probability of outliving their spouse. Thirdly, widowers tend to remarry more than their female counterparts do; therefore, men tend to leave widowhood more than women do. 65% of women aged 65 and above are widowed, which reflects their greater life expectancy (Jenkins, 2009). Widows also undergo longer periods of grieving accompanied by feelings of guilt and retrospection of a past relationship mistakes. Before the demographic research, my view of widows was one of grief and loneliness. It seemed me that they were, in too much grief, to reconsider marriage due to their attachment to their late husbands or even out of respect to their children and the memories that they held of their late father. It also seemed that widows complained all the time, especially when in public. This was especially so with elderly widows who came to social meets by the mselves. I thought that they had no more reason to complain than widowers did, some of whom I knew personally to be very affable characters. However, after this demographic study, it is now clear that widows have very limited chances of remarrying. Despite their loneliness and want for companionship, by the time they get to 65, there are very few men available for re-marriage. The emotional loneliness that they experience is a subjective response to lack of intimate and close attachment. When they lose their husband, who was an intimate attachment, their identity becomes impaired since they have no one to foster a feeling of security, which leaves them in a state of isolation and aloneness. The demographic study also brought me closer to their social isolation. Whereas I thought they were socially isolated because of unending grief, it became clear that this was caused by lack of a social networks, or even dissatisfaction with their present social network. A lack of social integrati on makes them feel that they do not have friends. Social researchers feel that social isolation is can be measured by contacts and integration the widow has with the surrounding social environment (Owen, 2009). Healthcare professionals are in good positions of helping the elderly women suffering from loneliness, which in turn, leads to suffering from health problems. However,

Friendship in Julius Caesar Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Friendship in Julius Caesar - Essay Example ever, Antony unlike his friend show his complete devoutness to Caesar when he was call by Caesar, and he responded to "Here, my lord.† Subsequently, the Caesar’s conspirator that is Cassius, Decius and Brutus had used their friendship as concealment to blind Caesar from the truth. Since, Caesar was predisposed to the power of amity just as any other ordinary person this blinded him thus making him unable to understand the reality as it was. For instances, Decius, who is one of the Caesar‘s schemers, came to Caesar’s house, and the first thing that he said was â€Å"Caesar, all hail! Good morrow, worthy Caesar."(2.2. 58-59). Decius perceives Caesar as "most mighty" and this made Caesar become even more comfortable with Decius. Conversely, it was through this that Caesar‘s conspirators were able to plan for the killing of Caesar. Brutus, Decius and, Cassius knew that by ascertaining Caesar that they had solid friendship him this will give them a chance to lure Caesar. For that reason, Brutus, Decius and, Cassius decided to use their excellent established relationship with Caesar in an utterly deceiving manner, in order to ‘exterminate’ him. Hence, Decius a friend to Caesar was able to start this plan by using sycophancy and swift wit in order to trick and persuades Caesar into going to the congress house, in spite of the factual that Caesar’s wife know as Calpurnia had dreams of Caesars homicide the night-time before. Still, Decius was able to his own conspiracy to convinces to Caesar that, â€Å"This dream is all amiss interpreted; it was a vision fair and fortunate†( 2.2. 83-84). Moreover, Decius continue to convinces his friend Caesar by misinterpreted the dream as he to ld him that dream was a noble one and that it was through him that Rome would be invigorated into an inordinate city once more (Shakespeare, 28). Interestingly, Caesar was very delighted with Decius’s interpretation of his wife dream, and this excitement had delighted him so much

Mid-term essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Mid-term - Essay Example It was a time of religious intolerance when a strict theocratic rule existed in most of Europe. An example of the extreme power of the Papacy at around this period was its ability to wage wars against other countries. This powerful papacy launched the Crusades which fought for a period of two centuries against the Muslims who conquered and occupied the Near East, especially Jerusalem. It also fought against other perceived enemies of the faith such as those pagans in the Slavic region, the Jews, the Mongols and other peoples it considered as heretics. In the real sense, the papacy was a power unto itself and exercised both religious and temporal powers. It concerned itself with matters of the state and even kings bowed to it. It was against this backdrop that the Reformation movement begun that was started by a simple act of Martin Luther. He questioned some of the questionable practices of the clergy during his time. He saw how the clerical powers had been abused at the expense of o rdinary people and how it strayed so far away from its original religious mandate of saving the souls. It is necessary to give a brief background in order to understand the context in which Martin Luther challenged the papal authority and the manifest abuses of the system (Jacobs 7). Discussion The Catholic Church at around this time can be characterized, to put it mildly, as very corrupt. Candidates for the papacy outmaneuvered each other, engaged in political intrigues, some popes and priests were married and had families (before celibacy was imposed) and the general atmosphere within the Catholic hierarchy was far removed from religious matters. The main protest of Martin Luther was centered on the granting of indulgences. It was the practice of the Catholic Church at that time to give full or partial remissions for those sins committed and their accompanying or corresponding temporal punishment. Indulgences were replacements for severe penances imposed by the early church for si ns committed drawn from the supposed accumulated goodwill in the Treasury of Merit. Because the Church was very corrupt and engaged more in temporal matters than what was necessary, it was constantly in need of funds to finance its various projects like building massive cathedrals and to finance its religious wars. Due to this scarcity of funds, the Church decided to raise money through the sale of these so-called indulgences (Somervill 43). It was not originally intended by Martin Luther to split the Church itself but his intentions were just to point out the sheer error in selling indulgences when these were supposed to be free. A very important point raised by Luther was that indulgences cannot save sinners since forgiveness is a power granted by God alone and not from buying and paying for these indulgences. He saw how unfair it was for the pope at that time (Pope Leo) to finance construction of an extravagant St. Peter's Basilica when the papacy itself had so much money. Moreov er, he did not like the lavish lifestyle of the pope and the squandering of church funds through the support of extraneous things like art and culture. The pope had designated a short Dominican monk to undertake the sale of indulgences to raise funds; going from town to town, telling the people how they can save the souls of their relatives in Purgatory by buying indulgences. The Ninety-five Theses of Martin Luther –

Take home final exam Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Take home final exam - Term Paper Example The advent of ‘Email’ as a form of social media was made in the year 1966. This form of social media has been of great help to the society. In keeping with the advantage, apart from normal sending and receiving of messages through mail, one can also send greeting cards among others. Another form of social media that has facilitated to ease the lifestyle of the masses worldwide is ‘LinkedIn’. This form of social media has been of great assistance to the working people or for businesses. By executing this social media within the organizations, it becomes convenient to get connected with professionals and executives. YouTube became functional in the year 2005. This was considered to be the first major website for hosting along with sharing of the videos worldwide. This has helped the users’ in viewing the videos of their interest. In the year 2006, social media emerged with a new innovation for common users i.e. ‘Facebook’. With this social media, communication amidst the society has become more effective. This assists the society to maintain connection with their closed ones worldwide. ‘Google Buzz’ is the form of social media that acts as a messaging tool. By applying this form of social media, the users can send messages, photos and links among others (Ritholtz Barry, â€Å"History of Social Media†). 2. ... Social media ensures the connection of individuals with friends, along with facilitating to share information and contents among others which contribute to the popularity of social media. In the modern day scenario, communication within the organizations has greatly changed. The traditional form of media is quite different as compared to the new form. Traditional social media comprises newspapers, films and magazines among others. The new form of social media entails inherent properties that have made it more successful rather than the traditional form. With regard to the dimension of accessibility, social media is very easily available at minimum or no cost at all. In order to use social media, there is no requirement of specialized knowledge or skills. In keeping with speed as a property of social media, it is readily available everywhere. Furthermore, it is being used by everyone within the community. Moreover, an individual can communicate with a larger base of audiences without any interruption. New social media is being highly applied by the marketing departments in organizations in order to reach the larger client base at a shorter tenure. Interactivity as another property of social media basically fosters two or multiple way communication. In accordance with longevity as a property of social media, it is generally volatile by nature. Reach of social media is unlimited in terms of contents. Application of social media in modern day context enables the users to search unlimited contents of their interest. Comparatively, in case of traditional media, it is not that volatile, speedy and accessible as the new form of media i.e. social media (Taprial and Kanwar 6-39; Blazevic,

NCOER EVAL DA 2166-8 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

NCOER EVAL DA 2166-8 - Essay Example This is due to three reasons. Firstly, the soldier illustrated appropriate military bearing, posture, and also appearance. Secondly, the soldier illustrated adequate mental and also physical capabilities, required for the performance of any successful military project or mission. Thirdly, the soldier maintained satisfactory physical fitness and mental alertness, despite the temporary challenges of back injury and extreme operational tempo. The soldier achieved success ratings in terms of leadership competencies. This is illustrated through three issues. Firstly, the soldier is a proven leader who understands approaches of motivating junior soldiers to effectively and efficiently accomplish missions, with minimal supervision. Secondly, the soldier effectively coached 6 soldiers through initiating study groups. The initiative increased the General technical scores of the soldiers, to more than 110. Thirdly, he enhanced spirit de corps by endorsing SHARP. He thus made himself available to help, through training, the unit victim advocate. The soldier achieved the success score for the training aspect. This is due to effective performance in three major areas. Firstly, he effectively identified more than 7 soldiers who can be competent platoon Master drivers. Secondly, he trained 31 soldiers using 6 military vehicles, and no accident or incident was reported. Thirdly, the soldier successfully trained two soldiers, and hence they passed the APFT after several unsuccessfully attempts. He also taught the significance of individual responsibility to the soldiers, through motivating them to formulate and work towards achieving their goals. The soldier received a score of success, and this is illustrated through three issues. Firstly, he properly managed military commodities and equipments worth in excess of $2.1 million. Secondly, there was no loss, mismanagement, embezzlement or discrepancies

At the end of the day, marketing communication does not deliver Essay - 1

At the end of the day, marketing communication does not deliver adverts, or direct mail pieces, or PR and corporate identity programs. We deliver results Discuss what you think is meant by this statement - Essay Example Those involved in marketing focus on catching consumers’ attention through catchy slogans, media exposure, redesigning packages and endorsements from celebrities. Marketing includes what is known as the four â€Å"Ps† which are product, people, place and promotion (Kerin, 2012). A result oriented business knows very well that it cannot afford to play around with marketing communication. Marketing communication is a fundamental part of any businesses marketing department. As a key element, communication plays a major part in marketing, as a process it uses words, signs, sounds, images, and behaviors to express ideas, feelings or even thoughts to a recipient. In short, it is conveying information to a recipient with an expectation of a feedback. With that knowledge, marketing communication simply put is the deployment of every media to convey a message to the market. It covers advertisements, branding, printing materials, direct marketing, packaging, online presence, sales presentations, PR activities, sponsorships and many more (MaRS, 2012). In as much as marketing communication has a hand in these activities, its main goal is to deliver results in the form of brand loyalty. Marketing communication is geared towards two major objectives; create a sustainable demand for the product (brand loyalty) and to make the sale cycle shorter (Marsdd.com 2012). Preference creation is often a long term objective as it is aimed at using tools of communication to place the company or product in the mind of the customers targeted. To place or position a product and build a brand is not an overnight adventure, but requires consistency and time in communication, product, pricing and distribution to show degree of commitment by the company. When preference is done through building brands, it helps impact the market share, access to talent and profitability as a means for company’s’ long term value provision. Communication through

Nutrition - Hamburger Essay Example for Free

Nutrition Hamburger Essay â€Å"Approximately 30. 3 percent of children (ages 6 to 11) are overweight and 15. 3 percent are obese. For adolescents (ages 12 to 19), 30. 4 percent are overweight and 15. 5 percent are obese†. Every year the percentage of Americans increases the obesity and death rate in the United States of America. This all is happening because of unhealthy junk food we eat every day. People eat fast food almost every day because they are too lazy to cook healthy food in their home so they always look for quick and fast food like McDonalds, Burger King, KFC, Jack in the box etc. For some teenagers like college students it is becoming a regular meal because they don’t get time to cook healthy food and they always want an easy and quick meal. It is cheap and convenient. People have started eating more at fast food restaurants than eating at home but what they don’t know is that in future it can cause so many diseases like heart attacks, cholesterol, and stomach pains. Even though, fast food is quick and unhealthy food people still eat it because it tastes good. In 2008, 40,000 people die in America just because of eating fast food every day. It shows logos and pathos because it’s telling how people are crazy about fast food but they don’t know what type of consequence they will have to face after they get heart problems, cancer, and diabetes so on. My solution is Fast food should serve little more healthy food with fried sandwich and healthy juices so people will not get diseases like heart attacks, and stokes and it should just opened on weekends. If they started opening fast food restaurants on weekend only then people will cook in their home, eat healthy food, and will stay healthy too. They should issue id to everyone so people cannot eat twice and the people who ate on Saturdays they will not able to eat on Sundays. Fast food restaurant should also not be close to high schools because most of the teenagers love to eat junk food and they will not to eat healthy food. If we serve more healthy food than junk food than it will be effective for people and can saves their lives from diseases. People will object this solution because first they don’t like healthy food at all and even though junk food causes them so many problems they will not stop eating because we all are addicted to junk food. It can be solve if the fast food restaurants stop using cheap oil and fresh meat and serve healthy food with regular meal. There are couple steps we can follow if we all have to live healthy. Fast food restaurants should not be opened on other location because there are so many types of restaurant where ever you see sign of McDonalds, Burger King so on. But I think teenagers will not accept it because they are too lazy to cook their own food. Second Fast food restaurants should serve healthy food with regular meal. If they started doing this no one will come to fast food restaurants and business owners will not be able to make that much money that they use to from people before. Last, they should not be close to the school because most teenagers eat junk food and they will not be eating healthy food at all. My solution is best because first it will keeps people healthy and won’t get diseases like cancer, strokes and death rating will be reduce. Even though, people will not get to eat that much like fried chicken sandwich French fries they will stay healthier most of the time and get chance to live more. People will not be lazy to cook food in their home and they will more likely spend their times with their families. Then, most of the time people will eat with their families instead of eating alone. I know people will not accept this solution but if they want to survive and want to live healthy then they will accept this solution. I’m sure the Fast Food Company will not like this assessment because they wouldn’t able to make that much money that they use to. But people lives are more important than money. If people eat healthy food every day, they will not be lazy and more likely go to their work. They will be happy, cheerful and aggressive all the time. If people will be happy and aggressive, they will contribute more work while working Fast food is just making us large and giving us new type of disease. So I suggest people especially teenagers who are addicted to fast food should also eat healthy food. In real world, no one will follow these steps because it is a hard process and teenagers will not follow it because we cannot live without eating fast food and we are so lazy to cook healthy food and we always look for easy and quick meal even though we know its fried and can gave us terrible diseases. I suggest American government to pass this law to close fast food restaurants during the week fast food is eating us.

PESTEL Analysis of China and the UAE

PESTEL Analysis of China and the UAE UAE Economy Introduction The economic development of the UAE and China make these developing nations excellent choices for overseas expansion, globalization and foreign direct investment (FDI). Globalization of developing nations strengthens their economies and global distribution channels. The UAE is now considered one of the wealthiest and fastest developing nations worldwide. China is fast becoming an economic leader and manufacturer in the world, famous for its cheap labor factory workers. The UAE’s wealthy economy has been increasing at a rapid pace due to its real estate boom attracting huge FDI. China has eliminated many of its trade barriers and now has an open free trade economy that appeals to many global nations seeking new target markets and consumers for their products. Both the UAE and China are quickly becoming significant growth economies that attract global FDI from countries all over the world wanting to expand and find new import/export partners for their goods. UAE PEST Analysis (P)olitical The UAE Government is made up of a Federation of the seven Emirates ruled by President, Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al-Nahyan, who is also the ruler of Abu Dhabi. The UAE government is very supportive of their free trade open society and encourages FDI and globalization. The court system is still being established since its rulings are not always enforceable due to the large foreign population. The legal regulations are similar to the western world and becoming stricter each year (Ahmed, 2007, 1-2). (E)conomic The UAE population consists of three million people and 60% of them are in the workforce. The UAE population growth rate is currently 9.4%, with only 13% of UAE Nationals making up the workforce and 87% foreigner expatriates taking over the Emirates market. With such a large expatriate workforce (87%) entering UAE due to the real estate development and investments in the region. The UAE GDP increased by 15% to 450 billion dirhams in 2007, and the economy grew even faster at a pace of 16.7%. Its GDP real growth rate is 10%, and it shows $99 billion in oil revenues, and $121 billion in non-oil revenues. The UAE exports equal $48 billion with partners in Korea, Singapore, India, Thailand and Japan. The oil and gas exports equal $75 billion. The UAE imports equal $30 billion of manufactured goods, transportation equipment, animals and food products from the UK, USA, Europe and Japan. The primary language is English, however, Arabic, Farsi, Hindi, Urdu, Chinese, Tonga and Russian are also common. The dominant religion in the country is Islam, however, there are also many Christians in the nation. The minorities include the local UAE Nationals, Russians, Chinese and westerners, while Indians are the dominant nationality. The minorities’ religious rights are respected by the majority. It is a very multicultural society and Hofesteds cultural dimensions framework can be used to describe the culture of the country. UAE is showing high economic growth that is attracting new foreign investors, which helps to generate more revenues and demand for the real estate sector (20%) (Ahmed, 20 07, 1-3). The level of foreign direct investment (FDI) in the economy is very high, with the majority of it going into real estate development and trade. The primary suppliers of FDI to the country include Europe, the USA, UK and Russia. Globalization has greatly improved the situation in UAE by bringing in thousands of products, services and workers from all over the world which has helped to develop the economy worldwide. The UAE legal system is honest and fair for local citizens. Foreign firms operating in the country do not face any political risk. The UAE belongs to the GCC regional trade bloc and has been a member of the WTO, World Bank and the IMF for almost seven years. The country’s huge wealth has resulted in not needing to borrow funds from the World Bank or the IMF. The UAE has experienced a balance of payments trade surplus in the past year of over 100 billion dirhams, due to the construction and real estate markets. Its official reserves account has increased by over 50 bi llion in the past year. The countrys currency is called dirhams and its value relative to the dollar is 3.67, and 3.98 to the euro. The currencys value has increased a bit in the past five years relative to the dollar and the euro because it is relying on a fixed exchange rate policy. The has no trade barriers to imported goods because they are encouraging all products to be imported and exported from the UAE since it re-exports 75% of its imports for profit (Ahmed, 2007, 1-3). (S)ociocultural UAE citizens have a very high standard of living, western lifestyle, and their financial positions have continuously increased over time. This has allowed for a very materialistic high society with lots of money to purchase houses, cars and other material items. The society is open and free with all types of hotels, restaurants, tourism, recreational activities and sports. The multicultural nature of the country allows for many foreigners to go there to work in well-paying positions. An overall country analysis shows the future trends of development and expansion that the UAE is undergoing will lead to an estimated 4.8 million people living there by the year 2010 (Cateora, 2007, 68). (T)echnological The UAE region is composed of a large population of very young professionals who are extremely technologically-knowledgeable. The IT industry relates to the tourism, hotel, computer and IT service sectors. The number of Internet users in the GCC region has increased ten-fold since 1998. The Internet and IT software solutions industries in the Gulf region have doubled the rate of Europe. Estimates of personal computer sales in the GCC show about 12% growth in the quantity of units sold by 2003, compared to the global growth of 8%. The UAE has the most satellite, Internet and mobile phone users in the Middle East (Cateora, 2007, 68-69). China External Environmental Analysis: Pest Analysis (P)olitical The People’s Republic of China’s current political system is Communism, with the capital city being Beijing. There are 23 different provinces (including Taiwan) and five separate regions in China. Their independence day was 221 BC under the Ch’in Dynasty, January 1, 1912 under the Manchu Dynasty, and October 1, 1949 when the People’s Republic was formed, which is their national holiday. The Chinese constitution was created on December 4, 1982, and their legal system involves a very complicated set of cultural statutes and customs for criminal law. The government is trying to upgrade the commercial laws to adapt to the new needs required due to an increase in foreign trade (Forsyth, 2004, 35-38). (E)conomic China’s population is 1.3 billion people, 22.3% aged 0-14, 70.3% aged 15-64, and 7.5 aged 65 and over. China’s GDP is $6.449 trillion, with the GDP real growth rate at 9.1%, and GDP per capita at $5,000. The GDP by sector is 14.8% for agriculture, 52.9% for industry, and 32.2% for services. Investments make up 43.4% of the GDP in China. However, the Chinese population has 10% of its people living in poverty, with the lowest 10% equaling 2.4% of the household income, and the highest 10% equaling 30.4%. The inflation rate is 1.2%, labor force 778.1 million, unemployment rate 101%, and budget for revenues at $265.8 billion, with expenditures at $300.2 billion. The labor force includes 50% in agriculture, 22% in industry, and 28% in services. Over 75% of all toys sold in the US are made in China and it controls almost 25% of the globe’s foreign currency reserves. As for per capita income, China has 6% growth (Fouquin, 1998, 105-108). Agriculture and industry are the major markets in China, especially in larger cities like Hong Kong and Shangai, where there is a lot of foreign investment. The public debt is 30.1% of the GDP. The agriculture products are wheat, rice, peanuts, tea, potatoes, cotton, barley, fish and pork. The industries include coal, textiles and apparel, iron and steel, automobiles, telecommunications, electronics, cement, chemical fertilizers, petroleum, and food processing. The industrial growth rate is 30.4%, with $436.1 billion in exports, and $397.4 billion in imports. Their current export partners include 21.1% USA, 17.4% Hong Kong, 13.6% Japan, 4.6% South Korea, and 4% Germany. Their import partners include 18% Japan, 11.9% Taiwan, 10.4% South Korea, 8.2% USA, and 5.9% Germany. The majority of the Chinese people are not very religious and considered atheist, with only 3%-4% being Christian and 1-2% being Daoist, Muslim or Buddhist. The country is not very culturally homogenous and the majori ty of the people are Chinese. The official Chinese languages include Chinese, Mandarin and Cantonese (Yin, 2007, 1-2). FDI is beneficial to the host country because it brings in foreign business, products and services that would otherwise not be available. However, FDI can also result in small local businesses going bankrupt due to not having competitive advantages over larger companies. FDI is the key to underdeveloped nations improving their economy and strategic alliances. China’s currency is called yen, and its value relative to the US dollar is 100 to 1. Its value relative to the euro is 110 to 1. The currencys value has only changed a small amount in the past 5 years relative to the dollar and the euro? The country uses a fixed exchange rate policy. China experienced a balance of payments trade surplus in the past year of over three billion yen due to increased globalization and FDI. Its official reserves account have changed a lot in the past year, increasing by over 20 million yen. China does not yet belong to any regional trade blocs and has been a member of the WTO, World Bank and th e IMF for 10 years. The country has borrowed billions of dollars from the World Bank and the IMF in the past year, and how has huge debts totaling over 300 billion dollars. (S)ociocultural China still maintains many of its most traditional values and beliefs of Confucianism, which is taught at many schools and academies. Confucianism is a social order and almost considered their religion since most Chinese do not follow any other doctrine. The basis of Confucianism for the Chinese culture involves family organization and many values related to social life. Social harmony is a major rule to this belief, which also includes many cultural rituals and ceremonies that are thousands of years old and still practiced by the older generation today. However, many of the younger generation are less strict in their Confucianism beliefs, due to modernization of the country and influences by other cultures like America (Redinger, 2003, 1-2). (T)echnological China has 263 million main line telephones, 269 million mobile phones, 160,421 Internet hosts, and 94 million Internet users (which is good for e-commerce and online vendor ordering, shipping and tracking for Sharjah companies). China is undergoing many new technology changes, especially in their banking sector, which still concerns its leaders due to its effect on the stability of the economy. As China learns how to integrate new IT methods into its different sectors, they are still trying to upgrade the skills and knowledge of their workers to meet the technology needs (Rashtchy, 2004, 1-3). Hofstede’s Cultural Dimensions Hofstede’s cultural dimensions can be applied as a framework for understanding the cultural society of both the UAE and China: Power Distance: the extent to which people accept unequal distribution of power. In higher power cultures, there is a wider gap between the powerful and the powerless (both nations). Uncertainty avoidance: the extent to which the culture tolerates ambiguity and uncertainty. High uncertainty avoidance leads to low tolerance for uncertainty and to a search for absolute truths (China). Individualism: The extent to which individuals or closely-knit social structures such as the extended family (collectivism) are the basis for social systems. Individualism leads to the reliance on self and focus on individual achievement (both nations). Masculinity: The extent to which assertiveness and independence from others is valued. High masculinity leads to high sex-role differentiation, focus on independence, ambition, and material goods (UAE) (Gibson, 2003, 55-58, 303-306). Necessity for MNC CSR FDI Multinational Corporations (MNCs) have a definite duty to practice corporate social responsibility (CSR), especially during globalization into developing nations like China and the UAE. Corporations today are impelled to conduct their global business with integrity and social consciousness to improve their images with the international public. The potential benefits of FDI include helping transfer technology and skills, providing management and training of local workers, aiding in the creation of original skills in administration, marketing and other business techniques, and contributing to the growth of local entrepreneurship. FDI also improves competitive markets, provides access to international markets, contributes to tax revenues and helps input foreign exchange problems. FDI produces employment opportunities for developing nations’ citizens, and raises the rate of domestic wages (Kobrin, 1997, 7-10) (Hay, 1995, 59-63). Conclusion The UAE economy has a free trade policy which allows for all products to be globally traded to increase profitability opportunities. However, China has a strategic trade policy that allows for most products to be traded, yet restricts the main goods that the Chinese manufacturers produce from being imported to reduce global competition. Both the UAE and China are very attractive for FDI, however, for different reasons. The UAE is a famous tourist and hospitality destination, with huge profit potential as a real estate and construction investment. China is famous for its cheap manufacturing labor, raw materials and supplies. China recently opened up its trade market allowing FDI and global trade, which attracts international producers wanting new target markets. Both these nations have very appealing societies that foreign investors and MNCs are focusing on to increase their globalization potential. References Alon, I. (2003). Chinese culture, organizational behavior and international business management. London: Praeger. Brahm, L. (1996). The Business Guide to China. Singapore: Butterworth-Heinemann Asia. Brewer, J. (2004). Foreign business chiefs must learn the art of Guanxi to enter China. Industrial Correspondence. Cateora, P. (2007). International Marketing. Boston: McGraw Hill Irwin. Claasen, L. (2004). Master the culture and business in China pays off. Economy, Business Finance. Forsyth, I. (2004). China seen as a key driver of global economy. Aberneen Press and Journal. Fouquin, M. (1998). The Chinese economy. Geneva: Economica. Gibson, J. (2003). Organizations. Boston: McGraw-Hill. Griffin, R. W. and Pustay, M. W. (2006) International Business: A Managerial Perspective. London: Prentice Hall. Hay, R. (1995). Chinese-American Electronics Industry. Annual Survey. Kenna, P. (1994). Business China. Chicago: Passport Books. Kobrin, S. (1997). Foreign Direct Investment, Industrialization and Social change. MA: Jai Press. Robertson, C. (2002). The Benefits of FDI in China. Asia Monitor: China North East Monitor, Vol. 9, Issue 11. Wang, Y. (1998). Business Culture in China. Singapore: Butterworth-Heinemann Asia. Gopal, A. (2005). Research and Markets: Doing business in Shanghai. M2 Presswire. http://www.researchandmarkets.com/ Yin, C. (2007). China. World Factbook. http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications Ahmed, M. (2007). UAE. World Factbook. http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications Rashtchy, S. (2004). China Internet market. China Analyst, Vol. 1, No. 18. http://www.piperjaffray.com Redinger, T. (2003). Chinese Culture. Traditional Society and Culture. http://countrystudies.us/china/ Chang, L. (2004). China. Business Travel Guides. www.china-business-travel.com/travelguide Schumacher, W. (2003). National Guidelines in China. http://www.ilo.org/public/

Development of Organizational Architecture

Development of Organizational Architecture Venter and Louw (2006, pg 394) describes organizational architecture is an integrated strategic response, which draws together key dimensions of the organization (such as organizational structure, leadership, organizational culture, policies and strategies and the to guide strategic formulation, alignment and implementation. This report will seek to critically discuss organizational architecture as a cohesive framework that will bring about change within PPC. Venter and Louw (2006, pg 394) says that the ability of an organization to facilitate the effective and efficient implementation of strategy is almost entirely dependent on its internal functioning, for it is the internal organization which is seen to comprise those elements that are pivotal in translating the strategy into tangible outcomes and actions. We will do this by exploring the notions of PPCs alignment and implementation with particular reference to the architecture developed by Lee et al (2004). Stakeholders The main driver of PPC strategy as described in the case study is to enhance stakeholders relationships. PPC Stakeholders are shareholders, customers suppliers, the broader community and its employees. These different employees are affected differently by PPC strategy. During the strategy formulation phase, PPC was able to establish that the main hindrance to achieving consistency was that their 4000 employees were demotivated. So PPC embarked on a strategy to motivate its employees. Cameron (2003) defines motivation as the force that drives behaviour in a particular direction. Mitchell (1982) defines motivation as those psychological processes that cause the arousal, direction and persistence of voluntary actions that are goal oriented. Both Cameron and Mitchell point out that motivation is goal oriented however Mitchell (1982) further defines this force as a psychological processes in his definition of motivation. This distinction by Mitchell is important in that it realizes motivation as a process (i.e. consisting of a number of steps) and psychological. This distinction reveals that for a manager to be able to motivate he has to identify the psychological needs of his employees and then devise a process of meeting those needs. PPC was able to identify that motivation of employees was one of the factors that it needed to improve in order to improve its goals. So it looked at how this can be achieved. Capabilities Louw and Venter (2006) describe capabilities as those different deliverables provided to the stakeholders by the organization and dependent on the nature of the organization. From the case study PPC seems to be following a low cost structure for its cement business and a differentiation strategy for its PPC Lime and Afripack business. These different capabilities have implications on PPC stakeholders. For example, for shareholders, the low cost strategy has high returns through streamlined, more cost effective operations and proved by the increase in share price from R78 to R122 by the end of September 2003. So the above combination of strategies has the benefit of drawing elements from both capabilities. Processes Processes can be seen as drivers of capability. Veasey (2001, pg 423) cited on Louw and Venter (2006) categorizes processes as management, operational and support. Management Processes: Describes the role of PPC managers, their work methods, goals and tasks that they aim to achieve and lastly knowledge, skills and level of performance required by the job. The Kumbuku project seemed to be aimed at reducing the performance as the responsibility of only the managers but to spread it amongst all employees. Operational Processes: This is merely concerned with the conversion of inputs into outputs. Heizer and Render (1999, pg 228) cited on Louw and Venter says most goods are produced using one of three strategies, namely, process focus, repetitive process and product focus. PPC produces many units of cement a year with very low degree of variety, so it follows the continuous process. Support processes: These are the processes that support the core business e.g., HR, marketing, sales. These processes are still very important in ensuring efficient and effective running of the business. Organisational structure/systems The main purpose of an organizational structure is to clear and precise roles and responsibilities for all employees as per their department and hierarchy in the structure. This ensures order and maintains a systematic procedure of doing things, which ensures performance and efficiency. At PPC, the strategy is aimed at flattening the structure and shortens the decision making hierarchy. This in turn can improve efficiency and motivate employees. Systems, Policies and procedure Policies and procedures are useful in guiding and aligning the organizations members in their activities and their behaviors at work. Reward Systems. Performance management systems Performance management includes activities that ensure that goals are consistently being met in an effective and efficient manner. These could include: Ongoing observation and measurements to track performance conducted by supervisor. Ongoing feedback about the performance to be given. Quarterly formal performance reviews. This could entails a formal documentation of the progress towards achieving expected results, comments on how these were achieved and suggestions on how to improve performance. If performance meets the desired performance standards, rewards should be given. Policies and procedures Knowledge, skills and abilities With the Kumbuku project, one of the main aims of the project is to achieve a good match between the requirements of the job and natural capabilities of individual employees. This could also have the impact of motivating the employees and lead to job satisfaction and loyalty. Technology Technology is the key to implementation of processes that lead to outputs at PPC. PPC has evaluated its manufacturing technologies and is similar to the best in the industry. However it also must ensure that its office technologies and service technologies are also of a benchmark standard. For PPC this has meant a big investment in order to achieve highly skilled employees. Organisational culture Collins and Porras (1994 in Clegg et al 1996) showed that it is strikingly evident that organizational culture lies at the centre of what differentiates visionary companies from comparison companies (and significantly greater economic performance over the long-term). Culture, how we do things around here in order to succeed (Schneider, 1994, 1997), is an organizations way, identity, pattern of dynamic relationships, reality. Nel et al (2001, p.397) on Harris and Moran (1979, p.32) describes culture as a communicable knowledge for human coping within a particular environment that is passed on for the benefit of subsequent generations, whilst Wilson and Rosenfeld (1990, p.229) defines culture as the basic values, ideologies and assumptions which guide and fashion individual and business behavior. The above definitions both speak to me about the communicable knowledge which Wilson and Rosenfeld explains it to be basic values, ideologies and assumptions. Stapleton (2003) on Trice and Beyer (1984) identifies 4 symbol categories in which this communicable knowledge manifests itself namely; practices, communications, physical forms and common language. These categories are best summarized to prove Deal and Kennedy (1982) definition of the way things get done around here. The way things get done around here can be seen through these 4 categories. Practices This refers to common practices at PPC e.g. Awards etc. Communications Common stories that are generally heard at PPC. Physical forms Some of the notable physical forms could be for example different dress manner between operators and professionals. Other examples include allocated parking spaces and offices. Common Language Refers to the common language during meetings, notice boards, procedure and policies. QUESTION 2 Employees are at the center of organizational change initiatives (Tetenbaum 1998).For PPCs Kumbuku project to be successful, employees need to be able to realize that a good organizational culture and climate would as McNabb and Sepic (1995) says bring about lasting change though the developing of working conditions in which employees can operate more effectively. Should the reason for change be not understood, the following sources of resistance to change could be experienced: Resistance due to organizational culture: Some of the difficulties with change initiatives may be attributed to deeper, more critical sources, such as the pervasive culture of the organization and the operating climate (McNabb and Sepic 1995). An organizations culture is the deep-rooted set of values and beliefs that provide norms for behavior (Deshpande and Webster 1989; Schein 1992). An organizations climate refers to the ways organizations operationalize routine behaviors and the actions that are expected, supported, and rewarded (Schneider and Rentsch 1988). These two characteristics combine to determine organizational readiness for change (McNabb and Sepic 1995). Resistance due to a lack of a holistic perspective: Another long-known reason for lack of change success is the propensity for organizations to implement piece-meal solutions rather than taking a systems perspective (Ackoff 1974). Stakeholders may be resistance to the Kumbuku project due to the fact that they might not have a clear understanding of the direction and holistic implication of the strategy the company is pursuing. Resistance by managers: People have a natural fear of change and when change is mandated they feel a loss of control (Evans 2001). For many people in an organization, change initiatives imply a loss of the security that goes with a specific job. Senge and Kaeufer (2000) note that change efforts can induce fear. The management team at PPC could be threatened by the introduction the allowance of employees in decision making processes. They might feel redundant and not adding value. Also the change in the PPC management structure putting management at the bottom might result in demotivated management team who does not take pride in its role. Resistance by white employees and managers: The fast promotion of black employees could be resisted by white employees, who might feel unfairly discriminated and not valued. Existing white managers might also feel unsecured and can also undermine the newly appointed black managers, who they might not attribute their promotion to good performance. Resistance due to poor communication: Should the Kambuku project not be properly communicated to relevant stakeholders, it could result in poor buy in and failure in implementation. Dawson (1994) discusses the idea of communication and employee involvement being central to the process of change as a crucial consideration in overcoming the natural resistance that most employees feel. QUESTION 3 Johnson (1988) cited on Signal-Horn (2004), defines strategic drift as when gradually, perhaps imperceptibly; the strategy of the company will become less and less in line with the environment in which the organization operates. This definition is the same as that of Charles Handy (1989) which describes strategic drift as the subtle changes of the organisations strategy that leads the organization away from its intended destination to a destination that is unintended. This means that an organization must continuously review its environment and change its strategy in relation to the change in environment as has PPC in the past five years. The organizations response to the changing environment is often associated with its culture. Culture in this instance is seen as a contributor to resisting change (keeping the organization in equilibrium as suggested by Lewin force field model) as it stifles innovation and performance, leading to a drift in strategy. This means that for organization to properly implement change they must undergo an appropriate cultural change. For PPC, it might take many more years for it to start experiencing strategic drift but it is important for PPC Chief Executive to look out for the symptoms of strategic drift which could include: Declining performance. Highly homogenous culture. Little toleration for questioning and challenging of status quo. Reliance on price/cost /competition. Strong power blockages to change. When some of the above mentioned symptoms are identifies Lewin three stage process of change could be used as interventions to prevent the danger of strategic drift: Unfreezing current attitudes This means that old behaviours and ways of doing things must be seen to be unsatisfactory by the organisation and changed and prohibited. Also the need and the benefits for change must be well communicated. Those resisting change must be confronted and addressed. This could be done by involving them to participate and communicating the value of change. Change to a new level This is a period of shifting the equilibrium. Here PPC could embark on a search for new solutions which could include information on new values, organisational culture and structure. Refreezing attitudes at the new level When the organisation has found a solution, it can embark on reinforcing and supporting the new strategy through it structure, policies and systems. REFERENCES Kreitner, R. and Kinicki, A. (2004) Organisational Behavior. New York, McGraw-Hill Nel, P.S., Gerber, P.D., van Dyk, P.S., Haasbroek, G.D., Schultz, H.B., Sono, T., Werner, A. (2001) Human Resource Management. 5th edition. Oxford University Press Southern Africa. Stapleton T (2003) The Context of Management -Sessions 1-7.OU Business School. Wilson, D.C. and Rosenfeld, R.H. (1990) Managing Organisations: Texts, readings and cases, New York, McGraw-Hill. Cameron, S. The Open University (2008). B713 Fundamentals of Senior Management, Block1; Session 14 page 125. Mitchell, T.R. (1982) Motivation: New Direction for Theory, Research and Practice, Academy of Management Review, pg 81. Clegg et al. Palmer, G. ed. 1996. The Politics of Management Knowledge London. Sage Publications. Schneider, B. Leadership at the Edge of Chaos. Strategy Leadership Magazine, Sept. 1997. Dawson, P. (1994). Organisational Change A Processual Approach Newcastle upon Tyne. Athenaeum Press Ltd. K. G. Lockyer, (2005), Project management and project network techniques, UK: Prentice Hall Financial Times Ackoff, R.A. (1974), Redesigning the Future: A Systems Approach to Societal Problems, New York: Wiley. Evans, Edward A. (2001), Executive Commentary, Academy of Management Executive, 15, 4 (November), 94-95. Schein, E.A. (1992), Organizational Culture and Leadership, 2d edition, San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. Schneider, Benjamin, and J. Rentsch (1988), Managing Climates and Cultures: A Futures Perspective, in Futures of Organizations, J. Hage, ed., Lexington, MA: Lexington Books, 181-200. Senge, Peter M., and Katrin H. Kaeufer (2000), Creating Change, Executive Excellence, 17, 10 (October), 4-5. Signal-Horn, S. (2004) The Strategy Reader. 2nd Edition. Oxford, Blackwell Publishing in association with The Open University. Tetenbaum, T.J. (1998), Shifting Paradigms: From Newton to Chaos, Organization Dynamics, 26 (4), 21-32. http://www.divandari.com/ppt/Strategic%20Change%20(handout).ppt#288,8,The risk of strategic drift accessed on the 11 October 2009. Kritsonis, A. (2004-2005), Comparison of Change Theories. International Journal of Scholarly academic intellectual diversity. Volume 8 Number 1. Lee, G., Venter, R and Bates, B. (2004), Enterprise-based HIV/AIDS strategies: integration through organizational architecture. South African Journal of Business Management, 35 (3): pg 13-22.

Why I Want to Be a Doctor :: Medicine College Admissions Essays

Admissions Essay - Why I Want to Be a Doctor    My mother first gave me Cheerios when I was nine months old, challenging me to pick up tiny bite-sized donuts from a high-chair tray in our New York City kitchen. Eating Cheerios can be like microsurgery for nine-month-olds, as they master the hand-eye coordination to connect thumb and index finger to dry Cheerio and then Cheerio to mouth. The Cheerios were part of a set of age-appropriate developmental tasks my mother presented to me, based on the writings of child psychologist Arnold Gesell, who wrote that eating Cheerios refines fine motor skills.    My early exposure to Gesell's ideas, first as an experimental subject and then as a research assistant after my brother was born, began a lifelong interest in how experience shapes development. How, I wondered, did a child learn to grasp, to walk or to speak? Later, as I tutored elementary school students, I faced the same question, wondering how countless repetitions turned a blank stare into comprehension and then excitement about a new idea. Practice made a difference -- but why? And how?    I began to explore these questions in biological terms during my freshman year at Duke. In an introductory neurobiology course, I encountered the work of Hubert and Weisel, two Harvard researchers who studied the development of the feline visual cortex. They showed that if they covered one eye of a newborn kitten for the first six months of life, the part of the brain responsible for processing visual information developed differently, a shift that was irreversible after the eye patch was removed. In black-and-white slices of brain tissue, they showed that sensory experience could shape brain cells.    In the lab, I took my interest in development to the early phases of embryology, studying molecular aspects of gastrulation in sea urchins. After an initial molecular investigation, I spent a summer eking out information from an electron-microscopic study. The project required me to master the fine motor skills to pick up countless five-millimeter nickel circles with tweezers, a task hauntingly reminiscent of my early encounters with Cheerios.    During my undergraduate years, I balanced my interest in science with a love for writing that led me to become Editor of The Chronicle, Duke's daily student newspaper. Working more than 70 hours a week to churn out the newspaper, I spent my senior year in college struggling through tense editorial decisions with a group of 16- to 22-year-olds that became some of my closest friends and toughest critics. Why I Want to Be a Doctor :: Medicine College Admissions Essays Admissions Essay - Why I Want to Be a Doctor    My mother first gave me Cheerios when I was nine months old, challenging me to pick up tiny bite-sized donuts from a high-chair tray in our New York City kitchen. Eating Cheerios can be like microsurgery for nine-month-olds, as they master the hand-eye coordination to connect thumb and index finger to dry Cheerio and then Cheerio to mouth. The Cheerios were part of a set of age-appropriate developmental tasks my mother presented to me, based on the writings of child psychologist Arnold Gesell, who wrote that eating Cheerios refines fine motor skills.    My early exposure to Gesell's ideas, first as an experimental subject and then as a research assistant after my brother was born, began a lifelong interest in how experience shapes development. How, I wondered, did a child learn to grasp, to walk or to speak? Later, as I tutored elementary school students, I faced the same question, wondering how countless repetitions turned a blank stare into comprehension and then excitement about a new idea. Practice made a difference -- but why? And how?    I began to explore these questions in biological terms during my freshman year at Duke. In an introductory neurobiology course, I encountered the work of Hubert and Weisel, two Harvard researchers who studied the development of the feline visual cortex. They showed that if they covered one eye of a newborn kitten for the first six months of life, the part of the brain responsible for processing visual information developed differently, a shift that was irreversible after the eye patch was removed. In black-and-white slices of brain tissue, they showed that sensory experience could shape brain cells.    In the lab, I took my interest in development to the early phases of embryology, studying molecular aspects of gastrulation in sea urchins. After an initial molecular investigation, I spent a summer eking out information from an electron-microscopic study. The project required me to master the fine motor skills to pick up countless five-millimeter nickel circles with tweezers, a task hauntingly reminiscent of my early encounters with Cheerios.    During my undergraduate years, I balanced my interest in science with a love for writing that led me to become Editor of The Chronicle, Duke's daily student newspaper. Working more than 70 hours a week to churn out the newspaper, I spent my senior year in college struggling through tense editorial decisions with a group of 16- to 22-year-olds that became some of my closest friends and toughest critics.

Two Views of Affirmative Action Essay -- Affirmative Action Race Essay

Two Views of Affirmative Action "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal†¦." Even before it became a nation, America was heralded as a land of equality. Thomas Jefferson's statement begs more than a few questions, one of which is: "How can we ensure equality to everyone?" Beginning in the late 1960s, the federal government provided an answer to this question in the form of affirmative action. In recent years, many people have called this policy into question. Interestingly, affirmative action is sometimes attacked by the people it helps, and defended by those it hurts. In particular, two recent essays demonstrate that people's race does not necessarily determine their beliefs on the issue of affirmative action. "Why I Believe in Affirmative Action" is by Paul R. Spickard, a white man who is defending affirmative action, while "A Negative Vote on Affirmative Action" is by Shelby Steele, an African-American who is attacking the program. When the two essays are considered as respon ses to each other, Steele's logical explanations of the effects and implications of affirmative action expose the flaws in Spickard's ethical arguments supporting it. Both authors structure their arguments to appeal to their respective audiences. Since Spickard's essay is written for Christianity Today, he makes a lot of ethical appeals that a Christian audience could easily relate to. Steele, on the other hand, is writing for The New York Times Magazine, so he relies on logic that would appeal to a more general audience. Spickard begins his ethical appeal by establishing his credibility through focusing on his support of affirmative action even though he has been denied employment because of the program. He says, "I a... ...demonstrating the absurdity of trying to make up for what our ancestors did. According to Steele, these attempts to pay for the wrongs of our ancestors grow out of a need "to impose on the world a degree of justice that simply does not exist." In other words, affirmative action seeks to correct wrongs that cannot be corrected because the people who were involved are no longer living. When Spickard's essay is examined alone, its arguments are quite convincing. However, Steele's essay effectively addresses the arguments of his opposition. As a result, his essay becomes much more effective than Spickard's, because he is able to point out all of the faults in Spickard's arguments. When these essays are read together and compared to each other, Steele's logic is much more convincing than Spickard's moral appeal, and exposes the flaws in the affirmative action program.

The Internet Essay examples -- essays research papers fc

The Internet The Internet has an enormous impact on the American Experience. First, It encourages the growth of businesses by providing new ways of advertising products to a large audience, and thus helps companies to publicize their products. Secondly, It allows more Americans to find out what goes on in other countries by learning about other cultures and by exchanging their opinions and ideas with other people worldwide. This may well promote a better global understanding. Finally, by allowing people to access vast amounts of information easily, it will change how they make decisions and ultimately also their lifestyle. The Internet is a high-speed worldwide computer network which evolved from the Arpanet. The Arpanet was created by the Pentagon in the late 1969 as a network for academic and defense researchers. In 1983, the National Science Foundation took over the management of the Internet. Now the Internet is growing faster than any other telecommunications system ever built. It is estimated that in three years, the system will be used by over 100 million people (Cooke 61). Since the World Wide Web (WWW or W3) became popular through point-and-click programs that made it easier for non-technical people to use the Internet, over 21,000 businesses and corporations have become accessible through the Internet (Baig 81). These companies range from corporate giants like IBM, AT&T, Ford and J.C. Penny, to small law firms. "With the Internet, the whole globe is one marketplace and the Internet's information-rich WWW pages can help companies reach new customers," says Bill Washburn, former executive director of Commercial Internet Exchange (Baig 81). Through the Internet, new opportunities to save money are created for companies. One of the bigger savings is the cost of transmission. It is estimated that the administrative cost of trade between companies in the U.S. amounts to $250 billion a year (Liosa 160). Sending an ordinary one-page e-mail message from New York to California via the Internet costs about a penny and a half, vs. 32 cents for a letter and $2 for a fax (Liosa 158). Hale & Dorr for example, a Boston based law firm, uses the Internet to its advantage. If a client company requests a contract for a foreign distributor, it can send electronic mail over the Internet to a Hale & Dorr computer, where a draft document will b... ...et is having a major influence on America. Its successor in the near future, the Information Superhighway will continue to do so for a long time as well. By creating new ways of publicizing products and helping businesses, the Internet has strengthened and reinforced the U.S. economy. It also promotes a better global understanding by allowing millions of Americans to communicate with other people on an international level because it provides a constant flow of instant, unbiased information for everyone at any time, anywhere. The ability to obtain information quickly and easily will become very essential in the future, now that America is entering the information age. The Information Superhighway, once built, promises a good start into the new era. Bibliography Eddings, Joshua. How the Internet Works. California: Ziff-Davis Press, 1994. Cooke, Kevin. "The whole world is talking." Nation. July 12, 1993: 60-65. Verity, John. "The Internet." Business Week. November 14, 1994: 80-88. Silverstein, Ken. "Paving the Infoway." Scholastic Update. September 2, 1994: 8-10. Liosa, Patty. "Boom time on the new frontier." Fortune. Autumn93, 1993: 153-161.