Health Care Museum Essay

Development Description Analysis (How does the development affect the current U.S. health care system?) 1. Surgery A surgical procedure is medical treatment that involves a physician cutting into a patient’s body to repair or remove something. Surgery procedures have existed since prehistoric man. In 1540 C.E. barbers and surgeons united to form The United Barber-Surgeons Company. These barber-surgeons performed tooth extractions and bloodletting procedures. As our knowledge grows, so do our abilities. Some procedures such as tracheostomy, described in detail by Paul of Aegina (625-690 AD), remain pertinent today while others which contributed to the demise of many patients (e.g. bloodletting) were surprisingly slow to disappear (Hindle, K. S., & Hindle, S. J., 2001). Surgeries save many lives. Today surgeries are used for replacements and transplants. Elective non-life threatening surgeries are performed quite commonly now. Microsurgery uses small incisions to minimize exposure and reduce the impact of the procedure all together. There is also cosmetic surgery which is usually elective an d not medically necessary. With today’s surgical practices the body can be manipulated in many ways with minimal effect. 2. Technology Technology is the creation and usage of tools for achieving goals. In health care, technology is used for information purposes, to teach, and heal. We have computers that keep track of medical records. We have machines that can see through the human body. There are sensors that can collect data from a patient and transmit it wirelessly to a physician. There are even machines that aid physicians during surgery. Technology completely affects health care. It has allowed patients and doctors to stay connected better than ever. Telecommunications provide health care workers with the ability to  communicate with each other all around the world. Technology has allowed for easier storage and access to medical information. Health care workers can locate a patient’s information with the click of a button. Patients can go online and access a plethora of health information. Technology also enables us to view the body in new ways (CAT scan, x-rays). Robotics allow physicians to perform s urgeries in places where they cannot be via remote link. 3. Child Birth Beginning back in the Renaissance era barber-surgeons provide child birth services. Much later in 1716 midwives were given the ability to obtain licenses and help women through labor. Shortly after the war of 1812 medical schools began teaching birthing techniques to physicians. By the 1900’s physicians attended approximately half of the nation’s births. Child birthing at hospitals performed by physicians are much safer than the â€Å"home births† of yester years. With hospitals the patient’s area is always clean and sterile. This reduces risk for the mother and child. With physicians as the primary deliverer, complications can be handled sooner and adequately. These techniques have allowed the safe birthing of millions. This protects are future generations by keeping them safe. 4. Vaccines As the United States grew toward independence in the 1700’s, public health efforts also grew. In 1796 Dr. Edward Jenner created and tested the first vaccine (Henderson, D. A., 1997). After word of the discovery two London doctors confirmed Jenner’s findings and began wide distribution. Within 3 years the information was translated into 4 different languages and spread across 4 continents. The success of vaccines has led to a situation where many health care providers and parents have not witnessed the morbidity and mortality of the diseases for which these agents are indicated (Ruddock, B., & Malak, K., 2005). Vaccines offer protection from numerous disease. Without vaccines illness would be far more rampant. 5. Medicare In 1965 President Johnson signed into law the Medicare program. Medicare provides medical access for citizens 65 and older who cannot afford care themselves. Over time the coverage has expanded to include disabled citizens  and those with end stage renal disease. Medicare gives medical access to many people who would not have it otherwise. Medicare is the government’s first program associated with public health insurance. Since then the U.S. has seen Medicaid and now recently the Affordable Care Act. Essentially, these are government programs designed to ensure care for citizens. These programs expand health care. As more people are able to have health coverage, more health care services become needed. While these programs provide protection they also stimulate growth within the medical field. Part 2 How does everything connect? Write up a comprehensive overview of how these events evolved into each other. First on my list is surgery. While child birth has been around since the dawn of man, modern birthing practices did not come into effect until the 1800’s. Surgical procedures on the other hand, have been dated back to 6500 hundred years before common era (BCE). Skulls found in France show signs of a rudimentary surgery called trepanation, which involves drilling a hole in the skull. (Heisler. J., 2014). Surgery has been a major health tool for a very long time and we are still improving upon it today. Technology comes second on the list because ever since man realized he could manipulate the body, tools have been needed to do so. Even the skulls in France required some sort of tool to drill the hole. Of course technology goes beyond simple tools. Technology encompasses numerous devices each with their own unique quality. Technology expands our capabilities and allows us to do things we simply could not do ourselves. Technology also improves child birthing techniques. Thanks to sonograms physicians can see babies inside of the womb. This gives them great insight into the condition and development of the child in the womb. Before technology such as this, parents had to wait till the day of birth before they knew anything about the child. Next on the list are vaccines. While child birth did not directly influence the invention of vaccines, technology in fact did. Without the tools to collect and hold specimens, Jenner would never have been able to conduct his research. Additionally, vaccines have improved the health status of everyone  including children. Thanks to vaccines, children (and ultimately the population) no longer have to worry about Polio and other various viruses. Most required vaccines are given to children during their developing years. This protect the child through their entire life. Last of the developments is Medicare. Vaccines didn’t directly lead to Medicare, however all other developments did. With surgical procedures, technology, vaccines, and better child birthing practices, more people are able to live longer lives. As the population’s life expectancy increases, so does the need for care in all facets of life. Programs like Medicare protect the elderly by providing health care for those who could not afford it on their own. Essentially, social policies eventually become important for societies that can provide health care. Medicare, Medicaid, and the Affordable Care Act are necessary social devices that protect U.S. citizens. References Austin, A., & Wetle, V. (2012). The United States health care system: Combining business, health, and delivery. (2nd ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education. Lemelson-MIT. (2003, April). Louis Pasteur. Retrieved from http://web.mit.edu/invent/iow/pasteur.html Henderson, D. A. (1997). Edward Jenner’s vaccine. Public Health Reports, 112(2), 116-21. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/230183418?accountid=458 Ruddock, B., & Malak, K. (2005). Sorting out risks, benefits of vaccine. Canadian Pharmacists Journal, 138(5), 59-60. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/221177193?accountid=458 Hindle, K. S., & Hindle, S. J. (2001). A history of surgery. Royal Society of Medicine (Great Britain).Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine, 94(8), 423. Retrieved from http://search.pr Heisler. J. (2014). The Evolution of Surgery. Retrieved from http://surgery.about.com/od/surgeryinthemedia/a/HistoryOfSurgeryTimeline.htm

Booker T. Washington VS. WEB DuBois Essay

Booker T. Washington VS. WEB DuBois In the days when segregation was not uncommon, there were two men that played a huge part in the fight for equality in the United States. Booker T. Washington and WEB DuBois were great leaders, who supporterted civil rights, yet also disagreed on various issues related to reconstruction, poverty, racism, and discrimination. Both Washington and DuBois worked on reforming education as well as eliminating discrimination towards Blacks, but their strategies of achieving said change varied greatly. The first leader that came along was Booker T. Washington. He believed that african americans would not make it any where in society if they focused on just equality. He told blacks to target education, trade, and financial progress in order to get an economic foothold in society as well as becoming better individuals. Washington felt that blacks could not be a in a position to improve their standing in communities until they withdrew from poverty and evolved into something that could not be denied as equals. It was understood that blacks would never be completely equal to whites and that there would always be some form of segregation and discrimination. Instead of fighting with it,Washington encouraged blacks to accept it, embrace it, and work around it. The next main leader was WEB DuBois. Contrary to Washingtons beliefs, DuBois deemed that blacks should be like whites, in the aspect of having an organized education and the same political rights. DuBois felt that blacks should not approach this indirectly like Washington, but face it head on and demand the rights that they considered to be theirs. He took the more assertive stance that african a mericans should press for full equality and use agitating, passive-aggressive tactics in hopes that the whites would reluctantly comply. In the â€Å"Declaration of the Principles of the Niagara Movement† he and other Black intellectuals outlined a list of demands in which they desired to meet the needs and interests of all African Americans. Dubois asserted that economic security was not nearly enough and blacks should become just as educated as the whites. Mainly he considered Booker T. Washington’s ideas and took them a step further, if not more. At the time, the most reasonable leader would be none other than Booker T. Washington. His understanding that blacks would never be equal and that not being his main focus, gave him the upperhand on WEB Dubois. Du Bois urged blacks to attempt to uplift themselves through educational advancement and  political rights. Although his ideas had potential, Washington’s gradualism stance gives him wide spread appeal among both blacks and whites. In today’s day and age, there are people who are still racist and don’t accept blacks because of their color/culture, but todays blacks understand that and tolerate it. In conclusion, the rivalry between Booker T. Washington and W.E.B DuBois is one well known to scholars and historians of the United States. Washington and Dubois were two great segregation leaders who offered different strategies for dealing with the problems of poverty and discrimination facing Black Americans. They both brought enthralling ideas to the table and in short, Booker T. Washington believed in civil rights through evolution whereas WEB DuBois demanded more immediate black equality.

Learning Diversity and Authentic Assessment Tools Essay

Learning Diversity and Authentic Assessment Tools - Essay Example LESSON CONTENT: LESSON 1 ELECTRICITY POTENTIAL DIFFERENCE electric field and the movement electric potential electric potential difference INSTRUCTIONAL PROCEDURES a. Focusing event: how to demonstrate the electric field and the movement of the charge. b. Teaching procedures: the lesson will involve two practices and theory c. Formative check : use of short assignments and question that can be take away or end of lesson short questions that need prompt answers. d. Student Participation: students’ participations by use of questions and answers and use of simple calculations that must be done on the board. e. Closure: end by asking the lesson if there is any student who has not understood any concept. If not, give a take away assignment that covers the whole lessons EVALUATION PROCEDURES/ASSESSMENT: use of CATs, Assignments and term paper. MATERIALS AND AIDS: use of a chart, nails, wires, batteries, card board and magnet. DAILY LESSON PLAN NAME OF THE TEACHER: DATE: BIOLOGY LESS ON NUMBER: UNIT: CELL MODELS CELL BIOLOGY INSTRUCTIONAL GOAL: The students should be able to demonstrate the distinctive features of the eukaryotic and prokaryotic cells. PERFORMANCE OBJECTIVE: At the end of this unit the student should be able to know that there are two types of cells for all the living things and their importance in various functions of these living things. RATIONALE: This unit is taught to expose students to the two major categories of cells, their features, the categories of living things that fall under them LESSON CONTENT: LESSON 1 CELL MODELS eukaryote prokaryote INSTRUCTIONAL PROCEDURES f. Focusing event: how to demonstrate the major differences between the cell types g. Teaching procedures: the lesson will involve laboratory practices and theory h. Formative check : use of short assignments and question that can be take away or end of lesson short questions that need prompt answers. i. Student Participation: students’ participations by use of questio ns and answer

Analysis of moral problem or case in business Essay

Analysis of moral problem or case in business - Essay Example It has been discussed, that the point these college students start receiving monetary benefits from college they would no longer play like amateur players or athletes, but become professionals. Moreover, after receiving cash compensation, the student athletes might lose their sportsman conduct and start playing only for money. The student athletes are compensated by allowing scholarship for their tuitions, meals, books, etc. They are also provided extra tutoring assistance, and their absences are also excused. Many sports enthusiast support the view that the student athletes should be given monetary compensation because the college and the universities earn huge amount of money through these sport tournaments and do not pay even a small percent of those wining amount to those for whom the college has received the prize money. By paying them money, the college or university authorities can motivate the students to stay in the college and play for them. This means it would act as motiv ating factor. Many even claim that the colleges are exploiting the athletes by making money, while these student athletes does not have enough money to afford the dinning, lodging or educational expenses. Exploitation would be a strong word to accuse the colleges, because the students are not forced to play for the college, and the scholarship program designed for the athletes provides solution to the problem of dinning, logging or educational expenses for any student athlete (Bilas â€Å"Players Should Be Compensated†). Critics have supported that the level of the student athletes is much higher than that of those students who play club games. The best athletes in colleges get the exposure to build professional contacts. However, the low grades in their education may lead to cancellation of their permission to play under NCAA, and also lead to an uncertain future. So paying them monetary compensation may be a motivating factor for them. If we judge it from the studentâ€℠¢s point of view then we can see that for a student athlete it is better to play for a college rather than playing for any minor club. This is because minor clubs are not well-equipped with resources and sponsorships, while if a student plays for the college, he/she can also avail the education and a college degree along with an exposure to elite athlete environment. The educational alternative would provide security to a student and assist in diversifying his/her career in future. If we view the compensation issue of the athlete from this scenario, we can understand that paying the young student athlete who plays for their college is not necessary, and by not paying them monetary compensation, they are not exploiting the students. However, the college or the university must ensure that the future career opportunities for such student athlete are bright in the sport field. They should arrange job opportunities for those athletes who do not want to pursue their career or cannot conti nue their career in sports in future. This needs to done because it goes without saying that the student-athletes are generally weak in studies and also do not get time to concentrate on academics because of their busy sports schedules from colleges. So this draw back needs to be compensated and the responsibility should be taken up by the college to set their future career (The Economist â€Å"Time for professional student athletes?†). According to National Collegiate Athletic Association (NACC), the student athlet

Applying to university Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Applying to university - Essay Example Though I do not profess to be a hardcore feminist, still, through personal experience I have come to know that the women are made to behave and act in a particular way through continual training and regimentation, right from the time of their birth. Right when a baby girl is born, she is made to learn that she is required to wear particular kind of clothes, she is to behave and act in a particular way, and she is to learn to do specific types of household chores. Even the innocent games played by female children are full of such societal imprints and expectations. So no wonder, when a baby girl grows out to be an adult woman, she is already convinced in her mind that she has to abide by the norms of a male dominated society. Such expectations imprinted in the minds of women wreck havoc with their innate aptitude and their potential for personal growth and development. In the professional sphere, the consequences of male dominance tend to be very obvious. Time and again one comes to hear about the ‘glass ceiling’. Even the women who dare to transcend these constraints have to compromise to a large extent. To excel in their careers, they are not allowed to harness the abilities like networking, empathy, bonding, consensus making that the innately possess because of being a women. Rather they are expected to imitate the male competitive role models, a thing that resultantly jeopardizes their personal and professional lives. The result is a deep seated sense of dissatisfaction and frustration. So, I believe that one of the essential goals of my education is to be able to get over such societal barriers and the consequent macho trends and expectations. I believe that the essential goal of education is to enable a person to build professional and personal relationship with others on the terms of equality and respect. Anything contrary to this is

Machiavelli's and Plato's political thoughts Essay

Machiavelli's and Plato's political thoughts - Essay Example But what does the science of running the state imply? Lots of people ruminated about this question. Plato started from the fact that there is an ideal state, a perfect specimen, and its multiple repetitions are simple distortion in the real world of things. In Plato's view, expressed in his treatise â€Å"The Republic†, the main basis of any ideal state is justice. Plato argues that every citizen is given a special class, the most suitable to his or her nature, i.e. justice is correspondence of a real thing with its idea; the state is ideal, when each citizen acts in accord with his own essence. Since there are individual differences between people, Plato proposes the division of society into several estates: the philosophers - the rulers, warriors – the guardians and craftsmen – manufacturers (Pangle, 1980). The ideal system is when every citizen’s interests are identical with the public ones, when personality does not claim for individual self-worth and complete autonomy in actions. Plato’s state and civil society are represented in a single, homogenous, holistic, undifferentiated concept. Plato points out the following forms of government: the royal regime (monarchy), the aristocracy, timocracy, oligarchy, democracy and tyranny. The most right and reasonable, he believes, is aristocracy. Other forms of government are consistent deviations from the ideal state. Aristocracy is a rule of the best, approved by the people. The person, who is reputed to be brave and wise, should have power and rule the state. The basis of this form of government is equality by birth. In Plato's view, a real governor should not seek for power; he is not willing to rule the country and corrects the vices of other people (Kochin, 2002). People, guided by ambition, fame and money are not suitable for this role. The dialogue "Laws" is the last work of Plato. Estate division of citizens is replaced with gradation of property qualification. Along with t he recognition of slavery Plato demonstrates his disdainful attitude towards productive work. Ideal state structure, by Plato, is combining of democracy and monarchy (Pangle, 1980). The thinker of the Renaissance Niccolo Machiavelli expressed his own opinion on state structure and described an ideal state governor. In modern history, Machiavelli was the first thinker, who began talking about the economy of the state as an integral part of its prosperity. Summing up the historical experience, Machiavelli observes that those rulers, who sought to be generous, spent all their wealth and savings on support the glory of generous rulers. Thus, generosity ruins sovereign’s authority and country, causes the resentment of many. Thus, Machiavelli was accused of cruelty. However, such accusations are groundless. After all, Machiavelli never wrote that a good ruler should always apply fierce measures. On the contrary, he warned that the new sovereign should not be gullible, suspicious an d quick to slaughter (Baron, 1961). He should be restrained, cautious and kind, so that excessive credulity not to turn into recklessness and excessive distrust not to embittered citizens (Machiavelli, 1998). In contrast to Plato, who in his early works advocated for equality and justice, in income distribution, in particular, Machiavelli saw

Globalization Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 5

Globalization - Essay Example Globalization, for that matter, is also remarked as Internationalization since the nature of the two terms is on a worldwide scale more than anything else1. However, on the part of the two terms, the one thing common however is the fact that these have identified themselves well with the changing (and growing) trends, where most of these are credited on the shoulders of the World War II, after which there has been a resurgent rat race nonetheless. The movement of commodities, people, information, money, technological developments, organizational infrastructures, legal frameworks and so on and so forth have only proved to all and sundry that globalization is a phenomenon and it is one that is here to stay for long. The world has become a global village due to globalization and it is a good omen if seen in the proper perspectives. Globalization entails within it the changing technological innovations, the improvement in structures and different infrastructures, the advancements in basic thinking mindset of man, his ability to break loose from the ordinary and reach out towards the unknown and in all essence do something which can bring about an ultimate change, for the better. Having said that, we need to understand that globalization is not just a phenomenon, it is the science of human evolution and since man has for long held fast to this belief, there can be no reason as to why he should not comprehend the basis of the phenomenon of globalization2. It is a paradigm shift or a movement as we might call it, one that brings more stability within the ranks (where it is applied) and unison in the efforts and activities of all concerned. More often than not, we have seen improvements within the present day systems owing to globalization and it is because of this very perspective of change that we see world bodie s doing their utmost to reach out to far flung areas and explore hidden markets for the

Risk Management Strategy Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Risk Management Strategy - Coursework Example However, this is not usually the case since sometimes risks emerge that creates an impact on the delivery, costs, schedules and performance of the project (Greenhalgh et al., 2010: p. 4). This therefore requires the project team to device an effective risk management plan to deal with the emerging uncertainties. A risk is any uncertain event whose occurrence affects the performance of a project. A risk management strategy describes the specific management techniques and standards to be applied and the responsibilities for achieving an effective risk management procedure. The objectives of this risk management strategy is to protect the organisation, employees, clients and any other volunteers who are involved in the implementation of the NHS Summary Care Record (SCR) project (Goundrey-Smith, 2012:p.67). The scope of this risk management plan includes the process of identifying, analyzing and managing risks. This risk management plan provides guidelines on performing, recording, monitoring and reporting risk management activities throughout the project life cycle (Greenhalgh et al., 2010: P.7). Risks related to the use of SCR systems must be identified and documented appropriately using the PRINCE2 project management method. The various risks and threats that may emerge as a result of using electronic systems to store and manage patients information must be identified and mitigated appropriately(Greenhalgh et al., 2008: p.3) A good risk management strategy for SCR stipulates the procedures for identifying the risks, assessing the impact of the risks, planning for the risks, implementing the strategy and communicating the strategy to the people concerned(Goundrey-Smith, 2012:p.32). The project co-ordinator/ manager will work in collaboration with the project team to identify, analyze and manage risk during the project life cycle. The following sections outline the various steps to the project

Transnational Media and Globalization Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4000 words

Transnational Media and Globalization - Essay Example In the process cultural diversity becomes a victim though the extent to which TMCs can be held responsible for these development depends on a number of endogenous and exogenous factors such the ever increasing influence of TMCs due to their rising revenues and involvement in foreign countries. On the other hand how best local communities are able to resist these extraneous influences on their cultures is not particularly amenable to a particular interpretation. In the process theoretical and conceptual frameworks of analysis are used to develop contingency models of behavioral impact arising from activities of TMCs and their behemoth-like approach to societal transformation. A critical analysis of the activities of a broader cross section of the key global media corporations would demonstrate the extent and the nature of their influence on local cultures other variables remaining constant. It's in this extended context that an element of threat to these native cultures is seen in their global role. 1. Analysis1.1. Overview Neo-liberal ideology has persistently been advocating globalization as the sole solution to all economic problems and the underlying political agenda in this ideological approach is obviously mind-gobbling. TMCs have been in the forefront of this propaganda campaign that supports integration of societies into the global system at each level. However it's not so much the intention of TMCs that has been questioned but its emphasis on a particular practical approach to globalization, viz. the world culture theory. According to this theory globalization is "the compression of the world and the intensification of consciousness of the world as a whole" (Robertson, 1992). In fact those elements in the whole system or consciousness are assumed not to question the motive behind globalization. In other words 'the end justifies the means' approach to globalization and the subsequent TMCs' actions are inseparably interconnected.The current literature on the subject of TMCs' role in cultural tra nsformation of societies has been intensely focused on the world culture theory of globalization. Analysts and researchers have identified the extent and the manner of TMCs' involvement in these efforts. The threat perception of TMCs' actions has been interpreted in this context as the ultimate outcome of an otherwise elusive set of nuances associated with subterfuge. Communication is part and parcel of the whole culture centric theory of transformation in the globalization process. This is all the more subtle in the third world society context because these societies or polities have much less power to resist TMCs' attempts at integration or transformation. Global culture thus becomes a vehicle for unity.The evolutionary process of

Religious and Ethnic Groups Essay Example for Free

Religious and Ethnic Groups Essay America has many religions, races, ethnicities, and languages from all over the world. Prejudice and discrimination has been around for years, and it still is to this day. This is something that will probably never go away as everyone has their own ideals, and beliefs. Buddhism and Blacks have endured prejudice and discrimination of their own for many years. Buddhism is a path of practice and spiritual development leading to insight into the true nature of reality (â€Å"The Buddhist Center†). Buddhism doesn’t discriminate against race, nationality, sexuality, or gender. Buddhism is more of finding a path for one’s life and shows people to be practical and to the point. It teaches people that there are consequences for your actions and that it is possible to change as long as the path is followed. Christians and Muslims believe that if they live a worthy life here on earth they will live forever with God after death. Jews just focus on living a good life, doing good things, etc but don’t truly focus on the life after death. Buddhists do not believe in a God after death. Rather, they believe that life is an everlasting cycle of birth and rebirth, that what is done during a lifetime determines the kind of life one will have in a future incarnation unless a person is liberates him or herself from the cycle (American Institute Buddhist Thought, 2013). Most other religions have one creator with a book that gives guidance, such as the Bible. Buddhism does not have a single divine creator or book. It has the lessons from Siddhartha Gautama who was not a God of prophet. He was a human being who became Enlightened, understanding life in the deepest way possible (â€Å"The Buddhist Center†). Other religions want to prove to their God by the deeds they do, Buddhists just want to attain true happiness by following the teachings of Buddha. The Christians in South Korea did not agree with Buddhism teachings, they vandalized their temples. Buddhists were affected greatly in the 20th century with all the religions that didn’t agree. They were oppressed and tortured, and went through quite a bit of abuse from prejudice and discrimination. Most (mainly â€Å"westerner†) don’t believe Buddhism as a religion since there is no one Creator, it is mainly just teachings to help you follow the path of Enlightenment. In Sri Lanka in the late 1800’s Christians were favored and they were given most jobs and promotions over Buddhists. Also during the Sri Lankan Civil War Buddhists experienced a lot terrorists attacks. The â€Å"Buddhist Faith Fellowship of Connecticut† stated, â€Å"In Tibet, the Dharma has been brutally oppressed since the Chinese invasion in the 1950’s. † Christian was a widely known religion for quite some time, and during these times it took over and they wanted to convert others, especially the Buddhist religion. Most non-Buddhists discriminated against the Buddhists. Catholics, Christians, Jews, and many groups did not agree with Buddhism with the thoughts it wasn’t really a religion. They were tortured in many places such as China, Tibet, Vietnam, North and South Korea, Great Britain, and France. Buddhism is seen everywhere here in America, from TV shows, in schools, to movies about the history. Although it is in many places that people don’t really realize. There are Buddha’s all over, and can be bought as little trinkets from places. If you rub the belly it is supposed to give you good luck. Meditation has come from this religion and it is used quite a bit to help people relax. â€Å"Zen† is used quite a bit here in America on many things. â€Å"There is a set of associations with familiar American values, such as simplicity, naturalness, peace, and harmony. There are the favorite values of the health and food industries, such as wholesomeness, well-being, and natural goodness; and there are the aesthetic values of the young urban sushi culture, such as tasteful understatement, sophisticated minimalism, and multicultural cosmopolitanism. † (Religion Ethics Newsweekly). Doing the research on Buddhism has helped me understand it a lot better. I have learned about it in high school just a bit but never really knew the full extent. I never really knew they went through so much until now. I didn’t realize how much it is in the â€Å"American Culture† until now. We use the words, theories, and some of the practices such as meditation for our own reasons. We may not follow the Buddhism religion but we do use it and it has made its way into our culture. Growing up my mom had a little green Buddha that was always on her dresser. She would always rub his belly because it was good luck. People from African descent normally have a darker complexion, usually a dark brown skin color. Blacks were brought to America as slaves from ships and sold to the â€Å"whites†. In Africa they speak a different language, mainly using dialects. Over the years through assimilation the Africans who have come to America now referred to as African Americans speak English. The ancestors of blacks mainly come from Central and South America, as for the whites mainly descend from Europe if they are from European descent. The culture of Africans was very different before they came to America as slaves. To learn more about the Enslaved African Ancestors this article was very informative, National Geographic News: America’s Cultural Roots Traced to Enslaved African Ancestors. Blacks were burned, whipped, beaten, and the â€Å"whites† could treat them however they felt. The Africans who came to America were forced to come here, and the experiences they had at first were not that good. They were highly discriminated against and had no free will what so ever. They were pretty much property to whoever they bought them. With the forcing of Africans to come to America they were one of the hugest minorities to endure prejudice, racism, and discrimination. African Americans were not able to vote and they had practically no rights or freedom what so ever. Blacks could not use the same water fountains, bathrooms, diners, or even schools. They had to sit in the back of the bus and could not sit anywhere near a white person. Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat to a white passenger and got arrested, tried, and convicted for disorderly conduct and violating the local law. This also led to the Bus Boycott in Montgomery. Mainly white individuals discriminated and were racist against the Blacks. Whites thought they were better, and since they were brought to America as slaves they didn’t look at them as human beings. They were different so they weren’t equal to the whites, as the whites were educated and more â€Å"advanced†. Their contributions in early America, for which they have received little or no credit, include the development of the American dairy industry, open razing of cattle, artificial insemination of cows, the development of vaccines (including vaccination of small pox), and cures for snake bites. (Slave Rebellion, 2010). Over the years they have contributed a lot that we don’t really give them credit for, this is just the beginning of what they have given American Culture. Whites treated them horribly and took most the credit for what they have done, at times they still do to this day. I already knew most of t he stuff I learned researching this racial group. In high school they teach most about slavery. I just love doing the research for groups like these because there is always something to learn and with this subject most people like to jump to conclusions and believe everything they read or hear about our history. There are many differences and similarities between these two groups in the prejudice and discrimination they endured. One major difference was that Buddhists were not forced to be that religion, and were not forced into slavery or to live where they did. One thing though was that Buddhists were driven out of places and kept to specific areas where they had to stay because they weren’t welcome other places. They were both harassed and beaten as well as they had their stuff destroyed and were killed with no second thought. Discrimination is a very hatred thing, and it drives people to do some scary things. Taking someone’s life and not treating them like they are a human being is one of the worst things you can do. It is sad that people can’t just be themselves without people wanting to do something about it to force them to be something else.

Improving Pay for Performance with SOP

Improving Pay for Performance with SOP INTRODUCTION: Executive pay has been a big controversial issue over the past twenty years due to various governance failures which have generated a forceful policy debate on the appropriate role of shareholder voice in corporate governance (e.g., Bebchuk 2007; Bainbridge 2006). Some say the pay is too high and is set by captured boards while some say it reflects the marketplace in action. Therefore, some companies are either willing to or mandated to give shareholders an advisory vote on the prior years compensation of top executives-a say on pay (SOP). SOP is a term used for a rule in corporate governance whereby stakeholders are given the opportunity to vote on the enumeration of executives. SOP potentially not only gives shareholders an advisory vote on pay practices, but also increases scrutiny from shareholders over top managements compensation at most companies. Therefore, this study illustrates how SOP improves pay for performance. Under certain circumstances, this study will show that pay for performance has been increasing significantly after the adoption of SOP. When further decomposing executive pay into its cash-based and equity-based components, this study finds evidence of an increase at most companies in the relationship between performance and these compensation components, and the potential to enhance transparency, governance, and accountability, which, in turn, should lead to greater efficiency and social responsiveness (Bebchuk, Friedman, and Friedman, 2007). MAIN: This study is going to discuss further about the principal of SOP and its effect on pay for performance in firms and the related principal-agency problems in corporate governance. SOP might have not been a new concept in corporate governance in the UK, but some firms in developed and developing countries have been implementing this concept over these years around the world. SOP is known as one of the recent phenomenon of shareholder activism, a voice mechanism for shareholders (Hirschman, 1970). It is the effectuation of providing shareholders the right to vote on executive compensation program at the annual meeting. The regulation changes a variety of attitudes toward corporate governance and disclosure habitudes of all public companies. This concept allows shareholders to either raise their voices or express their opinions against executive compensation programs. In other words, instead of letting top executives to decide the level of compensation plans, shareholders can use their voting rights to either approve or give advice on executive compensation plans that link to top executives performance. To clearly justify, SOP is seen as a friendly tool to express, improve the dissent, giving advice on remuneration, but not an aggressive governance rule to destroy firm value or dissociate the relationship between principal and agent. While companies are not bound by SOP advisory votes, the act not only requires firms to disclose the vote results after the shareholders meeting, but also report whether and how the board considers the voting results in the following year. Consistent with this argument, De Franco, Hope and Larocque (2013) find that additional disclosures improves board effectiveness at monitoring executive c ompensation and in strengthening the link between pay and performance. SOP was used formally in UK in 2003, but in fact it was unofficially started and practiced in July 1999 as non-binding vote on executive compensation or remuneration. In the early of 2001, there are various companies beginning to propose the remuneration committee report, and there is an evidence that the number of firms submitting the proposal grew rapidly in 2002. After the UK, several EU countries consequently adopted this principle such as Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, then it spreaded to Australia and USA. It has been lasting for nearly 15 years in the UK while in the USA, this concept started in 2010 and became compulsory in the same year, which is relatively brief and the current knowledge of SOPs results and effects are still limited along with many academic discussion and practices. Basically, the objectives and models of SOP vary considerably across the world. Under Dodd-Frank, SOP in the USA requires companies to hold a non-binding vote on compensation at least once every three years. Afterwards, firms are also required to request shareholders to regulate the frequency of future say on pay votes at least once every six years but no less than that, also the shareholders are given the option of doing annually or every two or three years. However, in the UK, the government presented the Directors Remuneration report to record for a shareholders vote on current level of compensation at every annual general meeting. Pay for performance is currently a big issue in corporate governance due to several executive compensation scandals. Additionally, House Report 110088 noted that the average of a CEO in a top company earned approximately 140 times higher than the pay of a regular employee in 1991; nonetheless, this ratio increased exponentially to about 500 to 1 in 2003. The compensation for CEOs is divided into 2 parts which are fixed compensation such as cash and bonuses, and variable compensation ,also called performance-based compensation. The variable compensation which strongly relates to CEOs performance, including option grants, stocks option,.etc will be determined comprehensively in this study so as to favour the practical impact of SOP. Refer to Jensen and Meckling (1976), the traditional principal-agent theories stated that the owner of the firm constructed the compensation contracts to the agent in terms of maximizing the value of the firm. Muller-Kahle (2013) finds some evidence that, w hen CEOs have a dominant ownership stake, firm monitoring is diminished and firm performance suffers. However, most of public companies generates it infeasible for shareholders to debate the managerial compensation. In the phenomenon, the executive compensation scandals occurred frequently and severally than we could imagine. For examples, Tyco International was reported a CEOs scandal in 2005, its CEO Dennis Kozlowski and CFO Mark H. Swartz were convicted of stealing $600 million, these money was symbolized as the excess of executive remuneration, i.e. Kozlowski gave his wife $2 million birthday gift on Islands Mediterranean at companys expense. From our point of view, if Say on Pay was introduced and implemented earlier, those compensation scandals would had possibly not happened and also its reasonable to achieve and practice the SOP policy at the moment. According to Vicente Cuà ±at, Mireia Gine, and Maria Guadalupe (2013), the main purposes of Say on Pay is to raising shareholders voices, concentrating on the shareholders interests but also focusing on values that CEOs added to the firm and the transparency of CEOs interests. It leads to the improvement of the agency problem. Although a variety of evidence are against the benefits of Say on Pay, Bebchuk (2007) contended that a formalized say on pay vote is able to overcome the psychological barriers and support the negotiation of better compensation contracts. Indeed, many articles suggest that the approach of SOP does have a positive correlation between both firms value and the issue of pay for performance. We believe that there is nothing 100% right or wrong in all circumstances and its inherently difficult to determine precisely influences of any corporate governance regulation. Hence, the objective of this paper is to approve the improvements of Say on Pay on pay for performance in corporations in terms of increasing firms values, shareholders values, reducing agency problems and enhancing the transparency of executive compensation under certain conditions. First condition is firms with excessive or ineffectiveness CEO remuneration, as stated by Core at el. (1999), less effective boards are regularly related to high abnormal CEO compensation and low sensitivity pay for performance, which means that SOP is likely to benefit to the firm with weaker corporate governance and incompetent remuneration design. Secondly, firms with independent-minded shareholders willing to vote against management are likely to face more pressure if the say on pay is achieved; thirdly, firms are willing to b oost performance, enhance compensation and reform as a consequence of shareholder pressure. Due to Baird and Stowasser (2002), the first benefit of implementing SOP is certainly promoting accountability and transparency in the compensation report. To earn stakeholders support or prevent litigation, boards not only have sought to enhance disclosures concerning executive compensation plans but also publish an annual directors remuneration report over the past year, which causes directors more carefully to consider shareholder interests when designing executive pay plans. The recent trend confirmed the increased directors accountability after the introduction of say on pay (Cai et al. 2007, 2009; Del Guercio et al. 2008). As found in the previous articles, Davis (2007) stated that the Say on Pay proposal did associate smoothly with the communication and relationship between shareholders and board of directors. Refer to the UK evidences, after annual general meeting and the accurately analysis of remuneration report, there is a substantially development in the connection and tr ansmission between compensation committees and shareholders. Firms are more opened to a dialogue with shareholders to justify a broader compensation decisions and practices. Companies will not only have the opportunity to include additional resolutions on specific compensation decisions, but also have the opportunity to ask shareholders views on specific compensation decisions, including decisions related to various aspects or categories of pay. Each company, however, will be required to permit shareholders to vote on a resolution addressing all of the compensation disclosed in the annual proxy. This finding may advance scrutiny and also lead to more informed voting decision and the acceptance of a remarkable premium. Also, Deane (2007) and Davis (2007) suggested that SOP probably superior adjusts for principal-agent interests and enhance corporate governance and performance. The SOP allows shareholder to raise their voices in executive which definitely better align with CEO and shareholders interests, consequently, it comes up with the reduction of agency cost and a more adequately compensation contracts. Due to Peter Iliev and Svetla Vitanova (2015), the market reacted positively to the practices of Say on pay votes and the general supports of directors from shareholders are spotted to be increased. In practices in the UK, the impact of SOP was found to be positive as well, Fabrizio and David A. Maber (2013) analysed that the adoption and implementation of say on pay to the UK regulation was escorted with positive stock price reactions at firms with high dissent compensation conflicts and particularly practices diluting punishment for poor performance. By the same token, enforcing SOP may potentially increase Earnings per shares (EPSs), Return on assets (ROA) and Return on equity (ROE), the appliance also gains profitability and efficiency, higher growth in labour yield and constructive effect on accounting statement in the following years after the binding vote. As a result of Vicente Cuà ±at, Mireia Gine, and Maria Guadalupe (2013), the shareholder value increased by 5.4 percent after Say on Pay implementation, this such high market gains were explained by the improvement of CEOs performance under shareholder pressure and the effect of better alignment of pay for performance and also the reduction of pay for failure. Those evidences are consistent with the aims of this study that say on pay is used as a value-creating governance mechanism to contribute value to firm and shareholders. According to Stephen Davis Millstein Center Fellow (2007), advisory Say on Pay votes are extensively seen as having been an influential committing factor in taming the rate of increase, reduce controversial compensation of CEO, pressure firm to increase sensitivity between compensation and performance curbing opportunities for reward for failure and tying compensation dramatically closer to performance. As we mentioned above, not every firms reported the same results on the impact of SOP. However, we do find the strong positive influence in the firm with high dissent between shareholders and directors and the firm with excessive CEOs compensation based on the managerial power viewpoint (Bertrand (2009), Frydman and Jenter (2010), Murphy (2013). As documented by Fabrizio and David A. Maber (2013), their tests were coherent with Core et al(1999) s research that the introduction of SOP was followed by positive stock price reaction, especially in the firms with controversial compensation report and those which abate penalties for poor performance. Correa and Lel (2013) also recorded a numerical decrease in CEO pay of 6.1% after implementation of Say-on-Pay regulation in a sample of countries. Moreover, by using regression analysis on large sample of UK firms, Fabrizio and David (2013) tested on some vital elements in CEO pays including bonuses, equity awards to evaluate whether the sensitivity of CEO compensation is highly adequated to performance along with economics factors before and after the regulation. In general, they concluded that even though others economic elements persist unchanged, there is still a significant rise in the sensitivity of CEO pay to poor performance in less observable elements of pay. Moreover, this finding is consistent with the result of Ertimur, Muslu, and Ferri (2011) which is the most pronounced in high dissent firms and firms maintaining excessive executive compensation before SOP, means that SOP policy does reduce the excessive performanced-base salary to create value and link the remuneration more dramatically to the performance. Various companies either removed or altered provisions that investors considered as rewards for failure such as generous severance contracts and low performance hurdles, often in response to institutional investors explicit requests. Fabrizio and David A. Maber (2013) examined this issue on high dissent(HD) firm (with 20% dissent vote) and low dissent(LD) firm (with less than 5% dissent vote) before and after the vote , the result showed that the high dissent firms reducing the notice periods of severance contracts after the first vote (80%) are likely to be higher than before the vote (20%) and also substantially higher than the low dissent firms (33.3%). Therefore, this figures suggested that say on pay is the reason of reduction of controversial compensation, besides, 70% of low dissent firms scaling down the notice period before the vote which is the evidence of elimination of dissension between shareholders and executives. Moreover, a variety of firms established a formal proces s for proactive consultation with their major shareholders going forward (Ferri and Maber, 2011). As a result, the threat of a vote was effective in inducing firms to revise CEO pay practices ahead of the annual meeting and decreasing the situation of pay for failures and the growth rate of pay. Meanwhile, they also analysed the second most influenced remuneration item which is performance-based vesting conditions in equity grants. During the following years that performance targets are not accomplished, this retesting provision is seemed to contribute for reexamining and subsequently assists for the potential pay for failure. After the research, they concluded that before the first vote, HD firms and LD firms achieved 5% and 25% respectively to reduce or remove this issue. Nonetheless, the result changed significantly after the SOP vote, HD firms agreed to shorten or abolish retesting provision with statistically 76.3%, while the LD gained 28%. Generally, several evidences support that these contractual modification are the direct repercussion of SOP regulation. Base on the top 100 companies 2016 surveys in the US, SOP is raising shareholders voices and putting more pressure on CEO in order to perform better, however, we found that shareholder doesnt empower themselves to manipulate the CEOs compensation. In fact, the number of companies adopting this policy is increasing, in 2016 there are 95 over top 100 US companies holding say on pay vote in 2016, 94 out of 95 firms held approval say-on-pay votes which is higher than 2015 and only 1 firm didnt approve which also failed in both 2014 and 2015. As being reported, 41 corporations reviewed and elected not to significantly change the compensation report, while 20 noted modification into the remuneration in response to the vote. In table 4, the Say on Pay approval rate in 2016 is relatively high with 78% receiving approval rates in excess of 90% and only 6% for-voting below 70%. This figures coordinate with data in the last 2 years 2014 and 2015, which the approval rates are comparably high. Th is finding suggests that the even shareholders have more control power in the firm, they are not likely to destroy the value or raise the unfairness and dissension through the firm. In contrast, they seem to use this policy as a friendly tool, not an aggressive regulation, to raise their voice and cut down excessive expense in compensation. Furthermore, this regulation is contributing to the competitiveness of the British economy and the attraction of London as an international capital market (Stephen Davis Millstein Center Fellow,2007). The UK Department of Trade and Industry confirmed that the votes lead to a better planning by corporations, fewer surprises, better dialogue with shareholders, and apparently, it can reduce downside risks and big scandals among quoted companies in recent years. Due to London Stock Exchange, by involving Say on Pay voting rights, London will possibly be equipped with a more competitive border in order to attract capital, comparing to New York. Last but not least, while companies are not bound by SOP advisory votes, it requires companies to disclose the vote results after the shareholders meeting. In addition, firms must report whether and how the board considers the voting results in the following year. Ferri and Maber (2013) study the market reaction in 2002 to SOP that mandates non-binding but advisory vote on the compensation report and find that firms with high dissent alter the compensation composition, thereby improving pay for performance. Moreover, in a sample of the largest UK companies from 2002 to 2006, boards reduced excess salary as well as the dilutive effect of stock option grants in response to past negative non-binding votes (Carter and Zamora,2009). Consequently, shareholders right of non-binding votes could provide a useful mechanism that addresses the potential problem of incomplete firms management, suggesting that monitoring and reward mechanism dynamics can effectively coexist between owners and firm managers, thereby improving corporate governance (Kimbro and Xu, 2016). Conclusion To conclude, we investigate the impact of the right of shareholders non-binding but advisory votes on say-on-pay. We find evidence that firms either modified or altered their compensation structures in order to win shareholders positive votes. CEOs compensation decreases in most firms while larger decreases are found in firms that overpaid their CEOs in the previous year. Similarly, affected firms linked their pay mix to more close for performance. In terms of voting itself, shareholders are not more likely to vote for executive compensation when the firm pays excessive pay for top management, or has a large increase in CEO compensation compared to previous years. Moreover, among the components of the compensation plan, shareholders are more likely to vote against the plan when they contain other compensation, such as private bonuses unrelated to performance, which have been opposed by critics of executive pay. Most importantly, SOP does not limit the level of compensation or empower shareholders to control the interests of top management. It can be seen as a friendly corporate governance tool to prevent conflicts of the issues between top management and shareholders regarding pay for performance. Additionally, this study finds that the increase in pay for performance after the implementation of SOP is larger in firms with excessive pay for CEO relative to firms with average level of pay for CEO. The evidence suggests that SOP do increase the executive compensation monitoring ability for investors who care about the long-term value of a firm but who are lack of the ability to influence executive compensation structure before SOP. By contrast to most prior studies on the impact of SOP on executive incentives and compensation, the evidence shown in this study is consistent with SOP improves rather than weakens the alignment of managerial wealth and shareholder interests in certain circumstances. References: Bainbridge S. 2006. The Case for Limited Shareholder Voting Rights. UCLA Law Review, 53: 601-636. Bainbridge, Stephen M. The Corporate Governance Provisions of Dodd-Frank. (2010). Bainbridge, Stephen M. Is Say on PayJustified?. (2009). Baird, J. and Stowasser, P. (2002) Executive compensation disclosure requirements: The German, UK, and US approaches, PracticalLaw.com, PLC Document 4-101-7960, September 23. BBC News. 2003. Glaxo defeated by shareholders. May 19. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/3038381.stm Bebchuk, L. (2007) Written testimony submitted before the Committee on Financial Services, United States House of Representatives, Hearing on Empowering Shareholders on Executive Compensation, March 8. Bebchuk, L., Friedman, A. T., Friedman, W. J. 2007. Empowering shareholders on executive compensation: hearing on H.R. 1257 before the H. Comm. on Fin. Ser., 110th Cong. 68: Cai J. and R. Walkling. 2007. Shareholders Say on Pay: Does It Create Value?. Working Paper, Drexel University, Philadelphia, PA. Cai J., J. Garner and R. Walkling. 2009. Electing Directors. Journal of Finance   forthcoming. Carter, M. E., Zamora, V. 2009. Shareholder remuneration votes and CEO compensation design, Work. Pap. Boston College. Cheffins B. and R. Thomas. 2001. Should shareholders have a greater say over executive pay? Learning from the US experience. Working Paper, Vanderbilt University Law School, Nashville, TN. Choi, S., J. Fisch and M. Kahan, 2009. Director Elections and the Role of Proxy Advisors. Southern California Law Review 82, 649-702. Core, J.; R. Holthausen; and D. Larcker. Corporate Governance, Chief Executive Officer Compensation,and Firm Performance. Journal of Financial Economics, 51 (1999), 371-406. Core, J., and W. Guay. The Use of Equity Grants to Manage Optimal Equity Incentive Levels. Journal of Accounting and Economics, 28 (1999), 151-184. Cuà ±at, V., Ginà ©, M. and Guadalupe, M. (2013). Say Pays! Shareholder Voice and Firm Performance. Review of Finance, 20(5), pp.1799-1834. Davis, Stephen. Does say on paywork? Lessons on making CEO compensation accountable. Policy Briefing 1 (2007). Deane, S. Say on Pay: Results from Overseas. The Corporate Board (July/August 2007), 11- 18. De Franco, G. Hope, O.K., Larocque, S. 2013. The effect of disclosure on the pay-performance relation. J. Account. Public Policy 32(5), 319-341. Del Guercio, D., L. Wallis, and T. Woidtke. 2008. Do Boards Pay Attention When Institutional Investor Activists Just Vote No? Journal of Financial Economics 90: 84-103. Deloitte, Executive Directors Remuneration (London: September 2006) Digital.shearman.com. (2017). Corp Gov Survey 2016 Corporate Governance Survey. [online] Available at: http://digital.shearman.com/i/739764-2016-corporate-governance-survey/59? [Accessed 22 Mar. 2017]. Ertimur, Yonca, Fabrizio Ferri, and David Oesch. Shareholder votes and proxy advisors: Evidence from say on pay. Journal of Accounting Research 51.5 (2013): 951-996. Ertimur, Y., F. Ferri, and V. Muslu. 2011. Shareholder Activism and CEO Pay. Review of Financial Studies 24(2): 535-592. Ferri, F., and D. Maber. Solving the Executive Compensation Problem Through Shareholder Votes? Evidence from the U.K. Working paper, Columbia University and Harvard Business School (2007). Ferri, F., Maber, M. 2013. Say on pay votes and CEO compensation: Evidence from the UK. Rev. Financ. (17), 527-563. Financial Times (1998) The fat cats keep getting fatter, August 1. Fortune.com. (2017). Surprise surprise: Say on Pay appears to be working. [online] Available at: http://fortune.com/2015/07/08/say-on-pay-ceos/ [Accessed 22 Mar. 2017]. Gordon, J., 2009. Say on Pay: Cautionary Notes on the U.K. Experience and the Case for Shareholders Opt-in. Harvard Journal on Legislation 46:323-64. Hodgson, Paul. A brief history of say on pay. Ivey Business Journal 73 (2009): 1. Kimbro, Marinilka B., and Danielle Xu. Shareholders have a say in executive compensation: Evidence from say-on-pay in the United States. Journal of Accounting and Public Policy 35.1 (2016): 19-42. Jensen, M. C., and W. H. Meckling. Theory of the Firm: Managerial Behavior, Agency Costs and Ownership Structure. Journal of Financial Economics, 4 (1976), 305-360. Jeffrey N. Gordon, Say on Pay: Cautionary Notes on the U.K. Experience and the Case for Shareholder Opt-in, 46 Harv. J. Legis. 323, 325 (2009) Larcker, David F., et al. Ten Myths ofSay on Pay. (2012). List25.com. (2017). Cite a Website Cite This For Me. [online] Available at: http://list25.com/25-biggest-corporate-scandals-ever/ [Accessed 22 Mar. 2017]. Magnan, Michel, and FCA Claudine Mangen. Is say on pay an effective governance tool? Analysis and recommendations. (2011). Manifest and MMK, The Executive Director Total Remuneration Survey (London: May 2007); RREV, Trends in Executive Remuneration 2006 (London: April 2007); New Bridge Street Consultants, The 2006 FTSE 100 Executive Directors Remuneration Survey (London: 2006); PIRC Corporate Governance Annual Review 2006 (London: 2006). Muller-Kahle, M. I. 2013. The impact of dominant ownership: The case of Anglo-American firms . J. Manage. Gov. 19(1), 71-89. . SEC, Securities and Exchange Commission, 2010. Concept Release No. 34-62495, available at:http://www.sec.gov/rules/concept/2010/34-62495.pdf

Epic of Beowulf Essay -- Epic of Beowulf Essays

The Lead of Beowulf Huy Ngo   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Beowulf displays the qualities of a good leader that were mentioned in the speech given by Hrothgar. The speech speaking of the vices and virtues of great political leaders contains many of the same qualities that Beowulf embodies. His boastfulness, generosity and kindness are evidence that he is a good leader and provides for his people. Although the qualities he posses may not be the best-fit qualities of a common man, they are admirable qualities of a strong leader.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Beowulf’s high self-regard acts as a promise to his people. It is a promise saying that he will provide for them and he can keep his country in order and away from harm. Because Beowulf speaks very highly of himself he is required to support his claims and give to the people. Hrothgar claims that flaunting is a way to keep the Geats happy because they believe what he says. â€Å"I will stand by my word make good my promises. To your Geat-friends now will make you come with counsel courage for their hearts through long comfort years†(1706). The Geats need someone to believe in and who would believe in someone with low self-esteem or someone who didn’t believe in themselves. The people need assurance and they found that assurance in Beowulf. Beowulf reassures his people that the Dragon will be dealt with and gives them courage to withstand this threat. â€Å" I lived in my youth through hard war-moments--- now here I am ready battle weary king battered with winters for final glory-time if that grim hall burner will come to meet me from his mound of gold† (pg. 81). Beowulf wants to reassure his people that he can once again succeed in defeating his enemies. The people believe that Beowulf will succeed again. Beowulf’s obligations to the people require him to slay the dragon. Beowulf’s self centeredness is what makes him an ideal leader in the eyes of Hrothgar.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Another reason Beowulf is seen as a good leader is because he does not share the characteristics that were spoken of Heremod. Heremod was portrayed as a bad leader due to his murderous attitude and actions. The vices of Heremod characterize a bad leader and Hrothgar points them out like in his treatment of the Danes. Not so kind was Heremod to the kin of Ecwela care heavy Shield Danes—he brought them no joy but baleful murder ... ...y of your strength lasts for a while but not long after Sickness or spear point will sever you from life. (1762-64) †¦or bane-bearing age – the brightness of your eye will dim and darken. (1767-68) Hrothgar predicts that Beowulf’s pride would be his demise and he was correct because Beowulf chooses to fight the dragon alone in his older years. Beowulf is no longer in his prime and he knows he will not be around forever and hopes to make a final â€Å"score† and let the people live out the rest of their days wealthy and without worry. But Beowulf still wants to fight the beast alone. â€Å"Our old gift lord meant to manage this monster hot battle alone once again with his great wonder strength armed with a war name earned through a lifetime forged now with deeds† (2642-46). Beowulf is not fighting these monsters because he believes he is a god but because he wishes to carry out a promise he gave long ago to his people. His only desire is to make the Geats happy. Beowulf risks his life for his people. He was the apitamy of great kings and was dedicated to his country and people. His promise to the people and his devotion, generosity and kindness are the reasons he is Hrothgar’s ideal leader.

Carl Jung and The Great Gatsby Essay -- Great Gatsby Essays

Carl Jung and The Great Gatsby    The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald's classic story about the shallow aristocracy of the 1920's American society, is the topic of much interpretation. This paper presents the proposition that the "Roaring Twenties" were years dominated by an SP (part of Carl Jung's archetypal psychology that will later be explained in more depth) society and the characters in The Great Gatsby reflect and were deeply affected by this fact. Daisy will be analyzed herein, as well as the effect that an SP society had on her actions and development.      Ã‚   The human psyche has been the basis of study for millennia. Dating back to Hippocrates around 370 BC, the earliest belief was that people are fundamentally predisposed at birth, that their psyches are programmed. The idea continued to manifest in mainstream sciences up until about the 19th century AD. There arose, in the early 20th century, the notion that people are born without predisposition, and are molded by their environment from the time of infancy. John Watson, and early American behaviorist, proposed that he could shape a child into any form he wanted, provided that he had control of the child from infancy. Similarly to the notion of psychological malleability was the belief that people are driven by a single basic motive. Sigmund Freud claimed that we are all driven from within by instinctual lust. There were also the existentialist psychologists, such as Carl Rogers and Abraham Maslow, who had people seeking self-actualization. Finally, in 1920, Swiss physician Ca rl Jung disagreed. In Psychological Types he wrote that "people have a multitude of instincts, what he called 'archetypes', that drive them from within, and that one instinct is no mo... ... II: Temperament, Character, Intelligence. 2.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Keirsey, David. Please Understand Me II: Temperament, Character, Intelligence. 3.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   < http://www.paulsann.com/thelawlessdecade/20_s.html> 4.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   < http://www.paulsann.com/thelawlessdecade/20_s.html> 5.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   < http://www.homework-online.com/tgg/quotes.asp> 6.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   < http://www.homework-online.com/tgg/quotes.asp> 7.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   < http://www.homework-online.com/tgg/quotes.asp>       Works Cited Fitzgerald, F. Scott. The Great Gatsby. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1925. Keirsey, David. Please Understand Me II: Temperament, Character, Intelligence. Moniaci, Jonathon. "The Great Gatsby" < http://www.homework-online.com/tgg/index.asp> Sann, Paul. "The Lawless Decade"   < http://www.paulsann.com/thelawlessdecade/20_s.html>    Carl Jung and The Great Gatsby Essay -- Great Gatsby Essays Carl Jung and The Great Gatsby    The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald's classic story about the shallow aristocracy of the 1920's American society, is the topic of much interpretation. This paper presents the proposition that the "Roaring Twenties" were years dominated by an SP (part of Carl Jung's archetypal psychology that will later be explained in more depth) society and the characters in The Great Gatsby reflect and were deeply affected by this fact. Daisy will be analyzed herein, as well as the effect that an SP society had on her actions and development.      Ã‚   The human psyche has been the basis of study for millennia. Dating back to Hippocrates around 370 BC, the earliest belief was that people are fundamentally predisposed at birth, that their psyches are programmed. The idea continued to manifest in mainstream sciences up until about the 19th century AD. There arose, in the early 20th century, the notion that people are born without predisposition, and are molded by their environment from the time of infancy. John Watson, and early American behaviorist, proposed that he could shape a child into any form he wanted, provided that he had control of the child from infancy. Similarly to the notion of psychological malleability was the belief that people are driven by a single basic motive. Sigmund Freud claimed that we are all driven from within by instinctual lust. There were also the existentialist psychologists, such as Carl Rogers and Abraham Maslow, who had people seeking self-actualization. Finally, in 1920, Swiss physician Ca rl Jung disagreed. In Psychological Types he wrote that "people have a multitude of instincts, what he called 'archetypes', that drive them from within, and that one instinct is no mo... ... II: Temperament, Character, Intelligence. 2.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Keirsey, David. Please Understand Me II: Temperament, Character, Intelligence. 3.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   < http://www.paulsann.com/thelawlessdecade/20_s.html> 4.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   < http://www.paulsann.com/thelawlessdecade/20_s.html> 5.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   < http://www.homework-online.com/tgg/quotes.asp> 6.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   < http://www.homework-online.com/tgg/quotes.asp> 7.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   < http://www.homework-online.com/tgg/quotes.asp>       Works Cited Fitzgerald, F. Scott. The Great Gatsby. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1925. Keirsey, David. Please Understand Me II: Temperament, Character, Intelligence. Moniaci, Jonathon. "The Great Gatsby" < http://www.homework-online.com/tgg/index.asp> Sann, Paul. "The Lawless Decade"   < http://www.paulsann.com/thelawlessdecade/20_s.html>   

Budgeting

We are living on a single income in a world that requires two or more income sources to survive. This culminates into spending more than the earnings made, thus making saving, a prerequisite for investing an unachievable dream. However, a close look justifies that not all people are cramped up with single income sources. As discussed in this article, few lucky people have managed to utilize easy money saving tips that have enabled them to save money for investments that guarantee a financially stable future.One of the tips is budgeting, which acts as a guide in controlling what one spends. Outline what you spend on a monthly basis and correlate the spending with the income you earn. Outline a long term plan on what you want to save in a fixed time frame. This will help you determine the amount of money that you should spend or save on a monthly basis. Another tip is cutting one’s spending. To cut on unnecessary spending, you need to change you lifestyle. You can prepare food a nd eat at home instead of spending a lot of money eating in restaurants.Considering that replacing goods is more expensive, repair them in advance to avoid hefty costs. More so, ensure that you quit vices such as smoking and drinking among others that could incur hefty health costs and increased spending on a long-term or short-term basis. Limiting debts by going for loans with low and flexible interest rates is also another effective money saving tip. Compare different banks’ interest rates for loans and get the bank that offers the best rate. Supposing you have a business, you could try to haggle for the existing loans.For instance, threatening to relocate the business can make lending institutions quite flexible in terms of interest rates and flexibility. This can prevent you from taking unnecessary loans in a bid to repay another high interest loan when the business in not doing well. Besides the above tips, you should detect the slightest opportunities via which you can get what you want without having to spend or incur extra costs. For instance one can join reward programs that give spending point on the purchases made.With time, the spending points might help you get free stuff and save money that you would have incurred while purchasing the stuff. As we can see, money saving tips narrow down to proper budgeting, having long-term goals and a change of lifestyle. One needs to identify money saving opportunities and also opportunities for cutting down the spending. For people who find saving to be quite difficult, they can use financial advisor’s services. However, if you are well endowed with the above easiest saving tips, you can go ahead, save and transform your life.

Implement and Monitor marketing activities Essay

BBQfun is company specialised in outdoor lifestyle supplies. The company is mainly implemented in Brisbane and its surroundings and aim at growing throughout the country. In order to achieve this goal, BBQfun has established a few marketing strategie. The goal of this report is to analyse these strategies and ultimately their efficiency. BBQfun marketing strategies analysisAt BBQfun, stakeholders are responsible for the management of the company’s operations. Indeed, according to the CEO’s statement, â€Å"For our stakeholders it has always been about stewardship and to adhere to professional and moral standards of conduct in all that we do†. Although the organisational review does not expand on the stakeholders’ moral and professional standards, it can be assumed that the word â€Å"stewardship† means management. Management is a broad word that would need to be defined in more details. Indeed, it does not appear throughout the organisational review that the different stakeholder’s roles are clearly and precisely defined. Hence questions can be raised about who is responsible for the marketing activities at BBQfun and how implementation and monitoring are conducted. According to the organisational review, the marketing and non-marketing professionals are â€Å"self-directed teams†. Hence another question can be asked on how strategies are communicated to them and what kind of briefing they had received to implement such strategies. It also raises the question of consistency throughout the different stores, especially if BBQfun aims at being a national company. Indeed the BBQfun’s big pic ture is to be a national leader in its industry within the next ten years. However, there is no information on the short term objectives that would lead to the achievement of this goal. Their role and responsibilities are not mentioned either. This is even more concerning as according to the  organisational review, BBQfun overall SWOT analysis remains the same as the one made in 2008. This indicates a lack of performance measures or at least issues in their ability to act on their weaknesses and take advantages of their opportunities. Also, it can be noted that there are discrepancies between BBQfun vision statement and their actual focus. Indeed, in their vision statement the chair of the board insist on delivering high quality product, but in reality a cost cut strategy is put in place as price of sourcing has been prioritised. This indicates a poor communication strategy throughout the company and can easily counter act the flow of the marketing strategies that have been chosen by the stakeholders. Additionally, a review of their PEST analysis should be performed as the organisational review shows a change in economic and social behaviours. Indeed it is mentioned that interest rates are rising, that the employment rat e is different than the one estimated and that the â€Å"trend towards house proud purchase is growing stronger than anticipated. This statement should give rise to new opportunities for BBQfun. The objective of the marketing campaign is to increase sales. Three types of products have been identified: BBQs, outdoor furniture and BBQ consumables. Three types of marketing activities have been put into places: radio advertisement, magazine/PR and direct marketing campaign and advertisement through loyalty programs. The resources required for the first strategy are straight forward yet pricy. For that type of campaign financial and human resources are needed as well as the appropriate choice of channel. If BBQfun intends to grow nationally, it might want to choose a national radio station. Human resources would include the marketing project and designers personnel. The same kind of resources is needed to implement the second type of strategy, although the channel would be different. The third strategy requires building a customer database. Hence little is needed but a website, an email address and the designer and IT personnel. Communication and team building are something lacking when only referring to the organisational overview. This should come first from the board to communicate clearly the objectives and the process of implementing these strategies. These should be clearly thought and put in place along with the marketing plan. Change of suppliers has been one way of implementing their strategies along with finding the right channels to implement their radio and PR strategies. BBQfun also managed to increase  their customer database to implement their third strategy. Monitoring the return of their investment is mostly done through sales figures. ConclusionBBQfun has a vision to expand nationwide. In order to achieve their goal they put into place a few marketing strategies. However it seems that a proper marketing plan is lacking and this issue should be addressed as soon as possible in order for them to maximise their return and have a higher impact.

Top Down Leadership vs Bottom Up Leadership

Top down Leadership versus Bottom up Leadership Top down leadership has in many ways been the cultural gnome in terms of leadership styles for probably the longest time in history Likert termed it Exploitive authoritative. â€Å"In this style, the leader has a low concern for people and uses such methods as threats and other fear-based methods to achieve conformance. Communication is almost entirely downwards and the psychologically distant concerns of people are ignored. (Likert, 1969) Top down leadership has had a deep impact and so much intertwined with human culture that it is deemed to be simply the natural form of leadership. There are many other forms of leadership styles being nurtured so as to adapt with cultural changes and views on leadership roles, not to say they are any lesser but top down and bottom up were at both extremes of the leadership spectrum hence choosing to focus on the two. The structure of most organizations is based on an autocratic hierarchy that is based on the notion that the ‘workers’ need to be very closely supervised by those in ‘management’. In the distant past there may have been some truth to this assertion, however, in today’s world it is becoming increasingly spurious. Yet after a whole heap of culture change initiatives carried out in many organizations very little positive change has occurred. The reason is clear to see as the hierarchy is naturally committed to retaining the status quo between the roles of those called ‘bosses’ from those labeled the ‘workers’. (para11, Jaap, June 2011) Bottom-up leadership however â€Å"occurs when employees become innovative and questioning, making suggestions and pushing boundaries. â€Å"Thought leadership† is similar, although it is more about championing new ideas than managing people or helping a group achieve a goal. However, in b oth cases, the leadership can be directed upward, and it ends once senior managers accept the proposed ideas. † (Ki-Young & Mi-Jin 2008 summer p. 9) The concept of bottom up leadership requires a person to think outside of the box because it challenges mainstream beliefs and ideologies as regards to leadership roles. There is an oriental saying that states â€Å"cup would have to be poured out to allow room for more a filled†. Which implies putting aside of one’s wisdom so as to learn new material. Jaap characterization of a bottom up leader is that â€Å"An effective leader is considered to be someone who has the ability to share a compelling vision of a desirable outcome, create the environment in which a group of ndividuals work as a collaborative team focused on turning the vision into a reality. † (Par5 Jaap 2008) For most people the bottom up concept is relatively not applied as it really should due to the fact that people who are in leadership roles tend to have insecurities if more flexibility were to be offered to employees. The leaders deem that people would in actuality develop some form of negligence to those that are in position of authority. Take for instance the anti government protests that developed all across the Middle East, these protests are as a result of people who are frustrated by the top down leadership style being carried out by their leaders. Leadership as it was in these Arab nations was flowing only on a downstream when it came to the issue of communication, for the people’s concerns were being met by brutal force which included jail term and death in some cases to any person that seemed to offer an alternative to the top down leadership that was in place. The western world has a strong belief for equal rights for all and most importantly the right for all to live a fulfilled life and it is quite apparent as the Arabs began questioning for these same rights their leaders who had their heads buried under the sand were under the assumption that their usual scare tactics would quench the flames of revolution. However, these were not the usual times in Arab nations, the revolutionary flames burn on rampantly towards the leaders who have in all actuality failed to lead their nations due to the fact that they led as though they had eternity to rule, which was the greatest mistake to have done. They failed to observe the change in tide as the world around them continued to evolve, more and more people getting connected via internet. Social media had set up stage for people to voice their concerns as to what directions their leaders were getting them to travel, their lack of empathy and lost track of reality only looking for more ways and means to enlarge their bank accounts, assets and investments at the cost of people. Had the approach been taken on a bottom up approach the outcome would definitely have been different due to the fact they would have had empathy and understanding for a bottom up leader is as follows. The leader is part of the team and accepts that on occasions other members of the team may in fact take on the leadership role because they have the necessary capabilities to deal with particular situations more so than the nominated leader. The working environment is based on trust and respect for each other and the language is about our â€Å"leader, colleagues, team, accountability, achievement, success, and celebration† rather than â€Å"boss, staff, levels, roles, responsibility, remuneration, and appraisal†. There is a constant sharing of information between the team members and sincere dialogue about issues that may be contentious because colleagues have different perspectives and expectations. By transparently dialoguing these and all other issues the best solution is more likely to emerge because the team is able to make the tough call when necessary. They tend to avoid meetings and discussions based on consensus as they know from experience that this process tend to produce a solution driven by the lowest common denominator and frequently not what is needed by the organization. Par7 Jaap 2008) Not wanting to seem all too pessimistic towards top down leadership, there are certain areas such as the military organizations or police force where top down leadership is and strongly believe will continue to be employed in such areas to the unforeseeable future because the whole system is heavily based upon order. The military organizations in America are applaud able and should be exemplary for the rest of the world military to emulate, not to be deemed as a war fanatics’ but rather as an organization that understands what entails protecting its citizens. Leadership however is what directs them to war, peace, rescue missions etc for that is typical for those who are disciplined to follow top down leadership. â€Å"The whole system tends to absorb its people in focusing on rules and procedures designed to keep everyone in their appropriate place doing exactly what each tribe dictates its members should be doing. Most organizational language is about reinforcing the master/servant or parent/child relationship that appears to be an essential part of the military type of hierarchy â€Å"(par4 Jaap May 2008). Keeping this in mind we also have to understand that the discipline they have did not just appear out of nowhere, they had to undergo rigorous training in order to be transformed into a command structured person. Rivers stated in his research There is little question that one of the chief causes of the great prevalence of nervous disorders in the war is that vast numbers of men have been called upon to endure hardships and dangers of unprecedented severity with a quite insufficient training. There is equally little doubt that the special nature of the duties involved in trench warfare has taken a large part in determining the great frequency of neurosis. (Rivers 1920) An argument that a critic would say is that Rivers wrote the book almost a century back, technological advancements have been made in leaps and bounds to outweigh nervous disorders and the two to three month training period is very much sufficient. In the article The emotional effects of war T, Stan states â€Å"Some veterans of past wars have recovered from their traumatic experience with the right care, but what we need to ask ourselves is how we can protect them from mental trauma before they are even sent to fight, as opposed to treating their symptoms once the deep psychological damage has already been done. â€Å" (Stan. ) Unfortunately the fact of the matter remains to date that there are soldiers that suffer psychologically as a result of doing what their work requires, which is top down leadership at its raw definition. These military examples indicate that as much as human beings have made top down form of leadership a reality it can be extremely costly because war is not quite human nature otherwise there would not be reports of psychological issues as a result of following orders to the bitter end â€Å"The emotional effects of war on soldiers very often hinders their future achievements too as they find it impossible to imagine or plan. † (Stan. By majorly focusing on the psychological effects of extreme top down leadership one can deduce that as a result of exposing human natural emotions through such experiences has daunting and drastic effect that the individual would have to bear on a personal basis that even further affect the social aspect of life and family life. It takes training the human qualities to this image of a soldier to serve further implying how top down leadership does not quite just come naturally but is instilled on a person. The approach towards bottom up leadership simply put emphasis on doing what human beings do best which are being social creatures that we are. Human beings generally have more tendencies to show concern for just about anyone in distress disregarding all other factors such as race, nationality, etc. bottom up leadership works to build on the basis of establishing social relationship as its core foundations because people are really the most important asset any institution or organization could possibly have. Focusing on who people are as human beings develop empathy on the part of a leader and people tend to give more effort when they feel people actually do care and understand where they are coming from. â€Å"The emotional intelligent professional is a master of building relationships, which provide the foundation for developing the influence required to make things happen. To become a master yourself you must develop your emotional intelligence and learn. (Wall, 2008, p37) In life it has become apparent that common sense in most cases is not quite common for human beings have invested great time and effort towards scientific research as to how better efficient leadership could be achieved and the human factor was just but an element on the production line where efficiency of workers has and always been based on individual output with little or no attention to the needs of the laborer. For an organization to be firmly established to withstand the tides of change, greater emphasis should be made in the areas of relationship development as being the major component in the structural base. â€Å"As we facilitate organizational change efforts for client companies, we find it helpful to use a few nautical metaphors to remind them that they can’t control the winds or seas of change but they can adjust their sails† (Sipe & Frick 2009, p142). With the development of social media a much broader avenue has been made when it comes to unifying people bent on same beliefs and course of actions. The Middle East crisis is the emancipation of a top down form of governance at its wits end where fear tactics no longer played the factor, for people were united in common bond for social change as they deemed injustice was being played against their God given rights to freedom. The protesters dropped all they were doing, businesses, government; financial institutions and so on were all brought to a halt because the nation’s work force saw that it could no longer be business as usual when their leaders have no real concern for their needs. Now you may ask â€Å"what has this to do with culture change in organizations†. My response would be to say â€Å"quite a lot† as the reasons the various regimes fight to retain the status quo is a mirror image of what goes on in organizations. They may not use armed weapons but they do tend to make significant use of traditional, psychological and physical methods to quell any imminent revolt by employees. Jaap, T (par2 June 2011). Creativity is an essential part of the human nature that fosters new ideals, inventions and venture to greater heights by virtue of imagining beyond the sum of one’s present circumstances. In order to facilitate these qualities individuals have to have a form of freedom that makes it conducive for free flow of knowledge and ideas based on the fact that they no longer see the work they are doing as work but develop a sense of ownership and passion in the roles they have to perform in the organization. Most organizational leaders would highly appreciate workers that bring enthusiastic views and effort to work for it energizes the whole team. Not only would that develop a healthy working atmosphere but the productivity also will definitely be increased exponentially because everyone would understand that they are valued and all their inputs play a vital role in the operational process. Many leaders are more than likely going to argue that bottom up leadership could only cause chaos in the work place rather than productivity as a result of everyone having self expression as to how they look at life in the organization. The leaders in most cases forget an important concept that they themselves are called to serve. Rather than leading in a group top down leaders would rather lead ahead of the group which implies egotistic approach on the whole leadership process for the individual leader seeks to gain attention as being the alpha dog of the group. Bottom up leadership however is focused on developing team spirit in the organization where people unite to tackle the task at hand with clear objectives of getting the job done right and credit is made to the team as a whole. Not only is bottom up leadership a healthy form of leadership style it will in most cases increase employee retention hence ensuring that the organization has committed people on the team which does go a long way in comparison of trying to build passion in people who are disgruntled by leaders that only understand my way or the highway form of mindset The importance of team development could not be understated, they are what hold organizations together, by professionalizing conflicts in actuality if done well fosters healthy working relationships. Conflicts should not be taken personally and working roles need to be well defined so that those involved have good understanding of their responsibilities as pertaining to the task at hand. As being part of the team one has to be actively involved in the decision making process by adding input so as to take the participatory approach. While in a team it is also good to remember that when there happens to be problems in the organization it is very likely that 85% percent is as a result of system failure and 15% people A main force behind my thinking is the conviction that a management style from the bottom up, instead of top down is more effective. Main reason for this is that by being stimulating and facilitating people are better equipped to perform their tasks: higher motivation, less stressed and more able to absorb complexity†¦. I am convinced that if this style of management is in your brain, you have a more tolerating, productive and positive mind set, and one that is based upon trust instead of fear. I am convinced that educating around the globe about this style (instead of the old top-down directive leadership style) will have an amazing impact on more than just how businesses are run. It is about a better human-human interaction. (Par7 De Baar 2008) References Likert, R. (1967). The human organization: Its management and value, New York: McGraw-Hill Jaap, T (June 2011). Culture change by evolution or revolution. Retrieved from http://bottomupleadership. com/ Jaap, T (May 8 2008) . Why is leadership failing? Retrieved from http://bottomupleadership. com/why-is-leadership-failing/ N, Ki-Young &J, Mi-Jin (2008 summer). Bottom- Up Design Leadership as a Strategic Tool. Retrieved from http://www. dmi. org/dmi/html/publications/journal/pdf/08193NAM59. pdf W, H, R, Rivers (1920). Instinct and the Unconscious. Retrieved from http://en. wikisource. org/wiki/Instinct_and_the_Unconscious/War-Neurosis_and_Military_Training Jaap, T (may 3 2008) Being a Bottom up Leader. Retrieved from http://bottomupleadership. com/being-a-bottomup-leader/ T, Stan. The emotional effects of war on soldiers. Retrieved from http://www. healthguidance. org/entry/11261/1/The-Emotional-Effects-of-War-on-Soldiers. html B, Wall (2008). Working Relationships, Mountain view, CA: Davies Black Publishing 37. J, Sipe & D, Frick (2009) Seven Pillars of Servant Leadership. NY/ Mahwah, NJ: Paulist Press 142. De Baar, B (2008). Bottoms Up: Leadership style for a better world. Retrieved from http://www. basdebaar. com/bottoms-up-leadership-style-for-a-better-world-168. html

Child Marriage in India

To be defined at length in a later section, child marriage is most simply, for our purposes, a marriage in which the wife is below the age of eighteen at the time of consummation. The practice of child marriage in rural India is deeply rooted in cultural values and grounded in social structures. And despite laws that prohibit child marriage, the practice is still extremely prevalent in many regions. Though the statistics are contentious, it is estimated that in some parts of India, like the state of Rajasthan, nearly 80 percent of the marriages are among girls under the age of fifteen† (Gupta, 2005, p. ). In India overall, roughly 47. 6 percent of girls are married by the age of eighteen (The implications of early marriage, 2004). Despite international human rights efforts, the eradication of child marriage is greatly hindered by the intertwined social issues that often lead to and are then in turn reinforced by the practice. Various underlying social factors inform why child marriage exists, including: traditional gender norms; the value of virginity and parental concerns surrounding premarital sex; pressure of marriage transactions (or dowries); and poverty (Amin, Chong, & Haberland, 2007). The social outcomes of child marriage are also significant, and often devastate communities in which these practices take place. Societies in which child marriage takes place have higher rates of early childbearing, unwanted pregnancies, maternal and infant mortality, sexually transmitted diseases (including HIV/AIDS) and unsafe abortions. Additionally, adolescent girls placed in child marriages are often deprived of basic health care and health information, and achieve extremely low educational attainment (Mathur, Greene, & Malhotra, 2003, p. – 11; Bruce, 2007; Amin, Chong, & Haberland, 2007). Apart from these health and societal consequences, such marriages also affect girls’ individual experience as social actors. Early marriage negatively affects girls’ social networks, decision-making power, and ability to negotiate with partners—all of which do influence the health and well being of the individual (Bruce, 2007). In many ways, the social issues that emerge from the practice of child marriage also serve to reinforce it—creating a vicious cycle. This cyclical pattern is just one reason why the practice has yet to be eradicated despite international pressure and legal interventions. Each of the problems that informs child marriage intersects in complex ways and the result is an incessant and engrossing problem that impacts all aspects of the social worlds in which it takes place, from the well-being of the individual girls to the economic, political, and cultural structures of general Indian society. What is most urgent about child marriages in India, however, is the relationship between child marriage and the increasingly severe Indian HIV epidemic. The rates of HIV in India are a topic of great debate between the Indian government and both Indian and International NGOs. Yet, there is a consensus that HIV, once an urban phenomenon in India that was primarily transmitted within high-risk populations is now gaining momentum in rural areas (â€Å"Fears Over India,† 2005). These trends are alarming and suggest that the cultural contexts in which these HIV rates are climbing need to be addressed. Additionally, recent research has found links between HIV and early marriage in communities across the globe. †¦[T]he majority of sexually active girls age 15-19 in developing countries are married, and married adolescent girls tend to have higher rates of HIV infection than their sexually active, unmarried peers† (The implications of early marriage, 2004, p. 1; Clark, Bruce, & Dude, 2006, p. 79). HIV/AIDS in India The Indian HIV/AIDS epidemic is relatively new, and, once limited to high-risk urban populations, HIV is rapidly emerging as a problem for general communities within Indian society (â€Å"Fears Over India,† 2005). HIV/AIDS is becoming widespread, and as it reaches new populations, it poses new problems. As child marriage is fundamentally a rural phenomenon in India, the particular plight of HIV in rural areas must be discussed. Issues like how to educate and provide treatment for people in poor, rural areas are emerging, and new cultural pockets of Indian society must be understood in order to more effectively implement these programs. Though contentious, recent figures estimate that roughly 2-3. 6 million people in India are infected with HIV. This places India third worldwide for the number of HIV cases within a country. â€Å"Overall, 0. 36% of India’s population is living with HIV. † While this may seem low, given the vast population of India, the actual number of people who are HIV-positive is remarkably high (Overview of HIV/AIDS, 2008). And in Rajasthan, the largely rural state in which the project will be conducted, it is believed that there is a prevalence of nearly 5%–extremely high for India (â€Å"AIDS in India,† n/d). Many who work in the health sector claim that they are witnessing a rapid rise in infections to new populations. Sujatha Rao, director-general of the government’s National AIDS Control Organisation, says doctors are increasingly seeing women infected by their husbands,† a population typically not targeted by reproductive health programs (â€Å"Vast Distances a Barrier,† 2008; Santhya & Jejeebhoy, â€Å"Early Marriage,† 2007). There is also evidence that knowledge of HIV is extremely low in the rural areas where the study will be conducted, particularly among women. The National Family Health Survey reports that only 19% of ever-married rural Rajasthani women aged 15-49 had ever heard of AIDS, compared to 65% of their male counterpart. Aside from the gender discrepancy of knowledge across India, however, a rural/urban dichotomy was especially pronounced among women (2005-2006 National Family-Rajasthan; 2005-2006 National Family-India). This lack of knowledge unsurprisingly also appears to influence behavior. Among currently married rural women, aged 15-49, only 38% used any â€Å"modern method† of family planning, compared to 55. 8% of their urban counterparts. More importantly, only 3. 1% of married rural women have used a condom (the only method in the analysis that would protect against HIV), compared to 13. 3% of urban married women. Furthermore, only 14. % of ever-married rural women (ages 15-49) knew that consistent condom use can reduce the changes of HIV/AIDS, in comparison to 61. 6% of their urban counterparts (2005-2006 National Family-Rajasthan; 2005-2006 National Family-India). A recent New York Times article reports that the rural problem of HIV is made more pronounced by the difficulties that HIV-positive people in rural communities face when attempting to get tested and treated. Many patients travel long distances each month to receive government-sponsored antiretrovirals, but the cost and time required for such a journey is difficult for many to achieve. In consequence, many patients simply give up on treatment, â€Å"an anathema in HIV therapy as it gives rise to drug resistance. † One doctor notes, â€Å"Travel can affect drug compliance. Patients who don’t get family support, women who may not like to travel along will just give up† (â€Å"Vast Distances a Barrier,† 2008). Child Marriage For the purposes of our discussion, child marriage is identified as a marriage that takes place before â€Å"exact age 18†Ã¢â‚¬â€a definition adhered to by UNICEF and other international organizations (Bruce, 2007). This definition is at odds with the definition provided by India’s recent Prevention of Child Marriage Bill, which states that a â€Å"†¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢child’ [is] a person who, if a male, has not completed twenty-one years of age, and if a female, has not complete eighteen years of age† (The Prevention of Child Marriage Bill, 2004). While this discrepancy will be analyzed further below, given that eighteen is largely considered the age of consent, it is this standard to which our definition will be held. It should be noted that the betrothal of a marriage can happen at any time, and often will occur at birth. But that marriage is not defined as a child marriage unless the wife is given to her spousal family, and the marriage is consummated, before she reaches the age of eighteen. Furthermore, as most child marriages take place among girls who are minors, with male partners who are of age, whenever the term â€Å"child marriage† is used in this project, it is referring to a marriage that involves a female child. Child marriage has not been ignored by Indian or international policymakers, yet enforcement of these laws has been virtually impossible. The Indian government is often portrayed as uncomfortable when dealing with personal laws within distinct communities that are not derived from grassroots movements (Burns, 1998; Yadav, 2006, p. 7). Despite this, laws have been on the books for over a decade. In 1994, a Marriage Bill was introduced which â€Å"recommended†¦the enactment of a uniform law relating to marriages and [provided] for the compulsory registration of marriages, with the aim of preventing child marriages and also polygamy in society. † Yet, this law did not pass and in Rajasthan, to this day, there is no compulsory marriage registration (Yadav, 2006, p. 0). This legislation has been preceded by various attempts to limit the practice and legislate the age at which girls are married. In the 1880s, discussions of the first Age of Consent Bill began, and finally, in 1927, it was declared that marriages with a girl under twelve would be invalid. In 1929, India began to prohibit the practice of all child marriage by instituting the Child Marriage Restraint Act. In 1978, the Child Marriage Restraint Act was amended to â€Å"prescribe eighteen and twenty-one years as the age of marriage for a girl and boy respectively† (Yadav, 2006, p. 7). Due to the illegality of child marriage, the number of girls who are put into child marriage in Rajasthan is extremely difficult to know. And particularly due to differing definition employed by researches, no consensus yet exists among those who have tried to obtain a number. Researchers claim that, in Rajasthan, the number of girls married off before age eighteen is somewhere between 55. 5% and 80% and other researchers estimate that roughly 56% of Rajasthani marriages occur with girls under the age of fifteen (Yadav, 2006, pl. 10; Burns, 1998). Therefore, there is overwhelming evidence that child marriage is occurring in Rajasthan in large numbers, despite the laws against it. Why is child marriage occurring? What social, cultural, and economic contexts inform the persistence of this practice? Some assert that Rajasthani people either do not understand the law or simply ignore it (Yadav, 2006, p. 37). In a New York Times article outlining the practice of child marriage in Rajasthan, it was stated that â€Å"Each year, formal warnings are posted outside state government offices stating that child marriages are illegal, but they have little impact. In a discussion with a village elder in Rajasthan, the elder stated, â€Å"Of course, we know that marrying children is against the law, but it’s only a paper law† (Burns, 1998). Therefore, he suggests that the law is perceived as unimportant, allowing families to simply ignore it, and often without penalty. Additionally, cultural and social contexts still highly value this practice and Indian families often turn to child marriage to help cope with social conditions in disrepair. To approach this, I will first discuss the gender norms in India. How are women perceived? What are the practical implications of these norms? Secondly, I will discuss the value placed on virginity and understandings of premarital sex. Thirdly, I will discuss the economic factors that continue to promote the practice. And finally, I will briefly discuss the major consequences of child marriage, which will move us into a discussion of the links between child marriage and HIV. Child marriage is deeply embedded in ideals about the role of women and the status of girls in Indian culture (Gupta, 2005, p. 3). Understandings of the Indian family and a wife’s role more generally give huge amounts of insight to the status of women. Within the context of a patrilocal family ideology, girls are â€Å"reared to be obedient, selfsacrificing, modest, nurturant, hardworking and home loving. † In an interview with Seymour in the 1960s, â€Å"†¦one Indian gentleman expressed†¦, ‘American girls are given too much independence. A girl should marry young, before she has the chance to develop independent ideals. † By marrying girls young (and enhancing the disparity between her and her husband’s age), the male-based hierarchy is best preserved (Seymour, 1999, p. 55). Males are quite simply valued more in Indian families. They act as the head of the household, the breadwinners and the decision makers. These values are imbued from an early age and as the transition to adulthood is marked with marriage, these gender norms become particularly pronounced (Segal, 1999, p. 216; Gupta, 2005, p. 1; Yadav, 2006, p. 1; Seymour, 1999, p. 97). A woman’s primary role in the home is to produce sons, as this will bring honor to her family, and an heir for her husband. â€Å"In a society that stresses patrilineal descent, to bear children, especially sons, is critical, and girls learn from an early age that this is their responsibility† (Seymour, 1999, p. 7). Motherhood is additionally critical in order to establish the wife as a member of her husband’s family. As Indian families take collective care of children, producing a new family member is heavily prized and brings the newlywed status (Seymour, 1999, p. 99). How do women feel about their status and role in society? Seymour writes that, â€Å"Women are the moving pieces in an exchange system that creates extensive webs of kinship. Is this a hardship for them? Yes, for they must leave the security of their own family and join a different family. Do they find it oppressive? Sometimes, but not generally† (Seymour, 1999, p. xvi). Though others argue that â€Å"cultural dictation of female role and lack of continued financial and emotional support, predominantly from spouses and other family members, were influential factors in [high rates of depression among women]† (Jambunathan, 1992). The low value of girls is also reflected in traditions of female infanticide and abortions of female children and research that shows that women are by and large â€Å"neglected† by Indian society, resulting in poor health care and a high number of preventable deaths (Miller, 1981, p. 8; Segal, 1999, p. 218-220). In one survey, 52% of Indians said that they would get a prenatal diagnosis to select a male, as opposed to 30% who would in Brazil, 29% in Greece and 20% in Turkey (Segal, 1999, p. 219). These patterns have resulted in a worsening sex ratio in Rajasthan. It is estimated that between 750 to 850 girls are born per 1000 boys, a problem that not only reinforces these negative ideals about gender, but also could potentially be devastating to the longevity of Indian communities (Indian Census, 2001; Kristof, 1991). An Indian obstetrician interviewed for The Hindu stated that these days, it is extremely rare to see a family with two daughters, and some families do not even have one. In communities like Rajasthan, â€Å"people want to pretend they are modern and that they do not discriminate between a girl and a boy. Yet, they will not hesitate to quietly go to the next village and get an ultrasound done† (Thapar, 2007). And in a statement by UNICEF, the organization â€Å"†¦[says] that for most of the female fetuses that survive, ‘birth is the only equal opportunity they will ever get’† (Segal, 1999, p. 20). Additionally, child marriage is greatly informed by ideals of virginity—a cultural notion that has huge impacts on the intersections between HIV/AIDS and child marriage. â€Å"An unmarried, chaste girl symbolizes family honor and purity and is considered a sacred gift to bestow upon another family† (Seymour, 1999, p. 55). To exacerbate the outcome of these ideals, myths supposedly abound that men can be cured of various diseases, including gonorrhea, mental illness, syphilis and HIV by having sex with a â€Å"fresh† girl, a virgin. Bhat, Send, & Pradhan, 2005, p. 17; Burns, 1998) But as much as cultural ideals are echoed in the practice, â€Å"tradition has been reinforced by necessity† (Burns, 1998). Poverty is often cited as one of the major factors contributing to child marriage (Bhat, Sen, & Pradhan, 2005, p. 15). â€Å"Child marriage is more prevalent in poor household and in poor communities. Almost all countries in which more than 50 percent of gir ls are married before the age of 18 have GDP per capita under $2000 per year† (Gupta, 2005, p. 3). For families in poverty, marrying a daughter early can mean lower dowry payments and one less mouth to feed (Bhat, Sen, & Pradhan, 2005, p. 16). â€Å"An investment in girls is seen as a lost investment because the girl leaves to join another home and her economic contributions are to that home—so the earlier she is married, the less of a loss the investment† (Gupta, 2005, p. 3). What is devastating about the child marriage problem, beyond the human rights abuses, is the way in which it impacts both the individual and the community and the manner in which the practice reinforces itself. Impoverished parents often believe that child marriage will protect their daughters. In fact, however, it results in lost development opportunities, limited life options, and poor health† (Child marriage fact sheet, 2005). Child marriage continues to be immersed in a vicious cycle of poverty, low educational attainment, high incidences of disease, poor sex ratios, the subordination of women, â€Å"and most significantly, the inter-generational cycles of all of these† (Bhat, Sen, & Pradhan, 2005, p. 21; Gupta, p. 1-2).