Performance Management & Reward System

Performance Management â€Å"How I get my people to do what I want them to do, in the way I want them to do it! † Performance management (PM): Organisations that take performance management seriously, manage a range of different but inter-related topics: †¢Mission †¢Vision †¢Strategy †¢Business plans †¢Values (how people should and should not behave) †¢Culture in which improving performance is valued and developed †¢Monitoring of performance – at individual, unit and Team levels †¢Feedback of that monitoring to staff †¢Clear goals †¢A set of competencies Appraisal discussions †¢Personal development (training, coaching, reading, sittings etc) †¢Management development †¢Good job design †¢Team working (interaction and mutual responsibility) †¢Extrinsic reward and recognition (basic pay, performance pay, awards, saying ‘well done’)†¢Intrinsic rewards (the satisfaction from doing a w orthwhile job reasonably well) †¢Effective remedies for under performers. Performance management levels: †¢Organisation †¢Department †¢Unit †¢Team †¢Individual Data collection for PM: Data is collected at four levels: Inputs: Staff time, budget, data, consumables, energy, and equipment †¢Processes: Support, sales, teaching, research, paperwork, IT, purchasing etc. †¢Outputs: Customers served, bills paid, items sold, students helped, degrees awarded, research written up †¢Outcomes: Profit in a commercial enterprise or service delivery in a service organisation (usually assessed through customer satisfaction).Rules for monitoring performance: (a) Objective: †¢Introduce monitoring as one part of a bigger drive to improve customer experience. (b) Positive: †¢Seek information to improve the customer experience and not to blame people. c) Involvement: †¢Involve responsible people to work on the monitoring, as a part of their driv e to improve the customer experience. †¢If you choose items to monitor and impose those, staff will probably be de-motivated and performance will drop. †¢Treat your staff as professional, responsible and motivated (d) Outcomes: †¢Measure outcomes in preference to outputs. (Governments are obsessed with outputs – numbers of patients treated, lengths of waiting lists, numbers of students receiving degrees, numbers of children who can read and write etc). (e)Tough: Challenge those who like the fuzziness of not knowing how they are doing. (f) Choosy: †¢Pick only the most important factors to monitor as too many measures will be Counterproductive. (g) Numbers: †¢Measure performance numerically, by getting the customer to grade them on a scale 0 to 5. (h) Benchmark: †¢Use the results as your baseline or benchmark, from where you can improve. (i) Communicate: †¢Make sure the targets are known, understood and accepted. (j) Reliable Use reliable sour ces of data. HIGH PERFORMANCE WORKING High performance working (HPW): The four elements of HPW are: )Employee autonomy and involvement in decision making †¢Develop flexibility of skills †¢Team working to give variety and responsibility. 2)Support for employee performance †¢Appropriate selection and recruitment processes (finding staff at all levels who will support a high performance culture) †¢Comprehensive induction programmes †¢Sophisticated and wide training†¢Integrated and wide ranging performance management †¢Emphasis upon work-life balance. 3)Rewards for performance †¢Offer a career not just a job †¢Harmonised terms and conditions †¢Pay that is competitive with other employers Rewards linked to individual and team performance 4)Learning †¢Plenty of effective communication †¢Quality improvement teams †¢Lean systems (this can be expanded upon at the workshop) †¢Spending on training. Details will vary from org anisation to organisation. Why HPW: Because if you are not driving up performance: †¢Staff motivation will be lost †¢Quality, quantity and innovation will decline †¢Pressure to reduce your prices will grow or †¢Customers may simply stop buying your goods or services altogether or †¢Competitors may take your work. What does this mean in practice?Employee autonomy and involvement †¢Develop flexibility of skills †¢Team working to give variety and responsibility Support for employee performance †¢Appropriate selection and recruitment processes (finding staff at all levels who will support a high performance culture) †¢Comprehensive induction programmes †¢Sophisticated and wide training †¢Integrated and wide ranging performance management †¢Emphasis upon work-life balance Rewards for performance †¢Offer a career not just a job †¢Harmonised terms and conditions †¢Pay that is competitive with other employers Rewards linked to individual and team performance. Learning †¢Plenty of effective communication †¢Quality improvement teams †¢Lean systems (this can be expanded upon at the workshop) †¢Spending on training. According to 2004 research, by the Engineering Employers’ Federation and Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development, effects of HPW are: †¢About 20% of increases in productivity and profit in manufacturing †¢Increased job satisfaction and commitment: quality, quantity and innovation †¢Employees more likely to say ‘a great place to work’ †¢Increased earnings potential for employeesImplementing high performance working Things that may need to be addressed are: †¢Getting top management’s commitment, particularly to resource, to communicate and to demonstrate the required behaviours. †¢Getting the resources HPW needs (both financial and risk taking e. g. new reward structures). †¢Carrying out team and in dividual appraisals that make a real difference. †¢Seeking and rewarding discretionary behaviour (Ability x Motivation x Opportunity = AMO). †¢Allowing employees to re-design jobs to maximise interest and challenge. †¢Changing existing strong cultures Increasing levels of trust between management and employees. †¢Getting staff to be understand about organisational performance †¢Involving employees in design and implementation of HPW. †¢Integrating initiatives, so they reinforce each other, therefore: ? Implementation is in bundles ?Staff understand it and show commitment ?Other organisations are used as benchmarks ?Continuous improvement is developed. THE CONTRASTING OBJECTIVES OF THE EMPLOYER AND THE EMPLOYEE †¢Ã¢â‚¬ËœThe employer wants as much productivity for as little cost as possible, whilst the employee wants as much money for as little effort as possible. †¢Life is more complex than this, but this is a useful start! This is the left win g pluralist approach. †¢The right wing unitarist approach is ‘Prosperous employers make prosperous employees. ’ What is the employer trying to get out of the employee?Principally, an employer wants three things from employees: †¢Quantity (productivity) †¢Quality (producing good work with low wastage) †¢Innovation (finding new and better ways to get the work done). But there are also management issues: †¢Cost †¢Control (of cost and of the employees) What do the elements of good performance look like? We now talk about ‘discretionary behaviour’ i. e. the voluntary effort people put in, over and above the bare minimum, below which they will get into trouble. †¢Employers seek discretionary behaviour and good organisations will establish performance management processes to generate it. It is normally expressed as: Discretionary behaviour = ability x motivation x opportunity †¢If the value of any component on the right is z ero there will be zero discretionary behaviour.†¢Ability is the assumption that people want to apply for jobs, have their attributes recognised and are willing to learn new skills. Motivation assumes that people can be motivated to use their ability in a productive manner. †¢Opportunity assumes people will perform well, engage in high-quality work and participate in wider activities, such as team initiatives or problem solving, if they are given the opportunity to do so. What are the employees’ objectives? This will vary from person to person. Work published by Guest and Conway (2001) on the psychological contract suggested the most common were: †¢A reasonably secure job †¢Fair pay for the work done†¢A career †¢Interesting work †¢Fair treatment by managers †¢Equality of treatment To be kept informed about changes affecting them †¢Involved and consulted about changes affecting them REWARD AND MOTIVATION †¢Motivation is concerne d with WHY people do or refrain from doing things. †¢A motive† is a need or a driving force within a person. The process of motivation involves choosing between alternative forms of action in order to achieve some desired end or goal. †¢As the following formula shows, goals can be tangible – such as higher earnings – or intangible – such as personal reputation or prestige. Motivation at work: We can divide motivation at work into internal and external motivation. a) Internal motivation†¢This is related to the work, where there is a close identity between the task itself and the human needs, e. g. where a cabinet-maker or motor-fitter derives satisfaction from a job well done. (b) External motivation †¢This is independent of the task i. e. the task is merely a means to an end; for instance, when a person works on an assembly line to get high wages. †¢Clashes of interest are resolved in the traditional manner by offering financial in centives and/or threatening the loss of employment – providing external motivation. This traditional â€Å"carrot and stick† idea still lingers – the carrot often being money and the stick, fear. Money: The â€Å"great motivator†. It is a fact that most people go to work because they get paid to do so. However, this basic need for money will only make a worker turn up and do the acceptable minimum. There are a range of other â€Å"carrots† – or positive incentives – offered as an incentive to work, or to particular types of performance, including welfare amenities, holidays, etc. Fear: The â€Å"big stick† theory is rather outdated now, but it is still occasionally appropriate to motivate people through fearIntrinsic and extrinsic motivators: †¢Intrinsic reinforcements of behaviour, which are â€Å"inside the individual† reward feelings, like finding work interesting, feeling appreciated, etc †¢Extrinsic reinfo rcements of behaviour, which are the outside influences and rewards such as money, extra holidays, company car, etc; Problems in work role: (a) Alienation: †¢Psychologists use this term to refer to the feelings of an individual when they are estranged from their situation at work. E. g. the salesperson forced to sell goods in which they have little belief or confidence. b) Anomie: (lack of the usual social or ethical standards) †¢The causes of anomie are to be found in the confusion that arises in large organisations. The individual may be faced with pressures and problems at work that they do not fully understand. (c) Status: †¢Social status refers to the amount of respect paid to an individual. A work role can confer prestige upon a person.Status may be perceived through the possession of symbols, e. g. salary, title of job, work surroundings, dress, company car, etc. †¢Many modern theorists are becoming convinced of the value of the Japanese approach of reduci ng status differences, e. g. veryone to wear the firm’s uniform; single canteen; parking and toilet facilities for all staff, etc. (d) Stress: †¢Psychologists define stress as strain experienced by an individual over a period of time, which impairs the ability of the individual to perform their role. †¢Stress can produce physical or mental symptoms and can be generated by pressures and problems in the work situation. Managers view of motivation: F W Taylor was an early proponent of the dictum that workers should share the same goals as those of the organisation, and the way to achieve this was through the application of scientific management principles.The basis of this approach lay in the following principles. †¢Planning †¢Time and motion study †¢Incentives †¢Working conditions †¢Training The essence of the practical application of the scientific approach is to try to reconcile the needs of the organisation and the needs of the individual. Individual and Organisational Needs: Factors that improve an employee’s level of job satisfaction are: †¢Responsibility †¢Challenge †¢Self-improvement and personal growth †¢Recognition †¢Sense of achievement NEED THEORIES OF MOTIVATION Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs:Hierarchy of Needs D C McClelland’s theory: D C McClelland is another theorist who, from the early 1960s, was concerned with the analysis of human needs. He concentrated on three key needs: i)Need for affiliation: The need of human beings for friendship and meaningful relationships. ii)Need for power: Some people seek power in their work situations; they wish to make a strong impression on people and events. iii) Need to achieve: To many people, the sense of â€Å"getting on†, progressing or being promoted, is very important. Frederick Herzberg’s Two-factor Theory: Frederick Herzberg, writing in the late 1950s and early 1960s, identified two distinct sets of needs in individuals working in organisations: the need to avoid pain and discomfort and the need to develop psychologically as a person.Herzberg proposes several ways in which a higher level of motivation might be promoted: †¢Good quality training: the more a person can do, the more that person can be motivated. †¢Focus on quality of communications, rather than quantity: communication should be direct whenever possible. †¢Job rotation: improving the variety of tasks and responsibilities. †¢Job enlargement: making a person capable of more. Job enrichment: creating meaningful, interesting work. Herzberg believes that it is difficult or impossible to achieve if the job is basically dull, repetitive or uninteresting Douglas McGregor developed a typology of two opposed views about employee behaviour, related to Maslow’s categories of need and considered their implications for management and motivation.The two views are known as Theory X and Theory Y. (a)Theory X â⠂¬ ¢This traditional approach of management, which accepts the worker as a lazy, grasping individual, who must be bribed or coerced into working, McGregor called Theory X. It rests on the following assumptions: The average human being dislikes work. †¢The average human being will avoid work whenever possible. †¢Not only is the average employee lazy but they also lack ambition and do not wish to take on responsibilities. †¢Because of the above characteristics, employees must be strictly controlled and directed. †¢Control of employees must be backed by coercion and threats, if the objectives of the organisation are to be achieved. †¢The average person prefers to be directed and not to have to think deeply for themselves in the work situation. (b)Theory Y McGregor then put forward the set of assumptions that modern managers should act upon.He calls this Theory Y. †¢The physical and mental effort people put into work is a natural human response; it is simil ar to the effort individuals make in games and sport. Hence, work can be enjoyable. †¢Employees do not have to be controlled or threatened; they have reserves of self control and self-motivation †¢Given the opportunities and training, employees will not only take, but also desire and seek, responsibilities. †¢Employees have reservoirs of imagination, creativity and ingenuity and given the right environment and encouragement, they will use these to help solve problems in the work situation. In some modern organisations the potential of employees is not fully utilised; not only is a waste of resources, but it also causes frustration among the workforce. Hence, when workers do not co-operate to achieve organisational goals, the fault may lie in the structure of the organisation rather than in the workers. Ouchi’s Theory Z †¢William Ouchi agreed with the basic ideas put forward by McGregor’s Theory Y and related these to certain of the ideas he detected in Japanese organisations. †¢Ouchi’s theory argues that participation is a crucial motivator.Employees will be motivated to higher levels of performance if they are involved in meaningful participation in decision making in their organisation. PROCESS THEORIES OF MOTIVATION Difference between a content theory and a process theory: †¢Content or need theories suggest that there are universal needs that all humans have for example security, socialisation, self respect etc. †¢Process theories do not look at the content of the motivational package but at the mental processes that we go through when faced with a situation. Process theories Expectancy Theory:Expectancy Theory is a cognitively based motivational theory, put forward by Victor Vroom. According to this theory the strength of a tendency to act in a certain way depends on the strength of our expectation that the act will be followed by a given outcome and on the attractiveness of that outcome to us. Attrac tiveness †¢This is the importance we place on the potential outcome or reward that can be achieved on the job. This will consider the unsatisfied needs of the individual. Performance-reward linkage †¢This is the degree to which we believe that performing at a particular level will lead to a desired outcome.Effort-performance linkage †¢The probability that we perceive that exerting a given amount of effort will lead to performance. The theory can be expressed by the formula: †¢Motivational force (F) = Valency (V) ? Expectancy (E) †¢Valency is the value of the outcome to the person; expectancy is the perceived likelihood of the outcome. Porter and Lawler †¢Porter and Lawler developed expectancy theory in the 1970s. They suggest that the amount of effort (motivation and energy exerted) put into work depends on: †¢The eventual reward †¢The amount of effort necessary to achieve that reward †¢How probable it is that the reward will be forthcomi ng.Attribution theory Kelley’s attribution theory examines the way in which people explain success or failure and the impact on subsequent motivations. Four variables are frequently used: †¢Ability †¢Effort †¢Task difficulty †¢Luck Handy’s motivational calculus Handy looks at motivation as though when a person takes a decision, they give attention to three sets of factors: (a) The individual’s personal needs (b) The desired outcome or results (c)The E factors: Effort, Energy, Excitement in attaining the desired outcome, Enthusiasm, Emotion, Expenditure. The motivation decision will depend on: i) The strength of the person’s needs. (ii) The expectation that by contributing one of the Es, the individual will achieve one of the desired results. (iii) The extent to which the result will contribute to satisfying the person’s needs. Connection with the psychological contract A psychological contract is the perceived relationship betwe en the individual and the organisation and involves the various factors that bind the individual to the enterprise. Three examples of psychological contracts are: †¢A coercive psychological contract exists when a person works because they are forced to do so.They may be tied into the job because the salary and fringe benefits prevent them from moving elsewhere. †¢A remunerative psychological contract exists when a person works for the money. The person may tolerate the job to attain the lifestyle it provides. This differs from the coercive contract as the remunerative contract may bind the person in the short term, only to be severed if a better deal is available elsewhere. †¢A collaborative psychological contract is one in which the worker is bound to the organisation by a belief that personal objectives can best be attained by enabling the organisation to fulfil its objectives.From an employer’s point of view, this is more likely to result in having a highly motivated workforce. The person’s desire to achieve can facilitate the company’s performance objectives. EXCELLENCE THEORY AND MOTIVATION †¢Excellence theories originate in the works of writers in the early 1980s, principally based on the work of Tom Peters and Robert Waterman. †¢The nature of these ideas is essentially one of observing successes and failures in actual business scenarios and attempting to draw universal lessons that can then be applied elsewhere. †¢Peters and Waterman did not set out to rite specifically on motivation, but their work comments much on the ability of successful companies to get a high level of commitment from their workers.Among their conclusions were: †¢Original ideas and ingenuity are grossly under-utilised. Drucker’s idea of the â€Å"entrepreneur† (the original thinker and innovator) was extended to suggest that if such persons are employed, their gifts should be harnessed for the benefit of the orga nisation. †¢To motivate workers, it is necessary to get close to the workers and understand the issues affecting them as well as their drives and motivations. They believe that workers respond more positively when they feel more in control of their destiny. †¢In one control group experiment, two teams were given the task of proofreading some text material against a noisy background of a tape containing foreign speech, loud music and other distractions. One group had a button to cut off the noise whilst the other did not. †¢The group with the button made far less errors than the other group. It was found, however, that no one had pressed the button!The fact that the workers felt in control made them work more effectively. Peters and Waterman record a direct application of this in a Ford Motor Company plant whereby any worker could (temporarily) stop the assembly line. This had stunning results in terms of increased productivity and reduced defect rates. PERFORMANCE BAS ED REWARDING IN NOKIA Nokia provides employees with market competitive rewards through a flexible global structure, which can address diverse and changing business and employment environments, as well as specific individual preferences.Our Total Compensation Package is tailored for each country and typically consists of elements such as annual base salary, incentives, bonuses, possible stock options or performance shares, flexible Work-Life balance solutions, and other local benefits. Nokia rewards employees for good performance, competence development, and for overall company success. This creates a positive and encouraging environment with opportunities for employees to optimize their potential and be rewarded fairly. Higher erformance and contribution will lead to higher rewards. The Nokia global market competitive rewards structure addresses the need for flexibility, personalization, empowerment and commitment. The basic salary is set to meet market conditions, the demands of th e job and individual competence and performance. The variable part may consist of incentives or bonuses and other compensation, such as overtime pay and call-out pay. Bonus System Employees should have the opportunity to share in the success of Nokia.Short-term incentive programs such as individual, team, project/program incentives and the Nokia Connecting People Bonus allow Nokia to offer immediate rewards for employee and team achievements. The Stock Option Plan is a long-term reward that may allow employees to share in sustained company success. Eligibility for an incentive, bonus or stock option plans is defined by the content and nature of each individual's job. Local Benefits Additional local rewards and benefits are also developed to complement the global programs and to ensure that the local market conditions are met.Annual Reviews Nokia has implemented a global process, where the change in the pay level for each employee is based on the results of the annual performance rev iew. Health Nokia cares for its employees right throughout the cycle of their working life: from induction and training, through development and advancement, and on to retirement. Nokia's Work-Life balance solutions mean that health benefits and possible local retirement benefits are tailored to individual needs according to factors such as tenure, contribution, performance, roles and responsibilities.The environment in which we do business is evolving continuously. To succeed, we must have the passion and courage to look for new ideas beyond existing products, services and ways of working. Only with truly innovative ideas will we be able to define the future development of our industry and profoundly shape the way in which people understand and use our products and services in their everyday lives. Rewarding performance Nokia rewards employees competitively through a global reward framework designed to recognize individual contribution and achievement.Levels of compensation are det ermined by local labour markets and take into account both individual and company performance. Their reward programs – including bonuses – recognize performance based on individual, team and company results. We introduced changes to their incentive plans in 2007 to make the plans simpler, more consistent and able to deliver equal or higher payouts if target performance or above is achieved. A wide number of employees are eligible to join their equity programs, based on rewarding performance and retaining top employees.Their broad-based equity compensation programs include stock options and performance shares. Both are linked to the company’s performance over a number of years. We communicate with employees about the effect of business results on their incentives after each quarterly announcement, through articles and video messages on our intranet news channel, the News Hub. We also communicate through quarterly letters, blogs, webcasts and face-to-face meetings . In addition, information is available on the Know Your Business section of our intranet.

Genetic Counselor

Genetic Counselors are professional who have completed a master’s program in medical genetics and counseling skills. They then pass a certification exam administered by the American Board of Genetics Counseling. Genetic counselors can help and inheritance patterns, suggest testing, and lay out possible scenarios. They will explain the meaning of the medical science involved, provide support, confirming a diagnosis in a person who has disease symptoms, and address any emotional issues raised by the results of the genetic testing.Genetic Counseling is the process of evaluating family history and medical records, ordering genetic tests, evaluating the results of this investigation, and helping parents understand and reach decisions about what to do next. Genetic test are done by analyzing small samples of blood or body tissues. The samples determine whether you, your partner, or your babies carry genes from certain inherited disorders. It is very necessary for Genetic counselors to have knowledge of blood because it is important to know whether a disease can be prevented or treated if a gene alteration is found.In some cases, there is no treatment. But test results might help a person make life decisions, such as career choice, family planning or insurance coverage. A genetic counselor can provide information about the pros and cons of testing Once a person decides to proceed with genetic testing, a medical geneticist, primary care doctor, specialist, or nurse practitioner can order the test. Genetic testing is often done as part of a genetic consultation. Genetic tests are performed on a sample of blood, hair, skin, amniotic fluid (the fluid that surrounds a fetus during pregnancy), or other tissue.For example, a procedure called a buccal smear uses a small brush or cotton swab to collect a sample of cells from the inside surface of the cheek. The sample is sent to a laboratory where technicians look for specific changes in chromosomes, DNA, or proteins, d epending on the suspected disorder. The laboratory reports the test results in writing to a person’s doctor or genetic counselor. Newborn screening tests are done on a small blood sample, which is taken by pricking the baby’s heel. Unlike other types of genetic testing, a parent will usually only receive the result if it is positive.If the test result is positive, additional testing is needed to determine whether the baby has a genetic disorder. Before a person has a genetic test, it is important that he or she understands the testing procedure, the benefits and limitations of the test, and the possible consequences of the test results. The process of educating a person about the test and obtaining permission is called informed consent. Work Cited http://www. enotes. com/genetic-counseling-reference/genetic-counseling-17201 Google search KidsHealth. org

Conflicts in Measuring Progress - Megacity in Asia (Seoul) Essay

Conflicts in Measuring Progress - Megacity in Asia (Seoul) - Essay Example The city’s rapid expansion and transformation comes with challenges in addition to the positive impacts. It is therefore worthwhile to explore impacts of urbanization in the city of Seoul considering issues of sustainability, effects to the environment, housing, transport systems and the overall quality of life. Though it was originally a phenomenon of cities from the west, urbanization has invaded even cities in Asia. According to (Clark, 2003), the world society is fast become urban in characteristic and this can now be applied to Seoul. As a result of an explosion in population, Seoul’s urbanization impacts are unique as compared to has been observed elsewhere such as in America and Europe. The periods from 1960 through the 1970s have seen South Korea grow at a rate of 10% economically. Per capita income was $76 in the year 1970 and has grown to more than $19,000 in just forty years; overall GDP is close to $ one trillion. Being the country’s biggest city and trade hub, the population of Seoul has increased by more than 500% since the year 1960; rural urban migration especially to Seoul has been on the rise. Though it sits on just 0.61% of South Korea’s total area, 84% of institutions and agencies of government, 88% of the country’s biggest companies and 75% o f major universities are hosted by Seoul. An excess of 65% in terms of financial/bank transactions are done in this city (Jeon, 2005 P.5). There is no other city across the globe taking an economic burden matching that of Seoul. Only 20sq.m of residential space is available per individual at the moment, this is extremely low as compared to other developed cities like New York, London and Paris. Tokyo has 55sq.m per person even though is considered highly populated. Basing on square kilometers, Seoul’s is 23,908 which is denser than Tokyo’s 7,099 persons. On the Gini index of income inequality Seoul scores 0.36,

General computer knowledge Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

General computer knowledge - Coursework Example Dragging Dragging is an activity of moving icons or images across the display screen mostly by using a mouse button. In tablets, it can be done using touch. It can also be used for moving block of text across the display screen while keeping the mouse button pressed. Defragment Defragmentation is the process of minimizing fragmentation by organizing files into smallest contiguous regions. Defragmentation increases region of free space area by compaction. It tries to compact smaller files together that can be accessed sequentially. Defragmentation also improves accessing files in faster times as read/write operations is faster in defragmented files in comparison to system of fragmented files. Podcast Podcast refers to digital media that includes series of multimedia, PDF, ePub files that can be streamlined to mobile or electronic devices through subscription. Podcast’s etymology is rooted in the traditional word â€Å"broadcast† and â€Å"pod† of the apple product â€Å"iPod†. The process of Podcast applies the software â€Å"podcatcher† to web feed the series of multimedia, PDF, or ePub files from distributor’s servers for downloading any files. ... Digital entertainment industry applies Vodcast mostly for short video clips of 2-9 minutes. Vodcast is also used for marketing, blogs, and in combination with traditional medium. Scam (give examples) Scam in cyber world applies manipulation for gaining access of private information to stealthily deprive money of potential target. Phone scam is one of the recent tricks in which attackers represent themselves as technical support person of branded organization such as Microsoft or other large companies. They apply technical jargons to confuse the person and maliciously install a program bypassing Antivirus of computer to take advantage of personal information or forcing the client to purchase product of particular company. Phishing is another scam that sends mail from branded organization to target unsuspected victim. Phishing Phishing act tries to gain accounting or credit card information masquerading themselves as reliable representative of branded company. Social media, mail, or ot her websites tries to lure public into their trap and takes the person to website with malware. E-mail spoofing is also one of the ways to trap victim by deceiving them using similar looking logos or website of branded organization. Phishing applies social engineering methodologies to exploit technological naive. Urban legend (give examples) Urban legends refer to modern myth that has been created through repetition of false story mostly using the medium of Internet that provides the platform faster broadcast of the story. They increase the believability factor by personalizing the story that it has been happened to one of the friends. "The Infamous Modem Tax", "Craig

Toy store investigation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Toy store investigation - Essay Example There was another aisle called â€Å"Little Mommy†, which consisted primarily of baby dolls, stroller, baby bottles and fake diapers. The final aisle was called â€Å"Princess and Meâ€Å". This was my favorite aisle, because it was so fascinating and eye catching. It was filled with princess crowns that are covered in fake jewels. It also had adorable shoes with heels, as well as fairy tale wings, tutus and ballerina shoes. There were many things I found very disturbing about this section. The first thing was the way they portrayed a woman’s role to these young girls, particularly at this age because their brains are like sponges. I feel this is just teaching them when they grow up they have to cook, clean and take care of their children while looking fabulous. I was also shocked by the career choices that are given to young girls as well. Motherhood was the number one role that was illustrated in this section. They also expect the girl to be friendlier and less viol ent because of the language used on the packages. They frequently uses words like ‘pretty‘, ‘lovely‘, ‘friends‘, and ‘together‘. These words are displayed in a round smooth lettering. The boys’ section was directly across from the girls’ section, decorated all in blue. This section was also categorized by different themes.

Microsoft and Corporate Social Responsibility Coursework

Microsoft and Corporate Social Responsibility - Coursework Example From the study, it was identified that Microsoft’s corporate social responsibility is restricted to the United States and the developed world. Hence, it is recommended that Microsoft must focus on the developing world and create a global CSR and transpose it to local units within which it operates. It is recommended that Microsoft must institute a proactive system of monitoring the civil society to identify what is most needed in a given locale so they can change their structures to provide the best and optimal level of support to people who are in need. It is also recommended that Microsoft must set up a system of creating software for evaluating and reviewing the needs of companies in relation to keeping their carbon emissions low so that their clients will institute and integrate environmental responsiveness into their operations.As the paper declares the fundamental purpose of this paper is to assess the component of corporate social responsibility in Microsoft in order to deduce a model for the conduct of structured CSR in Microsoft. This paper will examine the current features of Microsoft’s strategic plans and how it links up to the different components of the organisation include the economic, political, civil society and environment. From there, the research will recommend a plan for the attainment of CSR standards and targets for the firm.  Microsoft’s mission is to enable people and businesses throughout the world to realize their full potential.

Research Methods in Criminal Justice Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Research Methods in Criminal Justice - Essay Example In this case, it is used in clarifying the idea behind a concept. Conceptualization, in criminal justice, can be changed by setting clear standards that can be universally recognized in order to cut back on the wide disparity found in research. In addition, the issue of accuracy of research in criminal justice comes in under changes to research. This is concerning discerning the accuracy and measures of variables used in crime and justice (Gibbs, 1989) One of the possible issues likely to arise from the definition of conceptualization is the variation found in research findings. This is in terms of different conceptualization strategies used by different researchers. In criminal justice, conceptualization of crime is difficult in that there are numerous variables to consider thus creating the wide, or rather narrow disparity. This is dependent on the influence of different variables since the issue of crime happens to be very wide (Gibbs, 1989). Influence of certain aspects may be overlooked, as there are no set standards to conceptualization. It also creates issues in terms of how to measure certain phenomena related to crime and justice. This is due to the presence of multiple methods of measuring similar concepts of

How can the strategic human resource business partner(SHRBP) add value Essay

How can the strategic human resource business partner(SHRBP) add value to the IT department - Essay Example Current paper aims to present the way in which the Strategic Human Resource Business Partner (SHRBP) can add value to the IT department and under which terms such task would be performed. Appropriate theories and models are used for justifying the role of SHRBP in the increase of value of IT department. The role of strategic human resource business partner (SHRBP) in the increase of value of IT department Strategic HR management can intervene in organizational activities at all levels of organizational hierarchy – reference is made to the organization as a unit, not just to the HR functions and sub-functions (Deb 2006). Of course, the role of HR within the organizations needs to be respected (Raj, 2007). In accordance with Morton (1999) when acting as a business partner, HR is expected to perform a series of roles: ‘strategic partner, change agent, administrative expert and employee champion’ (Morton 1999, in Armstrong, 2000, p.141). Moreover, Robinson et al. (2005) noted that HR can respond to the needs of its traditional role (deciding on the employees’ positions and tasks) as also to the needs of its strategic role (meaning the development of initiatives for the increase of organizational profits through the improvement of employee performance). As for the strategic HR management, this can intervene drastically in all organizational strategies identifying organizational failures and suggesting appropriate measures; in case that SHR manager acts as a business partner, then his ability to intervene in organizational strategies – at all organizational levels – is significantly increased. The involvement of SHRBP in the organization’s IT department would have a series of effects in the department’s structure, activities and performance. More specifically, the role of SHRBP in IT department would refer to the following activities: a) development and improvement of relationships of employees in order to improve communication and cooperation across the department; in this way, the performance of employees of the specific department would be also increased, b) improvement of information sharing; IT department is strongly depended on the management of informati

Borrowings in Classical Music Between Countries, Composers, Different Essay - 1

Borrowings in Classical Music Between Countries, Composers, Different Ages - Essay Example The opera Fidelio was performed in 1805 and was the only opera of L. Beethoven. 1805 was a watershed between German Classicism and German Romanticism marked a new era in German music and artistic movement. The opera Fidelio belongs to German Classic era depicting domestic comedy and high seriousness of social landscape. The artistic movement of this age was open to every foreign idea, new or old, and interested itself in every accessible literature. It was partly because the artistic movement was not deeply rooted in the national life that it drew so much of its matter from foreign sources, until as critics have seen a desire for national originality began to arise, in advance of patriotism. It is obvious that the free use of the intellectual and artistic capital of German’s neighbors was an advantage, even a necessity for Germany in her backward condition; these countries themselves had freely plundered superior civilization in their own day as every 'young' literature must; these in their particular made no secret of his immense debt to France and England. That the results of these borrowings were not always fortunate goes without saying; Insel Felsenburg and Die schwedische Grà ¤fin have few of the merits of the work of Defoe and Richardson. But what is perhaps peculiar to Germany in this matter of imitation is that the habit became so deeply rooted that even national pride could not affect it much, and came in fact, by a natural compensation, to claim this very receptivity as a national virtue (Breuilly, 2001). The German nation, narrowly confined geographically and politically disunited, cannot be expected to produce one, and, speaking just after the French Revolution, Goethe hesitates to wish for the upheaval that would be required in Germany to prepare the way for classical works. But his words indicate that it is by no means certain that he would have disapproved of the Nationalism of modern Germany if he could have lived to see it (Gagliardo 19 91). He might have looked upon it as a necessary stage in the evolution of truly classical German literature.

Compare-and-Contrast Research Paper Essay Example for Free

Compare-and-Contrast Research Paper Essay Introduction Present essay seeks to provide the comparative analysis of two artworks – Hoffmann’s Boston Twilight, 1957, belonging to Proto-Abstract Expressionism and Rauschenberg’s Retroactive 1, 1964, which may be attributed to the art movement of Pop-Art. The comparative analysis of these paintings will focus on two crucial aspects – structural and positive. Structural analysis addresses cultural, historical context, which influenced the discussed artworks, political climate, art movements’ stylistic characteristics, which informed individual work of artists, their subjective motives, influences and inclinations. Secondly, positive analysis of the artworks focuses on the themes depicted, colors and techniques used, formal and stylistic elements, the reflection of cultural and historical context in the artworks etc. The thesis, present paper defends, may be formulated as follows: Hoffmann’s and Rauschenberg’s artworks were significantly influenced by historical, cultural, social and artistic context. The artistic response to these contexts was different and reflected through opposite art movements. The discussed images belong to different artistic traditions and, hence have many differences. Similarities, however, may be attributed to the similar artistic influences, and utilization of sometimes similar formal and color techniques of composition. Structural context: art movements, history, politics and subjective perspectives. The general socio-economic and historical context of both artworks (as they were created very close in time – 1957 and 1964) may be characterized by the gradual assault of mass consumption postmodernist society, which influenced the rapid development of popular culture in music, entertainment and cinema. Commoditization has reached almost every sphere of social life and closely approached art through mass media. The increasing role of mass culture was immediately seen in the new sphere of advertisement, which conflated the elements of ‘high and low’ culture, which became central to the new postmodernist cultural logic (Jameson, 59). Political situation in the United States and Europe was characterized by the intensification of resistance and leftist movements, which, however, abandoned communist platform and focused on new postmodernist tactics, such as situationism, counter-culturalism, influenced by new discoveries in psychoanalysis, philosophy etc. Politics also became the element of mass culture, as its reproduction was extended from closed couloirs of high cabinets to ordinary population. The response of art movements to the assault of the postindustrial society was irregular and significantly varied from one art movement to another. The dominance of non-objective abstraction in 1940s and 50s was the response to vulgarization of social life, and the manifest of the absence of valuable objective themes in de-humanized world. Abstractionism, hence was an artistic expression of de-humanization and the search for lost subjectivity (Herskovic, 13-17). However, other extremes also came to existence. That is particularly true of the Pop-Art, which positively responded to the modern developments in economy and culture, synthesizing popular culture in the new form of art. Pop-Art was characterized by ‘externalization’ of art, as the objects of ordinary life and advertisement were widely utilized. The later was particularly evident in the works of Andy Warhol, Roy Lichtenstein and James Rosenquist. The similar response to changing conditions in society was made by photorealism, which exemplifies the assault of hyperrealism as the new form of cultural affirmation. Such elements of modern society as standardization, de-subjectivization was immediately seen in Pop-Art , which appeared as the resistance to self-revelation, artistic creativity and originality and focuses on the widely acknowledge cultural codes and images (Harrison 2001) . Robert Rauschenberg’s and Hans Hoffmann’s artistic trajectories were significantly influenced by the discussed developments in politics and ideology. Rauschenberg was, for instance, one of the forerunners of pop-art movement, as he was among the first to use hand-made or found objects in his artworks, combining the elements of high and low culture, using mass-media sources etc (Livingstone, 1990). Such experiments were influenced by Rauschenberg’s strong belief that the genuine artwork should exist between art and life. The technique of ‘combines’ used by Rauschenberg may be described as immediate precursor to postmodernist collage, used in installation art. Rauschenberg’s mindset position deeply opposed Abstract Expressionism’s argument that the self may be expressed through art. Instead, Rauschenberg focused on representation of reality in its absence of structure, sense and single interpretation. Abstract-Expressionism, which was influenced by Hans Hoffman, in contrast focused on gesture paintings and color field painting techniques. Abstract Expressionism should be understood as a historical consequence of the conflation between European and American artists due to World War 2, which forced may French, German and other artists to immigrate in the United States. Hans Hoffmann belongs to this group of artists and his destiny significantly influenced his style and ideological orientations (Herskovic, 2003). Hoffman’s style was influenced by cubist tension between depth and surface, expressionistic flamboyance of color and surrealist technique of automatism, which is based on following subconscious drivers of creativity and libidinal forces. The latter influences were synthesized by Hoffmann in his ‘push-pull’ method, which included the use of expressive colors and paint slashes in the view of creating contradiction between cool and warm colors. Comparative analysis of Hoffmann’s and Rauschenberg’s artworks Both artworks are obviously affected by different artistic movements and styles. Hoffmann’s composition may be posited within abstract expressionism tradition, while Rauschenberg’s painting belongs to Pop-Art movement. On the surface level the similarities between these artistic may be traced in the color usage – in each painting we see the utilization of yellow, green, black, white, red, white and blue colors. Moreover, the presence of grid-like rectangular layout is evident. Apart from this, both paintings are characterized by the sense of distortion. The distortion in Hoffmann’s artwork Boston Twilight is due to the use of abstract expressionist style, which distorts the contours of objective reality, so that we can not find correspondence between the image and reality (Boston Twilight) that it signifies. However, in Rauschenberg’s composition the distortion is reflected in the plurality of meaning and signification. The interpretation is difficult to realize due to the combination of images inserted in the painting: J. F. Kennedy at the center, pointing with his finger, cosmonaut with parachute, the duplication of Kennedy’s hand in the right corner and evidently abstract images in other parts. There is no denying the importance of the fact, that such a ‘combine’ creates difficulties for interpretation and distorts it. Furthermore, it should be pointed to the fact that both artworks have the elements of abstraction, contrasting color tones and are influenced by Cubism in using facets of the color. Both paintings create the feeling of collage and it was noted that Rauschenberg’s ‘combine’ technique is very close to it. Moreover, creating certain color relationships is in important in both images, however, it serves different functions, depending on style and thematic unity. Differences between images are evident in many respects. First of all, art schools are opposite with pop-art, focusing on unification of art and reality, and abstract expressionism, focusing on expressing contradictory being of individual self. Hoffman’s painting is abstract in essence, while Rauschenberg’s refers to widely known political and social images of American President, cosmonaut, which immediately signify objective reality. The social and political thematic of Rauschenberg’s image immediately points to his belonging to Pop-Art tradition. As far as formal and color structure of the analyzed paintings are concerned blue is dominant in Rauschenberg’s image, while green is dominant in Hoffman’s paintings; the first artist uses vertical stress, while Hoffmann is evidently using horizontal stress. Due to stylistic differences between artworjs, colors mix into one another in Hoffmann’s painting and are separated in Rauschenberg’s one. Rauschenberg utilizes much more contrast, than Hoffmann, however the image of the latter is much more organic in contrast to geometric structure of Rauschenberg’s composition. Conclusion To sum it up, present analysis proved the initial thesis that both artworks were significantly influenced by historical, social and cultural developments in Western societies in the middle of 20-th century. These developments provoked different responses on the part of art movements, resulting in creation of different styles and techniques. The latter are reflected in Hoffmann’s and Rauschenberg’s compositions, which are different in many important stylistic respects, however, have much in common due to the same artistic influences. My interest to the discussed paintings is explained by the fact that they are picturesque representations of Abstract Expressionism and Pop Art. Main features, peculiar to each of these styles, may be found in these paintings both in complex and in separate elements. The techniques used by both artists help us better understand other artworks created in these traditions and inform our own artistic endeavors. Hoffman’s image advantage is in its direct appeal to aesthetic taste and sensibility, while Rauschenberg artwork represents a challenge for viewers in terms of interpreting its political and social content. Works Cited Herskovic, Marika. American Abstract Expressionism of the 1950s An Illustrated Survey, New York School Press, 2003. Harrison, Sylvia. Pop Art and the Origins of Post-Modernism. Cambridge University Press, 2001. Jameson, Fredric. ‘Postmodernism, or the Cultural Logic of Late Capitalism’. New Left Review, 146, (53-92), 1991. Livingstone, M. Pop Art: A Continuing History, New York: Harry N. Abrams, Inc. , 1990

Real Existing Socialism and State Socialism in Romania

Real Existing Socialism and State Socialism in Romania â€Å"Real existing socialism in the GDR and State Socialism in Romania:  A Comparison Introduction Over the course of the last two decades, following the collapse of communism in Russia and other Eastern Bloc states, there has been a considerable amount of debate in academic and political circle relating to the re-definition of socialism, which as a political ideology then became separated from communism. In its purist form, socialism is perceived as the organisational concept within a society whereby the means of production, including factories and farms, is deemed to be held in ownership terms by the whole of a particular community or nation (Caldwell 2003, p.17). Thus, in theory every worker and citizen should benefit equally from his or her share of that ownership. However, as with every other political ideology, in practice such purism does not exist. However, as with other forms of political ideology, a perfect form of socialism does not exist within any national state. As has been witnessed in the Eastern Bloc countries in Europe, there is a significant difference in the way that socialism manifests itself in individual cultures and nations, and this depends upon the prevailing political structure and cultural environment. For example, whilst there are democratic and dictatorship led countries that exercise a socialist agenda, this does not equate to the method of state socialism practiced in other states, even those within the same region. The purpose of this study is to compare two distinct forms of socialism; at the same time seeking to distinguish between the ways that each is operated in their respective societies. To assist with this objective, it is intended to use two nations that have experienced differing political structures. These are GDR[1], which operates a system known as â€Å"real existing socialism† and Romania, which enjoys a state socialism political environment. Socialism There has been a substantial amount of literature produced that has concentrated upon the study of socialism. Much of this has concentrated upon the various divergent forms of the ideology that have emerged within and outside of a communist environment. Although there is still some debate about terminology for these divergent forms of socialism, the vast majority have adapted the two most prominent as being â€Å"real existing socialism† and â€Å"state socialism.† Real existing socialism The studies that have led to the defining of real socialism only really commenced following the breakdown of socialism in areas such as the former communist block (Von Hirschhausen 1995, p.8). From this it has been found that the foundations of real socialism bore no resemblance to the â€Å"planned economy† message that was being projected by the state, and thus cannot be measured or compared with the political systems that exist within the democratic regimes of the western world. Despite it’s similarity to state socialism, the real existing version has none of the unique elements of capitalism. For example, individual property rights, commodity markets, freedom of capital and labour do not exist. Economics was dominated by politics and the two were therefore closely interwoven. This in itself can be seen as part of the cause for their being a lack of planning within these economies, which resulted in problems in three main areas. Firstly, monetary controls and restraints did not exist in the sense that we know in the West. Instead, paper money formed only a part of issues such as workers salaries, with basic goods at low prices or rationed, as can be witnessed by the fact that the price of bread in 1987 had not changed for over fifty years (Von Hirschhausen 1995, p.9), and the higher priced goods were used as rewards for merit rather than available to the citizen as a right. Secondly, there was no attempt to aim for maximum or optimum output from the countries industrial plants as these formed just a part of the party’s objectives, along with welfare and house and a raft of other priorities. Unlike commercial corporations, those within this socialist environment paid little attention to profit and success. Similarly, the idea of plant closure was contrary to the countries socialist identity and beliefs. In itself, this proves the case that there was no economic basis for the nations industrial production and output. The final aspect is planning. As has been discovered since the fall of communism, the official documents issued by the regimes, which purported to be official plans, none of these where implemented or controlled within the industrial environment. This was partially due to the fact that these plants lacked the basic equipment needed to do so, and also because the state showed little interest in the results (Von Hirschhausen 1995, p.9). State Socialism There are many who would argue that state socialism is actually a misnomer. The reason for this is that in this type of socialist community, although there is a limited recognition of private capitalism, the state itself is the centre of power. This power not only includes their ownership of the â€Å"means of production† mentioned earlier in this paper, but also extends to other significant areas as well. For example, their ownership and control extends to the media, transport and communications and, in addition, to the workers, police and military. Similarly, the state uses its power to control dissidents and â€Å"so-called† reactionaries. During the communist era in Eastern Europe, what stopped the nation that followed â€Å"state socialism† from being described more appropriately as bureaucratic regimes was the fact that the state itself was controlled by the communist party, which was essentially determined as a party for the people and thus their representatives. Case Study GDR and Romania The GDR and Romania have been chosen as a comparison case study for this paper as they operate within the two different areas of socialism being discussed, with GDR following the route of real existing socialism and Romania being a state socialism environment. GDR Prior to its reunification with West Germany, the German Democratic Republic was run by a communist regime and operated a system that has latterly become known as belonging to the â€Å"real existing socialism† The economy was controlled and planned centrally by the Socialist Unity Party of Germany, who also strictly controlled prices within the economy, particularly those of a basic nature such as basic foodstuff and housing. In these cases the party heavily subsidised production to ensure that prices remained low and manageable for the ordinary citizen. As has been indicated to be the case with such political structures, virtually all of the production process were centrally owned and controlled. Even in the small private sector (around 2.8%), these were subjected to oppressive regulations and taxation, sometimes with the latter exceeding 90%. In essence, at least in the early years, and to a large degree up until a few years short of the fall of the Berlin wall, one of the central intentions of the states plan was the â€Å"total governance† of society (Caldwell 2003, p.2). However, this centralisation of control provided an ideal breeding ground for corruption, with many managers within the publicly owned business sector lining their own pockets and those of party officials, thus creating an even worse economic situation in terms of the production output of their factories. In an attempt to address some of these issues GDR ruling party moved to a more autonomous level of social control (Caldwell 2003, p.15). They adopted the slogan of â€Å"real existing socialism† as a way of showing that, although there was still a large degree of state control, the lives of the individual was said to be, to a large degree, independent and autonomous to the state, which stated that its regime allowed their citizens to live unfettered lives in private, although dissidents claimed that this pretence of â€Å"normalcy† was just an attempt to cover up the high levels of repressions that existed (Maier 1999, p.22). In reality the individual’s emancipation was against wishes of the state but by allowing it to occur it had the opposite effect to that which could have been expected, this being a tendency towards more the creation of more conflict and unrest. However, as Maier (1999, p.42) later shows, the lack of substance in the opposition by ordinary citizens was probably quelled by the measures taken by the state to repress their citizens. Whilst in some cases, such as the media, this was achieved by s strict process of censorship, as far as ordinary citizens a â€Å"stick or reward† policy was operated. For example, rationing and the reward system in terms of luxury goods, which were always accompanied by the threat that the benefits gained through these measures, tended to opposition voice down to a muted level (Maier 1999, p.49). Similarly, the dispersal of the states secret police force led to a situation where fear of neighbours replaced trust as many people responded to the implied threat by showing a willingness to report opposition in secret. This was not only done to curry favour but also to avoid becoming embroiled with the police on a personal level. Thus, as Maier (1999, p.42) states â€Å"real existing socialism thus rested on a double distortion. It transformed the public sphere into one of negotiated bargains, while it twisted the idea of a private sphere into a domain of complicity and secrecy.† Similarly, as has been evidenced within the performance of the state, despite its repressive measures, is more closely linked to the ideals that were previously expressed by Mark (2004). Perhaps the one benefit that East Germany has derived from the real existing socialism that has become inherent within the culture, particularly in terms of the previous movement towards members of the public having an element of a certain degree of autonomy to their lives, is that this has made it easier for the nation to become integrated within the larger German nation following its reunification with the Federal Republic of German (Crow 2001). Romania In certain respects the Romanian socialist structures is similar to that of the GDR. This is certainly true in the case of the party’s control of the media, which has yet to find an independent voice and the state ownership of a large number of commercial assets. However, following the fall of the communist regimes in the Eastern Block, this country has retained a communist political regime, which observers feel results from the fact that the general public are reluctant to involve themselves in politics in a direct manner (Carey 2004, p.10). When compared with the GDR it is found that the population of Romania is distinctly different to those of neighbouring countries. The culture is much more centralised in its thinking. Evidence of this can be found in the fact that most citizens within the Romanian society have a bias towards â€Å"paternalistic protection of authoritarian institutions† rather than being concerned with their own democratic freedom and values (Carey 2004, p.14). A similar situation exists within the business sector. At the present time the state controls and owns most of the production organisations and, in addition, all of the financials institutions are in public ownership. It would be difficult to sell the latter, because of the problem of non-recoverable loans and other debt crisis. Similarly, although many of the countries vast production plants are inefficient and losing money, the ethos of the ruling classes is such that closure of these organisations is an unacceptable option (Carey 2004, p.17). Furthermore, there is a reluctance to allow these to move into private ownership. Even if the state were prepared to look at this option, as Carey shows within his research (Carey 2004, p.18), the vast majority of business and other citizens in Romania are of the opinion that â€Å"the privatisation† process was dishonest. The overwhelming preference within the country and its culture is in favour of state control, particularly in resp ect of what are considered to be the most important issues, these being â€Å"prices and wages.† However, despite the views of the population, the state does have to address the issue of corporate control and, although some attempt has been made in this area, this has yet to lead to a stable environment. One of the problems they have in this respect is that the workers are union controlled and, with the current wish for central state control of wages, negotiating a productivity based working environment would, at present, be very difficult to achieve. It is anticipated that it will take some time for Romania to be able to convert either its political structure to a more democratic cultural base or its production and manufacturing industries to a situation of optimisation and a success based agenda (Carey 2004, p.229). Conclusion It is clear that socialism is still in the process of undergoing radical change, particularly following the collapse of communism in areas such as Russia and the former Eastern Bloc countries. However, as has been seen from the case study of the German Democratic Republic and Romanic, the cultural impact of this varies between nations. For example, prior to the 1989 revolutions the GDR was already experiencing a significant amount of unrest, which was being generated â€Å"from below,† in other words from a groundswell of public opinion and active opposition (Kornai 1992). This country is therefore moving rapidly towards a culture of democratic rights and away from their former position of being subject to real existing socialism. Conversely, in the state of Romania, the movement away from state socialism has yet to begin in earnest. For example, the current ruling party is still based upon a communist stance and, despite the fact that it retains control over areas such as production and the media, which in some cases can be seen to be repressive, there is little will amongst the populace to effect a change at this time (Federal Research Division 2004). However, one area that has certainly added to the differential between the two countries in terms of their movement towards a democratic culture and political environment is the location and structural differences. For example, East Germany (GDR) is situated adjacent to a Western democracy, albeit it with socialist tendencies, whereas Romania was previously surrounded by communist and socialist states. In addition, Romania has become an independent whilst the GDR has lost its independent identity within the enlarged German nation. To this extent for the GDR the dissolution of the communist based socialist environment has been a much smoother transition (Maier 1999). References Brie, Michael (1991). The General Crisis of Administrative Centralised Socialism: A Sketch Towards a Theory of Reproduction. Available: http://www.ceeol.com/aspx/getdocument.aspx?logid=5id=15370fa8-8415-4f96-8ae7-a4580ee58991 Caldwell, Peter C (2003). Dictatorship, State Planning, and Social Theory in the German Democratic Republic. Cambridge University Press. Cambridge, UK. Carey, Henry F (ed.) (2004). Romania since 1989: Politics, Economics and Society. Lexington Books. Langham, US. Crow, Graham (2001). Social Solidarities: Theories, Identities and Social Change. Open University Press. Buckingham, UK. Federal Research Division (2004). Romania: A Country Study. Kissinger Publishing. New York, US. Kornai, Jà  nos (1992). The Socialist System: The Political Economy of Communism. Clarendon Press. Oxford, UK Maier, Charles S (1999). Dissolution, the Crisis of Communism and the End of East Germany. Princeton University Press. New Jersey, US. Nove, Alex (2001). Marxism and Really Existing Socialism. Routledge. London, UK. Von Hirschhausen, Christian (1995). Five years after the collapse: The socialism debate revisited, and the limits of economic thought. CERNA. Paris, France. Available: http://www.cerna.ensmp.fr/Documents/CVH-WP95.pdf 1 Footnotes [1] German Democratic Republic

The Marranos :: essays research papers

Marranos The term marrano refers to the Crypto-Jews from the Iberian peninsula, i.e. descendants of Jews who were forced to adopt the identity of Christians. The term marrano denotes in Spanish "damned," "accursed," "banned"; also "hog," and in Portuguese it is used as an opprobrious epithet of the Jews because they do not eat pork. The name was applied to the Spanish Jews who, through compulsion or for form's sake, became converted to Christianity in consequence of the cruel persecutions of 1391 and of Vicente Ferrer's missionary sermons. These "conversos" (converts), as they were called in Spain, or "Christà £os Novos" (Neo-Christians) in Portugal, or "Xuetes" in the Balearic Isles (from Catalan xua, a local pork concoction that it is said it was consumed in public by Xuetes to show how Christian they were), or "Anusim" (constrained) in Hebrew, numbered more than 100,000. With them the history of the Iberian Peninsula, and indirectly that of the Jews also, enters upon a new phase; for they were the immediate cause both of the introduction of the Inquisition into Spain and of the expulsion of the Jews from that country. The wealthy Marranos, who engaged extensively in commerce, industries, and agriculture, intermarried with families of the old nobility; impoverished counts and marquises unhesitatingly wedded wealthy Jewesses; and it also happened that counts or nobles of the blood royal became infatuated with handsome Jewish girls. Beginning with the second generation, the Neo-Christians usually intermarried with women of their own sect. They became very influential through their wealth and intelligence, and were called to important positions at the palace, in government circles, and in the Cortes; they practised medicine and law and taught at the universities; while their children frequently achieved high ecclesiastical honors. Classes of Marranos The Marranos and their descendants may be divided into three categories. The first of these is composed of those who, devoid of any real affection for Judaism, and indifferent to every form of religion, gladly embraced the opportunity of exchanging their oppressed condition as Jews for the brilliant careers opened to them by the acceptance of Christianity. They simulated the Christian faith when it was to their advantage, and mocked at Jews and Judaism. A number of Spanish poets belong to this category, such as Pero Ferrus, Juan de Valladolid, Rodrigo Cota, and Juan de Espaà ±a of Toledo, called also "El Viejo" (the old one), who was considered a sound Talmudist, and who, like the monk Diego de Valencia, himself a baptized Jew, introduced in his pasquinades Hebrew and Talmudic words to mock the Jews. The Marranos :: essays research papers Marranos The term marrano refers to the Crypto-Jews from the Iberian peninsula, i.e. descendants of Jews who were forced to adopt the identity of Christians. The term marrano denotes in Spanish "damned," "accursed," "banned"; also "hog," and in Portuguese it is used as an opprobrious epithet of the Jews because they do not eat pork. The name was applied to the Spanish Jews who, through compulsion or for form's sake, became converted to Christianity in consequence of the cruel persecutions of 1391 and of Vicente Ferrer's missionary sermons. These "conversos" (converts), as they were called in Spain, or "Christà £os Novos" (Neo-Christians) in Portugal, or "Xuetes" in the Balearic Isles (from Catalan xua, a local pork concoction that it is said it was consumed in public by Xuetes to show how Christian they were), or "Anusim" (constrained) in Hebrew, numbered more than 100,000. With them the history of the Iberian Peninsula, and indirectly that of the Jews also, enters upon a new phase; for they were the immediate cause both of the introduction of the Inquisition into Spain and of the expulsion of the Jews from that country. The wealthy Marranos, who engaged extensively in commerce, industries, and agriculture, intermarried with families of the old nobility; impoverished counts and marquises unhesitatingly wedded wealthy Jewesses; and it also happened that counts or nobles of the blood royal became infatuated with handsome Jewish girls. Beginning with the second generation, the Neo-Christians usually intermarried with women of their own sect. They became very influential through their wealth and intelligence, and were called to important positions at the palace, in government circles, and in the Cortes; they practised medicine and law and taught at the universities; while their children frequently achieved high ecclesiastical honors. Classes of Marranos The Marranos and their descendants may be divided into three categories. The first of these is composed of those who, devoid of any real affection for Judaism, and indifferent to every form of religion, gladly embraced the opportunity of exchanging their oppressed condition as Jews for the brilliant careers opened to them by the acceptance of Christianity. They simulated the Christian faith when it was to their advantage, and mocked at Jews and Judaism. A number of Spanish poets belong to this category, such as Pero Ferrus, Juan de Valladolid, Rodrigo Cota, and Juan de Espaà ±a of Toledo, called also "El Viejo" (the old one), who was considered a sound Talmudist, and who, like the monk Diego de Valencia, himself a baptized Jew, introduced in his pasquinades Hebrew and Talmudic words to mock the Jews.

Floods of 1998 in Bangladesh and Shrewsbury :: Papers

Floods of 1998 in Bangladesh and Shrewsbury Causes, Effects and responses to flooding In Shrewsbury The Severn Valley floods, Shrewsbury, UK 1998: Causes ====== The human causes of the floods were summed up by the then Shadow Countryside Minister Tim Yeo MP, he said 'the flooding had increased because of the housing developments on Greenfield sites.' By this he means that by covering the land with tarmac in urban areas humans have increased the rate of surface runoff and decreased the saturation levels of the ground. When surface runoff is high rainwater reaches the river faster. It would appear that the speed in which the water reached the river was too fast for the river to handle. The river filled up reaching bank-full discharge and then overflowing its banks onto the flood plain. The flood plain of the River Severn is built on, therefore, when the river floods it floods onto residential areas. With the building of these urban areas the amount of vegetation in the area surrounding the river was reduced, this affects the river two ways. It reduces the amount of interception, which in turn increases the speed of runoff into the river. The lack of vegetation also leads to the saturation of the ground. During the months of October and November the rainfall in the Severn Valley was high, as the water soaked into the ground it became saturated. More vegetation in the area would have meant the vegetation using the water would have decreased the amount of water in ground storage. Physical factors of the flood in 1998 are many; however, the most important one was the amount of rainfall. In October 1998 many areas received record amounts of rainfall caused by a 'hurricane'. This 'hurricane' brought very heavy rain and strong winds. The fact the rain was heavy means that the river did not have time to dissipate the water quick enough and the runoff was too fast, making the river rise t such an extent that it flooded.

Athenians and Spartans :: essays research papers

The Spartan and Athenian civilizations carried on conflict from 431 to 404 B.C. (Bunson 195). Twenty seven years of blood shed and fighting was carried on between these peoples and their allies that were involved. The first ten years of the war was fighting and often called the Archidamian War after the Spartan king Archidamus II, following the fighting was the Peace of Nicias in 421 B.C., after this was eight unstable years of peace and more fighting, followed by the Ionian War (Bunson1277). These two civilizations were nothing like each other however some of their warfare techniques must have been similar to have fought for so long. The Spartan civilization was one that focused on physical and military power rather than academics (Jones 153). While men were still young they were taken from their families and went to a school that taught military training. If any men didn’t participate in this training their citizenship was denied to them. By the 6th century B.C. the Spartan army was known as the most efficient fighting force in Greece, the army consisted of 5000 people which were all citizens (Jones 154). Sparta was able to do this because their farming was done by subservient workers known as â€Å"captives† who were forced to do work on the land (Jones 154). By doing this the citizens were able to be fully devoted to their military. Unlike the Spartan civilization that was so focused on the military the Athenians were more involved with bringing culture and art into their lives. They were famous for their pottery with geometric designs, they also created the first outlines of the human body which would later bring them artistic achievement (Meiggs 193). During the 7th century B.C. there was much emphasis put on the craftsmanship and handicraft work that was being developed (Meiggs 193). One known figure in Athens that increased the culture was Pisistratus an able politician, he was responsible for opening up the city to Ionian philosophical and artistic influences. Also he made the first recording of the Panathenaea, a major collection of religious worship. Also because of other abled politicians and generals such as Aristides, Cimon, and Pericles Athens prospered for 50 years in political, artistic, philosophical and financial spheres (Meiggs 192). However this changed when in 431 the Peloponnesian War began because of Sparta’s uneasiness with the expansion on Athens ( Meiggs 195). The Athenians and

A Good Man Is Hard to Find: Irony

â€Å"A Good Man is Hard to Find† In the short story, â€Å"A Good Man is Hard to Find† there is irony all through the pages. It shows how you should follow your gut instinct when you think you shouldn’t go somewhere, when you know something bad is going to happen. In the story it also talks about how the grandmother wore her nice clothes in case of an accident, she wanted to look like a lady in case anything bad was to happen. The grandmother was constantly talking about the good in people, but was she a good woman? The first bit of irony the story throws at the reader is on the first page when the grandmother is talking about how she doesn’t want to go to Florida because that’s where the Misfit is headed. As the grandmother is trying to get her son Bailey to listen as she says, â€Å"The Misfit is aloose from the Federal Pen and headed toward Florida and you read here what it says he did to these people. Just you read it. I wouldn’t take my children in any direction with a criminal like that aloose in it. I couldn’t answer to my conscience if I did† (O’Connor 281). Now I don’t believe that the ironic twist is that the misfit was headed to Florida just like the family, I believe that the twist is that the Misfit just so happen be on the same dirt road that the grandmother asked her son Bailey to turn down later on in the story. The grandmother wanted to turn down this dirt road in Georgia because she remembered an old plantation house she had visited when she was younger. After turning down the road she then remembered that this was not the road at all, the old plantation house she had remembered was in Tennessee, not Georgia. The second major ironic twist that stood out to me was how the grandmother wore good clothes to go on a road trip, â€Å"In case of an accident, anyone seeing her dead on the highway would know at once she was a lady† (O’Connor 282). The grandmother wore a navy dress with a straw hat that had white violets on it. Indeed the grandmother was dressed like a lady, but did she act upon it at all times? I think she did just that, I believe she acted like a lady but was not truly one. Grandmothers cat caused Bailey to have an accident. †¦as the grandmother limped out of the car, her hat still pinned to her head but the broken front brim standing up at a jaunty angle and the violet spray hanging off the side† (O’Connor 287). At this point is when I believe that the grandmother acts as if she is a lady. If she was a true lady then maybe her clothes would not have been messed up, or there wouldn’t have been an accident at all. But there is still that piec e of thought about how the grandmother knew to dress in case of an accident. The final bit of irony is how the grandmother kept talking about good men, and how they are hard to find. When the family stops at the diner to eat she talks to Red Sammy and his wife about how hard good men are hard to find, but then she also tells Red Sammy that he is a good man because he let a couple of men charge gas. Red Sammy’s wife says there isn’t no one that she can trust, â€Å"‘And I don’t count nobody out of that, not nobody,’ she repeated, looking at Red Sammy† (O’Connor 285). After they wreck a car shows up with The Misfit and his two side kicks in it, who turn out not to be good men. The grandmother realizes real soon that the man is The Misfit, she recognized him from the picture in the newspaper. Soon after arriving Bobby Lee takes Bailey and his son John Wesley into the woods to kill them. The grandmother went on about how the Misfit could be a good man, and how he should pray. The Misfit told her that his family was good people, he just wasn’t. Soon Bobby Lee and Hiram took the childrens mother, June Star, and the baby to the woods to meet up with the boys. The grandmother then realized that she must think of something soon, because she would be next. They started talking about Jesus and how he did or didn’t raise the dead. The Misfit said that if he didn’t know but if he would have been there he would have known better and wouldn’t be the way he is now. â€Å"Why you’re one of my own babies. You’re one of my own children! † (O’Connor 293). After the grandmother said that she touched him on the shoulder and the Misfit turned around and shot her three times in the chest. This was a great short story for irony, because the grandmother was correct about most things. The grandmother knew not to go towards Florida because The Misfit was headed that way after escaping from the pen. She was right about dressing like a lady in case of an accident, because indeed there was an accident, but she caused the accident by bringing her cat along without anyone knowing. Then there is speak of a good man, is there any such thing? Red Sammy’s wife wouldn’t even think of him as a good man, if your wife doesn’t believe you are no one really can. The Misfit comes along and talks to the grandmother for a while about good people, while doing so shoots her family then her dead. ‘â€Å"She would have been a good woman,† The Misfit said, â€Å"if it had been somebody there to shoot her every minute of her life†Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ (O’Connor 293). This goes with my assumption that the grandmother was just acting like a lady, and The Misfit even saw through her lies.

Issue in Corporate Failure of Bank Essay

It also raised millions of revenue by accounting techniques to show false profits and hided their losses which occur in trading and bad debt. The biggest bank fraud in history According to Manhattan District Attorney Robert M. Morgenthau, the BCCI scandal that came to light in 1991 was ‘the largest bank fraud in world history. ‘ Perhaps no other criminal enterprise has involved or at least embarrassed so many prominent people, from billionaire Arab sheikhs to Third World dictators to present and former leading figures in the U. S. and British governments. Certainly none could match the international web of financial chicanery, political intrigue, and unsavoury figures with which BCCI was said to be associated. (Source: Encyclopaedia Encarta 2007) BCCI was engaged in four major frauds. One was a cover-up of $633m of losses on treasury trading. The second was the illegal acquisition through nominees of several banks in the US, in which it spend $346m. The third was a complex manipulation of accounts to prop up its largest borrower, the gulf shipping group of Pakistan, to which it lent more than $725m, which was over the limit set by banking regulations. The fourth was fundamental fraud by which BCCI allegedly acquire secret control of 56% of its own shares at a cost of over $500m. BCCI was a serpent eating its own tail. These sums add up to more than $2bn. But this is a minimum: it omits the enormous cost to BCCI of financing its secret losses. The manipulation to cover up the fraud involved another $2bn, bringing the grand total to well over $4bn. BCCI frauds were the main reasons for its corporate failure. The scale the fraud is breathtaking enough. But while most frauds involve the disappearance of real money, BCCI did the exact opposite. It manufactured billions of dollars out of nothing to conceal gaping holes in its balance sheet, like a giant game of ‘Double Your Money’. This involved extraordinary financial gymnastics and illegal loans on a huge scale. When BCCI finally came crashing down, it was not with a thud, but in a shower of paper. (Behind Closed Door: FT Publication) BCCI initiated every single route to excel its growth. In a first place its corporate structure was so complicated which involved uses of shell corporations frequently termed as satellites, bank confidentiality and secrecy. BCCI’s top management including nominees which also includes some famous personalities in politics were involved in corruption and made it a supreme atmosphere for crime. BCCI’s criminalities included, †¢Fraud by BCCI and BCCI customers involving billions of dollars; money laundering in Europe, Africa, Asia, and the Americas; †¢BCCI’s bribery of officials in most of those locations, †¢Support of terrorism, arms trafficking, and the sale of nuclear technologies; †¢Management of prostitution; †¢The commission and facilitation of income tax evasion, smuggling, and illegal immigration; †¢Illicit purchases of banks and real estate. Source: Walker, L. 2001) Abdul Basir, head of BCCI Pakistan operation, says: â€Å"We looked after clients in the most efficient, personalised manner. † The diamond market which is home to Lahore’s famous dancing girls, Prostitutes, who for centuries have provided entertainment for emperors and th eir courtiers – and latterly for politicians, Arab Sheikhs and bankers. BCCI used these girls to treat Arabs rich businessmen and major shareholders. BCCI’s Zafar Iqbal, former chief executive, was in charge of managing prostitutes. Corporate Failure of BCCI There were two main reasons of BCCI’s corporate failure apart from their criminal activities. These were high risk loans and trading. A bank’s treasury plays a key role in managing its financial affairs by trading large amounts of money and currencies. Some if this dealing is done on behalf of clients. But bank treasuries also speculate on whether currencies will rise or fall, using their own money. BCCI was no exception. According to Price Waterhouse, the bank combined these two activities by trading huge amounts of clients’ money – but in its own name, and without their knowledge.

Influence on Culture Essay

Surely, not all upper middle class professionals in their late twenties or early thirties shared the same values or ideals. The media, however, used to popularize a certain image of the yuppie with features that became stereotypical and reflected, at least in the journalists’ opinion, the dominant trends in this environment. The yuppie was used to describe not only certain demographic characteristics, but also to denote a psychographic profile including â€Å"a set of behavioural and psychographic attributes that have come to constitute a commonly believed stereotype† (Wikipedia). Thus, yuppie values were supposed to be more conservative than even their parents who were often involved in social programs and idealistic movements of the 1960s and 1970s. Yuppies, on the contrary, were people tended to favour stability and devote more attention to their own problems instead of trying to reform the society. Stability for yuppies was embodied in ownership of material things. In their choice of purchases, they supposedly demonstrated a poor taste buying more expensive stuff in order to show off their wealth. Their lifestyle was heavily impacted by career demands. Career was a necessary prerequisite for sustaining a life of comfort, and its requirements acquired a paramount importance. This resulted in a frequent lack of time that took a heavy toll on their families. Family relationships were often jeopardized by the necessity to move to a different place once in a few years under the influence of the career necessity. The strain in their professional lives often resulted in moral and mental exhaustion, aggravated by the high level of competition in high-income jobs that has been labelled a rat race. Climbing a career ladder in a corporate environment requires a specific set of skills and mentality that were fostered by the yuppies with great persistence. Too often this career-making drive affected their relationships with families and friends. Yuppies were also believed to share â€Å"an entire code of unwritten etiquette can govern their activities from golf and tennis to luncheons at trendy cocktail bars† (Wikipedia). Although the yuppie social group was to some extent invented by the media, the existence of the social and political concept of this group had an undeniable influence on the conceptualisation of social realia by the contemporary society. This perception of social reality was bound to exert influence on cultural life and lead to several talented portrayals of the new groups in artistic works. The artists, unlike the media, often focused on the positive characteristics of the yuppie social group. A typical representative of the class â€Å"had high educational achievement, a high income, enjoyed urban life, had a success orientation, and was a hard worker† (Kawasaki 1994). They were able to achieve affluence in one swoop and therefore did not feel pressured to maintain aristocratic attitudes. As a result, the new generation was less obsessed with gender, racial or regional distinctions. There was even the term â€Å"buppie† – black yuppie. The yuppie generation was portrayed in the works by Jay McInerney, Bret Easton Ellis and Jill Eisenstadt, the most prominent writers of the yuppie era. The biggest success of their literature was the 1984 novel Bright Lights, Big City by McInerney. The novel also features a character seeking refuge from challenging professional environment in â€Å"Bolivian marching powder† (cocaine) to offset the continuous stress associated with crazy yuppie lifestyle (Nostalgia Central). Bret Easton’s most remarkable work was Less Than Zero (1985) in which he describes â€Å"New Lost Generation†, and Eisenstadt became famous with From Rockaway (1987). Tom Wolfe’s The Bonfire of the Vanities also depicted the effect of a decadent lifestyle on yuppie culture. This tender portrayal of the newly emerged social group was offset with indignation over lavish yuppie lifestyles, manifested through â€Å"Die Yuppie Scum† bumper stickers. Influence on Fashions Yuppies left a lasting impact on fashions of the 1980s, naturally affecting most the segment for expensive designer apparel. Their dressing style was supposed to demonstrate â€Å"conspicuous wastage† (Tomas 2001). They wore wide shouldered jackets in the day time, and on the weekends they changed to a Barbour for a country look or a ballgown that manifested their comfortable lifestyle.

Food Inc. Case Study Essay

1. How has technology been applied to the food production process? Give/describe at least 3 examples. In the last 50 years, technology has completely changed the way we eat. When we think about farming, we think red barns, green grass, free-roaming animals, etc. Farming, now-a-days, is far different than the image the industry has lead us to believe. Farming has become a highly industrialized and mechanized business. The reality is our food is no longer coming from farms; it’s coming off assembly lines in factories, just like automobiles. Due to the high demand for certain types of foods, technology has allowed us to change the way we grow our food. Through genetic engineering, scientists have been able to introduce genetically modified organisms (GMO’s) into the food system to help with the shortage of food. Take for instance, the chicken. In 1950, it took farmers 70 days to raise a chicken. Now, it takes half the time, only 48 days. Not only can farmers grow chickens faster, they can grow them to be bigger. To meet the needs of consumers’ preferences for white meat, scientists made specific changes to the chickens’ DNA that made it possible to redesign the chicken to have larger breasts (Wikipedia.org). Another area where technology was applied to our food production process was through crops. In the 1930’s scientists developed a hybrid seed for corn, this hybrid had stronger stalks that resisted being blown over and it allowed farmers to plant the crop closer together (Food, Inc. Discussion Guide). Resulting in higher yields, â€Å"100 years ago a farmer in America could grow maybe 20 bushels of corn on an acre. Today, 200 bushels is no problem† (Food, Inc.). With the surplus of corn, scientists were able to develop more uses for it. A couple of examples include corn-based ethanol fuel, high-fructose corn syrup, maltodextrin, etc. Even though the technological advances mentioned above are astounding, one can’t help but wonder how these changes are aff ecting society. 2. How has business influenced government in the agricultural / food industry? Give at least 3 examples from the documentary. Monsanto has influenced government in many ways when it comes to the agricultural / food industry. Michael Pallon, an American author / journalist / activist, states â€Å"There has been this revolving door between Monsanto’s corporate offices and the various regulatory and judicial bodies that have made the  key decisions.† (Food, Inc.). For example, Justice Clarence Thomas (1991 – Present) was an attorney for Monsanto from 1976 – 1979 and wrote the majority of the opinion that refused farmers from cleaning and saving their own seed (Food, Inc.) Monsanto also had very close ties to the Bush and Clinton Administration. These ties eliminated the political debates over the extreme change in our food system. â€Å"For the last 25 years, our government has been dominated by the industries that it was meant to be regulating† (Food, Inc.). Take for example, Michael Taylor King, a Spaulding lawyer from 1994 – 1991. He advised his client, Monsanto, on GMF labeling. Then in 1991, he became the Deputy Commissioner for Policy and oversaw the FDA’s decision not to label GMF’s. As stated in the film, there is too much centralized power. Farmers are going into more and more debt with each year passing and what’s truly sad about the whole situation is they have no control over the businesses they worked tooth and nail for. 3. What is the FDA’s most current policy on genetically engineered foods? If you use a quote, then use two paragraphs or more to support the quote.  According to Noelle Cremers with the California Farm Bureau the FDA’s most current policy regarding genetically engineered foods is as follows, â€Å"And if I can point out the reason that we are concerned with labeling is it creates unnecessary fear in a consumer’s mind. Until the industry has an opportunity to educate why we want to use this technology and the value of the technology, we don’t feel that consumers just having a warning label will help them† (Food, Inc.). The problem with this is it violates consumer’s rights. As stated in the â€Å"consumer’s Magna Carta† that was spelled out by President John F. Kennedy, consumers have four basic rights, the right to be informed, the right to safety, the right to choose, and the right to be heard (Carroll and Buchholtz 392). The FDA is violating at least three of consumer’s rights by not labeling for GMO’s. Starting with the right to be informed, which â€Å"refers to the consumer’s right to know about a product, its use, and the cautions to be exercised while using it† (Carroll and Buchholtz 392). Without labeling, consumers have no clue what they are consuming, they are not informed. Next, the FDA is violating consumer’s right to safety which refers to concerns of  a product being dangerous (Carroll and Buchholtz 392). Even though GMO’s were discovered in the 1970’s, approximately 40 years ago, there is little to no research proving these products are safe for us to consume. Are they trying to cover up the fact that they are dangerous? Lastly, they are not allowing consumers the right to choose. Without full disclosure of GMO’s, how can one make an accurate choice? As far as the right to be heard, the FDA is hearing consumer’s desires and grievances towards the labeling of GMO’s, they’re just not listening. 4. What evidence do you see in the documentary that business is taking a more proactive, socially responsible stance to food production? To prove it is possible for businesses to have a proactive, socially responsible stance in the way food is produced, the documentary focused on two companies, Polyface Farms and Stonyfield Farms. Joel Salatin, owner of Polyface Farms, is hitting the nail on the head when it comes to being a socially responsible business owner. He’s upholding his economic responsibility to be profitable. He may not be striving to have his food sold at Wal-Mart, but he is charging customer’s fair prices for the quality of food he is providing. Polyface Farms is being legally responsible by obeying all laws. Although, the United States Department of Agricultural did try shutting them down because their operations are open to the air and it is considered to be unsanitary. However, he had his workplace cultured at a local microbiology lab and the results averaged 133 colony forming units, where the cultures from stores averaged 3600 colony forming units. In microbiology, colony-forming unit (CFU) is an estimate of viable bacterial or fungal numbers. Unlike direct microscopic counts where all cells, dead and living, are counted, CFU estimates viable cells (Wikipedia.org). Lastly, Polyface farms is withholding there ethical standards high. Some could argue that killing animals for food is wrong, but that is a completely different subject. The company is showing respect to the planet, their workers, the animals, and their consumers. In the documentary Joel Salatin states, â€Å"I mean, a culture that just views a pig as a pile of protoplasmic inanimate structure to be manipulated by whatever creative design that humans can foist on that critter will probably view individuals within its community and other cultures in the community of  nations with the same type of disdain, disrespect and controlling-type mentality.† (Food, Inc.). That statement alone proves he is ethically responsible. The documentary also focused on Stonyfield Farms as a socially responsible company. Gary Hirschberg, the COO of Stonyfield Farms states, â€Å"When we started out, we were a seven-cow farm. We wanted to prove that business could be part of the solution to the globe’s environmental problems. At the same time we had to prove that we could be highly profitable† (Food, Inc.). Stonyfield is the third largest yogurt brand in America, and they are the most profitable, e.g. they’re being economically responsible. The company is proving to be ethically responsible by providing organic yogurt, quality products, to the consumers at a responsible price, and you can tell in the documentary that their animals are being treated with respect. The cows were roaming free and were very clean, the farm had red barns that were kept nicely, and the grass was green. More and more companies today, are sprinting into the organic business. They are starting to realize that consumers are waking up and seeing behind the veil the food industry has put up. Consumers want to be healthy, be respected as both consumers and worker, and they want to preserve our environment for future generations. Works Citied Carroll, Archie B., and Buchholtz, Ann K. Business and Society: Ethics, Sustainability, and Stakeholder Management. 8th ed. Mason, OH: Cengage, 2012. â€Å"Colony-forming Unit.† Wikipedia.org. 4 February 2014. 18 March 2014 < http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colony-forming_unit> Food, Inc. Dir. Robert Kenner. Perf. Robert Kenner; Richard Pearce; Eric Schlosser; Melissa Robledo; William Pohlad; Jeff Skoll; Robin Schorr; Diane Weyermann; Elise Pearlstein; Kim Roberts; Michael Pollan; Gary Hirshberg; Joel Salatin; Mark Adler. Los Angeles, CA : Magnolia Home Entertainment, 2009. DVD. â€Å"Food, Inc. Discussion Guide.† Takepart.com. 15 March 2014 â€Å"Genetically Modified Food.† Wikipedia.org. 17 March 2014. 18 March 2014 < http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Genetically_modified_food >