Report on E-Commerce Security

TABLE OF CONTENT ABSTRACT 2 1. INTRODUCTION 3 2. Features of E-commerce: 4 2. 1. Security role in present E-commerce: 4 2. 2. Security Factors in E-commerce: 5 3. Security Technologies: 7 3. 1. Secure Electronic Transaction (SET): 7 3. 2. Secure Socket Layer (SSL): 8 3. 3. Firewall: 8 4. Conclusion: 9 5. References: 11 ABSTRACT In the E-commerce security is most important point because a website is to protect the valuable information. It plays a vital role to provide security to the customer information. It mainly deals when the customer doing the online transactions. By this security support the customer has trusted on the E-commerce website as well as they protects their personal information from the thief’s and hackers. This day security has been implemented in a different way like Secure Sockets Layer, Integrity, Authentication, Encryption and Secure Payment. Integrity ensures of the remainders of data as is of the seller to the customer. Encryption deals with hide the information cannot spy on the others information. This report describes the security technologies in the E-commerce system and issues involving the E-commerce security technologies. . INTRODUCTION E- Commerce is also known as online commerce. E-commerce refers to exchange the goods and services over the internet. It includes retail shopping, banking, stocks and bonds trading, auctions, real estate transactions, air line booking, movie rentals nearly anything you can imagine in the real world. Even personal services such as hair and nail salons can benefit from e-commerce by providing a website for the sale of related health and beauty products, normally available to local customers exclusively. The main aim of this report conveying the security technologies of E-commerce website Security is the authorized conception in E-commerce website the main notion of security is protecting the customer personal details and banking information. Its mostly involve with four basic principles such as Privacy, Integrity, Authentication, Non-repudiation. The E-commerce website should be built on the security technology and it should be very secure. Secure Sockets layer provides support for protect pages and encrypts the whole thing a user sends-nobody else can read the data . Strong encryption and authentication certificate makes web site more secure and invites more customers. ( Lee, 2001) 2. Features of E-commerce: Ubiquity: Is the ability to be present in every place at any time, unbounded or universal presence. With help of internet it makes easier and possible for consumer and companies to be in contact with each another. The wish of customers to buy goods and services online can make so much constantly and practically any place. It reduces the cost of transaction, the cost to take part in the market and lower the mental effort required to achieve a transaction. Richness: Website richness mainly depends upon the interactivity and interaction it give the useful information on the website about each product and services for searching. It also gives more details about services what they are offering. It will make a contact between the seller and customer. Condition notices are strongly advised by the seller to understand before buying a product. Maintain vast information about products and services makes more sales and creating money making environment. (David, 2000) Global Reach: The main concept of the global reach is grabbing the attention of user’s through out the world by providing the different language in the website so that the site can be used in worldwide and it access by every one. Provide online customer services, secure the transaction processing. Site should be very interactive to the customers and giving a good quality information about products and information is understandable. Provide fast and efficient services lead to competitive global advantage. 2. 1. Security role in present E-commerce: Security plays a vital role in the present E-commerce it helps to keep secure the                               customers information and doing the secured online transactions. Every E-commerce    website giving server side security and complex on Data confidentiality, Data integrity, Availability, Nonrepudation and third party systems as supplies for facilitating E- Business transactions. Security is very helpful to the E-business. With out security customers never do the online transactions because of hackers. 2. . Security Factors in E-commerce: One of the significant success factors of E-commerce is its security, it kept secure the credit card details and extremely sensitive personal information of the customers. E-commerce security depends on a complex interrelationship between different components including the application development platforms, database management systems, and system software and network infrastructure. Privacy: Privacy makes that only ce rtified left edge reach information in any system. Information should not be distributed to the left and that should not be received it. The service off flexibility off integrity only to the approved people edge make exchanges with documents transmitted over the network Authentication: Authentication ensures that the origin off year electronic message is properly identified. Given It has possibilities to who feels the message from where gold which machine. Without appropriate authentication, it very hardware to know which passed year order and the order placed is true gold not. (David, 2000) Non-repudiation: it’s much closed to the authentication, in this sender boat refuses the sending particular messages and receiver boat rejects the receiving messages. Not-repudiation involves the technical like digital signature, conformation services and time stamps. Digital Signature has distinctive to identify for individual like written signature. Advantages of Security in E-commerce: The internet gives the much benefits to the customer through that the customer can has a chance to browse and do shopping there suitability and their place. They can access the service from office and home as they like it is available 24/7. †¢ Protect the privacy and reliability of network transactions. †¢ Encrypted and secure payment online. †¢ Increase the volume of purchases, improve the relationship with customers. †¢ With the help of e-commerce can promote products globally. †¢ Identify the users and merchants on the network. †¢ Look after E-commerce website and enterprise networks from attacks by hackers. †¢ Protect the personal information of E-commerce users. 3. Security Technologies: Security is the most important issue for E-commerce it gives security to the website, these security services are provided to ensure basic E-commerce requirements. Security services provide a way for safe, authentic, and reliable communications between two or more parties. Security not only includes that the information stays within the communicating parties but also it can be verified and noted as authentic. Signing of contracts, registration of mail, disclosures, anonymity, and authorization schemes of the real world must be able to be replicated and done in the electronic world. . 1. Secure Electronic Transaction (SET): Secure Electronic Transaction (SET) is a system for ensuring the security of financial transactions on the Internet. It was supported initially by MasterCard, Visa, Microsoft, Netscape, and others. It is one of the international security standards in E-commerce. SET is a protocol proposed by a number of groups and different companies. It’s mainly focus on gi ving guarantee security for electronic payment. SET including some key technologies such as shared key, public key, digital signature, electronic envelop and electronic certificate. After this there is a problem with operating systems and application systems, on these basis hackers improved their attack skills on customer information. Key Security Elements: E-commerce using different key security elements such as Electronic Data Interchange (EDI), E-mail, Electronic fund Transfer and other internet technologies lead to exchange the information of business with individuals, companies and countries. It makes transactions safe and more reliable. Encryption and Data Integrity is one of the key technologies in E-commerce, Encryption is the major security measure adopted in E-commerce. It can make sure confidentiality of information in the transaction process like PIN of credit card 3. 2. Secure Socket Layer (SSL): The SSL protocol was originally developed by Netscape, to ensure security of data transported and routed through HTTP, LDAP or POP3 application layers. SSL is designed to make use of TCP as a communication layer to provide a reliable end-to-end secure and authenticated connection between two points over a network (for example between the service client and the server). Notwithstanding this SSL can be used for protection of data in transit in situations related to any network service, it is used mostly in HTTP server and client applications. 3. 3. Firewall: A firewall is a barrier to keep destructive forces away from your property. In fact, that's why it’s called a firewall. Its job is similar to a physical firewall that keeps a fire from spreading from one area to the next. Firewalls are essential elements in e-commerce security strategy it is used to protect the e-commerce applications and website. Firewalls needed clearly defined security policies must be correctly installed and maintained to afford consistent and efficient security protection. It’s mainly addresses the problems such as Denial of service and Distributed denial of service. Firewalls working as a hardware and software, it prevents unauthorized persons access the private networks connected to the internet. 4. Conclusion: Finally conclude that the security is very significant when designing year E-trade website. E-trade has increasingly become the mode off conducting business. The purpose off this resulting paper is to stimulate discussion one the question concerning the security system off E-trade; things increased in the paper are not regarded ace conclusive. It hopes that suitable information will be identified for discussion 5. References: Chan, H. , Lee, R. , Dillon, T. , ;Chang, E. (2001). E-commerce: Fundamental Application. John Wiley; son, West Sussex, England. David, W. (2000). E-commerce: Strategy, Technologies and Applications. McGraw Hill, University Press, Cambridge. Elias, M. A. (2000). Electronic Commerce: From Vision to Fulfillment (3rd Ed. . Pearson Edition. Security Elements. (2005). Retrieved April 30, 2009, from http://wiki. media-culture. org. au/index. php/E-commerce_-_Overview_-_Security Advantages of Security. (2007). Retrieved April 26, 2008, from http://www. isos. com. my/ecommerce/advantages. htm Secure Socket Layer. (2006). Retrieved April 27, 2009, from   http://unpan1. un. org/intradoc/groups/public/documents. apcity/unpan0 00364. pdf Secure Electronic Transaction. (1999). Retrieved April 28, 2009, from   http://www. aph. gov. au/library/pubs/rp/1998-99/99rp12. htm#CRY

Reasons Behind the Gender Pay Gap (Australia) Essay

Despite long established legislation and community standards, women are still far from equal to men in the workforce. Women working full-time earn 18% less than men. On average they also earn $1million less over the course of their lives compared to male counterparts. Labour laws have had a large influence in the size of the gender pay gap (GPG). The wage-fixing principles in the 1970s, has granted immediate collective remedies from industry-wide, award application. However awards are losing prominence with the rise of neoliberalism; and women with lower bargaining power become disadvantaged. This area of law has also had successful attempts of combating the undervaluation of female-dominated industries, although these standards have not been fully developed. On the other hand, anti-discrimination law has had a more limited impact on gender pay equity (GPE). It has mainly expelled the formal barriers that restricted women’s access to the public arena; however they are expected to conform to existing practices. Due to weak substantive provisions, and the judiciary’s unwillingness to alter existing systems, there has been less than desirable change to systemic discrimination. Today, the pay gap is largely attributed to the undervaluation of ‘feminised’ work, the influence of women’s primary caring role on career progression, and the managerial glass-ceiling effect. I THE SDA’S CONTRIBUTIONS TO GENDER PAY EQUITY Anti-discrimination laws have had a limited impact on GPE, since the liberal legal system have not been designed to change social structures, but merely to/ allows women to participate in existing arenas. The Sex Discrimination Act 1984 (Cth) and its equivalent state laws have managed to dispel formal barriers to equality, but largely fails to accommodate women’s differences from men. The Acts attempts to achieve equality through the prohibition of two defined forms of discrimination – direct discrimination (DD) is confined to facilitating equality of opportunity, whilst indirect discrimination (IDD) allows some movement towards equality in substance by targeting a restricted range of systemic unfair treatment. However due to the conceptual complexity and evidentiary difficulties of an IDD claim, most cases have been framed as DD. This primary commitment to formal equality is inadequate. Women cannot always conform to male standards and they are punished once they deviate  from established norms. In Purvis, it was held that there is no DD treatment if an act is based on a characteristic or manifestation of a ground, provided that these are borne by the person. Women can thus be treated like other deviants, and treatment is only unlawful if it is applied inconsistently. This system affords women protection so long as they can conform to existing practices. DD arguably only covers blanket exclusions and prejudicial assumptions; although this is not a small area, it does not ensure equality of outcome or resource. In addition, the legislations have poor capacity to tackle systemic discrimination as a result of weak substantive provisions and conservative judicial interpretation. The ability of IDD to challenge disadvantaging practices is seriously blunted by the fact that the court can find these procedures lawful if held reasonable. Countries such as the United States and United Kingdom, upon which Australian anti-discrimination laws are based, have stronger laws. In the US there is a requirement of ‘business necessity’ whilst the UK necessitates ‘a proportionate means of achieving a legitimate aim’. The less onerous Australian standard assigns very wide responsibility to the judiciary to determine whether a disadvantageous practice is lawful. This open texture has allowed the courts in many instances to transmit conservative interpretations which preserve the status quo. The judiciary’s tendency to adopt narrow analyses may reflect an ignorance of the impacts of exclusion and disadvantage, given their relatively privileged social positions. The Act’s treatment of systemic disadvantage has been limited and inconsistent. II Labour Law’s Contributions to Gender Pay Equity The right to equal pay was first entrenched in federal labour law through the adoption of the 1969 and 1972 equal pay principles by Australia’s/n federal industrial tribunal. Due to Australia’s unique system of wage determination, the application of these principles had substantially narrowed the gap between men and women’s pay. Prior to these developments women’s wages were usually set as a proportion of men’s, under the compulsory conciliation and arbitration system of wage-fixing; on the assumption that women were not ‘breadwinners’. In 1969, this institutionalized sex discrimination in wage determination officially came to an end when the federal industrial tribunal implemented the principle of  Ã¢â‚¬Ëœequal pay for equal work’ in wage-setting. This measure had a limited impact, given that it only applied to instances where ‘work performed by men and women was of the same or a like nature’. This narrow interpre tation of equal pay only benefited women with identical jobs as men, leaving female-dominated industries unaffected. Nevertheless, 18 percent of women in the workforce enjoyed equal pay through the industry-wide application of the measures. These limitations were partially addressed in the 1972 National Wage Case, resulting in the new principle of ‘equal pay for work of equal value’. Under this standard, the tribunal can contrast different classifications of work within and across awards to determine work value; taking into consideration the skills, qualifications and conditions associated with the work. However, determinations of work value gave higher favour to masculinised areas of work, and functions linked with predominantly female industries were underappreciated. This concept of work value withstood challenge in the 1986 comparable worth proceedings. The collective, industry-wide remedies that trickled through awards led to an increase in the GPE ratio from 64 per cent in 1967 to 80.1 per cent in 1980. However equality is limited and rests on an implicit male standard. In addition, the scheme did not allow claims by individuals for a single workplace. The GPG has also been influenced by the neolibera l direction of industrial relations policy. Since 1993, the Federal Government has focused on the deregulation of the labour market, favouring enterprise over industry award settlements. The equal pay wage fixing principles were no longer connected with the primary method of wage determination; as pay increases were primarily gained from enterprise bargaining, whilst industry awards largely acted as safety nets adjustments. This process disadvantaged workers with lower skills and bargaining power. Difficulties with measuring productivity in service industries meant that women concentrated in these areas faced problems in productivity-based bargaining. In addition, the uneven and weak state regulation of non-standard casual work, left women, who predominantly do such work, particularly vulnerable after successive phases of neoliberal reform. Due to these developments, the GPG ratio had only increased 4.9 percent from 1980 to 2008. The decline of the institutional and legal structure that had provided women some protection has locked pay inequities. However, in recent years labour law has placed an emphasis on the undervaluation of ‘feminised’ work in labour law. The Industrial Relations Commissions in New South Wales and Queensland have established undervaluation as the threshold for making an equal remuneration claim. Undervaluation can be proven by showing that current rates of pay are inconsistent with the tribunal’s assessments of work value. The test did not regularly turn to a male standard. The Queensland tribunal particularly note factors which may have influenced the valuation of women’s work, such as occupational segregation and the over-representation of women in casual or part-time work. These advances had instituted significant gain wage gains for dental assistants, childcare workers and librarians. However these positive developments were contained when the Federal Government ‘covered the field’ in 2005, replacing them with ineffective principles that hinged on proof of discrimination. However the advent of the Fair Work Act 2009 (Cth) may reaffirm commitments to a test of undervaluation. The successful application of unions in the social, community and disability sector has led to substantial wage gains, upon recognition by the tribunal of an undervaluation of feminised work. Although proof of discrimination is no longer required, the tribunal has refused to adopt a clear remuneration principle, and has insisted that its powers to issue orders are discretionary. The recent measures to tackle female undervaluation may be transient and its current foundations are unsecured. III FACTORS INFLUENCING GENDER PAY INEQUITY The GPG is partly the result of women taking work that accommodates their familial obligations, instead of career-enhancing work that match their skills and experience. The dramatic increase in women’s workforce participation in the last fifty years has not been offset by an increased contribution by men in the household, and women continue to be disproportionately burdened with family caring responsibilities. In 2002, an Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) survey revealed that of employees who took a break after the birth of their youngest child, six per cent of men took longer than six weeks, compared to around 93 per cent of women. National time use studies show that the number of unpaid hours that men and women devote has not changed notably; with women being found to have  contributed 65 percent and 64 percent of household activities in 1992 and 1997 respectively. As a result of women’s primary caregiver role, they are pushed into compromising between paid and unpaid duties. In 1999, it was found that for families with both parents employed, 70 per cent of mothers exercised flexible working arrangements such as flexible working hours, permanent part time work and working at home, to give adequate time for child-rearing. Women have continuously been over-represented in part-time employment, with three-quarters of all part-timers being women in August 2011. However, these arrangements limit women’s ability to excel in the labour market given that most quality positions are structured for ‘ideal workers’ that can operate under full-time hours and without familial pressures. Flexible part-time work often cripples career advancement and most are precarious casual jobs that severely lack the benefits associated with standard employment (such as leave benefits, training, and higher remuneration). Women are generally penalised in the workforce for acting as non-standard workers. The persistence of the GPG can also be attributed to the existing undervaluation of work provided in female-dominated occupations. ‘Feminised’ work is associated with lower remuneration relative to male-dominated occupations. Wooden (1999) indicated that upon controlling for individual and job characteristics, the higher concentration of females in an occupation had a significant negative influence on general earnings. It found that the unequal remuneration of male and female-dominated occupations had created a gender earnings differential of around 4 percent, or one-third of the gender wage differential. This low appreciation of feminine tasks is a serious issue given that women’s employment remain highly concentrated in clerical, sales and service jobs. The comparative worth policy being implemented in recent years may effectively tackle this issue; although at present there are still a significant number of occupations that have yet to benefit from its application. The undervaluation of work undertaken in female-concentrated occupations contributes to the gender pay gap; and the comparable worth principle must be implemented more widely to overcome this problem. Another factor which contributes to the gender earnings gap is the particularly sharp pay inequity between men and women in management. Women are underrepresented in top management and a glass-ceiling phenomenon  operates which block the climb from middle to senior management. A recent study found that 65 and 90 percent of the gender pay gap (of 27 percent) in the sample cannot be associated with managerial characteristics and is potentially caused by discrimination. It was also found that unlike men, the financial returns to experience fall in the latter years for female managers.Women’s inability to break through upper management worsens the pay inequality between the sexes. CONCLUSION Since the 1970s, considerable progress has been achieved for women’s rights. Australia’s distinct system of wage-setting has garnered substantial collective benefits for women. However this system is now in decline and women are insufficiently protected in today’s deregulating markets. Anti-discrimination laws have proved disappointing given its limited coverage to equality based on same treatment as men. There have only been modest changes to systemic discrimination due to weak substantive provisions and a lack of judicial will. In order to further combat GPE, there remains a need to deal with the undervaluation of ‘feminised’ work, the lack of flexibility in good quality positions, and the bar that inhibits women from progressing to higher positions of management. BIBLIOGRAPHY 1. Articles Adams, K. Lee, ‘Defining Away Discrimination’ (2006) 19 Australian Journal of Labour Law 263. Baxter, Janeen, and Chesters, Jenny, ‘Perceptions of Work-Family Balance: How Effective are Family-Friendly Policies?’ (2011) 14 Australian Journal of Labour Economics 139. Broohim, Ray and Sharp, Rhonda, ‘The Changing Male Breadwinner Model in Australia: a New Gender Order?’ (2004) 15 Labour and Industry 1. Broomhill, Ray and Sharp, Rhonda, ‘The Changing Male Breadwinner Model in Australia: A New Gender Order?’ (2004) 15 Labour and Industry 1. Burrow, Sharan, ‘ An Unequal World’ (2004) 10 UNSW Law Journal Forum 38. Campbell, Iain, ‘Casual Employment, Labour Regulation and Australian Trade Unions’ (1996) 38 Journal of Industrial Relations 571. Campbell, Iain, ‘Casual Work and Casualisation: How Does Australia Compare?’ (2004) 15 Labour and Industry 85. Chapman, Ana, ‘Corporate Restructuring and D iscrimination’ (1998) 11 Australian Journal of Labour Law 1. Charlesworth, Sara, ‘Striking the Balance or Tipping the Scales?: The HREOC Women, Men, Work and Family Discussion Paper’(2005) 18 Australian Journal of Labour Law 313. Charlesworth, Sara, Strazdins, Lyndall, O’Brien, Lean and Sims, Sharryn, ‘Parents’ Jobs in Australia: Work Hours Polarisation and the Consequences for Job Quality and Gender Equality’ (2011) 14 Australian Journal of Labour Economics 35. 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Men and women, Yin & Yang - Essay Example When a person meets his Mr. or Ms. Perfect, the pull is irrefutable and incomprehensible despite all differences in behavior and personalities. They are attracted to each other even when they are living far apart. This attraction has always been there in all ages. The girl is yin, and the guy is yang. Yin attract yang with her feminine traits, and yang attracts yin with his masculine traits. Yin is emotional, while yang is indifferent. However, both yin and yang harmonize each other quite perfectly, balancing each other’s negative traits with their positive ones. The yang characteristics of men help them in reasoning and making logical decisions. Their way of approaching problems and solutions is based on intellect rather than emotion. They accomplish their mission with ingenuity and wisdom. They use their absolute willpower and persistent determination to achieve their goals. They are blessed with such resolute power with which they can lead independent lives. They are patient, understanding, and authoritative in nature. They consider themselves as that positive light which can bring the world out of darkness. Hence, they are also dominant in their personal relationships. In contrast, the yin characteristics of women include receptiveness, shyness, and responsibility. Women are more inclined toward emotional logic and sixth sense. They perceive problems with their inner eyes, and spend ample time in making choices that prove to be fruitful in the long run. They give importance to love over practicality. They are more compassionate than their yang counterparts, and believe in poignant aspects of relationships. To them, love is the most cherished possession, and they will do everything to sustain it. They are born with self-sacrificing nature, and are inclined to prefer others to themselves. Extremities in yin and yang characteristics disturb the balance that is required to maintain harmony between the two genders. When a man is too yang, he

Global Marketing Plan Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Global Marketing Plan - Essay Example The present study would focus upon the international expansion plan of the UK based cosmetic firm Avea in the Indian market. The study would include an analysing of the Indian consumer market as well as a general framework for the strategic initiatives of the firm to enter the Indian market. The study would also contain a product mix that would be used by the firm in the Indian consumer market. Finally a feedback and control mechanism would also be framed that would help the firm to evaluate its strategies and generate sustainable competitive advantage in the Indian market. Introduction Globalisation has changed the dynamics of business environment as firms have expanded beyond geographical and political boundaries to reach out to new markets. The present study would focus upon the international expansion of Avea into the Indian consumer market. ... These figures also generate significance for firms like Avea as the cosmetic industry alone is being valued at 274 million US dollars. The personal cosmetic products hold the biggest potential for the entire industry with personal wash based items being valued at 989 million dollars (IBEF, n.d., p.90, 92). Target Country Profile/PEST The external environment of an organization is largely based upon the aspects of political, economic, sociological and technological factors (Wakley & Chambers, 2005, p.38). Political India is the world’s largest democracy and has been a role model for a democratic state. The nation has a stable government that is headed by the president who acts on the advice of the Prime Minister and his council of ministers that are elected democratically. This makes it one of the most attractive destinations for investment for business organizations (CIA, 2011). Economic India is one of the fastest growing economies of the world registering favourable GDP grow th rates. The growth of economy also implies higher disposable income of the residents of the nation (CIA, 2011). This holds good opportunities for business organizations like Avea to expand its operations into the Indian consumer market. Sociological India is the second most populous nation of the world having a population of approximately 1,189,172,906 individuals as of 2010. A majority of this population falls within the age group of 15-64 years which is the target market for the company. The median age of the population is pegged at 25.6 years that again represents good opportunities for cosmetic marketing firms like Avea (CIA, 2011). Technological Technological aspects also hold widespread implications on the business prospects of an

FLSA Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

FLSA - Essay Example According to this act overtime is defined as "time actually spent in worked after a prescribed threshold.† This Act give exemptions to some of the employees from its provision of minimum wage and overtime pay as well as it also exempts some particular employees only from its provision of the overtime. As these exemptions are defined narrowly, Suzy should have to contact the Wage and Hour Division office in the local area in order to check whether or not the terms and conditions would support her complaint. There are only some issues drawn in here, which can be considered under the guidelines of Department of Labor. From en entirely legal point of view, the former employer currently offering the benefits must bargain with the participants of the insurance plan, or a fair percentage must be considered. Since completely abandoning the policy may result in financial distress to a lot of employees as mentioned by the HR, an alternative plan must be sought that the company may pursue keeping in view the financial condition of the company as well as that of its employees. In order to have a better decision, employees may be involved and suggestions may be welcomed from the employees and the overall financial condition of the company may be conveyed to them, so that a better understanding may result of the

Teamwork and Motivation Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Teamwork and Motivation - Research Paper Example Leaders work to enhance the internal force in employees that eventually manifests itself in all the above sectors of the organization. Motivational theories are sometimes used as tools to measure the manifestations of motivation efforts in workplaces. Consequently, an effective motivation plan is essential towards the success of any organization in relation to the dynamism in the market and the ever-growing competition. The WooWoo manufacturing company requires an effective motivation plan that would encourage high job satisfaction, low turnover, high productivity and high quality of work within the organization. This plan should bring together more that self-interest to all employees to attain success. Moreover, the motivation should also improve the relationships among all staff in this small organization to ensure both individual and group strengths. The organization’s motivation design contains several components namely organizational structure and culture, intangible rewa rds, communication, and trust among all employees and the management. The combination of all these components would result to success in the establishment and implementation of the motivation plan. Many organizations today implement the horizontal structure that incorporates transparency and open environment for employees. This clears communication and results to efficiency in allocation and completion of assigned tasks and projects. This form of openness motivates the employees and inspires loyalty to leaders. The employees work as a team in accomplishing the mission and organizational objectives with ease (Bruce, 2006). The horizontal structure helps in eliminating the mental barriers and employee-management myths. A motivation plan with this component boosts employees’ motivation leading to improved loyalty and minimal employee turnover. Intangible rewards are part of the motivation plan and entails looking beyond the monetary compensations. Intangible rewards help in achi eving employees’ confidence in their jobs. This is done through the creation of a platform that helps them to grow on their careers and develop to their next level. They include clear job descriptions that create a conducive environment for assuming an employee’s responsibilities (Bruce, 2006). Receiving career development support, being well informed on the affairs of the organization and just compensation are part of intangible rewards that boost the performances through high job satisfaction with respect to employees. Communication is a crucial part of any organization because it determines the efficiency of all operations, completion of assigned tasks and projects. Keeping the employees updated on all issues, rewards, promotions and change of command avoids negative reactions towards changes. Communication also entails feedback that ensures a message was received and any forms of instructions were followed (Lauby, 2005). Passing on information regarding an individu al’s personal achievements and expectations boosts the workplace relationships thus motivating them to improve their performances. Effective communication motivates employees towards high productivity through passing on the requirements of any task and giving the necessary feedback on the progress and completion. The management should build on trust to ensure they trust the employees and are trusted. Trust entails keeping of promises, upholding integrity and fairness in the workplace. Trust

Organizational Change Plan Essay Example for Free

Organizational Change Plan Essay The proposal discussed is Electronic Health records. There are numerous advantages to using Electronic Medical health Records however, there are disadvantages as well. I believe that the Electronic Health Records process needs to be improved. Staff are having major difficulty using EHR‘s and this detrimental to the use because the staff feel uncomfortable therefore avoiding using EHRs. In order to change how the health care providers feel towards using EHRs, management must communicate adequately the need for the change and the great benefits of it. The next step would be for management to educate the staff by using evidence based processes. In this stage, management must make use of EHRs simple for staff to follow and provide enthusiasm in using EHRs correctly. An organizational boundary would be lack of deadlines, lack of funding, and lastly lack of participation from staff. Lack of deadlines leave staff to make their own deadline according to how necessary they feel the change is. Usually, new processes get put off because theyre used to the then existing habit and feel that the new process would require more time and energy. Despite the fact that actually using EHRs require a lot of training the primary benefit of EHRs is that it doesnt require an unnecessary amount of effort. One could save time and make other staffs tasks much easier resulting in faster outcomes and more time to focus on more issues. Another organizational boundary would be lack of funding. EHRs need computers, trainers/ End users, training manuals, subject matter experts, and time which could be rather costly. If an organization does not have the funds to provide training manuals, subject matter experts, or any of the other matters reported then the use of EHRs will not be possible. Lastly, lack of participation from staff is an enormous regulatory barrier. Without the use of EHRs by the staff the employees wont see the benefits of using EHRs and they will continue to use the old and less productive way. Individual barriers include problems comprehending the new information, fear of changing, and computer illiteracy. All the problem stated are rather large personal barriers and are interconnected. One may fear or feel that they dont want to change to EHRs because they are computer illiterate and cant comprehend how to use a computer. When using EHRs one must have basic  computer knowledge and be proficient in using all the necessary tools and softwares on a computer and without this knowledge then a person would feel overwhelmed in trying to use EHRs. There are both good and bad factors that may influence my proposed change. An example of a negative factor would be poor performing computers. Positive factors include good communication. Negative factors such as poor performing computes could negatively impact the use of EHRs significantly. The purpose of using EHRs are to save on time resulting in an increase of productivity but if working on a poor performing computer one may be result in going back to writing out information on health records. The main decisive factor in using EHRs is the incr ease of communication. With the use of EHRs not only all the staff will be able to access a patients information but another organization like a hospital or insurance company will be able to see and use the record. Using EHRs inside an organization will allow for all the staff to view the same information and to be updated. Lewins model relates to the change proposed because the process needed to change the process of EHRs which require Lewins three steps unfreezing, changing and refreezing Spector (2010). Unfreezing would be getting the staff to realize that they need to make a change. It is said that communication is essential in this step because it is needed to convey the urgency and specific outcome wanted (Change Management In Ehr Implementation, 2013). However in this scenario the change wouldnt be to implement EHRs it would be to get the staff to use go from avoiding the use of EHRs to become the new norm. The second step of the Lewins model is change. Change is moving from old habits or behaviors to the new and efficient implementations. Learning new habits and processes are what happens during this changing phase. Also, resistance is often seen in this stage, usually employees are set in their ways and view the new change as difficult or more challenging therefore they will resist the change Spector (2010). This is where the main problem occurs in the use of EHRs especially at my place of employment. The staff was introduced to a new method in recording health records however the staff still had doubts and felt intimidated towards using EHRs. In order to change or prevent the negative attitude towards the change, managers should let the employees know that the new change is necessary and that it contains more benefits than the last process. This is a problem within our organization. Usually providers state  to the workers that a change is going to be made then they train employees immediately and then they leave it up to the employees to continue to use the new process. In addition, managers and other employers sh ould make themselves available to the staff in assisting them with the new change. The last step discussed in Lewins model is freezing. The step freezing ensures that the new process is set in place and will continue to be the new norm. The employees at my workplace were not able to complete the final phase freezing because they resisted the change and reverted back to the old process. Internal resources available to support the change initiatives are using consultants or using expert help or allowing staff to take leadership roles in implementing the use of EHRs. Using expert help specialists allow the trainees to learn more about EHRs and how to prevent and correct problems with EHRs. Allowing staff to implement the use of EHRs through leadership is a very rewarding internal resource (Change Management In Ehr Implementation, 2013). The staff feels good about the change their making and the staff will use EHRs instead of writing this will provide them as well as the viewer with information about a patient and give them a better overview on what is happening with a patient. External resources available to support change initiatives are journals or using sites and articles. External resources would be journals, articles or websites on the subject matter of EHRs. These resources allow one to see anything from the purpose of EHRs, the history of EHRs, as well as how to resolve technical issues with EHRs. I believe that increased efficiency in EHRs will reduce the time it takes to access medical records. The pros outweigh the cons. Depending on whether or not staff has basic computer knowledge the education will be minimal as well as time. The advantages include better time management, more efficient communication, and less space taken up by papers and files. References Change Management in EHR Implementation. (2013). Retrieved from http://www.healthit.gov/sites/default/files/nlc_changemanagementprimer.pdf Spector, B. (2010). Implementing Organizational Change: Theory Into Practice (2nd ed.). Retrieved from The University of Phoenix Ebook Collection database.

Analysis of Leadership Agility Theory

Analysis of Leadership Agility Theory Leadership is in a constant flux, driven by the dynamics of an ever-changing global landscape. Competition has never been fiercer, times have never been more unpredictable, and leadership has never been more significant for organizations to succeed. Bill Joiner and Robert Stephens (2006) introduce the concept of leadership agility which they defined as the ability to take wise and effective action amidst complex, rapidly-changing conditions (p. 6). The best thing about the book is that upon reading the introductory pages, you already know that it is a timely book on leadership. Joiner and Stephens make their case early on that effective leadership in the globalized world is contextualized that with the cross-cultural considerations, leaders are now faced with the challenge to adapt more ably to changing conditions and goals. When it comes to books on leadership, I was looking for concrete examples on what the authors are actually trying to point out in order to illustrate the theori es in a real-world setting. This book did not disappoint me on this aspect. There were numerous examples of individuals at various stages in their leadership careers, how they handled crisis situations and decision-making, including the strengths and weaknesses of their judgments. The last chapter of the book also encourages the reader to assess his or her level of organizational agility and to determine which core competencies of agility he or she needs to develop to lead more effectively. The book is well-written, not very technical in language, very organized, and rife with illustrations on the points they wanted to make, particularly on how the various levels of agility and core competencies differ from one another. From the title itself, I expected structure as I knew the authors would try to guide me through what they call the five levels of mastery in leadership. The authors succeeded in meeting all the challenges in coming up with a book on leadership that in the end, gives the reader not only the basic concepts, but teaches him on how to measure his or her agility level provide guidance on what to do next. In this book review, I intend to indicate the strengths as well as the points for improvement that I found while reading the book. I will also synthesize the concepts presented by the authors to relevant leadership concepts we have learned from the course from Northouse (2008), Clawton (2008) and Kouzes and Posner (2007). Highlights of the Book Part One of the book introduced the core competencies in leadership agility which is the main topic of this work. To do so, the authors did three things. First of all, they provided the rationale for leadership agility in the context of the interdependent world that has been borne out of globalization. They emphasized the complexity that leaders in organizations now face. The acceleration of ideas and new technologies has increased competition to a level never anticipated in the past. With the speed of these technological changes, opportunities and threats are also encountered at roughly the same level. This necessitates leaders to develop the ability to become agile, a behavior demonstrated when leaders are able to leverage resources and relationships in order to effectively respond to changes that affect the organization. Agility, said the authors, is developmental it passes through different stages and displays specific behaviors as leaders go from the most basic stage to the hig hest. The five steps in leadership agility include (from the lowest to the highest level): expert, achiever, catalyst, co-creator and synergist (Joiner Stephens, 2006). Second, in order to provide a brief look at how agility is demonstrated differently in five ways, the authors narrated a fictional character, Ed, a manager, who, upon encountering a situation responds to it in five very distinct ways. The manner in which Ed responded to the situation given illustrated a level in the leadership agility hierarchy. Third, the authors presented core competencies which are significant in leadership agility. By competencies, they meant the abilities and the skills needed by leaders to become agile. All in all, there are four competencies, which include context-setting agility, stakeholder agility, creative agility, and self-leadership agility. Under each core competency are two capacities involved. Within the context-setting agility, leaders have sense of purpose and situational awareness . Under creative agility, leaders possess reflective judgment and connective awareness. Under stakeholder agility, leaders possess power style and stakeholder understanding. Under self-leadership agility, leaders possess developmental motivation and self-awareness. Part Two of the book expounds on the five stages of leadership agility, devoting one chapter for each level. This section of the book explained in detail the areas, distinctions, and differences at each level of agility and illustrated each by presenting at least three case studies. The authors showed the leadership style, organizational initiatives, team leadership, and handling pivotal conversation associated with each agility level. The specific stages in leadership agility intertwine with some of the leadership concepts and styles that have been discussed in the course. I will discuss the concepts in relation to the five leadership agility levels. Expert. At the Expert Level, which is the lowest in the agility hierarchy, the leader proceeds with a tactical and problem-solving style of leadership. At this stage, the leader believes he holds the expertise and position to know what is best for the organization. This is similar to what has been learned from the course objectives. The style of leadership being manifested at this level is transactional management is key. This is what Burns (as cited in Northouse, 2008) tried to reiterate in distinguishing managers and leaders in that managers are people who do things right and leaders are people who do the right thing (p. 213). The thrust in the Expert level of agility is results, not the fulfillment of organizational goals or empowerment of followers. The leader stays on top of the situation. While this leadership style gets things done, it is a mild variation of the autocratic leadership style because the leader is the central decision-making body and the leader assumes that he o r she alone knows what is best for the company. Achiever. The Achiever strives for outcome and leads knowing that ones expertise and positional authority alone does not lead to effective leadership but also on ones capacity to motivate others. In this stage, the leader moves up from being purely transactional to recognizing the need to be transformational as well. Northouse (2008) explained the difference between transactional and transformational leadership by saying that the latter motivated by considering and appealing to the interest of the followers. The ability to motivate others is the leadership aspect in Kouzes and Posners (2007) so-called journey. According to them, leadership requires the capacity to convince people to go on board while management guarantees that they reach the destination. To Joiner and Stephens (2006) then, the Achiever level of agility requires one to be both leader and manager. The Achiever initiates change by looking at the market environment and seeking input from stakeholders. Since the Achiever prioritizes outcome, there is an emphasis on using communication to assert the leaders views as well as accommodate views from others so long as it furthers organizational goals. One of the biggest concerns for leadership is handling the change process through more effective ways of communicating (Northouse, 2008; Clawson, 2008). Clawson (2008) considered communication important in any organization and opined that meetings should be a forum of empowerment. Clawson (2008) believed that meetings are an avenue where leaders show that while being the head of the organization, he or she is not supposed to dominate the group but instead empower them to speak out about current concerns and to foster dialogue in the direction of finding working solutions. Catalyst. The Catalysts leadership style is visionary and innovative and is able to articulate goals and at the same time inspire people into achieving those goals. In a sense, the Catalyst is transformational and realigns the culture and values of an organization to that of empowerment, teamwork, and participation. The Catalyst pushes for change and does so progressively. This is because he or she realizes that organizational change and member empowerment are vital elements of building and maintaining an industrious and dynamic organization. Kouzes and Posner (2007) believed that transformational leaders engaged stakeholders proactively and values their feedback as important considerations in decision-making. Even in the midst of opposition, the Catalyst welcomes dialogue and considers team-building to be an integral part of leadership development. This is very similar to what Northouse (2008) referred to as intellectual stimulation present in transformational forms of leadership. T his is a characteristic where leaders foster a climate of open-mindedness and creativity, challenging members to question the status quo, and to challenge their beliefs and values, as well as those of the leader (Northouse, 2008, p. 177). Northouse (2008) also highlighted in Chapter 6 of Introduction to Leadership that vision is crucial in leadership and that possessing it is as important as articulating it effectively, as in the case of Martin Luther King, Jr.s famous I Have a Dream speech and the inaugural address of John F. Kennedy. In the same vein as Joiner and Stephens (2006) emphasis on the Catalysts appreciation for feedback, Northouse (2008) also considered the development of group behaviors as important and that leaders must ensure that members are trained to provide constructive feedback that will help improve the dynamics of the team toward organizational effectiveness. On the other hand, Kouzes and Posner (2007) said that that leaders must search for opportunities to in novate, grow, and improve but reiterated that leaders should not be the only sources of innovation (p. 371). Cocreator. Joiner and Stephens (2006) identify the Cocreator as someone with an orientation toward collaboration and shared objectives. The Cocreator views leadership more importantly as a form of service toward the common good, similar to Kouzes and Posners (2007) emphasis on leadership as a means of achieving justice. Joiner and Stephens (2006) places upon the Cocreator the capacity to leads toward organization change by creating deep relationships with stakeholders fueled by mutual interests and devotion to uphold the welfare of the general population. The Cocreator may be more inclined to advocate for corporate social responsibility as a crucial component in organizational leadership. Team leadership to him is about collaborative practices and instilling in members that the welfare of the organization is a collective responsibility (Northouse, 2008). At this stage, leaders are aware that in order to accomplish goals and in handling change more effectively, they need followers, a nd vice versa. It is also at this stage where leaders are more keen on adopting ethical practices in leadership, because the leader becomes more aware that the actions, values, character, and goals of the organization are important (Northouse, 2008). Synergist. The Synergist is the highest type of leadership agility and in the authors estimation, present only in 1% of managers today. The leadership orientation is holistic leading becoming a purposeful activity which benefits the organization while at the same time becoming a medium for personal transformation. A sense of purpose is a recurrent theme in leadership literature and is an acknowledged element in the change process. Effective leadership, according to Clawson (2008) is pursuing purpose by exerting ones influence in improving the conditions and making things better for the organization and the society in general. The Synergist is able to maintain a keen yet objective awareness of incompatible stakeholder interests but is able to transform these differences in opinion into a win-win situation to the benefit of all concerned. Team leadership in a Synergist is fluid and dynamic and is able to form group dynamics in a way that provides optimum results. When engaging in pivo tal conversations, the Synergist maintains a present-centered awareness that is able to unify the organization despite chaotic situations (p. 11). According to the authors, this is the type of leadership agility that all managers should aspire for in the long-term. ÂÂ   While the five levels of leadership agility are hierarchically presented, meaning that the topmost Synergist level is the most effective form, Joiners and Stephens (2006) are quick to point out that this does not mean that the Synergist type is always the applicable one. In this vein, leadership agility becomes situational (Northouse, 2008). At this current business environment and considering the present forms of leadership that are found in most organizations, the challenge is to get past the so-called heroic leadership forms characterized by Achievers and Experts at the lower and middle level management (Joiner Stephens, 2006, p. 35). Heroic leadership is purely transactional, characterized by self-centeredness and the belief that the leader along is responsible for charting the organizations objectives, coordinating the activities of the members, and in managing how workers perform their respective jobs. Agile leadership on the other hand is transactional as well as transformati onal because it is dynamic and adaptive to the requirements of rapidly changing global business environment requires (Kouzes and Posner, 2007). The authors recommend the post-heroic leadership forms that emerge from the Catalyst stage onwards. What is desirable about post-heroic leaders is that while leaders hold accountability and accept ultimate responsibility, they allow members to participate and the organization shares commitment and burden in realizing organizational objectives. In this manner, even members of the group are empowered without necessarily holding a position with power. Conclusion This work from Joiner and Stephens (2006) is a response to the ever-growing challenges of leadership that has swept the global age. Compared to the more normative concepts of effective leadership that could be read from Northouse (2008) and Kouzes and Posner (2007), Joiner and Stephens focused on the ability not only to achieve organizational outcomes but to adaptability as well to respond to the changing conditions in society to achieve success for the business or organization. Comparatively, Joiner and Stephens presented a more contemporary strategy for todays leaders and highlighted examples that are grounded to twenty-first century realities. They used recurrent themes in leadership in presenting their case for leadership agility such as the distinguishing the difference between managers and leaders. The first two forms (Expert and Achiever) resemble the traits of a manager who controls, arranges, and does things right (Northouse, 2008, p. 135). Joiner and Stephens (2006) recogni ze that managerial skills are important in achieving outcomes but must be elevated to include transformational leadership skills in order to apart more effectively to global challenges. For instance, in education reform, there is a need to apply more creative strategies in response to organizational change. This may include proposing for policies that require 1) inclusion and diversity, 2) trends in curriculum and instruction, and 3) use of technology (OConnell, 2010). As agility progresses to the Catalyst, Cocreator, and Synergist level, the managers transitions to a leader who not only gets results but unleashes creative potential among followers, guides them with a sense of purpose and vision and empowers them toward achieving not only the outcomes of the organization but toward the good. Joiner and Stephens (2006) also dealt with the importance of communication in handling the change process. They reinforced Clawson (2008) in saying that meetings should be empowering to follower s. Furthermore, communication also requires that the vision and mission of the organization are articulated well and understood by all levels within the organization (Clawson, 2008; Kouzes Posner, 2007). Joiner and Stephens (2006) incorporates some of the traditional leadership concepts such as transformational leadership, motivation, influence, creativity, innovation into the hierarchical leadership agility model but is unique in characterizing the stages in agility into three areas: organizational change, team leadership, and handling pivotal conversations. Dealing with and initiating change is one of the central tenets of this book. Clawson (2008) opined that organizations need to respond to changes in the external environment more proactively. Leaders need to develop a comprehensive understanding of competition, market, consumer issues, and all possible underlying factors in order to adapt more effectively to changes. Competitiveness in this global age relies not on what has been traditionally done, but on versatility and change (Kouzes Posner, 2007; Clawson, 2008) or agility according to Joiner and Stephens (2006). As a response to accelerated technological developments and in creasingly borderless world, firms and organizations must step up to the challenge of constantly innovating and addressing threats that come and embracing opportunities encountered. One weakness of this book is that it is largely silent on ethics as a consideration on leadership agility. Kouzes and Posner (2007) capitalized on ethical leadership as an urgency for organizations. Northouse (2008) considered it important for leaders to continually self evaluate in terms of how they are performing in better, fairer, and more humane ways (Northouse, 2008). Oftentimes, change in the globalized world is synonymous with maintaining competitive edge over others usually at a cost. With the increasing attention on global climate change, environmental issues, terrorism, protectionism, and even resistance to globalization in the twenty-first century, leaders must be highly adaptive to these global issues as well and weigh how these global conditions come into the equation.

The Knife :: essays research papers

The knife Everybody has read a horror story before at some point, but a story from Alfred Hitchcock is different because at the end he leaves the reader thinking what has happened. In "The Knife" he uses Plot, Setting, and Conflict to do just this. Edward Dawes and Herbert Smithers are just two friends having a drink with each other, but one of them has a knife that was found in a nearby sewer drain. Herbert is cleaning it widly as if he was possesed. Then a red ruby appears on the knife when he is done cleaning it, now the madness breaksout like a terrible plague.. While Herbert is admiring the knife, the maid walks in and asks to see the knife, but all of a sudden Herbert goes insane out of his mind when the maid touched him, then he stares right at the maid with a devilish look, and out of the blue he stabbed her, next thing you know the maid is on the floor dead and Herbert runs out the house as fast as he can. The reader may think this is the climax, but it is not, it is the rising action leading up to the climax. Alfred Hitchcock does not tell the reader why he stabbed her, he likes to leaving the reader thinking and get more into the story, which is kind of like a hook to keep the reader reading. The climax is where he will get the readers interested more in the story. After Herbert runs out Edward Dawes picks up the knife and notifys the police of the incident. once he has called the police for some reason he goes into the kitchen to clean the wicked knife. While he is cleaning it, it slips out of his hand and cuts his arm, then his wife walks in and trys to help him, then Edward goes bezerk just like his friend Herbert and for no reason stabbs her in her chest. The falling action and conclusion get a little weird because the police get to the scene, and they start discussing about this, but the sergeant remembers a murder on the same street a while back, and the person that was murdered on this street was Marie Kelly, the last victim of Jack The Ripper. When Jack The Ripper was getting away he dropped the knife into a sewer drain. Both men say it was the knife that made them stabb

Importance of Fidelity in Julius Caesar :: Julius Caesar Essays

Importance of Fidelity in Julius Caesar Humans have always been communal animals. They band together in groups, for social and survival needs. This sense of community brings about the values of dedication and loyalty. The alliances man has created inspires stories and plays about any number of time periods. Many examples of fidelity are illustrated in the characters of Julius Caesar. Antonius appears to be blindly loyal to Caesar. He comes off as a rash supporter in the scene that depicts Antonius viewing Caesar's body. Another situation where Antonius displays fidelity to Caesar is act one, scene two, in which the young runner pledges that whatever Caesar wishes is his command. The wild soliloquy he gives illustrates his allegiance to the slain king, and he seems to sacrifice his body to Caesar's spirit. Such devote feelings spur the reader to wonder what deed Caesar did for Antonius that the younger man would harbor said emotions. Not only the men of Julius Caesar but the women also show loyalty. Although Caesar's wife, Calpurnia, portrays herself as a needy woman, she also shows that she loves her husband very much. Fear overwhelms her when Caesar announces that, though he's been warned that the day would be his deathday, he would go outside. Calpurnia's dread of losing her husband shows that she depends on him very much. However, it is questionable in which way she depends on him: emotionally or monetarily. A woman accustomed to being pampered as an important official's wife would likely wish for her wealthy husband to live, and Calpurnia does give the impression that she is high maintenance. However, it would be unfair to claim she is only loyal to Caesar's money. Portia, on the other hand, is one of the most famous examples of a pledge of faith. She feels hurt that her husband, Brutus, would keep secrets from her because she has never done anything to harm him. She shows him how great her love for him without words by stabbing herself in the thigh, although her eloquent speech is moving as well: "I have made a strong proof of my constancy giving myself a voluntary wound here, in the thigh; can I bear that with patience, and not my husband's secrets?

Gypsies in Nineteenth-Century England :: European History Essays

Gypsies in Nineteenth-Century England Missing Works Cited Despite the important role Gypsies played in the nineteenth-century, they were not automatically accepted as equals in society. In fact, from the moment they set foot on European soil, the Gyspies were misunderstood and even feared. These feelings became manifest in prejudices, which led to discriminatory actions. At the same time, however, Victorian society found itself fascinated with these strange Gypsies. The gypsy motif in Jane Eyre reflects the ambiguous attitude of Victorian society toward Gypsies. The depiction of "the Gypsy" at Thornfield Hall and the characters' reactions to her are reflections of prejudices based on the Gypsies' skin color, way of life, and traditions, and are also reflections of discriminatory treatment the Gypsies suffered. Simultaneously, many of the descriptions of the Gypsy are also the product of a romanticized view of Gypsies, which manifests itself works of fiction by many other authors throughout the Victorian Era. The Victorians' initial impression of the Gypsies was not a favorable one. At first, the prejudices against Gypsies had obvious sources. Settled society has always had a fear of foreigners, so naturally, "the earliest response to the 'Egyptian' immigrants was rooted, generally, in a xenophobic fear and mistrust of aliens" (Mayall, "British Gypsies" 8). Besides being mistrusted as foreigners, the Gypsies fell victim to racial prejudice because of the color of their skin. Even long before the nineteenth-century, "the conviction that blackness denotes inferiority was already well-rooted in the Western mind. The nearly black skins of many Gypsies marked them out to be victims of this prejudice" (Kenrick and Puxon 19). Even if Charlotte Bronte never saw a Gypsy, she reflects these perceptions of them in her description of "the Gypsy" that visits Thornfield Hall. The Gypsy's most noticeable feature in Sam's mind as he describes her to the assembled guests is that she is "'almost as black a s a crock'" (217, ch. 18). Later, when Jane goes for her interview with the Gypsy, she notes that her face "looked all brown and black" (221, ch. 19). Since the Gypsy turns out to be Mr. Rochester, and there is no indication that he actually blackened his face for his disguise, it may be that the Gypsy's black skin is an imagined product of the characters' preconceived notions about what Gypsies look like. Whatever the case, the fact that Bronte makes the Gypsy's skin color prominent in the characters' description of her reflects the racial prejudice that existed toward Gypsies in Victorian England. Gypsies in Nineteenth-Century England :: European History Essays Gypsies in Nineteenth-Century England Missing Works Cited Despite the important role Gypsies played in the nineteenth-century, they were not automatically accepted as equals in society. In fact, from the moment they set foot on European soil, the Gyspies were misunderstood and even feared. These feelings became manifest in prejudices, which led to discriminatory actions. At the same time, however, Victorian society found itself fascinated with these strange Gypsies. The gypsy motif in Jane Eyre reflects the ambiguous attitude of Victorian society toward Gypsies. The depiction of "the Gypsy" at Thornfield Hall and the characters' reactions to her are reflections of prejudices based on the Gypsies' skin color, way of life, and traditions, and are also reflections of discriminatory treatment the Gypsies suffered. Simultaneously, many of the descriptions of the Gypsy are also the product of a romanticized view of Gypsies, which manifests itself works of fiction by many other authors throughout the Victorian Era. The Victorians' initial impression of the Gypsies was not a favorable one. At first, the prejudices against Gypsies had obvious sources. Settled society has always had a fear of foreigners, so naturally, "the earliest response to the 'Egyptian' immigrants was rooted, generally, in a xenophobic fear and mistrust of aliens" (Mayall, "British Gypsies" 8). Besides being mistrusted as foreigners, the Gypsies fell victim to racial prejudice because of the color of their skin. Even long before the nineteenth-century, "the conviction that blackness denotes inferiority was already well-rooted in the Western mind. The nearly black skins of many Gypsies marked them out to be victims of this prejudice" (Kenrick and Puxon 19). Even if Charlotte Bronte never saw a Gypsy, she reflects these perceptions of them in her description of "the Gypsy" that visits Thornfield Hall. The Gypsy's most noticeable feature in Sam's mind as he describes her to the assembled guests is that she is "'almost as black a s a crock'" (217, ch. 18). Later, when Jane goes for her interview with the Gypsy, she notes that her face "looked all brown and black" (221, ch. 19). Since the Gypsy turns out to be Mr. Rochester, and there is no indication that he actually blackened his face for his disguise, it may be that the Gypsy's black skin is an imagined product of the characters' preconceived notions about what Gypsies look like. Whatever the case, the fact that Bronte makes the Gypsy's skin color prominent in the characters' description of her reflects the racial prejudice that existed toward Gypsies in Victorian England.

Business Strategy Kerry Group Essay

In 1972 Kerry Group started its operation in Listowel, Co. Kerry. In 1974 Kerry Group has been formally established as Kerry Cooperative Creameries Limited in County Kerry, Ireland. The company grew in less than 30 years from this small provincial dairy for one of the world leaders in specialty food ingredients producers and distributors. During the 1970s, the company expanded to include a large number of dairy farms and processing plants in the counties of Cork, Killarney, Galway and Limerick. Between 1979 and 1985, Kerry has built a lot of confidence in their abilities and technologies. During the 1980s the business strategy of the organization was based on organic growth with a focus on diversification. With that Kerry began branching out from its core dairy products in other categories of food. The company had its growth through acquisitions including a number of manufacturing facilities and other food processing, located throughout Ireland and Northern Ireland. In 1986 with Denis Brosnan as chief executive, the cooperative decided to become a full-fledged company, listing its shares on the Irish Stock Exchange. The newly public company reported strong growth after its first  full year of operations, with revenues nearing IR £ 300 million, and net profits of nearly IR £ 6.3 million. Before the end of the decade Brosnan managed to double the sales of the company maintaining its Expansion in Ireland with the acquisition of 1986 Snowcream Moate Dairies, and the formation of a division of convenience foods, bringing the company into this increasingly prominent market. Alongside this movement was the intensification of business Kerry special ingredients. At the same time, Kerry also established presence in the United States, the opening of a processing facility dairy product, Jackson, Wisconsin in 1987. In the 1990s Kerry Group continued to expand its business into the UK from the acquisition of new businesses to the already existing portfolio company. Kerry’s acquisition drive continued into the late 1990s, bringing the company into France, Italy, Poland, Malaysia, Brazil. Two important acquisitions highlighted Kerry’s expansion. The first came in 1994 when the company acquired the business of food processing DCA, bringing the company to a position outstanding among North America’s specialty ingredients producers. The DCA purchase also introduced it to the Australian and New Zealand markets. The opportunity for renewed expansion came in February 1998, when the Kerry Group announced its agreement to purchase the food ingredients businesses of the U.K.’s Dalgety PLC. Kerry acquired Dalgety Food Ingredients’ plants in the United Kingdom and in Hungary and the Netherlands–new markets for Kerry well as plants in France, Italy, and Germany. The Dalgety acquisition firmly established Kerry as the top specialty ingredients producer in Europe, and one of the world’s leaders in its specific categories. Kerry was now turning its attention to two new markets: the Far East and South America both markets represent a huge potential new customer, both for the company’s products and food brands, and products for their  ingredients. Company’s initial forays into these markets include acquisitions of plants in Malaysia and Brazil, while the company predicted that these markets are reaching some 25 percent of the company’s revenue at the beginning of the next century. Strategic Levels According to Porter & Porter in Montgomery (1998) corporate strategy is the general plan for a diversified company, which has two levels of strategy: the strategy of the business unit (or competitive), and corporate strategy (or entire corporate group). To Christensen in Fahey & Randall (1999), corporate strategy is one that is concerned with three major issues to be faced by the managers of the corporation: 1. The corporate scope: that complex business corporation should attend? 2. The relationship between its parts: on what basis the business units of the corporation should relate to each other? 3. Methods for managing the scope and relationships: that specific methods – acquisitions, strategic alliances, divestitures, and others – will be adopted to effect specific changes in corporate scope and relationships?

African Americans and the Civil War Essay

In the world we live in many people take a lot for granted. Just the small simple things people don’t really appreciate, being ungrateful for the things that have been given to them. Many people and different situations have paved the way for our generation to become much easier to live in. African Americans during the civil rights movement had to face a lot of trills in order to make the world a better place. Many people don’t appreciate that because they are unaware of just how much grief African Americans had to go though to create a path for the upcoming generation. African Americans faced many hardships during the civil rights movement, some of those hardships were segregation, voting rights, and assassination of prominent African American leaders. Segregation was such a big obstacle for African Americans because not only were they not allowed to go certain places it became bigger than that. Everything in African Americans lives were split in half. There were white only signs places all over there towns. White only signs for bathrooms, restaurants, and water fountains. Everything was separated between the two races blacks and whites. One event that really stuck out like a sore thumb was The Montgomery Bus Boycott. During, the time of segregation blacks were allowed to ride the buses, but many rules had to apply. Blacks had a black’s only section on the bus that could be moved in any location of the bus. That means that the blacks’ only sign could be moved in front of two rows on the bus if that’s what the bus driver wanted. Black riders had to pay their bus far on the front of the bus and get off to walk to the back of the bus to ride. Some bus drivers would allow the blacks to pay and when the step off the bus the bus driver would drive away and leave them. When blacks did receive a chance to ride on the bus, if a white person did not have a seat to sit in a black person had to give up their seat. The blacks of Montgomery, Alabama, decided that they would boycott the city buses until they could sit anywhere they wanted, instead of being relegated to the back when a white boarded. On December 1, 1955, Mrs. Rosa Parks, an African American seamstress, was arrested in Montgomery, Alabama for not standing and letting a white bus rider take her seat. The plan to stop the whites from making the blacks move was the boycott. Blacks would no longer ride the buses anymore. That means that the bus companies were losing a lot of money. Blacks would walk to work or school and even carpool, but would not step foot on the buses. The boycott continued for over a year. Eventually, the United States Supreme Court put an end to the boycott. On November 13, 1956 the Court declared that Alabama’s state and local laws requiring segregation on buses were illegal. On December 20th federal injunctions were served on city and bus company officials forcing them to follow the Supreme Court’s ruling. African Americans had to face a lot just so that they could be treated as an equal on the bus. Segregation played a huge role in the school system. In public schools more so than any. That’s what stated the big flare Brown vs. Board of Education. The 1954 United States Supreme Court decision in Oliver L. Brown vs. the Board of Education of Topeka (KS) is among the most significant judicial turning points in the development of our country. Originally led by Charles H. Houston, and later Thurgood Marshall and a formidable legal team, it dismantled the legal basis for racial segregation in schools and other public facilities. Brown vs. Board of Education was not simply about children and education. The laws and policies struck down by this court decision were products of the human tendencies to prejudge, discriminate against, and stereotype other people by their ethnic, religious, physical, or cultural characteristics. Ending this behavior as a legal practice caused far reaching social and ideological implications, which continue to be felt throughout our country. The Brown decision inspired and galvanized human rights struggles across the country and around the world. The U. S. Supreme Court decision in Brown began a critical chapter in the maturation of our democracy. It reaffirmed the sovereign power of the people of the United States in the protection of their natural rights from arbitrary limits and restrictions imposed by state and local governments. These rights are recognized in the Declaration of Independence and guaranteed by the U. S. Constitution. Brown was giving African Americans the opportunity to be accepted as an individual and not just as a race. Now, you would think that after the Brown vs. Board of Education whites would accept African Americans and treat them better. That was not the case and segregation did not stop there. Although, many people had hoped that it would it took the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to really make a change. The Civil Rights Act of 1964 was a landmark piece of legislation in the United States that outlawed major forms of discrimination against blacks and women, and ended racial segregation in the United States. It ended unequal application of voter registration requirements and racial segregation in schools, at the workplace and by facilities that served the general public. Once the Act was implemented, its effects were far-reaching on the country as a whole and had an immediate impact on the South. It prohibited discrimination in public facilities, in government, and in employment, invalidating the Jim Crow laws in the southern U. S. It became illegal to compel segregation of the races in schools, housing, or hiring. After passage of the law, the NAACP was the only major civil rights organization to maintain a large membership in the South, where it concentrated on organizing the ongoing struggle for black civil rights. During 1965-75, the NAACP remained committed to using litigation to challenge racial injustice. African Americans had to fight hard to get what they deserved and it took a lot of patients and time to receive change but it finally happened. That is we segregation ended and Africans were free to sit, eat, talk, shop, and work anywhere they wanted. Being able to vote is a very important ordeal. Many people in this day and time take advantage of being able to voice their opinions. Not taking advantage of who we desire to have in office is a sign of being ungrateful. African Americans were not given that right years ago. African Americans had to fight just so that they could vote. That’s when the Voting Act of 1965 came in play. Before, this Act was enforced African Americans had to take a literacy tests and pay poll taxes. The Voting Rights Act of 1965 abolished literacy tests and poll taxes designed to disenfranchise African American voters, and gave the federal government the authority to take over voter registration in counties with a pattern of persistent discrimination. Echoing the language of the 15th Amendment, the Act prohibits states from imposing any â€Å"voting qualification or prerequisite to voting, or standard, practice, or procedure to deny or abridge the right of any citizen of the United States to vote on account of race or color. The Act was signed into law by President Lyndon B. Johnson, a Democrat, who had earlier signed the landmark Civil Rights Act of 1964 into law. Being able to vote was an honor and so many people don’t even both to go vote during the elections today. African Americans fought for the right to vote without having to take tests or pay poll taxes and people still don’t go out to vote. That is taking voting rights for granted. Being an African American during the civil rights movement was a challenge, but being an African American woman was even difficult. That’s when the period of women’s suffrage played its role. Women’s Suffrage is the right of women to vote and to run for office. The expression is also used for the economic and political reform movement aimed at extending these rights to women and without any restrictions or qualifications such as property ownership, payment of tax, or marital status. Being a woman in this time period restricted of many rights. Women’s suffrage has been granted at various times in various countries throughout the world, and in many countries it was granted before universal suffrage. Without women’s suffrage women would still be restricted to make decisions and just be limited to being mothers and wives. The women’s suffrage broke that cycle. The best way to leave a positive mark on the world is being a leader. It takes a lot of heart, courage, and sacrifice, in becoming a great leader. Leaders are persons that people look up to. They depend on a leader to give them hope to carry on and a positive role model to look up to. There were not too many people that wanted to take the position of being a leader, but a few chose to step up to the plate. African Americans needed kind and encouraging words to help uplift them during the civil rights movement. Two great leaders Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Melcolm X took on a job to lead the world into a better place called freedom. The two leaders gave African Americans hope to continue on when they wanted to just give up. African Americans depended on these two prominent leaders to strengthen them. African Americans during the civil rights movement needed to relay on someone and those leaders were the perfect ones. No one would have ever been ready for what was expected to come. For years African American have been told what they could and couldn’t do. They have been talked about, abused, lied on, and have had everything taken from them. But, still they have stayed strong through it all. When all they had were two great prominent leaders and they were taken from them as well they still stayed strong. Two great prominent leaders were assonated. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X. Martin Luther King Jr. was an American clergyman, activist, and prominent leader in the African American civil rights movement. He was best known for being an iconic figure in the advancement of civil rights in the United States and around the world, using nonviolent methods following the teachings of Mahatma Gandhi. King was often presented as a heroic leader in the history of modern American liberalism. A Baptist minister, King became a civil rights activist early in his career. He led the 1955 Montgomery Bus Boycott and helped found the Southern Christian Leadership Conference in 1957, serving as its first president. King’s efforts led to the 1963 March on Washington, where King delivered his â€Å"I Have a Dream† speech. There, he expanded American values to include the vision of a color blind society, and established his reputation as one of the greatest orators in American history. But, as people have said â€Å"all things must come to an end. † At 6:01 p. m. on April 4, 1968, a shot rang out. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. , who had been standing on the balcony of his room at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, TN, lay sprawled on the balcony’s floor. A gaping wound covered a large portion of his jaw and neck. A great man who had spent thirteen years of his life dedicating himself to nonviolent protest had been felled by a sniper’s bullet.

Generally Accepted Accounting Principles Essay

In recent years healthcare systems have become more like business entities than health care providers. Technology is continually evolving so is healthcare and its financial approach. Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP), is a guide used by healthcare providers to account for their financial activities. GAAP is a guideline or a group of objectives and concepts that have evolved over 500 years from the basic concepts of Luca Pacioli set forth in the 1400s (Omar, 2010). It comprises a set of principles that have been developed by the accounting profession. According to Saunders (1993), â€Å"Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) established the rules and guidelines which require CPAs to indicate whether an audited set of financial statements is in compliance with GAAP† (p. 104). They are five principles and each one will be discussed in relation to healthcare. These are paramount to the effectiveness of business accounting. Accounting principles include the follo wing: accounting entity, money measurement, duality, cost evaluation, and stable monetary unit. Accounting Entity An accounting entity is the business or corporation that performs clear economic activities, separate from any personal economic endeavors (Cleverly, Cleverly, & Song 2011). In health care accounting entities can be surgical centers, hospitals, clinics, home health agencies, nursing homes, or other entities that are part of a larger health care network. An accounting entity requires financial records that define organizations financial activities that are clear and concise. Cleverly, Cleverly & Song (2011) states that if an entity is not properly defined, evaluation of its financial information may be useless at best and misleading at worst. The entity is expected to maintain its accounting records in accordance to GAAP. Money Measurement Measurement is the process of determining the monetary amounts at which the elements of the financial statements are to be recognized and carried in the balance sheet and income statement as a contribution to the accounting theory of extensive measurement (Scrimnger, & Musvoto,2011). Resources and liabilities have to be considered and calculated to determine accurate money measurement in an organization. These resources are referred to as assets, which include money, buildings and equipment. In health care these assets include, buildings, cash-flow, and equipment. Liabilities will be salaries to the employees and loans owed from banks and any other companies they are in business with. In most normal situations assets exceed liabilities in money measured value (Cleverly, Cleverly & Song 2011). An entity shall not recognize an element of financial statement unless a reliable value can be assigned to it. Duality. This is a fundamental convention of accounting that necessitates the recog nition of all aspects of an accounting transaction. According to Cleverly, Cleverly & Song (2011), â€Å"The value of assets must always equal the combined value of liabilities and residual interest, which we have called net assets†. He goes on to explain the basic accounting equation, the duality principle, may be stated as follows: Assets=Liabilities +Net assets. In any given situation the value of assets will always equal the value of claims. Cost valuation. When looking at an organization one needs to know about the assets and their value. When assets are recognized the basis for valuation needs to be determined. The two bases are historical and fair value (Saunders, 1993). The amount paid for the asset is the basis for valuation which is referred to historic and fair value is the amount an asset could be exchanged between knowledgeable willing parties. The firm’s accounting statements reflect the company’s financial status and this is presented in the balance sheet. GAAPs in the United States require the valu ation of fixed assets at historical cost, adjusted for any estimated gain and loss in value from improvements and the aging, respectively, of these assets. As mentioned previously hospitals now operate as business entities, and their accounting operation is the same as any other entity. Stable monetary unit. In any organization, the monetary unit principle assumes that the value of the unit currency in which you record transactions remains stable over time. This concept allows accountants to disregard the effect of in inflation, a  decrease in terms of real goods of what the dollar can purchase. Monetary unit assumption makes accounting process manageable however it can be problematic. If in any case the value of money changes rapidly due to market conditions or policy changes, a business’s financial statements may be less useful for comparison with prior records (Omar, 2010). Accounting focuses on the financial aspects of the business and that too for matters which can be expressed in terms of currencies. Nurse Managers must be able to communicate with financial managers of the organization as they help steer the overall direction of the organization (Saunders, 1993). The health care operation relies on revenues from patients billing and in turn help sustain the business on them and any other income. Health care systems are able to run business successfully by using GAAP guidelines. We have seen in this discussion that the five principles of accounting are essential in daily business operation. The understanding of accounting entity, money measurement, duality, cost valuation and stable monetary unit will help any health organization to manage their finances well. References Cleverly, W. O., Cleverly, J. O., & Song, P. H. (2011) Essentials of health care finance (7th ed.). Sudbury, MA: Jones and Bartlett. Omar, O. (2010). Why Generally Accepted Accounting Principles Should Inform U.C.C. Article 9 Decisions. Texas Journal Of Law Review, 89(1), 207-226. Saunders, G. (1993) Accounting principles (5th ed.). Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons. Scrimnger, C. C., & Musvoto, S.W. (2011). The Accounting Concept of Measurement And The Thin Line Between Representational Measurement Theory And The Classical Theory of Measurement. Journal of International Business and Economics Research, 10(5), 59-68.