Tennessee Temple

Islam is the religion articulated by the Quran, a book considered by its adherents to be the verbatim word of the single incomparable God and by the Islamic prophet Muhammad's demonstrations and real-life examples. The word Islam is a homograph, having multiple meanings which are directly interpret as peace. Other meanings include submission or the total surrender of oneself to God. The origin of Islam dates back to the creation of the world. All the prophets who came to this world preached the same message of believing in one God and to accept them as His messenger. The prophets were also blessed with a manifestation of divine will or truth. Likewise, Prophet Mohammad was also a messenger of God. He revealed the truth and the way of life through the Holy Quran. Before the birth of Prophet Mohammad, the Arab society was sunk into darkness. Although the Arabs believed in the unity of God, but they also claimed that God has entrusted His duties to various gods, goddesses and idols. For this purpose, they had more than 360 idols. They considered angels as the daughters of God. They were ignorant of social values. They were nomadic people who were dependent on cattle for their living. There was no government or law. All power existed with the rich. The society was full of barbarity and brutality. Tribes fought with each other over trivial matters for centuries. A slight argument over horses or water could lead to the slaughtering of thousands of innocent people. It was the birth of Prophet Mohammad in 570 A. D in the city of Makkah which brought a revolution to the entire fate of the nomadic Arabs. He became famous among the people of Makkah at a very early age because of his allegiance and reliability. He was widely known as Al-Ameen or honest, trustworthy. At the age of 40, when Mohammad was meditating at Mt. Hera, he received a revelation from God. The angel Gabriel said to him, â€Å"Iqra† which means â€Å"to read†. Mohammad replied â€Å"I cannot read†. Gabriel embraced and released him. Then the first five verses of God were revealed to him who said, â€Å"Recite in the name of your Lord who created! He created man, out of a (mere) clo th of congealed blood. Recite; and thy Lord is most bountiful. He who had taught by the pen, taught man what he knew not. † Mohammad started proclaiming the message of believing in one God. The people who once called him â€Å"Trustworthy† and â€Å"Honest† boycotted and plotted to kill him. In 622 A. D. , due to worsening living conditions and social isolation, was broken in 629 A. D by the non-Muslims of the Makkans. Mohammad moved towards Makkah with 10,000 men and the battle was won without a single Prophet Mohammad migrated to Medina along with his followers. This flight was known as Hijrah and marks the beginning of the Muslims calendar. Mohammad's message spread rapidly and the number of followers increased in Medina. During the next few years, a series of battles were fought between various tribes of Makkah and the Muslims of Medina. In 628 A. D, the Treaty of Hudaibiyah was signed between the two parties. Truce was declared for 10 years. The treaty bloodshed. Mohammad died in 632 A. D, at the age of 63 in the city of Medina. Mohammad's death brought a huge catastrophe among Muslims. People could not believe that Mohammad had left them forever. Many of the followers were perplexed and distraught, and claimed him to be still living. At that time Mohammad funeral, Abu Bakr, who was the most respected of all the followers affirmed that, â€Å"O people, those of you who worshipped Mohammad, Mohammad has died. And those of you who worshipped God, God is still living. † Now being a Muslim requires that they read their Quran or their bible. â€Å"Reading† The Quran is the â€Å"Word of God† to Islam. About 4/5 the length of the New Testament. Muslims believe the identical book is in Heaven and Allah sent the angel Gabriel to Mohammed to reveal his â€Å"Word†. The Quran is divided into 114 chapters or Surahs. The Surahs are revelations given to Mohammed during his 23 years of â€Å"Prophet Hood† from 610 AD to 632 AD. The Quran, composed during Mohammed’s lifetime corresponds to the time and circumstances of his life. The Surahs or chapters can be divided into three time periods. The earliest Surahs are the shortest and known as Early Meccan, and date from 610 to 622 AD. Composed in Mecca, prior to Hejira where Mohammed fled to Medina in September 622 AD. The Median Surahs were composed during the time Muslims controlled the city of Medina. They date from 622 to 630 AD. The doctrine of Jihad was introduced as war was waged against Mecca and its idol worshipers. Animosity toward the Jews and Christians increased as they rejected Mohammed as a prophet from God. Late Meccan Surahs were between 630 and 632 AD. The last 2 years of Mohammed’s life after Mecca surrendered to his authority. Surahs were at this time not collected in one book but were memorized and collected on various items. In the battle of Yamamah in 633 AD many of the Hafiz died. The Hafiz were Muslims who had committed much of the Quran to memory. With the urging of Umar, Zayd ibn Thabit, one of Mohammed most trusted secretaries was appointed to the task of collecting the Quran into one book. Still later after different versions of the Quran began to appear Zayd was put in charge of collecting all the Qurans throughout the Muslim world and issuing an authorized copy in the place of one’s collected. The Quran makes the appeal to its beauty and consistency with previous scriptures as proof of its inspiration. The teaching of Quran and Hadith (sayings of Prophet Mohammad) revolves around two Arabic words namely, Emaan (Faith) and Amaal (Acts). Emaan is like the roots of a tree and Amaal are the stems, leaves or other parts of it. Just as without the roots, the tree cannot survive, similarly, without faith, the acts are useless. The teachings of Quran emphasize mostly on the beliefs and an overview the acts, whereas the Hadith explains both beliefs and acts in details. Muslims believe that although there may be reservations in the Hadith, but Quran is free from all the mistakes and is infallible. Quran is comprised of 114 Surahs (chapters) and 6236 Ayats (verses). Quran was preserved through writing and memorization. Undoubtedly, today Quran is the only book which is fully memorized by more than 10 million people all over the world. The teachings of Quran confirm the revelations of other books and scriptures on various prophets. But, at the same time, all these books are considered to be corrupted with time and do not contain the original script of God. The six articles of faith are the main doctrines of Islam. All Muslims share beliefs in God, Angels, Scriptures, Prophets, Resurrection and Divine Creed. They also believe in the five pillars of faith. These are duties each Muslim performs to demonstrate his or her faith. They include: Testimony of Faith, Prayer, Almsgiving, Fasting and Pilgrimage or taking a trip somewhere.

American Government: The Bill of Rights

The Bill of Rights is the first ten of the amendments in the United States Constitution which was ratified in 1789. The Bill of Rights was drafted to limit the powers of the federal government and to enhance protection for all of the individual citizens.Amongst the rights that the Bill of Rights promotes are the following: (1) right to speech; (2) freedom of the press and religion; (3) right to keep and bear arms; (4) freedom of assembly; (5) freedom to petition; (6) protection from unreasonable search and seizure; (7) protection against cruel punishment; (8) freedom from self incrimination; (9) right to speedy and impartial trial; (10) and representation by counsel (â€Å"United States Constitution†).The Bill of Rights is an essential and fundamental part of the United States Constitution, as it mirrors the struggle of the citizens to fight for their freedom and rights. The ratification of the Bill of Rights came from the government's purpose of protecting the individual righ ts. Democracy and liberty were amongst the top priorities in drafting the bill. These two have become the main aspects of the framework for shaping the way policies and laws were formulated (â€Å"The Bill of Rights† and â€Å"The New Nation†).However, there were still flaws and issues that the bill was not able to cater to. Although the intention of the bill was to provide protection for individuals, there were issues relative to it that weren't tackled in the bill. For example, slave trade wasn't given priority in the bill of rights which made the issue even worse during the Civil War (â€Å"The New Nation†). But nonetheless, the Bill of Rights still stands as the heart and soul of the American Consitituion as it reflects all the struggles towards freedom by the American community.Works Cited The Bill of Rights: A Brief History. 4 March 2002. American Civil Liberties Union. 20 February 2008 The New Nation (1790-1828). (n. d. ) America's Library. 20 February 2 008 United States Constitution. (n. d. ) Cornell University Law School. 20 February 2008

I have no idea Essay

1.Is it ethical to sell a product that is, at best, only mildly effective? Discuss. Product? Discuss. ANS: Selling a product that at its best mildly works is ethical because the product does work. The issue that persons are having is that it varies in effectiveness per person. 2.Is it ethical to exploit cultural norms and values to promote a product? Discuss. ANS: I believe that is it perfectly correct to exploit culturally values norms. Marketers depend on cultural values and norms to market products. It is through the understanding of the markets culture and values that companies better understand the customers’ needs. 3.Is the advertising of Fair & Lovely demeaning to women, or is it promoting the fairness cream in a way not too dissimilar from how most cosmetics are promoted? ANS: Fair and lovely has taken advantage f the position that cosmetic companies promote. Cosmetic companies promote that women are imperfect and perfection can be achieved through their products. Fair and lovely has epitomized this through their campaigns 4.Will HLL’s Fair & Lovely Foundation be enough to counter charges made by AIDWA? Discuss. ANS: The product still has acceptance in the Indian market so it may be that the foundation has been effective. The foundation also does a great job in countering the believe that the product demeans women by empowering them. 5.In light of AIDWA’s charges, how would you suggest Fair & Lovely promote its product? Discuss. Would your response be different if Fairever continued to use â€Å"fairness† as a theme of its promotion? Discuss. ANS: In light of AIDWA’s response I recommend that Fair & Lovely promote the product without using fairness as the theme. If they do continue to use fairness as a campaign they should alter the perception of fairness as not being light skinned but representing toned and healthy skin. 6.Propose a promotion/marketing program that will counter all the arguments and charges against Fair & Lovely and be an effective program. ANS: I propose that a simple change in the promotion from advocating for fairer skin towards healthier toned skin can relieve the pressure being faced by the company. How can they go about this campaign? Fair and Lovely should launch a campaign promoting that beauty is not only fair but dark also. This campaign should headline women of varying skin tone, shapes and sizes using the product not to change their skin tone but enhancing their own skin tone. 7.Now that a male market for fairness cream exists, is the strength of AIDWA’s argument weakened? ANS: Male market for fairness cream does in essence weaken the argument that fairness cream is demeaning to women. However it can strengthen the argument that the company has widen its grip on exploiting cultural norm and values by advocating for universal â€Å"fairness† of both males and females. 8.Comment on using â€Å"Shakti Ammas† to introduce â€Å"fairness cream for the masses† in light of AIDWA’s charges. ANS: Fair and Lovely is responding to the demand of the market. In spite of the claims of AIDWA the market is still demanding the product. AIDWA may need to to attack the culture vs. attacking the company. 9. Listen to â€Å"In India, Skin-Whitening

Customer Relationship Management in Luxury Hair Salon Essay

Customer Relationship Management in Luxury Hair Salon - Essay Example Thus, Nevin submits marketing a bit broader than the CRM, though he does not negate the significance of customer relationship management. Customer relationship management has been the matter of special attention for the organizations, marketers, investors, and retailers. Feinberg et al. have conducted their research with a special concentration on CRM in electronic retails under the title â€Å"The State of Electronic Customer Relationship Management in Retailing† and concluded that it is customers which serve as the pivotal point around which all the activities and schemes of the business environment revolve. â€Å"A business and marketing strategy†, they submit, â€Å"aims to integrate its technology, productivity, and all business activities around the customers of the organization.† (2002: p 473) Hence, they viewed customers and their satisfaction as the asset of the companies, without the help of which no strategic policies could be adopted or implemented. Parvartiyar & Sheth have strived to find out the relationship of marketing with the customer relationship management. â€Å"CRM†, according to them, â€Å"represents an enterprise approach to developing full knowledge about customer behavior and preferences and to developing programmes and strategies that encourage the customers to continuously enhance their business relationship with the company.† (2001: p 2-3) The writers are of the view that customer relationship management is highly supportive in completely understanding the growing needs and requirements of the customers, which is the most important issue for the growth and development of the organization. Hill, in his article, vehemently emphasizes upon the capturing of profitable customers for the enhancement of marketing and sales. â€Å"The most important thing in sales and marketing†, he views, â€Å"is  to attract and retain your most profitable business customers. In order to accomplish this feat, you must devise and implement a customer strategy that builds, fosters, nurtures and extends relationships with your customers. Your company profits only when the earnings from retained customers exceed the costs to acquire and to service customers over time.† (Retrieved from Helium.com)

Risk Assessment Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Risk Assessment - Research Paper Example However, there is no security expert tasked with ensuring secure operational environment. The company’s network is segregated into segments. The Trusted Computing Base is the internal network within GFI. This segment hosts company’s mission critical systems that are essential to the company’s operations that affect the financial situation. The most used systems in the enterprise are Oracle database and email. GFI cannot afford a network outage due to the nature of activities in it undergoes. It financial activities will be adversely affected since they depend on network availability and stability. As it is, GFI has experienced DoS attacks twice this year, and its Oracle database and email servers have been compromised for a total downtime of one week. The recovery process cost the company $25,000 and an estimated loss of $1, 000,000 was recorded in addition to customer confidence. In this study, I am going to undertake risk assessment based on GFI network diagram. Knowledge of the vulnerabilities existing in the network will facilitate the design of a solution to counter the threats. Risk assessment will be conducted ion GFI network to establish the likely areas of failure. Risk assessment will focus on managerial, operational and technical aspects that are prone to vulnerabilities and which can be exploited by attackers. Once vulnerabilities have been established, it is easy to tailor safeguards to counter them. Security safeguards and controls are measures undertaken in the company, or added to the information technology environment to mitigate the risks associated with the operation and management of resources. A risk assessment procedure is conducted to determine the adequacy of security controls employed by Global Finance Incorporation. The risk assessment process adopts a methodology and, in this case, a qualitative methodology is preferred. It focuses on the

Forensic Facial Reconstruction Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Forensic Facial Reconstruction - Essay Example forensic facial reconstruction has proved successful in certain cases and with further advancement, might be able to rule out controversies. It also touches media, arts, and imaging. This combination of art, visuals, and science have an immense future. It can also be one of the last resorts where all other evidence is missing in criminal cases. Mass graves, crime investigation, especially in the USA are being helped by this innovative method. Sculptors have to find the depth of skin and will be able to work on aspects that render most character to the face followed by muscle structure. Undoubtedly there will be some marginal structural flaws and accuracy limitations that are unavoidable considering the existing difficulties. Applying muscle and skin to the bone needs computer tomography. An old system consists of an image processing unit for skull morphometry and the imaging unit for compositing facial components on skull images. Interlaying of soft and hard tissues, an accuracy of r econstruction etc. still remains difficult. It is argued that the skull provides a detailed map of the face and it has led to Forensic Anthropology. "Physical anthropologists have long been called upon to apply their knowledge of human skeletal biology to practical problems of concern to the medicolegal system. The discipline of forensic anthropology arose out of this need to determine and assess the characteristics of an individual" writes Mehemt Yasar Iscan. Â  It has been difficult to achieve authenticity and standardization in face of acute opposition about inconsistency. "Despite varied attempts to achieve standardization in traditional techniques and the promotion of some newly developed ones, facial reconstruction remains on the threshold between art and science. It is the point at which science ends and the medical illustrator takes over that has led to most reservations over this branch of forensic anthropology" said Tyrell. Even though computer graphics had been able to r ender multidimensional help, the original clay modeling is still considered to be the most authentic and useful. "The former look of a face can be approximated by predicting and modeling the layers of tissue on the skull. This work is as of today carried out solely by physical sculpting with clay, where experienced artists invest up to hundreds of hours to craft a reconstructed face model. Remarkably, one of the most popular tissue reconstruction methods bears many resemblances with surface fitting techniques used in computer graphics, thus suggesting the possibility of a transfer of the manual approach to the computer." Laser technology and more and more information about the skull and facial intricacies have been helping the reconstruction by incessantly improving it. According to Venezis, "Skull and facial data from living subjects are acquired using an optical laser scanning systemhe computer image may then be exported to enable the production of a solid model, employing, for ex ample, stereolithography. The image can also be modified within an identikit system which allows the addition of facial features as appropriate".

A Kinematic Analysis of a dominant versus non-dominant leg football Lab Report - 1

A Kinematic Analysis of a dominant versus non-dominant leg football kick - Lab Report Example In this research, a comparison will be made between the kinematics of the kicking of the dominant leg and that of the non-dominant leg. This study intends to study the kick for shooting the ball and for accomplishing low-drive ball. The objective of this study is to apply the information that improves the skills and level of performance of the non-dominant leg of the soccer player. Further to that, this study aims at examining findings on the biomechanics used in soccer kicks for the identification of new aspects and factors influencing the performance of soccer kicks. Soccer game is among the most popular sports globally. The offensive action in the soccer game is the soccer kick. The team with the majority of shooting stands greater opportunities to win the game. In this regard, it is very essential to enhance the soccer kicking technique in the training programs among the young energetic soccer players. The effectiveness of instep soccer kicks is affected by various factors such as the type of kick, the kicking distance from the goal, atmospheric pressure (air resistance) and the method of main kick as per the description of the biomechanical analysis. Earlier studies have explored the details of biomechanics in the soccer movement. New transformations have taken place in the performance of soccer kick such as the three-dimensional kinematics. Other movements include the joint-moments, which drive the joint movement, football performance mechanisms and various factors affecting the biomechanics of soccer kick. The elementary kinematics of lower limbs in the instep soccer kicks have previously gone through assessment. These demand the evaluation of the angular kicking position, the angular velocity and the joint linear kinematics involved. The linear velocity of the ankle hips and the knee in soccer kicks at the start of the movement to point of touching the ground, then finally to the ball impact (Mizrahi et al, 2000). Several studies of soccer-kick

Gambling Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Gambling - Research Paper Example But the surrounding population, which is not actively involved in gambling also, suffers from its impact, positive as well as negative. The business of gambling has been a major contender of policy makers’ dialogue since long. But unfortunately, the lack of research, especially eminent research has been hindering any positive conclusions. Furthermore, contentious and biased suggestions and studies made in this field are disabling people to determine the bang of gambling in true essence. INTRODUCTION Many countries, especially the ones suffering from economic adversity consider that gambling can be a universal remedy and magic potion to their economic and social problems. Countries having high rate of unemployment deem gambling business as a glorious opportunity of their economic revival. This includes gambling enterprises, lottery tickets and especially destination resorts. In addition, federal, local and state governments receive large amounts of money out of this business in terms taxes and receipt of lottery tickets. However, there are huge costs associated in this business along with these benefits. There exist two opponent schools of thought regarding the gambling business. The one in favor of this field regard it as a source of recreation and quick income to the people. They divide gambling in two distinct categories: Leisure gambling and Lottery gaming. According to this group, people do leisure gambling in order to add relief and entertainment to their hectic lives. This is like other recreational activities such as listening to music, playing chess or golf, etc. Whereas, Lottery gaming is done with a longing of winning large prizes. The opponent group believes that gambling or lotteries, in any way, are based on miscalculations and elusive anticipations. According to this group, the lottery player or gambler always is a victim of these illusions and misconstructions. Famous economists say that customers/ people are the common target of this busi ness. So, the effect of gambling on economy depends upon its actual impact on people individually and communities in general. Unquestionably, such sectors of business, like money-making casinos, hotels and destination resorts offer jobs with good remunerations; this include smart salary and fringe benefits such as health care, advance education and work related trainings. Moreover, the class entertainment is itself a qualitative economic and social benefit to people. These benefits monetarily support the hard beaten families and individuals but unfortunately, these benefits do not get there alone but along with a host of incontrovertible and momentous costs. Increasing number of people suffering from crisis of pathological gambling, time and again results in impoverishment, felony, suicide, separation, violence or maltreatment. Various recent studies and researches have tried to calculate these costs to society in general and individuals in particular, but no dollar amount can actua lly characterize what a mislaid or stray parent, life partner or kid means to the left over family. Furthermore, most of these costs are indirect and quantifying the costs of emotional impairs and its long lasting impact on families and their children is not possible. In many ways, the substantial impacts from problem gambling can be considered as comparable to the financial impacts of alcohol

Cross Culture Management Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Cross Culture Management - Case Study Example On the contrary, masculinity refers to the distribution of emotional roles between genders. Japan has the lowest score of 46. Japanese are more cooperated at work, and they are likely to have a good relationship with their boss. A job promotion is done on merit basis, which are associated with lower job stress. Germany has a score of 66 thus considered to be masculine societies. United Kingdom and United States have the highest scores of 89 and 91 respectively. Both countries have private people because they believe personal fulfillment is the root of the happiness. Both countries have higher masculinity index that is characterized with numerous challenges and jobs recognition. They also believe in their own decisions, have higher job stress, and prefer to work in large companies. Long-term orientation is a score that measures the philosophy related with Confucianism: perseverance and thrift, personal stability, respect for tradition, honor of ancestors, and have a duty of financial support of parents. Japan has the highest score at 80. U.S, U.K and Germany have relatively low score of 29, 25 and 31 respectively. The type of managerial types in business negotiations among the Japanese is hierarchal in its power structure. In Japan, not everyone is allowed to speak during the negotiations. In most cases, they are represented by a team of experts; also they take longer time during negotiations because they see business as a lifelong commitment to trust and loyalty. The cultural differences also have a significant impact on leadership. The British emphasize on charismatic leadership, on the contrary, the Germans managers are rather more systematic and routinized with the individuals working towards a similar goals. While comparing between the British and Japanese managers, the British are more likely to take risks, and Japanese pay attention to the details. These differences

This is am african history class, you can choose the topic Research Paper

This is am african history class, you can choose the topic - Research Paper Example They are responsible for leading scientific and intellectual breakthroughs in history. The world, in general, owes the Islam community a debt. In terms of industrialisation, the Islam played an intricate role in the process. They also had a central position to play in the evolution of the philosophical enterprise in the world. This paper will explain how these revolutions shaped the world. In the past, it was easy for scholars, mathematicians, economists, and researchers to draw their inspiration from Islam (Huff 73). Islam worked to open up the minds and hearts of everyone in the world. In thought and study, many scholars can attribute their success to the Islam faith and its growth and spread. It is believed that the Islam community in the late seventeenth century drew their philosophical strength from the Greek. This means that, the introduction of many inventions, for example, the telescope led to the growth of the Western curiosity on the influence of Greco-Islam revolutions. Th e West had a number of inventions and scientific breakthroughs. However, they did not draw their inspiration from anywhere as many civilisations did. Many individuals around the world believe that there was no scientific or intellectual breakthrough in the Islamic world. This is because, most of them believe that all that is Islam developed as a result of the Greek heritage. Without it, many believe that Islam would not have an avenue to exist on its own. Others also believe that, the Arabs cold not identify what the ancient hieroglyphics in their presence meant. This is not until the coming of a European who explored the ancient language and drew conclusions from his research (Abu-Rabi 145). The introduction of foreigners makes the issue of Muslims being intellectually capable of making strides in the world debatable. What these critics do not seem to comprehend is the fact that, every civilisation brings forth diverse worldviews on diverse matters. In the field of optics, the Musl im and Arab community have made significant strides (Huff 79). The most revered thing about the Muslim faith is the belief they exhibit the necessary aspects of knowledge and wisdom in life. This makes them refuse the influence brought on by many education and religious influences from around the world. The fear of foreign influences pushes them to create their own understanding on issues, which pertain to many aspects of life. Islam focuses on regulating the philosophical attitude of the world. This is by overarching the philosophy of embracing mankind regardless of their faith and cultural background. No faith in the world claims that taking another life in the name of religion is justified, and Islam is not the first. Islam embraced the power of science, even when Christianity shunned and condemned the likes of Galileo for the assumptions he made about the earth. This laid the basis for the growth and development of philosophy and science among the Islam community (Huff 81). In A frica, intellectual revolution opened doors for the much needed economic change. Islam can be the perfect ground to lay this intellectual foundation. With the political changes, it is possible to have many channels created by the Western world in the third world countries. In Africa, for instance, the introduction of madrasa ensured that children learned the importance of the different fields in the world. The European and African enlightenment was brought on by the light that Islam shone

The Role of a Modern Industrial Manager Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

The Role of a Modern Industrial Manager - Essay Example Therefore, understanding the role of industrial manager would be highly beneficial and could dictate the success of an organisation. To have a clear understanding of management and the role of an effective manager, one must first take a look at history. As early as 3000 BC, there has been evidence of formal management where business transactions were recorded through written documents (Pindur, Rogers and Kim 1995). As the years went on, people realised the importance of management and started laying down theories and principles reflecting it. The years progressed and different concepts and techniques were born. Leaders learned the value of delegation of authority (Smith 1776). Specialization in tasks was learned to be effective in the work force. These, along with many others, became managerial techniques. The 19th century gave birth to what is known as classical management (Pindur, Rogers and Kim 1995). Aiming to provide a scientific foundation for the management of organisations, this school of thought soon became the most popular among those who study management. The Industrial Revolution had a hand in its development. When workers were transferred o factories, replacing small home-based shops, a need to efficiently manage the work force arose (Pindur et al 1995). Classical management was both scientific and administrative. It believes that through scientific management, productivity may be improved (Taylor 1911). It was said that successful industrial managers are born and not made. Nevertheless, systematic or scientific management when executed properly will show us that, the foundation of good management rests upon theory and principles and not merely genetic inheritance or nature (Taylor 1911). Another point of classical management is to discredit the old notion that the interests of employers and of employees are conflicting. Scientific management reiterates that these two are actually the same (Taylor 1911).

Classical conditioning Essay Example for Free

Classical conditioning Essay Classical conditioning is a form of basic learning the body automatically responds to a stimulus. One stimulus takes on the properties of another. The Russian physiologist Ivan Pavlov (1849-1936) is credited for discovering the basic principles of classical conditioning whilst he was studying digestion in dogs. He developed a technique for collecting dog’s salivary secretions. Pavlov (cited in Eysneck M.W 2009) noticed that the dogs would often start salivating before they were given any food or saw the feeding bucket or even when they heard the footstep of the laboratory assistant coming to feed them. Quite by accident Pavlov had discovered that the environmental control of behaviour can be changed as a result of two stimuli becoming associated with each other. These observations led to what’s now called classical conditioning. A neutral stimulus (such as a bell) which normally wouldn’t produce a response (such a salivating) eventually becomes paired with another stimulus (such as the food) this is referred to an unconditional response. When the bell and food (unconditional stimulus) are paired often enough the dogs start to salivate as soon as they hear the bell and before the food is served. When this occurs conditioning has taken place. (Cited in Burns 1995) Pavlov argued that if dogs could be conditioned to salivate then it is possible to apply the process to bodily process that effect illness and mental health disorders. Nowadays classical conditioning is applied in the treatment of phobias and in aversion therapies.(Cited in Burns 1995). Operant conditioning Operant conditioning is the process of a behaviour in which the likelihood of a specific behaviour is increased or decreased through positive or negative reinforcement. The theory is based on Thorndike (1993) law of effects which state that behaviour is a function of its consequences (cited in O’ Brien 2009). Skinner used observation as a leading approach to operate conditioning. A key principle of operant conditioning was that where behaviour is reinforced (that is where people are rewarded when they behave in a particular way). It will tend to be repeated under particular circumstances. (Cited in Gross R 2010). For example a mother picking up a crying infant and if the baby stops crying when picked up, the probablility of the mother repeating the same behaviour increases since the cessation of the baby’s crying is a reinforced.(Gerry, K et alt page45) . Reinforcers can also be primary or secondary. Primary reinforcers are our basic needs like food, water and shelter. Secondary reinforcers are events that have become rewarded through their association. For example money, because money can satisfy people needs it takes on reinforcing characteristics of its own. Operant conditioning can be used in behaviour management and in education, for example children are rewarded when they do well in school and punished if they fail, if they see someone getting rewarded they are more likely to copy the good behaviour. Operant conditioning can also be used to help people with addictions along with classical conditioning,for example in alcohol and drug addiction. Operant conditioning is also used in pain management and in social skills training. It has also been used to reward schizophrenic patients for good behaviour. For example given them tokens in exchange for sweet when they behave well in hospital.(Aylon Azrin,1968,cited in Eysenck 2009). Social Learning The social learning theory proposed by Albert Bandura (1965), has become the most influential theory of learning and development. Bandura argued that direct reinforcement could not account for all types of learning. He argued that people could learn new information by observing other people this type of learning can be used to explain a wide variety of behaviours.(Cited in Eysenck, M 2009) for example Teenagers wanting to be thin like the models that they observe on the television or on the computer. Bandura (1965) Three groups of young children watched a film about adults behaving aggressively towards inflatable Bobo dolls. In one of the films it showed adults being rewarded for aggressive behaviour. The second group were scolded and the third group were neither rewarded or punished. All children showed increased aggression if offered a reward for what they learnt, and the behaviour decreases if they are punished. (Cited in Gross 2009). for example social learning can be learnt thro ugh the media. Pop stars are often seen as role models, and children of smokers are more likely to smoke when they are adults. Phobic patient benefit more from watching fearful patients gradually overcome their fears. (Cited in Gerry,K.et alt 1996) There are three core concepts in social learning, first learning through observation, mental state is essential part of the process and the theory also recognises that just because something is learnt doesn’t mean it will result in a change in behaviour.(cited in Burns 1995)Positive reinforcement is far more effective than negative reinforcement. Bandura believed that observation and direct reinforcement could account for all types of learning. He argued that emotional behaviour could be switched off through modelling procedure. Learning need not necessarily be correct. Through learning human behaviour can be modified. Learning is very important when working in social care, helpers need to know how to modify client’s attitude toward their illness so the helper can work with them to recover.(cited in Burns 2005)

Online And Offline Business Environment

Online And Offline Business Environment The online marketing can open 24 hrs and round the year but the offline business quite impossible to open 24/7 offline marketing. Online marketing quite easy to marketing than the offline marketing . Online product can be taken more time to receive the product but offline receive within minutes. In the electronic age, no one beyond the advantage and disadvantage itself so offline and online business have some advantage and disadvantage. In case of market extend, offline business needs more staff and location and need to invest more money. On the other hand, online business effect of proper lack of development of internet infrastructure. Apple is the most valuable company all over the world. Its products more sophisticated, innovative and durable. IPhone and iPad are the most popular product in the present. Apple iPad is a more innovative design which is not changeable from the other hardware company so its value is better than other. According to Amit and Zott (2001), any product or firms can be value created by the efficiency, compelimentries, lock-in the customers and novelty. So the researcher analysis the these element to create the apple iPad value creation. Section 2: Comparison between online and offline business environment of apple products Some customers use one channel to do all shopping activities within a product and services and on the other hand some others use different channels at different stages for shipping within a single product category. For example, this type of customer search the information through the internet (online) and buy the product in a retail store (offline store). Customers have displayed complex buying behaviour in the rising multichannel (online and offline) environment, which is including traditional physical stores (offline) and the Internet , (online) (Alba et al., 1997). According to Evans and Wurster (1997) predicted that virtual sellers (online selling) will not replace totally retailers store because some market analysts are realizing that the future market will be a mix of channels. Apple Inc. has used online and offline business channels. The problem of the combination of two ( online and offline) sales channels and it is applying a complementary pricing strategy is still an emergi ng question in the online and offline environment. The researcher is comparing the online and offline business environment of apple products through the marketing mix. Products/services: Nelson (2007), has discussed the transaction about the products and services and further discussed about the offline and online business. In the offline business customers can go to the store and choose and touch the product in real and buy the items in the store. But in online products only can see the product catalogue and choose it from the catalogue and buy it without knowing is it the product appears in reality and order it through the website. Customer can see this product when after receiving it. The website is the main source of online product and brand of online company. The buyer should become aware, develop their understanding and be sure to explore for the product before going to buy the product. In the physical world the strategic looking into the companys detailed online offering. Apple also offers the online and offline store where customers can buy products through the online store and go physically to buy the Apple products in the apple store however Apple use offlin e store first and then update its online store so researcher can say apple uses mix channel (online and offline) in the simultaneously in present day. Some disadvantage of the online shopping in which breaking the trust between buyer and seller. Some cases report published on newspaper about the product selling on the internet such as online selling website, there was found some unethical activities of some people sell different, similar but low quality product send to the purchaser. Price : Price information available online, metering pricing, dynamic, customization and customer participating. The majority of commercial site functions as price lists of the companys physical product variety. Moreover that, the Web site is supposed by the online display and customer as a cost factor due to opportunity cost and connectivity cost, transaction costs and time. Even though these costs will be in for the most part cases lower than the cost of performing these activities physically, the customer will compare these with the cost of finding other online competitors and doing business with them. Apple products generally same cost of offline and online purchasing however some cases, buying through the online need to pay shipping cost too. Place: Huizingh (1999) cited on Efthymios C. (2002)suggested that online business business emphasis to the customer retention, customer service strategic internet applications model and relationship of marketing whereas collective needs insertion much more differentiate. According to Lawrence E., et. al (1999), described that a customer changes their behaviour according to time and new generations, and shifting their behaviour pattern collective to individuals. This statement provides the researcher a key thing to shifting behaviour pattern of customer take place offline business to online business. However traditional marketing concept is not compatible in the present e-business/commerce concept and growing present e-business/commerce articles emphasis more about the online transaction and online marketplace, real time processing of orders, Online order, online payment, involvement of other partner and online distribution product. Promotion : According to Aman. , et al (2010), The promotion refers to creating and understanding advertising for users to know about the products and services. Efthymios C. (2002)., Internet, in the business environment, is the major factor for attracting and retaining of the online customer. Traditionally developed strategies making them rapidly out of date, Oliver R.W., (2000). The product promotion through the online selling/marketing turns out to be a better than the offline selling. The online selling or marketing is more cost-effective than the offline marketing and online marketing is also faster than the offline marketing/ selling to a customer. According to Efthymios C. (2002)., the Web site is the online marketing medium as well as the promotional content. The web site is the main content for the online business environment of the any of the company. Promotions or good deals specifically for iPad or iPhone is not approved. Apple is not selling their product like the iPhone or iPad for promotional use nor offer has written consent for any company to give it away. Apple is using for sales promotion guarantees for money back, lower purchase price rate and return policy etc. The Apple stores are looking different and remarkable than the many other electronic stores because Apple exhibit all of its products for customers to understand practically. The apple major sales promotion surfing the web on any of their products like computers iPad, and iPhone etc.. Apple provides in hand-on in the stores in which the customers familiar with the Apple products in practical. Section 3: How Value Creation Of Apple iPad The performance of actions that increase the worth of goods, services or even a business. Many business operators now focus on value creation both in the context of creating better value for customers purchasing its products and services, as well as for shareholders in the business who want to see their stake to appreciate in value. Businessdictionary.com Amit and Zotts model of the sources of value creation in e-business technology. They discuss about the four dimensions of value creation in which efficiency, complementaries, locks-in and novelty which are given in the below in the figure. C:UsersTaraDesktopvalue crating.jpg Sources : Value Creation in E-Business How to create value through the e-business of apple iPad Amit and Zotts (2001)business model based on the e-business. This model particularly used in the firm but it can be extent firm boundaries. This model includes all the representative and outside the industry who does not involve the company because of the open networks based internet infrastructure of a particular transaction. Furthermore, virtual markets offer possibilities to expand products and services to integrate complementary products and enhance access to the resources and potentialities , cooperation of innovative forms can be the value created effectively. Amit and Zotts identified the four dimensions of value creation in which efficiency, complementaries, lock-in and novelty. Amit and Zott(2001) has shown many ways in which customer preservation can be superior, and firms provide loyalty programs and rewarding regular customers with particular bonus systems, and firms can develop a leading design according to its trademarks from business planning and trustful relationships build up to customers. According to Canada, A.(2012), Apple created the desirable offering and features to create customer lock-in and switching costs. Apple Apple iPad is also a new leading design device which has strong positive perception of the customers and through the e_business iPad locks its customers in its innovative design and function. Furthermore, e-business make possible to increase lock-in the customers through the modify products, services and according to the interest of the customers needs. Apple has locked their customers into its expanding ecosystem of products and services, as well as its content, (Canada, A. (2012). According to Amit and Zott (2001) suggests that in e-business is the high potential power for value creation, offering the package of complementary services to the customers. Apple creates its the ecosystem in which Apple iPad sales with free apps which access with other Apple devices. However apple do not sale their product in bundles. According to (Canada, A. (2012), generally iPhone and iPad users benefit from ecosystem integration of Apple devices like iPod, Apple TV, and the Mac PC. and Icloud allows clients to effortlessly share media between the devices. Apple TVs Airplay permits music and videos from the iPhone or iPad to be easily shared over WiFi. This service creates the value of Apple products also however, the Apple does not sell their product at bundle price and sells in separately. In the e-business, efficiency can be increased value of the products and services. According to AppleInsider Staff (2011), many hardware companies struggle to compete with the iPad in terms of sales and innovative design, they cannot match with apples iPad design efficiency so the Apple still sells its iPad in lower price into the market. E-business provide the cuts in cost transactions which gains the greater efficiency of lower cost transactions and make the product valuable. However Apple iPad is struggling with a google table in terms of price. Amit and Zott(2001) explain about the novelty. Innovation is broadly advertised as the key to long-term economic prosperity,and concerns have been raised as investing enough in innovation to drive future growth (Hamm 2009). Novelty dimension, through which value can be created, is to connect previously unconnected parties. Apple does the business it online and offline stores and it is not doing the business unconnected third parties. If Apple does the business with unconnected parities its value should be increased. E-businesses can be innovated in the method they are doing business in structuring transactions. For example, eBay set up customer-to-customer sale structure in which customer sales and buys their product on a large scale, and many unconnected firms create their value using the new innovative transaction systems and can enter the new markets through the e-business. Innovation is broadly advertised as the key to long-term economic prosperity,and concerns have been raised as investing enough in innovation to drive future growth (Hamm 2009). Conclusion and recommendations Apple should do their business with unconnected parities and create the value. For example, is one of the new company which given a new translation platform which is given a customer to customer buying and selling product, researcher has believed that if Apple iPad go to sell in a new transaction or unconnected parts, its value would be better than now. Apple does not sell their product at a bundle price according to Amit and Zott (2001), e-business is the great platform to sell the product. If the product sells in bundles or in package it can be create the value of the product so apple should be used for more value creation of Apple iPad and other products.

Do Androids Dream Of Electric Sheep?

Do Androids Dream Of Electric Sheep? Having seen written and filmed visions of the future, one would think that by now we would all be moving around on flying skateboards and in hovering cars and that we would have our breakfast served by helpful, patient and understanding robots, under the risk that these robots go berserk and start taking over the world. The people who imagined such a future should have given the world a few more years to develop in such a way since smart-phones and tablet computers are still the most progressive gadgets of today. On the other hand, there are a significant number of cameras and tracking devices following every suspicious move one makes, practically everyone has access to our most intimate data and some governments enabled themselves to make undesirable people disappear  [1]. This would mean that most visionaries were pretty right about the way in which society would (d)evolve, but they were slightly over-optimistic when it came to technological breakthroughs. This is why I find it interesting to read about changes in the world and in the human mind various authors expected to have happened by now because most of them are currently happening, and people are turning away from each other and focusing mainly on themselves and their personal success (by personal success I mean money and power). Philip K. Dick depicted this estrangement in detail in his 1968-novel Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? and I have been fascinated by it ever since I started playing the videogame Blade Runner when I was 14 years old. For that reason I chose to write about how Dick thought everyday life would look in the year 1992, which is when the novel takes place (on January 3rd, to be precise). First I will give a short outline of the storys plot and analyse the story according to Todorovs criteria of the Fantastic and Brooke-Roses theory of the encoded reader. The major part of this paper will consist of the description of the state of society after World War Terminus, the things that surround the humans who stayed on Earth and those who migrated to colonies on other planets, and of a description of the status of androids per se, as well as compared to electric animals. 1.2. Plot overview and analysis Philip K. Dick (born in 1928) takes us to the year 1992, 24 years after the novel was written. He introduces us to Rick Deckard who works for the San Francisco Police Department as a bounty hunter and whose job is to retire androids (replicants) that have fled from extraterrestrial colonies and come back to Earth. Deckard just received a new challenge to retire six Nexus-6 androids that are almost impossible to discern from real human beings. With the bounty of 1.000 $ per retired andy Rick could finally buy a real animal instead of having just an electric replacement that would embarrass him in front of the neighbours if they ever found out. After facing a few obstacles and intrigues, Deckard finally manages to retire the six replicants in one day, making him the SFPDs best bounty hunter, a role for which Deckard has become too weary after his whole life turned upside down and he lost faith in all the principles that led him through the story. Dick immediately takes us into this new future, he is not offering any rational explanations for why he believes the world would look like this in the future, and the reader doesnt feel the need to ask any questions. According to Todorovs criteria of the fantastic (1975:54-57) this novel fits into the category of the instrumental (scientific) marvellous, since all of the novums (Shippey, 2005 citing Darko Suvin) are introduced as if they were completely normal, everyday things that arent meant to provoke any awe in the reader. The determination of the text is balanced, according to Christine Brook-Roses theory (1981:122-124), which means that the reader is neither over- nor under-determined, he or she receives the same amount of information as the characters in the text, mostly through dialogues and the thoughts of the characters. The novel is one of the dystopian genre, which had its climax after the Second World War, and in which societies worse than those of our time are described (Wegner, 2005:88-91) through topics such as overpopulation, urban decay, environmental catastrophes etc., which were all major concerns in the years when the world was expecting a third World War. Estrangement and alienation between people and the search for identity, or, to be more specific, for what it means to be human are also issues frequently touched upon in this kind of literature. Part II Earth after World War Terminus à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ no one today remembered why the war had come about or who, if anyone, had won. (Dick, 2005:11) These are the words Dick uses to describe the absurdity of war it usually starts due to insignificant reasons and causes pain and loss to everyone involved. There can never be a real winner and the effects are felt for years afterwards. This particular nuclear war completely altered the face of Earth most of the population emigrated to colonies on other planets because their homes got covered by a veil of radioactive dust, most of the vegetation disappeared and animals became extremely rare. This gloomy atmosphere is nicely depicted in the film Blade Runner which was based on the novel, and in which it is clear that the sunlight doesnt even reach the street-level of the city due to all the dust and smog. 2.1. The colonization program Even before World War Terminus had the people of Earth started to move to other planets and build colonies there. But, as Dick writes in Chapter 2, à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ now that the Sun had ceased to shine on Earth the colonization entered an entirely new phase. (2005:12) Large amounts of people began to emigrate in the search for a new home where they wouldnt be exposed to radioactive dust and where they could start over and try to live a normal life. The government and the UN encouraged these migrations, their scientists modified the Synthetic Freedom Fighters, a prototype of the android (as described in Chapter 2) which was supposed to assist humans in their migration. Later each human would receive an android servant specially designed to fulfil the needs of its master, as a welcome gift to their new homes. Those who decided to stay on Earth were constantly exposed to radioactive fallout. The remaining population was divided into regulars (those who passed the IQ test and had acceptab le reasons to stay on Earth) and specials (those who were considered to have insufficient mental capabilities, it was forbidden for them to emigrate and they were sterilised because their reproduction was undesirable). Regulars were obligated to visit a doctor on a regular basis, because the dust could soon turn them into specials too. That is why a popular TV slogan says: Emigrate or degenerate! The choice is yours! (2005:5) Earth was no longer safe and the longer one would remain here, the greater the chances were for the dust to take effect. 2.2. Dust and kipple The most important motifs Dick uses to describe the atmosphere on Earth after WWT are silence, dust and kipple. The silence is described in Chapter 2 and it is felt by John Isidore, a special who lives all by himself in a massive empty apartment building. Since most of the population has left Earth, most of the buildings are empty and one can find themselves often being completely alone. Isidore feels the silence radiating from every pore of the building from the appliances that had stopped working years before that, from the walls and from the ceiling. He felt as if the silence possesses a power of its own, as if its goal were to take over all the objects (and people!) and, finally, as if the silence had come alive, to claim its throne among everything there is. Another thing that is slowly occupying the routine on Earth is kipple, a term coined by Dick himself. Kipple are objects such as junk mail or gum wrappers people fail to throw away. Kipple then accumulates and reproduces itself (2005:52), it spreads all over mans daily environment. According to John Isidore, No one can win against kipple, one can try to fight it with non-kipple, but as soon as one surrenders or leaves, kipple will take over and, eventually, completely occupy the universe. Buster Friendly, a popular TV-personality whose importance I will elaborate later in this paper, warned that this would cause the ultimate decadence of Earth by saying: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Earth would die under a layer not of radioactive dust but of kipple. (2005:69) While the accumulation of kipple can at least be postponed, and the silence can be avoided by staying in the city surrounded by people, the dust is one thing that is completely independent of human influence. As already mentioned, the dust is radioactive fallout which remained on Earth after the nuclear war, and which still influences the mental and physical health of the remaining population. The effects of dust are well seen in the description of Hannibal Sloat, Isidores boss: The dust, over the years, had eroded him; it had left his features gray, his thoughts gray; it had shrunk him and made his legs spindly and his gait unsteady. He saw the world through glasses literally dense with dust. For some reason Sloat never cleaned his glasses. It was as if he had given up; he had accepted the radioactive dirt and it had begun its job, long ago, of burying him. (2005:60) The dust cannot be evaded, under its influence humanity on Earth would soon decay, and the only culprit is humanity itself, starting pointless wars and destroying what does not belong to them. Part III Humanitys favourite pastimes Humans would certainly cease to be humans if they would simply surrender to the depression and the silence. Life goes on, and there were things to do, people to judge and rituals to perform. It would be pointless to continue living without being able to take care of a real animal, without fusing with Wilbur Mercer or laughing at Buster Friendlys perpetually interesting jokes. 3.1. Animals The nuclear war wiped out most of the vegetation and almost every animal species known to mankind, starting out with owls and other birds and then affecting the others as well. Being in possession of a real animal is a symbol of status, but it is also an obligation not taking care of an animal and trying to restore the fauna on Earth is considered to be an act of moral turpitude. But real animals cost money, and the prizes are displayed in Sidneys Animal Fowl Catalogue, which is carried around by almost every human being hoping to be able to afford a real animal one day. Until that day, it is a social requirement to at least have a replica, even though it is, as said on page 6, gradually demoralizing. One does not simply admit that their pet is a fake one, which is why even animal repair services have to look like real animal clinics, so that this whole faà §ade can be preserved and no one has to feel bad. People will always strive to earn enough money to buy a real animal still, there is no money in the world that can resurrect extinct species, so even the owl belonging to the powerful Rosen corporation is proved to be a fake in the end. The death of an animal presents a heavy emotional burden for its owners, and it is no exception to have an identical replica of the deceased animal built. 3.2. Mood organs In this reality mood-altering products are either illegal or have to be prescribed by a doctor. In Philip K. Dicks world a Penfield mood organ is a must-have for every household. Using the mood organ that stimulates the brain and alters a persons disposition toward the world, one can choose with what mood they will wake up setting D, for example, makes one feel well-disposed toward the world (2005:1) in the morning. There are several hundred moods one can choose from to schedule for the days ahead, reaching from The desire to watch TV, no matter whats on it (mood 888) to the Awareness of the manifold possibilities open to me in the future (no. 481). By dialling a mood combination on another persons mood organ, one can easily manipulate other people in order to win arguments or persuade them into doing things the dialler wants them to do. One can also dial oneself into a depression and undergo the risk of causing harm to oneself. 3.3. Mercerism Ever since theres been humanity, there have also been religions, cults, belief in deities. In the world of Do Androids?, everyone is under the influence of Wilbur Mercer. By grasping the handles of the empathy box everyone owns, one undergoes a fusion with this old man who is climbing a mountain. The purpose of this ritual is to connect with every other person who is doing this same thing at the moment, to share emotions with others and to exchange the deepest thoughts with Mercer. It is considered polite to use the empathy box when one is feeling truly happy or grateful, and to share these positive feelings with those who might not be as satisfied at the moment. This strengthens empathy, a feeling characteristic of mankind only and a concept that is of utmost importance in the novels world. By holding the handles of empathy (2005:7) one finds out about Mercers past in his childhood he was able to resurrect animals by turning back time, until the killers found out about his talent, forbid him to use it and eventually attacked his brain with radioactive cobalt, which altered Mercers state of mind and at first sunk him into a pit of dead creatures. After a while, the creatures came back to life and Mercer started ascending with them, lost them, and since then he climbs the hill alone. Those who use the empathy box find themselves ascending with Mercer, being hit by rocks supposedly thrown by the killers (an entity of absolute evil) and, through these wounds, feeling Mercers pain and becoming one with him. People, who could not stand this torment which would grow the higher they climbed, have even been known to die during the fusion. Later in the novel, Buster Friendly announces some shocking news: Mercerism is a hoax! Busters team of scientists discovered that the hill and the sky in the scene of Mercers ascent are artificial, that the rocks are made of plastic and that Wilbur Mercer is, in fact, played by an unknown, failed actor. Although this revelation shook the belief of many Mercerites, John Isidore did not stop believing. When he heard the news, he approached the empathy box and once again fused with Mercer, who admitted that everything Buster said was true. However, nothing has changed, Mercer was still there, and so was John Isidore, and Mercer promised to always be there and never judge anyone. Afterwards Mercer begins to appear outside of the empathy box, he manifested himself in front of Rick Deckard to warn him about the androids and to support him. For Mercer everything is easy, he thought, because Mercer accepts everything (2005:182). This is why Mercer says that he himself is not a moral person because he accepts the good and the bad. For that reason he told Deckard it was alright to retire the androids, and Deckard could not comprehend this tolerance of his actions. Towards the end of the novel, Deckard got so tired from everything he had done that, for a moment, he became Mercer, climbing and being hit by real rocks, and nothing except for him existed. According to this, the collective mind of people could bring things into life although they were scientifically disputed. This would mean that empathy is a feeling above the individual, something connecting all the people on a higher level. I will return to the notion of empathy and its significance later. 3.4. Buster Friendly His Friendly Friends Buster Friendly His Friendly Friends is a popular TV and radio programme in the novel. Buster Friendly is a TV-comic beloved throughout the whole Solar System, and John Isidore refers to him as à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ the most important human being alive, except of course for Wilbur Mercerà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ (2005:55) Busters show lasts for 23 hours every day, and Isidore finds it peculiar that he has time to tape both the radio and the TV show without ever repeating himself in content. In addition, his guests are always lovely females with whom he always engages in witty, non-repetitive conversations, despite having them in the show every other day. Although Isidore loves Buster, he cannot help being irritated by his constant mocking of Mercerism, and in the end it was Buster who exposed the truth about Mercer, after having announced his exposà © for days. Isidore, despite being a special, came to the sharp conclusion that Buster and Mercer are fighting over the human minds, trying to win ove r as much control over humanity as possible. Isidores boss agrees and considers Buster to be equally as eternal and immortal as Mercer (2005:61). This is proven to be false when the androids admit that Buster is one of them, which means that he has an approximate lifespan of four years. With this the reason for Busters disrespect towards Mercer is explained androids cannot comprehend the notion of empathy, and to them something that connects the humans in such a way is simply ridiculous. Part IV Androids The first humanoid robots were called Synthetic Freedom Fighters and they served as a weapon of war (2005:12). After the war ended, they were modified in order to assist in the colonization program, and later they became one of the motives for emigrating each emigrant would receive an android subtype of their choice, à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦and, by 1990, the variety of subtypes surpassed all understanding, in the manner of American automobiles of the 1960s.(2005:12) One could order an android to be a servant or cheap (or rather free) labour, it would be designed to fulfil all of its owners needs. Even though they resemble humans and often act like them, androids are considered unequal people refer to them as andys and they use the neutral form it to talk about them. From time to time it would occur that a group of androids rebels and decides to go to Earth, after having killed the people who were standing in their way to freedom. This is where Rick Deckard and the other bounty hunters come in their job is to track down, test and retire the returned androids. The job is quite risky, but the bounty makes it worth the risk. And, since androids lack the capacity of empathy, they are inferior to human beings and thus perfectly legal to kill. Certainly, a bounty hunter is not allowed to simply run around and laser his suspects first he has to test whether they really are androids or not, and this is done with the Voigt-Kampff Altered Scale. 4.1. The Voigt-Kampff Test The Voigt-Kampff scale was designed to determine whether the subject being tested is a human or an android. The test equipment resembles a polygraph and it is supposed to measure the level of empathy and affect in the subjects. The principle is that only humans, who are used to undergoing the fusion with Mercer, are capable of feeling empathy. It is not entirely reliable because, as Deckards boss explains on page 30, the test could easily label schizoid or schizophrenic persons as androids due to their equally unempathic reactions. The SFPD is worried that the test will fail to work on the new model of androids, Nexus 6, which would leave them without a dependable method for detecting androids. The test uses two gauges to establish the movement of the eye-muscle and capillary reaction. The examiner presents the subjects with various hypothetical situations, and the subject has to respond accordingly. When, for example, he or she presents the following situation: You have a little boy and he shows you his butterfly collection, including his killing jar. (2005:38), the examiner is trying to determine how and whether the subject will react to the situation of butterflies being killed. The verbal response is utterly unimportant in this case, only the physical reaction matters, because it cannot be consciously controlled. The largest problem arises when the android does not now that he or she is an android. In this case, it takes many more test questions to determine the truth. If, after that, the examiner is still uncertain, the subject can be admitted to a bone marrow test which is slow and painful when applied to living subjects, but it is also the only bullet-proof method. 4.2. The Nexus-6 model Nexus-6 is an android model designed by the Rosen association, a major manufacturer of androids. According to Eldon Rosen, the colonist market demanded a progressive form of android, which would resemble a real human almost completely, so as to be the ultimate companion in the process of colonisation. The brain structure of the Nexus-6 is extremely complex, they à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦have two trillion constituents plus a choice within a range of ten million possible combinations of cerebral activity. In .45 of a second an android equipped with such a brain structure could assume any of fourteen basic reaction postures. (2005:23) The Nexus-6 is intelligent, fast, skilful, and it can barely be distinguished from real humans. Deckard is afraid of them for that reason because they almost undermined the Voigt-Kampff scale, the only method he knows that is adequate for detecting androids. His weak point are especially the female Nexus-6 Rachael, whom he slept with, Pris, who looked exactly like Rachael so it was hard for him to kill her, and Luba Luft, whose opera-singing and taste in art fascinated him, and for whom he thought that she seemed genuinely alive (2005:112). As John Isidore said (2005:129), the Nexus-6 are intellectual and able to thing abstractly, which is why they are so diffi cult to distinguish from humans. This is also what motivated the group of androids Deckard was after in the novel being equally (or even more) intelligent to humans was not enough. They wanted to feel the sensation of togetherness and be considered alive, and not just as mere machines. 4.3. Androids vs. humans: Empathy Empathy is the main notion in the novel, it is what defines people as people and it is the only positive thing that was left after World War Terminus. As a matter of fact, it is the only thing stopping humans from starting new wars and completely self-destructing. The fusion with Mercer is therefore highly important, in that it strengthens empathy between persons who do not even know each other, but who at that moment became one with Mercer and everyone else. Dick sees man as a herd animal (2005:24), and the whole herd depends on every single unit. Other animals, mostly those who depend on hunting, would starve if they felt empathy, because they would feel reluctant to kill their victim. Androids are incapable of empathising. They can develop a sense of identification (as Rachael did with Pris, since they are the same type of android) and they can wish to be alive (in the film Blade Runner the android Roy Batty was driven solely by the wish to live longer than 4 years; when he found out this was impossible, he became furious and killed his maker), but they will never be able to feel what a human being feels. Because of this lack, androids often react mercilessly. For Rick Deckard an escaped humanoid robot, which had killed its master, which had been equipped with an intelligence greater than that of many human beings, which had no regard for animals, which possessed no ability to feel empathic joy for another life forms success or grief at its defeat that, for him, epitomized The Killers. (2005:25) According to this, Deckard does not see androids as being merely different or inferior, no, he sees them as the ultimate enemy of Mercerism and everything human, and therefore it is not morally wrong to retire them. He also compares them to electric animals, feeling contempt towards both species. The electric animal does not appreciate the existence of another being (2005:34) and neither does the android. In the end, one can without any problems be considered as the inferior or superior version of the other. The androids are aware of the difference between them and humans. When Isidore took them in, they knew that, unlike Isidore, a fellow android would have turned them in first thing in the morning. Deckard also noticed that there exists no real sense of unity between androids when Garland had no problem with blowing the cover on the whole alternative police department. Something that is a moral taboo for humans, such as making an animal suffer, is no problem for an android who thinks completely logically if a spider could survive and move around with only four legs, then why does it need the other four? (2005:162) Some other characteristics that distinguish androids from people can be found in the novel. Firstly, in life-threatening situations, they would simply resign, as if all their life force was gone: Mechanical, intellectual acceptance of that which a genuine organism with two billion years of the pressure to live and evolve hagriding it could never have reconciled itself to. (2005:157) So, maybe in these situations, androids feel as if they had never even been really alive, and therefore easily resign to the fact that they are going to die. Secondly, Roy Baty let Deckard into the apartment when Deckard pretended to be John Isidore Deckard later calls androids stupid (2005:178) because they obviously could not distinguish the nuances between two completely different human beings. They also miss some common knowledge that humans have for instance, when Pris didnt know what bean curd (tofu) was (2005:118), and she was aware that that was something only an android wouldnt know so they would always raise a certain degree of suspicion, no matter how well they would adjust. Androids are yet another example of man wanting to play God, and as long as he can acquire enough money doing this, he will be hard to stop. The market required androids to look as authentic as possible, and the Rosen association complied with these requirements. So they created beings completely aware of themselves, with the ability to think and comprehend, but unable to control their physical, sensual passions (2005:154) a time bomb ready to explode any second, a time bomb that has been denigrated since the moment it came into existence. Therefore I can empathise with the androids actions in a way, because they just wanted to be treated the same as real human beings, and it is no surprise they were happy when Buster revealed that Mercerism, and maybe even empathy, was just a swindle. Now humans wouldnt have an advantage over androids anymore. But, as it always happens, it was easier for the humans to kill off their problems rather than solve them in a non-violent manner, or maybe even (but that would just be too radical) learn from their mistakes and cease to do them. Conclusion After World War II, it was no surprise that most authors lost their faith in humanity. One could not simply witness what one human being is capable of doing to another and then stay completely indifferent. There was only one thing left to do write a novel and try to warn the world about the possible consequences of its behaviour. This is precisely what Philip K. Dick has done. In every aspect of Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? can we see criticism towards society: Deckards relationship with his wife, with whom he barely converses (they do talk, but there is no real communication behind that) and who voluntarily falls into a depression just so she could feel something; the Rosen association, producing androids so similar to humans, that it could easily happen that a real human gets retired instead of an android, just for the sake of profit; the commercials, aggressively inviting people to emigrate and start a new life with their custom android servant. Dick knows that the more people grow distant from each other and focus on their own needs, the higher the chances are for a new war which would bring societys doom. Luckily, there is a way out, something that should connect each one of us and something they should start teaching in kindergarten. It is called empathy, and it is one of the things that distinguish us from other species, in fact, according to Dick, it is the only thing that can actually prove that we are humans, and not just human machines. If we could just work on that, and have a bit more respect for other peoples feelings, maybe human would stop degenerating into a pejorative term and start standing for a being that is rational, civilised and empathic again. Works cited and consulted Brooke-Rose, Christine. A Rhetoric of the Unreal.Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. 122-124. pdf Dick, Philip K. Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? London: Orion Books Ltd, 2010 (1968). Print. Jackson, Rosemary. Fantasy. The Literature of Subversion. London, New York: Routledge, 1981. 24-36. pdf Palmer, Christopher. Philip K. Dick. A Companion to Science Fiction. Ed. David Seed. Blackwell, 2005. 389-397. pdf Shippey, Tom. Hard Reading: The Challenges of Science Fiction. A Companion to Science Fiction. Ed. David Seed. Blackwell, 2005. 14-15. pdf Todorov, Tzvetan. The Fantastic. A Structural Approach to a Literary Genre. New York: Cornell University Press, 1975. 54-57. pdf Wegner, Philip E. Utopia. A Companion to Science Fiction. Ed. David Seed. Blackwell, 2005. 88-91. pdf

Critique of Kohlberg’s Claim of Cultural Moral Universality Essay

Critique of Kohlberg’s Claim of Cultural Moral Universality    Introduction As the American Heritage Dictionary plainly states, morality is "a system of ideas of right and wrong conduct" (American Heritage Dictionary 2000). People have been researching the development of this sense of morality for centuries. There is great debate over how a person’s morality is formed and then how to categorize one person’s level of morality compared to others. Most researchers believe that people reach different stages of morality within their lifetimes. The tougher issue is determining what comprises the various stages of morality, which is dependent on what a person’s ideas of right or wrong are to begin with. Therefore in order to establish a set of moral stages, one must clarify what exactly is thought of as right or wrong to a group of people. It has been stated that a person’s sense of morality deals with how he should act as a person, as opposed to acting on the basis of his race, ethnicity or religion. This statement therefore implies that all people should have the same set of morals. People should be concerned with how they should act as people in general and not let other aspects of who they are influence their sense of morality. But in the end this belief has been proven to be false. Different people across the world have contrasting moral reactions, natural responses and thoughts to moral dilemmas. (Fleischacker, 1994, p.8) All people worldwide go through the process of moral reasoning, which has been defined as "a cognitive process by which individuals make decisions about moral issues and justify these decisions, regardless of the context of the issue" (Gardiner, 1998, p.176). But not all of these people come to the s... ...d Corinne Kosmitzki. Lives Across Cultures: Cross-Cultural Human Development. Boston: Allyn and Bacon, 1998. Kagan, Jerome. The Emergence of Morality in Young Children. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press, 1987. Kohlberg, Lawrence. "Moral Stages and Moralization: The Cognitive-Developmental Approach." Moral Development and Behavior. New York: Holt, Rinehart, and Winston, 1976. Kohlberg, Lawrence. The Philosophy of Moral Development. New York: Harper and Row Publishers, 1981. Kohlberg, Lawrence. The Psychology of Moral Development. New York: Harper and Row Publishers, 1984. Lei, Ting. "Being and Becoming Moral in a Chinese Culture: Unique or Universal?" Cross-Cultural Research, Feb94, Vol. 28 Issue 1, p58. Roopnarine, Jaipaul L. and D. Bruce Carter. Parent-Child Socialization in Diverse Cultures. Norwood, NJ: Ablex Publishing Corporation, 1992.

Essay on the Dynamic Relationship of Macbeth and Lady Macbeth

Dynamic Relationship of Macbeth and Lady Macbeth  Ã‚   An important factor in Shakespeare’s tragic play, Macbeth is the changing relationship between Macbeth and Lady Macbeth throughout the play. At the beginning of the play, Lady Macbeth is the dominant character in the relationship. As the play progresses the roles seem to reverse and Macbeth becomes the more dominant of the two. We can gain insight into the changing relationship by looking at the interaction of the couple. The first time in the play where we can make reference about their relationship and their individual personalities in the relationship is in Act 1, Scene 5, where we first meet Lady Macbeth. She is seen alone reading a letter out loud, which Macbeth has written to her. It is telling her of his visit from the witches. The letter told how the weird sisters had come to him and Banquo on their way home after battle and how they also made it appear to him as though they could read his thoughts and how they tormented him with riddles. They showed him that they had the power of prophecy and they said that he would become the Thane of Cawdor and then king. They made him believe that his greatest prize, being king, was near and Macbeth who was already experiencing the desire to be king willingly listened to the witches. Lady Macbeth desperately wanted to become queen and when the king made Macbeth the Thane of Cawdor they both thought the weird sisters must be right and he would become king. When the question was vaguely brought up of killing Duncan to get the throne Lady Macbeth worked on this idea and in her eyes it seemed to be a good idea. Lady Macbeth then went about trying to persuade Macbeth into killing Duncan even though he clearly didn’t want to. ... ...86. Hugget, Richard. Supernatural on Stage: The Curse of Macbeth: Its Origins, Background, and History. New York: Taplinger Publishing Co, 1975. 153-211. Lewis, William Dodge. Shakespeare Said It. Syracuse: Syracuse University, 1961. Quincey, Thomas De essay from Harris, Laurie Lanzen, and Scott, Mark W. ed. "The Tragedy of Macbeth." Shakespearean Criticism, Vol. 3. Detroit: Gale Research Company, 1986. Shakespeare, William. Tragedy of Macbeth . Ed. Barbara Mowat and Paul Warstine. New York: Washington Press, 1992. Traversi, D. A. essay from Harris, Laurie Lanzen, and Scott, Mark W. ed. "The Tragedy of Macbeth." Shakespearean Criticism, Vol. 3. Detroit: Gale Research Company, 1986. Wells, Stanley, and Taylor Gary. ed. The Oxford Shakespeare, The Complete Works: Macbeth. By William Shakespeare. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1988. 975-999.   

HR Trends and Challenges Essay

Every job, organization and industry is going to have trends. These trends dictate the direction that the job, organization or industry is heading whether it is technology driven, psychologically driven, or financially driven. The variables that impact these trends can change very quickly, and are results of needs that are fulfilled by the trends. Some examples are personal computers, cell phones and many other technologies that allow organizations to conduct business faster and easier. Many times a there are multiple trends that are on opposite sides of an idea, and an organization must decide which trend or trends are the correct trends for future success. When organizations face challenges of this nature at the speeds the current business environment changes, forces them to become knowledgeable of the  industry trends very quickly. The organizations must then use this knowledge to make quick decisions on their future direction. The following is an exploration and analysis of the trends that human resource departments and managers are facing in today’s businesses, and why they are important for organizational success today and in the future. Performance Management and Performance Appraisals Good management is always analyzing the performance of the organization and its employees. There are several ways to do this, and depending on the organization and its objectives some methods are more effective than others. A complete performance management system is different from an annual performance appraisal system in several ways. In most cases a complete performance appraisal system is an ongoing evaluation. It uses several factors to determine the productivity of the employees of the organization. Management has to decide what the primary objectives of the organization are. Once this is decided they need to figure out how each department is contributing to the main objectives of the origination. These become sub-goals for the entire company and each department can concentrate on each goal. From here, each employee in that department can be responsible for a goal. The managers in that department can divide the tasks to individual employees. Good performance management systems will allow the managers in each department to evaluate the performance of employee and to see the effectiveness of that employee to complete the required tasks and objectives. Managers then need to figure out a performance reward system which can award the employees for completing their primary objectives. Managers can choose to reward employees on several factors. Competition, quality and content are some of the factors which rewards can be based on. The most important factor is to make sure that rewards are given when the primary objective is met. For example, it would not make since to reward employees on completion, when quality of the product is more important. A good performance management system is a dynamic system which is always changing and adapting to the current needs of the organization. An effective system can motivate employees and allow them to improve the quality of the work the put out. Annual performance rewards concentrate more on the output of the organization as a whole. These rewards are geared more towards the profits and the output of the organizations. Annual performance rewards are important in an organization because they set goals and standards for the organization to achieve in the course of one year. In order to set effective annual performance rewards, management needs to consider its goals for the year. Effective performance rewards can break the year down into three quarts. Doing this makes it more tangible to achieve goals because they the time frame is reduced. Management can look at historical performance of the organization. For example, they can look at the amount of sale of the previous year to set goals for the upcoming year. They can also look at the trends in the industry and project goals for the upcoming year. For example, if trends in a certain quarter are showing improved sales, management can set a higher goal to try and improve sales for the upcoming year or quarter. It is also very important not to set these goals too high as to not discourage the employees. Once these goals are set, performance rewards need to be determined. Management needs to decide what type of rewards can be given out. Monetary rewards, days off and stock options are some examples of rewards. In order to determine the best rewards, management needs to detriment the needs of the employees and find out what would be most beneficial to them. They also need to make sure that the rewards won’t be too costly to the organization. Once the type of reward is determined, the payouts also need to be analyzed. Management can choose to pay out employees based on the amount of profits made within a certain quarter, or on the amount of sales. An effective payout method is one which again concentrates on the primary objective. For example if revenue is more important to an organization, then they may choose to reward employees based on total profits of the organization. Management also needs to decide how they are going to divide the profits. Profits can be divided evenly or based on employee position, or longevity in the organization. An effective annual performance rewards system is similar to a complete performance reward system because it will also reward employee for reaching pre-determined objectives, and it will also motivate individuals within the organization to improve the quality of work. It is important to keep in mind that just like  a good complete performance management system, an effective annual per formance appraisal systems is dynamic an is always changing and adapting to the needs of the organizations and its employees. Managing Turnover Managing turnover is one of the most recent human resources trends in today’s business environment and many organizations have found that managing their turnover effectively has helped with the organizations bottom line, which has resulted in many different success stories. Human resource departments in all organizations would consider managing turnover a very important aspect or the departments overall goals for the organizations they work for, but what does managing turnover really mean? Turnover in any organization is inevitable and the term managing turnover in its simplest form is to deal with the loss of the organization’s human capital and in most cases includes minimizing unwanted turnover in the organization. All organizations will deal with turnover and some of this turnover will be the result of decisions by the organization to part ways with an employee. In this instance the role of the human resource department is to manage the dismissal of these employees and to do so while limiting liabilities. This is an important aspect of the human resources departments’ role in managing turnover, but this is something that has happened in organizations for a long time and is a role that has not and will not change significantly. The major trend in managing turnover falls in the arena of preventing unwanted turnover for an organization. When an organization loses an employee that decides on his or her own accord to leave will result in the loss of many of the costs they incurred in hiring, training and employing the individual. In today’s incredibly competitive business environment organizations cannot afford to lose quality human capital or the resources spent on the employee they are losing. To make matters worse these costs must then be added to the cost of the resources required to hire and train a new employee and all these costs added together becomes very costly for organizations that do not manage turnover effectively. When an organization loses an employee to unwanted turnover the losses that are incurred are a result of many different aspects of the turnover. First and foremost will be the loss of the individual that has decided to leave the organization. This individual produces in some way or form for the organization and when he or she is gone everything that the individual helps to produce will be lost, along with the expertise he or she has gained in his or her current position. The expertise that the individual has can also be part of a team expertise, and the loss of one part of the team can also slow down or stop production of the whole team as well, depending on the ability for others to step in and takeover for the individual leaving. As soon as the turnover is recognized the human resource department will hopefully begin the process of hiring a new employee to step in for the loss, but these processes are sometimes difficult and time consuming because it is important to find a quality candidate. Hiring the wrong candidate could create future problems in managing turnover, which is why the hiring process is an important component in the overall picture of managing turnover, and finding the right person for the job the first time will hopefully result in fewer turnovers. Unfortunately, the losses do no end there because the organization must now train this newly hired employee to do what the employee that left was doing. The lack of expertise in the position, the organization, and the specific team usually means that production will suffer until the new employee gains the expertise and experience that is necessary to complete his or her job efficiently and effectively. This is a threat that all organizations must deal with, and the organizations that manage turnover effectively will be able to take these set backs in stride, while those that do not fall further behind, which is why the managing turnover trend has become so important to so many organizations. Organizations know why managing turnover is so important, but what do human resource departments do to combat unwanted turnover? As stated in the paragraph above it all begins with the hiring process. Hiring qualified, intelligent, and hardworking individuals is a goal that most organizations have, but to achieve these goals the organization must find, recruit, and retain these employees. To find and recruit these gifted individuals the  organization must market itself well and have something to differentiate their organization from all the others. Companies achieve this by having a good name, and offering benefits and perks that their competition does not. Once these individuals are discovered and recruited the organization must then retain the services of these employees. An employee that goes to work each day happy will be less likely to leave the organization, so the human resource department must keep these employees happy to effectively manage his or her organizations turnover. Each individual will find different aspects of his or her working life to be important, but overall human resources should strive to make each employee feel safe and happy at work. Additionally, the organization should create challenging and interesting job positions but most of all employees want to be treated fairly and with respect. The trend of managing turnover is not easy to ascertain, but is a goal that most organizations should implement with the help of its human resources department. Safety and Health Management Along the lines of creating a process where the turnovers of employees are managed are the safety and health issues associated within an organization. Safety and health are of particular concern for all working individuals and the United States government saw it fit for laws to be enacted to protect these rights by establishing the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 (Workers Rights Under the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970, n.d.). These rights are: Get training from your employer as required by OSHA standards. Request information from your employer about OSHA standards, worker injuries and illnesses, job hazards and workers’ rights. Request action from your employer to correct hazards or violations. File a complaint with OSHA if you believe that there are either violations of OSHA standards or serious workplace hazards. Be involved in OSHA’s inspection of your workplace. Find out results of an OSHA inspection. (Workers Rights, n.d.) With these rights and applicable laws established, a worker is armed with the proper tools to establish a safe working place, furthering his or her job satisfaction to improve retention. While discussing the aspects of health and safety in the workplace, it is important to not one of the most influential laws established in the United States concerning this topic, the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970. Duties of this act are stated as follows: Each employer – shall furnish to each of his employee employment and a place of employment which are free from recognized hazards that are causing or are likely to cause death or serious physical harm to his employees; shall comply with occupational safety and health standards promulgated under this Act. Each employee shall comply with occupational safety and health standards and all rules, regulations, and orders issued pursuant to this Act which are applicable to his own actions and conduct. (OSH act of 1970, January 1, 2004) We can see from this passage of the OSH act that specific laws will be applied to all private work practices to ensure the rights of the workers are protected, with respect to health and safety. It is in the best interest, then, for the organization to adhere to specific laws and regulations to keep a safe working environment for employees. The costs of litigation again show how employers will gain more from safe working environments and provide for healthy productive employees. The trend shown here is for government to provide the necessary controls over private  businesses to ensure health and safety practices are implemented and adhered to. While the trend for employers is to provide for healthy and safe working environments, industrial accidents are products of unsafe behavior and not unsafe working conditions (Noe, Hollenbeck, Gerhart, & Wright, 2004). The culture of an organization’s safety consciousness is still a concern which human resources needs to address. The need to address the safety culture of an organization is paramount in establishing a healthy safety record for a company. Safety records can be used as bargaining tools for companies vying for contracts within other organizations. This incentive for an organization can produce a culture that provides for individual employees in a long-term basis, promoting a culture that is safety conscious. Long-term job exposure in a tight-knit organization promotes a culture that is conducive to safety (as discussed in Dunn, 2001). But human resources provide the spearhead group that initiates the programs to promote the health and safety of an organization’s personnel. With programs such as mandatory safety training and different qualification requirements, a company can show how determined it is to foster safety and health within the workplace. Incentives such as safety awards, safety bingo, and safety presentation awards can reinforce the culture established within an organization (Noe, Hollenbeck, Gerhart, & Wright, 2004). Healthiness of employees encourages a productive workforce. We have already discussed the controls of government within the private business. Next we discuss the costs of safety and health of employees to an organization. Indeed, â€Å"addressing safety and health issues in the workplace saves the employer money and adds value to the business (Kautz, 2007).† Estimates of around $170 million of expenditures by businesses arising from occupational injuries (as discussed in Kautz, 2007) are costing employers more than profits. Employees who work for organizations that are conscientious about safety and health of its employees enjoy less stress, less impact on family from impact of injuries, and less impact on their incomes due to injury (Kautz, 2007). Therefore, indirect costs added by improved health and safety can revolve around the programs implemented by companies. Such indirect  costs include: increased productivity, higher quality products, increased morale, better labor/management relations, reduced turnover, and better use of human resources (Kautz, 2007). Employers need to see intangibles such as these presented in order to fully appreciate the costs associated with implementing safety programs and health benefits. Intangible items are key to running a business efficiently and effectively. The value added to businesses by continued concern for safety and health of everyone in the organization contributes to the welfare of not only the workers, but of the families and communities where the organization does its commerce. Future Trends and Challenges _Globalization_ â€Å"The world has never been so interdependent. All trends point to cooperation as a fundamental, growing force in business† (Lewis 1991). The past ten years has seen a shift in the business world towards a more global economy. No longer are businesses confined to their home borders, they are expanding into other countries and continents. This shift has had a significant impact on human resources management. Globalization has fueled growth, cooperation between business and government, and created an abundance of new jobs. Companies looking for a competitive edge in the U.S. may open an office in Asia and leverage a cheaper work force to handle responsibilities such as development, manufacturing, or support. Because of this, human resources managers may find themselves staffing a project with members spread out across the globe. This presents a relatively new and challenging issue that must be tackled in order to successfully manage projects and requires managers to be more c ulturally aware. _Challenges of Managing a Virtual Team_ Many organizations are also implementing schedules where their team may work remotely at home or even abroad. Profound systemic changes have been seen in the way companies are structured. The concepts of leadership and managing people gave undergone a radical rethink. â€Å"Cubicles, hierarchies and rigid  organization structures of the past, have now given way to open work environment, flat structure with informality being a general rule and empowerment of individuals† (Shivakumar, 2007). Today work itself is centered around projects, which have virtual teams working on them. This work structure has led to a culture of flexi time, round the clock accessibility to the workplace. Also catching up fast is the trend of workstations at home, remote access, video-conferencing and reporting by exception (Shivakumar, 2007). For effective human resources management to occur, managers must first establish lines of communication between the members. E-mail and faxes are great for communicating facts however, there lacks feelings behind the facts. They also do not allow for real-time communication. Conference calls and project chat rooms can help, but they also have their limitations. Videoconferencing is a significant improvement over non-visual electronic forms of communication. Still, it is a very expensive medium, and real-time interaction is available on only the most advanced and expensive systems. Even with the best system, managers have to overcome the problem of time zone differences, cultural nuances, and finding a convenient time for people to conference (Gray 2003). By establishing primary and secondary windows of time for meetings, a human resources manager can begin to build trust between the members without the face-to-face meetings. Once trust and accountability have been established among employees, it will be able to build synergy and employees will be focused on achieving their goals. _Challenges with Multiple Ethnic and Sociopolitical Backgrounds_ Human resources management also includes facing the challenge of managing teams with members from multiple ethnic and sociopolitical backgrounds. It is important for managers to do their homework and become familiar with the customs and habits of the host country they are going to be working in or the diversity within the team they are working with. Sensitive issues may cause conflict between team members working together on the project. It is the manager’s responsibility to become the mediator and resolve the issue between the conflicting members. Although this is easier said than done, the  manager must keep the staff going in the right direction. _Technology Enhancements_ Over the past few years, human resources training software has gone through many changes. Current global trends and telecommuting requires training that can be accessible via any computer connected to the internet. The development and use of electronic learning is also seen as a major area of potential change as individuals both in and outside the workplace increasingly gain access to online education (Schramm 2007). With electronic mail and interconnectivity of mail systems there is less regard for the geographic location of the employees. Training can also be conducted via teleconference or web- conference. Other enhancements in technology include things such as online reviews, schedule management, and benefits enrollment. Many human resources related functions are done electronically through an organizations intranet. _Work/Life Balance_ Companies today are constantly striving towards enhancing the quality of work life and the personal life of its employees and this does not stop with the employee buts gets extended to his / her family as well (Shivakumar, 2007). Many organizations are adopting benefits such as on-site health clubs, aerobics and yoga classes, sports and cultural activities, employee get-togethers with families invited, day care centers and onsite weight-loss groups. Other benefits are geared towards the family such as extended paid time off for new mothers, paid bonding time for fathers, additional paid time off monthly for parents to attend schools functions with their children, and flexible spending accounts for childcare and healthcare. Additional benefits to create work and life balance help retain good  employees. In addition, it increases productivity because workers are less stressed; they have increased morale, get sick less, and ultimately save organizations money. In the long run, organizations have to spend less money on hiring new employees and on things such as loss of time because of decreased productivity. References Noe, R. A., Hollenbeck, J. R., Gerhart, B., & Wright, P. M. (2004). Fundamentals of Human Resource Management. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill/Irwin. Gray, Clifford F. & Larson, Erik W (2003) _Project Management: The Managerial_ _Process._ New York: McGraw-Hill Lewis, Jordan. (2001). _Competitive Alliances Redefine Companies._ Retrieved December 20, 2007 from University of Phoenix Info Trac database Schramm. HR Magazine. _HR Trends._ Retrieved December 20, 2007 from http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m3495/is_10_49/ai_n6254361 Shivakumar, Radha_. Emerging Trends in Managing Human Resources._ Retrieved December 20, 2007 from http://www.humanlinks.com/manres/articles/trends_hr.htm OSH act of 1970. (January 1, 2004). Retrieved December 24, 2007, from U.S. Department of Labor web site: http://www.osha.gov/pls/oshaweb/owadisp.show_document?p_table=OSHACT&p_id=2743#5. Workers Rights Under the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970. (n.d.). Retrieved December 24, 2007, from www.osha.gov U.S. Department of Labor web site: http://www.osha.gov/as/opa/worker/rights.html. Dunn, D. (June 18, 2001). Technical Security maintenance team marks 20 years with no lost-time injury. Retrieved December 24, 2007, from web site: http://www.hanford.gov/reach/viewpdf.cfm?aid=81. Kautz, J. (2007). Employee Health and Safety. Retrieved December 24, 2007, from Small Business Notes web site: http://www.smallbusinessnotes.com/operating/hr/safety.html.