This Semblance of Movement :: Creative Writing Essays

This Semblance of Movement Afraid because my walking hurts the ground. Hesitate. That there would be nothing left to write. There are cracks in everything we've made. That does not mean futility. Father's faith in truth and then this stubborn repetition but what if. The moon looked paper-thin tonight. So I thought if I could slide more softly from now on. Sifting Liquid I am peeling off the liquid skin of a memory. Pulling crooked strings out of a silent field of dreams, sister keeps asking what she's missing in me. The sky was three shades of blue tonight, glass stars and frozen landscapes, caught in the pantomime of living. Time unfolds its battered wings and in that space I smile. Stealing blankets and the young girl fell. My first day home from the hospital, she only wanted to play, but reaching to tug, share a piece of my soft security, she tripped, cut her chin. The first blood of our tenuous intimacy. There was a safety scissors haircut (Mr. Rogers would have done it that way) and hours under chairs looking everywhere and up. Entranced by mobiles moving across distance, light, and eyes. In my crib, I would stand, arms reaching out for her, babbling. She, translating thoughts before lips knew how to form. My mother recalls a time early on when she woke in the middle of the night to noises down the hall. A four-year old and a three-year old at two in the morning, laughing. We had been building a bridge of cards from her bed to mine, so that we wouldn't fall in the water between us if we wanted to hold hands. The most unlikely of stories I never thought to question. Sister, less than a year old, lying on her mother's stomach. Head down, moving with the rhythm of familiar breath. One word. Baby. To discover, shortly after, for two months their silence had been shared. I remember the ways we used to pretend. In the water, we could have been dolphins, at home different versions of Barbie and Ken. Our Barbies lost countless heads perfecting dives off sofa's end and to think that's how I spent my years. Do I laugh or merely cry. When we played I think I was always the boy but I don't know if that changed the way I feel.

Francis King “Making It All Right”

The text â€Å"Making it all right† by Francis King is written in a style of fiction. This extract is about how Mary and her husband Bob were admiring their screen, which was picked up in a little junkshop, and how they had it remounted. So at the beginning of the text we see Bob, Mary and Diana friendly speaking about their friend Iris, whom they were going to make a call. Suddenly their attention was attracted by Diana Lucas, who began to edge a six-panel gold screen out from the wall. And they saw the filth behind it. During this Bob was sitting and staring at the Chinese silk carpet.The author describe him as a big and clumsy chap using such epithet â€Å"clumsy hands†. But Bob wasn’t going to grumble about her and he’s been with her twelve years. And he really appreciated in her the thing that she was a good cook and to show it the author uses the epithet â€Å"a lovely cook†. The clich? â€Å"on a good day† is used to show that they did not care very much about that carpet. After all they decided to call her but they did not know whether would be suitable. Besides she was on her own and seemed â€Å"utterly lost†, this metonymy which describes her in a very bad condition.But then Diana fidgeted with the screen and their attention again was attracted by the beauty of it. To show their admiration the author uses the proverb â€Å"The gold alone is worth a fortune†. And at the end of the text we can see the remembering of that how they picked up it in a small junkshop and how it had been remounted by a little man – a real artist. After that they anyway decided to put through that call. To my mind the idea of the story is that sometimes it is possible to remount thing which are in ghastly condition.

Assess the Aftermath and Impact That the First Opium War Had on China

Question: Assess the aftermath and impact that the first Opium War had on China Essay: The First Opium War fought between Britain and China from 1839-1842 was a clash between two vastly different cultures, one struggling to control trade rights, and the other desperate to limit the impact of foreign trade upon the local population. The war changed the way China acted towards its foreign counterparts, exposed the weaknesses of the Chinese feudal system and forcefully opened-up China to the rest of the world. There were severe economic, social and political consequences that the war had on China. Prior to the war China had believed that the Chinese empire was the ‘Heavenly Middle Kingdom’ and superior to all other civilisations. China had very little contact with the West and foreigners were continually looked down upon. Despite strict government regulations, foreign trade with the West in China grew during the late 18th & early 19th century. The West became desperate in trying to balance their thirst of coveted Chinese goods for their own goods but China showed little interest in Western products until 1817 when Britain sold 240 tons of opium into China and when the West found a product which China did not have, opium. Opium smuggling developed rapidly and the trade literally produced a country filled with opium dens and drug addicts. Thus the government decided to do something about this problem and sent Commissioner Lin Zexu to sort things out. However it was Zexu’s actions that eventually started a war in which brought China into a humiliating defeat. The Treaty of Nanking is an official document that marks the conclusion of the First Opium war; it is also considered an unequal treaty by the Chinese. China was ordered to handover Hong Kong, open up five more ports for trade and pay 21 million ounces of silver to Britain. Britain also received fixed tariffs, the ‘most favoured nation’ status and imprisoned British nationals were not to be tried under Chinese law. This treaty caused many problems for China as no restrictions were placed on British merchants who were free trade in China, the opium trade more than doubled in the three decades. As Hong Kong was to be ceded to Britain, it gave the British a base for further military, political and economical penetrations of China. Import duties were lowered from 65% to 5%, effectively traumatizing China's home industries. The treaty also exempted British nationals and any Chinese person who had either dealt with the British, lived with them or were employed by them, from Chinese law. This provided a refuge for Chinese criminals. No sooner had the Chinese emperor made concessions to Britain, he was faced with similar demands from US, French, Belgium, Sweden, Norway and Russian governments. Greatly weakened by war he had no choice but to grant their requests. Seeing China’s weakness, the foreign powers sailed up to impose treaties similar to that of Nanking. By 1860, a massive amount of 6400 tons of opium was being annually imported into China. Western merchants mainly bought silk and tea from China and the export of tea from China increased to 42,000,000 kg in 1855 from only 7,500,000 kg in 1843. The export of silk rose to 56,000 bales in 1855 from a relatively small sum of 2000 bales in 1843. The tea and silk producing regions around the treaty ports expanded and benefited from the foreign trade and resulted in more and more farmers who abandoned the production of food stuffs to produce silk and tea. When Shanghai opened up to foreign trade, the occupation shift for the coolies and boatmen who would transport tea and silk throughout the regions in Canton were now unemployed since the majority of trade moved from Canton to Shanghai. This caused a food price hike and the unemployment rise. As Canton wasn’t the only port open for trade, the inland boatmen who transported goods to Canton from other areas before the war, lost their business. The amount of European goods and opium that flooded china severely strained the economy and provoked an economic crisis which resulted in the shortage of the Spanish silver dollar. The Spanish dollar appreciated so much that Canton abolished it and introduced the Mexican dollar. The monetary disturbances in China was enhanced by the internal monetary crises in China were the Chinese copper cash continued to devalue due to poor management and insufficient supply of copper. The monetary crises devastated the Chinese financial system and caused the loss of morale. With the rush of cheaper Western machine-made products, the home textile industry in China was almost destroyed. For many centuries, clothes were made by hand so this business was heavily impacted by foreign trade. In order to survive, this industry had to decrease the price of their products but, because the production methods remained basically untouched, the cost of production was also unchanged. Therefore the lower price came at the cost of the lower of the living standards of the textile workers. The Opium War almost entirely collapsed China's economy. However, it also forced China's economy to quickly adapt and evolve. The war rushed China's development of capitalism. Even before the war, a market economy was already developing in China's urban areas. The â€Å"invasion† of foreign capitalistic powers enhanced this change. However, the coming of outside influences did not result in the independent development of capitalism in China; rather it turned China into a semi-colonial semi-feudal state. This happened because Chinese industries were exposed too soon to the outside world, being insufficiently prepared and poorly equipped to compete in international or even domestic markets. Western capitalism greatly changed and influenced the Chinese economy as on one hand, the opening of China damaged the basis of China's self-sufficient economy, the urban handicraft and rural homestead industries. But on the other hand, it greatly enhanced the development of China's urban market economy. After China's disastrous defeat in the Opium War, the Chinese realized that they were no longer the â€Å"Heavenly Middle Kingdom†. Having lost at the hands of the â€Å"barbarians†, Chinese intellectuals recognized that in order to deal with the strangers from the West, they must understand the Westerners and the place they came from. Before the Opium War, the Chinese concept of European countries was very vague and in some cases, even ridiculous. After the Opium War, China intellectually discovered the West as Western political ideas, social structures, and in some areas, new technologies were introduced. Western ideas of parliamentary democracy and capitalism were vaguely made known and international alliances became a concept. One of the writers, Wei Yuan, first proposed that in order to fight the West, China must learn from the West. Wei's proposal received many positive responses as it was after all that China lost to the Westerner's â€Å"strong ships and sharp weapons†. So, China for the first time established something on the equivalent of a foreign ministry which was mainly occupied with the study of Western technology, modernization of the Chinese army and the open of modern factories. The first factories opened were for the military, and specialized in the production of modern weapons and ships. The running of these factories did not depend on the profit it made, nor the demands of the market so money making was not a concern. This meant that administration techniques of managing a large commercial enterprise were not yet developed. Even so, seeing that Western enterprises made a profit, the Chinese government began to establish commercial enterprises. Immediately after the Opium War, Western merchants had not yet fully entered the Chinese market. The Manchu government, although short in profits, could still find enough funds to start new industries. The private sector also was quite wealthy. With the collapse of the feudalistic economy and the stimulations by Western capitalism, it was willing to invest in modern enterprises. At the same time, Western companies absorbed some Chinese capital. It could be said that shortly after the Opium War, Chinese capitalism had a good chance to develop. The Opium War exposed the weaknesses of the Chinese feudal system. The cost of the war and later the compensation all fell onto the shoulders of the farmers and civilians. The Manchu government could no longer protect, and govern its people and as China's economy collapsed, poverty was wide spread, and insurrection sprang up all over the country. The Manchu government showed its weaknesses when it signed the Treaty of Nanjing without using all possible methods of resistance. The Opium War helped to discredit the Manchu government and encouraged popular movements. For many Chinese, the Treaty of Nanking was a signal that the Manchu dynasty was at its end – humiliated, weak and corrupt. A republican movement ran across the political landscape, stimulating nearly fifteen years of civil war. Seeing the social chaos and the weakening of the Manchu dynasty, Chinese intellectuals sought to make China strong. Unlike the government, the intellectuals believed that adapting Western technologies and industries was not enough and that China must undergo political changes as well. Chinese intellectuals began to study Western countries and at the same time, the Chinese government imported Western technologies and industries. They, like the officials, believed that the government should allow and protect the growth of capitalism and that the army must be modernized to fight Westerners on the battlefields. But most importantly, private enterprises should be formed without government interventions and companies must be created to compete in the market place. The intellectuals also proposed a parliamentary system as a new, more democratic political system. This proposal was the first attempt of private citizens to get involved in the government. The Opium war created an entire new level of crime and disorder in Southeast China. The British navy drove away the pirates along the coast and up into the Kwangtung-Kwangsi highlands. There, the pirates would periodically raid plentiful villages up the river. To add to this, former militiamen used their weapons for banditry. The Opium War had led the people of China to witness the destruction of their military and navy by the strongest military force at the time. It led to a greater understanding and appreciation for West, despite their hatred for it. This led many people to consider and try to understand Western doctrines and beliefs. Also some British missionaries, who had knowledge of China and the language, played in the embarrassment of the country to which they had come perceived with no object other than to preach Christianity. Thus for the first time instances of foreign religion was seen. The Opium War was also one of the many factors that led on the famous Taiping Rebellion. Directly after the war feuds between the Punti and Hakkas clans rose. The Hakka people were Chinese that came from the north and had immigrated to southern China. They were treated as ethnic minorities by the Punti’s who were the Cantonese natives. This led to competition between the two in farming and economy. In the 1850’s the feuds and wars between these two clans resulted in the loss of hundreds of thousands of lives. The dislike towards the Hakkas eventually led them into following the Taiping Rebellion’s leader Hung Hsiu-chuan. Hung Hisu-chuan was the revolutionary leader who incorporated the Western ideals and beliefs of Christianity with classical Chinese themes. He believed himself to be the younger brother of Christ, and was sent on a mission to return Christianity to China. This belief was soon adopted by thousands of Hakkas alike, because of the loss of faith in the Ch’ing dynasty partially due to the defeat in the Opium War, it’s social and economic effects afterwards and the silver & copper crisis. The movement to change and restore China with Christianity finally resulted in the Taiping rebellion against the Ch’ing dynasty. The Taiping rebellion lasted from 1851 to 1864, causing the loss of millions of lives. The Ch’ing dynasty’s power was questionable during this time because the rebellion lasted so many years. Finally, the Ch’ing dynasty managed to organize an new army to overthrow the Taipings. This new army and organizations was aided by Western countries who wanted the Ch’ing dynasty to continue. If the Ch’ing dynasty was overthrown it would end the unequal treaties with between China and the West. The Opium War resulted in the dramatic changes in China economically, socially and politically. It no doubt opened China's doors to the outside world while changing China’s view and relationship with the Western world incredibly. The war shattered the idea that China was the ‘Heavenly Middle Kingdom’ as well as breaking China’s false sense of superiority over other nations. It resulted in a major change in the economy and the social relationship between the people of China and because of the Opium War, China was left with internal struggles and warfare, increased crime, an economy downfall in Canton and people without work or money. The Opium War led to the major influence of the Western cultures and belief in China, and the loss of power and control China had over Western nations. The unfair treaties that were created left China in weak position to the West, and opened China to Western influence which is still observed to this date. Bibliography: China, Opium Wars to Revolution by Michael Gibson. Wayland publishers, 1975 From Opium War to Liberation by Israel Epstein. New World Press, Beijing, 1956 The Chinese Opium Wars. by Jack Beeching. Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1975 The Inner Opium War by James Polachek M. Harvard University Press, Cambridge, 1992 The Opium War Through Chinese Eyes by Arthur Waley. George Allen and Unwin Ltd. , 1958 The Treaty of Nanking, signed on the 29th of August, 1842

Organizational Culture in Change Management

Organizational Culture in Change Management Introduction The success of a story of a company depends on certain conditions. These conditions can be thought of as mandatory when starting a business. The conditions being referred to are:Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on Organizational Culture in Change Management specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Tapping the market of products and services that has little or no competition. Offer services or products that cannot be provided by anyone else. If a product owns a large share of the market, then the organization has no worries regarding its competition. Getting rid of the competition by letting them compete against each other. If the company is the sole buyer of a product, then it is easy to negotiate a price with the supplier. These factors seem like the ideal situation to start a business and would most probably generate high revenue. But, in reality the top leading companies of the United States never eve n applied one of these rules, and yet their stocks rocketed in the capital markets from 1972 to 2002. So the question arises: What was their secret of success? What was the factor that made these companies one of the best companies of all time? The answer is quite simple organizational culture. Discussion It is understood that there is no universally accepted definition of organizational culture; however, we can say that organizational culture is the factors and the points that contribute the surroundings of an organization in multiple ways. These factors can range from the belief of an individual to the acts of an entire group the organization culture of any institution plays a huge role in its productivity. But, applying changes to the organizational culture is not easy it takes a lot of hard work, effort, and can be a time consuming process. A culture that develops within an organization is quite difficult to change and if someone joins the organization they have to adapt to the new culture, and eventually he or she becomes a part of that culture. These employees eventually try to preserve that environment to which they have gotten used to. Those who do not fit the culture usually tend to leave the place. Some institutions tend to penalize the person whose behavior is not in accordance to the culture that prevail wit in that organization. Learning within an organization is a difficult phase, but it is an important one if the person is to maintain his job (Todd, 1999).Advertising Looking for research paper on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Research on the management of organizational culture and organizational control is very limited. Moreover, through studies it has been established that there is a relation between the two it is still not clear to what extent is the effect of organizational culture and how to control or manage it. Little has been known on the phenomenon of organizational culture, and there has still been no proper way known to measure it. While some believe that there is no method to measure organizational culture, others believe that some factors can be taken into account to measure organizational culture (Lawson Ventriss, 1992). A majority of researchers believe that organizational culture can increase the productivity of the company. These researches suggest that changes focused on the organizational culture and the implementation of a proper plan in the right sectors could move the company in the desired direction towards progress (Lawson Ventriss, 1992). The collective efficiencies are one of those facts that can have a huge impact on the financial and productive output of a company, with each individual performing to the best of his or her abilities can improve the culture of an organization and can bring about a positive change in the companies’ atmosphere. However, some scholars believe that attitude of employees towards their job is not the deciding factor towards the change in the organizational culture, but it is in fact the attitude of the CEO that makes the true difference. The CEO is responsible for setting the goal for the organization and making sure that everyone including himself work towards achieving that goal. He should inspire and motivate his employees by bringing out the best out of each of them.Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on Organizational Culture in Change Management specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More His attitude towards employees, the company and his own work is of real impact to bringing change in an organization. Also, the success of a CEO lies with his ability to decide when change in an organization is required and how to bring about that change. In short, the dynamic leadership of a CEO is the true essence of an organizational culture (Tsuia Zhang, 2006). Another author suggests that certai n individual figures within an organization play a vital role in the organization culture and through those individuals a change can be brought about within an organization (Curado, 2006). Defining organizational learning is a topic of great controversy. There is no single acceptable definition, and definitions vary with each author. Organizational learning has been defined by different authors through different means with little or no common grounds between them. But, it is the author’s personal view that organizational learning is a mutual sharing of ideas and resources. Since, organizational learning is relatively a new branch of studies; therefore, there is still time in a standard definition to emerge. It is not only the definition of organization learning that has raised confusion, but also different terms relating to organizational learning are in need of standardization, and just like the definition all these terms are defined by different authors in different ways. U nlike individual learning organizational learning depends upon information possessed by each member of the organization and his ability to interact and share this knowledge with his peers and his colleagues.Advertising Looking for research paper on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Organization learning is lot simpler and less time consuming than individual learning because in organizational learning, one has to observe the culture he is surrounded by and simply pick up information from there on. Another advantage of organizational learning is that it helps to cultivate competent employees, which in return attract clients towards the organization. It is believed that organizations with a better understanding of organizational learning can easily adapt to change providing the organization a competitive edge over other firms (Curado, 2006). On the other hand, Mackenzie states that organization learning cannot be used in a rapid changing environment. Organizational learning is a slow process and needs time to be implemented into the system. Even after the slow implementation of organizational learning there is no guarantee that the organization change would result in the financial benefit or would it result in the financial loss (Mackenzie, 2004). Organizational change is again a topic of great confusion. The facts and reasons for a change in an organization are not clear. Although, most authors believe that the real reason for change is the ever growing influence of information technology on other fields. IT has long been thought as the deciding factor in bringing change to an organization, and the organization culture has long been thought to be the opposing force. The world of business is changing every day, new competition, and changing monetary policies etc. are all things that organizations have to adapt to. In order to increase the life span of an organization, they have to bring about changes to their systems. Burke Litwin (1992) state that for a change to occur three factors must be present. First the trigger that would cause the need for a change, the second fact that must be taken into account is that the miniscule activities within the organization must not be ignored. Third and perhaps the most difficult principle to cope with is the sudden change when the organization least accepts it and is not ready or has not planned for it. No one knows why the sudden change occurs or if there are more than one factor causing this change. There are two ways of implementing change in an organization. Incremental change Radical change Incremental method, to put in simple words, is a change that is brought on in an organization slowly and gradually with the passage of time. Incremental method ensures that change is brought about in an organization without drastically disturbing the existing culture of the organization. Incremental method can be seen taking place in an organization though daily activities of the organization. For the incremental process to work properly, the organization has to define its goals and plan out the process keeping in view the competency and adaptability of the workforce of the organization. To implement incremental change successfully the company has to implement some policies or have to follow some guidelines. Firstly, the company before it starts out has to outline its objectives it intends to achieve from implementing the change and what steps will be undertaken to bring about that change. Secondly, allowing employees to familiarize themselves with the new system. Lastly, enabling a culture that allows growth and which can easily accept change (Myers Hulks, 2012). When it comes to the programs that can be implemented or used to bring change, managers have a range of choice. They could either have custom made programs specifically for their needs or they can buy general purpose programs. It all depends upon the needs of the organization. However, there are certain issues that must be given consideration when choosing the right types of programs. For example, corporate wide programs may be great to help familiarize employees with the inevitable change utilize a lot of resources and can reduce the efficiency of the organization. In the same way, general purpose pro grams can be bought right away without much planning, and they may not serve the purpose as these programs are not specific to the needs of the organization. These decisions have to be made properly after an analysis of the situation or opinion of a consultant to make such decisions on behalf of the company. Incremental change enables an organization to break large problems into small ones. Solving these small problems might not seem effective initially, but a collection of these small problems solved can make a huge difference to the organization (Orlikowski, 1993). Radical change is the change that occurs when the surrounding of an organization changes which in turn has an effect on the culture of the organization, and to negate the effect of that change the organization has to make some drastic changes. Usually, it is advised that radical change should not be managed by anyone within the company because a person needs to be able to set aside his own personal gains when planning t he future change of the company. In the same way as the individual planning, this change must be able to challenge the higher authority’s perspectives. Radical change is a very complex process, which requires high level of competency by the entire team, and not just the individual who is leading the charge. Technology should be implemented only if it is needed, otherwise it should be avoided. The team must be properly briefed when it comes to the use of information regarding each member (Todd, 1999). Organizational learning is viewed as one of the most important attributes that contributes towards organizational change. When employees within an organization go through learning phase then the company can expect some kind of change. The management needs to closely monitor employees of their organization and try to plan the change accordingly. Organizational learning focuses on both the past and future that a company may face. Analyzing and preparing for the future is also part of organizational learning (Schein, 1990). Preparing for the future refers to change that would be applied to the company. To make sure that the right decisions are taken in this matter, a method called scenario planning is used. Scenario planning basically is a strategy that provides a possible solution for possible scenarios that may arise in the future. Some organizations only allow the management staff to carry out such decisions. While in some companies, the management allows representation from all levels of the company including different departments and sectors. These employees are then briefed and trained on what factors to consider that would affect the change of the company (Geldenhuys Veldsman, 2011). Culture within an organization is passed on to employees from the organizations founders through a set of practices and talks. One way for an organization to determine its culture is by their treatment of employees. Explaining employees about the dos and don’ts enab les the formation of a culture within the organization shared among employees. Usually, introducing innovation disturbs the environment around an organization and that is the true nature of culture it resists change. Organization that is able to successfully apply change need to do so at a steady pace (Schein, 1990). Change is a very complex process and in order to manage change successfully appropriate managerial skills are required, and when it comes to radical change there should be no doubt when enforcing it. Change is not always successful and once the process of change starts the management must see the whole process through. Planning and attention to the details is very important, and employees must be ready to accept a change in the culture that might develop due to change that occurs within the organization. It is also important for the management to be ready for any reaction that might come from employees of the organization (Schein, 1996). Organizations with powerful fina ncial background are more likely to survive a change then that with a less powerful financial background. Changes made from mutual agreement of employees and the management staff is less likely to fail then the change taken based on the decision of just the managerial staff. It is important that the political nature of the organizational culture must be understood before making any major decisions regarding change within an organization. Communication between the managerial staff and employees is of utmost importance (Mackenzie, 2004). Paying attention to small details during the transition is of utmost importance, the neglect of even the smallest nature can cause great problems in the implementation of change in the organization. Every employee must be given a considerable amount of time to work with the change and should be removed from the organization if they are unable to adapt to the change. Bold and brave decisions could be very helpful in bringing about change within an orga nization. New leaders must act as pioneers of change and must remain firm in their decision of change (Myers Hulks, 2012). Conclusion Although, there is vast information regarding organizational learning and knowledge, but the confusion regarding terminologies and definitions prove to be a huge barrier in understanding the subject clearly. Moreover, empirical data is limited on the subject. To overcome these obstacles, there is a dire need for researchers to implement their research in the field and achieve some statistical data to support their theories. These researchers must compare notes and provide some proper terminologies regarding the subject. List of References Burke, W Litwin, G 1992, A Causal Model of Organizational Performance and Change, Journal of Change Management, vol. 18 no. 3, pp. 523-45. Geldenhuys, C A Veldsman, T H 2011, A change navigation-based, scenario planning process within a developing world context from an Afro-centric leadership perspective, SA Journ al of Human Resource Management, vol. 9 no. 1, pp. 1-17. Lawson, B R Ventriss, C L 1992, Organizational change: the role of organizational culture and organizational learning, Kenyon College, Vermont. Mackenzie, K D 2004, The Practitioners Guide for Organizing an Organization, Mackenzie and Company, New York. Myers, S P Hulks, W L 2012, Organizational Change: Perspectives on Theory and Practice, Oxford University Press, Oxford. Orlikowski, W J 1993, CASE Tools as Organizational Change: Investigating Incremental and Radical Changes in Systems Development. MIS Quarterly, vol. 17 no. 3, pp. 309-340. Schein, E 1996, Three Cultures of Management: The Key to Organizational Learning, Sloan Management Review, vol. Fall, pp. 9-20. Schein, E H 1990, Organizational Culture, American Psychologist, vol. 45 no. 2, pp. 109-119. Todd, A 1999, Managing Radical Change, Long Range Planning, April, vol. 32 no. 2, pp. 237-244. Tsuia, A S et al. 2006, Unpacking the relationship between CEO leadership b ehavior and organizational culture, The Leadership Quarterly, April, vol. 17 no. 2, pp. 113-137.

Term Limits In U.S. Government Essays - United States, Free Essays

Term Limits In U.S. Government Essays - United States, Free Essays Term Limits in U.S. Government Mark P. Petracca's idea that "government should be kept as near to the people as possible chiefly through frequent elections and rotation-in-office" is quite common in early republican thought and generally agreed upon by the America's revolutionary thinkers. Although the debate over limiting legislative terms dates back to the beginnings of political science, it was not until the 1990's that the doctrine began to be taken seriously when voters started to approve term limit initiatives (Sinclair 203). Petracca's statement captures a significant aspect of the democratic process- that every citizen retains the privilege to participate in the political system, yet his inclusion of "rotation-in-office" can both support and hinder such a privilege. This will be shown by discussing the views of America's founders, term limits legislation in Washington State, California, and Oklahoma, political mobilization of national groups, and the opinions of congressmen concerning the matter. Term limitation is not a strictly modern topic. Its roots date back to the creation of Republican thought and democratic theory of ancient Greece and Rome, and also aroused debates amongst the founding fathers of the United States (Sinclair 14). For the most part, the Antifederalists supported rotation-in-office because they feared its elimination, paired with the extensive powers given to Congress by the Constitution, would make the "federal rulers ...masters, not servants." On the other hand, the Federalists felt that the separation of powers in the federalist system served as a viable check on ambition and tyrannical government; therefore, rotation seemed unnecessary and was not mentioned in the Constitution (Peek 97). Melancton Smith, of New York, is considered the Antifederalist's most well-spoken and conscious supporter of rotation-in-office. In a speech given in June of 1788 which called for a constitutional amendment to solve the "evil" of the proposed Senate, Smith endorsed the point that rotation-in-office could be used as a check on the abuse of power and tyranny by proposing, rotation ...as the best possible mode of affecting a remedy. The amendment will not only have the tendency to defeat any plots, which may be formed against liberty and the authority of the state governments, but will be the best means to extinguish the factions which often prevail, and which are sometimes fatal in legislative bodies (Foley 23)." New York's "Brutus" also advocated rotation in the Senate, but he did so on grounds that more people would be given an opportunity to serve their government instead of a select few with lifetime membership. He felt that in addition to bringing a greater number of citizens forward to serve their country, it would force those who had served to return to their respective states and become more informed of the condition and politics of their constituencies (Foley 25). Both Smith and Brutus agreed that once an individual was elected to office his removal would be difficult, except in the rare occurrence that his outright misconduct would constitute grounds for dismissal. Sharing the Antifederalist doctrine of the dangers of permanent government, Brutus suggested that, "it would be wise to determine that a senator should not be eligible after he had served for the period assigned by the constitution for a certain number of years (Foley 26)." Although John Adams was a devout Federalist, he maintained that rotation, as well as frequent elections, would be necessary in order to keep government as near to the people as possible. Adams expressed these two beliefs in a speech given just before the American Revolution in which he proposed holding annual elections of representatives (Peek 101). He also compared men in a society with rotation-in-office to bubbles on the sea which "rise,...break, and to that sea return"; Adams later develops his thought by adding, "This will teach them the great political virtues of humility, patience, and moderation, without which every man in power becomes a ravenous beast of prey (Peek 102)." In response to the ideas of Melancton Smith, the strongest opposition from the Federalists came from Alexander Hamilton at the New York ratification convention. Hamilton, along with Roger Sherman and Robert Livingston, developed three strong arguments against implementing term limits in government: the people have a right to judge who they will and will not elect to public office, rotation reduces

Average National SAT Scores for 2012

Average National SAT Scores for 2012   Over a million high-schoolers registered for the SAT  in 2012. Their average scores provide some interesting insights into this group. Whether they wanted admission to the  top public universities  or another school of their choice, see how they performed. Overall SAT Scores for 2012 The mean is the average score of every student who took the SAT from the fall of 2011 through June of 2012. Here are the mean scores for all testers by section: Overall: 1498Critical Reading: 496Mathematics: 514Writing: 488 (subscores: multiple-choice: 48.1 / essay: 7.3) See how these compare: SAT Scores for 2013 SAT Scores by Gender As is often seen, boys were better on average in the Mathematics section and they also slightly outperformed girls as a whole in the Critical Reading Section. But females outperformed them on average in the Writing section. You can compare your scores with the average for your gender. Critical Reading:  Males: 498. Females: 493Mathematics:  Males: 532. Females: 499Writing:  Males: 481. Females: 494 SAT Scores by Reported Annual Income Higher parental income is associated with a higher SAT score. This doesnt necessarily mean that wealthier families produce smarter children. But it likely has some relationship to parents sending their children to better schools and being more willing to purchase SAT prep. They may also be more willing to spend money on retakes of the examination. $0 to $20,000: 1323$20,000 to $40,000: 1398$40,000 to $60,000: 1461$60,000 to $80,000: 1503$80,000 to $100,000: 1545$100,000 to $120,000: 1580$120,000 to $140,000: 1594$140,000 to $160,000: 1619$160,000 to $200,000: 1636$200,000 and more: 1721 SAT Scores by AP/Honors Classes It is helpful to know which courses in school tend to produce the highest SAT scores. You could guess that students who take AP courses or rigorous Honors courses are going to score higher on the SAT, but the degree to which they score better is significant. The question is which came first, the chicken or the egg? Do these students score higher due to their natural abilities, or do the courses themselves prepare students better for the SAT? Check out the stats: AP/Honors Math 1698: Mean SAT score for those enrolled in AP/Honors Math1404: Mean SAT score for those not enrolled Percentage of SAT Testers Enrolled in AP/Honors Math by Ethnicity All students: 36 percentAfrican American: 25 percentAmerican Indian: 31 percentAsian: 47 percentHispanic: 31 percentWhite: 40 percent AP/Honors English 1655: Mean SAT score for those enrolled in AP/Honors Math1404: Mean SAT score for those not enrolled Percentage of SAT Testers Enrolled in AP/Honors English by Ethnicity All students: 42 percentAfrican American: 34 percentAmerican Indian: 40 percentAsian: 44 percentHispanic: 39 percentWhite: 46 percent AP/Honors Natural Science 1698: Mean SAT score for those enrolled in AP/Honors Math1414: Mean SAT score for those not enrolled Percentage of SAT Testers Enrolled in AP/Honors Natural Science by Ethnicity All students: 35 percentAfrican American: 24 percentAmerican Indian: 28 percentAsian: 43 percentHispanic: 28 percentWhite: 38 percent 2012 SAT Scores Summary The statistics say youd have the best advantage on the SAT if you were a male of Asian ethnicity whose family who made more than $200,000 per year. You could always prepare regardless of your ethnic heritage or familial status. These statistics represent the mean but do not, of course, represent the individual. If you have nothing in common with the groups scoring the highest on the SAT, it does not mean that you cant secure a top-notch score. Start with some free SAT practice quizzes, grab some free SAT apps, and prepare yourself the best way you can.

Multinational company Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Multinational company - Research Paper Example In order to find out reasons for divergence in work attitude of Japanese and German employees, the study has also assessed professional orientation of employees from mentioned countries. In the final section, on the basis of theoretical and empirical research findings, a relativistic overtime payment model has been proposed. Implementation of the recommended model has also been discussed in the report. Concept of statistical performance management has been used to formulate the proposed recommendation. Almost 30 years ago, Hofstede (1980) had developed the concept of cultural dimensions in order to understand ways in which cultural and personal orientation of people differs with change in geographic locations. In such context, Dong and Liu (2010) argued that organizational leaders not only need to manage cultural diversity, but also have to deal with diversity of expectations of employees nourished in different cultural dimensions. Consideration of research works of Jamal (2005) reveals the fact that, multi-national enterprises (MNEs) face three levels of problems in managing cultural diversity such as, cross-cultural knowledge sharing, development of team collaboration among cross-cultural employee pool and standard reward system for all employees. It is evident from the theoretical argument that MNEs face range of difficulties while managing different perspectives of cross-cultural diversity within organizational environment. In such a backdrop, a new leader of an organization h as approached the researcher, who is working as a consultant, to develop a report by evaluating reasons for the employees in Japan and Germany to have different attitudes towards work. From previous study, it has been found that Japanese employees are happy to work additional hours without pay, while German employees expect to be paid for every extra hour of work. As part of the report, the study will use the concept of cultural dimensions in order to understand