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Rhetorical Analysis of Swami Vivekananda’s Speech - 788 Words

Columbian Exhibition of 1893 in Chicago was the first attempt of global religious leaders to unlock and disclose the truth about all beliefs across the globe and first effort to reinforce the humans’ attitude to the values of each religion in particular. One Indian monk, without a coin in his pockets, intentionally left his motherland and visited American assembly in order to participate in the parliamentary meeting. It was Swami Vivekananda who made an outstanding and impressive speech on behalf of entire Hinduism. He called for humanism and tolerance, and his magnificent sentences sounded like the blessing magic spell for numerous listeners. The perfect proficiency in English, deeply sounded voice, respectful behavior that was full of†¦show more content†¦He uses â€Å"I thank you† (1) when he speaks on behalf of his entire religion and its representatives; he uses â€Å"I thank you† (1) when he narrates in the name of all Hindu people across the world ; he uses â€Å"I thank you† (1) when he expresses his appreciation to every speaker and attendant in Parliament. The rhetorical technique of pronouns, actually, has always strengthened the speeches of wise men. In such manner, Swami Vivekananda classified himself as the carrier and ‘voice’ of whole Hindu people and Hinduism. He says â€Å"I† and means â€Å"we – Hindu people and our religion†. It is not an egoistic context, because these pronouns imply the great respect to whole humanity in the world, not only to own nation. Such fraternal appeal with usage of suitable pronouns touched the spirits of all listeners, because it is always enjoyable to hear respect to whole planet from the mouth of one man. A great rhetorical combination of parallelism and metaphor we can see in this sentence: â€Å"I thank you in the name of the mother of religions† (1). It is very kind and diligent comparison of human ideology with a Mother – a saint and eternal entity that gives a birth to everything. It was impressive approach to mention a Mother as the starting point of all religious movements in the world, because people in Parliament had to understand that Vivekananda deeply respect his religious

Andy Warhol Biography Essay Example For Students

Andy Warhol: Biography Essay In the sass he was known as a very successful commercial artist and won overall awards from the Art Directors Club and the American Institute Of Graphic Arts. It was around this time he shortened his last name to Warhol. In 1952 he had his first art show at Hugo Gallery and had his first group show at The Museum of Modern Art in 1956 (Andy Warhol: Biography). In the sass, Warhol began producing some of his most recognizable and famous paintings. He began painting Campbell soup cans and Coca-Cola bottles. Later on he began using the silkscreen method to mass produce his work. A lot of his work was based on pop culture and what America thought was important at the time. A few other of his most famous pieces are his portraits to Marilyn Monroe, Liz Menial, Judy Garland, Elizabeth Taylor, Elvis Presley, and James Dean. He also painted money, womens shoes, groceries, and newspaper clippings, All of his work was done in his studio called The Factory located on Union Square in New York. He hired many workers to assist him with his prints, films, and books. These art workers were his friends who often appeared in his films and helped write his books. These men and women ever referred to as Factory workers When Warhol was scheduled to lecture at a university, he would send one his friends dressed as him to instead if he did not van to go himself. The imposter Warhol would quietly sit on stage while other V-actors workers talked about Whorls work and advised the students to drop out of college. Eventually the schools caught on and Warhol had to refund them (Andy Warhol). In his free time, Warhol enjoyed going to popular night clubs in New York such as Serendipity and Studio 54. He was described as being shy, quiet, and an observer. Warhol was openly gay which was rare at the time for a celebrity. He had many photographs and drawings of nude men; along with films he did titled My Hustler, Blow Job, and Lonesome Cowboys. These were popular in the underground gay community. Many of his drawings and photographs were rejected from galleries for being too openly gay and his films usually premiered at gay porn theaters, Warhol also liked to collect things. He saved every piece of fan mail, magazines related to him, personal notes, gay pornography, and other artifacts. He organized them and saved them in boxes he called his time appeases and never opened them again. These time capsules can be found today at his museum on Pittsburgh, Warhol was also obsessed with cats, and they can be found in much of his art work (Andy Warhol). On June 3rd, 1968, Whorls life almost came to an end. A Factory regular named Valerie Salinas, went to Whorls studio and shot him. The bullet passed through his left lung, spleen, stomach, liver, esophagi, and right lung. When he arrived to the hospital, the doctor pronounced him dead, but was almost immediately resuscitated. He went on to joke that he was invulnerable. In 1996, the story of his shooting was turned into a movie titled Shot Andy Warhol (Andy After his near assassination, Whorls work changed. He began focusing more on his paintings again and less on his films and books. He began doing portraits of the rich influential people of the asss such as Michael Jackson and Miscarriage. He also published a magazine titled Interview along with his own night club. In 1974 he moved The Factory from Union Square to 860 Broadway. Afterwards he wrote the book The Philosophy of Andy Warhol in 1975 (Andy Warhol Biography). In the sass, Warhol created two television shows, One was called Andy Whorls TV in 1982. In 1986 he did the show Andy Whorls Fifteen Minutes for MAT. Lorenz and Bicorn. Comparison Between Two Paintings EssayThis print almost looks like it came from a textbook. Front and Back of Dollar bills 4 experiments with the use of silk screen and mass production. This painting is quite striking because when you think about it money might just be the most mass-produced object in the world. Andy also had a tendency to paint unordinary things like his cow 5 painting. He stayed within his style of color but the cow is neither a famous portrait nor a mass-produced object. After the tragic suicide of Marilyn Monroe in 1962 Andy became somewhat obsessed with her beauty. Bekris, 113 He would use pictures of her lips and produce them hundreds of times using bright sexy colors. He always focused on her most sexual features such as he hair, eyes, and lips. Marilyn Monroe Lips 1962 6 and Marilyn. Andy had another artistic style to him, it was one that came from his childhood. Being raised in poverty and being exposed to such horrific sights contributed to his next Movement of work. Andy was curious in the acts of God whether it is from Mother Nature to killings or atomic bombs. Andy would make reproductions of all these incidents. It wasnt until Henry Geldchler shoed Andy a more productive direction. In June of 1962 Geldchler suggested that Andy start looking at the dark side of American culture in a more artistic way. Bekris 126 Andy new he had to come up with a new idea that would shock his audience as much as the soup cans and dollar bills had. Andy began doing paintings such as car crash 1963 7 and electric chair 8. These images were extremely powerful. You were not just looking at an image in the newsprint you were looking at an image that was twice as large as you were and repeated ten times. Also he always chose a color to tint these images in. The color gives a mysterious side to it, which makes you want to know the rest of the story. The Death-and-disaster series became recognized as some of his best works, but at the same time many of his supporters found the images unacceptable. None of his supporters wanted to hang a picture of a man mangled in his car over their fireplace. The prints did do extremely well but only over seas in Europe and Germany. Some other famous prints are, Sixteen Jacques 1964 Lavender Disaster 19639 and Sucide1963 10. Oxidation Painting 1978 11 is in the death-and-disaster series but has a different twist to it. It is two large sheets of copper that had been treated with patina. While wet they were urinated on showing the given effect. Along with his artistic style his physical appearance began to change. He began wearing a silver blond wig that fit on his head haphazardly. Bekris, 99 He even went as far as to change his speech and mannerisms. For the next several years Andy continued with his death and disaster series. He was now a world-renowned artist and had private shows throughout the world. In 1986, Andy flew to Milan for the opening of his last show. During the last two days in Milan Andy did not leave the hotel. He was in much pain recalled Daniel Morear. He was in bed which was quite unusual for Andy to be in bed let alone for two days. At the end of 1986 his gallstones had become so enlarged that they had become life threatening. Andy refused to go to a hospital because of his great fear of them. In the first week of February his illness stopped him dead in his tracks. For the first time in his life Andy abandoned his friends in the middle of a night out on the town to go home and spend the evening in his bed. A sonogram taken by Dr. Cox showed the gallbladder to be severely infected, inflamed, and filled with fluid. The next day Andy was scheduled to be admitted into New York Hospital. The operation was supposed to take place on Saturday and have Andy home by late Sunday. Saturday morning Andy locked all his valuables in his safe and headed to the hospital. He had also made it very clear that no one, not even his mother should know he was going to the hospital. When he was admitted they put him under the name of Bob Roberts. A report from the New York Times Magazine by M. A Farba and Lawrence Altman stated: After fifteen hours of preparation, Warhols surgery was preformed between 8:45 am and 12:10 p. m. on Saturday February 21, 1987. There were no complications at the time and none were found during the autopsy or by any of the doctors who had received the case. Warhol spent three hours in recovery after the surgery, and at 3:45pm was taken to his private room on the twelfth floor of Baker Pavilion. For comfort precaution and on the recommendation of Dr. Cox, his regular physician, Warhol was placed in the hands of a private duty nurse, rather than the normal complement of staff nurses. He was examined during the afternoon and early evening by the senior attending physicians, who noted nothing unusual. Alert and seemingly in good spirits, Warhol watched television and around 9:30 p. m. spoke to the house keeper at his east side home, a few blocks away. Min Chou was the private nurse attending to Andy. It was not known whether she kept her post but it was clear that she did not record his vital signs and neglected to give him medicine. At 10pm and at 4am on Sunday February 22, Min Chou, the private nurse who had been selected by the hospital from a registry, took Andys blood pressure and found it stable. She gave a progress report to the chief surgical resident by telephone at 11pm; presumably while the patient slept. At 5:45am Ms. Chou noticed that Warhol had turned blue and his pulse had weakened. Unable to waken him she summoned the floor nurse who in the words of a colleague, almost had a stroke A cardiac arrest team began resuscitation efforts but according to hospital sources, had difficulty putting a tube in Warhols windpipe because rigor mortis had started to set in. At 6:31am the artist was pronounced dead. The art world suffered a great lose with the death of Andy Warhol. His personal style will always move forward touching and changing peoples lives every day. Andy was a one of a kind and will never be recreated. To understand his art is a feeling many people over look. It is an every day reminder that we dont take the time to look at what goes on around us. Now when I walk I wont just look down but all around me. At the trees, clouds, bricks under my feet, and the entire world moving around me.

Inventory management free essay sample

L. L. Bean uses several different calculations in order to determine the number of units of a particular item it should stock, whether it is a new item or a never out item. It first freezes a forecast for its demand for the upcoming season. This figure is a result of a consensus between the product people, buyers and inventory managers. Once the predicted demand is frozen, L. L. Bean uses its historical demand and forecast data to analyze the forecasting errors. The forecast errors are calculated for each individual item and a frequency distribution of these is made, which is further used as a probability distribution for future errors. Thus, if 50% of the errors were within 0. 7 and 1. 6, the forecast for this year would be adjusted accordingly. Next, each item commitment quantity was tabulated using its individual contribution margin and salvage value if any. For e. g. if an item had a margin of $15 if sold, and $5 loss if not sold, the commitment value would be 0. We will write a custom essay sample on Inventory management or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page 75. Hence the optimal stock to keep would be 0. 75 fractile of the probability distribution of demand. If for instance, the corresponding error for 0. 75 is 1. 3, the optimal stock to keep for that item would be 1. 3 * frozen forecast. Hence, this value is the stock for that item. Q. 2 We explain different scenarios to determine relevant costs and revenues. The first scenario is where the stock kept of a particular item is sold. In this case, all the costs related to buying and selling that product would be included. The selling price of the product, the cost of buying from the vendor, the carrying cost of that particular stock item, and the cost of marketing that item in the catalogue are the relevant costs to be included. In the second scenario, excessive stock is kept and at the end of the season, it is still not sold. In this case, the relevant costs are the cost of buying the stock from vendor, its storage and marketing cost in the catalogue, and the salvage cost ( if any) of that particular item. In case there is no salvage cost for an item, its redundancy cost becomes relevant. The final case is where the stock for a particular item is not kept, but demand for that item is there, resulting in a stock out. Since L. L. Bean is a direct ordering company, the cost of a stock out is very high for it in terms of lost goodwill. Hence, the cost of goodwill lost becomes relevant in this scenario as well. Q. 3 Scott Sklar should have data on actual and forecasted demand of the item that were previously introduced as  µnew item ¶. It will give him an idea about various costs that go on in launching a  µnew ¶ item. He should have information on selling price which will be determined after consulting with the marketing, sales and production department of L. L Beans. It will be useful for both the company and Scott. Information on cost of sales, commissions provided (if any) for sales, stock outs and backorders cost are relevant in his decision making. He can get sales information on a new catalogue item by comparing it with that of Bean ¶s competitors ¶ similar item and by consulting with the marketing department. It will help him understand the current market trends for that particular item. After analyzing the market, he can observe what level of buffer stock he should have to avoid stock outs. For this, he will have to compare stock out costs and over-stocking costs for that item. To acquire this information, he needs to sit down with his buyers, sales and inventory personnel. Moreover, he should also know what promotion cost each  µnew ¶ item will incur in getting printed in one catalogue. How much space will it require to be noticed as a new item in a particular category? In other words, he should gather information on the promotion costs of the new item. He should also find the service level based off a profit margin calculation. These bases will help him forecast demand for the new item. He should also observe what happens to the demand of existing products whenever new products are introduced in the market. If the new product is pulling customers away from the existing products then this factor should be incorporated in the demand forecast of the new catalogue item. Q4. One thing that Fasold need to realize is that we lose more when we have stock outs then when we liquidate our inventory. He can take a simple example that for example selling one item gives you 15rs worth of profit, and the liquidation cost for that item is 5rs. So if you have inventory then you can earn 15rs as compared to the cost of stock out which is pretty less. So a proper cost benefit analysis could be done for Fasold. But here a proper cost benefit analysis should be made to give a true picture that also has the cost on inventory storing and not just the loss because of liquidation. Also he should be explained that forecasts are never accurate. Also this over stocking is more for the ? new items? , so L. L Bean should introduce them in the catalogues to get a fait bit of idea before actually introducing them. We can also tell him that because of the large lead time of eight to twelve week we have to keep access inventories as well because if we receive an unexpected order the time to fulfill that order would be very long. But we also need to realize that improvement is needed and Faslod concerns are genuine in the sense that he should know that why is he keeping so much inventory. Also he should be told that we are improving the whole forecasting process to better predict demand so we have less buffer stock, but still as the cost of out-stocking is more the over stocking, we would be applying a more prudent approach. Q5. There could be numerous improvements that L. L Bean can incorporate in its process. As we read in earlier cases as well that the fashion industry is a fast changing industry and product demands change very rapidly. So only using the past data to predict future is not enough. They should be continuously be updating their forecasts based on latest data as well. Secondly in is mentioned in the case that ? customer behavior is very hard to predict? , so what it can do is that it may involve experts in the whole process, with experts and the data combined they would be better able to forecast. So a Delphi method is more appropriate here. Another important thing to note is that the new catalogue is introduced in August, which gives the customers little time to place a second order. L. L bean should try to introduce catalogues earlier so that the demand could be more easily assessed and a second commitment could be made. Also with the catalogues we can send questionaries ¶ that could be optional and in this way we can gain better insights inside the consumer behavior and thus predict demand in a better way. This should especially be done for ? never outs? and sent to regular customers and once we know how customers rank the new products in comparison to the new products we can adjust our plans. But a long term plan should be to reduce dependence on foreign vendors and have more local vendors who can supply quickly. Also we can convince suppliers to keep stocks of raw materials that are same for all like zips, buttons shoe laces etc. In this way the response will be faster and L. L bean can plan a second order too based on the new forecast. So the whole supply chain process needs to be improved along with forecasting accuracy improvements.

Evidence

Table of Contents Article Information Purpose or Problem Statement Design Data Analysis Conclusions Critique Reference Article Information Simpson, R. L. (2005). Evidence-based practices and students with autism spectrum disorders. Focus on Autism and Other Developmental Disabilities, 20(3), 140-149.Advertising We will write a custom article sample on Evidence-Based Practices and Students with ASD specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Evidence-Based Practices and Students with Autism Spectrum Disorders Students with disabilities need specific programs according to which they can receive the education equal to the other students. In his article â€Å"Evidence-Based Practices and Students with Autism Spectrum Disorders†, Richard Simpson discusses effective evidence-based practices and programs which can be used for students with autism spectrum disorders. Purpose or Problem Statement Education reforms and reorganization progra ms are necessary to provide students with disabilities with the effective education. The purpose of the article is to identify practices and programs which can be considered as effective for working with students with autism spectrum disorders and discuss issues associated with the process. Much attention is paid to supporting the idea that evidence-based practices are more effective for helping students with disabilities. Design The article is based on the literature review and analysis of the findings provided in the previous researches on the topic. The discussion of the problem consists of several stages. Thus, the researcher proposes the discussion of the literature on the current education reforms, provides facts on the development of autism spectrum disorders, examines and evaluates the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (Simpson, 2005). The author concentrates on scientifically based interventions as opposite to non-validated or ‘controversial’ interventions and r efers to the discussion of the principle of scientifically based research as the effective method to restructure the educational system in relation to students with autism spectrum disorders (Simpson, 2005, p. 141). The necessary information is collected from the previous researches on the associated topics.Advertising Looking for article on education? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Data Analysis To identify effective evidence-based practices and programs, Simpson analyzes such issues as the necessity to use the program depended on valid knowledge, objectivity, evidence support, and practicality. The main factor to choose the practice is empirical efficacy (Simpson, 2005). As a result, a list of questions to analyze practices and programs in relation to outcomes and risks for students is developed. According to these questions, many practices and programs were examined and assessed. The researcher’s findings are the re commendations on how to choose the effective program for students with autism spectrum disorders and the list of the possible relevant programs and evidence-based practices. Conclusions The researcher concluded that the process of restructuring the education system for students with autism spectrum disorders is possible only with references to the effective programs or evidence-based practices. Moreover, it is necessary to pay attention to the fact that not all the programs based on the scientifically based research can be discussed as evidence-based because of the associated issues. It is important to choose the evidence-based program with references to the possible outcomes and potential risks for students. Thus, the researcher provides the list of interventions and treatments which are evaluated according to the mentioned principles. Critique The findings and results provided by Simpson can be discussed as effective to help educators choose the most appropriate programs and treat ments for students with autism spectrum disorders. Although the study is mainly theoretical in its nature, the findings and discussion presented by Simpson can be used in practice to evaluate programs and choose the most effective methods to work with students with autism spectrum disorders. From this point, the information provided in the article can be considered as sufficient because it discusses the problem of education for students with disabilities from many perspectives and presents the credible evaluation of the No Child Left Behind Act and associated scientifically based research methods.Advertising We will write a custom article sample on Evidence-Based Practices and Students with ASD specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Furthermore, the article and results responds to the CEC Advanced Standard 3 because of contributing to improving educational programs and developing the effective services for students with disabilities. R eference Simpson, R. L. (2005). Evidence-based practices and students with autism spectrum disorders. Focus on Autism and Other Developmental Disabilities, 20(3), 140-149. This article on Evidence-Based Practices and Students with ASD was written and submitted by user Ben Hampton to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

The Life and Struggles of a Roman Farmer

The Life and Struggles of a Roman Farmer I woke up today to see that it was going to be just as any other hard and challenging work day. As usual I got up before the sun had come out to make myself breakfast which at usual was a loaf of bread and a chunk of whatever meat I could find. I lived with my wife, two sons and Adobis and Romus who were my family‚s slaves. My family wasn‚t the richest of families but we still earned enough money through our farm to pay for our food and clothing. Unlike most Roman farmers we didn‚t go back into the main city often, but we stayed in our farm admiring its peace and beauty. However my wife and I could no longer afford to send or two sons to school any more as there was a drought upon Rome, causing less food to be grown on our farm, therefore causing less income.English: Rent Romus performing at the San Francisc...

Agents of socialization Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Agents of socialization - Essay Example I have been taught to respect the authority of my father and to look after my mother and the rest of my family as well. I think that the basic ideas of right and wrong, and a belief in the importance of family came to me through the social agents of my parents and grandparents. School was not such an important influence for me, at least not until I went to college. I found that what I learn through reading is more important than some of the lessons at school, and I did not fully understand how to make the best of school until I was well over 20 years old. In recent years I am discovering that a lot of things can be learned from other students, and not just the teachers. Listening to other students talk in class is a way of understanding the pressures and pleasures of different kinds of people. Politics becomes more interesting when you can link it to real life people that you know yourself, and so I have to admit that my fellow students have been important agents of socialization for me, especially because I missed out on an American childhood, and cannot always imagine how and why people hold certain views. Of course teachers are important agents of socialization too. I respect my teachers and observe how they behave in a professional way and this is impo rtant for my future, since I hope one day to be in a position of some authority in a responsible job and dealing with other people. The media are a major agent of socialization in my life and I love to use the latest gadgets and keep up with what is happening in the world. When I was young I could not imagine the possibility of being in touch with people from all over the world but now I have friends in Iran, in Europe, the Middle East and all over America through the means of social media like facebook and twitter. I do not read newspapers very much, and I do not have much time for television, but my computer is always with me, and I read about everything on my laptop. This allows me to form my own

Government Accounting Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Government Accounting - Essay Example Such aspirations had a significant impact on the reporting formats and methods resorted to by not-for-profit organizations and government organizations and institutions. The latest accounting standards elaborately lay down the norms and principles that the administration and auditors in the government and not-for-profit organizations are required to follow. The government and not-for-profit entities are required to satisfy the appropriate authorities that they are pursuing the acceptable and valid accountability standards for the purposes of financial disclosure and reporting (Granof, 2002). In addition, they are required to chalk out and promulgate specific, discernable and quantifiable goals and performance targets. The government and not-for-profit organizations are well aware of the fact that with this rise in public scrutiny, there has been an unprecedented increase in the need for placing the people and organizations managing public funds under stringent accountability norms.

Assignment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 67

Assignment - Essay Example It has a clear unity of purpose and each of the members values these objectives. There is collective participation of the group members in the group discussions. There is also freedom of expression of the varied opinions of the members, and they are considered in the decision-making process. The members also value the differences between themselves, and they are managed effectively (Woodcock and Dave 14). An ineffective team presents with the absence of trust between the members that is presented by the perception of vulnerability of some members. There are also conflicts that arise due to the inability to engage all the aspects of a passionate discussion. There is also a lack of commitment towards the achievement of the goals and the objectives of the group. There is also a need of accountability of the parties towards the achievement of the goals. The members are inattentive to the results, by placing their individual considerations above the objectives. Before the teams come together, the goals of the members must be clearly defined by the allocating personnel. The group will have to meet and familiarize with themselves, and choose a leader for the group. The members should then be open to the suggestion of each of the members in order to accommodate all the opinions (Woodcock and Dave 14). The leader is central in enforcing these considerations, because they unite all the members. The team leader provides the guide to the members about the need to achieve the goals of the group. They should motivate the team members, and make them understand the essence of the team. In case of conflicts, the leader requires to counsel the members, and reinforce unity. Any miscommunications should be addressed by the leaders, and apologies made where necessary (Woodcock and Dave 14). The members should also be able to listen and understand the greater dimension of their objectives. They should enhance emotional compatibility, in order to

The levels of organizational change readiness

The levels of organizational change readiness This chapter will show my devised framework of the transformation change model to assess the level of readiness for change at AFH,across departments and units; to answer the major and minor research questions; and to achieve the research objective. The devised framework will be examined and evaluated by the use of its different variables in this paper. This chapter will illustrate the research problem, sampling method, propositions and data analysis method. 3.2 Problem Statement Senior management decided to introduce new equipment into all departments across the hospital. This has been a major change project that started in 2007. The main advantages of this change include a reduction in the rate of human error and an increase in the production of patient reports. Despite the positive impact this change would have on the ways of working in the hospital, employees had not been informed of any change prior to it being introduced, and were therefore not ready to accept the new ways of working. Reasons for this lack of acceptance will be discussed later in this paper, including: No communication between senior management and their staff. (Kotter, 2007). Training not being made available to all staff. (Lehman et al, 2002). People resisting change due to both lack of ability and knowledge, and their competing commitment of the big assumptions they will have made regarding the change process. (Kegan and Lahey, 2001). Weak management style, for example, not involving employees in the decision-making process. (Garvin and Roberto, 2001). Weak leadership style such as not clearly explaining the new vision that would come from the change (Garvin and Roberto, 2001). The level of readiness for change at AFH will be assessed and evaluated by applying the change readiness model from the literature so that the organization can achieve its goal of a completing a successful transformation process. In addition, AFH is undergoing further organizational change replacing existing managers with new managers and a new structure, based on the decision of the Ministry of Defense Headquarters in 2010. This change has been implemented in the administration department at AFH as well as across other departments and units. Some of the departments have increased in size and other departments have had to raise staffing levels due to the increased number of patients each year. Goals of the Armed Forces Hospital (AFH): To gain competitive advantage through improving the quality of work-flow by meeting the patients needs through the use of highly specialized and up-to date equipment; to ensure the accuracy of results and to decrease the rate of human error; to produce an increased level of patient results more efficiently. 3.3 Research Objective: The main objective of the thesis is to study the level of organizational change readiness in different departments of the hospital. Creating an acceptance for the need to implement change in the different departments of the hospital will result in the organization achieving its goal of improving the quality of work to treat more patients in less time. which in turn will lead to greater patient and employee satisfaction. To make useful recommendations. To learn more about readiness for change at AFH. 3.4 Conceptual Framework The devised framework is a combination of the Transformational Change Model, John P. Kotter (2007) and the Model of Change Program, Simpson (2002). The conceptual framework has six factors that affect the level of readiness for change in our case study organization (AFH) in Kuwait. We will be using both qualitative (semi-structured interviews) and quantitative (surveys) methods of research to collect our data. Staff Empowerment Leadership Skills Communication Computer availability internet access Adequate qualified staff Adequate Budget Adequate space for each employee Teamwork Vision Organizational Resources Readiness for organizational change Figure 3.1 Conceptual Framework 3.4.1 Dependent Variable of the Model as the following Ready for Organizational Change Judge and Douglas (2009) have defined employee readiness for change as the extent to which an individual or individuals are cognitively and emotionally inclined to accept, embrace and adopt a particular plan to purposefully alter the status-quo. (Judge and Douglas, 2009, P. 637). Arlbjorn et al (2006) have defined change readiness in an organization that the participant gains an understanding of the need to make change in the organization and display a willingness to take part in the change. (Arlbjorn et al, 2006, P. 129). He refers to the importance of staff involvement in the whole journey of the change process (Arlbjorn et al, 2006). He also refers to the importance of organizational alignment where employees from different departments of the organization participate in the change process and discuss shared problems and issues during group exercises. (Arlbjorn et al, 2006, P. 133). An organization that involves its employees at all levels and which has organizational alignment during the change process has an adequate level of organization readiness for change. Our research will assess the organizational readiness for change through a survey of 20 questions to assess employees overall readiness for change, and 26 interviews to find the effect and the relation of the 6 different independent variables of our model on the organizational readiness for change. 3.4.2 Independent Variables of the Model as the following Empowerment: Organizations are currently facing tough competition in a turbulent external environment. In order to ensure their survival they need to have sustained competitive advantage perceived benefits and advantages over their competitors. Competitive advantage provides an organization with the ability to increase the value of the company for its stakeholders. There is a need to transform the way they function by moving away from the traditional hierarchal and bureaucratic model of organization to the delegation of responsibilities to employees and giving more accountability further down the hierarchy to the first-line employees (Beer et al, 1990). This is done by encouraging employees to make more independent decisions at work without the need to constantly refer to their supervisors. Menon (2001) defined employee empowerment as the transfer of organizational power, energizing followers through leadership, enhancing self-efficacy through reducing powerlessness and increasing intrinsic task motivation (Menon, 2001, P. 154). Empowerment has been used to donate the act of empowering others and also to describe the internal process of the individual being empowered i.e. psychological empowerment. Empowerment means the delegating of responsibilities to other employees in decision making that will not only motivate them but make them more innovative towards the new change project which will increase job autonomy and cause job enrichment (Menon, 2001, P. 155). A good leader always empowers their staff in order to perform their work and make independent decisions. Leadership: Leadership is a relationship through which one person influences the behavior or actions of other people (Crossman, 2007, P. 514). Another definition is the ability to influence a group toward the achievement of goals (Robbins, 2005, P. 332). Burns (1978) has characterized transformational leadership through the following characteristics: Changes the status-quo Able to transform the organization Based on creativity and innovation Purpose to engender commitment of the leader and the staff as well to the change process In a successful transformational process we need to acknowledge the importance of leadership skills, such as effective communication, delegation of responsibilities to other employees and commitment. Modern change theories have emphasized both the importance of and the role of a strategic change leader in an organization who enhances the participation and cooperation of their colleagues in the decision-making process. This is unlike the traditional change theories where the emphasis was on the manager for the day to day operation of the business (Almaraz, 1994). In addition there is a need to have senior management support and commitment towards the change process to create the required level of readiness in an organization. In a successful transformation process it is important to establish a change project by having competent employees and by having participative leaders that encourage specialised training for their staff rather than directive managers to acquire change (Arlbjorn et al, 2006). A change leader must know the process of transformation and know how to create and communicate a clear change message to employees. This message determines the nature of the change and shows how employees react differently to the transformation process (Armenakis and Harris. 2002). Change leaders must also know how to answer any questions or concerns staff have regarding the need for change in a proper, convincing way. They must be able to provide tangible evidence to gain the support of their employees and their commitment to the change process (Armenakis and Harris. 2002). Communication: Communication in an organization is the most effective source of learning and developing any transformation process. Regular meetings, conferences and educational programs can all facilitate learning and increase the competency levels of staffing in order to reach the organizational goal of having a successful transformation and adequate level of readiness for change (Beer et al, 1990). A change leader must communicate the change message to employees on a regular basis. They must know how to introduce them to, and convince them of the new change vision through regular meetings to discuss work-related issues, the new change plan and strategies on how to achieve it. Email is an effective communication tool using the internet to send out the most recent and updated information. Use of an organizations intranet is another communication tool where reports can be circulated to employees on a regular basis. A skilled leader must establish a simple plan for change very early on in the change process that ensures employee acceptance, resulting in favourable outcomes and ensures employee involvement in the change process (Garvin and Roberto, 2005). Having regular meetings ensures and enhances active participation from employees in the change process. Teleconferences of live presentations is another way of communicating the change vision and message to employees. Such a teleconference presentation is called readiness speech and so managers and their staff must use the change message component framework to guide the content of the speech. The change concept should be established by a need that is easily understood and circulated among the employees of an organization (Armenakis and Harris. 2002, P. 176). A change leader manager must know how to introduce and regularly communicate the new change vision and the change message with employees through different communication channels such as meetings, speeches and newsletters. Kotter (2007). Leadership by example in different organizational departments/units is highly appreciated. A change leader must walk the talk that is consistent with the organization goal in the workplace and provide support and commitment to the transformation process. Additionally a manager with an open management style provides staff with the opportunity of open discussion and criticism which will be of benefit to both employees as well as the organization. Vision: Leadership vision is designed to mobilize an organization towards the attainment of some future state that is expressed in terms that generate enthusiasm (Armenakis and Harris. 2002). It is important to have a new change vision in the organization and to find strategies to achieve it. Vision is to gain insight into the purpose and objectives with the organization vision whether it is (differentiation, responsiveness and cost-optimization) (Arlbjorn et al, 2006, P. 133). In order to reach an organizational target it is important to develop a shared visionof how to organize and manage for competitiveness (Beer et al, 1990, P. 162). A change leader manager must define and communicate the new change vision to employees and encourage everyone to work towards achieving this vision. The new change vision should define new roles and responsibilities and coordinate the flow of information and work across independent functions at all levels of the organization. There is a need to have strategies to show everyone how to achieve the organizations goals, as well as how to achieve and accomplish the vision. For example, having a simple vision set out in a five year plan that is easy to understand, that is communicated by different stakeholders within the organization e.g. employees, clients and management, and clearly states how to reach the goals and clarifies the direction of the organization. Having a simple vision that is easily communicated and understood by the organization staff within 5 minutes or less is a useful rule of thumb (Kotter, 2007). A successful leader must know how to achieve and accomplish the organizations goals by recognizing obstacles and removing them to overcome different forms of resistance to change such as: Enhancing and increasing employee knowledge and competencies by providing training courses, lectures and workshops on a regular basis to overcome resistance to change. Change and improve organization structure by improving staff performance appraisals to be able to assess change that is consistent with staff interests and develop a staff compensation system to achieve success in the transformation process. Know how to deal with the more rigid management who are against organization development. In brief, leader managers need to treat their staff fairly, delegate accountable responsibilities, provide credibility and motivate them to become involved in the new change project. Teamwork: A team is a small number of people with complementary skills who are committed to a common purpose, performance goals and approach for which they hold themselves mutually accountable (Katzenba ch, 1993). A team is a formal primary group of co-acting individuals who are dedicated and committed toward a common purpose to achieve the organizational goals. It is important to have collaborative, dedicated and cohesive teamwork after the establishment of the change plan as this will ensure the continuing and the accomplishing of the change plan. It will build the sense of employees ownership towards the change project to enhance their support and responsibilities towards the transformation process ((Armenakis and Harris. 2002). In order to have effective teamwork throughout the departments and across the different organizational departments, senior management must enhance employees active participation which is involving employees in activities that are designed to have them learn directly and enjoy the implementation of new issues to add value that is consistent with both employees and organization goals. This will provide opportunities to demonstrate and understand the change message and build the confidence and trust in their managers, supervisors and team based approach taken by their executives (Armenakis and Harris. 2002). In brief, teamwork without strong line leader managers will never achieve the success of the change process, and efforts without powerful guiding teams can make minor progress but will soon stop the change progress (Kotter, 2007, P. 7). Organizational Resources: Having different and adequate organizational resources is an important factor to successfully create readiness in an organization. Change requires adequate resources in various forms such as: competent employees, availability of computers and internet access and covering budget, and requires staff commitment to see the change process through to completion. Employees also need to see support of the change process from their departments (Armenakis and Harris. 2002). Organizational change might be highly desirable but unreachable due to the lack of the following resources: (Lehman et al, 2002) Open budget: in order to support and enhance the change project an organization must have a dedicated budget supported by senior management. This should be spent on having the right offices, furniture and equipment such as computers i.e. components of a healthy working environment, and spent on different specialised training courses, lectures and workshops on a regular basis to facilitate learning and to increase and develop the knowledge, skills and performance of employees (Lehman et al, 2002). Adequate and qualified staffing: an organization should have enough skilled employees to do the required job and must encourage learning to adopt the new ways of working in the transformation process. This is done by increasing the knowledge and competency levels of staff by having regular training courses, presentations and workshops to cope with change and to serve the increased number of patients at the hospital to serve more patients in less time. Providing adequate space/employees: it is important to have the right number of employees in each department section to ensure effective and efficient work-flow and to ensure monitoring and observing of the work process. Computer availability and internet access: an organization must ensure the availability of access to computers, to certain programs and e-communication between management and their staff via e-mails within departments and across departments to exchange useful information and share up to date knowledge regarding the change process. Having e-communication via e-mails and e-conferences is considered to be an effective and professional communication method. In brief, an organization that provides a dedicated budget, reported higher levels of staffing, adequate space and a healthy working environment with more I.T. resources, and that is open to effective communication will be more open to change than those organizations than those that do not. 3.4.3 Major Research Questions: To what extent are the different departments at the AFH ready for change? 3.4.4 Minor Research Questions: 1. Is the level of communication adequate in the different departments of AFH? 2. Is the level of empowerment adequate in the different departments of AFH? 3. Is the level of organizational resources appropriate in the different departments of AFH? 4. Is the level of leadership adequate in the different departments of AFH? 5. Is there a well known vision or strategic objective to the different departments of AFH? 6. Is the level of teamwork satisfactory in the different departments of AFH? 3.4.5 Propositions 1. It is proposed that management do not encourage open communication with their employees as they have seen no benefit from it during several meetings. 2. It is proposed that management do not consult other employees in the decision making process. 3. It is proposed that supervisors are unable to address issues from their staff due to low morale and a low work ethic. 4. It is proposed that management rarely communicate the new change vision during meetings, presentations or through the staff newsletters. 5. It is proposed that there is limited staff accountability and empowerment in the different AFH departments and units. The decision-making power is limited to management only. 6. It is proposed that there is are no risk taking as it is considered costly to both the organization and employees themselves. 7. It is proposed that employees did not receive the necessary training courses to improve their level of competence and readiness for change. 8. It is proposed that internet access is limited to those in more senior positions. 9. It is proposed that management did not fully involve their staff in the work produced. Only verbal guidance was given from behind their desks, showing lack of leadership by example. 10. It is proposed that management listened to employee suggestions and complaints but did not act on or implement them. 11. It is proposed that employees were not informed of the new change vision. 12. It is proposed that management in the different hospital departments did not develop strategies to meet the organization vision. 13. It is proposed that employees are not aware of teamwork. 14. It is proposed that employees lack the sense of ownership towards the change process. Relationship of the Minor Research Questions to the Proposition: Research minor questions Propositions Is the level of communication adequate in the different departments of AFH? 1. It is proposed that management do not encourage open communication with their employees because they have seen no benefit from it during several meetings. 2. It is proposed that management do not consult other employees before taking their decisions. 3. It is proposed that supervisors are unable to address issues from their staff due to low morale and a low work ethic. 4. It is proposed that management rarely communicate the new change vision during meetings, presentations or through staff newsletters. Is the level of empowerment adequate in the different departments of AFH? 5. It is proposed that there is limited staff accountability and empowerment in the different AFH department/unit. The decision-making power is limited to the management only. 6. It is proposed that there is no risk taking as it is considered costly to both the organization and employees themselves. Is the level of organizational resources adequate the different departments of AFH? 7. It is proposed that employees did not receive the necessary training courses to improve their level of competence and readiness for change. 8. It is proposed that internet access is limited to those in higher positions only. Is the level of leadership adequate in the different departments of AFH? 9. It is proposed that managers did not fully involve their staff in the work produced. Only verbal guidance was given from behind their desks, showing lack of leadership by example. 10. It is proposed that management listened to employee suggestions and complaints but did not act on them. Is there a well known vision or strategic objective to the different departments of AFH? 11. It is proposed that employees were not informed of the new change vision. 12. It is proposed that management in the different hospital departments did not develop strategies to meet the organization vision. Is the level of teamwork adequate in the different departments of AFH? 13. It is proposed that employees are not aware of teamwork. 14. It is proposed that employees lack the sense of ownership towards the change process. 3.5 Research Design: There are steps the researcher must follow to answer the research questions such as data collection, sampling, and analysis of interviews and the questionnaire. in order to be able as a researcher to examine the elements of the conceptual framework and how they impact the organizational readiness of change at AFH and to show how these elements can add value to the purpose of the research. We chose to use the qualitative and quantitative (see Appendix A) method and analysis of the data collected from my personal observations and from in-depth interviews as the rigid statistical analysis from quantitative data lacks creativity from the researchers perspective. By contrast, analysis of qualitative data deals with words and human expressions that will enrich the research paper with fewer standardized procedures and allows more creativity from the researcher. The research will be based on using semi-structured interviews with a sample of 26 interviewees. The interview questions are based on the literature and the devised model of transformational process to assess the organizations level of readiness for change. Each interview will last between 8-28 minutes. As mentioned by Sanders et al (2007) either unstructured interviews or semi-structured interviews should be used for exploratory research. As a researcher I decided to use a semi-structured interview as it provides more flexibility and convenience during data collection, as well as allowing deeper exploration of data from the answers given that would add value and credibility to the researcher itself. The research results will be supplemented by the quantitative research method, using a mini survey on a sample of 50 to measure the readiness for change level at AFH. 3.5.1 Research Sampling Methods: Sampling of 26 interviews from different departments / units, different hierarchal positions ranging from managers to front line employees with different working experiences, and different nationalities, to gain feedback on the implementation of the new change project, the establishment of new departments / units, the increase in number of employees, and restructuring of departments to assess the level of readiness towards the major change project / renewal program and new equipment . Mini survey sampling 50 employees (see Appendix B) to measure the readiness for change level at AFH. Interview Questions: For managers For employees 1. Do you encourage your staff to take independent decisions in work related issues? 1. Did your manager encourage you to take independent decisions in work related issues? 2. Did you involve your staff in the new change vision? 3. Did you know/hear about the new change vision? 2. Did your manager mention to you the new change vision? What was it? 3. Did you know/hear about the new change vision? 4. As a manager do you encourage team-work? 5. Did your staff have a sense of ownership for their project? 4. Did your manager encourage you to work as a team? 5. Did you have any sense of ownership towards the new change project? 6. How often do you meet with your staff to discuss work related issues? 6. Did your manager ask you to attend meetings? 7. Did your manager use any speeches or information boards to inform you about new work issues? 8. How often does your manager communicate with you on work related issues? 7. Can you answer your staff on reasons for the need for change? What do you say? 8. Do you encourage open-criticism when you meet with your staff? 9. Do you listen to your staff when making decisions (individualism, collectivism) 10. What do you do in order to convince people regarding change? 9. Did you ask your manager why change is needed? What did they say? 10. Did your manager encourage you to criticize their working style to improve the quality of work? 11. Did your manager listen to you when you gave your opinion on work related issues? 12. What do you learn from your manager (leadership by example)? 11. Do you attend any special training courses/lectures nationally and/or internationally? 12. Is there is any dedicated budget for training courses? 13. How often do you attend training courses/lectures/workshops? Organizational Change Readiness Assessment (Survey) -3=strongly disagree +1=slightly agree -2=disagree +2=agree -1=slightly disagree +3=strongly agree 0=not sure/dont knowIndicate your level of agreement with each statement using the following scale: Organizational Support: Level of agreement 1. The organizations visions are truly a shared vision in that employees at all levels understand, value, and work toward accomplishing this vision through their daily work. 2. Decision making and authority are decentralized (there are multiple levels of decision makers throughout the organization-decision making is not centralized at the top). 3. Employees have, in the past, actively participated in organizational decision making, goal setting, and organizational change initiatives. 4. Employee ideas and suggestions for improving their work and the organization are listened to. 5. Employees view the organizations training and development programmes as effective and supportive of change-driven training needs. 6. The organization is effective at setting and achieving measurable performance goals and targets. 7. The organization effectively uses multiple communication channels to routinely and effectively communicate with employees. Cultural: Level of agreement 8. Real teamwork and collaboration exist within and between organizational works unit/departments. 9. There is a high level of trust between leaders and employees. 10. Employees generally feel encouraged to innovate, offer ideas and take risks. 11. People here generally feel that they personally responsible for their own success. Change Environment: Level of agreement 12. The proposed change and its effects on all organizational dimensions (e.g., structure, strategy, processes, workflow, systems, etc.) are clearly defined and understood by those leading the change. 13. When the change is completed, we will be able to gauge our success with the change effort (there are clear measures to evaluate the change results). 14. The organization has successfully implemented change initiatives in the past. 15. The reason or the why of the coming change can easily be translated into tangible evidence that will get the attention of employees. Employee Attitudes: Level of agreement 16. Employees feel a sense of urgency- a felt need -for change. 17. Employees have a high level of job engagement (job engagement reflects employee commitment to their jobs and the organization). 18. Employees feel able to make decisions and act independently concerning their daily work. 19. Innovators and risk takers exist at all levels of the organization. 20. Employees have confidence in their managers ability to successfully guide them through the change. Readiness component Score Organizational support Cultural Change environment Employee attitudes Total overall change readiness

Sexual Harassment in the Workplace Essay -- Sexual Harassment, Womens

Sexual harassment is a violation of women's rights and a prohibited form of violence against women in many countries. Sexually harassing conduct causes devastating physical and psychological injuries to a large percentage of women in workplaces around the world. Harassment directed against women in the workplace by their supervisors, fellow employees, or third parties interferes with the integration of women in the workforce, reinforces the subordination of women to men in society, violates women's dignity and creates a health and safety hazard at work. Women's advocates around the world work to further women’s right to be free from sexual harassment. Critical to these efforts to combat sexual harassment has been the growing recognition of sexual harassment as a form of violence against women which violates women's human rights. States are obligated under international law to take effective steps to protect women from violence and to hold harassers and/or their employers accountable for sexual harassment in the workplace. The prohibition of sexual harassment in the workplace is closely linked with theories relating to the subordination of women to men that were first introduced in the United States in the 1970s. These theories associated sexual harassment with violence against women, the perpetuation of gender stereotypes and the assertion of economic power over women, all phenomena which serve to subordinate women to men. In general, the role sexual harassment is believed to play in the subordination of women in society has led many countries, including the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, Japan and South Africa, to recognize sexual harassment as an actionable form of sex discrimination. Over time, howe... ...orris, N. M. (1985). Journal of Health and Social Behavior. 10. Sobel, M. E., & Leinhard, S. (Ed.) (1982). Sociological methodology 1982. Washington, DC: American Sociological Association. 11. Swearer, S. M., Espelage, D. L., & Napolitano, S. A. (2009). Bullying prevention and interventions: Realistic strategies for schools. New York, NY: Guilford Press. 12. Touchette, E., Henegrar, A., Godart, N. T., Pryor, L., Falssard, B., Tremblay, R. E., & Cote, S. M. (2011). Psychiatry Research. 13. Willett, J. B., & Sayer, A. G. (1994). Psychological Bulletin. 14. Woodside, D. B., Garfinkel, P. E., Lin, E., Goering, P., & Kaplan, A. S. (2001). American Journal of Psychiatry. 15. Zurbriggen, E. L., Collins, R. L., Lamb, S., Roberts, T., Tolman, D. L., Ward, L. M., & Blake, J. (2007). Report of the APA Task Force on the Sexualization of Girls.

Management and Business

John Ottersbach Info I-303 Organizational Informatics June 17, 2009 Project # 4 This is the project report from evaluating the AgCredit mini-case (Textbook pages 131-134) 1. Synopsis This case focuses on an agriculture credit and loan company whose core competency is based around its customer knowledge. The organization’s IT structure and function does not suit the business well. The current setup is not enterprise architecture and staff issues are rampant. There has been a lot of preparatory work done in analyzing the situation and a new team was formed to chart a course of action to transform IT.With much of the information gathering completed, the team now must convince the business leadership of the changes and be brought on board. Communicating the goals and future plans to involve the business will be vital for the company’s IT to become effective. 2. Key Issues 1. The company’s executives are very busy with day to day operations and new initiatives. IT com petence has slipped over time and the structure was never aligned with organizational vision. 2. Although some backend tinkering has made company wide information accessible in some cases, the current systems are not compatible and interaction between them is poor. . IT does not have credibility within the lines of business. This is a know shortcoming and will be addressed in the reorganization of IT. 4. Business processes are not understood by IT staff and often the business itself lacks a thorough gasp on their processes. The interconnections of the processes are unclear to both sides of the organization also. 5. The divisions do not understand their role within the organization and they must figure out how they should support the enterprise. Aligning their individual goals with strategic drivers will need to be done.There are four business divisions within AgCredit. 6. The company’s strategic drivers are continuous growth, expanse of customer relationships, ability to spen d more time with the customers, ability to cross-sell services, and provide a consistent experience to the customer. 7. A CIO position was created to align IT and the business and to guide the IT transformation. The new CIO has run a successful campaign with e-business and comes to the position with fresh eyes, but a lack of formal technical experience. He is comfortable utilizing contractors and taking in multiple points of view. 8.No IT governance or architecture is currently in place. Rather a divisional structure has existed and enterprise vision is shallow. IT decisions are made to fulfill short-term needs and initiatives. IT function is viewed as a support service for the business. 9. Some of the IT staffing issues are: low morale, high job ambiguity, unqualified staff filling positions, technical skills lacking in some areas, no senior IT manager positions, and many unfilled job roles. Part of retooling the IT architecture must be to sort out these staffing needs. 10. An appl ication-centric attitude rules the company.This has led to four separate databases, one per division, and huge data untidiness and redundancy. 11. An SOA approach has been suggested based on organizational needs, to transform IT. Those needs include integrating technologies and platforms without replacement. Vendor choices will have to be narrowed and an approval process put in place backed with execution metrics and processes. 12. The next steps will be consolidating the customer data and strengthening its foundation. A single set of customer information is the expectation and this will also help build trust and credibility toward IT, within the organization. . Case Evaluation Strategy that was usedThis report looks at a â€Å"horizontal† slice of many interrelated issues (refer to Section 5 – later in the report – for further explanation of these issues). Mixing the details of the case with the general issues into a relevant and cogent analysis was the main co ncern and involved various methods. a. Setting the Context In order to formulate an organizational structure I role-played possible structures and looked for effective relationships. The case lent many good starting points and I just carried the ideas forward with an eye on the future. . Major Initiatives and Priorities of AgCredit After getting an idea of how the structure would look I applied knowledge from the other cases and best practices mentioned from the textbook to suggest a prioritization process for project selection. After developing textbook scenarios further for the new SOA model to test I looked at the possible outcomes and largest advantages. The recommendations are used in the answer section 4. c. Looking back Ideas for the capabilities and governance also came from the lectures, readings, and previous case work.Although the specifics are much different in that the standardization of equipment is not common between them, the cases all need better business-IT partner ships and oversight. Looking for what makes them similar and different gave a unique perspective to each case. 4. Discussion Questions The following are the answers to the discussion questions on page 134 of the textbook. Propose an organizational structure for the IT department that you feel would support the transformation of AgCredit into a processcentric organization. Recognition of business ownership will be vital to the organizational structure.Having the business sign on and join the conversation about IT and related projects will be instrumental. A steering committee will be need to be part of the approval process of all projects is needed to make sure an enterprise view is taken. The multidivisional committee will need to ensure all projects fit within a SOA framework. The CIO should be involved in the boardroom and have access to senior management, including the CEO. The CIO should hire senior management that can convey departmental and business objects and help guide IT e mployees.Account managers for each LOB that reside in the business but report to senior IT management should be installed. The entire IT staff will need to be reassessed to ensure the proper people are in the right job roles. The IT function will need to be brought in alignment with the enterprise vision. One option is to try to promote internally for vacant IT positions and insource the roles that cannot be filled. Insourcing will have the distinct advantage of training IT personnel while getting the job done as well. Outsourcing IT functions that are not core competencies can also be employed if desired.Outline a project selection process for AgCredit to ensure alignment with the enterprise business vision. As mentioned in the last question, a steering committee that represents many LOBs will need to be formed and giving decision making capabilities. The process should begin by examining how a project ties to the overall vision of the company. Next the committee members should out line how the project effects their division and could be used to meet departmental needs if possible. Additionally it will need to make sure it fits within the SOA and is not duplicated by other software nodes or current processes.If it is an enhancement or add-on to another project, communication with the end user to see potential benefits should begin. Making sure it can be modularized and standardized for the business will be vital for the organization’s architecture. Additionally making sure all project types are considered and funded through a tax upon all LOBs will be required to support SOA. How should Manley â€Å"make the case† for SOA to ensure that the executive team at AgCredit buys in? Manley will need to present the key strengths of SOA and make sure to focus on how it will support the company’s vision and goals. The transition will simplify the organization and speed up product implementation. * Current services and products will be available or m odified for usability. * It supports web services that align with continuous growth opportunities, expanded customer relationships, and ability to cross-sell between the divisions. * It will immediately offer up opportunities for the divisions both in terms of possible financial gains and stretching development dollars. * Existing services can be purchased and implemented quickly within the SOA.This increases our capabilities and ensures we stay caught up with the larger firms. In essence this can level the playing field providing valuable resources and systems. * Once the customer information is centralized, which is required for SOA, the savings from reducing database needs will be realized. * Having common processes will align the business as a whole and ensure value from increased communication and decreased uncertainty. * This kind of technology base may allow the way we work to change, for example working from home or on the road working through a VPN.What new internal IT capa bilities will have to be developed in order to create an IT department to support AgCredits future business architecture? The capabilities needed to support the SOA from the IT perspective are management tools, information management tools, Information delivery options, development cycles, and a customer service attitude toward the divisions. Role clarification will be important in setting up these capabilities. Management tools include visioning and business alignment processes, funding methods, measurement metrics and focus, and monitoring methods.Information management tools include collection activities, organize process including schemes and taxonomy, process modules to use the information, and maintenance procedures that support business functions. Development cycles must conform to SOA standards and guidelines, using compliant hardware and software to make systems that breakdown the functionality, and complaint with regulatory needs, including system proficiency in creating r eports for audit purposes. The customer service attitude will be needed to manage perceptions and keep close ties with the business.What aspects of IT governance do you think would be important in supporting this transformation? Before governance structures are formalized the enterprise and divisional vision and objectives should be outlined. With IT working alongside the business some guiding principles must be drafted up. This may involve setting up account managers within the LOB and forming a multidiscipline steering committee with considerable decision power. This steering committee should work closely with the CIO and have high level approval and corporate sponsorship.The governance system should focus on guiding the transformation process and keeping key issues in focus, such as sox and regulatory compliance. Stakeholder involvement in the steering committee will help the business and IT structures become partners and work together. It will ensure all voices are heard and con sidered in the decision making process. They should outline policy decisions that support the organization’s vision early on. 5. Issues I have Discussed I utilized the chart, Dr. Ramachandran offered, to find the connections between the subject matter we have studied and the case.My analysis follows: From Lecture 4 and the Textbook reading assignment pages 37 – 50. * In this case IT often takes a backseat to other business concerns. The CEO having to be approached on the weekend to look at IT issues shows a lack of perceived IT value. * The company has a reputation of customer knowledge and that has allowed for competitive advantage. * The CEO believes IT supports the business. This belief is reinforced with the way IT is set up to function and furthermore with its failure to meet the minimum standards of competency and credibility.The instinctual desire to outsource all of IT by Paul Manley is a good indicator of IT’s inability to deliver value to the business. * It commonly believed and accepted that IT and business are not aligned at a high level. The desire for the alignment exists and the CEO’s decision to promote a strong business head into the CIO position reflects this understanding. * IT possesses a low self worth due partly to poor organizational engagement and role ambiguity. Without high-quality, business-minded leadership the internal perspective of IT has suffered. OCBs are far less likely to occur in this weakened environment. Without a solid enterprise architecture in place IT lacks a unifying vision and single â€Å"brand†. This lack of oversight has not helped promote IT to the business. * With IT being viewed negatively at the executive level, as at the start of the case, IT is at a disadvantage when trying to return value to the organization. The increased bond between the CEO and CIO will dramatically increase a positive perspective for the IT transformation. * The competency and creditability of IT is st ill highly suspect. The new CIO has acknowledged and is addressing the deficiency.There is an understanding that it will take time and energy to change the perception of the company. This is a prerequisite to having the business units buying into and taking a chance on IT. * The structural changes of IT should address perceptual issues as well at technical ones. The SOA will ensure the business, through their active role as data owners, views IT as a partner rather than just a service for the business. * The perceptual challenge ahead will involve a lengthy temporal component, the organizations view will not shift overnight. IT will have to build confidence and show the business that it adds value.Additionally perceptions will need to be continually managed with IT’s rocky history. From Lecture 6 and the Textbook reading assignment pages 72 – 85. * A good exercise before starting the restructure or even the consolidation to a single customer service file would be to ge t with the business and develop a technology roadmap. The entire process does not need to be completed before beginning other initiatives but this will give the organization focus and set current expectations. This will involve the business greatly and will open the lines of communication for IT and business operations.Since a large part of a technology roadmap is how technology will be implemented to support the enterprise vision, strategy, and objectives this will help ensure the divisions are working toward organizational unification. * Once the enterprise and divisional vision and objectives are lined out the process can begin. Working alongside the business some guiding principles must be drafted up. This may involve setting up account managers within the LOB and forming a multidiscipline steering committee with considerable decision power. IT staffing cannot be done correctly until business needs are communicated.It will be important to make sure the guiding principles map to the vision. * The vision from the textbook would consist of: continuous growth, expanse of customer relationships, ability to spend more time with the customers, ability to cross-sell services, and provide a consistent experience to the customer. Additionally implementing an SOA environment would need to be considered in the process. * Taking an inventory should be split into two sections. The first is coming up with a classification schema, which should work well with planning the SOA objectives.The second is assigning a technology custodian which will help build credibility by increasing transparency of responsibility. * A gap analysis of the current technology to required technology will also need to be completed. This will help build the relationship to the business and show competency for IT if done well. The level of business involvement must be high so an opportunity to influence perception is created. After identifying the missing links a scan of the available technology wil l need to be undertaken. SOA design will play a vital role in deciding on which software and hardware need to be developed or purchased. In order to get from point A to point B, point B being an SOA for the company, a solid migration strategy must be created.This will affect the projects that have been put on hold within the organization and future projects as well. This will need input from the business since they will be severely impacted. The steering committee should be well established and able to make informed decisions on this type of endeavor. A governance body will need to be installed that oversees this process and its future revisions. From Lecture 7 and the Textbook reading assignment pages 98 – 126. In order to succeed in the organization vision AgCredit has an Information Management system needs to be instituted. This will be housing the single customer information file. Visioning exercises will help develop policies to support the IM. * The IM will be a great f irst step toward changing the culture to acceptance of IT function and the partnership role in the organization. A SOA will be supported by this move also and will bring the company focus together. * Shaping the culture to accept the responsibility and a steering committee’s authority will take time to develop especially with such a weak IT role in the current organization.Bring them on board will be vital to success though. With all of the expected growth and centralizing of information security policy will have to become standardized and thorough. If any of the IT functions get outsourced this move will help make the transition and usefulness operate more smoothly and efficiently. * The initial SOA will be created through a process that needs full organizational representation and support. The final acceptance will need to be at the senior level though. * Adjusting the perspective and culture toward acceptance will be instrumental to the initiatives success.Paul Manley will need to take an active role in convincing the business to sign on and support the initiative. 6. Organization Chart CEO Jim Finney CIO Paul Manley COO Steve Stewart Kate Longair Samantha Secord Dirk Schader 7. Further Issues From Lecture 2 and the Textbook reading assignment pages 14 – 25. * IT and the business are not aligned. The business is not even aware of how the different divisions come together to work for the organization. The business will have to sort itself out as well as build a partnership with IT. * They have begun to revisit the business model and are aware there is a lot of work to be done.Since the business is aligning itself that leaves IT in a good position to tie itself to all LOBs. Strategic themes have not been capitalized upon but with the SOA the chances of identifying and being able to act on them will be greater. Getting strong leadership in place within IT and partnering with IT will be a major task that needs to be undertaken. * The different pro ject types are currently not broken up and funded appropriately. The architecture projects seem to be falling behind and definitely not aligned with business strategy. The focus on all dimensions of IT strategy will need to be a priority for the new steering committee.Building these processes and methods alongside the business will ensure commitment and success. This has not been the case with AgCredit in the past but in order to get IT working for the company it will have to be adopted and maintained. * Account managers that report to the CIO or senior IT managers will need to be hired or found internally. IT and the business’s disconnect between must cease and they should unify. From Lecture 9 and the Textbook reading assignment pages 230 – 244. * IT has not kept pace with were it needs to be for the organization.They are not prepared to take on the expanded roles IT is expected to recently. The company will need to correct the IT organizational structure and then fi gure out what competencies they possess. They will need to chart the maturity and make sure they teach or hire staff that can fill the roles the company wants to keep internal. The notion of outsourcing all of IT was raised at the start of the case, but the executives need to get together and chart a course for the organization. After getting an idea of where they want to be they can actually start to consider what IT functions can be outsourced.Customer service functions and capabilities will need to remain in-house since this is the business’s competitive advantage in the environment. * The staffing issues in the company are a direct result of not realizing which IT functions the business needs to cultivate and rely on. There are too many functions for this company to be able to turn around perform well so something will have to give and other alternatives, either insourcing or outsourcing, need to be considered. Without knowing how the business divisions and processes fit together it will be hard to complete, but IT and the business need to work together to create a solution.

Understanding the Importance of Taking Notes

Understanding the Importance of Taking Notes Taking notes is a great way to help students identify the importance of concepts covered in class. Even if you have a great memory, you simply wont be able to remember everything the teacher says. A permanent written record that you can refer to later can prove indispensable when its time to write an essay or take a test on the materials discussed in class. Literature lectures offer important background information about the works youre studying, including literary terms, details about the authors style, thematic relationships between works and important quotations. The content from literature lectures has a way of appearing on quizzes and essay assignments in ways students least expect them to, which is why note taking is so helpful. Even if the lecture material doesnt reappear in a testing situation, you may be asked to draw from the knowledge you gained from the lecture for a future class discussion. With that in mind, here are a few tips about how to effectively take notes in your literature class. Before Class To prepare for your next class, read the assigned reading material. Its usually a good idea to read the material at least a few days before the assignment is due. If possible, youll want to read the selection several times and make sure you understand what youre reading. If you have any questions, your textbook may offer a list of suggested readings to help with your understanding. A visit to your library may also offer additional reference resources to answer your questions and further prepare you for class. Your notes from previous class periods may also help to answer your questions. Also, be sure to take a look at the questions that follow selections in your textbook. The questions help you to re-evaluate the text, and they may help you to understand how the material relates to other works youve read in the course. During the Literature Class Be prepared to take notes when you attend your class, and be on time. Bring plenty of paper and pens with you.  Write down the relevant date, time, and topic details on your notepaper before the teacher is ready to start. If homework is due, hand it in before the class starts, and then be ready to take notes. Listen carefully to what the teacher says. Particularly note any discussion about future homework assignments and/or tests. The teacher may also give you an outline of what he or she will be discussing for that day. Remember that you dont have to get down every word that your teacher says. Get enough written down so that you can understand what was said. If theres something that you dont understand, be sure to mark those sections so you can come back to them later. Since youve read the reading material before class, you should recognize new material: details about the text, the author, the time period, or the genre that wasnt covered in your textbook. Youll want to get as much of this material down as possible because the teacher probably considers it to be important to your understanding of the texts. Even if the lecture seems disorganized  get down as many notes as possible through the lecture. Where there are gaps, or parts of the lecture you dont understand,  clarify your understanding of the material by asking questions in class or during the teachers office hours. You can also ask a classmate for help or find outside reading materials that explain the issue. Sometimes, when you hear the material in a different way, you may understand the concept much more clearly than the first time you heard it. Also, remember, every student learns in a different way. Sometimes, its better to get a broader perspectivefrom various sources, both in and out of class. If you know you have a hard time paying attention, try some preventative measures. Some students find that chewing on gum or a pen helps them to pay attention. Of course, if youre not allowed to chew gum in the class, then that option is out. You can also  ask for permission to record the lecture. Reviewing Your Notes You have several options for reviewing or revising your notes. Some students type the notes up, and print them up for easy reference, while others just look them over after class and transfer important detail to other tracking devices. Whichever mode of review you prefer, the important thing is that you look over your notes while the lecture is still fresh in your mind. If you have questions, you need to get them answered before you forget what was confusing or hard-to-understand. Collect your notes in one place. Usually, a three-ring binder is the best place because you can keep your notes with your course outline, class handouts, returned homework assignments  and returned tests. Use a highlighter  or some system of making the text stand out. Youll want to make sure that you dont miss the details the teacher gives you about assignments  and tests. If you highlight important items, make sure that you dont highlight everything or else everything seems important.   Be sure to make note of examples. If the teacher is talking about a quest  and then talks about Tom Jones, youll want to make note of it, particularly if you know that youll be reading that book shortly. You may not always understand the context of the discussion if you havent yet read the work, but its still important to note that the work is connected with the quest theme. Dont just review your notes the day before your final exam. Take a look at them periodically throughout the course. You may see patterns that you never noticed before. You may better understand the structure and progression of the course: where the teacher is going and what he or she expects you to have learned by the time the class is over.  Often the teacher will put the material on a test just to make sure that students are listening or taking notes. Some teachers will discuss the complete outline of a test, telling students exactly what will appear, but students still fail because theyre not paying attention. Wrapping Up Before long, youll get used to taking notes. It really is a skill, but it also depends on the teacher. Sometimes its difficult to tell whether a teachers  statements are important or just an offhand remark. If all else fails, and youre confused or uncertain about whether youre understanding what is expected of you in the course, ask the teacher. The teacher is the person giving you a grade (in most situations).

The Worlds Most Popular Languages

The Worlds Most Popular Languages There are 6,909 languages actively  being spoken in the world today, although only about six percent of them have more than a million speakers each. As globalization becomes more common so does the learning of languages. People in many different countries see the value of learning a foreign language to improve their international business relations. Because of this, the number of people who speak certain languages will continue to rise. There are 10 languages that currently dominate the globe. Heres a list of the 10 most popular languages spoken worldwide, along with the number of countries where the language is established, and the approximate number of primary or first language speakers for that language: Chinese/Mandarin- 37 countries, 13 dialects, 1,284 million speakersSpanish- 31 countries, 437 millionEnglish- 106 countries, 372 millionArabic- 57 countries, 19 dialects, 295 millionHindi- 5 countries, 260 millionBengali- 4 countries, 242 millionPortuguese- 13 countries, 219 millionRussian- 19 countries, 154 millionJapanese- 2 countries, 128 millionLahnda- 6 countries, 119 million The Languages of China With more than 1.3 billion people living in China today, it is no surprise that Chinese is the most commonly spoken language. Due to the size of Chinas area and population, the country is able to sustain many unique and interesting languages. When speaking of languages, the term Chinese encompasses at least 15 dialects spoken in the country and elsewhere. Because Mandarin is the most commonly spoken dialect, many people use the word Chinese to refer to it. While roughly 70 percent of the country speaks Mandarin, many other dialects are spoken as well. The languages are mutually intelligible to a varying degree, depending on how close the languages are to one another. The four most popular Chinese dialects are Mandarin (898 million speakers), Wu (also known as Shanghainese dialect, 80 million speakers), Yue (Cantonese, 73 million), and Min Nan (Taiwanese, 48 million). Why Are There So Many Spanish Speakers? While Spanish is not a commonly heard language in most parts of Africa, Asia, and the majority of Europe, that hasnt stopped it from becoming the second most commonly spoken language. The spread of the Spanish  language is rooted in colonization. Between the 15th and 18th centuries, Spain colonized much of South, Central, and large parts of North America as well. Before being incorporated into the United States, places like Texas, California, New Mexico, and Arizona were all part of Mexico, a former Spanish colony. While Spanish is not a common language to hear in most of Asia, it is very common in the Philippines because it too was once a colony of Spain. Like Chinese, there are many dialects of Spanish. The vocabulary between these dialects varies greatly depending on what country one is in. Accents and pronunciation also change between regions. While these dialectical differences can sometimes cause confusion, they do not block cross-communication between speakers. English, a Global Language English too, was a colonial language: British colonial efforts began in the 15th century and lasted until the early 20th century, including places as far flung as North America, India and Pakistan, Africa, and Australia. As with Spains colonial efforts, each country colonized by Great Britain retains some English speakers. After World War II, the United States led the world in both technological and medical innovation. Because of this, it was considered beneficial for students pursuing work in these fields to learn English. As globalization occurred, English became a shared common language. This caused many parents to push their children to study English as a second language in the hopes of better preparing them for the business world. English is also a useful language for travelers to learn because it is spoken in so many parts of the globe. A Global Language Network Since the popularity of social media, the development of a Global Language Network can be mapped using book translations, Twitter, and Wikipedia. These social networks are only available to elites, people with access to both traditional and new media. Statistics of use from these social networks indicate that while English is definitely the central hub in the Global Language Network, other intermediate hubs used by elites to communicate business and science information include German, French, and Spanish. Currently, languages such as Chinese, Arabic, and Hindi are vastly more popular than German or French, and it is likely that those languages will grow in use of traditional and new media. Sources Simons, Gary F., and Charles D. Fennig. Ethnologue: Languages of the World. SIL International 2017. Web. Accessed January 30, 2018Population, Total. World Bank 2017. Web. Accessed January 30, 2018.Ronen, Shahar, et al. Links That Speak: The Global Language Network and Its Association with Global Fame. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 111.52 (2014): E5616-22. Print.Tang, Chaoju, and Vincent J. van Heuven. Mutual Intelligibility of Chinese Dialects Experimentally Tested. Lingua 119.5 (2009): 709-32. Print.Ushioda, E. M. A. The Impact of Global English on Motivation to Learn Other Languages: Toward an Ideal Multilingual Self. The Modern Language Journal 101.3 (2017): 469-82. Print.

History of costume design Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

History of costume design - Essay Example Born in Moscow in May of 1816, Princess Leonilla Ivanovna Bariatinskaya married Prince Ludwig Zu Sayn Wittgenstein on October 23, 1834 at Castle Marino and became Princess Sayne Wittgenstein Sayn. Their marriage existed between the year 1799 and 1866. Princess Leonilla was a remarkably attractive woman whose beauty garnered the attention of many artists, all of whom produced portraits of her. In 1843, Winterhalter was commissioned to paint Princess Leonilla’s portrait. At the time, she was married to Prince Ludwig Aldof Friedrich. . In 1833, she sat for Winterhalter for an oval portrait that featured her shadowed face, contrasting dark hair and opaline skin, and magnificent pearls. He also painted her again in 1849.2 It is the Portrait of Leonilla, Princess of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Sayn, however, that overshadows all other paintings. Winter halter employs an art style known as Romanticism in which he ‘humanizes’ his clients. By being more objective about the features of his subject’s, he can bring out their unique and natural beauty. Franz Xaver Winter halter was famous for his glossy and daring portraits of German royalty. Born to a peasant stock in a small village in the Back Forest in Germany, the young Winterhalter developed an interest in art. At the age of 13 years, Winterhalter began training in art through an apprenticeship. It is here that Winterhalter first learned the practice of engraving. He then relocated to Munich to further study painting, living off of his lithography earnings. . Winterhalter’s art career was ignited in 1828 when the Grand Duchess of Baden commissioned him to do a portrait. This became the commencement of a chain of royal court paintings which spanned the globe from Italy to France to Russia.3 The young artist’s success sparked many onlookers to comment that his portraits appeared unusual and unconventional. Despite this hurdle, Winterhalter developed a favorable reputation for his skillfulness at combining

Evaluating Markets to Invest Abroad Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Evaluating Markets to Invest Abroad - Case Study Example Firstly, Victoria Pernarella will consider the process of internationalization. In this, she evaluates three aspects. First is whether BFSI possesses owner-specific competitive advantage in Tennessee which can be transferred to the potential foreign market based on. This advantage needs to be firm-specific, powerful and transferable. She also identifies location-specific advantage to determine whether the foreign market has traits that can allow the entrant to exploit its competitive market in the potential market. This focus is on costs- productive labor, unique raw materials, centers of advanced technology, formation of custom unions and regional trading blocs (Gitman, Joehnk & Billingsley, 2011). She evaluates the ability to safeguard competition by control of the complete value chain in the industry which is internalization. This is done through foreign direct investment. Secondly, she considers the model of entry which should be based on the needs of the business clients. Another key factor is the availability of adequate resources by BFSI as well as the projected volume of international business. Other key considerations relate to knowledge and experience on foreign markets, structure of BFSI, tax considerations, customer profiles and current regulation of market in the target nation. The organizational culture determines the objectives of the firms and the behaviors that need to be set in correspondence to the existing cultures. The experience with foreign markets is an added advantage which helps to determine the relevance and reliability of this market (Gitman, Joehnk & Billingsley, 2011). Does it fluctuate regularly and what effects are observed from these fluctuations. Can is sustain economic growth and what factors lead these fluctuations. The volume of projected international business identifies at what rate the firm may expand upon entry and also the risks that are involved in the