Assess The Functionalism

Functionalism is a predominant perspective in which to analyse the British educational system. The functionalist sees education as a miniature society, where the individual develops a sense of commitment to the social group; it is a place to learn rules where the individual learns to conform to societies cultural norms and values. The functionalist perspectives of Emile Durkheim are particularly relevant to the British educational system. He believed that the major function of education was the transmission of societies norms and values. This would allow an advanced division of labour, thus contributing to economy. He believed in the process known as socialisation, where cultural norms transpose a conditioned individual, allowing entry to modern society. The economy greatly relies on educational conditioning, and it is essential that educational achievement is well balanced in the meritoractic society, for role allocation to occur. The individual must be suitably-fitted for his or her post. From a functionalist perspective schools sieve individuals in accordance to their ability for example by tiered examinations. This process in which educational failure is seen positively, aids role allocation. Parsons backed Durkheim s theory. He believed that education fulfils the function of secondary socialisation, thus allowing role allocation to occur. He firmly believed that role allocation was necessary for the functioning of society and the economy. His perspectives encouraged meritocracy, where the individual is rewarded on the basis of merit or ability. There are various conflict theories, which give different view regarding the role of education on modern Britain. For example the Marxist perspectives of education argue that the education system imposes values of a higher class origin. In addition, achievement is based merely on social background and therefore makes failure inevitable. Bowles and Gintis believed that the hidden curriculum benefits only the employer in a capitalist society, whereas a functionalist perspective would argue that without socialisation in education, the individual would not recognise the norms and values of modern society. They believed that there is a strong relationship between capitalism and the educational system. The correspondence theory of Bowles and Gents illustrates school as entry into a world of exploitive work, where the individual learns to believe in meritocracy. In contrast to a functionalist perspective, Giroux believed that the educational system is a site of ideological struggle, where the enforcement of class differences by aiding the middle class and neglecting the working class from achieving are obvious. Marxists believed that functionalism was to blame for the failure of the educational system, and because individuals are made to conform, they mostly oppose values espoused by schools. The enforcement of complacency therefore encouraged a counter school culture, the consequence of unappealing and monotonous tasks. Illch supported this view and felt that education should be an enjoyable and inspiriting institution where group work is encouraged to prevent bad behaviour and rebellion to authority. A functionalist would argue that bad behaviour, is exactly why individuals need to reform to the cultural norms of a modern day society if they are to succeed at all. Marxist and Functionalist perspectives of the role of education in modern Britain are evidently very different. Functionalism seems to be the main consensus perspective. Analysis of Functionalist views conveys the positive contribution made by education to the social system. Whereas the Marxist theories argue that the education system imposes dominant values of the middle class and neglects the working class. Marxists perspectives also believe that a disproportional amount of lower class individuals will continue to higher education as a result of ideological factors such as class and race (suggested by literature in sociology in focus ). Marxists believed that the myth of meritocracy ( Haralambos ) made the individual feel responsible for his or her own failure in education as opposed to the functionalist factors such as role allocation and the hidden curriculum which are clearly to blame for the inevitable failure of the individual. A Marxists perspective is probably more relevant to my own experience. I have experienced pressure from pier groups from higher social backgrounds of my own, and feel that without dress sense, posture, accent and money we are all able to achieve to similar standards, despite allowances sometimes made for richer more fortunate individuals. Assess The Functionalism Functionalism is a predominant perspective in which to analyse the British educational system. The functionalist sees education as a miniature society, where the individual develops a sense of commitment to the social group; it is a place to learn rules where the individual learns to conform to societies cultural norms and values. The functionalist perspectives of Emile Durkheim are particularly relevant to the British educational system. He believed that the major function of education was the transmission of societies norms and values. This would allow an advanced division of labour, thus contributing to economy. He believed in the process known as socialisation, where cultural norms transpose a conditioned individual, allowing entry to modern society. The economy greatly relies on educational conditioning, and it is essential that educational achievement is well balanced in the meritoractic society, for role allocation to occur. The individual must be suitably-fitted for his or her post. From a functionalist perspective schools sieve individuals in accordance to their ability for example by tiered examinations. This process in which educational failure is seen positively, aids role allocation. Parsons backed Durkheim s theory. He believed that education fulfils the function of secondary socialisation, thus allowing role allocation to occur. He firmly believed that role allocation was necessary for the functioning of society and the economy. His perspectives encouraged meritocracy, where the individual is rewarded on the basis of merit or ability. There are various conflict theories, which give different view regarding the role of education on modern Britain. For example the Marxist perspectives of education argue that the education system imposes values of a higher class origin. In addition, achievement is based merely on social background and therefore makes failure inevitable. Bowles and Gintis believed that the hidden curriculum benefits only the employer in a capitalist society, whereas a functionalist perspective would argue that without socialisation in education, the individual would not recognise the norms and values of modern society. They believed that there is a strong relationship between capitalism and the educational system. The correspondence theory of Bowles and Gents illustrates school as entry into a world of exploitive work, where the individual learns to believe in meritocracy. In contrast to a functionalist perspective, Giroux believed that the educational system is a site of ideological struggle, where the enforcement of class differences by aiding the middle class and neglecting the working class from achieving are obvious. Marxists believed that functionalism was to blame for the failure of the educational system, and because individuals are made to conform, they mostly oppose values espoused by schools. The enforcement of complacency therefore encouraged a counter school culture, the consequence of unappealing and monotonous tasks. Illch supported this view and felt that education should be an enjoyable and inspiriting institution where group work is encouraged to prevent bad behaviour and rebellion to authority. A functionalist would argue that bad behaviour, is exactly why individuals need to reform to the cultural norms of a modern day society if they are to succeed at all. Marxist and Functionalist perspectives of the role of education in modern Britain are evidently very different. Functionalism seems to be the main consensus perspective. Analysis of Functionalist views conveys the positive contribution made by education to the social system. Whereas the Marxist theories argue that the education system imposes dominant values of the middle class and neglects the working class. Marxists perspectives also believe that a disproportional amount of lower class individuals will continue to higher education as a result of ideological factors such as class and race (suggested by literature in sociology in focus ). Marxists believed that the myth of meritocracy ( Haralambos ) made the individual feel responsible for his or her own failure in education as opposed to the functionalist factors such as role allocation and the hidden curriculum which are clearly to blame for the inevitable failure of the individual. A Marxists perspective is probably more relevant to my own experience. I have experienced pressure from pier groups from higher social backgrounds of my own, and feel that without dress sense, posture, accent and money we are all able to achieve to similar standards, despite allowances sometimes made for richer more fortunate individuals.

Guns Germs and Steel Essay

Yali asked the question of â€Å"why is it that you white people developed so much cargo and brought it to New Guinea, but we black people had so little cargo of our own?† (Diamond 14) In other words, he is asking â€Å"what is the factor between our people and ours that causes human development to proceed at different rates?† (Diamond 16) What Yali is really asking though, is, what is this mysterious factor? According to Diamond, the basis for development is the environment around us including the resources and the native people of New Guinea don’t live in an area where a chance is provided for them to take advantage of. The natural resources are just enough for them to get by. This is why the people of New Guinea produce so little â€Å"cargo† of their own. Pizarro’s capture of Atahuallpa and destruction of the Incas made the Europeans realize what power they head, and what they could do to the rest of the world. They easily wiped out the Inca’s of 80,000 with 168 men. From the Battle of Cajamarca, Pizzaro came back to Charles I saying that Europe had the power to conquer the Americas. There were reasons Pizarro and the Europeans could conquer the Americas†¦ They had better warfare than the Incas. Pizarro’s men had armor rode horseback and used steel compared to their wooden weapons. Eurasia happened to have an abundance of edible material because of the right environment leading to the domestication of plants and animals led the people to settle down in one place instead of being nomads. When people started to settle down and bring the food to them, they started to have a surplus which led for the people to have extra jobs and it started to also support a higher population while allowing women to have more children contributing to job specialization. These specialists were not devoted to farmers or food producers but varied to priests, blacksmiths etc. Permanent agriculture societies were able to from with the food surpluses leading to empires. Some of the reason that people began to settle down and farm are because at the time many wild foods began to decrease due to hunters and gatherers killing off too many large animals leaving life unsustainable. More wild plants that could be domesticated became available at the time. Technological advances allowe3d people to harvest and store greater amounts of food that they cultivated. Human populations rose it’s not clear how much it caused food production and how much food production caused it but researchers believe there’s a connection. As populations rose, they needed to have better food supplies and started farming. The farm societies were able to drive out neighboring hunter-gatherers. A continent with long east-west axis like (Eurasia) has an advantage over continents with long north-south axes (like Africa and the Americas). The reasons it does have to do with crops and longitude. In general similar crops can grow at similar longitudes. In other words a cropped that developed in one place can be spread east to west (or west to east) but less likely to spread north and south. Epidemic diseases developed among the societies that had been farming the longest. These were Eurasian societies. Societies in the Americas, Australia, and other places had not been farming as long and lacked epidemic diseases. When Europeans came in contact with Native Americans, for example, European epidemic diseases killed huge percentages of the Native Americans. This helped the Europeans conquer and the conquest made them richer and more powerful. Therefore germs help to answer Yali’s question. The societies that did independently invent writing were those with complex hierarchie s and sophisticated systems of food production. Writing was needed for politics and was generally learned by bureaucrats who had the comfort of available time and energy. As food was available to them, they had no need to hunt and gather for themselves. Since their basic needs were being met, they could focus on a higher level of existence and communication. There are two conditions in which technology may develop. The first is â€Å"mother necessity ideology† which is when a society needs something to make things easier they invent it. Technology differed from place to place because there were more people to invent and better diffusion to spread the invention. The opposite happened in the Americas because there were less people and a slower diffusion rate. Also different cultures had different ideas for change. The only way that society can emerge is through food. Such developments include jobs, such as the chief and the beginnings of government. The institutions of society changed over time based on how organized they were. They evolved based around various factors like war and other societies. They are related by diffusion. Whenever a state is conquered by another state they enforce use of their technology or exploit it. States are going to develop weapons, troops, and religion in order to make the state survive. They develop in response to need of their population size. They use these agents of conquest to become larger and to conquer other societies; and for that they need guns, germs, and steel. What Diamond is saying is that he thinks that people really should not think that history is so much different from the sciences. He is saying that the study of history can be pretty â€Å"scientific† if it is done correctly (and that some sciences are not as precise as things like chemistry). Diamond is trying to argue that historians should use what he calls â€Å"natural experiments.† He thinks that there are many â€Å"experiments† where there are two or more places that are pretty similar in many ways but which then turned out differently (like his experiment in Chapter 2). He argues that historians can use these — they can look at what was different and what was similar and how the differences led to the differences in the outcomes. Guns, Germs, and Steel Book Review I think Diamond’s central intent of writing the book is to explain how varying societies become dominate, and how certain others can become dominated. By looking at environmental conditions that caused the disparities that lead to certain societies developing guns, germs, and steel, including other technology, and forming a government necessary for conquest. He introduced the book with Yali’s question â€Å"Why is it that you white people developed so much cargo and brought it to New Guinea, but we black people has so little cargo of our own?† This question used a scientific/geographic background, and set his intent is to answer the question or inform how to answer the question. He also tries to analyze the causes of the expansion of civilizations’ in some parts of the world, since all people are physically the same what could cause some to be successful and others to die? He used archaeological and historical case studies and evidence from genetics and linguistics, he argued that technological and gaps in power are not caused by race or culture differences but by environmental differences, He used the idea of the axis as one saying that Eurasia had an east to west (or west to east) therefore having an advantage over Africa or the Americas for instance, because crops could grow at the same longitude but it was more difficult as they went north and south. Also when cultural or genetic differences have favored Eurasians like for example written language or resistance to epidemic diseases he says these advantages occurred because of the influence and geography on societies and cultures and were not inherited as genes from Eurasian ancestors. Diamond’s book argues that the differences in progress for different societies around the world do not result from one group being smarter or more resourceful than another. Rather, he focuses on the impact of geography — whether food and other key items were plentiful, whether and how disease spread, and how these developments led to different levels of industrialization, and wealth The book â€Å"Guns, Germs, and Steel† was very well written in the sense that Diamond had a question in which was the foundation of the book, he throughout the book acquired evidence and explanations and ideas of how to answer the question. The book had evidence to back it up by explaining how Eurasia had a better opportunity being west to east meaning they had better crop farming. Which led to a growing civilization and soon conquest. The book wasn’t exactly dull or boring but it wasn’t exciting or entertaining either. It was like any other history book it asked a question, then went on to the point. There was an explanation of the main topic which was Yali’s question and evidence that dealt with answering the question. From beginning to end, Diamond stre sses that he realizes that efforts to compare societies have frequently been used by racists or nationalists to belittle groups or justify mistreatment of them. He argues that his analysis is in fact anti-racism at work because it shows that the white people who enjoy the comforts of modern life are ultimately luckier than, not more deserving than, people in impoverished nations.

Start your own small business Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Start your own small business - Assignment Example reasons due to which individuals start their own business is that they want to operate independently and want to become the boss instead of being bossed around. These individuals do not prefer taking instructions from others. They believe that they are quite creative and can perform better by starting their own business. A research was conducted by Lange in order to identify the factors due to which individuals choose to be self-employed instead of working for another organization (Lange, 2012). Lange identified that autonomy and independence were the main factors that were motivating these individuals to be self-employed. Another reason due to which individuals choose to start their own business is that the concept of job security is fading away. Brenner reports that fresh graduates have started perceiving that being an entrepreneur provides them with the feeling of job security (Brenner, 1991). This means that the previously held belief that an individual’s job is much secur e when they are employed is fading away and now individuals believe that self-employment results in job security. Brenner, O., Pringle, C., & Greenhaus, J. (1991). Perceived fulfillment of organizational employment versus entrepreneurship: Work values and career intentions of business college graduates. Journal Of Small Business Management, 29(3),

Multiple Linear Regression Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Multiple Linear Regression - Assignment Example It penalizes the model for including too many parameters that do not contribute much in explaining the original variance. It is a modification of R2. 3. Multicollinearity is a statistical phenomenon in which two or more predictor variables in a multiple regression model are highly correlated resulting to inter-associations among independent variables. This means that one can be linearly predicted from the rest that have non-tribal degree of accuracy. Multicollinearity is a problem because it makes the data unreliable. Multicollinearity is measured using the variance inflation factor that assesses how much the variance of an estimated regression coefficient increases if the predictors are correlated, if not then the variance inflation factor becomes 1. e. From the residual vs. fitted graph, the residuals appear randomly around zero line. This indicates that the assumption of linearity is reasonable. The normal q-q plot shows that the points re lined up on the identity line and thus, the dependent and independent variables are comparable. Scale-location plot shows that there is a downward trend in residuals. Cook’s distance’s graph shows that observation 4, 15 and 25 are influential in the model. f. There are outliers in the variables Flux, East and South. Outliers in Flux are observation 19 and 25 which are ==40.6. Thus, we drop observations with outliers in East and South variables. Additionally, observation 4, 15 and 25 are considered to be influential in the dataset. e. The residual vs. fitted graph shows that residuals appear randomly around the zero line. This indicates that the assumption of linearity is reasonable. The normal q-q plot shows that the points re lined up on the identity line and thus, the dependent and independent variables are comparable. Scale-location plot shows that there is a downward trend in

Working in Organisations - What do people want from work Assignment

Working in Organisations - What do people want from work - Assignment Example People do have certain expectations from the place they work. Some people work to fulfill their basic necessities, some others work to explore their potentials, and few others to achieve their goals and objectives. The primary factor that comes to mind when talking about work is money. This is said to be on the list of priority and the foremost reason, why people want to work. People wish to work for a better pay, and for a better life style for which money is the key factor that motivates them to work and to increase their expectations to work for an organization. Another factor that people want from their work is satisfaction. People work as a team in an organization both to help others and to help themselves for which they get paid and thus they derive satisfaction with this kind of an activity. People tend to have a look out for social interactions in the organizational environment. For example, if one has to go to work, complete the day’s task, and has to come back and ha s no interactions at any point, is said to become redundant, and thus the person’s work impacts his performance and achievements, personally and professionally. If the person goes about in this manner, he might turn out to be anti-social at times. Thus with the work culture in the organization, people want to be socially active where most of the social needs are taken care of. Most people have set of varied reasons as to what they want from work and how they attain the same. They work for money, fun, social interactions and relations etc. According to Abraham Maslow who proposed in his paper, (A Theory of Human Motivation, 1943), talks about different cycles where human beings have varied expectations at different phases of life. His model is said to have five phases, starting with the bottom phase that talks about the most basic needs, and after this safety is the next phase, after the safety factor the expectation of humans was for love and belongingness factors, the next p hase is the self esteem where the humans have the zeal to attain respect and have achievements in life, and the top most phase as defined by Maslow was self actualization, which means that a person being more innovative, open to challenges, and moral. To correlate Maslow’s theory of different phases of what people want out of work is, they tend to move on and grow at each phase, and a specific set of necessities are fulfilled at each level they grow. This helps them further to attain more to achieve more. At the initial stages a person works to fulfill his basic wants of life. As this is fulfilled he works to earn for a better living, and as and when these basic necessities are being met, he is then motivated to work for aspects like meeting his targets, challenges, recognition at work etc. On the other hand, people work not just with the mentioned objectives. They have their own specific reasons and objectives to work and their expectations would differ vastly. This is becau se of a variety of opinions and views coming up from different people and, at times it gets tougher for the employer to analyse and address the aspirations of the people in a particular organization in diverse forms. What do people want from, work: To analyse the thin line of what do the people want from work in the organization is drawn with the set of various factors that create the environment for people to work and also to have certain expectations accordingly. Respect that one receives at work is derived from the work culture that is followed in the organization. The fact that one works in an organization for a longer period of time is a clear sign that the person has gained respect on all grounds, no matter what job is being

Conflict Interests and Goals Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Conflict Interests and Goals - Case Study Example During the conflict, it is important for the leader to be clear about the goals of the group, who often have multiple goals, in order to effectively manage conflict within its members. Since individual goals are usually contradicting in the conflict, they often cause confusion and internal tension between the group members. To diminish the costs and damages associated with conflicts, group members are required to be cautious and plan out their goals. This supports them to outline the nature of the conflict more noticeably, so that the conflicting parties are able to react maturely. (Cengage, 2008) While goals may evolve over the course of conflict, starting with a practically focused image of their goals and objectives helps parties to manuever conflicts with less resistance. (Foundation Coalition, 2011) How each TRIP goal functions for 2-3 of the people involved in the case study? TRIP goals with reference to â€Å"The Show Must Go On†: Topic Goals: Topic Goals are goals conc erning substantive issues that explain the nature of desires of each person associated with the conflict. They describe what the members are fighting for (Conflict Purple Group, 2011).

Discussion Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 1

Discussion - Assignment Example It was conducted in a very harsh and cruel way not caring on the way it would influence the operations of the firm (Ivancevich, John M., Robert Konopaske, and Michael T. Matteson 2011). Operations in the military air force are not so political since they are rational and geared towards meeting the objectives of the organization since the operations of the firms are largely partially independent. Commandants and supervisors employ the evaluation in a way that the employees are not aware of any negativity. Managers and supervisors in the verge of making efforts to improve on productivity to improve performance and productivity in terms of productivity and growth are advised to always embrace the use of the tools such as rewarding jobs well done. A reward motivates and allows employees to improve on their effectiveness and efficiency. They as well make external employees to want to join the organization in which such measure are employed making the organization have access to a large pool of labor force. Rewards both intrinsic and extrinsic well applied has effected a realization of job satisfaction, which is supportive to welfare of the general employee fraternity (Ivancevich, John M., Robert Konopaske, and Michael T. Matteson 2011). When a country is faced with external attacks and the military is engaged in defending the country. Collective and individual rewards to the officer, who ranges from appreciation from the citizen, monetary rewards by the employer. Others such as leave after hard work and finally promotion of the officers engaged depending on the performance of each would realize rejuvenated efforts after the reward are implemented

The Knights Templar Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

The Knights Templar - Research Paper Example Being a monastic military, the Knight Templar’s mandate was to protect Christian’s pilgrims on the route to the holy land. King Richard 1 commonly known as Richard the lion Hearted fought along side the Templars in the battle to the holy lands. The Templar was interesting because it had both soldiers and monks, making some of the earliest soldiers in the Western World. Orders played a vital role in many battles of the crusade to the extent that it improved modern banking, which could be considered as a notable improvement. The knights of the Templars started in small group, and as time progressed it grew in membership. The members of the group possessed certain duties and lifestyles, which made them unique in all their endeavors. As the military fighting for Christ, the Templars kept aside every temptations of the ordinary secular life, for a dedicated life of holiness and service to God. Since then, the concept of service has been the legacy of the Templars whereby mos t people emulate the military group. To many, the military group fought for Christ extraordinarily putting aside every secular life for an arduous life of service. In reality, the Templars’ services were greatly appreciated given the fact that, they gave their lives fully for the sake of Christ. At this point, the following paper aims to discuss the Knights Templar through giving out a brief history, its mandatory purpose, and its religious benefits. To Hale (1), the Knight Templars were the soldiers of the Christ throughout the medieval world of Solomon’s Temple. This implies that the Knight Templars were devoted soldiers who had set their lives for the service. Historically, the Templars originated from the Kingdom of Jerusalem around 118 AD whereby nine members vowed to protect the pilgrim of the dangerous road leading to Jerusalem. The Templars members combined the rules of knight in a remarkable way that the western world had never seen before. Their passion to se rve was so notable that, King Baldwin 11 of Jerusalem granted part of his palace to them for their headquarters, which thereafter a became a stable place of the Temple Mount which was referred to as Solomon’s Temple. After a while, the temple was captured by the Muslims whereby they built their holiest site commonly known as the Temple Mount. Despite controversial that emerged from who possessed the temple, the site remained sacred to the Jews, Muslims, and Christians. Many assumed the temple was significant to Christians since it was the storage of the Ark of the Covenant with other biblical treasures. After twenty years of crusaders conquest of Jerusalem, the noble French knight collected eight knights where several of them were relatives. Their stated assignment was to protect pilgrims of the holy land in service as military members gave their lives fully to the commitment of Christ. The knights were seen as complementary to the society in the sense that, they cared for si ck and weary pilgrims while the Templars guarded those approaching and those who left the city. The Knights Templar was emulated by many, particularly the official blessings of the church of the Council of Troyes, which grew dramatically hence the group was showered with blessings and donations. The group grew exceptionally, and as time progressed, they received land and money to assist the fight in the holy land. The group was so respected that, no princes, kings, or bishop could command

Story About a Disabled Person Essay Example for Free

Story About a Disabled Person Essay What is a disabled person? A disabled person is classified as any person who is unable to obtain for himself or herself, fully or partially, the normal requirements of an individual and /or is unable to participate fully in the community due to shortcomings either physically or mentally which may have occurred since birth or later in life. There are people who have overcome these shortcomings and achieved great success through self-reliance and diligence. One such person that comes to mind is none other than my Uncle John. Uncle John is my mother’s youngest brother. He was born on June 12, 1970, in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Uncle John was not born deaf and blind. According to my grandmother, when Uncle John was 16 months old he came down with meningitis, which robbed him of both his sight and hearing. The sad thing about this was that my grandparents were not aware about this and only realized my uncle’s disability when he was only two years old. By then the damage to the nerves in his eyes were too severe to be rectified and there was nothing that could be done for his ears. With great determination my grandmother tutored my uncle at home in Mathematics, Language, Music and Art. My uncle was a fast learner and picked up well in all the subjects. But he showed tremendous improvement and excellence in Music. My grandmother decided to get him a music tutor although it took a toll on their livelihood as my grandfather was the only wage earner in the house and he had a family of five young kids to feed and educate. My grandmother decided to sell cakes to make extra money. My uncle progressed so well that he had completed all the 8 levels of music in just 5 years. When he was 15 years old my uncle decided to lift the burden of my grandparents by teaching music to earn a living. He was such a patient and caring music teacher that parents were waiting at the doorstep to enrol their children in his music classes. He had been teaching for about five years when he decided to further his studies in music. At the age of 21 he asked for his parents blessings to allow him to pursue his ambition of being a concert pianist in America. My grandmother was reluctant to let him go as she was worried that he would not be able to cope on his own. By then all his older siblings including my mother had graduated and were doing well in their respective fields. They talked their parents into allowing my uncle to follow his dream. With a heavy heart my grandmother gave in and my uncle left for America. While there, my uncle enrolled in the prestigious Julliard School of Music in New York City. Although he had saved enough money to see him through only the first year of college, that did not deter him. He gave his most and his disability was not an obstacle. He excelled in all his classes and was well liked by both his peers and lecturers. He was voted into all the committees as he was someone that could be depended on. At the end of the first year my uncle scored distinctions in all his subjects and was placed on the Dean’s list. He was given a full scholarship to continue his studies for the next year. He excelled for the next three years and was given a full scholarship for the rest of his college studies. At the end of his four year study he was invited to take part in a concert for budding concert pianists. At the tender age of 24 he played in front of an audience of 7,000. The audience was awed by his skills. He appeared in the newspapers and everyone was talking about this young talent. After this he was invited on many premier shows such as The David Letterman Show, The Ellen DeGeneres Show and even The Oprah Winfrey Show. He travelled all over the world giving concerts. He became a world renowned concert pianist earning a lot of money. After being away for 10 whole years my Uncle decided to return to Malaysia. Throughout the ten years away he never forgot the sacrifices his parents made for him. He set them up in a beautiful house with a maid to look after them. He made sure his parents and siblings were well taken care off. He also made sure that his parents travelled to all his concerts all over the world. Today he is happily married with two healthy children – my cousins Deidre and Antoine. He will always be my inspiration because he did not let his disability bring him down. He has taught me that one can excel in anything if one is determined.

Peer Editing Assignment Essay Example for Free

Peer Editing Assignment Essay The world we live in today is troubled one. The contradiction people face is that while some people sit in the lap of luxury and drive hundred thousand dollar cars there are others who are forced to take the bus to work. There are individuals who cannot afford healthcare who are generally those getting sick on a continual basis. There are definitely some aspects of our daily living that simply can’t be changed, but there is always room for change and it is apparent that this change is in demand. There are large populations of people in the world who die every year from health related problems, than those involved in violent deaths. Diseases like cancer and heart attacks are the number one global killers. A cure for genetic diseases through genetic research are quite possibly the answers to a world of questions. It is important to realize that genetics is one of the broadest subjects as it covers a plethora of areas such as disease, disability, geographical relations, ethic ramifications and ancestry to name a few. The answers to the variety of genetic malfunctions and other questions lie in the group of scientists and genetic engineers who explore the symptoms, as well as the cures, for so many ailments in the final goal of living in a disease free world where fear of death by an invisible killer is vastly unknown as â€Å"bioengineering is a field with such staggering potential for good† (Parker 68). The purpose of this essay is to shed light on some of the more unknown aspects of this area of research through the exploration of the history of genetics, what our current needs are and work that is currently being done, along with where genetics focuses toward the future of genetic technology in an attempt to prove that genetic research is essential to our society. Genetics is not a new area of research but has been around long before research into DNA ever began. When the creation of the first cells through the adaptation of cell mutation, genetic mixing can be traced back to the time of the dinosaur. One of the most obvious animals to win the fight in genetics is the giraffe. When you look at a giraffe and its long neck, it is important to realize that at one time, the giraffe was thought to have looked more like a horse. Both animals have similar bone structure even down to the hooves. But, as time went on and trees first sprouted along the landscape it was easy for the giraffe to get fed as the food source, at the time, was at eye level and close to the ground; then, as trees got taller over the centuries the giraffe needed to adapt in order to survive. Giraffes would therefore spend much of their energy stretching their necks toward the sky in order to reach the branches of the trees thus forcing a genetic mutation. As their bones and muscles stretched so did the size of their offspring thus leading to the birth of giraffes that were born with longer necks. Over the centuries these animals have grown to have the longest neck relative to their size. The brontosaurus may have evolved in a similar fashion but all life was brought to a screeching halt when the dinosaurs were extinct. As we have become a more civilized society and exploring science we have discovered the existence of genetics. Modern genetics has always known for a long time that was some blueprint that all animals of similar species have in common. The first documentation of genetics was centuries ago when a scientist experimenting with plants desired certain effects which were documented through the affects of different plants with others by mixing the seeds. This is also the first known documentation of gene splicing. Scientists interested in genetics as well as an amateur botanist, had developed ways of predicting the offspring given the dominant and recessive traits of the donor parents in a system called a Punnett Square. Since that time we have come a great distance, but the science was still primitive until some scientists discovered and laid the foundation of entire science. With discovery of the Double Helix, the structure of DNA by Watson and Crick the world was changed forever. James D. Watson was born and raised in Chicago, Illinois and was accepted to the University of Chicago at the age of 15 where he completed his Bachelor’s in Zoology, then continued on to the University of Indiana and received his PhD in 1950 in Zoology. Shortly after starting at Cambridge, Watson met Crick who shared his passion for the DNA structure mystery. In March, 1953 with a higher appreciation of the nucleic acid literature, his work resulted in the proposal and discovery of the double-helical configuration and publishing several papers on the topic. Watson and Crick worked on discovering the construction of DNA after several failed trial and error attempts, they succeeded and on February 28, 1953. Looking ahead, in 1992, Watson left to work for the Cold Springs Harbor Research Facility where he is currently sitting as President. The momentous discovery of DNA has created entire industries which has impacted mankind tremendously. Rewarded for their hard work in 1962 Watson, Crick, and Wilkins shared the Noble Prize in Medicine. The human body is an amazing structure with many cells all containing DNA strands with literally millions of strands of DNA making up the human body. More than fifty years after its initial discovery, the entire code has still not been deciphered; if you were to print the code in books and try to read it you would not be able to finish it in your lifetime. In the last several years research and development of genetic engineering has evolved ten times over. It is only recently that we have been able to prove some of Einstein’s theories this long after his death and I fear it will be many more before genetics and its possibilities is truly understood. Genetics in the last several years has gone into dangerous territories with studies in gene splicing and stem cell testing. Stem Cells are the most basic form of human life. Cells taken from ertilized embryos are cells that have not been assigned a specific task yet and whether they are to be heart cells, skin cells, or even hair cells. It is the hope of scientists that with stem cells can improve the quality of life through curing cancer and many other life ending and life changing diseases. Through the engineering of stem cells it is hoped that they can replace dead and damaged cells, for example, in someone’s legs thus helping them to walk again. Last year the boldest operation to date took place which saw stem cells help create and repair the diseased heart of a man. The stem cells replaced cells ravaged by disease removed by the doctors. This procedure, however, did come at a cost. The current government feels that using stem cells is unethical as they are life and harvesting the cells from embryos thus in turn killing them is not right. This all really needs to be taken into context and look at the balance scale; in one hand a father, husband, friend, coworker who never asked for a thing in his life except for the love of his family, and in the other, a cell that nobody knows and may not even make it to birth. The logical choice would be to look at the man as the gauging factor in saving his life. With the current policy and laws in place by our current conservative government would see the man who would choose to have a hospital in France perform a heart transplant harvested through stem cell growth instead of on his native soil and now that he has an illegally grown heart he can never set foot in America again or face the possibility of prosecution. When most people are faced with this type of choice, most wouldn’t want to live in a country that denies this possibility. Besides, our constitution states that â€Å"all men [women and child] are guaranteed life liberty and the pursuit of happiness†; (United States Constitution) but perhaps only when it is convenient. With regulation governing research it has been difficult to do studies in America thus forcing companies and scientists to seek refuge in other nations. This causes a major problem as US based companies are worried it is too high a risk to invest in and fund research of this kind. These scientists live on systematic research grants to continue their work. After these new laws were put in place only several years ago many companies went out of business because they lost funding (Technology Review 47). It is troubling that a nation founded on new ideas would ban such research but it all has to do with where the votes in congress are. Stem cell research is not all encompassing of what genetics is as the work in genetics is helping people born with disabilities. Through better understanding our bodies can better cures be found. People born with certain disabilities can usually trace these back to other members of their family. In a recent study more than 30% of mentally Ill patients in psychiatric care have heredity connections and other member of their family suffer from similar symptoms. Genetics, at its roots, is the study of possibilities: who we are and how we got here. Scientists don’t believe we just appeared like this centuries ago; we evolved, adapted and grew from a lesser species. Take a look at yourself in the mirror and you will see some of your family features; not just your parents, but your grandparents as well. For instance, I have my father’s hair and my mother’s eyes, but my grandfather’s nose as ‘we are our father’s sons’, as they say, and look as well as act like them. The use of genetics is not limited to the medical field as in recent years genetics and DNA have played a major part in law enforcement and has led to the apprehension of many criminals. While fingerprints can be smudged and unclear DNA is definitive, no two people in the world have the same DNA not even twins. Using DNA is essential to putting suspects behind bars: a hair, skin epithelials and bodily fluids all contain DNA and all can be used as evidence. Even old cases gone unsolved have been reopened using new technology to get a conviction. Some research organizations are government funded through doing research for defense and government funded programs paid for by our tax dollars. Then there is the private sector, which is the most driven. It would be of great importance to have systematic research grants and giving more of them to our scientists who are working on genetics and stem cell research. In a world where more money is spent researching breast augmentation surgery then life saving genetics, once again, he who has the gold makes the rules. More importantly, if there was as much money in curing cancer as there is spent in creating cosmetic surgery procedures and Viagra, we would have cured this disease a decade ago. Only the future will tell what is to be discovered. It is essential that we keep working to provide resources in funding, legal and administrative areas to keep the discoveries coming. Maybe soon we will not be at risk for any disease or ailments and maybe one day we’ll find a cure for the common cold but probably not in my lifetime.

Nderkohe qe shume lidera kopjojne

Nderkohe qe shume lidera kopjojne Nderkohe qe shume lidera kopjojne mjaft ide perteritese, Zell Miller [guvernator i Georgias 1990-1998] pa se nje numer i madh i tyre beheshin realitet [Ai eshte] po aq i vendosur sa edhe krijues. Mungesa e fondeve disponibel kurre nuk duhet qe te jete justifikuese [Sa per te nisur] dy arritjet e tij me te medha, krijimi i nje programi bursash per kolegje te njohura si HOPE, si dhe themelimi i arsimit para shkollor per 4-vjecaret e Georgias Miller bindi votuesit (elektoratin) e Georgias per te mbeshtetur nje llotari shteterore, duke premtuar qe te gjitha te ardhurat e saj do te shkonin per programe specifike arsimi [Tani] nje institucion i dashur i Georgias programi i bursave ka mundesuar pagesen e plote te studimeve per 300,000 studente te universiteteve publike dhe shkollave teknike, [dhe] programi i parashkolloreve eshte me i perhapuri ne praktikat kombetare. Ne qarqet shteterore qeveritare [Miller] njihet per transformimin e burokracise se shtetit ne nje instrument qe mendo n dhe vepron me shume si nje biznes. Ne 1996, Georgia ishte shteti i pare qe filloi te eleminoje Sistemin e Merites, kete grup te vjeteruar rregullash te sherbimit civil qe sberi asgje vecse pengonte pushimin nga puna te punetoreve te keqinj. Miller gjithashtu i detyroi agjensite qe te hynin drejt nje procesi qe ai e quajti riorientim buxheti Tani, agjensite duhet qe te benin 5% zbritje ne buxhetet e tyre te operimit nepermjet se ciles ata mund te vetefinanconin vete ke te deshironin Si nje Demokrat ne nje shtet qe po behet shpejt Republikan, ai tregoi se pragmatizmi eshte me efektiv se sa te qenurit partizan. [Kur] u be e qarte se shumica e Bordit Shkollor te shtetit demokratik nuk mund te punonte efektivisht me manaxherin e zgjedhur te shkolles, nje Republikan, Miller pezulloi perfundimisht bordin dhe emeroi nje republikan si kryetar me autoritetin per te zgjedhur anetaret e bordit te tij Une u perpoqa qe te shoh larg, duke pyetur se cfare do te thote kjo per niperit e mi thote Miller. Christopher Swope A Man with a Million Ideas, Governing 12(2):34 HYRJE Materjali prezantues ilustron nje karakteristike te shoqeruar shpesh me lidership, aftesine per te perfytyruar nje te ardhme dhe mundesine per te bere realitet kete vizion. Guvernatori Zell Miller i Georgias u zgjodh si nje nga shume zyrtaret publike te vitit ne v.1998 nga revista Governing per shkak te menyres se lidershipit te tij inovativ. Ai gjeti dhe solli ide te reja ne shtetin e Georgias dhe ishte ne gjendje qe te frymezonte qeverine dhe aparatin e tij burokratik per te bere te mundur qe keto ide te beheshin realitet. Kjo teme ne te vertete trajton lidershipin. Ai perkufizon dhe pershkruan koncepte te tilla si autoriteti dhe lidershipi, trajton se cfare ndodh kur nje lider shfaq me shume ose me pak lidership sec duhet, si dhe eksploron fuqine e moralit te lidershipit. Kjo teme trajton gjithashtu edhe variacionet e teorive si dhe stilet e lidershipit. Neqoftese liderat kane funksione specifike dhe ata realisht qe kane a ekzistojne te dhena karakteristike lidershipi qe i bejne disa njerez lidera natyrale? Kerkimet e shumta tregojne se aftesi te tilla nuk jane te lindura dhe natyrale. Nga ana tjeter, tema thekson konceptet e lidershipit negociues dhe transformues. Ne te pershkruhen stile te tilla lidershipi si drejtor, motivues, koordinator, katalizator, zedhenes dhe manaxher krizash. Ekzekutivet efektive jane lidera pergjegjes. Ne vazhdim diskutohet nderveprimi i legjislatures me ekzekutivin si dhe trajtohet menyra se si vlera e pergjegjshmerise shperhapet me funksionin e mbiveshtrimit te realizuar nga trupat legjislative. Duke pare temen e vlerave ne administrim, ne vazhdim diskutohen vlerat politike ne marredhenie ne marredhenie me synimet organizative. Ekzistojne konflikte vlerash te trasheguara mes synimeve dhe vlerave politike dhe organizative. Liderat si manaxhere te organizatave perpiqen qe te kalojne konfliktet e vlerave dhe te arrijne konsensusin. Pergjegjesia organizative efektive arrihet me mire kur materjalizohet nga anetaret e organizates. Leximi 1 Cari i Gridlockut qe mbyll kete kapitull, ofron nje rast ne te cilin nje guvernator shteti, Roy Bornes, frymezoi kedo qe ishte perfshire ne Autoritetin Transportues Rajonal te Georgias per te pranuar vizionin e nje teorie per rregullimin e trafikut, smogut dhe te parregullsive. Lidershipi i tij varej pjeserisht nga autoriteti i tij si guvernator i shtetit te Georgias. PERKUFIZIMI I AUTORITETIT DHE LIDERSHIPIT Autoriteti eshte baza ligjore nepermjet se ciles nje lider ka te drejten e perdorimit te pushtetit dhe te burimeve te ndryshme te nje organizate. Lidershipi eshte thjesht ushtrimi i autoritetit per te drejtuar punen e te tjereve. Lidershipi mund te jete formal ose informal. Kur ushtrohet autoriteti, lidershipi konsiston ne te aktivizuarit e njerezve per te bere dicka qe lideri deshiron ne zbatim te synimeve te nje organizate. Metoda sipas se ciles liderat ose manaxheret i vene anetaret e nje agjensie per te bere dicka kolektivisht per arritjen e synimeve te tyre eshte perdorur per te zhvilluar nje tipologji te lidershipit te bazuar tek stili i tij. Shkencetaret politologe John Harrigan dhe David Lawrence p.sh., karakterizojne lidershipin e shefit ekzekutiv, qofshin ata guvernatore shtetesh, ekzekutive krahinash, kryetare bashkish, ose presidente si nje prej kater stileve dalluese: demagoge, perkujdses, sipermarres politikash, dhe luftetar i frustruar. DEMAGOGET Nje demagog perthith mbeshtetje duke i bere thirrje emocioneve dhe paragjykimeve. Shembull aktual do te ishte Guvernatori Pete Wilson i Californise , i cili perdori nje fushate kundra te huajve pa dokumenta per te fituar rizgjedhjet ne v.1994. Demagogjia e tij mbi ceshtjen u transformua ne goditjen ndaj Partise Republikane ne fuqi ne v.1998. CARETAKERS Nje perkujdeses eshte nje lider politikisht konservativ qe e heq vehten si ruajtes i statu-quose. Perkujdesesit jane shpesh qeverises-lejtnante qe behen qeverises, por qe u mungon vizioni ose aftesia per te qene lidera te forte. Nje qeverises i Californise i njohur si perkujdeses ishte George Deukmejian. SIPERMARRESIT POLITIKE Nje sipermarres politikash eshte nje ekzekutiv progresiv, teper aktivist, i cili jo vetem qe propozon programe te reja por qe gjithashtu i financon ato. Kryetari i Bashkise se New-Yorkut Rudy Giuliani eshte nje shembull, ashtu sic ishte edhe Bill Clinton kur sherbeu si guvernator i Arkansas. Ndersa California e pa kete stil te drejtimit nga Earl Warren. FRUSTRATED WARRIORS Nje individ i tille eshte sipermarres politikash i pasuksesshem, qe eshte i paafte per te arritur vizionin e tij dhe perpjekja e te cilit perfundon ne stermundim. Keshtu e karakterizon David Lawrence kohen perfundimtare te Guvernatorit Wilson. Qeveritaret qe perdorin kete stil vazhdimisht drejtojne ekzekutivin, ndersa dega legjislative kontrollohet nga partia opozitare. P.sh., ne mandatin e fundit Bill Clinton ilustroi tipin e Luftetarit te Frustruar ne rolin e liderit presidencial. TIPET E PERSONALITETIT Presidentet, si lidera, jane karakterizuar gjithashtu nga llojet e tyre te personalitetit. Shkencetari politolog James Barber, per shembull, i klasifikon presidentet ne keto kater tipe: Aktive-Pozitive. Te tille jane ata qe deshirojne qe te arrijne rezultatet mbi cdo gje tjeter. Shembuj te tille te mire jane Franklin Roosvelt, Harry Truman, John Kennedy, Gerald Ford, Jimmy Carter, dhe George Bush. Aktive-Negative. Keta kane nje nevoje drejtuese per te marre dhe per te mbajtur pushtetin. Nje personalitet i tille tipizohet nga Woodrow Wilson, Herbert Hoover, Lyndon Johnson, dhe Richard Nixon. Pasive-Pozitive. Keta kerkojne qe te duhen dhe te nderohen. Shembuj te mire jane: William Taft, Warren Harding, dhe Ronald Regan. Pasive-Negative. Keta theksojne virtytin civil. Shembuj klasike jane George Washington, Calvin Coolidge, dhe Dwight Eisenhower. MIKROMANAXHIMI Liderat e organizatave mund te perpiqen mjaft qe te drejtojne. Manaxhere te tille mbikqyrin nga shume afer dhe ne te vertete ata mikromanaxhojne. Problemi me manaxhimin e tepruar eshte se ai i shkurajon vartesit ne ushtrimin e autoritetit dhe te pergjegjesise se vertete dhe pengon zhvillimin e tyre ne manaxhere efektive. Kur liderat mikromanaxhojne, ata priren qe te jene aq te zene me te sa qe deshtojne ne zhvillimin e strategjive afat-gjata dhe te vizionit ne teresi. Presidenti Jimmy Carter u kritikua si lider per kete tipar. Kur lideri kalon caqet e artikulimit te nje vizioni te gjere dhe perpiqet qe te perkufizoje te gjitha detajet atehere ai po mbi-manaxhon. Perpjekja e Presidentit Clinton per te reformuar kujdesin shendetesor jep nje shembull te nje perpjekjeje te deshtuar qe rezultoi pjeserisht si pasoje e mbi-manaxhimit. Shume pak lidership ose manaxhim, gjithesesi eshte po aq problematik. Nje mungese e mjaftueshme manaxhimi mundet qe te kontribuoje per korrupsion ashtu si ne rastin e falimentimit te Orange Country, Californi, ne fundin e viteve 1990, kur miliarda dollare u konsideruan te humbura si investime ne aksione me risk te larte, ose ne abuzim te pushtetit nga vartesit, nje kritike e adresuar kjo deri tek Shefi i Policise se L.A ne v.1980, si dhe kundra Presidenteve Regan dhe Nixon. Esenca e lidershipit shpesh konsiderohet aftesia per te levizur njerezit ne drejtime te reja, orientimi i tyre ne vende qe ata nuk e dinin se kishin deshire apo nevoje qe te shkonin. Lidere te tille ushtrojne lidershipin moral. Ata perdorin bustin e tyre per te arritur lidershipin moral, si dhe poziten qe kane si nje bully pulpit (predikim tirani), ashtu sic e shprehte kete gje edhe Presidenti Theodore Roosvelt. Lideret e pazakonshem kane aftesine qe te frymezojne stafin dhe me pas te punojne se bashku per te vjele frytet e perbashketa te punes se tyre. Guvernatori Mike Leavitt i Utahut eshte nje shembull i mire. Ai u zgjodh kohet e fundit si Zyrtari Publik i Vitit nga revista Govening duke u bazuar tek menyra e lidershipit te tij si dhe tek frymezimi qe ai i dha shtetit. Ne kontrast te thelle, kur nje lider si p.sh., nje president humb lidershipin moral, aftesia per te frymezuar pasuesit me nje vizion per te ardhmen bie ne agoni. Presidenti Clinton dikur u shpreh teper qarte duke projektuar nje vizion te orientimit te kombit permes nje ure drejt shekullit te XXI-te, por gabimi qe ai beri ne gjykimin (aspektin) moral minoi aftesine e tij per te frymezuar kombin ne ndertimin e kesaj ure ose ne kapercimin e saj nen lidershipin e tij. TRAJTIMET E ORIENTUARA DREJT LIDERSHIPIT Lidershipi ne organizata administrative ushtrohet nga manaxheret e agjensive apo te departamenteve. Ne kete menyre lidershipi ushtrohet brenda nje ndarjeje te vecante ose situate organizative. Konteksti organizativ ndikon stilin e lidershipit ashtu sic ben edhe personaliteti dhe backgroundi i ketij te fundit mbi vete organizaten. Eshte pikerisht ky kontekst organizativ qe ndikon ne legjitimitetin e liderit. Se sa mire karakteristikat dhe aftesite e liderit ndikojne ne arritjen arritjen e qellimeve organizative e tregon kontributi ose shmangia nga llogjika e legjitimitetit me te cilen pershtatet manaxheri. Ne manaxhimin e nje agjensie, funksionet e nje lidershipi jane: Perkufizimi i synimeve dhe i misionit te agjensise. Te shikohet si mesherimi institucional i qellimeve te organizates. Te mbroje integritetin e organizates, dhe Te vendose rregullin gjate konflikteve te brendeshme. Lidershipi i diskutuar ne kontekstin e nje agjensie qeveritare perfshin tre nivele te dallueshme te pergjegjesise dhe te kontrollit: Teknike. Manaxheriale. Institucionale. Ne nivelin teknik, lideri i agjensise trajton problemet qe kane te bejne me rritjen e efektivitetit te performances se funksionit teknik, duke e pare kete tek aksioma : trains run on time. Lidershipi ne nivelin manaxherial perfshin ndermjetesimin midis niveleve me te ulta te agjensise dhe atyre qe i perdorin keto sherbime apo perfitime burimesh te nevojshme per te realizuar funksionet e veta te rendesishme si: blerja, marrja me qera, apo operacione te tjera te pergjithshme. Ne nivel institucional, lidershipi merret me zhvillimin e politikave afat-gjata dhe me sigurimin dhe mbeshtetjen e nivelit me te larte per te arritur synimet e agjensise. Shefat ekzekutive te zgjedhur shpesh mbeshteten ne stafe mjaft te gjera per te udhehequr organizatat e medha. Presidenti i U.S p.sh., mbeshtetet ne stafet e agjensive te ndryshme te EOP dhe te Shtepise se Bardhe per te manaxhuar degen ekzekutive. Presidenca institucionale bashkon ne kete menyre qindra anetare stafesh. P.sh., ne vitet e fundit stafi i Shtepise se Bardhe ka me shume se sa 500 anetare, (605 gjate administrimit te Presidentit George H. Bush, 511 gjate Presidentit Clinton), dhe EOP-ja e ka zgjeruar stafin me 1,600 anetare. Shtetet e medha kane ngjashmerisht stafe te krahasueshme dhe mbeshtetje te deges ekzekutive per zyrat e guvernatoreve te tyre. P.sh., dega ekzekutive e Californise ka me shume se sa 276,000 te punesuar qe mbulohen nga sherbimi i tij civil, ndersa guvernatori emeron me shume se sa 2,500 poste te ndryshme. Anetaret e Komisionit Special jane gjithashtu te emeruar te Guvernatorit. Dega ekzekutive e Californias ka nje strukture dege qe eshte tipike per shumicen e shteteve. Zyra e guvernatorit ne Californi sidoqofte, ilustron tipin e guvernatorit te forte, dhe pozicioni i tij ne hierarkine burokratike i siguron atij nje baze strukturore te konsiderueshme qe mund te ndihmoje nje lider te forte. LIDERSHIPI DHE MANAXHIMI Dy studiues te lidershipit Robert Tannenbaum dhe Warren Schmidt, kane trajtuar dhe zhvilluar nje vazhdimesi te sjelljes se lidershipit, e cila lidh rolin ose stilin e lidershipit me sjelljen e me sjelljen e manaxherit. Figura 2 prezanton vazhdimesine e sjelljes manaxher-jomanaxher. Ata argumentojne se lidershipi eshte me efektiv kur manaxheri ka nje vizion dhe adapton nje stil te pershtatshem te lidershipit ndaj agjensise qe po manaxhohet. Nje rast i mire per kete eshte ai i me Kryetarin e Bashkise Jim Rout ne Shelby County (Tennessee), i cili sherbeu si zyrtar konteje per me shume se sa 20 vjet. Ne v.1998, Rout u ngaterrua ne nje diskutim te nxehte mbi menyren e administrimit (te aneksimit ose bashkimit) te nje zone (krahine). Polemikat e cuan ate qe te kuptonte se sa e rendesishme ishte qe te adaptohej nje pikepamje rajonale. Ai kishte qene nje Komisioner i Kontese per 16 vjet, pas nje karriere te suksesshme ne biznes, kur u zgjodh Kryetar i Bashkise se Kontese Shelby ne v.1994. Ne levizjen per tu rizgjedhur ne v.1998, Rout trajtoi problemet rajonale ne pjesen me qendrore te fushates se tij. Duke fituar me nje diference te thelle, ai ndoqi linjen duke organizuar ne vend Konferencen Kalimi i Kufirit dhe duke fituar ndihmen e guvernatoreve te Tennessee, Arkansas, dhe Mississippit per te krijuar Aleancen e Guvernatoreve per Ekselence Rajonale. Zhvendosja e Rout ne perspektive erdhi pasi Legjislatura e Tennesseeit miratoi nje ligj qe beri me te lehte per qytetet ekzistuese bashkimin ne shtete te reja. Nje fluks ankesash erdhi vecanerisht nga zona e Memphisit, duke u ndjekur nga shtete ekzistuese qe kishin shpresuar te aneksonin territore te reja, por qe deshtuan ne deshirat e tyre per zgjerim. Rout kuptoi qe rajoni duhej qe te shihte pertej kufizimeve tradicionale te shtetit, kufijve te kontese, dhe madje kufijve te mbare shtetit per tu ballafaquar realisht me ceshtjen. Mendimi ne grup eshte nje problem i vecante i lidhur me shefat ekzekutive dhe agjensite e stafit manaxherial si dhe me njesite qe u sherbejne atyre, vecanerisht kur jane perfshire kolektivisht ne manaxhimin e krizave ose te situatave vendim-marrese. Deshira e forte ose nevoja per konsensus rreth menyres se manaxhimit te krizave priret te beje qe manaxheret e stafit tu thone liderave te agjensise vetem ate cka ata mendojne se do tu pelqente ketyre te fundit. Mendimi ne grup shpesh con ne katastrofe te vendim-marrjes per shkak se lideri nuk mund te drejtoje efektivisht nje agjensi kur informacioni mbi nje problem eshte i paplote, ose ne rastin me te keq, i transformuar vecanerisht gjate krizave kur shefi ekzekutiv nuk sheh dallime, nuk degjon kundershtime, ndersa stafi nuk propozon asnje alternative tjeter vec konsensusit. Lideret e agjensive efektive bashkojne te gjithe anetaret e organizates dhe i orientojne ata ne nje drejtim te ri te qendrueshem dhe koherent per te arritur synimet dhe objektivat e organizates. Boxi 4 tregon nje rast te nje lidershipi te tille. Nje tjeter shembull i nje lideri efektiv ne nivel lokal eshte George Sinnott. Aftesia e tij per ta transformuar Sherbimin Civil te Departamentit te Shtetit te N.Y ne ndjekje te planit reformues te tij eshte cmuar si nje model qartesie dhe zgjidhjeje. Suksesi i tij reflekton ne permbajtje nje shqetesim natyral per njerezit si dhe aftesine e tij per te frymezuar stafin e agjensise qe te ndjeke lidershipin e tij. Kutia 5 pershkruan perpjekjet dhe rezultatet e Sinnottit. KERKIMET PER TIPARE DHE KARAKTERISTIKA LIDERSHIPI Per te qene me te vertete efektive, lideret e burokracive te gjera (te medha ne numer), duhet qe te sjellin koherence per shume aktivitete brenda nje agjensie. Per shume studiues, celesi per tek lidershipi gjendet ne karakteristikat ose tiparet qe sjell lideri tek kjo detyre, ndersa studiues te tjere pershkruajne se cfare permban teoria e tipareve. Sipas tyre eshte besimi ose supozimi se lidershipi bazohet ne karakteristika unike, cilesi ose karakteristika qe i kane lideret dhe qe i aftesojne ata qe te marrin persiper pergjegjesite. Besimi ne teorine e tipareve (karakteristikave) supozon se ekziston cilesia e lidershipit te lindur, nje supozim qe solli lindjen e kerkimeve per aftesi lidershipi si dhe per dicka tjeter te nje tradite brenda administrates publike. Autoret e kesaj teorie perpiqen qe te dallojne dhe te pershkruajne tiparet dhe karakteristikat esenciale te te gjithe lidereve te mire. Per disa kohe dhe me se shumti perpara Luftes se Dyte Boterore, studiuesit e administrimit publik qe interesoheshin per aspektet e lidershipit te atyre qe manaxhonin burokracite e gjera, supozuan se lideret kishin dhunti ose cilesi qe i veconin ata nga te tjeret qe i pasonin. Ata besonin se lideret lindnin te tille. Lideret kishin karizem, dhe lidershipi i tyre bazohej me shume tek personaliteti i tyre se sa tek pozitat formale te lidershipit apo ne ndonje autoritet racional apo ligjor. Sugjerohen shume tipare apo cilesi, duke perfshire edhe keto te dymbedhjeta: Ndonje marreveshje se cilat tipare ishin ekzaktesisht esenciale per nje lidership te mire nuk pati. Te gjitha keto karakteristika jane te dobishme per nje lider, por asnje grup karakteristikash nuk mund te demonstrohej teorikisht si esenciale. Qe nga v.1960, rendesia mbi karakteristikat eshte pare gjithmone e me shume si e vjeteruar. Faktore te tjere jane pare qe te jene te pakten po aq sa ose edhe me te rendesishem se sa cdo cilesi personale e liderit. Disa nga cilesite e sugjeruara me lart si esenciale mund te shihen si kunderproduktive ne disa kontekste. Marrim p.sh., aftesite teknike. Qeveria ka vleresuar prej kohesh kompetencen teknike midis atyre qe jane zgjedhur per pozicionin e lidershipit ne agjensite administrative. Arsimtaret, punonjesit e shendetit publik, aeronautika dhe inxhinjeret e hapesires, kontabilistet publike, e keshtu me rradhe, ishin konsideruar nevojtare te nje grade te ekspertizes teknike per te udhehequr nje agjensi. Mbikqyresit e agjensive te tilla kishin nevojen e nje grade te ekspertizes teknike per te fituar respektin e vartesve ne menyre te tille qe asnje jo-teknik nuk mund ta arrinte. Studiues te tjere i konsideruan cilesi te tilla ne disa raste edhe jofunksionale. Organizatat e medha shpesh udhehiqeshin ne menyre joefektive nga mbikqyres te cilet shfaqnin sindromen e specialistit. Si bestseller i v. 1970 punimi Parimi i Piterit, verejti se mesuesi me i mire nuk perben domosdoshmeisht nje parim te mire. Kontabilisti me i mire, me i sakte dhe me i fiksuar pas detajeve, mund te jete nje manaxher i keq per koleget e tij te tjere. Ose p.sh., nje kerkues i shkelqyer ne mjeksi mund te jete nje manaxher i keq per agjensine e kerkimeve mjeksore. Sindroma e specialistit mund te udheheqe mbikqyresin qe te mbivleresoje disa aktivitete dhe te degjoje disa njerez me shume se sa te tjeret. Nje mbikqyresi te tille mund ti mungoje objektiviteti per ta pare perspektiven si teresore dhe ne unitet, gje e cila i nevojitet se tepermi nje administratori te pergjithshem. Ky arsyetim pranon thenien se eksperti duhet qe te jete on tap dhe jo on top. Vendosmeria eshte sugjeruar shpesh si cilesi qe dallon shpesh lideret efektive. Ende mjaft lidere te shquar ne qeveri dhe ne sipermarrje private shprwehen se neqoftese ka ndonje dyshim per ate se cfare duhet bere, atehere mencuria e manaxherit nuk sjell gje ne drite. Dhe megjithese karizma mund te jete pozitive ne shume drejtime, ajo mund te bllokoje dukshem disa sfida dhe keshilla te rendesishme te vartesve dhe te rrise rrezikun e vendim-marrjes nga mendimi ne grup. Me se shumti ne ditet e sotme, lidershipi eshte konsideruar si parashtrues, si nderveprim midis individeve. Douglas McGregori thekson se lidershipi eshte nje marredhenie qe perfshin kater variabla kryesore: Karakteristikat e liderit. Qendrimet, nevojat dhe karakteristika te tjera personale te pasuesve. Karakteristikat e organizates te tilla si qellimi i saj, struktura dhe natyra e detyrave te realizuara, dhe Mjedisi social, ekonomik dhe politik brenda se ciles operon organizata. Ky eshte nje kerkim dhe nje gjetje e rendesishme. Kjo do te thote se lidershipi nuk eshte nje prone e individi, por nje marredhenie komplekse qe gjendet midis ketyre variablave. LIDERSHIPI NDERVEPRUES (TRANSACTIONAL LEADERSHIP) Nje tjeter pikpamje e lidershipit thekson jo cilesite apo karakteristikat personale te liderit, por ceshtjen kryesore, si u vendos nje lidership i tille? Trajtimi drejt nje lidershipi transactional lidhet dhe ka te beje me menyren se si lideri fiton besueshmeri (kredibilitet). Kjo lidhet me njohjen nga organizata te faktit se lideri eshte kompetent ne perdorimin e pushtetit te tij dhe te komandimit te burimeve te saj. Sipas kesaj teorie liderat klasifikohen ne tre tipe: autoritar, demokratik, dhe laissez-faire. Lideret autoritare jane te orientuar nga detyra dhe perpiqen qe te vendosin te gjitha politikat, te vendosin te gjitha detyrat, dhe te kritikojne personalisht vartesit. Grupet e udhehequra ne menyre autoritare ishin me agresive ne sjellje dhe me pak te kenaqur, por me prodiktivitet te larte. McGregor pa se agjensite e drejtuara nga lidere demokrate ishin me te kenaqur dhe produktive. Grrupet e udhehequra nga lidere te tipit laissez-faire shfaqnin kenaqesi dhe produktivitet te ulet. Ky trajtim supozon se lideret mund te trajnohen per te vepruar ne menyra te vecanta qe jane me te pershtatshme per agjensine, nje besim ky qe shpesh eshte provuar te jete asgje me shume se sa nje mendim plot urime. Lideret qe ndjekin seminare trajnuese per lidershipin shfaqin shpesh ndryshime te vogla ne sjellje. Ne fakt, nje agjensi e tere duhet qe ti adaptohet ndryshimeve, dhe jo vetem disa punonjes te caktuar. Ne boten reale lideret aplikojne stile te ndryshme, ne varesi te kushteve dalluese dhe te konteksteve situacionale. Organizatat, ashtu si dhe individet, mund te shikohen edhe ne aspektin e ciklit jetesor, apo si pershkruese te fazave dhe periudhave te ndryshme. Se cfare stili lidershipi eshte i pershtatshem per organizaten mund te influencohet jo vetem nga natyra e pergjithshme e organizates (qe do te thote me shume apo me pak hierarkike, me shume ose me pak punonjes profesioniste, me shume ose me pak teknike apo e pergjithshme ne sherbimet dhe ne detyrat e saj), por gjithashtu edhe nga kalimi ne cdo faze apo periudhe brenda ciklit jetesor te organizates. Figura 3 paraqet grafikisht ciklin organizativ jetesor. Se sa i hapur apo i mbyllur eshte nje lider ndaj influences se keshilltareve reflekton jo vetem personalitetin dhe tiparet e liderit por gjithashtu edhe kufizimet institucionale dhe aspektet e struktures organizative. Presidenca e U.S pershembull, eshte ne kohen e sotme teresisht e institucionalizuar. Pushteti dhe influenca brenda presidences reflektojne natyren e saj te institucionalizuar. Kush ka hapesire dhe influence eshte pjeserisht i vendosur nga ku pozicionohet individi brenda struktures institucionale. LIDERSHIPI TRANSFORMUES Nje tjeter perspektive apo trajtim drejt lidershipit eshte quajtur lidership transformues. Termi i referohet lidereve qe perpiqen te ndryshojne kulturen e agjensise si dhe synimet e saj. Ky trajtim thekson se nje organizate reflekton zotesine e liderit per te zhvilluar nje vizion te bazuar ne vlera per organizaten, dhe ta konvertoje ate vizion ne realitet duke e ruajtur ate ne kohe. Aty ku lidershipi transaksional thekson ndryshimin incremental (rrites), lidershipi transformues thekson ndryshimin radikal organizativ. Per te implementuar te tilla ndryshime lideri duhet qe te zhvilloje dhe te shese nje vizion te ri strategjik tek njesite e agjensise si dhe tek lojtaret kyc. Lidershipi transformues thekson edhe aspektin e Njeriut te Madh te lidershipit duke u fokusuar edhe nje here mbi influencen individuale te liderit mbi organizaten. Figura 4 ilustron lidershipin transformues, i cili fokusohet mbi sjelljen e te dyve, pra te liderit dhe te pasuesve ne organizate, ne menyre qe lideri ta transformoje ate ne menyre te suksesshme. Levizja e rikonturimit qeveritar e diskutuar me perpara perfshin shume nga trajtimet e lidershipit transformues. Keto trajtime per lidershipin pranojne qe lideret manaxhojne organizata me nje shumellojshmeri stilesh, vecanerisht kur ata kerkojne qe te transformojne organizatat e tyre. Ne vazhdim do te analizohen stilet alternative te lidershipit: lideri si drejtor, motivues, koordinator, pershpejtues (katalizator), zedhenes, dhe manaxher krizash. STILET E LIDERSHIPIT Fokusi mbi menyren se si lideri i cfaqet agjensise qe ai udheheq, natyrshem sjell pyetjen se cfare stili lidershipi eshte i pershtatshem per cdo organizate te vecante? Cfare funksionon mire tek nje organizate ushtarake, tek nje repart policie, apo zjarrfikesi p.sh., mund te jete shume me pak e pershtatshme per nje njesi arsimore apo shendetsore. DREJTORI Nje nga stilet e lidershipit eshte ai i drejtorit. Ky stil thekson funksionin e lidershipit duke sjelle koherencen per shume aktivitete qe kryhen ne menyre tipike dhe qe rezultojne te behen ne departamente te medha dhe komplekse. Lideri sipas stilit te drejtorit kerkon qe te perputhe synimet personale te anetareve te organizates, apo synimet e nen-njesive me synimet teresore organizative. Ne kete rast lideri perdor si bindjen direkte edhe ate indirekte per te reduktuar dhe zvogeluar konfliktet, dhe shpenzon mjaft kohe, energji dhe burime per te siguruar mbeshtetjen e duhur ne funksion te realizimit te synimeve teresore te agjensise. Lideret kane nevoje qe te kene nje vizion te qarte te perkushtimit ndaj atyre synimeve, te cilat konsiderohen si percaktuese te cdo objektivi personal. Lideri si drejtor kerkon arritjen e nje konsensusi te gjere midis anetareve te organizates dhe ceshtjeve ekzekutive, per te artikuluar qarte konsensusin mbi qellimet dhe objektivat e pergjitheshme. MOTIVUESI Nje stil tjeter eshte lideri si motivues. Lideret si motivues merren me cilesine e mbikqyrjes face-to-face, me perfitimet dhe nxitesit konkrete, si dhe me perdorimin e interesave reale te detyrave per te motivuar punonjesit. Douglas McGregor pershkruan supozimet e trajtimeve te Teorise Y ne sherbim te manaxhimit, e cila dukshem perfshin stilin e motivimit te lidershipit. Shpenzimi i perpjekjes fizike dhe mendore ne pune eshte po aq i natyrshem sa edhe loja apo pushimi. Njeriu normal nuk e mospelqen punen ne menyre te trashegueshme. Ne varesi te kushteve te kontrollueshme, puna mund te jete burim kenaqesie ose nje burim ndeshkimi. Kontrolli i jashtem dhe rreziku i ndeshkimit nuk jane te vetmet mjete qe te orientojne drejt objektivave organizative. Njerezit do te ushtrojne vete-drejtim dhe vete-kontroll ne sherbim te objektivave per te cilat ata jane te angazhuar. Dedikimi ndaj objektivave eshte nje funksion i vleresimeve qe lidhen me arritjet e tyre. Vleresimet me domethenese p.sh., kenaqja e egos nevojat vete-aktualizuese, mund te jene produkte direkte te perpjekjeve njerezore te orientuara tek arritja e synimeve organizative. Njeriu mesatar meson, ne kushte te pershtatshme, jo vetem per te pranuar por gjithashtu per te kerkuar pergjegjshmeri. Shmangia e pergjegjesise, mungesa e ambicjes, lakmia e sigurise, jane pergjithesisht konseguenca te eksperiences dhe nuk jane karakteristika njerezore te trashegueshme. Kapaciteti per te ushtruar nje nivel relativisht te larte imagjinate, gjenialiteti dhe krijimtarie ne funksion te zgjidhjes se problemeve organizative eshte gjeresisht, dhe jo ngushtesisht e shperndare ne popullate. Nen kushtet e jetes moderne industriale, potenciali intelektual i individit mesatar eshte vetem pjeserisht i perdorur. Keto ide supozojne qe kufijte e bashkepunimit njerezor ne organizata nuk rezultojne nga natyra njerezore por nga gjenialiteti i manaxherit, (ose ne te kundert nga mungesa e tij), per te vene ne funksionim potencialet e burimeve njerezore te agjensise. Nese punonjesit jane dembele, indiferente, pa deshire per te marre persiper pergjegjesi, intransigjente, jokreative dhe mos-bashkepunues, atehere Teoria Y e gjen shkakun tek metodat manaxheriale te organizimit dhe te kontrollit. Kutia 6 diskuton mbi nje lider motivues ne nivel lokal: William A.Jonson Jr., Kryetari i Bashkise se Rochesterit, N.Y. Ai udhehoqi nje ringjallje te qytetit nepermjet nje ekspozimi te nje vizioni te qarte te asaj se cfare qyteti do te mund te ishte duke angazhuar gjeresisht interesa te ndryshme te qytetit per te pranuar ate vizion dhe per te punuar se bashku arritjen e tij. Rezultoi nje nivel i dallueshem i ri-angazhimit civil, qe perfshiu rigjallerimin e downtown-it, ri-gjallerimin e brigjeve lumore, qendrave te komunitetit, dhe me zgjerimin e programeve te te rinjve. Levizja rigjalleruese u perhap pertej qytetit tek rrethinat e shkollave lokale dhe tek nje perpjekje ekonomike rajonale te administrates se kontese. Kryetari i Bashkise Jonson paraqet modelin e lidershipit transformues te pershkruar ne Figuren 4. KOORDINATORI Nje tjeter stil eshte lideri si koordinator. Ky stil pranon qe roli i lidershipit ne nje organizate komplekse eshte qe te koordinoje dhe te integroje funksionet dhe detyrat e ndryshme te anetareve te stafit te nen-njesive teper te specializuara, duke e bere organizaten qe te pershta

Development During Adolescence :: Human Development Teenagers Essays

Adolescence is the developmental stage between childhood and adulthood; it generally refers to a period ranging from age 12 or 13 through age 19 or 21. Although its beginning is often balanced with the beginning of puberty, adolescence is characterized by psychological and social stages as well as by biological changes. Adolescence can be prolonged, brief, or virtually nonexistent, depending on the type of culture in which it occurs. In societies that are simple, for example, the transition from childhood to adulthood tends to occur rather rapidly, and is marked by traditionally prescribed passage rites. to contrast this, American and European societies the transition period for young people has been steadily lengthening over the past 100 years, giving rise to an adolescent subculture. As a result of this prolonged transitional stage a variety of problems and concerns specifically associated with this age group have developed. Psychologists single out four areas that especially touch upon adolescent behavior and development: physiological change and growth; cognitive, or mental development; identity, or personality formation; and parent-adolescent relations. Physiological Change: Between the ages of 9 and 15, almost all young people undergo a rapid series of physiological changes, known as the adolescent growth spurt. These hormonal changes include an acceleration in the body's growth rate; the development of pubic hair; the appearance of axillary, or armpit, hair about two years later. There are changes in the structure and functioning of the reproductive organs; the mammary glands in girls; and development of the sweat glands, which often leads to an outbreak of acne. In both sexes, these physiological changes occur at different times. This period of change can prove to be very stressful for a pre-teen. For during this stage of life appearance is very important. An adolescent child who develops very early or extremely late can take a lot of ridicule from his or her peers. However, the time at which a girl goes through this stage and a male goes through it are different. Girls typically begin their growth spurt shortly after age 10. They tend to reach their peak around the age 12, and tend to finish by age 14. This spurt occurs almost two years later in boys. Therefore boys go through a troubling period where girls are taller and heavier than them. This awkward period occurs from ages ten and one-half to thirteen. Time is not the only difference in the pubescent period for boys and girls. In girls, the enlargement of the breasts is usually the first physical

The Piano Lesson Essay -- essays research papers

Defend Boy Willie’s Scheme for Buying Sutter’s Land.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In The Piano Lesson, written by August Wilson, Boy Willie devises a scheme for buying Sutter’s land. Boy Willie has one part of the money saved up. He will sell the watermelons for the second part. Then he will sell the piano for a third part. The only debating issue in Boy Willie’s scheme is the piano. Berniece does not want to sell the piano. This is the only reason for a defense in Boy Willie’s scheme. Therefore, I will defend Boy Willie’s issue of selling the piano and how that liberates him in reference to his scheme for buying Sutter’s land.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The first defense is the usage of the piano. In Wilson’s novel, Berniece never uses the piano, Boy Willie: â€Å" You can’t do nothing with that piano except sit up there and look at it†, Berniece, â€Å"That’s just what I’m gonna do† (p.50). The piano is a â€Å"sentimental value† (p.51) to Berniece. Her father died over the piano (p.42-46). Boy Willie argues even though the piano is of sentimental value, Berniece is not using it. He wants to sell it in order to buy land, seed, and workers, which will in turn produce a crop, and something will come out of that (p.51).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The second defense is that of equality. Boy Willie believes how a certain individual perceives himself determines what that individual really is in reality (p.92). He also believes that white men have one advantage over black men and that ... The Piano Lesson Essay -- essays research papers Defend Boy Willie’s Scheme for Buying Sutter’s Land.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In The Piano Lesson, written by August Wilson, Boy Willie devises a scheme for buying Sutter’s land. Boy Willie has one part of the money saved up. He will sell the watermelons for the second part. Then he will sell the piano for a third part. The only debating issue in Boy Willie’s scheme is the piano. Berniece does not want to sell the piano. This is the only reason for a defense in Boy Willie’s scheme. Therefore, I will defend Boy Willie’s issue of selling the piano and how that liberates him in reference to his scheme for buying Sutter’s land.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The first defense is the usage of the piano. In Wilson’s novel, Berniece never uses the piano, Boy Willie: â€Å" You can’t do nothing with that piano except sit up there and look at it†, Berniece, â€Å"That’s just what I’m gonna do† (p.50). The piano is a â€Å"sentimental value† (p.51) to Berniece. Her father died over the piano (p.42-46). Boy Willie argues even though the piano is of sentimental value, Berniece is not using it. He wants to sell it in order to buy land, seed, and workers, which will in turn produce a crop, and something will come out of that (p.51).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The second defense is that of equality. Boy Willie believes how a certain individual perceives himself determines what that individual really is in reality (p.92). He also believes that white men have one advantage over black men and that ...

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CASE: American Barrick Resources Corporation : Managing Gold Price Risk 1. In the absence of a hedging program using financial instruments, how sensitive would Barrick stock be to gold price changes? For every 1% change in gold prices, how might its stock be affected? How could the firm manage its gold price exposure without the use of financial contracts? Particulars for yr 1992($ million)| | Pretax earnings (Exhibit 2)| 223| Reductions in earning of gold sold at spot (1280mn oz x (422-345) (Exhibit 12)| (99)| Proforma Pretax Earnings| 124| Taxes @ 21% (Exhibit 2) | (26)| After Tax Earnings| 98| Thus in absence of risk management program the American Barrick stock would be more sensitive to gold price changes. This could also be observed from Exhibit 4 where the return on Barrick’s stock is continuously increasing as compared to other unstable major stocks in gold mining sector. Elasticity of Earnings & Profit for 1% change in Gold Price 1% change in gold price ($345)| $3. 45| Number of ounces| $1,280m| Additional pre-tax profits| $4. 4m| Additional after-tax profits| $4. 4 x (1-. 1) = $3. 5mn| Additional profits as % of earnings| 3. 5/98 = 3. 5% (approx)| Cash Flow = Earnings + Noncash charges| 98mn + 69mn = $167mn| Additional profits as % of cash flow| 3. 5/167 = 2. 1%| Thus with 1% change in gold price the earnings of Barrick would change by 3. 5%. The firm can manage its gold price exposure in following three ways: 1. Diversifying its business 2. Hedging against the gold price risk 3. Insuring against the gol d price risk Hedging involves entering into financial contracts and so does insuring against the gold price risk. Thus without being involved in any financial contracts Barrick can reduce its gold price exposure only by diversifying its business. 2. What is the stated intent of ABX’s hedging program? What should be the goal of a gold mine’s price risk management program? Stated intent American Barrick Resources Corporation is one the most financially successful gold-mining concerns in the world. The main stated intent of ABX’s hedging program was to profit handsomely even during a downtime, when gold prices are falling. The hedging position had allowed ABX to sell its commodity output at prices well above market rates. The main motive of the hedging program was to profit and gain an advantage over its competitors by hedging, at a time when the prices of gold were low and also interest rates were falling. Thus, the main intent of the hedging program was to position the organization as a low- cost commodity producer, willing to sacrifice potential profits from gold price peaks in order to level out potential losses in the future. Goal of a gold mine’s price risk management program The primary goal of a gold mine’s risk management program is to hedge the risk of falling gold prices and low interest rates, to ensure the minimum sale price of gold even when prices are declining. One of the main goal is to achieve financial stability. The risk management programs motive is to hedge risk in order to plan the future cash flows with certainty. Also, at a time, when an organization has immense production initially itself, the risk management program enables the firm to earn a predictable, rising earnings profile in the future inspite of rising production. Thus , the intent of the risk management program is to hedge the risk in such a manner, that its production decisions are not affected by the market price of gold. 3. What would convince you that a price risk management program created value for its shareholders ex ante? The American Barrick Resources Corporation, had since its inception a strategy of efficient risk management system to protect or hedge itself from the fluctuations in the Gold prices. The various risk management system coupled with favourable circumstances and opportunities of price locking, rendered an overall strong balance sheet for American Barrick. They were able to attract investors who shied away from gold mine investments due to price risk, due to the efficiency in hedging mechanism. In 1992, American Barrick produced and sold over 1. 28 Million Ounces of gold at a price of $422 instead of $345 market rate, as a result of the risk management program. Such benefits would lead to higher revenues, and thus higher profits and in turn render higher value for the shareholders. The organisation guidelines clearly specifed that the risk managemnt system should be such that they are fully protected against price declines for 3yrs and 20-25% for a decade. Thus such a mechanism helped create value for the shareholders as the profits of a Gold mine are dependent on fluctuation in gold prices and the difference between revenue and costs. Thus locking future prices, provided financial stability, enabling the organisation to avoids dips, and plan cash flows in a confident way, and in combination with the rising production, offered investors and shareholders a predictable , rising earnings profile in the future 1. How would you characterize the evolution of Barrick’s price risk management activities? Are they consistent with the stated policy goals? As a producer of commodity products, gold mining firms had virtually no marketing or distribution costs. There was always a ready market for their products, at market prices, once extracted from the earth & refined. Therefore a gold mine’s profits were a function of the quantity of its production & the difference between the prices at which it sold its output & its costs. To minimize the price risk, hedging is necessary. Being conservative in nature, company has maintained lower leverage. As per stated policy goals of company, Gold Hedging program gives American Barrick extraordinary financial stability. It protects shareholder’s wealth from the dip in gold prices. American Barrick’s hedging program evolved over history and used a wide range of tools to manage gold price risk. With gold financing, forward sales, options strategies & spot deferred contracts, company shed some of its price risk while maintaining flexibility to profit from rising gold prices. a. Gold Financing: In early days, Company’s gold price management activities were incorporated in financing for its mines. Company made its growth organically as well as inorganically. Almost every year, company madeacquisition of 1 gold mine company. For financing such acquisition, company used following tools Gold Trust: Paying specific percentage of gold production as return to investors Bullion Loan: Bank gives loan in gold form, company need to pay interest in gold terms only. Collateral is reserves company owns Limitations: Limited scope. b. Forward Sales: Production at Gold mine is highly inelastic in nature. ie Its not easy for the company to change the production in tune with the highly fluctuating demand, market prices. To avoid price risk, American Barricks used Forward Sales as tool by which company can lock in prices for future dates. Forward Sales are usually for relatively short delivery periods of under a few years. Normally forward sellers receive a premium (approx. 5%)above the current gold prices ensuring a guaranteed return of 5% for forward sellers. Limitations: Forward sale mitigates downside risk but also its ability to benefit if price rose. c. Options & Warrants: Hedging using Forward sales eliminated downside risk for the American Barricks but also its ability to benefit if price rose. To resolve this issue, from 1987 company started using Options and warrants. This allows company to hedge from downside risk and retain some benefits of rising prices. Board of American Barricks were ready to use options but in costless manner. Collars strategy: Simultaneously buying Put Option & writing Call Options on gold. Premiums and maturity of both call and put option is maintained same. This strategy ensured a price range for the gold in future giving opportunity to the company to get benefits from rising gold prices as well as downside protection if price dips. Limitation: Market for such options were liquid only for contracts with maturities under 2 years. This horizon was far shorter than 20 years of expected production currently in reserve. d. Spot Deferred Contracts: This tool gives additional feature to standard forward sale. In forward sale, the delivery date is fixed. In SDC there are multiple delivery dates. Seller chooses at which date he will pay gold. Forward price is decided at each roll over date depending upon current market price plus prevailing contango premium. ( SDC will be explained in detail in Q6. ) So during 10 years, American Barricks moved solely from getting gold financing, lock in future prices to getting strategic benefit due to inherent strengths of American Barricks over competitors using tools like Spot Deferred Contracts. 5. How should a gold mine which wants to moderate its gold price risk compare hedging strategies (using futures, forwards, gold loans, or spot deferred contracts) with insurance strategies (using options)? On what basis should these decisions be made? Once a firm has decided on either a hedging or an insurance strategy, how should it choose from among specific alternatives? One can characterize risk management strategies as either linear, hedging strategies (which eliminate all exposure to price fluctuations) or nonlinear, insurance strategies (which protect firms against falling gold prices only. ) Choices among instruments are determined by their relative costs (including transaction costs), interim liquidity requirements, accounting and tax implications, and the ability to customize the contract terms. For example, gold mining firms tend to use forward sales instead of futures contracts, at least in part to avoid the cash margin calls which futures transactions might entail. As another example, mining firms' preferences for spot deferred contracts over them functionally equivalent strategy of rolling forward contracts seems to be related to their relatively attractive accounting treatment. Distinguishing linear and nonlinear strategies becomes more difficult with dynamic trading. Suppose we observe a firm only selling gold forward. By a static measure, we would conclude that it was hedging. However, as is well known, through dynamic replication, a trader can create a put option by adjusting the amount of gold sold forward. Specifically, as the gold price falls, a dynamic replication strategy would have the firm short-sell more gold. Thus, distinguishing hedging from insurance strategies requires an analysis of the changes in a firm's equivalent short position (or delta-percentage) relative to changes in the price of gold. The sensitivity of cash flows and investment costs relative to changes in the underlying macro-variable are equal. If the sensitivities are equal, linear or hedging strategies will be optimal, otherwise firms would prefer to use non linear or option strategies. It is not apparent how to measure the degree to which mines face quantity risk. Firms facing borrowing constraints and that facing higher price risk might be more active users of options. Borrowing constraints might be more severe among firms with high operating costs, small market values, or small reserves; bankers might be reluctant to lend to high-cost producers that may be forced to shut-in production and to smaller firms with less collateral. It is reasonable to suspect that price risk might be more pronounced among mines with higher production costs. Firms with higher cash costs and those with smaller market values and reserves might be more likely to use options or price-contingent nonlinear strategies. 6. What is a â€Å"spot deferred contract? † Why has ABX chosen to rely on spot deferred contracts relative to other gold derivatives? Spot deferred Contract (SDC) is used by gold producers to hedge gold price exposure. It is a type of forward contract which has multiple delivery dates with the final one being 5 or 10 years after the initiation of the contract. The seller of SDC has the right to choose on which of the rollover date he will deliver the gold and can defer the delivery date till the end of the contract. Therefore spot deferred contract gives the right to the seller to choose the delivery date but has to deliver the quantity of gold specified in the contract. American Barrick entered into SDC with 1-year delivery or rollover dates where prices were set only for the first rollover date. On the rollover date, American Barrick could deliver the contract if forward prices were higher than spot prices or could roll the contract for the next period and sell the gold in the spot market. American Barrick chose to rely more on spot deferred contracts relative to other gold derivatives because of the following reasons: 1) Initially American Barrick entered into contracts for delivery within 3 to 4 years. Later on its bargaining power increased because of its large reserve base and strong financial position which made them negotiate agreements giving them 10 years within which to make delivery. 2) SDC was a way to profit from increase in price of gold yet set a minimum price on its sales of gold.

Farewell to Arms by Ernest Hemingway Essay

Ancient and modern societies have deployed wars as a means of solving conflicts or advancing certain interests. The Infamous wars in the world are the World War I and World War II which happened in the 20th C. These two wars took place for the purpose of advancing political and economical gains of the participating countries. Countries wanted to gain powerful control over others on military, economic resources and even resizing the countries boundaries by capturing other nations. A win in war guaranteed superiority hence opportunity to rule over the subdued nation. War and literature Literature, has borrowed a lot from the occurrence of the World War 1 and World War II. Literature is considered as a mirror of the society. The events that took place during these wars have shaped authors of the ancient and modern society. The authors aimed to bring into light the true picture of what went on in the course of the war. The significance of these wars to literature thus can be observed in the aspect of the style and content form of literary writers. Literature art saw the emergence of several literary authors during the world wars and after. Some of the notable literary writers who have voiced their thought on negative effects world wars had on the society include: Farewell to Arms by Ernest Hemingway First Casualty by Ben Elton Goodbye to All That by Robert Graves Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas All Quiet on The Western Front by Erich Maria Remarque Content forms a significant aspect in identification of war literature. It is the message that authors want to present to their audience. In war literature the above authors used their creative arts as writers to show the world that although these wars presented massive growth to countries in regard to military advancements and economic gains, the social, cultural, economical and political society setup systems suffered immensely. This research analyses some of the negative effects of war as presented in these creative writings. Despair, grief and disillusionment Despair, grief and disillusionment are some of the psychological effects that wars submit Citizens and the soldiers to. These effects can have a lasting scar to the people involved influencing the way they think and act. Hemingway’s Farewell to Arms presents a picture of soldiers and citizens disillusioned with the war. The soldier with Hernia admits to having thrown away his truss in order to avoid returning to the war front. He says â€Å"I threw away the goddam truss so it could get bad and I would not have to go to the line again† (Hemingway 37). Henry then offers to help him â€Å"You get out and fall down by the road and get a bump on your head and I’ll pick you up on our way back and take you to a hospital.† By offering to help, Henry is demonstrating his lost will to pursue the course of the war as he considers the war to be out of his interest. Sentiments of Henry are echoed by Rinaldi who does admit to the fact that war has made him depressed â€Å"This war is killing me,† Rinaldi said, â€Å"I am very depressed by it (Hemingway 177). Miss Barkley in Hemingway’s Farewell to Arms is a woman filled with grief. Miss Barkley’s boyfriend who was a soldier is killed in the war. His death does not only cause Miss Barkley grief but it leads her to desperation in finding someone who can comfort her. Her desperation is evident in the way she easily falls for Henry at their first encounter. She tells him â€Å"you are sweet†¦ I’d be glad to kiss you if you don’t mind.† (Hemingway 27).Barkley would love forgetting the nasty experience. In addition, throughout Farewell to Arms novel, soldiers indulge in alcoholism and drug abuse. Their main reason is to get the troubles of war out of their mind. This illustrates the psychological turmoil that the soldiers are subjected to. Feelings of happiness have eluded them and alcohol and drug abuse present their only choice to refilling their minds with that ‘feel good’ moment. Ben Elton’s First Casualty novel also presents elements of disillusionment among the soldiers. In discussion between one of the soldiers and the inspector, the soldier notes â€Å"Oh don’t get me wrong inspector, we all know that he is right, the War’s gone Mad, nothing could possibly be worth the price we are paying.† (Elton 129). The soldier’s believe in the war has been shattered completely. The fighting is considered as madness as there isn’t any benefit apart from the country and the Kings’ pride. It is mad fighting when you have no reason for the fight. Decay of moral values War literature seems to amplify the fact that during war period, non-soldiers and soldiers are so much concerned with themselves that they become complacent, lack care for others and general decay of moral values. This is attributed to the harsh climate of wars which lead to basic human moral values and ethics being degenerated. War climate is a climate that is hard to separate an enemy from a friend. People are usually preoccupied in trying to save themselves rather than trying to help others. Medical practitioners and first aid providers are expected to demonstrate kindness and tender care to their patients. These professionals act in contrary in the novel Farewell to Arms by Hemingway. Henry on arrival in Milan for specialized medical care, the ambulance drivers hold him clumsily as they put him in an elevator. This causes him a lot of pain. Moreover, one of them is drunk â€Å"His breath came in my face metallic with garlic and red wine (Hemingway 87). He is also bandaged with dirty bandages â€Å"When I woke up, I looked around†¦my legs in the dirty bandages†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Hemingway (90). The hospitals are not able to acquire proper facilities for war victims despite being new. In Goodbye to All That by Robert Graves, the author displays a group of men joking over a dead body â€Å"Out of the light, you old bastard, Do you own this bloody trench.† (Graves, 100). This context portrays a society that has become so used to death that death does not illicit fear anymore. This complacency is further heightened when there is heavy bombardments and Graves is only concerned with his cup of tea which is spilled (Graves 188) During the retreat in Farewell to Arms novel Henry and the companion pick up two girls who were in desperate help to run away from the war front. One of the soldiers Bonello does not demonstrate the virtue of kindness. He wants to take advantage of the girls to advance his sexual urge â€Å"he put his hand on the girl’s thigh and squeezed it in a friendly way. The girl drew her shawl tight around her and pushed his hand away (Hemingway 208). Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas novel by Thompson presents a society that is punishing what is right and condoning what is wrong, As the Duke continues to read the newspaper, a small article talks about how Mohammed Ali has a final appeal of a case in court which he had been sentenced to five years in prison for refusing to kill â€Å"slopes.† This illustrates the moral decay of the society. A criminal was likely to get a shorter jail term than a person who had refused to join the military and aid in killings. What is right is considered a serious offence. Discrimination Discrimination refers to isolation of an individual on basis of race, religion, color and sex. The war era period was characterized with a lot of discrimination. Discrimination led to hatred which fueled the wars. Notable forms of discrimination included nationality and sex/gender War discriminates the human race based on nationality and patriotism to warring parties. Hemingway’s Farewell to War is a classic example. While in Italy for specialized treatment, Henry requests for a barber. He is mistreated by the barber whom we come to understand that had mistakenly identified Henry as an Australian. The porter says that the barber would have gone as far as killing Henry but fear prevented him. In addition, the doctor to Henry refers to Australians as ‘sons of bitches’ he even asks Henry how many he had managed to kill (Hemingway 101). The Italians and Australians are enemies during the war. Patriotism and allegiance to each country has created a segregation gap among citizens of these nations. Fear and Loathing Las Vegas reveals racist nature of the American military during thje Vietnam War decay of moral values. This is portrayed in a copy of the Las Vegas Sun newspaper the Duke was reading. â€Å"†¦she was just a slope anyway.† This is in reference to killing of Asiatic origin person. His killing is considered right for simple reason that he from the race of the enemy camp. A ‘slope’ referred to Asiatic community. The massive killings during the Vietnam War were ironically regarded as success by the American government. Disruption of Human lives Wars disrupt the social political and economical functioning of a society. During the World War 1 as brought by Henry Hemingway in Farewell to Arms, these fundamental pillars of the society were disrupted. The process of love between a man and woman cannot hold. As a soldier, Henry believes he cannot fall in love with a woman just because of her job nature. When we meet Henry on his first encounter with Catherine, Henry paints a picture of hypocritical demonstration of love. Secondly, Henry in Farewell to Arms by Henry Hemingway novel states that. â€Å"There were riots twice in town against the war and bad in Turin (Hemingway 142) this illustrates that the daily activities of people were disrupted as they came out to air their views in regard to war proceedings. All Quiet on the Western Front author Erich Maria Remarque portrays soldiers who have been cut out from the society and deprived fundamental physiological needs such as a need to have a romantic sexual experience. Recruitment into the army in this novel happens at a very young age of around 20 years. The young men are at a ripe energy of starting to experience romantic life when they are enlisted to war. This illustrated by Paul who poses a statementâ€Å"we can hardly credit those things happen.† (Remarque 141) in reference to a poster of a woman wearing a white dress and a red belt Paul Bauner in the novel All Quiet on the Western Front represents a figure alienated from the rest of Civilians. War has profound effects on people. Not only does it damage the souls of people but also the physical body. Paul Bauner is the novel’s protagonist taking part in the World War 1 as a German soldier. He witnesses the horrifying death of his fellow soldiers through grisly bullet wounds and explosives. He is affected by these events and can be seen by his inability to relate to other civilians while on leave. Migration of residents During the war period, families and residents of the war areas are forced to migrate to safer areas. On page 200 in Farewell to Arms, Henry Hemingway narrates that Gorizzia town was almost empty. â€Å"In the night many peasants had joined the column from the roads of the country and in the column there were carts loaded with household goods; there were mirrors projecting up between mattresses, and chickens and ducks tied to carts. There was a sewing-machine on the cart ahead of us in the rain. They had saved the most valuable things† (pg 211) The above quotes paint a picture of people migrating away from their homes. People have saved belongings they believe are most important. Moreover there were several houses that were abandoned. The narrator says â€Å"The whole country was moving, as well as the army (Hemingway 233) Senseless murder and brutality Wars are usually filled with senseless murder and brutality. The killing of one of the two sergeants by Henry who refused to help get out Aymo’s car that had stuck in mud is a clear example. The sergeant is killed for failing to honor an order which is not from their leader and to which they see no reason to respond to. â€Å"I opened up my holster, took the pistol, aimed at the one who had talked the most, and fired. I missed and they both started to run. I shot three times and dropped one† (Hemingway 218). Bonello sees no crime in this act and not only does he offer to finish up the wounded sergeant; he finds it a special accomplishment. The irony in this killing is that they still had to abandon the car after it failed to come out. Soldiers with the rank of a colonel, a major or a higher rank are killed for crimes of abandoning their troops. This act is brutal in that the officers are not given a chance to defend themselves. They were convicted to death without trial. â€Å"He was not allowed to make an explanation† (Hemingway 240). We the readers are aware that these soldiers had not abandoned their troops and these murders have no basis. Aymo an Italian soldier is also shot by fellow Italian soldiers. These soldiers are acting out of fear of Germans who are perceived to have broken barriers. Remarque in the novel All quiet on the Western Front describes World War 1 as beastly. The Germans are actually enjoying killing the enemy soldiers and even call it a game of Germans. The soldiers are transformed from being humans into animals/beasts. â€Å"†¦ We reach the zone where the front begins and become the instant human animal (Remarque 56) Fear In the course of war, fear is instilled not only to the area residents but also the soldier. Bonello a soldier with the Italian troops has surrendered to the enemy soldiers. From discussion of Henry and Tenente, we realize that his main reason to surrendering was fear of being killed. â€Å"He was afraid we would get killed.† (Hemingway 232). Bonello viewed being a prisoner as a better option to death. Residents and former soldiers leave in fear of being arrested. â€Å"If you have nothing to fear an arrest is nothing. But it is always bad to be arrested — especially now.† (Hemingway 283). Henry after escaping the war front, fear haunts him when he is told that he was being sought after to be arrested for having been earlier an officer and was now out of uniform. He and Catherine are forced to flee. Soldiers in the novel All Quiet on the Western Front present a picture of soldiers who leave on constant fear of physical danger as the prospects of blown up are so high. Paul the protagonist says that he wished that one day he woke up and found all that had been gone forever. Paul is referring to the wars and shows how soldiers dreamt of the end to the war but still woke up to it Destruction of property World War 1 was characterized use of heavy machinery and explosives. Farewell to Arms by Henry Hemingway illustrates the destructive nature this war brought to the native peasants. The narrator says â€Å"The night we helped empty the field hospital that had been set up in the least ruined villages of the plateau† (Hemingway 200). In addition Henry notes that there were blown up bridges (Hemingway 223) which hindered accessibility to some areas. There are many abandoned farm houses. Loss of life War is usually characterized by massive loss of life due to involvement of weapons. Farewell to Arms by Hemingway is a classic example. Catherine says that his former boyfriend was killed in the war. Catherine describes his death as a ghastly show (Hemingway 18). Soldiers too are not spared to the war onslaught. Rossini and many other Italian soldiers when their camp is hit by a trench mortar shell from the enemy camp. Henry on page 79 says â€Å"when they lifted you up out of bed to carry you into the dressing room you could look out of the window and see the new graves in the garden.† The presents of fresh graves seem s to amplify the concept of loss of life. Conclusion The various novels analyzed in this research have shown that Wars despite having been used to advance political and economical, communities and societies that were involved in this war were left with more harm than good. The research has looked at the World War 1, the World War II and the Vietnam War. Wars create fear, disillusionment, massive migration of people, murder, loss of life, decay of moral values and discrimination among several others. Reference Thompson, Hunter S. Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas: A Savage Journey to the Heart of the American Dream. London: Flamingo, 1972 Hemingway, Ernest (1929). Hemingway, Seà ¡n, ed. A Farewell to Arms (The Special Edition ed.). London: William Heinemann. Elton, B. (2006). The first casualty. London: Black Swan. Graves, R. (2011). Goodbye to all that. London: Viking. Remarque, E. M., & Murdoch, B. (1996). All quiet on the Western Front. London: Vintage. Source document