Monday, September 30, 2019

Success and failure of Mergers, Acquisition and divestiture process

According to the Cambridge’s Internationals Dictionary of English, a Merger is when two or more companies join together, Acquisition is buying of a business by another company and finally divestiture is a process when a company takes back its investment from a less profitable company. Actually MA&D (Merger, Acquisition and divestiture) is a common process these days. The main motive behind is to increase profits and decline losses for the company.Say for instance if a company finds buying another company to be very beneficial in its upgradation process, increasing profitability or declining costs than that company can go for Acquisition or taking over of that company. Similarly due to high competition when some companies of same field, find it difficult to reduce the cost of production, logistics and marketing than few companies can come together in a contract or merge themselves in one big unit. Thus merger helps the companies to reduce their costs and increase the profitabil ity. Divestment is another common process these days.Actually those companies, which are not yielding enough of profits to the Parent Company or may be proving to be a big loss for the parent company, can be divested by the Parent Company. Thus by selling its shares from a weak or loss incurring unit a company can save its money. MA&D process. 2. MA&D process and its success: The present research shows that nearly 65 percent to 85 percent of corporate MA&D process fails. This process results in well short of expectations. The features of MA&D in the present day scenario are as follows. 1. The deals made are getting bigger thus increasing the scale of risk and reward. 2.To attain immediate gains from the big deals made by the companies, the opportunities gets missed that could capitalize on synergies that will deliver sustained, long term financial improvements and stake holders value. 3. The announcement of MA&D results many times in confusion both inside and outside the company, wh en the executives are a unable to institutionalize a governance process that can maintain momentum through integration. 4. Government institutions creates hurdle in the way of those MA&D process which could prove monopoly of a basic need products that could later on effect the price fixation monopoly by that company.Thus, today MA&D process is moving towards higher risks, lower productivity, confusion and government intervention. Success in the MA&D process: MA&D process. 3. The possible methods of getting successful in the MA&D process are suggested below. A. Post merger integration, business re-engineering and post divestiture separation present such an opportunity by which a person can estimate all the fields that could effect the business profitability in future. B. MA&D process needs to be planned and managed as well-structured hierarchical set of activities from beginning to the end. C.System Integration and outsourcing can help in leveraging MA&D activity to deliver results-d riven, sustainable operational transformation. D. Define and deploy a course of action appropriate for the type of MA&D like consolidation, combination, transformation or preservation. E. Plan and implement the transition to an optimized business model and infrastructure. F. Manage, operate and evolve the new applications and infrastructure. G. Identifying potential synergies in terms of people, process and IT and delivers these to plan. H. Ensure seamless separation of systems and data.MA&D process. 4. I. Rationalizes and streamlines infrastructure and processes. Thus from the above the following critical factors for success can be evaluated. 1. Clear intent 2. Perseverance 3. Leadership 4. Accountability 5. Leverage 6. Coordination 7. Experience 8. Focus 9. Decisiveness 10. Communication Present day scenario: The present figures state that nearly 65 percent of the failed in the MA&D process. Reason was overlooking of some features. The success and failure of the MA&D depends on th e following facts that need to be dealt carefully. MA&D process. 5.That is if the following facts are taken into consideration than only the MA&D process can prove to be beneficial for the company. Otherwise MA&D process can prove to be big mistake. 1. IT integration efforts make MA&D difficult: ERP or Enterprise resource planning applications like SAP has become ubiquitous in large organizations today. The promise is business process simplification, enhanced productivity and seamless information transfer. However these applications also require that businesses be wired together, typically through a single, unified database and other infrastructure.This of course, means individual businesses are far more difficult to separate. For instance , when Pfizer divested its Adam and Schick units, significant effort went toward figuring out how to separate data of the entities while blocking access to each other’s information. 2. Support services and facilities are hard to unravel: Ac hieving scale through shared support services and joint facilities is a broad trend in the business community. The more successful a company has been at this the greater difficulty it will face unwinding these collaborations. One big part of this is staff allocation.The trend toward shared support services has extended through general and administrative functions, call centers, account payable and receivable, payroll administration, and compensation and benefits plan management. MA&D process. 6. Carving out pieces of these integrated functions carries real challenges. 3. Outsourcing adds third party issues to MA&D: Not only are organizations centralizing they are outsourcing as well. In some way this may ease the process of separation, as the organization no longer owns the employees, systems and processes. Outsourcing firms are also very good at splitting workflow.If only it were that simple. In addition numerous perhaps hundreds of vendor relationships, outsourcing generally invol ves processes that are critical to a company’s core businesses. Therefore divesting a unit with significant outsourcing substantially increases the need for a rigorous review of services agreements to understand change of control provisions and to assess how service will continue going forward. 4. The divested business may require long term support: Until the divested business is prepared to stand on its own or is fully supported by the buyer it likely will need support from its former parent.Establishing clear service level agreements or SLAs between the buyer and the seller is critical. For highly integrated global businesses this can leas to country by country agreements, each involving dozens of services such as facilities management, back offices support and sales and manufacturing. MA&D process. 7. Conflicting interest can complicate the SLA process. For example depending on the situation the selling organization may have incentive to either prolong or limit the time fr ame on which these services will be provided. 5.Disruption threatens both seller and divested entity: Like a merger in reverse, a MA&D done right requires a plan detailed across every function, carefully monitored and adjusted as execution unfolds. This is a major project. Developing the separation plan often requires three-way collaboration between the seller and its remaining businesses, the divested unit itself, in some cases the buyer. The complexity of managing this separation planning across every function of the business and across the globe can rapidly absorb all attention of the businesses.The real danger here is underestimating just how much effort this will require. 6. The MA&D can impact the seller’s cost structure: Once the seller has carved out the divested business, it may well need to take another look at its own cost structure. In some cases, there can be loss of scale in areas where work was combined with the divested business. In the earlier, Pfizer example , customer service employees who had supported the divested Adams businesses were rationalized because the buyer, Cadbury Schweppes, did not require their services.MA&D process. 8. However this did not fully make up for the loss of scale. It took additional work with the customer service model, automating orders and other improvements to get the cost structure back in line. 7. Regulatory requirements can force your hand: Regulatory requirements on both local and global levels often create additional complexities. For example, MA&D may be required to resolve anti-trust concerns for a merger transaction. In these situations an organization may have to give up capabilities it would otherwise no elect to relinquish.As part of the Linde-Boc merger, regulators required that Northern American business be divested and operate as a stand-alone business, forcing Linde-BOC to part with both capabilities and people it would otherwise want to retain. Similarly in MA&D with European components, n egotiation with world’s councils on a country by country basis can lengthen the MA&D process and create additional constraints. Conclusion: Mergers, acquisitions and divestiture (MA&D) can make or break your business. And more and more organizations are looking to these initiatives to deliver quick and dramatic financial returns. 006 clocked up a staggering $4 trillion worth of deals, representing an average 30% growth, while the average deal size is also rocketing. MA&D process.9. As the merger wave rolls on, it is clear that many companies are taking this opportunity to divest non-core businesses. After all were in an active markets and there’re plenty of buyers- financial and strategic –sitting on hordes of cash and looking for attractive deals. However before moving to cash in on businesses you think will be attractive it is worth taking a hard look at the process of MA&D. Whether its an out fright sale or even a spin off to shareholders.Does all these means MA&D is a bad idea? Of course not . I many cases they are absolutely the right things to do. The trick is to be aware of the seven challenges in advance, and all seven are equally valid for MA&D of every size and use that knowledge when assessing any proposed transaction. There are many assessments to be made. 1. How much of the business to sell? 2. Could a strategic buyer more appropriate than a financial buyer? 3. Which is better an MA&D or a spin off? Truly understanding answers to these questions can help a seller get the very best deal in the broadest sense of the term.

Sunday, September 29, 2019

Proffessional Ethics

Professional ethics has become more important over the years. As we become more specialized in our occupation, the issues become that much more complex – and hard. Professional people and those working in acknowledged professions exercise specialist knowledge and skill. How the use of this knowledge should be governed when providing a service to the public can be considered a moral issue and is termed professional ethics. They must complete their job according to the moral values.Professionals are capable of making judgments, applying their skills and reaching informed decisions in situations that the general public cannot, because they have not received the relevant training. One of the earliest examples of professional ethics is probably the Hippocratic oath to which medical still adhere to this day. Professional ethics is a set of standards adopted by a professional community. Professional ethics are regulated by standards, which are often referred to as codes of ethics. Th e code of ethics is very important because it gives us boundaries that we have to stay within in our professional careers.The one problem with the code of ethics is that we can't always have the answers. Professional bodies have increasingly been at work developing, revising and refining professional codes of ethics. Professionals themselves ask for more detailed codes so as to have greater guidance. There is no longer a deference to the authority of experts on the part of the public or of the client group. Professional ethics helps a professional choose what to do when faced with a problem at work that raises a moral issue.One can certainly study what professionals do when faced with such problems, and confine the enquiry to the description. Our concern here, however, is to assist with making choices – an approach called prescriptive professional ethics. Obviously one can be unethical without behaving illegally. It is a common rationalization of unethical behaviour to say â €Å"well, it wasn’t illegal, so who cares? †. It is perhaps the major point of professional ethics, though, to deal with scenarios that do not involve illegality. Professional ethics covers far more issues than the law does.Many of the issues are imbedded in messy and complex factual situations, so ethical issues tend to be harder to identify than legal issues. We should have more sympathy when someone says they were confused or ignorant or thoughtless about a moral issue, as opposed to a legal problem. How does one recognize a moral problem within professional ethics? Is the issue one of â€Å"right† or â€Å"wrong† action? Is the issue one of â€Å"good† or â€Å"bad† motives, methods or goals? Is there a â€Å"value† at stake? Is the terminology not descriptive, but prescriptive, involving words like â€Å"should†, â€Å"ought to†?We do a much better job of identifying issues in professional ethics if we are sensitive to the principles and values set out in our professional codes of ethics (that is one of their benefits – an educational function). It helps to have lists of issues available to contemplate. It is a curse of the twentieth century to speak of ethics as being subjective or relative – â€Å"it’s all a matter of personal opinion†. Moral relativism is ultimately futile and nihilistic. There can be no real debate, guidance, judgement or resolution.Those claiming relativism are usually in a position of self-rationalization. Moral absolutism is not a tenable position either, as it leads to inflexibility and a harshness that creates its own injustices. Most major corporations, and many smaller companies, now have Codes of Ethics, along with a range of other, issue-specific ethics documents. Such a document embodies the ethical commitments of your organization; it tells the world who you are, what you stand for, and what to expect when conducting business with you . Therefore, there are 2 important processes in forming this law: ) Objective There has been a dramatic increase in the ethical expectations of businesses and professions over the past ten years. Increasingly, customers, clients and employees are deliberately seeking out those who define the basic ground rules of their operations on a day to day Why have a Code of Ethics? †¢ To define accepted/acceptable behaviours; †¢ To promote high standards of practice; †¢ To provide a benchmark for members to use for self evaluation; †¢ To establish a framework for professional behaviour and responsibilities; †¢ As a vehicle for occupational identity; As a mark of occupational maturity;† Different kinds of documents serve different purposes. Is your new document intended to  guide  people or to set out requirements? Is it really a Code of Ethics that you need? You might consider creating a Statement of Values, a Policy, a Mission Statement or a Code of Conduct . Ideally, a code of ethics should be tailored to the needs and values of your organization. Ask yourself, what makes your Code specific to your organization? Is there anything that differentiates it from similar documents devised other firms in your field, or in other fields?If not, what makes it your Code, other than the fact that your logo is at the top? Your Code should make clear who within your organization will be governed by it. Does it cover everyone from the mailroom through to the boardroom? Only senior managers? Who has to sign off on it? Keep in mind that lower-level employees may not take very seriously a document that senior managers either aren’t bound by, or take lightly Many ethics codes have two components. First, an  aspirational  section, often in the preamble, that outlines what the organization aspires to, or the ideals it hopes to live up to.Second, an ethics code will typically list some  rules or principles, which members of the organization wi ll be expected to adhere to. In order to ensure the objective of the law will be reached, it is important to get the people who will be guided by the code be actively involved in writing it. If your organization is too large to get everyone involved, consider selecting representatives from various departments or various business units. The document is bound to be more meaningful, and find higher levels of acceptance, if employees are part of the process.It’s a good idea to consult key stakeholders – including, for example, customers, suppliers, and local community groups – as to what they think should be in your Code. This will help reveal what important external constituencies see as your key obligations, and will help make sure that the Code you write deals with the full range of issues that might confront your organization. 2) Planning After you have reached the objective of the code, you must make proper planning so that the code can be formed and implemente d on the time stipulated by your organization’s management. How will the Code be implemented?Once it’s written, will it gather dust, or will it influence policy and practice? What procedures are in place to make sure that writing a Code is more than just organizational navel-gazing? An effective implementation scheme (perhaps as an appendix to the Code) will explain to all concerned how the values embodied in your Code will be put into practice. You must also plan for education. It is a key aspect of implementation has to be employee training and education. How will employees be educated about the Code? A Code can only be effective if your employees know about it.Will new employees receive training regarding the Code’s requirements? Will current employees receive refresher courses? Especially for large organizations, the steps required to train employees on the requirements of a Code deserve special attention. Other than that, you must also be clear about enforc ement. How, if at all, will the Code be enforced? Are there specific penalties for violating the Code, or is the Code merely there to provide guidance? Who will decide when an employee has violated the Code – will that be up to the employees' immediate supervisor, or will that be the exclusive domain of senior managers?Last but not least, you must specify a sunset date. When will the code be reviewed and updated? Times change, and new issues come to light, so consider specifying a date for revising and refreshing your Code. What is the role of a professional code of ethics? It helps clarify values and rules, it strengthens group identity and collegiality, it fosters public confidence, and it can be used as a framework for discipline. The â€Å"audience† is the public, employers, clients, and fellow professionals. A code of ethics can be inspirational, educational, a tool for decision-making and a reference point.One can also criticize over reliance on a code of ethics. It can instil complacency (â€Å"we’re ethical because we have a code of ethics†). If it isn’t used or enforced, the suspicion may be it’s there simply to polish the group’s public image or to bolster a professional monopoly. It must be said that a code of ethics doesn’t create ethics and it is not really possible to completely codify ethics. Collateral education is necessary to bring a code of ethics alive. Most professional ethics cases have to do with conflicts. A moral dilemma is a conflict.We may have a clash between risk to human life and property interests, or a clash between risk to human life and risk to the environment. However, a common type of conflict is a â€Å"conflict of interest†. This usually refers to a conflict between one’s professional duties and one’s personal interests. As mentioned above, these case may not be true moral dilemmas, although they may be painful to resolve. A â€Å"bad faith† decision by a professional can involve the use of one’s position or powers to obtain a personal benefit – the powers or position have been used for a purpose other than for which they were granted.Sometimes there is an overlap with the law. It is a criminal offence to receive a â€Å"secret commission†. The protection of property is often denigrated as a value. It compares poorly with â€Å"human life†. We have already seen in the Burgess and Mullen study that â€Å"economic pressure† was the most common reason for ethical misbehaviour. It is an issue that the professional must guard against in his her own decision making, as well as an issue to watch for in others. Others will not go along because of the cost (a property interest). When risk to life is high, there is little doubt which way we should go.Where there is resistance, the professional has a duty to be honest and forceful and not to â€Å"go along†. Someone else may have the aut hority to make the decision and they then assume the liability, ethically and legally. Where the person in authority is unreasonable and dishonest, the situation may cry out for â€Å"whistleblowing† on the part of the professional. This should first take the form of â€Å"internal whistleblowing† as in an obvious case, some other senior person will see the light. On occasion, the external authorities must be called. A professional has less job security than a non-professional, and it is self imposed.The right thing to do is to withdraw services, but such cases should be very rare. Many codes of ethics refer to relations with colleagues. It is useful to distinguish between duties to the profession as an institution and duties to professional colleagues. They are not the same. What does it mean to say that the professional will not bring the profession into disrepute? If the efforts of colleagues will be undermined by a general loss of reputation and credibility resulti ng from personal misconduct of an individual, the wrong-doer may be doing far more harm indirectly than directly.The issue is not, as some might believe, a loss of income, prestige or position of colleagues, it is a reduction in the protection to the client group or public that is the harm done. Professionals must be vigilant that they are not protecting their self-interest when the profession is attacked or its reputation impugned, but are protecting the interests of others. As for relations with colleagues on an individual basis, a professional is required to be cooperative, respectful, supportive, helpful, open-minded as well as open, and without blatant or crude competition. Competition is good, but it must be meritocratic and honest.And it is of the essence of professionalism that discipline is maintained. It is an essential element of professionalism, and it is often referred to directly in codes of ethics, that one must engage in professional development throughout oneâ€℠¢s career. The idea of continuous improvement in professional knowledge and skills is actually implicit in the standard of the reasonable peer. There is a duty to take courses, read the literature, attend conferences, and so on. Many professional groups encourage (if not enforce) this through mandatory â€Å"maintenance points† – you can lose your designation if you cannot show upgrading over time.Many codes refer to â€Å"integrity† as a value – â€Å"maintain the highest standards of integrity†. It seems vague at first. Integrity means a consistency in commitment to moral commitments. Integrity  is a concept of  consistency  of actions, values, methods, measures, principles, expectations, and outcomes. In ethics, integrity is regarded as the honesty and  truthfulness  or  accuracy  of one's actions. Integrity can be regarded as the opposite of hypocrisy,  in that integrity regards internal consistency as a virtue, and suggests tha t parties holding apparently conflicting values should account for the discrepancy or alter their beliefs.The word â€Å"integrity† stems from the Latin adjective  integer  (whole, complete). In this context, integrity is the inner sense of â€Å"wholeness† deriving from qualities such as  honesty  and consistency of  character. As such, one may judge that others â€Å"have integrity† to the extent that they act according to the values, beliefs and principles they claim to hold. A  value system's  abstraction depth  and range of applicable interaction may also function as significant factors in identifying integrity due to their congruence or lack of congruence with observation.A value system may evolve over time  while retaining integrity if those who espouse the values account for and resolve inconsistencies. Commitment to commitments means one’s moral character must be consistent, whole and integrated. You don’t have â€Å"int egrity† if you are committed to conflicting standards or values. Your behaviour would become erratic and inconsistent. Integrity is related to other values, such as honesty. To be true to a system of values, one must be honest. A person with integrity will admit errors, refrain from false pretences and advise clients truthfully.Integrity is related to promise keeping – one must follow through on promises. A professional should be careful about what is promised. If you can’t deliver on your promises, your integrity is said to be jeopardized. Integrity is also related to loyalty – loyalty to one’s profession, the goals of the profession, loyalty to the employer’s goals. Loyalty should not be blind, however, and so other values may be in conflict with loyalty if the employer’s goals are not in themselves worthy in the circumstances. Do remember that a code of ethics will not solve all ethical problems.But we must remember that good laws, if they are not obeyed, do not constitute good government. Hence there are two parts of good government; one is the actual obedience of citizens to the laws, the other part is the goodness of the laws which they obey. (2567 words) REFERENCES: 1) C. A. Brincat and V. S. Wike, Morality and the Professional Life: Values at Work. Prentice Hall Inc. , (2000). 2) Pamela S. Lewis, Stephen H. Goodman, Patricia M. Fandt, Management Challenges for Tomorrow’s Leaders, 4th Edition, Thomson, South Western. (2004) 3) Chris MacDonald, Ph. D. – Gene Marks, ed. , Streetwise Small Business Book of Lists, Adams Media 2006.

Saturday, September 28, 2019

Analysing Popular Music Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Analysing Popular Music - Essay Example ‘American Idiot’ i iis designed as a Rock Opera, a musical format that first emerged in the popular music scene with Pete Townsend’s highly successful production of Tommy in the early 1970s. In keeping with the genre, Green Day’s album addresses many of the postmodern concerns adolecents are faced with today, including the irony of existence, the decline of organized religion, the dysfunctional nature of the American family and the feelings of isolation and alienation that this incurs in the heart of the American teen. One of the longest tracks on the album, ‘Jesus of Suburbia’ encapsulates these themes as well as provides a turning point for the action of the album. With an understanding of Green Day’s musical genre and the underlying structures of Rock Opera, an analysis of ‘Jesus of Suburbia’ presents the willing participant with an opportunity to gain a greater understanding of the postmodern social concerns indemic to t he majority of Green Day listeners. The music of Green Day is typically considered to be punk-pop3; therefore, to understand the music, one must understand the characteristics of punk and pop and how this begins to define their audience in more specific terms. â€Å"Punk came into its own in England in the late ‘70s as a savage reaction to polished, tired mainstream rock and pop. More than a musical revolution, punk was a full-blown assault on the soured, restrictive social and political conventions that lingered in England following World War II† (Muze, 2001).4 Early punk rock bands included the Stooges, the MC5 and the Velvet Underground, all characterized by loud, pounding beats; harsh sounds and often extended improvisations. Although it was seen to gain its popularity primarily in England, many of these musical pioneers originated from the Lower East Side in New York. â€Å"Meanwhile, faster, rawer, and bitterly radio-hostile acts like Black Flag and the Dead Kennedys were

Friday, September 27, 2019

Essay Proposal Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Proposal - Essay Example Sims (71-2) observes that androids are so human like in tehir behaviour that they cannot be distinguished by a naked eye. The probelem is that we may have androids that mimick human behaviour and may be used for destructive purposes. This is perharps what Winkler (517) and Forrester (51) had in mind when he observed that almost all of the American heroes in folrklore were dubious charcters and it is shuddering to think of what such charecters can do if they had the power, considering that we have no control over how they may turn out. Having the ablcne of power in the circumstances partially aided by ‘tools’ that can kill quicky, and the circumstances, they find themselves in position of influence. But it is perharps the story of the ‘Little Red Riding Hood’ that should warn us given that holders of technology may rarely be challneged, and infact may be trusted by those they want to destroy (Perrault). But technology is niot all that bad. While Sutton and Sutton (231) observes that science represents man’s curiosity about his destiny, something he wishes it to occur, and indeed, through technogy that brings out the creativity in man, his dreams about his destiny become achieveable (Barlow 108). Barlow, Aaron. "Loss in the Language of Tomorrow: Journeying Through Tuscon on the way to Usher II." Gloria, McMillan, Donald Palumbo and C.W. Sullivan. Orbiting Rays Bradburys Mars: Biographical. Jefferson: McFarland & Company Inc, 2013. 105-116. Sims, Christopher A. "The Danger of Individualism and the Human Relationship to Technology in Philip K. Dicks Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep." Science Fiction Studies (2009): vol. 36 no.1 pgs.

Thursday, September 26, 2019

Weber or Foucault Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Weber or Foucault - Essay Example Through this people in North Korea lack proper knowledge of what is happening. They also do not enjoy the freedom of speech something that has been widely criticized. North Korea has been on the spotlight in the recent for cases of human rights violations. It is impossible to establish the full extent of the violations but the country has been on the spot over different kind of violation affecting human rights according to Paul Walker. It has also been realized that the extent of human rights violation is accelerated by lack of awareness. North Korea’s constitution has been accused on infringing on human rights (Walker). Currently the freedom of speech has been limited to radio stations, televisions and music providers who are legally owned by government or government operated. Moreover, humans have been subjected to forced labor as prisoners in concert ration camps in North Korea. As a foreigner it has been difficult to access this country with more strict rules which monitor every visitor in that country. The situation is worse for aid workers who are under constant surveillance and scrutiny as well as exclusion from certain government

Wednesday, September 25, 2019

Personal Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Personal - Essay Example Secondly, one has to ensure that the business they are operating abides with the law. Dealing with un-licensed and illegal businesses has been one crime that the government has been fighting for many years. Those arrested due to operation of such businesses have always faced harsh penalties, in accordance with the set laws. Therefore, this paper seeks to answer some of the life questions that working adults have to resolve in their lives. What keeps me awake at night every day are my goals and priorities. Every night, I have to ensure that my day’s plans are accomplished. This is to ensure that I start my day without carrying forward any unaccomplished tasks. I have set my daily goals in which they have to be accomplished. Failure to accomplish them is an indication that my work is lagging behind. That is another indicator of laziness and lack of focus in life. This is the reason I have to ensure that a day’s target is achieved. Planning next day’s targets is another reason to stay up late at night. As the manager of my life, it’s my duty to ensure that I have outlined the things that am supposed to do and what I have to achieve on that day (Todd, 25-34). Therefore, no matter how engaging my day may have been, I must plan the next day’s targets and the way to achieve them. I believe in the slogan that says â€Å"failure to plan is planning to fail.† I have come to realize tha t those who go to bed without analyzing their accomplishments and their failures do not move forward. Therefore, I have made it a habit to analyze all that I have accomplished daily and what I have not. In addition, I have to get a reason for my failure to accomplish a certain task so that I may not repeat the mistake in future. Looking around my friends and those close to me, I get scared since I realize they do not have plans for the future. By future I mean plans for the next second, minute or day. Many of them

Tuesday, September 24, 2019

Addiction is a Brain Disease Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Addiction is a Brain Disease - Research Paper Example This means that there are two types of addiction: behavioral addiction and substance dependence. This can be harmful for oneself and for others. Furthermore, it is important to distinguish between a habit and an addiction: a habit is what a person chooses to do, and there is no physical and physiological aspect to it, till you become so used to that substance that you cannot do without it. With addiction you also cannot survive on the same doses every time; you need to increase the dosage every time in order to satisfy yourself and you cannot stop without help. It causes many problems in every aspect of one’s life and needs to be considered. Its causes and treatments need to be laid out for better understanding. (Nordqvist, March) The prefrontal cortex is the area of the brain that allows human beings to evaluate situations, make rational decisions and control their emotions and desires. This part of the brain is still developing in adolescence and abusing it will have a very dire effect in the future. (Buljan, 2010) An addict is a person who is addicted. This person will have desires and cravings, in which he will urgently want to indulge, and usually symptoms of withdrawal accompany this feeling if he does not get the substance he craves. There are several reasons for this disease. Genetics are suspected, and so is the environment, but the new explanation that has been discovered is that it is a brain disease. (Maureen C Nash, 2011) The roles of the reward mechanisms in the brain are suspected to be involved with this disease. Dopamine systems stimulate the brain when it receives a reward be it food, or any other thing that the person likes. This is the only centre of the brain that stimulates it, and no additional centre has been found to cause addiction. Taking the substance that you are addicted to changes the wiring of your brain and you require special needs to fulfill your cravings. Dopamine is activated with the use of the substance or aspect th at you are addicted to; and this is not a natural process, but a highly unnatural one as you make your brain accustomed to the aspects that it is usually not used to, but is in fact actually sensitive to. It not only arouses your brain and rewards it but the arousal it leads to is of abnormal nature, leading to changes in the brain’s motor and cognitive abilities. Other researchers believe that what is involved in addiction includes: the medial prefrontal cortex, the hippocampus, amygdala and nucleus accumbens. There are other cortical structures involved in the rewarding centre of the brain apart from dopamine. This was shown by Hans Breiter with the help of functional magnetic resonance imaging. In simple terms, drugs such as morphine, or money, or shopping, rewards your brain and satisfies it. But if you don’t acquire them, you will experience withdrawal. This is not just the case with drugs, but also non-drug expectations. A drug will lead to ‘drug rewardsâ⠂¬â„¢ whereas a non drug will lead to a ‘non-drug reward.’ (National Institute on Drug Abuse, 2000) Positron emission tomography studies by Nora Volkrow showed that substance abusers had fewer striatal D2 receptors. There was also lower monoamine oxidase B which is important in the reward circuit of the brain in those who were addicted to smoking. This meant that more dosage was needed every time to stimulate the reward centers because addiction was reducing the enzymes needed to stimulate it. (National Institute on Drug Abuse, 2000) The brain reward system can be further extended beyond the dopamine system. The stimulation has to do with the synaptic actions when dopamine is stimulated which are affected by addiction. Since the brain is not used to such stimulation, it is required to adapt to it, a

Monday, September 23, 2019

Psycholosy (Counterconditioning theory) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Psycholosy (Counterconditioning theory) - Essay Example For example, a psychologist named Ivan Pavolov conducted a famous psychological experiment on dogs. He conditioned dogs to understand that when a bell was rang (the stimulus), the dogs began to salivate in reaction to learning that the bell meant food. This was an extremely important part of understanding classical conditioning. Phobias are an irrational fear of an object or setting. Often, this will cause shock with a person in that they are completely unable to function with the phobia present. One of the ways in which therapists work to help clients overcome their phobia is using behavioral therapy. One of the techniques, which are used, is the exposure technique. The basis behind exposure technique is for the therapist to expose the client to the phobia in which they are experienced in a controlled setting. This is often done in a systematic routine starting with a low threat stimulus working up to complete exposure. For example, if a therapist was working with a client who had a fear of flying in airplanes, they might start by showing a video of an airplane flying. Next, they would try a flight simulator. These cognitive restructuring steps would build upon one another resulting in the final step of actually riding on an airplane. While this is similar to flooding technique that starts at the extreme of the phobia where exposure technique is done in increments. ... de Jong, Jasper A.J. Smits Affiliation Department of Psychology, Vanderbilt University Source Journal of Behavior Therapy and Experimental Psychiatry, Vol 42(1), Mar, 2011. pp. 117-121. ISSN 0005-7916 Descriptors *Disgust; *Exposure Therapy; *Fear; *Phobias; Arachnida Abstract The present study examines the relative contributions of changes in state fear and disgust emotions to improvements in spider phobia observed with exposure-based treatment. Sixty-one treatment-seeking spider fearful individuals underwent a one-session exposure in vivo treatment. Growth curve analyses indicated that treatment was associated with significant improvements in state fear and disgust reactions to a live spider and self-reported trait spider phobia symptoms. Mediation analyses demonstrated that changes over time in state fear and disgust each explained unique variance in improvements in phobic symptoms over time. Examination of the effect size of the mediated pathways suggests that changes in fear and changes in disgust are important to reductions in the severity of spider phobia symptoms during exposure-based treatment. The implications of these findings for conceptualizing the role of fear and disgust emotions in the maintenance and treatment of spider phobia are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved) Methodology Empirical Study; Interview; Quantitative Study Electronic; Print Electronic Journal; Peer Reviewed Journal Journal Article Accepted Date: Jul 29, 2010; Revised Date: Jul 27, 2010; First Submitted Date: Apr 20, 2010 20110117All rights reserved.. Elsevier Ltd.. 2010. 10.1016/j.jbtep.2010.07.007 In this study, there was an experiment run in order to see whether exposure therapy worked on treating arachnophobia. They had a sample size of

Sunday, September 22, 2019

Implementation and Challenges of Lean Concept in Human resources Essay Example for Free

Implementation and Challenges of Lean Concept in Human resources Essay Going lean is the talk of the season. Almost all the big organizations are adopting lean practices; not only manufacturing but management. In this write-up I am going to discuss how HR as an organization’s function can help in lean transformation. A critically important issue in lean success, just now coming into clear view, is the relationship between the human resources (HR) function and lean transformation. It turns out that the HR function, even at its best, is often considered as only a passive supporter of lean transformation. At its worst, it is said to be a barrier to progress. There are two facets to the relationship between lean and HR. First, it is self-evident that the HR function—just like any other department in a company—needs to apply lean practices and principles toward process improvement in its own work. Second, the HR function needs to actively support and enforce lean transformation throughout the company. The HR function, by virtue of its interactions with virtually every part of a company, is actually in an ideal position to be a powerful ally in lean transformation, IF lean leaders make the effort to enlist its aid. Here we are discussing how HR makes a significant contribution to lean success with active support in several key areas. What is Lean (concept) Lean principles come from the Japanese manufacturing industry. The term was first coined by John Krafcik. From its inception Lean was considered as manufacturing tool but today lean has evolved from just a tool to a philosophy of success. The core idea of Lean philosophy is to maximize customer value while minimizing waste. Simply, lean means creating more value for customers with fewer resources. A lean organization understands customer value and focuses its key processes to continuously increase it. The ultimate goal is to provide perfect value to the customer through a perfect value creation process that has zero waste. To accomplish this, lean thinking changes the focus of management from optimizing separate technologies, assets, and vertical departments to optimizing the flow of products and services through entire value streams that flow horizontally across technologies, assets, and departments to customers. Eliminating waste along entire value streams, instead of at isolated points, creates processes that need less human effort, less space, less capital, and less time to make products and services at far less costs and with much fewer defects, compared with traditional business systems. Companies are able to respond to changing customer desires with high variety, high quality, low cost, and with very fast throughput times. Also, information management becomes much simpler and more accurate. Lean for production and services A popular misconception is that lean is suited only for manufacturing. Not true. Lean applies in every business and every process. It is not a tactic or a cost reduction program, but a way of thinking and acting for an entire organization. Businesses in all industries and services, including healthcare and governments, are using lean principles as the way they think and do. Many organizations choose not to use the word lean, but to label what they do as their own system, such as the Toyota Production System or the Danaher Business System. Why? To drive home the point that lean is not a program or short term cost reduction program, but the way the company operates. The word transformation or lean transformation is often used to characterize a company moving from an old way of thinking to lean thinking. It requires a complete transformation on how a company conducts business. This takes a long-term perspective and perseverance. The term lean was coined to describe Toyotas business during the late 1980s by a research team headed by Jim Womack. Lean Thinking Lean transformations think about three fundamental business issues that should guide the transformation of the entire organization: Purpose: What customer problems will the enterprise solve to achieve its own purpose of prospering? Process: How will the organization assess each major value stream to make sure each step is valuable, capable, available, adequate, flexible, and that all the steps are linked by flow, pull, and leveling? People: How can the organization insure that every important process has someone responsible for continually evaluating that value stream in terms of business purpose and lean process? How can everyone touching the value stream be actively engaged in operating it correctly and continually improving it? Just as a carpenter needs a vision of what to build in order to get the full benefit of a hammer, Lean Thinkers need a vision before picking up lean tools, said Womack. Thinking deeply about purpose, process, people is the key to doing this.

Saturday, September 21, 2019

Hamlet Appearance vs Reality Essay Example for Free

Hamlet Appearance vs Reality Essay Appearance vs. reality in Shakespeare’s, Hamlet, is a jaded yet common theme. This play is teeming with characters that play their roles behind a veil of duplicity. They often appear to be one way when they really are something entirely different. Things within the play appear to be true and honest but in reality are polluted with evil. Many of the characters within the play hide behind a mask of dishonesty. Four of the main characters that hid behind this mask are Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, Polonius, and King Claudius. From behind this mask they give the impression of a person who is sincere and true, in reality they are overwhelmed with lies and evil. One of the most obvious examples of appearance vs. reality in Hamlet is the character of Claudius. Claudius longed to be king, rule the land and crown his queen. He gave no regard to the feelings of the family. He was jealous and ruthless in pursuing his dream†¦ruthless to the point of murder. He pretends to be concerned and upset with the actions of Hamlet and his well being, when in reality he is frightened that Hamlet is aware of his deadly secret. It was as if he cast a spell on the whole kingdom for his own self-fulfilling interest. Our â€Å"innocent† Claudius even summons spies to investigate the origin of Hamlet’s madness†¦not for the good of Hamlet but for himself. He is indeed a jaded character, whose kind aura masks the face of a selfish murderer as he says â€Å"whose whisper o’er the world’s diameter, as levels as the cannon to his blank transports his poisoned shot, may miss our name and hit the woundless air. Oh come away! My soul is full of discord and dismay! †- Claudius, act 4 scene 1, lines 42-46. This quote demonstrates how Claudius seems to be worried about Hamlet and his actions when he is really fearful of him discovering the truth. In addition, the king’s royal associate, Polonius, appears to be a loyal and trustworthy servant to the kingdom throughout the play, willing to take on tasks and burdens requested by their majesties. However, in reality Polonius is an evil, greedy selfish man, who serves not his kingdom but himself. One example of this is how Polonius appears to be happy, concerned and supportive of his son, Laerte’s, journey to France. He seems to be supportive of his son until he sends Reynaldo as an emissary, in order to detect what sort of mischief he stumbles upon in France. In addition, Polonius, again, displays his devious characteristics when he spies on Hamlet and Ophelia in an attempt to analyze Hamlet’s madness. He soon orders Ophelia to stop seeing Hamlet, as he brainwashes her with lies about Hamlets motives, when in reality Hamlet is truly in love with Ophelia. Once again, Polonius proves his scheming behavior when he listens in on Hamlet and Gertrude’s conversation while in the bedchamber. Hamlet finally teaches him his lesson when he unexpectedly murders the â€Å"rat. † In reality Polonius is anything but a loving father watching out for his children, he uses everyone to his advantage and for his own purposes; this proves as evidence for his sneaky demeanor. Even two of Hamlet’s childhood friends are victims of the appearance vs. reality theme. They were sent and bribed by the king and queen to try and determine the cause of Hamlet’s insanity. They approach Hamlet as long-lost pals when they are really anything but. They were there not as friends but hired help for Hamlet’s condition. In act 2 scene 2 line 299, Guildenstern quotes â€Å"What should we say my lord? † Completely denying the fact that they were sent for by the king and queen. Hamlet quickly reveals the truth and says, Were you not sent for/ And there is a kind of confession in your looks, which your modesties have not craft in color. (Shakespeare 2:2:278) From these words he is demanding an answer from his schoolmates as to their unexplained arrival. At the end he tells them nothing. As the play continues his friends are asked again by the king to go to Hamlet and try again to find the real reason for Hamlet’s behavior. Hamlet insults them at every chance knowing that they are lying to him about their purpose of the visit, ’Tis as easy as lying: govern these ventages with you finger and thumb, give it breath with your mouth (Shakespeare 3:2:348) The twins show their appearance of being Hamlets friends but in truth they have a hidden reason for visiting with Hamlet. Both show that it will be very difficult for Hamlet to uncover the reliability hidden within the lies. Throughout the play, characters help to show the theme, which is appearance verses reality. Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, Polonius, and the king all appear to be good and honest. As Hamlet finds out, all contain lies and have hidden intentions within them. As each character is presented in the play all appear to be good and honest making it a hard for Hamlet to uncover the hidden truth about the nature of each character. Throughout the play everyone puts up a front so to speak, for different reasons. Hamlet believed that the world was corrupt and deceiving, this led him to become violently ambitious. Claudius was manipulative and cunning, and used his greed to achieve what he desired. Deception is a major theme of the play. Obviously throughout the play there are many discrepancies between appearance vs. reality. It seems everyone is jaded and full of deception or ulterior motives. With such controversial people in the kingdom, it is quite appropriate to state that there truly is something rotten in the state of Denmark.

Friday, September 20, 2019

Moral Standards In Advertising Media Essay

Moral Standards In Advertising Media Essay Ethics of advertising can be defined as ethical activity, corresponding not only to law but also to moral principles. Although the normal ethics considers implementation of laws as a basic or minimal level, ethical side of advertising actually goes far beyond the simple implementation of laws. The basis of ethical decisions is formed on a series of concepts: obligations to the society, accountability to both internal (company or client) and external (publicity) parties, and latent intentions of advertising. While advertising is pervasive being an element of the environment, ethical advertisers are responsible for taking into account the expected and possible unintended consequences of their activities. One of the fundamental principles of the free market society is that consumers make free and informed choice. It is consumers who vote with their money and determine the behavior of companies. Advertising is the function of business, which transfers this principle into practice. By definition, consumers cannot make an informed choice without information obtained from advertising. It is no wonder that truth in advertising is regarded as one of the central ethical principles of doing business. In other words, everything said in the advertisement should correspond to the reality. Challenging this rationale, advertisers sometimes deal with ethical problems with the way advertising is created and executed. Often, the question concerns the borders of permitted activity in using such prevalent in advertising approaches, as inflation (exaggeration of the merits of the advertised goods or services), metaphor and hyperbole. For example, an advertisement, running that restaurant X situated in East Side is the best Italian restaurant in the world, is strictly speaking, hardly true. But the advertisers are hoping that they are dealing with an audience, well versed in advertising (i.e. the audience, disillusioned about the main purpose of advertising to sell the advertised product and the means to achieve this goal). Such an informed, sober-minded audience can make allowances for the usual exaggeration in advertising. This means that advertising may, without violating ethical standards, contain symbols, illustrations, similes and metaphors enhancing its assertions. However, the situation is much more serious with advertising which deliberately deceives or misleads the consumers. Deceptive advertisement latently provides only partial information on products or contains statements about the price which mislead the consumers. The same concerns advertisement containing accurate information, but presented in an incomprehensible for the consumer form, or in an integrated form inside a newspaper or magazine article, or as part of a television or radio program. Many consumers also fear that some types of advertising are influencing the subconsciousness. Since these messages get to the consumer bypassing the consciousness and sensory perception, they are often not only unethical, but also illegal, because they can manipulate the freedom of consumer choice. Despite the fact that studies have shown the ineffectiveness of subliminal techniques (e.g., the notorious 25-second frame), the public is still suspecting advertisers in the wide use of such techniques. Ethical issues also arise in the case of participation of celebrities in advertising. Famous sports and movie stars can significantly affect the decision making process of the consumers. Therefore, officially thereve been developed specific recommendations for the creation of such advertising in order to make it more ethical. The character of advertising should be a user of an advertised product, and his statements must fairly reflect his personal opinion. All statements made by the character must have actual proof. Concerns about advertising with celebrities are so great that in some countries such as Canada, it is prohibited for certain product categories, such as alcoholic beverages and certain childrens products. Criticism is also justified in cases of some advertising methods, in particular, playing on fear of consumers. For example, advertising of a certain kind of cereal containing oat and bran was built on fears of cancer. However, these products do not factually contain more fiber than many other natural foods, and they increase the chance to prevent only one kind of cancer, whereas the advertising considered the prevention of cancer in general. Such advertisement can be considered misleading, manipulating the audience and exploiting the feelings of consumers. At the same time, the visual part of the advertisement deserves no less than the text. Since consumers typically pay more attention to images than to the text accompanying them. In particular, the claims involve the fact that the advertisement shows the product bigger than it really is. Another example of unethical imaging is the way advertising depicts women. Using models for the advertisement, advertisers also apply special methods of processing images, allowing characters to look perfect, with absolutely no pigment spots and wrinkles. This actually presents a process of forming an ideal image, unattainable in real life. Attempts of female consumers to become similar to those ideal models finally ends in disappointment, feeling unhappy, loss of self-esteem, inferiority complex, and even guilt. Models are tall and extremely slim; in an effort to be like them, some young women and girls being unable to do anything with their height, direct all their eagerness to their extra pounds, s ometimes bringing themselves to anorexia. Heated discussion also surrounds the image of women in advertising of household goods, where they invariably appear as the main executors of domestic work, showing them on the sidelines of family decision making process. Women are also often unethically shown as sexual objects, but nowadays this aspect is complexified by the modern tendency to depict men in the same way, together with the ambiguity of child images in advertising. Sometimes kids are shown in sexual poses with the provocative make-up, and half-dressed, while new styles of advertisement try displaying certain parts of human body as the main objects of the image, which is only emphasizing sexuality. Older people represent another group of people, harmed by stereotypes which generate from advertising. Feeble, trembling, wrinkled old people, unable to solve simplest tasks, are being targeted with advertising humor. However, this advertising image of elderly people is often very far from reality, in which the elderly lead a ctive and interesting life. Many advertisers state that advertising does not create reality, but only holds a mirror which reflects the society. But if that was true, we would see the images of various social groups in the advertisement. However, the characters (with both genders) of most of the advertisements in North America and Europe are young, slim, smart and extremely athletic. While some advertisers are beginning to realize the importance of different cultural groups, the number of ads with black skin people is growing; but the characters of Asian, and Hispanic origin are still met relatively rarely. Advertising also never positions disabled people, and the elderly are participating only in advertising of dentures and nutritional supplements for elderly people. In addition, certain segments of the population could perceive everything shown in the advertisement as the reality, or misunderstand the special conditions or precautions on the proper use of advertised goods (immigrants, some elderly consumers, children, people lacking education, etc.), which shouldnt be just used for the benefit of a company. A well-known example is the case of advertising offering children to call Santa Claus on a pay telephone numbers beginning with 900. Many children (including those staying at home after school without their parents) called on those numbers without realizing the size of bills that could come for such a conversation. Moral standards of advertising are based on the principles of freedom of choice and freedom of action. These principles come from the belief in the benefits of the free market economy. Informed consumers have freedom of action; they regulate the business activities of companies with their individual purchase decisions. Consumers right to freedom of choice is consistent with two other principles: freedom from coercion and freedom from harm. Advertising should not use unfaithful techniques in order to persuade consumers or manipulate them, pushing to a bad choice. Faithful advertising, which imparts accurate information, is an indispensable condition for consumers; informed decisions about products and services. Nowadays, advertising detached from unethical standards may be unique and sets the standard for the industry. It has value to both clients and consumers. Thus, the terms ethics of advertising and moral standards in advertising are not just a combination of mutually exclusive co ncepts, but without a doubt, present normal business practices.

Thursday, September 19, 2019

Computer Crimes of Today :: essays research papers fc

Computer Crimes on the Internet Thesis: Emerging with the Internet, a group of elite cyber-surfers have turned into todayà ­s computer hackers. Software piracy is a major crime on the Net. $7.5 billion of American Software is stolen each year. Industrial Espionage is gaining access to remote sites illegally. Stealing of information from corporate sites is extremely illegal. Password Sniffers are used to get someoneà ­s password. IP spoofers changes your identity. Many things can be stolen from companies. III. Email hacking is common. Mail bombs are thousands of messages send to a single address. Email forgery can cause people reputations to get ruined. Anonymous Email is illegal. Fraud is very common. Pyramid schemes are nothing but a scam. Credit card fraud is a half billion dollar a year scam. Computer viruses are destructive to computers. Computer viruses can be attached to Email messages. 99% of all computer viruses are detectable. Computer Crimes on the Internet Its the 90à ­s, the dawn of the computer age. With technology changing and evolving everyday, it may seem hard not to slip behind in this ever changing world. The Information Super-Highway has been following computers throughout the past few years. Along with the Internet, an emerging group of elite cyber-surfers have turned into todayà ­s computer hackers. Most people donà ­t know about them, most people donà ­t know they exist, but they are out there, lurking in the shadows, waiting for there next victim. It can be a scary world out there (Welcome to the Internet). In reality it is not nearly as bad as it sounds, and chances are it wonà ­t happen to you.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  There are many fields of hacking on the Internet. The most popular type of hacking is software piracy. à ¬According to estimates by the US Software Piracy Association, as much as $7.5 billion of American software may be illegally copied and distributed annually worldwideà ®(Ferrell13). Hackers à ¬pirateà ® software merely by uploading software bought in a store to the Internet. Uploading is send information from point A(client) to point B(host); downloading is the opposite. Once it is uploaded to the Internet, people all over the world have access to it. From there, hackers trade and distribute the software, which in hacker jargon is warez.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Industrial Espionage is another main concern on the Internet. Most recently, the FBIà ­s World Wide Web page hacked and turned into a racial hate page. Anyone can access files from a WWW page, but changing them is very hard. That is why most hackers donà ­t even bother with it. CNET stated à ¬This Web site should have been among the safest and most secure in the world, yet late in 1996, it got hacked.

Wednesday, September 18, 2019

Judicial Process of Jack Kevorkian :: essays research papers fc

INTRODUCTION Jack Kevorkian was born on May 26, 1928 in Pontiac, MI. He attended the University of Michigan and graduated from the University of Michigan Medical School with a specialty in pathology in 1952. In 1970, Jack Kevorkian became the chief pathologist at the Saratoga General Hospital in Detroit, Michigan. An advertisement was placed in the Detroit papers in 1987, which described Jack Kevorkian as a â€Å"physician consultant† for death counseling. In 1989, Kevorkian invented the Thanatron, which translates from Greek to English as the â€Å"Death Machine.† The Thanatron was Kevorkian’s tool that he used in many physician-assisted suicides. The machine operated through the use of intravenous drip to administer various doses of fluids to facilitate the death of a patient. Typically, the first dose, which is administered by the patient, was a drug called thiopental. This drug acts as a sleeping agent that sends the patient’s body into a comatose state. Once the p atient is asleep the lethal dose of potassium chloride is administered to stop the heart within minutes. The patient dies as a result of a heart attack. Jack Kevorkian has assisted in the suicide of at least 120 patients. In calculating the demographic data of these patients, I have concluded three different findings with respect to underlying patient illness, age and gender of the patients. All of these patients have suffered from a terminal or debilitating illness. The three highest incidents of illness among the 120 patients were cancer, multiple sclerosis and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease. The highest incidents of the 120 physician-assisted suicides occurred in the age range of 40 to 60 years of age. Approximately seventy percent of Kevorkian’s patients were female and thirty percent were male. As a result of Jack Kevorkian’s success in assisting in the suicide of these 120 patients, family members, law enforcement and the courts sought many legal inquiries. The state of Michigan, where most of the assisted suicides occurred, does not have a law against this practice. There have been several legal attempts to imposed criminal charges against Jack Kevorkian for his participation in these suicides. In June of 1990, Jack Kevorkian performed his first assisted suicide using the Thanatron. The patient was Janet Adkins, age 54, of Portland, Oregon. Adkins had been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease. Murder charges were brought against Kevorkian as a result of his assistance in the death of Janet Adkins.

Tuesday, September 17, 2019

Online Examination System Essay

The purpose of on-line test simulator is to take online test in an efficient manner for various branches/semesters/courses at the same time and no time wasting for checking the paper. The main objective of on-line test simulator is to efficiently evaluate the candidate thoroughly through a fully automated system that not only saves lot of time but also gives fast results. It is targeted at removing all the paper work in the examination process. The system is designed by keeping future in mind so that it can be used in any educational institutions as well as in corporate World with little changes. It saves a lot of time as it allows number of students/trainees to give the exam at a time and displays the results as the test gets over, so no need to wait for the result. Administrator has a privilege to add new teachers and students to the test papers. User can register, login and give the test with his specific id, and can see the results as well. This software can be used anywhere any time as it is a web based application (user Location doesn’t matter). No restriction is there that examiner has to be present when the candidate takes the test. The current system is analyzed thoroughly and all the bottlenecks are identified. 2. Users demonstrable needs are captured and freezed. User needs a web-based system, which will remove all the problems in existing system, the user is facing. The user wants a web- based system, which will reduce the bulk of paperwork, provide ease of work, flexibility, fast record finding, modifying, adding, removing and generating the reports. A new system has been proposed on my perception of the system, in accordance with the problems of existing system by making a full layout of the system on paper. 4. The feasibility of the system proposed was analyzed by comparing the following factors with both the existing system and proposed system. The proposed system was found feasible in terms of cost, effort, time and labor. Analysis of the system is complete. 5. Database design is complete. 6. System coding is in progress.

Monday, September 16, 2019

Individualism vs. Societal Norm and Acceptance Essay

In the community of Salem, Massachusetts of 1692, their community is set as a theocratic society, where the church and the state come as one. Moral laws and state laws are also combined as one. Everyone is expected to live up to the established social norms. Any individual within the Puritan community whose private lives doesn’t conform to the moral laws established by the government is represented as a threat to the community and to the rule of God and true religion. In Salem, everything and everyone belongs to either God or the devil, anything that is unlawful is considered a devil’s work. Everyone in this community is expected to meet the expectations of the society, every little thing they do will be held against them. John Proctor is an example of an individualist in this society. John Proctor was unfaithful to his wife, Elizabeth Proctor, when he had committed an affair with a younger female, Abigail Williams. Committing adultery and telling lies are some examples of sinning in the Puritan community. John Proctor is breaking from the mores, beliefs and ethical codes of the Puritan community because not only does he commit adultery, but he also hides it from the community. His actions were the main cause of false accusation of witchcraft in this society. Eventually, when he realizes everyone else’s life is at risk because of him, he confesses. John proctor chose to hide his adultery because he was afraid of his reputation being ruined and having his life put at risk because he went going against the Puritan law. Another way John Proctor breaks away from the united societal norm of the Puritans is going against the court. The court is in high power in this society. At first, he lies to the court, admitting to witchcraft to save his own life, but when John proctor realizes it is wrong and a sin to the religion to tell a lie, he goes against his false confession to witchcraft. He caused contempt at court while trying to prove everyone’s innocence, but it did not go so well. John Proctor went against the Puritan law because he does not want to dishonor the innocent prisoners and he will not be able to live with himself knowing that other innocents died while he committed sins and the innocents were paying for it. The following quote said by John Proctor in Act IV, clearly shows contempt at court in the Puritans’ way of life:  Ã¢â‚¬Å"Because it is my name! Because I cannot have another in my life! Because I lie and sign myself to lies! Because I am not worth the dust on the feet of them that hang! How may I live without my name? I have given you my soul; leave me my name!† At the end, John Proctor was hung. He was hung for his mistakes, and died without lies to his name. In a theocratic society, where the church and state comes as one, every little thing you do is held against you in the long run. Individuals in the Puritan community whose lives did not meet moral laws were considered a â€Å"witch.† In Salem, everything and everyone belongs to either God or the devil, anything that is unlawful is considered a devil’s work.

Sunday, September 15, 2019

Life Of Omar Bin Al Khatab History Essay

History is the manifestation of adult male ‘s will ; it changes its class when an ordinary adult male shows vastly strong will power and that ‘s how an ordinary adult male becomes a fable. Omar Bin Al-Khatab was one such character. He seems to hold changed the class of history with his ain will. Omar is regarded as most of import figures in history of Islam and the true designer of Islamic Empire. Historical histories prove him to be one of the greatest vanquishers, a wise and merely swayer and a adult male known for his simple life style and love of God. Omar become the 2nd Muslim swayer after decease of Muhammad and ruled for 10 old ages. He was a taking advisor to the Islamic prophesier Muhammad Omar was a great supporter and comrade of the Prophet Mohammed. Omar converted to Islam after 6 old ages of Mohammed ‘s first disclosure and spent 18 old ages attach toing the Prophet. He succeeded the first calif Abu Bakr on 23 rd of grand 634 as the 2nd calif and changed the historical building of Islamic history. Rising from the rank of a shepherd and a junior-grade merchandiser he became the true architecture of the Islamic civilisation. ( Wikipedia, 2011 ) Early life His female parent ‘s name was Hantammah and male parent ‘s name was Khattab ibn Nufayl, from the folk of Banu Makhzum. Omar was born to a in-between category household and when he was a kid his male parent put him to the undertaking of croping camels. His male parent was a tough taskmaster, and Omar frequently recalled how his male parent beaten him up pitilessly whenever there was a error on his portion. It seems that Omar grew up as a typical Arab male child -a tall immature adult male with a robust build and impressive character. It is believed that among the Quraish of those yearss merely 17 people were able to read and compose and Omar was one of them. He was really intelligent and had a eminent personality, intellectually and physically every bit good. He was a good public talker. By all available histories he seemed to be an mean Arab young person.At the same clip he was gifted with self-respect, a broad-mind and a strong sense of justness. He appeared to be a adult male of strong strong beliefs, a good friend, and a bad enemy. He was ever ready to stand up against the oppressor and recommend the cause of the weak. Later in his young person he took up the traditional profession of a bargainer. As a bargainer, he travelled extensively to Syria, Iraq, and Yemen, Rome and Persia and other topographic points every bit good. He was a good bargainer ; he made good money and developed a good geopolitical apprehension of the part every bit good while going. ( Islamic Point ) Omar converted to Islam in 616, before that he was the fiercest opposition of Islam. Interestingly, he resolved to kill Prophet Mohammed to complete Islam wholly.He believed that the coming of new religion of Islam will interrupt the integrity of Quraish. Omar was the most inexorable and really barbarous in oppressing Muslims. Converting to Islam In the twelvemonth 616 Umar got converted to Islam. Once he read the poetries of Quran, he was so impressed by the deity of the poetries he accepted Islam on that really same twenty-four hours in forepart of the prophesier and his comrades. Omar ‘s transition gave assurance to the Muslims and they felt powered. It was seen as the triumph of Islam, Muslims did n't offer supplications at al-harem mosque until Omar accepted Islam ( Abdullah bin Masoud, n.d. ) . Because of all this the Prophet himself gave him the rubric of Al-Farooq, one who distinguishes true from falsity. Now Islam was deriving popularity ; in 622 A.D. because of the increasing popularity of Islam in Medina, Mohammed ordered his followings to migrate to Medina. Omar besides went to Medina. Muslims lived peacefully in Medina for about a twelvemonth before Quraish ground forces attacked Medina.Omar played cardinal function in the conflicts between Quraish and Muslims. ( Encyclopedia ) Caliphate He succeeded the first calif Abu Bakr in 634A.D. and played a cardinal function in determining the history of Islam. Under him the Islamic Empire was expanded at a rate that could merely be compared to the great Roman Empire. His opinion abilities, administrative accomplishments and his intelligently coordinated onslaughts against the Iranian Empire resulting in the conquering of the Persian Empire, established him as a great military and political leader of the epoch. But it was non really easy for him to acquire things under control as he was non a popular figure because of his stringency and bossy nature. Abu Bakr ‘s comrades ab initio discouraged the thought of Caliphate of Omar but Abu Bakr had other programs and he assured his high ranking comrades that one time Omar becomes calif he would be a changed adult male. Omar was really clear and did conveyed that he will be soft with them who followed the regulations and would be rough and ill-mannered with those who wo n't follow the same. He wanted the well being of the hapless and underprivileged ; because of his democrat policies he quickly gained popularity. ( Encyclopedia ) Political and civil disposal Umar ‘s authorities was a unitary authorities ; Caliph had the supreme political authorization. His imperium was divided into independent and states. States were divided into territories. There were 100 territories in the district of Umar. The Wali ( Provincial governors ) were the decision maker of these states, which were recruited by Umar. These were the officer ‘s place at the provincial degree was which were appointed by Omaror the provincial governors: Katib ( Chief Secretary ) , Sahib-ul-Kharaj, ( Revenue Collector ) , Sahib-ul-Ahdath, ( Police head ) , Sahib-Bait-ul-Mal ( Treasury Officer ) and Qadi ( Chief Judge ) . In some of the territories there were separate military officers. The Commanding officer of the ground forces in most of the topographic points remained the same and that was the Governor ( Wali ) . Whenever the appointed anyone they used to make that all in composing. Nothing was without paperwork. When they were seeking to name or appointed Wali the instrument of instructions was made to the modulating behavior of Governors. ( Wikipedia, 2010 )Military enlargementOmar was one of the greatest decision makers of his epoch. Omar believed in consolidating his power and political influence. With the proper counsel of Umar, Islamic took a huge alteration and grew large clip as a really fast rate. He introduced several administrative reforms ; he made a Shura ( advisory ) council and sought advice from them on affairs of province personal businesss. He divided the immense Islamic imperium in different states and appointed a governor who was answerable to caliph. The Governors were suppose d to assist in disposal and whosoever used their office to acquire rich was badly punished. As a Caliph, Omar was ready to accept and follow what was good in other civilisations as good. Wherever possible, he tried to larn from others and adopted the advanced techniques and administrative patterns of the conquered people as good. For illustration, when Persia was conquered, Windmills were in extended usage in Persia, Omar ordered the building of windmills in several Arab states, including Medina. For the first clip military was organized professionally and made a province section. Finance, accounting, revenue enhancement and exchequer sections were created for the first clip in the Islamic Empire. Police, prisons and postal units were established. ( Islamic Point )ReformsAgribusiness was promoted during his Caliphate. Irrigation system was reformed ; old canals were excavated and new 1s built. Large countries of land were brought under cultivation. Roadss were built and were on a regular basis patrolled. A traveller could travel with safety on the roads of the immense Islamic Empire. When Omar became the Caliph of Islam, most of the states economic system was based on bondage. Omar was the 1 who raised his voice against bondage. He took specific step to extinguish bondage every bit far as possible. The immense districts of Islamic Empire – West Asia and North Africa were transformed into a free trade zone. Business brought prosperity. Omar understood the importance of instruction ; instruction was encouraged and instructors were paid good. The survey of Quran, Hadith, linguistic communication and literature and penmanship received backing from the Empire. Omar was himself a poet and an impressive speechmaker. He constructed Over 4,000 mosques during his Caliphate. Technology and new administrative patterns such as the building of windmills, formation of accounting section were encouraged. In the imperium new roads were laid out and old 1s were repaired. Omar organized a population nose count in the Empire following the illustration of the China. Muslim rules extended increasingly during the Caliphate of Umar, about 4000 mosques were constructed. He provided visible radiations to the mosques and superior fabric to cover the Kaaba. It happened in the twelvemonth 638 that Arabia fell into drouth which was besides been so followed by a dearth. To do this alteration and to do it better Umar tried many things out of which 1 was hosting dinner every dark. It was approximately more than hundred 1000 people who used to come for the dinner every dark. Conditionss began to better in early 639. When dearth ended so Umar went to see and steer the people. Not merely he guided but besides gave good sum, rations and besides exempted them from revenue enhancement ( zakat ) for that twelvemonth and the twelvemonth following it. Omer went for hadj in Mecca when he was assassinated. He was assassinated in response to the Muslim conquering of Persia, by a Iranian in 644. Character assassination of Umar was been assigned by Abu Lulu. The history of Omar shows and explains many things. He was a adult male with great powers of head. He was really stiff in doing justness and with inflexible unity.

Saturday, September 14, 2019

The beneficial effects of nutrition on exercise performance Essay

Over the past 20 old ages. research has clearly documented the good effects of nutrition on exercising public presentation. There is no uncertainty that what an athlete chows and drinks can impact wellness. organic structure weight and composing. substrate handiness during exercising. recovery clip after exercising. and. finally. exercising public presentation. Carbohydrates are of import to keep blood-glucose degrees during exercising and to replace musculus animal starch. Recommendations for jocks range from 6 to 10 g/kg organic structure weight per twenty-four hours. The sum required depends upon the athlete’s entire day-to-day energy outgo. type of athletics performed. sex of the jock. and environmental conditions. Protein demands are somewhat increased in extremely active people. Protein recommendations for endurance jocks are 1. 2 to 1. 4 g/kg organic structure weight per twenty-four hours. whereas those for opposition and strength-trained jocks may be every bit high as 1. 6 to 1. 7 g/kg organic structure weight per twenty-four hours. Fat is of import in the diets of jocks as it provides energy. fat-soluble vitamins. and indispensable fatty acids. Dehydration decreases exercising public presentation ; therefore. equal fluid before. during. and after exercising is necessary for wellness and optimum public presentation. Athletes should imbibe adequate fluid to equilibrate their fluid losingss. Two hours before exercising 400 to 600 milliliter ( 14 to 22 oz ) of fluid should be consumed. and during exercising 150 to 350 milliliter ( 6 to 12 oz ) of fluid should be consumed every 15 to 20 min depending on tolerance. Before exercising. a repast or bite should supply sufficient fluid to keep hydration. be comparatively low in fat and fibre to ease stomachic emptying and minimise GI hurt. be comparatively high in saccharide to maximise care of blood glucose. be moderate in protein. and be composed of nutrients familiar and good tolerated by the jock. Eating before exercising. as opposed to exerting in the fasting province. has been shown to better public presentation. The size and timing of the pre-exercise repast are interrelated. Because most jocks do non like to vie on a full tummy. smaller repasts should be consumed in closer propinquity to the event to let for stomachic voidance. whereas larger repasts can be consumed if more clip is available earlier exercising or competition. Sums of saccharide used in surveies in which public presentation was enhanced have ranged from about 200 to 300 g saccharide for repasts consumed 3 to 4 H before exercising. Current informations are assorted refering whether the glycemic index of saccharide in the preexercise repast affects public presentation. The saccharide consumed should give chiefly glucose ; fructose entirely is non as effectual and may take to diarrhea. although mixtures of glucose and fructose seem to be effectual. If the same entire sum of saccharide and fluid is ingested. the signifier of saccharide does non look to matter—some jocks may prefer to utilize a athletics drink whereas others may prefer to eat a solid or gel and consume H2O. Presently. the usage and recommendation of ergogenic AIDSs to jocks is controversial. Some wellness attention professionals discourage the usage of all ergogenic AIDSs. though others suggest they be used with cautiousness and merely after careful scrutiny of the merchandise for safety. efficaciousness. authority. and legality. Athletes should non utilize nutritionary ergogenic AIDSs until they have carefully evaluated the merchandise. as indicated above. and discussed the usage of the merchandise with a qualified nutrition or wellness professional.

Friday, September 13, 2019

Characteristics of an Effective Team Leader

Conflict arises from the differences, and when individuals come together in teams, their differences in terms of power, values, and attitudes contributes to creation of conflict. Without conflict, teams will not be challenged and will not perform at their optimum levels. When this becomes apparent, how should the team prepare themselves to face this challenge, and how should the team leader facilitate and resolve conflict? The purpose of this paper is to present the characteristics and traits of an effective team leader. We will also be discussing the different types of conflicts as well as the effective way of managing and resolving disputes among team members Discussion: Effective Team Leader Successful management requires more than just assigning tasks to the team. It calls for a leader who can inspire team members to achieve their full potential. People want to be guided by a person they respect; someone responsible and dependable and someone who has a clear sense of direction. More and more businesses are becoming international. Team members need to trust each other as well as trust each others expertise. They need to feel confident that the other members are doing their share, so that when the team finally pools their ideas together, a multifaceted solution results. Different countries have different cultures, ways of doing things and behaving. Leaders need to learn about these differences if they are to succeed. Being an effective team leader requires basic leadership skills. Leadership is becoming tougher and tougher and requires continued development. When times are especially tough, it is the purpose of the leader to cheer the team through it. It is the leaders job to remind the members of the team just what they are capable of getting done. The team leader is someone who provides guidance, instruction, direction, leadership to a group of other individuals for the purpose of achieving the team results. It is their job not only to ensure that the standards of their team are high and the tasks that have been assigned are being done, but also to ensure that the team spirit and morale of their team is kept. But good and effective team leader knowledgeable in managing conflict can result in benefits for a team. All leaders are not the same, but they share a common trait. They don’t lead in traditional â€Å"to-down† manner (Information. com). Tyrants can no longer effectively manage a diverse, highly-educated, flexible, and independent workforce. Business and team leadership in 21st is more a matter of influencing the culture within which work is done, in the pursuit of a shared goal. Inspiring teamwork is a skill that allows people the freedom to achieve new heights of accomplishment through effective use of the teams collective skills. In this way you allow people to fulfill their own destiny, their work becomes the vehicle that will allow them to achieve both their professional and their personal goals. A leader is not always the leader of a country or a ‘movement’. A leader can be in so many different walks of life, be it business, entertainment, sport, politics, charities etc. But, in whatever field, it seems there are these certain traits that characterize a good leader. True leadership is only developed by those who continually work and study to improve them. Even the so-called born leaders need to constantly work on self improvement.. Many of the studies of team leadership have employed a behavior oriented approach, derived from job analytic methods. In some of the earliest research on team leaders, McGrath (1962) outlined several functions the team leader should serve. Leaders perform a diagnostic function by monitoring team performance (and comparing it to accepted standards) and a remedial function by taking action to improve group performance. Leaders also perform a forecasting function by watching environmental conditions (and their potential effects on team performance) and a preventive function by attempting to avert the negative effects of a volatile environment. Zenger, Musselwhite, Hurson, and Perrin (1994) also took a functional approach to team leadership and used questionnaires, interviews, and focus groups to outline the practices and skills of successful team leaders. The team leader is typically a member of the team who provides guidance and support and has ultimate responsibility for the outcomes of the team. As such, the success of a team leader is often measured in terms of both the cohesiveness of the team as well as producing some tangible outcome. Interestingly, little systematic research has been conducted on the success factors underlying effective team leadership. In a separate article, â€Å"How to Be an Effective Team Leader† (Technology, 2004), it says that there are five characteristics of effective team leader (a) Coach, Don’t Demonstrate – demonstrating the task rather than to provide supportive direction, (b) Provide constructive criticism by communicating the good and the bad actions and providing clear suggestion to improve the assigned task, (c) Back off- show team members hey’ll get a fair chance to demonstrate what they can do without interference, (d) Try to be Positive – during hard time, regain team motivation by discussing with them what needs to be changed and listen to what they have to say, and lastly (e) Value your Group’s Ideas – consider each and every idea that your generate and encourage them to communicate their insights on a regular basis. Team Confl ict: Without a good team leader, the team could not function effectively and later on could lead to conflict between team members. The best way a good leader resolves conflicts is with communication, allowing everyone to express themselves, be open to criticism, and processes the ability to encourage compromise and negotiation. Conflict in teams is a significant contributor to poor performance, but seldom is it dealt with effectively. This section will help with a basic understanding of conflict and how to deal with it (Teambuilding. Inc, 2001-2007). Conflict. This is a word that causes most of us a great degree of discomfort, anger, frustration, sadness, and pain. Conflict arises from the clash of perceptions, goals, or values in an arena where people care about the outcome (Alessandra, 1993, p. 92). If the management of that conflict is not effective, it can totally disrupt the entire group process. The dictionary defines conflict as a struggle to resist or overcome; contest of opposing forces or powers; strife; battle. A state or condition of opposition; antagonism; discord. A painful tension set up by a cla sh between opposed and contradictory impulses. No matter how hard we try to avoid it, conflict periodically enters our lives. In the workplace, a simple disagreement between team members, if unresolved, may escalate into avoidance, inability to work together, verbal assaults, and resentment. In the worst cases, it may also lead to hostility and eventual separation from the organization. Many people and organizations view conflict as a negative, or something to be avoided. Yet conflict, differences, or disagreements are a natural result of people working together. Also, without conflict, teams can become complacent and not perform at optimum levels. The challenge then becomes, how should the team be prepared for this stage of their existence, and how should the team leader facilitate through it? (Cappozzoli (1995) and Alessandra (1993)) In some articles from the web, causes of conflict were itemized into eight possible causes. These are (a) perceived breach of faith and trust between individuals, (b) unresolved disagreement, (c) miscommunication leading to unclear expectation, (d) personal clashes, (e) differences in acquired values, (f) underlying stress and tension, (g) ego problem, and lastly (h) combination of the above (Teambuilding. Inc, 2001-2007). According to Cappozzoli (1995) and Alessandra (1993) some common sources of group conflict are: 1) values of team members, 2) attitudes of team members 3) goals / expectations – the processes and expected outcomes 4) roles and responsibilities of team members 5) limited resources 6) personalities 7) interdependency and 8) increased interaction (frequency). On the other hand, Thompson, Aranda and Robbins defined two types of conflict â€Å"A-Type; emotional† and†C-Type; cognitive†, Type-A, emotional conflict, involves interpersonal friction not related to the task and is considered harmful conflict, but Type C, task-oriented conflict, revolves around discussion and debates about the task itself, and can promote productivity. In our book (Langton, 2004), it was summarized into three variables communication, structures, and personal variables. It says that one of the sources of conflict is communication through semantic difficulties, misunderstandings, and â€Å"noise† in the communication channel. But communication is certainly not the source of all conflict. These are structures and personal variables as well. The structures includes the variables such as group size, degree of specialization in the task assigned to group members, jurisdictional clarity, member-goal compatibility, leadership styles, rewards systems, and degree of dependency between group. Personal variables, on the other hand, include the individual value system that each person has, and the personality characteristics that account for individual idiosyncrasies and difference (Langton, 2004, pp. 87-189). Other version of why conflict arises is coming from Stulburg (1987) Five-P’s of Conflict management :(a) Perceptions: People associate conflict with negative responses such as anger, fear, tension, and anxiety. Rarely do we perceive any benefits from being involved in a dispute. Our negative perceptions impact our approach in resolving conflict as we strive to eliminate the source of these negative feel ings. (b) Problems: Anyone can be involved in a conflict, and the amount of time, money, and equipment needed for resolution will vary according to its complexity. c) Processes: There are different ways to go about resolving disputes: Suppress the conflict, give in, fight, litigate, mediate, etc. (d). Principles: We determine the priorities of all resolution processes on the basis of an analysis of our fundamental values regarding efficiency, participation, fairness, compliance, etc. (e) Practices: Power, self-interest, and unique situations are all factors relating to why people resolve disputes the way they do. Stulberg proposed these patterns as an aid for formal mediators, but anyone dealing with conflict can benefit from understanding the elements common to disagreements. Furthermore, Conflict arises from the clash of perceptions, goals, or values in an arena where people care about the outcome (Alessandra, 1993, p. 92). If the management of that conflict is not effective, it can totally disrupt the entire group process. However the old saying that which does not kill us will make us stronger illustrates how successfully managed conflict can benefit the group. Conflict in work teams is not necessarily destructive. It can lead to new ideas and approaches to organizational processes, and increased interest in dealing with problems. Conflict, in this sense, can be considered positive, as it facilitates (a)the surfacing of important issues and provides opportunities for people to develop their communication and interpersonal skills, (b) motivating team to examine a problem they would have overlooked; (c) forcing them to re-examine a solution and be more innovative; and lastly (d) increasing team interest and energy, thus reinforcing solidarity and cohesiveness. On the other hand, conflict becomes negative when it is left to escalate to the point where people begin to feel defeated, and a combative climate of distrust and suspicion develops (A. F. Bowditch, 1997)Nelson (Nelson, 1995) cautions that negative conflict can (a) destroy a team quickly, and often arises from poor planning, (b) leading to crucial information being withheld and to work patterns being disrupted, (c) diverting team’s energy towards destructive ends, and (d) undermining their credibility in the eyes of outsiders and clients. Some high potential areas from which negative conflict issues commonly arise: (a) administrative issues, (b) people resources, (c) cost overruns, (d) schedules, and lastly (e) responsibilities. Team members can and should attempt to avoid negative conflict to occurring. With this information, negative conflict will therefore result to possible productivity and motivational loss to all employees. An effective charter covers areas such as the team’s purpose, goals, methods, resources, boundaries, commitments, and process checks. Properly constructed, it can provide a basis to work through the normal issues encountered by new teams and help them deal more effectively with the conflicts that are certain to arise (Thompson, Aranda, Robbins et al 253). In addition to the charter, the team should develop a good set of ground rules to guide the expectations for interaction of the group and the resolution of any conflict in the team. The ground rules should be clear and agreed upon everyone on the team. There are lots of more going on beneath the surface – with the organization, between and within teams and within individuals. The first step is to clarify the causes of the conflict. In other to identify these, some questions such as; Are there unclear accountabilities? Are there mismatched expectations? Are leaders clear at communicating what they expect? And have leaders provided the appropriate resources and sources to meet the expected organizational goal? should be considered. In ICRA Learning Resources(Fuente : Oomkes and Team, 1992) , it reviews the stages of conflict as (a) Nervousness – debate begins to get heated and opponents take different position, (b) Neurosis – views become fixed, opponents become the â€Å"enemy†. To â€Å"give in†at this stage means loss of face. Threats are made. ; and lastly (c) Combat- enemies becomes faceless, threats are often carried out, coalistion form, fighting may become physical. Conflict Resolution Nevertheless, if conflict arises, there are methods or key principles in resolving conflicts (a) take shared responsibility for the conflict, (b) recognize and appreciate differences among people, (c) preserve individual dignity, (d) listen carefully and with empathy, listen to understand, communicate, don’t debate, (e) be calm, don’t give in to emotional outburst or reactions, (f) vulnerability is the key to successful resolution, therefore open up and share your feeling, (g) don’t assume people are being difficult intentionally, (h) choose a safe place or person with whom you can vent and clarify the issue for yourself, (i) generate solutions and find agreement, and lastly, (j) follow up to assure resolution and modify as necessary (Conflict). Effectively managing conflict allows teams to stay focused on their goals. When it comes to teamwork, a persons ability to build relationships, work with others, and communicate effectively can be more important than his or her technical expertise (Dawson, 2005) Rayeski and Bryant (E. , 1994) recommended that we use Team Resolution process when conflict arises. Conflict should first be handled on an informal basis between the individual involved. This, they say, allow time for resolution or self-correction by the individual. But if this doesn’t solve the conflict, a mediator can be brought in to help resolve the situation. If resolution is not achieved the dispute should be openly discussed in a team meeting. A formal discipline process needs to occur, if resolution is not achieved after being addressed at the team level. The escalation process of the Team Resolution is as follows : a) collaboration –handling the new problem person to person(one on one)-Handle the new problem person-to-person. Use as many facts as possible and relate the issue to customer, team, or organizational needs. Be open and honest and conduct the session in a private setting. Document the concerns or issues, the dates, and the resolution, if any, and have both parties sign it. (b) mediation one on one with mediator, If collaboration did not work or was inappropriate, handle the problem with a mediator. The mediator must be trained in conflict resolution, understand policy and ethics, be trusted by the team, and have the ability to remain neutral. Gather facts and talk over the issue with the people involved. Bring up as many facts as possible and relate the issue to customer, team, or organizational needs. Be open and honest and conduct the mediation session in private. Document it and have all parties sign. A mediation is a process by which the conflicting sides call on a third party to help resolve their conflict. However, it is not the same as arbitration. Mediation can only occur if both parties are wiling to find a solution and if the mediator is respected by both of them. The role of mediator is then to make them aware of their shared interests. The conflicting parties keep control of the decision making process. c) team counselling handle the conflict at a team meeting; put the problem on the next agenda and invite the necessary individuals. The conflict is now a definite issue to the team. Collaboration and/or Mediation could not be done, were not appropriate, or did not work. Handle the conflict at a team meeting; put the problem on the next agenda and invite the necessary individuals. Again, bring up the facts, relate the issue to customer, team, or organizational needs. Be open and honest, discuss it in a private setting, document it, and have all parties sign it. Anyone on the team can put an issue or problem on the team agenda, however, this step should be used only after Collaboration, and Mediation has been ruled out. Another method approach to conflict management is Endelburgs 4 Rs Method as presented below: 1) Reasons- The causes or reasons for the conflict are explored and openly, yet respectfully discussed. 2) Reactions. Team members look at their own reactions to the conflict. If those reactions are destructive, rather than constructive, individuals can self-correct and take the necessary steps to recommit to team success. 3) Results. If the conflict is not resolved, what might happen? How might the team work together to resolve the conflict in a constructive manner? 4) Resolution. Which approach to conflict resolution could be used to effectively resolve the conflict? (Engleburg, 2003). On the other hand, ICRA Learning Resources also suggested Ways of Dealing with conflict: (a) Ignoring the conflict and living with consequences; (b) going into confrontation and fighting; (c) giving in, freely or under pressure; (d) negotiation –this is the best method when both parties stand to gain something, when both have some power and when they are interdependent; (e) calling in respected intermediaries as mediators; and lastly (f) referring to arbitration: this disempowers the team and may weaken it; always try to solve the conflict within the team first. Arbitration is done by an outside authority figure. They are called in to decide how conflict is to be solved. This is usually based on facts and the conflict parties’ rights. It is formal process. The conflicting parties relinquish all control on decision making process. This process is needed when some of the conflicting parties feel they stand to gain because of their rights concerning the issue and when other methods have failed. However, arbitration by outsiders have some disadvantages: (a) time may be wasted waiting for a suitable arbitration to become available; (b) someone form outside the team will only be concerned with the facts. They are not likely to know the deeper emotional factors, and lastly (c) communication can become strained within the team and members could take â€Å"side† which makes agreement difficult to reach. Leadership demands a delicate balance between sensitivity and authority, between the whole and the parts, between loose and tight leadership styles, between functional expertise and cross-functional excellence (width of knowledge), internal (creating value for organization and employees) and external (creating value for investors, customers, and society). † (Kotelnikov, 2008, p. 27) Understanding and appreciating the various viewpoints involved in conflict are key factors in its resolution. The best way a good leader resolves conflicts is with communication, allowing everyone to express themselves, be open to criticism, and processes the ability to encourage compromise and negotiation. Another way leadership skills are amplified is by the leader’s behaviour when problems arise and how conflict is handled. One minute the team leader may be a referee, the next minute, the role changes to coach, all in all, the group is looking for the leader to handle the conflict fairly. Maintaining the groups cohesiveness is an indirect reflection of the teams leader and conflicts can determine the effectiveness a leader has on the group. The ideal leader will â€Å"make people believe they have benefited from the conflict when â€Å"(1) a new solution is implemented, the problem is solved, and it is unlikely to emerge again, and (2) work relationships have been strengthened and people believe they can work together productively in the future. † (Bateman Snell, 2004, p. 443) Recommendation: Based on the above information, it is recommended that an effective leader is required to be a coach, provide a positive criticism, back off if necessary, try to be positive and values group ideas. An effective leader should also be able to be resolve and address conflicts within his team members. Not all conflicts are destructive, if resolved effectively it can lead to personal and professional growth. Team resolution process recommended by Rayeski and Bryant is a formal discipline process which an effective leader can use if resolution is not achieved after being addressed at the team level. Conclusion/ Remarks Leaders are people who write down goals and strive to achieve them. They understand the importance of goal setting and the example that they are teaching by doing this. We often hear the words â€Å"Great leaders are made, not born†. There are many well-educated and motivated people who lack the knowledge of how to lead people. You can test the effectiveness of a leader once conflict arises in his organization. An effective leader should be able to identify, manage, inspire and resolve the dispute to regain the stability of his organization. Thus, this is why leadership is a very challenging task. A good team leader should be able to articulate and communicate the team’s rules, goals and expected duties clearly and persuasively, while also being able to be diplomatic in the face of any conflict. By correctly positioning the individual member strengths and compensating for weaknesses, the leader can bring the team into a productive balance and harmony.