Hurt people Essay Example for Free

Hurt people Essay In this paper, the work of Dr. Sandra Wilson (2001) will be looked at from the perspective of obtaining a comprehensive personal theory of counseling. Wilson draws on many years of counseling experience and has developed a simple yet profound concept that hurt people, hurt people. In this theory, Wilson describes how a person is wounded early on in life and how those hurts translates into a continual wounded adult life if not properly addressed. The paper will give a brief summary of the Wilson’s theory, point out some strengths that this theory presents along with weaknesses. Lastly, this paper will draw on personal experience from the author that connects with the content of Wilson’s theory and makes appropriate applications for further counseling practice. ? WILSON CRITIQUE ! 3 Introduction Dr. Sandra Wilson (2001) presents a very helpful and unique theory for the Christian counselor in her book, Hurt People Hurt People. This theory critique paper will introduce, unlike other theories that have been discussed, the crucial role that temporal systems play in the development of a person’s health, illness, and personality (Slide Presentation, COUN 507 B08 LUO, Week 1, Slide 2). Wilson (2001) argues that hurts and wounds that originate in childhood are the primary driving force for why a person hurts other people later on in adulthood. Summary Wilson (2001) begins her theory on why hurt people hurt people by conveying that a person’s childhood, no matter how good or loving it was, experiences some type or level of hurt (Wilson, 2001). This exploration into the childhood stage of a person’s life shows that the messages a child receives during that stage can determine the trends of one’s actions in adulthood (Wilson 2001). In essence the sum of an adult’s hurtful actions can be explained by the choices that the child made in response to the hurtful environment in which they lived (Wilson, 2001, pg. 86). This cornerstone concept stems out of Wilson’s (2001) theory of why hurt people hurt people. Wilson (2001) describes three questions that children must not only answer but by which their answers lead to the choices they make in life. First a child is asking, â€Å"Can I be safe in the environment I am in and the predominate relationships around me? † Children will make choices in their daily lives to manage how to obtain a sense of stability and meet basic needs (Wilson, 2001, pg. 74). Next, children ask the question, â€Å"Can I convey and show my true self to WILSON CRITIQUE ! 4 those around me? † (Wilson, 2001, pg. 75). This boils down to the child’s identity and desire to know if their needs and emotions are able to be met through the expression of their true nature. Lastly, children ask, â€Å"Can I be accepted in a relationally by those around me? † In this question, children learn to accept themselves or not by the quality of the how their parents accept or don’t accept them for who they are. Wilson (2001) concludes that what is uniquely powerful in this dynamic is that children believe they are freely making their choices when in fact they have very little option in the process (Wilson, 2001, pg. 82). Wilson (2001) finds that where a child questions has dramatic and adult-changing effect due to a perception we have about God. Wilson states that children from a general sense think of God as an exaggerated parent? This perception of God as an exaggerated parent explains how the choices that children make based on the above stated questions that children ask have an effect in adult life. So for example, if a child is raised in a stable home and feels loved, accepted and able to be themselves, they will generally view God as someone who has the same inclination. Weaknesses and Strengths Wilson (2001) presents many strengths in her theory of hurt people, hurt people. One of the strengths is her ability to communicate the motivation for why individuals behave in hurtful ways to one another. She relates that the messages that children receive from their parents in good and bad instances are then acted upon to protect and defend safety, stability, and their sense of image. These choices which continue on into adulthood come out in an unhealthy way of WILSON CRITIQUE ! 5 relating to one other (Wilson, 2001). Wilson’s approach is centered on the past of the individual where a majority of these choices have their beginning. Another strength of Wilson is her ability to define the role of temporal systems in the development of personality. She makes a case that what we live through and how we change as result of the environment ultimately determines what we become, which can have positive or negative consequences (Wilson, 2001, pg. 86). Wilson creates a helpful map for understanding from a general perspective how someone might change from the temporal systems in which they live. By describing this particular map, Wilson helps the counselor and/or counselee trace their steps back to understand the origins of the choices made. At the end of the map, Wilson purposes that the family system, the schools system, or other cultural systems are potential reasons for what motivates hurtful behavior. One weakness to point out from Wilson’s theory is the fact she focus predominately on the past. Wilson does not look into other explanations for motivation other than centering her theory around the parent’s effect on the child. Though she does talk on a few points about the Lord’s role in how a person goes about changing in to a healthy adult  , the majority of Wilson’s synthesis for why someone may hurt others or take a defensive stance toward another person centers less on biblical principles and more on her year of experience in the counseling field. Though this can’t be considered a true hard and fast weakness, I would have expected her to undergird this prominent part of process with scriptural references. WILSON CRITIQUE ! 6 Personal Reflection I agree with Wilson’s theory of why hurt people hurt people, mainly because I personally relate. When I read her theory, and think of my own personal childhood, I can very much see where some of my own behaviors have come out of thoughts and choices I made to protect my own feelings and acceptance. As I look back at my own past relations with my dad and how that has dramatically effected me in some negative areas, I recall the main challenge that Wilson describes we have to face and overcome is our distorted view of God (Wilson, 2001, pg. 188). As I have thought through what my dad has communicated to me about who God is, I realize more and more how much more of a journey I have in knowing God truly. It would seem that one of the greatest tasks that we as counselors have is the stewardship of the truth of revealing who God is. If what Wilson has described is on point, and I think it is, then how we as counselors accurately and efficaciously communicate the truth of the person of God to hurting people is paramount to the transformation. One method that Wilson described in her book for helping counselees is how introducing new choices and consistently enacting those choices can produce change? Through the counseling process, I would want to identify what was the pathway or map for the distorted view of God and how that distorted view has shaped the actions of the person. I would then introduce the simple truth of what the counselee doesn’t know into the the realm of the known. Wilson makes a great point that the counselee wont know they can change until they know what they have chosen (Wilson, 2001, pg. 88). I think this can be a powerful tool in the tool belt of counseling because it is the power truth that will ultimately set the person free to heal from the wounds that they are experiencing.

Managing Change At Sainsburys In Todays Economy Management Essay

Managing Change At Sainsburys In Todays Economy Management Essay Today world business is changing rapidly cause of changing in environment, changing in customer demand, change in political and economic front. There is tight competition also affect change. Change also changing with respect of situation and demand of change. Change gives future vision and without change we cannot getting better opportunity. Change is intact in today world. Sainsburys is longest standing major food retailing chain in the United Kingdoms. Their supermarket offers 30,000 products, 50% of which are Sainsburys own brand. Sainsburys success depends in wide range of quality food and grocery products, many stores offers meat and fish counters, pharmacies, coffee shop, restaurant and gas stations. Sainsburys need change in HR training system. I observe that employee of Sainsburys get training normally in the store. I would like to change training system by developing centralise training system. In this assignment I explain background to change in Sainsburys than I develop a system that involves stack holder introduction of change. After that I discuss merits and demerits of system which is use for change in Sainsburys. I use appropriate models for change in Sainsburys and finally, I implement change through this model. Background to change affecting Sainsburys Background to change that exist in todays economy Change management is plan, initiate, realize, control, and finally stabilize change processes on both, corporate and personal level. Change may cover such diverse problems as for example strategic direction or personal development programs for staff. (Oliver Recklies, 2003) Internal forces Human resource problems and prospects This problem is stem from employee perception of how they are treated at work and the match between individual and Sainsburys need and desires. The relationship between employees unmet need and job dissatisfaction. Dissatisfaction is a symptom of an underlying employee problem that should be addressed. Unusual or high level of absenteeism and staff turnover also represent forces for change. Sainsburys might respond to these problems by reducing employees role conflict, overload and ambiguity and also by removing the different stressors. Positive change stem from employee participation and suggestions. Managerial Behaviour and decisions Excessive interpersonal conflict between managers and their subordinates is a sign that change is needed in Sainsburys. Both the manager and employee may need interpersonal skills training and the two individuals may simply need to be separated. For example, one of the parties might be transferred to a new department. Inappropriate behaviour shown by leaders, such as inadequate direction or support may require change in the response to these human resource problems. External forces There are four key external forces change demographic characteristics, technological advancements, market changes and social and political pressures. Demographic characteristics Demographic changes are occurring in the workforce of Sainsburys. Two key trends identified in this discussion were that: workforce is more diverse and there is a business imperative to manage diversity affectivity. They are to receive maximum contribution and commitment from employee. Technological Advancements Service organisation is increasingly using technology as a means to improve productivity and market competitiveness in Sainsburys. Companies, for instance, have automated their operation with computerised numerical control, which is used for mental cutting operations and computer aided design. Companies also use computer integrated services. This high technical process attempts to integrate product design with product design with product planning control and operations in Sainsburys. Centralise training system can develop by latest technology. Market change The emergence of a global economy is forcing Sainsburys to change the way they do business. For example, many Japanese companies have to discontinue their job for life philosophy because of increased international competition. To get competitive advantage Sainsburys can use centralise training system in department of HR. Social and Political Pressures These forces are created by social and political events in Sainsburys likewise harmful product selling give a lot of pressure to company. This pressure is being exerted through legislative bodies. Political event can create substantial change. Although, it is difficult for organisation like Sainsburys to predict changes in political forces, many organisation hire lobbyists and consultants to help them detect and response to social and political change. Bureaucracy in Sainsburys Bureaucracy is concerned with efficiency, with division of labour, with rigid chain of command, with clear distinctions and rationality. Job specialization Job specialization is the process to give particular task to the employee with limitation of performing activities. Strength Every employees of Sainsburys know their duty and area of contribution so all members of Sainsburys do specific tasks to achieve goal that given by company. This way employee gain specialisation in their job. It increases efficiency in work through repetition of job. Job specialization gives more and more expertise in work. Weakness To do repetitive work through employee can reduce overall productivity and it also prevents their knowledge and skill in Sainsburys. There is limitation to do work in employee choice. Employee got one part of skill rather than complete skill in organisation. Job specialization does not give training of all area of knowledge which reduces the confidence of employee to do other activities. Employment and career Strength It is necessary to appoint appropriate person to particular position in Sainsburys. Sainsburys have a wide range of learning and development available using variety of methods like workshops, activity and coaching training, workbooks at all. Sainsburys also recruit graduates because they need quick thinking innovators leading the business. Sainsburys offers promotion to the employee in the basis of their performance. Weakness Individuals throughout the Sainsburys are promoted to their level of incompetence and it can restrict the psychological growth of the individual in their job. Global changing environment directly effect on employment and career. Current economic situation shows that generation of new employment and career growth get harder. Rules and procedures Strength All employees know that what are Sainsburys rules and procedures which improve work efficiency. Strict rules on position qualifications and code of conduct, Sainsburys get proper information which is helps to achieve company objectives. Weakness With the help of rules give minimum level of acceptable performance in Sainsburys. Employee leads to individual and sub unit goals which replace Sainsbury objectives. It gives delay in work and employee cannot produce more productivity in work Alternative forms of organisational development Total Quality Management Quality is a difficult criterion to assess because it depends on the expectation of a product on services. Sainsburys may choose radically for qualities of their output apply Total quality management. TQM exist when the needs of the customers of Sainsburys may try to meet and communicate about these needs with its customer. Furthermore, all departments in Sainsbury need to aim for high quality, the back office departments included. Finally, quality is a continuous improvement project because quality can always be improved and it also depends on customer needs, which are frequently changing. TQM may be part of Sainsburys because TQM trough we can change in centralise training system. Kaizen Kaizen is Japanese export, and have been used worldwide. Sainsburys Membership is voluntary, and member are drawn from a particular department, No financial rewards are given for team suggestions, Members receive training in problem solving, statistical quality control and team processes, Their problem solving domain is defined by management, Meeting are held weekly, usually in company time, often with trained facilitators helping members with training issue and helping them to manage the meetings. Sainsburys may include quality improvement, quality enhancement and employee involvement. Kaizen may be part of Sainsburys, with the help of kaizen we can change centralise training system. Business Process re-engineering Sainsburys may report significant improvements in performance as a result of applying re-engineering methods. The fresh start, blank sheet approach ignores past history and current practice in favour of considering how best to structure of the Sainsburys and design work to meet the needs of todays business and customers. The process orientation also represents a departure from most traditional approaches to analysis Sainsburys. A process is simply a set of activities that delivers a product or a service to a customer. The customer of Sainsburys may be eventual user of the product or service, or it could be an internal customer the person or section responsible for the next set of activities in the overall process. BPR may be part of Sainsburys, we can use BPR to change centralise training system in Sainsburys. Learning organisation It is generally recognised that Sainsburys ability to learn is a key strategic weapon. They emphasised a range of activities that are all part of knowledge management. Learning is in its simplest form a process of retention of response patterns for subsequent use but it can also be active process of experimenting and understanding the reasons behind events. Sainsburys learning requires the institutionalisation and acceptance of knowledge spread again among the member through socialisation. Organisation needs tools for this institutionalisation process, such as communication channels, storage systems, knowledge sharing processes, storytelling at all. Sainsburys may one that proactively creates, acquires and transfer knowledge and that change its behaviour on the basis of new knowledge and insights. Learning organisation may be part of Sainsburys so we may change centralise training system with help of learning organisation in Sainsburys. System for involving other in process of change in the Sainsburys 2.1 system involve appropriate stake holders in the introduction of change A core element of the functioning of system is the interdependence between the component parts of a system. (Kelly, Ryan, Altman Stelzner, 2000) In this assignment I would like to change in HR training system and I would like to develop centralise training system in Sainsburys. To develop this system, I involve stakeholders like employee, customer, manager, line manager and management of Sainsburys. Advertisement Management give advertisement to aware about the change in centralise training system which can through employee, manager, line manager get centralise training. This centralise training will help to achieve company target and their own goal. Customers get benefit about services of Sainsburys. Advertisement is effective way to promote and get aware about change in centralise training system in Sainsburys. Employee, manager and line manager to make video add which can help to implement centralise training system in Sainsburys. Advertisement through employee, manager and line manager can aware about change in advertisement system. Print media Print media is very effective way to promote change in centralise training system. Quick turnover of newspaper is good medium to reach the customer. With magazine advertise can focus in on a specific target audience. Poster is more effective way of outdoor advertising. Employee, manager and line manager make printed paper of centralise training system change in Sainsburys. Customer can get detail printed paper. Print media through employee, manager and line manger look change in centralise system in Sainsburys. Training and development There are many problem also come forward when we introduce change so to introduce change in effective way training and development is require. Sainsburys all staff like employee, supervisor, line manager, manager need to require training to introduce change in centralise training system. Training gives more reliability toward change and it direct connected success of change. Training through employee knows benefits of change and how it directly affects the Sainsburys growth. Employee, supervisor, line manager and manager make centralise programme which help to introduce change in Sainsburys. Word of mouth The word of mouth marketing is most effective way to affect services business. Centralise training system in HR, this change involves employee, customer and manager. It is positive change in training system which gives credibility of the service. It can promote by employee can discuss about the new services of Sainsburys. It is the way to give common response from the target market. This is long term marketing method. It is more successful and cost effective selling tool. Word of mouth through employee, customer and manger hear or listen about centralise training system change in Sainsburys. Online Online marketing mainly possible uses the internet and World Wide Web. To introduce change in centralise training system company involve customer and all employee of Sainsburys. Customer and all employee make online report of change centralise training system in Sainsburys. Company use Sainsburys website to promote change in centralise training system. Sainsburys employee sends e-mail by their customer to inform new change in services. To use online classified advertisement through company reach to the people. Online through customer and all employee get online information about change in centralise training system. Meeting When employee, mangers, supervisor discuss the change in centralise training system in HR and try to find out effective way of change. It is only possible by organising meeting. Meeting through they can discuss the problems that arise to introduce change and how can we solve the problem and knows the different view about development of system. Meeting through employee can aware about change in centralise training system. Analyse and evaluate the system Advertisement Merits Advertisement helps to promote centralise training system of HR department in Sainsburys. Advertisement of change in HR system gives positive image to their customer, employee and manager. Advertisement through us can directly cover mass number of customers. Demerits Advertisement is expensive things because for advertisement need so many activities, planning and time in Sainsburys. If change is not properly promote than it gives negative feedback to all the stakeholders of Sainsburys. Print media Merits It has a general and wide appeal. It can be repeated as long as advertise desire. The effectiveness of advertisement can also be estimated. The life is such longer than life of a newspaper. The get up is more attractive and use of colours is possible. Advertisement is accessible to each class of the society. Because of large circulation, low cost advertising. Demerits It has a very short span of life. The use of colours is often not possible. Illiteracy is also affects the utility of newspaper advertising. Advance planning is necessary limited circulation of magazines. Repetitive advertising is not possible. Training and development Merits It will increased productivity and reduce employee turnover. It increased efficiency resulting in financial gains and decreased need of supervision. It will build a more efficient, effective and highly motivated team which enhance the companys competitive position and improve employee morale. It will give sense of satisfaction through the achievement of personal and Sainsburys goal. Demerits Training requires new investment, time, training programme, training place as well as trainee. Particularly in Training period, employee cannot work that who already was working for Sainsburys because they spend time on acquire training. Training and development directly effect on company financial. Word of mouth Merits Word of mouth is very important and long term marketing approach. It is also cost effective and time consuming. It gives more powerful effect to the customer and employee of Sainsburys. There is no need any kind of training and knowledge. Demerits Word of mouth sometime creates conflict between customer or employee and Sainsburys change. Word of mouth increase confusion about the change which does not provide evidence of change. It may give wrong perception of change in Sainsburys. Online Merits Online marketing is give visual and written detail of change in Sainsbury. It is time consuming and less expensive. It depends on online presentation of change in Sainsburys which give positive image to their customer, employee and manager. Demerits Online promotion through us cannot correlate all customer, employee and manager about change in Sainsburys. It only targets particular target group rather than all of them. Meeting Merits Meeting require discussion of change in Sainsburys with their employee, customer and managers. It is effective way to decrease problems as much and try to solve by meeting. Demerits It only focuses particular target group so we cannot get feedback of all to introduce change in Sainsburys. It require place to organise meeting and in meeting, cannot get clear feedback of change in Sainsburys. Implement model for ensuring on going change in Sainsburys appropriate models for change There are so many models available for change but Business process re-engineering and total quality management are more appropriate implementation model for HR training change in Sainsburys. Business process re-engineering When considering change, start with black sheet of paper and redesign from scratch. Second, advocate a process orientation to the analysis and redesign of centralise training system in Sainsburys. The fresh start, blank sheet approach ignores past history of training system and current practice in favour of considering how best structure of centralise training system in Sainsburys and design work to meet the needs of todays business and customers. BPR is not a context sensitive approach. The process orientation also represents a departure from most traditional approaches to organizational analysis. A process is simply a set of activities that delivers centralise training system to employee, manager and line manager. Employee may be the eventual user of centralise training system or it could be an internal customer the person or section responsible for the next set of activities in the overall process. This is potentially radical because it requires a horizontal analysis of work along an activities chain. A typical business process re-engineering project has four main stages: (1) Process mapping: draw a flow chart of centralise training activity sequence. (2) Identify moment of truth: decide which step are critical, add value and introduce errors. (3) Generate redesign proposals: streamline the process, avoiding duplication and overlap (4) Implementation: put the redesign into effect change in Sainsburys. Total quality management Total quality management means that the organisations culture is defined by and supports the attainment of customer satisfaction through an integrated system of tools, techniques and training. This involves the continuous improvement of organisational process, resulting in high quality product and services. To do it rights the first time to eliminate costly rework and listen to learn from customer and employees. Make continuous improvement and every day matter. Build teamwork, trust and mutual respect. Quality consultant Richard J. Schonberger sum up TQM as continuous, customer centred, employee driven improvement. TQM is necessarily employee driven because service quality cannot be continually improved without the active learning and participation of every employee. Thus, in successful quality improvement programmes, TQM principles are embedded in the organisations culture. Despite variations in the language and scope of TQM programmes, it is possible to identify four common TQM principles. Quality is a difficult criterion to assess because it depends on the expectation of a product or service. Organisations who choose radically for quality of their output apply Total Quality Management. TQM exists when the needs of customers of the organisation are heard and the organisation tries to meet and communicate about these needs with its customers. Furthermore, all departments in the organisation need to aim for high quality, the back office department included. Finally, quality is a continuous improvement project because quality can always be improved and it also depends on customer needs, which are frequently changing. implementation process and outcomes Unfreezing Sainsburys run training and development of LGV1 driver, warehouse shift manger, team manager and warehouse operation individually. There is no centralise training programme for employee so Sainsburys get difference in productivity. Sainsburys identify this problem and they do planning to introduce centralise training system with help of developing perfect training programme with the help of employee, line manager, manager and management. Sainsburys can use Business Process Re-engineering model for change in training system. Sainsburys can use special trainer to give training and with the all equipment which is necessary for training. Moving Sainsburys ready to implement centralise training system for employee. This centralise training system improve productivity of employee. Sainsburys can open centralise training different store so employee cannot get problem to take centralise training in Sainsburys. Sainsburys can make live atmosphere in centralise training place so employee can enjoy training. Centralise training through company get more efficient staff. Freezing Sainsburys implemented centralise training system after that Sainsbury can get feedback from the employee, manger, line manager and supervisor. Sainsburys gather review of centralise training system. If is there any problem or treat remain, Sainsburys can implement problem by identify solution. When Centralise training system is resolving the entire problem than centralise training system runs perfectly in Sainsburys. Sainsburys try to consolidate this centralise training programme. Outcomes Centralise training system give same quality of training to every employee in Sainsburys. Centralise training system will help to increase productivity in Sainsburys. Centralise training through get motivation in work. Employees of Sainsburys get confidence in job and do their best in job. It helps to improve managerial and leadership quality in Sainsburys. It will reduce conflict and problem of employee, manager, line manager, and supervisor in working environment. Sainsburys may achieve high quality organisation in the UK by using centralise training system. Conclusion Sainsburys is the larger retailer in UK. Sainsburys need to give better customer services in UK. It can be possible by better training programme and Sainsburys can use centralise training programme through every employee can get same training in Sainsburys. It will directly affect Company performance and productivity. With the help of centralise training system employee can get motived and employee best work can come out through training. Sainsburys knows to get better satisfaction in customer service can possible with the help of centralise training system. Centralise training system boost more confidence in employee.

Cultural Diversity in the Workplace | Literature Review

Cultural Diversity in the Workplace | Literature Review In todays increasingly globalized world, the phrase diversity in the workplace tends to pop up everywhere. The main reason being that modern technological advances in transportation have shrunk the globe to such an extent that it is no longer a problem to move to any part of the world be it for entertainment, studies and especially work. This paper explicitly focuses on literature that relates to cultural diversity in an organization and its implications on employee performance and the performance of a corporation as a whole. It will also take a look at cultural diversity from either side of the mirror, that is, the positive as well as the negative aspects and how to manage such an employee base. Please also note that, while there has been some debate on whether race and culture should be thought as the same thing, this paper regards them as inter-usable so as to avoid confusion. So what exactly is cultural diversity? It has been described as the composition of work units (work group, organization, occupation, establishment or firm) in terms of the cultural or demographic characteristics that are salient and symbolically meaningful in the relationships among group members (DiTomaso, Post, Parks-Yancy, 2007) .The time has gone by when you expect an employee from a different cultural background to just blend in and start producing results (Amaram, 2007). Organizations have realized that a multi-cultural workforce can prove to be a great asset especially if the business is to be expanded to international markets. So the focus has somewhat shifted to come up with strategies to handle such an employee base and how to sustain that program. In his assessment of the value of a multi-cultural workforce, (Konrad, 2003) states three reasons why companies are changing their attitudes and strategies regarding recruitment of employees with different backgrounds. Firstly, the best talent is not always local; you need to look globally to recruit the best minds in the business. Secondly, he talks about market share, that is, a culturally diverse workforce can better cater to an increasingly diverse customer base, hence increased market share. The insight that a local can provide into the workings of the local market and also of the mindset of the local consumer is invaluable. Finally, he states that each culturally different individual brings with him something different to the table, and when you combine all these different attributes, it results in making the organization more competitive. In a non-business related argument, (Jayne Dipboye, 2004) suggest that increasing workforce diversity is the ethically right thing to do an d also that it is a better way to address race and gender issues. This argument may seem insignificant considering that the current competitive environment means companies care more about capital than the right thing to do. But (Amaram, 2007) brings up a very interesting argument about why corporations are moving to diversity programs. In addition to ethical and social responsibilities, he says that these programs have become necessary to avoid legal problems namely due to civil rights laws. Furthermore he states that to gain competitive advantage corporations have been forced to bring forward new strategies to bring out the best from a diverse workgroup and avoid conflicts. Even at the Govt. level it has been realized that effectively managing cultural diversity is vital to economic success. One example is the Australia Govt. policy, where diversity management is governed by a state policy namely, Productive Diversity. The aim of this policy is to make full use of the experiences and skills of people raised overseas, therefore gaining priceless Intel on international markets. (Leveson, Joiner, Bakalis, 2009) However what has been discussed above is based on theories and rhetoric. Is there any solid evidence that cultural diversity leads to a prosperous organization? The answer is a big maybe. Countless research and studies have looked at this issue from many different angles, each with their own differing conclusions. After reviewing various researches on this issue Jayne Dipboye (2004) came up with four conclusions regarding the relationship between cultural diversity and organizational performance. Increased diversity does not necessarily improve the talent pool Increased diversity does not necessarily build commitment, improve motivation, and reduce conflict Increased group-level diversity does not necessarily lead to higher group performance. Diversity does not necessarily improve organizational performance A study (Choi Rainey, 2009) suggests that it all comes down to the type of diversity i-e race, gender, religion etc. The findings were consistent with previous research (Milliken and Martins, 1996; Williams and OReilly, 1998) that suggest that racial diversity is inversely proportional to organizational performance due to less cohesion within the group and more conflict. It should be noted however that this study was specifically based on US federal agencies so it cannot be considered to represent the global business environment trend or even the national business environment of the US as a whole. Various other studies on the subject matter provide some very interesting results. McMahon (2010) in her article surveys the more recent studies on diversity. Here I would like to talk about two of them. First, (Richard, 2000) carried out a research on the US banking industry. He chose 63 banks from 3 states based on 3 different factors: California (high racial diversity), Kentucky (low racial diversity) and North Carolina (financial wealth). The study showed that there was no direct relationship between diversity and performance instead it depended more on the firms business strategies. When the strategy was more focused on growth there was a positive relation between diversity and performance but the result was opposite when the strategy shifted towards downsizing. Again, the above study, even though regarded as valuable information, only included the US banking industry so it cannot be said to depict the complete picture, (Richard, Murthi, Ismail, 2007) therefore widened the scope to other industries and studied the relationship between racial diversity and intermediate as well as long term firm performance and the role that environmental context plays in this. The results showed that at high as well as low levels of racial diversity, there was a curvilinear positive relation between racial diversity and intermediate firm performance. The result also showed a positive correlation between racial diversity and long term firm performance. But these results were dependent on the type of industry and environmental stability, meaning that the U-shaped relationship between racial diversity and firm performance would be weaker in unstable environments compared to a stable one. Till now I have reviewed how cultural diversity affects businesses and also related the theoretical assumptions to actual studies done on this very important issue. In the next portion I will try to review literature that primarily focuses on the best practices for managing diversity. Effective management of diversity is based on recognition of commonalities and awareness of differences (McMahon, 2010). Managing cultural diversity involves identifying the best practices. A best practice is a technique, method, process, activity, incentive, or reward that is believed to be more effective at delivering a particular outcome than any other technique, method, process, etc. when applied to a particular condition or circumstance (Wikipedia, 2010). So what are these best practices that I referred to? Amaram (2007) gives a few suggestions about them. He gives particular importance to diversity training programs, giving managers diversity related goals and making sure they are met and finally, giving respect to people of all races, that is, making room for religious holidays, diet preferences etc., because sometimes its the little things that matter the most. Jayne Dipboye (2004) suggest conducting a thorough needs assessment so that the diversity initiatives are tailored to the situation. Another suggestion is to develop a strategy keeping in mind the environmental context of the organization thereby echoing the results of the research carried out by Richard, Murthi and Ismail (2007). One more point that they touched in their paper was the need for inventing a system to evaluate the effects of diversity management strategies developed by organizations so that new and improved strategies can evolve by learning the mistakes from previous ones. CONCLUSION The increasingly diverse workplace is consistently posing newer challenges for an organization. Therefore there is a need for organizations to realize the importance of devising diversity management strategies. These strategies require thorough planning and looking at all aspects as well as the resulting consequences that will arise from a particular strategy because a good strategy can do wonders for an organization. At the same time these strategies could backfire if there is a lack of planning or research before implementation. After reviewing the above mentioned literature, one can see that cultural diversity is a complex phenomenon. Its role in improving organizational performance depends on various factors, for example, the environmental context, the type of industry, organizational strategies, etc. Furthermore cultural diversity alone does not guarantee immediate, tangible improvements in organizational, group, or individual performance. Nevertheless, achieving a culturally di verse workforce and effectively managing this workforce can yield huge benefits. Audi And Lamborghini: Analysis Audi And Lamborghini: Analysis The study aims at understanding the Companys position in relations to its competitors, as well as working to identify a firms core competencies and other competitively distinct company resources. Also analyze the profits the firm is generating from various product lines and customer accounts. Also a study of competitive strategy to analyze the industry context in which the firm operates. These include Porters five forces, SWOT analysis, analysis of strategic groups of competitors and others. Depending on the industry, the regulatory context is also examined in detail. In Competitor analysis, profiles of each competitor in the market, focusing especially on their relative competitive strengths and weaknesses using SWOT analysis is done using the benchmarking which also includes examining competitors Product differentiation, Present Sales, Future Sales, Marketing and Promotion Strategies, Technologies and other key factors. Introduction Audi AG is a German manufacturer of automobiles marketed under the Audi brand. The company name is based on the surname of the founder August Horch, the name itself an English cognate with the English word hark, meaning listen which, when translated into Latin, becomes Audi.(Wiki 2010) The Audi Group with the two brands Audi and Lamborghini is one of the worlds most successful car manufacturers in the premium segment. Sporty, sophisticated and progressive the premium vehicles from the Audi brand Customers are delighted by Audis technological innovations, pioneering, and design and build quality. The companys main aim is to satisfy the customer by providing world class technology, designs, safety and comfort. Sales of Audi vehicles by region 2009 Share in percent Germany 228,844 24.1% Europe without Germany 390,010 41.1% China (incl. Hong Kong) 158,941 16.7% USA 82,716 8.7% Other 89,218 9.4% Summary 949,729 100.0% Audi AG today Volkswagen AG is the largest shareholder of Audi AG which holds over 99 percent of the share capital. (Viknesh 2006) Audis saw a dramatic growth since 2000s, by delivering 653000 to 1003000 in 2008. The sales increase came globally specially 19.3% from Eastern Europe, 17.2% from Africa, 58.5% from Middle East with China coming into action in 2009 with a numerous increase to 108000 vehicles. Audi Vision Audi is a manufacturer of exquisite cars beautiful, sophisticated machines that embody technological perfection. Our success is built on our core values of creativity, commitment and enthusiasm, and keeping our customers desires at the heart of everything we do. We strive to lead the way through constant innovation, setting new standards that define Vorsprung durch Technik.(Anon, 2008) Mission: To delight customers worldwide This is companys core strategy for the year 2020 and therefore mission statement: We delight customers worldwide. Audi defines the delight in terms of not only its customers innovativeness but also its emotional products which turn out to be highly efficient models providing an unmistakable experience that are particularly noted for the familiar attributes of sophistication and reliability. Investor Relations Corporate strategy Audi: the number one premium brand Keeping in mind the future availability of the natural resources, Audi has kept in mind its future mission and vision of being a premium brand by actually reinforcing the emotional pull and continuing to delight the customers in long term. (Investor Relations 2010) Present Financials Performance Audi starts New Year with big results surge Audi achieves a new sales record of 360,760 deliveries in the January to April period First-quarter operating profit up more than 30 percent to à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬478 million Audi has made a successful start to the 2010 fiscal year. The Ingolstadt-based carmaker sold 360,760 units in the first four months of the year a new record for the Company making very good progress with full throttle. Audi also achieved a double digit growth in all of its sales regions all over the world in the first quarter of the year with unit sales up by 23.7% on comparative period last year. (Quarterly Report, 2010) Future Plans for 2010 After being interrupted by the global crisis in recent years Audi is trying to get back to increase their deliveries by double along with the aim to increase to the operating profit more than that of the revenue and continuing to pursue its goal of becoming the most successful premium brand. In addition to the efforts made to achieve the long-term goals Audi has planned 12 launchings which are very interesting for the customers which includes a mix of performance, luxury, environment friendly and hybrids Situation Analysis Macro Environment PESTEL framework for Audi Political Scrappage scheme for cars 10 years older (United Kingdom) A government funded voluntary scheme in which the cars older than 10 years could be traded for a new vehicle and a discount of  £2000 is given on the new vehicle purchased. Emissions target of 130gm/km CO2 All car manufacturers are required to meet an average of CO2 emissions of 130gm/km by 2015 across all their products as a standard.( Alan 2009) Economical Cost of oil likely to go up, which may in turn have an effect on consumer buying behaviour. UK still trying to come out of recession, July- September 09 Economic Report shows a fall of 0.4% in GDP. (BBC News) Lowest interest rates in years, 0.5% set by Bank of England, affects consumer savings since March 2009.(Bank of England) Social Estimated UK population of 70 million by 2029. Population shift to an increasing older generation. People have a more active lifestyle, related to improved life expectancy. Technology Constantly Changing Environment Turbo Technology This impressive technology marks a departure from the noisy, thirsty diesel engines of the past. The TDI diesel engine delivers power, performance, low fuel consumption and reduced CO2 emissions. (Audi 2010) Recuperation While decelerating, the energy created is lost. Brake energy recuperation recycles this energy to lighten the load on your engine. It can reduce fuel consumption by up to 3% and CO2 emissions. (Audi 2010) Aerodynamics Aerodynamic performance plays a vital role in reducing fuel consumption. Streamlined for efficiency, the cars produce less air resistance, improved handling, better stability and lower CO2 emissions. (Audi 2010) S-tronic The revolutionary S-tronic transmission combines the agility and responsiveness of a manual gearbox with the convenience and smooth, uninterrupted power of an automatic. Fewer revs per minute and shorter gear changes mean greater fuel efficiency and lower CO2 emissions. (Audi 2010) Strong Research and Development culture and facilities with high expenditure. Lack of natural resources hence moved to hybrid cars. Global shift to cut CO2 emissions, Kyoto Agreement to work towards reduce green House gases. More Greener lifestyle now. Legal Health and safety, Euro NCAP safety test on all cars. Road Tax brackets Insurance Groups Micro Analysis SWOT Analysis Strengths Diverse ranges of Products Audi and Lamborghini Great Cash Flow Position Increase turnover and trading profits Sound Balance Sheet Leading quality manufacturers Brand Awareness Human resources Abilities to turn resources into advantages Audi boosted quality more than any other carmaker in the past five years, cutting defects by 60% Weaknesses Perception of High Prices Frequency of the interest of the customer may deteriorate Pollution: A major issue for the environment Knowledge of the purchaser with sophistication Alternate products and technology Opportunities New products with better technology Globalisation Innovation Alliances Change of customers preference to cheap and comfortable cars Diversification New horizons in Technologies Threats Old and New competition Fluctuations in Price of Fuel New rules and laws Result of the oil crisis Economic recession Market shift to globalisation Extremely high competition for customers and resources Porter Five Forces Model Porter explains that there are five forces inherent in a market, which will jointly determine the intensity of competition and profitability of Audi and the automobile industry. The five forces analysis gives an improved understanding of the frequency of competition within the business area. The analysis shows that the industry is highly competitive, with buyers having a very powerful influence to the massive number of alternate brands available to them. Bargaining Power of Customers Looking at the current situation when UK is trying to get out of the recession and the economy is also becoming stable, the buying power of the individuals will also increase and thereof the consumers will also look upon the various alternatives available in the market along with good bargains. Therefore the buying power force is gradually getting stronger. Bargaining Power of Suppliers This force is strong for both Audi and the entire automobile industry which possess a massive amount of substitute suppliers therefore use the aggressive pricing strategy. This results in a very strong competition in the industry. This is a result of very lesser degree of differentiation in the product offered. Finally the threats from the suppliers power to bargain which is fairly very low in the automobile industry because of multiple sourcing strategies and use of alternative supply sources for the spares and parts. Degree of Rivalry The degree of rivalry is the main point of concern for the company now as all the major competitors (BMW, Mercedes) are doing all their possible bits in terms of new product development, advanced technology, better services and providing wider choices etc. to bring customers under their umbrella. Threat of Substitutes There are a number of models of many brands like Mercedes Benz, Jaguar and BMW which can result in a little threat but they dont possess a great degree of threat as such because it depends on the relation of price-performance of the product. And an AUDI is a name for the people who love technology with luxury. Also changing to a substitute is possible if the substitution cost is low and that is not a valid factor here. Therefore a frequency of threats from the substitutes is low. Threat of New Entrants For the new entrants, the customer loyalty is a very important factor to be considered because it is very difficult to convince the customers in this era even if you possess a better than the best peoples product. But also the entry of the one who manufactures cheap cars does pose a significant threat. So, the frequency of the threat from new entrants is on a very lower scale. Competitive Advantage Audis competitive advantage is in their engineering of building their engines. They are able to fetch maximum power out of the minimum resources along with great fuel efficiency. A V6 engine is available, but 9 out of 10 buyers choose the 211 horsepower turbocharged 2.0 liter 4-cylinder, and thats the A4s competitive advantage. The Audi is the only German luxury sedan available with a 4-pot motor. While a smaller engine may not be a traditional selling point for a sports sedan, the A4 pulls off the inconceivable combination of being the most fuel efficient and quickest entry-level model of the bunch.(Anon, 2009) Benchmarking Benchmarking is the process of comparing ones business processes and performance metrics to industry bests and/or best practices from other industries. Dimensions typically measured are quality, time, and cost. Improvements from learning mean doing things better, faster, and cheaper. Benchmarking involves management identifying the best firms in their industry, or any other industry where similar processes exist, and comparing the results and processes of those studied (the targets) to ones own results and processes to learn how well the targets perform and, more importantly, how they do it. Benchmarking allows organizations to develop plans on how to make improvements or adapt specific best practices, usually with the aim of increasing some aspect of performance. Benchmarking may be a one-off event, but is often treated as a continuous process in which organizations continually seek to improve their practices.(Anon 2008) Benchmarking Criteria: Sales between Audi, Mercedes and BMW in U.S markets BMW sold 109,043 vehicle in North America may which was better than that of the previous but still lagged a 27% when compared to the last year. The sales decrease of a -18.3% gave them a fair chance to stand better in the second half of the year. Top Seller Position of Luxury Vehicles Company May 2008 Numbers Percentage Year-To-Date Percentage BMW 90,643 -18.1% 408,370 -20.9% MINI 18,348 -19.1% 79,260 -22.6% Rolls-Royce 51 -53.6% 276 -27.6% BMW Group 109,042 -18.3% 487,906 -21.1% Mercedes-Benz 86,300 -12.1% 383,000 -22.3% Smart 11,000 -14.9% 50,100 -9.9% MB Cars 97,300 -12.4% 433,100 -21.1% Audi AG 82,800 -6.1% 374,750 -12.1% BMW as a brand was down by 18.1% in May by selling 90,643 vehicles which further decreased to 20.9% to 408,370 vehicles. In Germany, Mercedes-Benz increased sales by 11% and sold 25,600 with furthermore sales boosts on models such as A-class, B-class and C-class which in turn helped Mercedes-Benz in gaining western European Market Share namely Spain, France and UK. Another sales boost of 59% was seen in China where Mercedes Benz grew fastest than to Brazil where it was 39% and Canada 17%. Whereas Audis sales were down by just 6.1% from the previous results and 12.1 from January to May 2008 which was 426,194. In Western Europe, the brand further reduced the gap to last years record result by giving just a -10.9% which was 52,650 vehicles in May. Also, they sold about 243,250 vehicles with a -14.6% which was 284,656 vehicles. Despite generally shrinking markets, Audi was able to sell more vehicles Europe namely Italy with a 7.1% increase, Belgium with a 7.3%, Switzerland with a 7.6% which resulted in the brands premium market share by 3.9%. Audi also increased their market share in US by 2% to attain 8.8% share in the High Import Group by posting a small decline of 12.1% to 7,503 vehicles. In the Asia-Pacific region, Audi achieved strong growth of 24.1% by selling 15,650 vehicles which further went up by 5.4% more. In China also sales in May rose by 27.8% in the consecutive month which was earlier up by 6.8% resulting in Audi confirming its position in the global market in the Australia and South Korea. (Global Sales 2009) Growth strategy Audis Growth Strategy Outlined Auto Shows Intensive hard work in key metropolitan areas Strong Dealer network Increasing the number of successful dealers who can sell 2000 cars annually. With a strong dealer network, a capable organization, and with excellent products in the future, AUDI will grow. It has ambitious plans in terms of the product portfolio, and further more interesting launchings.(Stadler 2010) Additional Capacity Plant Decision in view of US markets BMW- Have a manufacturing plant in US Mercedes- Have a manufacturing plant in US Audi- planning to set up a plant in states but keeping everything in mind, the hedging effect in taking the engine and its parts from Europe to America and on the contrary taking a large number of manufactured parts from America to Europe and then paying a 10% tariff is of no use. So, AUDI has to think strategically on this issue, not that it is taking its hands out but has to consider a lot many factor than one can image before setting up a plant in America, no wonder American has a large growing market and huge potential. Basis BMW AUDI MERCEDES Growth Strategy Identifying potential growth. Recognising where our strengths lie Make the best use of every opportunity. Following a clear strategy Intensive hard work in key metropolitan areas Strong Dealer network Capable organization, Excellent products in the future, More product portfolio and launchings premium price to our competitors To offer customers the best value To keep the incentives to a minimum, To reduce incentives further by focusing on attractive vehicles and customer service Analysis of Growth Strategies BMW is following a very straight growth strategy where they work in the direction where they have faith in themselves to do it best, they do the best of whatever they start, utilize all the resources possible which is their strengths without leaving their roots. Audi follows a growth strategy by increasing their product portfolios, management capabilities, ambitious plans and distribution network so that they can cater to the larger markets as well as groups by increasing their dealer networks. Mercedes has all the more different perspective on their growth strategy where they aim at being the most premium and luxurious brands out of the three and aim to sell cars at their own premium prices and focus on the consumer by providing incentives in the form of an extra-ordinary customer service which they think is their unique selling proposition. Audi can do a blend of their competitors strategies and give their future an excellent shape because all the three companies have different approaches towards their future which makes them different from one another. By doing this AUDI can improve on a wide perspective be it their production, technology, distribution, management or their human resource or even the customer groups. Forecasted Sales in 2020(based on CAGR) Assuming the American market, a large market for the Bimmers and the Mercs remains bad and Audi continues to perform well since. Audi have fairly good chances to overpower Mercedes by 2010. Looking at the CAGR, its pretty sure that Audi will be selling more cars in 3-4 years if everything goes the way it is. Looking at the previous figures it seems that Audi will pass on BMW as well by 2014, but practically speaking it should be around 2016 if it may happen. In the year 2008, Audi had a luxury market share of 9 in the world which was achieved without any incentives when the competitors cars were resting in the lots. It is one thing which the others are not doing or are not being able to do which is Innovation which started from Quattro to FSI to TDI, they have been very smart as to where to spend money intelligently in the racing and then bring them to the live world cars which would mark the growth of technology. Basis BMW AUDI MERCEDES Sales in 2020(in CAGR) Growing fluently with a CAGR of 4.1 percent for last 4 years. Audi is even quicker to achieve this at the CAGR of 6.51% in the last 4 years Its been a stand still for the Mercedes with (combined annual growth rate) of 1.4% in the last 4 years Technology Basis BMW Audi Mercedes Technology Efficient Dynamics Hydrogen 7 Dynamic Drive Clean Energy Night Vision- Infrared Vision at night Valvetronics xDrive Dynamic Stability Control(DSC) Quattro Asymmetric/dynamic torque distribution Recuperation- charging the batteries with the brake force energy Audi Space Frame TFSI engines were the first to combine petrol direct injection and turbo charging to provide greater power with reduced fuel consumption DIS with Gear Shift technology International standard ISO 14062 Design for Environment Use of water-based paints with less than 10% solvent and the use of solar energy to heat industrial water BlueEFFICIENCY ECO start-stop function F-Cell Hybrid Technology Analysis of technology BMW with a wide variety of technologies namely Efficient Dynamics, Hydrogen-7 work on the performance of the car in view of the environment with many useful cosmetic technologies that work in the interior of the car and its drivability with a very unique safety feature such as Infrared Vision at night. Audi on the other hand works on its Quattro technology which makes the car the best thing to drive in any road condition with its complete traction, safety features such as an extra-ordinary Space Frame which is Audi trademark and tested in a wind tunnel at their testing research and development centre along with other technologies for making a fuel efficient vehicle keeping environment in mind. Mercedes has made a little more effort than the AUDI or BMW by reaching the International Standards ISO-14062 for the design of environment by which they take care of all the products used in making their cars till the final disposal of them. Also working towards state of the art F-Cell Hybrid concept technology which can make a vehicle spit zero emissions. Looking at a wide perspective, all the three majors are doing their best to cope up to the changes in the environment and also provide more and more innovations whether its performance, safety driveability or joy. Keeping everything in mind they are laying their growth strategies. Advertising with analysis BMW AUDI Mercedes Advertising Marketing This article is an analysis of BMWs current global promotional strategy which places huge emphasis on Joy. For very many years, BMW branding centred on Drive, and the manufacturer proudly promoted itself as the Ultimate Driving Machine. This tagline became synonymous with BMW, but in 2008 it began to shift its emphasis on to Joy. We are a car company, but we dont just make cars. We, we make joy Thats the story we want to tell the World now. This Audi ad from across the pond stops short of dancing around and singing Audis rule, BMWs drool, but only just. The reason for the gloating, so the ad says, is Audis run of three straight victories over BMW in comparison tests in American car magazine Car and Driver. Wed love it if there was something similar over here.. But what we really cant wait for is BMWs response will it remain aloof and keep a dignified silence, or take the bait and slag Audi off in response. Mercedes Benz understands that its customers are not simply buying a car to get from point A to point B, so before they actually sell a car they must first sell an idea about that car. Mercedes Benz sells their ideas through promotion and advertising. Mercedes Benz wants to change the perception of their brand at the personal level and reposition their brand so that they are more appealing to young professional men of all ethnicities. Secondly, Mercedes Benz is communicating to its target market the idea that they are a more approachable, personal, fun, and energetic brand. Unique selling Proposition or Differentiation Basis BMW AUDI Mercedes .Unique Selling Proposition or Differentiation BMW is able to distinguish its self from its competition because it is more then just a luxury car. It has met the demands of customers craving luxury while also offering versatility to customers. An Audi feeling that communicates convenience and comfort to the driver. In view of the high quality claimed for Audi models, everything has to match: the shape of the door handles, the sound of the doors closing, the hand wheel for adjusting the back restraints, the indicator lever or the surface quality of the gear lever knob. Mercedes Benz differentiation once centred on the safety, luxury, and precision engineering of its cars, but due to increase competition in the luxury car industry and changing consumer attitudes about the Mercedes Benz brand, that strategy has changed. Now their strategy is more life style oriented and is focused more on presenting the more fun loving, approachable, and energetic side of Mercedes Benz.

Racism, Sexism, and Stereotypes In Media Essay -- Media Essays

This essay discusses censorship and the way in which social media and consumer products affect and model an appropriate societal ‘literacy’ or view in particular regards to gender and race, to young children. A summary of the stereotypes displayed in several videos viewed on YouTube, as well as student’s own identified stereotypes, both in regards to race and gender, are displayed below (Alexander, 2011; BrokenXLoner, 2012; Lac, 2013; Walt Disney Pictures, 1998, 1994, 1992, 1967, 1955, 1953, 1941): Examples of ‘Frequent Racial Stereotypes’ Displayed in Popular Culture African American (examples: Disney crows, orang-utans in Jungle Book, The Lion King hyenas) American Indians (example: American Indians from Peter Pan) †¢ Athletic, often dancing – jive, hip-hop, break dancing, hustle, †¢ Slowed, slurred speech patterns †¢ Jungle Book – orang-utans singing about wanting to be like men †¢ Underdog – has to work hard to get somewhere, ‘sidekick role’ †¢ Criminal – ‘hood’, guns, gangs, ‘crooked/shonky’, poor †¢ Player - sexualise females in particular †¢ Loud, opinionated women who boss around their men †¢ Comedians – loud, funny †¢ Depicted as saying ‘woo woo woo’ whilst clapping hand over mouth, and saying ‘ugg’ †¢ Teepees †¢ Dancing – jumping and kicking with arms crossed without much knowledge or sequence to their movements Asian (examples: Siamese Cats ‘Lady and The Tramp’, Mulan) Caucasian †¢ ‘Asian Features’ – slanted eyes, buck teeth †¢ Cunning and manipulative †¢ Seen as sexist and oppressive societies – girls have no value if they are not married, women should obey orders from men †¢ Intelligent †¢ Fighting/tough †¢ Women can be sexualised and fragile †¢ Tough parental expectations †¢ Rich †¢ Preppy †¢ Dumb †¢ Blon... ...The Lion King [Motion Picture]. USA: Walt Disney Pictures. Walt Disney Pictures (Production Co.), & Clements, R. & Musker, J. (Directors). (1992). Aladdin [Motion Picture]. USA: Walt Disney Pictures. Walt Disney Pictures (Production Co.), & Reitherman, W. (Director). (1967). The Jungle Book [Motion Picture]. USA: Walt Disney Pictures. Walt Disney Pictures (Production Co.), & Geronimi, C., Jackson, W. & Luske, H. (Directors). (1955). The Lady and The Tramp [Motion Picture]. USA: Walt Disney Pictures. Walt Disney Pictures (Production Co.), & Geronimi, C., Jackson, W. & Luske, H. (Directors). (1953). Peter Pan [Motion Picture]. USA: Walt Disney Pictures. Walt Disney Pictures (Production Co.), & Armstrong, S., Ferguson, N., Jackson, W., Kinney, J., Roberts, B., Sharpsteen, B. (Directors). (1941). Dumbo [Motion Picture]. USA: Walt Disney Pictures.

Mexico City Essay example -- History Geography Mexico Essays

Mexico City Like an enormous living museum, Mexico City provides an extraordinary showplace for the thousands of years of human cultural achievement that Mexico has attained. It ranks as one of the world's great capitals and is a must for anyone craving to understand Mexico's complex past, its fast-paced present, and its ever challenging future. The size and grandeur of the city are staggering. It is not only the oldest continuously inhabited city in the Western Hemisphere, but, by some accounts, has also become the largest city in the world. Before we look at present day Mexico City, let us look into it deep and storied past. La Ciudad de los Palacios   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Mexico City was founded over 700 years ago by the Aztecs. Instructed by their god of war, Huitzilopochtli, they journeyed to Lake Texcoco, where they were to look for an eagle eating a snake perched on a cactus growing from a rock or cave surrounded by water. They found this in 1325, and so began the city of Tenochtitlan. Although the land surrounding them was marshy and snake infested, the Aztecs came up with an ingenious way a planting crops. They created chinampas, or floating gardens, by bunching twigs together and stacking mud on top. These gardens were placed in shallow lake areas and rooted down by the crops or small trees planted in the middle. The Aztecs were a very religious people, as well, and built many temples, including the great Templo Mayor. Cannibalism was a key element of their religion, as they believed that it was necessary to feed human hearts to the gods to ensure that the sun would rise everyday. The Aztecs would find these less than willin g human hosts in the numerous battles they fought. Due to an increasing population, estimated to be at 250,000 in the late 1400’s, the Aztecs were forced to expand their empire well beyond the cities original boundaries. As the Aztec warriors conquered these other outlying tribes, tribute payments were gained, leading to the cities massive wealth.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Aztecs lived like this for 200 years until Spanish settlers, under Hernan Cortes, came and conquered the Aztecs in 1521. The Spanish were in awe of the cities tremendous wealth, and, thanks to superior weapons and tactics, easily defeated the Aztecs. Upon victory, the Spanish were quick to raze the entire city. The city was rapidly reconstructed as a Spanish city, and in the 15... .... There are small salsa clubs and crowded discos, as well as live concerts featuring the world's most popular stars. Ballet, theatre, folkloric shows, opera and philharmonic orchestras are also common. Boxing and wrestling events are held on most weekend nights. At Garibaldi Plaza the numerous Mariachi bands often play into the wee hours of the morning. Mexico City is very old, the worlds largest city, the financial, political and cultural center of Mà ©xico, the nightlife capital of Mexico, one of the worlds great cities, one of the world's most difficult cities to drive in, filled with exciting things to see and do, and an energetic metropolis as well as an incredible place to visit. This is truly one of the most interesting and diverse cities in the world. Bibliography http://encarta.msn.com/encyclopedia_761569238/Mexico_City.html http://www.allaboutmexicocity.com/allaboutmexicocity.htm http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mexico_City http://www.tourbymexico.com/df/df.htm http://www.mexicocity.com.mx/mexcity.html http://www.go2mexicocity.com/ www.wikitravel.org/article/Mexico_City http://www.fodors.com/miniguides/mgresults.cfm?destination=mexico_city%401

What is a sample?

Whereas a population is the entire group of objects that a certain researcher is interested in; a sample is defined as the fixed number of objects you get from a certain population. For example, Amelia wants to know if red flowers attract bees more than yellow flowers. In order to prove this assumption, Amelia takes a sample of a red flower (e. g. rose) and a yellow flower (e. g. a sunflower). There are lots of flowers that are red and yellow in color. Amelia could not afford to obtain every red and yellow flower in order to prove her assumption.Thus, it is practical for her to take a â€Å"representative† from all the red flowers and a â€Å"representative† from all the yellow flowers. Taking â€Å"representatives† from the entire population, you could now call these â€Å"samples†. It is essential to remember that the fundamental assumption underlying most of the theory of sampling is random sampling. This consists of the selection of individuals from th e population in such a way that each individual of the population has an equal chance of being selected. The process of such selection is called random sampling.The aim of the theory of sampling is to get as much information as possible, ideally all the information about the population from which the sample has been drawn. From the parent population, in particular, we would like to estimate the parameters of the population or specify the limits or ranges within which the population parameters are expected to lie with a specified degree of confidence. At work, we use sampling to prove or test something. For example, you want to determine if the new time management scheme will be beneficial to cut the costs on your company.So, as a manager, you could take some employees to undergo this new time management scheme in order to see if the new process is suitable for both the company and the employees. 2. What are the differences between the binomial and normal distributions? What are the similarities between the binomial and normal distributions? The normal distribution is the most commonly encountered distribution range in science. Random variables in normal distribution should be capable of assuming any value on the real number line, though this requirement is often not applied.For example, height at a given age for a given gender in a given racial group is adequately described by a normal random variable even though heights must be positive. A continuous random variable X, taking all real values in the range. The graph of variables with normal distribution is a symmetrical, bell-shaped curve, centered at its expected mean value. Typically, a binomial random variable is the number of successions in a series of trials in binomial distributions.For example, the number of ‘heads' occurring when a coin is tossed 50 times; thus a discrete random variable X is said to follow a binomial distribution with parameters n and p. However, the probability trials must meet the following requirements: a. the total number of trials is fixed in advance; b. there are just two outcomes of each trial; success and failure; c. the outcomes of all the trials are statistically independent; d. all the trials have the same probability of success. The similarity of normal and binomial distributions rely on the use of random variables as part of the data and their values could be both positive and negative.3. What do confidence intervals represent? Give an example of the use of a confidence interval. Before a simple research question could be resolved like, for instance, â€Å"What is the mean number of flowers that one person can remember? † it is necessary to specify the population of people to which this question will be addressed. The researcher could be interested in, for example, children under the age of 12 and girls. For the present example, assume the researcher is interested in all girls aged 9. Once the population is specified, the next step is t o take a random sample from it.In this example, let's say that a sample of 10 girls is drawn and each student's memory tested. The way to estimate the mean of all girls would be to compute the mean of the 10 girls in the sample. Indeed, the sample mean is an unbiased estimate of ? , the population mean. However, it will certainly not be a perfect estimate. By chance it is bound to be at least either a little bit too high or a little bit too low. For the estimate of ? to be of value, one must have some idea of how precise it is. That is, how close to ? is the estimate likely to be?So we use the confidence intervals to determine how close would be the unbiased estimate we have in our sample to the values that is indicated in the population mean. If the number of flowers that the 10 girls remembered were: 4, 4, 5, 5, 5, 6, 6, 7, 8, 9 then the estimated value of ? would be 5. 9 and the 95% confidence interval would range from 4. 71 to 7. 09. The wider the interval, the more confident yo u are that it contains the parameter you are interested in. The 99% confidence interval is therefore wider than the 95% confidence interval and extends from 4. 19 to 7. 61.

Food Inequality

Food Inequality between Developed and Developing Countries Introduction These days, any domestic problems tend to be connected with or caused by reasons coming from outside abroad. Among those globalized issues, one of the serious issues is the theme of food security. According to FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization), the outlook for the global cereal supply in the 2011/12 marketing season has improved the following positive production. However, the impact on global food security remains uncertain given the current international economic slowdown and changeable weather. For example of food security, in Eastern Africa, the drought-induced humanitarian crisis continues to take lives and reduce livestock. Additionally, in East Asia, severe localized monsoon floods in several countries – Bangladesh, Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, India, Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Pakistan, Thailand and the Philippines may reduce the final outcome because of the natural disaster while a record 2011 cereal harvest was anticipated. What do all these facts mean? Should people put up with the hunger if weather hits them and the economy is tough? There seem to be some other reasons which facilitate food security and if we could struggle with them, the damage caused by the reasons of natural disasters and the tough economy will be mitigated. What could these reasons be? This essay explores the extent to which Population Growth, Food Distribution, Genetic Resources Factors contribute to the problem of food security. Population Growth Today, it is generally agreed that food insecurity issue can be attributed to the fact that we are running out of food due to the intense population growth. In this part, we shall examine the idea carefully. The world’s population has been increasing, according to the report of World Bank in 2011, the population of the world has been doubled over the past 50 years. In this period, world population increase 3 billion to 6. 8 billion. Beyond the year 2050, it is projected that the population is to approach 9 billion, and the growth would likely occur in developing regions such as Africa, Asia, and Latin America. Inversely, the industrial countries or developed countries are going through a trend of decreasing population. The increase in population of developing countries is one of the main factors of the global population increase. Another factor is that the average life span has been extended, which means that the death rate is dramatically decreasing all over the world. The explosive increase of population brings about a problem of inequality, especially food. An excess of population is linked to food production and thus, food security. In a TED talk in 2007, Hans Rosling gave a lecture about inequality between developing and developed countries and attributed the food inequality to the fact that the world population has been increasing. In 1960, the gap was relatively small but now the existing gap between both of them has intensified. He had mentioned an example of shoes and cars, and at the very last he discussed food insecurity. Therefore, according to his speech, we can claim that the population growth causes the food inequality issue between developing countries and industrialized countries. However, on the other hand, according to two books which we mostly relied on, Ending Hunger by the Hunger Project and Food Policy by The Johns Hopkins University Press, we found there were some people who had made an objection against the idea. FAO and the United Nations World Food Program (WFP) reported in 2008 that new estimate of the number of people who would suffer chronic hunger in which year was 925 million, which, however, doesn’t mean that there is not enough food for the people who need it in the world. According to the report of FAO, the amount of world crop production was recorded two billions tons in 2008, which had been the best record. If the all crops were distributed equally to all people around the world, each of people was supposed to eat 320kg in a year, which is twice as much as crops that are eaten by Japanese per a year on average. Given that there are more food like vegetable, fish, and meat, in addition to crops, all people in the world are supposed to be able to get enough food. Then, why can’t all people get enough food? We examine the causes of food inequality from the different perspective in the next section. However, what we emphasize here is that we think the population growth could also be one of the causes in the near future if the world population kept increasing. As shown in Food Policy by The Johns Hopkins University Press, the world population will soon be over 9 billion people, which means that the earth’s productivity will not be able to catch up with the increase in population. Therefore, people in the world will soon face the fact that we run out of food. Then, we examine the food production in third section. Inadequate Food Distribution As we discussed in the last section, two books, Ending Hunger by the Hunger Project and Food Policy by The Johns Hopkins University Press, showed us that food inequality issue between developed countries and developing countries arises not from population growth but from in a defect in an appropriate food distribution system. According to Food Policy, All people in the world could be supposed to be able to get enough food, when the all crops were distributed equally to all people around the world. However, when it comes to the supply of food, only people in developed countries, which are estimated 20% in the world, can always get more calories than they need. Moreover, crops are consumed not only by people but also by livestock such as cattle, chicken, which usually come to the markets for industrialized countries. As a result, people in developed countries like us usually consume more than half of all crops in the world. It turns out that something may be wrong in the process of the food distribution. First, we attribute it to high food prices. As we learned in Prof. Montgomery’s lectures, the energy and water insecurity made the food prices high because food, water, and energy are tightly connected to each other, so farmers need tons of energy and water to produce food. Moreover, Food Policy also described that due to the energy insecurity, more and more people in developed countries used crops in a different way; today biofuels that are made by crops are one of the popular renewable energies in the world. However, to grow the crops, people also need to use more energy and water, which leads people into a downward spiral, and usually the victims are people in poor countries. On top of that, according to Ending Hunger, the high food price can be attributable to speculations. The author said, â€Å"Crops have been getting the attention as an object of speculation. † Originally, more crops tend to go into the domestic market, and there are a few products being distributed in the international market. Under the circumstance, investors who were struggling under the financial crisis in 2008 had an eye on crops for speculation, which raised the food prices intensely. Thus, today under the capitalism, people rather reckon food as a â€Å"product†, so food has been distributed in a way that certain rich people can benefit. At the very last in Food Policy, we got a clue for solving food inequality; an alternative food distribution system that can exist even under the capitalism. The authors have an eye on an idea of â€Å"food redistribution†. Food bank, a non-governmental organization that provides food to poor people for free, has been popular in many developed countries to help poor people within the nations. The authors expect that it will be exercised not by government, but by some entrepreneurs since there is a big challenge for governments in terms of fund and security, and that it will become a new business model in the future. In my opinion, however, it seems difficult that the model can be applied, crossing the boarders. In addition to the point of food distribution, we would like to mention the food production. Ending Hunger, the book we had read, said that although every country needs to try to keep their food self-sufficiently stable, it’s a big challenge for developing countries. There are quite a few countries that rely on the imports from other countries to get crops for their principal diet. It’s related to their history which they were forced to produce some products like cacao to export to industrialized countries in their colonial ages. They are vulnerable because of this monoculture structure which has been still existed when the food prices fluctuate. In the next section, we examine how to solve the monoculture structure issue. Losing Biodiversity In this section, we discuss biodiversity, the problem between biodiversity and food security and the solution. First of all, Biodiversity is a term that is short for biological diversity. Currently, the great variety and richness of plant, some microbe are said to be approximately 1. 7 million species in 2008. The human race literally relies on those plants and animals for clothing, shelter, medicines, and many other things, according to Red list of Threatened Species. However, 784 species have been officially recorded as extinct and more than 16,000 species contains approximately 12 percent of bird species, 23 percent of mammals, and 32 percent of amphibians as well as a large number of plant species. Even so, how does the problem connect with food security? Does the extinction of some species of plants lead to such a big problem? The answer seems to be affirmative; the conflicts between agriculture and biodiversity would be possible. Presently, just three crops- rice, wheat, and maize- amount to about 60 per cent of the world’s food crops and 56 per cent of the protein people derive from plants. This means the stability of agriculture is easy to be affected by climates, pests, diseases because there are no other different plants which would be durable to those stresses. As a result, a drought becomes more likely. In Bangladesh, for example, increasing HYV [high –yield varieties] rice monoculture has decreased diversity, including nearly 7,000 traditional rice variation and many fish species. Ironically, the production of HYV rice per cent acre in 1986 dropped by 10 percent from 1972, in spite of a 300 per cent increase in agrochemical use per acre. (Thrupp 2000,p269) In India, by 1968, although, the so-called â€Å"miracle† HYV seed had replaced half of the native varieties, the expected production in many areas were not realized because those seeds need irrigated land with high inputs of fertilizer, which poor farmers cannot afford. Thrupp p269) North America like US is not also exemption. Of more than 7,000 apple varieties grown in the United States between 1804 and 1904, 86 per cent are no longer cultivated, and 88 per cent of 2,683 pear varieties are no longer available. (Thrupp p270). The main causes for the loss of agrodiversity are reliance on uniform plants and the heavy use of agrochemicals (often make lands barren), and institutions and companies from developed countries who gained patents of seeds and other genetic resources. In order to change this situation, a shift to sustainable agriculture requires changes in production methods, models and policies, as well as the full participation of local people. Example includes use of organic fertilizer, reduction of agrochemicals that destroy diverse rich soil, multiple cropping, eliminating subsidies and credit policies for uniform high-yield varieties. In addition, those developing countries which have plenty genetic resources don’t keep silent to their serious problem. In the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) in 2010, those countries tried to negotiate with developed countries in order to create a protocol about making the access and payment of genetic resources a matter of international law for â€Å" fair and equitable sharing of benefits† (The Economist 2010) Conclusion As we discussed in this papers so far, we mostly attributed the food inequality problem to population growth, inadequate food distribution system, and losing biodiversity. However, the more we studied, the more we found that the food inequality problem was very complicated because there ere a lot of factors which were connected to each other and which lead to the problem. The solutions we figured out are that an alternative food distribution system, and a shift to sustainable agriculture requires changes in production methods, models and policies, as well as the full participation of local people. The right for accessing to food; it is supposed to be exercised by al l people in nature. We strongly hope that more and more poor people will get the access to food in the future, and in order to make it happen, we need to get back to an idea of cooperation at the end. References 1) J Price Gittinger; Joanne Leslie; Caroline Hoisington; Economic Development Institute in Washington, D. C. (1987). Food policy: integrating supply, distribution, and consumption. Baltimore : Published for the World Bank [by] Johns Hopkins University Press 2) W Ladd Hollist; F LaMond Tullis(1987) Pursuing food security : strategies and obstacles in Africa, Asia, Latin America, and the Middle East. Boulder : L. Rienner Publishers 3) Debra A Millar(2008) Biodiversity Detroit : Greenhaven Press. Thruoo L Ann (2000) Linking agricultural biodiversity and food security: the value role of agrobiodiveristy for sustainable agriculture International affairs Vol. 76 Issue 2, p265, 17p, 4 Charts 4) Global Information and Early Warning System, 2011 Food Outlook November 2011. Available at: http://www. fao. org/giews/english/fo/index. htm 5) The Economist Online (2010) Pay up or die: Protecting and profiting from the environment (21th Oct) The Economist Available at: http://www. economist. com/blogs/newsbook/2010/10/protecting_and_profiting_environment