Employment Relations Essay

â€Å"Parliament, in the last 100 years or so, has a lot to say about conditions of work and the relationship between employers and their employees† (Deeks & Rasmussen, 2006). There have been many industrial disputes regarding the arbitration system between 1894 and 1991 which has influenced changes to New Zealand Employment Relations. One of the many industrial disputes was the waterfront industrial dispute 1951. This dispute in New Zealand’s labour history is the biggest industrial dispute that has influenced changes to Employment Relations legislation. Although it was not as violent as the great strike of 1913, it lasted longer-151 days, from February 15th to July 15, and involved more workers (Scott, 2001). The 1951 dispute pitted the government and public against the Watersiders after they decided to work to rule in protest at their employers’ refusal to award them a 15 per cent pay rise (Kay, 2008). At its peak, 22000 waterside workers (wharfies) and other unionists were off the job out of the population of just under two million (Ministry for Culture and Heritage, Today in History, 2007). This essay will discuss the effects, outcomes and influences of the 1951 waterfront industrial dispute thus how it turned the New Zealand Employment Relations around in order to avoid disputes as such from happening and also create a better relationship between the employers and the employees today. The historical events regarding New Zealand employment relations are really quite wide spread. Many events such as strikes and lockouts have happened regards to compulsory arbitration. In 1894 Industrial Conciliation and Arbitration Act (IC ;A Act 1894) was designed to replace industrial action with conciliation ; arbitration. This was implemented to bring negotiation and disputing sides together to solve industrial conflicts. ‘Unions registering under the act effectively got exclusive organising and bargaining rights’, (Rasmussen ; Deeks, 2006, pg 52). Unions played important interest groups during this time. They helped to promote employee interests to satisfy work goals such as better wages thus they became the legally recognised voice of the workers in a particular industry.

Business Research Method Essay

After studying and extracting information from all the relevant work done previously, how does there searcher know which references, articles, and information should be given prominence in the literature survey? For this question, the answer is the researchers should start looking for the literature survey that straight as the information from the unstructured and structured interviews that is being gathered. Also for the reviewing, the literature on the subject part of this time assistances the researcher to focus more on the interviews more importantly on certain aspects found to be important in this study. â€Å"Because literature survey is a time-consuming exercise, a good, in-depth interview should suï ¬Æ'ce to develop a theoretical framework.† Discuss this statement. The literature survey its important and becoming easy to follow the progression of the research from the first step of managers knowing the broad problem part. And to initial data assembly (literature survey), to improve the theoretical framework based on the literature review and that showed by experience and instinct, to framework of hypothesis for testing the questions of the survey. 6. Why is it important to consider basic research design issues before conducting the study and even as early as at the time of formulating the research question? The research design is important because of the time and cost; the researchers should be constraining the less of what would be the  ideal researcher design. The researcher strength have to conduct a cross-sectional instead of a longitudinal study, it’s better to do a field study than a larger sample size, and improving the research design decision and resolving for a lower level of technical care because of resource constraining. 9. How has the advancement of technology helped data gathering? Discuss the beneï ¬ ts and drawbacks. The technological advancement it allows us to collect and processing and more data because it need more data to be collected more than human can collect technology its important to help the researchers to have the right information 10. What are the main reasons for choosing observational methods over other methods? It because observation concerns the planed watching, recording, analysis and interpretation of behavior, actions or events. In addition, other data collection methods present rudiments of insincerity into the research environment, observation defines events. Researchers can also use observational methods when independent are unwilling to express themselves. 12. Discuss how ethnography and participant observation are related. Ethnography is the research methodology that has origins in anthropology. And a research procedure in which the anthropologist carefully detects, records, and involves in the everyday life of another culture and. Participant observation is more related to ethnography. However, there is different people that have different thoughts about the particular relationship between the both. Ethnography and participant observation are from time to time used interchangeably in the works. Ethnography includes the involvement in the specific culture, of the social group a people of Samoa. In addition, observing behavior finished a extended the engagement in the field where ethnography takings place – is stared as one of some methods for ethnographic research. Other methods, such as interviews and questionnaires, might also be to collect the data in the ethnographic research. 16. How are multiple methods of data collection and from multiple sources related to reliability and validity of the measures? Data is collected to  measure the correlation of some items with the idea to be saved. Procurement data from multiple sources and complete multiple methods is optional, when data obtained the goodness of data is measured complete test of validity and reliability. Validity is to express how well a technique, tool or process measures a specific concept, and reliability specifies how constancy and consistently the tool taps the variables. The data have to be obtained in a way that lends itself to easy classification and coding. The source of data is extremely dependent on the situations and design of the test and the reliability differs with interval reliability of the source, the validity is related to the design of the test. 17. Explain in your own words MAX, MIN, CON (maximize, minimize, control) Maximize is the research hypothesis and max the differences between the dependent variables. Minimize is the error or random of the measurement instruments and that might have high errors of measurement Control is when the assume cause and impact the relationships between X and Y variables, also let say that A it might be effect on the dependent variable Y. Chapter 12 21. Describe the diï ¬â‚¬erence between attitude rating scales and ranking scales and indicate when the two are used. The basic difference is that the attitude scale contain of or a grouping of rating scales designed to measure all or some features of human attitude. A rating scale controls the quality of something. A ranking scale determines the quality comparative to others, using the average as a standard. In a question, a rating scale asks you to rate some items individually on a numerical scale, and a ranking scale would have you place the items in order. 22. â€Å"A valid instrument is always reliable, but a reliable instrument is not always valid †. Comment on this statement. BONUS QUESTION A valid instrument can have both consistency and stability but might not be measuring what it is envisioned to measure the low validity. If an instrument does, measure the concept that it theoretical to measure, it will be reliable, a valid instrument will be reliable, but a reliable instrument does not have to be valid. Chapter 16 28. How can you assess the reliability and validity of qualitative research? It is important for qualitative research studies is criticized for lacking the reliability and validity. The criticized is made on data collected as the individuals may not response correctly or the observations made by the researchers are not good enough. Reliability and validity is very important in the research work. Many critics question the validity of qualitative data is questioned by many critics.

Success Plan

Running Head: My Success Plan UNIV100-3104B-13 Colorado Technical University For: Professor Bryant Neal Phase 5 IP By: Amber Light Date: 12/19/2011 Abstract Finding a plan is a fundamental key to college success. What works for me might not necessarily work for the next person. This will require me to know myself and my learning capabilities. The following paper will guide me to my overall plan to succeed in college. I will be able to realize my strengths and weakness, along with recognizing obstacles that will come up that may create barriers for me to complete the task at hand. While I know that the road to success is not easy and curves will be thrown my way, having a solution to those curves will straighten the road again, making it only that much easier to see that the end is near. By knowing these things in advance it will only better my odds of achieving my short and long term goals that I will set. Success Strategy Plan Step 1: Student Success Strategies Choosing to attend college means that you are choosing to make a commitment, being a college student is a full time job. Between assignment deadlines, posting on discussion boards, listening/taking part in live chats, or reading your weekly chapters you can imagine the stress loads start piling up; but especially if you already have a busy schedule. I am a full time single mother. I have an amazing three year old, that I live for and I will die for. He is my inspiration and motivation all wrapped up in one. While he will help me through my journey (because I want to be a better person for him, and having an education leads to being a better person), he will also always come first to a higher learning. Having a strong motivation is of utmost importance to finding a reason to succeed in college. My motivation is simple, I stare at him every minute I can. On top of attending school and raising a child, I am also employed full time as a customer service manager at a local grocery store. While my attentions are to scale down on the number of hours I work, I also am getting called weekly to help fill other shifts. As a result, I have had to learn to deal with managing my time more effectively. One of the things I found was that with an increased amount of things biding for my time, I tend to forget a lot of them unless I write them down. If I don’t write down what I need to do, I almost certainly forget. Thus, owning and using a planner is probably the best way to manage one’s time. I have also found that there are just too many things going on in my life to possibly do everything (i. e. family events, outings with friends). Therefore, it is important to be able to say â€Å"no,† and not over-commit myself. Remembering that studying is a top priority, and sticking to making school work higher on the â€Å"to-do† list than all the fun things I could be doing instead is extremely difficult. Making school a priority and structuring other activities around that will almost inevitably equate to a higher GPA, more success, and a richer, more rewarding time in college. Of course, I also need to remember that having fun is important to staying healthy. All work with no play leads to burnout, not necessarily success. Therefore, I will plan to have one day a week where my plan will involve nothing to do with work or school. I can concentrate on having a good day with my most amazing son. By incorporating these strategies into my life I am assured to reach my long term goal of finishing school and obtaining that all important piece of paper; a degree. Motivation is the key factor in the success of anything. If you aren’t motivated, you seriously need to ask yourself why you are going through the stresses of completing it. Once you have found a motivation, managing your time effectively becomes crucial to your success. Successful time management means you’re able to incorporate all of the tasks you are tackling, while doing it to the best of your ability. After finding the best possible way to manage my time, it is necessary for me to have some fun. This is not only for my sanity, but also for the pleasure of my son. He still needs to be the focus of my livelihood. His happiness involves doing fun things with his Mommy. Success in these three areas will undoubtedly create a beneficial road for leading to my end goal. I had a strong inclination from the beginning of what it will take for me to be successful. The biggest struggle for me will be learning to live on less income. I have already reduced the amount of hours I am working on a regular basis, but how will I learn that I can’t buy the items I am normally used to having. When my friends come to me and say, â€Å"Amber, let’s go out tonight† will I be able to say I can’t because I don’t have the means. I will have to stay strong and true to my budget in order to make this area of my life balance in a way that is beneficial to my success in school. I know the type of person I am may lead to me saying, â€Å"Just work more. † But I also know that the least stressed I feel about completing projects/schooling, the better off the outcome of those assignments I am completing. It seemed as though there were quite a few students that were in the same boat as me, very busy schedules and trying to dedicate themselves in a few different directions. The most repetitive response was â€Å"don’t forget to create time for you. † I have always been a selfless person, putting me first has never been a priority. I think occasionally doing this will most definitely lead to me being a more successful student. I just have to remember that putting me first will lead to a better life for my son also. Success Strategy Plan Step 2: Self-Assessment & Goal-Setting Strengths Self-motivation has never been hard for me. However, things have happened in my life that has stalled my finishing school. I have been on a steady track to improving some aspects of my life for a quite a while now, but it wasn’t until I had my son that I really focused on what I needed to do to become a better person. In order for me to set the examples I want my son to follow in, I needed to finish school. Sometimes having that inner motivation isn’t enough, you need it thrown in front of you to realize how important something is. My son gives me that extra drive to be the best I can be, because I never want to fail him. Being a learner is a choice. I always enjoyed school and enjoyed doing well in school. Having a love for learning is something that will always give me that drive to continue to learn, wanting to learn will in turn lead to success. It’s a drive that not every individual will have, but choosing to be a life learner is part of the success of being a good student. Choosing to take online classes takes discipline, organization, and focus. Knowing when to study is a key to success in these classes. It is not the right time when the whole family is coming over, or your three year old is just coming home from school. Scheduling time out for your studying will only better your chances to doing well in school. Focusing is a key to understanding what you are learning. If you cannot focus, you will not comprehend. I am in tuned with my learning habits, I know what works best for me when trying to learn: scheduling. Sticking to what I already know, will only better my chances of finishing my degree. Developing this on a weekly basis will help me manage my time to the best of my ability, so that at the end of the week barring any major setbacks I am not going to be struggling to get something completed. Procrastination is the biggest enemy when it comes to being successful at school. Weaknesses Perfectionism is my downfall, a task that should only take me 30 minutes (like creating price signs at work), can take me 1 – 2 hours. Luckily, I am strong at multitasking so I am doing more than just this one task. It slows me down tremendously. Therefore, I have to be that much more in tuned with my weekly schedule so that my perfectionism doesn’t lead to me not completing task in a timely matter. This trait leads to another weakness, stubbornness. I develop in my head what I expect something to be, and won’t stop until I get it there. Stubbornness at times can also be iewed as strength because I am unwilling to accept anything that doesn’t equal what I want so it gives me that extra drive to succeed. The most troubling weakness I carry is my shyness. It’s strange I am not shy when it comes to dealing with things that I am really comfortable with, but put me in an uncomfortable situation and I clam up. This is probably due in part to my perfection ism as well because I am scared to make a mistake, or in part say something that doesn’t come out perfectly. It’s all in part of being comfortable in my own skin. Knowing that what I do is the best that I can do. If I give it 110% that is all I can ask for, and if it’s not to my Professors standards than I simply need to take the criticism he/she gave me and use it toward making my next assignment/test positive. Opportunities Opportunities present themselves to me on a daily basis. If you don’t take advantage of the opportunities given to us there is no one to blame but yourself. I have been blessed with a very strong family unit. They amaze me day in and day out. Without the unconditional loving support of my family I definitely wouldn’t be where I am at today. Regardless if it is picking my son up from school because I am at work, or taking my son so I can concentrate on school for a few hours; if I ask for help they come running. I can always count of them; it is their goal to see me succeed as well. The school itself provides students with the ability to succeed. They offer so many different options through the virtual campus to find help. Whether it is through the learning labs, tutoring, or advisors there really is no excuse to being confused. There are outlets to all issues you may be having. Taking advantage of these opportunities will only help lead me to further success. Many people forget that our Professors are there for asking questions. The most successful people are people that aren’t afraid to ask for help. Our teachers aren’t the only ones we should ask questions from, the other students in my classes are most likely to be just as smart as me, I won’t underestimate their ability to help with any questions I may have. Their past experiences may help in issues I am having. The college makes it easy to access both teachers and students by utilizing an instant messaging system. Obstacles, Barriers, and Threats I am a mother and a mother first. Things will arise with raising my son, which will no doubt interfere with my plans at times. How I deal with this is a choice that will affect the outcome of my schedule (plan). There aren’t many times of the week that I plan on doing the bulk of my studying while I am physically parenting my son. I plan on doing as much of it as possible when he is either at school or sleeping, so hopefully this doesn’t cause a threat as much as it could. The toughest barrier I will need to overcome to be successful in college is finances. Being a single mother, I was living pay check to pay check as it was. I feel it is necessary to decrease the amount of time I am spending at work to make up for the amount of time I am putting into school, so that my time with my son is basically not affected at all. How will I manage things now, if it was so hard then? I have to learn to cut many things out of my life that I was used to indulging in. Although it will be hard to do, giving up a little now will be a small sacrifice for what I get in return. Changing things that I have been doing for the past 10-15 years will be hard. But I know that the benefit of a degree may make the difference between living comfortably or living stretched pay check to pay check. Short Term and Long Term Goals Goals can be anything you want to accomplish — personal, academic, social, you name it. Goals are important because they help you get what you want, improve your performance, keep you focused, stay on track and can even get you motivated. Many people who are successful in school and at work set goals to get what they want. My long term goals will help set up my short term goals, in order to achieve my long term goals my short term goals will ave to be set. My ultimate priority is to receive a Master’s in Business Administration Management degree with an emphasis is Healthcare Administration Management. To get there, I need to get an Associate’s degree in Business Administration, and a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration. The reward is simple; self-satisfaction. I will be able to show my son how important it is to make good, solid choices in life and the rewards of a healthy lifestyle those choices will give you. My first short term goal is to receive my AA is Business Administration. The timeline for completion is May 2013. Although, this seems a distance away, two years will fly by. I hope to complete this degree with honors. Doing something and doing something well are two different things in my book. I feel I have the ability to complete my education at a high level. It’s all about the effort I put in. When I complete this task I will undoubtedly be taking a strong step towards my long term goal. Completing this task will give me a big boost of confidence in knowing that I can really do it. I can juggle all the life is handing me. What doesn’t kill us will only make us stronger. I don’t necessarily need a purchased reward from completing this; I think that confidence obtained is reward enough. After completing my AA, I will continue to receive my Bachelor’s degree. I don’t have an exact date this will be received; I assume that it will be another 2-year degree. As the perfectionist that I am, I hope to complete it at a high standard; and with hard work and determination I am positive that I am capable of this. Once I complete this goal I will have a strong chance of taking a pretty good position in the field I am going into. This will be my reward. Right now my work schedule is all over the place, I work day shifts and swing shifts. Having a set schedule will be so rewarding. The road to success in my goals will be one of my toughest challenges yet. It will take hard work and determination to complete my schooling. By taking advantage of the strengths and tools available to me while being aware of weakness and barriers that may present themselves to me, it will be harder for me to fail than it will be for me to succeed. Success Plan Step 3: What I Have Learned This course is guiding me to take a step in the right direction. I am learning to use the abilities that I have in the correct way to be successful in school. I have rediscovered applications that I haven’t used in many years (Microsoft PowerPoint), relearned some key factors in math, writing, and reading from the MyLabs, and learned the fundamentals of APA writing. Probably the most useful thing I gained from this class was the confidence that this can be accomplished with my busy schedule. I am hoping that taking on two classes won’t completely overwhelm me, but I think I have come up with a solid plan that should help me succeed. MyFoundationsLabs modules definitely created a love-hate relationship with me. I appreciated the fact that it was bringing fundamental keys to basic educational areas that I needed to work on or remember, but I also got very frustrated with some of the instruction on the modules, and the tediousness of some of the modules. I made some silly mistakes in the actual test, which I really knew the answer to but made a small mistake; so having to go completely through a module seemed a little redundant. Overall, though I appreciate what this lab has done for me and the preparation it is giving me for my future classes. Success Strategy Plan Step 4: Looking to the Future Organization helps you work faster, more efficiently, helps you to portray a professional attitude and can make you feel less frantic and more optimistic about your education. This success plan that we have created helps us get organized. By following the guidelines this plan has set forth there are no excuses to failure. It has set the path for us to discover a way to find and reach our ultimate goal, for me that is receiving my Masters in Business Administration Management with a focal point in Healthcare. In today’s society there are so many other things that I either want to do or have to do, and finding the time to accomplish those tasks are far and in between. By using this plan I will be able to prioritize and organize to be more efficient and effective in these areas as possible. Having a plan makes anything possible. School has always come naturally for me; it was finding how to fit everything else in that created the struggles. Long ago, I figured out a method that works for me and it has yet to fail me. I know what it takes for me to complete my classes to my standards, and will take nothing less than that. I figure out a schedule that works for me, and dedicate myself to staying as tight to that schedule as possible. Of course, things will come up, but straying too far from the course I had laid out does not work. Having an outline of how I will complete my task above and beyond the expectations is the key. I look forward to the journey of completing my education. I believe whole-heartedly that we are not given anything that we cannot handle. So therefore, I will take what is thrown my way and run with it. I have taken the first steps forward, and I will not look back. The end of the road is near.

The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, by Steven Covey Essay

The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, by Steven Covey - Essay Example Unlike the former ethics, character ethics guarantees long term success that is able to withstand further pressure from the world. Essentially, this chapter presents that life-long success begins by first working on the â€Å"inside† part of self which include one’s paradigms, character and motives. The inside-out approach submits that private victories come before public victories, and that making and accomplishing promises to oneself precedes making and accomplishing promises to others. Also, the chapter asserts that perception of the world is based on how one conditions themselves to see it. In order to illustrate this, Covey uses a popular optical illusion that can be interpreted as either a beautiful young lady or an old and ugly woman. Using the case of Harvard Business School where half of the participants were set to see the young lady and the other half were set to see the old woman, Covey insists that people act basing on how they see the world rather than how the world actually is. This illustration simply adds weight to inside out approach to life where change begins by changing oneself rather than the world or

US Department of lebor Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

US Department of lebor - Research Paper Example â€Å"Public Law 426-62: An Act to create a Department of Labor† was the organic act which created a sole DOL with a Secretary of Labor removed from the Department of Commerce. The law was signed reluctantly by President Taft within hours from the time Woodrow Wilson took over as president. The Progressive Movement has been credited for the call for its enforcement. Earlier, the DOL consisted mainly of the United States Conciliation Service (USCS), which was responsible for overseeing and mediating labor disputes in the country. Together with this branch are four other which already existed prior to the DOL. The first Labor Secretary was Congressman William Wilson appointed by President Wilson. The appointee had been a known labor campaigner as founder of United Mine Workers of America where he also once served as its Secretary-Treasurer. The mission statement of the Department of Labor is â€Å"To foster, promote, and develop the welfare of the wage earners, job seekers, and retirees of the United States; improve working conditions; advance opportunities for profitable employment; and assure work-related benefits and rights.† This is not much of a stretch from the purpose contained in its organic act as it has remained forcefully relevant. Currently, the department is tasked with the difficult task on the matter which has become the main topic in the presidential debate: unemployment. The current and future goals can be found in the Secretary’

A paper about a short story Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

A paper about a short story - Essay Example the story where he points out that Matman happens to be a voodoo practitioner, he then described some of the rituals that she sometimes performs that cause her to sometimes fall down to the ground and commence rolling about under the glowing moon (DeSanto 2013). After conducting these bizarre ritual, Matman would then proceed to walk back to the house to eat. An analysis of this incidence seems to suggest to the reader that to Matman and her family, that the occurrence of such an event is a normal everyday event, this is despite of the fact that such actions would generally be regarded by the larger society as being quite bizarre. DeSanto also undertakes to try and normalize some gruesome incidents in the story and describes how after Lord Invader had attacked and mauled the ear of one of the neighborhood boys while he was busy playing a game of basketball, Dà ©dà © had proceeded to beat him out there in the street before leading the dog home. When the boy’s father had turned up at the house, he had insisted on having the dog killed and on his threatening the Dà ©dà ©Ã¢â‚¬â„¢s family, Dà ©dà © had agreed to kill the dog. Dà ©dà © had then slit the dog’s throat during a brief ceremony that had commenced with Matman whispering a Haitian death song that quickly turned into howls. After slitting the dog’s throat Dà ©dà © had proceeded to give it a brief eulogy by whispering â€Å"Lawd Invadar. I lahved you† (DeSanto 2012). By the delivery of the somewhat ordinary eulogy after Dà ©dà ©Ã¢â‚¬â„¢s character had conducted a bizarre ceremony in which he killed his dog, DeSanto is seen to engage in an attempt where he tries to normalize a gruesome event in which a dog is butchered in a bizarre ceremony. The normalization of the bizarre is also seen to be employed by DeSanto in his narration of how John took off all his clothes and ran around the neighborhood while only wearing a bone necklace and then proceeded to dig up the remain of Lord Invader in the rain (DeSanto 2012). The humming of

Accountancy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Accountancy - Essay Example Budgets are derived from the long-term strategies of any company or organization. Reames (2010) states that â€Å"its always important to figure out those areas of your budget where you tend to spend exorbitant amounts or unnecessarily and cut those out†. The annual budgetary process is a very lengthy process that takes several weeks in order to develop a valuable plan that is used for the whole year and is not revised until the next year. Peterson and Fabozzi (2002: 245) state that â€Å"Annual budgeting is one of the most important, and sometimes most difficult, parts of financing†. It is really helpful for the companies as it lists all planned expenses and revenues for the current year. Annual budgeting process is not just about the budget; it’s also about the growth of the business and performance improvement. Kirk (n.d.) states that â€Å"forecasting an annual budget for your business helps you determine where your needs are not only for funding, but personnel as well†. The factors which are needed to be taken into consideration while making an effective budget include the number of budget participants, competency levels, interdepartmental dependencies, diversity of skills, and individual roles. To develop an effective annual budget for a company, following steps are of critical importance: 1. Determining the amount of money which the company has made by gross sales in the previous business year, because that money will be used in order to represent the expenses of the company in percentage form. 5. Multiplying upcoming years projected gross sales volume with the percentage for each expense category in order to estimate the expenses that will be encountered by the company in the coming year as a percentage of the company’s gross sales which will be based on the percentages from the previous business year. A budget plan helps in decision making regarding use of money.

Business and Society - Leadership and Motivation Coursework

Business and Society - Leadership and Motivation - Coursework Example The steps taken in managing failure include managing cash flow, avoiding debt and developing an effective business plan. Leadership and motivation are important determinants of success in a business entity. Effective leadership guides employees towards the achievement of the entity’s goals and objectives (Caroll and Buchholtz 35). Additionally, employee motivation helps improve employees’ productivity resulting in an overall improvement of the firm. Leaders are different from managers in various ways. Leaders focus on people while managers focus on structure. Leaders innovate while managers administer (Caroll and Buchholtz 42). Leaders inspire trust while managers control. Retired General Colin Powell defines leadership as followership. His definition of leadership is accurate since leaders act in a way that inspires those that follow them. I agree with his definition of leadership is all about inspiring one’s followers. There are various leadership styles including bureaucratic, charismatic, servant and transactional (Caroll and Buchholtz 45). The style I prefer most is servant leadership since the leader leads since it considers employees’ participation. The style I prefer least is bureaucratic leadership since it inhibits innovation, creativity and flexibility. Dr Phil’s and Maslow’s Hierarchy of needs can be used to motivate and manage employees. Employee motivation increases their productivity (Caroll and Buchholtz 47). It is clear that money is not the sole motivating factor, other aspects including the working conditions impact employee management and motivation. An organization is a social unit of individuals that is designed and managed to pursue collective objectives (Caroll and Buchholtz 7). The specific characteristics of an organization include an organizational culture and the ability to work towards collective goals and objectives. Corporate culture refers to behaviours, beliefs and values that establish how a company’s management interacts with its employees and how it handles any external transactions.  Ã‚  

Domestic Violence and Developmental Psychology Essay

Domestic Violence and Developmental Psychology - Essay Example The Centre for Children & Families in the Justice System of the London Family Court Clinic Inc has published several research studies about domestic violence that take into account the perspectives of developmental psychology as a working framework. Baker, Jaffe, Ashbourne, and Carter published "An Early Childhood Educator's Handbook" with the title of "Children Exponed to Domestic Violence". Cunningham and Baker published a comprehensive study entitled "What About Me Seeking to Understand a Child's View on Violence in the Family". These works are very helpful to deal with the issue of domestic violence from the point of view of developmental psychology since they take a humanistic psychology standpoint. It is important to note that humanistic psychology emerged in the 1950's as the "third force" in Psychology (Association for Humanistic Psychology, 2001; Van Wagner, 2008b). The "first force" was behavioral psychology, and the "second force" was psychoanalysis. Now the "fourth force" seems to be transpersonal psychology or spiritual psychology (Institute of Transpersonal Psychology, 2003). But the research studies by the London Family Court Clinic Inc mentioned above take a humanistic psychology standpoint when they undertake their developmental psychology approach on domestic violence. ... The name Humanistic Psychology was finally chosen to acknowledge indebtedness both to classical humanism of ancient Greece and to the great humanist scholars of the Renaissance. Humanistic psychology rejected the medical sickness model and embraced a growth and emancipation model of healing. These ideas were echoed in the radical psychiatry of R. D. Laing and the anti-psychiatry movements of David Cooper in the U.K., Thomas Szaz in the U.S.A., and Franco Basaglia in Italy." (2005, p. 2). In this sense, the point is to deal with psychology from the point of view of health, not of illness. On the other hand, developmental psychology is described in the following terms by Van Wagner: "Development describes the growth of humans throughout the lifespan, from conception to death. The scientific study of human development seeks to understand and explain how and why people change throughout life. This includes all aspects of human growth, including physical, emotional, intellectual, social, perceptual, and personality development. () The scientific study of development is important not only to psychology, but also to sociology, education, and health care. Development does not just involve the biological and physical aspects of growth, but also the cognitive and social aspects associated with development throughout life." (2008a) (See also Hola.co.uk, 2006). The main issues of developmental psychology are enumerated as follows by Van Wagner: "Nature vs. Nurture () "Early Experience vs. Later Experience () "Continuity vs. Discontinuity () "Abnormal Behavior vs. Individual Differences (2008a). On the issue of domestic violence, the following terms are explained by Baker, Jaffe, Ashbourne, and Carter: "Domestic violence

Cloud Computing Models Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Cloud Computing Models - Research Paper Example As such, my analysis will be based on reading Addressing Export Control in the Age of Cloud Computing and recommending the best path for the company to take. Export Control in the United States plays a critical role in ensuring that the national interests and foreign policy regulations are adhered to. United States places restriction on the export of some software, items and technology. The Departments of Commerce, Defense, Interior, Energy and other US agencies control the flow of software out of United States. Cloud computing is a new and emerging concept. One of the most fascinating aspects of cloud computing is the autonomy it offers. Though it has been with us not for long, it is undisputable it has proven to be a major commercial and SME success catalyst and hopefully will continue for the next decades. Clouds are of particular interest not only with expanding tendency to outsource IT to cut on management overheads and to widen existing limited IT infrastructures, but even more notably, they reduce the entrance barrier for new players to deliver their respective goods and services to a wider market with minimal entry and exit costs and infrastructure. The lack of term or volume commitments, pay as you go pricing model, and unrestricted entry and exit seem to offer a license to behave impulsively. Tempting as it may be to shift deployment to the cloud, IT manager realize that their business depend on thoughtful planning (Lorna Uden, 2012). The key policy questions that the company is likely to face include privacy, jurisdiction, and security. The concept of jurisdiction is applicable where data originates from one location i.e. US and find itself in another location i.e. Europe. Because export control primarily concerns movement of data, then the question of whether the company will satisfy expose control regulations when it adopts the cloud need to be answered (Villasenor, 2011). The products

Western progressives Essay Example for Free

Western progressives Essay Enforcing cooperation between the CIA and the FBI and the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) is essential in dealing with terrorism. This is unarguably true; however, the same premise should be enforced between municipal, county, state, and federal law enforcement agencies. All levels of response, including investigation and information gathering, are crucial pieces to the puzzle when dealing with homeland security and terrorism. After all, it is not just international terrorist organizations overseas that need to be monitored. There are many domestic-based groups actively or passively operating in everyones own backyard. Whether an investigation is local, state, or federally based, money is one nexus that, if exposed, can bring all agencies together. International and domestic-based terrorist organizations generally have one feature in common: the need for financing. As documented in Steven Emersons remarkable video documentary for the Public Broadcasting System (PBS) that aired in November, 1994 titled â€Å"Jihad in America,† terrorist organizations, regardless of how much they despise and loath the U. S. , have no problem seeking support and financial backing in the U. S. Based on this critical need, perhaps the best approach for dealing with terrorism is to track money and finances. (Rick 2004 93) It can be detrimental to be one-dimensional and not to consider global approaches to homeland security and terrorist-related information. It has been demonstrated that terrorist activity cans occur anywhere and at any time, but financial support is an ongoing process with many guises. This need exists and perhaps poses the greatest opportunity for law enforcement to expose and exploit in order to gain the upper hand in tracking and monitoring potential homeland security threats. Homeland security and terrorism have received Ð ° great deal of public attention over the past couple of years. Most of the attention came from the federal government and the media. Law enforcement agencies, based on this attention, were force-fed Ð ° multitude of methods and practices for dealing with homeland security and terrorism matters. Some local and state agencies established homeland security units in an attempt to keep up with the growing concerns facing the ever-evolving world of terrorism. Traditional managers and administrators also reacted to this crisis, predictably, by having their agencies develop plans of action and contingency plans and by identifying potential targets that exist within their jurisdictions in case of an attack. However, this can be construed as nothing more than window dressing. Something near and dear to all managers is the budget, and this, perhaps, is the leading cause as to why only â€Å"window dressing† has been applied. (Rick 2004 115) â€Å"By launching so forcefully Ð ° global war on terror, President Bush has challenged head-on Ð ° long-cherished tenet of Western progressives. This has been that insurgency is the authentic voice of the oppressed; and the more adamant its leadership, the more this truth is confirmed. Shades here of the dozens of medieval ballads that created the Robin Hood legend. Shades, too, of Ð ° modern disposition to write indulgently of outlaws, gangland bosses and their ilk-Jesse James, Ned Kelly, Reggie Kray, Rob Roy†¦ On the more overtly political plane, the literati tend to give ultra-Left revolutionaries (Mazzini, Lenin, Mao Tse-tung, Gerry Adams†¦) extensive and often empathetic press coverage compared with more moderate reformers or, of course, the anciens regimes. Moreover, the more dismal the status quo antes, the more these tendencies prevail, the underlying assumption being that anything must be an improvement. Alas, the materials of history suggest that unyielding repression is very liable to be replaced, through revolutionary upheaval, by brutality more uncompromising, albeit in Ð ° new guise. Robespierre was far more vicious than Louis XVI. Stalin was much worse than the Tsars. Nor does the current dearth of political thought, especially in the developing countries, inspire confidence that future revolutionists would be any better. (Neville 2004 45). References Alexander Moens, Lenard J. Cohen, Allen G. Sens; Praeger, 2003 NATO and European Security: Alliance Politics from the End of the Cold War to the Age of Terrorism Amy Goodman, David Goodman; Allen Unwin, 2004 The Exception to the Rulers: Exposing Americas War Profiteers, the Media That Love Them and the Crackdown on Our Rights. Anthony H. Cordesman; Praeger, 2002 Terrorism, Asymmetric Warfare, and Weapons of Mass Destruction: Defending the U. S. Homeland. Barry Cooper;, 2004 New Political Religions, Or, an Analysis of Modern Terrorism. University of Missouri Press. Bruce Nardulli; Rand, 2003 The Global War on Terrorism: An Early Look at Implications for the Army. Bulent Gokay, R. B. J. Walker; Frank Cass, 2003 11 September 2001: war, terror, and judgment. Chris E. Stout; Praeger, 2002 The Psychology of Terrorism: Programs and Practices in Response and Prevention Vol. 4. Christopher Preble 2004 Exiting Iraq: Why the U. S. Must End the Military Occupation and Renew the War against Al Qaeda : Report of Ð ° Special Task Force, Cato Institute. David J. Whittaker; Routledge, 2004 Terrorists and Terrorism in the Contemporary World. Dr. Amit Gupta 2003 Strategic Effects of the Conflict with Iraq: South Asia; Strategic Studies Institute. Dr. Anthony L. 2003 Strategic Effects of the Conflict with Iraq: East Asia: Smith; Strategic Studies Institute. Elizabeth Wishnick. 2004 Strategic Consequences of the Iraq War: U. S. Security Interests in Central Asia Reassessed; Strategic Studies Institute. Frederick H. Gareau;, 2004 State Terrorism and the United States: From Counterinsurgency to the War on Terrorism Clarity Press. Gabriel Kolko 2006 The Age of War: The United States Confronts the World. Hooman Peimani; Praeger, 2003 Falling Terrorism and Rising Conflicts: The Afghan Contribution to Polarization and Confrontation in West and South Asia. James M. Lutz, Brenda J. Lutz; Routledge, 2004 Global Terrorism. R. Martin; 2002 Defeating Terrorism: Strategic Issue Analyses. Strategic Studies Institute. John Richard Thackrah; Routledge, 2004 Dictionary of Terrorism. Lynn E. Davis, Gregory F. Treverton, Daniel Byman, Sara Daly, William Rosenau; Rand, (2004) Coordinating the War on Terrorism. Mary Buckley, Rick Fawn; Routledge, 2003 Global Responses to Terrorism: 9/11, Afghanistan and beyond. Max G. Manwaring 2003 Strategic Effects of the Conflict with Iraq: Latin America; Strategic Studies Institute. Michael R. Ronczkowski; CRC Press, 2004 Terrorism and Organized Hate Crime: Intelligence Gathering, Analysis, and Investigations. Mohan Malik. 2002 Dragon on Terrorism: Assessing Chinas Tactical Gains and Strategic Losses Post-September 11 Strategic Studies Institute. Neville Brown; Routledge, 2004: Global Instability and Strategic Crisis. Paul De B. J Taillon; Praeger, 2002 Hijacking and Hostages: Government Responses to Terrorism. Paul De B. J Taillon; Praeger, 2001 The Evolution of Special Forces in Counter-Terrorism: The British and American Experiences. Paul K. Davis, Brian Michael Jenkins; Rand, 2002 Deterrence and Influence in Counterterrorism: Ð  Component in the War on Al Qaeda. Paul Mcgeough; Allen Unwin, 2003 Manhattan to Baghdad. Peter Van Der Veer, Shoma Munshi; 2004 Routledge Media, War, and Terrorism: Responses from the Middle East and Asia. Rahul Mahajan 2002 The New Crusade: Americas War on Terrorism. Richard Ð . Clarke 2004 Against All Enemies: Inside Americas War on Terror. Richard Crockatt; Routledge, 2003 America Embattled: September 11, Anti-Americanism, and the Global Order. Rick Anderson; Clarity Press, 2004 Home Front: The Governments War on Soldiers. Robert S. Tripp, Kristin F. Lynch, G. Drew, Edward W. Chan; Rand, 2004 Sandra Silberstein; Routledge, 2002 War of Words: Language, Politics and 9/11. Sherifa Zuhur;, 2005 Saudi Arabia: Islamic Threat, Political Reform, and the Global War on Terror: Strategic Studies Institute. Shireen Hunter; Frank Cass, 2004 Strategic Developments in Eurasia after 11 September. Stephen Biddle; Strategic Studies Institute, 2002 Afghanistan and the Future of Warfare: Implications for Army and Defense Policy. Supporting Air and Space Expeditionary Forces: Lessons from Operation Enduring Freedom. Thomas G. Weiss, Margaret E. Crahan, Goering; Routledge. (2004) Wars on Terrorism and Iraq: Human Rights, Unilateralism, and U. S. Foreign Policy. Thomas R. Mockaitis, Paul B. Rich; Frank Cass, 2003 Grand Strategy in the War against Terrorism. Yassin El-Ayouty, Gerald J. Galgan, Francis J. Greene, Edward Wesley; Praeger, 2004 Perspectives on 9/11.

Cultures and Practices Not Allowed in the Philippines Essay Example for Free

Cultures and Practices Not Allowed in the Philippines Essay Euthanasia Euthanasia is the legal term for a medically assisted mercy killing; however in most countries, euthanasia is illegal. The first form of euthanasia is the voluntary decision of a patient. This is when a patient asks a doctor to terminate the patient’s life if and when the patient suffers too much, the patient has no hope of recovery, the patient has no hope for a decent quality of life, or the patient wishes to relieve the financial or psychological burden on the patient’s family. The other form of euthanasia is an involuntary decision by friends or family of the patient to end the patients life. This is sometimes referred to as euthanasia without consent from the patient. Euthanasia is unethical. It is immoral. Even though a death of a person is given consent by himself, it is still murder, assisted suicide, or mercy killing, which is against the will of God. Abortion Abortion, though allowed in some other countries, is illegal in the Philippines. Under the Revised Penal Code of the Philippines, any person who shall intentionally cause an abortion shall suffer reclusion temporal, prision mayor, or prision correccional. The only time abortion is legal is when the pregnancy of the expectant mother is beyond saving like in the case of fetal death, fetal deformity caused sickness while in womb, pregnancy post high risk to mothers life. In all other circumstances, there is no exception. Abortion is more illegal in the eyes of God, because it is a mortal sin. Divorce Divorce, under the Family Code, is not allowed in the Philippines. Christianity is the largest religion in the Philippines, being that the Christian religion is strongly against divorce. The reason is the influence of Christianity in the Philippine culture. Under its teachings, only death can separate what God has put together. So even if under the eyes of the law, the marital bonds have been validly severed, the Catholic Church will still not honor said decree. Couple this with the fact that there is a stigma attached to broken marriages. Said stigma often develops feelings of insecurities and in some cases, rebellion on the part of the concerned parties. Polygamy Polygamy is the status or institution of simultaneous marriage of more than one woman to one man, or of several women to several men. The two forms are polygyny and polyandry. In ordinary use, the term is restricted to polygyny, where one man is simultaneously married to more than one woman. Catholic tradition has consistently interpreted Christs teaching as absolutely forbidding polygamy, and the prohibition was defined by the Council of Trent, pronouncing that it is unlawful for Christians to have several wives at the same time, and that it is forbidden the divine law. Marriage is a covenant between two people. In the Philippines, polygamy is not allowed because of the Christian influence in the Philippine culture. The only exception is when you are a Muslim living in the Philippines. Same sex Marriage Same sex Marriage is not allowed in the Philippines. Two people of the same gender having a relationship is somehow socially accepted nowadays. But when they are to be married, it is unethical. Even though there are some instances that these marriages occur, the couple could not include seeking legal protection and benefits that flow from marriage. Marriage is defined as a special contract of permanent union between a man and a woman entered into in accordance with law for the establishment of conjugal and family life.

A Case Study Of Telenor Management Essay

A Case Study Of Telenor Management Essay 1. Introduction This study endeavors to develop comprehension of how transformational leadership style of top management affects innovation at the organizational level. The topic is of paramount importance because of the ever increasing pressures of modernization and innovation on todays global economy. It has become indispensable to practice a leadership style that makes firms innovative and adaptive to change. Firms are shifting their focus from knowledge economy to creative economy, where corporations will compete on the basis of imagination, innovation and creativity (Oke, Munshi Walumbwa, 2009) Boston Consulting Group Inc surveyed over 900 senior executives and identified innovation as the key driver of top-line revenue. Analysis of firms transforming due to innovation provides evidence for this statement. For example, the highly successful iPod of Apple Inc.s, that earned devastating revenues for the company; the role of Blackberrys success in the transformation and emergence of Research in Motion; process innovation at Southwest Airlines Co. that transformed it as an economical and triumphant airline; and Procter Gamble Co. outperforming its competitors by focusing on design innovation. Innovation aims at bringing about change in the status quo. It can be defined as discovering (creative thinking ideas) and commercializing those discoveries (implementing the creative ideas). Creativity new idea generation alone are insufficient for innovation; implementation is also a cornerstone of the innovation process. (Oke, Munshi, Walumbwa, 2009) Plentiful studies have led to the identification of factors that can stimulate innovation at the organizational level. In broad terms, innovation is the adoption or execution of unaccustomed and convenient ideas by individuals in organizations (Amabile Conti 1999) p.360). Factors that are known to have an influence on innovation include leadership (Mumford Gustafson, 1998; Amabile, 1998), a work environment that is conducive for innovation (Amabile, 1998; Oke, Munshi Walumbwa, 2009), CEO salary (Markman, Balkin and Gomez-Mejia, 2000), organizational culture and climate (Mumford Gustafson, 1998; Jung, Wu Chow, 2008; Oke, Munshi Walumbwa, 2009), environmental attributes (Jung, Wu Chow, 2008), learning capability and intra-organizational networks (Tsai, 2001) and job complexity type of supervision (Oldham Cummings, 1996). Among these abundant factors, the leadership behavior of managers has been spotted as one of the most important of all (Amabile, 1998; Jung, 2001; Mumford, Sc ott, Gaddis Strange, 2002). Leadership was merely a concept before the 19th century and it was in the start of the 19th century that it emerged as a word in English language (Davis Cushing). Over the years, leaders and leadership have been distinctly defined by various scholars. Leadership is a process whereby a leader changes the course of action of another group, due to the interaction of his personality characteristics and those of the group (Bogardus, 1934). Leadership is the direction of human collaborators for the accomplishment of a goal. A leader successfully guides his human assistants for the achievement of particular ends. (Prentice, W.C.H. 1961). Leadership is a goal directed endeavor with the aim to influence the activities of followers through communication process. (Donelly, J.H. Ivancevich, J. M. Gibson, J.L. 1985 Leadership is the situational effort towards goal achievement by the process of influencing the individual or group activities. (Hersey, P. Blanchard, K, 1988). Leadership is the f ormulation of a transparent and complete system of expectations for the purpose of identification, arousal and utilization of strengths of all the resources of an organization, the most important of which is human resource (Batten, J.D. 1989). Leadership is the art of influencing individuals to yield their best output/ performance for the accomplishment of a goal, project or objective. (Cohen, W.A. 1990). Leaders are the people who obtain commitment from a working group of individuals and then motivate them to accomplish the outcomes of a pre-planned direction. (Conger, J.A.1992). Leadership is a process in which a leader sets the goal for an individual or group of individuals and takes all of them together with him or her with proficiency and devotion (Jacques E. Clement, S.D. 1994). Leadership is an unrealizable trait that cannot be distinctly defined. This in fact is a good phenomenon, because if the followers were aware of the definition of leadership, they would probably overr un their leaders. (Scott Adams, 1996). Effective leadership is about enabling ordinary people to deliver extraordinary results in the face of challenge and change and to constantly turn in superior performance to the long-term benefit of all concerned (Charlton, 1993). The more recent definitions conceive leadership in terms of influence relationships, power differentials, persuasion, influence on goal achievement, reinforcement, role differentiation, initiation of structure, and perceived attributions of behavior that are consistent with what the perceivers spotted leadership to be. Recently, many management scholars and gurus have identified adaptive leadership as the key enabler to cope with the ever increasing challenges of the corporate world. (Bass, Avolio, Jung Berson, 2003). So the adaptive leadership behaviors that have proved to be more effective than other leadership styles in organizational innovation have been labeled as transformational. (Lowe, Kroek, Sivasubramaniam, 1996; Gardner Avolio, 1998; Howell Avolio, 1993). Transformational leadership capabilities continue to be the hallmark of innovative firms. Successful leaders like J.R. Immelt, CEO of General Electric; A.G.Lafley, CEO of P&G; Ratan Tata, chairman of Tata Motors Tata Group and Steve Jobs of Apple are the prominent figures who have fostered innovation by their adaptive behaviors. Transformational leadership holds four theoretically discrete dimensions: charisma or idealized influence, inspirational motivation, intellectual stimulation and individual consideration. Idealized influence reflects the degree to which followers admire and hold their leaders as role models. Leaders exhibiting idealized influence are ethical, consistent, share risks with followers and prefer the needs of their followers above their own needs. Inspirational motivation points to the degree motivation of followers by delineating new opportunities, providing meaning and challenge to followers work and articulating a strong, realistic and shared vision of the future. Intellectual stimulation refers to the ability of a leader to question the assumptions and thinking of followers, reframe problems, stimulate intellectual curiosity, approaching problems in new ways, soliciting creativity and innovation from followers through novel approaches and avoiding open criticism for individual errors. Finally, leaders who provide individualized consideration pay attention to individual needs for growth, development, support and achievement. They act as coaches or mentors and establish a favorable environment for innovation; where values are diversified and learning opportunities are created (Bass Avolio, 1993) (Some versions of Bass Full-Range Leadership Theory identify 5 components of transformational leadership by breaking down idealized influence/ charisma into idealized influence or attributed charisma. For the sake of simplifying this research, idealized influence and charisma have been grouped together in this study). 2. Research Design 2.1 Main Objectives The aim of this study is to probe the following objectives: To discuss the philosophy, attributes and elements of transformational leadership and innovation To spot the existence of transformational leadership style at Telenor Pakistan To the asses the level of organizational innovation Telenor Pakistan To identify the effect transformational leadership style on organizational innovation 2.2 Hypotheses to be tested The objective of this study is to spot the presence of attributes of transformational leadership i.e. idealized influence, inspirational motivation, individualized consideration and intellectual stimulation, estimate the level of organizational innovation and examine the effect of transformational leadership on organizational innovation. The working hypothesis within this context will be as under: H0: Transformational leadership has no effect on organizational innovation. H1: Transformational leadership has strong effect on organizational innovation. 2.3 Scope of the study The range of application of this study is limited to the telecommunication sector in Pakistan with specific focus on Telenor (Peshawar). Transformational leadership style will be judged on the basis of four dimensions, that is, charisma or idealized influence, inspirational motivation, intellectual stimulation and individualized consideration. Furthermore, the effect of transformational leadership on organizational innovation will be analyzed. 3. Review of Literature (Burns, 1978) stated that transformational leaders stand above the common place. They indulge in a mutual interaction with their followers that raises the understanding, goals and mission that results in the ultimate arousal and transformation of both the leader and the followers. (Bass, 1985) At the other end to transformational leadership lies transactional leadership; where the leaders try to maintain the status quo. Followers are motivated on the base of extrinsic rewards, such as promotion and monetary benefits. It is an everyday terrestrial transaction of value, where leaders only provide needed value to individuals in exchange for their services. (Jane. M. Howell, Christopher A. Higgins, 1990) The most successful leaders are gifted with qualities of transformational leadership and charisma. They are far more influential and innovative than the leaders having style other than transformational. (David A. Waldman, Bernard M. Bass, 1991) linked the themes of nurturant and persistent leadership with transformational leadership theory. Furthermore, the role of transformational leadership behavior in various stages of successful innovations was clarified and implications were presented regarding the proposed model. (Dougherty Hardy, 1996) Transformational leaders intellectually stimulate their followers. This fosters unaccustomed and creative thinking and working processes that pave the way for new technology and knowledge, which are necessary for organizational innovation. Amabile, Conti, Coon, Lazenby, and Herron (1996) have spotted the damaging effects of transactional leadership on creativity. Bono Judge (2004) have supported this proposition in their recent meta-analysis. (Sosik, Avolio Kahali, 1997) Transformational leaders easily adapt to exploitative and exploratory thinking processes which in turn yield creative ideas and effective solutions to problems. The effectiveness of transformational leadership at stimulating unconventional and innovative thinking of followers is far greater than that of other leadership styles. (Bass, 1985; Gardner Avolio, 1998) proposed that transformational leaders have the ability to create personal and professional commitment from their followers towards satisfying upper-level needs like self-actualization and self esteem. (Oldham Cummings, 1996; Amabile, 1998; Zhou, 2003) added to this research finding by suggesting that this commitment boosts the inherent motivation of followers, which is considered to be an essential driver of individual creativity and organizational innovation. (House Shamir, 1993; Jung Avolio, 2000; Mumford et.al, 2000) Leaders possessing transformational attributes have the ability to regroup the values and norms of their followers in a better way. They encourage the progress of personal and organizational changes and facilitate their followers to go beyond their initial performance expectations. (A.Oke, 2002) was part of a study carried out on the organizational innovation of AXA insurance, Ireland. It was revealed that due to the transformational leadership style of John. ONeil, the CEO, a non-innovative firm was transmuted into an innovative one. To achieve this level of creativity, the physical spaces were decorated with eye catching colors and employees from all levels and functions were made to work together in order to stimulate creativity. The results of this transformational behavior were soon evident in the form of 150 new business ideas during 6 months. (Shin Zhou 2003) found that positive relation was discovered between transformational leadership and creativity of subordinates on the basis of a study conducted on 290 employees and their supervisors belonging to 46 Korean companies. (Jung, Wu, Chow, 2008) concluded in their research that a positive relation has existence between the transformational leadership of CEO and organizational innovation. This effect is moderated by variables such as organizational structure, culture and external environment. These results are agreed upon after testing multi-sourced data from 50 Taiwanese electronics and telecommunications companies. (Oke, Munshi, Walumbwa, 2009) found that transformational style of leadership strongly enhances creativity and innovation regarding exploratory (creating something of a totally new and radical nature) and exploitative innovation activities (incremental improvements and refinements to something that already exists). These leaders have the ability to transform or change, which makes them the main drivers for innovative processes. (Lale Gumusluoglu, Arzu IIsev, 2009) suggested that transformational leadership style has strong influence on both the individual and organizational innovation. Individually, transformational leadership is positively related to the creativity of employees. Furthermore, transformational leadership and organizational innovation are spotted to have a positive association between them. These results are the outcome of a study conducted on 163 managers and RD personnel from 43 Micro and small sized software development companies from Turkey. (Khan, Rehman and Fatima, 2009) studied managers from telecommunication sector in Pakistan and explored the positive effects of transformational leadership on organizational innovation. (Mariana Makri, Terri A.Scandura, 2010) identified the strong relation of operational leadership (the dimension of leadership which reflects the ability of a CEO to refine the existing paths to growth or tapping new paths by reframing and extending the boundaries of the firm to products and markets) and creative leadership (the ability of a leader to contribute to the social, human and knowledge capital of his firm) with the quantity and resonance of innovation. The hypothesis was tested over a sample of 77 high technology firms. 4. Research Methodology 4.1 Sources of data This research will make use of both primary and secondary data. Transformational leadership style will be judged on the basis of primary data obtained through interview and questionnaire. The level of organizational innovation will be assessed by primary data obtained through questionnaire and secondary data gathered from the companys publicly disclosed financial statements. 4.2 Research instruments Questionnaires and structured interviews will serve as instruments of this research. The extent of transformational leadership will be measured using Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire (Bass and Avolio, 1995) (Annexure-A). MLQ is a well validated measure of transformational leadership and has been used extensively in prior research (Awamleh and Gardner, 1999). Each respondent will be asked to rate five aspects of his/her leaders/ top-managers behavior related to each of the four dimensions of transformational leadership (idealized influence/charisma, inspirational motivation, individualized consideration, intellectual stimulation). The responses will be anchored by a 5-point response scale (1-not at all, 2-once in a while, 3-sometimes, 4-fairly often, 5-frequently, if not always). While measuring organizational innovation, a composite measure will be used to capture the broad aspects of innovative activities (Balkin et als, 2000). Two measures will be used to tap into different aspects of innovation. First is the annual RD expenditure as a percentage of sales revenue over three years prior to this study (i.e.2008-2010). This ratio indicates a firms emphasis on innovation (Hitt, Hoskisson and Kim, 1997; Balkin et al, 2000). These figures will be obtained from the companys publicly disclosed financial statements. Second, different respondents actively following the telecommunication industry will be contacted. The reason is to include different fruits of innovation such as process and service improvements. Each respondent will be offered two sets of questions about the sample firm. The first set includes a single question regarding his/her familiarity with the company. The possible answers will be 1-not familiar with the company at all, 2-somewhat familiar with the company, 3-very familiar with the company. Only the respondents with responses 2 and 3 will be considered. The second set comprises of 20 questions (4 questions each for scanning five types of innovative activities i.e. product innovation, process innovation, marketing innovation, strategic innovation and organizational climate innovation) in order to rate the level of organizational innovation (Annexure B). The 5-point Likerts Scale (1-strongly disagree, 2-disagree, 3-neither agree nor disagree, 4-agree, 5-strongly agree) will be used to anchor the responses. 4.3 Sampling design (a) Universe / population There are many national and multinational telecommunication companies operating in Pakistan. All these national and multinational firms collectively form the population/ universe of this research. Results will be generalized and recommendations will be forwarded considering all these firms. (b) Sample size and selection This research will adopt a case study approach by focusing on Telenor (Peshawar) as the sample firm. A simple random sample of 30 employees of low, middle and top-management of the company will be selected with the aim of assessing transformational leadership. Furthermore, organizational innovation will be judged by studying a random sample of 30 respondents that are directly or indirectly associated with the telecommunication industry in Pakistan.

Quality Deer Management Essay -- Hunting Wildlife Conservation

Quality Deer Management There is no other big-game animal in North America like the white-tailed deer. The whitetails habitat is so widespread that it covers just about all of North America and parts of Central America. The white-tailed deer is the most commonly hunted big game animal ever. Before the settlers arrived, an estimated 30 million whitetails inhabited what is now the United States and Canada. But as settlers pursued them for food and market hunters slaughtered them with snares, traps, and set guns, the deer population underwent a disastrous decline. By 1900, only 400,000 whitetails remained. What happened ever since 1900 has truly become a huge conservation success story. Through a massive effort by sportsmen and wildlife managers, market hunting was outlawed, sport-hunting regulations were established, and habitat improvement programs began. Because of the efforts of these concerned people the whitetail population has risen to around 20 million. The deer population has increased so much that in many areas, they suffer from chronic starvation. â€Å"Bucks only† laws passed years ago to help in re-establishing the dwindling deer herds now work against the deer by resulting in an overabundance of does. Even with the overabundance of does many hunters refuse to shoot a doe. They believe in the old saying, â€Å"It takes a doe to yield a buck.† This is entirely true but it ignores the basic law of nature that any piece of land, and the food and cover in it, can support only so much game. If the excess game is not harvested by hunters or killed by predators, nature will take over and exterminate enough animals as needed or more through disease and starvation. That’s why hunting is a much more humane means for a deer ... ...also depend on how wildlife agencies respond to this idea. Throughout history, many northern states have gone all out on shooting bucks. Now they realize that just shooting bucks do not equal quality deer herds. I believe that it is time to make Quality Deer Management a part of every hunters game plan. The benefits may not happen right away but after a couple of years you will have years and years of quality hunting. You not only will have a better hunting experience but you will also have fun implementing Quality Deer Management on your land. Bibliography: http://www.burnsville.org/deer_management June 18, 2001 http://www.dnr.state.wi.us/ July 19, 2001 QDM: Are You Up To Its Challenges? Deer and Deer Hunting November 1999 Krause Publications Inc. QDM: Can Your State Make It Happen? Deer and Deer Hunting November 1999 Krause Publications Inc.

The Banning Of Little House On The Prairie :: essays research papers fc

"The Banning of Little House on the Prairie" Objections to Little House on the Prairie arose in the mid 1990's. Until then, the book, as well as the rest of the series, was highly praised for children of all ages. In fact, Laura was such a highly praised author that a book award was named in her honor, The Laura Ingalls Wilder Award. It was established in 1954 by the American Library Association and was first presented to Mrs. Wilder herself for the Little House on the Prairie series. It is now presented every three years to an author who has produced a piece of work that has made a substantial and lasting contribution to children's literature. Little House on the Prairie was first challenged in 1993 by parents of students at Lafourche Parish elementary schools in Thibodaux, Louisiana. They were requesting the novel be removed on the grounds of it being "offensive to Indians." Parents recited excerpts from the book supporting their objections as follows: "naked wild men", "terrible men", and "glittering black eyes". A phrase repeated several times the Ingalls neighbor, Mrs. Scott, was also cited, "The only good Indian is a dead Indian." Further, another quote was given to the school board from when Ma and the girls were alone in the cabin since Pa was gone hunting. Two men from the Osage tribe visited the cabin in which Laura describes them as, "Those Indians were dirty and scowling and mean. They acted as if the house belonged to them." Wilder then goes on to describe how the Indians went through their cupboards and began to take food and tobacco and fur that was to be traded for plows and seeds until the Indian's companion stopped him. The school board denied the request and the book was retained. In 1994, the book was banned from elementary schools in Sturgis, South Dakota again on the grounds that "it contains statements that are considered derogatory to Native Americans." The objection presented to the Sturgis School Board were mainly cited in the Lafourche Parish challenge, and Sturgis evidenced significantly greater public support for the ban. Should we read this book? This is a question that can be answered in many shapes and forms. I think the Little House on the Prairie series is a delight to read, and a wonderful addition in any person's library. I own copy of the series myself and practically know it by heart.

I Have the Moral Character to be a Teacher :: Teaching Education Essays

I Have the Moral Character to be a Teacher I was inspired to become a teacher for many reasons. Teaching will be a self-fulfilling career. It would give me the opportunity to help my community and have a moral and ethical impact on the students of this area. Also, I desire to be with my children as much as possible, and a teaching profession fits that mold. A teaching profession would be rewarding because it would allow me to fulfill many personal goals, including working with the youth of the area and spending time with my family. For many years I have volunteered with the Boys Scouts of America. Doing this is one of my passions, but recent jobs I have had did not allowed much time for volunteering. A teacher’s schedule would allow me to be able to serve this organization by volunteering as an Aquatics Instructor, teaching life-saving skills. My other passion is my family. Spending time with my children is the best way to create life-long memories. However, it is difficult to spend time with my family and scho ol-age children when our schedules are not alike. As a teacher, I would be able to spend more quality time with my children and help them after school with homework. In addition to meeting these personal goals, teaching would allow me to reach out to area students and help them build character and acquire knowledge. The classroom is a complex society. In each room, there must be an atmosphere in which students of all backgrounds can learn. By being a constructivist one can combine the elements of essentialism, progressivism, behaviorism, perennialism, and existentialism to form a successful teaching philosophy and therefore a successful classroom. Below, I will discuss how these ideas can be combined for success. As essentialism states, the teacher needs to have control in the instruction of the classroom. Lecturing and supervising the improvement of skills are great ways to teach materials. A case in point here shows one of the teaching fundamentals, of the core subjects reading, writing, math, and nature sciences. This give s you the intellectual discipline to solve problems that involve complex ideas. In progressivism, students have more of a democratic voice in the learning process. Although the teacher will be the facilitator of the process, by using a cooperative learning activity the students are designing there own education and are guided in a direction by the teacher.

Dr. patient relationship Essay

For quite a long time doctors have the freedom to interfere and dominate the patient’s desires with the sole objective of avoiding harm to the patient . The emphasis in today’s medical practice is individual independence and control and medical paternalism no longer enjoys the indubitable acceptance by the society as the dominant approach to decision making in medicine. But neither is a decision-making approach that is based on absolute patient autonomy a satisfactory one. A more ethical and tested approach is to facilitate a patient’s autonomy by advocating a medical beneficence that includes patients’ ideas and perspectives . This can be accomplished via a model for shared decision making recognizing the fact that the final decision lies ultimately with the patients and that it is only through the doctor’s beneficence that the patient can be empowered to make meaningful and sensible decision that work best for them. For such a model to be efficacious, the return of trust to the doctor patient relationship and patient doctor communication are both important. Introduction The benefit of the patient has been a major preoccupation of the medical profession for a long time. The Hippocratic oat stipulated that the physicians will do their best not to injure the patient and also to restore the patient to their healthy state. Generations of physicians have sworn to this oat. The perspective of the patients about physician is that of guidance with professional skills, knowledge and training to benefit the patient including making unilateral decision about what constitute benefit to the patient. The situation is therefore comparable to that of a caring father and a child and hence the use of the term paternalism. Medical beneficence stood for a long time as the operation mode for doctor patient relationship. Such relationship work well as it represents the essential role of medicine in the society. Since the beginning of few centuries ago, there has been a shift to the individual away from political and religious authorities. Similar changes are experienced in medicine as orchestrated by difference in the tone of the ethical codes of America medical association (AMA) in the last two centuries. Considering the article II of the 1847AMA ethical code entitled â€Å"Obligations of the Patients to their Physicians†, Section 6 stated that â€Å"The obedience of a patient to the prescriptions of his physician should be prompt and implicit. He should never permit his own crude opinions as to their fitness, to influence his attention to them. A failure in one particular may render an otherwise judicious treatment dangerous, and even fatal. †On the contrary AMA’s opinion in 1990 on â€Å"Fundamental Elements of the Patient-Physician Relationship† now states a completely different position:â€Å"The patient has the right to make decisions regarding the health care that is recommended by his or her physician. Accordingly, patients may accept or refuse any recommended medical treatment. † in today’s practice, the principle of autonomy of the patient and self determination has emerged as the dominant ethos In health care, threatening in many instances to totally eclipse the principle of medical beneficence. The simple pendulum has taken such a drastic tilt that, with the exception perhaps of soft feeble paternalism with respect to non-autonomous patients, paternalism is almost always seen in negative light, regardless of its intention and outcome. But medicine is, after all, a human activity aimed at healing and restoration of health. The question now is that can medicine therefore continue to serve the patient if cleansed totally of a paternal motivation? In an essay written by Tan , validity of medical paternalism was rejected and he debated violently on its deconstruction. By giving a passionate support for a patient autonomy against â€Å"excessive expression of beneficience†, many of Tan’s views are nonetheless less than persuasive as it can be invalidated. For instance he gave a real life example of a physician who was said to be unwell singularly on the ground of noncompliance. This is a rare scenario . Also it is hasty to have declared such patient as incompetent and hence the disqualification from making decisions as there was no legal process which include any preexisting psychopathology and a complete assessment of the cognitive functions which are mandatory to determine the incompetence or otherwise of a patient. Another example would be Tan’s accusation that the move by Singapore’s Health Ministry to regulate the practice of the traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) was a â€Å"laughable† one . He seems to have omitted the fact that irrespective of the review methodology used, any system of medicine that is seeking acceptance and official acknowledgment in society should be able to make provision for appropriate level of assurance to the public in terms of how safe its practices are and also the minimal standards of its practitioners. Such thoughts are not what Tan describes asâ€Å"Western medical criteria†, but are instead very basic representative standards demanded by regulatory leaderships to ensure public safety. The choice of Society over which system of medicine it adopts as its mainstream, be it allo- or homeopathic (complementary disease treatment system), empirical or experimental, is hardly a result of paternalism in Western medicine. But Tan however is right in suggesting that there is a need for the ‘western-trained’ doctor to utilise an open mind to alternative schools of medicine. This can only extend as far as a sincere admission of ignorance and a commitment to critically examine any available evidence. Modesty cannot and should not equate unfounded ratification of and recommendation of therapies for which a doctor is void of understanding or conviction. For that group who vehemently oppose beneficence as the reason and justification to overrule patients’ choices, a model advocating supremacy of individual freedom and autonomy is advocated. In this approach, which some people call the informative model. Physician’s role is relegated to that of a technician who provides patient with information and leaves the patient to decide. The model is assumptuous. It assumes the physician role in patient doctor encounter to be passive. It is sadly simplistic view of the profession’s essential roles, duties and responsibilities (Adelaja, 2003) Admittedly although sadly, some doctors are found guilty of promoting this impression and therefore neglecting the essential humanistic aspect of the practice. Furthermore, physicians who are dreadful of the consequences of not respecting and recognizing the autonomy of the patient have been known to adopt such a model. This can eventually lead to a total neglect and dereliction of their professional responsibilities, with a possible danger of administering therapies that are not medically indicated or relevant. By trying to honor autonomy and freedom, physicians merely offer possible options with no professional contribution in addition, and so this informative model is unlikely to serve patient’s interest. In this kind of system, even non-coercive trial to discuss with patients the advantages and disadvantages of their decisions can be considered a total violation of their rights or freedom when in fact, such efforts sincerely reflect appropriate care and emotional concern for the patient’s well-being. â€Å"This model of clinical encounter is therefore unsatisfactory as it can lead to a form of moral and professional neglect by the physician† (Pellegrino, 1976,pg37). Another thing is that the model assumes all competent individual being capable of management of their daily affairs and events based on their beliefs and experiences which also include decision making capacity about their health. Tan in 1978 cited that illness does not have effect on the cognition and the emotion and that patient can therefore make decision about the treatment they receive. We now know that sickness does not affect or lower the rights and morals of a patient(olumuyiwa,2003). However the ability to make informed decision is affected by the biopsychosocial effect of the illness(Engel,1989). To confirm a person as incompetent there must be demonstrable psychopathology and mental incapacity. Steven wears noted in his works about informed choice in health care that if only for freedom and control ,without thinking well on their own choice, it will be hazardous for patients to exercise autonomy rights and therefore overrule the choice of the doctor. Freedom without moral responsibility is counterproductive to the goals and objectives of medicine. A better service could be rendered to patients by minimizing paternalism without so much compromise on the freedom of the patient. Tim further acknowledged though famishly the model to deconstruct or critically analyze paternalism when he said that the exercise of autonomy â€Å"may fulfill patient’s expressed desire but not necessarily transform into serving the patient best ,if at all† . In lim’s own view, hard paternalism is not prevalent in the medical practice of today and that most people are the so-called â€Å"grey cases† (dismal). He used the word â€Å" guided paternalism† as a model to better serve the patient and the aim is to facilitate and enhance the autonomy of the patient. The approach recognizes patients as having the final say in decision making as they are responsible for whatever outcome of their decision . It however emphasizes the duties of the patient and the professionalism of the medical team. The model is a deliberative one and sees the physician as the tutor who clarifies patient’s values and help in the processing of possible intervention. A model like this that takes professional guidance into consideration is relevant for the computer age that we live where patients are equipped with medical information gotten from the internet even though the information is raw and invalidated. The model is consistent with what Thomasma and Pellegrino put forward as â€Å"true benefit†. It holds that the doctor’s assistance in patient’s decision making should cut across enhancing the patient’s capacity with respect to the reasoning ability of the patient. There is therefore congruence between autonomy and baneficience. In this deliberative otherwise known as the shared model, there is a need for mutual trust between doctor and the patient Hard or absolute paternalism is no longer popular because of the waning public trust and regard for medicine. The pluralistic society also sees paternalism as unethical and diabolic. The shared model of patient doctor relationship also has a lot of advantages and the patients and doctors should therefore first be educated on the enormity of the problem. Doctor- patient relationship should be a form of partnership. Under the shared model, Patients need to be enlightened on the importance of a good doctor patient relationship. Time and finance has been a major drawback to shared decision making in health care system. Such problems need to be solved . The communication gap between patients and doctors should be bridged to allow for patient participation in decision making pertaining their health. Patient should learn to be responsible for their healthcare and they should comply with treatment and should not withhold their trust even in the presence of obvious medical uncertainty. â€Å"There is no real need to make an absolute distinction between Paternalism and autonomy and to prefer one over the other† (Davehere, 2000). The drive behind paternalism is beneficence, seeking for the good of the patient. Autonomy on the other hand is based on the fact that patient are responsible for whatever decision they make and should face the consequence. The best approach therefore is the one that mingles Autonomy with beneficence. By sharing the process of decision making, the precision and wealth of patient’s choice can be facilitated by doctor’s advice. The doctor is not patient’s messiah . Similarly; he is not just a mere technician with education. The doctor is indeed the friend of the patient. The doctor cares for the patient as they voyage towards comfort, cure, deliverance and relief. References Code of Ethics. American Medical Association, 1847. Devettere RJ. Practical decision making in health care ethics: Cases and concepts. 2nd Edition. Washington DC: Georgetown University Press, 2000 Lim SL. Medical paternalism serves the patient best. S Med J 2002; 43(3):143-7 Olamuyiwa, O (2001, pg278). Introduction to Psychiatry, Oxford University Press. Pellegrino ED, Thomasma DC. The virtues in medical practice. New York: Oxford University Press, 1993 Tan NHSS. Deconstructing paternalism – what serves the patient best? S Med J 2002; 43(3):148-51

Prestige Telephone Company Essay

PDS continuing to report operating losses due to some issues like delay of Equipment Deliveries, personnel commended higher salary than expected , Difficulties to find customers , Storage space which is used for keeping the equipment was high , high lease and equipment purchase cost , Limitation on service providing cost for parent company and charges which is given to the corporate service by the prestige Telephone Company . After analyzing the exhibits and the relation between the prestige telephone company and prestige data services I would recommend Mr. Rowe that Mr. Rowe should give some privilege to PDS in case of rent charges and the PTS should look over the facilities which provided by corporate services . PTC and PDS should manage their sales department together so it become easy for them to provide service to the clients in case of data maintaining, accounting so the individual cost will be limited. Secondly I would recommend Mr. Rowe regarding service providing hours as after analyzing the total revenue and total hours in report of first quarter there is a huge gap of hours in between these two’s If they plan to work around 550-600 hours in different shifts and maintenance of the computer is done on non-working days and utilize remaining hours for service providing they can increase their revenue hours per month. Regarding improved reporting / accounting format I would be preferring the graphical representation for revenue hours as it is easy to study graphically how many hours been actually utilize for intra company and for commercial purposes and on the other hand the financial report will be presented in percentage format as it will become easy to calculate some important figures and make some plan action upon that. As per the first quarter report on exhibit 1 the PDS showing some positive increment in their revenue hours as we compare month Jan and March this proves the company is efficient to provide good service as its bit difficult to get such a result at initial stages. So after seen such a improvement the company should get some more period of time to improve his performance and meet the revenue hours with total hours . And as the PDS is the parent company they should give some costing privilege in below cases they may overcome some losses in which they are invested in different sections like rent of the storage space and salary issues to the personnel and at other hand as the PDS is not in a public sector so they can increase their service charges and make some profit through it by providing efficient service to the clients .

Discovery of gold in America

The discovery of gold in California sparked a massive emigration across the continent to the Pacific coast by Americans searching for wealth. This massive migration of people brought Jefferson's dream of a continental American empire to reality, and began to establish the United States as the dominant country in North America. This massive migration also prompted the need to bridge the nation for the purpose of making the trip from one coast to another easier. This resulting need to bridge the nation might be the greatest contribution of the gold rush to the history of the United States. On January 24th, 1848, James Marshall discovered what he believed to be Gold dust in the bed of a creek right outside his mill. He brought this sample of the shiny material up to Ft. Sutter in Sacramento, where it was deemed indeed to be gold, and thus the migration of massive amounts of people we call the gold rush began. In two years after the discovery of gold, the population of California was 90. 000 people. At the time of the discovery California was relatively uninhabited by Americans. The United States had finally realized its dream of a country reaching from sea to shining sea, but now that the lands were there, the United States had to figure out how to get its people to settle these lands so they would actually be worth having. It is great for a country to have a lot of land, but if they remain uninhabited and underdeveloped then the land really isn't worth much. The â€Å"gold rush† consisted of many prospectors seeking to find their fortunes in the mines of California. The emigration of so many Americans to the very western boundary of the country was exactly what the Government needed for the lands it just purchased to be seen as a wise investment. In the two years since the discovery of gold the population of California ballooned to 90 thousand people, most of which were prospectors, and others trying to get rich quick off the discovery of gold. By 1854, the population reached an even more impressive 300 thousand people. Many people moved out west to escape the cities of the east and set off on their own, be free. The migration into these uninhabited lands increased the need for transportation like roads, railroads, and canals as well as the opportunities for work and another incentive for people to move out of the cities where there was a large incidence of unemployment. With the discovery of gold and the massive migration of emigrants westward, came the need to be able to more quickly traverse the continent for both communication, and transportation. The answer to this need was the transcontinental railroad. By the middle of the 1850's, the need for a transcontinental railroad was universally accepted and acknowledged. Before now, the best way to get from the east coast to the west coast was through the Isthmus of Panama. Between 1848 and 1869, the completion of this railroad, 375 thousand people crossed Panama on their way to California and the gold, and another 225 thousand crossed the isthmus in the other direction. Along with this massive movement of people came great wealth crossing the isthmus, creating even more of a call for the development and creation of a railroad. This crossing of Panama was very hazardous to the health of the people who crossed it. Cholera, among other deadly diseases was very prevalent among the travelers and often took many lives. The increased traffic going to the west coast along with the hazardous conditions of the next best available routes led to the inception of the idea of building a transcontinental railroad. By 1850 there were 9,021 miles of functioning track in the United States, but nothing that connected the east coast and the west coast. During the 1850's, an average of 2,160 miles of new track was laid every year. With the increase in the formation of functioning track throughout the 1850's, the development of locomotives that are more powerful and more stable cars permitted engineering feats that seemed impossible a decade earlier. Railroad fever clearly had the nation in its grips and it was just a matter of time before a railroad that crossed the continent would be built. A New York businessman, Asa Whitney, was the first to propose the idea of a transcontinental railroad in 1845. He proposed a route along the northern border we share with Canada. Before the gold rush, he was largely ignored, but afterwards he was taken seriously, and by 1853 it was realized that one was needed and that huge government subsidies would be needed to build it. Upon this realization of the need for a transcontinental railroad came the realization that whichever eastern city was the head of the railroad would become immensely wealthier, and so begun a major struggle between the cities of the east to obtain the rights to be the eastern hub. The amendment to the Army appropriations act allowed a quarter of a million dollars for the railroad to be completed in ten months, and listed five possible routes that it could take. The Northern Route, from St. Paul to Seattle, The council Bluffs to San Francisco route, the Central route, between the 38th and 39th parallels from the arkensas river to San Francisco, The route from Fort Smith along the Arkansas River to Los Angelos, and the southern route from fulton on the red River to san Diego. Diferent people would benefit from each of these routes and there was much fighting over whivh would be the ultimate route. Once the south cecedded from the union the southern route was no longer considered as an option. An engineer named Theodore Judah went out and surveyed his own route of crossing the nation, and in 1857, he published hi Practical Plan for Building the Pacific Railroad. He went on to send a copy to the president and every member of congress, and billed it as the first genuinely â€Å"practical plan† for traversing the continent. The California state legislature adopted a memorial on the benefits of a transcontinental railroad and offered it to Judah to personally deliver to congress. While he was selling the importance of a transcontinental railroad to Congress, he was also making plans in California to take advantage of any decision Congress makes to accept his crazy idea. He went around the state trying to convince people to by stock in his railroad company, The Central Pacific, as he was sure that Congress would pass the Curtis Act that mandated the formation of two railroads competing with each other from either end of the route and eventually meeting in the middle. He finally sold his theory to four men, the â€Å"Big Four† as they would become known that railroads to the mining towns of California from the east coast was a money maker, and that if they would buy stock in his railroad company they would be able to reap the profits. The big four, or Collis Huntington, Mark Hopkins, Leland Stanford, and Charles Crocker, decided to buy into Judah's idea. Them, along with Judah, and a Nevada City mineowner named Charles Marsh decided to divide equally among themselves the cost of a full-scale survey of the Sierra Nevada mountain range, as well as buy enough stock in the company to allow its permit incorporation. This group of visionaries started what became known as the Central Pacific Railroad Co. , which would eventually become the railroad company that built the transcontinental railroad from the west east. Due to his efforts, Judah convinced Congress to pass the Pacific Railroad Act on June 20th 1862, calling for the creation of two competing railroad companies to start at opposite ends of the route and meet in the middle. The two companies created were the Central Pacific Railroad Co. , and the Union Pacific Railroad Co. Since the Central Pacific Railroad Co. was already a privately owned company it wasn't as heavily regulated as the Union Pacific Railroad Co. was, which was a government formed company whose specific purpose was to build the eastern leg of the railroad. The accepted route of the railroad was from Omaha, Nebraska in the East, to the Bay area in the west. The federal government granted the two companies aid in the way of United States 6% bonds that had to be paid back with interest beginning 30 years after the completion of the railroad. Yet, due to the Civil War that was raging at this time, the bonds held little confidence in the market and thus never sold at par, thus depreciating the aid from the very beginning. The government also awarded the companies a right-of-way extending two hundred feet on either side of the tracks, and five alternate square miles of public land on either side of the line, or 6,400 acres per mile of track. Both Companies were also to give priority to the transportation of government mails, troops, and supplies on the line. The Union pacific was obligated to build a hundred miles in the first 2 years and another hundred miles each succeeding year thereafter. The Central Pacific, due to the mountainous terrain was only obligated to build half as much as the Union Pacific over the same prescribed amount of time. The act also specified that the two companies would be confiscated if the railroad were not completed by July 1, 1874. The construction of the railroad and the subsequent telegraph line that went up along side it, cost the government nothing as it was only loaning its credit and not its money. The two companies broke ground in 1803, the Union Pacific working westward from Omaha, Nebraska, and the Central Pacific from Sacramento California. The building of the track proved to be extremely difficult and arduous and provided much headache for everyone involved. The Central Pacific ran the laying of the track much like a military operation, as it was extremely organized. Due to the Civil War and the mines of the west, there was a huge labor shortage in the country. To accommodate this they had to hire many immigrant workers, especially Chinese immigrants, to lay the track. Getting supplies to the Central pacific also proved to be a very difficult task, as they had to be shipped from the east to San Francisco, and then hurried into the mountains, which wasn't an easy journey. This process was very time consuming and delayed much building of the track. The company was very efficient in the beginning, making extraordinary progress through the flatlands, but upon reaching the mountains ran into most of the hardships in the building. The mountains proved to be unforgiving in the companies efforts to bridge the nation. Cold winters with extraordinary snows slowed the construction almost to a standstill several times. Many workers died of the extreme conditions of the mountains, making progress slower still. The mountains also provided the arena for some of the most amazing feats of engineering. From blowing tunnels through the mountain, or creating a trestle over a gorge the engineering advances made in during this endeavor have lasted until now and made the building of other railroads possible. In the first three years of building, the company only laid 40 miles of track, well behind the pace mandated by the railroad act. Over the same time, the Union Pacific wasn't doing much better as it was also only able to lay 40 miles of track itself. While the terrain wasn't as rough as that of the west, the same problems of management and labor prevailed in the east also. It wasn't until two brothers took over the actual building of the track and thusly invented what we today would consider modern management techniques. They led by example and do anything they asked of their workers. They did much of the labor themselves and were always the ones in the front of construction. The Union Pacific also had cars carrying anything, and everything the workers could need, it was considered a town on wheels, and consisted of such things as a sleeping quarters, and cars that served meals. The workers slept, ate, and lived on these trains, as they worked a full 12 hours a day. All the supplies for the endeavor were carried on this â€Å"city on wheels,† and made the construction that much more efficient. The construction process for both companies was very costly in terms of human life. Many accidents occurred, and the threat from the Indians was always a constant fear of the workers. By the end of 1867, the Union Pacific had laid 300 miles of track, while the Central had laid less than 80 miles. By the spring of 1869 the two railroads were racing towards each other and they eventually began to build track side by side one another going in opposite directions. It was then that they realized the dream had been accomplished and that they had to be joined. The designated meeting place of the two railroads was determined to be Promontory Point, Utah. On My 10, 1869, two trains converged on Promontory Point, Stamford on a train called Jupiter from the west and Durant on a run of the mill train labeled Engine 119 from the east. The heads of the two companies drove in 4 spikes into the final set of rails, two gold, one silver, and one that was a mixture between gold, silver, and iron. The work was completed in six years, a whole four years of schedule resulting in a reward of 21 million acres. The completion of the railroad was the final act in creating this great nation of ours. Many people went west 1849 looking for a quick and easy way to obtain a great amount of wealth. Many failed and never realized their dream, but because of their migration, the nation realized the need to bridge the nation and the country as a whole became wealthier. The constructing of the railroad was probably the single greatest achievement of the mid 1800's, and the most significant thing to come out of the gold rush. Because of the railroad the nations interior began to open up to settlement and communications between the two coasts became easier.