Social Responsibility Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Social Responsibility - Essay Example A company builds its brand and reputation through practice of social responsibility. A responsible company knows that a good company name is a quick way to build trust and reputation for its brands. These traits nurtures a company for growth, opening up new opportunities for the company to choose from. This art will eventually become a good culture in the company, making the staff remain genuine and trusted by the community. In addition, customers would want to relate with companies that care for them and the environment (Sims 59). Workers would seek occupation in businesses that care for the environment. That is, social responsibility would increase workers performances. In companies where the management does not recognize social responsibility, the workers seem to have a low job esteem. Workers feel better when they know that their efforts would make the world a better place for all. It makes all the daily struggles worth it. The company would not have to spend too much in motivational programs as the workers would have something to work for. In addition, it would be a positive way for attracting and retaining a good staff, thereby, reducing company cost for recruitment exercises each year (Taylor). Respect for social responsibility would boost a companys economic growth and maintain professionalism. A socially responsible company appears mature and trains the staff to be better managers, who not only care for their own growth, but the environment too. Unlike on the companies that are socially irresponsible, employees would form a relationship that could improve the services and living conditions for others. A responsible work force does not only benefit the company, but also the community. The workers learn to be better citizens and parents at home. It becomes greater than building a company, since the effect extends

John Kerry on Syria Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

John Kerry on Syria - Assignment Example So what do we know that can’t talk about publically? We know that the Assad regime has the largest chemical program in the entire Middle East. We know that the regime has used those weapons multiple times this year† Before the statement marked in bold, Kerry says that some of the information the government possess cannot be exposed to the general public, yet he goes ahead and presents the same information to the general public. This makes the first statement generally invalid. â€Å"..instead for four days, they shelled the neighborhood in order to destroy the evidence, bombarding block after block at a rate four times higher than they had over the previous ten days†Ã¢â‚¬ ¦in all of these things that I have listed, in all of these things that we know, all of them, the American Intelligence Community has high confidence, this is common sense, this is evidence, these are facts†¦.† John Kerry confirms that the US government intelligence did not manage to gather evidence regarding Assad’s attack on neighboring opposing communities owing to the fact that Assad’s military destroyed all the evidence. However, he goes ahead and argues that the information the US government possess are common sense, therefore

Literature Review On Multinational Corporations Management Essay

Literature Review On Multinational Corporations Management Essay Globalization is everywhere. It is the process of increased interdependence between nations (Carbaugh, 2009). Globalization is driven by technological change and the liberalization of trade and opening up of the markets. Globalization has given rise to multinational companies. Multinational corporations or companies (MNCs) are massive companies having business in several countries around the world. The growth of MNCs has been very rapid in the recent years and they are even proliferating into the developing nations where there is tremendous scope for business. These corporations usually transfer their knowledge and business practices like finance and human resource (HR) to their subsidiaries in other nations and try to maintain coordination. Various methods are used to ensure this transfer. The transfer of HR practices is very important to maintain some sort of synchronization between the head quarters of the MNC and their subsidiaries. Though HRM was not considered of great value in the past, now it is considered to be one of the most important components of a successful organization as human beings are considered to be assets to the organizations and their retention and satisfaction is of key importance. MNCs usually adopt HR strategies that match the industrial requirements of the host companies and at the same time transfer some of the parent country practices to the subsidiaries. Human resource management as such refers to a rational and strategic approach to managing people who work in an organization to achieve the goal of the organization collectively (Armstrong, 2003). The successful diffusion of HRM practices across subsidiaries by the MNCs either makes or breaks them. They strive to strike a balance between home country and host country practices by prioritising what needs to be adopted from each. To a large extend they try to converge their best practices so that coordination and management is easy. They also try to integrate the practices of host countries so that there is acceptance in those countries, but the degree of this integration varies from one MNC to another. LITERATURE REVIEW 1. Multinational Corporations Multinational corporations or MNCs are known by different names transnational companies, multinational enterprises, global corporations or international corporations. The origin of MNCs could be traced back to the 1860s, but it was only after the Second World War that the world has seen such a rapid growth in their numbers (Cherunilam, 2006). The British East India Company and Royal Africa Company are examples of some earlier MNCs. The ILO defines MNC as a company having head quarters in the home country and operations in several other countries. These companies think globally but act locally. The main reason why firms chose to go global could be attributed to the uneven distribution of factor endowments and failures in the market. MNCs generate almost 50% of the globes industrial output and about 67% of the world trade (Gooderham Nordhaug, 2003). Now a days MNCs are present in all parts of the world but the bulk of them belong to the triad nations of USA, European Union and Japan. Some of the points to consider for a company to be called an MNC are as given below (Saleem, 2006). Operates in many countries. The level of economic progress in these countries may differ. Around 50% of its net profits come from the operations in foreign countries. Usually has a central management with local subsidies being managed by locals. Encourages collective transfer of resources and knowledge across continents. Has a huge resource base and ability to expand. a) Types of MNCs Caves, in his book Multinational Enterprise and Economic Analysis, divides MNCs broadly into three groups (Caves, 1996). Horizontally integrated companies are those which sell the same kind of goods across nations, for example, soft drink companies, confectioneries etc. In the case of vertically integrated enterprises, the output in some of their plants in one country serves as input in some of their plants in other countries. The reason for the dispersal of the units could be attributed to the geographical reasons. An industry known for its vertical integration is the oil industry where the crude oil is dug in one location and its processing done in another location. The third and last group described are MNCs that show no evidence of either vertical or horizontal integration (Caves, 1996). The companies belonging to the third group concentrate on spreading business risk, especially systemic risks. Systemic risk refers to the risk of collapse of an entire market or industry. MNCs can be further classified as financial controllers and integrated international companies (Tempel, 2001). Financial controllers are companies where there is very strong control of the subsidiaries by the head quarters and there is also a great degree of dependence on the parent country by the subsidiaries for resources. The integrated international company also has a high degree of authority over its subsidiaries and also there is a high degree of resource dependence. The factor that distinguishes the financial controllers from the integrated companies is that there is a certain degree of independence when it comes to resource. b) Foreign Direct Investment It is seen that the more the foreign direct investment (FDI), the bigger the population of MNC subsidiaries in that country. FDI refers to the long term investment of one country in another. FDI inflows in to the developing countries have been on the rise since the 1990s (Patterson et al, 2004). Due to this the number of MNCs cropping up in the developing countries is also on the increase. c) Knowledge Transfer One major feature of MNCs is the transfer of knowledge and practices across the world from the parent country to the host countries and vice versa. The transfer of knowledge comprise of technology transfer, transfer of managerial and technical knowhow and various skills. This knowledge being transferred could be implicit or explicit knowledge. Implicit or tacit knowledge consist of mainly personal experiences, attitudes and skills that are specific to a person and hence difficult to formulize; explicit knowledge on the other hand can be easily quantified into scientific data, formulas, procedures and is not people specific (Tayeb, 2005). Explicit knowledge can be easily transferred while tacit knowledge is more difficult. Transfer of explicit knowledge takes place by the transfer of machinery and equipment, installation of software, licensing and so on. HRM goes a long way in helping the transfer of knowledge across nations, especially implicit knowledge. HRM practices like training, motivation, vision sharing and inter-unit transfer of employees, all help in the creation, maintenance and transfer of implicit knowledge with in the different units of the MNC (Tayeb, 2005). MNCs need both tacit and explicit knowledge for gaining competitive advantage. In fact knowledge transfer between the head quarters and subs form the basis for relationship building for the MNC (Koohang, Harman and Britz, 2008). 2. 50 Global MNCs The Fortune magazine comes out with a list called Fortune Global 500 companies where they rate companies based on their on various revenues and profit. This list is considered to be the list when it comes to the best and most powerful companies in the world and making the list is a great honour. This year Wal Mart stands number 1 in the list. The list also consist of classification of companies based on various factors like sales, revenues, fastest growth rate, employment rate, and so on. Given below is the list of the top 50 companies from the list (Fortune, 2010). The list consist of a mix of international and multinational companies belonging to many industries ranging from retailers, finance, oil, automobile and IT to mention a few. They are also distributed in several countries. Rank2.jpg Source : Fortune Magazine, 26th July, 2010, http://money.cnn.com/magazines/fortune/global500/2010/full_list/. 3. The Automotive MNCs Around the world the insurgence of vehicles made in foreign countries can be witnessed. The automotive industry is a prime example of MNCs developing cross border networks and alliances (Blanpain, 2008). The automobile industry started getting international status after the Second World War, when companies like Ford and General Motors started selling vehicles in the European markets. In the 1970s Japanese companies started penetrating the US markets with their cars and in the 1980s European countries started selling its automobiles in other continents. By the 1990s the automotive industry was totally thrown open with not only sales in foreign countries, but also production of parts and vehicles expanding to alien countries. This created the need to develop strategies to ensure coordination and control over the subsidiaries by the parent companies. Some famous automotive MNCs are Toyota Motor Company, Ford Motor Company, General Motors, Volkswagen and Hyundai to mention a few. The Int ernational Organization of Motor Vehicle Manufacturers (OICA) comes out with a statistics on motor vehicles production both manufacturer and country wise. Both statistics are given below. The below data gives an idea of the 2009 production of automobiles by top companies including some which figure in the Fortune Global 500 as well as country wise distribution of the same. tables and charts-001.jpg Source: OICA, (2009), http://oica.net/category/production-statistics/ ranking-2009-001.jpg Source: OICA (2009), http://oica.net/wp-content/uploads/ranking-2009.pdf 4. Human Resource Management Human resource management can be defined as designing management systems to ensure that human talent is used effectively and efficiently to achieve organizational goals (Mathis and Jackson, 2008, p 4). From the above definition the following aims could be inferred about HRM as pointed out by Armstrong in his book A Handbook of Human Resource Management Practice. Organizational effectiveness is one of the goals of HRM strategies. This could be done by developing proper and well laid out policies in various arenas like talent management, knowledge transfer and management and work place management (Armstrong, 2006). Management of human capital is another goal. Human beings are now considered to be one of the most vital assets to any company and managing them is of utmost importance. Their attraction, retention, nurturing and motivation are taken care of my HRM. HRM supports and facilitates knowledge management and transfer between the head quarters and subsidiaries. One very important aspect of HRM is reward management. The attraction and retention of employees is possible only if they are rewarded appropriately. HRM also aims at maintaining good and healthy relationship among the employees and also with the trade unions. Another aim of HRM is to meet the diverse needs of the stakeholders of the company by implementing policies that balance all their needs. The last and final aim of HRM as mentioned by Armstrong is slightly over reaching, yet something HRM aspires to do. This is to bridge the gap between ambitions and actual operations. It strives to ensure that the aspirations are translated into doable action plan. In the case of most MNCs HR practices are transferred across borders for want of competitive advantage and the use of competencies that are unique to the parent firm. However there are cases of the transfer of practices from subsidiary to the parent firm or between two subsidiaries. 5. Models for Implementing HR Practices across Border Various models exist when it comes to transferring HR practices across nations. These models are based on the whether the host or home country practices are adopted or a mixture of both. a) Convergence and Divergence Models of HR Practices MNCs decide to either converge or diverge when it comes to HR practices. Convergence refers to the diffusion of the preferred practices of the parent company to the subsidiaries. Divergence is the adoption of the local human resource practices and labour relations common to the host nation (Cooke, 2003). There are basically four main arguments supporting convergence of best practices (Sparrow et al, 2004). These hold true when it comes to HRM as well. Power of Markets: This argument basically says that at present US management practices are considered to be the best practices around the world and the market forces are such that those MNCs that do not follow those practices are at a disadvantage in the market and may even lose out eventually (Brewster, 2002). Hence many MNCs adopt the HR practices adopted by the US firms which is inclined towards convergence. Transaction Cost Economics: The adoption of convergence methods has been supported by transaction cost economists. Transaction cost can be simply defined as the cost that is incurred for transferring information. This includes all cost incurred for gathering valuable information and also the processing of that information. Firms that follow convergence actually reduce the transaction cost and hence transaction cost economics favours convergence. Like-minded International Cadres: The growing number of students of management from the USA and UK are alarmingly large. The number of non-European students reported to be present in the UK in the year 2004 is 210000 (The Guardian, 2005). The number is only greater in the USA. These numbers are on the rise and they populate the many MNCs around the world. This result in the churning out of people whose thinking patterns and working patterns are more or less similar. This again increases the convergence of practices across nations. Cost, Quality and Productivity Pressures: The convergence of quality standards across countries with regard to products and services is very important for the success of MNCs. The proponents of divergence on the other hand argue that there is a requirement to adopt local policies and practices when it comes to HR and convergence might cause problems like the country of origin effect. They also argue that convergence is often difficult due to various regional and cultural factors as well as government interference (Daniel Reitsperger, 2004). b) Hybrid Model of HR Practices There is a third model that could be adopted for the transfer of HR practices across borders and that is the hybrid system. This is a combination of both convergence and divergence models. Hybrid model for transfer mainly refers to the application of best practices of the home country through convergence when it comes to core tasks and the adoption of more local practices when it comes to non-mainstream parts of the task (Bamberger and Meshoulam, 2000). The hybrid model could be said to be the result of the many constraints imposed by the local environment. Brakman et al, in their book Nations and Firms in the Global Economy, cites the example of Japanese MNCs who were forced to accept US HR practices when they began to expand their business into the US (Brakman et al, 2006). More and more MNCs are leaning towards the hybrid model as it is the more workable model for controlling and managing business across borders. When the topic of transfer of HR practices across borders is discussed, there arises a need to discuss the country of origin effect. c) Country of Origin Effect The country of origin effect is a very important aspect that needs to be considered while converging and transferring HR practices across the borders to the subsidiaries or branches. The country of origin effect could be defined as generalized image created regarding the products, technology, practices and policies of a company in relation to the country from which that company originated (Davies et al, 2003). In the case of transfer of HR practices, the country of origin influences how the MNCs conduct their business in other countries and also what HRM policies they adopt across borders. For example a German company applying work council type arrangements across borders and a Japanese company putting emphasis on satisfying employee needs as top priority across borders (Brakman et al, 2006). 6. HR Policies/Strategies of MNCs The policies/strategies adopted by MNCs have a lot to do with whether they are converging, diverging or integrating home and host country practices. Different companies adopt different policies, though most follow the hybrid model as it is ideal for success in present times of dynamic markets. The adoption of the strategy depends on various factors like: The type of industry and its environment. The general environment under which the firm has to operate. The companys strengths and weaknesses. The availability of suitable candidates in the parent and host countries to hold executive positions. The willingness of employees to be deployed offshore. Whether outsourcing is an option for the company. Some of the strategies adopted by MNCs to ensure that there is control and coordination of their various subsidiaries is briefly explained below. a) Polycentric Strategy This strategy boasts a decentralized structure where the parent company retains the rights to control a few important areas that it deems vital (Tayeb, 2005). The subsidiaries are given a great deal of autonomy to develop HR policies that are inclined towards that followed by the host countries (Scholz and Bohm, 2008). They are also led by talents from the local market. In fact they are called Host Country Nationals (HCNs) and they are usually promoted to important positions in the host country branch. The foremost advantage of this strategy is that managing the business by the subsidiary in its country is easy as it does not clash with the local cultures or practices. However, this approach is not without its disadvantages. The parent company may not be able to exercise as much control as it would like over the subsidiary and also some of the local HR practices may be undesirable and against the ethical code of the parent company. Unilever is an example of a company following the po lycentric strategy. b) Ethnocentric Strategy Here the parent companies practices are forced up on the subsidiaries irrespective of the practices followed in the host country (Scholz and Bohm, 2008). The subsidiaries have little autonomy and practically no decision making powers. Companies like British Petroleum (BP) follow the ethnocentric approach post the 1990s. They used to send a large cadre of British executives on long term assignments to the subsidiaries with the intention of transferring skills and knowledge (Mabey et al, 1998). Similarly, Toyota sends a team of Japanese executives overseas to administer the start up of a new subsidiary (Bernardin, 2007). These executives of the parent country sent overseas to work in subsidiaries are usually referred to as parent country nationals (PCNs). This strategy is followed my MNCs who consider HR practices to be of primary importance for the success of the business. c) Geocentric Strategy This HR strategy is characterized by collaborative relationship between the parent and the subsidiary companies. This strategy integrates all company activities on a global scale. The entire company parent company and subsidiaries are considered to be a global work space and all its employees are considered to be global workforce (Bernardin, 2007). This line of though enables the employees to be promoted across borders irrespective of their origin. These countries use what is called third country nationals (TCNs) across the organizations. TCNs are nationals that do not belong to either the home country or the host country. Since the ability to work in any of the countries of business is important in this strategy,, it lays a lot of importance to training and developmental activities. IBM is an example of an MNC using geocentric strategy. d) Regiocentric Strategy This strategy attempts to balance centralization and decentralization. This strategy recognizes the importance of cultural differences but considers the difference important only at the local level. This could be called a minor version of the geocentric strategy. In this approach usually staffing, training and compensation strategies are based on the local norms where as in geocentric it is based on the concept of a global marketplace. Example of a company that has adopted the regiocentric approach is Coca Cola. 7. Methods to Ensure Convergence of HR Practices a) Coercive Comparisons Coercive power in HR refers to the power exerted by the company by clearly stating that non-compliance will result in disciplinary action. Coercive comparison is also a type of force used by MNCs to exert control over the workers. This method is usually used against trade unions to counter the effect of collective bargaining of the workers. In fact coercive comparison is used to whipsaw unions across borders. This is does by using both implicit and explicit threats or promises to disinvestment of work (Cooke, 2003). This type of coercion may force the unions to take a more cooperative stand with the MNCs. There are cases of reverse coercive comparison too where the unions use it against the management. Many observers feel that economic and political pressures created orbits of coercive comparison (Rees, 1989). The orbit of coercive comparison refers to the wage market which is more or less like an orbit where the influential factors include the organization, its policies and the general concept of equity (Kerr, 1977). b) International Benchmarking Benchmarking is defined by Zairi as the search for best industry practices that will lead to superior performance (Zairi, 1994, p 61). Benchmarking may also be defined as a process of measuring ones own practices against the practices of the industry leaders to see if there is any scope for improvement (Bohlander and Snell, 2010). Benchmarking helps in deciding the best practices to be transferred and maintained across nations. Thus, practices could be diffused across borders and established as standards of good performance. c) Expatriation and Repatriation Expatriation is an HR practice used to fill positions in companies. Expatriation is used not only to fill positions when there is a dearth of host country managers but also to transfer knowledge and practices to the host country (Gooderham and Nordhaug, 2003). MNCs use expatriation to ensure that the corporate culture and practices are properly instilled in the subsidiaries. As mentioned earlier, Japanese companies like Toyota often send Japanese executives to a subsidiary during its setting up to ensure the transfer of practices and adherence to the Japanese way of doing work. Expatriation is also used to have direct control over the subsidiary operations. Expatriation if done well, with the selection of apt candidates with suitable expertise and cross cultural experience, is very useful in the transfer of HR practices. However, the minuses of expatriation are culture shock and the inability of the person to adjust and understand the local requirements of the host country. Expatriat ion is usually considered by the appointee to be a step up in the career graph. Repatriation is the return of an employee from a foreign assignment. MNCs are usually faced with the challenge of retention of the returning employee and also to ensure that he retains the connection with the parent companies. For this MNCs usually resort to tactics like mentoring where a senior official acts as mentor to the expatriate and maintains constant contact with the person and also inbuilt repatriation programmes that help the employee in relocating smoothly (Aswathappa and Dash, 2008). 8. Control Strategies One way of exerting control over the operations in the subsidiaries is to follow an ethnocentric approach; another is expatriation; and yet another is the establishment of benchmarks for the practices to be adopted. However, over and above this there are many control techniques adopted by MNCs, some of these are direct control and some others are indirect control. a) Direct Control MNCs deploy direct control methods to ensure that the performances of the employees are up to the standards required which in turn ensure the success of the business. One direct control technique is performance appraisal. It is essential to have a very stable, practical and strong performance appraisal mechanism. This mechanism should be in place at all levels of the company as well as in their subsidiaries. If the company and branches are considered as one big organization (geocentric approach) such appraisals helps in tracking the performance of various employees and rewarding them as per the performance across borders. While establishing the performance appraisal system one needs to figure out exactly what type of performance is to be measured. This could be trait based, behaviour based or functional based systems (Fisher et al, 2008). Many MNCs follow what is called 360 degree assessment. This assessment is highly comprehensive and effective as feedback is taken simultaneously from the employee, his peers, subordinates and superiors. Another control technique which motivates employees to improve performance is reward systems for outstanding performance. This system seeks to individualize the workforce by rewarding outstanding performance with pay rises and promotions (Marchington and Wilkinson, 2005). Training programs conducted by the companies also help to a great extend in ensuring that the corporate objectives, codes and practices are imparted to the employees. Direct control also includes the written rules, regulations and codes of the company that are applicable to all its branches. This is usually referred to as bureaucratic controls; another kind of direct control called technical control which is the usage of equipments, established processes, communication channels and surveillance (Bratton and Gold, 1999). Direct controls are usually process based. b) Indirect Control Indirect controls are often hidden or unobtrusive. Intrinsic rewards like praise and recognition is a method of indirect control. It helps in motivating employees to work harder and achieve greater results. Indirect control in HRM can be classified into output controls and controls through socializations (Wilkinson et al, 2009). The output or indirect outcome based control where the focus is on actual results and not the processes. Many multinational firms rely on social networking to exert indirect control. They use the social networks within companies to transfer knowledge and culture and share information through the informal communication. 9. Cross Border Transfer of knowledge and Practices at McDonalds McDonalds is an MNC an international fast food chain with branches all over the world. There are more than 30,000 McDonalds restaurants in over 119 countries (employing more than 70,000 people) of which 51% are franchisees (McDonalds Corporation, 2008). What does McDonalds do to ensure uniformity among all its restaurants around the world? First of all McDonalds have a licensing agreement with the franchisees that ensure that they follow standardised patterns when it comes to menus, layout, administration, operations and equipment. The McDonalds UK website provides information packs for students regarding various aspects including franchising. The steps followed by McDonalds to transfer HR practices across borders to their franchisees can me summarised as below from their publication Franchising at McDonalds and also from their brochure for franchisees. Intensive Training The franchisees are provided with intensive training which extends to nine months full time (McDonalds Corporation, 2007). The training covers every aspect of the business from administration to cleaning. Regular Checks McDonalds head quarters regularly checks whether the franchisees are adhering to the McDonalds standards regarding menus, cleanliness, and administration and so on. Failure to keep up to the required standards may even result in the franchisee losing their license. Active Role in Community McDonalds expects its franchisee to put something back to the community and hence encourages them as well as the McDonalds staff to get involved in community events and make contributions to local charities. Commitment McDonalds insist that their franchisees are not involved in any other business and are totally committed to running the business. This way they can ensure a greater commitment to upholding their standards and requirements. 10. Human Resource Development at Toyota the Toyota Way The Toyota Motor Company is an automotive multinational with head quarters in Japan. It was in 2001that Toyota Way. In the beginning it was an expression of the values and code of conduct that Toyota wanted its employees to embrace. The 5 basic principles that Toyota highlights in the Toyota Way 2001 is i. Challenge, ii. Kaizen or Improvement, iii. Genchi Genbutsu or Go and See, iv. Respect and v. Teamwork. Key principles of Toyota Way 2001 Source: Toyota Motor Corporation Sustainability Report, 2009, p 54. In 2002 the Toyota Way was extended to include individual functions, domestic and overseas sales, HR, finance, procurement and other functional realms (http://www.toyota.co.jp/en/environmental_rep/03/jyugyoin03.html). The Toyota Way was developed with the aim of transferring Toyotas management philosophies, business practices and values globally to all its branches across the world. Toyota also released a booklet called Toyota Developing People, which was aimed at transferring HR practices across borders. The booklet aimed to promote workplaces where personnel development takes place at all levels. Its labour management techniques are based on mutual trust and respect. To further their cause of global integration, the Toyota Institute was started in the year 2001. The main aim of the institute was the promotion of HRM from a global perspective and also to ensure that Toyotas core values are rightfully transferred across borders. 11. Fords Governing Strategy Ford Motor Company is a USA based MNC with more than 90 plants worldwide and with more than 190,000 employees. Their operations are governed by their shared values called One Ford. It emphasises the working together as one team to achieve the corporate goals. Its One Ford Mission diffuses down to its many manufacturing plants and also to how it manages its HR. It emphasizes a single global approach where the efforts of the Ford employees around the world are aligned towards a common goal (Ford Motor Company, 2009). The One Ford Strategy has 3 main elements. i. One Team, ii. One Plan and iii. One Goal. Source: http://www.ford.com/about-ford/company-information/one-ford ANALYSIS Examining the best strategy for an MNC based on their structure with respect to HR can be depicted in the diagram below. HIGH Global Integration Global Structure Transnational Structure Ethnocentric HRS Geocentric HRS Global Integration Extensive Use of PCNs Uses PCN, HCN and TCNs Japanese MNCs Emerging MNCs International Structure Multi-domestic Structure Regiocentric HRS Polycentric HRS PCNs and H

Red Dress by Alice Munro Essay -- Red Dress Alice Munro

"Red Dress" by Alice Munro The short story "Red Dress" by Alice Munro is about a young girl's first high school dance. Her home and school environment determined her attitude towards the dance.This girl's home life was bad. She was constantly put down mentally by her mother, even in front of her friend Lonnie, to the point that the narrator envied Lonnie on account that her mother died and she lived alone with her father. "'I doubt if she appreciates it.' She enraged me, talking like this to Lonnie, as if Lonnie were grown up and I were still a child." Her mother was obscene in the house; the description that is given would make one sick. It is said that she did not take care of herself in the house, and exposed her lumpy veins to the in-house public. This probably made the narrator t... Red Dress by Alice Munro Essay -- Red Dress Alice Munro "Red Dress" by Alice Munro The short story "Red Dress" by Alice Munro is about a young girl's first high school dance. Her home and school environment determined her attitude towards the dance.This girl's home life was bad. She was constantly put down mentally by her mother, even in front of her friend Lonnie, to the point that the narrator envied Lonnie on account that her mother died and she lived alone with her father. "'I doubt if she appreciates it.' She enraged me, talking like this to Lonnie, as if Lonnie were grown up and I were still a child." Her mother was obscene in the house; the description that is given would make one sick. It is said that she did not take care of herself in the house, and exposed her lumpy veins to the in-house public. This probably made the narrator t...

The Ocean

Why do I do it? Why do I scare myself with the ocean†¦? It is true, it is merciless, literally; it’s not conscious, so it has no feelings, no remorse, no pity, no awareness. It would be wrong to say it is inanimate, because it is certainly animate. And not alive, yet contains so much life within it might as well be. Like a Frankenstein body filled with cells and bacteria and nerve impulses yet no consciousness. My worst nightmare – I don’t have it very often but it’s a strong one – can take a variety of forms and happen in a variety of places: it’s being overwhelmed by a tsunami.I sat watching one of the biggest waves in the world – at Teahupoo – with my friend, a psychologist. I asked her what a psychologist would say that fear of a tsunami meant. â€Å"I dunno. Probably something to do with your mother. Normally is, eh? †. But I can’t help thinking I’m also just simply scared of death by drowning. Why then do I travel by freighter ship, why then do I want to sail across the ocean in a tiny sail boat? Funnily, the tsunami dream never occurs at sea. It’s always the shore that is inundated. With that wall of approaching death. But the sea still scares me.As well it should. It is the only sensible reaction to be cautious of such a beast. I keep on wishing to anthropomorphise it. Should I? Cautious, yes†¦ but scared? I’m trying to work out is my fear rational or irrational. Do I think the sea, the ocean, symbolises something, someone? Do I think something – like the tsunami – is coming to get me? Or someone? Or is it myself that’s haunting me? Even here on the bridge, of a vast freighter ship, 150 feet above the calm dark waters of the Pacific, I worry. I am outside, I hear a horn. Was that ours, I ask?The watchmen say no maybe it was the radio. It wasn’t a radio. I check the radar – nothing. I skip outside again this time with bi noculars. Give me a man with binoculars over your electronic instruments. Or is it just my lack of faith? Faith in what? In technology? In buoyancy? In myself? Every time I stand at a railing I crouch slightly. I am secretly terrified that someone might come up behind me and just topple me in. Even during the day to drop off the side of this ship would be practically certain death. No doubt about it. You would be gone, gone, gone.No one would see. And by the time they noticed your absence at dinner they would never, ever find you. Maybe the worst thing is that I know the ocean could swallow this whole enormous ship and not care. Not even show a trace of where it had been. Two miles deep in a matter of hours. The first mate assures me, helpfully, that yes, that could happen. Sometimes, they break in two, he says. And sink in minutes. So helpful. Not what I expected or hoped for him to say. And maybe that’s another thing. That if you die in a car crash at least there’s a body.There’s something for your family to cry over, to mourn, there’s a proof that you existed. Die in the ocean and they’ll probably never find your body. Your life, and the physical proof of your existence, will both be gone at the same time. We like to think we would live on in other’s memories. But it would be nice to have a grave. And there’s no substitute for still existing. I never realised before: yes, I want to lie in a grave. I want to die in a bed, and then be put in a grave. An orchard, where I can turn into sweet apples. Don’t tell anyone.But here, I don’t belong. This is not where I came from. As beautiful as it is this place, under the moon, the light on the ocean (or is that glimmer some obstacle we are heading for a collision with? ) it is not our home. We are not returning to the ocean, because it’s not where we’re from. Our bodies know this. They are averse to the endless waters where we could be lost , forever, completely, and never nurture the lands of our home again. On the horizon there is lightning. We can see a long way here: we can see everything – so we see lightning striking on all sides.Far in the distance. Out here, this is the wilderness, the wildnerness that was always here, and always will be. So much the same, and yet it keeps changing. Yet never for the better – not for good. You can never truly know it, and never make it your home, not here; however good your bushcraft. On land, in the wilderness, you could find a cave, a tree, build a cabin, protect yourself from the elements. Former wildernesses are communities, pubs, shopping malls. But the sea will always be a wilderness. Simply enough to lay your nose and mouth in will kill you.Just imagine what a whole ocean of it could do. What if that lightning suddenly strikes, on all sides, the rain lashing down, the waves lapping up? Already every time a furniture fitting shudders I worry. I stop writing to judge our pitch, our roll, is everything okay? I think I’m becoming more like my mum. But what if that lightning animated the sea, struck, lit it up with its ferocious flash of energy and gave life to that unconscious Frankenstein body? It’s alive, and it’s all around us, it’s angry and wild and immense.The combination is overwhelming, impressive, and terrifying. It’s alive, it towers over you; it’s coming to get you. You wonder why it hasn’t got you already. What watery trickery these sailors have with their heavy keel, with their well-shaped hull: to cheat death and rob the sea of its would-be prize. But the sea doesn’t care. It is poised over you like a skyscraper, one that comes crashing down every few seconds. And it does that again. And again. And again. Every few seconds, on every side. For hours. And then it’s calm. And as quickly as the storm came it relinquishes you.After all, it doesn’t care, it†™s not a man, an intellect, or a vengeance. It’s not your subconscious. It’s just a storm. And all that you have to protect yourself from it – all that I have to protect myself from it – is not luck or fate or talismans or wishes or even hopes or life plans or dreams. Nor technology nor skill nor discipline nor toil nor anything earned. Only yourself – only myself. Relying on myself, knowing myself, trusting, completely, myself, my mind, my body, my thoughts, my actions. And maybe that is why the ocean is so so scary.

Reflection Management Style Essay

The achievement of an organization depends on the effective management of the administrative team. The information obtained throughout this course for the management styles, good and poor qualities, and the different scenarios which managers may encounter will be reconnoitered. The results of a management quiz taken at the beginning of this course along with the results from a current quiz will be compared and the differences clarified. The course has enlightened the roles of management in the health organization and the extent of the accomplishments the management teams involvement can contribute. The management methods and styles reflect on an individual’s interpersonal and intrapersonal assessments of him or herself. A manager needs to analyze his or her goals within an organization to implement the motivation of others within an organization. As a manager, a person must realize that there will be conflicts, victories, and obstacles that may hinder his or her ideas or goals for the company. A consistent analyzes of an organization will assist in making the changes needed for success. Realizing that all managers are human, and human error may occur is a quality that managers and others need to consider. The best quality a manager can have is to be open-minded to ideas from others, be humble, and compassionate. In the health care industry there is an abundance of burnout, therefore for managers to reduce this in his or her organization she or he must be aware of the signs and implement a course of action to assist in the reduction. The motivation versus engaged is one of the valuable areas to consider when overseeing an organization. Engaged employees are more productive, focused, loyal, and contribute to the organization as a whole (Buchbinder, 2012). When individuals are involved in company decisions this assists in less burnout and turnover in the employees. One of the poorest qualities in a management team is not getting the input from the employees prior to making a vast change within an organization. The manager must be aware of how the employees feel about the change and compute the information to understand if the change is beneficial for the organization. However, some changes need to occur even though the employees do not encourage the change. This is why the manager needs to know how to relay the information  diplomatically, the reasons, how the change will be implemented, and the benefits of the change. If the manager does not inform the staff of what, why, or how then the organization could have devastating results in any scenario. Managers realize there are many scenarios to different areas of the organization. There is not a one-size-fits-all solution for organizational challenges. The plan of implementation must be customized to the group affected. The culture of most organizations is substantially diverse. This is why managers need the skills to understand, the knowledge to analyze scenarios, and the will to implement change. However, the manager is only as good as his or her employees. Results from the first management quiz displayed the need for improvement in team management (Center T. M., 2014). The challenge of realizing that others goals may not be the same as yours is a challenge, but realizing the needs of others and listening can assist in overcoming this obstacle. The results from the current quiz did not veer much from the first (Center M. , 2014). The skills of team management are an area needing the most improvement, and over time this will occur with practice and doing follow through will developing skills. Learning and overcoming challenges are important is a manager’s duties. Managers are always developing his or her professional lives, as well as his or her personal life. Self-motivation will assist in overcoming obstacles in one’s life. Managers are a valuable part of any organization, but without the skills to organize, motivate, and implement changes his or her contribution may hinder success in the organization. A person needs to realize the diversity in his or her employees, the culture of an organization, and the different scenarios he or she may encounter. Development of good qualities can assist in managing others. Some of these qualities include being open-minded, compassionate, and being humble. Developing skills in team management and motivation of others is a valuable asset to any manager. If managers understand the culture of an organization and relay this information effectively to the employees, the organization benefits from all venues encountered. References Buchbinder, S. B. (2012). Chapter 3 Management and Motivation. Introduction to Health Care Management, 2e, 2, 444-448. Jones and Barlett Publishers. Center, M. (2014). Qiuz Results 8-9-14. The Management Center. ManagementCenter.org. Retrieved August 9, 2014, from http://managementcenter.org/quiz/results/3013 Center, T. M. (2014). Quiz results 07-11-2014. The Management Center. ManagementCenter.org. Retrieved July 11, 2014, from http://managementcenter.org/quiz/results/2628

Family Planning in China Essay Example

Family Planning in China Essay Example Family Planning in China Essay Family Planning in China Essay Some people see the policy as too harsh and that It Infringes on the peoples rights, but many Chinese feel that it is fair and even if they were allowed to have as many children as they anted, they would still choose only to have one (Levin). In this paper I will write about the many advantages of family planning, such as: the population control, the policy is gradually eradicating poverty, increased benefits for men and women, and it helped accelerate modernization; I will also discuss the problems that the Chinese government faced as the policy went In effect, for example: a demographic and sex imbalance, a decreased fertility rate, female infanticide, and an increasing amount of elderly compared to youth, or the 4-2-1 problem. Since the policy has first been introduced, Chinese officials have lightened the rules and now many of the problems have diminished. Chinas population-control policy was introduced in 1979 and restricts couples in urban areas to only one child. In rural areas, families are allowed to have two children If the first Is a girl. Other exceptions Include ethnic minorities and couples who both lack siblings themselves . The policy has meant that about one- third of Chinas 1. 3 billion citizens cannot have a second child without incurring a fine (Advisory). : The first reason that family planning has been beneficial, is that the population has been controlled; while it is still growing (China is home to almost 15th of the population), the birth rate has dropped significantly (Family). The Chinese government stated that since the late sass, family planning has reduced births per year by roughly 400 million (Enders). The policy has also been beneficial in that chinas fertility rate had fallen from 5. 8 births per woman In 1970 to 2. 8 births per woman in 1980, and now 1. 5 births per woman in 2014 (Enders). This has improved Chinas overpopulation by lowering population growth by around 24% since 2001 Population), compared to the rising population growth in the United States, which raised two percent since 2001 (Population). This shows that Chinas family planning policy has been successful In the way of controlling Its population and decreasing the birth rate by preventing women to have only one or two children. Another point In which family planning is helpful, is that it is eradicating poverty. Raising a child in China cost roughly 25,000 Yuan, or 4,030 U. S dollars, this is the equivalent of an average Chinese parents yearly income. By implementing the family planning policy, arenas are less burdened by any financial hardships that would come with a second or third child. Having fewer, healthier children can reduce the economic burden on poor families and allow them to Invest more In each childs care and consoling, knelling to Dread ten cycle AT pope A A study Day a Tamely planning organization showed that families living in villages with expanded family planning services had lower fertility and had prospered much more than families in villages with routine health services, where fertility remained higher. The smaller families had higher incomes and more savings. Youth in the lower-fertility villages had also completed more education, key for earning higher incomes as adults. This being said, Chinas one child policy has helped rural towns become less dragged down in the economic challenges faced with having several children (Kent). A third reason that this policy is successful is that it gives Chinese families more benefits. A woman can receive paid pregnancy leave for up to three years, couples can get a five to ten percent salary increase, the entire family is given free health care, the childs education is paid for, the family is placed in preferential housing, and the couple chives higher retirement pensions (Bluest 2). In addition to these benefits, rule- abiding parents can get a monthly stipend, preferential hospital treatment, first choice for government Jobs, extra land allowances and, in some case, free homes and a ton of free water a month (Watts). The Chinese government has even gone to the extent of giving the children of citizens who conform to the policy extra points on their middle school entrance exams (Kent). Many families choose to have only one child for many reasons, and the benefits received from having only one, can make the arenas decision. The fourth and final reason that family planning in China is beneficial is that it helped to accelerate modernization. Since there is a high price on education in China that many families cannot afford, many women and children are illiterate, so by limiting the number of kids that a family can have, and by earning the benefits from doing so, womens literacy rate has increased by almost 40 percent since the policy has been in effect (Literacy). With this increased literacy rate, there has been more room for new innovations and ideas to surface; this also results in omen having more Job opportunities and climbing higher in their Job positions, such as more female Coos. Some people feel like family planning in China is destructive and hurts more people than is worth it. Some of the issues of this policy include a demographic and sex imbalance, a decreased fertility rate, female infanticide, and the 4-2-1 problem. The first problem that the Chinese government faced was a demographic and sex imbalance. Many more baby boys are born in China than baby girls. China is not unique in this; other countries, notably India, have encountered similar problems without coercive population controls. But Chinese officials do not dispute that the one-child policy has played a role. Chinas strong cultural imperative for male offspring has led many families to do whatever they must to ensure that their one permissible child is a son. In the earliest days of the one-child policy, this sometimes meant female infanticide. As ultrasound technology spread, sex-selective abortions became widespread. The new census data show that little progress is being made to counter this trend. There were more than 118 boys for every 100 girls in 2010. This marks a slight increase over the 2000 level, and implies that, in about 20 or 25 years time, there will not be enough brides for almost a fifth of todays boys (Census). The second problem is the decreased fertility in women. In past years Chinese women were expected to have around 5. 8 children per person; Chinas fertility rate has fallen to an estimated 1. 5 children per couple, in line welt ten European average out Dwell ten 2 1 Tanat malignant a constant population and is more normal for a country at Chinas stage of development (Enders). With China ageing quickly, a higher birth rate is needed to underpin long-term social and economic stability. In the past, the state used harsh methods to stop its citizens having babies. In the future, it will have to find clever ways to encourage people to have them. Other countries, not least neighboring Japan, have struggled with that (UNAPT). Another issue, that is perhaps the biggest of them all, is the issue of female infanticide. This problem is also related to the sex imbalance. The Chinese government began to modify the policy in the mid-sass, allowing a second child in families whose first child was either a girl or disabled. This pairing of girl and disabled is hardly an accident. Masculinity is the crux of Chinese society sons not only carry on the family line, they also are expected to provide for their parents in old age. A daughter, once she marries, is obligated only to her husbands family. In other words, parents cannot rely on a daughter to help them in their old age. This dynamic combined with a one-child policy plus the kind of harsh economic realities often found in rural Chinese villages does not engender much love for daughters. The social message: Survival depends on sons, and daughters are only a burden. Given the ability to know the sex of their unborn children, many parents aborted female à ©tudes. Sadly, such abortions do not account for all of the missing girls in China. In Pearl S. Bucks The Good Earth, there is a scene where a Chinese father hears the first cry of his second daughter, followed by silence; sitting in another room unable to see what has happened, he nevertheless realizes his wife has killed their newborn girl. This may be fiction, but it is based on Chinas long history of infanticide. Trench H. Hull, a demographer and epidemiologist at the Australian National University, writes in his study, Recent Trends in Sex Ratios at Birth in China, Two centuries ago the reactive of exposing female infants to the elements was conducted openly, and missionaries recorded that thousands of such infants were abandoned in the streets of Beijing to be collected regularly by carriers who placed them in a large common grave outside the city. Between 1851 and 1948, about 5 percent of female babies were killed in this way (Cutis). Although female infanticide is rare these days, the intentional elimination of female offspring may still be occurring in a more insidious fashion: through slow starvation, ongoing neglect of sick girls or even complete abandonment (Cutis). Infanticide in itself is a huge problem; this ultimately leads to many of the other problems we see. The 4-2-1 problem surrounding the one-child policy means that only children will have to bear the responsibility of supporting both of their parents and, sometimes, all four of their grandparents in their old age, as they cannot rely on siblings to help them care for their aging family. Not Just in China, but worldwide, due to technological advancements and improved healthcare, people are living longer and therefore the size of the aging population is growing Advisory). The size of Chinas population aged sixty and above will grow by 100 million in Just 15 years (Wang). This augmentation in the number of elderly people will lead to an increasing demand for services and expenditures related to health care, the costs of which will fall upon Chinas only children (Wang). With one child providing for six other people in addition to him or her and their families, the financial burden will be demanding. The one-child policy has created a situation in Canaan In wanly tanner are too Tee young people to support a growing, aging population. Another problem created by the policy is that if an only child dies before his or her parents and grandparents, there will be no one to support them in their old age. The chance that an eighty year old Chinese man will outlive his 55-year-old son is 6%, and the likelihood an eighty year old woman will outlive her 55-year-old son is 17%, as women live longer (Wang). Without a child to support them in their old age, parents and grandparents will have fewer resources to pay for expenditures like health care. Many people feel that the one-child policy is challenged in principle ND in practice for violating a human right to determine the size of ones own family. According to a 1968 proclamation of the International Conference on Human Rights, Parents have a basic human right to determine freely and responsibly the number and the spacing of their children. In 2002, China outlawed the use of physical force to make a woman submit to an abortion or sterilization, but it is not entirely enforced. In the execution of the policy, many local governments still demand abortions if the pregnancy violates local regulations, or even force abortions on women violating the policy. Another problem with this policy is that Since the policy has first been implemented, China has decided to ease the policy, making several reforms. China announced the relaxation of the one-child policy in November of last year: if at least one of two parents is a single child, the couple may have two children. Provinces began implementing the new rule only in January this year (Chaw). About 270,000 couples applied for permission to have second children by the end of May, and 240,000 received it, according to the national family-planning commission. Since the Chinese government was fearful of a baby boom that would overwhelm hospitals and, eventually, schools, they have made the application process difficult. In the eastern city of Jinn, for instance, would-be parents must provide seven different documents, including statements from employers certifying their marital status. With 11 million couples suddenly eligible to have second children, some caution over easing policy may be understandable. As the process is simplified, more parents will choose to go through it. Analysts expect additional new births to rise toward 1 million a year over the next decade or so (Gogh). That is on top of todays average of 16 million births a year (Gogh). This change should help solve the problems faced now, such as the fertility crisis and the 4-2-1 problem. The one-child policy has ultimately been successful. It was necessary due to the fact that Chinas population was so rapidly growing and that the resources were being used up so quickly. The policy has helped slow the population growth rate, eradicate poverty in rural towns, given men and women alike increased benefits in health care, and helped to accelerate modernization by increasing womens literacy and introducing new Job opportunities. Some may say that this policy is detrimental and that it has only hurt China by adding a demographic and sex imbalance of more males than females, introducing a decreased fertility rate, creating increased female infanticide, and also introducing the 4-2-1 problem. Since the Chinese arent very big on religion, they have no religious conflict over the policy. Many families in China have expressed the notion that even though they are only technically allowed to have one child, they wouldnt want another one because of the responsibilities and debt that come with a second child. Children use up a lot of time and resources; the Chinese feel less Durance Day navels only one canny take up tenet attention. In a CNN article two women speak about the abortions the family planning policy implements, Its a rather common occurrence, [like eating] an ordinary kind of food. Theres nothing worth talking about and Its a very natural thing, like eating and drinking. Its not against the law. And its quite safe to have [an abortion. ]. Like these women, many other women feel that family planning is Just another law, and not a big deal. So why make it one? If these women are happy and dont feel like their rights are being infringed upon, who are we to tell them how to behave and feel?

economic problem essays

economic problem essays For a number of reasons, business enterprise in New York grew by leaps and bounds between 1825 and 1860. New York's growth between the years 1825 and 1860 can be attributed to a number of factors. These include but cannot be limited to the construction of the Erie Canal, the invention of the telegraph, the developed of the railroads, the establishment of Wall Street and banking, the textile, shipping, agriculture and newpaper industries, the development of steam power and the use of iron products. On October 26, 1825 the Erie Canal was opened. The canal immediately became an important commercial route connecting the East with the Ohio and Mississippi Valleys. With tht time of travel cut to one-third and the cost of shipping freight cut to one-tenthof the previous figures, commerce via the canal soon made New York City the chief port of the Atlantic. The growing urban population and the contruction of canals, railroads and factories stimulated the demand for raw materials and food stuffs. In 1836 four-fifths of the tonnage over the Erie Canal came from western New York (North, 105). Mu ch of this cargo was in the form of agriculture goods. The farmer become a shrewed businessaman of sorts as he tended to produce whatever products would leave him the greatest profit margin. The rise of the dairy industry was by far the most significant development in the agricultural history of the state between 1825 and 1860. Farmers discovered that cows were their most relliable money-makers, since both the domestic and foreign market kept demanding more dairy products (Ellis, 273). Price flucuations became increasingly important for the farming population between 1825 and 1860. Prices rose from the low level of the early 1820's until the middle 1830's and the farmer's shared in the general prosperity (271). Although the rapid industrialization and urbanization of New York had a great deal to do with the success of agricultural markets sporadic deman...

Apollo 13

Both sides of the argument were well supported and we agreed to disagree with the following conclusions: one side took the stance that the mission was not successful because they did not make it to the moon; the other side took the stance that the mission was successful because the astronauts’ lives were saved and that the mission evolved into bringing the astronauts home safely. The second issue the green team debated was whether or not ethics played a role in the decisions made by the Apollo 13 team, ground and space. Again we had a split jury. One side felt that ethics and integrity were clearly shown in Apollo 13 when they decided to abandon the mission to the moon when the spacecraft failed for the safety of the astronauts. Both leaders, Lovell and Kranz, demonstrated strong leadership and integrity by collaborating closely with their teams to facilitate clear communication to help escape the danger. This ideology should be emphasized in business corporations. If the collective goal could be identified at the beginning of each problem, it is not difficult to facilitate a collective effort to achieve a common goal. The essence of this film is to teach entities integrity and teamwork. The other side felt that while they could see how the mission was conducted with integrity, but they still having a difficult time seeing how any of it came down to ethics. They did not see any ethical dilemmas played out in the film or the real story of Apollo 13. The mission was aborted, in order to save the astronauts’ own lives, but that is not an ethical decision. We felt that the two most relevant issues were leadership and teamwork. These are the important learning lessons from the film, Apollo 13. Leadership, with complement to teamwork, salvaged the space crew from complete failure. If we had to pick just one relevant issue however, leadership would definitely win out. Your thoughts, insights, and/or conclusions about the Apollo 13 leadership and team lessons. Even though the Apollo 13 team failed the ultimate mission to the moon, we believe leadership and teamwork throughout the film is what made the mission successful. Our team believes teamwork and leadership is what steered the crew through the storm of great danger to reach the haven of safety to Earth. This film depicted characteristics of courage, perseverance, resilience and synergy that embody the idea of leadership and teamwork. The moral of the story can exemplify the challenges leaders face in modern day business. If corporate leaders can take values from the movie and instill strong leadership and teamwork principles into their business, this promotes sustainable success that will overcome any challenges. From the film, Gene Kranz and Jim Lovell collaborated through complex issues and stayed vigilant to their common goal in preparing for the astronaut’s safety return. We have found the J. Singh’s (2008) article entitled, â€Å"Imposters Masquerading as Leaders: Can the Contagion be Contained? † supports Apollo13’s leadership idea through the elements of energy, expertise, and integrity. A true leader according to Singh (2008) â€Å" his energy level at work, or drive, and passion to excel; or what in sporting parlance is referred to as the ‘killer instinct. ’ It performs the role of a starter or dynamo in an engine. It triggers the machine to life† (p. 738). Lovell’s team and Kranz’s team worked together to work out solutions to power the Command Module enable to restart Odyssey to get them back to Earth. The film captured the intensity of the challenge when Kranz said â€Å"failure is not an option† (Grazer, 1995). At the height of the stress, Kranz and Lovell were kicked into the ‘killer instinct’ to do everything in their power to find a solution to bring Lovell’s team home. The second element of leadership according to Singh is expertise. Singh argued â€Å"raw energy can be wasteful, even destructive, if not harnessed well. Therefore, one must be skilled at handling it and channeling it for constructive purposes. Singh latter added expertise is fostered by the â€Å"advanced know-how. † It is acquired through one’s specialized education and training in the related discipline and through â€Å"personal earning distilled from day-to – day experiences† (p. 739). Lovell and his team received extensive training to prepare for their mission prior to launching. Kranz and his team are competent in directing the astronauts for the mi ssion. The teams shared and exchanged each other’s knowledge and expertise to execute the plan to persevere through the danger from death. The third element of leadership profile is integrity (Singh, 2008). Singh argued integrity may be an old fashioned virtue. However, â€Å"no company can claim excellence unless its management is based on a set of non-negotiable values (p. 739). Integrity is a broad term, some of the attributes to this word pertains to the film are honest/transparency, ethics or integrity, communication consistency, honoring commitments, mutual respect, extend credit and appreciation for job well done, accountability for mistakes and stay grounded to his/her beliefs and values (Singh, 2008). The idea of integrity and ethics were shown throughout the film. Lovell and his team were transparent to the problem throughout the challenge to avoid any miscommunications. Lovell and Kranz’s team maintained mutual respect and open communication on issues and challenges they were having in the mission. When Mattingly and Aaron found the way to restart Odyssey by transmitting the power from Aquarius to get Lovell’s team back to safely, their works were acknowledged and recognized by the leaders in the mission of saving Lovell’s team. Not only did the film demonstrated strong leadership skills in maintaining vigilance in prioritizing space crew’s safety, teamwork complements the final success of getting the crew back home safely. Jon Katzenbach and Douglas Smith’s research (2005), â€Å"The Discipline of Teams† argued true teamwork is prescribed through teams sharing leadership roles, holding people accountable, specific team purpose each team delivers, collective work products, encourage open-ended discussions in problem setting situation, measuring performance by assessing collective work products, discussion and make decision that work for everyone (p. 64). These characteristics were apparent in Kranz’s team when they sit together to brainstorm solutions to bring the astronauts back to Earth. Each member in Kranz’s teams was assigned different tasks and was encouraged to come up with new solutions to help solve this problem. Your experiences with the team process. Challenges? Benefits? Changes from beginning of week to end of week? Team project usually is more of a challenge than ease due to the requirement of equal commitments from every member of the team. Teamwork from online program is more difficult as teams re made of members that are from different geographic locations. The challenge was even greater for us because our team has the largest time zone difference than the other teams in our class. Brittan is working Afghanistan and Shawnae and I (Yi) live on the opposite side of the country from Shawnae. We were limited in being able to â€Å"meet† and discuss the project as frequently as we would want due to other obligations, such all of us work full time. However, we were able to manage this stress by actively communicating with each other about our situation and limitation. We were able to utilize team forums and chat room to facilitate our communication for this case project. Despite the fact that we were separated by different time zones and working full time, our team were able to communicate last Sunday and properly communicate the work we have to do. Each of the members took on a portion of the assignment and work on it on our own time. Even though we have never met physically, we were confident in our each other’s ability to meet the requirement of getting our portion of the work done on time for our discussion.

Legal and Ethical Aspecrts of Delivery Of Health and Social Care Essay

Legal and Ethical Aspecrts of Delivery Of Health and Social Care - Essay Example When handling patients suffering from terminal illnesses, it is my role to ensure that a patient can successfully manage the condition, experience reduced pain, and approach the end of life stages with a positive outlook. Although my intention is to help such patients, complications may occur because of the choices made by the patients. The case of Brian, who is 55 years old and declined to adopt the advice and the equipment presented by me presents an ethical dilemma for any nurse. In this paper, I will discuss Brian’s case study in detail, evaluating, and analysing the case study and presenting my final ethical decision. In addition, the paper will examine the utilitarian ethical principle and weigh it against the respect for autonomy in an effort to help Brian experience quality life despite his condition. Brian, aged 55 years suffers from multiple sclerosis. Multiple sclerosis is a condition that presents adverse effects on an individual’s immune system. Specifically, the disease affects the protective sheath surrounding nerves. As a result, individuals suffering from the disease do not have a normal communication between the brain and the body. As the disease progresses, an individual’s nervous system may deteriorate badly. Usually, there is no cure for multiple sclerosis and patients with the disease have no other choice but to manage their condition. In the case of Brian, the disease has progressed to the level whereby he needs a wheelchair because he cannot walk (Dimond, 2011). Therefore, the disease has served to debilitate him compelling him to rely on my help and other social workers who help him to feed, wash, and get him out of bed occasionally. Worth noting is the fact that Brian does not have any carer at home because his wife suffers from Parkinson’s disease. Since Brian’s condition compels him to stay in bed or the wheelchair for many hours, he is subject to

Success Factors Affecting the Spread of E-commerce Worldwide Research Paper

Success Factors Affecting the Spread of E-commerce Worldwide - Research Paper Example E-commerce involves different transactions that are business-to-business, business-to-customer, and customer-to-customer (B2B, B2C, and C2C respectively) (Khosrowpour, pp. 21-25, 2004). With all such transactions, e-commerce is â€Å"the sharing of business information, maintaining business relationships and conducting business transactions using computers interconnected by a telecommunication system† (Fingar et al, 22-26, 2000). In this regard, nowadays, business organizations are profoundly relying on the platform of e-commerce to carry out their business activities; however, some critical or key success factors are playing a crucial role in the spread and success of e-commerce globally that will be the major focus of this paper. However, before stepping into the discussion of success factors of e-commerce, it is very imperative to understand the basics of e-commerce, and this will be possible with a basic understanding of different transactions encompassing the arena of e-c ommerce. From this aspect, bookshop was the first form of B2C application in the e-commerce that involved internet as a platform to sell books that gave an opportunity to the book suppliers to avoid physical stockings of the books, and it gave added-value facility to the book lovers to browse and buy the books without walking up to the bookstores. Another example of B2C is railway reservation applications that have become a fundamental need of railway companies to sell their tickets on the internet. Besides B2C, E-Bay is the best example of C2C e-commerce that involves two stakeholders (buyer/seller); however, until now, C2C has been limited mostly to second-hand items, paintings, and antique items in which, two individuals carry out the buying and selling process with the help of a third party that facilitates the business activity. Last, but the most important form of e-commerce is B2B that constitutes the major share of e-commerce, and has been enjoying significant importance since the emergence of e-commerce globally.

Are men the victims of equality in contemporary organizations Essay - 1

Are men the victims of equality in contemporary organizations - Essay Example The fact that such practices exist indicates that organizations are not gender neutral. Just like certain issues can place women in a disadvantaged position, there could be issues that can place men at disadvantage. It is this exclusion along with the perceived improvement of the position of disadvantaged groups that has contributed to the perception that men have been disadvantaged by equality (Burke and Black reading) However, with the magnitude of such special policies incorporated by organizations for women perhaps they are now putting men at a disadvantage. Besides, the gradual increase of women in workforce could pose the threat of marginalization to men in the organization. This paper discusses if men are turning into victims of equality in contemporary organizations. Given that they have always been the dominant sex and wielded power over women, can they really be victims? The paper discusses factors that may or may not contribute to men’s disadvantaged position. Given that men have outnumbered women in organizations it is difficult to conceive how they can be victims. Traditionally women have been perceived to be the victims of male domination in organizations. They are the ones who face the glass ceiling and find it difficult to get entry into senior positions. If they do manage to get there it becomes difficult for them to sustain at the top due to the isolation they feel from male dominated social network at top management levels. Current research builds on the findings that senior executive leadership is dominated by corporate masculinity, which accommodates women as ‘token’ or ‘other’ (wallaby.vu.edu.au/adt-VVUT/uploads/approved/adt-VVUT20070911.142850/public/03Chapter2.pdf)-Sinclair 1994; Maier 1999; Halford and Leonard 2001). According to Kanter’s Tokenism Theory (Kanter 1977-find articles) it would be the women who hold a token position in organizations. Since they have been the one to be considered

The Normal Distribution and Probability Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

The Normal Distribution and Probability - Essay Example Given that the median helps to do away with influences associated with too much of one or two scores on the extremes of any given distribution, it thus emerges as the measure of choice in variability. Assignment 2 Sales 500 salespeople of a company are mostly normally distributed forming a bell symmetrical shape. Whereby sales from those who record high sales appear on the right side while those with low sales coming on the left side and with a majority of sales appearing on the middle part of the distribution, translating to an average of sales on either side of the curve accounting for the mean sales. This would make it resourceful to come up with a working model to be used to work out a budget as well as predicting performance of the company. A company would predict the effect-increase in sales revenue- of increasing the number stores and salespeople. This distribution also helps to not only identify those sales people who need extra training but also it helps to identify those wh o need to be replaced. It is worth to consider the size of the sample in question, with a large sample like that of the 500 sales people proving to be more representative compared to a sample of about 100 people. It is therefore relevant statistically to estimate that adding one more sales person is worth for instance $25,000 increase in revenue. Clearly from the study sales people and their respective sales are the main variables which are measured in ratio scale since there are those sales people who have nil sales. On using a continuous scale, sales are normally distributed with most of sales in middle range and the entire sales data being within the range 40% of the average sale. A probability value of 0.05 implies 5% of the sales people will sell an amount different from expected sales value and while the remaining 95 % are expected to sell at an amount within the expected amount. This concept is therefore used to represent monthly countable sales. Assignment 3 Organizations re sort to using means such as incentives and bonuses so as to increase the productivity of their employees. In order prove that financial incentives have always boosted the productivity of employees, I will evaluate the hypothesis that a $ 1,000 incentive offered to employees is sufficient to make them finish a project before the expected time. In this study size of incentive and level of productivity are the independent and dependent variables respectively. Assuming the population sample n=30 would be chosen randomly from the employees allocated to new projects. Hypothesis testing is an analysis of a given research, with a null hypothesis indicating a zero change as a result of the $ 1000 incentive represented by  µ. On the other hand a change as a result of the $ 1000 incentive indicates the alternative hypothesis. In order to determine critical boundaries and identify chances of Type 1error, it's important to select an alpha level. Selecting a .01 alpha level provides a low risk error and avoids overstretching the critical area since this level enhances a balance between the functions which offers a base to reject or accept the proposed effect of the incentive. A one-tailed test is utilized when hypothesis about a particular directional rather than general. Results obtained from one -tailed test are of significance

Tennessee V. Garner Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Tennessee V. Garner - Research Paper Example The woman who had reported the said burglary explained to them that she had witnessed someone break into the next door and the officers quickly responded by searching the said premise. As Hymon covered the back, he saw someone running from that address and pursued him. With the help of his flashlight, he spotted someone hiding next to a backyard fence thirty to forty feet away and commanded the young man to stop but the suspect ignored and made an attempt to jump off the fence. It was at this moment that Hymon fired a shot that struck the fleeing suspect in the head as he fell. Later identified as fifteen -year-old Edward Garner, the suspect died while undergoing treatment shortly after the shooting incident. Later in 1975, Garner’s father filed a civil suit against the police department of Memphis, the mayor, director of police and the officer involved-Hymon claiming that his son’s constitutional rights had been violated (Blume, 21). In this suit, the slain suspect rights were said to have been violated by Officer Hymon under the 4th, 8th and 14th amendments at the time of his shooting. The other defendants were sued for to taking due care in the hiring process and poor supervision of the police officer that the plaintiff claimed was responsible for his son’s death in equal magnitude (Blume, 23). The first trial was held in 1976 and in the end; the district court gave a motion for a verdict directed in favor of the city and its police department. On appeal, there was an affirmation by the Sixth Circuit on aspects of the ruling by the district court in their decision to dismiss the case against individual defendants. The court was however instructed to review if municipality had the liberty to be granted immunity because its policies were in tandem with state law and not so, relook into whether deadly force while arresting

The German Interior Minister Otto Schily announced that immigration Essay

The German Interior Minister Otto Schily announced that immigration rules would be relaxed to facilitate the entry of Indian sof - Essay Example Nevertheless, in the previous year German provided 10,000 green cards to technology professionals, among them being Indians. Though such an action would pose many security threats, German was ready to improve on their security so that no terrorist can pose as a soft ware expert to be issued with a visa. However, German portrays a good example of immigration and trade services globally, with host countries having to relax on some of the restrictive visa issues in order to gain a competitive advantage as other countries. However, one of the main issues that worry citizens in many of the hoist countries is likelihood of immigrants causing job shortage in the host country. Though India is a developing country, its successive growth in information technology and software is attributed to the fact that they outsource their services to multinational firms globally, but at a reliable cost. However, the United States remains the major country that receives a majority number of software expert ise from India. According to BBC news (2000), the United States had already proposed that it would increase the experts’ visas to 200,000, this shows that the rate of demand for the Indian software expertise is very high. Therefore, this third world country is has a comparative advantage in terms of software expertise. ... that has prevailed across the world, where countries mainly the developing countries have to contend with trade in services, as their skilled manpower is lured my developed countries, in the form of relaxed immigration rules and other incentives. Trade in services and immigration Trade and immigration are becoming connected since, for instance, trading in goods and services, and investing is expanding due to the low costs of globalization, transport, and availability of information. The result of this is an increased urge to study, work, and travel, or even to live abroad. When people move across borders and supply services in another country, this is regarded as trade. According to Pecoud (2007, p. 14), â€Å"trade and migration are interconnected in a globalized economy and that pressures towards liberalization may one day promote a narrow trade.† The increase of immigrants in developing countries has greatly increased with time. Immigration of skilled labor is encouraged by the developed countries and restrictive measures are minimized in order to enable these experts to venture into the country. Indeed, various benefits accrue to developed countries, with the major one being the use of immigrating human capital to advance their production capacity (Kuznar, n.d, p. 12). The immigration promotion of skilled labor is as a result of lack of a skilled workforce in these countries or the need to compete with other countries. If country A has more labor than country B, then it is only wise for country A to send labor to country B, via immigration, which is a direct method, or indirectly through exporting of goods. Thus, the movement of goods can substitute for the movement of people to various countries. In developed countries, prices of goods and services, as well as

Tennessee V. Garner Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Tennessee V. Garner - Research Paper Example The woman who had reported the said burglary explained to them that she had witnessed someone break into the next door and the officers quickly responded by searching the said premise. As Hymon covered the back, he saw someone running from that address and pursued him. With the help of his flashlight, he spotted someone hiding next to a backyard fence thirty to forty feet away and commanded the young man to stop but the suspect ignored and made an attempt to jump off the fence. It was at this moment that Hymon fired a shot that struck the fleeing suspect in the head as he fell. Later identified as fifteen -year-old Edward Garner, the suspect died while undergoing treatment shortly after the shooting incident. Later in 1975, Garner’s father filed a civil suit against the police department of Memphis, the mayor, director of police and the officer involved-Hymon claiming that his son’s constitutional rights had been violated (Blume, 21). In this suit, the slain suspect rights were said to have been violated by Officer Hymon under the 4th, 8th and 14th amendments at the time of his shooting. The other defendants were sued for to taking due care in the hiring process and poor supervision of the police officer that the plaintiff claimed was responsible for his son’s death in equal magnitude (Blume, 23). The first trial was held in 1976 and in the end; the district court gave a motion for a verdict directed in favor of the city and its police department. On appeal, there was an affirmation by the Sixth Circuit on aspects of the ruling by the district court in their decision to dismiss the case against individual defendants. The court was however instructed to review if municipality had the liberty to be granted immunity because its policies were in tandem with state law and not so, relook into whether deadly force while arresting

Policy Issue and the Three Branches of Government Essay Example for Free

Policy Issue and the Three Branches of Government Essay In a news article written by Deborah Hastings entitled â€Å"Carded at polls: No photo ID, no vote,† it was shown how the three branches of the government works, which are the executive, legislative, and judiciary, on aspects of law for the country.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The issue elaborated on the news article was about the voter’s ID card. It pressed problems for people living in certain states, one of which is Indiana, who prohibits people wit no voter’s ID card to vote (Hastings, 2007). The requirements for the document to be presented are a) voter’s photograph; b) the voter’s name which should be similar to the name indicated on the voter’s registration record; and c) a current expiration date (Hastings, 2007). However, a considerable number of people in Indiana do not have these requirements and are, thus, ineligible to vote (Hastings, 2007).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In the news, it has been shown that it is the legislative branch of the government who takes the task of formulating the laws. The legislative branch is responsible for creating and proposing laws with the aim of making a better society for all. The second branch, the executive, has the responsibility of implementing the laws and policies. It has the veto power which gives the executive branch the chance to make advice and changes on the law proposed by the congress. In addition to this, the executive branch has quasi-legislative power, such that, as needed and with certain conditions, it can formulate policies without having to go through the normal process of the legislative branch. Included here are administrative and executive orders. The third branch, the judicial branch, serves as a check and balance for the legislative and the executive branch. The judiciary ensures that the acts of the other two branches are within the framework of the Constitution.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   It is hard to conclude that they have equal roles, nor is it fair to say that they do not posses equal roles. This is for the reason that their responsibilities are practically different from one another. One can not simply conclude that three persons do equal tasks when the natre of their tasks and duties are different. However, it can be said that they are equal in terms of the level and that no branch of the government is a subordinate of the other. This is clearly stated in the Constitution (Baker, 2007). It is very important to note, after having discussed the roles of the three branches of the government, that they contribute to the functioning of the society and the country. References Baker, J. H. (2007). United States Government.   In Microsoft ® Student 2008 [DVD]. Redmond, WA: Microsoft Corporation. Hastings, D. (2008). Carded at polls: No photo ID, no vote. Retrieved January 23, 2008, from http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080123/ap_on_el_ge/voter_id;_ylt=AkLkJaWl5i_WdCIhdDjIpxhvzwcF.

Development of a Brand Image

Development of a Brand Image Introduction What is exactly Brand Image? Brand Image is defined as the face of a business. It is how you want the market or your audience to perceive the product, brand or service. It represents what the company believes in, values, services and ideas. It can generate audience loyalty and attract customers to your business. It Includes elements like logo, design, tagline etc. Brand identity for a start-up is one of the key elements in the present time because of the number of start-ups coming up in the market. Brand Identity is considered a key element because it can make you stand out from other businesses and your competitors. Advertising Campaign Detail Beard Oil came out with their first commercial video featuring the actor, Isaiah Mustafa. Mustafa quickly became Beard Oil Guy, and the brand capitalized on with an interactive video campaign in which Mustafa was a part of and actively participated with comments on Facebook and Twitter and other social media websites including short, personalized videos. In about two days, Our brand had churned out 186 personalized and quite funny video responses that too ft Mustafa responding to fans online. According to the data, these videos saw over 12 million views, and Beard Oil gained about 30000 Facebook fans and 58,000 new Twitter followers. We were sending sending mini TV commercials back to individual. Also the consumers that were personalized, and we were rapid-fireÂÂ   doing it on a rapid-fire basis, The creator creative director at that time was and a writer for the campaign, told Beard Oil Data. No one expects to ask a lot of question and then we can consider and then be responded to. I think thats where we broke through. We find that the campaigns gained momentum with most of the your fans and followers, do everything you really can to keep all ofÂÂ   them engaged while keeping your messaging true to your brands voice and image. Our campaign name is Beard Oil, Grow beard like a man What are the takeaways from this campaign, if you ask that then The first is the way they marketed to a whole new to their new target audience. In the past, Beard Oil was advertising to the older target audience that passed on the products to the younger generation, 40-60 year old market.ÂÂ   they switched their target market After assessing market trends to users who are in the range of 18-34 year range. This is much not so easier said than done. When switching up the market,ÂÂ   target market to this extent, our company needs to completely re-vamp its strategy that includes marketing strategy. One way that Beard Oil achieved this is by using a mix of the marketing skills andÂÂ   appeals that the younger generation responds well to. These appeals being humor, wittiness and sex. You might be wondering, why would our brand actually, why would we use a male sex symbol to a product that caters to male and if their target market young men? This is mostly because the research has shown that women purchase almost 70% of all male toiletry products. By using appeals this was much easier that are both male and female friendly, the new campaign that saw an impressive response allowing this and all the video to go viral almost immediately. The next takeaway from our brand Beard Oil is that, what they did once they and after launching the campaign. After the flood of responses that came in, Beard Oil decided to actually interact with their fans in the form of questions that were from and for the Beard Oil man. Thousands of questions were asked and almost 180 video responses by the Beard Oil man were created which included a very interesting thing, a marriage proposal andÂÂ   also frequent exchanges from celebrities like Ellen DeGeneres, Hritik, Demi Moore, Alysa Milano, and others. This kind of frequent interaction that our brand had actually decided and this is what gets people talking about your brand and also a major reason for the success of this campaign. Many companies and brands assume that once they have actually created a much successful advertisement or a new campaign, that the work is actually done. Wrong. It is so important to interact with viewers (as a response and feedback also) on social media platf orms like facebook and twitter if you want to create a very long lasting reaction that people will and should remember for a long time. To sum all of this up, human beings in a short attention spans. One minute they see a great advertisement and boom the next minute its forgotten. Half of the battle is about creating the effective advertisement that they recall but maybe the most challenging step is the way that you get people to remember it. Social media is a great platform to get feedback and respond to questions, build on the previous successes, and keep the intended brand imageÂÂ   fresh and create a new idea in the minds of the consumers. Results Over the past month, sales jumped over 55 percent and in this month, they rose a total of 107 percent as per the data. Recent sales figures from MarketA also show a lift for Beard Oil Face Wash products. The disclosure ofMarketA data, which is usually not made public and only provided to companies and also, came after a report in Brandweek whichÂÂ   cited MarketA data for the products that featured in the campaign, Blue Zone, AF Body Wash. Sales for Blue Zone hit $1.8 million for the four to six week period ended with 55 percent jump over the four-week period. MarketA data shows that the other four Beard Oil Body Wash products also show a lift. Overall sales for Beard Oil Body Wash rose 105 percent for mostly that period The sales figure that and the research data even the analysis from experts said its targeted to both sexes, Its targeted to people that are involved and who are attractive or really want to be attractive. A lot of people are buying Beard Oil now and it isnt because theyre young. On the engagement in front of the results, the campaign, which was enhanced by a new real-time component that has recently been introduced earlier this month also in which Mustafa personally and individually responded to blogger, facebook and Twitter-based comments which was astonishing for the viewers about the campaign via video, is also a clear success.

The Role of Witches in William Shakespeares Macbeth Essay -- Papers M

The Role of Witches in William Shakespeare's Macbeth In Macbeth the witches make a huge contribution to the play and the way it comes across to an audience. The witches portray many themes in Macbeth, such as the theme of fate, and the way that they are supposed to have the power of changing someone's fate, and the way they can control people using their power. The witches also depict a theme of pure evil, and the way they treat others in the play shows this. Religion also is a big theme in Macbeth, references to the trinity, whether it is the unholy, or the holy trinity. Also blasphemous and sacrilegious beliefs appear often throughout the play. As well as these themes, one of the biggest is the theme of motherhood, and particular the distortion of motherhood. References to babies being killed appear which only hints at the evil that the witches bring to the play. The witches often speak about being able to change someone's fate, and in the time which Shakespeare wrote Macbeth people had strong beliefs about this as does Macbeth who speaks about fate often. This also hints at the connections between the witches and Macbeth. "Disdaining fortune, with his brandished steel" =============================================== Here the captain is talking about Macbeth's victory over the Norwegians. He uses the very significant phrase 'Disdaining Fortune' This relates to Macbeth being able to defeat his fate, which is very important because the witches are said to be able to change about witches and the powers they were supposed to possess. James I, the king in Shakespeare's time had a strong belief in witches and devoted a lot o... ...usly a dangerous thing to do, because if he treats them like friends it means he trusts them. The fact that Macbeth trusts the witches' shows that his ambition and power hungry nature have taken over the way he thinks, and it has taken away the little caution he had in the first place. The witches appear to be taking advantage of Macbeth's ambitious nature and they are using it against him, to get him to trust them more and more. Even thought they never lie to Macbeth they only ever tell him half-truths, which ends up misleading him as he does not think to work out what the witches are telling him. Also Macbeth, because he becomes completely absorbed by his new found power he becomes very cocky, and decides to ignore the fact that there maybe a threat to his life because he doesn't think about what could happen to him.