Arab Culture Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Arab Culture - Essay Example Arabic culture traces its roots from the Arabian Peninsula next to the Sabaens where they ended up migrating the near east that consists of the ancient cities of Mesopotamia and Lavant. In order to understand better the Arabic culture, it is important to look at several key factors that define the great culture. Language factors, religious viewpoint and practices, fashion and architecture are some vital areas that shape the great Arabic culture. My essay analyses the Arab culture in depth looking at the very important factors that drives its existence. Arabic language having a close relation to Aramaic and Hebrew is evidently the chief language in the Semitic category of Afro-Asiatic language (Young). All the Arabian nations including some Islamic communities have adopted the Arabic language as their own making it the vernacular language and the most holy in their life. Qur’an, the Islamic holy book, written in Arabic shows this great culture’s contribution to the Islamic religion where they find it difficult to translate it into any other language and fail to lose the teachings of the Holy book. Classical Arabic is the name given to the language that is used in The Holy Qur’an, having some distinction from the modern day Arabic language. The book contains chapters and verses written in various parables, verses and narratives that are an inspiration by Allah. This holy book is the major source of inspiration and teachings among the Islam religion, guiding their morals and behavior in the larger society. Most Arabs are Muslims embracing the Islamic religion. Islam being the second most popular world religion Christianity coming first is a monotheist type of religion believing in the existence of one God whom they refer to as Allah (Mikenola). The scriptures that govern the Islamic religion are all included in the holy Qur’an that was revealed to the Muslim faith through their prophet Muhammad.

The Best Lesson My Dad Taught Me Essay Example for Free

The Best Lesson My Dad Taught Me Essay The best lesson my dad taught me was†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. To always be honest. I’m glad he taught me this because at home if I do something wrong and he knows I’m lying and I tell the truth, I get in less trouble instead of getting things taken away. He tells me the odds are in my favor if I listen. I agree with him because I wouldn’t want my kids to lie to me. You always get in less trouble if you don’t lie. I only lived for about 13 years but every single second I learned more and more. It always ends up embarrassing after telling a lie and someone has found out. We all must admit it, weve ALL lied. Nobody likes a liar. My dad will say are you sure with your answer and if I say no I tell him the truth and he says don’t do it again. If your gonna lie to your friends its just stupid because eventually they will find and you will lose them. Before I ever answer some thing I ask myself, â€Å"is it worth lying about it. † Then I just follow my conscience. I don’t always make the right choice, but I learn from my mistakes. My dad is 40 years old and he told me had made more mistakes in a year than I do in 13. Just tell the truth because if you’re my kid that is the easiet part of life. I love him to death and wouldn’t trade him for the world!

How Do Textual Features Combine To Convey A Theme Of The Poem? :: essays research papers

How do Textual Features Combine To Convey a Theme of the Poem?   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Milton wrote extensively throughout his life, and studied literature profoundly. His cunningness and literary techniques were observed in all of his literature. However, at the prime of his life, his weak eyes gave as his intense work and studies caused his blindness. As a result of this tragedy, Milton created a sonnet about his blindness. He questioned the meaning of this tragedy, of the future, and God for his blindness within the sonnet. Even though his whole life and work involved his eyes, he accepted this eventually. Within Milton's sonnet about his blindness: figurative language, personification, his intent and prosody are adopted to convey his questions and heart felt acceptance of his blindness.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Milton uses figurative language to express his grievances and discontent. He reflects upon his life and â€Å"how my light is spent,† or the time he had his sight. Milton then expresses the feeling of the â€Å"dark world and wide† of the blind as his introduction to his questions. He begins to question his writing that only death can take away (â€Å"...one talent which is death to hide..†), â€Å" lodged... useless† within him because of his new blindness. As a result, Milton begins to question God, â€Å"Doth God exact day-labour, light denied?† Milton wonders as to the meaning of his blindness; Does God want him to continue to write, even with his blindness, or what does God really mean? At first his tone seems harsh, but his feelings are redirected as he answers his own questions in time. His last question to God, was answered by himself as he realizes that he cannot blame God for his actions. His figurative language from the point he begins to question, up to where he begins to answer his own questions are full of implications of his thought. These implications must be picked out in order to make sense of the feeling and statement Milton is trying to make.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Furthermore, Milton uses personification to express the importance of words and values. He personifies â€Å"Patience† as if patience were a man who replies for him. Patience is his reasoning for accepting the fact that he is blind. It is used to introduce the answer towards his questioning, and as a change or turning point within the sonnet. As in standard Petrarchian sonnets this change is in the 8-9 line, and a transition between problem and solution is achieved. The problem was whether or not he should continue to write. Yet, in line 8 the personification conveys the theme of acceptance through Patience.

Medical Tourism: Study Case of Ijn

Medical Tourism Sustainability through the Export Market Orientation Behaviours: The Case Study of Institut Jantung Negara (IJN) Ili-Salsabila Abd-Razak1 and Asmat Nizam Abdul Talib Universiti Utara Malaysia, Kedah, MALAYSIA The inclusion of tourism sector as one of the 12 recognized national key economic areas (NKEA) for the 10th Malaysia Plan represent the sector’s prospect in not only driving the nation’s economy, but also transforming the country into a high-income economy by 2020. With approximately 10 years left, many concerned groups are keen to know how this will be achieved.This paper aims at exposing the prospects of medical tourism as an essential subsector of tourism which would offer a number of proven benefits, and hence contribute to accomplishing the government aspiration of transforming the nation’s economy via the said sector. In discussing the subject, the case study method is employed involving Institut Jantung Negara (IJN) as an emerging medi cal tourism provider in the country. Findings of the case study are presented herein. Key words: medical tourism, economy, Institut Jantung NegaraIntroduction The promising prospect of tourism as an economic stimulator has enabled it to be included in the list of 12 National Key Economic Areas (NKEA), which has been specifically drafted to transform the Malaysian economy into high-income economy by year 2020. While there are tremendous numbers of tourism categories, ranging from environment, cultural, sports, and entertainment, to name a few, this paper intend to highlight on the prospects of medical tourism as a significant tourism-related economic contributor in this country. Connell (2006) defined medical tourism as health-related tourism involving specific medical intervention. Among the most popular medical tourism products are orthopaedic and cardiac surgery, which are very popular among Asian medical tourism providers, as well as executive health evaluations, cosmetic surgery , joint replacement, and similar complex medical, surgical and dental procedures (Horowitz and Rosensweig, 2007).Therefore this is a distinguished industry than that of the wider health tourism industry which involves tourists travelling to search for spas, yoga and meditation, or any other forms of health tourism (Connell, 2006; Garcia Altes, 2005). 1 Email: ili. [email  protected] com 169 In a relatively detailed account of medical tourism development which began in 1800s, Schroth and Khawaja (2007) proposed that the current phenomenon is different due to the unique combination of global demand and supply within the international medical market.As observed in the region, this proposition is regarded as well-founded. The present development of medical tourism in the international market is very unique, manifested by the escalating statistics of players, patients and revenues generated around the globe of late. How Malaysia is positioned within this backdrop, and how it would affe ct the development of this fast emerging economy, are among the focus of discussion of this paper. The Statistical Development of Medical Tourism Medical tourism has been a very significant industry over the years.By judging from its health travel umbrella, the sector is expected to generate some handsome revenue of RM240 billion (roughly USD73 billion) in 2010, with ASEAN contributing RM9. 6 billion (roughly USD3 billion) (PEMANDU, 2010). Specifically focusing on medical tourism industry, the anticipated revenue to be generated in Asia is RM14. 2 billion by 2012 (roughly USD4. 3 billion), with Malaysia is expected to bring in RM2. 1 billion (roughly USD64 million) from that amount (Ang, 2009).As a comparison, India, another top Asian medical tourism destination, expects to gain USD2 billion by the same year (Connell, 2006; Horowitz and Rosensweig, 2007). These statistics surely are translated by a growing number of medical tourists around the globe. The movement of medical tourists is another significant indicator of this trend. At the global stage, approximately 350 000 medical tourists moved from developed nations to less developed countries for treatment in 2003, while a year later 1. 18 million patients travelled to India alone and another 1. million to Thailand for the same reason (Horowitz and Rosensweig, 2007). Glancing at the local development, the Association of Private Hospitals of Malaysia (APHM) has been projecting for a stable 30% growth of takings from foreign patients until 2010. This is apparent from the steady increase of foreign patients to Malaysia which recorded a total of 39 114 patients in 1998 and 374 063 patients ten years later (APHM; Liow, 2009). In terms of revenue, RM14. 1 million was documented in 1998 before jumped to RM299. million in 2008 (APHM; Liow, 2009), and is expected to contribute to another RM540 million in 2010 (Leonard, 2009). The revenue per patient has almost tripled from RM360 in 1998 to RM800 in 2008 (Choy, 2010). In the latest development, medical tourism is expected to generate RM4294. 4 million of Gross National Income, together with 5295 jobs in 2020 (PEMANDU, 2010). This occurrence has readily attracted a number of giant MNCs with diversified structure such as General Electric (GE) to invest further in the industry (Panjanadan, 2010). The Revolution of Medical TourismThe presented statistics did not appear by chance. The numbers occurred out of plausible factors. The development of medical tourism industry is indeed different (Horowitz and Rosensweig, 2007). As mentioned earlier, Schroth and Khawaja attributed the uniqueness of the industry’s current development to the forces of market’s demand and supply, which is in resonance with Horowitz and Rosensweig (2007) who ascribed it to the movement of patients from industrialized nations to less developed countries. Connell (2006) argued that medical tourism is a niche which 170 xperienced rapid growth and has become an indust ry. The said paper also enlisted several factors promoting the development of medical tourism, such as the low costs factor, the long waiting list, the relatively affordable international air travel and favourable exchange rate, plus the aging of the baby boomers generation. These factors are also often cited in a number of studies regarding medical tourism such as Hansen (2008), Herrich (2007), Horowitz and Rosensweig (2007), Garcia Altes (2005), Marlowe and Sullivan (2007), and Schroth and Khawaja (2007), to name a few.Apart from these popular factors, other notable factors motivating the development of the industry spotted in the literature extent are the use of internet and mobility of technology, the unavailability of certain procedures in the local market, and the reduced trade barriers encouraging the mobility of workforce. Hansen (2008) argued that the revolution in medical tourism today is consumer-driven. This is in line with Horowitz and Rosensweig (2007) who argued that the industry is market driven with complex involvement of multitude medical, economic, social and political factors.While the progress of the industry seems to be very promising, the general overview of Malaysia’s involvement at the international level is not very charming. Even though medical tourism experienced an astounding per annum growth of 22% from 2004 to 2009, the global share is still considered as small with RM350 million in 2010 (PEMANDU, 2010). Furthermore, PEMANDU also reported that while the global healthcare travel is a multi-million dollar industry, Malaysia is yet to get a sizeable share.The said industry is expected to generate USD75 billion of revenue in 2010 at the global level, while Malaysia is expected to make about USD0. 1 billion. The statistics provide a brief sight on the development in the country weighted against the global development. Malaysia should therefore be proactive enough to catch up with the global progress to stay competitive in the i ndustry. To enable this, the players and responsible parties must quickly recognize potential constraints that can hamper the development and address the issues well.The Required Expertise and the Potential Economic Opportunities Based on previous arguments, medical tourism offers bountiful opportunities and chances. In order to remain competitive at the global stage, marketing strategies should be revised against the present circumstances. Marketing the medical expertise and offerings should be distinctively conducted. The primary concern of assessing an excellent marketing strategy is the effectiveness of the strategies implemented.StuartKregor (2005) argued that defining marketing excellence for medical-related industry is different with that of the commercial-based industry. As customer is the centre of marketing excellent in the industry, the paper suggested that the effectiveness of marketing strategies should then be done by measuring the customer’s satisfaction over t he service provided. Therefore, all other marketing excellence measured by considering the profit, return on investment or sales as in any other commercial industries should be changed to be more customer-oriented rather than organizationaloriented. Building he strategies can be done by â€Å"developing, communicating and delivering the right emotional benefits to the targeted customers† (Stuart-Kregor, 2005, pp. 117). The right emotional benefit here is viewed as brand by Stuart-Kregor (2005). This paper is in agreement with the argument, which is to develop the marketing strategies by focusing on the emotional benefits (brands), and assess the effectiveness of the strategies by measuring the satisfactions of the customer. Further discussion on this is available in the next section. 171 The science of excellent marketing strategies would be wasted without a good delivery system.The state of local expertise, technologies and facilities must be attended to in order to assess t he quality of the service offered against the global level. This is where the industry should strive to be as similar as other excellent providers. The commodification of medical tourism (Chee, 2007) is an evident of this occurrence. Dunn (2007) argued that patients are making choices on medical tourism destinations based on how similar is the service delivered, especially concerning patients from industrialized nations, and the service is expected to come with much lower price.Consequently, it is observed that patients are not looking for low cost products at the expense of the quality in the industry. Successful players realize this and capitalize on the factors well. This explains the rapid movement of workforce and technologies across the four corners of the world. India as an example has been successful in luring its medical doctors who have been trained and worked abroad to return with their internationally recognized expertise and work in the country.Thailand and United Arab Emirates have been successful in rearranging for international collaboration in the industry (Schroth and Khawaja, 2007). Through these strategies, the countries have been able to keep their expertise, technologies and facilities up with the global standard. Proposed Strategies of Reviving and Sustaining Medical Tourism: The Case of IJN With the national governments’ involvement recently (Chee, 2007; Noor Hazilah, Roslan Johari and Kadar, 2010; PEMANDU, 2010), the industry has been attracting the interest of many concerned parties.Since the medical tourism is fast becoming a commodity (Chee, 2007), its marketing strategies should be focusing more on brands and less on products to be distinctive than other providers. As in Malaysia, the country is capable of offering similar products with the rest of other players in the world. While Malaysia has been focusing on cost all this while, it is suggested then for the country to deliver a unique brand which is capable of attracting the interest of potential medical tourists, without desecrating the cost advantage.In order to do so, it is particularly important for the players to implement the export market orientation behaviours within their organization, which are generating, disseminating and responding to the export market intelligence (Cadogan, Diamantopoulos and de Mortanges, 1999). Consequently, Malaysia is expected to be able to woo medical tourism patients even more. Hazilah et al. (2010) reported that a medical tourist spends double than a regular tourist while they are in the country. This high buying power therefore is capable of generating more economic opportunities.The medical tourist needs are also offering a lot of opportunities for Malaysian. Apart from medical attention, they need to have accommodation for their accompanying family members. New jobs have been underway to better serve the medical tourists, such as the healthcare broker. A healthcare broker assists the patient to choose a medic al institute and arrange for the patient’s needs while in here, including visa, accommodation and holiday arrangement. Thanks to the internet, these can be arranged prior to the patient’s arrival in the country.To describe more of these strategies and opportunities, this paper choose to present the IJN as a case study merit the discussion. The National Heart Institute or Institut Jantung Negara (IJN) has been established in 1992. The privatization of the institute was done on many premises, especially concerning the potential it has to expand its expertise and to liberalize the 172 financial capabilities of the institute. IJN did not take long to materialize that. A year after its privatization the institute has been able to be financially liberalized and hence reduce the government intervention in its administration.By now, IJN has accomplished a great number of medical milestones recognized not only in the country and the region, but also internationally. To further advance ahead in medical industry, IJN is joining its local peer private institutions to take part in the global medical tourism industry. The previous mentioned factors of global medical tourism industry’s progressive development served as the basis for IJN to be a part of the industry. Besides, like Singapore, the medical tourism industry in Malaysia is receiving a lot of government’s assistants.Being a nationally structured industry, medical tourism therefore is regarded as a potential industry in which would be able to position IJN better. The Malaysian government has been playing an active role in developing the industry in Malaysia since 1998. The main driver of this is to revive the private medical industry after the 1997 Asian economic downturn which has affected the industry very badly. The success story of Thailand which managed to get the industry out of the crisis by focusing on delivering the service to foreign patients has prompt the government to encoura ge private players to do the same.Consequently, while Thailand has been restructuring the industry without much government involvement, Malaysia and Singapore has been leveraging the industry well with cooperation between the public and the private sectors. IJN has been viewing this very positively and has since become a significant player in the region. While being rapidly developing the industry, the players recognized several major constraints which are able to slow down the progress. Coordination is a key constraint. To increase coordination, the Association of Private Hospitals of Malaysia (APHM) was formed to increase coordination between the private players.The steadily increasing number of foreign patients and revenues generated since 1998 as shown in Table 1 is an evident of the successful strategies implemented. However the industry, weighted against the global development, was still considered as insignificant. Resulting from the government’s enthusiasm towards med ical tourism as a prospective economic driver industry, and the intensity and potentials portrayed by private sectors, the Malaysia Healthcare Travel Council (MHTC) was established in July 2009.The main purpose of the council is to coordinate promotional activities of medical and healthcare tourism industry in the country. As a part of the economic transformation program, the industry is expected to shift their attention to generate higher patients’ volume, expand the target market beyond Indonesia which is currently the main market of the industry, create alliance across border, and enhance customer experience in the first phase of the strategy. In the following phase, more attention is given on mproving the infrastructure and specialists capacity to attract the more profitable in-patient segment (PEMANDU, 2010). 173 Table 1. The Volume of Foreign Patients and Revenue Generated by Medical Tourism Industry in Malaysia Year 1998 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 Medical Tourists/Foreign Patients 39,114 75,210 84,585 102,946 174,189 232,161 296,687 341,288 374,063 Revenue (RM million) 14. 1 n/a 35. 9 58. 9 105. 0 150. 9 203. 66 253. 84 299. 1 Another strategy to improve the medical tourism performance is through focusing on specific players.There are approximately 223 private hospitals operating in the country in 2008 (Frost & Sullivan, 2009). Of this number, the government has decided to focus on 35 private hospitals to capitalize on the industry with several characteristics outlined. The characteristics include being a member of APHM, has obtained the Malaysian Society for Quality in Health (MSQH), ISO or other international accreditations, offers major specialties and/or some sub-specialties, provides for a minimum 50 beds, and has its own websites.IJN has been one of the selected 35. The commitment demonstrated by IJN towards the industry is paramount. In order to be internationally recognized, the institute has been striving hard to be in the s ame par with the other international organizations. IJN has been accredited by JCI in 2009, which is a recognition of the strong culture of safety and quality within the organization. The internationally recognized accreditation is expected to improve IJN’s international positioning in the future.IJN realizes that in order to make the most of the industry, it needs to build a customer-oriented system. Beginning in 2006, the institute has been conducting the Customer Focused Program. The program was aimed at transforming IJN into a global centre of excellence by ensuring customers’ satisfaction. In 2008, the institute launched what was designed as the second phase of the program, called Customer Focused Culture. While the CFP was initiated to increase awareness of ensuring customers’ satisfaction, the CFC aimed at internalizing the institute’s shared values across the rganization. IJN also comprehend its capacity constraint which is becoming the largest hi ndrance from going big in the global medical tourism industry. Apart from improving on its culture system, the institute has been adamant in enhancing its infrastructure capabilities. A major extension work has been carried out at IJN to expand its capacities from 270 beds to 432, eight wards to 13, 23 outpatient clinic rooms to 59, and an international patient centre, to improve its service for customers.This is in line with numerous governments’ incentives offered to the private hospitals embarking on medical tourism industry to expand their infrastructure capacities. In August 2009, IJN has its new wing officiated by the Malaysian Prime Minister, who acknowledged that the institute has undergone RM230 million expansion program since 2005. In the same ceremony, the Prime Minister has also announced the proposal for IJN to become a research and development institute, measuring itself against the international best heart institute such as the Cleveland Clinic Heart Centre in the US.These are all evidences of how IJN has been greatly employing the export market orientation behaviors within its organization. In commenting the current development of the industry, IJN has expressed its concern for the country to be more progressive towards promoting medical tourism. 174 The IJN Holdings Group Managing Director, Datuk Mohd. Radzif Mohd. Yunus mentioned that the failure for Malaysia to capitalize on its capabilities in the industry would result to the loss of human capital as they will migrate to other countries with better offers.This is also reiterated by Datuk Syed Hussien Al-Habshee, the Secretary General of National Chambers of Commerce and Industry Malaysia (NCCIM) who said that the country need to step up its marketing efforts of medical tourism if it wants to catch up with Thailand and Singapore. PEMANDU (2010) has confirmed the assertion by reporting on the stronger growth of the industry by neighboring Thailand and Singapore. The set up of MHTC and several other initiatives are therefore deemed as timely to help Malaysia to rise in the industry at the global stage.Conclusion and Recommendation As exemplified in the discussion, medical tourism offers a lot of economic opportunities and hence is indeed a potential contributor to economic growth. However, Malaysia, while has been enjoying the growth of the industry vehemently over the pass few years, has not been capitalizing the industry well compared to the other global players. Therefore, the Malaysian players need to revise their marketing strategies and delivery system, as represented by IJN.The cooperative efforts between the public (government) and the private sectors too must be further carried on, especially for the sake of protecting the interests of the local society and the survival of the medical tourism players. It is strongly suggested for medical tourism players in the country to leverage on their expertise by focusing the marketing strategies on brands rather tha n on products, as well as enhancing on their infrastructure and culture systems to be more export market-oriented. In doing so, however, the players must not disregard the country’s current edge, which is the competitive cost.In terms of theoretical development, this paper is believed to be able to expose the medical tourism niche and its economic opportunities, as well as the marketing strategies fitting the industry. Quite a number of studies involving Malaysian medical tourism industry have been conducted. Nonetheless, this paper presents the scenario from the view of a single case study. It is highly suggested for similar studies to be conducted with the presence of empirical data to see the quantifiable aspects of the industry in the future.With such studies, it is expected that further theoretical contributions can be made, and hence the progress of the industry can then be expedited even more. Reference Ang, Elaine. Malaysian Medical Tourism Growing. The Star, February 14, 2009. Cadogan, J. W. , Diamantopoulos, A. , & de Mortanges, C. P. (1999). A measure of export market orientation: Scale development and cross-cultural validation. Journal of International Business Studies, 30(4), 689-707. Chee, H. L. (2007, January). Medical tourism in Malaysia: International movement of healthcare consumers and the commodification of healthcare. ARI Working Paper, No. 3. Retrieved from www. ari. nus. edu. sg/pub/wps. htm Choy, L. B. (2010, April 13). Medical tourism good for Malaysia’s health. News Straits Times. Retrieved from http://findarticles. com/p/news-articles/newstraits-times/mi_8016/is_20100413/ medical-tourism-malaysias health/ai_n53130944/ 175 Connell, J. (2006). Medical Tourism: Sea, sun, sand and †¦ surgery. Tourism Management, 27. 1093-1100. Dunn, P. 2007. Medical Tourism Takes Flight. Hospitals and Health Networks, 81(11): 40-44. Frost & Sullivan (2009, October 28). Frost & Sullivan: Growing healthcare tourism in Malaysia. Retrieved from http://www. alaysiahealthcare. com/ Garcia-Altes, A. (2005). The development of health tourism services. Annals of Tourism Research, 32 (1): 262-266. Hansen, F. (2008). A revolution in healthcare. Review-Institute of Public Affairs, 59(4), 43-45. Health and medical tourism will boost growth: Datuk Liow Tiong Lai. The Star, November 08, 2008. Retrieved from http://www. wellnessvisit. com/liowhealth-and-medical-tourism-will-boost-growth. php Herrick, D. M. (2007, November). Medical tourism: Global competition in health care. NCPA Policy Report, No. 304. Retrieved from www. ncpa. org/pub/st/st304 Horowitz, M. D. Rosensweig, J. A. , & Jones, C. A. (2007). Medical tourism: Globalization of healthcare marketplace. Medscape General Medicine, 9(4), 33. Leonard, T. (2009, October 28). Medical tourists to bring in RM540mil by 2020. Retrieved from http://www. malaysiahealthcare. com/ Marlowe, J. , & Sullivan, P. (2007). Medical tourism: The ultimate outsourcing. HR. Human Resource Planni ng, 30(2), 8-10. Noor Hazilah Abd Manaf, Roslan Johari Dato’ Mohd Ghazali, & Kadar Marikar. (2010). â€Å"Positioning Malaysia in Medical Tourism†. Paper presented at the International Conference on Marketing (ICMAR), June 2010, in Kuala Lumpur.Panjanadan, S. (2009, August 9). GE looking into enhancing presence in tourism Retrieved from healthcare. http://bernama. com/bernama/v5/newsbusiness. php? id=519842 PEMANDU (2010, September 21). Healthcare-EPP Panels. Retrieved from http://www. pemandu. gov. my/index. php? option=com_content&view=article&i d=619&Itemid=139&lang=en Schroth, L. , & Khawaja, R. (2007). Globalization of healthcare. Frontiers of Health Services Management, 24(2), 19-30. Speech by YB Dato’ Sri Liow Tiong Lai, Minister of Health Malaysia, at the APHM International Healthcare Conference and Exhibition at KLCC,

Customer Service Positions Essay

There are several types of customer service jobs out in the world that have certain requirements and back rounds that need to be met in order to qualify for a certain job. I found a job post on Monster.com for a customer service management position through the company Ecovacs Robotic Inc. located in Glendale, California. A customer service manager is to provide excellent customer service policy for the organization, develop a customer service policy for the organization, manage and hire a team of customer service staff, and handle face to face inquires. Ecovacs is a company that sales different variety of electronics. To qualify for this position, you have to either have a Bachelors Degree or equivalent experience plus five years customer service experience. It is also required to have exceptional interpersonal communication and negation skills. (Monster.com) The major requirements to work at Ecovacs are performing excellent management, training, and development skills. As a customer service manager you must lead your team to meet organizational objectives and achieve results to build up the company you’re working for. Being able to organize and plan multiple priorities to meet deadlines. Ecovacs wants you to have two years’ experience in the electronic and technology industry of sales. Majority of the customer service positions for different companies requires the same criteria as far as managing a team of staff, knowing how to communicate, and being able to set up plans and meeting your goals as a team and company. A median salary for a customer service manager in the state of California is $38,000 a year. California’s salary is eight percent higher than average customer service manager salaries and incomes nationwide. Nationwide it ranges between $32,000 and $34,000 a year. (Indeed.com) On Jobpath.com they had an opening position for a medical receptionist in Illinois. A medical receptionist works in the Healthcare Services according to Jobpath.com. A medical receptionist does not require college level education. The requirements to become a medical receptionist are to have one to three years’ experience as a receptionist in a medical practice. It’s  required that you have open availability which means you are able to work a flexible schedule with rotating weekends. You must have a reliable source of transportation because you’ll have to travel to two different locations weekly. You must have knowledge of ICD-9 and CPI’s and have excellent written and oral communications skills. A medical receptionist job is checking in patients, answering phone calls and taking messages. It is required that you know how to communicate with insurance companies in order for customers to receive prescription coverage and have valid insurance information. A medical receptionist must be able to constantly be on your feet, engaging in several tasks which require a lot of multi-tasking. The average salary for a medical receptionists ranges from $23,000 to $25,000 a year nationwide. (Indeed.com) Working at Safeway we are a company that promotes excellent customer service. I decided to research the job of a cashier position. I visited Safeway.com for more information about a cashiers position. I did not find the information I needed so I went to Shrm.org for a detailed description about a cashier. A cashier, according to Dictionary.com is an employee, as in a market or department store, who collects payments for customer purchases. A cashier is responsible for maintaining guest services as company standard, generate sales, operate sales, operate cash registers, and follow all company policies at all times. A cashier must have a high school diploma or the GED equivalent in order to qualify for the position. (Snagajob.com) The requirements to become a cashier are being able to work varied hours and days as business dictates. You must be able to read, count, and write all documentation accurately. You must be able to communicate with associates and guests and be willing to anticipate customer needs. You also are required to maintain awareness of all product knowledge information, weekly promotions, and offer samples to customers when asking about a certain product, if you’re able to sample it. I know this first hand working in the bakery at Safeway. A cashier must also know how to make labels and tags for promotional items and product that goes on in sale in general. Also you must complete all duties assigned by management and communicate when you’re done with those duties or duty. Depending on what state you reside, a cashier can make $6.99 to $14.00 an hour or more. (Snagajob.com) The last job I decided to do research on was the position of a daycare assistant. My mother and sister are in the process of opening a childcare center so I thought it would be good to do research on the responsibilities of a daycare assistant. A daycare assistant is an employee who assists the director or teacher of a daycare facility with enrollment, hiring and supervising faculty, facility management, maintaining superb customer relations, handling management reporting tasks, and working with children from newborns to twelve years of age. (Indeed.com) The responsibilities of a daycare assistant is to set up activities and clean up after children. They also have to supervise children and help with jobs such as feeding and diapering toddlers and infants. Assistance keeps track of toddlers and infants behavior and communicates progress of children to parents. In order to become a daycare assistant, you must have a high school diploma or equivalent. You must be CPR and first aid certified just in case a staff member or child chokes on food or an object. You also must get a background check in which you have to have a fingerprint clearance, no criminal background like child abuse, sexual assault, domestic violence, prosecution, and molestation. Assistants who want to become daycare teachers or supervisors usually should have a minimum of an Associates degree in the field of Childhood of Early Learning. (Ehow.com) According to Indeed.com, the average salary for daycare assistants are $38,000 a year nationwide. There are all types of customer service jobs out there that require all different types of responsibilities and education. Working in the field of customer service, I have met most of the requirements from each job I researched online. I want to work in the field of communication and I know it is required that I have a Bacherlors degree and exceptional customer service skills and have knowledge about my job. References Daycare Assistant resources Davies, Faith. â€Å"Day Care Assistant Job Description | EHow.† EHow. Demand Media, 22 Dec. 2009. Web. 19 Jan. 2014. http://www.ehow.com/facts_5790737_day-care-assistant-job-description.html â€Å"Job Not Found | Indeed.com.† Indeed.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 Jan. 2014. http://www.indeed.com/viewjob?cmp=Doodle-Bugs!-Children%27s-Centers&t=Child+Care&jk=c220f26e0c22377e&sjdu=PfqW7OX-Y30gm1KgHUU8l4rlETR0V6maUXSL9Dn0qzaLz8h-P_GYMqQakJ_0OjgHzv1wNooo0v2ri2iBDlHIvQ Cashier Resources â€Å"About SHRM.† Login. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 Jan. 2014. http://www.shrm.org/TemplatesTools/Samples/JobDescriptions/Pages/CMS_001514.aspx Safeway – Official Site.† Safeway – Official Site. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 Jan. 2014. http://www.safeway.com/IFL/Grocery/Home â€Å"Cashier Job Description.† – How to Become a Cashier. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 Jan. 2014. http://www.snagajob.com/job-descriptions/cashier-2 Medical Receptionist Resources â€Å"Medical Receptionist Position Description.† Jobpath.com Illnois, N.p., Web. 19 Jan. 2014 https://www.jobpath.com/medicalreceptionist Customer Service Manager Resources â€Å"Customer Service Manager: Job Description.† | Prospects.ac.uk. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Jan. 2014. http://www.prospects.ac.uk/customer_service_manager_job_description.htm â€Å"Customer Service Manager.† Job in Glendale 91203, California US. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Jan. 2014. Ecovacs Robotics Inc. http://jobview.monster.com/customer-service-manager-job-glendale-ca-us-128460946.aspx Major Website Resources To Find Jobs â€Å"Search Jobs for FREE with Monster.† Search Jobs for FREE with Monster. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Jan. 2014. http://promotion.monster.com/keywordjobsearch-new/?WT.srch=1&WT.mc_n=olm_tm_srch_ggl_gen_sl&k_clickid=52fa51bf-8f42-fe09-033a-00003cc42730&k_trackingid=97Ãâ€"16314&gclid=CMHsgLWAjLwCFQPZQgod73MAFA

9 Huge Mistakes Youre Making When Negotiating Salary

9 Huge Mistakes Youre Making When Negotiating Salary You might think landing a job is most of the battle. But don’t forget, over the course of negotiations- and indeed your whole career- there are a few mistakes you can make that will stick you with a low salary, and sometimes for a lot longer than you might expect. So when you’re negotiating a new offer, remember not to fall victim to any of the following mistakes, and make sure you set yourself up to earn as much as you are worth!1. Not NegotiatingPerhaps the worst negotiation mistake you can make is not to negotiate at all. Don’t just accept whatever offer you receive. You’ll be settling for less- even than they would expect to end up paying you. This can have immediate and long-term impact on your finances. Figure out your work before you get an offer. Then negotiate. It’s standard practice and will be expected of you, no matter whether or not you hate the process.2. Not Providing a RangeTake your total salary, plus perks, from three years ago, ve rsus your total salary today, plus perks, and you have a range! Then visit a site like Glassdoor or Payscale to figure out what other professionals in your desired position are making. If you have the experience and skill set to justify being compensated at their level, then you can extend your range a little higher than your current compensation. But be prepared to show why you deserve this.3. Winging ItYou will not be in a strong position to negotiate salary if you’ve half-assed your resume and the interview process. Make sure there’s a solid paper trail documenting your strengths and talents, showing how competitive a candidate you are, and also make sure you’ve made a solid and impressive first impression. This will net you a higher first offer, and also give you more leeway to negotiate even higher. Remember: the negotiation process is more about your value being rewarded than it is about your need or greed.4. Negotiating Too SoonThe moment you get the offe r is not the time to counter. Get all the details about your compensation- including non-salary benefits, PTO, etc. Then sit on it for a while. Thank them, politely ask for a day or two to review the details, and then get back to them with a respectful, reasonable counter.5. Revealing Your Bottom LineDon’t give hirers the upper hand by letting them know the number you would take to accept the job and end negotiations. They may very well offer you just that- and then where would you be? It would be impossible for you to negotiate up from there.6. Not Doing Your HomeworkYou can’t make claims about industry standards or your value in the market if you haven’t done thorough research. Don’t get caught out saying something that won’t smell right to professionals in your industry. In other words: don’t fake anything. Be prepared to back all things up with hard fact- including your own skill and experience.7. Flubbing the CounterYou get to the negot iation phase- either over email, phone, or in person- and you thank them for their generous offer, then make your counter, ending with a number or range that would be more acceptable to you. STOP THERE. Don’t keep blabbing on. Leave the ball in their court, then take it from there depending on what you get for a response. Remember not to ask for wildly too much- that can get you laughed right out of the running. And don’t forget you can also negotiate non-salaried perks. Don’t leave the table until you feel really excited and honored to accept the job- or so certain that you couldn’t make it work that you have to decline (knowing, of course, that you’ve made a good faith effort to get what you deserve).8. Taking Things PersonallyNegotiations are business. Not personal. Don’t get offended if they don’t go exactly as you wanted. Or if you get push-back on your requests. Remember, this is business. You need to behave that way. Keep it pr ofessional and keep your ego and your bruised feelings out of the room.9. Not Getting Your Final Offer in WritingYou get the offer you wanted. Great! But it’s not real, or binding in any way, unless you get it in writing. If an employer balks at your request to have this formalized, then that might be a big red flag that you should try your luck at some other, better-behaved company.And remember, developing a strategy to answering the desired salary question is a big step towards determining how much money you will be paid, so make sure to go over answering that question in detail, in addition to everything mentioned in this article.

ip

TCP/IP Formal Paper Introduction The document that I chose to write about was a book entitled TCP/IP Clearly Explained, by Pete Loshin. I chose this subject to research, hopefully to gain a better understanding of TCP/IP for myself and in doing so, my research and/or analysis of this book will also present to you in such a way, that you too, will also receive additional knowledge, or at the very minimum, a curiosity will be peaked and you will want to learn more about these protocols. I will not have time to delve into both protocols, so I will focus mainly on the Internet Protocol (IP) since this clearly falls under the topic of â€Å"interconnecting† networks in that it is a protocol that makes the Internet possible. Interestingly enough, I began this project by digging through the RFC documents, the one in particular was FYI3 and by going to libraries and a couple of book stores, eventually to stumble across this book. It was published within the last ten years, 2003 to be precise. The book is divided into six parts (and a total of thirty one chapters) with the seventh part devoted to several Appendices that provide a summary of network organizations and groups that helped develop these networks, in addition to terminology that we are familiar with by providing us with a select group of protocols and their summaries that if for nothing else provides a quick, easy reference guide to many of the protocols that we have experienced thus far in this class. The overall feel of this book is to make an attempt to explain clearly, the core protocols of TCP/IP and how they make the global Internet possible. The author also, rather than garnering additional length to his book, by including lists and lists of RFC numbers and titles, as well as lists of well-known ports we are already familiar with, along with exhaustive lists of URLs that totally overwhelm us, has tried to make his explanation of the topic as fundamental as possible... ip Free Essays on TCP/ip TCP/IP Formal Paper Introduction The document that I chose to write about was a book entitled TCP/IP Clearly Explained, by Pete Loshin. I chose this subject to research, hopefully to gain a better understanding of TCP/IP for myself and in doing so, my research and/or analysis of this book will also present to you in such a way, that you too, will also receive additional knowledge, or at the very minimum, a curiosity will be peaked and you will want to learn more about these protocols. I will not have time to delve into both protocols, so I will focus mainly on the Internet Protocol (IP) since this clearly falls under the topic of â€Å"interconnecting† networks in that it is a protocol that makes the Internet possible. Interestingly enough, I began this project by digging through the RFC documents, the one in particular was FYI3 and by going to libraries and a couple of book stores, eventually to stumble across this book. It was published within the last ten years, 2003 to be precise. The book is divided into six parts (and a total of thirty one chapters) with the seventh part devoted to several Appendices that provide a summary of network organizations and groups that helped develop these networks, in addition to terminology that we are familiar with by providing us with a select group of protocols and their summaries that if for nothing else provides a quick, easy reference guide to many of the protocols that we have experienced thus far in this class. The overall feel of this book is to make an attempt to explain clearly, the core protocols of TCP/IP and how they make the global Internet possible. The author also, rather than garnering additional length to his book, by including lists and lists of RFC numbers and titles, as well as lists of well-known ports we are already familiar with, along with exhaustive lists of URLs that totally overwhelm us, has tried to make his explanation of the topic as fundamental as possible...

Do Colleges Look at Middle School Grades

Do Colleges Look at Middle School Grades SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips Should you be worried about a low grade you got in middle school hurting your future college applications? Do middle school grades count for college?With college admissions getting more competitive and students preparing for college earlier and earlier, many people wonder if colleges look at the middle school grades of applicants. Will that C you got in 6th grade math hold you back from getting into your dream school? In this guide, we explain if colleges look at middle school grades, which grades colleges are most interested in, and everything you can do as a middle school student to prepare for the college application process. Do Colleges Look at Middle School Grades? Your middle school grades will not be part of your college application.No college, even a highly-competitive one, is going to be looking at what grades you got in middle school. There are several reasons for this. The main one is that, when you apply to college, your middle school grades will have occurred too long ago to give colleges an accurate idea of the student you are now. If colleges see that you got a D in science when you were 12 years old, that really doesn’t give them any insight into the type of student you are at 17 or 18 when you’re applying to schools. You’ve had years to improve your study habits and master new material, so penalizing you for something that happened years ago would be unfair. Middle school grades simply happened too long ago to be very useful. Additionally, middle school grades are often more subjective than high school grades. One middle school may have a very different grading scale compared to a different school, while some middle school teachers may give everyone A’s while others are much more strict. Things like this can happen in high school too, but it’s more prevalent in middle school, which makes it harder for colleges to compare grades of students who went to different middle schools. Colleges also have plenty of better information to figure out what kind of student you are that they don't need your middle school grades. Colleges ask for a lot of materials when you apply, including your high school transcript, standardized test scores, the extracurriculars you were in, personal statements, and letters of recommendation.This is enough for them to get a good idea of who you are and what type of student you are. Middle school grades wouldn't add any useful information. Which Grades Do Colleges Look At? Which Year of School Is Most Important for College Applications? Colleges won't be looking at your middle school grades, but they will be very interested in all the grades you got in high school. When you apply to colleges, you’ll submit a transcript that includes the grades you got the first three years of high school, and many schools also require you to submit your senior grades once you get them. Colleges will look at every grade you got in high school, so ideally you want your entire high school transcript to be strong.However, there are some grades that are more important to colleges than other grades. Generally colleges care most about the grades you got junior year. These grades are the most important because, when you apply in the fall of your senior year, they’re the most recent grades the college has access to, so they give them the best idea of your current abilities. If you got a few low grades your freshman year but turned around and got high grades the rest of your high school career, colleges will see that maybe you struggled a bit in the beginning, but then you overcame those issues and were able to maintain a high GPA afterward. That gives them confidence you’re on track to be a successful college student. On the other hand, if you began high school with a strong GPA but have gradually gotten lower grades, especially in your junior year, colleges may be more concerned that you’re struggling as classes get more difficult, you’re losing motivation, or both.Having high grades your junior year will give colleges confidence that you can succeed as a student that their school. How important are your grades from other years of high school? Senior year grades are probably the next most important, although some colleges make admissions decisions before your senior grades are out. However, many colleges will ask for your senior grades even after they’ve accepted you, so don’t fall prey to senioritis and start coasting your final year of high school. Sophomore grades are most important after that, then freshman grades. What Can You Do in Middle School to Prepare for College? Even though colleges don’t look at your middle school grades, there's still plenty you can do in middle school to prepare for college. It’s not required to start thinking about college in middle school, but if you’re really motivated, there are several things you can do as a middle schooler to put you in the best spot when it comes time to apply to college. Here are three things to focus on. #1: Get the Best Grades You Can in Your Classes Even though colleges won’t be looking at your middle school grades, you still want to get the best grades you can during those years. Having strong middle school grades increases the chances of you being placed into advanced classes as a high school freshman, which colleges will see. Additionally, by working hard in middle school, you’ll acquire good study and testing habits that you can continue to use in high school, making it easier for you to get high grades in your high school classes.You don’t want to enter high school without knowing how to properly read a chapter in a textbook or study for a big test. Learn these things in middle school so you’ll be as prepared as possible for your high school classes and can start your freshman year off strong. #2: Think About Which Subjects You Enjoy Most You absolutely don’t need to know what you’re going to major in as a middle schooler (most high school students have no idea what they’re going to major in!), but it can definitely be helpful to start thinking about what your favorite subjects are and which of them you’d like to continue taking. If you know that you enjoy, say, math and science classes more than English and social studies classes, once you get to high school you can begin aiming to take more advanced classes in math and science to show colleges that you’re skilled in them. It’s totally fine to change your mind about which classes you plan on taking in high school, but by starting to think about it in middle school, you can be better prepared when it comes time to choose classes in high school. #3: Participate in Different Extracurricular Activities Your middle school grades may not be part of your college application, but extracurriculars you participate in during this time might be! If you’ve been taking piano lessons since you were in 2nd grade or been volunteering at a nursing home since you were 13, you can include that on your college applications as long as you continued those activities through at least part of high school. This means your middle school extracurriculars can show colleges your commitment to an activity, and participating in an extracurricular in middle school can help you get a leadership position in that activity as a high school student. If colleges see that you’ve stuck with an activity since middle school, it’ll show them you’re passionate about it and can really dedicate yourself to an activity.Similarly, obtaining a leadership position in an extracurricular also shows you’re passionate about it and that you have leadership skills (a big plus to colleges). As with tip #2, it’s completely fine to change extracurriculars between middle school and college, but if you’re looking for a way to strengthen your future college applications, sticking with at least one can help. Conclusion: Do Middle School Grades Count for College? Do colleges look at middle school grades? No, your middle school grades occurred too long ago to really give colleges an accurate idea of your current academic abilities. Colleges have many other pieces of information that are much more useful for figuring out which applicants to accept, so they don’t use middle school grades. Which grades do colleges look at? Your high school grades will be very important for your college application, particularly your junior year grades since these give colleges the best idea of what kind of student you are now. Even though your middle school grades won’t be used in the college application process, you can still begin preparing for college applications in middle school by getting high grades (to prepare you for the best high school classes), thinking about which classes you want to continue with in high school and beyond, and participating in extracurriculars you’re interested in and want to continue with in high school. What's Next? Trying to decide where to go to high school? Learn how to compare high schools using SAT or ACT scores. Thinking ahead to your high school grades?Learn the average high school GPA so you know what to aim for. Beginning your college search?Check out our guide on how to choose the best college for you. Want to improve your SAT score by 160 points or your ACT score by 4 points?We've written a guide for each test about the top 5 strategies you must be using to have a shot at improving your score. Download it for free now:

Chapter Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Chapter - Coursework Example Therefore, based on this rule it is clear evidence that Daddy was guilty of doing an illegal thing to Alison and Meredith (Friedland, Bergman, & Taslitz, 2015). Student 2: As a defence Attorney, my arguments against allegations made by Alison to my client, Daddy, do not hold substantial ground for accusation. Alison does not have any prove to show that Daddy was guilty. Daddy was silent because he did not want to create an embarrassing scene in the presence of the visitors by arguing with his son, Alison. Student 3: As a judge my ruling on this case is that under Rule 104.The accused has the burden of proving innocent. If he/she remains silent, it is an indication that one is guilty. The burden consists of the following elements namely; the accused must hear the statement and understand it. The statement must be within the party’s personal knowledge. Finally, the accused party must deny the allegations if they are not true. In this case, Daddy was guilty because he violated all the above burden of proof (Friedland, Bergman, & Taslitz, 2015). The facts as presented are that Paul is a prosecution witness in a robbery charge against his friend John whom together with George and Ringo, typically played a game of poker together. It is during one of the poker game sessions that Paul teased John on a rumor that was circulated that he had engaged in a bank robbery incident. Paul requests for a share of the loot, but John is mute about it. The prosecutor seeks to rely on John’s silence as proof of guilt. The accused is cross-examined by both counsels (Friedland, Bergman, & Taslitz, 2015). Student 1: As the defense attorney, the other foundational I would seek to establish are whether in teasing each other while playing the soccer games do the guys put more emphasis on the truth of every allegation? If the answer is to the negative is there normally an intention to spoil one another’s reputation as a friend? What is the reputation of John in the

Orthodox Interpretation of Japanese War Memories Essay

Orthodox Interpretation of Japanese War Memories - Essay Example The other argument is based on the assumption of the Allies that the government of Japan has declined in properly addressing the country’s war responsibilities during the war. It is also the view of the English speaking Allies that the people of Japan do not adequately acknowledge the responsibility of Japan during the war. Hence, the Japanese should accept the responsibility of the country during the war and this will propel the Japanese government doing the ‘right’ things in context of the war (Seaton 2). Seaton is of the view that this interpretation is flawed. He attributes this to the fact that there are two varying proportions of the interpretation. One of the proportions is described as the ‘state-centered approach’ whereby there is the political and parlance of the war memory (Seaton 2). The other is described as the ‘culturally determinist’ approach where it is analyzed in both sociological and anthropological focusing on the cha racteristics of the Japanese society as unwilling and conforming (Seaton 3). Why this Interpretation is flawed According to Seaton (p. 9), there are three aspects of how this interpretation is flawed. One of the aspects is that it moves precariously between war responsibility and war memories. This is because war responsibility in the current context is highlighted by constantly by political, moral and legal implications of war conduct. On the other hand, war memories are concerned about the way people see past events from the perspective of today’s context. Although the two aspects are related to some aspect, it is important to note that they are very distinct from each. Seaton (p. 9) asserts that while the Japanese government may refuse to compensate, there are Japanese people and the government that remembers the war. Hence, the way Japanese people feel about the way their government compensating could be based on their memory of the war. The development of memory studies has been greatly enhanced by the society acknowledging the fact that history is based on the environment that is changing constantly. Hence, technological, political, and social environments have affected the way many people are viewing past events. Hence, the Japanese cannot be limited to the environments that were present during the Second World War. There are two paradigms within which war memory and commemoration are studied which are; the political and psychological paradigms (Seaton 9). Seaton in Chapter 3 further argues that although Japan has been accused frequently of failing to address the past, the orthodoxy fails to note the main fact that ‘addressing the past’ is kind of unhelpful because it puts the roles of responsibility and memory into one and in so doing smudges the difference between individual, collective and official narratives. The orthodoxy has put across many texts that argue about Japan failing to address the war responsibility issues officially which has in turn spilled over to the orthodoxy claiming that Japan has an inadequate memory. This has led to observers of the Japanese people on how they remember the war being obscured. It is in this context that the orthodoxy has also ignored to look into how other nations handles their war memory including the English speaking Allies. Hence, the Japanese people are held responsible and in so doing, other nationals who were also responsible for the war have

Organizations and behavior Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Organizations and behavior - Essay Example Formal organisation has clearly organised structures that have departmental divisions, authority levels, line of communication and responsibility. The other kind of organisations are the informal organisations, they don’t have any specified structure or divisions of responsibilities properly laid out (Ferrell et al, 2009, p.192) this organisation type can be observed in the formal organisations. The Geographic structure is the structure where single head office is in power to control operations of all departments, even the territorial and regional departments where they also have running of their production or the service. An example can be certain airline company, they would have a head office based in one country where as the departments will be in different places over the globe. These departments, regardless of the fact that which country they are established in will have same structure, like human resource, marketing, sales and finance. Thus, their workings will be identical, in this case of airline company; sale of flight tickets. Advantages of this structure are that each of the department has autonomy to make decisions that would meet local demand (Daft and Daft,  2010, p.113). For instance, a burger which is spicy maybe launched by fast food chain in Thailand and because their main courses usually are spicy it may be successful, in Italy on the other hand this spicy burger would not have chances of becoming too popular. Another advantage of using this structure is that the organization may get cost benefits due to low labor costs in for example Africa compared to those in Europe. There are also disadvantages associated with this approach. Original standard that was set for a certain product may not be identical among the regional departments. A fizzy drink for example may taste different when produced in one country than from the other, even when they use same ingredients. This could be

Reporting results Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 1

Reporting results - Essay Example It is important for organizations to make such adjustments in order to provide an accurate position of the firm in respect to assets. In order to determine the depreciation expense on a given asset, an organization has to establish the initial cost of the asset, its book value, and the period taken for the value to depreciate from the cost to the book value. Nevertheless, if a firm knows the lifespan of an asset and the residual value, then calculations of depreciation of expense may be calculated. For instance, if a firm bought an asset for $50,000 and the expected lifespan and residual values are 10 years and $10,000 respectively, then the organization may use the straight line method to calculate depreciation expense as $4,000. Therefore, even though accurate stating of an organization’s financial position requires that the book or current value of an asset to be established, it is does not lead to a serious challenge in calculating the depreciation expense given the straight line method (Finkler, 2010). The straight line concept can be used in such scenarios where the cost, residual value, and the lifes pan are required. From the explanations, it is evident that the difficulty in determining the current value of an asset does not create a significant a problem in determining the depreciation expense that should be charged for a

WSJ Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

WSJ - Assignment Example In certain cases, companies try to enjoy some sort of relaxation from the government when they ignore the legal regulations. The article provides evidence of few companies that fell under the scanner (Palazzolo, 2012). Companies often have to face penalties when caught under the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act. The problem of bribery has spread to every sort of industry. The article provides evidence on the diversity of the problem. The companies have to make arrangements for funds to conduct the investigations. The time requires for the companies to tighten up the control of subsidiaries. The companies have to face financial crunch as the expansion process suffers due to lack of funds. A major proportion of funds are channelized to conduct the investigations; the resultant being dwarf companies. The companies involve themselves in such type of investigations and handover the documents to the government with the hope they might be exempted from the penalties or will be charged with lighter penalties. The companies of the U.S. are leading on the list of companies under bribes case. To deal with the problem, companies will have to engage themselves in taking some appropriate measures. The anti-bribery policies of the organizations shall provide the guidance on the process of conducting the business in fair fashion. The anti corruption program compliance shall take into consideration the numerous reporting and certification controls on monitoring. The program can encompass a critical education component which can be web based, as well as in-person training. In order to raise the overall awareness, anti bribery audits can be conducted on a periodic basis. Such audits will detect the potential misconducts and any ignorance of the laws of corruption or the policies of the organization. The organization needs to assess all the business units for the associated risks in corruption. The audit can be

Security Planning Mid Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Security Planning Mid - Essay Example As the need for security rose, burglar alarms, armored vehicles, and security services grew to meet the demand. The middle of the 20th century saw some major changes in the role of the private security force. The returning veterans from World War II added a sense of professionalism due to their experience with high security situations (Ortmeier, 2005, p.12). In 1955, the American Society for Industrial Security was formed to assist security professionals in carrying out their duties (Ortmeier, 2005, p.12). Since that time, the federal government has encouraged the use of private security, and has maintained an active level of regulation in the industry. The role of security has changed considerably, both for public and private services. Public police forces are highly organized and effective units as compared to a century ago. Private security firms have been encouraged to take a more active role in both crime fighting and protection (Ortmeier, 2005, p.13). In today's world, people and property are under continual threat of being harmed or misappropriated. The threat may be unintentional, such as the result of an accident or natural disaster. The threat may also be intentional, as when a criminal plans to burglarize a business. Unintentional threats may come from human error that places our life or property at greater risk. In the US, fire is one of the biggest threats to property and may be caused by the intentional act of arson, or human recklessness. People and property may additionally be exposed to natural disasters such as hurricanes, floods, or tornadoes. Risk and threats are closely associated, as minimizing the risk can lower the threat to people and property. Risk can be inherent, where it is an ever-present component of a given situation. Risk may also be speculative. This type of risk is variable and a person makes a deliberate decision on how much risk to assume for a given outcome. The risk may also be static or active. Security organizations and personnel are charged with mitigating the various risks involved with private or business activity. Security forces may consult on methods to reduce or confront threats to people and property. This may involve the installation of technology, such as monitoring equipment or alarms. It may also be organizational by limiting access requiring security clearances. As an example, information security can be secured by computer security professionals so that it is not easily accessed or hacked into. They may also provide a physical presence on the property to guard and manage the security, and may be armed or unarmed. Private security forces may work with large corporations, or on a personal level as in the case of a bodyguard. 3.) Authority of Private Security Personnel The authority of private security personnel varies and is dependent upon the context and location of the service. It depends to some extent on the state that the service is located in, and may be contingent upon the level of training of the individual officer. On the one hand, there are restrictions on the authority that a private security officer has. On the other hand, there are fewer limitations, as they are not bound to the extreme regulatory and legal parameters that public police operate in. They have

WSJ Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

WSJ - Assignment Example In certain cases, companies try to enjoy some sort of relaxation from the government when they ignore the legal regulations. The article provides evidence of few companies that fell under the scanner (Palazzolo, 2012). Companies often have to face penalties when caught under the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act. The problem of bribery has spread to every sort of industry. The article provides evidence on the diversity of the problem. The companies have to make arrangements for funds to conduct the investigations. The time requires for the companies to tighten up the control of subsidiaries. The companies have to face financial crunch as the expansion process suffers due to lack of funds. A major proportion of funds are channelized to conduct the investigations; the resultant being dwarf companies. The companies involve themselves in such type of investigations and handover the documents to the government with the hope they might be exempted from the penalties or will be charged with lighter penalties. The companies of the U.S. are leading on the list of companies under bribes case. To deal with the problem, companies will have to engage themselves in taking some appropriate measures. The anti-bribery policies of the organizations shall provide the guidance on the process of conducting the business in fair fashion. The anti corruption program compliance shall take into consideration the numerous reporting and certification controls on monitoring. The program can encompass a critical education component which can be web based, as well as in-person training. In order to raise the overall awareness, anti bribery audits can be conducted on a periodic basis. Such audits will detect the potential misconducts and any ignorance of the laws of corruption or the policies of the organization. The organization needs to assess all the business units for the associated risks in corruption. The audit can be

Study of a leader in business Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Study of a leader in business - Essay Example ere a psychological profile that identifies a leader, and if so are there different psychological attributes that can identify a great leader If these traits can be somehow quantified, are there other qualities which are present in differing degrees that determine a business leader. ... he mood and temper of the people as well as the critical components inherent in the objectives Or are leadership qualities constant, displaying inherent characteristics that in differing degrees can be found in examples of leadership throughout history Is it something that a person is born with, inherits, or is learned Is there a psychological profile that identifies a leader, and if so are there different psychological attributes that can identify a great leader If these traits can be somehow quantified, are there other qualities which are present in differing degrees that determine a business leader. Is it style, intelligence, insight, a Midas touch, or elements of luck Could it be that the qualities that determine a successful business leader are attributes one is born with, or is it the ability to respond to the demands of the consistently changing business climate by finding solutions which enable one to work through vicissitudes and come out on top One common thread which is obvious in all great leaders, be they revered or scorned, is that they viewed the world, events, history, the present as well as the future in ways that were different from their contemporaries, and in such a manner that distinguished them in their era. What great leadership is, how it manifests itself in certain individuals is a subject which could entail considerable debate, thus the examination shall limit itself to one particular individual and determine if we can understand what and why this person has exhibited and demonstrated the attributes which cause us to view him in such a manner. This study shall look at Sir Richard Branson as an example of leadership in that he represents a contemporary individual who rose from modest means to become one of the world's most successful

Library catalog Essay Example for Free

Library catalog Essay Today, libraries are intensified and triggered by many advances and rapid inventions of science and technology that are greatly affecting the library operations as a whole. The non-stop discoveries of this new technology, particularly computers, redefined the role of libraries. A library is a collection of information, sources, resources, books, and services, and the structure in which it is housed. It is organized for use and maintained by a public body, an institution, or a private individual. In a more traditional sense, a library is a collection of books (â€Å"Library†, 2009). The library, more than any instrument of the society, is open to public use and the knowledge embodied in books are the foundation of a society to attain or develop more the potentialities of man which in return, will be a great factor in the progress of a nation. The library has the responsibility to upgrade its status through open access to these advances, to develop a plan of action in order to contribute and to become an effective partner especially in instruction, research and extension programs of an educational institute (Enem, 2002). From the statements above it is proven that the library has a big role not only to the students but also to the society and our country. Through the help of modern technology and information system, the library circulation system can improve. Library circulation or library lending comprises the activities around the lending of library books and other material to users of a lending library. A circulation or lending department is one of the key departments of a library (â€Å"LC†, 2009). Library circulation provides lending services and facilities for return of loaned items. Renewal of materials and payment of fines are also handled at the circulation desk. Circulation staff may provide basic search and reference services, though more in-depth questions are usually referred to reference librarians at the library reference desk. The circulation desk is in most cases staffed by library aides instead of professional librarians. The functions of the circulation desk staff may include the lending materials to library users, checking in materials returned, monitoring materials for damage and routing them to the appropriate staff for repair or replacement, troubleshooting circulation technology, i.e. library circulation software, scanners, printers, etc. , and collecting statistics on library use, i. e. patron transactions, material checkouts, etc. The two categories of Information System (IS) are the manual or traditional system and automatic or also known as Computer-Based Information System (CBIS). Before the use of CBIS, all the data are processed manually in a traditional system, where all the information are written and stored in different files. Sometimes, this process is called non-computerized system. Non-computerized is not efficient because it consumes a lot of time to find and update the information. To eliminate this problem, a new system was created which is known as computerized system or CBIS. Computer-Based Information Systems (CBIS) is composed of hardware, software, databases, telecommunications, people, and procedures that are configured to collect, manipulate, store, and process data into information (Abraham, 2009). The library of University of the Philippines Diliman was established in 1922 has grappled with four basic concerns: the book fund, staff development, library services and information technology. And in 1999 the university had opened an online public access catalog and launched the university library web. Another school that has a library system running in web based is the De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde in 1999. Each year, the school library acquires new resources and upgrades equipment for the use of students. As of august 2009, the library has a collection of over 122,000 book titles and more than 45,000 titles of electronic books. Using CBIS nowadays as a tool for development not only uplifts a company’s reputation, but also help fix things to the best. And also by using the intranet as a platform of the system can be a great help for improving the services of the library. An intranet is a private computer network that uses Internet technologies to securely share any part of an organizations information or operational systems with its employees. Sometimes the term refers only to the organizations internal website, but often it is a more extensive part of the organizations computer infrastructure and private websites are an important component and focal point of internal communication and collaboration (King, 2002). Mr. A. T. Valdes, the librarian of NPCMSTI said that the library is an instrument that is used to provide data and information needed by the student in his study by collecting books that are important in their subjects as references. He added that from the books collected and selected, they are maintained in  order to be available to the students when the need it (personal communication, April 6, 2002). In addition, there are problems encountered in the manual or traditional library system of NPCMSTI based from the study conducted by the students of NPCMSTI. These include more effort and slow inventory of books, inefficient searching of books, inefficient generation of reports, and inefficient monitoring of books. The library has more than 4000 number of books and monitoring all these books require a lot of time and effort (Carreon, Delmendo, Maala, Mendoza Penequito, 2008). Considering the advantages brought by CBIS and the problems encountered in the existing library system of NPCMSTI, the researcher decided to propose a computerized library system for NPCMSTI. Company Background The vision of the NPCMSTI library is to be a functional media center for meritorious resources especially in Nautical Science or Marine Transportation, Marine Engineering, Computer Science, Criminology, Mechanical and Electrical Engineering, and Technical Vocational courses towards an excellent training development of professionals, diligent seafarers and skilled workers in the community. Its mission is to seek endeavor to provide quality service and to support the school’s educational programs, planning, research and extension services and instructional needs of the academic through stipulating bits of information comprehensively in any structure, in any part of the country, and of the whole world. Quality Objectives. The school library has the following objectives: (1) to strengthen and upgrade the library resources; (2) to upgrade library facilities and equipment;(3) to train personnel to enhance their technical skills and competitiveness; and (4) to link and network with local, national and international institutions. The library has a total of 11,832 book collections from the Degree courses to Non-Degree courses. The primary function of a library system are to facilitate the loan of books to borrowers, record receipt of returned books, and keep track of the status of books that should be returned. Reference Services. The obligation of the library is to render full assistance to readers in using the library and its contents. The librarian handles library resources such as dictionaries, encyclopedias, almanacs, biographies, atlases, and gazetteers. Orientation. The librarian’s unique responsibility is to utilize fully his resources in making as nearly certain as possible that the best materials for the particular purpose find their way to the readers. Also, the librarian serves as the mediator between man and the graphic records that he and his previous generations have produced and that the goal of the library is to maximize the social utility of graphic records for the benefit of the society. Library Hours. The library is open with its continuous hour service, from Monday to Friday which starts from 7:30 in the morning until 5:00 in the afternoon. Responsibilities of the Library Staff. The Northern Philippines College for Maritime, Science and Technology Library is manned by a Librarian, Assistant Librarian, and Library assistants. The Librarian shall administer the library, direct the activities of the staff, keep financial records of the library, keep records of the replacement of books, in charge of collecting and monitoring late fees, select and purchase books, library materials and supplies, stimulate growth of library services, attend library meetings or seminars, undertake indexing, classification and cataloging books and non-book materials and maintain relations to publishers and distributors. The Assistant Librarian shall take charge in absence of the librarian, help the librarian in indexing, classifying and cataloging of books and responsible for materials like clippings, periodicals and other documents, take charge in clipping and binding press and reviews, undertake the processing of books and non-book materials from putting accession number and stamping ownership mark to shelving. The Library Assistant shall issue and retrieve books at the circulation section, do the shelving and shelf reading of books retrieved, Paste torn pages of books and periodicals, undertake filing of clippings in the vertical file, type book cards, paste pockets and date due slips in books, cover books with plastic cover, stamp on books and periodicals, and file cards in the card catalogue. Cataloging and Classification. In the cataloging and classification of the book collections, the Anglo-American Cataloging Rules is adopted and the method used to describe an item that the library acquired. Also, the Dewey Decimal Classification System, the Sears List of Subject Heading and the Cutter Number of Tables are used in the NPCMSTI library. Borrowers. The student registered in the college, faculty members, staff, administrators, alumni of the college, and scholars or researchers from other institutions or organizations with endorsement letter from their librarians can use the services of the library. Importance of the Study This study is important to the following entities: To the Community. Through the help of this study it shall uplift the community’s education of the Filipinos by improving the services of the library. To the NPCMSTI. The output of the study shall be a great aid to the people using the library in the school. By improving and implementing the computerized system, books are monitored and also the quality of service that the school renders shall be uplifted and it also helps meet the vision and mission of the school. To the Staff-in Charge. The output of the study shall help easy recording and accessing of books records. By this study, librarians can monitor the status of the book at the library if it is available or borrowed. They can easily generate book reports such as available books, borrowed books, and inventory of the books by category. From this they shall save time and effort, and they can do more output in simple way. To the Faculty. The study would be beneficial to them for faster searching of the book information. By using the computerized system, the instructor can determine the book information in which they can use as their references in their subjects that they are teaching. They can also determine the book status whether it is available or borrowed by using the search feature of the system. From this they can save more time and effort. To the Students. The study would be beneficial to them in which searching of the book information would be faster. By using the computerized system, the student can determine the book information and also the book status if it is available or borrowed by using the search feature of the system or if they know the title of the book they want to borrow, they can easily determine if that book is available at the library, from this study they can save more time and effort. To other Researchers. This shall be a reference in conducting studies related to computer on wider prospective and may also serve as a basis for further study related to computer program. To the Researcher. Through this, the researcher shall be able to determine and appreciate the impact using technology for the productivity of every individual. Statement of the Problem The main aim of the study was to design and develop a computerized library circulation system for NPCMSTI. Specifically, the project aimed to answer the following questions: 1. What are the processes involved in the existing library circulation system of NPCMSTI along the areas on: a) borrowing and returning of books and other reading materials, and b) inventory of books and other reading materials, and  report generation? 2. What system features can be incorporated in the proposed library system in terms of: a) functionalities, b) back-up and restoration facilities, and c) security and control measures? Objectives of the Study The researcher aimed to design and develop a computerized library circulation system for NPCMSTI. Specifically, the study aimed to achieve the following: 1. Identify the processes involved in the existing library circulation system of NPCMSTI along the areas on: a) borrowing and returning of books and other reading materials, and  b) inventory of books and other reading materials, and report generation. 2. To determine the system features that can be incorporated in the proposed library system in terms of: a) functionalities, b) back-up and restoration facilities, and c) security and control measures. Definition of Terms The following terms are operationally defined: Administration. This refers to the supervision of the library by full-time, professionally-trained staff under a well-defined organizational setup. Back-up. This is the capability of the system to create a copy of the database. Book Category. The classification of a books as Filipiniana or Foreign. Borrowing of books. This is the process of lending available books and reading materials at the library. Inventory of Books. The process of generating a list of books borrowed, list of books available, and list of Filipiniana books and Foreign books by course. Filipiniana. These are books and non-book materials, published in the Philippines or abroad, written by Filipinos in any dialects or in English. Foreign. These are books and non-book materials, published in the Philippines or abroad, written by foreigners in any dialects or in English. Library System Functionality Features. These are the functions that are incorporated in the system such as searching of books, and verifying of borrowed books and returned books. Library Automation. It is an innovation using the computer to enhance the operation of the library. Library Circulation. It is comprised of the activities around the lending and borrowing of library books and other material to users. Library Environment. This refers to the physical condition, site, facilities and equipment of the library. Library Resources. This refers to the library personnel, book collection, services and use of the library. Non-print. These are non-book materials in various formats and style. Readers Services. These are services provided to customer such as bibliographical instruction on the effective use of the library, abstracting, information retrieval, reader’s guidance, and indexing. Report Generation. The process of generating a report on books needed by the librarian. Restore. Capability of the system that restores backup database into the system. Returning of Books. The process of returning the borrowed book at the library by the borrower. Searching of Books. The process of searching books at the library. Security measures. These are the computer controls that the library system will adopt in-order to protect the information or data in the database. Services. These are the activities that ensures maximum access and availability of resources and satisfactory use of the Library. Staff. They are the human resource of the library that maintains the services. This includes the professionals and the non-professional staff.

brave new world :: essays research papers

Brave New World: Draft   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Huxley's: Brave New World takes into consideration so much of what really goes on in the world now. From the separation of the sexes to the, still in progress, cloning of the new millenium.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Today regardless of all the women's rights acts and laws against discrimination due to race or sex, women still seem inferior in some ways. There are still housewives, while not as many as there were say fifty years ago, as well as women still found stuck in the kitchen cooking dinner for the husband as oppose to the husband taking hold of the kitchen and other household duties. Women, more commonly years ago, are often time s thought of as nothing more than a way to make a baby. In older times women were nothing, but the mere way of bearing a child. While male condoms are widely available and used, it is often times the responsibility of the woman to keep up with other birth control methods such as birth control, Depo-Provera shots, abortions and other forms of birth control.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  From a political standpoint, there has yet to be a female president in the United States of America. In fact male politicians out weigh the number of female politicians hands down. There are only males in charge of everything throughout Brave New World. All of the power is left to men to distribute. In fact, most directors or supervisors of big, major companies and firms are usually male. Not that a woman couldn't perform the same duties just as efficiently, women are just more commonly found lower down the working scale. In addition to the majority of higher positioned workers being men, there are a number of cases where men and women may perform equal jobs, yet the men still earn a higher salary.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Another stretch of the world we live in today is the explicit use of drugs. In America there are a ridiculously high number of people who use or abuse drugs. I compared a commonly used drug such as ecstasy, shrooms or even alcohol to the very frequently used drug, soma that was used in Brave New World. Alcoholics who drink a lot here in the United States sometimes beat their wives (husbands), children or drive drunk. Sometimes people simply drink socially, such as many college students are known to do, but still get a false since of happiness that exists only while they are drunk.

Romeo And Juliet Why They Died :: essays research papers

Romeo & Juliet Essay Romeo and Juliet is about two young lovers born of different rivaling families. The two lovers fall in love only too find that their families are enemies. Romeo wants to stop at nothing to have Juliet his love. The feud soon causes their deaths and many others hurt.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In the beginning the feud is reignited by these simple lines: “If you start a quarrel I’m ready. My master is as good as your master. (I, i, 44) This brought Benvolio in to the fight. Benvolio tries to stop the fight but Tybalt the hot headed Capulet attacks him. Montague and Capulet charge at each other swords defining each other. The Prince arrives and orders them to stop. He threatens the Families with their lives. With this the Feud is rekindled.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In Act II Benovlio, Mercutio, Romeo crash the Capulets party. Romeo spots Juilet for the first time and is awe struck by her beauty: That I never saw real beauty until tonight (II, V, 53) Tybalt over hears this and is enraged: That man has the voice of Montague. And he tries to attack Romeo but Capulet hold him back. Romeo and Juilet finally meet and fall in love. Later the Famous Scene between Romeo and Juliet happens. Being irrational they ran to get married. This will cause a lot of problems to come.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Act III is the feud climax. Mercutio dies by the wound inflicted by Tybalt after they meet and fight over Romeo. Romeo tried to stop them but he couldn’t and the sword of Tybalt went under his arm and sliced Mercutios breast. Tybalt ran away after the death of Mercutio. Romeo is sadden and realizes his love for Juliet has blinded him. Furious over his friend’s death he slays Tybalt when he returns. The Prince arrives after Benvolio told Romeo to run. Benvolio tells the Prince what happened and the Prince orders Romeo’s banishment: Romeo killed him but Tybalt killed Mercutio. Who to pa the price of Mercutio’s death. All are grieve stricken for now they relize how deadly there conflict has become.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Act V is the end heart broken from her sons banishment Lady Montague dies. Capulet is forcing her to marry Paris Nobleman and relative of the Prince. Juliet not wanting to marry him goes to the friar Lawrence and asks for advice. The Friar gives poorly given advice and tells her to drink a potion that will feign her death for 42 hours.

Thinking Critically Ch

The challenge you face is to create a coherent view of the world that expresses who you are as well as the person you want to become. It should be a vision that not only guides your actions but also enables you to understand the value of your experiences, the significance of your relationships, and the meaning of your life. The quality of your life philosophy is a direct result of your abilities to think critically and think creatively, abilities that you have been developing while working on activities presented throughout this book.But a life philosophy is incomplete until it is acted upon through the decisions you make, decisions dad possible by your ability to choose freely. These are the three life principles of human transformation upon which this book is based: thinking critically, living creatively, choosing freely. These three principles are interlocking pieces of the puzzle of your life. Working together as a unified force, these principles can illuminate your existence: an swering questions, clarifying confusion, creating meaning, and providing fulfillment.Think critically: When used properly, your thinking process acts like a powerful beacon of light, illuminating the depths of your personality and the reader of your experience. Clear thinking is a tool that helps you disentangle the often confused jumble of thoughts and feelings that compose much of your waking consciousness. By becoming a more powerful critical thinker, you are acquiring the abilities you need to achieve your goals, solve problems, and make intelligent decisions. Critical thinkers are people who have developed thoughtful and well-founded beliefs to guide their choices in every area of their lives.In order to develop the strongest and most accurate beliefs possible, you need to become aware of your own biases, explore situations room many different perspectives, and develop sound reasons to support your points of view. Live creatively: Creativity is a powerful life force that can in fuse your existence with meaning. Working in partnership with critical thinking, creative thinking helps you transform your life into a rich tapestry of productivity and success. When you approach your life with a mindful sense of discovery and invention, you can continually create yourself in ways limited only by your imagination.A creative lens changes everything for the better: Problems become opportunities for growth, mundane routines become halogens for inventive approaches, relationships become intriguing adventures. When you give free rein to your creative impulses, every aspect of your life takes on a special glow. You are able to break out of unthinking habitual responses and live fully in every minute, responding naturally and spontaneously. It sounds magical, and it is. Choose freely: People can transform themselves only if they choose to take different paths in their lives-?and only if their choices are truly free.To exercise genuine freedom, you must have the insight to understand all of your options and the wisdom o make informed choices. When you fully accept your freedom, you redefine your daily life and view your future in a new light. By working to neutralize the constraints on your autonomy and guide your life in positive directions, you see alternatives that were not previously visible, having been concealed by the limitations of your previous vision. Your future becomes open, a field of rich possibilities that you can explore and choose among.A life that is free is one that is vital and exciting, suffused with unexpected opportunities and the personal fulfillment that comes from a life well lived. Your â€Å"self' is, in its essence, a dynamic life force that is capable of thinking critically, creating, and choosing freely. These three essential dimensions of your self exist optimally when they work together in harmonious unity. When working together, these three basic elements create a person who is intelligent, creative, and determined- ?the ingredients for success in any endeavor.Consider the unfortunate consequences of subtracting any of these elements from the dynamic equation. If you lack the ability to think critically, you won't be able to function very well in most challenging careers because you will eave difficulty thinking clearly, solving complex problems, and making intelligent decisions. What's more, whatever creative ideas you come up with will be rootless, lacking an intelligible framework or practical strategies for implementing them. You will be an impractical dreamer, condemned to a life of frustrated underachieving.Without insight into yourself, your freedom will be imprisoned because you won't be able to see your choices clearly or to liberate yourself from the influences that are constraining you. F you lack the ability to think creatively, then your thinking abilities may enable you to perform in a solid, workmanlike fashion, but your work will lack imagination, you will be afraid to try origi nal approaches because of the risk of failure, and your personality will be lacking the spontaneous sparkle that people admire and are drawn to.You will in time become a competent but unimaginative â€Å"worker bee,† performing your duties with predictable adequacy but never rising to the lofty heights that you are capable of attaining. Your choices will be as limited as your imagination, and your habitual choices of safe and secure paths will eventually create a very small canvas for your personal portrait. You lack the ability to choose freely, then your abilities to think critically or creatively cannot save you from a life of disappointment.Though you may be able to clearly analyze and understand, you will lack the will to make the difficult choices and stay the course when you encounter obstacles and adversities. And though you may develop unique and valuable ideas, your inability to focus your energies and make things happen will doom these ideas to anonymity. Because y ou lack the will to create yourself as a strong individual of character and integrity, the people you encounter will come to IEEE you as a shallow-rooted reed that bends with the wind of superficial trends, not as someone deserving of authority and responsibility.Think of what you aspire to have: a life of purpose and meaning the respect and devotion of those around you, success and fulfillment in your chosen endeavors, and a secure sense of who you are, a person with the courage and vision to accomplish great things. These aspirations are within your grasp, but only if you develop all of these fundamental dimensions of your self to their fullest potential: the abilities to think critically, think creatively, and choose freely. Choose Freely You have the power to create yourself through the choices that you make, but only if your choices are truly free.To exercise genuine freedom you must possess the insight to understand all of your options and the wisdom to make informed choices. In many instances passive, illogical, and superficial thinking inhibits people's abilities to make intelligent choices and erodes their motivation to persevere when obstacles are encountered. This section is designed to provide you with a general framework for understanding the nature of free choice and the practical thinking strategies needed to translate his understanding into transformed behaviors and attitudes.You can redefine your daily life in a new light and enhance its value through free choices derived from thinking critically and creatively. Condemned to Be Free Man is condemned to be free. Condemned, because he did not create himself, yet is nevertheless at liberty, and from the moment that he is thrown into this world, he is responsible for everything he does. Jean-Paul Sartre This book is based on the conviction, articulated here by the philosopher Jean-Paul Sartre, that we create ourselves through the choices that we make, ND that we are capable of choosing different c ourses of action.But often we get so caught up in routine, so mired in the day-to-day demands of reality and the pressures of conformity that we don't even see alternatives to our condition, much less act on them. Our complaints often far outnumber our shining moments, as we tend to focus on the forces and people that have thwarted our intentions. â€Å"If only got the breaks now and then . â€Å"If only could get rid of my habitual tendency to I would . These complaints, and millions of others like them, bitterly betray W. E. Hanley notion that â€Å"l am the master of my fate, am the captain of my soul.It is much more common for people to believe that fate mastered them and that they never had sufficient opportunity to live life ‘their way. † Instead of feeling free, we often feel beleaguered, trying desperately to prevent our small dinghy from getting swamped in life's giant swells, rather than serenely charting a straight course in our sleek sailboat. The end resu lt is that when people think of â€Å"being free,† they often conjure up a romantic notion of â€Å"getting away/' from their concerns and responsibilities, imagining a world where anything is possible and there is plenty of money to pay for it.However appealing this fantasy may be, it is a misconceived and unrealistic notion of freedom. Genuine freedom consists of making thoughtful choices from among the available options, choices that reflect your genuine desires and deepest values, resisting the pressures to surrender your autonomy to external pressures or internal forces. The most important and disturbing element of personal freedom is that it necessarily involves personal responsibility. And personal responsibility is the main reason why people are reluctant to embrace their freedom and in fact actively seek to â€Å"escape† from it.If you acknowledge author choices are ere, then you must accept that you are responsible for the outcome of your choices. When you a re successful, it is easy to take full responsibility for your success. But when failure occurs, people tend to dive for cover, blaming others or forces outside of their control. This is exactly what's going on in all the preceding â€Å"If only' statements and many others like them: they each express the belief that if only some outside force had not intervened, people would have achieved the goals they set for themselves.However, in many instances, these explanations are bogus, and these efforts to escape from redeem are illegitimate. They represent weak and inauthentic attempts to deny freedom and responsibility. Free Choice: The Mainspring of Human Action Every day we are confronted with the mystery of human action. One person commits an armed robbery, killing a guard in the process. Another person is found to have embezzled large sums of money from the charitable organization he directed. A firefighter risks his life to save the life of an infant trapped in a burning building. A peaceful protest gets out of control and turns into a violent and destructive altercation. A respected member of the immunity is accused of abusing the children on the teams that he coached. Two teenagers are accused of murdering their newborn infant and dumping the body in a garbage container. An 84-year-old woman who spent her life cleaning the homes of others donates her life a local college with which she had no previous relationship. In each of these instances, and countless others, we struggle to understand â€Å"why/' people acted the way they did.Our answers typically depend on our deepest beliefs about the nature of the human self. For example: Human nature: â€Å"I believe in human nature; people are born with certain basic instincts that influence and determine how they behave. † Based on this view, the actions described previously, whether â€Å"good† or â€Å"evil,† are no more than the natural expression of a universal nature that is genetically hardwired into every person. From this perspective, we should no more hold people responsible for their destructive actions than we would an animal in the wild that kills in order to survive.There is no possibility of free choice because our actions necessarily follow from our inborn nature, and we cannot be other than who we are. Whether you act virtuously or destructively in your life is ally beyond your control, and you cannot alter your fundamental character. The environment: â€Å"l believe that people are shaped by their environment, conditioned by their experiences to be the kind Of people they are. † From this vantage point, the actions described previously are the direct products of the life experiences that the individuals had.If the environment in which a person developed was deprived or abusive, then these forces shaped a violent individual with little regard for the rights or lives of others. On the other hand, if you were fortunate enough to grow up in a loving and nurturing environment in which kindness and empathy were considered paramount values, then this upbringing shaped who you are. But once again, you cannot be held responsible for how you turned out because you didn't choose your environment; you were a passive agent molded by forces beyond your control. And, of course, you are incapable of making free choices.We should no more condemn the embezzler than we should reward the firefighter who risks his life, since they are each merely products of environments that are ultimately responsible for their behavior. Psychological forces: â€Å"l believe that people are governed by psychological ores, many of them unconscious, that cause them to think, feel, and act in certain ways. † Based on this point of view, the actions described previously are the direct result of deep psychological impulses that have been formed by people's earliest relationships and experiences.Although these people may think they are choosing to do the thi ngs, in reality, they are puppets manipulated by unseen psychological strings. The same is true for you. So when the coach sexually abused the children on his teams, he was not actually choosing this reprehensible course of action, he was impelled by psychological forces over which he had no control. Similarly, your behavior results from psychological motivations, often repressed, that form the basic structure of your personality. Your feelings of freedom are illusory.Social dynamics: â€Å"l believe that we are social creatures that are greatly influenced by the people around us. † From this perspective, people's behavior results in large measure from the forces exerted by those around them. The need to conform to the prevailing norms, to be accepted by the groups to which you belong, to please those who are close to you, to obey those in sections of authority-?these and other social needs determine your behavior and define who you are as an individual. For example, the viol ent actions of the initially peaceful demonstrators can be understood only by examining the dynamics of social interaction.Since the group as a whole is to blame, responsibility is removed from the individuals. In the same way, individuals who act illegally (or immorally) within an organization often seek to be exonerated on the grounds that they were merely acting as cogs in the machine, not independent agents. An extreme version of this occurred after World War II at the Murderer trials when many people accused of wartime atrocities explained that they were â€Å"only following orders. † Thinking Activity 12. 1: Your Theory of Human Behavior Think about some of the actions described at the beginning of this section.How would you explain why those people acted in the ways that they did? Which of the above theories make the most sense to you? Do you have your own theory to explain why people behave the way they do? Creating Yourself Through Free Choices If we examine all of t hese beliefs regarding the nature of human beings, we can see that they have several significant things in common: These beliefs represent attempts to explain human behavior in terms of factors that precede the action: a universal human nature, past experiences, psychological forces, and social dynamics.In other words, all of these beliefs assume that the â€Å"essence† of a person, as defined by the factors identified previously, comes before the human actions and in fact causes these actions to take place. As a result, all of these beliefs about the human self have the effect of removing responsibility from the individual for his actions. If what you did was the direct result of human nature, past experiences, psychological forces, or social dynamics, then you cannot be held accountable. You didn't have a choice, your behavior was outside of your control.As a final consequence, these beliefs about the self limit future possibilities. If your thoughts, feelings, and actions are caused by forces beyond your control, then you do not have it in your power to change, to alter direction, to improve-?any more than a puppet can decide to act independently and contrary to the wishes of the puppeteer. From a framework rooted in human freedom, these traditional perspectives regarding the nature of people can be dangerous and destructive. One of the most passionate and articulate modern exponents of individual freedom was Jean-Paul Sartre.His position is extreme-?you are completely free. You create yourself entirely through the free choices that you make every day of your life. Though you may try to pretend otherwise, the reality is that you are the originator of your actions, the master of your fate and the captain of your soul, for better or for worse. You may choose to surrender control of your life to other individuals or organizations, but this is ultimately a free choice that you make and for which you are completely responsible. Let's revisit the examples identified previously and analyze them from this perspective.Free choice: â€Å"l believe that people are free to choose their courses of action, and that they should be held responsible for the choices they make. † The person who committed the armed robbery and murdered the guard freely chose to steal money and he is completely responsible. He was not compelled to act in this fashion; he could have chosen not to. The person who embezzled money from the charitable organization which he headed freely chose to betray his trusted position out of greed and should be held fully accountable.The heroic firefighter freely chose to overcome his natural fear of death and risk his life to save someone else's, and he should be awarded full credit for his heroism. The child abuser freely chose to surrender to his destructive sexual impulses, and he deserves to be condemned and fully punished. The infant-murdering teenagers freely chose to deal with their fear of having an unwanted child b y killing it and trying to hide the body (despite having many other alternatives available), and they should be held fully responsible for their choice.The philanthropic senior citizen freely chose to neonate her money to improve educational opportunities for underprivileged young people rather than spending the money on herself, and she deserves to be praised for her altruism. Each of these people had other alternatives available to them, and they could have made different choices-?but they didn't. Therefore, they must be held responsible for the choices that they did make. But surely, you might be thinking, I can't be held completely responsible for my life. After all, there are many factors outside of my control, people and forces that do create obstacles and undermine my efforts.And we are subject o pressures and influences from within ourselves: feelings of greed, fear of death, altruistic impulses, sexual compulsions, need for social acceptance, and so on. Still, it is up to u s to freely choose which impulses, motivations, fears, and desires we want to act in accordance with. In other words, it is up to you, your â€Å"self. † You make the ultimate choice regarding who you want to become and the direction of your life. When you look in the mirror, the person that you see reflected is the person you have created.If you are pleased with who you are and the state of your life, then you have every right to feel proud. On the other hand, if you are dissatisfied with the person you have become and disappointed with the course of your life, then you have to look no further than yourself to determine who is responsible. You must have the courage to accept full responsibility for your situation, but it is within your power to change, to improve yourself and your life through the free choices that you are able to make. Sartre characterizes humans as the one living creature whose â€Å"existence† precedes its â€Å"essence. In other words, you create your â€Å"essence† (your self, soul, personality) through the free choices that you make in your daily â€Å"existence. He explains: Man first of all exists, encounters himself, surges up in the world-?and defines himself afterwards. Man simply is-?he is what he wills to be after that leap towards existence. Man is nothing else but that which he makes of himself. This is exactly what distinguishes human consciousness from the rest of the animal kingdom: when confronted with a decision situation, we are able to think about the options available to us and then make a free choice based on our evaluation.And that makes us responsible for our actions, as Sartre explains: If existence is prior to essence, then man is responsible for what he is, it puts very person in possession of himself as he is, and places the entire responsibility for his existence squarely on his shoulders. In today's culture, personal freedom and responsibility are in danger of extinction, threatened by an array of psychological, sociological, and genetic explanations that have the cumulative effect of robbing people of their autonomy and dignity.It is refreshing and enlightening to view people through the lens of personal freedom, awarding them the power to make free choices for which they are responsible, rather than viewing them as victims Of resistance with little control over their destinies. George Bernard Shaw dismissed this â€Å"victimized† view of life when he stated, â€Å"l don't believe in circumstances. Rather than blaming their circumstances, the people who get on in this world create their own. † Because You Are Free .This discussion of freedom may seem abstract and theoretical to you, and you might be asking yourself: What difference do my beliefs about personal freedom make in my life? The truth is that along with your beliefs about morality and religion, there is perhaps no other belief that has a greater impact on your life. Here are a few examples. Self-improvement: If you are a person who is constantly striving to improve yourself and the quality of your life, then it is essential that you possess the freedom to make different choices from those you have previously made. Personal freedom is the lifeblood of human change.By using your critical- thinking abilities, you can identify appropriate goals and intelligent alternatives; by exercising your freedom, you can choose the goals and alternatives that best meet your needs and fulfill your ideals. On the other hand, an exclusive belief in one of the â€Å"non-freedom† theories (human nature, environmental determinism, etc. Undermines and even eliminates the possibility of changing yourself. The die has been cast, and whatever the future has in store for you, you cannot influence it in any meaningful way. Morality: Morality deals with the way we relate to people around us.Societies have developed moral ideals and prohibitions to help their citizens live together in a harm onious and productive fashion. As a result, most societies consider things like murder, robbery, cheating, stealing, and raping to be â€Å"wrong,† and they have enacted laws and punishments to discourage antisocial behavior. On the other hand, most societies consider things like impassion, altruism, sharing in communal responsibilities, and working for the good of everyone as well as yourself to be â€Å"right,† and this sort of behavior is encouraged through teaching, exhortation, and example.