Unmet Needs of Generation Y Essays

Unmet Needs of Generation Y Essays Unmet Needs of Generation Y Essay Unmet Needs of Generation Y Essay Introduction Born in the mid-1980s and later, Generation Y employees are in their 20s and are just entering the workforce. With numbers estimated as high as 70 million, Generation Y (also known as the Millennials) is the fastest growing segment of today’s workforce. As companies and firms compete for available talent, employers cannot ignore the needs, desires and attitudes of this vast generation. We have identified five different unmet needs faced by Generation Y after many interviews. They are mainly materialism, the inability to approach supervisors easily, inflexible working hours, presence of a communication barrier between older and younger generation and no sense of belonging. Our interview questions was carefully constructed using the SPICE framework and as a result, have garnered ideal results. After conducting the interviews, we researched the different needs and found solutions. Our next step was to link the solutions to the POEMS framework. Lastly, we have identified the HR functions that can be used in a company to solve the unmet needs. Interview Questions 1. What is your age? (Identity) 2. Are you working? (Social) 3. If yes, describe your job and what attracts you to work there? (Identity) 4. If no, what did you work as previously? And what is your reason for leaving? (Identity) 5. If you could change one aspect of your job, what would it be? E. g Increase pay, more benefits etc. (Emotional and Physical) 6. How did you get the job? (Physical) 7. Does your job allow you enough time with family/friends? (Social) 8. Do you use technology in your workplace? E. g. laptops , softwares, machinery etc. (Physical) 9. Do you feel a sense of belonging in your company? Identity) 10. Do you bond well with your colleagues? (Communication) 11. Are you able to approach your supervisor/manager easily? (Communication) 12. Do you feel stressed when you are working? (Emotional) 13. If yes, do you have anyone to talk to about this in your workplace? (Emotional) 1) Materialism in Gen Y Our first identified unmet need is materialism in Gen Y. Materialism is c ommonly defined as a preoccupation with or stress upon material rather than intellectual or spiritual things. This is a phenomenon that has exploded with the coming of the Gen Y population. This is not to say that materialism was never present before Gen Y but has instead increased due to various reasons. One reason why Gen Y is so steeped in materialistic tendencies is due to consumerism. Nowadays, marketing efforts are being aimed at kids to make them more materialistic in order to bring in more sales. Results from various studies suggest marketing efforts aimed at youngsters may indeed be robbing children of their childhood and making kids more materialistic, and it can have long-term negative consequences on shaping values. Another reason why Gen Y is becoming increasingly materialistic is due to a lack of self-esteem. Recent studies have shown a direct link in materialism in Gen Y and a direct correlation to their self-esteem. Between the ages of 12 and 13 children try to compensate for low self-esteem through material goods that they think will make themselves feel better, or that they think will raise their status among their peers. This reason is further compounded by itself, as many problems may arise and often do when young people embrace this culture of materialism. Lacking the means to acquire the much-valued material things, some individuals develop low self-esteem. This is particularly true of those of younger age. Research indicates that there is a direct correlation between low self-esteem and materialism: as self-esteem decreases, materialism increases. Additionally, there are those who, also lacking the means to acquire the desired material belongings, turn to illegal activities to procure the funds to satisfy their unhealthy materialistic tendencies. The unhealthy desire for material possessions and the illicit activities it inspires has landed an exorbitant number of black youth in prisons both in Canada and in America. These possibilities are just two of the potential negative effects of materialism. In order to instill positive values in their children, parents have to be cognizant of the negative influences that pervade our society, especially media influence. When they learn to understand the extent to which the mainstream media bombards the youth with enticements, parents will be better able to help them stave off the constant pressures they face on a daily basis. Recent research also suggests that young people of today are much more materialistic than their counterparts of the past were. All too common, among black youth, there is a palpable materialistic obsession the roots of which anyone can trace back to a popular music video- be it a new designer label or a new blackberry phone. Among many young people, the sense of self-worth is contingent on their possession of the aforementioned material objects. Such is the extent of influence that the media often has on young minds. It is very easy for a young person to become impressed by the constant exposure to the glorification of material belongings. The mainstream media is incessant in its parade of materialistic conceits. Young people are constantly being told that they need to have those designer jeans or that new must-have cell phone model in order to gain the respect of their peers. Whether it is a music video or a reality show, the materialistic culture prevails. It is, then, little wonder that many of them tend to view the world through a materialistic paradigm. To solve this problem, the human resource department identified is the Compensation and Benefits department. First thing Comp has to do is to understand the Gen Y demographic. They have to understand their needs and their wants to be able to manage and retain them. For example, staff in the Comp department can make the benefits and wages more attractive to Gen Y employees specifically. Also, they could appeal to Gen Y employees by giving them perks and benefits such as company cars and discounts at company-sponsored stores. 2) Unable to approach supervisors Another unmet need we have identified is Gen Y’s problem with approaching supervisors. It is known that Generation Y is the youngest group to exist in the workplace environment. Therefore, being underdogs taking roles often at the bottom of the work chain, they often have problems communicating effectively with their superiors. Since they reside at the bottom of the chain, they fear confrontations as they are afraid that they may unintentionally, through one way or another make blunders, which may threaten their immediate future. Some examples of such blunders are over asking, asking poorly, saying the wrong things and breaking the status quo. Over asking is that problem of repeatedly asking the same or similar questions in the workplace. This may cause problems in the future when working together as it may leave a negative impression. When an underling asks a superior the same question repeatedly over a short period of time, the superior may feel flustered and frustrated at the asker, leaving a negative impression of said asker on the answerer. Generation Y, with being at the bottom, feels that leaving such at impression maybe detrimental and hence, fears confrontations in this aspect. Asking poorly is also a cause of concern to this issue. Asking poorly refers to asking questions that the answerer may feel is ‘common sense’. By asking such questions, superiors may feel irritated with the Gen Y worker. They may then even come to resent giving them opportunities. This is a very common among Gen Y as since majority of them are new to the job, they have yet to know the regular customs at the workplace and hence, may not know the ‘common sensual’ course of action and as a result, come across as ignorant and poorly educated rather than inexperienced which they are. With them fearing such an event occurring, the Gen Y workers as a result, fear approaching their supervisors. Another problem of fearing confrontation would be causing misunderstandings at the workplace by saying incorrect or even inappropriate things at the work place. Example of such things can range from making rude or snide remarks unknowingly or providing incorrect input for work related items. At times, as Gen Y, being inexperienced at workplace politics, they may make inappropriate remarks at other people without knowing it. The reason for such is due to the fact that, different years may have different lingo and other people from other generation may feel insulted by what may be a regular passing comment from another colleague. For example, the word ‘gay’ has changed over many generations. Decades ago, the word meant happy, years ago, the word meant to not be in the social norm, whereas, now, it has homosexual meanings in context. So when they break the barrier down to speak, they are afraid of causing such tension. Finally, breaking the status quo is another problem that they may potentially face that also contributes to the fear of confrontation. In office politics, there is a certain order in the hierarchy or a chain of command. This means that there is a certain order in which, information can pass through. For example, with three levels, being the Gen Y lowly employee, his boss and his boss’s boss, the employee must observe the chain of command and is not able to talk to his boss’s boss without first going through his boss. Based on the unmet need of confrontation, the problem should be taken in and solved by the human resource function of welfare and compensation benefit. On the poems structure, this tends to be more on the people side as it is a form of inter-personal interactivity that is unachieved. To help with this problem, human resource needs to firstly, be more observant on the newer and younger employees to ensure that they are able to get along and speak comfortably with fellow employees in the office regardless of age gap. Human resources can also take a more forward approach in organising perhaps bonding activities in which, perhaps the hierarchy is temporarily reversed and they are at the top. Even a buddy system can be introduced where maybe an older and younger worker are paired up and given time to bond to allow easier interaction between the workers from different generations. Better interaction policies can also be given. For example, ideas could perhaps be introduced through an online portal where the new gen y workers can be given a chance to submit ideas without the fear of being criticised. An open door policy can also be implemented where maybe, at a certain time of day, a manager would set aside time to allow workers to speak to him about work or non-work related matters. A portal can also be introduced, this one being in the sense that common work protocols are stated clearly and give the new gen y workers some reference to the procedures that they are required to follow to prevent overstepping certain boundaries. ) Flexible working hours Thirdly, workplaces are more demanding than ever in terms of hours and performance. Thats creating a rising tide of resentment among the Gen Ys flooding into the workforce. Gen Ys know what they want - and its not the all-work-and-no-life dynamic of their Boomer parents. We have watched our parents waste away in drab cubicles and count the days to retirement, Call me idealistic but isnt work supposed to be part of life? Do I have to accept the idea that real life begins when I punch out at 8 p. . each day? Gen Ys want a rewards remix, according to Bookend Generations, a study from the Center for Work-Life Policy. Instead of the traditional plums of prestigious title, powerful position, and concomitant compensation, they value challenging and diverse job opportunities, stimulating colleagues, a well-designed communal workspace, and flexible work options, with 89% of Ys saying flexible work options are important consideration in choosing an employer. One successful flextime approach is Citis Work Strategies. This program started as a model for tomorrows green, cost-effective, and employee-friendly workplace but soon turned beneficial to many interested in flexible work arrangements. Realizing that in some instances Citi was wasting resources on office space that no one was using, the division suggested using office-sharing, hoteling at satellite offices, and work-from-home arrangements to reduce the organizations real estate portfolio while offering a new type of workspace arrangement. The program has since evolved to encompass part-time schedules, remote work, flexible start-and-stop times, compressed schedules, and job sharing. Employees apply through a formal process that requires them to fill out a work plan describing how they will do their job in its new flexible format, the potential impact on clients and team members, and the technology they need - such as webcams, instant messaging, and teleconferencing - to support their new approach. At the same time, managers are training to lead and supervise remote teams. Citis annual employee surveys show that the flex-work participants are consistently more engaged, more likely to stay, and more likely to recommend Citi as a great place to work. For these new 20-something workers, the line between work and home doesnt really exist. They just want to spend their time in meaningful and useful ways, no matter where they are. Generation Y is forcing companies to think more creatively about work-life balance. The employers who do are winning in the war for young talent. Research reveals that job hopping is not an end in itself but something young workers do when they see no other choiceOld assumptions about what employees value in the workplace dont always apply with Gen Y. Friendship is such a strong motivator for them that Gen Y workers will choose a job just to be with their friends. It feels normal for Gen Y employees to check in by BlackBerry all weekend as long as they have flexibility during the week. Today more than half of Suns employees work remotely from anywhere but the office. Understanding Generation Y is important not just for employers. Older workersthat is, anyone over 30need to know how to adapt to the values and demands of their newest colleagues. Here is a summary of the key findings: Gen Y represents approximately 20% of the economically active population of Singapore. Gen Ys in Singapore are confident, restless, tech-savvy and prefer an unconventional approach. Gen Y’s biggest fear is losing their family while their bosses and colleagues feel Gen Y’s biggest fear is to lose their job. Statistics show that 27% of Gen Y respondents have yet to identify their profession of choice, 57% of Gen Y respondents earn less than SGD 1500 and spend less than SGD 500, tobacco/alcohol, mobile phone and food are listed as top three items that Gen Y prefer to spend the most and that 45% of Gen Y respondents would prefer a Gen X supervisor. Also, Gen Y’s are mostly intrinsically motivated and Gen Ys score low in the General Role Stress index. Parents, non-Gen Y colleagues and bosses have conflicting perceptions about Gen Y than Gen Y themselves, which could be a threat! In summary, Singapore Gen Ys or the millennials make up 22% of our resident population, working out to 833, 300, with the female gender, topping the male cohort by about 20,000. They are wired, connected to virtual social sites, salivate for information, empowered, able to multi task, independent and the lists goes on and on. These are functional behaviours that will excite any HR recruiter. They too, carry a â€Å"dark side†. They can be easily bored, and demand instant gratification. ) No sense of belonging Next, a good manager must be fully identified with their sense of belonging in the company, institution, which provides service, as well as all its human resource integration, by achieving this, empathy, trust, achievement is required. However, there are many managers who have no sense of belonging with the company where they work and the organ ization is seriously affected, since it has not been built that trust is expected to manifest in development of the company, its development, where it is envisioned that all staff are fully committed to the organization. It is written that there is a degree of willingness that everyone has to follow the logic of coexistence or common sense, the more secure you feel that person within a group, the higher your sense of community and so Therefore the person will be more willing to follow rules. The sense of belonging is not only the assurance that the person gets when they feel that occupies a place within a group. In some cases, to feel a sense of belonging as Patricia Oliveira comment, this is taken into account, that human societies are always ongoing relationship with other neighbouring or rival, or integrated into larger ones. Also in most of them can set different smaller factions that are integrated within it with different interests subordinated to the common goal while in some associations, having achieved its initial objective is necessary to establish new goals and objectives that give meaning to their existence. The natural tendency towards disorder that produces human associations for retention must be a certain degree of sense of belonging to the same except for those who are not members. The same occurs in companies where there should be well-defined group cohesion, each member who integrates this fully identified with a sense of belonging. Oliveira notes that the pride of belonging to an association, a club, a business, a group of friends or family are what make these are not diluted. Another feature that ensures the health of a human organization is the existence of good communication, fast and fluid within it. A crucial piece in any society is the leader. In many cases this person represents the best and the worst of the organization you represent. Where you lead, manager, in our case, must show their membership, commitment, identification with the group. The leader holds the key to sense of belonging follow by members. Of course, to do so, this will be assessed all aspects that have generated confidence, security, respect, union commitment, responsibility. Aspects, which said the group and they have respected and are part of it, reaffirming their sense of belonging and permanence. Furthermore, Ana Tania Vargas comment, the strength of the sense of belonging in many cases remains, as a latent emotional, related to those features of collective identity that still maintain the leader sense for the subject. Therefore, the sense of belonging is a primary element of belonging and personal identification, collective and productivity in a company, group, friends, etc. Is a concrete expression of commitment to specific traits and characteristics of the culture that synthesize profiles of cultural identity in particular ways, for what is important in strategies for development promotive role. It should be added that the study of the processes of identity and sense of belonging, it is necessary to consider the many possibilities of organizing and sorting generated in these processes, that form intra-and out group practices, clearly sets and define the possibilities of collective action and the complexity of delimitation and structuring of the universe of their own cultural elements, ensuring for themselves the existence of the group, giving passes to the innovation process, appropriation, alienation to suppression of the brand values from out group. In the case of the Venezuelan reality, which manifests a number of external factors, including the impact of the state through its policies, regulations, laws, has influenced a determinant in the company and this has been the reality test ownership of management to the organization where they work, considering the reaction of many owners, managers, who have given way to insecurity, fear, no sense of belonging with actions that have undermined confidence and this has affected the way membership, both by management, as all members of the company. In other terms, this situation has reduced the many; sense of belonging that must be rescued all depends as has been consolidating the organizational culture at the time. DFID Project Colombia listed that the sense of belonging or membership is the personal satisfaction of each individual in the organization, its recognition as a human being, respect for dignity, fair compensation, recognition, development opportunities , teamwork and fair assessment, not only are components of organizational climate, it represents permanent elements of organizational culture. In order to provide or create a sense of belonging, companies must offer training opportunities, encourage creativity within job scope and provide both local and overseas exposure. To retain staff, all SYSTEMS Save Yourself Time, Effort, Money, and Stress must be in place. And there must be constant innovation so a company is assured of scalability and growth. Attainable short, medium and long-term targets should be set so there is no doubt as to direction. And there must always be a target to strive for. CONTINUOUS learning and skills upgrading must be part of a companys policy to retain employees. Every persons demands and expectations are different and change over time. SMEs have an advantage that some MNCs cannot offer a challenge and work experience that can motivate. Besides career advancement, staff welfare and the working environment must be priorities. SMEs should also try to offer a good lifestyle/work-life balance to retain talent on a long-term basis. For example, Grand Teams strategy to keep talent includes a shareholding scheme. To make employees feel they are working for their own future and career development, we let them own a portion of the company. 5) Communication barrier Lastly, the presence of a communication barrier between generations. In order to be an effective communicator we not only need to know how to adapt to different personality types, but we also need to understand the different generational issues that can create conflict in the workplace. The dynamics we experience today are unique to our era: younger generations have made a dramatic shift in work values leading to harsh judgments and criticisms within the work environment. Ultimately, this conflict of generational values hinders performance of individuals and weakens overall team success. We need to begin first by seeking to understand. If we can begin to understand what is important to each generation, we can then learn to see things in a wider perspective and begin to build bridges of communication between the gaps. With better understanding comes better communication, which leads to heightened tolerance and ultimately to successful collaboration between the generations. There are four groups in all. Firstly, the Veteran age group is generally comprised of those who are 55 and older. This generation is post-war and their nature is to be loyal to a single employer for a lifetime and in turn, they expect the same degree of loyalty back. Because this generation did not grow up with material wealth, in most cases, they tend to be frugal and do not understand the need to use debt to build business or the need for anyone to have debt at all. In the workplace, they show up on time and they take orders well they do as they are told because they respect their boss, as well as their elders. Secondly, the Baby Boomer age group is comprised of generally the ages 35 to 54 and is the children of the Veterans. This group grew up with little in the way of toys or nice clothes and vowed to give their children everything they couldnt have as children. In most cases, baby boomers grew up earning an allowance and understood the principle of working hard to earn a living. In general, they left home at the age of 18 and survival was a real issue. If a baby boomer was told to do something at work or else be fired he or she would do it because they were afraid of not being able to pay the bills. In the workplace they have a mentality of work, work, work, and then you ie. Lastly, Generation Y is divided into two groups. The first comprises of people 22 and younger. They are likely called generation Y because that is the question they ask most, Why? These are also the children of baby boomers and so far, are one of the most creative generations we have seen in a long time. Generation Y want to work where they are allowed creative expression, a flexible approach and control over their own hours. In the workplace, they show little loyalty because they already know they will have about 10 careers in their lifetime. They get bored very quickly and need more incentive to work than just a paycheck. Another group of Generation Y comprises of the ages 23 to 34 and are also the children of the baby boomers. A majority of this group grew up with both parents working and saw their baby boomer parents get laid off or witnessed them being miserable in their jobs. This helped shape their current value system, which is, I am going to have a life first and work will come second. This group is pushing for flex hours, 4-day workweeks, paid sabbaticals for education and paid parental leave for both fathers and mothers. In the workplace, you cannot threaten them to do something or they will get fired because they dont care. Most of them live at home until the age of 26 and do not experience the same survival issues as those of their baby boomer parents. Their main goal is to have fun at work, make a buck, and have a life. So why should employers care if employees in the different generations respect and understand each other? In a word: Retention. The costs associated with employee turnover are enormous (e. g. training, loss of employee morale, advertising for applicants, interviewing, productivity, etc. . Gravett and Throckmorton estimate that costs to replace an employee may total up to 150% of the employees annual salary, depending on skill level. In addition, the knowledge and talent that will be lost due to the retirement of the older generations without appropriate transition among generations could be financially devastating to companies. The employees coming into the labor force (Generation Y) are powerful in numbers and will be needed to make up for the shortage due to the retirement of the Radio Babies and the Baby Boomers. If employers dont help breakdown communication barriers now, they will find themselves short of talented workers when they are really needed. So what are the obstacles to bringing employees from the older generations together with employees from the younger generations for knowledge sharing? Competing personal desires that differ by generation, coupled with a lack of trust are difficult barriers to overcome to allow for knowledge sharing to take place. For example, Radio Babies (born 1930-1945) are ready for retirement and need to be provided an incentive to stay. Whereas, Generation Y (a very large generation) is not afraid of change and in fact, enjoy variety. A lack of fear regarding change and an enjoyment of variety, are important personal desires that employers must recognize. Identifying the driving personal wants of the generations is the first step to help foster knowledge sharing. Once the personal desires of the different generations are recognized and addressed accordingly (e. g. flexible work schedules for individuals ready to retire, creating a rotational job change for young professionals, etc. ), the focus should shift to identifying communication barriers. Individuals from the younger generations often feel that older generations do not respect or trust their ideas and therefore, leave the younger generation workers feeling undervalued. The older generation frequently perceives that the younger generation lack work ethic, and respect for authority and institutional practices. These perceptions (whether true or not) will lead to an inability to communicate. It is essential for an employer to identify the cause of the mistrust (which is almost always the root of any lack of communication) and work to build trust. We feel that this unmet need falls under the jurisdiction of Training and Development. This HR function will allow the workers to undergo training through either outside or inside sources and this will develop Gen Y and the older generation’s communication skills. Next, using the POEMS framework, we also have come out with several solutions to the respective letters. Under People, we feel that both generations should try to overcome this barrier together. As the saying goes, ‘it takes two hands to clap’. Not only Gen Y but also the older generations should try and overcome this barrier. With both sides working together, it will be much easier overcoming this barrier. Moving on, for Environment, having a conducive environment will make the people be more willing to put in more effort into trying to overcome this barrier. It has been proven that a more joyous and happy environment will lead to people being more willing to work together in harmony to a common goal. For Media, we can use it to increase awareness of this problem and as a result, will help solve this problem. How does this work? By raising awareness, people will be more inclined to try and solve the problem if it is at hand or do preventive measures to make sure that it does not occur in the future. Lastly, companies may send some employees to attend classes outside to improve communication skills as part of Services. Reflections Setting up a time slot for the interview was not an easy task. With the Gen Y interviewees busy work schedule, it was a hassle to even get a time slot with them. When it came down to doing the actual interview, the process was much more difficult to carry out. The interviewees, despite earlier agreements, showed to be quite reluctant in giving the interview. During the assessment, the interviewees showed many signs of disinterest unconsciously, examples include yawning, stretching and being disoriented. The interviewee also answered in short brief answers, giving answer that is very short, and a sign of impatience. `they were generally helpful, clarifying when needed but only when asked to. Overall, the experience was relatively fresh and enjoyable.

USS Oklahoma (BB-37) at Pearl Harbor

USS Oklahoma (BB-37) at Pearl Harbor    USS Oklahoma (BB-37) was the second and final ship of the Nevada-class of battleship constructed for the US Navy. This class was the first to incorporate the Standard-type design characteristics which would guide American battleship construction in the years around  World War I (1914-1918). Entering service in 1916, Oklahoma remained in home waters the following year after the United States entered the conflict. It later sailed for Europe in August 1918 to serve with Battleship Division 6. In the years after the war, Oklahoma operated in both the Atlantic and Pacific and took part in routine training exercises. Moored along Pearl Harbors Battleship Row on December 7, 1941, when the  Japanese attacked, it quickly sustained three torpedo hits and began to roll to port. These were followed by two additional torpedo strikes causing Oklahoma to capsize. In the months after the attack, the US Navy worked to right and salvage the battleship. While the hull was righted and refloated, the decision was made to abandon further repairs and decommission the ship in 1944. Design After moving forward with construction of five classes of dreadnought battleships (South Carolina, Delaware, Florida, Wyoming, and New York), the US Navy decided that future designs should possess a set of common tactical and operational characteristics. This would ensure that these ships could operate together in combat as well as would simplify logistics. Dubbed the Standard-type, the next five classes utilized oil-fired boilers instead of coal, eliminated amidships turrets, and employed an â€Å"all or nothing† armor scheme. Of these changes, the shift to oil was made with the goal of increasing the vessel’s range as the US Navy felt that would be critical in any potential naval conflict with Japan. The new all or nothing armor approach called for critical areas of the ship, such as magazines and engineering, to be heavily protected while less vital spaces were left unarmored. Also, Standard-type battleships were to have a minimum top speed of 21 knots and a tactical turn radius of 700 yards.    The principles of the Standard-type were first employed in the Nevada-class which consisted of USS Nevada (BB-36) and USS Oklahoma (BB-37). While earlier American battleships had featured turrets located fore, aft, and amidships, the Nevada-class design placed the armament at the bow and stern and was first to include the use of triple turrets. Mounting a total of ten 14-inch guns, the types armament was located in four turrets (two twin and two triple) with five guns at each end of the ship. This main battery was supported by a secondary battery of twenty-one 5 in. guns. For propulsion, designers elected to conduct an experiment and gave Nevada new Curtis turbines while Oklahoma received more traditional triple-expansion steam engines. Construction Assigned to New York Shipbuilding Corporation in Camden, NJ, construction of Oklahoma commenced on October 26, 1912. Work moved forward over the next year and a half and on March 23, 1914, the new battleship slid into the Delaware River with Lorena J. Cruce, daughter of Oklahoma Governor Lee Cruce, serving as sponsor. While fitting out, a fire erupted aboard Oklahoma on the night of July 19, 1915.   Burning the areas under the forward turrets, it was later ruled an accident. The fire delayed the vessels completion and it was not commissioned until May 2, 1916. Departing port with Captain Roger Welles in command, Oklahoma moved through a routine shakedown cruise. USS Oklahoma  (BB-37) Overview Nation:  United StatesType:  BattleshipShipyard:  New York  Shipbuilding Company, Camden, NJLaid Down:  October 26, 1912Launched:  March 23, 1914Commissioned:  May 2, 1916Fate:  Sunk December 7, 1941 Specifications (as built) Displacement:  27,500 tonsLength:  583 ft.Beam:  95 ft., 6  in.Draft:  28 ft., 6 in.Propulsion:  12 Babcock Wilcox oil-fired boilers, vertical triple expansion steam engines, 2 propellersSpeed:  20.5 knotsComplement:  864 men Armament 10 Ãâ€" 14 in. gun (2 Ãâ€" 3, 2 Ãâ€" 2 superfiring)21 Ãâ€" 5 in. guns2  Ãƒâ€"  3 in. anti-aircraft guns2 or 4 Ãâ€" 21 in. torpedo tubes World War I Operating along the East Coast, Oklahoma conducted routine peacetime training until the US entry into World War I in April 1917. As the new battleship utilized oil fuel which was in short supply in Britain, it was retained in home waters later that year when Battleship Division 9 departed to reinforce Admiral Sir David Beattys Grand Fleet at Scapa Flow. Based at Norfolk, Oklahoma trained with the Atlantic Fleet until August 1918 when it sailed for Ireland as part of Rear Admiral Thomas Rodgers Battleship Division 6. Arriving later that month, the squadron was joined by USS Utah (BB-31). Sailing from Berehaven Bay, the American battleships aided in escorting convoys and continued training in nearby Bantry Bay. With the end of the war, Oklahoma steamed to Portland, England where it rendezvoused with Nevada and USS Arizona (BB-39). This combined force then sorted and escorted President Woodrow Wilson, aboard the liner George Washington, into Brest, France. This done,  Oklahoma departed Europe for New York City on December 14. Interwar Service Rejoining the Atlantic Fleet, Oklahoma spent the winter of 1919 in the Caribbean conducting drills off the coast of Cuba. In June, the battleship sailed for Brest as part of another escort for Wilson. Back in home waters the following month, it operated with the Atlantic Fleet for the next two years before departing for exercises in the Pacific in 1921. Training off the west coast of South America, Oklahoma represented the US Navy at centennial celebrations in Peru. Transferred to the Pacific Fleet, the battleship took part in a training cruise to New Zealand and Australia in 1925. This voyage included stops in Hawaii and Samoa.   Two years later, Oklahoma received orders to join the Scouting Force in the Atlantic. In the fall of 1927, Oklahoma entered the Philadelphia Navy Yard for an extensive modernization. This saw the addition of an aircraft catapult, eight 5 guns, anti-torpedo bulges, and additional armor. Completed in July 1929, Oklahoma departed the yard and joined the Scouting Fleet for maneuvers in the Caribbean before receiving orders to return to the Pacific. Remaining there for six years, it then conducted a midshipmen training cruise to northern Europe in 1936.   This was interrupted in July with the beginning of the Spanish Civil War. Moving south, Oklahoma evacuated American citizens from Bilbao as well as transported other refugees to France and Gibraltar. Steaming home that fall, the battleship reached the West Coast in October. Pearl Harbor Shifted to Pearl Harbor in December 1940, Oklahoma operated from Hawaiian waters over the next year. On December 7, 1941, it was moored outboard of USS Maryland (BB-46) along Battleship Row when the Japanese attack commenced. In the early phases of fighting, Oklahoma sustained three torpedo hits and began capsizing to port. As the ship began to roll, it received two more torpedo hits. Within twelve minutes of the attacks start, Oklahoma had rolled over only stopping when its masts struck the harbor bottom. Though many of the battleships crew transferred to Maryland and aided in defending against the Japanese, 429 were killed in the sinking.    Remaining in place over the next several months, the task of salvaging Oklahoma fell to Captain F.H. Whitaker. Beginning work in July 1942, the salvage team attached twenty-one derricks to the wreck which were connected to winches on nearby Ford Island. In March 1943, efforts began to right the ship. These succeeded and in June cofferdams were placed to allow basic repairs to the battleships hull. Re-floated, the hull moved to Dry Dock No. 2 where the bulk of Oklahomas machinery and armament were removed. Later moored in Pearl Harbor, the US Navy elected to abandon salvaging efforts and on September 1, 1944, decommissioned the battleship. Two years later, it was sold to  Moore Drydock Company of Oakland, CA. Departing Pearl Harbor in 1947, Oklahomas hull was lost at sea during a storm approximately 500 miles from Hawaii on May 17.

Briefly outline the causes and effects of famine in developing Essay - 1

Briefly outline the causes and effects of famine in developing countries - Essay Example It provides equal opportunities to all to live their lives to the fullest extent, but at the same time natural disasters and other vagaries of nature try to snuff out the very same life. In this essay we shall confine ourselves to how famines affect human civilization, what are the reasons of famine and how could we control them. The occurrence of famines in the developing countries of this world and the reasons thereof will be studied with analysis of the current research available on the topic. Man has harnessed the resources available on Earth to fulfil his basic needs by the use of science and technology. The foremost basic need is that of food and water without which life is impossible. Historically man was a nomadic animal who travelled from place to place in search of palatable food until his ingenuity led him to the practice of growing food which ultimately resulted in the modern practice of agriculture. However primitive agriculture was not sufficient to meet the needs of all mankind. Social peculiarities, cultural influences and the topography of the land masses influenced the practice of agriculture and it was not until the twentieth century that modern and scientific agriculture became a reality. This development was however only in the prosperous and developed countries of the world while the other regions are still struggling to meet their food requirements. Famines or acute shortage of food has therefore occurred with alarming regularity in the underdeveloped and the developing countries of the world. Cox G.W. (1981) defines famine as â€Å"the regional failure of food production or distribution systems leading to sharply increased mortality due to starvation and associated diseases.† Food production in most of the world is dependent on the availability of fertile land mostly near the major rivers as water is an integral necessity for good agriculture. Other regions depend on rainfall to meet their irrigation

Word-of-Mouth to Marketing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Word-of-Mouth to Marketing - Essay Example Today word-of-mouth marketing includes several categories of communication such as buzz, blogs, and viral marketing where Internet communities and other interactive social media are utilised for word-of-mouth marketing. Influencer marketing is another form of word-of-mouth marketing wherein personalities who are believed to be highly influential over the target audience are made use of for promotion of products and services. Word-of-mouth marketing has gained a great deal of importance as a marketing technique due to its effectiveness, which in turn is due to its credibility. This is because word-of-mouth communication is considered to be honest and without any selfish motive. This credibility is what is made use of by marketers who use the technique of the word of mouth. People usually ask other people like their friends, family, colleagues and others, whom they trust, when they decide to purchase something and before they begin to look for what brand or label to buy. Word-of-mouth marketing is actually "giving people a reason to talk about your stuff, and making it easier for that conversation to take place" (Sernovitz, 2006, p.3). As simply put by Sernovitz (2006, p.3), "it is everything you can do to get people talking." People are more often than not buying a product not in response to the marketing campaigns of the product, but in response to what other people may be talking about the product. Research shows that people gather information from marketing materials and then talk the products over with their friends, family or other close associates. Then they make a decision about buying the product in response to what others say about the product (Silverman, 2001, p.6). Hence marketers have realized that the best way to increase sales of their products is by getting the customers to sell them. Word-of-mouth communication is now the focal point of marketing and the most effective method for sales promotion. Another factor that increases the significance of the word of mouth is that we are now in the information age where we are overwhelmed with more information than we can handle. This, in addition to busy schedules, leaves no time for extensive research, investigation and deliberation. Hence traditional advertising is on the decline and the word of mouth has become a necessary time saver (Silverman, 2001, p.10). Impact of the word of mouth in marketing There are several factors that render the word of mouth very powerful and effective. The most significant factor is that the word-of-mouth communication can be very influential and can persuade a prospective buyer to buy a product. Another factor is that the word of mouth communication is based on personal experience and therefore the possibility of expected result is very high. The independent nature of the word-of-mouth communication makes it more credible. Besides, while word-of-mouth communication is custom-made, relevant and complete, it is self-generating and self-breeding, growing exponentially and sometimes explosively (Silverman, 2001, p.37). It has unlimited speed and scope, and is "very inexpensive to stimulate, amplify and sustain" (Silverman, 2001, p.37). Word-of-mouth co

Rubbish Has No Value Essay Example for Free

Rubbish Has No Value Essay †¢ Introduction, explaining what rubbish is? Explaining what assignment is about. †¢ One wastefulness and affluence, how this affects rubbish, consumer society †¢ Two Thompsons Theory, recycling (one man’s trash is another man’s treasure), Jordan’s Junk art. †¢ Three – Stevegraphs/supply Demand †¢ Four – environment and rubbish †¢ Conclusion, do not introduce any new material!! Sum essay up. Remember word count and references. ‘Rubbish has no value’. Identify the arguments for and against this view. It can be argued that rubbish is a thing that has no worth; it is what nobody wants, it is disvalued, so it is worthless and has zero value (Brown, 2009, p105). ‘Value’ can be a complex term. Items have value because people value them. What is rubbish to one person may have value to another. Rubbish is seems can be quite contradictory! Throughout this essay it will be argued whether rubbish does in fact have no value. Your immediate thoughts on rubbish might be something straight forward like an empty crisp packet, you have eaten the crisps inside so now the packet is surplus to requirements and has no more use; it is now rubbish has no value and will be disposed of. But rubbish covers more than just this. There is also wasting, uneaten food is wasted, televisions left on standby is wasted electricity. Rubbish is the invisible part of consumption, the growth of mass consumption due to rising affluence and prosperity has contributed to the increase of rubbished produced. The rise in disposable income has allowed us to buy goods easier than ever before, this in turn has caused a huge rise in the manufacturing of consumer goods. We are living in a consumer society, it is now cheaper to replace goods rather than repair, and we have become a throwaway society. In 1983/84 the amount of household rubbish per person was 397 kg, in 2006/07 this increased to 508kg (Brown, 2009, p107). With this rise, the amount of rubbish we produce as a nation, for example packaging, outdated and broken items. These discarded items may no longer hold value to us as an individual but provides a lucrative business for the waste disposals business and recycling plants. It is not just household rubbish that is a problem, rubbish from shops; businesses supermarkets, manufacture, construction and agriculture cause a greater proportion of rubbish (Brown, 2009, p134) Michael Thompson wrote a book ‘Rubbish Theory: The Creation and Destruction of Value’. He categorises objects into three: †¢ Transient objects which are planned for ordinary use and their value fall over time for example clothing and mobile phones †¢ Rubbish which is items like worn out clothes obsolete phones, these items has zero value. †¢ Durable items are items where the value increases over time, such as works of art and jewellery. (Brown 2009, p122) Objects are produced for either transient or durable categories, items can move from transient into durable via the category of rubbish and are then revalued. Items lose and then gain value. An example of this would be Stevengraphs, silk woven pictures popular in 1828-88, many were made and sold but by the middle of the twentieth century they had become unsalable. It was during the 1960’s and 1970; s they were again being sold and as collectors’ items for vast amounts of money thus making them now an item of value. Their increase in value can be attributed to their aesthetic revaluation. The aesthetic judgement of the few caused the Stevengraphs to be revalued. Consequently there are items that can only be described as rubbish with no value which will end up at land fill. Other items start life with value but over time due to the changing fashions and improvements in technology they lose value and there are items that start life with a relative normal value lose their value and then increase value. The value of items can also rise or fall according to supply and demand, †¢ Price rises when demand increases relative to supply. †¢ Price falls when demand fall relative to supply. (Brown, 2009, p128) With regard to the Stevengraphs, their price fell due to lack of demand, the price or value increased years later due to a new demand for them. Other examples of items moving from the transient to durable category are vintage toys, at the time of production they would have been priced according to demand, then becoming surplus to requirements and having no value, years later the lack of supply or now supply as no longer produced along with an increase in interest would again give them value. Aesthetic and economic valuations are inevitably linked to some degree, and this tends to hold generally (Brown, 2009, p131) another form with aesthetic value which can also be described as rubbish is junk art. This type of art uses discarded objects which most would describe as rubbish in such a way they then become art. Chris Jordan makes photographic artworks that are computer-assembled from smaller photographs, these photographs are shots of mass consumption, plastic cups tin cans plastic bags cigarette ends (Brown, 2009, p131) – this is transforming rubbish into art. Using rubbish as art can be described as a form of recycling, what was once rubbish is now art? This also shows that the old saying of ‘one man’s rubbish is another man’s treasure’ still holds true today. Recycling is a relatively new initiative for households, a few years back everything we no longer required went into one bin which was then collected and dumped at a land fill. Now we separate plastic, cardboard, food waste, tins and glass. These items are recycled and used or made into many different things such as new cardboard, fertilizer. This is giving new value to items that were once thought of as rubbish. The UK has come a long way with recycling but we are still lagging behind the rest of Europe. The financial value of rubbish may change, to those in the rubbish collection and recycling business dealing with rubbish provides employment and income thus giving value to rubbish. The downside to this is the cost to each nation, the disposal of rubbish has to be paid for. Aside from the financial side to rubbish the environmental side needs to be considered. Rubbish can either go into landfill or be incinerated, this in turn causes pollution, complete disposal is hard to achieve. Consideration is needed towards our environment, if as a nation we continue to increase with mass consumption there will continue to be an increase in rubbished produced. The environment will not be able to sustain this. Global consideration is needed for future generations. In conclusion it would appear that rubbish does and does not have value. Our first impression of unwanted/discarded items would be they are rubbish and are sent to land fill thus having no value. However using junk art and recycling as examples it is clear that certain type of rubbish can have value. Items from household rubbish are recycled into new items. Other items that one might believe to be rubbish can be interpreted as art, bringing value to rubbish. For those in rubbish disposal, rubbish has financial value, but the cost to society and the environment show the negative financial value of rubbish. Items can change from having little or no value to items of collectable status with immense value. So in essence rubbish can have both, value and no value depending on the situation it is in.

Running :: essays research papers

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In this study, I investigate the affects that running has on reducing the risk of some health problems. I am doing this because I run about 40 to 60 miles per week, and my family has a history of health problems. For instance, my grandfather suffered a heart attack, and he also had cancer when he was about the age of 50. Furthermore, my grandfather, on my dad’s side of the family, has also had triple bi-pass heart surgery from a heart attack he has had recently.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Here, I present information from some sources that talk about the affects that running has on reducing health risks. My sources agree that running, and some other aerobic exercises, reduce the risk of: Diabetes, diverticular disease, heart decease, several types of cancer, and even common sicknesses like a cold.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  One source agrees that running reduces the risk of diabetes. Jim Harmon writes, in Sports Illustrated, about Bruce Leonard, a marathoner with a masters degree in public health. Bruce Leonard went to study the Zuni Indian tribe. This tribe has had a bad history of diabetes until they started to run. Leonard said, After the Zuni tribe started running, â€Å"many Zuni were able to reduce or eliminate their diabetes medication.†(5)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  My research also reveled that diverticular disease can be reduced in men that run. For instance, Marty Munson and Teresa Yeykal writes in the article â€Å"Outrun trouble† which says, â€Å"guys who racked up the most ours doing vigorous exercise reduced their risks of diverticular decease by a third.†(38) They also say â€Å"it’s good advice to make your lifestyle to consume high fiber.†(38) I found that running can also reduce the risk of heart disease. The article â€Å"Run for your life† talks about Mitchell H. Whaley, the director of adult physical fitness program at Ball State University. He analyzed data collected from a group of men, which included runners. Mitchell Whaley found that â€Å"individuals with low aerobic capacity have a higher risk of developing premature coronary artery decease that those who were more fit.†(47) The article also talks about Martha L. Slattery, Ph.D., from the University of Utah Medical School. Maria Slattery also found that running is a good preventive measure for heart disease. She says, â€Å"The greatest increase in protection was between those men who were sedentary and those who had some activity.†(48)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Another source I found says that running can help prevent many types of cancer. In the article â€Å"Running for your life†, Doctor Leonard Cohen talks about how running helps reduce colon,

Culture And Society Essay

Languages are sources out from the historical background of each country. The stresses and the tenses of each language actually differ from each other primarily because of the fact that different nationalities around the world have different perceptions with regards life and living. It could be observed that such linguistic assessments had been based upon their realization of how life’s elements should be perceived. Taking the sound of the nature and the environment in use through language had been the main feature of such languages as they are profoundly used around the world. 2. Using the concepts of ethnocentrism and cultural relativism, discuss the impact that a bilingual education might have on understanding other cultures. Having a bilingual education opens an individual to understanding how other nations actually understand nature and how much they give importance to the elements making it up. Likely, the process is more complex than actually expected. With one’s ability of identifying one language from the other, he is also able to identify one culture from another as he tries to evaluate the different elements of language that each culture recognizes through speech. Through this, the person having a bilingual capability shall have a better mirror of the world through spoken tongue. 3. How might ethnocentrism, xenocentrism and temporocentrism affect people’s attitudes toward bilingual education programs? It depends on one’s view of cultural connection in the world that the possibility of learning another language lays. Likely, the idea is to help a person understand different cultures through the existence of different languages. Most often than not, one’s disposition about the said idea of cultural connection actually increases or decreases the capability of one to accept learning other languages from other nationalities, moreover, such disposition would give them either a better or dimmer chance of accepting other nationalities as part of the one whole wide world community of humans trying to cope up with the changes of the world. 4. Describe what is meant by value conflict. Give examples. How are such conflicts resolved? Value conflict usually occurs when a person’s ideas of something or someone does not connect with that of the others. Likely, in terms of language, such situation occurs when one does not understand a language based on the perception of others. If one foreigner does not understand the way English should be understood, comprehension of the conversation becomes impossible. 5. Discuss ways in which existing student norms may not be beneficial or may even be harmful to themselves. Student norms may not be beneficial to students themselves when the said norms actually disregard the cultural values of each individual. As noted earlier, the recognition of such social and personal element in satisfaction is a certain factor that needs to be given attention through careful understanding of the matter. Most likely, such values are related to the cultural perceptions of each student towards their regular activities in school. ** step 2 ** A. List and discuss at least one idea from this chapter 4 such as: Technology and Material Culture (meaning what can we in our social world understand from this) Technology is one particular element in the current human culture that connects every nationality together in the present system of things. The material culture that it opens up to the current human generation actually increases the capability of the people to relate to each other even beyond understanding the cultures and values of each nationality through the existence of language. Likely, the idea is that technology becomes an undeniably fine link between people around the world today especially because of the advancement that it implies on every group of people regardless of their culture and values as members of the human society. ** step 3 ** B. Explain an important concept from chapter 4 and explain why it is significant? ( meaning why are the elements of culture significant) Elements of culture are significant in explaining the differences of people in the different areas of the world. Understandably, such elements make a certain implication on how and who a certain group of people are depending on their perceptions of life, their language and their historical background as well. Likely, such elements of culture are used to identify people regarding their lifestyle and how they are actually able to contribute to the development of the society at present.

Are Socrates’s Views on Death Consistent Throughout the Apology

â€Å"A man who won’t die for something is not fit to live. † Martin Luther King said these words urging the importance of living with a cause. Socrates was a man who strictly lived his life with a purpose, and according to Plato’s Apology, died for the right to practice philosophy. What perhaps is most interesting about Socrates’s view is his outlook on death. Death, to many, is a frightful end; something to be avoided for as long as one possibly can. Socrates disagrees, as seen most clearly in his very last speech prior to the conviction of his death. But was this acceptance of death with open arms Socrates’s view throughout the Apology?I believe yes, and it can be seen clearly first in Socrates’s defense speech, then the response to the question of what verdict Socrates himself sees fit, otherwise known as the epitimesis, and lastly in the speech immediately following the ruling of death. Since the beginning of the Apology, Socrates has pr oclaimed that he, in fact, knows â€Å"nothing† and because he understand this about himself, it makes Socrates wiser than most. I believe that this fundamental understanding of himself is the foundation for all of Socrates’s views, including his interesting take on death and the end.Throughout the defense speech as well as after, Socrates uses tactics that one convicted of a serious crime would do his best to avoid. Resorting to sarcasm, suggesting the overwhelming ignorance of the jurors, as well as very subtly over-exemplifying his own superior wisdom are all examples of his interesting behavior at court, that, many claim, resulted in Socrates condemning himself to death. During the defense speech, Socrates rhetorically asks himself why he would continue to partake in an activity that puts him in danger of the death penalty.He answers, â€Å"You are mistaken†¦if you think that a man who is worth anything ought to append his time weighing up the prospects of li fe and death. He has only one thing to consider†¦whether he is acting justly or unjustly. (28a-b, p. 54). Socrates clearly believes in the importance of being a good man and an asset to society. His duty, he feels is to lead a just philosophic life, as God ordered him to do, and Socrates feels that to abandon his responsibility for fear of death would not only be humiliating, but shameful and dishonorable as well.In fact, Socrates states that if he did act cowardly and leave his post for fear of death, it would then be just to convict him for disobeying the oracle and failing to adhere to his duties. Socrates believes that whether or not he is acquitted or not, he will never stop philosophizing or change his ways, not even if he has to â€Å"die a hundred deaths† (p. 56). It is not his fear of appearing cowardly, but Socrates’s lack of fear of death that can be directly connected to his core belief that the greatest injustice of all is thinking one knows what he d oes not know.Socrates explains that fearing death is dreading what one does not know, therefore is a form of the greatest injustice. â€Å"I shall never feel more fear or aversion for something which, for all I know, may really be blessing than for those evils which I know to be evils† (p. 55). Socrates goes beyond what many men fail to see, the fact that fearing the unknown is futile, and because of this very understanding he remains so steadfast in his beliefs and welcomes death when it comes calling. Closer to the end of the defense speech, Socrates brings up the idea that if executed, another practicing philosophy just as he did will come to the city.Socrates seems to enjoy subtly tormenting the jurors and almost threatening them with the appearance of another â€Å"Socrates†, as if to suggest the nuisance caused with his actions is immortal. Socrates’s defense speech, hardly served any sort of â€Å"defense† at all. Instead it seems that the preconce ptions and slander that the jurors had about the convicted were actually proved, as Socrates continued to dispel any remorse towards his actions and fear towards forthcoming death. The second part of the Apology is when Socrates is asked to present his epitimesis, or an alternate punishment after the death penalty is issued.The alternate punishment Socrates offers, full of sarcasm and pure ridicule towards the jurors, is a free dinner. Socrates sees his will to philosophize as betterment to the city and its people, so therefore a reward, rather than a punishment, seems appropriate. â€Å"I set myself to do you †¦what I hold to be the greatest possible service: I tried to persuade each one of you not to think more of practical advantages than of his mental and moral being† (p. 65). His actions, Socrates believes, are free of wrongdoing and only benefit the jurors be attempting to convince them of caring for a morally just life.His clear derision of the jurors does anythin g but help Socrates’s case, and as wise man, though he does continue to refute that fact, he understands this. Any other man convicted of a serious crime, and endangered by the possibility of the death penalty would never dream of ridiculing the jurors in the manner in which Socrates continues to do so. As Socrates believes he has done nothing wrong, he also mentions in an almost apathetic way that he has already done as much as he can to convince the jurors of his just innocence.He then goes to mention that as he believes in his innocence, that proposing an alternate penalty proves to be unnecessary. Socrates also states that as he has no knowledge of death, whether it is to be feared or welcomed, he cannot possibly choose another punishment for himself. Furthermore, Socrates continues to say that if he is able to avoid the death penalty, he will never flee from his duties to society and stop philosophizing. â€Å"†¦to let no day pass without discussing goodness andâ⠂¬ ¦examining both myself and others is really the very best thing a man can do†¦life without this sort of examination is not worth living†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (p. 6). It is made clear in the epitimesis, that Socrates is wholly committed to leading a good, just life, and practicing philosophy, whether or not his life is depended on it. Socrates truly believes in his innocence well as his cause, and therefore cannot succumb himself to pleading for another verdict. After the penalty of death has been announced, Socrates seems relatively calm. He mentions that he is so far along in life as it is, death seems timely, and claims that the jurors would have escaped the irksome task of a hearing had they had a little patience and let Socrates die of natural causes.After hearing that one is to be put to death, most would try whatever is left in his or her power to save themselves. Socrates, however, staying true to his beliefs of truth and justice refuses to â€Å"weep and wail† because he feels that doing so would not only dishonor himself, but result him in acting unjustly. â€Å"I would much rather die as the result of this defense†¦ in a court of law, just as in warfare, neither I nor any other ought to use his wits to escape death by any means† (p. 67).Socrates feels that attempting to run from death would result in admitting himself to evil, which he also suggests the jurors are condemning themselves to by prosecuting an innocent man. Socrates believes to die as a just man, rather than live his life any other way, and attempting to escape the finalized verdict would not only be catering to injustice, but would be seen as an insult to everything Socrates has practiced in his life thus. Therefore, Socrates accepts death as a blessing, and also characterizes it as two possible things; a dreamless sleep, or a migration to another place.For the first, Socrates welcomes this possibility, calling it a â€Å"marvelous gain†, considering it calming . If death is a truly a migration to another place, Socrates sees it has a chance to meet and converse with the brilliant minds of the past, and would love to experience such an opportunity. â€Å"I am willing to die ten times over if this account is true†¦at least it would be an wonderful personal experience to join them there†¦heroes of the old days who met their death through an unjust trial†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (p. 70).Not only does Socrates mention how interesting it would be to meet wise men, but he also states that he would want to philosophize with them and try and determine who amongst them is truly wise, exactly the actions for which he is in court for. This shows his avid determination for his cause, and fearless attitude towards death, that even after his end he will continue to practice his duties and adhere by his just beliefs. Socrates’s core belief is understanding that he knows what he does not know, and thinking otherwise is a tremendous injustice.And be cause of this sole belief, he is able to form his fearless views on death and the afterlife. Socrates argues that since we cannot fathom any understanding of the afterlife, there is no use in fearing or running from it, and doing so would be unjust. Socrates does hold this view throughout the entire Apology. The only difference between the speeches may be that Socrates seems more welcoming of death in the final speech, after the verdict is finalized. However, this is not a proof of any sort of altering views.Instead, I believe that Socrates always talked about welcoming death when the time for it arrives, using it as an example of a probable end rather than a confirmed one. After Socrates feels that he has exhausted his own defense and preached the importance of justice and truth, and the verdict to death is the final conclusion, he is able to easily accept the end, and welcome it, since he would much rather see to dying as just man, instead of living in any other manner.In conclusi on, Socrates’s principle beliefs allowed him to keep his views on death and the afterlife consistent throughout his trial as noted in Plato’s Apology. Socrates unswervingly remains true to this values of justice, refusing to succumb to the mercy of the jurors, and continuing to try to convince the court of his innocence through what was morally correct, as well as deity-approved duties. His vow to never give up on his morals and obligations to the city and its people enabled Socrates to die a noble, honorable, and just man, who instead of fleeing from death, embraced it.

Analyse The Ethics Of Dark Tourism Tourism Essays

Analyse The Ethics Of Dark Tourism Tourism Essays Analyse The Ethics Of Dark Tourism Tourism Essay Analyse The Ethics Of Dark Tourism Tourism Essay The Anne Frank Organisation ( 2006 ) states that in 2004, 936,000 visitants visited the house that used to be Anne Frank s, a Judaic miss who among other Jews were murdered in the clip of Hitler s fascism. Among this timeframe, Auschwitz, a concentration cantonment based in Poland which became a symbol of race murder, yearly receives 750,000 visitants ( Yuill, 2003 ) coming near to the one-year 900,000 visitants to Dachau ( Lippard, 1999 ) . All these sites and many more which are similar, are what are called sites for dark touristry ( Lennon and Foley, 2000 ) , besides known as Thanatourism ( Seaton, 1996 cited in Ryan et Al, 2005 ) and Black Spots ( Rojek, 1997 ) . This signifier of touristry is what Seaton ( 1999 ) defines as sites and attractive forces that are associated with deceases, Acts of the Apostless of force, scenes of decease and offenses against humanity. With the popularity of this signifier of touristry turning within the horror touristry market ( Tunbridge and Ashworth, 1996 ) , the ethical issues environing it will necessitate to be questioned. With the consumers and suppliers taking portion in this growing of dark touristry, both their potentially contrasting ethical positions towards dark touristry may be different. Whereas a suppliers agencies of continuing history is to bear down people to keep its upkeep, the consumers may see it as money doing strategy in the disbursal of the asleep lives of the site. Whereas the suppliers agencies of allowing people know its history is through reading of vulgar images, may look unethically unsavory for consumers. Therefore, utilizing Stone ( 2006 ) s shades of darkness spectrum as a tool for mensurating different degrees of dark touristry sites, these two chief issues will be critically examined in deepness, and in both the consumers and suppliers point of positions to farther underst and the ethical quandary of dark touristry. Dark touristry has frequently raised ethical arguments about the ways in which leisure and pleasance are assorted with calamity ( Kempa and Strange, 2003 ) , as many people think some sites for dark touristry is excessively sensitive to show it for the universe to see. However, although this may be the instance, it really varies depending on the shade the site is providing. This has been supported by Stone ( 2006 ) in which he believes that non all dark touristry sites and its supplies have the same grade of darkness and moralss. Stone ( 2006 ) believes that each site and what it supplies has its ain grade of darkness, and depending on its standards ; it can be placed on what he refers as a darkest-lightest spectrum. On one side of the spectrum is what he termed lightest side of dark touristry. Sites belonging to this side of the spectrum tend to be to the full commercial suppliers such as the London Dungeon, which Stone ( 2006 ) besides term Dark Fun Factories , as its chief purpose may be more fiscal than educational. Stone ( 2006 ) further explains that although sites belonging to this side of the graduated table will be associated with decease and agony, it is non OF decease and agony. Therefore, sites at this lightest side will most probably be purposeful and amusement based, with a lower grade of moralss environing it. However, on the other terminal of the spectrum are the darkest side of the spectrum, in which its standard s are wholly the antonym of those on the lighter side. Stone ( 2006 ) explains that sites on the darkest side will be sites of decease and agony and its orientation will be to educate. Examples of these darker sites are which Wight ( 2005 ) category as primary sites, such as holocaust cantonments to sites of famous person deceases, as sites on this side of the graduated table will be seen as reliable and non purposeful, taking to a higher grade of ethical issues environing the sites at this side of the graduated table. One of these ethical issues is the impression of whether consumers should be charged to come in a site of decease and with so much history. In novitiates and consumers eyes, it could be seen every bit unethical as they may see it as a agency for suppliers to do net incomes in the disbursal of the asleep lives and history. Although this may be the instance on sites within the lighter shadiness of the spectrum as it may be strictly commercial, it is non ever the instance within the darker sites. Sites from the darker shade such as Auschwitz, the Gallipoli Anzac ( Slade, 2003 ) and Robben Island prison ( Shackley, 2001 ) are usually sites which are old and need continuous up maintaining and staff. With this uninterrupted care, sites will necessitate money to be able to go on to run its site and its historical contents. However, this besides leads to the issue of how much. If a site charges merely plenty to afford the care, so it may look just and ethical to make so. For illustration, harmonizing to Shackley ( 2001 ) , the prison in Robben Island which Dann ( 1998 ) elaborates as a Dungeon of Death attractive force, employs local people as tour ushers, and their mean hebdomadal pay is ?10, which is the same sum as the entryway fees. However, if the entryway fees were to duplicate, it will so be seen as net income devising, therefore, unethical as it is money doing in disbursal of the yesteryear. By bear downing its consumers, it may besides be a agency of commanding how many consumers enter the site, as mass ingestion of the site may take to consider sanctification and loss of original individuality of the site. Strange and Kempa ( 2003 ) agrees with this and farther provinces that the commodification of history for mass ingestion often leads to the trivialization of the site, and in bend causes deliberate sanctification of its history, every bit good as the loss of original intent of why the site was built. An illustration of this occurrence is shown in the site of Machu Picchu. Johnston ( 2006 ) explains how of all time since Machu Picchu was named a World Heritage Site in 1983, over 500,000 visitants started sing the site every twelvemonth, and to forestall calculated sanctification, an entryway fee of $ 20 was put up. This in bend non merely did non restrict the figure of foreign consumers from sing, but besides pushed the local people out of its ain heritage site as they could non afford the entryway fees. Johnston ( 2006 ) continues to explicate that this has contributed to the mass replacing of autochthonal people with tourers around the site, doing sanctification and trivialisation of the site, as the original civilization of Machu Picchu was gone. Despite all the motivations that the suppliers have for bear downing its consumers, its clearly shown that it needs to be managed expeditiously in order for it to work. Consumers who are devouring the merchandise as experience and integrating ( Ryan et al, 2005 ) may hold with the impression of bear downing as it may experience like they are giving back to the deceased lives and the history of the site. Lippard ( 1999 ) explains this as guilt stumbling in which consumers of this typologies may experience guilty of what happened in the past and may desire to lend towards the history in order to feed their scruples. Consumers devouring as experience and integrating ( Ryan et al, 2005 ) may be more sentimental than consumers that are devouring as drama ( Ryan et al, 2005 ) , as the typology of drama consumers will come from a Psychocentric ( Novelli et al, 2005 ) background in which they may see often to lighter sunglassess of dark touristry sites but seldom to sites of a darker shadiness. Elaborating from this, it could be possible that consumers devouring as drama may non be used to the dark history of the sites and may be shocked of its contents a nd backgrounds environing the darker sites, therefore, may welcome the sanctification of the sites but non the impression of bear downing. Frequent occurrences of this emotion tend to go on in what Ryan et Al ( 2005 ) called Grey touristry supply, in which Ryan et Al ( 2005 ) explains this theory as consumers with low, or no involvement and cognition in decease and calamity visits an intended dark touristry site. In this state of affairs, a consumer may non be cognizant of the dark historical contents of the site as they would non hold old cognitions due to its deficiency of involvement, but upon geting to the intended site and cognizing its Gore inside informations, they may immediately be repulsed and shocked. However, this is rare as Seaton ( 1999 ) believes that dark touristry is consumer demand instead than attractive force demand, explicating that if it was non from the high involvements and demand from the audience, there will non be the dark sector of touristry. To some extent, Seaton ( 1999 ) may be right and that the chief ground for the being of dark touristry could be from the high demands for dark touristry. However, for this to go on, the presentation of the sites may besides be blamed for the high popularity of dark touristry. This is because Walter et Al ( 1995 ) explains that even when consumers are interested in decease and calamities, for calamities to be given a existent significance, it needs to hold a context by account, and sometimes through the personal narratives of those people who has been caught up in it. This has been antecedently mentioned utilizing an illustration from one of the darker sites of Robben Island. Shackley ( 2001 ) states that the prison site in Robben Island located in South Africa, employs antique captives that used to be held at that place. These antique captives are now moving as circuit ushers for its consumers, repeatedly stating each group of consumers their ain personal experience of when they were held in the cells. Shackley ( 2001 ) continues to explicate that the emotional public assistance of the ushers had non been considered and many of the ushers felt obliged to go on with its employment due to miss of employment elsewhere. Although Walter et Al ( 1995 ) did explicate that consumers are interested in personal narrative relation, but ethically, should narratives every bit sensitive as this be told repeatedly and personally from the ain oral cavities of the ex captives? This may non merely be ethically incorrect, but besides morally incorrect. Blom ( 2000 ) agrees with this and states that reading every bit personal as this should be interpreted though engineering such as information points within the sites. However, despite this, suppliers within the darker sites may non see it in the same manner. Suppliers could reason that employees such as ex captives are acquiring paid and that they decide to be employed in this occupation function voluntarily. Suppliers could besid es reason that narrative stating from the oral cavities of people who have been caught up within the history of the sites are more dependable and executable than engineering. This may be because narratives that will be told from person who has really experienced and been at that place, may infact cut down the hyperbole of the contents of the history and narratives, every bit good as being less biased than if engineering was to state it. By construing utilizing engineering, there could be a high opportunity that the information recorded into the engineering is from person with no dealingss to the site, therefore, gives consumers incorrect information. Besides, this method of circuit ushers for reading may really foster profit both the suppliers and consumers, as if the consumers had to inquire a inquiry about the site and its history, it can be answered instantly by the circuit ushers, detaining the clip in which the consumers may organize its ain replies and opinions about the site. The positions of the darker site suppliers in using tour ushers may besides be the same for the positions for suppliers of the lighter shadiness of dark touristry, as it may be required and expected by consumers to hold person to steer through the igniter sites, e.g. the merriment mills ( Stone, 2006 ) . However, an deduction that can originate from this is that within the lighter shadiness of dark touristry, the circuit ushers may overstate the existent history and narratives behind the site in order to pull strings the consumers attending and promote repetition concern. Manipulation of consumers attending can besides be done by the motion of original objects. For lighter sunglassess of touristry sites to make this may be accepted, as antecedently mentioned before ; Stone ( 2006 ) explains that sites of a igniter shadiness tend to advance any stuffs in order to pull concern, therefore, pulling net incomes. However, if a site of a darker shadiness decides to make this, the fortunes will alter and it will go unethically incorrect. For illustration, Wight ( 2005 ) states that in Auschwitz, the celebrated signage that read Work will put you free was moved from its original place to a location near the terminal of the circuit to make a high point for consumers to make a controversial decision to the experience. This can be a signifier of use as Carnegie ( 2006 ) states that some sites do deliberately travel objects in order to construe the shows to incorporate cardinal, recognizable, emotional and generic truths to the local audiences. This raises an et hical quandary, as although suppliers may see nil incorrect with this as controversial decision may go forth its consumers experiencing the hurting and calamities of the past, but the moralss of this makes it unjust and inauthentic for its consumers. The chief intent in why consumers visit topographic points of dark touristry in the first topographic point is because they may desire to see the existent truth behind the sites first manus, and therefore travelled to the site to acquire this experience. However, when suppliers moves objects around to assist excite consumers heads, it is made unreal as it is non how the history says it was, but how the suppliers want it to be. By traveling objects, spots of history gets moved every bit good, and as clip moves on and cipher moves it back to its original topographic point, the beginning and spots of history of it are disregarded, therefore the calculated sanctification of some sites and the motion of sites within the shadiness spectrum. The phenomenon of dark touristry is a hard and delicate field to understand, but one facet of it that is most understood is that it is progressively turning in popularity, with 1000s of consumers flocking worldwide to see these sites of calamity. However, the moralss of sing sensitive sites such as these are besides turning, as inquiries such as whether to demo or non to demo, and whether to bear down or non to bear down are frequently questioned in both the suppliers and consumers point of positions. To demo these sites of calamities may do development of local people every bit good as calculated sanctification of the sites and its history, but to non to demo, our history may be denied to us. By understanding the ethicalities of dark touristry, it will assist in continuing its history and sites, so that it can so be better managed and better preserved and presented for the hereafter. This in bend reduces the hazard of development of the sites and the manner different typologies of consumers think. However, ethical issues do non halt at the evidences of the consumers and its suppliers, the sensitiveness of the circuit ushers are besides needed to be explored. As discussed antecedently, tour ushers such as ex captives are sometimes obliged to live over their experience repeatedly in order for consumers to cognize the history. Although this may be one of the effectual methods of stating history, it is of import to see the public assistance of these circuits ushers, as the insistent relation of their ain experience may in turn contribute to farther unethical quandary. Therefore, possibly to eventually reason on the moralss of dark touristry, it may be possible to province that ethical issues will ever go on to be around dark touristry, as long dark touristry itself exists excessively. However, the importance of the consideration of the ethicalities of dark touristry can non be understated, and both consumers and suppliers may desire to work together, if in the hereafter, we still would wish to cognize about our history through the signifier of touristry alternatively through text editions and instruction.

Power to the people - Emphasis

Power to the people Power to the people People power counts for a lot in writing. One in a hundred people is likely to produce a much bigger reaction from readers of your reports than one per cent, even though they obviously mean the same thing. Before you dismiss this as another example of general ignorance, you should know that experts are not immune to this effect. One study showed that it could trip up forensic psychiatrists, for example. They were twice as likely to refuse to release a patient if they were told that 20 out of 100 were likely to be violent after release than if they were told that there was a 20 per cent chance of this happening. One individuals story is likely to override even the most powerful numerical evidence at least if youre writing for the general public. And even if youre not, mentioning people (lawyers, for example) rather than groups (the legal profession) will give your writing much more impact. Charities know this when they use heart-rending case studies to get your support for their causes. And governments know this when they use the term collateral damage to play down accidental loss of life (by avoiding mentioning people at all). You can use people power to make your writing more effective. If you leave people out, you will almost certainly reduce its impact. Which do you want to do?

Cross Cultural Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Cross Cultural Management - Essay Example From management’s perspective, employees are considered the most important assets for the company and it is the quality of the employees that makes the business successful. In order to be successful, employees are offered with training and their skills are developed through different programs to achieve certain objectives. Training and development provide prime opportunities for the management to motivate their employees and at the same time enhance the knowledge and skills of the employees. This not only motivates the employees but also encourages them to increase their productivity for accomplishment of organizational objectives (Henry, 1995). Training and development are crucial for every business as skilled and motivated workforce can support the business to achieve its goals in a more productive manner. It is essential that the employees possess knowledge and skills so that their performance should be at optimal level. As in an organization, there are people from differen t cultural backgrounds and, thus, cross cultural training is one of the key elements today to reduce the cultural differences among employees working together (Bratton, & Gold, 2009). Organizations recruit individuals from different backgrounds; it becomes important for them to conduct cross cultural training programs and it helps in understanding cultural differences of people working together (Price, 2007). Emirates can be seen as one of the best examples of successful business in the world and the main reason for their success is focusing on the efficiency of the workforce. Being the best, Emirates spends about 5 to 6 percent of their revenue on training and development of their employees which enables the employees to be regarded as one of the best. Emirates hires people from different backgrounds and they conduct different cross cultural programs so that these people from diverse cultural backgrounds can work together. Emirates Airline has its own training facility specially bu ilt to train and develop the employees by allowing them to share their opinions and ideas, hence, expanding the knowledge of each individual and changing their behavior according to the requirements of the organization (Redman, & Wilkinson, 2009). Another example for successful business is McDonalds which is operating in different parts of the world and people from different cultural background work at McDonalds; this has been one of the main reasons for success of the company. McDonalds offers training to their employees on a continuous basis. McDonalds focuses on training and development of its employees according to the culture of the region they are operating in and at the same time they offer cross cultural training. According to McDonalds, their success lies in the employees (The Times, 2012) With increasing diversity in the organizations, organizations have been investing in cross cultural training programs. This report will analyze two theories related to cultural difference s and their impact on the performance of employees in organizations: Geert Hofstede cultural management theory and Trompenaars and Hampden Model. Geert Hofstede cultural management theory Geert Hosfstede’s has presented five dimensions to analyze the cultural differences and these dimensions have been applied on how it can influence the training and development programs. Power distance Power distance can be defined as how people accept that

International Relations Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3750 words

International Relations - Essay Example When this state of affairs took place in Europe, jobs were created for the increasing number of workers, but in poor countries, this economic manipulation has had a damaging impact, throwing a number of workers out of production. It thus impedes the launch into sustainable development and self-supported progress (Halevy 1981, 67-68). This is the inherent problem in the relationship between the core and periphery, which Immanuel Wallerstein attempted to resolve. But was he successful in resolving this problem? This essay thus tries to prove that he is indeed so. Overview of Wallerstein’s Theory of Semi-Periphery Immanuel Wallerstein tries to analyse and understand the growth of the West—the ‘core’—and the retarded growth of the third world—the ‘periphery’—as regards to world system governed by capitalistic structures which has facilitated economic penetration from the core to the periphery. As explained by Wallerstein, this world system which grew during the 16th century has shown the vital and extraordinary attribute of being economically integrated but politically disunited (Jackson & Sorensen 2007, 191). Earlier world systems were characterised by global empires where in massive stretches of lands, peopled by various racial/ethnic groups, were governed by a single political machinery. These empires were successful in acquiring huge quantities of surplus, for a while, by collecting taxes from faraway lands in return for political security (Jackson & Sorensen 2007, 191). Yet, eventually, the cost of sustaining this security (e.g. military expenses) exceeded the economic gains of exploitation and manipulation, and the systems were hence fated to collapse. On the contrary, the European world system has not been hindered by an overruling political body; thus its natural strength, stability, and flexibility. This system, on its own, has been able to acquire surplus which does not have to be used up on the preservation of world order; thus, it on its own has been a major contributor to the growth of capitalism (Baylis, Smith, & Owens 2008). An economic world system was not merely favourable for the growth of capitalism; it was a requisite of it. This is due to the fact that crucial, initial capital accumulation did not take place substantially in the ‘core’ where in capitalist structures in fact grew, but instead in the ‘periphery’, from which it was embezzled through the world system dynamics for the core’s interest and gains. Such initial capital accumulation in the periphery was facilitated because the capitalist ventures of landholders there had enhanced productivity by opening up ventures with low ‘per capita output’ such as major plantations (Halevy 1981, 68). Forced labour and cash crop, which supported these ventures in the periphery, was hence the important foundation for the preliminary growth of capitalism in core countries. Th e capitalist landholders of the periphery have been trading their products on a global market and thus have been in constant rivalry against each other. The benefits of high output or productivity that they have attained have consequently been equalised by their products’ lower prices. Their boosts in efficiency and higher