Are Leaders – born or made?

The most argumentative and the most widely researched  topic in the field of leadership is – if the leaders are born or made. As on today, the  resultant phenomenon of the widely done research is neutral, with few of the researcher’s  supporting the former assumption while few supporting the later one. The critical point in  the discussion had been the genetical influence on an individual which makes him/her a  leader. Although, it is not deniable that few leaders the world has seen were born to rule,  however, I would like to give my opinion in regards of the later i.e. Leaders are made. The basic feature which defines a leader is – Intelligence.  Every individual born is blessed with intelligence, it is just how one groom one’s  intelligence level and put in to the best use which makes him/her a leader. Besides,  intelligence there are many more characteristics which an individual needs to inculcate in  oneself to become an inspirational leader. These characteristics include strong will and  determination towards achievement, influencing the people’s mind and actions, highly  self motivated, possessing skills and talents and nourishing and nurturing them at  regular time periods. All these features and many more added to them turns a simple  individual into a leader. The leadership skills and talents could be either adopted or learnt  by one whilst moving ahead at different spheres of life. A stabilized ongoing  development of the intellectual growth and enhancement of various skills and talents at  different levels of an individual development plays a pivotal role in the making of a great  leader. Today’s world has seen a large number of leaders in  different spheres. As Shakespeare puts in â€Å"Some are born great, some achieve greatness  and some have greatness thrust upon them†. No single conclusion could be deprived on  the formation of these leaders. It is essential for a person to realize and recognize the  traits they possess at earlier later stages in life and later enhancement of these traits would  result in utilizing them optimally throughout the life. A consistent approach towards  grooming ones skills and talents besides developing intellectual growth would be the  most efficient source to become a great leader. Adopting different leadership traits while  working would also prove to be beneficial. Experience would definitely get counted in as  positive in leadership development. Leadership is not only determined by the character and  capacities of the leader, but definitely also by the followers: if there are no followers  there is no leader. Empowerment, ownership and curiosity are the features which ones  derived evolves leadership in every individual (Lance, 2004). All the features discussed  so far could be easily adopted by any normal sound minded individual. No hard and fast  rules are required to adopt them and no genetical attributes are needed to acquire them –  it is just an individual’s strong will and determination over becoming a leader which  would turn him/her into a great leader. Thus, I conclude, stating although a large number  of leaders are termed as born – leaders, yet there work and experience have made them  leaders in actual sense. REFERENCES: à   Adair, John. 1998: Leadership Skills. CIPD Publishing à   Covey, Stephen. R. 2004: The 8th Habit: From Effectiveness to Greatness. Simon & Schuster Publishers à   Secretan, Lance. 2004: Inspire! What Great Leaders Do. John Wiley & Sons Publishers. à   Zenger, John. H. 2002: The Extraordinary Leader: Turning Good Managers into Great Leaders. McGraw –Hill Professional Publishers.                                                         

Aristotle Life Story Essay

Aristotle was born in Greece approximately 384 B. C. , to parents Nicomachus and Phaestis. His father Nicomachus was physician to King Amyntas of Macedon, and his mother was of a wealthy family from the island of Euboea. When he was 17 he went to study at Plato’s Academy in Athens, where he stayed for around 20 years. Aristotle did very well at the Academy, but when Plato died he was not chosen to be among the leaders. Soon after Plato’s death he left to tutor Prince Alexander, later to be known as Alexander the Great. Aristotle later returned to Athens to open his own school which is known as the Lyceum. Aristotle was more interested in science than other philosophers in his time, maybe because his father was a doctor. He’s sometimes referred to the father of science. One of Aristotle’s most important contributions was sorting and classifying the various knowledge of science into branches. He thus laid the foundation of science today. Aristotle is also thought to be the father of the scientific method. In ancient times, gods were thought to be the cause of events in nature. Early Greek philosophers questioned the roles of gods as the cause of these events. If the gods weren’t the cause of these events, who was? Philosophers advanced explanations based on philosophical principles and mathematical forms. Aristotle found that unsatisfactory. He was the first to realize the importance of empirical measurement (measurement based on observation and experience), believing that knowledge could only be gained from building on what was already known. Aristotle’s contributions were measurement and observation, which is what science, is built upon. He was the first to propose the idea of induction as a tool to gaining knowledge, and understood that theoretical thought and reasoning had to be supported by real world findings. His method is summarized as follows; Study what others have written about the subject, look for the general consensus about the subject, and perform a systematic study of everything even partially related to the topic. This is the very first sign of a scientific method. Aristotle loved categorizing and organizing things. For instance, with the soul he thought it was composed of two components: a rational and irrational part. The rational half was subdivided into â€Å"scientific† and â€Å"calculative† sections, and the irrational half was made up of a â€Å"desiderative† (desire) part and a â€Å"vegetative† part. A person operates by combining all the workings of these parts. The vegetative part may be hungry. The desiderative part may want lots of candy instead of, say, vegetables, but the scientific part knows candy will be bad for teeth and weight. The calculative part will then try to work out a compromise. Problem solved! Aristotle assumed that there must be some basic commodities that combine to make all things. These basic four groups are, earth, water, air and fire, and each of these are a combination of two of four opposites, hot and cold, and wet and dry. For example, fire is hot and dry. He claimed that all materials were made from various combinations of these elements. His love of categories also led him to divide people into three groups. The big group, who loved pleasure, a smaller group -includes politicians- that love honor, and the smallest, but most elite group, who love contemplation. The latter were the philosophers. Aristotle’s next task was to find the key reason that separated humans from animals. His answer was our ability to reason. Aristotle’s really great contribution was that of biology. Having established the division between humans and animals he set out categorizing all he could of the biological world. He grouped animals with related characteristics into genera and then divided these genera into species. This same process is used today, though subsequent research has caused some of the individuals to be moved around. He wrote in detail about five hundred different animals in his works, including a hundred and twenty kinds of fish and sixty kinds of insect. He was the first to perform dissections on living things, so he could try to make sense of how they worked. He described how a chick develops within an egg and realized that dolphins and whales were different from fish. He noted that ruminant animals, like cows, had multi-chambered stomachs, something that separated them from simple-stomached animals. Not only did he study large animals, but small ones as well, such as bees. He also made lead way in botany. He attempted to classify over 500 plants into trees, shrubs, and herbs and, while he was not entirely successful in this, he certainly understood which features of plants were necessary for making distinctions. This time he has earned the title of father over botany. Aristotle made many other contributions to science, one of which was proving the Earth was a sphere, although he wrongly thought that Earth was the center of the universe. Plato disagreed with this theory; he sided with Copernicus who rightly thought the sun was the center of the universe. Aristotle also studied physics. He did not have many tools for experimentation so he could not measure time or speed. He did not allow for invisible forces, so he did not study gravity. Things fell to Earth and the moon circled the earth because that’s what they did. In spite of his limitations, Aristotle made some remarkable contributions to physics and laid the groundwork for Galileo, Newton, and Einstein. He reasoned that infinite velocities could not exist, that time and movement are continuous and inseparable, and that time was even flowing, infinite, and the same everywhere at once. These are all true, and are part of Einstein’s Theory of Relativity. That’s amazing considering the limitations he had to work with. Anti-Macedonian feeling broke out in Athens around 323 BC. The Athenians accused Aristotle of irreverence. He chose to flee, so that the Athenians might not â€Å"twice sin against philosophy† (by killing him as they had Socrates). He fled to Chalcis on the island of Euboea. Aristotle died in 322 BC. After he died a lot of his work and research was lost. It is thought that today we only have about 1/3 of what he had originally written. Aristotle was an amazing scientist, but even he was not without mistakes. For example, he wrongly assumed that force is required to keep an object moving at constant speed. This error held progress back for years. He also, as I stated before, thought the Earth was the center of the universe. But, really isn’t that what science is about? Trial and error, make mistakes then learn from them, that’s how you make real progress in science. Aristotle is proof of this. Look at all the progress we have made today, from his mistakes. Bibliography Bibliography 1. http://www. ucmp. berkeley. edu/history/aristotle. html 2. http://www. enotes. com/topics/aristotle 3. http://www. philosophypages. com/ph/aris. htm 4. http://jcmooreonline. com/2010/12/28/aristotles-enduring-contribution-to-scien ce-education-and-physics/ 5. http://www. iep. utm. edu/aristotl/ 6. http://galileo. phys. virginia. edu/classes/109N/lectures/aristot2. html 7. http://www. valpo. edu/geomet/histphil/test/aristotl. html 8. http://plato. stanford. edu/entries/aristotle-biology/#LifWor 9. http://leavis. tripod. com/science. htm 10. http://www. experiment-resources. com/history-of-the-scientific-method. html 11. http://www. sciencekids. co. nz/sciencefacts/scientists/aristotle. html 12. http://www. historyforkids. org/learn/greeks/philosophy/aristotle. htm 13. http://www. mlahanas. de/Greeks/AristotleBiol. htm 14. http://www. thocp. net/biographies/aristoteles. html 15. Info from class 16. Physical Science Book.

Travel Is The Best Education

In the technologically advanced era that we are living in, travelling has become not only easier, but also more accessible to almost everyone. Therefore, more and more people have the opportunity to get to places they have never been to before, making the experience interesting and, at the same time, educational. It has become in this way, the best form of education. Millions of people travel around the world at any given time, through various means of transport.This means that a very big number of people have the chance to see something they have never seen before, learn from the new experiences and broaden their horizons, as they get new ideas from the new people they meet, realize that the differences between them make everybody unique and so they also learn to respect those differences. Travelling gives the chance to people to strengthen and develop their character and mind, as it helps them to learn how to manage themselves in various situations, such as asking directions in a d ifferent countries , to give the simplest example.Therefore, travelling means having to do with new people, new places and new situations that require critical thinking. In addition to that, travelling doesn’t only provide knowledge about new cultures and interesting facts about the countries and their people, but it also makes the travelers understand and value more their own culture, home and lifestyle. There is also the planning phase of the trip, which can be an education opportunity in itself.For example, the maps. What route will you take? Geography. What sites will you visit? History and culture. How long will it take you to get to each city and how will this work in your budget? Math. And, for a dose of social skills, you can always interact with interesting people: waitresses, hotel owners, tour guides, market sellers and anyone else you come into contact with can be ideal sources of local information.More and more people every year get to travel to other countries a nd experience the educational character travelling has to offer in a fun way, a lot better in practice than in theory. Who needs a textbook (although you can still bring them along) when you can visit historical sites, art galleries, museums, and sporting events in person? That’s why, it is right to say that travelling constitutes the best form of education.

Victim Interview Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

Victim Interview - Essay Example The organization formulates policies and standards as well as provides training programs in order to encourage employers to offer effective working environments to their employees. However, the issue of health and safety in the working environment has not yet been fully achieved because many workers lack access to effective occupational health services. The interviewer is a victim of an occupational injury that has caused him to be absent at work for one week. The victim was employed last year in one of the manufacturing companies, and he has been working as an engineer. The victim was handling machines at the workplace when the accident happened. The victim reported in the morning at the 8.a.m. and started working in the engineering department with other engineers. The victim was working under pressure from the supervisor in order to finish repairing the machine since it affected the company. The company wanted the engineer to repair the machine in time to avoid causing inconveniences in terms of the organizational performance. However, the victim suddenly burnt his left hand after an hour of working because of the overheated machinery. The machine was too hot; unfortunately, the victim slipped and burnt his left arm. This is because he was working without using protective clothes such as gloves, helmets and other necessary protec tive garments for injuries. The victim revealed that many workers working in the industry including him does not have protective working clothes. The company reassured employees to be careful when they are working to avoid injuries, but they have never taken any steps of providing protective attires. The accident took place in the morning on 12th, November of this year. The victim burnt his left arm and sustained serious injury; thus, he immediately started bleeding heavily. However, the wound was treated, but it left him with a big scar. The victim spent for about two weeks in the hospital nursing the wound. The victim

Journal (Answer All questions) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

Journal (Answer All questions) - Essay Example Additionally, strategies may be considered as an art or craft tool owing to the fact that it is a tool applied at various managerial facets and it involves the formulation, instrumentation and the examination of various processes geared towards achieving certain goals (Johnson et al, 2011). Intended strategy applies to myriad organizational dimensions; it involves undertaking deliberate planning and execution of the planned courses of actions. In some occasions it may also be referred as deliberate strategy for instance humanitarian organization may formulate tools that will enable them deliver specific forms of assistance to victims of a disaster or industries may develop tools that will enable them fit in a competitive market. Tools used in intended strategy may include; objectives, visions as well as the application of a SWOT analysis process to enhance the achievement of a desired goal (Cooper, 2007). On the other hand, emergent strategies encompass a framework of actions that are formulated over time in the process of implementing organizational plans without intended missions, objectives as well as visions. According to Mintzberg, it is described as ‘a realized pattern that was not intended’. For instance; an organization may realize certain imperative actions that may develop in the process of their operation which may also facilitate the achievement of their goals. The learning school strategy is among the ten schools of strategy; it is based on the idea that strategy is a tool that develops in the process of acquiring new ideas and skills concerning various organizational facets. For instance; an organization may be faced by various challenges in the process of its operation however, new ideas may emerge in the process that may assist in creating a solution to the problem (Bhatt, 2005). The other school of strategy is the position strategy that was developed by

Sexual Harassment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 3

Sexual Harassment - Essay Example Asking for sexual favors is a direct form of sexual harassment but in some cases indirect favors are also an important element of sexual harassment. The individual involved is either asked for the favor for a reward or he/she is put in such an environment that it becomes hostile for him (Lewis 2001). Many link sexual harassment to be a gender specific situation as most of the cases are seen to be following the women who are subordinating certain individuals. These sexual harassment situations not only lead to deleterious effects on health but they also affect the state of mind of the individual concerned. Sexual harassment is not only related to workplace environments but is also related to the people who are working in military and the service sector (Street et al 2008). Sexual harassment not only refers to the sexual favors but it also relates to the body language of the individuals. Behaviors that are unwelcome by individuals and can be clearly anticipated for making someone offen ded are said to be incorporating the broad definition of sexual harassment (Australian Human Rights Commission, 2013). Actions that are pervasive and considered hostile are also associated with the sexual harassment situations. It is also seen that sexual harassment can lead to post traumatic stress disorder in many people as the person undergoes anxiety and depression after undergoing these situations (Street et al 2008). More studies help to find out the correlation of race with sexual harassment as it can be seen that the African Americans are likely to come under the situations of sexual harassment more often than their counterparts. Adolescence is also a factor for the increase in the cases of sexual harassment as found by a study conducted by Goldstein (Goldstein et al 2007). The elements of sexual harassment that have not been reviewed properly are related to the sex

Coach Case External Analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Coach Case External Analysis - Essay Example While Coach at first developed it began to fall behind its rivals regarding stylishness and deals started to decay. In 1996 Krakoff joined Coach and he was instrumental in positioning Coach as a receptive extravagance brand`` for it was comprehended that cost was a wellspring of focused preference for the brand in the extravagance market. In October 2000, Coach opened up to the world under the name of Coach Inc. By 2005 Coach`s incomes tripled and their stake cost expanded more than 900 % since their IPO in 2000. Economic: Throughout the following a few years the economy postures noteworthy danger to the extravagance business in the developed markets, be that as it may, rising markets, for example, China, India and Brazil are relied upon to encounter solid development in the extravagance showcase as their white collar class advances. The U.s (Coach`s biggest business) must address the Fiscal Cliff`` or an alternate monetary retreat will happen. Moreover there is right now no result in sight with respect to the European obligation emergency. Socio-Cultural: Changing societal concerns, state of mind and lifestyles speaks to both chances and dangers to the extravagance embellishment industry. The changing inclination by working class buyers towards extravagance merchandise unavoidably makes new chances for development inside adult markets. Companies that change assembling occupations abroad for more level wages have been reprimanded by shoppers. Organizations need the necessity to assess the potential expenses and profits before assembling or scattering their items into a nation or locale. Globalization: The essential explanation behind the expanding globalization is that firms inside the industry are pulled in by the climbing level of wage and riches and the point of interest of shabby work inside generally new industrialized nations, for example,

National Curriculum Science Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

National Curriculum Science - Essay Example   In the UK, national curriculum was introduced in England, Wales and Northern Ireland following the recommendation of Education Reform Act 1988. However, the independent schools do not follow the national wide curriculum as they are free to set their own curriculum. The National Curriculum is only applicable to state schools of the entire local education authorities. The Science Enquiry 1 came into existence after the introduction of the National Curriculum. A basic curriculum of the national curriculum and religious education is required to be taught to all state students according to the Education Reform Act 1988. The main aim of the National Curriculum was to ensure that all pupils in the UK cover certain basic material and as time went on; all state schools had adopted the National Curriculum in their system. Teachers are expected to set learning and teaching objectives that are challenging, realistic and relevant to the group they are teaching according to the Standards for t he award of qualified teacher status. These objectives can be set by taking into consideration the level of the pupils, their expected achievement together with their current and past achievements. The entire paper will discuss the intended missions and objectives of the National Curriculum Science in relation to Science Enquiry 1 especially in Key Stages 1 and 2. A National Curriculum usually sets out a statutory entitlement that is supposed to be learned by all students attending state owned schools.... The entire paper will discuss the intended missions and objectives of the National Curriculum Science in relation to Science Enquiry 1 especially in Key Stages 1 and 2. National Curriculum Science 1 A National Curriculum usually sets out a statutory entitlement that is supposed to be learnt by all students attending state owned schools. It has set target that are supposed to be achieved at the end of each key stage. The curriculum also states how the students are going to be accessed as far as performance is concerned and how the performance will be reported. For a National Curriculum to be effective it should be in a position of telling elaborating the kind of skills and knowledge that will be gained by students and this is useful information to parents, pupils, teachers and even employers. Initially, England, Wales and Northern Ireland education system was governed by Butler Education Act 1994 which was replaced by Education Reform Act 1988 that was implemented in 1988. The following are the main provisions of Education Reform Act 1988. By studying Science, the pupils are able to understand the nature of the universe hence they are in a position of understanding the world. When pupils at the foundation stage study science, they develop a crucial knowledge and skills that enable them to make sense of the real world. This facilitates them to learn other subjects in science such as ICT as they lay a good foundation that is necessary for their understanding. At this stage, children have an opportunity of solving problems, do experiments, plan, make decisions, predict and ask question in a wider context. It is still at this stage that pupils

Lab report Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 6

Lab Report Example Consequently, there was need for compiling this towards calculating the maximum height fled by the model. In order to achieve the above objectives, the following equation for projectile motion was inherent. In the field of engineering, involving study of lift, thrust, gravity and even thrust, there is a great deal for considering this study. This experiment is important in engineering field especially where there is need to improve the design and reliability of air travel. It enables the study of lift required for the planes to fly thereby allowing the aerospace engineers to guide for a safe landing. In aerospace engineering, there is need for the engineers to have adequate knowledge of rocketry concept; otherwise, they would experience challenges when trying to launch either rockets or satellites for a safe landing. Predicting how high a model rocket fly is one of the integral concepts required when exploring rocketry concept, to help the engineers in guiding the rocket for a safe landing. For this rocket model, the results show that the time taken to reach the maximum height was 17.33 seconds while the maximum flight time was 34.66. The determination of the time required to reach the maximum height made it easy to use the projectile motion equation (Post 377). The velocity imparted by the machine was already known as 170 m/s. This speed is same for all rockets regardless of the launch angle because they are necessarily pressurized chambers. As it is in every projectile motion, the horizontal velocity remains constant as shown in the model drawn below. The graph obtained from the results also supports the fact that launching a model rocket assumes a projectile motion as shown in the similarity between the two. Getting the maximum time taken helped in solving for the maximum height, through assistance of the projectile motion equation. The height calculated was 1472.99 meters. Slight errors resulting from this

The Flesh and the Spirit Essay Example for Free

The Flesh and the Spirit Essay Anne Bradstreet’s poem â€Å"The Flesh and the Spirit† shows us the duality of man that her audience was having to deal with at the spiritual level. While this poem was written back in 1643 it still shows us as Christians what we have come from and how easy it would be to go back to a life of the â€Å"flesh†. This poem also goes about giving us details about what we should be striving for and what we have to look forward to if we strive toward the real or ultimate goals or rather possessions. The poem is written in two different parts starting with the ways and things of the flesh, that being material possessions that are for our enjoyment here on earth. The second part consists of more spiritual based â€Å"possessions† and also chastises the sister living among the earthly treasures she has laid up for herself. The poem is written in iambic tetrameter meaning that each line has a total of eight syllables. Bradstreet writes this poem full of metaphors and is very illustrative with the language that she wrote it in. Bradstreet was a Puritan and this poem is filled with religious symbolism and references that would be apparent to her readers. At the start of the poem the first sister is called â€Å"Flesh† and while this sister is very materialistic she wants her sister to enjoy some of the pleasures that she enjoys. The part of Flesh is from lines 10-37 to which she is going on about the wonders that this world has to offer. Lines like â€Å"Hast treasures there laid up in store† (16) and â€Å"Art fancy sick, or turn a sot† (18) show us that Flesh is interested in things such as the treasures and art this world has to offer. Flesh tells us that there is more gold, silver and pearls than anyone can imagine here on earth and she basically is insisting that her sister take up some of the riches that are around. The way that Flesh talks to her sister is similar to the way that Satan talked to Jesus in the wilderness. Flesh is telling Spirit all the wonderful things of this earth and tells her sister that she will be happy if she acquires some of these indulgences. This was also the case when Satan showed Jesus all the things of earth that he could have if Jesus would worship him. There are even some apparent sins that Flesh tries to temp Spirit with such as in line â€Å"And trophies to thy name erect† (27).This line in the poem is basically the temptation to worship idols. This notion is backed up by the previous line â€Å"As some of their immortal fame† (26) suggests that people are worshiping these trophies. Flesh’s final statement â€Å"For things unknown, only in mind† is almost a taunt to her sister because she knows what her sister has or is working towards is for her heavenly life. That line basically tells Spirit that she has nothing to show for her life and what she claims to have is all imaginary. This is something that Jesus was faced with throughout his time here on earth from the time that he was in the desert to the cross Jesus had to have faith in what he was doing was going to get Him and us a heavenly life with nothing to show for it here on earth. The second part of this poem is what Spirit has to say to her sister about the things she was told to get and what she has been working for all her life. Much like Jesus in the wilderness telling Satan to get away from him, Spirit tells flesh to leave her alone and not tempt her with these worldly things, â€Å"Disturb no more my settled heart† (38). In lines 55-65 Spirit is telling Flesh that the things that Flesh finds appealing are things that Spirit hates. Spirit is not tempted with riches or honors. She is not looking for pleasure in people worshiping her or even the gold, silver and pearls. In fact, Spirits says â€Å"My crown not diamonds, pearls, and gold/ But such as angels’ heads infold† (ll.83-84). Spirit continues rebuking Flesh about how vanity is not what is to be sought after. Spirit may not have silk garments here on earth but in heaven she will have royal robes â€Å"More glorious than the glist’ring sun† (82). Spirit tells us the difference between the places in which she and her sister are trying to accumulate their possessions for and tells us the importance of choosing the correct destination. â€Å"The city where I hope to dwell† (85) is talking about Spirits desire to live in God’s holy city and that this city, â€Å"There’s none on earth can parallel† (86), is absolutely better that the best places here on earth. Lines 87-104 is the description of the city and how the most precious gems and metals that we have here on earth are the basic building blocks for the city and its landscape. It continues telling us that there is no night and day which alludes to time no longer being a factor. Spirit also describes there being no sickness and with that no more death. This part ends with â€Å"But beauty shall be bright and clear† (104) which goes back to what Flesh trying to get Spirit to get nicer cloths and jewelry so that people would see her as attracti ve. Although Spirit and Flesh are sisters, they are very different in every aspect of life and are basic mirrors of each other showing the duality that man has with God. In lines 40-54 Spirit is describing her relationship with her sister. While they are sisters Spirit considers Flesh to be her enemy which she is constantly fighting. She continues to say that even though they are twins they don’t have the same father (figuratively). Flesh is born from old Adam, which implies that she is worldly and is looking for the things to make her time here on earth more pleasant, such as Adam did when he disobeyed God to be with Eve. Spirit says that her Father is above, giving reference that God is her father and that is why she will stay away from the things of Flesh so that she will be able to be with her Father. This poem does end on a solemn note, while Spirit has just described this amazing place where she is going to be with her Father she tells Flesh that she is not going to be there because nothing that makes Flesh happy will be there. This is a reflection of how the Puritans and even many Christians that being of this world will end up costing you the chance to see the city referenced in the poem. The poem â€Å"The Flesh and the Spirit† is indeed a poem that describes the human condition of materialism and how it can consume and impact not only the mortal lives but also the eternal lives of the human race. Humanity must decide whether or not the city that is described in the poem is worth the sacrifice of material possessions in order to gain spiritual wealth. It must decide if it want to be in a place unaffected by time, death, and disease or if it simply wants to cover up its impurities with a faà §ade that will only last a short while.

Performance Appraisal Methods On Psychological Contract Management Essay

Performance Appraisal Methods On Psychological Contract Management Essay The purpose of this dissertation is to investigate the impact of performance appraisal methods on psychological contract between employer and employee in UK retail sector ( Iceland food ltd. ). The author will attempt to achieve this by focusing on importance of performance appraisal methods in improving motivation and performance of the employees and by ascertaining whether there is clear understanding of the term of psychological contract involved in performance appraisal meeting. The UK retail market is set to increase in size by 15% over the next five years, taking its value to just over  £312bn (UK Retail Futures 2011: Sector Summary, Data monitor). However this represents a slowing down of annual growth and with operating costs and the cost of credit set to rise, the retail sector faces challenging times. The retail culture is commercially driven and as such there is pressure to perform. Working in retail is hard work and the dynamic nature of the business requires a flexible attitude. Working in a shop is very likely to involve working weekends and late nights. Work-life balance could be a very significant issue for an industry that traditionally has an image of long or antisocial working hours. The retail industry employs over 3 million people (data collected March 08). This equates to 11% of the total UK workforce (UK Retail Futures 2011: Sector Summary, Data monitor). Almost 8% of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of the UK is generated by the retail sector. UK retail sales were approximately  £265 billion in 2007, which is larger than the combined economies of Denmark and Portugal (UK Retail Futures 2011: Sector Summary, Data monitor). The retail industry and the jobs within it are susceptible to economic and consumer trends. Today, most organisations on the major basis have some kind of performance appraisal system in place. A study conducted by Hirsh (2006) found that only a third of the HR professionals felt that the established appraisal methods have achieved theirs objectives and that most appraised exercises could not really had helped organisations to improve their performance (Hirsh, 2006 as quoted within Fletcher, 2008 p.1). Indeed, appraisal has become an emotive word because it is either done poorly or partly as the organisations keep on ignoring the values of the performance appraisal, thereby affecting the psychological contract of the individual. There are many indicators of a traumatized psychological contract; this can later be attributed to poor performance appraisal methods. Such indicators include; high turnover, low motivation, low job satisfaction (Hiltrop, 1995). According to Fletcher (2008), The unpopularity of using performance appraisal methods can be clearly seen as most organisations use the same process with different titles such as Performance Reviews, Work Planning and Review and many others. Iceland food ltd. follow this rule as the appraisal methods in place are described. Statement of Purpose The purpose of this dissertation is to investigate the impact of performance appraisal methods used on psychological contract between the employer and employee. With an aim of examining the efficiency of the techniques used to perform the appraisal system in place. The importance of the appraisal system within Iceland food ltd. will also be established. This will be initially achieved by investigating the importance of performance appraisal methods in improving the motivation and performance of the employees, and by ascertaining whether there is clear understanding of the terms of psychological contract involved in the performance appraisal meetings. It will be important to understand how these performance appraisal methods are being evaluated. The secondary research conducted on this topic, made use of a number of academic journals, articles and books related to the subject to monitor performance of appraisal techniques. The data collection procedure involves a quantitative questionnaire issued to the employees of Icelands, and a series of semi structured qualitative interviews. 1.2 The Importance of the Study The importance of the study is to understand the effect of performance appraisal on the psychological contract of the individual employee working in the retail food super stores. The method and the aim of the appraisal process is vital in giving training, motivation, confidence and job satisfaction to the employee as well as the rewards they get out of pay review. The author endeavours to find out what are the elements of the psychological contract of employee working in the retail food industry and whether or not it is affected by good or bad appraisal system used by the organisation. The primary research is conducted on the employees of the retail store to get the exact scenario of their present working conditions and their psychological contract with a focus on the performance review policy of the organisation. 1.3 Background of the company Investigated. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ so thats why mums go to Iceland! Iceland began business in 1970, when Malcolm Walker opened the first store in Oswestry, Shropshire with his business partners Peter Hinchcliffe, Colin Harris, Thomas Duffin and John Apthorp investing  £30 each. This was for only one months rent at their Shropshire store. They were all still employees of Woolworths at the time, and their employment was terminated once their employer discovered their job on the side. Iceland initially specialized in loose frozen food. By 1975, there were 15+ Iceland outlets in North Wales, with the first supermarket-style outlet opening in Manchester a couple of years later. The firms head office moved to Deeside, Flintshire in 1979. Iceland was floated on the London Stock Exchange in 1984, by which stage it had 81 outlets. In 1989 Iceland bought its competitor Bejam which was some three times larger in terms of business. By January 2004, the combined chain had 760 stores throughout the United Kingdom. Finding the retail market more hostile in the late 1990s, Iceland pursued avenues for differentiation. In 1998, the firm began to focus on providing organic food and genetically modified-free food. This policy saw the company convert its entire frozen vegetable range to organic in 2000. In 1999, Iceland launched what it claimed to be the first nationwide, free, online grocery shopping service. This tied in with the rebranding of all outlets under the Iceland.co.uk. However, the rebranding exercise appears to have been quietly abandoned in the early 2000s, as the unadorned Iceland name is now used more widely, although some stores still have the Iceland.co.uk name on display. Iceland was renamed the Big Food Group in Feb 2002, and attempted a refocus on the convenience sector with a bid for Londis. Grimsey remained until the takeover and demerger of the Big Food Group by a consortium led by the Icelandic company, Baugur Group in February 2005. Since Malcolm Walkers return to the company, Iceland has reduced the workforce by 500 jobs at the Deeside Head Office, with approximately 300 jobs moved in September as a result of a relocation of a distribution warehouse from Deeside to Warrington. During July 2006, 300 workers took industrial action with the support of their union, blocking several Lorries from entering the depot. Despite this, the transfer to Warrington took place and the new warehouse was later outsourced to DHL in April 2007. In January 2009, Iceland announced that it would buy 51 stores in the UK from the failed Woolworths Group chain; three days after the final 200 Woolworths stores closed their doors for the last time. In April 2009, Iceland announced plans to close its appliance showrooms by September 2009 to concentrate on food retailing. Icelands sales for the year ended 27 March 2009 were  £2.08 billion, a 16% increase on the previous year, with net profits of  £113.7 million. Iceland is a successful and growing business, and to maintain our momentum we want to help all our people to fulfil their ambitions and realise their potential.   We take pride in our training and development, and our 2009 staff survey showed that 87% of our employees considered that they had all the training they needed to do their job well.   In addition to paying close attention to the results of these regular surveys, we conduct individual performance reviews designed to identify strengths, ambition and potential, and are strongly committed to providing opportunities for those who wish to develop their careers within Iceland.   Over 60% of our store managers have attained their positions through internal promotion. Currently Iceland is having over 750 stores through out the UK. And more than 18000 employees work within Iceland food ltd. Iceland have employees hand book that is handed over to the employees during the induction. This employees handbook is basically designed for the frontline staffs, which includes the entire details of the induction procedure, probationary period, performance appraisal, disciplinary, dress policy, dignity at work and grievance procedures and other important elements of the contract. The entire information on the Icelands was known to the author with the help of store manager of the Iceland food ltd. And from the Iceland food ltd website and staff hand book. AIM The aim of the research is to investigate the effectiveness of appraisal method on the psychological contract between the employer and employee. Objectives To examine the concept and theories related to psychological contract. To examine the concept and theories related to performance appraisal. To describe and compare performance appraisal methods used by Iceland food ltd. To critically analyse the effect of performance appraisal method on psychological contract. 1.6 Overview of the Study The dissertation will be presented in a series of the following chapters. Brief description of each chapter is written below with a diagrammatic representation (Figure 1.0 and Table 1.0 Overview of the study). Chapter 1 Introduction Chapter 2 Literature Review Chapter 3 Methodology Chapter 4 Results Chapter 6 Conclusion and Recommendation Introduction: This chapter gives the introduction to the study, covering the aim and objectives of the study. It includes the statement of purpose and the background of the company investigated. Literature Review: This chapter provides the critical analysis of all the secondary research conducted by the author on the performance appraisal, psychological contract followed by the discussion of the effects of former on latter. Methodology: This chapter explains the research aim and the research process undertaken by the author to fulfil the research questions outlined in previous chapter. It also includes the primary method conducted by the author to gather the research data. Results: This chapter includes the findings of the primary research conducted by the author. It also includes the charts and graphs that explain the findings of the research. Discussion and Analyses: This chapter includes analyses of the finding of the primary research. It also includes the comments of the interviews as well as analyse the outcome of the survey conducted by the author. Conclusion and Recommendation: This is the final chapter of the study which will give a synopsis of all the findings and cross refer it with the objectives stated in the initial chapter. It will also offer the recommendations for further research. Chapter 5 Discussion and Analyses CHAPTER 2 LITERATURE REVIEW 2.0 Introduction A literature review as defined by Fink (2005:3) is a systematic, explicit and reproducible method for identifying, evaluating and synthesising the existing body of completed and recorded work produced by researchers, scholars and practitioners (Fink 2005, p.3) AIM The aim of the research is to investigate the effectiveness of appraisal method on the psychological contract between the employer and employee. Objectives To examine the concept and theories related to psychological contract. To examine the concept and theories related to performance appraisal. To describe and compare performance appraisal methods used by Iceland food ltd. To critically analyse the effect of performance appraisal method on psychological contract. To draw conclusion and make recommendation about the effectiveness performance appraisal method on the employees of Iceland food ltd. This section therefore, attempts to review some related literature relevant to this study. Moreover this literature review seeks to justify the uniqueness of this study in the light of the works of other known scholars in the field of performance assessment strategies on the psychological contract, focusing on the performance appraisal method used by Iceland food ltd, U.K. This section is arranged into themes in line with the research objectives and questions outlined in the preceding chapter. The review will begin with the purpose of the psychological contract and the appraisal method, followed by the different types of the appraisal methods. Then the performance appraisal method used by the Iceland food ltd U.K. will be critically reviewed and how the performance appraisal affect the psychological contract between the employer and employee will be discussed. Lastly the advantages and limitations of this factor and the importance of this study will be presented. In addition, a recent view is of Conway and Briner where they define : What Psychological Contract is ? To examine the concept of the psychological contract, a review of existing definitions and research needs to be assessed. Origins of the term psychological contract derived from Argyris in the 1960s who referred to it as the implicit understanding between a group of employees and their foreman, while Schein in 1965 further developed the concept focussing on the high level relationship between the employee and the organisation (Wellin 2007). Furthermore, Kotter in 1973 (as quoted within Roehling 1997) described the psychological contract as, an implicit contract between an individual and his organisation which specifies what each expects to give and receive from each other in their relationship. (Kotter as quoted within Roehling 1997 p.210) psychological contract as, the perceptions of the two parties, employee and employer, of what their mutual obligations are towards each other (Conway and Briner (2005) as quoted within CIPD 2009) However, Rousseau (1995) (as quoted in Guerrero and Herrbach 2007) believes that the psychological contract is formulated in the minds of the employees, individual beliefs, shaped by the organisation, regarding terms of an exchange agreement between individuals and their organisation. (Rousseau (1995) as quoted within Guerrero and Herrbach 2007 p.4) Taking all that into consideration, the nature of the psychological contract can be seen as the implicit unwritten expectations and beliefs that one holds in relation to their employment relationship. These contracts can be highly subjective and what makes them binding is what they are perceived to be (Hughes and Palmer 2007). Conway and Briner (2002) state that the beliefs refer to employee perceptions of the explicit and implicit promises regarding the exchange of the employee contributions such as effort, ability and loyalty for organisational inducements such as pay, promotion and security. Moreover, Bloisi, Cook and Hunsaker (2003) supports this statement by stipulating that workers are expected to input their skills, time, effort, commitment and loyalty to the organisation in return of wages, benefits, job security, opportunity to progress their achievement, power, status and affiliations. Witte et al. (2008) clarifies further that the idea of balance is key to these mutual exchanges within this dynamic and informal contract so that the employee feels that what is offered by the organisation balances what the individual brings to the relationship. Perceived imbalance could consequently result in the perception of contract violation. The CIPD (2005) highlighted a simplified Guest model (1996) of the p sychological contract as illustrated in Figure 2.1. The influencing factors that feed into the contract include the human resource practices, organisational content and the individual characteristics of the employee. The psychological contract content can be measured in terms of fairness of treatment, trust, and the amount of which the implicit deal or contract is perceived as being delivered in reflection of a set of obligations or some sort of exchange (Guest 1996). The outcomes as a result of the content of the contract are the employee attitudes and behaviours. The CIPD (2005) found that employees attitudes of trust, fairness and delivery of the deal are major determents to gaining a psychological contract which creates employee commitment and satisfaction. Robinson (1996) (as quoted within Bosch-Sjtsema 2007) claimed that expectations are often shaped by past experience, social norms and observations that are influencing factors to the contract. It was also asserted by Rousseau (2001) that these promise based psychological contracts take the form of a mental model or schema over time. She found that an employees pre-employment experiences, recruiting practices within the company and on the job socialisation as influencing factors to the formation of these schemas which may differ the content or form that an individuals psychological contract takes. 2.1 The Purpose of Psychological Contract According to Bloisi et al., (2003; p.123) the psychological contract is considered as workers implicit expectations about what they are expected to contribute to an organisation and what they will receive in return (Bloisi et al., 2003 p. 123) In a similar way Schein (1965) defined that The notion of a psychological contract implies that there is an unwritten set of expectations operating at all times between every member of an organisation and the various managers and others in that organisation (Schein 1965 as quoted within Armstrong 2003, p 297). According to Hiltrop (1995), it has been noticed there is a significant rate of change of the economic environment in which the organisations work during the last twenty years. Increasing competition, globalisation of markets has demanded greater flexibility and productivity of organisations, as well as new strategies focused on innovation and speed. In the psychological contract the perceived responsibility of an organization influenced by employees expectation ( Cheong Kim 2009). As a result, the terms of old psychological contract has changed radically which earlier gave security, stability and predictability to the relationship between employer and employee (Hiltrop, 1995 p. 286 287). Moreover, the above definition stated by Schein (1965) was amplified by Rousseau and Wade-Benzoni (1994) who stated that Psychological contracts refer to beliefs that individuals hold regarding promises made, accepted and relied upon themselves and another. (In case of organisations, these parties include an employee, client, manager, and/or organisation as a whole.) Because psychological contracts represent how people interpret promises and commitments, both parties in the same employment relationship (employer and employee) can have different views regarding specific terms. (Rousseau and Wade-Benzoni, 1994 p. 463-89) Guest and Conway (1998) summarise stating that since the psychological contract is not written down formally it lacks the characteristics of the formal contract due to which it has no beginning and no end and which is why it cannot be enforced in a court or a tribunal. Guest and Conway (1998) also believe that: The psychological contract is best seen as a metaphor; a word or a phrase borrowed from another context which help us make sense of our experience. The psychological contract is a way of interpreting the state of the employment relationship and helping to plot significant changes (Guest and Conway, 1998 as quoted in Armstrong, 2003 p. 298). 2.1.1 The importance of Psychological Contract The importance of the psychological contract was emphasized by Schein (1965) suggests that the extent to which people work effectively and are committed to the organisation depends on the degree to which their own expectation of what the organisation will provide them and in return what the organisation expects of them; and the nature of what actually is exchanged for example, money in exchange for time at work, security in exchange for hard work and loyalty, and various combinations of other things (Schein, 1965 as quoted within Armstrong, 2003, p 299). The HR profession will have significant role to play in the management and balancing of the general or specific psychological contracts of employees. The HR function can act as a focal point for helping to discover employees expectations through collective channels or individual mechanisms, while seeking to provide for the meeting of employees expectations (e.g. Sims, 1994) (Holden and Breadwell, 2001 p. 546). The HR professionals must make sure that different facets of human resource management and the different managers shape and support the psychological contracts in consistent, integrated and balanced manner, (Rousseau and Greller, 1994 p. 385-401). If employees feel that their psychological contract has been disrupted or breached, and then they may withhold or withdraw from the relationships, consciously or unconsciously, (Spindler, 1994: 326- 327). 2.1.2 The Guest model of Psychological Contract This model was formulated by Guest et al, 1996 suggests that the contract should be measured in terms of fairness of treatment, trust, and the extent to which the explicit deal or contract is perceived to be delivered. Figure 2.1: A Model of the psychological contract Causes Organisational culture HRM policy and practice Experience Expectations Alternatives Consequences Fairness Trust The delivery of the deal Content Organisational citizenship Organisational commitment Motivation Satisfaction and well-being Source: Guest et al, 1996 The simplified Guest model of the psychological contract as illustrated above in Figure 2.1 (as quoted in CIPD 2006) defines it in terms of linkage between the inputs, being the HR practices; the employee features and the companys characteristics together with the content, being the fairness and trust and finally the outputs being the employees behaviour; work performance and delivery. ODonnell and Shields (2002) believes that Guests extended model of the psychological contract (from employee perspective) represents a particularly useful way of understanding the attitudinal and behavioural impact of employment practices at the level of the individual employee (Guest 1998: 659-60) Hiltrop (1995) states that this psychological contract has two important aims, the first for providing a gauge for employers of the type of outputs they are going to obtain from employees and secondly by employees contributing their time and effort for the level of rewards they will receive. 2.1.3 The changing nature of the Psychological Contract According to Hiltrop (1995), there is considerable evidence that shows the changing of the psychological contract in the past decades. Now the employers want to know in advance the outcome of the employees efforts and employees want to know what reward he will get in exchange of the hard work and time spend in the organisation. De Meuse and Tornow (1990) stated that since the 1970s, however, the force that connect employers and employees has become severely stressed organisations deal with the need to cut costs and enhance efficiency, have ever more compacted their workforce and eradicated some of the elements (job security, regular promotions up the corporate ladder, annual wage increases, cheap mortgages, etc.) offered as a rule to employees in the earlier decades (De Meuse and Tornow 1990 p. 203-13). Moreover, people fill in the blanks along the way, and they sometimes do so inconsistently (Rousseau, 1994 as quoted in Hiltrop, 1995 p. 287). In addition to the above context, Kolb et al., (1991) have pointed out that a company staffed by cheated individuals who expect far more than they get is headed for trouble (Kolb et al., 1991 as stated in Hiltrop, 1995 p.287). Conversely, optimistically, some organisations are trying to develop steps that can increase mutuality and to endow with scale for tangential career development and enhance knowledge and skills through opportunities for learning. It has been recognised that the organisations can no longer provide a guaranteed long term job to the employees; they have to take responsibilities to build their skills and give a path for career development. In other words they take steps to improve employability (Armstrong, 2003 p. 302). Two diagrammatic representations are given below which shows the differences between the old and new employment contract by Kissler (1994) and the changing nature of the psychological contract by Hiltrop (1995). Figure 2.2: Difference between the old and new contract. OLD Relationship is predetermined and imposed You are who you work for and what you do Loyalty is defined by performance Employees who do what they are told will work till retirement NEW Relationship is mutual and negotiated You are defined by multiple roles, many external to the organisation Loyalty is defined by output and quality People and skills only needed when required Long-term employment is unlikely; expect and prepare for multiple relationships Source: Kissler, 1994, p. 335-52 Figure 2.3: Changing Psychological Contract . FROM Imposed relationship (compliance, command and control) Permanent employment relationship Focus on promotion Finite job duties Meet job requirements Emphasise on job security and loyalty to the company Training provided by organisation TO Mutual relationship (commitment, participation and involvement) Variable employment relationship people and skills only obtained or retained when required Focus on lateral career development Multiple roles Add value Emphasis on employability and loyalty to own career and skills Opportunities for self-managed learning Source: Hiltrop 1995, p 286-294. Hiltrop (1995) also suggests that a new psychological contract is emerging which is more situational and short term that assumes that each party is less dependent on the other for survival and growth. This new contract was described by Hiltrop (1995) as a worker being employed as long as they provide added value to the company and in return they expect the right to demand interesting and important work with the freedom and resources to perform it well along with performance related pay and training and development. However Armstrong (2006) argued that this could hardly be classified as a balanced contract because employers still dictate their workers employment terms and conditions apart from cases where workers are in demand and there is little supply of skills. Mant (1996) (as quoted within Armstrong 2006) classified workers as resources that are acquired or divested according to shortterm economic circumstances, therefore having little influence over the terms of the contract that their employer offers them. Additionally Taylor (2008) claims that the new relationship is less emotional and is simply an economic exchange, thus moving from relational to transactional. Organisations that are now adopting the rationale behind the use of the flexible firm model (Atkinson 1984) will have developed diverse types of psychological contracts among their workforce. Rousseau and Wade-Benzoni (1995) (as quoted within McDonald and Making 2000) found that temporary staff usually have a transactional contract with significance given to the economic elements of the contract, whilst permanent staff are more likely to have a relational contract involving commitment to the organisation. Additionally Guest (2004) found that the content of temporary workers psychological contract is narrower, transactional and easier to manage on both the employers and employees behalf which temporary workers preferred. An investigation into the company Flexco (Saunders and Thornhill 2005) found that forced change within the company structure through downsizing changed the psychological contract of those on permanent and temporary employment contracts. After the changes it was reported that the temporary workers contained mostly transactional expectations and most permanent employees were found to have relational expectations. However, there were a few exceptions regarding permanent employees, who felt that the changes had violated their contract in terms of interpersonal treatment. These employees felt insecure, and worried that they may face a temporary contract in the future, which emphasises that they no longer felt as though their job was secure. 2.2 The purpose of the performance appraisal. Performance assessment is one of the many people management techniques that classify and order individual hierarchically (Townley, 1994, p.33). A performance appraisal is the process by which a manager evaluates an employees work performance by measurement and comparison with previously established standards (Palmer, 1991 p. 1). According to Palmer (1991), there are two major purpose of conducting performance appraisals. One purpose is to provide the information for the administrative decision making such as the increment of salary, bonuses, promotion and the administrative actions that can be brought by the work performance of the employee. This also helps the organisation to decide whether to introduce for instance, a new incentive system or to improve the present pay and promotion methods. In other words, it is a vehicle to validate and refine organisational actions. For example, it has been noticed in the appraisal data that one of the employee has constant conflicts with the fellow colleague or with the supervisor or manager. Some options can be concluded from the above case, which is, showing more importance to the interpersonal skill while recruiting the new staff or encouraging the present employee to attend the sessions on the conflict management offered by various colleges or providing the employee with one-to-one counselling (Billikopf, 2003 p. 60). The other major purpose is to provide feedback to the employees on their work performance based on the standards established on the job description and analysis. Feedback provided by the supervisor or the manager give the employees an opportunity to develop their career path within the organisation. Feedback can be positive or constructive. Positive appraisal has many benefits and beneficiar

Sweat By Zora Neale Hurston :: essays research papers

Delia, a flower in a rough of weeds. That is what I got from this story in one sentence, although knowing my grammar possibly not. Hurston’s tale of a shattered woman, gives us a glimpse into what was possibly the life of women at that time. There were many convictions against men in the story, although it may have been unintentional, not to say she was a hard-core feminist there were episodes of male remorse. Narrator, this was a third person account, thus leaving much to the imagination. The conversation’s language was left as if truly taken from an African American speaker in the south in such a time. The way Hurston made the scenery appear before me was like a white sheet gets stained with red wine, unable to wash out of my mind. The narration was very brut in a grammatical manner, giving a wash bucket effect of never being settled. Many of the story’s aspects were dominated by setting a slow rise and crashing climax. There were many such climaxes, Pg. 2, Pg. 7, and Pg. 9, give this such evidence. The flow kept me interested, and would grasp my attention as a TV show would. Although is context was far from a TV show. There was much talk about civil lifestyles by the town folk, which were a particularly an odd selection of people to intervene in such a story. Although the reaction witnessed by this allowed us to get another insight, from a second person perspective. Hurston was very clear about here point of irony, especially by the ending. Hurston kept constant the folk lore style of story telling, by keeping a moral to the story. Many of the stories aspects in moral were shown indistinctively. There were not many hidden messages, Hurston made the story clear to let us easily grasp the moral. There were fore-telling of the end through out the story, such as in the 1st paragraph Pg.

Video Game Violence Essay -- Social Issues

It seems like everything coming out about video games is bad. A student tried to kill his fellow classmates, and he was an avid Call of Duty player. A study has been released that proves that playing video games will turn you into a criminal. The many benefits of games and gaming, such as their possible applications to education and their ability to tell more complex stories than other forms of media, are almost universally ignored. I know better, though. Between the lifetime I’ve spent playing and loving video games, and the articles I’ve found, I can tell you that video games do not cause violent behavior or thoughts. First of all, to assess the opposite claim: video games, especially popular ones, tend to be violent, using fighting as a tool to provide a player with challenges. This typically involves shooting opponents to death, though many games set in different times allow the player to use swords, bows, and a variety of different medieval weapons. Such violent games are also often portrayed in the first person, in order to increase the immersion of the game world. With all this in mind, it’s argued, there certainly must be some sort of effect on the people playing these games. Being exposed to violence in such a personal and increasingly realistic manner has to make people more violent and aggressive.(Bickham) The only problem is that’s not the case. Studies have tested this theory extensively, and overall, the verdict is that we’re not sure. Studies have been released that both defended and refuted the â€Å"video games cause violence† argument. However, it’s interesting to note some things regarding the studies. One, the metric used to gauge the aggression of the participants is unreliable at best; a person punching a Boz... ...whole, including engaging and interesting stories and opportunities to better educate students. Works Cited Bickham, David S. "Testimony before Senate Judiciary Committee Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights, and Property Rights." (2006). Opposing Viewpoints Resource Center. Web. 7 Mar. 2006. Ferguson, Christopher J. "Video Games: The Latest Scapegoat for Violence." Chronicle of Higher Education 53 (2007). Opposing Viewpoints Resource Center. Web. 7 Mar. 2012. Kushner, David. "Off Target." Electronic Gaming Monthly Aug. 2007: 12-16. Opposing Viewpoints Resource Center. Web. 7 Mar. 2012. Portnow, James, Daniel Floyd, and Allison Theus. "Extra Credits." - PATV. Penny Arcade, Inc. Web. 15 Mar. 2012. Wilson, Lee. "Getting It Wrong: Slaying Myths about Video Games." Technology and Learning 15 Sept. 2007. Opposing Viewpoints. Web. 7 Mar. 2012.

andy warhol Essay -- essays research papers

Andy Warhol, the American painter, printmaker, illustrator, and film maker was born in Pittsburgh on August 6, 1928, shortly afterwards settling in New York. The only son of immigrant, Czech parents, Andy finished high school and went on to the Carnegie Institute of Technology in Pittsburgh, graduating in 1949 with hopes of becoming an art teacher in the public schools. While in Pittsburgh, he worked for a department store arranging window displays, and often was asked to simply look for ideas in fashion magazines . While recognizing the job as a waste of time, he recalls later that the fashion magazines â€Å"gave me a sense of style and other career opportunities.† Upon graduating, Warhol moved to New York and began his artistic career as a commercial artist and illustrator for magazines and newspapers. Although extremely shy and clad in old jeans and sneakers, Warhol attempted to intermingle with anyone at all who might be able to assist him in the art world. His portfolio secure in a brown paper bag, Warhol introduced himself and showed his work to anyone that could help him out. Eventually, he got a job with Glamour magazine, doing illustrations for an article called â€Å"Success is a Job in New York,† along with doing a spread showing women’s shoes. Proving his reliability and skills, he acquired other such jobs, illustrating adds for Harpers Bazaar, Millers Shoes, contributing to other large corporate image-building campaigns, doing designs for the Upjohn Company, the National Broadcasting Company and others. In these early drawings, Warhol used a device that would prove beneficial throughout his commercial art period of the 1950’s-a tentative, blotted ink line produced by a simple monotype process. First he drew in black ink on glazed, nonabsorbent paper. Then he would press the design against an absorbent sheet. As droplets of ink spread, gaps in the line filled in-or didn’t, in which case they created a look of spo ntaneity. Warhol mastered thighs method, and art directors of the 1950’s found in adaptable to nearly any purpose. This method functioned provided him with a hand-scale equivalent of a printing press, showing his interest in mechanical reproduction that dominates much of his future work. Such techniques used for almost all of his works derived from his beginning in the commercial arts. His pattern of aesthetic and artistic innovation, to â€Å"expect ... ...y not have been completely random. Throughout the Death and Disaster paintings, Warhol makes use of background color to serve various functions. Mostly, throughout the series, he avoids the use of primary colors, using mainly secondaries, such as oranges, lavenders, and pinks, the types of colors â€Å"you would expect to find in a wallpaper store.† His use of background color in the Death and Disaster paintings is mostly extrinsic to the content of the images. In some, such as â€Å"Lavender Disaster,† the background color seems to intensify the effect of alienation created by the realism of the visual content. In others, such as â€Å"Atomic Bomb,† the red-orange color serves a supporting role. The images Warhol selected for these paintings were gruesome, though he showed again his brilliant eye for such images so effective in shocking the viewer. â€Å"With an eye for the eccentricity of an individual event, Warhol’s paintings capture the unpredict able choreography of death.† Using a broad range of images, from car crashes, suicides, burn victims, funerals, riots, to the culmination with the atomic bomb, Warhol succeeded in giving the viewer what one expected of Warhol; to expect the unexpected.

Whywhy Children Should Play or Organized Sports

Why Children Should Play School or Organized Sport â€Å"Research has shown that participation in outside of school sports and or other organized sports is associated with lower dropout rates, reduced problem behaviors, and increased school performance. Children build interpersonal skills, positive assets needed to become active and productive young adults. Studies suggest that children who are involved with after school sports or organized sports have higher self esteem, lower depression rates and have better opportunities for optimal growth and development†. Howie, 2009) Children should play school sports or organized sports, because sports improve children’s self esteem, sports teach children skills that they can use to become leaders, and sports give children the exercise they need to stay healthy. Although, school sports or organized sports help children with their self esteem, teach children to be team players and give children the exercise to stay healthy there a re cons to playing sports. School sports or organized sports are commitments that a child needs to make.When there is a child that is going to play sports, the family also needs to be a part of the team as well. Playing sports is time consuming and takes a lot of time from be able to do other things outside of sports. It is important that the child and parents know the length of the season, the practice schedule and game schedule to make sure that there is time for family time too. It is also important that when a child has decided to play a sport that the entire family is willing to be a part of the team as well. School sports and or organized sports are wonderful to help increase self esteem in children.When children have a high level of self esteem they reduce the chances of depression and anxiety. Children that play school sports or organized sports have a high level of self esteem and do well in school; it helps children to become problem solvers and gives children encouragemen t to do well in school. It has been proven that children that participate in school sports or organized sports earn better grades, have better behaviors in and out of the classroom, and there is a lower rate of them dropping out of school. School sports or organized sports keep hildren going to school on a regular basis with fewer unexcused days missed, because they know that if they are not in school they are going to miss the opportunity to play with their team. â€Å"Furthermore, non participants of school sports or organized sports were more likely to drop of school; children were more likely to smoke cigarettes, more likely to become teen parents and more likely to be arrested than children who are sport participants†. (Donaldson, 2007) School sports or organized sports gives children skills to become team members and helps children to become leaders.Children that play school sports or organized sports learn skills that they can use their entire lives. â€Å"Development al benefits include: developing individual and team goals, meeting deadlines, working as a team, learning to perform under pressure, dealing with adversity, handling success and failure, developing self confidence, developing decision making strategies, and learning communication skills†. (Zaichowsky, 2007) School sports or organized sports are a wonderful way to encourage children to learn skills to become leaders in today’s society.After children graduate from high school and continue on to college, they are going to be able to take the skills that they have learned with them to the â€Å"Real World†. When children play school sports or organized sports they know that they are part of a team and that their team needs them. They need to make sure that they go to practice, go to school and make sure that they get good grades so that they are eligible to play in their games. Sports give children the feeling of membership and know that they are needed to complete a task from start to finish. Playing sports starts a foundation for children to be leaders.As children grow older and are learning the skills to become better adults, it is important that they understand that the younger generations are going to look up to them for guidance. They need to take their skills that they have learned and teach it to the younger children that are looking up to them for guidance. They have been taught the skills to be good role models for the next generation. Although school sports or organized sports teaches children lessons in life to be successful human beings, the most important reason that children should play sports is to be healthy. When children are school sports or rganized sport teams, they are going to get the exercise that they need to get healthy and stay healthy. â€Å"An increase in physical activity has many health benefits: it lowers the risk of obesity, coronary heart disease, type II diabetes, hypertension, and osteoporosis†. (Colla rd, 2008) Exercise teaches children to be physical fit, but also teaches children that nutrition is also important. Child obesity is on the rise in the United States. In today’s society we lead very busy lives and it is convenient to stop at fast food restaurants between work, home and sporting events to pick up dinner.Also, there are a lot of entertaining shows on television that children are interested in watching. We can help our children become healthier by leading healthy lifestyles as a family. Exercising is important to keep children fit and healthy to prevent injuries. Injuries can happen to healthy children do, but the risk is higher for children that are not in physical shape. Everyone should have at least 20 to 30 minutes of cardiovascular exercise each day, when children are playing school sports or organized sports they are exercising and having fun at the same time.Children should play school sports or organized sports to make sure that they get enough exercise. The word exercise to children sounds like work, however when they are playing sports they are exercising and getting into shape without knowing it. The importance of limiting television time and playing games on the computer or other gaming systems would be helpful to children too. When children are not playing school sports or organized sports, they should be encouraged to go for walk, go for a bike ride, take their dog for a walk or simply run up and down a set of stairs.By playing school sports or organized sports it is easier for children to get the exercise they need, but when they are not playing they also need to make sure they get the exercise they need to stay in shape. Physical Education classes in school help children, but there are schools in our country that are cutting PE classes from their budgets. School sports are great to get children exercising during the season but once the season ends it is just as important that they stay fit and healthy for the next season.Th ere has been a drop in the number of students enrolled in daily physical education classes, so that one in four children do not attend any school physical education class. Seventy percent of children drop out of sports by the age of 13. Nearly half of young people ages 12 through 21, and more than one-third of high school students do not participate in any vigorous physical activity on a regular basis. Fewer than one out of four children get 20 minutes of vigorous daily activity. The percentage of overweight young Americans has more than doubled in the past 30 years†. Engle, 2010) Children that play school sports or organized sports have a better chance of getting the exercise that they need compared to students that do not play sports. For children that don’t play sports, it is important that they are encouraged to join some other activity that involved daily exercise to keep children fit and healthy.In conclusion school sports or organized sports is wonderful for chil dren to learn tools that they are going to use through their childhood, but most importantly they are going to be able to take these tools and use them through the entire life. Sports participation is a major factor in the development of most American children. About 20 million American children ages 6 through 16 plays organized out of school sports, and about 25 million youth play competitive school sports. 30 to 45 million kids’ ages 6 through 18 participate in at least one school or community based athletic program†. (Engle, 2010) School sports or organized sports improve children’s self esteem levels, gives children the tools and lessons to become a leader and also allows children time to get the exercise that they need to get and stay healthy.When children have a high level of self esteem they do better in school and have more confidence. School sports or organized sports are a wonderful tool that is used to help children achieve their goals.

Corrido and Conjunto

Relate each of the three music genres that developed on the Texas-Mexican border to its cultural background and the group associated with its widespread acceptance and dissemination. How did it change over time? Corrido The corrido has roots back to Spanish descendents in the 12th century. By the 15th century, the style was more developed; but the corrido really emerged after the Mexican-American War in 1846. This style became very popular in the late 19th and early 20th centuries in Mexico, and eventually Texas.The corrido showcased the change in the role of Mexicans in relation to Americans. Songs often spoke of events, tragedies, or conflicts. The songs were very racially focused and would often act as protest to the social prejudices that they faced. After World War II, the theme changed to cover the necessary changes in social structure. The reading â€Å"The New Chicano Heroic Corrido† by Jose Villarino discusses studies by Vicente Mendoza, the leading scholar in studies of the corrido. Mendoza finds that the subject of the corrido has constantly changed over time.He lists many topics that have been the focus of corrido music over the years: historical, revolutionaries, bravery, killings, political, robbers, jailing, rapes, persecutions, murders, evil, tragedies, horses, and a number of other categories. The reading also states, â€Å"Another category of corridos is that of focusingon women heroines instead of the traditional male heroes. One singer who made corridos popular was Lydia Mendoza. She is given credit for over 200 songs. She sang and accompanied herself by playing a 12-string guitar. Corrido used to just be sung a cappella, but she helped change this part of the culture of the corrido. Basis was founded by Spanish descendents in 1100-1200 AD * Well developed by 15th century * Emerged after Mex-Am War (1846-1848) * Became very popular in late 19th, early 20th century in Mexico * Documented change in role of Mexicans in relation to Ameri cans * Very racially focused (social protest agains prejudice) * After WWII, new theme, changes in social structure Conjunto The conjunto style of music began in the late 19th century along the Mexican-American border. It was a style of music for the working class that was made up of the accordion and the bajo sexto.The bajo sexto was originally used as a bass, but then became more commonly used as a regular guitar. In the 1930s, it spread through the southwestern United States with the help of the father of conjunto music, Narciso Martinez. He focused his music around a fast-paced accordion. Valerio Longoria added onto what Martinez began. Often referred to as the genius of conjunto, he tweaked his accordion to make it sound a bit different, and people have been trying to replicate it ever since. He also added drums and vocals to the music, which it didn’t have when the genre began.His music thrived after the Second World War. He helped raise the music to a higher level, but not to the upper class. The reading â€Å"Musica Fronteriza/Border Music† by Manuel Pena hinted at the causes of conjunto music. It states, â€Å"It is critical to an understanding of the conjunto’s significance that its complex social context be taken into account. Its emergence was a response to interethnic conflict of course, but it was, above all, a response to intra-ethnic class friction. † This was why it did not want to be seen as a song for those of the upper class.The working class took pride in their conjunto. Eventually, a man named Flacco Jimenez, advanced the genre more, by combining tejano music with country/western music from American popularity. * Emerged in the late 19th century along the border * Bajo Sexto, first used as bass, then as guitar * Humble, rural origins * Working class dance music * In 1930s, spread through Southwest US (Arizona, Cali, etc) * Narciso Martinez, father of conjunto music, focused on fast-paced accordion * Valerio Lon goria, tweaked his accordion, people have been trying to replicate it ever since.Added drums. * Genius of conjunto music, added vocals, thrived in post WWII. Raised to a higher value, but not upper class. Orquesta Speaking of upper class, this was where the orquesta thrived. It was developed in the 1930s, to give the upper class Mexicans a version of American ballroom dances, such as the swing and waltz. Many orquesta bands played the popular American songs, but new songs were also made, and were a good bit more popular. Noted by Pena in an interview with a member of an orquesta band, â€Å"The first hour we play nothing but American music and nobody’s dancing.Then we take off with Los Laureles, El Abandonado Ranchera, everybody starts dancing. † These songs are examples of orquesta dances such as Danzon, Bolero, Rumba, and Guaracha. In the 60s and 70s, orquesta is said to have fused with American jazz and rock. Pena again notes, â€Å"The old fashioned orquestas disa ppeared soon after the advent of the Mexican-American Generation. They were replaced by the surging, modern-style orquestas, which were capable not only of keeping alive the Mexican-Americans’ musical roots, but also of catering to the new generation’s more modern and Americanized outlook. In the 1940s and 50s, a man named Beto Villa (the father of the Mexican-American orquesta) mixed the Tex-Mex Polka style with American swing and foxtrot, creating a very new version of orquesta music. In the 60s and 70s, Little Joe Hernandez and his family became a very popular orquesta band. Compare and contrast the three styles in terms of form, lyrics, instrumentation and performance practice. Corrido (Ballad) The term Corrido described a type of song that was often very racially focused, telling a story about the prejudice that the Mexican-Americans were facing (this was especially true after World War II).The song El Corrido de Joaquin Murrieta told a story about a thief that th ey often referred to as the â€Å"Mexican Robin Hood. † Another song, El Corrido de Kiansis detailed a cattle drive by Americans that was going very poorly. Thirty American cattle drivers were failing to control the 500 cattle, but then five Mexicans showed up and had the cattle rounded up in 15 minutes. There were also Jarchas that told a story about the composer’s feelings or thoughts. They were often written in Strophic form based on copla, which had 4 lines, 8 syllables per line, and rhymed every 2nd and 4th line.They used to be sung a cappella, but are now often accompanied by a guitar. One artist that made this very popular was Lydia Mendoza who sang and played a 12-string guitar. She had over 200 songs to her name. Corridos were usually sung in any manner that befit the passing of a story, like while traveling, around a campfire, or just at home. Lyrics were passed orally and this often lead to words being changed over the years. * Very racially focused (social protest agains prejudice) * Strophic Form * Jarchas (songs about the composer’s feeling, thoughts, and ideas) * Told a story Based on copla (4 lines, 8 syllables, 2&4 rhyme) * Sung A Capella, now some include guitar * El Corrido de Kiansis (Cattle Drivers failed, mexicans succeed) * El Corrido de Joaquin Murrieta (Mexican Robin Hood) * Lydia Mendoza, singer and 12 string guitar (200+ songs) * Performance Practice: Passed orally, often changing words, sang while traveling, at home, etc. Telling story. Conjunto The conjunto was considered the soul of tejano music. It was a type of dance music meant for the cantina, bar, or party (eventually, it would make its way to concerts).These songs originated without lyrics, as words would cause it to become more upper-class. However, eventually the songs would develop lyrics about common life, working, and women, which kept it from becoming upper-class. The reading â€Å"Musica Fronteriza/Border Music† by Manuel Pena hinted at the causes of conjunto music. It states, â€Å"It is critical to an understanding of the conjunto’s significance that its complex social context be taken into account. Its emergence was a response to interethnic conflict of course, but it was, above all, a response to intra-ethnic class friction. They were written in strophic form. Instruments for the conjunto included the accordion and bajo sexto (which was originally used as a bass, but was eventually used as a guitar). A famous accordion was that of Valerio Longoria, the genius of conjunto music. He tweaked his accordion to sound different, and people have been trying to replicate it ever since. He also added drums to the conjunto scene. Flacco Jimenez was also very important to the advancement of conjunto music, as he combined it with Country Western music from America (most notably Johnny Cash’s Ring of Fire). The soul of Tejano music * Dance music * Cantina music * Songs about women and life * For the working class * Valerio Longoria, tweaked his accordion, people have been trying to replicate it ever since. Added drums. * Genius of conjunto music, added vocals, thrived in post WWII. * Flacco Jimenez (Ring of Fire), combined tejano with country music, big time performer * Little Joe Hernandez, kinda orquesta, but also referenced in conjunto * Strophic form * Didn’t have lyrics at first, thought lyrics were for the wealthy * Added lyrics about life, women, troubles, etc. Used to be bajo sexto and accordion, then added drums and guitar and many other simple intruments * Shows, cantinas, parties, bars * Orquesta The orquesta walks the thin line between Mexican and American culture. It combines the tejano music with the style of American ballroom varieties. The orquesta was centered around the upper-class Mexicans as their version of an American ballroom dance. It began with violin, but eventually added brass, percussion, and other big band instruments. It incorporated the likes of waltz a nd swing music.When learning about the orquesta in class, Leah had said that there was no form. Orquesta music was used in upper-class parties or balls. Unlike other tejano music, it was not passed down by ear. Since this was the upper class, sheet music was used to pass down the songs. * Upper class dance music * Started with violin * Added brass, percussion, big band instruments * Incorporated waltz, swing, etc * Leah said there was no â€Å"form Compare and contrast the religious traditions of Afro Cuban Santaria and African American Christian slaves on southern plantationsThe Santaria is the largest Afro-Cuban religion, and is the Cuban mix of Yoruba spirituality with Roman Catholicism. The first thing I noticed was different between the Afro Cuban Santaria and African American slaves was the role of race. This undoubtably played a big role in their religion as well. In Cuba, it is said that race was not an issue as it was in America. Since religion was so often used by slaves as a way to stay optimistic about their situation, this was a clear difference. Another difference was the worship of Orishas, which the Cubans believed to be a spirit or deity that reflects one of the manifestations of God.In a way, this can be compared to a Saint in the Catholic Church. The Godess of Love and Fertility in Afro-Cuban worship was called Oshun. It was said that this was one of the first Orishas that an outsider would discover. As African American slaves were not allowed to use drums with their songs, the Afro-Cubans would use Bata drums that are said to hold an indwelling deity named Ana. These were drums sacred to their religion, and used for funerals, initiations, and other important ceremonies.Contrasting from regular sacraments of the Christian faith, the Afro-Cubans had an event called the Toque de Santo. It is an anniversary of initiation to honor the spirits. There is singing and dancing accompanied by the Bata drums. This ceremony would create an altered stat e of consciousness that they believed to be involved with spirit possession. This altered state of spirit possession was also present with African American Christian slaves. Trace the evolution and development of the Steel Band. Trace the evolution and development of the Calypso.

Mgx Assignment

Negotiated Agreements/eliminative/Protective Techniques of Long-term Strategies ill. Use of Personal Relationships lb. Proactive Strategies 1 OFF it. Development Introduction The world of business is becoming overcrowded every day, and companies have to develop strategies on a global basis. Political, legal, cultural and economic circumstances vary significantly around the world. Even though investing in an international market may require intensive capital, the reward of such a business ay be enormous.The sale of products and services in another country enables the company to increase its sales, expand the products life cycle, improve brand recognition, and reduce the risks of operating in a single market (Hill, 2009). Before choosing a foreign country for business, numerous aspects have to be considered. For instance, one must consider the nature of politics in that country as well as the political risks involved. Political risks entail the hazardous impacts that political events o r decisions may have on a business. Such risks range from corruption, tax laws, and protests to wars.To manage these risks, companies must carry out comprehensive research beforehand. Some countries may be extremely conservatives while others may be easy to do business (Harrison, 2009). This paper will examine the political aspects affecting entry into an emerging country in comparison to entry into a less developed country. Special attention will be given to Brazil and Bangladesh. Political Aspects Related to Brazil There are different political systems in Brazil that are likely to affect business. To certain extent, these risks subject the country's investors and their investment at take.An examination of Brazier's political environment indicates that Brazil is a federal republic made up of 26 states and a capital district. It has a dynamic multi- party system of government with twenty parties represented within its congress, this is to suggest that it is a democratic state. The q uality and effectiveness of the government services and infrastructure are continuously being improved by the government Jeffrey, 2011). Despite the massive improvements that have been witnessed in Brazil, the country still grapples with corruption related risks that may hinder business.These cases were most prevalent during the reign of the former president Luis Niacin â€Å"Lull† Dad Silva. After taking office in 2002, the president was instrumental in improving the country's poor economic condition. However, scandals tainted his presidency especially in 2007 when it was discovered that government officials were participating in trade of municipal properties. Political protests are a common sight in the streets of key cities in Brazil. This is usually done by local groupings pushing for certain agendas to be addressed by the government.Such protestors' tendency to involve violence, looting and destruction of property. For instance, Brazil witnessed a considerable number of protests against ALCOA which intended to set up a hydroelectric power plant in the country in 2004. The protests were sparked by the environmental groups who wanted the company to consider mitigating environmental damages in its project (Hill, 2009). Another risk of doing businesses in Brazil is that of rampant police brutality and gang violence. It is estimated that approximately 50,000 homicides are reported every year in the country.It is also alleged that the police are often behind numerous extra judicial executions. This has tainted the image of what is by far one of the most prominent economies in Latin America (Hefted, 2007). While the country presents numerous reasons that defend its position as a strong market, entry requires extensive research and planning. Regardless of the company's consideration, be it acquisitions or restructuring, it needs to understand the strategic and fiscal impact of such decisions and the fore mentioned implementation risks.Appreciating where th e opportunities and risks are positioned, the size of each opportunity and what opponents are doing will arm the company with the confidence to enter the Brazilian arrest (Derek, 2006). Political Aspects Related to Bangladesh Like Brazil, Bangladesh has also experienced massive growth in its political systems. For instance, the country has witnessed the transition of power to democratically elected leaders. Despite this significant change, there are still confrontational tendencies within the political front.In 2007, for instance, the government was forced to declare a state of emergency after the opposition protested against the ruling presidency of Sheik Hessian Waged. This has, over the course of time, had negative repercussions on foreign business growth (Theodore, 010). Moreover, party politics between the opposition Bangladesh Nationalists Party (BAN) and Bangladesh Miami League (AL) remain rife. It seems neither of the two can back down from confrontations on how to run the g overnment. The ongoing trails on war crimes too catalyst the political unrests.In fact, these tribunals still have a long way to go before issue of verdicts. However, the courts already issued the first ruling which is expected to stabilize the political air. This goes a distance to remove the fear that Psalmists wars could have begun. The political climate is relatively tense for doing business. Recent cases of violence have been reported in areas around Southeast Chitchatting. Such violence is characterized by ethnic clashes between those in support of a democratic regime and those who desire the status quo to remain. The political risk is further heightened by a high level of poverty and inflation.It is estimated that roughly one in every three Bangladesh is afflicted with abject poverty. Moreover, thousands demonstrate in the streets against the arrest of their trade-union leader. Significantly, the government loses grip of maintaining law and order hence scaring off possible in vestors. It is no doubt that a country that lacks democratic systems and effective leadership is bound to repel economic growth. Political risks play a significant role of barring investors from investing in the country for fear that their businesses would be at stake.This comparison has shown the aspects of doing business in both Brazil and Bangladesh. Over the past decade, Brazil has become a progressively attractive and profitable market for international companies. More companies are seen to shift their focus on this emerging economy. Entering Brazil is good, however it's not easy cause of the immense competition and the availability of business know-how among other reasons (Peabody, 2005). On the other hand, Bangladesh is a less developed country whose economy major depends on the garments industry.Entry into this country is relatively easy because government restrictions are not deterrent to foreign business. All the same, Brazil is a favorite of many because of the immense po tential for profitability. Regardless of a relatively splendid performance in the last two decades, the Bangladesh economy is plagued with numerous structural weaknesses, which are yet to be addressed. Some of the significant issues include an incapacitated public sector, intellectualized financial sector, lack of export diversification, poor infrastructure, and pervasive corruption (Scheme, 2004).The failure of the government to address these long-standing problems has adversely affected the investment environment. On the other hand, Brazier's problems are on a lower scale, and the government is seen to put structures in place in order to develop all of its sectors. Compared to Brazil, Bangladesh is a poor economy characterized by a vast population living in rural areas. The main economic activity is agriculture armament manufacturing, but many businesses are seen to shift into the service and production industries. The case of Brazil is that of relative advancement.The country has a mature democracy, sustainable infrastructure and relative ease of doing business. Overcoming Political Risks Multi-national companies wishing to invest in the foreign market must develop long-term strategies based on intensive market research. They must be able to exercise their existing position relatively well and ensure they maximize on their experience in order to succeed. Depending on existing strategies, companies should insider entering into a venture arrangement with the local representatives or distributors.This is cheaper and will be made easier if the venture company operates the same business. However, any contract agreement should include terms that permit for local production through a Joint venture, an acquisition, or a new plant. Additionally, when entering through these avenues, companies should always embark on a due diligence assessment and channel analysis. This will go a long way in managing any potential political risks (Guppy, 2006). The use of existing adv antages within the multinational company will enable it to have a bargaining rower over the foreign nation.This will work well with corporations who have large economies of scale that can enable them to influence key business decisions in the host country (Hill, 2009). An entry strategy that maximizes on the use of personal relationships will auger well with any foreign situation. Many foreign companies are known to license distributors or dealers to represent their products and services on a non-exclusive or exclusive basis. As these companies become more ascertained in multinational company gains immense power ensuring that the host country doesn't interfere with its affairs.This is referred to as an integrative technique. Another choice that may minimize political risk would be the operation companies from distant offices situated in politically stable countries either in Southeast Asia or India. The whole company or a part of it may be operated remotely (Hefted, 2007). This is r egarded as a protective technique. On other occasions, a multinational corporation may foresee certain future hardships while operating in a foreign country. In this case, it will be crucial to adopt a proactive approach to manage these risks.This strategy entails the use of campaign financing and intensive lobbying to push the host government towards handling the foreseen adversities. By so doing, the impact of those risks will be reduced before they reach the company. Managing political risks requires the use of negotiated agreements that involve all the necessary stakeholders. For instance, ALCOA managed its risks by agreeing to terms demanded by the protestors. This included an agreement to compensate all citizens who were resettled following the launch of the hydroelectric project.Similarly, they adopted the use of environmental consultants to assist in the taxation of environmental damage (Hefted, 2007). Similarly, cases of corruption and economic risks may be managed through the hiring of transparent agencies or via diversification of products to other countries. However, sometimes the multinational company may consider withdrawing altogether if the terms are too hostile. Conclusion In conclusion, it is fundamental to note that any decision to enter into international business must be accompanied by an assessment of the potential risks and threats. Political factors form the most crucial part of this assessment.This is rue because the political environment of any country has the potential to influence how business is carried out (Itchy, 2010). Given Brazier's financial stability and immense support from the state, many investors are streaming into the country. Bangladesh, on the other hand, still lurks behind in terms of political maturity and economic growth. It requires a new company to adopt various entry methods in order to remain viable. Nonetheless, by identifying and managing key elements that influence foreign trade, like political risks, new co mpanies are likely to flourish. Adler, N. (2008).