The socio-cultural, economic and environmental impact of mass tourism Essay

The socio-cultural, economic and environmental impact of mass tourism on Tokyo - Essay Example This paper presents fact-based analysis of the full gamut of the impact, mass tourism has on the functioning of Tokyo. Among the negative impacts of mass tourism in Tokyo are income inequality, class conflicts, social stress, cultural deterioration, deprivation of local people of access, ethical issues among others. Reformed tourism policies that promote appropriate resource allocation, investor and worker visitors, and conscious travel, should be adopted. There have emerged two opposing sides to the debate on whether mass tourism is good or bad. In particular, mass tourism is shrouded in quite a lot of controversies and debates with one side opposing and the other supporting mass tourism. The question many ask is whether mass tourism creates and increases exploitation or prosperity in the destination areas. By extension, questions are also raised about the possibility of responsible mass tourism and its effects on the culture, economy and environment of the destination areas. Those of the other side of the debate do not regard mass tourism as an exploitative activity; instead, eco-tourism holidays and package tours are viewed as forms of mass tourism that actually benefit local communities in destination areas. Mass tourism could really be great to local people and cultures, environment and economy if only the tourists respect the destinations local people and culture . In addition, host country and people must enjoy the opportunities of showing their unique economic, social and cultural practices and beliefs to their visitors (Totman, 2005). In addition, mass tourism should also expose the destination areas to the cultures of the visiting people. Tokyo, the capital city of Japan is one of the main tourism destinations in Asia, if not the entire world (Cullen, 2003). Hence, mass tourism affects life in Tokyo in one way or the other. The economic value of tourism in Tokyo soars well above 10 million Yen. Consisting of both local and foreign tourists, the main tourist attraction centres in Tokyo include but are not limited to entertainment districts, ubiquitous Japanese pop culture, stores and downtowns (Malm, 2000). The cultural districts of Shibuya and Harajuku come to mind when tourism in Tokyo is mentioned. In addition, museums such as the Tokyo National Museum, which is widely known for housing Japan’s artwork national treasures is a renowned tourist attraction, centre in Tokyo (Waley, 2007). Other attractions in Tokyo include Tsukiji Fish Market, the Senso-ji Temple, the Imperial Palace and the Meiji Shrine. That Tokyo is easily accessible via the Narita Airport and the Tokyo International Airport also makes it a

What are the advantages and disadvantages of bilingualism Assignment

What are the advantages and disadvantages of bilingualism - Assignment Example This suggests that while the speaker may use Spanish at home, the same person may use English while at school. In addition, bilingualism may arise out of individual choice to study a language other than the primary language. In the end, bilingualism has both its advantages and disadvantages. The ability to communicate in two different languages is the immediate benefit of bilingualism. The expanded communication ability enables a student access a larger world than usual. In addition, it enables a student enjoy enriching cultures from different communities. This enhances learning, as a student is able to understand different contexts when applied to cultural education. Language is essential since it gives insight into other people’s experiences, perspectives, history, and culture (Fish & Morford, 2012, P.4, L.23-26). For instance, the bilingual ability could be crucial to deaf students who would wish to develop relationships with their peers who speak the English language. Studies have recommended bilingualism for deaf children. When such children learn both ASL and English, the aptitude in the second language becomes an indicator of the mastery of ASL (Baker, 2011, P. 3, L.66-67). Proper acquisition of ASL also supports the proficiency in English. Studies show that bilingualism stimulates language production in both languages. This suggests that a speaker’s brain becomes more open to handling information from two languages (Byrd, 2012, P. 20, L. 13-14). In this sense, a bilingual activates dual grammar systems. This is essential when such a speaker uses two languages simultaneously. Simultaneous, in this perspective, means that a bilingual speaker smoothly transitions from one language to another. When bilinguals develop such control, they can easily communicate to individuals who have only mastered a single language. This is a significant factor in translation. Bilingualism, however, burdens the learner. Burden occurs in terms of

Effective Leadership: Implementing change

Effective Leadership: Implementing change In todays volatile economy landscape, changes are inevitable and necessary. Continuous organisational developments and restructuring are vital for survival and growth. Therefore, it is important to identify growth opportunities in order to ensure the organisations sustainability and at the same time overcoming their weaknesses (Cranfield University School of Management, 2010). However, organisational change generates resistance in employees, making it challenging for successful implementation. Moreover as organisation expand, the challenges of implementing change will be greater due to diverse environment. Leaders can lead/motivate employees towards the achievement of goals in time of change. They process the quality traits which create vision and direction to motivate employees to strive harder towards goals. Also, they can facilitate employees in overcoming challenges and resistance induced by change. Leaders also have power to communicate, influence and negotiate employees away from the harmful cashes of conflicts (Robbins Judge, 2008). The objective of this report is to determine how the modern day organisation in this research can make use of effective leadership to implement and achieve successful change. It will provide more insights on how leaders can identify factors that bring about change. Discussion will be carried out on how to diagnose change factors and identify threats/opportunities. Next, the report sets to determine the impact of communication styles of the leaders on organisational cultural values. Communication plays an important role in the change process as it helps employees to see the need for change. It also highlights the importance of the affected parties role in the whole change process. The report will also examine suitable leadership style which will help with transformational change. Effective leadership translates to effective communication and overcoming resistance. Furthermore, leadership is crucial to identify, lead and manage change. Lastly, this report will set to understand how leaders overcome employees resistance within the organisation. It is of paramount importance for leaders to implement appropriate solutions in order to minimize resistance and maintain sustainability of new change. BACKGROUND OF ORGANISATION The organisation in this research is an Indonesian IT firm specialising in the importing/exporting of self-manufactured laptops. The Singapore regional office was established four years ago and has staff strength of twenty five direct employees. It has a local regional manager in-charge of running Singapores daily routine operations. Since its establishment, the regional office has been experiencing deficits in their income statements. The organisation emphasizes on a tall organisational structure, where top-down hierarchical authority is being practised. Decision-making is made by the head office in Indonesia without any effective communication with the regional office. Quarterly review meetings are held with regional manager to only report on business performance that the regional office is currently experiencing. Owing to a lack of demand for IT peripherals due to the worldwide economic meltdown in 2009, the regional office had recently carried out a retrenchment exercise as a cost-cutting measurement. Prior to the recent downsizing exercise, each of the thirteen departments was led by a supervisor. Each employee is expected to keep to his/her individual job scope and is held accountable for all his/her actions. Strict protocols for individuals are laid out and upward interactions are usually not encouraged. The decision for the recent exercise came straight from the head office without any consultation with the regional manager. The retrenchment announcement was made through email and did not state any future plans for the remaining employees. After the downsizing exercise, the remaining employees have low morale, little sense of pride in their work and are alienated from the management team. Employee absenteeism and turnover rate has been increasing. This change has lead to further deterioration of productivity and quality of the products that are offered by the regional office. RESEARCH METHODOLOGY 3.1 Sampling Schedule In order to define situation concisely and to gather comprehensive information on objectives for the study, the research design methods of interview and personal observation is carried out for this case study. Before primary research is conducted, a group of respondents from regional office is selected for an interview to obtain their opinions. For this selection, non-probability sampling (Quota Sampling) is carried out. The sample audiences (quota) are to be made up of potential leaders of the regional office. They have direct and regular interaction with head office. They are someone of a seniority level, with leadership capabilities and have the power to influence subordinates. The sample audiences are identified to be the regional manager (whom is accountable for the operations of regional office) and the human resource officer (who is responsible for the linking of employees-related policies and organisational strategies). For personal observation, it will be done by researcher of this study in her course of work as a regional sales executive (In charge of generating sales revenue). 3.2 Methods of Gathering Data (*There is limitation of the research design as it all measures information entirely from the regional offices prespective. This might result in possible biasness/prejudices from common method variance. Primary and secondary research time-frame is in Appendix B) 3.2.1 Observation Observation is done by researcher to obtain informal visual assessment of the regional office. Events associated with the objectives are monitored, accessed and recorded. Structured observations are carried out in her course of work for the visual assessment of the organisation as a whole so that the behavior is carefully documented to ensure its validity/reliability. 3.2.2 Interview For this study, direct interview is more efficient and accurate due to small staff strength of only twenty-five. An interview study is held in order of the initial development of interview questions, the conducting of interviews, followed by data analysis. Two identified interviewees whom have interactions with the head office would be interviewed. The interviews (Appendix A) are carried out in the research direction to comprehend actual work practices, procedures, structure and embedded problem/issues faced by the organisation. 3.3 Secondary Data In order to provide in depth assessment, there is also the collection of secondary data. Besides using the online search engines for obtaining information on objectives and findings; books and journal databases (existing articles on literature review and case studies) are the main sources of references. Frameworks obtained are verified using different sources in order to validate the research findings without subjecting them to any form of prejudices. The results from the interviews and personal observation are analyzed with comparisons to secondary data. 4.0 LEADERSHIP AND CHANGE 4.1 External Macro Environment As head office is unfamiliar with Singapores working environment, leaders do not have proper business strategic plan and this would bring about disastrous consequences. Decision making are based on day-to-day responses by the head office. They have no sense of urgency to develop a long term strategic planning as they lack an external consultative opinion on how to operate the business. They also do not have good leadership skills to develop effective strategies as they had only focused on the situations at-present and eventually lost sight of main objectives. Perhaps this could be due to the differences in the cultures, where Singaporeans being highly efficiency is a stark contrast with the more laid-back mindset that most Indonesians possess. The need for change encompasses within all organisations in order to cope with the rapid environmental influences. The business environment is defined as a concept whereby external forces play a major role in the successes/failures of any organisation. By paying attention to the wider environment, leaders can identify threats/opportunities to ensure effective planning and implementation of change (Brooks Weatherston, 2000; Griffin Ebert, 2006). 4.2 PEST Analysis Hayes (2007) and Robbins Judge (2008) agree that PEST analysis will allow leaders to examine the external macro environment in which a business operates and search for evidences of change. Understanding the impact and situation of external forces would help identify factors that could possibly bring about change within the organisation. Political Griffin Ebert (2006) and Hayes (2007) concur that political change will pose threats or create opportunities for any organisation. It has a huge influence upon the regulation of businesses and the possible spending power of consumers. It is important for organisations which are exposed to international risks as the political stability of different countries will affect operations and ultimately, revenues. It consists of elements like regulations set by the government on business practices, acceptable business conducts within an economy, environmental management legislations, labour law, international trade regulations, tariffs and political stability. Economic Economic factors refer to the condition of the trading state in which the business operates in. It includes exchange rates, money supply, changing consumption patterns and power and trade cycles. All these factors will impact the operation and decision making of an organisation. For example, in an economy in which the organisation is in is experiencing economic growth. The organisation would expand leading to change and leaders must establish control during the transition period. Leaders must develop a new vision, direction, new plan and to allocate resources properly to deal with the change (Hayes, 2007). Socio-Cultural Socio-cultural factor consists of having the elements of customs, moral values and demographics of the society where the organisation operates in. It affects business ethics and operations across countries so leaders must be mindful of the different customer preferences within national boundaries. For example, MacDonalds do not sell pork items in its menu in Singapore due to the differences in religious practices in the multi-racial environment; whereas in Thailand this acceptable. Change in employees attitude towards education, work and leisure which will impact on labour force and consumption demand. Leaders should produce a working environment that is conductive enough to motivate them and improve efficiency (Hayes, 2007; Griffin Ebert, 2006). Technological Technology is defines as innovations applied into society and organisations to carry out tasks. Some examples are level of investment in Research and Development (RD), availability of new materials and new production process. Technology is constantly changing and hence staying ahead of competitors has been increasingly difficult. Organisation must have the latest equipment, processes and resources to deal with technology change. Leaders must make sure that organisational structure, vision and resources align with technological aspect. Leaders must ensure that sufficient funds are allocated on RD for better technology to improve competitiveness and gain competitive advantage (Griffin Ebert, 2006; Hayes, 2007). 4.3 Findings: Implication of PEST and SWOT Analysis The interview findings (Appendix C) show that the organisation adopts a top down approach management style by the head office in Indonesia. PEST analysis is recommended so leaders in Indonesia will be able to improve on its decision-making process as it allows them to assess Singapores market potential, situation and business development. It encourages proactive thinking and allows them to plan ahead. With the analysis, leaders will know their present position, environment and how they can develop in the future. As they do not understand the impact and situation of external factors; they will need PEST to understand Singapores regulations, labor market, economy, customers, competition and technology. The analysis at external level helps to identify opportunities and threats of the external environment. With PEST, there will be detailed preparation and formulation of strategic plans, good leadership skills can be deployed to anticipate change and align businesss vision. The regional office will have better decision making process, productivity, competitive advantage and sense of belonging in employees. An example of the PEST analysis of the organisation is as follows: Singapores Regional Office -PEST Analysis * Data adapted from Morrisons website (2009) External Environment Factors Potential Impact: (+) / (-) Relative Importance Political Strict Government Legislation in Singapore High Opportunity Critical Labour Law (Singapore) Medium Opportunity Critical Political Instabilities in Indonesia High Threat Critical Economic Economic Downturn High Threat Critical Decrease in Consumers Demand and Investments High Threat Critical Stable Money supply Medium Opportunity Critical Social Demographic Trends Low Opportunity Unimportant Consumers Change in Preference and Attitudes High Threat Critical Attitudes towards Work and Employment High Threat Critical Technological Technology Revolution and Development High Opportunity Critical R D High Opportunity Critical New Production Processes/Ideas/Innovation High Opportunity Critical 5.0 LEADERSHIP AND COMMUNICATION 5.1 Communication Barriers The lack of communication, especially in terms of feedback from employees whom are familiar with the local demands of customers, coupled with stringent cost cutting measures could said to have contributed to poor sales performance. Many consumers are unaware of products that the regional office is offering due to lack of budget in generating brand awareness. Comparing to the bigger players whom have higher levels of economies of scale, it would definitely lose out in terms of its revenues. The regional office does not hold any weekly meeting within departments and there are no consultative approaches. Head offices quarterly meetings are only held with regional manager to obtain report solely on its current business performances. There are no established channels to voice employees feedback to the head office and it often results in a lack of information for proper accomplishment of tasks. Without proper communication structure, there is no room for improvement and employees will commit the same mistakes repeatedly. This would also mean that the head office would be unfamiliar with Singapores working environment, which would result in ineffective communications amongst the employees. Robbins Judge (2008) stated that communication is the life support for any organisation and it plays a vital role in the change process. Communication links people who believe in a common cause and unites them with a common vision to achieve goal congruence for the organisation. 5.2 Styles of Communication 5.2.1 Downward and Upward Communication Leaders would engage in top-down communication to disseminate information/goals, inform job procedures and highlight problems (Robbins Judge, 2008). Gilley et al. (2009) argued that in times of change, leaders must provide employees with abundant and value-added information with regards to change. Leaders must give justifications for rationale for change and also address employees concerns. Well-developed rationalizations are more likely to be accepted as employees acceptance and participation depend on their perception of personal benefits associated with the change. Hence, proper explanation and feedback is important for leaders to work on in areas of change to increase employees acceptance. Upward communication is used by employees to provide feedback, inform progress and issues towards goals to leaders. It is important for leaders to know about how employees feel and to allow for opportunities for growth and improvement. Upward communication has its limitation whereby leaders are overwhelmed and distracted. Employees morale would be affected as it would be time-consuming and demoralizing if it is difficult to get their leaders attention (Robbins Judge, 2008). Hayes (2007) exclaims that without proper upward/downward communication, it will lead to organisational silence which is a major barrier to change. One illustration within the cited organisation Due to Indonesias culture, leaders like to be respected and will disregard negative feedback from subordinates as a form of attack on their credibility. A culture might be cultivated whereby employees might be afraid to voice out the truth to their leaders. It is a double-edged sword when employees do not highlight issues to leaders and leaders will find it tough to get employees to accept change. In times of change, leaders must acquire a diverse set of effective communication techniques to convince employees to embrace a new breakthrough (Robbins Judge, 2008). In contrast, leadership ambivalence reduces acceptance to change and increases resistance. Communications should be regular, motivating and yet achievable. Unfulfilled vision will weaken leadership credibility leading to employees feeling a sense of injustice. Gilley et al. (2009) explain that employees whom experienced unjust treatment would be resentful towards their superiors, thus destroying commitment. Being honest and fair when things go wrong enables employees to accept an undesirable outcome. Therefore, there is a need for realistic and truthful communication that includes communicating negative aspects of change implementations when necessary. 5.2.2 Communication Strategy In every change process, communication plays a big part for leaders to ensure a smooth transition. There are five basic communication strategies (Hayes, 2007): Spray and Pray Showing all the information and hope others can understand and share the vision. The effectiveness is low as it depends on employees perspective of what is important. One major drawback is that the employees would be overloaded, thus increasing resistance. Tell and Sell Leaders would only communicate the core issues that relate to the change and pushes the idea for acceptance. This strategy is a one-way-communication process without any channels for meaningful feedbacks to express concern. Employees will tend to feel uncommitted as little input is required from them. Underscore and explore Similar to the Tell and Sell, but the sender listens to the receivers feedback to prevent misunderstanding. This is a very effective communication method as leaders would listens to employees concern to clear embedded doubts/queries. Identify and reply This is a reactive approach as leaders will listen and respond to the employees concerns which would guide employees out of complexity. One short-coming is that employees might not be aware of the critical issues currently hence, it might be time-consuming. Withhold and uphold Most of the information are withheld and employees are unaware of the real situation. Leaders who adopt this strategy are power-oriented and think that employees are not capable enough to handle core issues. This strategy will lead to dissatisfaction and mistrust amongst employees. Communication can be an effective tool in shaping organisational cultural value in motivating employees, providing feedback and reinforcement during the change. This would foster an environment with better decision making process to deal with obstacles (Gilley et al., 2009). 5.3 Findings: Implication towards Effective Communication Base on the interview findings (Appendix C), the organisation adopts the Withhold and uphold strategy to deal with the downsizing exercise. As leaders in head office are power-oriented due to Indonesias culture, they make decisions without consultation with regional office. Subordinates are expected to carry out requests of the retrenchment in exacting detail. As there are no justifications for the change and unable to express concern, employees are feeling resentful and thus causing the high turnover. There is also lack of proper downward/upward communication between the two offices. It leads to the improper sharing of information which results in inefficiency. One recent incident that happened that illustrates this effectively. The Head office had instructed the dealers to return an outstanding consignment of laptops and they had made arrangements to ship it back to Indonesia. However, this message was not communicated to the regional sales executive. She was unaware of this agreed communication, continued to send e-mails, reminding the dealers about the outstanding consignment. Such miscommunications inevitably tarnish the organisations reputation as the dealer was very unhappy and spread this among other dealers. She was made responsible for this miscommunication and feedbacks by her were rebuked. As remaining colleagues felt unjust for the sales executive, the miscommunication drove conflict between head office further and aggravated the misunderstandings and hostilities. In t he long run, with only top down communication and no feedback, it will lead to organisational silent with disastrous consequences. As the main problem lies with the internal communication of the organisation, leaders needs to resolve the problem by setting up basic structures to promote effective communications. For the head office to improve relationships with employees, internal communications must consist of the personal touch. Electronic communications cannot be a substitute for personal interactions. Going forward after the retrenchment, leaders should convey messages personally to their employees as this allow opportunities to clarify complex or sensitive issues. Leaders must foster an open environment, using underscore and explore strategy which allows feedback as communication is a two-way street in any change process. Leaders must have an open-mind to be more receptive to new ideas from employees. Regional manager should hold weekly meetings within departments to gather information and feedbacks. It would help employees to understand and follow up with the outstanding issues and for the managers to establish their authority. Constructive feedback from employees would help to identify problems which help the organisation to improve. By keeping employees informed and involved with the implementation of change programs; it would help increase the commitment levels and increase productivity. 6.0 STYLES OF LEADERSHIP 6.1 Leadership Role in Change Process The organisational structure emphasizes on top-down hierarchy authority and major decisions are made by the head office. The top-down leadership approach and strictly-defined job scopes reduces the employees into becoming merely cogs of the machines, where they would merely perform the bare minimum within their stated job scopes, with minimal dedication to what they do. As such, everyone will only specialize in what they are doing, without a clear picture of the main business objectives, which impedes innovation and quality improvements. Weak leadership is also shown by the surprise retrenchment exercise, which caught many employees in the regional office off-guard. Without proper leadership to establish/lead new direction after the retrenchment, it eventually might be a possible factor that would lead to the downfall to the organisation. Kotter (Senior Fleming, 2006) emphasise that in all change process, effective leadership is needed to establish direction (develop vision/strategy), align members (communication to gain cooperation/acceptance), motivate and inspire (leading members to overcome various barriers) and overcoming change. 6.2 Transactional Leadership Robbins Judge (2008) indicated that transactional leadership would ultimately influence employees into the direction of achieving pre-established organisational goals by being task-oriented. Transactional leaders aim to maintain the status quos by making use of contingent and monetary rewards for effort and good performances. They would state their expectations; establish rules and procedures, and emphasize a fair deal with their employees. When work is allocated to employees, the leaders would expect them to take full responsibility. If the tasks are not performed to expectations, employees would be held liable. Hence, it is important for leaders to engage in open forms of communication to bring about mutual trust between employees and themselves. Contributions should be acknowledged and rewarded by the leaders towards their employees according to the industry standards, so as to bring about job satisfaction. However, Hoogh et al. (2005) argued that stringent goals, rules and procedures due to transactional leadership would only promote stable work environment with high degrees of structures. It results in employees having little ambiguity in pursing the goals. The lack of ambiguity would help ensure fairness and set straightforward guidelines. Moreover, with stability, it would not promote inducements or opportunities for change. Employees would not be motivated to perform beyond expectations. They would not be flexible and innovative enough to response quickly and effectively to environmental change; it would be difficult for the transactional leaders to bring about change. 6.3 Transformational Leadership Kotter (Senior Fleming, 2006) Robbins Judge (2008) agree that transformation leaders goes beyond transactional leadership by inspiring members to achieve goals, paying attention to their needs and encouraging new breakthrough in goal attainments. They will make use of charisma (providing vision, direction and gaining trust), inspiration (using communication/symbols to get things done), intellectual stimulation (promoting participation and problem solving) and individualized consideration (treating individual members equally/individually) to handle change. Transformation leaders will encourage followers to be more innovative and creative to increase efficiency. Hence, Followers would push beyond boundaries to pursue ambitious goals/vision of organisation, be more committed and will pursue it with due importance. Transformation leadership is able to induce higher levels of motivation and satisfaction leading to higher performance. There will also be lower turnover, higher productivi ty and lower stress levels. Transformational leadership is critical in helping mangers to identify change, which would in turn aid them with leading and managing change by ensuring effective communications and encouraging acceptance. Transformational leadership will ensure vital planning and design assumptions to allow leaders to recognise change by paying attention to the external environment, financial resources, and company staffing. In addition, it ensures proper management of formal and informal relationships between members to increase change momentum and improve managerial change interventions. Finally, it helps to overcome employees resistances when the organisation is disturbed by initiatives to change (Karp Helgo, 2009). 6.4 Leaders Checklist for Leading Change Every leader can adopt a process perspective on change management on top of the above-mentioned leadership approaches by adopting a checklist to control the change process and ensure smooth transitions (Kotter, 1999). Establishing Sense of Urgency Leaders must alert employees to need for change by creating a sense of urgency. They should begin examining the organisations external environment and communicate these findings to induce aggressive cooperation of employees and motivate them to change. Forming Powerful Coalition Leaders should form a competent strong team with expertise and have sense of urgency to kick start the change process. Leaders must lead the team to assess the problems, identify opportunities and change the mind of oppositions. Creating Vision The coalition team would need to create a shared vision to clarify the possible attainable directions, thus providing a guideline about organisations future to the employees. It must be flexible to encourage involvement and develop strategies to deal with the change. Leaders must allocate ample time to develop the shared vision so that it would be ingrained as a strong set of shared values. Communicating the Vision Leaders should communicate the vision as it would establish the direction, commitment and learning within the organisation towards the structural changes. They must use every method to communicate the new vision and strategies to ensure that employees understand and make short-term personal sacrifices in order to help the organisation achieve its goals. Empowering Others to Act on Vision through Leadership Good leadership skills are needed to lead transformational change and raise demands that are consistent with overall change effort. Leaders must remove obstacles and encourage risk taking to generate more creative actions to support the vision. Leaders must make use of compensation to encourage employees acceptances of new vision. Planning and Creating Short Term Wins Leaders should plan, and create visible performance improvements and reward employees involved in the change improvements. As changes cannot take place overnight, it should be implemented in phrases, allowing time for maturity. The short-term goals in phases would act as a source of motivation in continual efforts for change. Consolidating Improvements and Producing More Changes Leaders should capitalize on early wins but should not declare victory too early should there be any possible amendments to the winning efforts; and use that as further motivation for continued and subsequent changes. Next, leaders should use increased creditability due to short term improvements to overcome the current structures that are not in alignment with the vision. Institutionalizing New Approaches Leaders need to ensure that change is consolidated by showing employees how change has produced optimal performance. Every opportunity should be taken to demonstrate the benefit Cervical Cancer: An Action Plan Cervical Cancer: An Action Plan INTRODUCTION Cervical Cancer also recognized by ‘cancer of the cervix’ occurs from the tissue of the cervix. The cervix is a component of the female reproductive system, which also encompasses the uterus, ovaries, fallopian tubes, vagina and vulva (Australian Government-Cancer Australia, 2014). The cervix is the lower part of the uterus that connects to the vagina. It is sometimes called the neck of the uterus. Cervical Cancer affects the cells of the lower part of the uterus that joins the inner end of the vagina also known as the uterine cervix (Cancer Council Victoria, 2014). In Victoria 179 women were diagnosed in 2010 with cervical cancer (Department of Health 2014). This is considered to be the twelfth most common cancer in Australia (Australian Institute of Health and Welfare Canberra, 2013) and has a much greater impact on indigenous women than non-indigenous complements. An indication of evidence shows that 59% of the women population died from this disease. According to Vic toria Health, 85% of women developed cervical cancer and either never had conducted a Pap smear test or failed to follow the recommended two yearly screening programs therefore leaded to a lack of participation in cervical screening which is one of the main risk factors for cervical cancer and is common against Indigenous women. Due to the inadequate time frame and the availability of health services such as the Bunurong Health service, Dandenong and District Aborigines Co-operative Limited to contribute in the project, the Indigenous population in the City of Greater Dandenong is the focus of this assignment. The objective of this is to reduce the occurrence of cervical cancer rates among Indigenous women in the City of Greater Dandenong over a three year plan. The strategies conversed in the project involvement plan by engaging the broader participation of indigenous people and their culture imparting a holistic approach to addressing this specific issue. Intensifying cultural awa reness and cultural safety is also a significant component. This realization plan will focus mainly on two detailed strategies: to familiarize and educate Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women in the City of Greater Dandenong by 50% informing about the new and easy technology use for cervical screening to reduce the pain and discomfort by 2015-2017. Another significant strategy is to ensure that the needs of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women diagnosed with cervical cancer are met physically, culturally, spiritually and medically within the timeframe of three years 2015-2017. This curriculum will provide two-yearly Pap tests to women aged 18-69 for the early detection of cervical cancer. This implementation plan will initially present an action plan and next it will discuss about methods that have been used to encourage sustainability. Then methods of communication, which will be developed to connect stakeholders involved in the assignment, will be conversed along wit h the supply of resources. ACTION PLAN STRATEGY 1:To familiarize and educate Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women in the City of Greater Dandenong by 50% informing about the new and easy technology use for cervical screening to reduce the pain and discomfort by 2015-2017. STRATEGY 2: To ensure that the needs of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women diagnosed with cervical cancer are met physically, culturally, spiritually and medically within the timeframe of three years 2015-2017. SUSTAINABLITY Attention to the sustainability in a community based cervical cancer; controlled program over a 3 year period must have extensive experience in planning implementing and evaluating a program which engage the indigenous aboriginal women, to educate women in City of Greater Dandenong. To sustain the program of prevention of cervical cancer, various steps must be put in place to maintain that the sustainability in the implementation scheme (Shediac-Rizkallah Bone, 1998, p.87-108). For instance, an entire program may be continued under its original or an alternative organizational structure, parts of the program be institutionalized as individual components, or there may be a transfer of the whole or parts to the community ownership (Shediac-Rizkallah Bone, 1998, p.87-108). In 2013 an study conducted by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare identified the main changed that would be needed to occur and which stakeholders would be likely to be impacted. Projects with training (p rofessional and paraprofessional components are more likely to be sustained than those without: those trained can continue to provide benefits, train others and form a constituency in support of the program. As strategy 1 states that it is aimed to familiarize and educate Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women in the City of Greater Dandenong by 50% informing about the new and easy technology use for cervical screening to reduce the pain and discomfort. Therefore; by having general community and professional monthly and or yearly meetings and follow ups will help the project be sustained for a longer period of time and this will be evident with the use of data towards the participation of Pap screening tests for the population of Indigenous women. The results of this data in future within the 3 year time frame will help to detect whether more education and support implants are needed to be put in place culturally, physically and mentally or whether the results show an increase towards the population of Pap screening tests for cervical cancer in Indigenous women specifically. Topromote ongoing skills, development in health promotion and training/education, by allocating half a day to train the leadership skills and furthermore; being qualified to maintain their relationship with the Indigenous women for better health. It is important to train the trainers to help health services and programs to be sustained, patient-centered care, self-management support and behaviour change within their organisations therefore will be structured to be continued for the management and progress (Practice change requires staff skills development and systems implementation planning, 2013). For that reason, where the team will identify a reliable person who will be appropriate for the subject of leadership in future and have a greater understanding of the vision and management skills about health project towards the Aboriginal culture. Managing the culturally supportive environment for the Indigenous women will encourage the team to promote and achieve the sustainability and health promotion goals. COMMUNICATION To build a therapeutic relationship among indigenous women is quintessential; Health workers must gain trust and build rapport and considering their cultural background. There are various stakeholders one needs to consider while promoting health. For instance; while developing and delivering Aboriginal specific cervical screening health promotion training to health professionals, health promotion workers, aboriginal health workers and others who are working within the project. However; to establish organizational supports, such as local advisory committees, and in order for the project to develop effective relationships, within the Indigenous women committee (Gruen et al., 2008, p, 1579-89). One of the key strategies to achieve in this project is to train local clinicians to provide education and awareness about Pap screenings and cervical cancer to Aboriginal women in a form of considering their cultural background. Public is the first and prime stakeholders as the implementation of health promotion plan deals within the public domain (Hetzel, Glover, Gruszin. 2012). Apart from public, local councils and local councilors, Australian Health department and party workers were in the middle stakeholders (Gruen et al., 2008, p, 1579-89). Medical expert’s dealing in the treatment and research institute where diseases are the first lane resources, therefore; is vital to be included in any plan in prevention for cervical cancer (Anne F.Rositch, Michelle I. Silver, Patti E. Gravitt, 2014). CONCLUSION In conclusion, cultural barriers prevent Aboriginal women from seeking for their sexual and reproductive health and creative strategies are needed to encourage Aboriginal women to attend for Pap screens. For example: Information needs to be presented to the community in a format and language that is understandable to the target population. Services need to be provided in a safe and confidential environment and services need to be available on a â€Å"walk up basis† to avoid the need for appointments which can lead to a fear of loss of privacy and confidentiality. Due to cultural impediments, past research has proven that the establishment of women’s advisory committee was/is a strong scheme as a strategy to facilitate the promotion of the project within the community by engaging respect within the community and the women who are involved in the project so they could promote to the targeted group. In order to continue the momentum started by the project, community awareness of the need for cervical screening, needs to be maintained and raised contained by the Aboriginal women. This will require ongoing consultation with the community and ongoing health promotion activity which has been mentioned above. Ongoing involvement and collaboration with other community stakeholders such as Bunurong Health Services, Local Government – Victoria, Victorian Aboriginal Health Service, Cancer Council- Victoria, Royal Women’s Hospital Aboriginal Advisory Unit, Victorian Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation and City of Greater Dandenong are also seen as dominant too long term success in increasing awareness and promotion of cervical screening in the City of Greater Dandenong among Aboriginal and Indigenous women.

Children: Innocent Victims of Domestic Violence Essay -- Violence Aga

Domestic violence is comprised of willful intimidation, assault, battery, sexual assault or other abusive behavior committed by an intimate partner against another. According to The National Center for Victims of Crime (2011), aggressors of domestic violence persistently disparage, degrade or humiliate their partners. Unfortunately, domestic violence victims are known to habitually blame their own actions, rather than the violent behavior of the abuser. Conversely, violence perpetrated by abusers is repetitively self-driven and depends little on the victims' behavior. The use of psychological, emotional, and physical abuse fused together with episodes of "respite, love, and happiness are premeditated coercive tools used to generate submission" (The National Center for Victims of Crime, 2011, para. 6). This confusing behavior generates a perplexing situation for victims. Domestic violence affects not only those abused. Regrettably, children are victims of domestic violence too. The ch allenging battle amid intimate partners is continuously a burning research topic correlated to the ill effects that the violence has on children. Therefore, it is reputed that the impact of witnessing domestic violence would have the capability to place a magnitude of severe consequences on children. Innocent Victims of Domestic Violence Each year, an overwhelming number of innocent children are exposed to domestic violence. Children witnessing domestic violence in America are a significant dilemma that continues to be of high concern. It is estimated within the United States that approximately 15.5 million children have observed domestic violence, while seven million have witnessed brutal violence incidents (Fortin, Doucet, & Damant, 2011). This f... ...f children who witness domestic violence. Child & Family Social Work, 14(4), 491-501. doi:10.1111/j.1365-2206.2009.00633.x Stiles, M. (2002). Witnessing domestic violence: The effect on children. 1;66(11):2052-2067. American Family Physician. Retrieved from http://www.aafp.org/afp/2002/1201/p2052.html Stover, C. (2005). Domestic violence research: What have we learned and where do we go from here? Journal of Interpersonal Violence, (20)4, 287-315. doi:10.1177/0886260504267755 The National Center for Victims of Crime. (2011). Domestic violence. Retrieved from http://www.ncvc.org/ncvc/main.aspx?dbName=DocumentViewer&DocumentID=32347#3 Vickerman, K., & Margolin, G. (2007). Posttraumatic stress in children and adolescents exposed to family violence: II. Treatment. Professional Psychology: Research and Practice, 38(6), 620-628. doi:10.1037/0735-7028.38.6.620

Books and Music

How do books and music influence our life today? I decided to compare and contrast the differences and similarity's of books and music. They both influence our life today in more ways then I think most people know. They are great things that are very helpful in life. Books are written to tell a story in depth and with a lot of detail, telling everything that happens when, where, and why, but with a longer time. They take time to understand whats going on and what problems or greatness the character(s) are facing in the story.You read and interpret the books  meaning, that the books are set to be more of a one meaning kind of thing, the writer had the idea of what the lesson of the story's are going to be. They also have more a basic outline of how to read and write books to make them good and successful. Music is written to tell a story in a much shorter amount of time. Also instead of reading the story you listen to them. Music is also very influential and it can influence people in many different ways depending on how people decide to take the meanings in. Music can change moods at any given moment depending on the lyrics and sounds they portray. They inspire people and can also be  depressing.They have a wide range of ways they can go on. One big thing about music is that music doesn't really have to have a set layout, meaning, or even make any sense at all. Music and books have some good similarity's also. They are both meant to tell story's of how people feel at certain times and hardships. You can interpret them in your own ways even if thats not how they are meant to be interpreted. You can write either of them any way you would prefer, and its not up to anyone else how you write about them and what you write in them. They are great ways to express your feelings and thoughts to get them out in the world.They can be in different perspectives, teach you things and life lessons, tell about history or past events, and even tell how to handle a situation. They both influence people their own way, they both are good to help learning and comprehension. There are many different kinds that people prefer and enjoy more. Books and music have a lot of likes and dislikes. They both have their ups and downs and both are preferred for their own reasons and by their own people. That is why I compared and contrasted the likes and dislikes, the benefits and disadvantages, and the way the help people and society express themselves in their own way.

Effectiveness and Impact of Virtual Teams Essay

Technology is consistently evolving and impacting many organizations worldwide. It has changed many aspects in the workplace, including work styles, communication, and teamwork. Communication has been transformed into the ways of the virtual world, directly affecting group dynamics. Organizations often form teams of employees to serve a variety of purposes and reach goals in a more effective manner than independent work. Teams used to work strictly through face-to-face interactions, but with growing technology, virtual teams have been created and are used fairly often. â€Å"A virtual team is any team whose member interactions are mediated by time, distance, and technology. The core feature is not the technology, but that the team works together on a task while physically separated. Group members can communicate through e-mail, voice mail, video conferencing, electronic bulletin boards, and intranets.† (Levi, 2007, p. 258) Many research studies have been done to assess the effectiveness of virtual teams, examining the positive and negative aspects. This literature review is aimed to analyze several articles where researchers have explored many components of virtual teams and their impact. Vroman and Kovacich (2002) wrote an article that analyzed â€Å"the interactions of a virtual interdisciplinary team.† They explain computer-mediated communication (CMC) to be the basis of virtual teams, which they then compare to face-to-face teams. They examined the Interdisciplinary Training for Health Care for Rural Areas (ITHCRA) project, which is a team comprised of many different types of health professionals (e.g. clinical psychologist, nurse practitioner, nutritionist, etc.) The team’s ultimate goal was to develop an interdisciplinary health care curriculum, solely using CMC. ITHCRA functioned the same as any other team working together would, and faced the same challenges and developmental processes (forming, storming, norming, performing, and transforming). They additionally had to learn the ways of the new communication technology, which was an obstacle for many of the group members. The developmental process of the virtual team was similar to that of a face-to-face team, however, a number of differences were found. The forming phase was very  typical for team development. Team building and norm development took precedent of the project tasks initially. They had met face-to-face once, and after looking at their communication after this occurred, it was obvious they had formed social relationships and were more committed. This raised the question: what would have happened if the face-to-face meeting did not take place? It may have been more effective to have two groups in this study so comparisons could be made (e.g. one group solely virtual, the other group allowed 1-3 face-to-face meetings). It is hard to determine whether certain aspects of team development would have taken place without the opportunity to see their team members in a more personal way. Storming took place as well, which is when teams face certain conflicts. There were no apparent differences for this development in the virtual team. Norming, performing, and transforming phases of development all contributed to the team’s success and helped them complete their tasks and reach their goals. Vroman and Kovacich (2002) provided a good analysis of ITHCRA and the ways in which it was successful and where the members were challenged. They portrayed virtual teams as being more convenient, effective, and less time consuming when completing tasks. However, it allows for less personal contact and can be more difficult for some to communicate and fulfill the expectations of the group project. It may have been more effective to have ITHCRA communicate solely through CMC and compare them to a team with the same tasks and goals, but who communicated through a combination of CMC and face-to-face meetings. More valid results would be accessible to draw more accurate conclusions. It was interesting to use a interdisciplinary team, however, it may have acted as another variable besides CMC, which would then alter the results. Kirkman, Rosen, Tesluk, and Gibson (2004) conducted a research study on the impact of team empowerment on virtual team performance. â€Å"Team empowerment is defined as increased task motivation that is due to team members’ collective, positive assessments of their organizational tasks (Kirkman & Rosen, 2002). They examined team empowerment through the teams potency, meaningfulness, autonomy, and impact to determine its’ impact on process improvement and customer satisfaction. Kirkman et al. (2004) studied a service organization that utilized high technology and frequently formed virtual teams to complete the company’s tasks and goals. Each team member had different roles within the organization and was separated from each  other geographically. The researchers moderated the effects of face-to-face meetings to examine the relationship between team empowerment and both process improvement and customer satisaction. Kirkman et al. (2004) used surveys, observation, a team empowerment measure they had created, and customer satisfaction and process improvement scorecards to test their hypotheses, which were that 1. Team empowerment will have a positive relation to virtual team process improvement, 2. Team empowerment will have a positive relation to virtual team customer satisfaction, and 3. The number of team’s face-to-face meetings will alter the relationship between team empowerment and process improvement (the fewer face-to-face meetings the stronger the relationship), and 4. The number of team’s face-to-face meetings will alter the relationship between team empowerment and customer satisfaction (the fewer face-to-face meetings the stronger the relationship). Their results indicated support for hypotheses one, two, and three, but did not support the fourth hypothesis. The researchers produced a well-designed study with significant, meaningful results that help contribute to the understanding of virtual teams. They operationally defined all of the terms and measures to provide an equal understanding for everyone. It seems that virtual teams have many positive characteristics that are more effective compared to the common face-to-face teams. With the rising technology, virtual teams may become the norm as researchers continue to understand their components and wire them for optimal success. Montoya-Weiss, Massey, and Song (2001) wrote an article on the findings of their research study. They â€Å"examined the effects of temporal coordination on virtual teams supported by an asynchronous communication technology.† They measured the mechanism â€Å"process structure† to determine the relationship between conflict management behavior and virtual team performance. They measured conflict management individually for each team member through a questionnaire they created. They defined their dependent variable, virtual team performance, as â€Å"the quality of the team rationale used to support the team decision.† They examined the range, depth, and organization for each team decision. Lastly, they observed and analyzed all communication among the virtual team. Montoya-Weiss et al. (2001) had five hypotheses total, which were tested through statistical analysis. They predicted that for all conflict management behaviors, a positive interaction would result.

How would you explain to Walt why many workers are stressed Essays

How would you explain to Walt why many workers are stressed Essays How would you explain to Walt why many workers are stressed Essay How would you explain to Walt why many workers are stressed Essay While it is true that there are already so many inventions and technological devices that have been invented to help people accomplish more at work, the result is far from the anticipated goal of allowing people to rest more.   The increased capability of performing more work has been off-set by the fact that more and more tasks are placed upon the employees.   The fact paced working environment and steady competition has changed the way work is being done and increased the stress levels.   When a few decades ago companies only had to contend with local or national competition, the current business environment faces competition from firms and companies all over the world (Sedgeman 2005).Another factor which adds to the stress in any working environment, aside from the increased pressure to produce more, is the fact that the stress in the work place negatively affects the health of employees thus causing more absences and adding more pressure to catch up with the work load.Lazar us and Folkman suggest that stress can be thought of as resulting from an â€Å"imbalance between demands and resources† or as occurring when â€Å"pressure exceeds ones perceived ability to cope† (Lazarus Folkman, 1984).Discuss some antecedents to stress in the workplace and whether these factors are more common now than when Walt was working.The most common reasons for stress are poor working conditions such as excessive noise or heat and crowded or poorly designed workspaces, a lack of control over work, time pressures, long or inflexible working hours, too much or too little work or responsibility, confusion about duties and responsibilities, including role ambiguity, a lack of variety and interest in job, inadequate training and possibilities for learning new skills, poor work-life balance, difficult relationships with supervisors and coworkers, lack of support from colleagues, isolation from colleagues, organizational confusion, restructuring, and job change (Bo wer 2004).   All of these factors contribute to stress at the work place.   It is important to note however that the effect or weight of each of these factors differs from person to person.Over the years, there has been more emphasis on job specialization and training.   Aside from performing the regular work tasks, employees are also expected and pressured to meet higher expectations and maintain their competitive edge constantly.   These factors were not as prevalent in the work place a few decades ago as they are now.Provide your views about why employers should be concerned about worker stress.There have been a number of studies on the relationship between stress and job performance that show that as the level of work related stress increases the job performance and satisfaction level also changes (Sedgeman 2005).   Some of the consequences of stress include, job-related consequences such as low performance and absenteeism, emotion related consequences such as irritabi lity and depression which affect work place relationships, and physiological consequences such as high blood pressure and other illnesses (Bower 2004).All of these consequences affect the worker’s ability to perform his/her task at work and are also detrimental to the work atmosphere as more irritable people are less likely to contribute to team-related tasks and goals.   Absenteeism is also a problem as it directly affects the work output of not only an individual worker but of the team or unit as well.

Dr. Seuss Essay

Dr. Seuss Essay Dr. Seuss Essay Jasmine Velasquez American Literature 2 Lesson 14 Dr. Seuss Biography Theodor Geisel Seuss is the most creative and imaginative author that is known for children’s books. Theodor Geisel Seuss was born on March 2, 1904, in Spring Field, and passed away on September 24, 1991, in La Jolla. Theodor was rejected by 27 publishers, but didn’t stop trying until he got published because becoming a children’s author was his dream. At the time of Theodor Geisel Seuss‘s death in 1991 his 44 children’s books had sold more than 200 million copies and the last book, â€Å"Oh The Places You’ll Go â€Å", was still on the best sellers list. Surprisingly, Theodor had no children of his own, but he did have a great understanding of them. Theodor Geisel Seuss is known as â€Å"Ted† to family and friends. He adopted the name Dr. Seuss because he wanted to save his real name for a great American novel that he would write one day. Dr. Seuss was originally considered to write books that appeal to the children. Seuss’ s first book â€Å"And to Think I Saw It on Mulberry Street†, was rejected by 27 publishers. No one wanted to publish his first children’s book because it was full of ABC fanciful creatures including the long-necked whizzleworp and green stripped cholmondelet. A new book seemed like a good idea, so when Seuss was aboard a ship crossing the Atlantic in 1936, he kept himself entertained by putting together words that rhyme from the ships engines. Seuss did eventually get published. One night as he was walking down Madison Avenue, Seuss was about the throw away his book, but ended up running into a former classmate Mike McClintock who had just been appointed juvenile editor of vanguard press. McClintock promptly took Dr. Seuss up to his office and they signed a contract for the book â€Å"And to Think I Saw It on Mulberry Street†. Two hundred million of Dr. Seuss’s copies of his books were sold. The forty four books that Dr. Seuss originally wrote, only fou r are in prose. If we were to add books that were illustrated by others or written by a co-author, or published posthumously, then the total number of books would be sixty-six, with only 5 in prose. Dr. Seuss is one of the most popular poets. One of the reasons he rarely received respect is because Seuss wrote for children. When World War Two started, Seuss began to draw political cartoons for the New York newspaper called â€Å"PM†. Books like â€Å"The Cat in the Hat† and â€Å"Green Eggs and Ham† were difficult to write for him because he

South Africas National Holidays

South Africa's National Holidays When Apartheid ended and the African National Congress under Nelson Mandela came into power in South Africa in 1994, the national holidays were changed to days that would be meaningful to all South Africans. March 21: Human Rights Day On this day in 1960, the police killed 69 people at Sharpeville who were participating in a protest against the pass laws- laws which demanded and blacks always carry passes. Many protesters were shot in the back. The carnage made world headlines. Four days later the government banned black political organizations, many leaders were arrested or went into exile. During the Apartheid era, there were human rights abuses by all sides; the remembrance of Human Rights Day is but one step to ensure that the people of South Africa are aware of their human rights and to ensure that such abuses never again occur. April 27: Freedom Day This was the day in 1994 when the first democratic election was held in South Africa, i.e. an election when all adults could vote irrespective of their race, as well as the day in 1997 when the new constitution took effect. May 1: Workers Day Many countries around the world commemorate the contribution made by workers to society on May Day (America doesnt celebrate this holiday because of its communist origins). It has traditionally been a day to protest for better wages and working conditions. Given the role that trade unions played in the fight for freedom, it is unsurprising that South Africa commemorates this day. June 16: Youth Day On June 1976 students in Soweto rioted in protest against the introduction of Afrikaans as the language of instruction of half their school curriculum, sparking eight months of violent uprisings across the country. Youth Day is a national holiday in honor of all the young people who lost their lives in the struggle against Apartheid and Bantu Education. July 18: Mandela Day On 3 June 2009 in his State of the Nation address President Jacob Zuma announced the annual celebration of South Africas most famous son- Nelson Mandela. Mandela Day  will be celebrated on the 18th of July each year. It will give people in South Africa and all over the world the opportunity to do something good to help others. Madiba was politically active for 67 years, and on Mandela Day people all over the world, in the workplace, at home and in schools, will be called upon to spend at least 67 minutes of their time doing something useful within their communities, especially among the less fortunate. Let us wholeheartedly support Mandela Day and encourage the world to join us in this wonderful campaign. Despite his reference to wholehearted support, Mandela Day failed to become a national holiday; but Nelson Mandela International Day was established by the United Nations in November of 2009. Aug. 9: National Womens Day On this day in 1956, some 20,000 women marched to the Union government Buildings in Pretoria to protest against a law requiring black women to carry passes. This day is celebrated as a reminder of the contribution made by women to society, the achievements that have been made for womens rights, and to acknowledge the difficulties and prejudices many women still face. Sept. 24: Heritage Day Nelson Mandela used the phrase rainbow nation to describe South Africas diverse cultures, customs, traditions, histories, and languages. This day is a celebration of that diversity. Dec. 16: Day of Reconciliation Afrikaners traditionally celebrated 16 December as the Day of the Vow, remembering the day in 1838 when a group of Voortrekkers defeated a Zulu army at the Battle of Blood River, while ANC activists commemorated it as the day in 1961 when the ANC started to arm its soldiers to overthrow Apartheid. In the new South Africas its a day of reconciliation, a day to focus on overcoming the conflicts of the past and building a new nation.

Management and Production at River Woods Case Study - 1

Management and Production at River Woods - Case Study Example A weakness brought to this situation is a lack of flexibility related to not having an adequate reward or penalty system in place that provides recognition for high performers and reprimands for non-productive individuals or work teams. The method of increasing power is to consider the strategic contingencies necessary to centralize the role of plant manager. Rather than simply relying on management meetings to discuss information, the plant manager needs to become more central to the flow of information, knowledge sharing, financing, marketing, and production team activities. By centralizing decision-making, it will increase power and positional status. The current decentralized organization is what is leading to higher absenteeism and the inability to maintain quality standards and productivity. Rather than simply scheduling a meeting and identifying changes required, more visibility is required by structuring and participating in a problem-solving task force. Even though there seem to be positive attitudes about changes as they are being presented by the plant manager, the actions undertaken by managers and staff are less than satisfactory related to absenteeism, productivity, and quality. The plant manager needs to express their own knowledge, skills, and innovations and also provide a forum for the quality control, engineering, production, etc., divisions, to voice their concerns over performance and provide innovative potential solutions. By mediating these problem-solving sessions, more participation and dedication is created through teamwork development and also reinforce that the plant manager maintains the knowledge, skills, and expertise necessary to drive effective leadership policies. This will also increase the plant manager’s legitimacy by constantly rein forcing the company’s core values and show a willingness to model this same quality, productivity and leadership standards to gain commitment.

Chem lab module 7 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Chem lab module 7 - Essay Example The solution and the solid were separated by decantation. I divided the remaining solid available to perform vinegar. Since no bubbles were seen, the possible compounds were narrowed down to Plaster of Paris and cream of tartar. On addition of hydrochloric acid, the precipitate didn’t dissolve, thereby, confirming the solid precipitate to be Plaster of Paris. Moving to the solution part, a violet color was obtained on carrying out the pH test, which narrowed down the compounds to table salt, glucose and sucrose. On copper sulphate test, no reddish brown precipitate was observed; hence presence of glucose was not possible. The only other sugar that could be present otherwise was sucrose. I took 2g of the given unknown mixture in a test tube and added water. After decanting the solution from the solid, I carried out the identification tests separately on the solid and the solution parts. I, first, carried out the iodine test on the solid precipitate and got a negative result. Next I performed the vinegar test and observed bubbles rise from the test tube, hence confirming the presence of baking soda. In the remaining solid part, which I had previously separated into another test tube, I added hydrochloric acid. Since the precipitate didn’t dissolve, the other constituent of the mixture was identified as Plaster of Paris. I added 2g of mixture 2 in a test tube followed by 10 ml of water. After separating the solution from the solid, I performed the pH test on the solution and obtained green color. To distinguish between the possible presence of drain opener and washing soda, I added vinegar, after taking 2ml of the solution in another clean test tube. Bubbles were seen to rise in the tube, hence confirming the presence of drain opener. In the solid part, I performed the iodine test, followed by vinegar test only to be met by a negative result. The possible compounds were narrowed

Presenting for the Future Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Presenting for the Future - Essay Example Immigration accountability requires earnest action beyond executive orders unleashed by President Obama. The remedy will stabilize immigration procedures, boost tax, and offer fight illegal crossing at national borders. Organizational influences immigration through the structure in place. An organization structure for example within United States Citizenship and Immigration Services will influence ethical behavior of the staff working in various departments. An immigration system that has rigid and hierarchical structure will limit the capacity of employees towards implementing reforms in the documentation process. An autonomous decision-making process will result in a department that offers employees relevant experience and moral development in handling immigration dilemmas. Flexible structure allows immigration departments to make high-level decisions irrespective of their level to realize the sound and ethical practices; hence, the need for such a structure. An organization that handles immigration should hire employees legally. The human resource department will be charged with implementing immigration policies and reforms if it adopts a legal process to acquire employee fit for the job. Compliance in a public office is essential as opposed to labor costs that will be saved after hiring unqualified employees. Decentralization and ad hoc structure defines the human resource department of USCIS. The structure has hampered efforts to modernize immigration procedures and match the economic and national security agendas. The department has shielded efficient transformation initiatives that have the potential to heal the immigration wound. Restructuring of USCIS human resource department has paved way for critical immigration practices entrusted with the organization. Structure does not foster anti-fraud and homeland security measures as required by state and federal governments. Department of Homeland

Ethics memo Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Ethics memo - Essay Example -mail, instant messaging and internet use to employees include increase in work efficiency since time on the internet can give them break to reset employee’s motivation to further work. Another reason is as an emergency form of communication to the employee’s family. But if these reasons were analyzed, one can consider the fact that these are just excuses to allot less time for work. As an administrative assistant, I have a continuous access to the internet but based on my personal experience it is more distracting to have an office access to personal internet application. Honestly e-mails and instant messaging can be sent through the use of an employee’s mobile gadgets such as phones, tablets and laptops. If these are allowed, then emergency cases are covered. The disadvantages of using the internet for personal use primarily include the lack of demarcation between work and personal issues. By allowing personal use of the internet, the employer sends a message that it allows all forms of non-work related activities such as playing games, online shopping and even sending work-related materials through personal channels. It also exposes the company to different forms of virtual and cyber attacks. The extreme repercussions of this cannot be advantageous to the company in any perspective. In the perspective of human resource management, there should be a consensus regarding issues that can affect the quality and efficiency of work of the employees. On the personal note, I can accept a scenario wherein it is restricted since I can do personal matter in my own time. But for the benefit and concern to my officemates and co-workers, the middle ground should be reached, although it would be an effort and great challenge to the company. If the internet access shall be allowed for personal reasons, it is my personal view that every process should be monitored by the employer. Thus, more efforts are needed since monitoring software needs to be installed. Based

A Career in Business Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3250 words

A Career in Business - Essay Example The international trade that is essential for the growth of Suzhou Aikefu Electronics Co., Ltd has assisted me in my capability to be tolerant to diverse cultures and understand the effect of different cultural backgrounds in business. Further, the placement has assisted me in developing a number of life skills that include communication skills, interaction skills, and information technology (IT) skills. By working in Suzhou Aikefu Electronics Co., Ltd, I managed to get valuable experience that is essential for my future job searches and my experience in work places. The organization that I served under placement was Suzhou Aikefu Electronics Co., Ltd company. The organization is extremely busy serving an array of different categories of customers and so learning was somehow difficult especially in financial department, information systems department and marketing department. In order to get the much required skills in different business related subjects, I had to undertake a negotia ted learning initiative. Negotiated learning can be defined as the process in which the instructor or the employer allows the student to propose a structure that fits him or her in all elements of the process of learning that involves instruction, content, evaluation and assessment. In some cases, it may involve logistics elements such as transportation. The outcome of my negotiated learning can be equated as excellent or I can grant it an academic grade of A. After understanding that the organization had much work and it would be difficult for me to study by myself, I negotiated with my employee on how I was to handle the placement especially on matter involving learning new practical skills. The areas that I emphasized during the negotiations are instruction while working, assessment and evaluation. As such, I was assigned to staff in each department to take me through a number of practical aspects in international trade. The major departments that I concentrated on are marketing, customer care, information technology and financial departments. The assigned staff was also responsible for my assessments. However, the placement time for instructions and assessment had to differ from the original fixed plan of one hour for each department to flexible time frame because of the busy schedule. For instance, there were cases where instruction took only 20 minutes especially during week days , but during weekends, the instruction would take 2 hours. Other changes that took place involved a shift from the original plan where assessment was to be conducted in form of writing to simple verbal assessment in order to evaluate the newly acquired skills (Wolff,1999,p.71). Although there were some reservations among workers who had been assigned to instruct and evaluate me, my good communication skills , my ability to engage in positive discussion and my willingness to obey orders even when performing the tasks that were not in my placement plan enabled me to create positiv e relationship with my co workers. As such, my co workers were willing to assist me in attaining my placement goals (Wolff,1999,p.79). Evaluation of work-Based learning My placement was based in an aluminum processing company, Â  Suzhou Aikefu Electronics Co., Ltd. Â  Suzhou Aikefu Electronics Co., Ltd is one of the largest aluminum processing companies in china. It employs hundreds of employees from different parts of the world. Â  Suzhou Aikefu Electronics Co., Ltd engages in precision machining, CNC lathes, die casting machines, Zeiss CMM, special equipment and supporting test equipment. The organization has a centralized managerial structure although it has several

National Trust CaseStudy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

National Trust CaseStudy - Essay Example A SWOT analysis is a useful instrument for helping managers to identify internal strengths and weaknesses of a business and external opportunities and threats facing it (Strydom, 31). Based on the case study, it can be noted that National is a registered charity that looks after special places and was founded in 1895. The major strength of the organization is that it is unique since it specialises in looking after historic places that are centers of attraction. Many people are attracted by the beautiful places under its jurisdiction and this helps National Trust to generate substantial revenue from the number of visitors that go to the place every year. The main weakness confronting National Trust is that it is not for profit business. It relies on membership and entrance fees to cater for its operational costs. Costs incurred in maintaining the places as well as advertising are high which leaves the organization vulnerable to financial constraints. The major threat for National Trust is that the members of the public have alternative ways of spending their time. This entails that National Trust might not be in a position to attract the large envisaged numbers. Research has also shown that a lot of young people are not comfortable to work for the organization. Promotion is very important in the operations of the organization. For instance, this marketing strategy is used to raise awareness among people about the product and services offered, appeal to the interests of people as well as to remind them about the product (Kotler & Armstrong, 2004). In case of National Trust, promotion is used to raise awareness among the people about the product as well as to explain the benefits of the services offered. Different marketing communication tools such as new media including social networks such as Facebook and Twitter, Youtube, Weibo, MSN and advertising are often used. National Trust promotes its activities mainly through the use of social

A Career in Business Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3250 words

A Career in Business - Essay Example The international trade that is essential for the growth of Suzhou Aikefu Electronics Co., Ltd has assisted me in my capability to be tolerant to diverse cultures and understand the effect of different cultural backgrounds in business. Further, the placement has assisted me in developing a number of life skills that include communication skills, interaction skills, and information technology (IT) skills. By working in Suzhou Aikefu Electronics Co., Ltd, I managed to get valuable experience that is essential for my future job searches and my experience in work places. The organization that I served under placement was Suzhou Aikefu Electronics Co., Ltd company. The organization is extremely busy serving an array of different categories of customers and so learning was somehow difficult especially in financial department, information systems department and marketing department. In order to get the much required skills in different business related subjects, I had to undertake a negotia ted learning initiative. Negotiated learning can be defined as the process in which the instructor or the employer allows the student to propose a structure that fits him or her in all elements of the process of learning that involves instruction, content, evaluation and assessment. In some cases, it may involve logistics elements such as transportation. The outcome of my negotiated learning can be equated as excellent or I can grant it an academic grade of A. After understanding that the organization had much work and it would be difficult for me to study by myself, I negotiated with my employee on how I was to handle the placement especially on matter involving learning new practical skills. The areas that I emphasized during the negotiations are instruction while working, assessment and evaluation. As such, I was assigned to staff in each department to take me through a number of practical aspects in international trade. The major departments that I concentrated on are marketing, customer care, information technology and financial departments. The assigned staff was also responsible for my assessments. However, the placement time for instructions and assessment had to differ from the original fixed plan of one hour for each department to flexible time frame because of the busy schedule. For instance, there were cases where instruction took only 20 minutes especially during week days , but during weekends, the instruction would take 2 hours. Other changes that took place involved a shift from the original plan where assessment was to be conducted in form of writing to simple verbal assessment in order to evaluate the newly acquired skills (Wolff,1999,p.71). Although there were some reservations among workers who had been assigned to instruct and evaluate me, my good communication skills , my ability to engage in positive discussion and my willingness to obey orders even when performing the tasks that were not in my placement plan enabled me to create positiv e relationship with my co workers. As such, my co workers were willing to assist me in attaining my placement goals (Wolff,1999,p.79). Evaluation of work-Based learning My placement was based in an aluminum processing company, Â  Suzhou Aikefu Electronics Co., Ltd. Â  Suzhou Aikefu Electronics Co., Ltd is one of the largest aluminum processing companies in china. It employs hundreds of employees from different parts of the world. Â  Suzhou Aikefu Electronics Co., Ltd engages in precision machining, CNC lathes, die casting machines, Zeiss CMM, special equipment and supporting test equipment. The organization has a centralized managerial structure although it has several

Emergency Department Essay Example for Free

Emergency Department Essay I am a senior staff nurse working in the Emergency Department in an Acute General Hospital in Singapore. I have been assigned by my senior nurse manage to mentor Susan, a third year student nurse. As Susan was observed to be underachieving, I aim to use the Gibbs reflective cycle (1988) to guide me to identify the issues that have arisen during the placement and plan strategies to help Susan achieve her expected competencies at this stage of her clinical placement. Upon completion of the reflective cycle, mentor should be able to come up with methods that can help to resolve the student’s identified problems. It is important that windows of learning opportunities are created for reflection to be done and thus help both the mentor and mentee for future progression. Stage 1: Description Susan, a third year student nurse, is in her penultimate clinical placement of her three years training course. She had just reached the end of her second week of placement and has another four weeks to completion. The ward staff had observed that she was not entering patient’s vital signs, at times, into the system. The hospital uses the electronic system of entering patients’ charts. In addition, it appears that Susan did not inform any staff when there were abnormal readings, for example: there were two occasions where a raised temperature in a patient receiving blood transfusion and a head injury patient with an altered level of consciousness. Whilst having a weekly debriefing session as agreed during the first day of Susan’s clinical posting, the mentor was aware that Susan did fail to achieve the basic competency, which was required of her. The mentor had to stress to Susan on the importance of recording vital signs as it determines the patient’s prognosis. Thus, the mentor decided to develop an action plan (SMART) template (Kerry, 2012, Appendix 3), to aid Susan’s progression. Stage 2: Feelings Given a mentor’s role, it was a concern to me that I did not pick up Susan’s problem until my colleagues’ feedback. As Susan was proceeding to her third week of posting, it was crucial to speak to Susan and find out more in depth what might have led her to the behavior seen. I felt that Susan may not have the theoretical knowledge regarding what were the implications if fever occurs during

The Great Pyramid Of Khufu History Essay

The Great Pyramid Of Khufu History Essay In the Old Kingdom sometime between the years of 2575 BC and 2134 BC the Egyptians constructed The Great Pyramid. The Pharaoh Khufu ordered the building of a pyramid of greater dimensions than any other pyramid ever constructed. In hope to increase interest in the building of his pyramid Khufu shut down other temples to divert the interest to his site. Khufu chose to build on the Giza plateau on the East side of the Nile River. It is said that Khufu ordered slaves to construct the huge pyramid, but this is incorrect. The pyramid was built by about 5,000 free citizens of Egypt drafted for public work. The men were divided up into gangs of laborers and masons. The laborers consisted of approximately 18 to 20 individuals. The laborers would personalize the blocks of stone in which they moved with their group ¿Ã‚ ½s name. Using stone cut mostly from a quarry right on the Giza plateau the laborers quarried and hauled the massive blocks of stone up the pyramid (Egypt 55). Fine white lime stone was taken from Tura across the Nile River. The granite used for the king ¿Ã‚ ½s burial chamber was quarried from Aswan, 400 miles upriver from Giza (Egypt 58). The blocks of stone weighed as much as 15 tons as the granite stones were the heaviest (Casson 131). The total weight of the pyramid is 6.25 million long tons of stone (Harris 86). The Great Pyramid has a total of about 2,250,000 blocks of stone (Woods 16). This feat is almost unheard of today with the use of new machines and techniques for hauling and moving incredibly heavy objects. The Egyptians used some rather ingenious ways to keep their building project on the perfect side. The crews would dig connected trenches around the building site and fill the trenches with water. After filling the trenches with water they would tie a length of rope at equal height onto two sticks. Thus stretching the rope taunt they could see any unleveled points to fill or level off to keep their base even all-around (Casson 133). The l aborers used log rollers to aid in the moving of the massive blocks of stone. Before tipping the stone onto the rollers the side that is to be faced down on the logs is finished early to ensure a smooth ride (ibid. 131). Seeing how organized the ancient civilization was proving itself to be, historians are not shocked to find that they used a four-way ramp system to haul the blocks of rock to the upper most places of Khufus pyramid. The system used three ramps that formed three squared off spirals to the top, and one ramp that followed the same form down and off the formation (ibid. 134). This gives us four tiers of ramps, a sort of Egyptian highway system of on and off ramps. French architect Henri Chevrier tested the ramp theory with 50 men and a one ton block of limestone set on a track of wet mud from the Nile River. The results showed that one man harnessed to a rope could move the block on a level surface, 1 not all 50 (Egypt 58). After possibly what might have taken the entire twenty-three year reign of Khufu the structure was complete. The entrance lead down around 60 feet. The next obstacle to be faced is three stone sealing plugs that slid in front of the entrance to prevent grave robbers from entering. The sealing blocks kept robbers out for about 400 years till finally they got through and stole the contents of the pyramid (Casson 136). Then advancing upward to a second burial chamber that was left incomplete, this chamber is commonly misnamed the Queens Chamber. Then we fall upon a 153 foot long 28 foot high tunnel called The Grand Gallery. The Grand Gallery is noted for its ceiling made with tiers and braces (ibid. 136). After traveling through The Grand Gallery we find ourselves in the actual burial chamber of Khufu. The sarcophagus still stands at the west end of the chamber; of course it has been empty for some time now. This chamber was actually the third placement designated by Khufu. Each time hi s aspirations grew he wanted the pyramid bigger, and his tomb higher. The burial chamber was designed with six stress relieving roofs made of granite to support the tons of block over head (ibid.136). This monument of Egyptian architecture and technique covers a land mass of 13.1 acres. At the top of the once gold capstone the pyramid stands 482 feet high, now it is 31 feet shorter due to other projects taking stone from the handy source. The sides at the base are an astounding 756 feet long. (Egypt 53). I want to share with you the strange tales and theories about the Egyptians being able to see the future. One theory is from the Scottish astronomer Charles Piazzi Smyth. Smyth believed that the pyramid reflected measures of time and distance that could have then been only from a divine source. The pyramid showed the distance of the sun to the earth when its height in inches is multiplied by 10 to the 9th power. Smyth also said that the perimeter of the pyramid equaled 1000 times 365.2, the number of days in a solar year. Unfortunately Smyths measurements were proven wrong by British archaeologist Flinders Petrie (Egypt 55). Even thought the construction of the pyramid still has its doubts and theories, we find that the Egyptians used such great accuracy in their techniques that some spots in the pyramid have gaps only about .0001 inch (.0003 cm) wide (woods 23). This is about large enough to squeeze a postcard through. This brings us to the outside surroundings of the Great Pyramid. There are two other major pyramids at the Giza site. The second biggest is the pyramid of Khafre, and the smallest of the three is the pyramid of Menkaure (Egypt 56). These other pyramids were built after Khufus death. The second largest was built by his son, (Khafre), and his grandson, (Menkaure). In the surroundings of the Great Pyramid the Great Sphinx is found. This 240 foot long and 66 foot high Guardian ordered by King Khafre was carved out of an outcropping left behind at the limestone quarry that supplied the stone for the Great Pyramid (ibid. 60). Perhaps one of the greatest discoveries found around the perimeter of the Great Pyramid is the twin pits that contain funeral boats for Khufu. During a routine clearing of the base of the pyramid in 1954 Egyptian archeologist Kamal el Mallakh uncovered what he at first thought to be a part of the enclosure wall. Then Mallakh noticed that this section was closer than on the other sides. Thinking of a possible find he instructed to dig deeper until a row of 81 huge limestone blocks in separate sets were apparently covering the twin pits. After careful work Mallakh opened a hole in one of the six-foot-thick slabs. Under that slab he saw an oar and realized he had come upon a historical relic, a cedar funeral boat of Khufu. It took about sixteen years to remove the boat from the pit. Not wanting to risk the loss they left the second pit untouched (ibid. 61). Today the boat is on display in a special museum along side of the Great Pyramid of Khufu (ibid. 59). Another great discovery was found around the Great Pyramid by accident. In 1925 a photographer while setting up his tripod to take photos of The Great Pyramid nicked a piece of plaster from a hidden opening cut into the rock. Archaeologists removed stones and revealed a 100 foot shaft that lead down to a tomb. The tomb belonged to Queen Hetepheres, Khufus mother. After a total of three-hundred-twenty-one days of work it became apparent that 4500 years had taken its toll on the tomb. Most objects were already decayed almost to nothing. Using 1701 pages of sketches and 1057 pictures of the site most items were able to be reconstructed (Egypt 54). In front of the pyramid was what is known as the Great Causeway. The Great Causeway led to a rectangular mortuary temple. From this point the coffin was taken to a spot below the tomb entrance and then hauled up 56 feet to the opening of the pyramid (Casson 138). Also next to the pyramid are three satellite pyramids that belonged to the rulers three queens. There were also several fields of mastaba tombs and two temples, all connected by The Great Causeway (Egypt 59). Until recently it was thought that we had little chance of finding all of the missing sections of Khufu ¿Ã‚ ½s pyramid. In 1990 workmen installing sewer lines hit upon a part of the Great Causeway. After this finding the original path of the Causeway was easily mapped. The government of Egypt wants to move the residents of Nazlet el Simman and excavate the site (ibid. 59). The location of the Great Pyramid at Giza has been a popular place throughout time, and time has definitely taken its toll on the Great Pyramid. Unfortunately we have almost no tombs from the old kingdom left with artifacts and treasures from the nobility that once inhabited them. Khufus Great Pyramid is unfortunately one that was made in the old kingdom, hence it was not well preserved and artifacts are rare (Harris 88). Another fear is as man progresses the pollution will cause the rocks on the pyramid to erode at a much more rapid pace. Possible tourism someday will take a toll and start to make the wonderful site deteriorate much more rapidly than it would if we were to just admire from a distance. The pyramids at Giza remain the only of the seven wonders of the ancient world that is still here (ibid. 85). The future holds the truth of what time will do to the Great Pyramid. If it is treated like the sphinx has been we may be in danger of some idiot shooting a cannon at it. If hi story continues on the path it is set on now there is nothing to stop the Egyptians from using the blocks as a handy source for outer building projects. Time has been responsible for the changes in the pyramid: the contents have disappeared, outcroppings have been buried and possibly lost forever, and the environment has taken its toll on the massive structure. In conclusion, The Great Pyramid has open eyes on the techniques and loyalty of the ancient Egyptian empire. The Egyptians have constructed a piece of history that can only sit on a list of seven; the other six are no longer in existence. This makes the pyramid the last of the seven wonders of the ancient world. There will probably never be anything constructed with such raw accuracy and detail without computers and machines. I hope you have enjoyed the information I have given you on: the construction of the Great Pyramid, the surroundings of the Great Pyramid, and the effect of time on the Great Pyramid of Khufu.

jacksonian man of parts :: essays research papers

The recent International Poe conference saw a number of panels and individual presentations dedicated to examining the author’s works in their social and historical contexts, suggesting that contemporary Poe criticism is moving in a cultural direction long overlooked by scholars and critics. With no less than two full panels devoted specifically to issues of race in Poe’s writing, and other papers addressing issues of cultural identity, gender politics, Poe’s relationship to American literary nationalism, and the author’s ties to both antebellum society and Jacksonian democracy, this conference provided overwhelming evidence of a current desire to emplace Poe more specifically within his cultural and historical milieu. In a broader sense, such attention to the historical and cultural dynamics of Poe’s writing suggests increased attention of late to Poe’s own Americanness. This critical trend toward assessing Poe as a distinctly American writ er has, of course, also informed such excellent recent works as Terence Whalen’s Edgar Allan Poe and the Masses (1999) and the essays collected by Shawn Rosenheim and Stephen Rachman in The American Face of Edgar Allan Poe (1995). This paper represents an attempt to further such inquiry into the American â€Å"face† of Poe by examining the ways in which Poe’s unfortunately neglected tale â€Å"The Man that Was Used Up† complicates the author’s position in relation to American racial and national politics. One of Poe’s most biting satirical pieces, this tale raises vexing questions regarding the connections between matters of race, masculinity, and national identity as these concepts were imagined and constructed in Jacksonian America.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  A minor tale in the canon of Poe’s short fiction, â€Å"The Man That Was Used Up† was first published in the August, 1839 issue of Burton’s Gentleman’s Magazine and subsequently revised and published twice more in Poe’s lifetime, first in Tales of the Grotesque and Arabesque (1840), and, finally, in the 9 August 1845 issue of the Broadway Journal. In this odd story, which chronicles the compromised stature of a military hero of the Indian Wars, Poe makes what would seem to be one of his most scathing, if indirect, commentaries on contemporary American politics. Specifically, the tale evokes the troubled relationship between the oppressive racial policies of the United States in the Age of Jackson and the burgeoning sense of national purpose and unity embodied in the figure of the robust, heroic, Jacksonian â€Å"self-made man.† Composed at a time when the United States was embroiled in the Second Seminole War (1835-42), am ong the longest and costliest of the Indian Wars, the story positions its central figure, Brevet Brigadier General John A.