My Mother, My Hero Essay Example for Free

My Mother, My Hero Essay When I was about ten years old, I watched an episode of Sesame Street that provided valuable lesson about who mothers are to their children. I would like to start this narrative with that story. A little girl got lost in the park and was crying hysterically. She caught the attention of a security officer nearby. The officer approached the child and tried to calm her. He asked her who she was with and the child said she was with her mother. They were crossing the street and there were so many people. She got confused and she thought she was following her mother but later found out that it was another woman. The child continued to cry remembering her mother who would be worried by then. The officer asked the little girl to describe her mother. She said her mother is â€Å"the most wonderful woman in the whole world†. So the security officer looked for the beautiful women and presented them to her, but the child kept crying and insisted that her mother is â€Å"the most wonderful woman in the whole world†. After many attempts to find a beautiful lady fitting the child’s description, a plump, old woman who looked very worried rushed to the child and embraced her tight. The child was so happy and told the officer that the lady is her mother. The child, relieved to be in her mother’s arms again, said to the officer, â€Å"This is my mother; she is the most wonderful woman in the whole world†. It was only then that the officer realized what the child meant. When a woman finds herself pregnant, she is transformed into a selfless individual, one who would put the child’s interest first above her own. It is like bearing a child fulfills her womanhood and in her child’s eyes, she literally is the most wonderful woman. Some women had to stop working because they need to personally take care of their babies. Some had to change their lifestyle to favor the needs of the child. Some had to find a new place that is ideal for the child to grow up. Some women simply do not dream of anything else but to be good mothers to their children. To bring the child in one’s womb for nine months is a lot of sacrifice. To feed the baby from one’s breast until the baby is old enough is a lot more sacrifice. To care, protect and guide the baby until he grows and becomes an adult is a lifetime sacrifice for a mother. Mothers are heroes and the world is lucky to have them. So is my mother and she is my hero. I may not be able to remember all the wonderful things my mother has done to me; it could make a long list and keep adding to it for as long as we both live. If ever I was not conscious of how she brought me in her womb for nine long enduring months, I could have certainly felt it and carried the feeling with me as I grew up. I was told that I was a perfectly healthy baby when I was born. My family especially my mother was so proud of me. She probably did not realize that if I was born good looking and very healthy, it was because she took care of her own health and successfully nurtured me in her own body. I breathed in her breath, I ate what she ate and I lived in her; we were literally one during the most crucial time of my life. Aside from making it happen, she paved the way for me to grow in her healthily and safely. Like many perfectly healthy children, I was told that I was breastfed for two years. My memory does not help me enough to make me remember how it felt to be breastfed by my mother. But as I look at her now, I see a beautiful woman who was so blessed to provide the nutrition to keep her baby alive. Every drop of milk that I took from her was a result of all her efforts to keep herself clean and nutritious. She must have eaten plenty of vegetables and avoided dirty food. She must have taken vitamins that would give her milk the nutrients that my body would need. She must have sacrificed being awake when I was hungry and set aside what she was doing whenever I cried and asked for food. I would have been so gratifying if I could remember how it was; being carried by my mother and making me feed from her breast. Simply knowing it makes me feel the intensity of her love, and I treasure this knowledge. I am happy to remember instances when my mother brought me to the grocery store and bought me some candy bars and chocolates. I felt my eyes feast on the colors that I saw at the store. The feeling of security that I was with my mother added to the enjoyment I had. The feeling was like that most of the time. I felt that with my mother, I am safe. Nothing wrong can happen to me and she will give me everything. I did not have to ask, she knew when I needed something. When she bought me candy bars and chocolates in the grocery store made me very happy. But it was not just the candy bars and chocolates, or the trip at the grocery store that made me feel so good, it was because they were given by my mother. Since my childhood, simply looking at my mother sent me good feelings. There was a time when I was running in a building, I don’t remember where it was, but it was a building with stairs and I was running recklessly. My mother was right behind me but I somehow made a wrong step and fell about three or four steps on the stairs going down. My immediate reaction was shock. I then felt a mixture of pain in my body and embarrassment because I attracted the attention of the other children playing there. It was instinct that I looked for my mother and looked at her eyes. She was rushing towards me to give me the comfort that I needed. I remember crying and embracing my mother, asking her to caress me and tell me that everything was alright. It was also the comfort that assures me that it is not that embarrassing and nobody will laugh at me. That alone made me feel better and I knew that my mother was the best person who could do that for me. She was really my hero. I may be older now and stronger. I have learned many lessons in life as I gained experiences with all my mother’s love and guidance. She may not be physically present, following me in all my activities, but she continues to be my guardian. Whatever I have become is owed much to my mother. For my mother, she may not have been conscious of the magnitude of the sacrifices she has made, just for me. Because every time she did something for me, her eyes would glow and I knew that she has always been so happy to do those things for me. I guess it is the magic of a mother’s love that makes a child whole. She is my hero and I will be grateful to her for being my mother for the rest of my life.

The Implications Of The Erp Implementation Information Technology Essay

The Implications Of The Erp Implementation Information Technology Essay Enterprise resource planning systems are now a common feature of any large business; indeed, they are widely considered to be one of the most influential technological developments within the corporate workplace (Davenport, 1999). The popularity of such technology can be ascribed to the organisational benefits of implementing such systems; according to Lengnick-Hall et al (2004), for example, the introduction of such systems can improve the process flow of an organisation and provide the management of the organisation with better quality data on which to base their strategic decisions. This aids companies in their need to react in a timely and flexible manner to changes in the business environment (Zheng et al, 2006). The popularity of the implementation of ERP systems can be seen in the fact that the ERP software market is currently one of the fastest growing e-business software markets in the world, having increased from a value of $23.6 billion in 2004 to roughly $28.8 billion in 2006 (Woodie, 2005). However, there are limitations to the benefits which can result from the implementation of ERP systems, as reflected in the failed ERP implementations at Allied Waste Industries Inc and Hershey Foods Corporation (Scott and Vesey, 2002). The rapid economic growth of the United Arab Emirates has resulted in its transformation into a sought after destination for large enterprises (ERP in UAE, 2011). This is particularly the case in Abu Dhabi and Dubai which is currently the largest trading centre in the Middle East, and whose liberal government regulations, high quality infrastructure and thriving service sector have contributed to its success (ERP in UAE, 2011). As a result of such vibrant business growth, the ERP software market in the UAE was estimated at $300 million (Dh 1.1 billion) at the end of 2009 and is projected to grow further (Askari, 2008). This essay focuses on the implications of ERP implementation in Etihad Airways, the United Arab Emirates national airline, which was completed in 2006. The aim of the essay is to assess the implications of the new ERP system on the organisation as a whole and on its users. The essay begins with an overview of the key factors which are deemed to be important in determin ing the organisational and individual implications of the implementation of an ERP system before subsequently discussing the details of the ERP implementation in the case of Etihad Airways. The advantages and limitations associated with the new ERP system from the perspective of both the organisation and the users is then explored. A review of the studies which have been recently published in the field of ERP suggest a number of critical success factors which need to be present in an organisation to ensure that the implementation of the system yields the desired benefits to both the organisation and the users of the new system. If any of these critical success factors are absent, neither the individuals nor the organisation will reap the full benefits from the implementation of the new system. The first of these is strong leadership, or the capability of senior managers to convince the members of their organisation of the advantages of the change which will result from the ERP system implementation (Davenport, 1999). It is also important for managers to demonstrate that the implementation of the new system is motivated by market needs and that it will enable the organisation to thrive in their environment. This is corroborated by the results of a survey conducted by Zairi and Sinclair (1995) which indicated tha t effective leadership was thought to be the most important factor in large transformation efforts. The second critical success factor which has been identified is barriers to change within the organisation. If employees are resistant to the introduction of a new system, the likelihood is that the ERP system will fail to be successful. Such resistance may stem from a fear of losing power within the organisation or a resentment of authority, an issue highlighted by a study conducted by Bancroft (1996) which found that resolving political issues within an organisation was the most difficult challenge to overcome. According to Aladwani (2001), the first step to ensure a successful ERP implementation is the approval and support of key individuals and opinion leaders in the organisation. The third critical success factor is a strong ongoing communication with employees in order to engender a greater understanding of the new system (Kraemmerand et al, 2003) it is important for employees to be kept up to date with the progress of the new system in order to mitigate any confusion or employee resistance. The fourth critical success factor is the management of change and control. In particular, careful project management is important with clearly defined objectives, work plans and an ongoing overview of the progress of the project (Umble et al, 2003). This needs to be reinforced by a clear decision making hierarchy, with frequent progress reviews. The final critical success factor is the importance of organisational culture. The culture of a company influences the way in which the employees, and hence the users of the ERP system, respond to its implementation hence, the culture of the organisation needs to be adapted to incorporate the features of the new system (Wong, 2006). A new organisational culture needs to be developed which is underpinned by the trust and support of the organisations employees towards the new ERP system (Aladwani, 2001). Etihad Airways is the national airline of the United Arab Emirates and launched its services in November 2003 (AMEinfo, 2006). Etihad currently lies to guests to more than fifty destinations in Asia, North America, Australia, Africa and Europe, with its fleet of aircraft totalling 57 (AMEinfo, 2006). Its revenue in 2009 totalled 2.3 billion USD, and the airline carried more than 7 million passengers (AMEinfo, 2006). Etihad implemented its ERP system in 2006 in partnership with Oracle E-Business Suite. The ERP system focused mainly on integrating the disparate functions of the airlines financial and accounting systems, specifically, its accounts payable, fixed assets, purchasing, inventory management, accounts receivable, accounts payable, self service expenses, inventory management and purchasing and its self service procurement (AMEinfo, 2006). The project took a total of eight months to complete and consulting services were provided to Etihad throughout the process by Satyam Comput er Services (AMEinfo, 2006). The new ERP system was implemented according to schedule and on budget. The key drivers behind the decision to implement a new ERP system in Etihad Airways stemmed largely from the fact that their existing accounting and finance system was outdated and technical upgrades were not available (Etihad Airways, 2009). Furthermore, the systems support which was provided by the current software provider was inadequate, with maintenance becoming expensive. As a result, the airline was spending a significant amount of money on a system which was not adequately meeting their needs (Etihad Airways, 2009). It was therefore decided that a new, integrated software system was needed to streamline and integrate the operational and financial process within the company. The processes which were successfully integrated in the introduction of Oracle E-Business Suite met 80 per cent of Etihad Airways requirements (Etihad Airways, 2009). It enabled Etihad Airways to achieve closer integration with the applications of other business units, enable complete process automation an d provided users with a more user friendly interface supported by strong online support (Etihad Airways, 2009). The same ERP system had also been implemented by a number of other regional airlines including Oman Air. The introduction of the new ERP system had a number of positive implications for both the users of the new system and the organisation itself. According to IBS (2011), the introduction of the new system played a key role in fuelling the growth of Etihad Airways. Firstly, the better organisation and integration of different functions within the operational and financial divisions enabled the company to conduct a profitability analysis on its routes, and to improve the yield from its existing routes based on the results of break even analysis (IBS, 2011). The provision of this useful information enabled the management of the organisation to decide on new flight routes as well as saving considerable time in the preparation of monthly and annual management reports, which was assisted by the simplification of the budget creation and invoice verification processes resulting from the integration of the systems. Secondly, all revenue budgeting and monthly accounting processes were fully auto mated and their systems were fully integrated with the other monthly revenue budgeting and accounting systems which were currently in operation at the organisation (IBS, 2011). This provided users with a central store of information from which they could access past reports and users were able to develop customised reports for their daily operations with the new system. This saved considerable time since it reduced the manual input needed from users and increased work efficiency by a total of 75 per cent (IBS, 2011). Thirdly, the implementation of the new system allowed employees to access the relevant financial and operational information at any station and department. It also enabled users to generate different versions of reports and to transfer data between different versions. The lack of manual input needed for the generation of reports meant that there was greater transparency in the calculations and computations which were used, thus reducing the risk of error and enabling th e company to easily retrace its steps in the event of an error. The new system also enabled the organisation to prepare comparison and Key Performance Indicator (KPI) reports to compare metrics such as actual and projected expenditure from both the current and previous years (IBS, 2011). The benefits for the users of the new system in Etihad Airways was very positive. The key implications of the new system for the users consisted of the saving of time. Prior to the implementation of the new system, the finance department had to manually collect information from different work stations and these were combined in order to provide monthly reports for different revenue categories. The time consuming nature of the work involved meant that a total of two people were required to work on compiling reports during a period of five days (IBS, 2011). The introduction of the new system increased the work efficiency of users by 75 per cent (IBS, 2011), thus freeing up the time of users to concentrate on other tasks and also reducing the overall costs incurred by the organisation. Another key benefit for both users and the organisation of the introduction of the new system was the increased accuracy of the quality of work (IBS, 2011). Prior to the implementation of the new system, the majority of the work performed by employees was of a manual nature. There was therefore a significant risk of duplication and potential error related to human oversight Etihad Airways had lacked an integrated front end portal which could adequately support these processes with the result that much of the financial and operational data which was stored on the system was inaccurate and out of date. Therefore, the reports which were based on such data were not useful to management, and it was often necessary for employees to have to search through multiple databases in order to locate the required information. In many cases, the same information was stored in multiple databases which were not interlinked, with the result that data in one database was updated, but the data stored in other databases was not. Therefore, the introduction of the new system resulted in a much more user-friendly interface for the employees of the organisation and made it easier for them to access relevan t data to construct reports (IBS, 2011). However, despite the advantages which have been outlined above, there are a number of limitations associated with the introduction of the new system in relation to both the overall organisation and the systems users. The most obvious limitation to the new ERP system for Etihad Airways is its prohibitive cost. The results of a survey conducted by Panorama Consulting Group and based on 1600 ERP implementations worldwide (Sachdeva, 2010) found that the average cost of implementing a new ERP system is $6.2 million, which typically represents 6.9 per cent of the companys annual revenue. In addition to the one-off cost associated with the initial implementation of the ERP system, the ongoing costs of end-user training and data migration from the old system to the new system requires a considerable amount of time and money, and also results in lost business throughout that period. It is important to ensure that the benefits provided by the implementation of the new system outweigh the costs associated with the system the relatively recent introduction of the ERP system in Etihad Airways makes it difficult to determine whether this is the case. Another potential limitation associated with the implementation of the ERP system is the issue of training. The complexity of ERP systems means that adequate training is essential to ensure that users are fully prepared to start using the system and to earn their support for the project. Indeed, empirical studies have shown that investing a sufficient amount of money into user training is essential in determining the success or failure of a new ERP system. The study conducted by Gartner Consulting indicated that those companies whose training budgets for the new system constituted less than 13 per cent of the overall cost of introducing the new ERP system were significantly more likely to have an ERP system which was unsuccessful when compared to those companies whose training budget comprised a minimum of 17 per cent of the ER P implementation cost (Sachdeva, 2010). The limitations imposed on the effects of new ERP systems by inadequate training is also supported by findings in academic literature: a study conducted by Markus and Tanis (2000) explores the negative effects that inadequate user training and the consequent failure by employees to understand the functionality of the new system represented a key obstacle to the successful functioning of the new system. Furthermore, while the implications of the ERP system at Etihad Airways currently seems to be positive from both an organisational and a user perspective, the systems which are in place may be insufficiently flexible to adapt to any changes in the work flows and processes at the airline (Sachdeva, 2010). Etihad Airways is a very new airline, having only been launched seven years ago, and hence there is a likelihood that its business process will significantly change in the future whether it be through organic growth or through the acquisition of another company. There is therefore a risk that the ERP system which is currently in place may not have the flexibility to cope with changes in Etihad Airways organisational environment. The findings of this essay suggest that the implications of the implementation of the new ERP system in Etihad Airways have been overwhelmingly positive. The key benefits which have accrued to the management from the new system appear to have been a significant reduction in costs due to the reduced amount of time needed to perform activities. Furthermore, the integration of different systems has made it easier for the management to conduct different profitability analyses on airline routes, thus providing them with high quality information which they can use to inform their strategic decisions. The key benefits which have accrued to the users from the introduction of the new system also include a reduction in the amount of time needed to enter data through the elimination of the need for manual input. This has not only alleviated the tedious nature of tasks, it has also freed up users time to dedicate to other activities. The replacement of manual input with automated systems has als o reduced the risk of human error and potential duplication. The key limitations which are posed by the introduction of the new system stem from the ongoing costs associated with the maintenance and support for the new ERP system, the need for continuous training for end users, and the risk that the ERP systems which are in place are not sufficiently flexible to be able to cope with changes to the processes of the airline in the future. It is important for Etihad Airways to ensure that they take concrete steps to minimise the risk that each of these limitations will prove to be a significant obstacle to the success of the ERP system. In order to reduce this risk, it is suggested that the airline invests in continuous training for its users. While this will increase the cost burden of the ERP system, many of the findings and studies cited above have emphasised the importance of end user training and employee support in ensuring the success of a new ERP system (Markus and Tanis, 2000) and hence it is an important investment for the company to make. Furthermore, a high degree of ongoing communication needs to be put in place between management and end users of the ERP system in order to obtain users feedback on their experience of using the ERP system this will allow management to identify in a timely fashion whether the ERP system has any issues related to flexibility, thus ensuring that they are able to make any necessary changes before significant problems arise. It will also help to demonstrate the strong leadership skills of the management which, as highlighted earlier in the essay, is a critical factor in determining the successful implementation of a new ERP system.

Linguistic and Narrative Cohesion in An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridg E

Linguistic and Narrative Cohesion in An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge    The reader's bewilderment at the end of Ambrose Bierce's "An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge" is less a result of Peyton Farquhar's death than the timely coordination of this man's violent execution with the reader's sudden realization that instead of a detached objective reading he has been cajoled into a subjective experience (Ames 53). The reader is able to cross over into the consciousness of the protagonist at the moment when experience ends because of the story's cohesion and coherence. A focused examination of specific passages and themes in each of the story's sections demonstrates how Bierce satisfies the expectations of the reader and provides a reasonable subjective experience through known-new contracts of sentence structure and narrative style. Martha Kolln points out that the study of cohesion "concerns the connection of sentences to one another, to the 'flow' of a text, to the ways in which a paragraph of separate sentences becomes a unified whole" (19). The known-new sequence is a rhetorical technique to provide cohesion between sentences, paragraphs, and even ideas. Specifically, it is a contract in which "old, or known, information . . . will appear in the subject slot, with the new information in the predicate" (236). Narrative style can also be validated by the preceding schema network. Each section is defined by its predecessor. Birece's story is divided into three sections: the first describes the final preparations for the military execution of a civilian prisoner, the second flashes back to the incident that led up to his capture, and the third recounts the sensations, thoughts, and feelings of the condemned man as he drea... ...e Story and Its Writer: Resources for Teaching. 4th Ed. Boston: St. Martin's, 1995. Cheatham, George. "Bierce's 'An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge.'" Explicator, Washington, DC 43:1 (Fall 1984): 45-47. Conlogue, William. "Bierce's 'An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge.'" Explicator, Washington, DC 48:1 (Fall 1989): 37-38. Kolln, Martha. Rhetorical Grammar: Grammatical Choices, Rhetorical Effects. 2nd Ed. Boston: Allyn and Bacon, 1996. Linkin, Harriet Kramer. "Narrative Technique in 'An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge.'" Journal of Narrative Technique 18:2 (Spring 1988): 137-52. Stoicheff, Peter. "'Something Uncanny': The Dream Structure in Ambrose Bierce's 'An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge.'" Studies in Short Fiction 30:3 (Summer 1993): 349-58. Williams, Joseph M. Style: Ten Lessons in Clarity & Grace. 4th Ed. NY: HarperCollins, 1994.    Linguistic and Narrative Cohesion in An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridg E Linguistic and Narrative Cohesion in An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge    The reader's bewilderment at the end of Ambrose Bierce's "An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge" is less a result of Peyton Farquhar's death than the timely coordination of this man's violent execution with the reader's sudden realization that instead of a detached objective reading he has been cajoled into a subjective experience (Ames 53). The reader is able to cross over into the consciousness of the protagonist at the moment when experience ends because of the story's cohesion and coherence. A focused examination of specific passages and themes in each of the story's sections demonstrates how Bierce satisfies the expectations of the reader and provides a reasonable subjective experience through known-new contracts of sentence structure and narrative style. Martha Kolln points out that the study of cohesion "concerns the connection of sentences to one another, to the 'flow' of a text, to the ways in which a paragraph of separate sentences becomes a unified whole" (19). The known-new sequence is a rhetorical technique to provide cohesion between sentences, paragraphs, and even ideas. Specifically, it is a contract in which "old, or known, information . . . will appear in the subject slot, with the new information in the predicate" (236). Narrative style can also be validated by the preceding schema network. Each section is defined by its predecessor. Birece's story is divided into three sections: the first describes the final preparations for the military execution of a civilian prisoner, the second flashes back to the incident that led up to his capture, and the third recounts the sensations, thoughts, and feelings of the condemned man as he drea... ...e Story and Its Writer: Resources for Teaching. 4th Ed. Boston: St. Martin's, 1995. Cheatham, George. "Bierce's 'An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge.'" Explicator, Washington, DC 43:1 (Fall 1984): 45-47. Conlogue, William. "Bierce's 'An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge.'" Explicator, Washington, DC 48:1 (Fall 1989): 37-38. Kolln, Martha. Rhetorical Grammar: Grammatical Choices, Rhetorical Effects. 2nd Ed. Boston: Allyn and Bacon, 1996. Linkin, Harriet Kramer. "Narrative Technique in 'An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge.'" Journal of Narrative Technique 18:2 (Spring 1988): 137-52. Stoicheff, Peter. "'Something Uncanny': The Dream Structure in Ambrose Bierce's 'An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge.'" Studies in Short Fiction 30:3 (Summer 1993): 349-58. Williams, Joseph M. Style: Ten Lessons in Clarity & Grace. 4th Ed. NY: HarperCollins, 1994.   

Affirmative Action :: essays research papers

In its tumultuous, nearly 40-year history, affirmative action has been both praised and pilloried as an answer to racial inequality. The policy was introduced in 1965 by President Johnson as a method of redressing discrimination that had persisted in spite of civil rights laws and constitutional guarantees. "This is the next and more profound stage of the battle for civil rights," Johnson asserted. "We seek†¦ not just equality as a right and a theory, but equality as a fact and as a result." Focusing in particular on education and jobs, affirmative action policies required that active measures be taken to ensure that blacks and other minorities enjoyed the same opportunities for promotions, salary increases, career advancement, school admissions, scholarships, and financial aid that had been the nearly exclusive province of whites. From the outset, affirmative action was envisioned as a temporary remedy that would end once there was a "level playing field" for all Americans. By the late '70s, however, flaws in the policy began to show up amid its good intentions. Reverse discrimination became an issue, epitomized by the famous Bakke case in 1978. Allan Bakke, a white male, had been rejected two years in a row by a medical school that had accepted less qualified minority applicants—the school had a separate admissions policy for minorities and reserved 16 out of 100 places for minority students. The Supreme Court outlawed inflexible quota systems in affirmative action programs, which in this case had unfairly discriminated against a white applicant. In the same ruling, however, the Court upheld the legality of affirmative action per se. Fueled by "angry white men," a backlash against affirmative action began to mount. To conservatives, the system was a zero-sum game that opened the door for jobs, promotions, or education to minorities while it shut the door on whites. In a country that prized the values of self-reliance and pulling oneself up by one's bootstraps, conservatives resented the idea that some unqualified minorities were getting a free ride on the American system. "Preferential treatment" and "quotas" became expressions of contempt. Even more contentious was the accusation that some minorities enjoyed playing the role of professional victim. Why could some minorities who had also experienced terrible adversity and racism—Jews and Asians, in particular—manage to make the American way work for them without government handouts? Liberals countered that "the land of opportunity" was a very different place for the European immigrants who landed on its shores than it was for those who arrived in the chains of slavery.

Economics IA Commentary Coversheet Essay

November 11 2009 – The unemployment rate stands at 7.8% – up 0.1% over the quarter and 2.0% on last year. Nearly 29 million people were in work in the period July to September according to the labour force survey (LFS). The number of people employed was up by 6,000 this quarter but down by 490,000 on the last year. The working age employment rate is 72.5% – down 0.1% on the last quarter and down 1.9% on the last year. ILO-defined unemployment in July to September was 2.46 million (7.9%) – up by 30,000 unemployed on April-June and 629,000 from this time last year. The claimant count for key out-of-work benefits was 1.6395 million in October – up by 22,900 on last month, and up 632,700 on last year. Earnings growth over the year to August (including bonuses) was 1.6%, down 0.2% from the previous month. Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, Yvette Cooper said: â€Å"The figures show more people in work and a lot more young people taking up our offer of full time education and training, which is welcome news. â€Å"The fact that unemployment is significantly lower than everyone forecast at the beginning of the year shows the support for the economy is making a real difference. But we know things are still tough for a lot of families, and unemployment is expected to increase further next year. That’s why we’re determined to do more with an extra 35,000 youth jobs, more apprenticeships and education places so we can guarantee no young person gets stuck in long term unemployment.† The figures out today also reinforce the fact that the UK labour market is performing better than most major economies. They show UK unemployment at 7.8%, compared to an EU average of 9.2% and lower than 14 other EU countries including France (10.0%), Ireland (13.0%) and Spain (19.3%), as well as the US (10.2%) and Canada (8.6%).† Commenting on the latest statistics, John Philpott, Chief Economist and Director of Public Policy at the CIPD, said: â€Å"UK unemployment is continuing to rise but at a much slower pace than earlier in the year. While this is not unexpected the fact that the unemployment total remained below 2.5 million in the quarter ending in September is encouraging. However, the relative improvement should not be interpreted as evidence that the labour market is returning to health, with male unemployment and long-term unemployment continuing to rise and youth unemployment now at a record rate despite a surge in the number of young people staying on in education to avoid the dole. â€Å"Unemployment remained below 2.5 million in the three months to September primarily because there was a rise in part-time employment, temporary employment and contract working, the latter boosting self-employment. This more than offset a continued marked deterioration in full-time jobs for employees. Such a pattern is common in a labour market where overall demand for staff is weak and – as the Bank of England reiterated today in its latest quarterly Inflation Report – the economic outlook uncertain, with the road to recovery likely to be slow. At such times employers who need to recruit remain wary of hiring full-time staff and it is significant that today’s ONS figures do not show an improvement in the level of job vacancies. This pattern is also normally accompanied by a high rate of involuntary part-time working – there are now almost 1 million people working part-time because they can’t find a full-time job. â€Å"Women continue to be the main beneficiaries of a labour market where opportunities for part-time employment are increasing, while men lose out as full-time jobs are being lost. As a result the CIPD expects the rate of male unemployment to rise well above 10% in 2010, with the proportion of men in work set to fall to a record low. â€Å"The current pattern of demand for labour is also doing nothing to ease the plight of young people. The latest quarter saw a further large fall in the number of under-25s in work, with the unemployment rate for 18-24 year olds now at a record high. There is little consolation in the fact that the number of unemployed young people remained below 1 million. This is explained by a quarterly surge in the number of young people classed as ‘economically inactive’, which the ONS figures indicate is mainly due to more young people staying on at school or college, almost certainly as an alternative to the dole.† This article deals with unemployment in the UK. A person can be considered unemployed when he is involuntarily out of work, however is willing to work at current wage rates. One of the government’s main goals is to achieve full employment, where all people who are able and willing, are working. This is extremely beneficial for the economy because it can be considered working at maximum efficiency, which causes growth and development. A good way to illustrate a countries economy taking into account unemployment would be to use a PPF. The production possibility frontier is the orange line where the economy is working at full efficiency (full employment), using all of its resources. Point X is when the economy is not using all of its resources, and has people unemployed. http://i.investopedia.com/inv/dictionary/terms/ppf.gif Structural unemployment is a possible reason for the large decrease of workers. This specific type of unemployment focuses mainly on the loss of jobs under the condition that the demand for a certain product falls, or there is a shift of production abroad. In the category of disequilibrium unemployment, Demand deficient (Cyclical) Unemployment is most likely the number one cause for the UK’s labour force being downsized. Due to the global recession, consumers can afford less goods and services, therefore the aggregate demand decreases significantly (hence the name – demand deficient). If the demand for production has substantially fallen, then naturally the demand for labour will also fall. Demand deficient unemployment can be illustrated using a diagram. Due to the fall in the D of goods and services, demand for labour shifts inwards from D1 to D2. With this, disequilibrium unemployment occurs with the number of workers shifting from Q1 to Q2. When demand for labour is strong, companies don’t hesitate to rise wages, although when demand for labour falls, and wages need to be cut, workers will resist wage cuts, therefore it is very hard for the company to cut wages for a large amount of workers without causing some kind disturbance or complications within the firm. If the company does chose to do this, the labour force will become angry and will want to retaliate somehow, perhaps going on strike. Due to a situation like this, parts of the company will not be producing/working, resulting in inefficiency. Aside from that, it will be very hectic, attracting negative attention from consumers and media, which is of course the company’s last need. In conclusion, the company will not be in control, when this is in fact their main priority, to sustain the stability and optimal working functionality. That is why the company prefers to downsize workers, and keep themselves running as best and as efficiently as possible. In order to deal with demand deficient unemployment the government should impose fiscalor monetary policies to raise aggregate demand and thus raise the demand for jobs. In the short run, when the AD shifts to the right (from AD1 to AD2) this causes and increase in real GDP (shift from Q1 to Q2 and P1 to P2). If AD would continue to grow in the short run, the country would reach a maximum supply. This constant struggle for the country to meet AD by increasing output would cause inflation instead of growth. However if the pressure is relatively small in the SR (short run) then it would be much easier to deal with AD in the LR. Supply side policies are government policies designed to increase output, and should also be imposed in order to cope with unemployment. Using a LRAS (long run aggregate supply) diagram is a good way to show the effects of supply side policies. If the Government were to impose supply side policies, the LRAS curve would shift right from LRAS1 – LRAS2. The price would then fall from P1 to P2 and the quantity (output + jobs) would increase from Q1 to Q2. Conclusivley the Government should investigate the best strategy to decrease unemployment. By imposing appropriate regulations and policies.

Comparer shopping Saudi Arabia

The United States and Saudi Arabia both have their own unique way of shopping. It is not common that we in AKA are spending an hour or more in front of the computer screen looking for clothes, shoes and other personal items like furniture, cars, and audio systems.However, in the United States I think that many people like to shop online from Amazon or others companies online. First of all, based on this simple fact, I believe hat there is a difference between Saudi Arabia and the United States about how people like to shop. For instance, in Saudi Arabia there are more than ten malls in each city that has more than 10,000 people. Rather than in America, Saudi Arabia has many more place for you to buy these items like many more clothing stores, stores for shoes etc.On the other hand, I have lived in three states which include Kentucky, Texas and New York. Each city has more than 10. 000 people, but all of the cities have no more than two malls. So to me, Saudi people like to go out for shopping rather than shopping online like Americans. Secondly, there is a lot of web sites that many people in America use to find vehicles. For Instance, Internet browser sites like ‘cars. Amend scraggliest can help people shop around and search for certain cars, such as Honda, Toyota and Ionians, but In Saudi Arabia there are no web sites like that at all. So In conclusion, to me America spends much more time doing online shopping than our country where people would spend time In the malls with our family and friends. Finally, I think that everyone has their own way of shopping and which way they would Like to shop. Aimed Littoral, September, 25 14

Emotional Intelligence And The Creative Leader Education Essay

In furthering environments where creativeness thrive, stronger overall concerns will emerge. However, the manner in which a director of employees can acquire optimal creativeness from his work force is non ever clear. Harmonizing to Peiperl ( 2002, 106 ) , making squads of people inspired by the spirit of creativeness will heighten overall public presentation within a concern. This survey intends to happen the common elements of managerial/ leading manners that promote employee creativeness and invention in the work environment.Creativity and InventionIn many research surveies, the footings creativeness and invention are frequently used interchangeably, nevertheless, there are celebrated differences between the two. Mumford & A ; Gustafson ( 1988 ) contend that creativeness has to make with the production of novel and utile thoughts, and invention has to make with the production or acceptance of such utile thoughts every bit good as its execution ( Kanter, 1988 ; Van de Ven, 1986 ) . In any instance, organisations need both to be successful in the accomplishment of its ends. Robinson ( 2011 ) contends that in order to keep a competitory border, creativeness and invention are necessary to bring forth new thoughts for merchandises and services. To develop these indispensable properties, flexibleness and adaptability to alter must be developed by people in their instruction and preparation. Creative believing refers to how people come up with solutions to bing jobs ( Amabile, 1996, 1998 ) . It is the consequence of an person ‘s attempt to blend and fit existing, conventional thoughts together to make new attacks to work outing jobs. Such thought does non bring forth creativeness simply from an person ‘s rational attempts, but creativeness is an result of his accrued originative thought accomplishments and expertness based on his past experiences ( Amabile, 1998 ) . However, even if an person has adequate appropriate originative thought accomplishments and expertness, a high degree of creativeness will non be reached if he or she lacks the motive to mobilise attempts to utilize such capablenesss ( Jung, 2001 ) . A common phrase used mentioning to creativeness is ‘thinking outside the box † . Notar & A ; Padgett ( 2010 ) commented that really successful people ne'er appear to hold a â€Å" box † from which they ope rate. However, a box is something associated with something that confines one to a finite infinite. â€Å" Thinking outside the box † so means non believing in a finite infinite but opening the heads out to infinite infinite with eternal possibilities. Bernacki ( 2002 ) enumerates some properties related to â€Å" believing outside the box as holding a willingness to take new positions to daily work. It besides entails openness to make different things and to make things otherwise. Creative persons focus on the value of happening new thoughts and moving on them. They strive to make value in new ways. Although they already have great thoughts in head, they still enjoy listening to others due to their perennial hunt for better thoughts.Creative Cultures/Env ironmentsAmabile ( 1998 ) suggests that for leaders to further creativeness among their subsidiaries, they must set up an organisational environment wherein subordinates feel safe lending their thoughts and seeking out advanced attacks without fright of penalty for failure. Transformational leaders stimulate their followings to believe ‘out of the box ‘ by heightening productive and explorative thought ( Sosik et al. , 1998 ) . Such leaders push their followings to courageously believe about old jobs in new ways, to oppugn their ain values, traditions and beliefs, every bit good as the leader ‘s beliefs and premises ( Bass, 1985 ; Hater & A ; Bass, 1988 ) . Diehl & A ; Stroebe ( 1991 ) illustrate that when group members brainstorm to bring forth advanced and originative attacks to work out jobs at manus, their leader ‘s intellectually stimulating behaviours, statements and attitudes can ease members to pass more clip bring forthing unconventional thoughts eve ry bit good as assist them cut down the possible consequence of rating apprehensiveness, therefore heightening creativeness in groups. When faced with undertakings that require originative thought, squads may either work good together towards a solution or work better separately, depending on their originative thought manners. The sort of support the environment gives a individual besides reflects in the degree of creativeness he may develop. Torrance ( 1965, 1972 ) has found that a non-punitive schoolroom or work environment that focuses on the development and rating of apprehensions while fostering independent idea and geographic expedition tends to heighten thought coevals. This determination supports surveies of organisational clime and productiveness. Research indicates that a positive organisational clime that is supportive of originative attempts and encouraging of action tends to ease scientific productiveness. ( Taylor, 1963, 1972 ) . Pelz ( 1956 ) found that environments that encourage interaction, liberty and production of cognition led to originative accomplishment. On the other manus, environments characterized by misgiving, deficiency of communicating, limited liberty and equivocal ends inhibited scientific invention. ( Mumford & A ; Gustafson, 1988 ) Sternberg ( 2003 ) proposes several facets of interactions that might make or decrease the originative urge. Groups that compete against one another do much better than groups that compete within themselves. The squad construct is stronger than the endurance of the fittest construct of competition. As good, when an employee feels that he will be evaluated for his creativeness, the sum of invention appears to decrease. Many other surveies have been done on a scope of managerial actions that might act upon creativeness and invention in the workplace. Shalley & A ; Gilson ( 2004 ) pointed out the negative effects of close supervising and the value of support in their survey on social/ organisational influences on originative work. Reiter-Palmon and Illies ( 2003 ) focused on cognitive influences, observing the importance of managerial actions that increase information handiness and supply the clip needed to work through jobs. With respect to motivation and honoring originative work, different places surface. One is that extrinsic wagess such as wage inducements, publicities, acknowledgment, etc. diminish creativeness ( Collins & A ; Amabile, 1999 ) while another place holds that extrinsic wagess can heighten creativeness ( Eisenberg & A ; Cameron, 1996 ) . Baer et Al ( 2003 ) suggest that occupation complexness and people ‘s originative job work outing manner, specifically adaptation versus invention, interact in finding the effects of wagess. Therefore, a leader should be able to supply a scope of wagess but more on making conditions likely to further intrinsic motive. No affair how great a squad gets in footings of invention, originative civilizations maintain on oppugning things. They want to cognize how to make things even better and are low plenty to cognize that they are continuously turning and larning and ever in demand of feedback and new information ( Robinson, 2011 ) .Empowering LeadershipThe literature suggests that leaders have much to make in promoting creativeness in their employees. Mumford & A ; Licuanan ( 2004 ) have summarized conditions that shape the impact of leader behaviour on creativeness and invention. These include the creativeness of their followings ; work group processes guided by lucidity of aims, accent on quality, engagement and support for invention ; leader control of wagess ; occupation features such as occupation complexness and challenge ; and organisational clime and construction. Mumford, Connelly, & A ; Gaddis, ( 2003 ) place that leaders should possess significant proficient and professional expertness every bit good as significant originative thought accomplishments. These research workers argue that originative idea on the portion of leaders begin with rating of their followings ‘ thoughts. This rating stimulates brainstorming attempts of both leaders and followings where thought coevals becomes active. Followings ‘ thoughts are reshaped and reformed based on their leader ‘s expertness and professional experiences ( Mumford & A ; Licuanan, 2004 ) . Invention can merely be possible if imaginativeness and creativeness have been cultivated in an organisation, and this needs to be initiated by organisational leaders. Leaderships should foster a civilization where everyone ‘s thoughts are valued and keep a balance of freedom to experiment and an in agreement system of rating. By and large, they facilitate a harmonious relationship between the external and internal civilizations, with the external civilization consisting of â€Å" technological inventions, population alteration, new forms of trade, fluctuation in financial and pecuniary policies, planetary competition, the increasing strains on natural resources and the effects of all of these on how clients and clients are believing and experiencing † ( Robinson, 2011, p. 98 ) . Internal civilization involves societal behaviors and patterns accepted in the organisation which gives it its typical feel. It can be said that it is how things are normally done in the organis ation. The leader of the organisation has three chief functions in developing a civilization of creativeness viz. the personal, group and cultural functions. These functions feed into each other and may sometimes overlap in order to enrich creativeness ( Robinson, 2011 ) . Robinson ( 2011 ) explains that the leader needs to be able to ease the originative abilities of every member of the organisation. Admiting that each member has originative potency, the leader should let them to take part in some maps that entail sharing of their thoughts, as some of these may be really helpful to the organisation. It will besides do them experience valued because they are given the chance to do a worthy part to the organisation. Aside from being participative, members are besides encouraged to larn more accomplishments that would non merely profit the organisation but their ain egos. Creative leaders advocate womb-to-tomb acquisition and create chances for their members to continuously and systematically prosecute in it. Fostering inventive heads leads to innovation which finally comes back to the company ( Robinson, 2011 ) . Creative leaders do non hold prejudices against anyone and welcomes diverseness. They believe that each individual has something to take to the tabular array due to their diverse backgrounds. Hence, their openness attracts more people, irrespective of their background and skill degree, to fall in their originative squad. These people anticipate coaction with each other in order to come up with advanced schemes that will profit the organisation and convey it higher than its rivals. Creative leaders besides know that their squad members have assorted work penchants in order to unleash their creativeness and supply environments that encourage it. Leaderships should be cognizant of their followings ‘ preferable manner of processing of originative idea to be better able to pull off groups and incorporate the distinguishable processing manners that characterize the work of the many different people involved in real-world originative attempts ( Basaur, 2004 ) . This is why dynamism is consistent. Creative civilizations thrive on environments that are alive and free ( Robinson, 2011 ) . Jaussi and Dionne ( 2003 ) indicated that unconventional behaviour of leaders expressed through function mold, articulation of a originative mission and the constitution of a originative group individuality wholly contributed to employee creativeness. Zhou and George ( 2003 ) besides argue that by determining the emotional responses of followings to the jobs and challenges posed by originative undertakings, leaders stimulate their followings ‘ problem-solving and intrinsic motive needed for originative work. This suggests that leaders of originative people should non merely possess societal and emotional intelligence and an ability for rapid accommodation of affect and affect framing should it be required, but besides cognize how to excite their followings intellectually. This establishes the originative individuality of their group.Emotional Intelligence and the Creative LeaderZhou & A ; George ( 2003 ) propose that the root of creativity-supportive leading is emotional intell igence. They argue that leaders play a important function in rousing and furthering creativeness in organisational members both through their ain behaviours and actions and through making a work environment that supports and encourages creativeness. In peculiar, emotional intelligence enables leaders to rouse, promote, and support creativeness among employees in organisations. Leaderships high on emotional intelligence cognize how to utilize emotion to assist their employees jumpstart the cognitive procedures that underlie job designation and chance acknowledgment. Zhou and George ( 2003 ) illustrate that when persons are in positive tempers, their optimistic temperaments surface and they feel more confident in confronting new chances or go dismissive of jobs. However, when they are in negative tempers, they tend to be more pessimistic yet more readily able to observe errors and mistakes and place jobs ( Bower, 1981 ; Salovey & A ; Birnbaum, 1989 ) . Emotionally intelligent leaders use their cognition of these effects of tempers to rouse their employees ‘ creativeness through affect timing and affect balance. Positive tempers can be taken advantage of by holding followings think up of possible chances and have adequate optimism to visualize betterment and success. On the other manus, negative tempers can be exploited by imparting it in the way of job acknowledgment and originative job resolution, finally heightening the person ‘s ego regard with the recognition of his part alternatively of gradual backdown from the workplace. Even defeat of a worker due to a job-related job, can be utilized by emotionally intelligent leaders. Both can convulse out the issues and causes of such negative emotion and finally assist the employee to go cognizant of the job and follow a more proactive demeanour in creatively work outing it ( Zhou & A ; George, 2003 ) . Conflicts are bound to originate in groups particularly when garnering information for originative undertakings. Different personalities and backgrounds, degree of creativeness accomplishments and cognition may ensue in dissensions on the criterions and boundaries of information to seek. Leaderships with high emotional intelligence are able to pull off followings ‘ emotions, and aid followings achieve a productive balance. More specifically, leaders with high emotional intelligence can accurately feel when followings are losing forbearance or going frustrated with non being able to obtain necessary resources, and when followings become happy and satisfied with their advancement prematurely. Because a leader with high emotional intelligence understands the causes and effects of emotions, he is likely to place the ground why his followings experience both positive and negative tempers. His accurate perceptual experiences enable him to pull off and equilibrate the negative and pos itive emotions and successfully nudge the employee to prevail in garnering information and remaining on-task. Emotional intelligence will assist leaders in promoting their followings to be unfastened to new acquisition, and approach new undertakings with enthusiasm and optimism instead than with trepidation and apprehension. It may besides go on that followings can be excessively excited about new information that they remain in the information assemblage phase without any clear ends or attempts to utilize the information in originative enterprises. Leaderships high on emotional intelligence are able to pull off their followings ‘ tempers so they achieve a balance and concentrate alternatively of being carried off by their ain exuberance ( Zhou & A ; George, 2003 ) . Emotionally intelligent leaders are to the full cognizant that execution of originative thoughts may affect both positive and negative emotions throughout the procedure and employees may be on an 'emotional roller-coaster ‘ . These leaders provide their followings with the appropriate encouragement and flexibleness and a corporate sense of ownership. The demand to be flexible themselves should be addressed by leaders and they should be willing to abandon a program when a more superior and originative thought is born. In state of affairss when negative emotions associated with ownership issues in thought execution emerge, leaders should be able to pull off such emotions so that negative feelings will non adversely affect the thought execution procedure. Such leaders will hold the emotional know-how to steer their followings and themselves through this hard and ambitious procedure, all the piece being unfastened to the possibility of farther alterations and betterments and stress ing corporate ownership for ultimate results ( Zhou & A ; George, 2003 ) .