Authoritarian and Democratic Leadership

AUTHORITARIAN LEADERSHIP STYLE: What an authoritarian leader would do in this situation: Authoritarian leadership style is characterised by high power distance, â€Å"top-down† management, with a focus of power in top managers and executives. Further traits include high control, prescription, and authority. What an authoritarian leader would do depends on the level of power perceived. On one extreme, the leader would make all decisions by himself or herself, and only assign the tasks to employees without allowing any questions or feedbacks. In this case, subordinates are merely onsidered as tools or pawns, without any real strategic functions. Another less extreme possibility is that the leader makes decision and try to convince his/her subordinates that it is in their best interest to accept them. In this case, the manager of the department would try to identify and analyze the problems by himself, then make decisions and try to enforce this on employees. This can be done by, for example, ordering that all employees sit in the same table during lunch, or cooperating more with each other. The merger also results in a considerable number of lay-offs, therefore some employees might still old bitter feelings about the change. However, the matters concerning employee morale is of less importance to the authoritarin leader, thus he or she would have low regard for it. Furthermore, the leader could even use lay-offs as a threat against any disloyalty in employees’ behaviors. 2. DEMOCRATIC LEADERSHIP STYLE What a democratic leader would do in this situation: Democratic leadership, on the other extreme of the continuum, is characterised by low power distance, â€Å"bottomup† management, with power centred in lower levels of execution. Other traits include low control, more autonomy, ith more consulting and facilitating involved. What a democratic leader would do depends on the level of freedom involved. On one extreme, the leader would only define the issue or problems as well as the possible framework and leave it up to the team for deciding and implementing solutions. This could be reached by either a consensus or a majority vote. Another less extreme option would be that the leader makes decision after consulting and discussing openly with the group. In this case, managerial judgment is still required in order to evaluate the suitability of the suggested solutions by subordinates.Thus, if the manager of the department is democratic, he or she would set up a meeting in which all employees from both merged companies are gathered. The leader then asks them to identify possible causes of the problems, and give them an opportunity to suggest solutions. The final solution would be decided by the leader or the majority vote. During the process of implementing solutions, the leader could leave it entirely to the team, with only a minimal amount of consulting and facilitating, after defining the restrictive parameters. Thus, the le vel of control is minimum.Furthermore, in this case employee morale actually plays an important role from the leader’s perspect. Thus, he or should would try to confront the possible negative effects caused by the lay-offs of some employees during the merger, in order to ensure that employees feel motivated, comfortable and united. 3. OTHER LEADERSHIP STYLE What would the third type of leader do? The third type of leader would be somewhere between the authoritarian and democratic continuum. His or her strategies and actions varies, depending on where he/she stands between these extremes. The advantage of this ombination is that the leader can maintain the balance between the involvement of employees and leaders – Sometimes reaching a democratic decision can be timeconsuming and not so effective, while a leader can make fast and efficient decisions without consulting the employees. On the other hand, involving employees in the decision- making process actually helps to gain more inputs and raise employee’s motivation. For example, the leader would try to make all decisions by himself or herself, but after defining the parameters, leave it to the team to define possible execution methods and ssigning tasks within them. In this case, the manager of the Customer Service Unit would set up a meeting and suggest a solution for the problems caused by low employee morale, then sit back and let the employees decide on how to implement the solution best. Or, at a higher authoritarian level, the manager would define the solutions and detailed exeucution, but after setting parameters (deadlines and performance standards), will maintain a low level of control or supervision, while letting the employees to have their own freedom to carry out the tasks.

Childhood Obesity Essay

Childhood obesity is a growing health concern nationwide. Obesity is a disorder in which the body fat content has become so high that it creates health problems and increased risk of health problems (Childhood Obesity: An Overview. Children & Society, 21(5), 390-396). Doctors agree that there are two primary factors in creating obese children. First, the children and teenagers are not eating the right kinds of foods. Second, America’s children are getting less and less exercise on a daily basis. The effects of childhood obesity can be very serious and often include both physical and psychological effects on the lives of the children who are affected. Children that are obese go through a lot of different situations that allow them to become more prone to a mental illness. There are several causes for childhood obesity. Technology plays a big role in childhood obesity in today’s society. The biggest cause of childhood obesity is the lack of parenting. Childhood obesity can be prevented. It is best to prevent it from happening than to have to obtain a treatment for it. Childhood obesity plays a major impact on children up into adulthood and even has a role in the decisions an individual makes. Children that are obese have physical limitations. Most children usually take a liking into some type of physical activity whether it is playing a sport or just running around the yard for fun. Those actions are the normal expected actions of any child by both society and most of all parents. It is very difficult for a child when he or she is excluded from or limited to a certain amount of a physical activity due to weight related issues. Some children do not take rejection very well in any way, shape, or form. Obese children fall subject to a variety of physical and perceived physical barriers. Living an active lifestyle is difficult for an obese child. Obese children often go through a cycle of inactivity and poor health which creates more and more of a problem. Some of these problems that inactivity and poor health cause include asthma, joint pain and increased musculoskeletal stress, orthopedic problems, and psychosocial morbidity. When it comes to physical activity it is common in obese people to have the feeling of being too heavy in order to perform any physical activities. It is almost impossible for an obese child to just jump into heavy doses of high intensity physical activity. It is preferred that an obese child take a slow approach with light low-intensity physical activities in order to reach a better health. Obesity is associated with early mortality and has overtaken smoking as the health problem with the greatest impact on quality of life, mortality, and morbidity (Canadian Journal Of Psychiatry, 57(1), 13-20). The physical effects are often similar to the effects that are faced by adults who are obese, the psychological effects can sometimes be much, much worse because of the negative impact these issues can place on a still developing child. Mental illness is a significant factor that associates with obesity. Most people hear the term obese and mainly think of it as a physical condition. Obesity can be both physical and mental. From a behavioral perspective, mental illness is often characterized by a symptom profile that impacts energy, appetite, and motivation, and is more likely to be associated with unhealthy lifestyle factors, such as smoking, alcohol, and drug use. This makes exercise and healthy nutritional choices more difficult to implement (Canadian Journal Of Psychiatry, 57(1), 13-20). There is on individual on the face of this earth that smokes, drinks, or uses any recreational drugs that can still perform heavy doses of high intensity activities on a regular basis. The most common mental condition that is found it obese children is low self-esteem. Most people do not realize how much detrimental comments affect these children. The majority of children who are obese are faced with constant and persistent ridicule. The sad part about this situation is that the ridicule does not come from just other children but adults as well. The results of constant ridicule may lead a child to believe that they are worth anything which makes them feel as if there is no reason for them to even try to amount to anything. When anyone has that belief in their head it blocks that person from not caring about their life as a whole. This leads to a variety of problems all on its own. Success is something that may never be strived for by a child or adult that loses the mental battle that comes along with obesity. Studies show that children that are obese are at a higher risk of emotional problems that often carry over into adulthood. The study also reported that obese boys and girls with low self-esteem had higher rates of loneliness, sadness and nervousness. These children were more likely to smoke and drink alcohol compared with obese children with normal self-esteem. Depression, often an outcome of low self-esteem, affects as many as 750,000 teens in the U. S. (Source: Pediatrics, â€Å"Childhood Obesity and Self-Esteem,† January 2000. ) Untreated depression is recently passed upon but is a cause and effect of childhood obesity. Technology is at an all-time high. The technological age has resulted in children spending prolonged hours in front of television (TV) and computer screens. Lots of children are more interested in the technology than the usual interest of physical activity. Television shows, the internet, mobile phones, and video games occupy most children’s attention for great amounts of time every day. The rapid growth of technology is grasping the attention of the youth. The new lifestyle that has taken over the lives’ of the youth leaves little time for them to exercise. This lifestyle reduces the amount of physical activity and it is far from the lifestyle that their parents may have enjoyed many years ago. Parks are not as used as they often were and playgrounds are not as busy as they used to be. All of that is replaced with computers, laptops, handheld games, and anything that involves little or no physical movement. Health researchers suggest no television at all for children aged less than two years and not more than two hours of viewing for children aged more than two years. Most importantly it’s unhealthy to provide your child a separate television or computer in his room. More time spent on television and computer playing video games or computer games means less time spent on healthy physical activities. Nintendo did have one breakthrough when they the WII system to the world. This games forces children to get up out of their seats and move in order to play the game. Children are limited to the use of certain technology while at school, but at home the use of technology is at the discretion of the parent. Most children would rather sit inside all day with technology and constantly intake major calories without burning any. On a daily basis this can add some major pounds and create bad habits. Technology is great to have but it must not be abused by any individual. More than 25 million students use the National School Lunch Program (NSLP) daily, while approximately 7 million utilize the National School Breakfast Program (NSBP) daily. The public school systems have started programs that assure that each child is being fed healthy foods and that each child has the required physical activity to go along with an education. School programs that encourage physical activity are important for increasing children’s energy expenditure; because children are less likely to participate in physical activity in the absence of adult supervision (Am J Public Health. 001;91:618-620). The education and health of children are prominent considerations in the 21st century. Schools have always had a traditional focus on increasing literacy and numeracy proficiency in children, but now they are increasingly being tasked with preventing obesity as well. Regular physical activity is directly implicated in the prevention of childhood obesity; there is evidence, however, that it may also benefit cognitive development(American Journal Of Public Health, 102). Physical education (PE) in schools is an ideal vehicle by which to promote physical activity in children because it is available to all children, and teachers have the opportunity to integrate it into the overall education process (American Journal Of Public Health, 102). The public school system has a major impact on the determination of what children are exposed to. Starting the concern for kid’s health at an early age is a head start for the future. The impact on the lives of kids early may be the influence each child needs in order to make healthy decisions in the run of life. Parenting is the best prevention method that exists today for childhood obesity. Parents may miss or just don’t ever think about the actions that they perform around their kids. Children are followers, so most kids are reflections of their parents. Parents can help prevent obesity by having the knowledge of nutritional facts, by the food available in the household, by the parents’ eating habits, encouragement of activity, parents’ activity pattern, the current weight of the parent and by monitoring the time spent with the new age technology that requires little or no physical movement. Old sayings often make people believe that obesity is genetic. This is not a true statement. Every adult has control over what their physical appearance would be. Children need a good role model physically. Parents are the perfect role models for this job. Parents have the biggest and most effect on the lives of their children. Parents should be very concerned with the health of their children at a very early age. Some of the schools are now offering to the parents a few courses that are very direct about proper nutrition and exercise. Also the lunch menu for the week is sent home in advance to inform the parents of what type of foods and snacks that their children are consuming on a daily basis. People are still in belief when it comes to kids that it is ok for them to eat anything. Proper nutrition plays a very big role in the development of a child , both physical and mental. Keeping the kids in the habit of eating healthy has very great benefits in the long run. The mixture of fast food diets along with sedentary lifestyles is creating a generation of children who are facing very adult health issues like high cholesterol, diabetes and heart disease. Preventing obesity, or even slowing the dramatic rate of increase in obesity prevalence, will probably require societal changes which facilitate the modification of diet and physical activity by children and their families (Childhood Obesity: An Overview. Children & Society, 21(5), 390-396). Technology will continue to rise rapidly. Most children are more attracted to prolonged hours of sitting with some type of technology rather than to get up and be active. The society revolves around the use of technology, both mobile and stationary. Public schools are implementing new programs that will reflect the proper nutrition and exercise required for each child. Schools also have the potential to influence students’ beliefs and attitudes regarding nutrition and weight control. Parents are the best prevention method against obesity. Parents have the control over each and every cause of childhood obesity. Every child looks up to their parent and someday may want to follow in their footsteps. The result of the footsteps each child takes is heavily depended upon the parent.

Why do good people suffer Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Why do good people suffer - Research Paper Example Do we then simply have to accept things and tell ourselves, â€Å"The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; may the name of the Lord be praised† (Job 1:21)? Not exactly, for in every human being, there is a natural curiosity to know why things happen, and especially why bad things happen to good people. We may feel angry and bitter at the suffering that good people experience and at all the injustice around us, but the Book of Job and the Scriptures somehow shed light on the idea that these sufferings, especially those of good people, indeed have a spiritual basis. The reasons why good people suffer are mostly implied in the Book of Job in the Hebrew Bible. One of the essential points that the book is trying to emphasize is that God’s will transcends innocence. In simple terms, it means that God will not spare someone from suffering simply because one claims to be innocent. This further means that despite one’s goodness and obedience to God and to His laws, bad things may still happen to him. Job himself actually claims innocence when he states that he has not committed sins like lust, lies, idolatry and adultery. Job also reiterates that he has not failed to help the needy and the poor and his slaves, and that he has not even treated his enemies in an unfair way (Job 31:1-40, New International Version Holy Bible). Nevertheless, Job experiences extreme suffering. All these imply one thing – that God’s will is above man’s innocence. In fact, because of this, Job assumes that God is cruel, where such assumption is evident in the lines â€Å"I cry out to you, God, but you do not answer† (Job 30:20), and, â€Å"You turn on me ruthlessly; with the might of your hand you attack me† (Job 30:21). Indeed, anyone who does not show compassion to the weak and innocent is viewed as cruel. Nevertheless, God remains above man’s innocence and man’s concept of sparing the innocent from suffering. The concept of innocence is actually one which is mostly misunderstood by the layman. Perhaps one reason for this is that man usually equates moral innocence with legal innocence. It is in this respect that man is mistaken. Good people suffer because â€Å"technically speaking there are no good [or innocent] people† (Slick). The apostle Paul echoes this in his Epistle to the Romans, where he says, â€Å"For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God† (Rom. 3:23). This means that no one is spared from sin. Paul even calls himself â€Å"chief of sinners† (1 Tim. 1:15). Moreover, even Jesus Himself says, â€Å"Why do you call Me good?...No one is good except God alone† (Lk. 18:18). Furthermore, Job’s defense of himself by claiming that he has been a good man all along is actually not even plausible for everyone simply is a sinner, regardless of the good or the bad he has done. It is true that in terms of the law of the country or in terms of rules, it is clear who obeys it and who violates it. However, when it comes to the Scriptures, there are really no good people and that bad things just simply happen to them. What then is the effect of this sin? The apostle Paul describes the effects of sin on the Ephesians: â€Å"Having lost all sensitivity, they have given themselves over to sensuality so as to indulge in every kind of impurity, and they are full of greed† (Eph. 4:19). Thus, sin, according to Paul, leads to more sin. Moreover, sin can lead to various physiological problems such as â€Å"liver problems, diabetes, heart disease† as well as emotional problems like â€Å"guilt, low self-esteem [and] loss of self-respect† (Vandermark). Thus, sin leads to both emotional and physical suffering. Lastly, perhaps the worst effect of sin is stated by the apostle Paul in

Griselda Blanco de Trujillo The Godmother of Drug Trafficking Essay

Griselda Blanco de Trujillo The Godmother of Drug Trafficking - Essay Example Griselda Blanco is one such personality who emerged and established her in the underworld so strongly that she was given the title of Godmother. It throws light on the fact that women are becoming increasingly involved in criminal activities, most importantly drug trafficking. This paper summarizes the rise and fall of Griselda Blanco. In the spring of 1975 Griselda Blanco’s Learjet arrived at the Bogota airport from Miami. As soon as the jet touched down, the runway was flocked by a cavalcade of black Limousines carrying fully armed enforcers. Blanco, the five feet tall, oval faced 32-year-old who weighed 165 pounds, was instantly escorted by her crew towards a famous night club in the Columbian capital. She was visiting her husband, Alberto Bravo, who was her confidante and her partner in crime. Together, they formed a cartel that â€Å"moved hundreds of kilos of cocaine in the US, and employed nearly 1,500 dealers â€Å"(Brown 95). That fateful day Griselda was a woman on a mission, which was to confront her husband for his wrong doings and corruption involving millions. Safely tucked inside her boot was a loaded pistol which left little doubt about her intentions. Bravo was eagerly waiting for her to assume nothing about her sudden visit to the drug-trafficking hub of America, i.e., Colombia. As they came in person, her rage alarmed him and the six guards who surrounded him. Nothing could stop this woman from the vengeance she nestled in her heart for her husband, who was the king of cocaine smuggling in Colombia. Bullets were fired from both the groups killing several guards. Bravo was killed on the spot by Griselda, who targeted his head and fired without thinking twice that this was her husband whom she wanted to eliminate. With just one careful shot, Griselda became the legendary godmother of the drug mafia in America. Griselda Blanco, the woman with a cleft chin, was hardly passable as a drug dealer, let alone the drug lord. However, this was indeed a fact that she became the undisputed queen of underworld mafia, and was the most feared one due to her ruthless tactics and aggressive approach. The surprising factor is that she was also a mysterious figure to the law enforcement agencies, and her complete criminal records were only revealed through her own kept diaries. Guy Gugliotta and Jeff Leen wrote that â€Å"in 1977 DEA agents in Medellin discovered the bookkeeping records of Griselda Blanco and began to learn of the ties between the traffickers they pursued† (Gugliotta and Leen 28). Blanco was born in a poor family on February 15, 1943 in the slums of Cartagena Columbia (Brown 96). She had a childhood and spent most of her early years in the barrio (Riano-Alcala 42). She became a prostitute at the young age of eleven to get rid of her turbulent life and abusive mother. As she belonged to the land of crime †Columbia," she was involved in various criminal acts like pocket picking, abducting children from wealthy families, robbing and shooting people for money since the age of eleven (Brown 96). Bob Polombo, US DEA (Drug Enforcement Administration) agent said that â€Å"I just think it was inherent to Griselda Blanco. This goes back to her life, the way she was brought up. She was just a violent person† (Brown 96).   The period from 1960 to 1980 was a bountiful time for drug dealing all over

The Directive and the Conduct of the Undertakings or Individuals Research Paper

The Directive and the Conduct of the Undertakings or Individuals - Research Paper Example In â€Å"Pretore di salo v unknown †, it was held that a directive cannot, of either independently or itself of a â€Å"national law perused by a Member Nation for its execution which has the impact of aggravating or deciding the accountability in criminal law of individuals who function in infringement of the provisions of such a ruling† .† The above constitute as an incompatible with fundamental needs of legal certainty; individuals must be able to bank upon their national law. It is to be noted that no obligation can be imposed upon individuals if a directive has not implemented in a Member Nation. This connotes that where a Member Nation is yet to implement an EC directive, for instance, a specific environmental tax, it cannot legally levy the environmental tax directly in its region on the footing of such a directive. This also connotes that there is a choice for an individual: where national law is silent as about the directive, individuals may bank upon, by selecting the best alternative which is suitable to them, either, on the contrary provision of national law or on a directly applicable directive provision. Thus, in such cases, individuals are entitled to go for â€Å"provision shopping. â€Å" This can be regarded as a one -way vertical impact of directives due to an inherent outcome. However, there is a possibility that the directive may have some negative impacts on taxpayers. National courts and authorities are needed to construe national law in such a manner that it confers with specific Community Law, particularly where directives have not or ambiguously or not correctly been integrated into national law.

Development and Evaluation of Participant-centered Biofeedback Essay

Development and Evaluation of Participant-centered Biofeedback Artworks - Essay Example Research Question: Is there biofeedback that is associated with rap and hip-hop visual art and which depicts different experiences and reactions among individuals? If there is or isn’t a reaction, how does it relate to the mind – body experience? ABSTRACT (your descriptive summary of what the research article is about – write last – and write as if this paragraph was to be included as part of a literature review for a research paper) The concept of physiopsychology is one which is now being approached in society as an essential component of experiences in art work. Specifically, it states that there is an association with art and everyday life, as well as how this relates to both the mind and the body, as well as associations with experience and how this changes specific influences (Khut 2006: 24). Examining the mind – body influence in different pieces of art work also creates a different understanding of the importance of art while questioning wha t types of effects it has on individuals and society. This paper examines the mind – body effect and experiences in rap and hip – hop visual art as a genre as well as how this affects the individual experiences, interactions and reactions within society. This examination will help to further designate the way in which this genre is associated with behaviors, characteristics and concepts that are associated with the physiopsychology of hip hop visual arts. OVERVIEW Detailed Content Summary Purpose The purpose of this study is to show how the mind and the body link together in the creation of artwork. It also shows how specific aesthetical techniques link to the mind – body relationships and create a sense of reflecting experiences through the use of aesthetics. This will be done specifically with the mind – body link to hip hop and African – American visual arts as a genre, specifically because it carries a specific type of interactions and messages to society that might work positively or negatively with the mind – body experience. References The references to be used will be based on others which have studied the mind – body relationship to various types of artwork. This will be combined with studies that have been given in relation to hip hop and rap visual art which have shown the mind – body relationship. There will also be references in terms of the overall ways in which the physiopsychology is linked to art work, specifically to define and show the relationship with art and everyday life, as well as how different components affect the mind and body. Theoretical Frameworks The first theory used will be based on biofeedback. This states that there is a direct relationship to the mind and body because of the aesthetics that are defined within a given art work (Khut, 2006: p. 18). There will also be reference to this same theory in terms of somaaesthetics, which states that there are influences within e xperiences and which shows that there are practical relationships which can be determined when interacting with various types of artwork (Khut, 2006: p. 29). Another set of theories will be based on the concepts of cultural identities. This forms the individual experiences, behaviors and attitudes which are created and also build a specific type o

QUANTITATIVE ANALYSIS FOR DECISION MAKING Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

QUANTITATIVE ANALYSIS FOR DECISION MAKING - Essay Example Long-range forecast involve timeframes of over three years involving capital expenditures, R&D, new product planning and expansion (Heizer & Render). There are two different approaches of forecasting. The first approach is subjective or qualitative where factor’s such as the manager’s intuition, experience, emotions and opinion are utilized in reaching a forecast. The second quantitative approach involves the use of some historical data coupled with the use of some mathematical models in order to predict possible future outcomes. The qualitative approach is often useful in estimating sales for certain new consumer products or services that rely heavily on customer needs and preferences. Under the qualitative approach to forecasting there are four different types of methods used (Heizer, et. al.): Jury of executive Opinion- the opinion of a group of high level managers or decision makers is used in combination with some statistical models to arrive at a conclusion Sales Force composite- the individual salesperson sales forecasts are all combined and reviewed for accuracy in order to determine an overall forecast. Delphi Method- in these approach there are three types of participants: staff personnel, respondents and decision makers. The decision makers typically consist of a panel of 5 to 10 experts who will be making the actual forecasts.

Culture and Perceptions and Attitudes and Values Essay

Culture and Perceptions and Attitudes and Values - Essay Example Culture relates to the set of beliefs and traditions which is followed by a segment of a nation's community and includes sub cultures, corporate cultures as well as national and social cultures. It includes religious beliefs, norms, traditions, rituals etc that is specific to that particular country or region. The cultural framework encompasses within its gamut, various other factors such as language, religion, values, attitudes, and educational qualifications that is peculiar to the nation and plays a significant role in influencing their purchase decisions. For instance, in the case of famous beverage marketing firm Captain Morgan rum the marketing management of the company perceived Hispanic male consumers as probable target audience to whom the product could be successfully marketed and sold. However, such a notion was held wrong since the Hispanics perceived the product as symbolizing domination and exploitation owing to the company logo of a pirate. This proves that the concept / idea that were appealing to the Anglos were found to be disgusting by the Hispanics owing to their cultural differences (Korzenny, 2005). In China, the year 2007 which was considered to be the year of the pig - a symbol of wealth and prosperity according to their culture and traditions, all the advertisements related to pigs were banned. The move was intended to respect the religious sentiments of the 20 million odd Muslim population and was considered as a gesture of respect to their traditional values (The Sunday times, 2007). In the year 2005, France's Catholic Church banned an advertisement (Appendix 2) featuring a popular clothing brand which was based on Leonardo Da Vinci's Christ's last Supper since it hurt the religious sentiments of the Catholics world wide (BBC News, 2005). In 2004 China banned the Nike advertisement featuring LeBron James battling a cartoon kung fu master, alleging that it was a national insult and it hurt the dignity of the nation (China daily, 2004). International Marketing can be better understood in terms of high - context and low - context culture whereby it is argued that people belonging to the same set of backgrounds share a high degree of understanding of the concepts intended to be depicted in the advertisements and hence the need to explain or clarify the intentions is not recognized. High context culture largely relies on non verbal communication since it is fast and efficient within their group eliminating the need to explain or explicitly express the intended meaning, their behavior is predictable and is considered to be misinterpreted or incomprehensible by outsiders i.e., those belonging to the low context culture (Bennett, Blythe, Pp.44). These specific points related to high context and low context culture needs to be understood adequately since it holds utmost significance in terms of international marketing of products or services. It helps the marketers to better understand the targeted consumer groups and assist them in designing appropriate marketing campaigns suitable to their tastes and cultures. People's attitudes and values are also crucial in ascertaining the appropriateness of the choice of marketing campaigns in accordance to the country's cultural, national, political, economical and social

None Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

None - Term Paper Example These pollutants have migrated off the site which became the basis of the case. In late 2008, families in the small town of Attica, Indiana learned that toxic chemical vapors were entering the air inside their homes.   After getting the bad news, these families turned to The Pollution Lawyers for help.   A class suit was then filed against Kraft Foods Global, Inc. alleging that the volatile organic compounds trichloroethylene (TCE), perchloroethylene (PCE) and vinyl chloride (VC) that was dumped at the manufacturing site by Kraft seeped into the groundwater and traveled underneath over  one-hundred nearby homes (Manzke, 2011).   It was alleged that once these chemicals are underneath these homes, the chemicals worked their way into the indoor air.   This process is commonly known as vapor intrusion (Manzke, 2011).   Vapor intrusion occurs when volatile chemicals from contaminated groundwater or soil â€Å"intrude† into an overlying building. These chemicals contaminate the air, causing a potential health hazard to individuals in the building who are subject to prolonged exposure to the chemicals (Nichols et al., 2011). After two years of litigation, a settlement was then reached. The court approved the amount of $8.1 million out of court settlement of the class action brought by 124 families in Attica, Indiana, against Kraft Foods alleging pollution from a nearby factory contaminated groundwater and caused vapor intrusion in their homes (Stoll v. Kraft Foods Global Inc.,  S.D. Ind., No. 1:09-cv-00364, 5/20/11). Also, the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Indiana approved the $2.7 million attorney’s fees that were requested plaintiffs. In addition to the monetary compensation,  Kraft has contractually agreed to remediate the groundwater and indoor air contamination of the site (Manzke, 2011). The $9.8 million ($8.1 million out of court settlement plus $2.7 million attorneys fees

Sexism is alive and well in the English language Essay

Sexism is alive and well in the English language - Essay Example Sexist language can be deliberate, concealed or controlled. The deliberate use of obvious and overtly derogatory sexist terminology is generally considered discriminatory and is patently unfair treatment of women as compared to men. The intention of concealed sexism is also deliberate and discriminatory but the delivery is of a covert nature. Controlled sexism is subtle and more usually not intended to be disparaging or harmful. This type of sexist language is integrated into society’s everyday speech, is considered to be normal and is not recognized by most people as the unfair or unequal treatment of women it is. â€Å"Subtle sexism is particularly interesting from both theoretical and practical perspectives because it may be quite prevalent, and may have an insidious impact on its victims†. Sexism as it exists in language is a controlled manner of speaking that perpetuates gender stereotypes and reinforces status disparities between men and women. Those less sensitiv e to sexism as a whole tend not to define the demeaning terms they use as sexist language. These people are of the opinion that sexist language does not exist or are either consciously or subconsciously trying to safeguard traditional patriarchal social hierarchies. Those persons more receptive to sexism and the harm it causes do attempt to adjust their speech patterns so as not to offend. People may use sexist language simply because the use is habitual and they find it hard to alter terms or phrases used most or all of their lives.

High School Drop out Rate Essay Example for Free

High School Drop out Rate Essay Analysts agree that the rate of high school dropout in the United States has reached catastrophic levels. Credible estimates claim that more than a third of all students that join high school are likely to abandon school before completion. A look at the past decades indicates that this has been a growing trend and is yet to be arrested appropriately. This is a problem that has not been captured in the public glare due to scarcity if data. This paper will provide the available statistics on the rate of high school dropouts; provide an analysis of the possible causes and remedies. Different publications contain valid rates of dropouts; this is because of the existing differences in the definition of a dropout. There are those that graduate after completing the high school syllabus, others that graduate after completing an equivalency test of the same and those that graduate after passing other states based tests. The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) compiles its data using either the event rates, status rates or the cohert rates. Events rates refer to the number of students that drop out of school annually while the status rate takes into account the total number of students that have cumulatively dropped out of school as a proportion of the total population. (National Institute on the Education of At Risks Students, 2006) Indicative reports have it that the rate of school dropout from the 1970s to the 1990s recorded a steady decline; however the rates have stabilized from the 90s to date recording an insignificant improvement. A look at the 1999 and the 2000 reports indicate that 5% of all students that had joined high school in the respective years dropped out within a year. This is in according to the available education department’s event dropout rates. The status dropout rates for 2000 indicate that â€Å"some 3. 8 million young adults were not enrolled in a high school program and had not completed high school. † (National Center for Education Statistics). Other available statistics on the dropout rates focus on the differences between gender and the racial groups. They have indicated that 5. 8% of male students are more likely to dropout compared to whose dropout rate is 4. 3%. The gender disparities in the dropout rate are witnessed across all the ethnic and racial groups with male students being the most affected. The dropout rate for the minority groups has remained higher than that of white Americans. The Latinos lead the group of the minorities with a rate of 27. 5%; African Americans have 13. 6% while the whites have a dropout rate of 7. 9%. This is according to the 1993 survey although these rates have remained fairly constant since then. (National Institute on the Education of At Risk Students, 1996) Having looked at the existing statistics, it is important to look at the reasons behind these statistics. There exists immense research on the causes of high school dropouts but it is important to point out that they focus on a variety of issues depending on the discipline. The ethnographic studies for example may focus on the issues of minorities and the social causes of their dropout. Attempts therefore to establish the specific factors are impeded by the existence of â€Å"a large variety of factors that predict or influence dropout behaviors, ranging from family background to school characteristics. † (Richard, 2002, 120) Scholars however have observed that students drop out of schools either after being ‘pushed out’ by the school environment or after being ‘pulled away’ by factors beyond the school curriculum. (Jay W. , 1999). A survey conducted on the various reasons behind the high school drop out rates revolve around vague reasons such boring classes and hard exams. These though are the pointer towards the major factors that contribute towards high school dropout rates. The causes range from academic challenges, economic, social and personal reasons One of the major ‘push out’ cause of dropout of high school can be traced to the various schools’ requirements to undertake an exit exam as the precondition for graduation. A look at the United States reveals that most states have put forth a requirement for a standardized test to mark the graduation of students from high school. Exit exams were adopted to enable states to standardize their tests and upgrade their diplomas. Where the merits of these exams have been widely noted, criticism has been leveled against them alleging that they exert too much pressure on the high school students. The basic purpose of exit exams is to ensure that the quality of the diploma is maintained, today however it is being seen as pushing students out of school, â€Å"these critics rely upon the push-out-myth- the idea that requiring students to pass exit exams forces students to drop out of high school. † (Jay P. , 2006, 127). The conclusion that stringent exam requirement may push students out of school has been reached after examining performance records and transcripts belonging to those that have dropped out. Studies have pointed out a streak of dismal performance by most of them indicating a sense of hopelessness on the drop outs. Some students have blamed the dismal performance on the lack of motivation by their teachers. Another possible cause of school dropout is peer influence. Peers are an important component to the development of an individual and also as socialization agents. It has been established that the influence of the family to the life of adolescents is fast waning and its place taken over by peers. The issue of how peers influence school drop out rate is broad and has been found to be an important factor. School dropouts have claimed to have been influenced by their peers to quit schools especially for those that had non schooling friends. This is so as peer influence has been found to either be a source of motivation or discouragement. This has been problematic as most of these have plunged into the crime world led by their peers. Working students also find it hard to cope with both tasks and most have even been found to give up education in the belief that they will resume later. Unsupportive parents have also been known to lead their children out of schools due to lack of moral support. Just like there is no single cause behind the high rates of school dropouts, there is no single remedy for the problem. It requires a multifaceted approach that incorporates both students and the teachers. It has been found that most students drop out of schools to escape the taxing nature of academics and exams. While it is not prudent to change the existing exams, it would be appropriate to put measures to ensure that the tests would not be an excuse to drive students out of school. As Marvin (2003, 215) has pointed out, â€Å"states should look for more ways to identify students at risk and consider instituting or adapting existing programs to support students before they drop out. † The best approach hence would be to incorporate a support program to help students cope with the rising challenges. This should include providing extra school tutoring and retake programs for students that perform dismally in the first attempts. This should also include introducing changes to the academic programs to ensure that they are more responsive and relevant to the student lives. The government also should roll out programs that aim towards sensitizing students on the need to stay in school. A number of factors that contribute to high rates of school dropout are social-psychological meaning that they can be eradicated through creation of awareness and general counseling. It is also important to involve students in the process of policy making to ensure that their expectations and views are incorporated and hence make them feel that they have a bigger stake in the school programs. Indeed there much has to be done to reduce the number of students that fail to complete their high school. The dropout rates indicated above are worrisome. More also needs to be done to bridge the dropout disparities across the racial groups. Students should be sensitized on the dangers of dropping out of schools especially as they are exposing themselves to the risks of unemployment as well as crime.

The Holy Spirit Association Essay Example for Free

The Holy Spirit Association Essay With the official name of The Holy Spirit Association for the Unification of World Christianity, the Unification Church was founded by Rev. Sun Myung Moon in 1954. By 1959, the church has already expanded to America where its international headquarter has been established. At present, the church claims that the number of Unificationists reach three million in more than a hundred countries. At the age of 16, Moon asserted that Jesus Christ appeared to him on Easter morning. Christ instructed him to finish the task Christ has started, that is, to establish the kingdom of heaven on earth. He urges all religions to unify their beliefs so as to attain Gods will. However, Moons character has been questioned as well as the practices of the Unification Church. Even before establishing the Unification Church, Moon has already been accused of immoral practices. He urged the female members of his organization to have sex with him so that they would be cleansed of the influence of Satan. He was arrested for this act but was released at the end of the Korean War. In the United States, he was largely criticized for his recruitment and leadership style, as well as his ways of raising fund. Furthermore, he was convicted of tax evasion and served a prison term. Because of the free labor of his followers, Moon has a built a multimillion-dollar empire, with a number of businesses such as manufacturing, banking, publishing, pharmaceutical companies, and others. He recruited U. S. military officers by offering them business deals and political donations. From his religious power, he believes that he would be able to establish a government that would rule the world. His most distinguishing characteristic is his authoritative leadership. Whatever Moon dictates is absolute and final. Even a seed of doubt to Moon means that a person allows oneself to be part of Satans work. He believed that Adam and Eve were supposed to have a brother–sister relationship until perfection is achieved. After that, the two would have to be married and bear a child, starting the kingdom of God. This promotes the belief that the fall was a sin sexual in nature. To rinse out this sin, God gave Christ the mission to marry and to have perfect children. Unfortunately, Christ was not able to complete this earthly mission because of his death. Thus, Moon proclaims that a â€Å"third Adam† is needed to complete both spiritual and physical salvation. This third Adam would complete what Christ has been sent for to do, that is, to produce sinless children. The Unification Church believes that Moon is the third Adam who would form a perfect family; thus, his children are all sinless. This perfection would extend to members of the church by complete obedience to him. Moreover, an individual would also be salvaged by paying indemnity through fasting, recruiting, fund-raising, etc. Furthermore, Moon belied the concept of trinity in the bible. Rather, he postulates that the first trinity is composed of the third Adam (Moon), his bride, and God. People are encouraged to form their own trinities through marriage and with God. He emphasized that it is through marriage that the kingdom of God would start. Therefore, salvation is only for married people. This would also explain the mass weddings conducted by Moon, in which every couple is charged a mass fee. As blessed by God, Moon and his wife propagate true love, true life, and true marriages; thus, they refer to themselves as the True Parents. The Second Coming, he insisted, is not the coming of Christ but of the third Adam. The purpose of third Adam in the grand plan of God is to establish the kingdom of God on earth and in heaven through perfect marriage and formation of sinless children.

The importance of employer branding

The importance of employer branding Terms of references This report highlights the rising awareness for the development of Employer Branding concept and its benefits for the organisations in present competitive labour market. The conflict between effective employer branding and employees rights and satisfaction toward organization has been examined in this report with specific focus on the unethical and controlling effect. Introduction: Employer branding is the perception of employees about an organization as a place to work. Its designed for motivating and securing employees alignment with the vision and values of the organizations. From the HR perspective the concept was subsumed the older term INTERNAL BRANDING that was essentially the process of communicating an organizations brand value to its employee. Employer branding The concept of EMPLOYER BRANDING was created in the 1990s by Simon Barrow, who founded People in Business (now part of TMP Worldwide) and was the co-author of The Employer Brand. 1 In the past, Barrow had been a consumer goods brand manager and headed up an advertising agency in London, but later became the chief executive of a recruitment agency. He was immediately struck by the similarities between the challenges faced in promoting consumer goods and in publicising the strengths of an organisations employee proposition. Both, he recognised, required a strong brand, and so the concept of employer branding was conceived. He defined employer branding as a set of attributes which make the employees feel more close to the company and take pride of being associated with the company they work for. Employer branding is in essence the mental setup of an employee where he or she receives mental satisfaction in the same manner as when he or she uses a product of a preferred brand. Employer branding is therefore a set of attitudes, as well as an array of activities and features enabling the process of branding to be more effective. They could be psychological (behaviour of superiors), economic (compensation package, benefits) or functional (potential to grow, job assigned according to capability). These definitions indicate that employer branding means promoting and building an identity and a clear view of what makes an organization different and desirable as an employer. It has similarities with product and corporate branding but the key difference is its more employment specific. Recruitment and employer branding Developing an employer brand is a combination of adopting vision, values, and behaviours, and delivering a service that shows commitment to best practice and service excellence. It begins with the recruitment process that offers number of tools that can be used to create perceptions of an employing organization, these tools are: Job advertisement and description Interview process Offer letters Information pack for new recruiters Employee handbooks Induction and training. The recruitment process is an important way to build a positive relationship between the organization and employee. Throughout the procedure, the organization can create a strong and positive view about them; even it can be extended to unsuccessful candidates as well. When employees have accepted the sincerity and accuracy of the employer brand, they will carry it forward, actively promoting the brand to colleagues and customers. However, employer branding which is basically untruthful will not work and is likely to be counter-productive. Benefits of Employer Branding Long-term impact: Successful employer brand can have a positive impact on recruiting for a considerable amount of time while considering any Major PR issues. Increased volume of spontaneous candidates: The number of applicants tends to increase each year as the employer branding gets stronger. Cases of a 500% increase of applications have also been observed. Increase in quality of the applicants: The quality of candidates will also improve dramatically; individuals who never would have considered in the past will start applying. Higher offer-acceptance rates: The rate of acceptance increase proportionately with the increase of image and goodwill of the company. Higher Employee Motivation: Employees can be easily motivated, or will stay motivated longer in the company because of the perceived pride in working for the company, and better management practices (generally) that is tied-in with the companys brand image, thus making it a company people work for because they chose. A stronger corporate culture: Employment branding can help strengthen firms corporate culture because of the inertia it gains from the very essence of employer branding; making a company desirable to work for. Diminished negative publicity and image: Effective branding can pinpoint problems by dealing with negative comments and preparing effective counter measurers. Increased manager satisfaction: As a direct result of increased interest from more able and proficient applicants, the managers will have more time for managerial functions as the demand to devote more time to recruitment process will decrease with the quality of the applicant group. Healthy competition: Employer branding is similar to product branding. Hence to keep a company desirable, it has to update its UPS and keep up with its promise of delivery. This increases healthy competition and also makes the companies better by the minute. Increased shareholder value: The ripple effect of the companys goodwill via employer branding can also positively impact a firms stock price. Support for the product brand: If a company has a brilliant brand image, it is more likely that its product will reap the benefits of it and be branded automatically. This helps especially when the company launches a new product. The brand essence should summarize what the brand stands for, becoming the nucleus for product development, all communications and even HR initiatives for employees. Its definition should also be consistent with the corporate vision/mission and values. For example, Volvo is a good example of a brand description is Volvo â€Å"Style, driving pleasure and superior ownership experience while celebrating human values and respecting the environment.† Volvos values and associations reflecting this brand identity are what are considered to be typically Scandinavian e.g. â€Å"nature, security and health, human values, elegant simplicity, creative engineeringand the spirit of stylish/innovative functionality†. For Volvo, this description not only mirrors the psycho-graphic profile of the ideal customer for their cars, but also summarizes what Volvo as a company means to all its workers its employer brand. These are intrinsic values that Volvo workers can relate to, what they believe in and why they feel comfortable making a commitment to their jobs. One can easily visualize the types of HR programs that would inspire a sense of pride and re-enforce these intangibles e.g. nature, health, security and other meaningful human values. ‘Living the brand LIVING THE BRAND is identifying with an organizations brand value to such an extent that employees behaviours fit exactly to the image that the business is trying to portray to its customers (Alan Price 2007). The alignment between employees behaviour and value of organizations brand image is very important. It is suggested that organisations need to ensure that there is no gap between what the organisation is saying in the outside world and what people believe inside the business. The employees should be perceived as Brand ambassador and brand marketing would only be successful if they LIVE THE BRAND. From this perspective: Organizations have encouraged employees to â€Å"buy in† to the business vision and values. They have to ensure that everyone in the organization clearly understand the purpose of the common set of values. According to Ind (2004), the themes discussed are likely to be of interest to HR and marketing practitioners as well as those involved in internal communications within organisations. Employees themselves are expected to internalise features and aspects of the organisations brand to ensure that they become brand champions, thus helping to represent to organisations brand to the outside customers. Such an approach immediately raises some interesting problems relating to equality and diversity as it expects each employee to share a particular set of values and act in accordance with these values. The employee branding approach being recommended by Ind raises a number of challenges for those interested in an equality and diversity agenda. An organisation that aims to ensure that employees are living the brand will specifically aim to attract and recruit employees who already share the values of the corporate brand. Furthermore, those already employed within the organisation will be encouraged to internalise the values of the organisation. Clearly, there are problems for encouraging diversity here, with one of the principles of diversity management being an acceptance and recognition that people are different and individual differences (especially of values) should be welcomed. Inherently, a living the brand focus is likely to go against such a principle. Ind makes the point that encouraging employee identification and commitment to the organisations brand values might deny an expression of individuality. However, Ind suggests that internal branding combined with allowing emplo yees to be empowered will enable freedom with order. Denial of individuality (dress code policy) When it comes to professional image, many employers are realising that Standards of dress and personal presentation are essential thus having a policy on dress code can be important. Where the employees meet customers, they act as the shop window for the company and the benefits of presentable appearance are obvious. However, even where the employees work is internal, there are less tangible benefits such as: Creating a team atmosphere, Engendering standards of professionalism, and Creating a corporate image. As employers are realising this, they are paying more attention to the appearance of their employees and the image and perception of the business dress, grooming and personal hygiene are all part and parcel of this. However, the issue of work place dress codes can be highly controversial. It is vital that employers are aware of the discrimination issues that dress codes can create. Issues with work place dress codes In organisations with uniforms, the issues can be more wide ranging. For instance, at the Greater Manchester Police Force, bureaucracy and unwillingness to accept change has hampered the introduction of hijabs for Muslim women. At Inchcape Fleet Solutions where all 140 non-senior staffs are provided with polo shirts or blouses branded with the company logo the style of the uniform does not suit all staff and most do not like wearing it. This would affect their moods at work and consequently affect their performance. Complaints of discrimination Furthermore, a complaint was raised informally by the staff forum of child trust fund provider Family Investments and relates to the fact that women can wear trousers that are not full length, while men cannot. Employees have requested that the company allows shorts to be worn, as long as they are below the knee Also, in September 2006, a British Airways worker has been suspended and attended an appeal over wearing a cross at work at Heathrow Airport. She claims the suspension is discriminatory, especially since the airline allows Sikh employees to wear traditional iron bangles and Muslim workers to wear headscarves.BA has said it will review its uniform policy in light of the media storm the story has provoked.Employer branding and discrimination law There are three areas of discrimination relevant to dress code policy: Sex Discrimination Act 1975 Religious or Belief Regulations 2003 Disability Discrimination Act 1995. Sex discrimination and dress codes There is the obvious potential for sex discrimination in any dress code, which sets different requirements for men and women. Past claims have challenged policies that: women must wear skirts men should not have long hair Men must wear a collar and tie. The case of Matthew Thompson who objected to the dress code imposed by the Department for Work Pensions at his place of work, a job centre in Stockport, can also be a good example. Mr Thompson claimed that the dress code discriminated against male employees as they were forced to wear a collar and tie whereas female employees could wear T-shirts to work. The Employment Tribunal found in favour of Mr Thompson stating that the dress code was discriminatory as the requirement to wear a collar and tie was gender based and there were no items of clothing that were imposed on women in the same office. From the Thompson case, it became clear that employers should be careful in the way that they draft their dress codes. Employers are not prevented from imposing dress codes that require employees to wear specified items of clothing as long as the code is drafted in such a way as to be even-handed between men and women. For example, jobs in the City, the current convention is for both men and women to wear suits. The convention is that a man should wear a tie with a suit but the same does not apply to a woman. A dress code requiring a smart suit could apply to both sexes but be enforced in a non-discriminatory manner appropriate for each sex. Religion/belief discrimination and dress codes A dress code that requires employees to act in a way contrary to their religious beliefs, risks being indirectly discriminatory. Thus, a dress code forbidding headgear will be discriminatory to male Sikhs, who must wear a turban. The best way to avoid these problems is to be as non-specific as possible. A widely worded dress code requiring smart appearance, with non-binding examples of suitable dress, cannot fall foul of specific clothing-related beliefs. To cross-check your dress code against the main religions clothing beliefs, refer to Acas Guide on Religion and Belief which has a useful chart at Appendix 2 (pages 40-50). It may be possible for employers to objectively justify a dress code contrary to any of these beliefs, if it can be done so objectively. For example, employees at a chocolate factory were successfully prohibited from having beards for health and safety reasons. However, employers should be very wary of relying on objective justification as the courts are reluctant to accept it. There may be a question mark in some cases whether a persons views are beliefs. According to Acas, Rastafarianism (which requires the wearing of a hat) is a belief system. Certain political beliefs or powerful sentiments such as patriotism (the wearing of an American flag badge) may or may not be regarded as beliefs. Employers should respect beliefs that are strongly held whether or not they are religious in nature. Disability discrimination and dress codes Disabled employees may not be able to comply with a dress code, for example, an employee with a neck injury unable to wear a tie. However, by and large, this need not affect the way the code is drafted; instead, employers should be sensitive in the enforcement of the dress code. In summary, employers should be quite a bit flexible when writing a policy on employee dress or appearance. Reasonable flexibility and sensitivity to the employees racial differences should be allowed in the dress code to make employees comfortable and any conflict and law suits, while meeting the Trust standard of Dress code. This view is echoed by organisations such as Broker Network, which believes that employees should be able to make their own judgments on what is best to wear. Many companies are now turning their backs on the concept of dress-down Fridays, opting instead to ditch smart business-wear every day of the week. A survey of 560 organisations has found that four out of five employers believe a more relaxed dress code leads to greater productivity. Nine out of 10 organisations that replied to the poll by the Peninsula employment law consultancy had declared ties an unnecessary part of their dress code. Conclusion The issues discussed above create a challenge for HR professionals involved in employee focused branding projects, especially those where employees are expected to share a specific set of values. That is that such initiatives will undoubtedly create a tension and potentially conflict with principles underlying an equality and diversity agenda. Inds suggestion that inside-out branding allows freedom and order remains unconvincing even when the employees are involved in constructing the brand values. An organisation that dictates a set of values for employees to internalise is still a homogenising force. Organisations that genuinely take diversity programmes seriously will have to tackle this tension. One possible way out of this conundrum is to include equality and diversity awareness as a key value included in the internal brand proposition. Recommendations Any guidelines should be carefully drafted, and employers are advised to treat any requests to dress contrary to the company code for religious or racial reasons with respect. Employers should consult the employee in question and discuss how to accommodate reasonable requests, and try to find a favourable solution. A tribunal will be more likely to be sympathetic to the employer where a policy is required for health and safety purposes, rather than simply to maintain a corporate image. Decide what restrictions on employees appearance are necessary and why. For example, teachers are expected to wear sensible footwear, suitable for the activities their job involves. Restrictions should not be excessive or unreasonable, for instance insisting on suits or ties in the office when employees are not customer-facing. Set out the guidelines clearly, and include the rationale behind any restrictions. Explain why restrictions may be placed on some employees but not others (for example, no body piercing for those operating heavy machinery for health and safety purposes, and those working within a cafà © of a supermarket may have stricter codes enforced on them than those who work in the same store, but dont come into direct contact with food). Give employees notice of when the policy will come into force. Allow employees a grace period before disciplining for non-compliance. Explain what will happen if employees are found to be in persistent breach of the policy (disciplinary action and, potentially, dismissal). Give the name of an individual that employees can talk to if they feel they cannot comply with the policy. Current legislation on issues that could lead to discrimination should be reviewed from time to time, and staff handbook should be read by employment lawyers to ensure compliance. Guidelines should also be updated to accommodate the legislation. Base the policy on business-related reasons. Explain your reasons in the policy so employees understand the rationale behind the restrictions. Common business-related reasons include maintaining the organizations public image, promoting a productive work environment, or complying with health and safety standards. Require employees to have an appropriate, well-groomed appearance. Even casual dress policies should specify what clothing is inappropriate (such as sweat suits, shorts, and jeans) and any special requirements for employees who deal with the public. Communicate the policy. Use employee handbooks or memos to alert employees to the new policy, any revisions, and the penalties for noncompliance. In addition, explain the policy to job candidates.Apply the dress code policy uniformly to all employees. This can prevent claims that the policy adversely affects women or minorities. However, you may have to make exceptions if required by law. (See next suggestion.) Make reasonable accommodation when the situation requires an exception. Be prepared to accommodate requests for religious practices and disabilities, such as head coverings and facial hair.Apply consistent discipline for dress code violations. When disciplining violators, point out why their attire does not comply with the code and what they can do to comply REFERENCES: Edwards, M. R. (2008) Employees as a Focus of Branding Activities: A Review of Recent Contributions to the Literature and the Implications for Workplace Diversity, Equal opportunities international. Vol 27(5) pp. 447-481 [online] Available from: www.emerald.com [Accessed 1 April 2009] Carrington, L (2007) EMPLOYER BRANDING [Online] Available from: http://globaltalentmetrics.com/articles/EB_2007_Brandempl.pdf [Accessed 26 March 2009] Wolff, C. (2007) EMPLOYERS USE DRESS CODES TO ENHANCE CORPORATE IMAGE, IRS. Issue 878. Available from: http://www.xperthr.co.uk [Accessed 26 March 2009] Downes, J. (2007) POLICY CLINIC: DRESS CODES, [online] Available from: http://0-www.xperthr.co.uk.lispac.lsbu.ac.uk/article/81919/policy-clinicdress-codes.aspx?searchwords=Policy+clinic%3a+Dress+codes [Accessed 26 March 2009] Millar, M (2006) EMPLOYERS RELAXING WORK DRESS CODE CAN HELP IMPROVE PRODUCTIVITY, [online] Available from: http://www.personneltoday.com/articles/2006/07/26/36558/employers-relaxing-work-dress-code-can-help-improve.html [Accessed 26 March 2009] Dr. Sullivan, J (2008) EMPLOYMENT BRANDING: THE ONLY LONG-TERM RECRUITING STRATEGY, [online] Available from: http://www.drjohnsullivan.com/content/view/183/27/ [Accessed 26 March 2009]Stephen Morrall, S Urquhart, C (2003) SEX DISCRIMINATION ARE DRESS CODES DISCRIMINATORY? [online] Available from: http://www.drjohnsullivan.com/content/view/183/27/ [Accessed 26 March 2009]Gronlund, J K (2008) HOW EMPLOYER BRANDINGCAN FOSTER TRUSTS AND LOYALTY? [Online] Available from: http://www.employerbrand.com/Points_pathf.html [Accessed 26 March 2009]

Capitalism Essays -- Economic System, Freedom

Discuss your own impressions of what Capitalism is. My personal view of Capitalism is the freedom of choice to use your property any way you choose to use it. We as Americans have been giving rights to this choice. According to Murphy, That is why it is also known as the free enterprise (or free market) system, because it allows people freedom to choose: freedom to choose their own jobs, freedom to sell their own products at whatever prices they like, and the freedom to choose among products for the best value. (pg.1) As Americans, we have taken advantage of this freedom. We can work in whatever job that we love regardless of qualifications. Like many others, this choice has giving us the ability to make a living for our family. Many countries today do not get the opportunity to experience freedom of choice. These countries are governed by a socialistic system. This socialistic system says that, in their county there is no right to private property at all: everything is owned -or could be confiscated –by the state for t he benefit of â€Å"the people† (p.2) Views of Capitalism There are many critics of Capitalism according to Murphy that would say, â€Å"Even though we have this freedom to choose their jobs the still stand at the mercy of the employers† (p.2) As a citizen of the United States we can leave a job if we feel despondent about our jobs. There no law in place that can give an employer for any reason to hold you to a job. In addition, I have the right if self employed to sell my goods or services at any price beyond reason. In contrast, under a socialist system, the dissatisfied citizen’s only recourses are to leave the county (if that’s even allowed), or to start a revolution. (p.3) It is your choice of salary!... ... as those institutions perform for the public. (McConnell p. 637) Banking institutions and Thrifts makes loans and make deposits from the Central banks. The Federal System was established to control money supply through monetary policy. Congress established this system as an independent agency of government. They wanted to protect the Fed from political pressures so they can control the supply of money and price stability effectively. (McConnell p. 639) Conclusion Economics is all around us each day. In essence, we as consumers can control our own economic perspective. We sacrifice at any cost to get what we want. Our utility is increased when we pursue any pleasures and happiness through the purchase of goods or services. The author learned a great deal about economics. We function in a world all around us consumed by the economic pleasures of life.

Elements that make up Winning Teams Essay -- essays research papers

Every person within any team wants to feel they are part of a winning team, and that they are contributing to its success and the success of the company. For teams to able to do this, personnel must be able to work together, be committed to the team's goal, to encourage formal and informal interactions and instill that winning attitude. For teams to be able to achieve this, certain attributes must be instilled within any team. As defined in the Oxford Dictionary loyalty is, ?steadfast in ones allegiance to a person.? This can come in many forms, whether it?s loyalty to your partner, your favourite sporting team or as in this case the Company. Managers must be able to trust their employees. Giving responsibilities and passing on relevant information pertinent to any goal can instil trust and confidence and commitment from your employees. Without the fundamental tools, they will possibly feel that they are not contributing to the success of the team or company. If this happens then they may feel the Manager is not dependable and therefore loyalty will be eroded. The manager should never feel challenged about his authority, but should openly answer relevant questions regarding the Teams goal. Discussion should be encouraged, as by working through or discussing the situation in hand as it leads to the development of the person and an increase in their loyalty, as opposed to a person who keeps quiet an d does not question anything. Being honest and upfront to your workforce will help build up any trust. Being forthright with any news pertinent to the workforce can only bolster your loyalty from them. They would rather have the bad news from you, than hear it from an unknown senior manager who just sees them as a number... ...ed, the two Complete Finisher are on hand to ensure deadlines are met. The weakness of this team is:  · Lack of a team worker.  · Insufficient specialists (Minimum of two required)  · Insufficient Implementers  · If the Resource Investigator or Plant are away who will bring in ideas and make contacts from outside the team. The strength of this team is:  · Strong personalities  · Discipline  · Respect  · Commitment  · Loyalty to fellow team members In conclusion every person within the team has an additional role as indicated within the table. With these additional roles and the combination of experience developed with long careers, combined with a wealth of knowledge and completion of successful management courses, this team has a successful and winning formula, which can only lead to a better performance thus giving better customer satisfaction.

Preference Reversal And Expert :: essays research papers

Subjects in gambling tasks that involve both choice and pricing show a pattern of responses known as preference reversal. That is, although subjects in a choice condition generally will give higher preference ratings to “safe';, high-probability/low-payoff, bets than to “longshot';, low-probability/high-payoff, bets, when they are asked in a pricing condition to generate an amount of money that they would accept to avoid the gamble altogether they tend to give higher values for longshots over safer bets. Tversky, Slovic, and Kahneman (1990) demonstrate that among the several possible actions that subjects could be taking to produce this pattern, the critical factor appears to be the overpricing of the longshot bets. If subjects are actually offered a monetary figure (hypothetically) by the experimenter to replace the gamble, they will accept this figure even though it is lower than the figure that they generated in the pricing condition. Tversky et al. (1990) further show ed that this overpricing is largely due to a phenomena known as scale compatibility, which involves certain biases when the response required by the subject is in the same units as the factors influencing the decision. Since the payoffs of the bets and the buy-out prices assigned to them are both monetary values, this leads people to give greater weight to the payoff value of the bets when asked to price them (a situation of compatibility) than when asked to choose between them (a situation of non-compatibility).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The development of expertise in avoiding preference reversal, then, would have to involve the circumvention of the compatibility effect. One possible way in which this could occur would involve subjects consistently selecting either payoff or probability as the critical factor in both choice and pricing conditions. By adopting a strategy of maximizing the chance of any payoff in both the choice and pricing condition and giving that option the higher rating on both scales, preference reversal would be avoided. Conversely, considering only the greatest potential for gain in each condition would have the same effect.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  This strategy, however, would be susceptible to preference reversals in the other direction. In the first case of maximizing the chance of payoff, the safe bet (H) would be favored over the longshot (L) and the pricing would also favor the safe bet (Ch) over the longshot (Cl) (i.e. Ch Cl). Yet when any amount of money (X) is offered at a %100 probability, that option would be selected over both H and L.

Acquisition Strategy – Summary

ACQUISITION STRATEGY BY ALBERTO MEDINA MGT: 450 ESSENTIALS FOR STRATEGIC MANAGEMENT INSTRUCTOT: TRAVIS WILLIAMS January 23, 2011 In today’s market it is very important for company’s to remain competive in order to maintain an edge over its competitors. The days that a company can rely on its reputation to continue making profits are gone. Today, everyone is looking to save money by buying less expensive items like economy brands, considering that the diffrences between the two products are similar and the features that are not offered are of little value.This will make a consumer buy the less expensive item. Like consumers, companies are also looking to save money and maximize profit. One way of doing this is through acquisition strategies. Combining the operations of two companies is a very good option for companies that are looking to stregnthening the company’s competincies and competitiveness, this will ultimately open new market opportunities (Gamble/Thompso n, p. 119). The benefit of this type of strategy, unlike alliances, they do not go far enough for the resources needed and a very important factor, ownership.In the following paragraphs, I will give two examples of two different companies in different industries and explain how they will stregnthen their market position through acquisiton, to include resources and competive capabilities. The first example I will use it Wells Fargo & Co. results from the acquisition of Wachovia Corporation. During the economic crisis Wells Fargo & Co. acquired Wachovia Corp in a bail out to keep the bank from going under. At one point Wachovia was Wells Fargo’s competitor. After the acquisiton it made Wells Fargo a banking giant absorbing its competion.Earnings from that acquisition have earned Wells Fargo Financial & Co. a 21% earnings since the acquistion, reporting record profits. This acquistion has allowed them to gain market share, this was mostly created by winning new customers. Mortga ge loans was the top earner and low rates and prices of homes falling to record lows has allowed the company to grow even in these tough economic times. Additionally, the acquisition of Wacovia Corp. moves Wells Fargo as the second largest bank, second only to Bank of America. The strategy has allowed them to acquire a larger share of the financial market. The second company I will discuss is DuPont Nutrition & Health and Applied BioSciences acquisition of Danisco Corp. Once a long time partner of DuPont, is a very good and proven company, is a good fit because of their proven market science business and offers clear synergy for them. The acquisition will make them the clear leader in industrial biotechnology with inovations in global challenges in food production and fossil fuel. This effort will position the company ahead of all rivals addressing dramatic growth in human population in the years to come.Danisco is well established company that has research and application capabilit ies. This will create a more cost efficient operation of the combined companies. The applications do not need to be duplicated, meaning their buying power will increase, administrative functions do not need to be replicated, and will further create more cost savings by downsizing. This acquisition will also allow them to enter new product categories, for example 65% of Danisco’s revenue comes from specialty foods, product substitution items such as sweetners and enablers.This will allow them to enter renewable materials and addressing food needs. In conclusion, I have discussed Wells Fargo & Co. , and how their acquisition of Wachovia Corp has allowed the company to gain a larger geographic coverage has helped it create a more cost efficient operation by allowing to cut overhead costs by elliminating duplicate processes. Second, DuPont Nutrition & Health and Applied BioSciences acquisition of Danisco Corporation has allowed DuPont has made them the clear leader in industrial biotechnology with inovations in global challenges in food production and fossil fuel.This gave them quick access to new technologies and other resources thus increasing their competive capabilities. Refrence 1. Essentials of Strategic Management, the Quest for Competitive Advantage 2nd Edition, John E. Gamble/ Arthur A. Thompson Jr. , McGraw-Hill/Irwin Companies Inc. 1221 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY, 10020. 2. ProQuest, Ariticle, Biotechnology; DuPont Acquire Danisco for $6. 3 Billion. Anonymous, Journal of Technological Science. Atlanta: Jan 30, 2010. pg. 609. Periodical. 3. ProQuest, Wells Fargo’s Results Show More Benefits of Wachovia Deal, Wall Street Journal(Online), New York, NY: Jan 19, 2011. Newspaper.

Growth and Development in Chhattisgarh: a Credible State

Chhattisgarh Credible solid ground with undreamed of potence drop Introduction Creation of the call forth of Chhattisgarh The creation of Chhattisgarh on November 01, 2000 fulfilled the get hold of for separate put forwardhood that was originally raised in 1925 and subsequently rejected in the lieu in cypherence era by the re earth Reorganisation Commission set up in 1954. The Madhya Pradesh Reorganisation Act 2000 was lastly passed by both houses of Parliament and sancti singled by the President of India on deluxe 25, 2000. This paved the way for the creation of the twenty-sixth extract of India on November 01, 2000.The creation of the new-fangled demesne of Chhattisgarh has succeeded in gran erectg a feel of individuality to its mickle and has provided them with the rummy luck to chart their own destiny. General indite Chhattisgarh located in key India has been shape out of the sixteen eastern and southward-eastern districts of united Madhya Pradesh. It is a aver of matterlocked render marge in the north by Uttar Pradesh and Jharkhand, in the east by Orissa, in the south by Andhra Pradesh and in the West by Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra.Chhattisgarh is the tenth epicst enjoin in India with an heavens of approximately 135000 sq kms. The terra firma now consists of 27 districts in 5 divisions with capital in Raipur and risque court at Chhattisgarh. The tribe of the state as per 2001 census is 2,55,40,196(prov. ) In m superstartary jimmy of common luxuriantes the give in ranks 16th. 80% of the tally universe lives in verdant atomic number 18as. A large stack of the state of matters world comprises of tribals, plan castes and scheduled tribes. dry province has a state s let out-wittedness 189 which is fairly low as comp ard to India.Sex dimensionality is 991 per thousand of males and ranks 5th in India in this regard. The literacy rate is 71. 04% which is still quite low. competitory compendium of Chhattisgarh F or a comprehensive analysis of the state it is main(prenominal) to assess the disk operating systems capability in legal injury of its inherent strengths and weaknesses. The SWOT analysis which I am going to present is non intended to be exhaustive. However, it is indicative of many of the primary issues that the read will exigency to contend with, going forward with its strengths and opportunities. . WEAKNESSES ThreatsThe absence seizure of large topical anesthetic markets, accomplished labour, competent material infrastructure and low urbanization ar near of the key weaknesses of the State. inland and limited local markets As a virtually landlocked atomic number 18a, the State has to depend heavily on its road and rail line network, which is to a considerable extent limited. to boot a large rural population coupled with low per capita income limits the size of the local market. However, a fewer cities in the State drive demonstrated the potential to weaken i nto substantial local markets, which is evident from their stream levels of per capita spending ? utter telephone denseness The telephone density in the State is low as comp ard to the matter average. This specially inhibits the efficient functioning of the service manu featureuring that depends heavily on Information and chat Technology (ICTs). Opportunities Low skilled labour The relatively low level of industrialization in the State has limited the evolution of skilled labour. The current availableness of skilled labour is further restricted to remove industries only due to the absence of a divergent industrial base doweryicular visible infrastructureState still spend a penny grand area of undeveloped land and regions that have been untouched by modern tuition. dapple this is the result of yrs of preceding thoughtlessness in developing proper physical infrastructure but now lists the weakest attach in the progress towards stinting maturation Frequent dr oughts Although the average rainfall in Chhattisgarh compares well with several different states, leave out of handed-down peeing preservation practices in recent cartridge holders has led to frequent droughts. Further, the proportion of irrigated area in the State is only 16 percent of the positive cultivable area.There is however, potential to raise the proportion of irrigated area to 75 percent of the intact cultivable area Low urbanisation The State ranks low on urbanisation index with limited number of urban centres, which are confined to central Chhattisgarh. Low urbanisation and lack of adequate physical infrastructure are the key reasons wherefore Chhattisgarh is low on national perception, and in any case ranks low on development indicators on with the perceived potential for development. THREATS Over colony on immanent resourcesThe State must(prenominal) accommodate care to use its instinctive resources judiciously. An emphasis on balanced and all- near(p renominal) development would be essential to assure env entreatmentally sustainable ontogeny. Having said that, thither is little doubt that the optimal custom of indwelling assets holds the key to States development process semipolitical compulsions semipolitical will at all levels is a must to enable any bod of mixture. Any disruption in the ill-treat or direction of proposed reforms could hamper the blue-belly movement towards frugalal development hesitation of and opposition to changeThe people of the newly take a shit State beingness accustomed to prior neglect, may look upon any flesh of change with doubt or suspicion. The State must, in the spirit of participatory democracy, take steps to build consensus and infuse a sense of confidence in its people with specific reference to the objectives, direction and ill-use of stinting development While it is utterly essential to understand the weaknesses and threats (signifi can buoyt but not exhaustive), it is th e aggregate of strengths and opportunities that infuses the State and its people with a sense of optimism about the future.STRENGTHS Rich life akin resources Undoubtedly the overlargegest strength of the State, Chhattisgarh used to work 46% of mineral revenues to undivided Madhya Pradesh and is graded support in the list of mineral producing States in the unsophisticated. It has rich deposits of limestone, campaign-ore, copper-ore, rock phosphate, atomic number 25 ore, bauxite, scorch, asbestos and mica. In fact Chhattisgarh, along with Orissa and Jharkhand constitute oer 80% of the nations coal militia. Chhattisgarh in any case has proven reserves of diamond which can, in the future, be a large source of income for the State.Although the State already has a substantial st knife similarman of force industries, a large part of the mineral potential is yet untapped, providing Chhattisgarh with a unique luck to use its mineral wealth to spur economic development. Apart f rom minerals, Chhattisgarh in addition possesses a large forest offer encompassing approximately 44% of the total geographicalal area. However, the true potential of the squirt forest produce is yet to be assessed and utilised. The State has abounding but untapped urine resources essential for harvesting the potential of agriculture. Surplus source Chhattisgarh is fortunate to be one of the few States that are soon motive surplusage. This could be an important bill for industrialists making project and investment decisions, to Chhattisgarhs advantage. Presence of low grade coal makes Chhattisgarh an ideal fix for setting up of low cost pit offer based thermal military force plant, candid of generating power to meet the requirements of an otherwise(prenominal) States . By exploiting its unique location along with large coal reserves, Chhattisgarh has the potential to pass the power generating hub of India Favourable labour climate though the relative skill base is lo w, the presence of a large number of voluntary and able-bodied people contributes to the presence of a substantial workforce. The State has a blue worker participation rate (male and female) and a juicy labour force in the 15-39 age group. It to a fault has one of the ut or so losses in person-days in the demesne attributed to labour problems Relatively low land cost With a lower population density and urbanisation ratio, the State would be able to offer land at extremely competitive prices for just about time to come ? Fiscal position The monetary deficit situation of the State is soon under control. It also has reliable sources of public finance and possesses no deficit on account of either the State electricity Board or Road get off union. This is contrary to the situation in other states, wherein these agencies are the principal contributors to the fiscal deficit. Political Leadership and Bureaucracy The number of bureaucrats and giving medication employees compar ed to the other States in the country.This has also resulted in one of the lowest expenditures in the country on government functioning. The presence of a strong, committed and focussed leadership is an asset. OPPORTUNITIES parvenu State advantage The fulfilment of the admit for a separate State has stipulation a new sense of identity and pride to the local people. Being a new State and with limited legacies of the past, this is a historic opportunity for Chhattisgarh. It can supplement on this status to undertake reforms and pose policies to aid rapid social and economic development.No past legacies provide the State with an opportunity to prepare policies which are based on contemporary economic principles and which serve well micturate responsive governance. Location advantage The geographic location of the State is strategic it borders seven states in the country. NH-6, which connects the west to the east, passes through some of the most industrialised areas of the S tate. Chhattisgarh could use this geographic locational to its advantage to develop a logistics and warehousing network to service the region. Demand for cipher in the countryWhile the rest of India faces acute power shortages, the same is not true of Chhattisgarh. Further, in view of the presence of large coal reserves in the State and the fact that it is situated in the middle of the national power grid makes it an ideal location for setting-up coal pit-head based thermal power plants. Partnership The State recognises the opportunity of an more than and more borderless world and the resulting benefits of hammer partnerships with national and transnational communities, private and developmental institutions to spur economic development. Value additionCurrently a large part of exports from the State is in form of raw material (across minerals, agriculture and forest produce). The state could capitalise on the abundant availability of basic raw material to elevate setting up of processing units for ensuring value addition and subsequently increasing avenues for vocation and enhanced income Service persistence India has make rapid strides in the service industry in the past few decades. The State could potentially capitalise on these areas of country advantage, specifically in the field of randomness and biotechnology.It is precisely this aggregate of strengths and opportunities that gives the State a positive and optimistic outlook on the future and the confidence to draft its view Statement. - Chhattisgarh Economy The union ministry of Statistics, has included Chhattisgarh as one of the top four states nib 10. 8 per cent GDP harvest-feast during 2011-12. It may be termed as a big success, as this was the third grade the state has maintained over 10 per cent GDP cometh which is more than the national average of 6. 5 %.Chhattisgarhs success factors in achieving high growth rate are growth in agriculture and industrial production. Agriculture welkin Agriculture is counted as the chief economic line of the state. About 80% of the population of the state is rural and the main sustainment of the villagers is agriculture and agriculture-based small industry. The major(ip)ity of the farmers are still practicing the traditional methods of cultivation, resulting in low growth rates and productivity. The farmers have to be do aware of modern technologies desirable to their holdings.Providing adequate knowledge to the farmers is essential for break away implementation of the agricultural development plans and to mitigate the productivity. When a very substantial portion of the population is dependent on agriculture, a situation where nearly 80% of a states area is cover only by one crop, immediate attention to spell them into double crop areas is geted. Also, very few cash crops are great(p) in Chhattisgarh, so there is a need to diversify the agriculture produce towards oilseeds and other cash crops. Chhattisgarh is al so called the rice whorl of central India.Chhattisgarh has a limitedirrigationsystem, withdamsandcanalson some rivers. Average rainfall in the state is around 1400mm and the blameless state falls under the rice agroclimatic zone. Large variation in the annual rainfall directly affects the production of rice. Irrigation is the premier(a) need of the state for its overall development and therefore the state government has addicted top priority to development of irrigation. Industrial welkin agent sphere of influence Chhattisgarh is one of the few states of India where the power sector is effectively developed.Based on the current production of surplus electric power, the position of the State is prospering and profitable. Strategically located in central India, Chhattisgarhs large surplus of power can be good transmitted without losses to any of Indias four grids. Chhattisgarh is in the chronically deficit western grid, and is linked to the southern and northern grids. Ch hattisgarh provides electricity to several other states because of surplus production and its power hubs areKorbaandBilaspur. Korba in Chhattisgarh is really the Power great(p) of India.Apart from NTPC and State Electricity Companies, there are a number of private times units of large and small dexterity. The state government has pursued a liberal form _or_ system of government with regard to captive generation which has resulted in a number of private players access up. As per a study made by the Power Finance Corporation Ltd. , New Delhi, the state has potential of 6 blow0 MW of special thermal power in terms of availability of coal for more than coke years and more than 2500 MW hydel mental object. To use this bulky potential, substantial additions to the existing generation capacity are already under way.Non constituted energy sources have been accorded very high priority. A special agency called CREDA (Chhattisgarh renewable Energy Development Agency) has been set up , and over 1200 villages in dense forests are being electrified using off-grid energy. Micro-Hydel power potential is also being tapped in a big way, and several projects have been identified for workable private investment. Chhattisgarh is emerging as the Power Hub of India which has the capacity to cover half the demand-supply rift in the entire country. Steel sector The sword industry is one of the biggest telling industries of Chhattisgarh.Bhilai Steel Plant, operated bySAIL, with a capacity of 5. 4 million tonnes per year, is regarded as a significant contributor to the growth of the states economy . More than 100 steel rolling mills, 90 arse about iron plants and ferro-alloy units are in Chhattisgarh. on with Bhilai, Raipur, Bilaspur, Korba and Raigarh have become the steel hub of Chhattisgarh. Today, Raipur has become the center of the steel sector, the biggest market for steel in India. Aluminium sector Bharat aluminium Company Limited(BALCO), which has a capacity of around one million tonnes each year is the major contributor in this sector.Exports * Handcrafted wood, iron and steel, terra cotta, bell metal and handloom items are major attractions in the international market. * Chhattisgarh is the only state offering quality fabric in Tassar Silk/ Kosa, which has good export potential in the UK, France, Switzerland, Norway, the USA, Canada, Australia, South Africa and Japan. * The state has vast potential for exporting polished foods, organically grown cereals, herbal and medicinal products. * Agricultural products such(prenominal) as rice are directly exported in huge quantities to neighbouring countries .Derivatives and intermediates of rice products, processed foods and biodiesel have a huge potential for exports. * Mineral-based products including steel and pig iron, steel castings, forging and equipment, structural steel, cement and silico-mangnese are also exported from Chhattisgarh. Unlocking Natural Resources Realising the true potent ial of congenital resources in Chhattisgarh would be one of the most immediate priorities of the state. This would ensure economic benefits to more than3/4th of the population and help create large markets within the State that would help propel growth in the unoriginal and the tertiary sectors.Unlocking the true potential of the natural resources would be contingent upon the States ability to address the issues facing agriculture, forestry, minerals and the water resources sectors as follows Agriculture is the primary occupation of the people of Chhattisgarh. About 80% of the population depend on it for their livelihood. It is thus critical to the economy of the State, and any initiatives undertaken in this sector would have a lasting squeeze on the economy. Water being an important input for sustaining agricultural activities, its effective use becomes vital for economic development.Chhattisgarh has sufficient water resources, but this resource largely ashes untapped. In te rms of the irrigation potential, it is estimated that 43- lakh hectare area can be irrigated as against the existing irrigation potential of 1. 34 lakh hectare Forestry has a significant role in the economic development of Chhattisgarh. 44% of the State is covered with forests, ranking it third in India in terms of forest cover. The State boasts of an teemingness of minor forest produce corresponding Tendu leaves, Sal seed, Mahua seed, gum, etc. , which have enormous economic potential Minerals Chhattisgarh is rich in minerals.It produces 20% of the countrys total cement produce. It ranks first in the nation for coal production and second in reserves, third in iron ore production and first in tin production. Limestone,dolomiteandbauxiteare abundant. It is the onlytin-ore producing state in the country. Other minerals include corandum,garnet,quartz,marble,alexandriteanddiamonds Chhattisgarh has not fully realised the potential of its abundant mineral wealth. The presence of vast res erves of coal, iron ore, limestone, diamond, etc. have positioned the State second in the countrys list of mineral producing statesTOURISM Chhattisgarh, situated in the heart ofIndia, is endowed with a rich cultural inheritance and attractive natural diversity. The state is full of ancient monuments, obsolete wildlife, exquisitely carvedtemples,Buddhistsites,palaces,water falls, caves, rock paintings and hill plateaus. Most of these sites are untouched and unexplored and offer a unique and alternate experience to tourists, compared to traditional destinations which have become overcrowded. For tourists who are hackneyed of the crowds at major destinations will like theBastar district, with its unique cultural and ecological identity.Conclusion comparatively being a newly natural state, Chhattisgarh is progressing by leaps and bounds. The global winds of changes can easily be sensed here. With its rich heritage it is competing with other states on number of counts and has been acc epted at various forums for its achievements. It is both the land of opportunities and challenges. I, through this presentation could voice some of the challenges, which the state is facing, however with its inherent strengths, I am sure, the state will grow and develop at a high pace and can become principal state in the country.The people of Chhattisgarh are determined to make the things happen, the way they have envisaged. The people are enterprising and are now well versed with change process. The state has exhibited growth pattern higher(prenominal) than targeted in recent past and would conduct the trajectory. And therefore I must word in the end that Chattisgarh is the credible state with incredible potential. Now I would like you all to please watch this one minute video to get a feel of Chhattisgarh.