Cross Cultural Perspectives Essay

The Microsoft Corporation is a fortune 500 company that ranked # 35 on the fortune 500 list in 2013 (Fortune 500, 2013) and is one of the largest business corporations in the world. It was founded in 1975 by two guys named Paul Allen and Bill Gates, the business developed very rapidly as the years went by and reached a marker of 89,000 employees, with a revenue of $62 billion dollars and had offices located all over the world (Fortune 500, 2011). From the initial headquarters that is held in Albuquerque New Mexico, the Microsoft Company steadily increased the offices held within the United States and expanded that to include more than 100 countries abroad. This expansion into different countries became a challenge because of having to deal with new lifestyles, new cultures, people, and languages. Proper research needed to be conducted not to mention the implementation of a proper working strategy to help the integration of these new ethics and cultures into those of the Microsoft Corporation. The homepage of the Microsoft Corporation shares a summarized version of its culture and says â€Å"We as individuals and as a company value honesty, integrity, constructive self criticism, openness, mutual respect, and continual self improvement† (Microsoft Corporation, 2011). The Microsoft Corporation also presents their official responsibilities as part of their ethical obligation. â€Å"We at the Microsoft Corporation hold ourselves accountable to our shareholders, customers, employees, and partners, and we do this by honoring our commitment, providing results, and striving for the highest quality possible† (Microsoft Corporation, 2011). When making a move into new cultures and countries, it becomes very important for employees old and new to not only understand but also accept the Microsoft Corporations ethics and culture. As we all know Microsoft products are used all over the world in both businesses and homes. When they first made the decision to open an office in Lebanon, a majority of the computers ran on the Microsoft Windows operating system and the Windows Office program was the most popular word processing and spreadsheet program. However, there was a problem and that problem was the fact that there was a bunch of versions of this system that had been pirated and distributed in that country. In a country where buying a five dollar pirated software program from a local computer store made it a little hard in terms of convincing some people that it was not only unethical but also illegal. This brings about the question of, â€Å"How is The Microsoft Corporation going to sell authentic versions of their software when there are pirated versions being distributed at such a cheaper price not to mention a lack of government control involved†? Because of this, Microsoft proceeded to send letters to these major organizations warning them against using this pirated software. They also offered to visit these businesses in order to conduct a site survey so that assessments could be made in terms of what software would fit the company the best and at what the cost would be. The Microsoft Corporation also provided the organization that behaved ethically and invited Microsoft in for the survey assessment; Microsoft turned around and gave them a very good price deal on the software. Microsoft also introduced to them a payment facility for the companies that had to make large purchases of the software in order to get licenses for the pirated software they already had in place. Everyone knows that not all organizations and businesses operate within ethical boundaries. Lebanon, just like the U. S. , is similar in the fact that it is an individualist culture. However, bribery is common throughout this country. Microsoft has an ethical standard that is against these types of acts and it is totally against their integrity. It was however, improbable to sell these authentic copies to many of these businesses without presenting these managers with some type of gift in exchange. Some of these organizations proceeded to offer gifts to the Microsoft Corporation’s employees. They in return were hoping for some type of special discount, or a deal would not work out. The Microsoft Corporation has an ethical obligation to their shareholders and that obligation is to protect and increase the value of the shares. The Microsoft Corporation has to be able to earn a said profit in order for the share values to increase. On a bad note, Microsoft cannot legitimately sell software copies in a country that has corruption and bribery within its ethics and culture. According to Transparency International â€Å"The transparency in Lebanon ranked 2. 5 out of 10 in the world in 2010† (Corruption Perception Index 2010 Results, 2010). When comparing that score to 8. 9 out of 10 in Canada and 7. 1 out of 10 in the United States, the difference is quite staggering. Microsoft has to be able to find a way to adapt their approach in order to conclude some type of successful business in the country of Lebanon. According to the text book â€Å"The biggest source of anxiety for business people in America who operate abroad is the expectations of bribes and payoffs† (Trevino & Nelson, 2007). When the Microsoft management team was faced with bribes or offerings in order to sell their software to the organizations who where operating on pirated copies, they in return chose to use an ethical model in order to make a decision in regards of choosing which course of action would be best to take. The judicial systems of these countries that have a low transparency, that are similar to those in Lebanon, are very weak. So filing a lawsuit against the businesses that are running the pirated versions of the Microsoft software programs would turn out to be very costly, time consuming and may end up yielding no type of results in the end. Management teams that are faced with different types of ethical situations can apply different types of ethical models in order to help assist in the process of decision making. In the case of bribing a manager of an organization in order to purchase software that is legal, it is possible that they could apply the utilitarianism ethical model. By looking at the result, it might be easy to try and make a decision on whether or not the employees at the Microsoft Corporation may try and bribe a business into purchasing Microsoft software that is legal. On a positive note, Microsoft selling more software to organizations and businesses that need it or may already be using it may help in the reduction of software being pirated within the country. The share prices at Microsoft are being maintained by the revenue and the employees receiving a commission. On the negative side, if a bribe is being paid to an employee or a member of the business or an organization who is purchasing the Microsoft software. The Utilitarianism’s ethical model shows approval of this as a decision that is ethical. Being able to apply different ethical models, such as the deontological model may end up having different ending results. The question that this raises is â€Å"Should all businesses or organizations pay some type of bribe or bribes in order to help sell their products? † The answer to this naturally is, â€Å"no†. Global businesses are faced with many different challenges everyday as they expand into different foreign organizations. Ethical challenges will always arise for an organization as they expand. The ethical decisions made in regards to different business matters can usually be solved by applying the different ethical models that are available. There are plenty of tools available for helping solve arising ethical problems and they need to be used so they may be helpful in making solutions. With the launch of Microsoft in the country of Lebanon they need to confront these ethical issues of bribery so that they can enter the market. The Microsoft Corporation must learn to adapt their policies in order to comply with the ethical standards they have in the country of Lebanon. References Corruption Perception Index, 2010 results (2010). Transparency International Retrieved August 11, 2013 from https://www. transparency. org/policy_research/surveys Fortune Global 500 (2011) CNN Money, Retrieved August 11, 2013 from https://money. cnn. com/magazines/fortune/global500/2011 Microsoft Corporation (2011) About Microsoft, Retrieved August 10, 2013 from https://www. microsoft. com/about/en/us/default. aspx Trevino. L. K & Nelson. K. L (2007) Retrieved August 9, 2013 from Managing Business Ethics (4th Ed). Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons.

Godfather Death Essay

What would you ask for your newborn child if you could ask for anything? What would you sacrifice to get it? In the realm of fairy tales, subjects such as these are common catalysts for conveying life choices and the ensuing consequences. Each tale may relate to certain scenarios or social status of a specific gender, but one such tale—Godfather Death—can be related to by every walk of life. The subject that is contemplated by the Brothers Grimm is death and the power or lack of that a person possesses to control it (Grimm 233). â€Å"See,† said Death, â€Å"these are the life-lights of mankind. The large ones belong to children, the medium-sized ones to married people in their best years, and the little ones to old people. However, even children and young people often have only a tiny candle. † This Grimm Brothers’ account of such a tale involves a father that is portrayed as a hard worker that can barely provide his twelve children the basic necessities of life (Grimm 230). When he is informed he has a thirteenth child coming into the world, the father immediately seeks a godfather to make this child’s life an easier one than the previous twelve. After reviewing his found choices of God, the Devil, and Death, he chooses Death as his son’s godfather. The father believes Death is the most unbiased and will provide equality to all. The son becomes of age and Godfather Death provides him a present that will make the life good for the now young man: He took him out into the woods and showed him an herb that grew there, saying, â€Å"Now you shall receive your godfather’s present. I will turn you into a famous physician. Whenever you are called to a sick person I will appear to you. If I stand at the sick person’s head, you may say with confidence that you can make him well again; then give him some of this herb, and he will recover. But if I stand at the sick person’s feet, he is mine, and you must say that he is beyond help, and that no physician in the world could save him. But beware of using this herb against my will, or something very bad will happen to you. â€Å" The Grimm story, at this point, leads us to believe that the man’s father made a good choice in choosing the godfather as the young man becomes famous and wealthy by obeying Death’s instructions of the gift. Most parents would be happy with such results. As with most fairy tales, good fortune usually has a price to be paid. In the case of Grandfather Death, the price is not being able to pick and choose who can die and who cannot as the man finds out when he desperately wants a certain king to live and then the king’s daughter (Grimm 231, 232). The man finds just how true that fact is. This is an interesting point to ponder and in my research I came across an article providing insight into the quality of life during the days of dying (CBSNews 1). So, is extending life a valid action if the quality of life is questionable? In the article, the following was discovered: â€Å"Families cannot imagine there could be anything worse than their loved one dying. But in fact, there are things worse. Most generally, it’s having someone you love die badly,† Byock said. A vast majority of Americans say they want to die at home, but 75 percent die in a hospital or a nursing home. The article points out another fact of how much money is spent on prolonging death just a few days, weeks, months in some cases. I think it’s interesting that we tend to spend a lot of money avoiding the unavoidable. Quality of life? These are all good questions that a person will eventually consider. â€Å"What will I give up to stay alive a little longer? † In the story, Death takes the man to see his candle that represents his life, which has become very short as the man decided to trick Death to let the king and the king’s daughter live. The man finds his fate to be grim indeed, no pun intended, but the tale is most fitting as one that the Brothers Grimm’s retelling (Grimm 233). Perhaps the point that can be extracted from the fairy tale is that a person needs to accept the fact that death is inevitable and make the most of their allotted time given during a person’s life. I believe the contemporary saying of â€Å"life is short, make the most of it† is very fitting. The same message was being pondered then and is still consider an unavoidable subject, no matter how morbid. Death is a timeless, unavoidable issue that eventually all must face. This story just tries to put it in perspective indirectly. The reader of Godfather Death is driven to consider just how precious life is by considering what’s coming at the end. Works Cited Grimm, Jacob. Grimm’s Complete Fairy Tales. Raleigh: Sweetwater, 2012. Print.. CBSNews. â€Å"The Cost of Dying. † CBSNews, December 3, 2010. Web. http://www. cbsnews. com/8301-18560_162-5711689. html.

A Study On Classical Conditioning Psychology Essay

A Study On Classical Conditioning Psychology Essay In classical conditioning, an unconditioned stimulus (something that will always lead to a reaction of some type) leads to an unconditioned response (a natural reaction to the UCS). A neutral stimulus (NS) becomes paired with an unconditioned stimulus (UCS). This is also called the Pavlovian conditioning because Ivan Pavlov discovered classical conditioning in an experiment involving dogs. Eventually, the pairing of the NS and the UCS leads to an UCR. The conditioned stimulus (CS), which used to be the NS, will be associated with a response (CR). The CS really has no connection to the response but through the conditioning, the subject learns to associate their conditioned response with the CS. Classical conditioning is a form of learning in which the subject begins to associate a behavior with a certain stimuli. This paper discusses classical and operant conditioning, rephrasing what they are, and explaining them with real-life examples. Classical and operant conditioning are differ ent methods of learning. The two methods have the word conditioning in common. What is conditioning? Conditioning is the acquisition of specific patterns of behavior in the presence of well-defined stimuli. Both classical and operant conditioning are basic forms of learning. Classical conditioning is a type of learning in which an organism learns to transfer a natural response from one stimulus to another, previously neutral stimulus. This is done by manipulating reflexes. Operant conditioning is a type of learning in which the likelihood of a behavior is increased or decreased by the use of reinforcement or punishment. Operant conditioning deals with more cognitive thought process. These two forms of learning have similarities and differences. Their similarities are that they both produce basic phenomena. One such phenomenon is acquisition. Both types of conditioning result in the inheritance of a behavior. One of the most famous of experiments that illustrates classical conditioni ng is Pavlov’s Dogs. In this experiment, Pavlov sat behind a one-way mirror and controlled the presentation of a bell. The bell was the conditioned stimulus. A conditioned stimulus was an originally neutral stimulus that could eventually produce a desired response when presented alone. Directly after the ringing of the bell, Pavlov gave the dog food. The food was the unconditioned stimulus. This means that the food caused an uncontrollable response whenever it was presented alone. That response would be the salivation of the dog. A tube that was in the dog’s mouth then measured the saliva. When the unconditioned stimulus (US) was paired with a conditioned stimulus (CS), it eventually resulted in a conditioned response. Extinction results if there is a decrease in frequency or strength of a learned response due to the failure to continue to pair the US and the CS. Extinction can also occur in operant conditioning. The key to operant conditioning is reinforcement. Reinfo rcement is when a stimulus is presented that increases the probability that the preceding response will recur in the future. If reinforcement is withheld, extinction will occur in operant conditioning. Another factor that is involved in conditioning is spontaneous recovery. That is the reappearance of an extinguished response after the passage of time, without further training. If Pavlov’s dogs did not hear the bell for a few years, and if when they heard it later they drooled, it would be an example of spontaneous recovery. Something similar occurs with operant conditioning. If an animal was conditioned to behave in a certain manor, but then their reinforcement was stopped, that animal may still have a reaction to the stimulus at a much later date. Organisms that are being conditioned through operant or classical conditioning can go through something that is known as stimulus generalization. This is when there is a transfer of a learned response to different but similar stim uli. An example would be if one of Pavlov’s dogs salivated to the sound of a bell that was different from the one that they were originally conditioned with. Stimulus discrimination is another phenomena that occurs with classical and operant conditioning. Discrimination is when an organism learns to respond to only one stimulus and inhibit the response to all other stimuli. It is the reverse of generalization. If an organism hears many different sounds, but is only given reinforcement for responding to only one of the sounds, it learns to discriminate between the sounds. Some of the differences between operant and classical conditioning lie in the extent to which reinforcement depends on the behavior of the learner. In classical conditioning, the learner is automatically reinforced. That is how it learns to respond to a once neutral stimulus. In operant conditioning, the learner must provide a correct response in order to received the reinforcement. Another difference between the two forms of conditioning is the type of behavior to which each method applies. Classical conditioning applies to a behavior that is always wanted. It was Pavlov’s purpose to have the dogs salivate on command. In operant conditioning, a behavior can be learned or extinguished. If you wanted to train a dog not to do something, you would use a form of punishment. Classical and operant conditioning are similar, but they do differ in a few ways. Both are fairly reliable ways to teach an organism to act in a specific manor.

Evaluation of the evidence for and against stem cell plasticity Article

Evaluation of the evidence for and against stem cell plasticity - Article Example This can be translated to mean that the highly regenerative tissues have stem cells while those that are poor regenerators lack stem cells (Frank, Schatton & Frank 2010, p. 41). However, cells that have been believed to be non-regenerators such as the heart and the brain have lately shown signs of regeneration. This has opened the doors for researches in stem cell population and their regenerative potential. Studies of tissue injury repair have discovered that there is a strong support for important stem cell functions in the hematopoietic system, dermal epithelium, intestinal epithelium, and skeletal muscle. This is a clear indication that stem cell plasticity can be of high importance in repairing of damaged cells in these tissues (Langer, Vacanti &Lanza 2014, p. 231). Hematopoietic stem cells (HSC) exist predominantly in the bone marrow of human beings. They have always been known to serve the purpose of generation all lineages of mature blood cell types that are needed for the maintenance of proper hematopoietic function (Cetrulo, Cetrulo&Cetrulo 2009, p. 234). However, a series of studies have challenged this assertion. These studies suggest that if bone marrow cells are enriched by hematopoietic stem cell activity, they could appear to be of contribution to the lower levels of multiple nonhematopoietic tissues because of injured or irradiated recipients (Bhattacharya & Stubblefield 2014, p. 199). These studies reveal that these activities can result to nonhematopoietic cells within the skin, intestinal epithelium, lung epithelium, kidney epithelium, pancreas, liver parenchyma, skeletal muscle, and myocardium. Some of the support for the stem cell plasticity comes from opposes of abortion. The main reason as to why this group of people is in support of stem cell plasticity is the fact that a majority of stem cell researchers always use embryos that were created in virto fertility treatment. These are the embryos that were produced but were never used. Most

Summaries Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

Summaries - Essay Example More needs to be done to protect their interests, for instance the horn of the rhinoceros is sold for a lot of money and the poachers lay a trap to capture the animals and then they mercilessly kill the rhinoceros by removing the horn from the body, the horn is then sold by the poachers but it also takes the live away of a rhinoceros. Several animals are being targeted and the author is quite displeased about the same, this must be put an end to because it is going to take several more lives away and it will also affect the food chain if nothing is done about it. Circle games level 2 is an intriguing book, it sheds light upon new techniques with the help of which one can learn English and it is quite an intriguing book, it is especially good for those who are just starting out to learn English. It is at an elementary level, the specialty of the book is that it comes with audio Compact discs which makes learning English much easier, this is a great initiative to add compact discs with the book because learning becomes so much easier when there are discs with the book. There are interesting games for the learners so that they can learn the language easily, this is again a good initiative, it has seven levels and it also keeps the learners motivated all the time. There is always that curiosity to get to the next level and in the process the learners learn more and more new things so the whole process of learning is facilitated. Kong the eighth wonder of the world is quite an intriguing book and It gets the readers hooked completely, it revolves around struggling actors trying to make a quick buck and it also involves a film maker who wants to make a big impression but they are out of work and most importantly out of ideas but it all takes a turn when they see Kong. Kong is arguably the most important character in the book, the ending is great when Kong saves Ann, she also gets emotionally attached to Kong which is really good to see in the book, it

Adolescent Issues Post Class Assignment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Adolescent Issues Post Class Assignment - Essay Example ecode the word, meaning cannot be extracted, when the child cannot decode fluently and automatically, reading is slow and laborious and memory for read material is poor, when the child cannot decode and it taught to rely on â€Å"context cues† or to â€Å"guess† at words, comprehension is compromised (2008 para.2). Reading comprehension problem contributes to an underlying issue of inferential thinking or language comprehension problem. People with non-verbal or right hemisphere disorder are usually brilliant decoders. In this case, people do not have problem in remembering the precise details of read material. Such students do well in early educational period but they face difficulty with the increasing need of reading comprehension. Problems in notes taking during lectures arise due to the fact that there lay a complex comprehension difficulty and inferential thinking. Physiological and psychological impairment can also cause difficulties in comprehension. Reading comprehension is associated with tracking and scanning problems of vision. Psycho educational evaluation should be executed to identify and root out the issue (Kay, 2008 para.3, 4, 6). Joining a gang is a matter of honor and desire among teens today. Some gangs are family based while some are mercenary. Both kinds of gangs have different motivations and attractions for teens. So are the reasons of joining them. According to Wiener (1999) joining a gang is not always the choice of people gangs recruit and initiate the membership process. They protect and formulate the gang structure for their special needs. Twenty seven percent of the youth survey resulted in the result of ‘recruited’ into the current group of friends. They join gang by result of combined approaches push and pull (p.60). †¦The pull—or that which attracts the person to join—often involves four primary attractions: the lure of money, the sense of family, the assurance of protection, and the enticement of family. Of course, these

REPORT OF NURSING Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

REPORT OF NURSING - Essay Example Initially, some relevant statistics on stress in America would be presented prior to expounding on the causes and effects, as required. The statistics on stress have been monitored by Stress in America where the results have been published in the official website of the American Psychological Association (APA) as patterns were reportedly decreasing, over the past five years, as shown in Figure 1, below: Likewise, the report revealed that â€Å"more than 9 in 10 (94 percent) adults believe that stress can contribute to the development of major illnesses, such as heart disease, depression and obesity, and that some types of stress can trigger heart attacks, arrhythmias and even sudden death, particularly in people who already have cardiovascular disease (92 percent)† (APA, 2012, par. 12). The health-related concerns have been proven to be triggered by stress factors as presented below: The causes of stress was clearly illustrated in Figure 2 as ranging from financial factors, work, the status of the economy, relationships, responsibilities in the family, health problems that affect one’s family members, personal health problems, job stability, costs of housing, and personal safety, in decreasing order. The statistics revealed that in 2011, people become increasingly irritable or prone to anger (42%); feels nervous or anxious (39%); are easily fatigued (37%); feels depressed or sad (37%); have manifested lack of interest or motivation (35%); develops headache (32%); tendencies to cry (30%); complains of upset stomach or indigestion (24%) and exemplifies muscular tension (24%). These all confirm that different causes of stress directly impact people, as manifested through the physical and health concerns, as identified above. American Institute of Stress. N.d. Stress, Definition of Stress, Stressor, What is Stress? Eustress? [Online]. Available at: http://www.stress.org/topic-definition-stress.htm [Accessed 13 March

Performance management assignment 3 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Performance management assignment 3 - Essay Example Projection: Based on the projection given, H.C.P is a complete loss making venture. First of all there is an error in projection. According to the business plan H.C.P is saying they will adopt selling price of ?10,000 and make a profit margin of 20% yet production cost per car is ?10,666. Based on supply and demand findings the optimal gross profit attainable is approximately ?15 million which is less than ?300 million needed to breakeven. In order for H.C.P to achieve 15% annual minimum return on capital employed the need to attain gross profit of ?450 million. The maximum production capacity is 90,000 cars per year. Assuming H.C.P reach maximum production level, they will have to sell each car at ?15,666 to attain 15% minimum return on capital employed but according to demand and supply curve that volume of sales can only be attained when the price per is ?9,000 which is below production cost. This leaves H.C.P at a paradox. Looking at the competitors price range the minimum and ma ximum price per car is ?10,400 and ?11600 respectively. Using these parameters we can determine what are optimal production, sales volume and selling price. How H.C.P can Attain 15% minimum return on capital employed: We know it’s difficult to attain maximum production capacity of 90,000 per annum; therefore we need to setup optimal production capacity based on percentage. ... 50,080 17,942,480 14,989,920 53,720,000 44,880,000 214,880,000 179,520,000 572,977,520 478,690,080 7,198,480.00 14,989,920.00 Â   Â   300,000,000.00 300,000,000.00 300,000,000.00

Response Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 13

Response - Assignment Example Hogg’s study in 1993 reports the vitality of strategic vision and innovation to the performance of technological telecommunications companies in Europe. Despite the importance of communication within the telecommunication sectors, innovative skills are valuable than the later. Competitive advantage in the market is attainable only if companies possess advanced technological innovativeness. It is fascinating to note that most prosperous entrepreneurs prioritize innovativeness within their firms according Roper Starch Worldwide survey done by Ernest and Young (Belkin 1). Although innovation forms the centrality an organizations success, it is essential to embrace effective communication strategies. Emerging realities for most business implicates the importance of effective communication in coordinating organizations plans. Communication is imperative in relating factors such as global market trends, continual innovation, planning, and technological changes. Most flourishing firms consider the use of all of the above factors in ensuring the success of a business. Experience on organization indicates that effective communication strategies besides coordination of abovementioned strategies also assist in improving corporate relations. Corporate relations assist companies in identifying new innovative strategies for an organization. It is vital that companies not only prioritize innovation but also integrate effective communication in

Movenments Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Movenments - Essay Example Advocacy groups need the much needed support from international organizations, the media and nongovernmental organizations (NGOs). They also require sentimental support from the broader global community (Gunter, p.125). The problems faced by Kurds are in the global domain though more can still be done to increase international pressure for their recognition by the host countries. Turkey, as a country with a sizeable number of the Kurdish community has made policies restricting Kurds’ cultural and political identity (Gunter, p.91). A number of advocacy groups are championing the reintegration of Kurds into the average Middle East life; enjoying the right to use their language for education and expressive purposes. In a nutshell, they are fighting for a level playing field. This article examines the broader aspect of support for advocacy groups taking Kurds as a case. It recommends ways in which these people can increase international awareness through various channels thus gain ing support for their clamor for political and civil rights. In order to create dialogue among policy makers, this article proposes ways in which these advocacy groups can be more effective by use of new media and other consultative approaches. Background Demand for autonomy is based on the fact that Kurds have different cultural and spiritual inclinations from Turks, Iraqis and Iranians. Since politics in the Middle East is a game of ethnic numbers, they have been used as political pawns to add numbers for others’ interests... Kurds are more inclined towards an open society devoid of strict control over freedom of expression. The democratic space and freedom of the press is expanding in Turkey however, broadcast content in languages other than Turkish is restricted. Hope lies in the social media which has gained popularity in the Middle East as a community mobilization instrument and has been found to play a big role in places with tight media control like Turkey. This is because the authorities have little capacity to control content and influence public opinion. The Algerian and Egyptian revolutions were christened Facebook and Twitter revolutions because of the part played by these sites to mobilize the community towards a common cause. It does this because of the networking it provides linking websites to conventional media like televisions and newspapers; it also gives real-time news through mobile devices hence a wide reach. These Kurdish protestors need to custom their appeals to match the interests of the international audiences so they justify their cause (Reynolds, p.71). Their message should be consistent and speak in one voice; their demands must be found consistent with global morality. The three main issues that the Kurdish protestors are advocating for are: Religious freedom: This means having the legal capability to make specific legislations that are in consonance with their cultural and spiritual identity. Use of the Kurdish lingua in daily interactions; this is because the government restricts its use in public domain. Those elected to state offices are supposed to grasp of the Turkish language. Elected mayor for Diyarbakir, Abdullah Demirbas was relieved off his duties in 2008 as

Workplace Bullying Essay Example for Free

Workplace Bullying Essay Bullying is a worldwide epidemic that has plagued our society system for decades. We often hear that most of bully cases take place in schools but the gospel truth is bully also happens in the workplace. The workplace that should be a safe environment that allows employees to be productive has been disrupted by bully as he creates a hostile work environment for all employees and drives everyone up the wall. In fact bullying in the workplace is one of the most significant challenge face by companies nowadays. Workplace bullying may refer to the tendency of individuals or groups to use persistent aggressive behaviour against co-workers. Workplace bullying comes in a wide variety of different forms such as physical force, verbal, sexual, mental or emotional depending on circumstance. The bullys behaviour also impose a big threat on the companys productivity. Bullying at workplace occurs because of the negative traits of the bully and the solution to overcome it are the person who is being bullied should stand for himself and the actions taken by the top management in order to solve bully. Firstly, bullying at workplace occurs because of the negative traits possess by the bully. This is because the bully perpetrator is jealous of his victim’s performance at the workplace, so he takes out his frustration and jealousy on his victim. One of the reasons is because he does not want his victim to surpass his performance as he perceives this as a threat that will put his position at stake. Instead of working in a healthy competition, the bully makes his victim feels inferior by saying inappropriate words to the victim which will lead the victim to have low self-esteem. According to King (n. d.), jealous of the victim’s achievement at work is the reason of why bullies pick their victim. Kane (n. d.), also supported this in her article by saying that employees who perform well and are loved by the employers are often being targeted by the bullies. This is simply because the bully does not wants his victim to get all the highlights and attention. Besides that, the bully bullies because he wants to hide his inadequacy in doing his work. He fears that if other workers figure out about his incompetency, they will look down on him. In order to cover his blemish, he does not own up to his mistakes and blame others or making other workers flaws look terrible just because he does not want to ruin his credibility, he overloads his victim with the works that he is incapable of doing and get the credit for it.  According to Oliver (2013), being called in front of the public to own up to their behaviour is the bully’s biggest fear as hiding inadequacy is the intention of bullying. Therefore, the factors that lead to bully are mainly because the bully is jealous and want s to hide his inadequacy in doing his work. Hence, the step that can be taken in order to overcome workplace bullying is the victim should stand up for himself. A victim of bully should have enough courage to go and confront the bully. Confronting the bully may seem like the hardest thing to do but everyone is aware that a bully is only brave when he knows that nobody will rise against him. A victim should not be a pushover and let the bully feels like he is in a comfort zone. In fact, the victim should let the bully knows what he has been keeping inside his heart by telling the bully how the bully’s behaviour impacted his work and he wants the bully to stop. According to McCoy (n. d.), the bully should be confronted, being explained the effects of his bullying has on the victim and being ask to stop. Through confrontation, it remarks the strong characteristics and firm decisions of the victim. So, the bully will know that he can no longer underestimate his victim. The next logical step that can be taken by the victim is by bringing this case to the top management. If confrontation does not seem to solve the problem, then it is time to get help from the top management to deal with the bully. The victim can start by documenting things like dates, time, and details of the incident and take note if another employee witnessed the incident before lodging a report to HR department because eye witnessed will make the evidence stronger. According to Rush (n. d.), incidents that make the victim feels agitate should be documented by creating a log of incidents that included day and time, nature of incidents and any person involved and any witnessed to what has occurred. The victim of bully should not just keep quiet and hopes for the bully perpetrator to stop because he will not stop. Not until a proper action is taken on him. â€Å"The victim of bully should voice out and get evidence to show that he or she is being bullied. Bullying issue should be reported to the company’s human resources management to be solved† (Halim, 2013 as cited in Tan, 2013). Thus, the victim should be brave to confront the bully and bring this case to the top management in order to avoid  himself from being bullied. Another solution to the problem is the actions taken by the top management. It has become the employers responsibility to ensure the safety of the workers at the workplace. Employer should monitor things that occur around the workplace especially regarding or the employees’ behaviour. By doing so, employer will be able to identify which of the employees that always cause problems at the workplace. If the rumours of bully start to circulate the workplace, employer should already starts an investigation to find the causes and the culprit. Employer must react quickly to resolve this bully issue if it is proven to be true. A competent employer does not just wait for the complaints files to arrive at his desk because he acknowledges that this bully thing can adversely affect the company’s name and it is not good for business. â€Å"Bullying in the workplace† (n. d.) states that safety of both mentally and physically of the workers must be ensured by the employer and employer must react sensibly in relation to such matter. Apart from that, the top management should make sure all the employees follow the rules of the workplace. Rules are created to be obeyed and without rules, people are nothing but savages. Hence, to make everyone at the workplace abide to the rules, it is important to strengthen the law of the workplace. In order to strengthen the law, the top management can conduct a meeting with all the employees and emphasize on the rules and regulations of the workplace. So, the employees will be clearer on the do’s and don’ts at the workplace. It is also important to let the employees know their rights especially for the bully victim. So, the employees will know how they are protected at work and where to get help when problems arise. Halim (2013, as cited in Tan, 2013) states that induction programme should be conducted to introduce the company’s rules and regulations, working culture, benefits and right for the workers. Besides that, the top management should also have a record on the disciplines performance of each of the employees and any employees performance who is not up to par will be having a disciplinary action taken on them. According to Heatherfield (n. d.), to protect the company’s and employees’ interest, written disciplinary action must be taken after counselling and coaching from manager give no improvement in returns. This is simply to bring awareness to the employee about the mistake he has  committed so that he will not repeat the same mistake again. Therefore, the employer need to take care of the safety of the employees and ensuring them to follow the rules to resolve bullies. In conclusion, negative traits of the bully himself and hiding incompetency in doing work are the two main reasons of why bullying occurs at workplace. Besides that, confronting the bully and bringing the bully case to the top management are the steps that can be taken by the person who is being bullied while top management should guarantee the safety of their employees at the workplace as well as ensuring all the employees to follow the rules of the workplace. Bully is not something that can be left without any proper action being taken to prevent it because it does not only create discomfort and embarrassment but it can also harm the health of the victim. Hence, for the convenience of the employees and employer, workplace bullying must be curbed before it becomes worse and affects the development of the organization. The basic essence of working is tolerance as well as understanding among the colleagues and the employer. If both parties cooperates, then this bully issue will defini tely be resolved. REFERENCES Bullying in the workplace. (n. d.). Retrieved July 19, 2014, from http://www.hsa.ie/eng/Workplace_Health/Bullying_at ­_Work/ Kane, S. (n. d.). Who is workplace bullys target. Retrieved July 20, 2014, from http://legalcareers.about.com./od/careertrends/a/Who-Is-A-Workplace-Bullys- Target.htm King, M. (n. d.). Why do people bully me in the workplace?. Retrieved July 20, 2014, from http://woman.thenest.com/people-bully-workplace-9097.html McCoy, W. (n. d.). Termination for bullying in the workplace. Retrieved July 21, 2014, from http://woman.thenest.com/termination-bullying-workplace-12070.html Olivier, S. (2013). Bullying in the workplace. Retrieved July 21, 2014, from http://www.communicate.co.za/_blog/communicate_blog/post/bullying-in-the-workplace/ Rush, M. (n. d.). How to protect yourself from a workplace bully. Retrieved July 21, 2014, from http://woman.thenest.com/protect-yourself-workplace-bully-8056.html Tan, K. (2013, October 22). Bullying in the workplace. The Star Online. Retrieved July 2, 2014, from www.thestar.com.my/Lifestyle/Features/2013/10/22/Bullying-in-the-workplace/

Education policy Essay Example for Free

Education policy Essay Education the basic need Object of Education: Importance of Education: Background of Pakistan’s Educational System Educational System in Pakistan: Key Performance Indicators for Education Systems PROBLEMS OF EDUCATION IN PAKISTAN 1. Medium of Education: 2. Disparity of System at Provincial Level: 3. Gender Discrimination: 4. Lack of Technical Education:: 5. Low allocation of funds: 6. Inefficient Teachers: 7. Poverty: 8. Corruption: 9. Social imbalance: 10. Mismanagement of System: 11. Infrastructure Problems: 12. Private school system: 13. Lack of educational policies: 14. Increase in population: 15. Lack of attention of the authorities: 16. Lack of uniform educational system: 17. Medium of Instruction: 18. Education as a business: 19. Delay in renewal of policies and syllabus 20. Political Interference: SUGGESTED SOLUTIONS FOR EDUCATIONAL SYSTEM: 1. English should be medium of Instruction: 2. Talented and qualified Staff 3. Fulfill the lack of teachers 4. Primary education should be made compulsory: 5. Increase in teachers incentives 6. Translation of foreign research to local language 7. Check on distinctive education:- 8. Scholarships and financial support to students: 9. Special Financial packages: 10. Betterment of education policies and teachers workshop: 11. Infused Technical Education: 12. Promotion of primary education: Conclusion Essay Education the basic need Education is the light of the life. Education proves to one of the most important factors for the development of human civilization. Education enhances human status and leads everyone to propriety. it is a continuous and lifelong process. It attributes most important, precious and permanent property of an individual. Education provides manpower, strengthens national unity and uplifts public awareness. It invites positive and constructive change in life. It makes our life really prosperous and meaningful. Everyone wants to be well educated. Life can be successful by the help of appropriate education. Educated person can only judge what is correct and what is wrong And takes the appropriate and right decision but uneducated person fails to do so. Object of Education: Robert Maynard Hutchins describes it as â€Å"The object of education is to prepare the young to educate themselves throughout their lives. † We should give our youth the way to educate themselves. Edward Everett said that â€Å"Education is a better safeguard of liberty than a standing army. † Importance of Education: We all know the importance of education. It is the most important aspect of any nation’s survival today. Education builds the nations; it determines the future of a nation. ISLAM also tells us about Education and its importance. The real essence of Education according to ISLAM is â€Å"to know ALLAH† but I think in our country we truly lost. Neither our schools nor our madrassa’s (Islamic Education Centres) are truly educating our youth in this regard. In schools, we are just preparing them for â€Å"Money†. We aren’t educating them we are just preparing â€Å"Money Machines†. We are only increasing the burden of the books for our children and just enrolling them in a reputed, big school for what, just for social status On the other hand in our madrassas we are preparing people who finds very difficult to adjust in the modern society. Sometimes it seems that they are from another planet. A madrassa student can’t compete even in our country then the World is so far from him. He finds very difficult to even speak to a school boy. It is crystal clear that Islamic Education is necessary for Muslims but it is also a fact that without modern education no one can compete in this world. There are many examples of Muslim Scholars who not only study the Holy Quraan but also mastered the other subjects like Physics, Chemistry, Biology, Astronomy and many more, with the help of Holy Quraan. I think with the current education system we are narrowing the way for our children instead of widening it. There is no doubt that our children are very talented, both in schools and in madrassas, we just need to give them proper ways to groom, give them the space to become Quaid-E-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah, Allama Iqbal, Sir Syed Ahmed Khan, Alberoni, Abnalhasam, or Einstein, Newton, Thomas Edison. The education system we are running with is not working anymore. We have to find a way to bridge this gap between school and madrassa. Background of Pakistan’s Educational System Numerous international assessments could explore that Pakistan is lagging behind many countries in achieving the Education for All goal (EFA). We were the signatory to the treaty under Dakar Framework where it was decided by all the developing countries that they will be trying to achieve the target of EFI in the meeting held in Senegal in 2000. UNESCO rates in Pakistan are at a lower EFA development Index (EDI) because of low; enrolment at primary school, adult literacy, gender equity and equality, equalities in education and quality of education. The adult literacy in Pakistan, in spite of concerted efforts, fail to go beyond the border line of 50 percent. The women literacy is much more belittling as thirty three percent of the adult women cannot even read. The more embracing would be that we would not be catching the target to achieve the adult literacy by 2015. Progress towards the achievement of the targets is exceptionally slow, while gender parity goal is at risk of not being achieved by 2015. Moreover, more than 6 million children are out of school. Educational System in Pakistan: Education system in Pakistan is really having a bad configuration at the moment. There is no doubt in accepting the fact that education stands the backbone for the development of nations. Looking at the history of nations, we may safely reach the conclusion that the advanced nations of the world could reach the zenith of prestige and power taking support from education. The allocations for education are too meager, and in spite of allocation, the amount is not spent for what it was meant for as the corruption is found in all the tiers of education and also because of the same delivery from the government institutions that is much below the desired and aspired levels. Private education in Pakistan is far reaching for the poor and the turnover of this quality education does not serve the country the way they are supposed to. Planning for education does not go in congruence with the needs and implement remains ever ignored, so by this way the system is getting more spoiled rather than flourishing. Our universities have failed to produce the planners, developers, implementers, and decision makers. Rather the turnover is a mismatch with the ground realities, the half backed persons we are producing are of no use to us. The students we come across are degree seekers rather than the knowledge. The increase in number of colleges and universities does not mean that we are going by the standards rather these are worsening, a simple evidence of which is that no Pakistani university could find a space among the top 1000 universities of the world. The socio-economic scenario is directly attached with the status of Education in the country. The developed world managed to scale up their education in line with the needs and market requirements. Despite the recent achievements, a lot more is needed to be done as the country still faces numerous challenges which cause deterrence. We are under obligation to raise the education of our population to the level of our South Asian neighbors, to combat our own social and economic wants to the satisfactory level. The very scale of Pakistan’s education sector more than 150,000 public education institutions serving over 21 million students and a huge private sector that serves another 12 million – presents formidable challenges. Education is found to be the cheapest and tangible defense mechanism for a nation on the social, political, and economic fronts. But the down trodden condition of education in Pakistan bears an ample testimony of the fact that it is unable to defend its own sector. Over the span of 64 years, the nation has been given the 23 policies and action plans but we could not start the march towards success and are waiting for a savior who could take the system out of turmoil. There were ample spending in the government of Pervaiz Musharraf on education and due to which, we could see the visible positive educational change in Pakistani society. Currently the economic situation in Pakistan is under severe stress and education sector has received the highest impact in Pakistan. The Constitution of Islamic Republic of Pakistan has led to the fact in the following words, â€Å"The state of Pakistan shall remove illiteracy and provide free and compulsory secondary education within minimum possible period. † In Human development Report, Pakistan is placed at 136th position because its 49. 9% population comes under the definition of education. The dropout rate is alarmingly high at the primary level; consequently, it is revealed by the Data Center of UNESCO, that 33. 8% females and 47. 18% in males could pass through the most initial level of education. We may be conclusive about the ground reality that people in the 6th largest country of the world have no access to the basic education even. Key Performance Indicators for Education Systems The frequently used indicators for assessing education and its systems are adult literacy rates, male and female enrollment at different levels of education, participation rate in the different areas of the country; the dropout rates, the amount of resources allocated to education as a proportion of the GDP and some measures of the quality of education being pursued. At the moment, the workability of these indicators rests on the footing of authenticated and recent data so that the planning details may be worked out with confidence. Irony of fate, the indicators, their footings and the quality of data all want more authenticity, but unfortunately, Pakistans record lacks objectivity and rationality on all counts. PROBLEMS OF EDUCATION IN PAKISTAN 1. Medium of Education: The system of education in Pakistan is operative in match with the local needs and ground realities. It is almost a decisive factor that the education in the mother tongue surrenders more dividends but we have the system more segregated and diversified just contrary to our requirements. A good example of it is that we fail to decide about the Medium of education over the span of 64 years. Different mediums are operational in both, public and private sector. This creates a sort of disparity among people, dividing them into two segments. 21. Disparity of System at Provincial Level:: The Regions of Pakistan in the name of provinces are not at par as regards the infrastructure, availability of staff, their training, content mastery allocation of resources and their utilization. This develops a disparity not only in the system but in the turnover too. There is a need to revisit the schools in Baluchistan (The Largest Province of Pakistan by area) because these are not that much groomed as that of Punjab (The Largest Province of Pakistan by Population). In FATA, the literacy rate is deplorable constituting 29. 5% in males and 3% in females. The conditions are to be made more congenial about teaching and learning in all parts of the country without any discretion. 22. Gender Discrimination:: We should have know how of the population comprising females, unfortunately their education is not attended to the way it was deemed fit. The gender discrimination is a cause that is contributing towards the low participation rate of girls at the basic level of education. The male and female participation ratio is projected at the primary school in the shape of ratio of boys girls as 10:4 respectively. In the decade passed, government invited private sector to shoulder the responsibility of education of the youth. The intent was also to provide the education at the doorstep to the children especially the female students. The private sector took up the challenge and there was an increase in the growth of private schools but this step didn’t cause the increase in the students or the quality. The masses could not be attracted because of precious education. It created clear cut tiers of society and created a gap among those with the haves and have not’s. 23. Lack of Technical Education:: There is a craze for the white collar jobs for the same pupils. Select the general rut of education, though they have the least tilt or the capacity to cope with the demands. China, Japan and Germany have the ruts for those who have a taste for and do not achieve the excellence in the general rut of education. We have kept the opportunities open for all to participate in general education at all levels especially the university level. We could not attract the general masses towards technical education making them to earn of their own act as the entrepreneurs and make their living without being the burden on the government. Education system is needed to be revamped making a space for the science, IT, management, and pupil with the excellence to go to the higher education pursuing the education of their own choice. Lesser emphasis on technical education means the lesser manpower for industry and hence the lesser finance generation. 24. Low allocation of funds:: The allocation of funds for education is very low as it never went beyond 1. 5 to 2. 0 percent of the total GDP. Even this amount was not utilized and had to be surrendered back to the government because of want of expertise and the knowledge of codal formalities and in time release of funds. There is a need to increase it around 7% of the total GDP keeping in view the allocations by the neighboring countries, there is also a need to rationalize the share at the different levels not ignoring any. 25. Inefficient Teachers:: Government fails to attract the potential candidates for teaching with the zeal vigor and excellent carrier. Teaching is rated as the lowest among the jobs for the youth, because of lesser incentives, slow promotions and lesser fringe benefits. The teachers in government schools are not well groomed and equipped with knowledge and training. People who do not get job in any other sector, they try their luck in educational system. There is a need to reorganize pre-service and in-service trainings making them matched with the requirements rather to keep them ideal, unique and novel. 26. Poverty:: Poverty is growing over the years. The average class is vanishing like anything. It happens to be a curse for the nation that exists without having the average income group. The escalation of poverty has restricted the parents to send their children to tasks for child labor or at least to public or private schools. In these schools, the drop out is very high because schools are not the attractive places, the curriculum is dry and the teaching does not match the live situations. Poor parents are constrained to send their children to madressahs where the education is totally free. 27. Corruption:: Corruption causes the educational policies, plans and projects to fail because of being the major contributing factor. There is no accountability and transparency in the system, the salaries are low, the incentives are too less to be accounted and even those are uneven. An estimated Rs. 2,594 million out of a total of Rs. 7,016 million provided for improvement of school facilities such as buildings, electricity, drinkable water, etc had gone unaccounted during the fiscal periods 2001-06 (UNESCO Bano, 2007). Similarly, more than 70% literacy centers in Punjab remained inoperative or exist only on paper (ADBP, 2007). The chances of ghost schools should be evaded by involving the community in the processes of inspection and monitoring. 28. Social imbalance:: The students from the elite class follow the O and A levels curriculum instead of Pakistans routine orthodox and stagnant curriculum. They have little or no awareness of their religion and culture whereas those passing out from Urdu medium schools are usually destined to work in clerical and lower level positions. Religious madrassas churn out yet another class that is usually unaware of the world outside their own perception. 29. Mismanagement of System:: Teachers’ absenteeism, poor professional training, sub-standard materials and obsolete teaching methods act as the major contributive factors towards the low enrolment in schools. Burki (2005), opines that most of the public schools are either mismanaged or poorly managed. They are found imparting education of second-rate quality through substandard textbooks and curricula that do not cater the needs of the 21st century. The education should be based on learning outcomes through suggesting multiple books rather than following a single book as an obligation. 30. Infrastructure Problems:: The dropout rate of those lucky enough to be enrolled goes beyond 45% as has been divulged by the several reports. Most of the public sector educational institutions stay in a status of poor condition lacking even basic facilities, resultantly shaking the presupposed standards of education. There are four areas that snivel for pressing concentration which are curriculum, textbooks, examinations, and teacher training (Hoodbhoy, 2001). The textbooks need be made more facilitating, student and learning friendly. 31. Private school system:: Private Schools in Pakistan enroll more students than in other countries of the region. They least bother about the capacity and facilities available, they rather over burden the teaching staff. The rapid mushroom growth of private schools and academies of teaching reflect the peoples lack of trust in the public sector schools coupled with a deficiency of sufficient educational institutions to cater to the needs of the fast growing population. However, there are certain private schools which are slightly better than the public ones. In the elite schools where the quality education is offered, heavy fees is charged that continues to be a problem. These private sectors schools are meant only for a special sector of the population and are out of the reach of general masses. The private sector schools should be brought under the control of rules making these somewhat accessible for the common population. 32. Lack of educational policies:: The National Education Policy (1998-2010) was developed prior to Dakar. It has a clear cut vision and direction to support the education department. Since the 2001, the Ministry of Education has developed a number of policy documents including that of National Education policy (2009) but the endeavors remain focused on paper work more rather than the operationalization, though the involvement of NGOs and international development agencies is very much there. The simple reason is that the plans are vicious and not the ground reality based. The policies should be environment friendly. . 33. Increase in population:: Literacy in Pakistan has risen from 45 to 54 percent within the span of 2002 to 2006, simultaneously primary enrollment rates have also increased from 42 to 52 percent. The population explosion could not enable to catch the targets. In spite of the increase in the certain parameters, the participation rate in Pakistan remains the lowest in South Asia. Alongside it, there are marked male-female, inter-regional and rural-urban disparities: Only 22 percent of girls, compared to 47 percent boys, complete primary schooling. Female literacy in rural Baluchistan is only 32 percent compared to high urban male literacy rates (and 80 percent among the urban male in Sindh) 34. Lack of attention of the authorities:: Most of the criticisms leveled against the education procedures and practices may be rationalized through improving governance and accountability. It would be tangible and workable if we could go for considering the merit, enabling capacity building, increasing investments in education as an industry and finally giving the heir and fire powers to the administrative heads. The private sector and the banks should finance the educational milieu with confidence, as at the moment, we are spending 2. 3 percent of GDP which is the lowest in South Asia. 35. Lack of uniform educational system:: There is a crying need for quality which calls for homogeneity among the procedural formalities like the observance of the curriculum. Had it been uniform the working for it, further extension becomes easier and getting the intellect skimmed out of masses becomes possible. Currently, the poor are deprived of education in the elite institutions which are causing the development of a special class. This class doesn’t work for the nation; they work elsewhere but are fed through the national resources. 36. Medium of Instruction:: We took a long period in deciding that what our medium of instruction would be, till now we don’t have a clear picture before us. It is good to have the National language as the medium of communication provided; we have a rich treasure of knowledge. In our case, we do not fail to develop Urdu to cope with the intellectual needs nor do we translate the treasure of knowledge available for our national use. 37. Education as a business:: Education has been pursued by some of the people as an industry but because of being illiterates, they fail to cope up with the stipulated standards. The leader with vision spoils the mission as well as the projects undertaken. Their only intent is money making that has caused the decay in the standards, induction of sub-standard staff, and depriving the deserving to grow. They don’t want to catch with the move of success but they try to be good entrepreneurs. 38. Delay in renewal of policies and syllabus/Political Interference:: There is a need to continuously update the curriculum because if it goes stale, it does not equip the beneficiaries with the saleable skills and expertise. At the first place, the problems cited have arisen due to lack of commitment and inefficient management on the part of state. The policies lack long term vision and its implementation strategies are being affected by undue political interference. In addition to it, the measures taken are not evidence based and geared by the vested interests of the authorities. Whatever strategies have been applied failed to promote the rational and critical thinking skills amongst the students. At the second place, we find lack of resource commitment and realistic implementation alongside poor allocated resource utilization. As relevant statistics are not available, implementation of the education policy has not been successfully executed. At the third place, we come across weak budgetary planning because of staggered data and least coordination among the data maintaining units (USAID, 2006). The coordination, match with the assessment, project design and implementation are not to the desired level within the government and with the donor agencies. The harmonization is missing too between the federal and provincial governments which cause drastic problems in the policy implementation. The policy formulating, planning and implementing bodies work in isolation as the water tight compartments. The governments consultation is very much restricted and does not go beyond its specific quarters. It should have to be extended to non-state sectors to initiate and mobilize the action. Teachers does not normally form the part of policy making process, hence the process of sharing and consultation remains missing. It leads to implementation of educational policies without consultation, thus the efforts go in vain (UNESCO, 2007). Over the span of time, what we have learnt is to go for dialogue, and keeping the private and public sector on board. The matter of access to education and challenges to quality remain at stake as being unresolved despite much policy deliberation. Recently, Minister of Education announced a new Education policy for that next 10 years ignoring the fact that the previous educational policy span still persists that was from 1998 to 2010. The policy has projected new plans and promises to the nation pointing to the fact that all the public schools will be raised to the level of private schools within the shortest period of time. In the absence of a plan of action, the suggested plan of action would not work. The schools have been put under obligation to use the national curriculum and encourage the students of 5th and 8th class to take board exams. This has disturbed the students of private sector also. It is urged that the Universities should be the research centre’s and must not be allowed to act as the examining bodies for graduate or post-graduate examinations. Allocations are supposed to be made to the aspired levels as UNO suggests a country to allocate at least four percent of its GDP towards education but here in Pakistan we are just allocating less than two percents of GDP. Even that is not fully utilized because of procedural formalities. Suggested Solutions for Educational System: 13. English should be medium of Instruction: English language should be the medium of instruction from beginning to the higher levels of learning. National language should be a supporting language for communication facilitation and every day business. Efforts should be made to enhance the knowledge treasure in the national language through translation of the research based information. 14. Talented and qualified Staff Hiring should be made from amongst the highly qualified and the teachers should be paid not according to the level of education but the qualification of the staff. 15. Fulfill the lack of teachers: Efforts should be made to bring down the student-teacher ratio to 15:1 in lieu of current 40:1. Consequently, the number of teachers will have to be enhanced, leading to the rise in number of teachers and enabling the competent persons to be inducted to the system of education. 16. Primary education should be made compulsory: Primary education should be made compulsory and free (it is already free of cost but not compulsory). It should also be made appealing, impressive, interesting and utilitarian to attract the general masses. 17. Increase in teachers incentives Teachers should be offered more financial benefits by increasing their pays. 18. Translation of foreign research to local language University professors should be encouraged to conduct and share the research to the concerned stakeholders. They should also be asked to translate the foreign research into local languages for sharing it with the lower formations of education enabling them to implement/take benefit out of it. 19. Check on distinctive education:- Government should strictly check all private educational institutions for keeping a balance of standards and level of practices. 20. Scholarships and financial support to students: Students should be offered more scholarships and government should support the intelligent and outstanding students to prosper, develop and serve their local community rather than migrating to the big cities. 21. Special Financial packages: The dilemma here in Pakistan is that students are genius but they use their intelligence in negative way, hence, contributing nothing towards the development of country. Another problem with Pakistan is brain drain. Capable and outstanding professionals prefer foreign jobs instead of serving in their own country. This is due to the low financial benefits and indifferent attitude of government towards them. Recently Government should provide them facilities and special financial packages to encourage them to stay in their own country. 22. Betterment of education policies and teachers workshop: In the view of importance of education, the Government should take solid steps towards implementation instead of projecting policies. In this regard, the allocations should be made easy and timely from provinces to districts and then to educational institutes. Workshops must be arranged for teachers as a continuous feature for learning. 23. Infused Technical Education: Technical education should be infused into the regular system stream. The education board of Punjab has projected a plan to give tech- education to the children of industrial workers. 24. Promotion of primary education: Promotion of the primary education should be made possible by consulting teachers, professors and educationists while devising any plan, syllabus or policy for it. There should be a balance in reliance on public and private for enabling education to reach the general masses in its true shape. Students’ outlook is to be broadened by taking them out of the books into the practical realities. Education is the only cure of disability of the state and for bringing revolution through evolution and by eradicating the social evils through education. Conclusion Education serves as the backbone for the development of nations. The countries with the effective impressive need oriented, saleable and effective system of education comes out to be the leaders of the world, both socially and economically. It is only education which can turn a burden of population into productive human resource. Pakistans current state demands that the allocations for education be doubled to meet the challenges of EFI, gender disparity and provision of teachers in the work places earlier than 2018 as per stipulated qualifications. Millennium Development Goals are yet to be realized latest by 2015. The natural calamities, political turbulence, provincialisms, and political motivations make the best planned, fail. The allocations towards the sector of education could not be enhanced because of the earlier. We have to revisit our priorities to keep the country on the track of progress.

Identification of Organic Compounds

Identification of Organic Compounds May Zheng Lab Partner: Vena Ganesarasa Observations: Table 1: The Use of Iodine Solution for Determining the Presence of Starch in Various Samples Solutions Sample: Amylose Maltose Sucrose Glucose Unknown X Unknown Y Distilled Water Observations Light yellow, cloudy, liquid Transparent light yellow, liquid Clear, colourless liquid Clear, colourless liquid White liquid Orange liquid Clear, colourless liquid Colour of Solution Dark blue/black liquid Clear yellow liquid Clear, dark yellow liquid Red/brown liquid Blue Dark blue/ black liquid Yellow/orange liquid Table 2: The Use of Benedict’s Solution for Determining the Presence of Sugar in Various Samples Solutions Sample: Amylose Maltose Sucrose Glucose Unknown X Unknown Y Distilled Water Observations Light yellow, cloudy, liquid Transparent light yellow, liquid Clear, colourless liquid Clear, colourless liquid White liquid Orange liquid Clear, colourless liquid Colour of Solution Orange liquid Dark orange liquid Clear, light blue liquid Yellowish/whitish precipitate Beige liquid Lime green liquid Clear blue liquid Table 3: The Use of Biuret’s Reagent for Determining the Presence of Protein in Various Samples Solutions Sample: Amylose Maltose Sucrose Glucose Unknown X Unknown Y Distilled Water Observations Light yellow, cloudy, liquid Transparent light yellow, liquid Clear, colourless liquid Clear, colourless liquid White liquid Orange liquid Clear, colourless liquid Colour of Solution No colour change No colour change Clear light blue liquid Very light blue/white liquid Beige liquid Yellow liquid Clear light blue liquid Table 4: The Use of Sudan (III) Solution for Determining the Presence of Lipid in Various Samples Solutions Sample: Amylose Maltose Sucrose Glucose Unknown X Unknown Y Distilled Water Observations Light yellow, cloudy, liquid Transparent light yellow, liquid Clear, colourless liquid Clear, colourless liquid White liquid Orange liquid Clear, colourless liquid Colour of Solution Pinkish red on top, yellowish/white on bottom Light pink liquid Light orange liquid  ¼ pinkish layer, white on bottom Pink layer, milky/ whitish layer on bottom Orangey on top, yellow on bottom Clear very faint pink when indicator was added; colour slowly faded away Discussion: The distilled water in this experiment functioned as the control sample. A control sample should be a constant variable that was not exposed to the factors being tested in the experiment. In this case, the purpose of the lab was to determine the presence of starch, lipid, protein, and sugar in various solutions. Distilled water did not contain any of these experimental factors and therefore it acted as a control sample. The distilled water played a very important role in this experiment considering that the results of the experimental samples must be compared to the control in order to form a conclusion (Rodriguez, 2013). By comparing the results of the control, the colour changes which had occurred in the experimental samples could be identified. If there was no control, one wouldn’t have been able to determine any valid changes in the experimental results since there was nothing to compare them to in order to verify the changes. In this experiment, distilled water was used a s the control instead of tap water because of the absence of metals and minerals such as iron and calcium. These elements have the potential to alter the results of the experiment by creating unwanted reactions with other substances in the experiment. Therefore, in order to have an accurate control to act as a reference source for the results of the experimental samples, distilled water was used (Myers, 2013). The Iodine solution was commonly used to test for the presence of starch in a substance. During the presence of starch, the Iodine solution would turn into a dark blue/black colour. The colour change was caused by the chemical reaction between the starch and the iodine. Amylose was a polysaccharide consisting of glucose units; it was a type of starch, in fact starch was made up of a mixture of amylose and amylopectin. Therefore in this experiment, when the iodine solution was added into the Amylose solution, the resulting solution had a deep bluish-black colour. The helix structure of amylose resembled a coiled spring. The element iodine, a non-polar molecule, on its own was insoluble in water; hence it was dissolved in an aqueous potassium iodide solution forming potassium triiodide which was soluble in water. The linear triiodide ion (I3-) basically slipped inside the coil of the amylose molecule resulting in an extremely blue/black colour. The transfer of charged particles (electr ons) which occurred between the amylose and the iodide ion altered the spaces between the energy levels/electron orbitals. This meant that light was absorbed by the solution at a different wavelength resulting in the colour change. The presence of starch was also determined in the unknown X and unknown Y solutions. The unknown X solution had a less intense shade of blue indicating that there was a lower concentration of starch in that substance (Iodine test for, 2012). Benedict’s solution was a clear blue liquid containing copper sulfate used to test for the presence of simple carbohydrates such as allmonosaccharides and several disaccharides like maltose. The presence of these sugars such as glucose triggered a chemical reaction between the sugar and copper sulfate (after heating which provides the energy required to initiate the reaction) resulting in a reddish-brown precipitate if there was a high concentration of sugar (2% or more). The solution could also turn greenish, yellow, or orange with lower concentrations of sugar. During this experiment, the glucose solution changed into a dark orange-red colour, while unknown X turned into a light yellow/beige colour, the unknown Y with a lime green colour and the maltose resulted in a yellowish-green colour. This suggested that the sugar content in maltose, unknown X and Y was low (less than 2%) compared to glucose (Benedicts reagent, 2014). Specifically, the Benedict’s solution tested for reducing sugars which consisted of an aldehyde group (presence of the CHO group). In the presence of reducing sugars, the copper (II) ions were reduced to copper (I) ions forming copper (I) oxide, a reddish-brown precipitate that was insoluble in water. In this experiment, the glucose possessed accessible electrons for donation, which the blue copper (II) ions were willing to receiving/accept to become reduced to reddish copper (II) ions. When the glucose donated an electron, it became oxidized while the copper (II) was reduced. For this reason, glucose was considered to be a reducing sugar capable of initiating a chemical reaction with the copper sulfate in Benedict’s solution. Similarly, maltose, a reducing disaccharide, reacted with the benedict’s solution when heated to form a murky yellow precipitate. Maltose molecules have a linear open-chain structure which made them accessible to react with the copper sulfa te in Benedict’s solution resulting in a dark yellowish colour indicating a low concentration of sugar (Yool, 2014). However, sucrose, also a disaccharide, did not provide a positive test for sugar. This was because sucrose was not a reducing sugar. The bond between the two sugars which made up sucrose, fructose and glucose, was formed in a particular way which inhibited the sucrose to isomerize to aldehyde form causing it to be a non-reducing sugar. The molecular structure of sucrose was not linear meaning that it was incapable of opening; it was basically stuck in its cyclical form. This prevented the sucrose from donating electrons and reducing the copper (II) in Benedict’s solution resulting in no chemical reaction, colour change, or formation of precipitate (Benedicts reagent, 2014). Biuret’s reagent was used to test for the presence of protein. The chemical reaction which occurred in the presence of protein resulted in a violet colour solution due to the peptide bonds which made up protein. The biuret reagent contained hydrated copper sulfate; the copper (II) ions formed coordination complexes as the single electron pairs of the four nitrogen atoms in peptide bonds surrounded a central atom which was the copper (II) ion. As the metal complex was formed, the wavelength at which light was absorbed changed to violet from clear blue indicating the presence of protein. Additionally, the greater the amount the protein in a solution, the more intense the colour change considering that there were more peptide bonds present resulting in long chain peptides (Biuret test, 2014). Sudan III was a red reagent that detected the presence of lipids. This solution was insoluble in water, however would dissolve in lipids. It would stain the present lipid an orange-red colour. In this experiment, only the unknown Y solution presented a distinctive orangey colour on top of a yellow solution after the addition of the Sudan III reagent suggesting the presence of lipid in this unknown solution. This showed a clear separation of the lipid and water portions of the solution considering that the two did not mix; lipid molecules were nonpolar while water molecules were polar. For this reason, the staining had only occurred at the top layer of the solution (Sudan iii, 2014). Carbohydrates were essential nutrients to leading a healthy diet. They were important energy source for the human body. However, they were not used straightaway due to excess intake; the body would store the carbohydrates in the form of glycogen in the muscles and liver. The body used the glycogen stored in the muscles while the brain obtained energy from the glycogen stored in the liver which could only support a limited amount. Therefore, upon excess consumption of carbohydrates, the carbohydrates would be converted into fat which was stored in the fatty tissues. This would also simultaneously increase the glucose levels in blood which triggered the release of insulin in order to maintain homeostasis. Insulin was a hormone secreted by the pancreas into the bloodstream with the purpose of lowering the sugar levels. A great quantity of insulin not only triggered the body to store the extra carbohydrates as fat but also inhibited the release of the stored fat. This meant that the stor ed fat lost its ability to be used as energy. Additionally, high levels of insulin restrained the secretion of glucagon and growth hormones. Glucagon was a hormone secreted in the pancreas that initiated the breakdown of fat and sugar to increase the blood sugar levels. Growth hormone was responsible for muscle development. Lastly, the excess intake of carbohydrates which increased the blood glucose levels caused the secretion of extra insulin in order to lower the sugar level at a rapid rate. This caused hunger considering that after a short amount of time; the body’s blood sugar levels would be lower than normal causing the hungry sensation to convince the body to consume more carbohydrates increase the sugar levels (The relationship between, 2008). Cholesterol was a waxy, sterol, substance found in most body tissue such as in bloodstream and the nerves. This compound was produced by the liver in the human body and circulated through one’s blood stream. Cholesterol could also be found in one’s diet; foods with a great amount of saturated and trans fat such as meat and dairy products contained this substance. The presence of high level of cholesterol in the body greatly increased the risk of many heart diseases such as heart attacks and strokes. This was because when there was an excess amount of cholesterol in the blood, it could accumulate in the interior walls of arteries which provided various parts of the body the nutrients and oxygen needed to function properly. Plaque was formed as the extra cholesterol and other substances such as fat and calcium stuck to the inner walls of the blood vessel. This sticky substance would harden and decrease the circumferences and flexibility/elasticity of arteries. This health issue was known as atherosclerosis; the clotting of blood vessels due to the buildup of plaque limiting the flow of blood to several parts of the body such as the brain, the heart, and other organs. Depending on which of the many arteries in the body was blocked, there were several potential heart diseases. If the plaques clot the coronary arteries which supplied the heart with oxygen-rich blood, heart attacks may occur and if there was a blockage in the carotid arteries which fed blood to the brain, the reduced blood flow to the brain may cause a stroke. Most of these heart diseases were serious and even deadly (What is atherosclerosis?, 2011). Protein could be used as an energy source for the human body; however not the most efficient method. As protein was digested by the body, it was chemically broken down into amino acid subunits. Glucose and amino acids were chemically alike with the exception of the presence of nitrogen atoms in amino acids. In the absence of nitrogen, the amino acids could be converted into glucose or fatty acids which provided energy for the body. Due to the additional steps of removing the nitrogen, proteins were a slower source of energy, but longer lasting compared to carbohydrates and lipids. Furthermore, the use of protein as an energy source could be harmful to the body due to the by-products formed from the breakdown of amino acids. The nitrogen atoms contained in all amino acids were converted into ammonia during amino acid catabolism. The substance ammonia was toxic as it accumulated in the blood causing the body to excrete it through urination. However, high levels of ammonia would damage the liver and the kidneys. Also, the presence of a large quantity of this compound was poisonous to the cells in the body (Cloe, 2012). Errors: During this experimental, a few errors had occurred. The test tubes filled with the experimental samples were not washed properly for the next nutrient test. This resulted in absurd colour changes. At times, not enough indicator solution was added to the samples. This might have affected the resulting colours. Lastly, during the test for sugars, after the addition of the benedict’s solution into the samples, the solutions were not heated evenly for the same length of time. A few samples did not obtain enough energy for a potential chemical reaction/ colour change to occur. Conclusion: It was concluded that distilled water functioned as the control in the experiment due to the absence of metals and minerals in the liquid which could possibility initiate unwanted reactions. The control was used to provide a reference source for the obtained results from the experimental samples in order for the changes to be valid. The iodine solution was used to test for the presence of starch. The chemical reaction between the triiodine ions and starch molecules triggered the colour change of the solution to deep blue/black. Starch was detected in the amylose, unknown X and Y solutions. The benedict’s solution was used to determine the presence of reducing sugars. The chemical reaction between the copper sulfate in the benedict’s solution and the sugar molecules triggered a colour change in the samples. The sugar molecules reduced the copper (II) into copper (I) resulting in a reddish precipitate. With a lower concentration of sugar molecules, the samples turned gree nish, yellowish or orangey. The presence of sugar was determined in maltose, glucose, unknown X and Y samples in this experiment. Biuret’s reagent tested for the presence of protein. The copper sulfate in the reagent formed metal complexes with the nitrogen atoms found in the peptide bonds of protein. This resulted in a colour change of the samples to violet if protein was detected. The Sudan III solution tested for the presence of lipid. Since the solution was insoluble in water and soluble in lipids, the colour change to orangey red was only found on the top layer of a few samples. The presence of lipid was determined in the unknown Y sample. Furthermore, excess intake of carbohydrate increased the sugar level in blood. This triggered the release of the hormone, insulin, with the intention of lowering the sugar level to maintain internal balance. The release of this hormone by the pancreas caused the extra carbohydrates to be stored as fat. Also, the presence of a large amount of insulin caused the frequent sensation of hunger. This was because the insulin quickly lowered the sugar levels causing the body to want more carbohydrates to increase the sugar levels to maintain homeostasis. High levels of cholesterol in the blood resulted in the accumulation of plaque reducing the blood flow to various part of the body. This was a major risk factor of heart diseases such as heart attacks and strokes. Lastly, when the body used protein as an energy source, there would be an elevated level of ammonia in the body considering that it was a by-product of the breakdown of amino acids. The high level of this toxic compound would cause harm to the kidneys, the liver and other body cells. References: Benedicts reagent. (2014). Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benedicts_reagent Biuret test. (2014). Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biuret_test Cloe, A. (2012).  Why are proteins used as the last source of energy?. Retrieved from http://livewell.jillianmichaels.com/proteins-used-last-source-energy-5473.html Iodine test for starch. (2012). Retrieved from http://brilliantbiologystudent.weebly.com/iodine-test-for-starch.html Myers, G. (2013).  Why is distilled water a good control for science projects?. Retrieved from http://www.ehow.com/facts_7418493_distilled-good-control-science-projects_.html Rodriguez, B. (2013).  What is the purpose of a control in an experiment?. Retrieved from http://www.ehow.com/info_8612333_purpose-control-experiment.html Sudan iii. (2014). Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sudan_III The relationship between carbohydrates and insulin. (2008, July 02). Retrieved from http://www.naturaltherapypages.com.au/article/Insulin_Weight_Loss What is atherosclerosis?. (2011, July 01). Retrieved from https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/health-topics/topics/atherosclerosis/ Yool, B. (2014).  The effect of benedict solution on glucose. Retrieved from http://www.ehow.com/about_6584528_effect-benedict-solution-glucose.html

Basic Concept of Organizational Behavior Essay -- Fundamentals of Organ

Perhaps the single most important technique for motivating the people you supervise is to treat them the same way you wish to be treated: as responsible professionals. It sounds simple; just strike the right balance of respect, dignity, fairness, incentive, and guidance, and you will create a motivated, productive, satisfying, and secure work environment. Unfortunately, as soon as the complexities of our evolving workforce mix with human relationships, even the best-intentioned supervisors can find the management side of their jobs deteriorating into chaos. Theories As corporations strive to boost earnings in an increasingly competitive environment, they inevitably turn their attention to the issue of employee productivity and motivation. When employees are unsatisfied with their current work situation, productivity decreases, tension builds in the workplace, and morale becomes very low. Companies have known historically that morale affects productivity, yet management has struggled to come to terms with the factors that can create positive morale and an environment that attracts and retains workers and encourages them to produce. For this reason, many companies look for training and practices that aim to achieve a higher level of employee motivation. Maslow ¡Ã‚ ¦s & Herzberg ¡Ã‚ ¦s For many years various motivation theories have made assumptions and offered explanations regarding human nature. However, no single motivation theory has proven to be the end all - be all - of motivation. In order to understand the various underlying themes related to motivation the following three theories have been identified - content, process and reinforcement. Content theories are primarily concerned with what arouses behavior or particular attributes that motivate individuals. The most prominent content theory of motivation is Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs and Herzberg ¡Ã‚ ¦s Motivational-Hygiene Theory. Maslow offered that human beings have their needs arranged in a hierarchy such that they are motivated to seek satisfaction of the lower levels of need first. Once that level of need is satisfied it is no longer a motivator, and the person is motivated by the next level up the hierarchy. From a managerial perspective money, status, achievement, working conditions, friendly supervisors and co-workers can satisfy these individual needs. Herzberg used this theory as... ...t's your department; the buck stops with you. Your team respects your integrity and trusts you to lead. You become a champion, not an oppressor. Share the Spotlight: The flip side of accepting responsibility for everything that goes wrong is giving subordinates just credit for everything that goes right. Never take credit for a subordinate's work, and mention names at every possible opportunity. Don't be afraid that this approach endangers your own career. You were made a supervisor because others in authority recognized your capabilities. The test of your value as a supervisor is your ability to create a productive, efficient team. Show management that working for you is the best thing that ever happened to your staff by drawing attention to each subordinate's excellent performance. If your team is performing at a high level, you won't need to blow your own horn - your value will be obvious. Conclusion The face of business is evolving at a mind blowing pace. As the economy fluctuates and organizations seek ways to beat the competition and be profitable, nothing remains more important to this goal than keeping the employees and management motivated in the modern workforce. Basic Concept of Organizational Behavior Essay -- Fundamentals of Organ Perhaps the single most important technique for motivating the people you supervise is to treat them the same way you wish to be treated: as responsible professionals. It sounds simple; just strike the right balance of respect, dignity, fairness, incentive, and guidance, and you will create a motivated, productive, satisfying, and secure work environment. Unfortunately, as soon as the complexities of our evolving workforce mix with human relationships, even the best-intentioned supervisors can find the management side of their jobs deteriorating into chaos. Theories As corporations strive to boost earnings in an increasingly competitive environment, they inevitably turn their attention to the issue of employee productivity and motivation. When employees are unsatisfied with their current work situation, productivity decreases, tension builds in the workplace, and morale becomes very low. Companies have known historically that morale affects productivity, yet management has struggled to come to terms with the factors that can create positive morale and an environment that attracts and retains workers and encourages them to produce. For this reason, many companies look for training and practices that aim to achieve a higher level of employee motivation. Maslow ¡Ã‚ ¦s & Herzberg ¡Ã‚ ¦s For many years various motivation theories have made assumptions and offered explanations regarding human nature. However, no single motivation theory has proven to be the end all - be all - of motivation. In order to understand the various underlying themes related to motivation the following three theories have been identified - content, process and reinforcement. Content theories are primarily concerned with what arouses behavior or particular attributes that motivate individuals. The most prominent content theory of motivation is Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs and Herzberg ¡Ã‚ ¦s Motivational-Hygiene Theory. Maslow offered that human beings have their needs arranged in a hierarchy such that they are motivated to seek satisfaction of the lower levels of need first. Once that level of need is satisfied it is no longer a motivator, and the person is motivated by the next level up the hierarchy. From a managerial perspective money, status, achievement, working conditions, friendly supervisors and co-workers can satisfy these individual needs. Herzberg used this theory as... ...t's your department; the buck stops with you. Your team respects your integrity and trusts you to lead. You become a champion, not an oppressor. Share the Spotlight: The flip side of accepting responsibility for everything that goes wrong is giving subordinates just credit for everything that goes right. Never take credit for a subordinate's work, and mention names at every possible opportunity. Don't be afraid that this approach endangers your own career. You were made a supervisor because others in authority recognized your capabilities. The test of your value as a supervisor is your ability to create a productive, efficient team. Show management that working for you is the best thing that ever happened to your staff by drawing attention to each subordinate's excellent performance. If your team is performing at a high level, you won't need to blow your own horn - your value will be obvious. Conclusion The face of business is evolving at a mind blowing pace. As the economy fluctuates and organizations seek ways to beat the competition and be profitable, nothing remains more important to this goal than keeping the employees and management motivated in the modern workforce.