Yours Truly by Ariana Grande free essay sample

As an avid music fan with over 2,000 songs in my iTunes library, it takes a lot for me to dub a particular artist â€Å"the one.† Time and time again, I have found singers who seem to fill the title of favorite, but then something they do or write turns me away (thanks for crushing my childhood, Miley). But Ariana Grande has yet to disappoint me. Her manifesting love of fans, and new album, â€Å"Yours Truly,† only make me love her more. It came as no surprise when I saw her tweet that her debut album had reached number one in over 30 countries. I played the minute-and-a-half previews on repeat for weeks prior to its release, trying to learn all the words. I cant get enough of the old-school R sound of this soulful, Mariah Carey-esque singer; the fact that Grande is only 20 amazes me. Her dedication to bringing back the sound of past generations is inspiring and gives me hope for young musicians in the industry. We will write a custom essay sample on Yours Truly by Ariana Grande or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page It seems as though dubstep isnt the only ingredient necessary to make a hit, after all, even though electronic sounds are used in the last track, â€Å"Better Left Unsaid.† When looking for a pop song that youd expect to hear on the radio, try â€Å"The Way† or â€Å"Popular Song† (feat. MIKA), the former being the first â€Å"Yours Truly† single. But those arent the only upbeat jams. Some others are â€Å"Baby I,† â€Å"Right There† (feat. Big Sean), â€Å"Piano,† and â€Å"Youll Never Know.† Although Grande collaborates with many popular artists, my favorite duet has to be with The Wanted member, Nathan Sykes, for â€Å"Almost Is Never Enough.† The power of Grandes voice is really shown as she hits notes most singers only dream of, with Sykes accompaniment strengthening the performance. This is one of the most well-delivered love songs I have ever heard. â€Å"Yours Truly† is an album with the general theme of love. The only song not following that is â€Å"Popular Song.† But its the perfect fit for this debut artist who seems like quite the hopeless romantic. Grande ultimately wants to express her love for her supporters (which she calls â€Å"Arianators†) in this album, often acknowledging that it is because of them that she has acquired such success. So this review is expressing my love for her in return. Thank you, Ariana, for standing out from the crowd and proving that there is talent in the next generation of singers.

Time for Writing How to Make Time to Write in Your Busy Life

Time for Writing How to Make Time to Write in Your Busy Life Time for Writing: 8 Steps to Become a Weekend Writing Warrior Carving out the time to write a book requires planning, persistence, and at times, a lot of caffeine. Even with all the right elements in place, making time for writing is a major undertaking, especially when your days are filled with commitments to work, family, and social activities. So, you have a dream to write that book, but you’re locked into a schedule that’s keeping you from pursuing your dream.I know the routine: Get up, work all day, come home and make dinner, and look after the kids (or unwind in front of the TV) and then you fall into bed, exhausted, before you have to do it all again the next day.When the weekend comes, you just want to kick back, take it easy, and put the week behind you. Then Monday comes around and the rat race starts all over again.Soon you can hear yourself making excuses for all the reasons why you didn’t write:â€Å"I was so busy this week I just didn’t have time†Ã¢â‚¬Å"I’ll do it next week when I’m more organized†Ã¢â‚¬Å"I’ll start writing when I’m feeling more motivated†Ã¢â‚¬Å"I’ll get to it once I quit my day job and have more time†¦Ã¢â‚¬  But as you know by now, there’s never a perfect time.We’re always busy with something.And if we don’t take action when we can, the excuses will keep coming until we run out of time forever.Don’t let your dream die. I’m going to help you get your book done.NOTE: We cover everything in this blog post and much more about the writing, marketing, and publishing process in our VIP Self-Publishing Program. Learn more about it hereTime for Writing: 8 Steps to Becoming a Weekend Writing Warrior By becoming a weekend writing warrior, you can get it done. I know because I’ve done it. In this post I’ll share with you my 8 step strategy for writing a book on the weekends even if your week is crazy busy.#1 Start With Intentional Planning Habit FormingWhen it comes to getting your writing done, strategy is everything. Without a plan, you drift; and when you drift, you end up back where you started, wasting more time while procrastinating.The key to writing a book on your weekends is to get plan out how you will use your writing time and develop a writing habit. If you know ahead of time what you’ll be focusing on, where you’ll be writing and for how long, when it comes time to start writing, you’ll show up ready for keyboard action. Our intentional planning model should consist of:Researching topics, articles, and interviewsChapter mind mappingCrafting an outline A good craftsman always shows up to create with his best tools. As writers, we need to spend time preparing to write before showing up at the keyboard. You want to do any necessary research outside of your writing time, not during it.Stopping just to check that â€Å"one thing† breaks your writing flow (and often sends you off into the wilds of the internet , never to return).During my writing sessions, if I get stuck and need to check on something, I’ll make a note in the paragraph like CBL [Come Back Later].You can set up your chapters as well by doing brief mind maps for each. If you have crafted your book’s outline already, this should be easy. Take a few minutes each day during the week to do a quick outline for each chapter.You don’t have to write anything until the weekend, but at the very least, make some notes about what you’re going to write when the weekend comes so you’re prepared.#2 Setting Up Your Writing Space Your writing environment has a huge influence on how your writing sessions flow. Will you write in a coffee shop? A quiet room? Under the stairs?Locked in a closet with just your laptop and a light bulb? Wherever you choose to write, it should be at least comfortable and a place you can stay focused for long periods of time.My writing space consists of my computer, motivational q uotes, and mind maps for my books.Heres a table detailing what a good writing space looks like.How to Start Writing TipExecutionMinimize Distractions- isolate yourself from family/friends/even the family dog - remind everyone it's YOUR time - Turn your phone off - Close ALL web browsers - Close your emailGet Comfortable- invest in a GOOD chair - or resort to using a stand-up desk for more energy - fill the area with motivational quotes - make sure you're physically comfortable for the next 30 minutes or an hourChoose Beneficial Background Noise- turn off all sounds if it distracts you - turn on lyric-less music to help you concentrate - choose energizing music to help you focusDecorating your writing space adds to inspiration, but also serves as a reminder: This is where you write. Make it a place that you can enjoy creating in. But does it have to be just the one place? Of course not. You can change writing locations and have two or three designated spots.I would recommend having a primary spot you write in consistently, but have another place set up that you can get to just in case you need to change locations. Try out several places and see what works best.Take note of how you feel working in your creative element.Is it comfortable?Are you comfortable?Is it an energetic spot or, do you feel irritated and restless?Do you work better in a place that’s quiet [private room] or super noisy [Starbucks]?On days when I spend all day writing, I’ll break it up into two different locales: one is my writing room, and the other is a coffee shop. If the noise is a problem, I’ll wear headphones and tune out everything with some mellow writing music.#3 Keep Your Mindmap and Book Outline HandyI have shown up many times to write only to realize I had no plan for what I was writing. This leads to procrastination and then I look for something else to occupy my time.Know what you are going to write by planning beforehand. Developing your mind map or a book outline is the surest way to start cutting into the pages. Before you become a weekend writer, you’ll need your mind map and outline.If you start writing without having done these important steps first, you’ll eventually end up stuck. Make sure you have your book fully mind mapped and a general working book outline.Use your outline as a checklist to get your words down on paper with purpose. Each of your writing block sessions should have a clear purpose as to what you are going to write.#4 Eliminate Internet Distractions Excuses One of the biggest obstacles writers face is being pulled out of their â€Å"writing zone† by message indicators, vibrations, pop-ups, and a whole list of writing excuses.This includes notifications that â€Å"you’ve got email† or, better yet, someone that you don’t even know has just liked one of your comments on Facebook and you feel that need to check it out right away.My advice: unplug yourself from all thing s connected to the Internet. Here is what you do: Option 1: Unplug yourself completely from the internet. Turn off Wi-Fi or physically unplug your network cable. This is the best option to separate yourself from the internet during your writing time. This is the â€Å"zero tolerance† method that I use as my number one choice for getting things done.Option 2: Use productivity apps to eliminate or cut down on time spent checking certain sites. Use an app such as RescueTime to block the sites that distract you by choosing the amount of time you need to focus. RescueTime send you updates via email to let you know how much time was spent on certain websites. This is good to know, because the next time you catch yourself saying â€Å"I didn’t have time to write† but you spent three unproductive hours on a certain site, you can channel this time into your weekend writing schedule.Two more apps I recommend: Cold Turkey and SelfControl [for Mac]. Both apps are designed t o reduce or eliminate wasted time, and this means higher focus and more time targeted for writing words fast. In a nutshell: Sit Down. Unplug. Focus. Write.#5 Establishing a Writing Schedule Time Slots When time is limited, it’s important to be strategic in how you use it. In the previous step, we took action by cutting off our interaction with the Internet during our writing time.The next thing we want to do is decide:How long are your writing sessions going to be? 25 minutes? 40 minutes? One hour?How many writing sessions are you doing today? For example, I’ll do three one-hour sessions in a day. I’ll write for one hour, take a ten-minute break, repeat. During the break, get up and move around, stretch or grab some coffee.How to Set Up Your Writing SessionOne option is to use the Pomodoro Technique.Self-published author Steve Scott, who has written close to 70 books, utilized the Pomodoro Technique to structure his writing time.Set your timer for 25 minutes and write. Take a five-minute break, and repeat. This system works really well and is great for getting focused and writing in short bursts. If you want to go longer, set your timer for sixty minutes. I use the timer on my iPhone.Set it for the time you are committed to writing and GO. You should focus only on your writing during this period.No research, editing, or breaking the writing flow, unless there’s a house fire. Just write.Set a goal for yourself to crank out one thousand words in an hour. These are longer stretches and can be tough for some people so if you are struggling, start with the Pomodoro System and ease your way into doing longer sessions.#6 Set Your Word Count TargetMany people get overwhelmed when they think about writing a book. But if you write 3000 words a day on the weekends, you can be done with the first draft of your book in a month.  All you have to know is how many words will be in your novel and you can work backward from there.If you plan ah ead and set your writing goal at a pace of 800-1200 words per hour, you’ll be done in thirty hours of writing time.This might seem like a lot but think about it: How much time do you spend watching TV in a week?How much time do you spend at the office?How much time do you spend checking email or on social media?It can be done, and you can do this!Set a daily word count targetfor yourself. Be strategic about this and take a rough guess how long your book is going to be. If I know I’m planning to write a 25,000-word novella, if I crank out 6000 words per weekend, I can complete a draft in a month. If your book is shorter or longer, you can adjust to fit your target deadline. You can easily track your word count in Scrivener. You can also use a Google spreadsheet or a simple Excel spreadsheet. By tracking your progress, you have a clear indication of how close you’re getting to your goal.It’s also highly motivating to know you’re making progress.#7 R eward Yourself There’s a famous proverb that says: â€Å"All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.†I have no idea who Jack was, but I do know that if you spend your entire weekend writing, you’re going to need some RR at the end of it. This is a critical stage.If you spend week after week putting in time at work and then working more on the weekend, even if it is a passion project like writing your novel, you’ll get burned out and feel less inspired when the next weekend comes around. You deserve a break.Do something for yourself. Go to a movie. Take your friends out to dinner. Get away from the manuscript.I usually end the weekend by engaging in some fun activities such as:Watching a movieSpending time with the kidsTaking a long walk or runningTaking a long drive and thinking about future goals and what I accomplished this weekendMeditating or working out#8 Plan Your Next Writing Weekend There’s one more stage after you have wrapped things up a t the end of your writing weekend.This is an important step. Before you pack it up, take ten minutes to draft a quick action plan for the week. This consists of the book research, chapter outlining, and anything else you need to do outside of the book writing process. I do this step Sunday night before bed. Then, when the week starts I know exactly what work on to set myself up for success the following weekend. The alternative to this is to spend five minutes each night writing down what you’ll do the next day.Do you need to outline your next chapter? Tighten up your overall book outline? Reach out to any online influencers about your next book release? This step is part of the intentional planning phase that will keep you focused.So even while you are busy in the week with your other commitments, having a shortlist to refer to makes your mission clear.The weekend is nearly here again. Are you ready? Don’t make excuses- get your book written. You can do this. If you f ollow the 8-step plan, three months from now you can be celebrating the publication of your next book.The next time someone asks you the question: â€Å"How do you find the time to write?† You can now tell them: â€Å"Oh, it’s easy. I write books on the weekends.†What to do NextNow its time to cut the reading and get to learning.If youre ready to write a book and self-publish it, inthenext90days,join your free training!

Napoleons Empire

Napoleon's Empire The borders of France and the states ruled by France grew during the wars of the French Revolution and the Napoleonic Wars. On May 12th, 1804 these conquests received a new name: the Empire, ruled by a hereditary Bonaparte Emperor. The first – and in the end only – emperor was Napoleon, and at times he ruled vast swathes of the European continent: by 1810 it was easier to list the regions he didn’t dominate: Portugal, Sicily, Sardinian, Montenegro, and the British, Russian and  Ã¢â‚¬â€¹Ottoman Empires. However, while it’s easy to think of the Napoleonic Empire as one monolith, there was considerable variation within the states. The Make-Up of the Empire The empire was divided into a three-tier system. Pays Rà ©unis: this was land governed by the administration in Paris, and included the France of the natural frontiers (i.e. the Alps, the Rhine and the Pyrenees), plus states now subsumed into this government: Holland, Piedmont, Parma, the Papal States, Tuscany, the Illyrian Provinces and a lot more of Italy. Including France, this totaled 130 departments in 1811 – the peak of the empire – with forty-four million people. Pays Conquis: a set of conquered, although supposedly independent, countries which were ruled by people approved by Napoleon (largely his relatives or military commanders), designed to buffer France from attack. The nature of these states ebbed and flowed with the wars, but included the Confederation of the Rhine, Spain, Naples, the Duchy of Warsaw and parts of Italy. As Napoleon developed his empire, these came under greater control. Pays Allià ©s: The third level was fully independent states who were bought, often unwillingly, under Napoleon’s control. During the Napoleonic Wars Prussia, Austria and Russia were both enemies and unhappy allies. The Pays Rà ©unis and Pays Conquis formed the Grand Empire; in 1811, this totaled 80 million people. In addition, Napoleon redrew central Europe, and another empire ceased: the Holy Roman Empire was disbanded on August 6th, 1806, never to return. Nature of the Empire The treatment of states in the empire varied depending on how long they remained part of it, and whether they were in the Pays Rà ©unis or Pays Conquis. It’s worth pointing out that some historians reject the idea of time as a factor, and focus on regions in which pre-napoleon events inclined them to be more receptive to Napoleon’s changes. States in the Pays Rà ©unis before the Napoleonic era were fully departmentalized and saw the benefits of the revolution, with the end of ‘feudalism’ (such as it existed), plus land redistribution. States in both the Pays Rà ©unis and Pays Conquis received the Napoleonic legal Code, the Concordat, tax demands, and administration based on the French system. Napoleon also created ‘dotations’. These were areas of land seized from conquered enemies where the entire revenue was given to Napoleon’s subordinates, conceivably forever if the heirs stayed loyal. In practice they were a huge drain on the loca l economies: the Duchy of Warsaw lost 20% of revenue in dotations. Variation remained in outlying areas, and in some privileges survived through the era, unaltered by Napoleon. His introduction of his own system was less ideologically driven and more practical, and he would pragmatically accept survivals which the revolutionaries would have cut out. His driving force was to keep control. Nevertheless, we can see the early republics being transformed slowly into more centralized states as Napoleon’s reign developed and he envisioned more of a European empire. One factor in this was the success and failure of the men Napoleon had placed in charge of conquered lands – his family and officers – because they varied greatly in their loyalty, sometimes proving more interested in their new land than aiding their patron despite in most cases owing everything to him. Most of Napoleon’s clan appointments were poor local leaders, and an exasperated Napoleon sought more control. Some of Napoleon’s appointees were genuinely interested in effecting liberal reforms and being loved by their new states: Beauharnais created a stable, loyal and balanced government in Italy and was very popular. However, Napoleon prevented him from doing more, and often clashed with his other rulers: Murat and Joseph ‘failed’ with the constitution and Continental System in Naples. Louis in Holland rejected much of his brother’s demands and was ousted from power by an angry Napoleon. Spain, under the ineffectual Joseph, couldn’t really have gone more wrong. Napoleon’s Motives In public, Napoleon was able to promote his empire by stating laudatory aims. These included safeguarding the revolution against Europe’s monarchies and spreading freedom throughout oppressed nations. In practice, Napoleon was driven by other motives, although their competing nature is still debated by historians. It’s less likely that Napoleon began his career with a plan to rule Europe in a universal monarchy – a sort of Napoleon dominated empire which covered the whole continent – and more likely he evolved into wanting this as the opportunities of war brought him greater and greater success, feeding his ego and expanding his aims. However, a hunger for glory and a hunger for power – whatever power that may be - seem to have been his over-riding concerns for much of his career. Napoleon’s Demands on Empire As parts of the empire, the conquered states were expected to assist in furthering Napoleon’s aims. The cost of the new warfare, with greater armies, meant more expense than ever before, and Napoleon used the empire to for funds and troops: success funded more attempts at success. Food, equipment, goods, soldiers, and tax were all drained out by Napoleon, much of it in the form of heavy, often annual, tribute payments. Napoleon had another demand on his empire: thrones and crowns on which to place and reward his family and followers. While this form of patronage left Napoleon in control of the empire by keeping leaders tightly bound to him – although putting close supporters in power didn’t always work, such as in Spain and Sweden – it also let him keep his allies happy. Large estates were carved out of the empire both to reward and to encourage the recipients to fight to keep the empire. However, all these appointments were told to think of Napoleon and France first, and their new homes second. The Briefest of Empires The empire was created militarily and had to be enforced militarily. It survived the failures of Napoleon’s appointments only as long as Napoleon was winning to support it. Once Napoleon failed, it was swiftly able to eject him and many of the puppet leaders, although the administrations often remained intact. Historians have debated whether the empire could have lasted and whether Napoleon’s conquests if allowed to last, would have created a unified Europe still dreamt of by many. Some historians have concluded that Napoleon’s empire was a form of continental colonialism that could not have lasted. But in the aftermath, as Europe adapted, a lot of the structures Napoleon put in place survived. Of course, historians debate exactly what and how much, but new, modern administrations could be found all over Europe. The empire created, in part, more bureaucratic states, better access to the administration for the bourgeoisie, legal codes, limits on the aristocracy an d church, better tax models for the state, religious toleration and secular control in church land and roles.

Concert reviwe Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Concert reviwe - Essay Example On my side was a sexagenarian man and on my front, an eight year boy was dancing. They started a special jive in the middle of the flashing cameras. The performers made funny gestures in the spotlight. Jackson’s strange hair cut was quite noticeable. He wore boots which could be seen in the Tweet. Despite their kiddish appearance, their performance could by no means, be underestimated. The set of songs included Poison Oak, Orson Brawl, Ugly Girl, Reaper, Koldpix, Sleeping Giants, .38 Special, Wings on Fire and Thank You. The sequence might be different from the order in which the songs have been mentioned here. The morale of singers was praiseworthy. It takes a lot of guts to sing even a solo song live on the stage whereas this group sung a whole list of songs and the quality was only better than what it had been in the cassettes. The singers did improvisation on stage to include the colors of theatre and comedy in it. It takes a lot of bravado to do the improvisation in front of millions of people in the audience and yet make sure that the product comes out nice and appealing. Their switcheroos was the specialty of those monkeys. They kept exchanging the musical instruments throughout the show, yet they managed to make a wonderful show. The improvisation shortened the songs. With the Thank You song, the show was brought to a decent end.

Treaty of lisbon and its implications Dissertation

Treaty of lisbon and its implications - Dissertation Example The 2004 and 2007 treaties led to a great deal of debates where many experts contended that they were created to form a joint European superpower, however, exponents of the treaties argued that they were aimed at merely creating a better scope for a larger EU in the 21st  century.2 The Lisbon Treaty is considered as one the most significant moves towards achieving European integration in the past five to six decades, after the Treaty of Paris created the European Coal and Steel Community or ECSC (1951). Some of the other landmark moves towards achieving European integration includes joining of Ireland, UK and Denmark as member states of the European Council (1973), formation of the Single Market (1985), removal of internal borders as per the Maastricht Treaty (1992), monetary union and the establishment of euro (1999-2002) and further enlargement of European Council in 2004-2007 (more new member-states). The Lisbon Treaty is considered to be at a similar rank as the aforementioned landmarks in the history of EU, and is likely to be the last important modification as regards changes within the constitution of the EU for the next few decades.3 The 2004 Constitutional Treaty, which was ineffective, was criticised on the ground it was presumably a constitution, which was complex and unreadable and despite the changes in the Lisbon Treaty, some critics contend that it also constitutional in nature and even more difficult to read and understand than the Constitutional Treaty.4 A look at the Treaty of Lisbon shows that it is indeed a lengthy piece of document where the official published version comprising of Protocols and Declarations amount to 271 pages. The treaty claims to bring about many modifications to the EU, like improving it to make the Union more effective, conferring it with legal legitimacy and democracy, and making it more transparent and accountable. In this context, the paper will analyse the main reforms as brought in by the Lisbon treaty in order to comprehend its implications on the EU and the member states. The Lisbon treaty A look at the history of EU shows that it laden with sporadic incidents revealing a serious lack of unity between the members, diplomatic problems, persistent issue of missing deadlines and fixed targets.5 The critics have especially remarked on these negative aspects and EU’s failure to yield power within the arena of global or regional politics, and owing to this, the body is often referred to as a ‘soft power.’6 Even in the context of security issues, EU as a body is often perceived as being unstable, indecisive and in general highly ineffective.7 While a war between the EU member-states is unlikely, the organisation’s responses during war-like situations or civil crises in the neighbouring states, as regards ‘crisis management,’ has been largely unsuccessful, owing to which the EU is still viewed as a weak body, in the context of unity and integration between its member-states.8 The representatives from the 27 EU member

Political Corruption and Empowerment Essay Example for Free

Political Corruption and Empowerment Essay Participation is dynamic process aimed at involving the masses so that they can formulate their own end goals and work together to realise them. Masses cannot be forced to participate in projects which affect their lives but should be given the opportunity where possible. Empowerment Empowerment is an initiated process that enables the masses to gain power and extend it in such a way that they can use this power to share in changing social, economic and political structures. Empowerment is successful if the participants regard the result of their action as beneficial. Therefore participation is a cornerstone of empowerment. It is a prerequisite for achieving empowerment. Empowerment is one of the consequences of participation, which means that if we want masses to gain power, they must participate. Empowerment is generally seen as a key for good quality of life, increased human dignity, good governance, pro-poor growth, project effectiveness and improved service delivery (Narayan. 2002. 8.). Bureaucracy It means the structure and set of regulations that control the activities of people that work for these organizations. It is characterized by standardized procedure (rule-following), formal division of responsibility, hierarchy, and impersonal relationships. Bureaucratic leader are concerned with ensuring workers follow rules and procedures accurately and consistently. The bureaucracy does not create or initiate policy, but it does implement policy decisions. Why mass participation and empowerment are important Empowerment puts people at the centre of the development process; it implies a participatory approach to development focusing on bottom-up approaches rather than top-down bureaucratic methods. Empowerment increases the capabilities of the poor to influence and hold accountable the institutions that provide for them. To this end, empowerment attempts to give power and knowledge to rural communities to assist in creating a better quality of life, so that in the future they will have the skills to rely less on external forces to provide vital services and infrastructure. Mass participation is an essential part of the process of good local governance, and empowerment. To be meaningful, these processes must be seen as fundamental values of Healthy Cities and so must be developed as an integral part of long-term strategic development. Empowerment of mass is associated with cleaner business and government, and better governance. Specifically, the greater their involvement in public life, the lower the level of corruption, even in countries with the same income, civil liberties, education, and legal institutions. Masses Empowerment through inclusion, voice, and accountability can also promote social cohesion and trust, qualities that help reduce corruption, reinforce government and project performance, and provide a conducive environment for reform, with consequential benefits for development effectiveness and economic growth. Finally, empowerment or lack of it can also have positive or negative socio-political effects on the outcomes of countries’ poverty reduction efforts. Why the concept of mass participation has been illusive in the third world There are some serious failures of the international community to contribute meaningfully to empowerment and participatory approaches. If countries are not willing to support countries that need help, then the future is bleak. Aid allocations need to increase if meaningful solutions are to occur. Making the rural poor involved in empowerment and participatory programs is hard to achieve due to their social exclusion. The gap between the poor in rural areas and those who are more wealthy is large and widening Because the rural poor are socially excluded, often development organisations such as the World Bank think of the poor are ignorant and complacent. More often they are not excluded from participating in projects in a meaningful way, due to pre existing biased views that they are not worthy, or indeed, have the skills to participate effectively. (Courtney et all in Godinot and Wodon (ed). 2006. 3). Lack of empowerment amongst rural people leads to their vulnerability and thus most development projects tend to benefit the benefactors rather than the beneficiaries. In light of this sustainable development is not achieved because non-participation of local people means that rural development is not self-sustaining. Therefore, local rural people play an important role in rural development because they understand their situation and problems better than the government, aid agencies and other stakeholders. This highlights the gap between the reality and ideal of empowerment and participatory development where the poor themselves are considered the centre of the process and the most vital players. Rural areas in developing countries experience large problems associated with access to basic amenities and services. Attempts to resolve this situation involve development programs using community empowerment in rural areas of developing nations to ameliorate instances of poverty. The aspirations deep inside the poor can only be brought out by making them the centre of the development process. They have difficulty expressing them due to their exclusion. How mass participation and empowerment are promoted or discouraged by the action of bureaucracy The problem with bureaucracy is that Executives want to control everything; even the simplest administrative decision has to be approved at the top. . One problem is unnecessary delays in outputs (Waterston 1965:259) , for even though there are more than enough officials in the lower administrative ranks, they are not effectively employed in the posts to which they were appointed. Political involvement of officials – when bureaucracy becomes involved in politics, this stimulates corruption. Officials start taking decision and performing actions that will benefit themselves, or groups in which they have an interest. Corruption is out of control. Development funds are siphoned off to hire friends or relatives. In some cases the money simply disappears. The misuse of office by government functionaries is relatively common in areas of public procurement, revenue collection, government appointments and contracts, licensing and permits. In these areas of specialty, graft and venality are readily executed through anyone of the following activities: The civil servant receives from a private contractor a fixed percentage of awarded government contracts; the kickback may be in kind, such as free education for the children in foreign institutions, or in cash, paid directly into bank account. Police or other law enforcement agents use the threat of sanctions to extort bribes in lieu of official fees or taxes. But paying bribes to avoid taxes or fees is equally damaging to society since governments depend on such revenues to provide public goods. The relative absence of revenues from taxes and fees also means less compensation for civil servants, which leads to more corrupt practices. One of the reasons adduced by low- level government employees for demanding bribes is the infrequency of their monthly salary. Government employees in essential services, e.g. law enforcement, electric power supply, telecommunication etc. Customs agents insist on payments above the official rates or side payments before providing requisite services to both importers and exporters. Those unwilling to pay bribes stand the chance of losing their merchandise through forfeiture or theft. Civil servants award large contracts to companies owned by relatives or partners, and in return receive an agreed upon fee or lavish hospitality. Officials responsible for permits and licenses demand extra payment for services ordinarily called for by their office; in cases where expediency is requested, a great deal more is demanded to speed-up the process. Bureaucracies’ themselves create the causes of corruption. Salaries are low, housing is poor, officials lack professional qualification and status, all of which means that officials do not feel motivated to do good work, or to be loyal to the organisation. When a country’s resources are continually misallocated by corrupt government officials bent on maximizing their short-run selfish interests, development is severely hindered through a multitude of social and economic dislocations. The bureaucracy is unresponsive to the needs of the public; there is an atmosphere of official’s indifference and unsympathetic attitude toward the needs of the people. This is caused by the strictly centralised nature of the bureaucracies, the lack of mass participation and consequent lack of contact with the populace. A bureaucracy, crucially, is not only a structure, a mere organigramme with functional relationships and roles. It is a group of people with lives, emotions, aspirations, energy, passion and values. Those that work in them often have strong values, great intentions and good ideas. Most want to do good and not be negative. Somehow, however, good intent can evaporate as the dynamic of the organizational ‘system’ unfolds. Can the positive virtues and potential of public sector bureaucracies and the people working in them be rediscovered? These include fostering fairness, equity, and equality of opportunity, being neutral and transparent. These are important achievements of democracy, yet the focus on efficiency can obscure these intentions. The most effective organizations are those where people feel they can be engaged and where their commitment to the organization lies beyond a contractual relationship and where a deeper emotional bond can be established both to the work itself and the organization. In these situations people feel they are able ’to be our true selves’ and to have a ‘creative presence’ so that working gives the sense of ‘pregnant possibilities’ and where they can develop ‘an intensity that feels and appears effortless’. Here energy and passion can come into alignment. Conclusion /My view The participation of communities in development projects is a major aspect of an empowering approach. Participation works well at the small scale. Community based organisations if trained correctly can manage and supervise locally based construction and maintenance activities very effectively (Meshack. 2004. 61). There is a fine balance between success and failure of participation in that it needs to be locally based with little input from external forces. Governments and donors can in fact undermine contributions made by the community in that they take over projects and locals lose their sense of ownership (Meshack. 2004. 61). Participation in development projects does however need outside stakeholders but the community needs to be the one driving the project, as there are many people who can contribute to a development project. Empowerment involves expanding the capabilities of the poor. Its main process involves putting the community at the centre of the development process. The community becomes empowered due to the fact that they have a certain degree of control over their own resources, they gain a sense of ownership over the service or infrastructure being provided. One of the main concepts involved in creating efficient empowering projects include the access of the community to information, as informed citizens make better development decisions. Accountability in the development process is another crucial aspect of an empowering approach. Increasing the capabilities of the poor specifically refers to local organisational capacity. This is when a community works together to mobilise resources and tackle problems as a group. This is another major process involved in community empowerment.

More Than A Grandfather :: essays research papers

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  More Than A Grandfather   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  My grandfather has had such a huge impact on my life. Why, you ask? It’s because of the kind of person that he is, and all of the things he has accomplished in his life. He has been successful at every thing he has ever done and has never failed at anything he has ever tried. He worked so hard for everything that he has and at one point he had to work two jobs to support his wife and four kids. He has always been a great provider for his family. I can only hope to be half the person he is. My grandfather has been my strength and inspiration throughout the years. His kindness, love and good examples were stepping stones for me to follow.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  John B. Martinez was born to John Martinez Sr. and Dora Martinez on November 11, 1929. My grandpa was born and raised in the wild and rugged terrain of Colorado Springs, Co. He was the youngest of five children, and was raised during a tough time in our history, the Depression Era. However, his family was rich in other ways, they had each other and they had the land they lived on, which was filled with magnificent aspen groves that blanketed the many slopes. To my grandfather their land was like his playground and his jungle where he could do as he pleased. His playground was as broad as his imagination and as a child he had many adventures in his jungle. During the summer, he and his friends spent countless days at a near by watering hole, diving in and swimming to escape the hot summer days. In the spring they would run through the wildflower filled foreground, as he described it I could see the light violet Showy Daisies, lemon yellow Sunflowers, baby Blue Bells, and the pink Mountain Dandelions. In the winter when the water would freeze over, they would ice skate and have snow ball fights.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  My grandfather was a very successful man in life. When he was seventeen years old he started work picking cotton in the local farms and would bring every cent he earned home for his parents. He shortly enlisted in the Air Force on November 20, 1946 where he trained to be a fire fighter. Even though he was away from his family he still sent money every month. Later he

Psychiatric evaluation in the Philippines Essay

1. How would you describe the status of Filipino mental health based on prevalence of psychiatric cases released by DOH and the National Center for Mental Health from 2009-2012? As taken from the report, the WHO identified that stigma, discrimination and neglect have prevented care and management from reaching persons with mental disorders .Psychiatric patients in the Philippines are usually managed in a mental hospital setting. DOH-commissioned Social Weather Stations survey found that 0.7 percent of total Filipino households have a family member who has a psychological disorder such as depression, schizophrenia, epilepsy, and substance abuse. The status of mental health in the Philippines is also greatly affected by psychosocial issues and stress happening in the country such as economic crisis (poverty) and problems in interpersonal relationship (family, friends and workplace). Although for now the status of Filipino mental health is being balanced by our cultural practices, it is with great importance that we recognize that to further decrease the incidence of psychiatric cases, we need to seek medical assistance to manage them. The Philippines is a country in which psychiatry is taboo. Despite being a very modernized and americanized nation for the most part, plenty of Filipinos still hold onto old traditional and religious beliefs. Psychological disorders are not seen as such, but are thought of as demonic possessions and the like. The social stigma associated with mental illness is a major cause for non-use of health and psychosocial services by Filipinos. The lack of understanding of mental illness and the importance of mental health among Filipinos is as serious as the lack of a regular and useful database on the prevalence, manifestations, causation and risk factors of mental illness in the country. Thus, in my point of view, although the Philippines has lower number when it comes to psychiatric cases than other countries, our approach in handling such cases are still primitive that it would greatly affect the society and might contribute to the future increase of such cases. 2. Criticize the DSM-IV-TR in terms of reliability and practicality. The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders is used by clinicians and psychiatrists to diagnose psychiatric illnesses. It improved diagnostic objectivity by adding prototypes or decision trees outlining defining features of disorders, which lead clinicians through sets of questions regarding the presence or absence of symptoms. Mental health providers use the manual to better understand a client’s potential needs as well as a tool for assessment and diagnosis. The DSM-IV Text Revision is based on five different dimensions. This multiaxial approach allows clinicians and psychiatrists to make a more comprehensive evaluation of a client’s level of functioning, because mental illnesses often impact many different life areas. I have read several reviews about this system and there has been charges that DSM criteria and categories have little lapse when it comes to reliability and validity of its diagnoses. Some even suggested widespread concerns that DSM diagnostic categories lack clinical, research, and educational utility and that they are misused in a variety of contexts. As I was browsing the net I found two studies that used to describe the reliability and validity of the DSM-IV TR: Hoffmann (2002) Hoffmann studied prison inmates to look at diagnoses of alcohol abuse, alcohol dependency and cocaine dependency, to see if differences would occur in a computer-prompted structured interview, compared to the DSM-IV-TR criteria. It was found that the DSM-IV-TR diagnosis was valid and that the interview data supported the idea that dependence was more a severe syndrome than abuse. The symptoms from the automated interview matched those of the DSM criteria. Lee (2006) Lee studied the DSM-IV-TR diagnosis of ADHD to see if it would be suitable for Korean children, and looked at gender differences in the features of ADHD in the DSM. The DSM lists eighteen criteria for ADHD linked to children’s behavior. In total, 48 primary school teachers rated the behavior of 1,663 children (904 of which were boys, the remaining girls) using a questionnaire. Lee looked for concurrent validity by comparing the DSM-IV-TR criteria with criteria arising from the questionnaire, and compared DSM behavioral and psychological characteristics with those found in an ADHD test. Previous studies had showed that ADHD children had oppositional deficit disorder, ODD, as well, having problems with peers and discipline. Lee decided that finding the same correlation would support the diagnosis and show the DSM to be a valid tool. The same relationship was observed, and so it was said that the DSM-IV-TR had concurrent validity. Also found it to be reliable, as the correlation could check for similar diagnoses. However, the study found that for girls, the DSM-IV-TR symptoms and diagnoses were less compatible than they were for boys, which was a weakness found with the DSM as a diagnostic tool. When it comes to practicality, the DSM-IV TR provides readily available diagnoses that helps clinicians to plan a treatment to patients since the DSM-IV is a categorical classification system. To be reliable as a diagnostic classification system, there would have to be consistency with the DSM. This means that the DSM is reliable if the clinicians using it consistently arrive at the same diagnoses as each other. Validity is the extent to which a measure of a psychological variable measures what it sets out to measure. Essentially this means the correct variable (in clinical psychology, this variable will be a mental disorder) is measured, by arriving at the correct diagnosis. Needless to say, if the DSM were not reliable, it would not be valid either. This is because if it is unreliable it means inconsistent diagnoses are made, and so it must not be valid either as surely the correct diagnosis is being made. 3. With the patient’s right to privacy, what are the advantages and disadvantages of observing such right in a psychiatric setting? Privacy is defined in terms of a person having control over the extent, timing, and circumstances of sharing oneself physically, behaviorally or intellectually with others. Psychiatric patients have unique needs and quite often several issues are at stake. Although we handle these patients with a specialized form of care, all of them have all the same rights. One of the most important right is the right to privacy. Advocating a patient’s right is one of the fundamentals of nursing. The nurse must safeguard the patient’s right to privacy. This does not only mean the right to be left alone but more importantly avoiding unwanted intrusion into the patient’s life. The nurse advocates for an environment that provides for sufficient physical privacy, including auditory privacy for discussions of a personal nature and policies and practices that protect the confidentiality of information. Maintaining the privacy of a psychiatric patient and practicing confidentiality has a lot of advantages. It helps establish trust between a health care provider and the patient, whereas he feels respected thus gathering needed information regarding the patient’s status, including needs and concerns becomes easy. It also helps to reduces worry on the part of the patient and maintains his dignity. Therefore it could give the patient a sense of control and promotes autonomy. Moreover every freedom should also have its limitation. When we talk about privacy in the psychiatric setting, in times where patients lack the capacity to make decisions for themselves, their best interests should be considered during the treatment. Any treatment should be the least intrusive option for the patient. A patient’s right to privacy may be limited in situations where a person must be continuously observed, such as when restrained or in seclusion when immediate and serious risk to harm self (such as when the patient is under suicide precautions or special observation status) or others exists. Although this advocates for the safety of the patients in the hospital, some patients may find this experience confusing or upsetting. Furthermore, in practicing their right to access their records, some psychiatric patients might become more worried and pessimistic after reading their records especially if they are not responding well to treatments. And also in case of involuntary hospitalization (which is usually justified by patients’ imminent dangerousness to themselves or others, or their inability to meet basic needs) patients feel their privacy is being violated. In acknowledgement of the seriousness of depriving a patient of freedom in an involuntary commitment, the involuntary patient could insist his right to privacy and might withhold key information about his status that may contribute to his treatment. The patients’ rights especially regarding his privacy has its advantages and limitations which may result to various effects on his well-being. Health care providers should consider privacy a basic human right and confidentiality a professional obligation.

Brenda’s Flight Essay

As Gregor saw his many legs waving in the air it symbolizes the rejection of different people because as a traveling salesman he used to move constantly from one place to another and in the habit of waking up in unfamiliar surroundings and various circumstances. He must show his patience, perseverance and eagerness to induce many customers because from that he can earn his living. But as we all know not all the people that we used to mingle with can accept and entertain us positively. The weight on Gregor’s life represents the resistance to change in family tradition that he is the financial head of the household; nobody else probably works in his family; their whole present and comfortable existence relies upon Gregor’s employment. Most of his burden is the debt which his father owes to the employer for whom Gregor now works. His mere condition shows the exploitation of one by many because the reactions of his own family revealed that he is just an impending burden to them. They care for him but they are so horrified by his presence that’s why they take to shutting Gregor into his room. They tend to shrink back whenever he reveals himself and his father embedded one of the apples in his back, causing an infection. As he hides himself underneath a sheet is the metaphor for rejection of sick people because it attests that he is afraid to see and to be seen by other people because of that his family becomes the jailer, they locked Gregor in from the outside. Though bereft of human contact, he is still concern for his family and at the same time mad at them for neglecting him. We can de – humanize our enemies by letting them realize their fault and shortcomings; in short we try to touch their conscience. Just like the way Gregor did in this story, he would have left his family out of love and taken their burden away. He returns to his room and collapses, finally giving in to his wound and starvation. I think he did that for one good reason to open the mind of his family that during the days of helping them and even sacrificing for their benefits, he didn’t even murmured or ask something in return coming from them. The Nazi treatment of Jews in the hand of Germany headed by Hitler was violent and so bloody. Hitler called the Jews as his enemies. Enemy defined as opponent or hostile nation. When we called somebody as an opponent it simply meant that we must do something that would hurt them, made them miserable and finally killed them. These are the objectives of Hitler to all his enemies. He pursued boycotts for the Jewish shops and businesses in ! 933; in 1934, the law banned all the Jewish form public places; plundered the Jewish teachers, civil servants and lawyers. Some of the maltreatments were removing the privilege to the Jews to become a German citizen; restriction of inter racial marriage;working and holding property in Germany; the assassination of many Jews and yet penalizing them. The reason why all of these things happened because of selfish desire and greediness. These are not good if many would suffer and be affected by covetousness and hatred. Hostility toward or discrimination against Jews as a religious, ethnic, or racial group is considered as the meaning of anti – semitism. The anti – Semitism in Europe was almost the same predicament of that in the Nazi, Germany. The hatred to the Jews that’s inside their heart becomes deeper and deeper. One example of this was a soccer match between the Israeli and Belgian national teams in Hasselt, Belgium, when Muslim fans waved Hamas and Hezbollah banners, and chanted: â€Å"Jews to the gas chambers! † and â€Å"Strangle the Jews! â€Å"(taken from the Cancer of Anti – Semitism in Europe). We can conclude in this simple illustration that the hatred developed in the past still lingers in the present situation. The suppression of one’s freedom and stepping onto the human rights of a person developed them in two personalities: they may become weak and dependent while on the other hand a person may possess a strong will to fight and defend himself from his enemies. According to Iris Bruce and Cassill, many interpretations of Franz Kafka’s writings have accentuated their psychological, religious, existential and moral dimensions and initiated a whole genre of the kqfkaesque which summon up associations of the grotesque and absurd but is rarely associated with a sense of humour. A ‘Kafkaesque,’ or Kafka-like situation being one of a strange or nightmarish quality become a part of the language from Kafka’s name. Generally, after World War II (and fundamentally due to the prominence of New Criticism and Existentialism in the literary academies during this time), a Kafka myth has crystallized which stresses Kafka’s existential anguish: interpretations, be they religious, phenomenological, existentialist, symbolic or allegorical, center on the psychology of the author, who is presented as being overcome by the sense of absurdity and alienation so prevalent in twentieth. Where this metaphysical approach in literary translation as a discipline has been most detrimental is in its emphasis on the â€Å"universal† rather than on specific textual elements, in the fascination with Kafka’s personal neuroses, in the mingling of psychological speculation and literary criticism which frequently led to a â€Å"false confusion of empirical and literary selves† and most importantly in its overall disregard of the playful and humorous dimension in Kafka’s texts. Conclusion Kafka’s wanted to share the reality that is happening into our life or others life particularly in our society nowadays. The Metamorphosis was all about Gregor Samsa. This story emphasized the way a man entered the world of despised and how discrimination created hostility. Even his own family tired to suppressed, despised and hurt him not only physically but mentally. The same with our society, the persons who are in the authority sometimes take advantage of everything even to the point that they stepped onto the human rights and privilege of a person. Loving something or someone because you profit from them will not be a good foundation because what if the proceed is gone, are you going to hate him or still love him? Conflict is always present if the environment that we used to stay with is not that aware that justice must be offer to everyone. Hurting people or even killing them without important reason, it’s simply because of selfish desire and hatred won’t make any sense in reality. Instead of doing those things, why don’t we learn to love and forgive them? In the end, we’re going to realize that love is the answer in any changes or metamorphosis that will happen in to our life. Love conquers hatred. Works Cited Peter Kuper Kafka’s The Metamorphosis http://www. randomhouse. com/crown/metamorphosis/ Walker, Jews in Nazi Germany http://www. schoolhistory. co. uk/lessons/germany/jews. html Understanding the Treatment of Jews during World War II http://www. dummies. com/how-to/content/understanding-the-treatment-of-jews-during-world-w. html Edward B. Donnell Jr. , Anti-Semitism in Europe Today http://www. state. gov/p/eur/rls/rm/38113. htm The Cancer of Semitism in Europe http://www. aish. com/societyWork/society/The_Cancer_of_Anti-Semitism_in_Europe. asp

Od and Change Essay Example

Od and Change Essay Example Od and Change Essay Od and Change Essay OD and Change The Message Is Clear Change Or Disappear There’s no off season anymore Nolan Ryan You miss 100% of the shots you never take Wayne Gretsky Somebody has to do something, and its just incredibly pathetic that it has to be us. Jerry Garcia, the Grateful Dead CHANGE AN ONGOING PROCESS Companies no longer have a choice, they must change to survive. Unfortunately, people tend to resist change. It is not easy to change an organization, let alone an individual. This puts increased pressure on management to learn the subtleties of change.This final chapter was written to help managers navigate the journey of change. FORCES OF CHANGE How do organizations know when they should change? What cues should an organization look for? Organizations encounter many different forces for change. These forces come from external sources outside the organization and from internal sources. This section examines the forces that create the need for change. Awareness of these forces can help managers determine when they should consider implementing an organizational change. EXTERNAL FORCESExternal forces for change originate outside the organization. Because these forces have global effects, they may cause an organization to question the essence of what business it is in and the process by which products and services are produced. There are four key external forces for change: demographic characteristics. technological advancements, market changes, and social and political pressures. Each is now discussed. 1. Demographic Characteristics (1) the workforce is more diverse and (2) there is a business imperative to effectively manage diversity.Organizations need to effectively manage diversity if they are to receive maximum contribution and commitment from employees. 2. Technological Advancements Both manufacturing and service organizations are increasingly using technology as a means to improve productivity and market competitiveness. Manufacturing companies, for instance, have automated their operations with robotics, computerized numerical control (CNC), which is used for metal cutting operations, and computer-aided design (CAD). CAD is a computerized process of drafting and designing engineering drawings of products.Companies have just begun to work on computer- integrated manufacturing (CIM). This highly technical process attempts to integrate product design with product planning. control. and operations In contrast to these manufacturing technologies, the service sector of the US economy is using office automation. Office automation consists of a host of computerized technologies that are used to obtain, store, analyze, retrieve, and communicate information. The factory of the future will have only two employees, a man and a dog. The man will be there to feed the dog.The dog will be there to keep the man from touching the equipment. Warren Bennis 3. Market Changes The emergence of a global economy is forcing US companies to change the way they do business. Companies are having to forge new partnerships with their suppliers in order to deliver higher quality products at lower prices. 4. Social and Political Pressures These forces are created by social and political events. Managers thus may need to adjust their managerial style or approach to fit changing employee values. Political events can create substantial change.For example, the collapse of both the Berlin Wall and communism in Russia created many new business opportunities. Although it is difficult for organizations to predict changes in political forces, many organizations hire lobbyists and consultants to help them detect and respond to social and political changes. INTERNAL FORCES Internal forces for change come from inside the organization. These forces may be subtle, such as low morale, or can manifest in outward signs, such as low productivity and conflict. Internal forces for change come from both human resource problems and managerial behavior/decisions. . Human Resource Problems/Prospects These problems stem from employee perceptions about how they are treated at work and the match between individual and organization needs and desires. Dissatisfaction is a symptom of an underlying employee problem that should be addressed. Unusual or high levels of absenteeism and turnover also represent forces for change. Organizations might respond to these problems by using the various approaches to job design, by implementing realistic job previews, by reducing employees role conflict, overload, and ambiguity, and by removing the different stressors.Prospects for positive change stem from employee participation and suggestions. 2. Managerial Behavior/Decisions Excessive interpersonal conflict between managers and their subordinates is a sign that change is needed. Both the manager and the employee may need interpersonal skills training, or the two individuals may simply need to be separated. For example, one of the parties might be transferred to a new department. Inappropriate leader behaviors such as inadequate direction or support may result in human resource problems requiring change.Leadership training is one potential solution for this problem. Inequitable reward systems are additional forces for change. MODELS AND DYNAMICS OF PLANNED CHANGE American managers are criticized for emphasizing short-term, quick-fix solutions to organizational problems. When applied to organizational change, this approach is doomed from the start. Quick-fix solutions do not really solve underlying problems and they have little staying power. Researchers and managers alike have thus tried to identify effective ways to manage the change process. This section sheds light on their insights.After discussing different types of organizational changes. we review Lewins change model, a systems model of change, and organization development. Lewins Change Model Most theories of organizational change originated from the landmark work of social psychologist Kurt Lewin. Lewin developed a three-stage model of planned change which explained how to initiate, manage, and stabilize the change process. The three stages are unfreezing, changing, and refreezing. Before reviewing each stage, it is important to highlight the assumptions that underlie this model: 1.The change process involves learning something new, as well as discontinuing current attitudes, behaviors, or organizational practices. 2. Change will not occur unless there is motivation to change. This is often the most difficult part of the change process. 3. People are the hub of all organizational changes. Any change, whether in terms of structure, group process, reward systems, or job design, requires individuals to change. 4. Resistance to change is found even when the goals of change are highly desirable. 5. Effective change requires reinforcing new behaviors, attitudes, and organizational practices.The three stages of change. Unfreezing The focus of this stage is to create the motivation to change. In so doing, individuals are encouraged to replace old behaviors and attitudes with those desired by management. Managers can begin the unfreezing process by disconfirming the usefulness or appropriateness of employees present behaviors or attitudes. Changing Because change involves learning, this stage entails providing employees with new information, new behavioral models, or new ways of looking at things. The purpose is to help employees learn new concepts or points of view.Role models, mentors, experts, benchmarking the company against world-class organizations, and training are useful mechanisms to facilitate change. Refreezing Change is stabilized during refreezing by helping employees integrate the changed behavior or attitude into their normal way of doing things. This is accomplished by first giving employees the chance to exhibit the new behaviors or attitudes. Once exhibited, positive reinforcement is used to reinforce the desired. Additional coaching and modeling also are used at this point to reinforce the stability of the change.Resistance to Change Individual Sources of Resistance Fear of the Unknown Self-Interest Habit Personality Conflicts Differing Perceptions General Mistrust Social Disruptions Organizational Sources of Resistance Structural Inertia Bureaucratic Inertia Group Norms A Resistant Organizational Culture Threatened Power Threatened Expertise Threatened Resource Allocation UNDERSTANDING AND MANAGING RESISTANCE TO CHANGE We are all creatures of habit. It generally is difficult for people to try new ways of doing things.It is precisely because of this basic human characteristic that most employees do not have enthusiasm for change in the workplace. Rare is the manager who does not have several stories about carefully cultivated changes that died on the vine because of resistance to change. It is important for managers to learn to manage resistance because failed change efforts are costly. Costs include decreased employee loyalty, lowered probability of achieving corporate goals, a waste of money and resources, and difficulty in fixing the failed change effort.This section examines employee resistance to change, relevant research, and practical ways of dealing with the problem. Why People Resist Change in the Workplace 1. An individuals predisposition toward change. 2. Surprise and fear of the unknown. 3. Climate of mistrust. 4. Fear of failure. 5. Loss of status and/or job security. 6. Peer pressure. 7. Disruption of cultural traditions and/or group relationships. 8. Personality conflicts. 9. Lack of tact and/or poor timing. 10. Nonreinforcing reward systems. RESEARCH ON RESISTANCE TO CHANGEThe classic study of resistance to change was reported in 1948 by Lester Coch and John R P French. They observed the introduction of a new work procedure in a garment factory. The change was introduced in three different ways to separate groups of workers. In the no participation group, the garment makers were simply told about the new procedure. Members of a second group, called the representative group, were introduced to the change by a trained co-worker. Employees in the total participation group learned of the new work procedure through a graphic presentation of its cost-saving potential.Mixed results were recorded for the representative group. The no participation and total participation groups, meanwhile, went in opposite directions. Output dropped sharply for the no participation group, while grievances and turnover climbed. After a small dip in performance, the total participation group achieved record-high output levels while experiencing no turnover. Since the Coch and French study, participation has been the recommended approach for overcoming resistance to change. Empirical research uncovered three additional personal characteristics related to resistance to change.A study of 284 nonmanagerial office personnel (43 percent male) showed that hands-on experience with computers, whether through training or on-the-job practice, fostered more positive attitudes toward working with computers. Finally, high self-efficacy and an internal locus of control were negatively associated with resistance to change. OVERCOMING RESISTANCE TO CHANGE Before recommending specific approaches to overcome resistance, there are three key conclusions that should be kept in mind. First, an organization must be ready for change.Just as a table must be set before you can eat, so must an organization be ready for change before it can be effective. Use the survey to evaluate a company that you worked for or are familiar with that undertook a change effort. Assessing an Organizations Readiness for Change Instructions: Circle the number that best represents your opinions about the company being evaluated. Yes Somewhat No 1. | Is the change effort being sponsored by a senior-level executive (CEO, COO)? | 3 | 2 | 1| 2. | Are all levels of management committed to the change? | 3| 2| 1| 3. | Does the organization culture encourage risk taking? 3 | 2 | 1| 4. | Does the organization culture encourage and reward continuous improvement? | 3 | 2 | 1| 5. | Has senior management clearly articulated the need for change? | 3 | 2 | 1| 6. | Has senior management presented a clear vision of a positive future? | 3 | 2 | 1| 7. | Does the organization use specific measures to assess business performance? | 3 | 2 | 1| 8. | Does the change effort support other major activities going on in the organization? | 3 | 2 | 1| 9. | Has the organization benchmarked itself against world-class companies? | 3 | 2 | 1| 10. | Do all employees understand the customers needs? 3 | 2 | 1| 11. | Does the organization reward individuals and/or teams for being innovative and for looking for root causes of organizational problems? | 3 | 2 | 1| 12. | Is the organization flexible and cooperative? | 3 | 2 | 1| 13. | Does management effectively communicate with all levels of the organization. | 3 | 2 | 1| 14. | Has the organization successfully implemented other change programs? | 3 | 2 | 1| 15. | Do employees take personal responsibility for their behavior? | 3 | 2 | 1| 16. | Does the organization make decisions quickly? | 3 | 2 | 1| Total Score: - - - Source: Based on the discussion contained in T. A. Stewart, Rate your readiness to change, Fortune, February 7,1994, pp. 106-10. (Arbitrary norms are as follows: 48-40 = High readiness for change; 39-24 = Moderate readiness for change; and 23-16 = Low readiness for change. ) What was the companys readiness for change, and how did this evaluation relate to the success of the change effort? Second, organizational change is less successful when top management fails to keep employees informed about the process of change. Third, employees perceptions or interpretations of a change significantly affect resistance.Employees are less likely to resist when they perceive that the benefits of a change overshadow the personal costs. At a minimum then, managers are advised to (1) provide as much information as possible to employees about the change, (2) inform employees about the reasons/rationale for the change, (3) conduct meetings to address employees questions regarding the change, and (4) provide employees the opportunity to discuss how the proposed change might affect them. ORGANIZATION DEVELOPMENT Organization development (OD) is an applied field of study and practice.A pair of OD experts defined organization development as follows: Organization development is concerned with helping managers plan change in organizing and managing people that will develop requisite commitment, coordination, and competence. Its purpose is to enhance both the effectiveness of organizations and the well-being of their members through planned interventions in the organizations human processes, structures, and systems, using knowledge of behavioral science and its intervention methods. As you can see from this definition, OD provides managers with the tools needed to manage organizational change.The four identifying characteristics of OD and its research and practical implications. OD Involves Profound Change Change agents using OD generally desire deep and long-lasting improvement. OD consultant Warner Burke, for example, who strives for fundamental cultural change, wrote: By fundamental change, as opposed to fixing a problem or improving a procedure, I mean that some significant aspect of an organizations culture will never be the same. OD is Value-Loaded Owing to the fact that OD is rooted partially in humanistic psychology, many OD consultants carry certain values or biases into the client organization.They prefer cooperation over conflict, self-control over institutional control, and democratic and participative management over autocratic management. OD Is a Diagnosis/Prescription Cycle OD theorists and practitioners have long adhered to a medical model of organization. Like medical doctors, internal and external OD consultants approach the sick organization, diagnose its ills, prescribe and implement an intervention, and monitor progress. OD Is Process-Oriented Ideally, OD consultants focus on the form and not the content of behavioral and administrative dealings.For example, product design engineers and market researchers might be coached on how to communicate more effectively with one another without the consultant knowing the technical details of their conversations. In addition to communication, OD specialists focus on other processes, including problem solving, decision making, conflict handling, trust, power sharing, and career development. OD Research and Practical Implications OD-related interventions produced the following insights: A recent meta-analysis of 18 studies indicated that employee satisfaction with change was higher when top management was highly committed to the change effort. A recent meta-analysis of 52 studies provided support for the systems model of organizational change. Specifically, varying one target element of change created changes in other target elements. Also, there was a positive relationship between individual behavior change and organizational-level change. A meta-analysis of 126 studies demonstrated that multifaceted interventions using more than one OD technique were more effective in changing job attitudes and work attitudes than interventions that relied on only one human-process or technostructural approach.

Immigration and employment in Ontario Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Immigration and employment in Ontario - Essay Example series of relevant legislative texts has been developed in any modern state which provides the requirements needed for the relevant procedure to be completed. These requirements are usually common among all countries around the world with only certain points of differentiation. It has been noticed that in countries with a high rate of development the relevant requirements tend to be stricter comparing the ones applied in the less developed countries. However, this assumption is not absolute and there are cases where the above requirements are equally formulated in both developed and developing countries. This paper examines the current conditions regarding the immigration policy applied in Canada and specifically the area of Ontario (with a special reference to the city of Toronto). The specific area has been a place that attracted a significant number of immigrants mostly in the past. Today also it seems that the rate of growth in the immigrants entering the country and the specific area continues to increase. This phenomenon although positive in certain aspects for the local economy it has been proved to have certain negative influences particularly in the financial area. The role of immigrants and their interaction with the local society is being examined in order for specific points of common to be found and for certain policies to be examined as of their suitability regarding their reason of existence. The presentation of statistical data combined with the findings of the literature has been considered as an effective method of exploring the above problem to the best possible level. Immigration in Canada has a long history. In fact, it has been found (Coyne, 1996) that in the 128 years since confederation, some 14 million immigrants came to Canada, almost a third before the First World War as Canadian immigration policy was essentially an open door. In this context, between 1867 and 1899, Canada absorbed 1.6 million immigrants into a population at

Ford's future Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

Ford's future - Essay Example Its North American automotive business is hemorrhaging cash and market share† is the comment by Bryce G. Hoffman from Detroit News. The fall of the empire of Ford is evident from the fact that Fords domestic brands -- Ford, Lincoln and Mercury -- saw their combined share of the U.S. market fall 4.7 percent last year, from 18.3 percent in 2004 to 17.4 percent in 2005. A decade earlier, Fords market share stood at nearly 25.6 percent. Every percentage point of market share represents 170,000 vehicles. With this background this paper aims at analyzing the factors that led Ford to reach this no-alternative ‘Way forward’ position and the likely impact of the decision to cut jobs and close manufacturing facilities on the future of Ford. The financial results for the year 2006 would be the worst in the 103 years history of Ford. The old record net loss of $ 7.39 billion would be surpassed by the loss for the year 2006 as already the loss is mounted at $ 7 billion for the first three quarters of 2006 and for the fourth quarter more losses are expected by the analysts. The financial situation of Ford was worsened by the collapsing sales of its F series Pick up and truck based sport utility vehicles in which segments the company made huge losses. New product investments -- utilizing Fords global architectures and scale -- to deliver more new products faster, including more crossovers, hybrid vehicles, new small cars, increased spending on Fords truck leadership and new "white space" products. A lean and flexible manufacturing system combined with capacity matched to demand. Capacity will be reduced by 1.2 million units or 26 percent by 2008, representing the majority of actions within the plans 2006-2012 periods. In order to give life to the restructuring plan, Ford mortgaged nearly all of its domestic assets- its plants, office buildings, patents and trademarks — along with stakes in Ford Credit and Volvo, to raise $18 billion. Ford said its restructuring