Propaganda Throughout History

Propaganda has existed as a method of communication for a long time. It was originally a neutral term used to describe the dissemination of information in favor of any given cause. The redefinition implying its now negative connation arose because of the Soviet Union and Nazi Germany's admitted use of propaganda favoring communism and fascism respectively, in all forms of their public expression. Propaganda under this connation still exists, however it’s evolution over the centuries has ensured its survival in the most unassuming ways.This paper will highlight the definitions of propaganda, the uses of propaganda in history through religion, Nazi Germany and the Cold War; its reappearance after the 9/11 terrorist attacks and the 1995 Canadian referendum, evolution into advertising and how society today has become almost indifferent to it. What is Propaganda? Traditional propaganda is defined as a systematic manipulation of public opinion, generally through the use of symbols, monuments, speeches and publications.Today’s â€Å"modern† propaganda is distinguished from other forms of communication in that it is consciously and deliberately used to influence group attitudes; with all other communication functions being secondary. Therefore, almost any attempt to sway public opinion, including lobbying, commercial advertising and even missionary work, can be broadly interpreted as propaganda. However propaganda, more often than not, is associated with political situations referring to efforts by governments and political groups.Propaganda itself can be categorized as White, Gray, or Black, depending on the accuracy of information and where source is credited – if it’s credited at all! White propaganda is defined as coming from a source that is identified correctly and contains information that tends to be accurate such as national pride messages. A message considered Black propaganda when the source is concealed or credited to a fa lse authority, and spreads lies, fabrications and deceptions. Gray propaganda falls somewhere between these two forms as the source may or may not be correctly identified, and the accuracy of the information is uncertain.Ultimately though, the success or failure of any propaganda depends on the receiver’s willingness to accept the credibility of the source and the content of the message. Religious Propaganda The first use of propaganda is credited to the Catholic Church with their creation of sainthood; which was created to influence opinions and beliefs on religious issues. From the fourth century onwards, the church launched an immense propaganda campaign aimed at communicating the character, powers and importance of saints as a method of keeping the loyalty of their existing followers and as a tactic to gain new ones.The Sacred Congregation for the Propagation of Faith was responsible for the campaign in spreading this message. Through their monasteries, the church was abl e to target emperors, kings and upper noblemen with the message of the saints. Once the church had the buy-in of rulers, the reputations of these saints were given more validity to the general population and their shrines became protected as sacred places. It should be noted that during this period very few people outside the church were literate thereby making authentication of any information difficult.In order to spread the message of the saints, the church used relied on oral messaging and stories told through images such as in the stained glass seen today in cathedrals. For the average person, the church carried absolute authority as it was considered to be the leading source of knowledge. With this power, the church was easily able to bring their saints to life, so to speak. While the propaganda of saints was originally intended as a missionary tool, their resulting successes strengthen a variety of religious objectives.Saints helped reestablish the monastic movement after a p eriod of crisis by generating funds to complete cathedrals and gave the church a major tool for controlling popular religious trends. They also fueled the enthusiasm for the Spanish crusade; which is an excellent example of one of the church’s most immediate successful propagandistic campaign with its mission of bringing all together in Christendom. Spurred on by the words of Pope Urban II that Muslims had conquered Jerusalem, the Crusader’s mission was to recapture the ‘Holy Land’ and they dedicated their lives to this in return for the promise of redemption.Nazi Germany During the 20th century, the arrival of radio and television enabled propagandists to reach more people than before. In addition to the development of these modern medias, warfare and political movements had also contributed to the growing importance of propaganda in the 20th century. Of all the propaganda artists throughout history, no one is better known than Adolf Hitler. During his re in in Nazi Germany, he saturated schools, government and every part of German’s daily lives with propaganda.His keen and sinister insight into mass psychology contributed to Nazi Germany being noted for its psychologically powerful propaganda – much of which was centered on the Jews who were made the scapegoats for Germany's economic woes. Hitler was as a gifted speaker who, as history shows, captivated the masses with his beating of the podium and growling, emotional speeches. Authentic as they may have seemed, these speeches were full of propaganda and rhetoric which he used to appeal to the economic need of the lower and middle classes, while sounding resonant chords of nationalism, anti-Semitism and anti-communism.Threatened by hyperinflation, political chaos and a possible Communist takeover, Hitler, offered Germans scapegoats and solutions. To the economically depressed he promised to despoil â€Å"Jew financiers† and to workers he promised security. He ga ined the financial support of bankers and industrialists with his hostility towards Communism and promises to control trade unionism. Shortly after coming to power, Hitler’s Third Reich established the Ministry of Propaganda, whose aim was to ensure the Nazi message was successfully communicated through art, music, theater, films, books, radio, educational materials and the media.Films in particular played an important role in disseminating racial Anti-Semitism, portraying Jews as â€Å"subhuman† creatures infiltrating an Aryan society. The Ministry successfully censored and/or eliminated any viewpoint it felt posed a threat to Nazi beliefs or to the regime leaving only the propagandistic message available to the masses. The Cold War Nazi Germany’s invasion of the Soviet Union forced the United States, the United Kingdom and the Soviet Union into wartime cooperation despite their past tensions.However, from the start, the alliance between the world's leading eco nomic power, the world's largest colonial empire and the world's first Communist state was marked by mutual distrust and ideological tension. The Cold War began shortly after the end of World War II over disagreements on how postwar Europe should be rebuilt. While neither side ever â€Å"officially† fought the other, as the consequences would be too appalling with the Soviet Union’s Red Army and the Americans possession of the A-bomb, they did wage an incredible war of propaganda.Soviet propaganda focused mainly on overcoming such hardships as exploitation of the working class, racial discrimination and discrimination against women. Their propaganda described the Soviet society as a modern, progressive culture. While they relied upon a variety of resources for propaganda, their posters were the Soviet’s most influential pieces. These posters focused upon the achievements of Russian communists politically, economically and technologically.Domestically, these post ers aimed at increasing government support and building patriotism. Many posters focused upon anti-American sentiments. The American capitalist was portrayed as a large, plump old man dressed in a tuxedo and hat. Typical actions of the capitalist in Soviet posters included withholding grain from hungry peasants or running over children with his shiny car. These posters attacked the benefits of the wealth that result from capitalism, while other posters showed the effects of capitalism on poverty.In 1942 the United States created the Office of War Information (OWI), which was responsible for disseminating anti-communist propaganda in order to convince American's that the US was justified in this new battle. The anti-communist propaganda made American's fearful and strengthened the movement to support the United States' opposition to communist states. This propaganda saturated books, pamphlets, comics, films, and radio for nearly 30 years during the Cold War. Hollywood films became a common feature to further propagandize the communist platform with titles such as Apocalypse Now, Red Dawn and Dr. Strangelove .Among its wide-ranging responsibilities, OWI reviewed and approved the design and content of government posters and established the Voice of America, as a method of transmitting its messages to the masses. Voice of America still remains the official government broadcasting service of the United States today. Funded by the US government, it defines itself as an international broadcasting service boasting 1,000 hours of news, information, educational, and cultural programming weekly to a worldwide audience of approximately 115 million people†. Propaganda in North America Today 9/11 and the ‘War on Terrorism’In the wake of 9/11 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Centers in 2001, then Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld quickly created a modern version of the OWI, with the Office of Strategic Influence (OSI) to disseminate war information. In the critical â€Å"planning stages† leading up to an invasion of Iraq, the twisting of public opinion in the US, and around the world, was an integral part of their war agenda. Acts of war were proclaimed â€Å"humanitarian interventions† geared towards â€Å"regime change† and â€Å"the restoration of democracy†. Military occupation and the killing of civilians are presented as â€Å"peace-keeping†.In news reports on actual, possible or future terrorist attacks, the propaganda campaign exhibited a consistent pattern referring to ‘reliable sources’ or a ‘growing body of evidence’; and included key phrases such as terrorist groups involved had ‘ties to Bin Laden’ or Al Qaeda†. News reports unwittingly confirmed the America’s need to initiate â€Å"pre-emptive actions directed against these various terrorist organizations and/or the foreign governments that harbour the terrorists†. These types of news reports were also used to justify ethnic profiling and mass arrests of presumed terrorists.As it had done during the Cold War, the government also influenced the scope and direction of many Hollywood productions as immediately following 9/11. One third of Hollywood productions were war movies that reinforced the message of patriotism such as Black Hawk Down and Spy Game. In their book Propaganda and Persuasion , authors Garth Jowett and Victoria O’Donnell suggest that overtly patriotic national celebrations are forms white propaganda. Celebrations such as the Fourth of July or Canada Day are designed to increase patriotism by bolstering national pride and glorifying ‘dying for one’s country’.In 1991, President Bush went to watch one of the US’ oldest annual Independence Day celebrations held in Missouri. Wearing an American flag in his pocket, he praised American troops who fought in the Persian Gulf saying â€Å"the war had made ever yone in the country proud to say ‘I am an American and I love my country’. † These types of propagandistic celebrations are crucial in times of war, drawing on the emotions of its countrymen in order for the government to gain support for its actions. My Canada Includes Quebec In 1995, Canadians faced the possibility of the province of Quebec’s separation from Canada.Since the referendum battle was over the hypothetical situation with complex facts and nationalist emotions, the most important fight of the referendum was for the minds and spirits of the Quebec voters. Spearheaded by the separatist Bloc Quebecois Party, Quebec residents were fed a continuous stream of negative images of federalism into their collective psyche. The majority of the propaganda during the referendum came from the Bloc Quebecois (separatists) and Party Quebecois (nationalists) who used a combination of party ideas, facts and images to spread the idea that rest of Canada would neve r recognize Quebec's distinctiveness.To that end, Nationalists launched the slogan that â€Å"a vote for the Non is a vote for the status quo†. However, the majority of their propagandistic campaign revolved around discrediting federalism as harming Quebec to help to reinforce their core nationalist support; presenting their images of a peaceful, easy separation and the inevitability of Quebec becoming a â€Å"normal† nation-state. On the flip side, Federalists launched their own campaign to counter the pro-separatist and nationalist propagandistic messaging.Federalists employed facts of the high cost of separation and the dangers of instability and ethnic conflict, as an attempt to for force the Nationalists into defending the need of an independent state. Today most of the propaganda in the North America comes from governments and ‘various private entities’. In this respect, propaganda is an ambiguous term that can often meaning the same as advertising. Radio, newspaper, posters, books, and anything else the government might send out to the widespread public can be considered, by definition, propaganda. Advertising as PropagandaIn the early 20th century, the founders of the growing public relations industry originally used the term propaganda to describe their activities. This usage died out around the time of World War II, as the industry started to avoid the word, given the negative connotation it had acquired. Whatever you call it, advertising is a form of propaganda as it is ever-present and the message it carries is a result of ulterior motives by people who want to make money and maintain the status quo. Alongside the news, advertising is a tool that shapes public opinion.Everywhere you look there is some form of advertising, whether you’re driving a car or taking public transit, there is advertising. Billboards, posters, newspapers, magazines – everywhere we turn we are exposed to some form of advertising pushi ng a product, concept or belief on to us. Advertising is a fiercely competitive industry with success won not necessarily by the best product, but rather with the best advertising. As advertising relies on the amount of coverage or penetration, coupled with the quality of the delivery, it is easy to see how it compares to propaganda.If a tag or a brand logo is reproduced enough to become recognizable by a large section of the community, it becomes part of the social landscape and instantly embedded into the mind. Advertising has evolved from its beginnings as a text-based medium highlighting a product’s merits into the marketing feelings, lifestyle and fantasy with advertising campaigns such as Calvin Klein’s Obsession, which feature highly sexualized images that convey beauty and virility though photographs of almost nude models.Consumers have become oblivious to the propagandistic qualities of advertising but are not immune to its effects. Look at the successful mark eting of Energizer batteries with its creation of its Energizer Bunny ®. Since 1989, Energizer has featured its bunny in their commercials, hammering the simple message ‘it keeps going and going†¦ ’ into the minds of consumers. Energizer is an excellent example of a company that has successfully ensured consumers understand their product message by employing the techniques of propaganda.When watching a commercial for Energizer, consumers now immediately associate the infamous pink bunny to the Energizer product. For it’s success, the Energizer Bunny ® campaign was recognized as one of the Top Five Advertising Icons of the 20th Century, and has received multiple television advertising awards. Conclusion Throughout history, propaganda has been used and misused to suit the needs of governments during times of crisis, such as war and political instability, and to garner support for private causes such as Christianity in the fourth century.With increased lite racy and information readily available to support and/or refute arguments, society is more alert to messages of government/political propaganda and what is strictly information dissemination than its forefathers. However, under the guise of advertising, propaganda continues to be an acceptable tool of persuasion – a multi-billion dollar industry in fact! Consumers are critical when analyzing information presented by governing bodies, yet readily accept the messages/promising conveyed in advertising. Would society be as indifferent to advertising if it were still called propaganda?The formation of watchdog groups, such as Adbusters, call attention of the propagandistic messages by questioning facts and parodying advertising campaigns with unpleasant product realities. With their proclaimed goal to â€Å"[get] folks to get mad about corporate disinformation †, Adbusters’ has created campaigns such as TV Turnoff Week, a method of mass protest against the inundation of commercial messages. While such watchdog groups call attention to advertising’s one-sided, self-serving message, it is up to consumers to pay attention to product messaging and its effects on our culture.

Critical Lens Paper Essay

Joanna Kathleen Rowling once said, â€Å"It is our choices that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities.† Rowling’s words suggest it is our decisions that show who we really are more than our capabilities. It’s not about what we can do or how fast we can get it done, but it’s ultimately about the decisions we make to do something or not. Rowling’s words are in fact valid. The choices you make in a difficult situation can fundamentally show the people around you what you’re made of and what you’re about. Evidence of Rowling’s words exist in Ashley Antoinette’s novel Moth to a Flame through the use of characterization and Sidi’s novel Fatou: An African Girl In Harlem also through the use of characterization. Both Antoinette and Sidi’s work show that the decisions we make ultimately show who we truly are. Sidi uses the characterization of the Fatou in his novel Fatou: An African Girl In Harlem to sh ow that the choices we make basically show who we really are. Fatou is the protagonist in the novel. She was brought from African to America at twelve years old to marry a forty year old man named Lama. Fatou was sold to this man so her family could live wealthy in Africa. She always thought America was the land of greatness and freedom until she got there. Her forty year old husband did nothing but abuse her. Fatou wanted nothing more than to get away from Lama and make a better living for herself. She decided to go to school and get her get her diploma. Moreover, she decided to no longer be someone else’s property. The characterization of Fatou in the novel clearly shows that your decisions show who we truly are. Instead of being someone’s slave, Fatou chose to run away and make a better life for herself. Furthermore, she showed everyone around her that she’s not property and she’s no longer going to be oppressed by her forty year old husband. All things considered, by using Fatou Sidi shows or choices are what sho w what we truly are, not our capabilities. Ashley Antoinette uses the characterization of Raven in her novel Moth to a Flame to show the decisions we make fundamentally show who we are as a person. Raven is the protagonist in the novel. She is the daughter of Benny Atkins. At seventeen, Raven began dating a known stick-up kid named Mizan. Unknown to her, Mizan had different intentions. He wanted to take Raven’s father off his throne. Raven’s Father, Benny Atkins, was the king of the whole drug scene in Flint, MI and Mizan envied him. Her Father sensed there wasn’t something right about Mizan and forbid Raven to see him again. Unfortunately, this only pushed Raven closer to Mizan. From then on, Raven’s life began to spiral downward. Her father died, her mother was sent to jail, and she was left to take care of her six year old sister. Raven and her little sister moved in with Mizan. Shortly after, Mizan started abusing Raven. After losing her child because of the constant beating, Raven finally foun d the courage to leave Mizan. She reached out to Ethic, a man that worked with her father, and he helped her and her little sister get on their feet. Raven and Ethic ended up falling in love and starting their own family. Raven also applied for college classes and eventually got her degree. Antoinette’s portrayal of Raven shows that your choices are what make you who you are. Raven chose to leave Mizan and make a better life for her little sister, instead of being someone’s punching bag. Furthermore, Raven chose her life. She showed many individuals around her that she can stand on her own two feet and even with her struggles, she was going to make it. Thus, by using Raven Antoinette showed that your capabilities are nothing compared to the decisions you make. Joanna Kathleen Rowling’s quote, â€Å" It is our choices that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities† , illustrates that our abilities are nothing compared to the decisions we make, our decisions are what show those around us who we ultimately are. Rowling’s words were validated by Ashley Antoinette in her novel Moth to a Flame using the characterization of Raven. She showed her readers that abilities mean nothing because the protagonist wasn’t capable of overcoming her boyfriend. Instead, the protagonist chose to leave him and she saved her life doing so. The lens is also proven true by Sidi in his novel Fatou: An African Girl in Harlem in which he uses the characterization of the protagonist Fatou to show that some things you’re not capable of controlling but you can make a choice to remove yourself from the situation. Writers like Antoinette and Sidi show readers that our choices are what show the individuals around us what we’re made of not our capabilities.

A case study of the UK flooding: the river Uck, East Sussex, October 2000

During the wet season of October the Sussex the Uck-Ouse basin burst it banks and caused major flooding in the surrounding towns mainly a small town called Uckfield. Upstream of the town of Uckfield slopes are very steep and so runoff happens very quickly after rainfall. However the River Uck flood plain is relatively undeveloped, with natural flood plains remaining. Here land management practices are well adapted to flooding. The flooding in the central part of the Ouse catchments on Thursday 12th October 2000 was preceded by 3 days of storms and heavy rain across the whole area. The ground became increasingly waterlogged, and there was widespread, localised flooding from surface water run-off. Uckfield flooded dramatically from about 5.00am on the 12th October, with river levels rising rapidly to a peak between 9.00am and 10.00am, at which point a torrent of water up to 1.9m deep, was flowing through the town centre causing considerable damage. Barcombe and Lewes filled up and widespread flooding in Lewes started at about 1.00pm, as the rising river backed up behind the Cliffe Bridge and overtopped the flood defences at a number of locations. Within about an hour or so the flood defences throughout the town were completely overwhelmed and the town centre rapidly filled with floodwater. Many hundreds of people were stranded and had to be rescued by the Emergency Services in boats. By the time the floodwaters peaked at about 9.30pm, some parts of Lewes were less than 3.6m of water. As the flows passing downstream from Barcombe continued to increase at a rapid rate, the floodwaters weired over the river walls and surged through the streets and open areas in Lewes, rapidly filling up sections of the urban floodplain to a depth of 1m in about half an hour. The Police abandoned the centre of town, and the evacuation turned into a rescue operation as the RNLI and Emergency Services used inflatable lifeboats to reach people suddenly trapped in their homes or businesses. The flood devastated the centres of Uckfield and Lewes, as well as causing significant damage to surrounding rural properties and the farming community. * long periods of drying out and repair mean that many homes have remained uninhabitable for many months after the event, with residents having to live in alternative, temporary accommodation; * similarly, many businesses remain closed months after the flood, and a small number are believed to have closed permanently; * a long term loss of trade, both for the flooded businesses, and for the wider business community; * widespread concerns about property values and insurance; * losses of agricultural crops and livestock; * impact on County Council Social Services provision due to the loss of day centres and buses; * long term damage to road surfaces, and widespread blockage of highways drainage systems; * impact on Lewes District Council's housing provision due to temporary re-accommodation of flood victims; * disruption to the Fire Brigade and Ambulance Service due to the temporary loss of several of their buildings, including their control centres, and loss of vehicles; * in Lewes, 118 Listed Buildings and 230 other ‘traditional' buildings within the Conservation Area were damaged, requiring specialist repair; * long term needs for emotional support amongst some. This means that the upper and middle sections of the catchments become quickly saturated following heavy rainfall. During wet periods a large proportion of the rainfall will quickly run-off into the river system rather than drain through the ground, and this effect is exacerbated by the hilly nature of the upper parts of the catchment. * increasing the amount and rate of surface water run-off, thereby increasing flows; * reducing the area available for flood storage, thereby increasing peak levels; * reducing the area available for flood flow conveyance, thereby increasing peak levels, contributing to rapid inundation and high flood velocities, and extending the period of flooding. * River flows were increasing very rapidly at this time and continued to do so for several hours after the flood defences were overtopped. * The upstream flood storage areas were already ‘full' so that the majority of the flood flows passed straight downstream to Lewes with little attenuation. * Once overtopped, the flood defences acted like weirs allowing large volumes of water to pass over them in a short space of time, rapidly filling the low lying areas behind them, with high velocities being witnessed where flows were channelled through narrow gaps. * The natural narrowing flood plain as it approaches Lewes, together with the artificial obstructions across its path in Lewes (Phoenix Causeway, Mayhew Way, Cliffe High Street shops) severely reduces the ability of the flood plain through Lewes to convey flood waters, causing levels to rise higher still. *  It is an obvious point, but maybe worth stating, that the 12th October 2000 flood inundated the floodplain – so named for a good reason. The devastating impact of the flood was because large numbers of properties have over the years been built on the floodplain, and although artificial flood defences or river improvement works have protected those properties from more frequent flooding events, all property constructed on the flood plain is at risk of flooding occasionally. The Environment Agency's Flood Warning slogan of â€Å"You cannot prevent flooding, you can only prepare for it†. The existing flood defences were overwhelmed by the 12th October 2000 flood flows and it may be possible to justify future improvements to raise the current standards of defence to protect against an event of similar magnitude. A number of options are likely to be considered in the forthcoming Catchment Strategy Plan being commissioned by the Environment Agency. However, given the extreme severity of 12th October 2000 event, and the nature of the long-standing government rules and arrangements for project appraisal and flood defence funding, we do not believe that it is reasonable to assume that they should already have been of such a standard. Nevertheless we believe that there are a number of important issues relating to the existing flood defences in Lewes which need to be urgently addressed, in particular the apparently poor condition of many of the river walls through the town, and the long term settlement in the upstream flood embankments. The floodwalls were breached or damaged in at least 8 locations through the town, and the sudden failure of the river wall at Phoenix Industrial Estate is particularly worrying. The flooding took many residents by surprise, and it is clear that the Environment Agency and a significant number of affected residents have very different perceptions about the performance of the flood warning system. This is partly an issue of communication and education. We believe that it is important that the Environment Agency vigorously continues its efforts to educate local residents, and that it is explicit about its actual responsibilities and capabilities. With the benefit of hindsight, we also believe that a number of important improvements in the flood warning and forecasting service can be identified, and should be undertaken. These would not have had any impact on the extent, speed or depth of the actual flooding, but they may have meant that for many, vehicles, stock, or precious personal possessions might have been saved.

Downloading Music Off the Internet Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Downloading Music Off the Internet - Essay Example From this paper it is clear that  the Internet has become the means of generally the entire population to access information anywhere in the world without leaving the comfort of their seats. As the Internet has â€Å"exploded into an awesome resource of information ... it allows for the transfer of mass amounts of information between users ... with the mere click of a mouse†.This study highlights that  attention should be focused on the legalities or illegalities of Internet music downloading. Internet users, especially students, stand in their grounds that purchasing CDs are â€Å"too expensive† and merely a marketing deception by recording companies where the music lover can only find a couple of good songs in the entire album. There have been download reductions after the series of lawsuits filed by RIAA to peer-to-peer networks, but it is undeniable that there are still numerous options for those seeking files, music files especially, in the digital world. Other legal steps taken like the Digital Millennium Copyright Act of 1998 presented by Congress have been criticized as not fully effective to eradicate this illegal act. Government, schools and media have all debated regarding this matter, and it seems that there is still no clear-cut boundaries as to which is morally acceptable or what is to be considered stealing in a gigantic digital galaxy.  The Internet, being extensive and diverse, cannot be fully controlled by both legal offices or supplier of goods as technological advancements continue to rise.

The Body Shop Marketing Plan Analysis Research Paper

The Body Shop Marketing Plan Analysis - Research Paper Example Guatemala produces Aloe Vera used in manufacture of beauty products by the Body Shop. Political instability destabilizes major business processes and business transactions with foreign countries. Secondly, Peru is also faced with political instability, yet it is the major producer of the Brazil nut oil, used in manufacture of beauty products (Assenmacher, 2012). Economic Factors Body Shop Company utilizes the franchising policy as one of its strategies for growth. The decreasing interest today makes the company stands a better growth opportunity as this works in its favour. Secondly, the global trend exhibits a decline of financial institutions, even as countries are advised to brace for tougher economic times ahead. The Body Shop, being a player in the global economy, will also feel a pinch in case this happens in the future. In addition, the current exchange rate indicates a gradual decline of the pound. Therefore, continued weakening of the pound may result in increased prices on imports, including products and product ingredients (Assenmacher, 2012). Social Factors Most social factors work in favour of the company. First, there is increased awareness of the company’s fair trade, as well as the nature of products, which are natural, devoid of animal testing. Additionally, more men are concerned with their appearances, thus will go for beauty products. The company has registered an increase in the number of online customers, considering that in 2008; approximately 65 percent of British families had access to the internet. Finally, the willingness of the buy anti-ageing products is a boost to the company (Mennen, 2011). Technological Factors Dangerous chemical and acidic... Customer Relations Management entails the strategies used by a company to obtain customers and develop long-term relationships with them. Currently, The Body Shop Mainly depends on offers to attract and retain customers. However, overuse of offers has created a negative attitude about this company. The new marketing objectives should focus on other strategies of attracting customers without appearing desperate. Such strategies include positioning of their franchises, advertisements, and customer education. The company can continue giving offers but they should be logical and reasonable. This will make the customer realize that the products are of quality and worth the price. The Body Shop marketing budget should be considerate to ensure the company does not continue reducing its profits. Moreover, focusing on creating environmental awareness using online techniques such as websites will enable The Body Shop spend fewer funds in conducting corporate social responsibility and increase profits.

You can decide the topic whatever you want by those requirements I Essay - 1

You can decide the topic whatever you want by those requirements I pasted - Essay Example In order to create his plot and setting, Marquez uses an uncommon literary technique. For instance, he does not have a true main character. Garcia Marquez explored how capitalism can be used to rob contemporary societies using deeper human values. The main characters in the story show how capitalism can use human nature to exploit contemporary societies. Pelayo was among the first people to notice the old man. Though he was kind to the old man, he was not charitable or compassionate. His neighbors suggested that they should club the old man to death. This shows that people in this community are uncompassionate. Instead, he decided to keep the old man in his chicken house and charge admission fees to onlookers and the curious crowd. The main concerns for Pelayo are his sick child and family (Marquez 1). He was content to leave the theological and theoretical speculations to Father Gonzaga. Elisenda is Pelayo’s wife and she was concerned with practical matters. She suggested to her husband that they should charge an admission fee to anybody who wanted to see the old man. Though the old man brought numerous material advantages to the family, Elisenda portrayed an attitude of exasperation and annoyance. Elisenda is an exam ple of how capitalism exploits contemporary societies using human nature. Garcia Marquez used the conflicting actions of characters to unfold the story as a comical tragedy. After the old man’s usefulness dwindled, Elisenda began to see him as a nuisance. The old man became troublesome to Elisenda that she referred her new home as â€Å"hell full of angels† (Marquez 3). The new house was brought from the proceeds the family received from exhibiting the old man. The author’s statement that, â€Å"the angel was the only one who took no part in his own act. His only supernatural virtue seemed to be patience† shows how capitalism exploits contemporary societies (Marquez 2). This statement explains the situation in which the old

America and it's role in the world Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

America and it's role in the world - Essay Example Bush moved quickly to stimulate on the fear created by the 9/11 terrorist attacks. The result was a manufactured hysteria that created a situation in which the American public became easily manipulated to blindly accept any measures that promised greater security against the threat of another attack. Pres. Bush wasted little time in applying pressure on Congress to pass legislation that intended to loosen restrictions on civil liberties and constitutional rights under the guise of expanding the ability of law enforcement to investigate terrorist activity and only terrorist activity. The Patriot Act made it possible for investigators to more easily get search warrants and conduct eavesdropping. It also allows detainees to be held indefinitely and has led to racial profiling that has resulted in the detention of Middle Eastern immigrants for no other cause than that they resemble known terrorists (Finan 275). In other words, American has traded it in its longstanding tradition of fairness and equality for all in exchange for the security that comes with identifying criminals by the way they appear. Of course, because the crime is terrorism and because the criminals behind the act that ignited these crimes possessed a definite ethnic stereotypical appearance, it becomes easier to a ccept. How easily would Americans accept the idea of detaining anyone who looks British or French The sacrifice of liberties clearly has a racially discriminatory tone to it that proves that despite the election of a black man as President, the United States still has a long path to walk before the issue of judging a person based on appearance is thoroughly addressed. The argument that easy facilitation of search warrants is an incredibly powerful weapon in the war on terror is not the argument that is at stake at this point; increasingly the evidence is piling up that the abuse of the relaxation of rules regarding search warrants has been used not to protect American against a second attack by foreign terrorists, but to justify the invasion of the privacy of law abiding Americans with no connection to terrorism whatever. Sec. 206 of the Patriot Act allowed law enforcement agencies for the first time to require just a single warrant that would cover the wiretapping of a home phone, a cell phone, and a computer (Schermer 107). While the intent of such broad rewriting of the existing laws regarding wiretapping surveillance was to make it easier to investigate suspected terrorists, the most infamous example related to the expansion of surveillance laws resulted in an artist named Steve Kurtz being brought in for questioning on a very shaky foundatio n of suspicion that that bioterrorist weapons could be created from the ingredients he used in his art supplies. Under the auspices of the Patriot Act, and by definition under the concept that security means being willing to trade rights for protection, Mr. Kurtz was not only held without ever being officially charged, but while he was in custody law enforcement officers conducted a thorough search of his house and seized his computers. Worst of all was that during this prolonged investigation, the police even conducted an examination of his wife's body; she had died of cardiac arrest that morning. It was later determined that none of Kurtz's supplies could actually ever be used in the creation of a weapon (Sutton, Brind, McKenzie 131.) One of the most

Article Review Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Article Review - Essay Example Moreover, the limited funding usually available to managers of non-profits make them focus on only high-priority tasks, sacrificing quality of management. Hence, there is an inherent trade-off between management efficiency and leadership quality. Most non-profits seem to have one or the other; but the most successful few are those that display both these characteristics. Most leaders of non-profits surveyed for the article do indeed recognize this trade-off and admit to short-comings in their management standards. In their willingness to improve the same, these leaders were open to learning new techniques and principles and adopting them to their organizations. Some of them have already implemented some of principles and tasted success. The first of such measures is Getting Strategic Clarity. Achieving strategic clarity â€Å"means answering, in very concrete terms, two questions that are core to a nonprofit’s mission: What impact are we prepared to be held accountable for? A nd â€Å"What do we need to do - and not do - in order to achieve this impact?† (Stid & Bradach, 2009, p.37) By answering this set of questions, leaders are in a better position to align their resources and processes around core objectives.

History of Cognitive Psychology Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4000 words

History of Cognitive Psychology - Essay Example The contribution of early researchers under the guidance of cognitive behaviour made it possible to verify every research. They did not design a grand scheme to guide cognitive psychology through its development. Rather, early researchers applied insights from their immediate work to make initial headway. Their accomplishments were substantial and are reflected extensively in current work. (Barsalou, Lawrence.1992, p. 341) Modern psychology is initiated with the enhanced significance in cognition, which is unsceptical, as the same approach has been shared by all the researchers hitherto, which possess a solid ground of theoretical methodology. Cognitive psychology began to explore towards the end of the nineteenth century when in 1879 the first psychology laboratory was set up by Wilhelm Wundt at Leipzig. Wundt's research was mainly concerned with perception, including some of the earliest studies of visual illusions. Among one of the major studies on visual illusions was visual processing proposed by Mishkin in 1982. (Hahn, Martin, 1999, p. 71). In 1885 Hermann Ebbinghaus published the first experimental research on memory, and many subsequent researchers were to adopt his methods over the years that followed. Perhaps the most lasting work of this early period was a remarkable book written by William James in 1890, entitled Principles of Psychology. (Groome, David, 1999, p. 5). In this book James proposed a number of theories, which still remain acceptable to modern cognitive psychologists, including a theory distinguishing between short-term working memory and long-term storage memory. Watson (1913) Watson was the first cognitive psychologist to state the behaviourist position clearly as before Watson there was little progress in cognitive psychology in the early years due to the growing influence of behaviourism. Being the first influential figure, he maintained that psychologists should consider only observable variables such as the stimulus presented to the organism and any consequent response to that stimulus. He argued that they should not concern themselves with processes that they could not observe in a scientific manner, such as thought and conscious experience. The behaviourists were essentially trying to establish psychology as a true science, comparable in status with other sciences such as physics or chemistry. This was perhaps a worthy aim, but it had unfortunate consequences for the study of psychology for the next fifty years, as it had the effect of restricting experimental psychology mainly to the recording of externally observable responses. (Groome, David, 19 99, p. 5) Indeed, some behaviourists were so enthusiastic to explore beyond human experience that they never bothered to eliminate inner mental processes from their studies, which showed their eagerness to work on rats rather than on human subjects. No doubt, what experience a human being brings to a laboratory, nothing else can bring. B.F. Skinner (1938) Skinner, continued the classic work on the behaviourist approach, by training

GAME NOT OVER YET, NOT YET....ELECTRONIC ARTS Essay

GAME NOT OVER YET, NOT YET....ELECTRONIC ARTS - Essay Example This acts as a competitive advantage for the organization of EA as per industrial organization view. Not only this, according to resource based view, the sustainability of the firm mainly depends on its tangible and in-tangible resources. This might prove effective for the organization in enhancing its efficiency and popularity in the market among others thereby reducing its threat for new entrants. Apart from this, in order to enhance the net income and demand of the products of the organization, low cost unconventional strategies such as flash mobs, street art and many others are used. By doing so, the level of awareness and reputation of the organization enhances to a significant extent among others as stated by Guerrilla view. Yes, EA exhibited critical success factors in order to enhance its brand portfolio and profitability in new business context. Apart from other resources, the management of the organization of EA recruited highly experienced and talented individual from Apple, Xerox PARC, Atari and VisiCorp in order to enhance its dominance in the segment of online games and video games. This acted as a boon for the organization thereby amplifying its scope of success in the market among others. This is mainly because; they help in enhancing the inner talent of the workforces thereby amplifying the scope of invention. Due to which, the organization became able to cope up with changing preferences of the customers that enhanced its image and value in the market among others. In order to enhance its image, EA offered more attention over its tangible resources and so it recruited extremely talented and knowledgeable staffs within the organization. These resources are extremely essential for the organization so as to invent new product lines and so they are regarded as unique (Allen & et.al, 2011). An organization like EA might suffer from the issues

Leadership Assignment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Leadership Assignment - Essay Example If people believe in themselves, it's amazing what they can achieve.† (Brown, 2007) Some people are born to lead and Albert Arnold "Al" Gore, Jr is one of them History and background Al Gore was born on 31st of March in 1948 and served as the 45th vice president of the U. S. of America under the administration of president bill Clinton. Al gore was the nominee from the Democratic Party in 2000 for the election of the president of United States (Gore and Media, 2006). Al Gore is at present a writer, entrepreneur, and environmental campaigner (Berlet, 1995). He has formerly served as an US elected official for almost 24 years, and he represented Tennessee in the U.S. House of Representatives from the year 1977 to 1985, and later he served in the U.S. Senate from the year 1985 to 1993, and then finally he became the Vice President of united states of America in 1993. Even though in the 2000 election campaign, Al Gore won the popular vote by an amazing 500,000 votes and more. But, he could not stand up and eventually had to lose the Electoral College as well as the election, to Republican George W. Bush and this happened due to the Florida re counting case that Supreme Court ruled in the favor of GW bush. This has happened only once in the history of United States that Supreme Court has ruled in any president elections. Early Childhood Al gore was born in the hub of US that he was born in the Washington DC it self, he was the second child of Al gore senior who also was a representative in the senate from the state of Tennessee , his mother Pauline al gore graduated from the university of Vanderbilt ( its law school). One of his sisters died young due to lung cancer. The ancestors of al gore were Scottish and Irish who settled in Virginia in the middle of the 17th century and shifted to Tennessee after the war of revolution. During the year when he went to school he resided with his family in The Fairfax Hotel located in the Embassy Row section in Washington D .C. Al gore family was also in to cattle and farming, as in summer vacations al gore use to go to Tennessee and help on the family farms which grew tobacco and hay. Al Gore early schooling was from the St. Albans School in Washington, D.C. which was from the year 1956 to year 1965; this school was considered as a prestigious feeder school which prepared its students for the Ivy League colleges. Al gore was also into sports as he became the captain of the football team, was also in throw disc team and last but not the least participated in foot ball. He was also interested subject like in arts and government, he graduated and applied for the most prestigious college in the states that is Harvard and also got accepted Al gore’s political career for the US presidential candidate was a short one; Let's say you were dreaming up the ideal stealth applicant for 2008 presidential elections, A Democrat who could be a part of the Presidential race when the party confronts its doubts ab out the lead runners. Mostly the candidate should be some one like Barack Obama that the United States have in recent times. Especially when Iraq was one of the main targets for the US, and to hold US’s sovereignty it was very important to have a man who could deliver what he promised. Also it was very important to have a candidate who was rough and tough and knew how to handle the world through a center

Policy and Strategy in Global Competition Essay Example for Free

Policy and Strategy in Global Competition Essay Discussion Question 11.1: Why is it important for an organization to have alignment between its strategy and organizational structure? The relationship between an organization’s strategy and structure are extremely important because it â€Å"directly impacts a firm’s performance† (Rothaermel, 2013, p. 309). Also, as an organization grows, it should reevaluate the current strategy and structure to ensure that it remains the optimal choice for the organization (Rothaermel, 2013). The four types of organizational structures, listed in order of least to most complex according to Rothaermel (2013), are: (1) simple, (2) functional, (3) multidivisional, and (4) matrix. The simple structure is for small firms or organizations that are just starting out (Rothaermel, 2013). The decision-making structure is quite flat, as â€Å"the founders tend to make all the important strategic decisions† (Rothaermel, 2013, p. 309). Growth will often cause the higher-ups to feel overwhelmed under this type of structure, requiring the organization to adopt a different, more complex structure (Rothaermel, 2013). A functional structure groups employees into teams, allowing for increased decision-making at lower levels of the managerial chain (Rothaermel, 2013). The opportunity for specialization allows for the functional structure to be employed with each of the business-level strategies: cost leadership, differentiation, or integration (Rothaermel, 2013). One of the hurdles to overcome would be the likely increase in difficulties which arise from departmentalization of the varying teams (Rothaermel, 2013). The best way to overcome such a hurdle is through cross-functional teams (Rothaermel, 2013). Whenever the organization seeks greater diversification, into varying product lines and service offerings, it will likely look into utilizing a multidivisional structure (Rothaermel, 2013). Under this structure, the organization is further compartmentalized  into strategic business units (â€Å"SBUs†) which are governed by their own profit-and-loss (â€Å"PL†) responsibilities (Rothaermel, 2013). At this level, each of the SBUs is viewed as its own independent entity, pursuing its own profit-creating goals (Rothaermel, 2013). While organizations with a corporate-level strategy with a single or dominant business would be best served by a functional structure, organizations seeking related or unrelated diversification would be wise to utilize a multidivisional structure (Rothaermel, 2013). Lastly, the matrix structure is a combination of the functional and multidivisional structures (Rothaermel, 2013). It is most appropriate when an organization needs a structure which allows for both centralized and decentralized decision-making, and can be organized by geographic areas and product divisions (Rothaermel, 2013). While a global strategy does not automatically lend to a matrix structure, a transnational strategy which has the requirements above is better served through a matrix structure (Rothaermel, 2013). Discussion Question 11.3(a): What commonalities across the products would likely be enhanced by flexible cross-functional teams? Gore has product lines which include consumer products like guitar strings and vacuum filters, cables and cable assemblies, electronic and electrochemical materials, fabrics, fibers, filtration products, medical products, pharmaceutical processing, sealants, and venting products (Gore, 2015). Its product lines are used in industries ranging from aerospace and automotive to military and textiles (Gore, 2015). Gore utilizes cross-functional teams to help develop its many products within varying lines (Rothaermel, 2013). Cross-functional teams allow for individuals from differing functional areas within an organization to temporarily come together and work on a particular project (Rothaermel, 2013). These teams would allow for the differing products, though developed for a particular function, to be developed for use in more than one of the organization’s products (Rothaermel, 2013). As an example, the cables developed for aeronautics can likely be used in other electronic or automotive applications if developed by members from the appropriate cross-functional teams. Discussion Question 11.3(b): What would be your expectations of the type of norms found at W. L. Gore? Organizational norms â€Å"define appropriate employee attitudes and behaviors† (Rothaermel, 2013, p. 318). The norms which exist at Gore likely arise from founder imprinting,  which means that Bill Gore, the founder of W. L. Gore Associates, has helped to establish and define the company’s culture (Rothaermel, 2013). The organization’s four core values, stated succinctly, are: (1) fairness, (2) freedom, (3) individual commitment, and (4) consultation and collaboration (Rothaermel, 2013). These values, coupled with the open nature of the organization’s structure, result in organizational norms which encourage the free exchange of ideas and collaboration up and down the organizational ladder (Rothaermel, 2013). Employees, associates as they are called at Gore, likely show great respect to one another and to the customers for whom their products are developed (Rothaermel, 2013). Chapter 12 Discussion Question 12.1: How can a firm lower the chances that key managers will pursue their own self-interest at the expense of the stockholders? At the expense of the employees? Corporate governance tools are utilized to help align the interests of principals and agents, or organizations and employees (Rothaermel, 2013). A board of directors is one such tool which helps to prevent key managers to avoid pursuing their own self-interest at the expense of the stockholders (Rothaermel, 2013). A board of directors is independent, made up of both inside and outside directors, and answers directly to the shareholders (Rothaermel, 2013). Another tool is executive compensation which links compensation to the performance of the company (Rothaermel, 2013). This means that the CEO would receive certain stock options in lieu of pay (Rothaermel, 2013). If the company’s stocks are doing well, likely showing that the company is successfully operating, then the CEO receives greater value in the stock options (Rothaermel, 2013). The concept of the market as a corporate control has the potential to protect both stockholders’ and employees’ interests through a key manager’s fear of being replaced if the company performs poorly (Rothaermel, 2013). If a company is not performing well, then the stock prices will begin to plummet, increasing the opportunity for an entity to purchase enough shares to exert significant control over the company (Rothaermel, 2013). Such control would likely result in the removal of current management, and possibly the dismantling of the organization (Rothaermel, 2013). This clearly injures the management, employees, and shareholders of the failing organization. As  such, managers are motivated by the external market to perform well, thereby protecting the interests of stockholders and employees alike (Rothaermel, 2013). Discussion Question 12.2: Why are these two roles typically separated? Is it a positive development for so many firms to have a combined CEO and board chair? The two roles of management and ownership are typically separated to ensure that the board of directors maintains its necessary independence (Rothaermel, 2013). Where a board of directors is   The decline stage differs from those above, as it introduces four strategic options for firms to pursue: (1) exit, (2) harvest, (3) maintain, and (4) consolidate (Rothaermel, 2013). The exit strategy is precisely as it says: it involves the firm choosing to leave the market to pursue other endeavors (Rothaermel, 2013). The harvest strategy means that the firm will still sell the product or service, but will reduce the level of investment in its maintenance and development (Rothaermel, 2013). The maintain strategy is also exactly what it sounds like: the firm continues offering the product or service at the same level as it has been, despite the declining demand (Rothaermel, 2013). The consolidate strategy involves the purchasing of rivals in an effort to shrink the industry, which provides firms employing this strategy to reach near-monopolistic status (Rothaermel, 2013). References Rothaermel, F. T. (2013). Strategic Management. New York: McGraw-Hill/Irwin. Walmart. Our story. Retrieved on January 25, 2015, from http://corporate.walmart.com/our-story/

Is Genetic Engineering Ethically Right Philosophy Essay

Is Genetic Engineering Ethically Right Philosophy Essay Is genetic engineering ethically right? Ethics are standards of right and wrong, good and bad. Ethics is the system of moral principles. They influence how people make decisions and guide their lives. Ethics are concerned with what you must to do to fulfill your moral duty. There are two aspects to ethics which are being able to determine what is right or wrong, good or bad and Committing to doing what is right and good. Furthermore being ethical is more than understanding what is the right thing to do therefore you should avoid wrong and bad. Genetic engineering was discovered in 1970. It involves changing the genetic material form organisms. It often involves taking a gene from one organism and inserting it into the genetic structure of another organism. It gives the power to change many aspects of nature and could result in a lot of life saving treatment. Genetic engineering is also known as genetic modification or genetic manipulation. There are several areas of genetic engineering for example genetic engineering of animals, crops, embryos, human cells and cloning. Cloning a human performed by taking genetic materials from one or more human and genetically engineering them into the genes of another human, the first mammal to be cloned is Dolly the sheep. Researchers grow some cells from the organism to be cloned, and remove the nucleus from an unfertilized egg cell. They then take one of the cultured cells and implant it in its entirety into the coating around the egg. Then electroshock the egg to cause the two cells to fuse, and implant the new embryo into a surrogate mother. When the baby is born, two genetically identical individuals of different ages and with different birth parents will exist, therefore the original human will have been cloned. Cloning can be useful if there was a situation a couple has one child and they become infertile and cannot have any more children. Cloning would help them to have a second child but it will a younger twin of the child they already have. Moreover if child is lost soon after birth or in a tragic accid ent they could have their baby or child back by cloning them but it would be like a twin unique individuals they will not have the same characteristics. There are small group of people that support cloning. Supporters of cloning that cloning is unethical than growing a plant from a cutting or giving birth to identical twins, both of which involve two separate and distinct organisms with identical genomes. Since identical twins have the exact same genome, but still grow up with different personalities, clones are raised in entirely different time periods and social backgrounds will be entirely individual despite identical genes. Therefore for the supporters cloning is just another scientific topic and they assume it will become a reproductive choice, and those who wish to clone then selves must have the rights to do. Finally the large majority of people argue that cloning humans is both unnatural and unethical. For instance the cloned child wouldnt have a genetic mother or father it would have a single nuclear donor. For instance if a man cloned himself that child would be a new category of relationship to him as his clone, the child cannot be his son or his twin brother therefore the child would face lots of problems when growing up, other childrens at school will have parents but this child wouldnt. Many religions such as Hindu and Islam also object to cloning, they claim that it is playing God. Genetic engineering of animals includes manipulation of genes in animals of any species. Genetic engineering of animals could have been taking place for thousands of years as humans have chosen which characteristics they like in an animal and its appearance. They have performed this in the form of selective breeding they have then breed these animals in a variety of ways. There are three types of genetic engineering that can be used on animals, these are Xenografting- this is performed by using the human DNA to supplement an animal or vice versa and example if this is animal valves and tissue been used in humans. The human body accepts pig valves and hearts this is because the scientists believe that the DNA of pig heart valves was similar enough to humans and that they were interchangeable under some circumstances. They are hoping to make pigs grow human hearts that were coded by the DNA from humans which has not yet reached for clinical trials. If this was successful many of the pe ople lives can be saved using the pigs heart therefore the clients no longer need to wait for human heart. Cloning of animal using the DNA of one animal to another animal with the identical genetic information an example of this is Dolly the sheep. This is done by inserting the DNA of one animal into the foetus of the same species. There are befits on it has great potential as a money making industry and also in producing genetically identical animals for testing and reproduce and clone for example cloning the best cows that produce the most milk or meat this can be quick and cheap for farmers. Finally manipulation this is the changing of animal DNA. An example of this is when scientists had a successful attempt where they genetically engineered a pig to produce human insulin that can be used to treat diabetes, this is very beneficial to humans and it is being used medically to treat type one diabetes. Another type of genetic engineering is genetic modification of embryo also known as designer baby. In genetic engineering ethical issues involved. Ethics Xenografting deals with both human and animal there are ethics involved with both groups. Xenografting gives animals human DNA and human animals DNA. This can question people because an animal cannot contain human DNA as it would not be an animal if it did. Furthermore animals are a step down from human in the food chart therefore if a chicken contain human DNA human might not want to eat something that has the same DNA. What are the current and potential benefits that make genetic engineering of animals worth while? How does the chemical based genetic modification differ from the age old process of selective breeding? Should companies be allowed to patent the genetic modification of an animal? If not, what steps can they take to protect their research? There are endless amounts of questions involved in genetic engineering in general but I think the decisions are particularly jarring with animals because they are very similar to humans; more so than plants. Are humans ready to handle a future where their bloodlines may include animal genes from someone who got a pig/human heart transplant? For genetic engineering of animals to be useful and practical humans must come to grips with coming into contact with animals that contain human genes and vice versa. There may be humans with pig hearts in the very near future. There are also risks associated with any kind of genetic engineering, but if society can agree with it on a basic level it will lead to a lot of good. There is a huge amount of money invested already and even more waiting for a chance. Genetic engineering is the thing of the future. Religious beliefs may be tested, genetic engineering of animals may not be part of the future, but in some form genetic engineering as a whole will have a profound impact on our future. Once genetic engineering of animals is accepted a big issue is the relationship between science and money. Genetic engineering is advancing thanks to the large amounts of green given by corporations who see it as an investment. If they can increase milk production in cows or make animal/human organs that are not susceptible to rejection they will be rich. This kind of research and development has potential as a money making device, a research tool, and in medicine. Conflicts Between Industry and Medicine The battle is between private investments and other money, government and private, looking to advance the science. On one hand genetic engineering of animals has great promise. It could solve the shortage of organs which kills thousands of people each year as they wait in line for an organ they may receive too late. This is something that has great promise as an investment and an asset to society. There are other more short termed money making research projects that debase the scientific community and hurt the welfare of society. These are things associated seldom with the medical field but more often with production. For example the use BGH (Bovine Growth Hormone) in cows to increase their milk production. This was not an medical concern and it has few benefits, except for cutting down on grazing land, but enough milk was already being produced. These production minded projects taint the medical promise of genetic engineering and turn it into a dangerous money making scheme. There a re many risks associated w ith genetic engineering. It is a field that is not completely understood and there are many risks involved; disease (both for one generation or genetically based), infection from animal genes, and a restriction of the genetic base (like inbreeding) with more to come. Genetic engineering will be a part of our future and DNA from non-human animals has already been useful. Soon this explosive new industry will find its limits within societys morals. Cloning Cloning in animals can be accomplished by inserting the DNA of one animal into the fetus of the same specie along with a vector which gets cleans out the DNA already in the embryo. Sometimes the vector does not get rid of the original DNA of the fetus or the fetus does not adopt the new DNA. It took 277 attempts for the scientists to clone Dolly from the skin cell of a six year old. This shows some of the shortcomings of cloning that are likely to change with time. Currently scientists have trouble cloning embryos without miscarriages. The embryos that do take to the new DNA also have a greater likelihood of mutations. An additional problem stems from the fact that the cells come from other animals. Dollys DNA came from a six year old lamb. Now some of the worries, based on chromosome tests of Dollys cells, relate to the fact that while Dolly is only one year old some of her chromosomes have mutations that are common in much older sheep. This means that while Dolly is only one year old she may also have cha racteristics or cells that are seven years old. There are also questions about whether or not the cloned animals will be fertile. Dolly is almost old enough to reproduce now and this will be one test of whether or not cloned animals can be fertile. However, scientists will still want to look at a larger sample size before they decide whether or not cloned animals are infertile. There have been other instances where animals have been successfully cloned. Cloning has great potential as a money making industry and also in producing genetically identical animals for testing. Much of the cloning research in animals thus far has been focused on cattle. There would be great demand for a technology that could reproduce the best cows (produce the most milk, or meat, etc.) quickly and cheaply. Gene Manipulation Thus far the scientists have had bad results trying to manipulate animal genes. There have been good results but many of the studies are still pending. One successful attempt has been the engineering of a pig to produce human insulin that can be used to treat diabetes. Research is also being conducted at both Dartmouth and Duke University over using pigs hearts that have enough human characteristics to keep from being rejected by humans. These pigs would be used for heart and valve transplants. Some of the problems are the difficulty involved with doctoring the genes of a higher level organism and the differences that still exist between humans and animals. Even once pig hearts can be used in humans they will still have a different circulatory system and life expectancy to contend with among other problems. Manipulation-The changing of animal DNA. Genehis means that science can engineer farm animals to grow faster, have healthier meat and flesh, and be less able to feel the pain and suffering often associated with the conditions present in modern factory farms.   Genetically engineered animals are also created to help medical researchers in their quest to find cures for genetic disease, like breast cancer.  Ã‚  Finally, endangered animal species can be cloned, thus helping wildlife management in its goals of preserving wild populations of the earths biological diversity, and by ensuring that endangered animals genetic information will not be lost when the last of the species dies.   This use of modern technology is not without its drawbacks or its critics.  Ã‚  By genetically engineering farm and research animals, critics argue, we may be undoing what nature has worked to create over millions of years.  Ã‚  Natural animals are specifically adapted to a given environment and when science manipulates the genes of a few species in the ecosystem, the entire balance of the ecosystem might fall completely apart causing an unknown number of natural animal species to grow ever extinct.  Others argue that animals should possess, at a bare minimum, the right to be free of genetic manipulation or a reduction in their natural abilities.   Despite this debate, the law in both the United States and in Europe, tends to support genetic engineering research and development by allowing genetically engineered animals to be patented.  Ã‚  Patents give scientists a monopoly over their genetically engineered animal species, something before unheard of in modern economic systems.  Typically, animals could be owned, but never entire species.   Regardless, we must not wait and see what the effects genetic engineering animals will have on the earth.  Ã‚  We must form educated opinions, lobby for government regulation, and hope that whatever direction that bioengineering takes us, is a positive step towards decreased animal suffering, increased environmental sustainability, and an overall compassionate regard for the earth and its precious life. http://www.animallaw.info/topics/tabbed%20topic%20page/spusgenengin.htm The ethical issue of cloning humans has been a debatable topic, for example the controversy over Dolly, the first cloned mammal. Supporters of cloning argue that it is no more unnatural than binary fission, the process by which bacteria reproduce to produce identical copies of themselves; they go on to state that cloning is no more unethical than growing a plant from a cutting or giving birth to identical twins, both of which involve two separate and distinct organisms with identical genomes. Since identical twins have the exact same genome, but still grow up with different personalities, clones raised in entirely different time periods and social contexts will be entirely individual despite identical genes. In this view, cloning is just another scientific topic and will become just another reproductive option, and those who wish to research cloning or to be cloned should not be stopped. There is a small group of people who oppose cloning or at least stop on it for the time being for practical, not moral or ethical, reasons. These people argue that cloning is ethically acceptable, but practically unsound because of the resultant decrease in the genetic diversity of the human gene pool. They also advise more extensive experiments on the effects of cloning on animals before human beings are cloned. Finally, a large majority of people argue that cloning humans is both unnatural and unethical. They cite fears that include: peoples individuality being impaired or ruined due to cloning technologies; aggressor nations creating armies of cloned soldiers to assault other nations; overpopulation due to sudden ease of reproduction; depletion of the human gene pool; and a number of concerns about the moral status of clones. Some go so far as to postulate a stratified society divided into the cloned and the uncloned, and fears about eugenics or of reserving cloning technology to the genetically desirable generally surface. Many religions also object to cloning, again by claiming that it is playing God. http://www.bbc.co.uk/ethics/introduction/intro_1.shtml http://www.sbctc.edu/public/trustees/what_are_ethics.pdf ******** http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/gcsebitesize/science/aqa_pre_2011/evolution/reproductionrev6.shtml http://library.thinkquest.org genetically modified animals ethics read on it http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3078015/ https://govhs.org/vhsweb/Gallery.nsf/Files/Genetic+Engineering,+a+group+project/$file/animal.html http://www.humancloning.org/benefits.php

Culture of Hyatt Hotel Corporation

Culture of Hyatt Hotel Corporation The scope for the examination of behavior in organizations is very wide. There is a multiplicity of interrelated factors which influence the behavior and performance of people as members of a work organization. It is important to recognize the role of management as an integrating activity and as the cornerstone of organizational effectiveness. People and organizations need each other. The manager needs to understand the main influences on behavior in work organizations and the nature of the people organization relationship. (Laurie J Mullins, 2007). In this assignment I aim to analyse the working of Hyatt Hotel Corporation with reference to their cultural characteristics and how the company portrays itself. I also will analyse their emphasis on coaching their employees and the importance and effectiveness of the same. I will also discuss the tools Hyatt uses to motivate their employees and how it affects performance as well as the attrition rate of the company. Introduction to the company Hyatt Hotels and Resorts Hyatt was founded by Jay Pritzker in 1957 when he purchased the Hyatt House motel adjacent to the Los Angeles International Airport. Over the following decade, Jay Pritzker and his brother Donald Pritzker, working together with other Pritzker family business interests, grew the company into a North American management and hotel ownership company, which became a public company in 1962. In 1968, Hyatt International was formed and subsequently became a separate public company. Hyatt Corporation and Hyatt International Corporation were taken private by the Pritzker family business interests in 1979 and 1982, respectively. On December 31, 2004, substantially all of the hospitality assets owned by Pritzker family business interests, including Hyatt Corporation and Hyatt International Corporation, were consolidated under a single entity, now named Hyatt Hotels Corporation. Hyatt manages, owns, franchises and develops 434 properties around the world as of March 31, 2010. The Companys business is conducted by its employees and officers, under the direction of the President and Chief Executive Officer and the oversight of the Board of Directors to enhance the long-term value of the Company for its stockholders. The Board of Directors is elected by the stockholders to oversee management and to assure that the long-term interests of the stockholders are being served. The Board recognizes that the long-term interests of stockholders are advanced by taking into consideration, as appropriate, the concerns of other stakeholders, including associates, guests, property owners, suppliers, the public and members of the communities in which Hyatt Hotels Corporation operates. Hyatt Hotels Mission, Goals, Values Mission We provide authentic hospitality. We make a difference in the lives of those we touch everyday that is our definition of hospitality.   We do this in an environment that respects all people and all ideas.   We do it in an efficient way that leads to superior results.    Goals We aspire to be the preferred brand in each of the segments we servemost preferred among our:    Employees Guests Owners (both third party property owners as well as stockholders) Values Mutual Respect Listen well Verify Acknowledge Intellectual Honesty and Integrity Tell and accept the truth Honor your commitments Humility Let actions speak for themselves Recognize the contributions of others Fun Dont take yourself too seriously Creativity and Innovation Challenge conventional wisdom Take action/risks Evaluate METHOD As a corporate development trainee at the organization, I was involved in Human resources and Training departments of the hotel which gave me access to the policy manuals, Hyatt employee intranet and other resources. This has helped me gather the information mentioned below. Also, due to constant interaction with other employees of the organization from each department, I am able to analyze the mentioned data and discuss in detail, how the organization is faring and whether the strategy they have applied is beneficial to the performance of the company. Culture Hyatt, being a large organization maintains a basic culture although due to the size of the company and the number of employees globally, each division and hotel has developed a sub culture which defines the particular place. Hyatt believes that these sub cultures should be encouraged as long as they do not conflict with the companys basic culture. In an organization with the diversity and global presence as Hyatt, one can see both, a strong overall culture as well as the growth of powerful sub-cultures that reflect the large culture but are also different in important ways. (Schein, 2003) The word culture in Hyatt International Operations is used to refer to the personality of the organization and is formed by the combination of the following elements: Shared values (What we think is important) Beliefs (How we think things should be done) Norms (The way we do things around here) Role Models (The people who personify our corporate values) Systems (Our written and unwritten ground rules) The company has strong cultural characteristics and values that it abides by. These characteristics are based on the global presence of the company. They have six main cultural characteristics which are elaborated below. These elements determine the ways in which the organization and its people behave and solve business problems. The six key characteristics that describe the Hyatt culture are highlighted as follows: We are  innovative. Hyatt was the first hotel chain to start the atrium lobby concept in the world. They have always found alternate and smarter solutions to issues in the hospitality industry. They pride in the concept of being innovators of new trends in the industry. We work through  teams. Hyatt encourages an environment in which employees are made to work in teams to enhance performance. This also helps in increased motivation and employee satisfaction due to constant feedback from the team. We  care  for each other. Hyatt ensures that the employees are empathetic towards each others needs. They portray a picture of a family when speaking with their employees to nurture a caring attitude. We encourage  personal growth. Hyatt has numerous programs and training modules that allow fast track growth of employees. They have recognition programs for their employees and they ensure that the performance of each employee is tracked and monitored to keep employees motivated We are  multicultural. Hyatt has a presence across the globe which makes it important for the company to adapt and change according to different cultures. They ensure that there is no discrimination in terms of colour, ethnicity, religion or race. We are  customer focused. Hyatt ensures that they are focused towards the satisfaction of their external as well as internal customers. The policies of the organization keep the employees, guests as well as owners benefits in mind. These six characteristics are encouraged and rewarded throughout all aspects of Hyatts operations. They are introduced to new employees through an updated History of Hyatt presentation during the hotels Orientation Program. These cultural characteristics are communicated to all the employees of the organization so that they can reward behaviors which demonstrate them; and, hire people who will thrive in them. Preserving and communicating their culture in International Operations is critical to their continued growth and success. They can enhance the culture by rewarding the behaviors that support it, by recruiting new employees who can easily assimilate into their culture, and by demonstrating the characteristics in the day-to-day operations. From a more tactical perspective -, Hyatt makes it a point to reward behaviors that exemplify their culture such as teamwork, caring, and innovation.  This can be done through recognition programs such as HYachiever Awards, HYstar Awards, and others. They also incorporate it into their hiring processes to ensure that they are hiring people who will fit into the culture and who already share many of these characteristics. In their culture of inclusion, employees feel accepted for the individuals they are, regardless of their background, style, ideas, or beliefs. Hyatt continues to receive recognition as one of Americas best companies for our diverse population. An illustration of this culture is given below: For one week, every year, Hyatt comes together globally to Celebrate Our People by recognizing and acknowledging the most important asset to the company, their associates. This is also the perfect time to understand the differences of associates and understand the vast cultures represented in the company by pairing and celebrating with a sister hotel in another country. The culture of the organization if put in a model would be best described by Role Culture mentioned by Charles Handy in his book Understanding organizations. Role culture is successful in this organization as it is a very large company with many subsidiaries and units. All the hotels in the company are to be managed and operated according to one particular culture which makes it easy to have a flat, predictable system such as the Role culture. The hotel industry is based on predictions and planning which makes it a sensible decision to adapt to the role culture. Even though as mentioned by Mr. Handy, role cultures are slow when it comes to change, Hyatt manages change quite well as the communication, training and development is very efficiently handled. Role cultures offer security and predictability to the individual. They offer a predictable rate of climb up the pillar. They offer the chance to acquire specialist expertise without risk. They tend to reward the satisfier, the person concerned with doing his job up to the standard. The role culture is frustrating for an individual who is power oriented, or wants control over his or her work; who is eagerly ambitious or more interested in results than method. (Charles Handy, 1993) To overcome the predictability and non innovation that role culture brings about in the organization, Hyatt has a number of fast track development programs for employees that enable them to identify potential leaders and enroll them in these programs. The productivity of each employee is monitored carefully and regularly through performance development programs run by the individual department monitored by Human resources. The most important conclusion is that culture is a multifaceted, multidimensional phenomenon which is not easily reduced to a few major dimensions. Culture reflects the effort put in by the group to cope and learn, and is the residue of this learning process. Culture provides meaning, predictability and stability in the present and is also the result of effective decisions from the groups past. (Schein, 2003) MOTIVATION The hotel industry is a significant part of the tourism industry worldwide and its employees play a key role in delivering the service product to its customers. Excellent service provided by employees can create lasting positive experiences for customers. The individual motivational constructs of the hospitality employee play an important and perceivably a significant role in achieving high satisfaction among hotel customers. The motivation of employees, whether professional, skilled or unskilled, is a major issue in all service organizations. For the hotel industry, employee motivation is a major issue. It is a challenge for the management of the hotel industry to motivate employees to work with energy and efficiency due to odd hours and high stress situations One of the companys responsibilities is related to ensuring employees workplace motivation. Human resource managements function is to assist the company in keeping the employees satisfied with their jobs. If employees are not satisfied, they will not perform to expected norms. Workplace dissatisfaction and poor performance usually lead to high employee turnover in the hospitality industry, particularly in developed countries. According to a Hotel and Catering Training Company in the United Kingdom, turnover is the United Kingdom was estimated to have cost the hotel and catering industry 430 million pounds a year, and turnover was higher among men than women (Lucas, 1995). It was also reported that in order to reduce labor turnover and retain productive employees, management has to improve working conditions and keep the employees properly motivated. Human resource managers need to understand the motivational processes and human needs in different cultures. To understand employees needs, managers should understand key theories that help them learn the basic needs of people. Maslows theory is one of many theories that pointed out the basic sorts of needs. They are Physiological needs, Security needs, Belongingness needs, Esteem needs, and Self-actualization needs. The lower level needs must be satisfied before the next higher level. Another theory, Hertzbergs is based on two distinct sets of factors: hygiene factors such as pay, organizations, policies, working environment and motivating factors such as recognition, promotion, achievement and the intrinsic nature of the work. Hyatt has a number of various ways to keep their employees motivated. They follow the Herzbergs motivational theory with an adaptation of Maslows hierarchy of needs. Hyatt fulfills the Hygiene factors mentioned in the Hertzberg theory by providing the basic needs of efficient supervisory hierarchy, good working conditions, a transparent system of communication and interpersonal relations, a competitive salary along with benefits such a health insurance, provident fund and pension schemes. The companys Human Resource policies and administrative policies are also in place to ensure satisfied employees. Hyatts motivational factors in terms of the theory are also fulfilling. Their recognition programs are mentioned below in detail. In terms of the work itself, it is a challenging industry which involves a high amount of dedication and self motivation. The timings and high stress situations during peak seasons require on the spot decision making skills while being calm and composed for the client. The attrition rate in the industry is high due to these challenging factors. Hyatt tries to ensure that all their employees are motivated at all times although a weaker personality may not be able to handle the pressure which creates a situation where they do not last increasing the attrition rate of the industry itself. Recognition Programs the HYachievers, HYinnovators and HYstar Programs as well as the Service Awards are the minimum requirements that are implemented in every hotel. The Director of Human Resources is responsible for coordinating these programs and plays a pro-active role in supporting and developing new programs as appropriate for the hotel. All employee recognition programs are budgeted annually during the Business Plan process. HYstar Award: People making a difference The HYstar program has been developed to recognize the employees who continuously demonstrate Hyatt International Operations  Cultural  characteristics. The objectives of the HYstar recognition program are to reinforce the companys vision, mission and culture mentioned above. HYstar points are awarded individually to employees by various sources such as guest compliments, managers log, employee suggestions and exceptional performances. As an employee earns points in the program, they are able to utilize their points to redeem gifts at any point in time. Some examples of the types of gifts a hotel may offer are: Vouchers (i.e. food vouchers from a local grocery stores) Phone cards T-Shirts Bags Small gifts (Hyatt Logo gifts) Additional laundry entitlement Restaurant vouchers Hotel merchandise At the end of the calendar year, one  HYstar of the Year  will be awarded to the employee with the highest number of points over a one-year period. The following are examples of awards that could be presented to  HYstar of the Year: Airline ticket to a vacation destination Stay with full board at another Hyatt property Extra paid vacation to enjoy the above Some extra cash to enjoy shopping and vacation Hyatt also incorporates Maslows Hierarchy of needs to keep their employees motivated. They ensure that the Physiological and Safety needs are taken care of by providing a competitive salary including a meal a day and House rent Allowances, they have strict policies to ensure job safety in terms of termination policies and work environment as per local rules and regulations for health and safety. In order to fulfill the social, esteem and self actualization needs of their employees, they conduct an annual survey which has been formulated by an organization known as Gallup. This survey asks twelve simple questions and can review the satisfaction levels of the employees and departments of the hotels. This allows the company to know the challenges they are facing in terms of employee satisfaction and build strategies to overcome them. This survey is also used as a tool to evaluate individual hotels, and their departments in terms of levels of satisfaction which in turn affects the efficiency of the employees eventually affecting the performance of the company. The summarized results of the last two years are mentioned below as an overview of the performance of the company. In 2010, participation was strong and the 86% of Hyatt employees around the world filled the survey. The aim of conducting the survey is for the company to understand how to provide the best workplace in the hospitality industry. 1) Hyatt increased the population of employees who feel engaged by 11% in comparison to 2008/2009. 2) Over 16,000 action plans were prepared and executed in 2009. The results show that those who worked together to develop a plan and then saw it through to meaningful change were rewarded with the significant improvement in their teams engagement. Those who did not complete plans, or have meaningful discussions, saw their engagement levels remain flat or decline. 3) RECOGNITION and PROGRESS in the first half of 2010 showed the most overall improvement from 2008-2009. These were also the two items that most work groups selected in the action planning process. In 2010, Hyatt found that engaged employees are 11 times more likely to know what Hyatt stands for and what makes it different from competitors. Engaged employees are also 12 times more likely to be proud of Hyatts products and services, and 10 times more likely to recommend Hyatt to friends and family. Importance of the survey to Hyatt There is a clear and strong relationship between positive business outcomes and a workforce that identifies with organizational goals and demonstrates a strong, emotional commitment. Building and sustaining a positive experience at work for employees is important. This kind of accomplishment does not happen overnight and, once achieved, can vanish quickly if the support of engagement is not made a part of everyday lives. The feedback in 2010 will make it possible for Hyatt to focus on two or three areas in each department that will improve the work experience for the team members. Managers will be accountable for establishing meaningful action plans with the team to drive change. Information sessions are being scheduled to support action planning in individual departments and hotels with the goal of improving the employee experience at Hyatt. In addition, regular messages are posted on the employee portal that provides information on best practices that relate to creating preference in the workplace. Coaching The Hyatt Leadership Network (HLN) is an employee portal containing standardized training modules that have been developed for the employees. Each employee is enrolled in these modules according to their job description. The format of HLN is intended to provide resources that are easily accessible for learners and to support individual and business development needs.  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚   Hyatt Leadership Network learning content is organized within four schools.   The School of General Studies  provides the fundamentals of learning for all employees.   The resources available support Hyatts mission, goals, and values by providing resources that build on Hyatts culture.  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚   The School of Hospitality  provides the operational standards of performance and includes the technical skills, service expectations, and systems knowledge required in daily hotel operations.   The School of Management  provides resources supporting management skills development for Hyatt employees that lead to superior results.   The Leadership Institute  provides formal and informal development opportunities designed for future leaders at Hyatt.     Ãƒâ€šÃ‚  Hyatt believes that personal growth is an important aspect of an employees Hyatt experience; the Hyatt Leadership Network is important for the company by helping the employees meet their individual development goals.   Apart from the above, each hotel has an individual training department that imparts regular training and development modules which are beneficial to the employees. The training managers are responsible for doing a training need analysis for the employees and enroll them in various programs for their development and growth. Training is used to improve knowledge and skills, and to change attitudes, it acts like an important potential motivator. There are many benefits of training to the employee as well as the organization: Employee confidence, motivation and commitment increases It provides recognition, enhances responsibility which may lead to increased pay and promotion It provides the employee with a sense of personal satisfaction and achievement which broadens opportunities for career progression Helps to improve the quality and availability of the employees. (Mullins, 2007) Below, is a table provided by Mullins in his book defining Training, and summarizing the training in an organization. This chart fits in with an organization like Hyatt due to its large size, skill requirements and situation handling needs in its employees. There is also a strong mentoring system in place. Each new employee is mentored by an experienced employee. This helps the new employees learn and understand the processes as well as provides them with a confidante who helps them fit in to the organization and imbibe the culture. Coaching is the process of helping employees improve performance and develop their capacity to perform well in the future. It is about changing behavior to make things better. Because the process of change is difficult and can provoke anxiety, people often resist it. The forces of inertia are strong, but effective coaching can surmount them. (Friedman, 2010) Hyatt Hotels encourage coaching with the help of the mentoring system, and a concept known as Hyatt on skill training. This training module is undergone by supervisors and above. Graduating this module enables employees to conduct training sessions for tasks. Training may be conducted within the department / team. A trainer is entitled to train three other employees at a time. This enables personalized coaching for employees which makes it easier for them to understand and work on day to day tasks thus increasing the productivity. Monitoring of employees performance is also easier and more effective making them more confident in their jobs. Summary and Conclusion After the above report on Hyatt Hotels Corporation, one can derive many conclusions about the company. Hyatt is a very large organization with a presence around the world and has been awarded many times for being a great company to work for. Some of their most recent awards are mentioned below: The Culture of Hyatt Taking into consideration, Mr. Charles Handys models of culture, Hyatt follows the Role culture model. This model is getting increasingly popular with large organizations as it works by logic and rationality. The internal business processes are controlled by A process and procedure for roles fixed job descriptions, definition of authority A process and procedure for communication fixed channels and tools of communication Rules for dispute settlements a process of appeal and thorough investigation. Hyatt portrays a strong corporate culture. Corporate culture may be defined as the sum total of the customs, traditions, values and meanings that make the company unique. Since the corporate culture is formulated by the senior management and founders of the organization, it is often termed as the character of the organization. (Montana P, 2008)