San diego pension crisis Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

San diego pension crisis - Research Paper Example This was a bad precedent that would set a devastating trend way into the future. Successive local governments would use the pension funds for other purposes when the economy started to slow down. To give an example, in 2002 when the city government was unable to give pay raises to employees, the city offered increases in pension of 25 percent. This was done despite the fact that the city’s cash contributions into the pension fund had lowered. It was under this corrupt scheme that the City Council promised to increase the pension benefits provided a plan that allowed the city reduce funding to the pension kitty was approved by the retirement board which is controlled by the labor union and city employees. Despite warnings issued by Diann Shipione, who was a trustee of the pension board, the underfunding was approved. Diann warned that the plan would in the long run bankrupt the city. A private attorney who represented the board also indicated that the plan was most likely illeg al. Mayor Dick Murphy, who was running for re-election in 2004, denied allegations that the city had serious financial problems at a time when deficit in the pension fund was close to hitting one billion dollars. Murphy was forced to resign later due to the pension scandal. In January 2006, seven people were indicted for conspiracy to commit fraud. These included the former pension systems director and the staff attorney. It is believed that this system of dipping into the pension funds was also emulated by other cities but its effects in San Diego were extreme. Recent efforts by Mayor Jerry Sanders to develop measures to salvage the pension situation have been met with resistance from different circles. The ballot measure which was proposed by the mayor and councilman Kevin Faulconer was put under a lot of scrutiny. The proposal would have overhauled the retirement benefits for the city workers. It was met by heavy criticism from both sides of the political divide. Councilman Carl DeMaio who developed another separate proposal on how to deal with the pension issue was one of the most vocal critics of the mayor’s proposal. He is at one time quoted to have referred to the mayor’s proposal as a toothless tiger (Gustafson, â€Å"Critics Say†). He reiterated that the proposal did not comprehensively deal with the pension problems that the city faced. The proposal if approved would have introduced strict measures of conducting new hires for public safety jobs. It would also have eliminated guaranteed pensions for new hires and replaced this with 401(k) s (Gustafson, â€Å"Critics Say†). The suggestion that guaranteed pensions for firefighters, police officers and lifeguards was not supported by politicians. Other leaders of unions especially those whose members were to be affected also vowed to rally their members to oppose the proposal. Frank De Clercq who heads the firefighters union in San Diego projected that if implemented ideals of the proposal will lead to challenges during recruitment into the affected jobs (Gustafson, â€Å"Critics Say†).This is because people will be reluctant to risk their lives in jobs that do not guarantee their well being after retirement. He further added that firefighters risked their lives on a daily basis in order to save the lives of others (Gustafson, â€Å"San Diego Pension†). Jay Goldstone, who is the chief operating officer of the city, was of the opinion that a lot of savings were to be made

Benchmarking - Amgen Corporation Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Benchmarking - Amgen Corporation - Case Study Example APQC provides Amgen with a list of 40 potential benchmarking companies from which Amgen selects the best seven. Amgen gets a chance to visit four of the companies while the other three are interviewed over the phone. After scaling itself against these companies, Amgen restructures its sales training and development department. After realizing the positive results from the benchmarking, Amgen sought to use the same concept to evaluate its mode of movement of the products from the production stage to the end user. In the process, it has been able to learn many lessons. For instance, Amgen has learned that one of the hindrances to effective benchmarking is a failure to make effective implementation of the learned concepts. Finding suitable companies willing to participate in the benchmarking is a challenge though APQC comes in handy in such instances. Through benchmarking, Amgen has been able to make a milestone development in various aspects of its operations. The best decision Amgen could ever have done was to initiate the benchmarking concept in their business. It would have been disastrous for Amgen to continue with their business operations and ideas without measuring themselves against the top performers. Other competitors, who are performing better in human resource management, would have overtaken them. It is always important to keep a constant evaluation of strengths and weaknesses in all aspects of business and then execute benchmarking to address the weaknesses. Amgen integrated the benchmarking idea just in time when it would have lost total control over the increasing number of employees. Certainly, Amgen will continue reaping the benefits of benchmarking even in future. For any business to be successful, it has to embrace the change of events that are prevalent in modern business conditions. Competition is on the rise and only the most competitive and organized businesses will remain in business.  Ã‚  

Asthma Essay With Conclusions

Asthma Essay With Conclusions Asthma is one of the major chronic respiratory conditions which alter the respiratory function of the body. The World Health Organisation or WHO (2012) defines asthma as a chronic inflammatory disease of the airways characterised by frequent episodes of breathlessness and wheezing. This difficulty in breathing is caused by the swelling and constricting of the airways. Exposure to allergens, pollutants, cold air, infection and exercise can increase the risk of asthmatics having an attack (Funnel, Koutoukidis and Lawrence 2009). This essay will discuss on the pathophysiology, diagnosis, medical management and clinical manifestations of asthma. It will also cover the client education needed to provide for those with asthma, asthmas risk factors and its prognosis. According to the National Asthma Council of Australia or NACA (2006) more than 2.2 million Australians are suffering from asthma. This essay will therefore also describe how asthma impacts on its victims and their life style. Kaufman (2011) describes the pathophysiology of asthma as a pathologic condition which affects the lower respiratory tract by narrowing the airways as a result of epithelial damage, excessive mucus production, oedema, bronchoconstriction and muscle damage. In asthma the cells in the epithelium layer can be destroyed and peel away, making the respiratory tract more susceptible to allergens and infections, thereby contributing to airway hyper-responsiveness (Kaufman 2011). Asthma also triggers the development of mucus cells and mucus glands. This increases mucus production, thus forming mucous plugs which can obstruct the airways (Monahan et al. 2007). Airway oedema is another change that occurs in the respiratory tract due to asthma. It involves the dilation and leaking of capillaries in the airway walls which limits airflow (Kaufman 2011). Monahan et al. (2007) add that increased capillary permeability and leakage can obstruct the airways due to swelling. They also explain that the i nflammatory agents such as histamine, tryptase, leukotriences and prostaglandins act on smooth muscles of airway walls and cause bronchoconstriction which restricts the airflow to alveoli. Brown and Edwards (2012) write that wheezing, breathlessness, chest tightness and cough are the most common clinical manifestations of asthma. They can occur especially at night and in the early morning and can vary from person to person. It is not necessary to have all the symptoms at once as different symptoms can occur at different times. According to NACA (2006) frequent cough, feeling weak, wheezing after exercise, shortness of breath and sleeping difficulties can be early signs of asthma while severe wheezing, continuous cough, rapid breathing, anxiety, chest pain, blue lips and fingernails are the symptoms of severe asthma attacks. Diagnosing asthma can be done by obtaining a detailed history, performing physical examinations, pulmonary function testing, and laboratory assessments (Ignatavicius and Workman 2010) According to Ignatavicius and Workman (2010) it is important to ask patients about any experiences of having shortness of breath, cough, chest tightness, wheeze and increased mucus production as well as about their smoking habits and any family history of asthma. The same source write that physical examinations can be performed by listening to the patients chest for any wheezing sounds and observing respiratory effort by assessing the respiratory rate and examining whether the patient is using any accessory muscles to breathe. They add that the shape of the chest also needs to be examined, as a barrel-shaped chest can be a sign of prolonged asthma. In addition, the oral mucosa and nail beds need to be examined for any bluish tinge (Ignatavicius and Workman 2010). Ignatavicius and Workman (2010) write that pulmonary function tests (PFTs), usually using spirometry, are the most accurate tests that can be performed to diagnose asthma. According to the National Heart Lung and Blood Institute (2012) this test measures how much air the patient can breathe in and out as well as how fast the patient can exhale it. Christensen and Kockrow (2011) add that PFTs determine the reversibility of bronchoconstriction which helps to diagnose asthma. In addition, arterial blood gases testing (ABGs) and sputum for culture testing are both laboratory tests that can be used to diagnose asthma further. The results of ABGs are used to assess the oxygen and carbon dioxide levels in the blood during an asthma attack, while the presence of eosinophils is assessed in sputum testing (Monahan et al. 2007). Finally, chest X-rays can be used to track any changes in chest structure such as hyperinflation, mucous build up and lung collapse (Brown Edwards 2012). There is no known cure for asthma. Its medical management therefore involves managing its symptoms, either by maintaining stability with long term medications or quickly relieving symptoms of an attack (Brown Edwards 2012). Christensen and Kockrow (2011) write that maintenance drugs aim to prevent and minimize asthmas symptoms but need to be taken regularly. According to Tiziani (2010) these drugs are called symptom controllers. They include salmeterol and formoterol, (catergorised as long acting beta-2-agonists), and inhaled corticosteroids such as fluticasone and budesonide. Leukotriene modifiers are also used for the treatment of chronic asthma (Christensen and Kockrow 2011). Symptom relievers, on the other hand, are used for the immediate treatment and relief of symptoms in an acute asthma attack. They include short-acting beta-2 agonists (Salbutamol, terbutaline), oral or IV corticosteroids and epinephrine (Christensen and Kockrow 2011). According to Christensen and Kockrow (2011) short-acting beta-2-agonists are the most effective drugs for relieving asthma symptoms. They add that epinephrine can be administered subcutaneously and intramuscularly when asthmas symptoms cannot be relieved by beta-2-agonists. Oxygen therapy is also an essential immediately treatment for an acute asthma attack, write Christensen and Kockrow (2011). Because of the absence of a cure and a need for its management, client education on managing asthma is an important role undertaken by health care professionals. Clients should be educated about the signs and symptoms of asthma and its triggers, in order to lessen and prevent asthma attacks (Monahan et al. 2007). According to Ignatavicius and Workman (2010) clients should also be educated to assess their respiratory status, take their medication at the correct dosage and determine when to see their health professionals. Clients therefore need to be educated about the method of using peak flow meters, metered dose inhalers and inhalers with spacers. Monahan et al. (2007) add that a nurse should teach relaxation exercises to patients and the importance of not smoking. Ignatavicius and Workman (2010) describe that patients also need to be educated to have adequate rest and sleep, proper nutrition and fluid intake. According to NACA (2012) the risk factors of asthma are allergens, pollutants, drugs, infections, smoking, occupational factors, exercise and temperature change. Allergens known to trigger asthma include house dust mites, animal fur, moulds, pollens, tobacco smoke, bushfire smoke, paint fumes, household cleaning products and air pollutants (National Asthma Council Australia 2012). Asprin, other NSAIDs and complementary medicines can trigger asthma as well, according to Brown and Edwards (2012). Cold and flu can act as infection triggers while dust, chemicals and stress are considered occupational factors that can trigger an attack. The prognosis of asthma, however, is generally good because it can be managed by proper and timely treatment. According to Harvey (2011) most deaths from asthma are preventable, while mild to moderate asthma can be improved with proper management, making some adults symptom-free. Severe episodes also can be managed, depending on the treatment and the degree of obstruction in the airways. On the other hand, asthma causes irreversible problems in lung function for about 10% of patients even though it is well treated while poor treatment and control can lead to prolonged asthma and permanent disabilities (Harvey 2011). Other relevant information about asthma includes 235 million people suffering from it globally, with most asthma-related deaths occurring in lower and middle income countries (WHO 2012). In addition, the prevalence of asthma increases with the age and it is also more common in females than males after the teenage years (AIHW 2012). According to Andrews (2010) fruits and vegetables in the diet improve lung function while foods rich in Omega 3, (such as fish, sardines and salmon), helps to prevent asthmas symptoms. Asthma is a disease which affects people physically, psychologically and socially as well. Gelfland (2008) writes that its coughing, breathlessness, wheezing and chest tightness affects the wellbeing of the client, limiting their involving in normal day to day activities. He also states that the condition keeps some children from going to school and some adults from work. According to the Australian Centre for Asthma Monitoring or ACAM (2004) 20% of children with asthma report not being involved in any physical activities such as playing and riding bicycles and of feeling anger, frustration and social isolation. Asthmas limiting of activities means life is felt to be more difficult as assistance is needed for activities such as shopping and housework. The National Sleep Foundation (2011) describes how most people with asthma suffer from coughing, wheezing and short of breath in night which prevents them getting enough sleep and makes them more anxious and weak. The effects during an asthma attack can also be serious. Fear and anxiety can rise, even the fear of dying due to the experience of shortness of breath. Fear of an attack can cause constant anxiousness among some asthmatics (University of Chicago Department of Medicine 2007). Asthmas discomfort and stress can also make some persons more aggressive, or to lose control of their lives, leading to less self care in general (University of Chicago Department of Medicine 2007). ACAM (2004) adds that an asthmatic can feel embarrassment over taking their medications and can also develop stress and confusion as they try to understand their asthma. ACAM (2004) also describes an Australian study that showed children and adolescents with asthma having lower self esteem, more behavioural problems, poor physical and mental status and worse sole functioning dimensions than others without it. In addition, asthma can socially isolate people by restricting their participation in social events, limiting their working and other activities, taking more sick days at work and engaging in avoidance behaviour that impairs relationships with family, friends, relatives and colleagues (ACAM 2004). Asthma can also create financial problems due to long term work limitations and decreased education. Sufferers are therefore more likely to experience anxiety, stress and depression (ACAM 2004). Conclusion In conclusion asthma can be described as a chronic respiratory condition which can be identified by breathing difficulty, wheezing, cough and chest tightness. Narrowing and swelling of the airways and increased mucus production are the major episodes looked for to establish an asthma condition. Physical examinations, pulmonary function tests, blood tests and chest X-rays are also used to determine asthma. The medications used to manage asthma long term are symptom preventers and symptom controllers. Symptom reliever medications are used for the immediate control of its symptoms. Inhalation or ingestion of allergens and pollutants, exposure to cold weather, exercises, infections and occupational factors such as dust and chemicals can be considered asthmas risk factors, and healthcare professionals need to provide client education in order to prevent and minimize asthma attacks. Chronic asthma conditions affect client physical, psychological and social wellbeing.

Chief Bromden in One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest by Ken Kesey :: One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest

Chief Bromden is a character who has to work his way back to being and acting like a real human after so many years of being 'dehumanized' (Porter 49) into a machine created by the evil Nurse Ratched. I. Bromden in the beginning A. Dehumanized by Nurse Ratched 1. structured 2. forbids laughing 3. controlling B. The effect that the Nurse and the ward have on Bromden 1. could not smell 2. thinks of himself as little 3. hides in the fog 4. fears everything 5. sees himself as comic 6. hallucinates II. Bromden in progress A. Gives up deaf and dumb B. Great turn - around C. Begins to smell things D. Regains his laugh E. Loosens up III. Bromden at the end A. Bromden escapes B. Bromden is a hero C. McMurphy is death; Bromden strength D. Bromden becomes big IV. Conclusion A. Modern world; machines destroy B. Nurse Ratched the machine C. Modern world is the combine Bromden and his Changing Mind In One Flew Over the Cuckoo?s Nest by Ken Kesey, Chief Bromden is a character who has to work his way back to being and acting like a real human after so many years of being ?

Conflict Can Have Tragic Consequences for Ordinary People Essay

As humans, conflict pervades every aspect of our lives; it is inevitable. However, conflict varies on a scale. With a minor conflict being an argument between two friends, which therefore has a minor outcome that soon becomes forgotten, or it can be a severe conflict, such as war, which results in a large life-changing result. The most tragic consequence of war is the impact on innocent parties. The brutalities in history, which ordinary people have faced as a result of conflict resulting into war, are repulsive. People caught in such conflicts face death, mutilation, rape, starvation, homelessness, poverty, disease and the breakdown of families. Even more of an act of violence is that these people who are affected are not even involved in the politics of why the war is occurring. They are simply innocent victims of war who must face the consequences of their countries actions, not their own. Because of Japans attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941 which killed 2,403 people (68 of which were civilians) America retaliated and decided to put an end to the war by forcing Japan to surrender. To do so, American forces, dropped two nuclear bombs on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. This attack eventuated to the death of an estimated 200,000 Japanese civilians. Racial, ideological, political and religious conflicts that arise in countries often result in war, with many innocent people being killed in the process of fighting over who is ‘right’. The Holocaust, which was a result of many societies who envied or distrusted Jewish people, and Hitler, who exploited this hatred, secretly attempting genocide in the disguise of subjugating the race which resulted in the death of just under six million Jews. Although the Holocaust is not regarded as a conflict of war because there was no fighting apart from in a few cases, it is considered a racial conflict because of the mass murdering of innocent people who didn’t do anything. Everyone around the world is affected by wars and conflicts because it destroys homes and also drives up the cost of living. The cost of certain items has gone up because the cost of producing them has increased but the labour has decreased due to many being killed or sent into the army. In addition, citizens are affected by having their family members sent off to fight in the war. The change in income can be positive or negative, depending on what job you left behind. For some, being called back into active duty means leaving a 6 figure salary behind. For others, it’s a chance to save up and/or pay off some debts. Another detail often forgotten is that some young families have babies on the way when the father is sent off to war, or very young children. They change so quickly! The fathers are deprived of the joy of watching them grow up, and the children don’t have the advantage of having both parents around to raise them. Conflict created by wars have tragic consequences for ordinary civilians, it could be a positive or negative consequence.

Perfect Pizzeria: Case study Essay

Job satisfaction is a key driver to corporate success. It is clear that at Perfect Pizzeria employees are dissatisfied with their work environment. In order to overcome job dissatisfaction, one might influence employee motivation by applying the expectancy theory – the theory of motivation that suggests employees are more likely to be motivated when they perceive their efforts will result in successful performance and ultimately, desired rewards and outcomes (McShane and Travaglione 2007, p146). The effort-to-performance (E-to-P) expectancy is the belief that increased effort will lead to increased performance. In the present case, the company has no systemic criteria in hiring and formal training for mangers reduce the capability of performing the job successfully. Also, the indistinct role perception for night managers to perform regular employees’ duties and for assistant managers to learn bookkeeping and management reduce efficiency. In order to strengthen the individual’s belief that s/he is able to perform the task, the company should select the appropriate person with the required skills to do the job and to clearly communicate the tasks required for each position. Furthermore, managers should provide the necessary support to get the job done and to create workforce harmony. The performance-to-outcome (P-to-O) expectancy is the belief that performance at a certain level will result in the attainment of outcomes. The case suggested that employees are not reward based on their performance as they only earn the minimum wage. On the other hand, mangers are rewarded based on the percentage of food unsold or damaged, which is not highly correlated to performance. In order to increase the belief that good performance will result in valued outcome, the company should transparent the process that determines employee’s reward and explain the outcome that will result from the desired performance. Most importantly there should be an accurate measure of job performance in place. The outcome valence (V) is the importance that the individual places upon the expected outcome. Employees may mainly motivated by money and equality, which is deprived at the present situation. In order to ensure rewards are valued by employees, the company should distribute bonus for desired  performance and promote fairness within the company. The MARS model of individual behaviour highlights four factors that influence employees’ behaviour and explain the current resulting performance (McShane and Travaglione 2007, p36). The inequality of reward to performance discourage efforts (motivation), the mismatch of individual competencies with job requirement undermine employees’ performance (ability), the replicate of duties between night managers and regular employees and assistant managers dimmed their assigned tasks (role perceptions), and the retaliatory measures between managers and employees restrains employees to achieve their performance potential. To overcome the motivation problem, the company should promote equality in the distribution of rewards. The Equity theory suggests that employees strive for equity between themselves and other workers, therefore positive outcomes and high levels of motivation can be expected only when employees perceive their treatment to be fair – when the ratio of employee outcomes over inputs is equal to other employee outcomes over inputs (McShane and Travaglione 2007, p154). The first move to adjust the under-reward inequity for employees is to make them engage in organizational citizenship by mobilizing qualified workers to full-time job. The company should have a competency-based reward system in place. When employees show exceptional competence in workforce, their pay will get increase with the skills demonstrated in order to reinforce the probability of that specific behavior – positive reinforcement. On the other hand, instead of having a percentage of food unsold or damaged b onus scheme, managers should be rewarded based on their performance and qualification. This would be an equitable solution for both managers and employees. To overcome the ability problem, the company should select employees whose existing competencies best fit the required tasks. This mismatch of ability can be seen where relatively young and inexperienced managers are performing challenging tasks, whereas having highly educated employees responsible for less challenging tasks. A solution for that is to increase the capability of college qualified employees through job design. Having the required  knowledge and educational background employees may get promote to perform those challenging tasks. To support multi-skilling, the company should exercise job rotation by moving employees from one job to another to enable them to learn several jobs. Moreover, job enlargement also increases skill variety, and work efficiency and flexibility. To ensure high satisfaction and performance, employees need to have autonomy as well as job knowledge. As shown in the case, with the absence of supervisor the unsold or damaged food percentage remained at a low level. This led us to another important point – job enrichment. The heart of job enrichment is to give employees more freedom. To avoid the misuse of freedom, value congruence within the organization become significant, as such all employees share a common value to achieve a common objective. To overcome the problem of role perceptions, the process of goal setting is dominant by clarifying employees their role perceptions by establishing performance objectives (McShane and Travaglione 2007, p149). The goal has to be specific and relevant. For example, the role of night managers is to control the operation in the evenings (relevant) and to report the accurate employee mistake and burned pizza (specific). Yet the night managers should be committed to accomplishing the challenging goal set. This refers back to the E-to-P expectancy, the more belief that the goal can be accomplished, the more committed the night mangers are to the goal. Last but not least, to overcome the tension between managers and employees the building up of organizational commitment is essential. Managers should treat employees with justice and support, in which to retrieve the benefits employees had – free pizzas, salads or drinks to build affective commitment and organizational justice discussed above. In addition the building up of trust is equally important, therefore to intimidate with a lie detector ought to be abolished. Employee feel obliged to work for an organization only when they trust their leaders. Therefore, with high levels of affective commitment employees are less likely to leave the organization, and have a higher work motivation as well as somewhat higher job satisfaction. Reference List McShane, S. and Travaglione, T. (2007), Organizational Behaviour on the Pacific Rim, 2nd Edition, North Ryde: McGraw-Hill Australia.

Direct-Object Pronouns in Spanish

Direct-Object Pronouns in Spanish In Spanish as in English, a direct object is a noun or pronoun that is directly acted upon by a verb. In a sentence such as I see Sam, Sam is the direct object of see because Sam is who is seen. But in a sentence such as I am writing Sam a letter, Sam is the indirect objects. The item being written is letter, so it is the direct object. Sam is the indirect object as one who is affected by the verbs action on the direct object. A difference with Spanish, however, is that the set of pronouns that can be direct objects differs slightly from those that can be indirect objects. The 8 Direct-Object Pronouns of Spanish Here are the direct-object pronouns along with the most common English translations and examples of their uses: me - me - Juan puede verme. (John can see me.)te - you (singular familiar) - No te conoce. (He doesnt know you.)lo - you (singular masculine formal), him, it - No puedo verlo. (I cant see you, or I cant see him, or I cant see it.)la - you (singular feminine formal), her, it - No puedo verla. (I cant see you, or I cant see her, or I cant see it.)nos - us - Nos conocen. (They know us.)os - you (plural familiar) - Os ayudarà ©. (I will help you.)los - you (plural formal, masculine or mixed masculine and feminine), them (masculine or mixed masculine and feminine) - Los oigo. (I hear you, or I hear them.)las - you (plural feminine formal), them (feminine) - Las oigo. (I hear you, or I hear them.) The differences between these pronouns and the indirect objects are found in the third person. The indirect third-person pronouns are le and les. Note that lo, la, los, and las can refer to either people or things. If they are referring to things, be sure to use the same gender as the name of the object being referred to. Example: Where the noun is masculine: Tengo dos boletos.  ¿Los quieres? (I have two tickets. Do you want them?)Where the noun is feminine: Tengo dos rosas.  ¿Las quieres? (I have two roses. Do you want them?) If you dont know the gender of the direct object, you should use lo or los: No sà © lo que es porque no lo vi. (I dont know what it is because I did not see it.) Word Order and Direct-Object Pronouns As you can see from the above examples, the location of a direct-object pronoun can vary. In most cases, it can be placed before the verb. Alternatively, it can be attached to an infinitive (the form of the verb that ends in -ar, -er or -ir) or a present participle (the form of the verb that ends in -ndo, often the equivalent of English verbs that end in -ing). Each sentence in the following pairs has the same meaning: No lo puedo ver, and no puedo verlo (I cant see him).Te estoy ayudando, and estoy ayudndote (I am helping you). Note that when the direct object is added to a present participle, it is necessary to add a written accent to the last syllable of the stem so that the stress is on the proper syllable. Direct-object pronouns follow affirmative commands (telling someone to do something) but precede negative commands (telling someone not to do something): està ºdialo (study it), but no lo estudies (dont study it). Note again that an accent needs to be added when adding the object to the end of positive commands. Le as a Direct Object In some parts of Spain, le can substitute for lo as a direct object when it means him but not it. Less commonly in some areas, les can substitute for los when referring to people. You can learn more about this phenomenon in the lesson on leà ­smo. Sample Sentences Showing Use of Direct Objects Direct objects are shown in boldface: Me interesa comprarlo, pero ms tarde. (I am interested in buying it, but much later. The me in this sentence is an indirect object.)Tu nariz est torcida porque tu madre la rompià ³ cuando eras nià ±o. (Your nose is bent because your mother broke it when you were a boy. La is used here because it refers to nariz, which is feminine.)Puedes vernos en el episodio 14. Nos puedes ver en el episodio 14. (You can see us in Episode 14. Both of these sentences mean the same thing, as the direct object can either come before the verbs or attached to the infinitive.)Te quiero mucho. (I love you a lot.) Key Takeaways A direct object is a noun or pronoun that is acted on directly by a verb.In Spanish, direct- and indirect-object pronouns can differ in the third person, unlike in English.When the direct object of a verb is the equivalent of it, in Spanish you need to vary the gender of the pronoun according to the gender of the noun being referred to.

Surrealism As A Method of Interpretation †Art Essay

Surrealism As A Method of Interpretation – Art Essay Free Online Research Papers Surrealism As A Method of Interpretation Art Essay The basic idea of Rosalind Krauss’ Surrealist ‘spacing’ seems to be that it uses the fact that photographs are both indexical and representative, and in arresting the flow of what we see as the ‘real’, this shows how we see the world as a series of signs. If we are made to look at the subject in an interpretive way, as a sign, and at the same time know that it is ‘real’, it makes us interrogate the nature of that reality, and see that it is constructed. If we look at Man Ray’s Tears (1930-32) we see that while the crisp detail seems to emphasise the indexical nature of the photograph, the close, â€Å"insistent† cropping simultaneously indicates the ‘rupture’ with reality which has occurred; that it is now a representation of reality, of itself. This is emphasised by the punctuation of frozen ‘tears’ which allude to motion or liquidity while at the same time are emphatic in their concreteness. The dual nature of their simultaneous solidity and fluidity to a certain extent echoes Krauss’ ideas of the ‘doubling’ of reality and its destabilising qualities. Research Papers on Surrealism As A Method of Interpretation - Art EssayAnalysis Of A Cosmetics AdvertisementThe Spring and AutumnIncorporating Risk and Uncertainty Factor in CapitalMind TravelRelationship between Media Coverage and Social andMarketing of Lifeboy Soap A Unilever ProductBionic Assembly System: A New Concept of SelfHarry Potter and the Deathly Hallows EssayTrailblazing by Eric AndersonEffects of Television Violence on Children

Characters in Hamlet Essay Example for Free (#2)

Characters in Hamlet Essay Character (1309) , Hamlet (634) , Claudius (325) , Ophelia (231) , Polonius (224) , Gertrude (208) , Laertes (186) , Reynaldo (14) In Hamlet, Polonius interacts in very different ways with the various characters. While talking with Reynaldo, he speaks in a sneaky, sly and clever manner. When talking with his daughter Ophelia, he seems very concerned. When talking with Hamlet, he seems confused, not knowing what Hamlet is talking about. When talking with the Players, however, he acts imperiously, exerting his authority over them. When talking with Reynaldo, Polonius speaks in a clever and sneaky manner. He tells Reynaldo exactly how to speak to people while trying to find Laertes. He tells him exactly what to say so that the other person will be forced to tell him of the whereabouts of Laertes. He told him that he should say â€Å"you may say, not well. But, if ‘t be he I mean, he’s very wild.† Polonius’s sneakiness is seen through his clever tactic in sending Reynaldo to Paris for the purpose of discovering Laerte’s habits. When talking with his daughter Ophelia, however, he seems genuinely concerned. This is true because in regard to Laertes, Polonius was looking for an excuse to punish or disown him for leaving the country. However, by Ophelia, Polonius is really concerned. While speaking with Gertrude and Claudius, Polonius is very honest. He comes before the king and queen bringing good news. The good news is that he knows why Hamlet is so upset. The reason is because of Ophelia. After discovering Hamlet’s lust for his daughter, he told Ophelia to stop meeting Hamlet and to send back Hamlet’s love letters. Then, he asks the king and queen if there has ever been a time where he had not told the truth. Claudius responds â€Å"not that I know.† To prove his fidelity, he is prepared to have his head chopped off if he is wrong. When talking with Hamlet, Polonius is confused. Polonius does not understand what Hamlet is talking about. When confronting Hamlet, Hamlet is reading a book. When asked what kind of book he is reading, Hamlet responds â€Å"Slanders sir.† While speaking with the Players, Polonius is arrogantly domineering. The Players come to perform a play for hamlet in order to cheer him up. While  doing their play, Polonius rudely interrupts them. He makes comments such as â€Å"This is too long.† In addition, after the play, when Hamlet instructs Polonius to treat the Players well, Polonius responds arrogantly, â€Å"My lord, I will use them according to their desert.† In response to Polonius’s disrespectful statement, Hamlet says â€Å"God’s bodykin’s man, much better. Use every man after his desert, and who should ‘scape whipping? Use them after you honor and dignity.† In conclusion, Polonius’s character varies with every individual he interacts with. It varies to the extent that his character can change from extremely honest to sly and sneaky. Also, it can change from confused to arrogantly domineering. His unique character traits differ greatly to the extent that by the end of Act II, Polonius is viewed as a necessary and crucial character in the play. Characters in Hamlet. (2016, Jul 20). We have essays on the following topics that may be of interest to you

World of work silver- organisation awareness Coursework - 1

World of work silver- organisation awareness - Coursework Example However, soon after the 2008 activities, the demand for Land Rover cars declined by almost one-quarter. In 2009, for instance, 144,133 car sales were registered worldwide. Jaguar also recorded a slump in sales by almost 20 per cent to about 52,500 in 2010 (Grant, 2010). Regardless, Jaguar’s internal processes paint its image as an effective, innovation-driven organization (Batchelor, 2014). As a mechanical engineer I can attribute the innovation successes to unique car designs. In order to improve the quality of its products, JLR has reduced its product lines to two instead of the initial six (Raynal, 2012). The company allocates generous budgets for its R&D in order to support the creation of fine mechanical engineering qualities. Nonetheless, JLR demonstrates a higher level of balancing its innovation with the primary risk of cost overruns than its competitors (Batchelor, 2014). Regardless, Jaguar’s supply chain management is still poor, judging by the lower presence of the products in the developing economies than the units of its market rivals such as Mercedes Benz or General Motors (Harris, 2013). As a mechanical engineer, I think Jaguar should increase the quantity of its units at the dealers, because the strategy of cashing in on customers who associate with rare products keeps their consumer base smaller than that of their rivals with more units in the market. Owing to the fitness of the Land Rover for different purposes, the brand is apparently performing better than the Jaguar (Gomes et al, 2007). After the recent acquisition, the company has shifted major head office decisions to India in an attempt to strengthen its market presence across the two products. In India, the company enjoys the advantage of the cheap labour, reduced production expenses and low-cost of logistics (The Guardian, 2015). These important factors will likely increase the quantity of the brand

Renaissance and Mannerism in Architecture Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Renaissance and Mannerism in Architecture - Essay Example Renaissance was initiated by Brunelleschi a great Italian mind. The architect came up with the concept of linear perspective. This was made possible through the blending of architectural and optics designs (Kostof, Spiro). In the year 1425 Brunelleschi conducted experiments that were mathematically based aimed at discovering illusion in two dimensions. This solution involved placing three-dimensional surfaces on two dimension backgrounds so as to establish a vanishing point which was essentially the focal point of an architectural masterpiece. Through linear perspective, Brunelleschi was able to create a grid on which objects in any artwork were precisely placed such that one was able to calculate the ratios. Linear perspective is the main reason why an admirer of any piece of art is able to admire an architectural piece from a single viewpoint. This is exemplified by the Florencian cathedral that has a dome-shaped base that spans about 140 feet. The structure could not have used old styles during its constructions thus necessitating the rebirth of architectural ideas. Donato Bramante who in the year 1505 designed the new Saint Peters Cathedral in Rome made use of innovative central plan designs that were based on classical sources that drew inspiration from the Roman temples that were circular and the Tholoi. Amongst the works that Bramante is renowned for being the Tempietto San Pietro in Rome. Alberti who essentially was an architectural theorist also made major contributions in architectural renaissance by initiating the need for artistic value. He emphasized that every art type be it paintings should have both mathematical and optical accuracy. He insisted on the need to have harmony amongst all the elements to be used in architectural design. Ghiberti was another scientist in the renaissance period that further developed linear perspectives.  

Connections in Middle Eastern Music and Religion Research Paper

Connections in Middle Eastern Music and Religion - Research Paper Example The use of music in the Jewish theory made profound success as a means of attracting youths into the synagogues. This led to creation of folk, jazz and rock forms of music. Jewish women participated in music either as composers or cantors and brought new dimension on ancient view points of the Jewish religion. The role of sacred music led to greater flowering of the music theory, which had been initially thought to be immoral .Middle eastern Jewish folks majorly used the maqam system, which was Arabic classical music (Randel, 550). (Isaacson, 185) notes that when individuals think about Jewish music, what comes into their minds are hymns, holiday songs, and prayer settings that are associated with synagogues. Modern cantors acquire their nusach in sacred music schools from 19th and 20th century cantor educators such as Katchko and Baer. Word painting was carried out by cantor, who learned different modulates, one after another. Two cantors chanting similar prayers using the same nusa ch created contrasting emotional responses in formation of the song. They also employed the use of Scarbova or Misinai, that meant anonymous; unattributed folk melodies. These melodies were well versed by the members of the congregation and in fact believed to descend from Moses in Mount Sinai. Scarbova Is Latin for Sacred. Songs were the essence of tradition and culture and comfort of hearing them had strong ties to the Jewish religion. Traditionally Yiddish music was played by use of string instruments.

Motion against Provision of Aid to Developing Nations Coursework

Motion against Provision of Aid to Developing Nations - Coursework Example They will not develop the resources they have because they know they will get aid when they need it. Secondly, most of the aid given does not accomplish its task. It is lost in corrupt deals. Governments swindle the money meant for development of infrastructure and put it into different uses other than the expected ones (Wilkinson & Pickett, 2009:350). The goal is to have the money reach the poor, but in most instances, the poor remain poorer. Thirdly, the countries giving aid will place the recipient countries under too much pressure. These countries have to change their political and economic policies to suit the needs of their donating countries, and this shows that the recipient country owes the donating country a favor (Wilkinson & Pickett, 2009:351). Fourthly, the donating countries may have it as a condition that foreign companies need to manage the funds given, denying the hosts a chance to make their decisions. Since the developing nation needs the money, it is very easy to have them agree to such terms, but it will hurt its economy owing to the amount sent abroad rather than invested in the country (Wilkinson & Pickett, 2009:352). The fifth point is that the amount of money sent or the form of aid given could benefit large-scale projects while the common citizen who can only handle the smaller projects remains a spectator. The goal is to develop the lowest earning person to become self-sufficient, but the use of aid denies them this chance (Wilkinson & Pickett, 2009:350).

The logical system of the mind Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

The logical system of the mind - Essay Example Suppose instead that we deny that the mind is some mysterious substance, and we hold instead that there are only mental events and that "the mind" designates no more than a series of mental events We can still inquire about the relation between mind and body in a different way, in terms of the relation between mental events and physical events. We can ask: Are mental events totally different from physical events, so that you can't explain what mental events are in terms of physical events; or are mental events somehow explainable as being the same as physical events For example, when John feels a pain, a mental event is occurring; now is that pain even possibly the same as something that occurs in John's brain, such as the firing of some special group of neurons Now this question we will examine. The mind-body problem can be introduced more fully with an example. Suppose John decides to walk across the room, whereupon he does in fact walk across the room. ... We might ask: How is it possible that a decision, which is something mental, resulted in something in your brain, which is something physical If we say that the mental and the physical are totally different sorts of things, then how can one have any causal impact on the other How can a mere mental event, a decision, actually cause neurons in my brain to start firing The very idea might seem absurd. On one view , a better description of the situation is this: John's decision is itself a physical event. When John decides to take my trip across the room, a group of neurons fire in his brain. He is not aware of those neurons; but the firing of those neurons is itself just the same as his decision. There isn't any more to the decision than that physical event. So, on the view in question, there's no trouble thinking about how a mental event can have a physical effect; mental events are themselves physical. Ultimately, everything is physical. The mind-body problem is a philosophical problem, and as such it has philosophical solutions. Those solutions lead to the adoption of a point of view about the mind-body problem, which, in turn, leads to a particular way of dealing with the world. Usually, most of us do not think about our own solutions to the mind-body problem, and, sometimes, we may use different solutions at different times. In the Middle Ages, the mind-body problem was not even identified as a problem, and, therefore, the "solution" then was completely confounded, meaning that mind and body were thoroughly bound up together in one complex and confusing bundle. What is the mind-body problem Descartes helped to define it when he noted that if he amputated his foot, he had affected his

COUNTER CULTURE, COUNTER MEMORY AND PARTICIPATION Essay

COUNTER CULTURE, COUNTER MEMORY AND PARTICIPATION - Essay Example At some point in the 1970s, global economic depression destroyed the illusion of post-World-War-II prosperity and the idea of a ‘post-scarcity society’ (Kellner 1995, 3) was substituted by discourses demanding rationalising expectations, restrictions to growth, and the inevitability of economic and state reform (Kellner 1995); such reform occurred in most regions of the capitalist world throughout the 1980s under the command of conventional regimes which curtail social welfare agendas, while strengthening the military sector and adding to national deficits, with enormous debts that remain unpaid (Jameson 1991). The past decades have also witnessed the downfall of Soviet communism and the culmination of the Cold War (Sebestyen 2009). Communist and capitalist countries, after World War II, begin vying for political, economic, and cultural supremacy. Forces in both leagues provoked hot and cold armed conflicts, leading to intense militarisation and overt and covert hostilities between replacements of the superpowers (Katz 2000). Outrageous military organisations on both blocs and weapons of mass destruction generated an edgy, fearful age, where fanatic and suspicious bureaucrats could pressure citizens into recognising social policies that mostly benefited and profited the powerful and greedy, while delaying major social reform and the construction of a more fair and reasonable social order (Sebestyen 2009). Innovative technologies have also appeared in the recent decades which have altered the orders of everyday life and impressively reorganised work and leisure (Klein 2001). These new globalised infrastructures and networks also offer effective types of social control through more effective, ingeniously hidden strategies of propaganda and manipulation (Klein 2001). Definitely, their very presence might weaken political forces and keep individuals securely installed within

The logical system of the mind Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

The logical system of the mind - Essay Example Suppose instead that we deny that the mind is some mysterious substance, and we hold instead that there are only mental events and that "the mind" designates no more than a series of mental events We can still inquire about the relation between mind and body in a different way, in terms of the relation between mental events and physical events. We can ask: Are mental events totally different from physical events, so that you can't explain what mental events are in terms of physical events; or are mental events somehow explainable as being the same as physical events For example, when John feels a pain, a mental event is occurring; now is that pain even possibly the same as something that occurs in John's brain, such as the firing of some special group of neurons Now this question we will examine. The mind-body problem can be introduced more fully with an example. Suppose John decides to walk across the room, whereupon he does in fact walk across the room. ... We might ask: How is it possible that a decision, which is something mental, resulted in something in your brain, which is something physical If we say that the mental and the physical are totally different sorts of things, then how can one have any causal impact on the other How can a mere mental event, a decision, actually cause neurons in my brain to start firing The very idea might seem absurd. On one view , a better description of the situation is this: John's decision is itself a physical event. When John decides to take my trip across the room, a group of neurons fire in his brain. He is not aware of those neurons; but the firing of those neurons is itself just the same as his decision. There isn't any more to the decision than that physical event. So, on the view in question, there's no trouble thinking about how a mental event can have a physical effect; mental events are themselves physical. Ultimately, everything is physical. The mind-body problem is a philosophical problem, and as such it has philosophical solutions. Those solutions lead to the adoption of a point of view about the mind-body problem, which, in turn, leads to a particular way of dealing with the world. Usually, most of us do not think about our own solutions to the mind-body problem, and, sometimes, we may use different solutions at different times. In the Middle Ages, the mind-body problem was not even identified as a problem, and, therefore, the "solution" then was completely confounded, meaning that mind and body were thoroughly bound up together in one complex and confusing bundle. What is the mind-body problem Descartes helped to define it when he noted that if he amputated his foot, he had affected his

Customer Loyalty in a Business To Business Context Essay Example for Free

Customer Loyalty in a Business To Business Context Essay Customer loyalty is considered to be a powerful tool for most organizations in ensuring that they gain a competitive advantage in their respective industries ( Lam, Shankar, Erramilli, Bvsan, 2004, p. 294). Customer loyalty is necessary for ensuring that organizations remain profitable while also achieving growth through reaching out to new market grounds. The importance of customer loyalty in the world of economics has developed gradually as an area of study especially business to business (B2B) environments. This is due to the need to study and identify factors that ensure customer loyalty is maintained and even increased, according to Haghkhah et al. , (2013, p. 156). Haghkhah, et al., (2013, p. 156) further noted that increased competition for customers in the market signifies that business ought to react even faster and more specific to the demands and wants of clients in order to win their loyalty. For this reason, marketers in most organizations tend to focus on customer retention techniques and also to lay an emphasis on increasing their loyalty levels. In order to achieve this, B2B has offered vast opportunities to ensure that most organizations achieve their objectives of customer retention and loyalty. Thus, the latter shows the importance of understanding customer retention and loyalty as an important area of the research study. Customer loyalty is viewed as a behavior of repetitive buying and further developed moving forward with factors such as antecedents, consequences, and factors. This has led the researcher to gain an interest in conducting further research on customer retention and loyalty, therefore, this research paper will be on the various ways and techniques that organizations can implement in order to increase customer loyalty in a B2B context Customer loyalty According to Haghkhah, et al., (2013, p. 157) a high rate of loyalty in a B2B environment is a competitive advantage to the seller due to the clients willingness to pay a higher price for goods and sensitive since they start becoming less price sensitive as a result of trust that has been gained. This means that the income generated is likely to increase and remain stable to move forward Customer loyalty is viewed as a strategy that aims at ensuring customers gain behaviour of repetitive purchasing from the same company. Customer loyalty in a B2B environment achieves a mutual reward that benefits both the customer and the organization. It is usually considered as ways of gaining competitive advantage by an organization over its competitors. Various companies have applied the strategy of maintaining customer loyalty since it is considered cheaper in regard trying to gain new customers in order to increase their revenue base. ÄÅ'ater.T ÄÅ'ater.B (2010, p. 1322) view customer loyalty based on activities such as contract renewal, making recommendations to clients and increasing patronage in a business to business environments. They further note that these factors will likely influence the level of loyalty to clients of an organization. In other research, customer loyalty in a B2B environment is based on the experiences of the client, the future expectations that a client may have about the organization and the frequency at which a customer buys goods and services from the organization( haghkhah, Abdul Hamid, Ebrahimpour, Roghanian, Gheysari, 2013, p. 158). Further, (ÄÅ'ater ÄÅ'ater, 2010) notes that in order to influence the loyalty of clients in a B2B context, and then the organization has to understand the behaviour of the client and the attitude of the client. Literature review 2.1 Limitations and Gap in Literature The field of customer loyalty is one that has much information, but very little attention has been given to business-to-business scenarios. Most previous research has mainly focused on the customer’s point of view (Mascareigne, 2009). This could be because most view customer retentions as a behavioral factor. (Ranaweera Prabhu, 2003) In any economy, businesses have to transact to perform their daily operations. Some businesses, such as audit firms, exist to serve other businesses. Extensive research on this area could aid other businesses to learn the dynamics of customer loyalty amongst themselves. A major limitation that was also experienced in the research was the over generalization of the research based on a B2B context. Since different businesses have different operations and strategies, some aspects may works for a certain sector that may not necessarily work for another. For example, concepts that may be used to increase customer loyalty in the banking sector, may not work in the manufacturing sector. According to Buttle (2008, p. 267) commitment is defined as the relationship that exist between the two firms and is likely to be terminated at a reasonable future date. In a B2B environment, the commitment shared by the two firms is usually on a mutual agreement. Doma (2013, p. 72) notes that commitment between two firms is usually bonded by trust among the two firms. The level of trust that is usually shared by the two or more firms that conduct business affects their commitment framework. The more a firm is committed to another increases the level of loyalty shared by the two firms. Moorman Rust (1999, p. 183) in their research notes that commitment is usually the level of effort that is put by firms in ensuring a valuable relationship enjoyed by the two firms is maintained in the long term. The relationship usually has economic benefits for the two firms in their bid to ensure they remain profitable in their operations. For this reason, there exists a belief among organizations that the relationship has economic benefits; thus efforts are put in maintaining it. However, according to Hennig-Thurau (2004, p. 463) states that many scholars tend to argue that there is no major difference between loyalty and commitment. That school of thought has been dismissed by Morgan Hunt (1999, p. 24) who argued there is a difference between loyalty and commitment. They, however, noted that the two are related, with a commitment being an antecedent of loyalty. This means that commitment is a factor in B2B environment that will increase the level of loyalty. This also meant th at the existence of commitment had a strong positive impact on the level of commitment. Shabbir et al. (2007, p. 280) in their research demonstrated that commitment is an antecedent of loyalty. They argued that commitment in the B2B environment, it played a central role in ensuring that loyalty is always maintained and even increased to higher levels. Sharma, et al. (2006, p. 77) in their study note that commitment is the situation whereby there is a desire to make a relationship stronger with another person or even group due to familiarity or even friendship has that has been developed over time due to the personal interaction that has occurred between the two over a period of time(Eakuru Mat, 2008, p. 125). Therefore, commitment should be as a result of identifying the values that are shared commonly between two organizations. It is crucial to note that the customer will retain a relationship with another party due to the positive effect they have with the supplier. At times, a client may be forced to continue staying in a relationship with another party due to lack of valuable options that may be available to them (Fullerton, 2005, p. 1388). However, most relationships are maintained with a commitment as a result of the benefits that both parties will benefit from (Brandi, 2001, p. 67). When commitment is the guiding principle of B2B environment, and one organization performs poorly in comparison to the incumbent organization, then due to the level of commitment shared the partners are unlikely to switch to other options (Stephan , 2002, p. 20). This makes a commitment an underlying factor that will help in influencing the level of loyalty in a B2B environment (Stephan , 2002, p. 33). Akin (2012) gives an example, in comparing the loyal between customers with low loyalty and customers with high loyalty and explains that customers with high loyalty will be not be swayed by discounted prices from other suppliers. Therfore, the higher the level of commitment that will be shared between organizations an increase in loyalty levels between the organizations will be experienced. If the level of commitment is increased through activities such as contract renewal and making of recommendations to the other organization, it will in turn increase the level of loyalty enjoyed by the two firms. Therefore, if organizations want to increase the rate of exit by their clients, then they have to build a relationship that will be founded on a commitment. Commitment will in turn increase the level of loyalty in a B2B environment. This will ensure that the future of the organization is maintained as it will continue making profit. In a study conducted by CITATION Gus05 l 1033 (Gustavsson Lundgren, 2005) they give an example whereby airline companies use their frequent flyer programs as a means to enhance repeated purchase through provision of economic incentives to ensure that they increase and also maintain loyal among their clients. 2.2 Theories and Methodologies A common principle that has emerged from the total quality management (TQM) movement is that the decisive path, to retaining customers, is to satisfy their needs (Colby, 2013). The theory holds that if by identifying what customers expect and by meeting these requirements and expectations, these customers are less likely to opt for the services given by a competitor. Past research conducted by Colby (2013) has shown a positive relationship between satisfaction and loyalty. In other words, if a client is satisfied with the services offered by a business, the client is bound to be loyal to the business. Other studies have also identified a positive relationship between service quality and customer loyalty (Van Es, 2012). However, a certain level of satisfaction does not always guarantee the desired loyalty. In a certain survey, Colby suggested four indicators of customer loyalty and this include; demographics, past behavior, perception of gain or loss of switching to a different brand and attitudes towards openness to new brands. Studying these four indicators can give a better understanding of customer loyalty. For instance, if a business expects to save on costs by transacting with another business, then they are most likely to be loyal to that particular partnership. The attitudinal approach takes a view of purchase behavior and tends to explain in terms of values, beliefs and attitudes. Deterministic theory entails the logical relationship between variables and researchers in this field are responsible for identifying which variables affect customer loyalty. It appears to be acceptable to most cognitive researchers that attitude comes before behavior in a scenario that involves repurchasing a product and is very important because attitude comes before a choice. The behavioral approach holds that internal processes cannot be measured and, therefore, have no place in research (Bennet Bove, 2002). Understanding customer loyalty in a B2B scenario is a long term relationship regardless of the importance of the transactions. Both methods may differ in views but can be both used to understand the concept. Although customer loyalty research has evolved over the years, most of this research uses a logical empiricist paradigm(Paavola, 2006). Information about customer loyalty has been derived mainly from cognitive psychology, with theories about attitude forming most of the work. Current theoretical framework could, therefore, bring a new perspective into the loyalty research. Paavola (2006) uses the social constructionism paradigm to examine the notion of customer loyalty critically. The study gives a detailed description of customer loyalty that is based on the social reality of customers. The results imply that different types of loyalty should be taken into considerations when making managerial implementations. Categorization can also be very beneficial when it comes to future loyalty research. Most theories, which are associated with loyalty studies, deal with issues such as loyalty programs, customer satisfaction, customer value, service quality and social bonds (Jacobsen, Olsson, Sjovall, 2004). A model constructed by Jacobsen, Olsson and Sjovall (2004) shows that social bonds have the most significant effect on customer loyalty with companies in the banking sector. The study shows that the most important factors, in maintaining customer loyalty in the banking sector, were social bonds and personnel. This is because, banking services are very similar and to survive in such as market, strong competitive personnel are required to make the right connections. The same study revealed that monetary benefits are not a significant factor in that area of business. According to Kuusik (2007), the factors, trustworthiness, satisfaction, importance of relationship and image are important factors that play a role in the different levels of customer loyalty. Traditionally, most research has focussed on either the influence of individual factors on loyalty or the nature of different levels of loyalty. It is important to not only view loyalty through behavioural criteria, but also attitudinal criteria as well. Behavioural clients could be divided into; forced to be loyal, functionally loyal and loyal due to inertia (Kuusik, 2007). For instance, in a B2B context, when a certain company is a monopoly, getting supplies from them is the only logical answer, and this forces a company to be loyal by force. Businesses can be loyal by inertia due to the importance of a certain process. If the process is of low importance, then there is practically no need to get another partner. This can happen in situations where the transaction is routine such as trash- pickup. Functionality loyalty is gained from when organizations have to partner with other organizations because they have an objective reason to be. Research has shown that inertia is a situation opposite to loyalty CITATION Aki12 l 4105 (Akin, 2012). For example, a business may select another business since they require minimal effort to reach them. Dahlgren (2005) used multivariate data analysis techniques to build a link between dimensions of brand loyalty and to capture the different levels of customer loyalty. The result showed several differences in the loyalty dimensions. In a similar study, Kuusik (2007) uses a LOGIT regression model to determine the significant factors that affect customer loyalty. The model comprises of various factors that affect customer loyalty. The study reveals that image, satisfaction, importance of relationship and trustworthiness are the most significant factors in loyalty research. According to East et al. (2005) the definition of loyalty is useful if they can be used to predict phenomena such as search, retention, and recommendation. The authors establish that combination measures of customer loyalty often act as poor indicators of consumer loyalty as compared to other singular indicators such as recommendations. Apart from viewing these combinations to be of limited value, the research also establishes that there is no form of loyalty that always predicts different loyalty outcomes and a general concept of loyalty should be abandoned (East, Gendall, Hammond, Lomax, 2005). For instance, instead of using indicators such as loyalty programs and money rewards, researchers should either look for retention of customers and any recommendation given by them. 2.3 Identifying relationships between ideas and practice to increase loyalty in a B2B context Various ideas have been drafted in order to increase customer loyalty in a B2B context. For example, from the above review, it is noted that identification of the companys prospects and acting on them will help in increasing the loyalty. However a company can deliver on all the needs of their clients, but the delivery of their services will influence the level of loyalty moving forward. If when delivering all the needs of their client, and they produce a poor delivery service, then this will likely lead to a decrease in loyalty level. For example according to Akin (2012) factors that help increasing the loyalty of customers is high-level service quality delivered by firms that will lead to a high level of customer satisfaction. In another scenario, companies tend to try and find ways in which they can influence the frequency at which their clients access their websites for information. However, research indicates that half of the customers get information from their website. The lack of companies to invest and provide websites that are easy to access and provide the necessary information to their clients will lead to a decline in the level of loyalty. For this reason, there is a clear distinction between the ideas developed to increase loyalty and the practices a company will adopt. Conclusion From this literature review, it can be shown that various researches have tried to establish the existence of a positive relationship between loyalty and aspects such as service quality and customer satisfaction. Some studies have employed the use of correlation analysis to investigate this relationship. Correlation research allows a researcher to determine whether a relationship between variables exists, it allows one to define the extent of the relationship between the variables (Gall, Gall, Bord, 2005). Qualitative and quantitative research methods both have their benefits and drawbacks. For instance, when the correlation between two variables has been established, it still does not tell the researcher what should be done, but rather what can be done. Qualitative methods, as used by Paavola (2006), can also bring out knowledge that is not familiar with other researchers. The results can also be influenced by the researcher’s personal biases. However, some of these studies tend to cover wide areas that may take long periods of research. The benefits of customer retention have been recognized by many researchers (Feihua, 2011). In the business to business scenario, certain aspects of retaining a customer bring out themselves than conducting business with the ordinary customers. For instance, paying attention to the ordinary, like attending meetings on time is not a necessary, but a crucial habit to consider. In a B2B relationship, the parties are more defined, and this is based on the assumption that both parties are seeking common benefits in the relationship (Oy, 2010). In a normal business to customer relationship, the dissolution of the relationship ends up in the consumer leaving the services of the provider. In the B2B setup, the end of the relationship is thought in terms of a process while in switching is thought as just as a change in the relationship. In customer loyalty research, perhaps it would be of vital importance to consider the industry in which the research is being conducted on. In industries wher e the businesses provide similar services, social bonds could be the prevalent factor that promotes consumer loyalty between businesses. In other industries, where the services offered are different, probably loyalty programs and monetary rewards could be the way to win customer loyalty. References Akin, E. (2012). Literature Review and Discussion on Customer Loyalty and Consciousness. European Journal of Economics, Finance and Administrative Sciences, 158-170. Brandi, J. (2001). Building Customer Loyalty: The 21 Essential Elements in Action. Texas: The Walk The Talk Company. Buttle, F. (2008). Customer Relationship Management (2nd ed.). New York: Routledge. Doma, S. A. (2013). Relationship Quality as Predictor of B2B Customer Loyalty. SYSTEMICS, CYBERNETICS AND INFORMATICS, 111(1), 72-78. Gustavsson, S., Lundgren, E. (2005). Customer Loyalty. Lulea University of Technology. Haghkhah, A., Abdul Hamid, A. B., Ebrahimpour, A., Roghanian, P., Gheysari, H. (2013). Commitment and Customer Loyalty in Business-To-Business Context. European Journal of Business and Management, 15(19), 156-164. Lam, S. Y., Shankar, V., Erramilli, M. K., B. M. (2004). Customer Value, Satisfaction, Loyalty, and Switching Costs: An Illustration From a Business-to-Business Service Context. Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, 32(293), 294-311. Bennet, R., Bove, L. (2002). Identifying the Key Issues for Measuring Loyalty. QUT Digital Repository, 1-29. ÄÅ'ater, T., ÄÅ'ater, B. (2010). Product and relationship quality influence on customer commitment and loyalty in B2B manufacturing relationships. Industrial marketing management, 39(8), 1321-1333.Colby, C. (2013, December 9). A New Paradigm for Understanding Customer Retention. Retrieved from Rockbridge: http://rockresearch.com/a-new-paradigm-for-understanding-customer-retention/ Eakuru, N., Mat, N. (2008). The application of structural equation modeling (SEM) in determining the antecedents of customer loyalty in banks in South Thailand. The Business Review, Cambridge, 10(2), 129-139. East, R., Gendall, P., Hammond, K., Lomax, W. (2005). Consumer Loyalty: Singular, Additive or Interactive? Australian arketing Joural, 10-17.Feihua, Q. (2011). Customer Retention in E-commerce business. Haaha-Helia University press, 1-56. Fullerton, G. (2005). How commitment both enables and undermines marketing relationships. European Journal of marketing, 39(11), 1372-1388.Gall, J., Gall, M., Bord, W. (2005). Applying educational research: A practical guide (1st ed.). Boston: Pearzon. Hennig-Thurau, T. (2004). Customer orientation of service employees: Its impact on customer satisfaction, commitment, and retention. International Journal of Service Industry Management, 15(5), 460-478. Jacobsen, D., Olsson, M., Sjovall, A. (2004). The Creation of Customer Loyalty. Kristianstad University, 1-71. Kuusik, A. (2007). AFFECTING CUSTOMER LOYALTY: DO DIFFERENT FACTORS HAVE VARIOUS INFLUENCES IN DIFFERENT LOYALTY LEVELS? Tartu University Press, 1-29. Mascareigne, J. (2009). Customer Retention. Lulea University Press, 1-88. Moorman, C., Rust, R. T. (1999). The role of marketing. The Journal of Marketing, 180-197, 63.Morgan, R. M., Hunt, S. D. (1999). The commitment-trust theory of relationship marketing. The Journal of marketing, 20-38.Oy, O. (2010). IMPROVING CUSTOMER LOYALTY THROUGH A REGULAR CUSTOMER PROGRAM. TAMPEREEN AMMATTIKORKEAKOULU University Publications, 1-45. Paalova, H. (2006). Categories of Loyalty. Toward Meaning-based Theory of Customer Loyalty. European Advances in Consumer Research, 420-428. Ranaweera, C., Prabhu, J. (2003). The influence of satisfaction, trust and switching barriers on customer retention in a continuous purchasing setting. international journal of service industry management, 374-395. Shabbir, H., Palihawadana, D., Thwaites, D. (2007). Determining the antecedents and consequences of donor †perceived relationship quality—A dimensional qualitative research approach. Psychology Marketing, 24(3), 271-293. Sharma, N., Young, L., Wilkinson, I. (2006). The commitment mix: Dimensions of commitment in international trading relationships in India. Journal of International Marketing, 64-91. Stephan, B. (2002). Customer Loyalty Programs and Clubs (2nd ed.). London: Gower Publishing, Ltd. Van Es, R. (2012). The Relationship between Service Quality and Customer Loyalty, and its Influence on Business Model Design. Universiteit Twente, 1-85. Source document

Relations in Small and Medium Enterprises

Relations in Small and Medium Enterprises Employee Relations in Small and Medium Enterprises A Non-union Approach Introduction The term SME or small and medium business enterprise is often used to describe a business enterprise that has anywhere between 10 to 15 employees for a small business whereas anything under 250 would be a medium enterprise. However, the number of employees is not the only classification that is used, and can be as diverse as turnover, industry, or business structure. According to a survey carried out by the Department for Business, Innovation Skills (BIS) in 2004, the UK had 1.16 million private sector firms with fewer than 250 employees, representing 94 per cent of all employers in the UK economy.1 These SMEs employed a total of 8.66 million employees (36 per cent of all employees in the UK) and they accounted for 47 per cent of private sector employers turnover. This suggests the apparent importance of these enterprises. The other important aspect of SMEs is their ability to be innovative, and adaptive to the constantly changing market environment, creating employment opportunities in the economy, and contributing to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP). SMEs vary in size depending on the industry, and skills. A biotechnology firm is likely to have fewer highly skilled employees where as a cleaning services firm will have more unskilled workers. Nonetheless, the fact that a significant fraction of the working population is employed by an SME, it is necessary to understand how these enterprises are managed, and how human resources policies regarding recruitment, training, performance evaluation, and day to day employee relations are adopted and practiced. Management and employment relations in an SME A typical structure of an SME is largely business, product or process orientated, with little specialist involvement in areas outside the remit of the business, human resources for instance. Managers have little expertise or qualifications to conduct personnel management task, most managers tend to rely on their past experience in managing relationships. This is interesting because it provides a unique opportunity to study management issues and strategies that can be anywhere from non-existent in a small firm to informal and semi-formal in a medium firm. Tradition management styles that have been identified in Fox (1974) and Purcell and Sisson (1983), relate to management perspectives with regards to employee relations in an industrial setup. The classifications were based on the type of views held by both management and employees, where both could be either unitary or pluralist. Marchington and Parker (1990) point out that these differences were in relation to how management viewed unions and their involvement on issues like employee participation and conflict resolution. These assertions are applicable in a large complex organisation but may not necessarily be true in a small setup where human resources and employee relations may be absent altogether. Goss (1991) found that management styles at small firms were likely to be characterised by how the owner-manager experience relative disposition of power, and identified four types of management control Fraternalism, Paternalism, Benevolent Autocracy, and Sweating . The distinction was based on how much independence employees enjoyed for every degree of dependence the employer possessed. A host of studies conducted in the UK (WERS, 2004), Europe (EIRO, 2006), and Canada (CFIB, 2004) give an idea of what management practices are adopted in the SME sector generally and how working hours, training, remuneration, and employee representation are handled. A key observation found synonymous in all the studies was that employee representation, although significant, was conducted in informal settings through individual contracts and concepts of collective bargaining and unionisation were largely absent in smaller firms but rose with firm size. And where a non-union employee structure is prevalent, it is difficult to compare or comment on the effectiveness of such a structure, as all previous studies go only as far as determining the type of employee participation practiced but do not assess their quality of impact. Non-union employee participation According to Guest (2001), a non-union workplace lacks formal human resources or industrial relations departments which interface between management and employees. Dundon et al., (2005) describe a non-union workplace where the importance of union is not recognised in determining employee issues such as pay and work conditions, as opposed to whether or not employees are members of any union. They also point out the reasons, incentives, and motivation for managers for choosing a non-unionised interaction with the workforce. Guest and Hoque (1994) went on to classify the various non-union employer types, differentiating them on the basis of a range of human resources attributes. They banded employers as either good, bad, or ugly depending on these attributes. Although some counter arguments to this classification were on the grounds of methodology selected and if it collected information on employee views on their employers, and the lack of motivation and incentive, if any, from the emp loyees in preferring to be non-union (Dundon, et al., 2005). Although type of employee participation and representation is seen as an important part of the relationship between management and employees, it is interesting to understand how these become part of the culture. Freeman and Medoff (1984) describe employee representation, or employee voice, as having both consensual and conflictual connotation, and showed how participation could impact quality and productivity, whilst on the other it could help resolve disputes. Managers in a relatively small workplace are likely to view non-union participation more favourably because they may not have experience of dealing with unions and may feel more comfortable dealing with issues locally and informally. As the workforce becomes larger and larger, the advantages of a non-union representation diminish and firms tend to seek a formal approach to interaction as seen in larger firms. Ackers et al., (2004) suggest that direct communication with the employees is also one of the most significant concept of a non-union employee representation, adding that managers would be more willing to share information relating to the business, work arrangements, staffing and job prospects directly with employees. Collective bargaining, remuneration, and workplace relations The concept of collective bargaining is more or less relevant to a union based employee representation, where the propositions are deemed to be in the best interest of the entire workforce as opposed to a single employee or groups. Since the relationships between management (owners, managers) and employees are less formal, such discussions can take place individually and would reflect the firms position vis-Ã  -vis a particular employee. On the other hand, managers responsible for personnel matters may be involved in other tasks and is likely to spend more time on such tasks than those in similar positions in larger firms. Wage determinations and remuneration discussions are similarly done, and could be either set unilaterally by the management or negotiated on an individual basis. Therefore it would be common to assume a variable pay structure either by merit or performance, and the likelihood to profit-sharing. Pay reviews could be less regular in such a setup and may often requir e to be initiated by employees. Recruitment, training, and personal development The recruitment process at small firm may be less formal or rigorous compared to large organisations because of the level of expertise and sophistication available within the firm. A lengthy recruitment process can be costly, and can be counter productive to the immediate requirements of the business; hence employers may be willing to make quick decisions on the basis of the incumbents skills alone. WERS (2004) suggest that training and development opportunities were dependant on firm size, the larger the firm the more likely they were to offer on or off-the-job training. This can be true for two reasons, firstly cost implications, and second, the option to hire an already trained worker. In a non-union workplace this can be both beneficial and disadvantageous at the same time, since over-simplification could get the job done but may not necessarily represent the best interests of employees. Conflict resolution Irrespective of the size of the firm, grievances can arise and depending on the relationship an employee involved has with their manager, it could be dealt with informally in the first instance, and small and medium firms would adopt such a process not because they may not have a formal grievances and conflict resolution procedures as seen in large firms. Majority of employers have such procedures for regulatory purposes, but how effectively these are used varies from firm to firm. Since SMEs are not labour intensive collective disputes are unlikely to emerge requiring collective resolution through means of a union representation. This can be viewed as an incentive for managers to have a non-unionised employee representation to avoid the hassles of dealing with the union when a dispute arises (Dundon, et al., 2005). Employee attitudes The WERS (2004) survey reveals that managers in SMEs were more likely to involve employees in workplace related decision making processes and employee influence was greater in small firms than larger ones. Guest and Hoque (1994) suggest that employees that feel better appreciated were more likely so see their employer as good non-union employers and may be even motivated to discourage a unionised workforce which would tend to reduce their influence on management decisions. The employees perception of workplace and management being the same, changes as firm size increases. This is significant enough incentive for managers to cultivate a non-unionised workplace. To this extent there is a big difference between employees expectations for collective representation and employers willingness to subscribe to one. On the whole, the management is in a position to decide what type of representation they would like, and what mechanisms to utilize. Conclusion Small and medium-sized firms are vital for the growth of the economy, and play a significant role in providing employment to the population. The size and nature of products and services offered by these firms varies distinctly, and so does their management and employment practices. Size of the workforce does influence the type of management style that will be adopted, but it also depends on managers (owners) past experience and their perception of how work should be managed based on a set of beliefs. Small businesses have been seen to be less formal and tend to follow a close contact with their employees, and do not conform to hierarchal structures of management that are predominant in large organizations. These structures of relationships tend to get more formal as the firm size increases. Employees, on the other hand, find little or no difference between their workplace and management, an important distinction observed in larger firms which clearly distinguish between the firm and the management. Although employee relations in small and medium sized firms tend to be more informal they can be inflexible to changes in the workplace. Managers may lack the necessary experience and expertise in issues like performance appraisals and dispute resolution; they tend to rely on their experience and prefer to engage the employees directly. Issues of pay determinations and other forms of compensation are set out by managers but it allows employees to engage with management over discussions, without the necessary involvement of collective employee representations like unions. The dialogue is less formal and gives the management opportunity to consider personal circumstances of employees. Similarly conflict resolution and grievances are accorded an informal process, whereas any disciplinary action resulting from such discussions may be formal and follow a traditional approach. And because managers prefer to have a less formal involvement of employees the concept of non-uni onized representation is favoured as management sees more flexibility in running the business and find to have less control when a collective representation is sought. Formality in relationships increases with firm size when management wants to have more distance between owners and employees in order to maintain a consistent level of control through decentralization. The degree of formality exercised may vary within the firm itself, for instance management may adopt a more formal approach to employee training and development, but at the same time conduct performance appraisals informally. In regards to SMEs the nature of employment relations is not always straightforward and management practices, which may appear simple and unsophisticated, are influenced by a variety of factors and have evolved as a response to a particular need as the industry and business requirements, or regulations, evolved over time. References Ackers, P., Marchington, M., Wilkinson, A. and Dundon, T. (2004), The management of voice in non-union organisations: managers perspectives, Employee Relations Vol. 27 No. 3, 2005 pp. 307-319 Atkinson, J. and Meager, N. (1994) Running to stand still: the small firm in the labour market, in J. Atkinson and D. Storey (eds.) Employment, the Small Firm and the Labour Market, London: Routledge. Bacon, N. and Hoque, K. (2005) HRM in the SME sector: valuable employees and coercive networks, International Journal of Human Resource Management, 16, 11: 1679-99. Benson, J. (2000), Employee voice in union and non-union Australian workplaces, British Journal of Industrial Relations, Vol. 38 No. 3, pp. 453-9. Beresford, R. (2003) Trade unions and small firms, Federation News, 53, 2. Blackburn, R. (2005) Researching the employment relationship in small firms: what are the contributions from the employment relations and small business literatures?, in S. Blyton, P. and Turnbull, P. (2004), The Dynamics of Employee Relations, 3rd ed., Macmillan, London. Bolton Report (1971) Report of the Committee of Inquiry on Small Firms, Chaired by J. E. Bolton, Cmnd. 4811, London: HMSO. Bryson, A. (1999) The impact of employee involvement on small firms financial performance, National Institute Economic Review, 169: 78-95. Bryson, A. and Millward, N. (1997) Employee Involvement in Small Firms: A Review of the Literature, London: Policy Studies Institute. Carroll, M., Marchington, M., and Earnshaw, J. (1999) Recruitment in small firms: Processes, methods and problems, Employee Relations, 21, 3: 236-50. Chaplin, J., Mangla, J., Purdon, S., and Airey, C. (2005) The Workplace Employment Relations Survey 2004 (WERS 2004) Technical Report (Cross-Section and Panel Surveys), London: National Centre for Social Research. Charlwood, A. (2003), Willingness to unionize amongst non-union workers, in Gospel, H. and Wood, S. (Eds), Representing Workers, Trade Union Recognition and Membership in Britain, Routledge, London. Cosh, A. and Hughes, A. (2003a) The British SME sector 1991-2002, in A. Cosh and A. Hughes (eds.) Enterprise Challenged: Policy and Performance in the British SME Sector 1999- 2002, Cambridge: Cambridge University Centre for Business Research Cox, A. (2005) Managing variable pay systems in smaller workplaces, in S. Marlow, D. Patton and M. Ram (eds.) Managing Labour in Small Firms, London: Routledge. Cully, M., Woodland, S., OReilly, A. and Dix, G. (1999) Britain at Work: As Depicted by the 1998 Workplace Employee Relations Survey, London: Routledge. Dundon, T. (2002), Employer opposition and union avoidance in the UK, Industrial Relations Journal, Vol. 33 No. 3, pp. 234-45. Dundon, T. and Rollinson, D. (2004), Employment Relations in Non-union Firms, Routledge, London. Dundon, T., Grugulis, I. and Wilkinson, A. (1999) Looking out of the black hole: nonunion relations in an SME, Employee Relations, 21, 3: 251-66. Dundon, T., Wilkinson, A., Marchington, M. and Ackers, P. (2004), The meanings and purpose of employee voice, International Journal of Human Resource Management, Vol. 15 No. 6, pp. 1150-71. Forth, J., Bewley, H., Bryson, A. (2004), Small and Medium-sized Enterprises Findings from the 2004 Workplace Employment Relations Survey, Routledge, London Freeman, R. and Medoff, J. (1984), What Do Unions Do?, Basic Books, New York, NY. Gall, G. (2004), British employer resistance to trade union recognition, Human Resource Management Journal, Vol. 14 No. 2, pp. 36-53. Goss, D. (1991), Small Business and Society, Routledge, UK Guest, D. (2001), Industrial relations and human resource management, in Storey, J. (Ed.), HRM: A Critical Text, Thompson Learning, London. Guest, D. and Hoque, K. (1994), The good, the bad and the ugly: employment relations in new non-union workplaces, Human Resource Management Journal, Vol. 5 No. 1, pp. 1-14. Lavoie, A. (2004) Work-life balance and SMEs: Avoiding the one-size-fits-all trap, CFIB Research: 10-12 Lewin, D. and Mitchell, D. (1992), Systems of employee voice: theoretical and empirical perspectives, California Management Review, Vol. 34 No. 3, pp. 95-111. Marchington, M. (2005), Employee involvement: patterns and explanations, in Harley, B., Hyman, J. and Thompson, P. (Eds), Participation and Democracy at Work: Essays in Honour of Harvie Ramsay, Palgrave, London. Marchington, M., Goodman, J., Wilkinson, A. and Ackers, P. (1992), New Developments in Employee Involvement, Employment Department Research Series, Paper No. 2, HMSO, London. Marchington, M., Wilkinson, A., Ackers, P. and Dundon, T. (2001), Management Choice and Employee Voice, CIPD Publishing, London. Pfeffer, J. (1998), The Human Equation, Harvard Business School Press, Boston, MA. Ramsay, H. (1977), Cycles of control: workers participation in sociological and historical perspective, Sociology, Vol. 11 No. 3, pp. 481-506. Rose, E. (2008) Employment Relations, 3rd ed., Pearson Education Limited, UK: 58-95, 273-331, 334-420.

Hate Groups in the United States Essay -- Gangs Racism Group Teenagers

Hate Groups in the United States Right now, there are many active hate groups in the United States such as the Ku Klux Klan, Neo-Nazi, Skinheads, Christian identity, Black Separatists, etc. These hate groups like the Ku Klux Klan, which is one of America’s oldest and more feared, use violence and move above the law to promote their different causes. Another example is a group called Christian Identity, who describes a religion that is fundamentally racist and anti-Semitic; and other are the Black Separatist groups, who are organizations whose ideologies include tenets of racially based hatred. Because of the information gathered by the Intelligence Project from hate groups’ publications, citizen’s reports, law enforcement agencies, field sources and news reports, many people know about these hate groups. Many people know how these groups act and think and most of the American people agree that these hate groups are immoral and should not be allowed to exist neither in the United States nor on th e rest of the world. All the hate groups know that they can only flourish if they continue to recruit new members. Three of the most obvious similarities among hate groups members are their sex, male; their race, Caucasian; and their age, 35 years old or younger. Many people think that the reason young people are willing to join hate groups in high school and in college is that they are uncertain about their own futures. Often people believe that the young people who join hate groups are those with the least education and the least to hope for in the future in the way of jobs, but that does not follow anymore because hate has flourished on colleges and high school campuses. For members of the Ku Klux Klan, it is important that their message of hatred be carried to young people. The initiation of children and babies has being an important part of the Klan activities. It is so bad and wrong that the Ku Klux Klan has even gone so far as to hang out at playgrounds. They look for little boys who play unsuperv ised. The Klan believes that these boys are potential members of the Klan because their parents do not care enough to watch them play. The child is probably growing up in a dysfunctional family that gives him little attention and when he is older he will cling to the Klan because membership in this group will provide him with a strong family structure that his ... ...eir new and young members that the different people are bad and all kinds of things. These lessons, which new members of these hate groups are learning, are wrong because they provoke the anger on its members and therefore the members commit hate crimes against those they hate for being different. That is why not only Blacks, Homosexuals, Asians and Hispanics, but also white people think that these hate groups should be banned so they can not commit crimes anymore. Many hate groups in the United States use the first amendment as a shield to protect themselves from the law, they are bad examples to our following generations because they are trying to recruit more members and change their way of think, these hate groups also commit a lot of crimes against those people that they think are different. That is why in the United States, many Americans are against all of the hate groups and they think that these hate groups should not be allow to exist. We all know that if the U.S. Government decide to ban them, they may be inn silent for many years, but we can count on the fact that they are there. They are â€Å"The Invisible Empire† and will always be the dark side to American History.

George Orwells 1984 Essay -- George Orwell 1984 Essays

George Orwell's 1984 There is, in every person, a secret part of one's self that is kept completely secret. Most often than not, it is a place of solitude, where no one else is admitted entry. Logic does not rule here; pure instinct, the drive for survival, is what reigns supreme in this realm. However, there are those chosen few who are allowed in, and it is they who are most dangerous; they alone know how to best maul, injure, and in the end, betray. Orwell created such a relationship in 1984 between Winston and Julia. Though the idea is never directly stated, the likelihood that Julia is a member of the Thought-Police grows increasingly more evident and obvious as the story progresses through her words, actions, and in the end, her betrayal of Winston. When Winston and Julia run off to their little grove of ash saplings, Julia makes a few statements that are startlingly suspicious to a quick and clever mind. When Winston explains that he first supposed her to be a member of the Thought Police, she laughs giddily, and asks, ?And you thought that if I had a quarter of a chance I?d denounce you as a thought-criminal and get you killed off (101) Such a comment Stated so bluntly and forceful, it seems as though only the truth could be announced in this manner. The natural instinct of humans is to soften the blow, to make the truth easier to bear, not pointing out the worst case scenario and leaving no room hope, yet this is exactly what Julia does. The fact that she does so laughingly merely is cover, so that Winston cannot suspect the truth of her identity, and it works. The next comment she makes that sheds a sliver of light into her shadowy character comes after Winston?s inquiry of her choosi... ...r girl gave him the impression of being more dangerous than most.? Such is the truth behind the mask of lies and deceit that Julia has worn until now. Her words, actions, and betrayal of Winston made it possible for Big Brother to actually survive, made it possible for Winston to be broken and destroyed. They made it possible for Julia to trick Winston into believing there was hope, believing they still had a chance for a free democracy?a false hope. Had Winston stuck with his first impression of Julia, his gut reaction of fear and hatred, he might have survived. After all, that?s what instincts are for?procuring the best means for survival. Instinct could have saved him, at least for the time being. But he didn?t heed its urgent warning, and with that choice, his fate was sealed. Works Cited: Orwell, George. 1984. London: Secker and Warburg, 1949.