Sunni Islam

Sunnis Several years after Muhammad's death, the various factions of the Islamic faith were formed. Many of Muhammad's relatives and companions were involved in the power struggle, and the war finally stabilized when Mu'awiyya, the governor of  Syria, took control of the Caliphate. This marked the rise of the  Umayyad dynasty  which ruled Islam for quite some time. Although the Qur’an ordains that the division of Muslims into different sections is forbidden, three sects of Islam developed and emerged at the conclusion of the  Islamic Civil War.These include the Sunni, Shiite, Ahmadiyya and Karijite. Of these four, the Sunni denomination is by far the largest, comprising of 90% of the world Muslim population, with Shi’a comprising of the second largest percentage. The literal translation of the word Sunni is â€Å"habit† or usual practice. My assumption is that the habit or practice refers to the actions of Muhammad. So anyone claiming to follow the Sunnah , which are the actions of Muhammad and can show that they believe the Hadith, which are narrations of the actions of Muhammad, can consider him or herself to be a  Sunni  Muslim.People of Sunni orientation believe that Muhammad had never chosen a successor before his death and therefore nobody can really properly succeed him or become the succeeding leader of the Caliphate other than his closest companions, or Shahaba. Sunnis belive that only the the first four caliphs should be regarded as the properly led caliphs. They include Abu Bakr, Umar al-Khattab, Uthman Affan, and Ali Talib. Actually why there has not been one widely known caliph since 1923 for the entire Islamic religion is due to the fact that Islam is divided into these three sections metioned earlier.Although Sunnis accept hadith narrated by the first four caliphs, they regard one collection of hadith to be the most authentic. This is called the Sahih al Bukhari. The literal translation of sahih is â€Å"authentic †. The Sunni branch of Islam has four legal schools of thought or  madh'hab, through which Sunnis practice religious jurisprudence, or religious philosophy. There was only one madh-hab during the time of the â€Å"rightly-guided† Caliphs but after the beginning of the Umayyad dynasty, things changed. The Umayyad caliphs did not have the same religious authority as the previous ones.After the Umayyad Dynasty, there was the Abbasid Dynasty. In comparison to the Umayyads, they were more supportive of Islamic law. The crystallization of four major Sunni madh’hab of Islamic fiqh came about by the third century of Hijra. These four include the Hanafi, which was founded by Abu Hanifah and is the dominant school of Muslims in the United Kingdom and Germany, and also followed by Muslims in Bangladesh, Pakistan, India, and Afghanistan. The Maliki school, founded by a Hanifa’s eldest student named Malik ibn Anas and is the dominant school of Muslims in Morocco, Alg eria, Libiya, Nigeria, Sudan Bahrain, UAE and Kuwait.The Shafi’i school founded by a student of Malik named Muhammad ibn Idris ash-Shafi’i and is the dominant school of Muslims in Indonesia, Egypt, Malaysia, Brunei, Singapore, Kenya, Somalia, Kenya Tanzania, Jordan, India, Syria and Lebanon. The Hanbali school founded by a student of al-Shafi’i named Ahmad bin Hanbal, and is the dominant school of Muslims in the Arabian Peninsula, to name the most predominant ones. The followers of these four schools follow the same basic beliefs but differ from one another in terms of practice and execution of rituals, and in interpretation of Shari’a.So rather than again dividing themselves up into different schools of law, Sunnis rather prefer to just combine and call themselves all Sunnis. The  religious text of Islam, the Qur'an  was compiled by Muhammad’s closest companions and regarded as authentic my all Muslims. There are many aspects of daily life, ho wever that are not mentioned in the Qur’an but they were observed and passed down through generations. These oral account are called hadith. Sunnis regard only certain collections of hadith to be authentic and those are compiled by six specific recorders named Bukhari, Muslim, Nasa’ii, Dawud, Tirmidhi, and Majah.The history of the Sunni–Shia conflict originates in the  split  that occurred when  Muhammad  died in the 632 which led to a dispute over  who should succeed him as  caliph  of the Islamic community. This led to the battle of Siffin. For a long time, Sunni Islam was differentiated from Shi'i Islam by its adherence to the  Caliph  as the leader of the Muslims. However, Sunni and Shi'i Islam are the same in that they share important taught principles: the wholeness of  God, the belief in the revelations of Muhammad, and the belief in resurrection on the Day of Judgment.Even though the main split in Islamic practice is between Sunni and Shi'a Muslims, there are several disagreements within the Sunni community. Almost like how Americans have different views, there are some liberal and more secular movements in Sunni Islam that say that Shari'a is interpreted on an individual basis, and that reject any  fatwa  or religious edict by religious Muslim authority figures. There are also several movements in Sunni Islam, which reject and sometimes persecute liberal Muslims for attempting to compromise certain Muslim traditions.

Failure Analysis Strategy Change Essay

Movies have always been a past time enjoyed by many. As the technology continues to grow, many video stores are going out of business and digital or online movies are rising in popularity. Blockbuster Video and Netflix are businesses that have been affected by these changes. Blockbuster opened in 1985 with the mission statement of â€Å"Our corporate mission is to provide our customers with the most convenient access to media entertainment, including movie and game entertainment delivered through multiple distribution channels such as our stores, by mail, vending and kiosks, online and at home. We believe Blockbuster offers customers a value-prices entertainment experience, combining the broad product depth of a specialty retailer with local neighborhood convenience† (Farfan, 2010). Blockbuster continued with the vision statement of â€Å"At Blockbuster, diversity means valuing differences. It’s corporate value that must be continually developed, embraced, and incorporated into the way we do business† (Farfan, 2010). Blockbuster operated with more than 7,400 stores worldwide and also operated through 1,600 franchise stores. As technology started to change, customers began streaming movies from the Internet as well as using kiosks, such as Redbox, for movie rentals. Competition became a large factor in Blockbuster and the failing of the company, but a large part of the failure was due to manage changes and misunderstanding of the business as a whole (Dunston, 2014). Blockbuster Failure In 2006 and 2007, Blockbuster was approached by the CEO of Netflix, Reed Hastings, asking them to acquire Netflix. Hastings knew that Netflix had not formulated a plan to stop Blockbuster from stealing their customers, at the rate of a million per year. Blockbuster decided that the company did not  need Netflix because Blockbuster had a stronger and larger growth, but then a change that was never expected happened. A new CEO was named for Blockbuster after a boardroom dispute. The man appointed CEO didn’t fully understand the business and what Blockbuster needed in order to remain above the competition, especially Netflix. The CEO started changing plans for the company and even pulled out the Internet efforts that had been in place for Blockbuster. Within 18 months, 85% of the capital value of the company had been lost; within in 2 years, it was completely gone (Dunston, 2014). Netflix Netflix views themselves as â€Å"freedom of on-demand and the fun of indulgent viewing† (Netflix, 2014). Netflix also focuses on the convenience of the no-hassle, online cancellation and offer movies and TV series network. Technology and good leadership is how Netflix became the leader in the industry (Halal, 2010). Netflix executives understood that the emerging technology was rapidly changing the delivery of movie rentals. CEO, Hastings, developed â€Å"strategies involving Internet streaming, convenient customer service, and the virtual organization to deliver it cheaply and flawlessly† (Halal, 2010). Another part of Netflix’s technology strategy was to avoid the burden of having to go to a video store for customers. Customer service is key to a successful business, so Hastings used a monthly subscription to allow customers to have access to unlimited rentals, including no late fees. Instead of the hassle of renting movies, the focus is providing convenience. With the mission statement and vision of â€Å" Our core strategy is to grow our streaming subscription business domestically and globally. We are continually improving the customer experience, with a focus on expanding our streaming content, enhancing our user interface and extending our streaming service to even more Internet-connected devices, while staying within the parameters of our consolidated net income and operating segment contribution profit targets,† shows that the company wants the best for the company as well as their customers (Netflix, 2014). NetFlix Organizational Theories In reading many articles online about the success of NETFLIX the two organizational behavior theories that have been seen in this company have been decision-making and system approaches. Netflix’s huge decision to become a virtual DVD rental via online instead of going to actual in-store purchases like Blockbuster, has placed them at the top of the food chain. The technological advances alone for Netflix has change the industry forever, they took the systems approach by understanding the company’s input and output process and integrated the drive in developing new adaptive capacities and innovation. Blockbuster’s organization theory of scientific leadership placed a great deal into how the company ran it’s in store business and how the objectives and decisions were placed within the company. If Blockbuster could focus more on the click feature like how Netflix did, and not dismiss the idea that it would be a revolutionary change in the industry and within Blockbusters stockholders. Roles of Leadership and Management Per Netflix (2014) it has a â€Å"functional organizational structure, which aims at its functions themselves, rather than by customer segments or regions†. They have a CEO; Reed Hastings has 6 departments that have managers within them that run it. The organization beyond those 6 managers is not as structured as the top echelon is, they run their departments as they see fit. The CEO has instilled in their managers the management style of â€Å"Context, not Control† (Siegler), implying that very little control is given to employees, rather employees are held responsible for their actions and are expected to work efficiently and independently. Because of this idealists approach to management and how successful the company has been with it, they have found that they have no need to change their management style yet. Organizational value within Netflix has been on promoting the â€Å"stunning colleagues† (Netflix.com, 2014), and their importance in a great workplace. They have 9 values that they show is priority number 1 at Netflix, â€Å" judgment, impact, curiosity, innovation, courage, passion, honesty and selflessness (Siegler). The basic values that they believe as a company are workplace efficiency, emphasis on effective over effort, management best practices, retention practices, and large emphasis on a large salary, rather than stock options and bonuses. They believe that this  creates an environment that promotes productivity, and efficient work environment, which shows in colleague retention and overall happiness at Netflix. Part 2: Leading Organizational Change As the CEO of Blockbuster it is my responsibility to evaluate the organizations structure as well as the power and political issues within the company. The CEO can be disconnected to what is going on at the operations level of the company if he or she does not put forth the effort to be involved. As the CEO I will be involved in the operations of the company and be a leader employees can look up to. To implement the organizations change I will use a strategy based on John Kotter’s 8 step plan for change. John Kotter’s 8 steps are â€Å"establishing a sense of urgency, forming a powerful guiding coalition, creating a vision, communicating the vision, empowering others to act on the vision, planning for and creating short-term wins, consolidating improvements and producing still more changes, institutionalizing new approaches†(Mintzberg, Lampel, Quinn 2003). As the CEO of blockbuster I see that technology is changing and we must keep up. If we do not keep up with the technological advances we are doomed to fail. I see the company as a technology company and not just a movie rental company. I do not want Blockbuster to just survive, I want Blockbuster to thrive. Blockbuster will start investing in new internet technologies and streaming services. We will align ourselves with major motion picture studios to ensure that we get the newest movies and offer our customers the best services possible. Upper management will actively seek new opportunities and new world markets to expand our services. All employees will be encouraged to provide new ideas and mediocrity will not be accepted. Every aspect of the company will be evaluated and our services will provide our customers with the greatest movie streaming value. Reference Dunston, Dain (2014). When Blockbuster Forgot What Business They Were In. Retrieved from www.daindunston.com Farfan, Barbara (2010). Company Mission Statements – Complete List of World’s Largest Retail Missions. Retrieved from www.retailindustry.about.com Halal, Bill (2010). How Netflix Beat Blockbuster: An Exemplar of Emerging Technologies. Retrieved from www.billhalal.com Mintzberg, H., Lampel, J., & Quinn, J. B. (2003). The Strategy Process: Concepts, Contexts, Cases (4th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall Netflix Long Term View (2014). Retrieved from http://ir.netflix.com Netflix Capstone and Final Report (2014). Retrieved on January 7, 2014. http://mgmtclarity.files.wordpress.com/2010/04/capstone_final_report.pdf

Book of the Courtier Essay

â€Å"Whatever character an individual has determines how successful the community he belongs to will be†Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ these lines are indeed true with what the â€Å"Book of the Courtier† suggests. Authored by an Italian soldier, and a statesman attached to the court of the duke of Milan and later in the service of Duke Urbino, Baldassare Castiglione, the entire book dwells in a central theme which includes having graceful behavior, especially that of the impression of effortlessness or referred to by the book as â€Å"sprezzatura. † This series of four books deals so much on how an individual should train himself in discipline so as to be able to reach the best person he could in a way that he could contribute so much to his own community. In the case of this book, Castiliogne puts it in the personification of a perfect courtier. On the third book though, the story evolves on how a court lady should carry herself and thus be able to serve her master in a way that they will never have any point of despising her service. Being clever is quite a clear attitude pointed in this part of the book. In addition to this, the wide differences between male and female genders is shown with emphasis. One part of these series of stories talks about the individuality of each men as I may quote: â€Å"I don’t want to be like the man who stripped down to his shirt and then jumped a shorter distance than he had in his greatcoat. So as far as I am concerned it is very fortunate that the hour is late, because as there is little time I shall have to say far less, and not having given the matter any thought, I will be excusable and allowed to say without being censured all the things that come to my mind. And now in order not to have to carry the burden any longer, let me start by saying that to recognize true perfection in anything is so difficult as to be scarcely possible; and this because of the opinions vary. Thus there are many who like to hear someone talking a great deal and who will call him an agreeable companion. Some will prefer reticence; others an active and restless man; others one who always acts with calmness and deliberation; and so everyone praises or condemns according to his own opinion, always Importance Placed on Individual or Society Page #2 camouflaging a vice under the name of a corresponding virtue; or a virtue under the name of a corresponding vice. † This lines shows how individual opinions affect how one person chooses to conduct himself in front of the other people in his community. Sometimes held in hindrance to what he really likes to do, a person chooses to succumb to what his society considers to be right and acceptable. Yet some choose to stick to what they believe in and dares to be different in some ways thus facing the judgment of his community men regarding his rather different being. Indeed, however a man chooses to deal with his own life defending his own beliefs as such, it will strongly influence his society’s views on things. A real â€Å"perfect courtier† is referred to as someone who can direct his own way. Someone who would not allow his principles be cracked by people who aims to put his â€Å"service to his master† into a lower state of excellence. A real noble man is the one who can decide for himself. From the smallest detail of how he should dress to the most complicated issue of how he should deal with his life. He that continuously struggles for his goals toward aspiring people. Someone who is able to measure his accomplishments with those of other people is the one considered to be truly successful. Everything must occur in such a reasonable way and with purpose. It is very important for each and every one of us to continue on pursuing our own goals to attain self excellence. As Sydney Bremer says in his book Successful Achievements: â€Å"In the assurance of strength, there is strength, and they are the weakest, however strong, who have no faith in themselves or their powers. Men often conquer difficulties because they think they can. Their confidence in themselves inspires confidence in others†. This is indeed true specially in connection with the theme of the book of Castiglione. It is thus true that what a person does as a separate part of his community is directly linked to other people living with him. Man, as the very basic part of a certain society determines both the norms and the idealism a community considers to be true and acceptable. On the other hand, aiming for the best, as suggested by the ideas of Castiglione is concerned with how we embed ourselves with the positive traits that lead to self excellence and also eliminating negative characters which may Importance Placed on Individual or Society Page #3 hinder us from doing what we are supposed to reach as our aims in life. One of which is â€Å"sprezzatura† which was translated in the modern English as â€Å"recklessness†. It came from an Italian root-word â€Å"sprezza† meaning contempt, disdain, or scorn. Having such attitudes wouldn’t make any young courtier a successful one at that. On the contrary, it will just lead him to failure and distress. His goals of giving his best service will surely be a waste if he continues to cultivate this character in his everyday dealings. This is so much true even to an individual who strives to be the best in what he does. As a whole, as we could closely see, the â€Å"Book of the Courtier† shows so much emphasis on the kind of living of an individual person. From the positive traits he must posses to the negative attitudes he must omit from his system so as to be able to meet the goal of self excellence. Women also were given emphasis to have certain independence from the authority of men in some ways. Giving them the free will, freedom of speech and freedom in deciding for what they want with their lives. Yes, as this book has been set at a long time past in England, this doesn’t necessarily mean that it doesn’t have any practical advise to the modern times we are presently living in today. Apparently, the contents of this book has a lot of advise enclosed for these generation which we are living in. As to what we could actually observe, many young people today lack the enthusiasm of actually establishing their own purpose in life. Sadly, only a few of the youth today endeavor to influence the community they are living in with positive contributions to the moral, spiritual, and even secular aspects of life in the society. Only a fewer percent of today’s population really strive for the aim of having self-excellence. Yes, sometimes, its not bad to be a bit perfectionist with ourselves. Knowing our limits of course, perfectionism usually lead us to self-excellence. As one saying implies : â€Å"Make perfection your aim and be satisfied with nothing less†. Yes, we must always remember to ask ourselves of what we ought to do as an individual, what we could improve on ourselves and thus be able to make a difference on the community we are living in. Not to be praised or to be renowned as a noble man, but to reach the reality of self-excellence. Sources: Castigliogne, Baldesar. The Book of The Courtier. Penguin Classics. 1967.

SOCI 131-Introduction to Sociology Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

SOCI 131-Introduction to Sociology - Assignment Example Therefore, it is problematic for those who are deeply embedded in a culture to accept or even acknowledge the deviance of some people as a tolerable phenomenon in their own personal reality. This can, in some cases, lead to violence caused by offensive norm violations. Typically, violence only occurs when the norm violation is one that goes against the ethical or legal mores of one particular culture. In experimenting with cultural norms and deviance, it is important to recognize this barrier between the acceptable and the unacceptable, particularly in reference to one’s own safety. To that end, in my tests of cultural norms, I decided to focus on folkways, which are otherwise known as â€Å"customs† or â€Å"conventions.† These are the amoral standards of behavior that are socially approved. Even though they have no substantive moral content, these standards are still seemingly enforced within a culture. In mainstream American culture, a particularly interesting one is a sense of space. Proxemics is the study of measurable distances between people when they interact with each other. Strangers typically occupy a relatively large distance away from each other when given the choice. However, I decided to violate this space convention by sitting unnecessarily close to someone at the computer lab at the public library and, then again, in a Mosque where the sense of space is presumably different because of a sense of community culture among congregation members. The essential difference between a public library and a Mosque consists in the social variables of the environment. A public library is something that exists in the public sphere and thus is open to everyone. But despite being open to everyone, individuals still stake their claim in an individual space, such as at a desktop computer in the computer lab. Late in the evening, when the computer lab is relatively empty, individuals expect privacy in going about their

American Literature - compare and contrast one or two of Emily Essay

American Literature - compare and contrast one or two of Emily Dickinsons poems about death to Thanatopsis by William Cullen B - Essay Example She also suggests the cycles of life as they ride together in a carriage looking at the school full of children. She also makes reference to the growth of grain, providing more evidence of the cycle of life. In comparing the poems written by Bryant and Dickinson, one can see two different concepts of death as they are framed similarly. The poem Thanatopsis by William Cullen Bryant personifies nature in the first section of the work. Similarly to Dickinson, Bryant creates a pattern of speaking about nature that suggests that she is a female entity, He states â€Å"To Him who in the love of nature holds/Communion with her visible forms, she speaks/ a various language† (Bryant lines 1-3). This suggests that the concept of nature has an intent, a driven purpose that is founded in a sentient being that makes choices about what will and what will not happen. In this, there is a will to what happens, a sense that there is a higher purpose and meaning. This is a common theme within th e human discourse about elements of life that have no independent thought but hold power over the course of life. Nature has a power that must be dealt with and in personifying it, that power is contained with meaning and purpose that is necessary to explain the tragedies that occur. Dickinson does the same thing with death, giving it an intent through personification and creating a meaning through which the application of death is made. She states in her opening lines â€Å"Because I could not stop for Death/He kindly stopped for me† (Dickinson Lines 1-2). If death is someone who is a friend, then what he does is done with reason, the sorrow felt lessoned because clearly there was a reason that death comes to enact his purpose. Personification provides solace so that meaning and intent are provided through sentient purposes of those powers that are greater than mankind can control. Both death and nature fall into this category. Bryant, however, discusses death without person ification, but as an extension of nature. He imbues in the dead a power that coincides, at the least, with nature. He states â€Å"Old Oceans gray and melancholy waste - /Are but the solemn decorations all/Of the great tomb of man† (Bryant lines 43-45). In this, he is suggesting that not only is nature a woman, but her purpose is to provide a place of rest for the dying human beings that are not a part of her, but are the monarchy of the space. While he does not put her in thrall to humans, he does suggest that humans reign over the space in which she exists. He states â€Å"In their sleep - the dead reign there alone† (Bryant line 47). This gives them a power over the space of death, planted within the Earthly sphere of existence. The language of Bryant’s poem is not broken evenly into stanzas, but is designed with one long stanza that makes his argument about death, and a shorter, nine line stanza that brings his point across. He suggests that one should live life fully and take advantage of all that it has to offer, so that when death comes one is ready to rest. He does not say, but suggests that life is one chance of experience, and when the time comes to leave, it should not be with regret for the chains that have held one back, but for the way in which life has been lived to its fullest. Death should be at a time of readiness. Dickinson divides her poem into six, four line stanzas that are done in such a way to make a statement of thought within each verse. The poem has no rhyming, as the

The Rainmaker Film Movie Review Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

The Rainmaker Film - Movie Review Example Nevertheless, The Rainmaker did relatively well and its actors got good reviews. Its director, Francis Ford Coppola, who also did the screenplay, got positive comments as well. According to Roger Ebert, "I have enjoyed several of the movies based on Grisham novels ... but I've usually seen the storyteller's craft rather than the novelist's art being reflected. ... By keeping all of the little people in focus, Coppola shows the variety of a young lawyer's life, where every client is necessary and most of them need a lot more than a lawyer." (Ebert) The plot of the movie revolves much around Rudy Baylor, a young lawyer who would have wanted to make it big in very first case that he handles. Being the central figure, the main conflict of the film dwells on his first legal challenge, a case regarding a family's struggle to make an insurance company pay for the surgical operation of a son afflicted with leukemia. While doing so, Baylor also has to deal with the conflict between making money a priority as a lawyer and standing up for the 'small people' against a huge unscrupulous insurance firm, Great Benefit, and its host predatory lawyers led by Leo Drummond. The conflict between making his profession as a milking cow and dignifying it by accommodating a worthy cause of the less-privileged is even made more intense as Baylor is partnered by a six-time bar flunker, Deck Schifflet. Schifflet tries to convince him to do everything, including illegal methods, just to win the case and bag a huge sum of attorney's fees from the defenda nt insurance company. Acknowledging Schifflet's rich experience and his grave lack of it, Baylor later agrees to the suggestions especially when he developed a passion in fighting for the oppressed claimants. At one point the conflict between self-interest and the interests of his lowly clients peaked seemingly when has to take measures in helping the woman he loved, Kelly Riker, from a violently abusive husband. All these conflicts, of course, are resolved at the end of the movie. Baylor and his clients, the Blacks, won the case against Drummond and Great Benefit. This has been done partly because of the Baylor's litigation skills and Schifflet's off-hand tactics. However, an Afro-American judge with a good background in civil rights also contributed much to the victory. Drummond and Great Benefit, in a desperate but wicked move to save the insurance firm's profits filed for bankruptcy and got it. The Blacks never won the amount of money they want to claim. Baylor and Schifflet never got the millions of attorney's fees they worked hard for. Nevertheless, the movie ends with a lesson that a truly worthy cause cannot be bought by any amount of money. Baylor did not get the huge amount he and Schifflet dreamed for but wins friends, respect and a good promising future in the legal profession. As icing on the cake, he also wins Kelly. Matt Damon plays the role of Rudy Baylor. While some roles are tailor-made for an actor, Damon's case in The Rainmaker is different. He just naturally fits the role. He has no physical features that may grant him the usual star qualities according to the standards of Hollywood. His acting is not really as convincing as most other stars. However, in this particular film, Damon's acting fits the role perfectly. Baylor's character is that of freshman lawyer who is lacking in confidence while beset with

Caring for your Local Voluntary Organisation Essay

Caring for your Local Voluntary Organisation - Essay Example Whatever be the source of the funds, all governments today stress the need for efficient Non-governmental bodies to transform the life of the people. In the UK, they form a part of the government's planning process n local administration as well. Today, the role of an NGO is not debated, only their efficiency is. Organisations such as the UN have now shifted their focus from working with governments in the developing world to NGOs who have a massive contact with the people and work with them for consistent local benefits. NGO's impart a huge service to every nation in terms of its socio-economic development while governments in most cases are restricted to setting up the rules and the supporting infrastructure. Voluntary organisations work closely with the people and are more efficient in bringing out any sustainable benefits to the locality in terms of health care and education. Since the NGO draws a large number of volunteers, who are more committed to the cause they are working on , the efficiency levels of these bodies are very much on the higher side - they are more focussed and committed than many governmental organisations. A large number of these volunteers have different educational degrees and are mostly overqualified for their work. The organisation will also have a large pool of ideas to address any particular problem than a body in the public sector. Mostly all voluntary organisations are run by local members of the society and this means that they have more contact with the people and more information about the problems they face. Networking of the LVOs is a much simpler method to achieve social change than very expensive and cumbersome state run mechanisms. While managing Voluntary associations was considered an easy job in the sixties, it has become more complicated today. The governments in various countries have various rules and regulations that govern the formation and functioning of Voluntary Organisations. Besides these, management of Voluntary organisations also have become a task that is highly specialised in nature. They call for management skills and vitality in time management apartment from monitoring and re-orienting the efforts of the volunteers. The local voluntary organisation is a company registered under the companies act as a charity registered under the charities act. This heterogeneity means that it is both a company and a charity organisation. The guarantors of the organisation are the board members of charity. The Companies Act demands that the board is liable to the company and so the guarantors of the Local Voluntary Organisation is also liable to a sum of money that is limited to their memorandum and articles of association. The guarantors comprise the board of directors and form the executive committee. Registration also places the LVO under the Charities Act and hence the regulatory commission has specified that the board of trustees should have no pecuniary interest in the charity and their primary objectives should be only social good. The legal frame works apart, a local voluntary organisation should have a good governance system that will help it deliver the goodies to the masses. This can take

Employment law paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Employment law paper - Essay Example st does not in any way burden the business or the operations, and d) Or simply retaliating against an employee who has filled out the EEO charge or acts as a witness for someone else’s EEO matter. Any form of opposition to the religious discrimination or where the employee is faced with an issue due to the religion they follow is to be avoided by all companies. There are a few exceptions to this law and these companies do not need to deal with the religious discrimination. These include a) Religious organizations, and b) ministerial exceptions. A company does not have to reasonably accommodate to an individual’s requests if it has an impact on the working of the company or the business operations. Also, if the company has a bona fide doubt on the basis of the accommodation request, then the employer may refuse to accommodate. For instance, if an employee denies being able to conduct one of the duties based on some religious constraint, and the employer has a doubt regarding the same, then the employer has a right to not accommodate the request and to ignore the request. Similarly in a case where the employee is required to work on a particular timing and is unable to do so due to religious constraints, then the employer can check for the factual details of the accommodation, and can also refuse to accommodate as it will have a direc t impact on the business and the business operations. Gender discrimination is more commonly referred to as sexual discrimination. Here people are discriminated based on their gender and the gender becomes a factor in deciding who get a job, promotion, or even other employment benefits. Most commonly found to be against women who feel that men are treated with a bias and that women are unfairly discriminated against men. This however does also see a number of cases where a reverse discrimination has occurred, for instance, women are treated more favorable than men. In simple terms, gender discrimination is when one gender is

Human Anatomy Structural Levels of Organization Essay

Human Anatomy Structural Levels of Organization - Essay Example These cells appear single in simpler creatures and appear grouped in multi-cellular organisms. A group of cells constitute the tissue levels which are composed of similar cells that perform a common function. In the human body there are four basic tissues types: epithelium, muscle, connective and nervous tissue and each type perform a common function. These tissue types within the body in turn combine to form the organ level. An organ can be composed of two to four tissue types performing a specific function. The combination of tissue types allow for complex functions to be performed within the organs. Each organ such as the stomach, liver, heart and blood vessel, within the body perform a specific function which contributes to the working of the human body. In the next organ system level, certain organs work together to perform a function such as the heart and the blood vessels of the cardiovascular system as both blood circulation and pumping of the heart is required for the proper functioning of the system. The final level of organization within the human body is the organismal level which includes all the above structural components that work together to promote optimum functioning of the human body. Reference Marieb, Elaine. N. Human Anatomy & Physiology. India: Pearson Education, 1989. Google books. Web. 1 March 2011.

Can People Govern Themselves Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Can People Govern Themselves - Essay Example According to blog â€Å"a†, a business that only puts qualified people in leadership positions gives out good result while democracy lets any fool who is elected have power and the results are chaos. To an extent, I agree with the above statement because democracy is the rule by vote and a person can be popular based on other factors other than credibility and efficiency. It is not strange to find a company that was running well on profits suddenly collapse due to poor governance based on elected leader. While it is fair to include the views of the people in running an organization or a country, it is also wise to include serious scrutiny of their character and their effectiveness to the position they are being given. Democracy is not entirely bad as sometimes people’s judgment of character can be right through various interactions with the person or people vying for a leadership position; they can be able to tell whether the person will be effective. A person with soci al skills is highly favored as he or she is thought to understand and solve problems fairly. Choosing leaders based on qualifications is the other alternative. People with high qualifications and references are thought to have a proper managerial skill, organized and goal oriented. Their dedication to their studies is believed to be also reflected in the work they are entrusted with. However, people can be highly qualified but lack the necessary values needed to work in an organization such as honesty. In summary, democracy cannot work effectively on its own.

Foreign Direct Investment in the Case of Iran Dissertation

Foreign Direct Investment in the Case of Iran - Dissertation Example 3.2.3 FDI in Iran - 1988 to 1995 60 3.2.4 FDI in Iran 1996 to 2003 66 3.2.5 FDI in Iran - 2004 to 2007 to present 73 4.0 Analysis of Findings 83 5.0 Conclusion 103 Bibliography 106 TABLES / CHARTS AND FIGURES FIGURES Figure 1 - Map of Iran 16 Figure 2 - GDP Growth Rate, Iran, 1960 - 2002 39 Figure 3 - Iran Sources of Economic Growth (Raw Labour) 39 Figure 4 - FDI in Iran, Selected Countries and the World 1971 through 1979 43 Figure 5 - FDI in Iran, 1971 through 1979 44 Figure 6 - FDI in Iran, and Neighbouring Countries for Comparison 1971 through 1979 45 Figure 7 - Iran FDI 56 Figure 8 - FDI for Iran and Comparative Nations 1980 to 1987 57 Figure 9 - FDI for... This study seeks to delve into and analyze the flow of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) with respect to Iran from an historical as well as present day perspective, looking at how the impact of sanctions have affected this area. In addition to the foregoing, this examination shall look at the FDI inflows of neighbouring countries as a comparative analysis to equate the FDI inflows to Iran as a gauge on its receipts. Foreign Direct Investment has larger implications for developing economies and economies in transition as these funds, as well as expertise aid in heightening and improving the production and efficiency performance of industry sectors that aids in economic growth. This study will look at the preceding, incorporating facts and figures dating back to 1971 that shall be broken up into periods that correspond to political developments and or major periods of economic sanctions that thus would impact FDI inflows. The global economy, in today’s terms, has more meaning and applicability than ever before as demonstrated by the recent sub-prime mortgage meltdown that has seen every economy suffer reversals as a result of the impact of tightened credit, the ripple effect of bank failures, massive slowdowns in production and consumer spending. The study concludes that Iran has managed to survive long enough, meaning the first three examined period reviewed, so that since 1996 it not longer is concerned with, if it ever was, sanctions. The economic performance of Iran reflects the impact of sanctions between 1980 through 1994, but as shown, the economy has begun its upward direction again.

Ethical issues in international business Essay Example for Free

Ethical issues in international business Essay When we pay a large tip to secure a specific table in a restaurant. There is usually some personal happiness-related reason behind our action. Among many of our reasons could be that we want to be nearer to performers on the stage in order for us to secure a better view for our enjoyment. Another reason could be that we want to have a specific view available for us while we dine. If we do not pay a large tip, then there is a bigger risk that we would not get the table that we want. Therefore paying the large tip reduced that risk significantly and makes us likely to get what we want. This case is the same as when a business company pays a bride to certain entities in order to secure a contract. When perceived in Bentham’s perspective, â€Å"happiness† to a business may be equated to progress and profit which in turn may be acquired through appropriate business actions such as securing profitable contracts. The company pays a certain amount in order to get more business which will eventually pay back several fold. This is exactly the utilitarian principle that Bentham explained which may be neatly applied to both cases. In the restaurant, the customer pays a larger tip in order to enjoy the â€Å"happiness† of a specific table. In business, the company pays a bribe in order to enjoy the â€Å"happiness† of obtaining a contract. Although one of the two situations is illegal, that does not mean that the principle between the two situations are different. In as much as companies are not allowed by law to make bribes for contracts, slipping a $50 for a waiter to secure a seat often happens without the knowledge of the waiter’s supervisor. In that sense we may see that both actions to have moral repercussions. It is just that one tends to be more pronounced with respect to its consequences than the other.

Theory of Relativity and Pathological Science

Theory of Relativity and Pathological Science In March of 1918 Sir Arthur Stanley Eddington and his assistant E. Cottingham, went to the island of Principe off the West Coast of Africa—with a second party stationed in Sobral, Brazil—to prepare for an experiment that would observe a total eclipse of the sun, and provide conclusive proof of Einstein’s theory of relativity.[1] On 29 May 1919 they photographed a solar eclipse providing the basis for Eddington’s claims of proving Einstein’s theory. The results of the experiment caused an international sensation, with Eddington being credited as the man who finally verified Einstein’s revolutionary theory. Recently, the experiment and its results have been the subject of debate. Eddington’s methods and the nature of the experiment have cast doubt over its validity. Considered within Irving Langmuir’s notion of ‘pathological science’, this paper argues that Eddington’s canonical experiment displays many symptom s associated with pathological science, showing the danger of performing scientific experiments with predictions already in hand, and that have been derived from theory alone. Regarding the theory of relativity, it was agreed that according to both Newton and Einstein’s theories, a strong gravitational field should have an effect on light rays. If Einstein’s theory were correct, light coming from the stars should be observably more bent during a solar eclipse as they pass through the sun’s gravitational field than in Newton’s theory. Einstein believed that a star’s light would be shifted twice as much. The expected displacements were 0.87 second of an arc in Newton’s theory versus 1.74 seconds of arc for Einstein’s.[2] Since the sun’s gravitational effect is much greater on light than that of the earth, a solar eclipse was the only way of experimentally verifying Einstein’s predictions. On the day of the experiment several problems existed. Skies were cloudy when the pictures were taken, and many problems were associated with the equipment. However, Eddington was able to obtain some useable dat a and presented the results at a special joint meeting of the Royal Astronomical Society and the Royal Society of London on 6 November 1919.[3] The results from Sobral provided measurements from seven stars that gave a deflection of 1.98  ± 0.16 arc seconds, with results from Principe recorded at 1.61  ± 0.40 arc seconds.[4] As Peter Coles states, â€Å"Both were within the two standard errors of the Einstein value of 1.74 and more than two standard errors away from either zero or the Newtonian value of 0.87. Einstein had hit the jackpot.†[5] On December 18, 1953, Dr. Irving Langmuir—Nobel laureate in chemistry in 1932—gave a lecture at the Knolls Research Laboratory where he addressed, â€Å"the science of things that aren’t so†, giving examples of a problem he called ‘pathological science’.[6] Langmuir identified six ‘symptoms’ of pathological science: The maximum effect that is observed is produced by a causative agent of barely detectable intensity, and the magnitude of the effect is substantially independent of the intensity of the cause. The effect is of a magnitude that remains close to the limit of detectability; or, many measures are necessary because of the very low statistical significance of the results. Claims of great accuracy. Fantastic theories contrary to experience. Criticisms are met by ad hoc excuses thought up on the spur of the moment. Ratio of supporters to critics rises up to somewhere near 50% and then falls gradually to oblivion.[7] While a case could be made that each one of these symptoms can be found in Eddington’s experiments, this paper will focus on two of them in particular—number two and number five. Experiments that fall into symptom number two have the common characteristic that they are very near the threshold of visibility of the eyes. The solar eclipse and the evidence it produced falls directly into this category. Collins and Pinch state, â€Å"It is as though a star whose light grazed the edge of the sun would appear to be displaced by a distance equivalent to the width of a penny viewed from a mile away.†[8] Problems arising from this symptom are that data is easily rejected. According to Langmuir, â€Å"If things were doubtful at all†, scientists â€Å"discard them or not discard them depending on whether or not they fit the theory.†[9] This is exactly what Eddington did with his results from Principe. He used only two photographic plates out of a total of 26 produced. From the plates, 18 were of very poor quality. These were completely ignored in his presentation and irrelevant to the experiment. His justification for this is related to the next sym ptom of pathological science. The fifth symptom maintains that any criticisms are met by ad hoc excuses thought up at the spur of the moment. When confronted about the unused plates, Eddington justified ignoring the results by claiming they suffered from systematic error. However he was unable to produce any convincing evidence to show that this was the case. When he chose which observations to keep and which to throw away, Eddington had Einstein’s prediction very much in mind.[10] The general lessons to be learned from Eddington’s work relate to the difficulties encountered when performing an experiment to verify a prediction based off theory. In Eddington’s interpretation of the observations, he â€Å"seemed to confirm not only Einstein’s prediction about the actual displacement, but also his method of deriving the prediction from his theory—something that no experiment can do.†[11] Eddington claimed to confirm Einstein because he had used Einstein’s derivations in interpreting what his observations really were, with the further paradox that Einstein’s derivations only became accepted because Eddington’s observations appeared to confirm them—â€Å"Observation and prediction were linked in a circle of mutual confirmation rather than being independent of each other as we would expect according to the conventional idea of an experimental test.†[12] Henry H. Bauer argues that ‘pathological science’ is not scientific misconduct, and not done intentionally.[13] Eddington was not purposely misguiding the scientific community. He was victim to common problems confronted by all scientists, especially physicists. As Trevor and Pinch note, We have no reason to think that relativity is anything but the truth†¦but it is a truth which came into being as a result of decisions about how we should live our scientific lives, and how we should license our scientific observations; it was a truth brought about by agreement to agree about new things. It was not a truth forced on us by the inexorable logic of a set of crucial experiments.[14] Bibliography Bauer, Henry H. ‘Pathological Science is not Scientific Misconduct, (nor is it pathological)’, Hyle—International Journal for the History of Chemistry, 8(1), 2002, pp.5-22. Coles, Peter. Einstein and the Total Eclipse. London: Icon Books, 1999. Collins, Harry and Pinch, Trevor. The Golem: what everyone should know about science. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1993. Langmuir, Iriving. ‘Pathological Science’. Trans R.N. Hall. Colloquium at the Knolls Research Laboratory, December 18, 1953. 1 Footnotes [1] Harry Collins and Trevor Pinch, The Golem: what everyone should know about science (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1993), p.44. [2] Peter Coles, Einstein and the Total Eclipse (London: Icon Books, 1999), p.52. [3] Coles, p.52. [4] Coles, p.52. [5] Ibid. [6] Irving Langmuir, â€Å"Pathological Science†, trans. R.N. Hall, Colloquium at the Knolls Research Laboratory, December 18, 1953, section 3. [7] Ibid. [8] Collins and Pinch, The Golem, p.44. [9] Langmuir, ‘Pathological Science’, section 3. [10] Collins and Pinch, p.45. [11] Ibid. [12] Ibid. [13] Henry H. Bauer, ‘Pathological Science is not Scientific Misconduct, (nor is it pathological)’, Hyle—International Journal for the History of Chemistry, 8(1), 2002, p.5. [14] Collins and Pinch, p.54.

Central Asias Water Resources: Country Comparison

Central Asias Water Resources: Country Comparison Chapter 3 Population of Central Asia: Central Asia is the land of many languages, ethnic groups, religions, and tribes. In 2000, an estimated 55.9 million people lived in Central Asia. Today there are about 65.7 million (ICG, 2014). The below table show the population of Central Asia from 1992 to 2013 Total population of Central Asia (1000 inhab) Source: FAO The table shows the population of central Asian countries from 1992 to 2013. According to this table in 1992 the population of Kazakhstan is 16070, which start decreasing from that year. In 1997, the population of Kazakhstan decreased to 15086 and in 2002 it decreased to the level of 146623. This trends show that after independence from former Soviet Union, the population of Kazakhstan start declining; this is due to the migration of Russian and other Soviet Union member’s countries ethnic people from Kazakhstan. This factor is and push factor for growing population. But after the year 2002, it start growing, in 2007, it became 15396, 16271 in 2012 and 16441 in 2013. Kazakhstan is the 9th largest country in the world[1], its density of population is very low and lowest among Central Asian republics. Kyrgyzstan is a mountainous country, but, the population of Kyrgyzstan grows at a fast rate. In 1992, the population of Kyrgyzstan is 4476, in 2007 it crossed the 5 million mark an d in 2012 it became over 5.5 million and grows day by day. This put number of impact on the development of the country, availability of natural resources, water recourses and it became difficult for government to providing basic amenities to the people. Tajikistan is the smallest country from all five republics of central Asia. It is also one of the poorest republics in the world. Tajikistan caught in civil war just after the independence, in this civil war in five years over 50,000 killed and over 10% population of the country runaway to neighboring countries.[2] But beside all of this the population of Tajikistan is grow at a very rapid rate. In 1992, the population of Tajikistan is 5523 which became 6204 in 2002 and crossed 7 million marks in 2007 and 8 million mark in 2012. In 2013, the population of Tajikistan became 8208 and the population in Tajikistan grows very fast in all central Asian republics. Turkmenistan is a very low density country; due to most of the area of the co untry is desert. So, population in Turkmenistan is very low. In 1992, the population of Turkmenistan is 3882, which became 4600 in 2002 and crossed 5 million marks in 2012. In 2013, it became 5240. Total Renewal water resource per capita (actual) (m3/inhab/yr) Source: FAO The above table shows that total water resources per capita (actual) in all central Asian countries decreasing year by year. In Kazakhstan per capita water resources that was 7351 m3 in 2002, decreased to 6607 m3 in 2012 and 6539 m3 in 2014. In Kyrgyzstan the renewal water resources per capita are decreased from 5277 m3 in 1992 to 4721 m3 in 2002, 4315 m3 in 2012 and 4257 m3 in the year of 2014.In Tajikistan, also the trends of declining of water per capita. In 1992 the per capita renewal water recourses availability was 3967 m3 that was declining to 2669 m3 in 2014. In the Turkmenistan the same trend of decreasing renewal water per capita continues. In 1992, the availability of renewal water resources per capita is 6381 m3 that was decline to 4727 m3 in 2014. When we talk about Uzbekistan the situation is worst. Over half of population of whole central Asian region is lived in Uzbekistan and also increased rapidly. So, the situation becomes critical day by day. The availability of p er capita renewal water resources, that was 2269 m3 in 1992 declined to 1832 m3 in 2007 and 1689 m3 in 2014. Water withdrawal by sectors: -The water withdrawals means withdrawn of the gross quantity of water by different sectors annually for given proposes (FAO, 2012). There are three sectors of water withdrawal these sectors are: agriculture, municipalities, and industry. In the agriculture sector included irrigation, aquaculture, watering and livestock cleaning, the municipalities sector included use of water in houses, villages, towns and cities by population for their domestic proposes. The industrial sector includes the water used in thermal plants for cooling, for dying in leather industry etc. the data related to water withdrawal is taken from the national statics of the countries for most countries, but there is uncertainty in methods that are used for obtaining data (FAO, 2005). Water withdrawal by sectors in Kazakhstan Source: FAO The above table shows that the withdrawal by sector in Kazakhstan changed rapidly from agriculture sector to other sector like industrial and municipal. In 1995, agriculture sector withdrawal over 80% of the country. But in 2002, the situation is changed, the share of water withdrawal by agriculture sector decline from 81% to 75% and the share of industrial sector increased from 1.73% to 4.21%. The share of Municipal sector also changed from 16.86 to 20.66 in 2002. In 2007, the share of agriculture again decline, but industrial sector’s share remains shame as 2002. The big change comes in share of municipal sector, which’s share is increased very rapidly after 2002. Its share is increased from 20.66% in 2002 to 28.18% in 2007 and 29.63% in 2010. These trends will continue in country because of high growth in urbanization and industrial sector. Water withdrawal by sectors (in Percentage) in Kyrgyzstan Source: FAO When we see the table of water withdrawal by sector in Kyrgyzstan then we find out that there is very little changes in water withdrawal by sector. The share of agriculture is biggest from all the sectors in 1994, that was over 94% in 1994 and only 1% declined in its share in 2006. The other two sector’s share is almost 3% each 1994 that remained 3% also in 2006. Water withdrawal by sectors (in Percentage) in Tajikistan Source: FAO The water withdrawal in Tajikistan is similar with Kyrgyzstan. Agriculture is the main sector, withdrawal over 90% water of the country. There are many reasons for this because agriculture is the main sector of the economy of the country and biggest employment provider to the people, and industrial sector is not developed in the country because of mineral recourses and energy recourses and due to the increase in population and urbanization the share of municipal sector is increased very at a very slow rate. Water withdrawal by sectors (in Percentage) in Turkmenistan Source: FAO In Turkmenistan agriculture is the main stay of the employment of the people and also the biggest water withdrawal sector. Its share in 1994 is over 97% in total water withdrawal by the all the sectors of the country, that changed very slowly from other sector like industrial sector and municipal sector. The share of industrial sector was almost half percent in 1994, that increased 1.08% in 2000 and almost two and half percent in 2004 and increased year by year but at a very slow rate. The share of municipal sector increased but at a very slow rate. Water withdrawal by sectors (in Percentage) in Uzbekistan Source: FAO In Uzbekistan the agriculture sector remains the biggest water consumer from the Soviet time. It is also one of the biggest cotton producers in the world and cotton crop is the biggest water consumer of the country. Agriculture is the main stay of the people of the country. In 1994, agriculture sector withdrawal over 93% of the total water withdrawal by the country. The industrial sector withdrawal almost 2% and municipal sector 4% of water in the year 1994. In 2001, the agriculture sector withdrawal 90% , industrial sector almost 4% and municipal sector withdrawal almost five and half percent of water. In these years, the share of agriculture is decline and the share of others sector increased. In 2005, the share of agriculture sector remains same but the share of industrial sector declined almost 1%. On the other hand the share of municipal sector increased from five and half to over 7%. This is due to the increase in population and urbanization. Total Renewal water resource per capita (actual) (m3/inhab/yr) Source: FAO The above table shows that total water resources per capita (actual) in all central Asian countries decreasing year by year. In Kazakhstan per capita water resources that was 7351 m3 in 2002, decreased to 6607 m3 in 2012 and 6539 m3 in 2014. In Kyrgyzstan the renewal water resources per capita are decreased from 5277m3 in 1992 to 4721m3 in 2002, 4315 m3 in 2012 and 4257 in the year of 2014.In Tajikistan, also the trends of declining of water per capita. In 1992 the per capita renewal water recourses availability was 3967m3 that was declining to 2669 m3 in 2014. In the Turkmenistan the same trend of decreasing renewal water per capita continues. In 1992, the availability of renewal water resources per capita is 6381m3 that was decline to 4727 m3 in 2014. When we talk about Uzbekistan the situation is worst. Over half of population of whole central Asian region is lived in Uzbekistan and also increased rapidly. So, the situation becomes critical day by day. The availability of per capi ta renewal water resources, that was 2269 m3 in 1992 declined to 1832 m3 in 2007 and 1689 m3 in 2014. Dams in Central Asia Source: FAO The water system in central Asia region is mange by large numbers of canals, dams and reservoirs etc. there is large trap of canals, which was made in the times of Former Soviet Union all over central Asia, many dams like world’s tallest dam Nurek dam etc and many big reservoir like Andijan, Toktogul, Tyuyamunym and Kairakkum etc are in central Asia to manage water resources of the region (UNECE, 2007). The International Commission on Large Dams (ICOLD), classified the dams into two categories according to their height, the first category include the dams with the height of 15 meters or above, second category include the dams of between the height of 5 to 15 meters and the storage capacity is more than 3 million m3,[3]. There are over 1200 dams in central Asia region and 110 dams are large dams from these dams. Many of them have inter-state significance because many of them located on the Transboundary rivers like Amu Darya River, Syr Darya River etc. (UNECE, 2007). The total capacity of dams in central Asian countries is 176.8 km3. From which, 95.5 km3 only in Kazakhstan, that is 54% of the total dam’s capacity of the region. Kyrgyzstan accounts 13% dams of the region with the capacity of 23.5 km3. Kambarta and Toktogul are major dams in Kyrgyzstan. There are 17% dams’ of central Asia is in Tajikistan, with the capability of 29.5 km3. Nurek Dam with the height of 300 meters, is world’s tallest dam is located in Tajikistan on Vakhsh River.[4]. Sangtuda-1 and 2 are also very important dams in Tajikistan and country also proposed a dam named Rogan dam on Naryn River, which become world’s highest dam after the completion of construction[5]. Uzbekistan with the capacity of 22.2 km3 is account 13% of the total dams of the region and with the capacity of 6.2 km3 Turkmenistan accounts only 3% dams of the region [1] http://www.nationsonline.org/oneworld/countries_by_area.htm [2] http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-16201032 [3] https://www.adaptation-fund.org/sites/default/files/ilovepdf.com-7.pdf [4] http://www.briskinfo.com/extreme/tallest-dam-in-world-nurek-dam.html [5] http://www.briskinfo.com/extreme/tallest-dam-in-world-nurek-dam.html Germanys Political System | Summary Germanys Political System | Summary German Political System Chandra Chapagai Introduction Political system is basically a structure to decide, govern, implement, and authorize policies and procedures to the citizens of a country. Each country has their own political system developed or designed under which policies, procedures, and legislations to run the country and the citizens. Each nation has some sort of uniqueness in formation of the political system and how to form policies, procedures, and govern the nation. Unlike US, Germany has its own political system to run the country. Germany is a federal parliamentary system country. It has different components of political system and they are constitution, the executive, legislature, judiciary, different states, composed of different political parties. Like all other political system, parliamentary system also has its own strengths and weaknesses. Constitution The basic law of the land in Germany is the constitution. The constitution of Federal Republic of Germany was passed after World War II in 1949. Germany is a social Democratic country. In the constitution, the basic rights of German citizens are guaranteed. All federal and state authorities are bound by the constitution. They cannot do anything that is against what is written in the constitution. It was the constitution that has established democratic parliamentary system in Germany. After the constitution was written it helped to separate powers of German into executive, legislative, and judiciary branches. This constitution helps all these branches to maintain checks and balances to run the country. The Executive The executive branch basically consists of the head of the state, and head of the government. The head of the state is the president and this president is mostly ceremonial but the ceremonial president is also responsible in representing the state, states’ existence, and their legitimate causes, and overall unity of the states in the country. The president also has the power to practice politics and implement laws and order in the country when there are crisis in the parliament and their cabinet members, and is also responsible to handle international issues, sign treaties in the situation when the parliamentary system is in unstable state, and these are all written in the constitution. The president is elected by the legislative team members. The president is elected for two five year terms for maximum time frame. The head of the government is the federal chancellor. In Germany, the federal chancellor is responsible person to run the government and the overall country polices and politics. The chancellor of the federal republic of Germany is responsible for the parliament of the country. It is the responsibility of the chancellor to select the members of the cabinet for the government. Legislature Legislature is another branch of the federal parliamentarian government of Germany. Legislature assembly is divided into two champers and they are Bundestag, and Bundesrat and its bicameral system. The Bundestag and Bundesrat are lower house and upper house of German political system. The Bundestag members are elected for four year terms in the government. Bundestag will have more than 598 members of representations. Current lower house of chamber has 622 members. It is required by the party to have at least five percent of the national vote in the Bundestag to have the seats. Upper house of the German parliament is called Bundesrat. Bundesrat is a representation from all other states in the country. They are appointed by the state cabinets and can remove them any time if they want to. States selects the representatives to serve in the Bundesrat. The number of house members in Bundesrat is smaller than Bundestag. The lower house of the parliament has the power and authority to veto state level legislation and that will ultimately affect the governing power on the state level. Judiciary The judiciary system of federal republic of Germany is responsible to interpret, explain, and apply the law to the country and other states. German judiciary system practices civil law. The judiciary system of German has three court system and they are ordinary courts, specialized courts, and federal constitutional courts. Ordinary courts basically are responsible to dealing with criminal and civil cases. The federal court of justice of Germany is the highest ordinary court in the country. It is also the highest court of appeals that most of the cases go there for the highest appeals to be heard by the federal judges. Specialized court systems in Germany deals with issues that are related to administration, labor laws, social laws, budget and financial laws, and the patent laws. Any cases related to these issues are directed to the specialized courts in Germany. The highest federal Germany court is called as the constitutional courts and this court focuses on judiciary system and any constitutional issues. If there are any issues related to the constitution of the federal government, the Federal Constitutional court will be involved. The States Germany is divided into sixteen states. It is also called Landers. The government of Germany has federal constitution, all the sovereignty are given to the state and they manage and govern the state level affairs abide by the federal constitution. Since the population on these states are not same and can vary therefore, the size and territory of these states also vary. Each state has its own capital and has their own local and regional government to govern the people of the state. Political parties In democratic countries there will be political parties to run for the government. In the federal parliament government of Germany there are two major political parties and they are Center-Right and Center-Left. The Center-Right has two other parties and they are Christian Democratic Union, and Christian Social Union. These two parties operate differently and they operate thought the country. The Centre-Left Party is the Social Democratic Party. There are other parties as well and they are named as The Left Party, and the German Green Party. The current political party in the government now is Christian Democratic Union (CDU). Angela Merkel is the present head of the government of Federal Republic of Germany. Currently Joachim Gauck is serving as the head of the states in Germany. Strengths and Weakness of Parliament System Any political system has strengths and weaknesses. Political system in federal parliamentary system also has strengths and weakness. One advantage of parliamentary political system is that the executive branch is dependent on Bundestag and Bundesrat and its easy and fast to pass the legislation that was proposed. Strength is that the executive power is divided into states and is not fully concentrated to the head of the federal government. The most significant strength I like is based on the series of debates, it can change the power without election and then allow election to be held at any time, so there is flexibility if need be. One weakness of the parliamentary system is that the head of the government, the chancellor is not directly elected. Also, there is no any group or body that they oppose the legislation that is passed by the parliament. Executive branch and legislative branches are closely connected and the checks and balances between them are poor. There are possibilities of having informal constitutions Sometimes reserve powers are used which are not democratic and can cause crisis in the constitution. It is also possible that the parliamentary system can develop political authority from the executive branch. Conclusion The political system of Republic of Germany is very interesting. The political system of Germany is fairly decentralized system in which the system is categorized into executive, legislative, judiciary, and cabinets. In this system, the people will elect legislation, the legislation body elect executive, and the executive body produces public policy. There are both good side and bad side of parliamentary political system. The judiciary system of German is called the basic law of the land. There are different political parties in the Republic of Germany and all can participate in the political process and involve in the election processes. In Germany, chancellor is the head of the government, and the president is the head of the sixteen states. References Caramani, D. (2011). Comparative politics (3rd ed.). Oxford: Oxford University Press. German political system. (n.d.). Retrieved May 12, 2015, from http://www.rogerdarlington.me.uk/Germanpoliticalsystem.html Neil, P. (2007). States. In Essentials of comparative politics (2nd ed.). New York, N.Y.: W.W. Norton .

Personnel Management (HRM) :: essays research papers

Personnel management - The renewed emphasis on the importance of human resources in the 1980s and 90s drew attention to the way in which people management was organized. Specifically, this meant a critical review of the functions of personnel management. Personnel management has been a recognized function in the USA since NCR opened a personnel office in the 1890s. In other countries the function arrived more slowly and came through a variety of routes. This excerpt from Human Resource Management in a Business Context looks at Personnel management from a historical perspective. Further notes: Traditional Personnel Functions †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Recruitment - advertising for new employees and liaising with employment agencies. †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Selection - determining the best candidates from those who apply, arranging interviews, tests, references. †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Promotion - running similar selection procedures to determine progression within the organization. †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Pay - a minor or major role in pay negotiation, determination and administration. †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Performance assessment - co-ordinating staff appraisal and counselling systems to evaluate individual employee performance. †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Grading structures - as a basis for pay or development, comparing the relative difficulty and importance of functions. †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Training and development - co-ordinating or delivering programmes to fit people for the roles required by the organisation now and in the future. †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Welfare - providing or liaising with specialists in a staff care or counselling role for people with personal or domestic problems affecting their work. †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Communication - providing internal information service, perhaps in the form of staff newspapers or magazines, handouts, booklets, videos. †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Employee Relations - handling disputes, grievances and industrial action, often dealing with unions or staff representatives. †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Dismissal - on an individual basis as a result of failure to meet requirements or as part of a redundancy, downsizing or closure exercise, perhaps involving large numbers of people. †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Personnel administration - record-keeping and monitoring of legislative requirements related to equal opportunities and possibly pensions and tax. Personnel Management Personnel management has been a recognised function in the USA since NCR opened a personnel office in the 1890s. American personnel managers worked within a unitarist tradition, identifying closely with the objectives of their organization (key concept 1.3). It was natural for HRM to emerge comparatively smoothly from this perspective. In other countries, notably Australia, South Africa and the UK, the personnel management function arrived more slowly and came from a number of routes. Moreover, its orientation was not entirely managerial. In Britain its origins can be traced to the 'welfare officers' employed by Quaker-owned companies such as Cadburys.

the swing :: essays research papers

The Swing by Pierre Renoir   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The impressionist movement started when Claude Monet and other artists held an exhibition in Paris in 1874. People like Edgar Degas, Claude Monet, Pierre Renoir, Camille Pissaro created their most important work between 1870 to around 1910. The critics gave the exhibition the worst reviews possible. â€Å"The critics considered Impressionist paintings an insult to viewers because they were expected to accept apparently unfinished art as a ‘real’ painting.† The name was taken from Monet’s Impression, Sunrise. â€Å"The artists took the name after a critic used it mockingly to describe all the exhibited works.† The critics said that the paintings were â€Å"evidence of sloppy workmanship† (world book).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Swing by Pierre Renoir shows many of the characteristics of a painting made during the impressionist movement. During the impressionist period the painters didn’t care to show emotion on the characters depicted in the painting. The impressionist also tried to capture a moment in time by painting something they saw at a glance rather than think about what they knew or what they felt about the situation. For example this painting captures a moment in time by showing a woman, standing on the swing, a baby, looking up at a man, and two men, who is having a conversation with the lady against an outdoor background. The impressionist liked to work outdoors in natural light and paint rapidly rather than in a studio trying to develop what they paint. They were influenced by the scientific study of color and light at that time. This painting shows how light reflects on the people standing partly in the shade and partly in the sunlight.

Doll House Essay

In the play â€Å"A DOLL’S HOUSE†, we are presented with a very idealistic version of life in the late 1800’s, and along with that, the very confined roles both men and women were placed into. â€Å"A DOLL’S HOUSE† lends proof to the fact that women do not always enjoy the freedom to say, do and choose a lifestyle that they find fulfilling. The story that the play presents sheds a very domineering light on males as heads of households, and in society in general, and portrays women as dependent and subservient. In the opening scene of â€Å"A DOLL’S HOUSE†, the main character Nora very tellingly hides, and later lies to her husband about eating a sugary treat (Ibsen). Although Nora’s husband Torvald grills with questions such as â€Å"Hasn’t Miss Sweet Tooth been breaking rules in town today? † she continues to deny that she has, despite having hidden a few macaroons in her pocket moments earlier (Ibsen). The question might arise: â€Å"would a man ever be subject to such questioning and severe restrictions†? We do not often see the roles reversed, were the woman controls so much of what a man eats, how much he spends, what he does in his spare time, etc. , especially in literature and other sources of entertainment. Too often, the â€Å"traditional† views of marital and societal roles regarding men and women are presented over and over; the male â€Å"wears the pants†, dictating to the woman how much she should spend, where she should spend it, and how to behave â€Å"Properly†. As the play progresses, we learn that Nora has committed a grievous crime, forging her fathers signature on a bond secured in order for she and her husband to spend time in Europe as part of Torvalds recovery from a grave illness. Nora is shown to be very dependent on money, and things of monetary value, and therefore her husband since he was obviously procurer of their financial status. Nora comes across as is very dependent on Torvald for her financial needs, and also extremely greedy as evidenced when she exclaims like a child â€Å"Money!  Ã¢â‚¬  at the sight of her husband producing more money to give her (Ibsen). She follows that with â€Å"ten shillings–a pound- -two pounds! Thank you, thank you! † (Ibsen). Such exchanges throughout the play place such a childlike dependency on Nora towards her husband. It is interesting that Nora takes a secret pride in her crime, feeling that it sets her apart and gives her more purpose, while at the same time worrying about how â€Å"humiliating it would be for Torvald, with his manly independence, to know that he owed me anything!  Ã¢â‚¬  even fearing that their â€Å"beautiful happy home would no longer be†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Ibsen). Further still throughout the play, we are faced with more evidence to support the fact that women were not seen as equals in marriage, but as someone to be either proud of or shamed by according to their looks, actions, and ability to keep a home running smoothly. Nora herself is very aware of her place as a thing to be admired when she remarks to her friend Mrs. Linde, â€Å"someday†¦when I am no longer as nice-looking as I am now†¦when Torvald is no longer as devoted to me as he is now; when my dancing and dressing-up and reciting have palled on him;† (Ibsen). Another very telling exchange between Torvald and Nora takes place during the preparation for a ball in which Nora is to dance. While trying to discourage her husband from getting the mail, and finding a letter from the man who was going to reveal her crime, Nora plays to Torvalds dominant tendency insisting that she cannot do it correctly without his help. Although their conversation is in reference to her dance and practicing, it seems to shed some light on the type of relationship they have. Nora exclaims â€Å"I can’t dance tomorrow if I don’t practice with you†¦criticize me, and correct me†¦Ã¢â‚¬  to which Torvald replies â€Å"with great pleasure, if you wish me to† (Ibsen). As they practice, Nora’s nerves about her crime being exposed get the best of her and she is unable to perform correctly. Torvald cries â€Å"you will need a lot of coaching†¦you can depend on me† (Ibsen).

Duty of Care in Health and Social Care

Duty of care is a legal obligation for each individual in the health and social care setting that requires them to adhere to a standard of reasonable care. Ensuring they don’t put their service users or themselves in any danger.In the workplace there are policies and procedures, agreed standards, codes of practice and other legislation a care worker should follow.In a care workers job role you would be responsible for making sure the service users’ needs are met to the best of your ability making sure the service user does not come to any harm and also making sure they are involved in their care plan. Promoting services user’s choice and rights to the best of your ability. You would be responsible for assessing possible risks.You must remain professional throughout you role making sure you are ad-hearing to confidentiality, keeping up to date and accurate records of the care you have or are providing to service users.If you are not sure about any part of your wor k you or have concerns then you must speak to the manager straight away to make sure that no mistakes are made.Duty of care is central to all that you do at work, it is not something extra.Q 1.2 Explain how duty of care contributes to the safeguarding or protection of individuals?A 1.2Duty of care contributes to the safeguarding or protection of individuals by keeping individuals safe whether it is illness, abuse, harm or injury. We can do this by involving families, health care professionals and other external agencies into the individuals care plan.Duty of care is a legal requirement and there are policies, procedures, code of conduct and legislation around safeguarding and protecting your service users. Following these guidelines is showing that we are providing the best care possible.If you are doing activities with service user you should always do risk assessments making sure that the service user is aware of any risks also.Q 2.1 Describe potential conflicts or dilemmas that m ay arise between the duty of care and an individual’s rights?A 2.1Potential conflicts or dilemma’s between the duty of care and individual rights is about enabling service users rights to do what they want to do but making them aware of risks and the harm to others. You cannot stop the service user from making a choice. We all take risks in everyday life for example walking across the road.When there are concerns about and service user’s capacity to understand risks and consequences of their actions there is an â€Å"Incapacity Test† to assess the capacity. If the service user does not have the capacity then it is down to the people caring for the service user to make decisions. It is easy to assume that a service user does not have the capacity to make decisions based on their disabilities.A potential conflict or dilemma that may arise is if a service user wishes to smoke. The service user has the right to smoke and for an area to be set up for them to s moke but you can also make them aware of the risks involved or  harm to others that can be caused.Another conflict or dilemma which may arise is if a mental health patient is refusing to take medication. The patient has the right to refuse to take medication but as a care worker your duty of care is to try and explain the risks and harm that can be caused by the patient not taking their medication. You can seek help from other professionals i.e. Psychologist, GP, Mental health nurse, Family members (as they may listen to the family more than professionals because they may feel that professionals are trying to harm them.).When dealing with dilemmas or conflicts it helps to seek advice and guidance from other people such as colleagues, manager, service users family members, and other professionals connected with the individual.Q 2.2 Describe how to manage risks associated with conflicts or dilemmas between an individual’s rights and duty of care?A 2.2You can carry out a risk assessment that involves the service user so they fully understand the risk/s they are taking. If the service user still wishes to take the risk then you have to try and make it as safe as possible for them to do so, by doing this you are meeting your obligation to provide duty of care. Update care plans and paperwork to show that you have explained the risks to the service user.Q 2.3 Explain where to get additional support and advice about conflicts and dilemmas?A 2.3There are many different ways to receive extra support to help with dilemmas and conflicts. You can ask colleagues as they might have had to deal with a similar situation or may have other ways to help. Line manager as they are  more experienced, other professionals working with your service user i.e. doctor, social services, schools or colleges, counselling service who may know how to . You are never alone in making a decision where there are conflicts or dilemmas.Q 3.1 Describe how to respond to complaints?A 3.1Exp lain to the service user the procedure for making a complaint.Listen to what the individual is saying without interruption and assure the client that you are interested in their concern.Reassure the person that you are willing to do something about their complaint and are glad that they have brought it to your attention.Never make excuses, get angry or blame other staff.Provide the service user with information and advice on how you are going to deal with the complaint and in what time scales. Making written details of this also.Report the complaint to your line manager and reflect on the complaint to improve your professional development.Q 3.2 Explain the main points of agreed procedures for handling complaints?A 3.2There are two ways to make a complaint verbal and non-verbal. If a complaint is made verbally you should usually deal with this complaint straight away unless you are unable to do so, at this point you would ask you line manager or another colleague for help to deal wit h the complaint.If someone makes a non-verbal complaint there is usually a procedure in place to respond to the complaint within a certain timescale usually 2-3 days. Usually the manager will respond to these type of complaint. However it is important to find out what went wrong and how, this is usually done in a meeting with the complainant and the investigating manager. The next phase would be about putting the complaint right and making sure that they do not occur again. When complaints are handled in this way it is referred to as local Resolution.If the complainant is not satisfied with how the complaint has been resolved they can complain to the Local Government Ombudsman to be investigated further. Complainants can also complain to the care quality commission.As a care worker you will be given a policy and procedure on how to handle complaints this is usually in your code of practice.

Middle School Graduation Speech

Today you are graduating middle school. Some of you are sitting in your seats thinking â€Å"its just middle school, its not really even a big deal. † I know that because that was me at the same time last year But it's a big deal. Three years of your life are gone, some of you may believe you have nothing to show for these three years, but that could not be farther from the truth. You have grown, not Just In the getting taller sense- but In the sense that you are becoming the person you are meant to be.You have developed your own ideas and your own sense of the world. You have learned many many things, even if you don't believe so. You have challenged yourself without knowing and made the adults in your life so proud of you in Just three years. So what about the next four years you have here at Greenville? What will you accomplish? What about your years after you leave us? How many heights will you reach? The world Is yours. The world Is yours to conquer and to change. Maybe I t will take you years to decide how you want to live your life, or maybe you already know.Maybe you now now and will change your mind, and that is perfectly fine. Maybe you will start on a road that is not for you or maybe you will get lucky and take the correct path on your first try. You will get hurt and you will fall down. When this happens, chances are you won't want to get back up, but you have to. If you let life keep you down you will go nowhere. So don't listen to things people say about you, because the only opinion of you that matters Is what you think of yourself. Not everyone Is going to love you, actually a majority of people will hardly even like you.But who really cares about those people? If they waste their time trying to knock you down, they obviously aren't even worth me taking the time to talk about. You only have a short amount of time here, and you should use every minute of it wisely so when the time comes and your life flashes before your eyes you are not di sappointed with what you see. So learn everything you can. Take advantage of every opportunity given to you. Stand up and use your words for good, and always remember to dance In the rain.You'll get mixed up, of course, s you already know. You'll get mixed up with many strange birds as you go. So be sure when you step. Step with care and great tact and remember that Life's a Great Balancing Act. Just never forget to be dexterous and deft. And never mix up your right foot with your left. And will you succeed? (98 and 3/4 percent guaranteed. ) Kid, you'll move mountains! So†¦ Be your name Buxom or Boxy or Bray or Moroccan All Van Allen Ashes, you're off to Great Places! Today is your day! Your mountain is waiting. So†¦ Get on your way!

Accounting & business performance

The current business environment is characterized by a high level of competitiveness and business organizations have to go through a constant process of change in order to develop and maintain a competitive edge that will allow them to maximize their profits.Profit maximization leads to maximization of shareholder wealth and therefore it is the ultimate objective that the management in every business organization strives to attain in the long term. However shareholders are not the only stakeholders to a business organization.Customers and employees are also important stakeholders and satisfying their demands is critical to maintaining the competitiveness of a business organization (cited in Spitzer, 2007). The process of satisfying customers is called customer relationship management.The process of satisfying the employees is called human resource management (cited in Armstrong, 2005). A critical aspect of human resource management is compensation management. Inasmuch as compensation management motivates employees and directly impacts the level of their performance, it is a serious concern for the management of a business organization.Compensation management, by influencing employees to target their efforts towards enhancing organizational effectiveness, forms an integral part of the management control system in a business organization.The management control system ensures that resource allocation happens in a manner calculated to maximize organizational effectiveness. This effectiveness is achieved through strategic alignment. As mentioned before, every business organization has to develop a competitive edge.This enables business organizations to set themselves apart so that customers are more willing to spend money for their products and services rather than for their competitors. Having a strategic focus is integral to developing and maintaining a competitive edge. In order to develop a strategic focus, the management of a business organization has to identi fy its core competencies.These competencies possessed by a particular business organization define what the strategic focus for that organization should be and the organization’s resources are allocated accordingly. One of the most important resources that an organization possesses is its employees. However employees do not possess the big picture.Therefore they are unable to structure the application of their skills efficiently and effectively on their own. That is why the management control system is of critical importance. The management control system in this regard works by means of a framework of rewards and penalties.An organization is a collective term (cited in Armstrong, 2005). It consists of a group of people working together to reach a common target which for a business organization, as mentioned before, is profit maximization. According to the definition above, how employees relate to one another in the organizational setting is a concern of the utmost importance .The effort here is one of identifying a structural framework which can be applied generally to understanding the nature of these relationships. Understanding the nature of the relationship between the superior and his subordinates reveals the set of motives and interests which the senior management of an organization can depend upon to improve the performance of their employees. One such structural framework is the agency theory.According to the agency theory, agents and principals have different motives and interests which guide their behavior and therefore conflicts of interest arise (cited in Atkinson, 2006). These conflicts must be eliminated if their efforts are to be directed to the common good of the organization.Examples of principals are the senior management of an organization while examples of agents may be the managers who work under them. An example of a conflict of interest may be a scenario where the senior management encourages a high level of risk-taking when it co mes to business ventures but the managers they are delegating tasks to do not like to take risks.In this respect, the common goal for both agents and principals to maximize profits is compromised because the two parties are following different approaches. Unless this conflict is resolved, it will be impossible for the senior management of an organization to maintain its strategic focus.How to resolve this conflict has been the subject of considerable research and there is widespread agreement in the scholarly circles that designing the right system of rewards and penalties is the critical issue in this regard.The highly competitive nature of the current business environment requires organizations to change their internal processes in a continuous improvement process. Because the industry is changing fast in terms of products and services and production technologies, the business organization operating in that industry also has to change in order to stay competitive.One of these chan ges is that business organizations can no longer afford to keep their performance measurement systems aligned to the past. That is why the balanced scorecard system is now being implemented in diverse industries in a wide variety of organizations to keep the performance measurement system forward-looking.According to the balanced scorecard, the management of a business organization has to look at the organization in terms of four perspectives: financial, customer, learning and growth and internal processes (cited in Spitzer, 2007).The balanced scorecard links these four perspectives under the framework of total quality management. According to the theory of total quality management, the process of quality control has to be embedded in all the processes organization-wide.The balanced scorecard puts this theory into practice by focusing management control on four key areas of an organizational structure. However once again, implementing the balanced scorecard requires the right system of rewards and penalties.It has been mentioned before that managers and employees have different goals and therefore delegation of duties and responsibilities is hampered. Removing this barrier to strategic alignment between management goals and the goals of their subordinates defines agency theory. The agency theory is very much relevant even when it comes to the implementation of the balanced scorecard.According to this methodology, the managers responsible for particular work processes have to design hierarchies of objectives, measures, targets and initiatives which will assess to what extent those work processes are meeting organizational standards (cited in Spitzer, 2007).Conflicts of interest between the senior management and its subordinates will arise because the senior management will require that lower level managers set aggressive targets for their work processes in the balanced scorecard. However the lower level managers will be unwilling to set aggressive targets becau se in the event these aggressive targets are not met, they risk losing their jobs. The senior management likes to take risks because it has a lot of choices in this respect, i.e. hiring other employees more suited to the task.However the employees will have a hard time finding another job and therefore they set easily attainable targets in order to ensure job security. This conflict can be resolved only through the right system of rewards and penalties.In designing the right system of rewards and penalties, the management has to decide whether the compensation should be behavior-based (fixed salary) or outcome-based (bonus, stock options, profit sharing) (cited in Armstrong, 2005).This decision is reached on the basis of whether the task in question is highly programmable, where senior management can specifically prescribe the behavioral requirements for the task, or not (cited in (cited in Spitzer, 2007).For example, when it comes to maximizing sales, the management has to offer it s sales employees a certain degree of latitude so that the sales employees exercise creativity in maximizing the number of sales in a specific period of time.In this respect, the senior management has no way of monitoring employee behavior and therefore the rewards or penalties are administered based on whether the number of sales reached the target or not. That is why rewards and penalties are important for the management control system.The objective of the management control system in this example is to make sure that in maximizing sales, employees put in their best efforts, which they will not according to the agency theory. That objective of the management control system is reached only through well thought out rewards and penalties which make employees extend their best efforts in attaining the organizational objectives.ReferencesSpitzer, Dean R. Transforming Performance Measurement: Rethinking the Way WeMeasure and Drive organizational Success. Prentice Hall. (2007).Armstrong, Michael. Strategic Human Resource Management. Prentice Hall. (2005)Atkinson, Anthony A., et al. Management Accounting. McGraw Hill/Irwin. (2006).Horngren, Charles T., et al. Introduction to Management Accounting. Prentice Hall. (2005). Â