Effect of Unethical Behavior Essay

The Securities and Exchange Commission was created in 1934 to police the U. S. financial markets. Today, the Securities and Exchange Commission continues to create legislation tightening reporting standards and providing more transparency. Unfortunately, increasing standards often comes after a failure of the system. The Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 is a primary example of legislation following financial market failure. Sarbanes-Oxley influenced public businesses through transformation of the financial system. The July 2002 enactment of the Sarbanes Oxley Act, co-authored by U. S. Sen. Paul Sarbanes of Maryland and U.  S. Rep. Michael Oxley of Ohio, followed a series of large public company failures that included Enron, Tyco and WorldCom. Sarbanes-Oxley addressed investor confidence and fraud through reform of the public company reporting standards. However, much damage in the market occurred with the collapse of several major companies between 2002 and 2004. (smallbusiness. chron. com). The impact of unethical behavior is known by many companies, and have done damage to individuals, and businesses as well. The results of unethical behavior on a large scale would be the Enron, Tyco, and Global Crossing, or WorldCom. Greediness led to accounting unethical promises, and with that certain individuals became the ones who had told on their companies. Falsifying financial reports is dishonest and unethical because the financial records are supposed to show financial results of a business, and how it is growing. When accountants or managers lie about the revenue and cash flow it misleads prospective investors, stockholders, employees, and the U. S. government. So many billions of dollars have been hidden in the paperwork, and financial statements. If I had found inconsistencies in the financial statements where I worked I would have to go through the chain of command to let them know of what I have found and if there was nothing done then I would then think about going outside to tell someone so I could cover myself. Unethical behavior led to the end of Enron, and the other companies, and to financial issues for many individuals all over the United States. As a result of the unethical behavior of several companies there is now the Sarbanes-Oxley Act. All companies, must comply with the Sarbanes Oxley Act of 2002. The Sarbanes-Oxley Act set guidelines for ethical accounting practices.

Nutritional Assessment Project

Nutrition is an essential part in everyone’s life. It helps us stay healthy and energetic, look nice and be in a good mood. It plays a great role for the overall condition. And there is a great difference what you eat and how many vitamins and useful elements every food item includes. The analysis of the daily nutrition record helps realize whether a person consumes the right food in the right quantity. A woman aged 40 years has the following characteristic: 5 ft 4 in and165 lb. These characteristic features are essential in the course of analyzing the nutritional data as they allow forming certain set of recommendations and diagnosing the errors and inconsistencies in the food choice. The activity level is sedentary. This means that a woman should reconsider her way of life and start go in for some kind of sport or at least take some walks in the evening. It is not only useful for health but also helps with digestion and metabolism. BMI is the next crucial point. It slightly exceeds the normal ratio. Besides, the woman gains usually 1 lb per week. This is a positive figure as the normal ratio amount not more than two lb per week. It is important first of all to analyze the correlation between the nutrient elements that were consumed by the woman in comparison with the dietary graph recommendations. It is obviously that she consumes too much fat, especially saturated one. It affects negatively not only her weight, but also her health in general. Besides, she consumes too little dietary fiber – it constitutes only 53%. It is desirable for her to increase the amount of consumed water as it comprises only 70% of the daily need of a person and to decrease the amount of protein consummation. The woman should start consuming more vitamins, especially vitamins D, E and A. Still such vitamins as B1 and B3 seem to be excessive to be consumed as an average daily amount. The best balance is achieved in consumption of vitamin B12 – it amounts to 99% and is very important as it regulates growth, maintenance, and reproduction of all of the cells, including nervous ones, and results in increased energy and improved overall condition (CyberRecovery, 2006). It is highly recommended for a woman to increase the amount of consumed calcium as it is only 34% of the daily norm while the use of sodium should be necessarily reduced at least in three times. It is necessary to analyze the products this woman usually eats. There are two days’ descriptions. She has for breakfast coffee and creamer, for lunch – cheeseburger, French fries and frozen dessert, then for dinner – fish and fried shrimps, and finally for supper – pop-corn and water. The other day she has the same breakfast while the lunch is larger and includes mashed potato with pork chops and sauerkraut, soda and water. Her dinner consists of mushroom turnovers, sandwich, steak and Tater Tots. She has a vanilla ice cream as a snack later and no supper. It is important to analyze the options the woman should increase in her daily diet. It is necessary to increase the consumption of dietary fiber that is included in the following products from the list: sauerkraut, mushroom turnovers, and in little quantity it may be found in Tater Tots and ice cream. So she should eat more vegetables to supply the organism with necessary amount of dietary fiber. To increase the amount of vitamin A, that one day is completely absent from her diet, the woman should eat more potato, carrot, greens, and especially liver as it is number one among the products that contain this vitamin (HealthAliciousNess). Apricots are also a good source of vitamin A. In order to increase the amount of calcium the woman should eat more meat – but not fast food. The best variant is steamed meat dishes. The fast food items should be excluded from the diet at all as they lack indeed useful and healthy elements though are abundant in harmful ones. One more essential aspect comprises obligatory use of fruit and vegetables. Regular grain consumption is also important. The woman does not follow these recommendations in her daily diet: there are at least some vegetables present, but there is complete absence of fruit. Protein consumption is enough, though the diary products are still needed. Green and orange vegetables are the best choice. Moreover, it is strongly recommended to reduce fats and sugar consumption as it interferes with the healthy diet approach. The presence of beans and peas is also essential. The question of consumed calories presents the following data: one day the calorie level amounted to 1993 calories while the other day presented the figure of 2773. The average figure is 2383 calories per day. The most caloric food item was cheeseburger (790 calories). The least caloric product except water and coffee with creamer was sauerkraut and then mashed potato (100 and 125 calories respectively). Thus, the woman’s average daily intake of calories is 2383 calories. The average daily intake of calories is supposed to be 2000 calories for a woman while for a man the figure is 2500 (NHSchoices). Though, this figure greatly depends upon the peculiarities of lifestyle and age. The conclusion is as follows: the average intake is not excessive, but the choice of food items should be carefully reconsidered taking into account the recommendations according to the reduction and increase rates in product list. References Cyber Recovery (2006). What does vitamin B12 do in your body? Retrieved from http://www.cyberrecovery.net/forums/showthread.php?t=317 HealthAliciousNess. Top 10 foods highest in vitamin A. Retrieved from http://www.healthaliciousness.com/articles/food-sources-of-vitamin-A.php NHSchoices (2012). What should my daily intake of calories be? Retrieved from http://www.nhs.uk/chq/pages/1126.aspx?categoryid=51

Buisness Environment

The business environment of candy wrapping is lively and quite encouraging for start-ups to commence and operate business. There are always emerging candy companies with new flavors and tastes covering the entire age market of children, youth, men and women and even elderly. Specially lolly pops, lozenges, eclairs, are all time favorites for all group of ages and wrappers are everywhere. Especially after the launch of Internet technology, candy-wrapping business has emerged as a specialized business with profit making margins.In fact stay at mom candy wrapping business have been inviting individuals to take up candy wrapping business. Candy wrapping is an excellent ebusiness which can be in small volumes as well in large volumes whereas the demand for candy wrapping can never be halted. Candies are 24Ãâ€"7 business which are available at every occasion beginning from birthdays to wedding celebrations. The strengths that are required in candy wrapping business is to possess skills of designing software of graphics to extend colorful view on candy wrappers.Lot of creativity and imaginary work that must work in designing of wrappers which will prove beneficiary for business. There are no particular weaknesses in the business of candy wrapping without the concern of entrepreneur such as poor customer relation management, untimely deliveries, poor quality paper, spoilt / broken candies, poor packing are some of the keen areas where business will be lost. Website is no guarantee proof that business will be developed at a fast pace whereas it must be advertised through proper channels.A wide variety of opportunities are available in candy wrapping business. The business includes multinationals such as nestle, Cadbury Schweppes, and service oriented organizations viz. , wedding planners, birthday parties, florists, toy stores, infant and children shops, can be undertaken. Equipment that is required for designing candy wrappers is, a computer, ebusiness kit, software f or designing wrappers, color printer and paper. It is also a fact competitors can never be taken a back as loss except to the fact that the quality of paper must be excellent with attractive designs.Timely delivery of goods must be undertaken with utmost care and neatly packed to gain brand image of ebusiness. There are many successful companies which are involved in candy wrapping business. (1) candywrapper lady (2) custom candy wrappers (3) CJ’s Candy Wrap-ups (4) Party411. com (5) chocolatecovers. com. Although there is a stiff competition in the market, each company is specialized with a particular design which is the quality work according to the requirement and liking of a client.Each company is specialized in a particular software and design and focuses only those areas of clients. This also extends lot of benefits for companies and clients who are offered with variety, wide choice and with quality work. Conclusion For every ebusiness owner, a complete and thorough kno wledge of candy wrapping, internet research to build client base, market analysis and finance control is required while the basic skill of top quality designs must be focused.There can also be another alternative to work for a candy wrapping company before starting an own business, in order to gain sufficient knowledge, experience and guidance to avoid a novice experiments in ebusiness. References Start your own business get the bizymoms candy wrapper career kit Accessed 20 June 2007 http://www. bizymoms. com/cart/careers/candywrap_kit. html The candy wrapping business Accessed 20 June 2007 http://www. talewins. com/homepreneurs/candywrapping. htm

How the threat of an imminent fiscal cliff is directly related to Research Paper

How the threat of an imminent fiscal cliff is directly related to income inequality - Research Paper Example The whole problem was triggered by the quarrel over tax cuts for the wealthiest 1% percentage of Americans. It can be argued that the prospects of the future global economy depends much on the debate circling to distribution of income or equality among all sections of the society. The republicans support the tax cuts on the argument of the role played by income in the development of incentives. They argue that the role of the government is not ecstatic in managing the money of the tax payers. They put the example of the CEO who may feel the disincentive on working harder if the government levies a tax of 10% more on his income. The Republicans states the money that is paid by the tax payers can be more efficiently invested in profitable investments instead of wasting the amount in the inefficient programs of the government. Research question How the threat of an imminent fiscal cliff is directly related to income inequality? Literature Review The law makers of the country are facing three unattractive options. They can keep the policy on hold till the beginning of next year. With the implementation of the policy the spending rates are anticipated to go down and therefore the economy will again be on the verge of inflation. Again the deficit of the current balance is anticipated to fall as well. They can opt for the middle course which would address the issues of the budget to a certain extent and will also have modest impact on the rate of growth. Two dimensions can be put forwarded regarding the inefficiency of the government. The spending in the public sector cannot be identified as waste because some of the expenditures roll out to the private sector as well. In some cases the roll is large enough. Moreover some profitable investments can only be done by the government. An individual cannot be held responsible for his resources and the same individual can be held responsible for the choices he makes. It is undoubted that the policy maker will opt for the pro grams that bring equalization in the society rather than increase the taxes for the wealthiest population. The term economic inequality is used to define the gap between the rich and the poor. The disparities in distribution of the economic assets among individuals or groups of population are regarded as economic inequality (World Bank, 2005, p. 27-28). There are many causes for economic inequality and primary of them being the differences in wages and salaries of the employed. Inequality in the labor market leads to concentration of wealth in the hands of the few. Some of the other causes are racial inequality, gender inequality, tax loopholes and increasing costs of education. The distributive inefficiency gets reduced by economic inequality. Inequality acts to reduce the total personal utility. The simplest form of measuring inequality arranges the entire population from poorest to the richest and pictures the percentage of spending attributable to either quintile or decile of th e arrangement. One of the most popular measures on inequality is Gini coefficient (Cullis and Koppen, 2007, p. 2-3). It ranges from 0 showing perfect equality to 1 showing perfect inequality. It is derived from the Lorenz curve which also arranges the population from the poorest to the richest. The Lorenz curve is drawn using the cumulative proportion of the population and the cumulative expenditure on the horizontal and the vertical axis

The Indispensability of Business Simulation Exercise Essay

The Indispensability of Business Simulation Exercise - Essay Example The team has not worked well as it was expected to. There has been a lack of cohesion, lack of a collective attitude and members have rarely communicated to share on individuals’ progress and challenges that have faced them in the simulation process. We have also lacked identifiable qualities of good teams that perform collectively. The group’s inability to merge its potentials eliminated positive effects of diversity, effects that promote collaborative work towards successful outputs. This means that our individual output levels have been less than the level of quality that we could have achieved had we incorporated ourselves into a single group and explored our knowledge for completing the simulation (Belbin 2012, n.p). The lack of teamwork also undermined interdependence for encouragements and motivation (A & amp; C Black 2009, 14- 15). The team’s weak collectiveness also identifies communication challenges as a barrier to cohesion. This is because the team me mbers have never communicated with each other. Only one member has been effective in communication. Lack of interest in each other’s contribution, poor attitudes, and cultural differences are possible causes of the realized poor communication into a less collective team (Means 2009, p. 12). The team did not illustrate significant signs of strength because even its existence was not felt in facilitating its objective. It however communicated diversified weaknesses that range from leadership, managerial and communication inefficiencies. Poor communication was a major factor because members, except one person, did not make efforts to consult with other team members on the simulation’s scope.

Black Theology Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Black Theology - Essay Example In the midst of this turbulent period, a relatively unknown theologian from a rural town in Arkansas emerged to confront the abstract and irrelevant definitions of white mainstream theology and to speak to the social conditions of black Americans. James Cone has been called "the father" of black theology, "the leading exponent of black theology," and the "premier black theologian" (Burrow, 1993, p. 1). Grenz and Olson (1992, p. 206) acknowledge, "Cone was able to emerge as an important voice for the new Black theology in part because he shared the plight of Blacks through his upbringing in the South. This qualified him to understand their feelings and speak on their behalf. At the same time, his voice was significant because he had obtained the academic credentials necessary to gain a hearing in the largely White-dominated theological circle." Cone wrote the first systematic treatment of black theology. His books, articles, and lectures launched black liberation theology into the national and international theological arena. As Hopkins (2002, p. 16) argues, "I believe he was the first person in the history of the United States to position liberation of the poor as the central and foundational preaching and teaching of Jesus And Cone was one of two people in the world to first write books on liberation theology." To better contextualise this assessment, it would be pertinent to point out that Hopkins (2002, p. 14) defines black liberation theology as "the name given to a movement created by a group of African American pastors in the late 1960s who felt that the gospel of Jesus Christ had a positive message for black people." Arguably, there were three historic events that provided the context for the formation of black theology as a movement: (1) the civil rights movement of the 1950s and 1960s, associated with Martin Luth er King Jr., (2) the publication of Joseph Washington's book, Black Religion: The Negro and Christianity in the United States (1964), and (3) the rise of the black power movement, strongly influenced by Malcolm X's philosophy of black nationalism (Burrow, 1993). In the 1960s, the notoriety of the civil rights movement emerged under the leadership and direction of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. He confronted racism and discrimination using a social-oriented theology and a nonviolent method of protest. His pastoral concern and academic training gave a theological and biblical voice to the debilitating implications of racial oppression. Second, Joseph Washington's (1964) book Black Religion was one of the major writings to argue that black religion is not identical to white Protestantism or any other expression of Euro-American Christianity. "Rejecting the thesis of earlier studies that viewed Black religion as one aspect of the broader category of North American Protestantism, Washington asserted that it was actually a distinctive phenomenon in North American religious life" (Grenz and Olson, 1992, p. 204). Finally, with the influence of Malcolm X, phrases like "black nationalism," "black pride," and "black power" emerged to raise black consciousn ess and reclaim black identity in American society. The three historical benchmarks - the civil rights movement, Black Religion, and the black power movement -provided the conte

Localisation the workplace in UAE Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 8000 words

Localisation the workplace in UAE - Essay Example In the later section of this paper, the case study of of Emiratization in practice is presented to identify the issues in the implementation of Emiratization (employing UAE nationals) programmes. The findings of the study demonstrate some of the complexities in implementing Emiratization. The complexities that were identified in implementing Emirazatization were management commitment, quantitative evaluation methods, resistance to change and the role of expatriates in implementing Emiratization programmes. The implication of the research also identified areas for future research. The areas were identified in the study that needs future research are; Political leaders in the Middle East knew that their dependence on expatriate workforce has has serious long-term political, economic and social consequences (Al-Lamki, 1998). Such, the region has implemented nationalization strategies to employ nationals(citizens) instead of foreigners/expatriates. This initiative has various names in the region such as Omanization, Saudization and Emiratization. These nationalization strategies attempts to integrate HRM policies and practices in the change management practices (going to nationalization from employing expatriates to a local national) (Mellahi and Wood, 2001).is a topic in HR literature which lacks research at present (Hallier, 1993; Palthe and Kosseck, 2003; Mendenhall et al., 2003; Ruona and Gibson, 2004; Sheehan, 2005). At the outset nationalization strategies seemed to be associated with globalization, economic growth and reform, and competitiveness (Al-Dosary, 2004; Looney, 2004; Mellahi and Wood, 2002). Thus, nationalization strategies is an international issue albeith Middle Eastern leaders have implemented nationalization policies that are specific to their own countries. This initiative however is not exclusive to Middle East. Similar parallel programs can be seen in countries such as Malaysia (Ahmad et al., 2003), Zimbabwe, South

Did the First World War or the Second World War mark the pinnacle of Essay

Did the First World War or the Second World War mark the pinnacle of the importance of wartime propaganda before 1945 - Essay Example Recent advent of better and faster communication Medias like radio, television, print media and the internet have served to take it to even higher levels, with the propagandist being able to reach millions within a very short period. The word propaganda in its self has a negative undertone, although it does not necessarily have to be towards a negative undertaking. There are many uses of these persuasion methods to champion for just courses in mobilizing people to take positive actions regarding issues affecting their society. Historically the most pronounced use of propaganda is in the two world wars than it was in isolated case of civil wars that rocked the entire Europe and the Americas in the 16th and early 18th centuries. Aspects of propaganda As demonstrated in the First World War propaganda by Americans, it involves the use several aspects to gain the confidence and support of the masses. Wilson, the then president in 1917 formed a committee on public information purely for ra llying domestic support while communicating the intentions abroad. The committee application of its mandate best demonstrates the primary facets of propaganda in wars. These include; the use of emotional appeals, in which case the propagandist focuses on capturing the hearts of his target audience and not their minds at all. As observed by various scientists after the war, draining off emotional agitation into the desired activity is the propagandist best and most effective strategy. A simple publication of a young child suffering together with her pet during the war with Germans for instance was enough to turn all Americans into deep hatred for Germans and generate the enthusiasm needed for sustenance of the war. Positively such an article also could result to increased membership in the universal Red Cross society to help eliminated suffering as well as setting up of orphanages for abandoned pets. Analysts suggest that the failure of Germans propaganda against the Americans was by the simple appeal to common sense in explaining their cause other than using emotional appeals that create infatuation. Another technique that propaganda employs is demonization of the enemy in a great manner that everyone beliefs that they are the aggrieved parties in the whole situation. All their subjects easily hated Germans by simply portraying them as brutal inhumane rulers who flourished on committing atrocities against the rest of the society. The propagandist in this case used the promise of better working and living conditions as soon as the Germans were gotten rid of, a strategy which brought immense support of the American war against the Germans. The third face is the widespread dishonesty that propaganda prevails upon. As analysts observed at the close of the war in 1918, the organisers and decision makers at the helm of the American camp had used many lies and skewed promises that right from the start they knew were not possible, simply to ignite passion among the ma sses. Many of the stories published bore huge chunks of untruths that they dimmed appropriate for attainment of the desired outcome (Randal 167). Propaganda and World War One The First World War relied explicitly on propaganda to mobilise local citizens to support their respective armies. In Europe for instance, the Britons used various techniques to appeal

Analyzing a research Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Analyzing a research - Essay Example The article displays the research techniques used in the study in various ways. First, it describes the process of the literature review, which is essential in determining the direction of the current study regarding the formation of the research question (Kington, Sammons, Day & Regan, 2011). Moreover, the article reflects the weaknesses of the existing studies about the topic under research in order to establish an effective and sufficient research on the topic. In addition, the authors describe how they integrated both qualitative and quantitative research methods to identify the factors that contribute to effective teaching practice in primary and secondary contexts. The article under review attempts to establish the factors that contribute to effective teaching practice at primary and secondary levels of study. The data analysis techniques used in the articles includes qualitative, quantitative and mixed methods. The qualitative technique involves various processes such as recording, transcribing and saving the post- and pre-observation interviews. In addition, a coding application was developed to establish the themes of organizational for analysis. The article also highlights that the research team developed the application using NVivo software package in order to enhance qualitative approach of analysing the results. In addition, the qualitative approach was used to analyse the interviews in order to identify various aspects of the teachers and students (Kington, Sammons, Day & Regan, 2011). The research uses the quantitative technique to evaluate the teachers and students questionnaires data. The questionnaires are mainly utilised in the qualitative approach in order to determine the demographic aspects of the research participants. In this case, the questioners’ data regarding the teachers is fed into the SPSS program in order to generate the teachers’ population descriptive information. According to the article, the information on the

Select one article from our text book, or one document from the Assignment

Select one article from our text book, or one document from the Internet, and evaluate what you feel are it's strengths and weaknesses - Assignment Example Most organizations face this issue. As there is a change of reality, they do not address moves in their competitive environment and thus find it hard to sustain their competitive advantage. According to the article, the main issues of theory of businesses revolve around connecting the three key parts together. These parts are reality, organizational competency and business focus. The following points are to be kept in mind to keep the theory of business relevant presently and in future. One is that reality is defined by the market place and moves to where it wants. For an organization to be successful, it has to study the changes taking place in the market and know that the key to success is their capacity to determine what the customer is willing to pay for at the moment and in the future. Another factor is that an organization attains focus when it aligns itself with reality. Thus, if it wishes to be successful, it concentrates on the moves in the market place and adjusts its business programs to cater for those needs. After an organization is aware of the changes needed, it has to identify and develop skills and competencies needed to prosper in the long term. The author recommends that organizations ought to review their theory of business continually as there is no business that is static. There are also times that organizations ought to be cautions like in the startup stage, times of fast transformation, unforeseen failures or success and when the organization is about to attain its present goals and objectives. The objective of the article is to address business theory. It is to address where organizations go wrong so that they do not achieve success and the solutions that they ought to embrace and apply. The author of the article accomplishes this objective by addressing where the problem comes in. At the end of the article, solutions are offered. The author states that,

Summarize the political, economic, and social developments from 1763 Essay

Summarize the political, economic, and social developments from 1763 to 1775 that led to the war between the American colonies and England - Essay Example The annihilation of the Stamp Act and unpopular taxes in 1765-1766 have improved the relations between American provinces and Britain but the American agents have felt that they are able to claim greater economic and political independence in creating and controlling the inner market. When William Pitt became the head of administration the tensions decreased to some extend in summer 1766, especially taking into account his Declaratory Act in which the American colonies were granted freedom in terms of inner taxation. Business and politics in England during the 18th century was based on the personal relations, such bonds as amity and marriage were of high importance in developing the trading community. For example, the religious beliefs tied men in economic ventures - Quakers dealt only with co-religionists. The Currency Act of 1764 was introduced by the Board of Trade and it was less severe than intended by the commission. Unlike the Act of 1751 which established the rules for bills, the new Act of 1764 was more a compromise among the merchants, agents and commissioners of trade. Such bill of credit was beneficial for the colonies because the money was already retiring and in the years 1766-1768 the amount of cash circulating was continuously decreasing. When the French and Indian wars were at the concluding stage, the protection of American colonies was perceived as the major task - the British government has sent 10,000 troops to North America in order to defend the new territories1. It has led to the constitutional disputes. The Grenville ministry realised that the price for protection was too high - the debt increased while the participation of American troops in colony protection was minimal. As the result, the colonial assemblies had devoted all their efforts to limit the agent's freedom of action and challenged their political authority in America. The arrival of the British troops caused the constitutional and political debates about the rights and freedoms of colonies. The Mutiny Acts were regularly passed as the part of the Revolutionary Settlement of 1688 while when there was an attempt to extend these acts to America, the questions regarding the personal freedoms of individual and the questionable power of Parliament in colonies were raised. Moreover, the troops had no permanent facilities and the local population was expected to support them with food and housing, however, in many colonies the civil authorities refused to provide any services to the British troops. In addition, very little was done to reduce the three-pence duty - the tax the Americans believed was prohibitive and slowed down the development of the Northern colonies. The ministry did not accept this analysis and passed the duty into practice, as the result, many of the officials executing this law were seized and imprisoned by the local authorities. Weakness of the British Administration During the winter 1765-1766 the British colonial policies were influenced the most both by the colonial agents and British merchants2. The Stamp Act was annihilated, the taxes on imports were reduced and the trade laws became less strict. Even though these changes seem to be not important and small, they became the beginning of separation from the motherland - Britain. The American Whigs have boycotted the British goods and managed to put

Cultural diversity Essay Example for Free

Cultural diversity Essay Cultural diversity is increasingly becoming as a significant part of many organizations and corporations. As such, problems that are concerned with intercultural and international communication occur and set in. Maintaining and nurturing effective communication techniques and methods within the organization is increasingly becoming a major concern for management and leaders of businesses and corporations. On the part of those in the organization, from the managers to the lowly staff, it is both an occasion for opportunity and challenge. The challenge for people today is truly real and necessitates action especially if one aims to make a niche for oneself. It is not an easy task considering that culture is one of the most difficult areas of study. It will take a lot of patience and persistence to be able to understand the culture of another – its complexity and composition and its traditions and taboos to be able to effectively communicate with one from another culture either through verbal language or in a non-verbal fashion. Another thing that must be taken into consideration is the fact that one is not dealing with one culture alone, but a host and in large probability, a mix of other cultures as well that are uniquely different from one another. There are, however, tried and tested principles which can be utilized and applied in order to achieve success in being able to communicate interculturally. The foremost and initial goal will be to encourage interaction, the basic thing to do is to speak in the simplest language to make the self understandable, send the correct message and make the instant connection. Next is to have the proper and correct set of values at work. It is also essential to withhold judgments and be able to show empathy and sensitivity for the cultural differences. Lastly, but equally as important, is to have the proper attitude and disposition – flexibility to make adjustments when needed and openness to learn and accept corrections. Individuals with intercultural communication skills are those with certain key competencies and characteristics and usually demonstrate open-mindedness, inquisitiveness, patience and self-awareness. These are the basic skills which help nurture a sympathetic, personal and intuitive approach to doing business. The social and cultural differences should be managed adeptly in order to decrease the prevalence of the consequences that may occur especially towards those that belong to the minority. In dealing with a multicultural population, free expression of thoughts, views and opinions should be encouraged especially in the workplace setting.By observing this, a sense of respect for the other person is conveyed, thus fostering trust and a harmonious working relationship. References: Blalock, M. ( 2006) Listen Up, Why Good Communication is Good Business. Wisconsin Business Alumni Update. University of Wisconsin Regent System. Chen, G. and Starosta, W. (2000). Communication and Global Society. New York: Peter Lang. Hochel and Roka (2008). Intercultural and International Communication for our Global Community

Supply Chains and Store Operations of Oil Companies

Supply Chains and Store Operations of Oil Companies Introduction Recently, the Iraq War and the War on Terror have caused some surges for the energy industry; oil prices have been heavily fluctuated. Ironically, the solid performance in overall oil industry suggests that oil companies are heading with decent momentum. ‘The surge in oil prices, from $10 a barrel in 1998 to above $50 in early 2005, has prompted talk of a new era of sustained higher prices. Even so, an unusually loud chorus is now joining Messrs OReilly and Chavez, pointing to intriguing evidence of a new price floor of $30 or perhaps even $40. To see which camp is right, two questions need answering: why did the oil price soar? And what could keep it high?’[1] The energy industry has experienced the tumultuous era domestically and internationally. This paper will apply STEEP and Porter’s five forces to determine competitive strategies in order to respond to two questions: why did the oil price soar, and what could keep it high? Porter’s Five Forces 1. Bargaining power of suppliers The oil companies have exposed to price fluctuation risk. Additionally, currency exchange risks have increased the cost of capital and worsen the debt ratio in the oil industry. As a result, oil companies might enter into long-term sales contracts for the oil and gas suppliers and establish long-term hedging agreements to protect against currency volatility.[2] However, the question is whether the industry has succeeded in finding its way to organize alliances between oil suppliers and oil producers. Although bringing down the costs of developments through common practices has already been established, the achievement breaks down some barriers which have existed between oil companies and their contractors for such a long time. Additionally, the profits from oil reservoirs have caused political turmoil in Venezuela and the Middle East region. OPEC (the Organization of Petroleum of Exporting Countries) is confident to defend its stated high price policy at any costs. Furthermore, high-sky oil prices have been helped by the strong demand from China. Coupling with these events is the sharp downturn of the U.S. dollars. Thus, the global downstream market has undergone pressure; the oil industry has high power of suppliers. 2. Threat of Substitute Products High gasoline prices drive efforts to increase ethanol consumption and ethanol related products. Additionally, propane, methanol, natural gas and especially ethanol are most widely uses gasoline-alternatives. Besides, electricity, hydrogen and palm oil become among substitute fuels which car producers and chemical companies are developing. Europeans cut their dependence on oil suppliers by switching to substitutes, such as coal, nuclear power, and natural gas. Nevertheless, the Euro currency now appreciates against U.S. Dollars. Since Europeans usually purchase oil in U.S. currency, their profit margins become narrowed. The fuel prices are so high that it would take a quick drop to make ethanol unprofitable and stunt the growth of its use. On the other hand, gasoline prices at high record can help biotech companies achieve a breakthrough in reducing cost of ethanol. It might take a few years before reasonable prices for ethanol could be commercially available, and cheaper ethanol might not take much of a dent in gas price. Thus at this time the threat of substitutes is low for the industry. 3. Bargaining power of buyers As mentioned, gasoline at this time does not have many alternatives although many nations have tried to reduce dependences on oil suppliers. However, these substitutes also require suitably designed devices, which might cause higher cost of finished goods. As a result, in the mean time, the cost incentives will discourage the purchasing power. The oil industry is defined as a basic commodity. The outlook for the energy industry is given high commodity prices, high growing demand, and lack of alternatives to oil as the primary transportation fuels. The oil industry has efficiently squeezed from operating assets, such as untapped resources and refineries. The growth of oil price will lead to increase transportation and energy in price, driven by market forces inflamed by infrastructure shortage. Despites of many impacts, oil industry has low bargaining power of buyers due to a few substitutes. 4. Threat of New Entrants The oil industry requires more financial investment for reservoir allocation. Many major oil companies have fended off the advances of these unbranded foes. However, the â€Å"upstarts† have inroads with marketing strategies. One of the criteria is to focus on brining down drilling costs to keep the pace of activity. A combination of high oil price and uncertainty of oil price might bring about several government reviews of energy sector. Thus, this will have a marked impact on exploration operation in oil industry. They have applied different strategies from those of the past, enjoyed superior returns and captured value from the integrated giants. Thirty years ago oil companies were primary operators of service stations, enjoying exclusivity in the gasoline market. Now, many factors have combined to put pressure on margins. The consumers’ ties to the stations, operated by major oil companies, have been weakened. The convenience stores have begun selling gasoline and provided new services. But, major oil companies have not yet considered these retailers as a major threat. They still view these unbranded offering as inferior in terms of quality and consumer appeal. However, since the petroleum industry merged, consumer attitudes and the impacts on the brand choice have been changed. Unfortunately, those factors now stay largely inside the stores, not with the major oil companies. The drivers of brand choice have evolved, especially when the new consumers define brand value; these â€Å"upstart† marketers have already developed the systems and processed to stay abreast of these major oil companies. The upward trend in convenience store sales will lead to higher profit margins. In short, the threats of new entrants are increasing in oil industry. 5. Intensity of competitive rivalry Oil crisis during the end of the 1990’s help oil investors and executives understand what conditions are driving this wave of mergers. Foremost is the chronic glut of oil that has driven crude prices to near-historic lows. Some of the oversupply are derived from flattening demand in mature markets and economic difficulties in many emerging markets. ‘In recent deals such as British Petroleum (BP) and Amoco, Total and Petrofina, Exxon and Mobil, and currently BP/Amoco and ARCO, the stated goal has had a familiar refrain: to increase profits by dramatically cutting costs, reducing inefficiencies, and expanding geographically.’[3] During early the 1990’s, major companies have to fight back and watch their market shares for gasoline reduce at the hands of the upstarts. â€Å"In addition to the majors, in 1997 alone, an increasing number of c-store acquisitions by Amerada Hess, MAPCO Express, and FINA, to name a few, were announced. In Atlanta, Amoco, BP, and Texaco have begun to battle aggressively to maintain market share and repulse QuikTrip and RaceTrac.†[4] As a result, these competitors are aggressively selecting choice properties and investing in facilities. They are also pursuing and pushing programs to increase profit margins for their branded dealers. If a backdrop of growing global economy becomes uncertainty, investors in oil industry get jittery. As of July 26, 2005, ‘in a report published last week, Merrill Lynch Co. said the aggregate net income of the 70 largest companies in the sector is expected to rise 26% this year to $230 billion, on sales of $2.57 trillion, up nearly 10%. The reasons: high oil prices and fat refining margins, plus a pickup in oil-field services, particularly in rates for drilling rigs.’[5] The increased competitiveness of major oil companies can be observed in their willingness to see joint ventures or any other alliances to reduce their operating, refining and marketing costs. Furthermore, under aggressive competition, major oil companies continue to decoupling their value chains, breaking explorations and production. Merge and acquisition as well as marketing into separating different business units help reinforce efficiency and compete as standalone entities. The intensity of competitive rivalry is high in oil industry. STEEP (Societal, Technological, Economic, Ecological, and Political) 1. Societal It seems that the Iraq war has resulted extra expenses for multinational corporations, especially oil companies. ‘Yesterday, high-profile companies, such as BP, Shell, HSBC, Barclays and British Airways, either raised or maintained their security levels, and all remained on high alert.’[6] Together with calling for strengthening co-operation on combating terrorism, the oil giant is on the alarm mode to fight against terrorism, enhancing regional and international co-operation. There has been a board-level group devoted to health, safety and the environment at oil companies since the early 1990’s. Potential environmental hazards could do long-term damage to oil companies’ image. This includes tracking issues ranging from headline grabbing ones, such as oil spills, to local but insidious problems, such as leakage from tanks on the forecourts of petrol stations. 2. Technological Efficient operations depend on the integration of technology throughout the operating activities. For years, technology has become a required tool for effectively managing the customer interface. ‘According to National Petroleum News Market Facts, in 1992 the first wave of pay-at-the-pump technology was a key driver in increasing gallons of gasoline sales by 20%.’[7] Companies invest in technology to improve change in concession terms, reduce costs and increase efficiency. ‘Before-We estimate average reservoir thickness of 90 ft. Because we do not have an explicit measurement of the uncertainty in this estimate, we tend to ignore its uncertainty and implicitly assume that 90 ft is simply right†. After-We estimate average reservoir thickness of 100 ft. In addition, the technology tells us that we are 80% certain that thickness is 80-110 ft.’[8] Furthermore, technology helps improve supply chain and integrate screen applications for in-store and island reading equipments. The automated replenishment system can ensure its own invoices from which its can pay vendors, and also ensure fewer out of stocks situations and accounting defaults. Additionally, the chain uses remote monitoring to make more informed decisions about fuel replenishment. Technology can provide valuable sale information that can be implemented to understand consumers and improve services. 3. Economic The free market will adjust in accordance with the demand and supply law. Oil demand not only is fragile, but also is surprisingly strong in spite of weak world economy. The transition to a global economy has been taken place during the international economic trend and arising nationalism. The slower economic growth will depress the demand for oil and oil related products worldwide. Large oil consuming nations, such as China, the United States, should cultivate a common understanding in society on the changing aspects of global economy. Politics, wars, and economic setbacks for several years have impacted on the oil industry with the inescapable conclusion that one has to deal with the ramifications of issues before initiating the development of a new oil sector. 4. Ecological Oil companies have tried to create more environmentally sensitive sources of energy. Their basic tasks are still to stick holes in the ground in search of hydrocarbons. BP recently spent nearly $4 billion building a huge pipeline stretching from the Caspian Sea to the Mediterranean. In addition, it also asked a leading environmental group, the World Wildlife Federation, to act as an environmental consultant on the project. [9] Oil companies have established steps in their strategies to enhance competitiveness and develop a strong trademark in anticipation of the world environmental images. Business has treated the reduction of carbon emissions and the development of energy policies as a technical issue, such as greenhouse gas emissions. When the prices are down, oil producers cannot afford to expand facilities and thus hardly meet the demand when oil prices are up. â€Å"Some people blame oil companies for not having any new refineries built in the past three decades as their current facilities operate at 88 percent capacity.†[10] Additionally, environmentalists block the tapping domestic resources. However, there is still a ton of oil in the world, a huge amount in Siberia and Alaska due to the tundra, but for a foreseeable future, the way oil can be extracted from earth are far different from the early 20th century images, depicting rows of jacks and derricks around towns, and destroying surrounding environment. Oil industry is proactively and socially responsible for operations in an ethical and environmental friendly manner. Thus, overall business strategies for oil companies are considered as an integral part of new cultures and territories. Oil companies are aware of the relationship between socially responsible investment and their â€Å"green† reputation, linked to their positive impacts on societies where they operate. 5. Political In order to combat government to increase offshore activities, the oil industry has considered a new light and proved to be less flattering than the common view of any industry. The pace of new field development in the UK will be sharply reduced if the government applies policies to save jobs in the coal mines by restricting the construction of new gas-fired power stations. Politics has ceded to economics and confronted to cooperation at the new realism of oil producers and consumers. However, oil and politics are still a potentially combustible mixture. The fact that the British and U.S. governments have been involved with the Iraq War has proved how oil industry can be intertwined with political concerns. OPEC might no longer be the bogey man with the West once so feared. Oil always, as essential, becomes the most politicized community in the world. There will undoubtedly be some future oil shocks, although it is difficult to known the time and directions which these oil shocks will come.[11] Conclusion Oil companies should strategize that they no longer operate as manufacturing companies, but focus on improving their supply chains and store operations. Additionally, they should be willing to implement process of upstarts. They also need to refine their brand positioning and marketing strategies to be better target consumers. Although some major oil companies have been merged and acquired, the war has not yet been over. The big integrated players start with several advantages, if they could commit to reinvent themselves. One can envision the purchase of a non-gasoline retail chain in order to capture new skills and new profits. With high entry barriers and low substitutes, oil industry has posted as an affluent, luxurious and profitable industry. As a result, the oil price keeps fluctuated under the pressure of the supply and demand law as well as the political influences. Bibliography Bhushan, B. 2005, ‘Oil Profits May Be Peaking; High Energy Prices Drive Earnings, but Some See Turn in 2006’, Wall Street Journal.(Eastern edition). New York, N.Y.p.A.2. Reviewed December 12, 2006 http://www.citizensgas.com/eb/2005/08-05/oilprofits.html Brown, M. 1991, ‘Oil in Troubled Waters’, Management Today.London, p.38 Cindric, N Dolby, P. 1998 ‘Store wars’, Oil Gas Investor.Denver: Second Quarter.p.21. Escher, A. 2000, ‘EP strategy prepares producers for 21st century’, Oil Gas Journal.Tulsa, vol. 98, no. 39, Sep 25, p.30 Moules, J. 2005, ‘Companies on alert as assaults feared on key economic targets; [LONDON 1ST EDITION]’, Financial Times.London (UK).p.6. Reviewed December 12, 2006 http://news.ft.com/cms/s/6120fcbe-f015-11d9-bd3b-00000e2511c8.html Nelson, E. Lentz, N. 1999, ‘Is bigger oil better oil? [5 Edition]’, Journal of Commerce.New York,p.5.A. Reviewed December 08 2006 from http://www.teamboston.com/599sun1.htm Neveling, N 2006. ‘BPs record profits suffer effects of IFRS volatility’, Accountancy Age.London.p.7. Viewed December 12, 2006 www.vnunet.com/accountancyage/news/2150644/bp-record-profits-suffer Nixon, M. 2004, ‘Commentary: Gasoline increases signal improving economic movement’ St. Charles County Business Record.Wentzville: May 28,p.1 Nocera, J. 2006, ‘Green Logo, But BP Is Old Oil’, New York Times.(Late Edition (East Coast)). New York, N.Y.pg.C.1. Reviewed December 12, 2006 http://www.globalpolicy.org/socecon/tncs/2006/0812bp.htm ‘Survey: Oil in troubled waters’, 2005, The Economist.London, vol. 375,no. 8424;Apr 30, p.4. Reviewed December 12, 2006 http://www.economist.com/surveys/displaystory.cfm?story_id=3884623 Page 1 [1] ‘Survey: Oil in troubled waters’, 2005, The Economist.London, vol. 375,no. 8424;Apr 30, p.4, viewed December 12, 2006 http://www.economist.com/surveys/displaystory.cfm?story_id=3884623 [2] Neveling, N 2006. ‘BPs record profits suffer effects of IFRS volatility’, Accountancy Age.London.p.7. Viewed December 12, 2006 www.vnunet.com/accountancyage/news/2150644/bp-record-profits-suffer [3] Nelson, E. Lentz, N. 1999, ‘Is bigger oil better oil? [5 Edition]’, Journal of Commerce.New York,p.5.A. Reviewed December 08 2006 from http://www.teamboston.com/599sun1.htm [4] Cindric, N Dolby, P. 1998 ‘Store wars’, Oil Gas Investor.Denver: Second Quarter.p.21. [5] Bhushan, B. 2005, ‘Oil Profits May Be Peaking; High Energy Prices Drive Earnings, but Some See Turn in 2006’, Wall Street Journal.(Eastern edition). New York, N.Y.p.A.2. Reviewed December 12, 2006 http://www.citizensgas.com/eb/2005/08-05/oilprofits.html [6] Moules, J. 2005, ‘Companies on alert as assaults feared on key economic targets; [LONDON 1ST EDITION]’, Financial Times.London (UK).p.6. Reviewed December 12, 2006 http://news.ft.com/cms/s/6120fcbe-f015-11d9-bd3b-00000e2511c8.html [7] Cindric Dolby 1998, p.21 [8] Escher, A. 2000, ‘EP strategy prepares producers for 21st century’, Oil Gas Journal.Tulsa, vol. 98, no. 39, Sep 25, p.30 [9] Nocera, J. 2006, ‘Green Logo, But BP Is Old Oil’, New York Times.(Late Edition (East Coast)). New York, N.Y.pg.C.1. Reviewed December 12, 2006 http://www.globalpolicy.org/socecon/tncs/2006/0812bp.htm [10] Nixon, M. 2004, ‘Commentary: Gasoline increases signal improving economic movement’ St. Charles County Business Record.Wentzville: May 28,p.1 [11] Brown, M. 1991, ‘Oil in Troubled Waters’, Management Today.London, p.38

The Concept Of Emptiness Philosophy Essay

The Concept Of Emptiness Philosophy Essay Nagarjunas philosophy deals with the concept of emptiness. The idea of emptiness has to do with the emptiness of something, but the thing that is being described as being empty still exists in some extent (Westerhoff). The emptiness that Nagarjuna talks about deals less with the identity and essence of a thing, and instead deals more with the substance of which something is empty (Westerhoff). This paper will explain what emptiness is, and will explain how the experiential truth of non-self serves as a paradigmatic phenomena for the Buddhist insight of emptiness. In order to properly understand the concept of emptiness, one must understand the differences between the meanings of something, or svabhava. To understand what emptiness is, one must understand what something is. There is a distinction between two main concepts of svabhava (Westerhoff). The first is an ontological one that refers to how objects exist, and the second is a cognitive one that describes the way that objects are conceptualized by human beings which will be explained later in this paper. Within the ontological distinction there are three different understandings of svabhava which deal with essence, substance, and absolute reality (Westerhoff). If svabhava is understood as an essence, then it must be understood as an essential property or characteristic that is necessarily attributed to an object that would otherwise cease to be (Westerhoff). Consider the examples of fire and water. The svabhava or essence of fire is to be hot. If the fire ceases to be hot, then it is no longer fire. Similarly, the svabhava of water is to be wet, and as such if the water were no longer wet, it would no longer be water. Given this understanding of svabhava, it can then be identified as whatever quality or qualities that exist specific to an object that are immutable from that object, and which allow an observer to distinguish that object from others (Westerhoff). This concept of svabhava as an essence is not what the concept of emptiness deals with. Knowing that this notion of svabhava is not applicable to the notion of emptiness helps to paint a clearer picture of what emptiness actually is once the alternative view of svabhava is explored (Westerhoff). In Buddhist philosophical thought there is a clear distinction between the ideas of primary existents and secondary existents (Westerhoff). The basic, irreducible parts of the world that are necessarily objective are what are being described as a primary existent. Conversely, a secondary existent is based on conceptual practices and often deal with language and description (Westerhoff). Within Buddhism, there exists the idea that the only thing that is actually real is the moment in which the consciousness conceptualizes a thing, and the aggregates of that conceptualization are just constructs of the mind (Westerhoff). If one were to adopt this view, then anything that were not a moment of consciousness would have to be a secondary existent, and only those moments of consciousness would be considered a primary existent (Westerhoff). Its this idea of primary existent that describes svabhava. In this view, Svabhava would be any objects, or substances, that are part of the world which a ctually exist, and are independent of something else However, Nagarjuna argues that there are no such objects or substances. The main target of Nagarjunas view is that the understanding of svabhava as a primary existent or substance is incorrect (Westerhoff). Its the reason why he states that A person should be mentioned as existing only in a designation (i.e., conventionally there is a being), but not in reality (or substance) (Rahula). The alternative view of svabhava then would be the ontological understanding of something, which can be understood as being unchangeable and independent of another object and not being created by any causal process (Westerhoff). The problem that becomes evident here is that the true nature of phenomena is emptiness, which is the absence of svabhava as it is understood as substance. However, when svabhava is understood in this way, it is also understood to not be brought about by any causal process, and must be unchangeable and independent of other objects (Westerhoff). So it effectively breaks down in to the idea that something that has all these properties must exist since there is svabhava which is the true nature of phenomena, but at the same time it must not exist since svabhava understood as substance does not exist. It seems that emptiness only exists as long as svabhava is understood as substance, but emptiness does not depend on any specific phenomenon to exist (Westerhoff). However, there has to be some phenomenon mistakenly conceived for emptiness to exist. Effectively what this is saying is that there really are only two ways of understanding svabhava , which are understanding svabhava as essence and as substance. What was earlier called svabhava as absolute reality is only a specific form of svabhava that is understood as essence (Westerhoff). So, referring back to the example given earlier, emptiness is an essential quality of all phenomena just as heat is an essential quality of fire. Things could not be the things they are without being empty. The last thing that must be understood is the cognitive understanding of svabhava. For Nagarjuna, the understanding of existence and non-existence is understood to be the way out of suffering and into moksha, or liberation (Westerhoff). It is not just the gaining a cognitive idea and understanding of reality, it must also reveal insight into the way in which people should interact in the world. Understanding svabhava as substance leads to suffering because it is the basis for attachment within samsara (Westerhoff). The quotation from Nagarjuna in The Precious Garland helps to paint this picture more clearly; So the production and disintegration of the illusion-like world are seen, but the production and disintegration do not ultimately exist. When the view of svabhava as substance is abandoned, then the attachments to samsara and the sufferings that are accompanied by this view are destroyed. However, because svabhava is the view that substance does not exist, then the attachments an d sufferings that are destroyed can be realized to never have existed to begin with. The purpose is to distinguish between seeing an absence of svabhava or rather seeing emptiness versus realizing that svabhava exists because of emptiness (Westerhoff). It is intended to change ones perspective of the world entirely, such that they can find liberation from samsara, and consequently, from suffering. Westerhoff, Jan Christoph, NÄ gÄ rjuna, The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (Fall 2010 Edition), Edward N. Zalta  (ed.), http://plato.stanford.edu/archives/fall2010/entries/nagarjuna/ Rahula, Walpole, What the Buddha Taught (New York: Grove Press, 1974), p. 55; note that the Sanskrit terms have not been included in the quote. Nagarjuna, The Precious Garland (www.ratnavaili.com/content/view/7327/45/), p. 16, Ch. 2, Verse No.111

The Paper Of Great Things -- essays research papers

THE PAPER OF GREAT THINGS In the novel The God of Small Things by Arudhati Roy a relationship between a family is shown and the painful past comes through several memories and the presence of the caste system in India is used to juxtapose right vs. wrong. A very powerful closeness is observed between the two main characters and through their relationship one of the main themes of love through obscurity is showcased by the symbolism and diction used by Roy. Several other themes are shown in the novel and highlight the journey the human soul goes through in such trauma and desperation. The bond that the twins share and the manner in which they relate to others directly portray how humans can communicate on a deeper level. The lack of emotions or apathy that is expressed through this twins as a result of their past shows the pain that some endure as a result of other’s severe actions. The symbolism of emotions shone only through remembrance of the past and the repercussions that those reflections have on the present lives of those involved is illustrated through the story of the twins as well. This novel showcases a family struggling to overcome the tragic events of the past and how they are forced to heal with hurtful emotions and express pain through distinct bonds, apathy, and frequent flashbacks to a carefree time that was so full of opportunity and endless faith.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The bond that the twin’s share shows the severity of pain that some can experience and how close people, who have needs and desires, can become as a result. â€Å"When life was full of beginnings and no ends and everything was forever, Esthappen and Rahel thought of themselves together as me and separately as we or us† (Roy, 4). The twins are closer than most families and share a connection that bonds them emotionally as well as mentally and allows them to feel each other on another level. â€Å"Rahel and Estha are fraternal twins whose emotional connection to one another is stronger than that of most siblings† (Gale research). The events that have occurred to both of them throughout their lives have allowed them to mold nearly into one being for fear of the pain that could affect them both. â€Å"Their childhood household hummed with hidden antagonisms and pains that only a family member could have given one another†(Gale research). Bl ood is thicker than water, the feelings that... ...). The duality of their personalities blends to create one soul intensifying the emotions they individually experience but then re-create and experience all over again. â€Å"She has other memories too that she has no right to have†(Roy,8). They are so connected mentally that any thought that enters his head will echo through hers. The same is true of the feelings they intensify by sharing and manifesting inside one another.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The three different symbol that surface throughout the novel mean so much more than they are described as and all represent the challenges that one much overcome to endure and cope with extreme pain. Whether a person find sanctuary in another person or inside his or her own soul there is always hope for the soul you can save, your own. â€Å"The God of Small Things is a demanding novel that provokes many questions regarding the conflict between human desire and deep rooted emotions†(Gale research). The view of this family is highly aimed at everyone in some way and the pain they endure and how they learn to deal with tumultuous emotions that threaten every shred of dignity, ray of hope, and heart beat of love that lies inside every person.

The O.J. Simpson Trial Essays -- Simpson Trial Murder Case Essays

The O.J. Simpson Trial On June 12,1994, Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman were murdered. Their bodies were discovered outside Nicole Simpson's condominium. Nicole Simpson was the estranged wife of the famous football player and T.V. star O.J. Simpson. The people directly involved with this case are Judge Lance Ito, the prosecution lawyers, Marcia Clark and Christopher Darden, the defense lawyers, Johnnie Cochran, Robert Shapiro and Robert Blasier , the jury and the defendant, O.J. Simpson. The families of the victims have also been present in the courtroom, as well as other spectators and news media. This case has heard one hundred and twenty witnesses over a nine month period. The prosecution's physical evidence includes a bloody glove, bloody socks, hair, and fibres and a trail of blood drops connecting the crime scene and O.J.'s estate. Defence lawyers say this physical evidence means nothing because it was either purposely tainted or contaminated. Kenneth Berris testified that two laundry bags are still missing from Simpson's Chicago hotel room. The bloody clothes and murder weapon have never been found. The prosecution says DNA tests place Simpson's genetic markers on the drops of blood leading away from the bodies. There were also blood samples, similar to Simpson's and the victims, found on O.J.'s Bronco truck. Simpson's blood was also found on his driveway and his foyer. The prosecution says Simpson cut his hand during the murder. The defence says Simpson cut his hand when he reached for his phone in his Bronco and later cut his hand on a glass. The main focus of the defence is the contamination of physical evidence. Roger Martz testified, for the prosecution, that the blood he tested contained no significant amounts of EDTA. He said the blood found at the crime scene didn't come from a test tube with special preservatives used at a crime lab. Defence lawyer Robert Blazier filed papers stating that Roger Martz has a habit and custom of changing F.B.I. reports, removing helpful defense information and has falsely testified in a number of cases. Microbiologist, John Gerdes, testified that he found sloppiness so serious at the LAPD lab that it could have allowed foreign DNA to be introduced into evidence samples. He showed pictures of the lab where test tubes were touching each other which could cause the contamination. Gerdes also... ...s claimed " I did not, could not and would not have committed this crime." My opinion about this case is that O.J. Simpson is guilty. The defence tries to say there was all this conspiracy to frame O.J. but I don't think they proved any of this happened. The defence said Furhman was a racist but this does not prove that Simpson didn't commit the crime. They say the blood samples were contaminated but I don't think every single one was. The prosecution proved he was an abuser and I think something finally snapped inside him and he killed Nicole and Goldman. The gloves the killer wore were the same type O.J. wears. When they say O.J. tried on the gloves and they didn't fit I think he tightened his hand up so the gloves would be hard to put on. The shoeprints at the crime scene were the same style and size he wears. Bloody clothes or a murder weapon have never been found but neither has the missing laundry bags from O.J.'s hotel room. I have to wonder why O.J. lead the police on a big chase if he is so darn innocent. My opinion is that O.J. Simpson would have been found guilty a long time ago if it wasn't for all the publicity surrounding the case and the fact that he's famous.

The Role of Leadership

With the increased level of competitiveness in the business world and high tempo of change at present, leading a change is currently a key leadership aptitude, and the capability for companies to discover, grow up, adjust, and change is becoming a key organisational ability. Transformational leaders are capable of identifying the need for key organisational transformation or change, and subsequently get employees concerned in carrying out the change. Through the use of a range of skills from other leadership concepts, transformational leaders are capable of leading & managing change projects of all extents.Transformational leaders are generally extremely good at selling their initiatives, building commanding support systems, organizing different professionals around decisive projects and be able keep them determined and also energized until when the transformation is over. These leaders recognize when to act; get things made; commence and complete the projects successfully; and bring positive results; Transformational leaders usual make things to happen. (Bassand and Avolio, 1999) The Role of LeadershipFor a company where the employees have faith in the capabilities of leaders, the employees look forwards to the leaders for several of aspects. Through radical changes times, the employees will anticipate efficient and reasonable planning, self-assured and effectual decision-making, and frequent, inclusive communication which are timely. In addition throughout these periods of change, the employees will observe leadership as encouraging, committed and concerned to their interests, whilst at the same moment identifying that hard decisions must be made.The best manner to sum up is that there should be an environment of trust among a leader and all employees of the organization or a team. The continuation of this trust and faith brings optimism for improved moments in the future, and this makes handle the radical change quite easier. (Bassand and Avolio, 1999) In or ganizations which are characterized by bad leadership, employees anticipate nothing positive from any change. In an environment of mistrust, employees find out that leaders will operate in indecipherable manners and in manners which do not appear to be for anyone's best concerns.Bad leadership implies a lack of hope that, if permitted to continue for a long time, results in such organizations becoming entirely non-functioning. Such an organization ought to tackle the practical effect of distasteful change, however more significantly, have to work under the burden of the employees who have lost hope, have no trust in the organization or in the capability of leaders in turning the organization about. Importance of leadership in the management of transformational changeprudent leadership previous to, through and following change implementation is the solution to attainment during the swamp. Regrettably, if a leader hasn’t created a track record of efficient leadership, at the ti me the leader will have difficulties during changes, it might be too late. If a leader is to manage transformational change successfully, a leader needs to be conscious that there are three distinctive period zones where transformational leadership is significant. We shall call these â€Å"Preparing for the Journey†, â€Å"Slogging through The Swamp†, and â€Å"after Arrival†.We shall examine more circumspectly at all of these. The Journey preparation We would be a mistaken to presume that the Journey preparation takes part only subsequent to the purpose has been defined or selected. When talking about the Journey preparation for change, it means that leading in a manner that lay the groundwork or foundation for any changes which may happen in future. Preparing is regards creating resources, through building strong organizations in the initial position.Much akin to healthy persons, who are well capable to deal with infection or illness than unhealthy persons, or ganizations which are strong in the initial position are better capable to cope with any change. (Kochan and Useem, 1992) A transformational leader will require to institute credibility and a impressive track record of efficient decision making, in order to create trust in his/her capability to find out what is needed in bringing the organization through. (Kochan and Useem, 1992) Slogging through the SwampA transformational leader plays a crucial role throughout the change implementation, the time from the when the change was announcement throughout the setting up of the change project. In this middle time the organization is in highly unbalanced, characterized with fear, confusion, reduced productivity, failure of direction, and absence of clarity regarding mandate and direction. This can be a time of emotions, with the employees mournful for what they lost, and at first incapable of looking to the prospect or future. (Kochan and Useem, 1992)During this time, effective transformati onal leaders require to put focus on two aspects. One; the confusion and feelings of the employees have to be recognized and confirmed. Two; the transformational leader ought to work with the employees to start crafting a new vision for the transformed organisation, and assisting employees to comprehend the future direction. Focusing barely on the feelings, might end in wallowing of employees. That is reason it is essential to start the transformation into the fresh approaches or situations.While, focusing just on the fresh vision might result in a perception that the transformational leader is not in touch, uncaring and cold. A core part of transformational leadership in this stage is to understand when to put focus on the pain of the organisation, and when to put focus on construction and getting into the future. (Kochan and Useem, 1992) After Arrival In a feeling change is never complete, thus in a way a leader will never arrive, however here, we are looking at the time when the early instability of enormous change has been able to be reduced.Employees at this time have now become less emotional, and thus more steady, and with efficient transformational leadership during the prior stages, are currently more open to looking in to new innovative directions, authorization and manners of performing things. This is the ideal moment for transformational leaders to commence positive new change, for example the BP transformational management change that Horton, initiated in BP in the 1990s.The crucial aspect here is that, transformational leaders should now provide hope and trust that an organization is running towards being better, through solving its problems and also improving the standards of the organisation and of employees’ work life. Whereas the fresh vision of an organization might have started whereas employees were trudging through the swamp, this is the moment to complete the progression, and also ensure that employees and all other stakeholders buy it, and comprehend their functions in this fresh organization. (Kochan and Useem, 1992)The Extent the process of change adopted by BP was consistent with theories of change management. Change in a work place is normally initiated by an organization in order to improve its service delivery. Change in management requires a thorough planning and responsive implementation, most of all, consultation need to done involving the people who are going to be affected by the planned changes. If change is forced to the people usually it brings problems. Galpin (1996) observes that, change has to be realistic, attainable and measurable, these factors are important especially when considering personal change in management.It has been observed that people change their ways because of being given statistics that change their way of thinking rather than the truth in the content. (Walton, 1995) In the case of BP, the management adopted change with resistance, and as stated in some theories for cha nge, human being are habitual creatures that will resist change even if it is good, a person don’t like changing the way he has been operating, this resistance is shown both in personal life and at place of work. Thus, as stated above it is a true person will require analysis of the issue to make him change.For example if when BP was undergoing the transformational change from traditional ways of management, a lot of questions were asked. The analysis will include, how successful is the change compared to the current ways of doing the activity, and what are the trend taking place. Also comparison has to be made in relation to other plays. If the analysis shows that the project if implemented will be successful then it is bound to get acknowledgement from the workers than if when the analysis shows that it may fail.Despite the fact that the, truth of the matter was different. The board of BP did not wait to realize the end results; this is may be due to the fact that the time frame of the transformation was to long while the board required faster outcomes. (Stoner and Freeman, 1992) Walton (1995) also says that change management implies that, employees need to feel that they are part of a process, thus, in bringing a change the people, the must be consulted and their suggestions sought.Stoner and Freeman (1992) observes that, In initiating the change ensure that it agrees with them, and that they understand the need of having the change, the people also need to chose how they will manage the change and in also should be involved in planning and also implementing the change. It is also important to use face to face way of communication in handling a sensitive issue. Thus, in the case of BP the management adopted changes on basis intellectual stimulation, through adopted the transformational process brought about by the Horton.According to this concept leaders stimulate the efforts of their employees through they innovativeness and also creativity, which w as adopted by BP Company. (Stoner and Freeman, 1992) Question two: the extent to which organizational culture may impede the process of change Organization culture is the manners in which activities are performed in an organization, the culture of an organization are guided by its values, beliefs, attitudes and experiences of an organization.Organization culture is a defined collection of norms and values that people and groups share in an organization, which directs the manner they interact with one another and with organization’s stakeholders. According to Schein (1992) concept, organizational culture is a model of shared fundamental assumption which an organization has leant in the process of solving its internal integration which has worked adequately well to be taken valid in order to be used to be taught to other new members of the organization.(Schein, 1992) Schein identifies three main aspects which are; †¢ Artefacts; evident organizational structures and procedu res †¢ Espoused values; these are goals objective and strategies of the organization †¢ Underlying assumptions; unconscious, assumed, thoughts beliefs perceptions and feelings (the eventual source of values and acts) Schein (1992) also points out that we have a deeper essential assumption that has a relationship with views of employees about the organization; that influence how employees feel and perceive the organization.(Bowditch and Buono (1990) states that; culture of an organization is dynamic and it is a continuous process. Leadership structure o an organization has a major position in defining organizational culture of an organization. Managers and founders of the organization play a significant role in as creators of culture of an organization. There are various aspects which decide the perception of the employees, these aspects includes how the organization treats its workforce, or how the management treats professional ethics or even the social relationship in or ganization, whether it is warm or cold.The organization climate created can help the organization achieve its goals and objectives or hinder it. Recent research reveals that management structure of an organization plays a significant function in defining the organizational climate in an organization. (Bowditch and Buono, 1990) Culture has an enormous effect on success rate of change Bowditch and Buono (1990) states that the organization's culture has much to do with success rate of an organisation’s projects. This entails any change that the organisation will adopt whether managerial or technological.The expression culture in general means â€Å"how things are done. † visualizes where a person asks you how effectively your organization succeeds on projects. If you answer, â€Å"We’re very poor at projects delivery,† you’re just voicing a view of one feature of your organisation culture. Culture comes into participation on changes or projects in sev eral areas. Process orientation A lot of organizations have got good processes in position and employees normally follow them well. This is possibly the principal single issue in generally project success.When an organization adheres to a well, scalable project management practice, a leader is more possibly to be constantly successful on the projects he initiates. The whole project team usually knows how to formulate and pursue a work plan, and can also apply standard procedures to successfully manage risk, extent of change, and issues of change. (Bowditch and Buono, 1990) However if the culture of the organization do not have a good processes then change procedures will not be followed and success may not be realized.Governance Numerous organizations have placed processes in position, although no one adheres to them. This underscores a difficulty with management control. In basic terms, governance of organisation entails the management role that has deals with ensuring people do wh at they’re ought to do. Usually, if the management arrangement is engaged and concerned in any projects, and if managers or leaders ensure that the project management procedure is well followed, a leader bring about change will be highly successful.But when each project manager is by his/her own and the management support is disorganized, though, a leader may try, he/she will fail. (Bowditch and Buono, 1990) Training Several organizations poorly train their project managers. Normally, such organizations have a poor training programme in genera even for other employees. When project managers in general do not have the correct skills, the transformational leader will not be successful. Organisation with poor culture on employee training will not be supportive to new changes. Roles and responsibilitiesBowditch and Buono, (1990) points out that, in a successful organization, employees usually know the function they ought to play on projects and also what is anticipated of them. T his comprises of active sponsors, concerned clients, and connected management stakeholders of organisation. The sponsors, for example, require carrying out a quality assurance functions and, being the project defender in his/her organization. Supposing an organization begins projects and then leaves a project manager in a leadership void, then, such a leader is not going to be constantly successful.Culture plays possibly the largest part in whether an organization will be successful in executing its projects. If an organization has difficulties completing their projects effectively and successfully, then, the organisation should not fault the project manager. A project manager only toils within an organisation culture which is not supporting their efforts. Managers, and even the head of the organizations, require stepping in and assess the project culture in organisation.Until an organisation culture changes for good, project managers will constantly struggle in being successful. (B owditch and Buono, 1990) Organizational structure can assist or harm project success To a lager extent, an organizational structure and culture can hinder, or assist support, the generally success of organisation projects. However, the organisational structure can be changed to some degree with time. Indeed, the management can change the organization chart regularly, and several companies do simply that. Culture, in contrast, is not easily to change.It takes many years for a big organization to build up a culture and thus it will take so many other years for such culture to be changed. A strong culture of an organization emphasis status-quo and any new ideas are not easily assimilated by employees or the management of such organisations. Conclusion As Tichy and Devanna (1986) states, transformational leaders are persons who through their own innovativeness, ability knowledge and imaginations and to influence the conduct of employees create circumstances for transforming.Thus, the ma nagement employees during the time when the organizational is going through transformation, is the critical substance of the progression of overseeing the transformation. The victorious management of this substance also comprises, (transactional) capabilities of the management, proper transformational abilities (inspirational motivation, idealized Influence, etc), and proper transformational attributes (creativity, team orientation, teaching).Organisation culture can also hinder or assist the change to take place and it’s very vital in determining how successful the transformation change will be. Hence, we conclude that qualities of transformational leadership and the organisational culture make the core of transformational management in an organisation and the means to successful running of transformational organization changes. Reference Bass, B. , M. and Avolio, B. , J (1999): (ed. ) Improving Organizational Effectiveness through Transformational Leadership, Sage Publicati ons, Ltd., USA. Bowditch, J. , L and Buono, A. , F. (1990): A Primer on Organizational Behaviour, John Wiley and Sons, New York, Galpin, T. , J. (1996): The Human Side of Change: A Practical Guide to Organization Redesign, Jossey-Bass Publishers, San Francisco, Kochan, T. and Useem, M. (1992) :(ed. ), Transforming Organizations, Oxford University Press, Inc. , New York, Lorenz, C (1990): ‘A drama behind Closed Doors That Paved the Way for a Corporate Metamorphosis’, Financial Times, (March 21), Parry, K. , W., (1996): Transformational Leadership: Developing an Enterprising Management Culture, Pitman Publishing, Pearson Professional Pty Ltd. , Melbourne, Australia, Schein, E. H. (1992): Organizational Culture and Leadership (2nd edition. ). San Francisco; Wiley & Sons Stoner, J. , A. and Freeman, R. , E. (1992): Management, Prentice Hall, Inc. , New Jersey, Tichy, N and Devanna, M. , A. (1986): The Transformational Leader, John Wiley and Sons, Inc. , USA, Walton, A. , E. , (1995): (ed. ), Discontinuous Change: Leading Organizational Transformational, Jossey-Bass Publishers, San Francisco,

My Belief Story

Family I believe your friends can sometimes be more of a family then your actual family. It's all because they choose to stand by your side. Your family is forced to. I can remember this one time I was wondering my neighborhood thinking about my dad and my great aunt. My dad passed away when I was only 7 months old, my great aunt when I was in 4th grade. I remember thinking about what we would be doing and whether or not we would still be together or not.As I am walking around and thinking y friend that I have known for 10 years bumps into me. We hung out all of the time. Whether we were just sitting around each other houses or hanging out at a park but we spent most of our time on the bike path. He name is Kenny. As Kenny bumped Into me he saw the tears,that I had yet to notice myself, he stopped me. He had turned me around and gave me the biggest hug ever. After I felt his arms incased me I fell into a world of tears. Surrounded by sadness and despair, tears raining down upon my h eart and washing away all hopes of happiness.The waterworks had finally gun at that point, finally someone would actually listen to me. He had given everything I needed, he made me feel better. It was right around the time I was slowing down my waterworks when Kenny had asked me what was wrong. In the middle of my explanation of how I felt like my dad and great aunt hated me for who I was turning into, all he did was start hugging me again, I couldn't help but start crying again. After our little talk we became substantially closer. Now we can talk about anything.On another occasion my best friend Bella, who I had known for about a year, has eloped me deal work out some of my inner conflicts_We have gotten closer lately Close enough to be able to completely understand each other and now we can talk to each other about anything. Like this one time one of my sisters was talking about how there are so many problems that are going on at my old house. She was basically unloading all of h er stress onto me. She was talking about how they have like no food and how no one wants to get a Job, so they are barely getting by on their monthly bills.Then out of nowhere she starts asking me for money and I didn't want to sound eke a jerk and say no without a reason, even though I had the best reason in the world, I am too young to support her and I shouldn't have to even think about that. So Instead all I said was â€Å"Jess how much do you need? † and then I asked her â€Å"why are you coming to me for money? We aren't here to support you. The reason we don't live there anymore is because me and Liz had to endure the stress of not knowing whether or not the bills are going to be paid or not†. When she left I knew she was passed off but I was only speaking the truth.My friend Bella showed up but by then I had already gotten up from where I was sitting and was running in the direction of follow me. When she came into my room I turned away and immediately started pushing the tears away, I was determined not to let her get even a glimpse of me crying. I don't like crying in front of anyone. She came next to me and we started talking about it. â€Å"l can't take their stress anymore, it's Just too much for me to deal with, it was different when I was living there because I was forced to deal with it but owe I don't have to deal with it yet they come over and Just give me their problems.I mean what the hell is wrong with them, I am too young to be dealing with stress that a twenty year old would have to deal with. I am so done†. As we are talking I turned away to cry, I couldn't do it anymore. I was giving up. I started to think about everything that we have talked about and how much we have helped each other out with anything. That's what family is all about but when you have a family like mine, with the exception of my two sisters Amanda and Liz, that don't seem to care about nee another and are always at each other's throats trying to kill each other you don't get the Joy of what true family is like.If everyone had friends that were close enough to be family, if not more then everyone would be happier to know that they have someone that wasn't in their family that they can count on. In all honesty there are going to be a lot of people that you know but only of those people are going to be you friends, people who wont play around with your friendship, people who will always stick closer to you then your closest family member.

Jamie Oliver Essay

Jamie Oliver is a chef who has made a number of television programmes for Channel 4; in most of these programmes he is cooking and instructing the audience, although he is sometimes part of documentaries about food, for example in schools. His style of speech is very different to many of his contemporaries: he uses his distinctive style to present himself as a down to earth, friendly TV chef. Oliver is the only person talking in this transcript because he is cooking and explaining his actions for the TV show.The fact that he is cooking while talking means that there are numerous pauses in the transcript, for example ayou wanna coat the bottom (3) of the pana. The three second pause indicates that he is demonstrating this action on the programme; it is important in his role as a TV chef that he doesnat just sit and talk through a recipe because viewers want to see the recipes being made and they also want to be entertained and kept interested by Oliver moving around in the kitchen.Oth er pauses suggest that, although this programme is probably scripted to some degree, Oliver is not reading from an autocue but retains an element of spontaneity to his speech. The pauses at the start of the transcript, aI got a pan (. ) er the right size pan about (. ) sort of seven inchesa, are indicators of this spontaneity, as is the non-fluent aera.Although sometimes a sign of nervousness, in this case I think the pauses help Oliver to appear normal, like his viewers, so they are more likely to attempt his recipes and, of course, buy his books. Jamie Oliveras Esturary accent and his accompanying use of London slang are also distinctive features of his talk. Words such as achivvya and asquigglea are colloquial and are not words we expect to hear on a cooking programme.We are used to words from the cooking semantic field such as awhiska, abakea, astira but Oliveras language use again makes him seem very normal, approachable and relaxed. As well as specifically accented words such as the dropping of the aha in aorriblea, Oliveras elisions agonnaa, awannaa and akindaa demonstrate his relaxed tone. As well as using these to build a successful TV persona, Oliver could be using this informal language because he is concentrating more on the actual cooking and explaining the key details of the recipe

Ict in Teacher Education

ICT in Teacher Education Dr. R. Sivakumar Assistant Professor Department of Education Annamalai University Annamalai Nagar – 608002. Abstract Information and Communication Technologies has a great potential to contribute positively towards knowledge dissemination, effective learning and the development of more efficient education service. In teacher education, student-teachers acquire appropriate knowledge, skills and competences on how to integrate technology in education. The knowledge and competences are how to use ICT in teaching and learning has gained enormous importance in today’s teacher education programs.The integration of information and communication technologies can help revitalize teachers and students. This can help to improve and develop the quality of education by providing curricular support in difficult subject areas. Use of ICT in learning settings can act to support various aspects of knowledge construction and as more and more students employ ICTs in their learning processes. ICT enabled education will ultimately lead to the democratization of education. Introduction Teacher is considered to be the architect of the nation. One can realize how important education is which makes one a teacher.Teacher education is looked after by a systematic operation of various agencies involved in it. Various education commissions and a number of expert committee have discussed the aims of teacher education in India. One of the main reasons is the inadequate academic, professional and pedagogic preparation and insufficient level of knowledge and the skills of the faculty. Besides this, traditional versus modern methods of teaching, outdated knowledge and information and lack of skills, teachers attitude, aptitude and authenticity of their sources of knowledge are some of the other core issues.Owing to knowledge explosion and tremendously fast changing ICT, the teachers sometimes find it rather difficult to cope with the new intellectual chall enges being thrown up by the changed global and local context. Therefore, they need to acquire new knowledge, and reliable and authentic information. In present scenario, teachers need to help their students in: how to learn, how to grow in future, how to develop study skills, how to conduct fundamental research, how to examine, evaluate and assess information This is necessary if the teachers really want to survive in the ICT world of education.A teacher plays a significant role not only in class teaching learning situation but in social engineering too. Society gives a respectable place to teachers who are really perspective empowered. This empowerment is not at in terms of physical perspective. It is in academic, intellectual, social, and national perspectives. ICT in Education Information and Communication Technologies has a great potential to contribute positively towards knowledge dissemination, effective learning and the development of more efficient education service. Inform ation and Communication Technologies are becoming increasingly pervasive in reaching schools.It is essential that teachers and teacher-educators have a thorough working knowledge of these media and their influence on the performance and engagement of their students. ICT includes, but is not limited to, personal computers, laptops, printers, LCD projectors, palm devices, iPods, fax machines, cell phones, Internet, Intranet and Web-Based Education that offers accessibility, flexibility and innovativeness in teaching and learning. Teachers have ability to use digital technology, communication tools, and networks appropriately to solve information problems in order to function in an information and knowledge society.This encompasses three areas of ICT literacy, namely cognitive, technical, and social. ICT integrated teacher education is more important to Indian education system that is committed to maintain global partnership as well as leadership in knowledge-based society. ICT in educ ation are not only new tools bringing evolution and changes. They raise new fundamental paradigms, new fundamental concepts, which change profoundly our societies, which change knowledge and access to knowledge. The digital natives will bring this new context, whatever the schools do or not. This is a new challenge for schools and for teachers.Digital natives are not only new pupils, a kind of new step in the humankind; they are the main actors of the new digital society, the new citizens of the knowledge society. Learning and teaching in the digital society. It should be no surprise that teachers who, like other professionals, are expected to be lifelong learners, must also meet the challenges of digital and mobile technologies. It is not simply a matter of mastering new technology; since the entire traditional paradigm has been up-ended, they must re-examine their profession and redefine their role of the teachers in the learning process.Understanding and mastering technology is t he starting point of a process of creating a new school. ICT in Teacher Education Information and Communication Technology (ICT) have the potential of educational challenges. In teacher education, student-teachers acquire appropriate knowledge, skills and competences on how to integrate technology in education. The knowledge and competences are how to use ICT in teaching and learning has gained enormous importance in today’s teacher education programs.This is because student-teachers’ adoption of ICT use in the classroom has strong positive correlation with the pedagogical training rather than technical skills a particular ICT-related teacher education program or course must seek to promote the following aspects of knowledge so as to help students-teachers know how to use technology in the teaching and learning processes: * Knowledge of problems or situations that can be solved by technology. * Knowledge of the kind of technology that can solve this kind of problem. * Knowledge of how the technology can solve a specified problem.This kind of knowledge is known as Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPCK). It is important that student-teachers are trained on how to use ICT in delivering of education to make learning more meaningful for using Education Technologies to support instruction. Student-teachers should be introduced to TPCK concept and should work in an environment that promotes this understanding for effective integration of technology in their future teaching. ICT courses in teacher education must also strive to develop a sound understanding of the learning theories and ways how ICT can be used to enhance teaching and learning.It is expected that ICT courses in teacher education should make student-teachers appreciate that the choice of any particular technology should be grounded not only on specific learning theory but also on pedagogical needs and the context. This ICT course must promote among student-teachers the knowledge and competences related to the application of ICT to promote teaching and learning process. Using ICT in education includes: * the use of ICT as object of study: which refers to learning about ICT which enables student-teachers to use ICT in their daily life. the use of ICT as aspect of a discipline or profession: meaning that ICT is used for development of ICT skills for professional or vocational purposes. * ICT as medium for teaching and learning which focuses on the use of ICT for the enhancement of the teaching and learning process. To effectively use the new information and communication technologies (ICTs) to improve learning, the following essential conditions must be met: * Students and teachers must have sufficient access to digital technologies and the Internet in their classrooms, schools, and teacher education institutions. High quality, meaningful, and culturally responsive digital content must be available for teachers and learners. * Teachers must have the knowledge and skills to use the new digital tools and resources to help all students achieve high academic standards. Teacher education institutions are faced with the challenge of preparing a new generation of teachers to effectively use the new learning tools in their teaching practices. For many teacher education programmes, this daunting task requires the acquisition of new resources, expertise and careful planning.In approaching this task it is helpful to understand: * the impact of technology on global society and the implications for education, * the extensive knowledge that has been generated about how people learn and what this means for creating more effective and engaging student- centred learning environments, * the stages of teacher development and the levels of adoption of ICTs by teachers, * the critical importance of context, culture, leadership and vision, lifelong learning, and the change process in planning for the integration of technology into teacher education, * the IC T competencies required of teachers related to content, pedagogy, technical issues, social issues, collaboration, and networking, * the importance of developing standards to guide implementation of ICTs in teacher education, * the essential conditions for successful integration of ICTs into teacher education, * important strategies to consider in planning for the infusion of ICTs in teacher education and managing the change process. Integrating ICT into teachingThe integration of information and communication technologies can help revitalize teachers and students. This can help to improve and develop the quality of education by providing curricular support in difficult subject areas. To achieve these objectives, teachers need to be involved in collaborative projects and development of intervention change strategies, which would include teaching partnerships with ICT as a tool. ICT enhancing teaching and learning process Introduce ICT into their classrooms: teachers should believe in the effectiveness of technology, teachers should believe that the use of technology will not cause any disturbances, and finally teachers should believe that they have control over technology.The use of ICT will not only enhance learning environments but also prepare next generation for future lives and careers. The integration of ICT into teaching and learning processes contributes to increase the interaction and reception of information. Such possibilities suggest changes in the communication models and the teaching and learning methods used by teachers, giving way to new scenario which favours both individual and collaborative learning. Students using ICTs for learning purposes become immersed in the process of learning and as more and more students use computers as information sources and cognitive tools. The influence of the technology on supporting how students learn will continue to increase.In the past, the conventional process of teaching has revolved around teachers plann ing and leading students through a series of instructional sequences to achieve a desired learning outcome. Learning approaches using contemporary ICTs provide many opportunities for constructivist learning through their provision and support for resource-based, student centred settings and by enabling learning to be related to context and to practice. Use of ICT in learning settings can act to support various aspects of knowledge construction and as more and more students employ ICTs in their learning processes, the more pronounced the impact of this will become. Teachers generate meaningful and engaging learning experiences for their students, strategically using ICT to enhance learning. ICT enhancing the quality of educationICT increases the flexibility of delivery of education so that learners can access knowledge anytime and from anywhere. It can influence the way students are taught and how they learn as now the processes are learner driven and not by teachers. This in turn wo uld better prepare the learners for lifelong learning as well as to improve the quality of learning. In concert with geographical flexibility, technology-facilitated educational programs also remove many of the temporal constraints that face learners with special needs. Students are starting to appreciate the capability to undertake education anywhere, anytime and anyplace. One of the most vital contributions of ICT in the field of education is- Easy Access to Learning.With the help of ICT, students can now browse through e-books, sample examination papers, previous year papers etc. and can also have an easy access to resource persons, mentors, experts, researchers, professionals, and peers-all over the world. This flexibility has heightened the availability of just-in-time learning and provided learning opportunities for many more learners who previously were constrained by other commitments. Wider availability of best practices and best course material in education, which can be s hared by means of ICT, can foster better teaching. ICT also allows the academic institutions to reach disadvantaged groups and new international educational markets.As well as learning at any time, teachers are also finding the capabilities of teaching at any time to be opportunistic and able to be used to advantage. Mobile technologies and seamless communications technologies support 24Ãâ€"7 teaching and learning. Choosing how much time will be used within the 24Ãâ€"7 envelope and what periods of time are challenges that will face the educators of the future. Thus, ICT enabled education will ultimately lead to the democratization of education. Especially in developing countries like India, effective use of ICT for the purpose of education has the potential to bridge the digital divide. Uses of ICT in language arts How ICT improves the teaching/learning of language or how to improve language teaching through intelligent and informed use of technology * Searching and using Internet resources for language materials and lessons * Searching literature-based, creative writing, problem-solving Internet projects with the option of using interpersonal exchanges, virtual gatherings, peer feedback or mentoring to support student learning. * Constructing technology-enhanced lessons or lesson plans within a language art curriculum Uses of ICT in science * How ICT improves the teaching/learning of science or how to improve science teaching through intelligent and informed use of technology * Searching and using Internet resources for science materials and lessons * Science education on the Internet Use of computers software and calculators for science teaching * Use of computer to simulate scientific phenomena and use of graphic calculators to collect and analyse data * Constructing technology-enhanced lessons or lesson plans within a science curriculum Uses of ICT in mathematics * How ICT improves the teaching/learning of mathematics or how to improve mathematics teachi ng through intelligent and informed use of technology * Searching and using Internet resources for mathematics materials and lessons * Use of computer software and calculators for mathematics teaching * Use of computers and graphic calculators to collect and analyse data and to build and test mathematical models of the real-world * Constructing technology-enhanced lessons or lesson plans within a mathematics curriculum Uses of ICT in social studies How ICT improves the teaching/learning of social studies or how to improve social studies teaching through intelligent and informed use of technology * Searching and using Internet resources for social studies materials and lessons * Searching problem-solving, enquiry and creative thinking materials with the option of using interpersonal exchanges, virtual gatherings, peer feedback or mentoring to support student learning * Constructing technology-enhanced lessons or lesson plans within a social studies art curriculum Conclusion The teach er education system empowered by ICT driven infrastructure can have a great opportunity to come up to the centre stage and ensure academic excellence, quality instruction and leadership in a knowledge-based society. ICT has revolutionized the entire concept of education. It is really a challenging task to strengthen ICT in teacher education because a large majority of the teacher education institutions are unequipped or under-equipped in the terms of digitized and high-tech infrastructure. References Ahmed, S. and Singh, M. (2010).Multimedia in Teacher Education Empowering Accessible, Flexible and innovative learning,  Shikshak – Shikha Shodh Patrika  Vol. (04) No (1) pp. 32-33. Flecknoe, M. (2002). â€Å"How can ICT help us to improve education†? Innovations in Education & Teaching International, Vol. 39, No. 4, Pp; 271-280 Mishra, P. , & Koehler, M. (2006). Technological pedagogical content knowledge: A framework for teacher knowledge. Teachers College Record, 10 8(6), 1017-1054. Montgomerie, C. , & Irvine, V. (2001). Computer skill requirements for new and existing teachers: Implications for policy and practice. Journal of Teaching & Learning, 1(1), 43-55. Moore, M. amp; Kearsley, G. (1996). Distance Education: A Systems View. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth. Paliwal A. K. (2006). Faculty development in teacher education perceptions and changing context, sovinier 7th National conference MATE pp 10-11. Takwal, R. (2003) Problems and Issues faced by Indian Education system UGC Golden Jubilee Lecture series. pp. 5. Venna S. K (2010) Teacher Education some qualitative consideration,  Shikshak – Shikha Shodh Patrika  vol (04) NO (1) pp. 10. Yusuf, M. O. (2005). Information and communication education: Analyzing the Nigerian national policy for information technology. International Education Journal Vol. 6 No. (3), Pp; 316-321.