Existentialist Curriculum on the Humanities

â€Å"I should seek not the way, but my way. † Rather than follow a strict set of rules about what school should or should not be like, the existentialist chooses his or her own vision of education. There is truly no one right way for students to learn or one method of teaching that is universally applicable. Existentialism classrooms therefore offer freedom for both educator and student. The existentialist model also encourages growth and creativity through limitless freedom. As Blaise Pascal said, â€Å"Live today as if you were to die tomorrow. According to this philosophy, the students and teachers would do whatever they felt inspired to do at that moment, and curriculum would be loose. The existentialist teacher eschews structure. The existentialist does not attempt to become a specialist because to do so is too restricting. I agree with the quote, â€Å"Specialization diminishes a man-He is a creature of knowledge, not the master of it. † I also appreciate the existentialist vision of education as a â€Å"conversation between persons in which each person remains a subject for the other, a conversation. With this viewpoint, the teacher is not authoritarian, and does not stand up in front of the class and lecture all day. Finally, the existentialist teacher helps students achieve self-realization. I agree that the purpose of education is more than just to memorize multiplication tables or vocabulary words. There is a reason why students don't like school, and if more teachers incorporated the fundamental philosophies of existentialism in their classrooms, more students would enjoy school. Learning would be more fun. I had an existentialist teacher in high school. The class was social studies, but we did not have a textbook. Rather, the teacher taught to us from Buddhist teachings and encouraged each student in the class to discuss the meaning of life. Instead of memorizing historical data, we learned how to think creatively about our world and about our own selves. The existentialist classroom can focus on any subject. In fact, the true existentialist classroom focuses on as many subjects as possible, and is not restricted to math, English, science, or history. However, when teaching restrictive subjects like math, the teacher uses highly creative methods rather than rote learning. The existentialist teacher brings in various multimedia materials, and welcomes technology as a tool for teaching. The teacher teaches whatever the students appear interested in on that day rather than force them to focus on one specific thing. The students and teacher might sit together in a circle, rather than in typical classroom format. Students are encouraged to tell stories and share jokes. They might perform some creative projects with art or music. Games are also encouraged. The existentialist class is frequently held outside on the lawn on sunny days, or alternatively, goes on a field trip to a park or wherever seems fun that day. If it's raining, the teacher might bring in a movie to teach a unit on cinematography or on a specific theme. The existentialist classroom also incorporates current events as a means to expand the students' awareness of their universe. Furthermore, the teacher imparts knowledge regarding psychological and social coping skills; the existentialist class is not about rote memorization of specific materials but rather on the big picture: the meaning of life and the life purpose behind education. The existentialist views humanity as integral in the perception of reality. Rather than see a physical universe â€Å"out there† that exists independently of the person as a realist would, the existentialist knows that human consciousness alters reality. Human beings are therefore active creators and participants in the universe. In order to better understand the metaphysical underpinnings of the universe we first need to better understand ourselves. The quote â€Å"Man is nothing other than what he makes himself† refers to the power of human consciousness in shaping personal as well as collective reality: we are what we think. Human beings are born with free will; free will is neither good nor an ideal; often free will is a source of our pain and suffering, for when we make mistakes we suffer the consequences. Therefore, free will enables human beings to make painful mistakes in order that we may learn and grow. Because of the absolute nature of free will, each person is ultimately responsible for his or her own actions. Knowledge is highly variable, and not as absolute as some may believe. An individual's knowledge depends on his or her interpretation of the world, and is also highly dependent on his or her personal value systems. Beliefs inform reality. While some knowledge has been codified, the codification of knowledge is not absolute. Human beings are continuously shifting our view of the universe, as our understanding expands and grows. Moreover, people in different cultures and from different backgrounds have different worldviews and therefore have different knowledge. No one form of knowledge is any more or less valuable than another, just different. Specialization is an attempt to own knowledge, to master something completely. However, specialization â€Å"diminishes the man† because specialization is by definition limiting. The existentialist teacher seeks as many different opinions as possible to enrich the conversation. Teaching is a process of conversation and collaboration, a back-and-forth sharing of ideas. All teachers must be aware of their limitations and not attempt to falsely represent themselves as â€Å"experts. † An existentialist curriculum will focus on the humanities because of the openness and creativity inherent in the humanities. Students actively participate; they don't simply sit back and try to absorb material from the teacher.

Against Love Essay

At the beginning of this essay Kipnis says something stands out to me. â€Å"Love is, as we know, a mysterious and controlling force. It has vast power over our thoughts and life decisions. It demands our loyalty, and we, in return freely comply† (Kipnis 749). I think this is the best way to explain love. When there is someone that you really love you do and say things that you never imagine yourself doing. I think this is the main purpose of love and what everyone should feel. Love is not something you just stumble upon I think it is something that grows on you with time. I believe that if you love someone your willing to go out of your way and do extraordinary things for this person. I do not believe it would be a random person in front of you at the supermarket that you will do those types of things for, because you need to have a deep feeling and connection to this person. In this essay something else Kipnis said stood out to me. â€Å"But passion must not be allowed to die! † (Kipnis 751). I have never been married but I have been in love before. I believe that if there is passion you should never let it die. Passion is a strong barely controllable emotion that you have for another person. It is not something that you can stop or pretend to share with someone. Love can and will make you feel as if you are nothing without your other half. You will do and say things that you feel are crazy. Today I think so many people, mostly younger, rush into marriage because they feel as if it is the only way to keep their love for each other alive. I personally believe that love is not something that can be rushed. Do not get me wrong people can be young and fall in love and get married but you have to do it for the right reasons. I myself would love to find someone to have a deep love for. Love is so hard to explain but there is a passion that you find with someone else and it is not something you can just pretend to feel. I think that if it is meant to be then everything falls into place on its own. Something that I believe personally people are doing now days is getting married and if things do not seem to work out the answer simply is divorce. The divorce rate now days is growing higher and higher. Divorce is not something that is uncommon, I hate to say it but it is something that happens every day. After a while for one reason or the other people simply want out of the marriage and want to go their separate ways. Some people go into a marriage and come out very quickly; they decide it is simply not for them. On the other hand others stay together for 10 years and more before they decided they want out of the marriage. I personally believe that it is not the world’s job to keep marriages loyal. I do not feel that today marriage is taken seriously anymore because people think that if it does not work out why try and make things better if we can simply just get a divorce. Honestly what would people do if divorce was not an option? Would people have to learn to work their problems out? Would people just have to be miserable all the time? It is something to stop and think about. I personally believe now days that people honestly do not even think before getting married they are just caught up in the moment. I would say that this essay is a polemic. Kipnis basically argues of the fact that in order to have a good relationship and love someone you have to be able to meet the requirements of mutuality, communication and advanced intimacy. These are the big issues in relationships today. More people are breaking up and getting divorces because they will not come to a simple compromise to make their relationships work. A couple should have good communication skills. You have to learn to be in everything you do together because it is not just yourself anymore. It is you and your partner the one that you love. Works Cited Kipnis, Laura. â€Å"Agaisnt Love. † McQuade, Donald and Robert Atwan. The Writer’s Presence. Boston: St. Martin’s Bedford, 2009. 748-755.

How accurate is Source A when applied to the activities of the Palestine Liberation Organisation under Yasser Arafat since the 1960s ?

Official Question: â€Å"How accurate is Source A when applied to the activities of the Palestine Liberation Organisation under Yasser Arafat since the 1960s ?† Remember: you can use the Sources but must NOT cop out my suggestions. You CAN use this set of notes to form an outline of your answer. Yoru answer does NOT have to be very long as you are only asked to COMMENT on four small Pieces of Evidence. You must end up with a Conclusion in which YOU say whether what Source A says is â€Å"Accurate† or â€Å"Inaccurate†, so you need to start of your answer by saying what â€Å"Accurate† means to an historian THIS COURSEWORK IS EASIER THAN IT LOOKS AT FIRST!! Source A: Political power grows out of the barrel of a gun [By Mao-Tse-Tung, Communist leader in the Civil War in China in the 1930s. He wrote this line in a book in 1938. In 1948 he took over all of China and became its leader. He was never elected] Source B: Since the 1980s, Yasser Araft has tried hard to change his image from that of â€Å"freedom fighter† to the idea of a sensible, moderate statesman. In 1988 he agreed that Israel had the right to exist [before he had wanted to wipe the whole country off the map]; in 1993, after secret meetings, he signed a peace deal with Israel. This gained some home rule and freedom for some Palestinians, but then people inside his own party, the PLO, began criticising him for doing a deal with the enemy. One group split away and formed a â€Å"terrorist† group named Hamas† [From a school text book published in 1997. Hamas still exists. The suicide â€Å"terrorist† bombers killing people in Israel today are from Hamas] Source C: When we hijack a plane it is more effective than killing 100 Israelis in war. The whole world now notices us, whereas before the world ignored us. The world is talking about us now [From interviews with PLO members in the 1970s, written up in a book published in 1997] Source D: Democratic governments will never give in to blackmail, violence and terror. Appeasement [being nice to the enemy] will only encourage more terror and bring more death [From a British newspaper in 2001 after Arab â€Å"terrorist† supporters of the Palestinians had tried to blow up the World Trade Centre in New York. This was before the September 11th attack on the Two Towers] Most countries in the world now change governments by having elections and votes. This was not always the case. In the 1930s the Mao-Tse-Tung said that elections were a waste of time and that if you wanted to get into power you had to use violence [See Source A] Once he had seized power in China he banned all elections [in case he lost !} and China is still a Communist country even today. So his Plan worked !!! You can see why it would seem attractive to small, unhappy groups of people such as the Palestinian Arabs, many of whom had been thrown out of their â€Å"own† land after the return of the Jews and after Israel had been set up as an independent country in 1948. Under its leader Yasser Arafat the PLO avoided fighting the Israelis face-to-face [there have been 4 Arab-Israeli wars, and the Israelis won all 4] and began to use what they called â€Å"guerrilla† or â€Å"freedom† fighting ideas [such as ambushes, bombings, assassinations etc] but which the Israelis and their powerful American allies still call â€Å"terrorism† [Remember George Bush calls the fighting in Iraq part of his struggle against â€Å"the world of terrorism†. The PLO claimed it was only using the same methods the Jews had used against the Romans 2000 years ago and also against the British army between 1945-1948, when some Jews killed British soldiers to try to get the British government to give the Jewish people their own homeland. So, said the Palestinians, if it was alright for you to use nasty ways of fighting to gain your freedom, then we can use the same ways ourselves. The problem is the use of the word â€Å"terrorism†, which is a word always used by one side to claim the other side is not fighting â€Å"decently† and â€Å"fairly†. A MODEL ANSWER [Do NOT copy this] Official Question: â€Å"How accurate is Source A when applied to the activities of the Palestine Liberation Organisation under Yasser Arafat since the 1960s ?† When a historian writes about the past he/she always tries to use evidence and sources to write a book that is â€Å"accurate†, by which he/she means does it tell the truth, or as near as we can get to the truth. The trouble is that there are always at least two sides to any argument [often many more] and even people on the same side will disagree with their own side, and sometimes start little civil wars. Also, people's ideas change: if their original plans do not work, sensible political leaders change their plans. This is what seems to have happened in the middle east situation, where both Palestinians Arabs and Israeli Jews claim the same piece of Land is â€Å"theirs†. By the 1960s the Palestinian Arabs were desperate. They claimed they had been thrown out of â€Å"their† homeland, where they had lived for 2000 years, by the Israeli Jews who had themselves been thrown out by the Romans 2000 years ago. These Jews had been moving back since the beginning of the 20th century, but huge numbers moved in after WW2 saying they wanted a land of their own where such horrors as the Nazi gas-chambers could never happen again. The Palestinian Arabs were sorry about what the Germans had done to the Jews, but said it had nothing to do with them. Even so, in 1948 a brand new country called Israel came into existence, and many thousands of Palestinian Arabs lost their land. The problem is still going on right now. Between 1948 and 1973 there were four Wars between the Israelis and the Arabs, trying to get the Palestinian Arabs back â€Å"home†, but the Arabs lost all four. So young Palestinian Arab men, lead by Yasser Arafat, set up the Palestine Liberation Organisation to win â€Å"freedom† [that's what Liberation means] for their people, this time using different ways of fighting: ambushes, bombings, sabotage, assassination, which they claimed they had copied from the Jews themselves. They based these plans on the words of the successful Chinese leader Mao-Tse-Tung [See Source A] but, basically, they didn't work. The world took no notice. So the PLO switched to blowing up targets outside Israel, in countries friendly to Israel: this was to get the world to at least notice there was a problem [see Source C]. Then, having got the rest of the world [especially the USA] to take some interest, Arafat switched his plans and starting talking to the Israelis, just as if he had always been a normal leader. The Israelis wanted peace [they said] so a peace deal was signed [see Source B]. But some PLO members said that Arafat had sold them out by talking to the enemy Israel, and they continued with their ideas of â€Å"terrorism†, even attacking their old friends in the PLO and, as we know now, committing acts of â€Å"terrorism† in other countries [see Source D]. Remember the connection between the Palestinian people's problems and the attacks in New York and Washington DC on 11/9/2001 by Al-Qaeda and Osama bin Laden. So Source A was accurate once: â€Å"terrorism† used to work. But eventually both sides agree that it is better to sit down and talk, with both sides making a deal. [This is what is happening in Northern Ireland, where the IRA and the British are working with each other, while 20 years ago they were killing each other]. The problem in the Middle east is to convince people who have hated each other on-and-off for thousands of years that they can sit down, talk, and possibly even live side-by-side.

Malicious softwares Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Malicious softwares - Essay Example These malware programs tend to infect systems and bundle other programs by attaching themselves as macros to computer files. These malware programs are also installed through the exploitation of a vulnerable spot in an operating system, a network spot, or even a hole that is existent in a browser. For these programs to cause harm to the computer, they have to multiply; which is a basic characteristic for them. Worms and viruses have the ability to alter the normal operation of an operating system; inflicting various kernel-level items (Christodorescu et al. 2007). These kernel items carry specific information with them that act as an indicator to existence of malware programs in the computer. As these malwares attach themselves to the computer, they tend to interact with various programs and increase their level of sophistication in order to combat anti-malware solutions. Some types of viruses enter into the user computer systems through the email systems as well as the address books. These viruses present themselves in a manner to suggest their validity and objectivity from coming from a trusted host source. The execution of the host code supplements the execution of the viral code. The virus program is then able to destroy the host program and attach itself into the computer. However, not all viruses have the ability to overwrite other programs especially with their replicate copies (Gragido 2013). Some only infect the boot sector and move the data in the selected boot sector.

Microeconomic Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Microeconomic - Essay Example Policymakers intervene in the market by establishing market controls. When the government think that the prevailing market price if unfair to buyers and sellers, they enact price controls which involves setting a price ceiling or a price floor. This paper will look at how price ceiling affect market outcomes specifically focusing on the case of rent controls in the short and long run. A price ceiling is "a legal maximum on the price at which a good can be sold" Supply Demand and Government Policies 4). It should be noted that setting a price ceiling can bring two different outcomes in the economy. The price ceiling becomes not binding if it is set above the equilibrium price. The price ceiling is only binding if it is lower than the equilibrium price. However, this situation brings about shortages because quantity demanded is greater than quantity supplied. It should be noted that a binding price ceiling also leads to non-price rationing in the forms of long lines, black markets, and seller discrimination. The primary goal of rent control policy is to make housing more affordable to the less fortunate. Thus, the government enacts rent control which establishes the price ceiling that tenants can charge their landlords. However, as will be illustrated below, one economist says that rent control is "the best way to destroy a city other than bombing" (Mankiw 84). In the short run, both the demand and supply for housing is inelastic.

Risk Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 2

Risk Management - Essay Example These risks are likely to affect the construction of high rise building that may result into delay in completion of the high rise project and overrun of cost allocated for the project. The brand name of the construction company is also likely to be affected by these risk factors. The exposure to the identified risk factors is likely to affect the high rise construction project as it would impact the project cost and schedule of the construction of the high rise building. Thus the prioritization of risk is done based on the anticipated overrun of cost and time of the high rise construction project. The delay in approval from the government, conflict of interest over the proposed construction, etc. may lead to delay in completion of the high rise construction thereby incurring additional expenses for the project. Since the high rise building is being constructed in a commercial district, the schedule of construction is extremely important as the floors are to be sold to the corporate houses which have paid a considerable proportion in advance. The allocated budgetary expenses for construction also need to be met as overrun of cost would lead to financial risk for the construction company. Thus schedule risk and financial risk is the most important in construct ion of the high rise building (Karim, 2012, p.1). Apart from the schedule and financial risk, the technical political and social risks are also important. Technical risk may occur due to lack of communication between the company and its workers due to which the quality of construction may be hampered. Political interventions may crop up on issues like labour wages, safety of the workers, etc. Apart from the political risk, any form of non-cooperation by the labour, injunctions from the people of the community may pose social risk which is considered by the company for building a high rise in the commercial district. After identification of the possible risks, the treatment of these

History of Twitter write a well researched paper on the evolution, Research

History of Twitter write a well researched on the evolution, current status and future trends for the New Media topic you have selected - Research Paper Example Barely into its fifth year, Twitter registered users are already currently estimated to be in the hundreds of millions and its revenues to be in the billions of dollars. Indeed, Twitter is a successful story worth telling and following. In 2006, a software engineer named Jack Dorsey approached Odeo, a media syndication company, to discuss his ideas of creating a â€Å"real-time status-communication platform with a social spin† where one could share and simply broadcast to others just about anything from gossip to simple thoughts. Biz Stone, the founder of Odeo, liked the idea and Dorsey’s proposal was declared as a side project of Odeo. It was decided that the SMS platform of mobile phones would be ideally suited for the project and a maximum of 140 characters, short of the 160 characters-limit of SMS text messaging, should be used as the broadcast limit (Thomases, p. x; Sagolla, p. xvii). Dorsey’s idea was a breath of fresh air to Odeo, which was at that time having a difficult time selling its latest technology Audio Blogger to users because of the stiff competition posed by such heavyweights as Apple Corp. The company decided it had to reinvent itself and Dorsey’s social networking microblogging idea was seen as an opportunity after it was presented in a day-long brainstorming of Odeo technocrats. Dorsey, Biz and Florian Weber went on to hammer out the prototype model of Dorsey’s proposal while the others continued with the usual company business to make sure that if Dorsey’s idea fails the company has something to fall back on (Sagolla p. xviii). The prototype was built in two weeks and the service was first tested by Odeo personnel and other insiders such as their immediate family members. It was entirely web-based and the first messages, which were broadcasted by Dorsey, were â€Å"waiting for dom to update

Innovation management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4500 words

Innovation management - Essay Example The new age of media has been cannibalizing the TV business. It is agreed that people are also watching a lot of content over the web but the charm and the thing about watching your favorite broadcasts with convenience at a desired time and location still holds good. Along with the digital challenge and the advent of innumerable choices in terms of content to be viewed has also let the viewers get spoilt for choice. Along with this, the social networking sites have also started getting connected to the viewership patterns where tweets and discussions on social networking sites lead towards the rise of real time viewership for shows â€Å"An Essay: Innovation Models For The Digital Age.†. The following report is a development of a new innovation of within the television industry for Samsung Group. The paper proposes a remote free television that shall be controlled by voice, gestures and expressions of the user. The report brings out a comprehensive study of development, launch, implementation and execution of the desired product into the marketplace. Samsung and its success has been recognised the world over through the last decade. The South Korean company has been synonymous with being the world leader in terms of televisions production and mobile phone technology. The company has also been ranked among the world third most innovating firm by the Fast Company Magazine. The company has grown over the years to become the global leader in consumer electronics from being a local industrial player in its home country. The conglomerate is involved into a number of businesses from apparels to foods and consumer electronics. It has about 19 listed companies under the Korean Exchange and employs about 427,000 people as of 2013 data (â€Å"About Samsung†). Samsung Electronics, the most revered technology company had launched its 3D television in March 2010. It was the pioneer in the 3D vision technology in its television sets. With this innovation, the

Asset Management Discussion Post 8 Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Asset Management Discussion Post 8 - Coursework Example home insurance and auto insurance liability coverage, for example, against additional liability coverage of auto, homeowners as well as boat insurance policies (Fox Business, 2013). It is also crucial as it provides coverage for claims that exclude other liability policies such as false arrest, rental unit’s liability, slander and libel liabilities. The insurance protection has been designed to kick on in cases where the liability of the other policies is exhausted (Mathias, Shugrue, Marrinson & Struck 2006). Individuals should not consider their net worth or other auto and homeowners insurances that they may have to cover some of the situations. Rather, Umbrella insurance is crucial as it insurer’s them beyond and above the other policies limits and will cover against situations that are never covered in other types of policies (Daily Finance, 2013). According to Breuer (2005), most of the umbrella insurances are associated with car accidents but also offer protection against home accidents. An example is when an individual falls down the stairs and sues you for poor construction or when the balcony collapses during a house party causing injury. Individuals will opt for umbrella insurances as a result of such instances or because they have a pool or property that may cause harm to someone and fear the consequences that will result from the harm or

English Literature Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 1

English Literature - Essay Example However, in the book, the overarching them is God’s providence and His role in determining the fates of the lives of men. This has something to do with the poet’s being a Christian, and thus the element of God ruling the lives of men. This is an important point to note since this has a very strong resonance all throughout the poem. In contrast, as one critic has written online on Christian Movie Reviews, â€Å"The most striking thing about the new Beowulf movie, though, was its ugliness.† The movie showed the ugly sides of the protagonists, which were, in fact, not how they were portrayed in the original poem. Before proceeding to an analysis of the characters, I will take note of the special technique used by the moviemakers. They employed the three-dimensional (3D) animation style wherein one has to wear special 3D glasses in movie theaters to be able to have a fully-enhanced experience of the gory battle scenes and killings. For the most part, this has added to the attraction of the movie, since there have been few animated movies produced which employed this special technique. As a critic from MovieFilmReview.com puts it: â€Å"Beowulf is a visually captivating movie experience.† However, on the contrary, another critic disagrees by writing in her blog: â€Å"†¦this example of the latest â€Å"advance† in animation technology is sterile, synthetic, almost completely unengaging on a human level. It’s animated but inanimate.† (flickfilosopher.com) The blogger simply found the way the movie has been done by Robert Zemeckis as totally devoid of real human expressions and emotions. Now, to an analysis of the characters. We begin with the identity of Grendel. In the book, it was written that he came from â€Å"Cain’s clan†, that is, to say, when Cain killed his brother Abel, it was purported that all the evil creatures which roam the earth were descendants of Cain whose sin was so vile that he could

CRIMINAL JUSTICE 1 question drugs Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

CRIMINAL JUSTICE 1 question drugs - Coursework Example In truth, Colombian drug organizations and Mexican drug organizations have traditionally taken different roles in the drug trafficking chain. In the article by Lyman (2011), the relationship started with Mexican drug organizations acting as surrogates and partners of their Colombian counterpart drug organizations – taking advantage of the borders between Mexico and the United States to smuggle in cocaine from Colombia (page 136). However, towards the end of the 1980s the Mexicans were no longer satisfied with being mere conduits and wanted a share both of the drug loot and the U.S. markets. Lyman explained the consequence of this: Eventually, this arrangement with the Colombians not only resulted in dividing the cocaine shipments down the middle but in dividing much of the U.S. markets down the middle. As the arrangement evolved over time, the Colombians retained the wholesale market in the eastern United States as their own, and Mexican drug cartels took over the wholesale market in the Midwestern and Western states. According to Bagley (1988), the expanded role of the Mexicans in the drug trade had created, in his words, â€Å"an unprecedented wave of drug related violence in Mexico that seriously threatened the country’s fledgling process of democratization. (page 71)†. And this begins to answer the question as to whether or not these drug cartels are as much of a threat to the United States as traditional terrorist organizations. In fact, it may even be argued that drug cartels are even more of a threat to the United States than the terrorist networks that people have come to associate with Islamic fundamentalist groups and the like. For one thing, the scale of violence wrought by drug organization can perhaps rival that of traditional terrorist organizations. Colombia’s principal guerrilla organization, the Fuerzas Armadas Revolucion de

Hurricane Katrina in Louisiana Essay Example for Free

Hurricane Katrina in Louisiana Essay Late Monday morning on August 29, 2005 a little more than 4 hours after Katrina slammed into New Orleans, and just hours after arriving in Baton Rouge, FEMA director and Bush the Younger’s childhood friend Michael Brown conducted a video conference briefing with the President who sat and listened quietly in Crawford Texas. Brown emphatically relayed to Bush, â€Å"This is, to put it mildly, the big one, I think. † Then Brown voiced his fear that â€Å"the government might not have the capacity to respond to a catastrophe within a catastrophe† The Superdome, he said was not equipped to be â€Å"a refuge of last resort. † The President asked no questions (A. P. 2006). Although Brown did a fairly decent job of trying to convey the potentially devastating nature of what was occurring, the real problem was that Brown had not been on the ground in Louisiana long enough to accurately understand the true impact of the storm (Brinkley 2006). By the time that he would come to realize that his lack of experience was simply no match for the enormity of this disaster, it may have been too late. The storm would ultimately leave 1,322 people dead, and 2,300 people missing in its wake (A. P. 2006). Two years later, in the autumn of 2007, FEMA and Michael Brown would be called upon again. First water and now fire had come to claim the day. What a difference a disaster would make. In the early afternoon of Tuesday October 23, 2007, at the Southwest D. C. offices of the Federal Emergency Management Administration, FEMA Deputy Administrator Admiral Harvey E. Johnson stepped up to a podium. He was there to give the national media a 1PM press briefing on the California wild fires that were currently raging throughout a large swath of land and threatening homes from Santa Barbra County to the US-Mexican border. The fires had been raging for three days. In time, they would force the largest civilian evacuation in the United States’ history, as one million residents of seven California counties were force to leave their homes. While the camera feeds fed the press conference to Fox News and MSNBC along with a few other news agencies, Johnson began fielding questions of a common variety. Someone wanted to know about the traffic of commodities coming into California. Another person asked how FEMA would deal with people who refused to evacuate. Then another person asked the Deputy Administrator â€Å"Are you happy with FEMA’s response so far? † And yet another one asked â€Å"Are there any lessons to be learned from Katrina? † â€Å"I am very happy with FEMA’s response so far, Johnson said [it’s a] very smoothly, very efficiently performing team †¦ And so I think what you’re really seeing here is the benefit of experience, the benefit of good leadership and the benefit of good partnership, none of which were present in Katrina. † (Kamen 2007) Johnson spoke like a true professional, answering all of their questions with a unique sense of cordiality. However, this was precisely because none of these people asking the questions were actually reporters at all. This was a staged event! It was not real! Due to fact that the Deputy Administrator’s office had botched the scheduling of this event, and ‘real’ pool reporters were only afforded a 15 minutes notice, none of them were able to show up. The FEMA staff decided to ‘fake a move’ (Ibid). Thus, while the cameras that were hooked up to their dedicated feeds were rolling in earnest, this was all a lie. Two day later, the gig was up! This ill-conceived stunt gained a staring role in the next few news cycles, which only served to bring back the haunting memories of the striking ineptness displayed by FEMA during the wrath of Hurricane Katrina. This immediately prompted Homeland Security Chief Michael Chertoff to comment, â€Å"I think it was one of the dumbest and most inappropriate things I’ve seen since I’ve been in government† (MSNBC 2007). White House Press Secretary Dana Perino was a bit more subdued in her criticism, â€Å"It is not a practice that we would employ here at the White House or that we we certainly don’t condone it† (Ibid). However, this was about as far as the analogies and the memories would be allowed to go. Twenty-four hours before Katrina made landfall, a FEMA executive in Denton Texas turned down a ‘Red High Priority’ plea for 300 Rubber Boats from the Louisiana Department of Wild Life and Fishing. The official simply scrawled â€Å"REQUEST DENIED† across the top of the document (Brinkley 2006). FEMA also turned down a U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service offer to save the lives of people who may have been stranded in Orleans, St. Bernard, and St. Tammany parishes. Furthermore, from his community in West Palm Beach Florida, Representative Mark Foley offered airplanes that were ‘on the ready’ to evacuate victims. So too, he was turned down as well. So it went with a host of reports stating that FEMA seemed strangely ambivalent to any kind of aid for Katrina victims (Ibid). Five months later, the Senate Homeland Security Committee which oversees the Department of Homeland Security of which FEMA is a part, released over 800,000 pages of memos, emails, strategy plans, and intradepartmental correspondence. These now public documents tell the shocking story of a government agency rife with ineptness. That Sunday before the storm, the U. S Department of the Interior offered substantial material aid of the sort that would naturally be needed in any disaster of this kind. They were also turned down. Senate Homeland Security Chairwoman Senator Susan Collins (R-Main) bristled at these findings, â€Å"That is incredible to me† she said (Ibid). No one seemed to understand why FEMA would turn down aid with a catastrophe of this magnitude, especially when it was being offered from a number of its own peer agencies. Even more riveting was the slew of reports that the U. S. government was refusing the massive amounts of aid offered from capitals around the world. From millions of dollars from citizens and governments in Europe, to barrels of oil from Venezuela; and 1600 disaster trained physicians from Cuba; the snubbing of this aid was mind-boggling (Ibid). What’s more, rumors continue to abound even until this day, after more than three years, of shocking scenes of official neglect that existed in New Orleans during those horror-filled hours in the immediate aftermath of Katrina. Stories of widespread police brutality and even White vigilantes ‘hunting down Blackfolk’, have become just one part of an International Tribunal on Hurricanes Katrina and Rita which has aimed the majority of its widespread enmity towards FEMA (Langley 2007). The tornadoes of despair have not ceased for the victims of Katrina, and the heartache still abounds as well. Twenty-six months later, after wildfires went wild in California, FEMA Administrator David Paulison stepped forward immediately to tell the American People, â€Å"The safety of the firefighters, individuals and families in the impacted areas is of utmost concern. † (FEMA 2007). Contrary to the widespread sense of government disregard that many felt in response to Katrina, the victims of the California Wildfires were immediately afforded a sense of assurance that FEMA was working with the highest sense of urgency on their behalf. Victims of this disaster were instantly promised that this would not be a â€Å"repeat of Katrina† (Philbin 2007). So it was, that with amazing efficiency, within hours FEMA had approved grants that allowed the state of California to recoup as much as 75% of the cost of fighting the wildfires. They had a joint field office open within 48 hours. FEMA’s regional office in California also stayed open 24/7, and coordinated its efforts with state, local, and federal agencies, including the Department of the Interior, D. O. T, the Army Corps of Engineers, Health and Human Services, and the U. S. Forest Service (EKU October 24, 2007). FEMA put its resources on full blast for the residents of Southern California, opening shelters, handing out blankets, food and water. From Katrina in August of 2005 to the California Wildfires of 2007 it was as if we were watching a Tale of Two Cities. One can only hope that FEMA keeps itself together and that tragedies coupled with that kind of governmental ineptitude never happen again. References Associated Press (March 1, 2006) (Video File) Washingtonpost. com Katrina: the warnings bush received. Retrieved from http://www. washingtonpost. com/wp- dyn/content//video/2006/03/01/V12006030101864 html Brinkley, Douglas The great deluge: Hurricane katrina, new orleans, and the mississippi gulf coast. Harper Collins 2006 334-335, 250 CNN (Tuesday October 23, 2007) Lessons from Katrina being applied to fire response. Updated 8:29 PM Retrieved from htt://www. cnn. com/2007/POLITICS/10/fire. fema/index. html EKU Fire Chief (website) (Oct 24, 2007) FEMA responds to california wildfires. Retrieved from http://firechief. com/leadership/incident- command/Fema_wildfire_10242007/ FEMA (October 24, 2007) Contingency Planning and Management Federal emergency management agency coordinating national response to California wildfires. Retrieved from http://www. contingencyplanning. com/articles/52388/ Kamen, A (October 26, 2007) Washington Post FEMA meets the press: Which happens to be†¦ fema. p. A19 Langley, D (July 22, 2007) Worker’s World Katrina-Rita tribunal to focus on u. s. crimes Retrieved from http://www. workers. org/2007/us/katrina-rita-0726/ MSNBC (Saturday October 27, 2007) Chertoff blast FEMA’s faux press conference. Calls agency’s use of fake reporters ‘one of the dumbest’ things he’s seen. Updated 7:21 PM. [Retrieved At:] http://www. msnbc. com/id21490838/ Philbin, P (October 24, 2007) (transcript) California wildfires: fema responds. Agency vows aggressive effort on wildfires. Washington Post. com. External Affairs Director, Federal Emergency Management Agency. [Retrieved At:] http://www. washingtonpost. com/wp- dyn/content/discussion/2007/10/24/DI2007102400890. html

Bowlbys Theory of Attachment Essay

Bowlbys Theory of Attachment Essay In the light of changes to the family since 1950 are Bowlbys ideas about care for young children still relevant today? In this paper, Bowlbys theory of attachment and child care will be outlined along with additions from other theorists such as Rutter and Ainsworth. From this we will see how the evolution of the family unit since the 1950s has been affected by such theories along with welfare policy and social theorists which have influenced family life and childcare practices in the UK. Bowlby described attachment as the bond that develops between a baby and its primary caregiver. It is characterised by the interaction patterns which develop in order to fulfil the infants needs and emotional development. Bowlby noted the apparent distress in children separated from their mothers in unusual circumstances e.g. hospitalisation. In studying the more abnormal and distressing situations he attempted to shed light on an understanding of normal emotional attachment development, and how a disruption could prove damaging to the child emotionally and through to adult maturation. Bowlby suggested that the presence of the mother was just as crucial to the baby as being supplied basic needs such as food. His conclusions led him to postulate that the distress at separation from the mother was universal in babies. Bowlby characterised this distress as following the pattern of infant protest, followed by despair and ending in eventual detachment. The term separation anxiety was brought about echoing ethological survival techniques in which patterns of actions enable survival of young animals. Such ideas influenced Bowlby in postulating a significant period attachment of one to five years which was imperative historically to biological survival, and if they were not in place then emotional and intellectual problems would occur in adulthood. This can be seen as a rigid attitude and has played a large part in influencing childcare decisions through the establishment of a connection between maternal absence, child care (including institutional and foster care) and later developmental problems. Studies from Rutter and Ainsworth have agreed with an attachment principle but have developed it to include situational variables such as previous home life, relationships, depth of bonding and care and reasons and reactions of the caregiver in dealing with an absence and return situation that can have an effect on the child above any basic separation. The length of absence, quality of care giving within that absence and inherent flexibility and adaptability of infants as well as their capability to make multiple attachments all need to be taken into account within this area. During the 1940s Bowlby made a connection between the attachment of an infant and mother and the shaping of an infants personality. From this an association was placed on the mother caring for the child instead of working. At this time welfare policies were focussed on a post war development of the family, and working freedoms afforded to women during the war were heavily curtailed as was war time nursery care. Popular policies suggested women should now be investing in their families as a duty. Thus if female workers were not being encouraged politically as an economic asset then child care policy provision was also diminished. Here Bowlbys ideas fuelled policy through popularising images of home based child care and family values by experts. Rutter later influenced changes through his findings of multiple attachment making in children although stressed that continuity of attachment was important. He was in support of child day care as long as it was continuous and high quality, although a preference of parental care was suggested by Rutter. There is a difficulty in isolating variables which result in positive and negative attachments. Indeed some feminists argue that stay at home mothers are often at risk of harming their children through an inability to cope and lack of support from immediate or extended family. Associated with this argument is that of the risk from domestic violence which increases isolation and effects the development of the child even if the primary caregiver is ever present. From the 1950s an increased development of the nuclear family has been argued to provide a duel function. In this the family is seen to provide close personal relationships and act as an economic strategy for development and to maintain stability and control. Such evolution of the family has been characterised by transience and isolation of family units from the extended family and community itself. A close knit extended family can provide more options for child care and support whereas otherwise external methods of care are needed. If maternal proximity with the under-fives is crucial then entire communities would be maladjusted by design and this clearly cannot be held across the board. Again the issue of consistency and quality over quantity of child care can be bought to view. Popular media along with welfare policies have in recent years sought to not only improve childcare and rearing practices, provide support, normalise differing household situations such as lone parent, and expansion and regulation of child day care provision. Feminist theory has been at the forefront of womens re- entry to work force as well as a normalisation of divorce and single parent or co-habiting (step) households. On the other hand the feminist push for womens employment rights has resulted in inevitable contradictions as women are pulled in both directions, and indeed even the act of having children at all is currently considered heavily in an economic light due to the increased cost of living and childcare fees. Nowadays we can see increased governmental intervention in support of the family in the form of lengthening maternity and paternity and parenting care rights, childrens rights, tax credits, flexible working, child care and pre-school provisions and subsidies, and the importance of family environment and child security building in issues of fostering and child protection. Thus the family by whatever shape of form it may take in the UK is heavily affected by the economic requirements and government policy provision. It is now the norm for women to work as well as be responsible for child care and household upkeep. Subsequently it is the norm for mothers to be separated from babies before their first birthday due to monetary need and often this has to be longer than desirable due to a cycle of economic need and high child care fees. Overall, I can conclude that Bowlbys ideas although outdated have persisted through the decades and still influence child rearing and day care decisions. It can be seen as persisting in governmental policy to this day for example, in maternity leave being extended to cover twelve months leave Bowlby would surely support this move. In all Bowlbys ideas of attachment and primary parental care giving remain pervasive and are ingrained within the family unit in the UK, although an acknowledgement of multiple attachments and quality of child care are now highlighted over simply the primary care givers proximity.

Background Of Toyota Motor Company Limited Management Essay

Background Of Toyota Motor Company Limited Management Essay Since it was founded in 1937, Toyota Motor Company has contributed to the development of the automobile industry and society by providing people with quality vehicles. TMC manufactures automobiles in 25 countries and regions all over the world. Today, its vehicles are sold in more 160 nations worldwide under the brand names of Toyota, Lexus, Daihatsu, and Hino, manufacturing small cars to luxury sedans, full-sized pickup trucks, and crossover vehicles. This report is mainly focusing on the human resource management system of Toyota Motor. The major issues like technological issues of HRMS, change management and innovation to management style of Toyota Motor Company in detail. It also depicts the relation between the human resource management system and among these key issues in the context of Toyota motor company. Technological changes in HRMS of Toyota include the recruitment and selection process of Toyota and different techniques how to motivate and encourage employees towards the objectives and goals of organization. In change management an example of change management has been explain about the Toyota Motor and different styles of management which are used in Toyota are also describe in detail and some techniques which Toyotas management is using to control and directing its employees. Some recommendations are given at the end of the report on those areas where Toyota needs some improvements. Background of Toyota Motor Company Limited Toyota Motor Co. Ltd. (TMC) was first established in 1937 as a separated company from Toyoda Automobile Loomworks, the leading manufacturing of weaving machinery. The Toyota Automobile Loomworks was then headed by Sakichi Toyoda, the king of investors (Schewe, Charles and Hiam, Alexander, 1998). The giant automaker faced its one and only strike in 1950. This event, however, supplied Toyota an important philosophy, giving it the labour and management system which helped Toyota to gain mutual growth and success in both domestic and overseas markets. Today, this philosophy is very important to the structure of Toyota. Toyotas production system improved in the late 1950s, establishing the Toyota Production System. This system became the major factor in the reduction of inventories and defect in the plants of Toyota and its suppliers. It also underpinned all of Toyotas operations across the world. It launched its first small cars in 1947. The operation outside Japan started in 1959 in Brazil and continued with growing network of foreign plants. Toyota celebrated its 60th anniversary in August 1997. It believes that its local production can provide customers with the productions they need, giving it the stable and long-term growth. It also has a global network of design and research and development facilities, consisting Japan, North America, and Europe markets (Schewe, Charles and Hiam, Alexander, 1998). Toyota is at rank 8 in fortune global 500 2007 companies of the world Toyota Motor Company is committed to the principle of Equal Opportunities by providing fair and equitable treatment to all individuals and applicants. Toyota seeks to abide by the intent as well as the letter of appropriate legislation in these matters and Toyota management team is committed to the promotion of and adherence to the Equal Opportunities Policy. . Why Toyota Motor need Innovation and Change? Any organization needs change for some reason. It may be for its survival if business is not doing well or may be business wants to attain competitive advantage. Sometimes this change is required due to the external pressure like mergers or change in any legislation. Overall change is for the benefit of the business and their employees. There are so many reasons for the Toyota for the innovation and change which are: Reduced Sales Customer Turnover Employee Turnover Loan Repayment Investments in a new project Extension of Organization i.e. overseas business Need for Technology Core Competence Customer Value Creation Basic Issues to Toyota Motor Company In the past, Toyota was not giving much attention to its Human Resource management system but now it is known that success of the Toyota is more dependant on its employees rather than on any thing else. Toyota Motor also believes its employees are assets for them and sometimes they give more attention to the employees than customers. They believe on the philosophy that organization with more satisfied employees having more satisfied customers. So now, It is necessary for the Toyota to choose the right employee for the right job. Because one wrong decision regarding selection of the employee will harm Toyota till that employee will work on that job. The three most vital issues related to HRMS of Toyota includes Technological Changes in HRMS of Toyota Innovation to Management Styles of the Toyota HRMS Change Management perspective of Toyota HRMS Technological Changes in HRMS of Toyota In this competitive environment of global business, it was very difficult for Toyota Motor Company to remain always competitive and managed profitable relationship with the customers. Toyota Motor is the 3rd best automobile corporation of the world and it always needs innovation (Ronald J. Burke, Cary L. Cooper, 2006). Innovation can be in any form or in any field e.g. it can be in the design, production processes, quality, product, managing human resource effectively etc. in this report main focus will be on the human resource management system of the Toyota. The solution of technological changes in HRMS of Toyota includes: Innovation in recruitment and selection process How Can Toyota maintains employees satisfaction and low employees turnover Innovation in recruitment and selection process of Toyota With the passage of time, so many technological changes have also come into the recruitment and selection process of the Toyota. Now for the selection of employees Toyota gives special attention. Because finding right employee for the any position is necessary for the Toyota Motors (R. L. Compton, Alan R. Nankervis, 2008). The first step in the process of acquiring the human resource for the Toyota is to specify the kind of work which will be done by the employees. Job analysis and job design are the process used to determine this Job Analysis Job Design Training of Employees Job Analysis Job Analysis means gathering the pertinent information regarding the nature of the specific job. It is determining the tasks that comprise the job which includes skills, qualification, abilities and experience of the employees (Ronald J. Burke, Cary L. Cooper, 2006). Now job analysis is must for every job in Toyota Motor. Job analysis serves as foundation of the every human resource functions. Products of job Analysis Job description: means written synopsis of nature of the job. Job specification: means description of competencies, educational, and experience qualification the incumbent must possess to perform the job. Job Analysis Method Different methods are used by the Toyota for the job analysis which are: Observation (Motion and time study, Work Sampling) Interview Questionnaires Functional job Analysis Job Design Job Design is the process of structuring work and designing work for the specific job in Toyota. Job design gives the answers to basic questions of how the job is performed, who is to perform. Both job analysis and job design are linked with each other. Two dimensions of job design include job scope and job depth (Ronald J. Burke, Cary L. Cooper, 2006). Job scope refers to the number and variety of tasks performed by the jobholder in the Toyota Motor Company. In Toyotas working environment most jobs have high job scope. In a job with less scope, jobholder has to performed few tasks. Low job scope can be the reason for dissatisfaction of the particularly job. Job depth refers to the freedom of the job holders to plan and organize their own work. Toyotas management gives freedom to its employees up to his control or limit and works at your own pace and communicates according to your need (R. L. Compton, Alan R. Nankervis, 2008) Training of the employees After selecting the employees, Toyota arranged training activities for its employees. To get this training is compulsory in Toyota. This training is very helpful for the employees and it takes less time to learn the employees lots of things than learning on job from own experience. Toyota Motor used different methods for the training of its employees like some lectures and training classes are arranged for them or give them on job training with the senior members who are having vast experience and can help the employees in its training. Job rotation is another term which is used for learning and developing new skills of the employees. How Toyota can maintain employees satisfaction and low employees turnover In managing human resource of the Toyota effectively the first step is to select the right employee for the right position. For this right selection of employees, it is necessary for Toyota to use new innovative techniques for selection of employees, compensating and rewarding to employees. Because job satisfaction is the most important variable and Toyotas success is dependant on its employees. So, Toyota always follows the innovative techniques for managing its human resource. Satisfied and committed employees are asset for the Toyota. It has seen organization with more satisfied employees perform better than other whose are not satisfied. So, Toyotas success or failure also depends on its employees satisfaction or dissatisfaction. Organization whose employees are dissatisfied with their jobs cost too much to the organization. Mostly they will be absent from the work or might quarrel with the co-workers .These employees do not take interest in their job which affects the overall pr oductivity of the organization and ultimately organization will suffer. There are so many reasons for their dissatisfaction; it can be the environmental conditions in which they work, Nature of the work like repetition etc. There are different techniques which are used to make employee satisfied and ultimately low employees turnover which are: HR Development Career Development Motivation HR DEVELOPMENT Skills and knowledge of staff is crucial for Toyotas innovation process. Most of the innovation ideas are come through the employees of the Toyota Motor. But the time is changing so quickly that every technology and change becomes obsolete in no time. It is important for the Toyota that its employees remain up-to-date with the knowledge and changes to compete in the industry Career Development It is the duty of the Toyotas management to provide the growth opportunities to its employees. Career development is an ongoing process that focusing on the developing and enriching the organizations human resource in the light of both employee and organization need. It is also the responsibility of the Toyotas employee himself to think about his career development. It is something which one can not do for others. It has to come from the individual himself. Toyota also helps, guide and provides opportunities to its employees. MOTIVATION Motivation is a feeling of satisfaction and commitment towards its goals and objectives. This is an internal psychological state which determines the action of the person. Employees are motivated via different ways .It is important for Toyota to give much attention to the needs of its employees and keep moving in the desire direction. Toyota enhances its employees motivation through two basic ways: Financial Non-financial Financial motivators Toyotas financial motivators are connected to the monetary need of the employees which includes salary system, bonuses, and allowances etc. which have usually short term effect on the employees. Base salary: A person is paid a salary for the job he/she is doing in a specific time. In Toyota, persons basic salary depends upon his knowledge, skills, qualification and competencies of the employee. Basic salary should be compatible with the job. It is required for the Toyota to give the compatible salary to its employees which keep them motivated and committed. Variable pay Sometimes Toyota gives incentives to employees to enhance or improve the performance of the employees focusing on the specific targets or projects. Financial rewards provide financial recognition to people. Extra money is given to the employee for their achievements. Benefits are also given to the employees for their well being which includes contribution to pension fund, health insurance schemes, life insurance, loan with no interest or lower interest rate, free use of products or services of the company, etc. Allowances for relocation, transportation, subsistence, accommodation, recreation, etc      Non-financial motivation techniques The most important technological changes which are used by the Toyota to motivate its employees include non-financial motivation techniques. These non- financial motivators are very effective it cost nothing to the Toyota but depend on the willingness of pertinent managers to pay more attention to their staff. These non financial motivators are connected to the work itself and having a longer term effect. Non financial motivators are honors, self respect, Change Management perspective of Toyota HRMS Change Management as it seems made up of two words Change plus Management. Change means to transform while management means the art of controlling, leading, organizing and decision making. So apparently change management means the art of controlling, leading, organization and decision making in the transformation process (J Dawkins, 2007) More precisely, in the context of Toyota Motor, we can define change management as systematic methodology of changing the individuals, teams and organizations from current state to the desired state. This change may or may not include all the employees of an organization. In the case Development of new system was very crucial for Toyota Motor. Company was using old system but new computerized system was needed. And Toyota was facing problems in changing the old system due to its employees behavior (Chaffey D, 2004) Change Management process Change Management process includes the Toyota context, pace and scale of change, people management, change management content plan page and implementation of plan In Toyotas Context In Toyota Motor company, management decided to change its old manual accounting system with new computerized system. Toyota Company needed the new computerized system for the following reason: Toyota Motor wanted to increase its efficiency in doing business and also wanted to gain competitive advantage over its competitor. For the development of new system company took the services of the other organization (J Dawkins, 2007) The new system was after the stage of successful testing was almost complete and the only problem for Toyota was the implementation because its workers who were resisting this new change they were thinking that after the development of the new system they will have problem to use it and they have to made major adjustment even layoffs are expected as a result of new system in reality company was predicting for the growth they were planning for product development and wanted to add new models and staff for managing this growth (Ayse Saka, 2003). After this implementation of new system lots of employees of Toyota was thinking about the early retirement. Pace and Scale of Change in Toyota Motor Company In pace and scale of change business needs to know that how many people are affected with the development of the new system. For this organization can choose different ways that how they will know about these affected employees because this new system had been used by the same people there was very high cost attached with the new system so Toyota Motor needed to know exactly about the number of people who are affected and how often they had to change their attitudes and behavior. Toyota should know the time period in which the old system will be replaced by the new computerized system (Joel Oleson, 2009) For this change Toyota needs a sponsor and best person fits to this role are senior and as well as influential personality of the Toyota. This was the first step for the Toyota to identify the sponsor next step was to identify champions and change agent who will bring this new change system in the organization. People Management in Toyota In the new system development process at Toyota the most complicated stage in the process was people management. This is the most difficult process of development of new system. Because people are the final user for this new system in this case Toyota was facing some challenges as their employees were not favoring the new system due to some future doubts e.g. they were feeling their selves insecure that this new system will be harm for them (Joel Oleson, 2009) It will not in the benefit of them. There are so many ways organization can manage this issue of contradiction (Ayse Saka, 2003). First it is the responsibility of the Toyotas management to tell about the change to its employees who will be affected by this new system. They should be aware of about this system before its starting so, then these hurdles do not exist. Now proper coaching is required for the employees who will use this new system. They should be trained and learned to use new system. Toyota should communicate new systems benefits and new opportunities which will arise due to implementation of the new system to the employees like presentations, road shows; team briefing and regular meeting of the senior employee would be called and arranged for the employees. Toyotas Change Management Plan Contents Page Change management is a very difficult process that demands a proper step by step process for the change in a firm or organization. It has been often found that employees resist to the change management process a lot. Same as the case of Toyota Motor which wanted to implement a change within the organization and was facing resistance from his employees. Change management plan contents page includes: Initial Knowledge Implementation Plan of Toyota Initial Knowledge For Toyota initial knowledge is called as the foundation to the change process. Toyota Motor believes, when they have a strong introduction to your change requirements, they can have a first impact on the stakeholders who may be the cause of the resistance to the change. The more impressive the introduction to the problem and the change need, you have the most chances of the success in the change management (Ayse Saka, 2003). An introduction is the part of the change process in which you introduce the objectives, needs, rules and policies and deliver change effectiveness. Implementation Plan of Toyota For Toyota Implementation plan in the change process works as the milestones towards Toyotas destination. In the plan first Toyota management sets its milestones so that they may not lose their track from the change process. Plan has a significant importance (Chaffey D, 2004) .It helps the people, technology, process, and the change implementers like Toyota Motor Company define the service, reduce ambiguity in the change process and it also help to mitigate conflicts within the firm where change needs to be implemented. Communication Whenever a change is required, the change management team is required to seek, produce and properly communicate the evidences to Toyotas management in support to the change. Taking employees in confidence has a great importance for Toyota, as the change is mostly not implemented due to the resistance from the employees (Helen Taylor, Cary L. Cooper, 1998) .And to get their support, it is widely required the good communications of the evidences to the support of change. Because if the employees will understand the benefits and reasons behind change, they will respond positively. Implementation plan includes: Readiness measurement By Toyota Involvement of employees Training Readiness measurement by Toyota Along with the strong communication, Toyota Motor also measures the readiness to use the change in the daily operations. If the staff will see it more ambiguous and difficult to implement, they will deny accepting change as it will not be secure to them. It may harm their performance that will impact on their jobs too. The experts in new system may replace them. So they will never accept the change. But if they find the system is easy to use and change, then most staff will embrace changes for the long term security. Involvement of employees Keeping the involvement of the staff and employees in the change process is also an important step for Toyota. If you keep their opinion and suggestions in the changing process, you may face very less probability of the resistance from them. It will give them an affiliation with the change process (Helen Taylor, Cary L. Cooper, 1998). They will consider the success of the change as their success. Keeping them aware and involve also keep them aware what is going on so that there would be less chances of negative words of mouth and rumors. Training The new systems and the changing should have training sessions for the employees who are use to the older systems and the business environment. The training sessions should be conducted by Toyota so that it may reduce the resistance, to increase efficiency and to avoid any risk in the stoppage of the production, jammed processes or other factors related to the less knowledge for the new systems (Chaffey D, 2004). Innovation to Management Styles of the Toyota HRMS Different management styles are used in Toyota to manage its workforce. These styles are dependent on the on various factors e.g. culture of Toyota, nature of the task, skills, qualification of the employees, nature of the leaders (Kotter, J. and Schlesinger, L. 2003). Style of leader depends on all these factors and after analyzing appropriate style is employed. Sometimes different styles are used at same time to control the situation. Different Management Styles Normally there are three management styles which are followed by the different organizations including Toyota which are Autocratic Democratic Lassie Faire Autocratic In Toyotas Autocratic style employees involvement is minimal or not taken. No information is shared with the employees. Rules are set and then tell employees to follow them. All the objectives and goals are set by the Toyota top management. The communication flow is from up to downward from top level to low level. The advantage of this style is that objectives and goal remain constant. These type of leaders make unilateral decision and always keep an eye on subordinates whether they are doing the right things. In this style subordinates have no control on any thing and they just need to follow leader (Kotter, J. and Schlesinger, L. 2003). The disadvantage of this style is that employees are dissatisfied and which cause the reason of turnovers, absenteeism and low productivity. Democratic In Toyotas Democratic style, employees input are taken in the planning and decision making process. Employees are motivated and encourage participating in the affairs of the Toyota. In this style every issues and problems are solved with the consent of the majority. The communication flow is both way upward to downward and vice versa. Democratic style is more often used at Toyota when the problem is complex and need everyone input. There are some advantages and disadvantages of this style. Employees are more satisfied with their job and turnover rate is low and productivity is high. Disadvantages may include to get everyone consensus is difficult. This style is time consuming because it takes time to get the input from others. Laissez-faire In Toyotas Laissez-faire leadership style, leader gives free hand to employees or a group or team and asked for the end result. Toyotas leader does not set any rules and regulations. Toyotas employees set the rules and objectives according to their need. Leader role is very nominal in this style. The communication style is horizontal in this style (Kotter, J. and Schlesinger, L. 2003). This style is not very common in the so many organizations including Toyota but still used when management feels its need. There are also some disadvantages for this style, lack of staff focus, no clear hierarchy, poor company image and less dissatisfaction of customers How to manage Toyota Human Resource? Toyota motor company has also adopted the different management techniques for keeping its employees competitive, satisfied and to solve all the potential problems related to its HRMS. These different techniques are: Job rotation Job Enrichment Involving employees Communication Management by walking around Employee driven innovation Maintain a knowledge sharing network Job rotation In Toyota job rotation is the newly concept and it is effective as well. The process of moving employees among different jobs is job rotation. Job rotation helps employees to improve their skills, Knowledge and competencies. Employees get bored by doing the repetitive task every time so job rotation is a good way to keep them active and fresh every time (Jeffrey H. Dyer and Kentaro Nobeoka, 2000). Job rotation also helpful for the Toyota itself in the time of crisis, if an employee is unavailable due to the any reason other employee can do its work Job enrichment: Toyota Motor Company knows intrinsic factors in a job such as achievement, responsibility and growth need the job enrichment. With job enrichment employees are more likely to be satisfied with the job and motivated to perform it. Combining tasks takes existing and fractionalized tasks and puts them together and form a larger module of work. Forming natural work units tasks and employee does create an identifiable and meaningful whole. Establishing client relationship increases the direct relationship with the clients. Expanding jobs vertically gives employee more responsibilities and control (Jeffrey H. Dyer and Kentaro Nobeoka, 2000). Opening feedback channel lets employees knows how well they are performing their jobs whether performance have improved or not or remain constant. Involving employees Take input from the employees to increase their commitment is important for the success of the Toyota. The extent to which decisions affect the employees and Toyota should involve the employees. By increasing their autonomy and control over their work lives, employees will become more motivated, more committed to the organization, more productive and more satisfied with their jobs. Communication Keep informing the employees about the goals and direction of the Toyota. Communicate all the related issues regarding employee future, job and performance. Each and every matter which Toyota can share to the employee should communicate them. Every thing which affects the employees itself also communicated to them. Management by walking around: Visit to the Toyotas offices, factories, workshops, and labs regularly, always asking the employees about their work and work related problems, sort out the problems and giving them feedback etc.    Employee Driven Innovation Toyota believes in collection of key ideas and uses the experiences of most of the employees to create opportunities and new ways for them. It is important to bring incremental changes in culture of Toyota, products, behavior, processes, and in business models that create value for customers, stakeholders and the company. Maintain Knowledge sharing network It is necessary for organization to maintain knowledge sharing network that will help in quick knowledge diffusion than other competing manufactures. Due to the best knowledge sharing network organization can gain competitive advantage on other competitors. Knowledge sharing system made organization effective and capable to do any thing with in no time. This knowledge sharing network includes organizations employees, suppliers, management and all the related stakeholders. This network improves the productivity and reduced the delivery time. This knowledge sharing network of will solve three basic problems: Motivate and encourage members involvement and share their valuable ideas Reduce cost of doing business Prevent free Riders Conclusion Studies have proved that organizational success is affected by the innovative management styles. These management styles are vary from every organization to another organization. There are different managing styles which all used to manage employees. Management styles can bring success and innovation in the organization but the most important thing is that management style should be suitable for the organization Satisfied and committed employees are asset for the Toyota. It has seen organization with more satisfied employees perform better than other whose are not satisfied. So, Toyotas success or failure also depends on its employees satisfaction or dissatisfaction. Organization whose employees are dissatisfied with their jobs cost too much to the organization. The Change Management Could arises from several many situations and could be applied in several many kinds. Actually the type of problem or situation decides why and how to change. The successful implementation of change depends on the human capital that an organization possesses and also on the measures adopted to implement change. The main objective of organizational change is to bring about a strategic change in its organizational structure to better utilize its human and non-human resources to efficiently achieve organizational goal. Recommendations Effective and Timely Change Management is the secret of success of Toyota. But for effective change, Toyota needs to plan the design, sequence and implementation of change proactively. Satisfied and committed employees are asset for the Toyota. It has seen organization with more satisfied employees perform better than other whose are not satisfied. So, it is vital for Toyota to maintain a healthy relationship with its employees in order to become competitive. Today world is changing very quickly so Toyota should change and up grade its self with the modern standards and technologies. Toyota should welcome any key idea by the any employee. Self recognition, self esteem and honors are also very important for the employees so, Toyota should more emphasis on these non financial motivators and keeps its employees as most satisfied and happy.

The Evolution of Public Administration in American Society Essay exampl

Public administration as a field of study and as a practice has continually evolved with American society. The United States has survived and thrived through major cultural shifts, varying degrees of economic climates, and both civil and world wars. Through out all these changes in our country, one thing has always remained the same, the fact that we are an ever evolving and always changing nation. Theories and forms of practice of public administration have also evolved parallel with the history of the United States. There have been numerous events in American history have lead to changes in society and the practice of public administration has both led and followed in the adaptation process of such monumental changes. Public administration formally became a recognized academic and professional field in the late 19th century. Many public administration scholars contend that the start of public administration becoming a field of study was the 1887 Political Science Quarterly article â€Å"The Study of Administration† by a young Woodrow Wilson. (Shafritz, Russell, & Borick, 2011, pg. 28) Woodrow Wilson was classified as being a member of the Progressive Movement. The Progressives were a varied group of politicians, academics, advocates and activists who sought to abolish what they saw as the corrupt practices of the patronage system and to reform the new industrialized society that America had become. They objected to the pervasive corruption of government and sought to do away with the political machines that had become the standard of the time. The study of public administration only continued to grow over the course of the next two decades. As the study of public administration expanded, so did the development of s... ...ice of public administration will continue to change with the further advances in society. Already there are many of issues that tomorrow’s public administrators will be dealing with. These issues will be varied and complex and will concern the ongoing development of computers, possible advancements in health care and science, and even major social and legislative shifts. â€Æ' Works Cited Jay M. Shafritz, E.W. Russell, Christopher P. Borick. "Introducing Public Administration" Pearson. 7th Edition, 2011. Florida Department of Law Enforcement "Florida Domestic Security Strategic Plan" https://www.fdle.state.fl.us/Content/Domestic-Security/Domestic-Security-Documents/2015-2017DomesticSecurityStrategicPlan.aspx United States Census Bureau "Computer and Internet Use in the United States: 2013" https://www.census.gov/history/pdf/acs-internet2013.pdf The Evolution of Public Administration in American Society Essay exampl Public administration as a field of study and as a practice has continually evolved with American society. The United States has survived and thrived through major cultural shifts, varying degrees of economic climates, and both civil and world wars. Through out all these changes in our country, one thing has always remained the same, the fact that we are an ever evolving and always changing nation. Theories and forms of practice of public administration have also evolved parallel with the history of the United States. There have been numerous events in American history have lead to changes in society and the practice of public administration has both led and followed in the adaptation process of such monumental changes. Public administration formally became a recognized academic and professional field in the late 19th century. Many public administration scholars contend that the start of public administration becoming a field of study was the 1887 Political Science Quarterly article â€Å"The Study of Administration† by a young Woodrow Wilson. (Shafritz, Russell, & Borick, 2011, pg. 28) Woodrow Wilson was classified as being a member of the Progressive Movement. The Progressives were a varied group of politicians, academics, advocates and activists who sought to abolish what they saw as the corrupt practices of the patronage system and to reform the new industrialized society that America had become. They objected to the pervasive corruption of government and sought to do away with the political machines that had become the standard of the time. The study of public administration only continued to grow over the course of the next two decades. As the study of public administration expanded, so did the development of s... ...ice of public administration will continue to change with the further advances in society. Already there are many of issues that tomorrow’s public administrators will be dealing with. These issues will be varied and complex and will concern the ongoing development of computers, possible advancements in health care and science, and even major social and legislative shifts. â€Æ' Works Cited Jay M. Shafritz, E.W. Russell, Christopher P. Borick. "Introducing Public Administration" Pearson. 7th Edition, 2011. Florida Department of Law Enforcement "Florida Domestic Security Strategic Plan" https://www.fdle.state.fl.us/Content/Domestic-Security/Domestic-Security-Documents/2015-2017DomesticSecurityStrategicPlan.aspx United States Census Bureau "Computer and Internet Use in the United States: 2013" https://www.census.gov/history/pdf/acs-internet2013.pdf

To Kill a Mockingbird - Equality :: Kill Mockingbird essays

To Kill a Mockingbird - Equality Few people are the same as they are on the street in their homes. Few people can treat others equally; no matter what colour their skin is. Atticus Finch is one of those precious few. Racism in the town of Maycomb is nothing but disguised by the polite smiles and ladies missionary meetings; although it is the strongest belief that each person of the town holds apart from some such as Atticus. Racism is an issue of great importance, yet to the eye of a visitor waltzing through, it's just a slight whisk of air. Atticus is a good man, a just man. He upholds his morals, and judges by his conscience. He is shaken but not moved by the town of Maycomb in their gossip and hypocritical ways. When offered Tom's case, Atticus knows he will take it on. He won't just stand there with no proper defense for Tom, but he will let the truth be known, and prove that Tom is innocent. "...that boy might go to the chair, but he's not going till the truth's told." If Atticus didn't take on the case, he couldn't hold his head up in town; couldn't represent this country in the legislature; couldn't even tell Scout or Jem not to do something again'. "...before I can live with other folks I've got to live with myself. The one thing that doesn't abide by majority rule is a person's conscience." Atticus has a clear mind. He will not sit by and watch as his two children are abused and their views twisted to match the society of racism they live amongst. Atticus builds his morals up in the children very evidently, although no so much as to draw attention. He speaks words of wisdom to them in their distress, but also with the treatment and position of Calpurnia, he is able to demonstrate a precise view of his own conscience. Atticus knows that because of this, he is considered one of the most non-racist people in Maycomb, therefore being offered Tom's case. Judge Taylor knows the right man for the job. Before he even begins, Atticus knows the case is already lost. They were licked a hundred years before it even started, but still he fights for innocence.

Alcohol Abuse in Russia

Joe Bloe Professor I. B Smart BS 131 December XX, 2008 Alcohol Abuse in Russia Family Issues Russians drink more alcohol than any other nation in the world. (Halpin, 2007, p1) The Times of London reports that Russians are currently going on an alcoholic binge even by Russian standards. According to the country’s chief public health officer, Gennadi Onishenko, Russians are drinking nearly three times as much as they did sixteen years ago. Onishenko’s study was promulgated by the Russian equivalent of the consumer protection agency and it reported that at least 2. million people in Russia were alcoholics. The average Russian consumed 15 litres (26 pints) of pure alcohol per annum, up from 5. 4 litres in 1990, and this phenomena is blamed for a rising rate of mortality among men. This compares to 8. 4 litres for people in the United States and 7. 6 litres in Japan. (Halpin, 2007 p 1) Violent crime and alcohol consumption have increased throughout the Russian federation sin ce the fall of the Soviet Union. This has shown harmful consequences for families and communities, as heavy alcohol drinking is closely associated with violent behavior in Russia.The correlation between heavy drinking and violence is a complicated mixture of physiological, psychological, situational, social and cultural elements. Whenever measures to control alcohol production and consumption have been introduced, reduced violence has occurred in Russia and elsewhere. (WHO, 2006) Violence is a family’s worst enemy and may include physical and sexual assaults, mental or emotional abuse and neglect. It may also be categorized into interpersonal violence, child maltreatment or neglect, intimate partner violence within a relationship, sexual violence, abuse of the elderly or self-directed violence including suicide. WHO, 2006) There is ample evidence to support the relationship between heavy drinking and violence. In Russia, alcohol has been involved in three-quarters of homicide arrests. Families often bear the brunt of the violence that emanates from heavy drinking. In the Central Black-Earth Region of Russia, a study showed that 77% of violent crimes against family members involved drinking with 35% of these drinkers bingeing every day. Among male perpetrators of spousal homicide, 60–75% of offenders had been drinking before the incident. (WHO, 2006)Alcohol abuse affects physical and cognitive functioning resulting in reduced self-control and the ability to process incoming information. This makes drinkers more apt to resort to violence to resolve conflicts. (Rand Corp. , 2002) Heavy drinking can impair parents’ responsibilities toward themselves and their children. Drinking also reduces the amount of time and money spent on their children, often neglecting the children’s basic needs. Alcohol abuse by either the parent or the child increases the child’s vulnerability to sexual abuse.Sometimes children are made to drink alcohol to facilitate sexual acts or involve them in child pornography. (WHO, 2006) Alcohol abuse during pregnancy can result in children being born with fetal alcohol syndrome as well as health issues for the mother. Excessive drinking in a relationship can create problems with finances, childcare, infidelity or other stressors leading to potentially violent situations. (WHO, 2006) Health Issues Russians are suffering from a problem with demographic retention and a declining population base.Alcoholism is a leading cause in rising Russian mortality rates, particularly among males. Alcohol contributes to premature deaths involving accidents, injuries and violence particularly among males. Male mortality rates fell sharply during Gorbachev’s anti-alcohol campaign of 1984 to 1987. This effort reduced state alcohol production, raised prices for liquor, mandated alcoholic treatments where needed and cracked down on homemade liquor. The program was highly unpopular and abandoned, after wh ich both consumption of alcohol and mortality rates for males increased dramatically once again. Rand Corp. , 2002) Russia’s population has dropped from 145 million in 2002 to 140,702,000 in July of 2008. The birth rate is slightly higher at 11. 3 births per 1,000; up from 9. 1 per 1,00 in 2002. Male life expectancy is only 59 years and for females it is 73 years. (Fitzgerald, 2003, CIA 2008) Statistics for children are not encouraging. In 2003, the number of healthy children in Russia dropped from 45. 5 percent to 33. 9 percent over ten years, and the number of disabled children doubled, according to the epidemiology section of the Health Ministry.According to information gathered form the 2002 census, one third of Russian children are born out of wedlock. (Fitzgerald, 2003) The Russian Ministry of Health did not blame alcoholic parents for substandard health environments or the usual culprits of drug abuse, or smoking and eating junk food but blamed an increase in the schoo l workload and less time for outdoor exercise. The Ministry claimed that an incredible 75% of children were said to have hypertension and related problems in the 2003 analysis of Russian health. (Fitzgerald, 2003)Beer is regarded in many areas as if it were soda pop. Children as young as 13 routinely drink beer in public in some areas and the national legal drinking age is currently 18 years. Vodka has traditionally been available nearly everywhere to nearly everybody in Russia and children have no problem finding it. As in America and elsewhere, heavy alcohol consumption in Russia impedes a family’s well being in a host of problematic ways. And Russians drink more alcohol per capita than any other national population in the world. (Halpin, 2007)Gorbachev’s attempt to limit alcohol abuse In 1985 President Gorbachev, who was then president of the USSR, began a campaign to limit alcohol abuse by raising the legal drinking age to 21 years and imposing tough legal sanction s on home production of alcohol. (Today, the drinking age is 18 years. ) During the period of 1984 through 1987 when the campaign was running, state sales of alcohol decreased by 61%. Statistically speaking, the effort was successful in that total violent deaths dropped 33% and alcohol-related violent deaths dropped by 51%.The program was not popular with the public, however, and was abandoned in 1987. By 1992, market reforms for alcohol were instituted that liberalized trade and dropped prices and the rates of violent deaths increased substantially. (WHO, 2006) These rising figures are subject to interpretation because this was the era of perestroika in Russia and increases in violent deaths cannot be solely attributed to increases in alcohol availability and consumption. The temporal correlations between the crackdown on alcohol and the drops in violence indicate that they are interconnected.Perestroika and glasnost were introduced to Russian society in response to President Gorba chev’s initiatives toward political reform and moral recovery. A cornerstone of his plan was a reduction in drinking which he saw not only as a health problem but a cause of economic inefficiency. (McKee, 1999) He adopted a heavy-handed approach to limiting alcohol production, distribution and use. All state agencies were ordered to develop departmental strategies to cut down alcohol consumption. Alcohol was banned at official functions and party officials who drank heavily were dismissed from their jobs.Liquor outlets were dramatically reduced and the media changed its attitude to one of intolerance for alcohol and organizations like the All-Union Voluntary Society for the Struggle for Sobriety sprang up. This association claimed 12 million members one year after organizing. (McKee, 1999) Within a few years, as the Soviet Union was collapsing, the campaign faltered and was eventually replaced by a rapid rise in consumption, driven by widespread illicit production of homemade alcohol on a massive, national scale. Economic IssuesRussia's stock markets have lost about 70 percent of their value since peaks in May, and workers have been hard hit by lay-offs and wage arrears. The tepid global economy has left Russians hurting and they, like most of the world, have had to cut back on expenses. The result is less state-sanctioned vodka being sold and an increase in homemade spirits. Research by the National Alcohol Association showed that deaths from alcohol poisoning increased to 1,458 in September, presumably the result of Russians drinking dangerous substitutes for vodka as a cheaper way to get drunk. (Shuster, 2008)During Gorbachev’s anti-alcohol campaign, the production of samogon (homemade spirits) had become a large-scale industry that provided cheap alcohol to Russians while depriving the state of tax revenue. When restrictions were eased in 1988, alcohol consumption quickly exceeded the pre-1985 level. A Russian study done in 1995 revealed that regular drunkenness affected between 25 and 65 percent of blue-collar workers and 21 percent of white-collar workers, particularly in rural areas. (Coutsoukis, 2005) Unemployed workers are particularly vulnerable to alcohol abuse problems.Being available in most places, day or night and being historically cheap people without occupations tend to drink more often and heavier. When vodka is unavailable or too expensive, they will often resort to dangerous substitutes. In 1994, the number of people who died of alcohol poisoning rose to about 53,000, a major increase from 36,000 in 1991. These are typically the result of drinking homemade alcohol substitutes. Bootlegging had become a widespread criminal activity by the mid 1990s. (Coutsoukis, 2005) Legal vodka is big business in Russia.The word â€Å"vodka† means â€Å"little water† in Russian, a term of endearment. (Tartakovsky, 2006) The brand â€Å"Stolichnaya† sells $2 billion a year worldwide and was privatize d in 1992. Soyuzplodimport, or SPI, has the exclusive rights to export Stolichnaya, which vodka lovers in the U. S. fondly refer to as â€Å"Stoli. † Some 50% of the company's export turnover comes from the United States, thanks mostly to its strategic alliance with Allied-Domecq for U. S. distribution rights. (Shuster, 2008) Alcohol and workers The Russian workplace has always been a place where vodka contributed to the socializing rituals.Before the Bolshevik Revolution the Russian tradition of prival'naia, a welcoming ceremony for new workers that included snacks and vodka. It was a socializing event where the new workers would become acquainted with their fellow workers. The new workers were expected to provide the snacks and vodka for the veterans in exchange for training in the new job. (Andreasen, 2006) The Revolution changed the way workers were hired. Prior to this era, workers were usually hired on the recommendation of an acquaintance and the ceremony of prival'nai a was part of the payback for getting the job.With the implementation of the communist trade unions, the hiring became an impersonal process and there was no payback necessary and it eliminated the worker’s obligation to train new employees. These changes brought about the practical end to prival'naia, although some workers and organizations still clung to the old tradition where they could get away with it. (Andreasen, 2006) Russian worker culture has always included vodka. The working class sees vodka as an essential element for surviving their brutal winters and poor economy.It is an escape that causes apathy among the work force and contributes to poor health and accidents that make Russia’s work force less productive and more costly. Productivity in Russia has always been known to suffer because of heavy drinking. That belief is one of the motivators behind Gorbachev’s plan to reduce drinking in the 1980s. It is difficult to gauge the true impact of worker drinking and productivity because the Russian economy is still in a state of flux as it transfers from a state-controlled, centralized economy to free-markets. It is inappropriate to make comparisons about worker utput and drinking since the two economies measure productivity in myriad different ways. (Kryzanek, 2004) Many Soviet patriots and party leaders recognized the need to curb alcohol to increase worker productivity.Pokhlebkin was one of these patriotic historians who published his extensive research in a book called â€Å"A History of Vodka† he included a chapter depicting what he determined to be Russia’s descent into rampant alcoholism. Drunkenness, he asserted, is incompatible with socialist principles in that it undermines worker morale and curtails industrial productivity. Tartakovsky, 2006) Russian workers have become complacent after seventy years of communism. Entire generations have grown up shirking work because private initiatives were always discour aged and sometimes even dangerous. Wage inversion led to high pay for lowliest work while job dissatisfaction created moonlighting and demoralized workers moved from job to job. Alcohol has always exacerbated this complacency and lack of motivation. (Kryzanek, 2004) Heavy drinking has a deeply rooted history in Russian culture and life.The problem seems so ingrained in their society that it would be impossible to completely eliminate drinking from the society. This heavy drinking behavior is exhibited in other northern cultures like the Finish or Polish societies without such devastating consequences. In Russia, however, there is historical evidence to suggest that the country’s governments from the Czars to the Soviets have helped to create this culture. (McKee, 1999) There are also several sub-cultures of the drinking population in Russia because of geographic, gender and socio-economic variations, making it difficult to generalize the problem.There are even some people amo ng these groups who actually abstain or drink in moderation. The state itself has contributed to the drinking problem throughout the country’s history by producing and distributing cheap vodka in the name of tradition and profit. It should be feasible for the government to take some kind of proactive measures to stop its population from killing themselves with even-more toxic substitutes for a toxic product. Apparently, it will take many generations of sober Russians to change the high-profile role alcohol plays in so many national traditions.The Russian people have gone through many changes throughout the ages. Hopefully, their resilience will help them change their love of vodka and allow them to become socially conscious drinkers. That’s a tradition easily passed on.