Hospitality Industry Essay

Hospitality Industry is now-a-days, one of the major industries in many countries of the world. This comprises operation of hotels, motels, resorts, guesthouses, rest houses, picnic and recreation spots etc. while industrialists, businessmen, professionals, working people and of course tourists are the principal customers. In fact in many countries, hospitality industry is the principal source of foreign exchange earning. Tourism indicates touring activities by local inhabitants and foreign visitors throughout the country. In order to develop tourism many preconditions have to be fulfilled, such as proper infrastructure, abundant, cheap and secured commuter facilities road, rail, water and air abundant, cheap and secured staying places viz. hotels, motels, resorts etc. furnished with recreational and entertainment facilities; abundant and secured tourist spots viz. historical places, beaches, parks, waterfalls, lakes, rivers, hills and hill tracts etc. and lastly a peaceful political and administrative atmosphere in the country. Hospitality industry and tourism are closely related, one cannot thrive without the development of the other. Hospitality industry cannot march forward without the foreign visitors and tourists, the local inhabitants form only a portion of the customers. Foreign exchange cannot be earned without influx of tourists and visitors from abroad. On the other hand tourism cannot thrive without first constructing the hotels, motels, resorts, guesthouses etc. So the two sectors are very closely interdependent. National infrastructure and facilities: No country can develop without necessary infrastructure viz roads, highways and bridges; sea ports and airports; rivers and coastal waters worth navigation; airways and rail roads etc. These infrastructures are essential and should adequately connect the trade-centres as well as all important spots and resorts worth visitation by tourists and the local people.

Leadership Is “Having an Irrational Sense of Hope”

NANYANG BUSINESS SCHOOL MBA 2012-2013 TRIMESTER 1 B6018 LEADERSHIP AND ORGANIZATIONAL BEHAVIOR Course Coordinator/Instructor: Assoc. Prof Lim Beng Chong Office: S3-B2B-63 / E-mail : [email  protected] edu. sg Class Schedule: Wed evenings 6:15pm – 9:30 pm (or Saturday mornings 9:00 am -12:00 noon for extra/postponed sessions) Class Venue: NTU @ one-north SR 502 COURSE DESCRIPTION A leader is a man (woman) who has the ability to get people to do what they don’t want to do, and like it – Harry S. Truman (1954) Few organization and management issues have attracted as much interest and research work as leadership.From politics to the business world to military institutions, people are always searching for that someone, whom they called LEADER, to lead and inspire the people to achieve success or to bring about change. So what is leadership? There are many definitions of leadership in organizations. Almost every author of books has one. Bass (1990), after reviewing t he literature, suggests that there are at least 12 different approaches to the definition. What is your definition of leadership? What type of leader are you?How can you be a better leader to your work team or organization? I hope you will begin to think about these questions as you embark on your leadership journey with me in this course. Essentially, effective leaders are those who can mobilize others to get extraordinary or exceptional things done in their work teams or organizations. In today’s organizations, managers are not only responsible for the planning, organizing and controlling functions in their work teams or organizations; they have to accomplish these goals by leading their people.Hence, their success as managers is dependent on their ability to motivate and inspire others. In other words, being leaders of their people. From this perspective, success and failure as managers rest squarely on the ability of the managers to understand and manage people at work. T herefore, critical to leadership success is a good knowledge of managing people in organizations or a good grounding in the fundamentals of work behaviour in organizations.Given the above, this course will bring together the leadership literature and the insights on human nature at work from Organization Behaviour. The learning objectives are: †¢ Increase participants’ understanding of people at work as well as of organizations as complex systems by examining organizational behaviour at 3 levels: the individual (self and others), the work team and the larger organizational context. †¢ Increase participants’ understanding of leadership processes and how these are intertwined with an understanding of organizational behaviour. Develop participants’ repertoire of leadership capabilities through greater self-awareness a deeper understanding of the impact of their actions on others – and building leadership habits to better equip them to lead and take effective actions in today’s organizations. Leadership Develops Daily, not in a Day – John Maxwell 1 COURSE OUTLINE â€Å"The Law of Intentionality – Growth doesn’t just happen† Life is now in session. Are you present? – Maxwell (2012) The appendix provides a summary of the topics that would be covered for each session.The approach to all sessions will be grounded on participation-centered learning and the course design includes a range of participation-centered activities such as case studies, group exercises and assignments, peer conversations, debates, self-reflection activities and talks by invited guest speakers. [See attached Course Outline table] READINGS & PRE-CLASS PREPARATION The study of leadership and work behaviour, given its multidisciplinary nature, entails a fair amount of reading in preparation for the classes.Pre-class readings are essential and participants are expected to prepare the case studies or exercises prior to di scussion in class. Two books have been prescribed and each covers different topics and levels of analysis. The relevant chapters for reading from each textbook and additional readings will be given in the detailed course outline. RECOMMENDED TEXTBOOKS IVANCEVICH, J. M. , KONOPASKE, R. and MATTESON, M. T. (2011). Organizational Behavior and Management 9th edition. McGraw – Hill Internation. New York. ULRICH, D. (2010). Leadership in Asia. McGraw-Hill –OPTIONAL REFERENCES – JOHN MAXWELL (2007). The 21 irrefutable laws of leadership. Thomas Nelson – DANIEL LEVI (2007). Group Dynamics for Teams. 2nd edition. Sage Publication – ROB GOFFEE and GARETH JONES (2006). Why should anyone be led by you? Harvard Business Press PARTICIPATION & ASSESSMENT Class Participation/Sharing. The course is designed to provide ample opportunities for participants to contribute to the class learning by participating actively in the various class activities and by offering pr oactively their own experiences and insights for the benefits of other participants.This will constitute an important component of participants’ continuous assessment (10% of the total marks). â€Å"The law of Contribution – growing yourself enables you to grow others† – Maxwell (2012). Class Quizzes. Weekly seminars may commence with a short quiz to assess participants’ basic understanding of the concepts and key terms in the prescribed readings for that week. The purpose is to help participants develop a habit of continuous learning- a critical leadership habit.Hopefully, by the end of the course, participants will have built up a repository of knowledge on leadership and organizational behavior. Again, this will constitute another component of the participants’ Leadership Develops Daily, not in a Day – John Maxwell 2 continuous assessment (10% of the total marks). â€Å"the law of Consistency: motivation gets you going – Di scipline keeps you growing. † Self Case Study (real life leadership/OB challenge). John McDonnell once said, â€Å"Every problem introduces a person to himself†.As a leader/manager, you are likely to encounter different types of work situations – both positive and negative. As leaders, we can make the mistake but not lose the lesson. Hence there is much to be learned from one’s experiences especially from less positive ones. The objective of this individual assignment is to provide an opportunity for participants to learn from their experience at work or working with others by overlaying the concepts and theories covered during the course on the real life challenges. (10% of the total marks). The law of Pain: good management of bad experiences leads to great growth. † Reflection PaperLeadership Journaling. As we embark on this learning journey together, I strongly encourage course participants keep a journal to note their reflections and thoughts thr oughout the course. These reflections and thoughts on leadership and organizational behaviour can form the basis for the reflection paper (less than 1000 words) to be submitted at the end of the course (10% of the total marks). â€Å"The law of Reflection: learning to pause allows growth to catch up with you. Up to 4 x Mini-Group Assignments. Working in teams is part and parcel of organizational life. As leaders, we are expected to lead a team of diverse individuals to achieve a common goal. Many times, we are also members of other teams. Hence being able to lead and willing to be led is an integral part of being a manager. These mini-team assignments are designed to allow participants to work together to achieve a common goal. Hopefully, they can apply the science of leadership and OB in the process and hone their leadership skills (20% of the total marks). The law of influence: the true measure of leadership is influence – nothing more, nothing less. † Final Examinat ion. The examination will be an open-book exam of two and a half hours. Summary of Course Assessment and Requirements: B6018 Max pts Class Participation / Sharing 100 Class Quizzes 100 Self Case Study (real life leadership/OB challenge) 100 Reflection paper/leadership journaling 100 Up to 4 x Mini-Group Assignments 100 Final examination (open-book) 100 Total 600 ? subject to changes by the instructor during the course % Final score 10 10 10 10 20 40 100Leadership Develops Daily, not in a Day – John Maxwell 3 ASSESSMENT PLAN Learning Goal Course Learning Objectives Assessment Method -class Quizzes -Self Case Study -Reflection Paper – min-group assignments -Open-book examination -Self Case Study -Reflection Paper – mini-group assignments -Open-book examination -Peer assessments of the skills demonstrated during Mini-group assignments Acquiring & Applying Knowledge To gain an understanding of various concepts of leadership and organisational behaviour, such that st udents can use the â€Å"most useful† concepts for their professional lives.Assessment Rubrics* Written Assignment Rubric Critical/Creative Thinking To show critical/creative thinking in the evaluation of written ideas and case examples about leadership/OB. Written Assignment Rubric Teamwork and interpersonal skills To improve students’ skills for working with others. Peer Assessment Rubric Leadership Develops Daily, not in a Day – John Maxwell 4 Written Assignment Rubric Criteria Acquiring knowledge and Critical Thinking Description This refers to the breadth and depth of understanding and analysis of the subject/content.Quality of answer assessed by well-considered and supported assertions, arguments, explanations, logic and inferences drawn from accurate interpretation and appropriate use/citation of literature. Range Poor Answer and/or literature cited do not address the question well. Answer is descriptive rather than analytical. Arguments are implicit rath er than explicit. Logic and inferences are not clear. Average Answer and/or literature cited generally address the question. There is analysis and arguments but they are weak and broad. Arguments and logic are piece-meal and not integrated.Some issues are discussed adequately and others, less adequately. Minimum description of appropriate application of knowledge, experience and insights. Good Answer addresses the question directly. Literature is appropriately cited to support assertions and arguments. Writing is generally logical and integrated. Nonetheless, answer falls short of the highest standard in some ways, e. g. possible lines of assertion or argument may be missed or neglected. Well argued application of knowledge with clear and logical linkage to personal experience. Relevant insights and new ideas that have considered the practical constraints.Nonetheless, answer falls short of the highest standard in some ways, e. g. , lapses in one or more arguments, inadequate descrip tion. Excellent Answer addresses the question directly with breadth and depth. Literature is appropriately cited to support assertions and arguments. Writing is relevant, logical, and well integrated. Mark Awarded Application of knowledge and Creative thinking This refers to the appropriate application of knowledge and linkages to personal insights and experience. Creative insights and ideas are welcome when they are relevant and anchored to realistic/practical challenges. Inappropriate application of knowledge.Inadequate description of experience and insights. Little or no insights. Irrelevant or impractical ideas. Very well argued application of knowledge and boundaries, with clear and logical linkage to personal experience. Relevant insights and new ideas that have considered the practical constraints. Leadership Develops Daily, not in a Day – John Maxwell 5 Quality of Writing – clarity of expression Quality of Writing – Organization and Formatting This refer s to how effectively arguments, ideas and thoughts put forth in the essay are communicated and comprises word usage, sentence usage, paragraphing and fluency of expression.This refers to the overall organization, integration and flow of the essay. Format following the submission guidelines and proper use of footnotes/endnotes; references and bibliography. Has difficulties expressing ideas. Expresses ideas fairly clearly and coherently. Expresses ideas fluently and eloquently. Expresses ideas very fluently and eloquently. Has some limitations organising the ideas and following submission guidelines. Satisfactorily organized. Integration and flow can be better. Some lapses in following submission guidelines. Well organized, integrated and flowing.Format follows guidelines almost completely. Very well organized, integrated and flowing. Format follows guidelines completely. Leadership Develops Daily, not in a Day – John Maxwell 6 Teamwork & Interpersonal Skills Rubric (For Peer R ating) Learning Objective: The ability to work effectively with others in a group setting. Your ratings will not be revealed to your team members. Group Name: _______________________________________________ Name of Rater: ______________________________________________ Fill in your members’ names below and Rate on a scale of â€Å"1† to â€Å"6† for each trait Name1 Name2 Name3 Name4Traits Roles and Responsibility Behaves professionally by upholding responsibility and assuming accountability for self and others in progressing towards the team’s goal. Communication Identifies appropriate mechanisms to coordinate and correspond with team members. Performance Scant Unclear about his/her own role; refuses to take a role in the group; insists to work individually and has limited coordination or communication with others. Evaluation: Scant 1 2 3 4 5 Scant Modes of communication are not appropriate, causing confusion and miscommunication among team members.Evalua tion: Scant 1 2 3 4 Scant Does not recognize conflicts or is unwilling to resolve conflicts. Evaluation: Scant 1 Substantially Developed Always fulfills responsibilities; performs his/her role within the group with enthusiasm and demonstrates willingness to work collaboratively. Name5 6 Substantially Developed Substantially Developed Modes of communication are appropriate, and maintains timely communication and correspondence with team members. 5 6 Substantially Developed Substantially Developed Consistently resolves conflicts through facilitating open discussion and compromise.Conflict Resolution Resolves conflicts using a variety of approaches. Contributions Contributes positive input for the team; effectively utilizes one’s knowledge and expertise. 2 3 4 5 6 Substantially Developed Substantially Developed Actively attends and participates in all activities and provides meaningful contribution in articulating ideas and opinions. Scant Largely disinterested in working in a g roup and refuses to participate; observes passively or is unwilling to share information with other team members. Evaluation: Scant 1 2 3 4 Scant Rarely listens to others and does not acknowledge the opinions that differ from his/her own. 6 Substantially Developed Substantially Developed Engages in respectful relationships with all other members in the team. Embraces and accepts diverse points of view without prejudice. Relationship Maintains cooperative interaction with other team members regardless of individual /cultural differences and respects diverse perspectives. Evaluation: Scant 1 2 3 4 5 6 Substantially Developed Leadership Develops Daily, not in a Day – John Maxwell 7 Self Case Study The law of Pain: Good management of bad experiences leads to great growth. † – Maxwell (2012)The objective of this individual assignment is to provide an opportunity for participants to learn from their experience at work or working with others by overlaying the concepts a nd theories covered during the course on the real life challenges. There are two parts to this individual assignment. a. Part 1. To be handed in on Week 3 of the course. The participants will describe some of the challenges/issues/problems about people’s behaviors they encountered at work or when working with people. As a guide, try to limit to not more than 3 challenges. Part 1 should not be more than 1500 words.Try to identify for yourself what you want to learn from this course which will be useful in helping you understand and deal with people you work with in an effective manner. While the list of questions below may not exhaustive, I hope it will help you identify some of the potential issues/problems/challenges you may want to consider: o Think about a conflict which has arisen with one of your co-workers o Do you or your company have any major problems in motivating your or its work force? o How effective is your work group? o Describe your relationship with your boss – do you find it satisfying/dissatisfying? Are there problems in the way in which people use power and influence in your company? o How is change brought about in your company? b. Part 2. The complete assignment is to be handed in during Week 10. In total, this should be no more than 4000 words. The assignment should have the following sections a. Part 1 i. Title of the case ii. Description of the case (from week 3) iii. Why it happened the way it did? iv. What was done about it? b. Part 2 i. Your own analysis of the situation ii. What theories, concepts and frameworks covered in LOB course that may be useful here? iii.Based on your analysis and the theories, concepts and frameworks highlighted, how should the case be resolved? iv. What is your biggest takeaway from this case as a leader? Leadership Develops Daily, not in a Day – John Maxwell 8 OTHER ADMINISTRATIVE MATTERS Late Submission of Assignments Penalties will be imposed for late submissions that are not suppo rted with valid reasons. A penalty of 10 marks will be imposed for each day that the assignment is submitted late. For example, a mark of 65% would become 55% if the assignment is submitted a day late and 45% if it is two days late.In order to ensure equity, students are reminded to stay within the word limit set for each assignment. Academic Integrity Truth, Trust and Justice are at the core of NTU’s shared values. Good academic work includes to a very large extent, honesty and ethical behaviour. The quality of your work as a student is therefore subjected to adhering to principles of academic integrity and to the NTU Honor Code, a set of values shared by everyone in NTU. The content of assignments submitted for grading purposes must be that of your own.You should therefore be diligent in identifying and acknowledging the sources of information used in completing your work (full details must be provided in your reference section). If you feel that the use of the exact wordin gs from a reference source is the best way to present the ideas, then you must use quotation marks and acknowledge the source. If you choose to summarise the words from a reference, the source must also be acknowledged, as this is not an original piece of work from you. Submitted work must be your own effort and must not duplicate (in whole or in part) the work of others (including other students).As a student, the responsibility falls on you to be familiar with and to apply the principles of academic integrity in all the work you do at NTU. Hence you will need to proactively familiarise yourself with the strategies to avoid all forms of academic dishonesty, including plagiarism, academic fraud, collusion, cheating, etc. Detailed information can be obtained via the academic integrity website at http://academicintegrity. ntu. edu. sg. Pleading ignorance or claiming that one is unaware of the requirements for maintaining academic integrity does not excuse academic dishonesty.As member s of the NTU family, this is a responsibility that students and faculty staff alike must uphold at all times. Use of edveNTUre (Blackboard) The edveNTUre system (Blackboard) will be used to facilitate the posting of assignments, course materials and announcements, as well as for interacting with your coursemates and myself. Do ensure that your personal particulars especially your hand-phone number (if you have one) is updated in edveNTUre. This will allow you to receive urgent messages e. g. change in timing for lessons, via SMS from me. Leadership Develops Daily, not in a Day – John Maxwell 9 Overview of Class Schedule Date Mar 13 Mar 20 Mar 27 Mar 3 April 10 April 17 April 24 April 2 May 8 May 15 May 22 May Topic Overview of Organizational Behaviour and Leadership Process Know Yourself: You as a leader (I) Know Yourself: You as a leader (II) Understanding Others: Your Followers (I) Understanding Others: Your Followers (II) Dialogue with A Group Executive Chairman Overview o f Team Effectiveness Leadership in Teams Overview of Organizational Effectiveness Leadership in Organizations Conversation with a Leadership Coach Conclusion: Leadership in An Age of Uncertainty Leadership Develops Daily, not in a Day – John Maxwell 10

Evaluation of Wikipedia

When students are assigned research papers, very commonly, professors will say, â€Å"Whatever you do, do not use Wikipedia. † Many who research find this website credible, others believe its information is completely false. This essay will evaluate the efficiency of Wikipedia as an online resource for researching purposes; it will discuss the freedom to alter material, the credibility of the website, as well as what good comes from the use of this website for research means.Many people believe Wikipedia is not a good, or credible, source to be used for research. Much of this comes from the possibility it gives for people to alter the content of any material information offered by the website. Wikipedia â€Å"enables any visitor to a wiki site to edit, add to, and even delete the content of any page on the site. †(Miller) This is factual because Wikipedia gives the opportunity for any person to edit information on any topic.For protection it is recommended that we †Å"remember to take a cautious view of what we think it tells us. †(Miller) The credibility of this website has decreased through the years thanks to professionals who have proved information in this website to be erroneous. This has obligated instructors who assign research assignments to restrict students from using this website as a source for information retrieval.Most teachers who assign research papers have as a goal to make students college ready in the sense of restricting students from plagiarism. â€Å"While supporting the goal of openness and verifiability, the username structure of the site provides complete anonymity for its editors and administrators, which renders the site constantly vulnerable to vandalism and fraud. †(Miller) We’ve discussed a variety of cons that Wikipedia has when used as a research resource, but there are also some good in this fast-growing website.One good that Wikipedia has is the numerous amount of information on many differ ent topics that it provides; regardless of the lack of credibility in its information it is noteworthy that some information of all is in fact true. Another benefit that comes from Wikipedia is the list of languages it offers its information in. Currently Wikipedia offers ten languages in which the information is provided; this gives the possibility for individuals around the world to research through the content provided by this website. The freely editable nature of Wikipedia enables contributors, lay or expert, across the world to share their knowledge easily. † (Patient-Oriented Cancer Information on the Internet: A Comparison of Wikipedia and a Professionally Maintained Database). Through the above I have mentioned the freedom for altering material, the credibility, as well as some positive aspects that come from Wikipedia as a research resource used by many. From my past experiences I can relate to events such as teachers not permitting me as a student to use Wikipedia a s a research source.Also from the vast information that this website provides I have found information that I wouldn’t be able to find elsewhere, not that I can believe much of it though. This website is growing, it is those from around the world who give a taste of their knowledge to the world through this website who are making this growth possible, but many others share nonsense and pure rubbish which is what has brought down this website’s credibility, and if those great minds in our world don’t step up, the growth of this website will come to an end.Works Cited Miller, Nora. â€Å"Wikipedia Revisited. † ETC: A Review Of General Semantics 64. 2 (2007): 147-150. AcademicSearch Complete. Web. 21 Feb. 2013. Yaacov R. Lawrence, et al. â€Å"Patient-Oriented Cancer Information On The Internet: A Comparison OfWikipedia And A Professionally Maintained Database. † Journal Of Oncology Practice 7. 5 (2011):319-323. Academic Search Complete. Web. 21 Feb. 2013.

CRM Go Digital Dissertation Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

CRM Go Digital - Dissertation Example The researcher states that the sampling is one of the major areas on which the success of any study is dependent. There are various types of sampling. For doing the statistical studies, the methods of sampling that we generally use are probability and non-probability sampling. Among them, various other subdivisions are present that are used to distinguish the study according to the requirement. Here, the study is about the relative impact of the CRM digital techniques on the industry. According to me, there are multiple problems with the sampling technique used here. It is not all adequate by any stretch of the imagination. To begin with, the data was sent out to the selected names from the particular database. The sampling technique was basically destined to be probability sampling, but the sampling technique acquired the attributes of non –probability sampling due to the data collection methodology in place here. The survey was answered in various phases, which would have ad ded to the redundancy of the data. The other factor, which is extremely important here is the sample size that is taken. Given the importance and the vast scope of the subject, the sample size should have been much larger with a larger number of participants. Secondly, the sample population should have been taken from more than one of the databases so as to reduce the redundancy in the collected data. The other factor where it would help out is the reduction of the sampling errors over a particular population and also lead to a reduction in the bias that would be obvious if only one set of the population is taken into the account. Therefore, the errors that have been noticed here are the selection bias and the sampling bias. Both of these biases are detrimental to the integrity of the collected data. One of these causes the collected data to lose out on the accuracy, whereas the other one creates redundancy. The applied statistical technique is the best and the most adequate one for the current study. The advantages, the disadvantages of the technique are discussed in particular details here. The statistical method applied here is being deconstructed here to understand and comprehend the associated features. The statistical method used here is the probability sampling. The advantages of probability sampling are the lesser tendency to be biased due to the greater variety and size of the sample. This is also expedited by the fact that the probability of each element of the sample to be selected is more than one. The other advantage is that the sampling error can be determined, which makes it possible for the statistical changes to be accounted for the various indicators. The problems, however, for the methodology used are manifold. The process used here is too lengthy, the expedition takes a lot of the time, very little flexibility, judgmentally small numbers cannot be chosen for the process. This also necessitates that all the samples are present for the proces s. But, looking at it from a wider point of view, it could be understood that the sampling methodology used id not all pervasive. Lastly, the regression technique of the analysis of the data can only be used if the data population is small in number.

Pap smear recommendations 2012 Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Pap smear recommendations 2012 - Research Paper Example This helps the doctor in examining the cervix and the vagina. It collects some cells and some mucus from the cervix and the surrounding area and then the cells are placed in a bottle of liquid or on a slide. The collected cells are then sent to a laboratory so as to be checked whether they are normal. At the same time, the doctor can as well carry out a pelvic exam by checking the woman’s ovaries, uterus plus the other organs to ensure that there are no problems with them. The Pap test which screens for cervical cancer may be one of the best and reliable available cancer screening tests (Bartlett, p, 34) The Pap test only screens for cervical cancer while it does not screen for uterine, ovarian, valve or vaginal cancers. It can take up to three weeks before a woman receive her Pap test results. If anything abnormal is observed, the doctor can conduct the associated and finger out the best way of making the follow up. If the pap test are not normal, this does not mean that she has cancer but if the tests show that the test is not normal and may result to cancer, the doctor can advice the woman on the measures taken for its treatment so as to prevent it from developing. It is the best option for a woman to make follow ups with her doctor to learn more about her test results and the treatment that may be required. Women should get pap tests after every three years at the ages of between 21 and 29 years. For women of 30 years and above who had three normal pap tests each year may be tested less often for every two or three years. The combination of the Pap test and the HPV is the most preferred plan for women over thirty years. Screening is on the other hand not preferred for women of age 65 or older who have had the Pap test three times in a row and have been found with no pap abnormality tests for the last ten tears. Women with the normal Pap test result and a positive HPV test result should

Why did Republican Arizona lawmakers pass SB 1070 at this particular Essay

Why did Republican Arizona lawmakers pass SB 1070 at this particular time OR Why has the economy not yet fully recovered from the recession, in spite of the government stimulus package - Essay Example ollowing measures of production; investment spending, gross domestic product (GDP), household incomes, capacity utilization, inflation, and business profits. Often recession occurs when spending falls following adverse supply recessions. Since recession has adverse effects such as increased rates of unemployment, reduced business profitability, and negative social effects like family instability, most countries usually put measures in place to prevent it from occurring. In the event that it occurs, governments usually respond by adopting macroeconomic policies such as decreasing taxation, increasing government spending, and increasing money supply (Samuelson and Nordhaus 14- 15). Since the recent recession began in late 2007, the United States economy is yet to recover fully from it. This is despite numerous efforts by the government such as the economic stimulus package. There have been debates among scholars, economists, government officials, policy makers, and the public on what could be the reasons behind delay in recovery despite the fact that government has put efforts towards recovery such as the stimulus package. The debates have been stirred further by the fact that other large economies such as China recovered long time ago and are on the path of growth. Besides, there are worries that even though US has witnessed various minor and two major recessions since its independence, the most recent recession may be the longest to recover from and the most difficult in US history (Whoriskey 1). All major measures of the health of the economy namely industrial production, employment, output, and incomes still indicate that US is yet to recover fully and tha t the growth has been significantly weak despite the fact that, technically, the recovery begun in June 2009 (Rampell 1). This concern has captured the attention of Barrack Obama, the US president and has been on record saying on 6th August 2011 that he acknowledges the challenge and that the country’s urgent

Infant and toddler safety at home Research Paper - 1

Infant and toddler safety at home - Research Paper Example Toddlers and infants do not seem to understand the risks that they are involved in on a daily basis (Sonna, 23). This warrants that those taking care of them need to be extra careful with them and the surroundings. Vigilant care is needed in order to ensure the overall safety of infants and toddlers. In this essay, attention will be focused on safety of toddlers and infants at home. It may be assumed by many that a toddler or an infant is at the safest place when at home (Carolyn et al, 317 – 332). The truth of this matter is that there are as many risks at home as there are anywhere else. At home, there are numerous risks that include serious injuries like falling or being hit against something causing injury, poisoning, burns and maltreatment, just to name but a few. There are various places that a toddler or an infant is unsafe (Sonna, 23). Places such as the bedroom, kitchen, living room and other common areas that a toddler can have access to can result to harm to the child. Another hazard that poses a threat to a toddler is choking. Toys that children are bought in order to keep them occupied and even obtainable and reachable items to the child are a risky. Parents and those taking care of children should ensure that they work on preventing the leading causes of harm to children like drowning, fires, falls and poisoning (Ahmann, 56). A toddler does not know that water can drown someone, nor do they know that a fire can bring burns and kill someone. It is the duty of parents and those concerned with taking care of toddlers and infants to ensure that such harm does not come to affect them. Poisoning can be in the form of medicine, like the prescriptions that are given to them. Taking care of a toddler requires one to be aware of what a toddler should take and what they should not take. Powerful medications may lead to unintended poisoning and such an accident should be prevented. Toddlers and infants should

Case Study - College Rigistration Project Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

- College Rigistration Project - Case Study Example A clear objective should be set for each person before any action plan can begin. The objectives should be measurable, finite, meaningful and realistic. Then, the relevant tasks required to accomplish the set objectives should be identified. At the same time, deadlines should be set for each of these tasks because tasks without deadlines do not become completed tasks. The inputs necessary for the projects schedule should also be taken into consideration for the project to be a success. Several input types will be required to facilitate the project. These would include personal and project calendars to help understand the working days and shifts. A description of the project scope will also help determine the key start dates, major assumptions behind the plan and the key limiting factors to the project. Project risks should be clearly identified and understood to ensure that there is enough extra time to deal with identified risks. A list of activities and resource requirements should be determined. The management needs to understand the resource capabilities and experiences available. This would also entail evaluation of how company holidays and staff vacations will affect the project schedule and detailing means of overcoming such effects. Approaches to conflict resolution would entail use of ‘compromising’ technique. This is better described as a ‘give and take’ method where parties in conflict negotiate to reach a mutually satisfactory solution. Either party will cede ground to reach a decision thus leaving each person satisfied. ‘Avoiding’ is another technique which can be used. It is better described as a ‘withdrawal style’. It entails postponing an issue for later periods or just withdrawing from the situation altogether. This is however a provisional solution because the problem or disagreement will continue to reoccur. Another style to use would be the ‘Smoothing’ technique which is also known as

Sexual Assault Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Sexual Assault - Research Paper Example The attempt to or assaults to commit rape through threat or force are included. It excludes statutory rape. As of 2009, reports of forcible rape annually have reached 88,097. Of all the reported rape cases in 2009, 93% were rapes of force (URC). B. Rape by Fraud   Rape by fraud is a form of rape or sexual assault wherein the woman is made to believe that it is her husband whom she has sex with. Rape, as mentioned, is a woman’s the carnal knowledge in the absence of her consent and is obtained by threats, fraud, force, etc. The fraud here should be consist of certain strategies by which the woman is made to believe that the offender is her spouse (Lee v. State, 1902). C. Marital Rape   Marital rape, also referred to as intimate partner sexual assault, is one that is done or committed by the current or the past partner, whether boyfriend or spouse. It happens when there is forced intercourse within the marriage or the partnership. However, there are still many countries that do not consider marital rape as a crime. In the United States for instance, rape is defined as sexual conduct forced on an individual other than a wife since the wife sexual consent is presumed. D. Date Rape In acquaintance rape, the offender is usually somebody who the victim knows casually or by sight, such as a colleague or a neighbour. In date rape, the offender is somebody who the victim knows and who the victim has consented to spend time with. Somebody who commits acquaintance rape or date rape can make use of various tactics, such as seeing to it that she is isolated, locking the door, making promises of taking her home from an event or party but taking her someplace else instead; he may threaten the victim with public humiliation, telling her that he will tell their friends that they sexually romantic regardless of what might actually take place; he may pressure her emotionally, saying that if she doesn’t agree, he will leave her; or he may use economic pressure, sa ying that he deserves sexual intimacy because he paid for their dinner (Huff, 2009). II. Who are the offenders and their characteristics?   A. Age of Offenders According to Holmes (1991), sex offenders and rapists are likely to be young men below the age of 30 during the time of the assault. In a study conducted by Quinsey and Upfold (1985) involving 72 rape offenders, the average age of these offenders was 24 years old. The relationship between age and offense is seldom taken into consideration in the literature on rape beyond its descriptive qualities in the methodology. It was suggested that hormonal factors existing in young men were linked with sexual offense (Marshall and Barabee, 1984). B. Gender of Offenders According to researchers (e.g. Lievore, 2003; Avakame, 1999), between 97% and 99% of alleged sex offenders are male. While physiologically and legally females are also capable of committing rape, for example, by digitally or orally penetrating victims (both male and fe male), such instances seldom reach the criminal justice system (Matthews et al 1991). C. Class of Offenders According to Holmes (1991), overwhelmingly, convicted rape offenders are from lower socio-economic backgrounds. Usually, they have inconsistent employment history in unskilled works, have high academic failure rates, and come from unstable backgrounds (Bard et al, 1987). The underrepresentation of males from upper and middle class backgrounds may indicate a higher involvement in marital and date rapes, which have lower conviction and

Persuasive Essay, the Player, All Realities Are Fictitious Essay Example for Free

Persuasive Essay, the Player, All Realities Are Fictitious Essay Our world consists of many realties. Two being commercial, and the other, artistic. A commercial reality is one of indulgence, and pleasure, always aiming to suit those who yearn for it. Artistic reality however, is open to interpretation. This means there are many possible outcomes. One could be saddened or depressed by the reality, and others, joyful. It is because of this uncertainty in artistic realities that the film industry, as well as many other industries, have taken it upon themselves to glorify the truth. It is because of the clashing of these two realities, that reality as a whole becomes difficult to interpret. The statement that every reality is fictitious, is rather bold however. Although in numbers, there are a few people who hold very strong moral and have a sense of quality in what they do. The Hollywood film industry is entirely commercial. Offering little or no interest in writers work that consists of depth, moral and truth. This reality consumes those considered as naive to the industry. Commercial realities are realities that are created by people who want to escape their own and subconsciously create a reality that is deemed impossible in the â€Å"real† world. Commercial realities are attractive to most, because you can experience something otherwise unimaginable. It is us, the audience of massive Hollywood productions, that show true appreciation of films made by producers who show no other interest than creating fictional nonsense and profiting from us . The film making industry is created by artificial characters living paranormal lives that we aspire to have. However, who can jump from a 4 story building and land on the ground with no injury? Who can be stabbed and instantly heeled by only a bandage and continue battling the world with heroic attributes and a vision to sustain â€Å"humanity as we know it† Commercial realities are fictitious, and it leaves us dreaming of a better life, and fantasizing over it. Many of our youth are involved in lives that are run by action, violence, recklessness and stupidity. A contrasting reality to those of commercial is that of artistic. This reality has deeper meaning to it, and value. Artistic reality may be generally defined as the attempt to represent subject matter truthfully, without artificiality and avoiding artistic conventions, implausible, exotic and supernatural elements. Artistic reality is better known as ‘realism. ’ Realism revolted against the exotic subject matter and exaggerated emotionalism and drama of the Romantic Movement. Instead it sought to portray real and typical contemporary people and situations with truth and accuracy, and not avoiding unpleasant or sordid aspects of life. Artistic realities often reject changes wrought by Commercial Revolutions. Artistic realities reveal the truth, which means they may emphasize the ugly or sordid. Artists use their work as a form of expressionism, which is open to interpretation. They see true value in their oeuvre, as they see ordinary, everyday subjects as the depiction of naturalism. Many people attempt to depict things accurately, from either a visual, social or emotional perspective. Theatre Realism shares many stylistic choices with naturalism, including a focus on every day (middle-class) drama, colloquial speech, and mundane settings. Realism rejects imaginative idealization in favour of a close observation of outward appearances. Often artistic realities can be labelled as fictitious. This is due to the majority of society being so consumed by commercial reality that they no longer can differentiate from commercial actually being fake, and artistic as being real. Commercial realities enhance the breeding of money. Commercial values manipulate the very anatomy of a natural, mundane reality. Commercially precious films of ‘reality’ have become the organ grinder’s monkeys of money. They are made to increase the generative value and staying in power of money, the power of money to breed money, to fertilize itself. They are not made to empower people and provide certain value. Artistic reality however, leaves no stone unturned. Realism sees no value in money, and it sees no reciprocal (mutual? Would this be better? ) material possession that could be exchanged for money. Artistic realities merely capture that which is tangible and accurate. Society may attempt to defend themselves by escaping this as it may be deeply depressing. It is the confusion of distinguishing between commercial and artistic realities that ultimately reduces both to nothing but fictitious mumbo jumbo that controls our lives. The difference between the two is huge, however difficult for ‘commoners’, or those not involved in the film industry, to interpret. Whether an individual comprises their lives of commercial or realistic values, these values can be labelled as fabricated or factual. The film industry’s repackaging and misrepresenting the truth to suit themselves is profitable. This profitability is their ultimate ruling guideline. If a film does not provide profits, the film was a total failure, regardless of its realism. Artistic realities are open to interpretation and provide a bit of freedom for people to choose the outcomes of scenarios. Painters, writers, film makers and news reporters are some of the main people involved in the way reality is interpreted because they are in the spotlight. Every one watches them, reads their papers or interperates their work. It is important for people to recognise that regardless of the message that is trying to be brought across, reality is subjective, and hence, it may appear fictitious to anyone apart from their maker. Commercial or artistic.

The Fundamental Role Of Concrete In Roman Architecture History Essay

The Fundamental Role Of Concrete In Roman Architecture History Essay The development of concrete in Roman style architecture was of great use in producing many world famous, monumental buildings that are representative of the Roman era. Not only did concrete provide a unique scheme in the production of Roman architecture, it was also a convenient and functional tool when other raw materials were unattainable. In this essay, I will discuss the development of concrete, concretes properties, surfacing techniques, concretes ease of use and labour requirements, and the construction of the famous Pantheon as a prominent example of the immense benefits of concrete to the Romans. Concrete was not invented by the Romans, but simply an adaptation of different mortar usages in earlier construction. MacDonald describes a mortar as, materials of mixed composition in a semi-fluid state at the time of construction. Because Romans didnt possess marble quarries like the Greeks, mortar became the practical alternative. Volcanic rock was the most common building material located in the Italian region, and was therefore, the most basic tool to create mortar, which would develop into useful concrete. As early as the 4th and 3rd centuries B.C., the observation of limestone walls with rock debris between each stone was made in Pompey. From this point onward, Roman concrete and mortar use became more and more prominent and by the late 3rd century B.C., Romans had improved the recipe of mortar to include lime and clay. When combined with different types of filling elements, also known as aggregates, as well as different types of facings, Roman mortars were able to create stro ng and dense walls. By the 1st century, the use of concrete is said to have been perfected by the Romans. In order for concrete to become a useful building technology, the properties of concrete must be carefully examined. The Romans used concrete for a wide variety of purposes. Concrete has been used in Roman buildings as strong base foundations, as well as in the highest vaults. In order to give structure and substance to mortar, aggregates, or stones of different sizes mixed into the mortar, were used. Not only did aggregates give mortar structure and substance by increasing the mortars mass, but they also helped to strengthen the building material. Aggregates were an essential part of concrete construction because they work together with mortar to defy crushing that can be caused by immense weights. This is clearly important when concrete was used as a foundation. Different types of stone were used to produce aggregates dependent upon the use of the concrete. For strong solid base foundations, heavier rock materials were used. In these types of foundation, aggregate was often times two thirds of the volume of the entire fabric. For lighter concrete forms, including high vaulting, lighter rock materials (such as pumice) were used. Debris from destroyed structures was also a common form of aggregate, including buildings and sculptures. Concrete is an indefinite, nearly fluid substance from the time that it is mixed to the time that it is set. Composed of lime, clay and aggregate, dry concrete is mixed with water, and this compound (opus caementicum) will harden into a solid mass. With this property in mind, Roman concrete construction was relatively simple. Generally wooden frames were set to pour the concrete mixture into and allow it to harden. Therefore, to produce this type of Roman architecture, both a mortar substance and a frame were necessary. Until Augustan times, the concrete used by Romans was a simple lime mortar. When limestone is burned, quicklime is produced. This quicklime is then slaked to produce calcium hydroxide, which is then mixed with sand. Once evaporated, calcium carbonate crystals are formed. These crystals are the fundamental bonding element of this basic concrete. Mixing more sand with the crystals increases the mortars strength because the crystals bind to coarse surfaces. A great benefit of concrete use was fireproofing buildings. By the late 2nd century B.C., a new kind of mortar came into existence that not only aided in fire proofing the structural design, but also in waterproofing it. Romans came across a type of volcanic ash near the city of Pozzuoli, Italy, which they used to create fine cement that reacts in a different manner than the simple lime mortar. This type of mortar is called pozzolana, and is also known as hydraulic cement. Pozzolana is composed of silicates and aluminates. When combined with lime, pozzolana forms a hydrated silicate of calcium. Comparatively, this combination of chemicals does not need to lose water through an evaporative process; it actually retains water into its structure. In doing so, pozzolana mortars can set in damp areas. This new found type of concrete was of great importance in waterproofing buildings. It helped to prevent decay and corrosion to buildings, allowing them to survive longer. Pozzolana is one of the most standard features of concrete in central Italy. To further aid the waterproofing of concrete, different types of stone facings were developed. Facings were originally used to protect the surfaces of concrete. Typically, facings of stone and other material were set into wet concrete to create a strong casing when the concrete dried. Facings are of valuable importance in dating buildings, and there are several different types that evolved over the centuries. During the late 2nd Century B.C., Opus Incertum, or concrete faced with small irregular shaped stones, was commonly seen. Concrete faced with small four sided stones in a definite pattern, called Opus Reticulatum, is dated shortly after 100 B.C. Opus Testaceum, concrete faced with brick, was found throughout the early empire until the 4th century B.C. Opus Mixtum is concrete facing characterized by a combination of brick and stone in a decorative pattern, and dated from the same period as the former. Principally, concrete facings were both practical and decorative, used for prot ection as well as ornamentation. For the Romans, using concrete in constructing buildings was just as convenient as it was practical. In terms of labour, the majority of workers necessary to complete any type of Roman structure did not need to be skilled or educated. Generally, the only highly skilled workers that were involved in the projects included the architect, the master masons and master carpenters. The tasks of mixing, carrying, hauling and pouring concrete were performed by rather unskilled labourers. This same demographic also fit into the category of creating forms into which the concrete would be poured. The timetables of such workers were scheduled around the drying of the concrete. It was certainly possible for Roman architecture to be built of stone, but this type of work would require labourers to dress the stones to exact dimensions, a more challenging task than that of concrete use. Because of this fact, the ease of using concrete made it a more prevalent type of building technology. Designed by Roman Emperor Hadrian, The Pantheon is a prime example of concrete use by the early Romans. Hadrian was known for advancement in the vaulted style, and The Pantheon exemplifies this style with its impressive concrete work. Work on The Pantheon began sometime between July of 118 A.D. and July of 119 A.D., and was completed between the years of 125 and 128 A.D. During the period of construction, concrete was used vastly. The Pantheon is built on a foundation of concrete, nearly 90 percent of the intermediate block and rotunda is made of concrete, and roughly 5,000 metric tons of concrete make up The Pantheons dome. As in many concrete buildings, The Pantheons construction was completed in levels, where different strengths of aggregate were used in each plane. The Pantheon is said to have five different layers of concrete with five separate types of aggregate. Naturally, the lowest level contains the densest and most cohesive aggregate. As the levels of concrete ascend, a lighter form of aggregate is used than the previous layer. The dome of The Pantheon is made of the lightest aggregate in the entire structure, pumice. The Pantheons major features were methodically configured. Carpenters were required to construct castings used to pour concrete for foundations. The rotunda walls were created by pouring a dense concrete and aggregate mixture into short, wide trenches. Once dried, more concrete was set atop the original trench in layers, until the dome terrace was reached. At this point, the dome had to be poured. The dome is one of the greatest features of The Pantheon. Again, the concrete that was used to create the dome was poured on to a wooden form built in a half sphere shape. The dome form was held in place with wooden struts and timber to allow a light aggregate concrete mixture to dry atop it. Castings of coffers, or sunken panels, were attached to the wooden form to create the domes intricate detail. As the dome was being poured, circular brick dams in the form of step-ring buttraces formed the domes exterior. Step upon step, concrete was poured until it reached the more nearly horizontal region of the dome, where tacky concrete was used. At the top most point, vertically set horizontal tiles finished the dome. As one of the greatest achievements of concrete work, The Pantheon represents the fundamental function of concrete in Roman Architecture. It is obvious that concrete played an essential role in the construction of Roman buildings. The development and adaptation of concrete in the Roman world was the most practical means of construction. Not only was concrete an available source of building material, constructing with concrete was also an uncomplicated and efficient technique. Fire and water proofing of Roman buildings were just a few of the practical functions that concrete provided. Concretes properties allowed for Roman architecture to survive throughout the centuries; because such a useful material was discovered and widely utilized, we are still able to view and study some of the worlds most brilliant structures.

Theories Pertaining To Aggression

Theories Pertaining To Aggression Aggression has been defined variously by different schools of thought. Behaviourists define it as any action that delivers noxious stimuli to another organism (Buss, 1961 cited in Shaffer, 1999). This definition considers accidental harmdoing as aggressive (Shaffer, 1999), and does not cater for aggressive acts that fail to deliver the intended effects to the victim. Yet an act perceived as aggression, such as slapping a person on the back, could actually be an act of affection in some cultures (Woods, 1992). Hence the definition was modified to include the intent of the act. Therefore, aggression is any action intended to harm or injure another living being who is motivated to avoid such treatment (Baron Richardson, 1994; cited in Shaffer, 1999). Categories of Aggression Aggressive acts are often divided into two categories, namely hostile aggression and instrumental aggression (Shaffer, 1999). Hostile aggression. This refers to aggressive acts for which the perpetrators major goal is to harm or injure a victim (Shaffer, 1999). Instrumental aggression. This refers to aggressive acts for which the perpetrators major goal is to gain access to objects, space or privileges (Shaffer, 1999). Types/forms of aggression According to Smith (1999), aggression occurs in four major forms. These are (a) physical aggression (e.g. punching/hitting the victim with a blow, (b) verbal aggression (e.g. calling the victim names), (c) active aggression (e.g. refusing to shake hands with the victim), and (d) passive aggression (e.g. avoiding to talk with the victim). These are broadly classified as overt aggression and covert aggression (Shaffer, 1999). Overt aggression is used to mean open and observable; not secret or hidden, acts of aggression expressed physical, verbal or active form (Lewis, 2007). Covert aggression is secret or hidden; not openly practised as shown by passive acts (Lewis, 2007), for example, a learner dodges lessons to hurt the teacher. Other forms of aggression according to Taylor, Peplau and Sears (2006) are: Antisocial aggression. This refers to aggressive acts that violate commonly accepted social norms. For instance it is not socially acceptable to attack the parents of a thief for larceny committed by their child. Prosocial aggression. These are aggressive acts that support commonly accepted social norms. For example, it is acceptable in many countries to excute a serial murderer by firing squad. Sanctioned aggression. This is aggression that is permissible according to the norms of the individuals social group. For example certain cliques of adolescents consider fighting back as an acceptable act against offence by others. Chronic aggression This term is used to mean habitual acts of aggression by a given offender, or habitual suffering of aggressive acts by the same victim. Kinds of aggressive children Proactive aggressors. These are highly aggressive children who find aggressive acts easy to perform and who rely heavily on aggression as a means of solving social problems or achieving other personal objectives (Shaffer, 1999). Reactive aggressors. These are children who display high levels of hostile, retaliatory aggression because they overattribute hostile intents to others and cant control their anger long enough to seek nonaggressive solutions to social problems (Shaffer, 1999). Theories of aggression The various acts of aggression and their causes have been ventured into by different psychologists. These have formulated their explanations into theories which include the innate/biological theories, drive theories and the learning theories. Innate/Biological/Instinct theories These view aggression as a result of instinctive drives within the organism; the organism under the influence of these drives acts in order to fulfill a survival demand. These theories include the psychoanalytic theory, the evolutionary theory, and the genetic theory (Shaffer, 1999; and Smith, 1999). The Psychoanalytic theory. This was postulated by Sigmund Freud. He asserted that human behaviors are motivated by sexual and instinctive drives known as libido. He defined Libido as the energy derived from the Eros, or life instinct. The repression of libidinal urges is displayed as aggression. His work on childhood aggression, and the Oedipus Complex considered that a boy around age five begins to develop an intense sexual desire for his mother. He comes to regard her as the provider of food and love and thus wants to pursue an intimate, close relationship (Shaffer, 1999; and Smith, 1999). The desire for his mother causes the boy to reject and display aggression toward his father. The father is viewed as a competitive rival and the goal they both try to attain is the mothers affection. Thus, an internal conflict arises in the young boy. On one hand, he loves his father, but on the other, he wants him to essentially disappear, so that he can form an intimate relationship with his mother. The boy will develop an immense feeling of guilt over this tumultuous conflict and come to recognize the superiority of his father because of his size. This evokes fear in the boy and he will believe that by pursuing his mothers affection his father will want to hurt him, essentially by castrating him. To resolve the conflict, the boy learns to reject his mother as a love object and will eventually identify with his father. Thus, he comes to understand that an intimate relationship with his mother is essentially inappropriate (Shaffer, 1999; and Smith, 1999). Freud also developed the Electra Complex for the childhood aggression of girls. A girl around the age of five develops penis envy in attempts to relate to her father and rejects her mother. An internal conflict arises in the young girl, which is resolved after regarding her father as an inappropriate love object and ultimately identifying with her mother (Shaffer, 1999; and Smith, 1999). Freuds psychoanalytic theory demonstrates the idea that aggression is an innate personality characteristic common to all humans, and that behavior is motivated by sexual drives. Aggression in children is instinctual and should be resolved by adulthood. Therefore, over the course of development, after the child has rejected the opposite sex parent, he or she will enter a period of latency in which they commonly reject all boys or all girls. Once puberty is reached, attention shifts to the genital region as an area of pleasure. Men and women search for an appropriate member of the opposite sex to fulfill sexual urges. In individuals where the childhood conflicts have been successfully resolved, all aggression has been removed by adulthood in the pattern of development (Shaffer, 1999; and Smith, 1999). Later, Freud added the concept of Thanatos, or death instinct. Thanatos energy encourages destruction and death. In the conflict between Eros and Thanatos, some of the negative energy of the Thanatos is directed toward others, to prevent the self-destruction of the individual. Thus, Freud claimed that the displacement of negative energy of the Thanatos onto others is the basis of aggression (Smith, 1999). Strengths of the psychoanalytic theory. It is a profound theory in the history of social psychology. It generated more debate on the subject, and on aggression in particular, thus other parallel theories were aptly developed. It holds some truth, for instance, it is true that adolescents are characterized by seeking mates of the opposite sex. Weaknesses of the psychoanalytic theory. it incessantly dwells on motivation of sexual desires. It is based on hypotheses. There is no existing empirical evidence to support the theory. Evolutionary/Ethological theory Postulated by Konrad Lorenz, he looked at instinctual aggressiveness as a product of evolution. He essentially combined Freuds theory of aggression with Charles Darwins natural selection theory. In his interpretation, aggressiveness is beneficial and allows for the survival and success of populations of aggressive species since the strongest animals would eliminate weaker ones, and over the course of evolution, the result would be an ultimate stronger, healthier population (Smith, 1999). Strengths of the evolutionary theory. It offers offer a lot of information about the physical and neurobiological causes of aggressive acts. It pinpoints the anatomical and neurochemical roots of behavior. It has accumulated empirical evidence for biological causes of aggression. Weakness of the evolutionary theory. There is limited scientific evidence as yet in this area. Genetic theory. Common to some of the other biological theories is the proposition that aggression is the manifestation of a genetic or chemical influence. Empirical evidence shows that cerebral electrical stimulation of certain locations can induce or inhibit aggression. Observational studies on certain animals show that some breeds are more aggressive while others are naturally passive. Proponents of the genetic theory explain the presence or absence of aggression in particular breeds in terms of a single gene or interaction of genes (Smith, 1999). Studies that are more complete have shown that the presence or absence of particular chemicals and hormones affects aggression. For example, high levels of the hormone testosterone and neurotransmitters such as serotonin, dopamine and noradrenalin produce higher levels of aggression in animals. In addition, serotonin has been used pharmacologically as an effective treatment in combating erratic aggression. Strengths of the genetic theory. It is a vastly developing field being supported by a lot of scientific evidence such as the human genome. It pinpoints genetic sources of aggression, which is consistent with observed trends in aggression. Weakness of the genetic theory. There is limited evidence as yet in this area. Drive theories These attribute aggression to an impulse created by an innate need. In other words the organism is driven to act aggressively by some imminent lack. The drive theories are the Frustration-aggression hypothesis, and the Aggressive Cues Hypothesis or Negative affect theory (Smith, 1999). Frustration-aggression hypothesis This was proposed by a group of researchers at Yale University, led by John Dollard. In this theory, frustration and aggression are linked in a cause and effect relationship. Frustration is the cause of aggression and aggression is the result of frustration. The early empirical evidence for this theory involved the examination of prison populations. A variety of studies were conducted to determine age, economic status and intelligence of inmates and to relate these variables to the amount of frustration of each individual prisoner. The results showed that the higher the frustration level, the more prone the person was to act aggressively or commit crime. Strength of the frustration-aggression hypothesis. It is supported by empirical evidence which involved the examination of prison populations. Weaknesses. Frustration is only one source of aggression, other contributing factors such as tension do exist. Aggressive Cues Hypothesis/ Negative Affect Theory. Leonard Berkowitz refuted that all acts of aggression are instigated by some kind of frustration. He thus modified the Frustration-Aggression hypothesis:- The presence of stimuli previously associated with aggression can evoke aggressive responses from an angry individual, or negative feelings and experiences are the main cause of anger and angry aggression (Smith, 1999). Aggressive interactions in this context include: 1. Thematic aggression which refers to action that was appropriate in the context of earlier event/play e.g. challenging an enemy. In this case themes refer to cues that may evoke certain actions. Aggressive themes such as soldiers instigate aggression, while neutral themes such as farms do not). 2. Inappropriate aggression, which is action that was clearly outside the context of the previous session (Shaffer, 1999). Sources of anger that may elicit aggressive behaviour include pain, frustration, loud noise, foul odors, crowding, sadness, and depression. The likelihood that an angry person will act aggressively depends on his or her interpretation of the motives of the people involved (Smith, 1999). Strength of the aggressive cues hypothesis. It refutes frustration as the sole cause of aggression Weakness of the aggressive cues hypothesis. It does not explicitly explain the maintenance of aggressive tendencies. Learning theories These theories propose that individuals aggressive tendencies are acquired through learning. This may be through purely behavioural or cognitive means or a combination of the two. The learning theories of aggression include Operant Conditioning, Social-learning theory, and Social Information Processing Theory. Operant Conditioning. This theory was developed through the experimental work of B. F. Skinner. According to the theory, if an aggressive act is positively or negatively reiforced, the aggressor is likely to repeat the behaviour in order to gain more rewards. In this way, the aggressive act becomes positively associated with the reward, which encourages the further display of aggression (Shaffer, 1999; and Matlin, 1992). Strength of the operant conditioning theory. It has empirical proof since it was developed through experiments. Weakness of the operant conditioning theory. It is too simplistic and ignores the acquisition of aggressive behaviour through internal processes. Social-learning theory. This was developed by Albert Bandura. It depicts human beings as rational creatures who aggress in order to satisfy important personal objectives, rather than as reactive creatures who are driven to aggress by internal factors such as instincts, frustrations or anger. It proposes that aggressive responses are acquired through two ways: 1. social modeling or social referencing and 2. direct experience. In social modeling, small children look to a familiar face or model to see how to react to a particular person or situation. This could be in real life or on television (TV). TV violence contributes to increased aggression in viewers. This exemplifies the idea that people are easily influenced by others behavior. By modeling the behaviors of TV, movie or video game characters, acts of aggression become increasingly more frequent and violent (Shaffer, 1999; Matlin, 1992; and Taylor, Peplau, Sears, 2006). Direct experience entails that a child who is reinforced for aggression will resort to aggression in the future. For instance, a child who overpowers others to grab their things will always do so to satisfy his or her demands (Shaffer, 1999). The theory asserts that aggressive behaviours are maintained through (a) self-reinforcement, in which the aggressive individual is proud of his or her harmful action because it is valuable to him or her, (b) ease in terminating others noxious behaviour, (c) tangible and intangible rewards, such as money or a medal for injuring or harming another, and (d) cliques that encourage aggressive solutions to conflicts (Shaffer, 1999). Strengths of the social learning theory. It is well supported by experimental evidence. It has been well documented. It is widely applicable in explaining human learning. Its theorists have developed it over time, adding more and more evidence in support. It appreciates the contribution of Cognitive factors in the acquisition and maintenance of learning in general, and aggression in particular. Weakness. It overstated instrumental strategy to overcome aggression. Social information processing theory. The theory was postulated by Kenneth Dodge. Accordingly, a childs response to harm done to him or her will depend on the outcome of six cognitive steps or processes: Encoding social cues. Here the child may ask himself or herself, How exactly was the damage done? Interpreting social cues. Here the child interprets the harmdoers reaction during the action to determine whether he or she meant it. Formulating social goals. In this step the child formulates a goal to resolve the incident. Generating problem-solving strategies. In order to achieve his or her goal, the child generates certain problem-solving strategies. Evaluating the likely effectiveness of strategies and selecting a response. The child weighs the pros and cons of each strategy and zeros on the best. Enacting a response. Here the child puts in action the selected response. These steps are influenced by the childs mental state, that is, his or her past social experiences, social expectancies, and knowledge of social rules. It is noteworthy that they occur in a rapid concession (Shaffer, 1999). In following these processes, reactive aggressors will have many negative experiences with teachers and peers; they become disliked, thereby reinforcing their expectancy that others are hostile to them (Juvonen, 2006; Mathews, Zeidner, Roberts, 2006; Hoy and Davis, 2006, and Matlin, 1992). They develop hostile attributional bias, which is the tendency to view harm done under ambiguous circumstances as having stemmed from a hostile intent on the part of the harmdoer (Shaffer, 1999). For proactive aggressors, aggressive solutions to problems yield positive outcomes and they feel capable of dominating their targets (Shaffer, 1999). Strength of the social information processing theory. It gives appropriate explanation of aggression cycle. Weaknesses of the social information processing theory. it does not appropriately give the causes of aggression. It does not give reasons for the different information processing biases of proactive and reactive aggressors. Developmental Trends in Aggression Aggression varies over time as the child grows. This variation is exhibited in the category of aggressive act, form of aggression, and frequency of aggression. The age groups considered in this paper are preprimary school age, primary school age and adolescents. Preprimary School Years Instrumental aggression emerges by the end of the first year as infants begin to quarrel with siblings and peers over toys and other possessions. Over the course of childhood, aggression becomes less physical and increasingly verbal. It becomes less instrumental and increasingly hostile or retaliatory in nature (Shaffer, 1999). Primary School Years The primary school child expresses a lot more overt than covert aggression. As the years advance, physical aggression and other forms of antisocial conduct such as disobedience continue to decline. This is because the child becomes more proficient at settling disputes more amicably verbally, since his or her language ability has increased. However, hostile aggression tends to increase, especially among boys. This is because 1. the intent of harmdoing is detected and the offended boy retaliates in a hostile manner, and 2. fighting back is sanctioned as normal reaction to harmdoing (Shaffer, 1999). Adolescence Many research findings (e.g. Furnham Heaven, 1999; James, 1998; Coie Dodge, 1998; Vitaro, Gendreau, Tremblay, Oligny, 1998; all cited in Mathews, Zeidner, Roberts, 2006) posit that overt aggression continues to decline in adolescence. Highly aggressive individuals can become truly violent with increased tendency of juvenile delinquency (Hoy, Davis, Pape, 2006). Most of these are undercontrolled children who are growing larger and stronger, and gaining greater access to weapons (Shaffer, 1999; and Hoy, Davis, Pape, 2006). Many adolescents turn to covert or indirect methods of aggression with age. Girls tend to exhibit social ostracism while boys express aggression through theft, truancy, substance abuse, malicious destruction of property, sexual misconduct. Hence adolescents become less overtly aggressive and turn to other forms of antisocial conduct to express their discontents (Shaffer, 1999; Matlin, 1992; and Hoy, Davis, Pape, 2006). Presently, there are some cases of aggression which seem to be on the rise amng adolescents and even adults (Taylor, Peplau Sears, 2006). These include group conflict, rape, date rape, sexual harassment, domestic violence, and chronic aggression. Victims of chronic aggression often have peculiar characteristics. The passive victims are generally disliked by peers, have low self-esteem, are physically weak, highly anxious, have low social self-regard, are nonassertive in communication, socially withdrawn, do not resist aggressive approaches against them, have demanding, aloof and unresponsive parents who allow little autonomy, foster passive, and nonassertive social behaviour. The boys are likely to have had very close, overprotective relationship with their mother, who encouraged them to voice fears, anxieties, and self-doubts as a means of attracting attention (Shaffer, 1999). The provocative victims are often oppositional, restless, hot-tempered, and irritate their peers, fight back (though unsuccessfully), display hostile attributional bias, have been physically abused or otherwise victimised at home, blame themselves for their victimization, have no friends or regular associates, and are vulnerable to adjustment problems, anxiety, depression, low self-esteem, drop out of school (Shaffer, 1999). Stability of Aggression Aggression is a reasonably stable trait. Hostile youngsters are likely to make hostile adults (Shaffer, 1999). Howerver, related findings reflect group trends and do not imply that all highly aggressive children will remain highly aggressive over time (Shaffer, 1999; Taylor, Peplau Sears, 2006; and Juvonen, 2006). Theres a great deal of variability at individual level. Limited duration type of individuals are highly aggressive early in life and eventually outgrow it, while Late-onset types become more aggressive and even violent during adolescence after a relatively tranquil childhood (Shaffer, 1999; and Mathews, Zeidner, Roberts, 2006). The stability of aggression can be attributed to some home settings, and biological predispositions (Shaffer, 1999). Sex differences in aggression Boys and men are more overtly (i.e. physically and verbally) aggressive than girls and women are (Harris, 1992; Maccoby and Jacklin, 1974 both cited in Shaffer, 1999). Girls exhibit more relational or expressive aggression. Relational aggression refers to acts such as snubbing, exclusion, withdrawing acceptance, or spreading rumours that are aimed at damaging an adversarys self-esteem, friendships or social status (Shaffer, 1999). Reasons for Sex Difference in Aggression Three complementary viewpoints have been advanced to explain the differences in aggression between the sexes. These are 1. the biological viewpoint, 2. the social-learning viewpoint, and 3. the interactive viewpoint. The biological viewpoint. It has been observed that males are more aggressive than females in almost every society, and even among our near related species, such as the apses, the males are more aggressive than the females (Shaffer, 1999). Sex difference in aggression appears early (2-2.5 yrs). Male aggression is linked to male hormones e.g. testosterone. For example, Geen (1998) cited in Shaffer (1999) observed that participants who beat their opponents in a competition showed an increase in testosterone, while losers showed a decline. Hence higher concentrations of male sex hormones might be either a cause or an effect of oppositional (aggressive) behaviour. The social-learning viewpoint. Very young boys are not always more aggressive than girls (Shaffer, 1999). Groups dominated by boys are more likely than those dominated by girls to negotiate and share. This implies that there must be certain social influences that make boys more aggressive than girls. These include: The way parents play with their children. Parents tend to play rougher with boys than with girls. Differential parental reaction to childrens aggressive tendencies. Parents react more negatively to the aggressive behaviours of daughters than to those of boys. Nature of presents. Boys receive toys such as guns, tanks, soldiers, snakes, which are all cues of destruction as gifts. While girls are given babies, models and harmless implements as gifts. Preschool treatment of boys and girls. Aggression is considered a male trait, and an intolerable attribute among girls. Middle childhood treatment of boys and girls. Aggression provides boys with more tangible benefits and elicit less disapproval than among girls. Hence differences in aggression accrue from gender typing and gender differences in social learning (Juvonen, 2006; and Shaffer, 1999). The interactive viewpoint. Here, proponents believe that biological constitution of the individual interacts with social-environmental influences to promote sex differences in aggression (Shaffer, 1999). Female infants are observed to mature faster, talk sooner, be more sensitive to pain than male infants. On the other hand, male infants are larger, more muscular, sleep less, cry more, are more active, more irritable and harder to comfort. Hence a parent may readily play more vigorously with an active, muscular son than with a docile, less muscular daughter. Or the parents are impatient with irritable sons (Shaffer, 1999). This implies that a childs biological predispositions are likely to affect the behaviour of caregivers, which, in turn, will elicit certain reactions from the child and influence the activities and interests that the child is likely to display. Thus biological factors (genes) and social influences (societal norms and values, and family settings) are intertwined in complex ways and are both important contributors. Cultural and Subcultural Influences on Aggression Some societies and subcultures are more violent than others. Passive social orders that actively preach collectivist values, discourage fighting and other forms of interpersonal conflict, flee rather fight when invaded, are usually nonaggressive, for example, the Batwa of Uganda, Arapesh of New Guinea, Lepchas of Sikkim. Conversely those that emphasise individual survival, such as the Mundugumor (one time cannibals) of New Guinea, socialise both boys and girls to be aggressive (Shaffer, 1999). Children and adolescents from rural areas and lower socioeconomic strata exhibit more aggression and higher levels of delinquency than age-mates from higher socio economic strata. This can be explained thus: Parents of low socio economic status mainly rely on physical punishment, thus modelling aggression. They also resolve conflicts aggressively and encourage their children to do so. Their children may wish to satisfy certain needs which the parents cannot afford. Hence antisocial conduct becomes the only way of achieving their ends (Matlin, 1992; and Shaffer, 1999). Family Influences on Aggression Ones family and family setting might contribute to violent and aggressive behaviour through parental child-rearing practices, the childs behaviour, composition of the family, and the family climate. Parenting Style Authoritarian parents employ power assertion (especially physical punishment) to discipline children. This most likely raises aggressive children who will bully their playmates (Shaffer, 1999). Their common characteristics are being out-of-control children, having hostile attributional bias, defiance, lack of self-restraint, rejection by peers, criticism by teachers, founder academically, parents feel less invested, parents less inclined to monitor children, sexual misconduct, substance abuse, dropping out of school, running away from home (especially girls), engaging in prostitution (girls), pairing with antisocial partners, early marriage, and chronic aggression (Shaffer, 1999). Authoritative parents establish checks and balances, and yet give freedom for childs autonomy. Hence they raise well adjusted children (Shaffer, 1999). Permissive parents provide no control for aggressive urges. Undercontrolled children tend to score as aggressive and unconscientious in personality, and are more likely to be antisocial, delinquent and have antisocial personality disorder (Hoy, Davis, Pape, 2006). They are commonly characterized by fighting, sassing teachers, vandalism, drug and substance use, and general rule breaking. The Childs Behaviour The parenting style is somewhat influenced by the behaviour of the child. An aggressive child often elicits aggressive reactions from the parent, which in turn reinforces the childs aggressive tendencies (Shaffer, 1999). Composition of the Family In a single parent family, there is likelihood of disorganized gender roles. For example, a family headed by a mother alone is likely to raise children who are more aggressive than those raised in a family headed by both parents (Shaffer, 1999, Atkinson, Atkinson, Smith, and Bem, 1993). On the other hand, parents have differential treatment of children under their care. Their biological children are often favoured, while other children may be scolded. Hence the biological children may become proactive aggressors, while the others may become reactive aggressors. Family Climate Parental conflict causes distress in children. They may thus develop hostile, aggressive interactions with peers. The un-abused children in a rioting family climate learn that aggression pays off for the victor. Hence they learn to become proactive aggressors. The victimised children become distrustful and suspicious of other people, hence making reactive aggressors (Shaffer, 1999; and Atkinson, Atkinson, Smith, and Bem, 1993). Coercive home environments (a home in which family members often annoy one another and use aggressive or antisocial tactics as a method of coping with aversive experiences) raise children who are resistant to punishments. They fight coercion with countercoercion to command the attention of an adult who rarely offers praise or shows any signs of affection (Shaffer, 1999). These aggressive acts need to be controlled for effective functioning of society. Methods of Controlling Aggression and Other Antisocial Conducts The following methods advanced by Shaffer (1999), and Atkinson, Atkinson, Smith, and Bem (1993) can be helpful when used in combination to control aggression in society. Family therapy Teaching parents effective child-management techniques Life skills training to children Academic remediation for deviant cliques of poor performers. Cathartic technique. Encourage children to vent their anger or frustrations on inanimate objects. (c/o backfire) Create nonaggressive environments. Provide: No aggress

Ancient Chinese Civilization Essay -- dynasties, China, technology, Ch

A significant part of the ancient Chinese civilization was that it shared a common background that is longer than any other ethnic group on Earth. China mostly isolated and unknown to the outside world, was quietly progressing at a rate greater than or equal to other notable civilizations of the prehistoric world. China was composed of several dynasties. The dynastic cycle played a definitive role in the successions of Chinese empires. Each era’s achievements and failures influenced the next. The combined contributions from all the regimes, not only led to the success and progress of China, but defined it as well. Technological discoveries, inventions, creations and its ability to adapt all participate in its maturity. The evolution of ancient Chinese dynasties provided the cultural, economical and governmental structure that developed and shaped their country into one of the marvels of ancient times. The governmental structure of the Chinese dynasties evolved with each changing regime. Even the title of king, as was called in the beginning, changed to emperor because it was not grand enough. Each dynasty had the king or emperor as the head of its government. They had supreme power over the economy, government, military, and religious beliefs of the country. The empires used a centralized bureaucracy that had overall control over the country. They learned vast amount from this form of government, each reign modified its structure accordingly, ranging from very strict to almost a hands-off approach. It was not replaced with any other form government; it simply evolved into what was suitable for each period. As the country expanded and became too vast for one man to rule, a feudal system was created, similar to the ones in ancien... ...guage, paper, the decimal system, nautical steering rudder and the use of negative numbers in mathematics to name a few are highlights of this nation’s cultural development and contributions to the world. China has the oldest surviving civilization in the world, lasting over 4,000 years. Its uniqueness was its stability. Ancient dynasties absorbed culture, economy and governmental structure from each other. It was the foundation of their civilization. History has revealed China’s enduring heritage and perseverance to preserve its society. Chinese technological advancements not only helped its nation and people, but also, influenced the development of other countries as well. Many of the systems from thousands of years ago are still a part of Chinese culture today. Works Cited John P McKay. History of World Societies. Palgrave; 9th Revised edition 2012

Antigone :: essays research papers

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  ee cummings once said, â€Å"to be nobody but yourself in a world which is doing its best, night and day, to make you everybody else—means to fight the hardest battle which any human being can fight.† That quotation is exemplified in many works of literature, but the opposite is too. No matter what people try to be or not to be, they don’t always succeed. For example, in the play, Antigone, by Sophocles, the character, Antigone displays the idea of being her own person, but Creon displays the opposite of that.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In the prologue, Antigone tells Ismene that she will do whatever she wants pertaining to their brother, whether or not Ismene agrees and wants to do the same. Antigone tells Ismene, â€Å"If that is what you think, I should not want you, even if you asked to come. You have made your choice, you can be what you want to be.† Antigone displays ee cummings’ thought. The gods want her to think and act a certain way  their laws  but she has her own belief that her brother, Polyneices, should be buried and his spirit should have the proper life, instead of being punished. Even if he was brave, he should be punished. But Antigone doesn’t believe in that. No matter what the consequences, she fights it and does what she thinks is right.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Creon, the king of Thebes, exhibits cummings’ idea. Kings are always supposed to be these big, mighty, terrors that triumph over all and tell their kingdom what to do. Even if Creon did not want to commit someone to demise, he would, because that’s what he’s â€Å"supposed† to do. Creon may be trying to stray from being everyone else, and be his own person, but he’s not succeeding. He is what everyone else wants him to be: a controller over everyone. Creon believes that, â€Å"this is [his] command, and you can see the wisdom behind it. As long as [he is] King, no traitor is going to be honored with the loyal man. But whoever shows by word and deed that he is on the side of the State, --he shall his [Creon’s] respect while he is living, and [his] reverence when he is dead (Scene 1, line 38).† But he doesn’t follow through on that statement. If Creon were to commit someone to his death, he would not give him r espect when he’s dead.

Environmental scanning Essay

International Players Cement and Lafarge Birla Cement, the Indian cement industry is broadly home-grown. Ultratech Cement, the country’s largest firm in terms of cement capacity, holds around 22% of the domestic market, with ACC (50%-owned by Holcim) and Ambuja (50%-owned by Holcim) having 15% and 13% shares respectively. †¢Many of the remaining dozen top players are Indian and are (in order of diminishing market share); Jaiprakash Associates (10%), The India Cements Ltd (7%), Shree Cements (6%), Century Textiles and Industries (5%), Madras Cements (5%), Lafarge (5%), Birla Cement (4%) and Binani Cement (4%). †¢ Between them the top 12 cement firms have around 70% of the domestic market. Around 100 smaller players produce and grind cement on a wide range of scales but are often confined to small areas Economic Environment’s Impact  on Cement Industry †¢ Currently, the industry is on the boom, with a lot of government infrastructure and housing projects under construction. In spite of seeing a fall during 2008-09, the export segment of the industry is expected to grow again on account of various infrastructure projects that are being taken up all over the world and numerous outstanding cement plants coming up in near future in the country. †¢ Over time more sophisticated and refined methodologies in connection with longer time series were employed to study productivity change. The contribution of total factor productivity to output  growth was of primary interest to explain the continuously low economic development. †¢ During that time, labor productivity as well as capital availability and use increased considerably, while the overall growth rate of the economy stagnated at low levels †¢ Concerned about the efficiency of resource use researchers started investigating productivity growth and input factor substitutions for aggregate manufacturing as well as various industries Ambuja Cement’s ECONOMIC CONDITION †¢ Its financial statements i.e balance sheet and profit and loss, profits are increasing every year and its share price is also high as compared to other cement industries and its assets are also  increased. It means that its financial position is very strong as compared to others. †¢ From here we can analyse that its profits are increasing year by year and it means that they are providing more to GPI,with this our NPI will also be increase and overall position of country will be better. †¢ From here we can analyse that if industry position is strong then our country’s position will also be strong. †¢ It means it is beneficial for the people and country. Social Environment’s impact  on industry †¢ Usually, the cement industry in India consists of both the organized sector and the unorganized sector. †¢ Organized sector comprises of the well-known cement manufacturing companies while the main players of the unorganized sector are the regional and local cement-producing units in various states across the state. †¢ Indian consumers prefer buying branded cement like ULTRATECH, JAYPEE CEMENT, LAFARGE CEMENT etc. †¢ It has been seen in the past, as well, that mini cement plants with low  brand value and image are not able to survive against the cement giants. †¢ With a population of more than 100 billion people, it is expected that cement industry will create another 25 lakhs jobs in the next 4-5 years. Ambuja Cements’ Social Impact †¢ This particular company is totally different from. On this case they really helped by doing lot of social work like they putt off various health centres for the poor people and provide Monetary help also to some reason. †¢ They also helped by providing education facilities to poor people like books etc. †¢ Not only this they are also providing good quality products that doesn’t harm any kind of injuries to the people while they are using it. †¢ The Company strives to provide a safe and healthy work environment for its employees and to avoid adverse impact and injury to the environment and communities in which the company conducts its business. The commitment is reflected in the number of awards the Company has received including National Award for outstanding pollution control. †¢ The awareness and training programme on health and safety related issues should be conducted regularly. All the employees, and directors shall comply with all applicable laws and regulations relating to health and safety so as to ensure healthy and safe work environment. Using or being under the influence of illegal drugs and alcohol on the job is absolutely prohibited. POLITICAL ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS AFFECTING THE INDUSTRY †¢ The price of cement is primarily controlled by the coal rates, power tariffs, railway tariffs, freight, royalty and cess on limestone. Interestingly, government controls all of these prices. †¢ Government is also one of the biggest consumers of the cement in the country. †¢ Govt. of India plans to increase its investment in infrastructure to US $ 1 trillion in the TwelfthFive Year Plan (2012-17) will lead to increase in the demand of cement. †¢ Infrastructure projects such as the dedicated freight corridors, upgraded new airports and ports are expected to enhance the scale of  economic activity, leading to a substantial increase in cement demand furthermore. †¢ Most state governments, in order to attract investments in their respective states, offer Fiscal incentives in the form of sales tax exemptions/deferrals. States like Haryana offer a freeze on power tariff for 5 years, while Gujarat offers exemption from electric duty. †¢ Strict law & order conditions and political will of the leader of any state enhance theconfidence of people living in the states as well as corporate to invest in that particular state. †¢ The total Government levies and taxes , which include Royalty on Limestone, Royalty on Coal,Electricity Duty, VAT/Sales Tax etc.,on cement constitute about 60% or more of the exfactoryprice of cement. Political Environment for Ambuja Cements Its political environmental is totally different from others because they never put any kind of political pressure on any other whether it is against or in favor for them. They always try to follow the proper rules and regulations that are made by the central government. †¢ But still they have to change their strategies as per change in the political environment. †¢ This policy applies solely to the Company and is not intended to discourage or prevent individual Director or Employee from making political contributions or engaging in political activities on their own behalf. †¢ No personal political contribution is reimbursed by the Company. No personal political activities should interfere with duties to be discharged with the Company in line with this Code of Conduct. LEGAL ENVIRONMENT †¢ Ambuja cements is most recognized unit in India and they always they are following proper rules and regulations that are made by central government and also follows that are mentioned in the Company’s ACT 1947 regarding Safety, Health and Social needs. †¢ They should Endeavour to keep abreast of the developments in laws and regulations and comply with the same. If any one gets to know of any non compliance of any of the laws in his or her colleagues area of operation in the company the same is brought to his/her immediate notice as well to the notice of his/her Head of the Department. †¢ All Directors and Employees of the Company conduct business affairs with honesty and integrity and in full compliance with all applicable laws, rules and regulations and shall not commit any illegal or unethical act or instruct others to do so, for any reason. Technological Factors affecting the Cement Industry †¢ From mining to production the entire process depends on technology. †¢ The Government of India plans to study and possibly acquire new technologies from the cement industry of Japan. †¢ The government is discussing technology transfer in the field of energy conservation and environment protection to help improve efficiency of the Indian cement industry. †¢ At present 93% of the total capacity in the industry is based on modern and environment-friendly dry process technology. †¢ There is tremendous scope for waste heat recovery in cement plants and thereby reduction in emission level. †¢ One project for co-generation of power utilizing waste heat in an Indian cement plant is being implemented with Japanese assistance under Green Aid Plan. †¢ The induction of advanced technology has helped the industry immensely to conserve energy and fuel and to save materials substantially. †¢ Also, some cement plants have set up dedicated jetties for promoting bulk transportation and export. Technological environment for Ambuja Cements Ltd. †¢ It is one of the most important factor as compared to  others. In this particular we are going to discuss that  what type of technology they are using and how much  beneficial for them as well as for the people who are  using this particular product. †¢ Ambuja cements industry is having good quality  machines to make their products and also they are using  latest technology machines. And their technology is very  effective that is implemented and they also implanted  modern technology like Inventory Control system etc INTERNATIONAL Factors affecting Cement  Industry †¢ With the rapid growth rate of the Indian economy after the 1990s, the infrastructural developments within the country has been tremendous. †¢ The increase in the construction activities has led to the increase in the demand for updated quality building materials and other allied products. †¢ Cement being one of the major elements in the construction work, there is a growth in the cement industry in India. The consumption of cement has increased in India by nearly 7.5%. †¢ With the globalization of Indian cement industry many foreign cement manufacturers are engaging themselves in agreements and deals with their India counter parts to have a share of the growth. †¢ Large cement players in India will use the acquisition route to enhance capacity and market share. It is clear that smaller plants will not survive in the long term. The top five players will hold 70-80 % of capacities and market in the next decade. †¢ There is an expectation that more global players would come into India as they would like to get a foothold in the market as the demand will propel in the emerging economies. †¢ Acquisition appears a good route primarily because a Greenfield cement plant takes 3-4 years to build and another 3-4 years to break even at an operating level of even 70-75 %. E.g.:- The acquisition of the Larsen & Toubro cement (ULTRATECH CEMENT LIMITED) business by Grasim Industries Limited in 2003-04 is a case in point.