Theodore Dreiser essays

Theodore Dreiser essays Theodore Dreiser was born August 27, 1871 in Terre Haute, Indiana. The younger brother of Paul Dresser, a well-known songwriter, Theodore was a famous novelist known for his outstanding American writing of naturalism. He was also a leading figure in a national literary movement that replaced the observance of Victorian notions of propriety with the unflinching presentation of real-life subject matter. Even though a majority of his works were about his life experiences, he also wrote about new social problems that had risen in American at the time as well as things sexual in nature. Dreiser was born the ninth of ten surviving children in a family that was stricken with life-long poverty. His father was a German immigrant that was mostly an unemployed mill worker with a strict attitude because of his narrow Roman Catholic belief. His mother had a Czech Mennonite background and she was a fair lady that was always compassionate to her son. Because of the familys severe degree of poverty, they moved frequently between small Indiana towns and Chicago in search of a better cost of living. Dreiser did not have much of an education in his lifetime. He attended parochial and public schools including a year at Indiana University in 1889-1890 throughout his academic years. He began his career as a newspaper reporter in Chicago in 1892 before working his way to the East Coast. While living on the East Coast in 1894, Dreiser found a job working for a Pittsburgh newspaper. In the same year, he move to New York City and started working for several newspapers and maga zines. Dreiser would soon meet a woman named Sara White and they would get married in 1898. The marriage did not last that long due to his roving affections and resulting infidelities causing their divorce in 1912. Dreiser began writing his first novel, Sister Carrie, in 1899 at the suggestion of a newspaper colleague. Doubleday, Page and Company published the ...

The Worst Polluted Places on Earth

The Worst Polluted Places on Earth More than 10 million people in eight different countries are at serious risk for cancer, respiratory diseases, and premature death because they live in the 10 most polluted places on Earth, according to a report by the Blacksmith Institute, a nonprofit organization that works to identify and solve specific environmental problems worldwide. Top 10 Worst Polluted Places Chernobyl in Ukraine, site of the world’s worst nuclear accident to date, is the best-known place on the list. The other places are unknown to most people and located far from major cities and populations centers, yet 10 million people either suffer or risk serious health effects because of environmental problems ranging from lead contamination to radiation. â€Å"Living in a town with serious pollution is like living under a death sentence,† the report says. â€Å"If the damage does not come from immediate poisoning, then cancers, lung infections, developmental delays, are likely outcomes.† â€Å"There are some towns where life expectancy approaches medieval rates, where birth defects are the norm, not the exception,† the report continues. â€Å"In other places, childrens asthma rates are measured above 90 percent, or mental retardation is endemic. In these places, life expectancy may be half that of the richest nations. The great suffering of these communities compounds the tragedy of so few years on earth. The Worst Polluted Sites Serve as Examples of Widespread Problems Russia leads the list of eight nations, with three of the 10 worst polluted sites. Other sites were chosen because they are examples of problems found in many places around the world. For example, Haina, Dominican Republic has severe lead contamination - a problem that is common in many poor countries. Linfen, China is just one of several Chinese cities choking on industrial air pollution. And Ranipet, India is a nasty example of serious groundwater pollution by heavy metals. The Top 10 Worst Polluted Places The Top 10 worst polluted places in the world are: Chernobyl, UkraineDzerzhinsk, RussiaHaina, Dominican RepublicKabwe, ZambiaLa Oroya, PeruLinfen, ChinaMaiuu Suu, KyrgyzstanNorilsk, RussiaRanipet, IndiaRudnaya Pristan/Dalnegorsk, Russia Choosing the Top 10 Worst Polluted Places The Top 10 worst polluted places were chosen by the Blacksmith Institute’s Technical Advisory Board from a list of 35 polluted places that had been narrowed from 300 polluted places identified by the Institute or nominated by people worldwide. The Technical Advisory Board includes experts from Johns Hopkins, Hunter College, Harvard University, IIT India, the University of Idaho, Mount Sinai Hospital, and leaders of major international environmental remediation companies. Solving Global Pollution Problems According to the report, â€Å"there are potential remedies for these sites. Problems like this have been solved over the years in the developed world, and we have the capacity and the technology to spread our experience to our afflicted neighbors.† â€Å"The most important thing is to achieve some practical progress in dealing with these polluted places,† says Dave Hanrahan, chief of global operations for the Blacksmith Institute. â€Å"There is a lot of good work being done in understanding the problems and in identifying possible approaches. Our goal is to instill a sense of urgency about tackling these priority sites.† Edited by Frederic Beaudry

Business law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 15

Business law - Essay Example Negligence is when anyone doesn’t take the necessary measures to avoid any mishap which any sensible person on the other hand would take and such irresponsible actions can lead to negligence lawsuit. Same has happened in the given case study i.e. Sunny Cruises plc v Yogesh. In this scenario Yogesh has every right to obtain legal services to get compensation against sunny Cruises. As Sunny Cruises invited Yogesh for a five day visit and they were obligated to give good services to him as it was their duty of care (Bussani & Palmer, 2003). Almost a similar case happened back in 1932 which were decided by the House of Lords. The facts of this care were that a customer named Mrs. Donoghue went into a cafe in Scotland with her friend and ordered a ginger-beer, while drinking she saw a snail’s body in the bear. Due to it she suffered severe gastroenteritis. She sued the beer company for this incident. Although the beer company said that they were not under any contract of sale with Mrs. Donoghue and were not liable for this incident as it was not even intentional but the House of Lords decided in favor of Mrs. Donoghue and she got the complete compensation. (Patten, 2012) The above mentioned case defines that negligence is a legal concept and one can be proven guilty for being negligent. Negligent acts are unintentional but are cause of reckless behavior. As in our case when Sunny Cruises invited Yogesh they were responsible for his well-being and not just his but also the other people who were present on the cruise as they can be used as witnesses. Negligence law suit has four main components and we can put Yogesh’s situation in those four criteria to prove that he is most likely to get the compensation for the physical and financial harm being caused by Sunny Cruise: The first one is that the defender had a duty toward the plaintiff. As mentioned in the case study that Sunny Cruise invited Yogesh then yes it was their duty to

An Objective Way of thinking using mathematical principles Article - 1

An Objective Way of thinking using mathematical principles - Article Example Then one should seek to establish for each class of experience, what classes of knowledge are required for that class. For the Visual class of Experience one realises that all that can be acquired are those classes of knowledge that the individual’s senses can receive without any interpretation. This reasoning can be set out in the form of a series or SET of equations 3/ One of these classes is the ‘visual experience’ e.g. viewing the world that surrounds us for which the ONLY class of knowledge one requires to satisfy this class of experience, is that which can be gathered through the specific human’s senses e.g. for the sight sense, ‘colours that form shapes’. This applies to all the members of reality that make up the world that surrounds us. No further interpretation is required or can be made through the ‘visual experience‘. [See also the solution to Big Question 2 which details how the personal TEMPLATE works. For it includes what classes of knowledge the senses can detect and those that cannot be detected I.e. complete SET that can be used to represent any human.] 4/ Thus by adopting this thinking strategy of accepting what one receives through the senses without personal interpretation I.e. subjectivity [perceptions], everyone would be able to see the same / real world rather than seeking to create their own world. My appreciation for Roger Penroses essay asking "What is reality?" was diminished because he gave no clear-cut definition of what he means by "reality" (18 November, p 32). As a result, the discussion seemed like nothing so much as an overview of the implicit etymology and current range of English-language meanings of that word. One can easily imagine dictionary definitions that either include or exclude physical events at the quantum scale, or human mental events such as unexpressed thoughts. I am not a linguist, but I suspect that the words for "reality" in other languages may not exactly

The Theoretical Studies Of Organizational Culture Commerce Essay

The Theoretical Studies Of Organizational Culture Commerce Essay The term culture has been used by anthropologists to refer to the customs and rituals that societies develop over the history. It has also been used by some organizational researchers and managers to refer to the climate and practices that organizations build up around the espoused values and credo of an organization. ( Edgar H. Schein,organizational culture and leadership p7). (Hofstede et al. 1990) define Culture as holistic and that involves a larger group of individuals. He asserts that Culture is historically related; it is an emergent phenomenon and is conveyed through traditions and customs and that people tend to hold on to their ideas, values and traditions. Culture is not something inherent but learned and it is human made. It is shared by a group of people. Culture is build upon interactions between people, who are sharing values and beliefs to produce behavioral norms. According to Trompenaars (2003: 26) Culture is necessary for human, it is like a guide. The culture allows to the human to have norms and valuesà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ the culture plays an important role in business. Culture is learnt and passed on from generation to generation; it belongs to one group in particular and it influences the behavior of group members in uniform and predictable ways (Mead 1998, p.4) A culture is a powerful determinant of group behavior and is setted up by the way employees work and behaves in the work place. Culture is considered a powerful, enduring and pervasive influence on human behavior through the socialization process within a culture individuals learn the norms and expectations of membership of that society the right and wrong of doing things. (Cartwright and cooper,1992). The culture concept is not only deep but also wide and complex (Schein, 1992). The onion diagram: According to Hofstede (2001) culture appear in numerous levels of depth such as symbols, heroes, rituals, and values. The first three layers, symbols, heroes, and rituals represent the layers of culture that are visible to outsiders. These are the practices of a given culture but their cultural meaning may not be obvious to those who are not a part of that culture hofstede(2001 10:8). Symbols are words, gestures, pictures and objects that hold a particular meaning only recognizable by people who share the same culture. The words in a language or jargon belong to this category, as do dress, hairstyles. New symbols are easily developed and old ones disappear (Hofstede, 2001). Heroes are persons, alive or dead, real or imaginary, who possess characteristics which are highly prized in a certain culture, and who serve as models for behavior (Hofstede, 2001). Rituals are collective activities, technically superfluous in reaching desired ends, but within a culture are considered as socially essential. Rituals are also ways of greeting and paying respects to others, together with social and religious ceremonies for example (Hofstede, 2001). Symbols, heroes, rituals are considered as practices. The core of culture is formed by values. Values are broad tendencies to prefer certain states of affairs over others. Values are feelings with an arrow on it: they have a plus and a minus side (Hofstede, 2001). They deal with evil vs. good, dirty vs. clean, ugly vs. beautiful, abnormal vs. normal, irrational vs. rational, etc (Hofstede, 2001). Values are one of the first things that children learn unconsciously and implicitly. Because they were acquired early, many values remain unconscious to those who hold them. as a result, they cannot be discussed nor can they be directly observed by outsiders , They can only be inferred from the way people act under various circumstances (Hofstede, 2001). Definition of corporate culture: The concepts of organizational culture and corporate culture can be debated to hold opposing views although the concepts often are used interchangeable in literature. A plethora of definitions of corporate culture exist in the organizational theory literature. Anthropologists have proposed at least 164 different definitions of culture (Howard, 1998). Although all the theorists believe in the importance of the culture in the organizational studies but Very little consensus exists with regard to a general theory (Sorensen, 2002). There is still no Generally agreed definition of the concept or dominant point of view itself but rather a richer mixture of ideas and approaches. The study of organizational culture indicate the way people are living and working together. Nahavandi and Malekzadeh (1998:80) state that culture is the beliefs and assumption shared by members of an organization. The term culture is often used as if companies do have only one culture, but in reality most companies do have more than one set of culture. Similarly, Krystek (1992) confirms that there are different cultures in different parts of an organization. Alike, Buono Bowditch (1989) assert that in most big companies, there is more than one unified corporate culture. In other words, the organizational culture affects practically all aspects of organizational life (Buono 2002; Cartwright Cooper, 1996). Barney(1986) define culture asa complex set of values, beliefs, assumptions, and symbols that define the way in which a firm conducts its business. Harrison and Stokes (1992) describe  «culture is to an organization what personality is to an individual. It is that distinctive constellation of beliefs, values, work styles and relationships that distinguish one organization from another. OReilly and Chatman (1996, p.166) define organizational culture as a set of norms and values that are widely shared and strongly held throughout the organization. Values define what is important and norms define appropriate attitudes and behaviors for organizational members. OReilly and Chatman (1996, p.160). Sadri and Lees (2001, p.853) states that the corporate culture originates from the fact that the individuals inside an organization have different ethnical or social backgrounds. Inside an organization they together build up norms and rules which results in a corporate culture. Schein (1988, p.9-10) emphasize that in a company where there are only one or a few individuals in the organization they create the organizational culture solitary on their own beliefs. In larger organizations the culture is heavily depending on the originator or the stronger people inside the organization, often people who have worked there for a long time or management. A quotation from Lee, Kim and Yu (2004, p.340) illustrate the corporate culture, a common expression used for describing a particular work practice inside an organization. The way we do things around here. The culture does not only consist of one assumption or one belief, the culture is constructed by all the common assumptions and beliefs which the members of the organization have. (Hatch, 1997, p.213 and Schein 1988, p.9-10) According to Edgar Schein(1992), a noted MIT Professor of Management, researcher and author in the area of organizational culture defines culture in his classic book: organizational culture and a leadership as a pattern of shared basic assumptions, invented or developed by a given group as it learns to cope with the problems of external adaption and internal integration, that has worked well enough to be considered valid and therefore is taught to new members of the group as the correct way to perceive, think and feel in relation to those problems. Furthermore, he define that cultures inside organizations consist of three different levels, assumptions, values and artifacts. According to (Hatch.1997, p.210) these three levels affect and describe the culture inside an organization: Artifacts The artifacts are the tangible things which the organizational members have constructed (Hatch, 1997, p.216). Artifacts are the visible elements in a culture. It is important to know that although the Artifacts are tangible and can be easily discerned but are hard to understand by people not part of the culture. They are at the outer limit of the culture and therefore easy to misinterpret, as they often are individuals reflections of the assumptions, they do not have to represent the core of the culture (Hatch, 1997, p.217 Schein, 1988, p.11). Artifacts can be dress codes, furniture Through a process of realization, artifacts take on the symbolic meaning of the organizations values, work climate, work processes, etc. Espoused values   Espoused values are the second level which affects the organizational culture, it consists of the social principles and goals set by members of the group. The values could be represented by the philosophies, democracy, tradition or other principles which the members endorse of or believe in. (Hatch, 1997, p.214 Schein 1988 p.9) Norms are a part of values, and these are the unwritten rules which exist in the organization. The norms express what is expected from the members and how they should behave in certain situations. The values are an extension from the assumptions, and make the culture more alive (Hatch, 1997, p.216 Schein 1988, p17) Assumptions   Schein (1988, p.9-10) claims that assumptions are the ground and core of the organizational culture, which could be seen as the beliefs inside an organization. The assumption represents the reality which the members inside the organization accept as true and what they perceive as important. This constructs the truth which permeates trough the organization .They are difficult to discern because they exist at a largely unconscious level. (Hatch, 1997, p.217) claims that the assumptions affect all the other levels. Members from the organization create values and artifacts which symbolizes the cultural core as they are based on the organizations assumptions. Smircich (1983) covers the same ground as Schein, but in five stages. Lees (2003) has adapted the theories from Schein and Smircich and conducted a model of culture that is especially relevant for mergers and acquisitions (see table 2-1). Following the viewing of the different definitions of corporate culture, we can sum up that corporate culture is a philosophy or norms that guide an organizations policy or the climate in which members of that organization act together and work together. Corporate culture in merger: Organizational culture is an important aspect in shaping individuals commitment, productivity, and longevity with the organization (OReilly, Chatman Caldwell, 1991). An organizations culture helps to shape and determine the manner of conduct by the members and the practices inside the organization that lead to success. it can be considered as a driver of workforce behavior. It has a significant impact on the way employee feel, think, act and make decision. In todays business world, corporate culture has a high influence and become an important issue in organization because its play a vital role in the success and achievement of goals that why it is important not to ignore or neglect it while planning and executing mergers and acquisition . The concept of corporate culture must be understood in order to allow managers to describe and understand any organization and keep staff company together to achieve its organizational goals and objectives. An effective corporate culture is a remarkable competitive advantage and the key to organizational effectiveness in MA. Organizations that strongly align their organizational culture to maintain their business strategies have a tendency to outperform those organizations whose strategy and culture are not aligned. The corporate culture is perceived when companies merge can be compared to what culture is to an organization what personality is to an individual. When two dissimilar organizational cultures are brought together typically the case in mergers and acquisitions we can expect only two outcomes: it will produce discomfort and end up with a cultural clash or both cultures will fit each other under the umbrella of one unifying culture. Strong culture Robbins, S. P., (1998) defined a strong culture is one that is internally consistent, is widely shared, and makes it clear what it expects and how it wishes people to behave. Kaufman, (2002) stated that a positive organizational culture reinforces the core beliefs and behaviors that a leader desires while weakening the values and actions the leader rejects. Peters and Waterman (1982) indicates that a negative culture becomes toxic, poisoning the life of the organization and hindering any future potential for growth Strong culture exist where employee react to incentive because of their alignment to organizational values. on the contrary, there is a Weak Culture where there is little alignment with organizational values and control must be exercised through extensive procedures and bureaucracy. Kilmann, Saxton, and Serpa, (1986) defined strong cultures as those where organization members place pressure on other members to adhere to norms. Byrne, (2002) indicates that a strong organizational culture will exert more influence on employees than a weak one. If the culture is strong and supports high ethical standards, it should have a very powerful and positive influence on employee behaviour. the corporate culture is divided into strong culture and weak culture. Strong culture takes place in organization where staff responds to stimulus because of their alignment to organizational values. Certainly, strong organizational cultures are those where the core values of the dominant culture are strongly believed by the great majority of organizational members. On the contrary, weak culture exists where there is little alignment with organizational values and where the control must be exercised through extensive procedures and bureaucracy. Strong cultures in which the key values are deeply held and widely shared have a greater influence on employees than the weak cultures. The more employees accept the organizations key values, the greater is their commitment to those values and the stronger the culture is. Strong culture vs weak culture Quantitative analysis has shown that firms with strong cultures outperform firms with weak cultures by facilitating coordination and control, emphasising common goals and increasing employees efforts (Kotter and Heskett, 1992; Gordon and DiTomaso, 1992). a strong culture enhances an organizations ability to execute its strategy (Tushman and OReilly, 1997). In an organization with strong culture, employees are more prepared to take responsibility and fulfill their mission within the organization with enthusiasm. Strong organizational culture serves to provide group members with a way of giving meaning to their daily lives, setting guidelines and rules for how to behave. ( Schein, 1991, p. 15. ) The types of corporate culture Four types of organizational culture were proposed by Harrison (1972) and used in Cartwright and Cooper (1992) work. The Understanding of an organizations culture permits to identify cultures and classify them by making comparative overview. The type of corporate culture classify organizations by a set of characteristics that describe how employee interact with each other ;what are incentive and rewarding system that motivated the workers to furnish their commitment and output in order to attain the underlined goals . Type 1: Power culture. It is characterized by the concentration of power in the hand of a single or small group of individuals (the president, the founder, a key of manager) .in this type of culture, Culture is autocratic and control is the key element and it is common in small entrepreneurial organizations or family tradition business. Reward systems are often inequitable as they are influenced by personal preferences. Employees are motivated by feelings and a sense of personal of loyalty towards their boss or owner because Power cultures tend to have inequitable compensation systems and other benefits based on favoritism and loyalty, as well as performance. Employee demonstrated their loyalty seeking the reward due to out a fear of punishment. Decisions are centralized around one key individual element and tend to be based on hunches and past successes as on logical way of thinking. Type 2: Role culture. Today this type of culture is common in almost organizations. Culture is highly autocratic and it is based on logic, rationality and search of effectiveness. There is an obvious division and specialization of Labor and the culture is results-oriented. The procedures and regulations are clearly defined. Organizations are split into various functions and each person within the function is giving a particular role that has to be executed. This type of culture tends to be inflexible and slow to change due to the high degree of formalization. This culture can be experienced by employees as impersonal and frustrating. Type 3: Task/achievement cultures. Emphasize on the accomplishment of the task and problem solving with success being judged on the achievement. The culture is team-oriented as individuals are gathered around and committed to work in teams for a specific task. The structure is active and flexible depending on the given task . Employees are flexible, creative, and highly autonomous. Employees are respected for their knowledge and valuable skills rather of their hierarchical seniority. People tend to be creative and the working environment is generally satisfying. Type 4: Person/support culture. It is characterized by egalitarianism. Person cultures are commonly found in charities or nonprofit organizations. Organizations with a person/support culture have minimal structure and decision making is carried out on a shared collective opinions. The managerial style is supportive and quick to respond to individual needs. Furthermore, information is shared collectively. Decision-making occurs after discussion of all involved members and with their consensus. Organizational versus National Culture   The purpose of this paper is to examine what is the difference between national and organizational culture and how they are related to each other? What is appropriate in one national setting is wholly offensive in another.   What is rational in one national setting is wholly irrational in another.   And, corporate culture never trumps national culture.  Dr. Geert Hofstede In this part, we focus an insight regarding the cultural aspect of mergers and Acquisitions and to identify the role and the differences between national cultures and corporate culture. Due to the globalization and international trade, many mergers and acquisitions are now crossborder, which imply to give a lot of attention to national cultures that differ from country to another. After an MA transaction, many acquired companies experience many cultural issues possibly because their employees do not like the acquiring companys way of doing thing. Lees (2003) claim that corporate culture is seen as a subculture of the national culture with visible points of distinctiveness and large parts of invisible similarities. Therefore, the organizational culture is divided into the organizational climate (as superficial part) and the national culture (the deep culture part). National culture can be noticed in human interactions and organizations, whereas corporate culture can be related to the environment of business organizations. The common values, customs, practices and behaviors of people groups differ widely between countries; therefore employees bring their cultural inheritance inside the company. All this components that exist outside the company, in the national culture, exist also inside the company as well. Additionally, in cross borders MA the culture of the company reveal peoples values and beliefs, which found its basis in the national culture. Organizations are small and tiny entity with a distinct structure including a set of basic norms, values and assumptions, which are reflected in a variety of patterns of actions by employee and subcultures of the wide national culture. There are different subcultures in one culture. According to Lees (2003), the best manner to make a difference between national and organizational culture is through sorting out organizational culture as subculture of national culture. Researchers often consider organizational culture as the micro context and national culture as the macro-context in which employees operate. In the same way, Hofstede et al. (1990) state that organizational cultures should be distinguished from national cultures; others assert that national culture must be consider along with corporate culture (Scott and Meyer, 1994; Sagiv and Schwartz, 2007; Dickson et al., 2000). The prevailing judgment in researches has been leaded by cross-national comparison based on the hypothesis that culture is principally equivalent to nation. The observations of Nancy Adler (1983 International Dimensions of Organizational Behavior) drive out the myth that organizational culture can Moderate or even erase the influence of national culture; a faith often found within large global corporations and concluded that national culture outweighs organizational culture.   (Lees, 2003:269) affirm: To really understand the organizational culture in a foreign target, acquirers first need to Understand the national culture . According Dr. Geert Hofstede, there are differences between national and organizational cultures. -The national culture is related to our deeply held values regarding and change slowly over the course of generations.    -in contrast, Organizational culture is comprised of broad guidelines which are rooted in organizational practices learned on the job.   The difference between national and organizational cultures is that the differences between national cultures are mainly found in the values of the different cultures, whereas differences between corporate cultures are mainly found in the practices between different companies. (Hofstede, 1991) Some authors as Hellriegel Slocum (1993), and Schein (1999) state that corporate culture is a system of shared values and beliefs that are common to the members of an organization. Hofstede (1997) argues that the core of organizational culture is not values, which he attributes to national culture, but shared perceptions of daily practices because an organization is not a nation. The main difference between organizational and national cultures is the role that manifestation of culture, presented in the onionà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã… ¸ diagram as practices, play in each level (Hofstede, 1997) because Values are acquired early in the life, from family, school, surrounding environment. Practices are learned later, when already as an adult people start working (Hofstede, 1997). In the process of merger and acquisition, what is often disregarded and underestimate is that the differences between cultures may create managerial challenges for the new entity mingling employee from different cultures. For example in the merger, people from different cultural backgrounds and national cultures can be socialized into the culture of the merged company, and therefore follow the corporate culture, but if the corporate values are contradictory and counter the national cultural values, employees will be resisting the companys corporate culture. Since the corporate culture is argued to be deeply embedded in the organizations history and in the behaviour of the employees, corporate culture creates difficulties when implementing change in MA (Lees, 2003). Melewar and Wooldridge (2001) argue that corporate culture cannot be easily manipulated. Laurent (1986, in Weber et al., 1996), on the other hand, argues that it is possible to change artefacts and values and beliefs, but it is not possible to affect the underlying assumptions because they are derived from ones national culture. However, researchers have demonstrated that organizational and national cultures are different constructs with distinct contents and influences (e.g., Bartunek, 1984; Hofstede et al., 1990; Sackmann, 1992; Chatman and Jehn, 1994; Numic, 2008). (Hofstede et al., 1990) found evidence for this in a study conducted across 20 Danish and Dutch organisational units ,His research showed that organizational cultures differ mainly at the levels of symbols, heroes and rituals. This stream of literature recommends distinguishing between national culture and organizational culture. Finally, National culture can be seen as one of the most Influential factors that determine organizational phenomena. The company corporate culture reflects to a large extent the national culture of which the company is part (Schneider and Barsoux, 2003). Hence, The differences between corporate and national cultures can lead to cultural clashes . National culture: Merger and acquisition join two companies reflecting two different national cultures. Many differences can be established between national cultures because those cultures are shaped by common experiences, beliefs and organizations, national values and orientations In MA, national culture is more apparent to strangers because local people are not conscious of their own culture And employees are not willing to change their ways of doing things. Thats why its essential for the acquiring company to understand the national culture of its target because it will be helpful during the acquisition while the acquirer have to plan the integration as well as shaping the corporate culture together (Schneider and Barsoux, 2003). The culture of a nation where a company is set up influence many business variables For example differences in the organizational structure and coordination, career and reward system. People carry their cultures, ways of thinking and behaving, with them into the work place (Hofstede, 1997). The ways in which a firm typically deals with aspects of organizing its business activities vary significantly in different countries and these variations have been shown to be in direct association with national cultural distance between organizations in different countries (Hofstede, 1997). Kogut and Singh (1988) define national cultural distance as the degree to which cultural norms in one country are different from those in another country. A landmark in the research of national culture, and cultural differences, is Hofstedes (1980) work on comparative culture, where he conducted a field survey of over 116 000 IBM employees across 40 countries. Hofstedes theory on national cultures Hofstede (1980:21) defines culture as collective programming of the mind which distinguishes the members of one human group from another and proposes that cultural differences between nations can be described and differentiated along five dimensions. Hofstede (2001) created a model through a study in 50 countries, which depicts five dimensions of cultures. This model emphasizes power distance, uncertainty, avoidance, masculinity and individualism. (Salter, LewisValdes2004, Phatak et al 2005, GerhartFang 2005,ArdichviliKuchinke 2002) Power Distance The first dimension relates to the degree of equality/inequality between people in the society. Power distance is defined as the extent to which the less powerful members of institutions and organizations within a country expect and accept that power is distributed unequally (Hofstede, 2005, p46). Hofstede (1997) argues however, that Power and inequality are extremely fundamental facts of any society and anybody with some international experience will be aware that all societies are unequal, but some are more unequal than others. Some countries differ in the way it handles inequality. In the power distance index (PDI) a high score suggests that there is a large power distance between subordinates and bosses in organizations. A low score, on the other hand, indicates small power distance and that there is a limited dependence of subordinates on bosses (Hofstede, 1997).In lower power distance the superiors are more approachable while in higher power distance there is a emotional distance between subordinates an d bosses. Individualism versus Collectivism The second dimension focuses on the degree to which a society reinforces individual or collective achievement and interpersonal relationships. Individualism is in societies in which the ties between individuals are loose it refers to the extent to which everyone is expected to look after himself and his immediate family. Collectivism, is the degree to which individuals are integrated into groups refers to the group societies in which people from birth and onwards are integrated into strong, cohesive ingroups, which throughout peoples lifetime continue to protect the in exchange for unquestioned loyalty (Hofstede, 1997:51). As an example management in an individualistic society is the management of individuals. If incentives for example are given these should be linked to an individuals performance, not to the group as in a collectivistic society (Hofstede,1997). Masculinity-Femininity This dimension regards the degree of importance of relationships versus tasks(op citp.119). Hofstede (1997:82-83) argues that masculinity pertains to societies in which social gender roles are clearly distinct and femininity pertains to societies in which social gender roles overlap. In masculine societies, recognition, advancement and a challenging work are the factors Hofstede (1980) finds to be the most important. Whereas having a good working relationship with your superior, cooperation, employment security and to live in a desirable area are the most important factors for feminist societies (Hofstede, 1980). This dimension pertains to the degree societies reinforce, or do not reinforce, the traditional masculine work role model of male achievement, control, and power. A high Masculinity score indicates that a country experiences a higher degree of gender differentiation. In such cultures, males tend to dominate a significant portion of the society and power structure. A low Masculinity score means a society has a lower level of differentiation and inequity between genders. In these cultures, females are treated equally to males in all aspects of the society. Uncertainty Avoidance The fourth dimension Hofstede (1980) investigated concerns the tolerance of ambiguity in different societies. He refers to it as uncertainty avoidance which can be defined as the extent to which the members of a culture feel threatened by uncertain or unknown situations (Hofstede, 2005p.167). One of the key differences between weak and strong uncertainty avoidance is the establishments of law and rules, where cultures with weak uncertainty avoidance have few and general la

Designing an Evaluation Method Essay

  My primary health goal in the nation is to improve the overall health of the diabetes people by years 2020. Diabetes is a disease is that contributes significantly to death and disability among Chicagoans. The Healthy People 2020 objective is to reduce diabetes- related deaths to no more than 34 per 100,000 people (USDHHS, 2013). The concept of educational approaches would improve the diabetes disease knowledge of healthcare providers and also education approach promoting healthy lifestyle habits and patient empowerment is an effective strategy with the potential to decrease the development of complications related to diabetes as well as the socioeconomic costs of the disease (Gaglianalio & Etchegoyem, 2001). As a nurse educator, my responsibility is to provide patients with the most current and evidence- supported information to assist in the decision- making process. Providing the most current information to baccalaureate programs nursing students would prepare the next generation of nurses to have consistent evidence-based practice to educate their clients. My proposal of practicum project is focusing in improving the level of diabetes diseases process and manifestation knowledge in a baccalaureate nursing program. The recognizing objectives that would improve my approaches for attaining my goal as followed: At the end of this practicum experience I will be able to: 1-Develop a lesson plan that utilizes learner- centered strategies to engage the learners. 2- Create a lesson plan that prepares baccalaureate nursing students to care for patients with diabetes. 3-Develop a lesson plan that increases baccalaureate students’ knowledge of diabetes. Criteria needed to evaluate the practicum project The purpose of practicum project evaluation is to improve practicum project effectiveness and demonstrate accountability. Evaluation may be developmental, intended to deliver direction for the development and implementation of an outcome-oriented (Billings & Halstead, 2012). Evidence-based practice (EBP) is decision- making on the care delivery to patients, which is based on current identified and validated research evidence, consumers’ preferences, expert opinions and society expectation(Adams & Barron, 2010). This requires the baccalaureate nurses to make clinical decision pertaining to patient’s care. Therefore, the best clinical decision -making should be based on EBP with the intention to achieve quality patient outcome. The evidence or criteria need to evaluate my practicum project are followed. (1)Utilize current nursing literature related to program evaluation that focuses on comprehensive evaluation, rather than specific elements of the practicum project,(2)Utilization of recommended guidelines and having knowledge of the diabetes process will enable the evaluator to accurately interpret observations, evaluate whether the goals were achieved and whether the teaching methods used were appropriate and effective for the situation, (3) Acquire skills in peer observation; establish the context of the class session, and integration and interpretation of student evaluation feedback. How will success be determined? What are the benchmarks for each element of evidence and what constitutes â€Å"pass/fail†, etc.? A course evaluation is a significant part of managing a program because it points out if the learner’s needs are met or not. Success will be determined through evidence that measures outcomes of the activities, and indicators of program achievements. Benchmarks are used for the measure of a best practice. Benchmarking is the process of identifying benchmarks and applying them for performance improvement (Billings, 2007). The process benchmarking involves sharing successful program indicatives and learning from other’s success. Benchmark can be used in diabetes care and management, and patient education. Benchmark may evaluate the practicum project throughout the term of the evaluations by identifying a point for comparison that reflects student’s satisfaction of the entire course. Using benchmarks to assess processes, practices, and outcomes can provide comparative feedback that can guide the quality improvement process with diabetes patients and their caregivers. Evaluation methods during the practicum project During the evaluation, I will use the process indicators to help me provide feedback and determine if the activities implementing are progressing for desired outcomes. I will follow the Theory-Driven Model because this model provides information on not only the performance of evaluation but on how and why the evaluation achieves such a result (Billings & Hallstead, 2012). The significance of this model during the practicum project lesson is the development and articulation of a clear philosophy. Thus, this model will allow my project lesson process to flow from a theory- based evaluation of diabetes care and management, and education. Observations, checklists, pre and post-test scores will be used as an evidence for evaluation of the project. Tests examinations are a shared, cost- effect, and time effective method of testing knowledge acquisition both as students’ progress in the course and at the conclusion of the course and program (Gaberson & Oermann, 2009). During the evaluation, the theory will direct the evaluation process from identifying variables to be measured to the final report. Resources will be obtained from the nursing department or by the faculty own cost. Most nursing schools write a grant for resources needed. Formative evaluation strategy Frequent evaluations are essential when the learning process is complex and unfamiliar and when it is considering helpful to anticipate potential problems if the risk of failure is high (Billings & Halstead, 2012). I will create more opportunities for effective feedback and use collected formative data to improve the quality of practicum project. Evaluation activities such as continuous quality assessment lead to the improvement of the program and the achievement of excellence (Keating, 2011). The formative evaluation occur form the beginning to the end of the practicum project. Summative evaluation strategy I will perform evaluation of my practicum project toward the end of my second semester 2013 to provide evidence on the success or achievements of the project. I will use summative evaluations to develop best-practice models and to identify areas that require additional improvements for future my practicum project if there is any. Summative evaluations are used to conclude if stakeholders were able to achieve their goals. The summative evaluation always takes place toward the end of a program. References Keating, S.B. (2011). Curriculum development and evaluation in nursing education. Andre, K., & Heartfield, M. (2007). Professional portfolios: Evidence of competency for nursesand midwifes. Australia: Elsevier. References Gagliardino, J., & Etchegoyen, G. (2001). A Model Educational Program for People with Type2 Diabetes: A cooperative Latin American implementation study. Adams, S., Barran, S. (2010). Development and testing of evidence based practice questionnaire for school nurses. Journal of Nursing Measurement, 18(1), 35-40. Billings, D. (2007). Using benchmarking for continuous quality improvement in nursing educations. In M. Oermann & K. Heinrich (Eds.), Annual review of nursing education, volume 5, 2007, 9p.173-180). NY; Springer Publishing.

Immigration And Its Cultural Practices - 3454 Words

To what extent are immigrants forced to conform and abandon their cultural practices to adorn a foreign identity? Immigration is the movement of individuals to other countries in order to live and settle there permanently. Immigration is always known to have an impact on families however, how far does the impact go and why? According to Stats Canada, a census done as recently as 2012 the number of immigrants per year from other countries, are an average of 101,209.7. The significance is this forms an atmosphere with an array of cultural choices often ending in the practice of cultural exchange. Cultural exchange is the process of two or more species trading information and practices in order to improve friendship and understanding between them. Immigrant families often fall prey to the facade of the melting pot of multiculturalism in Canada. The circumstances under which they migrate which may include some/all of these; war, a health epidemic, search for a better job or offer of a better job and the need to start a new life elsewhere other than home among others. These circumstances may determine their degree of desperation and submissive tendencies to the pressures of conformity in their new environment of resettlement. The conformity requires migrants to change their cultural practices and beliefs if they wish to fit comfortably otherwise face the risk of being alienated. As such, according to social science, alienation becomes a factor for the social change. ThisShow MoreRelatedThe European Union : The New Era Of Integration1744 Words   |  7 Pagesenvironmental initiatives, proactive human rights champions, and embodies the new era of integration efforts in the post-modern world. 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