Identity and Belonging Essay

My family and I left the Kabul for Pakistan in 1995. Our dream was a better life a life which we could sleep a night with peace a life which we could walk with no fair. Me and my father we were working as labour for a small company, it was 50/km far from our home and we were going there by my dad`s bicycle. The work was hard everything was hard there, but when I was coming home and looking that my brothers and sisters are having book to read and they are going to school, we have something to eat and no one is here try to kill us I was felling like i have everything. With our straggle and hard working in 1999 my dad buy a house we moved there our life was becoming more comfortable we were happy. But we didn’t know that now something really bad is running after us. A really nasty day my dad was sick at home I was coming from work it was 7pm, I saw a car blocked my way four guy was standing beside the care they abused me with a really bad language and said come to car, i run to fight with them two of them took out the gun and shot near to my feat , one of them came near to me and hit me with the gun I fall down, when I weak up, it was a dark house my head was full of blood. I remember, the days which my dad was taken to Taliban’s prising because he was translator of American embassy. My dad was too keen that get him out of that, for me it was impossible. After six years, here is now three more guys with me, they are using us as cleaner dish washer cocks any kind of work. Every day we were planning to escape from there but we couldn’t. In 2009 we scaped from there but just three of us get succeed. I came back to Pakistan to find my family but no one was there they escaped from Pakistan too. I didn’t know where to go i went to my dad`s friend place, he told me my dad went to Iran and after 5 years he went to Australia, so my dad and all the family was in Australia. I was really happy by hearing that because they were save now. I get the number and call him, he told me he will sponsor me and i will be there in just one year but it was too hard to stay one day because the Taliban’s were still after me. So i chooses illegal way to came to us, went to Indonesia we were 80 people in boat a small boat, he told me he will sponsor me and i will be there in just one year but it was too hard to stay one day because the Taliban’s were still after me.

J.J Reddick

What is rounding? Rounding a number means approximating it. A rounded number is often easier to use, understand, and remember than the precise number. In MyFinanceLab most of our answers are rounded decimal numbers. A decimal number has three parts: The whole number part, the decimal point and the decimal part. For example: [pic] So, in order to round a decimal number we basically round the decimal part of it. These are the two basic steps for rounding decimals to a place value to the right of the decimal point Step 1: Locate the digit to the right of the given place value.Step 2: If this digit is 5 or greater, add 1 to the digit in the given place value and delete all digits to its right. If this digit is less than 5, delete all digits to the right of the given place value. For example: Round 736. 2359 to the nearest hundredth. Solution: Step 1: We locate the digit to the right of the hundredths place Step 2: Since the digit to the right is 5, we add 1 to the digit in the hundredths place and delete all digits to the right of the hundredths place.Thus, 736. 2359 rounded to the nearest hundredth is 736. 24 Rounding in MyFinanceLab In MyFinanceLab we use input instructions to indicate the place value to which you must round your final answer(s). For example: Let’s say your final answer is 736. 2359. †¢ You must enter 736. 2 if the input instruction is: Round to the nearest tenth. †¢ You must enter 736. 24 if the input instruction is: Round to the nearest hundredth. Note: Other typical input instruction in MyFinanceLab isRound to the nearest cent if the final answer is in currency units. †¢ You should enter 736. 236 if the input instruction is: Round to three decimal places. Now, let’s use a simple Time Value of Money (TVM) question you may encounter in MyFinanceLab. | | |Problem Example: Comparing Interest for Various Compounding Periods.If $1,000 is invested at 8% compounded | |annually, | |monthly, | |what is the amount after 5 y ear? (Round to the nearest cent. ) | To solve this problem without using a financial calculator or a spreadsheet, we need to use the compound interest, future value, formula: [pic] where, i |= |r/m | |FV |= |future value at the end of n periods | |PV |= |present value | |r |= |annual rate | |m |= |number of compounding periods per year | |i |= |rate per compounding period | |n |= |Total number of compounding periods | Solution: a. Compounding annually means that there is one interest payment period per year. So, n = 5 and i = r = 0. 08. [pic] [pic] [pic] Therefore, rounded to the nearest cent, the final answer is $1,469. 33 b. Compounding monthly means that there are twelve interest payments per year. So, n = 12(5) = 60 and i = 0. 08/12 = [pic] [pic] [pic] Therefore, rounded to the nearest cent, the final answer is $1,489. 85 | |This TVM example helps us to understand a basic rounding principle in MyFinanceLab: â€Å"Do not round until the final answer. † As you | |can see in part a. after solving the expression [pic]we leave it unrounded and use as many digits as possible in its decimal part. | |The same happens in part b with the other exponential expression. | | | |Take another look at part b. because rounding i to a small number of decimal places, such as 0. 007 or 0. 0067, would have resulted | |in round-off errors.So, to avoid this, use as many decimal places as your calculator is capable of displaying. | Tips: If you want to calculate TVM problems, mathematical calculations are relatively straightforward. However, as you will see, TVM calculations are easier using a financial calculator or spreadsheet. But, no matter what method you use – equation, financial calculators, or spreadsheets, you get the same answer because they all use the same formula and concept. These are some tips for solving TVM questions. Calculator Tips: †¢ Set your calculator to display at least five decimal places or to floating decimal place (nine decimal places). †¢ Set your calculator to one payment per year.Adjust this setting if necessary. †¢ Set your calculator to the â€Å"end† mode. Adjust this setting if necessary. Excel Tips: †¢ Take advantage of the formula help that Excel offers. †¢ If you are lost, click on â€Å"Help†. †¢ Be careful about rounding variables. For example, suppose you’re dealing with the interest rate 6. 99% compounded monthly. This means you will need to enter the interest rate per month, which is = 6. 99%/12, and since you are performing division in the cell, you need to put an â€Å"=† sign before the division is performed. Don’t round the result of 0. 0699/12 to 0. 58 and enter 0. 58 as i. Instead, enter =6. 99%/12 or as a decimal =0. 0699/12 for i.

Sociology Bilingualism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Sociology Bilingualism - Essay Example " Immigration has had a long history in the United States. For the most part, however, it was seldom treated dispassionately even when an attempt was made only to ascertain the pertinent facts and their reliability" (Smith & Edmonston, 1998) The option of bilingualism is not offered in the school system with the strength and emphasis that it should for children to become as knowledgeable of a different language, and understand the materials given in their native one. In some cases bilingualism as a class in a curriculum is considered as a transitional one with it's ultimate goal to push the student to choose just one language as primary and sole, for their examination, graduation and finally the end of their education. "In contrast to the Canadian context, bilingual education in the United States exists primarily as a means to aid the transition of immigrant and linguistic minority children into English" (Meyer & Fienberg, 1992.) Bilingualism then we see that goes beyond a mere program in a classroom on a school for an hour daily, it has become a moral issue. What are the consequences of this battle Who pays the consequences of this battle You would then have to analyze and question the real long-term effects on the children. Forced by their parents whom have immigrated to this country believing that their only opportunity for survival is to speak this new country's language perfect, thus by making them as far as possible from their countries of origin where so much hardship, poverty and lack of education was experienced. Having reached an average 6th grade, these parents come to this country to work manual jobs such as; waiting in restaurants, cleaning houses, construction jobs, hard labor, etc. they unawarely allow their culture; their past, their language and their country become buried in their memories making them stories of horrors passed along to their descendants. Is the government trying to hold on to an ideal Holding to an identity pure and untouched for centuries to come, and only scratches the surface of a language to apace its activists, its minority groups, yet not too subtle so that the purist who are against immigration, do not feel neglected by the system Bilingualism then has become a silent fight among those who believe America should remain the land of opportunities, the land dreamt and fought for by founding fathers such as Abraham Lincoln who believed in liberty, equality and welcomed the impoverished and uneducated to teach them and give them opportunities they do not have in their country. However these exact welcoming have then presented a hazard to the laws, the cohesiveness of the language and culture and the way of living, because this so called "Americanization" has been overwhelmingly time consuming and has left the country with overpopulated schools and undereducated students What has caused this bilingualism to rise in the United States of America and what have been the consequences of this, especially on the children in our educational system We must first trace the origin of bilingualism in schools, since the Bilingual Education Act in 1968 where it's ideal or purpose was to provide equal education and opportunities for those of minority language. The ideal being the assimilation of those who come from a different culture and education to the Americanized culture and education system. "Students must be able to understand what is presented to them in

In what ways is organisational culture important to be managed in Essay

In what ways is organisational culture important to be managed in today's organisation - Essay Example All the factors stated above will change with time and consequently affect organisational culture. (Gordon, 1991) One can therefore say that organisational culture is mainly described by group factors such as ideology and concepts; there is a need to include normative behaviour when tackling this issue. Organisational culture is not something that can be seen very easily it is therefore quite hard to replace it. Normally when certain leaders form a company, their values are translated into the actions of the members of that organisation. (Bate 1994) When other leaders take over, it may not be as easy to change those perspectives immediately. Sometimes some of their actions; like rewards may change the ways employees go about their day to day activities but it may be difficult to change their culture. Schein (1985) asserts that it is important to manage organisational culture because he believes the latter term is the key to attainment of excellence within any one organisation. He also believes that leaders are given the task of creating and also managing organisational culture. Managers who are able to identify organisational culture can then build up on the following important aspects; There are certain impediments or strong points that may be created as a result of organisational culture. Structure and methods available for organisations need to be streamlined to suite certain common cultural insights in the organisation. Leaders must identify the elements of organisational culture that will come in the way of achieving organisational goals and eliminate them while at the same time, managers must ensure that they reinforce elements of their organisational culture that facilitate success. (Gordon, 1991) It should be noted that organisational culture makes a company what it is; it gives the organisation a sense of identity. Consequently, members within that organisation will feel connected to that organisation because of its culture. It

Human Rights in World Politics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Human Rights in World Politics - Essay Example The exclusion of social and political groups as targets of genocide in legal definition of genocide has been debated. Some historians and sociologists often refer to social and political groups when discussing about genocide. However, the generally accepted notion on genocide is the, it is the purposeful annihilation of a social identity (Genocide). The term genocide should be redefined to include smaller groups rather than national groups with larger population. Discrimination or intended killings of small groups according to their race, ethnic background or even religious beliefs, whether perpetuated by individual or insignificant groups should be included in the context of genocide. As history had shown, killings on catastrophic proportion usually started out in unchecked and insignificant killings on lesser degree that later eventually escalate to a full-pledge genocide. In order for genocide to develop, the following circumstances must be present: classification, symbolization, dehumanization, organization, polarization, preparation, extermination, and denial. Classification happens when cultures distinguish people into 'us' and 'others' basing on merely on race, religion, nationality, or ethnic background with further naming to such classifications, thus symbolization arises.

Question Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 3

Question - Assignment Example According to Fryberg et al., the negative impacts of exposure to the images of American Indians can be linked with their relative invisibility in the present American Indian society in the United States (216). Further, the researchers discovered in their study that American Indian mascots and other dominant representations of the Indian community in America have no positive relationships for positive construction of the identity of American Indian students. The authors present previous studies postulating that â€Å"American Indian mascots have harmful psychological consequences for the group that is caricaturized by the mascots† (216). Stereotypes usually culminate in negative impacts on self-esteem, identity and social dimension of minority groups. Many researchers have identified stereotyping as a major blow to people’s self-esteem, thus American Indian mascot images together with other dominant representations of the American Indian community may be accused of the low self-esteem and thwart identity construction of invisible American Indians. The negative consequence of American Indian mascots emanates from the fact that there are often few alternate American Indians, thus they suffice for generalizations made about the entire American Indian society. Fryberg, Stephanie A., Hazel Rose Markus, Daphna Oyserman, and Joseph M. Stone. "Of warrior chiefs and Indian princesses: The psychological consequences of American Indian mascots." Basic and Applied Social Psychology 30.3 (2008):

Clinical Supervision As a Professional Requirement for All Nurses Assignment

Clinical Supervision As a Professional Requirement for All Nurses - Assignment Example The Council of Midwifery and Nursing acknowledge this practice as an imperative part of medical governance. This practice of clinical supervision is a legal obligation for midwives other than for nurses (John, 2000 p 16). Clinical supervision is a practice that requires thorough preparation, especially if one is going for the first clinical supervision. John Driscoll came up with a model that is used to reflect the practice of clinical supervision. The analysis of the first clinical supervision assumes three main aims. They include an analysis of professional and personal expectations of a supervisee in clinical supervision. The second aim is to know the manner to be ready for the primary clinical meeting, and the third aim is to identify the essential skills that will help a supervisee to reap the most benefits from the meetings of clinical supervision (John, 2000 p 18). It is indispensable for as a supervisee to examine continuing skills to build up as a supervisee prior to the pri mary meeting. This will help the supervisee to get a forehand in matters that will be looked at during the supervision. It is also imperative to reflect on the ways of overcoming the barriers to begin the supervision and assume full accountability for what turns out in clinical supervision (John, 2000 p 22). In addition, consider the essential limits to glance at prior to going for the initial clinical supervision meeting. Lastly, you should come up with a list of personal needs that you expect to satisfy in the clinical supervision and analyze the effectiveness of that supervision against then identified needs.  Clinical supervision is a professional partnership between the supervisor and the clinical supervisee. However, it is imperative to get a chance to reflect on your personal opinions, and myths, as well as concerns. This is an integral part of preparation as a new-fangled supervisee before meeting with your supervisor. This can be achieved by completing a SWOT analysis tha t will highlight the things that you have as a practitioner that you can capitalize on meetings of clinical supervision. A SWOT analysis will help you to identify some of the benefits that you will get for involving yourself in clinical supervision. The same analysis will help the supervisee to identify any anticipated barriers in participating in clinical supervision, as well as identify the actions that need to be taken to overcome these hindrances (John, 2000 p 23). SWOT analysis highlights the strengths that a person has, the weaknesses that need to be addressed, the opportunities and the threats that may low a person down while going for something (John, 2000 p 68). The supervisee has a role to toil inside the supervisory association to gain maximum benefits from clinical, supervisory meetings. This will increase their efficiency and autonomy in the practice of nursing. As a supervisee performs their role, they should get a good comparison between their own thoughts and the act ual way of doing things based on the SWOT analysis they had formed earlier (John, 2000 p 65).  

Views on the U.S. Constitution Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Views on the U.S. Constitution - Research Paper Example The first three points out distinct rights and responsibilities of the three branches of the national government, the legislative branch, the executive branch. The fourth is about the states and their rights as well. In all the provisions covered by the four major parts, it is clear that these are still very general. This may be considered as a sign that the government itself, led by the Founding Fathers, was still wanting in experience. However, as an outline of governance, it can be said that the US Constitution had already provided the bases of what kind of society and country would be built in the succeeding years. It is clear that it's being less detailed had become an advantage. This provided the succeeding governments and policymakers the opportunity to introduce amendments to the Constitution itself and to create laws that would further add substance to it. Aside from the role of legislation in improving the Constitution, the judicial branch also contributed to making it more applicable to current realities. This is done through judicial reviews, wherein the Supreme Court interprets the Constitution and applies it in order to judge certain cases. If no such judicial reviews or legislation were done, the US Constitution would certainly be inadequate and as a document that was created immediately after the country was founded, it would have lost its relevance already. The major strengths of the US Constitution may not be found in its original version or the one ratified in 1787. Instead, it can be found in the succeeding amendments made, particularly the Bill of Rights. It is in the Bill of Rights that every citizen in the country is granted is assured of his rights as a both as a human being and as an American. The Bill of Rights is essentially what makes the Constitution and the country not just democratic in words but also in practice. The original version that was ratified in the early years of the nation was basically meant to establish a governmenta l organization so that the business of ruling a country could immediately begin. It was only correct that such concern was immediately addressed more than anything else at that time. However, once the government is in place, it was urgent that the rights of the citizens be immediately enshrined in the Constitution. In fact, â€Å"the great strengths of the US Constitution lie in the civil and political freedoms it accords citizens† (Blau & Moncada18). The original US Constitution definitely had many flaws and weaknesses. One glaring weakness was that there was no Bill of Rights at all. Again, this may be explained by the fact that the framers of the Constitution were more concerned with the organization of the government, which was only natural considering that the country had just been established and a sovereign state had to take over. This weakness, however, was promptly taken care of with the First Amendment and the rest of the Bill of Rights. The US Constitution still ha s a weakness though. It is clear that the states have been granted with too many rights that it would seem that the federal government would not be able to perform its responsibilities the well (Kommers & Finn 39). The federal government has to refer to the will of the states whose perspectives may be based more on what they individually see as distinct governing bodies instead of being a part of one nation.  Ã‚  

Individual project Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Individual project - Essay Example Many of the employees consider cultural diversity to be merely about dealing with colleagues and customers affiliated to varied nations and races. In fact, nothing could be far from the truth. Accepting cultural diversity is about having a right approach to modern business. Quintessentially speaking, accepting cultural diversity or adapting to cross-cultural ethos is about understanding, professing and accepting allegiance to the age-old values of good communication, respect for personal and individual differences and work place and professional variations. People come across and face diversity in all the aspects of life, are it at home or at work. Diversity may not necessarily ensue from color, nationality or race, but may be political, technical, legal or ethical in its origins. Diversity is an inalienable aspect of the general fabric of the modern multicultural societies and a globalized economy and businesses being a part of the society are not devoid of it. In such a scenario, i t is imperative for the employees to not to consider the cross-cultural issues in business as barriers, but to regard diversity as an asset and to try to learn the ways to adapt to and benefit from diversity. This topic is very relevant to this plan. It is important that the employees working within the organization realize that the current global environment is fast shifting towards a multi-polar equilibrium. The current economic order relies for its sustenance on comparative cultural advantages (Culpepper, 2000). The business technologies and skills within the specific nations have evolved around their fundamental cultural mores and peculiarities. For example, the Japanese excel in quality, the Chinese are known for their entrepreneurial skills, Koreans command a lead in manufacturing, whereas as the West leads in innovation and technology. The employees should not only be able to benefit from the comparative cultural

Team Building Essay Example for Free

Team Building Essay Discuss and compare the different types of team and the benefits of different teams for different objectives Introduction The organisation that I will be talking about is Arsenal Football Club. Arsenal Football Club is a professional football team in the premier division of the English Football League which is run by the Football Association. Arsenal Football Club is an informal and formal team. They are formal on the pitch because they have to respect each other as well as the referee. Off the pitch Arsenal Football Club are an informal team this is shown by the way the players communicate with each other; be it verbal or non-verbal. Another Way that it is apparent that Arsenal Football Club is an informal team is by their use of body language towards each other. The size of Arsenal Football Club is large as there is more than one team because there is the backroom staff team, coaching team and the team of footballers who play week in-week out. The interesting factor about Arsenal Football Club is that without one of these three teams the others wont function properly, so in order to keep the balance all three teams have to work together with each other to make sure that their aims and targets are met. Responsibilities Team Business Line management Backroom staff To make sure the players are fit to play, to make sure the kits are ready, to keep the pitch neat and finely cut To treat injured players in the correct manner, Coaching team To train the players each week, sort out tactics, pick the team, assign the captain, sort out player and staff contracts To make sure the tactics that are being used are getting the right results, to make sure that all players/staff contracts dont expire Football players To perform on the pitch, to increase shirt sales through performance, to advertise club merchandise To make sure they win as many games as possible, to listen and follow the coaching teams instructions Organisation chart Types of Teams Benefits of Working in Teams There are many different types of teams. My personal definition of the phrase team-work is working in a group to contribute ideas and thought; and then working together to follow up these ideas. It could also mean supporting one another in a group. Group dynamics is the study of groups, and also a general term for group processes. Relevant to the fields of communication studies, a group is two or more individuals who are connected to each other by social relationships. Because they interact and influence each other, groups develop a number of dynamic processes that separate them from a random collection of individuals. These processes include roles, relations, development, need to belong, social influence, and effects on behaviour. The field of group dynamics is primarily concerned with small group behaviour. Other types of teams include: * Task Force a temporary team assembled to investigate a specific issue or problem * Problem Solving Team a temporary team assembled to solve a specific problem. * Product Design Team a temporary team assembled to design a new product or service. * Committee a temporary or permanent group of people assembled to act upon some matter. * Work Group a permanent group of workers who receive direction from a designated leader. * Work Team an ongoing group of workers who share a common mission who collectively manage their own affairs within predetermined boundaries. * Quality Circle a group of workers from the same functional area who meet regularly to uncover and solve work-related problems and seek work improvement opportunities. I will now state each type of team whilst listing their advantages and disadvantages. Types of teams Advantages Disadvantages Formal Organised, well structured, professional, punctual Usually more work expected, have to dress alike with other employees, more tension to meet deadlines Informal Laid back, relaxed, casual, non-fixed hours Lack of structure could lead to reduction in professionalism Small Focus, Clarity, in a smaller team, everyone has a line of sight to everyone else, interaction less range of ideas, losing one person can stall a lot of work, slow rate of production, since theres less of them there would be more work for each of them to do when they share it out Large More ideas, more production, people can be covered during days off Costs more, can be conflicts, too many people can slow the rate of work Temporary Meet new people, inject new ideas to the project, learn new skills You lose good friends, take long to adjust to specific roles, Permanent Trust, loyalty, fixed-schedule, long term If you dislike someone in your team they will remain there. If you dislike your job you will have to keep it. Contribution to Organisational Productivity My chosen organisations goals are to win as many games in the season as they can, to win silverware each year and to beat all rivals. The way that this becomes possible each year is by the team working together to achieve these goals. Each of my chosen teams within the organisation has to do their specified jobs otherwise the goals arent achieved. Because the teams have been together for such a long time, they have developed a familiarity with the roles of each other and so often they are able to stand in for each other. Because the employees know each other well enough they have learnt to trust each other and know what will happen in certain situations on the football field. Reducing Alienation Within every team, every member of the team has a certain part to play and this helps motivate each member because they can feel as if without them the team isnt complete and so they can feel proud of their contributions as they feel part of a team. This reduces alienation. Team members can learn from one another which would lead to increased respect for each other because they are able to see the skills that they have and realise how difficult it is to do what they do. We can relate this to Belbins theory which indentified nine team members within the team. According to Belbins theory of nine team roles, building working teams would be advised to ensure that each of the roles can be performed by a team member. Some roles are compatible and can be more easily fulfilled by the same person; some are less compatible and are likely to be done well by people with different behavioural clusters. This means that a team need not be as many as nine people, but perhaps should be at least three or four including the main team members who are the leader, plant, implementer and the co-ordinator . While comparisons can be drawn between Belbins behavioural team roles and personality types, the roles represent tasks and functions in the self-management of the teams activities. Here is a table showing the role of each member and their characteristics. Role characteristics Plant Creative, imaginative, unorthodox, solves difficult problems Resource investigator Extrovert, enthusiastic, communicative, explores opportunities, develops contacts Co-ordinator Mature, confident, clarifies goals, promotes decision making, delegates well Shaper Challenging, thrives on pressure, dynamic, has drive and courage to overcome obstacles Monitor or evaluator Sober, strategic, discerning, judges accurately Team worker Co-operative, mild, perceptive, diplomatic, listens, build, averts friction Implementer Disciplined, reliable conservative, efficient, turns ideas into practical actions Completer or finisher Painstaking, searches out errors and omissions, delivers on time, anxious, conscientious Specialist Single minded, self starting, dedicated, provides knowledge and skills in rare supply Sharing Expertise If a team had too many of one particular role than the effect and impact of this on the overall performance would be awful because you would have a lot of team members who could do a similar job to one another and so the level of productivity would decrease as they would have similar ideas to one another. Another problem with this could be that the team members would lose respect for one another because, as I mentioned earlier, each member of the team gains respect for one another because they have the skills to do something that they themselves cannot do. So if they all have similar skills than they would lose respect for one another which would mean that the team would perform as well as they should. Another problem with this is that if, for example, you had a lot of members who Belbin described as plants and no-one who was an implementer than there would be no reason for the team to exist as the aims of the team wouldnt be achieved because of the lack of the implementer, who turns the plants creative ideas into practical actions. Opportunities to Identify Talent One of the great things about Arsenal Football Club is that they allow the team members to freely express their talents. One great example of this would be the fact that The Manager, Arsene Wenger, has a fabulous scouting network which goes all around the world looking for the best talents. Once they recruit player into the youth team then they have them train with other player who they feel are of similar level as one another, this gives them a feeling that they are all equal which rises their confidence. They constantly put youth players, who have developed enough, into the first team and turn them into world-class players. A few examples of this would be: * Cesc Fabregas, bought in from Barcelona youth academy at the age of 16 and is now a regular at Arsenal Football Club as well as being the youngest ever scorer for the club. * Thierry Henry, bought from Juventus at the age of 21 when he wasnt being given enough playing time, moved him to the striker position and is now the clubs all-time top scorer. * Theo Walcott, bought from Southampton at the age of 16 for à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½5 million, and is now in the full England international team. The way the club explore a players talents is mainly though training sessions. Another way they explore talent is by using the team members in positions that they arent used to, for example using Theo Walcott who is a striker as a right winger to see what his attacking attributes are like. Implementing change There are many problems in trying to force change within a team. In doing this some of the team members might feel less values as they might have less or more to do, than the other members, than they had before. A team can influence change in both a positive way and a negative way. The positives could be that: * The team end product wasnt efficient enough so the change helps increase efficiency * Members of the team might fell more valued as they have more responsibility on their shoulders * Could boost morale * Would increase personal development The negatives could be that: * Stop personal development * Decrease performance * Lose respect for fellow team members * Members lose focus * Poor organisational structure * Decrease efficiency Fostering Innovation A team is much more creative than individuals because a team takes the skills from each member of the team and puts it together to increase the efficiency. The good thing about having a team is that the different roles can help certain members focus because of an authority figure giving them orders. Accountability Overall Organisation Objective Team Objective Individual Objective * To remove the debts owed to banks * To make the organisation known worldwide * Sell out matches every week * To increase revenue * Go as far as they can in all competitions * To score as many goals as they can * Beat all rivals * Win all competitions * Reducing reliance on key individuals by learning from each other * To improve personal skills * To contribute to the team * To earn the right to get a pay increase * To get into the starting eleven * To become a fans favourites Team Building My chosen organisation has to make a lot of considerations when recruiting new team members. The main consideration would be are they worth their value; because Arsenal Football Club is part of the Football Association, they have to abide to rules which are set out to make the game as fair as possible. So when Arsenal Football Club needs to recruit team members from other organisations, they have to either pay a compensation fee or a transfer fee (which can be rejected). Another consideration they have to take is will the new team member be able to give the team something which they dont already have. This is very important because if they have enough strikers, for example, then there is no need to go out and buy another one because it would just be a waste of money. The only reason that doing this could be justified is the age factor, this is when Arsenal Football Club buys new team members because they will be challenging the current team members in a few years or the fact that they will be put into the reserves or youth academies. The most important factor that they must see is whether the new team member will have the correct characteristics. This has been shown in the past as Arsenal Football Club have released very good players with a lot of potential because they did not have the correct attitude; a good example of this is David Bentleys transfer to Blackburn F.C. and of course Ashley Coles transfer to bitter rivals Chelsea F.C. One of the most important facts about Arsenal Football Club is that they always build towards the future. Currently Arsenal Football Club have 27 first team players and 29 reserve team players, so this shows the hard work that Arsenal Football Club have put in to ensure the long term future of the club. Tuckmans Theory Bruce Tuckman published a five stage theory in which it explains team development and behaviour. His theory explains that as the team develops maturity and ability, relationships establish, and the leader changes leadership style. It begins with a directing style, moving through coaching, then participating and finishing delegating and almost detached. At this stage the team will name a successor to the previous leader, who will now go on and develop a new team. The final stage is the breakup of the group, usually when the task is completed successfully. Tuckmans Theory Diagram Reference: www.businessballs.com Progression of Tuckmans Theory * Forming high dependence on leader for guidance and direction * Storming team members attempt to establish themselves in relations to other team members and the leader * Norming agreement and consensus is formed among team, who respond well to facilitation by leader * Performing team is more strategically aware; they know why they do what they do * Adjourning breaks up of the group, hopefully when the task is completed successfully Induction This only applies to when Arsenal Football Club buy players for the team. The induction usually happens just after the transfer where the player is shown around the clubs facilities, training ground and stadium. Once that is complete the player is usually drafted into the first team for pre-season. Here the player can get to know the other team members and communicating with them will help the new team member realise what the teams goals are so that he can participate in helping the team achieve these goals. Motivation Maslows Hierarchy of Needs 1. Concept of hierarchy of needs Abraham Maslow 2. Need = personal requirement 3. Maslow assumed people are beings who seek to fulfil needs in their order of importance. Maslow suggests we move up the ladder of needs and are motivated by the lower needs first; do not need to completely satisfy needs on a lower level in order to start work on needs of higher level, Maslows hierarchy provides useful way to view employee motivation and as a guide for management. Herzbergs Motivators and Hygiene Factors Frederick Herzbergs studies of job attitudes and their connection with industrial mental health are related to Maslows theory of motivation. His findings have had a considerable influence on attitudes toward administration. According to Herzberg, the employee is not content with the satisfaction of lower-order needs at work, for example, those associated with minimum salary levels or safe and pleasant working conditions. He instead looks for the gratification of higher-level psychological needs having to do with achievement, recognition, responsibility, advancement, and the nature of the work itself. Herzberg added a new dimension to this theory by proposing a two-factor model of motivation, based on the notion that the presence of one set of job characteristics or incentives lead to worker satisfaction at work, while another and separate set of job characteristics lead to dissatisfaction at work. Thus, satisfaction and dissatisfaction are independent factors. Examples of Hygiene factors (dissatisfaction) * The organization * Its policies and its administration * The kind of supervision which people receive while on the job * Working conditions * Interpersonal relations * Salary * Status * Job security Examples of Motivator factors (satisfaction) * Achievement * Recognition * Growth / advancement * Interest in the job McGregors Theory X and Y Theory X Theory X suggests that individuals have an instilled dislike for work and try to avoid it. Therefore all workers dislike work, try to avoid work, are born inherently lazy, must be constantly dominated into doing a honest days work and only turn up to work to collect their pay. This means that employees must be controlled by threat in order to perform. Such an employee prefers to be directed, avoids responsibility, is explicit, and prefers security above all else. Theory Y Theory Y assumes that employees basically like to work and view work as something rather natural; the worker views this as a potentially enjoyable and positive experience. It brings forward that there are ways to make individuals perform other than through control and punishment. If the employee is committed to the mission of the department he or she will become a self directed employee. Job satisfaction means commitment to the department and its objectives. Under the proper conditions, the employee will learn and lead in to acceptance of responsibility. Many employees can solve problems no matter how big or small. Team Cohesion The definition of the word cohesive is sticking together. In cohesive teams some team members tend to concentrate on task functions while others focus on process maintaining roles. Poor morale The main reasons for poor morale are: * Negative event, such as a firing * Promotion of an employee when others are overlooked * Arguments between staff and/or management * Lack of the companys financial health * Too much or too heavy of a workload * Unappreciated or underappreciated work * Working conditions * Supervision thats too rigid, demanding, direct or involved in the work process * Supervision thats not supportive or strong enough, and doesnt provide needed guidance or input To increase morale you should: * Show concern * Provide appropriate feedback * Create goals * Offer recognition of the employees efforts After analysing each theory I have come to the conclusion that Herzbergs motivators and hygiene factor are best related to Arsenal Football Club. This is due to the fact that the employees of Arsenal Football Club are motivated to achieve whats best for them and the organisation yet they might be dissatisfied due to the pay that they are receiving or their status within the club or maybe even the way the organisation is run. Staff turnover High turnover often means that employees are unhappy with the work or compensation, but it can also indicate unsafe or unhealthy conditions, or that too few employees give satisfactory performance, due to unrealistic expectations or poor candidate screening. Low turnover indicates that none of the above is true: employees are satisfied, healthy and safe, and their performance is satisfactory to the employer. Employee retention To increase employee retention, the employer should: * Integrate performance management including goal setting * Give and receive feedback * Recognize and value employees * Coach employee performance * Handle employee complaints and problems * Provide a motivating work environment * Hold career development discussions with employees Stopping Team Conflict The best way to stop team conflict is to set up clear roles and responsibilities, accountability and goals for each team member that accomplishes the team mission. Then hold each team member accountable to the established team standard. It is also advisable to document your work processes so each team member understands how they fit in the whole picture and how they impact each other. Finally punish the troublemakers by using team feedback and a conflict resolution process. Leadership Having the correct leader for any team is very important because this causes serious changes to the team. Having a disorganised leader for any team will cause the members of the team to lose respect for the leader and each other in the team. Whereas having someone who is punctual, organised, good communicator and who has an interest in the team will be beneficial to the team as this will motivate the team members to respect one another, work harder, and become more efficient as well as having a good organisational structure within the team. Training/Coaching/Mentoring The players of Arsenal Football Club are constantly trained, several times a week, to prepare them for the football games against other football teams. Within the training sessions they discuss tactics which are done accordingly to players skill levels. This helps them become more confident and their skills levels improve as well as their teamwork. The reason their teamwork increases is because they learn to play with the same team members every week so they get used to the way they play and they can adjust their playing style to suit that of the team so the efficiency increases. The difference between training, coaching and mentoring is that: * Training is teaching a team member a certain skill so they can use it to their advantage within the team and for the teams benefit, passing the ball for example * Coaching is supporting, explaining, demonstrating, instructing and directing team members through encouragement and asking questions * Mentoring is focusing on a certain aspect of a team members skill and working on that until it improves, speed for example. This is much more personal and takes longer for the team member to learn the skill because of the fact that you focus on this single skill until it is gained

Comparison and Contrast between schools of thought

Comparison and Contrast between schools of thought As organizations grew and became more complex, there arouse a need for systematic understanding of how to manage the overall process of getting things done through other people. To define management in the words of Harold Koontz and Heinz Weihrich management is the process of designing and maintaining an environment in which individuals, working together in groups, efficiently accomplish selected aims. Management is not as rigid as science nor is it a form of art; it is an inexact science and an applied art. It is a goal oriented process that is pervasive and multi-dimensional. Management has a vast spectrum of theories .management is divided into two major divisions, the classical school of thoughts and the Neo classical school of thoughts. The classical school encompasses Scientific Management of Taylor, Administrative Management of Fayol, and Bureaucratic Organization of Weber. The Neo-Classical Theory includes the Human Relations Movement of Mayo along with Dickson and a few others. And the Behavioral Schools of Maslow, McGregor, and Herzberg etc. The aim of this essay is to bring out the differences and similarities between the theories of the Scientific School of thoughts and the Behavioral school of thoughts. The basis of contrast and comparison will be the worker and the views of these schools of thought on handling and controlling the workforce as well as the workplace and the different ways in which they get things done through people. Fredrick Winslow Taylor, a trained engineer known as the father of scientific management or Taylorism noticed the differences in the labor productivity which were driven by various causes such as talent, skills, intelligence or motive. He believed that there was only one best way of performing any task. Scientific management called for simplification but specialization of work tasks. Taylor held out that even the most basic, mindless task could be planned in such a way that would drastically increase productivity and that scientifically managing the workers was more effective than the initiative and incentive method of motivating workers. He carried out various studies such as the time study, motion study and studied the various movements of the workers and in order to reduce wastage. F.W.Taylor introduced the piece rate system, under which every worker was paid a fixed piece rate for each unit produced. Henri Fayol was French mining engineer and a management theorist who has incalculably contributed to the modern concepts of management. He proposed six primary functions and 14 principles of management; they were highly influential in the classical school of management and are prime examples of the tenets of the classical approach to management. But the primary functions as well as the 14 principles were more task oriented rather than people oriented. Max Weber was a German sociologist and political economist, who profoundly influenced social theory, social research, and the discipline of sociology itself. Bureaucracy arose by sub-dividing the functions that the owner-managers originally did themselves such as supervision, personnel selection, accounting and financial management, record keeping, job design, and planning. Elton Mayo was an Australian psychologist, sociologist and organization theorist, the founder of Human Relations Movement and is known for his research including the Hawthorne Studies. The Hawthorne Studies of the 1930s showed the importance of groups in affecting the behavior of individuals at work. This study enabled him to drive at conclusions about how a manager should behave. He carried out numerous experiments on how to increase and improve productivity. He found out that when workers work in informal groups their work satisfaction varied to large extent. The human relations movement deemed that humans are motivated by social needs and work well when they are put in a group or as a team that is socially bound; the primary concern of any organization must be the satisfaction of social needs, only when an individual is socially satisfied will he be able to work effectively hence organizations are regarded as the co-operative social systems in which informal groups have a substant ial effect on productivity. Abraham Maslow a professor of psychology at Brandeis University founded humanistic psychology and created Maslows hierarchy of needs. At the bottom of the pyramid is the Basic needs or Physiological needs, the next level is safety needs. The third level of need is the need of being loved. The fourth level is achieved only when individuals are happy with what they have accomplished and are comfortable with it known as the Esteem level. The top of the pyramid is the need for self actualization. Douglas McGregor was the creator and developer of Theory X and Theory Y that are known as the theories of human motivation. They describe two very different attitudes towards workforce motivation. McGregor felt that companies followed either one of these approaches. He also thought that the key to connecting self-actualization with work is determined by the managerial trust of subordinates. The similarity between scientific school and behavioral school was that they both wanted to increase productivity by increasing the efficiency of the workers. On the course of Taylors pragmatic studies, he came across concepts that were not in common use in those days. One of it was the rest intervals; workers were taught to take rest intervals quite often which as a result increased production ironically. One of the variables Mayo and his colleagues studied after conducting the Hawthorne studies were the impact of rest intervals. These rest intervals increased the productivity of the workers. One of the key principles introduced by Taylor was Co-operation, not Individualism, which emphasized on team work rather than individuals performing tasks all alone. After conducting the Hawthorne studies Mayo concluded that the individuals whom he studied worked better when they were put in a group hence, opted for team work. Behavioral school holds that there must be a fusion between human needs and organizational goals. Every worker must understand that when an organizational goal is achieved it leads to fulfillment of their personal needs. The same idea is reflected in one of the principles conferred by Fayol.The principle subordination of individual needs to general needs explains that efforts must be made to reconcile individual interests with common interests. Thought it explains that employees interest must not prevail over the organization as a whole. Both the school of thoughts concludes that peoples interest is secondary to organizational goals. One of the principles contributed by Henri Fayol is esprit de corps which means team work. The management should never use the policy of divide and rule rather it should use the concept team work which in return increases production and satisfaction of workers. In the 1930s,after conducting the Hawthorne studies, Mayo and his colleagues concluded that people worked in a more effective and efficient manner when put in groups together. Team work promotes co-operation between the workers and as a team together they could work for the accomplishment of organizational goals. The main criticism of scientific approach is that it avoids the human element in production and is devoid of human touch. It treats workers as machines, factors of production rather than human beings. On the contrary behavioral approach was more concerned about human behavior and stated performance itself was not a product of working conditions but a bundle of feelings, attitudes and sentiments. Special attention and opportunity to express their feelings causes them to work in a more effective manner. Scientific management is based on the assumption that humans are rational and are mainly motivated by money. They strongly believed that people were motivated by physical and economic needs and disregarded social needs. On the other hand behavioral school stood at people are motivated only by social needs and not by money. Behavioral school considers one as a manager if he has human skills. It overlooks the other factor that builds the managerial qualification in a person. Whereas, scientific school strongly believes that a manager should have the following qualities. They are physical health, mental ability, moral, general education, special knowledge and experience. Behavioral school opts for social environment in the workplace particularly informal work group, interpersonal and in-group relations between employees and managers influences the workers behavior and performance in a positive way. Scientific management suggested a superior-subordinate relationship i.e. a formal organization Taylors motive was to increase productivity; his perspective was egronomical but not psychological, however being in contrast with Taylor, Mayo did not exterminate the informal organization, instead he tried to create stability amid the official and informal organization. After studying the scientific school and behavioral school of thoughts, the theories contributed by Henri Fayol stands to be my favorite theories and principles. He analyzed managerial jobs in a series of functions which were to be performed by all managers in all organizations. The functions that constitute the managerial functions are: Planning, Organizing, Directing, Staffing and Controlling. In addition to the managerial functions, he introduced 14 general principles of management that helped the managers to effectively manage the work environment. All his principles are universally accepted. All organizations face the problem of making optimum utilization of scarce resources. Therefore, these functions and principles are applicable to all sorts of organizations. Fayol believed that on the job experience method of learning is not adequate. Therefore, he suggested formal management training. Though both the schools of thoughts had two different approaches their aim was to maximize production in a more efficient way. Both the schools undertook very different ways to accomplish their goals. Thus, it can be concluded that an organization can apply the theories that belong to one school or both in order to excel production through increased efficiency. Scientific management and human relations go hand in hand and one is not less superior to the other. dd u do yu online a/c test? http://profile.ak.fbcdn.net/hprofile-ak-snc4/hs455.snc4/49919_1661875195_6869938_q.jpg 6:44pm nope ! we all doin it in uni tomm ! http://profile.ak.fbcdn.net/hprofile-ak-snc4/hs223.ash2/48905_1196147190_1324038_q.jpg 6:44pm umm..ok http://profile.ak.fbcdn.net/hprofile-ak-snc4/hs455.snc4/49919_1661875195_6869938_q.jpg 6:45pm u ? http://profile.ak.fbcdn.net/hprofile-ak-snc4/hs223.ash2/48905_1196147190_1324038_q.jpg 6:45pm evn b4 i opned it stated dat d paoer cn b atempted onli once :(:( http://profile.ak.fbcdn.net/hprofile-ak-snc4/hs455.snc4/49919_1661875195_6869938_q.jpg 6:46pm wat ? dummy only u r for takn it serious :p:p so i ws rite :P:P http://profile.ak.fbcdn.net/hprofile-ak-snc4/hs223.ash2/48905_1196147190_1324038_q.jpg 6:50pm :(:( http://profile.ak.fbcdn.net/hprofile-ak-snc4/hs455.snc4/49919_1661875195_6869938_q.jpg 6:51pm awwwwhhh .. dont be sad :P:P dummy :P:P ur a cute dummy ;);) :D:D hwz dat :P:P ? http://profile.ak.fbcdn.net/hprofile-ak-snc4/hs223.ash2/48905_1196147190_1324038_q.jpg 6:51pm shaap! dummy only u r for takn it serious :p:p so i ws rite :P:P http://profile.ak.fbcdn.net/hprofile-ak-snc4/hs223.ash2/48905_1196147190_1324038_q.jpg 6:50pm :(:( http://profile.ak.fbcdn.net/hprofile-ak-snc4/hs455.snc4/49919_1661875195_6869938_q.jpg 6:51pm awwwwhhh .. dont be sad :P:P dummy :P:P ur a cute dummy ;);) :D:D hwz dat :P:P ? http://profile.ak.fbcdn.net/hprofile-ak-snc4/hs223.ash2/48905_1196147190_1324038_q.jpg 6:51pm shaap!

Renting Versus Buying Essay -- Compare Contrast Home Ownership

Buying a home can be an exciting experience for anyone. However, in some cases you just might be better off continuing to rent your home. There are many advantages to buying a home. However, it is not for everyone and buying varies from individual to individual. Currently more people are leaning towards renting but this could change in the near future. When someone makes the decision to buy or rent a home they must consider the advantages and disadvantages of each. In buying a home the primary advantage is that you actually own it. You can do whatever you want with it. Also, you are building equity as the years go by. â€Å"People today have problems saving for their future† (CNN Money, 2014). However, when they buy a home, the money they put down for a down payment is an investment. When the person sells the home they get back the down payment and the amount the property has appreciated in value. When looking at the advantages of renting it is easy to see the disadvantages of buying for some people. Even though you don’t get the money back that you put into it, renting could be a more satisfying option for some. This is because renting allows for flexibility. The person can move wherever as soon as there lease is up. Renters may see buying as â€Å"a reduction in lifestyle, moving to a smaller place, and perhaps a less expensive neighborhood.† (CNN Money, 2014). For example someone who rents an apartment enjoys how the complex keeps up the area and all the amenities it has to offer, and it is in an upper class part of town. However, when they buy they looks all the benefits, they have to do maintenance themselves, and move to an area they don’t particularly like to fit their price range. So which is better? It jus... ...etrieved October 29, 2014, from http://homebuying.about.com/od/buyingahome/qt/BuyorRent.htm This article explains how one should decide whether to buy a home or rent. Buying a home should be based on decisions of credit report, debt ratios, job stability or relocation, maintenance issues, and financial situation. It explains how not everyone should buy a house. Some people are actually better off renting. To rent or to buy? (2014). CNN Money. Retrieved October 29, 2014, from http://money.cnn.com/2014/10/29/yourhome/q_rent_or_buy/index.htm This article describes the disadvantages and advantages of buying or renting your home. It describes advantages of buying such as taxes and appreciation of the home. However, coming up with a down payment may be hard for many people. Renters may have less cost and more flexibility on when and where they can move to.

Decline of Amphibians Essay -- Animal Research

Introduction When researching the population decline of amphibians as a global issue, it is evident that there have been drastic changes in the past 30 years. Mike Lannoo from the U.S. Declining Amphibian Task Force says that there have been significant losses in amphibian populations for an extensive period of time (No Single Reason, 1999). Stuart et al. (2004) stated that according to scientists at the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), at least 427 species, roughly 7.4%, are at a dangerously high risk of extinction (Kaylor, 2006). The problem of amphibian decline cannot be linked directly to one single cause (No Single Reason, 1999). Instead, scientists have related the decline to disease, habitat loss, changes in climate, and pollution (Hayes, Falso, Gallipeau, Stice, 2010; Brooks et al., 2002; Dunson et al., 1992). It is concluded that many of these factors are related to and possibly caused by human interaction (McCallum, 2007). The declines could be caused by pathogens, climate change, or wildlife toxicology, says Dr. Ashley Mattoon from the Worldwatch Institute (Kirby, 2000). Amphibian decline is a serious global topic and is especially harmful in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. Specifically, there are many causes of amphibian decline in Virginia. The Weldon Cooper Center at the University of Virginia ranks Virginia 12th in population at an annual growth rate of 7% (Kelhart, 2006). Of Virginia’s 79 species of amphibians, four species are classified as near threatened, three species are classified as vulnerable, and one species is classified as endangered (Amphibians in VA, n.d.). The problem of amphibian decline can be traced back to many sources, which can either be classified as n... ...ander (Desmognathus fuscus) of southern Appalachia. Retrieved from ScienceDirect website: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0306456500000528 No Single Reason for Amphibian Decline. (1999, November 19). ScienceDaily. Retrieved from http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/1999/11/991119075426.htm Sexton, O. J., Phillips, C., & Bramble, J. E. (1990, September 19). The Effects of Temperature and Precipitation on the Breeding Migration of the Spotted Salamander (Ambystoma maculatum) [Press ]. Retrieved February 14, 2012, from http://www.jstor.org/stable/info/1446443#ufo Stuart, S. N., Chanson, J. S., Cox, N. A., Young, B. E., Rodrigues, A. S. L., Fischman, D. L., & Waller, R. W. (2004, October 14). Status and Trends of Amphibian Declines and Extinctions Worldwide. Abstract retrieved from Science Mag website: http://www.sciencemag.org/content/306/5702/1783

Julius Caesar Essay -- essays papers

Julius Caesar Expository Essay The decisions that one man makes can determine the length of life. Rome has many people that have the characteristics to be great leaders. Antony is a manipulative man, Brutus is an honorable man, and Octavius is a quiet strength. All three men would do an excellent job in leading Rome. Antony is a manipulative man. This is shown throughout the play in several cases, but most prominently at Caesar’s funeral. â€Å"I thrice presented him a kingly crown which he did thrice refuse. Was this ambition?† (III, ii, 96-96). Antony is very cleaver in the way that he presents his case to the people. He uses rhetorical questioning to show the people that Caesar was in fact not ambitious. Antony also played on the people’s greed, to influence them to his side. â€Å"I found it in his closet; ‘tis his will/and they would go kiss Caesar’s dead wounds†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (III, ii, 129, 132-133). Antony is very smart in the way he does this. He knows how to talk to the people to get them to believe his side of the story and revenge Caesar’s death. Likewise, Antony is conniving. He uses this strength by flattering Brutus, and falsely befriending the conspirators into letting him speak at Caesar’s funeral. â€Å"I doubt not of your wisdom. Let each man render me his bloody hand.† (III, i, 200-201). Antony presents his case in such a way that Brutus and the other conspirators think that he is on their side, when in fact he really is going to turn the common people against them to revenge Caesar’s death by creating a war. Furthermore, Brutus is an honorable man giving him the chance to be a great leader. Brutus is an idealist man , who is optimistic about assassinating Caesar. â€Å"Grant that, and then is death a benefit. So are we Caesar’s f... ... the only way to honor his dead uncle was to revenge his death. Even thought Octavius is the quiet strength of the second triumphant, he displays his leadership qualities and respect for others in a diplomatic way. In conclusion, throughout the play Rome has a source of people who would make excellent leaders and guide Rome to victory. Antony is seen as being a manipulative man and proves that nothing will stand in his way to revenge his friends death. Moreover, Brutus proves that he is an honorable man by keeping his motives pure and standing by his story that he truly loved Rome more than Caesar. Likewise, Octavius played a small roll as a quiet by-stander, yet proved his point that he will not stand for being push around in any sort of matter. Antony, Brutus, and Octavius learn that the decisions they make today could very well be their death of tomorrow.

Antoni Gaudi – Essay

Antoni Gaudi One of Spain’s most internationally recognized architects, Antonio Gaudi has left his mark throughout Barcelona and Catalonia. His whimsical vision and imaginative designs have brought a bit of magic to this historic region. Gaudi? s culmination of traditional elements with fanciful ornamentation and brilliant technical solutions paved the way for future architects to step outside the box. Born in Reus, Catalonia in 1852, Gaudi was the first in over four generations to leave the family tradition of metal working. As a child, Antonio never excelled in school. He suffered from arthritis, which kept his attendance low, and preferred to spend his time observing plants and animals, as well as studying forms in nature, which would eventually be so prominent in his designs. It was also during his early years studying with the Escolapius Fathers that Gaudi recognized the â€Å"value of the divine history of the salvation of man through Christ incarnate, given to the world by the Virgin Mary. † He later incorporated such beliefs into his greatest work, The Sagrada Familia. Around 1870 Gaudi moved to Barcelona to study architecture at the Provincial School of Architecture. His grades were again less than superior. However, the young student did earn special recognition in the areas of Trial Drawings and Projects, which allowed him to put his outlandish ideas to use. His professor proclaimed that what had been produced in these two courses was either the work of an insane man or a genius. In 1878 Antoni Gaudi was one of only four students to be granted the title of Architect by the school? s director. At a time of cultural and political renaissance in Europe, Gaudi looked to many sources of inspiration for his work. Medieval books, Gothic art, Oriental structures, the Art Nouveau movement, and, of course, the glory of nature, strongly influenced his designs. His deep love of music, as well as his interest in writers such as John Ruskin, who said that â€Å"ornament is the origin of architecture,† also played a roll in the development of Gaudi? s unmistakable style. After graduating, Gaudi found comfort in the flourishing city life of turn-of-the century Barcelona. Numerous doors were opened for him among the bourgeoisie, artists, and intellectuals of the time. The young architect had a reputation for dressing in the latest fashion, and surrounding himself by high society. However, Gaudi never forgot his working-class roots. His first major project as a professional architect was workers? housing in a factory, the Coopertiva Mataronese, which was intended to improve the workers? quality of life. Gaudi presented his design at the Paris World Fair in 1878. It was there that he met Eusebi Guell, the man who would become one of the artist’s closest friends and most loyal patrons. In the following years, with rapidly growing interest in his work, Gaudi took on many important projects. Among them was the house built for the wealthy ceramic manufacturer, Manuel Vicens, as well as â€Å"El Capricho,† a villa for the brother-in-law of the Marquee of Comillas. Soon after, Gaudi began designing a palace for his good friend Guell (Palau Guell), and then later the two collaborated on Park Guell, which was intended to be a garden city. Gaudi, however, is most recognized for his work on â€Å"La Sagrada Familia,† a twentieth century cathedral in Barcelona. Gaudi took over the project in 1884 after a disagreement between a member of the Temple Council and the original project manager, Fracisco de Paula del Villar (Gaudi’s former professor), over materials. Antonio Gaudi was a mere 31 years of age when he officially gained control over the building. The architect devoted the next forty-two years of his life to its construction, until his sudden death at age 74 in 1926.

Critical Thinking Essay: the Godfather Essay

The Godfather, a story about a multigenerational crime family by the Italian American author Mario Puzo, was one of the best-selling books since it was published in 1969. Not only the book was a phenomenon, its movie under the direction of director Francis Ford Coppola had also become a landmark in American movie since it was released in 1972. The Godfather detailed impressively the activities of the gangster world, especially the Corleone family which was under the control of the patriarch Vito Corleone starring by Marlon Brando and Al Pacino as his youngest son Michael Corleone who soon inherited his father’s position. The film lived up to the term masterpiece which helped it win three Academy Awards for best actor, best picture, and best adapted screenplay. Although the movie was full of brutal violence and mass killing of people, it also showed the care, the love, and the loyalty of the Corleone family members for each other. Rather than just showing the criminal side of breaking the laws or murdering people, The Godfather showed a brand new vision of the gangster world to the audiences. The criminal genre first started with the film the Little Caesar which was the first movie ever made about the gangster world in 1931. Later, many famous directors had taken advantage of this new trend and released many great movies with this genre, such as director Howard Hawkes with his famous film Scarface in 1932 and director Raoul Walsh with the movie White Heat in 1949. Those were all the big films that gave the audiences the impression of how audacious and dangerous the Mafia was. Mostly those movies focused on a younger gangster who was trying to work his way up in his criminal career to become well-known and powerful in the underworld by all means. Then, the release of the Godfather impressively surprised all the fans of the mob movies with a totally different viewing experience. The film depicted a systematic criminal organization, a â€Å"family business† that was transferred from generation to generation. The audiences are attracted in the very first plot of the movie when it shows Vito Corleone is doing his â€Å"business†. The man is insisting him to take revenge for his daughter who was brutally beaten by her boyfriend and he will pay any price the Godfather wants. The audiences will think that surely the Don will say â€Å"yes† because that is how a mobster is in their mind: Give them money, they will do anything. However, Vito says â€Å"No† because the only thing he wants from the man is friendship and he feels disrespectful when the man is only talking about money. Another plot that shows the breakthrough of the Godfather is when his oldest son, Santino, was butchered by Emilio Barzini’s men, the second most powerful Don, Vito still takes the initiative of renouncing all the vengeance at which audiences think there will be a massacre between the two families. Vito also makes a concession in doing drug business though he mentioned that he never believed drugs. In return, he wants a guarantee from other families for the safety of his own family and the younger son, Michael, who is still in Sicily hiding away from the police. Furthermore, thanks to director Coppola for being determined in choosing the appropriate actors and actresses for every characters in the movie which was a great contribution to the movie that made it become a masterpiece. Marlon Brando was not the first choice for the character Vito Corleone, he was actually refused for casting by the Paramount executives. However, Coppola believed Marlon was the best match for the character so he fought hard for him until the executives agreed. Marlon proved to the executives that Coppola was right by showing his consensus in being a patriarch of a powerful criminal family. The way the Godfather talks to his clients makes him a respectable man to his friends and family but a dangerous and cold-hearted killer to those who wants to go against him. Besides, the great performance of Marlon Brando puts an outstanding development of Al Pacino’s character. Like Marlon, Al Pacino was not highly valued by the executives because of his looks and lack of experiences in acting. However, with his efforts, the viewers can see the improvement in performing Michael Corleone through all the scenes. The scene he played that helped him keep his role is when Michael was in the restaurant with McCluskey and Sollozo. This plot was really breathtaking and terrifying that makes viewers attentively watch it to the end. Michael’s shiver and worry before the shot successfully portrays an inexperienced mobster, a newbie in the underworld of Michael. Indeed, in the second half of the movie, when Michael took over his father’s chair and started the wipe-out of all of the family’s rivals, he showed an image of a young Don who was more wise and dangerous than his father. As a gangster movie, the Godfather has many plots that can make viewers jump out of their chairs or hide their faces behind their hands. As an experienced director, Coppola knew how to combine background music with the plots to emphasize their contents. For example, when Jack Woltz refused the offer from the Godfather of letting Johnny Fontane cast a role in his movie, the next morning he woke up and saw his beloved horse head in his bed. The evil music was playing very small when the scene was showing Woltz’s garden, viewers could even hear the sound of the crickets. Then the camera slowly moved to Woltz’s bedroom where the music was playing louder and louder as it reached near Woltz’s bed. Finally, the music turned to maximum when Woltz was screaming because he saw the horse head. This scene really freaked people out because Coppola used a real horse head. Lastly, the movie is remarkable because it shows deeply the human part of mobsters. A typical example of how the Corleone members care for each other is Santino’s care about his sister, Conny. At the first scene of the movie, there was the wedding of Conny and Carlo. Unfortunately, Carlo did not love her. He purposely married to Conny because he wanted to get involved in Corleone family which was the most powerful Mafia family in New York. However, Vito Corleone did not let any outsiders to be part of the his business. Carlo was disappointed and he started abusing Conny fiercely, his just married wife. In the film, audiences can see Santino was the only member in the family protected Conny. Santino was also a very hot-tempered person. In some plots, because he was so aggressive, he brought a very bad impression on viewers. Nevertheless, watching him beating Carlo on the street, viewers would have a more positive feeling toward him. Another plot that makes the audiences more sympathy with the movie is when Vito retired, he became an old man with very simple joys of doing gardening and playing with his grandson. Later in the movie, he died by a heart attack, a very normal way that could happen to other elders. That scene really surprises viewers because they may think as one of the most powerful Don in the Mafia world, Vito Corleone should have had a more honorable death. Overall, although the Godfather was released in 1972 at which the performance of the actors and actresses were not as good as the casts now, it still has the full attention of audiences every time they watch. It is rated R which means it has many extremely violent scenes and nudity plots. Some people may think its violence is quite tame. However, if parents don’t take seriously consideration before letting their kids see the movie, their kids might still have a nightmare at night. Work Cited Seal, Mark. â€Å"The Godfather Wars.† Vanity Fair. N.p., Mar. 2009. Web. 18 Nov. 2012. . Rovi, Bruce Eder. â€Å"Little-Caesar – Trailer – Cast – Showtimes – NYTimes.com.† Little-Caesar – Trailer – Cast – Showtimes – NYTimes.com. The New York Times, n.d. . â€Å"TheGodfather Trivia: Leavethe Gun, Read the Trivia!(Total Trivia Entries: 147).† The Godfather Trivia. N.p., n.d. .

The Impact of Instant Messaging in the Financial Services Industry: Benefits, Challenges and Recommendations

January 2009 Executive Summary Unfortunately, while Instant Messaging (IM) systems have the ability to change the way financial service companies interact for the better, many of today’s implementations pose problems and challenges to address. IM technology has the benefits of gathering input from many different people in dispersed locations. This adds speed and ease to workplace communication, and presence detection eliminates the time typically lost to missed telephone calls and wasted trips to see colleagues. Speed and efficiency are increased from knowing the status of financial transactions in real-time. A main challenge in financial compliance is the regulatory financial framework, which forces financial service companies to archive IM conversations. Poor management in security and retention controls increases the legal risk and personal accountability to corporate officers. Consumer-grade IM has potential for security breach and the leak of corporate data which can be particularly devastating to financial service companies. IM is widely used to distribute research, negotiate prices, execute orders, and stay in touch with clients and colleagues. It provides a direct mode of communication with co-workers, clients and other broker-dealers that enables far closer and more personal relationships. Imposing an IM ban could result in the loss of clients and valuable employees to competitors who are more tolerant of the use of IM in the financial markets. Key recommendations include: Installing an enterprise-grade IM system for all employees in the firm. The addition of consumer-grade IM for client facing employees to keep client loyalty. Educating employees on a company IM policy including regulatory guidelines and using IM for personal use. Enforcing rules through software that monitors and records IM conversations, and also through disciplinary action. Forming a management team to coordinate a strategic IM plan that meets all regulatory and legal needs and effectively solves the challenges and problems discussed. Continuously investing in new technology, updating IM policy, and educating employees to meet long-term regulatory and security requirements, and issues regarding the future direction of the firm. Introduction Instant Messaging (IM) was the first mass based communication application rolled out by users, rather than management who saw immediate business value in this new form of communication. Financial Industry and Government regulators have clarified IM as a form of real-time written correspondence that creates a business record. This paper seeks to explain the risks and problems IM brings to the financial services industry and challenges for management, such as determining the effect on employee productivity. This paper reviews the benefits IM brings to the financial services industry, in the form of improved communication, collaboration, efficiency, monetary benefits and information archiving. It also discusses the problems and challenges that management should be aware as well as the impact on the business, and makes recommendations for addressing these issues and achieving benefits for financial service companies. The Potential Benefits that can be gained from IM Enhanced collaboration There are many arguments for the use of IM as a communications tool in the business environment, including improved brainstorming capabilities and the ability to multitask. Many workers today use the telephone and IM simultaneously, so they can chat with each other privately while, for example, on a group call to a client. Ellen Isaacs (2005), reports that â€Å"users like that they could respond to quick IM questions from co-workers while engaged in another task, such as talking on the telephone, or processing documents or email. Studies note the ability to multitask is a major benefit of IM in the workplace. Current theory emphasises the value of informal social interactions for exchanging information, collaborating, and initiating spontaneous interactions (Cross & Parker, 2004). IM suggests that systems that depict social cues facilitate information and social interactions, enhancing performance. Over time, people develop comfortable working relationships through prior collaborat ion and through socialising. IM has proven its overwhelming value when it comes to gathering input from many different people in dispersed locations. For example, in financial trading, UBS has created over 5,000 group channels around certain topics like foreign exchange, equities and fixed income. Pritchard (2006) reports that if something's happening in European equities, or in foreign exchange, someone can put it on the chat line and other traders can see it instantly. Improved efficiency Processes that were once agonizingly slow and inclined toward misunderstanding and errors can now be accomplished in record time. Handel (2002) reports how this has led to increased popularity among workers because it adds speed and ease to workplace communication, and eliminates the time typically lost to missed telephone calls and wasted trips to the office of a co-worker who is absent or otherwise occupied. It is clear that IM can be an efficient, thought-provoking communications tool, not only within the office but as a bridge between geographically dispersed locations. Jim Craige (2006) at UBS Investment Bank explains how in fixed income trading, having a secure connection to a network of dealers with whom he's in constant contact lets him take care of business faster, as â€Å"it drastically cuts down on the time it takes† to know the status of transactions. Improved communication IM differs from email, primarily in that its focus is on the immediate delivery of messages. Many also acknowledge the tool as less intrusive and a time saver when compared to the telephone due to the ability to detect the presence of other users. Users can set status messages telling others whether they are available or not, which adds to IM’s value as a skilful means of communication. There is often some type of icon next to the name of their buddy to determine how long the person has been online, and if they are actively messaging or â€Å"away† from their desk. From the author’s experience, this saves on making unnecessary phone calls if you can see that the person you want to speak to is not at their desk. It can be decided whether to contact the person later or send an email, voicemail, or other message that the recipient can respond to later. In other instances, help consists of referrals to others who can provide answers or help solve problems. UBS formed a help desk channel for IT where employees could input trouble tickets (a specific IT problem) through a chat system and then receive real-time feedback on the status of their ticket. IM offers a way to quickly resolve questions and issues as they arise. Cost Benefits IM has proven return on investment benefits in certain situations, such as conferencing. Group members can be conferenced in to a conversation from around the world, which saves on long distance calls and travel expenses. Diseconomies of scale in distance can be solved through IM, due to increased collaboration and the cut in communication costs (Cameron & Webster, 2004. ) According to Saeedi (2005), Morgan Stanley saves $18 million annually by relying more heavily on IM than phone calls, plus another $98 million per year in trimmed travel costs, as there is diminished need for face-to-face meetings. Many analysts see IM as stimulating positive change in organizations because of its rapid diffusion, diminishing costs, and ease of use (Jones, 1998). Information Archiving Archiving IM meetings and conversations has become an essential business process for financial companies, since IM users don’t generally just chat, but they also exchange documents, contracts, trade details and other financial information. Starner, T. (2004) says how â€Å"Instant messages are business records, just as e-mails are business records. † This enables employees to go back and review crucial information (they may have forgotten) that is needed for themselves or that is requested from them. Financial institutions are wary because of regulations where in some areas such as trading they cannot use instant messaging without logging and archiving them. There is also scope for managers to review IM conversations and therefore ensure productivity is not being compromised by personal IM use, and that disclosure and industry regulations are being followed. The challenges and problems with the implementation of IM Compliance Compliance regulations, such as Sarbanes-Oxley, have forced companies to archive IM conversations. This is because an IM conversation is still regarded as a sort of document. Sarbanes-Oxley regulation requires an annual evaluation of internal controls and procedures for financial reporting, as well an assessment for the effectiveness of these controls. As IM is involved in this process, these communications need to be logged, archived and available upon request. Many IT units are having difficulty managing several IM systems installed without their knowledge that are used for both personal and important business communications. For example, Thomas Weisel Partners LLC in San Francisco tried to shut down the use of America Online Inc. ‘s Instant Messenger, Microsoft Corp. s MSN Messenger and Yahoo Inc. ‘s Yahoo Messenger after the 11th September terrorist attacks. However, due to resistance from users, the company was forced to adopt monitoring software instead. Managers are in agreement that in financial services, client facing employee’s need the more popular systems to communicate with customers, so efforts to implement a standard IM p roduct rarely work. Beth Cannon, a former Chief Information Officer at a brokerage explains that â€Å"it comes down to some of our institutional customers who required IM as the method to communicate with them. When a client insists on using a specific consumer-grade IM and management who choose to shut it down, they create the possibility of losing that client. However, if they keep it then they open up the company to risks, as well as additional costs in monitoring, archiving and enforcing policy on the technology. The problem of resistance to the removal of the multiple IM systems can be circumvented to a large degree through the use of monitoring software. More vendors of all sizes, such as Stellar Technologies Inc. are scrambling to build robust tools to monitor IM for financial firms, which must meet new government regulations requiring that electronic conversations be monitored and recorded. When organisations implement information management solutions, they must ensure ade quate management controls. Grace Financial report that their administrative tools are great for inputting problematic key words and reviewing highlighted logs. On the other hand, they also report that they have had limited, if any, issues with misuse – just increased software costs. However, they find that it has come in most useful for reviewing conversations where there is a problem with a client order. There is a significantly increased legal and security risk from lack of user management, security and records retention controls for employee use of instant messaging technologies. Following the lead taken by the New York Attorney General, the SEC (Securities Exchange Commission) has already issued some multimillion dollar fines for non-compliance of regulation (Ministries, J. 2002). In May 2002 Merrill Lynch agreed to pay a $100mm penalty resulting from hyping stocks that internal communications revealed that they knew to be bad. However as part of the settlement Merrill Lynch set up a proper system for logging and monitoring IM. With IM becoming such a popular communications tool, it's reasonable to assume that conversations conducted will, at some point, contain information that is company confidential. Therefore an IM system is needed that provides security for messages as they are transmitted, even if all such transmissions will be within the company’s own network. Goldman Sachs has spent considerable financing on ‘Bond. Hub’ which delivers secure messaging beyond firewalls of new fixed-income product issues. This new software could only be implemented with complete security as they wish to protect their extremely valuable client list. The security of ‘Bond. Hub’ has kept control with the dealers and protects access to the high-value content. The right solution of IM security will depend largely on the value of the data, and the company’s view of risk. Unmonitored, uncontrolled consumer-grade IM, such as Yahoo Messenger and MSN Messenger are essentially open channels between corporate networks and the outside world. This involves an amount of risk that most business leaders are unwilling to accept. â€Å"Instant messaging could be fine between two companies if the data being exchanged is very insensitive,† says Miles Clements, a project manager at an Information Security Foundation. â€Å"But a trader should not be able to use IM to trade with another bank. † It is argues by security experts that free consumer chat programs can tear gaping holes in security efforts. This is mainly because consumer-grade IM allows unlimited numbers of people to connect directly to a corporate network. † This was made evident in a case that occurred at the beginning of 2001, where a hacker stole logs from an instant messaging client belonging to the CEO for a company called eFront which specialises in financial services software. The hacker posted the logs to several places on the Web, thereby creating one of the worst possible corporate nightmares. These logs included sensitive company data regarding business partners, employees and affiliate websites. After the posting of the logs, several members of the senior staff for eFront resigned. There are reports already of cybercriminals and hackers exploiting the growing popularity of IM by using it to introduce viruses or other malicious software into financial firms. The Vice President of a top investment bank had his computer infected by a virus and found that his entire ‘buddy’ list had been sent a record of all his IM conversations. He was fired because of negative comments he'd made about his colleagues in what he thought were private IM conversations. Obviously, for the firm in question the logs leaked several confidential facts that were hurtful to the company’s reputation and future business deals. In spite of this, virus attacks are not yet frequent on IM applications, but the latest threat is likely to send worry in to the mind of IM users and the financial service firms that employee them. IT departments need to take a strong lead on securing IM through many different approaches. However, an outright ban on running IM software is unlikely to succeed or risks damaging productivity by closing down a useful communications channel. It seems that financial companies need to act to assess the state of IM use within their organizations and put into place the necessary measures to make sure their IM use does not run afoul the compliance requirements and vital security needs of the financial services industry. From the author’s own experience at Morgan Stanley, employees have to view and learn several materials and then take a test on the dangers of IM, in order to educate users on correct use and also place more legal obligation on the employee and take it away from the company. Employees can frequently disclose information when they are conducting several different IM conversations at once, and accidentally send a message to the wrong person. Inside information, prospecting information etc. can be leaked in these ways fairly easily, with no malevolent intention on the part of employees. This author has experienced the simplicity of replying in the wrong IM conversation when several conversations windows are open. The leak of valuable corporate data can be particularly devastating for financial service companies. Computer experts have warned that a lot of leaks are actually intentional and that financial service professionals are increasingly using untraceable electronic instant messaging systems to communicate sensitive information secretly. The Financial Services Authority said there had been concerns about instant messaging for some months. However, the City watchdog said its existing rules covering conflicts of interest were sufficient to cover such new forms of communication as IM. In the US, securities regulators have cracked down on the use of instant messaging, when the National Association of Securities Dealers told its members they must save instant messages for three years or restrict employees in using the technology. There is the impression that some companies have banned the use of IM technology. On the other hand, Mr. Palmer of Kroll Ontrack, said it was reasonably easy to place a device on a computer server to divert the messages and search for information. If IM technology is to be allowed then employees need to be advised of its use, due to the interception of private information. There is a mixed view on IM security; however there are solutions to plugging leaks and enforcing policy to keep employees in line with company policy. Productivity Instant Messaging can be a productivity-enhancing tool for efficient financial communications with co-workers, clients, customers, vendors, and the like. Although, Nehra (2005) explains that various reports describe how productivity may be adversely affected by employee abuse or overindulgence in personal instant messaging communications. This presents the major challenge with implementing IM technology into the workplace. One thing that has kept deployment of instant messaging at investment banks a low priority among business managers is the perception that it can distract workers from more critical tasks, says Kim Cross, a VP at Morgan Stanley Investment Management. Many financial companies believe instant messaging detracts from employee productivity and introduces new temptations to converse with others beyond their job duties. From the author’s experience at Morgan Stanley, IM offers the opportunity to converse quickly and continuously with friends in a secret manner that the telephone does not allow and this can decrease productivity significantly. However, a study by the Radicati Group looked at the time it took employees to complete two typical daily tasks—both with and without IM—and found that companies could save an average of 40 minutes a day per user with IM. They estimated that a financial services organisation with 5,000 people could see a $37. 5 million a year savings in productivity. Limitations and communication consequences are a definite cause for concern when implementing a new IM system. Possible decreased worker productivity, a lack of direct communication among colleagues, and misinterpretations can be common place when using instant messaging. Additionally, IM does not give the same personal verbal delivery that direct communication gives. From the author’s experience at Morgan Stanley, IM does not always give the same authority or conviction that a ‘real’ conversation over the telephone permits and so may not make clear enough the importance of particular requests. Although IM may have been initially frowned upon, some managers look at this communication as team building â€Å"because it enables peers to bond and form stronger working relationships. † (Robbo, R). However not all sources concur. Shiu, E. (2004), suggests that in fact, 32% of those individuals who use IM in the office acknowledge that IM can encourage workplace gossip, and 29% note that IM has been a distraction at some point in the past. These extensive risks still do not change the opinion of most executives, who are in agreement, that blocking IM entirely is not an option. The question is how to bring out the benefits of consumer IM while ensuring it is properly managed, secure and compliant. The impact of IM when implemented in financial service organisations The primary reason that IM has been such a success in the business environment is that its benefits, even when weighed against the risks, are both immediate and tangible. Industry-wide effects Centrally managed IM deployments have just begun to take hold in business, says Aberdeen Group analyst Dana Gardner. The rapid increase in the adoption of IM is linked to the fact that recent university graduates have developed a strong affinity for IM. Although there is a strong concern over the security of consumer-grade IM, managers have to accept that IM is a preferred communication technique of young employees. Clients want to use IM and so employers have to set-up and integrate IM in to their firm’s communication network. The clients of broker-dealers will also deal with their competitors, and they don't want systems that only allow them to deal with one company so firms need to meet the IM requirements of clients. Top investment banks now share directories to create an open messaging environment for broker-dealers to communicate with each other and to customers. It even opens up the ability for customers to communicate with other customers. Barriers in the industry have come down as customer and broker-dealers are commingling in one giant address book. IM provides a direct mode of communication with co-workers, customers and vendors that enables far closer and more personal relationships than is available in virtually every other means of electronic communications. This could have the negative effect on the industry of making information more transparent and therefore increase price transparency and negatively affect profit. On the other hand, the increase in real-time communication links to other broker-dealers and clients could mean a larger more liquid market. Performance of employees Business IM allows employees to be more efficient in their work output. Data shows that IM users engage in multi-tasking at a rate considerably higher than non-IM users. In a recent survey, 91% of IM users reported that while participating in IM sessions they also perform additional tasks either most or all of the time (Haskin, D. 2004). However it can be argued that users tend to chat often, setting aside legitimate business tasks in the process. Some employees find it hard to concentrate when messages are continually popping up on screen. If the user has their presence detection on, then colleagues and clients will believe that their message has been received and read, therefore attention needs to be given to each instant message. This could mean an overload of information for the user, continually distracting them from their primary tasks and therefore decrease their performance. However, the more successful employees could use the multitasking capability of IM to take on even more work, and show up the less successful employees. This in turn could create the effect of preventing those less successful employees from wasting time using IM for personal use. The multitude of information sources that broker-dealers have competing for their attention could definitely result in a negative impact on performance, as incoming messages add to the pile of e-mail, news summaries, and other data that competes for the users productive time. Therefore management needs to maintain whether some users perhaps require IM and others do not, and if they do, to enforce rules and policies to battle the challenge of productivity. This policy along with many other things, would need to drive home this point that the organisation provides IM to boost business productivity, not as a diversion from work. It needs to be instilled into employee’s that policy will be enforced to coerce users from personal IM use. Given the chatty nature of IM, some would argue that it is bound to have a negative impact on performance, as employees chat about personal matters throughout the workday. Although personal chat with other employees throughout the day could help forge more inter-firm relationships, and this ollaboration could have a positive impact on overall company performance as more and more employees in different teams are being brought together. Therefore the firm needs to find a way to manage this balance between business and personal conversations. This seems unlikely to be controlled to a large extent and so a large amount of trust will be left with the employee. Internal and External Relationships IM appeal s to broker-dealers because they feel that IM delivers a necessary advantage that e-mail and the telephone cannot match, which is speed. They believe that they will not get clients if they do not use the technology. Banning IM seems a possible solution to the risks of IM, however it may not be so easy to enforce. Many broker-dealers facing the financial markets, where seconds make the difference between profit and loss, may be reluctant to part with consumer-grade IM. The impact of banning consumer-grade IM across the board may trigger a revolt among employees and the clients they are in regular IM contact with. Therefore imposing an IM ban could result in the loss of valuable employees to competitors who are more tolerant of the use of IM in the financial markets. As discussed in the previous section, personal use of IM can be used to help forge relationships with colleagues. These same personal conversations can be transferred to those employees who are client facing and used as ‘business’ conversations in order to build and maintain relationships with clients. The fact that IM conversations can be left open so that brokers can maintain an on and off dialogue throughout the day with their client adds significant value. Previously a broker could not call up a client to, for example, make a flippant remark on current news but this can now take a few seconds to write it in an open IM window and their client could view this while multitasking. This casual dialogue can help maintain client loyalty with is the crux of sales in the financial services industry. Not surprisingly, the vast majority of employees believe that the use of IM within their organisation improves productivity, external relationships, and their efficiency. More significantly, however, is that even business managers and IT personnel who are aware of the risks posed by IM, overwhelmingly favour its use noting that the added â€Å"real† business performance more than offsets the potential risks. Management Recommendations Managing the problems and challenges associated with implementing IM This author recommends a dual approach in response to the challenge of the multitude of IM programmes in the company. Primarily, installing an enterprise-grade IM system (an internal instant messaging system where messages can be encrypted) for all employees. Then employees can be allowed to communicate confidential information internally, but only in the guidelines of the company’s written policy. The second approach is to allow client-facing employees consumer-grade IM who insist they need it to keep client loyalty, even though consumer IM tools travel across the public Internet (not encrypted). Monitoring and security can then be focused more on these employee’s who potentially open the organisation to security breaches such as eavesdropping, accidental confidential information loss, and also the risk of intentional information leaks. This can be further facilitated by the installation of content filters to capture messages that use potentially problematic words like â€Å"rumour†. Then these IM conversations can be reviewed to ensure that neither laws nor corporate policies are broken. Achieving the business benefits of IM Instant messaging use is recommended to communicate instantaneously with other brokers, dealers, clients and other third parties so that client loyalty is increased through immediate responses and colleagues can get answers from client questions in real time. IM should be used as a less intrusive method of avoiding tasks, as a broker can use IM simultaneously with chatting on the phone and e-mailing. IM presence detection should be used so that it is possible to see whether clients are online and open to chat and brokers can determine whether they are available to incoming IM transmissions. This can be reflected through IM settings such as â€Å"away† and â€Å"in a meeting† which lets the user know that the instant message may be read or acted upon. In addition managers can quickly see who is online at the office at any given time. Employees can also be strategic in the way they contact their colleagues by first checking they are online before, for example, calling them. IM should be used to avoid the cost of travel and group conference calls through multiple people joining in on real-time IM conversations. Also whilst travelling, employees can engage in IM conversations with clients and colleagues to facilitate the efficiency of information flow. All conversations should be logged for at least three years due to compliance so that after the instant message vanishes, after it is read, and its window closes, employees can go through archiving and find the message again if they did not note important information from the conversation that they need. Further to this archiving should take place to meet industry regulations and as possible evidence to future litigation. Controlling the transition and longer term issues Once the extent of employee’s IM use is identified, the transition should be controlled through developing a strategic IM management plan. A team should be formed, comprising of risk management, compliance and litigation in order to structure a companywide policy so the firm meets finance regulations, and information security needs. Senior Management should lead the IM management controls through bridging the gap between problems and recommending effective tools to manage those risks, such as retention and archiving tools as previously discussed. New financial regulations would need to be adhered to in existing business activity and also reviewed in new financial markets. Therefore future investment in new technology is vital to help maintain IM use and abuse. The firm will need to develop effective, accessible IM tools to meet future needs of broker-dealers who rely on IM for internal and external communication. Employees need to be trained and kept up to date with regulatory guidelines and retention rules. Long-term issues of security will need to be constantly addressed. Those employees who are using consumer-grade IM offer the constant possibility of data theft and electronic eavesdropping. IM needs to be constantly updated with the latest antivirus software to protect from viruses and other threatening security breaches that might be able to penetrate the firms firewall. Finally, if the direction or structure of the firm changes then IM policy must be changed to meet this. References Electronic journals Mearian, L. (2004) IM Spread Causing Management Headaches. Computerworld. [online] 38(49), 7. Available from: http://proquest. umi. com/pqdweb? index=35=759250251=1& sid=6=3=PROD=PQD=309=PQD=1231380861=5238 [Accessed 4 January 2009] Cameron, A. F. & Webster, J. (2004) Unintended consequences of emerging communication technologies: Instant Messaging in the workplace. 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