Policing Domestic Violence Essay

Domestic violence can be considered to be an act of violence which has been observed to occur in every socio-economic class as well as within all cultures. Domestic violence is defined as a pattern of coercive control that one individual intermittently exerts over another by means of spiritual, emotional, sexual, physical or economic abuse (http://www. dvvap. org/i). This form of exploitation has victimized mostly the women and children and men in much fewer cases and it continues to be perpetrated all over the world. In some regions or nations of the world, domestic violence has become a daily occurrence. Domestic violence leads to very drastic effects on the family, especially if perpetrated on both women and children. When this form of violence is done through physical harm, it results to injury, disability or even death in victims. Mental problems that may also occur usually make the victims feel unloved, lonely and have low self-esteem. Depression occurs in many victims of psychological abuse, which in turn may cause severe isolation of the victims from family and friends. Sexual violence and incest are other forms of domestic violence. In some regions of the world, domestic violence causes continue to rise due to patriarchal, cultural and religious traditions, (Human Rights Watch, 2005. , pp 12). All over the world, different governments handle domestic violence in many ways due to differing views on violence Different proposals have been presented to encourage the governments to have certain views on this form of violence. According to Lisa, domestic violence should be treated as a political and public problem. It should also be viewed as a breach of the human rights. It is a violation of human rights which every individual is entitled to. Those who perpetrate actions of violence against the others should be stopped, (Lisa, H. 78-79). Policing domestic violence refers to a scientifically developed application that aims at solving the domestic violence problem. In the past, it has involved testing of hypothesis in relation to the classification, prediction and the domestic violence prevention. Policing domestic violence policing as a tool of solving domestic violence also experiences several challenges as a crime prevention strategy (Hoctor, M. 53). In order to identify more effective policing strategies for domestic violence prevention and control, a culture of science is very necessary where the strategy integrates trial and error as a norm in crime prevention. The domestic violence policing programs aim at offering support to victims of domestic violence while at the same time preventing domestic violence. However, the public has raised concern about the domestic violence public policy. Lawrence et al states that in the past, the public has been concerned about the domestic violence policy. This is because it is sometimes based on ideology and it lacks evidence based on science. The public advocates for an effective domestic violence policing which should be practical and also be implemented appropriately. This would be a very good measure in preventing domestic violence (Lawrence S. et al, 24). In the last decade, police response to domestic violence has been criticized with a claim that the police did not take violence incidents seriously. However, effective measures to curb domestic violence are being developed and implemented through better policing. In this paper, the domestic violence policing issue will be discussed. The ethical stance of domestic violence in policing will be looked at, as well as the police departments’ responsibility of policing. The past system and current issues arising due to violence will be evaluated. Discussion For effective policing in domestic violence, a cultural evolution in policing needs to be developed in order to support the scientific revolution in order to solve the domestic violence problem. The cultural evolution rapid movement requires a growing partnership between the police and criminologists, public health community officers and professional scientists. Coherence of approach by the different police units to domestic violence is promoted by policy statements or documents where the Police officers introduce the policy documents with varying extent and content. With the increasing reports of domestic violence to the police, the police service has been required to utilize their limited resources to improve domestic violence service delivery to the people. Domestic violence is a great concern for the community where the police intervene in many cases. Whenever the police receive an initial call for assistance, it is their responsibility to provide immediate protection to the victim due to the fact that the police have certain powers which allow them to respond to domestic violence incidents. Whether the victims feel confident in contacting the police departments later in future will depend on how the police perform their tasks when the victim makes the initial contact (Lawrence, S. 126). The police have a major role in arresting criminals or offenders with the perpetrators of domestic violence considered as criminals because they undermine the human rights of the victims. The suspects are usually arrested and charged if there is enough evidence of violence against the victim. However, law enforcement officers should ensure that the suspect’s rights are not violated until the truth is established much later as one of the requirement in the police departmental policy. The police forces have domestic violence policy documents which contain written aims and priorities that are expected to assist them either solve, prevent or reduce domestic violence incidents. The policy documents normally contain the domestic violence definition, its implications, as well as guidance about the various police response components. The responsibility to implement domestic violence policies is something that is shared across a range of the police roles. The policies are very vital in protecting domestic violence victims against actions of exploitation such as domestic violence involving withholding of economic resources from a victim. Some children are even denied education through this form of abuse, as well partners who do not work. This denies the victims their basic needs, which is considered unethical and unacceptable. Domestic violence policing prevents this form of exploitation and instead promotes ethical practices in the society. Through policing, public safety problems are defined, analyzed and effective solutions to the problems addressed. Though the society is responsible for propagating ethics, it sometimes undermines the ethics if it allows domestic violence to occur without taking any action. For instance, in patriarchal societies, men are sometimes allowed to completely dominate over women. This had led to lack of knowledge and empowerment in women to speak out against violence, whereby the victims lack the ability to express their views and opinions with those who do not adhere to this being severely punished through domestic violence. Domestic violence policies have been developed to address such cultural practices with the police ensuring that law enforcement in relation to such policies is carried out. The police department should have the responsibility of policing domestic violence in the community because they are law enforcers who are responsible for ensuring law and order is maintained in the society and the human rights are well protected. Preventing and reducing domestic violence is one of the ways in which the human rights of everyone in the community are protected. For instance in Australia, police powers and procedures are well set out in the Crimes Act 1990(Policing Domestic Violence in New South Wales NSW, 1999). In addition, the police powers can be found in the police guidelines, referred to as Domestic Violence Standard Operating Procedures. Another example can be seen in the US, where the police department has adopted mandatory arrest policy for domestic violence cases. For spousal violence cases, arrest based on probable cause could be done where the Police officers were allowed to arrest suspects without a warrant as long as the officers had probable cause whether he/she had witnessed the incident or not. This was happening in 23 states of the United States of America by the year 2005 (Hoctor, M. 007) Another reason why the police should participate in domestic violence policing is that, the legislation that protects people from domestic violence in most cases directs the police to intervene in protecting the victims of domestic violence. The police have the power to exercise arrest of criminals or offenders when need be. In policing domestic violence, domestic violence incidents should be stopped as soon as possible making the arrest of offenders by the police an effective means of stopping domestic abuse. This therefore makes it their vital responsibility in policing domestic violence with the responsibility aiming at stopping the conflict, as well as protecting and ensuring the immediate safety for the victims. As law enforcers, the police have a responsibility to ensure criminals are charged in court which mitigates future abuse. The police department receives reports on domestic violence from the community members and then investigates the cases to establish the cause of the abuse, the effects and the victim or offender. After establishing the facts about a case, offenders are charged in court. For instance policies allow police officers to apply for an apprehended violence order (AVO), which guides the judicial process (Lawrence, S. 101). Good police service initiatives in the police departments that enhance awareness in people about violence and service delivery show that they should have a good responsibility in domestic violence policing. The police departments in many nations have instituted the initiatives as a result of their recognition that a high percentage of people in our community are now aware that domestic violence is a crime. These initiatives include, public awareness through advertising campaigns, placement of domestic violence liaison officers (DVLO), specialized training for officers, working with the Attorney General and the development of COPS (Computerized Operational Policing system) to produce statistics relevant to the development of effective domestic violence prevention measures. The initiatives are a good indication of how effective the police department can be in domestic violence policing. The domestic violence issue has attracted widespread public concern, in the past and also in the current world. However, the past system differs with the current system in relation to how policing in domestic violence was/is handled. In the past, the number of domestic violence cases that were reported was fewer than the current number of the cases reported to the police. The continued increase of the reported cases in turn has necessitated the development of measures that will curb the violence effectively. This has led to the development of new measures/policies to address this problem. However, in the past, this problem was not handled with much seriousness as it is now which made the past system less effective in domestic violence policing. Cultural beliefs and practices in the past contributed to continued domestic abuse, because the victims were sometimes convinced that they deserved to be abused. Different societies have changed their beliefs towards domestic violence over time with people become more aware of domestic violence as a crime currently, which has greatly assisted in effective domestic violence policing. People are more willing to speak out about this issue in the modern world as compared to the past years. Modern police service initiatives have enhanced better domestic violence policing as compared to the past system of policing. For instance placement of domestic violence liaison officers (DVLO) in the local areas as a modern initiative has made it easy for people to report violence cases. In addition, offenders are easily apprehended and charged for their offences. In the past, lack of awareness in some victims and the community as a whole in policing encouraged continued abuse because the offender had no action taken against them. Current systems have developed specialized training for officers, which involves training of officers in response to domestic violence and other issues that surround domestic violence. On the other hand, the past systems did not have such training programs. The standard operating procedures (SOP) launching together with the development of computerized operational policing system (COPS) have been very instrumental in adoption of effective domestic violence policing measures in the modern systems (Policing Domestic Violence in New South Wales NSW,1999). The domestic violence policing have also experienced several problems. The policing may lack inadequate support which may in turn undermine how effective the policing can be in solving domestic violence. The police officers who handle domestic violence cases have been accused of not providing the involved parties with enough information and sometimes they have an inappropriate attitude towards the victims. In addition, they have shown unsympathetic, rude and indifferent behavior towards the victims. Nevertheless, solutions to these problems have been integrated in domestic violence policing programs to ensure domestic violence is prevented. Though domestic violence prevention measures were present in the past, current measures have been developed to improve on the past strategies

Accommodating Differences: Everybody is Entitled to Education

All people are entitled to instruction. The ground as to why I have started by indicating out this basic world is because in an academic establishment there are diverse perspective groups of persons that makeup a schoolroom and who deserve equal chances to get cognition. In a schoolroom puting there may be ‘normal ‘ or healthy pupils who do non necessitate any particular attending and pupils with attending shortage upset should be provided with particular environment to ease their acquisition of cognition. For illustration in a category puting one may hold visually impaired or unsighted pupils, pupils with attending shortage upset ( ADD ) and absolutely normal individuals who can make all the normal school jobs without any excess attempt. It ‘s incumbent upon any instructor to understand the differences that exist in such a category so as to supply all the three classs of pupils with what they came to school for: Learning. Brantlnger ( 1997 ) has pointed out that harmonizing to recent research done to asses whether disabled pupils should be required to take part in all the regular instruction activities, there are several advantages that go along with their engagement in regular categories, including: They are able to increase academic accomplishments, they get better societal accomplishments, they gain more positive ego construct easing to greater self esteem, and get more appropriate societal accomplishments ( Brantlnger, 1997 ) . Common features in all pupils The diverseness in this group of pupil exhibits different features. Nevertheless for a instructor to efficaciously supply an disposed environment for all pupils to larn there is a demand to understand the pupils. Equally much as he/she may place their diverseness, there are common traits in all pupils and in this specific group that will enable the instructor to do intelligent judgement and determinations in relation to the learning methodological analysis. All pupils will ever desire to be treated as mature people. The instructor can easy impact and transform a pupil to make everything if he entreaties to the desire of adulthood which holds a pupil accountable for their actions. A instructor should demand an big degree of work from every pupil at the same clip stress on grownup larning necessitating ‘hand on ‘ experience. The instructor should handle pupils with regard ( Integrate Publishing Inc. , 2007 ) . No pupil comes to category with a desire to neglect ; the instructor should utilize the basic desire to win to its extreme advantage through endeavoring to help them to come on from one success to another. The adage that success breeds success can ne'er be more true and implementable. The instructor ought to transfuse self assurance in a pupil through proviso of support that encourages intense acquisition. It ‘s the character of people to go defeated hence give up if they are invariably neglecting ( Integrate Publishing Inc. , 2007 ) . Ability to measure is a common feature among all pupils ; pupils are speedy to sentiments preparation. Students will measure everything within their disposal including the teacher. Students will rapidly observe deficiency of enthusiasm, competency or earnestness. It ‘s the instructor ‘s function to put the gait for ardor in his work and pupils are most likely to follow suit. Since pupils will ever measure the instructor should non supply them with an chance of diverse rating ( Integrate Publishing Inc. , 2007 ) . All pupils are bound to do errors as any normal human being for ‘man is to mistake ‘ . When an teacher understands this it becomes easier to cover with all pupils in their diverseness. Those who have disablements should be encouraged to understand that they are non the lone 1s who make mistakes as an mistake is non an terminal to the acquisition procedure. A error should be capitalized on in all pupils to do interpret it into a positive acquisition experience. A ridicule is really traumatizing hence makes a pupil to be stigmatized by others. A instructor should non supply an environment for such to boom. All pupils should be judged by the same criterion ( Integrate Publishing Inc. , 2007 ) . Some of the challenges that a instructor may confront in the enterprise to supply the diverse population with instruction may include: Communication challenge: In this group puting where a instructor has a people with different abilities and restrictions it becomes difficult to utilize a common linguistic communication that is apprehensible by all the pupils. In this category the normal and ADD pupil will at easiness construe what the instructor says in category since the non verbal cues plays a great function in easing the effectual communicating. The instructor will hold to do excess attempts in doing the particular pupil to be at par with the other pupils. Monitoring and Evaluation The rating of pupils in such a assorted up puting becomes a challenge. The instructor may be forced to harmonize particular attending to ADD pupils and the pupils with eyes damage. This state of affairs may demand from the instructor to fix a different test from the remainder of the pupils or to put them aside. This farther becomes a challenge for the particular group may hold different abilities where those who are better placed may take the advantage of the state of affairs to overreach the physically fit ; more clip to reply exam inquiries. Time direction In a category puting where people have different abilities the instructor may hold to develop particular learning accomplishments that may demand some more clip to go through the message place. The composing velocity of the pupils differ therefore the instructor has to suit the full pupil to guarantee that no pupil is left Begin. At the same clip the instructor has to cover the course of study in the set clip. This may demand that the instructor creates excess clip to make this ( Ormrod, 2008 ) . The instructor may besides ne'er be certain whether a pupil is partly impaired or he is feigning so as to bask the particular privileges that are enjoyed by those who have this particular demand. Particular larning chances needed An academic establishment may hold to use some more particular acquisition chances for the blind and the cripple pupils. For the unsighted pupils E-learning Opportunities and Barriers for the Blind ( ELBA ) can play this important function really efficaciously. The blind and visually impaired pupils can analyze together with the remainder of the pupils merely that they are required to take the particular devices. The instructors and the pupils explore the multimedia available in easing acquisition. This may include the usage of tablet-PCs or Pas, computing machines, wireless LAN webs where informations in transferred by usage of wireless moving ridges ( Miesenberger, 2004 ) . A pupil with partial ocular damage may utilize close circuit Television magnifier, big print books, and big print typewriters. The pupil may besides utilize sound taped talks and books, a pupil may besides utilize raised diagram or drawings illustrators, charts, forms, physical variety meats, three dimensional theoretical accounts, and alleviation maps among many other tools that are big plenty for pupils with ocular damage. In rating the instructor may use big prints, Braille or unwritten tests to the pupils. The adjustment of pupils with ocular damage needs a anterior readying for their categories. The instructor should guarantee progress handiness of the course of study or the reading list so that the necessary agreements will be made such as brailing or tape. The instructor should form the category in such a manner that the forepart seats are reserved for the pupils with particular demands ( Finn, 1991 ) . In instance a pupil is utilizing a usher Canis familiaris, it should be really disciplined and provided with small infinite. The teacher should ever do attempts to confront the category while learning. The teacher should guarantee that whatever is displayed on the wall or blackboard is conveyed verbally and supply a transcript of the stuff to the note-takers. The teacher should allow the pupils to tape record the category or talk Sessionss or render transcripts of notes where indispensable. The instructor should supply big print transcripts of schoolroom stuffs. When the instructors issues assignments he should be flexible with deadlines for this group of pupils ( Sacks & A ; Wolff, 2006 ) . Students with attending shortage upset ( ADD ) need to be sited near the instructor and pupil who shall move as function theoretical accounts to the pupil. The instructors should learn them from close propinquity utilizing soft voiced tone. The instructor should extinguish broadcasted sounds that proceed from equipments such as computing machines. To actuate the pupils the instructor should praise appropriate behaviour. The instructor should reexamine prior accomplishments every bit good as larning for doing connexions ( Ormrod, 2008 ) . The instructor should place all the necessary stuffs for the instruction in clip ; he besides has a duty of sketching cardinal words or constructs before get downing the lesions. The instructor should guarantee that at the stopping point of every lesson he closes the lesion with a restatement of the aims of the lesion. The instructor should interrupt instructions to assorted consecutive stairss for pupil to easy hold on. He should supply extended und ertakings which he will carefully supervise. Promote the pupils to us taped drawn-out reading and let the pupils to do usage of reckoners. Should fix the pupils for passage by denoting several times that a certain lesion is coming to a closing at the same clip preview the approaching categories promoting pupils to get down fixing for the categories. The instructor should supply information in progress in instance there are any alterations in the modus operandis. It is of import to unite the vocal cues with ocular cues to heighten communicating. The highlighting of cardinal words in the work sheet facilitates in capturing the attending of the pupil ( McGraw, 2010 ) .

Managers’ Encouragement Essay

ACADEMIC INTEGRITY DECLARATION Breaches of academic integrity (cheating, plagiarism, falsification of data, collusion) seriously compromise student learning, as well as the University’s assessment of the effectiveness of that learning and the academic quality of the University’s awards. All breaches of academic integrity are taken seriously and could result in penalties including failure in the course and exclusion from the University. Students should be aware that the University uses text-matching software to safeguard the quality of student learning and that your assignment will be checked using this software. I acknowledge and agree that the examiner of this assessment item may, for the purpose of marking this assessment item: reproduce this assessment item and provide a copy to another Griffith staff member; and/ submit this  assessment item to a text-matching service. This web-based service will retain a copy of this assessment item for checking the work of other students, but will not reproduce it in any form. Examiners will only award marks for work within this assignment that is your own original work. I, hereby certify that: except where I have indicated, this assignment is my own work, based on my personal study and/or research. I have acknowledged all materials and sources used in the preparation of this assignment whether they be books, articles, reports, lecture notes, or any other kind of document or personal communication. I have not colluded with another student or person in the production of this assessment item unless group work and collaboration is an expectation of the assessment item. this assignment has not been submitted for assessment in any other course at Griifith, or at any other University or at any other time in the same course without the permission of the relevant Course Convenor. I have not copied in part or in whole or otherwise plagiarised the work of other students and/or other persons. I haven’t made this piece of work available to another student without the permission of the Course Convenor. Providing this declaration falsely is considered a breach of academic integrity. I have retained a copy of this assessment item for my own records. Acknowledged by: Enter nameDate:       (Signature) Where the item is submitted electronically Clicking â€Å"I Agree† constitutes an electronic signature for the purpose of assignment declaration compliance. STUDENT CONSENT (to be completed by the student before their essay, assignment or other work is uploaded to an internal/online learning University website or used for the purpose of moderation (not to be used if there is to be public access to the work) At Griffith the use of assessment exemplars by academic staff is encouraged to inform students’ understanding of the performance standards associated with learning and achievement in the course. An assessment exemplar is an authentic example, actual sample or excerpt, of student work that has been annotated to illustrate the ways in which it demonstrates learning, achievement and quality in relation to the intended learning outcomes (including graduate outcomes) for the course. Assessment exemplars may be made available in a range of ways. In order to collect assessment exemplars students are asked to consent, on every assessment item submitted, for their work, without disclosure of the contributor’s identity, to be used, and reproduced as an assessment exemplar for standard setting and moderation activities. I acknowledge that for the purpose of standard setting and moderation activities the examiner of this assessment item may wish to store, reproduce, annotate, and communicate my work to others, including future students, without disclosure of my identity. I consent to my Work, Enter title of Assignment itemwithout disclosure of my personal details, being stored, reproduced annotated and communicated within the University’s secure online learning environment. I do not consent to my Work, Enter title of Assignment itembeing stored, reproduced annotated and communicated within the University’s secure online learning environment. Acknowledged by:  Date:       (insert name here) Where the item is submitted electronically Clicking â€Å"I Agree† constitutes an electronic signature for the purpose of assignment declaration compliance. Several studies have been conducted on how managers’ encouragement of employee voice can lift well being and productivity. Do managers really help open the door for employee voice? ‘Managers’ encouragement’ is seen to be the support or direction given to employees from co workers who regulate worker behaviour. Through this professional relationship, managers may behave in a way that deters employees from engaging with their managers and their work, decreasing productivity and well being. Other issues within the contemporary workplace, such as job scarcity or the diminishing union presence, may also affect the well being of employees and may have a negative effect on businesses. Today’s work environment is very evolved. We live and work in a recognisably equal and fair society with very few big issues troubling workers. Or so it seems. Although that with the presence of unions and established organisations such as the FWC, a workplace without any idiosyncrasies is still, unrealistic. Competition for jobs is a pressing issue that may lead to a lack of confidence within the workplace. This lack of confidence can cause workers to feel invaluable and may, in-turn, suppress employee voice. â€Å"Many individuals do not work in an environment where they where they see it safe to speak up†(Millican, Morison and Hewlin, 2003: Ryan and ostrich, 1998) Although it may be beneficial for an organisation to receive feedback and knowledge from an employee, employees simply see ‘ the risks outweighing the benefits’.(Academy of management Journal 2007, Vol. 50, No 4, p869-884). In recent years, the number of unionised workplaces has slowly faded , along with the presence of unions themselves. In the UK alone, over the past 30 years, the percentage of union members has fallen from 58% down to 28% of the total workforce(Barrat 2009). Does this lead us to believe that the role of trade unions and unions alike also fade? (J Benson, 2002). Trade unions and similar organisations (such as the FWC) were put in place over 150 years ago to aid the working class citizens to stop employers from creating inhumane working conditions. In today’s work environment the role of unions is to negotiate with employers over terms and conditions of employment as well as employee salary. Unions also continue to help provide fair working conditions for employees and maintain economic interests for employees’ (Tannenbaum 1964). Will employee voice be further suppressed due to lack of union presence? ‘Employee voice can be describes in many ways, however in this case, Employee voice is: â€Å"A whole variety of processes and structures which enable, and at times empower, employees, directly and indirectly, to contribute to decision-making in the firm† (Boxall and Purcell, 2003: 162) A Managers professional obligation towards their company is their personal responsibility to assist in allowing their co-workers perform to the best of their abilities. Businesses and corporations are represented and established by their people, thus managers are upheld by their corporate social responsibility to perform (Ali M. Quazi, 2003 (D. J. Wood, 1991)). Managers’ utilize employees’ skills knowledge and efforts in an attempt to create the most efficient form of productivity. (R.Loudoun, RMcPhail, Awilkinson p27) The fact that this obligation to the business takes priority may alter Managers’ behaviour towards employees. Without the correct understanding of the employee, this can easily negatively affect the well being and productivity of the employee. â€Å"Engagement is about establishing mutual respect in the workplace for what people can do and be, given the right context, which serves us all, as individual employees, as companies and organisations and as consumers of public services.† Employee engagement is one of the fundamental pieces of a functional business and is a by product of successful employee voice. . â€Å"A ‘Good manager’ should be empathetic and open minded towards their co workers.† (Says R.McMaster – Employee @City beach DC) It is known that if a person takes time to invest an interest into another person, that person feels valued. (article by Cath Everett) The same goes for the workplace. As managers become closer to their co workers, a relationship of trust is formed, making the communication of information more efficient, therefore increasing productivity. Can employee voice within the workplace lift well being and productivity? It has been discussed whether or not employee voice is heard and/ or promoted along with other aspects of working conditions within the work place; However, does managers’ encouragement of employee voice lift well being and productivity? It is obvious that managers’ encouragement for employee voice positively effects well being and productivity. With the encouragement of employee voice, employee engagement is also lifted. With the correct management approach, ‘Performance and profitability can be transformed by employee engagement’(D McLeod, N Clarke). As an engaged member of a work force, an employee would be able to conduct themselves in a more efficient manner. With engagement comes interest and motivation, with that behind them, employees can work at their best to produce results. â€Å"Employees who are more engaged with their work are said to be more likely to behave in positive and cooperative ways† (Rees, C., Alfes, K. and Gatenby, M. (2013) ) The heightened engagement of employees positively effects all parties involved; better quality of work and a statistically greater productivity throughout the workplace can be achieved. References: http://www.hrzone.com/topic/managing-people/encouragement-managers-increases-staff-engagement/110457 . 2014. . [ONLINE] Available at:http://www.sagepub.com/wilton/Chapter%2010%20-%20Employment%20Relations.pdf. [Accessed 28 September 2014]. Rees, C., Alfes, K. and Gatenby, M. (2013) Employee voice and engagement: connections and consequences, International Journal of Human Resource Management, 24:14, 2780-2798. Wood, D.J. (1991), â€Å"Corporate social performance revisited†, Academy of Management Journal, Vol. 16, pp. 691-718. David MacLeod, Nita Clarke Engaging for success: enhancing performance through employee engagement. A report to Government Page 7, paragraph 2: http://dera.ioe.ac.uk/1810/1/file52215.pdf JAMES R. DETERT Cornell University ETHAN R. BURRIS University of Texas at Austin Academy of Management Journal 2007, Vol. 50, No. 4, 869–884 John Benson December 2002 Employee Voice in Union and Non-union Australian Workplaces 16 DEC 2002 Tannenbaum, F1951, Philosophy of labour, Alfred Knopf, New York. -1964, the true society: a philosophy of labour, Cape, London.

Financial Analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

Financial Analysis - Essay Example ning process varies depending on the unique features of the business and its goals, but basically there are various general steps and guidelines that form the basis of the planning process. These steps include; Determination of Current Financial Situations, Establishment of Financial Objectives, Identification of Alternative Courses of Action, Evaluation of those alternatives, development and Implementation of Financial Action plan and even the process of Plan re-evaluation and revision. Dividends are termed as the ultimate distribution of either present or past earnings in factual assets amongst the existing shareholders within a given firm based on their ownership proportions (FABOZZI, F2011). Dividend policy often connotes to pay-out policy that is usually pursued by various managers while making decisions on the pattern and size of the shareholder’s cash distribution over time. The managements’ primary objective is based on the shareholders’ maximization of wealth, which often directly translates into value maximization of a given firm as determined by the company’s stock price. The achievement of this goal can be done through the aspect of granting shareholders with a fairer payment with regards to their investments. However, based on this Company under study, the effect of its shareholder’s dividend policy is still un-settled in one way or the other (FRAME & CURRY, 1974). There are generally two major types of dividend policies that include the residual and managed policies. In residual policy the quantity of dividend simply refers to the cash that is left behind after the given Company utilizes NPV rule in making desirable investments. This hence means that there will be a higher dividend variability with regards to the amount and can even reach a zero point. On the other hand, the optimal policy refers to a policy that largely work towards maximizing the firm’s stock price, thereby leading to the ultimate maximization based on the level of

The untouchable Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

The untouchable - Essay Example It seems that in the story, Anand tried to give Bakha, the protagonist, a glimpse of hope for change. An example is when Bakha tried to wear some trousers just as the kind British Tommies that he worked for. Bakha for a moment believed that he could be better than his fellow outcasts; he was "possessed with an overwhelming desire to live their life" (Anand 11). At this part of the story, we could see how the main character actually had imagined, or perhaps had such a motivation to actually be someone other than an untouchable. Seeing how kind the Tommies actually treated him made him feel that he is not just another useless person in the world. But such dream is immediately dispersed when his community mocked his appearance. Through out the story we can see Bhaka’s struggle and his silent rebellion. His complex character continues to evolve as he tries his best to find for other possible alternatives to remove his undesirable disgrace. He was given three possible choices to re move his untouchable status, first was to become a Christian, but he did not understand the â€Å"idea of being called a sinner† (130) nor did he grasp the idea of confessing his sins.

Biochemistry science field Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Biochemistry science field - Research Paper Example Therefore, it may be hypothesized that the use of cartilage in the promotion of endochondral regeneration of bones may leverage normal development and repair sequences resulting in a properly vascularized regenerate capable of integrating with the host tissues. Various tests have demonstrated that cartilage grafts are able to support the regeneration of vascularized and integrated bone tissues in vivo, while lineage tracing experiments have revealed graft derived regenerates. Mesenchymal stem cells are actually the pluripotent cells existing in numerous adult human tissues, for example bone marrow and adipose as well as synovial tissues, and since they originate from the mesoderm, they differentiate to become bones and cartilage as well as muscles and adipose tissues (Nolta, 2006). Mesenchymal stem cells from embryonic sources have demonstrated probabilities in science while at the same time creating a considerable amount of controversy. As a consequence, numerous researchers have put emphasis on adult stem cells or those isolated from human adults that may be transplanted in to tissues that are damaged. As a result of their multi-potent capability, mesenchymal stem cell lineages have been employed with success in animal models in the regeneration of articular cartilage and in human models in the regeneration of bones. Research done recently has shown that articular cartilage can be repaired through percutaneous introduction of mesenchymal stem cells. Th is paper aims at explaining how bone and cartilage can be differentiated from stem cells as well as considering the current research and development of this discipline. An experiment that sought to investigate conditions that can stimulate stem cells to differentiate into fat of bone cells while being encapsulated by hydrogels was conducted with polymer networks, which could simulate various conditions where the stem cells grow naturally. The first step in growing the new cartilage involved initiating

Journal Entry Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Journal Entry - Assignment Example It is located beside a university but is a very restricted area. Only the employees can get into the facility and of course, the scientists as security personnel as well. This area is highly mysterious because of the nature of its research which is to communicate and understand extra terrestrial beings with the objective of finally meeting one someday. It has mixed reactions of awe and encouragement as well as condescension and ridicule of its research from the scientific community due to the controversial nature of its research. Everyone however agrees that it is in engage in cutting edge research and that its scientists are the most brilliant in the field. Again, I would like to have a character that everyone can relate but is interesting. I would like the character to be a male though. He should be related to the academe so that we could relate as students. He could be a student or to make the character interesting, a professor. A professor that is scientist as well and he must be a little queer to add mystery and interest to the character. He should be endeavouring some endeavour that very little people understands. He may be a little strange but he is brilliant. And of course as many brilliant people often complain, he is misunderstood. And this endeavour or research of his made him look queer or taken as crazy by people around him. Later however, he is vindicated because he proved that he is right. He must have a counterpart to complete a story. After all, a hero is nothing without a villain. So I would make another character which is as queer as a professor and a scientist. That would be a alien. The alien is a pilot and just lik e us looking for another planet with intelligent beings. Yes he would come in peace but will add some twist later to make the story interesting. The setting/s and characters should be connected to the plot. If I have a laboratory,

Ethical Dilema on Abortion Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Ethical Dilema on Abortion - Essay Example Numerous states in the United States of America have been locked into a fierce debate over the issue of abortion being legalized. However, disregarding the legality of this act, it is essential to focus on the morality of the issue as well. Abortion has many trade-offs that involve a variety of values including a sense of where people come from. While the use of the right to abort can be legalized, the legality of the issue does not hold as much weight since this requires the elimination of some form of human life. Instead, one also needs to focus on the â€Å"ethical dilemma on abortion† (Ethics Score Board). Before understanding the different theories that surround this moral debate, it is necessary that the definition of abortion be stated. The definition tends to include two meanings: to give premature birth before the fetus is able to form a life of its own, which may be because of a miscarriage or spontaneous abortion, and the other includes the woman’s terminatio n of a pregnancy intentionally. Various feminist and pro-choice groups often regard the intentional abortion as a choice that the woman in question can make for herself. The trend for abortion is on the rise, which includes a variety of reasons. Nevertheless, according to a famous philosopher, Judith Jarvis Thomson, every individual has a right to live, and this right is also extended to the fetus. Therefore, in a way abortion is taking away that right. However, what about the right of the woman to control her own body? Hence, this is a central debate (Butts and Rich 73). The paper, henceforth, addresses the various theories that consider abortion as something not morally permissible for a variety of reasons. Analysis of various theories is essential in order to defend this argument. The pro-life view, which is opposite to the pro-choice view (those who support that abortion is every woman’s reproductive right), puts much weight on the fact that the fetus should be understood as a human being. Such groups also state that life begins at the time of conception, which means that killing a living being is murder and morally impermissible. Unless there is harm to the life of the mother, the fetus needs protection. The pro-life view also includes a variety of religious scholars as well, who quote passages from the scriptures to put forth their argument of pro-life. In Exodus 21:12, the verse states that anyone who murders anyone else should also be put to death. The group also considers the abortion of fetus to be included in this, because fundamentally, the fetus has gained life. This is also illustrated in the verse from Luke 1:41 in the New Testament â€Å"the baby in my womb leaped for joy,† which sheds light on the idea that since the baby leaped, it is very much alive (Butts and Mirch 75). And this â€Å"right to live† is also supported by the philosophical stance of Immanuel Kant and the Divine Command Theory. When it comes to understandi ng moral and religious issues, Divine Command Theory is perhaps the best. According to Cowan and Spiegel, the divine command theory is able to â€Å"provide sufficiently clear moral direction and an adequate sense of duty† (qtd. In Dunstan). This theory considers abortion to be against religion and morality because God does not support it, which has been supported by the verses quoted above. Additionally, a situation from the biblical scripture Exodus 21:22-24 has also been analyzed to state that abortion is wrong. The situation included a woman suffering a miscarriage because of two men arguing. Although this was an abortion, the scripture condemns the loss of life because as Cowan and Spiegel say, â€Å"The life of an unborn child is as valuable as that of an adult,† according to Christian belief (qtd. in Dunstan). There are verses which illustrate that life was bestowed on the fetus from the moment of conception, and God has ordained the entire life of that unborn f etus. Therefore, these precious unborn babies also

Xia Qinggao Hsieh Ch'ing Kao Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Xia Qinggao Hsieh Ch'ing Kao - Essay Example He was very aware of English naval tradition, and sounded admiring of the rescue processes involved in helping those in need on the high seas, and the possibility of punishment for failing to carry out this duty. The tone, while factual, hinted that in China, similar rules for duty to others applied. He perceived that the English were great maritime traders, and by his own travels, we assume that China too was involved in this trade. That is confirmed by the writer's geographical knowledge (not always accurate) and the flags he observed flying from ships at sea; he must have been part of that trading tradition. His comments regarding smallpox quarantine in Portugal, and its purpose in disease prevention, are stated in a tone that allows us to infer that this would happen too in Chinese ports. With regard to the products and manufactured goods for all the countries mentioned, his awareness was based on knowledge, and such goods were more than likely available in China. He sounded impressed by the "fine system of waterworks" in London, and how easily families could access clean water, with a fair method of payment described. Such a facility might not have been freely available to all in China, judging by his tone and interest. He mentioned good routes by land and water in Portugal, good land routes in the Scandinavian countries, and the steamboat in America impressed him. Because he was so knowledgeable about transportation, we can assume that good mechanisms existed in China, though it was unlikely that they had steam driven boats, as his description was rather inaccurate. In comparing climate, he mentioned only Portugal as being colder than "Fukien and Kwangtung", though England and Sweden would have been even colder. This tells us that parts of China were very hot. From his comment on "dwelling houses of more than one story" we can surmise that this was not the norm in China, where traditionally, one-story family dwellings were set around a courtyard with one main entrance gate. The detailed descriptions of clothing, and how it determined social class, suggested that it was very different in style from Chinese clothing, while drawing attention to the differences between what was worn by the rich and poor, similar to such class divisions in China. The European clothes were "tight fitting" at the top, so Chinese clothes must be less so. His comment on the English "Men and women all wear white ordinarily; for mourning, however, black is used." and this links to the idea of white being the mourning color in China. On pointing out that in Portugal, both genders wore leather shoes, he established that this was not the case in China. The loose skirts were different to Chinese female dress, we can surmise by his interest, but the custom of rich young noblewomen learning to sing and dance from an early age seemed to be a familiar practice, by his tone, and was part of Chinese culture. When describing Portugal's royal family structure and succession issues, "the king does not take a new reign title, but follows the

Maternity Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Maternity - Article Example The physiological changes in pregnancy also influence the nutrition and pharmacological drugs in pregnancy. The article discusses physiological changes in pregnancy, pharmacokinetics in pregnancy, and the functions of the placenta (Sachdeva, Patel, & Pate, 2009). Pregnant women do not participate in medical trials since drugs taken during pregnancy may affect the fetus in adverse ways. The article notes that a pharmacological treatment is inevitable in pregnancy despite its eminent side effects. As such, the article defines how drugs affect the fetus and the categories of pharmacological drugs recommended for pregnancy by FDA. The categories include A, B, C, D and X where category A is the safest while category X is fatal in pregnancy (Sachdeva, Patel, & Pate, 2009). The article also demonstrates the risk of using social drugs like cigarette smoking, alcohol, caffeine, and illicit drugs during pregnancy (Sachdeva, Patel, & Pate, 2009). Ultimately, the article presents the concerns of using OTC drugs during pregnancy. I think the article is very relevant to the topic of nutrition and pharmacological drugs in pregnancy. Indeed, the article depicts seriousness in addressing the use of drugs during pregnancy by addressing the physiological changes in pregnancy and pharmacokinetics in pregnancy (Sachdeva, Patel, & Pate, 2009). The article confirms that a pharmacological treatment is inevitable in pregnancy despite the significant effects that pharmacological drugs have on a fetus and the pregnant woman. Indeed, the article depicts the significance of pharmacological therapy during pregnancy. Moreover, the article confirms that the placenta plays a noble role in guaranteeing nutrition and fetal and maternal well-being during pregnancy by presenting the functions of the placenta. The article succeeds in showing different categories of drugs and their effect on the fetus. The article is authoritative in that it refers to the recommendations of FDA that

GE case study Essay Example for Free

GE case study Essay GE Oil Gas was established in 2012 when GE Energy was divided into three new business units of General Electric. Prompted by poor financial performance, GE Oil Gas was created in an effort to simplify business and also make General Electric more visible to its shareholders (Working Environment | GE. com, n. d. , p. 1). GE Oil Gas has grown to become one of the key players in the energy sector. Operating in more than 100 countries and employing 43,000 people, GE Oil Gas delivers equipment and services that enable its customers to access and make more efficient use of the world’s energy resources. With a variety of extremely complex technologies fueling numerous industry-milestone projects, GE Oil Gas has helped make it possible to extract reserves in the most remote and extreme locations. One example, the Gorgan Project, is one of the world’s largest natural gas projects and provides energy to most of Western Australia. The Gorgan Project provides insight to some of the staffing challenges facing GE in today’s global and complex energy industry(Introduction Workforce planning in the global oil and gas environment GE Oil Gas | GE Oil Gas case studies, videos, social media and information | Business Case Studies, n.d. , p. 1) . GE Mission and Values Unlike most Fortune 500 companies, GE does not have an official mission statement, rather they represent their mission with the â€Å"GE Works Equation†. As explained by GE, â€Å"We have a relentless drive to invent things that matter: innovations that build, power, move and help cure the world. We make things that very few in the world can, but that everyone needs. This is a source of pride. To our employees and customers, it defines GE. † (General Electric (GE) mission statement 2013 | SM Insight, p. 1). As environmental regulations shift and force the energy sector to evolve, GE is forced to place a large emphasis on environmental standards. The following statement represents GE’s commitment to sound environmental practices. â€Å"GEs unstinted commitment to Environment, Health Safety is a paramount consideration in all its procedural aspects. For, at GE we realize that when it comes to EHS, a clean bill of health is more than a corporate asset; it is a fundamental responsibility to employees and to the environment that we all share,† (Environment Industries | GE Energy, n.d. , p. 1) S. W. O. T. Analysis1 With regards to adequately staffing each position within GE’s complex organization, the following strengths are key to maintaining market share and a competitive edge. †¢Alliances with other strong businesses that are viewed favorably among the masses †¢As a market leader, GE is capable of obtaining the most experienced employees which continue to help GE be a leader in innovation †¢Strong organizational structure and culture †¢Employee base of 323,000 (All of GE) †¢Strong reputation and popular with consumers. †¢Respected Brand Despite having a high market share, GE still faces weaknesses that must be recognized and understood for them to improve their position. They are as follows: †¢GE is 4th highest producer of air and water pollution. †¢History of misleading investors for high returns †¢GE not performing well in Asian Markets †¢Charged by Department of Defense on corrupt practices for jet engine sales to Israel With the energy sector in full speed and booming in most of the world, GE Oil Gas has a vast number of opportunities to improve performance. With an aging workforce, it is critical that GE also capitalize on current opportunities with personnel and training. The following are current opportunities for GE with regards to their workforce. †¢Pursue governmental support (grants/allowances) for training and hiring new employees †¢Focus on corporate social responsibility to gain favor with consumers, potential employees †¢Takeover/Merger opportunities to enter new markets †¢Further utilize RD projects †¢Improve customer service Being such a highly regulated industry, there are a vast number of external threats that face a company such as GE. These external factors need to be recognized and planned for to avoid a disruption in operations. †¢Increased Labor Cost, shortage of skilled workers, and aging workforce †¢Global recession †¢Currency fluctuations due to the number of counties GE is doing business †¢Intense competition in the industry †¢As the 4th largest producer of pollutants, the biggest threat for GE is government regulation on environmental issues Strategy and Organizational Drivers. Workforce planning is becoming more critical for companies such as GE. Workforce planning is essentially a company planning for future labor needs Because operations span across 100+ companies, GE has developed global training centers offering a broad training curriculum to ensure its workforce is abreast to the latest challenges in the energy industry. Despite the shortage of STEM graduates worldwide, GE offers customized leadership programs to younger generations in hopes of developing the next generation of technical experts and managers. Additionally, leadership teams are implemented on most all big projects and are tasked with making key strategic decisions for the organization. At all levels of the organization, those who demonstrate passion and commitment to both high performance and the GE brand can expect to be rewarded with higher positions and more responsibility, Whether it is an HR employee, a scientist, or an engineer, GE seems committed to building and empowering employees(Introduction Workforce planning in the global oil and gas environment GE Oil Gas | GE Oil Gas case studies, videos, social media and information | Business Case Studies, n.d. , p. 2). Improving. The most pressing issues facing GE Oil Gas are the risks of environmental regulation and employing an adequate labor force to cope with the demands of technology advancements. Because of the shortage of skilled professionals, GE should focus heavily on building relationships with the best universities, worldwide, and establishing a presence in the minds of young people interested in STEM careers. GE could begin at even the grade school level by sponsoring science fairs, math and engineering competitions, or any other related activity and provide scholarships to winners. Begin a marketing campaign nationwide that focuses on growing the interest of math and science at a young age. With regards to the environmental issues, strict compliance should be a zero tolerance policy. Bad press can destroy years of good work and potentially cost a company everything. It is vital that companies such as GE are able to adapt to their continually changing landscape, and implement new strategies conducive to growth. In a markets such as oil and gas, it seems like the company that is not growing, is dying. GE has the resources to help ensure they have a future in energy. They must continue to look for initiatives to encourage students to learn about oil and gas. Skilled people are the lifeline of GE.

American Intervention in Soviet-Afghan War Essay Example for Free

American Intervention in Soviet-Afghan War Essay During the Cold War, the United States resolved to take a shot at the Soviet Union by siding with Afghanistan and taking great measures to stop Soviet influence and communist ideology. In 1979, the Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan in an attempt to expand its influence in the Middle East with the absence of American influence. At this point in the Cold War the United States and Soviet Union were more or less at the climax of their dilemma, so the U. S. therefore decided to get involved by fortifying Afghan’s primary rebellious group, the mujahidin. The United States jeopardized homeland security by providing significant support to mujahidin revolutionaries, and in doing so the U. S. helped them hinder Soviet rule over Afghanistan. There are plenty of reasons ratifying America’s lack of foresight and prudence, one being that the state of the Soviet Union was not great as it was. One should take into consideration that the Soviet Union was already in a drastic decline when the United States began to intercede in Soviet-Afghan affairs. Benjamin Frankel, an esteemed writer who wrote an article for History in Dispute, described how there was a prolonged controversy in the Soviet Union on the topic of how to proceed with communist policies (14). Secondly, America already expressed its hard-line policy toward the USSR in a more detrimental way. In 1983, President Ronald Reagan established the Strategic Defense Initiative to protect the U. S. from potential ballistic missile attacks by the Soviet Union. In total, as the ABC-Clio database prescribes in paragraph ten of â€Å"Cold War, 1945-1991†, the USSR spent approximately $80 billion on the Soviet-Afghan War. The fall of the USSR was hastened by its lofty spending on the unnecessary cause. Similar to the economic problems in the Soviet Union, the United States’ actions concerning Soviet-Afghan affairs inflicted great burdens upon the U. S. economy. The United States wasted a substantial amount of money in order to aid mujahidin rebels so they could counteract their Soviet oppressors, but received no compensation in return. As an unknown author from Mount Holyoke College estimates in â€Å"Origins of the Taliban†, the United States lost about $3 billion just on funding these covert ops. The mujahidin and Afghanistan as a whole provided little in return. The mujahidin, for one, only used America for what it provided and discarded the country once transactions were complete. Also, Afghanistan contained insufficient natural resources compared to its Middle-Eastern counterparts. In addition to this action’s negative impact on the U. S. economy, it was also unjustified by the United States’ failure in persuading Afghans to convert to its political viewpoints. The United States did not spread democracy or even impede the Soviet Union’s communist influence on Afghanistan. Instead of acting how it did, the United States should have allowed Afghanistan to develope itself and figure out its own problems to an extent. One sign of progression in the country occurred in the mid-2000s when Afghanistan held its first presidential election. For example, Canada has benefitted by having the foreign policy of isolationism. Shifting back to the mujahidin, Benjamin Frankel describes it, stating, â€Å"Once they helped to push the Soviets out of Afghanistan, they turned their attention to the hated ‘infidel’ West and its ‘satanic’ leader, the United States† (16). Benjamin Frankel went on to speak of how the Afghans were apathetic toward the message of democracy, while they already disdained the ideology of communism (16). These reasons explain why the two parties never became allies and split ways once the Soviets withdrew in 1989. Sometime in the midst of the United States attempting to spread democracy in Afghanistan, the Jimmy Carter regime passed an embargo on wheat and corn against Russia as another attempt to burden the Soviet Union. The Russian Grain Embargo, enacted in 1980, had a negative financial impact on American farmers. This act was drawn up to reciprocate the past ongoing tensions between the United States and Soviet Union which heightened when the United States began to help the mujahidin in 1979. On the subject of U. S. and USSR trade, representative George McGovern stated at a 1980 Senate hearing in paragraph ten on the Annals of American History database that agricultural produce took up 75% of their trade. With this lack of trade, the USSR and U.  S. each deeply suffered. As a result of the Russian Grain Embargo, prices on a bushel of wheat dropped 50? and prices for a bushel of corn dropped 30?. As McGovern later proclaims to the senate in his speech in paragraph nineteen, projected numbers â€Å"do not take into consideration the tremendous increase in cost of production for crop year 1980 for farmers, coupled by depressed markets. † This act, indirectly associated with rising tensions also causing the U. S. to fortify the mujahidin, made live very hard for farmers. The Russian Grain Embargo left a great mark on agrarian society in both the United States and the Soviet Union, but moreso in the U. S. This statement demonstrates the irony behind the embargo. The harm done to the USSR was substantial, though. One may say that the Russian Grain Embargo went with the hard-line policy Reagan put forth toward the USSR, but this argument is invalidated by the financial burdens on America and the Soviet Union. Subsequently in his speech, George McGovern states in paragraph twenty, â€Å"The U. S. omestic blow to the agricultural community can reasonably be concluded to be greater than the one we are delivering, at least in the long run and at least in economic terms. † Plus, Russia was coming off a record low year for crop production, further supporting this act’s injustification. Despite the fact that the Russian Embargo Act was mainly a burden to farm society, it also proved or will have proven to be a burden to other important parts of society. The Russian Grain Embargo also devastated both the United States and the Soviet Union in ways other than agriculturally including everyday citizens. In paragraph eighteen McGovern alludes to his great statistical knowledge, noting that American taxpayers compensated for the debt of the Russian Grain Embargo by paying a sum of $3. 8-5 million. The credibility of the United States as a reliable trade partner skyrocketed due to the embargo. The administration of former President Jimmy Carter probably did not foresee this outcome or even think about it. Another outcome of the act was expanded herd slaughter in Russia. Russians thus consumed bad or in some cases unsanitary meat because of the lack of U.  S. meat shipments. Instead of wasting our time creating unnecessary policies or embargoes or groundlessly creating a powerful Afghan resilient force, the Unites States should have seized other important opportunities. For example, during the period in which the United States sent weapons to the mujahidin, Afghanistan’s neighboring country Pakistan developed a nuclear-weapon program. This is ironic because limiting nuclear-weaponry in any place was apparently supposed to be a chief concern of America, yet we did nothing about it. Pakistan could have shared nuclear secrets with its ally neighbors, thus jeopardizing American security. Benjamin Frankel wrote about the possibility that Pakistan could eventually use their nuclear weapons. In that case, America would certainly regret not committing itself to the issue. Before acting, we have to first ponder all implications – the pros and cons. Either the various leaders of the United States from 1979 to 1989 did not do this or they misevaluated. When a country is already on an nevitable path to its downfall, spending a large amount of money to try to hasten it is unnecessary. Blocking trade to that country is inessential and dumb if all parties involved are negatively affected like in the case of the Russian Grain Embargo. In the end, the Unites States and Soviet Union were burdened by their shortsighted approaches; ergo, we should learn from their mistakes and attempt to fix any remaining consequences. Unfortunately, we may one day have to endure the reper cussions of not taking action if a Middle Eastern country sets off a nuclear bomb.

Leadership and the current leadership approaches

Leadership and the current leadership approaches The literature review will start by a brief definition of leadership and current leadership approach. It also specifies the concept of modern management which will be discussed with directive towards the modern management approach and capabilities. The relationship between the leader and follower will be explained. In additional to that changed nature and perception changed from the modern face of the businesses will be explained. Current leadership, modern management approach and the current practices of businesses in todays market place are defined and the literature will explore how current leadership and modern management are inter-related or overlap; considering the global concept or face of todays businesses. 2.1.1 Leadership: As a Definition In last 60 years, scholars gave 65 different definitions regarding the dimensions of leadership (Fleishman and others., 1991) and also difficult to understand as it depends in which it is classified and perceived. According to Buchanan and Huczynski, (2007), Leadership is symbolized as power, authority and influence. Moreover, the organizations of current business concentrate mainly on the building of team, formation of the networks, and to plan knowledge to achieve a common goal. In the competitive business world leadership seems to be diminishing due to the usage of power and authority when taken in to consideration. In the present trend leader is considered as an individual with the goals and ability to lead the bottom hierarchy to reach the goals of an organization. Another definition given by Northouse (2007) defines leadership as Leadership is a process whereby an individual influences a group of individuals to achieve a common goal. Bass (1990, pp. 11-20) also defined the term leadership as, a process where the leader is at the centre of group change and activity and embodies the will of the group. During the period several scholars gave various theories of leadership and author will explore more about the theory widely accepted and most relevant leadership theories which are adopted by modern business practices. Management and leadership have some common characteristics; leadership has been defined as a process of influence leading to the achievement of desired purposes. Whereas management involves, the efficient and effective maintenance of an organizations current activities, and the implementation of policies (Bush and Glover, 2003), which differentiates it from leadership. The theories of leadership suggest that an effective leader has a great influence on the team and the organizational goals as the behavior of the leader influences the behavior of an individual. Burns (1978) proposed two forms of leadership in particular which compromises transactional and transformational. Transactional leadership focuses on the real motives or goals of the organization, be it political or managerial and concerned about the overall organizational development (Burns., J.M, 1979, pp.11). The transactional leaders and followers exchange of needs and services are to accomplish independence objectives (Ser giovanni, 1991). In transformational leadership, a leader engages with others and creates a connection that surges the level of motivation and morality in both the leader and the follower (Northouse, 2007, p. 176). The transformational leadership theory relates to the intellectual stimulation and charisma of the individual leaders (Bass, 1985). The transformational leaders have the ability to create support for their vision by empowering others to take responsibility and powerfully project it. According to Bennis (1993), transformational leaders penetrate the soul of others and affect their awareness to strive for greater ends. Thus, it is challenging to create a leadership talent pool. Leadership activities can be demarcated, defined or outlined and learning opportunities created. Still certain qualities are specific and needs to be selected into the talent pool and needs development at personal level than professional or technical. There is a growing recognition that there is a need to acknowledge the importance of leadership feature for organizations competitive edge (Gibbons, 1999). It is essential for betterment of the current practices and also for transformation of the organization for the future. This learning is sustained or exists in the organizational processes and systems and not just in individual minds of its members and the leadership that solely relies on the heroic efforts might not be sufficient when changes are required in large systems (James., K, CEML, June 2000). 2.1.3 Current leadership approach According to Perren., L (CEML, 2002), over the recent year there have been seen significant changes in what is required of good leaders. Those organizations will undoubtedly face serious problems in an ever more uncertain future, whose leaders do not respond to these required new ways of working. The Council for Excellence in Management and Leadership (CEML) reveal significant shortages in leadership skills such as: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Creating a sense of vision in a fast changing environment à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Motivating people and leading them through change à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Being innovative in products and services and ways of working. The best practice case studies highlighted the following six elements of inspirational leadership. They genuinely care about their people, involve everybody, show lots of appreciation, ensure work is fun, show real trust and listen a lot (cited in: Perren., L, CEML, 2002). The table 2.1 reflects that the followers desire in the leaders; views of both exceptional leaders and best practice case studies findings (DTI, December 2003). From the viewpoint of leaders From the viewpoint of followers à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Strong communication storytelling and listening à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Genuine shared vision à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Passion for learning and intense curiosity à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Having fun and very energized à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Real confidence and trust in their teams à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Focus on developing people à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Strong self-belief, coupled with humanity and humility à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Respect for employees and customers à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Committed to giving something back and to making a significant difference à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Commitment to developing people à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Clarity of vision and ability to share it with their people à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Dogged determination and often relentless à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Passion for and pride in what they do à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Clear standards of ethics and integrity à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Very strong focus on priorities à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Not afraid to show some vulnerability à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Willingness to take risks à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Regular use of reflective periods à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Almost universal dislike of jargon Table 2.1: Most prevalent leadership characteristics: Source: DTI, December (2003) The top six ranked attributes of a leader include; Enabler, Team builder, Social adaptability, Enthusiastic learner, Reflective and Self-belief. The other attributes include; Visionary, Legacy Builder, Single Mindedness, Opportunity Awareness, Enthuse, Developer, Values Champion, Consistent, People Champion, Customer Champion, Self-reliance, Proactive and Knowing what works. Three quarters of followers want their leaders to create and demonstrate trust, vision and respect. Particularly the middle and junior managers are dissatisfied with the remoteness of the top management (DTI, December 2003). To understand the relationship between the leader and follower in an organization, it is must that to understand the word follower. In this research follower refers to those who report to a leader in an organization and follow their viewpoint for achieving the goals for their organization. It is an interesting topic to read and find out how leaders and followers are associated to each other in the leadership process which can be a relationship between superiors and subordinates. Leaders need followers, and followers need leaders (Burns et al, 1978, cited in: Northouse, 2007, pp.3). The whole responsibility and burden is on the shoulder of the leader even though there is a strong relationship between leader and follower. Leader is responsible to motivate the subordinates and achieve the organizations goals. According to Buchko., A.A, (2007) indicates that research suggests that the values of a leader are of significant importance while they are also inherited by the subordinates and t he leaders who exhibit a well built value-based behavior of management which tends to inculcate the similar behaviors in their subordinates. The values refer to the similar design and the belief among the people which bind them together in an organization and the common values inherited in an organization which are named as the core or of the inherent values and how they are exhibited has a unique influence on the execution of the firm is represented in diagram 2.1 (cited in: Buchko., A.A, 2007). Consequently it can be said that the strong leadership qualifications and potential have a great impact on value-based management and the total firm execution. Figure 2.1: The relationship of organization values to performance Performance Market share Products Services Business Processes: Marketing Operations Finance Investment Logistics Service Administration Etc. VALUES People: Behaviors Decisions Creativity Source: Buchko., A.A, (2007), pp. 38 Research suggests that the efficient leaders are those people on the basis of which the followers respond to the leaders who tell them that their work is their first priority. To maintain the followers in motivated path and get them involved in era of change, it is critical that the leaders must create a culture in the organization which stimulates the fun at work apart from execution (DTI, December 2003). One of the research on the soft approach of qualifications of leader (Crosbie, R., 2005) indicated the following 8 unique qualifications of leaders: collaboration/ teamwork; communication skills; initiative; leadership ability; people development/coaching; personal effectiveness/personal mastery; planning and organizing, and; presentation skills Leader must also be able to develop collective self confidence, give voice to all people, and view leadership as learning. The idea of leadership just being about having a vision, aligning and selling it to people is a bankrupt idea (James., K, CEML, June 2000). This is supported by Edge (2007, pp. 039), suggesting that in todays business organizations the work of leading and managing potentially involves multiple leaders including individuals who have not had any formally designated leadership and management positions and does not just include the CEO or leadership teams. 2.2.0 Endeavour to relate management and leadership skills, capability and abilities In this research modern management has to be defined to link between management and leadership attributes. In modern times management and leadership are inter-linked, therefore it is must to have knowledge about management and leadership skills, capability and abilities and both are required in modern managers and leaders. So, it is important to examine and investigate the existing literature on these attributes. 2.2.1 Modern management approach In modern era of management, the directors should have a complete understanding of leadership because it is one of the independent activities important to influence one of the four functions basic managerial functions apart from planning, organizing and controlling. Leadership was considered qualification for a success of organization and along with the rise in technology and the international business, leadership is given more preference. In todays business world manager requires more skills apart from management skills (Certo, 2003). Weekes, S (2007), supported and also suggested to apply the significant changes so that individuals at all the levels have a capability to make decisions and become future leaders. To achieve the organizations success the executive has to understand the difference between managing and leading and also combining them when needed. Weekes recognizes that the combination should show a calculated focus on the process of organization (management) with the tr ue concern for the workers (leadership) (The Edge, 2007, pg. 026). 2.2.2 Defining management skills Decision making is one of the prime factors in management includes capacity to explore and identify opportunities to make use of resources efficiently. The principal elements included in management and leadership practices include managing people, process, structure, strategy and innovation. Critics also argue that managers need to have shift management capabilities from risk averse, hierarchical approach towards the approach that is more people oriented. It is also associated attributes such as inspiring, developing talent and performance management by providing clarity (IES, 2006). Other skills like organizational skills and technical knowledge which are also defined in literature (Tamkin, P., and Denvir, A, 2006) are depicted in table 2.2: Table: 2.2 Skills needed by todays managers Creativity and the management of change: Robert Chia (1996) strongly argues the need for managers to develop entrepreneurial imagination. Innate factors: According to Mabey and Thomson (2000); the most important factors in making an effective manager are experience, personality and inherent ability. Beech (2003) also strongly supports this. Soft skills: Mabey and Thomson (2000) suggest that the skills most needed in this century are the softer skills leadership, team working, people management and customer focus. Generic Skills: According to the Council for Administration management skills are considered as a specific category of generic skills. They support that the management skills are no longer constrained to Managerial occupations. Customer Relations: Chartered Management Institute concluded in the survey that customer relations are rated as the most important determinants for organizational future success by the managers. The need to manage change: According to Winterton et al., (2000) new management development activities are required for need to manage change. Leadership and strategic thinking: According to Kettley Strebler (1997) senior managers need to think strategically, analyze information, solve problems and make decisions. Source: (Tamkin, P., and Denvir, A, 2006) 2.2.3 Management and leadership capabilities The core areas of capabilities development in management and leadership by the modern professionals, who are responsible to both their staff and people who rely on them for services, has been shown in Table 2.3: The author argues that the below mentioned skills and capabilities required in managers cannot be achieved unless a communication channel with followers is developed by a manager. The key skill of communication is to link all these areas and the ability to engage people is the area of critical success regardless of the area of endeavor (CEML, April 2002). Also, there is an increasing complexity in todays businesses and poses multiple challenges which requires both management and leadership skills (ibid). Table 2.3 Capabilities required in managers Leading Strategic Direction: This includes capability to match the external threats and opportunities with internal strengths and weaknesses. Also, includes potential to act as catalyst for strategic decision making, quality and innovation. Managing Client/Customer Relations: This suggests a clear understanding of who the customers or clients are and what they want? About their environment and what will make them happy and satisfied with the services. So, it includes delivering a quality service, relationship building and ability to measure effectiveness and satisfaction. Managing and Leading People: It includes elements such as developing shared values and inspiring shared vision. Supporting and developing teams and individuals and optimizing diversity and talent. It includes the performance management capability of effective delegation such as, setting clear objectives, reviewing achievements, giving feedback and recognition. Making it Happen: It includes operational planning, resource management, project management, operational planning and continuous process improvement. Source: CEML (April, 2002) 2.2.4 Management and Leadership Abilities In competitive world of business managers has to face multiple challenges which require both management and leadership skills. In large organizations, there are many pressures on managers to perform and to be accountable for multiple stakeholders. For efficient running of an organization executive has to motive, inspire and also guide their vision fits with both the interests of other stakeholders and the reality of the changing world. The management competence and leadership abilities previously were limited to needs such as abilities to inspire, motivate and enable people to do things differently to achieve newer levels of performance and customer satisfaction which in turn resulted in lacking of managers and leaders for the modern organization. Figure 2.2 (For detailed figure refer appendix C) depicts the Management and Leadership Abilities Framework, which clearly highlights the crucial combination of people abilities, task abilities and thinking abilities that lead to excellence in management and leadership in an organization (CEML Final Report, 2002). Figure 2.2: Management and Leadership Abilities Framework Source: CEML Final Report (2002), pp. 11 Thinking abilities are represented by thinking strategically. Task abilities include the abilities to manage information, manage resources and manage activities and quality. People abilities include the abilities to manage relationships, manage self, manage and lead people and lead direction and culture (Perren, L. and Burgoyne, 2002). Management and leadership are the key factors for the success of an organization and complement each other (Darling et al., 2007) and can be seen as two overlapping functions. The fundamental differences between management and leadership are: Managers administer; leaders innovate. Managers maintain; leaders develop. Managers control; leaders inspire. Managers are short-term oriented; leaders long-term. Managers ask how and when; leaders ask what and why. Managers typically imitate; leaders originate. Managers accept the status quo; leaders challenge it. Managers do things right; leaders do the right things (Darling., J.R and Nurmi., R.W, 2009, pp. 206). In spite of the fundamental differences as quoted above which reflect on the differences in types of personality; it does not specify which one is better than the other because the two sets of functionalities are necessary for the good execution of an organization. In the order with the expertise in the two paradigms that an individual must develop, learn and consolidate the attributes which were not inherited in basic personality (darling., J.R and Nurmi., R.W, 2009). 2.2.5 Benefits of leadership and management skills in managers A good leadership and the management are the primary basis for delivering services, quality of execution, investment and productivity obtained in the public and private sectors. The principal elements included in management development considers: existence of education and qualification, formal and informal training, job based learning or experience personal factors or motivation and engagement (Tamkin., P and Denvir., A, 2006). A better execution of organization due to the good management would carry out to: Managers with better skills who can be associated with greater innovation, performance, business growth and also higher survival levels of business. Managers with better skills to implement better management practices, i.e. good quality processes, RD activity and people management. This would be associated with better performance. Recognition of higher level of skills by labor markets would lead to better managers receiving higher salaries, being promoted more and less likely to face unemployment (ibid). The executives also show the capacity to adapt to change constantly and to fast mobile environment of businesses and in this manner they carry their people with them by the process of the change. Several benefits include (EFQM, 2003): Clarity of purpose and direction within the organization. A clear identity for, and within the organization. A shared set of values and ethics. Consistent and role model behaviors throughout the organization. A committed, motivated and effective workforce. Confidence in, and within the organization even in turbulent and changing times In the present literature review it is obvious that a true mixture of skills, capability and ability is the need for the hour of the modern directors to be good leaders. So at this stage it will be interesting to study the nature of the modern business. 2.4.0 Comparative quality and performance of UK management The IES (Tamkin et al., 2006) explored the quality of UK management both within UK as well as the non-UK multinationals. The negative aspect was that the UK managers are risk reluctant and unwilling to treat the poor execution or conflict and are overly hierarchical. Positive side they were sensitive and entrepreneurial. It was seen that one-third of managers and half of the juniors managers evaluated the quality of leadership; particularly inspiration as poor in their organizations with development of leadership given a low suitability by employers. Research suggests that employee view about their manager reflects on their attitudes towards work and the fact results of businesses. According to Rucci et al. ,1998; Barber et al. ,19992 ; Purcell et al. 2003; there is a growing importance of managers role in motivating staff (cited in: DTI, 2003). It was noted that UK companies are less strategic and less forwards focused. The established companies always seek for empowering, energetic and people focused managers. On the other hand it is seen that the problem is with the lack of vision and strategic direction in the organizations rather than the possibilities of management in UK and consequently it is question of leadership rather than direct management (Tamkin., P, Mabey., C and Beech., D, April 2006). It has been argued by Darling., J.R and Nurmi., R.W (2009) which until recently it was thought that top level management should only work on the strategies and leadership was considered as part of skills in the middle-managers and the supervisors. They propose that it is now clearer that to successfully delegate and apply the strategy; not only the middle-managers and supervisors but also top management are necessary to explain leadership skills since they discover the strategy and constitute the essence of its existence. Thus, it is accepted, is carried out and well understood that planning and implementing a strategy are not two separate enterprises and they tend to over-lap organizationally (ibid). Survey of followers at various levels of management functioning in the large variety of organizations in UK confirms that the todays labour is sophisticated, informed and diverse than before and so people are still looking for an organizational leadership which is different and better. Research suggests that the organizations did not evolve effectively to satisfy the needs of todays high performance workplace. Existence of an excessive command, control and bureaucracy behaviors in UK organizations which result in inhibition rather than improvement of the organizational performance (DTI, December 2003). With the issues of management and leadership; it is discussed that UK companies are less advanced in context to creating a progressive structure for the development of management and also in linking HR practices to the business strategies. The organizational culture becomes less flexible while companies are becoming more established and developed further. One requires it for them to ev oke their drive and dynamism (Tamkin., P, Mabey., C and Beech., D, April 2006). So, it can be suggested that there is an urgent need to develop the management and leadership skills in the organizations in order to meet the demands of current business environment. 2.4.1 Management and Leadership development (MLD) and its context in an organization An effective and competing business response is to create new business structures (Tamkin et al., 2006) and the essential key with this is to discover how to do; which again places more requirements on managers. Porter and Ketels (2003) proposed that to succeed with the strategies of company towards higher level of innovation, goods and services; change in point of view is must. It is also essential for the managers and leaders to distinguish between the task leadership and the process leadership (Rees., W.D and Porter., C, 2008). They stated that if task is too complicated and the leaders become too much implied with task and neglects leadership process; it can have poor consequence in group performance. In order to achieve this distinctive quality of a leader; the individual needs to gain some experience. Consequently, in an organization the managers cannot begin their careers at senior levels undertaking strategic responsibilities; with the difference of the directors for which th e route is much of clairifiant with the role and the sets by convention definite of responsibilities. But even for managers at the entry point is as specialist and then they progress in their career undertaking managerial responsibilities later (Rees., W.D and Porter., C, 2008). So it is understood that the excellence of an organization depends on the leaders who have the uniformity in their execution and vision. The leaders at various levels in such organizations combine and they motivate and inspired their employees as well in the organization towards the model behavior by excellence, performance and role model behavior (EFQM, 2003). As also indicated by Darling., J.R and Fischer., A.K (1998) that at a multinational firm the management team is mainly enhanced by each individuals interactive style which can together affect the collective achievements and individual accomplishments. The EFQM model as shown in figure 2.5 (cited in: Augustus, E.O et al, 2005), highlights the other crucial aspect of leadership such as; people management, policy and strategy, performance management that includes people, customer and social results (Armstrong, 2006, pp.124) other than a process to achieve results. Fig. 2.5 The premise undermining strategic quality management, TQM and EFQM Excellence Model Source: Augustus, E.O et al, (2005) and EFQM, (2003) Effective leadership management teams are integration of four styles of behavior known as; Relater, Analyzer, Director and Socializer in each individual. Thus, leadership skills and capabilities are essential in every management workforce than just one or few individual who head the company (Darling., J.R and Fischer., A.K, 1998). Although management and leadership are now considered on current basis of similar structures and even to a large level as interchangeable but at same point of time Darling, J.R and Nurmi., R.W, (2009) argue that these two organizational roles are distinguishing responsibilities. They propose that management positions includes responsibilities that come with the particular position in an organization and managers must essentially have managerial competencies such as lawyers, doctors, artists etc. leadership refers to the personal skills and abilities such as vision, communication and influential aspects of their capabilities. Despite these differences; Darli ng., J.R and Nurmi., R.W, (2009) support the fact that combination of these two roles is beneficial and valuable (Collins and Porras, 2002) for the success and development of a firm. On the other hand Svensson., G and Wood., G (2005) argue that even though it is favorable to have effective leadership in management that characterizes higher degree of skillfulness but in minor or major level the coincidence of timely precision at the right place, right time rather than skillful leadership; is responsible for the success of an organization. It was also supported by Rees., W.D and Porter., C, (2008) suggested that the effective leadership and management engage a commitment to set appropriate skills that match with situations. Understanding the requirements of leadership in a particular circumstance can help people adapt to the changing situation, but not necessarily it could be in a significantly different situation where the ability of people to adapt may be restricted. Therefore, they suggest that however some skills can be developed but it is unlikely to develop the skills which are consistent with the basic personalities of people aspiring to be leaders. At the s ame time, the generic qualities which are associated with leadership and also abundant to expect all these qualities in one individual are quite unrealistic. With all these issues the individual must have specific expertise which further adds on to the problem (ibid.). Borgelt., K and Falk., I (2007) suggests that the effective leadership is based on the collective leadership intervention and not on attributes in a single leader to achieve organizational goals. Falk (2003) supports this by stating that the attributes or qualities of an individual leader are necessary but for an effective leadership it is not sufficient. So Borgelt., K and Falk., I (2007) suggest that effective leadership occurs through a more strategic approach towards management and leadership as shown in figure 2.6 that includes four stages namely; trigger stage, initiating stage, developmental stage and lastly management and sustainability stage. Figure 2.6: The design of effective leadership interventions Source: Borgelt., K and Falk., I (2007, pp. 126) Cook, P (2006) argues that, for the management and leadership development (MLD) the employers responsibility becomes increasingly crucial factor and many organizations are now taking responsibility for developing the necessary leadership skill needed in their managers more proactively. Author suggests that to gain a true value of MLD, each organization performance index in harmony with the needs of that firm. According to which the company can analyze various factors such as; what needs improvement? How to evaluate the improvements been made? Therefore, following these principles to enhance or incorporate the MLD; can be a valuable investment for the organization. 2.5.0 Summary In the literature the author has delve into the most relevant leadership theory of 21st century which is flip-flop approach of leadership. The general leadership means of arriving with key leadership skills as noticed by the followers and by different scholars has been deliberated. The essential business leadership and management abilities have been investigated. The passages of modern businesses have been investigated t

The Joy of Soy :: Argumentative Health Diet Essays

The Joy of Soy In Chinese, the word for soybean is ta-tou, which translates, "greater bean" (Simmons 1991). Many Americans who are trying to make changes in their health are beginning to agree with this definition. Soybeans are becoming a legume of the future. SOY - CAN IT SURVIVE THE HYPE? Scientific research has discovered that adding soy foods to your diet can dramatically improve your health (http://www.ncw.net/alpha/pam5.html). People that incorporate soybeans and soy products into their diet have been shown to live healthier lives. The substitution of soy proteins for animal proteins in the diet can have dramatic affects on a person's health, though many Americans have not yet discovered the use of soy in the diet. The most common form of soy protein is derived from "white flakes," that are made by dehulling, flaking, and defatting soybeans by hexane extraction. These flakes contain 50-54% protein, and these flakes can be extracted to produce soy concentrates containing 65-70% protein (Lusas, l995). Soybeans, which were originally brought to the United States by Chinese immigrants, were discovered by Dr. John Henry Kellogg, who first used the soybean to develop a substitute for the traditional bacon and egg breakfast. He was also the first to develop meat substitutes and soymilk made from soybeans (http://www.vrp.com/soy.htm). The soybean is naturally rich in phosphatidycholine, which is an important component of the cell membranes and also an efficient delivery system of nutrients (http://www.eastcoast.com/freelife/product.htm). Recently, the soybean has undergone a transformation from food to medicine (http://www.vrp.com/soy.htm). THE PRODUCT Dr. Earl Mindell's company, FreeLife, has produced a line of soy-based health supplements that combine the soybean and the Japanese Grape Seed. These products are composed of Dr. Mindell's homemade Ultra Soy Complexes as well as a variety of other vitamins and minerals. These soy-based supplements are advertised and marketed on the internet; designed to catch the eye of the health-conscious reader. Dr. Mindell has hundreds of advertisements, and even his own home page. The first thought that comes to mind when reading these advertisements is, "Why should I believe this and switch my diet to a soy-based diet?" While the effects of Dr. Mindell's products may be slightly exaggerated, there may actually be more to a soy diet than many Americans would like to admit. Dr. Mindell's soy products must each be examined separately in order to discern the true effects of the product on a person's diet. The Joy of Soy :: Argumentative Health Diet Essays The Joy of Soy In Chinese, the word for soybean is ta-tou, which translates, "greater bean" (Simmons 1991). Many Americans who are trying to make changes in their health are beginning to agree with this definition. Soybeans are becoming a legume of the future. SOY - CAN IT SURVIVE THE HYPE? Scientific research has discovered that adding soy foods to your diet can dramatically improve your health (http://www.ncw.net/alpha/pam5.html). People that incorporate soybeans and soy products into their diet have been shown to live healthier lives. The substitution of soy proteins for animal proteins in the diet can have dramatic affects on a person's health, though many Americans have not yet discovered the use of soy in the diet. The most common form of soy protein is derived from "white flakes," that are made by dehulling, flaking, and defatting soybeans by hexane extraction. These flakes contain 50-54% protein, and these flakes can be extracted to produce soy concentrates containing 65-70% protein (Lusas, l995). Soybeans, which were originally brought to the United States by Chinese immigrants, were discovered by Dr. John Henry Kellogg, who first used the soybean to develop a substitute for the traditional bacon and egg breakfast. He was also the first to develop meat substitutes and soymilk made from soybeans (http://www.vrp.com/soy.htm). The soybean is naturally rich in phosphatidycholine, which is an important component of the cell membranes and also an efficient delivery system of nutrients (http://www.eastcoast.com/freelife/product.htm). Recently, the soybean has undergone a transformation from food to medicine (http://www.vrp.com/soy.htm). THE PRODUCT Dr. Earl Mindell's company, FreeLife, has produced a line of soy-based health supplements that combine the soybean and the Japanese Grape Seed. These products are composed of Dr. Mindell's homemade Ultra Soy Complexes as well as a variety of other vitamins and minerals. These soy-based supplements are advertised and marketed on the internet; designed to catch the eye of the health-conscious reader. Dr. Mindell has hundreds of advertisements, and even his own home page. The first thought that comes to mind when reading these advertisements is, "Why should I believe this and switch my diet to a soy-based diet?" While the effects of Dr. Mindell's products may be slightly exaggerated, there may actually be more to a soy diet than many Americans would like to admit. Dr. Mindell's soy products must each be examined separately in order to discern the true effects of the product on a person's diet.