Wednesday, October 30, 2019

European Business Environment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

European Business Environment - Essay Example The Eurozone Since inauguration, the European Union has undergone economic crises. Resolutions could be seen through changes and charters within authorities and structures of the institutions. Such resolutions would be undertaken through impeding of European Union economic integration. Economic integration encompasses key steps. The preferential economic territory would lower the customs tariffs in the midst of the member countries. A free trade zone would be created to eradicate the internal customs imposed on certain commodities among the state parties. The custom union ensured recognition of a common trade strategy, and similar tariffs applied for the third countries. The common market establishes common regulations on commodities and enhances the free movement of commodities, services, and workforce. The Economic Monetary Union (EMU) formed a common market via a universal currency unit. The union determined a common monetary policy, which depended upon coordination among the memb er states’ economic policies, deficit and public debt, and monetary policies (Arestis & Sawyer 2011, p. 28). The common currency unit and monetary policy establishment and the Eurozone would be independently governed by ECB (European Central Bank). There would be implementation of harmonization of fiscal and other policies of the economy to complete the economic integration. In other words, the European Zone has basic institutional features. 1. Commercial and economic integration and inflow of financial resources. This involves the integrated and freedom in the markets. 2. Common currency, the Euro. 3. The open financial, institutionally separated markets have differential regulations and taxation. 4. The non integrated markets: the labor market’s rules remained national despite the determination of European institutional architects. This was as a result of cultural and political factors and real constrains. For instance, there would be the rigidity of the many countri es housing market. The European Union role is to endow migration freedom and equivalent rights to migrants. 5. Common fiscal parameters, which was a Maastricht criteria. The heterogeneous structures in the institution are the vital reasons of crisis within the Eurozone. It would be right to justify that the citizens of the Eurozone have had a negative response to the Euro. After the approval, of the unit of the common currency, the prices of services and commodities skyrocketed and the Eurozone exhibited a weak performance. The Euro has caused considerably indefensible macroeconomic inequalities within the states, and the Eurozone lacks an organizational structure to undertake the crisis situation (Arestis & Sawyer 2011, p. 30). In the year 2008, the approval process of the treaty of Lisbon was still on till 2009 when it became effective. Immediately after the Lisbon treaty became enforced, a general notion got developed that it would provide the turning point for the European Union to overcome the crisis. The treaty would be expected to optimize working methods and modernize institutions to tackle challenges effectively and efficiently (Franz & Sinn 2010, p. 102). The global financial crisis began to influence the European Union states unenthusiastically. The total public debt of Greece was almost 125 percent of its national income. These macroeconomic indicators in Greece would be explained by the Maastricht criteri

Monday, October 28, 2019

The American Electoral System Essay Example for Free

The American Electoral System Essay The American electoral system is essentially based on political efficiency and partial representation. Political efficiency may be defined as expedient balance between imminent interests. Partial representation means instructional politics. These two principles govern the interest-aggregation process, and in general, political dynamics in democratic countries. Background At the Constitutional Convention, the Virginia Plan was used as the basis for discussion and debate. The Virginia Plan called for the executive to be chosen by the legislature (by open ballot). Delegates from the majority of states agreed to this method of election. However, the so-called ‘Committee of Eleven’ formed to labor out details which included the mode of election of the executive. The committee recommended that the election be by a group of people apportioned among the states in the same numbers as representatives in the US Congress. This group of people would be chosen by each state, in a way determined by the Legislative branch. Gouverneur Morris explained the factors for the change. Among the factors were as follows: 1) fear that the president would be chosen by a small group of men who met regularly in ‘evening sessions,’ 2) equal parity among states, and 3) popular elections as mediums for extreme and irresponsible demagoguery. On the 6th of September 1787, the Convention approved the Committee’s proposal with some opposition from delegates who preferred popular election. The move was based on the belief that the state government must be a derivative of state sovereignty. As O’Neil argued: The theory of State sovereignty was assumed as true and valid by all states. The Massachusetts constitution of 1780 declares that the people of that ‘commonwealth have the sole and exclusive right of governing themselves as a free, sovereign, and independent State’ with certain limitations there laid down (3). The move was also based on reactionary ideology. Southern politicians feared that the ‘popular vote’ method would lead ‘waste of ‘ballot. ’ As O’Neil correctly observed: One reason, purely sectional, existed which made a popular election impossible. The slavery problem was an important element in the framing of any plan. The Southern states, with their system of slave labor, would be threatened with the loss of their relative influence in the nation, because a large portion of their population could not be trusted with the ballot (4). During the framing of the Constitution, the ‘electoral’ system was institutionalized, with its efficient guiding principles and framework. However, it was not without opposition. Some of the founding fathers opposed the move, declaring it as an offshoot of ‘aristocratic’ ordeal – the fruit of reckless political estimation. However, as O’Neil noted: A slight reflection, however, will convince them that this mode is in perfect harmony with the spirit of the United States Constitution. With the exception of the members of the House of Representatives, no person holding office under the United States government derives his appointment directly from the people (2). The Term ‘Electoral College’ The term ‘Electoral College’ was never used to describe the general vote of the electors. It was not until in the 1800s that the term ‘electoral college’ came into use as the shared designation for the electors chosen to cast votes for the President and Vice President. In 1845, it was formally written into law. The Nature of the Electoral College in its Early Conception. The composition, nature, and role of the Electoral College are defined in the US Constitution, prior to the passage of the 12th Amendment. Article II, Section 1, Clause 2 of the US Constitution states: Each State shall appoint, in such Manner as the Legislature thereof may direct, a Number of Electors, equal to the whole Number of Senators and Representatives to which the State may be entitled in the Congress: but no Senator or Representative, or Person holding an Office of Trust or Profit under the United States, shall be appointed an Elector. In Section 1, Clause 4, the Congress is tasked to determine the time of choosing the electors, and the day on which they shall cast their votes. Note that the day shall be the same throughout the country. In Clause 3 of the same section, it is determined that: The President and Vice President were to be chosen by the electors. Unlike the present system, each elector voted for two people for President, rather than one vote for President and one vote for Vice President. To become President, a candidate had to have more votes than any other and must have received votes from a majority of the electors. After the choosing of the President, the person with the most electoral votes among the remaining candidates would become the Vice President. If no one received a majority of the votes, the decision would be made by the House of Representatives. The form of the Electoral College was based upon several assumptions of the Framers of the Constitution: 1) each state should employ the district system of allocating electors, 2) independent judgment would be observed in the casting of vote of all electors, 3) candidates would not ‘pair together’ on the same ticket, and 4) the system would rarely create a winner, sending the election itself to Congress. The framers of the Constitution intended the Electoral College simply as a body that would nominate candidates from which Congress could select a President and Vice President. Each state government was free to have its own arrangements for selecting its electors. Revision With the rise of political parties and nationally coordinated election campaigns, the system complicated the 1796 and 1800 elections. In the 1796 election, John Adams was elected President, and Thomas Jefferson, Vice President. In 1800, Jefferson and Aaron Burr tied for the first place. Since all votes were for president, Burr’s votes were technically for him even though he was the party’s second option. The Congress remained deadlock for 35 ballots as neither candidate received the majority vote. To resolve the issue, Alexander Hamilton declared his support for Jefferson. Congress elected Jefferson President on the 36th ballot. To avoid this incident from occurring in the future, the US Congress proposed the 12th Amendment. Each elector could only cast one vote for President and one vote for Vice President. The 12th amendment superseded Article II, Section 1, Clause 3 of the Constitution. It was adopted in 1804. Constitutional Theory behind the Electoral System The founding fathers accepted the notion that the President and Vice President are elected as executives of a confederation of independent states. In short, in contrast to ‘popular election’ of members of Congress, the election of both the President and Vice President must be indirect. James Madison argued that the Constitution was created to be a combination of the state-based and population-based government. The US Congress should have two houses: the state-based House of Senate and the population-based House of Representatives. The President would be elected by a combination of the two methods. Madison was fearful of the growing cynicism of factions within the government. He defined faction as a group of citizens (either a majority or minority) who are united by some common or shared impulse of passion or interest detrimental to the rights of other citizens, in general, to the interests of the community. In Republican governments, factions would be generally curtailed because voter rights and powers are widely distributed. In short, the power of the faction would be lessened under a mixed-state set-up of government. In practice, this was short of impossible. As O’Neil noted: A sovereign nation and a limited national government were thought impossible. In rightfully opposing all projects of consolidation of the powers of sovereignty, they naturally fell into the error of opposing plan, which tended to the strengthening of the bonds of union, and the developing of a broader national spirit. Jealous opposition to the granting of too much power to the general government led them to oppose a plan electing a President which would make him the representative of the whole nation (4). Mechanics of the System When a citizen votes for a presidential candidate, that citizen is really instructing the electors to cast their votes for the same candidate. Suppose that the citizen vote for a Republican candidate. The citizen, in essence, is voting for an elector who will be ‘pledged to vote for the Republican candidate. The candidate who wins the popular vote in a state wins all the pledged votes of the state’s electors. Now, each state gets a number of electors equal to its members in the House of Representatives and one for each of its two senators. The District of Columbia gets three electors. State law determines how electors are chosen. In general though, they are selected by the political party committees within the states. A state with eight electors would cast eight votes. Currently, there are 538 electors. The majority vote is equal to 270 (requirement to be elected). In general, because Electoral College Representation is based on congressional allocation, states with larger populations get more Electoral votes. Suppose that none of the candidates win the required 270 electoral votes, the 12th Amendment require the election to be decided by the House of Representatives. Combined votes of each state are equivalent to one vote. A simple majority is required to be elected. It is possible for an elector to defect and not vote for the party’s candidate, because the Constitution does not require them to do so. However, such change in political attitude rarely affects the outcome of the election. In some states, ‘defector’ electors are prohibited from casting their votes. Nomination, Disqualification, and Meetings of Electors State political parties nominate candidates for electors months prior to the Election Day. The US constitution delegates to the state the authority for nominating and choosing its electors. In some states, electors are nominated through primaries. In some states, electors are nominated through party conventions. In other states, campaign committees of each candidate name their candidates for presidential elector. The Constitution prohibits person holding a federal office from being elected or appointed as elector. Note that a person who holds an office has sworn an oath to support the United States Constitution in order to hold either a state or federal office. When such person serves in the Electoral College, such individual is in theory rebelling against the United States. The congress though may remove this ‘function’ by two-thirds vote in each house. State legislatures determine how its electors are to be chosen. All states choose electors by popular election on the date specified by federal law. Forty eight states and Washington D. C. utilize the winner take all method – each awarding its electors as a single bloc. In other states, state legislatures select one elector within each congressional district by popular vote, and select the remaining two by statewide election. In the ‘short-ballot’ system, voters choose among a list of candidates for the associated elector. At present, only a few states list the names of the electors on the ballot. In other states, the voter is required to write-in names of candidates for elector. On Election Day, the electors meet in their respective state capital to cast their electoral votes on separate ballots for President and Vice President. Unlike the College of Cardinals, the Electoral College does not meet as one body. Congress has constitutional authority to regular the procedures in use. The election certification official opens the meeting and read the Certificate of Ascertainment. The document states the name of the chosen electors. Then, there is the selection of a president of the meeting. Sometimes, the electors choose a secretary, to take the minutes of the meeting. At the balloting time, the electors choose people to act as tellers. Each elector submits a ballot with the name of a candidate for President. The tellers count the ballots and announce the result. Then the casting of the vote for Vice President follows. After the voting is complete, the electors certify the Certification of Vote. This document states the number of electoral votes cast for both the President and Vice President. Copies are sent to the Senate President. Staff member from the Vice President collects the certificates for the joint session of Congress. The Certificates are arranged in alphabetical order. The Congress declares the winner of the election in the joint session. Conclusion The present electoral system of the United States is essentially based on the belief that the President and Vice President are executives of a confederation of independent states. As such, they cannot be directly elected by the people. The advantages of this system are quite obvious. First, it prevents the concentration of power in urban areas. Second, it maintains the federal character of the country. Third, it strengthens the status of minority groups. Fourth, it encourages political stability (political polarization). Fifth, it isolates election problems. And lastly, it maintains a clear line of succession. However, the system has not without criticisms. One criticism states that the electoral system destroys the essence of democratic vote, or in general, the true conception of popular sovereignty. A nation without true sovereignty cannot be nation, as what Burke would argue. In essence, the electoral system enhances the ‘aristocratic’ values of a predicated political system. Works Cited O’Neil, Charles. ‘The American Electoral System. ’ New York: HarperCollins Publishers, 2007. The United States Constitution (and other documents). New York: Macmillan Publishing Company, 1992.

Saturday, October 26, 2019

Napoleon: A Leader Or Dictator. Essay -- essays research papers

Napoleon: A Leader or Dictator. There are never ending inquiries on the nature of Napoleonic power. But reason can prove to one that the Age of Napoleon was infact a time of democratic rule. Through Political, Social, and Economical reforms, Napoleon Bonaparte did not only transcend France, but he changed the course of history for Europe and the World today. To begin, Napoleon proved himself a democratic leader thorough many Political reforms. In 1798-99, Napoleon, with the directory's blessing, he launched his Egyptian Expedition. It was a military disaster, but Napoleon came to France a hero and saved France from the second coalition. In 1799, he staged his "Coup D'etat," and setting up the Consulate, government body representing a country in another host country, with himself as First Consul. At first this does not seem just, but Napoleon then submitted his new constitution to a Plebiscite, a vote of the people, and it was approved by a vast majority. Although the constitution gave almost complete power to the First Consul, it was the people of France who voted , as a democratic society would, to enforce this new structure of government. In 1802, Napoleon again held a Plebiscite, and was named to be First Consul for life. Also, in 1804, he submitted to Plebiscite a new constitution, ending the consulate and establishing the First French Empire. Also showing Democratic Political advancement, Napoleon signed The Concordat of 1801 with the Catholic Church. He t...

Thursday, October 24, 2019

E-campus.com :: essays research papers

Ecampus.com q Product- Ecampus.com is an internet company that offers a wide variety of college supplies and other related items online. However, the primary product that is being marketed is college textbooks and books. In fact Ecampus.com claims to be the largest college bookstore online, and to have all books in print available to customers. q Price- In terms of price, Ecampus.com offers their product at an affordable, discounted price compared to the typical bookstore price. Having books available at an affordable price for college students is one of the company's main concern and is evident in their mission statement, as it claims "to provide the easiest, fastest and cheapest way for college and university students to buy textbooks and stuff". On the web site the company also displays the actual price of the book being bought and the price they offer it at, in order let the students be aware of how much they are saving. q Promotion- Ecampus.com have gone through great lengths to promote their company, especially during the summer of 1999, which around the time when they officially launched their company to the public. Their promotion efforts during the period were extremely vital to the company's growth since they had just recently entered the market and also because the school period was soon the start shortly. On July 2, 1999, Ecampus.com officially went live with their web site, during a press conference, which was held in order to introduce their company to the public. Their promotion efforts continued to reach the public through, the internet and mass media. Various commercials for instance, began to surface nationwide, directed primarily for their target market, which were college students. Ecampus.com also chose other channels of promoting their service, which includes flyers on college campuses and magazine ads. q Place- The great thing about Ecampus.com is an internet company and is accessible via the computer, which makes it all the more convenient for the customers to shop. This aspect of the company gives them the advantage over other retail bookstores that are not online and are limited to only a small portion of the market. By making Ecampus.com strictly and internet company, they are able grab a large part of the market share since they are open to the public at a global scale, rather than on a local scale. Target Market-College students q Demographically/Psychographically- Ecampus.com target their market on the demographic basis of sex, age, occupation and income.

Wednesday, October 23, 2019

Dynamic and formal equivalence Essay

Translation is the communication of the meaning of a source-language text by means of an equivalent target-language text. Semantic Translation: Semantic translation takes advantage of semantics that associate meaning with individual data elements in one dictionary to create an equivalent meaning in a second system. Literal Translation: Literal translation, or directed translation, is the rendering of text from one language to another â€Å"word-for-word† (Latin: â€Å"verbum pro verbo†) with or without conveying the sense of the original. Functional Translation: Functional approach to translation values the context and desist from treating language merely as a code. Official translation: A complete and accurate translation into English from the issuing language. DYNAMIC EQUIVALENCE: Dynamic equivalence (or functional equivalence) conveys the essential thoughts expressed in a source text. In this, translator focuses more on the culture and linguistics expression. FORMAL EQUIVALENCE: Formal equivalence focuses attention on the message itself, in both form and content. While the translator is trying to find formal equivalence, he or she is closely following the form, content and structure. LEGAL TRANSLATION Legal translation is the translation of texts within the field of law. As law is a culture-dependent subject field, the work of legal translation and its products are not necessarily linguistically transparent. It is important to note almost all the original drafts at the centre and states level are usually prepared in English and then got translated into Hindi. But the original’ text (i. e. the English version) is called the ‘translated text’, whereas the translated text (i. e. the Hindi version) is known as the ‘original one. Points to be taken care at time of translation Only professional translators specializing in legal translation should translate legal documents The translator should be aware of the legal system of the source text (ST) as it is structured in a way that suits that culture Similarly, the target text (TT) is to be read by someone who is familiar with the other legal system and its language. It should not have any defect which would result in misinterpretation, misunderstanding and misconstruction. It should convey the same meaning as the original text gives. The translator should neither add nor subtract anything from his side. He should not give a word for word translations but grasp the original meaning. The intention of the legislator should also be kept in mind while translating the enactment. REGULATION NO. 1 OF 1803 The rule of translation from English into Hindi, provided under section 18 of the Regulation No 1of 1803, â€Å"The translator shall translate the regulations into plain and easy language and in all possible cases, shall reject words not in common use. So far as may be consistent with the preservation of the true meaning and spirit of regulations, he shall adopt the idiom of the native languages, instead of giving a close verbal translation of the English drafts which must necessarily render the translation obscure and often unintelligible to natives. † The Gazette of India (: Bharat kaa Rajpatra) is a public journal and an authorized legal document of the Government of India published weekly by the Department of Publication, Ministry of Urban Development. (1) (2) (3) Common PROBLEMS FACED DURING TRANSLATION The translator sometimes brings in his own beliefs and experiences in interpreting a document. This could potentially harm the document’s accuracy, intent and effect. The translator could have a problem in comprehending the language too. There are some rare words whose meanings escape, not only the general public but also the dictionaries. Reading the original language poses a problem to inexperienced or unskilled translators. Language can be misused unintentionally.

Tuesday, October 22, 2019

Free Essays on An Indian Women In Guatemala

An Indian Woman in Guatemala The countries in Latin America have experienced in their own way some sort of change through the centuries. They had all been affected with the arrival of the Spanish empire since 1492 and continue to feel the aftermath of the conquering events. In this essay, I will be discussing the survival of the Guatemalan and Brazilian people and touch over the social, political and economic patterns of Guatemala. It will also include contemporary issues pertaining to the survival and social effects on the Indian people of Latin America and partly on Guatemala. Brazil is a nation in which many people have come and gone and left footprints of traditions and cultural practices along the way. From the openings of Portuguese settlements and the discovery of Brazil in 1500 by the Portuguese armada to present day Brazil, there have been many changes affecting the evolution of Brazil. Brazil, at times, has undergone rapid and catastrophic changes, such as war and disease. Despite several changes and the effects caused by invaders, Indian people have managed to maintain their traditions and uphold all their ways of life as much as they could. However, â€Å"For the Indians living in this paradise, it was a physical and cultural reality made up of hundreds of ethnically diversified but socially similar groups that were in turmoil.†(Gomes, 29) Even the tribes themselves were always in competition with one another, eventually leading to corruption and cannibalism. In the early 20th century, there was a continued struggle for access to economic markets and the richness of Latin American products, such as raw materials, cheap labor and direct investment (Haynes, 263). An example of progress in Latin America included women and their role in society. They began to play an important role in the new era of wage-earning workers. Although women only earned sixty percent of men’s wages, they were still given a chance to have an op... Free Essays on An Indian Women In Guatemala Free Essays on An Indian Women In Guatemala An Indian Woman in Guatemala The countries in Latin America have experienced in their own way some sort of change through the centuries. They had all been affected with the arrival of the Spanish empire since 1492 and continue to feel the aftermath of the conquering events. In this essay, I will be discussing the survival of the Guatemalan and Brazilian people and touch over the social, political and economic patterns of Guatemala. It will also include contemporary issues pertaining to the survival and social effects on the Indian people of Latin America and partly on Guatemala. Brazil is a nation in which many people have come and gone and left footprints of traditions and cultural practices along the way. From the openings of Portuguese settlements and the discovery of Brazil in 1500 by the Portuguese armada to present day Brazil, there have been many changes affecting the evolution of Brazil. Brazil, at times, has undergone rapid and catastrophic changes, such as war and disease. Despite several changes and the effects caused by invaders, Indian people have managed to maintain their traditions and uphold all their ways of life as much as they could. However, â€Å"For the Indians living in this paradise, it was a physical and cultural reality made up of hundreds of ethnically diversified but socially similar groups that were in turmoil.†(Gomes, 29) Even the tribes themselves were always in competition with one another, eventually leading to corruption and cannibalism. In the early 20th century, there was a continued struggle for access to economic markets and the richness of Latin American products, such as raw materials, cheap labor and direct investment (Haynes, 263). An example of progress in Latin America included women and their role in society. They began to play an important role in the new era of wage-earning workers. Although women only earned sixty percent of men’s wages, they were still given a chance to have an op...

Monday, October 21, 2019

Unnoticed Children Essay

Unnoticed Children Essay Unnoticed Children Essay June19, 2013 Amili Au Mark Keppel, 10 Unnoticed children Prompt: In your speculative writing, describe and analyze Salvador’s situation. Then examine what information, causes. Effects and possibilities will result if Salvador’s world doesn't change. Explain from the point of view of your role in Salvador’s world. Salvador is a child from a poor family with three younger brothers that he has to take care of. To my analysis, the mother is a single parent that has to take care of a baby and does not have the time to take care of the kids, so the oldest child took care of everyone. Salvador has to wake up early in the morning to wake his brothers up, tie their shoes, comb their hair and prepare breakfast for him and his three younger brothers. When it is time to leave to school, he runs with his brothers to school. In school, Salvador is a very lonely child with no friends; even the teachers don't remember his name. I think he is just very shy and even he had a friend, he would have the time to go out with his friends because he has the responsibilities to take care of his little brothers. His mother doesn't spend time enough time with him and his little brothers. Salvador has many negative thoughts; he has too much stress from school and home. The causes from his situation are that because he is very shy and doesn't have the guts to talk to others and make new friends, he is lonely so he doesn't talk in class. His mother is busy all the time taking care of the baby, so she left a lot of responsibility to Salvador. Giving responsibility to a child is good so they will be more matured, but the mother is giving him too much responsibility that she is abusing the use of Salvador. The effect of Salvador’s situation is his social life, because he doesn’t get to have the time to make friends and go play sometimes and he has to take care of his brothers. Not having friends in class makes him really lonely and quiet and so the teacher doesn't remember his name. If he has to still live on like this and his mother won’t change, he will become a

Sunday, October 20, 2019

Ethics and Politics Essays

Ethics and Politics Essays Ethics and Politics Essay Ethics and Politics Essay the omnipresent roles and missions debate), and thus make the job of the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs more challenging.In the government as a whole, agencies compete for significance in the national/international picture, because significance means public approval and that means resources. (The two dominant political parties also attempt to present the American public with different views of what is significant. ) Because of scarce resources and enduring differences, conflict is central to organizational dynamics and power is the most important resource. Conflict is more likely in under-bounded systems (less regulation and control). In an over-bounded system with power concentrated at the top (e. g. pre-Glasnost Russia), politics remains, but underground. Jefferies makes the point that organizations play the political game within the broader governmental context, but those individuals also play politics within organizations. So both influences are at work. And power is key in both c ases, because it confers the ability both to allocate resources- in itself a way to increase power-and to consolidate power by bringing others with similar goals and objectives into the inner decision making core. Organizational goals and decisions emerge from bargaining, negotiating, and jockeying for position among members of different coalitions.Bolman and Deal offer the space shuttle program as an example of a strategic effort backed by a complex coalition consisting of NASA, contractors, Congress, the White House, the military, the media, and even portions of the public. The difficulty in the Challenger disaster was that different members of the coalition were in disagreement about how to balance technical and political concerns. These became increasingly salient as the enormously expensive shuttle program encountered one delay after another for safety-related technical reasons.At the time of the Challenger shuttle disaster, both Thiokol and NASA were under increasing pressure to produce on schedule at programmed cost. The decision to launch on that fateful day was made when political forces overcame technical considerations. But, of course, this only illustrates the decision makers difficulty in weighing one kind of consideration against another-subjective assessment of constituency demands versus rational data that may nonetheless lack substantiated cause-and-effect relationships with downside outcomes-under conditions of great time pressure.The five propositions of the political frame do not attribute organizational politics to negative, dysfunctional or aggrandizing behavior. They assert that organization diversity, interdependence, resource scarcity, and power dynamics will inevitably generate political forces, regardless of the players. Organizational politics cannot be eliminated or fantasized away. Leaders, however, with a healthy power motive can learn to understand and manage political processes. POWER AS A MOTIVE Power is attractive because it confers the ability to influence decisions, about who gets what resources, what goals are pursued, what philosophy the organization adopts, what actions are taken, who succeeds and who fails. Power also gives a sense of control over outcomes, and may in fact convey such enhanced control. Particularly as decision issues become more complex and outcomes become more uncertain, power becomes more attractive as a tool for reducing uncertainty. Power and the ability to use it are essential to effective leadership.Strategic leaders who are uncomfortable with either the presence of great power in others or its use by themselves are probably going to fail their organizations at some point. The critical issue is why the leader seeks power and how it is used. Some see power as a tool to enhance their ability to facilitate the work of their organizations and groups. Others value power for its own sake, and exercise power for the personal satisfaction it brings. The re can be good and bad in both cases. However, the leader who uses power in the service of his/her organization is using power in the most constructive sense.The leader who seeks power for its own sake and for personal satisfaction is at a level of personal maturity that will compromise his/her ethical position, risk his/her organizations effectiveness, and perhaps even jeopardize the long-term viability of the organization(Jacobs 1996). Power competition exists at two levels. Individuals compete for power within agencies and organizations; agencies and organizations compete for power within the broader governmental context. The mechanics of power competition are much the same.In both cases, power accrues when an individual or an organization achieves control of a scarce commodity that others need. And in both cases, the operations are essentially political. Even when compelling physical force is the means, the mechanism is political. The scarce commodity is the means of inflicting harm on others. So dictators, by hook or by crook, gain a monopoly on the means for inflicting harm on others. During the course of the Cold War, the massive build-up of armaments was aimed at maintaining a balance of forces so as to prevent intimidation by either side.Even after Glasnost, the level of armaments on both sides was carefully negotiated so as to preclude imbalance that might tempt one side or the other toward risky moves. Power competition within an organization or agency is generally for resources- personnel spaces or funding, or both, in governmental agencies. And the basis for the competition can be constructive as well as destructive. If the top-level leadership is wise and capable, the basis for competition can be defined as meritorious performance of either individual or group. In that case, performance becomes the basis for determining who accumulates power.The process is still political, but it is also constructive because the organization as a whole benefits. So, the political process can be either destructive or constructive, depending on the resource to be accumulated, the means by which the competitors seek to accumulate it, and the value that accrues to all competitors by virtue of the competition. (Of course, competition based on performance, if conducted at such an extreme that human values or key norms governing competition are violated, may substantially hurt the organization in the long term). However, internal politics can also be detrimental in ways not readily apparent.Sub-units within agencies may develop objectives and goals at odds with those of the agency. For example, a given desk owes its stature in its own agency to the constituency needs it serves. An extremely important constituency is the nation it represents within its own agency and with which it deals. The desk therefore may find it valuable to promote the needs of that constituency over the needs of the agency by selling important positions or programs that bene fit the constituency-thereby unwittingly becoming co-opted and increasingly vulnerable to manipulation by that constituency.Organizations also play a political game. Organizations seek influence. Influence increases autonomy (freedom to control own assets); organizational morale (the ability to maintain cohesion and effectiveness); essence (sanctity of essential tasks and functions); roles and missions (exclusion of options that would challenge these); and budgets (increased roles and missions will always favor larger budgets) (Jefferies). To increase their own influence, agencies in government and other organizations will provide information, recommend options, and execute directives in ways that enhance their own self interest.Jefferies illustrates with the decision to send a U-2 reconnaissance aircraft to overfly the Cuban missile sites. The decision to send the U-2 was actually made 10 days before the flight occurred, but the implementation was delayed by the CIA-USAF struggle f or the mission. The CIA defined the mission as intelligence gathering and advanced the argument that it had a better U-2 than did the USAF. The USAF was concerned that the pilot be in uniform to avoid repetition of the Gary Powers crisis if the aircraft was shot down.The total mission delay came from five days to make the decision and five days to train an Air Force pilot to fly CIA U-2s. ) Because key leaders who form the centralized circle at the top of the policy making apparatus have different viewpoints, particularly with something as uncertain as strategic policy, they are obligated to fight for what they consider right. Thus, decision making is not a unitary process, but also a process of individuals in politics reacting to their own perceptions of national, organizational, and personal goals (Jefferies 1992).Because the scope and scale are too great for one person to master, the president must persuade in order to develop the consensus required for broad support of decision outcomes. (Those who wind up executing must be product champions for these decisions, or they are not likely to implement them. ) The president is also open to persuasion, because the various branches or agencies may also build power bases outside government or outside the executive branch.While our focus has been on establishing a legitimate context for understanding organizational politics, a countervailing view to the political frame is the rational frame of organizational decision making THE RATIONAL FRAME. By definition, rational processes are different from political processes. Rational decisions rest heavily on analytic process. An analytic process can be defined as one in which there are agreed-upon methods for generating alternative solutions to problems, and for assigning values to the benefits and costs expected from each of the alternatives.And sophisticated computational methods are readily available for calculating benefits/costs ratios once these values are assigned. The essence of rational process is the belief that, All good persons, given the same information, will come to the same conclusion. Those seeking to employ the rational process to the exclusion of political process thus seek open communication, perhaps through more than just formal (vertical) organizational channels.The rapid expansion of electronic mail systems that permits anyone in an organization to address anyone else probably rests on a rationality premise-that transcending organizational channels by allowing all members to address directly even the highest official will give that official more complete information and thus enable higher quality decisions. This is very difficult for some people to understand especially those with narcissistic power needs and maturity issues.There is also a trust assumption: that members can be trusted not to abuse the privilege and that high officials will not misuse the information. A political process would view valuable information as a co mmodity to be traded for influence (Jacobs). There is another important difference between rational and political views of appropriate operations both within and between organizations. The political frame does not depend on trust between persons. In the preceding example, both trust assumptions would be discounted as unrealistic.Trust in the probable future actions of coalition members is based on perception of gain to be expected from not violating agreements on which a coalition is based, for example. The intrinsic morality of being trustworthy is not particularly useful as a concept. Trust probably is not particularly a part of the rational frame, either, except that a strong rationalist believes in and trusts the logic of the process by which information is converted into decision outcomes. So a strong rationalist will trust others to be similarly logical.This leads to important postulates about rational communication within a system. For a rationalist, systems are information-c onsuming engines. Particularly at the strategic level, the unimpeded flow of information is crucial to the health of the system as a whole. However, politics and power dynamics strongly influence communication processes. To the extent organizations and the people in them are motivated by political gain and power dynamics, rational processes are inevitably shortchanged. POWER DYNAMICS AND THE RATIONAL FRAME. The National Security Strategy apparatus exists to support the formulation of policy and implementing strategy and thus presidential decision making. George writes insightfully about both the demands of these processes, and obstacles to their effective operation-particularly those attributable to bureaucratic politics. He comments that political scientists of an earlier generation were intrigued by the possibility that an overburdened executive might be able to divide his overall responsibilities into a set of more manageable subtasks to be assigned to specialized units of the organization.It was hoped and expected that division of labor and specialization within the organization, coupled with central direction and coordination, would enable the modern executive to achieve the ideal of rationality in policy making. He goes on to say that this hope has not been realized because: Some problems of large scale are not amenable to fragmentation. As an example, the task of central coordin ation and direction of foreign policy making has gotten steadily worse as the range, complexity, and scope of foreign policy problems has increased.The distinction between foreign and domestic policy has also eroded. George illustrates by noting that the deployment of US troops in Europe has implications for defense posture (DOD), balance of payments (Treasury), and U. S. relations with foreign nations (State). Such problems must be approached from a broader, holistic viewpoint, and there must be interaction among representatives of agencies with diverse viewpoints. This is prevented, however, by power competition within organizations, and between organizations and agencies within the government.As Jefferies puts it, individuals play politics within organizations, and organizations play the political game within the broader context. Rationalist guidelines for good policy making would include something like the following (George): get all the information needed for incisive and valid diagnosis of the proble/situation; identify all dimensions of value complexity so there can be balanced consideration of value priorities; identify a broad range of alternatives, considering uncertainties; take into account the policy implementation factor; and arrange for feedback information.In a politicized structure, the dynamics of organizational politics impacts all of these by giving a win-lose flavor to information-giving and position advancement. Thus, mixing organizational politics with a rational decision making process will likely lead to the following consequences: Each actor acquires information on its own policy issues and not those of others, thereby denying full, balanced information flow to the decision maker. Its own parochial interests and goals shape each actors participation in identification and evaluation of policy options. Oversimplification and rhetorical exaggeration distort policy debate (overstate benefits of own position and risks of opponents positions). Actors use their own bargaining advantage to manipulate the flow of advice to influence the executives choice of policy. Actors may arrange compromises (logrolling deals) among themselves to avoid presidential decisions that might be damaging to their perceived interests, thereby keeping policy issues from rising to the presidential level. Actors may seek to avoid an area, in order to avoid responsibility for it. Actors rely on policy routines and SOP that were previously developed, but which may not be appropriate for novel problems. Actors may be prevented from dealing incisively with foreign-policy issues by the time, energy, and attention expended on internal politics. As George points out, while the rational frame to organizational decision making may be highly desirable to most decision makers, it is not immune to political influences.The fact is there are politics involved in innovation and change and suc- cessful strategic leaders must be effective politicians. The higher one goes in organizations, the more use of organizational politics becomes an important social process; politics are often required to get important decisions implemented in complex systems (Pfeffer). NATURE OF STRATEGIC LEADER POWER A number of authors writing in Strivastvas Executive Power (1992) argue that power at the strategic organization level is manifested and executed through three fundamental elements: consensus, cooperation, and culture. An organization is high in consensus potential when it has the capacity to synthesize the commitment of multiple constituencies and stakeholders in response to specific challenges and aspirations. In this area, strategic leader pow er is derived from the management of ideas, the management of agreement, and the management of group and team decision making processes. Cooperative potential refers to an organizations capacity to catalyze cooperative interaction among individuals and groups.Power is employed by a strategic leader in the management of organization structures, task designs, resource allocation, and reward systems that support and encourage this behavior. Cultural/spiritual potential refers to a sense of timeless destiny about the organization, its role in its own area of endeavor as well as its larger role in its service to society. Strategic leaders use power in this area to manage and institutionalize organizational symbols, beliefs, myths, ideals and values. Their strategic aim is to create a strong culture that connects the destiny of the organization to the personal goals and aspirations of its members.Jacobs seminal work of general officer job requirements can be linked to the above conceptua l requirements for successfully acquiring and managing strategic leader power potential. His study of the work environment of general officers provides a context for looking at strategic performance requirements. He found three job demands consistently reported by the survey respondents. They were long-term vision, consensus building, and command team building. Although the road to power is open to those who wish to travel it, not all will distinguish themselves as master practitioners.What skills and attributes distinguish those strategic leaders who use power effectively from those who do not? INDIVIDUAL SKILLS AND ATTRIBUTES AS SOURCES OF POWER Pfeffers (1992) research and observations emphasize the following characteristics as being especially important for acquiring and maintaining strategic power bases: High energy and physical endurance is the ability and motivation to work long and often times grueling hours. Absent this attribute other skills and characteristics may not be of much value. Directing energy is the ability and skill to focus on a clear objective and to subordinate other interests to that objective. Attention to small details embedded in the objective is critical for getting things done. Successfully reading the behavior of others is the ability and skill to understand who are the key players, their positions and what strategy to follow in communicating with and influencing them. Equally essential in using this skill is correctly assessing their willingness or resistance to following the Strategic Leaders direction. Adaptability and flexibility is the ability and skill to modify ones behavior. This skill r equires the capacity to re-direct energy, abandon a course of action that is not working, and manage emotional or ego concerns in the situation. Motivation to engage and confront conflict is the ability and skill to deal with conflict in order to get done what you want accomplished. The willingness to take on the tough issues and challenges and execute a successful strategic decision is a source of power in any organization. Subordinating ones ego is the ability and skill to submerge ones ego for the collective good of the team or organization. Possessing this attribute is related to the characteristics of adaptability and flexibility. Depending on the situation and players, by exercising discipline and restraint an opportunity may be present to generate greater power and resources in a future scenario. The skills and attributes identified in the ICAF Strategic Leader Development Inventory are relevant not only to the work of strategic eaders but may contribute to the their overall capacity to acquire and use power effectively. These skills and attributes are grouped as conceptual skills and attributes and positive attributes.CONCEPTUAL SKILLS AND ATTRIBUTES. Professional Competence is one of the many ways leaders add value by grasping the essential nature of work to be done and providing the organizing guidance so it can be done quickly, efficiently, and well. Conceptual Flexibility is the capacity to see problems from multiple perspectives.It includes rapid grasp of complex and difficult situations as they unfold, and the ability to understand complex and perhaps unstructured problems quickly. It also includes tolerance for uncertainty and ambiguity. Future Vision reflects strategic vision, appreciation of long-range planning, and a good sense of the broad span of time over which strategic cause and effect play out. Conceptual Competence relates to conceptual flexibility in that both are essential for strategic vision. It has to do with the scope of a person s vision and the power of a persons logic in thinking through complex situations. Political Sensitivity is being skilled in assessing political issues and interests beyond narrow organizational interests. It means possessing the ability to compete in an arena immersed in the political frame to ensure that your organization is adequately resourced to support your stated organization interests and those of the nation. POSITIVE ATTRIBUTES. Interpersonal Competence is essential for effectiveness in influencing others outside your chain of command, or negotiating across agency lines. It suggests high confidence in the worth of other people, which is reflected in openness and trust in others. Empowering Subordinates goes beyond simple delegation of tasks and is crucial for creating and leading high performing organizations. It involves the personal capacity to develop meaningful roles for subordinates and then to encourage initiative in the execution of these roles. Team Performance Facilitation includes selecting good people in assembling a team, getting team members the resources to do a job, providing coordination to get tasks done and moving quickly to confront problem individuals. Objectivity is the ability to keep ones cool and maintain composure under conditions that might otherwise be personally threatening. Initiative/Commitment is the ability to stay involved and committed to ones work, get things done, be part of a team effort and take charge in situations as required. Understanding the character of strategic leader power and the requisite personal attributes and skills sets the stage for employing power effectively. We need to know more than the conceptual elements that constitute power in organizations at the strategic level.But, we need to know the strategies of how to use power effectively and to get things done. LEADING WITH POWER The acquisition and use of strategic leader power involves managing a sequential process that is described below:1. The first task is to decide what it is the leader is trying to achieve that necessitates the use of power.2. With the goal in mind, the leader must assess the patterns of dependence and interdependence among the key players and determine to what extent he or she will be successful in influencing their behavior. It is critical that the leader develop power and influence when the key players have expressed a differing point of view. It is important to remember there is more interdependence at the strategic level of the organization where task accomplishment is more complex.3. Getting things done means the leader should draw a political map of the terrain that shows the relative power of the various players to fully understand the patterns of dependence and interdependence. This involves mapping the critical organization units and sub-units and assessing their power bases. 4. This step is very important because a leader needs to determine how much power these units have to leverage influence either in support or opposition to their effort. For example, if a leader is proposing to introduce a consensus team decision making process in a joint interdependent environment, this implementation decision could change power relationships among the players. In this case, the leader needs to know the opposing players and the depth of their power bases. This move will likely require the mobilization of allies and the neutralization of resisters.5. Developing multiple power bases is a process connected to those personal attributes and skills previously discussed and to structural sources of power. Structural sources of power comes from the leaders creation and control over resources, location in communication and information networks, interpersonal connections with influential others, reputation for being powerful, allies or supporters, and the importance of leadi ng the right organization.6. Recognizing the need for multiple power bases and developing them is not enough.The strategic leader must have an arsenal of influence strategies and tactics that convert power and influence into concrete and visible results. Research on strategies and tactics for employing power effectively suggests the following range of influence tactics: (Allen, 1979, Bennis and Nanus, 1985, Blau, 1964, Kotter, 1985, 1978, Pfeffer, 1992, 1981, Salancik and Pfeffer, 1977) [pic] Framing/Reframing tactics establishes the context for analyzing both the decision and the action taken.By framing the context early in the process, the strategic leader is positioned to influence what looks reasonable or inappropriate in terms of language and the overall process for generating the decision itself. Framing and reframing decision making is an important tactic for influencing organizational behavior. This process sensitizes the leader to the context of organizational decision maki ng by increasing his or her self-awareness of history-the history of past relationships and past choices.Framing and reframing tactics thus give the leader the ability to set a context within which present and possible future decisions are evaluated, and an important perceptual lens that provides leverage for producing innovative ideas for getting things done. Interpersonal influence tactics recognizes that power and influence tactics are fundamental to living and operating in a world where organizations are characterized as interdependent social systems that require getting things done with the help of other people.A leader employing interpersonal influence tactics typically demonstrate behaviors that include: understanding the needs and concerns of the other person, managing constructive relationships with superiors, peers and subordinates, using active listening skills, asking probing questions to understand a countervailing power position, anticipating how individuals may respon d to ideas or information, thinking about the most effective means to influence the individual and crafting appropriate tactics to the needs and concerns of he other person, and maintaining a broad network of individual contacts. Timing tactics involve determining not only what to do but when to move out. These types of action include: initiating action first to catch your adversary unprepared, thereby establishing possible advantage in framing a context for action, using delay tactics to erode the confidence of proponents or opponents as it relates to setting priorities, allocating resources and establishing deadlines, controlling the agenda and order of agenda items to affect how decisions are made.The sequencing of agenda items is very critical where decisions are interdependent. Empowerment tactics create conditions where subordinates can feel powerful, especially those who have a high need for power. Leaders empower their followers and subordinates through a process that provi des direction, intellectual stimulation, emotional energy, developmental opportunities and appropriate rewards.Typical behaviors of a leader using these tactics include: high involvement and participation in the decision making process, modifying and adapting ones ideas to include suggestions from others, involving others in the strategy formulation and implementation process, looking for creative and innovative solutions that will benefit the total organization, and instilling confidence in those who will implement the solutions. Structural tactics can be employed to divide and dominate the opposition.They can be used to consolidate power by putting a leader or his or her subordinates and allies in a position to exercise more control over resources, information, and formal authority. Re-aligning organizational structure can also be used to co-op others to support a leaders ideas, initiatives and decisions. Effective employment of structural tactics is accomplished when leaders aggr essively use their formal power to consolidate, expand and control the organizational landscape. Logical persuasion tactics requires using logical reasons, facts, and data to influence others.Employment of a leaders expert power base can be used to support logical persuasion. Effective use of these tactics include the following behaviors: persuading others by emphasizing the strengths and advantages of their ideas, developing more than one reason to support ones position, using systems thinking to demonstrate the advantages of their approach, and preparing arguments to support their case. Bargaining tactics involve leader behaviors that attempt to gain influence by offering o exchange favors or resources, by making concessions, or by negotiating a decision that mutually advances the interests of all participants. These influence tactics are typically effective in a political environment involving opposing or resisting forces; when a leader is in a position to do something for anothe r individual or group; or when the collective interests of all can be served. Organizational mapping tactics focus the leaders sight on possible power-dependent and interdependent relationships. The critical task is to identify and secure the support of important people who can influence others in the organization.Leaders using these tactics will employ behaviors that include: determining which actors are likely to influence a decision, getting things done by identifying existing coalitions and working through them, garnering support by bringing together individuals from different areas of the organization, isolating key individuals to build support for a decision, linking the reputations of important players to the decision context and working outside formal organization channels to get the support of key decision makers. Impact leadership tactics include thinking carefully about the most profound, interesting or dramatic means to structure a decision situation to gain the support of others. Behaviors include: presenting ideas that create an emotional bond with others, using innovative and creative ways to present information or ideas, finding and presenting examples that are embedded in the political and cultural frames such as language, ceremonies and propitious events, and lastly, consistently demonstrating high energy and physical stamina in getting the job done. Visioning tactics demonstrate how a leaders ideas and values support the organizations strategic goals, beliefs and values. Leader behaviors in executing these tactics include: articulating ideas that connect the organizations membership to an inspiring vision of what the organization can become, appealing to organization core values or principles, linking the work of the organization to the leaders vision and broader goals, creating and using cultural symbols to develop both individual pride and team identity.Information and analysis tactics suggest that leaders in control of the facts and analy sis can exercise substantial influence. Leaders will use unobtrusive behaviors to disguise their true intention, which is to effectively employ influence tactics that seemingly appear rational and analytical. Facts and data are manipulated and presented to appear rational and help to make the use of power and influence less obvious. Another ploy used by leaders is to mobilize power by bringing in credible outside experts who can be relied on to support a given strategy and provide the answers they are expected to give.Lastly, under conditions of VUCA which characterizes strategic decision making, leaders will selectively advocate decision criteria that support their own interests and organizations. In these cases, leaders typically do what works best and make decisions based on criteria that are most familiar to them. Coercive tactics are the least effective in influencing strategic decisions. These tactics involve employing threats, punishment, or pressure to get others to do what a leader wants done.Typical leader behaviors include: using position power to demand obedient compliance or blind loyalty, making perfectly clear the costs and consequences of not playing the game, publicly abusing and reprimanding people for not performing, and punishing individuals who do not implement the leaders requests, orders or instructions. This chapter has addressed what strategies and tactics are required for leading with power at the highest organizational level. In a micro context, it is about managing power, which translates as being personally effective in knowing how to get things done and having the political will to do so.At a macro level, it means coping effectively with the strategic environment and dealing with innovation and organizational change. HOW POWER IS LOST In a general sense power is lost because organizations change and leaders dont. Organizational dynamics create complex conditions and different decision situations that require innovative and creative approaches, new skill sets and new dependent and interdependent relationships. Leaders who have learned to do things a specific way become committed to predictable choices and decision actions.They remain bonded and loyal to highly developed social networks and friendships, failing to recognize the need for change, let alone allocating the political will to accomplish it. Ultimately, power may be lost because of negative personal attributes that diminish a leaders capacity to lead with power effectively. The SLDI identifies a number of negative attributes that when linked to certain organizational dynamics will generate potential loss of power: Technically Incompetent describes leaders who lack the conceptual skills needed to develop vision and be proactive in managing organizational ch ange. Self-Serving/Unethical leaders abuse power and use it for their own self aggrandizement, take special privileges, and exploit peers and subordinates by taking credit for contributions done by others. Self-serving leaders contaminate the ethical climate by modeling power-oriented behavior that influence others to replicate their behavior. Over the long run, these leaders engender divisiveness and are not trusted. Micromangement of subordinates destroys individual and team motivation.Leaders who over-supervise their subordinates have strong control needs, are generally risk averse and lack conceptual understanding of power sharing and subordinate development. Arrogant leaders are impressed with their own self-importance, and talk down to both peers and subordinates thereby alienating them. If empowering others is about releasing purposeful and creative energy, arrogance produces a negative leadership climate that supresses the power needs of others. Arrogant leaders makes it alm ost impossible for subordinates to acquire power as a means to improve their own performance as well as to seek new ways to learn and grow. Explosive and Abusive leaders are likely to be hot reactors who use profanity excessively, have inadequate control of temper, and abuse subordinates. They may also lack the self-control required to probe for in-depth understanding of complex problems and so may consistently solve them at a superficial level. Explosive and abusive leaders may self-destruct repeatedly in coalition building and negotiating situations. Inaccessible leaders are out of touch with their subordinates particularly when they need access for assistance. Peers typically write the individual off. Leaders are generally inaccessible because they dont place great value on building interpersonal relationships, they may have weak interpersonal skills or they may be self-centered. CONCLUSIONS What are the key learning points in this chapter and what are the practical implications for strategic leaders and decision makers. Pfeffer has described learning about power most succinctly: it is one thing to understand powerhow to diagnose it, what are its sources, what are the strategies and tactics for its use, and how it is lost. It is quite another thing to use that knowledge in the world at largeIn corporations, public agencies, universities, and government, the problem is how to get things done, how to move forward, how to solve the many problems facing organizations of all sizes and types. Developing and exercising power require having both will and skill. It is the will that often seems to be missing. Leveraging Power and Politics in Strategic Decision Making: Practical Implications 1.

Saturday, October 19, 2019

Education and Skills in Japan Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Education and Skills in Japan - Essay Example Adult education has also offered to cater for those never had childhood education or those who want to further their informal education. Market offers avenues where the skills acquired through the education system are applied. A balance between education which supply skilled and vocationally-oriented workforce and the market has to be established for viable economy of a country to grow. The future of a country economic growth and development is much dependent on emphasis placed on the education system which supply work force in the market. Education and skills that an individual possesses form the personality and worthiness in the society. The role of education is the social purpose, intellectual purpose, economic purpose and civil/political purpose. The economic purpose reflects that most of those countries with high levels of literacy are the richest countries in the world based on GDP per capita. Market requires education and skills that are able to meet its workforce qualifications successfully. There are usually two approaches i.e. basic scenario and target scenario which if well formulated leads to high levels of employment coupled with high quality jobs for economic growth. Current Market requires individuals who are knowledgeable and well equipped with new sophisticated technologies to offer solutions in the society. The market offers opportunities for employment based on education and skills possessed by an individual but market forces tend to exploit education qualification at the expense of supply and this should be controlled and regulations formulated by government through the ministry of education of different nations to offer terms and conditions for any opportunities that arise in the market. 2 Japan has level of education due to well formulated system after war in the country. The model of education consists of mandatory free basic schooling for children aged 6 to 15 years. Upper secondary not mandatory but about 94% of those who attend lower education enrol and about a 40% of upper secondary graduates make to tertiary education. Today there is high enrolment rate in public institutions leading to high productivity rate in its population. This has led to a mature and learning society with rising incomes, more free time and rise in old population engaged in learning activities. The graph 1.1 below reflects the number of students who advances to high school from the year 1960 to 2001. There is positive growth in percentage from 57.7% in 1960 and tend to stagnate at 95% by the year 2000.3 This indicates high level of retention of students who forms part of 40 % tertiary institutions. Graph 1.2 reflects the gender parity among those who advance to tertiary institutions for the period. Male students dominated female the whole period but it reached at time between 1975 and 1990 when male enrolment decline significantly while that of female kept a positive growth. This led to narrowing the gap from 40.4% male and female 12.5% in 1970 to 46.9% male and 32.7% female in 1990.4 - Source: Asahi Shumbun Newspaper, 2006 Source: Asahi Shumbun Newspaper, 2006 Conclusion Economic prosperity of country heavily relies on education system that produces the work force. Market alone cannot shape the destiny of education and

Friday, October 18, 2019

Business finance Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Business finance - Assignment Example This imposes limitation on the company to use Australian Tax though major shareholders are non-Australian. OZ – Seafood Limited, according to the Australian Tax law, is classified as Category 1 Company. Company’s capital budgeting projects should be undertaken on pre – tax basis, as recommended by the Australian Tax Regulation . Question b: Over how many years should Oz-seafoods’ capital budgeting evaluation of the polystyrene container manufacturing proposal be undertaken Answer: Machinery for manufacturing polystyrene containers has 10 years operational life with no salvage value. According to the Federal Laws, company can deprecate total cost of the machine on a straight-line basis over seven years. Capital budgeting evaluation should be undertaken over 7 years of time. However, that will give salvage value, which will be taxable. Question c: Do you agree or disagree with the accountant’s argument regarding the working capital outlay being ignore d in the evaluation of the capital budgeting project? Answer: I disagree. Working capital is project cash flow element. It has to be included in capital budgeting projects. Working capital in the cash flow model is considered to be an expense item. It is Tax-deductible. By including it, company benefits. At the end of the project, working capital is recovered and added to cash flow as a net earning. However, before adding it to the cash flow, its present value is evaluated. NPV is thus adjusted by adding the present value of working capital. Question d: To determine the weighted average cost of capital that the company should use to evaluate its investment projects, calculate the appropriate measure of: (i) Cost of Debt (ii) Value of Debt (iii) Cost of Equity (iv) Value of Equity (v) Weighted Average Cost of Capital. Round your calculated answer to the nearest whole percentage (i) Cost of Debt calculation. Oz – seafoods has 5$ million current debt and 20 $ million long-term d ebts. The company should consider only long term debt for its investment projects. Cost of these bonds in the project is the rate of return has to be paid to the bond owners. This rate of return is named as Yield for the bond owners, and is the cost of debt for the company. The effective yield is calculated using the formula (Investing Answers): [1+ (r/n)] ^ n – 1; where: r = Normal rate n = number of payment in one year Long term bonds = 20 $ million Average maturity= 10 years. Average coupon rate, r = 10.7 % per annum , Number of payment in one year, (paid half yearly), n = 2 r/n = 0.107 / 2 = 0.0535 (1+0.0535)^2 – 1 = 0.10986 FV = 20,000,000 $ Coupon rate = 10.7 % Coupon PMT = 1,070,000 $ half yearly COMP i = 10.986 % = 11 % = 11 % Oz – seafoods’ economist has predicted an estimated 2 % inflation rate. With this adjustment, k D = 13 % The relationship between real rate and nominal rate is (Fisher formula):Â   Rn = (1 + Rr)(1 + Ri) - 1 = Rr+ Ri+ RrRi ( Nominal rate / Real rate calculator – Web.) Where, Rn is nominal rate, Rr is real rate and Ri is inflation rate. k D = k D = 0.02 + 0.11+ 0.11 * 0.02 = 0.1322 = 13.22 % = 13 % Note: 1. The current Yield rate on similar bonds is 9 % per annum. This is 6 % per annum above the government bonds with the same maturity. OZ – seafoods’ economist has predicted an average 7 % p.a. return above the government securities. The calculated value k D = 13 % consider this increase. 2. Oz –

Automotive Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 1

Automotive - Assignment Example The rate of motor vehicles deregistration stands at 20% yearly. However, the owners of the abandoned motor vehicles are not easily traced. The New Zealand authorities always try to locate the owners of the abandoned vehicles. Their search at times pays. The authorities are able to locate about 35% of the abandoned car owner. However, this rate is minimal compared to the rate of vehicles which are being abandoned yearly (Kenny, 2001). New Zealand had a total of 1.5 million passengers’ cars in the year 1986. This number considerably increased to 2.5 million in the year 2004. The approximated value of used cars that are being imported to the country stands at 70%. Most of these used cars are abandoned by their owners on both private and public properties. The abandonment of these used cars possessed a lot of environmental concerns. This has prompted the motor vehicle industry to come up with policies that reduce the pollution caused. Some of these policies are removal of operating fluids, battery, LPG tanks, tires, CFCs present in the air conditioning units, and defusing of air bags and seat-belts. New Zealand authorities therefore, need to benchmark with Western Europe countries so as to solve their motor vehicle abandonment practices. This is because Western Europe currently leads the world in the management of used motor vehicles. Some of the laid down approaches for proper motor vehicle management are th e use of the EU Directive. This directive on motor vehicles was adopted in the year 2000 (Cassells, 2004). EU directive takes into consideration the extended manufacturer responsibility. The directive has also set reuse and various recovery targets. The success of this directive cannot be easily determined at the moment. However, other member countries like the Netherlands and Germany has taken the lead in the implementation of this policy. These two countries have successfully been able to recycle used motor vehicles within their territory. Sweden being

Thursday, October 17, 2019

The Forbidden City Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

The Forbidden City - Essay Example A city, which is now Beijing, was a significant commercial center in the beginning of the ninth century BC. It became the administrative core of the principality of the Yan and eventually became the capital of Liao and later on the Jin. The northern tribe, the Tartars, constructed a city near this site in the tenth century.ii When the Venetian explorer Marco Polo visited the location, he illustrated it as the city of Khan, with fortified roofs highlighting the green flora of mulberry trees. Modern Beijing is roughly five centuries old, with several of its prominent edifices entirely restored. When Yung-lo instituted Beijing as his Chinese capital in the early fifteenth century, he commissioned roughly 200,000 laborers to construct the imperial city. Hsu Tai, Feng Chiao and Yuan An, his three engineers, were provided with the direction to build a massive, affluent and mystifying palace to function as the metropolis of the Emperor to the rest of the world. The role of the Emperor was a difficult one. Auditoriums were required for receiving delegations, along with places of worship for sacramental cleansing and processional paths. He as well demanded expansive domestic residences with backyards for himself and his loved ones in addition to administrative housing.iii The Forbidden City was entangled in ceremonial and spiritual notions. Legend tells that the core structure of the City was envisioned in a reverie by the mentor of Yung-lo, a futurist monk. He envisioned a celestial city, wherein the Lord of Heaven dwelled in a purple enclosed space, which is assumed to be a constellation shaped by 15 heavenly bodies revolving around the polestar.iv As Chinese cosmology believes, purple was an embodiment of bliss and happiness and as well as that of the polestar. Hence, the Emperor proclaimed himself as the Son of Heaven, with the divine obligation

The City of Hong Kong Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

The City of Hong Kong - Research Paper Example The city is surrounded by the South Sea of China on the south, west and east and borders Shenzhen city to the northern part over the river of Shenzhen. The 426 sq m. territory consists of Kowloon peninsula, New Territory and Hong Kong Island. Hong Kong’s land area is the 179th largest populated territory in the globe. Despite of being intensely urbanized, the city has tried to promote a green pollution free environment. Recent growing concern of public about the environment has prompted the harsh restriction of future land reclamation. The city’s environment has suffered from the increasing population as well as from the ever increasing rate of pollution (Goldcast, 167). Nearly about 80% of the smog of Hong Kong used to originate from several parts of Pearl River Delta. Population Density The population density of Hong Kong is 6782.92 as reported in the year 2010. Population density in Hong Kong is 6696.5. In terms of population, it is the largest city within China. In Hong Kong, urban agglomerations’ population of more than 1 million is 6982287.0. In terms of percentage, it is more than 100%. Raw Material, Principle Products and Industries The city is not enriched with raw materials. The territory has limited natural resources and little arable land. Therefore, the city used to import most of its raw materials and foods from other countries. The agricultural activity is not that much important to the economy of Hong Kong. The agricultural activity used to contribute just 0.1% of its total GDP. The city is the 11th major trading entity of World. Moreover, Hong Kong is world’s largest re-export sector. The city is the major and one of the leading producer and exporter of textiles, watches, toys, apparels, plastics and electrical appliances (Siu & Ku, 159). In Hong Kong, the major leading industries are financial services, Tourism, Logistics & Trading and professional & producer services. These industries are the driving force of the e conomic growth of the country under consideration. These specific industries used to provide impetus to growth of various sectors and help to generate employment. Competitive Advantage and Production of Goods The logistics and trading industries used to consolidate different production and economic activities. Moreover, it used to help the problem of unemployment. This particular industry currently has employed more than 770,000 employees. This industry significantly contributes to one quarter of the Chinese GDP. Due to the drastic change in the market demand, the trading industry is tending to provide highly value added trading and logistic services. Hong Kong is gradually developing into regional distribution centre for its highly valued products. This used to differ from the conventional role in the transporting elements such as finished and semi-finished goods. The city has superior control over the distribution system of superior valued goods. Moreover, the logistics industry o f Hong Kong has the potential to expand its regional services of trading and logistics. These are the competitive advantages of the Hong Kong trading that have strengthen the position of Hong Kong as the logistical hub. It has been discussed earlier that Hong Kong is not enriched highly with natural resources and raw materials. The city is famous for the apparel and textile goods, toys and electronic appliances. Currently the city has increased its import activities of these goods. It is

Wednesday, October 16, 2019

The Forbidden City Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

The Forbidden City - Essay Example A city, which is now Beijing, was a significant commercial center in the beginning of the ninth century BC. It became the administrative core of the principality of the Yan and eventually became the capital of Liao and later on the Jin. The northern tribe, the Tartars, constructed a city near this site in the tenth century.ii When the Venetian explorer Marco Polo visited the location, he illustrated it as the city of Khan, with fortified roofs highlighting the green flora of mulberry trees. Modern Beijing is roughly five centuries old, with several of its prominent edifices entirely restored. When Yung-lo instituted Beijing as his Chinese capital in the early fifteenth century, he commissioned roughly 200,000 laborers to construct the imperial city. Hsu Tai, Feng Chiao and Yuan An, his three engineers, were provided with the direction to build a massive, affluent and mystifying palace to function as the metropolis of the Emperor to the rest of the world. The role of the Emperor was a difficult one. Auditoriums were required for receiving delegations, along with places of worship for sacramental cleansing and processional paths. He as well demanded expansive domestic residences with backyards for himself and his loved ones in addition to administrative housing.iii The Forbidden City was entangled in ceremonial and spiritual notions. Legend tells that the core structure of the City was envisioned in a reverie by the mentor of Yung-lo, a futurist monk. He envisioned a celestial city, wherein the Lord of Heaven dwelled in a purple enclosed space, which is assumed to be a constellation shaped by 15 heavenly bodies revolving around the polestar.iv As Chinese cosmology believes, purple was an embodiment of bliss and happiness and as well as that of the polestar. Hence, the Emperor proclaimed himself as the Son of Heaven, with the divine obligation

Tuesday, October 15, 2019

Alfred Stieglitz and His the Steerage Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Alfred Stieglitz and His the Steerage - Essay Example he snapshots a rich color and picturesqueness, although Stieglitz said: â€Å"I do not object to retouching, dodging or accentuation as long as they do not interfere with the natural qualities of photographic technique† (cited in Whelan, 1995). This photo evolutional trend had been called â€Å"the pictorializm†. Snapshots, so much adored by the follower of this stream, were made by the hand camera or the fixed device, but in the only unrepeatable moment, and, as a result of a painstaking artistic work they were becoming the unique photo pictures, the art masterpieces. But this passion didn’t last for a long time and later it became inexplicable, why the goals posed by the pictorializm can be satisfied only by the photo technology. Alfred Stieglitz, who for nearly 15 years was organizing the exhibitions of young budding photographers and artists, at first, in the 1900-s was affected an active combination of photography and art, and later, after ten years, his gal lery began to pay more attention on the pictorial art itself. New times had come, and pictorializm as a trend became the production of sentimental pictures. So Alfred Stieglitz deeply changes his manner of taking photos. In the 1890-s he was walking the streets with his â€Å"detective† camera and making the reportage photos, not retouching or amplifying them at all. In the later years he talked about the researches of the unknown and said he was looking for the subjects for his works in the sixty yards of his house door. In those days such considerations were innovatory, that was the time of sentimental, genre, compositional and â€Å"highart† photos , criticized by Emerson, the author of the â€Å"Naturalistic photography†, but still popular in the New-York photo clubs, and these wire-drawn images were hanged... The essay "Alfred Stieglitz and his the Steerage" gives detailed information about a famous photographer and explores the story of his greatest photographs of all time. He was the first who acquainted famous by its conservative views American society with the works of such genius of that time as Picasso, Braque, Rodin, Brancusi, Matisse, Dyushan, Cezanne, Americans Max Lieberman and James McNeill. Artists and litterateurs concentrated their attention on the searches of new methods for the description of reality, and, thereby. In the first decades of 20-th century the modernism appeared as the complex of artistic trends (futurism, expressionism, cubism, constructivism, surrealism, abstract art etc.), which were advancing till the Second World War. Alfred Stieglitz is a foremen of piktorializm, the editor of an association of amateur photography enthusiasts. But when within the group the division had started, and members of the Camera Club began to oppose his restrictive editorial poli cies, Stieglitz and several of his friends-photographers ruptured with the Club and established the Photo-Secession group†. Photo portraits Made by Stieglitz were lucid and profound, capitally showing their dispositions. In the 1925 all his works were demonstrated in the gallery of Mitchell Kennerly. But the most famous his work is The Steerage. It was captured in 1907 on the lower deck of one of the largest ships in the world at that time because the snapshot had chased the lower class passenger’s area, known on most ships as the steerage.

Comparison of Reports Essay Example for Free

Comparison of Reports Essay The ability to read and write reports is an essential skill in today’s world. Therefore we need to acquaint ourselves with the three main types of reports – Informational, Analytical, and Proposals. Informational reports mainly provide facts and figures while analytical reports go one step further and provide an analysis of the facts presented. Proposals are usually prior to writing a full-blown report and contain the methods on how a certain study is to be undertaken. No matter what our occupation is, one thing we will surely deal with is reports whether it be reading and evaluating them or writing them. Therefore it is of importance for a person to be acquainted with three main types of reports – Informational Reports, Analytical Reports, and Proposals. The most basic report is the informational report. As its name implies, an informational report’s main purpose and goal is to provide information in the form of facts, figures, or observations on a certain subject so that the reader will have a better understanding of the subject matter. For informational reports, it is very important to have accurate and significant facts gained from credible sources. An analytical report is similar to an informational report in that it also contains significant and informative facts gained from credible sources but it goes a step further because the author presents an analysis of the information cited in an effort to come up with ways of solving the issue. Usually the author will present facts and figures regarding the subject and then will provide a detailed analysis of these facts and figures in order to shed more light on the subject of the report. (Shurter et al. , 1965) A proposal on the other hand is something that is usually written prior to making a report or a study and states the importance or significance of undertaking that study. (Brown 1955) A proposal is similar to an informational report in that it must include preliminary sources where facts can be gained from. It is similar to an analytical report in the sense that it usually tackles an issue and it proposes to use a certain methodology or framework in which to analyze the data and thereby draw conclusions from. The main purpose for writing a proposal is if you want to undertake a certain study or report and wish to get a professionals’ opinion and advice on your idea for a report or to gain funding from different sponsors. Reference List: Brown, L. (1955). Effective Business Report Writing. Wisconsin: Prentice-Hall. Shurter, R. L. , Williamson J. P. , Broehl, W. G. (1965). Business Research and Report Writing. California: University of California.

Monday, October 14, 2019

Reflection on a Clinical Experience on Staffing Challenge

Reflection on a Clinical Experience on Staffing Challenge Description. As a requirement of my nursing course, am writing an essay on an incident that happened during my clinical experience. This was in a Tier 4 public hospital which serves a whole county within the republic in a densely populated area that has a population of 10 million people as per the latest censes of 2009. It also serves the neighboring counties. It has all the prescribed services of a tier 4 hospital apart from an Intensive Care Unit (ICU), and a Renal Unit of which those requiring this service are referred to the country’s National Hospital and are escorted by the nurses on duty. I reported to work one Saturday, a day after reporting in this institution for very first time on rotation as per the nursing council requirement as partial fulfillment for the nursing degree course, in a medical ward that had seventy two inpatients the previous day. To receive us was the night duty staff who confirmed that there were only two of us to man the ward, a resident nurse and I. As the report was being read, I noted that two patients were waiting for blood transfusion and still others needed to be assisted with activities of daily living, and at the same time it was reported from the outpatient department (OPD), that we prepare beds to receive patients from them. After the report, those on night duty left and the resident nurse allocated the duties. She assigned me to administer medication, while she takes care of all the other duties. I asked her how this was possible of which she replied calmly and confidently that on this day, we were â€Å"overstaffed† as most times during the weekend only one nursing staff reports and that everything was going to be just fine. She was happy to have me around! I managed to quickly mentally adjust to this new and unfamiliar setting and hoped for the best. We started off by assisting those that required assistance in activities of daily living and tidying up the ward and then I immediately started off with the drug round alone. Almost half of the patients were on injectable medication meaning that I had to take time to restitute and calculate the doses as prescribed, taking care of infection prevention. The administration of drugs took too long noting that those that had a prescription of eight hourly administration of drugs as per this particular institution should get their doses between 9am and 10am but by the time I was through, it was almost 12.30pm meaning that those that got drugs after 11am were two hours late yet it was the best I could do given the circumstances as the resident nurse was busy with new admissions and attending to those that had been discharged as relatives complained of being kept too long before being attended too. Feelings As the report was being read, I was wondering how the two of us were meant to handle all the patients efficiently and effectively in relation to patient care outcome, not mentioning that we were also meant to admit those who would present during the day. Were we going to be timely in administering drugs? How would we handle an emergency arising in the midst of all the procedures awaiting us? How could the nurse manager leave and be settled wherever she was with such a situation in the ward? As a nurse, am aware that quality of care is more important than quantity yet these two should go hand in hand for positive productivity to be felt. Here I felt that the nurse manager had not forecasted on the staffing requirement for the unit which ought to be as indicated by the following, states, Nursing staffing methodology should be an orderly, systematic process, based upon sound rationale, applied to determine the number and kind of nursing personnel required to provide nursing care of a predetermined standard to a group of patients in a particular setting. The end result is a prediction of the kind and number of staff required to give care to patients (Adelotte Rousell, 2009). When learning as a student it was made clear that two nurses should be assigned administration of drugs as a team so as to counter check on the same and as per the Kenya Nursing Council Procedure Manual 2010. Also with the blood transfusion pending procedure, two nurses were required. I felt very inadequate and unprepared to face the day partly because I had not fully familiarized with these new environment and to me, this was a very big institution to be have had such a noticeable shortage of nursing staff. This is in reference to this institutions mission that reads ‘ To Promote And Provide Quality Curative, Preventive And Rehabilitative Health Services for All Kenyans’ making me feel that the organization in this unit did not put into consideration quality of service but rather left it to fete. According to Rousell (2009), ‘organizations exist to bring people and material to accomplish the work of the organization which should also allow for personal adjustment’, which to me did not seem to be observed as this was my second day in the said hospital. I feared that I would not deliver quality services and that the patients would find fault in me as I felt I would keep on enquiring from the resident nurse on areas that I was not certain. Evaluation What was positive about this situation is that I worked with what I had, here meaning limited consultation. The resident nurse was very supportive with excellent interpersonal communication skills as she treated me with respect and as her equal, and provided me with a brief orientation on how to go about it, giving me confidence to take up the task with ease. I took it positively and interacted with patients very comfortably and at the end of it all I enjoyed my achievement and felt secure to undergo the same task should it so arise. Good communication skills are essential in mentoring new staff as well as goes a long way in removing barriers and obstacles to effective teamwork (Gullatte, 2011). This was what motivated me to carry on with the assigned activity without complaining. The nurse delegated this task to me which is an efficient time management tool and made me comfortable by reassuring me that she would be accountable and responsible to everything that I did and that she would be present in the ward in case of anything. I learnt that self-confidence coupled with a pleasant confident manager is in itself very motivating and felt I would use this skill in future. The patients were very relaxed and some going out of their way to assist me lift those that needed a little help as they took their medication. It made me realize how passionate patients can be once they stay and get to know one another and that they feel helpful once they are allowed to assist. What was negative is that it took too long to accomplish one assignment and that almost three quarters of the patients got their treatment late and did not raise a voice, maybe because they do not know of the right to timely services or are too intimidated to do so. This to me was an ethical issue that needed to be addressed as the full benefit of medication was compromised as a direct result of understaffing. One of the ethical issues in nursing is distributive justice meaning giving a person that which is deserved (Sullivan Decker, 2007). They did not deserve to get medication late. Goal setting for both long and short term are stated in terms of what the patient and the nurse will accomplish providing direction and vision for actions and time frames (WHO, 2010). This to me had not been factored in as the duties were being prepared which left room for risks arising that would cost the patients a lot in terms of long recovery time plus maybe subject them to long hospital stay. This hospital is a teaching institution whereby nursing and other health service providing students come for practice and internship during the weekdays and I could not understand why all the students in all the basic schools are allowed weekend offs. To the best of my understanding, this was the best time to introduce students to the unique working times of health care workers as health issues are not regulated by the time of the day but rather by the demand of the services. I am looking at an opportunity of balancing students throughout the week in contrast to allowing them to overcrowd specific days as had been the case the previous day and overworking the resident nurse over the weekend. I feel that this would have eased the burden had students been allocated weekends as part of their training. I strongly agree that, Addressing the nursing shortage requires a response to the total number of nurses but also the level of nurse’s education due to the fast growing demand and complex patient care, technologies, and a widening scope of knowledge and expertise (McHugh, 2010). Conclusion At the end of the day I was left with mixed feelings on one hand that I had provided services to the best of my ability given the prevailing constraints, and on the other, that the patients didn’t get the kind of quality care meant to be rendered due to staffing shortage. I feel that since decision making is a key function in management, this institution, should as a temporary measure incorporate students in rendering services during the weekends under supervision as happens during weekdays starting off with simple tasks and scaling up responsibilities as they gain confidence. I feel that the nurse managers and the administration ought to call in the policy makers in this county with a well-defined document ,in it the international standards of staffing as per the World Health Organization (WHO) recommendations in the Workload Indicators Staffing Needs (WISN), It is a method of human resource management tool that provides health managers with a systematic way to make staffing decisions In order to manage human resource well and is based on health workers workload with activity (time) standards applied for each workload component (WHO,2010). The manager should at this sitting have found out the external standards of nursing as developed by non-nurses here meaning the county government in question as I believe they also do have expected practice by the same. This is in confirmation by Burkhardt Nathaniel,( 2008) who have demonstrated that ‘External standards of nursing standards are guides for nursing developed by the government or institutions describing expectations of agencies or groups that utilize services for nurses’. This could go a long way in advocating for hiring of more nurses and is a better platform to effecting productive changes in the running of health services than the industrial actions that nurses undertake due to frustrations other than strikes. According to Rousell (2009), ‘There is strong evidence that adequate number of nursing staff available to care for and coordinate care among the disciplines has an impact on patient outcomes. I want to acknowledge here that from accounts from fellow colleagues, nursing shortage is felt in most institutions but this particular experience was almost horrifying. Action The action plan for me and the entire team is to acquire the WHO, WISN manual and use this tool to make a workable staffing outline and call in the county health committee and present our findings in comparison with the actual on the ground and help make recommendations so that as the policy makers budget for the next financial year, they be advised by this document which will have been prepared by the stakeholders in addition to re- distributing student nurses throughout the week. Reference Burkhardt, M.A, Nathaniel, A.K. (2008).Ethics and Issues in Contemporary Nursing. (3rd ed.).United Kingdom: Delmar. Gullatte, M, M. (2011), Nursing Management Principles and Practice (2nd ed), ONS: Atlanta McHugh, D. (2010), Hospital Staffing and Public Health Emergency Preparedness; Implications for Policy; DOI; 10 111/J 1525-1446.2010.00877X Retrieved from www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/pmc 2998349 Tomey, A, M (2009), Nursing Management and Leadership (8th ed): Mosby, Indiana. WHO, (2010). Workload Indicators of Staffing Needs (WISN), ISBN: ISBN 978 92 4 1500197.